Charles changed his mind; this certainly wasn't a good idea.

At all. In any possible way. Ever.

No one had spoken in what felt like forever, and Raven had barely looked away from Erik in the past fifteen minutes. He could tell Erik was uncomfortable; he was tense and rigid in the spot next to Charles. He probably hadn't had to meet any family members of a partner for a long time.

Charles ignored the bit of shame and guilt that came with that thought.

Charles bounced his leg up and down to help his nerves, slowly letting out a long breath. "Well," he said, breaking the long silence. "This has been great-"

"Charles," Raven cut him off with a roll of her eyes. "Don't be an idiot."

"It's not like we'd miss out on much," he muttered.

"You questioned Azazel until he passed the little brother-"

"Big brother-"

"-test. It's only fair for me to have a turn."

"For that you would need to actually talk, we're lacking in that department at the moment."

Erik laughed quietly and leant forward in his seat, hand reaching out to rest on Charles' knee. "Stop the jittering, liebling. There's no need to be so nervous."

"There kind of is."

"No there isn't, Charles," Raven said.

"Well hurry up and do whatever it is you need to, ask him whatever you want."

"Whatever I want?"

"Within reason."

"Why?" Raven asked, looking directly at Erik.

Erik looked confused, "Why what?"

"Why him?" she clarified. "And I don't want some bullshit like 'he's everything I want and more'. I want a real answer."

"Okay," Erik cleared his throat, not looking at Charles. "At first, if I'm completely honest, I kept pursuing him because he always looked adorable when I did it. There wasn't an intention of a relationship, not a proper one, anyway," he half sighed, half laughed. "That changed rather quickly. Incredibly quickly, actually, that was scary because I'm not necessarily known to be very sentimental."

Charles snorted, "Got that right."

Erik grinned at him, "Anyway, after a while I found myself asking Emma, Charles' boss who I've known for years, when he was working so I could come in and have the chance to talk to him more."

"Really?" Charles asked, surprised.

Erik nodded his head, "It was a little pathetic, really."

"A little cute, actually," he paused, "And a tad creepy, but still cute."

"Stop interrupting and let him talk, Charles," Raven said.

Charles rolled his eyes and sank further into the lounge.

"Keep going."

Erik cleared his throat, rubbing his hands along the denim covering his thighs. "Emma picked up on my feelings, I guess, and started giving him breaks when I was there. He always came to me during them, or I called him over, and we'd talk and it was amazing because I was going through a boring phase of my life and Charles was new and exciting and I wanted to find out as much as I possibly could," he paused and let out a breath. "I don't know how, or when, but I grew more and more infatuated with him; like I mean I was crushing harder than a teenage girl so when we finally, finally got together I was ecstatic, and I still am. Nothing but him not wanting me there would make me leave."

Raven looked at Charles and sighed. "Who else knows?"

"About us?"

Raven hummed.

"Emma."

"That's it?"

"Unless Charles has told anyone else," Erik turned his head and looked at Charles, his voice questioning.

Charles shook his head, "Maybe soon."

"Why wasn't I the first to know?"

"Because," Charles said, "I was scared you'd get all angry and disappointed."

"Alright," she sighed.

"Alright?"

"I approve," she clarified, "At least until he fucks up."

"Thank you for having so much faith in me," Erik said, voice full of sarcasm.

Raven rolled her eyes, "I'm going to make dinner."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"I have another question I want to ask now that he isn't here."

"What is it?"

"Well," said Raven, shifting closer to Azazel. "Charles is a smart boy, incredibly smart."

"Your point?"

"He's going to go to college. I'm not going to let him give up his dream for some guy-"

"I agree with you."

"-You're not going to stop him-"

"Raven."

"-From doing what he's always-"

"Raven!" Erik said, louder.

"-wanted," she stopped short, looking up. "What?"

"I agree with you."

"You do?" she asked, disbelief showing on her face.

"Yes."

"Why?"

Erik raised his eyebrows at her, "Why wouldn't I? Education is something I've always valued. I went to college, my family went broke, but I went, and Charles should too."

"Oh."

"And you're right, he is smart. He'll achieve in whatever he wants to do."

"So, out of curiosity, what are you going to do when he does go?" Azazel asked.

Erik shrugged, "I have a portable job."

"So you'd follow?"

"If we both wanted to, yeah."

"But," Raven cut in, "Charles doesn't want to go to a college here. He wants to go back to England."

"I'm aware of that."

"You are?"

Erik hummed, "He hasn't told me, but it's kind of obvious from the way he talks about it."

"And you'd still follow? You'd leave everything behind and just go somewhere you done know, where you don't know anyone?"

"I grew up in Germany, Raven. I have family, my only living family, living near England. It'd be good for me," Erik said, smiling softly. "The only thing I'd miss is from here is Emma, but it'd be alright."

"Well," Raven let out a long breath, "This changes things."

"Why?"

"I didn't want my little brother to give up on his dream, or get his heart broken. This means I can like you a bit more."

Erik grinned, "I've passed the older sister test then?"

"Little sister test," Charles' voice came from the doorway.

Erik turned his head, eyes darkening when he caught sight of him. Charles stood in the doorframe, large, dark red shirt falling to his mid-thigh with the sleeves reaching halfway down his arms. His hair was still damp from the previous shower, pushed away from his face and little droplets of water could be seen in the light against his face and neck. Charles, to Erik, was always attractive, but he always managed to do something to Erik while looking like that.

"I'm the older sibling, Charles."

Charles rolled his eyes and grinned at Erik, "You passed a test?"

"So it seems," he reached a hand out in Charles direction, beckoning him closer. "Is that my shirt?"

"Nope," Charles walked closer, stopping in front of Erik.

"I think it is," he grabbed Charles' hands, fingers trailing over the still warm skin. "I think I know where half of my wardrobe has gone."

"I don't steal your clothes."

"Uh huh, that's why a surprising amount of them have disappeared since I let you into my apartment."

"They're more comfortable to sleep in."

Erik hummed and moved his hands to Charles' waist, "Shouldn't you have pants on?"

"I couldn't find any I wanted to wear."

"It's the middle of winter, Charles."

"And no one wants to see your pale ass," Raven cut in, throwing one of the lounge pillows at him.

Charles tried, and failed, to catch it, turning around to sick his tongue out at her. "I wouldn't say no one."

"Well we don't," she replied, motioning to Azazel.

"Wouldn't expect you to. You're my sister, and Azazel doesn't seem to play for my team."

"You're right there," Azazel agreed.

"Erik, on the other hand," Charles smirked and tugged on Erik's hands, pulling the other man up. "Doesn't really mind my 'pale ass' as you eloquently put it."

Erik chuckled low in his throat, getting up to stand behind him.

Charles tipped his head back and smiled up at him, "Come upstairs?"

Erik hummed, kissing Charles' forehead softly as the younger man escorted him out of the room.

"Sickening!" Raven yelled after them. "The both of you are sickening!"

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"Charles?" Raven called as she walked into her younger brother's room, stopping short when she caught sight of Erik laying spread out across Charles' bed. "Uh," she trailed off.

Heaving a sigh, Erik sat up and smiled, "He's brushing his teeth."

Raven nodded, "Are you staying here, then?"

"If he wants me to."

"I do," came the muffled reply as Charles walked into the room from the joint bathroom, toothbrush shoved in his mouth and face showing traces of toothpaste. "If you want to," he mumbled.

Erik nodded, trying to hold back a laugh.

Charles nodded in return and smiled, toothpaste dripping from his mouth onto his chin.

"Ew," Raven drawled, face scrunched up in disgust. "Go to the bathroom and do that, Charles. No one wants to see that."

"Oh, c'mon," Erik laughed. "He looks pretty cute to me."

Charles made a noise of agreement; toothbrush still shoved in his mouth and stuck out a hand to high-five Erik.

"You two are ridiculous."

Charles smirked and ran into the bathroom, reemerging a few second later with his face clear. "Maybe, but it works."

"Does it?"

Charles hummed and half-jumped on the bed, torso half on top of Erik's lap as he moved so he was able to look at Raven. "I look pretty and he tells me what I want to hear."

Erik laugh again, hands grabbing Charles' bare calves and massaging them slightly as he moved into a more comfortable position. "It's a bit more complex than that, I'd say."

"I suppose," Charles agreed. "I mean, there's some cuddling in there."

"The occasional declaration of feelings."

"A bit of banter."

"Sometimes we even kiss," Erik said, smirking, as his hands made their way higher up Charles' legs.

"Not to mention the little bit of jealously on your part."

"I do not get jealous."

Charles turned his head and raised an eyebrow at him. "No, not at all," he said, voice thick with sarcasm.

Erik rolled his eyes and Charles laughed, looking over at Raven again. "Anyway, what'd you want?"

"To know if he was staying here."

"Yes."

Her eyes narrowed, "No funny business."

Charles snorted, "Sorry, but it's payback time."

"Payback for what?"

Charles gave her a pointed look, and, in a high-pitch voice mimicking that of Raven, said "Oh, yes, hard-"

"Shh!" Raven exclaimed, blushing. "I didn't know you could hear us," she mumbled.

"You're room is directly above mine."

"Right, well, I'll take that into consideration next time."

"Sure you will."

Raven rolled her eyes, "No funny business, Charles."

"Uh huh," he smiled sweetly, "Sure."

Raven shook her head and left, muttering under her breath.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"This is so ridiculous," Erik whispered, grinning.

Charles pressed his face against Erik's shoulder in an attempt to muffle his laughter. Still clothed, they were lying on the bed together, making too-loud moaning noises and moving so the bed creaked in an attempt to freak Raven out.

"Shh," he mumbled against Erik's skin. "They're talking."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"Oh my god."

Oh, god, Erik.

"Oh my god."

"I feel like I shouldn't be hearing this."

"You?" Raven exclaimed. "He's my brother. I shouldn't be hearing this. I shouldn't be hearing anything like this from him."

"We could leave or something, if you want? Go for a walk. They can't do it all night."

"Don't say they, you'll jinx it."

