#nothing against cherik

[platossoulmates]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE drop any x-men found family fic recs- all of the major stuff is solely cherik and the first class cast which is so good BUT i want team fluff so badly 😭

[lauriegraham01]

forever & always | erik lehnsherr

pairings: erik x reader, (cherik x reader if you squint)

summary: it's been years since erik abandoned you on the sands on cuba. when fate - or rather a friend from the future, logan - steps in and forces your paths to cross, what feelings will ensue?

w/c: 2,272

a/n: follows the events shown in days of future past, inspiration drawn from "forever & always" by taylor swift. been working on this one for the past week, apologies for the delay, life can be cruel but the storm only lasts one night.

The brightness of the sun was blinding as its rays bleed through the curtains of your room, shining in your eyes prompting you to wake up with a groan. Reaching out for Charles youre disappointed as you feel nothing but the cold sheets where his side of the bed laid empty. A headache settles in within your head, throbbing unforgivably. As you look over to your nightstand you read your clock.

2:47 p.m. Another day wasted away in bed.

You had gotten little sleep the night before. Scenes of sand plaguing you in your dreams echoing the trauma from all that you've lost.

You're on a beach in a Cuba. You don't know yet that it's the end of the world- the end of your world. Black spots cloud your vision. You're losing too much blood. Footsteps staggered as your breathing comes out labored- trying to make sense of what happened.

Erik.

Charles and you had been caught in the crossfire of his war against humans and now you both were paying the price for it.

"Erik?!" Your voice rings clear in his head. He exhales a shaky breath, one that he can't seem to breathe out enough. Charles laid in his arms paralyzed and betrayed. His heart broken at the pain he's caused and remorse washes over him as he sees the man in his grasp slips further away into a world of unfathomable pain. Leaving Charles within Moira's grasp he then makes his way to you. Discarding his metal helmet in the process.

"Y/N." Erik cautiously places his hands at your side. Taking in how much blood seeped through your suit.

“Erik what’s happened to Charles? Is he alright?" With eyes widened, you wait for him to bring some clarity to the chaos that happening.

“Y/N stop. You’re losing too much blood," Erik said carefully. Looking down he sees your hand pressed to your side. Carefully lifting it, he lets out a sharp gasp as he sees the tear in your suit where the bullet pierced your skin.

A choked cough escapes your lip as a bit of blood rushes through the side of your mouth. You feel your knees buckle underneath you and Erik catches you in time, placing you in his arms as you both sink to the sand.

“Erik?” Your voice rings within his head, even telepathically your voice sounds strained, hurt. “Did you do this?”

"I’m sorry, my love,'" it comes out a whisper. Even without your powers you knew exactly where his mind was at. By the solemn expression on his face and the distant look in his eyes you knew that he was leaving.

"Erik, please," you plead.

"I can't stay here. Look at all that I've caused."

"Erik, don't do this. Stay."

"I cant." He says through gritted teeth, the pain sharp on his tongue like a blade.

"You can. You have a family here, you have people who care and love you- I love you Erik."

His face was taut, twisted in a sea of emotions as he thought of the path that he was walking down- and the love that he would lose in the process.

"This is a war that I have to fight alone. I have to go down a road that you can't follow me on."

"Erik, please." You place a hand on his cheek and he closes his eyes and lets out a heavy sigh. Burning the feel of your touch for what he believes would be the last time.

"I'm sorry my love."

He takes your hand and places a kiss onto it before walking away, fading into view with your heart breaking with every step he takes.

"Charles?" You call to him like a ship lost at sea.

"I'm right here. I'm right here darling." His voice rings out softly in your head. By the labors of his breath you know that he's fighting through his pain. You shiver as you feel a coldness drape over you, slumping further into the sand as exhaustion wins its fight over you.

“I’m scared.”

"Stay with me. We'll make it through this together." Charles voice fades out as your vision fades to black.

It truly was a miracle that you even pulled through at all. Hank managing to save you within an inch of your life. An unpleasant feeling sits deep in your stomach as you try to shake off the scenes replaying in your head. Before the guilt of wasting the day away consumes you, you rise up out of bed and make way for the kitchen. The halls were quiet now, faded were the days where students once roamed freely. When the war in Vietnam began, students and teachers alike were being drafted and many never returned home. Wallowing in his grief, Charles closed the doors to the school.

So you and Hank stayed behind in the mansion. Hank tinkered away on his own plans and research and you remained by Charles side as you both tried to process and move through each others grief. When Hank created a serum that gave Charles the ability to use his legs again you had thought things would get better, but time would reveal how wrong you were. Things ultimately took a turn for the worst, as Charles became dependent on the serum and became an alcoholic, he had turned into a version of himself that you never thought possible. He was short-tempered and full of rage at any given moment. Hank got the worst of it, and at times you thought about leaving but you knew that you wouldn't- Charles knew that you couldn't.

Yet, it would be wrong to put the entire blame on Charles for the way things were. The truth was that you too had turned to your vices to quiet the voices within your own head. Falling in love with little thin white lines and drowning yourself in the bottom of bottles, you too had spiraled into your own world of self-destruction just as Charles had. Your relationship hadn't necessarily been the most stable it's been either. It seemed that you and Charles were constantly at each's others throat nowadays but it wasn't always bad days. Despite the screaming matches, both of us turning to our vices, there was still something tethering us together-whether it be love or a trauma bond was becoming unclear as time passed.

As you enter the kitchen, you note the bottles and needles still littering the kitchen table. Charles must've been up all night-again. Fancying a tea you turn the stove on as you fill a kettle with water. you feel the house rumble just a bit. Looking towards the ceiling you can make out heavy footsteps as though someone were being chased. Just then a yell can be heard following a hard crash. Following the source of the disturbance, you enter the foyer where Charles, Hank, or rather Beast, and a strange man come into view.

"Charles? What's going on here?" Making your way across to the staircase where Charles sat on.

"Nothing darling this gentlemen was just leaving," with a scotch in hand he waves to the strange man.

"Afraid I can't do that because I was sent here for you." Taking a closer look at him you note that he's rather tall. He carries himself confidently, head held high in his brown leather jacket.

"Well tell whoever it was that sent you that I'm...busy," Charles trails off.

"That's gonna be a little tricky because the person who sent me here...was you."

"What?" Charles and I let out simultaneously.

"About fifty years form now. Look I kno-I know, stay with me," he pleads with us.

"Excuse me?" Crossing your hands over your chest you look over to Charles and you both share a puzzling look before facing the stranger in front of you again.

"Fifty years from now like in the future fifty years from now ?" Charles quips.

"Yeah."

"I sent you from the future," Charles asks amused.

"Yes, Charles," he says with a roll of his eyes, growing aggravated by our refusal to believe him.

"Piss off," Charles spits bitterly.

"Charles..." you place a hand on his shoulder.

"If you had your powers you'd know I was telling the truth."

With that you use your powers to enter his mind, not expecting what was awaiting you. Hazed memories of the man you now know is Logan, consumed your senses as you traveled within his world of memories. Fear melted on your tongue as you saw the horrors of the reality that the future held, pain and genocides lurking within every corner and within the midst of it-hope. Hope that the future could be rewritten. Voices and faces so familiar yet so unknown, as though you've known them, a version of them.

Leaving his mind, you stumble as you adapt back to this reality, piecing together the meaning behind Logan's memories. Charles immediately stands up to catch you before you fall.

"y/n?" Charles calls, voice shaky as he holds you. Your breath comes out shaky as you cling to him for support. "Charles he's not CIA." Looking up at Logan he meets your gaze with understanding eyes, grateful that now someone believes him.

"y/n-" Hank calls out doubtfully.

"Hank, I know what I saw," you affirm sternly.

"Are you alright? What are you talking about?" Charles desperately searches your eyes for some kind of clarity.

"I'm fine, Charles. He's not CIA or FBI. I got in his head and I-", the words seem to die on your tongue. How do you explain what you saw without seeming mental? "I saw you...but older. From the future."

You swallow the lump within your throat. Charles furrows his eyes in confusion, not knowing what to make of your revelation.

"Erik too. I saw all of us, together preparing for what I fear may be our doom."

From then you managed to convince Charles and Hank that Logan was indeed telling the truth and that he needed our help in ensuring the survival of mutants. The four of you ventured on the plan that Charles, from the future, had set out. Which led you to where you were right now, on a plane seated next to Charles with Erik in front of you. Breaking him out of the Pentagon had been no easy task, but with the help of a new speedster friend, the lot of you succeeded with somewhat minimal damage in the process.

"y/n I-"

"Shut up," you cut Erik off.

He puffs out a defeated sigh as he looks up at you with those pleading eyes of his. You had imagined what it would be like to see Erik again. You spent the best of years waiting for him to come back, to fix what he had broken. You knew you should've given up when news got out of his attempted assassination of the president, but it was moot. A part of you still loved Erik, a part of you still saw the good in him.

"Look I want to apologize for what I did."

"For what exactly? Cause there's a long list of things left unsaid," Charles shoots back bitterly.

"Charles" you mutter and he backs down. You know how hard this is for him too, seeing Erik. Having him within arms reach yet him being worlds away from the man that you two knew and loved.

"He's right," Erik says sitting upright in his seat, "I did things and people got hurt in the process."

Your eyes look sharp and steady into the empty parts of him, heart heavy with the hatred of his own beliefs and the pain that its inflicted.

“I’m sorry Charles for what happened, I truly am. Not a day passed where I let myself forget it, I never meant to hurt you."

