XMFC/An Announcement

[guideshapelead]

With Scott gathering their friends, Charles heads back indoors with Erik. He's never been more annoyed with the limitations of his chair, wanting to be able to hold Erik's hand, walk pressed against his side. There's nothing intimate about the way he has to roll along at his side.

"What are we going to say?" He asks Erik as they make their way into the drawing room.

Comments

[guideshapelead]

"You're a fine one to talk," Charles quickly turns his attention to his sister.

"You and Hank don't exactly keep yourselves to yourselves."

[diecastking]

Hank blushes red beneath the blue, as Scott rockets towards Erik and lands in his lap.

"I got them! Will you tell them? Will you tell them now?"

[guideshapelead]

"Tell us what?" Sean asks as he wanders into the room, looking curious and and more than a little anxious. He always feels as though something terrible's about to happen when they're all called together like this.

"Don't worry," Charles is quick to reassure the boy. "Erik, do you want to say?"

[diecastking]

Erik rolls his eyes at Charles' dodging and picks up his hand.

"Charles and I are engaged," he says.

[guideshapelead]

The room is deadly silent for a moment, as everyone processes the information, and then there's suddenly a great deal of noise - cheering and screaming - and Charles and Erik both find themselves in the centre of a pile of hugs.

[diecastking]

Erik allows himself to be mobbed by his future sister-in-law (Gott in Himmel), Alex and Sean, who are all over-excited and talking at once.

He can barely get a word in edgeways and gives up, turning instead to smile at Charles.

[guideshapelead]

"Calm yourselves, please!" Charles asks, though he's laughing as much as everybody else, grinning at Erik like an idiot.

[diecastking]

Erik lifts Baby Scott out of the crush and tries to extricate himself from Alex's hug.

"There are a number of unsupervised children outside," he reminds them.

[guideshapelead]

"Quite," Charles clears his throat, trying to find some semblance of authority.

"Hank, Alex, go and fetch the children inside, if you please. They can have an extra half hour before lights out, but they need to be in their dorm rooms. Thank you."

[diecastking]

"Sean, Raven - please gather the remaining food and make sure the fires are extinguished."

Raven rolls her eyes but leaves, dragging Sean behind her.

Erik shifts Baby Scott onto his hip and leans down to kiss Charles' cheek. "That went well."

[guideshapelead]

"Yes, it did rather," Charles smiles, relaxing as their original 'children' leave them be.

"Though I am tired now," he admits.

[diecastking]

Scott yawns, already snuggling into Erik's shoulder.

"Well," he says with a grin, "I will take Scott to bed. And then, liebe, I might take you."

[guideshapelead]

"Take me to bed?" Charles' eyes glint. "Or just take me?"

[diecastking]

Erik glances down at Scott, but their son is already drowsing.

"That depends, Professor - have you been very good?"

[guideshapelead]

"I'm always very good," Charles grins up at Erik.

"And you deserve some sort of reward for your hard work today."

[diecastking]

Erik licks his lips.

"I will see you in fifteen minutes, Professor. To collect my reward."

And leaves the room before his self-control deserts him.

[guideshapelead]

Charles knows he could make more of an effort to get himself up to their room, but he finds that he doesn't much want to. Erik's told him he'll be back to get him, so he's happy to wait.

Getting comfortable on their sofa, he closes his eyes, smiling to himself as he feels the foreign weight of the ring on his finger.

[diecastking]

Erik returns in exactly fifteen minutes, having tucked in Baby Scott and checked that the rest of their extended brood are safely in their dormitories.

Which leaves Charles and him alone in the drawing room.

He sends a shiver of heat into the metal of Charles' ring, alerting him to his presence.

[guideshapelead]

Charles startles awake from the doze he'd fallen into, looking around as he takes a moment to realise what's woken him up.

"Back so soon?"

[diecastking]

Erik kisses Charles chastely on the lips.

"Perhaps you are too tired, hmm?"

[guideshapelead]

"No, no," Charles protests immediately.

"Wide awake."

[diecastking]

Erik sweeps Charles up into his arms, carrying him up towards their room with the chair trundling behind.

"I would not want to over-exert you. Perhaps you've had too much excitement today..."

[guideshapelead]

"I'm fine," Charles insists, holding onto Erik tightly.

"Absolutely fine."

[diecastking]

Erik whistles an old German lullaby, carrying his lover up the long staircase - to prove he can.

"Are you sure you don't want me to tuck you in?"

[guideshapelead]

"Quite sure, thank you," Charles scowls into Erik's shoulder.

"I'm wide awake."