ficlet february 13: "a lasting impression"
Boop! (I did skip a day on the list, because I started a Raven Cycle ficlet for that one and still need to finish it. Also, I made the list and I do what I want.)
***
Ficlet February 14: "a lasting impression"
"You're setting me up with your brother," Erik says flatly when Raven shows him a photo of his blind date.
"Yes," Raven says. There's the steel of a challenge in her voice. Raven is obstinate and rarely backs down when she thinks she's right. It's clear this is going to be one of those times. Erik mutters a curse under his breath.
"One," he says, holding up his first finger, "Fucking the sibling of someone else I used to fuck seems like a terrible idea."
"You said you wanted a relationship," Raven points out. "Not just someone to fuck, which is all we were to each other, sorry to say. That's entirely different."
"I will still be having sex with someone related to someone else I've had sex with," Erik says.
"Well, not at the same time!" she says. "And it's not like we're related by blood."
"And two," Erik continues. He raises his second finger. "I've met your brother. I remember your brother. I am looking for a relationship and your brother clearly isn't looking for the same thing."
"Yeah, you met my brother once, ten years ago, for twenty minutes," Raven says.
"He made a lasting impression," Erik says.
And he did. And that's half the problem. Because Charles Xavier had been exactly Erik's type--smart, short but solid, with a face like something out of a Renaissance painting. At the party ten years ago, twenty-two year old Erik would have taken Charles home and done unspeakable things to him and left happily in the morning. Except in those ten minutes that they met, Charles puked on Erik's shoes, came on to him far too strong, and called him the wrong name twice, then moved on to using the same tired lines and endearingly awkward moves on a string of other people until some girl gave in and disappeared around back with him.
Charles was hot, brilliant, and easy. Twenty-two year old Erik would have applauded that. Thirty-two year old Erik is starting to realize that maybe he doesn't like his empty apartment as much as he pretends to and maybe he wants kids some day.
"A lot has changed in ten years," Raven says. She gives him a sharp look.
"I know," Erik says. Because he remembers, of course, Raven telling him about the accident and Raven in and out of the hospital all day and Raven moving back to their ancient estate when Charles was finally released. That had been around the time they were casually fucking, before Erik began to realize that his bisexuality maybe worked better in theory than practice and just because he found Raven's scales and abilities exciting maybe didn't mean he wanted to actually have sex with her, and Raven had spent more than one afternoon unloading all of her thoughts and feelings and frustrations about the whole thing.
"And anyway," he adds, "I don't want to go out with someone who's just grateful to be getting any interest, you know?"
The look Raven gives him could freeze hell over.
"You know what, you're right," she says. "Charles doesn't need a date who's just going to pity him. There are plenty of people in the world who find him legitimately attractive, regardless of whether or not he can walk."
Erik knows he's stepped in it. He feels like an ass, which he hates--he wishes, sometimes, he could go back to being twenty-four and insensitive and uncaring of what people thought about him. It was easy to be cruel when he was pretending other people didn't matter. Once you take other people's feelings into account life gets...exhausting.
"That's not what I--" Raven is still glaring at him and he covers his face with one hand and sighs. "You know I--whatever. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." He drops his hand. She seems vaguely mollified.
"He's not sleeping around anymore," she says. "I wouldn't have suggested him if he had been. That's what he's looking for any longer--he wants to settle down."
Erik has his doubts, but he's already fucked this up enough.
"Fine," he says. "Whatever. I'll go on a date. But this is still probably a terrible idea." They'll go out and they'll have nothing in common and awkwardly get through dinner until they get a few drinks in them, at which point Erik will be tipsy enough to focus on all those things that drew him to Charles in the first place and they'll either have ill-advised sex or Erik will go home frustrated and lonely and angry that he wasted some of his precious social energy on a date that will ultimately lead nowhere.
"Great!" Raven says. "I'll let him know it's still on, then."
"Great," Erik echoes with significantly less enthusiasm.