The anger practically radiates off Charles as his leg anxiously bounces even faster. He then climbs up from his seat before storming off passing you and Erik until he disappears from view.

"He'll come around," you mutter.

"I know," Erik sighs. "Charles has a flair for the dramatics."

Your lips betray you as they curl into a small smile. Locking eyes with him you feel the guard you had fought so hard you built to distance yourself from him, rumble threatening to drop into ash.

"I missed you everyday, y/n."

"Erik please-"

"I couldn't escape you even if i tried. You know that better than I do."

"I thought I knew you, now I'm not so sure," you whisper barely loud enough for Erik to register.

Slumping further into his seat, the guilt settles deeper in his bones. He knows he'll never forgive himself for what he did that day on the beach. Yet, sitting here in front of you he wants nothing more than to be able to be loved by you again.

"I couldn't save you.." he croaks. Eyes glossy as tears began to pool his eyes.

"That didn't mean you had to go. Erik, we could've fought through it, together."

“I was too blind to see that I hurt the ones I love. I carry the weight of my crimes every day."

"You don't have to carry it alone." Hesitantly you reach your hand across to grab his. He's still warm to the touch just as you remembered, rubbing smooth circles over his knuckles with your thumbs, you savor the feel of him, having been deprived of it for so long.

"There's still time to make things right."

"I'd like that." Bringing your interlocked hand to his lips he places a kiss on top of your knuckles.

[mooniel]

Cherik hidden gems - part 2

It took me a while but here are some more nice fics with under 10k hits!

(part 1)

Closer (to God) by dsrobertson; 64k:

Political journalist and editor, Erik Lehnsherr, has just lost £150,000 in a libel case against businessman, Kurt Marko. Down on his luck and in need of money, Erik is approached by the Metropolitan Police’s Detective Inspector Charles Xavier. Well-known for his investigative journalism, Erik is asked to help in the search for a serial killer in return for £200,000 if the killer is caught.

Wrapped up in murder, religion, and sex, Erik gets more than he bargained for.

lucky, lucky you (i am fortune’s fool) by roachvibes; 17k:

Charles buys a houseplant to prove to his therapist that he can take care of something. Single father Erik sells them at the local farmer’s market every Saturday.

to put a world between us by populuxe; 25k:

Erik Lehnsherr is one of the hottest actors in Hollywood: fresh off an Academy Award nomination, he’s about to star in HBO’s most anticipated show of the year. And even though online chatter about his recent string of queer roles keeps getting louder, his personal life remains personal—just as it always has, and just as his manager and publicist continue to advise.

But when he winds up at the same wedding as his college best friend, Charles Xavier—and when they quickly fall into bed together—he’s forced to revisit the past he’s been trying to get away from for years. The pull between them has always been magnetic, but so has the weight of secrecy. Can they keep from repeating the same mistakes, or will the price of the truth be too high?

Stars Will Tumble From The Blue by Baamon5evr; 11k:

“Just one night, no fear, no shame, no blame or rage. Just serenity. Just us. Just one night to acknowledge that there is more here and then we go our separate ways and you go back to being angry and hating me.”

5 Times The Students Figured Something Out about their Professor (and one time they learned the full story) by ladanse; 14k:

Six months after Apocalypse, things are looking up. Magneto seems to be appearing more and more at the manor, and as the mutants adjust to their life at Westchester, they dig up long-concealed secrets that, honestly, Professor Charles Xavier would rather stay buried.

connecting the dots by joshriku; 7k:

 As students of both Professor Xavier and Professor Lehnsherr, the students notice they only know one thing for certain about Professor Lehnsherr: he's married. Nothing beyond that.

They take it upon themselves to find out more about him after that slip of information. Perhaps Professor Xavier knows more about his mysterious spouse?

we might just be hollywood material, baby by ikeracity, midrashic; 15k:

Ten years ago, Charles and Erik co-starred on the explosively popular animated show Greenkeep, where they first earned their big breaks — and where they fell in love. Now, at a cast reunion a decade later, they've made careful, PR-vetted plans to reveal their relationship to the fans with minimal fuss.

Of course — easier said than done.

The Wurst Case Scenario by sareyen; 12k:

If anyone asked why Charles, come rain, wind or shine, made the significant trek during his dismal lunch hour to dine at "Edie's Kosher Delicatessen", he would stubbornly say that it was because their pastrami on rye and potato knishes were absolutely to die for. He wasn't completely lying, because the deli's namesake, Edie Lehnsherr, made the best matzah ball soup Charles has ever had in his life. Still, Charles would rather shave his full head of hair off than admit that the real reason he would willingly walk through hail and fire to get to the corner deli was because of Erik, the insanely attractive man working the counter.

Sure, Erik has barely spoken two words to Charles other than "Hello, what can I get you?" or, after the third day in a row that Charles came to the deli, "Welcome back, what can I get you?", but Charles was more than happy to just ogle at the man from afar while devouring the juicy wurst Erik had put together with his (large and very capable) hands.

But, little does Charles know, Erik doesn't usually work the front counter. He only does it when he knows the cute blue-eyed man will be dining in.

just remember you are standing on a planet that’s evolving by populuxe; 17k:

 On some level, he knew he was doomed the moment Charles Xavier rolled into the first debate team meeting of the semester and gave them all a sunny grin.

Erik is so busy he barely has time for partying, let alone dating. But as he gets to know the newest member of the debate team—and as the political climate for mutants shifts significantly around them—everything starts to change.

[permanentmess]

can i request a romantic cherik x mutant! reader where her powers are about the nature like they can control plants and after a long while they finally achieve ultimate control of their power? (like transform into a dryad temporarily)

a/n: i was not sure what to do for this one at first, i won’t lie! i don’t know anything about dryads so i researched a bit for it! i know dryads are primarily female but this could be read as any gender, so lets just pretend hehe. also, sorry for the delay, college is kicking my ass; who knew senior year would be so hard???

title: a stunning transformation (cherik x mutant!reader)

word count: 1607

warnings: canon-deviant, obviously. slight worrying/anxiety. possibly, slightly ooc for erik and charles but i did try my best. reader is able-bodied, but pronouns, y/n, and other features have been omitted. use of the word “darling” and one (1) curse word. 

mostly just fluff! 

GIF NOT MINE

~~~

You only hear whispers of their conversation at first. Mutters through the closed door to his office. You’re sure that Charles can hear your thoughts, but maybe he isn’t entirely worried about you hearing. 

“...is gaining power, I can see it in…subconscious. …been tending to my grandfather's tree…” He continues on, and you know for sure it’s about you. You’re the only person around with the ability to control plants, and the only one who’s been working on Charles’ grandfather’s tree (which was nearly destroyed by Scott).

You loved Charles and knew how much the entire property meant to him. You’d even consulted Erik first to make sure it was a good idea. You hear his voice next through the door, which is unsurprising to you. The three of you are constantly in one another's presence. 

“Yes, but is that a bad thing? Transformation is…” Oh. You hadn’t even thought about that as a possibility for yourself. But, what, transform into a tree? That would be odd…

You shake your head and decide to finally reveal yourself. You knock on the door and hear a “Come in” from Charles, prompting you to open the door. The two immediately greet you with a smile which you return immediately as you close the door. 

You go to sit on Erik’s lap, leaning your head against his. “What are you guys talking about?” You play coy, but Charles immediately sees through it and smiles. 

“You, darling, and your powers.”

“Yes, Charles here was saying how he thinks you could have the potential to transform,” Erik says, finally resting his head against yours. 

Your eyebrows furrow slightly. “Transform into what exactly?” The thought of doing so but getting stuck frightens you. You were finally feeling comfortable in a routine you had formed; not just with your relationship with Erik and Charles, but with your teaching and training, your friends at the school. You don’t want that to disappear if something goes wrong. 

Charles reaches his hands over his desk and you reach to take them. “Nothing bad would happen to you, we can find a way to make sure it’s not permanent if you can’t switch back,” he pulls them back, leaning back in his chair. “To answer your question, I think the possibilities are endless. A tree, a deity, even just a flower.”

“A deity, like a dryad or a nymph or something?”

“Precisely.”

You move your head so you can look at Erik. “What about you, do you think I could do it?” 

His eyes soften as he looks at you. “Absolutely. You’re one of the strongest people I know.” You smile at that and give him a soft kiss on the cheek, before motioning for Charles to move closer so you could do the same for him. You lean back against Erik again. 

“I’ll think about it,” you say and the two men nod. “Anyway, that’s not why I came here. What’s for dinner?” They laugh at that, and you all break into conversation.

~~~

A week has passed since the conversation in Charles’ office. Although there was never any pressure from either one of them, you could see the looks they’d give you and then each other as they watched you train. They often did this, but it seemed to increase in frequency since then. 

You’re resting against the tree you’ve been nursing back to health, gently using your powers to give it some life (you’ve been trying to get it to grow taller). It doesn’t take much concentration, so you’re reading as you do so. It’s a lovely September afternoon – the wind is blowing just enough to feel nice but not too much to be annoying, the temperature and humidity aren’t too high, and the shade of the tree makes your spot feel comfortable. 

Having been so engrossed in your book, you didn’t even realize that Erik and Charles were in front of you until Erik nudged you lightly with his foot. You look up and brighten at their presence. “What are you guys doing out here? I thought you both taught around now.”

“I gave the students time off to work on their essays,” Charles said. 

Erik quickly follows with an explanation, “And Maximoff has been begging me to let him teach one of my training sessions.” 

You nod, waiting for them to say something. But they don’t, so you’re all awkwardly staring at each other. Finally, you break. “Did I do something?” 

