He had begun to take his advancement courses under the tutelage of Ms Grey. Charles had gone up a level over Sean and Hank, taking only a couple of regular subjects with them. He spent most of his time alone in the library, studying and taking the exams Ms Grey had been giving him. He was working so hard for two reasons. The first reason was that he wanted to graduate in advance so he can get into a college of his choice, which means he would be living on a campus by then. The second reason was that this will give him the opportunity to see Erik on his own terms. Erik was the one person that motivated him to keep on going, even though there are times that he felt frustrated with the overflowing schoolwork he had to do. It made him a bit crankier on a few occasions with Hank because all he ever talked about was college too. He needed a breather.
He finally confided in Raven about the recent events that occurred and she had told him it was a good thing that Erik was not caught. Raven enlightened Charles on why Shaw and his goons had cleared out of the fair. She told him that the teachers all went to the baseball field and that Shaw and his friends were enlisted to help out the teachers and to teach them baseball basics. Raven and her cheerleader friends were there to cheer the teachers on. That day the teachers wanted to have their own down time and went to the field to do something for fun.
"No wonder Shaw looked pissed back then! Mr Rasputin had to drag them to the field to participate. The principal was playing too-"
Charles started to laugh at that. Had any of the teachers entered the equipment room to get more equipment, they would have been in for a shock; it was a miracle no one did go in. Charles and the others had been worried over getting caught or encountering Shaw and his friends when the very people they had been trying to avoid were too busy to have noticed them.
He was in Raven's room, it was late at night and they were talking about the upcoming junior-senior prom. It seems like time was passing by far too quickly for Charles. He was on the committee assigned to decorate the prom area which would be held at the school theater, since it was the biggest area and there was already a stage. It was just a matter of moving the chairs to a different room and redecorating the area with the prom theme. Raven's eyes suddenly went wide as she stared out her window. Her curtains were drawn and from out there she saw Erik peering in on them. She was not even sure if he had been staring at them for some time. Charles's back was to the window so he didn't see Erik at first.
"Your boyfriend is such a stalker, Charles!" Raven cried out, making a face.
Erik was smiling and leaning on the sill and Charles burst out laughing because Erik was making one of those faces again when Charles turned to look at him. Charles sprang up from the bed and went to the window, opening it for Erik.
"Erik!" Charles said in a delighted voice.
"Charles! Don't let him in my room! He'll track mud all over my carpet!"
Erik eyed her indignantly and began taking off his shoes before getting in. Charles was still laughing and he was reaching for Erik's neck and drawing him close to kiss his lips.
"I missed you!" Charles cried out, raining his face with kisses. Erik started laughing along with him, holding onto his waist with one arm, the other hand still held his shoes away. It had been two weeks since they last saw each other and Charles could not contain the excitement he felt over seeing Erik again.
"Ugh! Both of you get out! Seeing you make out makes me cringe! "Raven said, rolling her eyes indignantly and pointing to her door.
Charles just kept on giving her that ecstatic grin, holding Erik's hand and leading him into his own bedroom. "Nice seeing you. And great jammies by the way-" Erik teased as he and Charles went out. Raven scowled at him, lifting up her hands to clutch at the front of her pajama top. She was wearing her old, ratty Barbie doll pajamas that night. Erik kept on smirking and then he was gone from her sight.
Raven closed her door and let out a sigh, smiling to herself. Deep inside she was glad to see Charles like this, looking so carefree and happy to be with Erik. It was so sweet to see them both together again. She wondered if she should turn her music up for them. Their parents' bedroom was to her left and far from where Charles's room is located, down on the first floor. She shook her head, laughing inwardly. It seems she was always covering up for them whenever they had sex (which was a lot) over these past few months before Erik got moved to a different school. She wondered if they would have time to do that. Mr Logan was making it so hard for Erik to have some time with Charles that the moment he realizes Erik was gone, the first place he would go to would be their house.
I hope those two will have more time- Raven thought as she sat back on her bed to read a magazine.
Erik and Charles were sitting at the foot of Charles's bed, just kissing and holding onto each other. Erik pulled back, breathless and smiling gently at Charles. Charles's eyes are half-closed again, as if he was drugged, his lips sweetly red and reddening still as Erik kissed him over and over. The look on Charles's face made him want to have sex with him but he stopped himself. He softly held the back of Charles's neck, just gazing into those tender blue eyes, drowning in them.
"Charles, we only have a little time left-" Erik said softly, his eyes growing solemn.
Charles still had his arms around Erik's neck and then he pulled back, sitting up straight. "Yes. We have to make this night worthwhile. How did you get away from Mr Logan?"
"I put some barbs in his food but that fucker's pretty hard to put down. Took a while for him to fall asleep-"
"What? You drugged Mr Logan?" Charles cried out, dumbfounded and shocked that Erik would do such a thing.
"It was the only way I could get away from him. That asshole does not have a life outside of school, do you know that? He spends his time poring over his stupid lesson plans for Phys Ed and getting on my nerves-"
"B-but Erik! You drugged him! He'll come around and he might get mad at you-"
"Nah, he won't figure it out. Besides, I ain't scared of him-" Erik said, brushing it off.
Charles did not know if he should laugh or feel anxious for Erik. "Where did you get the...barb?"
"A friend I met at some rave party gave me some yesterday-"
"Are you still taking drugs?" Charles asked carefully but Erik was watching his face as he asked this question.
