Come What May

by FuryRed

Summary:

A prostitute. A meeting with a wealthy investor. What could possibly go wrong? Well, for Charles- apparently a lot.

On the night he is supposed to seduce an extremely important client, a case of mistaken identity means that Charles accidentally ends up groping the wrong man.
It’s a stupid mistake and one that Charles would rather just forget but, unfortunately for Charles, the person he manhandled isn’t quite so willing to just let things go...

Basically, a Cherik fic inspired by my favourite film- Moulin Rouge.

Chapter 1: Never Knew I Could Feel Like This

 

 

Charles supposed that most people didn’t go to work with a bag full of lube and condoms.

Then again, most people didn’t entertain wealthy men for a living- and Charles knew only too well how most men liked to be entertained… It was simpler than with women- women liked to talk, to be wooed and seduced, to be charmed. For the most part, men just wanted to fuck. Charles wasn’t normally inclined to make generalisations based on presumed gender identities, but it was his job to figure people out, and quickly, so he supposed stereotyping could sometimes be useful.

Like now, for example. He’d only been given a limited description of his assignment for the night- male, brown hair, blue eyes, wearing a grey shirt. Already based on that Charles had made some assumptions about what might be in store for the evening- hence the bag full of tricks…

This appointment was a little bit different to normal though- often Charles went to meet the subject at their own accommodation or a hotel, however this time they had come to him- meaning Charles could leave his all his supplies in his room. It was the perfect set-up really; Charles lived on the top floor of a luxurious high rise building, and downstairs along with various conference rooms there was a bar which was ideal for entertaining guests. The layout meant that Charles could meet his client for a drink, and then bring them up to his room once things progressed, as they usually did.

It was a big deal, this assignment. Normally when Charles was instructed to charm someone it was simply because that person represented a company that their organisation was looking to work with, and his boss believed that said individual might benefit from a bit of gentle encouragement. When you worked for the most powerful mutant organisation in the world you were expected to do whatever was necessary in order to achieve success, particularly when your boss also happened to be your step-father… But on this occasion Charles’ attempts to seduce his target were of critical importance, because the person in question was considering making a sizeable investment in the company, rather than just working with them.

Charles spent a great deal of his time cosying up to powerful men and women on behalf of Xavier Incorporated in an attempt to sway them. Of course, it would be entirely easier to persuade the people he met if only Charles were granted access to his telepathy, something he had pointed out more than once… The answer from his step-father was always no though, and the neural dampener remained in place. Although the decision irritated Charles he supposed it was probably for the best- the last time he’d had full access to his powers he’d had a terrible time controlling them, so it was most likely safer to keep them in check.

Charles walked into the bar, straightening his expensive suit and scanning around quickly for his mark. He was early so he didn’t necessarily expect the person to already be there, but it was worth looking just in case. The room wasn’t very busy and so it didn’t take long for Charles to find someone that matched description; a man sitting alone at the counter drinking what looked like whiskey. He wasn’t exactly what Charles had expected… Most types he met were trendy businessmen in designer clothing; this man looked entirely rougher around the edges- wearing dark trousers and a light grey shirt. He was at least attractive though, which Charles supposed was something.

Walking across the room briskly, Charles approached the bar and climbed onto the stool next to the man; gesturing at the bartender for his usual drink before turning to face his target and flashing them a massive grin.

“Hi”, Charles said confidently- offering his hand to the man. “Charles, nice to meet you”.

“Hello…” the man replied warily, hesitating for a second before accepting Charles’ handshake. “Erik”.

Charles checked the man over, confirming to himself that he’d approached the correct person- grey shirt, brownish hair, eyes that looked mostly blue or sometimes or green or grey depending on the light- but surely close enough.

“Erik, great. I gather you were expecting me?”

“Um, yeah… you’re from Xavier Inc.?”

“That I am”, Charles replied, flashing Erik another wide grin before turning to pick up the drink now in front of him. Erik seemed to be a little bit shy, Charles thought whilst he took a sip from his glass, but nothing that he couldn’t handle.

“So, Erik”, Charles continued, placing his drink back on the counter. “I’m looking forward to hearing all about you, as well as finding out what you have to offer…” he finished with a wink. “Of course we don’t have to rush into anything- I’m happy to move at whatever pace you’d like”.

Erik only looked back at Charles in slight bewilderment, but his eyes were unwavering as they remained fixed on Charles’ face. Charles was beginning to feel slightly apprehensive now as well; the intensity of Erik’s gaze making his mouth slightly dry and causing him to take another gulp from his glass, before he turned back to Erik and raised his eyebrows expectantly.

“Sorry…” Erik mumbled eventually. “This is all a bit new to me… I’m not sure how these things normally work”.

“Well, it can work however you’d like it to…” Charles responded confidentially, resuming his winning smile and reaching to place his hand gently on Erik’s upper thigh. Erik flinched at the touch- eyes darting to where Charles’ hand lay before returning to his face once again.

“Um, this isn’t what I…  I thought…” Erik was clearly flustered; a slight colour rising in his face as he looked at Charles.

Charles smiled reassuringly in return, just beginning to rub his palm against Erik’s leg.

“It’s okay Erik- you can dictate what happens tonight, but I think we both know what I’m here for…”

Erik swallowed hard. “You want to see my…” He trailed off, eyes flickering around the room for a second.

“I… I’m happy to do whatever you want, I’d just… rather show you in private”, Erik murmured eventually, leaning closer.

“Finally…” Charles thought. Erik’s indifferent response was beginning to knock his confidence slightly, so it was a relief to know that he would soon be able to get down to what he did best.

“Sounds good”, Charles grinned. “Come with me? I have a room upstairs”.

Charles downed the last of his drink, slipping from the bar stool and walking briskly across the room once he was sure Erik was following him.

The two of them took the elevator up in silence. Erik’s eyes remained fixed solely on Charles, which caused Charles to apprehensively look away and stare at the nearest wall. The insides of the elevator were mirrored though, so there really was no escape from Erik’s intense gaze. Charles felt his palms sweating now, slipping on the rail along the side of the elevator as he held onto it. He didn’t know how Erik had done it, but for some reason Charles now felt like he was the nervous one.

Eventually they reached the floor where Charles’ apartment was, and Charles practically fell out of the door he was so eager to leave the elevator. Erik followed faithfully, trailing behind Charles as they wandered down the hallway and waiting whilst Charles unlocked the door and led them inside.

Once they had entered the apartment Erik’s gaze finally left Charles- eyes scanning around the room and taking in everything with a look of slight awe.

Charles supposed it was pretty impressive- the room was decorated in gold and silver tones, with rich lavish furnishings and arty sculptures and expansive mirrors adorning the walls. On one side of the room was a large bed with silk sheets and luxurious throws and pillows arranged artfully on top. To Charles’ surprise though, the bed wasn’t what captured Erik’s interest at that particular moment. He was edging forward, stepping under the archway at the rear of the room and moving to where large sliding glass doors led to an open terrace outside.

“Your view is amazing”, Erik murmured, looking through the glass at the twinkling lights of the city outside.

Charles smiled, remembering having a similar reaction when his father had first brought him here when he’d been eight years old.

Erik turned away from the window at last, regarding Charles and still wearing the same look of the wonder which only made Charles smile wider in return.

“So- do you want a drink?” Charles asked. “Maybe some champagne?” he continued, turning away from Erik and walking over to the nearby small bar.

“No, thank you. I’d rather just get on with it”, Erik replied.

Charles paused where he stood at the bar with his back to Erik, pulling an annoyed face because he knew Erik couldn’t see. He supposed it was inevitable really- people didn’t want to talk to Charles, not really. Each time he met a client there was often idle chit chat to begin with- but it was all just a precursor to sex; not even foreplay, just a polite little opener to the evening to perhaps make the reality of what they were about to do seem a little more normal. Clearly though, Erik was not the type for mindless small talk; he just wanted to get down to business.

Erik’s sudden refusal to take the slow route gave Charles clarity, and killed any residual nervousness he may have had. He was here to do a job, and he was damn well going to do it.

Allowing himself just that brief moment of frustration, Charles then untensed and turned back to face Erik; covering his annoyance with a brilliant smile.

“Alright, I like a man with an appetite…” Charles responded, which caused Erik to pull a somewhat bemused expression in return.

Charles flashed Erik another confident grin, before turning to walk over to the bed- removing his jacket as he went and throwing it over a nearby chair. When he reached the bed Charles sat down on the end of it, expecting to find Erik just behind him raring to go, but Erik hadn’t moved from where he was stood by the window.

Leaning back slightly on the bed, Charles fixed Erik with his most seductive gaze- waiting for Erik to come closer. He didn’t, though…

“Is everything okay?” Charles asked at last, leaning forward and trying his best to look concerned rather than irritated. “Don’t you want to come over here and make yourself more comfortable?”

Erik shook his head lightly. “No, thank you... I’m okay over here. It’s probably for the best you keep your distance to begin with anyway, in my experience people can be quite intimidated when I show them my… “

Erik trailed off, clearing his throat uncomfortably before finishing: “What I mean is, erm, what I can do can be… quite powerful. I wouldn’t want to hurt you”.

Charles raised his eyebrows, starting to slip into an uncontrolled smile before he moved his hand to cover his mouth.

“Promises, promises…” Charles thought giddily.

Eventually Charles managed to compose himself enough to speak:

“Whatever you’ve got for me, Erik, I’m sure I can take it”, he murmured. “Why don’t you come over here and show me?”

“I will, just… I just need a minute to, erm, work myself up to it”.

“Ah, stage fright; got it…” Charles thought.

Erik was not the first person to get performance anxiety in his presence. Luckily, Charles knew just how to deal with situations like this.

Rising from the bed abruptly, Charles switched his expression from seductive to comforting as he advanced across the room towards Erik. Maybe Charles looked more predatory than he realised though, as Erik watched him in mild alarm and even backed away a few paces as Charles approached.

“You don’t have to be nervous, Erik”, Charles purred, stepping closer and reaching to place his hands on Erik’s chest, the closeness making Erik retreat further as he stepped back once more and banged into the window behind him. Charles could feel Erik’s heart beating from where his hand rested as Erik looked down at him apprehensively.

“It’s okay, Erik…” Charles continued, tracing his fingers delicately down Erik’s chest and looking up at him with impossibly wide blue eyes. “If you’re nervous you can just relax, and let me take control…”

At that, Charles reached lower- sliding one hand down to Erik’s trousers and firmly grasping his cock through the material.

“Powerful indeed…” Charles thought as the corners of his mouth lifted in a slight grin.

Erik hissed out a breath when it happened, hands shifting to grip Charles firmly on the upper arms.

“Charles, what are you— this isn’t what I expected…” Erik huffed out.

Charles recoiled slightly from Erik, expression faltering in his confusion.

“Well, what did you expect?” Charles murmured, confidence wavering once again as Erik looked down at him like he was completely crazy.

“You were just supposed to… watch me”.

A small smile played across Charles face before he withdrew his hand from Erik’s crotch.

“Oh… You want me to watch, do you?” Charles smirked, biting his lip slightly. “Okay, whatever you’d like, Erik”.

Charles was still grinning as he walked away from Erik- grasping hold of a plush padded chair that was placed against one of the far walls and dragging it to the centre of the room. He sat down in the chair purposefully, crossing his legs and folding his arms as he looked over at Erik, who still hadn’t moved.

“Is this alright?” Charles asked. “Or would you prefer to sit down too?”

Erik shook his head, moving a few steps further into the room at last. He came to stand just under the archway, flanked by two large statues on either side. The sculptures were flashy, like the rest of the décor in Charles’ room; metal and covered in a mosaic of mirrors that cast a twinkling light on Erik’s pensive face.

Much like the statues, Erik was immovable. He stared down at the ground, chest rising and falling with each breath and hair falling slightly in his face as he apparently worked to ready himself.

Charles watched him curiously, feeling strangely compassionate towards Erik- almost like he wanted to comfort him for real this time. He decided then that perhaps sex might not be the best course of action for the night... Charles had come across this once or twice before- clients who didn’t necessarily want to fuck, instead they just wanted to be touched or held. The boyfriend experience, more or less. Charles wasn’t a fan of it- most times he actually preferred to just have mindless sex, but for Erik he found himself thinking that he might be willing to make an exception.

All this ran through Charles’ mind in only a few seconds, and in the next breath he opened his mouth to speak- planning to tell Erik that it was okay; they could just do something else if that’s what he wanted. But then Erik looked up suddenly and stretched his hands out to the side- fingers splayed wide and pointing in the direction of the metal sculptures.

Charles made a small noise of confusion, and then the statues exploded.

Charles let out a louder yelp- ducking his head down and reaching his arms up to cover his face, using his legs to also try and shield himself from any damage by pulling them up to his chest. He remained still for a moment- bracing for impact- before he slowly unfolded from his balled-up position as he cracked open his eyes.

The metal was everywhere. All across the room there were small globules of molten alloy amongst tiny shards of mirror suspended in the air. It was stunning. The lights from the city outside streamed in through the windows and reflected off the floating particles, casting the room in a breathtakingly incandescent shimmer.

Charles looked around the space in disbelief- mouth falling open in astonishment as he slowly stood up from his chair and began to step forward. He reached out and touched one of the metal pieces, finding it to be firm to the touch until it suddenly changed form and shifted like a liquid, sliding away from Charles’ grasp and moving to circle around him a few times before returning to its original position. Charles couldn’t help but let out a delighted laugh at the display, looking over to Erik to find him watching carefully with a satisfied smile on his face.

“How is this possible?” Charles asked in wonder. “I’ve met telekinetics before, but most could only move objects- not reform the very molecules that composed their parts”.

“I’m not telekinetic”, Erik replied. “My mutation only works with metal, but it’s pretty expansive- I can move it, mould it into a new form- pretty much anything you can think of”.

“There’s a lot of iron in spinach- can you move that?”

Erik let out a large laugh in response. “Okay, maybe not quite anything you can think of”, he chuckled.

Charles matched Erik’s wide grin with a joyful smile of his own- the most genuine expression he’d allowed himself to display during the entire evening.

“You’re amazing…” Charles murmured. Another sincere display. Erik didn’t speak again in response, but the contented look on his face said it all for him.

Eventually, Charles broke Erik’s gaze- clearing his throat and turning away for a second.

“I ought to bill you for wrecking my sculptures”, Charles said at last, looking back over to Erik. “Though I guess you can afford it”.

Erik’s smile faded slightly, before he gestured with his hands again and the metal and mirror particles quickly amassed together in the air; merging and reforming until they once again resembled the two very same statues that they had originally started out as.

“Does this mean I passed your test, then?” Erik asked as he moved the statues back into their original position.

Charles’ smile slipped now too as he looked at Erik. “Test? What do you mean?” he frowned.

“Well… the reason why I’m here”, Erik replied, “To audition for a place in Xavier Inc.’s mutant program”.

 

Oh God.

Charles’ eyes grew wide as he regarded Erik, shaking his head in disbelief.

“No no no no no…” Charles mumbled, turning away from Erik and pressing his face into his hands.

He knew what Erik was talking about- the company was always taking on new mutants to work for them, and those selected needed to tryout first; to display their powers so that the recruiters could decide if that person was skilled enough to join.

Charles knew all about the job, it just wasn’t what he did. He wasn’t a recruiter; he was an escort.

“Charles, what’s wrong?” Erik asked softly.

“You’re not the investor??” Charles squeaked, whirling to face Erik.

“Investor…? What are you talking about? No, I’m here for an interview- I thought you knew that?”

“Oh, fuckkkkkkkkkk”, Charles exclaimed, turning away from Erik and striding across the room. He picked up his jacket from where he’d thrown it earlier, rifling through the pockets and retrieving his phone. Four missed calls and seven texts, all from his step-father wanting to know where the fuck he was and why the oh-so-important investor was drinking alone in the bar.

Charles continued to curse as he frantically pulled on his jacket. “You need to go”, he asserted, looking over to Erik as he straightened his clothing.

“Go…? Why? Aren’t you the person I was here to see?” Erik asked, staring at Charles in bewilderment.

“No, I’m not”.

“Well, who are you then?”

“I’m not a recruiter- I’m a fucking whore”, Charles replied angrily, striding over to Erik and grasping him firmly on the arm before pulling him in the direction of the door. “You need to leave- I have somewhere more important to be”.

Erik allowed Charles to pull him out of the room, standing close by and looking down at Charles curiously whilst Charles fumbled with his keys as he locked the door. Once the door was secured Charles strode off in the direction of the elevator, slamming his hand down on the button when he reached it and waiting impatiently for the doors to open. When he turned to his side, he realised Erik had followed him.

“What are you doing??” Charles whined. “Go away- take the stairs or something; I can’t be seen with you”.

“What do you mean, you’re a whore?” Erik murmured, looking down at Charles intently.

Charles let out a large sigh of annoyance. “I mean; I have sex with people for money- specifically the huge amounts of money people invest into the company. Clients come to see me, I charm them, usually I take my clothes off. I’m very good at my job, and we’re very well-funded. Now, kindly fuck off”.

Charles turned away from Erik, jabbing at the elevator button again in irritation. He thought that would do the job- he thought Erik would be so disgusted or so offended by what he’d said that he would just leave immediately. But, when Charles turned back around Erik was still there, eyes unwavering although slightly sombre.

“That’s who you thought I was- an investor?” Erik said softly. “That’s why you were so… tactile with me?”

“Obviously…” Charles muttered, crossing his arms. Erik continued to watch him with the same forlorn and almost disappointed look on his face, and Charles could feel a tiny bit of guilt begin to creep in.

“Okay okay, I’m sorry”, Charles sighed, unfolding his arms and holding his hands up as if in submission. “This isn’t your fault- it’s mine. I should have been more careful; I should have confirmed who you were before trying to… take you to bed. Can we please just forget this whole thing? Please?”

Erik paused for a second, before his expression softened slightly. “You don’t need to apologise- it’s okay, Charles. It was… an innocent mistake”.

Charles smiled warmly in gratitude, before the elevator pinged behind him and Charles moved to eagerly enter it. Stepping inside, Charles pressed the button for the lobby and shifted to lean against the rear wall of the elevator, looking down at his phone and starting to type out an apologetic text to his step-father. The doors were just beginning to close, when they shuddered to a halt suddenly.

“What the…?” Charles uttered, looking up in disbelief.

Erik stood on the other side of the open doors, watching Charles with the same intense look he always seemed to wear.

“Erik, what the fuck??”

“Sorry, I’ll let you go in a second- I just wanted to ask… Can I see you again?”

“Huh??” Charles screwed up his face in confusion. “Why?”

“Because I think you’re interesting”.

Charles huffed out a short laugh of surprise. “No you don’t”, he replied derisively.

People didn’t really find Charles interesting. How could they? Sure, Charles made an effort to win-over the men and women he entertained, and a certain amount of that involved making sure your companion for the evening found you compelling, but it was all just superficial really. The stories Charles told and the compliments he paid were all carefully constructed; just part of the routine, and not really indicative of what Charles was really like. Therefore, how could Charles honestly expect any of his clients to truly take an interest in him?

“I can assure you, Charles, my opinion of you is sincere”, Erik replied earnestly.

The phone buzzed again in Charles’ hand, and his eyes darted to it frantically before returning to look at Erik.

“Please Erik, I need to go”, Charles begged. “Please just let me leave- I don’t have time for this”.

Erik regarded Charles in silence for a long moment before he let out a sigh and dropped his gaze. Stepping back, Erik gestured lightly with his fingers and the elevator doors slid to a close.

 

 

 

When Charles returned to the bar the client- his real target for the evening- was waiting. Charles had shuffled into the room uncertainly; all of his usual confidence and bravado gone as he scanned the room, before a man sitting alone at a table called over to him. Just about remembering to plaster his customary charming smile across his face, Charles walked over to the man briskly; extending his arm and shaking the man’s hand before sitting down.

Immediately Charles launched into an apology- offering reparation without explanation because, after all, how could Charles begin to justify the reasons why he was so late? Instead he just settled for flimsy excuses- car trouble, traffic, etc. Fortunately, the man seemed happy with Charles’ meagre defence, and Charles relaxed slightly.

The investor ordered Charles a drink and then they talked, and it was a complete contradiction to Charles’ earlier conversations with Erik. Erik had been cautious, this man was confident; sitting back in his chair, relaxed and self-assured, even arrogant as he spoke to Charles. Well, spoke at Charles might be more apt...

Normally Charles would be working hard to steer the conversation in the direction he wanted, which was usually towards the bedroom, but on this occasion he found he couldn’t quite bring himself to do it. His mind was elsewhere- thinking about Erik and what had happened earlier in the evening, and wondering if he had ruined Erik’s chances of joining the company’s mutant program.

It was stupid, really, to be dwelling on such things when he had an important job to do, but his companion didn’t exactly notice that Charles was barely present, so the arrangement suited them both.

Charles kept his eyes focused straight ahead- maintaining contact with the man’s pale blue eyes and thin mouth, smiling attentively, even though he couldn’t have cared less what was being said. It was all just foreplay, after all. Charles knew that.

But, it seemed on this occasion that once again things weren’t going to go the way Charles expected. After they had talked for what felt like a long time, the investor smiled briefly at Charles before standing up from his chair. Charles immediately followed suit, assuming it was time for the main event at last, but instead of suggesting they head upstairs the man simply reached to shake Charles’ hand again, holding it between both of his own firmly.

“It was lovely to meet you, Charles. I’ll be in touch”.

And with that, the man turned and walked leisurely out of the bar. Charles inwardly panicked at the investor’s retreat; assuming that it meant he’d screwed up, but for some reason not really caring that deeply.

It was late, and Charles was tired. He knew he was supposed to report to his step-father afterwards but Charles didn’t really want to have to dissect the particulars of the meeting, so he simply fired off a quick text to say all was well and he was going to sleep, before leaving the bar and heading up to his room.

 

 

 

Charles fully intended to go straight to sleep that night, but unfortunately his mind was still whirring so it proved to be somewhat impossible. He dressed for bed in satin pyjamas; crawling onto the mattress for a brief moment before deciding it was useless and heading over to the small bar at the side of the room instead. Fixing himself a quick drink, Charles then turned towards the balcony- stepping outside and settling down in one of the chairs on the expansive terrace.

After a few sips from his drink, Charles began to relax slightly- sitting back in the chair before eventually closing his eyes and pressing the cool glass to his forehead. It was cold outside but Charles didn’t mind. He remained still for a while, enjoying the cool breeze on his face and listening to the muted noise of the city, before he heard a small sound- like something dropping to the floor in front of him- and he lowered the glass and opened his eyes.

Charles startled immediately- letting out a slight yelp and jolting where he sat, causing half of his drink to spill into his lap.

“Erik?? What the fuck are you doing here???” Charles hissed.

Impossible as it may have been, there Erik was - standing in front of Charles like he’d just materialised out of thin air.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you”, Erik said quietly. “I just… wanted to make sure you were okay, and that you made it to your important meeting”.

“That doesn’t really explain anything- where the fuck did you come from??”

“Oh, right… Another aspect of my mutation- I can use magnetic fields to, erm, fly”.

Charles widened his eyes in surprise, before looking down and reaching to rub his temple with one hand.

“You can fly… Brilliant. Good for you. But it’s really not polite to just show up like this. Did you not consider that I might be busy, you know- otherwise engaged with my client?”

Charles looked up as Erik shook his head. “I knew you were alone- I saw that guy you were with leave the bar without you”.

“Well surely you must have known that I made my meeting then…?” Charles replied, leaning forward and raising his eyebrows pointedly.

Erik looked slightly guilty in response, dropping his gaze and shifting uncertainly. “Ah, I guess I did…”

Charles continued to stare at Erik for a few seconds, before he broke away and started to laugh.

“This is the most ridiculous evening I’ve ever experienced in my life”, Charles said, smiling wryly as he leaned back in his seat and took another drink.

“Me too”, Erik replied, also smiling. “Do you mind if I sit down?” he added.

Charles considered the question for a moment before shaking his head and gesturing slightly in the direction of the chair next to him. Erik stepped over and sank down into the seat, turning to look at Charles once again.

Neither of them said anything for a few moments. Charles turned towards the edge of the balcony- looking over at the city beyond; wondering if Erik was doing the same thing but assuming that, based on their earlier interactions, if Erik’s eyes were focused anywhere it was probably on Charles.

“Can I ask you something?” Erik said at last.

Charles tilted his head down slightly, pursing his lips. He sensed what was coming. If the people Charles met ever did take an interest in him it was always for the same reason- they wanted to know the gory details of his exploits; how many people he’d slept with, what he did with the men and women he took to bed- the usual. It just clarified to Charles what the reality of the situation was- that the people he spent time with simply saw him as a whore, and nothing more.

“Ask…” Charles instructed quietly, still facing away from Erik.

“What’s your mutation?”

Oh, so not what Charles had been expecting after all.

Charles turned to look at Erik. “What makes you think I’m a mutant?”

Erik shrugged slightly. “You work for the most formidable mutant organisation in the world- I just assumed that everyone employed here had abilities”.

Charles paused for a few moments, looking over at Erik and debating internally just what to tell him. It would be easy enough to just say ‘Hey, I’m a telepath’, but Charles knew that wouldn’t be the end of the conversation- he knew that Erik would ask more questions, and to fully answer them Charles would have to disclose certain information about himself that he didn’t want to share. No, it was easier just to lie.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m completely ordinary”, Charles replied.

Erik regarded Charles with quiet consideration. “No you’re not”, he said softly.

The intensity of Erik’s gaze was making Charles feel uncomfortable and oddly shy; a vulnerability repeated many times this night but one he wasn’t used to feeling. He could sense a blush just beginning to creep up into his cheeks, and it wasn’t something he wanted Erik to notice.

“I need to go to bed”, Charles declared, standing up from his seat abruptly.

Erik’s eyes remained fixed on Charles before he stood up too. “Okay, I guess it’s pretty late- I should leave you in peace”.

Charles walked over to the sliding glass doors, reaching for the handle but turning back to face Erik as an afterthought.

“It was… nice to meet you”, Charles surmised.

Erik smiled in return. “You don’t need to say goodbye, just goodnight. I’ll be seeing you again soon”.

“You will…?” Charles frowned.

Erik nodded. “I managed to make my meeting too- with the recruiter. They were a bit annoyed at first that I was late, but once I showed them what I could do they soon got over it. They offered me a place in the program. I start tomorrow”.

“Oh…” Charles replied, letting the reality of Erik’s words sink in.

When Erik said they would be seeing each other soon he really meant it. The top few floors of the building where Charles lived were made up of luxury apartments; accommodation for the more senior members of the organisation. On the lower floors, however, were small single rooms where those recruited to Xavier Inc.’s program were placed. If Erik was going to be working for the company like he said, then he and Charles would be living very close-by indeed.

“Good night, Charles”, Erik said softly.

Charles mumbled out his own goodbye before sliding open the glass door and hurrying inside his apartment; closing the curtains behind him and blocking Erik from view.

Chapter 2: It’s Like I’ve Never Seen The Sky Before

 

 

Charles was having difficulty concentrating. He knew that his stepfather was still talking to him, but although Charles’ eyes were open he felt like his mind was closed; a weird fuzzy feeling clouding up his senses like someone had just stuffed his brain full of cotton wool.

“Charles, did you hear what I said?” Dr Marko huffed impatiently, briefly rapping the table in front of him with his knuckles.

The noise made Charles jump slightly in his seat, but it helped him to refocus.

“Sorry… Sorry, yes- I heard you, the first part at least, but I’m not sure I understand what you mean…”

 

The investor wanted to buy Charles. At least, that was how Charles understood it.

 

After his eventful evening the night before Charles had intended to sleep in, having no prior obligations for the next day other than a presentation that wasn’t until 11:00. But in spite of his plans, Charles was rudely awoken just after 8:00 by the vibration of his phone on the pillow next to him.

Reaching for the phone sleepily, Charles answered and began a short exchange. Conversations with his stepfather were always somewhat succinct- composed generally of instruction rather than communication. After initially attempting to refuse the directive, Charles relented and finished his phone call before begrudgingly withdrawing from bed- heading into the bathroom to take a quick shower before getting dressed and going downstairs to his stepfather’s office.

All the upper levels of Xavier Incorporated were composed of accommodation and entertainment suites- such as conference rooms and bars. The lower levels, however, were where the true face of the company resided, and where the more exciting operations took place…

Charles still remembered his father taking him down to the ‘basement’ when he was very young- walking the long sterile halls, exploring the labs and training rooms that spanned the width of the underground level. In the early days when the company was first founded it had focused more on research than anything else- specifically investigation into mutants and the incredible powers they often possessed. Of course, this was all before Brian Xavier learnt that his own son was one such mutant, though when Charles’ abilities had begun to manifest one of the first things his father had done was to reassure Charles that he would always protect him. But unfortunately, you can’t protect anyone when you’re dead.

After his father had passed his mother found a new husband- Dr Kurt Marko. Charles thought he was nice enough, and he seemed to make Charles’ mother happy, but from the very beginning he’d shown a zealous interest in Xavier Inc.- more so than in his marriage- and Charles sometimes wondered if there was even an end to Dr Marko’s ambitions.

 

“What exactly is it you don’t understand, Charles?” Dr Marko asked, scratching at his beard absently. “This is really no different from your usual assignments, in fact it’s probably better. Instead of having to entertain multiple people you would only have to worry about one”.

“But… I would be bound to him”, Charles replied, screwing up his face. “You said he wants me to live with him, to answer to him, to see only him. I would be like his own personal slave…”

Dr Marko made a loud noise of disgust. “Honestly, Charles- you’re being far too dramatic about this. Do you not understand what’s at stake here? Shaw Industries command a considerable amount of wealth, and they can provide an investment that we desperately need”.

Charles didn’t offer any further protest. He knew what his stepfather was referring to; the company hadn’t had a particularly good financial year, and there were rumours they were on the verge of going into administration. Without backers like Shaw, there’s a good chance Xavier Incorporated would go under- and Charles would lose everything.

“When am I supposed to commit to this?” Charles muttered, looking down at the ground.

“Well, that’s the upside- Shaw is away on business for the next three months, so he won’t be fully involved in the company for a while. He still doesn’t want you to see any other clients in the meantime, you understand, but your… arrangement with him won’t officially begin until he comes back”.

Great. So Charles had maybe a few months of freedom before he would be forced to move into the living quarters of a near-stranger; undoubtedly into his bed too.

“So, Charles- are we in agreement?”

Charles glanced up at his stepfather, wondering why he was even bothering to ask when Charles clearly had so little choice or control over his own life.

“Okay…” Charles mumbled.

 

 

 

Charles was still thinking about the conversation with his stepfather some hours later as he walked along the basement corridor. He supposed maybe it could be considered a necessary sacrifice- to essentially sell himself to ensure the hundreds of people who worked for Xavier Inc. could keep their jobs. It wasn’t just that though- Charles had become accustomed to a certain way of life, so if the company collapsed then his lifestyle too would change unequivocally, and certain comforts he had come to take for granted would no longer be afforded to him.

Glancing down at his expensive watch, Charles confirmed he was precisely on time as he arrived at the door to a large meeting room- pressing a button for entry before walking inside.

Immediately dozens of people turned to look at Charles, though his eyes were drawn to only one…

Erik was there, dressed in the same manner as the other recruits in a blue and yellow jumpsuit. Charles felt his heart respond rather physically as Erik met his eyes, though Charles told himself it wasn’t that noteworthy- he was prone to heart palpitations from time to time when he was nervous. He didn’t usually experience anxiety when performing these kinds of addresses though…

Avoiding Erik’s gaze, Charles walked to stand at the front of the room- turning to face the crowd with his hands clasped behind his back. They were all stood in a disorganised rabble, which made Charles sigh and roll his eyes before he looked pointedly over at the man standing guard at the door.

“Alright, look alive”, the man barked- stepping forward and addressing the group. “Stand along the line on the floor, that’s it- quickly now”.

Immediately the recruits started to move, following instruction and beginning to form a long line parallel to where Charles stood- all looking at him attentively.

Charles gave a brief nod of thanks to the man, only receiving a slight smirk in return. Bill Stryker wasn’t exactly the friendliest person… He and Charles had barely spoken two words to each other since Stryker had come to work for them a few months previously, but for a reason Charles that couldn’t quite place he didn’t like Stryker much anyway, so his lack of interest in talking to Charles was probably a blessing.

Stryker moved to resume his position standing by the door, and Charles opened his mouth and began to address the crowd.

When Charles had first been brought to work at Xavier Inc. his job had been very simple- nothing more than entertaining wealthy clients, but that wasn’t enough for Charles. He had a brilliant, inquisitive mind and he wanted nothing more than to work in the labs; to follow in his father’s footsteps and continue his research. Naturally, this request had been denied, but over time a compromise of sorts had been reached- Dr Marko had allowed Charles to put his charisma and magnetism to good use in other ways, such as being part of the induction process for new recruits.

