Chapter Text
“I just want to go back to school, Erik. I don’t see how that’s such a bad thing,” Charles said for what seemed like the tenth time in the last five minutes.
“It’s not a bad thing, Charles. It just surprises me that anyone would ever want to go to school when they have the option of continuing with homeschooling. Only you would prefer to go back into that hellhole for another month and a half, subjecting yourself to early mornings, people, and teachers.”
“I like school. I don’t know how this is still a surprise to you. Besides, I’m not learning that much with homeschooling. The teachers doing it…aren’t great. They’re not bad, don’t get me wrong, but they all have their subjects. It would be like me trying to teach languages. It wouldn’t go well. You, meanwhile, would do fine with that but trying to teach advanced bio wouldn’t be nearly as well as me teaching it would be. I would rather have teachers who are teaching what they know.”
Erik nodded and shifted a little to look up at Charles. It was late in the evening after a long day, Erik had school, then therapy for Charles. Maybe it hadn’t been that much but they were both exhausted and that was why the two of them were on Charles’ bed watching a movie. Charles was propped up by the head of the bed and what he thought was an excessive number of pillows, but Erik didn’t seem to think so. Erik had his head laying against Charles’ chest and Charles’ arms wrapped around him. It had been a week since Charles was released and it would seem he was growing increasingly tired of being trapped there while Erik went to school. Erik was sure it had something to do with Edie working her schedule around him again as well, but they weren’t going to just leave Charles alone just yet, no matter how much he might want them to.
“If you really want to go back to school then you can. I’m not trying to tell you not to or say you can’t. I’m just saying it wouldn’t be something I would do. But then again, I don’t like school. Do you want to go back tomorrow?” It was a Thursday, Erik thought a couple of days at the end of the week might be a good way to test it out and see how things go but he had confidence Charles could do it. On the other hand, he knew all too well how other students could be.
While he was sure Charles had thought about the pity and sympathy the other students might feel, he’d never had it directed at him. Erik remembered when his dad had died and he missed school for a few days for the funeral. When he came back it was his own personal version of hell, worse than normal. People who he had never talked to before came to apologize, as though they had personally killed him, there were pitying looks, the teachers would have let him by with murder the week after he firmly believed. In Charles’ position, he could only imagine it would be much worse.
“I want to give it a try. I want to go back tomorrow and see how things go. I think I’m ready and I’m going to have to face the world eventually. I like school, it’s a normal thing, it could be good to get back to it and I think I need that. Besides, your mum is going through too much trouble for me right now and I don’t want to put her through that any longer. I love her, but I think she’s more protective than you are.”
Erik laughed, “I think you’ve finally found out where I got it from. It only took you twelve years.”
A sound of playful offence left Charles and he shoved at Erik, even if he wasn’t letting him out of his hold. “How dare you. It didn’t take me nearly that long, I just didn’t know she was more protective. I didn’t know anyone could be.”
“Sounds like I need to step it up a little then,” Erik said, smiling and moving in Charles’ hold again so he was at a better angle to place a kiss to his lips. The movie was truly forgotten as they both got lost in the kiss and each other.
Charles’ hand slid down Erik’s back and a whine left him before he pulled back from the kiss, “Sorry,” He whispered.
“For what?” Charles asked, smiling up at him and looking accomplished. “Sensitive or something?”
Erik glared at his friend, “You know damn well my back always has been,” He growled before he leaned in and nipped at Charles’ bottom lip, getting a surprised laugh for his troubles. They both knew that Erik had never trusted people to be behind him. A light touch to his back to let him know someone had walked up behind him would lead to the other person being on the floor. Erik was always on high alert and casual touches he wasn’t expecting was no exception to that rule, especially when it came to touches from behind.
The first time Charles had done it had ended as it would have for anyone else. He was on the ground before he knew what had happened. As soon as Erik realized who it was and what had happened though, he helped his friend up and apologized again and again. Since then, Charles had been continuing the touches, any light and casual touch really, but only when Erik was aware of his presence. That’s how they got to this point, Charles realizing just how sensitive Erik’s back is and using that to his advantage as often as he possibly can.
“If you’re going to school tomorrow we should probably get up and get ready for bed,” Erik said, pushing himself up once again and looking down at Charles. Before he knew what he was doing, he was leaning in and kissed the other again.
