Charles sat up in the bed, covering himself a bit with the blanket. He was still half naked in Erik's bedroom but somehow this did not seem to bother him, he didn't feel self-conscious in any way, it all felt natural. Erik was still sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at his hands. After a few moments the blacksmith lifted his head and looked at Charles earnestly when he spoke again.
"First I want to warn you that I am not going to hurt you! I'm not dangerous. I could be... but I don't want to." Erik said, sounding almost pleading. "Please, keep that in mind when you hear and see what I am about to share with you."
"I will keep that in mind." the teacher promised
Erik took a deep breath as if what he was about to do was a huge emotional step for him. Charles was already absolutely certain that his friend was a mutant and this was what he was about to tell him now. He could also see how nervous Erik was and if the reason was really what the teacher suspected it to be, well, it was perfectly understandable why Erik's hands were a little shaky. Telling someone you're a mutant was hard - even one's closest people could turn against you just for being different. Charles could easily read Erik's mind and find all the information he needed in there but that was not the way he wanted this to happen. He wanted to earn Erik's trust, to know that Erik himself chose to share this with Charles. He would not spare Erik the moment of 'coming out' to him, so to speak. Erik had to do this on his own, had to say it out loud and show Charles whenever he was ready. Charles was not going to deprive him of that. So he waited, giving Erik the time he needed.
"Ever since I was 14" Erik spoke slowly, concentrating, his nervousness subsiding a little but still noticeable "... I can do... this..."
The metal bow of fruit on the nightstand began floating around them in the air. Charles' entire face lit up. So it was true! This mutation was amazing! Charles couldn't help his enthusiasm and it showed in the hundreds of questions that he had for Erik.
"I knew it! Is it telekinesis? Can you move anything or is it just the metal? Do you control the molecules or the magnetic waves? Since when can you do this? When did you discover your power? How did you find out about it? Is it hereditary? This is a mutation, a brilliant mutation! Do you know any other mutants?"
Erik blinked at him in confusion, making Charles realize that he may have been a little overly enthusiastic about it and was now probably scaring the taller man off. In his excitement Charles had sat up straighter in the bed and clenched the muscles of his arms. He didn't feel any pain then because he was too far gone in his fascination with Erik's mutation, but now he was slowly coming back to his senses and his shoulder started hurting him again. He rubbed it gently with his good hand and lied down again.
"I-- I'm sorry..." he mumbled. "I got carried away..."
"You're not afraid of me." Erik stated the obvious, still looking very puzzled
"Well... no." Charles replied.
Of course he wasn't afraid of Erik. Erik was his friend! Erik was wonderful! Erik had already saved him so many times, Charles knew Erik would never hurt him. If anything, being closer to Erik made him feel safe. But Erik seemed to be struggling with understanding that someone would see his abilities and still be amazed by them!
Charles thought of how his family had reacted to his own mutation when it started to show, all the hurtful words, all the bullying he got because of it. It must have been similar for Erik too. Hell, it could've been even worse!
"People usually get scared... I had to leave many towns because of that." Erik confessed
Charles shook his head with a smile. "I'm not people." he replied, placing one hand on Erik's to steady it, to comfort him.
Erik looked up. His eyes were so expressive at the moment, Charles felt he could drown in them!
"You don't think I'm a freak?" Erik asked
"Of course not, Erik!" Charles smiled at him warmly, his own emotions already all over the place. "Your power, your mutation, is remarkable! I bet you can do all kinds of amazing things!"
Erik chuckled sheepishly "Well, I can do pretty much anything with metal..."
"No wonder you're such a great blacksmith!" Charles grinned "I bet you use your mutation for it. That's why you always work behind that screen, isn't it?"
Erik nodded, still a little unsure. "Yes." he said "You're, umm, the first person to react this calmly after seeing what I can do..." he frowned suspiciously. "Why?"
A little mischievous smile slowly appeared on Charles' face. His eyes were fixed on Erik's and the two were sharing an intense staring session. It was a time of confessions and Charles was ready to make his.
He was about to 'show off' his ability when he noticed sudden change in Erik's expression - a wave of pain and disappointment in the blacksmith's eyes.
