Chapter 1 - Chess and Stairways
Charles and Erik were sitting in Charles' study at the bottom floor in the Xavier Manor. It was a typical, the young ones had been sent off to bed, exhausted from the day's hard training, but yet they kept sneaking in and out of each others bedrooms either to chat or to steal candy from the others.
Charles and Erik usually spent their spare time in the evenings with a glass of scotch, a match of chess or reading in each other's company. Typically they would discuss the events of the day or whatever came into their mind, girls, nights out, childhood, mainly Charles' or Erik's travels across the globe, they talked about all and nothing, within the short weeks they had known each other they had grown exceptionally close. They both found something in the other that were missing, they found a strong ally in each other, someone who could both challenge them intellectually, mentally and physically, a person who pushed them to evolve their powers and minds.
Charles was looking at Erik trying to read his next move from his face without using his powers to extract it from his mind, he was so tempted to use his powers, it took all his self control to stop himself from cheating, especially when he was loosing, Erik was the only person he lost to, it frustrated him, but at the same time amused him, the feeling of loosing a game which he was so accomplished at, it was a peculiar and unknown feeling. And Erik would always come up with an interesting strategy that would stun him. He really wanted to win and figured that his best chance to do so would be to distract Erik, his first move consisted of him getting up, he stretched, rolling his shoulders to ease some tension, then he took of his cardigan and threw it over in another armchair, afterwards he unbuttoned a few of the top buttons of his shirt, he could feel Erik's eyes on him as he did so, but when he sat back down the eyes and focus went right back to the chessboard. Charles felt a slight sting of disappointment over the lack of attention from Erik.
Then he went over to plan b which was to start a conversation that would take over a lot of his attention. He sighed heavily and looked over the chessboard before he began "So… the kids seems to be working pretty hard, they've made some extraordinary progresses today…" Erik's answer was a single nod, not moving his attention from the chessboard, Charles continued "Hank has made numerous progresses within the last days, but he's still having a hard time accepting himself and his mutation, he's very obsessed with finding a 'cure' to make his feet look regular. He believes that he's about to get it right by using Raven's gens, he thinks that her gens are the key to normalize their mutation, so that they would look like homo sapiens… It will probably make Raven happy, she has been awfully obsessed with her looks lately; I don't know what has gone into her… she even asks me if I find her attractive…" Charles sighed and shook his head.
Erik looked up, looking a bit frustrated and said "Well Charles, I know you're smart but you can be really thick sometimes; there is a very easy answer to that question."
"Which is…?"
"You tell her the truth." Erik said as a matter of fact.
Charles looked puzzled.
"Seriously Charles! You tell that she's a beautiful, attractive, sexy young woman and that she shouldn't hide her true self. That she should be confident in her being all that."
"Attractive and sexy…" Charles repeated, still confused "For Christ sake Erik…! I can't say that to her, I'm her brother for crying out loud, we've known each other since we were kids…"
"Then it shouldn't be a problem… And even though you see her as your sister, it still shouldn't stop you from being able to judge if she is attractive or not, it's all in your head."
"That is possible – But still I don't want to look at that way, it's just wrong, it's perverted."
"Charles! – It's not that difficult, it's just telling her what she wants to hear and you don't even have to lie – she's an exquisite creature and you should tell her everyday, everyone should."
"Then you do it…"
"I will, but… I don't want to give her any ideas, so therefore you should tell her too."
"Erik… I would seem like the creep who's got the hots for his sister"
"Seriously pull yourself together Charles – you know her, she would never take it that way, she knows that you have nothing more than brotherly feelings for her, your opinion mean everything to her."
"I do see your point – But I will not manipulate her. It is her own decision if she chooses to take whatever it is that Hank is making."
"How can you possibly allow that? How can you allow any of them to take it? They could risk their powers, themselves, in the making."
"They are free to choose whatever they want, I will not take their free will away from them, all I can do, all I will do, is to advice them the best I can – And that is all I have to say on that matter!"
