"…Oh Eric, you've got it all wrong."

Mystique and Angel paused as they passed the door to Charles' room, identical curious expressions on their faces. They leant in close, ears up against the wood in order to hear better.

"Then why don't you come back here and do it?"

"Don't be silly I couldn't possibly – Ah! What are you doing?"

"What you told me to?"

"No! Get it out you lunatic."

"Unbelievable, you're harder to please than a…oh wait, hang on, I think I hit something."

"Good GOD man, are you completely blind? If you've hit the…you'll overstimulate the…blow up…"

They looked at each other in shock.

"It's pitch black in there, I can't see anything."

"Well if you'd thought to shine a light down there, you'd have known where to put it."

"Eww…" Mystique mouthed, shuddering.

I don't see you doing a thing to help."

"Eric, I couldn't very well do this by myself could I?"

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, professor, but aren't you making me do all the work?"

"Kinky!" Angel giggled quietly.

"Not at all, Eric, if you were paying more attention you would have noticed that while you're attempting to push it in, I'm directing."

"Well then direct!"

"…just to the right a bit…no, too far, no Eric you've gone far too far…back the other way now-slowly!"

"…ungrateful…English prick…I'll show you where you can…"

"To the right…no too far again…move it back a little…just a little to the left…oh God you're too…oh wait, yes that's perfect."

"Are you certain, this time?"

"Absolutely, now just push it in that little hole there. It might be a tight fit at first, but it's made for that sort of thing so you'll get it in eventually."

They could hear slight grunting accompanied by a few muttered curses. They exchanged brief looks of chagrin before deciding it was probably best to sneak away and pretend they'd never heard anything. Fate however, was not on their side.

"Do you hear that?"

"No."

"I could've sworn I…"

The door swung open and both girls yelled, hurrying to cover their eyes.

Charles blinked, "Raven, did you want something?"

Put on some clothes!

"Excuse me?" he deflected the thoughts she was practically hurling into his mind, "what are you on about? I'm fully clothed…" he did a quick scan to check, yep hadn't lost any since the last time he looked.

"What's going on here?" Eric came up beside him, a puzzled look on his face. In his hand rested a small screwdriver.

"I'm not entirely sure." Charles leant against the doorframe, "Raven?"

"I didn't say anything Charles," she crossed her arms, opening her eyes now that she knew he wasn't naked, "you promised you wouldn't read my thoughts."

"I didn't," he raised his hands in defence, "you practically threw them at me." He narrowed his eyes, "why did you think I wasn't wearing any clothes?"

"What are you talking about?" she said innocently, "I think your confusing my thoughts with someone else's. So what were you doing in there?"

"Eric was helping me fix my computer," he replied, slightly confused yet resisting the urge to pry into their minds, "you know I'm practically useless with mechanical things."

He watched the understanding wash over their faces, closely followed by relief…embarrassment and…slight disappointment?

"Well thanks for that, bye." She grabbed Angel and they both hightailed it around the corner.

Charles frowned and reached out with his mind, catching the tail end of Angel's panicked thoughts.

Phew, so they weren't having sex after all. Aww, but that would've been so cute! I mean Ugh, not the sex part, the together part.

He gasped in surprise and flushed red. So that was why they were both acting so weirdly…and why Raven thought he was naked. But why would they think that?

"Are you alright?" Eric asked as he watched his friend slowly begin to resemble a tomato.

"…absolutely," he chuckled weakly, closing the door, and wishing he had the power to ban certain images from his own mind.

"Sure…" he set the screwdriver down.

"Trust me, my friend, you don't want to know." Charles said honestly, he was going to have to work very, very, hard to forget that particular thought.

If he even wanted to.

"Believe me, my friend, I do." Eric persisted, stepping closer and trapping him against the door.

"You really don't." he was intensely aware of their proximity and…damn those girls, now they'd planted that infernal image in his mind he just couldn't get it out.

"Read my mind Charles, it says I do." He placed his hands flat against the door on either side of Charles' effectively cutting off his escape route.

"That's because you don't." he protested. He didn't want the awkwardness that it would bring. He was sure Eric would be disgusted, would probably reject their entire friendship…

"Just tell me!"

"Argh, fine. Theythoughtwewerehavingsex." He spoke so quickly the words jumbled together to form an incomprehensible sound.

"It helps if you open your mouth," Eric supplied helpfully, his breath ghosting across the other's face.

