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“Erik?” Charles whispered, grabbing for his boyfriend’s hand in the dark.
“Charles.” He felt Erik wrap his arms around him, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“Oh god, darling, I’ve missed you too,” Charles said, his voice cracking as he hugged the other tightly. He felt tears forming in his eyes as he leaned against Erik, the smell of his cologne bringing the distinct feeling of safety he’d missed deeply on a week-long trip for an interview at Harvard College before he applied.
“I’m sorry things are like this, meine liebe.”
“It’s okay,” his partner sniffed, kissing Erik’s chest and holding him closer, shivering slightly in the October wind.
“Erik, where’d you go?” A voice called, the glowing beam from a flashlight streaming across the grass. Charles jumped, scampering away from Erik and retreating toward a particularly shadowed portion of the field, out of the reach of the circle of light.
“Hey Harry, over here,” Erik replied, trying not to let his eyes dart over to where Charles hid. All he could think about was how Charles was scared of the dark...
“Whatcha doing over here, man?” His friend asked, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his bag.
“Just heading home. I had to park in the small lot, the main one was full.”
“Cigarette?”
“Nah, my mom would smell it on me.”
“Gotcha,” Harry said, lighting one and taking a long drag. “Well, I gotta go. Gloria’s waiting; you know how girls get. Hey, do you got one yet?”
Erik shook his head and laughed.
“Nah, there aren’t any girls for me.”
“I guess,” he grinned. “I’ll see you, man.” Harry walked back towards the school, smoke blowing back to Erik and Charles. As soon as he was out of sight, Erik dashed over to Charles, feeling for him then pulling him into a tight embrace. His boyfriend was shaking hard, tears running down his face.
“Oh baby,” Erik murmured, rubbing Charles’ back, kissing his wet cheek.
“I love you so much, “ he replied, resting his forehead against Erik’s shoulder.
“I love you too, I really do.”
“Can I go home with you? Kurt told me not to come back tonight...”
“Absolutely. Mama already said it was alright. You’re always welcome.”
“Really? Does she know I’m a mutant too?”
“Uh huh, she has ever since you told me it was okay to tell her.”
“And she still lets you bring me ‘round?” Charles asked, looking up at Erik with wide, teary eyes. “Even though I can read minds?”
“She thinks of you as her second son. She knows you’re very respectful and always ask before you look at someone’s thoughts. She’s looking forward to the day you’re her son-in-law.”
“Oh my,” Charles chuckled. “I can’t wait for that day either.”*****
“Mama, wir sind zu Hause,” Erik called, letting Charles into the house, following him inside.
“Wir? Ist Charles mit dir?” She replied from upstairs.
“Ja, er ist!”
“Hallo Charles.”
“Hi Mrs. Lehnsherr,” he said with a smile as she came down the stairs.
“How was the game, darlings? Did Erik play well, Charles?”
“Oh, he did splendidly, as usual.” He squeezed Erik’s hand tightly. “He was definitely the MVP!”
“Great job, Liebling junge,” Edie said, kissing her son’s cheek. “I’m so proud.”
“Danke, Mama.”
“Would you like to stay the night, Charles? I hear that things are hard at your house, yes?”
“Would that be alright?” Charles asked timidly.
“Of course, you are always welcome to stay over. I trust both of you to be safe and make good decisions. Plus, you’re so nice to have around; you make Erik happy.”
“Thank you so much!” He hugged Edie quickly then kissed Erik’s cheek.
“Anytime, dear. Now, Erik, make sure you clean up your room before Papa gets home tomorrow.”
“Okay, Mama, thank you,” Erik said, taking Charles’ hand and leading him upstairs. When they reached Erik’s room, he shut the door and turned to Charles.
“Schatz, I’m so sorry about earlier...” Erik sighed, running his hands through Charles’ wavy dark hair.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not. I feel awful.”
“Are you ashamed?”
“What?”
“Are you … ashamed of having a boyfriend, a mutant boyfriend?”
“Baby, no!” Erik took his hand, kissing it gently. “I’m not, I promise.”
“Then why can’t we be out in public?”
“I don’t want you getting hurt, Charles.”
“But we’d protect each other, right...?”
“Of course, but we wouldn’t always be together, love.”
“I can fight for myself, Erik, and I know you can.”
“I know, but I don’t want you put in any bad situations. People here aren’t exactly accepting… We’re waiting on the world to catch up. It doesn’t seem to be ready.”
“I just hate having to hide another aspect of my life.”
“It’s not fair we have to, but we need to for right now.” Erik’s heart hurt; he knew it was important for Charles to be recognized by others, but it was naive to think they’d be accepted here… It wasn’t time. Charles sighed, curling into a ball on Erik’s comforter. He reached up and pulled Erik backwards, so their faces were touching. He kissed the tip of his boyfriend’s nose and scooted into his arms.
“I love you,” Charles breathed.
“I love you too, liebling. Next year, everything will be different. Once you’re at university, we’re gonna be the loudest, proudest same sex* couple there. I’ll wear a sign if you want me to,” he said with a laugh.
“Aw, love, that sounds wonderful.”
“Do you want to go to the dance in the spring? You know - the big one?”
“Ehh... I don’t know.”
“But Charles, you love those things. And it’s senior year!”
“I just don’t wanna go without you.”
“Oh...”
“I’m sorry, love...”
“No, no, this is my fault.”
“Let’s just forget about it, dearest. I have you, and that’s all I want.” Erik wrapped himself around Charles’ small frame, kissing the back of his head. Charles sang to him softly, that French love song he’d found on a cheap record, laying his head against Erik’s arm, feeling his boyfriend’s warm body behind him. “Votre voix aux sons caressants
Qui les murmure en frémissant
Me berce de sa belle histoire
Et malgré moi je veux y croire*…”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

*****7 Months Later***** “Are you going to prom Friday night?” Harry asked as he and Erik walked down the hall after geography. The students crowding the corridor were all buzzing with excitement about the impending festivities. Before classes even started this morning, Erik had seen two girls get asked to go and blushingly accept. It just pushed on the guilty sore in his heart that had been festering since October, and he tried to ignore it.“Eh, probably not. I’ve got to do things around the house, and Jeff might need me at work,” he replied, trying to keep his answer vague.“Aw, c’mon, Erik, you gotta get out. You’re always hanging out with that square from bio or working at home or the deli, don’t you ever have fun?”“I have fun! Charles is really nice!”“But he’s a fag, man. Don’t you know that?” Erik stopped in his tracks, intense fear and anger battling inside him.“Wait, what’d you say?” Erik heard the blood rushing in his ears and his heart pounding against his chest.“He’s a fag. And people are gonna think you’re one too if you keep hanging around him.”“People need to mind their own goddamn business,” Erik seethed, gripping his books tighter, the metal on his satchel twisting from the pull of his mutation. Keep calm, keep calm… “They’re just looking out for you. Don’t want anything bad to happen,” Harry shrugged. Was he oblivious? Was it a subtle threat? Who was calling Charles a fag? Erik waved goodbye to Harry and ducked into the library. Charles spent his study hall here, and Erik always came and walked with him to lunch. Erik made his way down the aisles, looking into each corner and at every table, but he wasn’t there. He saw Eileen from his and Charles’ biology class sitting in a chair by the door and went over to her.“Hey, have you seen Charles?” He asked. “I can’t find him anywhere.”“Oh yeah, I think he went home,” she replied. “I don’t know why, he left a while ago. Went down the street with his bag and didn’t come back.”“Alright, thanks.” Erik walked briskly out of the room, broke into a run, and crashed through the back entrance to the school. He was probably going to get in trouble for ditching, but he couldn’t care less. Something was wrong, and he felt the dread growing with every step that slapped against the pavement. He didn’t even know where he was going, but he had to find Charles. It was doubtful Charles would be at his own house; it was never somewhere he went when he was upset or if he had a choice. He had never gone to Erik’s house if he wasn’t there, and he didn’t really have any close friends. Erik’s mind raced: Where? Where? Where? Then it clicked: he had to be at the park. He spent a lot of time there, he liked watching the ducks and reading on the benches. His mind was racing as he sprinted through the park’s gates and searched the surroundings, hoping to see Charles. He began to walk around on the path; scanning every visible spot for his boyfriend. He caught a glimpse of a dark red jacket far away, by the little lake, and ran. He almost fell, his foot catching on a root, but he steadied himself and continued. “Charles?” Erik called, and the red figure whirled around as he ran over and slid into the grass beside him. His boyfriend looked up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes and quickly pulled him into a hug. But not quickly enough for Erik to miss the darkening purple bruise under Charles’ left eye. He gasped, wrapping his arms tighter around Charles.“Schatz, what happened? Who did this to you?” He tried to keep his voice calm to not let Charles hear the rage boiling inside him.“Nothing… It’s nothing,” the reply was muffled by the fact Charles had pushed his face into Erik’s jacket.“It’s not nothing, your eye’s got a big bruise! What happened?”“I… Nothing.”“Baby, talk to me, please.”“I think people know I’m a homosexual…”“Who said that?”“Some of the guys from the basketball team were talking about it, and I walked by, and they started asking me, so I panicked and tried to run but they really needed to know, and when I tried to get away, they… got aggressive.”“Oh god,” Erik bit his lip as Charles began to cry and kissed the top of his head, holding him close. There was no one around the park, so they were safe. “I’m sorry, oh god, I’m so sorry. I should have been there to protect you.” Charles shook his head emphatically, defiantly wiping his tears.“N-no, I’m okay. I didn’t say anything. They don’t know anything.”“That’s not the point, you never should have had to go through that.”“It’s my fault though. I shouldn’t be so obvious…”“Oh baby, it’s not your fault! It’s not your fault.”“It is. I should be able to seem heterosexual. I shouldn’t let people see… You’re so good at hiding it. I don’t know why people see right through me.”“Hey, listen to me, okay?” Erik looked into Charles’ watering eyes, tears welling in his own. “I love you so much. And if anyone, and I mean anyone, hurt you, I’m going to stand up for you. I don’t care who knows what or who I am. You are my number one priority, and I’m not going to let these bastards to get away with anything.”“I’m scared.” Charles’ voice was small, and he seemed so fragile and vulnerable.“It’ll be alright, I promise. We’re gonna get out of here so soon, and we’re going to be able to get away. It’s going to get better.”“What if nothing changes? What if we have to hide forever?”“The world is going to change. There are more people like us, mutants and men who love other men. We’re already seeing people refusing to hide, like that one mutant in Kansas who showed their powers off in front of their whole town.”“Well, they were arrested for that…”“But there are protests! There are people on our side.”“You’re right… I just, I just want to be able to be seen like a normal person…”“We are normal, baby. People just don’t get it yet. It’s hard to hide, and I hate that we need to right now. But we have to stay safe and stay strong together. That doesn’t mean I can’t beat the shit out of those basketball players though.”“We have to be the better men, darling. Besides, I doubt anyone would care if we explained the situation.” Erik sighed, not wanting to admit he was probably right.“Do you want to just skip the rest of school and stay here a while?” He asked, gently squeezing Charles’ hand. “I have all my stuff. Leaves of Grass* is still in my bag, and I marked something I want to read to you.”“Mhm,” Charles nodded, but quickly asked, “won’t your mom get mad at you for ditching?”“She doesn’t need to know.”“I don’t want you to lie to her…”“It’s okay. The school probably won’t call, and it’s one class anyhow. I’ve got a good attendance record, don’t worry.”“Are you sure?”“Positive.”“Okay.”“Have you read ‘Live-Oak, with Moss?’”“Parts of it, I think? I’ve been skipping around.”“Well, this excerpt made me think of you,” Erik said, smiling kindly and pressing a kiss to Charles’ forehead before he pulled out the thick book of poetry from his bag. After he flipped to the marked page, he took Charles’ hand and began to read. “‘And that night O you happy waters, I heard you beating the shores—
But my heart beat happier than you—for he I love is returned and sleeping by my side.And that night in the stillness his face was inclined toward me while the moon's clear beams shone,
And his arm lay lightly over my breast—And that night I was happy.’” “T-that reminded you of me?” Charles stammered, blushing.“Yeah,” Erik nodded.“But it’s beautiful and romantic…”“Just like you.”“I love you.”“I love you too. I know things aren’t always easy and that we’ve struggled a lot, but I will always love you. We’re a team.”“My MVP,” Charles said, grinning.

