First of all, big thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I can't express how happy it makes me to see that others are enjoying this! I hope that you all like this chapter too, since this is when things start to get interesting w

Warnings: Love of the homosexual nature. Implications of sexual situations. Oh, and swearing.

... Most of which applies this time around.

And now that all that's out of the way - I hope you enjoy the chapter!

The reunion with Charles was strange, and confusing – And not only because Charles had somehow managed to skip ahead two years in his education, which put him in the same Uni year as Erik. In a lot of ways, their friendship was still the same as when they were younger though.

For instance, Charles absolutely refused to fully separate his consciousness from Erik's now that Erik was aware it was him, so Erik had no choice but to get used to that fluttery-barely-there Cinnamon-Tea warmth that was Charles' presence in the back of his mind. They fought quite viciously about this in the early stages of their renewed-friendship.

One time their verbal arguing actually deteriorated into a fist fight - in the middle of the cafeteria, of all places. Erik had been certain he would have won that one, having the experience and greater body mass. He certainly hadn't anticipated it ending with Charles sitting on his stomach, his small hands holding Erik's wrists to the floor while he pinned him down with surprising strength. Eyes as cold as winter glared down at him, positively daringhim to try and break free. Something Erik had indeed tried, and failed to do. They didn't speak with one another for a week after that, and Erik thought it was entirely Charles' fault that his reputation as someone to avoid had been destroyed.

It wasn't until Charles explained in minute detail that it wasn't that he was looking into Erik's mind and thoughts all the time, it was just a link that made it easier to connect to his mind should he need him that Erik grudgingly accepted. Over time, Erik found it actually made communicating with Charles a lot easier, since if he directed a thought towards that warmth, Charles would understand it was a thought intendedfor him.

And, although Charles had promised him he wouldn't actually read his mind without Erik's explicit permission, Erik still found that Charles had this annoying tendency to know exactly what he was thinking, or what he was feeling. Erik also found that, just like when they were children, he was completely unable to lie to Charles, no matter the topic.

There was also the fact that, since that night in the Library, Erik and Charles seemed to spend almost every waking minute with one another just like when they were young. To be sure, the subjects they discussed now were completely different, and they certainly didn't agree on everything – Mutant and Human relations, for instance. And there were the times when Erik would physically kick Charles out of his room so he could get some work done, which most people understood to be code for "I need time by myself Charles!". Every time that happened though, Charles could be found beating on the door within a few hours, all-but-snarling "You're a year ahead Erik! What work could you possibly need to do that takes more than an hour?" before Erik would let him back inside, a scowl on his face, despite the wide smile Charles favoured him with each and every time.

To the rest of the student body at Oxford, Erik and Charles seemed to be the closest friends – Or more, most of them theorised – and nobody seemed to believe that it was possible they'd been separated for half their lives.

. . . . .

Similar as their friendship was to what it was before though, there were also definitely differences. Of course there would be.
Though they had always argued back when they were younger, now that they were older their arguments were a lot more heated, had a lot more cussing (Pre-dominantly on Erik's side), and more often than not resulted in them ignoring one another for periods of time – Both having developed a stubborn streak and an unwillingness to accept that they were wrong. The other mutants, and even regular students who saw them around campus Oxford often muttered about the fact that they fought like an old married couple, though they would never say such a thing to either's face.

Then there was the startling revelation that Moira MacTaggert was a good friend to Charles. Erik wasn't sure how he felt about that, and had missed an entire day of lectures because he'd been too busy sitting in his room brooding about it. Naturally enough, Charles questioned him about it later that night, and then became highly offended when Erik had told him that he didn't like the fact that he was still friends with Moira.

"Damn it Erik! We're not five and seven anymore! You don't get to dictate who I befriend and who I don't!" he snapped before storming out of the room and slamming the door behind him.

Several hours later, Erik wasn't sure what bewildered him more; That it was Charles who snapped first, that he'd followed that up by storming out the room and not returning for the night, that Charles was so angry he'd even withdrawn his presence from Erik's mind, or that it was he who'd gone to Charles' room, unable to take the silence anymore.

