Chapter 31- Cold feet part1

When his favourite houseguest opened his bedroom door still dressed in his usual grey sweats, the professor felt his heart plummet in disappointment. 'Erik, you forgot!'

The older man folded his arms and leisurely leaned against the doorframe, 'Charles, this is your house. You don't really have to knock.'

He then took his time to look the smaller man up and down, 'you look nice.'

Naturally, Charles felt himself turn hot under Erik's admiring gaze. 'Thank you and if you hurry and put on your suit, we can still make the wedding. I can't believe you forgot! You never forget anything…oh! You didn't forget!'

The other man sighed despairingly as the professor glowered up at him, 'I don't even know these people.'

'Muriel's granddaughter is the bride.'

'…who?'

'Dear god, Erik! Muriel kitty sits for you everyday!'

The taller man looked fondly down at the other man. Trust Xavier to get all wrapped up in his staff's personal lives.

'Well I am going,' Charles announced firmly, 'so if you don't come, you will be here all alone.'

Erik shrugged nonchalantly as if it didn't really matter to him. He thought he could have coaxed Charles into staying with him but from the determined set of his shoulders, he could see the young man would not be swayed in his plans for the evening.

The professor fidgeted nervously with his tie at this unexpected negative response, 'well weddings are a good place to meet people. Who knows what the night might bring?'

He flushed again, this time with embarrassment as Erik doubled over with the complete opposite to genteel laughter. The older man had obviously seeing right through his rather pathetic attempt to goad him into action through jealously.

'You will not be bringing any strange men back to this house,' the taller man sternly warned him with a playful wag of his index finger. 'You don't know the kind of degenerates out there who would just LOVE to snap up a tempting little morsel like yourself.'

Grrr… Erik was enjoying himself way too much now!

'Oh shut up,' the small man muttered as the other man dragged him into the room by his arm. 'The only degenerate here is you.'

Suddenly, Erik's entire mood shifted and he inhaled sharply as the older man crushed him against a wall, forcing his head back to look into his eyes, 'I mean it Xavier. Be careful who you bring back here. Do NOT underestimate what I would do if I found out someone hurt you!'

The cold, dark expression made the small man shiver in fear and astonishment. He had gotten so use to Erik's silent staring that he was rather shocked at such an explosive display of emotion towards him.

'I will be careful,' he reassured him. The strength and calmness in his voice pulled Erik from the fey mood that had abruptly came over him and hastily he released the professor's arms and proceeded to help him straighten his suit and tie.

'Sorry,' he mumbled. Charles smiled understandingly and stretched forward to warmly kiss him on the cheek. 'That's alright.'

The professor felt he could get use to this. Erik was such an unpredictable mix of strength and gentleness, passion and reserve. Recently, he found that he was having a hard time remembering what his life was like before he met Erik in the prison library. He just knew that it must have been dull and grey in stark comparison to how he felt now.

Briefly the older man raised their joined hands to his lips. 'Give me a minute to get ready. CURSE IT, what's wrong now?'

He was asking the question to Charles' back as the young man had promptly swiveled around to face the wall.

'ERIK, WHAT are you DOING? Go …go change in the bathroom.'

The older man looked down at himself. From the way the professor was reacting, one would think he was dangling out of his sweat pants as opposed to having only removed his tee-shirt. He took the opportunity to snigger at the young man's expense. 'I don't know why you are hiding your face, Xavier. It's not everyday that you get to see a fine looking chest like mine!'

'Erik pleasssssse!' the smaller man begged as he inched away, flapping an agitated arm towards the washroom area, 'Just go that way and change.'

The other man mischievously swooped down infront him causing Charles to back peddle in another direction. 'I really like this whole sexually repressed problem that you have going on here. I have a feeling that you don't like to do it with the lights on, am I right?'

'I am NOT repressed!' the professor squeaked in alarm as he ran out of space and hit a wall, 'I am British!'

He was strongly tempted to rub Charles' face against his bare chest just to enjoy watching him squirm, but Erik magnanimously resisted as the Englishman looked like he was just about ready to have heart palpitations.

'Breathe, Xavier!' he barked out.

Immediately the young man let out an explosive sigh as he released the oxygen he didn't realize that his lungs were holding on to. After a few minutes Erik was pleased to see that his little friend had returned to his normal color. 'See…I am harmless. Should I wear the black or the navy?'

Charles coughed to clear his throat, 'the navy. We don't want to stand out too much.' (Harmless my ass!)

With a quiet groan, the professor shook his head to clear it as the older man stalked off to his bathroom, resembling a lean but muscular cat more and more, now that he had his tee-shirt off.

'I guess you are used to it,' Charles whispered to Ash who was perched majestically on top of the dresser drawers observing them diligently, 'But sometimes I think I am in WAY over my head.'

The kitten purred ecstatically as the professor expertly groomed her with her brushes before attaching a fine chain to her harness. He had to keep her at arm's length because he was wearing a dark suit but she was too engrossed in washing her paws to be any trouble. In any case, she had very fickle tastes and would not always tolerate another human besides her master taking her in their arms. The professor frowned absently, wondering if she was mimicking some of Erik's antisocial behaviours.

'We can't take the cat to someone's wedding?' the older man asked in confusion as he opened the door and walked out of a cloud of steam, fully dressed.

