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"Erik, a word please?" Raven requested when they passed each other in the corridor. Erik turned to face her, raising an eyebrow in question
"Did you notice something strange about Charles today?"
"I don't know," Erik replied. "I haven't seen much of him since breakfast." Charles had spent most of the day cooped up in his office, claiming he had important paperwork to do. He had even skipped lunch, just dropping by shortly to get a banana, saying he wasn't very hungry.
Now that he thought about it, Erik wondered what could be so important. They had been talking about recruiting more students, but since Hank was still working on the new Cerebro there really wasn't that much to be done yet.
"What did he eat for breakfast?" Raven asked, interrupting his thoughts.
Erik frowned. "I don't remember," he said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. "I'm not his mother. And neither are you, you know."
Raven ignored the last comment, instead informing him. "Tea and two slices of orange."
Alright, that was a bit strange. Charles always insisted that breakfast was the most important meal of the day and that everyone needed to eat a lot to be ready for a day of training. And he usually adhered to his own rules, well most of them at least.
"You think he's stressed about something?" Erik asked.
"I think he's sick," Raven corrected. "I tried talking to him already, but he wouldn't listen. Maybe you'll have more luck."
-----
Erik pushed open the office door and stuck his head inside. "Charles," he asked. "May I come in?"
Charles had his back turned towards him, facing the window. At Erik's voice he turned his chair to face him letting the papers he had been reading drop into his lap.
"Of course, Erik," he said, managing a weak smile that was a far cry from his usual radiating expression. Erik frowned, studying his friend closely as he approached the desk. Raven was right, Charles did look exhausted.
"You look tired," he remarked, walking around to Charles' side of the table and leaning casually against the edge.
"I'm fine," Charles tried to reassure him, immediately spoiling it again when he turned away from Erik to muffle a series of coughs into his elbow. Erik's frown deepened, Charles sounded horribly congested. He quickly reached out to feel Charles' forehead while he was still too distracted to dodge him.
"You feel quite warm, Charles," he observed. "You should be in bed."
Charles was already shaking his head before Erik had finished the sentence. "I'm alright, Erik. Really."
"That was not a suggestion, Charles," Erik rebuked, walking behind him to grasp the handles of the chair and gently, but firmly, steer Charles towards the door. "Or do I have to call Raven for help?"
"Two against one is unfair," Charles muttered angrily, and then started to roughly pull at the wheels of his chair yanking it out of Erik's grasp. "And I can do that myself," he almost shouted, his hoarse voice breaking on the last syllable.
Erik blinked in surprise, staring at Charles' retreating back for a moment before extending his hand to push down the door handle with his powers before Charles had even reached it. He got a quick glare for his efforts before Charles wheeled himself out into the corridor.
Erik quickly followed and fell in step beside him as Charles continued down the hall. His mind was raging with confusion. Charles had not snapped at him like this in a long time.
Charles bit his lip guiltily as he felt a wave of confusion and sadness radiate from Erik's mind. He shouldn't have shouted at his friend. He was only concerned for him. Stopping abruptly he turned to face Erik, looking up at him with tired eyes.
"I apologize, Erik," he said. "That was uncalled for. But Raven already nagged me about my eating habits this morning and I just got angry when you, too, started to treat me like I'm a disobedient child.
"It's alright," Erik said, relieved. "Maybe I was being too forward," he conceded, but we're just worried about you."
"I know," Charles sighed. "Alright then, I guess a little rest won't kill me." He smiled slightly, his mind reaching out towards Erik, nudging in silent permission.
Erik tentatively reached for the handles of the chair again, allowing himself a tiny smile when there was no objection, before starting towards Charles' room.
-----
"Alright," Erik said when they had reached Charles bedroom. "Put on your sleepwear and I'll be back in a few minutes."
Charles pulled off his pullover, draping it over the backrest of his chair before starting on the buttons of his shirt. It took him twice as long as normal to undress, his fingers shaking slightly as he was suddenly overcome by a wave of fatigue.
Finally the shirt had joined the pullover and Charles moved closer to the bed, leaning over and fumbling under the pillows for his pajamas. He quickly pulled on the top, sighing in relieve as he had already started to shiver after barely a minute without clothes.
