Title: The Other Side Of The Wall
Fandom: X-Men: First Class
Characters: Charles/Erik, a smattering of OCs
Rating: adult
Length: ~600 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: For the "Solitary" challenge.
Summary: It's easier this way. Simple.

* * *

He doesn't mind all the women. The men, either, though Charles is much more careful about those, the encounters hurried and furtive, usually sparked by a meaningful glance toward the men's room. Erik doesn't mind a bit. He's got no claim on Charles, no interest in complications. He wants Shaw dead, and Charles was right: allies will make all the difference. That's all he's here for.

But he listens through the walls, when Charles brings women back to their motels; he 'stands guard' at men's rooms, listening to the sounds Charles makes. He imagines it, in all sorts of ways. Charles on his knees, some stranger's cock buried in his throat. Charles spreading a woman's legs, using that beautiful red mouth of his to get her off. Charles lying on his back with a woman riding him, maybe that black-haired woman with the cleft chin Charles was so enthusiastic about. Charles bending a man over and pushing into him, mouth closed to keep the sounds in as best he can.

He imagines everything that's happening, and after six weeks on the road with Charles, his imagination's grown sharp, detailed. He prefers it when Charles takes women back to their motel, because if it's happening in the room next door, he can get himself off at the same time. If it's another man and they're out in public, Erik tends to wait until the next time he has a moment's privacy-- usually the shower, that night, or sometimes in the early hours of the morning, before Charles comes to get him.

"All ready?" Charles asks, those mornings, smiling sunny and bright as though he's got no idea what Erik's been up to. Maybe he doesn't; maybe he took Erik's warning about staying out of his head seriously.

It's that, or he just doesn't have any interest in making Erik another notch on his belt. Which is fine by Erik. It's easier this way. Simple.

---

"Does your friend want to join us for a drink?"

Erik pauses at his motel room door, key in hand. Charles's date for the evening is a lovely young woman named Tina, and she's looking Erik over with an anticipatory gleam in her eyes. If it weren't for the fact that he knows Charles never brings working women home, he'd think she was looking to double her fee. Instead, he supposes she just wants to double something else.

"Erik?"

Erik looks at Charles, at Charles's date, and finally shakes his head. "I'm fine as I am," he says softly. "Thanks."

They're loud, that night. Maybe Tina wants Erik to know just what he's missing out on. He hears her calling out Charles's name, and he hears Charles's loud groans in response.

"That's so good, Charles, you're so good, do it, harder, give it to me, please, Charles, give it to me, harder, harder...!"

"Yes, oh, that's wonderful, you're beautiful, darling, beautiful, again, for me, go on, so good, luv, come for me again--"

She does.

He does, on the other side of the wall, lip bitten hard, hand moving fast on his cock. He does it again, too, twice more that night, with Tina practically banging on the wall to get Erik's attention, and Charles doing absolutely nothing to stop her.

In the morning, Charles looks as calm and put-together as he ever has, all buttoned up in his sweater vest and his sport coat. In the morning, Erik's tempted, this once, to reach out for him, find out for himself how good Charles is in bed-- is he really all of that, or was Tina putting it on for his sake?

He nods at Charles and lifts his suitcase, and they're off again, another city to visit, another mutant to find.