"No, Charles. When you and I started seeing each other, I stopped taking them-"
"Why?"
"Because when you take drugs, you lose all inhibitions, you lose yourself and I don't want to lose control in front of Shaw and my friends or in front of other people. I might let slip some things that I want to keep to myself-"
"I see, you didn't want them to know about you and me back then-"
Erik kept regarding his face steadily. "Charles I'm proud of us being together. Don't get me wrong. But like you told me before and what everyone else is saying, people in our town tend to judge what they don't understand-"
"Yes, that's true-"
"There are places out there that are more liberal and open minded but since we are stuck here for now, we have to be careful of our movements. Mr Logan would not have caught us if I had been a bit more careful-"
"Erik, don't blame yourself over that. It was bound to happen-"
Erik shook his head weakly, still holding onto Charles. He wished more than anything that he could run away with Charles so they could do whatever they want but Charles's future as well as his own would be ruined if they do something so thoughtless. Erik brought up his watch to look at the time.
"I think he'll be out for three more hours, give or take-" Erik was talking about Mr Logan.
Charles sighed as he pressed himself up against Erik, enjoying his nearness and his warmth. This has always been the basis of their relationship; the lust and the need to be together, the need to touch that sometimes no words were necessary. Charles just wanted to keep on being with Erik for as long as he can but there were times that Charles had wondered if this was all just some fleeting love affair, that a time would come when Erik's passion would wane and then the bitterness would come and all would crumble to dust. He had a strange presentiment that Erik's feelings for him would someday change. He wanted to voice out his fears to Erik but he knew Erik would just try to say things he would like to hear, and he thought that would only make things worse. He had always dreaded such a situation in the back of his mind. He hated having such thoughts, trying to push them away because the now was more important. He could have his heartbreak later.
"By the way, Mom says hi-" Erik suddenly said and that made Charles lift his head up to look at him. Charles smiled up at him tentatively.
"I'm glad she thought of me. Please say hi for me too-"
"I will-" Erik smiled back at him affectionately and then he reached up to cup Charles's cheek in his hand. " I wanted to take you back to that place where we had our first date but I guess we don't have enough time to do that-"
Charles's face suddenly lit up." Wait!" He hurriedly got up from the bed and rummaged through his desk for something. Erik was looking at it curiously when Charles settled the item he got from the desk on the middle of the floor. It was a tall cylinder; sitting on a metal rotating base. It was covered by some perforated dots. Charles turned of the lights leaving only one bedside lamplight on. He plugged in the device and then the room was flooded with a pinprick of white lights, streaming out of those holes that are slightly shaped like stars. The 'stars' danced about the room as the star lamp rotated very slowly. It went well with Charles's dark blue wall color, almost giving the illusion that they are surrounded by stars upon a night sky. Charles sidled next to Erik again, reaching an arm out to hug him close as they watched the stars dance.
"That'll do I guess," Erik teased, pretending to sound unimpressed and Charles pinched him for that, making Erik laugh out loud. He reached for Charles's wrist to stop him and then he drew Charles into one of those hungry, passionate kisses that just made Charles melt helplessly in his arms. They kissed for some time and then Charles pulled back, sighing contentedly and pressing his face to Erik's neck. Erik had his face pressed into Charles's hair, breathing in deep.
"I wish I could stop time from moving...and make this moment with you last longer-" Erik whispered softly. Charles felt the tears suddenly sting his eyes, making him squeeze them shut. He tried to stifle the sob that almost rose to his throat and what came out was a breathy gasp. Maybe... just maybe he could hope that Erik was not fickle, that whatever he was feeling for Charles now was something much more lasting. Like in the fairy tales, he wanted his own happily ever after. Was it such a selfish thing to dream about?
"Erik, I'm scared sometimes-"
Erik drew him closer and hugged him. "What are you afraid of?"
"Lots of things. I'm scared to death of going to college all by myself. I'll be meeting a lot of new people and everything will be so different. And...and I don't know. What if I fail? What if I encounter more mean people? What if-"
Erik interrupted him. "Charles, all this worrying will just wear you down. Listen to me; you're a genius, right? You can figure it all out when you are there. Besides, I always thought that if you survived high school you can probably survive college. And I don't think you will ever fail. Not you-"
Charles did not have the heart to tell him that his biggest fear was that Erik will one day tire of him and end this affair. He had been preparing himself for the heart break when they first ventured deep into their desire for each other but he was just not sure if he could handle it when it does happen. Charles held on tightly to Erik, almost as if he was trying to suffocate the other with the intensity of his embrace.
"Ow, I think you've cracked a rib or two there-" Erik winced but he was playfully smiling down at Charles and then he frowned.
"Charles? Are you ok? Why are you so sad? We're supposed to be happy right now, right?"
Charles relaxed his grip and sighed." Yes, we're happy now-" Charles said in a dull voice.
"You don't sound too convinced yourself," Erik said, his gaze on Charles curious. He stared quietly at Charles, not saying anything for a while. Charles was looking away, his eyes downcast, as if he could not bear looking at him but Erik lifted his chin.
"Hey, stop being a wuss! I'm not going to allow you to ruin this night for us-"
Charles gave him an inquisitive look, wondering what Erik was up to. Erik was grabbing his arms and pulling him close. He made it so Charles was lying on top of him and he was cradling the back of Charles's head, his other arm was wrapped around him tightly.
