Work Text:
When asked about soulmates, Erik Lehnsherr preferred to say (to his mother’s chagrin) that he’d rather be stabbed in the abdomen roughly seven to twelve times than meet his. People called him cynical. Erik ignored them. They accused him of being heartless. Erik ignored that too.
He didn’t need love. He had a perfectly good cat who ignored his every move and an apartment that was big enough for him and only him. He called his mother several times a week and visited as often as he could. He was fine.
Erik was pretty firmly opposed to meeting his soulmate, despite the fact that a certain genetics professor related to his third-in-command seemed convinced that he could prove him otherwise. Whenever Erik thought about Charles, after Raven told Erik her brother’s name, his imagination seemed to wander in a direction that could be deemed dangerous and romantic.
Devious thoughts would at the edges of his vision, swirling with terror, bright and cheery, bringing clarity to the walls of his apartment and the leaves on the trees. Erik had an inkling that he’d be able to understand what the sky actually looked like if he spent time with the geneticist. It terrified him.
Every time Erik thought about Charles, he had to change his mind very quickly, before the colors started leaking in. If he came face to face with Charles, Erik would very likely be doomed.
They had only met in passing, just once, but Charles’ eyes had lit up in that precise way that only people experiencing a world of color for the first time did. Erik’s eyes had widened and then slammed shut as he mumbled excuses and ran home to his emotionally unattached cat.
Erik didn’t believe in soulmates. He didn’t believe in instant love. There was no logic to it, no way to know it would work out. He couldn’t put faith in a relationship that was just going to magically work out because he suddenly knew what red meant.
Even if Charles’ wide, surprised eyes did keep him up at night.
Erik really didn’t need love. At least, that was what he told himself.
***
“Honestly Erik, just get lunch with him. Maybe he won’t be so bad,” Emma said, not looking up from her phone. She leaned back in the chair next to Erik’s desk, crossing her legs and tossing her hair over her shoulder.
“You don’t have one,” Erik grumbled in reply, resisting the urge to rest his face on his desk.
“I’m still waiting,” Emma replied. “Nobody has met my standards.”
Erik groaned and decided that yes, it was the right time to lay his face on his desk. He even closed his eyes, for dramatic effect.
“The difference between you and me is that you have met your soulmate and that you’re actively repressing it,” Emma continued. “Which makes no sense to anybody, which is why I am here on behalf of everyone who loves you at this company to tell you to go on a date.”
“Most of the people who work here are afraid of me,” Erik told his desk.
“Well,” Emma started, simpering a little when she realized Erik was right.
“And you’re here because you think being second in the chain of command means you can barge into my office, sit in the chair you like, and gossip about people whose names I don’t know because you overheard something in someone’s thoughts,” Erik continued, “Which, might I add, is not technically legal.”
“I can’t help overhearing your surface thoughts, and people project. Besides, I don’t go advertising it to anyone but you, and you won’t turn me in,” Emma retorted. Erik sighed and sat up, rubbing his forehead.
“Maybe stop telling me about every single thing you overhear. I’m not built for gossip,” Erik finally replied.
“Do you still have my nail file?” Emma changed the subject instead of replying. Erik nodded, the small file floating out of the cup all of his pens lived in and into Emma’s outstretched hand. She stashed her phone and started examining her nails.
Erik made no effort to continue the conversation, but also made no effort to get Emma out of his office. Yet, he was somehow surprised when Emma picked the conversation back up.
“So where’d you meet him?” Emma asked.
“Coffeeshop one block over,” Erik muttered. “I was leaving and he was entering, and then he made this face and started babbling and I excused myself.”
“How do you know who he is, then?” Emma asked, glancing at him from her place of being very hard at work fixing her nails.
“His sister is Raven. She burst in the next day and wanted to know if I had any unusual encounters,” Erik titled his head back, admiring the ceiling. The ceiling was plain and boring and Erik was pleased with it.
“Raven who works here Raven?” Emma looked up sharply and narrowed her eyes at Erik.
“Yes, the one who works here,” Erik replied. “With the shapeshifting mutation.”
“She’s never mentioned a brother,” Emma looked thoughtful. “But then again, she does know how to block me. Maybe he’s a telepath.”
“That’s promising,” Erik agreed. “I’d hope my soulmate is a mutant. If I have one.”
Emma rolled her eyes and held up the nail file. Erik floated it back to its home on his desk.
“You have a soulmate,” Emma promised, standing up. “Everyone does. It’s okay to love him.”
“Since when do you practice emotions?” Erik asked, losing the fight quickly.
“When my boss is so grumpy it gives me a headache, which is always.” Emma crossed her arms. “Get a hold of Raven. Meet the boy. Learn some colors and don’t come back until you’re happy.”
She chose that moment to dramatically sweep out of the room, leaving Erik alone. Erik stared at the door for a long time after it closed behind her.
Finally, he reached for the office phone, dialing the few keys that would connect him to his mother.
“You’re calling me from the office phone? What is this?” His mother greeted.
“Nothing mama, just the closest one to me,” Erik replied, closing his eyes and smiling to himself.
“Well that’s fine then I suppose,” Edie replied, the sound of running water turning off in the background, followed by the scraping of a chair as she pulled it away from the table and sat at it. “So why is my son calling me in the middle of the day?”
“I think it finally happened, mama,” Erik said simply, waiting a moment for Edie to figure it out. A moment later, there was a sharp squeal.
“Oh Erik, that’s so exciting,” she gushed, radiating happiness through the phone. “See? I told you it wouldn’t be so bad. And you had to go on and on about being stabbed instead, when nobody would actually get near you with a metal knife anyway. I’m so glad you’re embracing this! Tell me all about them.”
“We haven’t actually talked,” Erik replied.
“Then how do you know this is your soulmate?” Edie asked.
“When I think about him, something changes in my vision and I think that change is color,” Erik said.
“Of course it’s color,” Edie replied, and Erik could practically see her waving her hands at him. “A boy you said? Why don’t you go meet him and find out for sure?”
