Nightmares of a Remembered Past
Nightmares
He thought when he got older they would stop. No more would he dream of mud and twisted metal gates. But every night without fail, he did. It eased up for a while after he killed Shaw and went home to the mansion with Charles, Raven, and the kids plus a couple stragglers (Azazel and Janos) from Shaw's outfit. Frost was captured by Agent MacTaggert who left after that, much to Erik's relief. Yes, yes the great stoic Erik Lensherr was jealous. He was jealous of the small kiss exchanged between HIS Charles and Moira, even if it was only done to wipe her memories.
The only good that came of that green-eyed monster called jealousy was the slight reprieve he got from his memories being replayed night after night. Charles had no idea about them because 1. When they began sleeping in the same bed in earnest was after Cuba and during the lull in his vivid recollections and 2. He, after knowing Frost for so long, had created some impressive mental barriers that even Charles a class 5 mutant had difficulty getting through.
But now, after the dust settled and routines began to develop, the terrors Erik wished had never happened came back. And it wasn't even at night now that he was plagued, it was all the time. If someone in the house was having a shouting match within earshot of him Erik would pause and flinch then, as if nothing happened continue on his way. It wasn't only yelling either that caused him trouble. Once it rained and Erik, having been outside then, was drenched. Everything was fine until, coupled with the driving rain and slowly muddying earth, Charles shouted from the doorway "Erik! Come on Erik!" That made him jump and whirl, cursing in German when he saw who it was that called him.
After that incident Erik, who was surly and tight lipped the rest of the day, never went out when it rained, much preferring the library, or if he was really desperate, McCoy's lab as a hideout. Charles tried to talk to him mentally and aloud but the metal bender had clammed up tighter than the government about Area 51. He was still not talking about the persistent overwhelming fear two weeks later. Thats when everything fell apart, for Erik anyway. He and Charles had gone to bed at the usually time, Charles on his side, Erik curled around his back. Then, like clockwork, the same scene played out as he slept.
~ The rain came down hard around the haggard men, women, and children, stinging like needles and as cold and unforgiven as the silent guards herding them along. The mud made a soft sucking sound as the people walked as if it wanted to root them to the spot by their worn shoes. Little Erik, for he was always a child in these twisted dreams, looked once at the looming gates then once back at his parents, their hands clasping his so hard bones could be heard grinding. His mother, Edie, smiled, just a small curve of her lips but for Erik it was as if the sun was shining. He answered with a tiny grin of his own before vicious clawing hands ripped him away from his mother and father.
Screaming in German and fiercely fighting against the guards, Erik stretched out his hand to his mother but was yanked back like a dog on a chain. Enraged and still yelling in his native tongue the young boy with the budding mutation turned his focus to his captors. Digging his feet into the slick mud and tossing his head back as a horse who wishes to run for home, he tried desperately to get away but to no avail. The guard holding him sneered and tugged at him again just as Erik lifted his free hand and made to scratch the man's throat. He lunged upward but that caused his feet to slip and he fell almost face down in the muck if not for the guard's hold on his other arm.
Then a miraculous thing happened, a moment that would carve out his destiny. The foreboding gates they drew ever closer to seemed to groan and push themselves toward them. Then Erik, his hand still outstretched, looked at the appendage then at the straining gates. The metal, it was singing to him! As if it knew this scrawny boy was its...master. Erik's lips peeled back into his now famous shark-like smile and he pulled his fingers into a fist, watching in triumph as the gates bent into themselves.
Howling with the rush of using his newfound power he yanked his arm back toward himself then to the right where the guards were. The mess of metal unhinged and flew through the rain toward the scrambling men. Erik's captor was knocked backward by the force of the metal and Erik, finally free ran for it, casually brushing aside the other guards weapons with a flick of his fingers as if they were just toy guns. He pumped his arms and legs faster turning to find where his parents had gone but in that short 'walk' to the gates they had been swept up with others to another part of the camps.
A ragged wounded sound tore itself from Erik's throat and his body shook with sobs and anger as all the metal in the vicinity shook too. That was how the guards who hadn't been killed or maimed by the mass of iron found him. And that is where the torture began.~
Erik jerked awake, sweat rolling off his shirtless form like he'd just ran a marathon. He spared a glance at Charles who was still curled on his side, whether asleep or not Erik didn't know. Taking huge gulping breathes of air he willed himself to calm down, the metal that had been rattling in the room stopped as he did so. It was then that his bedmate rolled over and peered up at him through blue eyes filled with tears.
"Is that how it always is? Every night the same?" the telepath asked, his voice thick with the remnants of his lover's nightmare. Erik, having nothing to say, simply nodded and lay back down to sleep again. Charles was having none of that however and pulled him up again, his arms going around the taller man. For a moment the metal bender kept his blank façade then slowly the tears came. Like the rain in his memory the tears poured down his face and he soon found his head on Charles' shoulder as the smaller man ran a hand up and down his back. The tears stopped after awhile but the shaking had begun again, Erik's body wracked with the strain of using his powers while sleeping.
Charles pressed a kiss to Erik's temple and held him tighter weathering the storm with his lover. No words were spoken as two pairs of lips met in a slow languid kiss. The kiss turned into several heated ones which in turn became teasing touches and caresses. Gently Charles guided the taller man down onto the bed as he strove to drive away the last wisps of the nightmare from Erik's mind. Heat flooded both mens' senses as they explore each other bodies like it was the first time. Erik focused only on Charles' hands and mouth as they did wicked, wicked things to him that almost made him forget his own name.
