Chapter three is here! Warning: there will be brief attempted non-con in this chapter, not graphic.
Erik didn't know what to expect. The past few days had been peculiar to say the least. And exhausting. Incredibly exhausting. Good to his word, he kept a sharp eye on Jackson. But the man seemed to elude him every chance he got. At the same time, however, he went everywhere with Charles. They were bound to cross paths eventually.
Morning training began as scheduled; the students lounged around the courtyard in their tracksuits, some picking absentmindedly at their nails, others still dead on their feet from lack of sleep. The only aspect of their routine that was missing was-
"Where's the professor?" Sean whined from his sprawled position on the grass.
Erik scoffed as he looked down at the boy, smothering a grin with a grimace. The freckled mutant really wasn't a morning person. But he was right, Erik didn't see Charles anywhere. He was never late for practice, especially when there were 'bright minds to teach and mutations to nurture', as he put it.
"Why don't you all get warmed up and I'll find him," Erik raised his eyebrow expectantly when the group stayed motionless.
"Go on then, take a lap or whatever it is you do." He grumbled, waving a hand at them as he turned on his heel.
Charles was either fumbling over his material for the day or burying his nose in a book. Erik concluded that those were the most sensible options. The man may have been late, but he was still predictable.
A sharp twinge of panic stopped Erik in his tracks. He knew all too well that the feeling was not his own. Countless sessions with Charles taught him to recognize the difference between his emotions and those that were being projected.
He followed the disturbance cautiously, heading for the dense trees that surrounded the mansion. Erik tried to rationalize things, he assured himself that Charles just slipped and fell and was making a big deal over nothing. But why would he be in the forest? He felt the rush of panic again. No, something wasn't right. Erik sped up his pace, pushing past the branches and narrowly avoiding getting smacked in the face. By the time he sensed Charles' presence, he was flat out running.
What he saw when he burst through the clearing made him come to a halt.
Charles was pressed haphazardly against a tree, held in place by a thick hand around his neck. His expression was twisted in pain; eyes squeezed shut, brows knitted together, and cheeks flushed a rosy red. He seemed to be trying to speak, but his soft gasps and pants cut him off before he could manage a word. It was when Charles jerked his body to the side and Erik looked down that the older mutant understood his friend's predicament. His blood ran cold. The man pinning Charles against the tree had managed to wrench open his trousers and was jerking his hand against the squirming professor. Charles dug his nails into the hand on his neck, but that only spurred the man on. He brought him forward and then slammed him back against the tree, earning a strangled cry from Charles.
"I'd tell you to knock it off," Jackson began, whispering furiously in his ear as he leaned in close. "But we both know that I love it when you fight back."
Then Erik was on him, wrenching him back by the shoulder and flinging him to the ground with ease. Charles gasped for breath and hurriedly buttoned his trousers, scrambling away from his attacker.
Erik circled the man on the ground with a predatory glint in his eyes. He lashed out, his foot connecting with the man's rib and creating a sickening crack. Jackson howled in pain.
"Wait, it's not what you think!" he babbled as he got to his feet. "He wanted it, I swear."
Erik snarled and twisted his hand upwards, using the metal on the man's belt to lift him into the air. Jackson looked petrified.
"What the hell is this?" he thrashed around violently, trying to fight the hold Erik had on him.
"Erik!"
It was Charles who spoke then. He was swaying on his feet, but standing nonetheless, his eyes imploring him to stop.
Damn Charles and his belief in the greater good.
"Just put him down, I'll make him leave and never come back."
Erik turned to face Jackson once more. He almost said no.
And then Jackson was falling. He landed in a crumpled heap on the ground before him. Charles warily approached the two. His face was stern but the fear and embarrassment were clear.
"Pack your things immediately and never come back," Charles spoke slowly and cautiously, as if he were afraid his voice would betray him.
Jackson shakily got to his feet and looked between them. A pitiful expression came over his face.
"Charles, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, you know that right?" he stammered an apology.
"Leave. Now." Charles would not be fooled. Not again. The hardness in his eyes relayed the message to him.
Jackson backed away slowly, then took off running in the direction of the mansion. There was a silence in the clearing that was palpable. Erik spoke first.
"He was the one on the phone, wasn't he?" he asked grimly, though he already knew the answer.
Charles didn't answer.
"I suppose I should get to practice," he clapped his hands together once, a forced look of cheeriness clouding his face.
Erik was at a loss for words. But what could he possibly say to someone who was just-no, he couldn't. He wouldn't. Charles was fine. Jackson was gone and everything was fine.
He watched as Charles disappeared through the trees, the bounce in his step absent.
Everything was not fine.