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[ charles had rather imagined that moving off base would put the bulk of their cia contacts on the back burner. it's not that he didn't trust them, rather that he had to think of the safety of the students ahead of anything else. that and he was becoming increasingly convinced that erik, at least, was right in a specific regard. the two of them were the ones who should be training the other mutants. no suits.

but howard stark, as he will loudly declare to anyone listening, is far from a suit. and he seems particularly interested in proving it to anyone willing to listen. charles, on some level, winds up drawn to anyone who considers themselves an outsider, and howard's a curious mix of faultless intelligence and brash honesty. a little like hank with none of hank's quiet self deprecation.

he's not an undesirable choice for someone to get drinks with, all things considered. aside from a quiet night here and there in his study with erik and the chessboard, it's been awhile since charles has actually been drinking. it's all right, though. like riding a bicycle. ]

We taught someone to fly today.

[ that's a good conversation starter, isn't it? impressive. charles is practically glowing over how pleased he is about how that turned out, although the look he shoots erik is slightly conspiratorial. they're not talking about how sean started flying.

because he's pretty sure that's child abuse. ]

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(howard wasn't a suit. it was plain and simple. he wasn't, he never had been, he never would be. they were simply a means to an end. dollars in the bank. an easy way out when some of his more personal experiments went awry. also, he was worried. the government had screwed him over in the past when it came to using, or rather, abusing his creations. he didn't want them doing that with their nuclear weapons program, and so he was here to watch over and make sure that nothing went awry.

there was, of course, his connection to steve rogers, too, america's hero, the super soldier, that kept him relevant too. they were trying to pressure him into recreating the serum, they had exhausted the vials of blood that had been left behind when he was lost in the sea (save the one howard had tucked away, but he didn't speak of that), and he was, as they put it, their only hope. he didn't believe in that, though. the serum wouldn't create another steve rogers, because there was no other man on earth like steve rogers. he puttered around in the lab when they expected him to be working on it, delivering them bleak results with a shrug of his shoulder. maybe next time, he'd say. there would be no next time.

but then suddenly a new hope had come. mutants. people with abilities to do things of the supernatural state. at first howard's interest had been merely scientific. it was interesting, perhaps this would keep them from trying to recreate steve rogers for a while. then the focus had been shifted when suddenly the countries nuclear weapons direction had been shifted. he didn't like that, and since they claimed they knew the reason, it became even more interesting to him. and then he had met them, and his interest had quickly shifted from professional to something far more personal.

tonight he was taking them out. to celebrate, he had told them. celebrate what? the fact that he exists he'd all but sung down the phone before handing it over to his butler, who had given them the time and the place, where they were currently seat in a private booth far away from the rest of the crowd.

there were martinis all around, and howard was pleasantly rosy in the cheeks as he leaned over towards charles, mouth opening slightly in awe. for all the miraculous things he did, they would never be as incredible as what they were doing.)

Seriously?

(he glanced at erik and laughed.) Well hot damn, you're going to be putting me out of business if you keep at that.

(he took a sip of his martini and let out a soft huff.) When do I get to come up there and see all of this? I want to watch.

[the truth was, erik didn't like howard. to be fair, erik didn't like a lot of people. he was starting to relax now that they'd moved to charles' place, away from the eyes of the government and people with their stupid, unending, unnecessary questions about them. it wasn't so much that he minded people knowing what they were (on the contrary, he'd prefer it if they did), but humans always and inevitably turned things around to make it something that could benefit them.

and howard was no exception. there were things howard said that honestly made erik's skin crawl. part of him knew howard never meant it the way it sounded, but scientific approach was one thing when it came from charles and a whole other thing when it came from the man who had created the super soldier.

against his better judgment, he begrudgingly trusted howard anyway. for charles' sake. charles was of the opinion that they had to trust someone, and as the two of them had reiterated multiple times, howard had no more love for the government than any of them. not that it mattered to erik - people could have all kinds of nasty intentions with or without the government condoning them.

so naturally he's surprised when he gets asked out for drinks but the promise of drinks on howard was a nice olive branch and the gin was pretty good at the place he'd chosen.

he laughs a little at charles' comment. it's true, it made it seem a lot more innocent than it had been but hey banshee was learning something from it and no one had set the totality of the house on fire or died yet, so it seemed like there were all basically ahead here.]

It's true - although he was very nervous. He's a lot more powerful than he gives himself credit for.

[he turns to howard, considering]

You have to give them time, they're still learning.

[it's a dodge. he'd rather say "never," but he gets the feeling charles wouldn't totally accept that.]

