[~]

“So, toothpick.”

Derick slouched against the wall, arms folded across his chest, gaze focussed completely on the concrete floor. He didn’t look up when the man spoke; he didn’t even acknowledge that he had heard in the first place.

A fist against his shoulder—playful, not hard enough to hurt. Derick gritted his teeth and begrudgingly turned his attention to his cellmate. He was small, with a rough face and grim eyes. For a moment, he stared down at Derick from his perch in the upper bunk, completely silent, before mounting the ladder and hanging himself off it so as to be at Derick’s eye level.

“Hey.” He nudged Derick’s shoulder again. “Toothpick. Look at me when I’m talking to you.”

Derick wanted nothing more than to tell the man where he could shove his toothpicks. He held his tongue and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, looked the man squarely in the eye. “What.”

“Why’re you here?”

2

The grass is cool and crisp underfoot; it moves in the wind with a dancer’s grace. Sunlight streams through gaps in an overcast sky. She is there; she always has been and always will be. Smiling and laughing, she twirls about, dancing with the grass.

She is right beside him and she is grasping his hands; she pulls him into her whirlwind, and they dance together.

Night has fallen. They lie together, her head resting over his heart, their legs tangled hopelessly, his fingers buried in her chestnut hair. He breathes in deeply. His nostrils become sticky with the stink of half-clotted blood.

==> Part 5: Flashback

[~]

not safe

never safe

==> Part 4: Chapter Two

1

The Basement door closed with a thunderous bang, causing one Chelsea Reynolds to jump and cringe, a tiny whimper crawling out of her throat. Chest tight and breathing ragged, she slowly cracked her eyes open and glanced behind her. The door was shut, and she was outside of its confines.

The darkness was gone, she could see and hear and touch again; she was free. She let out a small sigh at the thought. Freedom—sweet, precious, bright. ...Illusory.

==> Part 3: Flashback

Prologue

Jacob Freeman picked at his supper, wondering if it would be his last.

==> Part 2: Chapter One

[	Tags	|	charles xavier, charles+erik, cuddlefic, erik lehnsherr, moirailfic, x-men, x-men first class	]
[	Current Mood	|	calm	]

an X-Men: First Class fanfic, by yours truly.
Rating: K
Pairing(s): Charles<>Erik
Warnings: Shameless platonic cuddlefluff. 
Summary: Charles is asexually frustrated.