A/N: There be slash ahead, mateys.
Warnings: Charles/Erik, sexual tension, jealous!Erik, some implied sexual imagery, sort-of-fluff.
Disclaimer: If I owned X-Men, Charles and Erik would play strip-chess, thank you very much.
'Cause I just can't seem to drink you off my mind.
It's the honky-tonk women,
Gimme, gimme, gimme, the honky-tonk blues.
'Honky-Tonk Women', The Rolling Stones.
"Tell me again why we're here, Charles."
Charles smiles over the rim of his glass. "Because, we are friends, and this is what friends do."
Erik looks around the dimly-lit bar with distaste, and replies, "Then I'm not quite sure I want to be your friend anymore."
Charles grins and lets out a charming, almost flirtatious laugh. "You –,"
"Hi, fellas," a high-pitched voice chirrups over all the background noise. Erik and Charles both turn to look at the stranger, Erik with his usual wariness and Charles with a raised eyebrow of interest. "You two sure aren't the normal crowd in here."
Erik glances at Charles, then down at himself – no, they certainly aren't, as Erik is wearing one of his usual turtlenecks and Charles is, of course, clad in a collared shirt, jacket, and slacks. Most of the people in here are dressed rather ridiculously, by Erik's standards.
The girl is pretty enough, with brown hair and gray-blue eyes, and she has crammed herself into a dress that is at least a size too small, putting several areas of her body on display. She is at first looking at Erik, but when she notices the cool, closed-off expression on his face, her gaze flicks to Charles, who is smiling openly at her.
Erik can only watch as this harlot begins to flirt outrageously with Charles, and he resists the urge to grab her by the metal in her earrings and send her flying across the room. Charles returns the flirtation with his usual dapper charm, and Erik is literally inches from gripping the shorter mutant by the arm and dragging him from the bar and back to the hotel and –
Charles's gaze darts to Erik, and he projects, I'm sorry. We'll leave soon, I promise.
How irksome – the one time Erik actually wants Charles to see what he is thinking is the time that Charles misreads his emotions entirely.
The girl, noticing the strange way they are looking at each other, has begun to look confused. And then, from across the bar, another girl (one of the numerous scantily clad women in the room, Erik notes) calls out a name, and the brown-haired girl says brightly, "Oh, excuse me for just a minute. I'll be right back, I promise!"
When she is gone, Charles turns his gaze back to Erik. You're jealous, he broadcasts, his eyes wide with wonder and amusement.
Erik clenches his teeth. Can we leave? He can tell by the look on Charles's face that the telepath is skimming through his head right now, seeing everything, absolutely everything that Erik plans on doing once they're back at the hotel room.
Charles's eyes widen. You want to –
Yes. I'll do much more than she would.
Charles laughs so hard he nearly chokes on his drink, and Erik reaches out to thump him hard on the back. Are you sure? You've no idea what's been going through her head all night –
Erik grits his teeth again, and grabs Charles by the elbow, tugging the younger man away from his stool. We're leaving. Now.
Ignoring the stares of the bar patrons and the annoyed expression of the girl as they leave, Charles projects, You know, I could get used to this jealous you. I might just flirt with girls all the time now.
Erik doesn't miss a beat. Don't even think about it.
A/N: So I have a fetish for possessive!Erik and flirty!Charles. Sue me. Reviews greatly appreciated!