[ charles has to trust someone because he has to trust that working in conjunction with the cia was the right call to make. erik has been in favor of a split between them and the government since practically the beginning, and it was charles who resisted, until darwin's death proved that they had to work better to protect their students. and the cia agents who'd died as a result of shaw's incursion. they don't deserve to be caught up in the mutant conflict. and the last thing charles wanted was any more tension between mutants and the government.

so they moved, and they're safer, and the house is big enough that charles doesn't even really notice that there are a dozen people living there instead of two. the proximity of all those young, excited minds close to his own in a house that was always quiet has been a welcome change. he feels -- content. wary, but happier than he's been since the start of all this. for the first time instead of grasping at straws, he feels as if they're building the foundations of something truly long-lasting.

of course that means he's eager to share it with howard, who seems a like-minded individual as possible without him being a mutant, but charles understands that the distinction means something to erik. and he's trying to respect the other man's preferences as much as he would want erik to respect his own. so -- drinks, but not at the mansion. and talking about the training without maybe having him there for it.

yet, anyway. charles holds out hope that they'll be able to bridge their differences and come together one day. ]

Right. I'm not sure we're insured for... [ erik pushing banshee off the satellite dish, alex setting the whole bomb shelter on fire, countless cuts and scrapes and mild sprains from the day to day physical training. ] Visitation, just yet.

[ he throws howard a cheerful little wink, but he's still holding erik's line. unlike erik, however, charles's concern is as much for howard's safety as their own. it would be quite a waste of an extraordinary mind. and even though charles is rather optimistic when it comes to allying with humans, he's not quite so naive as to imagine that they can afford to turn aside anyone who's amenable to working with them. ]

At least let me replace the fire extinguishers, first.

It's not like I'm going to come out and test them. (howard's eyes seem to flare up in an instant at erik's comment. it's so loud and clear just how much he dislikes him that he doesn't need to be a telepath to grasp its range. in some ways he can see where the distrust stems from, he knows, vaguely, about his past, if not so much what shaw did to him personally, but the war in general, but he would have thought that would have lead him to want to bring people together. it certainly had howard, watching it the way he had as a young boy. of course, he never spoke of that, not just to them, but to anyone in general. of the family he lost, and all.

sometimes he wonders if erik is trying to bait him. sometimes he's quite sure he is. he tries not to bite, though, if not for his own sake, but for charles's. because he genuinely likes charles, and quite a bit.) I just want to see the potential. Besides, I miss having Hank around.

(hank had been a good friend of his, even when he hadn't known about the mutation. he too had been exceedingly interested in project rebirth, and the subsequent research on steve's blood. and he'd been the only one who'd really understood how much howard was holding back in regards for the research of it.

ignoring him may be the best course of action, and so he does, turning his body and therefore his full attention to charles and he gives him a fond eye roll.)

I'm rich, Charles, I'm sure I could cover whatever damages I may cause.

(The wink makes a warmth bubble through him, and his cheeks would turn pink had they not already been so from drink.) Oh come on now, Charlie. It's not really a party until there's a fire. I've started plenty of my own. Just ask Hank. I nearly blow myself up on a weekly basis.

None of us are hurting for money, you know that's not the point. [he finishes off the martini he's working on. it was just as well that howard didn't know, and frankly, he didn't want him to. it was easier this way than pity, which was something he certainly didn't need any of.

bringing people together, though? that wasn't going to happen. the distrust he felt now was already strong, roots that had taken hold a long time ago and would only continue to grow as events played out the way they did. not that he gave mutants a pass for their genetics, either. but not trusting anyone was a lot safer than setting yourself up to get hurt whether intentionally or otherwise.

in his own way, he worried for charles more than anything. he was going to get in over his head and learn that lesson that hard way. and he had no desire to see that happen.

of course while erik is contemplating Big Picture Questions, charles and howard are making eyes at each other. gross.]

The future of modern science, ladies and gentlemen, nearly blowing himself up on a weekly basis.

[ charles has always been eager to mend bridges and foster relations. in some ways retreating to what he thinks of as their house now has been the first genuine step back he's taken. it was always just him and raven before; he never had to question his ability to protect the two of them, but the group got bigger and the government got involved and he had to become very selective very quickly.

he's still not entirely sure about this: training children to fight. but erik pointed out that they weren't children anymore, not really, and he was outvoted. in the interests of keeping the piece, charles does know when he's beat.

he's able to accept defeat gracefully, in the few times it's come up. ]

Mm.

[ charles casts a look toward erik, just to see whether that's going to lead to another crack about his heritage, but it slides by without landing a blow. it's not really a secret, his background, but he hasn't disclosed certain particulars by virtue of wanting to keep the house in westchester a secret. but it's not untrue that they aren't hurting for money. charles could support the school -- well, indefinitely. ]

I'm sorry, are you trying to get an invitation by telling me you blow things up? I'm sure that's hardly your best attribute.

