Cherik Fanfiction: There is no Future Without You - 4/7
Title: There is no Future Without You
Word Count: 5 805
Pairing: Cherik
Fandom: X-Men: First Class
Rating: M ...? I'm honestly bad at figuring out what rating things should be - Just look at the warnings.
Warnings: Love of the homosexual nature. Implications of sexual situations. Oh, and swearing.
Summary: Charles and Erik were friends when they were children - Until certain circumstances tore them apart. Many years later, when Erik moves to England so that he can study at Oxford University, he certainly doesn't expect to run into his childhood friend again.In fact, he doesn't expect any of the events that follow.
Notes: This is something that I wrote for
ile_o, who drew this amazingly cute fanart for me (Which can be found here), gushing about how much she wanted to see a fic where Charles and Erik meet as children - But with the age difference. And this is my response to that cos the image just wouldn't leave me alone. So, here it is darling, and I hope to the gods of Tuesday that you like it. >///<
You really ought to read Part One, Two, and Three first
~X~
There are certain things that Erik and Charles don’t talk about, unspoken lines that each doesn’t cross - Charles doesn’t ask about Erik’s mother, and Erik doesn’t ask about what happened to Charles’ parents.
Now that he remembers, Erik knows that Charles used to talk a lot about his father, practically worshipped the man. Now, however …Erik doesn’t hear him say a single thing about his father, or his mother, and it makes Erik curious. He wants to know what happened, but he also doesn’t know whether he’s allowed to ask.
It isn’t until they’re playing chess one Tuesday night (And Erik doesn’t know why they’re even bothering to play since they both know Charles is going to win), when Erik finally finds out.
“It’s his anniversary today,” Charles hums in barely more than a whisper, and Erik can see something heavy lurking behind Charles’ eyes, so he doesn’t say a thing and simply waits. “My father, that is,” Charles continues after a few moments, and Erik’s eyes flick up to Charles with surprise.
Still, he says nothing. Though his tongue is dying to form words like What happened?, Erik understands that Charles will tell him when he’s ready to.
He’s rewarded for his silence after a few more moves. Charles suddenly leans back in his chair, clasps his hands tightly in his lap, and crosses one leg over the other. There’s something about the pose that is all but screaming ‘Serious’ to Erik, even without taking into account the way that Charles is chewing on his lower lip and looking off into the distance. Erik can see from the set of Charles’ brow that he’s made the decision to tell him though, and so the metal bender simply leans back in his chair and waits.
And, after a few more moments of deliberation, Charles finally says in a soft voice, “He died, you know. When I was thirteen. It was some kind of freak accident - A haemorrhage in his brain that killed him instantly. The worst of it was that I was right there. I was right there, and I could feel it as if I were experiencing it myself. It was … Horrible - One second he was fine, he had actually laughing at me, and then all of a sudden …” Charles stopped himself and swallowed, “The next second there was just nothing. Even when the paramedics came, all I could do was tell them how it was too late and that he was gone. It was more upsetting to see them try and revive him and know that they wouldn’t be able to, to feel their disgust that his own son didn’t even care for them to try.”
Charles was biting at his lip again, and there were unshed tears in his eyes and Erik knew that he should be saying something, but he knew all too well that being told ‘I’m sorry’ does absolutely nothing for the pain. So, instead, Erik reached a hand over to grasp Charles’ shoulder and told him, “He’d be proud of you.”
Watery blue eyes fixed onto Erik’s then, and Charles’ lips twisted into a genuinely thankful smile as he breathed, “I hope so,” before titling his head thoughtfully as he continued, “As for my mother - I haven’t spoken to her in years. She never understood me and, foolish as it sounds, she always felt threatened by the way my father seemed to favour me. I absolutely hated living with her, to be honest. She was rather cold and was always far too concerned with how to make more money, even though we already had enough. So, I packed up my things and moved here as soon as I had access to my inheritance and then there was also …”
Abruptly, Charles cut himself off, only this time Erik had the distinct impression that it was because he was hiding something. And, although Erik narrowed his eyes suspiciously at this, he also chose to respect the fact that Charles had his own secrets. “Well, it was just better that I moved here and brought Raven along. Hank and Azazel followed shortly after, and then,” Erik cocked his head at the warm smile that suddenly lit up Charles’ entire face, and was irrationally jealous at whoever that smile was for. Until Charles added with his eyes locking on to Erik’s, that warm and happy smile still firmly in place “… You came,” and for just a moment Erik felt the breath leave his lungs.
Charles continued to look over at him with that smile of his, and he was so warm and open and trusting, that Erik didn’t feel worthy. He was sure that, one day, he would surely break the man he’d come to hold closest to his heart, because Erik seemed to only bring ruin to those he allowed close to him, and he just didn’t know what he would do if something bad ever happened to Charles. He didn’t know what he would do if he was the cause of it.
Completely oblivious to Erik’s inner turmoil, Charles stretched an arm out and allowed his hand to rest atop Erik’s, his thumb brushing the skin there fondly.
“You’ve no idea how pleased I was to find you again,” the telepath said, his eyes still open and fixated on Erik’s.
And Erik had no idea to respond to that, so he simply levitated his rook forward, and said, “We’d best finish this if we plan to sleep tonight Charles,” before removing his jacket, because the fact that he could feel warmth in his cheeks surely meant that the room was too warm. There was no possible way Erik could be blushing, such a thing was unimaginable.
Charles was still smiling.
---
There were several things that happened to Erik in his first year at Oxford that he had never imagined himself doing. What he was currently attempting to do, however, quite possibly topped that list.
He had no idea how he knew that it was Moira, he’d only seen her in passing several months ago, but as he watched the woman step out onto the street without even looking, something in him had known that it was her.
What she was doing, stepping onto the street without looking, Erik had every intention of grilling her about later. But, for now he was a touch preoccupied with trying to stop her human-ass from being turned into a human pancake, too busy concentrating on holding the truck back. … Or, rather, holding the truck and three cars back while she still continued to walk across the road completely unaware.
Erik felt a bead of sweat roll down from his forehead from the effort - He’d never attempted to stop moving traffic before, and he’d certainly never tried to hold a truck with cargo back, so he could feel that he was overexerting himself, but he had reacted on instinct. Although he didn’t like Moira MacTaggert, Charles did, and Erik couldn’t stand the thought of how Charles would react had he found out that Erik simply stood by and allowed Moira to be killed. At this rate though, the effort might end up killing him instead.
‘Don’t be foolish,’ the mental voice of Charles snapped him suddenly, and for a moment Erik wondered if he was talking about trying to stop the truck and cars - Fuck it all, couldn’t that Woman walk any faster?! - but then Charles continued thinking at him as he ran towards the room Erik’s lecture had been in, ‘You’re able to do this Erik. Shaw was wrong about your powers, it’s not rage that fuels them … You need to find the point between rage and serenity. That’s where your true power lies. If you can find that, you’d be even more powerful than I’
Erik turned his head to look at Charles, who he could feel had just entered the room - Charles being the only one at Oxford who actually used a pocket watch - and snarled, “And how the fuck do you propose I do that in the current circumstance?”
