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“You know, when I agreed to help you, I never realized I would end up doing this,” Erik grumbled as he trailed behind Charles, arms full of various fruits and vegetables.
Charles looked back at Erik, an amused smirk tugging at his lips. “Like it or not, someone has to do the grocery shopping.” He turned down the frozen foods aisle and began scanning the numerous fridges for inspiration.
“You own a mansion and yet you don’t have a servant waiting around to do your bidding. What a tragedy,” Erik said sarcastically.
“Whine all you want, Erik,” Charles hummed as he pried open one of the doors to grab a tub of ice cream, “We aren’t leaving until we’ve gotten everything we need.”
Erik raised his brow. “Since when has Rocky Road become a necessity?”
Charles dropped the tub in his basket and smiled up at him. “It hasn’t. But believe me, you will find it comes in handy in a household full of teenage mutants.”
Charles patted Erik on the chest, laughing to himself as Erik rolled his eyes and slouched his shoulders in an expression of annoyance. As much as Erik put on a display of despising any aspect of fitting in amongst human society, Charles knew that deep down he enjoyed some of life’s simplicities. At the end of the day, whether Erik admitted it or not, mutants and humans would share this world and befriend one another.
Erik stood behind Charles in the checkout line, arms growing increasingly tired from the pounds of fruit he had cradled up in them. He couldn’t wait to get out of this damn store and return to the peace of Xavier Mansion.
Out of nowhere something small but solid thumped against his jacket before falling to the floor. He furrowed his brow and looked down to see a penny laying at his feet. He leaned over to look closer at it only to have another coin strike his forehead. He growled, looking over in the direction it had come from to see a young boy in the aisle next to them with several coins sitting in the palm of his hand. Erik threw him a threatening glare. The boy just smiled and tucked the change in his pocket.
With a frown and an irritated huff, Erik turned his attention to his own lane. However, not even a minute later, another projectile struck him sharply in the side of the neck. He ground his teeth together and looked over at the boy who was now laughing hysterically.
“Why you…”
Erik made a move toward the boy, nostrils practically flaring. Charles cut him off, placing a hand against Erik’s chest to hold him back.
“Erik, what are you doing?” Charles asked, baffled by Erik’s sudden burst of rage.
“That little brat has been tossing coins at me like I’m some kind of wishing well,” Erik hissed, eyes locked on the giggling child.
“He’s just a boy, Erik. Children do that sort of thing. No need to get riled up about i-”
Charles was cut off as the boy hurled a quarter at him, nailing him in the throat.
“That’s it,” Erik shouted, dropping his groceries onto the conveyor belt and rushing toward the child.
Charles reached out for him, grabbing onto his arm. “Erik, don’t!”
Erik growled, turning toward Charles. “Let go of me! Someone needs to show this child what happens to people like him in the real world!”
“He has years to learn such things! And he certainly doesn’t need a grown man beating him to learn what it means to grow up! Just let it go!”
Suddenly, a strange sensation overcame Erik. His legs felt weak and his vision started to blur. He stumbled, grabbing onto Charles’ cardigan to try and steady himself. Charles, however, seemed to be suffering from the same inexplicable sensation. They grasped at each other, fingers digging into their clothes as the began leaning against one another.
“What the hell...is going on?” Erik mumbled in confusion, now suffering from double vision as he collapsed to his knees.
“It’s the boy,” Charles slurred, “He’s… A mutant…”
Charles slumped over, forehead pressed against Erik’s chest as they continued to collapse like a flimsy house of cards. Erik fell on his back, arms and legs outstretched as if he were going to start making snow angels. Charles collapsed on top of him, forcing a deep groan from Erik’s throat.
“Charles,” he murmured in exhaustion, hardly able to keep his eyes open for more than a second, “Charles…Make him stop…”
But Charles was already passed out, his body motionless. Erik stared up at the blurred ceiling as his vision began going dark.
“Fuck,” was all he managed to whisper before everything went black.
Charles and Erik were awoken by the sound of the store manager’s voice and a very aggressive smack of a broom hitting the floor beside them. They both inhaled sharply, pushing against one another as they struggled to sit upright.
“If you want to sleep out in public, go find yourselves a park bench,” the manager said frustratedly, “I don’t need you two getting cozy on my shop floor.”
