Team Work

Charles and Erik meet in a US where being a mutant is a one-way ticket to death row. (Modern AU) As an assistant DA and a cop they sometimes encounter injustices. Will they team up and fix the problems inside or outside the system? Or will they tear each other apart by taking different directions in their quest for a safer country?

Unpunished

Charles sighed deeply. Another one of the hook. As assistant-DA he should be used to it by now, but he wasn't. He could sense that someone else in the room shared his frustration and disappointment. Charles harbored a secret: he could read minds. The thoughts he could eavesdrop, ranged from : If only I hadn't had so much bacon for breakfast, now I'll be sick to If only I hadn't killed her, now I might be caught and anything in between. Needless to say, he often noticed that the system couldn't catch all criminals and it disturbed him all the more when he knew someone would roam the streets again. Others might claim innocent until proven guilty to ease their minds, but Charles actually knew….

Charles did have another secret: he was gay. However that was peanuts in comparison to being a mutant. Whereas the first was sometimes frowned upon, the latter was a downright disaster. The government feared mutants and that fear had turned to hatred. The old Don't Ask, Don't Tell applied to mutants all over the country. Charles was lucky that his ability, or nature—the scientific community as well as the politicians were still arguing about that—was invisible and could therefore easily be hidden. Others were not so fortunate. Being a mutant could get someone the death penalty. The opinions in the public sphere differed from death to all mutants, to death to the violent ones, or to the ones who used their skills. There were mutants who found it impossible to hide, because of fur, or wings, or strange reptile tongues. These were also the ones who were persecuted the most. All the others had gone deep underground.

In his whole life, Charles had only met and befriended one other mutant. When he was a young boy, he had met a blue girl in the kitchen late at night. She had looked like his mother, but wasn't actually his mother: he could tell. She had lived in his house for a while, as she could morph into anyone and thereby hide in plain sight, usually impersonating one of their many servants. A small slip-up had revealed her true nature. Charles' parents had tried to catch her to hand her over to the authorities, but she had morphed into their driver and had stolen one of their cars, forever gone…

He still missed her, Raven Darkholme; she had been his only friend for a very long time and the only mutant he had ever met. At least as far as he knew… He had occasionally used his skills to track other mutants down, but as there weren't that many, he had stopped looking in that manner. Charles still hoped for a friendship like that again. He let out another sigh.

Erik was seated in the same courtroom. A few hours before, he had taken the stand giving evidence. It mattered not. The perp could run free again, breathe the fresh air. Erik hated when this happened. He liked being a cop—a position which had been hard to obtain in the first place considering that his mother was a mutant and had been executed— it suited his skills and his temper. Erik Leonard, formerly known as Magnus Lehnsherr, had changed his name and background to get this career as children conceived by mutants were not allowed to serve in the police force and military. Nor could they run for public office. Erik had to hide his powers, but as an insider could, on occasion, release fellow mutants from custody when no-one was looking. Evidence would sometimes go missing as well. Erik didn't think this was a betrayal of his position; he was helping the ones where his true allegiance lay. He took pride in being a mutant and secretly looked down on others. It helped that he was a loner; the solitude of secrecy did not bother him much.

Charles casually swept the minds of all who were present as he was collecting his files and putting them into his briefcase. He was curious as to whom felt the same as he did. A quick peek told him that it was the police officer who had taken the stand. The athletic one with the strong jaw line. Charles grinned inwardly; thankfully the cop couldn't see inside his mind (hopefully anyway) when he first laid eyes on him. He wondered if he should make a move… Perhaps they could have a chat over a beer or coffee and lament their useless jobs?

He decided to take a chance. "Too bad the case fell through, don't you think?" he asked.

"Hardly my fault," the man grumbled, looking resentful but quite nice in that freshly pressed uniform.

So much for good first impressions… "I was only sitting in on this one, but I don't see any issues on our side.." The man's brow darkened as he seemed to take offense at that. Charles quickly added: "Sometimes the jury just makes bad decisions."

"Can't disagree with that." Erik replied curtly. Juries, don't remind me, he thought… Charles could see glimpses of a young boy seated in a courtroom similar to this one, watching in agony as the jury returned with a verdict.

"Would you like to … ehm…" Charles coughed, "get a drink? We could bitch about our justice system.." he offered as his cheeks colored. The man—Erik was his name, Charles suddenly remembered—raised his eyebrows in quiet amusement. Was he asking him out? Really? Erik felt a new respect for this little pale assistant DA.

"Bitch?" he asked with a wide grin.

Charles' cheeks reddened even more. "Poor choice of words, I know…"

"I'd love to," Erik replied, "bitch about it…"

They went to a nice and cozy coffee shop. The room was poorly lit but that suited Charles fine. Perhaps those damn cheeks wouldn't be as visible… Charles had dated cops before, but none of them had had such a tough exterior as Erik, nor had they radiated these dangerous yet very pleasant vibes… Dating was always tricky: work was very demanding and he had to keep his secret which was hard when growing closer to someone. He'd heard many mutant phobic statement from former lovers and it was generally a deal breaker, especially in the long run. Of course, he would make up some other reason as he couldn't tell outright that that was the problem. He'd also slipped up on various occasions with responding to someone's—hidden and often less pleasant—thoughts. It startled them and one or two times they'd been dangerously close to discovering the truth about him. Charles shook his head, as a gesture to push these negative thoughts away; he should enjoy the present…

Erik peered at him over his coffee. Strong and black, one sugar. Charles seemed quite preoccupied. He bowed towards him. "Still thinking about the one that got away?" For a second, Charles was horrified. Did Erik hear his thoughts about his lovers? "The perp…" Erik clarified with piercing eyes. Charles sighed in relief.

"Yes, yes, it always bothers me. Especially when you have a gut feeling that they were guilty…"

"He was guilty all right… Makes you wonder if there is something else one could do…" Erik hinted.

"I'm sorry? I don't know what you mean?" Charles' asked with a high-pitched voice. "You're not seriously implying… You're a cop for heaven's sake!"

"No need to get upset about it… I was only saying…" Erik didn't look away in embarrassment as his words may have indicated. Instead he was staring straight into his eyes, thinking about various ways they could handle this particular fellow.

"Vigilante justice is never good. It's intolerable!" Charles didn't sound as indignant as he wanted to, instead it sounded rather weak and lame as if he was reciting a lesson without his heart in it.

"You don't really believe that though…" Erik challenged him. "You know full well that some deeds go unpunished and you would cheer whoever took care of it outside of the law…" Charles made various protesting noises, but Erik continued: "Of course, you're too polite to admit it. Too well-bred." At this Charles frowned.. was Erik insulting him? "Too careful. Too concerned about others, unwilling to risk your reputation…"

"Will you stop it!" Charles almost shouted. Erik smirked. He sure had gotten the man riled up…

"You're the most irresponsible cop I have ever met. Thinking about such things in such horrible detail." Charles covered his mouth with his hand in shock.

Erik's eyes narrowed. "I didn't mention any details… I was only talking generally, as many cops do, when no-one is listening…"

"I, I have a vivid imagination…" Charles stuttered.

"Apparently…" Erik was still somewhat suspicious. A strange man, this Charles, and so contradictory.. Angry at the system but so unwilling to do something about it. Erik was of the opinion that one should live by one's words. He generally fixed whatever problems he encountered.