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The sand was slippery under his feet under his feet as Charles ran towards Erik, stumbling along the way. The suit he was wearing was tight and sticky with sweat; faintly, he made a mental note of that, he'd have to tell Hank to make the material more breathable later. Right now, all of his focus was on Erik, whose back was turned to him, one arm extended towards the not-so-distant ships and the other clenched tightly by his side. The air smelled of salt and burned Charles's lungs as he grabbed Erik's free hand and twisted him around. Before Erik could react, the smaller man grabbed his head, gloved fingers pressed firmly against the smooth metal of the helmet with his thumbs digging sharply into Erik's cheeks, and crushed their mouths together.
Erik froze. The kiss was violent, Charles could hear the thunk of flesh on metal as Erik's head met the back of the helmet and felt their teeth knock together painfully as their lips met; Charles tasted blood but he didn't care. Their bodies melded together, and Charles felt as though he was trying to pull himself up and into Erik's mouth, to get to his brain and make him understand. Make him realise that killing wouldn't solve anything, that it wouldn't bring him peace. He could feel Erik's hands digging painfully into his hips, but he wasn't being pushed away, rather, pulled closer. Keeping his eyes shut determinedly, Charles attempted to calm the kiss and rubbed Erik's cheek lightly with his thumb, hoping to sooth the other man. Distantly, he heard loud explosions in the sky and splashes of water and felt a wave of relief wash over him. Success.
Slowly, Charles pulled away after what felt like ages and finally opened his eyes to meet Erik's. He looked dazed as his eyes flickered open and Charles felt a tad guilty when he saw the angry red marks left by his fingers on Erik's skin. He stared at Charles with dark eyes, hands still on his hips. Charles went to take off the helmet and Erik's hands shot up to grab his forearms. Charles raised an eyebrow and after a moment, Erik's grip loosened. He slid his hands down Charles's arms and lightly gripped at his waist again, returning them to their previous position. He licked his lips, tongue darting out from between his teeth to wet them. He looked almost nervous. Charles eased the helmet off Erik's head and sighed as he opened his mind to the taller man. Erik inhaled slowly, and closed his eyes. When he opened them they looked clear and intense as he tentatively brushed trembling fingers down Charles's cheek, exhaling a shuddering breath. Slowly, he brought his head down and kissed Charles again, waiting to be pushed away.
He never was.