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‘Azazel: Teleporter, killer, and pediatrician.’ Or ‘Bad Guy Saves the Day’
“Stop Erik, NO!” Charles charged at his friend, hoping a distraction would either knock that bloody helmet off or somehow disable the bombs wavering towards the ships.
Erik glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and braced himself for impact.
Suddenly Azazel was between them, smoothly scooping up Charles as he ran blindly into the man, unable to stop.
“Wha-” Charles said before suddenly he was on the other side of the beach. Coughing lightly from the smoke and sulfur, he glanced around, noticing the children’s shocked faces and the man known as Riptide rather rueful stare.
“Now you’ve done it,” Riptide drawled, gesturing towards Erik.
Erik who suddenly had missiles pointed at Shaw’s gang, and by extension Charles. Erik’s face was red with fury, teeth clenched, and nostril’s flaring. You didn’t have to be a telepath to know someone was about to die.
Azazel let Charles’s feet drop to the ground but still kept one arm wrapped tightly around his chest. Charles was disturbed to feel what felt like a snake, but was most likely a tail, twine up his leg and circle around his thigh.
“What are you doing,” Angel hissed, trying not so subtly to point out the danger they were in.
“Give him back to me.” Erik growled, stepping slowly but solidly towards the small group, each step looked like the earth should tremble under it but oddly remained still. Charles had never seen Erik so mad before. He felt something like relief bubble up somewhere inside him that Erik was so concerned about his welfare, that he would contemplate blowing up a beach and everyone on it to save him. Except you know, how Charles was on that beach and would probably die with them.
“Give him back!” Angel yelled out the same time Riptide said, “Azazel, give the boy back.”
“Hey!” Charles cried. “Who are you calling a boy?” Everyone ignored him.
“Can’t.” Azazel said, eyeing Erik’s advance, not looking all that concerned.
“Why not?” Riptide asked, glancing warily at Erik and the group of younger boys heading towards them, all looking extremely angry.
“They might hurt the baby.”
Charles squawked, had he just called him…
“Baby?”
“Yeah, baby.” Azazel patted Charles’s side. “Could be more than one, can’t tell yet.”
Charles flushed red, Azazel’s hand stayed curled around his hip and the only man Charles let do that was the one in a murderous rage storming towards them.
An explosion tore through the sky, whipping sand and debris everywhere, before once again Azazel teleported Charles somewhere else. Inside something this time. Close by, because he could still feel the familiar minds of his team and the blank space Erik had become.
Azazel cursed something in Russian. “Wait here, you’re in too delicate a situation to be in middle of fight.”
Arms and tail unwound from him, letting Charles plop down into a warm sofa. Were they inside Shaw’s submarine?
Azazel disappeared in a puff of red smoke.
Charles looked around bewildered.
Reaching out with his mind he contacted Raven. ‘What is happening?’
‘Charles!’ Raven’s mind screamed back. ‘Are you okay? You disappeared.’
‘Yeah, I’m fine. He’s trying to protect me I think.’ Charles knew the confusion he felt somehow filter through, but it was so odd. Why was Azazel protecting him from Erik?
‘Where are you?’
Before he could answer the whole sub groaned, metal creaking as it shifted. Heading up.
‘Bloody hell, Raven, tell Erik to stop. I’m in the submarine!’ Charles tumbled into a desk that was nailed down, the loose furniture and odd items skidding across the floor towards him and the open crack in the wall. Charles caught a glance of pale sand and blue ocean expanding as the large metal sub went air born.
Azazel popped in front of him again, eyes wide and forehead bleeding. “Your mate wants you back.”
“Yeah, good idea.” Charles agreed, quickly grabbing the red man’s shoulder as he was scooped up, barely teleporting away before a large metal pipe would have knocked Charles out the open fissure.
They appeared back on the beach.
Charles barely had time to take a breath before he was being tossed into the air towards Erik.
Erik slowed his descend by the metal buckles, catching Charles neatly in his arms.
“Uh, Hello.” Charles said, rumpled and bewildered.
The ground shook, behind them the submarine dropped from carelessly from the sky.
“Charles,” Erik panted, looking over Charles body. “Are you okay? Are you hurt...”
Charles blinked up at Erik, taking note of the wild look in his lover’s eye and the deep creases around his mouth. The man looked like he had aged 10 years.
“I’m fine, my friend. They meant me no harm.” Charles put a soothing hand on Erik’s cheek, hand slipping under the metal helmet. His thumb caressing the creases and attempting to smooth them out. Erik’s eyes closed in relief.
“Now stop trying to kill us, I was only trying to protect your pregnant female.” Azazel shouted, stepping back slowly towards his cowering group. Riptide was shaking his head wildly, picking himself up from where he had fallen in the sand, Angel clinging to his arm.
