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Date & Time: 11th February, 3312
Location: The apartment.
Characters:

darkholme
Summary: Charles and Erik make themselves comfortable, alongside Raven, in their strange new apartment. Charles and Erik also have the luxury of explaining their unusual new memories to Raven.
Warnings: None.

Charles was sitting at the small desk in the apartment, already tidying it and making a space for this strange little netbook he'd been given. He knew how to use devices like this -- now -- but this was definitely the first time he'd ever attempted something this small, and he hardly enjoyed it. "I really would just like some pen and paper," he mumbled to himself, with a deep frown on his features as he shook his head and sighed with great conviction. Once he was settled at the desk, he stood -- making his way toward the kitchen.

So far, there weren't any major differences in appliances; though this refrigerator appeared to have a touch-screen navigation system, and was also reminding him rather rudely that they did not have any more milk. Hrm.

Was he alone in this apartment? No, the woman had said something about having room-mates. Charles considered that to himself quietly as he went to inspect the furniture in this home. It certainly was nothing like it was back in the City, nor was it anything like the 60s anticipated the future to be -- but that was a lesson he'd learned mere months ago. Charles finally took a seat on the leather couch, made himself comfortable and tapped his fingers against his leg with a hum. Room-mates. Unfortunate.

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Raven's not exactly rushing to get anywhere, especially what was to be her new home - an apartment with two strangers in this really strange place. If this is the future, she doesn't very much like it. Or maybe it was just that she didn't like the idea of being alone here, and the fact that she was really in no position to be taken from her real home like this. 'Bad timing' is an understatement, not with the threat of war hanging over their heads unless their new team could stop Shaw. Still, eventually she makes it to her assigned bunker (101, easy enough to remember, and locate), fidgeting a little bit before actually unlocking the door and making her way inside.

It feels all wrong though, like she doesn't belong here. Like she's intruding. That uneasiness makes her feel flighty, and she nearly does backpedal until she can run down the hall and hide somewhere until all the worry passes and she's less likely to scare away her new roommates with her worrying and awkwardness.

But when she takes a second to look up and see if she's alone, there's her brother. Just- Just sitting there on the couch.

"Charles." Relief rings in her tone, like it's been ages since she's last seen him, eons even, when it was really just a few hours. Technically. Alright, so she's been pulled away from home with no warning, but at least he was here with her. She barely remembers to shut the door behind her as she strides further into the room. "I'm so glad you're here, I thought-- I don't know what I thought. None of this makes sense."

Erik was perhaps even more displeased about the prospect of room mates than the other two were. At least in the City, they had been courteous enough to issue each person an apartment to themselves. He had grown to appreciate his space and privacy over the years, and the thought of having to share housing with complete strangers was enough to put him on edge.

He had taken the time to get a bearing on his surroundings before seeking out his new living space. He had examined the training facilities in particular, and had taken some satisfaction in the sight of their practice range, at the very least. It was only after his initial exploration that he made his way to the apartment.

His scowl dissipated as he opened the front door and set eyes on the two occupants already present. The tension in his shoulders seemed to ease, and he made his way inside. "Have you been here for long?" he asked, taking a look at the layout of their newly assigned housing.

Charles was not sure where to begin in his happiness at the two individuals he watched coming in to the apartment. He stood immediately, making his way over to Raven with a large smile on his features. "Raven, you are here as well?" he asked. He had been momentarily quite -- upset. Depressed, even, though he would not admit such a thing to himself; not in a million years. When he saw Erik, his heart stopped.

Both of them. He had both of them, here. "I am so desperately glad to see you both," Charles said suddenly. The relief in his voice was unusual, and he met Erik's eyes with a glance that was hesitant -- curious. After all, what if this was not the Erik he knew?

After all, this was not the Raven he'd last known. He could tell that, without even a second of question. "You are... staying here as well?"

