Can't Forget (CharlesxReader) One-Shot

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Charles asked you. “Once I do this, there’s no going back.”

“Yes please,” you nodded, trying to hold back the tears. “Just give me a fresh new start.”

He clenched his jaw. “But this isn’t the answer. I can help you.”

You smiled weakly. “No you can’t…You have tried your hardest, Charles. This painful memory I have will only eat me away. I need you to do this, please.”

Ever since the incident, you had never been the same. While walking home one night, you were rapped by an older man who then beat you when you tried to use your powers to defend yourself. But he wasn’t angry that you had tried to defend yourself. No, it was because he then realized that you were not normal at all and indeed a mutant. He found the idea that he had just had sex with a mutant repulsing and beat you for it, leaving bruises all over your body.

No matter how hard you tried, no matter how hard Charles had tried, the pain of the memory just couldn’t fade away.

“You’re doing a good thing, Charles,” you smiled weakly at him.

“It doesn’t feel like it,” he muttered.

“But you are,” you insisted, your voice dropping to a soft whisper. “You’re saving my piece of mind—my sanity. This is the only way, Charles. You know it.”

He leaned over, his thumb stroking your cheek as a half-hearted smile formed on his lips. His eyes searched yours for any other answer to your problem. He truly wished that you wouldn’t make him do a such thing but Charles wasn’t blind. He could see that this traumatic experience was eating away at the very core of your soul. You could barely function in society anymore. But was forgetting the only way to save you?

“You once said something,” Charles spoke up. “Said something to me about…memories. What was it?”

Your lips quirked upwards in a smile as you looked off into the distance. Funny that Charles would bring up such a thing now. The concept of memories always intrigued you and the way that they functioned. Humans and mutants were almost one in the same. Both affected by memories of pain and love, both experiencing such things and never quite being able to move past it. ‘Moving on’ never worked for you. There was always a part of you that wanted to go back, to see what could have been or if it would have all just be the same had you not made certain decisions. But the more you thought about, if you had a choice to go back in time to fix something, you most likely wouldn’t take the opportunity.

“What isn’t remembered, never happened,” you began like so many other times before, eyes locking on his. “Memory is merely a record…you just need to rewrite that record.”

The words seemed to sink into his brain for the very first time. He thought that maybe if he heard you say it again that it would make this task easier for him. He understood your concept of thinking better now however it still didn’t make this situation easier.

“Are you sure about this?” Charles asked. “Are you absolutely positive?”

“I’m sure, Charles. Please…just help me end this already.”

He sighed. “Alright then…”

Charles placed his index finger and middle finger to your temple, your eyes closing when his skin touched yours. The situation was ironic in the sense that you had always wanted a simple touch from Charles. His skin felt so smooth and warm against your own that it brought a faint smile to your lips. Charles hesitated but leaned in slowly. It wasn’t until you felt his warm breath tickling your mouth that you realized that his face was inches from yours. Your eyes opened slightly, your (e/c) orbs staring into his clear, blue ones.

“Just promise me one thing,” he whispered. “Promise me, that you won’t forget who you are in the inside. Promise that you won’t forget that being a mutant doesn’t make your life any less valuable than someone who is not.

“But please I beg you,” he said. “Please promise, that you won’t forget me.”

You cupped his cheek with your hand. “Forgetting you is something my mind simply won’t be able to do. You’re burned into my mind, Charles. And I don’t mind that.”

“Good,” he whispered before his lips brushed against your own.

And like the flicker of a switch, your memories were rewritten.

♣♣♣Extended Ending♣♣♣

He was walking down a busy city street, not quite sure where he was going when he had seen you. You were walking on the opposite street, a determined look on your face since it looked like you were trying to catch a bus that would be leaving any moment now. Despite wearing heels, you broke out into a sprint. He watched intently as you ran past people who didn’t even catch a glimpse of you being there until a gust of wind produced by you blew their hair back.

He grinned.

You had been able to find your powers again and learn how to control them.

He at least found this comforting. To see you being able to function in the world made him happy. You were now just seconds away from the bus that was about to leave so he decided to leave himself. The moment he turned around and took two steps, he had bumped into a young woman.

“I’m so sorry,” he immediately apologized and his eyes then locked onto a person he’d thought he’d never make contact with again.

You.

“It’s alright,” you smiled nervously. “All my fault really.”

He turned back to the bus stop to see that the bus was gone now but then how? Could you really move that fast? The idea stunned and impressed him. Your powers had become something greater than he had ever imagined them to be. He always saw the potential in you and now he felt so proud to see that you had explored your powers.

Charles opened his mouth to say that he had just seen you across the street a moment ago but that’s how it all started in the first place. That was how he had met you. He had seen you move from one place to another in a flash. This time, you were faster and this time, he wanted to take things slow.

“Excuse me for being blunt,” he chuckled. “But you’re really pretty; stunning in fact. Would you like to get a cup of coffee with me?”

The red color that rose to your cheeks made him smile at the fond memories he had with you. Every time he would look you in the eyes and call you beautiful or whenever he said that he was proud of you, the same color would rise to your cheeks. It made him blush slightly now.

“Now?” you asked.

“If that’s alright with you.”

“I would like that actually,” you nodded.

Already the two of you walked in step with each other towards the nearest coffee shop. He saw you look at him curiously through the corner of his eyes. He said nothing of it, just content with the fact that he had been able to start over with you. In a sense, it was like he was getting a second chance to be with you.

“I’m sorry,” you laughed suddenly. “But now it’s my turn to be blunt with you.”

“Oh?” he grinned at you.

“Yes,” you nodded. “You look awfully familiar to me. To be honest I ran into you on purpose because of this. It’s like I’ve seen you before…in a dream perhaps. Have we met before?”