cherik-prompt

[cherik-prompt]

modern x-men au

raven shapeshifts into viners to reference them

[cherik-prompt]

So it's a little weird, but I've been wanting to read a Star Wars esque fic where the pairing is Cherik, and, similar to the original trilogy, Charles dies in childbirth. What I would like is Pietro and Wanda as Luke and Leia respectively, and their interactions with Darth Magnus - their father, Erik Lehnserr.

hoo boy this took a long-ass time to write but it’s HERE and thats what matters. enjoy:

“No, Wanda,” Darth Magnus’s booming, robotic voice echoed throughout the cavernous space. “I am your father.”

Wanda’s heart dropped to her feet. The pain from her arm and the shock from Magnus’s words made her nearly lose her grip. She screamed and shut her eyes, trying to block it out.

“No, it’s not true! It can’t be true!” Tears poured down her face.

“Search your mind. You know it’s true.” Wanda’s vision went red. “Join me and together we can rule the galaxy.”

Wanda was struck by an idea. She looked down and realized what she had to do. She glared defiantly at Darth Magnus, straight through the helmet and into his eyes as she let go and fell into the abyss.

~~~~~

Erik stormed into his chamber, falling into the chair and taking his helmet off as quickly as he could. Damn his daughter. Somehow she had survived the fall and would soon come back. If she was willing to jump to almost certain death getting away from him, there was no convincing her.

‘Just because someone stumbles and loses their way doesn’t mean they’re lost forever.’

Charles’s words came swimming back to him. Erik shook his head. Charles would never recognize what Erik had become. Erik sighed and gingerly touched his face before remembering he had no nerves in his hand to feel the scars. There were no mirrors on the Death Star. Erik still hadn’t seen his face since his and Charles’s fight, but he didn’t need to. He knew he looked hideous.

Erik heard the door open and hurriedly put his mask back on. He rotated in his chair to see a stormtrooper standing on the threshold. He couldn’t see the trooper’s face, but his posture betrayed his fear.

“Sir, you have a call.”

“Very well. Leave me.” The stormtrooper nodded, turned on his heel, and promptly walked out.

~~~~~

“Knock knock,” Pietro was leaning against Wanda’s door frame. His silver hair was braided into a messy bun, which might have looked bad on someone else, but Pietro had the supernatural power to make any hairstyle work. Wanda tried not to glare.

“What do you want?”

Pietro smiled and pointed to her folded linen, which was suspended a few feet above her bed. “You always make things float when you’re upset. What’s wrong?”

Wanda sighed and scooted over so Pietro could sit next to her. He looked at her expectantly.

“Spit it out.”

Wanda fiddled with her mechanical fingers. She couldn’t shake the uneasy thought from the back of her mind: ‘I’m becoming like him…’

Finally she decided to just get it over with. “Darth Magnus is my father.”

Pietro was taken by surprise. “I thought… I thought your father died when you were born.”

Wanda shook her head. “I did too. But I don’t believe Magnus was lying. I felt a… connection with him. It’s hard to explain, but I’ve always felt it.” She looked up at Pietro, hoping he wouldn’t think she was crazy.

“This might sound weird,” Pietro began hesitantly, “But I think I get what you’re talking about. It’s like… Yeah, I can’t explain it either.” He chuckled a bit awkwardly. “Although I guess that wouldn’t make sense…”

Wanda remembered what Master Logan had told her and abruptly stood up. “I need to go.” She said, gathering her things. “I need to return to take care of something.”

Pietro rose as well. “What? You’re still healing! You can’t leave!”