"You promised to wait for me right? I'm supposed to be the one racing to catch up with you. I don't know if I could get into the same college as you but I'll do what I can so that when we are together, it's going to be worth it-"
Charles pressed his palms against Erik's chest, the tears flowing from him again, nuzzling his face to Erik's neck. "Erik,"
He still felt all this doubt and sadness in him over what the future will bring for him and Erik. He had always thought that with the situation they are in, it was going to be hard to keep on going the way they are. He suddenly started in shock when Erik spoke next.
"You're worried that I would tire of this thing between us. Am I right? Is that the reason for the long face?"
Charles remained silent, his throat felt tight. Erik was looking down at him, his gaze growing intense. "That was it, wasn't it?"
He couldn't help it when he suddenly sobbed, bursting into tears against Erik. Erik was gently running his hand over Charles's back.
"Charles, why would you think that? I'm not giving up on us, ok? What we have...it's something much deeper than what you think it is. I never felt like this about anyone before, I think I told you that already. Fuck, I haven't been in any relationship at all that mattered. So whatever doubt or fear you are feeling, just quit it. I'm here...I'm here-"
Charles kept on sobbing, his shoulders hitching with his exertions and then Erik touched his face and made it so he would look up at him.
"Maybe I'm not being clear about how much I love you Charles. What do you need me to do to make you really feel it?"
Charles's blue eyes sparkled with tears that streaked down his face, his lower lip trembling. "Just kiss me, Erik-"
Erik chuckled. "Well how do you want me to kiss you so you can feel I'm sincere?"
Charles awkwardly tried to lean in to kiss him but hesitated. "I've never been kissed by anyone else but you, Erik. You always kiss me the way I want to be kissed. Let me be the one to show you how I feel-"
Charles gently placed his lips on top of Erik's own lips. It was soft at first, then Charles's kiss deepened as he pushed his tongue against his lips to pry them open and then he poured all his feeling into that kiss, holding both of Erik's cheeks in his palms as he lay on top of him. His eyes still shone with tears as he held onto Erik. It was not a frenzied kiss like what they have been doing for the most part when they make out. It was passionate and tender at the same time. Erik closed his eyes and savored that kiss, holding Charles's waist. He could definitely feel the intensity of Charles's feelings in this kiss. It was full of his aching desire and warmth, his sadness, his joy, all rolled into one. When Charles pulled away, his blue gaze tender once again, Erik thought his heart would be crushed with the weight of these feelings he felt for him.
"That was some kiss, Charles-" Erik said, slightly out of breath. It made him want to stay with Charles and just lie in bed and hold him. But he couldn't stay and it was killing him that he couldn't. Charles finally smiled, pressing his cheek against Erik's chest. They didn't have sex that night, just simply talked and held each other and Charles thought it was wonderful because Erik had known how he really felt and that the other said he will never give up on Charles. Perhaps for now…that was enough. Some time later, Erik had said goodbye and drove back home. He crept into his room quietly and saw that Mr Logan was still asleep in bed, his face turned to the wall. Erik took off his clothes, wearing nothing but his pants and climbed into his bed and went to sleep. He did not know that Mr Logan was wide awake and was waiting for him to lie down. Mr Logan smiled to himself. He knew the brat attempted to drug him but Erik gave him such a small dose it wasn't even enough to put a dog to sleep. I'll let this slide, brat- Mr Logan said to himself.
"I want us to have a party here!" Raven had announced when she sauntered into the kitchen and Charles was eating cereal at the counter. Their parents had left them to their devices because their father had to go on a business trip and he took their mother along. It was a trip to Paris and they knew how much their mother wanted to go. Raven was ecstatic that they have the house all to themselves.
"No Raven, we won't. Mom and Dad left me in charge-"
Raven withered at that, making a face and pouting at him. "Charles, please! I want to have some fun!"
Charles started to ignore her, reading one of his study guides for advanced math courses. Raven pulled the book from his hand, making him look up at her, looking annoyed.
"Raven! Give that back! I don't want you to have a party here because it will most certainly trash the place and Mom will have a fit if anything got damaged-"
"Charles, please, pretty please! I promise I will clean up everything-"Raven said in a wheedling tone.
"No,"
"Ok, what if I invite just a few people? You can invite your friends too. We'll keep it small. Just let me have something Charles, anything!"
Charles was staring at her hard, seeming to think it over. He did need some break from all the studying he was doing. He was starting to have a headache from all the information he had to process from all the books he had to read. This was the much needed breather he had wanted to have. It was too bad the pool wasn't set up yet.
"You promise we will keep it small? I don't want you inviting the entire school to this house Raven-"
Raven's face lit up as she reached out to hug Charles. "Yes! I promise! I want to invite my friends from the cheering squad-"
"Raven, I said to keep it small. Who are you going to invite?"
"Kitty Pryde, of course! Angel, Alison Blaire, Jubilation Lee, Bobby Drake, John Allerdyce-"
"Wait you're inviting John Allerdyce? He's a stuck up snob. He might just look down on our middle-class home-"
"Well I think he's cute. I haven't dated him yet-"
Charles let out a huff of breath and rolled his eyes at that. The good thing about Raven is she dated a lot of guys but she did not put out for them, which was a relief to him. She had told him once that if she ever got around to doing the deed, he would be the first to know and he believed her. Erik had commented once on her skimpy clothing and Charles had waved it off as nothing.