As soon as he was close enough, Raven tugged him in for a hug, her nerves over this entire situation hitting her hard and slinking away all in that same moment. Charles was here. And Erik. If nothing else, at least having them both there with her made her feel less like this was some insane dream that she couldn't wake from. Not that deeming this as her new reality seemed like such a brilliant idea just yet.

When she pulled away from Charles, she turned to give Erik a bright smile, holding up her designated key to the room.

"A hundred and one, yes. I guess they knew better than to try and split us apart."

Erik crossed the room to give Charles a firm hug of his own, and without a second thought he brushed his lips against Charles'. It did not occur to him that this could be something surprising to Raven. She had known in the City, after all, and he had not put a great deal of thought into that just yet.

His relief at having both of them here with him was palpable. He was smiling faintly as he pulled away from Charles. "Yes, it seems that we are all in this together."

Charles was glad for all of the attention, certain that he could not possibly be any more relieved. He was rather worried, and had been since his arrival -- though the entrance of two of the most important people in his life certainly soothed the ache of anxiety. As Erik kissed him, Charles' eyes widened momentarily; then he was smiling, soft. That certainly answered that, then. This was his Erik, that was certain. But Raven -- she was not the same, not quite.

"Erik," he said then, his voice soft with his relief. Then he was looking back toward Raven, that relief still evident in his eyes, though it was certainly mixed with a curious concern. Charles stepped away from Erik in a polite way, his smile never disappearing. "I am glad. I'm glad for both of you."

Raven, for a lack of a better word, was absolutely stunned. She wasn't mad or anything too extreme, but she couldn't exactly think past the fact that Erik just kissed her brother. Her chest felt tight in a way she wasn't entirely used to, because she's never felt jealous and confused and shocked all at once like this. Because really-

Just--

What?!

"Did I miss something? I didn't--" She can't help the borderline hysteric lift to her tone, because this whole time she had no idea, not even a tiny clue that anything romantic had passed between the two of them during their time spent training together. And Erik, with his comments and those looks and alright, she had an overactive imagination, she knew this, she knew that she had a tendency to read into things, but-

"- um, excuse me, I just need to-"

What? Walk away so she doesn't say anything stupid? Yes, that's exactly right. A second later she's turning around completely, finding the first room with an open door and shutting it tight behind her. Which is the bathroom. Alright, great. Good. She could spend the next fifty years here, or however long it would take to shake off how embarrassed she felt.

With Raven's reaction, Erik was shaken out of the relieved state of satisfaction that he allowed himself when he had discovered that both of the younger mutants were his roommates. His appearance remained composed beyond the slight raise of his eyebrows as he watched Raven disappear into the bathroom.

He exchanged looks with Charles, his gaze clearly questioning of Raven's behavior, hoping the telepath would have a greater understanding of her reaction. For a long moment, he remained unsure of whether they should be going to Raven and trying to speak with her, or allowing her time to herself.

Charles met Erik's eyes instantly, just as he watched Raven disappear into the bathroom and felt a tug in his chest. He cared deeply for her, and it only became more and more obvious that this was not the same Raven they had last seen in the City. Often, Charles did not realise that those around him did not share his mutation. It became harder to separate his own experiences from those of others, especially in situations like this. Charles stopped himself from getting a tone with Erik; stopped himself from becoming angry with him for his behaviour around his sister.

"She is not -- she is not the same," he said at first, his voice soft. He was watching the space where she'd been standing, feeling a horrible drop in his chest and an overwhelming guilt. It had been hard enough to tell her the very first time, it would be harder still to tell her when she hadn't been present for all of the events leading up to this. Charles touched Erik's upper arm and met his eyes, looking apologetic -- both for Erik, and for Raven. "She doesn't know. She does not have the same... set of memories."

Charles let go of Erik's upper arm then and he made his way down the hall, stopping at the bathroom door and pressing his forehead against the frame of it. He could feel her emotions even if he did not mean to, and it only made him feel more upset with himself. "Raven? Raven, I'm sorry. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine! I'm fine, really." For the most part. Embarrassed, mostly. God. Her hands grip the edge of the sink as she stares into the mirror behind it, watching her eyes swirl from blue to gold and not bothering to fix it right away. Something like 'how could you?' comes to mind, but that's not fair, and she's not even sure who she would being directing it towards, nor why. It's entirely too confusing!

