Chapter 18- The intervention part1

Even though Erik's intention was to wake Charles, the cool, dim silence of the man's bedroom unconsciously influenced him to quiet and subdue his approach, causing him to push the wheelchair as noiselessly as one could possibly manage over a wooden floor. A vagrant thought, that perhaps a dripping wax candle in an antique holder would have been more befitting of his early morning 'stroll' through the professor's home, entered his mind as the floorboards creaked and popped under his weight. However, Erik made do with his small borrowed torchlight, casting it towards the high ceiling bathing the bedroom in artificial light. Verifying his bearings, he clamped the small device between his teeth and wheeled forward confidently until he was alongside the large bed, made even larger by the diminutive size of the occupant, half buried under a mountain of pillows and quilt.

For a few moments Erik drank in the unexpectedly peaceful sight of the professor's face resting on its side on the snowy white pillowcase. Lately he had been seeing far too much exhaustion, worry and unhappiness marked in Charles' expression, which he felt was in no small part due to his presence in the mansion. There were some sleepless nights when the older man believed that it may have been better for everyone if had just stayed at the parole house as Gerard had suggested. Erik looked and looked until a large part of his sprit wished that he really didn't have to be the one to do this. Giving himself a mental push to break free of the parallelizing spell, he reached out to press his open palm firmly on Charles' back. He had thought of calling out to the younger man or shaking him awake but he hoped this method, being a more gradual and gentle approach, would win for him a cooperative Xavier instead of the unreasonable, crotchety personality that usually manifested itself in the morning hours.

With a little intelligible gurgle, the younger man awoke and gradually looked around to investigate the pressure behind him.

'Erik?'

He waited patiently as Charles slowly turned over and became more self aware.

'What time is it?' the young man asked staring around his room with a bleary, unfocused expression.

The moment of truth.

'Five thirty. Good morning Charles.'

'Good morning,' he replied automatically in a soft, calm voice.

The professor blinked sleepily up at him and confusion clouded his eyes as he looked Erik over, sitting in his wheel chair lamp in hand, enveloped in a heavy warm dressing gown. As he stifled a gigantic yawn behind his hand, the young man thought the dark coloured robe suited the man's fair colouring perfectly.

'Charles, I am going out for some air and perhaps even try for a walk,' the older man unexpectedly announced. 'Come with me.'

With a look of incredulous disbelief accompanied by a loud pitiful moan, the Englishman rolled over on his stomach and proceeded to bury himself further into the warmth and softness of his mattress. 'Erik, you know that I love you, but if you not here for sex, please GO AWAY!'

The older man released a low chuckle in his throat at Charles' muffled but feisty response, his eyes focusing on the small butt poking up like that of a petulant four year old under the covers. The young man was so darned cute at times that it was almost irresistible. In another time and place, Erik was convinced that they would have enjoyed each other thoroughly.

With another small shake of his head to dispel this sudden escalation of erotica, the older man reached out and began turning back the quilts as he methodically excavated the professor's strong hold. Naturally, the Englishman protested and weakly tried to slap Erik's hands away but it was no use, the older man would not be denied. While sex was a viable exercise option first thing in the morning, it was not the activity that he had in mind.

'Shhh…..' Erik commanded as he gathered the professor on his lap. 'You don't have to do anything. I will do it all.'

As the larger man slowly stroked his hair, Charles sighed in contentment snuggling up to this new, nice smelling source of heat.

'Dreaming?' he brokenly asked in sleepy bewilderment.

'Yes, dreaming,' Erik replied in low convincing voice. He waited a few seconds for the other man to find a comfortable place and between one breath and the next, Charles had fallen asleep.

Erik stared a little jealously at the small bundle tucked under his chin. He wasn't a big sleeper and as a result he had to be seriously ill or exhausted to the point of fainting to be able to do what Charles just did. Well at least that was one thing in the young man's favor he thought, as he tested the professor's weight in his arms; too light, far too light for a man who stood five feet with about the same amount of inches added on.

'You don't have to worry anymore,' Erik whispered confidently. 'I'll take care of you.'

Skillfully he wheeled around and headed to the elevators at the end of a long solitary corridor, the length of which encouraged his mind to wander briefly. It was surprising the kind of things you missed when they were no longer there.

Things like driving.

Erik had loved his car. He missed his car. Driving alone on some deserted stretch was one of his favourite ways to beguile a restless night; far less complicated than sex and just as relaxing. The professor's gleaming, state of the art elevator with its noiseless operation and effortless movement hinted at technology far beyond cutting edge and as he hit the button to descend, Erik fervently hoped this extended to the cars that Charles possessed. But for the time being he refocused on his current personal mission of intervention, which was presently being jeopardized as a certain someone had found a new exciting pastime.

Erik closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, as the smaller man nuzzled a path from his collar bone along his neck and across to graze his right ear. As he tried to lean away to escape from Charles' touch he wondered if the Englishman was hovering on the edge of dreaming or was awake and just didn't care what he was doing. He had to admit that in the past he never saw much point in foreplay but being around Xavier was rapidly convincing him that he may have been too hasty in dismissing the activity.

'Erik?' a soft but irritated voice called, as a pair of denied lips chased after the older man's warm flesh.

The other man resisted for about 1.2 seconds before he quickly ducked his head and turned to capture the soft mouth with his, dipping his tongue inside the moist warmth before pulling out hastily.

Hell!

Erik swallowed hard, as he looked down into the professor's slack, unresponsive face. If the small man had been awake before he wasn't now.

Shit! He was an old man; his heart didn't need this extra stress. Charles was going to be the death of him for sure!

As he hurriedly wheeled out the elevator and into the semi-dark mansion grounds, Erik had already decided that tomorrow morning, he was going to call and wake the professor using the telephone instead of trying to do it in person. Surely there had to be an easier way to get Charles to start back swimming!

TBC