Fic: Beneath the Surface - (9/~14) Charles/Erik
Title: Beneath the Surface (9/~14), 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Fandom: X-Men: First Class, Charles/Erik
Genre: AU; Drama/Romance
Rating: PG-13, possibly up to NC-17 later.
Word Count: 5539
Summary: Charles is a young marine biologist and activist that, one day, makes the find of his lifetime. Inspired by this fanart
Author's Note: Still un-beta'ed. Thank you guys a MILLION for the amazing feedback to the last chapter. You were so motivating that I managed to finish the next one before I have to leave for that wedding tomorrow. And the next chapter is even already started. Wow, seriously, I've never been more motivated before.
And did you see? raver_sprite drew me another fanart. Yay!
If things had been awkward between them after the scene in the pool, they got a lot worse after that chess match. Charles hadn't seen much of Erik during the day - he had been busy himself on the phone with people and continuing his internet research - and he suspected that Erik was trying to avoid him. Or all of them, really, though he had actually seen him sitting on a bench in the gardens with Irene and Raven earlier that afternoon when he had taken a break from a long and completely fruitless analysis of shipping records from California to Hong Kong. The latter frustrated him beyond measures because it looked like there was really no point in any of his efforts. How naïve was it, in the first place, to think he could uncover some illegal transactions when the authorities and even a law firm had failed to accomplish this in the past?
Then there was a whole other thing that didn't seem to make any sense to him and had him constantly wondering about Shaw's agenda. Even if Shaw captured Erik, what really was he going to do with him? It wasn't like he could simply put a yet unknown creature with human intelligence on display like a mere animal to turn it into a tourist attraction. Surely, even though there weren't any specific laws on this exact matter, it was not something Shaw would simply get away with, or was it? After all, this wasn't the 19th century anymore; there were human rights - though they would have to be extended to human-animal hybrids, or whatever the legal definition for someone like Erik might be - and one couldn't simply rob a person of these rights and exploit them for personal profit. At least not in America.
It were these questions that were still haunting him when he joined the others in one of the rooms on the first floor - the blue salon as his mother had called it when she had held her splendid cocktail parties in it. It was more spacious than the living room with small sofas and armchairs in various corners, an open fireplace, piano, and, in front of one wall with a dark blue retro Victorian wallpaper, a large bar. The room hadn't really been used since the party for Raven's twenty-first birthday.
"Ah, there you are. Awesome," Alex grinned as he stood behind the counter of the bar, taking out a few glasses and opening several bottles of hard liquor.
"Is there something to celebrate?" Charles asked, confused.
Raven and Irene, who stood in front of the bar, looked slightly caught, and especially Raven was blushing. Hank displayed nothing but his usual, friendly and slightly shy smile.
"That depends how you see it," Alex replied, his tone indicating that he was talking in good humor. "I plan to get shit-faced and drown my sorrow because Raven has once and for all broken my heart."
"I… 'm not sure I understand."
The caught look on Raven's features became even more prominent, and she blushed an even deeper shade, though there was a crooked smirk on her lips, same as the smile on Irene's that she obviously tried to conceal.
"We didn't mean to make a huge fuss over this. Actually, we didn't really want to tell you guys," Raven started, gaze averted and her left hand covering her right. "What with everything going on and such. But…"
"I saw the ring," Hank finished, a somewhat guilty glance thrown in Raven and Irene's direction, and Charles began to understand.
"I just put it on for a few minutes and then forgot about it," Raven explained.
"This really isn't the right moment for something like this," Irene said. "But I'd planned this for some time now, and… well. When you were all gone and busy the other day I thought I couldn't wait any longer and carry that ring around with me all the time. So…"
"My gosh. You're getting married?" Charles asked, feeling a smile spread on his own lips and his heart swell with pride and joy for them.
"I'm sorry," Irene replied bashfully. "I know this is like the most inappropriate time for something like that, and if I had known what was really going on, I - "
"No, stop apologizing," Charles chuckled as he crossed the distance between them, laying his hands on Raven's shoulders. "This is great. I'm really happy for you." He pulled Raven into a tight hug and heard her laughing softly as she returned the gesture before he turned to Irene and hugged her as well. "Congratulations. And don't worry about it. There's no such thing as an inappropriate moment for happy news. I guess we can all do with something pleasant for a change."
He still had his hand on Irene's upper arm, looking at both of them as their shyness and mild embarrassment made room for bright, radiant smiles, and he couldn't help but feel slightly envious of them and what they shared. He suddenly wondered where Erik was.
"I'm terribly sorry we all ruined that moment for you," Charles said. "I'm sure you must have pictured it a little differently."
"It's okay. It just happened," Irene replied, and Raven laid her arm around him once more to hug him briefly.
"Gosh. My little sister. Getting married." Another chuckle escaped Charles' lips and he shook his head.
"I thought this was a great reason to have a little party," Alex said. "And it looks like you have enough booze in the house for that. Just…," he opened one of the cabinets beneath the bar and frowned. "Hm. We could use some juice and stuff. Can't really make a Sex on the Beach or Cuba Libre with only vodka and rum."
"There should be some Dom in the fridge. Or at least that's where I last saw the bottles."
"D- what? You mean that crazy expensive champagne shit rich people always drink?" Alex asked, eyes slightly wide but the grin never fully leaving his features.
Charles had to laugh. "Yes. And this is the ideal occasion to open one, don't you think?"
Alex shrugged as he made to open the fridge, disappearing behind the bar for a moment before he brought one of the magnum bottles back up. "To be honest, I don't even remember if I ever had champagne."
There were more congratulations while the glasses were filled, and Raven told them proudly how Irene had proposed to her, the smile on her face turning as bright as Charles had never seen it before. Ever since same-sex marriage had been legalized in New York, he had been wondering if they'd take that step in their relationship at some point. He couldn't imagine another couple more suited for each other, and he was also quite pleased to see that what he had thought to still be some kind of a crush on Alex' side was probably nothing more than reminiscence of teenage sweethearts that they'd once been.
They even put on some music - Raven plugged her mp3-player into the stereo - and Charles watched his sister and her girlfriend, now fiancé, laugh and dance to the fast and cheerful beats some pop song. His heart grew a little heavier then, not solely unpleasantly so - he really was happy for them with all his heart - but he could not help to notice that it made him feel a little lonely and regretful for the fact that luck simply hadn't been on his side so far.
"Damn, you know," Alex started, shuddering after he'd finished his first glass of champagne. "This stuff really isn't my thing. I'm gonna get a beer. Anyone want one too?"
"No, thanks," Hank replied and Charles shook his head as well, watching Alex shrug and leave the room to head for the kitchen.
Just a minute later or so, Charles felt the soft vibration of his cell phone in the pocket of his pants, and, slightly surprised because he hadn't expected a call, took it out to check the display.
