Work Text:
After finishing up the rough TAing schedule and emailing the other TAs from one of the computer clusters, Erik stretched and considered the wisdom of any number of courses of action. He considered calling Charles and Tony for an early dinner - and then realized that was both pestering and a bit pathetic - before he finally decided to headed over to the University Center and hit the gym. The close of summer meant that at least he could hide out and 'no, really, mom, I have loads to do on campus, lots of work' which meant he was only regularly waylaid to fix something around the house, instead of constantly. He checked in at the front desk, hit the lockers, changed and then headed up to the cardio room.
He'd expected the room to be empty, as the freshman still hadn't arrived on campus - and wouldn't for another two days - and most of the faculty were decidedly student-ish about getting back into any lapsed summer fitness routines. Erik largely suspected that it was more about eking out the last few hours of student-free bliss to finish up any research they wanted to before classes started. Instead there was someone working on one of the machines, just some fly exercises, but the light sheen of sweat on pale skin told Erik that he had been there a while. No one said a man couldn't take an eyeful when given, so he watched for another few reps before he walked around to give the standard head tilt to the man... only to find that it was Charles.
"Oh, Erik. Hello!" Charles was flushed and breathless and... not wearing nearly as many layers as he usually did. His legs were still hidden under baggy sweatpants that couldn't quite hide their slimness, but the rest of him was gloriously on display.
He did his best not to stare because he was quite worried it would be taken the wrong way - or the right way, really - or both - so he gave a wave before turning away to examine the treadmills. "Hey, Charles. I didn't know you..." He waved his hand in a way that he hope encompassed everything that was strange about seeing the man here looking sweaty and lickable.
"Certainly, my physical therapist would get quite cross with me if she knew I was shirking!" Right... to make up for the... um... everything else. "Tony has abandoned me due to unforeseen circumstances - also known as an attractive co-ed who was apparently moving in early. I think she was a freshman, at least."
"At least? Shouldn't you be discouraging him from harassing freshman? Perhaps pick on someone his own age?" Both Charles and Tony had a certain boyishness to them, Charles more than Tony, but they could blend in with the undergraduates for certain.
"That's what I meant! The freshmen are at least about our age." Charles was looking over at Erik now, an adorable smirk on his lips, Erik must have looked confused because Charles clarified a moment later. "Tony and I are nineteen, which sadly puts a bit of a damper on the fun that graduate students are supposed to get up to, but somehow we manage."
"There goes my plan for us to go get drunk some Saturday night." Erik paused for a moment. "And no wonder you two are so insufferable: fit, attractive, insufferable geniuses."
Charles actually looked down and blushed, looking even more boyish than usual. "But what about our good qualities, Erik?"
Erik couldn't help the small, amused laugh and the very light flutter in his stomach. Charles was sickeningly cute. "I don't know, Charles. Do you have any?"
The other man stuck his tongue out and went back to the exercise machine. Erik wanted to just stand and watch, and unfortunately the treadmills were all facing the wrong way, and as much as he might have wanted to show off on front of Charles, he decided not warming up and then pulling a muscle in front of a guy with an actual physical therapist - and likely also a personal trainer - would be very embarrassing. He climbed on and started a quick jog, unable to keep from occasionally glancing over his shoulder at Charles.
"Do you work out often, Erik?" Charles' question was loud enough to be heard over the noise of his heavy footfalls and the machine.
"Every day I'm on campus," Erik half-shouted back.
"Perhaps I could steal you every once in a while. Tony is not an every day sort of exerciser, I'm afraid, and I really try to get to the gym for at least thirty minutes a day." Charles sounded like he'd moved, and a glance over his shoulder found Charles slightly relocated to do just some simple chest presses now. "I'm afraid I'm rather rubbish with balancing or getting myself set up for some of the exercises."
Erik took a few moments to consider the wisdom of entering into an arrangement that involved him having his hands anywhere near Charles for an extended period of time, especially when Charles was going to be flushed and sweaty, possibly straining... god he was not thinking about that while jogging on a damn treadmill. "Sure. What sort of exercises do you do? Should I help after I jog?"