It was close to half an hour later that they finally managed to pull themselves away from each other again. Erik stood up and stretched, watching as Charles moved himself around on the bed a little and began slowly attempting to move himself over into his chair. The process was still slow and unpracticed, but he was getting better at it, especially with Erik nearby, ready to help if he needed it.
Erik made himself busy, while keeping tabs on both Charles and his wheelchair, using his powers. The braces Charles had on consisted of enough metal that Erik could easily catch him and lower him to the floor, if nothing else. He had learned not to hover over him while he’s transferring though, so he walked around the room, grabbing some pyjamas for him and then reorganizing the pillows, throwing the ones he’s not going to need off the bed and putting the ones he will need in the place they should be.
By the time he was finished, Charles was in his chair and ready for a shower, his face damp with sweat but he was smiling as he had been recently when he managed to keep his independence. Part of Erik wanted to tell him good job, but didn’t say anything, Charles had asked Erik the last time if he should start congratulating him every time he stood up or sat down and Erik saw his point (even if they had discovered he liked the occasional praise).
The euphoric look only lasted moments before Charles winced and grabbed at his thigh and Erik heard him mumble, “Fucking fuck,” Under his breath. He moved closer, knowing and understanding the muscle spasms now but still not knowing what to do when they happened. He wanted to be able to take that all away but that was hardly a possibility.
There was nothing to do but sit close by and wait it out while Charles did the same. Erik makes a mental note to spend a little more time on that leg later on, when they’re in the shower, thinking perhaps a massage would help some. The problem is that outside of physical therapy, whether done by the professionals or Erik, Charles has refused anyone outright touching his legs in such a deliberate way. Sure, Erik could help with his clothes or a shower, but placing a hand on Charles’ leg would always be smacked off of him, offering a massage would be declined and he’d get the silent treatment for as long as Charles could make it last. He would try to sneak it in under the guise of washing him off and that was the best he could do.
Once Erik was sure it was finished and Charles was going to be okay, he moved away, knowing to act like nothing had happened. Ignoring it wasn’t the best way to deal with this and surely Charles knows that as well, but the last thing Erik wants to do is push and make Charles angry.
“Shower then, come on,” Erik said instead, tossing the t-shirt and cotton pants at Charles who laughs softly and gathers them up on his lap. “I’m going to go grab something to sleep in too. You go ahead.”
Charles nodded and Erik ran up the stairs while he went on to the bathroom. Erik made quick work of grabbing a pair of boxers and a vest from his room before going back down to join Charles.
Shower time was just another plus side of their new relationship, they had both decided. While there wasn’t much room in the shower for Erik and the shower chair, it was much easier to do it that way than him staying dressed and on the outside of the shower with the door opened, spraying water everywhere and getting drenched himself. They made it work and both managed to get clean, Charles needing a little help to reach everything.
They were constantly finding ways for him to do more himself and he had ordered more adaptive tools since coming home as well. Most of the problems now involved his hair and where he was sitting, but Erik knew it and was quick to help when Charles got to those areas, not saying anything about it and getting it done. He was sure to spend a little extra time on his legs as well, massaging the muscles where he was allowed to wash.
It was a plus that Charles enjoyed Erik washing his hair, running his hands through it and rinsing while Charles got to relax under the touches. Even if that was all he seemed to like Erik washing for him.
Once Charles was clean, Erik got to work finishing his own shower which, more often than not, consisted of Charles washing Erik’s hair for him as well while Erik sat in front of him. It was nice, Erik had to admit and could tell that Charles enjoyed doing something for him as well, though sitting on the floor in the shower was something he wasn’t sure he would ever get used to.
“We need to be getting to bed,” Charles whispered after a while of running his hands through Erik’s hair, after he had finished washing it. “It’s getting late.”
“Do we need to talk to your home school teacher about you going to school tomorrow?” Erik asked, standing up and moving to grab them both a towel, drying off while letting Charles dry himself.
“I might have already handled that. I talked to my therapist about this today, actually. He was the one that suggested trying and contacted the school when I said I wanted to give it a chance. Then I exchanged some emails with her and she agreed to it. I’ve not been fully taken out of the home school program, but they agreed to let me try this for a couple of days to see how it works out.”
Erik nodded and then they finished up in the bathroom, Erik getting dressed before helping Charles to finish drying off. They then worked together to get him into his wheelchair and get changed into his pyjamas. It was easier to get him dressed when he was laying down, but he absolutely refused to wait until he was in his room to get dressed, informing Erik he would not allow Edie to see him in anything less than pants or shorts. They would have to simply straighten them up once they got him in bed. Then they brushed their teeth and finished up in the bathroom.