[ he's not particularly keen on mediating the tension between erik and howard all night, but he knew what he'd be getting into when he agreed to this. charles glances between the two of them, weighing his words before he deflects the topic somewhere else. ]

What about your place?

You can't make progress without a little risk.

(and that's all he'll say on that matter. some of the greatest breakthroughs howard had had came from an explosion here and there. most notably was the creation of the arc reactor that currently fuelled his facility in california, which had come from experimentation with the tesseract that had been dredged up from the bottom of the ocean floor as he searched for steve. it was a true force of extreme power, and so unlocking it hadn't been easy. he had, though, and now had a great source of energy only he had tapped.

howard would make eyes at erik too, he had been on his mind after all when he had first met the group, that was, naturally, before erik had opened his mouth the first time, and from there it had all gone down hill and soured. but charles was worth putting up with him, for his mind was once that was fascinating. and that was even without the telepathy thing. he doesn't want to make charles mediate between them. it's not fair to him.

he laughs at charles's comment, shrugging his shoulders a tad.)

No. I'm just saying that a a little fire and brimstone doesn't scare me. If I get to go home with you, I'll do whatever you want.

(His eyebrows waggle, briefly, at that, and then took a small sip of his martini.)

Which one? (snerk.)

The mansion? Mhm, it's alright. Nicely sized, has its own lab. I like it.

[erik wasn't actively trying to be antagonistic tonight, though, it was just a thing that happened. if howard got to know him better, he'd notice the difference between Should I Trust This Guy and I Actually Have A Real Problem With You. truly, howard was sitting on the good end of this spectrum here.

he arches an eyebrow at howard's choice remark there and that look that definitely confirmed the innuendo that he was at least sarcastic about.]

On the first date? Aiming a little high, don't you think?

Edited 2015-04-12 00:19 (UTC)

[ well that's -- marginally more friendly, isn't it? charles will take whatever he can get, honestly. he's confident enough in his own interactions with erik, but when it comes to other people it's always a gamble. he's kind enough to the children, downright abrasive when it comes to hank, a little overly solicitous with raven, the aforementioned incident with the satellite... it makes it hard to pin down how he'll react to any given person on any given day.

overall mutants fare better than humans, but charles is convinced there shouldn't be such distinct lines between the two of them. and it's possible he spends entirely too much time dwelling on the way erik thinks about things. ]

I wouldn't say it's really... [ charles ducks his head, toying with the stem of his glass. ] It's more of a school than. What you're used to.

[ what he's referring to. ahem. he's read about howard in the papers. ]

Aiming for the stars. Scientist, remember. (His tongue clicks, and he takes another drink.) There's a reason I want to be part of the team that puts man on the moon. I aim high, and I always hit my target.

(this derailed quicker than he originally planned, but he wasn't about to turn it down.

he has to laugh at charles's reply, though. as if he was thinking that.)

I do want to play in your lab, or whatever you have set up too. And I am interested in seeing what you have going on with the kids. (Kids, he says, they're all less than ten years younger than him.) I'm just trying to ensure that it doesn't seen like I'm out with nefarious intent.

(And then, since the first comment had gone over somewhat well, he'll continue.) Unless that something you're into. But I'll show you mine if you promise to show me yours some day.

[it's okay, they all referred to them as children. it didn't matter how close in age any of them were, the fact of the matter was that with the way things had turned out, charles and erik ended up being something of custodians of the rest of the group and hence the distinction.

a distinction that, apparently, did not dissuade erik from hitting on raven. but he never really put her in the same group as the rest of them.]

Forward and kinky. Looks like you've found yourself quite the man, Charles.

[ charles nudges his knee against erik's under the table in response, because it's more polite than kicking him and because if charles has a heart that makes him too open and hopeful then those traits are always turned first in erik's direction. he has faith in him, not only to be the right partner for this endeavor but also to be able to grow beyond his means, transcending the frankly horrific nature of his upbringing. he knows that erik can do it. it's just a matter of making sure that erik knows it too, sometimes.

so sometimes charles pushes him a little socially, but he would never do anything (he hopes) to make him genuinely uncomfortable. it's just that he does think that they can trust howard. and more than that, charles likes him on a personal level. for someone who grew up with one friend well into adulthood -- well, it means something to him to have any kind of connection with another person. ]

Even I don't venture into the lab that often.

[ this mostly being because he never knows whether he's going to walk in on hank and raven and in such a big house it should really be easier to give everyone their privacy, and yet. ]

But it's nothing personal, you know. Most of the CIA thought I was a Russian spy before we branched off.

