#yes! you too bitch! you had rights before they were enshrined and you forever have rights!

[ivettel]

at 2:00 in the morning on the day my first year of law school ended i finally. Finally. had my constitutional law big picture lightbulb moment

[knives-out20]

Magnetic Pull - Erik Lehnsherr x Male!OC - Part 6

Fandom: X-Men: First Class (2011)

Pairing: Karmel Rosenstein (OC)

Warnings: Spoilers for X-Men: First Class, Swearing, Internalized homophobia,

Notes: I couldn’t find the gif I wanted of the Lincoln Memorial scene. Be sure to pick up the Hamilton reference!

Karmel, Erik, and Charles sat on the great front steps of the Lincoln Memorial, talking. 

Well, Erik and Charles did the sitting and talking.

Karmel wasn't quite up to the same level of maturity, patience and 'ability-to-sit-still-ness' as the other two men, so he stood by the 19-feet-tall statue of Lincoln sitting, jumping up and around it to try and grab hold of something. He wanted to climb it. If climbing the 19-foot-tall statue of a sitting 16th president who happens to be long dead, distracted Karmel from his vile, non-platonic feelings towards Erik, then so be it. He'll climb it.

"Can't stop thinking about the others out there" Charles told, "all those minds that I touched. I can feel them. Their isolation, their hopes. Their ambitions. I can tell you, and I can tell Karmel later, we're at the start of something incredible, Erik. We can help them."

Erik and him stared out across the lake, over at the looming Washington Monument."Can we?" He questioned, turning around to check on Karmel."Identification, that's how it starts. It ends with being rounded up, experimented on, eliminated."

Karmel was currently attempting to use his vines as a lasso, and if that didn't work, he'd use them like rock-climbing rope, next."'In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever!'" He read the quote carved into the wall behind Lincoln's stone head aloud, scoffing. Karmel stood in a position where it looked as if Lincoln were pointing right at him."Beware, it goeth before the fall!" He repeated to the statue he pointed back up at (as if it was listening and sentient) the same thing he told Erik in Hank's transmitter. 

Erik's eyebrows knitted together once again, in confusion. But also slight interest...what a strange specimen, that Karmel was. But why was he so weirdly enticing?

Charles grinned softly."Weird one, isn't he? Restless, too. More than anyone I've ever met" he commented, glancing down at the chess board between Erik and himself.

"What does that mean?" Erik whispered to himself, referring to Karmel's recurrent quote.

"'It goeth before the fall', eh? It's a quote adapted from the biblical Book of Proverbs. It means that people who are overconfident, or- or too arrogant, but mostly prideful, are likely to fail. Quite a strange circumstance to use it under, but I'd let the poor man live. I wouldn’t question how a Jewish man knows a quote like that; it’s been brewing around for ages.”

Karmel was able to lasso a vine around one of Lincoln's ankles, the vine automatically tying around like a knot. He chuckled in surprise, at how it actually worked."Gotcha, bitch." Karmel shed himself of his black leather jacket, tossing it away, towards Charles and Erik. He was blissfully unaware that they became technical audience members to his small mission.

Erik reached out, grabbing the coat and pulling it closer. He hummed softly, folding it neatly and setting it aside.

Charles noticed, deciding to keep out of Erik's mind for now.

Karmel placed a foot flat on the marble block under Lincoln and his chair, grip tightening around his vine. The thought of Erik's eyes had that effect on him, where he'd tightly grab something he's holding.

"Should we stop him?" Erik inquired.

Karmel grunted, tugging on his vine-lasso as he made his way up the block, rock-climbing style. He had both feet flat on the block, slowly making his way up, step-by-step. This was quite a feat of his own; Karmel had never gone rock climbing before. 

"No. And to answer your question, Erik-" Charles turned back over to Erik."Yea, not this time. We have common enemies. Shaw, the Russians- they need us."

Karmel's vines seeped back into his body once he stood vertically again, panting lightly after he accomplished phase one.

