round 3 overflow post

[starkmodistries.livejournal.com]

Round 3 Overflow Post

This post is for Round 3 fills only. We ask that when a round hits 8500 comments, fillers begin moving their fills to this post.

Format:
SUBJECT LINE -- Round #, short description of fic (ex: "Alex/Hank, lab partners")
--- Link to the prompt
--- Text of the prompt

--- Link to the fill
OR
--- Entire text of the fill

EXAMPLE:
Prompt: http://xmen-firstkink.livejournal.com/6437.html?thread=1038472#t2038174

Charles/Erik -- Charles is a bakery owner whose most frequent customer is Erik.

Fill: http://xmen-firstkink.livejournal.com/6437.html?thread=0139482#t4502942

Charles started off the morning the same way he always did...

Comments

Heat - Part 21a

[(Anonymous)]

A/N: On to the final stretch. Not long now, just a few more parts to go!

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Erik’s breath left him in a gust as he finally leaned back in his chair, his story now finished. The ball was in Charles’s court now. There was nothing more that Erik could do, except perhaps apologise some more. Everything now rested on Charles’s response.

Steeling himself, Erik pulled his eyes away from the wall and glanced over to Charles in order to gauge his reaction.

Charles was in the same position that he had been when Erik had first started his story: sitting straight-backed in his chair, his head tilted forward with his attention solely on Erik, and the tips of his fingers pressed together in his lap. As Erik looked, he saw Charles lean back slightly in his chair and then bring his right leg up and cross it over his left one. His gaze was still on Erik.

Neither of them spoke as each surveyed the other, Charles in quiet contemplation and Erik in silent agitation. Eventually Charles gave a blink and seemed to emerge from his reverie.

‘I’ve listened to everything you have said,’ he began, and Erik felt himself tense in spite of himself. ‘And while there are parts – huge parts – that disgust me and – at times – even frighten me …’ Charles paused. ‘Well, let’s just say that I have given the matter a great deal of thought and despite the countless and deplorable atrocities that you have committed– That is to say, no matter which way I look at it, I … Erik, you must know that I can’t in good conscience bring myself to fully condemn you. Not after what I now know you to have gone through. Not after everything that has gone on between us. Not – not now that I know you so completely.’

Erik felt his breath catch. It was a moment before he could speak.

‘You – you forgive me?’ he asked, hardly able to believe his ears.

Charles grimaced at that.

‘I’m not sure that “forgive” is quite the right word,’ he said slowly. ‘After all, it is not me that you have wronged and we have known each other for too short a while for me to charge you with withholding information. But … yes, if you think it necessary. Yes, I forgive you.’

Erik felt his knees buckle. He was thankful to already be sitting down or otherwise he was certain that he would have fallen to his knees.

‘Charles,’ he breathed. ‘Charles you have no idea … I am so sorry to have ever made you feel so - Charles!’ he looked up at Charles with an expression of pain and yearning.

Charles hesitated for a moment, but in the end, could not resist Erik’s look of supplication.

‘Oh Erik,’ he said softly and slowly, ever so slowly, he reached out and tentatively ran his hands through Erik’s hair. Erik closed his eyes at the touch and bent his neck so that Charles could feel him better.

They stayed in that position for a while, Erik with his head bent and Charles stroking his hair gently, until the chiming from a clock in the next room roused them. Erik’s head immediately came up and he looked agitatedly at his watch.

‘The time!’ he said, getting to his feet and accidentally dislodging Charles’s arm. ‘Charles, we-’ he swallowed. ‘I have to go soon. Unless …’ he trailed off helplessly, looking Charles in the eye. An hour ago he would not have dared to hope that this would be possible but now – now that he had been forgiven … Swallowing, he looked Charles deep in the eyes.

Heat - Part 21b

[(Anonymous)]

Charles was in turmoil.

