Anger is Cool; Come to the Dark Side.

[prefers_magneto]

[Continued from here]

When Storm arrived, she would find Erik sitting at one of the outdoor tables, his back to the wall so he had a view of the street. A sunny afternoon made the sunglasses and fedora not seem suspicious to the average passerby, but he did also have the good sense not to advertise his face in public.

He looked up when she approached, gestured to the chair across from him, giving it just enough of a nudge with his power to push it out for her slightly.

"I was certain you'd change your mind."

Comments

[prefers_magneto]

He considered her a moment.

"Would.... would you like me to send you a message when one joins us?"

[nimbi]

"It would mean a lot to me if you did."

After a moment of hesitation, she reached out to give his arm a gentle squeeze.

"I won't try to talk them into coming back."

[prefers_magneto]

"I wasn't worried about that. Your school and my community.... they're not diverging paths. Perhaps we can work together. Eventually, people in Genosha will have children. And eventually, children will leave your program with nowhere to go. Or, at least... nowhere in human society that they want to go. Integration is more difficult for some mutants than others."

[nimbi]

"You're sounding far too reasonable to be the real Erik, you must be an impostor."

[prefers_magneto]

He couldn't help a surprised bark of laughter. "Oh, come now. There are plenty of way to interpret that as nefarious. Perhaps I'm recruiting an army to take over the world." He wiggled his fingers at her. "Send me your children...." he teased.

[nimbi]

Ororo snorted, gently batting his fingers aside.

"Well, if you insist I can absolutely view you in the worst light possible if that's what you want."

[prefers_magneto]

"Well.... I didn't say that was what I wanted...." He watched her for a moment. "You never did, though. Even at my worst."

[nimbi]

"Why would I? You were clearly in pain, and had every right to be furious."

It's not as if she herself had never leaned on rage to handle pain.

[prefers_magneto]

He nodded, looking down into his glass for a moment.

"I still am," he admitted. "In pain and furious. It never ends, the way they take from us. But... I suppose somewhere along the way I learned that building something to support our people is a better balm then destroying things that support theirs." He looked at her. "Charles taught me that. And you taught me that."

[nimbi]

She knocked back the rest of her drink, put the glass down by the bottle, and wrapped her arms around Erik's waist to hold him.

"I'm happy for you."

[prefers_magneto]

The contact was a relief and he set his glass down to slide his arms around her and revel in the solid warmth of her for a moment.

"Do you want to see it some time?" he asked. "My island?"

[nimbi]

She relaxed against him, at last allowing herself to really feel how much she'd missed him.

"I'd like that."

[prefers_magneto]

"The town is all... built out of shipping debris from the floor of the ocean," he told her. "It's very... motley looking."

He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, hesitantly, in case she objected.

"Maybe we can work out a program for the kids to come learn about living in an off grid community. Like a field trip."

[nimbi]

"Maybe."

It wasn't a bad idea, but she didn't want to make any promises. Who could say what her fellow X-Men would think about showing off Magneto's island refuge to a bunch of impressionable children.

She rested a hand against his cheek, and stroked his lower lip with her thumb.

"Didn't think you still wanted... this."

[prefers_magneto]

"I think about you all the time," he told her. "But I thought I ruined it."

He'd had some pretty ambitious plans for mutantkind and it had put them at odds.

[nimbi]

"I can see why."

Things had gotten to a point where she at least felt that she had to choose between her entire life and him, whatever his actual intentions may have been.

No relationship could stand on a foundation like that.

[prefers_magneto]

"But things are different now," he said softly. "We can work together."

[nimbi]

"Is that what you want?"

If he had found some measure of peace, she didn't want to risk shattering it. For his sake, but also for those who might come to harm in the wake of his anguish.

[prefers_magneto]

"I want what I've always wanted, but our ways of approaching that are compatible now. And I would like it if we could... see each other more often," he told her. "Unless you don't want to. I would understand."

[nimbi]

"I think I do want to."

She won't lie to him and try to hide her slight hesitation. If he is serious about understanding her position, he can take it.

"I've missed you."

[prefers_magneto]

He smiled faintly. "You have?" He hadn't dared to hope. He hesitated himself a moment, then went for it. "I'm going to be in New York for a few days. Perhaps I can see you... more than just this once."