A Vulnerable Position

When Charles woke up his mind was being flooded with fuzzy feelings of affection. The warmth surrounding his body dampened his ability to think clearly. Wait. Warmth? Charles is a cold sleeper and the only times in his life he has woken up warm have been the unfortunate times in which he woke up at 1:00pm after a serious hangover. But this warmth was different from the harsh sun heating his duvet. It was comforting, almost loving. He wanted to pull the warmth closer to him, like a ball of sunlight in his arms. Then he felt it. Arms around his waist, pulling him back into the body behind him.

These were not his thoughts.

At some point in the night he must have seated himself fully into Erik's brain with the altering effects of their combined heat and rut. He tried to extract himself fully from Erik's brain before he woke up, but the mental crawling he was doing seemed to just be speeding up the inevitable.

Erik nuzzled his nose into his neck and held him tighter as his mind was brought to full cognition. “Where are you going?” He mumbled into his neck.

“No where. I’m right here.”

Erik sat up slightly to look Charles in the eye. He stopped his mental retreat as Erik focused from sleep into an accusing gaze. “That’s not what I meant and you know it Charles. Where is your mind going?”

Charles looked away from Erik's eyes, but in their current position there weren't very many other places to focus. “I just didn’t realize how deep I went into your mind.” He decided on his eyebrows.

Erik's eyebrows rose in question. “Is that a bad thing?”

Charles paused and chose to focus on his lips next. That might have been a bad idea because he saw them form such a predatory smirk as he said, “No necessarily. I just thought you might like some privacy. That’s all.”

“Well, I appreciate the thought, but if I want some privacy, I’ll make sure to let you know. Until then, you are always welcome in my mind post-sex.” Charles could feel the bush rising in his cheeks as memories of last night floated around Erik's mind.

“Well, thank you. That would be nice.” He pulled up a proverbial chair in Erik's mind and made himself comfortable.

They stayed there for quite a while, just basking in one another's warmth, slowly coming to the world. Charles eventually started to expand his range from only Erik to the rest of the house, only to find that Logan was fast asleep outside their door.

“Umm, Erik? Is there a reason why Logan is outside of our door?”

“Uh. Just protective, I guess.” Charles could feel there was more behind that, but he didn’t have the energy to pry.

“We should get going soon. It’s almost 10am and my heat is almost completely done.” The heat effects were starting to wear off and as much as he would love for Erik to stay longer, he would know that Charles wasn’t in heat anymore. Charles wasn’t sure if he was ready to deal with Erik outside of his heat yet.

He could sense Erik's disappointment and guilt for overstaying. Then the sharp wall of Erik’s thoughts trying to hide them from Charles.

“That’s not what I meant.” Charles tried to explain as Erik quickly got out of bed and grabbed his clothes.

“You don’t have to explain Charles. I know the terms of our arrangement. Plus we have to track down Raven.” God Erik was fast. Charles was still trying to sit up while Erik was just down to buttoning his shirt and pulling on his shoes.

“No Erik. Really this was nice. I’m glad you stayed. I just..”

“Want to save the world, I know.” And with that Erik was opening the door and walking past a sleepy Logan. Leaving Charles to flop back onto the bed and roll himself to the edge of the bed.

That really could have gone better, Charles thought.

“You need any help there, Chuck?” Logan mumbled from the door.

Charles focused on the floor, because frankly he didn’t trust his eyes right now. “I’m fine Logan. Thank you for your concern. Just a bit mixed up at the moment.”

Logan huffed and muttered as he closed the door and walked to the stairs.
Charles focused on getting dressed and the day ahead of him instead of the disaster that was this morning.

