#i miss writing starles so have some Steve Rogers and Charles Xavier courtesy of yours truly

[gerec]

AU-gust 2023

9 & 10. Joker: Shipwrecked, Exiled

Pairing(s): Cherik, Starles Warnings: N/A

The sirens start blaring at the first direct hit, the computer warning of severe damage to the auxiliary engines. Erik curses as Azazel makes a mad sprint to the Engine room, while the rest of the crew try to keep their cool under heavy fire. The Genosha is used to having a little heat on its tail, as their dealings are often with the least savoury of the galaxy’s myriad inhabitants, but even they can concede that this is a lot, and that they might not be able fly or finesse their way out of this predicament.

It's not exactly common after all, to have half a planet’s armada after you, or specifically, after the long-lost Crown Prince of said planet hiding away on your ship.

The Westchester fleet hails them again, the automated voice of their flagship blaring through the comms, “Genosha, we have you surrounded. Surrender now. This is your last warning.”

“Erik,” Charles murmurs, looking out of the cockpit window at the dozen fighters keeping them boxed in on their current flight path. “Do as they say.”

“Fuck no,” Moira says, before Erik even has the chance to tell Charles to shut the hell up. “We’re not giving you up. You’re one of us, and we’re not going to let those bastards kill you.”

The rest of the motley crew shout similar sentiments, and Erik has never been prouder of the assortment of miscreants and misfits he’s come to call family. And Charles is more than just a crew member; he’s Erik’s, and Erik is his, and he is not going to let that thug Marko lay a finger on the stepson he exiled ten years ago.

“If they wanted to kill me, we’d be dead already,” Charles counters, which…none of them can really refute, given the sheer firepower aimed in their direction. “Give me up and they might just let the rest of you go.”

Erik rolls his eyes, and even Logan and Emma scoff at his words.

“You’re too trusting,” Logan grunts. “Ain’t no way they let us go once Marko gets his grubby hands on you, Your Highness.”

“He’s right,” Emma adds with a grimace, “I wouldn’t if I were in his place. Better to tie up all the loose ends.”

“You don’t know—”

Whatever Charles was going to say, none of them hear it, the ship suddenly spinning out of control, a precise hit sending them careening down into the barren moon below.

Erik regains consciousness sometime later, thankfully still on board his own ship, and – like the rest of his crew - still in one piece.

Unfortunately, that’s the extent of the good news, because a quick check of the Genosha’s vitals finds the entire starboard side smashed open, and the main engine damaged beyond repair. It’s a miracle that they’re all still alive, given the severity of the crash, and wonders if the enemy might have done something to help slow their descent. But that’s abruptly the least of his worries, because Charles is not right beside him, strapped into his chair….  

He stumbles out of the cockpit down the main hallway, then down the stairs and off the exit ramp. It immediately becomes clear that they’re inside the flagship’s massive docking bay, and that the Westchester forces have successfully captured their target. What’s not clear is where Charles has gone, and why there aren’t armed guards at the ready to escort them to the brig---

Then he looks up and sees Charles, a tiny figure in the distance, flanked on either side by row upon row of soldiers in Westchesterian armor. A man dressed in the heraldry of House Xavier steps through the blast doors – tall, blond and decidedly handsome – and smiles at a stunned Charles. Erik doesn’t understand what he’s seeing; not when the man goes down on one knee and bows his head, and not when the hundreds of soldiers all follow in kind, paying homage to the Crown Prince with the price on his head.

The rest of the crew catch up to Erik, just in time to hear Charles breathe, “Steve? Is it really you?” “Your Highness,” the man says, joy and relief abundantly clear in his voice. “I can’t believe I finally found you. After all this time.”

“I don’t understand. Kurt sent you---”

“No.” He watches as Charles closes the distance and pulls Steve to his feet. “Your stepfather is dead. You are the rightful heir to the throne of Westchester and I’ve come to bring you home.”

Charles shakes his head. “I can’t believe it. My friends? And Raven? Are they…”

“They’re alright. I promised you, remember? I swore I wouldn’t let any of them come to harm.”

In the two years they’ve known each other, Charles has rarely spoken of home, and shared very little of his life before his forced exile. It had never mattered before, what Erik didn’t know about Charles’ past, as they’d agreed to keep their own secrets even as they fell into bed. But now it seems the past would no longer stay buried, and the implications of it all – Marko’s death and Charles’ future as Westchester’s ruler – threaten to upend their fragile coexistence.    

Then, as the soldiers all rise and start chanting their Prince’s name, Steve pulls a teary Charles into his arms and seals their heartfelt reunion with a passionate kiss.