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

FILL: The Better Men (19g/30ish)

[(Anonymous)]

"I'll join you in just a moment," Erik said to Raven as they walked back toward Charles and Angel, and darted off before she could protest.

The musicians were still preparing for the next song, and the female singer cheerfully bent down to hear Erik when he motioned her over.

"Do you take requests?"

"Sorry, sir, but when Miss Frost engaged us, she was very specific about the kind of music—"

Erik pulled the handful of silver coins from his pocket.

The singer raised an eyebrow at the – generous – bribe, and said, "I'm sure we can squeeze something in. Right now?"

"No, play… two more first, and then mine." That would give him time to find his way back to Charles. And work up his nerve a little.

"Very well. What's the song?"

Erik tried to breathe through the sudden shiver of nerves. Silly to get this worked up over a dance -- the possibility of a dance. "Have you heard of Elvis Presley?"


He was only a few steps away from Charles when a tubby, dark-haired man in a checkered mask touched his arm. "Hold up there, is this Lehnsherr? My eyes are probably playing tricks on me, with all these masks – no, by golly, you areLehnsherr!"

"I am," Erik admitted cautiously, extricating his arm. "And you are?"

"Oh, of course." The man plucked off his mask, smiled expectantly.

It still took Erik a moment to place him as a higher-up from his old office – not his direct supervisor, and therefore no one Erik had paid any particular attention to... "Ah, Oliver."

Oliver's smile widened, and he swept a bow. "Surprised to see me here, I suppose – but no more than I am to see you! Are you, erm... acquainted with someone on staff?"

Erik translated this as Only the top Ministry brass got invited and that's certainly not you. Which was, of course, extremely true. Erik had never been important in the Ministry. He had done his insignificant job with ruthless efficiency and a minimum of human contact, then gone home to... stare at the wallpaper and think as little as possible. Or walk aimlessly down dark streets, hoping to be mugged. It struck Erik, with a suddenness that make him rock a bit on his feet, how entirely miserable and pointless his life had been.

Pointless enough, apparently, that his co-workers hadn't actually noticed his two-month absence. "I'm on the staff, actually," Erik managed. "I teach here now. Potions."

Oliver blinked at him, as if waiting for the punchline. "You... teach?"

Erik laughed. "I do. I'm quite terrible at it, but the test scores haven't been too dismal, so apparently something's getting through."

"Well," Oliver said. "Well, congratulations, certainly. Teaching at Hogwarts, that's, that's quite an honor." Usually reserved for people who have a clue what they're doing went unsaid. "Are you enjoying your change in career?"

"Enjoying?" Erik repeated. "Am I enjoying spending my days wrangling the snide, the lazy, and the feeble-minded? And my evenings slapping together lesson plans and grading assignments until my eyes cross?" While Charles puts on another pot of tea and laughs at me, generally. "Not particularly enjoying that, no."

"And yet, you're smiling," Oliver said, and Erik realized it was true. He took a moment to consider that.

"I enjoy it when it works," he said. "When you've been trying to get a concept through a child's head all day long and suddenly you see that light of comprehension, suddenly they can do it. And they've grown, some little bit, right in front of you, one inch closer to the adult they're going to be. Sometimes you have to push them off a building, but then... but then they fly." And that was not the sort of thing Erik Lehnsherr said out loud, certainly not to bare acquaintances. He felt his face heat a little.

"Well," Oliver said, looking reluctantly impressed, "I guess you're where you belong, then."

Charles was listening, Erik realized abruptly, watching them from the refreshment table. Erik's face grew hotter still, but he met Charles's eyes over Oliver's shoulder without flinching. "I guess maybe I am."