By the time they lay sated and tired next to each other the sun had risen and with the disappearing darkness went Erik's nightmare. That's not to say that it wouldn't come again some night, creeping upon him like a man in a shadowed alley, oh no. It simply meant that when it did, Charles would be there to banish it or at least reassure Erik that he was safe and sound. And that, Erik knew, was all he really needed.
The only good that came of that green-eyed monster called jealousy was the slight reprieve he got from his memories being replayed night after night. Charles had no idea about them because 1. When they began sleeping in the same bed in earnest was after Cuba and during the lull in his vivid recollections and 2. He, after knowing Frost for so long, had created some impressive mental barriers that even Charles a class 5 mutant had difficulty getting through.
But now, after the dust settled and routines began to develop, the terrors Erik wished had never happened came back. And it wasn't even at night now that he was plagued, it was all the time. If someone in the house was having a shouting match within earshot of him Erik would pause and flinch then, as if nothing happened continue on his way. It wasn't only yelling either that caused him trouble. Once it rained and Erik, having been outside then, was drenched. Everything was fine until, coupled with the driving rain and slowly muddying earth, Charles shouted from the doorway "Erik! Come on Erik!" That made him jump and whirl, cursing in German when he saw who it was that called him.
After that incident Erik, who was surly and tight lipped the rest of the day, never went out when it rained, much preferring the library, or if he was really desperate, McCoy's lab as a hideout. Charles tried to talk to him mentally and aloud but the metal bender had clammed up tighter than the government about Area 51. He was still not talking about the persistent overwhelming fear two weeks later. Thats when everything fell apart, for Erik anyway. He and Charles had gone to bed at the usually time, Charles on his side, Erik curled around his back. Then, like clockwork, the same scene played out as he slept.
~ The rain came down hard around the haggard men, women, and children, stinging like needles and as cold and unforgiven as the silent guards herding them along. The mud made a soft sucking sound as the people walked as if it wanted to root them to the spot by their worn shoes. Little Erik, for he was always a child in these twisted dreams, looked once at the looming gates then once back at his parents, their hands clasping his so hard bones could be heard grinding. His mother, Edie, smiled, just a small curve of her lips but for Erik it was as if the sun was shining. He answered with a tiny grin of his own before vicious clawing hands ripped him away from his mother and father.
Screaming in German and fiercely fighting against the guards, Erik stretched out his hand to his mother but was yanked back like a dog on a chain. Enraged and still yelling in his native tongue the young boy with the budding mutation turned his focus to his captors. Digging his feet into the slick mud and tossing his head back as a horse who wishes to run for home, he tried desperately to get away but to no avail. The guard holding him sneered and tugged at him again just as Erik lifted his free hand and made to scratch the man's throat. He lunged upward but that caused his feet to slip and he fell almost face down in the muck if not for the guard's hold on his other arm.
Then a miraculous thing happened, a moment that would carve out his destiny. The foreboding gates they drew ever closer to seemed to groan and push themselves toward them. Then Erik, his hand still outstretched, looked at the appendage then at the straining gates. The metal, it was singing to him! As if it knew this scrawny boy was its...master. Erik's lips peeled back into his now famous shark-like smile and he pulled his fingers into a fist, watching in triumph as the gates bent into themselves.
Howling with the rush of using his newfound power he yanked his arm back toward himself then to the right where the guards were. The mess of metal unhinged and flew through the rain toward the scrambling men. Erik's captor was knocked backward by the force of the metal and Erik, finally free ran for it, casually brushing aside the other guards weapons with a flick of his fingers as if they were just toy guns. He pumped his arms and legs faster turning to find where his parents had gone but in that short 'walk' to the gates they had been swept up with others to another part of the camps.
A ragged wounded sound tore itself from Erik's throat and his body shook with sobs and anger as all the metal in the vicinity shook too. That was how the guards who hadn't been killed or maimed by the mass of iron found him. And that is where the torture began.~
Erik jerked awake, sweat rolling off his shirtless form like he'd just ran a marathon. He spared a glance at Charles who was still curled on his side, whether asleep or not Erik didn't know. Taking huge gulping breathes of air he willed himself to calm down, the metal that had been rattling in the room stopped as he did so. It was then that his bedmate rolled over and peered up at him through blue eyes filled with tears.
"Is that how it always is? Every night the same?" the telepath asked, his voice thick with the remnants of his lover's nightmare. Erik, having nothing to say, simply nodded and lay back down to sleep again. Charles was having none of that however and pulled him up again, his arms going around the taller man. For a moment the metal bender kept his blank façade then slowly the tears came. Like the rain in his memory the tears poured down his face and he soon found his head on Charles' shoulder as the smaller man ran a hand up and down his back. The tears stopped after awhile but the shaking had begun again, Erik's body wracked with the strain of using his powers while sleeping.
Charles pressed a kiss to Erik's temple and held him tighter weathering the storm with his lover. No words were spoken as two pairs of lips met in a slow languid kiss. The kiss turned into several heated ones which in turn became teasing touches and caresses. Gently Charles guided the taller man down onto the bed as he strove to drive away the last wisps of the nightmare from Erik's mind. Heat flooded both mens' senses as they explore each other bodies like it was the first time. Erik focused only on Charles' hands and mouth as they did wicked, wicked things to him that almost made him forget his own name.
By the time they lay sated and tired next to each other the sun had risen and with the disappearing darkness went Erik's nightmare. That's not to say that it wouldn't come again some night, creeping upon him like a man in a shadowed alley, oh no. It simply meant that when it did, Charles would be there to banish it or at least reassure Erik that he was safe and sound. And that, Erik knew, was all he really needed.
♠ ♠ ♠
My first Cherik so I hope you really like it.