He tried to grab her arm, but Wanda pulled away and walked out the door. She had to get to the Dagobah system, fast.

~~~~~

“Master Mystique, why would you tell me Darth Magnus killed my father if he is my father?”

The ghost pursed her lips and flickered, like she usually does when upset. “I know it’s difficult to understand, but you must know I did not lie. Darth Magnus is your father… but he also killed your other father.”

Wanda blinked. “I have two fathers.” It wasn’t the strangest thing she’d ever heard.

“Yes. Darth Magnus’s real name is Erik. Erik wasn’t always half-robot–” Wanda’s hand twitched. “–he used to love your other father, Charles. They got into a fight before you were born and Charles was hurt. He died bearing you and your–” Mystique cut herself off, but it was too late.

Wanda leaned forward earnestly. “My what?”

Mystique bit her lip and looked away. “Your brother. He’s the other Maximoff Master Logan spoke of.”

Wanda’s mind raced. She had a brother? Who was he? Did he know she existed? A million other questions came up but right then she only voiced one, “Why keep us apart?”

“Charles and I believed that if you two grew up together it would put you both in even more danger of being found by Darth Magnus.”

“So he is my father.” Wanda put her head in her hands.

“Yes,” Mystique sighed.

Wanda pressed on. “And my brother?” This was like pulling teeth.

Mystique smiled a little to herself. “Clearly we weren’t able to keep you two apart…”

It dawned on her. “Pietro is my brother.”

Mystique’s silence was all the answer Wanda needed. It made so much sense. She realized the reason her connection with Magnus was familiar because she had felt the same thing when she met Pietro. The attraction wasn’t romantic, it was familial. Wanda released the breath she felt like she’d been holding ever since they’d met.

~~~~~

Wanda knelt down next to her father. By killing his master, he had saved her life. She wanted to return the favor, but he insisted she put him down and remove his mask. She now looked into the eyes not of Darth Magnus, but of Erik.

“Wanda.” He was short of breath and his voice was scratchy, but there was enough emotion in just that one word to truly let it sink in with Wanda that this man had once loved and had been loved. She gave a sad smile as Erik inhaled shakily. “I have many regrets. I couldn’t ever begin to make up for what I’ve put you, your brother, and—” His voice caught on the name.

“Charles didn’t die because you fought,” Wanda spoke in a calm voice after Erik finished coughing. “He died because he knew you couldn’t come back.” Erik looked up, a single tear running down his scarred face. “He still loved you. He wouldn’t live without you.”

Wanda could only imagine how much pain Erik had put himself and others through because he believed that he had injured Charles and driven him away. If she couldn’t save his life, she could at least help him make peace with himself.

Erik took a final glance at Wanda and closed his eyes, a whisper of “Charles” falling from his lips with his last breath.

[cherik-prompt]

Trigger warning: attempted sexual assault, alcohol

Erik was just about fed up with this girl. She was drunk from Charles buying her shots (as well as some for himself) and a bit too friendly for Erik’s taste. He knew Charles often got hit on and playfully flirted back sometimes, but having to sit there and watch it happen was nothing less than torturous.

Fortunately, as far as Erik was aware, Charles had never actually taken one of these girls back to their dorm before. This fact was Erik’s sole comfort while watching his friend slowly deteriorate into an intoxicated mess. He was so far gone, Erik had to physically hold him back from going onstage to sing karaoke.

After that fiasco (and another shot), the girl hitting on Charles started not-so-subtly hinting that they should go to a more private area. Erik saw right through her excuses for wanting to leave and prepared to restrain Charles again. Charles, thank goodness, politely declined. The girl simply smiled and watched Charles, as if she thought he would change his mind.

Soon, however, Charles started to look a little drowsy. He leaned heavily on the bar and pushed his drink away. Erik saw this and immediately put his hand on Charles’s shoulder, trying to rouse him.

The girl glanced at Charles. “He doesn’t look so good. You think he’ll be sick?”

“Perhaps,” Erik spoke through his teeth, not looking at her.

“How about you get him some water and I’ll take him to the bathroom?”

Erik saw Charles’s lips move slightly and his brow furrowed. He bent down and heard Charles mumble, “Erik, stay. Please.”

“I will,” Erik reassured him. He turned to ask the bartender for water.

“Erik…” he heard Charles groan. Erik whirled around and saw the flirty girl supporting Charles and helping him limp toward the bathroom. Charles looked like he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

“Wait!” Erik shouted and pushed through the dancers frantically. No one acknowledged him except when he knocked a drink out of someone’s hands. He apologized briefly to them and continued forward.

He burst into the bathroom just in time. The girl had sat Charles against one wall, where he was weakly trying to scoot away from her. She was fumbling with his belt, but Erik stopped her with a well-placed punch to the jaw. She crumpled to the floor.