“We bumped into each other at the coffee shop and he figured things out faster than me. When something started to change, I left,” Erik explained.
“Holding out for the stabbing, I see,” Edie mused. “Do you know who this boy is?”
“Raven’s brother,” Erik answered.
“Oh, perfect! This is better than a stranger then, isn’t it liebling?” Edie sounded delighted again. Erik began to feel better about meeting Charles, listening to his mother’s enthusiasm.
“I guess,” Erik said.
“I guess,” Edie echoed, imitating him. “This is the most exciting news you have had since you adopted that cat. What is this boy’s name?”
“Charles,” Erik said.
“Charles what?” Edie asked.
“Charles Xavier,” Erik gave in.
“This is so exciting, Erik. I’m going to go Google him right now and then tell you everything I learn about him. I can’t wait to meet him, oh I’m so proud of you,” Edie started to ramble.
“Mama, don’t Google him--” Erik tried to protest, but he was cut off.
“Don’t tell your mother what to do, I’m Googling him and then I will call you back.” Edie hung up on him without saying goodbye. Erik groaned. He regretted telling his mom, but was also more ready to meet Charles than he had been before talking to her.
With a sigh, he picked up his phone again, dialing the few numbers that would connect him to Raven.
“Yeah, what’s up?” She asked, picking up on the first ring.
“Can you put me in contact with your brother?” Erik heard himself saying, even though he was far from ready to deal with this kind of thing. Or maybe he wasn’t. He had no idea. He really wondered why people put up with soulmates. Raven made a choked noise on the other end of the line.
“He’s here for lunch. Want me to send him to you?”
“I-- yeah,” Erik said, slamming the phone down while his heart threatened to beat out of his chest. He found himself wishing that the cat was his soulmate, not in a bestiality way, but moreso in a ‘the cat hates me and I respect that and would love for that to be it’ kind of way.
Erik’s stream of consciousness was interrupted by a soft knocking on the door. He stood up, shaking his head to clear away any rogue thoughts, and crossed his small office.
Erik stood for too long with the metal doorknob warming in his hand, before he finally opened it, seeing someone dressed like a grandpa with one fist raised to knock on the door again.
Their eyes met. Erik’s world exploded. He stumbled backwards, taking in everything he had tried so hard to push down. He looked around the office, wondering how to name every shade he was seeing, before looking back at Charles.
The sheer romance of the moment was enough to nauseate even the strongest of cynics.
Erik started to wish someone was about to stab him instead. He forced himself to look at Charles again. The man’s eyes were electric, bright, wide with recognition and a clarity beyond Erik’s understanding.
Erik watched Charles’ mouth drop open, a small gasp of surprise slipping between two lips so rich with color that Erik was tempted to reach out and touch them to know if they were real.
So he did that, one gentle hand raising to cup Charles’ face, thumb stroking across the shorter man’s cheekbone. Charles leaned into Erik’s touch, eyes sweeping over Erik’s form.
“Hi,” he finally said. “I’m Charles.”
“Erik,” Erik gasped, mouth dry. “I think we’re soulmates or something.”
“So it seems,” Charles replied, gazing up at Erik with too much fondness for the fact that they had just met for real. Erik found he couldn’t quite be mad at the adoring look on Charles’ face, because he felt something melting inside of him.
Erik didn’t think insides were supposed to melt, but it felt right so long as Charles was right there. He began to rethink the whole stabbing vs. soulmates thing. Maybe love was okay. Mushy, but not the worst thing he had ever experienced.
The two stood in the doorway for far longer than necessary, and people were starting to stare at their formidable boss frozen with his hand on Raven’s brother’s cheek. Erik picked up on it, abruptly dropping his hand.
“Why don’t you come in?” Erik said, stepping back. He gestured to the office behind him. “It’s not big but it’s nice.”
Charles nodded, stepping over the threshold.
“I’d love to,” he replied and in that moment Erik realized he had a British accent that made him swoon.
Erik stepped back, retreating to his desk where he felt safe and powerful. If he sat behind his desk, he wouldn’t fall when his legs buckled beneath him. Erik needed that reassurance.
“Uh,” Erik looked around, gaze falling on the seat Emma had just vacated. “Here. If you want to sit.”
Charles followed Erik, sliding into the chair. Erik sat in his, swallowing nervously as his throat went dry.
“So you founded this company which employs my sister?” Charles asked, deliberately casual. Erik nodded.
“She was one of the first people I hired,” Erik nodded, not really wanting to talk about Raven when he could learn about Charles.
“She told me that you don’t think very highly of soulmates,” Charles raised an eyebrow.
“I didn’t,” Erik managed. “But I’m beginning to think I can be persuaded otherwise.”
Charles grinned, shifting towards Erik. “I like the way you think.”
Erik’s cell phone rang suddenly and he groaned.
“I may have told my mom I was going to meet you,” Erik told Charles.
The look of sheer delight on Charles’ face made Erik turn more red than he thought possible as he answered the phone.
***
Two Years Later
Erik’s office hadn’t changed much, though pictures of Charles had slowly invaded the room, taking up space on the desk and bookshelf.
As Erik had learned about colors, appropriate adjustments had also been made when he realized how much certain colors clashed. Charles had helped.
Erik no longer insisted that he’d rather be stabbed multiple times than meet his soulmate.
They had settled quickly into their romance, figuring out what worked (Charles loved Erik’s cat) and what didn’t (how far away they lived from each other). The two had moved into closer apartments at first, before finally taking the plunge and moving in. Everything had gone well.
His mother loved Charles. She’d screamed into the phone after Googling him, ecstatic that Erik had been destined to fall in love with a billionaire with the most charming personality. She insisted on inviting Charles over to get to know him, sending him home with more food than Charles could clearly handle.
Every visit to his mother after that, she’d demanded to know where Charles was, what he was doing, how was he, and did she need to feed him because he’d been skinny the last time he visited.
If Erik was being honest, he never wanted Charles to leave his side. There were things they disagreed on, mutant politics being the first and foremost, but never could seem to stay mad at each other. It was as if the universe had squished them together and encouraged them to cooperate forever.
