A/N: one of my wifeys, theonionistheonewhocries, won't stop prompting me. Here's another: "He did not. Erik wouldn't. HE DIDN'T. Charles was going to kill him! Erik stole his pillow. He was going to die for this."
Charles wakes in the middle of the night to something not feeling right.
He shifts on his bed, finding himself on his stomach, his hands fallen asleep due to lack of circulation where he had them pinned under his face and head.
He flexes his hands, rolls over, and doesn't feel his pillow under his head. He frowns. Maybe it fell off the side of the bed?
Charles rolls back over the opposite way and reaches down onto the ground tiredly, eyes barely open in the darkness. He feels around; it's not there. He groans and thumps to the floor, crawling on hands and knees to feel under the bed. It's not there.
Charles zooms up, rocking back to sit on his calves, and looks around. He stands, rubbing his eyes, and squints in the dim lighting to see Erik curled up on his side.
He did not. Erik wouldn't, right? He couldn't have—
"I'm going to kill him," Charles growls, climbing back into bed and walking on his hands and knees across the expanse of the king-sized mattress to feel the pillow beneath Erik's head.
Sure enough, the pillow is Charles'; it's memory-foam, shaped specially for people with headache and neck problems, two things of which Charles gets often because his telepathy is too strong and he can never sleep right on a normal pillow without his neck cramping in the morning.
Erik know show important Charles' pillow is.
And yet he has it.
"Erik!" Charles says in a sharp whisper. He reaches out and yanks the pillow out from under the metalbender's head.
Erik snorts awake, rolling onto his back, and bolts upright, sitting with his hands braced on the mattress on either side of his narrow hips. "What theHell, Charles?"
"You. Stole. My. Pillow," the telepath grinds out, and uses the dense, foamy object to hit Erik with, aiming for Erik's head and shoulder, and he doesn't miss.
"Ow!" Erik whispers, "God, I'm sorry, Charles. I didn't realize, all right?"
Charles huffs and drops to sit down on his side of the bed. "Fine. Just don't do it again." And just like that, he tosses the pillow angrily down and lays on his side, facing away from his lover.
"…Come on, Charles, don't be like that," Erik states firmly, slinking up behind the shorter brunet man and pressing a kiss to Charles' bare shoulder, his hand rubbing along Charles' arm.
Charles sighs. "…Don't. You know I can't stay mad at you when you get all oddly affectionate on me. And I very-bloody-much want to stay mad at you, Erik."
The metal-controlling mutant grins against Charles' skin and runs his parted lips over the back of Charles' neck. "Yes, but I would hate for you to waste your energy on something as foolish as a pillow. It's a moot point anyway; I said I was sorry, and you have it back for the rest of the night and forever. So please, don't be angry with me, vicar."
"…I love it when you call me that," Charles groans, frustrated. He rolls onto his back, falling against Erik's chest. he peers up at the other man, and Erik grins. Charles sighs through his nose in light irritation. "You're insufferable. Why do I tolerate you, again?"
"Because you love me, I pleasure you better than anyone — man or woman — ever can, and I help you look after this growing mutant-only school yours," Erik recites, counting on his fingers, his tone oddly serious and yet a dry smile playing on his lips.
Charles rolls onto his side, his face pressed against the warm skin of Erik's chest. "Ah, yes, now I remember."
Erik hums and plants a kiss in Charles' hair. "Mm." He idly strokes Charles' back with his fingertips.
"…But if you know what's good for you, you'll never take my special pillow again, or I might have to make you believe for a week that you are a pretty ballerina," Charles grins deviously, placing a kiss of his own between Erik's pectorals.
Erik feigns a gasp. "Charles, you wouldn't!" he mocks.
"…I assure you, I would, love," Charles retorts, and he yawns. "Now, back to sleep with us both. I have my pillow and your body heat, and I am very…very comfortable, now," and he yawns again.
"As you wish," Erik replies softly. "Goodnight, Charles."