Anote: I am reintroducing the minor character David, Charles' ex-boyfriend, just for dramatic effect. He's someone from my own imagination and not part of the X-verse.

Chapter 24- You must understand part4

Erik was surprised to hear laughter coming from Xavier's bedroom and as a result, he cautiously looked around the door but then boldly walked in when he realized that the young man was alone, sitting on his bed with his laptop. The professor looked up eagerly and Erik nodded his head to let him know that yes, he had been victorious in getting Gerard to amend his long list of jolly after work activities.

'Can we pause the game? I have to go now,' the small man said into the tiny mouthpiece of his headset, watching as Erik neatly folded his sleeping robe on a convenient chair.

The older man slid into the space behind him and pulled the laptop closer to have a peep at what was going on. The low, rough growl from over his left shoulder indicated to the Englishman that his companion was far from pleased.

'Found a replacement for me already, have you?' Erik commented waspishly into his ear.

Quite unconcerned, Xavier knocked his hand away and closed the screen to snuff out the chess game he had been playing with his university colleague. 'Night, Hank. I'll see you tomorrow.'

The larger man silently fumed as the professor placed the computer on the floor and then obligingly began stacking some pillows against the headboard for him. He knew he was being foolish. Xavier was perfectly free to play chess with whomever he wanted, but it had been a very trying day and he wasn't in the mood to be reasonable.

'Don't be absurd Erik,' Charles sniffed dismissively, seemingly perfectly untroubled that the older man was staring at him with a hard look on his face, 'you are NOT replaceable.'

The matter of fact proclamation was enough to push the older man's mood from sulky annoyance to genuine amusement and pleasure. It was times like this, when he was mentally and physically exhausted, that he really appreciated the small man's spirited, no nonsense personality.

'Thank you,' he replied, swinging his legs on to the bed and leaning back against the stack of firm pillows that the professor had prepared for him. Gesturing for him to come closer, he gathered the small man under his outstretched arm so that they could both examine Gerard's compromised list of things to do.

'He's dropped everything but the counseling sessions,' the older man reported blissfully, pointing at the crossed out markings.

'Oh! Why did you cancel the volunteer activity?' the other remarked in a small disappointed voice. 'I was wondering about that. Maybe it was something we could have done together.'

The older man sighed and rolled his eyes before good-humoredly ruffling the dark brown mop of hair within reach, 'Don't you think you have enough to do, Xavier?'

He was awarded a sharp jab in the ribs in reply.

'Do you know what your hours of employment are?' the small man inquired, turning serious again as he flipped over the sheet looking for any additional information.

'Six days a week, from half eight to five.'

The professor was already busy moving his own activities around in his head before Erik had even finished speaking. 'Well, I will be able to take you most mornings and if you don't mind bussing to the university in the evenings, we can go home from there. Other than that, I will pick you up after your counseling sessions, from…where are they?'

'At the parole house,' the larger man answered, tapping the address scribbled at the edge of the flyer.

The Englishman worriedly gnawed on one of his fingers, 'We might have to get John to fill in any gaps though. Unfortunately, we are a bit out in the middle of nowhere here, and it's too far to walk from the village bus stop. '

Actually it wasn't. Erik had already secretly slipped out the grounds and gone exploring when Charles had returned to work. It took a little over an hour and although he wouldn't enjoy making the trek on a rainy night, he would be perfectly happy to do so any other time.

The older man eyed what he could see of the professor's face apprehensively, 'sorry to be such a bother.'

'You're not,' the small man reassured him, absently reaching over to pat his pajama clad knee. 'I am your sponsor; it is my responsibility and my pleasure. Besides, I do like spending time with you.'

The younger man turned around to look up into his face with an expectant expression.

'Erik,' he said after releasing a long suffering sigh, 'this is the part where you say, you also like spending time with me.'

'This would be much easier if I could have borrowed one of your cars. How come you only have two?' Erik asked distractedly, as if this indeed was the most bizarre thing in the world. 'I didn't believe it when Logan told me and I had to go down to the garages to see it with my own eyes. You just have the Lincoln town car and a tiny FIAT.'

'Would you believe I used to have an entire fleet down there? A Jaguar XJ, Lexus LS, Ferrai 485, Meserati Gran Turismo and a V8 Ashton Martin,' the small man reminisced, counting out some of the luxury sports cars he owned on his fingers.

'Oh my God, you had an Ashton Martin,' the larger man muttered in a low stunned voice. 'What…what happened to it!'

The Englishman shook his head unhappily, 'they attracted the wrong sort of people. I was ten times happier after I auctioned them off.'

He almost laughed out loud at the scandalized look on the older man's face who appeared horrified that he had committed such outrageous sacrilege against the vehicles.

'Would you rather I buy you a car then, so you can drive yourself?' the small man asked tentatively.

'No that's quite all right, Charles,' he replied generously, even though every atom in his body was screaming at him to say yes. However, Erik hadn't missed the disappointment stamped in the blue eyes that were fastened on him. But did the professor really once own an Ashton Martin? Dear God! Dear God!