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***** The next morning, Erik left his house earlier than usual for school. It was Friday, and he wanted to meet Charles at their halfway point and walk with him to school. The air was wet, and heavy rain was undoubtedly on its way. Mama had insisted he wear his raincoat, and he thought about how Charles’ mother and stepdad didn’t even say goodbye to him in the mornings, let alone tell him to stay dry. Though Charles’ family was wealthier than Erik could fathom, his boyfriend often didn’t have things he needed, like a good coat or school supplies. Charles usually took care it himself quietly, but he still hadn’t gotten a proper winter coat or raincoat to Erik’s knowledge. He saw Charles a little ways ahead of him, standing by the sign outside of Smith’s Pharmacy. He waved to him, and Charles waved back. There were lots of people milling about the sidewalk and street, and as much as he wanted to greet Charles with a kiss, he knew he couldn’t.“Hey,” Erik said, extending his hand to shake Charles’, as dictated by the social conventions he hated.“Hi,” Charles replied, smiling. His eye was swollen, now an even darker purple. He was wearing his thin red jacket, but Erik could see he was shivering from the drizzle.“Have you gotten yourself a raincoat yet? You’re gonna catch cold!”“Not yet… I just keep forgetting.”“I brought one of my old ones that might fit, here,” Erik said, pulling the dark green coat out of his satchel.“You didn’t have to do that,” Charles replied, his voice falling a little. He never liked having people do things for him. He said it made him feel guilty.“I know, but I can’t have you dying from pneumonia or something.” He dropped his voice to a whisper before adding, “you’re too important to me.”“Thank you. You’re too kind.” He pulled it on, the sleeves almost covering his hands, but he looked a lot warmer and drier.“It’s perfect, thank you.”“Of course,” Erik nodded as they walked towards the high school. “How is your eye feeling?”“It hurts. I had trouble falling asleep last night because I couldn’t lay on my side…”“Did your parents say anything?”“I didn’t really hang around them too much after you walked me home. I doubt they noticed.”“I’m sorry…”“Eh,” Charles shrugged. “It’s nothing out of the ordinary.”“That’s not how it should be.”“I know, but it’s the way it is…” Erik sighed heavily. He knew that not having parents that cared really hurt Charles, and he hated that he couldn’t do anything but keep him away from the home and his parents’ neglect and abuse. He remembered when he’d first met Sharon Xavier and Kurt Marko - she’d been drunk, and Kurt had screamed at Charles for allegedly using his telepathy to spy on him… Charles had then taken Erik up to his room and cried for a while after that. The memory was crystal clear and made his stomach turn every time he thought about it… “What are you thinking about?” Charles asked, and Erik realized he’d probably been staring and not paying attention.“Oh, um, I was thinking about when I first met your parents,” he replied, a little cautiously.“That was certainly a first impression they gave, now wasn’t it?” Charles shook his head, jaw set.“It was very…memorable.”“Indeed,” Charles said, laughing and rolling his eyes.“I take it they haven’t gotten any better?”“No, but it’s alright. We’re gonna move away soon.”“I can’t wait,” Erik grinned. “Massachusetts is going to be so much better.”“Oh darl-” Charles said, catching himself and looking to make sure no one heard him. “I sure hope it is…”“It will be, I know it will. You’re going to be so incredible, and I can’t wait for what’s coming next for us.” Charles shrugged, looking down at the sidewalk. Erik felt his heart aching with frustration that he couldn’t kiss his boyfriend or hold his hand or reassure him; it wasn’t “proper.”  If anyone mentioned homosexuality at all, it was always about how it was wrong and degrading good society and how the men having sex didn’t love each other. It wasn’t fair. They didn’t know… Sure, that was all anyone ever saw or heard about, but it wasn’t the truth. He loved Charles, and Charles loved him. That wasn’t wrong. If only people could see… “Charles?” Erik asked quietly as they walked up the back steps of the school, other students brushing past them in droves.“Yes?”“When school’s out, can we talk about something? I swear it’s nothing bad, I just wanna talk about it.” He saw Charles’ face was getting red with worry, and he quickly gestured to his temple, which had become the symbol that gave Charles permission to read his thoughts. Almost immediately, he felt a warmth brush against his mind, and he pushed his ideas towards Charles. 
I want to have our own little prom, baby. You can come over, I’ll give you my letterman jacket and my class ring to wear, we can listen to music, dance. Maybe other… prom things?
 He looked at Charles, whose eyes were wider than Erik thought possible. He seemed almost frozen, and Erik started to worry he’d scared him. 
But not if you don’t want to! I didn’t mean to upset you. Gosh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t wanna push you.
 No, no, darling! Charles replied. I want to. We’ll figure it out after school, okay?  
Are you sure?
 Yes. I love you, Erik.   Erik felt Charles squeeze his hand gently before heading to his first period class, and his whole body trembled with excitement and nervousness. Sitting through classes was going to be hell…

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*****The day was even more painfully slow than Erik imagined. Charles was helping tutor someone in calculus during lunch, so he didn’t see him until the end of the day. He’d almost bolted out of his last class of the day to meet Charles at the door to his final period French class. As he reached the classroom, he heard the students’ chorus of “au revoir” as they began to file out. Charles always sat in the front of the room, so he was one of the last ones to exit. “Hey!” He said, smiling broadly at Erik. “Ready to go and get this weekend started?”“I’ve been ready since first period, I barely survived today,” Erik laughed, walked down the hall with Charles at his side, closer than usual, but still not obvious. He was good at being inconspicuous. The rain had let up as they made their way out of the school, and grey clouds blanketed the sky. They had a Friday tradition - they always went to Smith’s Pharmacy to get milkshakes. Then, if the weather was nice enough, they’d go to the park and watch ducks and play chess. Charles often commented on how it made them seem like old men, but it was always accompanied with a laugh and a kiss on the cheek. “Do we want to have a normal Friday then head to your house, or shall we just skip the tradition this week?” Charles asked as they reached the fork in the road where they needed to make their decision.“Oh jeez,” Erik said, crossing his arms in thought, and whispering to make sure no one heard him. “I don’t know because we’ve had our Friday outing almost every Friday since we started dating, but I also wanna see you in my jacket and kiss you and hold your hand.”“Let’s go to your house. I don’t think I can wait much longer. There will be plenty of other Fridays!”“Okay!” Erik grinned, and they turned down the road towards Erik’s house. Edie and Jakob usually didn’t get home until around 5 in the evenings, so they’d be alone. He and Charles were usually out on Fridays, the only time Charles didn’t have to go home early to do homework. They’d only been by themselves for an extended period of time twice before, and both had been at the very beginning of their relationship. It was different now. As Erik pushed open the gate to his yard, he felt his heart start to pound. Was this a good idea? Did Charles want to go to actual prom instead? Would he have more fun? Was anything going to happen? Would it be safe? Did he push Charles and he didn’t want to say anything? “Darling, darling, calm your mind,” Charles said, shaking his head and kissing Erik’s nose as soon as the door shut. “It’s okay, we’re okay.”“Are you sure?”“Yes,” he nodded, leading the way to Erik’s bedroom. Charles knew the whole house by heart now. It was small, but Mama’s decorating made it seem warm and welcoming. The windows were all open, letting sunshine pour into the house from all sides, and the light grey wallpaper soaked in it.Erik shut the door behind them and flipped the lock with his powers. It was a precaution, just in case.“Want to see if the jacket fits?” Erik asked, grinning and raising his eyebrows.“Yes, yes, yes!” Charles was practically radiating excitement as he jumped onto the bed, sitting impatiently like a puppy.“Okay, lemme get it.” Erik went over to his closet and carefully pulled his letterman jacket off its hanger. He made a show of it to tease Charles - holding it out dramatically and brushing it off as he brought it over.“Sir, your coat,” he said, helping Charles into the jacket that was going to swallow him. He scurried over to the mirror and gasped, turning to Erik and beaming.“Oh darling, it’s wonderful! Look!” Charles flapped his arms, causing the sleeves to flop all over. “It’s perfect.”“Just like you,” Erik smiled, kissing the side of Charles’ head, who squeaked and hugged Erik tightly.“I love you so much.”“I love you too, schatz!”“I have an idea, but feel free to nix it or suggest something else, okay?”“Shoot.”“Well, my parents are off doing something for Kurt’s lab this weekend, and they won’t be home until Sunday. We could have our little prom at my house. We have a record player and my record collection, and I bought a camera a little while ago. We could dance around in the big parlour, and you can sleep over in my room for once. No one will be home though, will your mom object?”“That sounds fantastic!” Erik exclaimed, nodding. “I’m sure it will be fine with Mama, but it might be best to wait around to ask her.”“Swell!”“I really wish I could take you to the real prom. I want to show everyone how much I love you…”“I do too, darling. But it’s probably not safe here, you’re right. We’ll get plenty of opportunities to be out together in Massachusetts. I’ve talked with someone in a ‘homosexual group’ and he says we’d be welcome!”“I’ve never been prouder to be with someone.” Charles pulled Erik closer to him, their bodies pressed together.“You’re the greatest gift I’ve ever received,” Charles said, standing on his tiptoes to kiss Erik’s chin. “I’m so lucky.”