[ so the wariness extends two ways, at least. ]

(howard has less faith, not directly in erik as a person, he hardly knows him as such, but less hope that he could be considered, at some point in the future, a friend, whereas charles is quite friendly, and he intrigues him. in some ways, erik does too, of course. he has the whole international man of mystery thing going on about him, but at the same time, he doesn't leave much room for having a chance for it to develop into genuine intrigue. howard is no stranger to barbs, he has his own, too, but there are gaps left between them for people to slide in, and he seems to have none.

but he is here, and howard is going to be as civil as he can be. that's not just something exclusive to erik, but in general.)

I'm sure I could give you a reason to come in.

(because if erik was going to call what he was doing flirting, he might as well embrace it, right? he laughs a little at charles's comment, pressing his lips together in amusement.) The CIA has its way of being suspicious about the people they need. They're scared of people who can outsmart them. As they should be, but paranoia isn't a pretty colour on anyone if you ask me.

[something like flirting at least, if not with howard than certainly in some roundabout way. for all that charles might be pushing, part of him is putting up and going along with it. because if charles ever managed to push him too far, he'd just walk away. he's an adult mutant with that ability, and is probably more willing than just about anyone charles interacts with to go andd actually do it. if he's here - which he is - it's because he wants to be.

but howard's comment visibly pleases erik, at least. feel free to compliment their intelligence and simultaneously demean the CIA as much as possible.]

Now if only they could find the right delicate balance of the two. But that might require more forethought.

Delicate balances are my specialty.

[ he offers howard a smile, committing temporarily to playing along instead of trying to mediate. the former's a lot more fun anyway. there's really only so long that charles can go without rising to the occasion when it comes to flirting. their lives have been terribly busy with more serious matters lately, but that doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy cutting loose every now and then.

stress relief takes many forms, and here and now is when charles decides to relax a little about the tension whether real or imagined between erik and howard. it's not his problem. ]

I suppose that's why none of us really fit in there.

Are they? You'll have to show me how to walk the line, I've never been very good at that.

(Howard swirled a finger around the rim of his now empty martini glass. A small smile formed on his lips before he tossed a glance over his shoulder. There was a simple flick of his finger, and a few moments later the waitress was at their table with three fresh drinks for them, though Howard kept his eyes on Charles the whole time.

He cast a glance to Erik now, is he winning him over? Probably not, buy maybe a little.)

I wouldn't like you half as much as I do if you tried to. (He sipped the fresh drink and shrugged.) Someone has to stick around and make sure they don't screw up, though.

[they do deserve fun, even if erik is really bad at it. but the fresh drinks might just help with that and they're all doing their best to make steps in that direction.

drinks and insulting the cia - good night or great night.]

That may be too big of a task for any of us.

It's true, my diplomacy's grown by leaps and bounds since we began this little venture.

[ no more getting mistaken for a russian spy anymore. charles leans his face in one hand, impressed and appreciating the ease with which howard orders them all new drinks.

charles retrieves his fresh martini, smiling over the compliment. ]

We do what we can. [ that's his philosophy when it comes to a lot of things. ] You do admirable work, Mr. Stark. Howard.

There's no task that's too big for anyone. As long as you have the right people on the job, nothing is impossible.

(Maybe he's being a little too deep right now. He should drink more, which he does, happily helping himself to the fresh martini and taking a liberal sip from it. They can't all be telepaths, but that doesn't mean he can't have some control of a room, and all.)

As do I. (Howard smiles then, ducking his head for just a moment.) Thank you, Charles. As do you. I'm still reeling over everything you did with cerebro. You know, I went to England a couple weeks ago and swung by Oxford so I could read your thesis. It was fascinating. I feel like I should ask you to sign my copy, but I didn't bring it with me.

[if only erik's diplomacy had grown by leaps and bounds...ever, really. it would keep him from eying them both at this very obvious exchange of compliments. he's not here to be anyone's third wheel unless this is a specifically three-wheeled car.]

Oh yes, talk about his thesis. No better way to flatter him, and we can all use the excuse to get drunk while we pretend to listen.

[ the way to charles's heart is through genetics, and specifically through the discussion of his academic pursuits. most of the people he's been close to in his life (raven) have always been too bored to take his research seriously. which he can understand, and he tolerates it with good humor for the most part, but it's undeniable that he blooms a little under the unexpected compliment. ]

You don't really have a copy.

[ erik he is going to kick you under the table so help him. ]

If you've forgotten it at home, we ought to swing by so I can take care of that for you.

[ he's going to punctuate that statement by taking a large sip of his martini, awfully thirsty all of a sudden. ]

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