AN: Just noting that there are some parts of the FF in german and I won´t translate them. I thought about it, but decided against it. It´s simple, first of all Charles, who is the one intended to hear Erik speaking german cannot understand it literally but gets the meaning, as I think every reader will, too. Second, it is not much and I think it adds to the story.
Anyway, if anyone really wants to know it desperatly, I translate it. But only then. And before someone complains, it is perfectly correct german.
Talk about coincidences
He had no idea how they ended with the chess playing. It was not as if he didn´t like it, he sure did. But it always made him think of themselves as two old men who had nothing better to do with their time. Chess is of course a very sophisticated game and showed all their intellect, patience and overwhelming tactical minds… well, he could talk himself into it. Truth be told, he rather suspected, Erik came up with the idea to play it cause of those absolutely harmless and convincing reasons, when in reality he just needed an excuse to talk to him. Without being asked why.
This of course he could´ve achieved much easier. But then he somehow had to maintain a certain image of being cool and distant, to be smooth on the surface and be troubled underneath it, courtesy of his hard childhood… or something like that. Charles decided he´d go for it. In the end, he really started to like chess. A lot.
And that´s where he found himself again, sitting in one of those ridiculously big rooms full of old, dusty furniture, which never seemed more comfortable to him ever before. (Although he rather suspected the stupid armchair to be the cause of his recently developed backache. Which he didn´t mind. Really.)
Erik sat on the other side of the small table, tense, focused. He didn´t even have to read his mind to see that. In fact, he sometimes worried about his ability to read body language due to his lack of reading body language at all – minds were much easier accessible. But then again, he probably hadn´t met anyone before worth the effort.
Erik finally made his move, looked up and noticed his stare. THAT was something, Charles certainly did read. The change from the expecting to the curious look in his eyes, then wary and then… startling Charles by speaking suddenly.
"What exactly are you staring at, Charles?"
"Eh…" Not the most intelligent answer he ever gave. At least, Erik started to look more amused than suspicious thanks to his lack of… conversational skills.
"So much at once?"
"I was looking at your turtleneck. It´s… ah, it´s nice."
And now the unbelieving "What the fuck are you talking about" look. Great.
"Charles, you do realize how often I wore those the last few weeks? Why notice them now?"
After that he had a really hard time to keep himself from blushing.
"Uh, I don´t know. I just did."
Hell he knew. The memory of the impact in question was too fresh and too vivid to just forget. He noticed it two nights ago, readying himself for bed while letting his mind wander over the mansion one last time to be sure everything and everyone was ok, when he kept stuck in Erik's room.
Unfortunately, he was just undressing that moment and Charles, being a bit deeper in Erik´s thoughts than actually intended, felt the comfortable smoothness of the material when it slipped over his head, his arms, his chest… at that point, his attention swapped from the pullover to the mirror in Erik's room, in which the person in question was intently staring. Charles had a hard time getting rid of the feeling, Erik normally didn´t watch himself undressing, but when he pulled the zipper on his trousers, the thought vanished.
Charles felt a small pang of regret when Erik stopped at his underwear and pulled his pyjama on. (It was still autumn. He decided to hate that season.) And even more, he felt awkwardly voyeuristic. The worst of all, however, was his lack of ability to ignore what he had seen. The images of his lean torso, his slender muscles, his long neck so deliciously hidden by his soft and warm pullover... and Erik staring at him over the chess board.
"If you like it so much, maybe you should get one for yourself."
'One of yours?' – At least he kept himself from saying that. Instead, he answered:
"No, that´s... they wouldn´t look good on me. My neck´s too short."
He stopped talking the moment Erik almost fell off his chair while trying to keep himself from laughing his ass off.
"What?" Charles eyes narrowed. The conversation was not going somewhere he liked and since Erik didn´t answer...
Hast du immer noch nicht gelernt, dass du hier nichts verloren hast?
„Well sorry, if you´re acting ridiculous! You asked!"