“I’m the lucky one! You’re so damn smart and going to Harvard and always know how to make things better when they’re awful.”“Eh, I just know you pretty well, and I study.”“You’re incredible, Charles, shush!” Erik wrapped his arms around Charles’ waist, picked him up, and spun around. His boyfriend was much smaller than he was, and Erik always thought it was funny to carry him. Charles didn’t mind; he said it was a riot.“So strong!” Charles laughed as Erik sat him down on the bed.“I do try,” Erik replied, blushing slightly.“And you succeed! Now how shall we pass the next 37 minutes until your mom gets here?”“Oh, I don’t know,” he said, winking at Charles. “I’ve been thinking about kissing you all day.”“Well, I’d hate to keep you waiting,” Charles smirked, leaning closer to his boyfriend. Erik gently pulled Charles into him, their lips pressing together with quiet desperation. He felt his heart fluttering as he thought how maybe one day they’d be able to get married, have kids, be like any other couple. He pressed the feeling and thoughts against Charles’ mind as their kiss broke, and he saw his boyfriend smile and blush lightly.“I’d love that,” he said, nuzzling Erik with his head.“Me too, liebling.”“One day.”“Hey, can I give you something?”“Sure,” Charles nodded, curious. Erik slid the drawer on his nightstand open and pulled out a thin metal chain. Using his powers, he unclasped it and slipped his class ring off his finger. Easily, he ran the chain through the ring and took both ends in his hands.“Here, I want you to have this,” Erik said, pressing the necklace into Charles’ hand. “You don’t have to wear it, I just thought –”“Of course I’ll wear it!” Charles exclaimed, grinning madly. His blue eyes shone with delight, and Erik couldn’t help but blush and shake his head.“Are you sure you want to? You don’t have to.”“Sweetheart, of course I want to.”“Can I put it on you?”“Mhm.” Erik’s fingers shook, but his powers helped; they were always so much more adept and steady. He clipped the clasp, and voila, his class ring dangled at Charles’ sternum. “I have something I want to give you when we go to my house,” Charles smiled, kissing Erik’s nose.“Oh really?”“Yup, yup!”“I can’t wait!”“I hope you’ll like it.”“I know I will, babe.” Then Erik heard the bolt to the front door slide open, and he jumped up.“Mama’s home!” He dashed down the stairs, Charles in tow.“Maaaaaama!” Erik called as he skidded into the foyer.“Erik? Liebling, what are you doing home so early? It’s Friday.” Edie was hanging her coat on the rack and looked confusedly at her son.“I know, but it’s prom night. Charles and I don’t think it’d be safe for us to go together. I was wondering if it would be okay if I went to his house and stayed over tonight. We were just going to have a little party by ourselves and dress up and listen to records.”“Will his parents be there?” Shit.“No, they’re on a business trip.”“Hm… Well, since you are almost graduated, I suppose it would be alright. No drinking please, liebling.”“I promise, Mama,” he nodded, holding out his pinky, as he did with every promise he made to her. He’d never liked drinking, and while Charles had gotten blitzed a few times, he didn’t really care for it either.“Be smart and safe, bitte?” “We will be.”“Thank you, have a good time, boys,” she said with a smile.“Thank you, Mama!”“Thank you, Mrs. Lehnsherr,” Charles added, taking Erik’s hand and squeezing it. “I’ll be sure he behaves.”“He minds you more than me,” she laughed, kissing each boy’s forehead. “Do you want to borrow the car, Erik?”“Don’t you and Papa need it for tomorrow?”“Yes, but if you’re home by 11, it’ll be alright.”“Okay, I’ll be back by then!”“Do you need help picking out a suit for your dance?” Erik blushed, a shy smile forming across his face.“Yes please, Mama.”“Okay, let’s go look.” It took almost 25 minutes for Charles and Erik to get out the house; Edie was very committed to Erik looking dapper for their two-person prom. After she took a few pictures of Charles in Erik’s letterman jacket with Erik in his favorite suit, she gave Erik the keys and reminded them to drive carefully and to be safe and smart. “I’m so excited!” Charles said as Erik started down his road towards Main Street. “I just got a new pop record and a Mr. C* one with that song you really like, ‘Till the End of Time!’”“They had that at Adler’s?”“Yeah! I was going to give it to you for graduation, but I figured you’d wanna listen to it tonight.”“I can’t wait,” Erik sighed happily, turning carefully onto the private road that led to Charles’ house. Mansion would definitely be a more accurate word, but he knew it made Charles uncomfortable to think about it that way. He didn’t really understand why Charles was embarrassed about his family’s vast wealth, but he never wanted to push the subject. He stopped the car in front of the house and turned to Charles.“Is it okay to park here?”“Oh yeah, of course!”“Swell.” Erik turned off the car, pulling the key out and climbing out into the humming afternoon. Charles lead him up the smooth stone steps and pulled his key out of his satchel and unlocked the door. “Hey, anyone home?” Charles yelled into the house, his voice echoing slightly off the high ceiling and walls. No response. “Cain? Kurt? Mom?” Nothing.“Think we’re safe?”“Yeah, no one here,” he replied, tapping his temple and smiling.“Great!”“Wanna come help me pick out a suit?”“Okay,” Erik nodded, lacing his fingers into Charles’ and following him up the stairs. He’d been to the house half a dozen times, but each time, he was stunned by its richness. Everything was so fancy-looking, as if all the decorations had been plucked from a castle. An elaborate chandelier hung above the foyer, weak lights glowing in the arms. Thick rugs covered the floors, even carefully arranged on the stairs. But there was no warmth in the house, no sense of “home” or family… Charles’ room was the exception however. It was cozy and lived in, unlike the stuffiness of the rest of the house. He had stacks of odd books everywhere, a typewriter resting on his desk, newspaper clippings and pictures taped to the walls, clothes strewn about. It was so perfectly Charles, and Erik couldn’t stop grinning as he looked around while Charles went over to his closet where his clothes hung and began to rifle through them.  “What do you think, darling, black or grey?” Charles asked, holding out two suits for Erik to inspect.“Hmm, the black, it’ll bring out your eyes.”“Alright,” Charles began to change his clothes, and Erik wasn’t sure whether or not to look away. He’d seen Charles mostly nude once before, in just his underclothes, and Erik had turned bright red and focused on his shoes.“You don’t have to stare at the ground, you know,” Charles added quietly. Erik heard the floor squeak slightly and then felt a hand on his cheek. He looked up to see Charles was standing in front of him in his briefs, undershirt off, blushing down to his collarbones.“Scheiße,” Erik breathed, his eyes drinking in Charles’ body. His skin was beautiful and pale, sprinkled with freckles, and looked soft. He saw the patches of slight discoloration on Charles’ thighs and lighter, almost invisible ones on his arms, and his heart ached. He’d hurt himself often when he was younger, and it’d almost gotten him committed to a psychiatric hospital for his freshman year. But since his family was wealthy, he’d been able to attend outside therapy and had luckily gotten a psychologist who was a mutant himself. Erik had been shocked at first when Charles had told him about his past self injury; he’d never considered for a moment that would be something people did. But it didn’t matter what he thought (or hadn’t thought about), his feelings for Charles didn’t change.“God, you’re stunning,” Erik whispered to Charles, cautiously pressing his hand to his boyfriend’s waist, gazing up at him for permission or denial. Charles flushed, beaming, but he shook his head.“Far from it, but you’re quite dashing.”“I love you.”“I love you too, so so much.”“Are you going to prom like that?” Erik asked, eyebrows raised as he grinned. “I wouldn’t complain.”“Oh good heavens,” Charles laughed, shaking his head. “You’ll have to wait until after prom. I can’t show your mother pictures of me in my underclothes!”“Ah, I suppose you’re right.”“I’ll finish getting dressed then.” Charles kissed Erik’s head and started to pull on his trousers. Erik watched, his breath sticking to his throat slightly. He’s so handsome, I’m so lucky, that’s my boyfriend. Mine.  He heard Charles chuckle.“Was I projecting?” Erik asked, his cheeks reddening a little.“Mhm, you’re so cute!”“I… just… I can’t believe I’m this happy. I didn’t think I’d ever find someone.”“Oh, darling,” Charles said softly, pulling on his jacket and sitting on the bed beside Erik. “I didn’t either. I thought I’d have to keep my feelings to myself forever.”“Yeah… I knew Mama would probably accept me, but I was so scared about talking about it. Like maybe saying it out loud would seal my fate.”“Uh huh.”“I still sometimes wonder how it all happened. Like how on earth did we even end up here?”“Well, I think my telepathy helped a bit probably, but you just have a way about you that made me trust you. Then you ended up kissing me goodbye one day after school, and it just kinda clicked. We loved each other; it’s simple really.”“I wish other people could see that. Has your mom or step dad or step brother said anything? Do they have any suspicions?”“Cain calls me a homo a lot,” Charles shrugged. “I don’t know if he actually thinks I like men, but it scares me sometimes. I occasionally nudge their minds away from the idea… I feel so bad about it… I’m not ashamed of who I am, it’s just…like you said, the world hasn’t caught up.”“You have nothing to feel bad about, okay? You don’t have to tell people to be proud or real. You’re just protecting yourself, and that’s exactly what you need to do.” Charles sighed heavily and nodded, leaning against Erik.“You’re okay, baby, you’re okay,” Erik said, as he softly pet his boyfriend’s hair which always helped Charles ground himself. “I love you.”“I love you too,” he replied, sitting straight again. “Want to get this party into swing?”“Let’s do it, babe!” Charles grabbed his box of records, carefully placed his camera on top, and they made their way back downstairs. They passed the “formal dining room” and the kitchen and Kurt’s study before Charles turned into a room Erik had never been in before. It was beautiful with high, vaulted ceilings and ornate furnishings. Rugs covered most of the floor, save a 20’ by 20’ square in the center of the room. A record player sat on a small table close to the bare patch, waiting patiently to be fed.