Hello hello and welcome back!
Thank you for your interest and patience.
Charles learns quite a few things about himself this chapter... I hope you enjoy!
"Ugh, I hate this," Charles mutters after rinsing his mouth. It's the third day in a row where he woke up feeling already sick to his stomach.
It usually gets better around mid morning, but he still is cautious what he eats.
He only makes himself a cup of tea without milk, and some plain toast for breakfast. Thankfully his stomach seems to have settled a bit so he can keep it down.
He arrives at the lab shortly later. Tony looks up from his drawing board with a smile, that quickly morphs into a frown of concern. He walks up to Charles with long strides, and lays a hand on his forehead.
"Charles, do you feel all right? You look awfully pale."
Charles gives him a wan smile. "I'm okay. Just a little queasy. You wanted to show me some new designs?"
Tony perks up at that. "Oh, yes. Come along, you're gonna love this."
A few days later though, Charles is not so convinced anymore that he is basically fine. The queasiness has only gotten worse. Now he just has to smell certain foods to feel sick. Or, as it turns out, certain chemicals in the lab.
"I am so sorry, Tony," Charles tells his friend miserably after being sick all over the lab floor. He didn't make it to the bathroom on time.
Tony rubs his back, and hands him a handkerchief. "Don't worry about it, Charles. The most important thing is getting you to a doctor now."
Charles nods. This seems like a good idea.
Jarvis calls them a cab, and bundles Charles into a warm coat and scarf.
"Thank you, Jarvis," Charles tells him gratefully.
The butler nods. "You're welcome. You take care now, Master Charles."
The cab drive isn't long, and Tony distracts Charles with the latest society gossip.
The doctor they meet introduces himself as Stephen Strange - Charles vaguely remembers reading some articles by him.
He knows Tony, apparently, which helps Charles to relax.
"All right, if you'll follow me to the exam room, please?"
Dr. Strange tells Charles briskly, and he is only too happy to do that.
Tony assures him he'll be right in the waiting room.
The examination is thankfully short, and not too intrusive.
Dr. Strange sits down behind his desk when he is finished, and steeples his fingers.
"Mr. Xavier. I take it you have had intercourse in your last heat?"
Charles feels blindsided. "Um, yes?"
"You are pregnant. Though I'm not sure congratulations are in order?"
Charles grasps the arms of his chair for support. "Excuse me, what?!"
Dr. Strange gives him a calm look. "You are carrying a child. The lack of a mating bracelet or wedding band tells me the Alpha is not in the picture?"
"I'm widowed," Charles answers automatically. He has kept up the lie meticulously over the last weeks. He is not going to give himself away now.
"My condolences. I can recommend a good midwife, if you like."
Charles just stares at him blankly.
Dr. Strange gives him a long look, then he walks around his desk and leans against it in front of Charles. He takes his hand, which startles Charles enough that he blinks at him. Dr. Strange peers into his eyes, and checks his pulse.
"All right, you're not too shocky. May I call Mr. Stark in?"
Charles nods numbly.
The next minutes more or less rush by Charles.
Tony is there, looking worried, and talking to Doctor Strange. Some time later he is escorting him outside and back to the waiting cab. He holds Charles' hand on the journey back to his house, and leads him up to the same guest bedroom Charles had stayed in before.
"You rest now, Charles. Everything will be fine," Tony tells him quietly, when Charles has lain down in bed.
Charles nods, and lets sleep welcome him.
When he wakes up, Tony is in an armchair next to his bed, working on some construction plans. Charles watches him for a little while, because Tony deep in concentration is a nice sight. It also gives him time to get his bearings where he is and why.
He was at the lab, then he was sick, Tony took him to a Doctor - oh god. Charles groans and hides his face in the pillow. Tony looks up from his papers.
"Charles! I'm so glad you're up, how are you feeling, do you want to eat something?"
"Tony, you're babbling," Charles tells him, still muffled by the pillow. He's not planning on emerging from there anytime soon.
"Right, yes. Um."
Charles can feel his friend hovering near the bed. With a sigh he sits up and runs his hand through his hair.
"Hey." Tony smiles at him a bit uncertainly.
Charles gives him a smile back that's not too steady either. "Hey yourself. Thank you. For… everything."
Tony sits down on the edge of the mattress, and gives him a hug. "Anytime, you know that. So… I was wondering, but please tell me to back off if I'm too intrusive, okay?"
Charles' smile gets more steady at the familiar babbling. "Just ask, Tony."
