When The Lights Go Off
In retrospect, Charles really should have reconsidered these meetings.
The Xavier mansion was easily large enough to get lost in; with a maze of corridors and rooms, the house couldn't be considered small by any means. There were plenty of places to hide away, various nooks and crannies locked behind thick wooden doors that he was sure were used for any number of rendezvous throughout the generations. But while the mansion was large and the walls thick, there were only so many times a person could hide away without raising some sort of suspicion, and his luck was beginning to wear thin.
Somewhere during the course of the afternoon, their chess game had progressed into something much less composed; he was currently pinned down against the mattress with Erik hovering just above him, his hands making quick use against the buttons of Charles' crisp white shirt. His cardigan had already been haphazardly discarded on the carpet below them, as had Erik's jacket. The other man was trailing quick kisses along his jaw when a loud knock on the door startled them both.
"Charles?"
Raven.
"Charles, I need to talk to you. Can I come in?"
It took him a moment to regain his composure and remember where he was - Erik was staring down at him, eyebrows raised in a silent question.
"Just a moment!" His hands scrambled to right the buttons of his shirt, which he was sure would be crooked as soon as he finished. "Erik, you've got to...hide somewhere. Or do your very best to appear casual. Please."
"Charles?" Raven's question was drawn out and impatient, and he could nearly see her tapping her foot on the other side of the door. "What are you doing in there?"
"Nothing! Just hold on for one more moment, please, Raven." Sliding away from Erik, he ran a hand through his mused hair in an attempt to invoke some semblance of order to his otherwise rumpled appearance. "I'm a bit...indisposed."
At this point in time, there were various reasons why it would be incredibly difficult for Erik to appear casual. His normally well-kept hair was slightly tousled, so he'd have to spend a few minutes in the bathroom fixing it with the usual gel. His face was flushed a light shade of red, and his shirt, unlike Charles' was completely removed.
Erik's hands darted to his pants, hurriedly adjusting his belt from its currently unbuckled state. He wouldn't have been this much in a panic had Charles not wanted to keep their relationship under wraps, so for now he would respect his wishes. Acting casual was out of the question, so Erik quickly (but quietly) strode to the bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar.
As soon as Erik was safely in the bathroom - Charles nudged the door closed all the way simply for good measure - he opened the door to the bedroom and plastered on a bright smile for Raven's benefit. "I'm sorry, Raven." There was a slight edge to his voice that he tried to conceal with an ill-timed cough, and his smile wavered for the briefest of moments before snapping back into place. "Now, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Raven quirked a brow and leant against the doorframe, and Charles knew from the doubt in her eyes that she was studying him. "I just wanted to ask you..." she trailed off and Charles felt the smile slip from his face again. "Why are you breathing so hard?"
"What?" He laughed, a little breathlessly, and looked at her as though she'd said the most preposterous thing on the planet. "Raven, don't be silly. My breathing patterns are perfectly normal."
Her eyes narrow and she frowns, a tell-tale sign that she doesn't believe him. "You're lying."
"Raven!" The shock in his voice is real but he scrambles for something else to say. "I can assure you that I'm not lying. Honestly."
From inside the bathroom, Erik plastered a hand to his face, shaking his head slightly as he listened to the other man ramble. Charles tended to do that when he was lying. So now, it was plainly obvious there wasn't a lot of truth to his words.
Raven briefly looked over his shoulder, absently tapping her foot. "Whatever you say." She muttered, then sighed. "We can talk tomorrow, it's not that important." Even though she said that, Charles immediately knew it was about Hank. "Goodnight, Charles."
"Good night, Raven."
He watched her vanish back down the corridor before turning to close the door behind him, breathing out a heavy sigh of relief. The door to the bathroom opened and Erik stood there, fully dressed and looking far more put together than he had a few moments prior.
"Well," he said with a grin, "that was certainly quite a close call, wasn't it?"
Erik shrugged, expression remaining impassive. "Your lie was impeccable, Charles." He takes a step forward, hands returning to their place on the telepaths waist. "I see no reason why she would not believe you." He smirked, nodding his head to the door, the lock clicking shut.
"I pride myself in being able to think up excuses at the drop of a hat."
-End-