Erik woke up the next morning very happy and warm. Light beams from outside a nearby window streaming across his face brought him to full awareness and he reached across the bed to feel for the small brunette he knew was sleeping there. But to his surprise and disappointment, said brunette was nowhere to be found.
He sat up and looked around the room almost in a panic before he heard humming echoing off the walls and coming from an open door to his left. He got up and made his way over, looking in the room to see a big pot for cooking and there sat his brunette, cooking some fresh eggs over a fire. The sight made him smile, watching Charles hum to himself as he prepared their breakfast. The thought occurred to him that he could get used to it. Despite the fact that getting to sleep took him a little longer than Charles the previous night, it had given him time to himself to think.
While laying next to the silent sleeping form of Charles Xavier, Erik thought back to the words he had said to him before: "You called her beautiful, am I not?" "I'm not oppressed by the public eye, Erik." "Us who are gifted tend to have a higher thinking ability than regular people." The phrases kept buzzing around in his head like angry bees and he couldn't understand why. Then the thought crossed him for the second time that night. Maybe he did want his relationship with Charles to excel. He admired him in all the ways he could admire any woman and Charles met all his tastes perfectly and even beyond that. He was as bright as they come intelligence-wise, despite their dispute from last night, he was truly, in a sense, beautiful, and he was by far the most generous and nice person, that still had a level head, that Erik had ever seen. He had smiled and curled up around the smaller man in his sleep, wanting the warmth of this magnificent person so close to him they were almost one body.
"You've nearly slept the day away my friend." He heard a voice say to him and he immediately came back to the present and blinked as he realized Charles was staring into his face.
"I beg pardon? I'm sorry... I wasn't listening." He smiled to himself as Charles laughed happily and turned fully to him.
"You've very nearly slept the day away. You missed the traitor being caught and taken away before they could do a thing. So the troops that were being sent, without guidance, were forced to fall back. It was quite a sight."
Erik blinked at him and chuckled lightly, coming over to stand beside him, "Well. How could I sleep through that?"
Charles smiled widely at him and sighed happily as he looks down at his eggs, "I'm just glad that whole affair is over for now. Now I can wait and worry when they retaliate. But I believe Raven is prepared for that." He looks back up at him. "So I won't worry until its necessary."
Erik smiled down at him and stared into the smaller man's eyes for a moment. He didn't know what drew him to do it or what he had been thinking but one second he had been watching him and the next their lips were pressed firmly together in a loving kiss.
Charles was startled for a moment, almost dropping the eggs into the blazing fire below then, before regaining his composure and closing his eyes and leaning back against him, setting the eggs down on the table near the pot and wrapping his arms tightly around his shoulders. They kissed for what seemed like forever before Charles finally had to pull back and breath. He looked up at him and blinked slightly, speaking softly with a smile, "So I'm hoping your over your worries about the public eye spying on us..."
Erik chuckled and kissed over his face, his cheeks, nose, then lips before leaning back to smile at him, "Yes. I'm no longer worried... I just need you with me. I've never met anyone like you, Charles... You're just.. Incredible..."
Charles gave him a cute smile and stood on his tiptoes to rub their noses together, speaking softly into his head instead of speaking aloud, "I know..."
The older man smiled widely at the action and held him a little longer before pulling back and looking sadly down at him, "But I'm so sorry, my darling... I have to leave to go to work... I've the shop unattended for more time then I intended and I should get back..."
The brunette pouted slightly up at him but smiled after a moment and motioned to the food, "At least stay and eat with me..."
Erik smiled his toothy smile, sharp incisors gleaming, and nodded to him, "Of course I will..."
Charles separated out the eggs between two plates and they ate in comfortable silence before one started the conversation and words began tumbling out just like that. It only took a few short sentences before the two were engrossed in enjoyable conversation, both laughing or playing fully glaring at the other as they agreed or disagreed with each other.
Erik glanced out the window while Charles talked about some ritual he had learned long ago that was completely ridiculous and frowned slightly, "I have to go... I'm very sorry."
Charles blinked at him then shrugged, standing up to take his plate for him and set it aside, "That's fine. I understand your need to work."
The taller man smiled down at him and leaned forward, pressing a light kiss to his lips that Charles immediately accepted and returned with full force. Erik whispered against his lips, "Come by and see me today..." And Charles nodded in agreement, saying he would.
He waved Erik off as he left through the wooden door at the bottom of the stone tower, silently hoping that they would be able to spend another night together soon. He walked back up the spiral stairs and into the room he used for all of his business and working. He sat down and began to read through a book but not 20 minutes into it, he heard the sound of Raven approaching up the stairs and smiled to himself. It occurred to him that the timing was impeccable. He set the book aside and stood, opening the door to the stairs and waiting for her.
She came up the stairs and entered with a frown on her red lips, her brow furrowed with worry, "Hello again, Charles... We seem to have a problem..."
Charles immediately looked over to her, looking extremely worried,"What kind of problem?"
She wrung her small, pale hands together, walking back and forth in the middle of the room, "I don't know how he did it, but the traitor escaped... We kept guards on him but they don't remember a thing. We think they fell asleep but that isn't right, they were some of the best guards we have." She looked up at him, her expression more distressed than before, "What if he's like you...? What if he can see into people's mind and make them do things...?"
The thought made Charles visibly pale. They'd never made contact with anyone similar to them aside from Erik and he had been incredible to him thus far. But meeting Erik had brought up the point that there could be more of them. Would the others be like them? How many WOULD be malicious and ruthless? "I'll keep an eye out for him... What's his name?" Charles furrowed his brows at her.
"His name is Sebastian Shaw. He's been in jail before too. He murdered someone a long time ago. I saw it in the records." She rubbed her eyes for a moment.
Charles watched her then shook his head slowly and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, "Listen. I'll keep a lookout for him and if I find him, I'll tell you. In the meantime, you need to go rest. Go back to your room, station your guards and go sleep. You look so tired."
She nodded and held onto him for a moment, "I am tired... You're right. Thank you." She moved to kiss him gently on the cheek before pulling away and messing with his hair, "Stay safe I love you." She gave him a small smile and another kiss before heading back down the stairs. As she left, he glanced to the window and sighed. He'd have to go warn Erik to keep a look out. He made a quick once over of his tower room before heading out the door and scurrying into town.