"Right, thank you. Do you know if your Alpha had any family? Would you like to contact them? You know… because of the baby."
Charles feels a fierce stab of regret and longing for Lehnsherr. He has kept up the story that he was widowed even to Tony, and evaded all further questions. But the secret has been eating him inside for the last weeks, and he doesn't want to lie to his friend any longer.
"Can I tell you a secret?" he asks quietly.
Tony takes his hand. "Of course Charles, it's safe with me."
"I'm … not actually widowed. I left him. Ran away really."
Tony automatically draws him into another hug. "Oh honey…"
Once that is out, it's like floodgates have opened, and Charles can't seem to stop talking, or crying for that matter.
"I thought it was the right thing to do at the time, but now I miss him so much ! Which is crazy, because I barely knew him two weeks, and he is gruff and taciturn, and a peasant !"
Tony huffs a laugh at hearing that. He tenderly brushes back Charles' fringe, and gives him a serious look. "Okay, I get that it wasn't the match you had always imagined. But how do you feel about him?"
"I don't know!" Charles cries. "I want to hate him, because that would make this all easier, but I can't. I miss him, and his stupid little hut, and the horrible straw filled bed, and I miss how he would tug me close at night, or when we were bathing in the stupid freezing river!"
Tony is actively smiling by now. "Sounds like you may be closer to loving than hating him, hmm?"
Charles is crying even harder at that, and Tony hugs him tight, running soothing hands over his back, and murmuring reassurances.
After a long, long while, Charles has calmed down enough to be able to sit up again.
Tony gently cups his face. "We are going to figure it out, okay? This is not the end of the world. You wanna drink something?"
Charles nods. His face feels salty and stiff from the crying, and he is thirsty. Tony gives him a kiss to the cheek. "I'll be right back."
He goes to the en suite bathroom, and comes back with a glass of water, and a wet washcloth for Charles to clean his face with.
When Charles has drained his glass, Tony gives him an encouraging smile. "You wanna get up and have some tea? Or tea in bed is fine too."
Charles looks at the beautiful and comfortable settee group that is sitting by the fireplace. "Getting up sounds nice."
"You take your time, I'm gonna organise us some tea, okay?"
Charles nods, and Tony gives him a kiss to the cheek before going in search for Jarvis.
Charles takes this time alone to take a few deep breaths.
Tony raised some good questions back then. Which isn't all that helpful at the moment, because now he let himself go there he misses Lehnsherr even more fiercely than before. But he still doesn't see any way to go back. He doesn't wanna go back to being the mate of a peasant and living in a shabby hut. He knew he'd go crazy living in that poverty, with such back breaking labour day in and day out.
A pang of his conscience reminds him that he actually has money, and had it with him all along, though he didn't tell his Alpha about that. He probably has enough funds to buy a bigger house if he wants to, give them a start at a better life.
As if Lehnsherr would even want that. He's probably glad to be rid of Charles, one less mouth to feed, and also no talking back to deal with. Charles feels tears well up in his eyes again at the thought, and resolutely shakes his head.
No. He made his decision, and it's better this way. He is building a new life for himself in London, a good life. He will be able to support his child, and to raise them his own way, with lots of love, and teaching them everything they want to know. With time he'll hopefully forget about his short intermezzo as a peasant's mate. His heart is not convinced yet, but Charles refuses to let himself go there.
He gets out of bed with determination to turn this day around. He has Tony, and the friends he is making in the Royal Society. He doesn't need an Alpha, anyway.
Oh Charles...
Don't worry dear readers, all is gonna end well.
I have a few questions for you:
1. Would you like to see how Erik deals with the situation too?
2. I was thinking this could go multiple ways: a) at one point Tony can't watch Charles mope around any more, and is going to sneakily write to Erik.
b) Erik searches far and wide without success. Hank finally finds an article by Charles in a journal of the Royal Society, and tells Erik about it. So Erik travels to London and goes to the Royal Society, and first he asks about Charles, but when they won't tell him, he follows his nose.
Which one do you prefer? (Even with option a Charles will forgive Tony, because he secretly wanted to write to Erik too, just let himself.)
So! Thank you for reading, I'm looking forward to your input! :D
Oh! And in case you are wondering: Tony is an Omega too, and Charles and him are the best of friends. Tony is just being supportive, there is no romance gonna happen between those two.
(If you'd like you can also tell me who you ship Tony with, and if you'd like to see him get together with someone in this verse! I'm a multishipper really, so I am easily influenced LOL)
Thank you!
