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

Heat - Part 18d

[(Anonymous)]

Shaw gave him the look a doting father bestows upon his precocious son.

‘I should hope you would remember this one,’ he said, a small smile on his lips. ‘I went to so much trouble to teach it to you after all. And if you haven’t learnt it still, then that just makes your dear mother’s death all the more pointless.’

Erik froze.

The rage, the hatred, the sheer and utter loathing that burst out of him in that moment was enough to taken even Emma by surprise, and before anyone could react, a dozen knives had soared up and flung themselves at Shaw with deadly accuracy.

Shaw had barely enough time to trigger his mutation, causing the metal to bounce off him instead of being embedded within his chest. Even so, one of the knives had had time to get through his defences, grazing him just enough that a thin line of blood welled up from beneath his shirt.

‘Emma!’ Shaw snarled. ‘Godammit Emma, do your fucking job or I promise I will replace you.’

Erik, who had tried to lunge forward after the knives to get his hands on Shaw’s throat, found his body stiff and frozen, moving without his will as he was forced roughly back into his seat. A painful mental jab almost sent his senses reeling.

I told you, came Emma’s cold, furious voice. Do not try my patience. I don’t care if Shaw starts in on your mother, you stay put.

Furious and unable to move, Erik viciously shoved his childhood memories of his mother’s final days at Shaw’s hands towards Emma.

Shaw started in on my mother a long time ago, he said, even his mental voice shaking with barely contained fury. It’s long past the time that I finally finished it.

There was silence after that and when Emma didn’t respond, Erik turned his attention back to Shaw.

Shaw, although clearly very irritated by the outburst, had made an effort to slide back into his genial tone.

‘As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,’ he cast a reproachful look at Erik. ‘One of the most important lessons that I ever taught you was that having ties is a death sentence. I must have told you this a hundred times, Erik, surely you must remember: For a man to succeed in this life he shouldn’t have anything that he can’t walk away from in thirty seconds. Tell me, Erik, how is that working out for you?’

Erik gritted his teeth but kept silent.

‘I’d always wondered, you know,’ Shaw mused out loud. ‘About what might have happened to you over the years. Whether you were dead or alive. Whether you had grown up, got married, had a family… got a dog. Played baseball at the weekend …’ He huffed out a laugh. ‘I guess I have my answer, now, don’t I?’

‘You expected me to have a normal family?’ Erik appeared calm, unruffled, his voice betraying none of the seething fury that was bubbling under his skin. ‘After all that you put me through? You expected me to have a regular life? Be normal?’ he gave a humourless laugh. ‘No, Shaw, I’m afraid that I was far too busy spending all my time chasing after you.’

‘And I am most flattered,’ Shaw practically purred. ‘Still,’ he added after a moment. ‘It’s a lonely life. Did you take never take any lovers, Erik? You’re a handsome man – I’m sure there was no lack of offers.’

Erik growled but Shaw ignored him and instead waited, a look of polite patience on his face.

Eventually, Erik sighed.

‘Someone once told me,’ he said wryly, speaking in a slow, deliberate – but nevertheless venomous – tone. ‘That I should never let myself get attached to anything that I was not willing to walk out on in thirty seconds flat if necessary. For better or worse, the lesson stuck with me. Unfortunately, it didn’t really make things easy when it came to finding long-term lovers.’

Shaw let out a bark of laughter.

‘I’m glad to see that you learned your lessons well,’ he said, pleased. ‘But seriously Erik – surely you aren’t telling me that you’ve been abstinent all these years? What are you, a monk?’