Chapter Text
It's hard beyond hard to break the habits of decades, but Raven slips into Charles's study -- not the kitchen this time, he can't complain about her being naked in public, and anyway she's shaped a bit of herself into a little white sundress just to forestall the prudery he wears like a shield against the darker currents of the mind-sea he swims in -- and clears her throat to interrupt his game (chess or otherwise) with Erik.
"Charles," she says, "Charles, you have to stop making assumptions and listen to us, and make us listen to what you mean instead of just what you say -- you're not as good with words as you think you are, no matter how much you practice, and we can't keep going on half-truths and misunderstandings, not when we're fighting for our right to even exist, let alone stop hiding who we really are."
She takes his wrists and raises his hands, presses one to her face and the other to Erik's -- Erik stills for a moment, his eyes searching her face until something clicks into place, south pole locking onto north, and he gives her a tiny nod and wraps his hand around hers, pulling Charles's limp fingers to his temple -- and when Charles tries to pull back, when he says, "But I shouldn't, I promised you, Raven, it's not right," Raven weighs what she wants against what she fears, and drops all her shields to ask her brother in.