"Moira, hello."
"Charles, I've got to-" But Charles could hardly hear her over the sounds of the stereo.
"Hang on, we're having a little party here, and I' can't hear you, I'm afraid," he interrupted her and quickly left the room, walking a few steps into the hallway until it was quiet enough around him to understand her properly. "Alright, sorry about that."
"It's okay," Moira replied on the other end, her voice sounding somewhat impatient. "Charles, I've got news for you, and you're not gonna like them."
~*~
The music was still playing loudly when Charles finished his phone call about fifteen minutes later, but he didn't feel like immediately joining the party. He wanted a clear head and think about what he had just learned for a few minutes. Try to make sense of the new information that was, as Moira had announced, alarming but also, and probably more so, confusing. The questions he'd previously been asking himself returned to the foreground of his thoughts, and he let out a frustrated sigh as he could not find a single logical answer to any of them.
So Shaw was hiring personnel off of Sea World and the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, as well as a team of scientists, and everything pointed into the direction that he was planning some sort of underwater amusement park or scientific research facility. Just what exactly he wanted to do with Erik and why he thought this would make him richer than any of his trading business and international enterprise shares remained a complete mystery to Charles. He was overlooking something, something of crucial importance that he just couldn't figure out.
As he passed the staircase, just slowly walking down the hallway and over the soft, long carpet, the music behind him faded further, he suddenly heard faint voices from the kitchen. Maybe Alex was still there and one of the others had joined him while Charles had been in the study, talking to Moira, and he thought that, at least with no distracting music in the background he could share his knowledge with whomever he'd meet and try to find a solution. When he had almost reached the kitchen, finding the door ajar, he stopped in his tracks immediately.
“Don't tell Charles about this, okay?” Alex chuckled, and another, by now quite familiar voice replied, tone a little cool and forced: “I won't.”
“Yeah, better not,” Alex replied as lightheartedly as before.
Charles stood frozen to the spot, no idea what they were talking about. Something seemed to tell him it wasn't polite to eavesdrop, but after all they were talking about him. He also wasn't quite sure he liked the thought of them having some secret that he should not know about, his curiosity getting the better of him despite his moral dilemma.
“Hey wait. You're not... having some kind of beef with him, are you?”
“Beef?”
“Um, you know. A fight. Some disagreement or something like that. You were totally thinking of steak or some roast right now, weren't you?”
“That was the first thing that came to mind, yes.”
Alex laughed. “Dude, sorry. I've gotta remember that you don't know all of these slang expressions and shit. Just bear with me okay?”
“Okay,” Erik replied.
“So are you?”
Silence followed for a while, and Charles didn't know how to feel about this, wasn't even sure whether he wanted Erik to be quiet about what had happened between them or actually had an odd and mostly inexplicable wish to hear how Erik thought about this all.
“I think I misunderstood something he did,” Erik replied eventually.
Charles wasn't sure Alex even noticed it, but he could hear the fine undertone of bitterness in Erik's voice, and it made his heart feel heavy. Erik had understood him perfectly, probably more than Charles would have imagined, had sensed the attraction Charles was feeling toward him, but he could not bring himself to act on it.
“Oh. Well, you know, that's bound to happen. I mean it's kinda like if you meet someone from a foreign country. Even someone that speaks the same language, like... Australians. Different customs, different words for different things we don't even have here. Things like that happen all the time. Hell, I think I'd have a ton of misunderstandings with people if I only traveled as far as Texas.”
Alex was still smiling, audible in his voice, but Erik did not reply.
“I hope you're not still pissed... I mean angry at Hank and me. But seriously, it was just... I thought I was high or something.”
“No, I'm not.”
“Good. Good.”
Again, there was silence for a moment, and Charles already considered going in as if he had just walked up to the door, but then Alex spoke up again.
“Wow, you know, this is actually kinda awesome. I'm sitting here, having a beer with a shark. I'm gonna tell my grandkids about that one day. No offense dude, I mean... What should I even call you?”
Erik made a brief humming sound. “I guess I never really thought about it. We just were what we were. Your kind were the ones that needed a name from our point of view.”
“Ah, that makes sense,” Alex agreed. “Maybe we'll come up with something cool for you. I mean if you'd like that.”
“I wouldn't mind,” Erik replied, and a second later Charles could hear the soft clanking of two bottles. He only realized then that Erik was drinking beer. Drinking. He really didn't know if that was such a good idea.
Charles got no opportunity to enter then, as Alex continued. “How about Homo Sharkiens? Oh shit, no.” He laughed out loud. “It kinda sounded a lot better in my head. So no, that's off the menu. Besides, it sounds like some stupid gay joke.”
“Gay?”
“Oh, right. That's a word for people that love people of their own gender. Like Raven and Irene. Though I guess most people think of two guys first when they hear the word.”
“Hm. I thought it meant merry or happy. At least that's what I remember from a song my grandmother often played.”
“Yeah that's kinda where it comes from, but nobody uses it in that context anymore. Weird, huh?”
“Yes, a bit.” There was that faint trace of surprised amusement in Erik's tone, Charles could almost see him raising his brows and smirking faintly. “And people make jokes about that word being easily misunderstood?”
“Um, no. Well, okay, some jokes play on that. Usually they just make fun of gay people. But people make fun of everything, really.”
“Why?”
“Because... they think it's funny? I dunno, really. What do shark people laugh about? Don't say dolphins. Because there's this joke that dolphins really are just gay sharks.”
Oh Alex, you did not just say that! Even if he wanted to put an end to this, there was no way for Charles to enter the kitchen now, feeling his cheeks heat with second-hand embarrassment and awkwardness at the most inappropriate topic. More inappropriate than Alex could probably imagine.
“I'm not sure I fully understand that,” Erik confessed.
“Okay, so dolphins are kind of funny, right? What with their grinning faces and all that noise they make and the way they do back flips and somersaults.”
“Yes, they are. But I still don't understand what that has to do with whom someone is in love with.”
“Okay, forget I ever said anything,” Alex sighed faintly. “It's... I guess it's because there's like a stereotype of gay people, and people like to make fun of it. Thinking about it it's a little mean though.”
“From what I've gathered, most of what you land-walkers laugh about is based on mischief and stereotypes.”
“Who ever said TV wasn't educating? You're right.”
“Which, hm, does make sense. When someone has a mishap it can be quite entertaining. But I still don't understand why being gay as you call it fits into that. I thought this was normal for humans.”
“Oh.” The chuckle Alex let out now sounded slightly bashful. “Well, I guess it kinda is. But not everybody sees it like that, you know. I mean most people aren't. Gay I mean.”
“What does it matter, though?” Erik asked. “I mean other than for the obvious reason that they cannot have children. Why are you humans so concerned with normality and definitions?”
