Lovers (1)
Since his birthday fell on a weekday, Charles had decided to celebrate with his friends at a restaurant instead of throwing a house party. Now he regretted this decision. As nice as it was to have them all here, they weren´t enough to take his mind off of Erik and Magda.
Until the last minute, Charles had hoped Erik would attend his birthday party. He knew Magda was in town and that meeting her would take an emotional toll. But Charles wanted him to be here, even if their fake relationship was over for almost a month now.
His crush on Erik would never bloom into something more, Charles had accepted this by now. And still, he couldn´t let go.
With a sigh, he checked his phone again. No new message from Erik, of course. Raven who sat right next to him, elbowed him.
“Charles, don´t be a rude host!” she complained with a laugh. “Don´t ignore your guests to stare at your phone.”
“I´m not ignoring them,” Charles replied. “And even if I were – everyone seems to be having a good time, anyway.”
“But it´s your birthday,” Angel said and raised her glass. “To Charles.”
“To Charles!” The other guests raised their glasses. A small pile of presents was stacked on the table, the wrapping paper discarded on an empty chair. They had had cake made by Raven and Hank with 18 candles on top. Now they had switched over to drinks and appetizers.
Charles sighed again. Well, everyone else had a drink. Since the cake clearly indicated he only turned 18 today, the staff had refused to serve him any alcoholic drinks. He was stuck with a coke for now.
The guests were chatting pleasantly when Moira, who had been invited by Raven, sat down next to him. Being around her made Charles a little self-conscious since the embarrassing events last year at the party.
“Happy Birthday,” Moira said with a smile. “Sorry that I showed up at your party uninvited. I thought Raven had talked to you about it before inviting me, but no, I make a fool out of myself.”
Charles smiled politely. “I assure you, you are not making a fool out of yourself. It´s nice to have you here.”
Moira´s eyes fell on Charles´ glass. “Do you want me to buy you a drink? That´s the least I can do to make up for it.”
“There´s no need to make up for anything, but yes. A real drink would be lovely.”
They made their way toward the bar on the opposite side of the room. The place Charles had chosen was modern and elegant, though a little too expensive for the average student it tried to appeal to. The staff at the bar either did not care about Charles´ age or assumed he was the same age as Moira when she ordered two drinks for them.
“Is Erik not coming?” she asked once they sat down.
“No, he has an important matter to attend to.” Charles shrugged. “We are no longer a couple, you know? Just.... friends.”
“I see.” She raised her glass and they both tried their drinks. “But congratulations on coming out of the closet so quickly. Most people need at least two semesters. I have had no less than two boyfriends come out as gay after dating me. What does that say about me?” She laughed nervously.
“Oh, I´m not gay,” Charles hurried to correct her. “I´m bisexual, actually. That with Erik... that was...”
“It was what?” Moira asked with a smile.
Charles cleared his throat. He leaned closer and whispered: “Let me tell you a secret: Erik and I have been faking this entire relationship the whole time.”
Moira looked like she was not buying it. Only when Charles insisted, did her face change from confused to curious.
“Why would you do that, Charles?”
“To keep my sister away from him,” Charles explained and winked at Moira even though he wasn´t feeling flirty at all. He was mostly feeling heartbroken but Moira didn´t need to know that. “And it worked, didn´t it?”
They looked over to Raven who was comfortably sitting in Hank´s lap. Charles had still not gotten all the details of what had happened during their road trip but he was happy for them, anyway.
“Why would you fake a relationship with Erik when you actually liked him?” Moira asked dumbfounded.
“I... what?” Charles said, equally as stunned. He sure as hell did not have real feelings for Erik when he asked him to enter a fake relationship.
“Remember the night when we met?” Moira smiled softly at him. “The party where you bought me drinks at the bar? Well, what kind of man would leave an interested lady alone at the bar just to argue with another man? I knew from the very beginning that you had a crush on Erik.”
“I didn´t have a crush on him back then!” Charles argued back. He had been so drunk that night that he barely remembered anything.