“Our apologies,” Charles said as he clambered to his feet and brushed off his pants, “We’ll see ourselves out.”
“You better,” she grumbled before walking away to assist a customer on the other side of the checkout line.
“Where is he?” Erik shouted as he stood, eyes scanning the store in search of the boy.
Charles sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “He’s gone. Probably ran off the moment we went under.”
“That bastard,” Erik hissed, “If I see him again, I’m going to shove one of those quarters so far up his ass he’ll-”
“Easy, Erik!” Charles gave him a stern look upon seeing one of the customers gaping over at them in horror. “Let’s just get out of here before we cause any more trouble.”
They exited the store and made their way down the street. Unbeknownst to them, every lamp post they passed turned after them, their curved necks straightening as they were pulled by an invisible force. Every coin they walked over sprung to life, spinning wildly in place before rolling after Charles and Erik like obedient pets.
“What exactly did he do to us?” Erik asked as they turned the corner to head up the southern block of the neighborhood.
“I’m not entirely sure,” Charles replied, “I only got a glimpse inside his head. It was strange. The moment I got in there, he somehow threw me out. I don’t know how but my powers were denied.”
They continued down the sidewalk, enjoying the brisk autumn breeze. The weather was surprisingly perfect for enjoying a stroll. The sun wasn’t glaring down at them and the air wasn’t blowing any kind of wintry gusts through the city.
“Damn, I’d love to have me a piece of that ass.”
Erik spun around. The voice that had spoken had sounded like it was coming from right behind his ear. But when he turned there was no one there.
Erik furrowed his brow and looked around. Suddenly a new voice muttered, “That bitch. Can’t believe she said that to me.”
Erik’s spun around again but was left confused when he found that there was no one but Charles beside him. What the hell was going on?
“What’s the matter?” Charles asked, noting a very dumbfounded expression on Erik’s face.
“Nothing,” Erik murmured as he looked around a little more, the voices having subsided.
Charles eyed him curiously, hesitant to believe him. But he didn’t pry any further. He glanced at his watch and sighed upon noticing the time. “We should probably just pick up some take out and head back. I can always send Alex out to get some groceries tomorrow morning.”
With his eyes set on an approaching taxi, Charles walked over to the curb and raised his arm to flag it down. Suddenly, a mailbox from across the street unbolted itself from the concrete and flew toward Charles’ outstretched hand. Charles shouted and jumped out of its way, narrowly avoiding being hit head on.
“What the…?” He stared at his hand in confusion before looking up at Erik who seemed just as vexed as he was.
“Oh great,” a voice sounded from behind Erik’s ear once again, “Another one of them freaks is out again.”
Erik turned to see a man sitting on a bench down the street with a newspaper in his hand. “Do not speak ill of us, you filthy bastard,” Erik shouted furiously.
The man looked up from his paper, looking completely baffled and almost creeped out by Erik’s yelling.
“Erik, he didn’t say anything,” Charles murmured.
“Yes he did,” Erik argued, brow still furrowed with anger, “He called you a freak! Didn’t you hear him?”
“No. I didn’t hear anyone say such a thing.”
“Then who…” Erik’s thought faded as a wave of voices bombarded him. So many different people were speaking at once, drowning in a constant flow of chatter. Men, women, children. All sorts of people were muttering in his ear, whispering secrets and cursing others.
Erik grabbed at the sides of his head and looked around for the source of the voices. But none of the passersby who gazed at him said a word. He hissed and closed his eyes, hunching over in an attempt to make the sounds disappear.
From somewhere deep within the sea of voices, Erik could hear Charles calling out to him. Desperate to find some peace, Erik focused on Charles’ voice, doing his best to drown out everything else.
“Erik!”
Erik opened his eyes turning to look at Charles, whose voice was now the only one he could here. “What the fuck just happened?” He asked, terrified that the phenomenon would repeat itself.
“I don’t know how or why,” Charles explained, “But I think that boy swapped our powers.”
Erik’s eyes went wide. “What?”
“You’re hearing voices aren’t you?”
Erik nodded.
“And I just uprooted a goddamn mailbox without touching it. Erik, that boy didn’t just knock us out. He somehow transplanted our mutations. He’s given you my telepathy in exchange for your magnetism.”