Awkward turned to interesting, and Charles leaned slightly against the wall beside the door, not knowing how he, himself, would answer this question precisely. That it needed be asked in the first place confirmed for him again that Erik simply didn't belong in a world that was so complicated and unfair sometimes.
“Hm, that's a good question. I honestly don't know. I mean I guess it doesn't matter. It didn't matter for Raven, and she wasn't always gay, you know?” Another slightly nonplussed chuckle. “So I guess some people just find out a bit sooner and want to define themselves, while others don't really care who they fall in love with, like you said. But, no, actually it doesn't matter. I mean, I really can't imagine doing anything with a dude, but hey, if that's someone's thing... Fine by me.”
“Interesting.”
“You must think we're all a bunch of weirdos, right?” Alex laughed. “Well, we kinda are, us humans. Strangest animal on the planet. Hey do you want another beer?”
“Hm...” Erik replied. “It tastes a little odd. But... I feel... It's interesting.”
“Hey, you're not already drunk from one beer, are you?” Alex laughed, and Charles could hear the popping sounds of two bottles being opened.
“I don't know.”
“Just don't drink and dive, okay?” Alex laughed.
“I wasn't planning to.” Erik's voice really did sound slightly slurred, and although it would mean for Charles to reveal that he had, at least, stood here and listened in on the last few fragments of their conversation, he decided it was time to put a stop to this.
Pushing the door open and stepping in, he walked straight up to a slightly startled Alex and took the second bottle of beer from his hand. “That's enough.”
“Woah, Charles, um... sorry. I didn't... were you listening?” Alex asked, his face twisted in confusion.
“I heard the part where you asked Erik if he wanted another beer. I'm sorry Alex, but you should know better.”
“I...err...”
But Erik didn't let him finish. Snatching the bottle back from Charles' hand, he took another swig of it and leaned against the counter where he had casually stood. “Leave him be, Charles.” His voice was still calm, but there was something rather dark in his gaze as he looked over at Charles, who, for the first time since he'd met Erik, didn't quite dare trying to repeat what he had just done.
“Erik, you've never had alcohol before. You don't know what it's gonna do to you. I just don't want you to feel sick.”
“I'm feeling quite fine now,” Erik replied, his increased stubbornness probably already a first sign of him being slightly inebriated.
“That's what you think now, my friend, but --”
“Don't treat me like I'm a child, damn it.” Erik was far from shouting, but the way his voice had risen ever so slightly, a different ring to it, almost growling, made Charles instinctively retreat.
“Um, guys... Can we just... Hey, Erik, dude, maybe it would really be better if you wait a bit with the second one. Drink some water first and then see - “
“Why do you even need to make him drink alcohol?” Charles now snapped, as he turned around to look at Alex, a little surprised himself at the sudden harshness in his tone, not quite knowing why he was so mad at Alex.
“He was just asking what I was drinking so I gave him one. Big deal.”
“Yes, it is, to be honest. I don't think - “ He stopped quite abruptly when he felt the almost forceful grip of Erik's fingers around his wrist.
“Stop. Just stop. You're not the only adult that can make decisions around here, in case you've failed to notice.” The growling undertone in Erik's voice had become more prominent, his eyes narrowed, though slightly unfocused, glaring straight into Charles'. “But maybe you just don't approve of anyone else's.” There was such bitterness and resignation in his words then, and the grip of his fingers loosened quite suddenly.
Charles had to swallow, knowing exactly what this was about - unlike Alex who stared back and forth between them, seeming not quite sure whether he should leave or stay.
Then, Erik swayed slightly and blinked as he averted his eyes, and concern immediately rose in Charles.
“Erik, are you alright?”
“Just...” Erik raised a hand to keep Charles away, blinking another time before he took a deep breath and straightened himself. “Just leave me be, Charles,” he said and left for the open door, his steps soon resounding from the staircase.
Charles suppressed a heavy sigh, covering his eyes with one hand.
“What the hell was that all about?” Alex asked, more concerned than angry, but Charles could not bring himself to answer.
~*~
The rest of the evening had passed with a slightly gloomy mood. Neither Alex nor Charles had told the others what had happened in the kitchen, but Charles could not simply forget about it and go back to dancing and laughing. And so he had feigned being tired half an hour later, though he had been lying in bed for quite a while, pondering until his head had started hurting.
Maybe he was a kind of control-freak sometimes; Raven had told him so on occasion. It hit him now that what he had been trying to avoid from the beginning, giving Erik the feeling Charles saw himself as something superior, had finally come to pass, and he hoped there was a way to fix it. He also wondered why the conversation he had overheard, despite all its awkwardness and inappropriate details, had seemed so natural and unrestrained. Alex had made no effort to hide anything from Erik, try to protect him, ease him toward a topic as Charles had always done, and while, at first, this had been the aspect that had made him cringe, he somehow... He somehow wished he could have talked to Erik so openly and casually.
Maybe Raven was right, too, when she called him (teasingly) a boring, uptight old fart.
The next morning when he joined the rest of them in the kitchen (Agnes had gone to a farmer's market), he tried to push all somber thoughts into the back of his mind and smiled.
Irene sat at the kitchen table, cutting up some fruit, her nimble fingers feeling the size and surface of each piece before she sliced into it with practiced precision, and Raven put some muesli and cereal in big bowls while Hank was frying eggs. Alex, who had in fact drunk a few more shots of tequila last night, seemed rather tired as he stood leaning against a counter with a large mug of coffee in his hands.
“Good morning,” Charles said as they greeted him in return.
“Where's Erik?” he asked as casually as he could, but searched for Alex' gaze for a moment who shook his head for no more than half an inch, a brief smile twisting around his mouth and his thumb raised from around his coffee mug to give him the 'OK'. “Went for a swim.”
So one and a half bottles of beer really weren't enough to make him hungover, Charles concluded in relief, feeling a bit silly for his exaggerated concern.
“He wanted to be back when breakfast is done,” Hank added and put the fried eggs onto plates. “Should I make some more?”
“No thanks. I think I'll have some fruit and muesli, too, if that's alright?”
“Sure,” Irene and Raven replied in unison, chuckling as soon as they realized they had spoken at the same time.
“There's something I wanted to discuss with you,” Charles started and leaned against a high shelf with his shoulder, able to look at all of them from where he stood.
"Shoot then," Alex prompted while Raven put the carton with cereal down and looked at him, ready to listen.
"I wanted to discuss what we're going to do next. We've been here in the house for almost two weeks now, and I don't suppose we can stay here forever and hide."
"I was hoping by now we'd all be able to go back home," Hank sighed, shrugging at Charles apologetically to make sure he didn't understand it as reproach.