In reality, no one knew the company better than Charles, so it was only logical for him to be the one to address the inductees- to explain to them how the program worked and what would be expected of them. Charles’ only regret was that he wasn’t able to be involved in the operation further- that he wasn’t allowed to help the recruits with their training. No, all he was good for was talking and looking pretty, as well as spreading his legs when necessary.

Charles spoke for about twenty minutes- eyes roaming around the room and taking in each of the recruits in turn. Most of them were quite young- approximately in their late teens. Xavier Inc. had quite a lot of young people wanting to work for them, thanks to their targeted marketing directed at schools and colleges across the country, but there were always a few people who didn’t quite fit the standard dynamic…

In this group, there were two such individuals. Erik was a fair bit older than the recruits standing alongside him, but he was at least as eager as the rest of the group as he listened to Charles talk attentively. The other person, however, wasn’t quite so keen…

The man stood with his arms folded, frowning slightly and looking thoroughly unimpressed with the whole arrangement. Charles had come across this once or twice before, and most times he found it was easiest to just ignore the person; to continue with his presentation without caring if he was boring anyone. That was the plan anyway, but when the man reached into his pocket and withdrew a cigar- lighting it up and taking a long drag- Charles’ limit was reached.

“Excuse me, what do you think you’re doing?” Charles questioned, fixing the man with a slight glare.

Charles had expected the man to be embarrassed or at least apologetic, but he wasn’t at all.

“What’s the matter, bub- is this a no smoking floor or something?”

Charles scowled in response. “It’s a no smoking building, not that that should matter considering you’re on a pissing induction rather than a smoke break”.

The man raised his eyebrows in return, whilst Stryker stomped across the room towards him.

“Put that out”, Stryker instructed. After a further eyebrow raise the cigar was extinguished, though not in the way Charles had expected… Turning his palm upwards, the man pressed the glowing cigar into it, wincing marginally in pain. Charles opened his mouth slightly in surprise, only beginning to understand when he saw the skin on the man’s hand slowly begin to heal.

“What’s your name?” Charles asked curiously.

“Logan”.

“Okay… Impressive mutation, Logan, but please don’t do that again”.

Fortunately, there were no further incidents for the rest of the presentation. Charles finished up his speech, before offering a curt goodbye to the recruits and turning to walk briskly out of the room. He was halfway down the corridor when he felt a hand grasp his shoulder, turning him around.

Charles sensed it was Erik even before he saw him.

“Erik, what are you doing? Your induction isn’t over- you need to go back in and wait for the next staff member to come get you”.

“I know, I’m going back in a minute- I just didn’t know if I’d have a chance to see you again today and I wanted to talk to you”.

“Oh yeah- about what?”

Erik looked briefly around the room, like he was trying to see if anyone was listening in.

“Can I see you tonight?” Erik asked, leaning closer.

Charles huffed out a short laugh in response. “I hardly think you can afford me, Erik”, he replied dryly.

“That’s not what I meant”, Erik scowled, looking down at Charles in faint annoyance. “I’m not looking for… it’s not what you think- I don’t want to buy you; I just want to spend some time with you”.

“Why?” Charles muttered, causing Erik to sigh and shake his head in frustration.

“I already told you, Charles- I’m interested in you. And not just because you look good in a suit. I just want to get to know you better”.

Charles said nothing whilst he stared back at Erik, feeling at a loss for words for once.

“Come on, Charles”, Erik continued. “I don’t know anyone else here, and I have literally nothing to do tonight but stare at the four walls of my crappy room”.

“Well you’re not looking at my walls, or anything else of mine”, Charles retorted. “Look, I can’t… I just can’t be involved with you. It’s not allowed”.

“You’re not allowed to have friends?”

Charles paused, looking away and beginning to chew on his bottom lip. Erik had a point; Charles’ stepfather had never told him he couldn’t have friends, and it certainly wouldn’t go against any of Shaw’s restrictions to just spend time with Erik… Still, that didn’t mean it was necessarily a good idea either.

“Charles…” Erik murmured, gazing down with his head tilted slightly to the side. “My intentions are completely wholesome”.

Charles glanced back over to Erik. He was grinning slightly, and the look in his eyes was anything but wholesome. It was hard for Charles not to smile back in return.

“This is a bad idea…” Charles replied cautiously.

“Almost everything I do usually is”.

Charles rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling.

“So, I’ll come to your apartment tonight?” Erik asked.

“No”, Charles answered, shaking his head. “I can’t risk someone seeing you up there- it might prove too hard to explain”.

“Okay, so where then? Do you want to come to my room?”

“No, that won’t work either”. Charles paused for a second, considering. There was somewhere else they could go- somewhere private- but it was Charles’ secret place, and he wasn’t sure he was willing to share it.

When Charles didn’t respond Erik sighed quietly. “Look, if you really don’t want to see me I understand…”

Charles still didn’t reply, so after staring down at him for a few moments Erik nodded lightly.

“Okay, then…” Erik said softly, before turning and beginning to walk away.

“Wait”, Charles mumbled, reaching to grasp Erik on the upper arm.

Erik turned, looking down at Charles hopefully.

“There’s… somewhere we could go. The roof. Normally no one is allowed up there, but I’m friendly with the janitor… I don’t mean friendly like my kind of friendly”, Charles rambled, getting flustered, “I just mean, we talk from time to time, and he let me have a key. If you meet me by the door I can take you up”.

“Not necessary”, Erik replied, shaking his head. “I can get up there myself”.

“Ah, of course”, Charles thought- remembering what Erik had told him about being able to fly. Actually come to think of it Erik probably didn’t even need to do anything that extravagant- with the power to control metal there probably wasn’t a door in existence that Erik couldn’t unlock.

“Okay… so, erm- nine o’clock?” Charles asked.

Erik nodded in response, smiling sincerely. “I can’t wait”.

 

 

 

Charles stood inside his expansive walk-in wardrobe, debating what to wear. It was ridiculous really- normally each time Charles had an appointment it was so easy for him to get dressed; he knew exactly which trousers made his ass look great or what shirt bought out the colour of his eyes, so why was he having such a hard time choosing an outfit now? It’s not like he was even trying to impress Erik- this wasn’t a date after all, it was just a friendly gathering.

Annoyed with himself, Charles threw the silk tie he had been holding against the wall and turned to rummage through his cupboard drawers- eventually selecting a pair of black jeans, a white t-shirt, and a simple blue jumper. It was more casual than he dressed, well, ever- but that was the idea- to be comfortable, not comely. Still, a spritz of cologne couldn’t hurt…

A short while later Charles arrived at the rooftop door- unlocking it and securing it behind him before walking up the stairs to the top. When Charles stepped out onto the roof he was surprised to find Erik already waiting for him, but as not as surprised as he was to see what Erik had set up…

Erik was stood just in front of the wall that surrounded the edge, wearing an immaculate black suit with a red tie, and an easy smile on his face. Next to him on the floor there was a blanket and a few pillows, alongside an ice bucket with what looked like a bottle of champagne in it. Charles’ mouth gaped slightly as he took in the sight, edging towards Erik as he felt his skin shiver with anticipation.

“Hi”, Erik said simply.

Charles tried to say hello in response but it came out more like “Hmpf” due to his dry mouth. Swallowing a little, Charles licked his lips and tried again.

“You look… impressive”, Charles stated eventually.

“Thank you”, Erik smiled. “You look surprised”.

“Well, yeah- a little. When we first met you were going to a job interview, but you looked far more casual than you do now. I just assumed you didn’t even own a suit”.

Erik laughed. “Ah, I see your point. To be honest I didn’t want to dress up too much for the interview- I didn’t want it to seem like I was trying to hard”.

“You’re not worried about seeming like you’re trying too hard with me?”

“I think I’m trying just about the appropriate amount”.

Charles looked away for a minute, glancing over at the twinkling lights of the city before Erik drew his attention back.

“Do you want to come sit down?” Erik asked, gesturing to the blanket on the floor.

Charles took a deep breath, before walking over and kneeling down to sit on the blanket as Erik did the same. They both shifted into a more comfortable position- leaning back on the pillows that were propped up against the wall.

“Drink?” Erik asked, lifting the champagne bottle out of the ice bucket and gesturing it at Charles. Charles nodded in response, before Erik reached to pour two glasses- handing the first to Charles who eagerly gulped down a couple of mouthfuls.

“Steady… I’d hate to have to carry you to your room later”, Erik chuckled, though the expression on his face suggested that he wouldn’t really hate that at all.

Charles downed the rest of his glass before placing it on the ground next to him and shifting down a bit further against the pillows, staring up at the night sky and trying to control his breathing. This whole situation was just so alien to him- he was used to being the one in control in all of his usual encounters; he could deal with almost any sexual situation he was faced with and take it like a champ, but now- here with Erik- lying next to him with their shoulders just barely touching, it felt more intimate than anything Charles had experienced in a long time.

“You seem nervous”, Erik observed, placing his own glass on the ground and looking at Charles carefully.

Charles gave a short laugh in return that sounded more like a cackle. “And here I thought I was the psychic one”. The words had just left Charles’ mouth when suddenly he realised the ramifications of them, and he shut his eyes tightly in regret.

“You’re a telepath?” Erik asked fervently, leaning slightly closer to Charles.

Charles’ eyes were still shut as he silently mouthed the word ‘Fuck’ over and over, until Erik lightly touched him on the thigh and Charles flinched- eyes snapping open at last. Erik was looking down at him, eyebrows raised in expectation.

“Um, yeah…” Charles murmured eventually. “It’s not a big deal though”.

“It’s a very big deal!” Erik replied, smiling in encouragement. “That’s an amazing gift- why didn’t you tell me?”

Charles shrugged, just before Erik frowned slightly and continued: “Wait a minute though, if you’re a telepath how come you didn’t know who I was when we met- that I wasn’t the investor?”

Charles broke Erik’s gaze, shifting uncomfortably and screwing up his face.

Now what? Charles didn’t really want to reveal his secret to Erik, but it seemed like he didn’t have another option.

“I don’t exactly have access to my powers”, Charles murmured, staring down at his hands twisting in his lap.

“What do you mean…?”

Charles sighed. This was it, then. If he was going to tell Erik the truth, it might as well be the whole truth.

“There’s an implant, just under the skin in the side of my neck”, Charles explained, reaching to rub the small area just behind his ear subconsciously. “It works as a suppressant for my powers- dulling my telepathy. I occasionally still get little flashes, but most times it’s like I’m not a mutant at all”.

There was a long pause, before Erik responded:

“Why would you do that?” he murmured.

Charles looked over to Erik, ceasing to rub the patch of skin behind his ear.

“It wasn’t my choice”, Charles blurted out- a rare admission of honesty that he hadn’t necessarily wanted to disclose. Erik frowned in response, clearly waiting for Charles to elaborate.

“When my powers first developed I had a hard time managing them”, Charles continued. “For years I struggled with it, and when I was brought to work here my boss decided that it would be easier if I didn’t have access to my telepathy. The company had been working on suppressants for years, not to use against mutants but to help them- to give an option to those who might have difficulty controlling their abilities. I was one of the first to try the implant out”.

“How old were you when this happened?”

Charles bit his lip slightly. “Fifteen”.

Erik swore, pulling an irritated face. “Your powers have been suppressed for that long? Why on earth wouldn’t you try to get the implant out after all these years?”

Charles put on an equally aggravated expression in return. “I may not have wanted the implant to begin with, but I happen to agree with it now. Do you understand what I do for a living? Do you really think I want to be able to read other people’s minds when I’m letting them fuck me for money? Do you imagine I want to know what they’re thinking about my arse or my mouth, or what they want to do to me or how they want to position me?”

Erik’s face faltered as he turned away from Charles slightly, and Charles didn’t need his telepathy to know what Erik’s expression meant. Revulsion. Disgust.

“I’m sorry that what I do is so distasteful to you”, Charles muttered bitterly.

“It’s not that”, Erik replied, shaking his head and looking back at Charles. “I’m a firm believer that people should be free to do whatever they want in life; I just question whether your current employment is fully your choice. To feel so uncomfortable with the nature of your reality that you would be willing to cut out such an important part of yourself? That’s terrible”.

“No, being on the street- that’s terrible. You understand that if I don’t do this we don’t get funding and the whole company crumbles?”

“So? Just work somewhere else”.

“It’s not that simple”, Charles huffed. “It’s my fucking company”.

“What?”

Charles sighed, rubbing his hand against his temple. “I don’t mean that. It was my father’s business…” he explained. “When he died, ownership passed to my mother and I was supposed to inherit the company when I turned eighteen. But then she died too… and when her will was examined it turned out that she’d actually left it all to her husband; my stepfather, the current CEO of Xavier Inc….”

Erik looked appalled. “Your boss is your stepfather? He was the one who wanted you to have the implant?”

Charles nodded mutely, looking away from Erik as he held one hand against his face and bit his nails slightly. He didn’t offer any further information and Erik didn’t ask, and for a while there was no sound at all but the far away hum of the city.

Then Erik touched the side of Charles’ neck, and Charles let out a small noise of surprise.

“I can feel it, you know”, Erik murmured, tracing his fingers just below Charles’ ear and watching him intently. “I could feel the metal of the implant from the moment I met you, I just didn’t know what it was. I never imagined…” Erik trailed off, looking forlorn.

Charles returned his gaze, melting into Erik’s tender touch- feeling like he almost wanted to turn his face into Erik’s hand and kiss his palm. He couldn’t do that though; he couldn’t afford to feel anything at all for Erik.

“What do you want from me?” Charles murmured eventually.

Erik continued to caress Charles’ skin as he considered the question, and Charles felt like he heard an answer: “Everything”, but Erik didn’t say that and Charles concluded he must have imagined it.

“I like you…” Erik replied softly. “I think you’re funny, and beautiful… and kind of an ass sometimes”, he smiled, “But everything I’ve seen of you so far I like, and I want to see more”.

Charles sighed sadly, looking away from Erik and shrugging out of his grasp. “I can’t do that. I’ve never really dated whilst I’ve been seeing clients, but now things are different anyway. That guy- the investor, he wants… He wants me to see him exclusively, to… belong to him exclusively”.

Erik frowned. “And what do you want?”

Charles couldn’t remember the last time someone had asked him that.

“It doesn’t matter what I want”, Charles replied, shaking his head. “This is the way things are- this is what I have to do. The investor will be joining the company in three months, and I will have to go live with him and be his…” Charles didn’t know how to finish that sentence. Be his what? Boyfriend? Lover? Slave? None of the options made Charles feel particularly good.

“So you have three months?” Erik asked hopefully.

“No, Erik…” Charles smiled wryly. “He may not be getting here for a while, but I’m still not allowed to see any clients in the meantime”.

Erik gave a slight grin. “Problem solved- I’m not a client”.

Charles huffed out a short laugh. “Nice try. You may not be paying me but you’re no different than any of the other people I meet. You all want the same thing”.

“That’s not what I want from you, Charles”, Erik replied earnestly.

“Oh really?”

Charles felt like he could see right through Erik’s words- Erik wasn’t the first person to say that he wasn’t just after sex; that he wanted to really get to know Charles on a deeper level. It never lasted- it all came down to fucking in the end- and Charles could prove it.

Launching himself at Erik abruptly, Charles pushed Erik onto his back and climbed on top of him- straddling Erik’s waist and using his hands to press Erik’s shoulders down into the pillows.

“Charles, what are you doing?” Erik huffed, sounding strained as he reached to grab Charles on the upper arms.

“I’m giving you what you really want”, Charles asserted, reaching a hand down to firmly grasp Erik’s cock through his trousers and beginning to palm the area robustly. Erik groaned in response, eyelids fluttering as he lolled his head back against the pillows.

“I knew it…” Charles thought, but although he’d confirmed his own suspicions he couldn’t help but somehow feel disappointed at the result.

Seen as he’d committed, Charles decided to see the act through to completion- moving his hands to pull at Erik’s belt buckle as he attempted to undo it, before Erik stopped him.

“Don’t”, Erik requested, sliding his hands down to grasp Charles’ wrists.

Charles glanced up at Erik’s face in confusion. Clearly Erik had been enjoying what Charles was doing- both his semi-hard cock and the expression on his face broadcasted as much, so why was he stopping things now?

“I meant what I said”, Erik continued. “I like you. I don’t want to just mindlessly fuck you; I want to get to know you”.

Charles scowled in response. “Bullshit. There’s nothing to know”.

Erik’s face softened. “That’s not true, Charles. You’re already one of the most extraordinary people I’ve ever met”.

Erik’s expression was completely sincere, but Charles couldn’t allow himself to buy into what he was saying. Scowling once more, Charles shifted away from Erik- attempting to climb off of him but finding himself unable to do so as Erik held onto his wrists firmly.

“Why do you have such a hard time believing that someone might be genuinely interested in you for who you are?” Erik asked softly.

Charles knew the answer to that question: “Because no one ever has before”, he thought, but he didn’t say it aloud.

Charles attempted to move again, wriggling in Erik’s lap and whining when Erik continued to hold him in place. Ceasing to struggle at last, Charles grew still- staring off to the side and avoiding Erik’s eyes.

Erik leaned forward, bringing his face ever so close to Charles’, resting his forehead against Charles’ temple- his lips hovering just centimetres away from Charles’ cheek. If Charles turned his head just an inch he knew their lips would touch, which is exactly why Charles remained where he was- staring hotly at the city beyond and trying to ignore his racing heart and the warmth of Erik’s breath on his skin.

“I can’t tell you what’s going to happen in the future, Charles- frankly I try not to think about it too much. All I care about is the here and now. You have three months; we could spend that time together…”

Charles shook his head lightly, rocking against Erik where he continued to lean against him.

“Charles… we should be lovers”.

“We can’t do that”.

“Why not? You’re not attracted to me?”

Charles didn’t manage to form a verbal response, but he did give an answer of sorts- tilting his face a tiny bit closer to Erik’s and opening his mouth slightly, though stopping short of actually touching his lips to Erik’s.

Erik loosened his hold on Charles’ wrists, sliding his hands up Charles’ arms carefully, palms smoothing across Charles’ shoulders and coming to rest against the side of his neck- fingertips caressing soft skin. Once again Charles found himself falling into Erik’s touch. People didn’t normally hold him like this.

After continuing to gently trace Charles’ neck for a few moments Erik’s hands found new purpose- sliding up the side of Charles’ face and gently starting to turn Charles’ head back towards him.

Charles allowed it; staring down at Erik’s lips as they came into focus and waiting for the inevitable kiss. He yearned for it, but it didn’t happen- in fact Erik actually withdrew to create more distance between himself and Charles, though their lips were still inches apart. Eventually, Charles looked into Erik’s eyes.

Erik was staring back at him, eyes diligent and dedicated as they watched Charles’ face, his fingertips still caressing Charles’ jaw.

“Charles…” Erik said softly, “I want you to know that I will never take anything from you that you aren’t willing to give. But… I want you to be honest with me, and with yourself”.

“What makes you think I’m not being honest?” Charles murmured.

Erik gave a slight smile. “I used to be like you... I did everything I could to keep people away, I tried so hard to control what people knew about me. It was pointless, in the end. Life is short- I don’t want to spend it regretting all the things I never did. You shouldn’t either”.

“You think I’ll regret not doing you? That’s a pretty big assertion, Erik…”

Erik laughed, before leaning closer to Charles- lips just brushing against Charles’ cheek as he moved to whisper in his ear: “Maybe one day I’ll show you how big…”

Charles bit his lip- feeling a blush develop in his cheeks and immediately wanting to hide it from Erik but being unable to do so, particularly as Erik leaned back once more to look at his face.

“So, Charles- the decision is yours”, Erik said at last, gazing at Charles intently. “What do you want to do?”

Charles stared back at Erik, feeling like there was nothing in existence but the two of them; the heat between them, the stars above them…

“You’re going to be bad for business, I can tell”, Charles whispered eventually.

Erik smiled widely- opening his mouth to offer up some pointed remark, no doubt, but instead letting out a slightly surprised sound- eyes growing wide as Charles leaned forward and pressed his lips gently against the corner of Erik’s mouth. It was barely a kiss, but it was the most Charles had given up in a long time.

Charles’ eyes were tightly closed as he kept his lips tentatively pressed against the side of Erik’s mouth, not daring to open them- not even as Erik turned his face slightly; the tip of his nose just nudging against Charles’ before he firmly settled his mouth over Charles’ lips. Charles gave a slight moan in response, just starting to brush his lips against Erik’s cautiously, sliding his hands to carefully grip the front of Erik’s waistcoat.

The whole situation was so familiar but also so strange. Being physically close to other people was nothing new to Charles, and although he didn’t often kiss his clients he did share all sorts of other intimacies with them. Never like this though… Erik was kissing him passionately; tongue licking into Charles’ mouth and hands sliding into Charles’ hair as Charles responded- holding onto Erik fiercely and just starting to grind purposefully against Erik’s crotch. Erik was hard- Charles could feel it, and he could feel it happening to himself too. He knew where this was heading.

Erik slid his hands down to Charles’ hips, gripping his waist securely as he rolled Charles to the side and onto his back- mouths still moving together as Erik leaned over him. Charles started to wrap his arms around Erik’s neck in response but Erik only remained close for a few seconds before he withdrew- rolling away from Charles and moving to lie on his back next to him. Erik looked up at the sky for a long moment, breathing heavily, whilst Charles stared over at him, wondering what he’d done to make Erik go away.

“Did I… do something wrong?” Charles asked quietly.

Erik’s eyes flew back over to Charles, looking gravely sad.

“Charles, no”, Erik replied heatedly, reaching down to grasp Charles’ hand. “You didn’t do anything wrong, I just… want to take things slow. Is that okay?”

Charles almost laughed. Taking things slow- what a novel idea.

He managed a shrug, which Erik must have taken as acceptance because he smiled and lifted Charles’ hand to his mouth- kissing Charles’ knuckles briefly before snuggling closer.

Of all the ‘dates’ Charles had been on, he’d never ended one by lying on the roof of his building, staring up at the stars and naming all the constellations he knew…

 

Chapter 3: Want To Vanish Inside Your Kiss

 

 

Charles awoke the next morning with a smile on his face. He couldn’t even remember the last time that had happened, and part of him wondered if he was still dreaming.

There was a small blinking light next to Charles when he opened his eyes- an indication that he had a waiting message on his phone. Reaching over to the pillow next to him, Charles retrieved the device and flicked open the message- smiling widely when he saw who it was from: Erik.

The previous night, Charles and Erik had stayed on the rooftop late into the evening- curled up together on the blanket just watching the stars and talking. It was probably one of the more exciting evenings Charles had ever experienced, which he found pretty strange considering the many debaucheries he’d been a part of in the past. Somehow though, lying next to Erik fully clothed with Erik’s fingers just brushing gently against the palm of his hand, Charles had never felt more thrilled.

Eventually Charles had managed to tear himself away. Erik offered to walk him back to his room, or fly him there, but Charles had refused- insisting that, if they were going to continue with this arrangement, then they would need to be very careful not to be seen together. Therefore, they had said goodbye at the rooftop door- exchanging numbers so that they could contact each other more easily in the future.

There had been one further kiss before they separated- Erik had gazed down at Charles in breathless anticipation before leaning down to press their lips together just once. Charles felt like it was the perfect end to an unexpectedly wonderful evening.

Their encounter the night before was still playing through Charles’ mind as he lay in bed and read the message from Erik, resting his head against his arm and continuing to smile broadly. Normally the majority of texts Charles received were little more than confirmation of appointments- messages from his stepfather with instruction as to where and when he was expected to offer himself up to the latest client. Instead, Erik’s message was two paragraphs of sentiment- Erik telling Charles how much he enjoyed their date last night and how he was looking forward to seeing him again.

Charles typed out a response- simply saying that he’d enjoyed the evening too and that he would see Erik soon, before he pulled himself from bed and went to take a shower.

After Charles was suitably clean he dressed in his customary smart style before picking up his phone and keys and sliding them into his pocket as he prepared to leave the apartment; deciding to have breakfast downstairs that morning. As well as the bar where Charles and Erik had met, the building also included a restaurant and a coffee lounge where Charles often ate when he couldn’t be bothered to cook. Okay, in reality he rarely bothered to cook- the small kitchen included in his apartment was most often used for making tea and the occasional pop-tart, and not much else.

As Charles reached for the door there was a further noise from his phone, and Charles retrieved it to find another message from Erik. He was still looking at the screen and smiling as he opened the door, before he glanced up and took in the sight of Shaw standing in front of him and he immediately froze.

All of the colour drained from Charles’ face as he regarded Shaw, who in turn was smiling at him slyly.

“Wha… what are you doing here?” Charles spluttered.

“I decided to come collect my prize early”, Shaw responded coolly, looking Charles up and down.

Shaw’s grin widened until it turned into a laugh- loud and booming in the quiet hallway- before it changed; voice dropping a few octaves and becoming a familiar sound as his face shifted too, sliding and reforming and turning a vivid shade of blue. By the time ‘Shaw’ had fully transformed Charles realised exactly what was going on and he was no longer scared- he was furious.

Raven was still laughing as she returned to her true guise, up until the point when Charles shoved her harshly on the shoulder- sending her sprawling back a few paces.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing??” Charles hissed, clenching his fists at his side as he glared at his sister.

Raven, for her part, looked completely taken aback by Charles’ anger, as well as a little bit hurt.

“Um, sorry… I was only playing around, Charles- why are you so mad?”

“You think this is funny? This is my fucking life!” Charles shouted, his voice echoing down the quiet hallway. The reverberating sound brought Charles’ emotions back into focus somewhat, and he immediately regretted yelling at Raven.

“Sorry… I’m sorry”, Charles said sincerely, shaking his head. “I know you were only joking, you just scared me”.

“Why would seeing Shaw scare you?” Raven asked, still looking slightly upset. “You agreed to his proposal, didn’t you?”

Charles sighed deeply, glancing down the hall for a moment before reaching to grasp Raven on the arm and pulling her inside the apartment.

Once Raven was inside and the door was securely closed, Charles turned back to her and spoke:

“Agreement is not really something we have the luxury of in our line of work, don’t you think?”

Like Charles, Raven was a whore. She had been even younger than Charles was when she’d been brought to work at Xavier Inc., something that distressed Charles immensely to this very day... In a lot of ways though, Charles felt like Raven was able to handle the situation even better than he was. She never complained, she never refused clients, and in fact she had occasionally helped Charles out and taken customers Charles didn’t want to see off his hands, thanks to her powers of physical transformation.

Contrary to the restrictions placed on Charles, Raven had never been given an implant to restrain her mutation. Charles suspected this wasn’t due to any sort of sentimentality from their stepfather; rather that it was a business decision. Raven’s ability enabled her to transform so that she looked like anyone, and what better way to impress choosy clients that to give them exactly what they wanted- whatever that may look like.

Of course, Raven’s unique mutation along her penchant for mischief meant that she tendency to get herself and Charles in trouble… Charles would never forget the time he walked in on Raven, pretending to be him, on her knees in front of- what was supposed to be- Charles’ very attractive assignment for the evening. That one had landed them in some serious hot water with their stepfather, and had cost the company considerable business. Charles supposed that simply pretending to be Shaw probably wasn’t the worst thing his sister had ever done.

“So how do you know about Shaw?” Charles asked.

Raven frowned slightly. “DM told me”. That was her name for their stepfather, as apparently even calling him Dr Marko was a tad too personal.

“I saw him celebrating in the bar last night”, Raven continued, “Apparently your deal with Shaw is going to provide a serious cash injection for the business. I actually came up here to say… congratulations, I guess… But you don’t seem too happy about the arrangement”.

That was perhaps an understatement.

“Raven, do you understand what’s happening here? I’m essentially being sold to Shaw- I will belong to him exclusively. Do you really think that’s what I want?”

“Charl, I don’t mean to be rude- but how is belonging to Shaw any different to the situation you’re in now? You’ll still be spreading it for money, but you’ll only have to worry about one dick rather than the sizeable amount you’ve already had your hands on”.

Charles screwed up his face slightly. He didn’t know how Raven did it- how she was able to be so blasé about the whole sex thing. Maybe it was her way of coping.

At that point, the phone in Charles’ hand beeped again and Charles lifted it to his face without consideration- not really thinking about what he was doing until he read the new message from Erik and started to smile uncontrollably.

“Um, Charl- what the hell? I know I’m the only one who sends you funny messages, and I’m standing right here, so that begs the question- just who is texting you?”

Charles’ eyes darted to Raven, his smile fading as he took in the sight of her looking at him questioningly.

“It’s, erm, no one…” Charles murmured nervously- shoving his phone back in his pocket.

Raven gave a sly grin in return. “Oh, yeah right. Come on- who is it? You can’t possibly be seeing someone- you told me you’d given up on dating a long time ago”.

Charles shifted uncomfortably, trying to think of a way out of the awkward moment. Of course, he could just tell his sister the truth- he knew he could trust her- but this situation with Erik was so new, he didn’t know what it meant yet and he certainly didn’t want to share.

Raven huffed out a sound of annoyance when Charles remained mute. “Look, don’t tell me if you don’t want to- but don’t forget I’m on your side here. DM told me that you’re not allowed to see anyone besides Shaw from now on, so if you’re not careful you could get yourself into some serious shit”.

Charles looked at Raven in mild panic. “You’re not going to tell him, are you?”

“Of course not”, Raven replied, shaking her head at Charles. “You know I will always do everything I can to protect you, which is exactly why you should tell me what’s going on. How am I supposed to look out for you if you don’t give me all the details?”

Charles let out a long sigh.

“Raven… I’ve done something stupid”.

 

The plan of having breakfast downstairs was quickly abandoned. Charles made himself and Raven a cup of tea, before the two of them took a seat on the sofa next to the fireplace in the main room. Raven sat turned towards Charles- legs curled up and hands resting on the cushion she absently held in her lap, whilst Charles sat next to her and sipped at his tea.

He’d just told Raven everything- how he’d met Erik two nights ago, mistaking him for the investor he was supposed to meet. How Erik was now living here at the company headquarters as a part of the mutant program. How Charles had spent last night with Erik on the rooftop- drinking, talking, kissing…

“Wit-woo!” Raven exclaimed, smiling widely. “I didn’t know you had it in you, brother.”

Charles tried his best to remain impassive in return, but he couldn’t help a slight grin from forming on his face.

“So this guy- Erik- what’s he like?” Raven asked.

“Honestly, I don’t really know yet. We’ve only seen each other a couple of times, but so far he seems… nice. Certainly a lot nicer than the people I usually spend time with. We get on well but… I don’t know if I trust it. He says that he just wants to get to know me but I’m not sure I can believe him”.

“Have you slept with him?”

Charles put on his best offended face. “Raven, what do you think I am- some kind of whore?”

Charles and Raven both burst into laughter at that.

“He said he wants to take things slow”, Charles continued when he’d finished laughing.

“Slow? Jeez, he doesn’t sound like anyone I’ve ever met before. But Charl... I don’t mean to put a dampener on things, but do you really have time for slow?”

Raven’s question was sobering, and Charles’ smile faded as he thought about it. Three months seemed like a long time, but part of him knew that it was unlikely to be long enough.

“I’m trying not to think about it too much”, Charles replied honestly, taking another sip of his tea.

“That’s probably for the best”, Raven responded, reaching to the side table for her own cup. “You should just try and enjoy yourself while you can, but be careful- you don’t want DM finding out about this”.

“I know, I’m trying to keep it low-key, but I’m worried about someone seeing us together or getting suspicious when they can’t find me”.

“Well, I can always help with that”, Raven offered. “If you ever need an alibi I can play your double”.

“Really? Well, what about tonight?” Charles asked hopefully. “I’d like to see Erik this evening, if I can, but I’m supposed to attend some function at a restaurant downtown”.

“Hmm… I suppose I can make myself available”, Raven replied, smirking. “But it’ll cost you”.

Charles smiled. “Jewellery or shoes?”

 

 

 

Charles had no obligations- work or otherwise- for the rest of the day, so he was free to spend the remainder of the morning and most of the afternoon shopping with Raven. Charles always questioned why Raven had such a retail obsession, given that she could just use her mutation to form any attire she wanted on whatever guise she was showing. He suspected that maybe it was less to do with getting new clothes and more to do with spending their stepfather’s money, which seemed only fair given that she’d helped to earn most of it.

After Raven was suitably shopped-out Charles returned to his apartment, spending the rest of the day reading quietly and waiting impatiently for night to arrive. He’d texted Erik that morning to tell him to come to the apartment later. It seemed like the perfect opportunity- most of the people who worked for the company would be out at the function Charles was supposed to be attending, so it was unlikely that anyone would see them together. Still, just in case, Charles insisted Erik should enter via the balcony rather than the front door.