Azazel smiled, standing up from the bed and reached a hand out, "Come on, we'll go for a walk."

"But it's cold outside."

Please, please, more, Erik.

Raven grimaced and grabbed Azazel's hand, "Actually, let's go."

Azazel kissed her forehead and grabbed a spare coat hanging in the wardrobe and handed it to Raven.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"Was that a door?"

"I think so," Charles murmured. "I think they're leaving."

"Mission accomplished, then?"

"Mmhm, now we can actually do something."

Erik smirked and leant down to press his mouth against Charles', "What'd you have in mind?"

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"I'm going to yell at him tomorrow," Raven said as the door shut behind them.

Azazel grabbed her hand, "He's only paying us back."

"Yeah, but we didn't know he would hear. Charles knows perfectly well that we would be able to."

"Who knew you'd both be so loud."

Raven glared at him, "Not funny."

Azazel just chuckled, pulling her closer to keep them both warm.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Charles leant up as Erik captured his mouth, submitting to the other man as his body pressed down against him. Pure arousal shot through Charles as Erik bit his lip roughly, pushing his tongue into Charles' mouth and making the boy moan. It was a bit of a secret, but Charles enjoyed it when Erik was rougher, more dominant. It made him feel oddly safe like nothing else ever had, not to mention it turned him on like mad.

Erik moved and placed a line of biting kissed down Charles' neck and moved his hands to the hem of his jeans, making quick work of the buttons and shimming out of them without a little difficulty. His shirt and underwear soon followed, as did Charles', and soon enough Erik was placing kisses and licks to Charles' abdomen. Erik grabbed Charles' cock, stroking it as he kissed the head gently.

"Please," Charles breathed. "Please, don't tease me, not now."

Mere seconds later, Erik has engulfed Charles' prick, moaning quietly as it settled heavy against his tongue.

Charles sucked in a strangled breath, moaning loudly and drawing his legs up so his toes dug into the mattress and his knees were bent. "Fuck, Erik, fuck."

Erik's mouth was warm and eager and Charles was pretty sure he'd never felt something so fucking incredible. Charles could see Erik, eyes shut and face showing complete bliss as he moved up and down Charles' cock, and it made everything so much more arousing. His body spasmed as Erik moaned around him, and his hips pushed up. One of his hands moved blindly to tangle in Erik's hair as he tried to get his cock as far down Erik's throat as he could.

Erik reached a hand out to Charles' mouth and pulled back, pressing two fingers against Charles' lips. "Suck," he demanded.

Charles groaned and opened his mouth, taking the digits in as Erik took him in his mouth once more. He licked and sucked Erik's fingers as best as he could, his hand tightening its grip on Erik's hair. He opened his mouth when he felt the fingers were slicked enough, bits of saliva dripping onto his chin. Erik's fingers slid over his skin, rubbing gently at his asshole before it pressed in.

"Shit," Charles breathed, lifting his hips. The action still caused a sharp burn, Charles wasn't sure he'd ever get used to it completely, but the pleasure was there.

Erik came back, leaning up to kiss him slowly. "Relax," he murmured against Charles' lips, "It'll feel better."

Charles let his head fall back and shit his eyes, making a humming sound.

Erik smiled and kissed Charles again as he moved his finger in and out of Charles slowly, reminding himself that Charles had barely done this with anyone but himself. He kissed the corner of the boy's mouth as he felt him push cautiously against his finger, and Erik pushed it in as much as he could, twisting and drawing it out slowly. He gradually sped up, marveling at the reaction he got from Charles.

"More," the boy breathed.

"Are you sure?"

"Mmhm," he pushed against Erik's hand, "Please?"

Dragging his mouth against Charles' jaw, he let the other finger slide in and slowly began to stretch him. "Feel good?" he whispered, nipping softly at Charles' jaw.

"Burns," was the mumbled response, "But the good kind."

"Good," Erik sat back on his heels, watching as his fingers disappeared into Charles before reappearing. He moved his fingers in different angles, searching for the spot that would surely make Charles squirm with pleasure. It didn't take long, Charles positively screaming when he pressed against his prostate.

"Fuck," he groaned out from under Erik, "Fuck."

"Not tonight," Erik murmured, "I doubt you could handle it right now."

He could tell the boy was close, could see and feel the body shaking underneath him. Lowering himself down, Erik took Charles' cock in his mouth again, relishing at the spasm that shook Charles' body and the string of foul, mostly incomprehensible words that came from his mouth. Instead of rubbing at Charles' prostrate, he pushed his fingers against it rapidly, moaning when Charles hips bucked up.

"Close, so close," came the muffled voice above him. "Please, please, oh, more."

Erik complied, and hollowed his cheeks, pressing his fingers as hard as he dared against Charles. Charles became a moaning, incomprehensible mess as his orgasm hit him, giving a low shout as he felt Erik swallow everything he gave. Tugging on the man's hair when it became too much, Charles relaxed completely into the bed as Erik removed his hand and mouth, and leant up and kissed him chastely.

"I can tell you're still hard," he mumbled into his arm, "But I'm not sure I'll be much help. I don't think I can move."

Erik chuckled quietly, "Stay awake for a few more minutes for me," was the reply before Erik had captured Charles' mouth once more.

He went to wrap his own hand around his cock, groaning when Charles did it instead, placing his hand on top. He rocked back and forth, grinding again Charles' hand and the boy's body. It didn't take long until he was biting down at the nape of Charles' neck, come covering both his and Charles' hands and stomachs.

He collapsed next to Charles, sagging into the bed and pulling the boy's back against his chest as Charles pulled the blankets up. They both relaxed into each other, eyes drifting shut and pleasantly sated.

Erik kissed Charles once more, softly against his forehead, with a murmured goodnight, darling before they both let sleep overtake their bodies.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Knock, knock.

"Rise and shine, pretty boy," Raven called through the door.

Charles groaned and hid his face further into Erik's shoulder, "Go away."

"Come out, or I'll come in."

"Ten minutes," he yelled at her.

"One second more and I'm coming back up," Raven warned before walking away.

Erik stretched and shifted, moaning quietly. "Morning," he mumbled.

"Not getting up," Charles replied, his mouth wet against Erik's skin.

"C'mon," Erik whispered, running his hand through Charles' hair, "We need to eat."

Charles groaned again and rolled over so he's half on top of Erik's chest, looking down at him. "I'd rather stay in bed with you."

Erik trailed his hand from the back on Charles' head to the name of his neck, fingers gently tracing the black and purple bite mark he left. "Does it hurt?"

Charles leaned into the touch, "Not really, just if you press down on it."

With some difficulty, Erik leant up and kissed Charles' cheek, "Let's put some clothes on, liebling. I don't really want your sister to come in here and see us like this."

Charles pouted, "But I'm warm. And don't feel like moving."

"If I promise to keep you warm will you do it?" Erik asked, amused.

"If you promise to carry me, too."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

As it turned out, Erik didn't have to carry Charles; he just had to walk with the boy's back pressed against his chest, with his arms wrapped around Charles' waist because it 'kept the heat around them'.

Now, though, he was sitting in between Charles and Azazel, the latter asking him questions about his car and his sport preferences. Raven, surprisingly, joined in the conversation, offering opinions and asking questions. Charles, on the other hand, looked rather bored and was checking his phone every few minutes.

"This is too much man-talk for me," he declared after ten minutes and stood up. "I'm gonna go upstairs."

Erik looked up in surprise, "Do you want me to come?"

"Don't be an idiot," Charles smiled. "I don't need company 24/7-"

"Could've fooled me," Erik murmured.

Charles glared at him, "Besides, there's stuff I need to finish for school." He bent down and kissed Erik's cheek. "Come up when you stop talking about cars, and sport and stuff."

"How do you not know anything about sport?" Raven asked, smirking at him.

Charles stuck his tongue out at her, "More important things to do," he said just before walking out.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Charles stared down at his phone and took a deep breath as he walked back into the living room.

"What's wrong?" Both Raven and Erik said in unison.

Charles jumped slightly and looked up at them. "Uh," he trailed off, taking another deep breath. "Mum's doctor-"

"What happened?"

Charles sat next to Erik, the other man's arm immediately wrapping around his shoulders and pulling him closer. "Apparently her condition got worse," he leant his head on Erik's shoulder, body curling towards the older man. "A lot worse."

"How bad is it?" Raven asked quietly.

"Life expectancy has been cut short considerably," he sighed. "They don't know how long, but," he trailed off.

"Well," Raven said, "Shit."

Charles lent further into Erik. "Should I feel guilty for being the tiniest bit relieved?"

"Nope," Raven replied, "I'm the same, just didn't want to say it in case you weren't."

Charles smiled at her, "Can't wait until I have to tell Kurt."

"Just don't tell him."

"And endure the punishment when he finds out about it and realises I didn't tell him?" Charles asked, "No, thank you."

Raven grimaced, "She'll probably leave everything to him."

Charles hummed, "Of course she will."

"You got Dad's inheritance, yeah?"

Charles nodded.

"That'll be more than enough to live off, so it doesn't really matter."

"Still," Charles said, "I'd rather Kurt, and Cain, not get anything."

"And I'd rather them rot in hell, but we're not going to get what we want any time soon."

"Good point, that."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"You okay?" Erik asked quietly.

Charles nodded, "I think so, there are just a lot of emotions running through my head. But it'll be fine."

"I'm here if you need me."

"I know," Charles smiled and placed a lingering kiss to Erik's lips, "And I'll probably take up the offer when it gets worse."

Erik reached his hand out to tuck stray hair behind Charles' ear, nothing the length. "As long as you talk about it at some point. I don't want you to brood."

"I do not brood."

Erik smiled and placed a kiss to the stop of Charles' hair, taking the boy into his arms.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"Emma?"

"You need to come here. Now."

"Why?"

"It's an emergency."

"What kind of emergency?" Charles looked up from his book, worried. Erik waved a hand to let him know it was okay, "An emergency for you could be anything from a clipped nail to almost burning your apartment down."

"A serious emergency."

"Again, a serious emergency for you could be that a guy you slept with one time six years ago got a girlfriend."

