Do You Know How It Feels? - Summary
I realize that my ao3 summary is a bit vague, and that people may want more detail before they begin.
(I've always favored more simplistic summaries - especially for stories this long. To me, the adventure lies in the unknown.)
But anyways:
This story is essentially a chess themed fix-it of X-Men: First Class. It entails alternate events to the beach divorce in Cuba.
It follows the canon of the movie (and incorporates as much from the comics as possible), but takes an alternate route with far more serious consequences (i.e. the coin breaking and fragmenting Charles's mind. Dun dun duuuun - unstable telepath on the loose).
These consequences force Erik to come back, to fix his friend, and to face what he keeps buried.
The majority of this story takes place within Charles's and Erik's minds - the vast labyrinths and dangerous corners filled with mysterious characters.
It is a battle of insanity, a fragmented mind, tormented pasts, and the reality of paraplegia.
But also, of a cure.
"Passed pawns must be punished."
Read on ao3