#i'm so proud of how much i was able to earn solely off of my art this month but it's all gone to medical stuff and that HURTS man

[feytouched]

can't believe i have to shell out more money for consultations and treatment of a THIRD urgent and ongoing medical problem this month

[castielista]

Threats of a Different Kind

Cherik Fantasy AU

Lord Erik Lehnsherr of Genosha likes to sneak at night to visit Charles, the leader of the Army of the Free Ones, and his dearest prisoner.

Words: 1527

Note: Well, this was supposed to be part of the AU-gust writing challenge (if you want to see that done well, check @gerec​, who’s doing a wonderful job) which had Fantasy AU as its first prompt. BUT, I began writing, couldn't organize August, had a breakdown, and decided to post this ficlet anyway. Bon appétit.

(Thank you so much to everyone who read my first fic, and to you, yes you, reading this one, you always manage to put a smile on my face, and I already love you <3)

Read it on Ao3

Erik woke up startled in the middle of the night.

His room looked as peaceful as it always was, nothing seemed out of place. Moonlight bathed walls, bed sheets and his own body, and a soft winter wind howled on the outside.

The room wasn't the source of his restlessness, Erik knew.

He got up and sat on the edge of the bed, for a moment. There was something else. An underlying sense of familiarity, an echoing voice flooding everything around him, silent, insistent and increasingly urgent. As if he was being controled, he got out of bed, lit a candle, wrapped himself in a silk blanket and began moving towards the hall, still half asleep, but somehow perfectly aware of where he wanted to go.

As he walked through the dark halls of the castle, the various metals humming around him became almost unnoticeable, his mind only focused on the sharp pull of one particular piece of metal, and perhaps, on the subtle mental nudge reinforcing it.

He arrived to the first floor without being noticed, and the metallic chant became more and more intense. Finally, he stopped in front of the door of the prison cell, and before opening it, he looked through the small window.

There he was.

Sitting on the floor, laying his back against the wall, wearing metal handcuffs around his wrists. He looked paler, weaker, maybe thinner, too. It was clear that his stay in Genoshan prison was starting to leave marks. But even looking so damaged, there was something about Charles Xavier. Some sort of aura, a bittersweet reminder that he was still Erik's most dangerous threat.

Erik walked into the room. The coldness of the atmosphere and the distinct warmth of Charles’ presence hit him all at once.

"Lord Lehnsherr." the telepath lifted his head up and smiled. He barely moved, Erik realized, he probably didn't have energy left for much movement.

Erik stayed close to the door, guarded, staring down at him, and tried to maintain a dignified attitude. The attitude a Lord of his status should have towards his prisoner and fiercest enemy. "I told you to stop addressing me in that manner."  He never kept that facade for a long time. "Father is Lord Lehnsherr. Until he's gone, I am only Lord Erik. Or Erik, for you."

It was odd. Not long ago Erik would have felt proud beyond measure to be compared to his father.

"Have I earned such an immense honor? Well, then," Charles laughed weakly, "Erik." The sole sound of his name in Charles' voice made him shiver. They had personally known each other for less than a month, and yet, no one deserved the right to call him Erik more than Charles.

Erik began moving quietly around the cell. He felt Charles’ eyes following him, sensations from their previous encounters still lingering in the air.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked, curious.

Charles nodded. They had made a habit of reaching out for the other when one of them couldn't sleep. "It's a bit colder than yesterday."

A bit colder.

It was more than cold. It was freezing. And it was, of course, intentional. When his army captured Charles, it had been Erik himself who had chosen to confine him there, in the coldest room of the castle, to debilitate him, to have him half-dead, because that way he would be easier to control.

He sat on the floor beside Charles and covered him in his blanket. Charles closed his eyes briefly at the touch of Erik’s hands, and seemed to welcome it. Erik felt suddenly furious. Charles always welcomed him, in every possible way. Why, he couldn't comprehend. It was absurd showing so vulnerable to his captor. It meant weakness, and Erik had been taught to punish weakness.

They didn't say anything for a while. Not out loud. But their silences were electrifying, as they held everything they preferred to be left unsaid.

"They're still coming, you know that, right?" Charles smiled, but his voice sounded a bit off. "I can sense them," he said, signaling his right temple.

He projected an image, Charles’ army making its way towards the lands of Genosha. It was one of those little reminders of who they both were, one of those moments of realization that brought them violently back into reality. They always hurt, but by now, for Erik, they were almost unbearable. "They won't stop because I'm not there. Don't think me that important, my dear."

Erik didn't reply.

He remembered the first time he saw Charles. He had heard of him before; the telepath that had assembled a mutant army and started the Rebellion of the Free Ones, the one that intended to end the Lehnsherr family's reign over Genosha. And Erik always thought of him as an enemy that he - probably the wealthiest and most powerful Lord in the East - could easily get rid of. But then his soldiers brought this man into the castle, wounded, tied at his hands and feet, and yet looking so determined, and Erik felt immediately drawn to him.