The truck accelerated and Erik was forced to hold onto it with more will, which almost allowed one of the cars to go through, had Erik not quickly asserted more will over it too. Moira was only halfway across the road, and if the cars didn’t slip out of Erik’s grasp and kill her, he was going to do it himself.
“Do you mind if I…” Charles wiggled his fingers in the air with an uncertain frown on his face, and under other circumstances Erik might have made a comment about the somewhat obscene gesture, or about the fact that Charles was asking if he could finger his brain. Things being what they were though, all he did was hesitate a mere moment before shaking his head, giving Charles permission to enter his mind for the first time since they were kids.
It almost completely broke Erik’s concentration to feel Charles’ cinnamon tea presence merge with his own consciousness. He couldn’t even tell where his mind ended, and Charles’ presence began. He could even feel Charles’ amusement at his thoughts. It was exhilarating, overwhelming, and somehow much more intimate than anything that Erik could imagine.
Erik was brought back to the physical world with a jolt, however, as another car tried to swerve around the corner and he was forced to add it to the pile of vehicles he was holding back.
‘Whatever you’re planning on doing Charles, make it quick,’
And then a memory was flashing behind his eyes, like a film seen on a projector, and Erik’s eyes pricked with tears of their own accord. It was his mother. Somehow, Charles had managed to find the memories of his mother.
She was wearing that lilac dress she favoured on special occasions, and as she smiled warmly at Erik, leaning down to kiss his forehead before lighting the candles of a cake, he knew that it was his eighth birthday. It was almost painful to see how very much she loved him, the way her eyes were bright with joy as they all sang Happy Birthday to a highly embarrassed, but pleased, younger Erik, and somewhere in the distance, Erik could feel Charles words repeated. The point between rage and serenity.
Taking a breath, Erik adjusted the way he was holding the cars and trucks, and was almost startled at how easy it felt now, how, with only the slightest twitch of his pinkie, he was able to take hold of the ring Moira was wearing and pull her across the road. Once she was out of the way, Erik gently released one side of the road, taking care to keep a small amount of will over the cars so that the drivers didn’t lose control and cause other accidents. Finally, Erik felt he could let all the cars go, and it was so simple that he was grinning with joy at it all, laughing once in his shock.
He could feel that there were tears on his face, but he couldn’t bring himself to care as he turned to look at Charles, a wide smile on his face. Not the awkward half smile-half grimace he usually wore, but a proper grin that revealed his teeth and awe. Erik’s smile simply increased as he saw Charles surreptitiously wipe his own tear away, though he was almost disappointed when he felt Charles’ presence fade to the back of his mind again.
“I … I thought I’d forgotten,” Erik breathed, and Charles smiled gently at him.
“There’s so much more to you than you realise,” he assured him, his tone soft and revealing how much he believed it that, for a moment, Erik was stunned and he was forced to look back outside into the street, where Moira was still completely unaware of the fact that he’d just saved her life.
Charles came to stand beside him, and, after a few seconds of silence, gently placed a hand on Erik’s shoulder. He squeezed once, and then walked away, leaving Erik to his thoughts. Erik watched him as he went, partially wanting to ask him to stay, and partially needing a few moments to himself.
As Charles looked back over his shoulder though, giving Erik another small smile before closing the door, Erik came to realise something he’d been trying to deny. He didn’t have a crush on Charles - He absolutely loved him. Loved him so much that his chest actually hurt to think about it, and he’d been a fool to think that this was going to go away any time soon, and all Erik was able to do was wipe away the residue of his - manly, and therefore totally acceptable - tears with the sleeve of his turtleneck and laugh softly at the unlikeliness of it all. But, for once, Erik wasn’t afraid that he’d screw it up, because this was Charles, and Charles made him feel like he was actually capable of things …
Things like stopping traffic to save the life of a foolish human girl.
---
With December, came the end of Erik’s first year at Oxford, and he could honestly say that he was looking forward to having weeks to spend browsing through the library’s collection without other students annoying him, since practically every one of them would be going home to their parents for the Christmas season.
Erik should have known that Charles would ruin that for him. Three days before Christmas, the telepath let himself into Erik’s room and looked around at the mess with horror.
“What are you doing? You’re not even packed yet! The car’s leaving in an hour, with or without us! Well, that last part’s probably not true since they can’t leave without me, but I want to go home Erik!”
Erik looked up at Charles from behind his book with complete, and utter bewilderment.
“What are you talking about Charles? And - Charles, why are you pulling out my suitcase?”
Hurriedly, Erik marked his place in the book and scrambled out of the way as Charles began throwing the contents of one of his shelves at him.
“Please don’t give me that right now Erik. As I said, the driver’s waiting for us and -” Charles suddenly stopped and looked over at Erik as though something had just occurred to him, “Oh. Oh no. I did tell you that I was taking you with me for Christmas didn’t I?”
Feeling his carefully planned holiday of sleeping and reading shatter around him, Erik shook his head forlornly.
“Oh. Well, uh … Now you know! So, hurry up and help me pack what you’ll need for the holidays would you?”
Erik sighed heavily before walking into the bathroom to collect his toiletries, seeing no point in arguing with Charles since the younger man had clearly made up his mind about the matter.
He was just trying to decide how much of his school work to bring with him considering he was already two months into the next year, when he heard Charles make a noise of surprise.
Instincts taking over, Erik picked up the screws lying on the bathroom basin and held them in front of him, ready to maim whoever would dare startle Charles. The screws fell rather quickly when he saw that Charles was perfectly fine, and was in fact sitting on the clothing-littered bed, his eyes fixed on the small mitten held in his hand.
Erik was torn between horror that Charles had found it, and thinking Oh. That’s when it began.
All through his years, Erik never had been able to throw that mitten out. Even when he could no longer remember why, his mind just absolutely refused to let him get rid of it, and so it had gone with him through his high school years, and even managed to come along for the ride to England.
Well, at least now he remembered why he wasn’t able to get rid of it. It reminded him of all those times he’d walked home holding Charles’ hand cos he’d been too stubborn to bring his own mittens along.
“I … Can’t believe you kept it,” Charles whispered, a strange tone to his voice. It almost sounded like awe, but Erik couldn’t fathom why Charles would be awed about this, so decided he was misreading the tone.
For his part, Erik remained silent as he leant against the doorframe to the bathroom, trying to figure out how he was going to explain that he’d kept that mitten because he’d, apparently, loved Charles since he was a child. It was crazy, to say the least. Especially since he’d forgotten who Charles was.
Quite suddenly, Charles leapt to his feet and started babbling, “What am I doing spacing out? We need to hurry up! Poor Frederick is probably becoming really impatient waiting.”
When he was sure Charles was looking elsewhere, preoccupied with stuffing more of Erik’s trousers into the suitcase, Erik picked the mitten up and stowed it away in the drawer again.