After the first year, their politics, along with the rest of their differences, found a middle ground. They embraced what it meant to be soulmates. Charles put more metal in the apartment. Erik got used to a warm presence in the back of his mind, to Charles checking in periodically. Really, it was better than texting.
“You’re going to propose to him, right?” Raven asked one day. “It’s been two years. You’re inseparable.”
“Like I’d tell you,” Erik grumbled, not looking up from his computer as Raven barged in. “You’d tell him.”
“He’s a telepath,” Raven countered, taking a seat. “He’s going to overhear at some point if you’re thinking about it. It just happens.”
“I’m sure he has romantic notions about proposing somewhere special,” Erik murmured, double-checking his email before sending it and finally looking up at Raven.
“He probably wants you to propose, since you were the one who was opposed to his existence and now you’re enamored,” Raven said, flashing a small grin. She ran a hand through her red hair (which Erik had grown to enjoy the color of). “Besides, think of what your mother will say if he tries to propose before you.”
(Edie had wormed her way into Raven’s life as well, adopting her as one of her own two minutes after meeting her.
“I like this one,” Edie had told Erik, still smiling at Raven. “She’s all fire.”
Raven had beamed and now visited Edie frequently to knit with her and gossip about her job and her brother’s romance with Erik. Erik hated it.)
“Well, I guess that makes sense,” Erik finally admitted. “I have been thinking about it.”
“I knew you were,” Raven said, a more permanent smile appearing on her face. “I’ll start planning my maid of honor speech.”
“Yes, and I cannot possibly tell you anything else because he’s bringing sandwiches for lunch despite the very cold weather and you need to leave before he gets suspicious,” Erik said, the door swinging open behind Raven for emphasis. Raven rolled her eyes and stood, heading to the door.
“I’m glad he makes you so happy, you know. It’s much easier to work for a happy Erik,” Raven said, hovering for a moment.
Erik closed the door without looking at her and went back to his emails.
A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and a soft greeting in his head. Erik closed his laptop and opened the door with his powers, standing to greet Charles, who kissed him hello, shrugging off his coat and pulling his scarf from his neck. Erik ran his hands through Charles’ hair, brushing out the snowflakes still lingering in the soft curls.
Shortly after that they found themselves at Erik’s desk, the sandwiches forgotten as Charles climbed into Erik’s lap and ran his fingers through Erik’s short hair. Erik didn’t protest it. In fact, he actively encouraged it, sliding his hands underneath Charles’ grandfatherly cardigan and up his smooth back.
Charles made a small noise and started to reach for his fly, but Erik caught Charles’ hand.
“We cannot have sex in my office during my lunch break,” he protested weakly.
“Just lock the door, nobody will come in,” Charles breathed, trying to swat Erik’s hand away.
“The walls here are not thick,” Erik continued, “And everyone will know.”
“And?” Charles asked, impatient.
“I need them to fear me if we’re going to get anything accomplished here,” Erik said. “And you seducing me over sandwiches is not going to go well.”
Charles made a small, sad noise and pulled away, leaning back as far as he could without toppling off of Erik’s lap.
“I suppose what you’re saying makes sense,” Charles finally conceded. Reluctantly, he climbed off of Erik to sit in the other chair and unwrapped his sandwich. “Good thing that worked up my appetite, at least.”
“Thank goodness for that,” Erik murmured, unwrapping his own sandwich with a small smile.
Charles was ready to leave all too soon, when Erik had to get ready for a meeting. As Charles walked to the door, he succeeded in drawing another long kiss from Erik.
“I’ll see you at home for dinner?” Charles asked, fishing his car keys out of his pocket and shrugging on his coat. Erik nodded.
“Let me know what you want so I can pick up ingredients from the store,” Erik said, kissing Charles one more time before opening the door.
Erik returned to his desk slowly, lost in how quickly having a soulmate settled into normalcy. Here they were, talking casually about whatever dinner they would have when they both returned to the apartment they lived in together.
Emma knocked on the door a few minutes later, entering with Darwin and Raven in tow.
“I hope you’re decent after that lunch break, sweetie,” she said, not even bothering to check if Charles was still there. “Sounded like you two had fun.”
Erik groaned, pulling two extra chairs toward his desk by the screws that held them together. “Just sit.”
They did and the meeting began, with everyone saying their part and going over whatever important thing they had to address to keep the company afloat.
Erik nodded and listened and hummed attentively when he needed to, but they were doing really well for the quarter and he wasn’t too concerned, when something punched him in the gut and he fell out of his chair, hitting the ground hard.
He squeezed his eyes shut from the sudden pain. He heard cries from everyone but he waved a hand, starting to stand back up.
When he opened his eyes everything had gone black and white.
Erik’s knees buckled underneath him and Raven was suddenly holding him up.
“Okay, what the fuck?” Darwin spoke first, raising his voice to be heard over Erik’s heaving breaths.
“Something’s wrong with Charles,” Erik gasped, stumbling to his desk and bracing his hands on it, focusing on staying upright. He blinked several times, and suddenly his world flooded with color again.
“What?” Raven asked, voice tilting dangerously toward hysteria. “What do you mean something’s wrong with Charles?”
“Everything just went black and white,” Erik said, shaking, “But then the color came back.”
Of course, his world chose that exact moment to drain of color again and a strangled noise leapt from his throat.
“It just went dark again,” Erik said, fumbling for the warm presence in the back of his mind that usually sang Charles , but it had gone quiet. He fumbled for his phone, giving up after a moment.
“I have no idea where he is,” Erik said quietly, watching as color slipped back into the corners of his vision. “The colors keep coming and going, I don’t know what’s happening.”
“The nearest hospital isn’t too far away,” Emma said quietly, entirely gentle. “If something happened, that’s where he’ll be.”
Erik sat heavily, staring at nothing while the world pulsed, suddenly bright, suddenly dark.