Erik stayed with him a while longer in Charles’ bedroom, giving him a chance to get into bed and get situated. They worked together getting his pillows in place and his clothes straightened, then he checked to make sure he had a timer set on his phone to wake him up so he could reposition himself.
“Comfortable?” Erik asked, leaning down to give him a final kiss, “Let me know if you need anything.”
“I’m fine, love, and I will, thank you,” He whispered and returned the kiss. Erik doubted Charles would wake him with anything less than an emergency but accepted what he said.
“Thank you, Schatz,” He whispered back and then pulled away, “Night,” He said, turning off the light and heard Charles say it back, before Erik walked out of the room and upstairs to his own room.
The next morning, Erik could tell how nervous Charles was, just by looking at him and how he was acting. He wanted to reach out and comfort him, try to assure him that everything would be okay, but he doubted anything he had to say would help too much.
They sat around the table, making quick work of their quickly put together breakfast, Erik downing his coffee and Charles doing the same with his tea. They were struggling to keep their eyes open and Erik knew Charles was having a worse time with it than he was, he was the morning person between the two of them, if Charles didn’t have to be up before noon, he wouldn’t be. Still, Erik wondered how his mother did it, she was already gone to work and the two boys had even woken up earlier than normal.
With the amount of time it took their morning routine they were already running the risk of being late, but at least they were cutting down how long it took each day, even if it was just seconds at a time, it was an improvement. Plus, they knew they’d need to give themselves more time the next morning.
“Have you seen my physics book?” Erik called out, once their breakfast was gone and they were preparing to leave. “It’s not in my backpack.”
Charles rolled out of his room and over to Erik, smiling, “You left it in my room last night,” He said, picking the book up off his lap and holding it out to Erik. “When you came in claiming you needed help but ended up just kissing me. Did you even get your homework done?”
A laugh left Erik at how concerned Charles seemed to be about his schooling. “Of course. No offense, Charles, but if I was actually needing help with physics, I think I would go to Hank instead. There’s a reason you are in advanced bio and I’m in physics,” He reminded him before leaning down and placing a kiss on his head. Then he slid the book into his bag and double checked Charles’ chair to make sure his bag was hanging on the back of it.
“Are you ready now?” Charles asked, looking up at Erik, who nodded.
“Getting there the old fashioned way? We should have just enough time.”
Charles nodded, “Yeah, I don’t want to bother with the car if we don’t have to,” He replied and rubbed at the back of his neck. Erik knew he was still uneasy and anxious about being in vehicles and wasn’t going to push him.
“Then we do need to get going, come on,” He walked over to the door, holding it open for Charles this time, letting the other roll out so Erik could close and lock the doors behind them with a wave of his hand.
The trip to school was relatively quick which Erik was thankful for. Charles had begun projecting his worry and concern, something he had never done on purpose. Erik placed his hand on Charles’ shoulder and gave it a squeeze. They couldn’t hold hands while walking next to each other but a hand on his shoulder, to them, had taken on the same meaning. Charles tilted his head to lean his cheek against Erik’s hand for a moment, then sat back up.
All eyes were on them as they made their way into the school. The whispering and staring didn’t make it past Erik and he wondered how much worse it was with Charles’ powers. If their situations were reversed Erik would give them something to stare at. Even still, he might if they don’t stop acting like heathens.
“Calm, Erik. It’s new, it’s different. It’s born of ignorance. They’ll get used to it, something else will happen and everyone will move on from my accident and being in his chair,” Charles sent to him and, with a wince, Erik realized that he and sent that thought to Charles or thought it loudly enough for him to pick up on.
“Sorry, but you know how I feel about ignorance. I could make an example of one of them.”
“There’s that protective streak,” Charles sent, sounding both fond and exasperated, “No making an example of anyone. Just ignore them and they’ll eventually ignore me.”
“Or you’ll go get all of their attention and start talking to them, and start up a conversation. You know how you are the same as I do. You like attention, Charles.”
“This is not the time for this argument, Erik,” Charles said, no longer sounding fond, just tired and Erik watched as he pinched the bridge of his nose. It was enough to make him feel bad for bringing it up. Sure it wasn’t the time for an argument, but most of the time those arguments were good-natured and a distraction from whatever was bothering them. It would appear that wasn’t the case this time.