"Can they bring some friends along?" Raven asked, eyeing him hopefully.
"Raven! The only people you are going to bring over are those that you have mentioned and no one else is crashing this party you want. I'm going to turn them away from the house if you disobey me-"
"Charles, come on!" Raven moaned petulantly.
"You know what? I will ask Erik to come over and he will make sure you follow my rules-"
"Oh my God, Seriously? You are going to invite that jerk? You're joking, right?" Raven cried out.
"Actually I'm going to bring in Sean, Hank and Alex-"Charles said sheepishly. There was no way he and Erik should ever be seen together, especially not by the popular kids at school that Raven would be inviting.
Raven frowned. "Does Hank know about Erik already?"
Charles stopped and shoved his head onto his folded arms over the table. "No, he doesn't know about me and Erik yet. I don't think he could handle seeing me and Erik together. But I want him to know since he's one of my best friends-"
Raven grew solemn and she sat on a chair next to Charles. "I don't think you should tell him about you and Erik-"Raven had known Hank as well since they all grew up together. It would be a bad idea. Hank was sort of an uptight kind of person, and he was an even bigger nerd than her own brother.
"I think I should tell him, Raven. I can't keep this from him forever. He should either accept me and Erik as we are or he can forget we are ever friends-"
Raven sighed. "It's your call, Charles. But I don't think he's the type who could keep an open mind-"
"I know," Charles said in a resigned voice. Charles then took his book back from her hands and continued to read, his expression growing subdued.
The night of the party, things did not go about as Raven had planned it. She had thought there would be more people. Unfortunately, there was a mild storm in their area that night that only Kitty Pryde, Angel Salvadore and Bobby Drake came. The rest had called off because of the bad weather. But all of Charles's friends came, wearing their nerdy galoshes and raincoats when they arrived. The first to arrive actually were Hank McCoy and Sean Cassidy. Alex arrived separately wearing a leather jacket instead, his blond hair wet as well as his blocky boots. Raven had thought he was cooler that the other two Charles had associated with. She had even considered the possibility that she could date him.
"Some party," Raven said under her breath as she stared out at their friends sitting silently and awkwardly in their living room. Raven almost wanted to cry because this was a humiliation to her that the party she held would be devoid of people. What would Kitty be thinking about her now? Kitty was sitting next to Angel, wearing a very short white skirt and a pink tank top and she wore white trainers. She looked immaculate because her boyfriend drove her over and dropped her off, making sure did not get wet. Angel was with her when she arrived, wearing dark purple top and black shorts. Sitting beside Angel was Bobby Drake, the senior president of Kitty's class and one of the most popular kids as school. He was well liked by everyone and befriended everybody. He wore the school's varsity jacket, black with yellow stripes and the x at the left breast. He wore a t-shirt and loose jeans. His light brown hair was slightly wet from the rain and he was wiping his head with his handkerchief, managing to smile at everyone.
"Hi," Bobby greeted Hank when he sat down. Hank was wearing a gray plaid button down shirt and brown slacks, his typical wardrobe and he brought his glasses down and was wiping it absently with his own monogrammed handkerchief. Hank was giving Bobby an odd look, not bothering to smile back. Sean was sitting next to Hank and was also smiling at everyone and he was the one that returned Bobby's greeting. Charles was in the kitchen preparing food that their guest would be eating and Raven stood in the hall feeling terrible she had thought up of this party at all. Both Kitty and Angel's expression are blank, not looking bored but nor did they look happy. Alex was nowhere around the living room, he was with Charles in the kitchen, talking with him. The rain still poured on, with the occasional lightning.
"Raven? Aren't you going to go out there and entertain our guests?" Charles asked as he carried a bowl of chips and popcorn in each hand, giving her an inquisitive look while they stood in the hallway. Raven looked like she was crying, her eyes rolling towards him wetly.
"Charles this is so embarrassing! My party is a flop! People will talk about this at school!" Raven moaned, putting her hands to her face.
Charles gave her a tender smile. She was no different from Hank or from Erik. Reputation or popularity was important to her. She had wanted her friends to think she was cool and that she was not some loser.
"Raven, the night's not over yet. Besides your friends are still here, aren't they?"
Raven nodded glumly.
'Well then, go on. Turn up some music! Talk with them! Have some fun-"
Raven sighed, wiped at her eyes and braced herself as she strode into the living room and tried to put on a fake smile, greeting her friends and talking with them animatedly. She then started up their sound system and played some modern music with just the right amount of volume so they could still all talk. Angel and Kitty were both smiling and laughing when she began talking with them and Bobby joined in. Both Hank and Sean remained quiet as they watched the other four talking. Charles came in and greeted them, putting snack bowls before them that Sean immediately dove for them and began to devour and sample from both bowls. Alex came in with the beer bottles and he handed a bottle to each guest. Charles left them and went to the kitchen to get more food but he was startled to find Erik was already in there, and he was leaning against the counter. Alex had informed Erik of the party and he had escaped from Mr Logan again to visit.
"Erik! You escaped again?"
