Prompt: Hey jacqui, recent watching of rogue cut (nothing relating to the new scenes, just the fact of a rewatch) made me think of this. That angsty ficlet where Erik kills Hank when they fight, and Charles reaction? How about the reverse, if Hank kills Erik, and what the fallout of *that* is. No pressure, just a thought - it seemed like a prompt that would be up your alley :) -corvicula1979
Hank leapt after Erik, fury pumping through his veins. How dare Erik shoot Raven, the woman they both loved? How could he? – That was all he could think as he bounded after Erik, his skin sprouting blue fur as his vision blurred blue with anger.
He was much faster than Erik in beast form, so he caught up with him in no time and tackled him into the fountain.
“Hank – ” Erik spluttered, fighting to keep his head above the surface as he squirmed in Hank’s grasp. “It has to be done – she – you don’t – ”
“I don’t what?” Hank roared. “I don’t understand? I understand, all right. I understand that you just shot Raven!”
“She has to – she – has to – die, Hank,” Erik coughed, waving his arms, trying to get the metal fences around the area to join his fight.
“If anyone has to die, Erik – it’s you!”
He was struggling too much, so much that Hank had to place a paw on his head and forced it down under the water, trying to get him to stop fighting. His wet paw slipped, and there was a thunk as Erik’s head smacked against the concrete bottom of the fountain. Slowly, the water around them started to turn red.
Charles had just made it to the bottom of the stairs and rushed toward them. “Hank! Hank, did you stop him?”
Hank stood up slowly, his hands dripping red water as he shrunk back to his human form. “I…”
“Yes,” Hank choked out. “Raven got away.”
Charles stared at him, trying to understand his tone, before his eyes sank to Erik’s limp form floating in the water. His lips shaped one word – “Erik” – but no sound came out as he staggered to the lifeless body, his hands stretched out.
“Charles – we were fighting – I didn’t mean – ”
Charles splashed into the water and fell to his knees. “Please wake up,” he whispered, cradling Erik’s head in his arms, his pants staining with crimson water. “Erik, it’s me. It’s Charles.” He held two shaking fingers to Erik’s temple, his own method of taking a pulse, before shuddering and dropping his hand into the water.
“What’ve you done?” Charles said, his voice soft and threatening as he turned to Hank.
“I didn’t mean to, I swear,” Hank whimpered.
“The point of this – the point of – of you – is to save lives. Not to end them. Not to…to end….” Charles swallowed and gently picked Erik up, carrying him out of the water. The shadows under his eyes seemed darker than ever as he gazed at Hank with gritted teeth. “Thank you for your service, Hank. That will be all.”
“Leave. And don’t come back. To here, to Xavier’s School – to me. Ever.”
“Charles, I didn’t mean to hurt him.”
“Fine. But your intentions don’t matter now, because – ” Charles’ voice cracked as he looked down at Erik’s body in his arms. “Because you’ve killed my – you’ve killed... Erik.”
“Please, Charles,” Hank rasped. “I have nowhere else to go.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Charles snapped. He blinked, and tears began to spill from his eyes. “Because you’ve always run from the world, but the…the world’s never chased you. You’re just a…you’re a coward, Hank.”
“That’s what you are. And you should know it.” Charles swallowed and then turned his back on Hank, carrying Erik’s body away from Hank, away from the fountain, and away from its past life.
read more sad things!
or try a change of pace and check out some happier stuff
or, if you don’t feel like making a choice - bittersweet fics might be for you