"Have you noticed something up with Erik?" Emma asked.
She was seated opposite one of her best (and only) friends, Raven.
"No, why?" Raven asked, perplexed about what was going on with her best friend.
Raven and Emma had met Erik at work and they had become close friends - or as close as they could get to the grumpy bastard who enjoyed his solitude. He was a very private person who disliked people prying into his personal life, and people in general.
"He's happy..." Emma stated.
"Erik Lehnsherr...happy?" Raven asked incredulously.
He wasn't necessarily unhappy, but he expressed his happiness in his own quiet and reserved way.
"It's astonishing..." Emma agreed, her voice trailing off.
"Emma, no. You are not to meddle in this." Raven laughed.
The blonde telepath smiled charmingly "what do you mean Raven? I never meddle in things."
Chuckling loudly, Raven shook her head "that is incredibly unbelievable."
Emma grinned back then her eyes slid over to the other side of the street. She gasped "Raven, It's Erik."
Raven rolled her eyes "I know that, that's who we've been talking about for the past half an hour."
Emma shook again and pointed out of the window. Raven followed the imaginary beam her finger shot out and gasped. Erik stood outside a shop front, leaning casually on a lamp post with his hands in his pockets however his posture gave the two ladies a heads up as to how nervous he was.
"What's he doing?" Emma hissed.
Raven shrugged "let's wait and see."
They didn't have to wait long before they noticed a change in the way their normally surly friend was acting. He spotted something in the crowd of people and his face lit up in the happiest grin they had ever seen him wear.
"What the..." Emma muttered.
A young man bounded over towards Erik, his wavy brown hair fluttering in the gentle breeze. Erik pulled him into a crushing hug which was evidently returned happily.
Emma thought that there was something familiar about the person however she couldn't quite think why.
Oblivious to the people surrounding him, Erik tenderly cupped the man's face before bending down slightly and pulling him into a deep kiss. When they broke apart, Erik leaned close to the man's ear and whispered something, causing him to throw his head back and laugh loudly.
Throwing his arm around the man's waist, Erik led the man across the road and towards the very café Emma and Raven were sat in.
"Emma," whispered Raven.
"I know, I didn't know he had a boyfriend." Emma responded.
"No, that's my fucking brother." Raven hissed.
Emma took one quick glance out the window then almost dropped her coffee in surprise. "Holy shit it is."
Emma had known Charles and Raven since they were kids. She had bonded with him quickly over being a telepath but they made sure that they never left out the younger girl.
The café door opened and in walked the happy couple. They caught sight of the girls and stopped dead.
The only sound that came out of Charles' lips was a soft "Oh."
Emma raised one impeccably penciled eyebrow "Hiya sugar, have you got something to tell us?"
"No, it's none of your business." Erik responded gruffly, tightening the hold on Charles' waist. He muttered something in his boyfriend's ear who nodded slightly.
"How could you not tell me?" Raven asked, slightly hurt that her brother had kept this a secret from her.
They had never kept secrets, even as children, so Charles keeping something this big from her was uncharacteristic and hurtful.
"We didn't want anyone knowing." Charles responded simply.
"I'm your sister though, we tell each other everything." Raven whispered.
"I asked him not to tell, I hadn't come out yet so I was wary of people knowing." Erik announced, his voice softer than normal.
"I take it you have come out now, since you made out in the middle of the street." Emma smirked.
"Yes, we were going to tell you the next time we all met up," Charles smiled, "and Raven, I was nervous about telling you because I didn't know how you would react."
"What do you mean, you know I would have supported you?"
"Well, you do get rather protective of me, something that has scared away some of my last boyfriends and given how Erik and I met I didn't think you'd react the best." Charles chuckled.
Erik shuffled in his feet awkwardly. Feeling his discomfort, Charles ran his thumb up and down his waist, soothing him instantly.
"How did you meet?" Emma grinned.
"Erik here sent me to hospital with a rather bad burn after he accidentally spilled his coffee on me when he walked into me." Charles smiled.
"YOU DID WHAT?" Raven glowered.
"It was an accident, I was stressed out about a meeting." Erik reassured her, "I really didn't mean it."
"I'm not that overprotective." Raven lied.
"Honestly Raven, you would have killed him before he had the chance to put a ring on it." Charles laughed.
Emma gaped, "holy shit."
"YOU'RE ENGAGED!?"
Erik looked down at Charles and smiled warmly, "yes."
Charles lent up and placed a small kiss on his cheek, "we've been together for a year, but a lot of things kept getting in the way of us telling you about our relationship, so we didn't. When Erik proposed last week, we decided that we had to tell you both."
Erik tugged on Charles' sleeve "shall we go and get our lunch?"
Nodding happily, Charles and Erik walked out of the café, leaving behind a gaping Raven and a highly amused Emma.