“Erik,” Charles whispered faintly. “Help.”

“It’s alright.” Erik carefully put one of Charles’s arms over his shoulder and lifted him to a standing position. “I’m taking you home.”

“Your buddy okay?” The cab driver asked after Erik gave him the address. Charles was still barely conscious.

“Just had a little too much to drink.” Erik said dismissively.

The dorm was dark. Someone upstairs was playing music with some loud bass, but they’d gotten used to it. The rhythm was almost familiar by now.

They finally got to their room when Charles started to stir. Erik gently lowered him onto his bed and went to get a glass of water from the kitchen. When he got back, Charles was sitting up, chin in his hands and elbows resting on his knees.

Erik set the glass on the bedside table and sat next to Charles. “You feel okay?”

Charles shook his head.

“Would you like to talk about it?”

“I don’t think I ever will.”

Erik sighed. “I swear I won’t tell anyone. But if you sit and bottle it up, you won’t feel any better. Trust me, I know.”

Charles looked up at him, lips parted in surprise. “I had no idea.”

“It’s alright, my friend,” Erik patted his shoulder. “You should get to sleep.” He stood up.

Charles grabbed Erik’s arm. “Could you…” He looked a little embarrassed. “...stay here tonight? I don’t want to be alone.”

Erik melted at Charles’s desperate expression. “Of course.”

After Charles took a shower and they both changed out of their day clothes, the two men settled down on Charles’s bed. Charles curled up under the covers on one side and Erik lay on the opposite over top of the blankets. After about an hour of listening to Charles’s soft snores, he fell into an uneasy sleep.

Erik woke the next morning with a comfortable weight on his chest. When he opened his eyes, he saw that it was a sleeping Charles’s arm. Evidently, they had unconsciously shifted toward each other overnight.

Erik got up as quietly as possible so not to wake Charles. After what had happened the night before, he wanted to spare Charles of any more potential embarrassment.

Charles groggily walked into the kitchen half an hour later, while Erik was drinking his coffee at the table. Erik tried not to notice how adorable Charles looked with messy hair.

“Morning,” Erik said concernedly. “Do you remember what happened last night?”

Charles nodded gravely and crossed his arms defensively. “I remember enough.”

Erik pursed his lips. He took a sip of coffee to delay speaking. When he was done he asked casually, “Breakfast?”

“Sure.” Charles sat in a chair and Erik got up to make pancakes.

After serving himself and Charles, Erik tried to make conversation. Charles was slammed his fork on the table, which made Erik jump.

“Are you okay?”

“I was drugged, Erik.” Charles spoke in a shaky voice. His head was down and his hair covered his face. “I was too damn drunk to be careful and I almost paid the price for it. If you hadn’t been there…”

“But I was,” Erik took Charles’s hand. “That’s all that matters.”

Charles looked up, tears on his face. “I don’t know what to do, Erik.”

“It’s okay,” Erik pulled Charles in for a hug. Charles sniffed against his shoulder. “We can work through this together. I’ll always be here for you.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

[cherik-prompt]

Hi, for some reason I've been wanting to read something where Logan is a father figure to Charles (maybe he worked in the Xavier mansion and was the only one to ever pay attention to him? Or maybe Charles run away and somehow ended up living with Logan?), and he doesn't approve of Charles' new boyfriend Erik... Thank you!!

I accidentally made it way too long for a post so here’s the link to it on AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/13152969/chapters/30082299 (hopefully it works — if not it’s called Philophobia)

[cherik-prompt]

i’d like to formally apologize to everyone following me. i have five blogs, three of which i use regularly. i’m gonna have posts on the wrong blogs a lot. bear with me

[cherik-prompt]

Wonder Woman AU (Part 2)

Charles tailed the Amazons escorting Erik. He did not know how he felt about Erik - on one hand, Erik had saved his life from the invaders. On the other, Erik was the one who had led them to Themyscira in the first place and caused the death of Antiope. Either way, Charles wanted to be there while the Amazons questioned him.