“But now you like him. And still, you broke up with him,” Moira insisted.
Charles sighed again, downing his entire drink with one gulp. The alcohol burnt in his throat. “It was him who broke things off. I just told everyone I was the one asking for a break because I didn´t want them to hate Erik. I suggested this stupid fake relationship so I´m the only one to blame.” He couldn´t help but check his phone again. No new message from Erik.
“Why don´t you two start a real relationship, then?” Moira asked. She had this aura of pretend naivety surrounding her that Charles had found irresistible from their first meeting.
“Because he broke up with me,” Charles repeated impatiently.
“He broke up your fake relationship,” Moira corrected him with a smile. “After you two cuddled and kissed in public. Spent every waking minute together. Flirted and bickered. Like a real couple. Charles, have you ever asked him whether or not he is interested in a real relationship? Or have you just treated him like a fake-boyfriend who you have a crush on?”
Charles cleared his throat. “The latter, I´m afraid.” He put down his empty glass and pulled Moira into an awkward hug. “Thank you, Moira.”
She laughed. “I knew I´d get dumped again for Erik Lehnsherr,” she said but her words had no sting behind them.
Charles excused himself, grabbed his jacket and started walking. For the first time in a month, his heart felt light and warm. Of course Erik wanted Charles to properly ask him out. Just like Charles had wanted Erik to ask him out on a real date, not overshadowed by their fake relationship. Erik wasn´t an overly patient person; he had probably grown tired of having to play pretend.
The walk over to the dormitory flew by in seconds. Before he knew it, he was already knocking on Erik´s door.
All of his newfound energy left Charles the second the door was opened. The woman who appeared in the doorframe was small, almost delicate, with brown locks and beautiful dark eyes. Even Charles had to admit she was breathtaking, even though he knew exactly who she was.
“Um, hey,” he stammered. “You must be Magda.”
The woman nodded, her eyes wandering over Charles again. Erik was nowhere to be seen and suddenly Charles had an intense flashback to the day he came here to apologize to Erik only to find his half-naked sister with him. He had been a fool back then and he was a fool today. Always a fool.
“I sure am,” she finally replied. “And who are you?”
“I´m Charles. A friend of Erik.” He stepped back, all desire to see Erik suddenly gone. No, Erik had not broken up with Charles because he was tired of being treated like a fake-boyfriend when he actually wanted them to be real boyfriends. Erik had broken things off because he wanted to get back with Magda. He had even told Charles so, didn´t he? God, Charles was so ashamed of himself that he wished for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.
“Should I tell him that you are waiting for him?” Magda asked, visibly confused by Charles´ irrational behavior.
“No, there´s no need to. I´ll just call him tomorrow.” Charles had already turned around and started walking away when he heard Magda close the door again. His heart was in shambles once again, temporarily healed by his hope. But no, Magda was the one who got to sleep next to Erik this night.
And when he walked out of the building and into the night, Charles started to cry.
Erik heard how the door to his dormitory room was being closed the moment he stepped out of the shower. Two minutes later, he left the bathroom fully dressed and found Magda pacing up and down the tiny room.
“You had a strange visitor,” she said. “Cute, slender guy with a babyface and a British accent.”
“Charles,” Erik said without hesitation and furrowed his brows. It was Charles´ birthday; he was supposed to celebrate with his friends at a nearby restaurant. Erik had been invited, of course, but after this emotionally charged day he didn´t have it in him to be around more people. It was bad enough that he had invited Magda to sleep at his place so she could save the money for a hotel. What Erik actually wanted were some quiet hours to process his thoughts and feelings.
“Yes, he said he´d call you tomorrow but he was behaving strangely,” Magda said with a skeptical look on her face. “Is he on drugs or something? Erik Lehnsherr, are you friends with junkies and addicts?”
“He´s not on drugs,” Erik calmed her down. “It´s his birthday, maybe he´s a little drunk.”
He checked the time. No, it was too early in the evening for Charles to be drunk, even if it was his birthday. Now Erik started to worry. While it certainly wasn´t unusual for Charles to show up uninvited, it was unusual for him to leave without greeting Erik.
