protect those without

Erik can give the new doctor the benefit of the doubt, maybe one chance for Charles sake at least. If he trusts him then maybe there’s something good in this new mutant. He would still hold his judgments, but he was always like that though.

“They are wonderful, all of them incredible, and I wish that we could all be closer.” Erik knows that it will take time, and A LOT of work to get to that point.

Charles didn’t really know anything about this new doctor, but he wasn’t about to tell Erik that. Not if Hank vouched for the man. Charles trusted Hank, he wasn’t aware Hank had been manipulated in telling Charles about him and at the time, Charles wasn’t easily digging through anyone’s mind. Not like he could do again now that he was off the sauce as they say.

cfmagneto‌:

Erik didn’t mind having Raven cling to his arm, walking into the room with her hearing Charles voice. “Still awake?” He asks with a certain grin spread over his face. He had been hoping that the other man was still awake actually. “We’re here to talk to you about a little something.” [ @polymorphxc​ ]

Raven closes the door behind them, sliding the lock closed though she knew no one would come in here without knocking first. But there were still emergencies that would make someone forget their manners. She looks to Charles and lets go of Erik to go to him. The way she touches his hair is familiar, natural, she’d known him for so long that even when they fought he was the one who knew her touch better than anyone else. She sighs, resting her cheek on his head to look at Erik. “We have an idea.”

@prxfessorx​

“When have I ever got time to sleep, Erik?” he laughs. He’s very tired, but he was just napping sitting up in his chair. At Raven’s touch, Charles closes his eyes and leans into it. Charles opens his eyes slowly and looks up at Erik, “So you’ve got an idea... should I be afraid to ask?” The grin on his face only grows wider as he looks between them both. It’d be easier to read their minds, but he likes mystery sometimes.

cfmagneto‌:

Erik had tried to get dressed fairly quickly, but he was still adjusting part of his shirt when he came out of the door. “Well he’s probably only in one of a FEW places, you know that. I’m sure we can pinpoint where he is.” His eyes look at the time, and then back to Raven. “Shall we?” He offers a hand.

Raven grins, taking his hand. “We shall.” Thankfully it was late enough she didn’t worry about any students wandering past and seeing her in a moment of weakness. She felt girlish, clinging to his arm as they proceeded down the hall towards Charles’ study, in a way she hadn’t felt in awhile. When they reach the double, beautifully embellished, wood doors, she stops and knocks firmly. “Charles?”

@prxfessorx​

It’s dark in his study. There is just one little light on by his desk, but Charles is leaning against his fist half asleep. When he hears his name, he opens his eyes slightly and yawns. Charles knows they are both together, probably waiting for him to go to bed, but it seems he fell asleep before he made it. “C’mon in.” he yawns again.

Erik knows it was probably unfair of him to act that way, but he was always the type to carry strong opinions. If they didn’t know anything about this man then it could be dangerous going forward if they weren’t someone that fits well at the school. Although he can give them one chance, since he knows he was probably in that same boat when he came here.

“I know, I do love my children, but I don’t know how to reach them. I want to have a relationship with them, but I don’t want to do it all wrong.”

Erik is right to feel weary of the unknown mutant coming to help them. Charles knows sometimes he is too easily trusting with people, but one chance is enough. If the new doctor is helpful, that’s all he could ask for. Whether the stay here would be permanent or not depended on the students he was asked to help.

Hank curses at Charles’ suggestion, turning away from the scene of the crime with his hand on his mouth. He was so exhausted, so down to the bone numb by this point and yet every single bit of him was screaming with pain. How could he not take the fall for this? He’d let a kid operate on another kid and now… “A cooler? A…” He isn’t sure what happens in the next few seconds but his foot damn near decimates his desk and the wall beside it entirely. He kicks and kicks until that’s not enough, ripping the file cabinet from the wall as well and throwing it across the room. “God!” he yells, furious and letting it control him.

He can feel the change coming, his hair growing thick and turning. Teeth gnashing against each other and along with the anger and the pain comes the disgust at himself. He sits down quickly, grasping his head in both hands. “I can’t…” he says wearily, “I can’t bury another one of them Charles. I can’t bury Bobby next to Illyana and Piotr, and everyone else we killed.” 

