AlphaBetically speaking, Charles came first
Author's note: Hi everyone ! For the fourth year in a row, I've decided to write some kind of Advent calendar. However, this is the first year that I challenged myself not to write it in my native tongue, which is French, so I hope my English will not be too dreadful. ^^' Anyway, I'm offering you 25 drabbles, all related to an alphabet's letter (I didn't say it was original) and all centered on Charles' and Erik's relationship. The chapters will all be generally unrelated, and I will precise each time in which universe I set the characters in. I hope you will like it !
Disclaimer: The characters and settings don't belong to me but to all the comics' writers, scenarists, directors, producers and fantastic people who contributed to create the wonderful X-Men universe. Many thanks to them.
Special thanks: I'm deeply grateful for my wonderful betas, fidjet and Lysen5972, who helped me giving you some quality stuff (or at least I hope so) and supported me all along. Love you girls.
Universe: For this first drabble, it is set after X-Men: First Class but in a world where Erik would have stayed with Charles to help him with the school.
Rating: K+
A - Accident
"What happened?" Erik exclaimed, not even waiting for the front door to close behind him.
"Well," Hank began on a nervous tone, "I was just running some tests with the Professor in Cerebro and everything was going just fine, it was just routine tests, and then..."
"And then suddenly something went wrong and Charles ended up banging his head on the floor," Raven cut short, feeling her friend could go on like this forever.
"He what?" Erik deadpanned, his tone ice-cold.
"He banged his head on the floor and he was dizzy for a while but now he's fine !" the metamorph quickly added when she saw murder in Erik' eyes.
"Technically he is suffering from a very mild concussion though," the young scientist specified, anxiously putting his glasses up on his nose. "And there is the slight problem of his shields but..."
"What do you mean?" Erik interrupted.
"Well it seems that he can't properly control his telepathy right now so he's kind of perceiving every mind in the mansion," Hank rapidly answered. "But I think he should be alright by tomorrow."
"By tomorrow? He won't be able to shield before tomorrow and you say he's fine?" the metal-bender flared up. "What is wrong with you?"
"Then maybe you should go to him instead of harassing us!" Raven retorted, a little embarrassed by her previous statement.
Erik settled for a dark look directed toward them before quickly heading for the stairs. Once he arrived in front of the bedroom he shared with Charles, he didn't even take the time to knock, afraid of the state he would find his lover in. He quietly opened the door and swiftly closed it behind him, making sure he was near-silent.
There wasn't much light in the room. The curtains had been drawn and their thickness prevented most of the sunny afternoon's brightness from coming in. In spite of that, Erik could distinguish a form on the bed. Charles had visibly assumed a foetal position under the covers. He had placed a pillow above his head, in a gesture Erik recognised from the few nights of insomnia he had seen his lover endure. Pushing the wheelchair away from the telepath's side of the bed, he slowly sat down next to him.
Gently putting his hand on Charles' shoulder, he felt him slightly shudder as he removed the pillow from his head with care. The telepath looked at him, with unfocused eyes and took a little time before he croaked:
"Erik?"
"Yes Schatz," the metal-bender softly answered, pushing a lock of hair away from his lover's forehead.
"The voices," Charles whimpered. "I can't make them stop... Erik I try so hard. Why can't they just go away?"
He looked so painfully young that Erik felt his heart tighten. This was bad. He had never seen him in such a state, not even when he had the occasional headaches that impeded his ability to shield from other people thoughts. This was completely different. He remembered what Charles had told him about the appearance of his mutation, about how suddenly he had heard every single thought of all the people surrounding him, and how he had struggled to feel alone in his own head again. But at the time he had been a child and frightening as it had been, his mutation hadn't been as powerful as it was now. Especially considering the fact he hadn't been living in a house occupied by a hundred of children, loudly projecting their thoughts everywhere.
Erik didn't know what to do. Maybe he could take him on a ride somewhere they could be alone but it would take some time and besides, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to move someone who had a concussion. Especially someone who could potentially get inside your head and kill you by accident.
"Can I come in?" Charles suddenly asked, pulling Erik out of his reflexion.
"What?"
"Your mind, can I come in?" the telepath repeated, with a crooked smile.
"Of course," the metal-bender replied, "always."
He quickly discarded his shoes and got under the covers, gathering his lover in his arms. Charles put his hands on the other's temples and closed his eyes. And suddenly, he was everywhere. Erik gasped as he felt his lover filling every part of his thoughts, making it difficult to distinguish what belonged to him and what didn't.
"It has always been a quiet thing, your mind," the telepath whispered, probably without opening his mouth. "Even when you're mad it's clear, organised. But right now it's just warm. And comfy. I'd like to stay here forever."
In a very strange way, Erik could feel his lover somehow nesting in a part of his mind, curling around the thoughts he had kept secret during most of his life, the ones Charles had helped him rediscover when they had first met. It was where the best of him was hidden, in a place so secluded that even Emma Frost hadn't been able to detect it. Maybe it was the reason why Charles was now trying to hide there as well, because he had erected walls so high around those precious memories that they could now offer some kind of sanctuary.
Erik wasn't sure if any of that made sense, but the gentle mental humming he got in response told him that he might not have been far from the truth. At some point, Charles started to nuzzle his neck a little, which made him pull his lover even closer to his chest.
He didn't know how long they stayed like this, their thoughts so tightly intertwined that it would have been impossible to say where one began and the other finished, but he guessed that they must have fallen asleep for soon, too soon, he was awaken by the sound of birds chirping in the distance.
As he slowly came back to his senses, Erik was almost sad to note that his mind was entirely his own again. But when he opened his eyes, he was faced with a serene and smiling Charles, miles away from the hurt and miserable one he had seen the day before, which was a sight he liked much better. And when his lover started to send him gentle waves of affection, he found that things might not be so bad after all.
And here goes the first chapter ! I hope it was alright, that you liked it, that it didn't sound too weird and if you have something to say, whether it is a compliment or a critic, don't hesitate to leave a review !
Thank you for being here and see you tomorrow !