Emma laughed on the other line, "Just come, you idiot. I need your help."

"Help with what?"

"Sentiment."

"Sentiment?"

"It seems like we've both found people who've been able to break through the exterior, sugar."

"I'll be there in half an hour."

"Bring comfort food."

"Fine, but you're buying me dinner."

The line went dead and Erik pocketed his phone, turning towards Charles. "It seems Emma is experiencing feelings and needs my help."

Charles laughed, "Similar to you, then."

"Mmhm," he kissed Charles' forehead, "Damn you."

Charles grinned, reaching his head up and kissing Erik again. "Go," he murmured against his lip, "And text me later."

Reluctantly, Erik stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Charles nodded, "I'd walk you out but I'm comfortable and the driveway's too long."

Erik rolled his eyes, "Thank you for caring so much," he exclaimed as he began to walk out and say goodbye to Raven and Azazel.

"It's what I'm here for!" Charles grinned, watching him leave.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Charles turned from side to side on the kitchen stool, watching Erik cook dinner. He loved just watching Erik do everyday things, loved watching the movement of the strong, lean body.

"I have a feeling you want to ask something," Erik said without turning around.

"I feel kind of stupid for not asking before we started doing things," he said and Erik left the chopping board to come over to him.

"Things," he repeated, smiling.

Charles rolled his eyes, "You know what I mean."

"Ask your question."

He blushed faintly and looked away from Erik's face, "You're clean, right?"

"Yes," Erik replied, hand reaching out and making Charles look at him. "I would have told you if I wasn't. I'm not the kind of asshole who hides it."

"I know, I just wanted to make sure."

"I'm sparkling clean," Erik declared dramatically. "It's like miniature cleaners go down there biweekly."

"That's a horrible visual," Charles laughed.

Erik grinned, picking up two different packets of pasta. "Now for the more important questions," he said, holding the packets up for Charles to see. "Elbow or rigatoni?"

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"What?"

"Nothing," Erik whispered.

"There's something. You've been acting weird all day."

Raven and Azazel had left the day before, so they were back at Erik's apartment – Charles not wanting to be at the mansion when Kurt was expected to come back soon. And Erik had been acting weird all day; he kept opening his mouth to as if to say something right before awkwardly closing it and then announcing something stupid about the weather.

"Come here," Erik said and patted his lap.

Charles sighed heavily but moved so he was sitting comfortably on Erik's lap. "What?" he asked again, head turning to the side like a questioning puppy.

"You just," he paused, and snaked his arms around Charles' torso to hold him. "I don't know, you do something to me that no one else has ever been able to do. Other than my sister, I've never felt more obliged to protect someone, or to keep someone safe. I honestly think I'd do anything if it meant you could stay content."

"Erik."

He kissed Charles' cheek, forehead resting on Charles' shoulder. "It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? We haven't been together for very long; we haven't bloody known each other for very long, but fuck, Charles. I miss you when I'm not with you, even if it's only for a little bit. I find it hard to not think about you when I know I should be doing things, and it just increases the want to be near you. And when I'm with you, you make me, I don't know, you just," he paused, trying to think of what to say, "I just feel so, so-"

Charles cut him off with a kiss; hands cupping the other man's face gently, "You're being sentimental again."

Erik placed his head against Charles' forehead, smiling, "You do stupid things to me."

"Bed," Charles said, "Let's go to the bed."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Somehow, they made it to the bed without breaking away from each other, items of clothing peeling off as they went.

There was a different atmosphere this time, though. Neither of them were in a hurry, instead their kisses were slow and lazy; their touches were gentle, yet satisfying. It was as if they had their entire lives to reach a climax, and neither Charles nor Erik was rushed to get there.

Erik pressed his face into Charles' neck, his breath got and ragged. Mouth sliding over Charles' skin, he whispered "What do you want to do?"

Charles bit his lip, head tilting to the side so Erik had more access to his neck. "I want you," he whispered, "All of you."

Erik stopped and looked up into his eyes, "Do you mean..."

Charles nodded, "I want," he paused, a faint blush colouring his face. "You'd think I'd be able to say it, wouldn't you?"

Erik grinned, now leaning above Charles, one elbow resting on either side of the boy's torso. "We're not doing it unless you can say it." Charles pouted, and Erik leant down to kiss it away. "Tell me," he whispered.

"I want," Charles said slowly, "to have sex."

"With me?" Erik asked, mock-surprised.

Charles rolled his eyes, skin flushed pink. "Yes, idiot. With you."

"Well," Erik sighed, pretending to think it over. "I don't know, I mean there's just so much pressure and so much to think abo-"

Charles laughed and interrupted Erik by reaching a hand out to squash his face. "Erik," he whined.

Erik chuckled, leaning down to kiss him again, "Okay, okay," he said. "If you're one hundred percent sure."

Charles nodded.

Erik let out a deep breath, "Alright," he smiled softly. He reached over to his bedside table, pulling out the top draw and searching around for the stuff they'd need, and placing it on the corner of the bed. "If you want to stop, at any time, tell me, okay?"

Charles nodded and smiled nervously at him, "Just be gentle."

Erik trailed his fingers across Charles' cheek, dragging them down to his neck and chest and eventually down to his hips, "Lift up."

Charles did as he was told, moaning softly when one of Erik's hands rested on his hip and the other picked up the bottle of lube. Erik squirted a generous amount if lube into his fingers, making sure they were completely slick to make it as comfortable for Charles as possible. He used his free hand to hold Charles' hips still, and gently rubbed at the boy's entrance. Charles whimpered at the cool touch, earning a smirk from Erik.

"Ready?"

"Mmhm."

Erik leant down and kissed his neck before sitting back on the heels. He pushed the first finger in gently, slow and steady, and gradually began to move his finger in and out. It wasn't long until Charles requested more, and Erik smiled at his eagerness and added another, stretching him slowly.

He added a third finger when he though Charles could take it, and it took a bit longer for the boy to get used to, and he started to shift uncomfortably. It didn't take long for Charles to start squirming underneath him, pushing against his hand and letting out loud moans.

"I think," Charles murmured after a while, "I think I'm ready."

Erik sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, he was surprisingly nervous; it had been a while since he took someone's virginity. And this wasn't just anyone, this was Charles. He felt pressured to make it completely perfect. He nodded and pulled his fingers out slowly, wiping them against the sheets and reaching for the condom packet. He used his hands to tear the packet open, pulling it out and rolling it on.

He picked up the pillow Charles didn't have his head on, instructing the boy to lift his hips and placing it under his ass with the hope it would help Charles' comfort. "Ready?"

"This is going to hurt a lot, isn't it?"

Erik considered lying, but thought better of it. "Yes," he said, "But it's also going to feel incredible, you just need to let it get to that point."

Charles' smile was nervous, but he nodded, "Gentle," he said.

Erik leant down and kissed the side of his mouth, "Promise."

Erik picked the lube back up, coating his cock with almost twice the amount he'd usually use. His cock twitched in his hand, his entire body aching to be inside of Charles. He lined himself up with Charles' entrance, hand grabbing into the boy's hips and grabbing tightly. He bent and kissed Charles again, tongue running over his teeth and tongue. Erik pushed the slightest bit in; stopping the second he felt Charles' body tense even though his own body wanted nothing more than to thrust into the tight heat. He manoeuvred his body so he was leaning over Charles, his hands moving from his hips to rest on either side of Charles' face.

"You need to relax, darling," he said in a gentle voice, willing himself not to groan out loud. "It will hurt more if you don't."

Charles nodded, arms wrapping around Erik's neck, and fingernails digging into the skin of his shoulder blades.

"I'll stop if you want me to," Erik murmured, kissing Charles' cheek. "I promise, we'll stop if it hurts too much."

"Okay," Charles whispered, trying to get his body to relax. "Try to go in more."

Erik placed more featherlight kisses to Charles' skin and pushed into Charles gently until the head of his cock was in the boy. Charles gasped in pain, and Erik felt bad because he couldn't help the groan that came from his mouth.

"Are you okay?" He asked, head resting against Charles' shoulder.

"Burns," he mumbled, nails digging into Erik's back hard enough to make him bleed.

"Do you want to stop?"

Charles shook his head, "More."

"Charl-"

"More," he said again. "Please, I'll tell you when to stop; I just want to get to the good."

Erik nodded and kissed Charles' shoulder, pushing further into the boy's body. He stopped every time the boy said to, waiting for Charles' body to adapt to the feeling. Eventually, after a lot of stop-start and encouraging words, he managed to get all the way in, and it felt incredible. He hadn't been inside someone since just after he met Charles, and the feeling was slightly overwhelming.

Charles, on the other hand, was gasping because of the overwhelming pain. He knew it would stop, he knew it would feel good sooner or later, he was just hoping it'd be sooner.

"You okay?" Erik asked quietly after a bit, lips soft against Charles'.

Charles nodded, his body growing used to the odd feeling, "Move."

Erik didn't need to be told twice. He moved as slowly as he could, pulling out less than half way before pushing back in. He continued to do it, pulling further out each time as small gasps and groans leaving his mouth.

"Mm," Charles moaned after a while. The pain was gradually decreasing, and pleasure was starting to overtake his senses. "Go faster."

Erik did, and eventually Charles was back to squirming underneath him in pleasure, hands dragging down his back with each thrust. Erik had a tight hold on his hips, and Charles was almost positive there'd be hand-shaped bruises there tomorrow. He didn't mind.

"Charles," Erik gritted out. "I'm not going to last very long," he groaned. "You feel, god, you feel wonderful."

"Harder," Charles gasped, "Please, Erik, fuck."

Erik pushed harder, unknowingly hitting Charles' prostrate. The boy screamed, literally screamed, Erik was slightly worried people in the apartments above would have been able to hear.

"Erik," he moaned, legs wrapping around the man's waist in an attempt to bring him closer. "Holy shit, more." Leaning upwards, he kissed the other man; it was sloppy and a little bit desperate but everything felt so good that he didn't care.

Erik made sure to hit the spot with each thrust, Charles turning into a mumbling mess of yes, please, more, fuck Erik, yes, Erik, more, more, shit, ERIK.

