"Do you love me?" Charles asked curiously.
Erik looked up from where he was sat across the coffee table and smiled "Charles, I like shiny things -"
Charles snorted "that makes you sound like a kleptomaniac rather than a metalkinetic."
Chuckling, Erik stood up from his seat and walked over to Charles and knelt down in front of him, grasping his hands in his own.
"Charles I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with a paper ring if it meant I could be with you forever."
Charles lent forward in his chair and cupped Erik's face in his hand before pressing a soft kiss to his lips after whispering,"Darling, you are the only one I want."
Erik stood up and fetched a sheet of paper from Charles desk. He cut it into shape then deftly folded it up.
"Erik, what are you doing?" Charles asked suspiciously.
Erik didn't respond. Instead, he continued to carefully fold the paper. When he was finished, he walked back over to Charles and grabbed his left hand.
"I want to be with you forever. I want to deal with the complications that come with being with you. I want to deal with your bad days. You're the only one I ever want." Erik whispered.
Crying softly, Charles nodded, letting Erik slip the paper ring onto his finger.
"One day, when we don't have to hide, I'll replace it with something more...official."
"I rather like my paper ring." Charles smiled softly before leaning forward and kissing Erik gently.
Erik chuckled, "I love you Charles, I love you so much."
"I love you too."
-----
"Professor, why do you have a strip of paper around your finger?" An inquisitive student called Kurt asked.
Charles smiled reminiscently and looked down at the band of paper.
"Well you see, when I was 18, it was given to me by my lover since we couldn't get married."
Kurt nodded "that's really sweet, are you still together?"
Charles chuckled "it's not as easy as you may think but...I suppose...in our own way, we are."
Sensing that he was approaching uncomfortable territory, Kurt didn't say anything else.
"Professor, professor, professor, Magneto is here!" Scott announced as he ran into the room.
Charles' heart fluttered as he tried to remain nonchalant "I wonder what he wants. Thank you Scott, I shall go see him."
"He's carrying a newspaper and a box." Scott stated.
Confusion rose inside of Charles as he wheeled himself out of his classroom and into the entrance hall. He spotted Erik standing gracefully, waiting patiently for him.
"Erik, what a surprise." Charles smiled.
Erik smiled ever so slightly back then took the handles on the back of Charles' wheelchair and pushed him into his office.
"You don't have to do that." Charles grumbled.
"I know." Erik stated, "but I want to."
When they were safe in the privacy of Charles' office, Erik handed Charles the box.
"What's this?" Charles asked.
"Open it." Erik grinned.
So Charles did. He opened the box and found a small picture frame. He was extremely puzzled, he looked up and found Erik kneeling in front of him, a deep blue velvet box open on the palm of his hand. But it wasn't the box that caught Charles' interest. It was the silver band snugly nestled on the plush pillow.
"What...?" Charles whispered.
"I think it's time to retire the paper ring." Erik grinned.
Charles' eyes traveled to the newspaper; he gasped at the heading 'USA LEGALISES GAY MARRIAGE'.
"To the students, you'll always be the professor but to me you've always been my Charles - my best friend, my lover, my home. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, so, will you marry me?" Erik asked.
Charles was crying.
Erik stared at him nervously.
Eventually, Charles giggled in a very, uncharleslike way, "Erik I've spent the past 50 years wearing a paper ring you gave me when I was 18, you didn't seriously think I'd say no did you?"
Erik's face broke into a large grin, "so that's..."
Charles beamed through his tears "yes you bloody idiot, of course it's a yes."
Erik removed the paper ring and replaced it with the sliver band.
"I love you."
Charles took Erik's face in his hands then kissed his forehead "I'll kiss you once because I know you had a long journey."
Charles then kissed Erik noes, "I'll kiss you twice because I know we'll be alright."
Finally, Charles pressed a lingering kiss to his fiancé's lips, "and I'll kiss you for a third time because we've been waiting our whole life for this moment."
Erik chuckled and kissed Charles deeply once more.
-----
"Miss Grey, what's going on, what is the professor doing?" Jubilee asked.
The overwhelming sense of happiness and love was being projected into the heads of all the students.
Jean smiled, "the Professor said yes."
The students cheered. They all knew (or at least suspected) about their professor and Magneto and we're all extremely happy for the couple.
