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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at JMU chapter.

Warning: Violence & spoilers for X-Men: First Class and other X-Men films.

I’m convinced Charles Xavier (Professor X) and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) are in love. Here are 10 scenes of them from X-Men: First Class to prove it.

living room chess

Playing chess is something the pair often does together and it’s usually accompanied by an intimate conversation. It’s kind of their thing. Charles would later play chess with Erik while visiting him in prison with a not all suspicious tension between them. One night while playing together in Charles’s home, which they now share (with the other X-Men but still), Erik confesses his plans to get revenge on the man responsible for his mother’s death and who experimented on him as a child. Erik asks “Do you have it in you to allow that?” Charles responds through barely contained tears, “Killing Shaw will not bring you peace,” desperately wanting to preserve the goodness of his husband’s Erik’s soul.

Erik Deciding to stay with Charles

Charles’s meeting with a CIA agent about locating and assembling a team of mutants is interrupted by Erik, who Charles previously believed to have left. He beams at him, “Erik, you decided to stay!” followed by a lingered, heart-eyed stare between the two of them. Erik says that he believes that he and Charles should locate the mutants instead of the CIA. When the agent objects, Charles responds, “I’m sorry, but I’m with Erik.” Charles desperately wants to be accepted by non-mutant society. Cooperating with the CIA would ensure this. BUT he puts his foot down and even threatens to pull out of the project, putting his aspirations at risk, so that he could travel around the country with his lover Erik.

Charles Going after erik

When Erik attempts to leave, Charles runs after him and begs him to stay. Eriks asks, “What do you know about me?” to which Charles responds, “everything,” as he holds his boyfriend’s Erik’s gaze. I think that speaks for itself. Later in this confrontation, Erik says “I don’t need your help,” and Charles retorts, “Don’t kid yourself, you needed my help last night.” Which could mean anything…but it is actually referring to when Charles saved Erik from drowning.

charles choosing Erik over Moira

While communicating with Erik telepathically, Charles is able to get into the mind of the antagonist, Shaw, and freeze him. As he struggles with the effort, his canon love interest asks if he is okay to which Charles responds, “Moira, be quiet.” In my opinion, he would not have talked to Erik that way. The difference in chemistry between Charles and Erik vs. Charles and Moira is stark, plus Cherik interact with each other far more frequently and intensely than Charles and Moira do. AND Charles was trying to keep his concentration to protect his love Erik from further harm.

Trying cerebro

Charles tests out a new invention meant to amplify his powers. Erik sizes him up as he is strapped to the machine and remarks, “What an adorable lab rat you make, Charles.” (I mean, come on.) You can also see the concern in his eyes as he says “I’ve been a lab rat, I know one when I see one.” He’s conflicted as he doesn’t want his hubby Charles to go through the same trauma that he did while also knowing that the machine is the only way that they will be able to assemble a team in time to fight Shaw.

Charles seeing erik’s favorite memory

In training, Erik is having trouble developing his power. Charles believes he can grow his power by finding “the point between rage and serenity.” He asks consent to look inside Erik’s mind as he searches for this, before landing on an old, fond memory. We watch with Charles as a young Erik celebrates Hanukkah with his mother before she was killed in the Holocaust. Both of them visibly crying (that’s not even an exaggeration), Charles softly thanks Erik for allowing him to see such a beautiful memory. He tells the love of his life Erik, “There’s so much more to you than you know. Not just pain and anger. There’s good too. I felt it.” Tell me they’re not in love.

Charles diving into the ocean for erik

Erik attempts to hold Shaw’s submarine, using his power of controlling metal, to keep him from getting away. Charles senses this and with no hesitation, he dives into the deep open ocean. Fully clothed. At night. Charles convinces his boo Erik to let the sub go, saving his life, and tells him he’s not alone. This was how they met.

charles trying to stop erik falling to his death

Erik once again uses his power on Shaw’s submarine, this time on a mission with the X-Men. He clings to the wheel of the team’s plane, straining with the effort to pull the submarine out of the sea. Charles uses his telepathy to speak in Erik’s mind, guiding him to success. A mutant working with Shaw creates a tornado around the aircraft in an attempt to free the sub. Erik struggles to hold onto the plane, leading Charles to scream, “ERIK TAKE MY HAND!” to keep him from plummeting into the ocean. Erik takes his lover boy’s Charles’s hand and is yanked back inside.

Erik protecting charles during a plane crash

The previously mentioned tornado rips the wing off of the plane. As they crash onto a beach, Erik dramatically throws himself on top of Charles, desperately trying to protect him…as soulmates friends do.

Erik cradling Injured charles’s in his lap

Finally, After Erik takes his revenge on Shaw and decides to declare war on non-mutants, he accidentally deflects a bullet into Charles’s spine and immediately drops everything to go help. When others try to help, Erik yells for them to back off while pulling Charles’s limp body into his lap. He cradles the back of Charles’s head in one hand while the other rests on his chest. He then tries to kill Moira, who shot the gun from which the bullet came. Erik tells the man he’s meant to spend his life with Charles, “I want you by my side,” as they’re both crying and staring longingly into each other’s eyes. This is literally a break up.

Alyssa is a first year psychology major at JMU from northern New Jersey. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, reading, and spending time with her dog, Brinnie.