Humans have an old saying, that eyes are the windows to the soul.
~.~
His eyes are beautiful, Charles Xavier finds himself thinking as he sits in his usual chair and sips a glass of cheap whiskey, all the while waiting for his friend to make the next move on their chess board.
Yes, his eyes are quite beautiful and even without using his telepathy Charles is quite sure no one has told Erik that in his entire life. It isn't because the young professor is conceded and thinks he is the only one who could ever find something beautiful in this gorgeously hurt person in front of him. No, it's simply because Erik's eyes don't pop out, they hide just as the metal kinetic man likes to do with his emotions.
It had taken almost a week after their initial meeting for Charles to actually notice said eyes, and he had done so just having a morning cup of tea. Erik had walked into the little kitchen they were allowed to use at the CIA base to brew himself a cup of coffee, insisting German men preferred black coffee as opposed to a sweeter tea.
They had been close, Charles pouring himself a cup of tea from the pot, and Erik using the coffee machine close by to brew himself a cup of joe. That was when the telepath noticed said eyes, just a glimpse in the bright lights of this other wisely dull kitchen. Blue, yes blue eyes like his own only very different in almost every single way.
Unlike his own Erik's eyes were very grayish blue, a duller color but that didn't make them any less brilliant. In fact, Charles was thinking of how much they suited Erik entirely.
Perhaps they were darker and less noticeable, again just as Erik tried to be towards people who might actually try to care about him. Wouldn't that just make it all the more exciting when someone did break through that shielded complexion to notice the good qualities, how amazing Erik was and how strong.
The young professor felt this way whenever he got glimpses of those grayish blue eyes, excited and purely privileged to be allowed to see them. Erik was a private man on a mission, he didn't allow people to get close to him emotionally or physically, yet here he was allowing Charles to be both. First not killing the shorter of the two men after finding out Charles had openly read his mind and seen all of the horrible things in his past, and then also just allowing Charles close to him physically to notice his eyes.
Charles could only wish more people would see in Erik what he could.
So that morning he had first noticed those eyes Charles had decided to make it quite known what he thought about them, open and blatantly. "You have beautiful eyes, Erik." When he wasn't punched in the face for such a comment, Charles took that as a victory in itself.
~.~
You have beautiful eyes. He had said, that was what Charles had said to Erik only a week after their first meeting in that harbor, which then lead to Erik getting dragged to the CIA building to meet these other rag tag mutants.
Funny enough eyes were the first physical thing Erik had noticed about the telepath on their first meeting when they'd finally pulled their soaking wet bodies onto that ship. Even in the dark of the night that date, it was impossible not to see the sky-baby-blue eyes looking at him from a few feet away.
There had been a quick thought of how gorgeous they were, and then Erik had settled on never thinking about it again. After all, he wouldn't be around long enough to really care.
Days later running away seemed to escape the German man, Charles had him in quite the clutch and wasn't planning on releasing him anytime soon. The Brit was so friendly, excitable and just downright cute about this very serious matter. Yet at the same time of being naive and childlike, Charles held so much wisdom and care that he could have passed for an old man in a younger person body.
Erik thought that Charles' eyes suited him very much, they were bright and noticeable just like the man himself. Seen easily and outright without trying to notice, just like Charles was with his personality being open and bubbly to anyone who passed by and cared for a chat.
In the same way, Erik never wanted to see those eyes, or that personality, darken. As much as he harped on his chess partner for being naive and thinking too well of human beings, most of him would never want to change that about Charles in a million years. Without those qualities, Charles just wouldn't be Charles, and if that were the case Erik for sure would have left long ago with nothing to look back at this building for in longing.
One morning in the kitchen as the two men sat across the small table, each drinking their preferred morning beverage, Erik couldn't help but ponder a bit as he looked at those bright blue eyes that were glancing into his tea cup. Now what was that old saying again, Eyes are the windows to the soul? Appropriate, Erik thought to himself.
~.~
Only the next evening after Charles' little outburst about Erik's eyes, did he find them with their usual whiskey and playing on the crummy and old set of chess the CIA had laying around. It was Charles' turn so he pressed his Bishop forward in attack, focusing hard on the chess board with his eyes full of intent to win in five, no four turns!
Being so engrossed the telepath didn't notice Erik's own eyes had set on a different prize, one that was sitting across the chess board. "You know Charles-" the man said as he reached forward to move his Queen backward in defense. "-I think your eyes are beautiful too."
"Hm? Oh!" it made the younger man smile brightly and his eyes shine with recognition of the compliment. "I've actually been thinking, that you might have a second mutation, one with your eyes! Have you ever heard of Central Heterochromia Erik, it's fascinating really-" the scholar rambled off and began to neglect the chess set between them immediately.
Only half listening to his possible second mutation speech, Erik found himself smiling back at the professor. Yes, he would never change a thing about Charles.