“This sure is pretty,” Erik said, transfixed by the sheer lavishness.“It is, yeah,” Charles replied, placing a record in the player and inspecting his camera to make sure it was working properly. “My dad used to have office get-togethers in here. I’d always try to sneak down, and he’d usually let me, unless Mother was drunk. It wasn’t an everyday thing back then.”“Did it… um, start after he died?”“Yep.”“Were his parties fun?”“I thought so, but the last one was when I was 5.”“Wanna try and bring back the dancing spirit? Have a good ol’ party Brian Xavier would be proud of? ”“Let’s do it,” Charles laughed, bringing his camera over to Erik. “I don’t know how well the delay works on this thing, so we may need your long arms.”“Okay, glad to be of assistance if needed.”“Do you think if we set it on the mantle the picture will be okay?“Should be!” He and Charles proceeded to take a series of pictures, including one with Erik holding the camera and hoping the two of them were in the shot. “I’m sure they’re perfect!” Charles nodded as he placed the camera back on the mantle. “I’ll try to develop them soon.”“Okay, I can’t wait!”“Shall we get this thing in swing?”“Hell yeah!” Charles started the record and fiddled with it until the volume was loud enough to fill the room. Erik suddenly became intensely aware he didn’t know how to dance, fast or slow. Dance halls were too stressful for him, and he never really watched it on television. His boyfriend was much better versed in these sorts of things, but he was looking shyly at Erik, not moving much.“I have no idea what I’m doing,” Erik admitted, shaking his head with a grin. “How do we dance to this?”“Well, this is a swing, so… um, it’s hard to explain. Just do what you’re comfortable with, it’s usually improvised most of the dance. I can help you, if you want.”“Okay,” he nodded, and Charles took his hands and slowly walked him through a few steps. To his own surprise and delight, Erik was able to catch on fairly quickly, and soon, he was spinning Charles in and out, both their feet flying across the floor. The player clicked, and the music stopped, signifying the end of the record. The two boys stood close together, breathing more than a little labored, and Charles asked,“Do you want me to put on some slower songs. We can catch our breath.”“Sure, okay!” Charles switched the record and placed the needle against it. The music took a few seconds to start, and Erik took Charles’ hand, settling into the rhythm of the song. They were so close together, the music dictating their swaying, and Mr. C’s voice washed over them gently. Erik felt Charles’ warmth and his heart ached - What’d I ever do to deserve this? Feeling Charles step closer and rest his head against his chest as they danced made Erik’s heart skip a beat. This was somehow more intimate than the very few, intense makeout sessions in Erik’s bedroom. His boyfriend’s eyes were closed as Erik’s favorite song, the last track, came on. “Till the end of time, ‘long as stars are in the blue,
‘Long as there's a spring  of birds to sing I'll go on loving you,
Till the end of time, long as roses bloom in May,
My love for you will grow deeper with every passing day.”  Erik knew he couldn’t sing well or on key, but he sang along to the song anyway, wrapping his arms around Charles and feeling his form against him. It was like the memory of every reservation he’d ever had about loving another boy had dissolved, and all he felt was love and peace. This was right, this is was what he wanted, who he wanted. The arm of the record player lifted, and the music stopped. Charles sighed into Erik’s chest and looked up at him, kind smile across his face.  “I liked your singing,” he said simply, kissing Erik’s nose. “It was beautiful.”“Nah… but thanks.”“It was.”“Ehh…”“Kiss me?”“Gladly!” Erik leaned down and gently kissed his boyfriend and then straightened with a smile.“Would you maybe like to go upstairs?” Charles asked softly. “We could… kiss where it’s more comfortable, if you want to.”“Yeah, I’d like that,” Erik nodded, his heart skipping yet another beat. Hopefully it was just anticipation and nerves rather than a slow-onset heart attack.“Okay.” Charles gripped Erik’s hand tightly as they returned upstairs, and he knew Charles was just as nervous as him. They’d talked a few times about having sex, but neither of them had been ready nor did they have a lot of time in private alone. But again, it was different now. They’d been together over a year, and he was hoping to go further, and he suspected Charles was too. Charles threw his clothes from earlier off the bed, pulled papers and notebooks from under the blankets, and stacked them on his desk. Erik was nervously playing with his jacket buttons, both desire and reservation swirling inside him. They were in love, it’s natural to want to be physical with someone you love, no matter their gender. He knew that. Mama had sat him down months ago and told him it was okay, and he knew it was. But for some reason, he was scared. “What are you thinking we do, darling?” Charles asked, big blue eyes staring into Erik’s.“Um, well, I don’t know. We could kiss and see how we feel after that, maybe…”“Okay,” Charles nodded.“Should we change back into our other clothes, so we don’t wrinkle our suits?”“We don’t have to change back, we can just hang up the suits in my closet. Besides, you didn’t bring any other clothes.”“So just stay in our underwear and shirts?”“Mhm, if you want.”“Okay!”“Would you be okay with me taking your suit off?” Erik’s eyes widened at that. It was bold, and he felt deep arousal beginning to bubble. He quickly nodded, and Charles smiled.“Wonderful,” he murmured as his lithe fingers unbuttoned Erik’s jacket and slipped it off, laying it carefully on the bed. Erik bit his lip when Charles leaned in and kissed his Adam’s apple before undoing his tie and starting on Erik’s collared shirt. He shuddered, biting his lip as Charles’ hands got lower and lower. He felt his shirt fall away and then Charles’ lips against his collarbone. He groaned softly, wondering how long his legs would hold him.“Are you doing okay?” Charles questioned. “Do you want me to keep going?”“God yes,” he replied, nodding enthusiastically.“Okay, swell.” As Charles began to undo his pants, Erik felt himself starting to get hard from the contact. Before he realized it, his trousers were around his ankles, and Charles was crouched in front of him, undoing his shoes. The top of his boyfriend’s head was almost level with Erik’s cock, and he was almost scared for Charles to see. What if he suddenly realized he didn’t actually like men? What if seeing him naked made him figure that out? What if Charles didn’t want to see him at all?“Sit down, so I can take these off,” Charles instructed, pointing to his bed. Erik complied and bit his lip as Charles stripped off his pants, socks, and shoes. He straightened up, winking at Erik as he hung up his suit.“God, you’re so handsome,” he grinned, standing in front to Erik and running a finger down his thin undershirt.“You really think so?”“Mhm! Want to see?” Charles pointed to his temple.“S-sure.” Charles’ presence slipped into his head and then came the projections: a fluttering heart, a quickened pulse, warmth, nervousness, and absolutely clear desire and love.“I love you so much.”“I love you too, baby,” Erik replied, feeling the words stick in his throat. “I want you.”“I want you too.” Charles started to take off his own jacket, and Erik used his powers to unbutton his boyfriend’s trousers and pulled them down with the metal on his belt buckle.“Sneaky bastard,” Charles laughed as his pants fell to the floor, leaving him in his briefs, undershirt, and collared shirt. He quickly shimmied out of the top shirt and climbed into his bed.“You’re so handsome,” Erik said, sitting with his knees pulled to his chest. Charles blushed and shrugged.“Can I kiss you?”“Of course, liebling!” Charles kissed him, leaning against Erik’s folded legs. He kissed back firmly, fingers running through Charles’ hair and down his barely clothed back. Slowly, he put his legs down, allowing his boyfriend to slip between them, drawing them closer together.“I love you,” Charles said, pressing his forehead against Erik’s.“I love you too.” Erik pulled Charles into another kiss, and this time, their bodies touched, each grinding into the other. Charles moaned into Erik’s mouth, his hips pushing into his boyfriend’s. Feeling Charles’ erection against his own soothed Erik’s anxiety. He wants this too. He wants you too. “D-do you have protection?” Erik asked nervously as he looked up at Charles, whose face turned ashen as he shook his head.“I don’t… Gosh, I should have gotten some condoms on our way home, I didn’t even think about it. Shit, I’m so sorry,” he replied, his face flushing. “I could look in Cain’s room or Kurt and Mom’s, they might have some somewhere.”“It’s okay, baby! There are plenty of other things we can do.”“Are you sure?” Charles’ voice was shaky, and he looked like he was about to cry.“Yes, of course!”“Promise?”“Pinky promise,” he grinned, holding out his pinky for Charles to hook with his own.“God, you’re the best.”“Nah!”“Yes! And you’re so hot and nice, and I really love you a lot.”“Oh babe,” Erik slid onto Charles’ lap and wrapped his arms around his neck. “I love you too.”“Forever and ever.” Erik nodded, kissing Charles’ forehead and then down his cheek to his neck. He’d discovered early on (maybe at their first real makeout session) that his boyfriend really enjoyed to neck kisses. This time was no exception - he bit his lip hard to try to hold in his moans of arousal, but Erik heard them, and it only made him want to hear more. As he got to the neck of Charles’ shirt, he pulled it down and sucked lightly, leaving purple bruises on his pale skin - hideable, but still marked.“Mmm, god, Erik!” Charles gasped, hands gripping at the sweat-dampened back of Erik’s shirt.“You seem to like that,” he said, chuckling at the soft whine Charles made when he pulled away from his neck.“Mhm!” He nodded, his eyes drifting down to Erik’s briefs, under which his erection was straining to break free. “Can I touch you? You know like… under your shorts?”“God please.” Charles blushed, running his fingers through Erik’s coppery hair before sliding out from under him and cautiously pulling down Erik’s briefs.