“Then what´s up with him? Is he a jealous ex-lover?” Magda looked up to him with a look that meant that there´d be no escape until he had satisfied her curiosity.
“No. He´s my ex-fake-boyfriend.” And because those words didn´t lessen the overall confusion, Erik told her the entire story including their breakup.
Magda stayed quiet the entire time, but her brows furrowed more and more the longer she listened. When Erik told her about the kiss on New Year´s Eve she gasped but didn´t interrupt. After Erik had finished she stayed quiet for a little longer. Finally, she looked up at him.
“Are you an idiot?”
The comment caught Erik off-balance. He was used to Magda´s foul mouth but not in a situation like this. He had expected her to laugh the whole thing off.
“No, Erik, seriously, are you an idiot? Because I know damn well that Charles is the unfinished business you have been talking about. If you hadn´t the social skills of a hermit crab, you´d know that normal people don´t spend their birthdays knocking on the doors of their ex-fake-boyfriends.” She bored a finger into Erik´s chest as she talked.
“Magda, stop,” he said, taking her hand. “This is something between Charles and me.”
“You´re right, it is. And you are fucking it up even though you promised me you won´t,” she replied in a tone of voice that implied Erik was missing something obvious. “Erik, we both know you are a good man but hard to love. If you have found someone to love who likes you back, you should really put a little more effort into this.”
If it had been anyone else who talked about the matter like that, Erik would have been offended. But this was Magda, his ex-fiancee, almost the mother of his children, the person who even after everything they had been through, still knew him best.
They looked at each other for a moment, Erik still holding her hand like a lifeline. And then, Magda reached out to touch his cheek.
“Go and pursue this, Erik. I will be fine. And so will you.”
He nodded. He let go of her hand, his mind racing. Charles must have been at his birthday party before coming here, but would he go back there or go home? Erik decided to take the gamble and bet on the latter.
Hands hidden in his pockets, Charles walked home. He couldn´t think a single clear thought. His mind was a mess but still, nothing compared to his aching heart. He shouldn´t be surprised, really. Erik had hinted at going back to Magda several times. He had even broken up with Charles to pursue her, had he not?
It was only when he found himself halfway to his apartment that he remembered the birthday party. He paused for a brief moment and considered going back there. But he was not in the mood to get drunk with his friends so he continued.
Even though it was already April, it was quickly getting darker outside. The moment he walked around the corner and reached the street his apartment was located, the streetlights turned on, revealing a figure dressed in a dark leather jacket waiting in front of the house. Charles blinked.
Incidentally, it was the person he wanted to see the least.
“Erik? How did you get here so fast?” he blurted out, his voice revealing the exhaustion that sprung from getting his heart broken once again.
“I took the bus,” Erik said with a shrug. “But looks like you walked all the way here so I was still faster. Why are you here? Don´t you have a birthday party to attend?”
“Why are you here? Don´t you have your girlfriend waiting for you at your place?” Charles was making snarky remarks now. The behavior was entirely unjustified and Charles knew. He still couldn´t care. All he wanted to do now was curl into a ball, cry and fall asleep alone.
“Magda is not my girlfriend,” Erik replied in that tone of voice he had often used before they became friends. His asshole-shield. “I let her crash at my place so she could save the money she would have spent on a hotel room. I had no intention of sharing the bed with her.”
Charles fumbled with his keys to avoid looking at Erik. The other man slipped inside the second the door opened as if he feared Charles would slam it into his face.
“I´m sorry to hear that, my friend. I hoped for you to get back together. You deserved it after everything you went through together,” Charles heard himself say. He was a hypocrite.
Erik went quiet. They made their way up to the first floor. Even as they reached Charles´ apartment, Erik still did not leave.
“What do you want, Erik?” Charles sighed. “I´ve had a really long day.”
He felt Erik going rigid next to him. As Charles opened the door, Erik made no move to follow him inside.