Charles froze.
Erik’s eyes snapped open. Brows furrowed he glanced at Charles before turning his attention to Shaw’s henchman. “What did you say?”
Azazel dusted sand off his hat. “The baby. He was charging you, so things were about to get physical. Not good to punch a pregnant person in the stomach, even if they’re mutant.”
“Pregn-baby…Charles what is he talking about?”
“I don’t know. I think he’s crazy.” Azazel glared at Charles.
“Ask the blue one, he can probably smell it too.” Hank, Alex, and Sean were standing somewhere between the two groups, hesitant to do anything now that Charles was back and Erik had calmed down. Raven was already running towards them.
“Raven?” Charles choked out. Azazel shook his head and pointed at Hank, who squeaked and looked behind him to see if they were all looking at someone else. Alex shoved him forward and Hank heading towards them reluctantly.
Raven slid into the sand beside him as Erik slowly lowered them down to the ground. Raven was grabbing at him like she wanted to tear him from Erik’s hold. “Charles, oh god, what were you thinking!”
“I told you, I’m fine…why is everyone…”
“He’s pregnant.” Erik said with wonder, looking down at Charles like he’d never seen him before. His hands gripping tight to anywhere he could reach, ghosting across Charles’s abdomen and pulling him closer to Erik’s chest.
Raven barked out a short laugh, she obviously agreed with Charles that everyone had gone crazy.
“Hank, come here and talk some sense into these fools.”
Hank growled low at Azazel and then seemed embarrassed about it, walking a wide circle around him to get to the trio.
“What now?” Hank asked.
“He’s pregnant.” Erik said again, voice still light and airy in wonder.
“No I’m not. I’m a man, I can’t get pregnant.” Charles pushed against Erik, trying to squirm away but Erik refused to budge.
“Just smell him. He smells like pregnant female.” Azazel was getting exasperated repeating himself.
Hank lightly sniffs the air around Charles and then sneezed.
“Oh god, what is that smell!” Hank backed away in horror, covering his nose with furry blue hands. Charles and Erik glared at him, one for saying he smelled horrible and the other for ruining his special moment. Azazel clasped Hank on the shoulder, patting him in companionable silence. Hank didn’t seem to mind.
“Fertilized egg, about a few weeks along. And probably that metal benders spunk. Like marking territory.” Azazel replied.
Hank looked at him in disgust. “You made me smell that? Why!”
Azazel shrugged.
“Gross, Charles really.” Raven stood up, hands on her hips. “You couldn’t find time to take a shower between sex and coming here?”
Erik looked smug.
“There really wasn’t time.” Charles had a feeling his face was horribly scarlet, he settled for glaring at Erik instead of feeling humiliated. “Some people wanted to see what the thigh zippers were for while the plane was getting fuel.”
“So wait, you are pregnant?” His sister asked, perplexed.
Charles wanted to die. Weren’t they in the middle of fighting two nations who just tried to blow them up? Where was Moira, she was rational. Maybe he could seek asylum with her and get away from these crazy mutants.
“No.”
“Uh, actually Professor, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities.” Hank shuffled closer. “Your physical did show anomalies. In fact all ours did.”
“Wait…” Erik started.
“You were going to tell us this when exactly?” Charles growled.
“So does that mean I have a penis?” Raven looked down, grabbing at her crotch. Charles slapped her hand away, embarrassed.
“Guy we don’t have time to talk about this,” Angel yelled, walking fast towards them and pointing towards the ocean, the rest of the boys and Riptide following her. Several small platoon boats filled with soldiers were heading towards the beach.
Erik stood, Charles still in his arms, and turned towards the advancing armies. Beside the fact that he was holding Charles, he looked like he did right before he tried sending the missiles back towards the ships. Face hard and angry, seething with righteous fury.
“Erik…” Charles whispered. Looking past the metal helmet, Charles watched Erik’s face. Having to rely on facial ques and body language to figure out what his friend was thinking. “Please, let’s go home.”
Erik stared hard into his eyes, clear blue-grey eyes taking in Charles’s cerulean blue. He looked conflicted.
“If what Azazel says is true…” God, Charles felt like a bastard using that excuse against Erik. Especially since he didn’t believe it himself. But if Erik tried to retaliate, they would all be in danger. Right now, no one’s mind was on fighting, and Charles and his team wouldn’t be able to defend themselves if the humans got close enough to try to fight them in person. At best, Charles would freeze them, but it might make whoever in charge try to fire more missiles at them.
Erik grunted.
Whatever debris from the plane that was left was rolling towards the edge of the water, creating a barrier between them and the ocean, shielding them from view.
Charles sighed with relief.
Erik turned towards the group of mutants crowding around behind him. “We’re heading back to the mansion, any objections?”