"Beautiful," Erik whispered, mouth against Charles' ear as his hand moved across Charles' dick. "So, so beautiful."

Charles' body went rigid, his orgasm hitting him. He hid his face in Erik's shoulder, a futile attempt to muffle his moan. Erik followed right after, Charles' name on his lips as his hips stuttered in and out of him.

"Fuck," he mumbled, collapsing on top of Charles, panting.

"Mmm," Charles replied, eyes mostly shut and is body sated.

Erik kissed him gently, "I'm going to pull out, okay?"

Charles nodded sleepily, winching at the uncomfortable feeling. Erik sat back on his heels again, slipping the condom off and trying the end.

"I know we should clean up, but I'm not moving," Charles mumbled.

Erik grinned, "I'll do it, otherwise you'll complain in the mining about waking up all sticky."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"Erik," Charles mumbled later, once their breathing was back to normal, and with their bodies intertwined under the covers.

"Mmm?"

Charles shifted his head to looks at Erik's face, "I love you, too."

Erik smiled, kissing Charles' forehead and pulling him even closer to his body as they feel asleep.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

The Café reopened on the first, and Charles was happy to be back at work, he really was. He had missed being around his fellow employees, because although he had spoken to them briefly via text, he hadn't actually seen anyone since Emma decided to close the shop for the holidays. He'd also missed having something to do – a reason to leave the house.

That didn't mean he hadn't thoroughly enjoyed his time with Erik.

And his grimacing and winching didn't mean he wasn't happy to be working again.

It meant that the searing pain in his ass that has been caused because of the time he'd spent with Erik.

He want complaining about it though, the sex was so, so, worth being in a little pain the following day, (Charles had discovered a new love). A seven hour shift filled with hung-over people and not having the chance to sit down just wasn't helping.

Still, it felt good to be back. There'd already been a fight between Scott and Alex, who both came into work with slightly damp clothes; ("You said leave the washing on the line!" "No, you idiot, I said don't leave it because it wouldn't dry." "Do it yourself, then!"). Logan, true to his word, hadn't done anything that could be considered flirty, showing that he knew when to back off when his attention wasn't wanted. Instead it seemed as if his attention had turned towards Emma; Charles made a mental note to talk to Erik about that.

Moira and Sean weren't currently working, but there was a staff meeting later that evening that everyone was required to attend, and Charles was rather excited to see them, too.

"See the girl you served about ten minutes ago," Logan said from behind him.

Charles looked towards his left, spotting her just as she looked again. "Yeah?"

"She's been checking you out the entire time she's been in here, bub."

"Don't say that," Charles stated, hint of a smile on his lips. "I feel bad for not reciprocating."

Logan rolled his eyes, "Of course you would feel bad about that."

"Sorry for being nice."

"Overly nice," Logan clarified. "How you get on with people like Lehnsherr, I'll never know."

Shrugging, he said, "Erik's not as bad as everyone says he is. He's not even as bad as he thinks he is."

Logan gave him an incredulous look.

Charles laughed, "I'm serious. He just doesn't like to associate himself with," he trailed off, "Anyone, really."

"How'd you get in the picture, then?"

"I don't let glaring looks and ridiculous rumours scare me away."

"Fair point," Logan concluded, going to the counter as a customer walked in.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

The meeting turned out to be more of a catch up, everyone sitting around the large table at the back with freshly made beverages, joking and laughing with each other. They had briefly discussed work matters, who was taking what shift and who needed what day off etc.

Charles shifted in his seat and sighed softly in pain, successfully gaining the attention of everyone.

"What's up, bub?" Logan asked, smirking. "You've ben winching all day."

Charles rolled his eyes, "Nothing."

"Ooooooh," Sean called out, "Charles got some last night!"

Charles was sure he blushed scarlet as the urge to hide became prominent, this was surely going to cause more questions about who he got some with. If he was honest, Charles was ready to tell them, he just didn't know how. "I did not get anything last night, Sean," he replied, well aware it was useless to even try and pretend.

"Oh, please, sugar," Emma said, looking oddly self-satisfied, "Your face tells us all."

"How was it?" Alex asked, leaning forward in his seat.

"I am not having this conversation with you lot."

"Look at that blush," Moira cooed, "Of course it was good."

"Who was on top?" Sean asked, laughing at Charles' expression.

"Obviously not him, you idiot," Alex replied, hitting his friend behind head. "Why else would his arse hurt?"

Sean glared back, "Girls can be on top, if you haven't noticed. It's all about the positioning."

"Why," Scott cut in, "Would you even want to know? I doubt Charles wants you to know specifics about his sex life."

"Looking for tips?" Logan playfully asked Sean.

"My skill in the bedroom is perfectly adequate, thank you very much."

"What would you know about skill in the bedroom?" Scott asked, "You look ten, you shouldn't be having other people in the bedroom."

"That's why he uses his hand," Alex laughed, ducking the punch directed his way.

"We're supposed to be discussing Charles' sex life, not mine."

"Oh, no, I'm more than happy to keep going on about your skill in the bedroom, Sean." Charles grinned as Sean's cheeks turned pink.

"Seriously, Charles," Emma continued, "Was it good? I'll fire you if you don't tell us."

Charles rolled his eyes, "You'll do nothing of the sort, you need me."

"Try me, sugar."

Charles huffed, "Yes, it was good," he said. "It ridiculously incredible, thank you for asking, can we change the subject now?"

"No," Logan replied.

"Tell us more," Alex drawled.

"What else do you want to know?"

"It was your first time, wasn't it?" Moira asked, "I don't think it would hurt so much if it wasn't."

Charles flushed, heat spreading across his skin, "Not answering that," he mumbled.

"Of course it was," Emma smiled, "Our baby's all grown up-"

"Our baby? I'm older than Alex and Sean."

"-I feel like a proud mother."

"That's ridiculous, Emma."

"I simultaneously want to kill and hug the man who took away your innocence, sugar," she winked at him, and Charles' blush deepened.

"This is getting weird."

"It was weird a while ago, bub."

"When do we get to see the mysterious boyfriend, Charles?" Sean whined, "He needs my blessing."

"And mine," Alex joined in.

"This far in, I doubt Charles is going to care about either of your blessings," Scott leant back in his chair, "Right, Charles?"

"No," Alex intervened. "Charles holds our opinions in the highest regards. Don't you, Charles?"

"Not answering either," Charles said, and Alex whined while Sean pouted.

"Why haven't we met him?" Moira asked, "Surely he's came in before and got something."

"Yeah, why doesn't he pick you up or anything?"

"You need a chivalrous man, Charles. Is he not gallant?"

"I can't believe you know the word gallant."

"Do you have photos? Can we see photos?"

"Is he just shy?"

"Is he ugly? Is that why you don't want us to see?"

"Is he, like, ninety? I don't mind an age difference, Charles, really!"

"Maybe he's got a deformed face."

"Maybe he's incognito."

"Yeah! Like a superhero. Oh my god, Charles! Is he a superhero?"

"Really, Alex, incognito?"

"Is he a spy? I think he's a spy."

"CIA agent?"

"You lot," Charles nearly shouted so he was heard, "Are utterly absurd."

"Why, thank you, Charles."

Charles took a deep breath and smiled, "No, his chivalry is perfectly adequate. He isn't what I would call shy. Certainly not ugly, like, at all. No, Sean, he isn't ninety, although he is a bit older; thank you for the approval. His face is fine, he's not hiding his identity, as far as I know, he isn't a superhero, and no, he's not a CIA agent."

"Then why," Alex whined again, "Have we not met him."

Charles sighed, "Soon, okay? I promise.

Sean perked up, "We need to get our questions ready, Alex."

Charles shook his head, running his hand through his hair. "What have I got myself into?" he mumbled.

"Oh, sugar, you have no idea."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

After finally turning the conversation from his sex life onto other things, such as Alex's disastrous attempt at cooking dinner for a girl and almost ending up in hospital, they decided it was time to leave and go home.

They were huddled directly outside the café, an unspoken decision to wait with each other for their rides. Charles had a sneaking suspicion it was more to do with the fact that Sean would never forgive Alex if he made him wait alone, and that Scott wanted more time with Moira – even if it was in the freezing cold. He was also pretty sure that the reason Logan was still there was because of Emma, who was always the last to leave.

Charles pushed his face into his scarf to preserve the heat. He was torn – he half wanted Erik to be the first one there, but half hoped he was the last. After their previous conversation, Charles thought that one of them would pick up on the odd relationship he and Erik shared.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, Erik was the first to get there. He got out of the car in one swift movement, looking incredible rugged up in the form fitting coat and tightly knotted scarf. Charles smiled nervously, noticing the slight groan from Sean.

Emma whistled when he got closer, "Looking good, Lehnsherr. What have you been doing?"

He bent down and kissed Charles' cheek before replying, "Just going through the nightly ritual of cooking up the neighbours' pets."

"Sounds delicious," she said, voice thick with sarcasm.

"My favourite meal," his voice matched her tone.

Emma grinned, "Did you look up Wade like I told you to?"

"I did."

"I told you he got hot."

"He did," Erik agreed. "He really did. He's a complete dick, though, not to mention he's still batshit crazy. It doesn't really matter, considering I've got someone ten times better."

"Being openly sentimental doesn't suit you, sugar."

Charles snorted, drawing Erik's attention back to him. "Something funny?"

"You and sentiment."

Erik rolled his eyes, "Come on, liebling, it's bloody freezing."

Charles linked his arm with Erik's and stood closer to him, relishing in the heat the other man's body radiated. "If I ask nicely, will you buy me dinner?"

"Just have some freshly cooked pets, Charles," Emma cut in.

"Not my first choice, I've got to admit."

Emma smiled at him before turning to Erik and giving him a pointed look, "Answer your texts, or I'm kicking down the door of your apartment to get answers."

Erik grinned, "I'll see you later, then," he said before he started to walk off, listening to Charles yell his goodbyes.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"Is anyone else thinking that maybe, maybe, Charles' mysterious boyfriend is perhaps Lehnsherr, and that's why he doesn't want us to know?" Moira said, breaking the brief silence.

