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It had been a long day. Charles had spent it alternating between helping out with some of the training schedules for the students and handling the administrative matters of the school. Erik had been on the road, chasing a rather elusive mutant who had been on the radar of The White Queen as well. Charles had gotten glimpses of the man, a very talented mutant who could apparently walk through walls. They had lost the trail somewhere in the Middle Of Nowhere, left of End Of The Road, just before Last Stop, and Erik had come home tired and cranky. Reaper had been on a leave back home in Labrador, Hayes and Blu had gone to Australia for a well-deserved time off as well.
Charles had been up to his eyebrows in papers at the time, feeling his lover’s mood but unable to tear himself away from a conference call. They hadn’t seen each other for a while. Before Erik had left, Charles had been in New York on a symposium. He was one of the most renowned capacities concerning genetics and mutations, so it was normal for people to ask him to speak or present a topic. His return had been to an empty bed since Erik had already been off on his wild goose chase.
Now he was back and Charles was busy again. When he finally could make time, Erik was halfway through his third beer, radiating the same moodiness, just with a veil of alcohol to it. The sun was low, it being almost five in the evening by now, the warm golden rays spilling into their bedroom. Erik sat with his back against the window, shadows stretching out in front of him.
Even without being a telepath, Charles knew what kind of condition the other mutant was in. He knew what he had to do.
Wordlessly taking the bottle from the exhausted man, Charles coaxed his lover to lay down with him on the bed. Still no words were lost as the long, lean form, dressed in his habitual black, slid against him. The telepath propped himself up with the pillows and Erik simply wrapped an arm around the other man’s waist, head resting against his stomach.
They didn’t need words. Looking into the clear gray eyes, open and unguarded, reflecting all Charles needed to know, was enough. He carded his fingers into the limp, dark hair. Applying a soothing caress he stroked over the tense neck, then up the scalp again, down once more. Monitoring the other mutant’s mind he could tell the moment Erik fell into sleep. Muscles relaxed a little more, his breathing evened out. The arm was heavy on Charles’ middle, but he didn’t mind.
For a while he simply watched Erik sleep. It was such a rare opportunity to see the man completely without shields. The face was relaxed and a shadow of a beard growth showed. The sharp angles had softened, the dark lashes contrasting the rather pale complexion.
Tired. Erik had been absolutely tired. He needed this and he needed to sleep. Charles didn’t care that they were both fully dressed. He was comfortable in these clothes and he had wisely already kicked off his shoes.
No one ever saw the metalbender like this. The moment Erik stepped outside this room, the masks were on, the shields were up. Even when laughing at the antics of the students, smiling when a child finally understood what he had guided them to do, he never truly showed his most inner self.
Because it made him vulnerable. Charles was the only one entitled to that most private of places, the one where no lies existed, where no shields kept him from who Erik Lensherr was.
After a while he picked up a book and one-handedly paged through it, finding the last chapter he had been reading. With the warm weight of Erik against his side he started to read again.
*
In the end Charles slid down to lay on the mattress, on his side, Erik buried against him. The arm over his waist was still limp, the man deeply asleep. He could smell the dust of the road, the sun and the wind in the longish strands, His hand rested gently on Erik’s back, feeling every breath.
No one disturbed them.
Charles had made sure to let everyone know that he wasn’t available for the rest of the day, probably the next as well. Raven could handle matters. As could the other teachers. She had only told him to take care of Erik, then added that she would keep dinner for them – sandwiches and chips – in case they felt hungry.
From the grade of exhaustion Erik had radiated and the alcohol that had put him out, they wouldn’t be eating anything any time soon. Then again, Charles might step out for a bite later.
But not now.
Now was for them. For Erik.
The sun sank behind the horizon, the long shadows flowing together and becoming night. Charles had abandoned his book and was gazing out the window, watching the stars come out. Erik snored softly against his chest.
Closing his eyes, Charles let himself flow with the relaxed mind, smiling a little.
Complete trust. That’s what it was. All shields of the mind down as well, the anchor there for Charles to use, and he rested his chin lightly against the tousled hair.
He slipped off into a doze, letting their minds drift together. It was what they were, what they had become.
Together, balanced, one. In need of the other but still very much independent and strong.
He would never give this up. Never willingly. He would fight to his last breath against whatever might take this man away from him. Or whoever.
Because Erik was everything to him; his world. His anchor. His soul.
Something echoed through him, an instinctual reaction from Erik’s side of the connection.
Charles smiled more and finally succumbed to sleep.
fin! Hope you didn't suffer from too many cavities...!