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Charles sat and stared that the document. It felt real, it had the signatures and the seal…
Erik took the parchment from him and walked over to the window, scrutinizing the writing.
"I'm not sure I'm wishing this to be real or some sort of ploy to get us out in the open," Erik finally said, looking over the edge of the paper, out onto the estate beyond the window.
Charles frowned. "You think they'd do that?"
"We haven't shared much with London, now have we?" Erik asked, turning to meet Charles' eyes.
Shaking his head, Charles got to his feet and joined Erik by the window. "I can't help but wonder how the queen has gotten wind of what we're doing."
"You know as well as I do, that some of the people we've run into are in her employ. Or at least, I suspect they are."
Charles cocked his head, but didn't disagree. He and Erik had spent the past six months searching for gifted people like themselves. They had been far more successful than they had initially expected, or even dared hope for.
However, they had also run into people and caused some significant ripples of attention in London. Apparently up high enough to get the attention of Queen Victoria herself.
"Our young charges are nowhere near ready to be drafted into her royal army," Erik rumbled.
"We do not know what her reasons for the letter is," Charles argued. It didn't mean he wasn't in complete agreement with Erik, though. They had a few young mutants under their roof, but if the Crown took an interest in them…
"It is addressed to the both of us," Erik observed.
Charles looked down at the letter and nodded. It had indeed been addressed to Lord Lehnsherr of the Lehnsherr estate and Professor Xavier. He looked up and found Erik's normally stern face softened by a small smile. "Erik, don't-"
Erik put a hand on Charles' arm. "Just accept that this is your home."
Charles could almost feel the heat of the hand through the layers of clothes. "You know it can't be like that." As much as current society would mostly ignore two men growing close, the higher up you were, the less it would be ignored.
"Most people already refer to you as my young man," Erik said with a wink. "I am your benefactor after all."
"I'm not that much younger than you, my lord." Charles sniffed, but couldn't quite stay serious.
Erik lifted one hand and cupped Charles' face. "But you are mine."
Charles met his eyes and let himself be moved forward enough to meet Erik for a kiss. "You are insufferable," he grouched, but leaned in for another quick kiss.
"So, do we go down to London or is it a trap?" Erik asked a few minutes later when they were both righting their clothes.
"It's a royal missive, Erik - I don't think we can ignore it and not go." Charles picked the letter back up and re-read it.
"And if we end up in the Tower?" Erik asked, partly joking.
Charles shook his head at him. "I don't think the Tower could hold us if we didn't want it to," he said.
"And it wouldn't keep the young ones out if they decided to liberate us," Erik said drily.
Charles closed his eyes. "A lively bunch, yes," he agreed. He could just imagine what they would get up to if Erik and he went missing. Possibly tear the British Empire apart until they were free.
"So we agree on taking the chance." Erik righted Charles' cravat - which Charles had apparently forgotten to do up right. "We need to let at least some of the others know where we're going, but not all of them - they would just get into their heads that we would need rescuing."
"We let Henry know," Charles said. "He is the most levelheaded of the lot."
Erik nodded, his hands sliding up to Charles' cravat. Instead of re-doing it again, he undid it, pushing it aside before leaning in to press his lips against Charles' neck. "Allow me these hours of noon, then," he whispered, breath hot in Charles' ear. "If we set out for London in a few hours, I'm well aware we won't be sharing sleeping quarters for a while."
Charles tilted his head to the side to give Erik more room to move. Had anyone told him that after his trip into the cold river and subsequent rescue, he would have the lord of the manor and said rescuer in his bed at night, he would have laughed at them.
Aforementioned lord of the manor was doing his level best to get Charles out of his newly righted clothes, but Charles wasn't complaining. Quite the opposite, as he busied himself with getting the supposedly aloof Lord Lehnsherr out of his clothes as well.
If they were to present themselves in London, who knew when they might get the chance to be together like this again. One thing was being together in the countryside, in a private home - flaunting their relationship at Queen Victoria's court might be pushing it.
Charles breathed in deeply as Erik undid he breeches and pushed him against the window sill. Now that he had this, he was not going to give it up without a fight. Even if he had to face the entirety of her Majesty's guard.