During their earlier shopping trip, Raven’s spending habit had also rubbed off a bit on Charles. Under his sister’s zealous insistence, Charles had purchased some new clothes for that evening; smart black trousers, a lightly-patterned blue shirt, and even new underwear. Not that he was trying to impress Erik, or anything…

Regardless, when the time came for their meeting Charles had dressed carefully- taking time to neatly comb his hair and even adding a splash of cologne. When he was ready, Charles sat on the sofa next to the lit fireplace, anxiously waiting until he heard a light tap on the glass door that led to the terrace. Charles quickly stood up- walking over to the door and pulling aside the curtains; immediately catching sight of Erik and beginning to smile uncontrollably.

Erik was dressed slightly less formally than he’d been during their previous encounter, but he still looked good. He was wearing beige trousers and a black polo-shirt, and he grinned back at Charles as Charles slid open the glass door and beckoned him inside. Charles knew that Erik’s mutation could allow him to just enter the apartment on his own, and he was quietly pleased that Erik had waited for permission.

“Charles… you look lovely”, Erik smiled, looking him up and down as he entered the room. “Though I suppose you already know that shirt perfectly brings out the colour of your eyes?”

“Are you suggesting I coordinated my attire in order to impress you, Erik?”

Erik’s grin grew wider. “What can I say? You strike me as the sort of person who puts careful consideration into everything they do”, he replied.

Charles pouted in response. “You make me sound so boring”.

“You’re not boring…” Erik murmured, sliding his hand around Charles’ neck and pulling him close. Charles went willingly- moving to rest his hands on Erik’s chest and tilting his head up in expectation of a kiss, but he was only rewarded with Erik briefly pressing his lips to Charles’ forehead.

Charles’ brows drew together slightly as Erik pulled away again, wondering why Erik was being so chaste.

“How was your day?” Erik asked cordially, which only made Charles frown further. He wasn’t used to people asking after him, except for Raven of course.

“It was fine”, Charles replied curtly, dropping his hands to his side. “I, erm, spent the day with my sister”.

“You have a sister? I didn’t know that. What’s she like?”

“She’s a little nightmare…” Charles responded, smiling slightly in spite of himself.

“Must run in the family…” Erik smirked. “I’d love to meet her someday”.

“You probably will- she lives here too. In fact, there’s a good chance you’ve already met her, perhaps more than once, though you might not have known it at the time… She’s a shapeshifter”.

“Really??” Erik replied, looking impressed. “That’s amazing. So what does she do at the company?”

Ah. Charles really should have seen that question coming.

Taking a deep breath, Charles prepared himself for another awkward exchange. He grasped Erik by the arm- pulling him further into the room so that he could close the balcony door behind them both, before he looked back to Erik and spoke:

“She does what I do”.

Erik’s eyebrows raised in surprise, but all he said was: “Oh”.

“Oh, what?” Charles huffed in annoyance. “Oh, how terrible? How disgusting?”

Erik shook his head, frowning slightly at Charles. “I didn’t say that. I’m not appalled, just surprised. It’s pretty unusual isn’t it- for both of you to end up in the same… profession”.

Charles paused, realising how little Erik understood of his reasons for doing what he did at the company.

“It’s a family business…” Charles murmured, turning away from Erik and beginning to cross the room, before Erik grabbed hold of his arm lightly.

“Charles, I don’t mean to pry”, Erik said, looking down at Charles and tracing his fingers against Charles’ wrist. “I’m just… interested in you. In getting you know you”.

“Right, of course- your wholesome intentions, how could I forget?” Charles replied bitterly, staring away from Erik across the room.

Erik sighed softly, before stepping closer to Charles- closing the distance between them, moving confidently into Charles’ personal space and looking down at him ardently. Charles immediately felt himself tense- the closeness and heat of Erik’s body making him feel remarkably nervous, especially when Erik reached a hand to gently touch Charles’ chin- tilting his face upwards.

“Why do you always have to be so defensive?” Erik murmured, sliding his hand to cup Charles’ jaw and tracing his skin gently.

“Because I don’t trust you”, Charles replied honestly, which made Erik blanch slightly. “It’s nothing personal”, Charles continued, “I just… can’t”.

“Why not? I’m not going to hurt you”.

“I’ve heard that before”, Charles murmured. “It never lasts. I just wish you would cut the pretence and tell me what you really want from me”.

Erik pursed his lips. “You seem to think you have a pretty good idea of what I’m all about, Charles. Why don’t you tell me what it is that you want me to do?”

“Use me. Everyone else does”.

Now Erik really did look appalled. He dropped his hand from Charles’ face, staring into Charles’ solemn blue eyes.

“Why would you want that?” Erik asked eventually.

Charles shrugged lightly. “I’d prefer you did it now, rather than make me think you were genuine and do it later”.

Erik didn’t offer up any response, he only continued to stare down at Charles sadly. Eventually Charles tired of the stand-off, and he turned away from Erik- walking over the nearby fireplace and sitting down on the floor in front of it, absently reaching for a poker and beginning to stoke the fire. Erik didn’t move, though Charles’ could feel him still watching carefully.

“You can go, if you want”, Charles muttered eventually- still focusing on the fire. “I understand if you don’t want to see me anymore”.

Erik didn’t say anything, but Charles felt him move. He crossed the room in a few easy steps- walking over to the fireplace and sitting down in an armchair behind Charles. There was a pause, and then Charles felt Erik’s hand come to rest gently on the side of his neck- tracing over the area where the inhibitor was situated.

“If you didn’t have this, you’d know exactly how I feel”, Erik said softly.

Charles dropped his gaze to his lap, feeling somewhat embarrassed by the way he’d acted. He twirled the poker absently in his hands before returning it to the fireside, trying to buy some time before he spoke but still not knowing what to say in the end.

Soon though, words were the furthest thing from Charles’ mind. Erik’s fingers continued to caress Charles’ skin- Erik’s other hand lifting to join the act, enabling him to slide his fingers gently under the top of Charles’ shirt to stroke his neck, his shoulders- thumbs circling the top of his spine…

Charles was completely spellbound; soft and yielding in response to Erik’s touch, eyes closing in bliss as Erik’s fingers delicately caressed his skin. Charles couldn’t remember the last time someone had lavished this much attention on him. Although he’d spent most nights being touched by his clients one way or another, it had always been pretty perfunctory- nothing more than adjusting and repositioning him in order to take what they wanted. What Erik was doing was something else entirely, and Charles began to wonder if years of impersonal and habitual sex had left him somewhat touch-starved when it came to real intimacy.

Erik removed his hands from Charles’ neck, which made Charles let out a slight whine in response until he felt Erik slide forward on the chair and lower himself to sit down behind- long legs stretching out either side and bracketing Charles in.

Only one hand returned at first- sliding carefully under Charles’ shirt at the rear, thumb absently rubbing Charles’ lower back as Erik came to rest his head against Charles’ shoulder, mouth just centimetres away from the skin of Charles’ neck.

“Would it be alright if I…?” Erik asked. Charles looked down to see Erik’s other hand cautiously holding onto the hem of his shirt at the front, fingers toying with the lowest button.

Charles gave a brief nod and Erik leaned closer- pressing his lips against Charles’ neck and starting to mouth there as he gently began to open the shirt; sliding his palm across Charles’ skin as he unsecured each button.

Now Charles really was done for. He groaned quietly as Erik kissed up the side of his neck, behind his ear, along his jaw- fingers mimicking the act as they traced across Charles’ stomach and chest as more and more skin was revealed. Eventually the shirt was fully unbuttoned and Erik was able to slide both hands along Charles’ entire torso; fingertips gliding across Charles’ ribs as Erik moved his mouth lower- nudging the shirt down and ducking his head to kiss along Charles’ shoulder blades. Charles was still somewhat incapacitated- able to do little more than moan quietly and clench his fists slightly where they rested against Erik’s thighs.

Charles could feel his cock growing heavy between his legs as Erik touched him. During his usual appointments an erection tended to be somewhat of an inconvenience, unless he was with women, because when he was entertaining men they tended to be rather more interested in their own hardness than that of Charles- except for if they wanted Charles to top, which was rare. Most times when with men, Charles tried to keep his own member out of proceedings altogether; often wearing a jockstrap or similar during sex to ensure his cock was covered but his ass was accessible. But this situation was entirely different. Charles found that he wanted Erik’s hands on him- he wanted Erik to touch him and undress him and fuck him.

Turning around abruptly, Charles climbed onto Erik- seeing Erik’s eyes grow wide in mild surprise as Charles slid his knees either side of Erik’s thighs. Charles wound his arms around Erik’s neck, drawing their bodies even closer together and pressing his crotch into Erik’s purposefully; smiling slightly as he registered the fact that Erik was semi-hard.

Although he was technically the aggressor, like the previous night Charles’ kisses were tentative at first. He edged forward slightly, brushing the tip of his nose against Erik’s in a slight eskimo kiss before he brought his lips to meet Erik’s mouth at last. Erik’s eyes remained focused on Charles, watching him up until the moment when their lips met and he eased into the kiss- sliding his tongue into Charles’ mouth and using his arms to bracket Charles’ waist.

Erik’s hands resumed their exploration of Charles’ body as they kissed; fingers tracing along Charles’ torso and stomach as Charles began to rock forward. Charles was sure this was a bad idea- he couldn’t help thinking it as the kiss continued- but it felt so good and he so rarely allowed himself to just let go and enjoy life. And so, Charles decided to just grant himself this one night with Erik. He would break things off in the morning, almost certainly…

Still, if Charles was really just going to give himself a single evening, he should really make the most of it... Although the sensation of his clothed cock rubbing against Erik’s whilst they kissed was gloriously exciting, he knew that an altogether more naked kind of frottage would be even better.

Continuing the kiss, Charles slid his hand down Erik’s chest- unbuttoning Erik’s trousers quickly and sliding his hand inside to grasp Erik’s hard shaft over his boxer shorts. Erik gave a slight moan in response- more so as Charles began to rub his palm along the thick length with increased vigour- but when Charles moved to reach inside Erik’s underwear completely Erik abruptly slid his hands down to grasp Charles’ wrist.

“Wait, wait…” Erik murmured, withdrawing his face from Charles’ quickly.

Charles let out a small noise of confusion as Erik gently pulled at his wrist- removing Charles’ hand from inside his trousers and coming to hold it in his lap, fingers entwined.

“You… you don’t want to?” Charles frowned.

Erik smiled. “It’s not that- I think what you just had your hands on tells you how much I want to… Just, not yet”.

“Why not?”

“Because this means something to me, and I’d like it to mean something to you too”.

Charles pouted slightly, looking at Erik in bemusement.

“Erik, you seem awfully invested for someone who only met me three days ago…”

Erik sighed, sliding his hands up to hold Charles’ face and looking at him intently.

“Charles, it’s been a long time since I allowed myself to get this close to anyone. I’m not in the habit of engaging in casual encounters, so if we’re going to do this you should know that I want all of you- everything that you are”.

The sound of that was extremely appealing, but completely out of the realm of possibility.

“Erik…” Charles murmured, looking down. “I’ve already told you- I can’t do that. I shouldn’t even really be with you now, but seen as I am I figure we might as well enjoy ourselves, as a one-off…”

Charles looked up into Erik’s eyes once more. “Can’t we just fuck?” he added, his voice a low whine.

Erik smiled again, more fondly than before. “Tempting… But not yet”.

 

Charles spent the rest of the evening sitting with Erik in front of the fire, hands lightly touching as they talked. In the quiet room with only the two of them present Charles couldn’t help but be somewhat transfixed by Erik- gazing over at him; Erik’s face softened by the light of the fire. Historically Charles had never really allowed himself to enjoy the attractiveness of any of his conquests, or even if he did it only gave him a small amount of enjoyment as it was always oh so temporary. This time, however, Charles could really take in the beauty of every single part of the evening.

But that’s not the say that it was entirely easy for Charles to just switch off and enjoy himself. The knowledge of Shaw and what he wanted hung over Charles like a spectre, making Charles reluctant to fully engage with Erik when he knew that it wouldn’t last. Plus, there was the fact that it had been so long since he’d spent free time with anyone other than his sister, so part of him didn’t know how to act. He was used to putting on a show- flirting and charming his clients, in order to get what he wanted. Charles didn’t know what he wanted from Erik, or what he would be granted, so without directive he was at a loss.

The last time he and Erik had spoken in depth- when they’d spent the evening up on the roof- Charles had mainly kept the topic of conversation relatively superficial. Now though, it seemed like they had exhausted all aspects of small talk, and Erik in particular wanted the conversation to run a little bit deeper.

He coaxed Charles gently, asking thoughtful and insightful questions, trying to get Charles to reveal more and more about himself. Charles still held back though- after so many years of reinforced self-doubt, he couldn’t fully allow himself to believe that a person could really be interested in who he was, or that he was worth more than what someone was willing to pay for him.

But, like always, alcohol helped Charles to loosen up. Charles had more than a few fancy bottles of wine at his disposal and he was happy to share his most expensive one with Erik, though that’s not to say Erik entirely appreciated the gesture…

“This tastes like paint stripper…” Erik murmured, staring down at the glass in his hands where he sat cross-legged in front of the fire.

Charles laughed in return, lying down with his back propped up by several pillows. “You’ve drunk paint stripper before?”

“No…” Erik replied, smirking at Charles. “Obviously not, but you know what I mean”.

“I suppose”, Charles grinned. “I think it’s safe to say, Erik, that you are not used to the finer things in life…”

“This is fine??” Erik asked incredulously, raising his eyebrows. “In that case I think I’ll stick to my altogether more low-brow existence. Give me a German beer over this extravagant swill any day”.

Charles rolled his eyes, reaching to take Erik’s glass from his hands and downing the whole thing. “Problem solved”, he replied afterwards, placing Erik’s empty glass on the floor. “Though I’m afraid I don’t have any beer to offer you, German or otherwise”.

“That’s okay, I’m really not here for the alcohol…”

Erik moved to lie down and Charles placed his own glass on the floor and turned to meet him so that they both lay on their sides facing each other.

“Thank you for agreeing to see me tonight…” Erik murmured, absently reaching to tuck a strand of hair behind Charles’ ear. “I know the situation with the investor is difficult for you, but I hope that whilst you’re with me you can perhaps try to forget about everything else that’s going on?”

“That’s a nice idea, Erik, but it’s a little bit tricky to put aside the obligation that has been my life for years…”

Erik smiled sympathetically, before he frowned slightly and asked: “How many years exactly?”

“Um… since I was fifteen”, Charles replied. Erik’s expression immediately betrayed an inward revulsion, and Charles frowned before adding: “I thought I told you this already?”

Erik shook his head lightly. “You told me that you started working here when you were fifteen, I just didn’t think that you meant you’d done this the whole time. I’m so sorry…”

“I don’t need you to feel sorry for me”, Charles scowled, edging away marginally before Erik reached over to touch his face.

“Charles… I’m not saying I feel sorry for you”, Erik said soothingly, using careful fingers to caress Charles’ jawline. “I’m just… I don’t know- clearly I don’t fully understand your life and I never could, but I can’t imagine any fifteen-year-old who would willingly become a sex worker”.

Charles was still scowling slightly, but he couldn’t deny that Erik was right.

“Besides…” Erik continued, somewhat warily. “You said your stepfather is the one who brought you to work here, and that he also made you have the implant to stop your telepathy? I know a little something about being taken advantage of, and that sounds awfully manipulative to me”.

Denial always was Charles’ best friend, second to alcoholism. For years he had assured himself that he was happy with his life- that he was willing to accept luxury and the security of his job in exchange for selling himself, but to have Erik spell things out in an entirely different manner was beyond disconcerting. To think that he hadn’t made his own choices, that he’d actually been betrayed and coerced by a parental figure who was supposed to be the one to protect him?

Charles turned away from Erik, resentment burning up his skin and causing the start of angry tears to form in the corner of his eyes.

“Charles…?” Erik murmured, leaning over to try to look at his face. “Charles, are you okay?”

Charles still didn’t respond- he didn’t want to look at Erik, or for Erik to see how upset he was. It was embarrassing, really, to have let his veneer slip- to have lost focus and allowed himself to appear vulnerable in front of a client… Only, Erik wasn’t a client, was he?

Erik reached over and Charles kept his gaze turned away, but Erik didn’t make a move to make Charles look at him at all. Instead, he wrapped one strong arm around Charles’ waist, pulling lightly and turning Charles over so that he lay pressed up against Erik with his head resting on Erik’s chest.

Charles was still breathing hard and trying to maintain control, but lying against Erik and listening to his heartbeat definitely enabled him to begin to relax somewhat- more so as Erik began to gently run his fingers through Charles’ hair.

“It’s okay, Charles- you’re safe with me…”

Charles huffed out a noise that almost sounded like a sob. “You can’t protect me, Erik. Not from my life”.

“Well, I’m going to try”.

“What exactly do you think is going to happen here?” Charles murmured, absently clutching Erik’s shirt in his clenched fist. “What do you want from me? You want us to date? You want to be my boyfriend?”

“I don’t want to be your boyfriend… I want to be your everything”.

Another barely perceptible noise from Charles- somewhere in-between a laugh and a whimper.

There were no further words for the rest of the night, which was fortunate considering Charles didn’t think he could even begin to express how he was feeling. Instead, he simply lay curled up beside Erik, listening to him breathe and trying to think about little more than the soothing sensation of Erik’s fingers gently running through his hair.

Chapter 4: Every Day I'm Loving You More And More

 

 

Time was of the essence. At least Charles thought so.

Erik, on the other hand, appeared to be far less concerned with the passage of time and the restrictions it placed on their lives. Charles felt like Erik’s view of their current situation was rather simplistic; naïve and foolhardy perhaps. It was clear that Erik believed the two of them could embark upon a relationship with little regard for the future and what might happen to them; almost like Erik thought that the ‘future’ was some far-off daydream land that they would never reach, but Charles knew better.

Ever since Charles had been informed of his own particular destiny- that he was promised to a wealthy investor who expected Charles’ complete and emphatic obedience- he felt like there was a bomb just ticking away in his periphery, counting down the seconds until it exploded and destroyed any semblance of normalcy he had left. Charles had no way of knowing what his life would be like with Shaw, all he knew was he didn’t want it. But he didn’t have a choice. The company was in fiscal danger, and the metaphorical pot of gold they needed was located squarely between Charles’ legs.

Charles spent a lot of time thinking about that- about the obligation he was bound to, and how- more than ever- his own life was spinning so perilously out of his control. At least, he tried to think about that, but spending time with Erik was ever so distracting and it had a tendency to shift Charles’ focus somewhat…

Charles and Erik had been seeing each other for just over three weeks now. Most mornings would start the same- Charles would wake, convinced that he needed to end things with Erik; that they were doomed, and it would be kinder to just kill things now. But by nightfall- after more than a few encouraging texts from Erik and a lot of time spent thinking about him- Charles would change his mind, and he would spend the evening in Erik’s arms once more.

Nothing particularly scandalous happened though. Erik was true to his word when he said he wanted to get to know Charles better. Most meetings were spent talking and drinking and occasionally watching bad television, though there was always a constant fission of sexual tension between them that made Charles want to just rip his clothes off and jump on top of Erik.

On a few occasions, after getting maybe more than a little liquored up, Charles did make a go of getting into Erik’s trousers, or at least trying to get Erik to remove Charles’ own. It never went any further than making out though, no matter how many times Charles rubbed himself up against Erik or palmed Erik through his clothing. Clearly Erik had the resilience of a fucking monk, because each time he would do little more than smile fondly and either redirect Charles’ grabby little hands or reposition him so that they weren’t rocking against each other anymore. Sometimes Charles felt like he could come from little more than the feeling of Erik gently caressing his skin and the look in Erik’s eyes, but he never did, and for the first time in his life Charles felt like he was willing to wait.

Over the course of his budding relationship with Erik, Charles’ sister Raven helped them to meet. She gave alibis for Charles, offered excuses to their stepfather on his behalf, and even acted as Charles’ double from time to time to provide him with cover. Her selfless acts enabled the two lovers to spend most evenings together, though she couldn’t completely devote herself to Charles’ needs- she had her own life and her own job to do, and now that Charles was out of action whoring-wise the burden fell solely on Raven to take care of the company’s numerous clients. Even so, Raven’s help meant that Charles and Erik were able to spend a good amount of time together. Charles was beyond grateful for everything Raven did for him. He felt guilty, really, that he relied so much on his little sister when he felt like he should be the one looking after her, but it had been their dynamic for years and it showed no signs of changing.

Although the assistance of Raven provided Charles and Erik with an ample front, it didn’t mean that their relationship wasn’t constantly at risk of being discovered. There was one particularly close call indeed, when Charles and Erik were interrupted by Charles’ stepfather stopping by to talk about the particulars of the arrangement with Shaw.

Charles had been lying on top of Erik on the bed at the time, clothes still on but bodies pressed tight as they kissed passionately, before suddenly there was a knock and the door and a shout from outside.

The sound of his stepfather’s voice instilled an unparalleled fear in Charles as he abruptly wrenched himself from Erik’s arms and leapt off the bed- gaping over at the door in panic as he heard the sound of a key beginning to turn in the lock.

This was it then- this was the moment when the whole charade would come crashing down around them, Charles just knew it. But although Charles panicked and froze in terror, Erik maintained his trademark calmness as he took control of the situation.

Stretching his hand out, Erik used his powers to prevent the door from opening as he rose from the bed and walked over towards Charles. Then, he simply placed a quick kiss to Charles’ temple before turning and walking towards the balcony; sliding the doors open and stepping outside, and promptly disappearing into the air.

Erik’s hold on the door abated and Dr Marko entered, looking more than a little pissed off at being kept waiting.

 

Charles’ stepfather didn’t stay long, though every minute was more time than Charles had wanted him to remain. Dr Marko had always been somewhat clinical when it came to Charles, and his latest visit was nothing more than business- a necessity to discuss the latest developments with Shaw.

After the meeting was finished and his stepfather had left, Charles immediately wandered over to the bar and made himself a strong drink; downing half of it before he heard the balcony doors open and he turned to see Erik step inside.

“Drinking again, Charles?” Erik said as he crossed the room towards him. “Have you ever considered an alternative method of calming yourself down, like taking up chess perhaps?”

Charles made an altogether completely unimpressed noise that sounded like he was clearing his throat at Erik.

“I’m sorry the fact that I drink all the time is such a problem for you”, he replied, scowling. “Would you care to point out any more of my character flaws whilst you’re at it? Maybe my love of watching procedural cop shows, or the fact that I can’t pronounce ‘Prosecco’?”

Charles finished the rest of the drink before forcefully dumping his empty glass down on the bar, watching Erik as he moved closer and came to stand just in front of Charles, staring down at him disapprovingly.

“Charles… those are character traits, not flaws. I think perhaps the only flaw you have is being overly critical of yourself”.

There was a further annoyed huff from Charles, but no additional protests. Eventually Erik sighed, stepping slightly closer and reaching to grip Charles gently on the shoulders.

“Are you okay?” Erik asked softly, tracing Charles’ collarbone with his thumbs. “What did your stepfather want?”

Charles shook his head lightly. “I’m fine. He just wanted to talk business, as usual. Just some particulars about the deal with Shaw”.

“Oh?” Erik said, frowning slightly.

“Nothing to be worried about- nothing’s changed, my stepfather just wanted to tell me exactly where I’ll be living when the, erm, arrangement begins. Apparently Shaw will be moving into an apartment in this building, so that’s… good, I guess- that I won’t have to go live somewhere else”

“You get to keep your own apartment?”

“No, no… What I mean is- I’ll still have to go live with Shaw, but at least I won’t have to leave the building. Before today I honestly didn’t know where I was going to end up- he could have taken me halfway across the country if he wanted- so it’s kind of a relief to know I’ll still be here… close by…”

Charles glanced up at Erik, expression softening as he allowed a thought to run away in his mind. He wouldn’t have to leave the company… he would still be living in the same building as Erik… maybe they could…

No, thoughts like that were dangerous. Charles was already treading a very precarious line by choosing to see Erik at all; he certainly couldn’t continue their relationship after Shaw moved in.

“That was really fucking close”, Charles said at last, changing the subject. “We can’t keep doing this- it’s too dangerous. We might get caught at any moment, especially seeing as there’s nothing to stop my stepfather bursting in on us whenever he likes”.

“Mm, I noticed that…” Erik responded. “I guess it wasn’t your choice for him to have a key?”

Charles shook his head glumly.

“Okay…” Erik replied, sliding his hands down Charles’ arms. “Maybe we need to find somewhere else to meet…”

“There’s nowhere…” Charles said despondently.

“That’s not true, Charles- you could come to my room”.

Charles let out a dry laugh. “Yeah, right- that’s an even worse idea than meeting here”.

“Is it? Think about it, Charles- generally the only people who even go to the lower levels are the recruits who live there, and none of them would question you being there because they know you work for the company”.

Erik started to move closer as he talked, winding his arms around Charles’ waist.

“You would be safe there…” Erik murmured. “You and me, alone in my cosy little room…”

Erik grinned wickedly, and like always Charles found his expression impossible to resist.

“I suppose I could ask Raven to stay in my apartment for the night, as a cover whilst I was downstairs with you just in case anyone stopped by…” Charles replied, trying to deny Erik but succumbing to a smile anyway.

Erik edged closer, just beginning to brush his lips against Charles’ as he spoke:

“You would stay the whole night…?” he murmured.

“We’ll see…” Charles responded, before Erik smiled widely once more and then moved in for a kiss.

 

 

 

It wasn’t until two days later that Charles and Erik were finally able to put their plan into action.

It couldn’t have been helped- Raven was fully booked with appointments for a while so she wasn’t able to act as Charles’ body double. Although Charles was desperate to spend some more time with Erik, at the end of the day he was happy to wait- the fact that Raven was willing to spend her first night off in ages being Charles’ alibi was already more than he could ask for.

When the time came, Raven made her way to Charles’ room, using her ability to transform into various other guises along the way to ensure that no one recognised her.

There was a knock at the door, and Charles opened it to find… Ronald McDonald.

“Raven, what the fuck?” Charles asked between laughter, grabbing Raven on the arm and pulling her inside the apartment.

Raven continued to keep up her clownish form, rendering Charles incapacitated by laughter for a while.

“Raven, come on- please change back. I can’t take you seriously like this”, Charles managed to get out in-between wheezing uncontrollably.

“You don’t like it?” Raven replied, gesturing down to her bright yellow outfit and waggling one giant shoe in Charles’ direction. “I was just trying to get you in the mood for your big date night, Charl- I know you used to have a crush on the guy”. At that, Raven changed appearance at last- shifting and reforming until she looked more like herself.

“I did not have a crush on Ronald McDonald”, Charles protested, finally composing himself at last. “I had a slight crush on the guy who was dressed up as him at my ninth birthday party. It’s completely different”.

“Ah-ha, right- of course”, Raven replied with a wink. “So, about your romantic rendezvous tonight- how are you feeling?”

Charles involuntarily broke into a wide smile that said it all for him.

“That good, huh?” Raven smirked. “You know, one of these days you’re going to have to let me meet the guy who’s making you so happy”.

“I’d like that, but I just don’t know how we’d manage it. It’s hard enough just for me and Erik to spend time together”.

“Oh yeah, I bet it’s super hard…” Raven grinned, whilst Charles playfully shoved at her.

“Thank you for agreeing to do this”, Charles said eventually. “I don’t know what I’d do without you”.

Raven smiled at Charles fondly. “Happy to help, brother. You deserve a little happiness. Now, you best get going before I change my mind and go in your place…”

At that, Raven shifted form once more- turning into a perfect double of Charles, which still made Charles feel a bit weird even though he’d seen it so many times before.

“Thanks, sis”, Charles said, squeezing her hand briefly before heading for the door.

 

 

 

Charles had never spent much time in the lower quarters. He’d never had reason to before, though when they were younger he and Raven had made it their mission to explore as much of the company building as they could, so they had ventured almost everywhere at some point.

That had been many years ago, and Charles wished very much that he had Raven at his side on this occasion too- purely for the moral support. Charles had been looking over his shoulder for weeks now; constantly on edge as he worried that someone might catch on to what he was doing, and his fears had never been worse than when he was heading to Erik’s room that night. However, as it turned out, Erik was right. Charles only came across a couple of people during the journey, but none of them paid Charles any mind.

Eventually Charles reached the door to Erik’s room; straightening his clothes and taking a deep breath as he knocked lightly. Even though he’d been seeing Erik for weeks, preparing to meet him still had a tendency to make Charles feel more than a bit apprehensive.

The nervy feelings continued as Erik opened the door, looking as incredibly handsome in a white polo-shirt and beige trousers, with his hair neatly combed. He smiled when he saw Charles, like he always did, before he reached to grasp Charles’ hand- pulling him into the room.

Charles hastened into an embrace as soon as the door closed, sliding his arms around Erik and rising up slightly on his tiptoes to rest his face against one of Erik’s broad shoulders. Inhaling Erik’s scent, Charles smiled as Erik held him, eyes softly closed until he registered a dim light just filtering in through his eyelids.

“Um, what’s all this…?” Charles asked quietly, rising up slightly further to rest his chin on Erik’s shoulder as he looked into the room behind him.

Erik’s room was small, like Charles had expected- nothing more than a rectangular space with a desk and chair on one side, a chest of drawers on the other, and a single bed pushed up against the back wall. There were a few little ‘luxuries’ like a computer and television, and the room at least included a small adjoining bathroom, but in essence the setup was basic at best.

Charles had seen the recruits’ quarters before, so he felt like he knew what to expect. What he hadn’t foreseen, however, were the efforts Erik was prepared to make in order to impress Charles.

The soft glow that had drawn Charles’ attention turned out to be dozens of small metal cups suspended in the air close to the back wall, inside each of which was a lit candle. Charles stared at the lights, transfixed for a while until his gaze was distracted by the blanket and pillows Erik had laid out on the floor, alongside which was a bottle of wine and two glasses.

“Erik, are you trying to seduce me?” Charles murmured quietly, leaning back to look at Erik’s face.

Erik was smiling in response. “Am I being too obvious?” he replied, grinning down at Charles. “Come sit down?”

Charles nodded lightly and Erik grasped him by the hand, pulling Charles over to the blanket where they both sat down facing each other.

“Drink?” Erik asked, lifting up the wine bottle.

Charles ran his tongue across his lips as he considered the question. Normally a drink would be exactly what Charles wanted, but on this occasion he actually found himself saying no.

Erik returned the unopened bottle to its original position, reaching instead to hold Charles’ hand, running his thumb across the top of Charles’ knuckles.

“How are you?” Erik asked. “I feel like I haven’t seen you for ages”.

“I know…” Charles started apologetically. “It took a while for Raven to be available to cover for me”.

Erik shook his head. “It’s okay- I’m not complaining, and I understand that you have to make necessary arrangements if you want to see me, I just… missed you, is all”.

Charles looked up at Erik, eyes locking together earnestly. “I’ve missed you too”, he whispered.

Erik’s expression grew affectionate before he reached forward- sliding his arms around Charles’ waist and pulling Charles into his lap as they began to kiss.

Like always, it didn’t take long for things to get steamy. Erik was leaning with his back resting against the side of the bed- long legs out in front of him with Charles sitting in his lap. Charles’ wound his arms around Erik’s neck as they kissed and pressed his crotch up against Erik’s, feeling a slight tremor in response to confirmation of the tantalising hardness of both of them.

Charles was preparing himself for another sexually frustrating evening of rocking up against Erik with no release in sight, but apparently Erik had other ideas, for once…

Charles was busy running his tongue along Erik’s, enjoying the prickle of Erik’s stubble against his skin, melting in response to the tenderness of Erik’s fingers stroking across his lower back under his shirt, when suddenly there was a movement Charles hadn’t expected. Erik’s hands changed tact- sliding around from Charles’ back to rest on his upper thighs as Erik used his powers to undo Charles’ belt buckle and edge his zipper down.

Visibly startled, Charles withdrew from Erik- staring at him with wide and disbelieving eyes.

“I thought you wanted… to wait”, Charles murmured, as Erik traced his hands over Charles’ thighs soothingly.

“I did… we waited, but now I want more of you. Is that okay?”

“Yes…” Charles whispered breathlessly. “I’ve been waiting for you to fuck me since the day we met”.

Erik chuckled, glancing down and shaking his head slightly before he looked back to Charles.

“Charles, you might have to wait a little bit longer for that…”

“Huh?” Charles frowned. “But you said…”

“I said I wanted more from you, but not every intimacy has to come down to penetrative sex”.

“Well… what do you want then?”

