Work Text:
They were sitting across from each other, having just finished their game of chess. Erik had won, yet he didn’t find the same smugness in the victory that he used to.
Charles now stared into Eriks eyes. Their anger had been laid out in front of them as it were and he wasn't quite sure where they stood now.
“Can I-” Erik hesitated. “Can I touch you?”
“Oh Erik,” Charles began sadly.
“Not-not like that.” Erik quickly amended. “It doesn’t have to be like that. It doesn't have to be like anything at all. It's just-” He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, trying not to let his emotions take over like they had earlier. “I haven't touched anyone in ten years .” He said the last part softly, like it hurt just to acknowledge it out loud. Charles’s heart broke at the sight. He had spent so long harboring all his rage against Erik, and now confronted with him, knowing what he now knew, he found so much of it escaping him. It was still there of course, all the hurt. That wouldn't go away so quickly. But now, seeing the man he loved, in pain, he found that all his feelings towards Erik could coexist. He reached a hand out, across the table, to where Erik’s was loosely resting. He wrapped his hand around Erik’s and gave it a small squeeze. Ten years with no real human contact. He couldn’t imagine. He felt as though he’d gone mad with all his time spent in the mansion, but he still had Hank for company and the freedom to go where he pleased. Ten years.
“Yes, yes of course, come here,” He stood from the table, not letting go of Erik’s hand, and pulled him along as he went to sit on the plane’s couch. He glanced briefly over at Logan as they sat down, but he seemed to be looking out the window instead.
When he looked back at Erik, there were tears in the other man's eyes. Charles leaned forward and wrapped him in a tight hug. Erik didn’t move for a moment, before tenderly bringing his hands up to Charles’s back. They stayed like that for a while, not moving.
“I really am sorry,” Erik murmured into his hair, after a while of silence. “For leaving you on the beach that day.”
“I know,” Charles whispered back softly, a tear of his own running down his cheek. “I’m sorry I let you go.” He paused. “And I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me.” He didn’t elaborate, but they both knew what he meant.
Charles pulled back slightly, looking up into Erik’s eyes. He missed him, so so much, despite all of it. And now here he was, looking at his face, close to him. He’d never thought he'd get to do that again.
“Is it alright if I kiss you now?” Charles whispered, cupping Erik’s face in his hands. It was funny, asking for something he used to do so often without thought. But now everything was different. It was new and fresh and delicate. He held Erik like he was something that might break.
Erik shook his head slightly.
“I want to, you know I want to, Charles, but we’re not alone.” He whispered back. He glanced at the cockpit where Hank was piloting the plane. “It’s not safe for us here.”
Charles reached his thumb up to brush a tear from the corner of Erik’s eye.
“Hank knows about us, darling. I’ve told him everything, he understands.”
“And him?” Erik looked skeptically in Logan's direction.
Logan scoffed.
“He says ‘do what ever the fuck you want’ as long as you don’t try to crash the plane again.” Logan said gruffly from the far side of the plane.
“You can hear us?” Charles yelped from where he was sitting.
“Super hearing.” Logan pointed at his ears. “And believe me, that's not the worst thing I’ve overheard between the two of you.” He scowled.
“Whatever do you mean?” Charles asked, feeling slightly faint.
Logan smirked. “The two of you, in the future. Let's just say you're not exactly subtle about all of this.” He gestured vaguely to where Charles was practically wrapping himself around Erik on the couch.
“We’re together in the future? And you know about it?” Erik looked baffled.
Logan’s smirk turned into a wide grin.
“You’re married in the future. So yeah, I think people might have started to suspect something was going on between the two of you after attending the damn wedding.”
“We’re married?” Charles shouted. “Logan, how could you not tell me that sooner?”
“I wanted to see where the two of you stood before shocking you with anything else.”
“I can’t- I can’t believe it.” Charles muttered to himself. “I can’t believe that’s even legal in the future. I never thought-” He looked over at Erik and saw his own joy reflected back in the other man’s eyes. A smile was softly appearing on Erik’s lips, gradual, as if he was still trying to take it all in.
“We’re married, Charles.” Erik whispered.
“I know, love,” he whispered back, closing the distance between them by crashing their lips together. Erik wrapped his arms around Charles’s back and helped maneuver him so Charles could straddle his lap. It was an intense kiss, one of two people who had only just reconnected after a decade apart, but it was nothing of the hate kiss that Charles had spent so long fantasizing about during all those years alone in the mansion. It was full of love. Charles grabbed Erik’s hair in his hands and pulled himself impossibly closer as he deepened the kiss. He didn’t want to be apart from him ever again.
“Hey you two, save it for Paris.” Logan growled.
The two men broke apart for air, both panting. Erik seemed to be shaking slightly. Charles pulled away from him fully and rolled himself off of Erik’s lap so he was sitting next to him again.
“Why, I’m terribly sorry, Logan.” Charles blushed.
Erik smirked at him as if to say that he was not sorry and wouldn’t be sorry if it happened again.
“We’ll continue this in Paris, darling.” Charles murmured gently, leaning himself against Erik’s side.
“We will,” Erik ghosted his lips against Charles’s ear as he whispered “husband.”