#when Charles is like 'not THIS' and 'there is an asteroid hovering over my home'

[langernameohnebedeutung]

I love how for the entire season, Charles and Mags were like "oh my old friend Magnus who thinks idealism is insanity, I miss him so🥺❤️", "Oh, that time Charles and I were in a bar in Germany and he talked about his dream and smiled his secret smile and I told him he was sentimental or suicidal, I wish he could be here today and see this"

And now they're back together for like 5 seconds and both entirely back in their oldest, most extreme corners and I just imagine they're both like "right THIS was the stuff that pissed me off so much. THIS is why it never worked out for us."

Absence makes the heart grow fond and all that

[cera-writes]

"Ma chère, you are mine." 🃏part 5

pairing: Remy "Gambit" LeBeau x F!Reader Tags: slow burn, angst, jealousy Remy never thought there'd be someone else besides Rogue who'd just waltz into his life, but there you were.

Days had passed. Threats were getting worse by the day as mutants and humans couldn't come to a middle ground. If Genosha had taught you anything, it was that mutants would never truly be free. Not here. Not on this earth.

The X-Mansion had been destroyed all in a matter of days too. Zombie sentinels had infiltrated the mansion, nearly killing anything they saw in their path. Luckily, you and Nightcrawler had teamed up and took down at least a room full by yourselves.

You had been trailing Rogue and Professor X that night as you walked the path towards the lake. You were in your own headspace, thinking of every event that had led you here to this moment. It seemed as things were only getting worse ever since Remy had brought you back from the dead.

You and Remy hadn't really spoken much since the day before, but you had managed to catch up with Kurt, whom you had greatly missed in the meantime, and had kicked ass during the times in between.

Just as you were kicking a pebble off the beaten path, the sky opened up. The planet's magnetic field hummed in response as flashes of lightning rained across the sky like chains. You stopped in your tracks, gazing up at the sight before you. It was Magneto. Shit.

The metallic whirring sliced through the air, shattering the tranquil serenity of the X-Mansion grounds. The aurora borealis cascaded around the sky amidst his grand entrance.. He was encased in his iconic helmet, his metallic form radiating an intimidating power.

A low gasp escaped your lips. You hadn't expected him to arrive with such dramatic flair. Below him, Rogue and Charles stood frozen, a tense conversation unfolding between them. You watched with bated breath.

The rest of the X-Men followed close behind you, making a beeline for Charles and Rogue. Remy and Kurt joined your side and the three of you ran towards the confrontation about to play out.

"Looks like the search came to us," Logan inquired, claws at the ready.

Xavier wheeled closer to Magneto, who was now standing on the pier.

"Please. Not this Magnus. Be reasonable." Charles pleaded, looking towards his old friend as if trying to reason with him.

Magneto crossed his arms, "I am not the one who needs to be reasoned with, Charles."

Charles frowned, "there is a large asteroid hovering over my home that begs otherwise."

"Your home?" Magneto nearly scoffed at his words.

Magneto started to levitate as if to gain power over Charles. "When you abandoned us for your Shi'ar Bird-Queen, you bequeathed it to me, asked me to walk your path."

A crackle of lightning flashed in the sky.

"Are you prepared to walk mine?"

Charles gestured around him. "Magnus, your path leads to total destruction for both humans and mutants. You must undo the damage you've done."

Magneto simply frowned in disagreement. "Will humanity undo Genosha?"

His gaze then flickered to yours. Your heart still ached for those that couldn't have been saved, no matter the sacrifice.

"Old friend, you should've seen it. It was just as you said that day in the bar., a promise realized."

You glanced over at Rogue, who had a look of sadness and perhaps even conflict brewing in her green eyes.

Charles spoke once more, "we have a plan to stop Bastion, but we must also repair Earth."

Magneto's eyes were closed in deep thought. "I promised a boy a future free of fear, only to watch his eyes be vaporized inside his tiny skull, because he believed in me," Magneto then flew slowly back down towards all of you, passed Charles, "in the dream you had me sell."

Then, he addressed each of you. "How many more of your bones will pave the way to Xavier's future, where we simper like beggars for tolerance?"

You felt a pang of guilt and sympathy, especially upon remembering the children that died senselessly on Genosha.

"Your professor's dream is dead. So I offer a new one."

Rogue looked up at him, as if contemplating his next words.

"A home to replace what they stole from us. A new Genosha. We have gotten here by walking this man's path. We are left but with two choices. Cling to this dying world, or rise to your future and look down upon this fallen pigsty planet."

Professor Xavier then spoke up again, "We are not gods, Magnus."

Magneto countered, "Gods abandon those who believe in them. Mutants do not. Decide... my X-Men."