The Englishman noticed the glazed, stupefied looked in the other man's expression as he stared into space but he didn't comment. It was apparent that his friend was one of those car crazies, who lived and breathed automobiles. He was grateful that at least the man remembered that his name was Charles in the midst of his car induced stupor, and he twisted around to kiss Erik affectionately on the side of his face to show his appreciation.

It was enough to bring the older man back to his senses.

'Attracted the wrong sort of people?' he questioned inquisitively. 'What does that mean?' He shifted around slightly so that Xavier could rest his back against his chest more comfortably.

The young man smiled sadly as he hesitated, remembering the stupendous idiocy of his twenties.

'The wrong sort of people? That would be the party obsessed, self absorbed, reckless group of trust fund adults that you read about in the tabloids. It took three trips to the emergency room to get alcohol pumped out of my stomach before I finally realized that this wasn't a way to live, it was a way to die.'

He looked up into Erik's shocked grey eyes, as the older man tightened his grasp almost painfully across his shoulders.

'Have you lost all respect for me?' Charles asked lightly, trying to calm him down. It wasn't so long ago but it felt like another lifetime for Xavier.

'Hardly,' the older man denied firmly in an unsteady, rough voice. 'Although, I can't believe you endangered your own life in such a fashion.'

Comfortingly, the young man patted his knee again, 'Well, we all do stupid things to try and belong, don't we?'

In the quiet that followed, their bodies seemed to lean in even closer as if seeking safety in numbers and the two men pretended, by silent agreement, to be busy reading the brightly coloured flyer in their hands. Charles was deeply moved that the other man was so affected by his story and he pondered anew how easy he found Erik was to talk to. He didn't go around telling that story to just anyone! On the other hand, Erik was a bit taken aback that they had this shared experience in common in that Charles knew intimately what it meant to hang on to his life by his fingernails. It wasn't in keeping with the polished and proper lifestyle that the young man projected to the world. It was both oddly comforting and vaguely disturbing all at the same time.

'Before I forget, Gerard may ask what kind of subjects you are teaching me,' he interjected suddenly, to which Charles could only look around in confusion.

'I could not divert his decision about this schedule until I metioned that you needed time to work with me for an exam.'

'Good god, Erik!' the young man exclaimed in a panicked voice, throwing off his arm to reach over and grab his cell phone on the side table.

'What? Who are you calling, at this hour?'

'I am not calling anyone. I am making a note to myself to sign you up for the next examination stream first thing in the morning.'

That completed, he arched a despairing eyebrow at the other man. Erik certainly had to have a Machiavellian streak in his personality to think of something as sneaky as that under pressure.

'What on earth am I going to teach you for six months?' Charles asked in amused irritation, 'you don't need that much prep work for this test.'

Erik shrugged unconcernedly, pulling at imaginary lint on the professor's Egyptian cotton sheets, 'doesn't matter. Its not only about book work, I learn loads just by being around you.'

'Really? Like what?' the young man inquired inattentively, scrolling through some of Erik's text messages that he had ignored earlier.

'Like how to be a friend and a decent human being.'

The older man eventually looked up when the professor failed to respond. The Englishman's blue eyes looked suspiciously bright.

'Charles, you are not going to cry, are you?' Even as he asked, Erik reached over to brush his long, slender fingers over the man's eyes, softly wiping away the tell tale moisture he had observed.

'I don't think I have ever been more flattered in my entire life,' Charles responded in almost feeble manner.

'And YOU, have an appallingly low self esteem,' Erik remarked irritably, jabbing a pointed index finger in the man's face. He could feel himself getting angry in turn. He didn't like the man's shocked expression. Why didn't Charles already know these things about himself?

'It's not low self esteem,' the professor protested quietly. 'I am not used to compliments.'

'That's just a reason you have given yourself,' Erik challenged, as the small man regarded him doubtfully.

The professor retrieved one of the pillows and stuffed it under his chest, slowly making himself comfortable by lying on his stomach, facing his bedmate.

'I think I am having a touch of déjà vous here because I once tried to explain this same difference to David.'

'David, the cheating ex-?' Erik asked baldly, wanting to verify the information filed away in his head.

The professor grimaced but he couldn't really protest what was an actual fact.

'It wasn't devoid of its issues,' he replied a bit tartly, 'but my relationship with David was one that actually worked. He was one of the few that could consistently separate all of this,' the young man waved his hand towards the lavish bedroom fixtures, 'and still see me as a normal, regular person.'

'Sorry? A normal person?'

Sigh.

'I don't understand it either but it's not normal to have so much money Erik. It… almost like it affects a person's brain chemistry; this NOT having to make a choice between what you need and what you want.'

The older man nodded his head although he wasn't sure that he had fully understood. What he did understand was that sometimes all his wealth made Xavier miserable and it explained why on so many previous occasions, Charles tried to squash this aspect of his life in a dark, lonely corner.

'But I apologise. I believe I have been monopolizing the entire conversation tonight,' the small man remarked politely. 'Why don't you talk for a bit. Tell me about one of your boyfriends. Have you ever been married? I've never heard you speak about anyone not even in passing conversation.'

He felt his heart sink a little in disappointment, as the older man folded his arms defensively around his chest and stared at him with a singularly guarded expression.

TBC