Charles still felt bad for him, though. "Yes, I'm terribly sorry about that. But actually there might be something that could finally get us a bit further. Or at least throw light on the whole issue with Shaw. You know I was talking to Moira last night. I didn't want to tell you right away, because…" He made a waving hand gesture and heard Raven sigh.
"Because you didn't want to ruin our engagement party. Oh Charles."
"It's alright. I had to think about this all first, anyway," he replied and returned her smile. His features turned serious again, though. "Shaw's hiring staff from various aquariums and universities. So he's definitely working on establishing that facility. Now, we don't know what he's going to do with it once it's completed, but…"
"Sitting around here and waiting for him to attack is pretty shitty," Alex finished.
"Exactly." Charles couldn't deny that, even though it appeared to be unlikely that Shaw would really try to force his way into their house and simply kidnap Erik - that seemed to be more action movie material than anything happening in reality - the waiting and worrying, unable to do anything productive, tore at his nerves.
"Yeah, but where should we go? I mean… We can't just run and hide forever, can we?" Hank asked, visibly uneasy about the topic. "What about our jobs? Our homes?"
Charles suppressed a sigh. "Well, the 'we' in this suggestion is what I wanted to discuss with you. I've been thinking. Let's say I go somewhere with Erik, and I don’t tell any of you where."
"Oh, no, no, no!" Raven butted in and took a step closer toward him. "You're not going anywhere alone. At least not without me."
"Raven, let me finish. Then you can tell me what you think about it. You all." He struggled to choose his words so that none of them would think he had already made up his mind, decided for all of them. Again. "It's just one idea I had. If you have anything else you can bring it up and we will all discuss it, alright?"
Raven seemed conciliated for the moment, though her brow remained furrowed in skepticism while she glanced at Charles, arms crossed in front of her chest. He didn't miss Irene reaching up from where she was sitting, pulling Raven's hand down and holding it.
"If Erik and I went somewhere together - that is if Erik agrees to this as well -"
"Shouldn't we discuss this with him here, then?" Alex asked.
"We will. I just wanted to make sure it doesn't end up with something that he would like but that none of you can agree with. So like I said, if we went somewhere and none of you knew, Shaw would not be able to hold anything against you. He might come by and ask questions, but since y-"
"And you don't think a guy that's burned your house down and conducted experiments with people that even make those Nazi doctors you see about on TV look harmless would step short of kidnapping any of us just so you'd give in?" Alex said with a faint snort, and Charles had to admit that this was a certain flaw in his plan.
"Um, as much as I want to go home," Hank added, "I think Alex is right. At least here we are together, and frankly I feel a little safer here thank in my Brooklyn apartment."
"Hm," Irene frowned. "They're right. Shaw's got so much power and influence. We don't know what he could come up with if we all split up."
"Told you," Raven said somewhat triumphantly but joylessly.
"We're in this together, dude. Whatever the hell you decide, we're doing it together."
Charles felt touched by the words, especially since he and Alex had never been close friends and only acquainted through Raven. And when he saw Hank nod, reluctantly so but still, he could not help to smile, though it didn't chase away a rather heavy feeling in his chest.
"So where did you want to go?" Irene asked.
"Well, I had two options in mind," Charles said, suddenly realizing that as soon as he was going to express them they both started to sound a little unpromising. "One would have been to travel to California and get Erik to go back to the ocean and convince him to really never come back."
"I'm not sure that would work," Alex said, and when exactly had he become an expert on all things Erik? The thought had appeared quite suddenly in Charles' mind, accompanied by an odd swell of anger in his chest that at least some part of his conscious mind recognized as jealousy. Which was ridiculous.
"I would have proposed it to him. But that's why I was thinking about the second option, which would be going to Myrtle Beach - that's where Moira lives. She couldn't tell me everything yesterday and was still waiting to hear back from a few colleagues. So maybe we could find out more there. And Erik would not have to use the pool all the time."
"That sounds better already," Raven said, but Hank frowned.
"Could we even all stay there?"
"I'm not sure. She said if I wanted to come down I could stay with her. She's house sitting her parents' beach house while they're in Tokyo for the summer, but I haven't precisely mentioned that we're six people."
"As long as I get a pillow and a blanket I'd even sleep on the floor," Alex said and shrugged. "No seriously, I like that idea."
"Yes, I'm… I'm just not quite sure it would really help us advance with this," Charles confessed, thinking that the half thought-through plan was anything but ripe for decision.
"And sitting here on our asses will?" Alex asked.
"No, it won't," Irene said. "And even if it doesn't bring us any further with finding something on Shaw, like you said, at least Erik would be able to swim in the ocean and not be stuck in a house in the middle of nowhere. If he agrees to this then I'm absolutely all for it."
"All for what?"
Startled, Charles turned around and looked at Erik who was just entering the kitchen, and he immediately feared Erik might think they had been talking behind his back - which, technically, they had.
"Making plans, Charles?" Perfectly calm tone and neutral expression, but Charles was still sure there was a tiny trace of sarcasm in his voice.
"Actually, yes. Or at least discussing options. But good that you're here now, too," he said, swallowing the caught feeling and forcing himself to look at Erik with a friendly smile.
It was slightly ironic that Alex, of all people, came to help. "Yeah. We were asking ourselves what to do next. "What do you think about a trip to the beach?"
It was impossible for anyone in the room to miss Erik's eyes lighting up, deepest longing visible in them, though there were small creases on his forehead that showed his skepticism. "I thought the idea was to keep me away from the beach."
"The idea was to keep you away from anywhere were Shaw might go looking for you," Charles replied quickly, giving Erik a brief and hopefully encouraging smile. The thought that their disagreements would stand between them, that Erik felt in any way like he was a prisoner here, cut through Charles' gut like a knife. "But the place we had in mind is much further south. We could stay at a friend's beach house."
"Which hopefully won't get burned down again," Hank more or less mumbled, and Raven groaned out in exasperation.
"Hank!"
"Which could only happen," Charles said with emphasis, "if Shaw knew we're there. In fact, we'd probably be even safer there than here. And you could go swim in the ocean. If you'd like that, I mean. It's entirely up to you, Erik. You decide." It was an offer at reconciliation, and Charles almost held his breath as he regarded the other man, saw that still pondering but hopeful look in his eyes, whatever resentment had been in them before fading completely now.
"We're all okay with that," Irene said softly, smiling in Erik's general direction as he still hadn't replied, and the others nodded as well, waiting what he would say.
It was Charles he looked at, though, when he finally nodded and a tiny smile lit up his face.
~ TBC ~
Chapter 10
I hope this chapter wasn't a bit boring to you. I'm not so immensely happy with it, but I needed for all these small details to happen and be shown.
