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Chapter Text

Erik couldn't understand why everyone around him seemed so desperate. The nurses and doctors went hysterically from one side to the other checking papers, rooms, and materials; the world of medicine was too active for his liking. Maybe there was something that was making them act like that because it wasn't just the medical staff anymore, it was also the guards, some people in the waiting room, relatives of the patients… Would they know that there are mutants nearby? It wasn’t possible that the news had spread so quickly that he was one of the mutants who were on the beach in Cuba, moreover, there was no evidence to confirm it or to affirm the existence of something like mutants. Maybe it was the fact that Hank was blue and furry, that Raven was in her original form, or that Azazel had made everyone paranoid with his appearance, although it's weird, they're not inside the hospital, in fact, he and Moira were the only ones who entered right? Whatever the problem, Erik had only one thing on his mind: taking care of Charles. 

Apparently Raven was with Moira and Alex, she didn't notice them walking in with him, Hank and Sean were somewhere outside the hospital and Erik needed to be alone with Charles. Erik didn't stay to listen to the nurse who had come to talk to them, he already knew that Charles was going to be discharged, but more than knowing that, what he needed was redemption, Charles's forgiveness, Charles's trust. For some reason, it all happened so fast; When Erik managed to see Charles, he remembers taking the wheelchair that was next to the hospital bed and gently helping him into it. Nobody wanted to go in the car with them, or maybe they did, he didn't stay too long, what he was interested in was taking Charles home. 

Erik couldn’t remember how they got there or when, the need to get out of that place with Charles made it difficult to pay attention to more trivial matters such as a way of transportation. When he saw that black car, he remembered the long journey he shared with Charles months ago, of course they’d arrived on this thing! Erik wasn’t pleased with his distracted mind, the best he could do was get in that car with Charles and go straight to the mansion. As they both left in the car, Erik could hear sirens going off, and saw the red and blue lights illuminating the outside walls of the hospital, maybe something else happened and they hadn't noticed. They both wait for the others to catch up with them at home. 

The drive home was silent, Erik knew that Charles was still upset with him, at the end of the day, it was his fault that Charles received that bullet, and what Erik remembers is that they told them that Charles would no longer be able to walk. That is why Erik decided to take on the role of Charles's main caretaker. "Hey Charles, I know you're still mad at me and really, I swear I'll spend every moment of my time making it up to you." Charles's eyes were still, looking straight ahead, his gaze was cold, and from what Erik assumed, it was also charged with anger, “Look, I'm not saying this just because I feel bad. I really want to stay by your side, I want to make it up to you and I want to talk to you about something very important, you know, for everything that happened before Cuba.” Erik smiled remembering that, the night before the mission, Charles and he had confessed their feelings. 

The scene was beautiful, really, he and Charles had left a bit upset about the argument they had while they were playing chess. Erik saw that Charles quickly walked out to one of the balconies, the reaction intrigued him, so he followed him. Barely stopping in front of the open door, he could hear light sobs and ragged breathing, which turned his curiosity into concern. 

When Erik came out, he saw Charles sitting up, his head resting on his hands as his silhouette trembled. "Charles?" A gasp of surprise was the answer he received, then he saw Charles's blue eyes, full of tears but beautiful in the contrast that the moonlight offered. "What are you doing here?" Charles's face reflected affliction, his hunched posture, and the way his arms tried to hug the rest of his body…Charles looked embarrassed, sad even, but not upset. "I saw you run and I thought something was wrong, I see I wasn't wrong." Charles's cheeks showed a slight blush, Erik really loved the way Charles was so him.

Slowly, Erik walked over as he took one of Charles's hands in his. Charles made no attempt to walk away, so Erik continued walking, kneeling in front of Charles. "I know we didn't get out of there very well, but did something happen?" Charles looked into his eyes while biting his lip, unsure of what to answer. Erik wiped away Charles's tears with one of his hands. "Come on, Schatz." Seeing Charles so unsure about wanting to continue talking to him broke his heart.

"Erik, I can't bear the thought of losing you to some stupid revenge." Oh, that was still what they discussed. "Why would you lose me?" Charles pulled his hand away from Erik's, "Did you forget that the last time you went to kill Shaw, you almost drowned?" Well, it was a valid concern, the strange thing is although Charles's reaction didn't seem to be a normal concern, there was something else there. “Charles, I accept that yes, I did not plan to live after murdering Shaw, but do not think that I will let myself die so easily.” After those words, Charles pushed Erik while he stood up suddenly, Erik, supporting himself with his hands so as not to finish falling backwards, turned to see Charles, "That's my problem, Erik! You're still contemplating death!" From the floor, Erik stood up and continued the conversation. "Why do you care so much that I'm realistic with the situation?" Charles was looking at him with those deep and expressive eyes, they usually said that the eyes were the windows to the soul, but for Erik, that saying didn't make much sense until he met Charles. Already standing in front of Charles, Erik spoke up again “Charles, answer me please.” with determination and some anger, Charles approached Erik, taking his sweater in his hands “because I won't bear losing you after this.” Before Erik could ask anything else, Charles was kissing him.

Charles's soft, warm lips moved gently and Erik's mind went into shock for a moment.

The memory faded when Erik saw the gates leading to the mansion's garden. "Sorry, I think my mind was somewhere else.” Erik opened the metal doors and the car continued to park in front of the entrance of the mansion. Weird, Erik didn't remember them having two cars, yet there was another car parked by the driveway. Deciding not to think about it, he went to help Charles. Very carefully, Erik pulled out the wheelchair and floated it to the entrance. "Charles, I think I'll have to carry you, we haven't done any ramps for you yet." Erik concentrated on not hurting Charles, who let himself be easily carried, even resting his face on Erik's chest. "I hope you can forgive me soon." Charles still didn't speak to him, but Erik knows he deserves it, maybe with time, both of them can leave the subject behind.

As he could, Erik opened the doors of the mansion, leading Charles to his room, as they walked through the hall, Erik kept talking, "I think I'll have to sleep with you, Charles, I need to be close if you need anything or want to go somewhere inside the mansion," Erik smiled when they arrived at the door, using his mutation to slowly open the door as he held Charles tight. The bed was just as they left it in the morning. Charles was someone who particularly enjoyed tidy and well-kept places, it wasn’t hard to know why his room was the same. Erik neared the bed and as he settled Charles on it, a knock on the bedroom door interrupted him. “Erik! Open the door!” How strange, Hank sounded a bit restless, “Come in, the door is open.” Then, Erik unlocked the door, leaving the passage free for Hank, who entered quickly and then stood in front of him. "Erik... Charles didn't…" Hank's eyes stared at the image in front of him, his eyes skeptically kept watching between Charles’ and Erik’s silhouettes. The silence was getting heavier as Hank tried to recall what was he trying to say. Erik was confused by the silence and just stared back at Hank, trying to decipher whatever the doctor was feeling. Just as Erik made an attempt to talk, a rumble was heard in the kitchen, it made both of them jump, Hank quickly recovered from the shock, resuming his talking. "Charles doesn't have the strength to dress himself, please change his clothes." Hank looked somewhere else as he started to leave but stopped by the door when he heard Erik gasp in surprise, "Of course, of course. I'll tell him.” Erik's whispers were directed at Charles, and when the volume of his voice changed, he was now addressing Hank, “Charles thanks you for your concern, you're a good friend” Without turning around, Hank answered, “Thank you, professor. I'll be in the lab, in case you need anything.”

Hank closed the door behind him, leaving Charles and Erik alone again. "Charles!" The surprise in Erik's voice was obvious, his eyes let out tears of happiness and his arms strongly held Charles, who only managed to rest his face between Erik's shoulder and neck. "Oh my God, thank you! I thought you would never speak to me again,” “ I'm sorry, my friend, my body still doesn't seem to fully recover, I think I'll have to communicate with you like this, ” Erik understood, the shock, the probable damage that the bullet could have done and the of the coin It was too much! Charles trying to communicate telepathically with him is not a problem. “Easy, I understand that all this is a lot, if you want to talk to me this way it's fine, the important thing is that you can rest.” Erik put Charles to bed and went to the closet, “Now, I'm going to change your clothes into something comfortable so you can sleep better, it's been a long day for both of us.” “ Thank you, Erik, and thank you for staying with me. ” Erik smiled “There’s no need to thank me, dear friend.”

The night was uneventful, Erik stayed with Charles all day in his room while the rest were doing their thing at the mansion. Hank brought them food, so there was no real reason to leave. The next day, after Erik’s morning run, he went straight to Hank's lab. He was talking to someone but Erik couldn’t hear what was it about, “...I don't know Raven, it's dangerous. Wait, I think he's coming, I'll call you later.”

"Hank! Have you seen Alex? I can't find him anywhere and according to our improvised chore list, it was his turn to make breakfast.” Hank looked confused, but immediately resumed the rhythm of the conversation, “Oh yes, Alex left this morning, he decided to go to visit his family, he didn't tell you because you and the professor were sleeping.” Hank's voice cracked, which was strange, Erik thought, but it wasn't his place to get involved in Hank's business. "Well, in that case, it's my turn to make breakfast, Hank. Since I see you're busy, I'm going to make for everyone and when you can, go to the kitchen for your portion.” “Thanks, Erik, give my regards to the Professor.” “Sure Hank, now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to the kitchen." Erik walked out of the lab as Hank watched him walk.

Charles had told Erik that he had a craving for something sweet, so that was what Erik was doing. The waffles were steaming on a large plate on the kitchen table as Erik reached for the maple syrup, he was so focused on his tack that he didn't hear Sean enter. "Oh, Erik…hi." Erik looked at Sean and waved, "Good morning Banshee, I hope you rested well." Erik had found the honey and was now heading to wash some fruit to go with the waffles. "Hank told you about Alex yet?" Sean stared at him, his eyes had been following all of Erik's movements, maybe the boy was still a little scared by everything that happened in Cuba. "Yes, Alex told me he was leaving, in fact, I helped him pack some things." Sean's voice sounded a little shaky, it is clear that Erik still inspired fear in him, it was better not to press him too much with his presence for now. "Well Sean, I left waffles and fruit for you and Hank, Charles and I will have breakfast in his room." Erik carried a metal tray with the plates and two cups of tea. “How? I thought that Charles…” One of the drawers with cutlery fell to the floor, scaring Sean, he was visibly upset but continued speaking, “I thought that Charles would want to eat here, with us, like before.” Erik sighed “I'm afraid it won't be possible, not until he's fully recovered, and well, the ramps need to be installed, too." "Ramps?" Sean was a pretty absent-minded person, "Yeah, so Charles can get around the house." "Oh, right, maybe I should tell Hank and between the two of us, we can install them.” “Excellent idea! Well, I´ll be heading to the room, Charles must be dying to eat something sweet.”

Erik left, leaving Sean still shivering in the kitchen.