"Ridiculous!" Sean called, shaking his head.

"Is it, though?" Moira asked. "I mean, if you think about it, they spend and awful lot of time together, and Lehnsherr is usually the one to pick him up nowadays, even though Charles has a perfectly fine car that he and drive to and from work."

"And they're a bit close, aren't they?" Logan asked. "Too close, I think, to be completely platonic."

"We've got to have another discussion with Charles," Sean murmured, eyes wide.

"Definitely," Alex agreed.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"Never have I been asked so many questions about my romantic life," Charles said as they got into the car.

"Oh god," Erik replied, "How'd they know?"

"The winching, I think."

Erik looked at him in concern, "It still hurts?"

Charles hummed, "Yes, but it was always going to," he paused. "I don't think standing and walking around all day helped, though."

"Don't work tomorrow."

"Don't be ridiculous, it's not that bad."

"Charles," Erik drawled, eyes on the road, "I don't want you in any pain, at all."

"It's the good kind of pain."

Erik gave him a looked that screamed 'you need a better excuse than that', "I swear I won't have sex with you again."

"No!" Charles yelped, blushing. "Definitely not, now that we've started I don't necessarily want to stop, even if there is pain."

"What have I done to you?"

"Emma likes to say you've taken away my innocence, I like to say you've increased how hormonal I am."

Erik barked a laugh, "Nice way of putting it, liebling."

Charles smiled, "On another note, who's Wade?"

"Huh?" Erik asked, before realising. "Oh, oh, he's this guy Emma and I went to school with. Complete dickhead, if you ask me. I nearly snapped his neck in my second year a college."

"Charming."

Erik smiled, "Emma thought so, too," he said. "Why do you care who he is?" he glanced at Charles, "Jealous?"

"No," Charles said sharply.

"I think you're jealous," Erik replied in a sing-song voice.

Charles rolled his eyes, "Just drive the car."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"I'm not jealous," Charles announced later that night, chest still heaving and body sprawled over Erik's.

"Mmm?" Erik replied, absentmindedly tracing patterns into the small of Charles' back.

"Before, you said I was jealous," he clarified. "I'm not, that's your job. I just prefer all of your attention on me."

Erik kissed the side of his head, "Lucky for you that's where it usually is."

Charles smiled, shifting into a more comfortable position before falling asleep to the sound of Erik's heartbeat.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"How do we ask?"

"We can't just ambush him."

"Maybe call another group meeting."

"Maybe we should ask Lehnsherr."

"You're on your own there, Logan. I am not talking to him."

"We're gonna have to if Charles really is with him."

"No, we're going to make Charles realise what he's doing, if they're together."

"You can't do that, Sean. If he's happy, you've got to let him be happy."

"But with Lehnsherr?"

"With anyone."

"But he's a creep."

"Charles doesn't seem to think so."

"Brainwashed, I tell you!"

"While Erik certainly has some surprising talents, I can assure you brainwashing isn't one of them, sugar."

"But is doesn't make sense! Charles is wonderful and lovely and he does everything for everyone and he's just so nice that it can be annoying." Sean said with a lot of over dramatic hand gestures, "It doesn't make sense for him to be in a relationship with an asshole."

"Erik can be nice," Emma said. "It just takes the right person."

Four pairs of eyes turned and looked at her in disbelief.

"Nice?"

"Are you feeling alright?"

Emma rolled her eyes, "Yes, nice. Now get back to work. I don't care if it's a slow day, I don't pay you to sit around and chat."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Logan got fed up with everyone's speculating, so he was the one who ended up asking. It didn't go with anyone's plan, which was really just to ease it into a conversation, but it got the job done. It was just after a three hour rush of customers, where the café emptied slightly and everyone working got a chance to breathe and relax a bit, no longer rushing to get someone's order done. Alex and Sean were huddled together while they whispered to each other, eyes constantly looking up at Charles who was cleaning one of the tables in front of the counter.

Logan sighed and rolled his eyes, "Oi, Xavier," he called out. "Come here for minute, I've got something to ask you."

Alex and Sean looked up at him, eyes widening as they realised what was going to happen.

Oblivious, Charles looked up and smiled, immediately coming to stand with the rest of them, "Ask away."

"I want an honest answer, alright bub?"

"Now you're worrying me."

"Are you and Lehnsherr a thing?"

Charles' eyes widened his body stopping dead in its tracks. Shit. "What?"

"Don't play dumb, it doesn't suit you. You and Lehnsherr, yes or no?"

Charles sighed and ran a hand over his face. He had to tell the truth, lying now would be too hard to explain later. "Yes," he muttered.

"Alright," Logan said, nodding. "I had my suspicions. He's an asshole, as far as I'm concerned, but alright."

Charles looked at him oddly. "Okay," he said slowly. "Good to know."

"This has to be a mistake," Sean exclaimed, shaking his head.

"Seriously, Charles?" Alex asked, eyes wide.

"Yes, seriously."

"How?"

"Do you really want me to explain that?" There was a gush of cool air as a group of customers walked in. "We'll talk about it later," Charles said, turning to the front of the counter.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"Just tell me one thing, Charles."

"What is it?"

"Does he creep you out at all?"

"No, Sean, he doesn't."

"Really?"

"Really."

They had finished their shifts not long ago and were standing in the parking lot waiting for Sean's mother, and Erik to pick them up.

"Is it serious?" Alex asked.

Charles smiled softly, "Maybe."

"That's a yes, then."

"He doesn't make you feel used?"

"No."

"He doesn't hurt you?" Sean asked hesitantly.

"No, never."

"Are you sure? Because you've had some pretty suspicious bruises, Charles."

"Yeah, don't be scared to us. We can help."

Charles glared at the both of them, anger swelling in his chest. "He would never, ever- I can't believe you'd even think- Those bruises didn't come from him- Erik's not the typ-"

"Okay!" Alex declared. "Okay, he doesn't hurt you, that's good."

"Has he pushed you into anything?"

"No, believe me," Charles said. "I didn't need much convincing."

Sean made a face, "Ew, I can't imagine Lehnsherr doing that."

"Your loss, really. He's good at it."

"Charles!"

Charles grinned at the obvious discomfort, "If you're going to question me about it, I'm going to make it fun."

"Do you guys argue?"

"Not really, no."

"Emma said he could be nice," Sean announced. "But I'm not too sure how I feel about that."

"He can actually be incredibly nice."

There was a silence as Sean considered the new information, broken only when Alex asked, "Are you guys happy?"

Charles nodded, smiling, "Considerably."

"I'm still not convinced it's as good as you say it is," Sean said, sighing. "There's so much speculation about Lehnsherr for it to be so good."

Charles rolled his eyes, waving as we saw Erik's car pull in and drive towards him. The older man got out and Charles immediately moved towards him. He reached up and kissed him chastely, smiling.

Erik rained an eyebrow at him. "You told?" he asked, inclining his head towards Alex and Sean.

"They asked," Charles replied. "Wasn't bothered lying anymore."

"How did they take it?"

Charles looked over towards the two teenagers standing next to them, their uneasiness clear. "Please tell them you haven't done anything bad at all to me so they calm down."

Erik grinned, "I promise you, I have not, nor will I, harm Charles in any way."

"You were smiling. Now it just sounds like a threat."

"My smile is not that bad!"

"No, your smile is beautiful, darling. But to them it's a tiny bit scary."

"Seriously?"

"Sean looks ready to run."

Erik shrugged, "I tend to have that affect with or without the smile."

Charles huffed a laugh, "Goodbye, Sean, Alex," he said. "Everything is wonderful, honestly. I'll see you tomorrow."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"I'm going to be late for work," Charles said, panting as he rolled off of Erik and onto his back.

"You can't say that what we just did won't be worth it."

"Mmhm," Charles said, rubbing his face. "I need to shower, and find clothes, but..."

"But you don't want to," Erik supplied

"No."

Erik laughed breathlessly and turned on his side, "Stay here with me, instead."

Charles groaned, "I'm trying to be a responsible adult and have a job."

"You don't need a job."

"Erik."

"We could consider it an early birthday present."

"Emma's going to kill me." Erik pouted, actually pouted, and Charles couldn't help the small smile. "You can be annoying and sit in the café all day, and when it's not busy I'll come and talk."

"Okay," Erik said, still pouting.

"And we can share the shower."

That brought a smile to Erik's face.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"Well, you look thoroughly fucked," was the first thing Emma said to him as he walked in.

Charles blushed and ran a hand through his still damp hair, "Sorry I'm late."

"You're lucky it's slow at the moment," she replied, smirking at Erik when we walked in a few moments later.

"Morning," he said.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't make my employees late, Lehnsherr."

He grinned at her, "Haven't a clue what you're on about."

"Mmhm."

"It's almost always Charles' idea."

"Somehow," Emma drawled, "I don't doubt that."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"Break time," Charles said, and placed two steaming cups and bag containing a large slice of chocolate cake on the table Erik had been sitting at all morning.

"Tell me that's cake," Erik said, eyeing the bag.

"It's cake," Charles replied, sitting down next to the older man.

"Chocolate?"

"Chocolate."

"I love you," Erik kissed his cheek, turning and opening the bag.

Charles grinned; it warmed his entire body every time he heard Erik say that. "It's nice to know my cake picking skills go appreciated."

"I appreciate all of you," Erik assured him.

He broke off a bit of cake and held it out towards Charles, chuckling when the younger man took it with his mouth, tongue running across his fingers so he didn't miss anything.

"I can't tell if you're trying to be sexual or if you just really enjoy the cake," Erik commented, hand moving to his own mouth to lick off the icing Charles missed.

"Maybe both."

"Discovering a kink, Charles?"

"Perhaps we could give it more thought later."

"What," Erik said, laughing, "Have I done to you?"

"Introduced me to a world of sex that I'm going increasingly fond of," Charles kissed his cheek and pulled his drink towards him. "Maybe that's because it's with you, though."

"You flatter me, schatz."