Anyway, as I said the next chapter is already started. So I suppose I should get it done on Monday or Tuesday the latest. Also, I now have a rough idea of how many chapters this will be. Damn, when I started writing I was thinking 6 or 7 ^^
Fandom: X-Men: First Class, Charles/Erik
Genre: AU; Drama/Romance
Rating: PG-13, possibly up to NC-17 later.
Word Count: 5539
Summary: Charles is a young marine biologist and activist that, one day, makes the find of his lifetime. Inspired by this fanart
Author's Note: Still un-beta'ed. Thank you guys a MILLION for the amazing feedback to the last chapter. You were so motivating that I managed to finish the next one before I have to leave for that wedding tomorrow. And the next chapter is even already started. Wow, seriously, I've never been more motivated before.
And did you see? raver_sprite drew me another fanart. Yay!
If things had been awkward between them after the scene in the pool, they got a lot worse after that chess match. Charles hadn't seen much of Erik during the day - he had been busy himself on the phone with people and continuing his internet research - and he suspected that Erik was trying to avoid him. Or all of them, really, though he had actually seen him sitting on a bench in the gardens with Irene and Raven earlier that afternoon when he had taken a break from a long and completely fruitless analysis of shipping records from California to Hong Kong. The latter frustrated him beyond measures because it looked like there was really no point in any of his efforts. How naïve was it, in the first place, to think he could uncover some illegal transactions when the authorities and even a law firm had failed to accomplish this in the past?
Then there was a whole other thing that didn't seem to make any sense to him and had him constantly wondering about Shaw's agenda. Even if Shaw captured Erik, what really was he going to do with him? It wasn't like he could simply put a yet unknown creature with human intelligence on display like a mere animal to turn it into a tourist attraction. Surely, even though there weren't any specific laws on this exact matter, it was not something Shaw would simply get away with, or was it? After all, this wasn't the 19th century anymore; there were human rights - though they would have to be extended to human-animal hybrids, or whatever the legal definition for someone like Erik might be - and one couldn't simply rob a person of these rights and exploit them for personal profit. At least not in America.
It were these questions that were still haunting him when he joined the others in one of the rooms on the first floor - the blue salon as his mother had called it when she had held her splendid cocktail parties in it. It was more spacious than the living room with small sofas and armchairs in various corners, an open fireplace, piano, and, in front of one wall with a dark blue retro Victorian wallpaper, a large bar. The room hadn't really been used since the party for Raven's twenty-first birthday.
"Ah, there you are. Awesome," Alex grinned as he stood behind the counter of the bar, taking out a few glasses and opening several bottles of hard liquor.
"Is there something to celebrate?" Charles asked, confused.
Raven and Irene, who stood in front of the bar, looked slightly caught, and especially Raven was blushing. Hank displayed nothing but his usual, friendly and slightly shy smile.
"That depends how you see it," Alex replied, his tone indicating that he was talking in good humor. "I plan to get shit-faced and drown my sorrow because Raven has once and for all broken my heart."
"I… 'm not sure I understand."
The caught look on Raven's features became even more prominent, and she blushed an even deeper shade, though there was a crooked smirk on her lips, same as the smile on Irene's that she obviously tried to conceal.
"We didn't mean to make a huge fuss over this. Actually, we didn't really want to tell you guys," Raven started, gaze averted and her left hand covering her right. "What with everything going on and such. But…"
"I saw the ring," Hank finished, a somewhat guilty glance thrown in Raven and Irene's direction, and Charles began to understand.
"I just put it on for a few minutes and then forgot about it," Raven explained.
"This really isn't the right moment for something like this," Irene said. "But I'd planned this for some time now, and… well. When you were all gone and busy the other day I thought I couldn't wait any longer and carry that ring around with me all the time. So…"
"My gosh. You're getting married?" Charles asked, feeling a smile spread on his own lips and his heart swell with pride and joy for them.
"I'm sorry," Irene replied bashfully. "I know this is like the most inappropriate time for something like that, and if I had known what was really going on, I - "
"No, stop apologizing," Charles chuckled as he crossed the distance between them, laying his hands on Raven's shoulders. "This is great. I'm really happy for you." He pulled Raven into a tight hug and heard her laughing softly as she returned the gesture before he turned to Irene and hugged her as well. "Congratulations. And don't worry about it. There's no such thing as an inappropriate moment for happy news. I guess we can all do with something pleasant for a change."
He still had his hand on Irene's upper arm, looking at both of them as their shyness and mild embarrassment made room for bright, radiant smiles, and he couldn't help but feel slightly envious of them and what they shared. He suddenly wondered where Erik was.
"I'm terribly sorry we all ruined that moment for you," Charles said. "I'm sure you must have pictured it a little differently."
"It's okay. It just happened," Irene replied, and Raven laid her arm around him once more to hug him briefly.
"Gosh. My little sister. Getting married." Another chuckle escaped Charles' lips and he shook his head.
"I thought this was a great reason to have a little party," Alex said. "And it looks like you have enough booze in the house for that. Just…," he opened one of the cabinets beneath the bar and frowned. "Hm. We could use some juice and stuff. Can't really make a Sex on the Beach or Cuba Libre with only vodka and rum."
"There should be some Dom in the fridge. Or at least that's where I last saw the bottles."
"D- what? You mean that crazy expensive champagne shit rich people always drink?" Alex asked, eyes slightly wide but the grin never fully leaving his features.
Charles had to laugh. "Yes. And this is the ideal occasion to open one, don't you think?"
Alex shrugged as he made to open the fridge, disappearing behind the bar for a moment before he brought one of the magnum bottles back up. "To be honest, I don't even remember if I ever had champagne."
There were more congratulations while the glasses were filled, and Raven told them proudly how Irene had proposed to her, the smile on her face turning as bright as Charles had never seen it before. Ever since same-sex marriage had been legalized in New York, he had been wondering if they'd take that step in their relationship at some point. He couldn't imagine another couple more suited for each other, and he was also quite pleased to see that what he had thought to still be some kind of a crush on Alex' side was probably nothing more than reminiscence of teenage sweethearts that they'd once been.
They even put on some music - Raven plugged her mp3-player into the stereo - and Charles watched his sister and her girlfriend, now fiancé, laugh and dance to the fast and cheerful beats some pop song. His heart grew a little heavier then, not solely unpleasantly so - he really was happy for them with all his heart - but he could not help to notice that it made him feel a little lonely and regretful for the fact that luck simply hadn't been on his side so far.
"Damn, you know," Alex started, shuddering after he'd finished his first glass of champagne. "This stuff really isn't my thing. I'm gonna get a beer. Anyone want one too?"
"No, thanks," Hank replied and Charles shook his head as well, watching Alex shrug and leave the room to head for the kitchen.
Just a minute later or so, Charles felt the soft vibration of his cell phone in the pocket of his pants, and, slightly surprised because he hadn't expected a call, took it out to check the display.
"Moira, hello."