Erik shrugged. "He wasn't around for some reason. It gave me the chance to get out here to see you,"
Charles went over to him and kissed his lips but then he was giving Erik an uneasy smile. "We have guests at the moment. I'm sorry if I can't invite you to join in-"
Erik smiled at Charles, tilting his head. "I'll be in your bedroom. I'll wait for you. I brought something over for your guests by the way-"
Erik brought up a plastic container containing some cake. Charles opened it and looked down at them curiously; he looked back at Erik, smiling. "Oh you made brownies! They look delicious!" Charles was going to pick up one but Erik stopped him by grabbing him close and kissing him. Erik pulled back after, breathless. Charles stood there slightly trembling, eyes closed as he savored Erik's kisses again.
"That's even more delicious, wasn't it?" Erik said in a throaty voice and then he kissed the side of Charles's neck. Charles shivered; almost dropping the container but he awkwardly shoved it onto the counter and held onto Erik, enjoying his nearness. He grabbed for Erik and kept on kissing him. Charles's knees felt weak after he made out with Erik in the kitchen and he absently brought the cakes over and placed them on the living room table on a plate. Raven saw the brownies and began sharing them to her friends and then Sean and Hank also took some. Alex saw the brownies as well and he ate a couple. In the meantime, Charles and Erik went up to Charles's room and continued to make out. Erik had already removed both of their shirts and they are making out bare-chested. They were in the room for some time enjoying the kissing and the touching when the music downstairs was suddenly turned up at such a high volume it made Charles pull back and sit up straight.
"What in the world?" Charles queried and was about to get out of bed but Erik flung him back down on the pillows, grinning down at him.
"Charles, this is the perfect opportunity for us to have sex. You can scream all you want and no one will hear-" Erik purred out and bent down to bite his neck.
"Oh God!" Charles said in a small voice, his cheeks growing red and hot and Erik suddenly had his hands on Charles's pants and undid them. They had loud, undisrupted wild sex that had Charles screaming out at the pleasure he felt and after several hours, Charles and Erik showered and Charles decided they should investigate what was happening downstairs. He found it odd that Hank and Sean did not even go up to look for him. Erik remained at the top of the stairs while Charles went down to go to the living room and he was stunned by what he had seen. Everyone in that room was acting strange. Angel and Sean were dancing, along with Kitty and Bobby and Raven was sitting at the sofa with Hank and was making out with him. Alex was standing on top of his parents' digital sound system console and was playing an air guitar and hollering at the top of his lungs. The room was in a state of disarray.
"What is wrong with you people?" Charles tried to scream out loud so that he could be heard. No one paid him any attention. Charles rolled his eyes and went over to the sound system and shut it down. He was concerned that one of the neighbors might complain at the noise. If the police came rolling around he and Raven would get an earful from their parents. The others blinked at the sudden loss of their music, seeming to come awake all of the sudden but not completely, it seems. They all looked like they were drunk or high on something. A lot of beer bottles and cans were scattered all over along with the food but the brownies were all gone.
"Have you all gone nuts?" Charles said indignantly.
"Charles, don't be such a killjoy!" Raven protested in a slurred voice, her eyes looking out of focus.
"Yeah, shut the fuck up Charles!" Hank seconded her, holding onto her waist and looking high as a kite himself.
Charles frowned at her. "Are you on drugs or are you drunk Raven? Jesus!"
Everyone began to giggle and laugh at that. It was quite obvious they were all high. Charles scolded all of them and told them not to turn the music up anymore.
"If the police knocks on our door and they see you all drugged out your minds I am going to get into trouble!"
"No you won't-" Erik suddenly said from behind him and he turned around startled.
"Erik? What are you doing down here? They were not supposed to see you!" Charles moaned, his eyes going wide in worry.
Erik put his arm around him and brought him up close. He then kissed the side of Charles's head in front of the others, shocking Charles. He darted a look at everyone in the room but they all look like they did not care or they were just ignoring the fact that Erik was there. Charles then realized what might have happened here and gave Erik a hard look.
"Brownies?" He said dryly and he crossed his arms before him and glared at Erik, waiting for him to confirm this.
Erik chuckled. " Space cakes. It won't do them any harm, don't worry. And besides, they are so fucking high they wouldn't remember half of the shit that happened-"
Charles had to smile in spite of himself. Both he and Erik joined the others and they enjoyed the fact that everyone around them were acting like fools and doing something stupid. Bobby suddenly sat before them and was smiling at them. Everyone else started dancing again when Charles turned the music up at a low volume using a remote.
"Charles, this is some party!"
"Yeah," Charles smiled at him while Erik sat next to him, holding onto his knee as he crossed his legs and Erik was nuzzling his ear.
"So...you and Erik are together,huh? Who would have thought!"
Charles giggled and put his hand over Erik's hand. "Yes, yes we are-"
"Just wanted to let you know I'm not on drugs because I knew Raven was giving everyone space cakes and no one even had a clue. I did not eat any of that cake-" Bobby said but he kept on smiling.
Charles's face fell. "Oh,"
Bobby patted his arm. "Hey, don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. I'm not a gossip and I keep an open mind. It's amazing really-"
Charles gave him an unsure smile. Erik did not look like he was worried in any way and kept on holding onto Charles possessively.
"May I ask you something, Bobby?" Charles began.
"Shoot,"
"Can we have a sort of open prom? Can we include a rule that we can invite someone from a different school?"
"Yeah sure! I'll bring that up on the next school council. Are you intending to bring Erik?"
"No. Raven and I talked about this. She will be inviting Erik so that Erik can enjoy our school prom and he will be my secret date. I'll be pretending to go stag-"
"I see. That's cool that Raven will do that for you-"
"She actually offered to do it-"
"Yes, it's nice of Raven to do that, Charles-" Erik added and he reached up to hold Charles's hand in his.
