Charles Xavier #2 : In His Eyes
This one-shot contains a request by @detroitbecomebitches, who asked for the phrase [it was like someone had taken her batteries out]. I hope this will live up to your expectations ! Let me know what you all think ! The gif is not mine !
Nightmares had been plaguing your nights for as long as you could remember. This world had not always been kind to you and your mutation. You could control fire and that scared people. And when people were scared, they sometimes did terrible things, and you had paid the price of their fear almost all your life. You had thought that finding a good home, with people who knew what it was, would ease your mind, and for a time, it did ! But it seemed that your old demons had found their way back to you, all the way to the school where you worked as a teacher.
You couldn't sleep. Everytime you managed to fall into slumber, nightmares came to wake you up. Night terrors so strong and realistic that would scare you so much that you'd then refuse to go back to sleep. Every night you would get only two or three hours of sleep, be exhausted all day, and then repeat. It had been going on for about two weeks now, and you could see that your colleagues, and even students, were starting to notice that something was off. But what other choice did you have ?
Those nightmares came everytime you closed your eyes, leaving you in tears and your heart racing in your chest, terrified of what would happen if you went back to sleep.
Tonight was no different. Sitting on your bathroom floor, your face puffy and red, you were desperately trying to calm your breathing after your most recent nightmare. It was two in the morning and you knew that you could forget all hope of getting some more sleep after this. The water you had splashed on your face had cooled you down a bit, but you were still holding back sobs, hugging your legs close to your chest.
You were thinking about how difficult your day would be when a soft knock resonated at the door. You listened more closely, thinking that it was only your imagination, but whoever was in the hallway knocked a second time. You got up on shaky legs and made your way back into your room as the newcomer spoke.
"Y/N ? It's Charles. Could you open the door, please ?"
Panic shot through you. Of course, he didn't even need to say his name for you to recognize the voice. It had become as familiar to you as your own. A voice that always brought you comfort and kindness. The voice of the man who had offered you a home when no one else had. But that was precisely the reason why you didn't want him here. He couldn't see you like this, all distraught and pathetic. You couldn't bear to look him in the eye after that ! It was already hard enough to shield your mind during the day, so doing it now would be impossible !
Also, you would be lying if you said you didn't feel anything for Charles. You felt a great deal of things for the young telepath, and having him in your room would be just way too much to handle.
"I know you're awake," he said, his voice muffled by the door. "I just want to talk..."
You held back a groan of frustration and quickly looked at your reflection in a nearby mirror. Great. You were a total mess. There was no way he wouldn't notice something was wrong.
You took a deep breath and opened the door just a few inches, peaking into the hallway. As expected, Charles was standing there, in a pair of sweatpants and a grey T-shirt. He was looking at you with a worried expression plastered on his handsome face.
"Hi," you managed to squeak out.
"Can I come in for a minute ?"
"Hum... N-now isn't a really good time," you mumbled. "I'm sorry, but I just-I can't..."
You began to close the door but he stopped you by grabbing it with one hand. "Please, Y/N... I know about the nightmares."
You felt a pang of distress in your chest at his words. That was precisely what you had wanted to avoid. But he looked so worried, you didn't have the heart to tell him to leave. So instead, you slowly opened the door and he stepped inside before closing behind him.
It was an unusual sight, him standing in your room, only brightened by the moonlight coming between the curtains. You ran a hand through your hair, not daring to look at him directly.
"They're not that bad... The nightmares, I mean," you lied.
"You don't have to pretend," he said softly. "Not with me."
You swallowed hard but it didn't make the weight lodged in your throat disappear. "You shouldn't go through my head like that..."
"I didn't. It was just particularly loud this time..."
You nodded sheepishly and he asked, "How long has it been going on ?"
You shrugged, still avoiding his gaze. "A while..."
Charles closed the distance between the two of you and gently cupped your face in his hands to make you look at him. You didn't have the energy to push him away. It was like someone had taken your batteries out. And you didn't want to either. His palms felt so right against your cheeks, you could have stayed like this forever.
Your eyes finally met his, making your heart flutter in your chest. The telepath had always had such gorgeous eyes. Expressive eyes that could capture anyone's attention in a mere second. It took your breath away every time, you didn't seem to be able to get used to it.
