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Hank and Charles had both been relieved, when Logan showed up on their doorstep again, almost two weeks after the White House ‘incident’. They knew that Logan was still alive – Charles after all, had searched night and day until they found him with Cerebro - but neither believed that they would see him again, now that the crisis had been averted.
So imagine their surprise when Logan arrives on a Thursday afternoon, with no memory of the time spent in their company, asking to see one Charles Xavier. He introduces himself as ‘James – but you can call me Logan or whatever’, tells them ‘the blue girl sent him here for answers’ and promptly throws his feet up on the coffee table. Pulling a cigar from his leather jacket pocket, he lights up without comment and listens intently as Charles (and Hank occasionally) fill him in on his previous visit.
By the time they finish, Logan still hasn’t said a word and Hank doesn’t quite know what to think. The man they met before had been a bit gruff yes (and had punched Hank in the face for no good reason) but overall, had been fairly dependable. Trustworthy. And very obviously loyal to Charles.
Hank has no idea if James is any of those things at all.
Charles of course, shows no outward concern over Logan’s reticence and offers him a place to stay – along with a permanent place at the School if Logan is so inclined. And though the man doesn’t answer, he does get up off the couch and grab his old duffel bag off the floor.
“Hank, would you mind showing Logan to his room please?” the Prof. asks.
“Sure, Charles,” he answers, before turning to Logan. “You can come with me.”
They leave the study and head up the staircase to the second floor, Logan following a few steps behind. Hank shows him to his old room, and tells him to help himself to anything he needs. He’s about to head back to the lab when Logan surprises him with a question quite unexpected.
“That guy. Magneto. Is he gonna be back?”
“Who…Erik?” Hank asks, slightly baffled that Logan’s first meaningful words are about Magneto. “No, I don’t think so. Not anytime soon I imagine.”
Logan looks thoughtful, and then says, “So Xavier’s not in any danger?”
Hank laughs, only for his chuckles to peter out at Logan’s grim expression. “Charles isn’t in any danger from Erik. Not in the way you’re thinking anyway. He only ever hurts the Prof. by accident, never on purpose.”
Logan growls. “Is that supposed to make it better?”
“No,” Hank answers with a sigh. “No, it really doesn’t.”
*
Alex meets the new ‘teacher’ about a month and a half after Raven’s appearance in Vietnam, when he finally makes his way back to the mansion. As he pulls into the driveway he sees a strange man with a bizarre hair cut working in the front garden, slashing weeds and shrubbery with what looks like claws sticking out of his knuckles.
By the time he stops the car, the man has situated himself at the bottom of the new access ramp, blocking the way to the front door. He looks menacing – all burly muscle and attitude – and for a crazy moment, Alex thinks he might have to fight his way in to see the Prof.
“Who the fuck are you?” the man asks, and Alex can see as he gets out of the car that his claws are actually made out of bone.
“Alex Summers. I live here,” he answers. “Who the fuck are you?”
This is Logan, Charles interrupts with perfect timing, sounding warm if not a bit amused as the two of them glare at each other in the driveway. Welcome home Alex. We’ve missed you.
The Prof. must be projecting to ‘Logan’ too because the man’s face goes from wary to uninterested in mere seconds, and stalks off without another word. Alex watches for a few moments as Logan goes back to hacking and slashing at the overgrowth, before grabbing his bags out of the trunk and heading inside.
Charles is waiting in the foyer with Hank by his side and he finds himself suddenly overwhelmed; he’s so relieved to be home and so happy to see them both that he drops his bags on the floor and throws his arms around the Prof. Charles returns the hug with just as much enthusiasm and then Hank is there too, his long arms wrapping around them both.
“Where did you get that guy?” he blurts out as they all pull apart, still a little stunned. It’s the only excuse he can think of to explain what comes out of his mouth next. “Christ he looks as scary as Lehnsherr. He’s probably killed somebody with his bare hands.”
But the Prof. just gives him a small smile, and shakes his head. “Logan’s not so bad, Alex. You just need to get to know him. He’s actually very kind and has a good heart.”
“O…kay,” he answers, and turns to Hank who just grins and rolls his eyes. ‘I’ll tell you later’ he mouths to Alex and then they’re all turning around to head to the kitchen, Logan momentarily forgotten.
*
After Washington, Raven spends a few months laying low, taking the time to regroup and to re-examine her goals. She goes to see Kurt, though only from afar, and is gratified to see him still safe and cared for by his adoptive family. It makes her feel much better, knowing her son is living with people who embrace his mutation without fear. Who loves him for being Kurt, as he deserves to be loved.