Whichever it was, Erik still went to Charles' room, and, for the first time in his life, actually apologised – and meant it. Which, of course Charles would follow that up by chewing on his lower lip and looking at the floor with downcast eyes as he said, "No, I overreacted. You never didlike Moira for some reason, but I won't apologise for being friends with her, she's really rather brilliant." Erik bristled at the words, but was old enough now to not stop talking to Charles' because of it. Instead, he vaguely wondered why it was that he felt so threatened by a silly human like Moira.

And then, of course, there was a whole myriad of new circumstances they never could have envisioned back when they were younger. Like the fact that the entire school body seemed to watch them, seemingly with baited breath as if they were waiting for something to happen.

"They seem to be convinced there's more to you and I than a simple friendship," Charles commented one time during his and Erik's Tuesday-night Chess game, having caught Erik glaring at a pair of girls who were watching with wide eyes.

"What would give them that idea?" Erik sighed, making a point to ignore the peculiar feeling that was bubbling in his stomach at the idea.

Charles, bewilderingly, blushed slightly as he considered his next move before shrugging, "I couldn't say," and then he grinned widely before moving his Bishop and announcing "Checkmate. That makes it nine for me, Erik."

Erik was mildly distracted by the way that the blush on Charles' cheeks was highlighting exactly howblue his eyes were to particularly care that he'd just been beaten – again.

~X~

The first test of Charles and Erik's friendship came to them, typically enough, in the midst of a smaller argument that was blown massively out of proportion. Neither one could even remember what had started it – They'd just been watching a TV series in Erik's dorm room, which had somehow turned into them standing on opposite ends of the small room, snarling and snapping at one another in hushed tones.

"What do you even know about me? What do you know about what I've had to go through in those years?" Erik hissed, trying to keep his mind calm so that the metal in the room didn't start flying around angrily like he could sense it wanted to.

Charles' reply had taken him completely by surprise though – "Everything!" he had all but yelled, and for a moment Erik felt as though he'd been dumped in a cold tub of ice.

"'Everything'? … What do you know?" he'd asked, his voice soft and, loath as Erik was to admit it, slightly terrified.

"You may want to be more specific Erik, that's an incredibly vague question."

"Don't fuck with me Charles. What do you know?"

And Charles seemed to realise that the meaning of the argument had completely changed, because his enraged expression suddenly shifted into an apologetic one. "I mean everything right up until you walked into the campus."

Erik's eyes narrowed dangerously, and a single metal ornament twisted up and out of his control, orbiting around Erik's body as if waiting a command.

"I didn't mean to," Charles said, his cheeks flushing slightly, "I had actually been looking for Raven, when your mind all but assaulted me and I found out about everything." And then Charles' nose wrinkled the way it always did when he disagreed with something, or thought about something unpleasant, "Shaw was a prick, by the way. I can't believe you let yourself fall to that level."

"What do you know, Charles?" Erik repeated, a minor growl to his tone, his greenish grey eyes flashing in the dim light of the TV as he took a step towards Charles, and then another, until he was standing toe to toe with the shorter man. Charles refused to allow himself be intimidated though, even when Erik took hold of his wrists and held them a little too tightly.

"What do you want me to say Erik?" Charles asked in a soft voice, "That I know all about Shaw and the way he used you? That I know you tried to look for your mother's murderer but were never able to find him? … Or that I know about what happened with Susan Braithe?"

The colour suddenly drained from Erik's face and the metal ornaments fell to the floor with a thud as he let go of Charles' wrists, choosing instead to take a step back and run a hand down and along his jaw, his mind reeling from the implications.

"Then – You," he forced himself to swallow his irrational anxiety, "You know?"

Charles sighed gently and tentatively closed that gap between himself and Erik, grasping the elder man's hands between his own comfortingly. "I know about your preference, yes. And no, I don't care. I don'tcare that you're attracted to men at all Erik. I'm almost offended you thought that I would think less of you for it."