“You know? Sean seemed a little strange today. Do you think he's still afraid of me?” Erik had already finished his breakfast and Charles, for some reason hadn't touched his food yet. “ Maybe you need to rest, Cuba was shocking for everyone, Erik.” Charles held the cup of tea, carefully bringing his lips close to the liquid, but the trembling grip of his hand caused him to spill some. "Oh no, Charles! Don't worry, I'll help you with this right now.” Hurriedly, Erik took the cup and put it on the table next to them, while he dried Charles with a towel. “ I'm sorry Erik, I think you'll have to give me a bath. ” Erik smiled, looking Charles in the eye, “Don't worry, I was already planning to take a bath today, the hospital smell doesn't suit you.” Erik started to pick up the dishes to leave them on the table, “I'm going to leave these here and after you take that bath, I'll take them down to the kitchen, okay?” Charles stared at him, Erik still didn't know what situation they were in, because of the kiss, because of Cuba, because of the hospital, because of his arrival the day before, he still didn't know. They’ll have time to discuss it. “ Thank you, Erik.”

Apparently, the only bathroom he could take Charles in was on the first floor since the other shower spaces weren't that big. Erik was getting everything ready before putting Charles down when he saw Sean pass by again. "Sean, are you busy?" he said as he blocked the young man's path. "Ah, Erik, I was helping Hank, but no problem, do you need anything?" Sean was still scared, but at least he was trying to pretend he wasn't affected by interacting with Erik. "Just tell Hank I'm going to use the shower here to bathe Charles." Sean looked a little pale, maybe he should get out too. "Sure, I'll let you know." Sean walked away but stopped short to look over his shoulder, addressing Erik. "You know Erik? I don't think it's healthy for you,” some objects in the house were shaking “Maybe we should help you cook and all that, so you can stay with him.” the shaking stopped, and Hank has to better isolate his experiments with the blackbird or whatever he was onto right now.

“You're right Sean. Say…do you want to go for a walk with us? I'm going with Charles to spend some time outside, I think he looks a little pale.” Sean nodded. "Sure, Erik." After answering, he continued on his way. Erik made sure everything was in order and ready to bathe Charles. Once ready, Erik went upstairs for the telepath who was patiently waiting while sitting on the bed.

“Charles, everything is ready, now I just have to get you down there,” Erik had taken care of improvising whatever was necessary to help Charles to bathe, although he may have to investigate what else he would need so that Charles could bathe himself later as soon as he regains some of his mobility. When Erik was unfolding the wheelchair, Charles interrupted him, “ Erik, you can carry me down if you want, I don't think there will be a problem.” Erik happily decided to listen to Charles's suggestion and took him into his arms. Once inside the bathroom, Erik helped Charles into a makeshift bath chair. "I hope this is okay, I want you to feel comfortable." He said as he closed the door. He started to undress Charles and noticed he was very stiff as if he didn’t want Erik to undress him. "Does it bother you that I do this?" Charles turned to him, giving him a warm smile as he did so, " Don't worry my friend, I think I'm a little cold. I'm comfortable with you being the one to take care of me. But, to be completely honest with you, I’m a bit embarrassed too.” Erik noticed that Charles felt cold. But the thought was replaced by a cozy feeling, Charles admitting that he was embarrassed was cute in his opinion. “Okay, I'll try to get the water to a suitable temperature for you, but first, your clothes.” after a little pause, he added, “And you will grow accustomed to me undressing you.” Charles’ flushed face made Erik smile with satisfaction.

Erik carefully massaged Charles's hair, it was always silky and shiny, and washing it is a privilege for him. The hot water helped a little with Charles's cold skin and that calmed him down a bit. When the hair was free of shampoo, he began to wash Charles's body, massaging gently and occasionally placing small kisses on his skin. Charles seemed lost in sensation as he didn't attempt to speak during his time in the shower. When he finished, Erik took the bath towel and wrapped Charles in it, he smiled and let out a little chuckle, he saw Charles open his eyes. "What's so funny?" "You look like a worm." Charles feigned annoyance and decided to hide his face in Erik's chest, which was still wet. It seemed strange to Erik, even though they hadn’t talked about it, it seemed as if Charles had already decided that they were something more. Maybe he should say something tonight. "Come on, I have to get you dressed, or else you'll still be cold." Charles didn't reply, but he nodded.

As Erik left the room with Charles ready in the wheelchair, he remembered that they didn't have the ramps yet. So again he had to float the chair down while carrying Charles, who kept his gaze fixed on one point. Curious, Erik followed his gaze only to see Sean waiting for them, still wearing an uneasy expression. “ Maybe he should go. ” Charles's voice was firm, distant, and cold, but Erik decided to ignore it, “ Let's take a walk with him so he can tell us what's wrong, we’ll see if he needs to go.” Erik answered telepathically.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Sean wheeled the wheelchair onto the concrete in the courtyard, Erik carrying Charles right behind him. "Tell me, Sean, I've seen you a little agitated, are you okay?" Erik tried to speak in a kind, almost fatherly tone, as he settled Charles in the chair. "Oh, it's nothing, I've just been feeling a little overwhelmed, but you know, teenage stuff." Erik couldn’t relate, noticing every little change you go through is kind of pointless when you are busy trying to regain your life after…Well, everything. It was not a milestone in his life. “ Erik, I think there is something else that bothers him, ask him.” After a long silence, Erik spoke, "Sean, Charles says there's something else bothering you, you can tell me what it is, I'm not as scary as you think I am." Sean's eyes looked at him with fear. Maybe he still doesn't forgive him for what happened in Cuba. “Erik, there's something I want to talk to you about, but we need to be alone ” The insecurity shown in Sean’s voice made Charles curious, who was firmly throwing harsh commands at Erik, “Ask him what he means.” Erik's breath quickened a bit. "What do you mean? Is it something that Charles shouldn't listen to?" Sean took a few steps back at Erik's reaction. "No, the thing is, I don't think Charles is capable of… eh." Erik approached Sean, leaving the chair behind him. "What do you want to tell me, Sean? What couldn't Charles be capable of?” With his questioning and fixed gaze, he tried to understand what Sean wanted to say, but instead of speaking, Sean kept moving away from him. “ Erik, ask him again, he has to tell you.” Erik was getting angry, the answer he wanted wasn't coming from Sean's lips and Charles was screaming in his mind, he wanted to know too. "What do you mean about Charles?" The metal of the antennas was beginning to clank, it was as if they were going to be ripped out of the ground at any moment. " Make him tell you!" Erik took Sean by the shirt and brought him closer “Tell me now!” Sean's scream made Erik release him, throwing him to the grass. Erik didn't want to hurt him or scare him, he just wanted to know, “ Tell him to go away, he has to go.” Erik nodded at Charles's words, "Sean, you'd better go. We’ll talk to Hank to contact your family later, you need a rest from this place.”

Sean got up and ran into the mansion, Erik took Charles's chair and started walking. In the distance, a completely crushed satellite dish could be seen.

Night came and Erik was just laying Charles in bed, his heavy eyelids and sloppy moves were a sign of how tired the telepath was, it was an adorable sight, Erik wishes he could just watch Charles being peacefully asleep every night. But not today, today while Charles slept in his room, Erik went to talk to Hank and Sean. Walking through hallways and stairs, he found himself outside the lab, he could hear voices being muffled by the wooden door in front of him. It looked like they were casually talking so Erik opened the door to get their attention. “Hank, Sean, good night. I don't know if you already discussed it, but Sean needs to go with his family for a few days .” Hank looked questioningly at the young man, who only nodded. "Is there any particular reason you want to go home?" Hank glanced at Erik, then turned his attention back to Sean. "Yeah, I just think I need a vacation, like Raven and Alex." Erik watched as both stared at each other as if there was a conversation that he was not listening to. "Okay, I'll contact your parents so you can leave tomorrow morning." Sean nodded and started to head out, but as he passed Hank, Erik overheard a question, "Are you sure you don't need help? my help with…?” Hank took his arm, “Don't worry, I can do it myself.” Erik decided to intervene “If you need help with anything, you can ask me, Hank.” They both looked at Erik, Hank bowing his head to thank him while Sean was leaving the lab. 

"Why did you offer your help? Don’t get me wrong, I thought you'd be pretty busy with Charles." Hank's voice sounded like a whisper; Taking a look at him, Erik could see that Hank looked tired, dark blue bags were visible under his eyes, his fur was messy and stained, and even his lab coat was in bad condition, How long has Hank been without sleep? It can't be much, they just arrived yesterday. "I am, but at the moment Charles spends most of his time sleeping, I think my presence during that time might make him uncomfortable." Hank adjusted his glasses. "I see. I'll ask you a favor, Erik.” Erik's body tensed at Hank's low, harsh tone, the grip of his big blue arm clinging to Erik's shoulder. "When Raven arrives, I need you to leave Charles alone in his room. If not, bring him with you to where she is. She will arrive soon. Talk to him if you want.” Erik did not understand why, but it seemed a serious matter. "Any reason why I should?" Hank sighed, looked away and back into his eyes, "She's going to surprise him and she doesn't want him to see her until she can make it here, do you understand?" Erik nodded, it was possible to keep this secret from Charles, especially if it was something as cool as a surprise. “Good. Go get some rest Erik, I should sleep too.” Hank started to pack things up in the lab and Erik left.

When Erik entered the room, he saw that Charles's eyes were open, again staring at nothing in particular. "Charles?" Charles turned to see him without getting to sit up. " Is Sean leaving?" The question was direct and demanding, and Erik felt a chill. "Yes, he's going to visit with his parents. I think everyone needs vacations these days.” Erik didn't need them, of course, being with Charles was his break. But maybe Hank needed some rest and Erik's help. " Do you know anything about Raven?" Why would Charles ask about Raven now? Maybe he accidentally thought about what Hank said, “Hank just informed me that she's out too, I don't know where, but she'll be back soon.” Charles nodded, " I see.”

Erik felt like he should tell Charles something, especially after Sean had to leave and Hank was left helpless in the lab. "Charles, would you mind if I spent some of my time with Hank?" the inexpressiveness of Charles’ look landed in Erik's eyes. "What is the reason for that question?" Erik couldn't make out the tone that Charles was using, he didn't seem upset, but there was no curiosity in the question either, it was as if he wanted to know the intention of the question and not so much the reason, “Well, Sean was helping Hank with something in the lab and since he's leaving…” Charles wasn't reacting to his explanation, was there something bothering Charles? Maybe he didn't want to be alone, perhaps he wanted to help too. “ Hank is developing another serum, isn't he? Do you know what it is for? ” The question took Erik by surprise, of course, he didn't know, maybe it was another inhibitor for Hank to stop looking blue and hairy. "I don't know, an inhibitor maybe?" Although satisfied with the answer, Charles still had an air of indifference, as if he was expecting something else from Erik. " You must be careful, you don't want to lose your mutation, do you?" Erik was startled by the comment, he would never have thought they could do something like that to him, but considering everything that had happened, it is plausible.

"I'll be careful Liebling ," Erik smiled warmly…Until he remembered that he and Charles hadn't mentioned a word of that incident, was it something they would eventually have to talk about? yes, but he mentally beat himself up for getting carried away. "Charles…" his voice trembled and he didn't know if it would be a good idea to continue speaking. Despite being a telepath, Charles seemed to have missed his train of thought, in fact, he barely reacted to being timidly called out by Erik. "Charles, I wanted to tell you that, well…" Erik took a deep breath and finished speaking, "We need to talk about that night." Eyes closed, clinging to himself as he did so, he waited for Charles' response. “ Yes, it seems pertinent to talk about that, although I thought I had been quite clear.” Erik wasn't looking at Charles and yet he could feel the other's smile. It was a good thing, Erik loved the idea but… ”But after everything? After Cuba?” Of course he had to ask, it's Erik's fault that Charles is in this state, and the disagreement they had there shouldn't be taken lightly. “ Erik, I already forgave you and I think I'm capable of making my own decisions. ” Charles's irritated tone left Erik with doubt “ Besides, you wouldn't believe that I'm capable of doing this just to torment you, would you? ” He hadn't thought about that, but he knows very well that Charles isn't that kind of person. “No, Charles, you're the kindest and fairest person I know, I think you can make your own decisions. But honestly, this seems like a dream come true.”  A nervous laugh came from Erik's lips as he turned to see Charles, his big bright eyes stared at him insistently, without missing a beat, Erik kissed Charles. It was a sweet and short kiss, but the softness of Charles's lips made him feel mixed emotions, he thought he would never taste them again.