Bending down he took off his shoes and then wriggled out of his trousers, letting them drop to the floor in an untidy heap.
Feeling much too tired to put on the pajama bottoms himself he just tossed them to the far side of his huge bed before pulling himself out of the chair and onto the mattress. He sighed with relieve as his aching head hit the pillow and had just snuggled into the blankets when he heard the door of his room open.
Erik walked in with an armful of stuff that he deposited on the nightstand before sitting down on the edge of Charles' bed. "How do you feel?" he asked.
"Cold," Charles replied and then snapped his head to the side sneezing into his hands a few times. Erik reached for the tissue box he had brought and offered it to Charles who pulled out two of the squares and then turned aside again to blow his nose, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment at the gurgling sound it produced.
"Poor, stubborn Charles," Erik said, reaching out to ruffle his friend's hair affectionately. "You should have just stayed in bed this morning."
Charles closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the rush of concern and caring that his mind picked up at Erik's touch. Erik smiled slightly at Charles' content expression before dropping his hand to his forehead, his smile quickly turning into a frown.
"I think you have a fever," he said, reaching for the thermometer on the nightstand.
"Open up," he added and Charles grudgingly complied.
While waiting for the reading Erik busied himself with folding Charles' discarded clothes and placing them on the couch in a tidy stack. When he turned back to the bed he noticed the pajama bottoms still lying on the sheets and picked them up.
"May I?" he asked, returning to the other side off the bed, and when Charles nodded he folded back the covers and slid the trousers over Charles' legs. Charles propped himself up on his elbows, raising his hips slightly to help Erik pull them up over his boxers.
He shivered when Erik's cool hands touched the bare skin over his waistband and Erik quickly pulled the covers back down, tucking them in tightly around Charles' legs.
The thermometer beeped and Erik took it from Charles' mouth, squinting slightly as he tried to make out the tiny numbers.
"38.9°C," he announced, giving Charles a stern look. "You're not getting out of bed for the rest of the day."
"I don't plan to," Charles said tiredly, and then coughed into his sleeve. Erik frowned worriedly at the easy compliance and quickly went into the bathroom to get a glass of water.
"I brought you headache pills and cough drops," he said when he returned, "but I can look again maybe we have some cough syrup too, or..."
"It's alright, Erik," Charles interrupted gently, sitting up and taking the offered glass. "I'll just take something for the headache and then try to sleep."
"You're shivering," Erik remarked when he noticed the water sloshing around in the glass as Charles' hand was racked with small tremors.
"Told you I'm cold," Charles mumbled, "must be the fever."
While Charles took the medicine Erik went in search of a second blanket, finding one in the top shelf of the closet. He waited until Charles had settled back into a horizontal position and then spread the blanket out over him.
"Thank you," Charles said quietly, his eyes already half closed. Erik reached out to stroke his hair again.
"I'll go get a book from my room," he said. "I'll be right back."
"You don't have to stay," Charles objected, forcing his eyes open again. "Go check on the children." Erik huffed. "I think they can take care of themselves for an afternoon. They're no babies."
"Alright, alright," he added at Charles' pleading look. "I'll check up on them before I return." Satisfied, Charles snuggled deeper into the blankets, finally starting to feel a little warmer. He was asleep before Erik had even left the room.
-----
When Charles woke up later the room was bathed in twilight it must be early evening already, he mused. Erik was sitting on the sofa, reading by the light of a floor lamp. He looked up when Charles shifted on the bed pushing himself up to sit against the headboard.
His head was swimming with congestion and there was an irritating tickle in the back of his throat. Reaching for some tissues he started to cough violently into them to get rid of the sensation. The fit turned into a series of sneezes that left him lightheaded but after blowing his nose a few times he could finally breathe easier again.
Shoving the sodden tissues under his pillow he shuffled back into a lying position and closed his eyes in exhaustion.
The mattress dipped beside him as Erik sat down and Charles moaned slightly when a cool hand touched his forehead.
"You still have a fever," Erik said concerned. "Maybe Hank should check up on you."
"No," Charles croaked, his eyes opening again. His voice was hoarse and he swallowed thickly, wincing at the pain that flared up in his throat. Erik reached for the glass on the nightstand and supported Charles' head so he could drink without having to sit up again.
