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"Is there any way I can convince you stay, old friend?" Charles asked, his voice touched with a bit humour hiding the heavy weight behind the question.
"You're a psychic, you can convince me of anything."
Charles watched the new generation of X-Men inside the Danger Room beginning their first practice with Raven and Hank while he could distinctly hear Erik's footfalls as his old friend made his way to the elevator. To leave, Charles' mind supplied with some bitterness, like he always did. Erik always left, he was never one to stay--but he stayed with his family for ten years.
"Erik!" He turned and nearly fell off his chair at the sudden action, "stay-- p-please!"
If he had his legs he could have jumped from his chair, he could have ran to stop the elevator doors from closing. He had always thought it was Erik that followed him but that was never the case, Erik was always ahead and Charles was so enamoured by him that he started chasing without even knowing he did. And when Erik ran off too far, it was only then that Charles knew that he should have been a bit more selfish and may be Erik wouldn't have ran off too far.
Charles held his breath as the elevator doors didn't close and Erik stood there, straight and tall with his hands in his pockets as he looked back at Charles. There was a stillness in the air, a silence that couldn't be pierced through as both men stood at yet another standstill with the rest of their lives on the line--and Charles just knew that if he didn't try now, he'd lose Erik forever and he'd live the rest of his life regretting it.
"Erik," his voice was stiff, his throat dry and his hands fisted on the arms of the chair.
Time was painfully slow as he watched Erik close his eyes and Charles couldn't breath as the elevator doors closed.
"Charles," Erik said with a shudder of breath, a step out of the closed elevator.
"Don't make me regret this."
"I know," Charles nodded, the wind knocked out of him but he couldn't let his eyes leave Erik. Some part of him was afraid he would leave, disappear again and he would be in this large mansion feeling empty even with all his promising students.
Then he was moving forward and Erik had his arm stretched out, a small smile on his face as Charles was drawn closer.
"Come on then, you still have a class to attend to," Erik said and turned to face the elevator, opening the doors. He stepped inside as he brought Charles inside, closing the door with a flick of his wrist and bringing them above ground.
"You are going to break the elevators one of these days," Charles said, a playful smile already on his face before he knew it.
"We'll see about that," Erik teased back just as he opened the doors to a hallway filled with a throng of students.
"This is our family, Erik. Welcome home."