Erik hastily swallowed the disbelieving laugh and instead narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Charles. "I thought you said you wouldn't read my mind without permission?"

Charles actually rolled his eyes at the words, "My friend, I don't need to read your mind to understand your uncertainties or fears about that."

His eyebrows rose questioningly at Charles' choice of words. It sounded as if Charles were speaking from experience, and so, Erik waited for Charles to explain what he meant.

"I – Well, that is," and Erik absolutely did not find it endearing that Charles was blushing, "That is to say, I'm not exclusively attracted to either gender."

Erik was being very careful at that point in time to not think about how adorable Charles looked in that moment, blushing a bright red right to the roots of his hair, his eyes determinedly fixed on his and Erik's still joined hands.

"Charles, are you suggesting that you're bi?"

Furthering Erik's opinion that a flustered Charles was an adorable Charles, the younger male simply nodded his head profusely, chewing on his lower lip. "I haven't actually admitted that to someone before," he confessed after a few seconds, "Though I'm fairly sure people know – Raven, for instance - it's different to actually tell someone."

Pulling his hands free, Erik made his way back to the bottom bunk that had been converted into a lounge. But then, he turned to look at Charles from over his shoulder and asked, "And do you feel better for having told someone?"

"Do you?" Charles countered, a small smile playing with his mouth, and Erik took a moment to consider his answer.

"Yes," he said. Privately, he thought that he felt better for it because it was Charles he told, but he was making a conscious decision not to think about that.

~X~

Since cutting his ties with Shaw, Erik had made a point to avoid bars and drinking. It was his way of trying to prove to himself that he was beyond that life, that it – and everything that Shaw represented – was in the past. Of course things wouldn't be that simple – He was Erik Lensherr and nothingwas ever simple.

"We're going to a bar!" Charles declared the very instant Erik opened the door to him. It was only because Charles quickly wedged his foot in the doorframe with an innocent smile that Erik didn't slam the door shut in his face.

"Why?" Erik groaned, glaring up at the heavens and sure that the angels were laughing at him in that moment.

"Because it's my birthday, and that's what people doon their birthday's," Charles replied as though Erik were being awfully dense.

"You can't even drink yet," Erik pointed out. As Charles continued to grin up at him though, his smile simply becoming broader at Erik's words, Erik realised with dawning horror that it was Charles' twenty first birthday. "Shit," he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm not coming."

Charles' smile instantly gave way to a pout, "Why on earth not? This is my twenty first birthday celebration, and I want you there!"

When Erik deigned to look over at Charles to give him an irritated glare, he realised that the younger man was looking up at him with wide eyes and a pout that could only be described as a puppy-dog expression, and even before Charles said "Please?" in the most wounded voice he could muster, Erik knew he was going to cave.

"Argh! Alright! Fine! But don't expect me to carry you home!"

As soon as Charles whooped with joy, Erik knew he would come to regret the surrender.

. . . . . .

A few hours later, Erik was sitting at the bar, moodily downing yet another beer. Had someone asked him what annoyed him about Charles before that night, Erik would have told them his damnable ability to beat him at chess nine times out of ten. Now, however, he would tell them that it was his obnoxiously bad flirting and pick up lines. Honestly, what on earth would convince someone "That's a very groovymutation you have," would be a good pick up line? And worse, it seemed to be working!

Growling softly into his beer, Erik made a point to ignore the clearly inebriated, rambunctious laughter that was Charles, and tried extremely hard not to glare at the curvaceous dark haired woman he was leaning on.

He must have failed miserably though, because not two seconds after the dark haired woman met his gaze, she flinched and whispered into Charles' ear.

Charles, of course,drunk as he was, replied quite loudly, "Oh, that's because he's just a grouch. He really is lovely once you get to know him though …Well, to some people. Most just think he's an arse."