"That's a new one," Charles declared, leaning into Erik. "What's it mean? Unfortunately my German isn't the best."

"It means treasure, or sweetheart," Erik kissed his forehead. "And I could teach you how to speak it, you know."

"Really?"

"Mmhm, it'd be good. I tend to talk to myself in German sometimes and expect the people around me to know what I've been saying," Erik said. "Bit of a bad habit, actually."

"I've noticed you do that when you cook," Charles grinned. "And in bed."

"It's got to be really good to reduce me to my mother tongue, you're lucky."

"I can die happy," Charles said, voice think with sarcasm. "All life's dreams have been complete."

Erik rolled his eyes and grabbed his iPad, "Tell me you can play chess. I downloaded the app and really want to play against someone."

"Did you really think I wouldn't know how?" Charles unlocked the iPad, having obtained Erik's passwords ages ago, and found the app. "I'm playing white," he said, and Erik grinned at him.

"Prepare to get your ass kicked, Xavier."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Everyone had eventually found out about Erik and him, which, surprisingly, wasn't too bad. Alex and Sean were still sure there was something wrong with the man; Charles didn't think he'd ever be able to convince them otherwise, but they seemed okay with it, after a firm talking to. Scott didn't really care, which Charles appreciated, but Moira had been a bit iffy at the idea and had asked a million questions. Logan just accepted it, although he openly didn't like Erik, and Emma still seemed as if she was their number one fan.

Their questions about his sex life didn't stop; instead everyone seemed to gain interest in what Erik was like in bed. Charles would blush each time and mutter something along the lines of amazing, now stop asking.

"Please stay in bed with me," Erik mumbled, pulling Charles towards him.

Charles smiled and kissed shoulder, "Not only should we be out of bed anyway, it's almost two in the afternoon, but I also have to work."

"But it's my birthday."

"I know. I have a short shift, so I won't be gone for long, I promise."

"What's going to happen of I have a breakdown when you're not here? I'm thirty now, Charles, it could happen."

"Thirty, and a drama queen," Charles muttered, ducking the playful whack sent his way. "You will be fine, Erik. Go see other friends, or something."

"Darling, I don't know if you've noticed, but most of my other friends annoy me on a good day, I don't want to see them today. I want to spend it with you."

"What did you do last year? I wasn't here then."

"I was upset last year, so Emma took me shopping for retail therapy and we ended up consuming a lot more alcohol than I would recommend," Erik said. "I hardly remember the night."

Charles sighed, "I'm only gone from two thirty to about six, not even that. You can manage."

"What kind of café stays open till six?"

"The kind that still gets customers at that time," Charles said and wiggled his way out of Erik's grasp. "I'm having a shower and getting dressed; you can either mope in bed, or come and join me."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"What's with the clothes, bub?"

Charles looked down at his outfit, he was wearing a crisp, pale blue oxford that was tucked into incredibly tight black jeans, (Erik always seemed to enjoy him in them, which was why he wore them, they weren't very comfortable), a navy blue cardigan that hung loosely on his shoulders, and a thick, black coat that he'd hung up when he came in.

"I thought I looked nice. I spent a lot of time picking this out."

"You do," Logan assured him. "But it's a bit fancy for work."

"I'm going out to dinner afterwards."

"Ooh," Sean called. "What's the special event?"

"No special event."

"Oh please," Sean said. "You look like you're about to walk down a red carpet."

Charles' cheeks coloured, "I do not."

"What's the event?"

Charles rolled his eyes, "If you must know, it's Erik's birthday today."

Sean scrunched his face up, "I'm still not used to the idea of you and Lehnsherr."

Charles smiled at him, "As long as you try."

"For you, Charles. Just for you."

"What are you going to eat?"

"Italian restaurant about twenty minutes away from here," Charles replied, leaning back on the counter.

"I love Italian food," Sean exclaimed. "Can I come?"

Charles grinned, "Do you really want to sit through a dinner with Erik and I?"

Sean grimaced, "Perhaps not."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Erik had, apparently, took it'll be a slow shift anyway as you have permission to text me every second I'm working. Which would have been fine, had most of them not been inappropriate texts that made Charles flush.

Stop, or you won't get any tonight.

I don't think you could do that if you wanted to, Charles. You enjoy sex too much.

:(

I can try.

It would be the only thing you'd fail at.

Taking that as a compliment.

That's what it was meant to be.

Are you going to tell me where we're going for dinner, or do I have to guess?

I'm not telling.

And you're not guessing.

:(

It isn't even that fancy.

Is the food good?

No, I'm taking you to a restaurant with shit food for your birthday.

Best boyfriend ever!

I know!

Wherever we go, can my desert be you?

That's a horrible line, so no.

You're so mean to me, liebling.

I like to think I'm firm.

But seriously you looked ravishing when we left, I'm not sure I'll be able to wait throughout all of dinner.

You'll have to try.

And then, of course, there's always the drive back.

My backseat is pretty big, though.

We're not having sex in the backseat of your car. We're going to wait until we get home.

I love that you call my apartment home. It makes me warm and fuzzy.

Like you.

Cliché, but cute.

You make me warm and fuzzy, too.

That's all I need.

I need to get back to work, they're trying to read the texts now.

:(

Don't leave.

You're a big boy, you can handle it.

I'm not doing that thing with my tongue tonight.

Yes, you are.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"Happy birthday, old man," Emma called, opening the door to the café for Erik. They had officially closed ten minutes ago, Charles and Logan staying behind to help clean up.

"I'm not old."

"Are you going grey?"

"Emma," Erik whined.

She smiled at him, "Seriously, sugar. You're gonna start losing your hair soon."

Erik glared at her, "Wait until your thirtieth and we'll see what you're like."

"I'll still look twenty-two."

Erik rolled his eyes, steeping away from Emma and towards Charles, "Is this formal enough?"

Charles' eyes scanned over his outfit, taking in the white collared shirt, tight fitting black pants and the open, dark grey coat. "It's fine."

"Are you ready?"

"One sec," Charles said, pulling his work apron off and grabbing his coat. He turned back to Erik and stuck his hand out, looking at the other man expectantly.

Erik sighed but threw his car keys at him, "I would be able to drive if you directed me."

Charles smiled, walking to the other side of the counter and towards Erik. "I'm driving," he said, leaning up to kiss the other man briefly.

"Erik Lehnsherr is going to let somebody other than him drive his car?" Emma asked. "The world's going to bloody end."

Erik rolled his eyes, smiling. "I trust him to drive it, I don't trust you."

"Why not?"

"Remember when you almost drove into the wall of my apartment building?"

"That was an accident!"

"We're going now," he proclaimed, grabbing Charles' hand.

"See you tomorrow, Logan, Emma!"

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"I can't believe I've never been here before," Erik exclaimed near the end of their meal. "The food is amazing."

"I told you in would be."

"My statement about desert still stands, though."

Charles smiled, "So impatient."

"I can't help it when you look the way you do."

"Flattery, darling, will get you nowhere."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Flattery, apparently, got Erik to a lot of places.

They'd left not long after the meal, Charles nearly agreeing to Erik's proposition and turning into a side street. "Just drive as fast as you can without breaking the law," he'd said to Erik.

They were barely though the door of Erik's apartment before Charles was pushed against a wall, his legs wrapped around Erik's waist as the other man bit and licked at his throat.

"We should probably move to the bed, or couch," Erik mumbled against his skin.

"Too much moving, we could just do it against the wall. Bed and couch later."

"And I'm the impatient one?"

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Charles really, really didn't want to go back to school.

It wasn't because he didn't like it, there was little else he enjoyed more than learning, it was because he'd been so happy during the holidays. Going back to school meant staying at the mansion, and because his mother was still ill he'd only be there with Kurt. There would be no one there with them but the staff, who always went home after dinner, so there was no one to even attempt to stop Kurt when he started to get violent.

It also meant that he spent less time with Erik, which always had a larger impact on Charles than he liked. He always missed the other man when he wasn't around him, and all the other stress from his life always made it worse.

A small part of him was excited to go back, though. He didn't have long until he finished school, and despite all the bad times, he thought he would miss it when he finally finished.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"I need to tell you something," Charles mumbled, rolling so he was laying half on top of Erik.

"Is it a serious something?" Erik asked, hand reaching up to play with Charles' hair.

"Mmm, I know I probably should have told you before, but I wasn't sure it would work so I didn't want to get my hopes up."

"You're worrying me a bit, darling."

Charles smiled nervously, "I don't mean to."

"What is it?"

Charles bit his lip, one finger tracing the patterns on Erik's chest. "I applied for Oxford a while ago. I've done the exam and interview and everything already."

Erik's hand stopped it's movement, "How'd you go?"

After a pause, Charles sighed and looked up. "I got an offer."

Erik beamed and kissed Charles soundly, "Congratulations, darling. What course?"

"Biomedical science," Charles replied, confused. He'd been expected a different reaction.

"You don't look happy."

"You do realise what it means, don't you?" Charles asked quietly.

"We need to move to England."

"We?" Charles said, eyes wide. "You mean..."

"When the time comes, and we both agree, I'd like to come with you."

"But you have a life here," Charles said. "I don't want to drag you away from it."

"I had a life in Germany, too," Erik replied. "Change is good, and I honestly think you're worth getting up and going."

"I don't want you to feel inclined because of me, though."

"Charles, if you don't want me to come-"

"I do, I don't want to leave you. It's just I also don't want to make you feel like I'm pressuring you into anything," Charles sighed and sat up, manoeuvring his body so he was sitting cross-legged next to Erik. "I want you to come because you want to, not because I want you to."

"You're incredibly selfless, you know," Erik said after a pause. "I'd like to come, my job is portable, so it's easy for me to move around. Besides, it's not like we need to leave tomorrow. There's time for us to work it out. Now smile, okay?"

"Okay," Charles said, smiling softly.

"Let's focus on the fact that you got in to study biomedical science. My eighteen year old boyfriend is smarter than me; I don't know how I feel about that."

That made Charles smile more broadly.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"Charles, are you alright?" Alex asked when the customers eventually stopped rushing in and allowed them to talk.