"Charles, I've got to-" But Charles could hardly hear her over the sounds of the stereo.
"Hang on, we're having a little party here, and I' can't hear you, I'm afraid," he interrupted her and quickly left the room, walking a few steps into the hallway until it was quiet enough around him to understand her properly. "Alright, sorry about that."
"It's okay," Moira replied on the other end, her voice sounding somewhat impatient. "Charles, I've got news for you, and you're not gonna like them."
~*~
The music was still playing loudly when Charles finished his phone call about fifteen minutes later, but he didn't feel like immediately joining the party. He wanted a clear head and think about what he had just learned for a few minutes. Try to make sense of the new information that was, as Moira had announced, alarming but also, and probably more so, confusing. The questions he'd previously been asking himself returned to the foreground of his thoughts, and he let out a frustrated sigh as he could not find a single logical answer to any of them.
So Shaw was hiring personnel off of Sea World and the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, as well as a team of scientists, and everything pointed into the direction that he was planning some sort of underwater amusement park or scientific research facility. Just what exactly he wanted to do with Erik and why he thought this would make him richer than any of his trading business and international enterprise shares remained a complete mystery to Charles. He was overlooking something, something of crucial importance that he just couldn't figure out.
As he passed the staircase, just slowly walking down the hallway and over the soft, long carpet, the music behind him faded further, he suddenly heard faint voices from the kitchen. Maybe Alex was still there and one of the others had joined him while Charles had been in the study, talking to Moira, and he thought that, at least with no distracting music in the background he could share his knowledge with whomever he'd meet and try to find a solution. When he had almost reached the kitchen, finding the door ajar, he stopped in his tracks immediately.
“Don't tell Charles about this, okay?” Alex chuckled, and another, by now quite familiar voice replied, tone a little cool and forced: “I won't.”
“Yeah, better not,” Alex replied as lightheartedly as before.
Charles stood frozen to the spot, no idea what they were talking about. Something seemed to tell him it wasn't polite to eavesdrop, but after all they were talking about him. He also wasn't quite sure he liked the thought of them having some secret that he should not know about, his curiosity getting the better of him despite his moral dilemma.
“Hey wait. You're not... having some kind of beef with him, are you?”
“Beef?”
“Um, you know. A fight. Some disagreement or something like that. You were totally thinking of steak or some roast right now, weren't you?”
“That was the first thing that came to mind, yes.”
Alex laughed. “Dude, sorry. I've gotta remember that you don't know all of these slang expressions and shit. Just bear with me okay?”
“Okay,” Erik replied.
“So are you?”
Silence followed for a while, and Charles didn't know how to feel about this, wasn't even sure whether he wanted Erik to be quiet about what had happened between them or actually had an odd and mostly inexplicable wish to hear how Erik thought about this all.
“I think I misunderstood something he did,” Erik replied eventually.
Charles wasn't sure Alex even noticed it, but he could hear the fine undertone of bitterness in Erik's voice, and it made his heart feel heavy. Erik had understood him perfectly, probably more than Charles would have imagined, had sensed the attraction Charles was feeling toward him, but he could not bring himself to act on it.
“Oh. Well, you know, that's bound to happen. I mean it's kinda like if you meet someone from a foreign country. Even someone that speaks the same language, like... Australians. Different customs, different words for different things we don't even have here. Things like that happen all the time. Hell, I think I'd have a ton of misunderstandings with people if I only traveled as far as Texas.”
Alex was still smiling, audible in his voice, but Erik did not reply.
“I hope you're not still pissed... I mean angry at Hank and me. But seriously, it was just... I thought I was high or something.”
“No, I'm not.”
“Good. Good.”
Again, there was silence for a moment, and Charles already considered going in as if he had just walked up to the door, but then Alex spoke up again.
“Wow, you know, this is actually kinda awesome. I'm sitting here, having a beer with a shark. I'm gonna tell my grandkids about that one day. No offense dude, I mean... What should I even call you?”
Erik made a brief humming sound. “I guess I never really thought about it. We just were what we were. Your kind were the ones that needed a name from our point of view.”
“Ah, that makes sense,” Alex agreed. “Maybe we'll come up with something cool for you. I mean if you'd like that.”
“I wouldn't mind,” Erik replied, and a second later Charles could hear the soft clanking of two bottles. He only realized then that Erik was drinking beer. Drinking. He really didn't know if that was such a good idea.
Charles got no opportunity to enter then, as Alex continued. “How about Homo Sharkiens? Oh shit, no.” He laughed out loud. “It kinda sounded a lot better in my head. So no, that's off the menu. Besides, it sounds like some stupid gay joke.”
“Gay?”
“Oh, right. That's a word for people that love people of their own gender. Like Raven and Irene. Though I guess most people think of two guys first when they hear the word.”
“Hm. I thought it meant merry or happy. At least that's what I remember from a song my grandmother often played.”
“Yeah that's kinda where it comes from, but nobody uses it in that context anymore. Weird, huh?”
“Yes, a bit.” There was that faint trace of surprised amusement in Erik's tone, Charles could almost see him raising his brows and smirking faintly. “And people make jokes about that word being easily misunderstood?”
“Um, no. Well, okay, some jokes play on that. Usually they just make fun of gay people. But people make fun of everything, really.”
“Why?”
“Because... they think it's funny? I dunno, really. What do shark people laugh about? Don't say dolphins. Because there's this joke that dolphins really are just gay sharks.”
Oh Alex, you did not just say that! Even if he wanted to put an end to this, there was no way for Charles to enter the kitchen now, feeling his cheeks heat with second-hand embarrassment and awkwardness at the most inappropriate topic. More inappropriate than Alex could probably imagine.
“I'm not sure I fully understand that,” Erik confessed.
“Okay, so dolphins are kind of funny, right? What with their grinning faces and all that noise they make and the way they do back flips and somersaults.”
“Yes, they are. But I still don't understand what that has to do with whom someone is in love with.”
“Okay, forget I ever said anything,” Alex sighed faintly. “It's... I guess it's because there's like a stereotype of gay people, and people like to make fun of it. Thinking about it it's a little mean though.”
“From what I've gathered, most of what you land-walkers laugh about is based on mischief and stereotypes.”
“Who ever said TV wasn't educating? You're right.”
“Which, hm, does make sense. When someone has a mishap it can be quite entertaining. But I still don't understand why being gay as you call it fits into that. I thought this was normal for humans.”
“Oh.” The chuckle Alex let out now sounded slightly bashful. “Well, I guess it kinda is. But not everybody sees it like that, you know. I mean most people aren't. Gay I mean.”
“What does it matter, though?” Erik asked. “I mean other than for the obvious reason that they cannot have children. Why are you humans so concerned with normality and definitions?”