After the kiss, they went to sleep.

Chapter Text

In the morning, while Erik was doing the dishes that he and Charles used for breakfast, Hank walked in slowly, the light tap of his claws on the floor was the only warning Erik got for his arrival, "Erik, will you be busy this afternoon?" Erik turned to look at him, his fur already looking better than the last time he paid attention to it. "No, but I need you to answer me something, Hank," Suddenly, all the cutlery that was in the kitchen was pointed at Hank. Erik's cold, distant gaze settled on Beast's confused and terrified eyes. "That serum is for you, isn't it?" Hank regulated his breathing, relaxing his muscles and his gaze, exhaling deeply before speaking, "Yes, Erik, it's for me. I hope I can stop looking like this, you know? I can't go out without people freaking out.” The cutlery wasn’t pointing at him anymore, but it was still dangerously floating, Erik approached Hank slowly, “They don’t appreciate our gifts.” Erik relaxed and returned all the metals to their place "I'm sorry, Hank, with everything that happened in Cuba…" Erik approached smiling as he put a hand on Hank's shoulder, “I thought everyone would think me unstable, weird, I don't know.” The words made Hank look at him with curiosity, “Things had been getting better lately. First, Charles forgives me, and now you're trusting me. You should know that I still have my reasons to be wary but… Thank you, Hank.” Hank's eyes were staring at him, following his movements as he listened, “Erik, you are an intelligent man with a good heart, of course I trust you. I'm sorry I didn't say it earlier.” Unexpectedly, Erik threw himself to hug Hank. "I won't let you down, my friend, I promise." Hank returned the hug, patting him on the back, “I know my friend, now I'll go to prepare what is necessary. Thank you, Erik.” Hank left the place and Erik continued washing, his mind was a little calmer. 

“ You look happier, my friend.” Charles's voice echoed in his head as they returned from their walk around the courtyard. Charles was right, the fact that Hank trusted him gave him some notion that he was redeeming himself, not only to the telepath but to the rest of the team. "I feel calmer, it's true, I also like spending time with you." Shows of affection were not Erik's forte, he was not very good with feelings, but with Charles by his side, any romantic gesture was natural. Charles was all the calm that was necessary for his life, the happiness he thought lost was there, and it was thanks to the telepath. The silence made itself present and they stayed there by the entrance, admiring the green field around the mansion. Peace reigned for a few moments when the sound of footsteps echoed behind them, and within seconds, Hank was in front of the stairs, calling them. "Erik!" I was looking for you, I have everything ready in the laboratory, come as soon as you can, please. Erik smiled as he began to lift Charles from the chair, "Sure, I'll just take Charles upstairs and I'll be right back with you." Hank nodded and left the place. Erik floated the chair and grabbed Charles to go up the stairs. “It seems that we haven't had time to work on the ramps, I mean, it doesn't bother me to have to hold you, but you need your independence,” Erik spoke softly as he opened the door to Charles's room. " Don't you think Hank has been acting strange? ” Charles's question unsettled him a bit. "What do you mean?" Erik was arranging him on the bed while Charles continued the conversation. “ It seems that there is something that he is not telling you. You should find out what it is. ” He was trying to remember all the times Hank has spoken to him while Charles was present and there was only one detail that caught his attention. "He almost didn't talk to you, right?" Something in that statement made him distrust, maybe there was something that Hank didn't tell him and it was something to do with Charles. " He doesn't even look me in the eye. He is up to something. ” Charles's voice had that cold and somber touch again, that was enough to convince him that something was not right. "I'll investigate as much as I can, Liebling. Rest now, I have to go to Hank.” Charles didn't answer, but he smiled at him. Erik kissed Charles on the forehead before heading to the lab.

"Hank, I'm here." Erik was in the doorway, Hank was studying a sort of yellow liquid inside a syringe. "This is the serum that accelerated my mutation," he said as he approached Erik, "I’ve already made the necessary adjustments in theory, but I still need to work on it so that the new serum is ready." Erik was looking at the notes Hank had scattered all over the place. “Do you still want to stop your mutation?” The serious tone Erik used was noted, but Hank decided to ignore that, “I don’t want to stop it permanently, I just want it to be unperceived for a couple of hours, just enough to go downtown or do the groceries.” As Hank explained, he showed him how the new serum should work, “No more than twelve hours, that’s what I want.” Erik was processing every bit of information Hank gave to him, it seemed like nothing was suspicious enough. “You know I’m not fond of hiding ourselves, but with our situation and the collective panic out there, we should remain anonymous as a safety measure. I’ll help you.” Hank smiled. There was nothing suspicious, but Erik felt it necessary to ask him about his behavior with Charles. “I have another question, and I hope you can answer it with honesty,” Hank was casually studying the amber liquid, he looked up and Erik kept talking, “Why are you evading Charles?” Hank looked surprised by the question, Erik looked at him as if his answer was between Hank’s body language. “I’m not evading him, really,” His voice was a little shaken as he spoke, some doubt was also perceivable in his words, “It is difficult for me to see him in this condition, I don’t… I don’t know how to behave when I see him. And I don’t want to make you feel as if you are to blame, you know?” Hank left what he was doing to go and put his furry hand on Erik’s shoulder, “Everything that happened was a big and unfortunate accident, and somehow, we know you are blaming yourself for it. I worry about you, Erik.” The look on Hank’s face was something he couldn’t decipher, there was worry, maybe a bit of appreciation, but there was something else, something more profound and intense. If Erik was better at feelings, he could name the feeling Hank is emanating. “I asked because Charles was worried, he thought that maybe you were feeling pushed aside by me or something.” Hank smiled warmly at him and answered, “The professor is a good friend, I promise to spend some quality time with him, and chat a little more.” Erik nodded, after a quick reassurance look, Hank went back to work, and Erik followed him.

It was almost midnight when Erik returned to Charles’ room, he had a tray with their dinner and was feeling a bit guilty for leaving Charles alone for more time than necessary. “Charles, are you still awake?” Erik left the metal tray on the table and approached Charles, who was looking directly at the ceiling, slightly frowning at what seemed to be nothing. “ Did you have fun, Erik? ” The emotionless voice set into his mind and a heavy chill spread across his body, “I’m sorry Charles, working down there took more time than I estimated.” Erik kept taking slow steps, some doubt arising as he got closer to the telepath, “ Oh, of course, you had fun! Being near someone who can walk and talk normally should’ve been refreshing to you, right? ” Charles’ voice sounded like he was pissed at Erik, well, more than angry he sounded kind of… It was amusing, Erik never would have thought of Charles as someone who could get jealous. “Oh Charles, it’s not like that, I love spending time with you, you know you are important to me. I just got distracted by Hank and the serum.” As Erik sat on the bed, he put one hand over Charles’ legs, “I asked Hank about his behavior towards you… He said he wants to spend more time with you.” Erik was waiting for a positive response, but… “ I don’t think he wants to spend more time with me for myself, Erik. Think well about whatever Hank is doing, not just the serum, he wants something from you. ” Charles put his cheek on the pillow, closing his eyes while doing so. Erik was curiously watching him and trying to understand Charles's words. “ But this is also about you, Erik. I know. ” Erik felt a little attacked even if he didn’t understand what Charles was referring to. It was as if Charles talked about something Erik should already know, but he knew nothing. There was nothing on his mind. “I’m tired, I’m going to sleep. Think about what I said.” Erik kept watching Charles in silence. Erik felt as if Charles was mad about something, and it wasn’t just about Hank but, what else could it be?

The morning was uneventful. Charles and Erik took breakfast in their room, Erik was kind enough to leave breakfast ready for Hank in the kitchen. After a little walk with Charles, he gave him another bath. At 2:30 p.m., Erik left Charles alone in his study, so he could do something else while Erik was helping Hank. “Erik, I’m glad you are here! If we continue working like we did yesterday, we’ll be trying this out tonight or tomorrow morning.” Hank’s voice resonated along the clanks of crystals bumping into each other, Erik walked, and no sound came off his mouth, “Sorry for distracting you yesterday, I hope Charles wasn’t mad.” Erik abruptly stopped, Hank looked at him with wonder, “Maybe he got a bit upset, but he’s okay now, I think.” The doubt was easily spotted by Hank, who decided to pry further into it, “Are you sure you are okay?” Erik was visibly more nervous, Hank could feel vibrations around the lab. “I’m asking you because I care about you both, Erik. I don’t want to cause any kind of trouble.” The vibration stopped, and Erik flashed a smile, “I think everything is alright, thank you.” They stopped and decided to get to work.

When the clock showed 6:00 p.m., Hank had everything ready to start trying the serum out. “Erik, you should go with Charles, I’ll try this on me and hope it works.” Hank smiled at him while he marked every variation of the serum they came up with. Erik was ready to go, but before leaving he remembered what he said to Hank yesterday, “Hey, would you like to spend time with us? We are going to hang out in the studio.” Hank looked at him and a kind smile showed on his furry face, “I would love to. I could even get you some tea or coffee if you like.” Erik smiled at him, “Coffee would be perfect for me, but I think Charles would rather enjoy his tea.” Erik went upstairs as Hank watched him go, “I’ll be with you in one or two hours.” The door closed, Hank looked at it, as if he could still follow Erik with his gaze.

As soon as Erik opened the door, he saw Charles. The telepath was looking through the window, staring at the sunset which could be better appreciated from this part of the mansion. Erik approaches Charles carefully, trying to not disturb him in any way. Charles looked so peaceful and beautiful, his face was covered in a golden-like glow, and his brown hair was slightly covering his face. Erik watched Charles’ lips as he smiled. Charles knew he was there. “Enjoying the view?” Erik chuckled as he went and put himself in front of Charles, “Since I met you, there’s nothing I enjoy more.” He went ahead and slowly tugged Charles’ hair behind his ear, kissing his cheek while doing so. “Would you like a game?” Erik said as he pointed at the chessboard over the desk. He knew Charles needed help moving pieces, but nothing could stop them from going on with their little tradition. “ Yes, I promise not to look into your head whilst I tell you my moves. ” Where would the fun be if Charles cheated during their games? Erik usually teased Charles with that, but he knew Charles, he took fair game very seriously. While Erik was setting up the game, he could feel Charles’s eyes on him. “What’s the matter?” The room was left silent, Erik had a hunch that he already knew what Charles was thinking: Hank and the serum. “How are you doing with your experiments?” And there it was, he knew Charles still didn’t agree with what they were doing. “Hank is trying out the serums we’ve made, he might tell us the results later tonight.” Charles's face was unreadable, but it quickly was replaced with a more relaxed expression, “We will see what happens. We better start with this.” Erik sat down in front of Charles and began to play.