"Thanks," he said quietly, his voice sounding less raspy than before. "But don't bother Hank about me. It's just a cold. I'll be fine again tomorrow."
"Would you like something to eat? It's almost dinner time," Erik asked, quickly changing the topic. If he met Hank on the way to the kitchen he would just ask him to check up on Charles, whether he liked it or not.
Charles pursed his lips in contemplation. He didn't feel hungry, or even well enough to eat for that matter, but he needed to keep up his strength to fight off the illness, especially considering he had not eaten lunch either.
"I guess I should," he finally said, trying to give Erik a reassuring smile as he was still gazing at him in concern. Erik nodded and got up from the bed. "I'll be back shortly."
-----
Raven and Angel sat at the kitchen table when Erik entered, eating spaghetti. There were two large pots on the stove, one with noodles the other with sauce. The girls had obviously cooked enough to feed everyone.
Erik smiled slightly, he knew the children would get along fine without supervision for a few hours, whatever Charles said.
He sat up a pot of water to make soup for Charles and then dipped a spoon into the noodle sauce to taste it. Deeming it edible he then proceeded to ladle out a plate of spaghetti for himself. He placed the food on a serving tray, adding a few slices of buttered toast for Charles.
When the water was boiling he opened a package soup and stirred it in, then lowered the flame to let it simmer for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, Sean had arrived as well, taking a helping of food and joining the girls at the table. "Thanks for cooking," he said when he sat down.
Erik poured the soup into a bowl and then walked over to Raven. Hank had not shown up yet, so Erik assumed he was still in his lab in the basement. Not wanting to keep Charles waiting he told Raven to send him up to check on Charles once he showed up for dinner.
Raven asked how Charles was doing and Erik assured them all that, while the professor was quite unwell at the moment, it was not bad enough to be seriously concerned about it either.
Raven's expression went blank for a moment and Erik assumed she was concentrating her thoughts to get Charles' attention, wanting to verify Erik's claim first hand. Smiling slightly at her concern Erik went to pick up the serving tray, bidding the children good night as he left the kitchen.
-----
"Is everyone alright?" Charles asked as soon as Erik entered the room.
"Everything's fine, Charles," Erik assured. "Raven and Angel cooked spaghetti for everyone. They're not half bad actually," he admitted. "They must have found a cooking book in the library."
He set the tray down on the couch table before helping Charles to sit up against the headboard. Settling into bed beside him Erik then made the tray float over, letting it hover a few inches above the blankets.
"Start with the toast," Erik advised, as he picked up his own food. "The soup needs to cool down a bit." Charles picked up one of the slices and started to nibble listlessly at it.
It hurt to swallow and after a few bites he tried dunking it into the soup before eating. The bread went down easier like that and Charles had finished two slices by the time Erik set down his empty plate. Picking up the bowl next he started ladling out the noodles.
The steam made his nose run, forcing him to set the soup back on the tray repeatedly to blow his nose. When he was finished Erik floated the tray back to the table.
"It's good to see you're eating," he remarked.
"Mhm," Charles murmured in agreement, his eyes sliding close. He felt comfortably warmed up from inside out and all he could think of was going back to sleep. Erik chuckled, guiding his half conscious friend back into a lying position.
Finding the bed more comfortable than the couch Erik decided to stay besides Charles for a while. He briefly contemplated retrieving his book from the table, but since it was not made from metal he would have to get up to do it.
Oh well, he could just watch Charles sleep. Which might be even more entertaining than reading, he mused, as Charles huffed in his sleep, turning his face more fully towards Erik, and started to snore quietly.
-----
When Charles woke an hour later his head was pounding and the room started to spin as soon as he opened his eyes. He quickly shut them again, willing himself to go back to sleep. However, his headache was steadily intensifying and there was a churning sensation in his stomach that made him cling to consciousness.
A violent shiver ran through his body and Charles moaned quietly. It wasn't fair, he thought resentfully, surely his stomach couldn't find anything disagreeable about a bit of dry toast and soup.
He swallowed convulsively, trying to fight back the bile that was rising in his throat, but finally had to admit defeat.
He felt Erik's hands on his shoulders as he struggled out of the blankets, desperately trying to get into an upright position, hands reaching out futilely for his chair.