Awkward turned to interesting, and Charles leaned slightly against the wall beside the door, not knowing how he, himself, would answer this question precisely. That it needed be asked in the first place confirmed for him again that Erik simply didn't belong in a world that was so complicated and unfair sometimes.
“Hm, that's a good question. I honestly don't know. I mean I guess it doesn't matter. It didn't matter for Raven, and she wasn't always gay, you know?” Another slightly nonplussed chuckle. “So I guess some people just find out a bit sooner and want to define themselves, while others don't really care who they fall in love with, like you said. But, no, actually it doesn't matter. I mean, I really can't imagine doing anything with a dude, but hey, if that's someone's thing... Fine by me.”
“Interesting.”
“You must think we're all a bunch of weirdos, right?” Alex laughed. “Well, we kinda are, us humans. Strangest animal on the planet. Hey do you want another beer?”
“Hm...” Erik replied. “It tastes a little odd. But... I feel... It's interesting.”
“Hey, you're not already drunk from one beer, are you?” Alex laughed, and Charles could hear the popping sounds of two bottles being opened.
“I don't know.”
“Just don't drink and dive, okay?” Alex laughed.
“I wasn't planning to.” Erik's voice really did sound slightly slurred, and although it would mean for Charles to reveal that he had, at least, stood here and listened in on the last few fragments of their conversation, he decided it was time to put a stop to this.
Pushing the door open and stepping in, he walked straight up to a slightly startled Alex and took the second bottle of beer from his hand. “That's enough.”
“Woah, Charles, um... sorry. I didn't... were you listening?” Alex asked, his face twisted in confusion.
“I heard the part where you asked Erik if he wanted another beer. I'm sorry Alex, but you should know better.”
“I...err...”
But Erik didn't let him finish. Snatching the bottle back from Charles' hand, he took another swig of it and leaned against the counter where he had casually stood. “Leave him be, Charles.” His voice was still calm, but there was something rather dark in his gaze as he looked over at Charles, who, for the first time since he'd met Erik, didn't quite dare trying to repeat what he had just done.
“Erik, you've never had alcohol before. You don't know what it's gonna do to you. I just don't want you to feel sick.”
“I'm feeling quite fine now,” Erik replied, his increased stubbornness probably already a first sign of him being slightly inebriated.
“That's what you think now, my friend, but --”
“Don't treat me like I'm a child, damn it.” Erik was far from shouting, but the way his voice had risen ever so slightly, a different ring to it, almost growling, made Charles instinctively retreat.
“Um, guys... Can we just... Hey, Erik, dude, maybe it would really be better if you wait a bit with the second one. Drink some water first and then see - “
“Why do you even need to make him drink alcohol?” Charles now snapped, as he turned around to look at Alex, a little surprised himself at the sudden harshness in his tone, not quite knowing why he was so mad at Alex.
“He was just asking what I was drinking so I gave him one. Big deal.”
“Yes, it is, to be honest. I don't think - “ He stopped quite abruptly when he felt the almost forceful grip of Erik's fingers around his wrist.
“Stop. Just stop. You're not the only adult that can make decisions around here, in case you've failed to notice.” The growling undertone in Erik's voice had become more prominent, his eyes narrowed, though slightly unfocused, glaring straight into Charles'. “But maybe you just don't approve of anyone else's.” There was such bitterness and resignation in his words then, and the grip of his fingers loosened quite suddenly.
Charles had to swallow, knowing exactly what this was about - unlike Alex who stared back and forth between them, seeming not quite sure whether he should leave or stay.
Then, Erik swayed slightly and blinked as he averted his eyes, and concern immediately rose in Charles.
“Erik, are you alright?”
“Just...” Erik raised a hand to keep Charles away, blinking another time before he took a deep breath and straightened himself. “Just leave me be, Charles,” he said and left for the open door, his steps soon resounding from the staircase.
Charles suppressed a heavy sigh, covering his eyes with one hand.
“What the hell was that all about?” Alex asked, more concerned than angry, but Charles could not bring himself to answer.
~*~
The rest of the evening had passed with a slightly gloomy mood. Neither Alex nor Charles had told the others what had happened in the kitchen, but Charles could not simply forget about it and go back to dancing and laughing. And so he had feigned being tired half an hour later, though he had been lying in bed for quite a while, pondering until his head had started hurting.
Maybe he was a kind of control-freak sometimes; Raven had told him so on occasion. It hit him now that what he had been trying to avoid from the beginning, giving Erik the feeling Charles saw himself as something superior, had finally come to pass, and he hoped there was a way to fix it. He also wondered why the conversation he had overheard, despite all its awkwardness and inappropriate details, had seemed so natural and unrestrained. Alex had made no effort to hide anything from Erik, try to protect him, ease him toward a topic as Charles had always done, and while, at first, this had been the aspect that had made him cringe, he somehow... He somehow wished he could have talked to Erik so openly and casually.
Maybe Raven was right, too, when she called him (teasingly) a boring, uptight old fart.
The next morning when he joined the rest of them in the kitchen (Agnes had gone to a farmer's market), he tried to push all somber thoughts into the back of his mind and smiled.
Irene sat at the kitchen table, cutting up some fruit, her nimble fingers feeling the size and surface of each piece before she sliced into it with practiced precision, and Raven put some muesli and cereal in big bowls while Hank was frying eggs. Alex, who had in fact drunk a few more shots of tequila last night, seemed rather tired as he stood leaning against a counter with a large mug of coffee in his hands.
“Good morning,” Charles said as they greeted him in return.
“Where's Erik?” he asked as casually as he could, but searched for Alex' gaze for a moment who shook his head for no more than half an inch, a brief smile twisting around his mouth and his thumb raised from around his coffee mug to give him the 'OK'. “Went for a swim.”
So one and a half bottles of beer really weren't enough to make him hungover, Charles concluded in relief, feeling a bit silly for his exaggerated concern.
“He wanted to be back when breakfast is done,” Hank added and put the fried eggs onto plates. “Should I make some more?”
“No thanks. I think I'll have some fruit and muesli, too, if that's alright?”
“Sure,” Irene and Raven replied in unison, chuckling as soon as they realized they had spoken at the same time.
“There's something I wanted to discuss with you,” Charles started and leaned against a high shelf with his shoulder, able to look at all of them from where he stood.
"Shoot then," Alex prompted while Raven put the carton with cereal down and looked at him, ready to listen.
"I wanted to discuss what we're going to do next. We've been here in the house for almost two weeks now, and I don't suppose we can stay here forever and hide."
"I was hoping by now we'd all be able to go back home," Hank sighed, shrugging at Charles apologetically to make sure he didn't understand it as reproach.
Charles still felt bad for him, though. "Yes, I'm terribly sorry about that. But actually there might be something that could finally get us a bit further. Or at least throw light on the whole issue with Shaw. You know I was talking to Moira last night. I didn't want to tell you right away, because…" He made a waving hand gesture and heard Raven sigh.