‘Erik, I-’ he clenched his fists. ‘I’m not sure that this is a good idea,’ he said at last, looking anxiously at Erik. ‘This is just too fast, there is too much that I don’t know, too much that-’

‘You know me Charles,’ Erik interrupted, reaching forward and snagging Charles’s hands in his. ‘You know me. Completely. Is that not enough?’

Still Charles hesitated.

‘There will be no more, Charles,’ Erik promised, his eyes full of earnestness and sincerity. ‘I swear to you upon my mother’s blood – there will be no more. It ends tonight. When you and I leave, it will be for forever. The past will stay in the past.’

Charles gripped Erik’s hands, still wavering.

‘Look into my mind, Charles,’ Erik said fiercely. ‘Look into my mind and see that I am telling the truth. Look Charles!’

‘Okay!’ Charles said finally, pulling back. He took a long breath to calm himself. ‘Okay,’ he said again. He straightened and, screwing up his courage, looked up at Erik. ‘I will come with you.’

The words had barely left his mouth before Erik had pulled him into his arms again, clasping Charles tightly to his chest.

‘Thank you,’ Erik whispered, clutching Charles’s head closer to his chest. ‘Thank you for believing in me. I swear to you, I will prove myself worthy of your faith every day. I promise you, Charles.’

Charles sniffled slightly, huffing a breath against Erik’s chest before slowly pulling away.

‘There’s no need to swear fealty to me,’ he said after a moment, attempting humour. He gave Erik a wry smile. ‘And it’s not as if I’m working on blind faith alone – I am a telepath, you know.’

Erik chuckled at that.

‘As if I could forget,’ he said softly. Reaching out, he placed one calloused palm against Charles’s soft cheek.

Charles hummed under his breath as he turned in towards Erik’s hand. He sounded almost strangely contented.

‘We’d better start moving,’ Erik said after a moment, pulling his hand away with great reluctance. ‘We don’t have much time. Have you packed at all?’

‘A little,’ Charles said, also pulling away with a sigh. At Erik’s look he rolled his eyes. ‘You do realise that this house contains the whole of my earthly possessions within it, yes? As well as the fact that a few scant hours is hardly enough for me to pack away everything I might need before we leave?’

‘All you would need is the clothes on your back,’ Erik said, stepping closer, right into his space and sending a slight shiver down Charles’s spine. ‘And perhaps not even that much.’

‘You wouldn’t catch me dead outside without at least three layers,’ Charles said with a huff, but he was smiling. The shock and horror of the previous hours seemed to have gradually melted away and though Erik was sure that that conversation with Charles was far from over – and indeed, that it would probably colour the rest of their interactions for the rest of their lives together – for now at least, it seemed to have been relegated to the background. For Erik this was more than enough – the simple knowledge that Charles wouldn’t cast him aside would have sufficed; to have him actually decide to accompany Erik even whilst knowing what he did was more than Erik could have ever hoped for.

Unable to contain the wave of affection that surged up inside him, Erik pushed forward and caught Charles’s mouth in a swift kiss. Charles was at first surprised, but he readily joined in once his brain had caught up with the action.

After a moment Erik reluctantly pulled away.

‘You had better get going,’ he said gruffly. ‘If you want to get all that packing done, that is.’

Charles smiled.

‘I suppose I had,’ he sighed before allowing himself a small smirk. ‘But don’t think that you are getting out of helping me that easily.’ And he tugged Erik over to the stairs with a smile.

By ten o’ clock that night they had the house all packed up and their luggage ready. Everything was neatly boxed and labelled and packed away. Then after a final small supper, with one last look at the house, they were finally off, the car speeding away and leaving the iron gates of Westchester far behind them.





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Re: Heat - Part 21b

[renuki.livejournal.com]

*breaths a sigh of relief for Erik*

And ooh, the final battle is coming.

Re: Heat - Part 21b

[(Anonymous)]

I don't think that relief is going to lat for long, unfortunately ...

And yes, the final battle is very, very close! :)

Thanks for reading and commenting hun! xx