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Erik wasn’t proud that he didn’t notice it immediately. Not that there were many ways for him to know right off.
Things had been normal that morning when the two of them had gotten up. Not the best morning they’d ever had but average for them, going about their normal morning activities and then heading out to the kitchen before the classes they had to teach that day began.
The first Erik knew that something was wrong it was when Peter came to find him in the middle of the physical education he was teaching for the younger kids—because for some reason the international terrorist was better fit for that than The Wolverine who was teaching the class for the teens.
“Where’s the Professor?” Peter asked, coming to a stop next to him, looking a little rushed. “He’s supposed to be teaching a class right now but one of the students came to tell Ororo he wasn’t in class. We’ve been looking for him or Jean—because ya know she can find him—but I thought you might know because you tend to know these things about him.”
“Pete, you’re rambling,” Erik said, resting his hand on the boy’s shoulder, looking around the yard as though Charles would just appear but that wasn’t about to happen. His eyes went to the kids looking at the two of them, waiting for instructions and he sighed. “Look, you stay here and take over this class. Have them play tag or something, and just don’t let them get hurt. I’ll go find Charles, okay?”
Peter nodded and Erik took off, not quite running but going at a quick jog. As he moved his powers stretched out around the school, searching for the familiar feeling of Charles’s chair. It didn’t take long for him to find it in their bedroom next to the bed. Certainly not where Erik had last seen Charles, in the kitchen sitting at the table with a cup of tea a couple of hours ago.
With that knowledge, he took off running faster, not stopping or slowing until he was racing up the stairs. Never before had he been so glad it was class time and most of the kids were in the classrooms. He didn’t meet anyone on his way to his and Charles’s bedroom.
A wave of his hand and the door opened where Erik stepped inside, closing the door behind him. The last thing they needed was for one of the students to see this, if Erik’s suspicions were correct.
It wasn’t like it took him long to confirm what he thought. One look at the man curled up on the bed and he knew immediately. “Charles, love,” He said softly, walking around the bed to lie down on the other side, facing Charles.
A small, pained whimper left Charles from where he was lying stretched out on the bed, on his stomach. His arms were tucked in against his sides, his head turned toward Erik just a little with his eyes tightly shut. The pain lined his face and Erik could tell he was trying to not make a sound, his lips red from biting them, his pillow currently between his teeth.
“Baby,” Erik whispered, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to Charles’s forehead after brushing his hair back from his face. “I’ll go get your meds and some water. It’s going to be okay.”
Charles unclenched his jaw from around the pillow and forced his eyes open but instead of speaking a cut-off groan of pain left him as his body seemed to tense up and he turned his face away. Erik simply pressed another kiss to the side of his head and stood up.
He worked quickly to gather the glass of water with a straw, and meds from their bathroom before returning to their bed. He kicked off his shoes and sat on the bed, his hip by Charles’s head and his hand gently carding through his hair.
“I have your meds, come on,” He said softly, watching and waiting. He was taking in the way his body was tensing and relaxing periodically. Charles had described the pain as a shooting pain down his back and Erik could almost track the pain as it came and went. The small movement of Charles’s arms and shoulders as his hands clenched into fists around the sheets, his arms tucking in closer, holding his breath until he could exhale and pull in another.
It went on for a couple of minutes before he could turn his head a little and open his mouth. Erik was quick to get the pills in his mouth and then the straw, watching as Charles got a drink and managed to swallow.
He pulled back from the straw and Erik moved it to the bedside table. Charles turned onto his side, shifting closer to Erik in time for the pain to return. It was enough to curl him around Erik’s hip and leg as Charles’s own legs spasming with the bed no longer under them to keep them from moving too much.
Erik moved his hand down, gently rubbing up over Charles’s back where he could reach. What he should’ve done was let someone know where Charles was, that he had found him but he was a little too busy now taking care of the man and making sure he was okay. Nothing was more important than that.
“Hurts, Erik,” Charles whispered, his words slurred as he buried his face against Erik’s leg. Erik sighed softly, the pressure of his hand on Charles’s back increasing just a little—he didn’t want to hurt him but he knew a massage could help and in their current position this was the best he could do.
“I know, love,” He whispered, wishing there was more he could do. He always felt so useless in these moments but Charles always reassured him that having him there was enough and getting his meds and water for him wasn’t nothing. It just didn’t feel like enough.
“Need to—“ Charles mumbled but was cut off by another whimper and this time bit down on Erik’s thigh—assumingly by accident, but Erik wasn’t going to mention it. “Can’t think straight.” He added as the pain faded for another couple of seconds.
“There’s nothing you need to do, my friend,” Erik said softly, “Ororo has your class, and Peter has mine. We’re okay for now. Just rest and wait it out.” With the medication it could be anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour before the pain actually fades enough to move. And technically no one knew where Charles was and now Erik too. But that wasn’t something to worry about, Erik decided. They’d just have to assume both were okay for now.
Time passed slowly, watching as Charles handled the pain the best he could. Though it was clear it was exhausting him more and more with every second. Really, that was part of the problem, Erik was sure. The man wasn’t too good at taking care of himself but insisted on caring for everyone else. Long nights sitting at his desk working, stressing over everything. Not moving much, not sleeping, not eating well, drinking. Erik knew it all made the pain worse.
That was something else to worry about later. Not now while Charles was still in pain and tired. It almost felt like some kind of torture for Erik, watching the man he loved more than anything in so much pain, thinking again and again about how to help or wishing he could take it away.
It was around forty-five minutes later when the pain started to have longer pauses between and seemed to lessen in intensity. Finally, Charles rolled onto his back without screaming in pain.
“Sorry,” Charles whispered, his eyes closed but no longer clenched shut. Just tired and struggling to hold them open, Erik knew.
“Nothing to apologize for, baby,” Erik replied softly, knowing this dance all too well. The way Charles always apologized after the pain and felt bad for it. The way he seemed to hate being seen at his worst, even if it was Erik and they both knew Charles had seen Erik at his worst too.
After all, they had made a promise to each other. Maybe not in the eye of the law—that was far from legal—but between the two of them, both were determined to keep the promise. For better and for worse, in sickness and in health.
“I should’ve told someone but I…” Charles trailed off, his voice quiet, as though it was taking too much effort to force the words out.
“You needed to get here. It’s really okay, Charles. No one is mad at you. We know this happens sometimes.” Sure, most of the time it was first thing in the morning as they went to get up, but not always.
“Telepathically I could’ve. I was just afraid of projecting the pain too and I didn’t want that. Not for anyone I could’ve reached out too,” Charles admitted and Erik sighed softly.
“You know I don’t mind things like that,” Erik said, shifting to lay down next to Charles, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I could manage it, no matter what. For you, I’d do anything.”
A small smile ghosted over Charles’s face but he never opened his eyes, even as Erik curled around him and pressed another kiss to his cheek. “I love you, darling. And thank you.”
“I love you too,” Erik replied without hesitation, “but what are you thanking me for?” There wasn’t anything he could think of that he’d done that he needed to be thanked for.
“Just for being yourself,” Charles replied quietly, “‘M gonna sleep now.”
“Then thank you too, love,” Erik said, just as quietly. “Sleep well, I’ll be here when you wake up.”
And mentally, he added that he would be there for the rest of their lives. There was nowhere else he’d rather be than by Charles’s side for better or for worse, in sickness and in health.