Oh man, I know this update is like super duper late but I haven't liked anything I've been writing until just recently.
Knock knock knock.
The sound of someone rapping on the bedroom door woke Charles from a deep sleep and he rolled over, thinking he'd dreamt the sound.
Knock knock. "Charles!"
"Ngh," he mumbled into the pillow.
Knock knock knock knock. "Charles, either you answer me right now or I'm coming in!"
Charles rolled back over, frowning sleepily at the door. The voice was too high pitched to be Erik's. So then who...?
Click. The door opened and Charles got a split second of yellow before the bed dipped, making him slide toward the center.
Right into his baby sister.
He gaped at her for a minute, his mouth hanging open while she just grinned widely at him, her eyes sparkling with that familiar mischief. "Raven…what? How…? You're here?"
"Merry Christmas, Charles!" she squealed, leaning forward to kiss him on the forehead.
He sat up, still staring at her. Then he reached out and pulled her into a hug. "How are you here?"
"Christmas, duh."
"Raven."
Raven pulled back and grinned at him again. "Erik and I planned it. We get the whole day together, to do whatever you want. Within reason, of course, Erik says." She made a face at the limitation.
It was finally starting to sink in that his sister was here and it was a Christmas miracle. He hugged her again. "I love you. Merry Christmas, Raven."
"Love you, too. So…what do you want to do?" She shifted, bouncing on the mattress as she pulled her legs under her. "We could stay in or we could go out. I don't know if you've had enough of the whole political thing yet or not. We could watch movies, or we could play tourist, go shopping and stuff."
Charles thought about it. It would be nice to just curl up on the couch and watch Christmas movies with his sister, like they had when they were kids. On the other hand, he hadn't gotten to see much of Washington, D.C. other than the governmental buildings. "Let's play tourist," he declared and was rewarded with Raven's blinding smile and a kiss on the cheek.
"I'll tell Erik. Now, come on—get dressed!" A second later, she was gone. Charles smiled, shaking his head as he slid out of bed. His sister was quite the bundle of energy.
When Charles finally entered the living room, he was amused to see that Raven had already found the 24/7 marathon of Elf and was subjecting Erik to it. He bit back a laugh as Erik questioned, "So, how did Buddy think he was an elf when he's the same size as Santa, who's clearly human?"
Raven just glared at him. "He grew up in a town full of elves, with an elf for an adopted dad. Of course he thinks he's an elf! Now shush and watch. He goes to New York soon."
Erik rolled his eyes but his lips quirked upwards in the hint of a smile.
"I thought we were going out?" Charles called over to them.
Raven's head whipped around. "We are. But while we were waiting for you, I figured I'd find something Christmas-y to watch. Can you believe Erik's never seen Elf?"
"Considering he's from Germany and Jewish," Charles replied, "yes, I can. You ready?"
She jumped up. "Yup."
Coats on, they opened the door to find Angel on the stoop. She smiled at them. "Merry Christmas, Charles."
"Angel!" he exclaimed, hugging her. "Merry Christmas! It's good to see you, but what are you doing out here in the cold?"
She shrugged as they climbed down the steps. "I don't mind it. I've been in colder temperatures for longer than this. Come on, car's at the curb."
"Car?" Charles stopped as he caught sight of the black town car. How long had they been planning this?
"Come on, Charles! I want to see how D.C. decorates for Christmas." Raven was already in the car, holding the door open for him. "I bet nothing beats the tree at Rockefeller Center."
"Oh, I bet the Capitol's tree could beat it." Erik climbed in after Charles, shutting the door.
Angel sat in the driver's seat and asked, "Where to first?"
Charles and Raven looked at each other, then they both said, "Shopping!"
Erik trailed along behind the siblings with his hands in his coat pockets. Charles and Raven walked arm in arm along the mall ahead of him, past the Smithsonian. They'd gone shopping, had lunch at a nice little diner, then went around to the museums. Erik had to smile—that was pure Charles. Now they were just strolling, enjoying the evening.
He blinked as something wet hit him in the eye. Looking around, he saw nothing. Another drop of water hit his cheek and Erik looked up.
"Charles," he called.
The siblings stopped and turned to face him, Angel halting too just ahead. "What is it, Erik?" Charles asked, a frown creasing his brow.
Erik tilted his head. "Look up."
Looking confused, Charles and Raven looked up and then a beatific smile crept across Charles' face. Laughing, he said, "It's snowing!"
Raven stuck her tongue out, trying to catch a flake and the three of them laughed as her head bobbed back and forth. The snow fell harder, obscuring the sky, sticking to the ground, to their clothing and hair.
Erik looked back up at the sky only to jerk back as something hit him square in the chest. Charles blinked innocently at him even as Raven sniggered and Angel grinned. He looked down at his coat, now dusted with snow. Erik narrowed his eyes at Charles as Raven dropped to the ground and quickly straightened back up. "You'll pay for that."
Charles said lightly, "I haven't a clue what you're talking about, Erik."
Erik turned, fighting a smile. "Raven, a little help, please?"
She grinned at him. Charles started to say something but Raven just dumped a handful of snow down the back of his coat.