And with that, Erik started giggling, assuring Charles that he finally snapped.
"Did I have told you off so often now that you finally learned to speak German?"
"Lucky guess." was his icy reply. Good time to stop the conversation.
Obviously Erik got the hint and waved at the chess board.
"Your turn, Charles. If you can focus."
How he could focus. He could focus his smug grin out of his face! Charles couldn´t remember having played chess so fiercely, so silently and being so pleased with the outcome ever. When he finally kicked Erik´s ass, or well, his queen, he just had to show off with his dirtiest grin. Only Erik was just not impressed by it.
"Well, Charles, that surely was an enlightening game. And a long evening."
He got up to leave, but hesitated, coming to a halt close behind Charles´ chair. Charles looked up, waiting what he had to say.
"You know, Charles, next time, try to be less bluntly."
With that, Erik left the room and Charles couldn´t help but wonder, what the fuck he had meant with that.
"Be less bluntly…"
"Excuse me?" Raven gave him an irritated glance. "Less bluntly with what?"
"Ah, sorry, I was lost in thought."
Raven looked puzzled when he tripped over a chair, trying to leave the kitchen. Whatever was wrong with him, it really bugged him. With a shrug, she got back to her ice cream. He certainly knew what he was doing, nothing to worry about.
He had absolutely no idea, what he should do. Was Erik hitting on his mind reading? No one ever knew when he did that, how could he? Or was he referring to … he couldn´t think that to the bitter end. Even the thought of thinking about it made his ears burn.
He stopped on his way and pressed his palms on his eyes. That was all Erik´s fault!
Erik knew, something was not going right, when Charles refused to play chess with him. He hasn´t done that before. But then, they didn´t know each other for too long.
After a quick thought, he shrugged that off. Charles surely hadn´t kept it a secret that he really wanted them to be friends.
Why then… couldn´t be cause of his teasing? He started to make a bow out of the rapier he just found in one of the drawers in his room. Or maybe Charles finally got it that he could feel it, when he entered his mind. That of course would explain a lot. He made a knot instead of the bow and furrowed his brow. Well, just one way to find out.
Charles? … Come on, I know, you can hear me! … … Verdammt noch mal, sonst hast du auch keine Probleme, gleich hier anzutanzen und mich zu…!
Oh stop it, what do you think of me?
I think you really have a thing for German.
… Did you want something important?
Yes. We need to talk.
There. He said it. He finally told him he wanted to talk to him. It was easier than he thought. But then, he just had thought it. God, that was confusing.
Do we?
Somehow, Erik suspected Charles to be difficult on purpose.
Could you just come over?
… No.
Erik looked bewildered. He really did say…?
Alright, can I come over to you, then? Please?
With that added he surely wouldn´t say no again!
I … …
Charles?
Alright, then. Come.
Erik immediately got up, feeling a strong impulse to walk to Charles´ room. Now he got what Charles had meant with 'I could stop you from leaving'. Funny, he rather enjoyed the feeling.
Charles was nervous. No, not nervous, he felt like no air was in the room and his mouth was opening and closing like a fish out of water trying to find words so desperately… He bit in his cheek. That was all Erik's damn fault! When the door opened, he spun around, his heart stopping for a second.
Damn, he felt like a teenager in deep, deep love trouble and it was that: very troublesome. At least he tried to be calm. Be cool.
"You wanted to talk? Talk."
Did his voice shake? What was even the matter? He could say he watched him unintentionally and … and…
"Yes. You were in my head."
Talk about bluntly…
"I do that all the time. That´s what I do. Mind reading."
"Not my mind, Charles. I can feel it. And I think you were sneaking around at inappropriate times."
There they go. He knew it. He knew, Erik somehow had found out, and he found it rather interesting to be more enticed by that fact then by the revelations connected to it.
"You cannot feel it! You´re kidding! … Are you?"
"You were never much into turtlenecks before, right, Charles? Just found out how nice they can be?"