He makes a note on the way home to buy a bottle of whiskey to nurse his imminent weekend of disappointment.
*
On Friday evening, Erik makes a quick stop at home after work to freshen up and shave, and then walks over to the bar where he's going to meet Charles for their date. He practices non-offensive smiles on the walk over and probably confuses more than one passerby, but Charles is Raven's brother and Erik has to at least pretend to be interested or Raven will know and accuse him of not even trying.
Even if Charles wasn't seated at one of the few accessible tables at the bar, Erik would have recognized him. He looks the same as he did a decade ago, more or less, though his hair is longer and a smattering of facial hair makes him look older in a way the picture Raven showed him hadn't. He's dressed in what is obviously his work clothes, the uniform of absent-minded professor cliches, a blazer with elbow patches over a button-up sweater vest and collared shirt. He's leaning over a stack of papers and chewing on his bottom lip and Erik knew, obliquely, that he would be attracted to Charles, but he hadn't quite expected it to hit him this strongly. He hadn't expected Charles to be this mature-looking, either; in Erik's head, he was still twenty-one, young, and foolish.
Erik clears his throat and Charles says, distracted, "Thank you, but I'll wait to order until my companion arrives."
"No," Erik says. "I'm not--I mean--"
Charles looks up and his vision comes into focus when he sees Erik.
"Oh," he says. His eyes are wide and Erik can feel Charles looking him over. "I'm dreadfully sorry, I was miles away." He taps his temple for emphasis and Erik nods and slides into the seat across from him. Charles is...different than he imagined. Quieter. More together. More modest.
He's not sure what he imagined, exactly, or why he thought Charles would be exactly the same as he was ten years ago. Erik certainly isn't.
"That's okay," Erik says. "I was quiet." There's an awkward pause, and Erik pushes past his comfort zone, his desire to remain quiet, and says, "But do you want something to drink? I can flag down a waitress."
Charles smiles.
"That would be lovely," he says.
It's surprisingly easy to talk. It's small talk at first, until Charles begins to explain a paper he's writing on mutation and the discussion veers into the more personal and passionate. Charles makes him laugh more than he expected--he's also calmer and quieter. Erik finds himself opening up, and he's not the only one laughing--Charles' laughter bubbles out of him like it's a surprise each time and he's quite pleased by it.
There's a lull in conversation when the waitress comes by to take the empty plates of food they've been picking at. They sit quietly for a moment, sizing each other up. Charles breaks first, his mouth curling into a smile with just a hint of self-deprecation.
"You must forgive me, Erik," he says. "I have to admit that I was skeptical about this whole evening, but Raven talked me into it. I remember you--we met once, ten years ago, and I'm sure you've forgotten, but you were rather an ass to me. And it's silly, of course--it was a decade ago and we were children and I'm sure I behaved in an equally embarrassing manner, but the point is--I'm glad she made me come out."
Erik is annoyed for exactly half a second before he remembers that night again. He was kind of an ass. He definitely made one or two unnecessarily cruel jabs about both Charles' flirting and his telepathy.
Okay, maybe the impression of one night, ten years ago, wasn't the best thing to go on when thinking about the possibility of this date.
"I do remember," Erik admits. "I...didn't get the best impression of you then, either." He adds, quickly, "But I'm glad you came out, too."
"Glad enough to come out with me again?" Charles asks hopefully.
Glad enough, Erik thinks, to start thinking about the future.
He doesn't say that, though. "Definitely," he says instead.
The whiskey will go unopened this weekend, it seems. He can't say he's disappointed.
*
ficlet february!
Get some sleep
Five minutes away
Faint recognition
Half an hour before sunrise
Useless, but beautiful
Something’s broken
Surprise celebration
There were signs and signals
Rituals
Write about a postcard
What are you looking for?
