xmfc drabble: the return of the coelacanth, pg

Everything about him that was good, noble, and worthy - all of that had left him years before, Erik thought. It was dead and buried in the ground, long ago. Barely even a memory, if no one alive had ever seen it.

Charles disagreed. Of course he did. Just because you can't see it, he said, doesn't mean it isn't there still. I found something that night, unexpected and precious in the ocean waters, and your heart still beats, your blood still runs. Trust me: I know these things. I'm a scientist. Listen to me. Listen. Trust me. Kiss me again.