For a moment there, he thought Charles had seen, because as he closed the drawer, Erik realised he couldn’t hear the sound of clothes rustling. When he turned to look at Charles though, he was flicking out one of Erik’s shirts before trying to cram it into the suitcase as well. Erik couldn’t really see from where he was standing, but he thought that Charles might have been smiling.
Before he was able to give it anymore thought though, Charles zipped the bag up and fixed him with a stern look, “Are you ready?”
Erik heaved a deep sigh before nodding and Charles almost ran out the door, leaving Erik to pick the suitcase up and hover it along behind him. Before he closed and locked the door, however, Erik paused to slide a small parcel out from under his bed and stow it away in his jacket pocket.
He just managed to zip the pocket up before Charles rushed back around the corner to see what was taking Erik so long. Erik simply sighed again, already lamenting the loss of his relaxed holiday break.
When Erik first saw Charles’ ‘home’, his jaw fell open with surprise. “You live here?” he asked, his eyes taking in the mansion with no small amount of envy.
Charles was scratching at his cheek with embarrassment as he muttered, “Well, yes.”
Erik had known that Charles was rich - It was obvious in the way he dressed, in the way he spoke, in the bag he used for school. But … This? This was more than Erik had expected. He couldn’t believe that Charles was happy to spend his time at the on-campus Uni when he had the option of staying here.
“Well, come along then. I’d better show you your room. I’ve set you up in the room directly opposite mine. I hope that’s alright,” Charles rambled as he took hold of Erik’s arm and led him through the entry hall.
It took Erik a full day of staying at the mansion before he was able to get over the shock that Charles actually owned the place, and even then he still felt uncomfortable being there. As if his presence was unfit for such opulence.
But then he walked into the kitchen to find Charles standing at the stove, his tongue sticking out between his teeth with concentration, and Erik felt something deep within melt just a little at the sight.
Then the kitchen fire alarm starting going off, Charles yelled out, “What did I do this time?!”, and Erik couldn’t help but snort.
“Surprise, surprise. Rich boy can’t cook,” he tutted as he walked up behind Charles, who jumped a mile in the air at the sound, before looking over his shoulder at Erik with a pout on his lips. Looking into the pan, Erik saw the charred remains of what looked like what was meant to be eggs in another lifetime, perhaps.
It was too much, and Erik burst into laughter, Charles hissing “Eriiiiiiik!” as he beat his fists on the taller man’s chest, spatula still in hand. Erik, naturally, caught Charles’ flailing Spatula-filled hand with one hand, and wiped at tears of mirth in his eye with the other.
That was when he looked down at Charles and realised with shock that Charles’ mouth was parted ever so slightly, his cheeks flushed a deep red as he looked up at Erik with wide eyes.
Before Erik could think about it any more, Raven darted into the kitchen screeching, “What did you burn this time Charles?!” She stopped dead at the sight she was met by, however, and just said, “Oh,” apparently as confused as Erik.
Releasing Charles’ wrist in a hurry, Erik reached around and turned the stovetop off before something else could start to burn, like his cheeks, because they were positively flaming right then, and he wasn’t even one hundred percent sure why.
“Erik, I didn’t realise you’d be here,” Raven ventured, and Erik glanced over his shoulder at her as he tossed the contents of the frying pan.
“Neither did I, until I was dragged here.”
At the words, Raven’s eyes widened slightly, before she turned to look at Charles, who had moved from the stove and was, instead, busying himself in the fridge. And for a moment, Erik was distracted by the fact that Charles was bending over - and how was it that Erik had never stopped to appreciate the perfection that was Charles’ behind before? and - Not now Lensherr, Erik’s mind hissed at him - before he arched an eyebrow at the stiff way that Charles was moving, suddenly feeling very much like he was missing something.
The feeling was simply exemplified when he turned to look back at Raven to find her staring at him, her mouth curled into that same knowing smile that Azazel often wore.
Erik scowled deeply at her before throwing the frying pan into the sink and returning back to his room to get a few more hours of sleep.
It was almost midday before Erik left his room again, and as he wandered aimlessly down along the halls, he thought it almost strange that he hadn’t seen any housemaids or butlers or anything you’d expect with a house this size.
His meandering stopped when he heard merry whistling though, and Erik sighed softly at the sound, before backtracking to look inside the room. As he’d expected, there was Charles.
What he hadn’t expected, however, was for Charles to be standing on tiptoe at the top of a ladder, hanging what looked to be Christmas decorations. He looked so happy as he was doing it, Erik was quite content to lean against the doorframe and watch, wearing a small smile of his own has he did so.
Erik frowned with concern, however, when Charles started to stretch for a point that Erik thought was just that little bit out of his reach and then - Of course - the ladder that Charles had been standing on started to sway beneath him.
With a quick flick of Erik’s fingers, the ladder flicked around beneath Charles’ feet and he was able to regain his balance.
“I will never understand why you can’t just ask for help,” Erik commented dryly as Charles breathed out a sigh of relief before he returned to hanging the tinsel up on the wall. Erik raised the ladder up a little bit so that Charles didn’t have to stretch so high.
“I didn’t think I would need it. Seems I was mistaken.”
Erik rolled his eyes, and then jolted the ladder that little bit so that Charles cried out in surprise. “Might want to hurry up with your decorations Charles, who knows how long I’ll be able to keep this up for.”
It was a lie, of course, keeping something as light as a ladder afloat was simple, even with Charles’ weight on top of that. Erik thought it amusing the way that Charles hastened to finish sticking the decorations up anyway though, even if he did send a pointed Jerk, in Erik’s direction.
Erik’s response was to lower the ladder back down so that Charles wasn’t able to reach the point he wanted the star to stick. When the telepath glared over his shoulder at the metal bender, Erik simply smirked at him, before raising and lowering the ladder in jerky motions - Not jarring enough to actually make Charles lose his footing, but certainly enough that he felt it.
Ordinarily, Erik couldn’t have cared less about Christmas. Why would he? He had no one to celebrate it with. It was just a holiday, which meant a chance to work as much as possible and actually try to save some money.
To say that his Christmas’ in earlier years were complete opposites to the one he was spending now, would not be stretching the truth at all. This year, he actually had someone to spend Christmas with after all. He had a reason to celebrate it, someone he wanted to give something to. This year, he was with Charles, and that made all the difference.
That didn’t mean that when Charles sent him a loud and pointed, “Wake UP Erik!”, he didn’t still want to strangle him though. Especially since there was no way to avoid Charles’s thoughts when he intentionally made them loud, and Erik’s want to throttle him simply increased when a look at his clock revealed it to be six in the morning.
Charles, fuck off until a reasonable hour, Erik thought back before rolling over and pulling the covers tighter around his body.
He had just settled and was about to fall back asleep when his bedroom door was thrown open with a loud crash, and through a half-cracked, sleep-caked eye, Erik could see a determined Charles, who was still wearing his chequered flannelette pyjama’s.
“Come on, get up Erik! It’s Christmas morning and we can’t start anything without you!”
