Getting off was just as easy as getting on. The hard part came when they gathered together in a corner of the airport to say goodbyes. They were waiting for Scott to get off the phone with Director Mason. Scott slid his phone into his pocket and said, "Mason'll let the White House know we're here and I'll email you the schedule once I get it from him, Erik." Erik nodded but Charles gave Scott a confused look. "You'll get tours of the White House, Capitol, FBI, the treasury, stuff like that along with meeting all of the heads and other officials you'll be working with," Scott explained.
Charles nodded, understanding, and they all stood uncomfortably for a minute until Erik said, "We should split up before we hit the taxi service area." Charles' heart sank as his gaze went to his sister. Time to say goodbye. "It's not goodbye," Erik continued and Charles started. How does Erik always seem to know what I'm thinking? "Just a precaution until Shaw's caught."
There was a moment where they all stared at each other and then Raven stepped forward, flinging her arms around Charles. He returned the embrace, holding her tight, his eyes closed. He could hear the agents talking, saying their own temporary farewells, but all he could think was he wouldn't see Raven for a couple weeks.
Raven pulled back to look at him and he felt his own eyes well up when he saw she was fighting back tears. "You be careful, okay? I won't be there to watch out for you."
Charles couldn't help laughing a little. "I should be telling you that. You're the one who's always getting in trouble."
"Yeah, but I'll be able to see the others. You'll just have Erik." Raven bit her lip.
Charles reassured her, "I will be fine, Raven. No one's getting past Erik."
"You're awfully certain of him."
He shrugged lightly. "I may still be hurt and mad at him for leaving but he did come back." He grinned. "And he's apologized, like, five times."
Raven glanced over at Erik, now talking with Scott. "Why did he leave in the first place?"
"He was scared of opening his heart to someone after so long alone."
Raven shot him a knowing look. "Sounds like someone else I know."
He frowned at her. "I know full well I've had issues with relationships in the past but this is different."
"Oh yeah, so different."
"There's no need for sarcasm, Raven. And it is. Erik's not like those other guys. He's…he's real. In a way they weren't. And I trust him." She scoffed and he repeated, "I do. Maybe not with my heart quite yet, but I trust him with my life. And that's enough for now."
"As long as you're sure, Charles."
"I am." Hugging her again, he murmured in her ear, "I'm going to miss you."
Her arms tightened. "I'm going to miss you, too."
A hand dropped onto his shoulder and Charles lifted his gaze to see Erik. He said quietly, "Time to go."
Charles nodded and reluctantly stepped back. "I love you, baby sister. Take care of yourself and listen to Angel.
Raven leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "I will and you be careful." She looked at Erik. "I'm trusting you here, you got that? Keep him safe."
Erik met Charles' eyes and said solemnly, "I will."
"Good." Raven hugged Charles one last time. "I love you, big brother." Then she and Angel walked off.
A moment later, Charles said goodbye to Alex, Scott and Jean, leaving him alone in the airport with Erik, fighting back tears. He sniffed and Erik slid an arm around his shoulders, tucking him against the agent's side. Erik gave him a moment before saying quietly, "Ready?"
"No, but let's go."
Erik fumbled for his house keys, simultaneously trying to keep an eye on their surroundings while also trying to remember what he'd left the place looking like. Had he cleaned at all in the last couple weeks? Finally getting the key in the lock, he pushed the door open and ushered Charles inside, shutting the door behind him with a click.
"Okay," Erik said as he turned around, "so…yeah. This is my house. It's not big." And not nearly as messy as he'd thought.
Charles turned in a slow circle, looking around. "I like it," Charles said suddenly. "It's you." Charles shot him a quick smile and Erik felt himself relax.
"Thanks, I think." He took a quick breath and moved to dump his bag on the couch. "Sorry about the mess," he muttered.
"Like I'm one to talk about messy homes," Charles said wryly, dropping his bag next to Erik's and peeling his coat off. "Can I take this vest off now? It's quite annoying."
"Yeah, sure, go ahead. You don't have to wear it in here." Erik picked up some dishes and takeout containers and took them into the kitchen. God, the leftovers smelled. He wrinkled his nose as he tossed the containers in the trash can.
"The understanding being that I have to wear it when we leave, yes?" Charles trailed after him, undoing the straps.
"Yeah. It's a—"
"Precaution, I know," Charles finished. "Could you help me with this last one?"
Erik turned around, stepping close to undo the final buckle and lift it over Charles' head. Being this close was intoxicating and yet infuriating because he couldn't do anything about it. He took a steadying breath, tossed the vest with their things and offered, "Want to see the rest of the place?"
Charles was studying him and Erik briefly wondered if his thoughts had shown on his face. Charles stepped aside and gestured. "Lead the way."
"Right, so. Clearly this is the living room. And the kitchen slash dining area." Erik walked down the hall, pointed at a closet. "Storage plus extra towels and blankets if you need them." Continuing, he pointed out the bathroom and finally his bedroom. Charles stepped inside to look around, Erik hovering in the doorway. As Charles ran a hand along the edge of the bed, Erik took a moment to really look at his room. It was surprisingly bare of personal items. Oh, he had a few pictures of his parents on his dresser, some clothes strewn around, but it didn't look as lived in as Charles' had.