Erik eyed the lasso as one guard tied it to him and recoiled as it started to glow. Once everyone had quieted, Hippolyta stepped forward.

“What is your name?”

“Erik…” He strained a little, the lasso growing slightly brighter. “Lehnsherr. I’m a pilot for the Brits.”

“Why do you wear the same clothes as the invaders?”

“I am…” Erik clenched his fists. “I am a spy. I was assigned to impersonate a German military pilot. I was born in Germany, so I was the best man for the job.” Charles smiled a little, but it faded as Erik went on to explain his predicament involving Doctor Poison’s journal. “It could stop the war.”

“War?” Charles blurted out, “What war?”

“The… the War,” Erik looked appalled. “The war to end all wars? Four years, twenty-seven countries, 25 million dead. Innocent people.”

Erik explained more, and then it dawned on Charles: “Ares.”

“Charles,” Hippolyta scolded. He fell silent as she continued.

After the interrogation, Charles confronted his mother. “Excuse me, but after everything he’s said, it must be Ares!”

Another woman asked, “What are you talking about?”

“Forgive me, Senator,” Charles turned to her. “But the man called it a war without end. Millions of people already dead. Like nothing he’s ever seen. Only Ares could do such a thing.” A few Amazons frowned, others nodded. “We can not simply let him go, we must go with him!”

“I will not deploy our army to go fight their war,” Hippolyta said stiffly.

“It’s not their war! Ares is corrupting them!” Charles’s voice rose. “As Amazons it is our duty to stop the god of war.”

“But you’re not an Amazon like the rest of us!” She snapped. Charles was taken aback. Hippolyta readjusted herself. “So you will do nothing. As your queen I forbid it.”

Charles excused himself and left the Amazons. He wandered until he found a balcony with a nice view.

“You are not an Amazon like the rest of us.”

The words rang in Charles’s ears. He had thought they were past this. With tears in his eyes, he remembered the last time Hippolyta had said this…

~~~~~

“Mother, may I speak to you alone?”

“Diana, I am in the middle of a meeting with the Senate. can it wait?”

“N-no, I wish to talk now.”

“Well, whatever you have to say you can say to all of us.”

“Well… okay. I… I wish not to be a woman.”

“…I beg your pardon?”

“I do not feel like a woman. When I look at myself, I see a man.”

“…”

“Mother?”

“You do realize that Amazons are women, not men, correct?”

“I do. But… I could never be happy if I lived as someone who I was not.”

“…Very well. I accept that you are a man. Is there another name you wish to be called?”

“Charles… So, what will become of me as a man?”

“The Senate and I will discuss it. You are dismissed.”

Charles left the room and  stayed at the door to eavesdrop. He was indescribably relieved that his mother had not objected to his request, but he had no idea what they would decide.

“My queen?”

“Obviously we cannot send him away from the island.”

“Of course.”

“And you know him, he’s wanted to battle since he first saw us training.”

“We’ll never be able to stop him from trying. We might as well help prepare him.”

“But we are only women! He cannot be an Amazon.”

“I propose a compromise.” Charles’s heart lifted at the sound of his aunt’s voice. “He can be a man who fights alongside the Amazons.”

“Seconded. We shall continue his training.”

“Charles, you may return.”

“Yes, mother?”

“You are family to all of us and will remain here. You will continue your training, but not as an Amazon. You shall be a man fighting alongside us. Understood?”

“Yes. Thank you,” Charles took a small bow and fled from the room.

He was almost out of earshot when he heard his mother say, “He will never be an Amazon like the rest of us.”

~~~~~

Charles picked a flower from a plant climbing up the building next to him. His gauntlets glinted in the sunlight. What had happened at training earlier? All that energy felt like it had come from… him. But that couldn’t happen, right?

“She didn’t mean it like that,” said a voice behind Charles.

He didn’t jump. “Hello, Melanippe.” He tore up the flower and let it fall down the cliff.

“Hippolyta is just worried about you,” she said, leaning on the ledge next to him. “She didn’t mean ill. You are her son, and she wants you to be safe.”

“She’s only said that once before, and it wasn’t about keeping me safe.”