Her thoughts naturally lead her back to Charles; to her own adopted family in Westchester. It’s been six months since they saw each other last, and she finds herself longing to see him and Hank again.
The moment she slips onto the mansion grounds she can feel Charles’ presence, hovering at the edge of her mind. He doesn’t dip into her thoughts or try to talk to her; he just sends her a silent feeling of welcome.
It doesn’t take her long to track him down, given the hour of the day. She finds him on the couch in his study, reading from a thick book on his lap. It takes her back in an instant, to their life more than ten years ago, the scene virtually unchanged but for the wheelchair parked within arms’ reach.
That, and the man sitting beside him, watching him intently.
It takes her far longer than it should, to realize what she’s seeing. Charles is reading and Logan is listening, though the room is silent but for the crackle of the roaring fire. She finds herself amused and a little touched that the gruff, surly man she saved from the Potomac apparently trusts Charles enough to open his mind to him so freely.
“Hello Raven,” Charles says, the smile blossoming across his face as she steps into the room. Logan just gives her a nod before standing and waving his hand, ostensibly to let her take his vacated seat. She nods in return and then watches with keen interest as Logan turns to her brother and asks, “More tea?”
Charles’ whole face lights up at that, the fine lines around his eyes crinkling as he smiles up at Logan. She’s only ever seen that look on Charles’ face once, and that was years ago, before she understood what it meant.
“Thank you. That would be lovely.”
She takes a step away from the door to let him pass, but Logan stops just in front of her, and looks her straight in the eye. “Go easy on him,” he says, his tone decidedly unfriendly before brushing past her and out the door.
Well, she thinks. That was…something.
When she looks over at Charles he’s still smiling serenely, as though everything is wonderful and Logan hadn’t just threatened her over her brother’s well-being. She tucks that thought away to ask Hank about it later, though she thinks she already knows the answer.
“Charles,” she says, and finds it a little easier to admit now than it used to be. “It's good to see you.”
*
Dodging the government keeps Erik busy for almost a year after his escape, giving him very little time to plan his next big move. But it does gives him a lot of time to think about Charles - as he’s done many times during his incarceration at the Pentagon.
His thoughts turn often to the words they shared on their way to Paris; of a future where the two of them are together again, fighting side by side. It gives him something to hold onto late at night. Something to take the sting from the fact that even without his helmet, Charles hasn’t reached out to him once in the past year.
It’s likely that Charles is still angry; Erik will concede that things did fail spectacularly to go as planned. And it may be too soon to expect Charles to want to see him again but Erik is nothing but determined. He wants to know how his ex-lover is doing; if he’s given up on the serum for good and perhaps re-opened the School.
If he still misses Erik, as much as Erik misses him.
It’s mid-afternoon on a Saturday when he arrives at the mansion and he’s surprised to find Hank and Alex outside, talking to a very alive Logan on a motorcycle. It’s even more surprising when he sees that the person seated behind Logan is Charles, cheeks flushed with excitement, his hair messy from the helmet stilled clutched in his hand. It’s a look that Erik remembers well from their days on the road, driving from city to city searching for others just like them, the windows down and the radio turned up high.
They all look up at once, their bodies tense as he approaches them slowly on foot. Hank is the first to react, rolling the wheelchair close and setting the brake in place, before helping Charles carefully off the motorcycle. He can see now that the bike has been customized specifically for Charles; can feel the newer metal pieces that form the larger foot rests and the modified seat.
Alex moves to stand beside Hank with his arms across his chest, radiating anger and hostility, daring Erik with his eyes to take another step closer. But it’s Logan that actually moves, hopping off the bike and making his way over to Erik until they’re standing close enough to touch.
“I came to see--” Erik starts, but doesn’t get to finish his sentence, as Logan hauls off and punches him hard, knocking him right off his feet. He reaches instinctively for the closest metal and grabs the motorcycle, only for Charles to take over immediately and break off his hold.
His head is still spinning when Logan reaches down and hauls him up onto his feet, and Erik braces himself for a second punch. Instead, Logan just growls “I owed you one,” and then turns and walks away.
“Why are you here, Erik?” Charles asks, sounding a bit hesitant but not particularly angry (or happy) to see him.
I wanted to see how you were, he sends, and though he watches Charles’ face for a reaction, there is nothing but a quiet weariness. I just…came to see you.
