All of the groovy kids are doing it.

[mind_over_metal]

1K comments, first impressions/relationship meme, where the hell did all of those comments come from so quickly, etc.. Be warned that I will be asking for reverses. Also, that this might take me a while, since yesterday's internet blackout left me quite behind.

Erik, you don't count, you're getting your own essay or something.

Comments

[mind_over_metal]

SO. LETO. BEST/WORST ROOMMATE ♥

Charles is kind of ridiculously fond of Leto. In the full sense of fond -- it's to a pretty foolish extent, and he's aware of that. Though he's aware of how extreme Leto's circumstances are and how far above him Leto is on the power scale, he still finds a lot in Leto that's... relateable, and Charles isn't used to having that. Having been a strange child, being the Smartest Guy In The Room In A Very Extreme Way (which Charles isn't with Leto, which is kind of weird and was initially pretty discomforting but he's gotten mostly used to it), the vast majority of people (including other mutants) having an instinctive (and justified) revulsion to what you are, the self-righteous sense of mission... Particularly before Erik got to camp, that relateability was something that had been lacking in Charles's life. (As for after Erik got to camp, I'll go into that over in your meme.) And of course, Charles is drawn to Leto's sharpness, power and, of course, his Sad And Alone-ness. Charles made up his mind to be Leto's friend pretty much from the get-go, and Charles is very stubborn that way. Also, there are a lot of funny levels going on, where Charles simultaneously sees Leto as a peer, a foreign entity of greater power and a lonely 15-year old kid. Charles treasures any time he gets to see the 15-year old and wants to be there for that kid as much as he can.

On a less emotional level, Leto is smart and funny and kind of a dick, so Charles likes him. The fact that he's mentally self-controlled is also nice to live with -- Charles loves his mutantbabies, but he honestly isn't at the point of being able to take sleeping in the same room as so much PTSD.

I AM THE WORST RESPONDER BUT REVERSE ME ANYWAYS

[goddamnemperor]

So Charles can read minds. Leto generally has a very negative opinion of mind-readers. However, with Charles, it's different, mostly because no matter how Leto trolls him, Charles is able to respond and even stand his ground, which is enough to earn Leto's respect. But at the same time, Leto is jealous of what Charles has. He has a purpose, he has students, people who look up to him, he has people like Erik. For Leto, what Charles has is enviable. So, when Charles claims to be his friend, Leto was a little angry and stumped. He doesn't have friends! He has people who respect him or people who get close because they are masochists. No denying Charles is a masochist, it was still a pretty genuine declaration, one that Leto has no defenses against because he had never thought of wanting a friend before. And he acknowledged that Charles is pretty similar to himself, and that, verbal foreplay aside, they can actually see eye to eye.

So Leto is going to keep being a dick, but not extremely, unless Charles is willing to push through his barriers, then all bets are off. Still, he enjoys his time with Charles and he is not likely to jeopardize it without good reason to.