“Bishop C3” Erik moved the piece and looked up to see Charles’ cute smile. Erik smiled as well and then went on to analyze what to do next, then, he felt a metallic tray moving towards the door, it seemed like Hank was serious about the drinks. Seconds later, the door opened revealing a furry silhouette, Hank was carrying the tray with one hand and held the door handle with the other, “Erik, I brought you your drinks.” He gave Erik his coffee as he smiled, Erik smiled back timidly. “Where do I put Charles’s tea?” Hank asked and Erik turned to see Charles, as he did, he noticed Charles was looking at Hank with harshness. “Charles… Do you want him to put the tea on the table or do you want it now?” Hank had no reply, Erik reached for Charles’s hand but he pulled it away, “I don’t want anything from him. ” The reaction startled Erik, so he only could look at Hank, kind of ashamed, “You can leave it on the table.” Charles was still looking viciously at Hank, and Erik was getting worried. “Charles?” The telepath looked at him with annoyance “He’s tricking you.” Erik let out an exhausted sigh, “Is everything alright?” Hank approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Yeah, I…” Erik’s response was interrupted by the constant resonance of Charles’s voice in his head, “Tell him to stop touching you! ” Erik was annoyed by Charles’ attitude, “You are being unreasonable, stop it. ” Hank looked at him with worry as he moved his hand to Erik’s back, “Erik?” There was fear in Hank’s voice, but Erik didn’t know how to answer him, not with Charles screaming in his mind “Why don’t you send him away? Do you trust him? What if he spiked this with that goddamned serum?” Erik took a quick look at Hank, the metal in the room was vibrating, “Erik! What’s wrong?” The metal tray hit the floor, Hank and Erik jumped, Charles was very still, his eyes locking on Erik, “Did you just threaten me with metal, Erik? After what you did to me? What would your friends think of you if you did? ” The objects that were floating suddenly dropped on the floor, Hank was confused at Erik’s suddenly horrified expression. “Hank, please leave. Do not worry, everything is fine.” Hank looked at him with doubt, but he still decided to leave the room, closing the door behind him and staying just outside, he wanted to know what was happening.

"Of course I trust him! He is our friend, Charles," The back and forth of Erik’s steps were loud and it could be heard through the door. His ragged breath worried Hank, but he knew he couldn’t interfere in whatever was happening there. Hank went to the lab. "Erik, before Cuba you didn’t think of him as a friend." It was true, Erik didn’t have a profound connection with the rest of them, Charles was the only person he could open up with and it was for a lot of reasons, not just because he was in love with him. But things have changed. "I know, do you think I really approve of the serum? I hate the idea of hiding ourselves, but they are onto us, Charles. We can’t defend ourselves right now, we can’t fight.” Charles had to understand why Erik had to do it, he needed to know that Erik wouldn’t do it if they had a way to protect themselves. "Do you really think you are doing this to protect us? " He didn’t understand what Charles was asking, protecting them was obviously his priority. "It is to protect us! Charles, I care about everyone, I care about you. Protecting you now is my—” "Erik, stop." Charles seemed annoyed but also serious, something about the way he was looking at him made Erik feel vulnerable. To be honest, Erik noticed that Charles was acting strangely since they came back from the hospital. "Oh Erik, you and I know why you are doing this. You don’t love me," What was Charles saying? He wants to protect Charles because he loved him, he loves him, then…why? "What are you talking about?" Charles's gaze went soft, but something about that made Erik’s tormented mind feel like he wasn’t over. "You want to redeem yourself. You don’t love me, you just want to make up for the mess you made." Charles let out a sarcastic laugh. "As if this could be fixed in a week or two. It’s time for you to know that what you did can’t be fixed, Erik." Erik was starting to hyperventilate, or not, he couldn’t process the way he was feeling, but he knew he wasn’t breathing. "It’s not like that, Charles, you are important to me now and for whatever long we get to live, I’m not doing this out of pity. And I know I can’t fix this, but I can help, I can help you to get better.” His voice was starting to sound anguished and shaky, the little control he had left was running out and he wasn’t strong enough to stop it. The tears began to well in his eyes and with a shaken voice he kept talking, "I love you and I already loved you since before, I—” Charles interrupted him "Erik, a person who loves you doesn’t paralyze you, doesn’t let you feel like agonizing and doesn’t do what you did to me." What Charles said was true, but the love he felt for Charles was genuine, real, the last few days everything was fine, “I…But, Charles…” There weren’t any words left, his mind was running out of ideas and had a lot of loose thoughts. “Face it, Erik, you are doing this for yourself, stop feeling sorry for yourself, you are hurting everyone, hurting yourself, and hurting me. Acknowledge that you don’t love me and that you are doing this out of pity or shame, everything will be better when you do." Despair had taken over Erik's body, and hearing Charles saying those words hurt more than anything he had experienced before. Yet, he kept trying to make Charles understand and accept that the love he feels is real. "I do love you, you have to believe me. Yes, I feel guilty and I know there are no excuses for what I did, but I care about you Charles, I love you, you can't tell me that this feeling isn't true." Now Charles' eyes were the ones welling up, "Erik… whatever is in your heart right now is something far more different. The more you accept it, the better you'll feel. " Erik didn't get it, Charles was talking about things he should know, about truths, about Erik… He was now walking to the door, his focus on the doorknob, it looked kind of crushed, as if Erik was the one who did it. "What truth?" Erik didn’t turn around, he just wanted to hear what else Charles had to say. "Your truth. My truth. Our truth. I’m sorry Erik, but if I have to tear the blindfold out of your eyes, I will and you’ll have to deal with it alone." Without any emotion left, Erik was trying to fix the doorknob. “So, you want me to leave? You want to abandon me because you think I don’t love you?" Erik wonders how many times could Charles break his heart in one day, maybe Charles asked himself the same thing that day in Cuba. "I’m not abandoning you, Erik, never. But there are a lot of things I can’t do. Staying with you and facing the truth is one of them.” Erik nodded and left the room. Charles didn’t ask him to stay

With tears in his eyes, Erik went straight to his room. He feels guilty about leaving Charles alone in the study even if he didn’t call for him when he left. It was the first time he went into his room since they arrived. The first day he carelessly came in, took his clothes, and moved them to Charles’ room, but he didn’t have the time to pay attention to his surroundings. The room was kind of cold, it felt humid and the lighting wasn’t as bright as it was in other rooms he have been to.

Today they had their first fight since they arrived from Cuba. Erik knew how fragile their relationship was thanks to the helmet, the bullet, and the coin, and yet, he dared to threaten Charles with the metals in that room, it didn’t matter if he hadn’t the best control of his power and emotions back there, he shouldn’t have done that. Especially not to Charles.

Oh.

Oh no.

The things Charles said back there were terrifying to him. What if Charles wanted to end their relationship? They weren’t even official until this week. The void in his chest grew as he thought about the possibility of Charles finally noticing how dangerous Erik was, how bad Erik was for him. What if he wanted him to leave? What if it was his fault everyone left and Hank was only faking their friendship? What if…? Erik’s train of thought was interrupted by a knock on his door. It was pretty soon to be Charles wanting to talk but he let himself hope, if he wasn’t there, Erik deserved the disappointment. Erik went slowly towards the door, trying to carefully open it as he hesitantly looked up. “Erik?” Oh. So it was Hank. Erik let himself feel, his tears fell free as Hank went ahead and hugged him. Something about that hug made him feel like Hank, of all people, knows his pain. What kind of pain had he gone through? Did something else happen? He couldn’t know. “What happened back there?” Erik talked, maybe it was the only thing he could do at the moment, “Charles… Charles and I had a fight.” The shy behavior and broken voice weren’t usual in him, Hank broke the embrace to look at him, “Does it have anything to do with the serum?” Erik avoided his gaze, and Hank just waited patiently for an answer, “Is possible that it began because of the serum, but… There’s something wrong with Charles. He has been acting more aggressive towards…” Erik stopped for a moment, his eyes never leaving the sight of the floor as he tried to figure out how to continue, it wasn’t time to talk about the truth that Charles was mentioning. “...Everyone. I don’t know if he talked to you or Sean, but every time someone is with us, he gets more aggressive. It’s like he knows something and he doesn’t want to tell us what.” Hank patiently heard him, he was worried about Erik and the way this was affecting him. “Maybe he’s had a very hard time adjusting. He needs time to recover and heal, not just physically, but mentally too. If you want to, you can come to my lab and distract yourself for a while.” Erik hesitantly accepted Hank’s offer, and both made their way to the lab.

"The tests I ran on me didn't give the results I wanted." Hank was chatting with Erik about the test results, apparently, something was missing, and Erik trying to clear his mind, decided to help again. "I'd like you to help me with something, I know it might be difficult, but it's the only way to know if I'm on the right track." The doctor took one of the syringes with serum, he approached Erik taking his wrist, "I need you to inject this dose, its effect should last for an hour. I want to know if it works on someone who doesn't have a physical mutation." After hearing those words, Erik thought about everything Charles had told him, his angry eyes looked accusingly at Hank as he snatched the arm, "I'm not using that thing!" Panic was taking hold of Erik, who in desperation, trapped Hank against the wall using the metal objects he found in the lab. "Charles was right!" He was about to grab the syringe from Hank's hand when he realized that the other wasn't putting up any resistance. "I know this isn't something you want to do, Erik." The metal still had Hank trapped, but he was focused on his speech, "I wouldn't ask you if there was anyone else, but I really need to finish this before we run out of food." Hank's voice was coming out slurred, maybe he was hurting him for nothing. Or maybe Hank had no other way out of this problem, whatever the situation was, Erik stepped away from the arm that still held the syringe and carefully put each of the metal objects back in place. "I'm sorry, I guess with everything that's happened... Cuba, Charles, the hospital, you know." He paused, looking at Hank, following the serum that was in the other's hands, "How do I know this won't permanently damage me, can I trust you?" Hank sat up, setting the serum down on the table that moments before was holding him, "I haven't managed to make something that will last for me, your mutation is not physical, but it is stronger," He picked up the syringe again and walked over to Erik, "This is a very small dose. If you don't want to take it, I understand, but if you take it, I promise that the effect won't last more than an hour. And you can trust me." Erik looked uncertainly at the syringe, what Hank was saying was true, but there was nothing concrete to support it. Still, what kind of friend/mentor would he be if he didn't? "Okay, I'll do it." Erik took the syringe and without much thought, injected the serum into his arm.

The pain of the injection was very little. The burning sensation slowly running through his body was what really made him cry out in pain, his legs succumbing to the pain that, just as it came, vanished. Now he felt nothing, it was as if an invisible wall stood between him and all the metal. There was no vibration, there wasn't that tinkling sound that rumbled in his bones every time he felt a metal. Erik panicked, this was a bad idea. "Hank!" The doctor who had been watching the whole time, reached out to the other, holding out his hand for Erik to lean on, all he received was a light smack for him to pull away, "I can't... I can't feel anything." Erik was propped up on his hands, his head bent down looking directly at the floor below him, as he tried to calm his breathing, Hank moved closer, this time slowly, "Erik, I understand you're feeling disoriented, I promise the effect will wear off soon," Again he held out his hand, this time Erik took it so he could pull himself up, "While that's happening, tell me how you're feeling?" Erik looked him in the eyes, despite having some distrust, he didn't see a hint of malice or ulterior motives in the doctor's eyes, maybe he could believe him and Charles might have been mistaken. In that case, he didn't know if it was better to confront Charles or just tell him subtly so as not to provoke another fight, of course he was more inclined to the second option. "It's like someone has removed all the metal around me, I can't feel anything, it feels like trying to touch something while you're anesthetized, you know it's there but," Hank completed the sentence, "But you can't feel anything. That's more or less the effect it should have, but with the difference that it also has to alter my appearance." Hank started making notes, Erik didn't pay much attention to him, he was too busy trying to feel something, anything, as long as it was metal.