“Meeting adjourned,” he managed, dismissing everyone. A hand weighed on his shoulder suddenly, momentarily blue, momentarily grey.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Raven hissed, the rage in her eyes likely the only thing keeping her composed. “We’re his first two emergency contacts, they’re going to have to call us eventually.”
“What do I do?” Erik looked up at her.
“We wait,” she muttered, pulling her chair closer to Erik’s. “Or we go to the hospital now and hope they have news. Can you move?”
Erik nodded, standing carefully. The world tilted dangerously, everything plunging into dark greys. He leaned on Raven, who slung an arm around his waist.
“If my big brother dies I’m going to kill him,” Raven growled. Erik closed his eyes, hoping that the world would make sense again when he opened his eyes.
It didn’t.
Raven handed him his cell phone and coat as they started walking toward the door, and as they passed her office, she ran in and grabbed everything she needed.
The world was still too dark for his liking.
They made it outside, Erik leaning on the building while Raven hailed a taxi. When he blinked, everything was bright again, and Erik almost fell over from the relief. Almost.
“That was the longest one,” Erik said, letting Raven herd him into the back of a taxi.
“But everything’s in color again?” Raven asked. Erik nodded. Then Raven’s phone rang and she swore, digging through her purse until she found it.
“Hello?” she spoke into the phone. Erik listened to the tinny voice on the other end tell them that Charles was at the hospital they were heading to and that he had been in a major car accident due to something with another car and a patch of ice but was currently in surgery.
Raven kept her voice calm while she talked, but her hand found Erik’s and squeezed it hard, holding on tight for the entire conversation. She finally hung up, looking at Erik.
“How is he?” she asked softly, watching Erik’s face.
“Everything is still colorful,” he answered, afraid that saying it out loud would change something. He squeezed Raven’s hand, still clutched in his, and said nothing.
They reached the hospital shortly after, letting stranger after stranger guide them through the emergency room to a waiting area, where they were informed that Charles was still in surgery.
Erik paced -- back and forth and back again-- watching the bright magazines on the table to make sure that nothing changed.
An hour passed. He watched the colors go hazy, blinking to grey for a split second before going back to hazy.
Erik called his mother, voice catching as he explained the crash and how he had no idea how Charles was besides the fact that he was alive. Edie agreed to pack immediately and go to his and Charles’ apartment to feed the cat and house sit until Erik came home, her extreme mothering instincts kicking in immediately.
Another hour passed. The magazines stayed hazy for a while, but as more time passed they seemed to grow more vibrant, sharper, like the colors were there to stay this time.
Eventually, he grew too tired to pace and sat next to Raven wearily. She had been quiet, glued to her phone until she had to pull a charger out of her bag and plug it in. A little while ago she had unplugged it and hidden the charger away, but hesitated and offered it to Erik.
He took the charger gratefully and plugged in his own phone, starting to address the pile of texts and voicemails and emails that had grown over the past several hours. While a few were business related, most were personal as people tried to check in with him as the news had spread.
The only ones he had responded to up until that point had come from his mother, but the time had come to address all of the other people. In two years, Charles had done a good job widening Erik’s social circle, and now everyone was clamoring for news from him.
Erik had another concerned voicemail dripping sympathy into his ear when a doctor stepped out, looking around before locating Erik and Raven and heading their way.
Raven stood first, pulling Erik upright with her to greet the doctor.
“You’re with Charles Xavier?” the doctor asked, looking between them. Both Erik and Raven nodded. “He’s out of the woods, as far as life and death goes. I apologize for making you wait. What do you know?”
“He was in a car accident,” Raven supplied.
“He was dead,” Erik added. The doctor focused on Erik.
“Are you two soulmates?”
Erik nodded.
“Well, I’m sorry you had to go through that experience. Most of the soulmates we encounter tell us about their experiences with color loss and regaining it as we revive them, and it’s never pretty. But for now, he’s stable.”
“Is he okay?” Erik asked, unnerved by the doctor’s cool tone.
“We had to address some broken ribs, a punctured lung, wrist fracture, severe internal bleeding--” The doctor paused as Erik sucked in a breath. “It was a very bad accident. But our biggest concern is with his spinal column, it took a lot of damage. There’s a lot of swelling there right now, but there is a strong chance that Charles will be paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life.”
Raven sat down, eyes wide with surprise. Erik looked at her, then back to the doctor.
“When can I see him?” Erik asked. The doctor smiled a little and gestured down a hallway.
“I can take you there right now. He’s asleep, and not the prettiest sight, but should wake up soon.” With that, the doctor led them to a door, a small paper with C. Xavier on it on the wall.
Raven and Erik stepped in, her hand finding his. Erik welcomed the small show of support. Together, they walked in, taking in Charles’s appearance. Raven gasped softly, but Erik stayed silent.
Erik thought he looked horrible, but was so overwhelmed with relief to see him that it really wasn’t so bad. Sure, Charles was covered in bruises and stiches and one of his eyes was swollen shut, but Erik had seen him hungover and that wasn’t great either.
They’d get through this.
Erik summoned two chairs with his powers, lifting them from the ground so they flew to the bed as quietly as possible. The room was silent, aside from the beeping monitors, but Erik found them reassuring. They were proudly announcing, heartbeat by heartbeat, that Charles really wasn’t going to go anywhere.
Erik selfishly put himself closer to Charles, but Raven settled next to him without complaint, her eyes glued to her brother.
One of Charles’ wrists was in a brace, draped across his stomach, but the other one was at his side, within Erik’s reach. Erik reached out, taking Charles’ hand in his.
Almost reflexively, Charles’ fingers curled around his, and Erik smiled. He leaned back, settling into the chair to wait for Charles to wake up.
A long enough time passed that Erik found himself dozing in his chair when he was jolted awake by a hand squeezing his. Erik sat up, blinking away the haze of sleep, to find Charles looking at him.
Warmth exploded in the back of Erik’s head, delight and contentment settling in shakily, like a pad of happy butter sliding all around his brain. Charles was back, shaky control over his powers and everything.