He looked quite happy to show his affection openly to everyone and Charles felt his heart swelling with joy that Erik wanted to do that. Hank was too preoccupied with Raven to even notice them.
"At least we will be able to have time together at the prom. Maybe...maybe we could have our secret dance-" Charles said hopefully.
"I'd like that very much," Erik said softly but then he pulled Charles in his arms.
"You haven't asked me formally out, though-"
Charles's eyes widened for a moment and then he giggled. "I thought that's a given already. Okay, since you are a demanding date...Erik, will you go out with me to our school prom?"
"I suppose I should say yes-" Erik said pretending to sound doubtful but his eyes were dancing with merriment as he teased Charles.
Charles pinched his chest and Erik tried to avoid it but he couldn't and they ended up wrestling against each other and laughing crazily. Charles regained his composure and sat back while Erik held him again.
Bobby reached for a can of beer and offered it to Erik and Charles, who both shook their heads. Bobby shrugged and popped the lid to drink it himself but Sean snatched it from him and was whooping like a fool and running off with it. He suddenly collided with a chair and fell forward. Bobby, along with Charles and Erik started laughing at him and Sean lay there on the carpet laughing like a loon with them. Alex went over to him and they both staggered about drunkenly while he helped him up and then Alex went over to Charles and Erik, grinning hugely. The others just kept on dancing, while Raven and Hank stood up to dance with Angel and Kitty.
"Charles, have I ever told you that you're pretty?" Alex said in a slurred voice.
Charles giggled when Erik suddenly frowned at Alex and hugged Charles to himself.
"No, Alex and Charles is not interested to know!" Erik glared at him and Alex pressed his lips together and stuck his tongue out at Erik.
"Fuck you, Erik! I think Charles is pretty and I don't give a fuck about what you think!" Then Alex stalked off but he collapsed onto a sofa and was starting to snore.
Charles put a hand to his mouth and was laughing at Erik who was acting like a jealous boyfriend again.
"He's not himself, so don't take what he's saying seriously-"
Erik silently fumed but Charles kissed him and assured him it was ok.
Everyone ended up sleeping over, except for Erik, who had to leave and go back home. He left past midnight and everyone was still partying late into the night. When morning came, everyone helped Raven clean up the mess and they had a late breakfast. It was a good thing it was the weekend so they did not have to worry about school. Raven was happy to know that everyone enjoyed the party she threw and then Charles informed her what Erik had done. Raven laughed at that.
"Well thanks to him my party got crazier that it did not end up such a flop!"
Charles smiled at her and was glad she enjoyed her own party. "I asked Bobby about the prom and he said we can invite people from a different school-"
"Awesome! I didn't have to bribe him after all-"
Charles chuckled and eyed her, wondering if he should ask her if she remembered kissing Hank last night but thought better of it. Hank and Raven were awkward with each other that morning, barely speaking to each other and he wondered if Raven did remember what happened.
Prom found Charles standing alone in his bedroom, crying silently and looking up at the bleak skies through his window and wondering why things ended up the way they did. Things just did not go as planned. He was relieved that Raven was at least able to go to prom, thanks to Hank who took her there. He did not want his sister to wallow in misery like he was. Raven was reluctant to leave him in his time of need but he practically pushed her out the door so she would go. Charles stood there wearing his prom suit and thinking of Erik, who was probably feeling as sad as he was that they could not be together.
It began at the Grimalkin baseball field. It was the last game of the season and they were up against Wyngarde, their old school rival. The stadium was packed with people. Grimalkin was leading and there was some tension on the field as the bases were filled up with Grimalkin baserunners. Shaw, being the star baseball player for Grimalkin was the last one out on the pitcher's mound, drawing the crowd on with his confident stance. Raven was out close to the bleachers with the cheering squad doing their number and cheering their team on. Even though Charles was not part of the photography club, a girl on the club had asked for his help to take pictures for her because she claimed she had hurt her wrist. Both Hank and Sean were already taking photos for the school yearbook and the school paper. The girl was actually Victor's girlfriend who had annoyed Erik with her screamy, tittering laughter and she was in league with Shaw and his friends to try and get their revenge on Charles. Sean was having problems with his camera because the lens kept getting stuck. He hid at the side of the dugout to try and fix it and he overheard Victor and Janos laughing as they watched Charles take pictures close to the proximity of the field. He heard them say that Shaw was intending to throw the game and make it so the ball smashes into Charles's face. There was no time to warn Charles because he was far across the field. Sean grew pale at this and hurriedly began to look for Erik because he was closer to the proximity of the seats and Erik might be able to do something. He knew Erik was up on the bleachers watching the game.
"Erik!" Sean screamed over the noise of the crowd as Shaw threw his first pitch out. Erik was able to hear him and he went over quickly, a worried look on his face.
"What is it?"
Sean grabbed Erik's arm and dragged him close. "Charles is out on the field taking pictures. Don't ask me why, I don't know why he is out there! Shaw is going to do something to him out on the field-" He hurriedly gasped out. Erik nodded grimly at this. He knew they could not make a commotion out there and he knew Sean called for him because he was a fast runner. He could probably take Charles away from the field into safety, without drawing too much attention to themselves. Erik hurried down the bleachers with Sean and before they could go into the area of the field, Mr Logan sprang out from the dugout to confront Erik.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Mr Logan asked as he crossed his arms before him and glared at Erik.