“Did you come to my dorm room to tell me you are in love with me?”
Charles turned around so quickly he almost fell over his own feet. With his mouth half open, he stared at Erik, unable to form a single word. Erik looked at him like a predator with his steel-gray eyes. And oh, how much Charles wanted to be looked at like that, to be desired by Erik like that.
“Yes,” he finally said. It sounded pathetically defeated. “And I know it is a lot to ask for after I not only pushed you to be my fake-boyfriend but also managed to fall in love with you for real, but... do you think you could go out on a real date with me one day?”
There was something about the expression on Erik´s face. A certain softness Charles had never seen before.
“Yes,” he said. “How about right now?”
Charles made a choking sound before his brain could catch up with his mouth again. “I don´t think today would be a good idea. I just left my own birthday party and I think we both need some time to sort through our feelings, so mayb-”
Erik leaped at him like an animal, grabbed Charles´ face with both hands, and kissed him.
They had kissed before, of course. Twice on New Year´s Eve and those two times had been enough to make Charles dream of kissing Erik again for months afterward. This time, however, was entirely different.
It was heated, messy, and spoke of untold desires. It made Charles´ whole body feel hot. And it was only getting worse every second.
Erik kissed him again and again, like a predator devouring his prey, like a knight conquering a city. Both of Charles´ hands were on him, one on Erik´s neck, the other in his hair. His mouth fell open with a small moan. Erik used this opportunity to push his tongue inside and Charles could feel himself go boneless.
He leaned against Erik with his entire weight by now. Charles awkwardly fumbled with the buttons of his dress shirt, already regretting the urge to appear well-dressed at his birthday party. He felt Erik grin against his lips. When the other man broke the kiss to step back, Charles almost howled in protest.
“Let me help you with this,” Erik growled, yanking the shirt over Charles´ head together with his undershirt. Their bodies collided again with the next kiss and this time, Charles´ hands found their way under Erik´s sweater. God, Erik radiated heat and even let out a low moan when Charles pinched his chest.
They broke contact once more for Erik to get rid of his sweater. Charles had to lean his back against the wall for support. All the blood in his body was currently rushing towards his crotch to the point where he started to feel lightheaded.
Erik had managed to undress halfway by now. A few months ago at Thanksgiving, Charles had caught a short glimpse of Erik´s upper body. He looked even leaner today, his whole body nothing but muscle, hard lines and sharp edges as if he had been chiseled out of marble. He took in the sight with a happy sigh.
Gentler than expected, Erik ran his palms over Charles´ half-naked body, his fingers long and calloused, rough just like his heart.
“Do you want to continue?” Erik asked in a low voice that almost made Charles faint from desire. “Because if yes, I need to inform you that I in fact do not enjoy being punched in the face, even in the bedroom.”
The shark-like grin on Erik´s face made Charles burst into laughter.
“I really don´t want to think about you fucking my sister while you take me to bed,” he laughed. “So please, don´t mention anything in that regard ever again.”
“Deal,” Erik replied, still grinning. He lifted Charles, who immediately put his legs around his hip for support, off the ground like he weighed nothing. Kissing and stumbling, they made their way over to Charles´ bed.
Erik fell down on top of Charles, their bodies intertwined until the heat rose to a point where they both hurried to get naked. Charles had never been self-conscious about his body. He was small and skinny, yes, but that probably wouldn´t change any more. Erik on the other hand, was surprisingly more muscular than Charles had expected.
He leaned back and propped his upper body up on his elbows to take in the sight. For the first time since they met, Charles realized that Erik was in fact ten years older than Charles himself. There was nothing boyish about his appearance, all lingering hints of puberty long gone. No, Erik´s body was the essence of masculinity, hard and beautiful and capable and dangerous.
Charles shuddered from the excitement. Erik had pulled down his briefs by now, kneeling completely naked on the edge of the bed. The sight made Charles leak pre-cum. His eyes traveled lower, over his abdomen, between his legs...
“I really need you to fuck me,” Charles blurted out and immediately felt the heat of embarrassment on his cheeks.