Erik gaped at him, completely baffled by what he was hearing. “How could he possibly do that?”
Charles shook his head. “I have no idea. But we need to get back to the mansion right away before we start drawing any more attention to ourselves.”
Erik was seated on the couch in Charles’ study, hunched over with a nervous look in his eye as Charles paced the room in thought.
“I’ve never heard of any sort of mutation like this before,” Charles mused aloud, “Altering one’s genetic code to adapt alternate abilities, yes. But changing the makeup of another? I just don’t understand how that is possible.”
Charles sighed and sat down beside Erik.
“Are you alright, old friend?” He asked, noticing an expression of worry on Erik’s face.
Erik shook his head slightly. “I have no idea how to control these powers. One second my mind is empty of all voices but my own, the next there are thousands of different people screaming inside of me.” He turned his head to look at Charles, astonishment clear upon his face. “I don’t understand how you are able to remain so focused.” He let out a hiss and shut his eyes as a wave of foreign thoughts rolled through his mind.
Charles stood up in front of him. “I know it is difficult to ignore them,” he said as he gently placed the heels of his palms against Erik’s temple, “But you have to try. Your mind is a doorway, Erik. You can pass through it and enter someone else’s just as their thoughts can enter yours. If you focus hard enough, you can close the door.”
Erik reached up and clutched at Charles’ sleeve, furrowing his brow in pain at the onslaught of voices still bombarding him.
“Focus, Erik. Listen to my voice. Direct every last bit of your attention on me. Think of nothing but me. Shut the door on all those other voices and let mine in.” He tilted Erik’s head back gently as the tension in Erik’s body began to fade. “Now open your eyes and keep your thoughts on me.”
Erik slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Charles. He was immediately astonished. “It’s working.”
Charles smiled brightly. “Good. Just remember, if they ever start to reach you again, calm your mind. Focus on the present, on the people, on the sounds and smells around you. You’ll keep them out. I have faith in you.” He pulled his hands from Erik’s head, bringing one down to give Erik’s shoulder a soft squeeze before stepping away.
“Thank you, Charles,” Erik said, his voice surprisingly soft.
Charles simply waved his hand. “No need to thank me. I don’t like the fact that you’ve been given the burden I was born to bear.”
Erik looked away briefly, seemingly hesitating to say something. Curious as to what that may be, Charles decided to inquire.
“Seeing as I no longer have the ability to see for myself, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask what’s on your mind, Erik.”
Erik twiddled his thumbs briefly as he debated whether or not to share his thoughts. “All this time you’ve had your abilities, you must have heard things, seen things you never wanted to know,” Erik said as he gazed up at him, his expression one of sympathy.
Charles clenched his jaw slightly and stared at Erik for a moment before choosing to sit down on the coffee table directly in front of him. With a deep breath and a heavy heart, he began to explain. “There have been many days where I struggle to keep the thoughts of others from my mind, days where I don’t have the strength to shut the door far enough. Those days are difficult.” He closed his eyes for a moment as he recalled several such instances. “I’ve listened to the thoughts of the dying more times than I can count. I’ve heard them praying, begging for forgiveness as they draw their last breath, so many of them crying out about how much they don’t want to die. I’ve felt their confusion, their anger, and their fear as their consciousness slowly fades. And suddenly I can no longer feel their presence. That’s when I know that they have left this world behind, not even having known the man who was with them inside their head as they passed.”
Charles felt a tear roll down his cheek and immediately reached up to wipe it away with his hand. “Apologies,” he murmured with a huff of nervous laughter, “It’s surprisingly difficult to discuss such things.”
Erik’s eyes were alarmingly soft. His gaze was gentle, so full of unspoken admiration and tenderness. “It never occurred to me that you would hear such things,” Erik said as he leaned forward and laid his hands on Charles’ knees, “You are so strong, Charles. I understand now why these young mutants look up to you. And knowing how much pressure your abilities put on you, I can only admire you more.”
Charles swallowed, his cheeks getting warm at the contact Erik was sharing with him. He was so close, all he had to do was lean forward and press his lips to Erik’s…
Just as Charles found himself leaning in to steal a kiss, the handle on the door to his study was stripped from its socket and hurtled across the room, breaking through the window with remarkable force. Charles and Erik both jumped, startled by the disruption. “Sorry,” Charles muttered as he stood, “It seems I can’t quite control the magnetic fields.”
