may mingle (blameless!)

[revivo]

Who: Blameless crew + visitors
Broadcast: N/A
Action: Aboard the Blameless
When: May

[time to get your mingle on, people lacking blame and friends!]

Comments

[athru]

[ Raven's hand moves slowly, then, stroking up and down Hank's arm - because she understand that it's as true for him as it was for her. She and Hank had never managed to broach that level when they had known each other initially, never daring to admit what was beginning between them, but she knows what she felt. It must be true for Charles, too, when she and Erik had left - and she knows that he missed her more than she missed him, because she knows Charles. She would have forced herself not to think about him and he would have dwelled for years on what he could have done better.

Her head tucks under Hank's chin and for a long, long moment she doesn't bother trying to say anything. She just lets herself lie against him, lets herself take comfort from him - because, she hopes, he'll be taking comfort from her as well. They can sit here and laugh and joke and kiss each other, but there is unspoken pains that neither of them can dare bring to light at the moment, pains that they gave each other.

Raven's hands wrap around him, under his arms so she can press her face into his chest, and she nods. She doesn't know what to say anymore and she's exhausted - she's so tired from all of this that she can't bear it, the weight of it all feeling like so much more than anything physical she had done before in her life. ]

I'll talk to him.

[beathach]

[he's already with it being quiet, simply seeking comfort in each other. He's said what he's wanted to and he knows that, deep down, Raven and Erik will work things out. It won't be easy - hell, it'll be a lot harder than what they're working out, or what she and Charles are trying to do. But - he has hope. That thing he keeps grasping onto, just like Charles. Learned it from Charles, and even if he doesn't hope as deeply as the other man, he still does it]

Okay. [there really isn't anything else to say to that. She's going to try, and that's the important part. It's something he and Charles can't and won't get involved in, albeit he has a feeling they both will be nervously awaiting the results. He rests his chin on top of her head and sighs out, slow] Let me know how it goes?

[athru]

[ It's funny, she thinks, how much seems to be riding on this. It's just her and Erik, an intense relationship that Hank and Charles had only seen part of, but now they both want to see it get better. She thinks that, once upon a time, Charles would have hated to see her wanting to rebuild with Erik, but now... Well, Hank, Charles and Erik were the family now. She was the one that had to build bridges and become part of it again, to mend what she had left broken in her wake.

She doesn't voice that to Hank, of course. She knows what he'll say, and she's not sure she wants to hear it right now - she's not sure she can handle it with everything else.

Instead, she just lies there, using his body as a pillow, considering her words before she huffs a little noise. ]

Who else would I tell?

[beathach]

[he can't help but echo the huff, his arms tightening around her some, adjusting for the new position] Charles?

[he isn't going to assume that Raven is going to tell him everything, as close as they were and are now, and how much they shared already. Mostly, he was putting the offer out there to talk to him again about it, if she had to]

[athru]

[ Her first instinct is to argue that Charles won't want to know - but of course that isn't true. Charles might be intimate with Erik, but they're still family. Just because she feels out of place, just because she feels like it's wrong, doesn't mean that Charles echoes the feeling. Charles is probably desperate to get anything he can from her, and that's somewhat discomforting.

Frowning, glad Hank can't see it, she shrugs. ]

If he wants to know then I'll tell him.

[beathach]

I think he would. [he doesn't have to see the frown to know it's there, but of course he'll tell her that anyway. Erik and Raven aren't the only ones who know Charles - in some ways, Hank knows him better than either of them.

He huffs into her hair, his hands moving to rub her back] He won't ask otherwise; he said he doesn't want to meddle.

[athru]

[ Raven can't help her laugh then. ]

Are we talking about the same Charles? Not meddling?

[ It's easier to laugh and joke, because they both know that Charles has changed since she had spent most of her time with him. That part is painful, but she's working on it - really, she is. She's trying. ]

I'll tell him once I've done it.

[beathach]

[he can't help but grin a little]

I think he meant with - us, specifically, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a general statement. He's an idiot.

[just like that, and that says a lot about the relationship Charles and Hank have nowadays, that he can insult the man and sound fond about it at the same time] But- good.

[athru]

He is an idiot. He's been an idiot since the day I met him.

[ Or, rather, the day she broke into his house and ate his food while pretending to be his mother.