You remind me of someone
A meeting, a beginning
Lasting impression
Long drive
Behind closed doors
Ask questions later
Six impossible things
Day off
Lost in a city
A door key
A late night phone call
Someone else’s mortification
Something from music
Something from a picture
***
Ficlet February 14: "a lasting impression"
"You're setting me up with your brother," Erik says flatly when Raven shows him a photo of his blind date.
"Yes," Raven says. There's the steel of a challenge in her voice. Raven is obstinate and rarely backs down when she thinks she's right. It's clear this is going to be one of those times. Erik mutters a curse under his breath.
"One," he says, holding up his first finger, "Fucking the sibling of someone else I used to fuck seems like a terrible idea."
"You said you wanted a relationship," Raven points out. "Not just someone to fuck, which is all we were to each other, sorry to say. That's entirely different."
"I will still be having sex with someone related to someone else I've had sex with," Erik says.
"Well, not at the same time!" she says. "And it's not like we're related by blood."
"And two," Erik continues. He raises his second finger. "I've met your brother. I remember your brother. I am looking for a relationship and your brother clearly isn't looking for the same thing."
"Yeah, you met my brother once, ten years ago, for twenty minutes," Raven says.
"He made a lasting impression," Erik says.
And he did. And that's half the problem. Because Charles Xavier had been exactly Erik's type--smart, short but solid, with a face like something out of a Renaissance painting. At the party ten years ago, twenty-two year old Erik would have taken Charles home and done unspeakable things to him and left happily in the morning. Except in those ten minutes that they met, Charles puked on Erik's shoes, came on to him far too strong, and called him the wrong name twice, then moved on to using the same tired lines and endearingly awkward moves on a string of other people until some girl gave in and disappeared around back with him.
Charles was hot, brilliant, and easy. Twenty-two year old Erik would have applauded that. Thirty-two year old Erik is starting to realize that maybe he doesn't like his empty apartment as much as he pretends to and maybe he wants kids some day.
"A lot has changed in ten years," Raven says. She gives him a sharp look.
"I know," Erik says. Because he remembers, of course, Raven telling him about the accident and Raven in and out of the hospital all day and Raven moving back to their ancient estate when Charles was finally released. That had been around the time they were casually fucking, before Erik began to realize that his bisexuality maybe worked better in theory than practice and just because he found Raven's scales and abilities exciting maybe didn't mean he wanted to actually have sex with her, and Raven had spent more than one afternoon unloading all of her thoughts and feelings and frustrations about the whole thing.
"And anyway," he adds, "I don't want to go out with someone who's just grateful to be getting any interest, you know?"
The look Raven gives him could freeze hell over.
"You know what, you're right," she says. "Charles doesn't need a date who's just going to pity him. There are plenty of people in the world who find him legitimately attractive, regardless of whether or not he can walk."
Erik knows he's stepped in it. He feels like an ass, which he hates--he wishes, sometimes, he could go back to being twenty-four and insensitive and uncaring of what people thought about him. It was easy to be cruel when he was pretending other people didn't matter. Once you take other people's feelings into account life gets...exhausting.
"That's not what I--" Raven is still glaring at him and he covers his face with one hand and sighs. "You know I--whatever. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." He drops his hand. She seems vaguely mollified.
"He's not sleeping around anymore," she says. "I wouldn't have suggested him if he had been. That's what he's looking for any longer--he wants to settle down."
Erik has his doubts, but he's already fucked this up enough.
"Fine," he says. "Whatever. I'll go on a date. But this is still probably a terrible idea." They'll go out and they'll have nothing in common and awkwardly get through dinner until they get a few drinks in them, at which point Erik will be tipsy enough to focus on all those things that drew him to Charles in the first place and they'll either have ill-advised sex or Erik will go home frustrated and lonely and angry that he wasted some of his precious social energy on a date that will ultimately lead nowhere.
"Great!" Raven says. "I'll let him know it's still on, then."
"Great," Erik echoes with significantly less enthusiasm.
He makes a note on the way home to buy a bottle of whiskey to nurse his imminent weekend of disappointment.