Charles shot him a dirty look, maybe he deserved the nightmares his words would no doubt ensure, "They. Thought. We. Were. Having. Sex. Clear enough for you?" his tone defied the nerves he felt fluttering inside.

"Is that all?" Eric asked calmly, and perhaps a little smugly, drinking in the mixed emotions he usually didn't get from the other.

Charles blinked, "I thought you'd…well, I…"

"You know Charles," Eric leant in closer, "for a mind reader, you aren't very good at reading people."

He gulped "I uh…"

"What say we prove them right, hmmm?" Eric touched their foreheads together, his hands sliding closer.

"I say that you're enjoying this far too much," he regained his senses and crossed his arms, leaning back so his head touched the wall.

"Maybe a little," Eric conceded, "so how about it?"

"How about what?"

"Don't make me ask again, I think you blushed enough the first time." He grinned.

"What, really?" Charles asked, he was sure the other had been joking.

"You really are clueless?" Eric shook his head, "you must be working hard at not prying into our minds."

"I have scruples, you know."

"I never doubted that," Eric brought their foreheads together again, "read my mind, now."

He didn't need to ask twice.

Charles hesitantly reached for his mind, extending a tiny tendril of his power to skim across the surface. What he found there overwhelmed him.

You see? Eric's mind-voice floated across the pool of intense lust and want, a warmth resonating within it as Charles spotted tiny wisps of a much stronger emotion drifting in the waters.

Yes, I do. He broke the contact and stared at Eric, confused.

"Why didn't you say something?"

"I just did." He lifted a hand to cup the other's cheek, locking their eyes together.

"But all this time…I thought…" he trailed off then shook his head, chuckling, "some mind reader I am."

Eric smiled but said nothing, choosing to lean in ever so slowly and gently brush their lips together.

"Oh Charles, I finally remembered what I wanted to ask you earlier…" Raven tried to open the door, only to find something heavy leaning against it. "Charles?" she pushed futilely, "what's up with the door?"

"What should we do?" he whispered.

"Give her a little show," Eric's eyes twinkled mischievously, "tell me where to put it, Charles."

He stifled a chuckle, "I still can't believe that's what they thought we were doing."

Eric slammed his hand against the door, "you'll give the game away," he whispered in the other's ear.

"To the left…" Charles grinned, "just a little bit…"

"Is that right? Should I push it in?"

"Just a little more…oh, that's perfect." He banged the door for impact.

"Charles?" Raven sounded increasingly nervous, "you are still fixing that computer, right?"

They looked at each other, and then groaned simultaneously.

"Oh my GOD, Charles!" she banged the door, "this isn't funny, open up."

"Guess we'll have to step it up a notch," Eric leant in to brush his lips soft against Charles' own, "hmm?"

"Sounds…like a plan," Charles mumbled against them, relishing the feel.

"Come on," Raven yelled, "I know you're not doing what it sounds like you're doing, so just open up already."

One hand cupping Charles' cheek, Eric ran his tongue along the other's lips, skimming the soft surface as he sought to deepen the kiss, simultaneously allowing his free hand to drift down the curve of his back. Charles responded in kind, parting his lips and bringing his arms up to brace against Eric's chest. He moaned as the heat of the sensation touched him in exactly the right place.

"Guys?" Raven's voice quavered, "You're not really..?"

Eric moved closer, brushing their hips together and sent a jolt of pleasure up Charles spine so intense he momentarily lost control of his, well…control.

Don't stop…Eric.

"Huh?" Raven looked around as the thought bounced around in her head, what was Charles…oh. "Ewww Charles! Keep your thoughts to yourself."

So good…please.

"Don't want to know," she clamped her hands over her ears, even knowing it wouldn't block out the unwanted mental messages. She had to get far, far, away.

"I think it worked," Eric grinned, leaning away to observe the expression on the other's face, "those mental messages were a nice touch."

Charles flushed, "God that's embarrassing, I've probably scarred her for life."

"Nice to know you lose your control at the slightest…touch." He ran his hand up the small of the other's back.

"That's not fair," he mumbled, still flushed.

"I'm just wondering what your control would be like if we were doing more…energetic activities."

"Well you're not going the right way to find out," Charles crossed his arms, aware he probably looked like a petulant child.

Eric laughed, "It's probably for the best, after all we wouldn't want everyone to know about it."