˓˓(ᑊᘩᑊ⁎)˓˓(ᑊᘩᑊ⁎)˓˓(ᑊᘩᑊ⁎)˓˓(ᑊᘩᑊ⁎)˓˓(ᑊᘩᑊ⁎)˓˓(ᑊᘩᑊ⁎)˓˓(ᑊᘩᑊ⁎)˓˓(ᑊᘩᑊ⁎)˓˓(ᑊᘩᑊ⁎)˓˓(ᑊᘩᑊ⁎)˓˓(ᑊᘩᑊ⁎)˓˓(ᑊᘩᑊ⁎)˓˓(ᑊᘩᑊ⁎)˓˓(ᑊᘩᑊ⁎)

4 weeks later ಠ╭╮ಠ

Logan was god knows where, he just had to hope that they actually fixed everything. Erik and Raven had dropped off the face of the earth again with that stupid helmet. He was going to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, alone. Well, not alone. Hank would stay. Part of him wishes that Hank would leave. Hank could have a better life than just watching him sulk all day and drink in his pajamas. If Hank left he could really sulk and drink all day with no one to confiscate his alcohol when he got too drunk to sit straight. But no, Hank had to be “responsible” and make sure he wasn’t “downing in his own misery 24/7”. Charles was tempted to put the suggestion in Hank’s mind, to leave and go back to the CIA or MIT or wherever. However, He knew that Hank was far too stubborn to leave him. He also knew that from the moment Hank met him he made a mental note to always check his thoughts by thinking “Is this something that I truly believe”. Effectively putting subtle persuasion out of the picture unless he really wanted to mess with his mind.

So, he was stuck. In a wheelchair. In the house he abandoned a long time ago. In the only room he could lock Cain Marko out off as a child. You could say his situation wasn’t ideal. It was intolerable. It has been a bit hard to stay positive lately. Hank was hiding his drugs from Charles out of fear he would take them. And honestly he was thinking about it. At least then he could walk.

Charles was currently lying on his bed face down trying to overcome the pre-heat nausea he was experiencing, when he heard a light tapping on his window then the lock opening.

Charles didn’t need to turn himself around to see who it was. Exactly one month since he last was in this room with this person.

“Are you dying?” Erik questioned.

Charles sent him the mental equivalent of a question mark.

Erik sighed, “ I mean, are you sick? Should I get Hank?”

Charles turned himself around, only realizing how restricted his airflow was from the blanket. “I’m not sick. And I’m certainly not in the mood to have a heat right now. Can we postpone it until next month?”

Erik chuckled darkly and sat on the bed. “Unfortunately, we both know that’s not really how this works. And, if we were to try to postpone your heat and my rut, we would have had to have knotted at least twice before your heat began. And…” Erik leaned into the scent gland on Charles neck and took a gentle lick. “Based on the way you smell. We are about two hours into your heat.”

Erik wasn’t wrong. Charles could feel a gush of slick dampen his underwear from the contact. Erik took a deep breath and his eyes fluttered shut, probably smelling how much his presence is affecting Charles.

“Before we get too lost, tell me what’s wrong?” Erik demanded, putting an appropriate amount of distance between themselves to reduce temptation.

He could feel his mind clearing already. “I just have been feeling a bit bored lately.”

“I don’t believe you.” Erik pressed, taking a step closer.

“And I thought, I was the telepath here.” Charles unconsciously presented his neck to Erik.

Erik took the invitation to strip his clothes off and get into the bed after folding his clothes with his powers. “I don’t have to be telepathic to tell my ome–, my friend is troubled.”
Erk pulled Charles' nose into his own scent gland.

Charles took a few deep breaths and knew they were running out of time. Erik’s rut was here and if the way Erik worked his hand in Charles pants was anything to go on, Erik was getting desperate.

Erik got the angle fairly quickly and Charles was seeing stars.

“Erik, now, please.” Charles groaned in an attempt to keep some sort of composure.

“Of course Liebling,” Erik pulled Charles' pants down and set them on the bedside table, not bothering with his shirt before pulling off his own underwear.

“Oh dear, darling, you are looking quite desperate indeed. How long ago did your rut start?” Charles teased. Erik flipped him back onto his stomach in retaliation.