“No.” Charles says at the same time that Erik replies “Not yet.”

You narrow your eyes at the two of them. “Is this about the transformation thing?” 

“Yes.”

You debate it in your head. It would be fun to see what happens, and it opens a lot more possibilities during missions. But you don’t even know what would happen if you couldn’t transform back…

“Would you guys still love me if I was stuck? Even if it was as a venus flytrap?” They both laugh, bemused by your worries.

“Of course, darling.”

“I don’t know, it’d be nice being able to sleep under the covers,” Erik teases and you scoff, playfully smacking his shoe. 

“Please, the real target is Charles, how do we know he isn’t taking them with his mind powers to make us cuddle him on purpose?” 

He gasps and holds his chest in fake hurt. “How dare you insinuate such a thing?” 

There’s a bout of laughter and grins before you take a deep breath. “Alright, I’ll do it. I’ll try it out here though in case something goes terribly wrong.” You stand up, readjusting your clothes and handing your book to Erik to hold. “Maybe stand back though, just in case.” 

Neither man moves very far, but you know how protective they are of you sometimes. You take a deep breath and close your eyes. You’re not sure how one could go about transforming, so you try to do what you do when you need to use your powers in a specific way. How you first trained with them, too. 

You reach inside yourself, trying to imagine the spirit of a dryad coming through you. You begin to feel warm as you imagine the nature around you, the strength of the tree. You want it to ground you, but also help you evolve and transform into this ancient being. You feel something stirring inside you, but refuse to open your eyes. 

In fact, you don’t until Charles speaks in your mind to do so. You’re terrified, but elated at seeing what has occurred, what you’ll look like. 

Looking down, you notice your body is glowing a soft green, but not changing your skin. Vines and leaves twirl their way around your skin, accenting your arms and legs. You reach and feel for your head to notice that branches have protruded, covered in leaves and flowers to create a crown for you. But not only do you look different, inside you feel different. It’s like the trees and grass and lake are filling you with energy. You feel much more attuned to everything around you, calmer even. 

You glance at the men who are simply staring; Charles with a grin filled with pride, and Erik with slight shock and wonder, but you can’t miss the joy in his eyes. 

This was a drastic improvement in your powers, but you can’t help but wonder if Charles was right. It seemed to have been building inside you for a while, and you had felt it. You had wanted to go outside more, sit in the trees, and just relax in it. The draw to the natural world had become so strong the past month, that you wonder if it was your body’s way of reacting to the strengthening of your powers. 

You decide to turn around to face the tree you’d been working incredibly hard at nursing back to life. You place a hand on the trunk and allow the energy you feel to flow through it. You watch as it slowly grows, trunks and leaves branching out from it. In your gut, you know when to stop, when to just let it continue on its natural course, and so you remove your hand. 

You see and feel your transformation leave from your body. Your legs begin to feel weak and you feel someone, or something, holding you up. In the back of your mind, you know that Charles has used his powers to stop you from falling. Erik moves forward to grab onto you and you lean your weight on him, walking you to Charles. 

You still have energy, but it feels weird being in your body again. Whatever you transformed into felt much freer, much larger even if not in a physical sense. Walking feels like a chore, your limbs feel heavy. Maybe without the energy you previously had flowing through you, you feel weaker. 

You take a moment to wrap your arms tightly around Erik, before leaning back and pressing a kiss to his lips. It’s gentle, but enough to make him reciprocate. You move to Charles next, with Erik still holding gently onto your shirt. Your kiss is just as gentle, but as you pull back you rest your forehead onto his. 

“Thank you,” you whisper before you pull back and stand up straight. You turn to Erik. “And you.” They murmur small “you’re welcome”’s before you all fall back into silence.

Like the other day in the office, there’s a moment of silence. But this time, you’re all trying to understand what happened. 

“That, was so fucking cool,” you grin as you say and they return the gesture.

[mintedwitcher]

WIP Wednesday

tagged by @perfectlysunny02

It's been a hot minute since I've participated in this lmao unfortunately the cherik brainrot has taken over my life so that's all I'm working on at the moment. Hope you all enjoy anyway!

(CW for implied child abuse)

“Stay out of my head.” It was a phrase that Charles Xavier was very familiar with. The first to say it was his mother, in one of her drunken stupors, when Charles had tried to check on her shortly after Father’s funeral. The words had come laced with venom and followed by her wine glass sailing over his head to crash against the wall. Mother was not like Father, Charles surmised. Father enjoyed his gifts, enjoyed encouraging them and honing them. Charles had a list of exercises to do each day to strengthen his powers, and he practiced them faithfully, even in Father’s absence. Mother, however, did not like Charles’s gift. She was frightened of it, of him. She told him repeatedly to stay out of her head, and after enough repetition, he did. He explored the maids’ minds, the butler’s, the gardeners’ and the cooks’, but he stayed out of Mother’s head. Mother remarried, and Kurt was nothing at all like Father. He didn’t like Charles, even without knowing of his gifts, and made it clear in every interaction. Kurt’s son, Cain, was even worse. He hated Charles, a deep, visceral loathing that felt rotten and oily in his head. Charles could use his powers with Kurt and Cain, but he had learned already to be careful, to avoid getting caught. He only grazed the surfaces of their minds, filled with hate and greed and a lust for pain that made Charles feel sick. He wondered what could have possibly turned them into such monsters. He wondered if he could fix it. After Cain, he never wondered that again.

Tagging:

@mrnovelist @niniblack @fallen-evenstar @sonics-atelier

(open tag to anyone else who wants to participate)

[weapon-xox]

may i request a cherik drabble?

en sabah nur doesn't recruit erik to his cause, he recruits charles, who is still heartbroken after the beach divorce. Charles follows en sabah nur, erik and raven find out and they're devastated + worried + want to bring charles home.

💕

Charles was his messenger.

Arguably, he was the strongest of the horsemen, but Apocalypse was using him as the fucking delivery boy. To send a message out to the people, spoken from his lips, transferred through Charles. Threats, warnings, to the people that their lives were about to become the survival of the fittest.

Let the best man win.

Magneto had been panicked, searching everywhere for Charles with Raven by his side. Thankfully, Hank had caught wind of where Charles was located, and the pair headed there immediately.

"Why would he do this, Erik? It just... It doesn't make sense. This isn't like him. Think he's brainwashed?"

He's still upset, Erik thought, but he kept that to himself.

When they'd reached Charles, Erik felt so many things. Relief, pain, anger, betrayal. Ironic, really, that after all this time Charles would be the one to turn his back on the mutants, the humans.

On him.

"Charles!" Erik cried out, thankful to see Apocalypse was seemingly no where in sight. He wouldn't have long to convince Charles to come back to him, to remind him that this isn't who he was, that he was still the same man that not long ago wanted peace and prosperity between both human and mutant alike.

Charles must've heard his thoughts, because suddenly Erik couldn't move, frozen in place, forced to plead with Charles from a distance.

"Let him go!" Raven yelled, running towards him, but Charles picked her up and threw her hard against the ground, far away from the two.

Charles focus on Raven had made him slip from Eriks mind, and he used the moment of freedom to move closer, quick and quiet, and by the time Charles noticed he stopped him again.

From this close, just feet away, Magneto could see that Charles was crying. Those brilliant eyes, red and puffy, his cheeks colored a spotty red from how hard he'd rubbed at them previously to hide the evidence of any tears. Erik wanted to hold him, soothe him, and tell him it'd all be okay.

Can you hear me, Charles? Erik thought, then added,

nod if you can hear me.

Stubbornly Charles didn't nod, but his eyes flickered away, and that was enough for Erik to keep going. He wanted to look back at Raven, make sure she was okay, but he still couldn't move.

I know you're hurt. I hurt you, I took away something very important and for that, my old friend, i am sorry. From the bottom of my broken heart. I did a lot of bad things, and I can admit that.

Charles wouldn't look at him, but Erik could feel his mental hold on him slip. Good, this was good. He kept going.

But please, my love. This isn't the way to get your revenge. If you want to kill me, then do it, if it will keep the entire world safe from you either getting them killed or killing them yourself, then please. I'm begging you. I hurt you, not the world, me. Kill me, Charles, do you undertand? Fucking kill m-

"ENOUGH!" Charles screamed with a sob, letting go of Erik with his eyes squeezed tight, gripping and clawing at his head, as if that could get Erik out of his mind.

"Charles," Raven coughed, holding an arm to her chest while limping towards the two, her blue body looking roughed up. "We love you, we miss you. Please, let us take you home... Let us help you stop this guy, is this really worth it?" Her voice was broken and rasped, and she coughed again, taking a deep breath in but finding it hard to do so.

"Everything you worked for. Everything we all fought for. What, does that mean nothing to you now? You're angry so you're going to take it out on the people weaker than you?"

Charles groaned, shaking his head rapidly, sobbing. "Get out of my head. Get out of my head!"

Raven shook her head, taking a single step, and Charles had her pinned flat to the ground with a thought.

"She's not in your head, Charles." Erik growled, growing angry, and Charles didn't stop him from stepping in front of him. He didn't stop him either, when Erik pressed a hand over his heart, and leaned in close. Charles let go of Mystique.

"Raven needs you, Charles. Your X-Men need you. The world and, if it still matters, I need you. I know I fucked up, I do, and I can never fix this. But if you come home, with me, and Raven... I will try, so hard, to get you to forgive me. And if you don't, I will leave, Charles. Forever. You won't ever have to see me again, but please. Spare everyone else."

Something switched inside of Charles. Maybe it was Eriks pathetic begging.

No.