“No.”
“Nope.”
“Nu-uh.”
“Who’s mansion?” Riptide asked, intrigued.
Glaring at him, Erik turned to Azazel instead. “Can you teleport us to our safe house. Your welcome to stay with us until things settles down or you go your own way, I owe you that much for saving Charles and the baby.”
“Seriously?” Charles asked in stereo with Sean, who was mostly confused instead of mad at Erik.
Azazel nodded back, face serious. Linking hands, except Erik who was holding Charles, so Alex put a trembling hand on his shoulder, they were gone before the boats even made it to the beach.
Popping onto the front lawn of the Xavier mansion, Charles looked around bewildered.
“Where’s Moira?”
***
After sending Azazel back for Moira, then wiping her memories and getting everyone settled, did Charles even entertain the thought of this whole ‘pregnancy’ joke that Azazel had started and roped Erik and Hank into.
Erik, the bloody bastard, who wouldn’t leave his side for two seconds.
His only saving grace was that he finally took off that ridiculous helmet and stored it in a trunk in the closet. Which Charles moved down to the basement when Erik was in the bathroom. Or tired to, because Alex was starting to believe what everyone was saying and didn’t think Charles should be lifting heavy objects.
Storming down to the labs before Erik could come looking for him, Charles confronted Hank.
“Explain.”
***
“Charles, please,” Erik begged.
“Don’t touch me you…you…male impregnating mutant.” Charles seethed, rolling over in bed so Erik was looking at his back. “You and your fucking penis.”
Erik tried to rub at the telepath’s back but Charles slapped his hand away without looking at him.
“Don’t…”
“This isn’t a bad thing Charles.” Erik said softly. Charles could feel him projecting his love and wonder. The man had never been so open with his emotions before, even during sex. It wasn’t until Hank confirmed (7 times because Charles didn’t believe it the first 6 times) that Charles really was pregnant, Ph balances and blood testing proved it. Charles had nearly been bowled over by Erik’s happiness.
“How,” Charles sniffed into his pillow.
“The continuation of our species. Evolution. Isn’t this just one of those things you’re always talking about.”
“Don’t make this about science or genetics. You’re not the one pregnant.”
Erik moved closer, spooning up behind Charles and nosing at the back of his neck. “Your right. But you have to see the miracle this is. You and I created a baby. Created life.”
“Babies.” Charles hiccupped.
Erik exhaled loudly. “Babies,” his voice cracked. “We’re starting a family, Charles.”
“Already were a family. Don’t see why I had to be the one knocked up anyways.” Charles pouted.
Chuckling lightly, Erik’s hand slid down to cup Charles’s stomach, pressing down slightly against the hard bump there. You couldn’t really see it, but you could feel the difference if you knew what you were looking for. “God Charles, you’re perfect.”
“Shut up, I’m still mad.”
“How about next time I be the one pregnant?”
Charles squinted at Erik over his shoulder. “You mean that?”
“Sure.” Erik conceded too easily. Charles couldn’t feel any deceit, but he could tell Erik wasn’t being totally truthful either.
Flopping onto his back, Charles stared up at the ceiling, ignoring Erik’s wandering hands. “We’re going to have to stock up on condoms like never before.”
Erik hummed, looking at Charles’s stomach. “The others are going to have to be more careful, don’t need everyone pregnant or we’ll never be able to fight our war.”
Shorting Charles finally looked at Erik. “Is that what you’re really worried about? Winning a war that’s not going to happen?”
“Don’t be naive. The normals are already trying to snatch our kind up and our babies are going to grow up safe if I have any say about it. I can’t let anything happen to you, or them.” Erik’s hand spread against Charles’s stomach again. “You’re all I have anymore. Shaw is dealt with, so your protection and safety is my mission now.”
Charles couldn’t argue with him about that. Even with Moira’s memory gone, the President had announced to the world the existence of mutants. There was no way he could wipe everyone’s mind. The best he could do now was gather as many of them together and protect them the best that he could. If Erik thought it was necessary to defend them with deadly force…
“Promise me you won’t throw the first punch.” Charles asked, curling his body closer to Erik’s.
Erik hummed, hands moving down to cup Charles’s ass and pull him closer, twinning their legs together.
“Please,” Charles begged. “I don’t want to bring any children into a world that’s in the middle of a war. They’re helpless and too easy a target if someone wants to get revenge.”
“Ok.”
Charles tipped his head up, lips brushing in a chaste kiss against Erik’s. “Thank you.”
Growling, Erik moved over him so he could kiss his mate proper, chasing any thoughts of war or pregnancy away as he licked into Charles mouth.
Things deteriorated after that, but hey, Charles was already pregnant. Not like it could get any worse.
***END***
Tbc?