1

It's been a long time since he's seen his friend, or even spoken to him. It's been years, and they just haven't happened to run into each other. They didn't exactly leave on bad terms, just not...really very enticing ones.

Today, he feels his friend in the background of his mind, it's like a warm shower after being in a snowstorm. It's not like they're even doing anything where they'd be likely to run into each other.

Touching Erik's mind, he gets surprise, and then warmth, "Charles, what are you doing here?"

"Getting supplies. Didn't have the proper equipment for training one of my students."

An amused felling, "what powers?"

"Control over radiation."

"Ironic."

Charles smiled, "a bit, yes. What brings you here?"

"A talk with someone, didn't go great, but didn't end in disaster either."

They don't even really talk about meeting, but the image of a place passes between them, a park they both saw on the way in. Charles gets there second, Erik is sitting on a bench, waiting. Charles heads over, Erik is looking... well, very nice indeed. They don't stay at the park for very long.

Though by the time they get to a hotel, Erik seems somewhat pale, and on the way down the hall, he half collapses against a wall, breathing heavily. Charles is more than a little worried, "Erik, what's wrong?"

"Just haven't been feeling well. Light-headed, give me a minute."

Charles nods, but the sweat sheening his friend's face makes him rather disinclined to believe that Erik is being completely truthful with him. On the other hand, Erik does straighten, and he looks better, following Charles into the room.

Sitting on the bed, Charles watches Erik dump his bag, and then his shirt. The other man sits beside him, and Charles can't help but smile as they kiss. It's so very nice, being with Erik again. He slides his hand around Erik's neck, then frowns, and pulls away, placing his free hand on Erik's forehead, "you're running a fever."

"I'm fine, Charles."

Charles was about to protest further, but then Erik was on top of him, and the other man's body was so very solid, and his hands were insistent, strong.

It was heaven, the heat emanating from Erik's body soon got lost in the heat they built between them. Until the point when he sort of passed out on top of Charles, shivering, breath coming hard in the crook of Charles's neck.

Charles pressed two fingers to his friend's carotid, his pulse was through the roof, and not because of anything fun, they hadn't gotten nearly that far. He heaved his friend's body off himself, and rolled onto his side, pressing his hand against the other mutant's too-warm chest, "Erik?"

He slid into his wheelchair, and went to the bathroom, filling two cups with cool water, and gabbing the washcloth off the rack. Lifting his friend's feet onto a pillow, he wet the washcloth, and pressed it against Erik's forehead.

Slowly, Erik came around, eyes reluctantly blinking open, not focusing for a moment, then finding Charles. He rubbed at his face, groggily, and slowly sat up, the washcloth falling into his lap. Charles picked it up, and laid it against the back of Erik's neck, "welcome back."

Erik raised a hand awkwardly to his forehead, he still seemed somewhat woozy, he tilted sideways, against Charles's side. Charles gripped his arm, "easy. Maybe you should lie down."

Erik nodded, and let Charles guide him back.

Erik's will is so strong, sometimes, Charles supposes, his body just can't keep up with that. He must have been fighting this for at least hours, if not days. Charles laid down beside his friend, and gently drew Erik towards him, until the other man was curled with his head right over Charles's heart, and an arm wrapped around his waist, his knee pressed against Charles's hip.

"Why do you always have to push yourself so hard? I worry about you."

"Because I'm fighting a war, Charles. I don't get to take breaks just because I'm not feeling well."

"You collapsed. Isn't it dangerous? You falling asleep in our hotel room is one thing, but what if you collapsed in a fight?"

"I knew I would be fine."

"But you weren't."

"I would have rested on the way back. I would have been fine by the time I needed to be."

Charles sighed, and pulled the blanket up over both himself and his friend, rather angrily, "it's not okay, Erik."

Erik raised his head, just an inch or two above Charles's face, breath hot against his lips, "you're not angry I'm fighting. You don't like it, but you understand."

"You're... I don't understand why you don't take care of yourself."

"Why does it matter?"

"Because... I wish you cared about yourself as much as I care for you."

"Charles, you're calling the kettle black, a bit."

"I know. That doesn't stop me from wanting you to be well."

Erik smiled, and kissed him, gently, lips warm, and slightly damp, against his own skin.

They slept, Charles woke to Erik moving around, more than once, and by around five am, Erik was sitting off the side of the bed, miserable, head in his hands, Charles rubbing his back. The sun wasn't really up yet, though the sky outside the window was becoming a dim shade of yellowish-grey.

Erik groaned, rocking back and forth slightly. Charles wrapped an arm around, pressing his hand against Erik's chest, "shhh. Easy, just breathe. Take a breath."

Erik did, shakily, then another, and another. He leaned back against Charles's chest, breathing hard.

"Okay...you're okay."

Erik laughed, shakily, "who are you trying to convince?"

Charles smiled, but he was more scared than anything else. He'd seen his friend emotionally worked up, and exhausted, but never ill like this. Charles had pretty much always been the one getting hurt, and sick, and crashing into trees and getting stuck in a wheelchair.

Erik stood, leaning against the wall right beside the window. Charles leaned back on his palms, watching the other man, "if you fall, I can't help you."

That got him a slight smile, "I know. I won't fall."

He wavered slightly, Charles raised an eyebrow, "you sure about that?"

Erik nodded, "mostly. Anyway, I need to pee."

Charles laughed, quietly, watching his friend walk around the bed and into the bathroom. A few moments later, he heard a flush, and then a loud sound, not a crash, but certainly worrying. He scooted over to the other side of the bed, and into the wheelchair. By the time he got into the hall, Erik was sitting on the floor, gripping the sink to steady himself.

Charles leaned forwards, elbows on his knees, "oh, Erik... what am I supposed to do with you?"

The other man smiled, a little, "not feel responsible for me?"

Charles shook his head, "I can't do that. I know it annoys you, and I know it's a flaw. But I can't not."

Erik sighed, "I know. It's annoying, but you wouldn't be you if you weren't stupid."

Charles laughed, really, really laughed. It had been much too long since he had. Erik grinned in reply.