“Good morning,” Erik finally said, watching Charles’ eye that wasn’t swollen shut looking back at him. Charles made a small noise, turning his head to look for a window before looking back at Erik.
“Is it?” Charles finally asked. Erik laughed shakily.
“I honestly have no idea,” he admitted.
“That’s okay,” Charles murmured softly, yawning.
“I thought I lost you,” Erik said, thumb stroking the back of Charles’ hand. Charles squeezed Erik’s hand once, gently.
“No,” Charles finally replied, voice still soft. “I didn’t want to leave.”
“I’m glad,” Erik said, eyes falling to his and Charles’ tangled fingers. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“I’d miss you,” Charles said, letting his eye fall shut. “I feel strange.”
“Strange how?” Erik asked.
“Can’t feel my legs,” Charles mumbled. “But everything else hurts.”
“The doctor said that might happen,” Erik replied softly, glancing at Raven. She too had been dozing, but was awake now.
“Do you remember the car accident?” Raven asked, leaning into her brother’s field of vision.
“Raven!” Charles lifted his head from his pillow in delight. “You’re here!”
“Of course I am,” Raven retorted. “My big brother gets into a life and death situation and your soulmate was in front of me when it happened. I needed to make sure you’re okay.”
Charles put his head back down, considering her words.
“Am I okay?” Charles finally asked. Erik and Raven looked at each other.
“You will be,” Erik said. “But it’s going to take some time.”
“You got beat up by a car,” Raven added. “That’s bound to be rough.”
“I did,” Charles agreed, yawning again. “It hit me and that was very rude.”
A nurse knocked on the door and entered, walking to the other side of Charles’ bed to check the monitors.
“I see you’re awake,” the nurse said pleasantly, poking and prodding at the machinery connected to Charles. “Would you like me to go find the doctor to fill you in?”
Charles murmured his agreement and the nurse disappeared, leaving them alone again.
“Did someone feed the cat?” Charles asked, looking at Erik, who nodded.
“My mother is camped out in the guest room until further notice,” Erik said. Charles frowned slightly.
“I miss Edie,” he finally said. “Can she come say hi?”
“Yes, she can come visit,” Erik smiled. “I’m sure she’d love to.”
“Good,” Charles beamed a little.
“She’s worried about you too, I’ll call her in a few minutes to let her know that you’re awake,” Erik said. Charles smiled some more and yawned again.
“I’m sleepy,” he said, yawning one more time.
“You can go back to sleep after the doctor comes,” Erik said. “And then I’ll go home to shower and get some food.”
“I like your plan,” Charles mumbled, forcing his eye to stay open until the doctor arrived.
The meeting went quickly, with the doctor talking to Charles quickly, filling him in on everything that had happened. Charles listened carefully, squeezing Erik’s hand the entire time.
Erik was filled with a strange sense of déja vu. The doctor left a few minutes later, when Charles started to visibly fight the fact that he was falling asleep.
“Never thought I’d be paralyzed,” Charles mumbled, eyes shut tight.
“I don’t think anyone ever does, liebling,” Erik replied.
“Still going to walk down the aisle at our wedding,” Charles said, sleep taking him at last. Erik blinked several times, processing what Charles had just said. Then he smiled, stood, pressed a gentle kiss to Charles’ forehead before letting Raven know that he was going home for a change of clothes, and finally leaving.
His mother was dozing on the couch when Erik opened the door, but the cat started making noise and ran over to greet him, Edie woke up.
“Erik!” she greeted, rushing over to pull him into a firm hug. Erik gratefully sank into it, letting the stress that had built over the whole day melt from his shoulders for one quiet moment.
“Now,” Edie pulled away, looking him over. “Tell me everything you know.”
Erik stumbled to the couch, sitting down while his mother looked on in concern as Erik relayed everything he hadn’t told her already.
“And they’re saying he’s never going to walk again,” Erik finished, sagging into the couch.
“I see,” Edie was quiet for a long moment.
“But he promised to walk down the aisle at our wedding,” Erik added, remembering the determined look on Charles’ face.
“You have a good one,” Edie said, deep in thought. “I will knit a blanket for him.”
“What?” Erik looked at her, confused.
“Well if he is a billionaire, he will not need any financial help,” Edie explained. “And I do not know if I would be able to help anyway. But I can cook him food and keep him warm, so from me he will be getting a blanket in his time of recovery.”
Erik smiled, leaning into his mother, who wrapped her arms around him.
“I want to help,” Edie promised. “I love him as much as I love you.”
“Really?” Erik looked up at her.
“Almost as much as I love you,” Edie amended after considering. “And I will be here for him since his own mother likely will not.”
“He’s going to be grateful,” Erik said, thinking about the one time he had met Sharon, who had likely been too drunk to remember him.
“I know,” Edie said, “Now you go shower and change your clothes. I will cook something and then we will go back to the hospital.”
Erik nodded, following his mother’s instructions and trudging to the bathroom. He found himself in the shower, staring at the tiled wall as the water poured over him. He found himself wondering if things would be different if they weren’t soulmates, if Charles would ask him to leave and if he would, or if he would stay by Charles’ side. He found himself trying to imagine leaving Charles in a time when the other man needed him, leaving Charles to recover and adapt by himself.
It didn’t seem fathomable.
Erik couldn’t imagine being anywhere but with Charles. He had no idea what he was going to do or how he would handle it. He didn’t even know if he’d be able to help. But he was going to be there.
His shower ended soon enough and Erik put on fresh clothes, moving around the room to get some of his and Charles’ things. Charles’ laptop went into his bag, along with some clothes if Charles was going to get the opportunity to change. After a moment’s thought, a framed photo of the cat went into the bag, just because it would make Charles smile.
Erik stepped into the kitchen, where he was greeted with the smell of cooking food. Edie was shoving something into a tupperware container, and when Erik reached out to help she swatted his hand away.
“Did you make him kugel?” Erik asked, inhaling the smell of cinnamon.
“This is for Charles first,” she told him. “Then you can have some. And I made him some toast too.”
“The hospital makes toast, I’m sure,” Erik said, watching his mom pack things away.
