Title: Last Day Of School
Fandom: X-Men: First Class
Characters: Charles/Erik with a bit of Alex/Armando
Rating: General
Length: ~1400 words
Content notes: Kidfic, school AU, the same one as Fake Foil Valentine To The Rescue. 12-year-old boys with smooches, so technically underage, but kidfic-underage!
Author notes: For the "school" challenge; also for the "cupcakes" square on my cottoncandy_bingo card!
Summary: Erik's a little worried about the next school year, but Charles is reassuring. And anyway, Charles brought Erik rugelach, and Erik brought Charles cupcakes, so that helps everything.

* * *

The last day of school is usually cause for celebration. Erik's not so sure about that, and despite all the care his mom took to make and decorate cupcakes for his class, he's still nervous as he walks into the classroom.

Charles waves at him, and as soon as Erik's dropped his cupcakes on the table along with everyone else's snacks, he rushes over to Charles's desk.

"My mom made yellow cupcakes with strawberry frosting," Erik says.

Charles beams. "My favorite!"

"Obviously, why else would I have asked for them?"

That smile is making Erik think thoughts. It's been months since Valentine's Day... he and Charles have definitely done some kissing in all that time, but sometimes Erik wonders what else there is to do. They're both getting to be more and more grown-up; they're practically teenagers. Erik's a little older, but Charles's birthday is only a few months after his.

Charles scratches his nose and looks up at Erik, then away. «I didn't mean to smile like that!» he thinks. «I was just happy! You're here! You made me cupcakes!»

«I didn't say anything,» Erik tries. He's gotten better and better about sending his thoughts to Charles; these days his lips don't even move when he does it. «I was just. Thinking.»

«I can hear you,» Charles thinks, rolling his eyes. «Sit down! We can talk about other stuff later.»

Erik takes his seat-- he and Charles both tried to get their teacher to let them switch seats, so they could sit next to each other, but that didn't work out. At least they don't have to pass notes. With Charles's ability, they can spend every day talking as much as they want.

Today's lessons fly past the heads of all the sixth-graders. Erik fidgets, like everyone else, hoping Charles doesn't pick up on it.

Of course he does, though. «What's wrong?»

«Nothing!»

«Erik! I'm a mindreader! I can tell something's wrong!»

«We can talk about other stuff later,» Erik says, rolling his eyes as their teacher desperately tries to impart one more lesson about long division before everyone dives on the cookies and cupcakes and soda at the back of the room. «Isn't that what you said?»

«But that was about kissing. This is about you being worried.» Charles actually turns to look at Erik; his eyebrows are curved up in concern, his teeth sunk into his lower lip. «What's the matter?»

«We're going to different schools next year.» Erik's going into a program at Claremont's School For The Gifted, but Charles is on some kind of weird go-to-college early track; already he's taking classes that are way above their grade level. Apparently next year he's gotten special permission to enroll in some fancy high school, already, as if the preppy high school kids aren't just going to eat someone Charles's size alive.

«We'll still see each other,» Charles sends. When he says things like that, in Erik's mind, it's hard not to just take his word for it. Sometimes Erik wonders if Charles is just so convinced that it rubs off, or if it's got something to do with Charles's ability. Charles is getting stronger all the time, just like Erik is. He's tried to keep that to himself, though. The last thing Charles needs is for someone else... for his boyfriend... to be worried about his ability. Too many people treat him differently as it is.

«It won't be the same,» Erik says. Charles sighs; they both turn their attention back to the teacher for a little while.

But when class is really over for the year, and everyone gets to pick out their snacks, Erik brings Charles a cupcake, and Charles gives Erik a little plate full of rugelach. Erik laughs as they trade. "I bet I'm going to get half of these," Erik says, taking a bite of one. Raisin, his favorite. He smiles at Charles while he chews. «You remembered!»

«I remember everything,» Charles sends, very seriously. «If anything, I should be more worried than you. What if you forget all about me when we go to school next year?»

Erik just stares at Charles in disbelief. «Why would I do that?»

«You're going to meet other people,» Charles says, licking a bit of frosting off his cupcake. As if Erik could even think about anyone else when Charles is showing off the tip of his tongue like that. «And I'm going to be surrounded with all these high schoolers, and none of them are going to like me.»

It's so matter-of-fact Erik blinks at him. «Why wouldn't they like you? Everyone likes you!» It's true; Charles is consistently popular with everyone in their class. Even when other people are fighting about whose favorite TV show character is the best, and that one time when Sean and Alex didn't speak for a week because they couldn't agree on whose favorite band had put out a better album lately, nobody seems to make Charles pick sides, and nobody gets mad at him when he doesn't. He's everyone's friend. But he's Erik's boyfriend, which is even better.

«You're biased,» Charles says simply. «High school is different. The people there aren't going to be very impressed by a twelve-year-old who can outthink them.»

«You'll be turning thirteen eventually,» Erik points out, but it's hard to argue. «I thought they had special classes for mutants there.»

«Yes, but not all of my classes are going to be mutant classes,» Charles sends. «You have to promise me you won't forget me.»

«I promise,» Erik says. He puts down his little plate of rugelach and takes Charles's shoulders in both his hands. «I mean it. I promise.»

And just like that, Charles's smile spreads across his face, his whole body seeming to light up. «You really mean it,» he sends. «Erik, I--»

"You guys should totally use your words," Alex interrupts. Erik glares at him, but Alex just eyes Erik's rugelach and then looks back at the table, nodding when he sees there are more. "It's no fair that you're having all these chats and we don't get to eavesdrop."

"That's the whole point," Erik says. He reaches out with his ability and gives Alex a little push with his own belt buckle; Alex takes a step back. Charles frowns at Erik, but it wasn't much of a push, it was the same kind of roughhousing Alex does with Armando, it was just with Erik's ability and not his hands. "You don't need to snoop on everything."

"Do too," Alex says. "Were you guys going to kiss? You totally looked like you were going to kiss."

"Maybe you should go kiss Armando," Erik fires back. "Unless you don't think he would."

"He would too!" Alex says, and then promptly goes red all the way up to his ears. "Shut up!"

"Alex," Charles says, blue eyes wide and calm and soothing. "Why don't you go get yourself and Armando some rugelach? I bet he'd like it."

"Whatever," Alex mutters, stomping off. He does get some rugelach, though, and he takes the plate over to Armando.

"I'm going to call you every day," Erik promises. "Even if we're going to different schools."

Charles smiles. "You and your mum don't live that far from me," he says. «If I practice a lot, maybe I'll be able to talk to you like this, all the way from my house.» He bites his lip. «Would that be all right?»

«I want you to,» Erik sends immediately. Charles smiles at him, so bright Erik almost loses his train of thought. «We should practice. We should practice all summer, so you'll get good at it, and then we'll be able to hear each other when we're at different schools. Maybe you could get strong enough to talk to me at school.»

«I wouldn't want to distract you,» Charles thinks, but he's teasing; he's licking his lips and looking at Erik through his eyelashes, in a way that sends that shivery feeling right back up Erik's spine.

«Weren't we going to talk about other things besides school...?» Erik wonders.

«Later,» Charles promises, reaching out and touching the back of Erik's hand. And it's not like he wasn't going to make sure they kept every single one of these promises, but he's definitely going to follow up on this one. Soon.

-end-