"No, no, I don't want to interfere, we could discuss coordinating our routines later, perhaps at dinner."
He caught his reflection in the slightly dirty window looking out over the field, it looked... sharkish. He tried to stifle it but that only made him grin more. Why did Charles have to be so damn adorable? "That sounds great."
When he finished his warm up jog he helped bring down a pull down bar at Charles' request and then set himself up where he could watch the man carefully scoot and position himself and then continue his workout. Charles worked slowly, each movement carefully structured and in perfect form. More often than not, Erik found himself pausing in the middle of his own workout to watch the man move. Thankfully he managed to get enough of a workout that he was actually sweating some and it didn't look like he'd spent his entire workout gawking at Charles, even if that's what he had done.
"What now, Charles?"
Charles was relaxing in his chair, carefully wiping down the last piece of equipment he had been on while Erik tucked the pull bar up and away that Charles had left dangling. "Sit ups." Charles said it with the same disdain someone might have said cauliflower or something similarly undesirable. "Most of the abdominal and back exercises require the legs for balance, and my PT obviously has designed some work arounds for some of it, but short of strapping myself down there is no substitute for someone sitting on your feet."
The two of them headed over to a mat and Charles accepted his help getting down out of the chair and then he sat, legs akimbo. It took him a few moments to get into something resembling position, and Erik realized exactly how much you actually used your feet to stabilize that position. Charles looked in danger of listing to one side or the other and so he settled down at Charles' feet and after a silent asking of permission helped Charles get his feet settled, and then he grabbed Charles' ankles. Charles twisted and looked at where Erik's hands were.
"You'll need to hold my legs together, about the knee area."
Erik considered the problem, and ended up resting his knees on Charles' feet and then grabbing his knees. "Is this alright?"
Charles pulled himself up into a sitting position and investigated, hands feeling out his feet and Erik's knees, and then grabbing Erik's wrists and giving them a firm wiggle. "Sorry..." He frowned. "Could you go back a few inches, don't want to hit you on the upswing." Erik leaned back a little more, which left Charles' face far less pressed to his chest, but that was likely for the best.
"So you... um... can't feel me at all?" Erik asked, hesitant, but thinking that they might be getting close enough to ask. It was exercise related, after all.
"Not at all, so do be mindful of the feet since I won't be able to tell you if you're squishing them." Erik nodded. "Would you like to count for me or shall I?"
"I've got it."
"Give me the tens if you don't mind."
And then Charles started to sit up and Erik counted the reps on his fingers against Charles' leg. It was... strange, actually, although he tried not to think about it, Charles' legs were very thin, and he realized that meant Charles must have not been able to move his legs for quite some time. He watched Charles carefully pound through fifty, before he sprawled back against the mat again, looking tired. He absolutely did not stare as Charles ran his hand down his stomach, eyes closed.
"More?"
"Some obliques, some stretches, and then we're done. Do you have anywhere you need to be?"
"There is nowhere in the world I'd rather be."
"Erik..." Charles' eyes flicked open, and his tone didn't sound fond, it sounded... almost hurt. "No need to tease, I know this can't be much fun."
He considered his words carefully for a moment, but then looked up at Charles in his ridiculous blue eyes. "Alright, there are places I'd rather be, but I do like spending time with you, Charles. You're... my friend." He squeezed Charles' knee before he realized that was useless, and then he considered a manly pat on the thigh, but that would have been similarly lost. Over-intimacy be damned, he reached out and patted Charles' hand where it was resting on the mat.
Erik helped Charles through more sit ups, and then helped him stretch out on his back and the two of them just relaxed like that for a bit. "Would you like to go off campus somewhere for dinner? My treat."
"Have you been down to Craig Street?" Charles shook his head. "Good food, not too far away. There's a game... oh..." That wouldn't work. "There is definitely food there."