Tilting her head, Raven kisses Hank's jaw. ]

However it goes, I'll have to tell someone. I don't know how it's going to end just yet.

[beathach]

[in the most solemn tone he can manage:] He's gotten worse. He's insufferable.

[he presses a kiss to the top of her head] Just don't keep it to yourself. That's all I ask.

[athru]

At least you don't have to put up with him alone anymore.

[ She does say it fondly, genuinely, but there is a touch of apprehension there too. She is nervous, and she is a little afraid, and she has to wonder - but she'll get over it.

She doesn't have a choice anymore.

Shaking her head, Raven lets herself press into Hank's neck again, as if it's going to keep her safe from even her own emotions. ]

I'll try.

[beathach]

Only when we're complaining to each other. [which - so far, has resulted in them going to the bar together. But no one needs to know that.

And - that's good enough for him. That's what all of this is, after all; all of them trying. He wouldn't ask for more] Alright.

[athru]

You sound like an old married couple. Are you sure he's not dating you? [ She is joking, but it's half-hearted at best because she knows what she's missed out on.

She knows, and it stings.

Shifting a little, Raven leans back and glances at the door before her eyes drag back to Hank. ]

I can stay here, can't I?

[beathach]

Only one of us is old. [is his counter, and he says it with a straight face, too] But - no. He isn't my type.

[one day he'll point out how Erik and Charles actually are an old married couple, but not now. Not when they're still relearning to coexist with one another.

He glances to the door as well, but he doesn't make a move to sit up] Of course you can. [gently] We already talked about that.

[athru]

You're not wrong. Charles has been an old fart since he was eighteen. [ She remembers, fondly, teasing him about it back at school and she lets the nostalgia settle around her before she glances back at Hank. ] I suppose the beard might be a little off-putting - don't worry, I'm making him shave.

[ Definitely the only reason Charles isn't Hank's type, of course.

Shifting a little, she relaxes before she nods at his desk, wondering for a moment. ]

Do you have work you need to do?

[beathach]

—wait, you are? [she didn't say what they talked about, and he figured - no, he isn't sure what he figured. But that is one of the last things he would have thought they talked about] Did you tell him he looks like a hippie or were you nicer about it?

[says this guy, who's never made a comment about it to Charles' face.

He considers his desk and - makes a face. He does have things he was working on, but does he really want to now?]

Nothing that needs to be done.

[athru]

I just told him that we should bond by getting him a haircut, and then I transformed into him so he could test styles. [ Is that so strange? She doesn't really see how it's odd, getting Charles to neaten up a little, but she imagines that Hank might have seen things she hasn't. It wouldn't shock her if Charles had been particularly antagonistic about his hair - he had been, in the past.

She just smiles, innocently. ] I didn't tell him he looked like a hippie, I was nice.

[ Shifting, Raven pushes herself up and off his lap, dropping down onto the bed - and resting her cheek on Hank's thigh for a moment. ]

You should go and do your work. Don't let me stop you. Ice cream and stuff, right?

[beathach]

[that actually isn't strange to him - and he's glad that they're bonding. Even if it's over Charles Xavier's ridiculous appearance. He grins at the innocent smile and faintly shakes his head]

Well - good. I mean, that you two are bonding. If he comes out of it looking less like one of the students, the better. [again, says this guy, who dresses like an old man most of the time.

Raven moves and - is she teasing him? He doesn't know how he's managed to do work with her here the past few days, and he isn't sure how he's going to manage it now, after all they've talked about. He huffs out and sits up, but drops his hand to stroke her cheek]

All kinds of stuff. [he smiles down at her] Mostly boring stuff.

[athru]

[ The strange thing was that the only thing that had changed in her heart when it came to Charles was her anger. She had ten years to let it fester and grow, and it had shared space with the loss of her friends and her kin, mutants that had been taken by humans and destroyed. The love she felt towards him, the connection they shared... It might have been overtaken by her rage and her pain but it never disappeared. That kind of passionate, deep love can't just go away.

Regret is bundled up with a thousand other emotions, though, and she and Charles are going to have to work through them together. It's not going to be easier, but it'll be easier than dealing with Erik. ] Did your students all look like hippies? That's a little extreme, even for New York.