Scowling, Erik ordered two scotch's on the rocks and downed one in a single gulp, before he sipped irritably at the other. The burning of his throat did little to stifle his irrational anger at the woman Charles was leaning on, or towards the pretty blonde he'd spoken to earlier, or even towards Hank when Charles tripped and fell into his lap, giggling even as Hank tried to scramble away, shooting furtive glances in Erik's way.

He heard a soft chuckle to his left and a glance revealed Azazel to be there, standing between two bar stools and looking towards the loud crowd that had amassed around Charles.

"Even drunk, he draws people to him like a moth to the flame," the mutant commented, his mouth quirked with humour.

Erik simply made a noise of irritation at the statement, swirling the brown liquid around in his glass. Azazel looked down at Erik with a smirk on his face, and Erik didn't like that smirk, found that knowing look in Azazel's eye irritating. The only thing that stopped him from actually punching the grin off the hell-demon's face – He'd hit people in the past for less – was the fact that he actually likedthe company of the other mutant.

The sentiment must have been obvious, however, because Azazel rolled his eyes in a slow, dramatic way. "You're as bad as one another" he said half-under his breath, before looking Erik dead in the eye and saying, "If it bothers you so, actually dosomething about it."

"About what?" Erik growled.

Before Azazel could say a word though, Erik's eyes flicked over to the crowd around Charles, and his gaze instantly focused on the way that the dark haired woman's hand was curled around Charles' waist. Before he'd even given it any thought, Erik had focused on her chunky, cheap-metal, bracelet and none-too-gently tugged it away from Charles, almost making her spin around from the force of it.

The woman, clearly startled, looked around to see if anyone had pushed her. Erik simply sipped at his drink, feeling vindictively pleased with himself.

'That wasn't very nice,' Charles' voice commented.

'Slip of control'

'Liar.'

Erik didn't bother to deign that last accusation with a response, turning his back on the crowd once more instead. Azazel was still looking at him, looking very much like he was half inclined to reprimand Erik, but thought the whole thing was amusing and so was choosing not to. Which brought Erik back to the red-mutant's earlier remark, If it bothers you so, actually do something about it. What was it that was bothering him?

The answer to that came to him alarmingly easily – The attention that Charles was getting was annoying him. His stupid pick up line was irritating. The fact that he was draped all over anyone who'd allow him was infuriating. Watching Charles as he flirted with everyone was pissing him off. But the fact that people were responding to that, responding to Charles was making Erik want to take hold of the metal everyone was wearing and forcibly pull them to the walls so that no onewas close to Charles anymore.

Erik snorted at the thoughts. If anyone heard them, they would assume that he was – That he … Erik put the glass back down on the bar with wide eyes and lips parted with surprise

No. No, that couldn't be it. Could it?

It was true that seeing the attention Charles was getting tonight – Well, the attention that Charles alwaysgot - annoyed Erik, but it wasn't because he was jealous or anything. He'd always been like that when it came to Charles …

And it was true they fought a lot, but it wasn't because there was unresolved sexual tension or whatever it was that girls went on about these days …

And, yes, okay, Erik didn't like it when Charles wasn't around, but it wasn't because he couldn't stand to be without him. It was just … He just … Liked it when Charles was around. He was pleasant company, it wasn't because he had any ulterior motives in monopolizing Charles' time …

And it wasn't as if there was anything strange about him noticing the way Charles looked when he blushed. He was just adorable when he did, it wasn't as if – Well, no, Erik did think it was attractive He'd be lying if he said that he didn't think it was, but that didn't have to mean that Erik was attractedto him.

Except you are, the traitorous thought sang, unbidden, and Erik looked back over to the crowd, apparently unable to help himself. And there was Charles, his cheeks flushed pink – from liquor, or amusement, Erik didn't know – his lips, those stupidly, naturally red lips, wide as he laughed along with the crowd, and one hand was threaded through that thick, chocolate brown fringe.

As if sensing his gaze, Charles' eyes flicked up to find Erik's, and it was like the first time Erik had seen them all over again, the blue of those eyes positively knocking the breath out of him for a moment. And, it was all made even worse by Charles smiling over at him, even as that mouth wrapped around the bottle top of a beer.