Charles yelped and jumped. "RAVEN!" He shivered. "Damn, that's cold."
"He swears," Angel said, amused.
"Yeah," Raven agreed. "Charles can have quite a dirty mouth when he feels like it. OW!"
Charles shot her a triumphant look. "Payback, sister dear." Erik chuckled at the insulted look on her face. Charles shot him a glare. "And you! Working against me? You wound me."
"You'll survive," Erik smirked and lobbed a handful of snow at him.
One snowball fight on the mall later, and Erik felt lighter than he had in months. They were all sitting on the ground, out of breath, faces red from the exertion and fun. It was probably the most fun Erik had had in years and it felt great. With the snow falling amongst the setting sun, Erik couldn't help but enjoy the moment.
Making a cursory check of the area, he saw Charles watching him, a look on his face that he hadn't had in weeks, that sparkle in his eye that used to be just for Erik. Erik returned the gaze, Charles for once not turning away, and Erik felt in that moment that, somehow, everything was going to be okay.
Raven hooked an arm through Charles' as they stood on the sidewalk. She leaned over to murmur in his ear, "New York's tree is better."
He chuckled quietly and whispered back, "I quite agree, but we'll let Angel and Erik think they were right, yes?" They exchanged conspiratorial grins and went back to staring at the brightly lit tree on the Capitol's lawn with the other tourists on the sidewalk. Today had been fun but it had also told him he needed to make a decision about his relationship with Erik. They'd been bouncing back and forth for weeks between platonic friends and flirting. Like today, for instance. That snowball fight and the look Erik had given him afterwards. He'd almost forgotten what it had been like to have that look trained on him, warming him inside. Making his heart skip a beat in response.
After a while, Charles was starting to feel the cold despite having his hands tucked in his coat pockets. "I saw a drink cart across the street. I'm going to go get some hot chocolate; want any?"
"Sure. Bring me back a cup?"
"You're going to make me go by myself?"
Raven grinned at him. "Yup. Or you could ask Agent Sexy back there."
Charles felt his cheeks heat and ignored her to turn and walk the few steps to where Erik and Angel stood. He said, "I'm going for hot chocolate across the street. You two want anything?"
Angel nodded, rubbing her hands together. "I wouldn't say no to something warm. Thanks, Charles. Is Raven going with you?"
He shook his head. "No, she opted to stay put." He took a steadying breath and turned to Erik, who had been watching him steadily from the moment Charles had started towards them. Forcing lightness into his voice—he was still coming to terms with his almost decision of giving in—Charles said, "Coming, Erik?"
Erik just turned sideways, gesturing for him to lead the way. He flicked his gaze wordlessly over Charles' head and Angel chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, I got it. Raven's not going anywhere," Angel's voice trailed after the pair as they headed for the vendor.
The line was a bit long and Charles hunched his shoulders against the wind that was blowing harder now that he wasn't surrounded by people. Warmth spread along his back and he twisted to find Erik blocking the wind for him.
His heart skipped a beat. "Thanks," Charles said faintly.
Erik smiled down at him. "You're welcome, liebling."
They moved up a spot in line and Charles frowned at the unfamiliar term. Erik hadn't used German around him in a while and it made him wonder why now. Had the normal day—and by normal, Charles meant no politics involved—changed things for Erik? Like it had for Charles? "So…" he began and stopped as he realized he had no idea what to say.
Erik responded anyway. "Which one's better?"
Charles twisted to look up at him again, stepping forward in line as he did so. "I'm sorry?"
"The trees," Erik clarified. "Which one's better: New York or D.C.?"
"Oh." Charles smiled, facing forward. "New York, without a doubt."
"Why?"
"Well because you can actually reach it, rather than see it through a fence, for starters. It's bigger, more of a spectacle, there's an ice rink nearby…a whole host of reasons." The feel of Erik pressed against his back was rather more comforting than he'd imagined and Charles couldn't help but lean into the warmth. He missed New York, sometimes. He did miss teaching but he could always go back when his term was up.
"Maybe you can change that for next year." Erik's breath ghosted across his ear and Charles shivered, not from the wind.
Charles laughed a little. "Yes, that will be the first thing I put on the floor—a law to make a larger, more accessible Christmas tree. That'll go over wonderfully with the other religions." He couldn't keep the sarcasm from his voice, faint though it was.
"Always the diplomat," Erik murmured.
"Well, I have to be," Charles replied, a tad defensively, stepping forward again. There were only a few people ahead of them in line now.
"Ich liebe dich," Erik replied fondly and Charles stopped mid-step, blinking as the words sank in.
He knew that phrase.
Erik had said it before, not just in the hospital, and Charles had finally found the courage to Google it a couple weeks ago. His heart pounding, Charles turned slowly to face Erik.
Erik stared down at him, confused. "Charles?"
This was it, wasn't it? He couldn't pretend anymore that he didn't understand. Couldn't pretend that there was nothing between them when they'd clearly been flirting all day. Erik's feelings apparently hadn't changed in almost two months. If he were being honest with himself, Charles' feelings hadn't changed either, despite how hard he'd tried to deny them.
"What is it?" Erik looked concerned now.