So after a moment of just staring at her reflection, she lets her head drop forward and releases a slow breath, trying to reel herself back in.

"How long have you two been--? God, Charles, how could you not tell me?" Because now she's trying to think back, trying to recall if there were signs or clue that she just never noticed, but all that came to mind was how much she admired both Erik and Charles in their different ways, admired the friendship they were beginning to share. Friendship , right. How could she be so stupid?

Realization spread across Erik's features as Charles' words sunk in. The two of them had over half a year of shared memories between them, and Raven had no idea about any of that occurring. For that matter, there was no knowing that her memories of their own world were even from the same point in time as their own.

He followed Charles, internally cursing himself for not anticipating such possibilities. He stood beside the bathroom door, hand gently resting on Charles' back as he allowed Charles to do the speaking for the time being. He had known Raven for many years, after all, and was best suited for matters such as this.

"It is not -- in the way that you perceive," Charles said softly, immediately. He had missed Raven. He did not get to see her much in the City, and she had been almost distant then. But he knew her here, he knew her own memories and they were not strange to him; did not pull them apart. But now he was certain that his own memories would drive them apart, and that tore at his heart as he thought about it. His voice was desperate, apologetic. Breathless.

Erik's hand on his back was reassuring, and he was certain that without it he would be entirely too worried about Raven to form his thoughts and share them with her. "It did not happen when you last saw us. Our experiences--they are very different, now.

This is not the first strange world we've been."

Raven found herself squinting in the mirror as she tried to sort out what it was Charles was saying, because really it wasn't doing much for her confusion. Her embarrassment, yes. Charles was almost always the one to talk her down after she's made a mess of things, the one to make her see reason. Even through their disagreements, he never had an issue with putting things plainly and rationally so that she could sort through it.

But what he was saying made no sense.

Instead of talking from behind the door again, she sighed slowly then reached for the door, tugging it open just enough so she could see the pair of the standing opposite her, look them both in the eyes like she'd suddenly notice there were huge, huge differences in the way they looked back at her.

"What does that mean? Not the first." Raven looked away then, trying to remember what she experienced just before arriving here. "You were both in the mansion not more than a few hours ago. Playing chess, I think, in the library. I went to bed, and-" She shook her head, finally looking at them both again, her eyes hard. "You should have told me." She sounded more hurt than she wanted to let on, and she cleared her throat to try and mask it. "Both of you. I deserved to know."

Erik felt somewhat relieved when the door opened. His sense of guilt would have only built if Raven had kept herself locked in the bathroom for hours. He took a step back so that Raven could exit the bathroom if she desired to continue this discussion in a more comfortable part of the apartment.

He ran his fingers back through his hair. "We did tell you," he replied. "Well, Charles did, in any case." He looked to Charles, before returning his attention to Raven. "But you do not remember the same things that we do."

Charles was at a loss with where to begin. He stepped away from the door as well, moving aside to allow Raven the opportunity to leave the bathroom if she so wished. It were not as though they could truly become comfortable here, in this strange apartment -- in this strange future, so far ahead of even the momentary future they both had known together. Charles toyed with the idea of sharing his memories with Raven's mind, though he found himself immediately deciding against that possibility. He could overwhelm her, easily, and that was not something he wished to do. Not right now.

Charles opened his mouth then to begin to speak, to try to make sense of his and Erik's memories against her own. "We are not the same, from where you last saw us. From where you last knew us. We -- we had been taken from there, many months ago, and brought to another City. Not, ah, not unlike this one, in ways.

We have come to this place from there, it would seem. Not... not from the place that you come from."