“Yes you bloody well can,” Erik snapped, actually pulling the covers up over his head as if that would make it all go away. Erik counted down the seconds until Charles pulled them back off his head. He got to three before he was assaulted by sunlight, and blue eyes.
“Please Erik? I promise I’ll make it up to you,” and Erik had to blink a few times to bury the assorted images that statement brought to mind.
“How?” he growled, hoping Charles didn’t manage to catch any of those thoughts.
“How do you feel about waffles?”
Erik was silent for a few seconds, before he groaned loudly and said, “They had better be smothered with syrup Charles!”, and Charles, stupidly-energetic Charles considering the hour, threw his arms up into the air and whooped.
As a shuffling noise passed the door, Erik could see Raven stumbling past, her hair in complete disarray as she pulled her dressing gown tight around her. She scowled heavily when she saw Charles, and Erik couldn’t help but feel pleased it wasn’t only him suffering through Charles’ enthusiasm for Christmas morning.
Three plates of Waffles later - Waffles that Charles had bought from the supermarket the night before and simply had to toast, so they were only slightly burnt - and with good, strong cup of coffee in his hand, Erik and Raven were ushered into the room Charles had decorated the day before.
As he walked into it now, Erik felt himself instantly wake up with surprise. The smell of pine assaulted him as he entered the room, the aroma coming from a tree that certainly hadn’t been there when he’d hovered Charles around the room just yesterday. There were so many baubles hanging off it, glinting in the morning light, that Erik was surprised it didn’t just tip over. Of course, he supposed, it might do just that if it didn’t have that ridiculous pile of presents sitting beneath it.
Charles practically skipped past Erik as he stood in the doorway, jaw open slightly. As he passed, Charles spun about with his hands behind his back as he turned, giving Erik a sunny smile as he went.
“Impressed?” he asked, a decidedly smug note to his tone. And it was that which made Erik decide to play with Charles a touch.
“Disappointed,” Erik sighed, looking up at the ostentatious tree with a well practised look of indifference.
“Disappointed?” Charles repeated, clearly not believing his ears as he placed a hand on his hip and arched an eyebrow.
“Absolutely. Where are the fluttering fairies, Charles? The reindeer?”
And Charles blinked in surprise at him for a moment, before his mouth broke into a disbelieving grin as he pushed at Erik’s shoulder. “Damn it Erik! Just go sit down would you?”
Chuckling softly, Erik did as he was told, sipping at his coffee as he did so. Apparently used to the sight, Raven had taken Charles’ brief distraction as a chance to curl up on the plushest chair, looking as if she would fall asleep right there.
The handing out of the gifts was a long and tedious process that slowly drained the small amount of energy the coffee had given Erik. He was always surprised into wakefullness when Charles bounced over to him with something, however. He truly hadn’t expected a single thing, and yet … He now sat with a pile of fifteen presents at least. Some of which had actually come from Raven, which came as a shock, and Erik actually felt a little guilty about the fact that he hadn’t thought to get her anything.
He was equally surprised when he realised that there was a gift for him from Azazel, and even one from Hank, and he silently cursed the fact that he hadn’t even thought to give them something.
When he opened Azazel’s gift however - A handsome new leather jacket - he found a card that said Both Hank and I are fully aware you wouldn’t have thought to give us something, so don’t feel guilty. We’re just as sure that Charles in fact prepares us something with your name on it. Just you wait - Raven will have received at least two things from you that you don’t remember buying.
As soon as he finished reading the note, Raven exclaimed with shock “Jeez Lensherr, I didn’t realise you actually had taste!” and Erik looked up to see her holding out a dazzling sea green dress that he certainly did not remember buying. Glancing over at Charles with a cocked eyebrow, Charles simply shrugged, completely unrepentant
It seemed to take an age, but finally Charles said with a flourish, “And the last one is for Erik!” and Raven actually sighed with relief.
Erik hesitated a moment before sending an apologetic look at the cerulean-skinned woman, and said, “Wait. There’s one more” as he summoned the parcel he’d brought along with him down the stairs, his heart pounding a little in his chest as he did so.
Swallowing anxiously, but feigning carelessness, Erik set the gift on Charles’ knee. If he were honest, Erik was nervous about Charles’ reaction to the present. He had spent weeks trying to decide on what to get him - After all, what could you get a man who seemed to already have everything he needed? - When he had stumbled upon something on his way back from the bookstore.
Even then Erik had been immensely unsure about it - But he’d ended up leaving the antique store with the trinket regardless. As he sat there, knee bouncing up and down with nerves while Charles pulled the small box apart, Erik began to question his decision all over again.
“Oh,” was all Charles breathed as he plucked a ring out of box, and Raven slid herself off the couch to peer at the ring also, echoing the sentiment, which only furthered Erik’s anxiety. Was ‘Oh’ meant to be a good, or a bad reaction?
The ring was a delicate thing made up of three bands woven together - one part silver, one gold, and another ice-blue glass. The blue was what had initially attracted Erik to it - It was the same unnatural shade of blue as Charles’ eyes, after all - but as he’d taken a closer look, Erik had found that he’d been completely fascinated by it’s design. Simple though the ring looked at first, upon closer inspection, the two metals had been painstakingly carved so that they resembled ivy that twisted and turned around the blue glass. And somehow, somehow, it had reminded Erik of Charles, so he’d bought it.
As Charles sat there, simply looking at the gift in his hand, Erik began to fidget. Had he chosen wrong? It wasn’t as though he had much experience with buying presents for people after all. When he’d grudgingly asked Azazel’s advice, the mutant had told him ‘Simply get something that makes you think of Charles’, and that ring certainly had made him think of Charles. Perhaps it had been too feminine a choice - He could have just as easily bought the genetics book he’d seen in the bookstore and -
“Erik, please stop fidgeting,” Charles said suddenly, and Erik made a point to hold his body tight enough that he could feel each muscle as it twitched. Sometime during Erik’s mental-panic, Raven had returned to her own couch and was snoring softly where she’d curled up.
He relaxed a little when Charles slipped the ring onto his ring finger though, gracing Erik with one of those warm, immeasurably happy smiles as he did so, “Thankyou Erik, it’s beautiful,” the telepath crooned, and Erik allowed himself to relax a little more.
“You’re sure? I have the receipt still, so I can take it back if you -”
He cut himself off when Charles glared at him, though the glare was considerably less threatening when you took Charles’ smile into account. A grin started to break through Erik’s uncertainty as he noticed the way that Charles turned his hand to watch the ring as it caught in the light, a happy smile tugging at the brunette’s lips as he did so.
“Absolutely not. It’s mine now. Now, please stop worrying and open the rest of your presents,” and Charles’ tone left absolutely no room for objection.
As he tore into the rest of his gifts - Leather bound notebooks, a new messenger bag, turtlenecks that felt like liquid in his hands - Erik couldn’t help but notice that Charles constantly looked down at his hand, and smiled like a fool every time that he did. It was enough to make Erik grin with pleasure, glad he managed to do this Christmas thing right, even if he did neglect to think of anyone outside of Charles.
