What's this? NO cliffhangers? Gasp. Whatever are you going to do with yourselves?
The Perks of Being a Telepath
Chapter 40: Getting Back
Hank came back out of the cockpit, clearly having worked out his inner frustrations about Charles' decision. His blue face soured as he got a good look at Charles for the first time since that morning.
"Christ, Professor, what the hell happened to you?"
Erik flinched at Hank's rather blunt question, but it made Charles laugh, which the metal bender took as a plus.
"I'm fine, Hank."
Hank ignored this and looked at Erik.
"This is your fault."
The amount of heat behind his words would have melted the polar ice caps. Clearly, whatever alliance they had had earlier when Azazel had been there was gone.
Charles intervened before Erik had the chance to respond.
"It's no one's fault, Hank, least of all Erik's. What I did and the choices I made are entirely my own."
Hank growled.
"Then explain to me why it is that every time he comes around, you end up almost dead."
"For Christ's sake, Hank, I'm fine!"
There was just enough persuasion in Charles' word to both prove Hank's point that Charles wasn't fine and to make the scientist leave the older man alone.
For a brief moment, Erik was glad he wasn't Hank.
Charles sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"I'm sorry."
Hank shook his head.
"Don't worry about it."
Charles looked as though he were about to say more, but Erik interrupted him.
"Is the plane ready for flight?"
Hank looked uneasy.
"The plane's ready, but there's been a federally mandated lockdown on all airports. They don't want anyone flying in or out of here for another twenty-four hours."
Erik felt as though this day couldn't get any worse.
Charles spoke up.
"Is there any way we could get around that? We need to get back to Westchester, immediately."
The anxiety in his voice was almost impossible to miss, but thankfully, Hank decided not to comment on it.
Instead, the scientist looked thoughtful.
"There might be a stealth setting we can try."
Charles woke a few hours later to the sound of cursing.
Groggily, he opened his eyes, wondering what was going on. Last he recalled, he had been alone.
With an annoyingly fuzzy memory, Charles remembered, just as his eyes focused on the reason for his disturbed unconsciousness.
Erik was standing at the foot of the bed, glaring at the broken mirror on the wall with a look of utmost contempt. It was almost comical.
"Erik?"
He had to be sure that it wasn't some hallucination. After everything he had been through, it wouldn't be too far fetched.
The metal bender turned, his eyes widening ever so slightly. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting Charles to wake anytime soon.
"Charles."
The telepath swallowed and propped himself up on the lumpy mattress. He resisted the urge to groan as his sore muscles protested the movement.
"You're still here, then."
"Obviously."
"Good… that's… I'm sorry. For earlier."
Erik's gaze settled into passive indifference as he shrugged.
"I've been told worse."
Charles sighed heavily, wincing as the effort pulled at his still healing ribs.
"You deserve better."
"So do you."
Charles would have to have been blind and stupid to miss the pointed look around the shambles of a hotel room.
"Look, Erik…"
"If this is going to be another half-assed attempt to get me to leave, you can forget it. You're sick and you need help and you're going to get it."
A faint smile tugged at Charles' lips.
"You're a stubborn bastard, you know that?"
Erik scoffed.
"Pot calling kettle black."
Charles lifted a shoulder in half-acceptance of the words and promptly changed the subject.
"I'm sorry I left."
"Don't be. Just come home, Charles."
Home. The one place that Charles had been avoiding like the plague.
"I can't."
His voice broke and he looked away, not wanting to see the pity that was sure to be in his friend's eyes.
Erik muttered something incoherent before sitting down next to Charles on the rather shitty mattress.
"You know the others don't blame you for what happened with Onslaught. They know that it wasn't you."
"But it was me. At least some part of me. Deep down."
"I somehow doubt that you would willingly choke your own sister because she was trying to make sure you're all right."
Charles shook his head.
"I already did."
"Onslaught did."
"We're the same person, Erik."
The other man snorted.
"The day I start believing that is the day the humans win this war."
They glared at each other, before Charles looked away with a sigh.
Erik let out something akin to a growl.
"I was there the entire time, Charles. I know you didn't have any control over him until the end. Raven, Hank, and Sean know that too."
Charles' hands clenched into fists and his jaw tightened for a moment, before he took a deep breath and released it slowly.
"It still doesn't make what happened right."
"Blaming yourself isn't going to fix anything."
Charles let out a sad laugh.
"Only you, Erik, would insist that this isn't my fault."
"It's a trick I learned from an old friend."
The beginnings of a smile played at Charles' lips, but it died quickly.
"Are Raven and the others all right?"
Erik shrugged one shoulder.
"You're going to have to find that one out for yourself."
Charles let out an annoyed snort.
"I could force you to tell me, you know."
"That would constitute as finding out for yourself."
Charles shook his head.
"I'm not sure if I can access my powers at the moment."
Erik cast his friend a sideways glance.
"You just need to focus. Personally, I find that true focus lies somewhere between rage and serenity."
That received a sad laugh from Charles.
"Yes, that it does."
Erik smiled slightly.
"You know, there is a reason why you won out over Onslaught. And it's not because you're stronger telepathically than he is."
Charles raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"And why is that?"
"It's because you're just a stronger person than he is. He had to resort to killing people to get his way. You… you just ask and people will move the world for you."
"At the very least, submarines."
The sad attempt at humor did little to disguise the overwhelming gratitude that was pouring off Charles in waves.
Erik smiled again.
"Or submarines."
Charles sighed softly.
"I just don't want Onslaught to get out again."
The admission was spoken in a terrified whisper.
Erik's smile faded into a determined look as he glanced over at the telepath.
"He won't, Charles. I promise you that."
"You put far too much faith in me, my friend."
"And you put far too little faith in yourself."