You didn't want to be the reason behind the crease between his brow. He usually looked at you with such warmth, and you felt bad at the idea that you were the one to make him him feel that way now.
"You need to sleep, Y/N..." he murmured.
You let out a breath, exhaustion washing over you. "But I can't..."
He brushed his thumbs against your temples with the greatest care, and that simple gesture made goosebumps erupt all over your body.
"Let me help," he said, staring at you with pleading eyes.
You were vaguely aware that you were nodding, then being led towards the bed. Charles helped you lie down underneath the covers, your limbs heavy and sore.
You couldn't see him very clearly, but the mattress sank down a little as he lay down by your side, above the covers. He then brought you closer and you allowed yourself to surrender to his warm embrace. Your head came to rest on his chest, just over his heart, as his arms wrapped around your frame. You felt his fingers tangle themselves into your hair, caressing your scalp with the delicateness of a feather, and couldn't hold back the sigh of comfort that escaped your lips.
It felt so good being held like this, and it had been so long too. You couldn't even remember when had been the last time that someone had shown you such affection and gentleness. This would certainly not help you see Charles like a simple friend, which was what he probably wanted, but you didn't have the will to put an end to it.
Just this once, you wanted to enjoy the feeling, even if you ended up hurting in the morning when he'd be gone. Just this once, you wanted to know what it was like to be cared for by him, to be held close by him, to be able to listen to his heartbeat, to feel his breath fanning over your forehead. To share his bed.
You felt so at peace in that very moment that you could have cried. Was that what if felt like ? Not to be scared to fall asleep ? You knew he would be looking out for you, that he would keep the nightmares at bay. What a wonderful feeling... You wished you could bask in it for the rest of your life. The idea that it would only last for a few hours filled you with desperate longing.
It was on that note that you finally fell asleep, running into the arms of Morpheus like one reunites with a very old friend.
***
You awoke to the feeling of a hand playing softly with your hair. Some light was streaming into the room through the curtains but it was still early. You were cuddled up around Charles, clutching the fabric of his shirt and your legs tangled with his. You looked up, still groggy with sleep, only to see the telepath already looking at you. His mouth curved into a smile and you couldn't help but beam back at him.
"No nightmares ?" he asked.
"No nightmares."
His eyes gleamed in victory at your answer and you were once again struck by how beautiful they were. His smile widened and he said, "Your eyes are beautiful too..."
You froze and felt your entire face grow hot. It suddenly dawned on you that he might have seen the exact thing that you'd wanted to hide from him, while you were sleeping. And you had let him.
"Shit !" you muttered under your breath, pulling away. "I'm sorry, I know you don't feel like that, I-shit !"
As you were trying to straighten yourself, mortified, Charles did the same and cupped your face in his hands, like he had done the night before. You stilled, looking at his now very serious face. He leaned towards you and you felt yourself being pulled to him as well, like magnets. His lips captured yours, causing your entire body to be set ablaze. Your arms went to hook themselves around his neck and the two of you moved so that you would be lying on your back across his lap, never breaking the kiss.
He was still cradling your face in his hands, like he was scared that you might vanish into thin air. You thought your heart was going to beat straight out of your chest, but nothing in this world could have made you stop. The tips of his hair were like silk between your fingers, and the shape of his mouth seemed to have been forged to be pressed against your own.
You sighed into the kiss as his lips moved against yours, delicately but with undeniable hunger. He finally had to pull away so you could both breathe a little. The way he peered down at you made your head spin. The always so composed Professor Charles Xavier looked about ready to keep you in this bed for the rest of the day. Not that you would have been complaining !
He gently stroked your cheekbone with his thumb and you shivered, both because of that gesture and the intensity of his scrutiny. He pressed another quick kiss to your lips, lingering for just a few seconds before leaning his forehead against yours.
"I should have done that way sooner," he mumbled, his hands tracing the curve of your neck, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their path.
A warm feeling spread inside your chest at his words and you replied, "We can still catch up for that lost time..."
The corner of his mouth lifted up in a mischievous smirk. "We certainly can !"
Alright, that's it ! I really hope that you enjoyed it, let me know in the comments ! I may take requests again, so if you have any ideas, you can send me a message and I'll see what I can do ! Thank you for reading !