“I’m sorry, Liebling. You’re a people person and there is nothing wrong with that. I love you even if you can start a deep conversation with a complete stranger.”
For a while, Charles said nothing, staring at Erik who was just left confused. It took him a moment to realize why. Sure, they had said they love each other before, but in the week since they first kissed they hadn’t and the word had much more meaning to it now than it did before.
The sound of the bell ringing made them both jump and look away from each other.
“Come on, let’s get to class,” Erik said. Not for the first time, he was glad they shared most of their classes.
“I love you too, by the way,” Charles sent back as they made their way into their first period class. There was no time for Erik to answer or say anything. People swarmed Charles as soon as they were in the door and Erik busied himself with using his powers to attach a small desk to Charles’ chair while sitting back next to his friend in his usual seat. He let Charles deal with the people and just watched.
He hadn’t been lying earlier, Charles was a people person and Erik did love that about him. Even if he couldn’t even begin to comprehend how he did it all the time.
The door closing and the teacher walking in was what caused all the other students to find their seats and Charles looked over at Erik with a smirk which Erik returned before their attention was taken over by the lecture.
The day was slow going. At the end of each class, Charles stayed behind to talk to the teacher so Erik stayed by the door, waiting for him. Because of that, they were at least right on time for each class with no time to spare, and late on two occasions.
The only time of the day that really stood out and went over mostly well, — where Erik was concerned, that is,— was lunch. Charles had gone to their usual table taking his and Erik’s bags with him, leaving Erik to go through the line and pick up both of their meals. It was something he thought Charles would fight, but it was well known how high the bars were and trying to move a tray, reach the food and push himself would have been a struggle so he had given in to Erik doing it without a fight.
For the first time in around two months, the two of them sat down with their friends for lunch. By the time Erik made it to their table, not only was Charles there, but Hank, Alex, and Raven were as well. Of course, he wasn’t surprised at all to see Charles in the middle of a story, easily entertaining the group and practically glowing in the attention.
“Oh, thank you, love,” Charles said as Erik sat in his chair next to him and Erik gave him a smile in response.
Always one for being quiet, Erik just sat back and let the others do the talking, occasionally he would add in something or back up what Charles was saying. Other than that, though, he was content to let them talk amongst themselves.
Before long, their small number had grown and Erik had to bite back a groan, seeing the same swarm of girls from before walking over to join them. Moira, Gabrielle, Angel, even Emma Frost made an appearance, which seemed to set Erik off even more than seeing Moira all over Charles and, at one point, seeming to try to push Erik off his seat so she could sit there. He wasn’t giving up his place next to Charles and held onto his pizza with one hand and the seat with the other.
The usuals at their table were exchanging glances and looks of annoyance, which went completely unnoticed by the newcomers. Couldn’t they just enjoy their lunch in peace?
It was abruptly that the three girls walked away from the table and Erik looked over at Charles, suspicious of what made them leave so quickly and abruptly. His friend was staring at his tray which he hadn’t touched and that was all it took for Erik to understand. Only once it was down to family and friends around the table did Charles start to eat, slowly, but he was getting better at it. He had utensils to make eating easier but it seemed he was determined not to use them and, for that reason, Erik was glad he got foods that were mostly considered finger foods for him, pizza, grapes, fries.
By the time lunch was over, things had returned to mostly normal for the group of five and Charles was back to acting like himself again. That didn’t stop Erik from being nervous though, since the one class the two of them didn’t have together was the one right after lunch.
Trying to be casual, Erik grabbed Hank and pulled him to the side, “You have fourth with Charles, right? Keep an eye on him. He should be fine but…I know he won’t let me know if he needs anything, can you?”
Hank, eyes wide and looking a little terrified, as he always did when Erik spoke to him, nodded, “Yeah, umm, I’ll text you if something happens, right?”
Erik nodded, “Yes, that’ll work,” He replied and then they made their way to class.
The rest of the day passed, relatively uneventfully, at least for Erik. That didn’t stop him from following Charles into his room as soon as they got home though, and falling back onto his bed. Charles wasn’t too far behind, carefully making his way over next to Erik.
“So, how was today?” Erik asked, moving over so his head was on Charles’ chest, both of them getting comfortable around the other.
“Exhausting, but not too bad. I definitely want to try again tomorrow before making any big decisions though,” He decided.