“Something else…” Erik replied, sliding one hand up to hold Charles’ face. “I’d like to remove your clothes now, if that’s alright?”

Charles’ heart was racing, blood pumping hot through his veins as his mind ran away with possibilities.

“I will if you will…” Charles whispered in response.

Erik smiled in return, nodding and answering: “As you wish”.

At that, Charles edged off of Erik’s lap- moving to sit on the floor cross legged and watching in interest as Erik stood up in front of him. Erik kept his eyes on Charles as he reached down and removed his shirt- lifting it over his head and giving Charles a view of his finely muscled torso and slim waist.

Charles was slightly delirious at the sight. He’d ran his hands over Erik’s body numerous times over the past few weeks but he’d never actually seen it for himself- particularly not gloriously illuminated by soft candlelight.

There were further delights to come as Erik reached down and undid his trousers- sliding them off and draping them over a nearby chair. Charles’ eyes trailed down Erik’s body when it happened- honing in on Erik’s crotch and the outline of his hard-on, visible through his boxer shorts.

Erik continued to watch Charles’ face carefully as he pulled his underwear off in one smooth motion.

Meanwhile, Charles had been rendered speechless. He’d seen plenty of people naked before, and a couple of times he’d encountered men as well-hung as Erik, but he’d never had this reaction in his life. Charles suspected that perhaps the reason for it was because- like Erik had wanted- this wasn’t just some impersonal event; it was truly intimate.

Charles was still staring as Erik sat down and adjusted himself so he leaned back against the side of the bed once more, stretching his legs out in front of him, all the while watching Charles thoughtfully.

“Charles, are you okay?” Erik asked eventually, tilting his head to one side as he looked at him.

Charles managed to close his slightly gaping mouth at last, looking back up to meet Erik’s eyes and breathing heavily.

“You know, if you’re feeling uncomfortable we can stop anytime you want to…” Erik continued carefully, looking over at Charles in mild concern.

Inhaling a deep breath, Charles shook his head lightly before diverting his gaze as he began to unbutton his shirt. He removed the garment awkwardly, fumbling with the buttons and sliding the shirt off; a complete contrast to the smooth and confident mannerisms he usually displayed. Charles couldn’t bring himself to look back at Erik as he reached down to remove the rest of his clothing- rising up on his knees so that he could slide his trousers and underwear off at the same time. When he was suitably uncovered, Charles sat back again- holding his hands in his lap nervously and using them to partially obstruct Erik’s view of his hard member.

Eventually Charles glanced back over to Erik, finding Erik’s focus hopelessly drawn to Charles’ naked form much like Charles had been to Erik’s moments earlier. The fact that Erik was apparently as captivated as Charles was helped Charles to relax somewhat, and he let out a slightly giddy laugh.

Erik glanced back up to look at Charles in mild surprise, before he smiled fondly.

“Come here?” he requested, reaching a hand towards Charles.

Charles edged forward tentatively, shuffling towards Erik until Erik reached his arms around Charles’ waist, pulling Charles into his lap once more. Erik’s kisses were comforting, and Charles sank into his embrace- wrapping his arms around Erik’s neck, though stopping short of pressing himself against Erik’s warm body fully.

It was unusual for Charles to be so nervous and to hold back so much, most likely because this wasn’t what Charles was used to. He expected to just have sex- to be taken and penetrated in a somewhat dispassionate manner, but that had never been what Erik had wanted from him.

Erik kissed Charles deeply, sliding his hands down to hold Charles’ waist and pulling him closer so that their bodies came together at last. Charles gave a slight whimper as he felt his hard member brush against Erik’s; more so as Erik reached down to hold both their cocks together in one large hand.

Charles let out a quiet moan, withdrawing his lips from Erik’s mouth but keeping his forehead resting against Erik’s as he tilted his head down to take in the sight. Erik’s thick cock dwarfed Charles’ slightly as Erik used his hand to hold them both, before beginning to slide his palm along their shafts.

“Is this okay?” Erik murmured, lips inches away from Charles’ own.

Charles nodded in return, before leaning forward to kiss Erik once more.

Given all the sex Charles had taken part in during his lifetime, it was remarkable to realise that there was still so much he had never experienced before. Jerking off was nothing new to Charles, but the feeling of Erik’s hand sliding along his shaft and the delicious friction of Erik’s member rubbing against his own was more than Charles could have hoped for. He leaned into Erik’s body fully, completely pliable in his grasp and helpless to his touch as he moaned into Erik’s mouth whilst they kissed.

Eventually the sensation became heady and intense, and Charles moved to rest his face against Erik’s shoulder for support as Erik continued to stroke him, wrapping his arms around the back of Erik’s neck and holding on desperately as Erik’s hand picked up speed. It felt so good but Charles still wanted more, and he found himself engaging in the act further- beginning to rock his hips forward in time with Erik’s movements, causing Erik to groan softly in response.

With Charles fully participating, it wasn’t long before both he and Erik were close to release. Charles held onto Erik tightly as he came, clutching Erik’s back as Erik jerked Charles’ cock onto his stomach, following himself with his own release moments later. Climaxing during sex wasn’t something Charles had ever been that concerned about before and, if anything, he usually saw it as a vulnerability he’d rather avoid with his clients. With Erik, however, Charles was somewhat relieved to finally allow himself to be relaxed and open with another person for maybe the first time.

Erik held him afterwards, tracing his fingers gently over Charles’ back and placing grateful kisses against Charles’ neck as he settled down.

“Are you alright, Liebchen?” Erik murmured.

Charles smiled widely in response, though Erik didn’t see it as his face was still resting against Erik’s shoulder.

“I’m great”, Charles replied honestly. For the first time in a long while, he really was.

 

Charles and Erik remained holding onto each other for a while afterwards, just breathing together quietly and caressing soft skin. Eventually though they managed to tear themselves apart in order to clean up, before redressing in their underwear.

They retired to the bed- Erik reclined back against the pillows with Charles lying next to him and resting his head against Erik’s chest. Charles was holding Erik’s hand, tracing his fingertips over Erik’s palm absently as they watched television- though Charles wasn’t really paying attention to what was on. He was focusing instead on the sound of Erik’s steady heartbeat underneath him and thinking about how he’d never felt so safe and secure in his entire life.

“I don’t want this to end…” Charles murmured quietly. He hadn’t intended to say it out loud, but as soon as the words were out he knew that he truly meant them.

“Does it have to?”

Charles tilted his head to look up, finding Erik already gazing down at him earnestly. The look in Erik’s eyes made Charles feel weak, but it was what Erik said next that truly took his breath away.

“Charles, I think I’m falling in love with you…”

The words were in the air- bright and glowing like the candlelight above them. Charles could feel their intention; the faintest ebb of his telepathy drawing the emotion into his mind like a beacon. It was the purest thing he had ever felt, but he feared his life wasn’t made for heartfelt devotion and kindness, he was made of darker things- a body fit for expending desire, and not much else.

Charles sat up from Erik abruptly, staring back at him in fear- but not because he was scared of Erik, because he was afraid of the depth of Erik’s heart, and how it would feel to lose it in the end.

“I can’t…” Charles uttered, edging away from Erik on the bed.

Erik responded instantly; shifting forward himself and reaching to grasp Charles on the waist.

“Charles, wait”, Erik urged, trying to pull Charles back into his arms. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have… I just wanted you to know… It’s okay if you don’t feel the same, we can just forget about it”.

Charles didn’t want to forget about it. No matter where his life would take him, he wanted to remember for the rest of his days how it had felt to be loved in that moment.

But even so, there was little point dwelling on it now. Charles pulled out of Erik’s grasp, sliding off the bed and taking a few steps away.

“I’m sorry, Erik. This was a bad idea- I should probably just go back to my apartment. I’m sorry…”

Charles continued to mumble apologies as he gathered his clothes- bending down to grab hold of his trousers, but stopping abruptly when the room was suddenly filled with a harsh vibrating sound.

“What the…?” Charles uttered, turning back around to face Erik with his trousers still in his hands.

All the metal in the room was shaking- chairs and computer monitors and various other objects beginning to rattle, the metal cups that held the candles consumed by a tremor that cast the entire room in an unstable light. But worse of all was the quaking in Erik. He was sitting on the edge of the bed- stoic but trembling; his eyes fierce and lethal as they looked at Charles, but no- not just at Charles generally, at his legs.

“Erik, what’s wrong?” Charles asked warily. Erik didn’t respond, so Charles stepped forward- dropping the trousers he was holding and reaching instead to gently touch Erik’s face.

Erik calmed in that moment, the shaking in the room beginning to abate as he tilted his gaze to look up at Charles.

“What happened to you?” Erik asked tensely.

Charles closed his eyes painfully, realising instantly what Erik must have seen to make him so mad. There was still no response from Charles as Erik reached his hand forward, palm sliding up the back of Charles’ thigh and creeping under his boxer shorts, coming to trace across the long scar that spanned the back of Charles’ legs, just below his buttocks.

“Charles…” Erik murmured imploringly, using his other hand to reach up and hold Charles’ face. Charles opened his eyes at last, looking down at Erik sadly.

“What happened?” Erik asked again. “Did someone do this to you?” He withdrew his fingers from the back of Charles’ leg, moving both hands to gently hold Charles on the waist.

“It was a long time ago…” Charles responded at last, sliding his hands to rest against Erik’s shoulders, trying to draw support and balance from his sturdy physique.

Erik continued to trace his thumbs against Charles’ waist as he waited for him to continue.

“It was… a client”, Charles said eventually. “I’d only been doing the job for a couple of years and there weren’t the procedures in place that there are now. He… liked it rough. I didn’t really know what to do, so I just let him get on with it- more or less”.

Erik was looking at him with such abject despair at that moment that Charles had to look away.

“It wasn’t that bad, at first… I thought he’d got what he wanted, and when he asked me to bend over on the bed I just assumed he’d had enough of slapping me around he was ready to fuck at last. I heard the sound of him unbuckling his belt and I thought he was just taking his clothes off, but instead he took the belt and hit me with it”.

The tremor was back. It was quieter than before, but once again the metal in the room had begun to shake. Charles glanced back down to Erik to find him staring hard into middle distance, clenching his jaw with furious eyes curiously moistened.

Charles slid his hand to cup Erik’s face in a comforting gesture, rubbing his thumb gently against Erik’s jaw as he tried to calm him down. It seemed to work- Erik looked back to meet Charles’ eyes, and the vibration of the metal ceased. Charles decided in that moment not to tell Erik how bad it really was- how after that man had hit Charles he had wrapped his belt around Charles’ throat and choked him whilst he fucked his ass. He couldn’t bear to think about how painful that might be for Erik to hear.

“It’s okay, Erik”, Charles murmured. “After that incident they tightened security around me, and they began to vet the clients a lot more thoroughly. Things have been fine since”.

“Did your stepfather find out about this?” Erik asked.

“Yes…” Charles replied, biting his lip slightly. “He was pretty pissed about it- I couldn’t work for a few weeks after that, and of course this scar isn’t exactly appealing…”

“WHAT??” Erik uttered, just as the metal in the room began to shake worse than ever. “That’s what he was concerned about- you being unfit to work, and not the fact that some sicko had brutalised you??”

Charles winced- it did sound pretty bad when put like that.

“Erik, please calm down”, Charles urged, gripping Erik more firmly on the face. “Someone might hear”.

Erik was still furious- Charles could tell- but he regained control enough to stop the vibrating of the metal around them. In return, Charles stepped closer- climbing onto Erik’s lap and sliding his knees either side of Erik’s legs as he continued to trace careful fingers against Erik’s face. He felt so guilty for making Erik so upset, and he wanted nothing more than to make him feel better.

Charles kissed Erik, sliding his arms around the back of Erik’s neck and running his fingers through Erik’s hair. Erik let out a soft sigh as he sank into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Charles in return and squeezing him tight, almost like he was afraid to let go.

After a few moments of sincere kisses, Erik withdrew.

“Stay with me tonight?” Erik asked, staring at Charles imploringly.

There were a million reasons running through Charles’ head as to why he should say no, but in that moment none of them mattered.

Charles gave a slight nod, and Erik smiled in gratitude before he leaned close to place another heartfelt kiss to Charles’ lips. He held onto Charles as he edged backwards on the bed- pulling Charles with him as he lay down.

Charles knew it would be better to leave, but he wanted to do nothing more than stay. Resting his head against Erik’s chest, Charles closed his eyes and let the rest of the world fall away, just for one night.

Chapter 5: Listen To My Heart, Can You Hear It Sing?

 

 

Charles had never spent the night with any of the people he’d slept with. There had certainly been times when- worn out after the evening’s activities- Charles had wanted nothing more than to just fall asleep, regardless of the fact that he’d be lying next to whoever he’d been copulating with at the time, but he never did. It would have been far too intimate.

Since the day they’d met Charles had desired nothing more than to sleep with Erik, and now he’d got what he wanted- though not in the way he’d expected.

Charles experienced eight-and-a-half blissful hours of sleep, lying next to Erik on his single bed; his back pressed up against the wall with Erik’s warm body bracketing him in. His own apartment offered luxury- his bed all silk sheets and soft pillows- but Erik’s room offered security, the kind promised by strong arms and ardent intentions.

When he awoke Erik was watching him protectively, fingertips delicately tracing through Charles’ hair.

“Good morning, Charles”, Erik murmured, leaning over to press a kiss to Charles’ forehead before withdrawing again. “How did you sleep?”

“Better than ever”, Charles replied honestly. “Although your bed’s a little bit hard…”

Erik smiled. “They don’t exactly fit us out with high-class furnishings in the lower levels”.

The bed wasn’t the only thing that was hard, Charles realised as Erik edged closer. Charles wrapped his legs more firmly around Erik’s waist, drawing them both together so that the outline of Erik’s firm member brushed tantalisingly against Charles’ lower stomach, breathtakingly evident even through Erik’s underwear.

“Charles… can I ask you something?”

“Anything”.

“Can we please not pretend that this is temporary anymore”.

Charles frowned slightly, looking back over to Erik.

“Erik, I…”

“I know what you’re going to say”, Erik interrupted. “You’re going to say that you can’t, that you’re promised to Shaw, that there’s no future for us. But like I said to you before, no one knows what’s going to happen tomorrow, so in the meantime I’d like very much if we can just enjoy the time we have together- without you threatening to break things off every morning”.

Charles bit his lip slightly. He supposed Erik was right; they had followed the same routine for a while now, and it was perhaps getting a little tiresome. He knew, deep down, that he was right about his relationship with Erik- that they were fated to be torn apart- but maybe it would be better to stop reminding Erik and himself of that fact quite so often.

“Okay…” Charles mumbled begrudgingly.

Erik smiled in response. “Stop sulking”, he said, which only made Charles pout further. Erik’s grin grew wider as he rolled Charles onto his back, climbing on top of him and entwining his fingers with Charles’ as he pressed Charles’ hands down into the mattress.

“I’m not sulking…” Charles muttered, writhing mildly in Erik’s hold and avoiding his gaze.

“Mm-hmm…” Erik murmured, leaning close and starting to nuzzle at the sensitive area just behind Charles’ ear.

“Mmm, don’t…” Charles half-heartedly protested. “I need to go back to my apartment to relieve Raven”.

“Just a few minutes… I have some relieving of my own to do first…”

 

It took more than a few minutes. Half an hour later Charles was walking back to his apartment, trying not to grin as he mentally relived what had been singularly the best blowjob he’d received in his life.

He’d protested for, oh, maybe thirty seconds before he’d relented- lying back and embracing the feeling as had Erik kissed down Charles’ torso and stomach, sliding Charles’ boxers off with one hand as he used the other to firmly grip his cock- pumping the shaft to get Charles up to full hardness. It didn’t take long to get Charles ready, particularly as Erik kept his mouth moving the whole time- kissing along the crease of Charles’ thighs which proved to be a particularly sweet spot.

The next several minutes had been heavenly. Charles reclined on the bed, tracing his fingers through Erik’s hair as Erik’s head bobbed up and down; Erik’s mouth an enveloping wet heat that offered sensation unlike anything Charles had ever experienced. It wasn’t like Charles had never had been sucked off before- from time to time his clients had wanted to do it- but as always it just seemed like every aspect of his relationship with Erik was that little bit brighter than anything else he’d ever encountered.

Charles came with a long groan, gripping Erik’s hair and pulling it maybe a little too hard as he experienced release, though Erik didn’t protest.

Afterwards, Erik had lay next to Charles- staring into his eyes and tracing his fingertips across Charles’ torso as Charles continued to stroke Erik’s hair.

“Can we do this again tonight?” Erik asked.

Charles pulled a slight face. “I don’t know… I’d like to, I just don’t know if I’m going to be able to get away”.

“That’s okay”, Erik responded quickly, lifting Charles’ hand to his mouth and kissing the back of it. “You do what you have to- I can wait”.

Charles smiled in response, before his face fell slightly.

“Shit, what time is it?” he said, looking at his watch in mild panic. “Oh fuck! I really need to go”, he continued, rolling off the bed and hurriedly reaching to pull his clothes on.

Charles turned back towards Erik as he was doing up his trousers, intending just to say goodbye but getting hopeless distracted by the sight of Erik semi-nude as he lay back on the bed, the outline of his hard cock visible through his underwear.

“Um, sorry- I didn’t think about your…” Charles trailed off, staring at Erik’s crotch.

Erik followed his gaze, before looking back up to Charles and shaking his head.

“Charles, it’s fine. Like I said- I can wait”.

Charles smiled somewhat gratefully in response before moving over to Erik- indulging himself in one last kiss before he finished getting dressed and left Erik’s room.

 

 

 

After their first full night together, there were many more secret rendezvous in Erik’s room. Like always, their chances of seeing each other were directly tied to Raven are her availability to cover for them both, but she continued to assist as much as she could- more so after she finally got the opportunity to meet Erik like she wanted.

It had only been a brief encounter. Charles and Raven had been in the lower levels of the building, speaking with their stepfather in his office about the latest developments with the company. Often Charles wondered why Dr Marko bothered to even tell them both about what was happening, considering Charles and Raven had such little influence over even the most basic aspects of their own lives let alone sway when it came to business decisions. Perhaps it was yet another measure of control- a way to make both Charles and Raven feel invested in Xavier Inc. so that they would continue to dedicate themselves to the company.

Following the meeting, Charles and Raven had been preparing to go upstairs to grab a quick coffee before Raven was due to visit a client, when they had been distracted by the sight of the recruits coming the other way down the corridor.

Charles felt like he’d become pretty good at masking his joy whenever he saw Erik in public by this point, but he’d forgotten just how well his sister knew him. It had been nothing more than a sharp intake of breath when he noticed Erik coming towards him, but that had been enough to pique Raven’s interest. She watched Charles curiously as Charles tried extremely hard to just stare straight ahead and carry on walking, but then Erik had gone and burst into that damn irresistible shark-like grin of his as they passed and Charles had been powerless to stop himself smiling in return.

They had barely made it to the elevator before Raven practically launched herself at Charles- grinning and poking him mercilessly as she demanded answers. Charles still remained coy, or as coy as you can be when you’re clamping your hand over someone’s mouth to try and shut them up... Eventually Charles had managed to silence Raven by promising her that he would work on finding an opportunity for her and Erik to properly meet, one day.

Finally seeing the man who was making Charles so happy gave Raven renewed encouragement to help, which meant that Charles and Erik were able to spend numerous evenings together over the next two weeks.

They continued to conduct their love affair mostly in Erik’s quarters. It was strange for Charles- after so many years of living in luxury and assuming that’s what he wanted most of all, he was surprised to realise that he was never happier than when he was in Erik’s cramped little room, and in his bed.

Though they spent most nights in-between Erik’s sheets one way or the other, Erik still maintained his assertion that he wanted himself and Charles to wait before fully consummating their relationship. Initially Charles was sure that- after their first exciting night together- things might move a bit more quickly now and Erik would finally be ready for them to have full sex, but it never happened. Instead, as time went on Charles was made to realise that true intimacy came in many other forms…

At first Charles still couldn’t help but find it mildly frustrating. He wanted Erik so badly, he just didn’t understand why Erik didn’t seem to feel the same way in return. Having sex was all Charles felt he was good at, so being denied the opportunity to show that made Charles wonder what little he had left to offer. But whatever he had he gave it all to Erik, and Erik seemed perfectly happy with the exchange.

They spent long evenings talking and watching television and even playing chess, after Erik persuaded Charles to give it a go. As it turned out Charles was a natural, and it wasn’t long before his skills at the game surpassed Erik’s own- something that made Charles very smug and Erik very grumpy. But Erik soon got over the injustice of it all when Charles pushed the chess set over the side of the bed- crawling towards Erik and, after a fleeting moment of hesitation, reaching down to slide Erik’s underwear off.

Erik allowed Charles to take control; doing nothing more than watching attentively as Charles lightly pushed against Erik’s chest to get him to lean back against the pillows, unfolding his legs and parting them slightly so that Charles could lie down on his stomach in-between them. Charles’ heart was racing, nervous energy making his hands shake slightly as he reached to grasp Erik’s cock before moving his face closer. He was good at this- he knew he was- but he’d never been so concerned with impressing someone before.

Charles didn’t move for a while, simply holding onto Erik’s member- eyes closed and mouth dry with anticipation as he tried to level his breathing, until he felt the reassuring touch of Erik gently sliding his fingers along the side of Charles’ face and into his hair.

When he opened his eyes to find Erik staring down at him Charles could feel so much in that moment. It was devotion- the kind that Charles had never expected to receive in his life; Erik’s soulful eyes telling him that it was okay, that he was under no obligation, that nothing was expected of him. It was the exact opposite of the types of looks Charles usually got when he was in this position.

Charles didn’t say anything to Erik, but he leaned forward and took Erik’s cock in his mouth- trying to pass on the gratitude he felt towards Erik in his own way, and trying not to think about everything else he knew he was beginning to feel for him too.

But it was hard sometimes for Charles to fight off the slow weakening of his heart- the layers of protection built up around disused emotion crumbling every time Erik held his hand or kissed him or caressed his skin. Many times Charles would lie in Erik’s arms, trembling and vulnerable after coming in one way or another, gazing at Erik and feeling the warmth of Erik’s love washing over him. Charles didn’t know if it was his telepathy somehow picking up on it or if it was just because Erik’s eyes said so much, but each time Charles would absently run his fingers over the implant under his skin like he was trying to check if the suppressant was still working. Deep down he knew it was, and he began to wonder what it would be like to fully have his telepathy back, and whether the true depth of Erik’s feeling would overwhelm him in the end.

It was easier not to think about it, which was partially why Charles was so desperate to just have sex- after all, he knew how distracting the act could be. Erik was resilient though, and he came up with numerous other things for the two of them to do instead.

The time when Erik had insisted on giving Charles a massage had been a particular highlight. Charles had been a bit reluctant at first, but he’d agreed in the end- lying face down on Erik’s bed with his head resting on his folded arms whilst Erik ranged over him. He felt oddly nervous, which always seemed to happen whenever he was this close to Erik, but then Erik had leaned down and pressed a careful kiss to the scar that ran along the back of Charles’ legs, and all the tension had slipped away.

The gesture was so sweet it made Charles feel a swell of emotion in his chest, and he was eternally grateful that Erik wasn’t able to witness the completely lost expression on his face at the time.

 

Charles was still thinking about the event days later. He was stood at the counter in his bathroom at the time, hunched over the sink as he washed his hands, dressed in his pyjamas with hair slightly damp from the shower he’d just taken. It had been days since he’d last seen Erik- Raven had been exceptionally busy with work so she had been unable to cover for them, so Charles and Erik had been forced to rely on little more than texts and the occasional picture message to keep them together.

It was hard- Charles missed Erik- but that still didn’t mean that he wanted to see Erik at that particular moment, in a manner so completely out of his control. That’s exactly what happened though, and Charles looked up from the sink to see Erik reflected in the mirror, standing behind him.

Charles visibly jumped, whirling around to face Erik in shock.

“What are you doing here??” Charles hissed, leaning back on the counter for support.

Erik looked a little guilty but no less resilient in return. “Sorry… I just wanted to see you, and I heard your stepfather was away at a conference for the night so I figured it would be safe”.

“Just because my stepfather isn’t here it doesn’t mean no one’s watching”, Charles muttered, stepping forward and moving past Erik- grasping Erik’s arm and pulling him into the main room. “You need to go; someone could burst in at any moment”.

Erik stopped moving, grasping Charles’ arm in return and holding him still.

“That doesn’t have to be the case, Charles…”

Erik looked over to the door, gesturing with his hand briefly until there was a slight clunking sound and Erik turned back to face Charles.

“There- the door’s locked; no one can get in, not even with a key. You’re completely safe”.

Charles looked up at Erik, mind wandering for a moment as he lost himself in Erik’s eyes. A flicker of discomfort passed across Erik’s face before he reached both hands to gently hold Charles on the upper arms.

“Unless… you don’t want to be locked in a room with me…” he continued carefully. “Please tell me if that’s the case- I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable”.

Charles dropped his gaze, absently chewing on his lower lip.

“Please stop being so nice to me…” Charles whispered. It wasn’t quite what he meant, but he didn’t know how to say that he felt like Erik’s kindness was killing him- each gesture a tenderness and decency that he didn’t feel like he was worthy of.

Erik frowned, sliding his hands further and coming to hold Charles’ jaw as he tilted his face back up.

“Charles, I’m never going to treat you as badly as you think you deserve, because you’re wrong. You’re worth so much more than you know”.

There was a slight crumbling in Charles’ expression before he slid one hand to grasp Erik’s wrist, holding on tight. He didn’t know how Erik did it- how he always seemed to be able to tell what Charles was thinking from little more than the expression on his face. Charles was envious of Erik’s powers of perception, and it was a bitter irony to think that he’d given up and even greater ability himself when he’d allowed his telepathy to be stunted.

“What are you thinking…?” Charles wondered aloud, staring at Erik.

The fingertips of Erik’s hand reached down slightly, just brushing over the area where the implant resided.

“If you didn’t have this, then you would know…”

It was exactly what Charles had been pondering, but Erik saying it out loud annoyed Charles nonetheless.

“Not this again…” Charles muttered, shrugging out of Erik’s hold.

It was a conversation they’d had numerous times over the past several weeks. Erik was an avid supporter of mutantkind but he saw things in such stark terms- believing that all mutations were a gift and that those bestowed with them should just embrace their powers fully. Charles knew differently, having met more than a few people over the course of his life who believed their mutation to be little more than a curse.

“You don’t understand…” Charles said bitterly. “You don’t know what it’s like to be overwhelmed by other people’s minds; to have their thoughts bleeding into your head all the time. Having access to my telepathy was a nightmare- I couldn’t control it at all, not at first”.

“At first…?” Erik replied pointedly. “So things got better?”

Charles glanced back up to Erik. “Well… yeah, I guess. The longer I had my powers the easier they were to manage, but I still never had full control”.

That wasn’t the only problem though. Even after Charles had grown more confident in controlling his abilities, he was never able to change how some people now saw him after they found out he was a mutant- particularly his mother, who clearly abhorred Charles’ telepathy.

“Would you not want to try again?” Erik asked, reaching to hold Charles’ face once more. “I could help you…”

Charles shook his head painfully, closing his eyes. It just wasn’t possible.

“Okay, okay…” Erik murmured, edging forward and sliding his arms around Charles to pull him close. “It’s alright, Charles- you don’t have to do anything you want to do”, he continued, beginning to place kisses against the side of Charles’ face.

Charles sank into Erik’s embrace like always, holding onto Erik as Erik trailed his mouth down Charles’ neck and began to nuzzle behind Charles’ ear.

“You smell really good…” Erik murmured against Charles’ skin. “Kind of… coconutty”.

Charles smiled in response. “I just moisturised”.

Erik withdrew, grinning down at Charles in clear amusement. “You moisturise??” he asked incredulously.

“Well, yeah- you don’t get skin this soft and irresistible by accident”, Charles replied, smiling up at Erik. “Maybe you should consider it…” he added, tracing his thumb teasingly along the lines on Erik’s forehead.

Erik playfully nudged him in response. “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with my skin. Maybe when you’re as old as me you won’t be so critical of a few little wrinkles”.

Charles laughed briefly as he shook his head. “Erik… You’re not much older than I am…”

“Really?” Erik replied quizzically. “What makes you think that?”

“Um… I kind of took a peek at your personnel file…” Charles responded, biting his lip.

Charles expected Erik to maybe be a bit surprised at what he’d done, but he never thought Erik would be mad at him for it.

“You did what?” Erik frowned, loosening his hold on Charles and stepping back. “What did you find out exactly?”

Charles regarded Erik gloomily with a hurt expression on his face. “Nothing… I only saw your date of birth- that’s it”.

Erik still looked pretty pissed off, which made Charles grow irritated in response.

“It’s funny, Erik- you give me all this crap about being who I am and how I should regain access to my telepathy, but you seem to forget that if I did that then my ability would enable me to know absolutely everything about you, and clearly that’s not what you want”.

Erik’s expression softened as he absorbed Charles’ words.

“Okay… I see your point”, Erik replied quietly. “I’m sorry- I don’t mind you knowing things about me, I was just a little bit taken aback. I’d rather you find out about my past from me personally, not from some file that you read”.

“What do you mean?” Charles murmured, frowning slightly. “What about your past?”

Erik paused, pursing his lips for a second as he looked away from Charles and glanced around the room.

“Can we sit down and talk?” Erik asked.

Charles nodded briefly, moving over in the direction of the sofa as Erik followed. When they were both situated, Charles turned towards Erik expectantly- waiting for Erik to speak.

“When you said you’d read my file, I thought you might have seen my marital status…” Erik said at last.

Charles’ eyes grew wide, a sick feeling beginning to pool in the pit of his stomach as he regarded Erik.

“God, Erik- are you married?” Charles whispered.

Erik shook his head. “I was… Until my wife died”, he replied.

Charles’ mouth dropped open as he was stunned into silence. Eventually he regained focus- swallowing in an attempt to combat his dry mouth before speaking again:

“What happened?” he asked breathlessly.

“Four years ago I was living in Poland”, Erik explained, regarding Charles sadly. “I had a quiet, simple life- just me, my wife… and our daughter. But something went wrong. I got into an altercation with the local authorities, and one day they came to take me away. They feared me, you understand, because I was a mutant”.

Charles listened hopelessly; acutely aware of what Erik was talking about. There were many people in the world who were afraid of mutants- who believed that they were a threat to mankind. Charles had always been protected from that type of thinking thanks to the company, but others out there were not so fortunate.

Charles slid one hand to gently grip Erik’s thigh in what he hoped was a comforting gesture as he waited for Erik to continue.

“I was willing to go with them”, Erik said at last. “I was willing to do anything to protect my family, but something went wrong- and they were killed in the crossfire”.

“Both of them?” Charles murmured helplessly. “Your daughter too?”

“Yes”, Erik replied.

Charles felt Erik’s pain in that moment- the sensation like an icy shard penetrating his heart. He felt so unbelievably sad for Erik, but also guilty too that this entire time Erik had essentially been caring for him, helping Charles to work through his issues, whilst all along Erik had been hiding the pain of his own tragic past.

“I’m so sorry”, Charles said, his voice breaking with emotion. He edged closer to Erik on the sofa, sliding one arm around Erik’s back and resting his head against Erik’s shoulder.

“I’ve lost people before”, Charles continued, rubbing his palm against Erik’s back. “My parents died when I was young and it was horrible, but I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose someone that you loved like that. I don’t know how you would even survive something so terrible”.

“I barely did”, Erik responded, reaching for Charles’ other hand and holding it in his lap. “I think I went a bit mad after it happened, and I did some things that I’m not particularly proud of. For a long time I isolated myself from the rest of the world, thinking that it would be safer for me and for everyone else if I were alone… But then I met you”.

Erik turned towards Charles slightly, looking down at where Charles continued to rest his head against Erik’s shoulder.

“Is this why you said you try not to think about the future?” Charles asked. “Because you’re afraid of what might happen?”

Erik shook his head. “I’m not afraid. What happened to my family taught me that life is short, and that you can’t predict what the future might bring. Therefore, I believe it’s important to live each day to the fullest, rather than being afraid of the unknown”.

Charles frowned lightly. “Not everyone would react in that way. I would have thought that something like that would make you wary of getting close to people again, of loving again- for fear that you might lose them”.

“Particularly given our situation…” Charles thought, though he didn’t say it aloud.

“It wasn’t exactly intentional…” Erik said with a slight grin. “You were an unexpected surprise, and normally I wouldn’t have dreamed of trying to start anything with you. But after that first night I think you just got under my skin, and I knew that it would be worth the risk to know you better”.