Erik stood a table length away from him but it still felt as if he whispered that in his ear. Charles pushed that aside, there was something much more important for him to know.
"Wha… that doesn´t matter right know! You couldn´t have felt me, that´s impossible! At least, if I don´t want you to. Or can you turn into metal and read minds at the same time now?"
Erik looked slightly amused, when he got the hint.
"Funny, Charles. As far as I know, I still have the same ability as before, and that includes knowing, when it is … you."
Erik broke eye contact, somehow feeling uncomfortable with the revelation. Charles had maybe been sneak peeking, but he had let him. Although he sometimes tended to be utterly stupid… obviously not now, as the broad grin on Charles´ face told him.
"Really? I kinda suspected it… when you were intently watching yourself in the mirror."
"You should be worried, I´m one of the few who you can never control." He watched Charles come closer. Why the fuck did he feel so cornered?
"Ah, the only one I cannot read in private, yes, but I certainly can control you. And you know that very well, my friend. But I won´t. And that you know as well."
Charles was now close enough to grab his left arm, holding onto it with more force Erik would´ve given him credit for. He pulled him over to their table, their chess table, and he felt the small twitch of Charles´ intruding, when he didn´t immediately follow.
"Stop regretting it, Erik. It was… very enlightening." He pushed him into the chair, sitting down on his opposite.
"What are you talking about? You watched it!"
Charles smiled, shyly, looking down on Erik´s hand.
"I´m not referring to that… not only that."
Erik furrowed his brow, but felt a sense of panic, when Charles suddenly started to pull up his sleeve. He wanted to push his arm away, but Charles held to onto it, looking him in the eyes until he had rolled it up to his elbow.
I already know everything of you anyway, Erik. Calm down.
He was lost of words. That was something that rarely happened. Charles started to lightly touch the tattoo on his arm and he sharply sucked in some air, when Charles leaned forward and touched it lightly with his lips. Every single number.
2 1 4 7 8 2…
Stop it!
No.
Stop it, or I hurt you!
No Erik, you won´t. He loHeelHe looked up. I´m the only person you will never hurt.
Erik saw a flickering memory, or a thought…? A projection from Charles, from his own mind, from Charles´ mind… how could he know? What did he want, showing him that noticing him in his brain helped him not from escaping his ability?
He looked at Charles, confused, vulnerable, for the first time since they met and then… Charles kissed him. Oh so gently. And that moment, Erik lost his paralyzing state he was in and pushed Charles away with enough force to slam him back in his own chair.
Bist du wahnsinnig geworden? You´re not going to do that again!
Charles grinned, feeling so very self confident, Erik could almost feel it, without being a clump of rock. He looked at Charles, waiting for a reaction, which he got with a chuckle that soon turned into a loud laugh.
"Erik, you will not like, what I´m going to do right now, but for this one time, I will ignore it. No, just let me."
He touched his temple with two fingers and Erik couldn´t even start to protest when he was drowned by a wave of thoughts, unconscious thoughts, his own and… Charles´. Thoughts well hidden in both their minds for knowing they were dangerous and … nasty. Erik felt a grin spread on his lips involuntarily. So nasty.
Thank you, my friend. If you promise not to push me away again, I will come closer now.
But Erik finally realized what this was all about, pressed Charles back in the chair and kissed him instead. Hard.
"Und jetzt… we play the game with my rules."
Charles just started to fiddle on Erik´s turtleneck.
"Best we start getting rid of this. It just hides the nice sight underneath it."
For having been more nervous than a teenage school girl, everything had in fact turned out to be much easier than expected. Not that he would´ve expected that.
Charles grinned wide. No, not really. But then, the casualties really hurt him, although it was a price he was willing to pay, since it was him who knocked over the chess board and the damn wooden queen rolled under… something and now he couldn´t find her again.
Oh well. Next time, he would buy a metal set. He looked over to Erik lying next to him on the incredibly comfortable carpet. Cause chess was now definitely his most favorite game ever.
Fin