"Hmm?"

"Are you okay?" Alex repeated.

"Oh, yeah, of course," Charles said. "Why would I not be?"

"Because you look shit," Alex replied bluntly. "I mean, I don't want to be rude or anything but it looks like you haven't slept in weeks."

"I'm fine," he said, not looking at Alex.

"Charles," Alex sighed. "Surely by now you can tell me? There's obviously something wrong. Is there something going on with you and Lehnsherr?"

After a moment, Charles looked up at Alex and smiled slightly. "Erik and I are fine; it's just that there are some issues at home."

"What kind of issues?"

"My mother's ill," Charles sighed. "And it's causing problems between my stepfather and me, but I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Anything I can do to help?" Charles shook his head. "Well," Alex said. "I hope she gets better soon."

"Yeah."

"And if you ever need cheering up, Sean and I know the best comfort foods, give us ten minutes and all your worries will be forgotten."

Charles grinned, "I might that you up on that."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Sharon Xavier died on the first Saturday of April.

The information came halfway through Charles' shift, just as he was starting his break. It was peaceful, the doctors said, it happened in her sleep. It wasn't unexpected, either; her health had been steadily declining since January, and Charles has started to prepare himself long before it happened. The second Charles had got off the phone, he'd sent a text to Erik asking to get picked up, and had found Emma to tell her he needed to go.

He'd then told Raven, who flew in as soon as she could to try and help. They'd sat and talked, both feeling guilty for the slight relief they felt. Sharon Xavier had not been the best mother, not for a very long time, and they couldn't help but feel a tiny bit grateful to not have to deal her anymore. The funeral and passing was a surprisingly peaceful affair, with no one in Sharon's life being particularly surprised.

It was the shitstorm that happened afterwards that got to Charles. As suspected, there was severe conflict between him and Kurt about who got what, only intensifying when Raven got involved. Both Charles and Raven had no wish to let what was mostly their father's assets go to the abusive bastard they were forced to call a step-father. They'd eventually got their way, after months of arguing and Charles finally discovering his mother's will, which Kurt had hidden.

They had got everything in the end, their mother apparently not wanting to leave her husband and stepson anything, either. They had split it evenly between themselves, although Charles ended up with the house. Not that he'd stayed there; once Kurt had gone, Erik had insisted he stay at his apartment.

Charles hadn't wanted to resist.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Graduation was an interesting affair. Charles had, unsurprisingly, graded higher than anyone else in his class, thus gaining the title of valedictorian. He'd written his speech with help from both Erik and Raven, ensuring there was a sufficient fuck you undertone while remaining professional while he presented the speech. As expected, Kurt didn't go, instead Raven showed up with both Azazel and Erik at her side, a sight that made Charles feel a lot more relaxed. The whole ordeal, however, had been rather tedious, as Charles honestly didn't think he'd miss much, if any, of his fellow classmates. He was actually rather glad to finally leave, despite all the nerves.

"Well," Charles said, stepping into the passenger's seat of Erik's car, "That went well."

Erik grinned and leant across to kiss him soundly, "Congratulations, liebling. I'm proud of you."

"Ugh," Raven said, sliding into the backseat, Azazel following her. "You two are disgusting."

Erik rolled his eyes, "Pick somewhere to eat," he told them. "My baby has graduated, we need to celebrate. I'll pay."

"There's a Greek restaurant about fifteen minutes away from here and it's the best," Raven said.

Erik turned Charles, "Any objections?" Charles shook his head. "Azazel?"

"I've learnt to just go with what she wants," the Russian replied. "It's a lot easier."

"You can say that again," Charles mumbled.

"I hate the both of you," Raven grumbled, leaving into Azazel's side.

Erik pulled out of the parking lot, eyes darting back and forth between the road and Charles. "You okay?"

Charles hummed, "Feels weird."

"Good weird or bad weird?"

"Good weird," Charles smiled and leant over the gear stick so he could whisper to Erik, "I'm hoping you'll make me feel really good later."

Charles watched Erik's throat moved as he swallowed, "Keep talking, liebling, and I'll crash the car."

"I'll shut up, we definitely wouldn't want that to happen."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

The dinner went well, with everyone being civil towards each other. Charles was glad to see the relationship between Erik and Raven had improved considerably over the past few months; he could tell he got on with Azazel, too, and was grateful for that because it increased the probability of Raven liking him. His mind was preoccupied throughout dinner, though, with lots emotions fluttering around in his head, the main ones being excitement, sadness, anxiety, and arousal.

The last one was probably due to the way Erik was very-subtly-but-still-obviously eating in a sensual way, with one hand resting on Charles upper thigh while he discussed Azazel's engineering studies.

The other three were from a mix of things; the fact that he would be leaving America in just over a month being the prominent factor. Funnily enough, Charles wasn't actually worried about living with Erik permanently. Over the past eight months, he had spent more time at Erik's apartment than he had elsewhere, and believed that they'd be able to adjust to domesticated life in England without trouble. He was worried that Erik would pull out at the last second and decide he didn't want to come with him, despite how many times the other man had told him otherwise.

Charles was nervous, too, because he'd been putting off everything he needed to do to be able to move to England without many, if any, issues. He hadn't looked for apartments, or flights, or anything that he needed to do, really, and it was starting to overwhelm him a little bit.

"You alright?" Erik asked, making Charles jump slightly.

"Yeah," he replied slowly, noticing the two other empty seats.

"Charles?"

He shook his head, "Sorry, I was just thinking," he turned and smiled at Erik. "All yours, now."

Erik still looked worried, "Thinking about what?"

"How much we have to do."

Erik pulled him against his chest, placing a soft kiss to Charles' forehead. "It'll be fine," he whispered. "You'll have me there the entire time."

Charles smiled softly and kissed Erik's jaw before straightening up when he saw Raven's blonde head of hair.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"Oh, shit, Erik."

"Come on, liebling," Erik panted, hands holding Charles hips hard enough to leave marks.

Charles eased himself up, clenching as he pushed down against Erik's cock, "This is possibly my new favourite position."

Erik laugh sounded more like a wheeze and his head hits the headboard with a thud, "Move, please, darling."

Charles smirked and pulled up again, easing back down slowly and watching Erik's reaction - the way his neck moved when he swallowed, the way he shut his eyes in pleasure, lips parted slightly. Erik, Charles thought as he set a rhythm, was really rather beautiful. He didn't take his eyes away from Erik's as he rode him, watching as sensation washed over his face. Erik moved and mouthed at his neck, trailing kissing across his collarbone and towards Charles' nipple, the heat of Erik's tongue making Charles moan loudly.

Charles pushed down, nails digging into Erik's skin where they rested against his back. Erik reached his head upward and kissed Charles' open mouth, nipping at his lips as he trailed his hands over Charles' torso. Erik trailed kissed to behind his ear, whispering filthy things in both English and German as he pushed his hips up against Charles' ass. Charles increased his pace, fighting hard to keep quiet so Raven and Azazel wouldn't hear.

Erik nipped his ear softly and took hold of his cock, pumping him. "Charles," he choked out, breath coming unevenly. "Fuck, Charles."

Charles groaned loudly, his body arching into Erik's as his orgasm hit, prick twitching in Erik's had and splattering come over both their torsos. Erik groaned, too, the sound muffled by Charles' skin as he came inside of the young man.

Charles slumped forward, head resting on Erik's shoulder as he laughed breathlessly. "Love you," he mumbled sleepily.

Erik kissed him again, gently, and wrapped his arms around the boy's waist tightly, "Love you, too, darling."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"I can't believe you're leaving us."

"I'm not-"

"Charles, you're moving to another country. I don't understand how that isn't counted as leaving us," Sean said unhappily.

Charles sighed, "I'm sorry, I am, I loved working here, but this is what I've always wanted to do."

"We understand, bub," Logan replied, sending pointed looks at Alex and Sean.

"Let us throw you a party," Alex requested. "A going away one."

"I don't think I trust you to throw me a party."

Alex looked affronted, "I'll have you know that my parties are rad."

"I think that's what he's worried about, bub."

"What if we just throw a small one?" Sean asked. "Just us, we can do it here and it'll be all personal and cute."

Charles sighed, smiling. "That I can agree with, but my sister is in town and will probably insist on coming."

"Is this your really attractive sister?" Sean asked, eyes twinkling.

"I only have one sibling, and yes, she's quite attractive. Attractive, and here with her scary boyfriend of over a year."

Sean pouted, "Do you and your sister have a thing for scary boyfriends?"

"Perhaps, but I'll admit Erik has a much more controversial reputation."

"What are you and him going to do when you leave?" Logan asked gruffly.

Charles blushed faintly, "At the moment, he's coming with me."

"What do you mean 'at the moment'?" Alex asked, confused.

"Well, there's still room for him to change his mind. I don't want to pressure him into it."

"Do you want him to go with you?"

"Yes," Charles nodded. "It'd make the entire thing so much easier for me, and I'd be a lot happier."

"I don't think I could just go to a different country without my family coming," Sean thought aloud. "It'd be so weird."

Charles shrugged, "Raven's staying because of school, and I don't really have anyone else to come with me. I'd be fine on my own, too, but I am glad Erik's adamant on coming with me."

"Invite him to the party," Alex said, surprising Charles.

"Sorry, what?"

"Let him come. Sean and I have to feel comfortable letting the two of you disappear to another country. This is his last chance to prove himself."

"I thought you were getting along," Charles stated, trying not to laugh.

It had been common knowledge that he was in a relationship with Erik for around six months, and despite everyone warming up to the other man, they still insisted on playing the role of Charles' over protective friends. Something Charles found equally endearing and annoying.

"He's tolerable," Logan said. "When he's not being an ass."

"He's an ass most of the time," Alex said. "Just turns out he's a funny one."

"He still scares me," Sean muttered, making Charles grin.

"He tends to have the effect on people."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Packing was a debacle.

Charles wanted to bring pretty much everything he owned, and that ranged from clothes to kitchen utensils. And of course, the books.

The bloody fucking books.