Charles’ head is spiraling, staring at the empty space where Bobby Drake, one of their first students, should be. Bobby was family, his growth since that first day was exponential. Bobby was like Scott, easily blending into a teaching role because they were just good at it. Sure, Bobby wasn’t always serious when the situation called for it, but that was one of the many reasons he was a great fit. He could put a smile on anyone’s face just by smiling himself.

When he finally registers that Hank is destroying the room, Charles turns to him with tears in his eyes. He felt it when Bobby disappeared, but his reaction was heavily delayed because he had a sense of purpose to get here. To help. Help with what? The only thing Charles was doing was making Hank feel worse. How insensitive it must have sounded, how irresponsible Charles was.

Hank runs it over and over in his head. What did he miss? What could he possibly have fucking missed? He rubs the back of his head hard, gripping the hair there and yanking it as he tries to steady his breath. Kitty had sunk through the floor despite his attempt to catch her and he should be worried about that, only he can’t stop staring at the slab. A slab covered in ice, and so was the floor surrounding it. Suddenly this room didn’t look like a clinic at all, it looked like a morgue.

It takes him a moment to respond. Looking at the door, he isn’t sure he has the courage to open it. To let out into the world what he and Kitty had just done. It would be real, it would be irreversible. “I shouldn’t have listened to him,” he says, still staring at the door without opening it. “I… I knew better.” But with everything that’s happened, he’d let himself question his judgement. “I shouldn’t have…” He opens the door, because there’s nothing else to do.

“You did what you thought was right for him, Hank. It’s not your fault.” It’s too late to say anything about bringing this new doctor to check him out. It’s unnecessary to place blame and pointless. Bobby asked them to help this way and in the end, it would always be the patient’s decision. They cannot force someone to go to a new doctor they don’t trust. The person would have to be willing and Bobby, understandably, did not seem to be. After all, he’d kept the condition a secret from his friends for awhile after it happened.

There’s a moment, a split second, where Hank sees it coming. There’s a look in Bobby’s eyes, a fear that makes his gut turn. He steps forward, hand outstretched to stop Kitty but he doubts himself. Stupidly, he doubts himself, thinking maybe he’s projecting and if he stops Kitty now it’ll only cause more damage. But watching the ice sprawl out, covering him entirely, he knows he chose wrong. His heart stops, possibly when Bobby’s does, and he can only watch in horror as he crumbles to pieces.

It doesn’t feel real at first. Watching Bobby break into shards, some of which embed in her skin at their proximity, she thinks for a second this is a horrible joke. A terrible, cruel prank. Because it didn’t make sense, it didn’t occur to her that despite all they’d lost, that she could be the one to pull the trigger on one of her friends. But it hits her rather fast, as the sting of her cuts come to the forefront of her mind. The bullet clatters onto the table and onto the floor as she screams, stumbling back. She screams until she runs out of breath and then she screams some more, crashing into Hank’s chest as she tries to get away. In her fear she phases right through him and falls to the floor, her screams becoming deep sobs that shake her body.

Hank tries to catch her but she phases through him before he gets a solid grip on her and he’s grasping at air. Through his hands he can see the table, the ice covering the floor and he thinks he might be sick. What had he done? “Charles…” he says roughly, knowing the older man must have heard the commotion and have narrowed the source already. “Charles, come quick and keep any students out.”

@prxfessorx​

As soon as it happens, the Professor cannot feel Bobby anymore. Kitty is screaming and Hank is already reaching out to him. Whatever it was, it happened so quickly and the Professor knew it couldn’t be good. “I’m on the way, tell me what happened when I get there. I need to find Scott.”

Scott was outside the door when he heard her, his heart sank immediately and he tried to shove his way through the door. Of course it was locked. He banged on the door, “Hank! Let me in!” That’s when he saw the Professor rounding the corner and he ran over, “What happened! I heard Kitty screaming, Professor!”

