Summary:
Just mind your own business - no, scratch that. Forget everything I said.
This is getting interesting.
(Cherik fluff. Based on this post. T/PG-13)
It's been almost an hour.
Erik grits his teeth and he grows even more rigid than ten minutes ago, somehow. He should have known better. Of course, Shaw, being the bastard that he is, never intended to show up in the first place. All that provoking just to humiliate him and he fucking fell for it.
Shaw was smiling, gently and he said, "Why do we have to make such a scene in public, my dear Erik? Wouldn't it be better if we talk about this over dinner like civilized beings that you claim to be." That's the sole reason he's here, sitting stupidly by the table and telling the waiter he's "waiting for someone to arrive". He - and several customers too - is sending pitying looks in Erik's direction. They're most probably thinking he's stood up by a girlfriend or something.
Which makes him sick in the stomach, and relating it to Shaw makes him even sicker. He'd rather get swallowed by the ground and burn in hell. In hindsight that seemingly gentlemanly smile of good old Sebastian was bursting with malice. Worse still that Erik himself should believe Shaw has anything that can be regarded as honor.
Fuck.
Another five minutes and his palms are damp with sweat under the sideway glances from others. He should have known better. He should have. Hands clenched into fists, he's about to get to his feet -
"God. Look at the time. Oh darling I'm so, so sorry. Can't tell you how sorry I am. The headmaster suddenly showed up and I got caught up for so long - "
- when out of nowhere comes a loud and unfamiliar voice.
Erik can do nothing but sit there, dumb, and watch a man he's never met before rush into his sight and sit across from him heavily. Cheeks red and blue eyes unnaturally bright, he man's struggling to catch his breath as if he ran all the way here. He's still babbling, voice gradually lower, and Erik can't process a word.
What the hell is going on here?
When the man starts to take off his scarf, Erik recovers a bit and asks, " Er, do we know each other - "
The man's hand pauses in motion, his talking stops for a second (and only for a second) and quietly tells him, "Charles. Charles Xavier. I know we haven't met but just play along, all right? Whoever doesn't bother to show up is an utter idiot." And he continue to talk a mile an hour.
Erik feels his anger welling up. Who does he think he is? Face red, he opened his mouth, "I don't know what you think you're doing - "
Xavier quickly raises both hands in a surrendering gesture and appears wary all of a sudden, as if Erik is some kind of dangerous animal. "Hey, hey, easy there my friend, I'm just trying to help, okay?" He sounds painfully sincere and tentatively flashes a hopeful smile.
It's probably the smile that does it, or the honest gleam in those blue eyes. They makes Erik feel...
Oh.
He didn't really notice how good-looking Xavier is, just now.
And now he does.
Xavier seems to be increasingly uneasy by the second and Erik realizes he's probably staring at him for too long. Erik blinks and relaxes, leaning back in his seat. Xavier looks relieved and smiles, braver this time.
"So, care to give a name?"
"Erik Lensherr," he pauses and can't help but add, "for the record, I'm not on a date."
Xavier makes a non-committal hmm and grins. "Whatever you say."
"I'm really not," Erik scowls. "And how did you find me anyway?"
Xavier blushes. Erik narrows his eyes.
"What?"
"Should have seen that coming."
"What on earth?"
"Telepathy. Just, you know, I read minds. It's pretty annoying sometimes and I could literally pick up your soaring wrath from two hundred yards away - "
"Not going to work on me," Erik keeps a straight face and says dryly, amused as he is. "You'd better not be some kind of stalker."
Well if someone this cute is a pervert, then the world must be even uglier than Erik imagines.
"No, no! God, no. Trust me, it's nothing like that. Not as creepy as it seems," Xavier grimaces, then mutters to himself. "But it does sound fairly creepy, come to think of it..."
Xavier trails off. Erik raises an eyebrow and prompts, "Well?"
"It's just...my sister loves snapchat. She was, um, she was here and there's a few snaps that have you in it..."
An awkward silence. The waiter timidly walks over and asks for their order. Erik finds that everyone - oh just how bored are they - is looking at them while pretending not to look, though they can surely hear nothing. Xavier seems obsessed with the menu.
