ficlet february 1: get some sleep
SO I put together a list of twenty-five prompts and I'm gonna try and write a little thing every day* about whatever, idk, probably mostly Charles/Erik, let's be real. I'm probably not going to go in list order, but if you want to follow along or join me or whatever, here's the list I made!
Here's the first one! Charles/Erik, post-DoFP.
* with three tired/busy/blocked/blow-off days built in.
Ficlet February 1: "get some sleep"
It's Hank who wakes Charles in the middle of the night, and without reading his mind, before he says anything, Charles knows what it's about. There's a very particular expression that crosses Hank's face when Erik comes up--wolfy, almost feral in its anger.
"What has he done now?" Charles asks around a yawn. He's aiming for casual, but his pulse is already racing. Every attack spikes Charles' anxiety, every demonstration makes his hands shake. Out of fear for all the things he should fear--retaliation, a drop in pro-mutant sentiments, harm to Erik, harm to the cause--but also in embarrassment and shame. He doesn't defend Erik's actions, but he does, in an oblique way, defend Erik, even still. He defends himself, more like, and the feelings that still live in his heart and won't leave his brain. He defends the trysts in hotels and postcard correspondence. And every time Erik does something, every time he makes a scene, Charles can feel the judgement from his colleagues.
He's ashamed, but he can't stop. He hates Erik, some days, but he still can't stop.
Tonight, though, Hank's face does something complicated at the mention of Erik's guilt.
"He hasn't...done anything...exactly..." Hank says. He scratches the top of his blue furry head. "Raven is here. You better come downstairs."
***
Hank leads him not to the sitting room or his office or even the kitchen, where he and Raven spend most of their time chatting these days, but to the infirmary. Charles' heart jumps to his throat.
"Hank, is she--" he starts to say.
"It's not me," he hears Raven call out, and Charles rolls further into the room, towards the sound of her voice. She's standing next to a bed, thank god, in a white dress and black boots. She seems whole and healthy and he's so relieved that she's in one piece that it takes him a moment to notice who's in the bed she's standing beside.
"Oh," he says quietly.
"You need to take better care of your things," Raven says.
"He's not--" Charles starts to say, but he's not sure how to finish that sentence. He chooses to go silent, which just makes Raven look smug. "What's wrong with him?"
"We don't know," Hank says. "I did some tests. He's not sick."
"I found him wandering around, delirious, calling for you," Raven says. She raises her eyebrows at Charles, but he manages not to blush. "I think he was having flashbacks. It's a mess. Nearest I can tell from talking to his people, he went to recruit someone and...this happened."
Charles still isn't sure what this is. Erik is seemingly sleeping, but not in a way that Charles has ever seen him sleep. Even when they shared a bed, he was always rigid and ready for attack. He looked fierce and commanding even when napping, ready for anything. Here in the infirmary, he's curled in the fetal position, his forehead creased in worry or fear. He looks...small.
Charles moves closer to the bed and reaches out to lay a finger on Erik's wrist. His eyes open immediately at the contact. His gaze is muddled, and not just with sleep. It's something deeper and frightening.
"Charles?" Erik says in a hesitant whisper.
"Yes, darling?" Charles thinks he manages to sound calm.
"Don't let them get me again," Erik says. He turns his hand to grasp Charles' hand and squeezes tightly. "Please, don't let them--"
"I won't," Charles says. "I won't, I promise. I won't let anything get you. Nothing can get you here."
"I know," Erik says. Charles will examine what that admission does to him later.
"Get some sleep," Charles says. He strokes Erik's forehead. "In the morning, we'll make sure they won't come near you again."
"Good," Erik says. "Can't let them come, not here. Can't let them get you too." He blinks a few times, struggling to keep his eyes open.
"They won't," Charles assures him.
"I love you," Erik says, and loses the battle with sleep.
If Charles helps him along, that's his secret.
He stays facing Erik for a moment. He can sense Hank and Raven behind him, hear their breathing, feel their pity and frustration and exhaustion. He needs a moment, though, to process all of this, to understand. Whatever is wrong with Erik--well, if Charles didn't believe he was afflicted before, he can't doubt it now. His Erik, his dangerous, vicious Erik, would never let Raven and Hank see him so vulnerable. He barely lets Charles see him vulnerable these days. He's not even told Charles he loves him out loud in years, the phrase relegated to Erik's passionate letters, never to be spoken of, even when they're together.
He breathes deeply, then drops Erik's hand and slowly turns around. Raven and Hank, to their credit, make no comment on the nature of his and Erik's exchange.
"Okay," he says. He breathes again. "Okay. This is what we're going to do. Hank, please move Erik to a private room, away from the prying eyes of the students. Raven, thank you very much for bringing this to our attention. Why don't you get some sleep? In the morning, with your permission, I'd like to revisit your memories of speaking to Erik's associates to see if I can find more information on what he was doing prior to being in this state. If it was indeed a mutant, I'll see if Cerebro can help us locate them. I'm hesitant to do the same to Erik until we know what's affecting him, but it's a possibility if the rest of this leads nowhere."
"Fine," Raven says. Even if he can't read her mind, he can tell from the slump of her shoulders and the sigh that comes out twisted around her words that she's worried, too.
"And what do we do until morning?" Hank asks.
Charles shrugs.
"Get some sleep," he says. They nod and get to work, but Charles doubts any of them will be sleeping much tonight.
***
ficlet february!
Get some sleep
Five minutes away
Faint recognition
Half an hour before sunrise
Useless, but beautiful
Something’s broken
Surprise celebration
There were signs and signals
Rituals
Write about a postcard
What are you looking for?