It took him a minute to realize Charles had stopped and was watching him from across the room. When Erik looked at him, Charles said slowly, "So…who's sleeping where?"
Erik just stared at him then realized…oh yeah. One bed and he wants nothing to do with me. Right. "You sleep in here. I'll take the couch. I've slept on worse."
Charles nodded. "Okay." He hesitated. "Do you mind if I shower? I didn't really get to in the hospital."
He shook his head. "Not at all. You hungry? I could make something or order takeout…"
Charles shrugged. "A little."
"Okay."
The two of them stood there another moment before Charles moved, sliding past him so that their bodies barely touched. Erik waited until Charles had grabbed his bag and closed the bathroom door behind him before heading to the living room and sinking onto the couch. "Oh yeah," he muttered into his hands. "Not awkward at all."
Charles stepped under the hot water and sighed in relief. Being clean was such a wonderful feeling and it had been several days since he'd felt truly clean. He also needed the time alone to think and adjust to the many changes in the past week. He didn't know how to act around Erik. He needed Moira. She could tell what he wasn't saying and she always knew how to help him. He sighed again. This whole thing had gotten so complicated.
He'd meant what he'd told Raven. He did trust Erik with his life.
His heart on the other hand…
"Ugh," he groaned, leaning against the tile wall. "How did my personal life become such a mess?"
And now he had basically moved in with Erik, was going to be living with him, was going to be sleeping in his bed…albeit without him, so maybe not as uncomfortable as he was thinking.
But still…
He felt drawn to Erik, despite trying to stay aloof. That moment on the airplane was testament to his failure to keep a wall between them.
Charles stepped back under the water, closing his eyes against the heat. He ran his hands through his wet hair, pushing it back out of his face. He needed to focus on his job, on making good impressions. That was all that mattered right now. Erik would do what he needed to to keep Charles safe, and Charles would do what he needed to do for the country.
Friends with Erik, he could do. He had no room in his life for a romantic relationship.
None.
Not even for a devastatingly handsome German Secret Service agent.
"Mmm, that smells good."
Erik whirled to see Charles leaning on the counter behind him. "I'm making French toast; you want some?"
"Sure," Charles nodded, making his damp hair curl forward over his forehead, his expression neutral.
Erik plopped another piece of bread in the mix, swirled it around and dropped it on the frying pan. He felt a little awkward, cooking with his back to Charles but pushed it aside. "Feel better?"
He could practically hear the other man's shrug. "A little. It's a lot to get used to in so little time."
Erik lifted a slice onto a plate already holding three other slices. Flipping the remaining piece of bread, he took the plate over to the counter. Thankfully he had enough clean dishes to do this. "It'll get easier with time."
Charles said quietly, "Will it? I know I wanted this but am I really ready for it?"
Erik straightened from where he was pulling butter out of the fridge. "Charles, you are more than ready for this. If you're thinking about Shaw, don't. He doesn't matter anymore."
Charles lifted an eyebrow. "Doesn't he? Isn't that why I'm here instead of one of the agency's safe houses?"
Erik tilted his head to the side, setting the butter down. "Point taken. But that's mainly because Shaw's Secret Service. In less than a month, you'll be President and untouchable. Don't worry about Shaw."
Charles forked a piece of French toast onto a plate, not looking at him. "I suppose you're just going to keep repeating the whole 'I believe in you' line, huh."
"Well, since Raven's not around to say it, I figured I would."
Charles rolled his eyes. "Ha ha," he said dryly, taking a bite. His movements were slightly awkward due to his recent injuries but Erik knew better than to offer help unless asked. Instead he just smiled and poured syrup over his food. Quietly, Charles added, "I do appreciate the faith you have in me."
"Not just me. The country believes in you."
"I just hope I can be worthy of their belief."
"You will."
They ate in awkward silence after that, neither quite sure how to act around the other, unsure what to say so they said nothing.
Charles grabbed his bag and retreated to the bedroom after putting his plate in the sink, the click of the door shutting behind him sounding louder than usual. Erik sighed, turning to clean up.
Time.
Charles just needed time. He'd had a lot thrown at him the past week and Erik could understand needing a few days to just let it sink in.
Charles sat on Erik's bed, his bag resting next to him. He wished he knew what to do. This Erik was so different from the one he'd first met and Charles was falling all over again, loving the soft and sweet side of the normally gruff agent. He slowly lay back on top of the covers, his hands on his stomach.
His world used to be much more orderly. He knew what he wanted to do, he found a way to do it and he succeeded. He was to be the next president and he could make this country a better place for everyone.
Charles smiled to himself. That was the whole reason he'd started running in the first place, his noble reasons. His innocent, naïve, reasons, he realized now. But that was no reason he couldn't still try, right? Politics was where he needed to have his focus now. He would win over every head, every lobbyist, that he needed to to get things done. He was charming, after all.
Feeling a little better about things, Charles set about getting ready for bed.
The next couple weeks were a whirlwind of tours, parties, dinners, meetings, and endless introductions. Charles was as charming as he could be and people loved him. He'd also gotten a fair few of his issues aired and several congressmen and -women agreed with him. He felt a lot better about the next four years now.
As for Erik…
Well, Charles' walls were shrinking. He found himself struggling for reasons to stay friends, to stay mad at Erik.
But as the days wore on, the inauguration growing nearer, Charles started to think maybe he should give in.