Erik laughed, brow raised as he glanced over at the mess of glass beneath the broken window. “I’d hate to see what you’d do with the doorknob when you're angry,” he said playfully.
Charles rolled his eyes and pushed Erik gently on the shoulder as he passed him by on his way toward the door.
Entering a kitchen full of silverware and iron cooking ware with new, uncontrolled magnetic powers was probably the worst idea Charles had ever had. From the moment he entered the room, the metal appliances started shrieking as if they were slowly imploding on themselves, the pans hanging overhead began clanking together furiously, and the silverware in all the drawers scraped together, shaking their containers like rabid dogs.
Charles sighed and headed for the cabinet containing his kettle. The moment he opened the door, the kettle came soaring out, narrowly missing his head as it slammed into the wall across the room. “This is ridiculous,” Charles grumbled in frustration, “I can’t even navigate the bloody kitchen without causing a scene!”
He clenched his fists and took a deep breath, unaware of the fact that his anger had inadvertently raised the set of knives from their holder behind him, the blades staring Erik down like an army of venomous snakes.
“Charles, I think it might be best for you to calm down,” Erik said as calmly as possible, slowly approaching his counterpart.
“Believe me, Erik, I’m doing the best I can to remain calm. But my entire mansion is turning into a horror house because of me.”
“I am not nearly as great a mentor as the man who told me this, but you need to clear your mind,” Erik said, a smile tugging at his lips, “You’ll find it easier to control your powers if you do.”
Charles looked at him in surprise, his astonishment mixing with joy as he realized Erik was giving him the advice he had once given Erik. He looked at Erik affectionately for a moment before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He focused his mind on normality, on the image of his kitchen the way it was meant to be. Little by little, the chaos began to dissipate. The knives nuzzled their way back into their slots. The pans hanging above them stopped shaking. The drawers of silverware went quiet. Within a matter of seconds everything was still again.
Charles opened his eyes once again and smiled proudly. “Much better,” he beamed.
Erik chuckled and walked over to pick the kettle up off the ground. “Thank God that went well,” he joked, “I thought I was going to end up with knives in my chest.” He threw Charles a smirk as he filled the kettle with water at the kitchen sink.
“Stabbing my house guest would be rather rude of me, don’t you think?”
The pair exchanged playful smiles before preparing for their tea. Erik dug through the cabinet in search of cups while Charles fetched some sugar from the pantry.
When the water finished boiling, Erik grabbed the kettle. Charles watched as he poured, amazed at the content look on his face. He seemed so peaceful. There was no tension in his muscles, no dark thoughts troubling his mind. He was just...happy.
Charles thanked Erik as he handed him his cup, leaning against the counter opposite of him. They stood facing one another, tea in hand and soft smiles on their lips as they enjoyed their first few sips. Charles looked Erik over slightly, taking note of his posture when he saw the metal belt buckle at his waist. A playful smirk immediately tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“What’s that look for?” Erik asked, brow raised curiously.
“Oh nothing,” Charles said as he took another sip of his tea before putting it down.
Erik eyed him suspiciously, waiting for an explanation he wasn’t going to receive. Without a word, Charles focused his mind on Erik’s belt. Instantaneously, Erik felt himself being tugged forward by the waist. He nearly spilled his tea as he followed the pull of his belt and soon found himself flush against a very snarky Charles.
Erik gazed down at him in surprise, brow raised and mouth gaping. But his astonishment soon faded as he realized Charles had purposefully brought him closer. He returned Charles’ smirk with one of his own, placing his cup down on the counter before putting his hands on Charles’ hips.
“Of all the metal objects in this room, this is how you choose to test your abilities,” Erik murmured playfully.
“What can I say?” Charles responded, “I take advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself.”
Erik’s tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip as he pressed himself firmly up against Charles. It was the first time they had actually made such contact but God did it feel natural. They looked at one another affectionately, finally ready to act upon a mutual longing they had kept suppressed during their recruitment missions. However, just as they were about to kiss, Raven entered the room.
“Hey, Charles, did you get-” She froze, her face contorting in surprise and slight discomfort at the sight of Erik and Charles pressed up against the counter. “You know what? Nevermind. I’m not hungry anymore.”