Charles smiled, deciding not to disagree with Erik. Charles wasn’t one for taking risks, and he rarely believed they were outweighed by the reward. But wasn’t that what he was already doing with Erik? He was risking so much for the sake of their relationship, and he already knew that the time he’d spent with Erik had been worth everything he had and more.

 

Erik stayed for the rest of the evening, even though Charles still worried that someone might stop by. After what Erik had shared with him Charles didn’t have the heart to just cast Erik out, nor did he really want to.

They remained sat on the sofa for a long time, loosely entwined as Charles asked Erik more about his family- tracing his fingers through Erik’s hair as they spoke. In a way it felt like they were both on equal footing now; like the fact that they had each revealed painful details of their past had formed a bond between them even deeper than what they’d had before.

When the night drew in Charles and Erik retired to bed, wrapped up together in Charles’ expensive silk sheets. It was definitely a lot more comfortable than when they slept in Erik’s room, though Charles suspected that he would feel at ease anywhere as long as he had Erik by his side.

Charles lay with his head resting against Erik’s shoulder, one arm stretched across Erik’s torso and fingers gently tracing across Erik’s chest. Feeling content, Charles tilted his head over slightly to press his mouth to Erik’s skin, and Erik placed a kiss on the top of Charles’ head in return before sliding down on the mattress and turning to the side so that he and Charles were facing each other.

Erik held Charles’ face, fingertips ghosting along Charles’ hairline as he looked intently into his eyes. It was dim in the room, just the light of the city outside illuminating the scene and casting a soft glow on them both.

Charles knew how much he felt for Erik in that moment, but he couldn’t say it. Instead he leaned into Erik like he always did- wrapping his arm around Erik’s back as they began to kiss passionately.

It was all heat between them, as was usually the case. Charles had never wanted Erik more, and he complied readily as Erik moved to undress them both- unbuttoning Charles’ pyjama top carefully and sliding his hands across Charles’ torso before leaning down to press his mouth to it too, taking in every millimetre of Charles’ skin like he couldn’t get enough.

When they were both fully naked Charles rolled on top of Erik, casting the sheets off of them both and resting his hands against Erik’s torso as he looked down at him. He was perfect, really- not just attractive to look at but a man with depth and substance, who had shown Charles more care and compassion in the past several weeks than any other man had shown Charles in his entire life.

“I…” Charles started, though he couldn’t finish the sentence.

Erik watched Charles carefully, sliding his hands up Charles’ arms and rubbing his thumbs across Charles’ biceps.

“You… what?” Erik asked hopefully.

Charles swallowed a large lump in his throat, a lock of hair falling in his face as he tilted his head down slightly, before Erik quickly reached to tuck it behind Charles’ ear once more.

“This means something to me…” Charles said at last, overcome with a slight shaking as he looked back to Erik’s eyes.

Erik smiled in response. “I can tell”, he replied softly. He slid his hands around the back of Charles’ neck- pulling him closer until they met in another heartfelt kiss.

Charles pressed himself into Erik’s body as they embraced- his hard cock rubbing against Erik’s stomach as Erik’s hands trailed down the curve of Charles’ spine. Assuming the evening’s activities would be similar to their usual routine, Charles was about to slide a bit further down to engage in some frottage, but he was halted by a sudden awareness of Erik grasping his firm member in one hand and beginning to trace the head of it along the line of Charles’ buttocks.

Withdrawing from Erik, Charles looked down at him questioningly.

“Do you want to?” Erik murmured, eyes flicking down to Charles’ lips and back again.

Charles almost laughed in response. He’d wanted nothing else for weeks.

Charles settled for a shy nod of consent, before he quickly climbed off of Erik. “There’s lube in the bathroom”, Charles explained, moving to slide off the bed before Erik stopped him.

“Stay here- I’ll get it”, Erik replied, placing a brief kiss to Charles’ forehead before edging off the mattress and walking over to the bathroom.

With Erik momentarily gone it was just Charles alone with his nerves. He remained sat kneeling on the bed facing the headboard, hands twisting apprehensively in his lap as he waited for Erik to return.

“It’s just sex”, Charles told himself. “It’s nothing to be nervous about”. But he knew that it wasn’t really just sex; that this kind of intimacy with Erik would be an expression of the way he felt deep in his soul.

Charles’ body language was still somewhat unsure when Erik returned. Erik knelt carefully on the bed behind Charles, bended knees bracketing Charles in as he slid one hand up to Charles’ shoulder and began to massage the area reassuringly. In spite of how jittery Erik always seemed to make Charles feel, he was also the only one who could calm Charles down- usually with little more than a comforting touch.

Erik pressed his lips to the back of Charles’ neck, kissing softly along his skin as his hands roved along Charles’ back; fingertips following lines of cute freckles across Charles’ hip and round to his front- palm grasping Charles’ cock firmly and beginning to stroke. Charles moaned softly in response, unravelling in Erik’s arms like he always did, able to do little more than helplessly hold onto Erik’s thighs where they rested beside him.

Continuing to pump Charles’ shaft, Erik used his other hand to unscrew the tub of lube- coating his fingers in the substance and reaching down to carefully trace the outskirts of Charles’ entrance.

“Is this alright?” Erik murmured, lips moving against Charles’ ear. Charles nodded in response, and Erik slid his first finger inside.

Charles tensed slightly, until he felt Erik place attentive kisses to his upper back and he relaxed once more. By the time Erik had fully primed Charles he felt more than ready- hot with arousal and desperate to have Erik inside him at long last.

“How do you want me?” Charles asked, turning his head slightly towards Erik.

Erik stopped touching Charles in response; moving his hands to hold Charles’ waist as he leaned to the side to look at him.

“However you’d like, Charles”, Erik replied softly.

It went without saying that Charles wasn’t really used to having this level of control in his sexual encounters so he wasn’t expecting to be given a choice, but regardless he knew instantly what he wanted. The physical feeling was almost a secondary concern; what Charles wanted most of all was to look at Erik as they made love.

“Could you… lie down on the bed?” Charles requested quietly.

Erik leaned forward to press a kiss to Charles’ shoulder before sliding past him to lie on the mattress with his back against the pillows. His eyes remained fixed on Charles, looking completely besotted and beyond lustful as his gaze drew fastidiously over Charles’ naked form, with Charles in a similar state of delirium as he stared at Erik’s hard cock resting against his thigh.

Every time when Erik had looked at him like this Charles found himself rendered speechless and shy- like Erik had cast a spell over him with little more than a look. But in spite of his apprehension he knew now how much Erik cared for him, how safe he was with Erik, how Erik would do anything to protect him, and he needed Erik close in order to express what he felt physically even if he couldn’t manage it verbally.

Charles edged forward on the bed, climbing over Erik and placing his knees either side of Erik’s hips. He rested his hands on Erik’s chest to brace himself, drawing his palms over Erik’s skin and feeling the firm muscle underneath. Erik made no move to rush Charles or take things further, simply continuing to lie back on the bed and holding Charles’ waist, but Charles could feel Erik’s member straining slightly where it brushed against his ass.

Reaching behind him, Charles gripped Erik’s cock and angled it towards his entrance- rising up slightly in order to sink down onto the thick length and groaning in response as he felt Erik’s member stretch him further than Erik’s fingers had previously.

Erik continued to hold Charles as they connected- pupils blown wide with passion and mouth slightly ajar as he watched Charles push down onto his cock. It was a dizzying sight, and Charles couldn’t tear his gaze away from Erik’s blissful expression.

“You’re smiling…” Erik murmured once Charles was settled, staring up at Charles in adoration and responding with his own delighted grin.

“I can’t help it- you look so blissed-out”, Charles replied, smirking slightly and leaning down to kiss Erik. Charles was still at first as they kissed, but slowly he began to rock forward whilst their mouths moved together, causing Erik to moan quietly into Charles’ mouth.

It was an act a world away from Charles’ usual sexual encounters. The majority of clients Charles saw were men, and the type of men who used his services all had a proclivity for the same sort of thing- usually involving Charles’ lying prone on the bed whilst they fucked into him. This was so, so different.

Of course, Charles wasn’t thinking about this.

For the first time in as long as Charles could remember his ‘work’ was the furthest thing from his mind. He wasn’t thinking about his past encounters. He wasn’t comparing his previous experiences to what it was like with Erik. His entire being was focused purely on the man underneath him and inside him- the feeling of Erik’s hands on his body, Erik’s lips on his skin, Erik’s eyes on his face.

Erik was mostly quiet beneath Charles, as was his nature, but as Charles picked up speed the measures of self-control began to crumble and some downright filthy groans began to escape Erik’s lips. Charles was smiling again, sitting back from Erik and using Erik’s emphatic responses to angle himself to correct position to make Erik’s moans grow even louder. There were a few occasions when Erik made a move towards touching Charles’ cock in return, but it was fair to say he was completely floored by Charles movements and was able to do little more than helplessly hold onto Charles’ waist instead. In time Charles’ hard work paid off, and he was rewarded with the intoxicating sight of Erik’s face completely rocked by pleasure as he came.

It was an elation bordering on hysteria. The sense of relief Charles felt in that moment was insurmountable, and it caused him to start to laugh uncontrollably- tremors running though his body as he leaned back from Erik, who in turned appeared somewhat dizzy and confused.

Erik sat up- wrapping his arms around Charles’ waist and looking up at him attentively.

“Liebchen, are you alright?” Erik murmured, rubbing his thumbs against Charles’ hips reassuringly.

Charles nodded, still smiling widely. “Yes… yes, sorry- I don’t know what came over me”.

“I think I just did…” Erik responded, which made both of them start laughing again.

“Was that alright…?” Charles asked when he’d calmed down a little, holding onto Erik’s shoulders and gazing down at him.

Erik grinned in response. “You’re a God”, he said. “Though I can’t help but notice that you didn’t finish…” he added, looking down at Charles’ member which was still mostly-hard.

“Oh, yeah… Um, after all these years I kind of trained myself not to come during sex…” Charles murmured.

“It’s not a big deal…” he added, avoiding Erik’s gaze as Erik slid his hand up to hold Charles’ face, beginning to trace careful fingers against his neck.

“Charles, I’d like you to enjoy yourself with me- to… relax, ideally. Is this something we can work on?”

Charles bit his lip, looking at Erik’s comforting and kind face. “You don’t have to…” he replied.

“But I want to”.

Charles smiled softly, leaning close to kiss Erik.

“Okay…” he murmured against Erik’s lips. “I’d do anything for you, darling”.

Chapter 6: Come Back To Me, And Forgive Everything

 

 

Ever since Charles had agreed to sell himself to Shaw he knew he’d been living on borrowed time. It was now only a few weeks until Shaw was due to join the company, and Charles didn’t feel prepared in the least.

All he wanted was Erik. The desire was all-consuming, and every second he spent in Erik’s arms only exacerbated the feeling. They never discussed exactly what would happen when Charles’ arrangement with Shaw commenced- Charles knew that Erik didn’t want to think about it; that he just wanted to enjoy the time that they had together without worrying about the future, but it was killing Charles to know that one day his life with Erik would undoubtedly come to an end.

It probably didn’t help that his relationship with Erik was just so damn good. Charles had never been happier- he’d never had so much fun with another person, even if they were doing little more than playing chess or watching TV or even just talking together. In a couple of short months Charles felt like Erik knew him better than anyone else ever had, with the exception of his sister of course.

As well as knowing Charles deeply on a personal level, Erik was also more familiar with Charles than anyone else had ever been physically too. They had now had full sex on more than a few occasions, though the act continued to be without conclusion for Charles.

Not that he minded, of course. Charles was happy enough just being intimate with Erik- it didn’t matter to him that he couldn’t finish during sex- but Erik seemed determined to change that.

They tried numerous positions and Erik put aside his own pleasure in order to focus on Charles, but it didn’t matter what efforts they made- Charles remained unable to come with Erik inside him. It just didn’t seem possible, and Charles suspected it was perhaps a mental block preventing his release rather than a physical one.

But Erik had worked wonders in breaking down Charles’ mental barriers in so many other areas, and part of Charles wondered if it was only a matter of time before Erik broke through this last line of defence. At the end of the day it didn’t matter though, Charles thought as he lay under Erik one night- fingers stroking through Erik’s hair as they gazed into each other’s eyes. He already had so much more than he’d ever dreamed of.

 

 

 

Several days later there was an announcement that put an unexpected ruck in Charles and Erik’s usual plans. There was to be a grand event at Xavier Inc.- a lavish ball to celebrate some contracts that had just been won. Charles assumed he wouldn’t be involved in the occasion and he was hoping to spend the night with Erik as usual, but it seemed like his stepfather had other ideas…

“I don’t understand”, Charles said, frowning at his stepfather from across the table in confusion. “I thought I wasn’t supposed to see other people?”

“You aren’t, and you won’t”, Dr Marko replied. “I’m not asking you to sleep with the man, only to entertain him for the night. You know- talk to him, laugh at his jokes- that kind of thing. You are capable of doing something other than just spreading your legs, aren’t you Charles?”

Charles scowled in annoyance, turning to glance at Raven sitting next to him and finding his sister wearing an equally aggravated expression.

“What do you need Charles for?” Raven interjected. “Surely I can deal with this Colonel Hendry guy on my own?”

Dr Marko shook his head. “No, there’s another client due to attend this function that I need you to take care of. And besides, Hendry requested you specifically. It seems he was very taken with you after your last meeting…”

Charles continued to look pissed off, but he didn’t argue further. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad- to get dressed up and spend the evening making bland small talk with one of his stepfather’s dull contacts. At least it would be the first event Charles had ever attended when he wouldn’t be expected to end the night naked and exposed.

“How about this…” Raven started, pulling Charles from thought. “Charles does this for you, and in return you let him implement the bespoke recruitment plan he pitched to you”.

Charles’ eyes grew wide as he whirled to look at Raven, inwardly panicking even as Raven reached over to grasp Charles’ hand reassuringly.

He hadn’t seen this coming. The plan Raven was talking about was something Charles had suggested to their stepfather months ago. The company were constantly contacted by mutants eager to join the program but unable to travel for an interview- either through lack of funds or some other reason, and Charles had proposed that he could be the one to go see these potential recruits- to meet them in their own homes and ascertain whether they were suitable to join the organisation.

Of course, Dr Marko had shut Charles’ suggestion down without even a second thought at the time, however this had been back when Charles was still working as an escort. Now though he was technically a free agent- at least until Shaw arrived- so logically there was nothing to stop the plan from being put into action.

Well, nothing except Charles’ stepfather…

“You think you can blackmail me, girl?” Dr Marko growled, glaring at Raven in irritation.

“I don’t know…” Raven replied coolly. “I never have before, which seems awfully remiss of me considering I’m currently the only person ensuring you’re able to attain all these new contracts that you so desperately need… I could of course start being a little more particular about what I choose to do with my time and who I see, but if you do this for Charles then maybe I would be willing to just carry on as usual”.

Charles was dumbfounded. Part of him couldn’t believe that Raven would be willing to risk so much for him and he worried about what it would cost her in return, but at the same time he was undeniably excited about the prospect of getting away from the company- particularly after he heard what came next.

“You really expect me to just let Charles go off alone across the country for weeks?” Dr Marko said levelly.

“No… In fact, I’d suggest you let him take one of the current recruits with him- both as protection and as an example for the people he interviews. I can already think of a few people who would be suitable”.

Charles felt his heart leap in that moment as he fully realised exactly what Raven was suggesting. He could get away, and he could take Erik with him...

“Shaw will be here soon…” Dr Marko started.

“But not yet”, Raven interrupted. “Charles hasn’t had any real obligations at the company for weeks, so why not make the most of his skills while you still can?”

 

A short while later Charles and Raven were walking along the corridor away from their stepfather’s office.

He’d said yes. It had been a tense and awkward exchange, but eventually Dr Marko had relented and agreed that Charles could go on the trip. Charles would be leaving in two days.

Charles managed to contain himself until they reached the elevator, but as the door closed Charles abruptly threw himself at Raven- pulling her into an enduring hug.

“Thank you”, he whispered against Raven’s bright orange hair, squeezing her tightly.

“Ugh, Charl you’re crushing me”, Raven protested, laughing in amusement. “Come on- contain yourself, brother”.

“You don’t know what you’ve done for me”, Charles insisted, leaning back from Raven and looking at her affectionately. “Thank you so much. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you”.

Raven smiled sincerely. “You’re very welcome. And in regards to repayment, maybe there’s something you could do for me in that respect…”

“Anything”.

“When you leave on this trip with Erik, don’t come back”.

Charles stepped back from Raven, his brows drawing together in a frown.

“You can’t be serious…” Charles uttered.

“I am…” Raven replied, giving Charles a sad smile. “I can tell how much Erik means to you- how happy he’s made you in such a short space of time. I don’t want you to have to sell yourself to Shaw, and I’m sure you don’t either. I want you to have a good life Charles, not what we have now”.

“But… but Raven, if I did that Shaw would drop his investment and the company would fold. We would lose everything”.

“You wouldn’t lose Erik. And as for me, well, I’m sure I’d be okay”.

Charles didn’t say anything further. He couldn’t do it- he couldn’t just abandon his sister, but at the same time he knew that leaving with Erik was something he wanted desperately.

“Please just tell me you’ll think about it”, Raven urged, squeezing Charles’ arm tenderly.

Charles nodded weakly. “I’ll try”.

 

 

 

Later that night, Charles was stood in front of his mirror adjusting his bow tie. It had been a while since he’d last had occasion to get dressed up, but of course Raven had been only too happy to drag Charles down to the nearest clothing store to get him a smart new tux for the evening. She would be attending the party too, only looking decidedly less blue for once as she displayed her most commonly used human guise.

“How do I look?” Raven asked, stepping out from inside the bathroom.

“Stunning”, Charles replied honestly. She was wearing a beautiful gold dress that matched her blonde hair which had been tied up for the event.

Raven smiled in return. “Thanks bro, you too. Are you ready to go?”

“Nearly…” Charles replied, turning back to the mirror and fiddling with his bow tie once more.

“Come here…” Raven requested, stepping towards Charles and reaching to fix his tie for him. “You always were crap at doing these…” she murmured.

Eventually Raven was happy with Charles’ appearance; smoothing down Charles’ suit before linking her arm with him and pulling him towards the door.

 

The function was scheduled to take place in one of the large halls on the lower levels of the company building. Like most events held at Xavier Inc. the occasion was ostentatious, and even though Charles knew it would be an extravagant affair he still couldn’t help but gape slightly in amazement as he entered the room and took in the spectacle. Beautifully decorated tables adorned two sides of the room with a large dance floor in the centre, and there were chandeliers hanging down from the high ceilings that cast the room in a bright shimmer.

“Tell me again how the company is in financial difficulty…” Raven murmured, leaning close to speak to Charles.

Charles raised his eyebrows at his sister in response, following as she led them across the room towards a man handing out drinks. Raven grabbed two glasses of champagne, turning to offer one to Charles who only shook his head.

“Thanks, but no. I kind of… gave up drinking”.

Charles had never seen Raven look so shocked.

“You’re kidding me!” she gasped. “You used to drink so much I was sure your blood must have been 90 proof, you can’t seriously be telling me you’ve gone straight-edge”.

“I’m afraid so”, Charles smiled. “Looks like you’re going to have to do the drinking for the both of us”.

“Done and done”, Raven replied, downing the spare glass and returning it to the waiter.

Charles and Raven loitered in the hall for a short while, talking amongst themselves before Raven spotted her assignment for the evening.

“There’s my mark”, Raven explained, gesturing over to someone just entering the room. Raven gave Charles a brief kiss on the cheek before heading over to join her client, who looked nothing at all like Charles had expected…

The woman Raven approached was blonde, beautiful, and dressed in a brilliant white dress. Both Charles and Raven normally entertained men so it was unusual for either of them to be charged with a female client, and Charles couldn’t help but wonder what the woman’s involvement with the company was.

He didn’t have time to dwell on it though. Not long after, Charles noticed his own assignment Hendry sitting at a table at the rear of the room, and he turned to walk over to the man. He’d only taken a few steps though before someone moved into his path, and Charles forgot how to breathe for a second when he realised who it was.

“Erik, what are you doing here?” Charles hissed.

Erik smiled down at him, looking beyond gorgeous in a smart black suit.

“Charles… you look beautiful”, Erik murmured.

Charles glanced around the room nervously. “Erik, what--“

“Relax, Charles- I was invited. They selected a few recruits who they’re the most impressed with to attend this function as a display of what the company is achieving”.

“You didn’t tell me…” Charles whispered heatedly.

Erik’s smile faded. “I wanted to surprise you. I thought you’d be happy to see me…”

Charles reached for Erik’s hand as he experienced a pang of guilt, but he quickly corrected himself and dropped his arm at his side. “I am happy to see you. I’m always happy to see you, but this isn’t a good time- I have to work…”

“Work? What do you mean- work?”

Charles chewed nervously on his lower lip. “There’s a client here that I have to see…” Erik immediately flinched and Charles shook his head before adding: “It’s nothing like that- I don’t have to sleep with him, I just have to spend the evening keeping him company; talking and so on”.

“But I thought you weren’t supposed to see anyone besides Shaw?” Erik frowned, looking down at Charles despondently.

“Well, not exactly. I’m not supposed to sleep with anyone besides Shaw, I think. I don’t know, Erik- it was my stepfather’s idea…”

“And you couldn’t say no to him?” Erik demanded.

Charles pulled an irritated expression in response; annoyed that Erik was being so quick to criticize Charles’ reluctance to stand up to his stepfather when he knew that Charles had spent almost his entire life following orders.

“You know I can’t do that”, Charles muttered in annoyance. “Erik, I don’t have time for this- I need to go speak to the client, okay?”

Erik didn’t reply, but Charles could tell he was upset. Aggravated by the situation, Charles let out a deep sigh as he scanned the room before leaning closer to speak to Erik in hushed tones.

“Look, Erik- you knew who I was when you got involved with me. You know what I do for a living, and you always knew that one day I would have to see other people. If you can’t handle this, then maybe… I don’t know, maybe we should just end things now…”

Erik regarded Charles carefully. “Is that what you want?” he asked quietly.

Charles felt like his heart was breaking; a tight and painful sensation forming in his chest that made it hard to breathe.

“I have to go…” Charles said in response, giving Erik one last forlorn look before moving away.

 

Charles spent the rest of the evening sat talking to Colonel Hendry, feigning interest at the man’s inane stories… Naturally Charles was a professional, and he was able to chat with Hendry and ask insightful questions and even flirt a little, but he still couldn’t help being hopelessly distracted by what had happened with Erik.

After their earlier disagreement Charles had expected that Erik would probably just leave the party, but he didn’t. He remained sat at a table across the room for the majority of the night, drinking beer and watching Charles carefully.

Charles couldn’t help but feel horribly guilty about what had happened, even though he knew that he hadn’t really done anything wrong. This was his job; this was what he needed to do, and he couldn’t afford to let his feelings for Erik interfere with his actions.

But it was so difficult when Erik looked so despondent. He was surrounded by people- mostly other recruits- but it was clear that Erik was barely paying attention to what they were saying. He glanced over at Charles continually, watching as Hendry leaned closer to Charles and placed a hand on Charles’ thigh, which Charles tried very hard not to balk at. That at least finally made Erik look away, though it wasn’t a comfort to Charles.

 

Later in the evening Charles was in the bathroom, washing his hands and enjoying a brief bit of respite from trying to be charming. He was interrupted, however, by Raven abruptly bursting into the room.

“What are you doing here?” Charles frowned, whirling to face his sister.

“You need to go”, Raven asserted, scanning the room to ensure they were alone.

“What do you mean? Go where?”

“Go after Erik- he just left”.

“What??” Charles spluttered. “What do you mean he left?”

“I just spoke to him”, Raven replied. “He’s really upset. He said you guys broke up, and that he didn’t want to make things difficult for you so he was going to give you some space”.

Charles let out a mournful groan, rubbing his temple with his fingers.

“Is that true?” Raven continued. “Did you really break up?”

Charles nodded sadly, but the expression quickly slipped when Raven whacked him on the arm.

“Ow!” Charles protested.

“You’re an idiot!” Raven exclaimed. “You can’t just give up! You guys belong together”.

“It’s not that simple”, Charles replied, still wincing and rubbing his arm. “We always knew that this day would come- that eventually my job would tear us apart”.

“But it doesn’t have to!” Raven shrilled, clearly as upset with the situation as Charles and Erik were, maybe more so. “What about the trip- didn’t you tell him??”

“No…” Charles mumbled, which made Raven swing for him again before Charles stepped out of her reach.

“I know, I know- I’m an idiot”, Charles continued, backing away towards the counter. “God, Raven- I’ve fucked it all up…”

Raven’s expression finally softened before she stepped closer to Charles, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a hug.

“It’s okay, Charl…” Raven said soothingly. “It’s not over until it’s over- you know that. Just, go after him…”

“I can’t…” Charles replied, holding on Raven hopelessly. “I’m supposed to be entertaining that Hendry guy”.

Raven withdrew from Charles slightly, still gripping him on the upper arms. “Don’t worry about that- I’ll take care of him”.

“You can’t”, Charles interjected. “You’ve got your own job to do”.

Raven shook her head. “Charl, it’s okay. The woman I’m with- Emma- she’s not like most clients, she only really wanted some company for the night so she wasn’t stuck at this boring party alone. I’m sure she’ll understand. In fact, there may even be a way she can help us…”

“What do you mean?” Charles frowned.

“She’s a telepath too, Charl. Maybe she’d be willing to make Hendry believe that you’ve been here the whole night”.

Charles shook his head frantically. “No, Raven- don’t do anything crazy”.

Raven pursed her lips whilst she considered Charles’ request, before eventually responding: “Okay, okay- I won’t. Just... don’t worry about what I’m doing. Go after Erik. He said he was going to some bar downtown- Eclipse, I think- so if you hurry I’m sure you can still catch him”.

“Alright”, Charles replied, smiling gratefully. “Wish me luck”.

Raven smiled, running one hand affectionately through Charles’ hair before leaning close to press a quick kiss to his forehead. “Good luck, Charl. Go get your boy”.

 

 

 

When Charles reached the lobby he was dismayed to find rain lashing down outside the glass doors at the front of the building. He debated getting a jacket or something for a minute, but decided he didn’t want to waste the time and instead ventured outside in just his suit.

Charles knew where the bar was that Raven had mentioned, so he hurried towards it- clothing quickly becoming drenched by the downpour as he hurried through the streets. Clearly it had been raining for some time as the streets were soaked with water; passing cars driving through puddles and splashing murky rainwater everywhere.

After maybe ten minutes Charles was starting to panic slightly. He was sure he was going the right way, but he worried that he’d somehow missed Erik, or that Erik hadn’t gone to the bar at all and Charles wouldn’t be able to find him. But then he saw the shape of a man just passing under a streetlight ahead.

“Erik!” Charles cried out, starting to run towards the figure. The man turned around, and Charles felt an enormous sense of relief as Erik’s face came into view- shrouded slightly in darkness by the hood of the coat he was wearing.

Charles came to a stop a couple of metres away from Erik, looking over at him but not knowing what to say.

“Charles?” Erik said uncertainly.

Shaking slightly from the cold weather and the fact that he was soaked through, Charles stepped towards Erik whilst Erik moved closer in return.

“You’re trembling…” Erik murmured, reaching to hold Charles lightly on one arm. Erik scanned the area for a moment before pulling Charles towards a nearby parked car. Stretching out his fingers, Erik unlocked the car door and climbed inside as Charles followed.

Once inside, Erik used his powers to activate the car’s heating before reaching up to pull back his hood and turning to face Charles.

“What happened to your client?” Erik asked eventually.

Charles shifted uncomfortably, wrapping his arms around himself for warmth.

“Raven’s taking care of him…” Charles replied. “She felt like it was more important that I come find you…”

“And what do you feel?”

“…Cold”.

Erik pursed his lips slightly, before reaching for Charles’ hands and beginning to rub them between his own. Charles stared down at his hands in Erik’s, wanting fiercely to edge closer to Erik and the warmth and comfort of his body.

“I’m sorry…” Charles murmured at last.

“Yeah, me too”, Erik replied.

Charles looked up to find Erik staring over at him; his expression a mirror of the sadness and regret Charles was feeling.

“I don’t know what to do…” Charles said softly. “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but Shaw will be here soon and I’ll need to go to him, so that means we’ll have to stop seeing each other”.

“Not necessarily…”

“What do you mean?”

Erik sighed, shifting closer to Charles and sliding one hand to the side of Charles’ neck, thumb tracing his jawline earnestly.

“You can go to Shaw- I understand that you need to- but I still want to see you. We can carry on as we have been; I won’t get jealous, I swear”.

Charles shook his head. “It’s not that simple. You were upset enough just seeing me talk to another guy tonight, how do you think you’re going to feel knowing that someone else is touching me and kissing me and fucking me?”

A tremor of emotion passed across Erik’s face, and it hurt Charles too. He didn’t want to upset Erik further, but he knew that he needed to be clear- he needed Erik to understand exactly what he would be agreeing to if they were to stay together.

“I won’t get jealous…” Erik repeated eventually, looking at Charles sincerely. “I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but you’re so, so worth it…”

An uncontrolled sob left Charles’ lips at that moment that he tried to muffle, hands shaking where they rested in his lap. In response Erik moved nearer to Charles, sliding his arms around Charles fully and pulling him close so that Charles snuggled into Erik’s chest in return, winding his arms around Erik’s waist and listening to the steady rhythm of Erik’s heartbeat.

“I don’t want to lose you, Liebchen…” Erik murmured against Charles’ hair. “I love you…”

Charles shut his eyes tight, trying to focus only on the sound of the rain falling on the car’s surface around them but hearing the words so clearly anyway. Being with Erik like this was everything he wanted, but he knew he could never really have it.

They remained sat in the car for a long time, embracing each other and sharing body heat with Erik pressing occasional kisses to the top of Charles’ head as he held him.

“How do you feel about going on a road trip?” Charles murmured eventually.

“Huh?” Erik replied, leaning back and looking down as Charles lifted his head from Erik’s chest to gaze up at him.

“I’ve been offered an opportunity”, Charles explained, looking up at Erik with wide blue eyes. “I’m going to spend a couple of weeks traveling across the country meeting mutants who might want to join the company, and I’m allowed to bring a current recruit with me…”

Erik looked dumbfounded. “Charles, are you serious?” he asked quietly.

Charles nodded in return. “Raven arranged it for me. I leave in two days. We could leave in two days…”

There was a pause, and then Erik broke into his trademark wide grin.

“I take it that’s a yes?” Charles smiled.

“Of course it’s a fucking yes”, Erik replied. He drew close to Charles, reaching for his lips but hesitating, before Charles moved to close the distance between them.

Erik’s mouth was warm and wet and had the faint taste of beer, which Charles found to be an intoxicating combination. Charles sank into Erik eagerly- sliding his tongue in between Erik’s lips as he held onto Erik fiercely.

“Wait, wait…” Erik murmured moments later, withdrawing his mouth from Charles’. “I need an answer to what I asked you before- do you still want to continue to keep seeing me after Shaw gets here?”

Charles swallowed a large lump in his throat. “I want to…”

“Okay… but are you willing to?”

Charles paused, biting his lower lip and considering the question. He didn’t know how they would do it, or if it was even possible, but he knew that what he wanted more than anything was for Erik to be in his life, always.

Eventually Charles nodded. “Yes, I want to. I want you…” he replied breathlessly.

Erik slid both hands to cup Charles’ face, smiling softly at him. “You have me, any time you want”.

Leaning close to kiss Charles once more, Erik moved his hands into Charles’ hair- fingertips tracing through soft brown locks as he placed sweet kisses to Charles’ lips. In time the kisses grew more frantic, and Charles moved to climb on top of Erik’s lap- legs sliding either side of Erik’s as he pressed his crotch into Erik’s firmly.

“Mmm, wait…” Erik moaned softly against Charles’ mouth. “I know I said you can have me, but maybe not like this- in some stranger’s car…”

“Are you sure…?” Charles replied, moving to kiss along Erik’s neck, soft lips brushing against coarse stubble. “I’ve always wanted to have my very own ‘Titanic’ moment…” he murmured against Erik’s skin.

Erik laughed, tilting his head back to allow Charles further access to his neck. “Kinky… Maybe some other time”.

After a few more minutes of sincere kissing Charles and Erik separated somewhat, still pressed together but no longer hot and frantic. Charles stared up at Erik, running his fingertips across Erik’s face- tracing the surface like he was trying to commit his visage to memory.

“I like your sister”, Erik said at last.

“Me too”, Charles replied, smiling. “She’s so good to me”.

“She was good to me too. She really tried her best to comfort me, and she told me not to give up on you”.

Charles frowned marginally. “But you still left…”

“I know… I’m sorry. I wasn’t leaving for good though, I was just trying to give you some space so that you could, erm, conduct your business without me watching you”.