This is it. This is happening. He wants you, just like you want him. You’re in love with him. This is okay, you can want him.
“I love you. It’s perfectly natural for us to be together,” Charles said gently, and Erik realized he’d probably been projecting again. He was never exactly sure when he was doing it, but it hadn’t gotten him into any trouble. Only kind words from Charles.“I know, I don’t know why I keep getting stressed.”  “It’s okay, love. It’s hard to forget everything we’ve heard and been conditioned to think.”“Mhm.”“We don’t have to do anything we aren’t ready for. There’s going to be plenty of time for us to have fun.”“I wanna be naked together. I wanna feel all of you pressed against me. I wanna… um… cum with you…”“Right now?”“Mhm.”“I’d be honored to,” Charles smiled, and he pulled off his shirt and briefs, letting Erik finally see the entirety of his body.“Fuck,” Erik breathed, transfixed by the image he’d dreamed about for months. Charles was naked in front of him. Charles trusted him enough to bare himself to him. Oh god. He hurried to take off his shirt, heart racing. “You’re so handsome, geez.”“I was thinking the same thing about you.”“This is even better than I imagined. You’re… here. This is real!”“Mhm,” Charles nodded, his cheeks glowing. “It’s been a long road here, hasn’t it?”“God yes.”“Shall we make up for lost time?”“Oh hell yeah.” Erik had always considered himself a dominant person in most situations. He was assertive, loud, and sometimes “intimidating,” according to some people at school.  But now with Charles, he didn’t want to take the lead. He was almost hesitant, like Charles knew more about this sort of thing. He’d gone to an all-boys boarding school until he was 14, and he had to have seen things…  Charles didn’t seem to mind being dominant at all; in fact, he was very good at it. He kissed Erik hard, their lips parting almost immediately to allow their tongues to dance as their bodies pressed together. Charles’ hand snaked down Erik’s body as they kissed and began to gently pull at his cock. Erik groaned, his head falling back onto Charles’ pillow.“Do you like that, darling?” Charles asked, slightly teasingly as he rubbed the tip in small circles with his thumb.“Y-yes, scheiße!” Erik couldn’t help moaning loudly as Charles leaned down and flicked his tongue across the soft skin of Erik’s inner thighs towards his erection.“Tell me what you want.”“Please suck me off…” Erik couldn’t believe he was finally saying that. And he wasn’t having to fake his way through with a girl.“Like this?” Charles kissed the shaft of Erik’s penis, his tongue tracing the length before he slid the tip into his mouth, glittering eyes looking up questioningly.“Mhm,” Erik nodded, biting his lip as Charles took him in. He felt like he was going to cum already, and he breathed heavily, willing himself to last longer. Just focus, don’t cum, too soon. Just as Erik started to feel his orgasm building, Charles pulled off and grinned,“Not yet, love.”
Fuck!
“Why not?” Erik groaned, feeling childish as the words came out of his mouth.“Patience, patience.” His boyfriend clicked his tongue, shaking his head. “I’m not through with you yet.” Erik’s heart was pounding with anticipation and need. Charles got back on top and began to grind against him, allowing their cocks to press together, sweat and pre-cum mixing and slickening them.“Mm,” Erik moaned as Charles gently bit his shoulder, pumping his hips faster. His nails dug into Charles’ back, thrusting with him, waves of arousal consuming him. He felt his orgasm finally approaching again, and he pulled Charles into a kiss right before he came across both their stomachs with a stifled groan. Charles’ hands pressed against the headboard as he came, moaning loudly into Erik’s tongue.   Erik didn’t want Charles to move. He didn’t care if they were sweaty and had cum streaked across their skin, he loved feeling his boyfriend’s weight on top of him. He wrapped his arms around Charles and held him tightly, his head laying in the crook of his neck. Charles laughed softly and kissed the side of Erik’s face. “I love you, darling,” Charles said, kissing him again. Erik hugged him tighter, eyes beginning to water. This was real, it wasn’t a dream, and Charles wasn’t going to disappear when he opened his eyes. But still he was scared to.“How about we get washed up and then cuddle for a bit here?”“Okay,” Erik nodded, his eyes still firmly closed.“Open your eyes, sweetheart, it’s okay.” Charles’ voice was gentle, and he felt him press a kiss to each squeezed-shut eyelid. Erik nodded, slowly opening them to see Charles smiling at him, sitting half on the bed, half on Erik’s lap.“Hey handsome.”“H-hi,” Erik stuttered, feeling the heat rising in his cheeks. He’d just had sex. The smell of it hung in the air, and it felt so weird. He’d enjoyed it, but what if it had just been a fever dream?“Are you okay?”“Mhm. I just didn’t want to open my eyes and see it was all in my head...”“It’s real, one hundred percent. Touch me.” Erik ran a hand over his boyfriend’s damp chest, feeling the products of their passions, and he grinned.“Wow.”“Yeah,” Charles laughed, nodding.“God, I love you.”“I love you too, no matter what.”“Should we shower?”“Probably.” Erik sighed and nodded, sitting up and stretching before sliding off the bed. Charles hugged him, kissing his collarbone.“Shower’s this way.” Charles strolled out the door then stopped dead in his tracks. Erik almost collided with him, confused. But then he saw - the door to Charles’ step-brother Cain’s room was now wide open, and the light was on. Fuck. Please, no…  Erik quietly backed up and pulled Charles along with him back into the room, silently locking the door behind them. His boyfriend seemed to be in shock, and Erik didn’t know what to do. If Cain found out and inevitably told Kurt and Sharon, Charles wouldn’t be safe. They both knew that. “Schatz?” He asked softly, pressing his hand to Charles’ shoulder. He felt him trembling, and he knew Charles was about to cry. His head was hung, eyes fixed on the ground, and his body was tense and shaking.“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around Charles. “I’ll make sure it’s okay. Nothing’s gonna happen.” Charles shook his head, and Erik felt hot tears splatter against his bare skin.“It will be, liebling, it will.”“But it won’t!” Charles said thickly, his voice and body shaking as the tears began to flow. “You don’t know them…”“I’m going to take care of you.”“They’re gonna kick me out. I’m gonna to lose my spot at Harvard. They’re gonna…goddamnit-” Charles choked on his words, burying his face into Erik’s chest. Erik felt his heart breaking; if Cain had heard them, there was nothing he could do. They were both powerless. He knew even if Charles could change Cain’s memory with his telepathy, he probably wouldn’t. He was firmly against that sort of thing…“Shh, baby,” Erik said, kissing the top of Charles’ head. “We’ll figure this all out, okay? We’ll take care of it.”“W-what are we gonna do? We can’t do anything!”“We don’t know that. We don’t even know he heard us. He might not know we’re here.”“How could he have not heard? We weren’t exactly quiet.”“We don’t know when he got back. He could have even been downstairs or something.”“He spends all his time in his room. He has to have heard.”“How about we get dressed then test the waters? He might not even be there. We could have just forgotten that the door was open earlier.”“Mhm,” Charles nodded, eyes wide and glassy. His face was paler than Erik had ever seen it, and tear drops slid down his cheeks of their own accord. He moved in a daze towards his drawers and pulled out clothes for the both of them. He handed Erik the shirt, briefs, and pants he’d left in the drawer the last time Charles had him over. Just in case. Erik took his handkerchief out of his suit jacket pocket in Charles’ closet and carefully wiped his boyfriend’s chest and stomach off and then his own.“We’re going to figure this out, okay, baby?” He said as he pulled on his pants, eyes fixed on Charles, who just nodded slightly. “Do you think you’d be able to convince him you were just masturbating? I could go out the window. It might be easier to deal with that embarrassment rather than your safety being threatened.”“If he heard me, he probably heard us both.”“I’m so sorry.”“It’s not your fault, not at all.”  Charles looked up and then hugged Erik tightly. “I love you, I love you so much.”“I love you too, Schatz.”“Should we go out now?”“That’s completely up to you.”“You’ll come with me, right?”“Of course!” Charles smiled slightly and nodded, sighing before he unlocked the door. He walked apprehensively into the hall, and Erik followed, ready for a confrontation he was praying hard wouldn’t occur. But his heart leapt into his throat as he felt the metal of a chair move from within the room. “Oh look who it is,” Charles’ step-brother crowed as he stood in the door frame, arms crossed and a smug grin across his face. He was a physical opposite of Charles - a stocky, broad body, bulging muscles with a cruel mouth and dull eyes like Kurt’s.“Hey,” Charles nodded, trying to keep his eyes up.“‘Hey?’ That’s all you have to say?”“Yes.”“Are you sure? I feel like there’s something you’ve been keeping from me, Charlie. From the whole family really.”“I don’t believe there is.”“Interesting. Does this ring a bell?” Cain let out a mocking, feminine moan, then cackled to himself.“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”“Hmm… Honestly, Erik here is the bigger surprise for me. He doesn’t seem like a queer, but I always knew you were one of those.”“Stop it. There’s nothing going on here.”“Oh, there definitely is, and I think it’s something Sharon and Dad need to hear about.”“There’s nothing for them to know.”“Stop playing dumb!” Cain was shouting now, like something inside him had switched from cruel playfulness to rage. “You know what I’m talking about it!”“I don’t.”“You’re a goddamn homo! You’re a mutant, as if that wasn’t enough, now you’re fucking dudes. Isn’t that a sign enough that you’re a mistake?” Charles just looked at Cain blankly, masking any internal turmoil perfectly, and shrugged.“Jesus Christ,” his brother growled. “You’re disgusting. I sure hope Dad takes care of you; I didn’t sign up for this when I agreed to live here.”“I feel like he’ll be angrier at you for lying. Besides, this isn’t your house.”“I’m not lying! I heard you!”“Can you prove it?” Erik’s mind was racing, and he hoped he wasn’t projecting. Charles’ bluff was incredible; he looked absolutely stoic and unruffled. He had the same matter-of-fact expression that he always wore when someone at school tried to argue about mutant politics. “I don’t need to! Dad and Sharon both know; they just need confirmation! I’ll give it to them!”