~X~
On, to Part 5!
Word Count: 5 805
Pairing: Cherik
Fandom: X-Men: First Class
Rating: M ...? I'm honestly bad at figuring out what rating things should be - Just look at the warnings.
Warnings: Love of the homosexual nature. Implications of sexual situations. Oh, and swearing.
Summary: Charles and Erik were friends when they were children - Until certain circumstances tore them apart. Many years later, when Erik moves to England so that he can study at Oxford University, he certainly doesn't expect to run into his childhood friend again.In fact, he doesn't expect any of the events that follow.
Notes: This is something that I wrote for
ile_o, who drew this amazingly cute fanart for me (Which can be found here), gushing about how much she wanted to see a fic where Charles and Erik meet as children - But with the age difference. And this is my response to that cos the image just wouldn't leave me alone. So, here it is darling, and I hope to the gods of Tuesday that you like it. >///<
You really ought to read Part One, Two, and Three first
~X~
There are certain things that Erik and Charles don’t talk about, unspoken lines that each doesn’t cross - Charles doesn’t ask about Erik’s mother, and Erik doesn’t ask about what happened to Charles’ parents.
Now that he remembers, Erik knows that Charles used to talk a lot about his father, practically worshipped the man. Now, however …Erik doesn’t hear him say a single thing about his father, or his mother, and it makes Erik curious. He wants to know what happened, but he also doesn’t know whether he’s allowed to ask.
It isn’t until they’re playing chess one Tuesday night (And Erik doesn’t know why they’re even bothering to play since they both know Charles is going to win), when Erik finally finds out.
“It’s his anniversary today,” Charles hums in barely more than a whisper, and Erik can see something heavy lurking behind Charles’ eyes, so he doesn’t say a thing and simply waits. “My father, that is,” Charles continues after a few moments, and Erik’s eyes flick up to Charles with surprise.
Still, he says nothing. Though his tongue is dying to form words like What happened?, Erik understands that Charles will tell him when he’s ready to.
He’s rewarded for his silence after a few more moves. Charles suddenly leans back in his chair, clasps his hands tightly in his lap, and crosses one leg over the other. There’s something about the pose that is all but screaming ‘Serious’ to Erik, even without taking into account the way that Charles is chewing on his lower lip and looking off into the distance. Erik can see from the set of Charles’ brow that he’s made the decision to tell him though, and so the metal bender simply leans back in his chair and waits.
And, after a few more moments of deliberation, Charles finally says in a soft voice, “He died, you know. When I was thirteen. It was some kind of freak accident - A haemorrhage in his brain that killed him instantly. The worst of it was that I was right there. I was right there, and I could feel it as if I were experiencing it myself. It was … Horrible - One second he was fine, he had actually laughing at me, and then all of a sudden …” Charles stopped himself and swallowed, “The next second there was just nothing. Even when the paramedics came, all I could do was tell them how it was too late and that he was gone. It was more upsetting to see them try and revive him and know that they wouldn’t be able to, to feel their disgust that his own son didn’t even care for them to try.”
Charles was biting at his lip again, and there were unshed tears in his eyes and Erik knew that he should be saying something, but he knew all too well that being told ‘I’m sorry’ does absolutely nothing for the pain. So, instead, Erik reached a hand over to grasp Charles’ shoulder and told him, “He’d be proud of you.”
Watery blue eyes fixed onto Erik’s then, and Charles’ lips twisted into a genuinely thankful smile as he breathed, “I hope so,” before titling his head thoughtfully as he continued, “As for my mother - I haven’t spoken to her in years. She never understood me and, foolish as it sounds, she always felt threatened by the way my father seemed to favour me. I absolutely hated living with her, to be honest. She was rather cold and was always far too concerned with how to make more money, even though we already had enough. So, I packed up my things and moved here as soon as I had access to my inheritance and then there was also …”
Abruptly, Charles cut himself off, only this time Erik had the distinct impression that it was because he was hiding something. And, although Erik narrowed his eyes suspiciously at this, he also chose to respect the fact that Charles had his own secrets. “Well, it was just better that I moved here and brought Raven along. Hank and Azazel followed shortly after, and then,” Erik cocked his head at the warm smile that suddenly lit up Charles’ entire face, and was irrationally jealous at whoever that smile was for. Until Charles added with his eyes locking on to Erik’s, that warm and happy smile still firmly in place “… You came,” and for just a moment Erik felt the breath leave his lungs.
Charles continued to look over at him with that smile of his, and he was so warm and open and trusting, that Erik didn’t feel worthy. He was sure that, one day, he would surely break the man he’d come to hold closest to his heart, because Erik seemed to only bring ruin to those he allowed close to him, and he just didn’t know what he would do if something bad ever happened to Charles. He didn’t know what he would do if he was the cause of it.
Completely oblivious to Erik’s inner turmoil, Charles stretched an arm out and allowed his hand to rest atop Erik’s, his thumb brushing the skin there fondly.
“You’ve no idea how pleased I was to find you again,” the telepath said, his eyes still open and fixated on Erik’s.
And Erik had no idea to respond to that, so he simply levitated his rook forward, and said, “We’d best finish this if we plan to sleep tonight Charles,” before removing his jacket, because the fact that he could feel warmth in his cheeks surely meant that the room was too warm. There was no possible way Erik could be blushing, such a thing was unimaginable.
Charles was still smiling.
---
There were several things that happened to Erik in his first year at Oxford that he had never imagined himself doing. What he was currently attempting to do, however, quite possibly topped that list.
He had no idea how he knew that it was Moira, he’d only seen her in passing several months ago, but as he watched the woman step out onto the street without even looking, something in him had known that it was her.
What she was doing, stepping onto the street without looking, Erik had every intention of grilling her about later. But, for now he was a touch preoccupied with trying to stop her human-ass from being turned into a human pancake, too busy concentrating on holding the truck back. … Or, rather, holding the truck and three cars back while she still continued to walk across the road completely unaware.
Erik felt a bead of sweat roll down from his forehead from the effort - He’d never attempted to stop moving traffic before, and he’d certainly never tried to hold a truck with cargo back, so he could feel that he was overexerting himself, but he had reacted on instinct. Although he didn’t like Moira MacTaggert, Charles did, and Erik couldn’t stand the thought of how Charles would react had he found out that Erik simply stood by and allowed Moira to be killed. At this rate though, the effort might end up killing him instead.
‘Don’t be foolish,’ the mental voice of Charles snapped him suddenly, and for a moment Erik wondered if he was talking about trying to stop the truck and cars - Fuck it all, couldn’t that Woman walk any faster?! - but then Charles continued thinking at him as he ran towards the room Erik’s lecture had been in, ‘You’re able to do this Erik. Shaw was wrong about your powers, it’s not rage that fuels them … You need to find the point between rage and serenity. That’s where your true power lies. If you can find that, you’d be even more powerful than I’
Erik turned his head to look at Charles, who he could feel had just entered the room - Charles being the only one at Oxford who actually used a pocket watch - and snarled, “And how the fuck do you propose I do that in the current circumstance?”
