The Xavier House

A Conversation

"So then I was thinking about something the other day, and I wanted to talk to you about it." Erik Lehnsherr said as he and his partner got ready for bed. Charles Xavier looked up briefly from where he was tugging on pyjama bottoms.

"Oh yeah? I've been thinking about something for a while too actually." he replied back. He pulled off his t-shirt, put a clean one on and got into bed. Erik had put his own pyjama shorts on and had stripped himself of his own shirt. Charles had told him time and again that he should wear more to bed as he could get cold but the message never seemed to get through to the man. Charles got into the bed beside Erik and snuggled up close to him.

"So come on then, what were you thinking?" Erik said once Charles had settled himself on his chest with one arm thrown over his stomach. This was the reason why Erik didn't wear more to bed, Charles was his very own blanket giving off tons of heat.

"Nope, you said it first so you tell first. Unless it's something bad, then I simply don't want to know." Erik could feel Charles smile against his chest and Erik allowed himself a small smile as well.

"Well it's nothing bad, well in my mind it isn't anyway." Erik said in reply. This got Charles' attention and he looked up at Erik. "I was thinking about how I'm here all the time and I'm always helping out and everything. And I really like the kids and I think they like me so I was thinking that maybe I could move in permanently." Erik sped up at the end and Charles could tell that he was beginning to regret ever saying anything. Charles sat up quickly and faced the man head on.

"You want to move in here, with me and the kids?" He asked. He could not believe it, even after being together for ten years he could not believe that Erik wanted to make a big commitment like this. Erik nodded.

"You're not against the idea, are you?" he asked cautiously. Charles could not believe what he was hearing and seeing. It was clear in his tone that Erik was feeling really conscious about this, Erik had never been shy and the only time before that Charles had seen the other man like this was when he had asked Charles out for the first time, three weeks after they had first met.

"Of course I'm not, I would be so happy for you to move in and be here all the time. Well I suppose you're here most of the time anyway but permanently would be even better. The kids adore you Erik and Scott and Alex are always sad when you're not here when they get home from school. And the others too of course. They see me as a father figure but they see you as one too."

"Really? I always thought that to them I was always just their foster father's boyfriend who sometimes comes round and cooks dinner." Erik was clearly unsure.

"Oh Erik, you're a lot more than that." Charles was really trying to improve Erik's confidence about the whole thing. "I heard Scott talking to Wanda the other day about how he couldn't do his homework because you weren't there to help him. And I also heard from Hank that at school Wanda was talking to some people about her parents, she said that she had two: Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr." Erik looked at him, surprise written all over his face.

"Really?" He asked and Charles nodded back.

"You're more important to these children then you know Erik." He said and Erik smiled. He looked down for a moment then looked back up again quickly.

"You said you were thinking about something too, what was it?" He asked, Charles smiled and laid his head back down on Erik's chest.

"I was gonna ask if you would consider moving in." he said simply.