“Well it is this time,” Melanippe pointed to Charles’s arm, which was wrapped in a bloody makeshift bandage.. “You should get that wound cleaned.”

“Alright,” He turned around, trudging towards the medic.

“Oh, and also,” Charles looked back to see Melanippe wink. “I hear they’ve allowed the prisoner to bathe.”

Charles smiled and ran on his way. The baths were right near the medic’s station.

~~~~~

Erik examined the surface of the water. Did everything in this paradise glow? Perhaps it made up for the lack of any electric lights. Seriously, why did an entire island have no technology past that of ancient Greece?

With a start Erik realized he was not alone. Charles was standing in the doorway. Was it a doorway if it was just a cave formation? Erik stood halfway up in surprise before he stopped himself, remembering he was naked.

“Erm… Can I help you?”

Charles surveyed him. “I wanted to know… Are you an accurate representation of your sex?”

Erik considered this. Formalities aside, he answered, “I am… above average… I suppose.”

Charles walked a bit further into the cave. “What is that?” He asked, pointing vaguely in front of him.

“Er…” Then Erik realized what it was he was looking at. “Oh, that’s my watch.”

“Watch?”

“Yeah… You know, watch? Tells time? So I know when to be places.”

“You let this little thing govern your life?” Charles smirked.

“No, but…” Erik chuckled a little. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

Erik took a deep breath. “Who are you? Why don’t you know what a watch is? How do you speak English? Why are you the only man on the island?”

Charles looked flattered. “This is Themyscira, home of the Amazons. Zeus created this place before he died to protect the Amazons. We are the bridge to a greater understanding and know hundreds of languages. As to why I am the only man… I was born and raised here, so I could not leave.”

“How were you born if you’re the only man?”

“My mother sculpted me from clay and Zeus brought me to life.”

“Right. But… If Amazons are only women, why would your mother sculpt a boy?”

“I, erm… She didn’t sculpt a boy. She sculpted a girl.”

“Oh,” Erik looked down and used the awkward silence to put on some pants and a shirt.

“So,” He began once he was done. “Why’d you come down here?”

Charles sighed. “I believe that this war you are fighting was brought about by Ares, who the Amazons are meant to defeat.”

“Ares,” Erik furrowed his brow. “The god of war?”

“Yes. My mother forbids me to do anything, but I believe it is necessary to interfere.”

“And… How do you plan on doing that?”

“I will help you escape,” Charles voiced the plan he had been formulating up to that point. “And you will take me to the war.”

Erik considered this. Charles was quite capable in a fight, he knew that for sure. Then again, he also believed in Zeus, Ares, and all the other Greek gods. Although, that lasso they’d tied around him had mentally pushed him to tell the truth, and that glowing water was definitely not natural. Maybe these Amazons were onto something.

“Alright. Where do we start?”

“You will stay here. I’ll break into the vault and steal the Godkiller, the lasso of truth, a shield, and some better armor.” Then Charles left.

Erik wasn’t too pleased about sitting around and waiting, but he supposed someone with years of training with the Amazons would be more capable than him. In the absence of anything else to do, his mind wandered to the tight armor Charles was wearing, and his small but toned muscles… Erik shook himself out of his thoughts and gathered his things.

~~~~~

Charles looked over the ravine separating him and his goal. It was a reasonable distance, but he could probably make it. Just in case, he turned around and jumped the other way, about the same length. Smiling, he returned to the cliff and leaped onto the building. He caught hold of a brick sticking out with one hand.

As he was reveling in his feat, Charles lost his grip. He scraped the wall wildly until he caught hold… by punching a hole in it. He was surprised but pleased, and bashed another hole. Slowly he made his way up the building, leaving a trail of smashed bricks below him.

Finally, Charles reached the top. He grabbed the shield, sword, and lasso from their stands. He saw the red, blue, and gold peeking out at him from behind a wall and couldn’t resist. He grabbed it,  took it to the forge to fit it to his dimensions, and put it on.

When he arrived back at the cave in his cloak, Erik was ready to go. Charles mounted his horse and handed Erik the bridle for the other, then set off for the docks. Unfortunately, their departure had not gone unnoticed. Hippolyta and a couple of her henchman arrived shortly after Erik had started getting the boat ready to sail.