More than half an hour had passed, and although Erik could not get used to the sensation, he no longer felt so disoriented. Hank had been staring at nothing in silence for a while, when suddenly, he decided to speak again. "Erik, I think we should talk about Charles, or well, what happened that day with Charles." The sentence took him by surprise, especially since it was Hank's idea not to talk about him a while ago, "What exactly?" Erik was turning his back on Hank, he didn't feel able to look him in the eye. "His leaving the hospital was...sudden, don't you think?" Something in Hank's tone was making him doubt, there was something that wouldn't let him make sense of his words, "It was, I thought with everything that happened it would take longer to get out." Erik felt Hank rest one of his hands on his shoulder, he still didn't want to look him in the face. "Do you know what all the fuss was about?" Erik was nervous, did he have to know? He just remembered Charles in the hospital, the nurse talking..."A car was stolen outside the hospital" Hank released his grip for a moment so he could stand in front of Erik "And we now have an unknown car in the driveway." Oh. Erik felt foolish and a little embarrassed at that moment, a laugh of genuine embarrassment began to resonate in the lab. "Oh! That makes sense," Erik couldn't stop laughing, even if deep down he knew there was more to talk about, he let himself get carried away with how stupid he felt. "I feel so sorry for you guys, Azazel left us there! That's why there was no car...Oh no! That's why there was another car parked outside." Erik's eyes widened and his laughter stopped. Still smiling, he turned to look at Hank, "Oh, Charles is going to love this." The laughter had made him optimistic enough to want to see Charles, maybe he would be calmer by now. "I'll be right back, I have to tell Charles about this, besides, I can show him you're reliable, it's almost time the effects wear down, isn't it?" Hank looked at him quizzically, he looked at his watch and saw that Erik was right, in 10 minutes the effect would wear off. "Okay, go, but I need you to pay attention to how your power returns, so we can also have a way to tell when the effect is starting to wear off." Erik nodded and went upstairs, leaving Hank to watch him, if all turned out well, Hank would have a call to make.

Erik was up the stairs in record time, the hope he had that everything had passed already had him too happy. "Charles!" Erik still had the smile on his face as he burst into the study, Charles was looking out the window, now with the moonlight illuminating his face, just like that night when he confessed his feelings. Charles did not look at him, nor did he make any gesture to acknowledge that Erik was in there. Erik walked straight towards the telepath who barely reacted to his steps, "Charles... Are you still mad at me?" the joy in Erik had faded, instead the tightness in his chest grew, Charles did not respond, but in his firmly clenched jaw and the way his hands clutched at the chair was the answer. "Charles, come on, I know you care about me and I know you still think I'm doing this to prove something, but I promise you Hank can be trusted," Erik reached out, trying to touch Charles' shoulder. There was no reaction. "And I promise I really do love you." Erik perched in front of the telepath to get a better look at his face, "Charles? Hey, this isn't..." Erik couldn't continue speaking, Charles' heavy gaze was on him, in his eyes there was no trace of warmth or love, it was as if a ghost was staring back at him. Faced with such a show of indifference, Erik knelt in front of Charles, his trembling hands embracing the immovable body, his gaze strayed from Charles' eyes and rested on the telepath's legs, the guilt he felt increased, and tears welled up in Erik's eyes, and, without noticing it, his breathing was accelerated and erratic, his legs were losing strength and the emptiness again threatened to consume him from the inside. "Charles... Charles, please forgive me," the fearful voice came out as his hands searched for a reaction from the other who just kept looking at him, expressionless and cold. "Hank did the test with me, but in about five minutes I'll be able to feel the metal again." The attempt to speak failed, Charles still did not answer, but now with renewed anger in his eyes, Erik felt Charles' absence. "Please, Charles..." The blue eyes closed as the chair began to move, moving away from Erik, who without support fell forward, his tears and sobs preventing him from speaking coherently. Erik reached out his hand trying to reach for Charles who looked at him one last time, breaking Erik's heart. As the metal in the room began to vibrate, Hank was already carrying Erik to his room. Charles stayed behind as Erik cried. Erik was unable to feel the new injection Hank administered to prevent an accident.

Chapter Text

Erik was in a state of complete desperation and Hank was just trying to get him away from the study, "You need to calm down Erik, it hurts and I really understand, but believe me when I tell you that you can't solve anything like this." Hank's voice calmed him down a bit, but the image of Charles kept him on edge, silence can be so cruel coming from someone like Charles, so cute, so kind, so free... He can't help but fall into that thought that has been hidden deep in the back of his mind, that he was the one who took away Charles' freedom, the man saved him from dying and he took away part of his essence, how can you say you love someone whose glow you dull like that? Charles says he forgave him, but maybe there's anger there, Hank cares for him now but, certainly, he hasn't forgiven him either. Erik knows the serum Hank administered wouldn't last that long either, but he wouldn't have blamed Hank if he wanted to permanently remove his mutation. "Erik, you're thinking too much, you really need to rest." The voice brought him out of his thoughts, lately, it was too easy to get to a dark place when he went too long without distraction. "I'm going to try and talk to Charles if it will put your mind at ease, I'm sure there's something I can do to fix this situation." Erik nodded, staring at the texture of the blanket he was lying on, he couldn't even remember at what point he happened to be lying on his bed. Now that he was more conscious, he felt tired, Hank's offer brought him some peace. Maybe it was a good idea to sleep.

Hank watched as Erik's eyelids closed and his body slowly relaxed, it was time to get to work. The first thing he did was return to the study where Charles was, Hank would say that Charles was ignoring him, as no reaction was visible on his part, although considering what had happened over the past few days he can't expect a normal response from Charles. Hank wheeled the chair down the long hallway, "Erik wants me to talk to you, but I think you know what's going on here," he paused to open the door to the room and continued speaking, "Erik still has some trouble working out what it is that's got him all messed up." Hank sighed, he felt stupid and even somewhat sinister to be doing this. "I know you're the problem, but I'm not going to give him the answer, at least not until the others get back," Hank laid Charles down on the bed, he turned to look at the room and wrinkled his nose, "Maybe after they get back we'll clean this place up, there's a lot to do here." He settled the chair next to the bed and headed for the door. "I can't do much to get you to talk to Erik, but I can tell you one thing... Take the opportunity to say goodbye to him, I don't know what will happen to him after tonight." The door closed, leaving Charles staring into the void. Even Hank didn't understand why he was saying all that to Charles. Hank exchanged the pair of gloves he was wearing for another pair.

Hank headed to the lab quickly, if it wasn't for his mutation, he would be tired by now. Once inside, he headed straight to the phone, he had to call Moira. As Hank waited for her to pick up, he was reading his notes on the serum. "Hello?" Moira's voice sounded a little tired, either he woke her up, or she was up very late at night too, "The serum is ready." on the other end of the line he could hear papers moving and Moira's voice talking to other people, a familiar voice came over the phone, "Hank? How's Erik?" she asked." Raven was worried, she was aware of the situation, and she knew the state Charles was in, but now the main concern was Erik, "He's sleeping, but I don't know how much longer he can be like this, he's getting closer and closer to knowing well...everything." Alex and Sean's voices could also be heard in the background, they left the mansion on time, lying to get out in the least suspicious way possible was not that difficult considering how Erik has been for the last few days. "So this is the call?" Raven emphasized 'the'. Hank knew what she meant, he already had everything ready, and as soon as they arrived they would have to act fast. "Yes, this is the call. It would be fine if they arrive in the afternoon, I'll try to find something to distract him while you arrive and we get everything ready." Hank fiddled nervously with his notes, doodling as Moira's voice could be heard in the background, she was in control of almost everything they needed. "Hank, the people I got have no idea that these are mutants, there's no danger anymore, but I would recommend owing Frost a favor, so you don't take any chances." Hank was considering the possibility, but that was something they would figure out later, the priority was Erik, the situation was too complicated to bring more mutants into the equation. "We'll see, for now, rest up, I'll see you tomorrow." Hank massaged his eyes, the day and week had been long enough, but it would all be over soon. "Thanks, Hank, get some rest. I'll keep you posted on anything that happens." "Thanks, Moira." The call ended and Hank put away everything he had in the lab, the serum he tested on Erik was in a suitcase along with some syringes, the notes tucked away in one of his pockets. Hank cleaned up the lab and went to his room to rest, he would have to wake up early.

Hank's life has always been quite peaceful, or well, as peaceful as it could be being a mutant. His feet were not something that anyone could see, except for the people who at one time or another had to share a locker room or shower room with him. When he went to work for the CIA, he felt he wouldn't have to worry about such things again, then along came Erik, Charles, and Raven, three mutants who seemed quite proud to be mutants. Hank felt some envy and admiration for them at the same time, maybe belonging to a group with people like that, just like him, wasn't a bad idea. In a short time, they went through so much... Darwin, the mansion, training, the serum that accelerated his mutation, Cuba. So much happened that day in Cuba. Because they arrived united, a little confused by Hank's blue, furry form, but united. They pulled the submarine out of the sea and avoided the attack between nations, lost sight of Erik during the fight, and when he saw him again, Erik threw Sebastian Shaw's corpse in the sand. Then the humans pointed their guns at them and although Erik saved them from being killed by the missiles, he and Charles began to fight.

It all happened so fast that Hank only remembers hearing Charles' scream and seeing Erik running towards him, holding him in his arms as if his life depended on it. If the circumstances had been different, he wouldn't trust Erik or do what he's been doing for him now. "But it is what it is." The doctor whispered as he walked towards Charles' room, he still had to find a way to get Charles to "talk" to Erik. He still didn't know why he was trying so hard.

With a desperate cry, Erik reached out to Charles to take him in his arms. The blood gushing from Charles' back terrified him, it was never his intention to hurt another mutant, much less if that mutant was Charles. He didn't fire the bullet but deflected it, maybe that's why instead of taking responsibility he decided to attack Moira, choking her with the dog tags hanging from her neck. The anger was purely directed at her while his heart was focused on the telepath lying in the sand, leaning back on his legs, "Erik, please." The words made him lose his concentration a little, but he was still firm in his resolve to make the agent pay. "She didn't do it, Erik." A few tears were beginning to gather in Erik's eyes, he wanted to turn his attention to Charles, but he had to finish her off first, "It was you." Determination left him completely as soon as Charles uttered those words. He was the one who did this to Charles, to the person who just a day before had confessed to him that he loved him How could this all end so badly? In a last attempt to remedy the situation, he released Moira, now resting his hand on Charles' chest. "I know this isn't the time, but I need you to understand this, Charles," His hand traveled from Charles' chest to his face, caressing the telepath's cheek which looked at him in pain, Erik couldn't decipher if it was pain from the bullet or from what he did. "They want us separated, it's easier for them to hurt us that way. I'm not going to ask you to make a decision now, but think about what I just told you." He removed his hand from Charles' face and began to lift him, he tried to avoid looking at the blood still pouring from the wound, and Charles' abnormally pale face that was still moaning slightly from the pain; As he lifted Charles up, he could feel everyone's eyes on him, it was obvious that they were going to distrust Erik with everything that had just happened. "This ends now." Erik said in a demanding tone, towards the other mutants, "We have more important matters to attend to now" he said in a softer voice, a voice meant for Charles' ears. Slowly and trying not to move Charles too much, he advanced to where Azazel stood, who was looking at him expectantly and with a hint of concern "You, take us to a hospital, as close as possible to the Xavier mansion in Westchester." Azazel nodded, Erik didn't properly see the mutant's face, but he knew that maybe there was doubt or fear, it didn't matter anyway. When they arrived outside the hospital in a cloud of red smoke, he rushed in carrying Charles and Moira followed, much to his dismay. When the emergency people arrived to take Charles from his arms, he stopped paying attention to his reality, his mind could only think of Charles, his Charles, whom he swore he would never hurt.