“Yeah, it was pretty distracting having you eyeballing me from across the room…”

“Sorry…” Erik replied, but he was grinning slightly.

Charles covered the expression with a kiss.

“We should go”, Charles said when he withdrew again. Erik nodded, and the two of them separated and climbed out of the car.

 

They remained close on the walk home- a tasteful distance apart though both were fighting a desire to hold hands that they knew they couldn’t fulfil in public. Erik offered Charles his coat, but Charles was already soaked through and he knew that the garment would make little difference, so he refused even though Erik protested.

When they neared the company building Charles and Erik separated completely- Charles going on ahead to enter the lobby alone, just in case anyone happened to see him. He managed to pass through without incident though, taking the elevator up to his floor and walking briskly down the corridor to his apartment. As soon as he was inside Charles began to shed his clothes- clicking on the electric fire in the main room and dumping the soaked garments down on the floor in front of it.

 

Sometime later Charles heard the noise of the glass doors to the balcony opening.

“In here”, Charles called from where he resided in the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the tub and absently tracing his fingers through warm soapy water as it filled the bath.

Erik entered the room, eyes immediately flicking across Charles’ naked form.

“Don’t look at me…” Charles protested, beginning to pout. “I’m all cold and shrivelled up like a prune”.

“I love prunes…” Erik responded, moving further into the room and grinning wickedly down at Charles.

Charles laughed in spite of himself, but the expression passed when he noticed the damp puddles Erik was leaving on the bathroom floor.

“Hey, don’t come in here with wet clothes”, Charles objected- pointing at Erik. “Take them off and put them in front of the fire”.

“Now, Charles- if you want to see me naked you know you only have to ask…” Erik teased, but he obeyed without question as he left to room to discard his clothing.

When Erik returned Charles had finished filling the bathtub and was just leaning over it as he turned off the taps. Erik moved towards Charles as he stood up, sliding his arms around Charles’ waist from behind and beginning to kiss his neck.

“So this trip we’re going on- how long do we have together?” Erik murmured in-between kissing Charles’ skin as Charles leaned back against Erik’s body.

“I don’t know, maybe two weeks?”

“Two weeks…” Erik smiled happily. “Imagine what we could do with all that time alone together…”

Erik continued to place kisses against Charles’ neck and shoulders, arms wrapped tightly around Charles’ waist and hardening cock just beginning to rise up against Charles’ bare ass.

“Take a bath with me?” Charles asked, tilting his head to look back at Erik.

“I’d love to”, Erik replied, placing an additional kiss to Charles’ shoulder and loosening his hold, allowing Charles to step forward and begin to climb into the bath.

After Charles was settled Erik slid in behind him, sitting down against the rear of the bathtub and pulling Charles back against his body. He wound his arms around Charles like before, once more placing ardent kisses to Charles skin as he held him.

They remained quiet for a little while, submerged in the warmth of the bath water and safe in each other’s arms, until they were interrupted by a small beeping sound.

Charles leaned over the side of the bathtub, reaching for his phone that was resting on a side table and drawing it closer to himself as he flicked open a message.

“It’s Raven…” Charles explained. “She wants to know if we’re okay”.

“I think we look pretty darn okay, don’t you?” Erik replied.

A slightly mischievous smirk passed quickly over Charles’ face. “I don’t know, let’s see…” he murmured, stretching his arm out and flicking the phone’s camera app on.

“Oh come on…” Erik protested as he realised what Charles was doing, ducking his head down to trying and hide.

“Erik, pleaseeee”, Charles whined. “I don’t have any pictures of us together”.

Erik continued shifting uncomfortably for a few seconds before he relented, sitting up straight once more and looking up at the camera slightly sullenly.

“Come on, darling- at least try and look happy”.

Erik sighed softly but he once again complied, resting the side of his head against Charles’ as his face softened into a relaxed smile.

Charles took the picture and brought the phone back to his face, admiring the image for a moment and ensuring there were no naughty bits visible before sending it to Raven. After a minute there was another beep and Charles opened the reply from Raven before starting to laugh.

“Did she like it?” Erik asked, propping his chin on Charles’ shoulder and looking down at the screen.

“Hard to say”, Charles responded, still smiling at the message which basically consisted of the acronym ‘TMI’ followed by a series of little emoticons which ranged from a shocked face to a series of lovehearts.

Charles reached over the side of the bath again, placing his phone down before easing back into Erik’s embrace.

“You know, if you want we could take some more pictures later- just for us…” Erik suggested, beginning to nuzzle against the side of Charles’ neck once more.

Charles smiled. “I’d like that…” he replied softly.

Chapter 7: Seasons May Change; Winter To Spring

 

 

On the morning he was due to depart for his trip with Erik, Charles didn’t think he could have possibly been more excited. They were scheduled to meet in the building’s underground carpark at 8am, so Charles woke early and showered before gathering his already-packed luggage which consisted of a large designer suitcase and an additional holdall.

Raven met Charles at his apartment to escort him down to meet Erik, though she immediately protested at the amount of clothing Charles was bringing.

“Jeez, Charl- do you really need all this stuff?” Raven asked, bearing her weight down on the suitcase as Charles attempted to zip it up after he’d added just one more item he just couldn’t live without.

“Surely you don’t need this much clothing for just two weeks, unless you’re planning on a longer trip…?” she added, glancing at Charles curiously as he finished closing the suitcase and stood up.

Charles shook his head. “I haven’t decided what to do yet”, he replied honestly. “I haven’t even talked to Erik about it”.

“Hmm, maybe you should have a word with him then, if you’re not too busy taking naked selfies that is…”

Charles smiled, grasping hold of the suitcase and beginning to wheel it towards the door as Raven grabbed the other bag.

“Thank you again, for what did that night”, Charles said, looking at Raven affectionately. “But I still don’t know how you managed to cover things with Hendry… I had a message from him to say what a lovely evening he’d had, so you must have done something good?”

Raven smirked slightly. “Remember that client of mine- Emma, the telepath? Well, I was right about her- she was happy to help convince Hendry that you were still in the room”.

“Why would she do that?” Charles frowned, but Raven only smiled wider in response and raised her eyebrows.

“You’re keeping something from me…” Charles asserted, looking at Raven in expectation, but she was being unusually cagey. “What’s going on?”

“Don’t worry about it, Charl”, Raven replied. “Come on, you’re going to be late”.

 

Charles continued to badger Raven for information as they took the elevator down to the car park, but she wouldn’t give it up. Eventually Charles decided to just let it go, for now- after all, it wasn’t like Charles was entirely innocent when it came to keeping secrets himself.

Erik was waiting by the car when they arrived, dressed in dark trousers, a jumper, and a leather jacket- but that wasn’t all…

“Erik…” Charles laughed as he approached. “Why are you wearing sunglasses indoors??”

It was hard to read Erik’s expression due to the shades, but Charles watched him shift slightly before removing the sunglasses and sliding them into his pocket.

“I thought we were supposed to be covert, right?” Erik murmured, which only made Charles’ smile wider.

“You’re adorable”, Charles said affectionately.

“So cute”, Raven added, mimicking Charles’ fond expression.

Erik scowled slightly and looked away, but Charles could tell he was fighting off a smile.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked eventually, before looking down at Charles’ luggage and pulling a face and adding: “Really, Charles- do you need all this stuff?”

“That’s what I said”, Raven interrupted, nudging past Charles and swinging the bag she held over her shoulder into the open boot of the car. Now it was Charles’ turn to feign annoyance as he watched Erik and Raven exchange smug glances.

“I only packed the essentials…” Charles muttered, wheeling his suitcase over to the car and attempting to manhandle it inside. It was heavy though, and Erik had to help Charles shove the case in securely.

When all of the luggage was successfully stowed in the car Charles turned to Erik, staring up at him lovingly as he began to accept that- yes, this was really happening. He was really leaving with Erik.

“Alright you two, I’m going to leave before you start getting all mushy with each other”, Raven interjected.

Charles turned to find his sister watching them, an expression that was a mixture of joy and sadness on her face.

“Goodbye, Raven”, Charles murmured, stepping towards his sister and pulling her into a hug. “Make sure you text me and keep me updated with what’s happening here, okay?”

“I will”, Raven replied, squeezing Charles tightly. They held onto each other fiercely for a short while before Raven withdrew, her expression suggesting she was about to cry which Charles found pretty remarkable considered he’d never seen Raven shed a single tear before.

Charles stepped back and Erik edged forward, looking like he was debating offering something between a pat on the arm and an awkward handshake, but Raven stepped closer to embrace him too- hugging Erik tight. Charles watched the clinch with a ridiculous grin on his face as Erik’s eyes flew open in surprise before he relaxed into the hug.

When Raven withdrew from Erik’s arms she still held onto him for a moment- leaning up to whisper something in Erik’s ear. Charles couldn’t hear what she was saying but whatever it was made Erik’s eyebrows raise slightly as he listened to Raven, before she pulled back and he tilted his head down to look at her.

“Okay?” Raven asked, looking up at Erik in expectation.

Erik gave a quick nod, and Raven smiled before turning to look back at Charles once more.

“Enjoy your trip”, she said. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do”.

Charles laughed in response. “Well that leaves very little off-limits, doesn’t it?”

 

 

Being on the road with Erik turned out to be even more enjoyable than Charles had hoped it would be. For most people the idea of being stuck in a cramped car with someone for hours at a time would have been torture, but Charles couldn’t have been happier. He could barely keep a smile off his face as he sat in the passenger seat- watching Erik drive as they talked together and played silly car games and bickered playfully over what to listen to on the radio.

Prior to leaving for the trip arrangements had been made for Charles and Erik to visit several mutants across the country, and Charles embraced his new job eagerly. It was something he’d wanted to do for a long time, and he was overjoyed to finally be able to start helping his fellow mutants like he’d wanted to for years.

Of course, he couldn’t help feeling a little bit like a fraud as he spoke to some of them… Naturally most of the people Charles and Erik met expected to be interviewed by other mutants, so it was slightly embarrassing for Charles to not be able to explain what his mutation was considering he had no real access to his telepathy. Erik always covered for him and showed off his powers instead with some display of metal manipulation or another, but Charles still felt uncomfortable as he thought about the implant just lurking under his skin.

The concern was still plaguing him several days into the trip. Charles was stood in the bathroom of the hotel room he shared with Erik, absently rubbing his fingers against the side of his neck over the area where the implant was situated as he waited for the water in the shower to warm up.

They stayed in one hotel room or another each night, always a twin room of course- to keep up appearances- though they ended each evening curled up together in one small bed. It was such a relief for Charles to finally be able to spend the night with Erik without worrying that someone might catch them, but he couldn’t deny that there was now something else bugging him- the realisation that maybe Erik had been right about Charles’ telepathy after all.

Charles was pulled from thought by the feeling of Erik stepping up behind him and winding his arms around Charles’ waist.

“Are you alright?” Erik murmured, resting his head on Charles’ shoulder. He brushed the tip of his noise against the skin of Charles’ neck before placing a tender kiss to the surface.

“I want it out”, Charles replied.

Although Charles couldn’t see Erik’s face he could feel Erik’s surprise as his body tensed against his own.

“Are you talking about the implant?” Erik asked, his low voice vibrating through Charles’ body where they were pressed together. “You want to remove it?”

Charles nodded, and Erik quickly withdrew from Charles before turning him around to look at his face.

“You’re serious?” Erik continued, holding Charles’ jaw and looking down at him earnestly.

“I want my telepathy back”, Charles replied. “I want to… see inside your mind, if that’s okay?”

Erik smiled. “Of course that’s okay. I can’t think of anything I’d like more, but how do you plan to do this exactly?”

“I don’t know…” Charles mumbled, chewing on his lower lip anxiously. “There was a procedure to put the implant in- they didn’t knock me out but they numbed the area to insert it. I guess we’d need to find some sort of medical professional to take it out…?”

“Not necessarily…” Erik countered. “The implant is metal, so I could remove it for you- if you wanted?”

Charles screwed up his face. “What, you’re just going to yank it out?”

“No, Charles…” Erik smiled. “I’ll be gentle with you. I’m not saying that it won’t hurt, but the implant isn’t very far under the surface of your skin, so it shouldn’t be too painful to remove it”.

Charles was still pulling a slight face as Erik watched him and continued to caress the skin of Charles’ neck soothingly.

“You don’t have to, Charles…” Erik added eventually. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to”.

It was a difficult decision to make. Although Charles knew he wanted access to his telepathy again, the idea of Erik just pulling the metal out of his skin made his stomach heave.

“Can I think about it?” Charles asked uncertainly.

“Of course”, Erik smiled, pulling Charles close and pressing an affectionate kiss to his forehead. Charles wrapped his arms around Erik in return, holding on tight to his boyfriend and resting his head against Erik’s chest.

Charles was still thinking about what Erik had offered minutes later as he stood under the warm spray of water in the shower, trying to get clean but being hampered slightly by Erik kissing him and pressing their bodies together. The idea of having his telepathy back was equal parts terrifying and exciting, but removing the implant would be difficult and Charles had no way of knowing how he would manage to control his mutation after all these years, or if he even could...

 

There was no further discussion of the implant for the next day or two, and part of Charles wondered if Erik had given up on the idea, though he knew that was extremely unlikely.

By this point Charles and Erik had met with a number of mutants, most of which had agreed to join the company. They had just finished up with the latest recruit and were heading to their hotel room for the night- Charles dozing lightly in the passenger seat as Erik drove them to their destination. The car came to a stop and Erik leaned over towards Charles, holding him on the arm and gently shaking him awake.

“Charles, we’re here…” Erik said softly.

Charles opened his eyes a fraction before abruptly closing them with a groan as he stretched in his seat. Eventually though he managed to return to full consciousness; rubbing his eyes and leaning forward in his seat as he looked out the front window.

“Um, Erik… Where are we?”

The scene wasn’t what Charles had expected to see. He thought they were going to another hotel, however when he looked outside Charles was surprised to see that they were parked just in front of a small wooden cabin which appeared to be in the middle of nowhere.

“When I knew we were going to be in the area I wanted to bring you here”, Erik replied quietly. Charles turned to look at Erik before he continued: “This is my home”.

Charles resumed his evaluation of the modest building once more as Erik reached to hold his hand.

“Come inside?” Erik requested.

 

Erik continued to hold Charles’ hand as he led Charles towards the cabin, feet crunching against leaves and the last remnants of recent snowfall that covered the ground.

Unlocking the door with his powers, Erik guided Charles inside before leaning over to press a quick kiss to Charles’ forehead.

“Make yourself at home”, Erik murmured, looking down at Charles for a moment before heading back outside to retrieve their luggage.

Charles wandered around the space whilst Erik was at the car. There was one large open-plan living room and kitchen, with glass doors at the far end that led outside. Noticing a single door across from him, Charles walked over and pushed it open to find a bedroom inside with a cosy-looking double bed and an additional room to the side which presumably contained the bathroom.

“What do you think?” Erik asked.

Charles turned around to find Erik watching him carefully, the suitcase and bags on the floor next to him.

“I love it”, Charles responded with a sincere smile. “It’s very you…”

“What, creaky and rundown?”

“No…” Charles laughed, stepping closer to Erik. “Comforting and full of character”.

“It could maybe do with being a bit warmer though…” Charles added, wrapping his arms around Erik’s waist and looking up at him as a shiver ran through his body.

“I can fix that”, Erik replied, kissing Charles briefly before stepping out of his embrace and moving over to the fireplace that resided in front of the glass doors at the rear of the room.

 

Some time later Charles was feeling warmed up at last- sat next to Erik on a sofa in front of the lit fire, sipping on tea with his legs resting over Erik’s lap. Erik was looking at something on his phone, presumably checking over their itinerary for tomorrow as Charles stared over at him, consumed by an affection he could never quite express in words.

Once again, Charles’ thoughts wandered to his telepathy. Although Erik regarded Charles’ mutation- in fact all mutations- with admiration, Charles still remembered how difficult it had been to deal with his powers when they had first manifested, and he was scared at the thought of having to deal with a similar situation once more. However, as the trip had progressed Charles had started to think differently about his telepathy, and he’d begun to wonder whether the true power of his mutation could be a potential asset against those who tried to control him.

Raven wanted Charles to never return to the company, but Charles knew he couldn’t do that- he couldn’t leave his sister. However, ever since the night when Raven had used the assistance of another telepath in order to manipulate Charles’ client for the evening, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about how much easier it might make his life if he were to use his powers in the same way…

“Do we have any alcohol?” Charles asked suddenly.

Erik turned to look at Charles, frowning slightly and lowering his phone to his lap.

“I don’t know… Maybe. Why?”

“Because if you’re going to rip a piece of metal out of my skin I think I’d rather be as numb as possible beforehand”, Charles replied calmly, though he felt anything but calm inside.

Erik stared over at Charles for a long moment before he responded: “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I want it out. Please…”

Giving Charles’ leg a comforting squeeze, Erik slid forward on the sofa and stood up- wandering over to the nearby kitchen and beginning to search inside the cupboards. He returned after a short while with a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a glass in the other.

“You’re not having a drink too?” Charles asked as he accepted the glass from Erik.

“No…” Erik replied, smiling as he began to pour Charles a drink. “I think you’re going to want me to be sober for this”.

 

Half an hour later Charles was lying with his head in Erik’s lap, face tilted to the side away from Erik and hand nervously clutching Erik’s knee as he waited for the procedure to start.

Charles was now feeling significantly tipsy but he was still very nervous, even though Erik was trying valiantly to calm him down.

“Are you sure, Charles?” Erik asked softly, stroking his fingers through Charles’ hair.

Charles managed a slight nod. “Yes… yes, please just do it”.

Based on the size of the implant Erik had said to Charles that he didn’t think it would be too difficult to remove, but they were prepared for the worst anyway. On the table next to the sofa there was a bowl of warm water, bandages, cotton pads, and a surgical needle and thread. Charles was surprised to discover that Erik had so many supplies with him, but then he realised that clearly this was something Erik had been thinking about for a while- maybe for the entire time in which he’d known Charles.

Continuing to caress careful fingers through Charles’ hair, Erik moved his other hand so that it hovered a few inches above Charles’ neck. Charles sucked in a breath in anticipation and squeezed his eyes tightly shut, and then it started.

It was only a slight movement at first- Charles could feel the implant just beginning to shift under his skin which wasn’t painful but was certainly unpleasant, but then the movement grew more purposeful and Charles could feel his skin starting to tear.

A distressed groan left Charles’ lips as he writhed slightly, squeezing Erik’s leg and beginning to grit his teeth as the pain increased.

“Sorry…” Erik murmured, watching Charles’ face forlornly as he worked to free the implant. “Just hold on, Charles- we’re nearly there”.

The pain probably only lasted for a minute or so before there was a sharp release and the implant was pulled free, causing Charles to let out a further cry of discomfort as he felt warm blood begin to rise up and drip down the side of his neck.

Erik swore under his breath, reaching for a cotton pad and pressing it against the wound to stem the tide of blood. He held the pad firmly against Charles’ skin, continuing to stroke Charles’ hair reassuringly as Charles whimpered.

They went through two cotton pads before the bleeding ceased and Erik was able to begin stitching up the wound. Charles’ eyes were still tightly shut, but he opened them when he felt the needle press against his skin- tilting his head to look at Erik questioningly as he still felt Erik’s hands on him.

“Don’t worry, I’m more accurate with my powers than I am with my hands”, Erik explained. “Please just keep still”.

Charles complied, wincing uncomfortably but lying prone in Erik’s lap whilst Erik used his ability to control the needle as he passed thread through Charles’ skin. When Erik was finished he used scissors to cut off the thread before reaching for a cloth and dampening it in the bowl of warm water, beginning to brush it against Charles’ skin as he cleared away the remnants of dried blood.

“How does it look?” Charles asked weakly.

“Not too bad… There may be a slight scar, but it should barely be visible”.

Charles’ eyes immediately grew wide as he abruptly rolled onto his back, turning to look up at Erik in mild panic.

“But what if someone notices?? My stepfather might find out what I’ve done…”

Erik smiled reassuringly, brushing Charles’ hair back from his forehead.

“I wouldn’t worry, Charles. I’ve heard that telepaths can form a kind of glamour- to make people see what they want them to see- so if anyone does realise what’s happened you can just make them un-see it, right?”

“As if it’s that simple… I’m more likely to give someone an embolism than I am to successfully alter their perception”, Charles muttered.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself…” Erik lightly chided. “We’ve still got another week before we go back- you can use that time to get accustomed to using your telepathy again, and you can practice on me”.

Charles pouted slightly. “I don’t want to control you, darling”.

Erik smiled fondly. “That’s very sweet, Charles, but you don’t have to worry about hurting me. I trust you completely”.

 

 

 

Erik may have been completely prepared to help Charles deal with his telepathy, but at first it seemed like his offer of assistance may have been somewhat premature. Charles remained lying on the sofa for a while as Erik dressed his wound, and longer still whilst they talked amongst themselves and waited for the first signs of Charles’ mutation to begin to show, but for the rest of the evening there were no developments whatsoever.

By the time they were getting ready for bed Charles was beginning to get worried; wondering why the removal of the implant hadn’t worked and why his telepathy was still dormant. Erik tried his best to reassure Charles, but even so- lying in bed that night curled up next to Erik- Charles found it difficult to sleep as his mind whirled with unknown possibilities.

Sometime in the middle of the night, Charles awoke realising that he must have dropped off to sleep eventually as he was now lying on his side turned away from Erik. Charles shifted closer to him, edging into the warmth and comfort of Erik’s body, but abruptly stopping as he realised he could hear something.

Voices. Charles could hear voices coming from outside the bedroom.

Immediately Charles froze where he lay- eyes flying open and heart racing as he struggled to identify the indistinct sounds. Edging up onto his elbows, Charles looked over to Erik’s sleeping form as he tried to figure out if Erik had heard anything, but Erik remained fast asleep and Charles was reluctant to wake him.

Sliding out of the bed, Charles tiptoed over to the bedroom door and opened it- peering outside and looking for any unwelcome visitors in the dim room. He didn’t know what to expect; squatters, burglars, or- worst of all- someone from the company come to forcibly take Charles home, but there was nothing. Charles could still hear it though- the sound of whispers- only now he was sure it wasn’t coming from inside the room, it was coming from outside the cabin.

Edging over to the glass doors at the rear of the room, Charles unlocked and slid them open before stepping outside- immediately starting to shiver as a blast of cold air hit him. He wrapped his arms around himself and took a few tentative steps forward, bare feet sliding across the damp ground as he moved into the darkness of the surrounding trees.

The voices were still indistinct, and Charles couldn’t understand why the sounds he’d heard in the bedroom were the same volume now he was outside, but suddenly he realised.

Closing his eyes and reaching his fingers to his temple in the echo of an old familiar gesture, Charles used his telepathy to hone in on the sound. The cabin they were staying in was relatively secluded, but there were a few other dwellings located nearby and Charles focused in on the occupants of one of them- a man and a woman sat talking together in their kitchen. Charles could hear them; not just the words they were physically speaking but the thoughts that flitted through their minds too, and he let out an emotional sob of relief as he fully connected with his mutation for the first time in years.

Charles remained stood outside for a little while, ignoring the fact that he was bitterly cold and just focusing on what he could feel with his mind. The voices were louder now; amassing in his consciousness and making themselves known, but not just two voices anymore- five… ten… Charles wasn’t sure.

Flinching uncomfortably, Charles withdrew his hand from his temple and opened his eyes but the voices remained- forcing themselves into Charles’ mind and making his head spin. He tried to keep them out, tried to shut them down, but they just kept coming- growing louder and louder until Charles felt like his head was going to explode, until he could do little more than shut his eyes tightly and try to fight through the unwelcome pressure.

Charles didn’t know how long he stayed outside fighting against the intrusions in his mind. It was a struggle that seemed timeless; an endless space where Charles was completely unable to distinguish between any of the spectres that plagued him. But just when Charles was close to losing hope, he felt it- a strong, grounding presence that brought Charles back to his senses.

When Charles recovered his mental state he realised that he was kneeling on the cold ground; part-melted snow soaking through his pyjama bottoms and making him shake worse than before, but someone was holding him steady.

Charles opened his eyes to find Erik staring down at him, worry evident on his face as he held Charles on the shoulders.

“Charles… Charles, can you hear me? Are you okay? Talk to me…” Erik urged, grasping Charles desperately.

“Your mind… It’s so calm…” Charles murmured, gazing over at Erik in a dazed state.

“What? My mind? What’s going on? Is it your telepathy- is it working again?”

Charles nodded weakly. “It was too much- the voices, the sounds in my head. I couldn’t handle it, I thought I was going crazy again- but then there was you…”

Perhaps Charles should have guessed it already from the way Erik was always so stoic and so matter-of-fact, and the way he cared for Charles and the way he carried so much pain without complaining. Erik’s mind was resolute like he was- a serene and steadfast space that held organised thoughts like they were catalogued. There was some darkness too- Charles could sense it hidden away in a distant corner of Erik’s psyche- but overall his thoughts were level, and they levelled Charles too.

Reaching his hands up to hold Erik’s face, Charles leaned over to rest his forehead against Erik’s; closing his eyes and drawing strength from Erik like he’d done for so many weeks now. Erik held him in return; strong arms keeping Charles steady as he gave off sincere feelings of love and compassion, which Charles couldn’t be sure were an intentional projection or simply the way Erik always felt.

“Charles, can we please go back inside?” Erik requested quietly.

Charles nodded, allowing Erik to pull him to his feet and guide him back to the cabin.

Once they were safely back inside Charles changed out of his sodden clothes, though it took longer than usual to do anything as he kept getting distracted by the sounds in his head. Erik came to assist at one point as Charles stood- one arm in a sleeve with the rest of his pyjama shirt hanging off of him- staring into space and flinching every time a voice got particularly loud. Erik held Charles until he stopped shaking then dressed him, buttoning Charles’ top up carefully before guiding Charles over to the bed.

Both of them climbed into bed and Erik pulled Charles into his arms, wrapping Charles up in an embrace that he couldn’t escape, not that he wanted to. Still, it had been hard enough sleeping before and Charles was sure he would never manage it now, but Erik held him and kissed his forehead and ran his hands comfortingly up and down Charles’ back, and gradually, eventually, Charles closed his eyes and began to drift off.

 

 

 

When Charles awoke he was lying on his stomach, sprawled out across the bed as sunlight streamed in through the window and played across his face.

It was quieter now- the voices that had plagued Charles had abated somewhat- though he knew they were out there somewhere. Still, it was a little bit easier to keep them at bay, and Charles felt an enormous sense of relief as he realised that maybe in time, with practice, he could learn to keep them out altogether.

Rolling to his side, Charles found the bed empty, though thanks to his telepathy he knew that Erik hadn’t gone far.

He was standing at the kitchen counter when Charles stumbled out of the bedroom, an inviting smell of freshly brewed coffee in the air drawing Charles closer.

“Morning…” Charles murmured blearily.

Erik turned around and smiled when he saw Charles. “Good morning. How did you sleep?”

“Better than I thought I would”, Charles replied honestly, wrapping his arms around Erik and reaching for the cup Erik held in his hands before taking a sip and immediately pulling a face.

“Ugh, sugar…” Charles muttered.

“You’ve never called me sugar before”, Erik replied, laughing as Charles playfully shoved at him. “Here, this is yours”, he continued- taking the cup from Charles’ hands and replacing it with another one which was more suited to Charles’ tastes.

“Much better”, Charles said contentedly, sipping happily and resting his head against Erik’s chest. “What time do we need to leave today?”

“Um, how does never sound…?”

Charles tilted his head to look up at Erik in confusion. “What do you mean? We have potential recruits to see today, right?”

Erik flashed Charles a grin. “There might have been a slight change of plan on that front…”

“What do you mean…?” Charles asked, frowning suspiciously

“It seems some of the people we were supposed to interview for the rest of the week mysteriously dropped out. All of them in fact...”

Charles withdrew from Erik, still regarding him dubiously as Erik’s grin only grew wider in response.

“How is that possible?” Charles asked.

Erik shrugged. “It’s strange, one by one every single person contacted the company to say that they were no longer available, and that they would need to reschedule…”

Charles opened his mouth to ask further questions, before a sudden realisation dawned on him.

“Erik… have you been conspiring with my sister?”

“I can neither confirm nor deny anything…” Erik smirked.

Charles made a slightly exasperated sound, though he found it hard not to return Erik’s smile.

“Erik… You need to be careful- you and Raven. You could get us all into some serious trouble”.

Erik shook his head, reaching for Charles and pulling him back into an embrace. “Relax, Liebchen”, he said soothingly, pressing a kiss into Charles’ hair. “No one’s going to find out- Raven assured me of that. She’s got everything under control”.

Charles grumbled as he leaned into Erik, continuing to sip on his coffee and worrying internally about his sister and what trouble she could be causing.

“So what are we supposed to do for the rest of the week, then?” Charles asked eventually, tilting his head to look up at Erik and finding him grinning in return.

“Whatever we want to do, Charles”.

 

 

 

As it turned out, Charles didn’t get to do quite exactly what he wanted to do… Charles wanted to eat biscuits and drink tea and have Erik rub his feet, but instead he spent his time exercising his mental muscles as he worked on controlling his telepathy.

It made sense really- Charles was practically starting from square one again when it came to his mutation so he had to dedicate some time to developing it if he wanted to see results. Erik eagerly offered himself up as a test subject, and he and Charles sat on the sofa together as Charles focused on exploring Erik’s mind.

Charles was reluctant to encroach on Erik’s thoughts and memories. He’d never met anyone who was so willing to open up to him before, after all- the only person Charles had ever been this close to was Raven, and she had always been vehemently opposed to letting Charles use his telepathy on her. Erik was rather more relaxed about the whole thing, or at least he was devoted enough to Charles that he would be willing to do anything to help him.

Being physically close to Erik was stabilizing, so Charles sat huddled in one corner of the sofa- legs resting over Erik’s lap as Erik sat turned towards Charles with one arm around the back of Charles’ neck.

“Are you sure?” Charles asked, absently rubbing the palm of his hand against Erik’s stomach over his shirt.

Erik nodded. “I’m sure. Come in…”

Taking a deep breath, Charles closed his eyes and drifted into Erik’s mind.

Knowing Erik for the past couple of months had been the most rewarding experience of Charles’ life, but he had no idea just how much better it was capable of being. After all the things they’d shared together Charles felt like he knew Erik better than anyone, but actually mentally being inside his mind was a whole other experience entirely.

Like Charles had sensed the day before, Erik’s mind was temperate and stable on the surface. To Charles it felt like the ocean- blue and green and gray like Erik’s eyes, calm and tranquil waters that masked hidden depths; the kind that Charles wanted to drown himself in. He used his telepathy to explore the colours of Erik’s mind, trying carefully not to intrude into spaces where he might not be wanted but finding nowhere that he wasn’t welcome anyway. It occurred to Charles in that moment that Erik was completely, hopelessly in in love with him- a kind of love without limits that told Charles that there was nothing Erik wouldn’t be willing to do in order to keep him safe. What was more striking though was the sudden and pressing realisation that the way Erik’s mind felt was exactly how Charles felt too, deep in his heart.

Charles could sense Erik too present in his own mind, the sensation something like spectral hands holding him steady, and he wondered if Erik could perceive what he was feeling in that moment too.

They spent the rest of the day entwined together, both physically and mentally. Erik coaxed Charles carefully- often giving him the hint of a memory and challenging him to find the rest, which after some practice Charles found he could do rather easily. By the time they had finished mind-walking Charles found himself in a giddy state; overcome with shared emotion and slightly weak from exertion.

Erik ran them both a bath and sat in the tub behind Charles as he washed his hair- Charles still using his telepathy all the time to connect with Erik and even trying to speak directly into Erik’s mind, though it must have been pretty loud to begin with as Erik visibly flinched when Charles first tried it.

“Sorry…” Charles murmured some time later, looking up at Erik in apology. He was lying on the bed underneath Erik, and had been trying to gently communicate his appreciation into Erik’s mind- an intention gone slightly awry when Erik had started to nibble on Charles’ earlobe and the emphatic response had caused something similar to a feedback loop in Erik’s head that made him jolt.

“It’s alright”, Erik replied, rubbing Charles’ jaw reassuringly with his thumb. “Just keep practising; I don’t mind. In fact, it will probably come in handy for what we’re about to do next…”

“What are we doing next?” Charles asked, though the fact that he and Erik were in bed completely naked kind of gave a pretty big hint, along with the fact that there were lit candles dotted around the room and soft music playing.

“I want you to connect with me, Charles- to use your telepathy to communicate and tell me what you want and how you’re feeling, okay?”