Snow swirled in the space between them. Now or never, Charles thought. "What you said, just a minute ago."
Erik's brow furrowed. "Yes?"
"I know what it means."
Erik's face went blank. "You do?"
Charles nodded.
"You do. I see." Erik ran a hand through his hair, looking up, and Charles swallowed. In some part of his brain, Charles knew they were holding up the line, that people were starting to get annoyed, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from Erik. Didn't want to break the moment or he'd chicken out.
He shifted, drawing Erik's gaze back to him. Charles took a deep breath. "I looked it up after the last time you said it and…I…I've been thinking about it. A lot." Another breath. Why was this so hard? "And…I lo…I feel the same." Damn, he still couldn't say it.
Erik studied him and the person behind him stepped around them, moving up to the vendor, muttering about holding up the line. "You do?"
Charles could hear the hope in his voice and his heart skipped a beat. He nodded, leaning forward slightly. "I do. Erik, I—"
He was cut off by the press of Erik's lips against his. Startled, Charles stood frozen for a moment before his brain restarted. He tilted his head so that their mouths slotted together. Erik's hands brushed against his, slid slowly up his arms, igniting fire with every movement. Charles reached up to press his hands against Erik's chest, to try to feel the muscles he knew were under the coat. Erik's hands pressed against Charles' lower back, moving their bodies so there was no space between them even as Charles' arms slid up and looped around Erik's neck. Time slowed….stopped.
The need for air forced them apart. They stared at each other, their breaths mingling, visible in the cold. Erik leaned forward and kissed Charles on the nose. Charles blushed, making Erik smile and whisper, "Ich liebe dich, Charles."
Adrenaline…hormones…whatever it was that was coursing through his veins, lighting them on fire…Charles finally said it. "I love you, Erik."
Erik kissed him again, gentler this time but the passion was still there, underlying every touch. When he pulled back, Charles leaned forward to rest his head against Erik's chest, felt Erik's heart racing through his coat. Erik wrapped his arms around him and kissed the top of Charles' head, settling his chin there. They stood there for a minute, still completely wrapped up in themselves and this earthshattering moment that had just occurred, oblivious to the world still flowing around them.
A buzzing sound broke the moment and Erik sighed. Said quietly, "That's my phone."
Charles nodded and stepped reluctantly out of Erik's arms. "I'll order the hot chocolate." Erik flashed him a smile as he lifted his phone to his ear. Charles turned to the vendor, only to realize there were two people in line ahead of him. Good, he thought. It gave him time to get control of himself, slow down his racing heart, catch his breath. He smiled suddenly, widely. He couldn't believe he'd just done that, made out with someone in public like that. It wasn't something he usually did but with Erik it just felt so right.
Fingers grabbed his, wrapped around his own, and Charles glanced over to see Erik at his side, talking quietly into the phone so he couldn't hear. Erik squeezed his hand and Charles' heart skipped a beat. He swallowed against the sudden rush of desire.
Raven was going to be saying I-told-you-so forever, Charles was sure.
But as quickly as that thought came, Charles decided he didn't care. He had Erik now and that was enough.
Erik kept glancing at Charles in his periphery. He couldn't seem to keep his eyes off him for more than a few seconds. That kiss had been something else. He'd never imagined Charles would actually look up what he said in his native tongue. And then to say that he loved him, too…Erik smiled to himself, remembering the feel of Charles' lips against his. It made it hard to focus on what Scott was trying to tell him. Charles was ordering when something Scott said dragged his focus back to the call. "Wait, say that again?"
Scott sighed over the phone. "Jesus, Erik, what is going on with you? For the third time, they want to have Charles' induction ceremony outside, on the mall."
"Where Shaw can have a clean shot at him? Hell no."
"I know. Mason's been trying to get them to change it but he keeps getting stonewalled. I'm not sure there's anything we can do at this point, other than surround him with agents."
Charles slowly approached him, balancing two cups in each hand, his smile fading as he caught the look on Erik's face. Ficken, Erik thought. "Thanks for the heads-up," he said quickly. "I'll call Mason tomorrow, see if I can't help out." He hung up before Scott could say anything else, slid the phone back in his pocket and reached out to take the top cups. "Hey."
Charles frowned up at him. "Is everything all right?"
I can't tell him now, not when he's so happy. Tomorrow. He leaned down to kiss him. "Everything's perfectly fine, Charles."
Charles' mouth twisted and Erik knew he didn't believe it but he apparently did not feel like contesting it. That was a rare event. "Then I think we should grab the girls and find a bench somewhere," Charles said slowly.
"Works for me." They made their way back across the street, through the crowd to Angel and Raven. "Let's go find a place without people."
Angel laughed. "I'm sure there's a park somewhere we can sit."
As they walked, Charles sidled up next to him, not quite touching. Erik switched his cup to his left hand. Reaching down with his right, he linked their fingers together. Charles' eyes flicked up to him, his tongue flitting out to wet his lips and Erik almost pushed him against the wall right then.
Instead, he swallowed his desire with some hot chocolate and tightened his grip on Charles' hand. He couldn't wait until they could get home and ditch the girls.