The expansive grounds of the Xavier family mansion covered an almost ridiculous amount of Westchester, giving the inhabitants plenty of room to spread out and claim separate areas for different types of training grounds as they required them. Darwin favoured the lake, and could often be found practicing his already admirable swimming while Sean practiced hovering above the water just overhead. They could be found so most afternoons, and were both preparing by the side of the lake as Erik passed them as he walked back towards the house, trekking back from the furthest corner of the grounds that Alex had been given free reign of for his practices. The early autumn sun shone gently on as Erik paused to watch them, laughing out loud as Darwin back-flipped out of the water and threw Sean completely off balance straight into the middle of the lake. He sat down on a small white bench that sat at the opening to a private garden behind him, catching his breath slowly from the long walk over the uneven grassy grounds.
As he squinted against the low angle of the sun, Erik suddenly noticed another figure standing by the side of the lake, half hidden behind the small clump of trees he leaned against, watching the two splashing men in the middle carefully as they fought good-naturedly in the middle of the small lake. The figure looked up and waved, shouting something indistinguishable towards the lake as he began to walk towards the bench. The splashing in the lake subsided quickly as Darwin leapt up from the surface and dove back down under the water seamlessly, and Sean began to tread water, occasionally lowering his head below the water to practice his sonar detection. Erik watched them with reluctant admiration, realising how far they had both come since they had all settled into life at the mansion.
"You really have been a good influence on them you know" Erik said lightly as Charles sat down on the bench next to him. He adjusted his jacket awkwardly, keeping his eyes fixed on the lake rather than the man next to him, afraid that locking eye contact would be taken as permission to entangle their minds as intimately as they usually did. "They were children when they came here; you've helped them all so much."
"They still aren't ready" Charles sighed heavily, lifting a hand to shadow his eyes against the sun as he stared out at the lake. They sat in silence for a few moments, before Charles pulled his gaze away from the lake to squint in Erik's direction, still shielding his eyes. "Can we talk yet, my friend? Because this-" he gestured in Erik's general direction, catching his attention, "this is getting worrying." He smiled apologetically as Erik finally turned to look at him.
"We are talking." Erik replied quietly, glancing quickly at Charles, still refusing to meet his eyes. He jumped slightly, feeling the pressure of the other man's hand on his shoulder. Charles squeezed his shoulder gently, his face set with a rather grim expression.
"Erik. Look at me." his hand slid lightly over his shoulders, stroking barely there circles into the tense body he felt beneath his hands. "I won't enter your mind if you don't want me to, you know." Erik raised his head, meeting his eyes at once for the first time since he had sat down, looking strangely confused.
"How could you have known I didn't want you to?" Erik asked quickly, rolling his shoulders, regretting it a moment later when he felt Charles' arm lift away from him and settle between them on the bench. He stared at his friend, so close to him on the small bench, so comfortable. He watched the other man run his hand through his hair in an agitated fashion as he looked back out towards the lake.
"Has Raven ever told you that I've never read her mind?" Erik shook his head. "Not once. I've never really needed to, because I can read her like a book anyway. People have a tendency to open up around me when it comes to their feelings, especially the people close to me." he half smiled out at the orange light bouncing off the surface of the water. "You could call it intuition I suppose, but my mutation probably contributes more towards it than I like to admit. It doesn't always happen, but sometimes I can pick out what a person is thinking towards me without actually knowing what they're thinking. If that makes any sort of sense" he finished awkwardly, fiddling with his hair once again. Erik nodded slowly, and lay his hand on Charles' leg where it lay close against his.
A loud splash came from the lake, and they both turned to look as Sean, coming up for air, was knocked unceremoniously underwater by one of the waves he had caused himself. Charles stood up, leaving Erik's hand to fall from his leg.
"I should get back to them." he smiled wanly at the man on the bench and made to walk away, managing all of three steps before he felt Erik grabbing at his elbow and turning him back around. They stared at each other.
"Later." Erik cleared his throat, alarmed to hear his voice so weak. "We can talk later. If you want to." Charles' eyes bore down into his steadily for another few seconds, before he nodded once, and turned back towards the lake.
"Charles?" Erik's voice stopped him in his tracks once more, sounding out clearer than before. He turned to look at him questioningly, taking in his guarded stance and crossed arms against the cooling air. "What you said about being able to read people - does that apply to everybody?"
Charles spun back around, and began to walk back down towards the water, away from the garden, and the bench, and the man who always seemed to be asking the most annoyingly striking questions with his ridiculously intense manner. He called quietly back over his shoulder towards Erik as he walked slowly away into the growing feeling of his own unease that came with his own realisation as he answered the question.
"Until I first met you, it was only Raven. So no - certainly not everybody, Erik."