*
On Friday evening, Erik makes a quick stop at home after work to freshen up and shave, and then walks over to the bar where he's going to meet Charles for their date. He practices non-offensive smiles on the walk over and probably confuses more than one passerby, but Charles is Raven's brother and Erik has to at least pretend to be interested or Raven will know and accuse him of not even trying.
Even if Charles wasn't seated at one of the few accessible tables at the bar, Erik would have recognized him. He looks the same as he did a decade ago, more or less, though his hair is longer and a smattering of facial hair makes him look older in a way the picture Raven showed him hadn't. He's dressed in what is obviously his work clothes, the uniform of absent-minded professor cliches, a blazer with elbow patches over a button-up sweater vest and collared shirt. He's leaning over a stack of papers and chewing on his bottom lip and Erik knew, obliquely, that he would be attracted to Charles, but he hadn't quite expected it to hit him this strongly. He hadn't expected Charles to be this mature-looking, either; in Erik's head, he was still twenty-one, young, and foolish.
Erik clears his throat and Charles says, distracted, "Thank you, but I'll wait to order until my companion arrives."
"No," Erik says. "I'm not--I mean--"
Charles looks up and his vision comes into focus when he sees Erik.
"Oh," he says. His eyes are wide and Erik can feel Charles looking him over. "I'm dreadfully sorry, I was miles away." He taps his temple for emphasis and Erik nods and slides into the seat across from him. Charles is...different than he imagined. Quieter. More together. More modest.
He's not sure what he imagined, exactly, or why he thought Charles would be exactly the same as he was ten years ago. Erik certainly isn't.
"That's okay," Erik says. "I was quiet." There's an awkward pause, and Erik pushes past his comfort zone, his desire to remain quiet, and says, "But do you want something to drink? I can flag down a waitress."
Charles smiles.
"That would be lovely," he says.
It's surprisingly easy to talk. It's small talk at first, until Charles begins to explain a paper he's writing on mutation and the discussion veers into the more personal and passionate. Charles makes him laugh more than he expected--he's also calmer and quieter. Erik finds himself opening up, and he's not the only one laughing--Charles' laughter bubbles out of him like it's a surprise each time and he's quite pleased by it.
There's a lull in conversation when the waitress comes by to take the empty plates of food they've been picking at. They sit quietly for a moment, sizing each other up. Charles breaks first, his mouth curling into a smile with just a hint of self-deprecation.
"You must forgive me, Erik," he says. "I have to admit that I was skeptical about this whole evening, but Raven talked me into it. I remember you--we met once, ten years ago, and I'm sure you've forgotten, but you were rather an ass to me. And it's silly, of course--it was a decade ago and we were children and I'm sure I behaved in an equally embarrassing manner, but the point is--I'm glad she made me come out."
Erik is annoyed for exactly half a second before he remembers that night again. He was kind of an ass. He definitely made one or two unnecessarily cruel jabs about both Charles' flirting and his telepathy.
Okay, maybe the impression of one night, ten years ago, wasn't the best thing to go on when thinking about the possibility of this date.
"I do remember," Erik admits. "I...didn't get the best impression of you then, either." He adds, quickly, "But I'm glad you came out, too."
"Glad enough to come out with me again?" Charles asks hopefully.
Glad enough, Erik thinks, to start thinking about the future.
He doesn't say that, though. "Definitely," he says instead.
The whiskey will go unopened this weekend, it seems. He can't say he's disappointed.
*
ficlet february!
Get some sleep
Five minutes away
Faint recognition
Half an hour before sunrise
Useless, but beautiful
Something’s broken
Surprise celebration
There were signs and signals
Rituals
Write about a postcard
What are you looking for?
You remind me of someone
A meeting, a beginning
Lasting impression
Long drive
Behind closed doors
Ask questions later
Six impossible things
Day off
Lost in a city
A door key
A late night phone call
Someone else’s mortification
Something from music
Something from a picture