[ It has been a long, painful journey for Erik Lehnsherr. Erik knows it himself: the rest of the world cannot and will not forgive him for his choices, but he never cared about that. He never cared about anything save protecting his people and ensuring their survival, their right to exist. He would have sacrificed himself far sooner if he had thought for a moment that it would make a difference, but he had tried. It has to be enough for him.

The hug isn't what he expected to happen, but he doesn't protest. The last time he and Charles had been close enough for anything like this he had still felt the weight of the entire world pressing down on his shoulders, and he's barely recovered from it all now. It's easy, then, to rest his chin on top of Charles' head, to wrap his own arms around his dearest friend and lean into him, to seek his comfort. A Charles that doesn't have his own grief and burdens on his shoulders, a Charles who still loves and accepts him as he is.

A Charles he doesn't deserve. ] To be fair, Charles, I was hardly in the best frame of mind when he took me.

[ And considering where Apocalypse took him mere days after the death of his wife and daughter... Erik was hardly in any frame of mind. He's glad Raven got through to him, he's glad he had his memories of Charles, pressing at the back of his mind, to pull him out of that pit. Otherwise he would have made the worst mistake of his life thus far. Sighing, softly, his fingers brush absently against the small of Charles' back, just enjoying the embrace.

It's nice. ] I make the right choices, in the end. I hope that only continues to be true.