Erik looked over at Charles, diverting his gaze back over to the Washington Monument. He wondered if Karmel would ever try climbing that."For now."

Karmel stepped onto the smaller stone above the platform he just got onto, hopping onto the pedestal above that. He lightly kicked one of Lincoln's hard, faded shoes."Sick kicks, Abe" Karmel teased, looking up at him. He hooked his thumbs around his suspenders, pulling them off so that they hung at his hips. Karmel rubbed his hands together, throwing an arm over his head as he bit his lip. 

Erik glanced back over at him.

"Baggyass pants, though" Karmel cackled, stepping onto Lincoln's flat foot. He reached up as high as he could, barely getting to the president's knee. Karmel leaned against the statue's leg, vines crawling out from behind his back and sliding over the thigh of the leg he was on."Risque" he grinned, holding onto his vines and beginning to hoist himself up.

"How do you feel about Karmel, anyway?" Charles inquired.

"This sounds like the beginning of a 'what are your intentions with my daughter' speech" Erik compared, locking eyes with Charles."Whatever do you mean, then? Karmel's...I see quite a bit of myself in Karmel, weirdly. He seems quite hot-headed, and by the looks of it, is physically courageous. He'd be a dogged adversary" he explained.

"Yea, he seems like he'd be one who’s prone to losing his temper. If I do say so myself, he practically feeds off of his emotions. But trust me, Erik, there's a lot of stuff hiding in that little head of his."

Erik arched a brow."Does consent mean nothing to you?" He joked.

Charles chuckled."It does when it can. Karmel's problem is, though, that I don't need to try to read his mind sometimes. Sometimes, he projects his thoughts so much that I strangely end up reading them whether I want to or not. He has such...such strong emotions, I'll word it. That he hides away, keeps it under a lock and key. Out of pure instinct, and fear for what people would say. There's internalized aggression to these emotions, he doesn't want them to exist, and believes that he's made them up for whatever reason. Poor chap, he is" He read Karmel like a book.

The unknowing mutant just made his way onto Lincoln's knee.

"Karmel, don't-" Charles called, contemplating whether he should get up and walk over or not.

Karmel laughed in triumph, leaning against the statue's thigh."Boy, I'd tell you what I want for Christmas, if I even celebrated it" he crossed his arms, content in Lincoln's gigantic lap. Karmel decided to ignore the fact that he had to physically turn away from Abraham’s crotch- but, he used the classic excuse that come on, it’s RIGHT there.

Erik just watched Karmel in Lincoln's lap, wondering why he suddenly wished he were a 19-foot-tall statue of a dead president. He shrugged to himself, thinking it would be a fleeting feeling, an intrusive thought.

Karmel rolled his shoulders back, hands on his hips as he looked out at the view."Some view this is, guys!" He yelled over."The sixteenth president's view of a monument for the very first president!" Karmel told, pointing out at the Washington Monument in the distance. He turned around, raising his arms as if reaching for Abraham's neck. Karmel's vines came shooting out, wrapping around Lincoln's neck.

"Don't choke him!" Erik joked, earning the sound of Karmel's sweet laughter.

"Don't encourage him-" Charles mumbled, standing up.

Erik gestured for Charles to stay."Please, he's having fun for once in the past couple days. Nobody's going to catch him, anyway" he smiled slightly.

Karmel huffed softly, repeating his previous actions and rock-climbing his way up Lincoln's torso, in a one-hand-in-front-of-the-the other way on the vines. He made it up to Lincoln's shoulder and hopped on, steadying himself as Erik's playful voice rang in his ears. Karmel's vines untied from around the statue's dusty neck, reeling back in like yo-yo strings. He held onto the side of the statue's face before he sneezed, to steady himself. Once stable, vines shot out from behind Karmel's back, around Lincoln's forehead.

"He's almost there."

"Yes he is."

"Think he'll stop?"

"Absolutely not."