The truck accelerated and Erik was forced to hold onto it with more will, which almost allowed one of the cars to go through, had Erik not quickly asserted more will over it too. Moira was only halfway across the road, and if the cars didn’t slip out of Erik’s grasp and kill her, he was going to do it himself.
“Do you mind if I…” Charles wiggled his fingers in the air with an uncertain frown on his face, and under other circumstances Erik might have made a comment about the somewhat obscene gesture, or about the fact that Charles was asking if he could finger his brain. Things being what they were though, all he did was hesitate a mere moment before shaking his head, giving Charles permission to enter his mind for the first time since they were kids.
It almost completely broke Erik’s concentration to feel Charles’ cinnamon tea presence merge with his own consciousness. He couldn’t even tell where his mind ended, and Charles’ presence began. He could even feel Charles’ amusement at his thoughts. It was exhilarating, overwhelming, and somehow much more intimate than anything that Erik could imagine.
Erik was brought back to the physical world with a jolt, however, as another car tried to swerve around the corner and he was forced to add it to the pile of vehicles he was holding back.
‘Whatever you’re planning on doing Charles, make it quick,’
And then a memory was flashing behind his eyes, like a film seen on a projector, and Erik’s eyes pricked with tears of their own accord. It was his mother. Somehow, Charles had managed to find the memories of his mother.
She was wearing that lilac dress she favoured on special occasions, and as she smiled warmly at Erik, leaning down to kiss his forehead before lighting the candles of a cake, he knew that it was his eighth birthday. It was almost painful to see how very much she loved him, the way her eyes were bright with joy as they all sang Happy Birthday to a highly embarrassed, but pleased, younger Erik, and somewhere in the distance, Erik could feel Charles words repeated. The point between rage and serenity.
Taking a breath, Erik adjusted the way he was holding the cars and trucks, and was almost startled at how easy it felt now, how, with only the slightest twitch of his pinkie, he was able to take hold of the ring Moira was wearing and pull her across the road. Once she was out of the way, Erik gently released one side of the road, taking care to keep a small amount of will over the cars so that the drivers didn’t lose control and cause other accidents. Finally, Erik felt he could let all the cars go, and it was so simple that he was grinning with joy at it all, laughing once in his shock.
He could feel that there were tears on his face, but he couldn’t bring himself to care as he turned to look at Charles, a wide smile on his face. Not the awkward half smile-half grimace he usually wore, but a proper grin that revealed his teeth and awe. Erik’s smile simply increased as he saw Charles surreptitiously wipe his own tear away, though he was almost disappointed when he felt Charles’ presence fade to the back of his mind again.
“I … I thought I’d forgotten,” Erik breathed, and Charles smiled gently at him.
“There’s so much more to you than you realise,” he assured him, his tone soft and revealing how much he believed it that, for a moment, Erik was stunned and he was forced to look back outside into the street, where Moira was still completely unaware of the fact that he’d just saved her life.
Charles came to stand beside him, and, after a few seconds of silence, gently placed a hand on Erik’s shoulder. He squeezed once, and then walked away, leaving Erik to his thoughts. Erik watched him as he went, partially wanting to ask him to stay, and partially needing a few moments to himself.
As Charles looked back over his shoulder though, giving Erik another small smile before closing the door, Erik came to realise something he’d been trying to deny. He didn’t have a crush on Charles - He absolutely loved him. Loved him so much that his chest actually hurt to think about it, and he’d been a fool to think that this was going to go away any time soon, and all Erik was able to do was wipe away the residue of his - manly, and therefore totally acceptable - tears with the sleeve of his turtleneck and laugh softly at the unlikeliness of it all. But, for once, Erik wasn’t afraid that he’d screw it up, because this was Charles, and Charles made him feel like he was actually capable of things …
Things like stopping traffic to save the life of a foolish human girl.
---
With December, came the end of Erik’s first year at Oxford, and he could honestly say that he was looking forward to having weeks to spend browsing through the library’s collection without other students annoying him, since practically every one of them would be going home to their parents for the Christmas season.
Erik should have known that Charles would ruin that for him. Three days before Christmas, the telepath let himself into Erik’s room and looked around at the mess with horror.
“What are you doing? You’re not even packed yet! The car’s leaving in an hour, with or without us! Well, that last part’s probably not true since they can’t leave without me, but I want to go home Erik!”
Erik looked up at Charles from behind his book with complete, and utter bewilderment.
“What are you talking about Charles? And - Charles, why are you pulling out my suitcase?”
Hurriedly, Erik marked his place in the book and scrambled out of the way as Charles began throwing the contents of one of his shelves at him.
“Please don’t give me that right now Erik. As I said, the driver’s waiting for us and -” Charles suddenly stopped and looked over at Erik as though something had just occurred to him, “Oh. Oh no. I did tell you that I was taking you with me for Christmas didn’t I?”
Feeling his carefully planned holiday of sleeping and reading shatter around him, Erik shook his head forlornly.
“Oh. Well, uh … Now you know! So, hurry up and help me pack what you’ll need for the holidays would you?”
Erik sighed heavily before walking into the bathroom to collect his toiletries, seeing no point in arguing with Charles since the younger man had clearly made up his mind about the matter.
He was just trying to decide how much of his school work to bring with him considering he was already two months into the next year, when he heard Charles make a noise of surprise.
Instincts taking over, Erik picked up the screws lying on the bathroom basin and held them in front of him, ready to maim whoever would dare startle Charles. The screws fell rather quickly when he saw that Charles was perfectly fine, and was in fact sitting on the clothing-littered bed, his eyes fixed on the small mitten held in his hand.
Erik was torn between horror that Charles had found it, and thinking Oh. That’s when it began.
All through his years, Erik never had been able to throw that mitten out. Even when he could no longer remember why, his mind just absolutely refused to let him get rid of it, and so it had gone with him through his high school years, and even managed to come along for the ride to England.
Well, at least now he remembered why he wasn’t able to get rid of it. It reminded him of all those times he’d walked home holding Charles’ hand cos he’d been too stubborn to bring his own mittens along.
“I … Can’t believe you kept it,” Charles whispered, a strange tone to his voice. It almost sounded like awe, but Erik couldn’t fathom why Charles would be awed about this, so decided he was misreading the tone.
For his part, Erik remained silent as he leant against the doorframe to the bathroom, trying to figure out how he was going to explain that he’d kept that mitten because he’d, apparently, loved Charles since he was a child. It was crazy, to say the least. Especially since he’d forgotten who Charles was.
Quite suddenly, Charles leapt to his feet and started babbling, “What am I doing spacing out? We need to hurry up! Poor Frederick is probably becoming really impatient waiting.”
When he was sure Charles was looking elsewhere, preoccupied with stuffing more of Erik’s trousers into the suitcase, Erik picked the mitten up and stowed it away in the drawer again.