“I do not trust them to do it right,” Edie shot Erik a look. “If he is going to be strong and recover, he cannot eat hospital food. But you can, although I won’t be happy about it.”
“I won’t if I can help it, mama,” Erik promised. “Can I carry something?”
Edie nodded, shoving the tupperware into his stomach. “You can carry all of it and let your mother call the cab.” Erik nodded, following her out of the apartment to the elevator.
He looked at it, suddenly pleased that Charles would be able to get to the apartment if he needed to. But then he started to wonder about Charles getting into all of the other parts of the apartment, and he began to worry that they might need to move.
His train of thought lasted the entire elevator ride, as he considered the open space arrangement of the apartment, but the tall counters and small bathroom seemed like they might cause problems.
Erik started a mental checklist of everything they’d need to do to get Charles home.
But the thought of Charles coming home was all he needed to remind himself that whatever they did would be worth it as long as they did it together.
Erik stayed mostly quiet as they headed back to the hospital, occasionally answering his mother’s question as she tried to decide what color yarn to use. Finally Edie looked at him.
“I have not seen colors since before you were born. I will need your help,” Edie declared. “But I want to use blue. You say his eyes are blue? Then we use blue.”
“Okay, mama,” Erik agreed. “We can go to the store for yarn later.”
“First we visit Charles,” Edie said.
Erik made a small noise of agreement, checking his phone as the cab pulled up to the curb, letting them out. They wove through the hospital, stopping in front of Charles’ room. Erik stopped, looking at his mother.
“He’s going to be okay, but right now he doesn’t look as good as he usually does,” Erik said quietly.
“He will still be Charles,” Edie said, barging in. Erik watched for a moment, then followed.
Edie was already sitting in the chair Erik had been in first, reaching to clasp Charles’ hand in hers while Raven hugged her shoulders. Charles was grinning at her, thrilled.
“Hi Edie,” he said warmly. “I’m sorry about my appearance.”
“Nonsense,” Edie clucked. “A car hit you. Your appearance is acceptable.”
“Thank you,” Charles laughed softly, “I’m glad you’re here.”
Erik walked over to Raven, laying a hand on her shoulder.
“If you want to leave, or go home and come back, we’ll be here for a while,” he said. Raven looked up at him and nodded.
“I have work to do. And I should shower,” Raven agreed. “We had a good talk while you were gone. He’s got some ideas about moving that you should listen to.”
Erik nodded, and Raven said a soft goodbye to Charles before slipping out.
“I talked to the doctors again,” Charles said. “Apparently he poked my foot with something? But I didn’t feel it.”
Charles fell quiet. Erik deposited all of Edie’s food on a table and sat next to him. Charles stayed silent, but a small, warm, ball of love unfurled at the back of Erik’s mind.
“I didn’t think it would be so permanent so fast,” Charles said.
“Before I left you said you would walk down the aisle at our wedding,” Erik reminded him. “What happened to that?”
“Well I still want to,” Charles answered. “But I don’t know how possible that is anymore.”
“When did you talk about getting married?” Edie burst in. “You two are getting married?”
“Well, that was always the plan,” Erik said, still looking at Charles. “But we never got around to the whole marriage part.”
“We were getting there,” Charles agreed, looking fondly at Erik. “Someone was going to propose eventually.”
“Yeah,” Erik smiled, “We were getting there.”
“I cannot believe you did not tell me you were going to get married,” Edie said, voice full of love.
“We didn’t talk about a wedding until Charles was here, mama,” Erik glanced at her “You are the first person we’d tell.”
“Honestly, Edie, I’d probably come to you for advice within seconds of getting engaged,” Charles said.
“Well, good,” Edie said, leaning back. “Now finish your conversation. I will not interrupt anymore.”
Erik laughed. “Thanks mama.”
“We should get married, you know,” Charles looked at Erik.
“I wouldn’t be opposed,” Erik said.
“Ah! Now you are engaged. I am thrilled!” Edie clapped her hands. “Let’s plan a wedding.”
“Was that it?” Charles asked. “Did I just get engaged in a hospital bed?”
“I think so,” Erik answered. “I can find us some rings, if you want.”
“I just got engaged a day after dying for a few minutes,” Charles muttered. “What an eventful few days.”
“Let’s hold off on planning a wedding for a few days,” Erik said. “Until you’re a little more healed up.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Charles agreed.
“I suppose that I can wait,” Edie decided.
“Thank you Edie,” Charles said. “Let’s get me in working order first, shall we?”
Edie harrumphed, but agreed that Charles needed to be as healthy as possible if he was going to enjoy his wedding.
Erik sat with Charles while Edie kept on trying to feed him, before giving up and letting Erik eat the food so it wouldn’t go to waste. Eventually, Edie stood.
“Charles, I am happy that you are alive after your fight with another car, but I need to go now so that I can feed my son’s cat,” she announced.
“Thank you Edie,” Charles smiled. “Would you pet the cat for me when you get back?”
“Absolutely,” Edie said, “I will send you a picture of the cat also, when Erik teaches me how.”
She swept out, leaving Erik and Charles alone for the first time since the accident.
“I love your mother,” Charles said.
“She’s a good person,” Erik agreed.
“So, what now?” Charles asked, looking to Erik.
“The news is spreading, so you’re probably going to have visitors for a long time,” Erik mused. “Well wishers from your admiring fans.”
“I’ve got to get in contact with Moira and cancel my classes,” Charles said. “I think I was supposed to be teaching today.”
“The university will sort things out,” Erik promised. “You were in a life-threatening car accident, that’s going to take a while to recover from. Raven and I can help with that.”
Charles nodded, opening his arms a little bit.
“Come here,” He said. “I miss you.”
“You broke most of your ribs, that’s probably not a good idea,” Erik protested, sliding closer anyway.
“And I can’t feel my legs. What’s your point?” Charles asked.
“Me jostling you is probably bad for that too,” Erik pointed out, scooting his seat as close to the hospital bed as he could get, laying his head down on the mattress. Charles placed his hand on Erik’s head, carding his fingers through short hair. Erik shivered.