Erik did not have time to argue with him. " Shaw's going to throw the game and hurt Charles! Let me go and warn him!"
Mr Logan stared at Erik for a few seconds but then he nodded and stepped out of the way. Erik gave him one nod of thanks and raced towards the field. I shouldn't be the bad guy here. If those two want to be together I should just let 'em- Mr Logan thought smirking after Erik as he ran on.
Erik was running like he had never ran before at the side of the field and even though he was not trying to draw attention to himself, some people from the crowd and some students noticed him. Shaw was about to take his second pitch and he was smiling smugly to himself because he was going to smash the ball into Charles's face, probably it would break his nose and his glasses and that would ruin his pretty little face. He could innocently tell everyone it was an accident and he would not be accused of any ill will towards Charles. He would be finally getting his revenge and was arrogantly assured he will get away with it. Charles, oblivious to his plans kept on taking pictures. Shaw was going to time it so when Charles brought the camera down, he would pitch the ball his way and hit him with the ball as hard as he could.
Erik's heart was racing frantically in his chest as he ran for Charles, his vision narrowing only to him. His legs were pistoning up like a machine, his bent arms automatically rowing up and down, positioned in the running stance he used to make when he used to run track for the school. A loud crack resounded and Shaw made his next pitch and it was hurtling towards Charles. Charles was still unaware of what is happening. He brought the camera down to adjust the lens and his head was bent down. He did not see Shaw's ball was racing towards him. Charles lifted his head too late and his eyes widened momentarily as he saw the ball heading for his face but miraculously enough, someone caught the ball and threw it down on the ground, flinging it away with one hand. This someone was Erik and he shielded Charles from harm with his body. Charles stood there in shocked silence like everyone else when Erik did that. Charles looked up at Erik in wonder.
"Erik! How did you..?"
Erik hugged Charles to himself, not caring if everyone else out on the field or the entire crowd saw them.
"Sean told me Shaw was going to hurt you. I'm glad I got here in time to save you-"
Charles was blushing furiously as Erik kept on holding him and the crowd was cheering and hooting after them. He tried to free himself from Erik's grip.
"E-Erik, people can see us-" Charles said anxiously but Erik ignored his words and kept hugging him. From the corner of his eye, he saw Shaw was running towards them, his face set wrathfully. Shaw hollered after them.
"What the hell are you doing, Erik?" Shaw was looking on at them disgustedly. Erik turned to face him, his own expression blazing out angrily.
"I'm done with this. I won't let you hurt Charles anymore. I'm going to tell Principal Summer's the truth-"
Shaw's eyes bugged out in disbelief. What happened to Erik? Why was he protecting this fag? Shaw was shaking in anger as he brought his bat up to try and hit Erik on the head with it, unable to stop the rage he felt at Erik's betrayal. They were friends and he was one of his crew. People called Erik 'Shaw's man'. What the hell happened to all of that?
"You motherfucker!" Shaw cried out in a curdled voice and then before he brought the bat down Mr Logan stopped him quickly, catching the bat in his grip. Shaw looked up at him with a dismayed look on his face.
"I think you have some explaining to do, young man. Mr Cassidy told me something quite interesting about what you intended to do out here in the field. I think we better meet up with the principal as well-"
There was some disorder in the field and the game was almost called off but Mr Logan had told Ms Anna Marie to take over and continue the game anyway while he talked with Principal Summers and Sebastian Shaw. Strangely enough, the one that won the game for Grimalkin that day was Cain Marko and the crown cheered him on as the game came to it's conclusion. Cain was a poor pitcher and everyone knew it but he became the hero for Grimalkin. Charles and Erik were advised to wait outside the principal's office because he had told them he wanted to speak to the both of them. Erik's mother was there with them as well and she was holding Charles's hand.
"I'm glad Erik prevented that ball from hurting you, Charles-"
Charles felt his eyes well with tears because he felt so happy that Erik was there for him and so was Erik's mother. Before he could say anything further, the door to the principal's office was thrown open and Shaw was giving all of them a lethal glare.
"I'm getting you for this Erik! Even if it's the last fucking thing I do! We were a crew! I trusted you!" Shaw was prevented from doing any further harm because Mr Logan was at his shoulder, restraining him.
Erik shook his head slowly. "I can't let you continue the way you are, Shaw. It's better this way-"
"They are sending me to the fucking reform school, you asshole!" Shaw called out as he was led off to a teacher's room to wait for his parents. More curses, more threats came from his mouth, causing Erik's mother to be agitated. Erik reached out and touched her arm.
"It's ok, Mom. He's all bark and no bite. He can't do anything to us-"
Erik's mother stared at him for some time and then she nodded weakly. She reached for Charles's hand again and squeezed his hand gently. Principal Summers was at the door, waiting for them.
"Mr Lehnsherr? Mr Xavier? Please come in-"
Erik finally told Principal Summers the truth of what happened during the window incident. He also told Principal Summers who had really beat up Charles after and he was relieved to finally give the true account of all the events that happened after. Erik finished it off by telling him how he came to be on the baseball field to save Charles from getting hurt. Principal Summers commended Erik for what he had done and he allowed both Charles and Erik to leave. Charles and Erik were walking towards Erik's car. His mother was already waiting for him there. Charles was relieved his parents did not attend the baseball game or they would have seen him and Erik together and he was not sure he could explain that to them yet. The entire school knew about them being together and the gossip was already spreading. Charles did not know if he should care or not. He had some good news he wanted to share with Erik. He tenderly reached for Erik's hand, their fingers intertwining.