Having taken their orders, the waiter flees.
Erik clears his throat and Xavier jumps.
"So you saw a couple of pictures and you came running."
"I did the running to look more convincing." Xavier counters, but won't meet his eyes.
"It does sound creepy."
"I know! It's just that...you looked really, quite..."
Erik waits for him to finish, wondering what he's going to say. Xavier avoids his gaze and in the end settles on: "...embarrassed."
Vaguelly recalling Xavier calling him "darling", Erik smirks. "Thought you'd say ‘hot’."
"...I'm sorry?"
"Why else would you come here all the way, just to be a knight in his shiny armour?" Xavier flinches a little at that and Erik regrets intantly.
"Actually it's just that. I'd do it for anyone in your situation." Xavier says quietly and bites his lower lip. "I'm probably being obtrusive. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. Maybe I should - " He reaches for his scarf.
"Please don't. I'm the one that should be sorry, that was uncalled for. I know you mean well." Erik says in haste.
Xavier carefully studies his face, and takes his hand back. "Guess that makes us even." He gives a small smile.
"So long as you make an official statement that I do look good." Erik smirks.
Xavier smiles wider and lowers his gaze. "Oh, I'll give you that," he licks his lips. "I'm beginning to think you're not on a date after all, or she has to be blind."
"Or he." Erik adds.
Xavier's smile freezes a little. "Or he. Is there a he?"
This is where it gets interesting, Erik thinks.
"No." Xavier brightens up, and Erik says the next words through gritted teeth. "Let's just say I was made fun of by an old foe. It's going to be extremely unpleasant when I see him again at the company."
"Wow. What did he do?"
"Long story. Basically stabbing people in the back and finding fault with everything I do."
"And what is it that you do?"
"I'm an engineer."
"Ah, fascinating. And I teach at a university."
"TA? No offense, but you seem pretty young for a professor."
"I'll take it as a compliment, then. Professor. Genetics."
It's probably around this point that Erik loses track of time.
Charles takes a deep breath and asks, "so, do you want to stop at mine for coffee?"
Night has fallen. They're out on the street, and Erik was just thinking how to ask for Charles' number. Well, this is far more direct.
Which is why Erik replies in a heartbeat. "Lead the way, then."
Charles seems pleasantly surprised. Beaming (oh), he jokes, "Thought you weren't on a date."
Or am I? He wants, just a little, to send Shaw a gift basket.
"Well, I wasn't. But now I can be." Erik answers.
Charles glances at him, then averts his eyes.
"Yeah, you can be."
Erik can hear from his tone that he's smiling.
-The End-
*Bonus*
"So did you hit on the guy or not?" It's the first thing Raven says when she gets in the door, to which Charles only says a sleepy "Wha?"
"Don't play dumb. The one I sent you in the snaps, Mr Tall-dark-and-handsome-who's-also-dumped-by-his-whatever?"
"God. Thought it was something urgent."
"It is."
"Raven, you can't just bang on someone's door at this ungodly hour just to question him about his love life. Not even if that someone is your brother."
"Bullshit. Did you?"
"Especially if that someone is your dearest brother."
"Name? Number? Address? You must have got something, look at that ridiculous smugness radiating from you - "
"I'm guessing this is your sister." An amused, male voice sounds from the corridor.
Raven freezes. Charles rubs at his temple.
"I'm not awake enough to deal with this," he mutters. "Erik? This is my sister Raven. Raven, meet Erik and try not to scare him off. It'd be a great pity, given how great last night was," he groggily winked at Erik and wanders into the kitchen.
The man, Erik, sounds like he's grinning (she hasn't turned to look at him yet) when he says, "Do your worst, then. I don't think it's going to work."
"Anyone wants coffee?" Charles calls from the kitchen.
"No." She and the man yell in unison.
A moment of silence and she says, "Well, this is awkward."
创作翻译不易，如果你喜欢我的作品，欢迎来微博啊提问箱啊给我一点点鼓励！反馈是创作者的生命线，每一个表达喜爱的字都让我们付出的心血少一分孤单。❤