Raven walked past them as soon as she's able, back into the living room, but she couldn't bring herself to sit down. She was pacing nervously, trying to figure out what they both meant. How could she not remember the same things as them? She remembers them being in the library together, she hadn't been in her room that long.

They were taken months ago? To a place like this?

"How? How is that possible when I just saw you at home? Both of you." Her eyes were a bit wild as she said it, trying to look them both in the eyes. There was a fresh wave of panic simmering under the surface, rapidly building although she tried to just ignore it.

"Who are you? Really? Are you like me, shapeshifters? I won't be lied to, you can't just do that to someone."

Erik followed into the living room. He took a seat on the couch, watching at the young woman paced the room and frowning a bit. The accusations made his eyebrows raise.

"Raven, I think that you should take a seat. Try to relax."

He exchanged a look with Charles, hoping that the other man could help his sister relax.

"We are not deceiving you. We still have our powers and our memories of you, if that proves anything."

Charles followed them both into the living room as well, his own distress evident both in his eyes and on his features. He sighed and he sat himself down with great upset, before he was rubbing his fingers through his hair and sitting himself down on the closest couch and hanging his head. Charles saw Erik's look -- could not help giving him a frustrated, confused one in return.

"We are not shapeshifters. We are the same Erik and Charles that you know. I cannot explain it. I cannot explain what has happened, not in a way that will -- that will be logical, that will make sense.

But I can promise you that we are not attempting to lie to you, Raven."

Normally, after being told to sit and calm down, she just wouldn't. But her stomach was twisted in knots just from the uncertainty of everything and maybe pacing wasn't making it any better, so eventually she found the edge of the couch a good place to perch, hands folded in her lap.

"Then just... Explain to me what you can. Please." She kept her eyes on her hands, weaving her digits around each other in different ways. "If we're going to get through this mess we're in right now, we can't have secrets. Not like that. Not like... you two already traveling through time without me secrets." She'd laugh if she wasn't already so confused.

Erik gave a small nod in agreement with Raven's words, and found himself glad that she was at least willing to give them the opportunity of an explanation. "It was not intentional, by any means," he replied.

"We were transported to another time and place without any prior warning, much as all three of us were brought here. Half a year passed there."

Charles made himself comfortable for the length of their tale, resting his hands in his lap as he did. He began to tell Raven all about what they'd experienced in the City; how they'd arrived there six months ago, to a New York that was shockingly in the future from their own time. Charles tried to keep his tone even as he explained the experiences in that place -- how Raven was there as well, her behaviour and her unusual time spent with them (when she did spend time with them).

Charles looked up at her then, his expression almost pained. "I could show you," he whispered, quietly. He gestured with one hand to his own temple, tapped it to indicate just exactly what he meant. "We grew closer there, after a series of events that I am certain you would be disinterested by. By no means did I mean to keep any secrets from you, or hurt you in any way."

As Raven listened, all she could think about was the fact that it didn't seem fair. To her, namely, which made it very selfish, but it was moreso that she didn't get to experience these things herself, not so much the results of it all. It hurt, of course it did - she believed something might have been there between her and Erik but clearly there wasn't, not if...

Well, it didn't matter. Those were things she'd never, ever say, especially now, because it clearly wouldn't change anything, besides maybe make things worse. And Charles never means to hurt her, she knows that well enough by now, so there was no use in debating the matter outwardly.

So instead she just listened, shook her head once he suggested he showed her what happened during those six months. Six months. How was that okay?

"You don't have to show me, I believe you." Which was true, but she couldn't make herself sound very comforted by the fact. "And I don't mean to seem like I'm not... okay with... It's not that." Her cheeks burned dark with embarrassment, and she hated herself for it. "That's just a lot of time, and a lot of change, to not actually be a part of." Towards the end of that sentence she finally looked back up at them, still clearly embarrassed, but there was an earnest look in her eyes.

"You're still my brother, and my friend. It's going to be tricky, but I don't want this to change things. Just give me time to process, I guess. That's all I need."

Edited 2012-03-10 01:29 (UTC)

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