Karmel glanced over at Erik, a smile zapping onto his lips at the mere sight of him. Maybe this'll impress him. Slowly and steadily, Karmel climbed up the side of Abraham's huge, angular face, facing a bit of difficulty around the ear area. Maybe this activity will make him 'man up', and out of whatever Erik made him dumb down to 'acting like a sissy.'

"You got this!" Erik yelled in slight encouragement.

"We believe in you!" Charles sighed; if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

"Beware, it goeth before the fall!" Karmel answered, not taking his eyes off where he was going. Erik's encouragement was some heart-racer for him. He groaned lowly, gritting his teeth in determination as he felt his internal organs flop when he went at an upside-down-like angle around Lincoln's ear."You have a nice face shape" Karmel whispered, chuckling as he made his way up Lincoln's smooth temple.

"He's quite driven" Erik noted, followed by a small 'huh.'

"Determination's filling him to the brim like an overflowing shot glass."

Karmel landed on his stomach atop Lincoln's head, coughing a bit."Does no one shower this thing? Dirty as fuck" he complained, taking his time to get up. Karmel put his fists on his hips, standing proudly on top of the 19-feet-tall statue of Abraham Lincoln, America's 16th president, in all his glory."I did it!"

"Yes you did!" Charles laughed through his words, clapping a bit like he was praising a child at a dance recital, or a school play.

Erik tilted his head, slowly getting up."Impressive, Karmel" he complimented, slowly clapping along."I wish I had your patience."

"Patience?" Karmel cackled."Erik, thank you, but this is pure determination. I have an endless uphill climb, this was it in a physical form" he specified."Hey, did you guys see Lincoln's hands? People think he's doing sign language for 'A' and 'L', his initials. Isn't that cool? It's 'cause back when he was alive, he was familiar with ASL. It also has something to do with him giving a university for the deaf- Gallaudet University- the authority to grant college degrees. There's other stuff to it, but I can't remember because holy shit, you two! Look at me! I'm ON Lincoln! The- The Lincoln Memorial, I’m ON the Lincoln MEMORIAL!” Karmel quickly corrected himself.

"Doesn't he have something to prove? Nothing to lose, that one" Charles whispered."His pace is relentless, I tell you. He'll waste no time of ours, or anybody's."

”Abraham Lincoln emancipated the slaves for ME!” Karmel yelled, at no one in particular.

Erik hummed in response, delving deeper into Karmel's character as he watched the vine mutant stomp on the statue's hair."Karmel doesn't hesitate."

"Exactly."

"He exhibits no restraint to these things. He'll take, and he'll take and he'll take if need be, he'll do what it takes to survive. He'll keep winning anyway, he'll change the game, he'll play and he'll raise the stakes with his restlessness. We'll need him on our team for this whole thing, no doubt. But..." Erik caught himself eyeing the man."We'll need someone to keep an eye on him."

Charles grinned, holding back from saying 'looks like we already have someone for that job.' He cleared his throat."I feel like you could keep him in check- allow me to explain" Charles put his hands up in defense."Karmel is very loyal to the people he cares about, possibly like this team. And from what I know, you both in particular, are similar in an array of ways. No doubt that if Karmel is approached by someone with possibly a similar view of the world to his, similar morals, similar character, he'll do as they say because you give him a sense of...stability? Stable familiarity, perhaps? If you told him to do or don't do something, he'll do it or won't do it, because you said so. You clearly mean a lot to him, regarding this, so he'll listen to you, despite whatever his anger is telling him in that moment. What'd'ya say?"

Erik looked at Karmel, and figured soon that attitude of Karmel's would be his doom. He nodded."I'll see what I can do."

"I'd say it's almost as if Karmel was raised to fend for himself, think for himself, act for himself...Be for himself, if that makes sense. I wonder what it was like for him, growing up."

"Most likely different from me" Erik piped up."He was raised here in America, I know that's for certain."

Charles looked between Erik and Karmel, Erik's gaze on Karmel softer than it used to be.