"Because you didn't want to ruin our engagement party. Oh Charles."
"It's alright. I had to think about this all first, anyway," he replied and returned her smile. His features turned serious again, though. "Shaw's hiring staff from various aquariums and universities. So he's definitely working on establishing that facility. Now, we don't know what he's going to do with it once it's completed, but…"
"Sitting around here and waiting for him to attack is pretty shitty," Alex finished.
"Exactly." Charles couldn't deny that, even though it appeared to be unlikely that Shaw would really try to force his way into their house and simply kidnap Erik - that seemed to be more action movie material than anything happening in reality - the waiting and worrying, unable to do anything productive, tore at his nerves.
"Yeah, but where should we go? I mean… We can't just run and hide forever, can we?" Hank asked, visibly uneasy about the topic. "What about our jobs? Our homes?"
Charles suppressed a sigh. "Well, the 'we' in this suggestion is what I wanted to discuss with you. I've been thinking. Let's say I go somewhere with Erik, and I don’t tell any of you where."
"Oh, no, no, no!" Raven butted in and took a step closer toward him. "You're not going anywhere alone. At least not without me."
"Raven, let me finish. Then you can tell me what you think about it. You all." He struggled to choose his words so that none of them would think he had already made up his mind, decided for all of them. Again. "It's just one idea I had. If you have anything else you can bring it up and we will all discuss it, alright?"
Raven seemed conciliated for the moment, though her brow remained furrowed in skepticism while she glanced at Charles, arms crossed in front of her chest. He didn't miss Irene reaching up from where she was sitting, pulling Raven's hand down and holding it.
"If Erik and I went somewhere together - that is if Erik agrees to this as well -"
"Shouldn't we discuss this with him here, then?" Alex asked.
"We will. I just wanted to make sure it doesn't end up with something that he would like but that none of you can agree with. So like I said, if we went somewhere and none of you knew, Shaw would not be able to hold anything against you. He might come by and ask questions, but since y-"
"And you don't think a guy that's burned your house down and conducted experiments with people that even make those Nazi doctors you see about on TV look harmless would step short of kidnapping any of us just so you'd give in?" Alex said with a faint snort, and Charles had to admit that this was a certain flaw in his plan.
"Um, as much as I want to go home," Hank added, "I think Alex is right. At least here we are together, and frankly I feel a little safer here thank in my Brooklyn apartment."
"Hm," Irene frowned. "They're right. Shaw's got so much power and influence. We don't know what he could come up with if we all split up."
"Told you," Raven said somewhat triumphantly but joylessly.
"We're in this together, dude. Whatever the hell you decide, we're doing it together."
Charles felt touched by the words, especially since he and Alex had never been close friends and only acquainted through Raven. And when he saw Hank nod, reluctantly so but still, he could not help to smile, though it didn't chase away a rather heavy feeling in his chest.
"So where did you want to go?" Irene asked.
"Well, I had two options in mind," Charles said, suddenly realizing that as soon as he was going to express them they both started to sound a little unpromising. "One would have been to travel to California and get Erik to go back to the ocean and convince him to really never come back."
"I'm not sure that would work," Alex said, and when exactly had he become an expert on all things Erik? The thought had appeared quite suddenly in Charles' mind, accompanied by an odd swell of anger in his chest that at least some part of his conscious mind recognized as jealousy. Which was ridiculous.
"I would have proposed it to him. But that's why I was thinking about the second option, which would be going to Myrtle Beach - that's where Moira lives. She couldn't tell me everything yesterday and was still waiting to hear back from a few colleagues. So maybe we could find out more there. And Erik would not have to use the pool all the time."
"That sounds better already," Raven said, but Hank frowned.
"Could we even all stay there?"
"I'm not sure. She said if I wanted to come down I could stay with her. She's house sitting her parents' beach house while they're in Tokyo for the summer, but I haven't precisely mentioned that we're six people."
"As long as I get a pillow and a blanket I'd even sleep on the floor," Alex said and shrugged. "No seriously, I like that idea."
"Yes, I'm… I'm just not quite sure it would really help us advance with this," Charles confessed, thinking that the half thought-through plan was anything but ripe for decision.
"And sitting here on our asses will?" Alex asked.
"No, it won't," Irene said. "And even if it doesn't bring us any further with finding something on Shaw, like you said, at least Erik would be able to swim in the ocean and not be stuck in a house in the middle of nowhere. If he agrees to this then I'm absolutely all for it."
"All for what?"
Startled, Charles turned around and looked at Erik who was just entering the kitchen, and he immediately feared Erik might think they had been talking behind his back - which, technically, they had.
"Making plans, Charles?" Perfectly calm tone and neutral expression, but Charles was still sure there was a tiny trace of sarcasm in his voice.
"Actually, yes. Or at least discussing options. But good that you're here now, too," he said, swallowing the caught feeling and forcing himself to look at Erik with a friendly smile.
It was slightly ironic that Alex, of all people, came to help. "Yeah. We were asking ourselves what to do next. "What do you think about a trip to the beach?"
It was impossible for anyone in the room to miss Erik's eyes lighting up, deepest longing visible in them, though there were small creases on his forehead that showed his skepticism. "I thought the idea was to keep me away from the beach."
"The idea was to keep you away from anywhere were Shaw might go looking for you," Charles replied quickly, giving Erik a brief and hopefully encouraging smile. The thought that their disagreements would stand between them, that Erik felt in any way like he was a prisoner here, cut through Charles' gut like a knife. "But the place we had in mind is much further south. We could stay at a friend's beach house."
"Which hopefully won't get burned down again," Hank more or less mumbled, and Raven groaned out in exasperation.
"Hank!"
"Which could only happen," Charles said with emphasis, "if Shaw knew we're there. In fact, we'd probably be even safer there than here. And you could go swim in the ocean. If you'd like that, I mean. It's entirely up to you, Erik. You decide." It was an offer at reconciliation, and Charles almost held his breath as he regarded the other man, saw that still pondering but hopeful look in his eyes, whatever resentment had been in them before fading completely now.
"We're all okay with that," Irene said softly, smiling in Erik's general direction as he still hadn't replied, and the others nodded as well, waiting what he would say.
It was Charles he looked at, though, when he finally nodded and a tiny smile lit up his face.
~ TBC ~
Chapter 10
I hope this chapter wasn't a bit boring to you. I'm not so immensely happy with it, but I needed for all these small details to happen and be shown.
Anyway, as I said the next chapter is already started. So I suppose I should get it done on Monday or Tuesday the latest. Also, I now have a rough idea of how many chapters this will be. Damn, when I started writing I was thinking 6 or 7 ^^