For a moment there, he thought Charles had seen, because as he closed the drawer, Erik realised he couldn’t hear the sound of clothes rustling. When he turned to look at Charles though, he was flicking out one of Erik’s shirts before trying to cram it into the suitcase as well. Erik couldn’t really see from where he was standing, but he thought that Charles might have been smiling.
Before he was able to give it anymore thought though, Charles zipped the bag up and fixed him with a stern look, “Are you ready?”
Erik heaved a deep sigh before nodding and Charles almost ran out the door, leaving Erik to pick the suitcase up and hover it along behind him. Before he closed and locked the door, however, Erik paused to slide a small parcel out from under his bed and stow it away in his jacket pocket.
He just managed to zip the pocket up before Charles rushed back around the corner to see what was taking Erik so long. Erik simply sighed again, already lamenting the loss of his relaxed holiday break.
When Erik first saw Charles’ ‘home’, his jaw fell open with surprise. “You live here?” he asked, his eyes taking in the mansion with no small amount of envy.
Charles was scratching at his cheek with embarrassment as he muttered, “Well, yes.”
Erik had known that Charles was rich - It was obvious in the way he dressed, in the way he spoke, in the bag he used for school. But … This? This was more than Erik had expected. He couldn’t believe that Charles was happy to spend his time at the on-campus Uni when he had the option of staying here.
“Well, come along then. I’d better show you your room. I’ve set you up in the room directly opposite mine. I hope that’s alright,” Charles rambled as he took hold of Erik’s arm and led him through the entry hall.
It took Erik a full day of staying at the mansion before he was able to get over the shock that Charles actually owned the place, and even then he still felt uncomfortable being there. As if his presence was unfit for such opulence.
But then he walked into the kitchen to find Charles standing at the stove, his tongue sticking out between his teeth with concentration, and Erik felt something deep within melt just a little at the sight.
Then the kitchen fire alarm starting going off, Charles yelled out, “What did I do this time?!”, and Erik couldn’t help but snort.
“Surprise, surprise. Rich boy can’t cook,” he tutted as he walked up behind Charles, who jumped a mile in the air at the sound, before looking over his shoulder at Erik with a pout on his lips. Looking into the pan, Erik saw the charred remains of what looked like what was meant to be eggs in another lifetime, perhaps.
It was too much, and Erik burst into laughter, Charles hissing “Eriiiiiiik!” as he beat his fists on the taller man’s chest, spatula still in hand. Erik, naturally, caught Charles’ flailing Spatula-filled hand with one hand, and wiped at tears of mirth in his eye with the other.
That was when he looked down at Charles and realised with shock that Charles’ mouth was parted ever so slightly, his cheeks flushed a deep red as he looked up at Erik with wide eyes.
Before Erik could think about it any more, Raven darted into the kitchen screeching, “What did you burn this time Charles?!” She stopped dead at the sight she was met by, however, and just said, “Oh,” apparently as confused as Erik.
Releasing Charles’ wrist in a hurry, Erik reached around and turned the stovetop off before something else could start to burn, like his cheeks, because they were positively flaming right then, and he wasn’t even one hundred percent sure why.
“Erik, I didn’t realise you’d be here,” Raven ventured, and Erik glanced over his shoulder at her as he tossed the contents of the frying pan.
“Neither did I, until I was dragged here.”
At the words, Raven’s eyes widened slightly, before she turned to look at Charles, who had moved from the stove and was, instead, busying himself in the fridge. And for a moment, Erik was distracted by the fact that Charles was bending over - and how was it that Erik had never stopped to appreciate the perfection that was Charles’ behind before? and - Not now Lensherr, Erik’s mind hissed at him - before he arched an eyebrow at the stiff way that Charles was moving, suddenly feeling very much like he was missing something.
The feeling was simply exemplified when he turned to look back at Raven to find her staring at him, her mouth curled into that same knowing smile that Azazel often wore.
Erik scowled deeply at her before throwing the frying pan into the sink and returning back to his room to get a few more hours of sleep.
It was almost midday before Erik left his room again, and as he wandered aimlessly down along the halls, he thought it almost strange that he hadn’t seen any housemaids or butlers or anything you’d expect with a house this size.
His meandering stopped when he heard merry whistling though, and Erik sighed softly at the sound, before backtracking to look inside the room. As he’d expected, there was Charles.
What he hadn’t expected, however, was for Charles to be standing on tiptoe at the top of a ladder, hanging what looked to be Christmas decorations. He looked so happy as he was doing it, Erik was quite content to lean against the doorframe and watch, wearing a small smile of his own has he did so.
Erik frowned with concern, however, when Charles started to stretch for a point that Erik thought was just that little bit out of his reach and then - Of course - the ladder that Charles had been standing on started to sway beneath him.
With a quick flick of Erik’s fingers, the ladder flicked around beneath Charles’ feet and he was able to regain his balance.
“I will never understand why you can’t just ask for help,” Erik commented dryly as Charles breathed out a sigh of relief before he returned to hanging the tinsel up on the wall. Erik raised the ladder up a little bit so that Charles didn’t have to stretch so high.
“I didn’t think I would need it. Seems I was mistaken.”
Erik rolled his eyes, and then jolted the ladder that little bit so that Charles cried out in surprise. “Might want to hurry up with your decorations Charles, who knows how long I’ll be able to keep this up for.”
It was a lie, of course, keeping something as light as a ladder afloat was simple, even with Charles’ weight on top of that. Erik thought it amusing the way that Charles hastened to finish sticking the decorations up anyway though, even if he did send a pointed Jerk, in Erik’s direction.
Erik’s response was to lower the ladder back down so that Charles wasn’t able to reach the point he wanted the star to stick. When the telepath glared over his shoulder at the metal bender, Erik simply smirked at him, before raising and lowering the ladder in jerky motions - Not jarring enough to actually make Charles lose his footing, but certainly enough that he felt it.
Ordinarily, Erik couldn’t have cared less about Christmas. Why would he? He had no one to celebrate it with. It was just a holiday, which meant a chance to work as much as possible and actually try to save some money.
To say that his Christmas’ in earlier years were complete opposites to the one he was spending now, would not be stretching the truth at all. This year, he actually had someone to spend Christmas with after all. He had a reason to celebrate it, someone he wanted to give something to. This year, he was with Charles, and that made all the difference.
That didn’t mean that when Charles sent him a loud and pointed, “Wake UP Erik!”, he didn’t still want to strangle him though. Especially since there was no way to avoid Charles’s thoughts when he intentionally made them loud, and Erik’s want to throttle him simply increased when a look at his clock revealed it to be six in the morning.
Charles, fuck off until a reasonable hour, Erik thought back before rolling over and pulling the covers tighter around his body.
He had just settled and was about to fall back asleep when his bedroom door was thrown open with a loud crash, and through a half-cracked, sleep-caked eye, Erik could see a determined Charles, who was still wearing his chequered flannelette pyjama’s.
“Come on, get up Erik! It’s Christmas morning and we can’t start anything without you!”