No, it was Eriks pleading, for Charles to do the right thing. To remember who he was, what he stood for. Erik was right, he knew this, that if anyone were to be punished it should be him. For all the wrong he's done in this world, for all the people he's killed.

Despite all of Charles' begging. Pleading, for him to stop. It actually made him laugh now, and Erik looked hurt.

"Funny, isn't it? Why, I feel like I've got deja vu..." It didn't take a genius to understand what he meant.

"This is different."

"Is it? You believe that?" Charles laughed louder, throwing his head back to add to the theatrics. "Because actually, I don't think it is. Not one bit."

"I can't kill everyone with a single thought," Erik reminded him, and Charles just smiled, still so pretty despite how ugly he was acting.

"No, but if given the chance you would."

"Not everyon-"

"Ah! Silly me," Charles snorted, tapping a palm against his head in mock disbelief. "That's right, just the humans. That makes you so much better than me, darling, you're absolutley right."

"Don't-" Erik tried, but Charles brushed him off, literally, a flick of his hand had Erik flying back away from him, landing on the ground with a hard thud. Mystique crawled over to him, put a hand over his, and let out a small whimper.

"I think we lost," she whispered, and Erik closed his eyes.

"I think you're right."

[americanwh0rerstory]

The morning after [cherik]

charles xavier X erik lehnsherr

SUMMARY: after an ‘intense’ night together, charles begins to have some deep thoughts

WARNINGS: homosexuality

A/N: AUGH I LOVE THESE GAY MEN SO MUCH

NO NSFW ^_^

charles stood in the shared kitchen, shakily stirring his coffee whilst waiting for erik to wake up. it was a long night, and charles would be lying if he said he could walk straight right now.

he stirred the coffee, watching as the milk blends with the coffee beans, however it’s only when the spoon continued to spin after he let go that he was aware of his lover standing in the doorway

with lipstick smeared over his face from the previous nights and remnants over charles face and neck, erik leaned against the wooden doorframe with his hand slightly extended to control the spoon

“i’d have made coffee for you, you can go back to bed” erik says in an uncharacteristic soft tone, looking at the worn out charles

“no it’s fine, i’ll make you a cup too” charles replies as he began to pour erik’s cup of coffee, regaining control of the spoon from his partner

whilst stirring the coffee his mind wandered, thinking about him and erik. was it love? surely it was, the way they interacted sure seemed like love. or was it just platonic? did erik just want a friends with benefits situation? hopefully not, charles wouldn’t be able to handle it if erik left. yes, he was independant, but a world without erik seemed almost unbearable

he was so deep in his thoughts that he didn’t notice erik stand behind him, feeling erik’s arms encircle his waist and his head resting on charles’ shoulder

“you need to rest, darling” erik murmurs into charles’ skin. “somethings clearly bothering you so how about we lay in bed, drink out coffee, and you tell me what’s going on”

charles muttered a soft agreement and finished making the coffees, taking it into the bedroom they both shared before he began to open up. he never liked opening up, but he had to know what erik was thinking. he didn’t want to use his mutation, but would it really be bad if he did?

“do you love me? romantically, i mean. or is this just an extension on our friendship?” charles asks as he sits on his side of the bed, looking at erik over the rim of his mug

“why ask questions you already know the answer too, sweetheart?” erik asked in response, the petname rolling naturally off his tongue as though it was honey. he gulped down some of his coffee before continuing. “you’ve always been the closest person to me, why would i ever feel anything less than love for you?”

he set his mug down and pulled charles closer to him, the latter’s head resting on the former’s chest. erik’s hands weaved in charles’ hair, playing with the strands in an attempt to soothe him. “i love you, charles. even if i don’t say it, you know i do. and if you ever doubt it then there’s nothing stopping you looking in my head”

charles sighs gently with content, relaxing into erik’s touch as they laid on the bed together. “i love you more” he says in a half whisper, closing his eyes as he cuddled into erik. “even when you’re covered in lipstick”

[thepointofme]

saw a cherik edit with silver springs by fleetwood mac yesterday and it feels like it has opened a hole inside my brain because yes!!!! time WILL cast a spell on you erik!!!! and you won't forget charles!!! i always think its hilarious how they call each other "my friend" "old friend" left and right and then proceed to have the least platonic relationship EVER but their friendship is so essential!!! like charles is the first person outside of his family that erik learns to know and care about (at least in the movies) charles was there, not just his first friend but his first MUTAN friend!!!! the amount of respect he holds for him even tho he doesn't agree with his opinions and world's views, how charles probably has a special place alongside his mom in erik's memories because he loves him so much. that scene in days of future past where erik is like "all those years fighting against each other, charles. to have a precious of them back." charles was ALWAYS there in the back of his mind, the only person he loves that's still alive, that nothing or no one could make him stop loving him even tho erik himself doesn't believe he has the ability to love or at least to love something or someone without breaking and ruining them because he thinks he's inherently bad. he's full of anger because he's full of grief and charles is this constant reminder of how he CAN, in fact, still love even after everything that happened to him, and it probably terrifies him down to his bones. idk im just having an erik brainrot thinking about how in the movies cherik has spent more time away from each other than together. how they're so silly and were always trying to force the other in their own way instead of meeting each other in the middle, because at the end of the day they're just two different (and extreme) sides of the same coin, they do want The Same Thing!!!! but are too proud and stubborn to admit the other might have a point. and in the middle of all of this, the frustration erik feels because no matter how much he tries to pull charles away, to hurt him with his words and actions, charles is STILL THERE for him. he hates the way erik does things and feels so angry and frustrated all the time they're in the same place but there's nothing erik can do that would ever question charles' love for him. its just there. unshakeable and unbreakable. timeless. and erik doesn't understand how someone so broken and flawed like himself can be loved like this. that whole thing about him having to use his helmet so he wouldn't feel the unconditional love charles has for him makes me SICK to my stomach. they love each other so much and wasted so much time fighting with each other instead of fighting together side by side for their people.

[cherikdogfood]

5201314

The thing is, Erik loves Charles -- he really does. He just doesn't know how to say it.

Or, Erik wants Charles to know that he truly loves him. So he enacts a plan.

In honor of 520 (which is today!) I've written a short, self indulgent Cherik (modern AU) fic. Enjoy!

***

The thing is, Erik loves Charles -- he really does. He just doesn't know how to say it.

He knows a simple "I love you" or "Ich liebe dich" will do the job. Charles understands -- he always does, even if he's a terrible telepath and struggles to say the right words himself.

But that's the thing. Charles is a telepath, and he can practically broadcast his love for Erik from anywhere, anytime.

Erik can't do that. He could, technically, project his feelings towards Charles, but it's not enough. He knows it's not enough, he wants to do more.

He wants to show Charles that he loves him, that Charles is his one and only, that there would be no happiness without Charles... Charles is his soulmate, and Erik's love for him is like a burning flame -- passionate and all consuming.

There is no peace without Charles.

He wants, no, needs Charles to know that.

You're mine, Erik often thinks, as he lays in bed with Charles after a particularly rough bout of lovemaking. Charles always falls asleep first, curled against Erik, looking so pliant and gentle and content.

I'm yours too, you know, his mind also whispers.

Charles, of course, continues dreaming, his expression serene.

When Charles wakes, he will go about his day, being his usual confident, boisterous self. But Erik knows...

He knows that underneath it all, Charles questions himself, worries he isn't good enough for Erik, thinks he hasn't done enough for people like them.

Charles hides it well, but Erik knows better.

Charles knows and understands that Erik loves him, he just has a hard time believing it.

And Erik...

Erik never, never wants Charles to doubt them. Charles has no reason to be afraid.

So Erik does his best to show it, to show Charles that he does, in fact, love him.

Because it doesn't matter if the whole world knows that Erik Loves Charles if the person in question doesn't believe it.

So Erik does what he's good at: he makes a strategy, and he executes it perfectly (or as perfectly as it can be, anyway).

***

Erik's made plans already: he's done his research, marked the calendar, made arrangements, perfected his cooking skills, and bribed roped in a few people to help.

It started on a rather peculiar date, one that Charles wasn't expecting: 25th of January. Erik had crafted a metal spoon with his powers, carving a stylish M and X that were intertwined.

He gave it to Charles, aiming to do so nonchalantly, but his excitement must've been projecting because Charles laughed and asked him what this was for.

"It's just a gift, Charles," he huffed, and Charles just laughed at him fondly.

The next one was more obvious: 14th of February. Valentine's Day: Erik made chocolates, prepared a bouquet of roses, and wrote a love letter. Traditional romantic gestures, all for Charles.

Charles was happy, of course, practically glowing, and his students were pleased to find they had less homework that week.

Erik even prepared a candlelight dinner for the two of them, although they ended up eating less and making out instead, it was perfect.

After that day, Charles thought that was it.

He was wrong -- very, very wrong.

On the 12th of March, Erik dragged Charles away from Hank and his lab and brought him to a nearby river.

"Erik, you said it's late and I should rest, so... Why did you bring me here?" Charles had asked, blue eyes filled with fatigue.

Erik wanted to do nothing more than kiss his tiredness away, but he had a plan and he needed to stick to it, so he resisted.

"Come on Charles, look what I brought," he whispered. He brought out a delicate origami boat (he had asked Raven to teach him to make one), a candle, and a lighter.

"Bloody hell, Erik, if you brought me here to commit arson in the middle of the night, I swear--"

The rest of Charles' words were cut off by Erik, who planted his lips on Charles' and was licking and nipping and kissing him senseless. Charles whimpered when Erik broke the kiss, and Erik had to remind himself what he was doing.