What happened next really caught you off guard. Rogue. She was joining Magneto and you nearly reached for her but contemplated what Magneto was offering. He was right, in a way. Mutants would never co-exist peacefully with humans. A new Genosha sounded like paradise. But to let innocents die? You could see his reasoning, but you couldn't allow yourself that luxury. You wouldn't let anymore innocents suffer.

"Rogue, no!" Kurt protested, but Rogue was walking closer to magneto now.

"Chere! Whattaya doin'?" Remy reached out for her but she brushed him off.

"In genosha, I made a choice. To lead our kind to a new age. I stand by that choice." She admitted.

"Rogue, do not turn your back on family." Storm pleaded.

"You were gone, gal. None of you 'cept Kurt, Remy, and Eclipse were there the day Genosha fell. Hell, Eclipse even died to save more innocents from bein' killed in cold blood. I'm surprised you ain't joinin' the club sugah," she glanced at you with a look of sorrow and contempt. Your best friend was ready to leave and switch sides just like that. You almost couldn't believe it.

"Rogue, you can't just abandon the X-Men like this! Abandon us... abandon me," you pleaded, forcing back the lump in your throat.

"Sometimes, sacrifices are needed sugah. You oughta know." she answered before flying up to join Magneto's side.

"So who dies next professor? Jean? Ha. been there done that. Who knows where Bishop is? And hell, Morph was barely on the team for thirty minutes before we tossed them to the wolves. And Remy... I always thought maybe we had somethin' but some things just ain't meant to be," She glanced between you and Gambit and you felt sick. Utterly and distraught-fully sick at her words.

"Jubilee, Roberto... I will not see anymore mutants die."

Another crackle of lightning and thunder clashed ahead as if mixing with the onslaught of emotions flying around in the air.

"So...that's how it is then? What about what we talked about? I thought we came to an understanding. You're just gonna abandon us? Just like that?" You shook your head in disbelief, tears welling in your eyes.

"Some things are better off this way," Rogue answered, turning away from you. You glanced over at Remy who had just as much hurt behind his eyes as you did.

"Please don't do dis' chere." Remy pleaded.

Roberto was the next one to take a stand with Magneto and Rogue, equally catching you off guard. Jubilee, hurt, tried to stop him.

"My mom handed me over to the prime sentinels, Jubilee. They collared me, my own family. What's left here?"

You spared a glance at Jubes, who looked grief stricken at Roberto's words as he turned from her.

"Me..." she said barely above a whisper.

He flew up towards Magneto and Rogue, joining them.

"The offer was made. The door is open."

And with that, Magneto flew the three of them away, leaving the rest of you down on Earth.

The silence after Magneto's retreat was a physical thing, a thick, suffocating blanket snuffing out the vibrant life that had pulsed through the X-Mansion grounds mere moments ago.

Rogue's words echoed in your mind, a cruel melody replaying on a loop. Sacrifice. Some things are better off this way. Each phrase was a searing brand, a betrayal that left a raw, exposed nerve throbbing in its wake. You did what you had to to save everyone at the expense of your own life. But Rogue? She was being reckless.

Beside you, Remy remained rooted to the spot, his face an unreadable mask. You reached out, your hand hovering over his arm, unsure if a touch would offer solace or shatter the fragile shell of his emotions. Finally, Nightcrawler materialized beside you as the smell of brimstone invaded the air around you.

"Well, cher," Remy finally rasped, his voice rough with a barely concealed tremor, "that went about as well as tossing a snowball in the Sahara."

You swallowed the lump in your throat, the sting of unshed tears burning your eyes. "Rogue..." you whispered, your voice barely a breath.

Remy let out a humorless scoff, "Always had a soft spot for the bad boys, didn't you, cher?"

His words were laced with a bitterness that stung, but you knew his pain mirrored your own. The anger was a simmering ember beneath the surface, threatening to erupt at any moment.

Nightcrawler, ever the optimist, squeezed your shoulder gently. "We'll get them back," he said, his voice firm despite the tremor in his hand. "We just need a plan."

The three of you trudged back to the X-Mansion, tailing the others who were either walking or flying ahead. Professor Xavier remained behind, lost in deep thought.

Remy kicked a pebble across the path, the crunch a jarring counterpoint to the oppressive silence. His jaw was clenched tight, a muscle flickering in his temple betraying the storm brewing beneath the surface. You ached to reach out, to offer comfort, but the words stuck in your throat, choked by the rising tide of your own anger and grief.

"Looks like the prodigal daughter's finally come home," Kurt muttered, his voice laced with a bitterness that surprised you. "Except this time, she's brought the wrecking crew with her."

You winced. Kurt, ever the optimist, the heart of the team, even he was tainted by the fallout. A wave of nausea washed over you, a physical manifestation of the fracturing you felt deep within the X-Men.

"It ain't all sunshine and rainbows with Magneto, cher, believe me," Remy finally growled, his voice a low rumble. "But hell if I understand what Rogue's thinkin'."

