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1.
“Marry me.”
It’s not a question, it’s an order.
It’s also a knee-jerk reaction to Charles’ declaration of I’m pregnant.
And whilst Charles appreciates the gesture, he knows Erik and knows that it was just his reaction to the shock of finding out he was going to be a father.
“I’m going to very politely refuse.” Charles says with a sweet smile.
Erik’s thunderous expression makes Charles chuckle.
“You have to. We’re having a baby.” Erik insists, leaning over the chessboard to look at Charles imploringly.
“Yes and since has expecting a child resulted in a forced marriage?” Charles challenges.
Erik makes an exasperated sound in the back of his throat and runs a hand through his hair. He shakes his head as he mutters something in German and sits back, a cool, guarded look in his eyes.
“I want you to marry me.” Erik mutters quietly. “It’s the proper thing to do.”
Charles cannot help but laugh at this and he shakes his head gently, his blue eyes twinkling brightly with mirth.
“I am flattered by your- well, proposal really isn’t the right word seeing as you were actually ordering me to marry you- regardless, I am touched. But I like how things are between us now, why rush into a marriage?” he ponders.
Erik stares at him with a look that makes Charles think that his head is going to explode.
“We. Are. Having. A. Baby.” Erik snarls through gritted teeth.
“Yes, you’ve mentioned that quite a few times now, dearest. But I’m sorry; I just don’t see that as a good enough for us to get married.” Charles says simply, casually moving his pawn across the board.
He flashes Erik a quick, reassuring smile but the man looks as if he were about to have an aneurysm or grotesque kind of stroke. His mouth was moving soundlessly and his eyes were narrowed into slits. Charles raises one eyebrow in concern and goes to speak but Erik beats him to it.
“If we don’t get married, people will talk.” He hisses.
Charles gives him a withering look.
“Erik, we’re a pregnant, mutant, homosexual couple; people are already talking.”
.
2.
Charles is four months pregnant when Erik tries again. They were sitting at the table with the children- well, no, not children. They were adults now (stopping a nuclear war had a rather aging side effect.) But yes, they were all seated at the table enjoying a rather delicious roast Alex had surprisingly and credibly prepared. The room was bubbling with conversation and laughter and Charles is so pleasantly relaxed that he can’t stop smiling. Because this was his family.
He made the mistake of glancing at Erik and projecting some loving thoughts. The older man shivers as he felt the surge of Charles warmth wash over his mind and reaches between them to take Charles’ hand.
“This is lovely.” He murmurs, never taking his eyes off of Charles.
Charles smiles back at him, wide and honest. And he doesn’t mean to but he slips into Erik’s mind and that is when he hears the loop of going to ask him…he’s had time to see I’m right…make him marry me.
Charles’ eyes widen horrifically and he quickly shakes his head.
“No, Erik, please-”
But it’s too late because Erik has left go of Charles’ hand and is making his way to his knees. An eerie silence falls across the room as everyone turns to stare at Erik.
“Oh, my God.” Raven breathes as Erik reaches into the pockets of his trousers and pulls out a black box.
“Charles. Marry me.” He orders, his face stern and demanding.
“Well, when you put it like that…” Alex snorts quietly as Raven and Angel squeal.
Sean pulls a face and glances around the group in confusion.
“B-but men can’t get married to each other?” he announces.
“Men usually can’t impregnate each other either but Erik made that happen.” Angel points out.
“Yes, but as Erik already knows, I don’t want to marry him.” Charles interjects calmly.
A collective gasp travels through the group as Erik raises his eyebrows at him. Charles looks around at their shocked faces and shrugs his shoulders.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” he demands.
“You’re fucking cold man. Ice cold.” Alex says with a shudder.
“The man bared his soul, Charles and you just shot him down like it was nothing!” Raven exclaims, tears in her eyes.
“Yes, Charles, I bared my soul.” Erik echoes with a smirk and Charles really wants to punch him.
“Oh, my God, are you guys going to break up now?” Sean demands. “What will happen to us?”
“Shit, Charles definitely gets me in the divorce! I am not living with Erik.” Angel declares.
“We’re not going to break up.” Charles interrupts impatiently.
“Then why won’t you marry him?” Alex questions.
Charles looks at Erik pointedly.
See what you’ve started?
Erik simply grins in reply.
Charles rolls his eyes and looks around at the children watching them mournfully.
(And yes, he was going to continue calling them children. He takes back what he said earlier.)
“Because of reasons that are none of your business. Now, Erik, get up and let’s finish our dinner.” Charles orders smoothly.
“I’ve lost my appetite.” Raven sniffs. “I just watched true love die right before my eyes.”
3.
The third time is in their bedroom just after the birth of their son Kurt. An exhausted Hank was sitting against the wall, his face grimy and his eyes far away trying to forget things he may never unsee. Raven was by his side, petting him and cooing, telling him how wonderful he was. Charles and Erik were silent and shell-shocked as they look down at the tiny bundle in Charles’ arms.
“He’s positively miniscule.” Charles breathes, his eyes wide and full of wonder.
“He has your eyes.” Erik murmurs, nosing his way through Charles’ hair, pressing kisses into his damp scalp.
“I never believed in love at first sight before this.” Charles chuckles as he gazes down at Kurt adoringly.
“I did.” Erik says softly and it takes all of Charles’ resolve to ignore Raven’s retching sounds.