Erik looked up, realized what Charles was staring at, and huffed out a laugh.
“Depends. Do you have condoms my size?” he grinned.
“Ah! No, I haven´t...” His face burning from embarrassment, he rolled over to open the nightstand where he found at least some lube, but not what Erik asked for.
“Next time, then,” Erik replied with a growl, grabbing Charles´ wrists and pinning them over his head into the mattress. Charles´ breath hitched as he allowed himself to be manhandled and kissed by Erik once more.
“Don´t worry,” Erik whispered against Charles´ lips. He bit down on the lower lip which drew a moan out of Charles. “I know a lot of ways to make you feel good.”
And Charles... whimpered. He had no memory of ever making such a sound in bed before but to be fair, sex with another man had never felt like that before. He had to close his eyes for a moment. Just the sight of Erik above him, absolutely devouring him with his eyes, got him close to the edge.
Their heated bodies rubbed against each other. Their kisses had become sloppy by now, their attention occupied by the need to touch. Erik still held him pinned down while his erection pressed against Charles´ own in all the right ways.
He threw his head back, baring his neck in an act of complete submission. Whatever Erik wanted from him, Charles was willing to give it to him. His breath came out unevenly as Erik shifted a little to be able to reach between Charles´ legs with one lubed-up hand. The other was still holding his wrists in position.
Charles´ back arched off of the bed when Erik touched him. Long, calloused fingers stroked his erection for a few seconds before Erik cupped his balls and squeezed lightly. Helpless under Erik´s touch, Charles panted, moaned, and whimpered.
The rhythm of stroking his dick before going back to play with his balls continued for a minute or two. From time to time, Erik pushed one finger against Charles´ rim but as much as Charles wanted him to, he never pushed all the way in.
Erik was panting just as much as Charles did. Occasionally, he bit down on Charles´ shoulder or neck, or pressed his dick against Charles to enjoy the friction.
Then he went back to stroking Charles´ cock, not too fast, not too slow, just right to make him go insane. The heat was becoming unbearable. Charles screamed Erik´s name. His voice sounded hoarse but Erik got the message anyway. His fingers tightened around the tip, creating a ring of delicious friction to thrust into.
Charles came within seconds. He whimpered again as he did so, hiding his face in Erik´s chest. Erik let go of him, still panting against Charles´ ear.
“God, Charles, I need to come,” he groaned.
With one swift motion, Charles turned around to press his ass against Erik´s straining cock. He felt Erik smearing the rest of lube on his dick, then he started jerking off while simultaneously rubbing the tip between Charles´ cheeks.
The head got caught on his rim several times. If he hadn´t orgasmed just a minute prior, Charles would have begged Erik to just take him here and now, condom or no condom, it didn´t matter at this point.
Finally, Erik let out a sharp moan and Charles felt something hot on his ass. He shuddered and closed his eyes to enjoy the moment for just a second longer.
They stayed like this for a while. Charles felt like falling asleep, Erik´s arms wrapped around him, his body spent from the exhausting events of the day. Only when Erik stirred behind him, he blinked and turned around. Erik who was usually well-dressed and put together, looked like he had just escaped a tornado. So, this was Erik´s post-sex hair. Charles giggled.
“This was a nice birthday present,” he teased.
“Better than the lamp?” Erik replied without missing a beat.
“I don´t know. The lamp´s pretty cool as well.” He nodded towards the lamp on his nightstand. Erik gently tugged on Charles´ hair, making them both laugh.
“We should clean ourselves,” Erik said and got up from the bed. Charles followed him towards the bathroom and watched how Erik stepped under the hot water. For a moment, he hesitated, then he realized he could just join the other man, could touch and maybe even kiss as much as he wanted.
He closed the distance between them with a single step, wrapped his arms around Erik and pulled him into a hug. Erik noticeably hesitated. Charles considered letting go again, maybe this was too much too early, but then Erik started to gently rub his shoulders, and Charles knew that he had been waiting for his just as long.