"What's wrong, Charles?" Erik asked, concerned by his sudden movement, thinking he might be experiencing delusions from the fever. Charles shot him an apologetic look as Erik manhandled him into a sitting position, turning him to look into his face.
"I'm going to be sick," Charles choked, wriggling out of Erik's grasp as a telltale rush of heat went through his body.
Realizing immediately from the look on Charles' face that he wouldn't get him to the bathroom in time Erik dashed across the room to retrieve the waste basket from under the desk, cursing the damn thing for being made from plastic instead of metal.
He was beside Charles again in a second but still a little too late. The first bout of vomit splashed to the floor, Charles supporting himself on one arm as he leaned over the side of the bed.
Erik shoved the bucket towards him, holding it steady with one hand while starting to rub soothing circles on Charles back with the other while his friend continued to cough up his dinner.
When he was finished Charles flopped back onto the pillows with an exhausted moan and Erik went into the bathroom to empty the bucket into the toilet.
He returned with a wet washcloth and a roll of toilet paper, carefully stepping around the mess on the floor to hand Charles the damp cloth.
Charles accepted it quickly, avoiding to meet Erik's eyes in embarrassment.
While he cleaned up his face Erik proceeded to mop the floor with the toilet paper and then sat back on the bed besides Charles.
"I'm so sorry," Charles said quietly, still avoiding Erik's gaze. Erik reached out to stroke Charles' hair, tilting his chin up with the other hand so he couldn't look away anymore.
"It's alright," he said gently. "It's not your fault you got sick. However…" his eyes grew dark with concern and anger, "you might actually have the flu. Hank should have examined you hours ago," he continued, his voice rising with every sentence. "I asked Raven to tell him as soon as he showed up. Where the hell is that good-for-nothing gorilla?
"Erik," Charles chided weakly, almost managing a small smile.
"I'll talk to him," he added, and before Erik had time to raise any objections his eyes were glazing over as his mind started to sort through the nearby presences.
"He'll be here in a moment," Charles said a few seconds later, blinking back to reality.
"I could have gone to fetch him," Erik said, noticing worriedly that Charles' face had gone pale, or maybe that was just from throwing up.
Charles gave him a look. "Yes, but you would have been rude about it."
"So?" Erik challenged defiantly. Charles just rolled his eyes
-----
"I think it's just a bad cold," Hank said after running a few tests and questions by Charles, "but I will take a blood sample just to be sure."
Charles nodded and turned his face away as Hank started to compress the vein in his arm. His hands clenched into fists when the syringe punctured his skin and Erik, who was sitting cross-legged on the other side of the bed, almost reached out to touch him.
He stopped himself, however, unsure if Charles would find the gesture embarrassing in front of Hank.
"Alright," Hank said, once he had stored the blood vial in his pocket."I'll be back in an hour with the results, and, if necessary, more medication. Keep him hydrated," he added towards Erik, who nodded, and then left the room.
-----
Charles had drifted off again after Hank left. When he woke some time later it was completely dark outside. A glance at the alarm clock on his bedside table told him it was shortly past eleven. He fished out one of the tissues from under his pillow to blow his nose and then glanced around the room, looking for Erik.
He wasn't there. The lamp by the couch was still switched on, currently the only source of light in the room, and Erik's book was lying on the coffee table, open, the spine turned upwards to mark his last reading position.
Maybe he went back to his room, Charles mused, feeling a pang of sadness at the thought. He felt immediately guilty for it. He knew he had been monopolizing Erik's attention today, and he certainly deserved some rest, but it was nice to know he cared so deeply for him.
He had just closed his eyes again to go back to sleep when he heard the toilet being flushed in the bathroom. Charles smiled happily and pushed himself up a little in bed when Erik walked back into the room.
"Oh, good, you're awake," Erik observed, crossing the room to sit at Charles' bedside once more. "How do you feel?"
"Same as before, mostly," Charles said and coughed slightly. His voice had gone hoarse again while he slept and he reached for the glass on the nightstand. Erik must have refilled it while he slept, he noticed, it had been almost empty earlier.
He took only a small sip, but Erik caught his hand when he wanted to set it down again.
"All of it," he ordered. "Hank said you need lots of fluids."
"Yes, doctor," Charles joked, keeping the glass in hand and resting it lightly against the mattress, taking occasional, small sips so as not to upset his stomach again.
