Oh My God You Guise! I don't know where to begin to apologize for the un-forewarned halt in broadcasting! Long story short: work was killing me right up until my 2-week vacation, which was amazing save for the fact I lost my phone, which had data (read photos and ficcing) that had not been backed up...fast-forward to me angsting over lost data and other pathetic first world problems, on top of working biting my boobies again...hence we arrived at my current state of slight writer's blocked and the slight falling out of fandom. I was hoping to get out of my blocked funk and update with an actual chapter... but that ain't in the stars just yet... So! I'm going to try to return to a weekly/bi-weekly update but for now just with snapshot interludes until I have the time and heart to update properly. PLEASE DO FORGIVE ME! Also, thank you so so so much for those who have commented /added to favs&alerts/and kudoed, I shall be catching up on replying to those I can asap!

Charles aged just shy of three

"No Aley-kiss! ! Is the other leg!"

Charles had been making it a personal mission to pronounce words more clearly and thoroughly, although no one had the heart to tell him he was still a little off sometimes, since everyone was too busy swooning over just how adorable Charles is when he tries so hard at correcting himself and if necessary, others (most often waving a finger at Logan and tsking, "Is Char-less, not Cha-kools!").

Sitting atop the leather couch, the toddler lifted one leg up as if to demonstrate which leg he wished Alex to move, oblivious to the fact is was the wrong leg. An hour ago, Charles had dragged Alex and Erik into the library, much to the surprise and repulsion of both men, as Alex still barely tolerated Erik's existence, let alone his return to the mansion, and Erik barely gave a shit about the blonde's feelings at the best of times.

With a loud frustrated huff, Charles jumps off the couch and drags with him a large, old book that he's been coveting since Valentines Day, stomping over towards Alex, whose limbs are currently entangled with Erik's, on the toddler's puppy eyed orders.

"Like this! Over here more.."

Charles shifted Alex's leg so that it bent and wrapped around Erik's waist underneath. The boy was too caught up in his maneuvering of muscly limbs to notice the utter uncomfortableness and mortification on the men's faces.

"There! Is't working? Feel better now?"

Erik, having survived more of Charles' random and bizarre antics and learned sometime ago that the best answer was always an enthusiastic nodding and smiling. Besides, the man was completely defenseless against the toddler's tilted head and curious bright eyes. The same could not be said of the blonde man, who was fully working those thigh muscles so that his ass remains a few inches away from Erik's crotch. Moreover, Alex was more used to dealing with his borther's antics, and had not picked up on the subtle ways of avoiding some of Charles' playtime whims.

"Ch-Charles are you *huh* trying to play that new twister *huh* game you saw on TV? Cause I-I really don't think this is how you pla-"

Before Alex could finish, Charles muffles his mouth with a hand and speaks in his most soothing voice.

"Shhhhh... Feel the better... Feel it make you like Erie-ka more and more... Feel it now?"

Alex releases a low groaning sound behind Charles' cupped hand that obviously meant no. With a scowl, Charles looks back at his book, flips a few pages until his eyes light up again to indicate a great big ping of his mental light bulb.

"Here, Erie-ka... Put your feet... here!"

"Whoa whoa! Whao! Whao. WHAO."

Charles tilts his little round head in question at Alex, almost looking at the man as if he's lost his mind, rather than the other way round.

"Whao. No. Keep the magnet toes away from my nipples."

At that Erik gasps in a nauseated breath, looses his balance, causing them both to land on the ground with a loud thud.

"…maus, what is this game?"

"Is not a game! Raven use this picture book with A-za-zo and she said it made them feel really really good and made them like each other more..."

Two sets of increasingly bulging eyes are matched with two gaping wide mouths.

"...and I wanna Aley-kiss to like you more and you to like Aley-kiss more."

Both at once, the two men balked and scrambled to flap the other's limbs away.

"Oh... I'm gonna be sick.."

Alex shakes himself and grumbles while Erik silently broods at the book Charles has grasped in his hands while dusting off imaginary Alex cooties.

"This... Maus, this book is for... Uhh.."

Erik was completely at a loss for words. He didn't want teach Charles sexual bigotry by explaining that it was for only a male-female couple.

"...for people who love-"

"I love you! And Aley-kiss and-"

"Nonono... It's a different kind of love... Like the kind between Raven and Azazel-"

"Or Jean's love for Scott!"

Alex eagerly piped in, and for the first time since Cuba, the two men looked at each other with mutual brotherly respect, though Alex had to ruin the moment by coming up with the perfect explanation.

"You love Erik right, Charles?"

"Yeah! !"

"And Erik loves you?"

Wide shining, imploring blue eyes looked up and Erik quickly nodded in agreement.

"But if-" Alex's face starts to recoil in disgust again, "Erik and I were to love each other the same-"

Alex didn't need to go on further before Charles pushes them further apart, splays himself between the men and possessively shields Erik with his small, still-podgy body.

A smile crawls from Alex's lips, and Erik feels his gut twist, as that smile isn't one of only fondness.

"So you understand, Charles? This book is for couples like you and Erik."

Erik's left eye twitches erratically as well as the scattered paper clips on the desk, signifying that Alex should make a quick exit right now. He doesn't miss the toddler excitedly flipping through the book of Kamasutra and showing Erik an ultra complex and highly 'loving' position, judging by Erik's contorted features.

"Let's do this one! ! !"

Full disclosure, I wrote this with Twister and yoga positions in mind, but after doing a tiny bit of kamasutra research (with much brow rising, cuz dayum~ some of those positions look like they might cause serious bodily harm,) I'm picking "The Pinwheel" as the position Charles was using. Google it, and I'll let u decide who's on 'top' ;)