Bombarded by Scott, the Professor hates to do this because he can see the stream of tears just visible below Scott’s glasses. “Scott, find Kitty. She phased through the floor. I need to talk to Hank.” And before Scott can argue, the Professor moves past him in his chair and waits outside the door without knocking. Charles wants Scott to go away first, which eventually he does.

“Hank, he’s gone. What happened?”

Hank knows what he’s suggesting, or trying to indicate. That he still had a chance, that he hadn’t lost her yet. But how much longer would that last? How long until she discovered this would never end? He would always feel responsible for everyone’s pain. He’d always take it much harder than he ought to. And sometimes, though he implored others to be more open, it’d feel impossible for him to do so himself. He still didn’t feel worthy of her, the beautiful nurse that exuded so much sunshine that she made everything she touched bloom. Even him. 

“Yeah,” he says tightly, hands fidgeting in his lap. He looks at them, even in this disguise they looked large and animalistic. He couldn’t always hide the Beast within him and everytime he remembered that, he felt he deserved her less. “But for how long, Charles?”

He doesn’t mean to, but Charles sighs. Hank knew how to reach out to Talia, he just wouldn’t it seemed. “Hank, if you don’t want to lose her then you need to reach out. Stop pushing her away. It’s obvious the woman loves you, but you’re right. If you don’t say something how long will she stay by your side?”

Maybe that was harsh, Charles frowns at his crumbling friend, feeling all of the pain beneath his skin. They both mourned the loss of Jean, almost as if she were dead, but Talia was a different pain. One that Hank could change, but it seemed like he would rather push her away and wallow instead. “At least... think about it. She is good for you, if you love her, too.” He knows Hank does, but maybe he needed to be reminded.

Erik had no idea where this conversation was going, but he raises an eyebrow at the name of the man. “You’re going to bring in some random man? What do you know about this Doctor Essex, Charles?” His hand forms a tight grip on his there arm as his arms were crossed. Why did that name sound so familiar? “I suppose if he will help your children then it’s important, but make sure he’s good.

His arms drop t his sides again. “You don’t need to thank me, but I am here for YOU. You and Raven, no one else. I’m not sure anyone trusts me, but nonetheless I’m here.”

“Hank recommended him, and he’s here to help those Hank cannot.” Charles isn’t sure why, but he feels like he has to defend the decision. It did feel... odd bring in a man they knew nothing about. Even Hank seemed iffy when he mentioned the man. Erik’s hesitance causes Charles to have doubts too, but the invitation was already sent. The man’s office was already set up and waiting. “I will make sure of it when he gets here, you don’t have to worry.”

Though he knew the shove was necessary, Hank still felt awful about it. Charles was his closest friend, especially now that Alex wanted nothing to do with him. Hurting him didn’t feel right, even if it was necessary. They both missed Jean, they both wished they could take back things they’d said and done.They both wanted to protect her from the path she was on, the path Alex was allowing her to be on. 

He swallows hard when Charles hints towards the display of domestic disturbance that he’d witnessed on the way in. Talia deserved better than what he could give her in this state, but he knew that was her choice to stand by his side. Not his. “It could be better,” he says tightly before folding not even a moment later, sitting down heavily in his seat. “I’m really messing it up, Charles.”

It hurts to see his friend in pain, Hank took care of everyone nearly all the time. Not just because he’s a doctor, but because he would always be a good man. Sometimes though, as Charles knew, being a good man eventually weighed heavily on one’s soul and tore down personal relationships. Erasing Moira’s memories had been Charles’s mistake that he’d live with, he didn’t want Hank to have to cut Talia off in a similar fashion.

Still, Charles is at a loss for words. There’d be no advice he trusted himself to give on the subject. Charles had two loves now, and those two understood all the flaws he had. They understood how to handle him. He rubs his chin for a moment, then speaks, “She is still here though, here for you isn’t she?” It’s not exactly a question. Charles can see it, he just wants to know if Hank does.

“If you just not realized I was following you then I have truly been a fool all these years.” Erik shakes his head slightly, gaze looking at their unfinished chess game. He gets the feeling that he wasn’t called here for some enjoyment though. He moves over to stand next to Charles, eyes looking out the window for a moment before turning to look at the man.