"Well fuck," Erik breathed, blinking in shock at the revelation. He was ridiculously, unbearably, immeasurably attracted to his best friend.

"And there you are," Azazel hummed, amusement evident in his tone, before muttering something else that Erik didn't catch.

"I have to – I can't. I'm leaving."

And with that, Erik jerked away from the bar as if had scalded him and forced himself to walkout of the bar, instead of darting off like a rabbit the way that he was inclined to. When Charles sent Erik a confused thought at his sudden departure, Erik simply waved an apology in his direction. As soon as Erik was out of sight of the bar, he allowed himself to break into a dash, and he didn't stop running until he came to his dorm room, his breath heaving and his mind still darting all over the place.

How long? He wondered, as he fell onto the lower bunk, burying his face in his hands, trying to block the world out as he thought. How long has he felt this way about Charles? When did it happen? What made it manifest? What should he do now that he knew? … Should he tell Charles?

"No. Absolutely not," Erik growled, shaking his head at the foolish thought. No. One thing he could not do was tell Charles. Charles was his closest, and, essentially, only friend. Erik might like Azazel, but it wasn't enough to call him a friend.

Setting his elbows on his knee's, Erik pressed his hands together and set his chin upon the tip. No. Telling Charles was absolutely out of the question. He would just have to hope this went away. It was probably just a crush after all. Yeah. Just a crush, it would fade…

As Erik fell back into the bed and prepared himself to sleep, his mind briefly wandered over to the secret treasure he had buried in with his Turtlenecks, but then the thought was lost to unconsciousness.

. . . . .

Sleep was hurriedly stripped from him however as a thudding burst through the quiet, and Erik instinctually reached out for a few screws, ready to defend himself from an unseen threat.

Heart still pounding in his ears, Erik gradually realised that the thudding was simply the door, and outside he could hear an entirely too cheerful call of "Eeeerik! Open Uuuuuup."

Falling headfirst into his pillow, Erik, for just a moment, was inclined to pretend that he was asleep. He didn't think he'd be able to cope with a drunk Charles tonight.

'Except I can feel that you're awake. Oh – Damn. I read your surface thoughts again. So sorry. It's harder to control when I'm like this it seems. Anyway, open the door already would you? It's a little chilly out here and –'

Erik growled inarticulately as Charles' mental monologue ran through his mind, flicking the lock aside and pulling the door open with his face still jammed into the pillow. Charles, of course, simply walked on in with a content smile on his face and kicked the door shut behind him, giggling at how loud the noise was.

"Thankyou Erik. You know, I can't believe they'd make the legal drinking age twenty one, it seems like we waste so much time being sober. I think that we should go to Australia – theirdrinking age is eighteen, did you know? Imagine that, still at school and allowed to drink!"

Concentrating on allowing Charles' rambling to simply go over his head, Erik realised that Charles' presence in his mind was a lot … Louder than it normally was. Instead of being the normal fluttery feeling around the edges, it felt as though his mind was drowningin the Cinnamon coffee flavour that was Charles.

"Tea, if you don't mind," Charles said suddenly, his words completely unrelated to whatever he'd been yattering on about two seconds before.

"What?"

"If you're going to give me a 'Flavour', I'd much rather you thought of me as Cinnamon tea, not coffee. You knowI can't stand coffee Erik."

Erik raised his head to tell Charles that it was his mind and he'd call him whatever he felt like, when he instead jumped with shock as he realised that Charles was lying on the bed beside him. Erik hadn't even felt him crawl onto the bed, let alone slip under the cover, but there Charles was, his head on the pillow beside Erik's with a smile on his face and his eyes wide and innocent as he declared,

"But, if we're going to give one another flavours, I'd have to say that yours is Mint and Metal, it's a weird combination really."

