Work Text:
When Charles was sick everyone huddled around the bed and tripped over themselves to try to help him. It was like the world stopped until Charles could be nursed back to health. However, when Erik was sick things were very different. Raven stated that she needed to go somewhere else that wasn’t the mansion, Sean had followed after her squeaking and Alex had disappeared quickly on the grounds. Hank was always in the lab so it wasn’t much of a difference. Still with everyone deserting the mansion, Charles wasn’t sure exactly what to do. He’d only dealt with Raven before and she was a whiney but overall sleepy person when she was under the weather. With Erik, he could feel the man’s irritation at the lack of mobility and the need to do something.
He steeled himself to face the lion. Trudging up the stairs, Charles imagined the sneers and snarls that he would ignore completely and then eventually nurse the man back to health. He was prepared for any barb or commentary Erik could come up with. He was even prepared to duck metal being flung at him, and he had taken all metal off of his body so Erik couldn’t forcefully push him back. What he wasn’t expecting was Erik to be propped up in bed looking miserable with a red nose and drooping eyelids. The man was barely keeping himself awake, but more than that he looked like a miserable child. All Charles wanted to do was wrap his arms around Erik and rock him to sleep. He faltered only slightly waiting to see what Erik wanted and if it could be done.
“Erik how are you feeling?” he asked quietly. The other man turned his head slowly and just looked at him.
“Everything hurts,” he whispered. Charles shuffled forward and settled on the edge of the bed. When he brushed against Erik’s mind he could see that beyond the initial need to be productive he was dealing with a few fever induced aches and a headache. He winced in sympathy. Charles very nearly curled around Erik and patted his head.
“I’ll get you some water and soup,” he promised. Erik didn’t say anything more he just settled back in his pillow and ‘humph’ed. Charles nearly ran all the way down to the kitchen. Thankfully someone else, who could cook, had left him a pot of soup warm on the stove. He scooped the liquid into a bowl and sighed. He was out of his element. Erik wasn’t a total nightmare to take care of and because of that Charles felt that he was sorely lacking.
By the time he arrived back in Erik’s room, the taller man was already back asleep his body curled into as much as a ball as he could. As gently as he could, Charles set down the soup and water. Erik could have them later. He was about to leave, ready to allow Erik more peace and quiet when Erik shivered and shuddered. Nightmares. Charles deduced. He crawled onto the bed and pressed his finger tips to Erik’s warm forehead. In all honesty he could easily just work his telepathy from halfway across the mansion. But it was Erik. His fingertips felt warm against the skin, yet he seamlessly weaved in between the nightmares trying to sooth his metal bender.
“Shh, love, calm. You’ll be okay,” he whispered. Erik settled, slowly he drifted away from the feverish nightmare and into something less distressing. Charles found himself unwilling to move away from Erik, stroking his brow as the other man slept on. Part of him was surprised that he hadn’t woken up the other man. Still the children were out and there was no one to disrupt him. So, he curled around the taller man and awaited for the metal bender to wake up.
The next week when Charles himself was sickly, Erik barreled through the room and threw everyone out. To repay the favor he’d told them. But Charles knew as Erik stroked his brow, that it was very much more than that.