Erik honestly wouldn't be surprised if the eighteen year old owned more books than the state library. He could already tell they would have piles upon piles of books that Charles probably didn't need scattered throughout their new apartment.

"Charles, you do not need to bring everything you own. We can buy things ther-"

"They're books, Erik! Books! I need my books."

"All of them?"

"Yes."

"Really, Charles?" Erik asked, picking up a random book from one of the boxes Charles was filling. "You need 'What to Expect When Expecting'? Unless there's something you've neglected to tell me, darling, I really doubt that one's a necessity."

"Okay, that one I don't need. I don't even know how that got in there, I don't even know why we have that, actually," he said, confusion evident. "But the others, the others I need."

Erik sighed, "You're carrying the boxes."

"No, I'm not," Charles replied, smiling sweetly at him.

Erik left, mumbling under his breath. Of course he would end up carrying the bloody boxes.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"What about this apartment?"

"Charles, you could barely fit your shoes in it."

"Good point," he murmured, clicking open the next tab. He searched in silence for a bit more, critically scrolling through the possible apartments for him and Erik.

"Do we have to have a final choice before we get there?"

"Well, no," Charles said. "But I want to be prepared. Just have a few that we can look at."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Erik was midway through cooking dinner when he heard Charles call out to him, his excitement evident.

"I've found the perfect one," he said, walking into the kitchen. "One reasonably sized bathroom, a study, two bedrooms, a master one and a smaller one that can double as a study, so we'll get one each. There are two car spaces, the kitchen looks massive, and the other rooms aren't bad either. Plus, it's a good proximity to Oxford and the city," he looked from the screen to Erik, "It's perfect, isn't it? Tell me it's perfect because I'm getting it anyway."

Erik grinned, "It sounds perfect, Charles. How much?"

"Not important," Charles replied immediately.

"Charles."

"We can afford it, don't worry. I mean, it's expensive, but we'll be fine. It's worth it," Charles moved the laptop towards Erik. "Look."

Erik did, and he had to admit that it was exactly what they needed. The price tag was high, but Charles was right, they could afford it. Just by looking through the pictures, he could definitely see him and Charles living there.

"There's a double shower, Erik," Charles said with a pointed look. "Imagine what we could do in there."

"Okay," Erik laughed. "Okay, it's marvellous, but please have a backup or two, you might not like it in person."

"Uh huh," Charles replied, and Erik knew that they'd end up with the apartment even if someone bought it before they did. It was one of the many powers Charles possessed.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

The 'goodbye party' went well, or as well as it could have gone, considering everything. Emma had shut the café early so they could use it as a venue, and Charles thought it was a nice touch.

Erik had been reluctant to go at first, believing that he'd make the entire thing awkward for everyone, but Charles was able to convince him. He was glad he could, too, as it allowed him to hide behind the older man as much as he could when Alex and Sean decided it was time to tell every embarrassing story they had of him.

They started off by telling everyone about the time he accidentally spilt ice cold tea over a girl's shirt while she had, unbeknownst to Charles, being flirting with him. It went on for about an hour, with Raven joining in half way through and telling stories of when he was younger. By the end of the night, Charles was sufficiently embarrassed and the others had a lot of information to blackmail him with.

"One last thing," Sean called standing up. Alex followed suit, and Charles noticed the gift back he was holding for the first time.

They stood in front of the group, beaming, "We couldn't leave without giving you something."

"They're not going to stop me at customs because of this 'something', are they?"

"No."

"Maybe."

"Wonderful," Charles drawled.

Sean grinned and cleared his throat, "As we all know, our dear Charlie-"

"Don't call me that-"

"-Is leaving us very soon - too soon, actually - and we're all going to miss the idiot very much."

"So we decided," Alex took over, "To give you something so you won't forget about us while you're making super smart friends in England. Charles, stand up."

Charles stood and walked towards them, "I'm slightly worried."

"Nonsense," Sean said. "There's no need for it. Our gift is actually nice."

"Nice?"

"Yes," Alex exclaimed, handing him the bag. "Look inside."

Charles looked a bit hesitant but did as he was told. Inside he could see a thin, square book, that looked like as if the pages inside had been personalised, and a rectangular box wrapped in bright pink paper.

"Open the box," Sean said, grinning.

"Do you like the wrapping paper? I picked it out."

"Beautiful, Alex," Charles said, laughing.

He placed the bag on a nearby table and obediently pulled out the box. He tore the paper carefully, ignoring raven's exclamation of just tear it, Charles, you're not hurting it. Under the paper was a white cardboard box that he opened quickly, and in that was a coffee mug, a photo of all the staff members printed onto it. Charles huffed a laugh, "Well thought out," he said, looking back at Alex and Sean.

"It was my idea," Alex said. "Sean got it done. We thought it was needed."

"It will be cherished, I can assure you."

"That's all we ask, Charles."

"Now open the book," Moira called out. "That one was my idea."

Charles did as he was told and pulled out the book; it had a plain black cover with nothing to indicate what was inside. He turned to the first page and felt himself smiling; the same photo that was on the mug was pasted in the middle of the page, with the words don't forget about us handwritten under it. He flicked through the pages; every second page had an individual photo of him and another staff member, a personal message on the page next to it.

"It's for when you get nostalgic," Moira said, smiling softly.

Charles hugged the book to his chest, throat tightening. "Thank you," he said quietly. "I love it."

Sean put an arm around him and pulled him into a hug, grinning. "Well," he said, "We couldn't stand the thought of you forgetting us."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Emma had dragged Erik into a small, private room that was usually only used for staff meetings. She sat down on the slightly daggy couch, patting the spot next to her.

Erik sat next to her, body turning so he was facing the woman, "Are you going to interrogate me?"

"Not quite."

"Oh?"

"Do you really want to do this?"

"Yes," Erik replied, surprised. "Seriously, Emma, I thought you'd be able to tell."

"I can tell you're all lovey-dovey with him, and it really is sickening sometimes, but I can't tell if you're doing this because you really want to."

"I do, Emma, honestly. You sound like Charles. He's been stressing for weeks over the exact same thing, but I do. I couldn't imagine letting him go on his own."

"Well, then, sugar," Emma said, smiling faintly. "I guess this is a goodbye of sorts."

Erik smiled back, a bit stunned to see Emma acting tenderly. "You'll still get annoying messages, and emails, and don't forget about Skype."

Emma leaned into him. "This is like the end of an era," she said.

Erik chuckled, arm resting against her back, "Don't be so melodramatic, love. You'll lose your reputation of a heartless bitch."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

After some slightly teary goodbyes and promised made to keep in touch, Erik took Charles, Raven, and Azazel back to the mansion.

"They're nice," Raven said. "I'm glad you found them."

"So am I," Charles replied.

"Me, too," Erik agreed. "Without them, you probably wouldn't have met me."

"And where would I be without you?"

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"This is our last night in America."

Erik hummed, his fingers running through Charles' hair. They were lying on the floor of Charles' room at the mansion, Erik's apartment being empty. Raven and Azazel were in the room above, staying so they could drive them to the airport and say goodbye just before they got on the first of their flights.

"It's so weird," Charles continued. "I didn't think I'd actually do it."

"Excited?"

"Mmhm," he turned so he was looking at Erik's face. "And nervous, but mostly excited. I'm going to prefer the weather."

Erik laughed at him, "Burn easily?"

"You have no idea. The amount of precautions I have to take so I don't look like a tomato is astounding."

"Tomato looking or not, I'd still love you."

"I love it when you talk dirty to me, darling."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"Charles, all those things aren't necessary to bring on the flight."

"Yes, they are."

"How so?"

"The stuff we had shipped isn't going to be there until at least a week after we're there. I need things."

"Surely not that many books."

"You'd be surprised how many books I read when you don't insist on dragging me back to bed."

"Yes, because it's me who insists-"

"Not the point," Charles cut him off. "This stuff is coming with us on the flight."

Erik was quite for a moment, "We're that type of couple, aren't we?"

"What type of couple?"

"The type where one person, in this case it's you, travels with half of their belongings, while the other, in the chase it's me, travels with carry on and not much else."

Charles smiled over his shoulder at him, "Sounds about right."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"I don't actually like flying," Charles muttered, leg bouncing up and down next to Erik's while Raven drove them to the airport.

Erik kissed the top of his head, "It'll be fine, baby."

"You'll have his hand to hold the entire time," Raven called out, mockingly, from the font.

"I'm not going to miss you at all," Charles muttered.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Charles pulled away from Raven, cheeks glistening from the tears that had escaped. He kissed his sister's cheek, breathing out slowly.

"You'll be fine," Raven whispered, voice cracking.

Charles nodded, arms still wrapped loosely around Raven's shoulders. "If you say so," he said.

"You will," Raven repeated, eyes glancing towards Erik. "You have that big, possessive bastard to take care of you."

Charles laughed wetly and pulled away, letting out another breath.

"And you," Raven exclaimed, turning towards Erik. "I am trusting you with my baby brother, if I find out he gets hurt, by anything or anyone, I will find you, and I will kill you. Are we clear?"

Erik grinned, all teeth, "Crystal," he said.

Raven smiled too, pulling the man into a quick hug. "Take care of him for me," she whispered.

"I will," Erik replied. "Nothing's going to hurt him."

Raven nodded and pulled away, "Take care of yourself, too."

Erik smirked, "Who would've thought you'd end up caring about my wellbeing?"

"Shut it, Lehnsherr," she stood back next to Azazel. "You two dummies have fun, okay?"

Charles still looked like he was about to cry, but he nodded, wiping at his face. "I'll talk to you soon," he said.

Raven couldn't help but reach over and hug him again. "Love you, little brother."

"Big brother."

"Charles."

Charles chuckled quietly, "Love you, too, Raven."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

"You okay?" Erik asked from the seat next to him, reaching over and taking his hand.

Charles hummed, intertwining their fingers together. "I have the strangest feeling that I'm ruining my life," he murmured, turning to look up at the older man. "But in the best way possible."

Erik grinned and placed a soft kiss to the top of Charles' head. "Believe me, liebling. I know the feeling."

fin