Erik woke up suddenly, his arms outstretched reaching for something that wasn't there, it was just a memory, a very recent and very real one. As his breathing regulated and his mind cleared, a knocking sounded outside his room, "Erik! Are you awake?" It was Hank's voice, maybe he needed help with something, "I'm awake, come in." His heartbeat was barely subsiding when Hank came in, "Erik, I spoke to Charles." Those words were enough for his attention to go straight to Hank, "I think everything will be fine between you, but I recommend you go see him. I can bring you breakfast while you're talking, if you'd like, wait in the study." Erik's body unclenched significantly after hearing Hank say, "Thank you, I think I'll be with him in the study." Hank nodded and prepared to leave the room, "If you need anything, you can let me know, in the meantime I'll be in the lab, with yesterday's observations I think I can make the serum work." Erik smiled as he watched Hank leave. Now alone in his room, he got ready to go with Charles, they had to fix things as soon as possible.

His walk down the long hallway was torturous, there was no sound and no familiar feeling of Charles in his mind. Despite Hank telling him that things would work out, Erik is still terrified, for the more he thought about what Charles told him, the more convinced he became that they had no stable future thanks to Erik blowing it all for revenge. When Erik arrives at Charles' room, he sees that he is all set in his wheelchair, looking towards the door, as if he was already waiting for him, maybe Hank woke him up earlier and helped him, "Charles I... Can we go to the study?" The warm blue eyes rested on him as Charles nodded. "Okay, I'll take you." Without speaking another word, they both headed to that room. Once there, Erik closed the door behind him, seeing that the tray with breakfast was already on the desk in the study. " Are we having breakfast here? " The question was genuine, lacking any ulterior motives as far as Erik could tell, "Yes, I think it's appropriate, is that okay with you?" Even though they were calmer, Erik was still afraid to say something that would make them fight again, "Yes, okay." And so, it seemed that everything would return to normal.

Hank already had it all planned out, as long as Erik was distracted talking to Charles, the others could arrive. The problem would be Erik sensing the unusual movement ahead of time, so he had them come in one at a time, with as little metal as possible. As they all entered the lab, Hank closed the door behind him, "Aren't you scared to be here? He almost killed you" Sean was talking to Moira, everyone was keeping an eye on her, as she was the only human in the group. "I could ask you the same thing. I know what Erik did back there, but from what Hank tells us, I don't think he can hurt me with Charles constantly in his head..." The redhead frowned, "I think that's what got me almost killed." Alex was in the background, looking at Hank's notes "He seriously didn't give you any trouble with this? I'm sure that guy is very much against experimentation on mutants." Hank approached at a slow pace, stepping up next to Alex, "He gave me less trouble than I expected, but I don't know how good or bad that is on him if I'm being honest." Raven, who was also listening to them, approached them, "And the situation with..." Hank knew what Raven was going to ask. "It's complicated, I feel like whatever is going on in his thoughts is affecting him, his behavior has changed and his mood is entirely dependent on it. I don't know what's going to happen next." Everyone was silent after this response. "Well, we have to do this. Remember, as soon as we're ready, we need to get Erik's attention to come down with Charles." Sean walked over to Hank, "How do you know he's coming down with Charles?" Hank looked at him seriously, "He never comes down without him unless it's to help me in the lab when I ask him to. We need Raven to intervene, we need to get him away from Charles." Because the main issue was to get him away from Charles.

Their morning had passed without many eventualities, they were both talking but still not bringing up what happened, maybe that was the reason why the atmosphere was still heavy. The dishes were empty and placed on the desk, Charles and Erik were in the middle of a game of chess as they talked, "I understand you want to protect me, Charles, I do. You talked to Hank, he's a good guy and a good friend, I don't think he could hurt us." He moved one of his knights as Charles watched, so far there has been no violent reaction. " I know it seems like an overreaction, but what's going on is not something to take lightly. Pawn to F6. " Erik moved Charles' piece and continued "What do you mean, what's going on?" the game that had become fluid abruptly stopped. " Would you believe me if I told you I was protecting you from the truth I so badly want you to know? " Erik is confused, why would Charles say or do that? It doesn't sound like something that makes much sense, but those words... "Charles, I still don't understand your insistence on talking about a "Truth", first you tell me that I pity you, that I'm feeling sorry for myself, then you tell me that I must face a truth alone, now you don't want me to know that truth, What is going on?" Charles looked away, sighed, and looked at Erik again. " How many times could I break your heart in a day, Erik? " oh, he forgot Charles was a telepath. "How many times did I break yours that day?" Erik kept count, because he saw his tears, heard his despair, and felt his pain. In retrospect, yesterday did not settle the debt. " You'll find that I will soon be left owing you, Erik.” That was a strange thing to say, more so coming from Charles, the same Charles who just yesterday reproached him for everything that happened in Cuba, what had Hank told him? Maybe it would be a good idea to ask him…? “Please don't think any more about this now. " Erik nodded, he didn't want to think about Charles' words, because they all had a mysterious and painful vibe to them, he also didn't want to think about how strangely kind Hank has been. Ignoring this sometimes was better than facing the pain he was likely to feel later. 

The game had already gone on for a considerable time without interruptions to talk when Erik sensed an unusual movement in the mansion as if there were more people, or Hank had decided to walk around the mansion with a bunch of metal. " Is everything okay, Erik? " Charles asked as he looked at him curiously, Erik decided to focus better on the movements and noticed that indeed, there were more people with Hank. "I think we have visitors." With surprise visible on his face, Charles leaned back against the back of his chair, " Perhaps it would be a good idea for you to go and see what this is all about. May your heart be whole, my friend. " Erik rose from his seat quickly, knocking over a few pieces as he did so. He bent down to pick them up when he saw the white king lying at the base of the black king who miraculously landed standing up. While trying to reach them, he knocked them both over. Erik froze watching the scene because the carpet resembles the color of the yellowish sand of the beach, and vestiges of a battle could be seen around them - they were just other pieces to pick up. Why was his mind traveling to that moment - the echo of Charles' scream sounded somewhere in his mind, he couldn't help seeing Charles' legs. Erik remained frozen, his arm stretched out trying to reach the pieces and his gaze lost, small tears began to flow from his eyes as he remembered, reliving in his mind how relentless and atrocious he can be if not stopped, how damaging he can be if… " Erik? " Charles' soft voice brought him out of his trance, Erik took the pieces and stood up, wiping the tears from his face as he faked a smile for Charles. "Oh no, let's call it a tie." Charles smiled at him as Erik put the pieces down on the table, unconsciously, Erik took the white king into his pocket. His mind was distracted when he began to feel the movement of several people downstairs in the mansion. He didn't know what was going on, but the visitors were very active. "I'll be right back, stay calm, I think they are friends." Charles nodded and Erik left, closing the door behind him.

Metal was moving towards the front door when Erik peeked down the stairs, as he focused his gaze a little he could see that standing in front of Hank were all of them, Raven, Moira, Alex, and Sean. It was a pleasant surprise, he wished Hank had told him so he could alert Charles properly. Suddenly, Raven's yellow eyes landed on him, she said something to Hank and they all turned to look at him. Erik decided to come down to greet them, "Good morning everyone, it's good to see you here." Erik put on his best smile, it was true he hadn't spoken to them since Cuba, except for Hank and Sean of course. "I must admit I wasn't expecting your arrival so soon, but I think Charles will be pleased to know you're here." Something in the faces of those present changed, at first they looked puzzled to have Erik in front of them, but at the mention of Charles, a stony silence fell. "Raven, your brother will be so happy to see you, he asked me about you. I hope the vacation was good for you, you deserved it." Raven looked at him confused, but smiled and nodded, "Thank you, I did need to get out." Moira stood next to Raven, listening intently to the conversation, "Moira," She, without missing a beat, replied to Erik in a similar tone, "Erik." the changeling walked in front of her, bowing his head slightly. He continued speaking, "I owe you an apology for what happened in Cuba, though I know it's not enough for everything I did, I hope in time I can make up for it." Moira, with surprise and a tinge of sadness, just nodded, wiping away a small tear that threatened to spill. Looking up and turning to Alex and Sean, he continued with his little round of greetings, "You don't know how much we miss you guys at the mansion, you bring this place to life." Both young men looked at him doubtfully, as if they didn't fully believe his words, Erik decided to ignore the feeling.

After exchanging a few more words, Erik realized that he had been downstairs for a long time and had not notified Charles of the arrival of the others. "Well, I guess I'll have to leave for the time being, otherwise Charles isn't going to find out you're here." Ah, there was the silence again. "I'll go upstairs for him, I think he'll be happy to see you here." After those words, Erik left, disappearing into the upstairs hallway. "I didn't expect him to come down alone." Hank whispered as he turned to look at Moira. "The important thing is that he decided to go with him on his own, we have to wait for him and stick to the initial plan." Everyone nodded at Moira's command.  "Hank, are you sure this is going to work?" Alex was looking at the doctor as he pointed to the case in his hand, "I ran the necessary tests, we have to wait for him to come down with Charles and for it to work as I predicted." Alex nodded, "Well it's time to get ready, we don't know how bad this will get." Raven gave Sean a sidelong glance, he told them about the incident with Erik, and it was clear that if this wasn't contained, it would get out of hand very quickly. "Everyone ready?" Moira whispered, the others nodded, watching the stairs in anticipation for when Erik returned with Charles.