“I miss you too,” Erik mumbled, face in the mattress. “We’ll be closer soon.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” Charles said.
It took a few weeks, but eventually Charles was healed enough from the most severe injuries. Erik had done his best to make the hospital room as welcoming as possible, arranging the unending flower arrangements and get well soon cards.
While he hadn’t spent too much time at the office, Erik had gone back to his job, working in the hospital or from home, keeping himself as on top of things as he could, while letting Emma take over more.
Erik had fielded more visitors than he could count, glowering at them from the corner before gently kicking them all out when he saw Charles starting to fall asleep. He had gained a reputation as the terrifying boyfriend, but he didn’t mind. He was just being protective of Charles.
After Moira slipped out one day, Erik sat next to Charles, taking his hand.
“Just climb in already,” Charles said, tugging Erik. Erik finally relented, slipping next to Charles and holding him close.
“I can’t wait to go back to doing this every day,” Charles said, already almost asleep.
“Soon, liebling,” Erik promised, brushing Charles’ hair away from his face. It was getting long, and was in need of a trim.
The doctors had been watching Charles, and watching his spine, and were almost ready to send him to rehab, so he could, as Charles had referred to it, ‘learn how to not walk anymore’.
Erik found that he was almost excited for it, because it was a step closer to having Charles home again. They had already found an apartment they liked, but were discussing renovating the literal mansion that Charles had grown up in.
Edie, for her part, was absolutely delighted to hear that Charles had grown up in a mansion and wanted Charles and Erik to have their wedding there. She pestered them about it at least once per visit, while knitting “Absolutely not a blanket for Charles” and chatting.
When Charles was finally discharged from the hospital, Erik was by his side, pushing the wheelchair, but only because it was hospital policy. They packed up the hospital room they had made a little homier, with the full intention of making the room at the rehab facility Charles was headed to just as nice.
When Erik went home, he was packing everything they had into boxes to move to the newer apartment, which would be more accommodating for Charles, but was also more convenient for where they both worked.
Raven came over to help with the packing sometimes, and Edie had all but moved in, so Erik wasn’t by himself, which he appreciated. Though he was grateful for their help, he missed Charles. The apartment wasn’t the same without Charles’ laugh lighting up the place. It felt less and less like a home with each passing day.
Erik realized that Charles was home. At the same time, Erik also realized that he was a goddamned romantic cliché. He liked Charles, but he hated being a cliché.
Erik went back to work, but only after Charles insisted. He left the office early every day to meet Charles, who was usually in the middle of some kind of workout designed to help him regain strength.
When they left the hospital, Charles officially had an incomplete spinal injury, which delighted Charles because it was “not quite as bad as it could have been” in his eyes, and meant that he might be able to stand up enough to walk down the aisle if he worked hard enough.
Erik had never seen Charles so determined to do anything in his life. Every day Charles greeted Erik, sweaty from working out, but glowing with love and excitement nevertheless.
They would curl up together in Charles’ bed under Edie’s now-finished blanket, a patchwork quilt of every shade of blue imaginable that Raven had helped with and talk about their wedding, trying out different ideas until one of them fell asleep.
Erik didn’t think he could be more in love. It was disgusting. Part of him was a little annoyed by how in love he acted, but the majority of him really couldn’t be bothered to care, not when he could dedicate energy to helping Charles in the recovery process.
“You know, I still can’t totally feel my legs,” Charles said one night, while they were laying together. “I can see them. Sometimes I can feel different temperatures on them. But I can’t wiggle my toes.”
They looked at Charles’ feet, which were still, as he’d said.
“And sometimes my legs hurt,” Charles added, still looking at his legs. “But that’s not awful, because it’s something. And on some days I feel stronger than other days.”
“Everyone has good and bad days,” Erik said, shifting his gaze from Charles’ legs to Charles’ face. “You’re not exempt from that.”
“No, I’m not,” Charles agreed. “But on good days I can almost take a step. And I want to keep going, but my legs don’t listen to my brain much these days.”
“You’re going to get there,” Erik said lamely, not really sure how to respond.
“I want to get there,” Charles said. “And I know I’m never going to be able to walk like I used to. I’ve accepted that. I know I’m probably only going to manage short distances at best, and that I’ll be using a wheelchair to get around. But that’s okay.”
“Is it?” Erik asked. Through all the time they’d spent together since the accident, Charles had been quiet about his feelings on the accident, focusing instead on recovering where he could.
“It is,” Charles hesitated at first, but spoke firmly. “My mind is intact, as are my powers. I still have my job, and I’ll be teaching again at the start of the semester. I haven’t lost any of that. I still have you by my side. And your mother.”
“My mother’s a part of this?” Erik asked.
“Your mother is one of the most delightful people I have ever met,” Charles said, laughing. “I can’t imagine life without her. And when it comes to you, she’s a part of the package.”
“I couldn’t bring myself to leave her,” Erik found himself agreeing.
“Of course not,” Charles said. “Both of you would be worse off without each other. Honestly, you’d probably be downright insufferable.”
Erik opened his mouth to retort, but closed it when he tried to think about living more than a few blocks away from his mother. The thought alone was intolerable, he couldn’t imagine not being near her.
“And she’s all but adopted me,” Charles added. “And thank goodness she has, because my mother can’t bring herself to care.”
Erik nodded, pushing himself a little closer to Charles. Sharon was a terrible mother and they both knew it.
“But I’ve learned everything there is to know about my injury and I know what to expect,” Charles carried on. “I’m ready to go back to my life, even if there have been some drastic changes.”
“You’re done with the hospital?” Erik asked, smiling a little.
“Goodness yes,” Charles agreed. “Can’t wait to get out.”
“Soon, liebling,” Erik promised. “As soon as they say you’re ready.”
“I won’t even be done when I leave,” Charles complained a little. “I’ll be home, but I’ll be back here for physical therapy a few times a week. They’ll never be rid of me.”