"I wanted us to do this," he smiled and lit the candle, placing it tentatively on the boat before setting it on the water.

"Why are we doing this, Erik?"

"Hush, Liebling, just hurry and make a wish."

Charles' eyes fluttered close, clearly concentrating on his wish, and Erik whispered, "I love you."

He knew Charles heard him because in the next second, Charles opened his eyes and pounced on him.

Erik had to use all his willpower to not fuck Charles right then and there.

The next day, Charles woke up to find all his handkerchiefs replaced, the new ones embroidered, albeit rather clumsily, with hearts.

Merely two days later, Charles opened the fridge and was greeted with an array of blinding white: white chocolate, marshmallows, mint candies, fresh milk, white mochis, vanilla ice cream, leeks, cauliflowers, coconuts and white dragon fruit.

Charles was so taken aback that he almost thought a robber had replaced all their food with... these...

Erik had to reassure him that yes, this was his doing, and no, he wasn't being blackmailed by Raven or Logan into doing this (Erik had been offended that Charles thought Logan of all people could manage to blackmail him. That guy had a metal skeleton...).

Even the flowers in their house had been replaced with white lilies, making Charles shake his head in confusion.

"The things you do, Erik... Sometimes I don't understand..."

In April, Charles wasn't too surprised when Erik took him out to dance and opened his favorite wine and brought him to watch the sunset. It was, after all, a perfect recreation of their first date, three years ago.

Now, on the 20th of May, Erik was sweating as he put on his turtleneck, the one that made Charles' eyes light up and highlighted his slim waist, and checked himself in the mirror.

Everything looked fine... Erik swallowed and calmed the heart that threatened to leap out of his chest.

Everything would be fine.

First, he stopped at the flower shop and picked up the bouquet of roses he had pre-ordered.

Then, he made his way to the address he had sent to Charles. It was a luxurious hotel, one that was far enough from Westchester so that they would not be disturbed by their students.

(Erik had had enough of students, young and old, who had, intentionally or otherwise, cock-blocked him and Charles on multiple occasions).

When he arrived in their room, he noticed the tell-tale metal of Charles' watch and smiled.

"Liebling," he smiled, kissing Charles by way of greeting.

"Erik," Charles smiled. "What's the special occasion? No white food this time?" He teases.

Erik grins. "No. I just wanted to give you this."

He takes out a piece of metal and watches as Charles touches it gently. It's a bracelet of sorts, smooth and elegant and fine edges, and when Charles turns to see the inside, his breath hitches.

520.

Erik had carved those three numbers with the utmost care.

For a moment, Charles just stares, and Erik wonders if his ideas were wrong, all this time, and maybe he should--

"Five two one," Charles says suddenly.

Erik freezes.

"Did I say that right? Or should it be five twenty-one?" Charles muses.

Erik blinks, trying to formulate words, to say something, anything...

"521," Charles repeats, and he reaches out to cup Erik's face gently.

"Erik?"

"How do you know?" Erik finally chokes out, too overwhelmed with emotion.

"What?"

"How do you know, what that means?" He asks again.

"Ah... Charles bites his lip sheepishly. "Let's just say, one of your partner-in-crime accidentally thought too loud..."

Erik grits his teeth. It was definitely Raven, or Hank, or maybe even Jubilee... He shouldn't have asked them to help...

"I saw your notes yesterday, Erik," Charles continues, chewing his bottom lip, "I'm sorry, I know this was all meant to be a surprise, but I couldn't help myself..."

"So... You know everything?" Erik asks.

"Yes, I do, well, I think that day when you gave me all that white stuff, it was White Day in Japan, right? Some sort of Valentine's day..."

Erik nods. 14th of March, exactly one month after the official Valentine's Day, is the Japanese "White Day", where men give their beloved white things to show their love.

Erik has no idea why it has to be white, but it doesn't matter. He loves Charles anyway.

"I wore a white suit that day, remember?" Erik mutters.

Charles' eyes widen and his lips curl into a smile.

"So... You were practically giving yourself to me that day?"

Erik nods and adds, "I'm always yours, you know."

Charles smiles.

"And that day when you gave me a metal spoon," Charles continues, "It was apparently some kind of Welsh Valentine's Day, I think?"

Erik nods. 25th of January, the Welsh Valentine's Day -- usually lovers would give each other hand-crafted wooden spoons, but Erik made one out of metal instead.

(This was definitely not to show off his powers in front of Charles).

"And... On the 12th of March, that day you brought me to the river..."

"The Slovenians' version of Valentine's Day, of sorts," Erik my mumbles. Apparently it was a tradition for children to light a candle in boats and watch it float down the river, and even though they weren't children, Erik thought it was still pretty romantic.

"As for today..." Charles mutters.

"It's five-twenty," Erik looks at Charles gently.

Charles read his notes, so he should understand what it means.

"Five twenty... When you say it in Chinese, it sounds like you're saying I love you, am I right?" Charles says, voice growing softer.

"Yeah."

Charles is silent, looking at Erik with indescribable emotion in his eyes. Erik uses the opportunity to snake an arm around Charles' waist and tug him closer.

"So..." Erik is the first to break the silence.

"Do you really know what 521 means?" He asks.

Charles blushes and nods, "Hm. 520 means I love you, and 521 means I do or I'm willing. Something like that?"

Erik breaks into a shark-like smile.

"That's right, Liebling."

Charles' eyes are wet with unshed tears.

"Erik, I love you," he whispers, voice choking with emotion.

Erik plants a kiss on his forehead.

"I love you too, Liebling. But let's say it properly, okay? Today is a special date after all."

Charles nuzzles closer to Erik and hums in reply.

"520, Charles," Erik says. I love you.

"521, Erik." I do too.

"Is that a promise, Charles?" Erik teases.

"You'll have to formally propose first before I actually say I do, Erik," Charles huffs exasperatedly.

"But yes," Charles gaze softens. "I'm always willing to be yours."

Erik can't stop himself from smiling. "I love you, Charles," he says, as he always does.

"I know," Charles whispers.

And this time, Erik knows he means it.

(And if there ever comes a day when Charles doubts it, then Erik will be sure to make a plan and convince Charles that yes, he truly does love him, very, very much.)

***

#made by cherikdogfood

[echoe-back-from-the-void]

Cherik X Reader

Mutation: Healer

After another long and intensely horrible day, all I wanted was to see my boys. When I entered our shared room I let a smile slip as I felt the gentle prodding of Charles in my mind. He wasn't reading my mind. He promised never to do that even if I didn't care.

He was reading me like a homing beacon, to know I'm there. It sweet really. Just a brush against my mind and I feel calmer.

And there he was laying on the bed with a book in hand and his reading glasses. I let out a sigh as my chest felt lighter already.

"Bad day?" Charles asked with a smile nothing short of laughing. He put his book aside and that was all the open invitation I needed but I restrained myself.

"Shower first. I'm filthy fucking dirty, and I'm tired, and sore. I can't wait for this day to be over." I moaned while dragging myself to the closet and dresser. Stealing one of Erik's shirts because they were bigger and a pair of Charles boxers because they're nicer.

"Want me to join you darling?" Charles asked hinting on worry.

My heart flustered involuntarily. He was always there to give my 101% of his attention when things went wrong. Always being caring and wanting to make me feel loved. "No thank you. Any other time I'd say god yes but I just need a moment." I breathed deeply trying to keep myself intact.

"I'm here for whatever you need darling." He said with complete honestly that I didn't doubt.

"Gods I could kiss you but your just...so far." I said tiredly as I leaned heavily against the threshold to the bathroom.

I stepped into the bathroom and slowly got undressed as all my muscles protested their stretching, making me let out small whines when I lifted my shirt above my head.

"Are you okay, darling? Do you need help?" He said worriedly from the other room.

"I'm okay, Charles, really. I shouldn't have spent so long sparing Logan." I grumbled as I touched a bruise on my arm. I took my time in the hot water and felt it relax me. Taking extra care to wash my hair and body I stepped out feeling refreshed before waves of tiredness continued to grow. I yawned and turn to put on my clothes.

The bathroom door that I swore I shut was open slightly and gave me sight into the bed room. Charles was sitting in the arm chair nearest to the bathroom reading his book. He did this sometimes. Whenever I was feeling down or tired, if he didn't join me in the shower then he would sit in the same armchair and wait for me. Listening in case I fell or had a dumb question.

I clenched the towel over my chest as my love for him grew.

I got dressed and slipped out the bathroom and towards his chair. I put my hands on both sides of the arm rest as I leaned over him and kissed his cheek. Then his eyes, his nose, forehead, and lastly lips. I held the soft kiss for a minute before pulling away with a sleepy smile. "I love you."

"I love you too, darling, but what spurred this on?" He said smoothing his hands over my waist.

"You're so charming you know that? Sometimes I hardly know how I got so lucky with you. Cmon, bed time."

"But you've not even had dinner yet. And it's 8'0 clock." Charles argued before following me to the bed. He pulled the covers down before getting in and letting me in. I laid down with my hips between his legs and curled my arms around his back with my hands splaying against his backbone.

"Erik will bring us dinner anyway." Subconsciously I began to heal him as I relaxed.

"Darling you don't have to keep doing this, you've already healed me and I have a clean bill of health." Charles said softly.

I bent my elbows on the bed to look up at him. My eyes unintentionally beginning to water. "I need to do it. Every day if I must. It doesn't hurt me so just let me do it." I said thinking back to the accident years ago. His blood mixing with sand as I slammed as much healing as I could until I passed out. The weeks that followed were when I got to know him better and we began dating. Of course at the time he left out his boyfriend Erik. But we got along well enough to also begin dating. That's what led to our relationship. A triple threat as the students called us.

