[Fic] X-Men //

[spindizzy]

X-Men //
G | 914 words | Charles Xavier, Erik Lennsher, Raven Darkholme | Set half-way through X-Men: First Class | But why can't Raven go on the road trip?

"Why can't I go with you?" Raven demanded, sitting cross-legged on Charles' bed and apparently blocking his way to his suitcase. "You saw what happened with the CIA the first time, I am way more convincing than you are when it comes to mutations being real."

There was a story there that Erik hadn't been told, but he was sure one of them would explain later. He lounged against the doorway as though he had nothing better to do, waiting for Charles to finish his packing. Erik hadn't brought much with him, and anything he had he was willing to leave behind if necessary, which was apparently not the case for Charles.

"I thought you might be happier here," Charles said, trying to step around the bed with his clothes in his arms. When she deliberately leaned into his suitcase, Charles dropped the pile down on the end of the bed instead. "Really, Raven, must we do this now?"

"I don't see why not," she said, glaring back at him. "You can't leave yet, Hank's still got the co-ordinates."

Charles sighed and turned back to his chest of drawers, so clearly trying not to roll his eyes or look at Erik that he might as well have done both. "We need someone here to look after anyone who agrees to join us, one of us rather than the CIA, all right? Besides, I thought you were getting on rather well with Hank, weren't you? Wouldn't you rather spend time with him?"

Raven clearly wasn't above rolling her eyes, but she did look at Erik before she bothered. Her mouth twisted, and she sat up a little straighter. "I just think I'd be more useful with you than stuck here! You always —"

Erik stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, the click of it shutting as effective as a shout for cutting off the argument. Charles's jaw was set, colour high in his cheeks; Raven's hands were clenched into fists and her eyes flashed gold as she looked at him. But Raven was the simplest person to deal with at this point.

"You," Erik said. "Are leverage."

There was a short pause, which Erik used to cross the room and sit on the bed next to Raven, looking at her with a faint smile.

"I'm sorry," Charles said; Erik didn't look at him, but he could hear the politely false smile that went with that tone. "I must have misheard you, I thought you just said Raven was leverage."

Raven blinked hard, gold becoming gray and back again between each flick of her eyelids. "But for --" Her mouth twisted, disappointed. "Oh, for Charles."

"They're giving us the co-ordinates and letting us loose as independent agents. What's to stop us just recruiting the mutants we want and forming our own army?"

"No," Charles said behind them. "No, that is not what this is about."

"Me." Raven didn't even glance Charles' way. "They're betting that Charles will come back for me."

Erik smiled and tilted his head in acknowledgement.

Raven's face was very still for a minute as she searched his expression -- for what, he couldn't say -- and then she shook her hair back, raising her chin. "Joke's on them if they think they can keep me here." Scales flicked up and down her body, and Moira MacTaggart was sitting cross-legged on Charles' bed. Then one of the male agents. Then another.

Erik couldn't help his smile -- what he could have done with someone with her ability! -- and Raven's scales erupted again, returning her to her blonde self. She almost glowed under his regard.

"Raven." Charles crossed the room to put a hand on her shoulder. "I promise you, you'll be safe here. Erik's just --"

"It's what I'd do. And the CIA can't offer me anything I can't get elsewhere, so the only one they've got a hold on is you."

Raven huffed. "I'd rather be bait than left behind for my own 'protection.' I can handle anything the CIA can throw at me."

Charles looked from Raven to Erik for a moment, then said "Excuse me, I need to have a word with Erik. We'll finish this in just a minute, Raven."

Erik nodded his goodbye to Raven and followed Charles out of the room with his hands in his pockets. Charles closed the door sharply, his lips thinned.

"Thank you for that, Erik. I appreciate that you were trying to help, but I don't think --"

"You'd rather she stay here angry and unaware?"

"I'd rather Raven not worry about some -- flight of fancy," Charles snapped. "The CIA aren't going to use her as a hostage and letting her think they are is not going to help matters."

Erik shrugged and started down the corridor, half-turning to quirk his eyebrows at Charles as he went. "Well, if you're sure."

There was a pause, then Charles said "You weren't serious," sounding more questioning than he probably meant to, and showing his entire hand with one sentence. Here was the proof that he truly was staying out of Erik's mind, or he'd know. Here was the proof that for all his claims to know everything about Erik, he couldn't, or he'd know whether Erik was a liar.

Erik kept walking, turning his face away; Charles could probably hear the satisfaction in his voice though. "You're the psychic, Charles, why don't you tell me?"