“Good luck with that.” Charles started to continue walking down the hall, but Cain grabbed him by the back of the shirt and yanked him back and whispered,“If you try to kill yourself, do a better job this time.” Then he shook his head with a laugh and returned to his room, slamming the door shut.   Erik looked at Charles who was staring vacantly at the wall. He didn’t know what to do or what was going to happen. Charles started down the stairs, and Erik followed, breath bated. They walked back to the parlour where they’d had their prom; it now seemed like that was a different life.“Charles?” Erik asked softly as his boyfriend opened a closet in the corner and disappeared inside. “What are you doing?”“One second,” was the reply, and Erik heard him banging around and grumbling to himself within. Curious, he inched over to look into the closet, and discovered it was deep and full of boxes and clothes - nothing he’d ever seen Charles wear. It was extremely doubtful it was Kurt’s; Charles disliked anything that had to do with him. Were they Brian’s things?“I want you to have this,” Charles said as he emerged, holding out a small box.“Schatz, is this your dad’s?” Erik asked as he looked it over, a little scared to open it.“It was, then it was mine, and now it’s yours, if you’d like it.” Erik nodded and took a deep breath before flipped up the lid of the box. Inside, nestled in a satin handkerchief was a signet ring. It was shiny enough to be new, and the silver ‘X’ gleamed even in the dimness.“I didn’t buy a class ring, so I figured this would be a good replacement,” Charles added simply.“Liebling, are you sure? This is a family heirloom. I don’t know if I deserve it.”“Of course you deserve it, my love.”“But…”“Shh,” Charles smiled slightly and kissed Erik’s cheek. “Please take it. You can wear it or keep it on your shelf or in your desk drawer or something, but please take it.”“O-okay,” Erik nodded and slipped the box into his pocket. “I love you so much.”“I love you too. No matter what happens with my family, please always remember that.”“Do you think Cain will tell them?” Charles sighed heavily and nodded.“Probably.”“Are you going to be safe? I can always talk to Mama about you staying at our house for a while. She’d probably say ‘yes’ if we always do our homework.”“I’ll be alright, darling, don’t worry about me.”“I can’t help it. I don’t want anything else to happen to you.” Erik said, gesturing to Charles’ slowly fading black eye.“There’s nothing we can do if he tells them. But I’ll handle it, we’ll handle it together.”“Can you promise me something?”“I can try.”“Will you come to my house if you’re in danger? I don’t care if it’s two in the morning, will you come home?”“I will if I can get out,” Charles nodded. “I promise.”“Pinky promise?” He grinned and nodded again, locking his pinky with Erik’s.“I’m going to be okay. This is going to be okay,” he said, as if trying to reassure himself as well as Erik.“Do you wanna go back to my house and spend the night there? I’m sure it’d be okay.”“Cain should be leaving soon. I may have peeked and and found out he’s going out to his friend’s lake house.”“Really?”“Mhm.”“Is he going to call tonight?”“No, he’s going to tell them in person.”“Wait, what?” Erik gasped. “Babe, that’s even worse!”“I know.”“Jesus, I’m so sorry, baby.”“It’s okay.”“Are you scared?”“Mhm.”“I’m so sorry… I wish I could do something.”“You’re here; that’s more than enough.”“I’m not going anywhere - not now, not ever.”“Thank you…” Charles said, blinking back tears.“When do your parents come back?”“Sunday afternoon.”“Do you want to spend Sunday at my house? It might give them more time to process stuff and not just immediately act out of anger.”“Me not being here might be worse, but I’m not sure.”“Well, the offer always stands, okay?”“Thank you, love.” Erik nodded, pressing a kiss to the top of Charles’ head, who leaned into him, laying his head against his chest. It was were he felt safest, he’d told Erik. He was gently playing with his boyfriend’s hair when a loud slam echoed through the house, and they jumped apart.“What was that?” He asked, looking around.“Oh, Cain always loves to be as loud as possible when he shuts a door. That was the front door, so I think he’s leaving,” Charles replied, rolling his eyes.“Oh great!”“Can we go back to my room? I wanna lay in bed for a while.”“Of course, Schatz.” Charles took Erik’s hand and led him back upstairs. Everything seemed to be moving slowly, like they were walking through water. Erik’s mind felt like it was dragging along each thought, and he again felt the helplessness of their situation. It wasn’t even Erik who was getting found out, and yet he felt terror like it was. Was Charles projecting? He never did it unintentionally. His control was incredible. Was Erik just letting his imagination get the best of him? Or was Charles slipping? Charles sat on his bed and drew his knees to his chest. Erik sat beside him, wrapping an arm around him and letting him roll into his lap.“I love you, liebling. We’re going to get you through this. It’s going to be okay,” Erik said as he ran his fingers through Charles’ hair.“I wanna go home,” he replied quietly.“Where is that?”“With you. Somewhere safe.”“We’re going to move so soon, baby. We’ll be out of here at the end of July.”“It seems so far away…”“It’ll be here before we know it. We graduate in three weeks.”“What if I don’t make it?”“Don’t talk like that! You’re gonna. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”“What if they never let me leave the house? What if they send me away? What if they call Harvard and take away my spot? I’m not 18 yet, I think they can do that.”“You got into Harvard on your own; I don’t think they’d have the power to revoke your spot.”“But the money…”“I still don’t think they can do that. Harvard wanted you; they gave you that partial grant!”“I hope they can’t…”“You’re going to go. Even if your parents pull the funds, we’ll find a way.”“You’re too good for me,” Charles murmured, pressing himself closer to Erik.“Nah.”“I love you.”“I love you too, so very much.”“Are you okay?”“What do you mean?”“Are you doing okay? I don’t want you to worry about me.”“Oh baby, don’t worry about that! I’m fine, I’m gonna be fine.”“I don’t know…” Charles gestured to his temple. “I can feel it.”“I love you, that’s why I’m worried. But I’m okay.”“We’re gonna be okay.”“Yessir, we are.”“What color do you want our window curtains to be at our apartment?” Erik laughed, grinning broadly.“Hmm, that’s a good question. What about a nice blue?”“That sounds pretty.”“Yeah?”“Mhm.”“What’s your dream house?”“Somewhere pretty, with a yard and my handsome husband and our children.”“Do I get to be your husband?”“Of course you do; you’ll be best husband.”“Do you think we’ll be allowed to get married someday?”“Oh god, I hope so.”“Me too,” Erik nodded, smiling down at his boyfriend.“I’m tired… I don’t know why.”“Well, it’s almost 8. Is that past your bedtime?”“Oh hush,” Charles laughed, sitting up and poking Erik’s nose. “Do you want some tea? I was thinking of making some.”“Sounds good.” They spent the evening in various parts of the manor - in the kitchen, with Charles sitting cross-legged on the granite counter (“this would give Mrs. Johnston a heart attack,” he’d chuckled) as he pointed out different cabinets to Erik to show him where he could find various snacks, in the dining room, drinking tea and eating Cheetos off of china plates which Erik thought was absolutely hilarious, and then back in Charles’ bedroom, curled up together under his sheets.

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*****Charles stayed over at the Lehnsherr’s Saturday night, and Erik drove him back to his “house” around 2:30 on Sunday afternoon. He didn’t want to let go Charles’ hand when he parked, and he felt his boyfriend shaking in the seat next to him.“Babe, you can always just come back home with me, and we can figure it out after the fact,” he said, squeezing Charles’ hand and trying to meet his gaze.“I have to stay. I need to set it all straight,” he replied, looking up and squeezing Erik’s hand.“Remember your promise?”“Of course, darling. I’ll let you know if I need to come over.”“No hesitation, no matter the time, right?”“Right.”“Please be careful, baby.”“I will, don’t worry.”“I’ll see you at school tomorrow morning, okay?”“Bright and early, by my locker.”“I love you so much, Charles. I need you to stay safe.”“I’ll be fine, my love, try not to worry too much, please. It’s not good for you.” Charles kissed Erik gently and slid out of the car.“No matter what happens, I love you - always. Nothing can ever change that,” Charles sniffed. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”“Bye bye, liebling. See you in the morning.” He waited until Charles had shut the front door to the mansion before turning the car back on and slowly pulling out of the driveway and getting back onto the main road. His vision was blurring badly by the time he got home, and he sat parked in the driveway for a while, sobbing into the steering wheel. One of the things he hated most was helplessness. He couldn’t save Charles, he couldn’t be there with him, he couldn’t change Charles’ family. He knew he was unbelievably lucky to have such a supportive mother (not that Papa wasn’t supportive in his own way, he was just more of a quiet traditionalist), and that probably almost no one had a similar privilege. Guilt was brewing in his stomach as the tears fell. I just want everyone to be safe and happy, it feels so horrible to know everyone would wish for what you have, and you can’t share it… Why do I get this, and they don’t?  Suddenly, there was a knock on the car window, and Erik looked up to see the concerned face of his mother peering back at him. He opened the door, got out, and hugged her tightly, still crying. “Erik, Erik, liebling, what is going on? Why are you upset?” Edie asked, patting his back as he cried into her shoulder.“Charles’ brother found out about us, and now he’s gonna tell Charles’ parents, and I’m scared they’re going to hurt him,” he sniffed, straightening and trying to stop the tears from coming.“Ach, du meine liebe Güte*,” Edie said quietly, pulling him closer to her again, rubbing his back like she did when he was small. “Oh liebling, that is terrible. Is there anything we can do? Would his parents consider listening to him? What about me? I’m a mother too, maybe they would listen.”“They wouldn’t. They’re not good to him…”“Did you tell him to come here if he does not feel safe?”“Mhm, is that okay?”“Of course, absolutely. We would not want it any other way.”“Ich liebe dich, Mama.”“Und ich liebe dich auch, mein Sohn.”“I don’t know what to do… I’m so scared…”“To wait is the only thing we can do. You will see him tomorrow at school, and we will figure it out after you hear what he tells about his family.”“Do you think he’s gonna be okay?”“I hope so, sweetheart. I hope so.”