I leaned down again to continue healing him. Sometimes I could go days without subconsciously doing it. Sometimes I couldn't help the worry when he walked up stairs or across the room. He is right though, he has had a clean bill of health and walks for well over four years. But I still worry.

"Can you read your book? Aloud?" I asked as I laid my head over his heart and relaxed more. Being lulled to sleep.

"You'll be asleep before I even get the first paragraph read." Charles laughed.

"So, I like your voice. You sound nice when you read." I admitted while blinking lazily at him. He smiled and opened his book to read. He was right though, my senses dulled as I slipped into a dreamless sleep. I could still hear him reading from the edge of consciousness.

Twenty minutes later I recognized the sound of the door being opened and metal being moved, Erik. I smiled and snuggled more into Charles as if to say 'I told you so'. He chuckled and put down his book to run his hand through my hair.

"What happened to her?" Erik asked quietly trying not to wake me fully.

"Long day, the med bay has been very busy and then she spent longer than usual sparring Logan. Says she's tired." Charles whispered back, then there was the sound of the two kissing their hellos. I'd lean up to kiss Erik too but everything feels so heavy.

"I would be too, that man can pack a punch." Erik responded and put his hand on the small of my back. The warmth made me give a dopey smile and tilt my head in his direction.

"Gottem back some." I slurred still unable to open my eyes. "Ended pretty evensies."

"That's my Prinzessin." I felt the bed shift as he leaned down to kiss me, I responded in kind. When he pulled away I dropped back onto Charles chest and peppered his chest with sleepy kisses. Then his neck and jaw. I leaned up more and kissed his lips. The slow soft kiss went on past breathless and when I pulled away I licked my lips and smiled.

"Cherry lip balm, really." I said opening my eyes to see Charles panting with a heated blush. I licked his lips, "definitely cherry." I said before going back to kissing him.

"Ahem."

Charles pulled away this time. "Seems your making Erik jealous."

"I'm not jealous." Erik said sternly while seating himself properly on the bed and moving the dishes to the foot stool with a wave of his hand. "I brought food, and you two are making out."

I snorted and rolled out of Charles legs to straddle Erik. "I can fix that." I said with mischief as I left soft barely there kisses on his strong neck. My hands massaged his shoulders as I did so. "Does my strong handsome man want kissy." I said softly in taunt. Bitting his bottom lip between my own I pulled and sucked on it.

"Testing my patience."

From the side Charles snorted. "You never had patience." He was now laying on his side propped up by his arm.

"Eyes on me, Erik." I said putting my knuckle under his chin as I tilted his head back into another kiss. My nails lightly ran along the base of his neck while he leaned more into me. I pulled away from the kiss and leaned down to begin biting and nipping his neck and shoulder. I nibbled lightly at a particularly sensitive spot just below his pulse and his hands gripped my waist tightly pulling a pained whine from me.

"Prinzessin? Are you okay?" Erik asked in concern while pulling away.

"Hurts." I mumbled while resting my head on his shoulder.

Erik's cold hands began to draw my shirt up and over my head, not caring that I was braless. Dark bruises littered the my ribs and side. One bad bruise, the size of a Baseball, painted my shoulder an ugly blue and green.

Erik and Charles watched with worried eyes. Charles moved forward again to lightly brush a bruise and I whined in discomfort.

"It will heal."

"It shouldn't have to, you shouldn't be training with that—" before Erik could continue I bit his nose for attention.

"Not another word. Every day I train and I spar not just by choice but also out of survival." I paused. "I am a healer, my job is to bring people back from the brink of death and save lives. In any war who is the first target? The first move of action will be cutting off food, supplies. Then they will kill the healers. A community would not survive without food or medical attention. Everyday I'm in that med bay I take care of little bumps and bruises but the day a war comes I will be forced to reattach limbs and heal bullet holes. I will Not be weak and take my death lying down. These bruises will heal but my death would be irreversible."

Charles, ever the emotional one with his heart on his sleeve, had watery eyes before swooping down on me to kiss me until I felt dizzy. He pulled away with a dopey smile. "I love you so much."

“Mmm.” I pecked his lips again before melting into Erik’s lap. “Can we eat before I fell back asleep.” I said before yawning and snuggling more into Erik’s chest.

“Anything for my Prinzessin.” Erik said and with a flick of his wrist the metal tray moved to Charles lap. Charles pulled the cover off and underneath was steak and potatoes and cooked carrots.

I opened my mouth and gave Charles puppy eyes hoping he would understand. He chuckled before spooning some mash potatoes into my mouth with a hand under my chin. I gave a happy squeal making him smile before he fed me more. In between bites he fed himself as well.

Erik must’ve rolled his eyes at Charles behavior because he spoke up. “You have no room to talk, love, you’d do the same thing for our Angel.” He teased making Erik place his hands possessively on my bare back.

“I’d do anything for our Angel.” Erik corrected while placing a kiss to my hair. “She saved you and in a way saved me too. Who knows what war I would be leading against the humans if it wasn’t for our Angel.”

Erik and Charles leaned together and kissed. “She wasn’t kidding about that cherry chapstick.” Erik teased running his thumb against Charles lips. Charles gave a breathy moan at their loss of contact and I shot up.

“If you two are getting frisky I’m going to sleep in ravens room tonight. I am way to fucking tired to put up with both of you tonight.” I said rolling out of the bed and slipping Charles shirt on.

I heard the bed creak and when I turned over my shoulder both of them had moved closer. Erik was fingering Charles curls before turning to me with a devious smile. “Wouldn’t you like to stay and watch?” He teased.

“We both know where watching leads. And I am banged up enough without you two making me even more sore. So goodnight and keep the noise level down.” I said turning back around and leaving the room. I ignored the sounds that made their way out of the room and hurried to Ravens room.

[gerec]

Tags: M, Cherik, Alpha/omega, adultery

Charles used to bring Erik flowers.

He used to bring flowers and chocolates and a hundred little gifts; gifts like Erik’s favorite pastries or a pair of butter soft leather gloves to replace the pair he’d misplaced. He wooed Erik with sincerity and endless patience – almost unheard of for an alpha – letting him dictate the nature and the pace of their on-again, off-again relationship. He loved Erik and did everything he could to convince him of that love; that he was Erik’s and Erik was his and he wanted nothing more than to spend their lives together and start a family of their own.

He asked Erik to marry him – once, twice, a hundred times, and each time Erik said no.

Now, he brings a faint air of bitterness and disappointment, but he’ll still come whenever Erik calls. He’ll push Erik up against the door and kiss him breathless, and go on his knees to worship Erik’s cock. He’ll strip Erik nude – sometimes impatiently and sometimes with great reverence – and work his fingers in Erik’s cunt until he’s going out of his mind with lust. He’ll spread Erik’s legs wide and fuck him slow and deep, or shove his face in the mattress and pound him on his hands and knees. He’ll grunt, or moan, or whisper ‘Erik’ as he comes, and spill inside an omega who refuses to be claimed.

Not again. Not by anyone.

Not even Charles.

-----

The phone rings, and Erik already knows what he’s going to say.

“I’m sorry, I can’t come over.”

“Why?”

“Erik, do we really have to do this every time?”

“Yes, we do.”

“Fine. Moira surprised me with dinner reservations at Chez Henri.”

“Tell her you’re busy.”

“I’m not doing this with you.”

“You promised—”

“She’s my wife.”

“Fuck you.”

-----

Charles comes over after his dinner and fucks Erik over the back of the couch. He’s angry and Erik is resentful and the sex is as incredible as it’s always been and always will be.

He leaves, and Erik doesn’t tell him that in seven months he’s going to be a father to twins.

[joshriku]

drabble request 👀: xmcu cherik’s erik finding out charles has been paralysed

i keep saying 'drabble' and then it gets out of my hands u_u here! post xmfc, bit of altered dofp scene. thank you for the prompt!!!!

Erik grips the headboard tightly.

Charles sleeps so soundly, so peacefully, like nothing has happened to him. Erik’s chest gets smaller, tighter, like not enough blood is being pumped and like the oxygen is out of reach for his lungs. The nurse, still under Emma’s control, keeps talking: 

“It’s a good thing the bullet was removed,” she explains, the weight of the words crashing upon Erik with each intonation. The bullet, so small and light, never truly left his hands. Every time he looks down, he can see it again. “It lessened the neurological effects it could have…”

Erik stops listening. There’s sand everywhere, leaking through his suit, and it’s so, so hot. It’s so hot. When he looks down, Charles is still sleeping, not having moved an inch. 

He removes one of his gloves, cradling his face. He doesn’t wake up. It’s better this way, perhaps, because every time his thoughts trail back to Charles, the thought of his disappointed and heartbroken stare makes him sick. I’m sorry, but we do not. The tremble of his voice, the tears that refused to fall, the pain he must have been in—

And the pain he will continue to be in, because of him—

“I’m sorry,” Erik leans down, pressing his lips against his forehead. It burns him. His skin tastes of sand, of bullets. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so very sorry.”

No reaction. When he turns around, the nurse has left the room, and all that remains is Emma staring at him with what seems to be her version of pity. 

“It shouldn’t have been like this,” Erik says. He gestures at Charles. “It should have never ended like this. This—this is a mistake. It can’t be like this.”

“Erik…”

“No, I could—” he runs a hand through his hair. “An exo-skeleton suit, is that what they call it? I could make one for him—I could—the pins in his spine, I could—”

“Erik,” Emma says, firmer, the sympathy in her eyes gone. “You can’t fix this.”

