Erik crossed the room and sat down on a chair, placed at an angle facing Charles's side of the bed. "Make your bid, then."
"In exchange for my protection and the protection of my unborn child, I'd like to offer you my services as a telepath. I'm sure you're well aware by now that I am rather stronger than Miss Frost." Charles's mouth quirked into a faint, fleeting smile. "I would do anything you ask of me -- unearth secrets, incapacitate someone, anything at all -- as long as it doesn't endanger my child or my life up until the child is born."
Erik leaned back, considering. He hadn't been expecting this -- had expected, actually, a baser offer. "I need a guarantee you won't turn against me, or your offer is useless."
"I'm willing to wear the collar until and unless my abilities are needed, though I'd prefer not to." Charles shrugged. "I fear there aren't many things that can contain me and still leave me in good shape. But if it makes a difference: I promise not to use my telepathy against your interests. And I swear to stay out of your head unless asked."
"Can Mystique vouch for you?"
"She's not part of this," Charles said, every syllable cracking with ice. Erik felt his eyebrows rise at Charles's tone. "If you bring her into our agreement, I'll consider it broken."
"Then you leave me with little choice but to ask Frost to scan you." Erik rose to his feet and started to undo the clasp of his jacket. "I accept your offer pending the scan, and your agreement not to bar her way into your head."
Charles flinched, but nodded his assent. Erik wondered why he ever thought Charles's eyes beautiful, now that he could tell how little they expressed Charles's feelings -- if he had any that didn't revolve around his child or Mystique. Shaw's perfect dead-eyed omega doll, with a brain that could be as coldly rational as it was intelligent. What would Shaw have done to Erik, if he hadn't escaped when he did? Shaw had cut into Erik -- literally and metaphorically -- in the name of science and shaped him into a weapon, but Erik didn't think he cared about breaking Erik's spirit beyond it being an amusing by-product. Could he have turned Erik into a parody of an omega, rolling over for any alpha? The thought disturbed Erik. Shaw was convinced of the ascendancy of mutants -- as was Erik, but surely he would treat his own omega better than this -- and he supposed Shaw saw himself as an alpha to Charles as a mutant would see himself in relation to a human.
There was a rustle of fabric. Erik looked up from his shirt buttons to see Charles drawing back the blankets, feet swinging to the floor. Charles was naked under the covers, which he seemed to regard as entirely irrelevant as he padded towards Erik. He raised his hands to Erik's shirt, stopping just short of the line of buttons, giving Erik a questioning look. At a stiff nod, he undressed Erik swiftly, with easy, practiced movements.
Erik placed a hand on Charles's shoulder when the last of his clothes were put away, pushing down. Charles knelt obediently, hands flat on the floor, bracketing his knees. Erik slid his hand along the line of Charles's neck to his jawline, tipping Charles's face up with a finger. Charles looked the same as he always did, except when he was around Mystique. Raven. Hard to think of her as Mystique, after yesterday -- she was Raven Xavier and sister of Charles now, as much as she was Mystique, his second-in-command.
Perhaps the resentment made him rougher than he should be, fucking Charles's mouth with deep, relentless thrusts until Charles's eyes took on a watery sheen. Charles was still gasping when Erik pulled him to his feet and turned him around to face a wall, bent at the waist, hands braced against the peeling wallpaper. Erik slid a finger into Charles and sure enough, Charles was already slick and ready for him.
This time Erik was gentler, mindful of Charles's condition. He brushed his knuckles down Charles's belly as he rocked inside, thrilled despite his caution -- he was going to have a child. Charles didn't make a sound, head hanging low between his arms, not until after Erik was done and they were finally in bed for the night: a long, raspy sigh, one of relief and exhaustion.
En Passant 2/7 (Charles/Erik, Charles/Shaw, omegaverse AU, warning: dubcon)
"In exchange for my protection and the protection of my unborn child, I'd like to offer you my services as a telepath. I'm sure you're well aware by now that I am rather stronger than Miss Frost." Charles's mouth quirked into a faint, fleeting smile. "I would do anything you ask of me -- unearth secrets, incapacitate someone, anything at all -- as long as it doesn't endanger my child or my life up until the child is born."
Erik leaned back, considering. He hadn't been expecting this -- had expected, actually, a baser offer. "I need a guarantee you won't turn against me, or your offer is useless."
"I'm willing to wear the collar until and unless my abilities are needed, though I'd prefer not to." Charles shrugged. "I fear there aren't many things that can contain me and still leave me in good shape. But if it makes a difference: I promise not to use my telepathy against your interests. And I swear to stay out of your head unless asked."
"Can Mystique vouch for you?"
"She's not part of this," Charles said, every syllable cracking with ice. Erik felt his eyebrows rise at Charles's tone. "If you bring her into our agreement, I'll consider it broken."
"Then you leave me with little choice but to ask Frost to scan you." Erik rose to his feet and started to undo the clasp of his jacket. "I accept your offer pending the scan, and your agreement not to bar her way into your head."
Charles flinched, but nodded his assent. Erik wondered why he ever thought Charles's eyes beautiful, now that he could tell how little they expressed Charles's feelings -- if he had any that didn't revolve around his child or Mystique. Shaw's perfect dead-eyed omega doll, with a brain that could be as coldly rational as it was intelligent. What would Shaw have done to Erik, if he hadn't escaped when he did? Shaw had cut into Erik -- literally and metaphorically -- in the name of science and shaped him into a weapon, but Erik didn't think he cared about breaking Erik's spirit beyond it being an amusing by-product. Could he have turned Erik into a parody of an omega, rolling over for any alpha? The thought disturbed Erik. Shaw was convinced of the ascendancy of mutants -- as was Erik, but surely he would treat his own omega better than this -- and he supposed Shaw saw himself as an alpha to Charles as a mutant would see himself in relation to a human.
There was a rustle of fabric. Erik looked up from his shirt buttons to see Charles drawing back the blankets, feet swinging to the floor. Charles was naked under the covers, which he seemed to regard as entirely irrelevant as he padded towards Erik. He raised his hands to Erik's shirt, stopping just short of the line of buttons, giving Erik a questioning look. At a stiff nod, he undressed Erik swiftly, with easy, practiced movements.
Erik placed a hand on Charles's shoulder when the last of his clothes were put away, pushing down. Charles knelt obediently, hands flat on the floor, bracketing his knees. Erik slid his hand along the line of Charles's neck to his jawline, tipping Charles's face up with a finger. Charles looked the same as he always did, except when he was around Mystique. Raven. Hard to think of her as Mystique, after yesterday -- she was Raven Xavier and sister of Charles now, as much as she was Mystique, his second-in-command.
Perhaps the resentment made him rougher than he should be, fucking Charles's mouth with deep, relentless thrusts until Charles's eyes took on a watery sheen. Charles was still gasping when Erik pulled him to his feet and turned him around to face a wall, bent at the waist, hands braced against the peeling wallpaper. Erik slid a finger into Charles and sure enough, Charles was already slick and ready for him.
This time Erik was gentler, mindful of Charles's condition. He brushed his knuckles down Charles's belly as he rocked inside, thrilled despite his caution -- he was going to have a child. Charles didn't make a sound, head hanging low between his arms, not until after Erik was done and they were finally in bed for the night: a long, raspy sigh, one of relief and exhaustion.