Charles was a natural leader, and an intelligent one, someone that genuinely helped others be the best version of themselves, Erik had soon understood that about him. But what confused and fascinated Erik was that Charles had helped him. He had showed him that his mutation wasn't a violent weapon to keep his subjects loyal, that he wasn't a useful monster, as his father always told him. Charles had seen in him the gift to create beauty.

Erik had interpreted that as a sign of Charles's naivety, but he couldn't help thinking that for the first time, maybe since his dear mother's death, he had felt accepted, he had felt loved. And as their mutual attraction grew stronger, to the point of becoming lovers, so did the awareness that Charles was to be feared, because he had been able to disarm Erik in the most gentle of ways.

"I think you're much more important than you know, Charles." Erik murmured in Charles ear.

The telepath turned his face towards him, and Erik had to curse at the Ancient Gods for making such a beautiful creature. He moved his hand up to Charles' cheek and put his other arm around his waist, hoping that maybe that way he could protect him. Without missing a beat Charles moved a few inches closer and pressed his lips over Erik's. He was always a bit impatient, Erik thought.

They kissed slowly, and Erik savored every little detail of Charles' mouth, so familiar to his own by now. Then, they split apart still keeping each other as close as they could, and locked eyes.

"I will fight by their side, Erik," Charles said, in a whisper.

"And my father's soldiers will be prepared to face your attack." Erik lowered his voice too, and left a kiss on Charles' neck, trying to end that conversation.

"Your father is on his deathbed," reluctantly, Charles moved Erik a bit backwards, so they were nose to nose again. "You command that army. It is you who I will fight against."

"Then you will have to kill me." Erik wanted, needed Charles to agree to that. To give up on him.

"Not if I can help it."

How could he still...?

That was enough.

Erik felt suddenly overwhelmed and instinctively, he moved away from Charles. "I better go before dawn, right?"

Charles seemed suddenly confused, and to Erik's surprise, hurt too, but he nodded. Erik never stayed until dawn, after all.

Before standing up, Erik took a couple of seconds to simply look at him, and as he was still close enough, he put his hand on Charles', still cold as ice.

"..." Erik stopped himself, terrified.

No.

Not that. Not now. Not Charles. He could afford offering Charles sex, intimacy, and it was, in fact, being delightful to do so, but he could never afford that. Erik couldn't let Charles have absolute control over him. Or, at least he couldn't let him know that he already had it.

It would be an act of surrender, letting him know that he was desperately in love with him.

He got up and turned around as quickly as he could. He managed to repress what he had wanted to say, but the emotion attached to those words was excruciatingly clear, and he'd rather not to know whether or not Charles had felt it. So without waiting for a reaction he proceeded to open the door.

Stay.

Charles' voice echoed in Erik's mind. Though it was not only Charles', it was his own voice too. Neither of them moved.

That word still resonated when Erik turned around and slowly walked towards Charles, not daring to look him in the eye. He put out the candle and sat down again, and felt Charles moving closer and curling up until they were both quite poorly covered by the same blanket. At the warm caress of Charles' mind and the light touch of locks of hair on his face, Erik closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, Charles was still asleep, covered by morning sunlight.

Thank you so much for reading <3

[satari-raine]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not certain about Clover's character either since we don't get to explore his thought processes but I have fun testing out alternative readings of the character like is he actually confident or faking it to hide an inferiority complex. Either interpretation can work depending how you frame it so it's fun to posit about both. One thing interesting with the scenes you mention is Clover never refers to his luck as something solely for him to benefit from. 1/?

In the mines he says Qrow is the one who is lucky not something like “Well lucky for me my semblance is Good Fortune”. He wishes others like Robyn luck but at the manor says “Wish us luck” and when Qrow makes a joke that put Clover in the spotlight as the source of that luck Clover pauses and brightens. The van scene has a similar spin Clover says the kids are lucky to have a mentor (Qrow) and not everyone is as lucky. Is this him acknowledging his own good fortune 2/?

Or did he grow up without a mentor and “get lucky enough” to make it through regardless. Either reading works. Clover’s semblance is unique in that unlike other privileges in the real world, like being born with a lot of money, Clover is the only person with his circumstances. Meaning he would constantly be reminded that his point of view is not the norm. Perhaps he’s even hyper vigilant about it similar to how Qrow likely blames every bad thing on his luck Clover second guesses every good 3/?

Maybe Clover’s the type to not trust naturally good events or believe they are normal occurrences. Maybe he doesn’t talk about bad things because he thinks that’s just how things are. A lot of people with various mental illnesses/neurodivergentices don’t realize they are different they just think that’s how things are. Do his cocky moments come off negative because of pride or difficulty connecting or both. What ever you decide its fun to speculate and I enjoy stories that explore that.

You’re very welcome, Anon! But wow, I’m honestly a bit floored at all of this. In a good way, of course! I just hope I can do justice to the time you’ve taken to think and write all this out. With that said, here goes?