A broken cry threatens to escape his throat. He turns around to stare at Charles, still sleeping, and would still be when Erik left, unaware he was ever here. And perhaps that’s for the better, isn’t it? Erik’s caused him a lifelong injury. Every time he wanted to get up, he’d remember Erik did this to him. Every time he took a breath, he’d remember the mistake he made when he trusted Erik. He loved him as he was, and Erik retaliated with a bullet to his spine.

Charles would never forgive him.

“You can’t fix it,” Emma repeats, a bit softer, reaching out to move him. “We have to go, Erik, I can’t keep the rest of the staff frozen any longer.”

Erik nods. 

He takes a second to hold Charles’ hand again, kiss it. “I’m sorry.”

Even if he never forgave him, the least Erik could do is change the world for him. Make the world a better place, for him and for all mutants. 

“Erik,” Emma urges again.

Erik gives him one last look, grabs his helmet, and leaves with Emma.

------

“I’m sorry, Charles…  for what happened,” Erik says. The apology hurts less to say, but carries the same meaning. Ten years did that to a person. “I truly am.”

Charles takes a sip of his drink, avoids his eyes, and focuses on the board in front of them. It’d be an admirable strength of feat, if Erik couldn’t see how hard he’s trying to not look at him. 

“I don’t expect you to forgive me,” Erik continues, a bit addicted to the feeling of confessing this guilt. “I hope—I hope by stopping this madness, I could—”

“I don’t…” Charles stops. It silences Erik immediately. When Charles looks back at him, Erik finds it hard to hold his gaze. But he does. He hasn’t stared at him in so long—being able to do it again, it’s downright hypnotizing. His next words pull Erik out of his little fantasy, though: “I don’t forgive you.”

“I know. I—”

“I don’t forgive you because I don’t blame you,” Charles finishes. Another sip, like it could give him more strength, but once he realizes his glass is almost empty he sets it aside. “I did, at first. I wanted to—oh, so badly,  I wanted to hate you.”

“Charles…”

“The first few nights at the hospital, I would sleep through it all. Until the anesthesia wore off, and it was as though—” he tries gesturing with his hand, but there are no gestures that encapsulate what he must have felt. “I don’t think I could describe it. I would ask my legs to move, and they would not. Every time I woke up, I thought, perhaps this time it’ll work. And every time it didn’t, I wanted to curse you. Just curse your name and blame you for every single thing. And I couldn’t.”

“Why?” Erik asks. Does he sound hoarse? “Why couldn’t you?”

“You loved me, back then,” Charles says. “I knew you would never hurt me like that, willingly. How could I blame you for an accident?”

Charles looks shocked by his own words. Erik’s chest tightens. 

“I only ever blamed you for leaving. I wanted you to be there, to be with me through this change. To adapt with me. To… just be there,” Charles shakes his head. “How foolish of me, truly.”

“I’m sorry,” he says again. “I hope… with time, you can forgive me for that, then. And if not—” Erik tries to reach out with his hand. Charles doesn’t respond to it. “If not, I will still not leave.”

Charles chuckles. He looks at Erik as if asking, how could I ever believe you again? 

“Logan… Logan says we sent him, together,” Charles tentatively brushes his fingers against Erik’s. It’s not enough. He could be under Charles’ skin and still not begin to make up everything he missed. “I suppose we shall see, then.”

Erik swallows. He needs to close the space between them, he needs to hold him, he needs to—he needs to—

Erik leans back. “You have the first move.”

Charles looks at the chess board as if he forgot its existence. “It’s been a while since I played.”

“I’ll go easy on you,” Erik promises, slightly teasing, and for the first time in a decade he stops tasting sand.

[princessleiadelrey]

It’s that time…

Cherik song of the day is NFWMB by Hozier!

This is a more Erik-centric song (in my opinion), but you can frame it either way.

Highlights:

“When I first saw you, The end was soon”

Literally First Class, when Charles saved Erik from nearly drowning himself

“Give your heart and soul to charity 'Cause the rest of you, The best of you, Honey, belongs to me”

This is a very Erik sentiment, I love this, thinking about Charles giving his heart and soul to teaching and better mutant kind through training its younger generations - but the rest of him belongs to Erik.

“Ain't it a gentle sound, the rollin' in the graves?Ain't it like thunder under earth, the sound it makes? Ain't it exciting you, the rumble where you lay?

This part is odd - it’s a really dark line, but with a ship like Cherik, I kind of liken it to the mutants that have been lost I.e. “rollin’ in the graves” and the “rumble where you lay” could almost refer to what Erik views as Charles’ inaction/lesser action towards

Or.

You could take it as the world ending and them being the only constant in the end.

(This is really up for anyone’s take, it’s a complicated line)

“Ain't you my baby? ain't you my baby?”

Fun for them because it’s a genuine question - are they together or not?

“Nothing fucks with my baby, Nothing can get a look in on my baby”

Erik has proven that even when he disagrees with Charles he will still protect him I.e. first class, choking Moira with her dog tags or in apocalypse when he changes teams

“If I was born as a blackthorn tree, I'd wanna be felled by you. Held by you. Fuel the pyre of your enemies”

THIS. THIS IS THE LINE.

Erik and Charles are destined to be pit against each other because of their difference in views. If Erik was to go against anyone or fight beside them, he would rather it be Charles. He’d rather be taken out by Charles than anyone.

“Ain't it warming you, the world gone up in flames? Ain't it the life you, you're lighting of the blaze? Ain't it a waste they'd watch the throwing of the shade?”

This song is so poetic and I’ve seen a lot of speculation about what it’s actually about, and I really like the darker powerful elements of the song for Cherik. I almost think of it as like Erik egging Charles on - asking him to actually use his ability in the destructive way that Erik uses his own. “Ain’t you my baby?” is almost a taunt - like a “prove yourself”

Maybe I’m REEEEEAAALLY out there on this one but I’d love to hear y’all’s takes!!

Thank you guys for supporting the Cherik song of the day 🥹 don’t forget to send me your Cherik jams as asks so I can add them!

Spotify playlist of all the songs coming soon ✨🙏🏻

[arale2126]

Cherik fics - That ONE line - 117

「I feel like I should keep an index of the one line in each Cherik fics that impresses me to no end, making want to bookmark it immediately.」

Like My Mother Before Me by DelightToWrite

Summary: So much of a person depended on their parents. Charles was like his own mother. He was an unlovable asshole, a neglectful drunk, a bitter hermit. He wanted, so desperately he craved, a family. Erik was right, he was drowning. But not in alcohol or drugs, Charles was drowning in his own guilt. In trying desperately to be different, he had inadvertently become just like his mother. "...You will follow your mother's footsteps. You will continue to neglect those around you, until they grow resentment. Charles, they will bury you the same way you buried your own mother. With indifference."

OR

Charles tries desperately not to become like his mother.

The quote:

In truth, he hated opening up to others. And he loathed that he hated that. Why couldn't he be vulnerable with his friends? Why did he feel like such a burden, for simply sharing his grief with others? Isn't that what friends are for? Why did he constantly have the need to uphold a perfect image, someone who was always strong, a rock to those who are not. Someone who could bear the weight of the world without ever breaking. Truth is, he broke. No, he shattered.

+1+2+…

Could that be precisely what attracted him to Erik? He liked arguing with him because that's the only type of relationship he knew. He's uncomfortable when things are calm, because that usually means a storm is coming. He loved him, even though he abandoned him, because it reminded him of his mother's neglectfulness, it felt familiar, and he clung to the familiarity. Perhaps he loved him still because he abandoned him, not despite. He liked him for his explosive, selfish, impulsive personality because that's the type of personality he grew to be comfortable around.

+…

The greenish hue painted his skin, reminding him of all the things he was and will never be again. A professor, a philanthropist, an optimist, a pacifist, a mentor, a paragon of virtue, a brother, a lover, a friend.

+the lines that broke me

Charles uncapped a bottle, drinking straight out of it, unable to tilt it far enough to have the stream pour in fast enough, "You were my best friend." Erik sat in Charles' sofa, opening his arms and shrugging, "You were useful to me. You no longer are. Nothing personal."

+fajsdhfjksdhfldsa

No matter how many times he picked up the pieces of his soul, he would never be able to glue himself back together. A piece will always be missing, there will always be holes in his heart. He could buy a new rug, he could cover the holes with bandages, but that corner of his room and that corner of his heart will never be the same again.

+Harpy Hare, where have you buried all your children?

He shook his head, "I don't have a family anymore, mum." like a small child, he curled up against his mother's lap, "Why don't I have a family? That's all I ever wanted. Why can't I have it?" His mother chuckled, petting his hair, "Because you're just like me. I wanted a family, too. But, when I got it, I didn't know how to care for it. I betrayed them and abandoned them."

+hope?

It seems he buried alive something that never died.

[sunshine-for-serotonin]

I love charles dance erik wish more people would talk about him

Would you be open to doing a yandere alphabet for him, nsfw or sfw either works.

The Cherik fans have been flooding my inbox lololol. Not that I mind. But fear not, I have come with a slightly suggestive in some areas yandere alphabet! Also I’ll make the full blown nsfw one at some point-

Affection: How do they show their love and affection? How intense would it get?

Erik respects his darlings space, but at the same time he can only hold off for so long before the need for physical contact with them becomes too overwhelming. Erik usually shows his love and affection through long, drawn out, hugs. If he’s really desperate for some loving though, Erik will try to coax you into giving him kisses. The minute you start to reciprocate his actions, Erik is practically attached to your hip, all of his free time being spent with you and vice versa.

