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It was one of the few times Erik wasn't wearing his helmet. He could feel Charles at the back of his mind, asking him to listen to reason. He sighed, it seemed at this point that Charles was always there. He desperately wanted to answer the telepath's mental call, but he had to stand by his ideals. Charles' would get them all killed.
The feeling of his old friend being there vanished for a moment, Erik sighed, it seemed he'd given up for the night. He was relaxing in a chair, almost asleep when he felt the presence again. He frowned, Charles was usually never this persistent, when he left he left for at least a few hours. He probed with his mind, trying to sense whether it was his lost love or someone else, but it felt like Charles' bond with him.
When he touched the bond with his own mind images began to assail him. Images of Charles laughing, running with him, the two of them sitting in his room at the mansion playing chess, and of them content lying in bed together. He tried to pull his conciousness away, but some power held him fast. He now knew that it defintiely wasn't Charles.
'Who are you?' He demanded of the presence in his head. Whoever it was didn't answer, but Erik felt what could be laughter come across the bond. He ground his teeth together in frustration.
'I'll ask again, who are you?'
'I'm the one who is refusing to let you hide from what you gave up,' an accented female voice answered. It was a voice that Erik didn't know, had never heard before. He picked up his helmet to put on, when darkness overcame him.
When he opened his eyes the sight that met him caused him to stiffen. He was in a bed, a bed not his own with his arms wrapped around Charles Xavier. With a shaking hand he reached up and lightly combed his fingers through the dark hair, causing Charles to mutter and snuggle down further into him. Erik inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of Charles. He smelled of Old Spice and some scent Erik had never been able to fully place, but it was a smell he cherished and it made his heart clench.
"Good morning Erik. You look perturbed, is everything all right?"
Erik almost laughed, only Charles could start out the day with his brain functioning on a high enough level to say 'perturbed.' Which sounded absolutely adorable in his sleep-roughened voice.
"I'm fine Charles. Did you... sleep well?"
"Yes, I did actually. Ready to train?"
They spent the morning training, and ate a late breakfast in their (as Charles had said) chamber. The afternoon was spent helping the teenagers harness their powers. Erik laughed when Charles told him he wasn't allowed to push Sean out of the window again. Afternoon gave way to evening and the two retired back to their room for a game of chess.
When Charles went to bed, Erik sat down and watched him. He didn't understand. Was the purpose of this to make him incapeable of fighting against the man he loved?
'No,' the strange female voice was in his head again, 'the purpose was to show you what could have been. If you hadn't lost control and the beach. If Xavier hadn't been injured. If you hadn't left him.'
Again, he was in his study, staring at the roaring fire. He didn't see the fire though. He saw Charles' face. The fake day spent with the man he loved made Erik wonder what he was doing. Surely it didn't have to be open war between them? Wasn't there some way to compromise. Standing up he left his room and brushed past Emma and Mystique, without a word.
"Azazel, I need to see Charles."