“Sounds good to me,” Erik agreed, “Nap and then stretches, homework, dinner, shower, bed.”
“Busy evening,” Charles replied with a smirk, “A lot of sleeping and necessities.”
“Hard work being a living being,” Erik mumbled, eyes already closed as he started to drift off to sleep and Charles wasn’t too far behind him.
Friday was no better than Thursday, though, in fact, to Charles it must have been much, much worse. When the final bell rang for them to go home, Erik walked over to his friend so they could go together, but Charles turned and rolled out of the classroom, into the hall. He didn’t even hide that he was using his powers to move people out of the way, leaving behind a trail of confused people, but Erik wasn’t too worried about that. He had always said Charles was too polite with his abilities.
He followed him through the hall and then outside, Charles going just fast enough to stay ahead of Erik. For a split second, Erik realized he could stop him, use his powers to hold back his chair, but he knew he wouldn’t really do that. He would never unless Charles asked him to for some reason. Instead, he let him go and ran to catch up, though stayed a little behind him, letting him have his space.
Even when they got home, Charles showed no signs of slowing down, he went up the ramp, through the door with minimal trouble and then back to his room. Outside, Erik hesitated a moment before sticking his head in Charles’ room.
“Do you want some time alone? Or do you want to talk?” He asked.
“Shut up and leave me the hell alone Erik,” Charles growled in response, not even looking at Erik.
With a nod, Erik said, “Okay, let me know if you need anything.”
“Oh, fuck off, Lehnsherr,” Charles said and Erik stepped away.
The words didn’t sting as much as maybe they should. He knew Charles was struggling and had been doing decently well at hiding it until now. Really it had just been a matter of time before something like this happened and Erik had known it for a while. What did hurt was the knowledge that there was a time Charles would never have said anything like that to anyone, let alone Erik. He was the one always getting angry and snapping, saying things he didn’t mean, Charles had never done that before. At least not that Erik had ever seen.
He walked through the house, trying to decide what to do with himself while giving Charles some space. In the end, he found himself in the kitchen. Over the last few weeks, he had realized that cooking was a good way to calm himself down and he was getting to be decent at it. Though not as good as his mama, he was convinced that no one could ever be better at cooking than her.
That put an idea in his head though, his mind going back to what she had said about him loving Charles. He walked around the kitchen and floated a bowl and pan down, then got out ingredients. He could do something nice for Charles, surely he would appreciate that.
It was an hour of calming himself and focusing on the task at hand, using his powers to help him where he could. In the end, he finished up and grabbed what he had made to take back to Charles. In one hand was a plate with a slice of still-warm cake, in the other was a cup of tea.
He knocked on the door to the other man’s room, “Charles, I have something for you, can I come in?” He asked.
The door pushed open and left Charles sitting in front of him. At a glance, Erik could tell that he had been crying and that hurt more than any words he could have thrown at him.
“I’m sorry, love,” Charles whispered and Erik shook his head.
“Already forgiven,” He replied and held the cake out so Charles could see what he had. It brought a small smile to the man’s face. “I know things are hard and I’m not going to get too hurt at anything you say to me or call me. I’ve done worse than anything you can think of, I’m sure. So, you eat this, drink your tea, and if you want, we can talk about this.”
Charles nodded and had already reached out to take the cake from the other man. He wasted no time in taking a large bite and Erik smiled as he felt the waves of enjoyment coming from him.
“If this is what happens when I get angry and hurt then maybe I should do it often,” Charles joked with a mouthful and Erik chuckled.
“Don’t talk with your mouthful, I don’t think the Heimlich maneuver would be the best idea right now,” Erik said, moving to sit on Charles’ bed, placing the tea on the table next to it.
For a while, Erik contented himself with watching Charles eat and enjoy the food he had brought for him. Though, once it was finished and Charles had taken a couple of sips of his tea he sat it to the side with a sigh and Erik knew they were going to start the discussion.
“It’s sort of hell,” Charles admitted, staring at the wall behind Erik instead of at the man himself. “Hearing everyone’s thoughts, everyone's emotions. It’s always been hell, it’s so loud, so…all consuming, but now, knowing what is going through their minds every time they look at me or think of me. You would think I was dead or better off dead than stuck in this fucking thing,” He lands the heel of his hand on the frame of his chair, hard. “They’re all thinking it’s a shame, that I could have had a good life, that I could have been successful fucking happy, that I could have had a wife and kids and a good job but no. They think my life is over and I’m sad and pathetic now. There’s nothing left for me but life in this hell I’m currently living in,” He sighed and paused, breathing heavily after ranting. When he speaks again his voice is softer.
