5 Nights In A Shark Tank

Thursday- Night Four

The next day at school, Erik was grabbing something from his locker when Charles noticed him. As soon as he saw the younger man, Erik slammed his locker shut and quickly paced around the corner, disappearing into the crowd as the bell rang.

 

“Erik!” Charles shouted before sighing. “Come on at least me let me explain!” he shouted into the sea of people.

 

Erik stomped back toward him with a look as though he was going to yell at him, but a lump formed in his throat and he began to tear up so he just stormed back away.

 

Charles pressed his lips together, and started chasing after him, barely managing to grab onto his arm once he found Erik. “Please, Erik. We need to talk.”

 

He glared at Charles. There was so much he wanted to say, but no words came to mind, but one, simple true phrase. “I have to go to class.” He jerked his arm away. How that simple phrase could be so loaded with emotion, that simple cold look in his eyes. The simple motion of jerking away and leaving… Again.

 

“Not you don’t,” Charles countered and kept up with Erik’s pace. “Let’s just, go outside and talk. Please.”

 

“Yes I do! I thought-” He choked down his voice to a lower tone. “I thought you would be different.” With that, he opened the door and went into his first hour, just before the tardy bell.

 

Charles let out a sigh and shook his head. He’d just have to try again later. Like at lunch.

-------------------------LUNCH------------------------------

 

That day at lunch, Erik acted as if he had never heard the name ‘Charles Xavier’ before in his life. When people asked him, “Hey, didn’t you just get a boyfriend?” He replied, “I’m straight.”

 

Charles, when people asked, smiled and ignored them. When he saw Erik at lunch he quickly moved to talk to him. “Would hitting me allow us to talk? Because fine, then hit me. Then let’s talk.”

 

Erik sat silently, as if he were still alone.

 

“Fine. I’m talking then,” Charles said and kept talking so Erik couldn’t stop him. “Emma is a like a sister to me. I had no idea she would kiss me. And I mean that. She kissed me, and I tried to pull away. Azazel was part of the plan too. I swear on my life, Erik, I would never do that you.”

 

Erik stood, as if he didn’t hear him and walked calmly away.

 

Charles sighed again, and sat down. Feeling not hungry he just sat looking at the table and tried to think of a plan to prove to Erik that it wasn’t his fault.

----------Meanwhile, across the lunchroom--------------------

 

Emma sat silently. She wasn’t hungry. She didn’t want to talk. She didn’t want to do anything. She couldn’t shake a nagging feeling of guilt, mixed with other things. She was at war within herself. She knew what she had done was terrible, but his lips on hers felt so right! She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Charles and Erik since the whole incident. Charles and Erik, and, Charles, and Erik, and Charles, and, Charles… She gave herself a mental slap. She wanted to fix what she did, but, at the same time, if she did that, it pretty much eliminated the idea of her and Charles, but, it was so horrible what she had done, but he was so sweet and caring, but they were perfect for one another, but Charles was perfect for her too, but he wasn’t, he was right with Erik, but… She grabbed her head and pulled it between her knees. She just wanted to drown out her surroundings, the entire world, just leaving her to think. To pause time, to live in some alternate universe where she didn’t feel this way, or Charles didn’t feel that way, and neither did Erik… But Erik needed him, he was all he had, how could she have done this? She felt someone grab her wrist, and she looked up to see Azazel, only Azazel, was standing near her. The rest of the lunchroom was empty. The bell must have rang, but she was too consumed in thought to realize it. His look was gentle, slightly worried. “Are you okay?” He asked her. At that moment, she was able to forget about Charles, about Erik, about the whole world. All that was there was her and Azazel. She managed a smile among her jumbled thoughts. “Yeah, yeah I am now.” She stood, and they headed to their next hour.

 

-------------After school---------------------------------------

 

Charles was walking to Erik’s last hour (suspecting that he was going to hide in there), and hoped that he was right. Which he was.

 

“Erik,” Charles said after seeing the teen in question looking out the window. “I’m sorry.”

 

Erik stiffened at the sound of his voice, but was still able to keep a steady tone as he replied, “Okay.” It was an effort though, and he didn’t move his gaze from the window.

 

Charles thought for a second. “You don’t believe me,” he stated and kept talking. “I understand. But I am. Erik I am so sorry. But I didn’t- I never thought that Emma likes likes me. Imagine if Raven suddenly kissed you. You see her as a sister, just like I see Emma as a sister. It just doesn’t make sense.”

 

Erik now turned. A shattered look on his face, but to anyone who didn’t know him as Charles did, he would look absolutely fine. “Charles…” He looked down, as if the tiles would give him the words he needed. But when he looked back up, he had a steady, somber look on his face, “Charles, I don’t know how you think that particular comparison will make things better. At all.” With that, he pushed past the younger man and left the room.

“This is impossible,” Charles muttered to himself. He needed to think of another way to prove to Erik he was sorry. Starting tomorrow.