"Charles, what on earthdo you think you're doing?" Erik hissed, trying to calm his racing mind. Charles wasn't in complete control of his powers right now, and it was entirely one thing for Erik to have a revelation about his feelings towards the other man - it was a complete other for Charles to find out about the said revelation on the same night.

Charles didn't seem to be paying any attention to Erik's thoughts, however, because he simply frowned with confusion and said, "Well, what does it look like I'm doing? I can't remember where my key is, so it seems only natural I'd come here."
"Okay, yes, alright, but in the same bed as me?" Erik tried extremely hard to keep the slight edge of panic – and the thrum of pleasure he was feeling at the thought under other circumstances – out of his voice.

"Well, I didn't think I'd be able to climb the ladder, the world is spinning as it is. In fact, there are three of you right now. Curious that you all look so … I don't know, panicked."

"You woke me up and crawled into my bed Charles, I'm just startled," Yes, that was a reasonable excuse.

Charles, however, rolled those big blue eyes of his and said, "Honestly, Erik. It's not as though I'm trying to seduce you or anything," and, Erik couldn't be sure because it was dark, and those words had temporarily startled him, but Charles' cheeks might have flushed pink in that moment.

"I'm aware of that, Charles" Erik retorted, also rolling his eyes, trying to smother the image of Charles trying to seduce him before Charles could see it in his not-completely-in-control state.

There came no response however, and as Erik squinted in the dark, he could see that Charles had already fallen asleep, his mouth slack and probably drooling on Erik's pillow.

With a heavy sigh, Erik rubbed at his face. Whathad he done to deserve this? Then, he allowed his head to fall back down, taking care to manoeuvre the fall so that his head was no longer resting on the pillow – Frankly, he didn't trust himself with Charles that close and unguarded - and fell straight into a dream.

. . . .

When Erik woke up, there were three things that he realised; First, at some point in the night Charles had thrown the pillow away, and his face was resting so close to Erik's that he could feel Charles' hair brushing against his forehead. The second was that Charles' legs had somehow become tangled with his through the night, and one of Erik's traitorous hands had found their way under Charles' shirt and onto his hipbone, as if trying to hold him as close as possible. The third, and potentially most problematic, was that Erik had a raging hard-on, which was more than a little worrying considering how close Charles was curled into him.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Erik blamed this entirely on Azazel, because if it wasn't for Azazel, Erik wouldn't have realised he had feelings for Charles, and if he hadn't realised he had feelings for Charles, he probably wouldn't have had that dreamabout him.

Seriously, of all the nights Erik could have had a sexual-dream about Charles – And Erik was trying hard not to bring that image back to mind, because he was trying to convince his boner to go away, not encourage it. And the image of Charles in that dream was entirely too encouraging … And was something that should probably be revisited at a later time, when the actual Charles wasn't anywhere in the vicinity. – It just hadto be the one where Charles snuggled into him in his sleep. It was just his luck wasn't it?

After spending five minutes of lying there, flinching every time Charles shifted – Cos, was it his imagination, or was that leg actually meaning to shift higher up Erik's? – Erik realised he couldn't take it anymore, and so he did the only thing he could think of. He unceremoniously pushed Charles over, and leapt over his still sleeping form so that he could go shower.
And have a good, long, one at that, because, fuck his luck, the Charles in his bed just moaned. The heaven's absolutely hatedhim.

. . . . .

When Erik walked out of the bathroom a good half hour later – or maybe an hour later, he wasn't sure. He'd rather lost track of time for a good while there – his bed was made and completely empty, save for a note lying on the pillow that read I'm sorry. Erik couldn't decide whether he should be offended, or relieved that Charles had run out on him like a one-night stand that shouldn't have happened.

Either way, things were decidedly awkward for the rest of that day, until Charles finally stopped avoiding him, and Erik knewhe'd been avoiding him because he hadn't even felt Charles' presence in his mind through the whole day. He was nice enough to not mention this to Charles when the shorter man finally decided to stop running away though.

Well - What did you guys think?

I honestly had fun writing Erik's realisation ... Mainly for the scene afterwards. Fufufufufu.