Charles snorted. "I take it your game store is not ADA compliant?" Charles sat up and moved his legs to the other side before laying back down and stretching out again.
"Definitely not," Erik admitted. "There's these stairs up into it, no ramp, but there's street level stuff there, don't worry."
"I appreciate you thinking of my needs, Erik."
He looked away, feeling a bit flustered. "Well... that one I remember because I fell down the stairs and bruised myself spectacularly my sophomore year."
Charles snorted. "Makes the stairs rather memorable, I assume?"
"Yes it does." His ass hurt just thinking about it, he was not particularly well padded, especially in the ass region, and he had the bruise the size of a football for almost two weeks. "Do you want to get going? Grab a shower?"
"I was going to go home for the shower. They made over an entire suite with properly accessible showers for me so I do prefer to use it. If you don't mind wheeling with me while I smell rather ripe."
"I don't mind." Erik laughed and sat up, offering Charles a hand up as well, but Charles waved him off and slid back up into his chair under his own power.
"Go ahead and head downstairs, I'll meet up with you."
He'd only known Charles a few days, but he knew that an 'are you sure?', well intentioned or not, would get him a spectacular look that Erik translated as 'are you serious?' So he contented himself just to make sure that Charles was back in his chair properly before he dashed down the stairs and into the men's locker room to shower and change back into his street clothes. Charles was wheeling into the locker room just as Erik was getting out of the shower, opening up a locker to pull out a few things, apparently a jacket and maybe a few other things. Charles shrugged into the jacket while Erik did his best to nonchalantly show off his ass before slipping into his clothes.
Sadly, Charles did not seem to be taking in the view when Erik turned around a bit later, and the two of them made their way out of the UC and across the street to Charles' dorm. Charles told him to make himself at home and then headed off to the bathroom himself.
Erik began by nosily poking around the room, looking at Charles' bookshelves - genetics, medicine, scifi/fantasy, comics, and some general fiction - he didn't look through the dresser, but he did examine the two wheelchairs on offer that Charles hadn't taken with him into the bathroom. There was the electric one that he'd seen Charles in most times since the first. There was also a more rugged looking chair that looked to be the one he'd first met Charles in. It was... interesting, for the first time he realized that the chairs really were something that Charles had reason to have a few different sorts. Finally he ended up sitting on the bed, near the foot, mostly because Charles didn't actually have any obvious chairs in his room.
The door clicked and Erik looked over to see Tony stride in like he owned the joint. "Charles, I..." He caught sight of Erik. "Hello?"
"Hey, Tony."
A very strange look passed over Tony's face that Erik was having a hard time reading, there was definitely some surprise to start, followed with a few other emotions, before Tony finally managed to hide his surprise. "Where's Charles hiding?"
"He's taking a shower."
Tony apparently didn't expect that answer, and a slight frown crinkled his forehead while he was obviously trying to sort something out. "I thought he was at the gym."
It was Erik's turn to frown as he tried to figure out why that would mean Charles wouldn't be in the shower. "Yeah. I ran into him there and helped him with some of his exercises. He's taking me to dinner as a thank you." And hopefully Tony wouldn't...
"Ah!" For a genius he was exceptionally slow on the uptake. "Let him know I stopped by. He can swing by whenever when he's back, no rush." Tony started backing out of the room slowly before he paused and frowned again. "What did you help him with?"
"Just some sit ups and stretches. Charles said you don't like to work out everyday so I'll pick up the slack, I guess, since I do."
Tony actually sputtered at that, and even though he could be a bit emotionally unaware sometimes he realized that Tony was... jealous. There was a distinct note of jealousy and Erik was terrified for a moment of what the fuck that even meant. Tony crossed his arms in a petulant sort of way that made Erik think that somehow he was... moving in on Tony's territory, but it wasn't sex territory... Tony had skipped out on Charles to make time with some freshman, so... friendship jealousy, hopefully.