“I am going, mother.” Charles drew himself up to his full height, trying to look confident. “I cannot stand by while innocent lives are lost. If no one else will defend the world from Ares, then I must.”

Hippolyta looked sad, but she smiled. “I know. Or at least I know I cannot stop you. There is so much… So much you do not understand.”

“I understand enough. I am willing to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.”

“You know that if you choose to leave… You may never return.”

“This is not a decision, mother. It is who I am. I cannot stay.”

Hippolyta took Antiope’s headband from a pocket. “Make sure you’re worthy of this.”

“I will,” Charles took it and turned to board the boat. He waved as the Themyscira faded into the distance.

[cherik-prompt]

Wonder Woman AU (Part 1)

A loud noise like a giant bumblebee filled the air. Charles looked up to see a large, smoking metal contraption struggling to stay in the air before crashing into the sea. With astonishment, he saw that there was a person in it, trapped.

Charles took a deep breath, dropped his sword, and dove into the water. He swam with a uniform stroke, maximizing his speed, just like he and the other Amazons had been trained. Within minutes he had pulled out the unconscious person and dragged them to shore.

Fortunately, the person - who, with a gasp, Charles realized was a man - started coughing as soon as Charles had laid him on the sand. He sat up and looked around wildly before his eyes rested on Charles.

“You’re a man,” Charles said slowly.

“...Aren’t you? Who are you?” The man sounded German.

“I am Charles Xavier, Prince of Themyscira,” he responded, feeling proud using his new title.

“Is that where we are?”

“Yes. Who are you?”

“I… My name is Erik.” He eyed Charles distrustingly.

They examined each other for a moment before looking back toward the horizon. Several metal boats emerged from the invisible barrier surrounding the island. Both men stood up, Charles very much regretting that he had no sword.

“Stand back!” Erik stepped in front of Charles. The alarm sounded high above and soon Amazons began pouring down the cliff on ropes. Charles watched in horror as some of them were shot down as if by invisible arrows.

Erik pulled Charles out of his stupor by yanking him behind a rock by the hand. He started firing back at the enemies, who had reached the shore, with a metal gadget firing small projectiles. The very same ones which had downed several Amazons already.

With this realization, Charles vowed to examine this tiny death machine later, but presently grabbed a sword from a fallen soldier and ran to fight. Erik shouted in protest but Charles pursued. This was what he had been training for, after all: battle.

Charles slashed and jabbed, killing his opponents with ease; they did not seem to be well armored against swords. Antiope fought nearby. But Charles did not notice her until she had jumped in front of a projectile for him. He whipped around to see the man who had shot her - the one of the last enemies left - falling after being killed by Erik. He rushed over to the heavily bleeding general and cradled her in his arms.

“No.” Tears filled his eyes. “No, no no no!” His lifelong guardian, mentor, friend…

“Charles,” Antiope said weakly, “It is time. The Godkiller.”

“What do you mean? No, this can’t be…” She stopped breathing.

The other Amazons had rounded on the man Charles had saved.

“Who are you?”

“You led them here!”

“He is to blame for all this!”

Charles rushed forward and put himself between the man and the Amazons. “No! He fought on our side!”

“Then why does he wear their colors?” One demanded.

“Take him up to the palace,” Hippolyta declared, “Bind him with the lasso of truth!”

[cherik-prompt]

This is the prequel to @cherik-trash-pile’s “torture” ficlet. Hope you like it!

[cherik-prompt]

Prompt: torture. And ptsd from torture. Take it however you like.

Ohhhhh boy, here we go.

~

Charles is feeling a little under the weather. That’s all it is, truly. He smiles and tells everyone that he’s fine, and he is, he is fine, he’s perfectly fine and there’s no reason to be concerned.

He locks himself in his rooms and shivers in the corner, mouth dry, eyes glassy, as the universe yawns open into nothingness that creeps ever closer, like a tree’s shadow in a winter night.

Then it passes, and he’s fine again. Tired and trembling and in need of his sleeping pills, but fine.

