round 3 overflow post

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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 (19c/30ish)

[(Anonymous)]

"You, of course," Charles said, stepping up to him and grabbing a tiny pastry from the table, "get a top hat and a cape. Whereas I am probably going to freeze to death in this icebox."

Don't notice, don't don't notice that he's already cold. With effort, Erik dredged forth a teasing smile and actual coherent words. "We'll recognize the hypothermia when your fingernails match the rest of you."

Charles groaned. "I look ridiculous."

"No, you don't," Raven insisted, grinning.

"Yes, you do," Erik said, voice shaking with suppressed laughter. Or hysteria. "Utterly. Perfectly ridiculous."

Charles glared, snatching up another pastry. "Don't you dare laugh at me."

"I'll try. It's difficult." He wasn't trying very hard. At this point, it was laugh or pin him to the wall and start licking glitter off. "Are those... do you two actually have pointed ears?"

"Temporarily," Raven said smugly, tipping one delicately peaked ear toward the light.

"So you're... fairies?"

"Oberon and Titania," Charles said through clenched teeth. "Wipe that smirk off your face, Lehnsherr. It's not too late to have you join the party – you could be Bottom and wear the head of an ass—"

Angel glided directly into Erik's personal space without seeming to notice Charles or Raven. "Wow, Erik, you have got to try these strawberry things – here, open your mouth."

"Um, I don't--" like strawberries, but she had already popped it in, thumb lingering flirtatiously against his lip. He smiled tightly and choked it down while Angel linked her arm through his.

The pastry Charles had picked up was now dribbling fruit filling between the fingers of his clenched fist. Erik felt abruptly cheerier than he had all day.

"Raven, you look amazing," Angel gasped when she turned around. "It is Raven in there, isn't it? And Charles – oh my." She bit her lip and tried to choke back a laugh.

Charles's smile was more nearly a snarl.

"Oh, listen!" Angel spun toward the front of the room, where, in the space usually occupied by the staff table, a group of musicians in gauzy white had begun to make their presence known. The sounds of piano, flute, and violin flowed into the crowd, and a few couples started drifting toward the center of the floor.

"Let's dance!" Angel cried, gripping Erik's arm, and he found himself dragged away before he could protest.



The musicians were excellent, Charles thought. Along with the instruments they had two singers, a man with a rich dark plummy voice and a woman with a silvery soprano, and they were dueting beautifully. He didn't recognize the song, but it seemed to be some kind of dark, disturbing love story, and in keeping with tonight's decor they managed to make it sound both elegant and eerie.

Erik certainly looked both elegant and eerie, in all his tattered Victorian majesty, gliding about the dance floor as if their waltzing lessons had been last week rather than over a decade ago. Angel Salvadore, her curvy form nestled securely in his arms, looked like the happiest girl in the world.

Raven took a pair of champagne flutes from a passing tray and handed one to Charles. Without looking away from Erik, he tossed back the entire glass, set it down and reached for Raven's. She pulled it back instinctively, then glanced at Erik, now smiling at something Angel said, and let him have it.

"I knew they'd been hanging out," she said glumly. "But I didn't realize they were coming here together. I would have warned you."

He drained the second glass of champagne. "What’s to warn about? Erik and I are not together. He has the right to dance with whomever he pleases."

Raven grabbed his hand and began wiping fruit filling off it with a napkin.

"He looks amazing in that cape. I'm not even going to talk about the cravat in mixed company. Be a dear, Raven, and find me another drink."

Raven sighed. "At least eat something, or I won't be responsible for you spending the night under a table."