Charles screwed up his face uncertainly. “Are you sure about this? Sex is pretty intimate as it is, but having me poke around your brain at the same time could be… overwhelming, I think? I don’t know. I’ve never done this before…”

“Well that’s handy, because neither have I”, Erik said, smiling reassuringly.

 

At first Charles decided to just ignore Erik’s directive, more or less. He used his telepathy in some capacity, but only to get an overlay of Erik’s mind as they lay together- allowing Erik’s love and passion to wash over him as they kissed, without directly prying into Erik’s mind. Erik was unrelenting though, and Charles could feel Erik pushing thoughts at him- trying to get Charles to open up and let themselves join in a shared consciousness.

Eventually Charles felt the familiar press of Erik’s thick cock against his entrance as Erik withdrew, using his hands to gently push Charles’ legs apart as he angled himself closer.

“Are you ready?” Erik murmured, sliding one hand along Charles’ stomach comfortingly as he used the other to hold his own hard member.

Charles paused for a second, before using his telepathy to carefully make himself known in Erik’s mind- sending him a clear and emphatic: “Yes”.

To Charles’ surprise, Erik didn’t flinch this time, he simply smiled widely before leaning forward- pressing his lips to Charles’ and at the same time beginning to push himself inside.

Charles groaned against Erik’s mouth as he felt Erik’s cock fill him, wrapping his arms around Erik’s shoulders as Erik began to thrust forward- slowly at first but then with increased purpose as Charles’ moans grew in volume. Emboldened by his earlier success, Charles used his telepathy to remain present in Erik’s mind- whispering sincere appreciation and that verged on delirium whenever Erik’s rhythm grew particularly pleasing. It was fascinating to be able to connect like this with Erik- to be able to see himself through Erik’s eyes, and staggering to realise that- although they may have been consumed with the throes of passion- Erik’s thoughts remained resolute as always, with one clear purpose in mind…

The first time they’d slept together Charles had told Erik how he couldn’t come during penetrative sex- how he’d trained himself not to during all his years of working as an escort. Charles was resigned to his fate and didn’t consider the obstacle as an inconvenience, but he also knew that Erik very much wanted to change this and to recover Charles’ illusive orgasm- a freedom lost when his innocence had been stolen. Never had this intention been clearer, and with Charles able to communicate using his psychic ability he knew that Erik was desperate to use their connection to work Charles up to it and finally tip him over the edge.

Charles didn’t even need to say the words, he just thought about the fact that he wanted to turn over and Erik caught it- pulling out of Charles in order to roll him onto his front before leaning close to press himself inside once again. Erik pressed kisses to Charles’ upper back as he rocked forward, thinking sweet things about the beauty of the freckles that covered Charles’ skin that made Charles smile when he overheard. The intensity of feeling Erik inside his body and inside his mind made Charles feel weak; years of self-preventative measures breaking apart with every thrust that caused his hard cock to rub against the mattress, but he knew that it wasn’t quite enough.

Using his arms to push himself up, Charles positioned himself on his arms and knees- head resting down against the mattress as Erik held him on the hips, still rocking forward slowly. Charles was trying to tell Erik something about angles, but the thoughts were disorganised and desperate and he didn’t know if Erik would get it, but then Erik began to move differently and Charles realised Erik understood completely, like he’d always had a tendency to do.

Holding Charles steadily around the waist, Erik withdrew his cock all the way out and pushed in slowly. There was a whimper from Charles but it wasn’t enough, so Erik pulled out and repositioned himself before trying again. The tentative act went on for a few moments- a torturous build up of tension and pressure that made Charles bite down on his bottom lip, but he knew it would be worth it when Erik got it right.

There was one further push forward and Erik hit it. Charles let out a helpless groan as he felt the head of Erik’s cock brush against his prostate at just the right angle; the tangle of nerves causing bolts of pleasure to ripple through his body. He could sense Erik’s smile even if he couldn’t see it, and he knew that Erik was completely aware of what he’d done.

Continuing to hold the same position, Erik began to grind against Charles’ prostate with machine-like precision. It must have cost a tremendous effort to just maintain the same pace and pressure and not give in to any desire to just fuck into Charles in erratic bursts, but Erik maintained his composure. He was completely determined and persistent, which was just as well considering Charles was entirely lost.

Charles remained bent over with his head resting against the mattress, quivering helplessly each time Erik’s thick cock slid along his insides. His thoughts were confused and incomprehensible, but as always Erik was like a sturdy presence keeping Charles steady- his mind projecting the same loop of devoted reassurance: “It’s okay, Charles… You’re safe with me… You can let go…”

And let go Charles did. Legs weak and cock throbbing, Charles moaned through Erik’s final few thrusts before coming hard with a shout- feeling a surge of blistering hot pleasure that he was sure Erik felt too as the metal frame of the bed shook all around them. Charles tensed around Erik as he came- the heightened grip on Erik’s member causing Erik to experience release also as he held onto Charles.

Charles couldn’t quite remember what happened after that. He’d slumped into the mattress after his orgasm, and he had a vague recollection of Erik moving around the bed and cleaning them both off before covering Charles with a blanket and sliding into the bed next to him.

When Charles somewhat returned to full awareness he found he was wrapped up in Erik’s arms, soft flickering light filling the room as he listened to the music playing; the song seeming to perfectly sum up how he was feeling…

 

If I should die this very moment

I wouldn't fear

For I've never known completeness

Like being here

Wrapped in the warmth of you

Loving every breath of you

Still my heart this moment

Or it might burst

Could we stay right here?

Until the end of time, until the earth stops turning

Gonna love you until the seas run dry

I've found the one I've waited for

The one…

Chapter 8: But I Love You… Until The End Of Time

 

 

The first time Charles’ mutation had become apparent his father had told him it was a gift. Charles tried very hard to see it in the same way, but it had been so overwhelming and so confusing, and for the longest time Charles had struggled to control his telepathy.

When Charles’ powers had been stunted through the use of an implant inserted into his skin it had almost come as a relief. By that point Charles had begun to manage his telepathy, but after his father had died trying to deal with his own emotions at that point had been difficult enough, and the experience was made all the more challenging by unwillingly absorbing other people’s grief too.

Now though, for the first time, Charles believed he was ready to feel again. He’d allowed Erik to remove the implant from his skin, but once more he’d been faced with powers that he couldn’t control. Erik believed Charles’ telepathy was a gift too, and he was determined to help Charles learn to master his mutation. Only problem was, sometimes Erik’s methods were questionable at best…

 

“I don’t want to do this!” Charles asserted, yelling slightly to be heard.

Charles was standing in a field with Erik near to the cabin where they were staying, several metres away from each other as they tried out one of Erik’s latest genius ideas…

“Come on, Charles- I know you can do it!” Erik responded, smiling reassuringly.

Charles pulled a face, drawing his coat tighter around himself but still shivering slightly in the cold weather.

Over the past couple of days, Erik had devoted himself to helping Charles develop his telepathic abilities. At first Charles had been worried- fearing that the power of his mutation might prove too much for him to handle, like it had in his youth, but fortunately the situation was entirely different now. Erik’s presence was grounding and encouraging, and he was dedicated to doing whatever was necessary to help Charles. They had successfully navigated mind reading, accessing memories, and image projection- and now they were working on mind control...

“This isn’t going to work!” Charles insisted. “I don’t want to do this to you…”

Erik shook his head before starting to advance anyway.

“Charles, I believe in you. You can do this. I trust you to control me without hurting me. Please, just let go and unleash your power”.

Charles focused on Erik as he advanced; Erik’s expression set and determined as he marched across the ground purposefully. Using his telepathy to control Erik was the last thing Charles wanted to do, but at the same time he knew that it was probably better to get a handle on his powers now than to not be able to use them later when he really needed them.

Exhaling a brief sigh, Charles reached his fingers to his temple and directed his mind towards Erik.

Somewhat naively, Charles thought that once he actually decided to commit to the action, taking hold of Erik’s mind would be relatively easy, but he was sadly mistaken.

Erik’s mental presence was extremely strong, and Charles shuddered with the effort of trying to control him. Charles had never used his telepathy to influence someone’s actions in this way before and he had little idea of where to start. He was trying to focus on a single act- to get Erik to just stand still- but it wasn’t working and Erik was only getting closer…

“Um, wait…” Charles murmured nervously, beginning to back away from Erik as he grew nearer.

“Come on, Charles”, Erik called. “Not long now until I have you, and if I catch you I’m throwing you in the lake”.

“You wouldn’t dare!” Charles exclaimed, retreating more hastily now. Erik flashed Charles a wicked grin that said- yes, he absolutely would dare, and Charles decided he needed just a little bit more time to gain control.

Erik could only watch in amusement as Charles abruptly turned and bolted across the snow-covered field away from him; starting to laugh as he began to give chase.

Charles ran towards the trees, laughing to himself as well but also still trying to use his telepathy to stop Erik, but it was proving somewhat difficult. And, to make matters worse, Erik was fast- much quicker than Charles was and certainly more determined.

Erik’s rapid breathing was just audible over the sound of twigs and leaves crunching underfoot, and Charles could hear him getting closer all the time. Charles reached his fingers to his temple once more whilst he ran as he tried to concentrate on controlling Erik, but in the next second Erik caught up to him- wrapping his arms around Charles’ waist and lifting him into the air.

“Gotcha!” Erik proclaimed, chuckling as Charles squirmed in his grasp. “You want to take your clothes off before you go in the lake?” he murmured against Charles’ ear, grinning victoriously and just beginning to laugh again before the sound was abruptly cut short.

Erik froze with his arms still wrapped around Charles holding him in mid-air, and Charles was still too- but for entirely different reasons.

Charles couldn’t be sure it had worked at first, but in that moment when Erik had grabbed him he’d felt so close to Erik and had experienced such a surge of power, so he’d used it to push through Erik’s mental defences in order to take hold.

Slipping out of Erik’s arms, Charles turned around to face him- looking up curiously as Erik remained frozen in place- eyes wide and unblinking as he stared straight ahead.

Charles couldn’t believe he’d done it. He stepped slightly closer to Erik, edging up on his tiptoes as he peered at Erik’s immobile face.

Finally, after allowing himself a small satisfied smile, Charles let go of his hold on Erik’s mind.

Erik’s eyelids fluttered as he regained mobility- arms falling to his side as he stared down at Charles. Now it was Charles’ turn to freeze in place, this time because he was worried about how Erik might react to what he’d done, but then Erik smiled and Charles knew everything was okay.

“You did it…” Erik said admiringly, reaching for Charles once more. He slid his arms around Charles again, lifting him up and squeezing tight. Charles held onto Erik in turn, wrapping his legs around Erik’s waist for stability.

“I’m so proud of you…” Erik continued, gazing at Charles in adoration.

Charles responded with a beaming grin, leaning close to kiss Erik.

“Was that okay?” he asked eventually after they finished kissing. “I didn’t hurt you, did I, darling?”

Erik shook his head. “No, I’m fine. You did great”.

“Does this mean you’re not going to throw me in the lake after all?”

“No… But I might throw you into bed instead”.

Charles smiled widely. “Sounds perfect”, he responded.

Charles continued to hold onto Erik as he was carried back to the cabin. To the place they called home.

 

 

 

Charles had always known that time was relative. The first couple of decades of his life felt like they had taken an age- more so after he had begun to work for the company, where every night came with a price and there were countless hours he just willed to be over. When he’d met Erik and they’d embarked upon their affair Charles knew that they only had three months to enjoy their relationship- but already that time had flown by; never more so than during their final week together.

Every day spent at the cabin was more than Charles could have hoped for, but now it was over and both Charles and Erik were faced with returning to a life that neither of them wanted. But Charles had a plan…

Erik thought that they were just going back to the company- that Charles would resume his work as an escort and would enter into the obligation with Shaw, and that Charles and Erik would still continue seeing each other and trying to make things work- somehow. However, that wasn’t what Charles envisioned happening.

He wanted Erik. Just Erik. He wanted a life where they could be together- relaxed and happy and unhidden- a real relationship, for the first time in his life. Of course, getting to that point was likely to prove extremely difficult. Charles was obligated to work for the company, for his stepfather specifically, and refusing to sleep with Shaw could ultimately mean the downfall of Xavier Inc. In the end though, Charles had decided that he couldn’t allow himself to care about that. His sphere of protection needed to extend to Erik and his sister Raven- that’s it. As long as they were okay, Charles would be okay.

Charles hadn’t spoken to Raven about his plans yet- she hadn’t responded to his texts for the past day, which was not uncommon when she was busy with a client or several. Still, Charles yearned to talk to his sister. She’d always had a tendency to alleviate even his worst fears.

Charles was thinking about what tribulations lay ahead as Erik drove them back to the company. All morning Erik had been withdrawn and subdued, and Charles knew exactly why. Even without using his telepathy he knew what Erik was thinking- that he wanted them both to stay at the cabin, that he wanted Charles to be his and to be able to keep him safe, always. Erik never said it though- he never deemed to put that kind of pressure on Charles.

It broke Charles’ heart to feel Erik’s sorrow and desperation- to know that he could have just told Erik what he was planning and alleviated his misery- but Charles didn’t want to offer up promises that might end up proven false. Charles was stronger than ever now- thanks to Erik’s assistance- but he still didn’t know if his telepathy would be powerful enough to ensure he and Raven and Erik would be able to get out, and to start a new life free from the company.

By the time Erik pulled into the underground parking lot, neither he nor Charles had spoken for a very long time. Erik parked the car and turned off the engine but made no move to leave the vehicle- he remained sat in his seat, staring out the front window at nothing whilst Charles watched him in return.

Eventually, Erik let out a loud sigh before asking: “When is Shaw getting here, exactly?”

“Tomorrow”, Charles replied glumly, eyes hopelessly locked on Erik’s avoidant form. “Tomorrow night, I think”.

“Will you have to move out of your apartment straight away?”

“I don’t know… I haven’t really been told the specifics yet- I need to go see my stepfather in a little while to find out more”.

“Oh…” Erik didn’t have any further questions to ask, or if he did he wasn’t sharing. He lapsed into silence once more, but his mind spoke volumes.

Charles felt like he wanted to cry. He could see what Erik was dwelling on- the mental image of Charles with Shaw; Shaw laying claim to Erik’s beloved, Charles once more treated like nothing more than a piece of meat. He could feel how Erik agonised over what he knew was going to happen, but not so much because he was jealous of another man touching Charles- even though that was certainly an issue, despite Erik’s earlier assurances- but because he knew what men like Shaw had done to Charles in the past and he would do anything to prevent that happening again. Worse of all was the hint of doubt Charles could sense in Erik’s thoughts- the creeping fear that he and Charles wouldn’t be able to survive this after all, and the question of whether it would be kinder to just let Charles go…

“Please don’t give up on us”, Charles whispered, words falling out in desperation, staring hard at Erik and aching for him.

Erik huffed out a short noise in response that Charles couldn’t decipher the meaning of. The sound wasn’t what he wanted to hear though- he wanted Erik to say that it was okay, that they could make it work, that nothing could keep them apart- but the words never came.

Charles didn’t mean to say it- he’d been trying so hard not to- but the pain he could feel from Erik was so sharp and so splintering, Charles opened his mouth like he was trying to let the agony out and instead there was a confession.

“Erik, I love you…”

Charles could feel the response in Erik before he saw it- the sensation like a hundred different lights going on in Erik’s mind and brightening his soul. He turned to look at Charles in disbelief- mouth parting and eyes widening as he stared over at Charles like he couldn’t quite believe he was real.

Charles was real, and he was really regretting being so honest- particularly when Erik got over his initial shock and made a desperate grab for Charles.

“Erik, don’t…” Charles protested, squirming in his seat as Erik wrapped strong arms around him and pulled him closer. “Please, Erik- someone might see us”.

“I don’t care”, Erik uttered, his voice strained with emotion, sliding his arms around Charles’ waist and ducking his head down in an attempt to kiss him.

Charles avoided Erik’s advances- still struggling weakly as he pushed against Erik’s shoulders but not completely defiant, and more pliable still as Erik gave up trying to kiss Charles on the lips and went for his neck instead.

“Please, just stay with me…” Erik murmured, breath hot against the skin of Charles’ neck. “Please just let me hold you for a little while longer, just let me have this moment…”

Charles let out a defeated whine, relaxing his grip on Erik and softening into the embrace. He rested his forehead against Erik’s shoulder in return, feeling safe and content as Erik began to run fingers through Charles’ hair in soothing motions, and willing Erik not to notice the dampening of his shirt just under Charles’ face.

“Um… so you’re not giving up on me then?” Charles asked meekly, wanting and weak.

Erik withdrew his mouth from Charles’ neck, sliding his hands to cup Charles’ face as he looked down at him ardently.

“Never”, Erik proclaimed earnestly. Charles could feel the sincerity of Erik’s words in his mind, heart- everything; the sensation like a blanket of affection draped over every part of him- a dedication that could have been suffocating were it not everything Charles wanted.

Erik leaned closer, and Charles made a slight noise of protest but still allowed their lips to meet in a sincere kiss. Charles fell into Erik like always, winding his arms around Erik’s waist and gripping him tightly, forgetting just for a moment that there was a world outside the car and the two of them.

When they parted they were both breathless, both from the exertion of the kiss and the resonance of words laid bare for the first time. Erik clung to Charles for a moment longer, forehead resting against Charles’ own, eyes closed as his fingers traced careful circles along the skin at the back of Charles’ neck. Charles was done protesting; he no longer wanted to hide from Erik’s affections, he wanted to bask in them- always.

“I want to leave with you…” Charles murmured.

Erik withdrew a little, but only enough to look down at Charles and respond: “Let’s go, then”.

Charles smiled in return. “It’s not that simple, darling. I need to take Raven with us, she’s---“

“You don’t have to explain”, Erik interrupted. “I know how important she is”.

Charles liked that- Erik didn’t say ‘how important she is to you’, Raven was just- ‘important’, generally.

“What do you want to do, Charles?” Erik continued.

“Mm, I don’t know… Part of me hopes that maybe I can talk to my stepfather, that I can just tell him that Raven and I are leaving and that will be it- he’ll let us go”.

“You really want to try and reason with that man?” Erik frowned.

Charles shrugged. “I think people should always be given the opportunity to do the right thing, you never know- they might take it”.

Erik smiled warmly at that, leaning close to place a kiss to Charles’ forehead. “You always were a pacifist”, he murmured against Charles’ skin, which caused Charles to screw up his face slightly.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing”.

“It’s not… I just wonder what will happen if things don’t go your way. But you know that you have the power to fix that, right? That you can use your telepathy to make your stepfather do whatever you want him to do?” Erik rubbed his thumb against the slight scar on Charles’ neck where the implant had been placed as he talked, as if to remind Charles of the fact that he was no longer inhibited.

“I know… And I know what we’ve achieved over the last week will help me enormously should it come to that. I just hope that this can be done peacefully”.

Charles heard the thought that ran through Erik’s mind then, even if he didn’t vocalise it: “Peace was never an option”.

 

 

 

Parting from Erik had never been harder than on that morning, but this time it wasn’t because they didn’t know whether they would see each other again- it was because they knew that their next meeting would be the start of something realer than before; the true beginning of their life together.

Erik wanted to walk Charles back to his room but Charles refused, and instead they parted at the car after sharing one last kiss from inside the presumed safety of the vehicle.

Charles returned to his apartment, struggling slightly with his luggage but managing it. He’d hoped that Raven would be there to meet him when he’d returned, if only to help carry the bags, but she was suspiciously absent.

After making a half-hearted attempt to unpack his belongings Charles gave up, realising that having everything already packed would ultimately prove useful when the time came for him to leave. Instead, he made himself a cup of tea and sat down on the sofa- idlily flicking through photos on his phone that had been taken over the past week with Erik. Erik had of course protested with each one, insisting he didn’t photograph well and threatening to melt Charles’ phone into a gooey puddle, but every time he relented and gave himself to Charles- allowing his image to be captured in an instant; an enduring memory of Charles and Erik happy and together.

Charles was interrupted from smiling fondly at joyous images by the sudden buzzing of his phone in his hand as a call came through. He jumped slightly, sloshing tea over himself, before he regained control- placing the cup on the table next to him and answering the call.

 

Twenty minutes later Charles was in basement of the company building, walking unhurriedly down the corridors towards his stepfather’s office. Charles knew he would be seeing his stepfather today, he just hadn’t expected to be summoned quite so soon… Still, Charles supposed there was little point in delaying the inevitable- he would need to face the situation head-on sooner or later, so why not just get it over with?

Charles knocked on the door of the office once, waiting for affirmation from inside before entering. Dr Marko was sat behind his desk waiting, and his eyes moved in an unimpressed appraisal of Charles as they usually did before he beckoned for Charles to take a seat.

“How was your trip?” he asked coolly as Charles dropped somewhat nervously into the chair, causing it to creak harshly against the floor.

“Fine. Great, I mean. We met lots of brilliant mutants, and they were all very eager to join the company”.

“That’s good to hear. I guess you and this Erik character must have made quite a formidable team, then”.

Charles flinched slightly, uncomfortable with hearing Erik’s name come from his stepfather’s mouth like that. He wanted to snatch the word back and keep it safe; make it a sound uttered by his lips alone.

“I’ve heard good things about him”, Dr Marko continued, only exacerbating Charles’ discomfort. “Reports from the training programme have been favourable- they say the man is capable, strong-willed, tactical…” He spoke like he were listing items from a menu- casual and unconcerned with Charles’ growing uneasiness.

Charles was trembling slightly in his chair, nervous energy cracking through his body for reasons he couldn’t quite explain. He didn’t know why but he felt sick- throat dry and palms sweaty as he regarded his stepfather’s impassionate face; breathless and wordless as he continued to listen to him talk.

“You know, there’s even discussion of having this Erik join the company in a more senior capacity”, Dr Marko continued, and Charles knew he hadn’t imagined it then- the way his stepfather turned Erik’s name over in his mouth like he hated the taste of it.

“I was considering it…” Dr Marko went on, offering up each word slowly- making it a lead that he knew Charles would chase after. “As the best in his class it only seemed reasonable that we would choose him to join the company fully. His inclusion on your little endeavour only cemented his position as the next in line. After all, if you and your sister had noticed his promise in spite of having nothing to do with the man, then surely he was the best pick”.

“Besides…” Dr Marko uttered coldly, leaning across the desk and fixing Charles with an icy gaze. “What other reason could you possibly have for wanting Erik to join you on that trip…?”

Charles’ mouth gaped slightly, whether in shock or fear he didn’t quite know. He could feel it then- the reason for his unease becoming only too apparent; not so much of a gentle awakening and more like an alarm going off- harsh and glaring. Charles’ telepathy sensed the danger before the more-human part of his brain caught up, but by that point it was already too late.

“Take him”, Dr Marko instructed.

Charles barely had time to react to the words- to whirl behind him as he followed his stepfather’s eyes- before he registered the troubling presence of Bill Stryker stepping out from the shadows and brandishing a hypodermic needle. Charles didn’t even think to use his telepathy to defend himself- he was so unaccustomed to having it- and he could only let out a small cry before the needle pierced his skin and everything dropped out of focus.

 

 

 

Charles had only been to the labs in the lower levels of Xavier Inc. twice in his life- once when his real father had showed everything to him, and once when his stepfather had took everything from him. The third visit looked capable of being a repeat of the second- Charles realised this as soon as he awoke to find himself strapped down to a table- arms and legs bound by thick straps that he couldn’t rile against, though he did try.

Eventually though the more evolved part of his being took over, and Charles reached instead for his telepathy- attempting to use his power to seize control from anyone nearby, but it was to no avail. With a familiar sickness, Charles registered the recognisable blankness that told him his mutation had been stunted once more.

“I’m sorry it had to come to this”.

Charles turned as much as he could under the force of the restraints, craning his neck to regard his stepfather stood leaning against the wall just behind him, his expression regretful but not apologetic.

“What are you doing?? Let me go”, Charles demanded.

“I can’t do that... I know what you did, Charles. I know what you’ve been doing with that man. You made a promise to me, Charles- you told me you would give yourself to Shaw, and yet you’ve betrayed me”.

“What are you talking about?” Charles spluttered, fighting off rising panic as he considered the best course of action, rational as always in spite of so much danger. “There’s nothing going on between me and---“

“I saw you together!” Dr Marko roared, eyes bulging and angry as he unfolded his arms and stepped briskly towards Charles.

Charles’ mouth clamped shut at that, feeling like he was betraying Erik even before he said the following words.

“It… it doesn’t mean anything… It was just… an infatuation”, Charles ratified, swallowing a lump in his throat and staring hard at the man holding him captive.

“Don’t lie to me, Charles. I suspected something was going on with you- you’d been far too content of late- I just never imagined it would be this. When I asked that mutant to eavesdrop on you I never imagined that he’d report back and tell me that, not only have you been stupid enough to fall in love with someone else, but that you’d also been so selfish and so reckless as to remove your telepathic inhibitor”.

Charles shut his eyes painfully, realising what the spy must have overheard- Charles and Erik’s conversation in the car about how they felt, about Charles’ power having returned, about their plans to leave together… The cataclysmic results of his own stupidity were so blinding to Charles that he wanted to cry. Why the fuck had he told Erik he loved him? He’d caused this…

“What are you going to do with me?” Charles whispered helplessly, his eyelashes damp as he opened his eyes once more.

“In a few minutes the doctor is going to come in and re-insert your telepathic inhibitor, providing a more permanent solution than the drug we injected you with- and believe me, this one won’t be so easy to remove. After that, you will go back to work. Shaw’s coming here tonight”.

“What??” Charles spluttered. “He isn’t supposed to arrive until tomorrow”.

“The plan has changed. Shaw will be here tonight. You will go to him. You will give yourself to him, completely. Do you understand me, boy?”

It had been years of this. Years of commands and instructions- patronising words and thinly-veiled manipulation disguised as obligation. Charles had accepted it all since his childhood; trusting his man who was supposed to be his caregiver, believing that the comfort of his life was worth what he had given up to achieve it. But he knew now, with crystalizing clarity, that he was wrong. That he’d always been wrong. That the whole situation was painfully, hopelessly wrong.

“How can you do this to me?” Charles spat out- the words bearing more venom than he’d ever thrown at his stepfather. He rose up against the restraints, resting on his elbows and glaring daggers.

“Excuse me?” Dr Marko uttered incredulously. “Do you have any idea what I’ve done for you, Charles? You would be homeless if it wasn’t for me”.

“I would be whole if it wasn’t for you! You took everything from me- my wealth, my security, my innocence. All my life you made me believe that I was only worth what someone was willing to pay for me, but everything you have is because of me. The only reason this company is even still functioning is because of me and Raven, and yet you have the audacity to act like I owe you”.

Charles expected anger in response- a swift rebuttal and perhaps even threats of violence. He certainly wasn’t anticipating the sickening smile that spread across his stepfather’s face instead.

“Well well, Charles…” Dr Marko responded quietly. “I was beginning to think that you’d never get there- that maybe all those clients you’d been screwing had fucked the sense out of you, but I guess I was wrong”.

“What?” Charles gaped.

Dr Marko shook his head. “Of course you don’t owe me anything. Of course this company should be yours by rights, but that’s not the way things worked out. I feel sorry for you, Charles, I really do. It’s regrettable that you have to do this, but I can’t afford to have the company fold just because you’ve suddenly come over all sentimental. And so, you will sleep with Shaw tonight- end of story”.

“You can’t make me…” Charles muttered heatedly. “Even if you shove that implant back under my skin you can’t force me to sleep with Shaw. I don’t care if you hurt me- I’ve had it all before”.

“Oh, really?” Dr Marko replied, sneering slightly. “You may have had it a bit rough from some of your clients from time to time, but I sincerely doubt that’s the only way to hurt you. I don’t think you understand what’s at stake here, Charles. Shaw is a possessive man. He made it very clear from the onset that you were not to see anyone else, so how do you think he’d going to react when he finds out about your secret lover? What do you think will happen to Erik?”

Charles let out a breath, the sound coming out pained and ragged. “You wouldn’t hurt him…” he started.

“I wouldn’t, but Shaw definitely would. Look, I have nothing against your… boyfriend- I don’t care if he stays working for the company, and I might still promote him one day after all- but you cannot be with him. If Shaw finds out what that boy is to you he’ll hurt him, maybe even kill him, and believe me when I say I’ll let it happen”.

Charles’ expression grew fearful, his face crumpling in on itself as he imagined what it would be like for Erik to be hurt, and to know he had caused it. He couldn’t allow it to happen. Although the idea of sleeping with Shaw was harrowing, Charles knew he would do it if it meant keeping Erik safe.

“What am I supposed to do…” Charles mumbled, the sound coming out like a sob. “When Erik finds out what you’ve done to me he won’t just back down- he’s going to fight for me. He loves me…”

Dr Marko drew closer, like a snake slithering towards its prey. He rested the palm of his hand on Charles’ knee in what Charles presumed was meant to be a comforting gesture, but it only served to make his skin crawl.

“Well then you know what you have to do, Charles…” Dr Marko replied evenly. “Make him believe that you don’t love him”.

 

 

 

Charles was very familiar with the concept of putting on warpaint. It was a routine that had become ritualized over the years every time he was due to see a client- a smart suit, a splash of cologne, occasionally a hint of concealer should he be having a particularly bad skin day- at Raven’s insistence, of course. Each night he would ready himself- he would cover his face and his body to ensure he gave the outward impression of someone in control, and to convince himself he was ready for battle.

Tonight the routine was the same. Charles stood in his expansive walk-in wardrobe, choosing the clothes he would wear when he broke Erik’s heart. He tried to ignore the trembling that consumed him, but his hands shook as he selected a suit and held it up for inspection, before changing his mind and throwing it to the floor. On this occasion it wasn’t enough cover. After the implant had been reinserted into Charles’ skin there was now a fresh scar against his neck- one that Erik would surely notice- so Charles selected a dark jumper with a high neckline in order to hide the truth.

Charles called Raven a couple of times before he left his apartment, not knowing what he was going to say to her but just wanting to hear the sound of her voice anyway- to take solace in the knowledge that she would surely always love him, even if nobody else did. She didn’t answer though, and Charles was left feeling more helpless and alone than he had been at any point in his life.

 

When Erik opened his door and saw Charles standing there he smiled, and Charles felt a part of himself die with that expression. It was too kind, and consequently too cruel.

“I didn’t expect to see you until later”, Erik said, reaching towards Charles and pulling him gently into the room. “How did everything go with your stepfather?” he continued. “Did he agree to let you go straight away or did you have to persuade him?”

Charles allowed Erik to lead him, to step forward and wrap arms around him as he reached behind and pushed the door closed, to hold him in an embrace- but when Erik leaned down to press a tender kiss to Charles’ forehead Charles could feel himself begin to break, and he knew that he needed to steer the meeting towards a place of neutrality before he gave in to the tears that threatened to consume him.

Sliding his hands up to firmly grasp Erik’s biceps, Charles pushed Erik to arms-length before letting go.

Erik only frowned lightly at first; a hint of amusement on his face as he evidently presumed that Charles was playing around, but the levity quickly faded as he registered Charles’ tense stance.

“Charles, what’s wrong?” Erik murmured, looking at him in concern. “What happened?”

“I’m staying here”, Charles responded- expression cool and calm, chin lifted in defiance but soul crumbling in despair.

“What??”

“I went to see my stepfather, and he explained it all to me. This is my home, Erik- I can’t just leave. Being with Shaw will give me everything I’ve ever wanted- wealth, power, security… but the only condition is I cannot see you anymore. I’m sorry”.

Erik had always been a man of few words, but always the right ones. This time, however, it seemed like words had failed him. He stared at Charles blankly, jaw clenching tightly in stress, fists balled at his sides.

Charles decided that maybe this was a better result than he could have hoped for. He’d expected Erik to be angry, upset- to yell at him or perhaps even to cry, but he didn’t do any of those things.

Turning away from Erik, Charles moved towards the door once more but he was abruptly stopped by Erik gripping him firmly on the arm.

“What did he do to you?” Erik asked, turning Charles back to face him.

“Nothing”, Charles frowned, starting to squirm uncomfortably in Erik’s grasp. “This is my decision, Erik. Don’t you think I’m capable of making my own decisions?”

“What. Did. He. Do?” Erik demanded, still wearing the same set expression that masked a hidden rage- his true feelings only betrayed by the fact that all the metal in the room had begun to shake.

Charles looked around the room in trepidation, trying to edge more desperately out of Erik’s grip but being held fast.

“He didn’t do anything!” Charles replied, voice coming out panicked and shrill. “Please, Erik- just let me go. What we had was nice but it couldn’t last- you knew that all along. We both knew it was always going to end like this”.

“No”, Erik uttered, shaking his head forcefully. “No- we were going to leave; we were going to be together- you said it yourself”.