Oh wow!

It would be impossible for them NOT to attract attention because with his height and good looks Erik would stand out anywhere. The professor truly appreciated that the older man didn't let it go to his head. He had more of a 'you can take it or leave it' sort of attitude as regards his handsome features rather than a staged 'GQ-type' appearance.

'Of course we must take her!' Charles replied distractedly as one of his dreams of seeing Erik in an expensive suit had become reality. 'I am sure Muriel will be depending on her company. Oh Erik, you didn't even read your invitation, did you?'

Curiously he followed the small man out the door and down the corridor but to his surprise they did not turn left towards the garages.

'Oh…. my …god!' he breathed out at the fairy like scene before him. In the growing dusk, the hints of the Christmas tree lights hidden in all the surrounding plants were just beginning to twinkle but that could not compare to the artfully arranged flowers, lighted arches and fountains that surrounded the happy couple and the congregation.

'Did you pay for this?' Erik asked baldly, and then glared at the hired wait staff who hissed at him to remain silent as the ceremony had progressed well past 'Dearly beloved.'

The professor ducked his head in humiliation at the censure in Erik's voice and stared off in another direction. The older man could make out the words 'recession' and 'gift' in his muttered reply.

Wonderingly he grabbed Charles' chin to turn his face up towards him, 'no no, you don't understand. If our positions were reversed, and I was as disgustingly rich as you… this is amazing.'

Erik leaned forward to lightly kiss his lips, 'You're amazing.'

The young man glowed shyly at this unlooked for praise as Erik continue to caress his cheek with the back of his hand.

'Come with me,' Charles said softly, tugging at his arm so that they could creep into the back where the rest of the mansion's inmates stood. The staff obligingly made room for the two of them, cheerfully nudging and winking at each other, to see the men arm in arm. Naturally, Erik sighed loudly at these poorly concealed antics but said nothing as Charles pressed a finger against his smiling lips, warning him to ignore the now familiar attempts of match making going on around them. If only he had asked Logan how to cut the roses instead of one of the passing under gardeners, the entire staff would NOT have found out and taken up this rather enthusiastic but unwelcome crusade to see their relationship succeed.

Suddenly, Erik let loose a ripe oath as Ash bounded away, causing him to clutch at Charles' arm in panic as she quickly trotted up the aisle much to the amusement of everyone else. Reaching the first row of elegantly, decorated chairs the kitten leaped into Muriel's arms as the dear lady sobbed unrestrainedly into a handkerchief. There was an appreciative titter from the crowd as the old woman wrapped her arms around her feline charge, which appeared to be meowing words of comfort into her ear.

Erik started to breathe again as everyone around them laughed quietly at the charming exchange between human and animal.

'Nicely done,' Charles winked at him conspiratorially, as if the older man had planned this all along.

'That took hours and hours of training,' he replied in the same vein, relieved that he wasn't at that moment chasing the animal around the garden and through the wedding guests. He turned to embrace Jean who had sidled up on his other side dressed in stunning purple. Her escort looked but mercifully, Logan made no comment as to who was draped on Erik's arm. The Englishman waved merrily at the newcomers.

As they finally settled down to listen to the familiar ceremony, if Erik wasn't actually straining to hear it, he would have missed Charles' soft, sad sigh under the loud, confident voice of the priest. Truth be told, he was actually surprised that the professor wanted to attend a wedding given his rather unorthodox viewpoints on relationships. He gathered the man closer so that they could speak quietly.

'Do you want to leave?' he whispered into his small ear.

'I'm fine.'

'You're not fine!'

'They are so…courageous, don't you think Erik? I dont think i could…'

Erik hugged him tightly as his voice broke.

'What about you? Were your parents happily married?' the professor asked hastily, trying to shift the conversation away from himself. 'Do you want to get married?'

'What is this? Are you asking me to marry you?' Erik replied in surprise, 'Goodness gracious, I don't think I've blushed this much in over a decade.'

Unbeknownst to them, every ear within a two meter radius swiveled in their direction.

As he had hoped, Charles visibly brightened at his gentle teasing. 'Marry you? No, not at the moment, MAYBE, when you are less of a degenerate.'

'Not at the moment,' the mansion workers muttered among themselves, pleased that it wasn't an outright no. 'Degenerate?'

'Ha hah, you have jokes.' Erik whispered sarcastically, giving the professor a tight squeeze around his middle to repay him for the insult. 'My parents loved each other passionately and sensibly and if I am fortunate enough, I guess…. it's what I would want for myself.'

'But?'

Christ! How the hell did he get himself in these situations!

'But marriage little one, is about compromise and that means I am going to eventually wind up as a mean, decrepit bachelor with twenty-one cats because I am fairly certain that I am NOT going to find someone who will put up with my brand of bullshit.'

'Just remember Erik, you don't have to find several someones,' Jean whispered in the silence as the bride and groom began exchanging rings, 'you just have to find ONE someone.'

Charles' loyal staff nodded in agreement and smiled encouragingly at the tall man.

'Um…yes,' Erik agreed reluctantly, starting to feel hemmed in by all this accommodating attention. He gave Charles an irritated shake to get him to stop giggling at his predicament. 'Stop that! You are no help at all.'