They both needed time to calm down, both breathing heavily, Erik chest going up and down rabidly from the discussion. Eventually they both calmed down, Charles were leaned back in the armchair, massaging his temples, Erik were leaning forwards, resting his elbows on his knees, his hands folded across his nose and mouth, thumps supporting the strong jaw, he was staring down at the chessboard. He was the first one to break the silence.
"Charles… I respect and care for you, and generally your judgement is only to admire, but in this case you could not be more wrong, there are some choices that people should not be allowed to make themselves – what you're suggesting is too risky." He was looking at Charles with a grave face. Charles clearly wasn't going to discuss this any further, he had made up his mind and was getting up to go to bed or at least up to his bedroom to get away. As turned his back to Erik, Erik said looking up Charles with a smile, trying to ease the tension "oh and Charles" Charles turned to face him, looking rather annoyed "Checkmate" Erik said with a head gesture towards the board, Charles turned around on the place and stormed out of the study leaving the door wide open. Erik cursed in german while he got up to go after him.
Charles was walking quickly up the stairs, cursing on the inside over the stupid fight and his back fired plan being such a failure.
Erik got to the foot of the stairs and called out Charles' name, but Charles seemed determined to ignore him. Erik ran up the steps, taking three at the time, he caught Charles' wrist and forced him to turn around so that they face each other, then he moved closer and caught Charles' lips with his own, while moving the available hand around to Charles' lower back and pulled him closer. At first Charles struggled against him, but he quickly gave in and returned the kiss, turning his head a bit to allow the kiss to deepen, Erik released his wrist so that his hand could join the other on Charles' back and Charles wrapped his arms around Erik's neck. He could feel Erik's arms wrapping around his waist, pulling him closer, the strength and desire threatening to crush his ribs, he could feel their chests move up against each other, their thighs touching, he could feel his heart beating faster and the blood rushing to where Erik touched him. Then they had to end the kiss, both breathing heavily, Charles laid his head on Erik's shoulder, he could feel Erik's warm breath against his own neck and ear, he sighed with pleasure, then Erik gently whispered in his ear "…I'm sorry about before, I just can't understand you on that matter." Then he sighed and pulled back, he gazed into Charles' crystal blue eyes before he gently pressed his lips against the soft, pink of Charles and turned around and went down the stairs and out of the front door, disappearing into the night, leaving Charles puzzled on the stair.
Charles stood there for a while, taking time to assemble his thoughts before he could move, he pulled himself together and he slowly made the rest of his way to his bedroom. He closed the door behind him, still trying to comprehend what just had happened on the stairway, he went over to the window, while unbuttoning his shirt, he searched for any sign of Erik out on the grounds. He threw his search over the back of a chair next to the window to be joined seconds later by his belt. He sighed tiredly and moved over towards the bed while unzipping his pants. When he reached the nightstand he found a piece of paper laying on the top of it, he picked it up and immediately recognized Erik's neat handwriting on it, it said
« Gut Nacht, schlaf sanft meine versuchkaninchen «
Charles took it up and inhaled the smell, it smelled of paper and iron, it smelled like Erik. He sighed once more and put the paper down into the drawer of the nightstand. He stepped out of his pants and crawled under the covers and let his head fall down on the pillow, he rolled over to the side and reached out to turn of the bedside lamp, he left one hand under the pillow and the other were holding on to the sheet. He smiled in the darkness as he thought of the kiss over and over again; it made him feel like a teenager and he kept thinking about it until he fell asleep.
He woke up again a short while later, someone were crawling into his bed, the intruder moved over so that he spooned Charles, Charles could feel the warm body against his and the strong arms wrap around him, he didn't need to look or use his powers to know who it was, he could smell the iron in Erik's warm breath against his neck, he moved a little so that they would lie a bit closer than they already did, and then he went back a sleep, safely wrapped in, in Erik's strong arms.
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