"Has he been back already, then?" he asked.
"About fifteen minutes ago," Erik confirmed. "It's not the flu and he thinks you'll be mostly recovered in a day or two." Charles smiled. "That's good."
"He also left some medicine in case your fever gets too high, so I'm going to check that now." Charles obediently opened his mouth as Erik reached for the thermometer.
"39°C," Erik proclaimed a few minutes later. "Well, not good, but not terrible, either."
"So, I'll be spared the pills then?" Charles concluded.
"For now at least," Erik said. "Try to sleep some more," he added and went over to the couch to pick up his book.
"Erik," Charles said seriously, waiting to continue until the other had turned to face him.
"It's late. You should go to your room and sleep, too." He didn't want Erik to leave, of course, but it seemed he had to be the reasonable one here. Erik needed to rest as well and he certainly wasn't sick enough to need constant supervision.
"I'm not leaving you alone," Erik objected. "You still have a fever and Hank said someone should stay with you."
Charles' eyes narrowed. "He didn't."
Erik held Charles' gaze for a moment but when he felt Charles' mind reach out inquisitively he admitted: "Alright, no. He didn't. I'm just concerned for your health."
"I know," Charles said, smiling warmly. "And I thank you for it, but I feel the same about you, so please lie down at least if you insist on staying. The bed is certainly large enough."
Erik hesitated. "Promise me you'll wake me up if you get worse."
Charles sighed. "I promise. Now get in already."
Finally convinced Erik started to take off his clothes and Charles smiled slightly as he folded them up just has neatly as he had done earlier with Charles'. Soon there were two piles of cloths resting tidily beside each other on the couch.
Left only in his underwear Erik climbed into bed and shifted towards Charles until he was lying more on his side than on the previously unoccupied one.
"You shouldn't get so close," Charles objected. "I'll get you sick."
"I have a strong immune system," Erik replied. "And I thought sharing body heat would make you more comfortable. I know you're still cold."
Charles huffed. "I'm not projecting," he argued. He had made sure of that the whole day. Well, at least during the time he was conscious. He didn't want to be even more of a bother by giving Erik his headache.
"It only started a few minutes ago," Erik assured him. "And it's alright, Charles. You're tired, and there's no need to hide. Not from me.
So, will you allow me to warm you or do you have any other objections? If you find it uncomfortable..."
"No," Charles hurried to say. "No, it's alright."
In fact, he thought, it might be rather nice. He hadn't been intimate with anyone since the accident. Not since meeting Erik actually, if he thought about it, they had been so busy preparing for war.
Not that he thought of Erik in any romantic way, of course, but there was a certain kind of comfort to be drawn from close contact with another being. A comfort that had been largely denied to Charles, even in childhood - at least until Raven had walked into his life and suddenly made everything look just a tiny bit brighter.
He opened up his mind a little more, letting Erik share in on his thoughts so he wouldn't get the wrong idea from Charles' words.
I understand, Erik's mind whispered inside of his as his arms wrapped around Charles, drawing him closer until his head came to rest against Erik's chest, and sadly, Charles knew all too well that he did.
-----
Erik wasn't sure what woke him up. The room was shrouded in darkness, only the rough shapes of the surrounding furniture discernible by the faint moonlight that trickled in through the half open curtains. It must still be the middle of the night, Erik mused, and was just about to turn around and go back to sleep when he noticed the wide expanse of mattress beside him.
His bed was not that big.
A creaking sound alerted him that he was not alone in the room and then he remembered. He must have moved away from Charles during the night, as he was now facing in the other direction. The creaking sound came again and he sat up quickly.
Charles gasped in surprise at the sudden movement behind him. He was sitting upright as well and, from the sound of it, had been fumbling around in the darkness to get into his chair.
"What's wrong?" Erik asked concerned.
"Nothing. I just need to use the bathroom."
"Are you feeling sick again?"
"No, just... well you know.
I don't need help," he added when Erik made to get out of bed.
"Don't be stupid," Erik objected. "You're still exhausted. I'm here, so I can help. And turn on some light, Charles. For God's sake you can't even see what you're doing."
A moment later the lamp on the bedside table lit up and Erik blinked, allowing his eyes a moment to adjust to the new level of brightness before getting out of bed.
