STEEL-MINDED | erik lehnsherr

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Grace sat on the sidewalk, her feet in the gutter feeling rather content. The street light above her flickered as the sky grew darker. Beside her Erik hummed to something in his head.

"We just had breakfast for dinner," Erik said slightly confused. Grace smiled staring out at the carpark.

"Yeah," she said, "It was pretty good."

He nodded in agreement, his foot tapping to same beat his hand was playing on his knee. Grace turned to him, staring at his sharp features. She smiled to herself as she admired him.

"I haven't been on a date in three and a half years," she told him, "I missed just being around someone and talking."

"Me too," he said.

For once the silence was kind and without knives as she reveled in it. Pushing herself up from the curb she spun around slowly. She laughed, eyes shut as she began to dance.

Erik's hands found her waist as he joined her. Together they danced to the tune the world was playing. Whatever cares they had fell away leaving two people rolling around in there happiness.

She cupped his cheeks.

"I love this."

Grace let the water wash over her face as she scrunched her eyes shut. Pushing the shampoo into her hair she combed through the knots. She let out a sigh. Her brain began to wake up from her night's rest.

She recalled coming home with Erik. She smiled as she remembered dragging him up the stairs into her room, his surprise as her apparent eagerness amusing.

The bathroom door opened and Grace heard Erik move closer to the shower. Eyes still shut she could hear him push aside the shower curtain.

"Morning" he said, "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," Grace said washing the shampoo out of her hair and off her face.

Opening her eyes she saw Erik dropping his dressing gown to the floor and climbing in behind her. She grinned at the odd angle of his hair. Moving out of the way so he could be beneath the water Grace reached out for her cleanser.

Erik fished the sleep out of his eyes and looked down at her. He wasn't a morning person, Grace had gathered that much. Rubbing the cleanser into her cheeks she watched as the hot water woke him up.

"I enjoyed last night," Grace said, "Thanks."

"Which part?" he joked. She booped his nose, leaving a dot of lotion on it.

"All of it."

"Me too."

"We should do it again another time."

"I'm just downstairs when you're in the mood," he said with a sly grin.

"I meant go on a date," she said sighing.

He grinned leaning forward and placing a wet kiss on her forehead. It took a second before he made a grossed out face and spat down the drain.

"You taste like lotion."

"Figures."

"Can you imagine what life would be like if we didn't have our mutations?" Grace said closing her book as Erik sat down next to her, a sandwich on the plate in his hand.

As she pictured it her life would be significantly better. Her family never would have disowned her, she never would have gone to Sanctuary.

"Yes," Erik said honestly, "I'd probably be dead."

"Why do you say that?" Grace asked.

He rolled up his left sleeve and Grace's heart sank as she looked at the numbers in his skin.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's all right."

"People are horrible."

"Most of the time."

"I love you."

"Grace. Stop it."

Erik tensed. She hadn't been able to help it, it had just slipped out. She regretted it immediately.

"I didn't mean that," she said hurriedly, "Forget I said anything."

She got up and went to leave but Erik grabbed her wrist pulling her back. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him.

"Everyone I care about dies," he said, "I'm terrified if I say it you'll be hurt too."

Grace looked at him and sighed. A tear ran down his cheek. She reached up and brushed it away.

"I killed three-hundred and forty-eight people," she said.

"What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to alert them to our intentions?"

"Why?" Erik asked not caring.

"Because someone I cared about told me to."

"Stop it! Grace, just stop it!"

"Did you want to?"

"No," she whispered, "I wanted to die, instead, everyone I knew did."

"I'm sorry. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to. I promise."

"I couldn't stop myself, Erik," she said crying, "he was in my head."

"He's not. Not anymore. I'm going to keep you safe."

"You're wrong," she said, "He's still in my head."

"You're just making things worse for yourself!"

"And I can't get him out."

"Charles can help you, Grace," Erik said, "Together we'll help you."

She shut her eyes.

"Charles can't help me," she whispered, "He's the one who trapped me in here."

She pushed out of Erik's arms, falling onto her hands and knees on the carpet. He reached out but she pushed his hand away.

"This is your fault. I told you to stop. You brought this on yourself."

Blood dripped from Grace's mouth onto the carpet. She dug her nails into the floor as she cried.

"Grace?" Erik said getting down on his hands and knees beside her, "What's happening? Talk to me."

She lifted her head at stared him in the eye as blood poured from her mouth and tears poured from her eyes.

"Help me."