"Erik, In a few weeks, I will be going to this college I told you about. They sent me a letter of admission today! I wanted you to be the first person to know!"
Erik smiled at that and lifted both their hands up so he could kiss Charles's hand.
"I'm happy for you, Charles. I could probably drive over and visit you, right?"
Charles laughed and pressed his face to Erik's arm. "Yes! We can finally see each other and we don't have to give a damn what anyone else thinks!"
Erik drew Charles close and hugged him, out in the parking lot. He didn't care if people were looking at them. He was just so happy that things were finally going their way. He reached up and touched Charles's face and gave him a kiss. Erik pulled back and looked down at Charles's face as he kept his eyes closed.
"I think I have to remove your glasses, they are steaming up again-" Erik chuckled and Charles blushed at that.
"You should thank Sean for what he did for you back there. If he hadn't overheard Victor and Janos, things would have turned out differently-"
"Yeah, I think I better give him some of your space cakes. He kept asking me for them everyday-"
Both of them started to laugh at that and Erik put his arm around Charles as they drew nearer to his car.
"Well are you ready for prom? I have my suit ready-" Charles said coyly, reaching out to tug at Erik's leather jacket.
"I wasn't able to buy a suit so I was intending to wear that suit I wore for you before when I invited you over to my house-"
Charles felt heat creep up at the back of his neck as he recalled that steamy moment they had when Erik invited him to his house the first time. "You looked really good in that suit, Erik-" He said slowly as he fantasized about having sex with Erik again while he wore that suit.
Erik chuckled. "Are you thinking about what I think you are thinking?"
Charles bent his head down, his cheeks flushed. "I'm that obvious?"
"Yes you are, but you are adorable so don't worry about that. You'll be taking your clothes off for me later anyway-"
Charles giggled and playfully punched Erik's arm. He was on cloud nine at that moment. Just being with Erik made him so happy, filling him up with that fluttery excitement each time they are together.
"Well when I'm in college, you could probably sleep over in my dorm room if you like. I will sneak you in-"
"Ah, thinking of breaking the rules already? Tsk, you are becoming such a rebel-"
They kept on laughing and sharing whatever fantasies they had of being together. Charles finally said his goodbye to both Erik and his mother and Erik drove off, a smile still plastered to his face. He was some distance away from Grimalkin High when his mother told him to stop.
"Can we talk, Erik?" She began softly and Erik turned to look at her.
Charles had just finished his bath and he had placed his suit on the bed, blissfully moving about as he thought of finally having his moment with Erik at the prom when his cell phone began to ring. It showed up a number he was not familiar with and then he answered the call.
"Hello?"
He heard a sad sigh over the other end and he realized who it was. "Erik?" His brow creased with worry.
"Charles, I'm so sorry I can't go to the prom with you-"
Charles felt his heart thud painfully in his chest and he froze for a moment, unable to speak or move. He finally found his voice but he sounded strained.
"Why? What happened?"
Erik did not answer for a long time. He sounded like he was crying. "Charles, Mom and I are leaving today. We are going to another city. She won't tell me where. She said I could say goodbye to you but that I should stop seeing you-"
Charles felt a sob rise to his throat, making it difficult to speak. "W-Why?" He croaked out, the tears flowing from his eyes before he even knew he was crying.
"She said it was okay for us to be together, she had no problem about that but she said I had to think about my own future first. She told me I was getting too obsessed with you that it was not good for me anymore. She said to tell you she was sorry she had to do this but it's for the best-"
Charles felt numb and sick to his stomach. He felt his heart breaking to pieces inside of him. He thought things were going to get better between the both of them and now this happened.
"Will I ever see you again, Erik?" Charles whispered softly into the phone. Erik did not answer him for the longest time.
"I don't know, Charles-" Erik said in a lifeless voice. He was about to say goodbye but Charles refused to let it end just like that.
"I will wait for you, Erik! Whatever it takes! After college, I will go back here and I will wait for you so you will know where to find me-"
"Charles-" Erik said in a choked voice. He was sobbing over the other end of the line.
"I won't give up on us! I'll keep my promise-"
Erik was just reduced to sobbing into his ear from the receiver. Charles was crying himself, his face wet with tears. He waited for Erik to speak.
"Wait for me, Charles. I'll find you-" Erik whispered softly into the phone and then he ended the call. Charles was not even able to say he loved him.
Raven knocked on his door. She was going to ask him if he was ready and when she entered, the look on his face said it all but he still told her what had happened. Raven went to him and hugged him tight.
"Charles, I'm so sorry-" Raven said sadly and he wept on her shoulder for a while and this was how the night found him, standing alone in his room. He wore the suit anyway. He did not know why he did that. He kept on crying as he looked up at the dark blue skies, almost no stars showed itself through the cloud cover and the smog. It's as if from the beginning, a malign star had been hanging over his and Erik's head, making them circle towards each other only to draw them away and causing all this hurt and pain that broke his heart as he stared up at the skies. His gaze was imploring, begging for a chance to see beyond, to see more than this emptiness.