~

“You’re taking too many,” Erik notes dispassionately, as he sits on the edge of Charles’ bed and watches him count sleeping pills in his palm.

“Am not,” Charles answers absently, swallowing four at once. “I’m taking exactly enough to get me through the night.”

He can be not-fine around Erik. Erik, who’d found him, chained up in a dungeon (a fucking dungeon, for god’s sake) and beaten and bloody and half-dead with cold and malnutrition. They’re not so young anymore. Charles’ brain may whir away fast as ever, but he doesn’t bounce back from torture as easily as he would’ve when he was young. Erik knows that.

Erik stands and approaches Charles slowly. Charles waits, impatient, and knowing if Erik moved any faster Charles would flinch and push him away. He doesn’t like being touched anymore–he, who had once been touch-starved–but he doesn’t mind when Erik brushes his cheek.

“I’m worried about you, Charles,” Erik says bluntly, and the words are awkward in his mouth. He’s never been good at admitting his feelings. “You’re taking too many sleeping pills, you’re locking the door to everyone but me, and you barely work with the X-Men anymore. They miss you.”

“I know,” Charles sighs. “I know. I just… can’t.”

Erik kneels beside him and takes his hand. “You can, though. Let me find a doctor for you. Let me find someone who can help.”

Charles makes a noise that’s a cross between a laugh, a hiccup, and a small sob. “Doctors can’t help me. No one can,” he says bitterly.

“Can I?”

Charles looks at Erik, and he feels so empty and bleak. “No,” he answers quietly, “Not even you.”

~

Eventually, he does go see a doctor, an empath. Supposedly, the doctor can help him work through his emotions, work through the memories, to make them not so painful.

Ten minutes in and he’s panicking and the doctor is crying and Erik, who had brought him, is holding his hands and saying firmly, “Charles, it’s okay. I promise. Nothing’s going to hurt you while I’m here. Charles. Charles, everything is okay.”

Jean, who had come along just in case, has to erase the memory of Charles’ torture from the doctor’s mind, because Charles is too shaky to do it himself.

So they don’t try that again, and the doctor never calls back.

~

Eventually, he blocks it all away. He still doesn’t like touching, and he flinches when anyone moves too suddenly in his direction, but he bricks it up and ignores it.

Then, one day, as he’s writing on the whiteboard, someone shoots a spitball at the back of his head.

Now, normally, he’d ignore it. But today is different. Today it hits one of the scars on his head, one of the places where They had hurt him. Today his breath stops all at once, and he freezes.

No no no no no no–

“Get out. All of you. Now.”

Erik’s voice, a hostile bark, and the twenty children immediately jump to their collective feet and run for the door. Charles is breathing too fast, he’s back There, and They have Their whips and knives and iron rods and forges–

“Charles.” Erik’s voice is softer now, though he is closer. “Come back. Come on. It’s okay. I promise it’s okay.”

Erik never promises the impossible, so it must be okay. Charles’ breathing evens out. The memories ebb. Erik touches his shoulder.

DON’T TOUCH ME.

Erik staggers as if shoved, and Charles drops the marker to hide his face in his hands, panic swallowing him whole, pain all over his body, fresh and agonizing–

“Charles!”

The desperation reminds him of the jailbreak. Of how Erik had carried him out, killing everyone in his way. Of how everything had been okay once they were on the plane. Slowly, everything calms down, and Charles shrinks down inside himself, small and afraid and alone.

[cherik-prompt]

Summary: When Crown Prince Charles Xavier makes the impulsive decision to rescue a man who leapt into the river from enemy shores, his moment of selflessness ends up coming at a personal cost. In the process, however, he gains an ally and a friend. As Charles finds himself drawn to both Erik and his cause, he must find a way to satisfy both his conscious and his duty, all while separated from his troops and trapped behind enemy lines.

See notice posted by the author below; for those who would like to download before it gets removed from the archive!

‘Hey guys.  Just letting you know that I’m planning on taking this story down so that I can rework it into an original novel.  I’ll leave it up until October 25th so people can have a chance to download it, but after that I’m going to delete it.’