You wanted to scream, to rage against the injustice of it all. But the anger curdled within you, a bitter cocktail laced with a despair so profound it threatened to drag you under.

"Maybe she has a point," you choked out, the words scraping raw against your throat. "Maybe... maybe there is no future for mutants here."

Remy stopped short, his head snapping towards you. His eyes, usually sparkling with mischief, were now a storm of hurt and confusion. "Whatchu sayin', cher? You think we're jus' gonna give up? Give Magneto the win?"

You flinched under the intensity of his gaze. Giving up. Was that what you were doing? But the fight suddenly felt hollow, a pointless struggle against an ever-growing tide of hate.

"I don't know, Remy," you admitted, your voice barely a whisper. "I just... I just don't know what to believe anymore."

Kurt placed a hand on your shoulder, a silent gesture of comfort. "We'll figure it out, Meine Beste," he said, his voice gentle despite the tremor in it. "We always do."

But the usual conviction was missing from his words, replaced by a weary uncertainty that mirrored your own. As you continued your trek back to the X-Mansion, the once familiar building now loomed ahead, a stark symbol of the shattered dream within its walls. The future you'd fought for, the future you'd believed in, felt like a wisp of smoke, fading into the twilight sky.

Reaching the mansion doors, you paused, the weight of the decision before you pressing down on you. Step inside, and you'd face the wreckage of your team, the shattered trust, the gaping wound left by Rogue and Roberto's betrayal. But turn away, and what then? Was there even a future for mutants outside of Xavier's dream?

With a deep breath, you pushed open the doors, stepping back into the remnants of a fractured family, the weight of a thousand unspoken questions a heavy burden on your heart. The fight for a peaceful future wasn't over, but for the first time, you truly questioned if it could be won.

[runningracingdancingchasing]

Under almost any other circumstances, the aurora drifting towards her in a thunderstorm would be cause for marvel, wonder, and even joy. But right now, she knew it must herald the arrival of Magneto. Here, as the world was ending, he was approaching the mansion once more. And for what?

And just as she thought it must be, Magneto floated down from the island he was carrying around, clad once again in the armor he wore when he was their enemy; the helmet that kept his mind shielded from Charles.

"Please. Not this, Magnus," Charles begged as he rolled his wheelchair onto the dock that overlooked the lake Magneto had parked his rock over. "Be reasonable!"

"I am not the one who needs to be reasoned with, Charles," Magneto insisted as he landed.

"There is a large asteroid hovering over my home that begs otherwise."

Just as he wished to do, Charles attempted to reason with Magneto, who in turn, made it quite clear that he was here to sway the assembled mutants to his side of the fight. He spoke powerful, aching words about Genosha, about its beauty, and Rapunzel remembered how she'd felt, seeing it with her own eyes. Her hand held tightly to Kurt's. It had been beautiful, wonderful, and it had led her back her, towards something she hadn't even imagined when she'd first stepped off the plane on the island nation.

"We have a plan to stop Bastion, but we also must repair Earth!" Charles insisted, and Rapunzel felt the truth of that in her soul. With the magnetic field of the planet in disarray, they were vulnerable to solar radiation. Everything on Earth would die, humans and mutants alike, not to mention all the plants and animals. Couldn't Magneto see that?

"I promised a boy a future free of fear, only to watch his frightened eyes be vaporized inside his tiny skull, because he believed in me."

The statement was made calmly, and with a remorse that reminded Rapunzel of the guilt she'd felt being unable to save more people in Genosha. Being unable to save Remy.

Listening to two powerful orators was difficult for someone like her; she felt things so strongly, and tried to be reasonable. Both Charles and Magneto had points. She knew the desperation to save the world. She knew the pain Magneto bore, having survived the greatest tragedy of this generation.

Her hands shook as she took his beads from him, a protest on her lips. This was is rosary! The symbol of his faith! These beads were so important to him! But that was the point, wasn't it? They were important to him, and so was she. He wanted her to have them, and she couldn't deny him anything a all.

Tears spilled over her cheeks as he held her face, and she shook her head minutely, then wrapped her arms around him with a sob and hugged him tightly. She was at a loss for words, thanks and protests and promises and words of love and wordless cries all mingled together in her heart in a cacophony so loud she couldn't feel one thought over the other. So she didn't try. She just held him as tight as she could and let herself cry. Maybe the feelings wouldn't go away after this, but at least she'd be able to handle them better.

She had nothing to give him in return, nothing so easily carried. Her mind flashed to the journal upstairs, but that was an entire notebook. She was sure if she didn't make it out of this, he'd take that. But she wanted to give him something he could put protectively next to his heart. She was creative, and she had time. She'd think of something.

"You are loved, too," she breathed at last between sobs. "So loved. More than you can possibly know."