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***** Erik spent the night half-heartedly trying to work on biology homework and staring off into the darkness once he got into bed. He must have nodded off at some point because the next time he looked at the window, he saw sunlight was glowing behind the curtains. Monday, a school day, Charles would be there. He rolled out of bed, threw all his school supplies into his bag, and rooted through his drawers to find clothes. Something landed with a thump on the ground as he dug, and he looked down to see the box with Charles’ ring on his floor. Shit, don’t be lost, please! He picked it up carefully and opened the box; the ring was still inside. Using some twine from his desk, he put the ring on a “chain” and hung it around his neck, carefully tucking it under his favorite green shirt. It rested just above his sternum, and he felt the metal’s pull by his heart. Love, love, love.  He made his way downstairs, grabbing the slice of toast with marmalade and his lunch bag Mama had left on the table for him. It was accompanied by a note - “tell Charles we love him” - in Mama’s neat handwriting. He smiled as he carefully folded it and slipped it into his pocket. Erik decided to bike to school; it was faster that way. He zoomed down the street, weaving around parked cars and waving to the occasional friend or neighbor as he went. The school was barely 4 blocks away, so he got there quickly. He locked his bike up at the rack and sprinted up the steps into the building. 7:46, perfect.  Charles’ locker was in a back hallway, by the science rooms, and Erik had to make his way through the growing throng of people to reach the corridor. When he did, he almost cried with relief to see Charles standing at the end of the hall, reading with his back against the lockers. He was by himself, waiting for him. “Charles!” He called, and his boyfriend jumped, book falling from his hands. He looked over and waved, smiling at him. Erik jogged over and grinned at Charles, who turned towards him. Erik saw three deep cuts coupled with wicked purple bruising on the side of his face, and he immediately felt rage burning in his stomach. “Hi,” Charles replied softly, kneeling down and picking up his fallen book.“What happened, schatz?” He stared at the cuts, his gaze locking on them, as if willpower and anger could heal them.“Things were a little… um, difficult. That’s Mother’s work there.”“What’d they say? Anything about Harvard?”“No, I think I’m still going to go. However, Kurt made some phone calls, and they’re sending me to the city for ‘corrective therapy.’ I leave on Wednesday. Apparently the school will still let me graduate even if I miss a bunch of days.”“B-but… why?”“Kurt says he won’t have a deviant living under ‘his’ roof, and Mother agreed and said I’ll ruin the family name by being a homosexual and that Dad would be ashamed of me.”“That’s not true! Jesus, there’s nothing wrong with us!”“I know, I know. They don’t understand, and they don’t want to.”“I can’t believe they’re doing this. It’s fucking absurd.”“It’ll probably be more emotional trauma and a waste of everyone’s time than anything effective. They can’t change me,” he replied, tapping his temple with melancholic fondness. “They won’t break me with pseudoscience.”“I don’t want anything to happen to you.”“I’m gonna be alright.”“Baby…” Charles sighed, the conviction on his face withering.“Sometimes I wonder if Dad would have accepted me. I hope he would’ve, but I don’t remember…”“I’m so sorry. I wish you could know. From what you’ve told me, he seemed awful progressive and kind. I think he would love you no matter what.”“I hope so,” Charles nodded. The bell was about to ring, and Erik knew his boyfriend would be getting anxious about getting to class on time.“How about you and I make up last Friday after school? We can talk about everything at the park.”“Okay.”“I love you, handsome.”“I love you too,” he replied quietly, gently squeezing Erik’s hand before dashing off to his first period class. Some things never change, even under the worst duress, and apparently Charles’ instinctual need for punctuality was one of them. ***** Once again, classes crawled by for Erik because of his anticipation of impending events, but this time that waiting was coupled with fear and worry instead of elation. Charles was being sent away to get “fixed,” and he couldn’t be there for him. There’d be no way he could bust him out without the repercussions hurting Charles even more. He was feeling guilty again; why did he deserve to be supported when others weren’t? What was special about him? Nothing? Was it luck? Probably both. He couldn’t focus on the quotes the teacher was scrawling across the board. They didn’t matter. He thought of what Charles would say about that. Probably something along the lines of “Erik, Shakespeare is the building block of modern literature” and lightly punch his shoulder. God, he was lucky.“Mr. Lehnsherr, what did you think about this passage? How does it relate to British history?” The teacher called from the front. She knew, without a doubt, he had not been paying attention.“Um… Well…” he said, biting his lip hard.“As I thought. Focus, or you’ll get detention.”“Yes, ma’am.” Thankfully, he didn’t have to sit there much longer. The bell rang soon after, and he was free. He packed up all his things, apologized to the teacher, and made his way to Charles’ locker on the other side of the school. When he got there, Charles was slamming the metal door shut, and Erik felt the ripple of the impact. He’d closed it very hard. That was certainly out of character.“Hey, you okay?” He asked cautiously as he got closer to him. Charles being angry was a rare event, but one needed to tread lightly if he was.“Yeah,” his boyfriend nodded, sounding completely unconvincing. “Just tired…”“Let’s get outta here, yeah? I think you deserve a milkshake.”“Okay.” Charles was the telepath, but Erik could feel his boyfriend’s deepening despair. He wasn’t smiling or telling him some obscure interesting fact or relaying new school gossip he’d heard that day. He seemed drained, tired, and defeated. Erik just wanted to hold him tight, call him liebling, and kiss it all away, but he couldn’t, especially not now. It probably wouldn’t be long before Cain started telling people at school. He may have already graduated (barely), but he still had lots of friends who hadn’t. Erik realized then he didn’t know if Cain had any intent of telling people about him either. It’s not like he was going to have to be around much longer, but he was afraid. It wasn’t something he wanted people to know yet. His feelings kept vacillating between not caring if people knew and worrying about every movement he made giving it away. Was he really ashamed and kept denying it? The walk to Smith’s was quiet, neither of them speaking much. Erik’s hand “accidentally” brushed against Charles’, and that elicited a small smile, but it was still a sad one. “Hey boys, I didn’t know it was Friday,” Mr. Gerald Smith joked as they pushed through the glass door into the pharmacy. Charles’ whole demeanor transformed once they were in view of the old man, and it was quite shocking. He seemed absolutely normal, happy, and bubbly. They ordered their usuals, got their shakes, and found an empty booth. Erik waited until Charles had a mouthful of ice cream to ask,“How did you do that?”“Hmm?” He replied, eyebrows raised. “Do what?”“You just… I don’t know, you got all happy as soon as Mr. Smith saw us. You looked real sad earlier.”“Ah, right. I’ve learned that it’s easier to fake being alright than having to talk about what’s wrong. But I’ve never done that with you, I promise.”“Oh… You really promise?”“Mhm, of course.”“I’m sorry…” Charles smiled genuinely and shook his head.“There’s no need to be. You’ve only made things better for me.”“I’m glad you think so,” Erik replied, shrugging. Charles pointed to his temple, eyebrows raised questioningly. Erik nodded, and he felt his boyfriend slip into his mind. 
I love you.
 
I love you too, engel.
 
I wish I could say it out loud and loudly at that…
 
I know. Me too.
 Erik was able to coax Charles out of his darkness a little bit as they ate their milkshakes, and he got him to laugh twice. The second time wasn’t intentional; he just apparently made a “horrifically wonderful” face when he sneezed. The walk to the park was certainly brighter than the one from school. Charles chattered a little bit about how a girl he’d been becoming friends with, Raven, had gotten a new puppy over the weekend and had invited him to meet it.“That’s great, Schatz!” Erik smiled as they sat on a bench in a fairly secluded section of the park. “I’m so glad you’re connecting with someone.”“Ah, thank you,” Charles smiled, his hand firmly grasping Erik’s.“I really don’t understand how you’re not the most popular kid in school, honestly.”“Oh hush. I’m a square. I wouldn’t want to be popular anyhow; hierarchies destroy people. I wouldn’t want to be part of that.”“You’ve always got an insight, it’s great,” he laughed.“I’m just not used to… I dunno, being paid attention to, I guess… Gives you time to think.”“I can’t believe your mom and step dad treat you the way they do. They don’t fucking listen or try to understand. It’s such bullshit.”“I know. It hurts.”“You don’t deserve that. You don’t deserve to hurt.”“Eh…”“Are you scared?” Charles sighed and took a moment before nodding.“I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know where I’m going to be, who I’m gonna be with, what they’re gonna do to me - nothing… I hate that.”“I wish I could come with you. We could do it together, you know, be there for each other.”“I’d never want you to have to do that, darling. It’ll be easier for me because of my telepathy.”“But you’ll feel everything. People are gonna be projecting like crazy.”“...Yeah…”“I wanna take you away from all this. I hate that you gotta live here.”“It’s not easy for either of us. I know you’re struggling too.”“But nothing’s happening to me. I’m okay.”“Just because you’re not being openly attacked doesn’t mean it’s not hurting. I know you’re scared too, and that’s okay. Just because you have a better family than most doesn’t mean you can’t be afraid.”“I guess… I should be one comforting you though, baby.”“Ah, shush,” Charles smiled, shaking his head. “You’re fine.”“Are you gonna be allowed to write while you’re gone?”“That’s a good question. I doubt it, but there is a discrepancy between able and allowed.”“Oh?”“If I can get the letters out to you, they can’t stop them from being delivered, right? I don’t think I’ll be able to get letters from you, but I may be able to sneak some out.”“Would you? Not hearing from you would be the worst.”“I’ll do my best.”“Are you coming to school tomorrow?”“Probably not, but I don’t know for sure.”“Gosh, I don’t want you to leave…”“I don’t want to either; I’m going to miss you so much…”“I’m going to miss you too.”“I’m gonna come back, and it’ll be okay. We’ll move to Massachusetts and finally start something new.”“Do you want to get a cat? I know your parents wouldn’t let you get one.” Charles’ eyes lit up, and he nodded furiously.“Yes! A kitten!”“Okay, we’ll get the cutest kitten we can find.”“Perfect.”