[cherik-prompt]

“What I love about you”

The way you rub your chin when you’re thinking,

You never turn down a student,

Your commitment to helping everyone,

Despite being bald, your face is young,

The way you trust people right away,

You aren’t attached to rules,

You want what’s best for everybody,

When you smile, your whole face lights up,

You always look up, while everyone else looks down,

You see the good in everybody,

The way you twist the ring on your finger,

Cats love curling up in your lap,

The way you hold me when I’m feeling down,

You study the chessboard as if it’s a student in need,

The way you turn something over in your fingers when your mind wanders,

But most of all, you never gave up on me.

[cherik-prompt]

i’m not saying y’all HAVE to reblog my shit

but if you’re gonna like it, please please PLEASE reblog it too

[cherik-prompt]

Theatre AU

“Can Erik come to backstage left?” The crackly intercom broadcasted Charles’s voice out to the different dressing rooms. Crap, Erik thought. Now the whole cast thought he was in trouble. And he might have been - they’d probably found the metal cup melted into a ball in the crossover.

Not that it really mattered. They all liked him about as much as the character he played. Except maybe Charles; or perhaps that was Erik’s crush on him talking. Erik had been grateful when he was elected stage manager. He summoned again as Erik was styling his hair like he thought Thénardier would, determined to make a good impression. Finally, he left for the stage.

“Hello, Erik,” Charles greeted him while writing on his clipboard. His hair was hastily combed back - with his fingers, no doubt. The shirt with the show and theatre logo on it and the sleeves rolled up to the elbows was quite contrary to the dress shirt and sweater vest he usually wore. He was basically naked.

Erik was pulled back to the present when Charles looked up at him. “Uh… what was it you wanted me for?”

Charles seemed to be lost in thought too. “Ah, yes.” He strode over to the props table. “We’ve got a new handkerchief for you to steal-“

“LEGS COMING IN!” Ororo shouted. Charles and Erik stepped into the crossover as the curtains lowered to the stage. It was very warm in the dark, narrow hallway.

They stared at each other for a second. Erik tried very hard to suppress his thoughts and focus on how hot it was; he’d heard rumors that Charles was a telepath.

“Well, ah,” Charles looked down at the piece of cloth he was fiddling with and cleared his throat. “Any-anyway, like I said… we got a new handkerchief.”

“Yeah, the old one was terribly frayed,” Erik scratched the back of his neck, but not before involuntarily sneaking a glance at his lips.

“Erm, here.” Charles closed the gap between them to hastily tuck the cloth into the front pocket of Erik’s costume. He really hoped Charles wasn’t really a telepath.

Charles’s breath caught and he blushed furiously. Shit.

They were still like, REALLY close together. Charles looked up at Erik for the first time since they’d left backstage. His eyes shone in what little light the lamps provided, darting from Erik’s mouth to his eyes.

Neither was sure who moved first, but all of a sudden they were kissing. And then they kissed again. And again. And again. Erik’s hands held the sides of Charles’s face as he was pushed against the wall. After years of crushing on him, Erik couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction against Charles’s lips.

Of course, the moment couldn’t last. Peter, damn the boy being made assistant to Charles, leaned through the door. “No canoodling,” He reminded, though he sounded a bit bored. Then he saw the faces of the two men who’d abruptly pushed away from each other and his eyes widened. “Holy shit!” Then he was gone in a flash of silver.

Charles ran his hand through his hair, shared a half-panicked, half-exasperated look with Erik, and tentatively walked back out the door, Erik close behind him. Peter was excitedly making an announcement to some of the other cast and crew members.

“They finally kissed!” He almost shouted. Jean, Ororo, and the others looked elated. Finally?

“When?” Scott asked eagerly.

“Just now! I caught them making out in the crossover!”

Charles blushed even more as laughter erupted from the group of people. Erik smiled at him and reached out, taking his hand.

‘So are we dating now?’ Charles spoke to Erik in his mind.

‘If you’d like.’ Erik grinned even wider and added, ‘I knew you were a telepath.’

Charles smirked. ‘I would like that very much.’

[cherik-prompt]

A very angsty and fluffy fic of mine in which Charles is blinded. He and Erik struggle to accept it as well as their feelings.