(no subject)

[balancingminds]

Somehow after the discussion with Erik, Charles managed to sleep though his dreams were complicated and vivid as he thought of Erik's touch.

He woke early and went to make himself a strong cup of coffee in the kitchen, his hair wet from the shower and his shirt not fully buttoned.

The past few days have been so full, he wonders what's to come next.

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[markedformore]

Erik's been awake since the rising sun. He's never been a sound sleeper, always wary of the sound that might be his last if he doesn't pay attention. This morning, he descends to find Charles in the kitchen, already well-able to steal his attention with nothing more than wet hair and his shirt in that fashion. He lingers in the doorway, using his abilities to raise the kettle up and bring it to the sink to fill it with water, not touching it for a moment in the process.

[balancingminds]

There's the faintest touch of Erik's mind as the kettle moves and Charles looks over to see Erik in the shadows,

"Thank you. How did you sleep?"

Last night he kept his shields tight to make sure he slept and so had to deal with his own dreams. The thought of them is making him rather aware of how far Erik is from him and a current in his thoughts.

[markedformore]

"Fine," he replies curtly, which is a lie. He hasn't slept well in years, but he cannot find any solace in a place like this. It's too much like the bunkers that Schmidt had kept him in when he had 'earned' his stay. He sets the tea to steeping and draws a chair for himself, sitting perfectly straight though his shoulders slump with mild exhaustion. "You should be asking Raven how she slept. Or where she did."

[balancingminds]

The lie is obvious and Charles moves to sit down with a frown.

He's had rough nights sleeping, but from different reasons,

"I trust her and its not my business. If she wants my advice, she'll ask it. What would help you sleep better? Since you're no good to yourself on a bad night's sleep."

[markedformore]

"A different childhood," is his retort, shooting Charles a disbelieving look. The man has seen all the way inside of his head and he still asks such questions. Erik feels perilously close to taking back all the nice things he said about the man -- in his mind, of course.

[balancingminds]

"Yes, so how do we make the reminders of it not be here?"

Knowing the cause isn't the same as knowing how to fix it. He would point out something about assumptions and how for all he knows, its not everything. Erik isn't as transparent to Charles as he seems to think he is.

[markedformore]

"It's simple, Charles. Don't put me in a government institution and expect me to sleep well," he says, barely restraining himself and keeping the bite in the words. He turns his attention to the tea, feeling the metal begin to heat as the water inside boils and the tea steeps.

[balancingminds]

Charles closes his eyes and does a quick search, its not terribly helpful,

"The closest hotel is five miles away and would require a car to get to and from. Would that work or should I see if I can find a door to elsewhere?"

Milliways would be useful and he thought he saw a hint of it in Erik's thoughts but it was something he moved by. Milliways seems quite far away at the moment.

[markedformore]

Erik hadn't intended on staying. It had been part of why he had accepted his presence under the ceiling for one evening. Still, he thinks he will continue to search for Schmidt, but with Charles' help. "Door to elsewhere?" he echoes. "What are you on about, Charles?" he asks, rather than admitting some knowledge of what he might be talking about.

[balancingminds]

"The perfect solution would be a place where you could sleep in a room that doesn't call up any memories. Since a hotel would be rather cumbersome, what we require then is something that probably shouldn't exist. Though according to many people, we fit that definition, so there's no reason such a place isn't real. Have you been to Milliways, Erik?"

Directness seems to be in full use this morning, which Charles is happy to take full advantage of.

[markedformore]

"How do you know about Milliways?" Erik demands, some of the metal in the room creaking as Erik experiences the tension of something he thought protected now leaking out. "Did you read my mind?" he demands, the cabinets shaking and all the cutlery in the drawers jangling actively.

[balancingminds]

"I've been there and I thought I saw a thought or two about it another time, but hadn't pursued it. It didn't seem terribly important but now it might be rather useful. I'm not reading your mind at the moment as I'm sure you can tell,"

As the cabinets shake, Charles pours out the tea, he's not going to be intimidated by that. He has not gone into Erik's mind since they first met without being invited.

[markedformore]

The metal in the kitchen calms somewhat, but Erik's guard stays up. He regards Charles out of the corner of his eye, a derisive scoff loosed as he gets up to pour the tea. "And what makes you think I'd be more comfortable in some strange place?"

[balancingminds]

"I don't know for certain if you would be, but its worth trying. If it doesn't work then at least its been tried,"

Charles gets his mug of tea and takes his time adding milk and sugar, he wants Erik to stay and is going to find out how to make that happen.

[markedformore]

Erik still finds it absolutely odd how more than one person can have found their way to that strange madhouse. "I thought I was going crazy," he says, airing his true and deepest fears about that place. "I thought...I thought that I had utterly lost my mind."

[balancingminds]

"No, Erik, I promise you that you're sane. Raven and I have been there a number of times,"

Calling it a madhouse seems rather unfair, Milliways is fascinating and hopeful.

[markedformore]

"There is another option," Erik concedes, given that he is not sure how much he trusts Milliways either, especially not to fall asleep. "It involves you and a judicious use of your abilities." He trusts Charles, he knows that much.

[balancingminds]

Charles takes a sip of his tea as there are many things he could do, but he hadn't brought it up as he's not certain what Erik thinks of his ability,

"Oh, what were you thinking?"

[markedformore]

"You simply go into my mind and you calm the thoughts the way you did the night we met. Turn me off," he says, searching for a better way to express the intent, but finding that works.

[balancingminds]

"It would be simpler to actually put you to sleep. Calming is slightly different though they are connected. Though I can't make any promise of what your dreams will be like. They have a way of being hard to control. We might have to try a few things to see what's ideal for you,"

Though if he was there while Erik slept, he could probably alter the intensity of the dreams.

[markedformore]

"Then we'll try that." It seems the simplest solution on the table. "You stay near and you put me to sleep, keep me from waking up. That is, if you really do mean what you say about intending for me to have a night of good rest."

[balancingminds]

"I do mean it and that would work best. You're no good to yourself or anyone else if you haven't slept well,"

If that will help Erik decide to stay then Charles will happily do it. It's also something he can do for Erik and a chance to know him better and be with him.

[markedformore]

Erik takes a deep breath and nods, thinking that there's no time like the present. He's still caught staring at Charles' state of mild undress, wondering if he might be able to touch, but he locks those thoughts away. "What did happen with Raven and Hank after I interrupted them?" he asks. "Do you know?"

[balancingminds]

"Not in great detail, no, only that they both seemed quite happy as we were leaving. I don't know anything else other than that,"

He hasn't had a chance to ask Raven what happened but he does hope she'll tell him. Erik's question plus the way he's looking has Charles drinking his tea rather quickly.

They could go through to Milliways and experiment, try and find more ways to understand each other. It would just be a matter of finding a door.

[markedformore]

Erik maintains a steady expression, but perhaps Charles can sense the thrum of anticipation and hope mingled with worry and fear, the usual things combining as they often do when he is in the presence of Charles. He cannot begin to understand the things that Charles does to him and is not sure he wants to put it into words. "Well, I interrupted something. I refuse to feel bad, however."