The door to the study opened and Erik walked in brightly, "Charles! Everyone's down here, Raven's back!" His smile was the most genuine he had put on since that night on the balcony, he felt happy, it looked like he might have back everything he thought he had lost that day in Cuba. Erik approached the chair cheerfully, however, the happiness dissipated as soon as he saw Charles' face, "Are you okay?" It was obvious that he would be concerned to see Charles so serious, especially after the news that his sister had returned, " Erik, they can't...They must not see me. " It was clear that he didn't understand what was going on because the confusion on Erik's face only grew, "What are you talking about?" Charles looked menacing, but also terrified, his blue eyes were practically piercing Erik's soul, " They're coming for me, Erik, if they see me they're going to separate us, don't you understand? " There it was again that feeling that there were bits of information he wasn't being given, the terror emanating from Charles seemed unnerving, but at the same time he could feel the fear welling up in his chest, "What do you mean Charles, why would they do that to us?" he took Charles' hands between his own, "I need you to tell me what's going on, please." The blue eyes had tears welling up in them and Erik could see a similar pain that Charles showed on that beach in Cuba, behind that intense look there was despair, helplessness, anger, sadness, disappointment...Was the look again for him? " Erik, maybe this is the last time we will see each other, please don't take me to them, I'm begging you. " Despite being a mental voice, Erik was able to hear the anguish and sadness behind it. "Do you think if I hide you in the room you'll be okay?" Erik didn't care so much anymore about knowing what was going on, easing the pain and fear Charles was feeling was his priority. Besides, he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel fear after thinking about the possibility of being taken away from Charles, even trusting Hank, he knows he's been hiding something from him too, everyone does, right? "Don't worry, I'll take you there and tell them you're indisposed, I'll do my best not to get us separated, that's a promise." After that, Charles came closer to kiss him, Erik reciprocated the kiss fleetingly, pulling away now and taking the chair to take Charles directly to the room. "Wait here, I'll be back as soon as I convince them that you don't want to see anyone." Charles smiled at him and as he looked into his eyes again, he said " I love you, Erik. You and every piece of your broken heart. " Erik smiled with a hint of confusion and closed the door.

When Erik returned, he hurried down the stairs. Standing at the foot of the stairs, he raised his face to look at every one. "I'm sorry, but Charles is indisposed. It might not be a good idea for him to come down...or for you to go see him." The looks on the faces of those present hardened, Erik would have to come up with a plan soon in case this didn't work. Hank was the first to react, it was obvious, he has been with them all these days, "What are you saying, Erik? I saw him this morning and he was fine..." Erik saw Raven cast a confused look towards Hank, "As well as he could be." At the clarification, Raven nodded then turned her gaze to Erik, "Why are you hiding my brother?" Raven was also acting strangely, just like Hank, just like Charles. Erik didn't know what to think anymore, they were all kind but at the same time demanding. Of course, if he had to choose someone to trust, it would definitely be Charles. If lying was what everyone was doing, he could do it too.

Chapter Text

Raven stood there waiting, with dark circles visible under her eyes in that blonde costume, her hair was messy and her body slightly thinner than he remembered. Behind Raven was Sean, who was hugging Moira while staring at Erik. Alex was next to Hank, both of them hiding something metallic behind them, Erik couldn't decipher what it was. "Erik, where is Charles?" Moira asked cautiously as if the question would unleash some sort of evil. Erik didn't answer, he was too busy watching everyone else, they were watching him fearfully and warily, they were alert but Erik couldn't manage to figure out why. Raven slowly approached Erik, taking his hand in hers as she transformed into her characteristic blue color "Erik, I want to s-see my brother, please take me to him." Raven's voice was cracking and Erik understood less what was going on, did they have bad news for Charles? Wasn't she going to bring a surprise for him? That was what Hank said, "Is everything okay, why are you looking at me like this?" Erik tries to remain calm, but his hands tremble and a metallic roar echoes through the mansion. Moira broke away from Sean and walked over to stand next to Raven, "Erik, Raven just wants to see her brother, in fact, we all want to see Charles." Moira grabbed Erik's shoulder, "Can you bring him over please, I'm sure he wants to see his sister too." Erik froze, silently giving them a long stare.

He knows Charles wants to see his sister, but he also knew Charles had asked him to hide him for a reason, he still didn't feel safe to confide, but the downcast faces of the others made him feel guilty. "Alright, I'll see if I can convince him." Raven looked him in the eyes and nodded, Moira wrapped Raven in a hug as Erik left, leaving everyone muttering and looking at each other. He went straight into the room, taking Charles in his arms " Erik, what are you doing? " Erik quickly scanned the windows, looking for one to get out of without making too much noise. "We're getting out of here, they want me to take you to them." Charles looked at the desperation in Erik's eyes, " The balcony, it's close to us and we can get out without breaking any windows. " Charles' firm voice made him calm down a little as he floated towards the door. As he stepped outside, Erik heard Hank's voice, "What are you doing?" a shiver ran down his back, they were busted. "I'm sorry, Hank. I don't plan to be separated from Charles." Erik took a jump so he floated and looked for a direction to flee to, Charles remained calm in his arms. Hank pulled himself back into the mansion and Erik took advantage of that time to gain a head start on the others. Erik advanced carefully so as not to stun Charles when suddenly, a deafening noise hit him from behind, it was clear that it was Sean, Erik covered Charles' head as they both fell, trying to use his weight to make him fall backwards on the grass. At the last moment, Erik was able to stay afloat. What was wrong with them? They could have hurt Charles. Erik got up and kept running before they caught up to him, barely able to settle Charles to carry him with one hand, with the other he started looking for something that could stop them all. The fences surrounding the garden reached his field of vision and he immediately found himself throwing them to stop them from advancing.

"Erik, wait!" Hank's shout echoed as the fences began to float. "We're not going to take you away from Charles, I promise!" Erik paused, apparently Hank knew exactly what to tell him. The metallic structures were still floating above whoever was chasing him, but they stopped moving. "That's right, we won't hurt you." Said the doctor with a triumphant smile. Panting, Hank approached while showing both hands empty in the air, as if surrendering. Erik couldn't sense anything potentially harmful, so he didn't move away, however, he was still alert staring at Moira and Alex, who seemed to be hiding something, Raven and Sean were next to them, leaving Hank to be the only one approaching him. " Erik, don't let him fool you, whatever you do don't... " The warning went unfinished as Hank darted towards Erik, his eyes staring at the weak spots he found to take them down. The mutant was barely able to get out of the way as he locked Hank in with the metal fences. "Erik!" The roar Hank made as he fell almost distracted him from Alex's shout, he turned to where he was and saw him approaching at a fast pace with the mystery briefcase in hands. It was strange that Alex didn't use his powers, there was something that wasn't letting him shoot, maybe he didn't want to hurt them. Taking advantage of the distance that still remained between them, Erik pulled one of the metal poles in the large garden from the ground and wrapped it around Alex's body, momentarily immobilizing him. He knew it wouldn't stop him, but it gave him time to escape.

Sean's thundering scream was present again, and Erik only managed to cover one of his ears while looking for something to stop the mutant. Unable to find anything else, he uncovered his ear and with that same hand ripped out another of the garden posts, trapping Sean in the same way he had trapped Alex, only he paid special attention to the mouth to stop the sound. Erik was puzzled to see how Charles seemed to better withstand the sound of Sean's screams, he didn't even see him bothered by the noise. In the background, Erik could see Moira and Raven running towards him. Between the two, the real danger was letting Raven get close, her strength and hand-to-hand combat prowess was something Erik wasn't prepared for, let alone having Charles in his arms. Without giving Raven time to advance, Erik ripped off another of the fences to lock her in like Hank. The plan would have worked had it not been for Moira, who saw the fences approaching and at the last minute threw Raven out of the way, trapping her instead. "Run, don't worry about us!" Mystique. That was the name she chose for herself because she thought it was fitting for someone as mysterious as she was. She who can be anyone in the world from one second to the next. She, who has a colossal strength. She whose metabolism won't let her age as fast as others. If anyone could stop Erik and Charles from whatever was going on, it was her, and Erik knew that.

Raven tried to tackle Erik, but he was able to dodge her. Still, that didn't hold her back from trying to take Erik down, throwing kicks and trying to get her hands on him in order to stop him. The mutant could barely keep up the pace to avoid each of Raven's attempts, and to Erik's fortune, the garden was full of things he could use to his advantage. Still dodging the attacks, he was able to raise his arm to pull more poles out of the ground, Erik looked tired, it wouldn't be long now before she could stop him and get Charles back, and well, end everything that was going on. Raven saw Erik hesitate for a moment and she took the opportunity to grab the necessary momentum, she pulled her arm back slightly and... she couldn't move it anymore, her wrist had been caught by one of the poles. "Erik let go of me!" Instead, another pole got tangled in his other arm, with a gesture, Erik brought Raven to her knees. "I'm sorry, I can't let you do this." Erik didn't understand why not just let them go, none of this would have happened if they hadn't chased him. "Erik... let go please!" Raven's voice sounded desperate, it was starting to crack even. "Don't take him, he's my brother... Please!" a sob escaped Mystique's lips and he turned to look at her.

Erik stood watching the scene, paying special attention to the shapeshifter who was kneeling, her face distressed at Erik's sight, tears spilling unceasingly down her blue cheeks. It was strange to see Raven, the strong and imposing mutant, this vulnerable, this broken. " Erik, why are you stopping, we can go now! " something wasn't right, Erik didn't feel right doing this, he didn't want to see Raven suffer like this and not just because he felt affection for her, but because Charles wasn't showing the slightest reaction to his sister's pain, it was as if his desperation not to be taken away from Erik hasn't allowed him to see that he's hurting others. For God's sake, this is the person Charles cared for so long, the one he says he loves with all his soul and there is nothing, not even an attempt to comfort her.

Maybe it was time to stop.

Carefully and ignoring the feeling of uncertainty rising inside her, she began to release everyone from the small metal prisons. Raven was still crying but now everyone was coming to her to comfort her as they took turns looking at Erik with a mixture of pity and fear. He and Charles were supposed to take care of these people, these mutants. They were supposed to be their mentors, and now they were all chasing them and were willing to fight as long as the two of them didn't escape, why would they separate them? It didn't make sense, there wasn't really much point to Charles' fears, if they wanted to keep them apart for the safety of either of them, they would have done it already, they wouldn't have let Erik take care of Charles. "Erik?" Moira's cautious voice brought him out of his thoughts, "Would you let Charles be with his sister, please." His gaze traveled from the scene in front of him, to Charles' face. He paused to contemplate his beloved's features, completely ignoring the questions Charles was asking, " Are you seriously planning to turn me in? Why won't you listen to me? Erik! What are you planning to do? Erik? Erik! " With no time to waste, Erik slowly approached with Charles in his arms, with no intention of continuing to run away.

Charles sounded desperate, but it was no time to hesitate if he wanted to end the mystery and get the others to trust him. Arriving in front of them, Erik stopped, he didn't want Charles to be taken away, he didn't want to disappoint anyone. He knew there was metal around him, if they tried anything he could handle it. Still, with tears in his eyes, he looked at Charles, "I'm so sorry." He kissed Charles' forehead, who looked at him with pain and doubt, even being a telepath, he didn't seem to know what was going through Erik's mind. "Oh, love... I'm going to miss you."  Charles sounded resigned and hurt, but this was something Erik couldn't help, this was for everyone's sake. Raven slowly approached, taking Charles in her arms. Erik let her as he tried to decipher Raven's movements and look, trying to figure out why tears were running down the others' faces, would Charles have said something to them? "Now!" Raven's voice echoed at the same time Erik felt a stabbing pain in his arm and again felt that searing burn he remembered from the serum he was injected hours before, as he turned away from his attacker, he realized that all the metal around him was imperceptible, again he was without powers, without resources to defend Charles. "So it was true?" breath hitching, eyes wide and alert looking at everyone, especially Hank, who was carrying an empty syringe in his hand "You told me it was for you! You bastard! Charles was right!" Erik's voice cracked as his accusatory cries echoed, seeing that everyone stood watching, unmoving, Erik lunged at Hank, his fists striking weakly at the other's abdomen. "Erik, please." Hank's voice was strangely calm, soft, and without a trace of terror in it, his big blue eyebrows complementing the sad look he was giving him, why would Hank look at him with pity? "Alex, take the other syringe, it won't be needed." There was another one, why would they want to attack like that? In a single motion, Hank shoved him off his body and set him down on the grass.

