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 (19h/30ish)

[(Anonymous)]

Charles and Raven were deep in discussion, he realized as he approached, about the identity of a nearby man – tall, lanky, and covered head to toe in blue fur.

"I give up," Charles declared. "I think he must be a visitor. I don't recognize him at all."

Raven, however, squinted, then straightened with a gasp. "Hank?"

Aha, Hank McCoy, Care of Magical Creatures Instructor whom the students therefore liked to call Professor Beast. There definitely was something of Hank in this man's height and awkward body language.

The furry blue figure turned in their direction. "Raven?" The voice was definitely Hank's, if rather strangled-sounding. Erik ran an eye down the length – or brevity – of Raven's costume and tamped down a grin.

"Hank, how did you do this? You look amazing!" Raven stepped toward Hank as he approached and raised a tentative hand to his furry shoulder.

"Er, well. It was actually. I was trying to give an injection – an experimental gene therapy for Professor Sinistra's blue jarvey, it has a rare form of – well, even I can't pronounce it, but it was thrashing around and. And I stuck myself by accident. It'll wear off!" he added hurriedly.

Raven didn't seem to need reassuring, however. "I kinda like it," she said, petting his fur down the length of his arm. Hank made a noise that sounded like attempted words, and this time Erik could not contain the grin. "What does your date think?" Raven asked.

"Oh, well, I wouldn't know – that is, I just came with Alex – not with Alex, not like that! Just neither of us had a date, so. He's around here somewhere. But anyway I don't have. A date."

A new song started up, one not at all suited for slow dancing, but Raven draped her arms around Hank's neck anyway. "Would you like to dance, Hank?"

Hank made more attempted words and nodded.

Raven winked at Charles over her shoulder and dragged Hank off toward the dance floor.

"Angel tore a piece on her costume," Charles said. "She's attempting some kind of emergency repair out in the hallway."

"Oh. Of course." It hadn't even occurred to Erik to wonder where she was.

Charles gave him a long look and sighed.

"What?"

"You really don't fancy her at all, do you?"

"Did you want me to?"

"No," Charles admitted. "I just… it's like watching a train wreck. She really likes you."

"And since when are you so concerned about the feelings of 'Shaw's favorite pets'?"

"I shouldn't have said that." He looked down at the half-empty champagne flute in his hand. "Or maybe I shouldn't be saying this. It's getting hard to tell."

Erik gently pulled the glass from his fingers and replaced it with a chocolate biscuit, which Charles regarded with wonder and joy for a moment and then ate.

"Why did you come with her?" he asked around a bite of biscuit.

"She asked me." He let You didn't hang unspoken in the air; he could see from Charles's rueful expression that the message was coming through loud and clear.

Raven's dance with Hank was over now, but she seemed in no hurry to return to them. Erik could just see them across the room, talking very excitedly to each other just off the dance floor.

Excellent. Because the next song was starting – now.

There it was, the unfurling ribbon of introductory piano notes, recognizable if noticeably slower and more mournful than he remembered it, in keeping with the atmosphere… the singer's voice was not as deep and rich as Elvis Presley's, but it was a respectable substitute…

"Wise men say
Only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you..."

Charles turned toward him with eyes wide. Erik smiled, eyebrows quirked in hopeful invitation, held out a hand.

Charles looked at the hand, opened his mouth, but didn't speak. Tempted, but uncertain. An extremely familiar look, actually, when Erik was successfully talking him into doing something he knew he shouldn't.

"Come on, Charles," Erik murmured, stepping closer. "You'll dance with Shaw's other pet, but not with me?"

Charles swallowed, and put his hand in Erik's.

Erik felt a heady rush of relief and triumph, and pulled Charles onto the dance floor before he could change his mind.