“Yes you bloody well can,” Erik snapped, actually pulling the covers up over his head as if that would make it all go away. Erik counted down the seconds until Charles pulled them back off his head. He got to three before he was assaulted by sunlight, and blue eyes.
“Please Erik? I promise I’ll make it up to you,” and Erik had to blink a few times to bury the assorted images that statement brought to mind.
“How?” he growled, hoping Charles didn’t manage to catch any of those thoughts.
“How do you feel about waffles?”
Erik was silent for a few seconds, before he groaned loudly and said, “They had better be smothered with syrup Charles!”, and Charles, stupidly-energetic Charles considering the hour, threw his arms up into the air and whooped.
As a shuffling noise passed the door, Erik could see Raven stumbling past, her hair in complete disarray as she pulled her dressing gown tight around her. She scowled heavily when she saw Charles, and Erik couldn’t help but feel pleased it wasn’t only him suffering through Charles’ enthusiasm for Christmas morning.
Three plates of Waffles later - Waffles that Charles had bought from the supermarket the night before and simply had to toast, so they were only slightly burnt - and with good, strong cup of coffee in his hand, Erik and Raven were ushered into the room Charles had decorated the day before.
As he walked into it now, Erik felt himself instantly wake up with surprise. The smell of pine assaulted him as he entered the room, the aroma coming from a tree that certainly hadn’t been there when he’d hovered Charles around the room just yesterday. There were so many baubles hanging off it, glinting in the morning light, that Erik was surprised it didn’t just tip over. Of course, he supposed, it might do just that if it didn’t have that ridiculous pile of presents sitting beneath it.
Charles practically skipped past Erik as he stood in the doorway, jaw open slightly. As he passed, Charles spun about with his hands behind his back as he turned, giving Erik a sunny smile as he went.
“Impressed?” he asked, a decidedly smug note to his tone. And it was that which made Erik decide to play with Charles a touch.
“Disappointed,” Erik sighed, looking up at the ostentatious tree with a well practised look of indifference.
“Disappointed?” Charles repeated, clearly not believing his ears as he placed a hand on his hip and arched an eyebrow.
“Absolutely. Where are the fluttering fairies, Charles? The reindeer?”
And Charles blinked in surprise at him for a moment, before his mouth broke into a disbelieving grin as he pushed at Erik’s shoulder. “Damn it Erik! Just go sit down would you?”
Chuckling softly, Erik did as he was told, sipping at his coffee as he did so. Apparently used to the sight, Raven had taken Charles’ brief distraction as a chance to curl up on the plushest chair, looking as if she would fall asleep right there.
The handing out of the gifts was a long and tedious process that slowly drained the small amount of energy the coffee had given Erik. He was always surprised into wakefullness when Charles bounced over to him with something, however. He truly hadn’t expected a single thing, and yet … He now sat with a pile of fifteen presents at least. Some of which had actually come from Raven, which came as a shock, and Erik actually felt a little guilty about the fact that he hadn’t thought to get her anything.
He was equally surprised when he realised that there was a gift for him from Azazel, and even one from Hank, and he silently cursed the fact that he hadn’t even thought to give them something.
When he opened Azazel’s gift however - A handsome new leather jacket - he found a card that said Both Hank and I are fully aware you wouldn’t have thought to give us something, so don’t feel guilty. We’re just as sure that Charles in fact prepares us something with your name on it. Just you wait - Raven will have received at least two things from you that you don’t remember buying.
As soon as he finished reading the note, Raven exclaimed with shock “Jeez Lensherr, I didn’t realise you actually had taste!” and Erik looked up to see her holding out a dazzling sea green dress that he certainly did not remember buying. Glancing over at Charles with a cocked eyebrow, Charles simply shrugged, completely unrepentant
It seemed to take an age, but finally Charles said with a flourish, “And the last one is for Erik!” and Raven actually sighed with relief.
Erik hesitated a moment before sending an apologetic look at the cerulean-skinned woman, and said, “Wait. There’s one more” as he summoned the parcel he’d brought along with him down the stairs, his heart pounding a little in his chest as he did so.
Swallowing anxiously, but feigning carelessness, Erik set the gift on Charles’ knee. If he were honest, Erik was nervous about Charles’ reaction to the present. He had spent weeks trying to decide on what to get him - After all, what could you get a man who seemed to already have everything he needed? - When he had stumbled upon something on his way back from the bookstore.
Even then Erik had been immensely unsure about it - But he’d ended up leaving the antique store with the trinket regardless. As he sat there, knee bouncing up and down with nerves while Charles pulled the small box apart, Erik began to question his decision all over again.
“Oh,” was all Charles breathed as he plucked a ring out of box, and Raven slid herself off the couch to peer at the ring also, echoing the sentiment, which only furthered Erik’s anxiety. Was ‘Oh’ meant to be a good, or a bad reaction?
The ring was a delicate thing made up of three bands woven together - one part silver, one gold, and another ice-blue glass. The blue was what had initially attracted Erik to it - It was the same unnatural shade of blue as Charles’ eyes, after all - but as he’d taken a closer look, Erik had found that he’d been completely fascinated by it’s design. Simple though the ring looked at first, upon closer inspection, the two metals had been painstakingly carved so that they resembled ivy that twisted and turned around the blue glass. And somehow, somehow, it had reminded Erik of Charles, so he’d bought it.
As Charles sat there, simply looking at the gift in his hand, Erik began to fidget. Had he chosen wrong? It wasn’t as though he had much experience with buying presents for people after all. When he’d grudgingly asked Azazel’s advice, the mutant had told him ‘Simply get something that makes you think of Charles’, and that ring certainly had made him think of Charles. Perhaps it had been too feminine a choice - He could have just as easily bought the genetics book he’d seen in the bookstore and -
“Erik, please stop fidgeting,” Charles said suddenly, and Erik made a point to hold his body tight enough that he could feel each muscle as it twitched. Sometime during Erik’s mental-panic, Raven had returned to her own couch and was snoring softly where she’d curled up.
He relaxed a little when Charles slipped the ring onto his ring finger though, gracing Erik with one of those warm, immeasurably happy smiles as he did so, “Thankyou Erik, it’s beautiful,” the telepath crooned, and Erik allowed himself to relax a little more.
“You’re sure? I have the receipt still, so I can take it back if you -”
He cut himself off when Charles glared at him, though the glare was considerably less threatening when you took Charles’ smile into account. A grin started to break through Erik’s uncertainty as he noticed the way that Charles turned his hand to watch the ring as it caught in the light, a happy smile tugging at the brunette’s lips as he did so.
“Absolutely not. It’s mine now. Now, please stop worrying and open the rest of your presents,” and Charles’ tone left absolutely no room for objection.
As he tore into the rest of his gifts - Leather bound notebooks, a new messenger bag, turtlenecks that felt like liquid in his hands - Erik couldn’t help but notice that Charles constantly looked down at his hand, and smiled like a fool every time that he did. It was enough to make Erik grin with pleasure, glad he managed to do this Christmas thing right, even if he did neglect to think of anyone outside of Charles.
~X~
On, to Part 5!