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anythingdrabbleTitle: No More Graves
Author: Katya Starling
Fandom: X-Men
Characters/Pairing: Professor X/Magneto, Shadowcat, Ensemble
Rating: PG/K+
Challenge/Prompt: Anything Drabble 135: Cement
Word Count: 500
Date Written: 20 April 2020
Warnings: None
Summary: Erik and Kitty remember a promise he made, and failed to keep.
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
"I fear you look as though you are taking another trip through your garden, Charles," Erik commented softly, his wise, old eyes keenly observing his lover.
Charles sighed but did not deny the fact. In his mind was row after row not of the plants that Erik so coyly suggested but of cemented name plates. He knew each name without reading them and feared that, before this battle was over, there would be many more added.
Kitty opened her mouth to comment, but Ororo shook her head ever so slightly. The girl frowned but fell silent and watched the two men whose friendship was longer than almost any of the rest of them had been alive. Indeed, save for Logan, their bond was older than any of them.
"We will not be adding any more plants, Charles," Erik spoke softly but firmly. "That much, I promise you."
Kitty's eyes narrowed in confusion; again, Ororo shook her head.
"I am weary," Charles admitted with a soft sigh, rubbing his temples.
Erik floated across the room to stand beside him. His hands reassuringly cupped his shoulders. "We will not add another name -- another grave to your mental cemetery, Charles, I promise you."
He had whispered softly enough. The other X-Men either had not heard or chose to act as though they had not at least, but Kitty had heard them and looked to them again in great concern. "We're gonna get through this, Prof," she added, wondering why Magneto felt the need to hide the true meaning of their words. "We've all lost too many friends. We're not losing any more."
"Out of the mouth of babes -- " Charles started.
"Yeah," Logan agreed, grunting, "but I got a plan." He drove a claw into the table around which they were all gathered. "We're getting our people back, an' we ain't addin' any more graves, Chuck. Mags can cut the metaphorosis shit out. It ain't happenin'. You got us now, an' we've got this."
"So eloquently put, Logan," Hank murmured.
"I ain't eloquent, bub, but I get the job done."
"Indeed you do," Magneto remarked, eyeing the tough, little man.
"An' I tolerate you for one reason, bub, for that old man right there." Logan pointed his single, unsheathed claw straight at Charles.
"For the very same reason I tolerate you, Wolverine. Now let us put our differences aside and get this mission accomplished successfully." And I will not leave you again, Charles, Erik thought, still rubbing his lover's shoulders, no matter what your X-Men think.
"You didn't leave him," Kitty commented years later.
"I did," Erik spoke quietly, his old eyes filled with tears. "If I had not left him before -- "
"He would still be gone from us now. If there's one bad thing being an X-Man has taught me, it's that our people only really die when it's our time."
"As we all do, Miss Pryde." He could only wish his time would hurry up, but this time, he really wouldn't leave Charles again.
The End
Author: Katya Starling
Fandom: X-Men
Characters/Pairing: Professor X/Magneto, Shadowcat, Ensemble
Rating: PG/K+
Challenge/Prompt: Anything Drabble 135: Cement
Word Count: 500
Date Written: 20 April 2020
Warnings: None
Summary: Erik and Kitty remember a promise he made, and failed to keep.
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
"I fear you look as though you are taking another trip through your garden, Charles," Erik commented softly, his wise, old eyes keenly observing his lover.
Charles sighed but did not deny the fact. In his mind was row after row not of the plants that Erik so coyly suggested but of cemented name plates. He knew each name without reading them and feared that, before this battle was over, there would be many more added.
Kitty opened her mouth to comment, but Ororo shook her head ever so slightly. The girl frowned but fell silent and watched the two men whose friendship was longer than almost any of the rest of them had been alive. Indeed, save for Logan, their bond was older than any of them.
"We will not be adding any more plants, Charles," Erik spoke softly but firmly. "That much, I promise you."
Kitty's eyes narrowed in confusion; again, Ororo shook her head.
"I am weary," Charles admitted with a soft sigh, rubbing his temples.
Erik floated across the room to stand beside him. His hands reassuringly cupped his shoulders. "We will not add another name -- another grave to your mental cemetery, Charles, I promise you."
He had whispered softly enough. The other X-Men either had not heard or chose to act as though they had not at least, but Kitty had heard them and looked to them again in great concern. "We're gonna get through this, Prof," she added, wondering why Magneto felt the need to hide the true meaning of their words. "We've all lost too many friends. We're not losing any more."
"Out of the mouth of babes -- " Charles started.
"Yeah," Logan agreed, grunting, "but I got a plan." He drove a claw into the table around which they were all gathered. "We're getting our people back, an' we ain't addin' any more graves, Chuck. Mags can cut the metaphorosis shit out. It ain't happenin'. You got us now, an' we've got this."
"So eloquently put, Logan," Hank murmured.
"I ain't eloquent, bub, but I get the job done."
"Indeed you do," Magneto remarked, eyeing the tough, little man.
"An' I tolerate you for one reason, bub, for that old man right there." Logan pointed his single, unsheathed claw straight at Charles.
"For the very same reason I tolerate you, Wolverine. Now let us put our differences aside and get this mission accomplished successfully." And I will not leave you again, Charles, Erik thought, still rubbing his lover's shoulders, no matter what your X-Men think.
"You didn't leave him," Kitty commented years later.
"I did," Erik spoke quietly, his old eyes filled with tears. "If I had not left him before -- "
"He would still be gone from us now. If there's one bad thing being an X-Man has taught me, it's that our people only really die when it's our time."
"As we all do, Miss Pryde." He could only wish his time would hurry up, but this time, he really wouldn't leave Charles again.
The End