"You're one of them, aren't you?" Erik asked bitterly. There was resentment in his voice, face grimacing in contempt. "One of those men who hunt down mutants to lock us away in factories and laboratories to experiment on us and exploit us!"
Charles frowned. "I would never! I didn't even know there were such people!"
"Don't lie to me, Charles!" Erik yelled, jumping back up on his feet. "I know all too well about the hunters! I've learned about them first hand! I trusted you!"
"Erik, I'm really so very sorry you went through... whatever you went through, but I assure you I am no hunter!"
Erik's entire body was tense, anger raging throughout it. His fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles went wide.
"You were not shocked, Charles! You were not scared! Every other person would freak out when they see what I can do! Only a hunter won't be surprised! Only a hunter would expect it!"
"Erik, I promise I'm not--" Charles tried to explain but he got interrupted instantly
"You were planted here, weren't you? To get closer to us again, to gain my trust, to make me... care..." there was this pain in Erik's voice again. Charles wished he could just stop him from torturing them both! "He sent you here to capture Wanda, Peter and me but I won't allow you to do that, Charles!" Erik continued firmly, his voice even but threatening. "I won't let you hurt us!"
Charles realized that Erik was already too affected to let him speak or to even hear him out properly so he decided it was time for drastic measures!
~I am no hunter, Erik! I never lied to you~ Charles spoke inside Erik's head.
Erik froze, panting. His chest was raising up and down rapidly as he was staring at Charles as if trying to understand what just happened.
Charles continued, eyes fixed on Erik's, brow furrowed in concentration, lips deliberately pursed so that Erik could clearly see that the voice was not coming from Charles' mouth but from Charles' mind. It wasn't easy to master telepathic communication and Charles was really out of practice - the last time he's done that Raven and him were teens - but there was no other way to regain control of the situation, to make Erik listen. So he continued, hoping he's not hurting Erik. ~Think about it, Erik. There can be another reason why I'm not afraid of you. Do you see it now?~ he bobbed his head ~Yes, that's me inside your mind. I was not afraid of you and your abilities because I'm like you, a mutant. I'm a telepath.~
Erik's jaw slacked as his hand searched for something to grab hold onto. Charles let him take his time again as Erik slowly dropped back to the edge of the bed, as far from the telepath as possible.
"You're a-- you're a mutant too? A telepath?" Erik said, his voice cracking "I thought..."
"I'm not one of the men who hurt you." Charles assured. "I promise. I can show you if you want. I can show you my mind..."
"No! That's not necessary." Erik said firmly and Charles nodded, respecting that decision.
A sudden wave of fear rushed through his entire body. What if Charles' mutation was scaring Erik too much? Even Raven hated it when Charles tried to talk to her in her mind; she'd warned him repeatedly to never get inside her head. Being around a telepath made people feel uneasy, they hated it. What if Erik hated it too? What if Erik got distant and started avoiding Charles now? Could Charles even live with that?
He felt more and more insecure until finally he saw a smile on Erik's face.
"Charles!" the blacksmith gasped "You're a mutant! I'm not alone!"
Charles beamed into a smile "You're definitely not alone, my friend! Definitely not alone!" he said, the emotions raging in his heart.
"You have no idea how long I've been... I..." Erik stuttered. Charles could tell his friend was overwhelmed with excitement as well.
"You can think it if you like" he joked
"You mean you can hear my thoughts? You know everything that goes in my head?" Erik asked, a little nervous now.
Charles' heart sunk. "No!" he said hurriedly "I mean, I could but I shield myself. I hardly ever use my mutation." A glimpse of relief ran through Erik's face. Charles continued "Erik, I would never violate your mind. I promise!"
Erik chuckled as if sharing a private joke with himself. Then he smiled at Charles. "Show me what else you can do!" he said "And I'll show you what I can do."
Charles grinned back, blue eyes sparkling. The two spent the rest of the day showing off their mutations to one another, laughing and joking and basically feeling happy and free. For a few moments there were no fear, no worries, no stress, no heartbreaks. For a few moments it was only the two of them being happy, being themselves.