Erik's anger subsided and turned to doubt and helplessness, there was something wrong and Charles wasn't speaking to him, not even to scold him. Raven had already laid Charles down on the grass and he wasn't looking at him. "Raven, put something under his head, Charles might be uncomfortable" Raven looked at him, her eyes still teary as she slowly approached him again, keeping her eyes on Erik, "Raven, we still don't know how he's going to-" "I don't care Hank!" The conversation that was going on in front of Erik made no sense at all. "Even without his powers, I don't think he can take it well." Hank was trying to reason with Raven while Erik was still trying to figure out what they were talking about. "Of course not, but we can't let him keep doing it either" Moira interjected into the conversation, defending Raven "His reaction will be the same no matter when he's told, it's better we do it now." Raven looked him in the eye, are they talking about him?

"Erik, I need you to listen to me please" there was the caution again, he was being treated as if he was a wild animal ready to attack, "Charles couldn't-" Raven swallowed saliva and her eyes were starting to water again. "Charles couldn't have told you anything, Erik" Raven's hand slowly rested on his, her fingers conveyed warmth. Erik began to feel panic possessing him, his chest felt heavy and his lungs didn't seem to hold enough oxygen. Erik was shaking his head "What are you talking about? Charles was the one who told me to be careful with Hank's serum." Raven was crying but wouldn't let go of Erik's hand, Moira walked over to Erik and he quickly turned around resting his gaze on her. "Erik, I understand we can't know how you feel, but we need you to listen to Raven." Why was Moira feeling sorry for him? Of everyone in Cuba that day, she should hate him the most along with Charles, of course. Still, there was something in the air, it was something that drained him of strength and composure, something that made him feel an emptiness growing in his chest, cold freezing his insides. "Erik, I need you to look at Charles and tell me what you see." Raven's command was demanding and the pain in her voice was clear, what wasn't clear was why she wanted him to look at Charles, yet he did. Charles' pretty blue eyes, his soft pinkish lips, his round cheeks, his white skin with a slight tinge created by the light, his silky shiny hair, his calm breathing... Charles is beautiful. "Erik! Tell me what do you see, tell me!" Raven's desperate cries brought him out of his trance, she was shaking him by the shoulders just like she did that nurse in the hospital when... Oh.

The piece that had been missing all this week was finally presenting itself to him.

Ah, that's why Raven was crying. That's why Alex and Moira weren't coming back. That's why Sean left after their argument. That's why Hank was locking himself in and so insistently cleaning the mansion.

Erik began to laugh, his shoulders shaking from the laughter that erupted from himself, his mouth was beginning to dry and his eyes were wet from the tears that were beginning to well up. Oh, what a stupid situation! That's why there was never any need for ramps at the mansion! That's why Charles wouldn't eat! That's why he had to dress him! His laughter stopped. So that's why Charles preferred to talk to him. 

Oh.

"Erik?" Hank spoke and Erik remembered that he wasn't alone in that dreary place, or well, physically he wasn't alone. Erik crawled over to where Charles was lying, beautiful, sweet, tender, and very, very dead Charles. For Erik finally saw him, his pretty blue eyes stared into the void because there was no life behind them, his soft lips were dry and pale, his cheeks were drained of all color, his skin white and cold because blood no longer ran through his body, his hair dull, and his breathing nonexistent. Charles was beautiful.

Erik took Charles in his arms, lifting him from the damp, cold grass, brushed the dull hair away from his beloved's face, and kissed his forehead. After that small gesture of affection, Erik turned to look at Raven and with a shaky smile spoke "Charles is not here." Like a puppet, the strength that held Erik vanished. The sobs were more wrenching than any scream Erik could have given, his hands clutched weakly at the corpse of his beloved. Good thing they injected him with the serum, the metal would not have withstood the swirl of anguish and torment Erik had inside him, maybe he would have murdered everyone here, including himself. 

Alex and Sean were the ones who approached Erik and took Charles from his arms. There was no struggle, Erik was weak and could only watch as Charles, his Charles, was taken away. His arms outstretched towards them as the tears continued to fall. He didn't feel Raven's embrace, nor did he feel Hank's grip helping him up. The words sounded but made no sense, he didn't even notice the moment they all entered the mansion, there were more people inside, all going from room to room, cleaning and dusting the place. The daylight fled and the night took over. This week's routine was implanted in his mind and his hands played with the white king in his pocket. The cold he felt made him react, this temperature would not be good for Charles, he should dress him in warm clothes, something so he could sleep, but he did not see him, Charles was not there and did not answer his calls telepathically, maybe someone knew where Charles was.

"Raven, it's time for Charles to sleep, do you know where he is?" She didn't answer him and just hugged him tightly, apparently Raven didn't know where Charles was either. Erik didn't understand what was going on, but decided to leave Raven in Hank's arms while Erik went upstairs to the room where Charles and he slept. The room was very clean, no trace of the spilled tea, no trace of the food Charles didn't taste, there were no clothes ready, and there was no Charles.

There was no Charles anymore.

Erik remembered that there would never be Charles again.

The metal around him overwhelmed his senses, but this time nothing in the house shook, only a coin lying on Charles' nightstand. The coin with which he had harmed Charles. The coin moved, following Erik slowly as he made his way to the balcony where Charles had kissed him that night. The doors opened and Erik admired the cold night sitting in the same chair where Charles had cried, Erik slowly closed his eyes, remembering once again the beauty of Charles, not only his beautiful features, but his ideas, the way he spoke, the way he felt, the way he was. The coin floated in front of him and he remembered how he told Shaw the plans he had, knowing that Charles was listening too.

He counted one and Charles was shouting without him hearing.

He counted two and Charles was begging him not to kill.

He counted three and his revenge was ready, unaware that Charles was feeling the same agony as the monster in front of him.

Counting to three now would only lengthen the inevitable, and yet he did so thinking of the three times he killed his beloved.

Because he severed his connection by wearing the damn helmet.

Because he hurt him by killing Shaw.

Because he killed him with the bullet he deflected into him.

Laughing through his tears, he remembered that the Charles in his head had told him that after learning the truth, Charles would be left owing him a broken heart. Charles was too kind, Erik knew he deserved this pain and more. Perhaps that was why the damned coin made its way into Erik's head, as at one time Charles had made its way into his heart, as at one time the same coin had wounded Charles. One last tear fell as the memory of Charles faded from Erik's mind.

If there was no more Charles, there was no Erik. No more.

***

Azazel had taken them to the entrance of the hospital, Erik refused to let go of Charles, who was unconscious from pain and blood loss, when the nurses and paramedics arrived, Erik had no choice but to leave Charles and pray that all was well. Outside, no one was talking, Raven was hugging Hank, who had to hide so as not to distract or scare people with his appearance. After four hours of waiting, a nurse called them in. Erik didn't seem to have processed the information they were given, she said something like "we did what we could" Erik already knew Charles' legs wouldn't recover, he could tell when he pulled the bullet out. While Moira, Alex and Raven were talking to the nurse, Erik separated from the group. Raven was crying heartbrokenly in Moira's arms, who also had some tears sliding down her cheek. While they were calming down Raven, someone reported that Charles' body was not in the room where it should be, everyone acted immediately, but no one could find the body... Or Erik. 

Among the many reports, someone also reported a stolen car. The police arrived at the hospital and while the testimonies were being gathered, Raven and Moira decided to go to the CIA facilities to investigate the possibility that someone else had taken the body with the intention of investigating the telepath's mutant gene. Deep down, Raven knew that wasn't the case, but decided to go with Moira anyway. Hank, Sean and Alex made their own way to the mansion, as Azazel left after dropping them off at the hospital. When they arrived at the mansion, there was an unfamiliar car in the driveway. The doors were open and the murmur of a voice could be heard in the distance, but inside the place. Hank was the first to go in to see who was there and heard Erik's voice, which he heard was coming from Charles' room. When Hank arrived, he knocked on the door. Erik answered it and let him in. As he entered, he saw Erik, with a disturbingly warm smile, laying Charles' body on the bed, when Hank tried to say something to make Erik stop, Erik threatened him with the metals within his reach, something he did unconsciously, as he not only moved the metals in the room, but those throughout the house. Hank decided to act so that Erik would calm down, at least while they found a way to make Erik understand.

Hank explained what happened to Sean and Alex, Alex decided to leave later that day to talk to Raven and Moira. Sean stayed behind to help Hank make a serum for Erik to temporarily lose his powers, something that would prevent another little incident like the one Hank had with Erik, but by the time they decided to do the intervention, Sean's attempts to talk to Erik resulted in more threats with metal, it seemed he was unaware of the state Charles was in. When Erik consciously and directly threatened Sean, he had to leave with the others, leaving the serum development half done, Hank would have to do the rest on his own, including the much-needed and terrifying job of cleaning the rooms where Erik was with Charles. He had never used so much antiseptic material in his life.

Erik offered to help Hank with the serum, "Charles" had many concerns about the serum and Erik cleared each of the questions with Hank. He felt sorry to see that Erik genuinely believed the conversations he was having with the corpse were real, the exchanges they were having was just Erik talking to nothing, his mental state seemed to get worse as the days went by. Ironically, thanks to Erik's help, the serum was ready in two days. When Hank went to the studio, he saw that Erik was behaving very erratically, apparently, the Charles in his mind was distrusting Hank, a part of Erik was aware that what they were developing had to do with him. Still, Hank's lie worked on him.

After Hank tested the effectiveness of the serum, he called Raven, giving the green light for everyone to travel back to arrive the next day. The plan had been hatched during the call, they weren't sure it would work, he even had two syringes in case the first dose didn't work or it got lost in the action. Seeing Erik realize everything that had happened certainly was a hard blow to everyone, the scene was heartbreaking, and it was more so to see Erik so lost. Still, it was a relief to know that Erik was no longer creating a fantasy in which Charles was still living. When Erik got up to "look for Charles," everyone thought he was going to sleep in Charles' room, Hank was still worried, it seemed that at times Erik was not accepting his reality.

The cold night wind caused the door to bang against the walls, Hank, still awake after leaving Raven in her room, went to investigate the sound. The day had been more exhausting than the rest, and what happened on these days would certainly be the source of his nightmares for years to come. Hank was thankful that only he had to watch Erik slowly break down more and more, if anyone else had been here they might not have endured it, they might have fallen into the same thing. As Hank walked out, the chill of the night took over. He turned to look for the reason the doors were open, he never expected to find Erik sitting outside, maybe he should help him back to bed. He can't help but feel a little sorry for him, he knows the days after this one would be even harder for everyone. As he approached, he noticed that Erik's eyes were closed, his eyelashes were wet and a dark liquid was running down his peaceful features. Hank followed the trail with his eyes and could see a small puncture piercing across his forehead. Hank didn't cry out, but his tears wet the blue fur on his face, perhaps he underestimated the pain Erik faced. Perhaps they were destined for such an end. Maybe in some other world, they could be together and happy. Maybe they already are. Hank doesn't know.

All Hank can know is that Charles is gone, and Erik couldn't be without him.