[ Her eyes close when his hand touches her cheek. It soothes her, and she doesn't move, just laying her head against Hank and relaxing. She could fall asleep right here, she thinks, and actually rest. It doesn't matter what happens around the fleet; what matters is that she's here with him, for now. ]

It's not boring to you. [ It might bore her, but she had always tried to take an interest in what he had been doing. ] Don't let me stop you from working anymore, if you need to.

[beathach]

[he huffs a noise, amused and fond and a little tired. As much as he's teasing Charles behind his back, he knows the real reason for Charles' appearance - he let himself go, stopped caring, and drank all his issues away.

Raven helping him is a good thing. It's another sign that he's improving, past what he's already improved upon] Not all of them, no. only a handful, and I think it was just the style they liked. You know I don't get that stuff.

[he can't help but smile wider, and. He still makes no move to get off the bed. He knows that when he does he has to take the serum again, and he knows that isn't what she wants, but - he knows she understands, too]

I suppose I can try to work. Do you want to sleep? [he tilts his head, smiling at her] I can close the door and put up a sign. Most of what I'm doing doesn't require any of the machinery.

[athru]

[ Raven knew that the Charles she had seen in Paris wasn't the man she had left behind, and she can accept that. It's strange to think that her brother was so different from the man he had been, but she had changed too - maybe neither of them had changed for the better, but it's not as if they had much choice in the matter. Regrets are chains that they can't fight anymore, and she wants to believe. She wants to imagine that the change is good and she can see the better in Charles - just as he can see the better in her.

She manages to huff a laugh, though, shaking her head and opening one eye to look at him. ] That's why you always wore a lab coat when we were at the CIA, isn't it? So you wouldn't have to worry about me seeing your awful fashion sense.

[ She's only teasing, and she kisses his palm to make sure that he's aware.

The lure of being able to sleep is a temptation she can't quite ignore, and she gives it a few seconds of thought before she opens her mouth to reply. The truth is that sleeping on the Caprine has been hard, and she's been rather tormented by her own thoughts and the whispering demons that have come out of hiding to see her. ] I don't know if I'll fall asleep, but you should work. I don't mind.

[beathach]

[he huffs right back at her, but he's smiling at her laugh] I dressed like anyone would in a professional setting. I just - looked like a kid playing dress-up, too. [and - he can't help it, he sticks out his tongue, completely childish] And I like lab coats.

[he strokes his fingers over her cheek again before he leans down to kiss her forehead] Try to, at least. And if not - then you can help me out, maybe. I could always use a second pair of eyes. [because for all that he's enhanced things, his eyes still weren't the best]

[athru]

'Professional setting.' You were adorable. [ She teases him gently, shaking her head as she tugs at his arm. It was true, though; the sweet awkwardness and the way he held himself was one of the first things that charmed her about him - and she can't deny that. ] But very smart, as well, and I don't just mean your brain.

[ Eyes closing, Raven basks in the casual intimacy before she shifts and wiggles down on the bunk, giving Hank space and the freedom to get up and head over to the desk, shifting a little before she lies back. ] If I don't get to sleep I'll do whatever you need me to do, promise.

[ She doesn't mean it as flirtatiously as it sounds, but - whatever. ]

[beathach]

[it's easier to huff at the tease then to try to counter it] I only looked like that because of the lab coat. [he remembers, how he wanted to look as professional as he could and take things incredibly seriously, and how he'd been teased about that too] I don't dress like that so much anymore. [there was no reason to.

He wants to protest, but he does push himself to his feet with a noise, and after a beat leans over to pick up his glasses where they had fallen before] We'll see. [and he braces a hand on the bed to lean in to kiss her one last time] But try to rest.

[athru]

[ Raven thinks part of his dressing the way he did was to both be professional and inconspicuous, to not draw attention to himself - and then Charles came along, all charm and ridiculousness, and blew that out of the water, changing Hank's life forever. They'd both had their lives changed by Charles, in startlingly different ways, and all she can do is shake her head. ] I still remember the first time I saw you. I think it's one of my favourite memories.

[ So many of them are tinged with bad thoughts and negatives, so the few gleeful ones they can share... Those are the ones she cherishes when she can.

One arm lifts, wrapping around him so she can lean into the kiss for a moment, no matter how brief it might be, but soon she's settling back and nodding her head. ] I'll try. [ A pause, and then - ] Thank you.

[ And she doesn't just mean for the bed. ]