"You know." Erik shrugged. "Just whenever you're busy."
Somehow that was the exact wrong thing to say, and he watched the way Tony fisted his shirt where his hand was resting at his elbow. "Yeah..." Tony finally eased up a moment later, hopefully he'd decided that jealousy was unproductive and... stuff. "No, that's good." Tony's voice was tight, but Erik thought he might have meant that seriously, it wasn't as forced as Erik expected. "We could do lunch tomorrow, all three of us."
Erik nodded, and then tried to work up the nerve to be... polite, or something. "If you wanted to come with us tonight...?" Because he really just wanted to see Charles on his own, without Tony, maybe get a chance to see if he might...
"Nah, things to do." Tony frowned slightly. "You two kids have fun." And then he was gone, and Erik was left wondering what the hell was wrong with Tony.
Charles came out of the bathroom another half hour or so later, looking... really good. He was just wearing jeans and a nice button down shirt but he looked delicious. "You said it's not too far, right?" Charles asked, as he pulled his power chair out and transferred over into it.
"Maybe... eight blocks," Erik decided.
"I'll give my arms a rest," Charles decided, and then he was raiding his bag for his wallet and slid that into his front pocket and then they were off. Charles shut the door behind them, checked the lock and then led the way out of the room.
"Tony stopped by... when you were in the shower." Charles looked up towards Erik and nodded. "He just said to stop by whenever you got back from dinner."
"Do you think we should invite him?" Charles asked, looking weirdly hesitant for a question that had to do with asking his own best friend out for dinner.
"I already did," Erik admitted after a moment. "He turned me down."
"Oh..." Charles ran a hand down his shirt, smoothing it, as they pulled out onto the street and Erik pointed the direction of Craig Street. "Well, that's too bad." Charles looked really put out.
"He said maybe we could do something with the three of us for lunch tomorrow." He thought that might make Charles feel better, but it obviously didn't. Charles continued to look like he was considering frowning. "I think you'll like the place we're going, good burgers, good potatoes, lots of good stuff." Charles nodded, absentmindedly. "If you don't want to go tonight we could do it another night," Erik offered, because obviously something about this was rubbing Charles the wrong way and that was the last thing he wanted, he wanted to spend some time with Charles but not if he was going to be distracted and thinking about something else.
"What? No, no, no. That's fine. You have my full and undivided attention!" And finally it seemed like Charles was back with him. "Besides, I have every intention of going out to dinner every once and a while with you if you're not opposed."
Erik smiled; he was very much not opposed. "That would be great." His wallet wouldn't thank him, of course, today at least he could accept it because he had helped Charles out, but there was no way he was going to let the man pay frequently, and he couldn't exactly afford to eat out regularly anyway. He ate breakfast and dinner at home usually, and tended to pack lunch. "I can show you all the best places to eat."
It took some doing, getting Charles in the door, and rolling passed the bar of drunken people who didn't respond well to Charles' 'excuse me, please' so Erik took matters into his own hands and shoved Charles a bit of a path, and they ended up getting curled up into a table in the far back corner, but it was... really nice. Charles seemed to be enjoying himself, and told Erik more than a few stories about his undergraduate days, some of the hell he'd raised with Tony in his youth, and everything else in between. Erik reciprocated, tongue slightly looser after three beers, he was the oldest of five - and the oldest by a good bit - and he tried his best not to notice that Charles... well he had a way about him that said he didn't want for much, and Erik...
"I share a room with my little brother."
"I always wanted a younger brother..." Charles mumbled in response.
"You can have Pietro, I'll bring him over tomorrow." The two of them laughed about it after that.
Charles just shook his head. "No, one immature man-child is enough for my life. Tony is a full time job."
"No room for me, then?" It was out before he thought better of it.
Charles turned to look at him, almost like he was looking through him, or into him. Erik didn't know. It was disconcerting as hell. "Fill out an application," Charles said, finally, smiling brightly. "I'm sure we can find an opening."
"That would be... really nice."