“Shut up.” Erik wrapped an arm around his waist and pushed his knees into a classic omega breeding pose. Face down, ass up.

“Make me.” Charles teased as he got his arms slightly beneath him.

“I’m planning on it.” Is the last thing Charles heard before Erik started thrusting. Erik only pulled halfway out before slamming back in and holding Charles' hips like a vice. Granted, if he didn’t. Charles would most definitely fall over, but that’s beside the point. The room was reverberating with the sounds of skin slapping and the little moans and grunts coming from the two.

Charles could feel Erik getting close, but not quite there. Erik pulled out all the way much to Charles disapproval.

Charles must have been whining because Erik said, “Relax. I just need a better position to knot you.” Erik flipped Charles back onto his back and got between his legs.

Erik leaned forward to pull Charles into a deep, inviting kiss and simultaneously connected them once more. Erik stuck his nose firmly to the junction between his neck and shoulder and started licking softly and giving soft little bites on the glad. Not enough to mate, but enough to drive Charles absolutely crazy and quickly lose himself completely as Erik knot started to inflate.

They hadn’t done anything like that before. The scent gland, the mating bite spot, was always unspoken territory. Too tempting to really address. But Erik broke their unspoken rule, unconsciously projecting his wishes to finally make Charles his omega, for real.

Erik pulled away, looking a bit on the side of intoxicated before pulling Charles up with him and laying down. Charles braced himself on Erik’s chest in fear of moving too much and pulling on the knott.

Erik hummed lightly as he brushed his hands up and down Charles' hips. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong now or am I going to have to try to use our connection to suss it out. You are going to be stuck here for at least 30 minutes. I have the time.”

Charles wanted to roll away, but he couldn’t. Trying to get off a knott before it’s deflated would be extremely painful and quite pointless given the fact Erik could just follow him. He was trapped.

Charles sighed, “Really it’s nothing. I’m just…”

“You're just…” Erik was prying. Charles could feel him trying to access the part of Charles' brain that was in his own.

“I’m just a bit depressed.” Charles admitted, looking away.

“You’ve been depressed for years. What’s wrong?” Erik tried again, pulling Charles' face to look at him.

“I don’t know what to do now.” Charles whispered. And the flood gates opened. “Logan is gone. The school is gone. I don’t have anything to do but sit here, in the stupid house. Can’t even fucking walk.”

Erik looked thoughtful. “Are you thinking about taking those drugs again? Walking isn’t worth it if it means you lose your mutation.”

Now Charles really wishes he could escape, “Don’t you start. You have no idea what living with my power is like. Let alone not being able to move your own legs.”

“You're right I don’t.” At least Erik had the humility to look a bit sheepish. “I have no idea what living with your power is like. However, I do know that you can help so many more people with it than without. Why can’t you open the school again? The war is over and there are so many mutants out there who need guidance.”

Charles gapped, but couldn’t find a reason why he couldn’t open the school again. Things would be better this time. “Erik Lensherr. You never cease to surprise me.”

“Quite hard to do considering your mutation.”

“You’re right. I am going to open the school again. Hanks is going to be so excited.” He was definitely babbling by now. “I’ll need to find more teachers too. I can feel this girl who lives nearby. She should be my first student. I could get everything set up by next month.”

Charles felt Erik's mind slam into a proverbial wall. “Wait.” Erik sat up suddenly causing Charles to nearly fall over. “ How am I, a wanted man, supposed to be here during your heats if you open a school? How am I supposed to fuck you in a house full of nosy children?”

Charles giggled, “You’ll have to be quiet I suppose. And maybe a bit quick.”

Erik groaned into his hand. “This is a bad idea. We are going to get caught.”

“I could always wipe it from their memories.” Charles shrugged.

“Could you wipe it from mine too?” Erik pleaded.

“Never. We both have to live with the reminder to dampen our hubris.”

Erik pulled Charel in for a kiss. “Well then, Professor, I guess you have work to do.”

Charles whispered into his lips, “I sure do.”