“I’m sorry…” Charles whined, pulling against Erik but being held firmly by Erik restraining both his wrists. “I’m sorry, Erik- I never should have let things get this far, I’m sorry…”

“You said you loved me!” Erik yelled, the temperate mask he wore finally cracking as true anguish began to show on his face.

Charles could only let out a heartbroken sob in response, his own expression also twisted in abject despair. The vibrating of the metal in the room had reached deafening levels- a cacophony of grating sound that Charles was sure would be heard by anyone nearby, but just when Charles was beginning to feel like his ears might pop with the pressure, the shaking of the metal began to decrease.

“You said you loved me…” Erik repeated, more quietly this time. He had stopped pulling at Charles but was still holding him, staring down at the ground and breathing hard.

Charles could sense it- Erik’s will dissolving. It seemed like the majority of Erik’s power and determination came from anger, and without that he was weaker somehow; more vulnerable and defenceless than ever. It crushed Charles to know that this sudden waning would enable him to strike a final blow that would surely kill Erik’s resolve forever.

“I didn’t mean it”, Charles replied softly- like he was a doctor with particularly poor bedside-manner trying to deliver bad news; regretful, but neutral. “I knew it was what you wanted to hear, and I was trying to make you feel better. I’m sorry…”

Erik’s hold broke when his heart did. He let go of Charles- as defeated as the metal objects in the room that fell back into place- his head hanging low and gaze fixed solely on the floor.

Charles continued to stare at Erik for a moment, wishing for the millionth time that his world was so, so different from the dark misery he knew he belonged to, and wishing most of all that he hadn’t dragged Erik down into its depths.

“I’m sorry…” Charles murmured again, in finality. Erik still wasn’t looking back at him, giving Charles no audience as he reached behind him to open the door- stepping outside without further comment and closing it behind him.

 

 

 

Charles was at least grateful that he managed to get halfway down the corridor before he broke into frantic sobs. He wanted to collapse to the ground- to let his legs give out and to fall to the floor, to be as low as he felt in that moment- but he couldn’t let it happen. Part of Charles believed there was a small chance that Erik might come after him, and so he had to keep going- to put distance between himself and the man he loved; the man he’d destroyed.

He choked down heartache until he reached his apartment at last- slamming the door firmly behind him and crossing over towards the bathroom. Charles reached inside the shower and cranked the power on, stripping off his clothes hastily before stepping under the hot water- not caring that it was close to scalding. Remaining under the searing stream for as long as he deemed necessary, Charles finally allowed himself to relinquish control- giving up any pretence of getting clean and simply slumping to his knees inside the shower. He only hoped the gush of the water would be enough to cover up the sound of his distraught cries.

 

Crying was bad for his complexion. Charles had known this since he was fifteen years old, and consequently he had made the decision a long time ago just not to do it anymore. But this, like many things, was a rule that had been broken when he’d met Erik.

Charles had let the grief pour out of him until it physically hurt- the feeling like an intense tightening in his chest that made it hard to breathe. Eventually, somehow, he found the strength to go on living, and he crawled from the shower in order to dry himself and put on clothes. His face was a mess, he realised afterwards- the reflection staring back at him in the mirror was sad and worn, with bloodshot eyes and puffy skin. It wasn’t the look of a high-class escort.

Fortunately, there were a few little tricks Charles could use to make himself appear presentable. He applied cream to his face and drops to his eyes, though he could do little to treat the way in which he felt so broken inside.

It was an agonising wait until the evening, but still somehow not enough time for Charles to accept what was going to happen. He remained dressed and ready for most of the day, sitting quietly on his sofa in a neatly-pressed suit, waiting for the message from his stepfather to tell him that Shaw had arrived.

When the time came Charles left his apartment without hesitation. He was a professional, after all- and he had a job to do.

Charles’ stepfather informed him that Shaw had taken up residence on the top floor in the building’s most luxurious apartment, of course. Charles knew the way, and his feet carried him even if his spirit didn’t.

The need to run was more consuming than ever- the desire the sprint down the corridor in the opposite direction, or out of the building, or preferably into Erik’s arms- should Erik still want him. But Charles couldn’t do that. And so, he arrived at the door to Shaw’s apartment- smoothing down his suit and attempting to control his trembling hands as he knocked on the door.

Shaw smiled when he opened the door- an unsettling grin that bore into Charles completely.

“How lovely to see you again, Charles”, Shaw said cordially. “Please come in”.

Taking a deep breath, Charles stepped into the room.

Chapter 9: Come What May, I Will Love You- Until My Dying Day...

 

 

It was dark inside Shaw’s apartment- a single lit lamp in a far corner casting long shadows across the room that swallowed Charles up when he stepped into them. Charles couldn’t decide if the lack of luminosity was a good thing or not- whether it would make it easier for Charles to allow Shaw to kiss him and touch him and fuck him; whether the gloom would mask his fear and hide the way he was already shaking.

“Can I offer you a drink, Charles?” Shaw asked hospitably, stepping away from Charles for a moment and towards the bottles and glasses laid out on a nearby table.

Like Charles’ residence, the apartment was open-plan; composed mainly of one large room which was essentially the bedroom, with a bathroom and kitchen in adjoining rooms off to the side.

“No, thank you. I’m fine”, Charles lied. He continued to watch Shaw as he poured himself a drink, trying to remember his years of working as an escort and how he was supposed to act- remembering eventually to plaster a fake smile over his face that didn’t reach his eyes.

Shaw’s smile didn’t look like it reached his eyes either, and Charles recalled the things he had learned about Shaw through research he had done previously- how Shaw was known for his arrogance, determination, and cruelty… Charles had tried not to dwell on it too much, but he’d read things about Shaw that gave him cause for concern- how Shaw Industries had been involved in certain mutant-research projects that employed somewhat questionable tactics.

Still, there was nothing to suggest that Shaw’s allegedly harsh temperament would come into play here, so long as Charles did what he was told…

There was small-talk at first, there always was. Shaw led Charles over to sit opposite him in front of the fire, each of them sitting in matching armchairs and watching each other carefully; quiet in the room save for the low drone of the radio playing in the background. Charles listened attentively as Shaw talked about his plans for the company, though Charles was rather more interested in what Shaw was planning for him specifically…

In the end, Charles couldn’t stop himself from just asking:

“What you want from me?” Charles blurted out, causing a flash of irritation to pass over Shaw’s normally impassive face.

“Sorry…” Charles quickly added. “Sorry, what I mean to say is- what are you planning for, erm, us? Our… arrangement? I’m just curious- why did you choose me at all?”

Shaw leaned back slightly in his chair, his eyes raking in appraisal of Charles as he sat opposite him.

“Does it matter?” Shaw replied eventually.

“What do you mean…?” Charles asked uncertainly.

“I mean, does it matter what I want with you? Does it matter that I tell you? It’s not going to change anything. Your stepfather told me that you belong to me now, so whatever I want is irrelevant, because I’m going to take it anyway”.

“I…” Charles started, but Shaw put up a hand to stop him.

“I think you’re pretty, Charles. And a mutant, no less- albeit a sad, stunted one. You have a kind of… innocence to you, and I like sweet, fragile things- but I don’t like to share. When I came and met with you I knew I wanted you, and I knew that I would require you to be exclusively mine for as long as I deemed necessary. I’m a very powerful man, Charles- I always get what I want, and so here we are”.

“Of course, this shouldn’t be a surprise to you…” Shaw continued, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees as he stared hard at Charles, who in turn remained acutely mute. “I’m told you agreed to this arrangement- such as it is in your nature for you to sell yourself. So, I’d suggest we stop skirting around the issue and get down to it- what you’re really here for”.

Shaw stood up at that, towering over Charles and gazing down at him. He reached a hand forward, and although Charles inwardly recoiled he maintained enough composure not to show it.

“Come with me”, Shaw instructed, wiggling his fingers slightly at Charles as an invitation.

Charles couldn’t remember taking Shaw’s hand, but the next thing he knew he was stood in front of Shaw’s bed, looking up at him and feeling completely lost. He wanted Erik to be there to calm him down like he’d always been able to do, but Charles knew he was doing this for Erik- to keep him safe.

When Shaw kissed him it was softer than Charles would have expected- almost cautious at first. After the first brush of his lips Shaw withdrew, looking down at Charles as if to gauge his reaction, before leaning close for another kiss and sliding his arms around Charles’ waist. There was still a trembling in Charles- internally his heart was racing- but outwardly he remained calm, if immobile. He allowed Shaw to mouth against him, to slide his tongue into Charles’ mouth, to hold Charles firmly on the waist, but he barely reciprocated.

He was still thinking about Erik. Painfully, helplessly so. Charles knew he should be concentrating on the job at hand, but he couldn’t get Erik out of his mind- particularly how Erik had looked in that last moment when he’d seen him; crushed and forlorn.

Shaw’s conquest of Charles soon gained new momentum- no longer content with just tame kisses and reserved caresses. Shaw was now holding onto Charles with an intensity that could bruise; hands gripping Charles’ hips as he ran his mouth harshly over Charles’ neck, surely leaving marks of ownership on Charles’ pale skin.

Charles’ eyes closed as he tried to just get through the moment, and the next, and the next…

“I’m sorry, Erik”, Charles thought as he felt Shaw press his hard cock against Charles’ hip- this, too, a pressure that felt like could bruise, if only mentally. Charles wanted to cry but he turned it into a moan- a lie- an artful construction that he’d presented so many times before. This was it, then. Back to the only life he’d known.

But then, there was music…

Charles was static in Shaw’s grasp, hard-won sanity fading and heart aching with loss as Shaw pressed up against him and slid Charles’ jacket off. In the background the radio was still playing, soft and comforting music that seemed somewhat familiar to Charles... It wasn’t the same song, but melody was similar and Charles couldn’t help but be reminded of the night he had lain in Erik’s arms at the cabin, feeling safe and content and more happy than he’d ever been before in his life.

And he knew he needed that love like oxygen.

“No…” Charles uttered breathlessly.

Shaw’s mouth stopped moving, teeth set into the line of Charles’ jaw. There was a slight nip as Shaw withdrew, shifting his grip to hold Charles on the upper arms and lifting his head to look down at him- his expression darker than all the shadows of the room.

“No?” Shaw said, the short syllable forced out like a bark.

“I’m sorry”, Charles mumbled, voice wavering, blue eyes wide and vulnerable. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do this”.

“And why not?”

Charles didn’t respond at first, not until Shaw shook him once and Charles felt his whole body rattle with the sharp jolt.

“Tell me the truth, Charles. Tell me why you can’t do this”.

“Because… I don’t love you”.

“Hmm, I would hardly see that as a necessity for a whore. Unless, of course, what you’re trying to imply is that you don’t love me, but you do love someone else- and that’s why you can’t go through with this”.

Charles lapsed into silence again, until there was another rough shake. Charles couldn’t help the small yelp that escaped him when it happened, particularly as even afterwards the pressure Charles could feel Shaw placing on his arms where he held him was extraordinary.

“I’m sorry”, Charles whispered, beginning to squirm slightly under the strain. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do this. Please, just let me go. I know what this means- I know you’ll probably withdraw your investment in the company- I understand that, but I can’t be with you. I’m sorry…”

As Charles finished speaking the death-grip Shaw had on his arms relented, and Charles sucked in a grateful breath of air; of relief. The feeling only lasted for half a second.

“You will be”.

Charles didn’t even have time to speak- his mouth had barely dropped open in the hint of a question before there was a sharp crack and his vision blurred, something he later came to realise was the result of Shaw hitting him across the face and sending him sprawling across the room. Charles could barely register what had happened, all he knew was that his jaw hurt immensely and his eyes were stinging and oh God Shaw was getting closer.

“Please…” Charles begged with a whimper, sliding backwards on the floor as Shaw approached, but just like the last time he had been in this position there was no admission of his words- he was ignored; unimportant.

Unlike the last time, however, Charles had more fight in him. He would not allow this to happen- not whilst he was still living- but unfortunately it seemed like he was going up against something he could not hope to defeat. Charles knew about Shaw’s mutation- how he could absorb and control energy; how it made him unimaginably powerful. Charles knew that Shaw was a formidable opponent who could crush him without a second thought, but he couldn’t allow himself to just give in regardless.

Shaw reached down and seized Charles by the shoulder, hauling him to his feet and looking down at him disapprovingly.

“Last chance, Charles. Last chance to go into this willingly. If I have to break your legs to keep you in bed I will, do you really want me to do that?”

“No…” Charles whimpered, gripping Shaw’s wrist where he held him. “Please no, I don’t… I can’t…”

“Begging will get you nowhere, Charles. Now, stop with this pathetic act and get on the bed”.

Charles had certainly never felt more pathetic in his life as Shaw released his hold and Charles didn’t fight in the end- didn’t run. Instead he walked slowly over to the bed, shaking and with angry and desperate tears rising up as he knelt on the bed with his back to Shaw. There was a pause and then Shaw was behind him, sliding one hand over Charles upper back over his shirt with just enough pressure to remind Charles of who was in control here.

“I want you to pull your trousers down, and lie on the bed”.

This, too, was something that Charles didn’t fight. His hands shook as he undid his belt buckle and unbuttoned his trousers, hesitating for only a second before pulling his trousers and underwear down to his knees and leaning forward to lie face-down on the mattress.

Charles had experienced many nights like this, but never like this. All consummate professionalism gone, Charles lay on the bed and cried- somewhat quietly at first as he didn’t want to anger Shaw further, but eventually hysterically and with more volume as he heard Shaw unbuckle his trousers and lean forward- the head of his hard cock tracing a pointed line of ownership over Charles’ bare ass.

“Cry all you want, Charles”, Shaw murmured, rubbing his member against Charles and leering over him, causing Charles to recoil further as he felt Shaw’s hot breath on his neck. “I kind of like the sound…”

That, if nothing else, would have been good motivation for Charles to stop crying, but he could barely stifle the whimpering noises he was making. This was his fault, after all- Charles knew that. If only he had kept his mouth shut and just gone along with what Shaw wanted from the onset, maybe then he would at least have had a chance of controlling the nature of their intercourse, rather than being in the situation where he found himself now- laid bare and likely to be fucked raw, given that Shaw had made no mention of lube.

“You’re mine…” Shaw growled finally as he directed his cock to the breaking point and moved to push inside.

There was a sudden strangled yelp which Charles naturally assumed was his own inhuman sound, until the force of Shaw pressing into him relented and he felt a rush of cold air cross his backside as Shaw’s form withdrew.

Letting out a noise of panicked confusion Charles craned his neck to look behind him- finding Shaw standing immobile at the end of the bed and next to him… salvation.

“Have you got him?” Raven asked, eyes trained carefully on her companion.

Emma nodded in return, the tiny shake of her head the only movement she made for some time as she focused intently on the task at hand.

“Please get him to at least pull his pants up…” Raven muttered irritably, before turning her attention away from the spectacle of Shaw frozen in place and towards her brother.

Charles was working to restore dignity as well- rising up onto his knees and pulling his trousers and underwear back up, sitting on the edge of the bed and fumbling awkwardly with his belt as he tried to buckle it with shaking hands.

“Are you alright, Charl?” Raven asked quietly, moving over to the bed and taking a seat next to him. She hesitated for a moment, like she was faced with a wounded animal she didn’t know how to console, before she reached her arm around Charles’ shoulder and pulled him into an embrace.

The crying started up again at that point. Charles leaned into his sister, resting his face against the smooth blue scales that spanned her shoulder and sobbing uncontrollably- though this time in relief rather than fear.

“Thank you…” Charles got out in-between sobs. “Thank you, Raven…”

Charles registered in surprise the fact that Raven was crying too- she wasn’t shaking like Charles was but Charles could feel teardrops dropping steadily onto the top of his head; a remarkable realisation as he’d never seen Raven cry before.

“Come on”, Raven said eventually, leaning away from Charles and hurriedly attempting to dry her eyes. “We need to go get Erik”.

“What do you mean?” Charles murmured, blinking away tears as he looked at his sister. “Where is he?”

“Locked up…”

That response only begged further questions, but Raven wasn’t ready to answer them yet.

“Come on”, she urged, standing up. “I’ll explain on the way, though first we need to decide what we’re going to do with him”. At that, Raven turned to regard Shaw- now mercifully clothed but still immobile as he stood beside the bed, held-fast by Emma’s focused gaze.

“Yes, ideally sooner rather than later…” Emma implored, frowning slightly. “I can’t hold him forever”.

“Personally I think death would be a suitable atonement for what he did- preferably the slow and painful kind, but I know that Charles here isn’t really one for violence- right brother?”

Charles shook his head in response. “We can’t kill him…”

“Pity…” Raven responded, chewing on the word like it was a particularly bitter pill.

“We could rehabilitate him”, Emma offered, causing both Raven and Charles to look over at her questioningly. “I’m not saying it would be easy, but I could alter his mind so that he forgets he’s a disgusting power-hungry business owner and instead thinks he is… Well, you choose. Penniless beggar. Starving streetworker. Whatever you like”.

“I just don’t want him to be able to hurt anyone else”, Charles replied. “Can you do that- can you make it so that he never tries anything like this again? And that he forgets me, all of us- this whole place?”

“I can try…” Emma said, squinting slightly in concentration. “It might take a little bit of time, though. You two go on- I’ll finish up here and then I’ll come find you”.

Raven grasped Charles gently on the arm, beginning to steer him over to the door but not before pausing to press a quick kiss to Emma’s cheek, which earned her a smile in response.

“Thank you”, Raven and Charles said in unison.

“You’re welcome, sugar”, Emma replied, appearance shifting into a diamond-like form as her concentration deepened.

 

 

 

As soon as they left Shaw’s apartment Charles released a steady stream of frantic questions- his voice babbling and hysterical as he looked at his sister- but Raven only wrapped an arm around Charles and shushed him, rubbing her hand against his back reassuringly as she steered him down the corridor and began to explain everything.

The first thing Raven offered was an apology. It turned out the reason for her absence over the past day was because she had been giving Charles the silent treatment- she was annoyed that Charles had decided to return to the company after all, and was stubbornly refusing to speak to him about it. Of course, Raven had thought that a day would be enough, and that she would still be able to speak to Charles before Shaw arrived- not realising that the visit had been moved up.

When Raven had eventually decided to address Charles once more- returning from Emma’s home where she had spent the past two days- she had been surprised when she discovered that Charles wasn’t in his apartment, and shocked further when she learned that Shaw’s arrival hadn’t been the most dramatic thing to have happened that day…

The information had come courtesy of a young lab tech who’d always had a crush on Raven. He told her what he knew- how there had been a disturbance on the lower levels as one of the recruits- Erik- had burst into Dr Marko’s office and confronted him. Apparently Erik’s angry voice could be heard resounding through the corridors; the sound gradually drowned out as it had been joined by the groan of metal twisting and breaking. Eventually, though, the noise had quietened, and the lab tech had watched as Erik’s unconscious form had been carried away by Stryker and some other employees.

Raven had put two and two together after that- realising quickly that if Charles wasn’t at home it was likely he was already with Shaw, and that- given what Raven also knew about Shaw- she was going to need help if she wanted to rescue him. Emma had been only too happy to assist, given how close she and Raven had grown to each other… Charles knew he had more questions to ask about that later, but for now all he wanted was to get to Erik- to ensure he was okay, and to beg for forgiveness.

When Charles and Raven reached the basement of the company building they did so without incident, helped by the fact that Charles had now regained control of his faculties and was no longer sobbing so he was unlikely to draw any unwanted attention. There were a couple of guards, however, outside the room where Erik was being kept- but they were quickly dispatched thanks to a feat of acrobatics on Raven’s part.

Charles opened the door and immediately his heart skipped a beat as he took in the sight of Erik hunched the corner of the room- not mobile but at least alive as his chest moved steadily with each breath. Edging over to him, Charles’ gaze briefly glanced around the room- realising quickly that the scene had been set especially for Erik as there wasn’t a hint of metal in sight.

As Charles approached Erik looked up, taking in the sight of Charles and Raven with a certain disbelief but undeniable joy. He rose to his feet immediately though he didn’t step closer, which pained Charles immensely as he knew he wanted nothing more than to feel safe in Erik’s arms once again.

Charles and Erik regarded each other for a long moment, whilst Raven stood in the doorway watching them both. Eventually though, Charles’ expression faltered- tears rising up once again and lip quivering as he looked at Erik, aching for him.

“Forgive me…” Charles implored.

There was a pause, and then Erik finally moved- stepping closer to Charles and drawing him into this arms, as if he knew that’s exactly what Charles wanted. Erik didn’t say anything for a little while; simply holding Charles securely, stroking the hair at the nape of Charles’ neck as Charles shook through his latest bout of trembling- resting his face against Erik’s chest with arms tightly wound around Erik’s waist.

“What happened?” Erik asked eventually, withdrawing slightly from Charles and transferring his grip to hold Charles’ face. His eyes raked sorrowfully over the marks covering Charles’ neck and jaw, fingertips tracing the bruises as if he was trying to wipe them away.

“I’m okay”, Charles responded, but Erik only shook his head.

“What did Shaw do to you? Did he---?” Erik trailed off, starting to shake as well.

“I’m okay”, Charles repeated. “It’s my fault really, I--”

“No”, Erik interrupted. “No, this is not your fault. It’s never been your fault, Charles”.

Charles could only let out a small noise in response- a feeble display that barely expressed the surge of feeling that consumed his heart. “I’m sorry…” Charles continued. “I never should have lied to you. I thought I was protecting you by going to Shaw, but I couldn’t go through with it and he was so angry and he--” Charles’ words died without conclusion, but the implications hung in the air anyway.

“It’s okay”, Erik replied, pulling Charles into his chest and resting his face against the top of Charles’ hair. “It’s alright, Liebchen- you don’t need to explain anything to me. You don’t owe me anything…”

“I love you…” Charles affirmed anyway. “I always did, I’m sorry I lied to you, darling- I love you…”

This time it was Erik who offered up a small sound of helpless sentiment, and Charles could feel the dampness of Erik’s face as he pressed his cheek to Charles’ and whispered in his ear: “I love you too, Charles. I’m so sorry about all of this, I should have been there to protect you- I’m sorry…”

“Can we leave together?” Charles asked. “Like we talked about. I want to be with you, like we were at the cabin. I want that every day for the rest of my life. I want you…”

Erik nodded, his face brushing against Charles’, and when he pulled back to look down Charles could see he was smiling.

“I can’t think of anything I’d like more”, Erik replied, leaning close to brush the tip of his nose against Charles’ before settling his mouth over Charles’ lips in a tender kiss.

Charles held onto Erik desperately, needing him like oxygen- absorbing all the love Erik could give and holding it close, hoping he could remember forever what it felt like in that moment.

When Erik withdrew he continued to hold Charles’ face, though his fingers were no longer tracing the marks Shaw had left and were instead running over the scar on Charles’ neck from where the implant had been inserted.

“I’m not imagining this, am I?” Erik asked. “They put an implant back in to stunt your telepathy?”

Charles nodded. “I should have told you”.

“It’s alright. I suspected it was there when you came to see me- I could feel something but I wasn’t sure, which is why I went to confront your stepfather”.

“How did that work out for you?”

Erik smiled. “Oh, brilliantly- as you can see”, he said, and Charles smiled too.

“Do you think you can take it out?” Charles asked.

“Later”, Raven interjected, and Charles grew slightly embarrassed as he remembered his sister was stood there watching them, though it was clear from the look on her face when Charles turned around that she hadn’t minded witnessing the embrace.

“Okay”, Charles replied. “Let’s get out of here”. He slid his hand into Erik’s, holding on fiercely as they both turned towards the door- trailing behind Raven as she began to step through the doorway before she abruptly stopped with a jolt.

“What…?” Charles started, as Raven put up both hands defensively and began to retreat back into the room. As Raven withdrew further two presences became visible, forcing themselves inside the space like they owned it as Raven moved to stand beside Charles.

“Charles, I thought you’d end up here, sooner or later”, Dr Marko said dispassionately, eyes locked on Charles in obvious disapproval. Charles wasn’t meeting his gaze in return- his eyes were focused on the man standing next to his stepfather; Stryker, brandishing what looked like a pistol only it appeared to be made of plastic rather than metal.

“I take it you decided not to follow my instruction to sleep with Shaw?” Dr Marko continued. “It’s a pity, but don’t think the fact that you ruined this particular business deal means I’m just going to let you go. You belong to me, boy”.

“No. He. DOESN’T”, Erik growled, tension rising in his entire body as he glared at the two intruders with obvious venom. Charles could feel Erik beginning to shake again, only this time with pure, white-hot anger rather than with emotion.

“This is no concern of yours”, Dr Marko said, eyes focusing on Erik in distain. “You may care for Charles, but I’ve known him almost his entire life and I will continue to know him long after you’ve gone”.

“I’m not going anywhere”.

“Is that so? Well, my friend here might have something to say about that. Were you really so foolish to assume that we would take mutants on without having contingencies in place to control you? I may not have gone so far as to dose you with suppressant as yet, but one blast from this particular weapon and you’ll be completely helpless, and there will be no way of stopping whatever I choose to do to you next”.

Charles was staring hard at the weapon in question, wondering what it actually did. He knew that Xavier Inc. had all sorts of tricks at its disposal, and that the pistol could contain anything from rubber bullets to knock-out darts. Whatever the gun might contain, Charles also knew that- without any metal for Erik to use to defend them- they were unlikely to be able to get out of this situation like they wanted. Unless…

It seemed like Erik came to the realisation at the same time Charles did. Loosening hold of Charles’ hand, Erik reached around the back of Charles’ neck- fingers moving to trace the scar that covered the area where the metal implant under Charles’ skin resided.

Turning to look at Erik briefly, Charles gave him a nod of approval, and Erik’s face grew stern and determined as he used his powers to take hold of the metal.

To Charles, it was like the next few minutes moved in slow motion. He turned to the other side- to face his sister Raven so he could make sure she wasn’t going to be injured in the ensuing scuffle, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Erik lift his hand before there was a cry of “No!” from Dr Marko, and the implant was pulled free.

It didn’t hurt like it had when Erik had removed the implant before. Perhaps that was the first sign that something was wrong.

Charles watched his sister as it happened. First Raven was blue, then she was red. Charles frowned slightly, wondering why his sister’s face was suddenly covered with a thick, red liquid that made her yellow eyes look even more vibrant underneath it, but then the world fell away underneath him and he began to realise.

The first thing Charles felt was his knees banging against the cold tiles of the floor, more red falling here too as Charles slumped forward- watching Stryker drop in a similar manner on the other side of the room- a hole punctured through the front of his shirt and a spreading darkness beneath it. Next, Charles’ face hit the floor and finally- blindingly- there was pain; an intense throbbing in the side of his neck and worse still the feeling of absence- like something very necessary had been pulled free.

Charles could hear shouting now- Raven yelling something that sounded very much like his name but that was too pained and too garbled to be a real human sound, with his stepfather’s voice in the background repeating something like: “You’re weren’t supposed to take it out!” over and over again like he was broken.

It seemed like perception was intermittent- Charles could feel the pain surging in the side of his neck, then nothing. He could feel the cold tiles underneath his face, then nothing. He could feel Erik’s strong arms sliding around him and pulling him close, then nothing. It was like an alarm going off- a continual flashing light, but instead of a pulse of changing colours there was a pulse of life- first here, then gone.

Charles looked up into Erik’s face- the man he loved, the man who had given him life again when it seemed like all hope was lost. He tried to tell Erik he was sorry for the millionth time that day, but he couldn’t speak- the words were thick and tasted metallic, and he couldn’t force them from his throat.

Erik was crying again, Charles was devastated to realise, and he wanted so desperately to reach up and wipe the tears from Erik’s face but he couldn’t move his hands or his arms or anything really, and he couldn’t feel anymore and his vision was blurring and oh the pain was gone now, fading, drawing Charles deeper into a place of peace and quiet, away from Erik and his sister and everything he held dear but somehow a kinder place- a place where he would never be hurt again he would just be…

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

He woke early- dressing in his usual clothes and wandering into the kitchen to make coffee. The taste of it was bitter, but familiar- and it gave him clarity; a reminder of the fact that he was no longer dreaming, and this was his life now.

Stepping outside the confines of the cabin, he walked through the woods and across the field- to the place where he had been happy, once. Just once.

It was warmer here than it had been on that day. The snow had long since melted, and all around wild flowers were beginning to bloom- signs of life that mocked him and reminded him of everything he had lost, because there was no life for him now- not anymore.

He reached the spot he came to every day, kneeling in its wake and reaching to brush newly-fallen rain from the top of the grave marker, moving to trace his fingers across the letters that spanned it like he was trying to feel that person alive again- the man he loved: Charles Francis Xavier.

Tears had long since left him, like everything else. Erik was hollow once more- a deep pit of grief inside him that would never be filled again, because he would never love again. This should have been their place. This should have been their home. Now, instead, it was where Charles had been laid to rest- with Erik, but without him all the same.

There were flowers here too- bluebells as vibrant as Charles’ eyes had been, and Erik hated those flowers- he hated them for reminding him of everything he had lost, but he left them all the same. He knew Charles would have liked them.

“It’s been two months”, a voice said.

Erik didn’t bother turning around at first- he knew who it was. She always came in the end, even if Erik had managed to convince himself that she would give up on him eventually, she always came back.

“What’s your point?” Erik replied, standing up and turning to face her, though it always killed him to look into her eyes.

“You can’t stay here”, Raven replied- a harsh shock of blue against the pale landscape only softened by the pure white of Emma standing next to her, holding her hand. “Please, Erik- come back with me, join me at the company. Things are better than ever now we’ve taken over, and I could really use your help”.

“No”, Erik replied, shaking his head. “I can’t leave him”.

“Erik…” Raven responded painfully. “Charles is gone”.

Another head shake, more certain this time- a wilful denial of a devastating truth.

“He’s gone, Erik…” Raven continued. “He’s gone…” She stepped towards Erik, dropping Emma’s hand and reaching to wrap her arms around Erik instead- the two of them falling into it like they always did, as if the other held the answers in their arms, as if somehow the parts of themselves they had left could make each other whole.

“I’m sorry”, Erik said through his shaking. “I’m sorry, Raven…”

“I know, I know you are... It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know”.

“I’m sorry…”

Erik didn’t feel like he would ever be able to say it enough; that he could ever punish himself enough for what he’d done. Of course, he couldn’t have known what disaster his actions would cause on that fateful day- how Dr Marko had instructed the doctor to place Charles’ implant so that part of it wrapped perilously around his jugular, supposedly to prevent further removal, but ultimately to act as a fatal trap. Erik had agonised over that decision every day since- reliving the moment when he’d seen Charles fall to the ground, when he’d held Charles in his arms and tried to stem the tide of blood that wouldn’t end, when he’d watched the light go out in Charles’ eyes- the brightest light he had ever known, forever extinguished.

“I’m sorry…” Erik said again, but whether he was saying it to Raven or to Charles’ memory he couldn’t be sure.

Eventually Erik and Raven separated, still holding each other but no longer consumed in a desperate embrace.

“I could make you forget”, Emma offered, and Erik whirled to look at her.

“What?”

“I could make you forget him, if you wanted. You know- remove him from your memories, like he was never there--“

“No”, Erik interjected. “Please don’t”.

Part of it was tempting- perhaps the most selfish part of Erik wanted it, or maybe the part of him that didn’t want to live with the pain anymore. But no- he couldn’t do it. Although living without Charles was the most painful thing he had ever experienced, he knew that to remove Charles from his memories would be worse- because he couldn’t imagine a life unloved by that man, even if it had only lasted a few months. In the same way he would look at the pictures of the two of them on Charles’ phone, Erik wanted to hold those memories close forever- to allow himself to imagine how things could have been, how they had been during that week they’d spent at the cabin.

“I don’t want to forget him”, Erik said as Raven reached up to wipe a tear from his face.

“You won’t”, Raven replied. “He’ll always be with us”.

Raven and Emma stayed for the rest of the afternoon, like they usually did. Erik made tea and they sat in the living room and talked- about how Raven and Emma were doing, about the company and the progress they were making, but ultimately about Charles- about every aspect of their lives that he had touched.

When the evening drew in Raven and Emma prepared to leave, but not before Raven pulled Erik into a final hug.

“Please think about what I said”, she implored. “We could really use you at the company”.

“I’ll think about it”, Erik lied. Well, maybe it wasn’t a lie. Maybe one day he would consider it- perhaps it would be somewhat comforting to work at Xavier Inc.; to help mould the company like Charles had always wanted to.

But not yet. It was late spring now, and Erik wanted to wait until the seasons changed again- until it brought him back to that time when they had been happy, when he had held Charles in his arms and carried him over snow-covered fields.

Not yet.