“Raven, wait!” Charles exclaimed, pushing Erik off of him to chase after her, “We weren’t…” His voice faded out as he turned the corner to find she had already disappeared. “..having sex.” He sighed in defeat, hands on his hips as he looked down at his feet.
“I don’t know,” Erik teased from behind him, “If you kept looking up at me with those damn eyes, I probably would have wanted to.”
Charles turned and gave him a stern look despite the blush in his cheeks. “Erik.”
“Easy. I’m only kidding.” He chuckled, smirking playfully.
Charles shook his head and adjusted his cardigan. “Yes, well, I wish you wouldn’t mention such a thing in front of the others.”
“They’re not children, Charles. I’m sure they can handle the prospect of their mentor getting a little action on the side.”
“I’m going to go ahead and dismiss that comment and finish my tea, thank you very much,” Charles said hurriedly as he pushed past Erik to fetch his cup from the counter.
Erik turned and pressed two fingers to his temple as he focused on Charles. Charles froze in place, unable to move. Erik stepped in front of him, leaning down to kiss him softly on the lips. He then smirked down at Charles and walked away, releasing Charles from his control. Charles’ cheeks grew hot.
“What was that for?” Charles called after Erik as he left the room.
“Just finishing what you started,” Erik’s voice echoed back, “Now finish your tea so we can work on finding a way to get our powers straightened out.”
Charles stared at the empty doorway, tracing his finger over his lips as he replayed the kiss in his head. After a moment of standing there in a trance, he smiled brightly and turned to grab his tea. He didn’t quite understand how he’d gotten lucky enough to win Erik’s affections, but God was he happy he did.
It took several hours and a lot of moral support from Charles for Erik to pinpoint the location of the young boy from the grocery store. Luckily, he lived just on the other side of town, no more than a 20 minute ride from the mansion. By five o’clock that evening, they found themselves standing on the doorstep of a small brick home, waiting for someone to answer the door.
When the door was finally pried open, a woman in her early 30’s peeked out at them. “Can I help you?” She asked curiously.
“Hello, my name is Charles Xavier. This is my friend Erik Lehnsherr. We were at the market earlier today and had a little encounter with a boy whom we believe lives here.”
The woman’s surprise immediately faded, giving way to worry and irritation. “What did he do this time?”
Charles and Erik exchanged a look before turning their attention back to the woman. “I think it might be best if we discuss this inside,” Charles suggested.
After a quick rundown of what happened at the store earlier that day, the woman, who was the mother of the young boy, called him downstairs. “Bobby, I know you think it’s funny, but I need you to give these two nice men their powers back so they can go home,” his mother directed him.
The boy frowned but agreed to do so. The strange sensation of disorientation they had experienced that morning returned, both Charles and Erik leaning against one another as they slowly lost consciousness.
When they came to again, they found the mother patiently sitting across from them. “I’m so sorry about all of this,” she said with an expression of guilt, “He doesn’t quite have the hang of his abilities yet. He’s getting better though.”
Charles waved his hand and stood up, using Erik’s knee to push himself up. “It’s alright,” Charles dismissed, still slightly groggy, “It takes most mutants years to fully understand and control their abilities. Your son will figure it out soon enough.” Charles turned and nudged Erik firmly when he found his counterpart still slouched over on the sofa. “Come on, Erik, get up.”
After shaking the woman’s hand and bidding both her and her son farewell, he and Erik left their home and made their way down the street.
“You’re probably going to hate me for saying this, but we really should stop at the grocery store before we head back.” He smiled teasingly over at Erik, knowing fully well that returning to a store would probably drive him mad.
But surprisingly Erik just laughed. “Charles, I couldn’t hate you even if I wanted to.”
Charles raised his brow, eyes lighting up at the comment. “Why, Erik, that may be the single nicest thing I’ve ever heard you say,” he said jokingly as he gave Erik’s shoulder a gentle push.
“Alright, alright. Don’t tease me any further or I might change my mind.”
Charles beamed up at him, more than pleased to see Erik smiling back. Without any hesitation, Charles reached out and took hold of Erik’s hand. It only took a moment for Erik to understand what was happening before he willingly intertwined their fingers and leaned into Charles as if it were the most natural thing in the world.