You remind me of someone
A meeting, a beginning
Lasting impression
Long drive
Behind closed doors
Ask questions later
Six impossible things
Day off
Lost in a city
A door key
A late night phone call
Someone else’s mortification
Something from music
Something from a picture
Here's the first one! Charles/Erik, post-DoFP.
* with three tired/busy/blocked/blow-off days built in.
Ficlet February 1: "get some sleep"
It's Hank who wakes Charles in the middle of the night, and without reading his mind, before he says anything, Charles knows what it's about. There's a very particular expression that crosses Hank's face when Erik comes up--wolfy, almost feral in its anger.
"What has he done now?" Charles asks around a yawn. He's aiming for casual, but his pulse is already racing. Every attack spikes Charles' anxiety, every demonstration makes his hands shake. Out of fear for all the things he should fear--retaliation, a drop in pro-mutant sentiments, harm to Erik, harm to the cause--but also in embarrassment and shame. He doesn't defend Erik's actions, but he does, in an oblique way, defend Erik, even still. He defends himself, more like, and the feelings that still live in his heart and won't leave his brain. He defends the trysts in hotels and postcard correspondence. And every time Erik does something, every time he makes a scene, Charles can feel the judgement from his colleagues.
He's ashamed, but he can't stop. He hates Erik, some days, but he still can't stop.
Tonight, though, Hank's face does something complicated at the mention of Erik's guilt.
"He hasn't...done anything...exactly..." Hank says. He scratches the top of his blue furry head. "Raven is here. You better come downstairs."
***
Hank leads him not to the sitting room or his office or even the kitchen, where he and Raven spend most of their time chatting these days, but to the infirmary. Charles' heart jumps to his throat.
"Hank, is she--" he starts to say.
"It's not me," he hears Raven call out, and Charles rolls further into the room, towards the sound of her voice. She's standing next to a bed, thank god, in a white dress and black boots. She seems whole and healthy and he's so relieved that she's in one piece that it takes him a moment to notice who's in the bed she's standing beside.
"Oh," he says quietly.
"You need to take better care of your things," Raven says.
"He's not--" Charles starts to say, but he's not sure how to finish that sentence. He chooses to go silent, which just makes Raven look smug. "What's wrong with him?"
"We don't know," Hank says. "I did some tests. He's not sick."
"I found him wandering around, delirious, calling for you," Raven says. She raises her eyebrows at Charles, but he manages not to blush. "I think he was having flashbacks. It's a mess. Nearest I can tell from talking to his people, he went to recruit someone and...this happened."
Charles still isn't sure what this is. Erik is seemingly sleeping, but not in a way that Charles has ever seen him sleep. Even when they shared a bed, he was always rigid and ready for attack. He looked fierce and commanding even when napping, ready for anything. Here in the infirmary, he's curled in the fetal position, his forehead creased in worry or fear. He looks...small.
Charles moves closer to the bed and reaches out to lay a finger on Erik's wrist. His eyes open immediately at the contact. His gaze is muddled, and not just with sleep. It's something deeper and frightening.
"Charles?" Erik says in a hesitant whisper.
"Yes, darling?" Charles thinks he manages to sound calm.
"Don't let them get me again," Erik says. He turns his hand to grasp Charles' hand and squeezes tightly. "Please, don't let them--"
"I won't," Charles says. "I won't, I promise. I won't let anything get you. Nothing can get you here."
"I know," Erik says. Charles will examine what that admission does to him later.
"Get some sleep," Charles says. He strokes Erik's forehead. "In the morning, we'll make sure they won't come near you again."
"Good," Erik says. "Can't let them come, not here. Can't let them get you too." He blinks a few times, struggling to keep his eyes open.
"They won't," Charles assures him.
"I love you," Erik says, and loses the battle with sleep.
If Charles helps him along, that's his secret.
He stays facing Erik for a moment. He can sense Hank and Raven behind him, hear their breathing, feel their pity and frustration and exhaustion. He needs a moment, though, to process all of this, to understand. Whatever is wrong with Erik--well, if Charles didn't believe he was afflicted before, he can't doubt it now. His Erik, his dangerous, vicious Erik, would never let Raven and Hank see him so vulnerable. He barely lets Charles see him vulnerable these days. He's not even told Charles he loves him out loud in years, the phrase relegated to Erik's passionate letters, never to be spoken of, even when they're together.
He breathes deeply, then drops Erik's hand and slowly turns around. Raven and Hank, to their credit, make no comment on the nature of his and Erik's exchange.
"Okay," he says. He breathes again. "Okay. This is what we're going to do. Hank, please move Erik to a private room, away from the prying eyes of the students. Raven, thank you very much for bringing this to our attention. Why don't you get some sleep? In the morning, with your permission, I'd like to revisit your memories of speaking to Erik's associates to see if I can find more information on what he was doing prior to being in this state. If it was indeed a mutant, I'll see if Cerebro can help us locate them. I'm hesitant to do the same to Erik until we know what's affecting him, but it's a possibility if the rest of this leads nowhere."
"Fine," Raven says. Even if he can't read her mind, he can tell from the slump of her shoulders and the sigh that comes out twisted around her words that she's worried, too.
"And what do we do until morning?" Hank asks.
Charles shrugs.
"Get some sleep," he says. They nod and get to work, but Charles doubts any of them will be sleeping much tonight.
***
ficlet february!
Get some sleep
Five minutes away
Faint recognition
Half an hour before sunrise
Useless, but beautiful
Something’s broken
Surprise celebration
There were signs and signals
Rituals
Write about a postcard
What are you looking for?
You remind me of someone
A meeting, a beginning
Lasting impression
Long drive
Behind closed doors
Ask questions later
Six impossible things
Day off
Lost in a city
A door key
A late night phone call
Someone else’s mortification
Something from music
Something from a picture