All's Fair in Love and War

Chapter 13 Suit up

Erik took a deep breath after Raven left his room.

He had to admit, he hadn't been expecting the young woman to be there – and in a skimpy dress, too – and he certainly not expected her to need his reassurances that her mutation was a gift. Then again, he realized, who else could she turn to?

Charles, for all that he was open and considerate, had no idea how a young woman's mind worked (ironic for the telepath) and he never seemed to understand Raven's dilemma with her mutation... or rather her appearance. Charles's well-meaning but rather unsympathetic remarks would have done little to boost Raven's morale. Alex and Sean were not good candidates either, as Raven was closer to them than she was to Erik, and that situation could have easily turn mortifying for the parties involved considering they were all friends.

It therefore made sense that she sought him out, the only other male mutant in the group. Because Erik was very aware that Raven's sudden desperation for male acceptance had to have been caused by something between her and Hank. Why else would she have not gone to the youth in question for comfort? And why not turn to Evie or Lisa, who would likely provide instant support for their girlfriend.

Yes, Erik was certain he knew exactly why Raven had sought him out.

That said, it had felt good to finally let Raven feel confident in her own skin. Her constant disguise, hiding herself from the world out of fear that they wouldn't accept her, had irritated Erik the same way Evie's blue eyes had at first annoyed him. Of course, knowing that Evie's fear had stemmed from being recaptured by the asylum she had escaped rather than a fear of being an outcast had changed his perspective on her choice to hide her distinctive feature. Raven's disguise and fear, however, had continued to irritate him. He'd seen through her instantly and had even pointed out before how it was hypocritical of her to want others to accept her when she couldn't even accept herself.

Actually, now that he thought about it, he wondered if that was why Raven had come seeking his opinion tonight - because he was brutally honest but he'd said exactly what she needed, deep down, to hear. Either way, it was good that she was finally able to stand tall on her own two feet.

However, Erik was also glad when the blue mutant left – he still wanted to speak with Evie.

He'd intended to go find her after his game of chess with Charles, and had only stopped by his room to wash up and change in the first place. Raven's unexpected visit had delayed him and it had gotten rather late, but Erik deemed sooner would be better than later to clear the air with Evie. Hopefully, she would still be awake - and Erik felt she probably would be. With the nerves about the battle tomorrow, he thought he knew Evie well enough to guess she would be up thinking. Not to mention there was what had happened between them last night; surely, she'd want to clear that up as well.

So, after Raven had gone off to who knew where next, Erik headed down the corridors toward the women's bedrooms.

Despite only having been there once, he easily made his way to Evie's room. Pausing before the door, he remembered with a certain fondness the first time he'd stood before the heavy oak in front of him now. While not the most pleasant of circumstances, it had still been his and Evie's first time actually managing to be friendly rather than civil, and really it had been the start of their friendship. Looking back now, Erik found it somewhat amusing and embarrassing how irate he'd been when he'd first made the trip down this hallway - how things had changed since then.

He smiled to himself before taking a deep breath, and he knocked on Evie's bedroom door.

He thought he heard movement inside, but there was no answer and Erik frowned slightly. Was she already asleep? He knocked again, and there was a distinct rustle from inside; yet, again, there was no answer.