“You could say that. Every week is like that though, always some new tragedy.” Erik crosses his arms behind his back for a moment. He knows some of his decisions weren’t approved of. “Who? What caused you to hire them?”

“Hank isn’t a specialist and...” should he mention Lorna? Charles looks up at Erik snd sighs. It’d be best to just be honest without breaching the trust Lorna and Charles reached. Charles clears his throat like he had something stuck in it and tries again, “Hank isn’t a specialist and some of the students need the help of this man: Doctor Essex. I’m hoping he’ll be a good fit.”

Illyana kept forgetting. That Charles and this Charles, they were more than worlds apart. The Charles she’d come to know would balk at her request, he’d tell her he’d find another way. No, he’d tell her there’s a natural order to things. He always put his foot in his mouth, where she wished he’d keep it so she didn’t have to hear his sanctimonious speeches. Like he was so innocent, like he wouldn’t slaughter someone to save his precious daughter. He might as well have been the one to put the blade through her heart. A chair glued to the ceiling bursts into splinters at the memory of cold steel piercing her, cutting her breath short. She watches it rain down over the room, doesn’t feel the pieces that embed in her skin. 

“Nothing will get in my way,” she confirms. “No one.” Her brother was her family, her only family, he’d raised her like she was his own and she wouldn’t leave him in that wasteland. Not for another second if she could help it. He could hate her all he wanted when he came here, it didn’t matter as long as he was alive. “I need a body, a soul, to trade for my brother’s. Limbo is hungry, it won’t let another meal escape its belly so soon.”

It irks him, the thoughts that cross her mind. Not because he’s being compared because that’s only natural, but the fact that every story about Charles number two ended badly. He failed to protect his students, those he promised to keep safe and train to be better mutants. He thought about how he’d love to shove the other out of a window or down a flight of stairs. Even better, take his students away from him and give them a better life.

Charles admires her tenacity and ability to ignore physical pain. Though she didn’t feel it, he saw where each little splinter found a home in her skin. He listens to her request and he thinks on it for a moment before responding. “I have just the man. He’s willing to do anything to protect us. We would all mourn his loss, but he’d finally become the hero he wishes to be.” The inspector was not a mutant, no matter how much he wanted to be. Charles could stand behind trading a human for another mutant and he was sure the inspector would agree to the terms. That man did anything he asked.

The journey to see Piotr again had taken a lot out of her. Limbo was seeking its power back but she’d managed to evade the darkness. Here, in the mortal plane, the part she’d retained spilled from her. The room covered in a heavy fog, ink visibly pumping through her veins. Her eyes are still white though heavily lined in charcoal as she rests her forehead against the wall of her bedroom. It was in chaos, various items of furniture turned on its side or fixed upside down to the ceiling. There was moss growing on the walls before her, vines snapping to grab hold of something, anything to trap.

When Illyana hears him she laughs, it would never be too soon. Piotr was aging, his life racing before her eyes. She was failing him. She couldn’t fail him again. “What I need… The Charles of my time would never condone,” she muses, rubbing her lips with bloodied fingertips from scratching the walls until her nails peeled back.

How many times would he have to hear about that Charles and his many failings? It was grinding on his nerves, but Charles kept his irritation towards that man to himself. “I’m sure he wouldn’t condone a great many things that I would.” he replied. He wanted her to ask him, he didn’t want to offer it outright. Of course he would tell her yes, no matter the price because he wanted to see the rawness of her power. All mutations intrigued him and he wanted to see exactly how far she could go for the one she loved.

“If you need my help, all you have to do is ask. What harm could it do?” Charles smiled despite knowing she couldn’t see it, “The worst that could happen is I say... no. Then you’ll do it anyway, correct?”

Perhaps it wasn’t time yet, but when he found her mind he mentioned it anyway. “Hello, Illyana.” he spoke through telepathy instead of finding her physically. Charles was on the roof looking out over the institute grounds as he continued, “What you are trying to do... I would like to help you. I just... can’t seem to figure out exactly what you need. Is it too soon?” @magiksoul