Prompt Post: ROUND FIVE
ROUND FIVE IS CLOSED
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<< ROUND FOUR | ALL ROUNDS | ROUND SIX >>
Rules post.
Posting Guidelines.
Flat view.
Updates Post (WIPs only)
Fills Post (completed Fills only)
damalur's firstclasskink on Delicious.
Volunteers always welcome.
There is a delay on comments appearing when there is a URL in the message body. This is due to an LJ anti-spam ( Read more... )
It was nearing eleven at night as they approached the bus station. Both of them were exhausted. Erik was grumpy. Charles was doing the best to mask the pain that accompanied both his failure and the anger he still felt in the child’s voice. And their bus didn’t arrive until 1.30.
Thankfully, they had at least (mostly) dried off from the day’s adventures by the time they took their seats on the empty metal bench.
Despite the late hour, there were enough people in the station to make it lively, and Charles was pressing the palms of his hands to his forehead with intensity in an attempt to drown out the noise of their thoughts. For a moment, Erik pitied him, even wanted to help, but he had his own problems to deal with, and Charles was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. So instead of expressing concern for his friend, Erik leaned back on the bench and glanced up to the ceiling, contouring the metal of his seat to make it more comfortable.
Charles was still rubbing his forehead. When he thought he wouldn’t notice, Erik did the same courtesy for him.
“Thank you.” Was it possible to hide anything from this man?
“I didn’t do anything.”
In response, Charles chuckled quietly. Erik could only imagine what he thought of him.
“I don’t think poorly of you, either, Erik.” The professor smiled and looked up at his taller friend. His eyes were sleepier than Erik remembered, and for a moment he feared for his consciousness. But Charles pressed on, seemingly unaffected by the sleep that was threatening to take him. “I just find it amusing that you still think you can lie to me.” The smile that had been playing across his face turned into a grin as Charles looked down at the floor, clearly amused. “You project your thoughts too -“ He yawned. “I’m sorry - too loudly for me to not pay attention.”
Erik smiled and nodded his understanding before looking away and counting the number of cracks in the floor.
He would be glad when they were rid of this place. It was bad for him. It was bad for Charles. It was -
Suddenly, Erik felt a weight on his shoulder.
Upon further examination of this weight, he found that it was Charles. Asleep. From the looks of it, he had been leaning on the back of the bench and had accidentally fallen over him.
Erik placed his arms on his friend’s shoulders and tried to stand him up. But that didn’t work, and soon the sleeping Charles was once again resting his head against his friend’s shoulder.
He wanted to be angry that he had fallen asleep on him. He wanted to hit him to wake him up, or at the very least shove him in the opposite direction. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. Awake, Charles had been in pain - he felt guilty, and he looked horribly distressed despite his optimistic tone. Asleep, he took on a completely different persona. He was relaxed now, comfortable. The pained expression was gone, and in its place was a look of complete bliss. He was happy like that.
Erik couldn’t take that away from him.
So slowly, carefully, the more conscious of the two wrapped his arm around the other, shifting to let him rest further against his shoulder. With a little more adjustment, Charles’s forehead was resting in the crook of Erik’s neck, and soon Erik could feel his slow, repetitive breaths on his collarbone.
Usually he would shy away from the sensation, but at this moment he welcomed it. It was comforting, knowing he was actually doing some good for the person he cared about, and as long as Charles never found out, no harm would be done. Erik could still be respectable and Charles could still get his sleep.
Without further contemplation about their situation, Erik buried his face in Charles’s hair, taking in the familiar aroma that he had grown so accustomed to over their long expedition. It was a comforting smell, and for the moment he let himself get lost in it.
A woman glared at them.
Erik crinkled a stray piece of aluminum foil into a ball before throwing it in her direction.
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However, I adore both of these fills. I must say that I find your fill particularly endearing simply for the last few paragraphs. I love how we can tell that Erik's irritation is due to his affection for Charles, but that it isn't fully stated until the very end. It's lovely. :)
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Poor sleepy, disappointed Charles. I absolutely love how Erik takes care of him, thinking Charles would never be the wiser. And the tin-foil ball at the end was so perfect. XD
*loves*
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Ha! I'm glad you liked that. I didn't know how to end it so I was pretty much just like "This works." xD
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