☣--No tomorrow {closed}

Silence met his question and Erik wondered if he had messed up the English words so badly that Charles hadn’t understood him. Then the telepath was speaking again and Erik listened in stunned silence as the boy in front of him openly declared just how strong he truly was.

There wasn’t even a flicker of fear or doubt in Erik’s mind at the concept of his cell mate being able to read his mind and to control him. In fact the only emotion he felt was a joyful sense of wonder and amazement. There was an unspoken trust for Charles that he didn’t recall ever consciously choosing, but now that it existed Erik found he didn’t regret it.

His eyes grew wide as animals appeared in front of him, small but real looking. His hand reached out to touch one but he stopped just short of making contact, unsure if he was allowed.

"Is amazing," Erik whispered. "Beautiful."

With an imploring look, he turned away from the animals long enough to ask, “Can I touch?”

Charles saw no reason to hide what he could do from his cellmate.  It wasn't like anything worse could come from it right?  That and it was nice to talk to someone who actually wanted to talk to him.  Most of the time he was silent, just sit there wrapped up in his own mind, with his animals.  It was lonely, and he had started to lose track of time...  He was too trusting of the other boy in the cell, but as far as he could see, the worse impact would be death.  

His eyes were on Erik, watching with  bit of a smile as Erik stared at the animals he had created.  It was enough that he actually forgot the pain in his fingers for the moment.  To see that look of wonder in Erik's eyes, it was more than he could have asked for.  It made him feel better than he had in a long time.  

"Yes, you can touch them," he said smiling a bit more, though it shrank a bit when his dry lips cracked painfully  He ran his tongue over them.  "Feel real..." His own bear cub was by his side.  He hadn't shown Erik that one yet, just the small animals to start.  

"Can make any animal...so long as I know what it looks like."

☁ -- The boxcar {closed}

Their home could be felt by Erik long before he could see it with his eyes. Somehow that made him like it more. The train car danced on the edges of his senses from a mile away. He relished the moment when he got near enough to feel it’s familiar contours. Pushing his power harder he could feel the metal pieces of Charles’ leg and the vast collection of metal trinkets that the two of them had collected.

He couldn’t remember the last time somewhere had ever truly felt like home. This small piece they had carved out for themselves meant more to Erik than he could ever quite express in words.

Erik had gone farther away than usual today. It hadn’t been his intention, but as he wandered through the nearby town looking for anything he could bring home with him, Erik had overheard a name. One he thought to never hear again. It was with a morbid curiosity that he had followed after the one who spoke that hated name, listening intently.

In the end it had come to nothing. A few hours spent trailing an ex-Nazi who seemed to be doing little more than name-dropping. He had no real connection to Shaw and the day was a complete waste.

Despite that, as he stepped inside their train car Erik couldn’t help the smile that grew automatically across his features. “It’s good to be home,” he murmured softly, letting the metal sing to him as he felt the tension ease away. With a grin, Erik gladly accepted the offered treat from his companion. After a second’s hesitation he broke the cracker in two and held one of the halves out to Charles. “I won’t eat it unless you have some too,” he insisted.

Charles had gotten used to being in the boxcar alone, though he preferred Erik to be there with him.  He knew in the back of his mind that Erik would, from time to time, go to try and find someone who had been involved with what had happened to them.  Not that it usually led to anything.  Most of the time it didn't.  He could find them, Charles knew he could, he just had to get closer to civilization to do that, and right then it wasn't something he was willing to try.  Not with his leg.

The prosthetic was painful to wear for long periods of time, and there was no other way for him to move, so he had to just work at it.  He tried wearing it for most of the day, tried walking with it but it still hurt.  Nothing seemed to help except well not having it on.

He took half of the cracker though made a face as if it was a real struggle for him to agree to take it. "Fine, but only because I know you'd insist," he said, munching on the cracker.  "Do you want me to go with you next time?" he asked tilting his head to the side.  He was hopeful but didn't actually expect Erik to agree.  

Charles laid down next to him a smile on his features.  God there really were some advantages to Pietro being so fast.  He never had to be without him for very long.  Soon enough he was snuggled against Pietro with a movie he did like on the television, with blankets and pillows all around.  ”Thank you Pietro.”

Pietro hummed happily as he wrapped his arms tightly around Charles and placed a kiss on his forehead. “No need to thank me, love,” he whispered and moved a hand to brush his fingers through Charles’ hair. 

Charles let his eyes close, relaxing against Pietro.  "I'm sorry...for everything that has happened..."

"And I’ve got the blankets!" he answered with a grin as he got them on the couch and waited for Charles to come over so he could get the blankets settled around them both. "This was a great idea."

"A fantastic idea," Charles said holding out one of the spoons and one of the cartons of ice cream.  "What do you want to watch?"

"We could do something fun, go to the coast.  Though it is getting a bit chilly for that…Are their still town fairs held in the autumn?"

Steve nodded slowly. “I think so, yeah. There’s usually one out by the old Hodgkins Farm. We could do that one night?”

"Yes then that's what we can do, we can go to the fair."

"Oh, but games are so fun." He smirked and looked at him. 

"Let me put it this way then.  This is not fun."