“Well then,” Charles says, after a few moments of silence. “Why don’t you come in?”
---
In the end, Erik only stays for three days.
He’s not sure what he expected to happen between him and Charles; whether his return would spark another confrontation like the one on the plane ride to Paris. Or something quieter but no less heart felt; closer to the tentative accord they were starting to build before everything had fallen apart.
It turns out to be neither, for Charles spends very little time in his company. When Erik goes searching for him the first night, he finds Charles already occupied in the study, sharing a beer with Logan. The room is much as he remembers it, though there’s more open space for Charles’ chair to maneuver. He spies a familiar chess set on the edge of a corner table, unused and out of sight, the pieces still frozen mid-game.
He makes no better headway the next day. Or the day after that.
Though Hank stays out of his way completely, and Alex settles for glaring from afar, Logan is always there, hovering around Charles whenever Erik tries to approach him. And instead of being annoyed by Logan’s behavior, Charles seems to welcome it, using his presence as a shield to ward off Erik’s attempts to engage him. It makes him seethe to watch them share knowing glances, speaking wordlessly as though they were the only two people in the world.
To see with his own eyes that he’s been replaced.
Charles finally comes to him alone and says, “Why did you come here, Erik?”
“I don’t know.”
“Are you…did you come back here to stay?” Charles asks, and the hope in his eyes is clear enough for Erik to see.
“No.”
“I didn’t think so.” Charles sighs. “I thought…it doesn’t matter. Take care of yourself, Erik.”
He doesn’t know what to say, or how to make things right between them and so Erik says nothing, and watches Charles leave.
Erik walks out the front door, and he doesn’t look back.
*
Charles has never been much of a morning person, a habit of late nights and later mornings stemming all the way back to his Oxford days. So he considers it lucky indeed, to find someone that shares his feelings of abhorrence for an early start. Especially when that ‘someone’ is also sharing his bed.
On most days he wakes with an arm full of Logan, his head resting on Charles’ shoulder and his arm flung across his chest. It’s a position they settled into rather quickly and naturally, considering the relative newness of their relationship.
Today apparently is not one of those days, as Charles wakes to find the bed empty of one surly Canadian. The spot next to him has lost most of its warmth so Logan has likely been up for a while already. A quick sweep of the house finds his wayward lover half way up the stairs, and so Charles just closes his eyes with a happy sigh and waits.
“Mornin’ Chuck,” Logan says as he walks into the room, carrying a loaded breakfast tray in his hands. “How’d you sleep?”
Charles smiles and pulls himself up into a sitting position as Logan sets the tray on the night stand. “Like a baby. Though I’m a bit disappointed that I woke up alone.”
“Sorry,” Logan smirks as he sits down on the edge of the bed. He pulls Charles into a kiss, and though it starts gently enough, it soon deepens into more, the slow burn of arousal making them both groan with pleasure.
“You should come back to bed,” Charles says, as he tugs playfully on Logan’s arm. But Logan shakes his head and smiles at him, pointing to the food on the tray.
“Did you make me…pancakes?”
“Don’t sound so surprised,” Logan answers, looking very pleased with himself indeed. “I got a lot of skills you don’t know about.”
“Oh really?” Charles waggles his eyebrows. “Just what kind of skills are you hiding from me?”
Logan laughs and it’s still a rare enough occurrence that it warms Charles to hear it. “I’ll show you. After breakfast.”
They eat together, side by side on the bed, shoveling pieces of pancake in their mouths like teenagers. Logan tells him a little about his brother Victor when they were just kids, and Charles shares his own memories of breakfasts with Raven during their time in Oxford. It’s a peaceful start to what will undoubtedly be a busy day; now that the School has re-opened, Charles rarely has a free moment to spare.
“Do you think you’ll stay here?” Charles asks, and he doesn’t think he needs to clarify for Logan to understand what he means. “Of course you’re free to come and go as you please but…I’d like it. If you stayed.”
“Thought that’s what I was doing already Chuck,” Logan answers, looking equal parts amused and baffled.
“Well…yes, but--” Charles stops. It’s hard to put into words, how much he wants Logan in his life and in his bed. He’s not used to asking for the things he needs and perhaps that’s one of the reasons he’s lost so much. Why he’s never been able to hold on to the people who mattered.
I mean here, with me. Stay with me. Be with me.
I got no place I’d rather be than here, Logan says. Now take me back to bed.
And Charles does.