@profxcviers
Erik left his helmet behind today.
In fact, he set aside his classic Magneto attire completely. No helmet, no cape, nothing. He had been wearing it less and less lately and the thought of putting it on today felt almost constricting. He had gone to Arrako to retire, after all. That was the intention, even if it hadn’t exactly worked out that way. Maybe there wasn’t really a place for him in the world without that suit and everything that came with it. But still, small parts of him clung to the hope that he could live with everything he had done and the weight his title carried and then just.. stop. Settle down for the short time he had left. Find some peace. Fade away into the backdrop and let time carry on without him.
He was foolish for thinking such things. Leaving the Council felt like a step in the right direction, but not long after he ended up seated on the Great Ring of Arrako. For all his experience and all his power, he found himself unable to control that magnetic pull back to something familiar. It was another chance to make real change, to be heard, to be meaningful. And getting rid of the literal sadist that held the seat before him was.. unexpectedly satisfying. It was better that he was in Tarn’s place. That was enough justification, wasn’t it?
Ah well, even if it wasn’t.. there was no turning back now. Magneto did not back down, not from this, not from anything. There were always going to be battles and hardships and yes he was different now but what was the point of it all if he didn’t take matters into his own hands and—
Something broke him out of the trance he had entered, and he found himself looking down at his hands. He flexed them both slowly, tracing the worn lines in his skin before feeling a familiar presence approaching. Eyes glanced back behind him but he didn’t turn.
“Charles.” He hummed his friend’s name in greeting. “Thank you for meeting with me.”
A sad glimmer of a smile flickered across his face and then he took in a deep breath. This wasn’t going to be an easy conversation to have, nor a pleasant one. But it was necessary. After everything they had been through, the lifetime they had survived together even while at each other’s throats.. it only felt right to tell him in person.
He knew Charles would be able to sense his internal struggle. There was a lot going on in his mind— being offered the seat on the Great Ring, his failed retirement, being drawn to old names (Was he Erik? Max? Neither of them?), and..
His stomach churned and on instinct, he straightened his spine before pushing the sleeves of his sweater up to the elbows. Then he folded his arms behind him and waited for Charles to join him, looking out over the water in order to keep himself composed.