“I still have hope,” He laughs sadly, “And maybe that’s what makes me pathetic, maybe that will be my downfall. I have hope that my life could still mean something. Sure I might not ever have a wife, but I don’t want one. I want a husband I want…I want you. I want kids, I want to get my doctorate in genetics, I want to teach, and I want to start a school for people like us. I want to give it my all and hopefully succeed.”
“Charles, it had been anyone else saying what you have said about their goals, I would have thought they were impossible for them to reach. Most people, I really don’t think, could achieve a doctorate, let alone open their own school for mutants, but you? I know you can. I don’t think this is what’s going to be your downfall. If anything is, it’s going to be how trusting and caring you are. I love you, but that’s going to hurt. You care about what those people think about you, you care about what they say, how they feel, their opinions. It can be a great quality, and it certainly helped in bringing us together, but we both know it causes you to get hurt a lot too.”
“It does hurt. Everything hurts,” Charles whispered and, with a blink, tears started to fall. “Physically, mentally, I’m exhausted. I’ve been trying to keep my shields up to keep all the thoughts out but they’re all so loud and most make it through anyway. I’ve been sitting here too long. There’s so much make-up work for my classes as well. I know I need to get used to this, it's my new normal but it’s just hell. I hate it all and I just…” Charles' voice broke and he paused before trying again, “I want to just stop existing, Erik. I don’t want to do this anymore. I keep trying to be strong but I can’t do it.”
Erik felt tears in his own eyes as he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Charles, holding him while he cried. He rubbed his back, making sure he was staying where the other could feel.
For a long time, they stayed there. The only sounds were Charles’ sobs and shuddering breaths against Erik’s shoulder. It hurt him to know his friend was in so much pain and had been trying to stay strong and hide it, but he also knew it was Charles. He would put himself through anything to not be a bother to anyone around him.
When the shaking lessened, Erik pulled back a little and looked at the other man, rubbing his thumbs over his cheeks, holding his face in his hands. He had a plan and just hoped it would help Charles, even if it was just for a little while.
“Let’s get you on the bed and comfortable. I have an idea,” He said before standing up and moving to the side so Charles could slide himself over on the bed. While he was doing that, Erik went around the room and grabbed the pillows so he could help Charles set up comfortably against the head of the bed. There was a pause at the beginning where Charles was gripping his leg and Erik tried to act like he wasn’t noticing the spam. Not until the point that Charles ended falling over and ended up laying out on the bed, fingers dug into his thigh.
Erik wished he would stop that, but didn’t say anything. There were already bruises from his fingers lining both his thighs from how hard he would grip them, not being able to feel his fingers sinking in. They would deal with that later though and Erik would make sure he hadn’t broken skin.
When it eventually stopped, Erik gave him a hand to help him sit back up against the pillows, kissed his cheeks and whispered, “I’ll be right back.”
He walked out of the room and ran around the house, almost wildly, coming in once to dump some things, then a second time with some more before he closed the bedroom door. Charles was looking at him with amusement.
“What is this about, then?” He asked, glancing at the stuff on the bed, curiously.
“It’s Friday night, we don’t have anything to do today or in the morning. Homework can wait until tomorrow night or Sunday. For now, we’re not going to exist, and the world can continue on without us for hours,” Erik replied, pushing some of the stuff towards Charles. Erik watched as he realized what it was, a pile of snacks, anything he could find laying around they could steal, bags of chips, granola bars, an assortment of fruit, some bottles of water, candy.
The other pile was entertainment, a video game system that Erik moved by the TV, his laptop, a stack of DVDs, and a couple of books.
“Are you planning to lock us in here for the entire weekend?” Charles asked, looking up from his examination, smiling softly.
“Of course not, but I thought you might like some variety. I figure we can make it until sometime tomorrow morning anyway. Mama will be okay without us and this way we just have to leave for the bathroom and nothing else. What do you want to watch first?”
Charles laughed softly and the two of them set out on picking a movie. Before the first one was over, they were both cuddled up together, Charles asleep with his arms around Erik who was leaning against him.
Things weren’t perfect for them, but when are things ever? They had each other and that was enough for them both.