He glances up at Erik and he knows what’s coming.
“Please marry me.” He whispers, his eyes boring into Charles’ intensely.
Raven stops pretending to vomit and falls completely silent. The tension and anticipation in the room is palpable and Charles will admit that he is tempted to say yes, only because he was riding high on the birth of their son.
“No.” Charles whispers back with a smile.
Erik doesn’t bother shielding the disappointment in his eyes so Charles presses their mouths together in a soothing gesture.
“You’ve no fucking heart.” Raven sobs before she runs out of the room, clutching her chest dramatically.
4.
The fourth time was during an argument.
Kurt was six months old and it seemed as if he hadn’t slept since he was born. Charles was exhausted and frazzled and the last thing he needed was the children coming home drunk at three o’clock in the morning, just as Kurt had been dozing off.
So, naturally, when Kurt starts to cry, Charles does too.
He stands in the middle of the room and begins to sob hysterically, rocking Kurt jerkily. Downstairs, he can make out Erik roaring furiously at the children.
Tear them to fucking shreds, Charles thinks viciously.
After twenty minutes of an attack (that switches to German half way, something that confused their drunken minds to no end) Erik walks into the room where both Kurt and Charles were stilling crying.
For a moment he looks as if he wants to do nothing more than bolt but he wisely decides against it.
“Here.” He croaks, holding out his arms and Charles hands Kurt over, snot and tears pouring down his face.
“I’m so fucking tired.” Charles gasps as he watches Erik jiggle Kurt gently.
“Well, so am I.” Erik mutters bitterly.
Charles sniffs sharply and narrows his eyes.
“I never said that you weren’t, Erik, I just said that I am-”
“Don’t, Charles.” Erik warns. “I know what you’re doing and I’m not in the mood for-”
“You know what I’m doing?” Charles echoes loudly. “Please, tell me what I’m doing darling, because I haven’t a bloody clue!”
Kurt wails grow louder and he clutches at Erik’s chest tightly.
“Charles, lower your voice, you’re upsetting Kurt.” Erik snaps quietly.
“No, what’s upsetting Kurt is how patronizing you’re being!” Charles whispers furiously.
“Mein Gott, Charles! Just go to bed, I’ll put Kurt down.” Erik growls dismissively.
“No. No, you won’t. Give him to me, you’re completely useless anyway.” Charles orders, marching across the room and holding out his arms expectantly.
Erik’s frown deepens and the metal in the room begins to vibrate threateningly.
“Charles-”
“I think you should move back to your old bedroom.” Charles insists, his watery blue eyes wide and fierce looking. “I don’t want you to sleep with me anymore and besides your snoring is-”
“I don’t snore! You-”
“I think I’d know! It keeps me up all night, it’s like being married to a-”
“We’re not married. You’ve been very clear on that front.” Erik says coldly.
Charles freezes and stares at him open-mouthed.
“Only because I don’t see why you want to-”
“Why don’t you want to be with me?-”
“It’s not that I don’t want to be with you, it’s-”
“Marry me then!” Erik erupts angrily.
“No!” Charles snaps back, equally furious.
“Are you guys breaking up?”
Both Charles and Erik spin around to see Raven and the children staring at them, their eyes impossibly wide and scared looking. Charles wipes his tears away fiercely and is one hundred percent committed to killing each of them, slowly and painfully when Erik steps in.
“No. We are not fucking breaking up. But you know what we are doing? We are having a private conversation that none of you were invited to join. Now, piss off.” He snarls and he is utterly terrifying when he opens his mouth like that so the children scarper.
By some miracle, Kurt has completely exhausted himself and is lying snugly in the crook of Erik’s arm, his red face peaceful and sleepy looking. Both Charles and Erik look at each other in amazement and hardly dare to breathe as they tip-toe out of the room. They don’t say anything until they are in the sound-proof safety of their room.
“That was a stupid argument, I am so incredibly-”
“Stupid, yes I know.” Erik interrupts, winding his arms around Charles’ waist. “Now kiss me.”
.
5.
Kurt is two the fifth and final time Erik asks.
They are sitting the gardens of Westchester, the hot summer sun beating down on them. Kurt is playing with Hank under the shade of a tree. Raven and Angel were sunbathing, both of them practically naked as Sean and Alex watch on from afar.
“Alex is having inappropriate thoughts regarding my sister.” Charles sighs, his face turned up towards the sun.
“Everyone is having inappropriate thoughts regarding your sister in that bathing suit.” Erik corrects him with a smirk.
“Strike two, Lehnsherr. One more and you’re out.” Charles warns, turning his face so that he can see him.
Erik just laughs and rolls onto his side. Charles mirrors this and they kiss lazily and languidly until the children start coughing loudly.
“Put it away.” Alex groans.
“Gross.” Sean agrees.
Erik fixes them with a look that makes them turn their backs to them swiftly.
“How do you do that?” Charles marvels.
“That’s my true mutation. The ability to instil fear with a single glance.” Erik murmurs, his mouth travelling down the side of Charles neck lightly.
“I love you.” Charles breathes as Erik begins to suck right there.
Erik stops what he’s doing and looks up at Charles through his eyelashes, an almost reluctant look on his face.
Marry me?
Charles sucks in his bottom lip in surprise. It had been so long since Erik had tried. He looks at him for a moment before nodding.
Of course.