I think that’s exactly what makes Clover an interesting character to write. While it’s bittersweet that we didn’t get much backstory or a wider arrangement of scenarios to see him act in, it’s also fun to see how people fill in the gaps themselves. People can go a confident, flirty route, and it fits. Others can portray a secretive, somber side, and it works just as well. It’s definitely fun to build him up based on what we’ve been given, and there are people who seem to enjoy any and all sides people want to portray.

With those scenes you’ve mentioned, starting with the mine scene, Clover wishing Qrow luck always made me… well, curious, I guess? Here’s a man well-known (infamously or otherwise) across Remnant, and when he says he has the direct opposite of Clover’s semblance, that he carries misfortune with him regardless of his own consent, Clover takes a second before telling him it’s a shame that Qrow thinks he’s better off working alone because of it. I’ve never been able to tell if that’s because he thinks semblances like theirs can work to their benefits (since it’s been shown) or if he’s trying to offer comfort in some way.

But it’s almost bittersweet, that scene. Since Clover is practically everything Qrow could be, even when you remove the good luck semblance: his appearance is of a strong, capable leader with his head on straight who cares for those under his charge. (Not that Qrow isn’t any of these himself, but self-perceptions are rarely skewed in the positive in situations like that.) So I have to wonder if Clover’s “lucky you, huh?” can be Clover actually saying something like, “it’s okay,” - something based off first impressions - and if Qrow can work towards believing that after everything he had gone through prior to Atlas. Coming from someone outside of the kids and Tai, or Summer - a reassurance of lingering good despite the ever-lasting bad - I still can’t shake the fact that it’d be a bitter pill for Qrow to swallow regardless of Clover’s intentions, and regardless that a friendship did eventually bloom between them.

With wishing Robyn luck, I like to think it’s because Clover knows that despite their differences in alliances, in tactics, he knows that she’s doing her damndest for her people - she’s doing whatever she can regardless of what’s stopping her, and I think he not only admires that tenacity but relates to it. Or perhaps he aspires towards it. It seemed to hint at some connection prior to what we saw, be it just them working on opposite sides or if they knew each other from elsewhere, but I liked the humanity it showed in Clover. It’s hard to wish someone luck when they’re against you, and considering it came from him (and given the voice actor’s tone in this scene), it sounded… genuine. You’re right, he doesn’t seem to be greedy with his positive fortune.

And with him reacting to Qrow joking with him in the manor, that was honestly delightful. Not just because it’s someone else who can theoretically understand how their semblances impact their lives, but it’s Qrow giving just as good as he’s gotten from Clover’s jokes or comments. I think it makes more of an impact on Clover than we were shown. Anyone can say good luck and mean it, but Qrow says it and it’s different. Because they’re both aware of the man’s relationship with good luck, and I think that’s why Clover’s so amused there, why he brightens. Almost like he’s proud? I guess I just like the thought that they can learn something from one another, that the world can still surprise them at their ages.

I adore the mentor conversation. Qrow seems to internalize his doubts and grievances, so it was nice to have it spoken aloud (especially since he couldn’t exactly go back to drinking away those feelings, and the fact he admitted that so easily also warms me.) And while the amount of time they’ve known each other is a mystery, it’s nice to see Clover had a good enough read on him to tell him that Qrow’s doing a fine job despite everything going against him. Bad luck semblance or not, I like to imagine that the kids are lucky to have Qrow with them, despite the ups and downs that happened during the journey. Especially with Qrow working on improving himself and making amends, however slow going they may be, having his expertise is just as important an asset as his company. With how that relates to Clover, him telling Qrow he’s lucky in that sense when others aren’t struck me as Clover not being so fortunate to have someone to guide him. I don’t know if it was the tone of voice or the flow of the scene, but it sounded something close to loneliness. An accepted loneliness, sure, but I wonder about it.

I like to think Clover definitely has moments of where he questions if something happened due to his luck or because of the effort put in, or whatever other factors involved. It’d probably be hard not to, even if it ends up in a positive outcome. It’d probably lend itself to some paranoia or maybe even a sense of depression, which I think helps in how he seems to understand some of where Qrow’s coming from. To Qrow, it’d probably seem close to a slap in the face to hear that having constant good luck could be a bad thing, but I think there is some merit in positives and negatives being on both sides of their coin. In regards to his outlook, there’s some merit there in settling into one’s situation and having it be the only thing you’ve known, especially if it isn’t necessarily challenged. I like to think his cockiness stems from knowing his fortune, knowing his limits, and knowing that he’s an esteemed importance to those he serves. I like to think he’s earned it simply because it never sounded like it came from a bad place, or a place where he was on a pedestal looking down. Granted that’s just my interpretation but Clover is definitely a character I’ve enjoyed seeing people interpert differently. The creativity is inspiring.

Well, um, I hope this suffices? I have to say, I’m a bit curious as to why you came to me with these, but I’m not ungrateful. It’s been really nice, and hopefully someone enjoys these rambles. Feel free to talk with me anytime, on anon or otherwise - and thank you, again.