Knowing that Charles could normally do this by himself Erik refrained from immediately assisting. Just hovering close by as Charles transferred into his chair and then waiting outside the bathroom door, ready to spring into action if Charles' strength did give out on him.
"You should take your temperature again," Erik said once Charles was settled back in bed, "now that we're awake anyway."
The fever had gone down a little since the last reading and Erik nodded in satisfaction before placing the thermometer back on the nightstand and switching off the light.
Then he climbed into bed and pulled Charles back into his arms.
-----
Charles' fever broke in the early morning.
Erik awoke to a sticky sensation on his collarbone. Glancing down he saw Charles' head resting against his chest and smiled fondly. The wavy hair was damp with sweat and sticking to Charles' forehead, his clothes were rather soaked, too, Erik noticed. He sighed in relief at the evidence of Charles' improving health and then carefully extracted himself from Charles' embrace so as not to wake him.
The clock on the nightstand proclaimed it to be half past six. Erik did not mind, he was an early riser.
He removed the second blanket from Charles' bedding, folded it up and placed it on the couch. Then he put on his clothes, wrote a short note about getting breakfast, and left for his room for a quick shower.
-----
Charles was awake when Erik returned an hour later, carrying a tray with oatmeal and orange juice for both of them.
Personally, he much preferred such plain food to the greasy affairs of bacon and eggs that some other people of the household fancied, but Charles pulled a face when he saw the contents of the serving tray.
"None of that, Charles," Erik chided. "It will be good for your stomach."
He settled back into bed besides Charles, watching in amusement as Charles reluctantly picked up one of the bowls and tried a small spoonful.
"That's actually not so bad," he said a moment later, his voice sounding surprised. "Almost sweet."
Erik smiled triumphantly. "I always put in some honey. Just because it's healthy food doesn't mean it has to taste bad."
-----
"I need a shower," Charles announced once they finished eating, pulling at his sweaty pajama top with a disgusted expression.
While Erik floated the breakfast tray over to the table, Charles transferred into his chair.
"Could you get me some fresh pajamas?" he asked, already halfway to the bathroom. "They are in the bottom drawer of the dresser."
When Erik entered the bathroom Charles was already sitting on the shower stool, his wheelchair pushed to the side, far enough so it wouldn't get sprayed by the water but close enough so he could reach it with an outstretched arm. A towel and the discarded pajamas where draped over the backrest.
"Thanks," Charles said when Erik exchanged the pajama sets, putting the dirty one into the laundry basket. And then he sat down on the toilet lid, his back towards Charles.
Charles frowned. "What are you doing?"
"Your fever just broke so you might get lightheaded from the increasing blood circulation," Erik explained. Charles rolled his eyes at Erik's over protectiveness.
"I won't look," Erik added, "but do tell me if you need help. Preferably before you collapse and hit your head on the tiles."
Charles did not deign that with an answer, turning on the water instead and doing his best to ignore Erik's presence.
The steam from the shower helped loosen up his congestion and Erik heard him sneeze repeatedly. When Charles finally turned off the water Erik handed him a few sheets of toilet paper to blow his nose and then turned around again while Charles dried off and got dressed again.
Once Charles was back in shirt and boxers, the pajama pants draped over his lap since they were easier to put on lying down, they returned to the bedroom.
"I'm going to change the bedding before you lie down again," Erik said when he caught sight of the sweaty blankets. "It looks almost as bad as your pajamas."
"If you insist," Charles said and then coughed slightly, already sounding much better than the day before. "I'll do the pillowcase."
-----
When Charles was settled back in bed Erik sat down beside him on the mattress, reaching out affectionately to brush some strands of damp hair out of his face.
"You're going to stay in bed for the rest of the day," he said, and when Charles opened his mouth to object quickly added: "I'll look after the children. Heaven knows what mischief they would get up to if left for another day without training."
He got up again and retrieved the breakfast tray from the table. "I'll be back for lunch," he promised and headed towards the door when Charles voice stopped him again.
"Erik?"
Turning around again Erik raised one eyebrow in question.
"Thank you," Charles said earnestly.
Erik smiled. "That's what friends are for," he replied, glad that, for the first time in his life, he actually had someone he could say that to.