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*****Wednesday morning, Erik rose with the sun and crept out of the house. The birds were singing softly in the trees, and everything seemed calm and at peace, but it wasn’t. Charles was getting taken away today for who knows how long and having to endure god knows what. His world was being ripped open, and it felt so odd for everything else to be in place. But it’s just like that sometimes… He felt his heart rate quickening as he approached the park. Charles wasn’t going to be able to meet him, but Erik had devised a plan of sitting on a bench facing the road and waving goodbye to him from afar. Better than nothing. The wood of the bench was damp from the coolness of the morning, and Erik gently tugged on a few of the nails with his powers until he heard the revv of an engine from the street. He sat bolt upright and watched as the familiar navy Plymouth drove by. The back window was down, and Charles was leaning halfway out, waving to Erik and blowing kisses. He waved back, trying not to let his heart hit his shoes before the car pulled away, never slowing. But aching hearts are heavy and fall fast.

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***** Erik sat on the grass, waiting and watching the water. Cicadas were shrieking in the trees around him, and he wondered what they were saying. Did bugs think? Probably on some level they did, but who knows. He checked his watch - 6:48. Charles’ train had gotten in at 5:45. Hopefully he’d be there soon. His last letter had held the promise of meeting him tonight “around 7, but hopefully sooner.” Erik wasn’t typically a patient person, and getting to see a partner after two months wasn’t something anyone would have an easy time waiting for anyway. His eyes focused on the water, watching for creatures and fish. He saw a small green frog hiding in the reeds of the pond. It was almost invisible, only given away by its twitching foot. Then, all of a sudden, he felt a warmth wrapping around his mind, coupled with a tap on the shoulder.“Hi,” Charles’ voice came from directly behind him.“Charles!” Erik launched himself off the ground and into his boyfriend’s arms. “Gosh, you’re back. You’re home.”“Yes sir, I am,” Erik felt Charles pressing kisses to the side of his head. “I missed you so much.”“I missed you too! I can’t believe it’s been so long.” Erik pulled away and smiled down at Charles. He looked different: his hair was longer than Erik had seen it in a while, he’d lost some weight he shouldn’t have, and he had dark circles under his eyes.“I know I don’t look too great right now. Unfortunately, I couldn’t dress up to go out, the family would pry,” Charles said, rolling his eyes.“I think you look beautiful,” Erik replied, kissing his boyfriend’s forehead. “You always do.”“Thank you, darling.”“It’s true.”“You’re too kind.”“Nah, just love you.”“I love you too!”“Do you wanna fill me in about what happened? I know you couldn’t write much in the letters. If you don’t wanna talk about it, that’s totally fine.”“Sure,” he nodded, sitting down on the grass and folding his legs up. Erik joined him and felt his heart sing when Charles leaned against him. He was okay. He still loved him. He seemed like almost nothing had happened.“So, I was apparently one of the most ‘resistant’ patients the doctor had ever had. I basically told him to piss off the first time we had a session. I had to be put in a room by myself because no one wanted to room with a telepath. Which was probably a blessing honestly, I was able to get away from people’s thoughts.”“There weren’t any other mutants?”“Nope. I was the only one. I’m quite sure they didn’t know the extent of my telepathy, which is a good thing because they might have tried to ‘suppress’ it or something.”“Have they figured out a way to do that?”“Eh, who knows. All the research is poorly done and violating ethics left and right.”“Ah…”“Anyway, on to the actual ‘treatment.’ So apparently this doc really loves to try to attribute liking men to all sorts of rubbish, like lack of ‘healthy’ interaction with other boys when you’re younger, having a mother who’s too clingy (we all know that’s wrong), things like that. Between one-on-one sessions and groups, I was in ‘counselling’ about 5 hours every day. It got draining after a while, hearing about how it’s a disease and a dark perversion, that kind of thing. One day they brought in some pastor to talk about how God would fix us, and some people really went for that. I guess I can understand it, but I wish it didn’t have to be that way…”“Oh gosh, baby, I’m so sorry,” Erik bit his lip, eyes wide and staring into Charles’ tired ones.“Don’t worry, love, I’m okay. I was worried I wouldn’t be, but I’m okay. There is something I need to tell you though.”“Go ahead.” Erik felt anxiety surging into his veins, and Charles sighed and nodded.“Since I wasn’t responding to treatment like they’d hoped, they decided to try more… physical measures. They made me see photos of women… naked…  and I had to do things with some girl who was there to get ‘cured’ too, and I just feel so guilty about it because I don’t want you to think that I was cheating on you or anything, and I didn’t wanna do it, and I didn’t even like it. I had to use my telepathy to make them think I was responding to it, and I feel badly about that too because I’ve always tried to be very ethical about using it, and I just don’t want you to be upset about them thinking I liked it or maybe hearing that from someone and thinking I cheated on you because I’d never do that - never, ever, ever…” Erik opened his mouth, but no words would dislodge from his throat. He grabbed Charles and pulled him to his chest, hearing the beginning of tears from his boyfriend. His heart was beating so fast he thought it was going to break free from his chest and fly off.“Shh, shh, Schatz,” he whispered, finally able to say something. “Oh liebling, I’m so sorry.”“Don’t be mad at me, please, please don’t be mad.”“I could never be mad at you for that. It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong. Not a thing.”“I-I’m so sorry… I shouldn’t have even let it go that far. I should have just used my powers…”  “Baby, listen to me, okay?” Erik shifted so he could look Charles directly in the eyes. “This is not your fault. I love you no less, maybe even more than before.”“There’s… something else…”“What’s that?” Charles bit his lip, almost hard enough to draw blood, Erik imagined, before pulling up the sleeve of his jacket to reveal several dark (but healing) cuts across his skin.“I’m so sorry… I just got so overwhelmed, and everyone’s minds were so loud and negative, I just didn’t know how to handle it. It won’t happen again. I’m going to be fine.”“Can I kiss them?”“W-what?” Charles stuttered, wide eyes shimmering from crying.“I asked if I could kiss them,” Erik repeated, sniffing back tears of his own.“If you want, I suppose…” Erik nodded, gently pressing his lips to each wound, trying his best to push his love towards Charles.“I might not understand it, but I love you, and I’m not gonna be mad because you hurt yourself. That’s just dumb and unhelpful. I’m just gonna try to make it so you don’t feel like you need to. What I can’t help with, we’ll figure out together to make it right.”“I… fuck,” Charles ran his hands through his hair, cheeks blazing. “Thank you. I love you so much.”“I love you too,” Erik replied, squeezing Charles’ hand in his. “Nothing can change that.”“Tell me about your summer, please. I want to know everything you were up to!”“Well, let’s see. I drove up to Cambridge a few weeks ago to talk with the manager at that big body shop. He offered me a job, and I start the same week as you do.”“Darling, that’s fantastic! I’m so proud of you!”“Thank you, schatz,” Erik grinned, leaning over and kissing Charles’ cheek. “I worked a lot at the deli while you were gone, and it was hard walking by the park and not getting to see you…”“Oh gosh, there was a little lake by the hospital I was at, and I could see it from my window. Sometimes I almost thought you were out there.”“I was waiting right here for you,” he replied softly, feeling the anxiety finally lifting from his shoulders. Charles was back. “I’ll always wait for you.”“I hope I’ll never keep you waiting again.”“Ah, it’s no trouble, as long as you come back.” Charles laughed, smiling brightly as he laid back in the grass, staring up at the sky.“I love you, Erik. If that fucking doctor taught me anything, it’s that I’m damn lucky to be with you.”“How’d he teach you that?”“Well, I see it this way - sometimes people sacrifice one of most basic happinesses in life because of the others think about it. They’re certainly victims of society’s bull, but if you give in to that, you’re just reinforcing that rhetoric, you know? But by accepting you love who you love and loving unconditionally and intensely, you’re fighting back. Sticking it to the man.”  “I can’t believe you dealt with all that shit, and that’s what you come out of it with,” Erik grinned. “You’re something else, baby.”“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Charles replied, rolling over and hugging Erik’s waist. “I love you!”

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***** 21 Years Later***** 
A riot erupted in New York’s Greenwich Village early today at the site of popular homosexual and mutant nightclub, The Stonewall Inn. Activists and patrons clashed violently with police as a raid on the establishment was attempted.
 Charles clucked his tongue, leaning back against Erik, whose eyes were locked on the screen.“Look at that, darling,” he said, pulling Erik’s arm tighter around him. “Others have finally started fighting back.”“It’s about damn time. Glad to know we’re not the only ones sick of this shit. If only it’d been 25 years ago, things would have been a hell of a lot easier for us by now,” Erik replied, nodding.“True, true. But I think things are going to start changing.”“We can only hope.”“And that we will.” ***** June 27, 2015**** “I can’t get this damn tie undone!” Erik groaned, turning to Charles, who was already immaculately dressed and settled comfortably into his wheelchair. “Schatz, can you help me?”“Of course, come here,” he replied, chuckling softly as Erik leaned over to give him access to the troublesome knot. “You need to be gentle with these ties; they’re antiques!”“We’re not that old, Charles!”“I know, love, I know. High school just seems a long time ago, doesn’t it?” He quickly undid the knot of the tie Erik had worn to their senior “prom” and began to carefully retie it.“I can’t believe I’m 88, and we’re just now getting married.”“It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”“Sure has,” Erik nodded, straightening up and smiling down at his soon-to-be husband. “I wish Mama could see us now.”“She’d be so proud of you, darling.”“And of you too. I think you were her favorite.”“Oh hush!” Charles grinned, shaking his head. “Let’s go get married.”“Lead the way, husband.”“Husband to be, Erik, husband to be!”