“They all probably love you as much as I do,” Erik said, attempting to tease Charles.
“They certainly like having me around,” Charles agreed. “They all positively radiate excitement when I’m around. You don’t even have to be a telepath to see it.”
“I have seen it,” Erik said, tamping down on feelings of jealousy he knew were unwarranted. “Everyone you ever meet loves you.”
“Maybe that’s my secondary mutation,” Charles joked, wrapping his arms around Erik to pull him closer.
“What would mine be, then?” Erik asked. “They all think I’m terrifying.”
“Maybe you’re partially related to some predatory animal,” Charles suggested. “Something ferocious and protective. With a lot of teeth.”
Erik hummed, trying to find an animal that fit that description. However, he had been raised in the city without much exposure to animals, so he couldn’t come up with anything.
“I give up,” he finally said. Charles made a soft noise, blinking his eyes open, apparently having started to doze off while Erik thought about it.
“That’s okay,” Charles said, reaching up one arm to pat Erik’s cheek. “You don’t have to have an idea right now.”
Charles yawned hugely, and drawn by the power of suggestion, Erik yawned too.
Slowly but surely, Charles made enough progress that he was officially discharged. Once again, Erik packed up everything that made their temporary room as homey as possible, ready to settle it in their new apartment.
Erik met Charles in the room that wasn’t theirs anymore where Charles was waiting. Erik was still getting used to seeing Charles in a wheelchair, but it felt a little more normal than it had the day before, just as it was every day. Charles had Edie’s blanket on his lap, erratically knit shades of blue draped over his legs.
“It’s easier to keep pace with you now than it used to be,” Charles joked as they headed down the long hallway that led to the outside. Erik glanced down at Charles, eyebrow raised.
“What?” Charles asked. “You walked faster than me. Long legs. But I’m a little bit quicker now.”
“You were also prone to wandering,” Erik recalled with a smile, “And getting lost in your thoughts and having to stop to think about it, which is something I never do.”
As if to illustrate the point, Charles slowed, head tilting as he thought about it.
“You’re right,” he conceded, picking up the pace again. “I’m trying to focus more on where I’m going though, now that I take up more space on the sidewalk.”
“People will give you space on the sidewalk,” Erik attempted.
“This is New York,” Charles snorted, “No, they won’t.”
“No, they won’t,” Erik agreed, laughing.
The automatic doors slid open, sunshine beaming into their faces. Charles raised one hand, shielding his eyes. He took a deep breath.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy to go outside,” Charles said.
“It’s your first moment as a free man in a long time,” Erik joked.
“I’ve been free the whole time. I was just doing what was best for my health,” Charles retorted, heading for the parking lot. “It’s not like I never went outside while I was staying there. But it’s been cold and now it’s getting warm and this,” He gestured to the boring grey parking lot, “-is thrilling. I can’t wait until I see some actual nature.”
“We’re going to the city, darling,” Erik said.
“I’ll find a tree somewhere,” Charles insisted. Erik decided to drive the most nature-filled route he could find.
Erik unlocked the car and opened the passenger door with his powers, following behind Charles as they got closer.
“You don’t have to stare,” Charles said, without looking back at Erik. “If I didn’t know what I was doing I wouldn’t have left.”
“I know,” Erik said, still watching Charles. “It’s still new to me.”
Charles nodded, and looked back at Erik with a smile.
“I’m still me,” He promised.
“Yes, you’re still stubborn and insufferable and I’m very glad,” Erik said, carefully tucking the wheelchair into the backseat. “Just a little bit shorter.”
“Not that much shorter,” Charles protested as Erik slid into the driver’s seat. “Just sitting more than I used to.”
“That counts as shorter,” Erik said as he pulled the car out of the parking lot, glancing at Charles, who was drumming his fingers on the window anxiously.
“You know,” Erik changed the subject, “I’m probably the safest person to be in a car with?”
Charles’ fingers slowed, his hand falling to his lap.
“Yes,” Charles finally said. “I’ve just put that together.”
Erik drew one hand from the wheel, holding it out for Charles to take. Their fingers intertwined and Erik gave Charles’ hand a reassuring squeeze.
“You’ll be safe, I promise,” Erik said.
“I believe you,” Charles replied.
“And the new apartment isn’t too far away,” Erik added. “It’s not that long of a trip.”
Charles nodded, relaxing a little as they kept driving.
“Is everything moved in?” Charles asked. Erik nodded.
“I think it looks okay,” He said.
“Great, I’ll have Raven come over and fix everything, then,” Charles said, squeezing Erik’s hand.
“Raven helped,” Erik retorted. “So did my mother, so if you see something that’s definitely her handiwork, leave it.”
“Understood,” Charles said, grinning. “Is Edie there?”
“She’s been camping out in the guest room,” Erik said. “I asked her if she wanted to move in but she said something about her youth and not being that old and did I want to take care of her or was she supposed to be taking care of me? And then the rest was in German but she definitely called me an ungrateful son and some other things.”
“So she’ll leave eventually?” Charles asked.
“Once she’s satisfied that there’s enough food in the fridge to feed us for a good, long time,” Erik confirmed.
“She may never leave, then,” Charles pretended to sound afraid. “I’ve lost weight since the accident. I mean, I’ve gained a small amount of it back in muscle, but not enough for her standards.”
“You’re doomed,” Erik said solemnly, a small smile flitting across his face. “She’ll call you every day until you die or get fat.”
“Great,” Charles said dramatically, flopping against the seat.
“It’ll be fun,” Erik said, pulling into a parking garage. “The cat will be excited to see you.”
Charles perked up, unbuckling his seatbelt as Erik pulled into a parking spot.
“This is our spot,” Erik said, hopping out of the car. “If someone else takes it we get to yell at them.”
“Sounds like something you’ll enjoy,” Charles remarked as Erik retrieved the wheelchair from the backseat. Charles transferred to the chair, draped the blanket back over his legs, and looked up at Erik.
“Lead the way,” Charles said, gesturing widely.
Erik leaned down, kissed Charles, and led the way.