Blood: How messy are they willing to get when it comes to their darling?

Erik is not afraid to kill, even if it “throws him off a bit” (his words), but I think his ideal way of dealing with problems in the opera house is carefully planned sabotage. Whether that be messing with the backdrop and curtains, or even kidnapping you mid show.

Cruelty: How would they treat their darling once abducted? Would they mock them?

Erik is actually incredibly gentle and sweet once he has you in his lair, he would never mock or throw angry words your way, even if you did something to upset him. He gives you the best of everything he ever gets his hands on, for example, he’ll always make sure you have the finest dresses, jewelry, hair products, anything you could ever ask for! Erik will even give you his entire bedroom if he thinks the guest chambers aren’t to your liking! If you tell him you can both just share his room, Erik is over the moon, shocked and blushing underneath his mask as he shyly agrees. I hope you’re prepared for being clung to like a teddy bear the entire night.

Darling: Aside from abduction, would they do anything against their darling’s will?

The only thing Erik would do against your will is hug and kiss you. He knows he should respect your space, he knows you probably need time alone after being kidnapped, but he’s so starved of affection that it overpowers his will to let you be on occasion. There are, however, very rare instances where Erik kissing you can turn heated. An example of this might be him opening his mouth into the kiss in the hopes you’ll slip your tongue into his mouth to take charge of him, (because yes, even though this particular version of Erik is pretty vanilla, he still falls on the more submissive side), or Erik pressing himself snug against you, desperate for your touch. Of course, Erik will never force you to do anything beyond that, and as soon as he realizes he’s getting ‘excited’ down there he runs off to his room out of embarrassment and to pleasure himself, it gets really awkward sometimes because Erik is really vocal, but all you can really do is try to find a different room, but he’s VERY vocal so it usually doesn’t work. However, that doesn’t mean he won’t beg for you on occasion in the hopes that you’ll change your mind.

Exposed: How much of their heart do they bare to their darling? How vulnerable are they when it comes to their darling?

Erik sees no reason to hide his emotions from you. You’re his darling, you deserve to see every side of him. In fact, the only thing he would ever try to hide from you is his face, but if you show him nothing but love and compassion once you see it, Erik will even go out of his way to avoid putting his mask on around you.

Fight: How would they feel if their darling fought back?

Erik hates it when you fight back, it makes him feel worse about kidnapping you than he already does.

Game: Is this a game to them? How much would they enjoy watching their darling try to escape?

This isn’t a game to Erik in the slightest, he just wants you to be happy down under the opera house with him. Every time you try to escape his heart shatters. :(

Hell: What would be their darling’s worst experience with them?

Probably the worst experience you have with Erik isn’t even physical on your end, if I had to guess. I feel like the two worst experiences for you with him are when uses his tears and your own empathy against you, or when he goes out and sabotages/kills your friends in the opera house.

Ideals: What kind of future do they have in mind for/with their darling?

Erik wants to marry you above all else, but once that happens, he wants to escape with you to the surface world and live out the rest of your lives in domestic bliss. I could also see Erik wanting a child or two, either adopted or through you giving birth, it’s up to you two to talk about.

Jealousy: Do they get jealous? Do they lash out or find a way to cope?

You would be a fool to think that Erik doesn’t get jealous, and when he does, it’s not pretty in the slightest. Of course he would never take out his jealousy on you! The only thing he would do is that he would ask for you to be extra loving and praise him more than usual in bed that night, if you’re to that point. Taking out his jealousy on others, however, is something he would take pleasure in, whether that be outright killing them or just setting them up to fail.

Kisses: How do they act around or with their darling?

Erik is very loving to you, to the point that it’s sickeningly sweet. There are certain ways you can fluster him or make him shy though, like hugging or kissing him of your own volition. Since dry humor and sarcastic quips are some of Erik’s key personality traits, if he finds you laughing over something he said, you’ll notice that he tends to try and say humorous things more often.

Love letters: How would they go about courting or approaching their darling?

Erik definitely starts off with writing you letters when you first peak his interest, and after that it escalates to you hearing his voice, to you seeing his physical appearance, to you two going on little outings together, to you seeing his face, and then finally Erik’s obsessive tendencies get the better of him and you find yourself kidnapped despite Gerard’s protests.

Mask: Are their true colors drastically different from the way they act around everyone else?

Erik doesn’t really act different around you versus others per se, you just get to see more of his personality and other traits that no one has ever been worthy of seeing before.

Naughty: How would they punish their darling?

Erik doesn’t really punish you, to be honest. I think the worst he’d ever do is lock you in a room for a spell until you calmed down.

Oppression: How many rights would they take away from their darling?

Erik would only take two of your rights away, and one isn’t even on purpose. The one he would take away without necessarily meaning to is your right to privacy, being that he follows you around like a lost puppy, much like his other counterparts. The one he would knowingly take away is your ability to travel to the surface world without his accompanyment.

Patience: How patient are they with their darling?

Erik’s patience is endless, I cannot stress this enough. He never loses his temper at you, or even around you!

Quit: If their darling dies, leaves, or successfully escapes, would they ever be able to move on?

In no way, shape, or form would Erik ever be able to move on, if anything he would try to hunt you down for as long as he lives if you escaped, and if you died he’s following right behind you.

Regret: Would they ever feel guilty about abducting their darling? Would they ever let their darling go?

Erik feels guilty everyday for kidnapping you, but he absolutely refuses to let you go, and once his mind is set almost nothing can change it.

Stigma: What brought about this side of them (childhood, curiosity, etc)?

Its a combination of his childhood, being rejected for appearances beyond his control, and such a strong desperation for love that he would have ended up this way regardless of the former two.

Tears: How do they feel about seeing their darling scream, cry, and/or isolate themselves?

Erik will probably cry with you, because like I said earlier, he feels very guilty for abducting you. With the way Erik hangs off you, though, I don’t really see you getting the chance to isolate yourself.

Unique: Would they do anything different from the classic yandere?

I’m kind of drawing a blank for this one, sorry.

Vice: What weakness can their darling exploit in order to escape?

One of your best chances of escaping is to pretend to be in a consensual relationship with Erik, and then escape when his back is turned, possibly with the help of Gerard.

Wit’s end: Would they ever hurt their darling?

NEVER, Erik would rather kill himself!

Xoanon: How much would they revere or worship their darling? To what length would they go to win their darling over?

Erik regards you as an angel amongst devils, himself included, and counts himself lucky to be able to be in your presence. There is no length Erik wouldn’t go to for the chance to win you over.

Yearn: How long do they pine after their darling before they snap?

I think the longest Erik could go is a month or two before he kidnaps you. What can I say? You’re his biggest weakness and his biggest strength.

Zenith: Would they ever break their darling?

I really don’t think it’s possible for Erik to break you, if he did, it would be a complete and utter accident, and nothing would stop him from trying to fix you!

———————————————————————————

@sloppyzengarden

[rafasbiscuits]

There is just something so incredibly beautiful about the story of Charles and Erik. Cherik

Like how they went from strangers into the best of friends in just a few days. How Erik is so closed off and cold to everyone but he was okay by the actions of Charles accessing his mind, Erik was okay showing his vulnerabilities to Charles.

How they both have different perspectives on things, they both grew up differently yet they are proof of "opposites attract" .Charles loving homo sapiens, wants the mutants to be at peace with the humans and Erik the opposite. Both of them have such strong opinions, so tempestuous, and when Erik became a villain. Charles saw the good in Erik and defended him. No matter what. Even when Erik's actions are too cruel sometimes, Charles will always find something, a reason to forgive Erik.

When everyone turned their backs on Erik and wants to kill him. Charles went neutral, like his mind was colliding with each other, contradicting. Charles always wanted harmonies between the two races(species?), mutants and humans but when it comes to Erik. Erik who had killed humans, hated them and despised them.

It seems like Charles just forgot everything he wanted, all his focus turns to Erik.

Charles told Logan, that Erik is a dangerous man. He should be stopped, but all along, Charles just wanted Erik to be by his side. Charles didn't have the heart to actually stop Erik himself, which is why he told Logan about it, knowing Logan's personality, perhaps Erik can be stopped by Logan, without Charles. But only Charles is as strong as Erik. Only Charles can actually stop Erik entirely, Charles knew Erik's weakness yet he didn't dare to attack him. Erik is the same, Erik will destroy anything and anyone that goes against his path, the path of making mutants the true leaders instead of the humans, even the mutants. But not Charles. Erik let go of Charles. Erik couldn't destroy Charles. Erik mocked Charles, degraded him, but never hurt him. Erik regretted deeply about the time where the metal of the bullet went to Charles's back and made him unable to walk. Erik would never hurt him, never again. Erik knew Charles couldn't hurt Erik too.

And when Erik went to jail, Charles visited his supposed-to-be enemy. To play chess with him, just like the good old days. Charles just wanted Erik to be with him, and Erik wanted the man too, so why would he stop Charles from visiting him? Erik probably looked forward to their meetings.

And that scene on that one older X Men movie, where Charles "died" and by the end of the movie, Erik played chess by himself. Nothing can convince me that Erik just lost hope then, because all his doings...he just wanted Charles's attention, he just wanted Charles. He just wanted the man that knew him best, his first actual friend, the friend that visited him in prison, that always saw the good in him, by his side. And then he was gone, he felt somewhat empty. Playing chess alone, reminiscing all the moments they had together.

"All those years wasted fighting each other, Charles. To have a precious few of them back"