"What? Really?" he looked rather confused right now as he couldn’t imagine why anyone would want their kids to say out late or do things they weren’t allowed to. "Why? Most parents seem to want good kids…"

"Because while I was a good kid, they wanted a normal kid more.  Someone who did sneak out and behave like other children.  I never did, never fussed.  Not even when I was little."

Gingerly, Erik let his hand turn, capturing the telepath’s fingers in his own before twining them together before his eyes closed and he moved himself closer, slowly closing the distance and slipping to his knees. He rested on the floor, instead of allowing himself to level with Charles, and leaned forward, letting his head come to rest on the other man’s knee as he shivered gently. “I feel like there’s something wrong with me, Charles,” he confided, whispering the words gently. “I just.. snapped. I didn’t even know I hit you.” It was terrifying, truly, to lose control like that. Anger was his life, what shaped him, but it seemed to tear him apart just as much.

"There's nothing wrong with you Charles," he said in a soft voice, moving to brush his free hand against Erik's hair.  He really did believe that, with all of his heart.  Erik had been through so much, and only a fraction of it Charles actually knew about.  He'd have been surprised if Erik had not suffered something that affected his mind.  Even if he did...it didn't matter to Charles.  He would do anything to help him.  "Things happen my friend...you just need to relax.  But I do promise you that there is nothing wrong with you."

Charles leaned up enough to kiss him back softly, a smile on his lips.  ”Looks like our little family has got just a bit bigger don’t you think?” he said after a moment, his arm around Pietro’s waist.

"Yeah, it has," he smiled as he looked over at the puppy that was playing with the toy Pietro had left it with. With a content sigh he leaned against Charles, eyes half shut as he snuggled against the other male.

The End

❝Tired.❞ Erik couldn’t help but smile slightly at that. Tired; just another word for lazy. Bored. Not doing well. But he knew better than to press on the topic, especially with Charles. Erik’s eyes wondered back to the book in his hand, then placed it back on the shelf with a sigh.

❝Me? Do you even need to ask-?❞ He stepped back a little, looking over the shelf, before picking up a completely different book from a different section. Then, he turned, leaned a little on the shelf, and looked at Charles, tapping the book in his hands. ❝I’m fine, Charles.❞

Fine. The thing people tended to say when they did not want to really get into how they were saying. The thing you said to someone passing down the street who asks how you are. Had they really gotten to that point? Had they really grown so far apart?

His eyes were on the book in his lap, brushing his fingers over the cover of it. A classic, a mystery he had not read since he was a child. He needed to get out of his own mind, and reading books was the only way for him to do that. "It's polite to ask how someone is Erik...and you know me. Had manners drilled into since I could walk."

Erik glanced towards him at the ‘thank you’, before looking down, and moving back to the other shelf. In his mind, he supposed it was the leas he could do. He did, after all, put him in that position. He was just thankful the other man hadn’t been stubborn about his help-

❝How are you?❞ He asked, glancing briefly back towards him, before laying his eyes back on the shelf in front of him.

Answer truthfully? Or lie? A lie would get him off his back so to speak, or at least make it so Erik didn't worry. Why did he even care what Erik thought anymore anyways? He didn't. He was done with him. Had nearly called the police on Erik...

"I'm tired, but I'm always tired these days..." He answered flipping thrugh the book to make sure it was the right one. "And you?"

Erik glanced behind him at his words, before standing up straight and looking towards the book he was reaching for. He sighed, quietly, turning back and picking his own book from the shelf, before moving towards the other. He took the book from the shelf, and held it towards the other man, his attention more on his own than Charles.

A knot formed in his stomach as he watched Erik take the book and hold it out to him. For Charles, it was just another reminder of what was missing, that Erik had left. He took the book from him, setting it down in his lap. "Thank you..." he said in a soft voice.

❝Even so-❞ He allowed a small hesitation, then walked past the man and towards the shelf behind him.

❝Is there any point in asking how you are?❞

"You can ask doesn't mean I'm going to answer you," Charles replied, reaching up to get the book he was looking for. Though it was just out of his reach. "Damn this chair..."

❝Charles.           A public library is the last place           I’d expect to see you.❞

"Contrary to what you might believe Erik, I do not own every book in the world."

A wan smile crept onto Erik’s lips at Charles’ tone. The annoyance seemed so familiar to him and he couldn’t help the nostalgia that flooded through him. “You’re right, I don’t know for sure that you’ll remember,” he conceded. “I do know that Hank is a genius and if anyone can get your memories back it’s him.”

Erik looked away from Charles as the next accusation hit and he quietly replied, “You’re wrong about that though. All I’ve ever wanted was to be by your side. I would give up the world to be with you again, but you didn’t want me with you anymore. You don’t remember it now, and I know that. I am not the kind of man to take advantage of your memory loss for my own gain. I know what you wanted when you had your memories and I won’t go against your wishes when you can’t even recall what I did to you.”

"Then why pray tell are you even here?" he asked in a bitter, angry tone.  Each passing moment he was growing more and more frustrated.  "Why come here at all when you could have simply called this hank fellow and not even had to come in here?" To him, everything this man was saying sounded like one giant contradiction, and that was enough to frustrate him to no end.

"You say you know me, but you won't tell me how.  You say I told you to stay away but you won't tell me why.  You say you know me...and yet you aren't helping me.  Just call that Hank person and leave me alone..."