Misery à Trois - XMFC Charles/Erik/Raven

[Dusty15]

Alright...you may remember some epic long RPs from combinations of Purple, Spoo, and I in the past and I'm very happy to present this fic, which ALL THREE of us wrote together! (Dusty as Charles, Spoo as Erik, Purple as Raven). It started as a discussion about an idea for a bit of a fetishist!Erik fic and the lengths Charles would go to in order to satisfy such a thing, and it evolved from there.

The fic is posted here in 2 parts and there's a third part continuation on the Adult Board which will be linked at the end.

We hope you enjoy

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Misery à Trois

An X-Men First Class Fic

by Dusty, Spoo, and Purple

All in all, things at the Xavier estate were going well.

The strange little family of mutants had settled into the house’s vast east wing where they each occupied a series of bedrooms and offices and rooms they used for training. Even Erik seemed to be settling in, which pleased Charles. He’d grown very close with the other man and they’d taken to occasionally sharing a late night game of chess, or even a bed if the mood struck. Charles was careful to stay out of Erik’s head as much as possible, but the metal-shaper was so mentally loud that Charles often had a hard time not overhearing Erik’s thoughts. On nights when the thoughts grew cold and dark, he’d crawl into bed alongside the taller mutant and smooth things over.

Erik had been an increasingly big help in training the younger mutants too. Raven, with her knowledge of the house, also was a good hand to have around, but the majority of training had fallen to Charles.

He was in the basement bunker of the estate with Alex, trying to teach the boy to focus his energy at specific targets. They’d burned through a dozen mannequins, so Charles sent the boy to make lunch while he sought out some fresh victims.

His eccentric step-father kept many things hidden in the storage rooms on the lower level of the house, but none so strange as the mannequin collection. Charles had no idea what his step-father’s plans had been for the statues, but they proved to be excellent practice targets.

The storage room where the mannequins were kept had been untouched for many years. When Charles retrieved the first few practice dummies, they’d been near the door and easily accessed without disturbing the many decades worth of dust in the room, but as he flipped on the lightswitch, he saw that the remaining figures were in the back of the room, buried behind a pile of decaying boxes and about a dozen suitcases.

He sighed, knowing what was about to happen. Charles had a rather severe dust allergy. Now, he usually managed to avoid dust. There was, of course, the library and the various university buildings at Oxford full of the stuff, but that was minor and usually only set him off in a brief sneezing fit. This room was more on the attic-scale realm of dust, with the mannequins themselves each coated in a thin, grey film. The disintegrating cardboard boxes were equally dust-coated and likely mildewy.

He glanced back at the hallway, wishing he’d asked Alex along to help, but he was long gone now. Allergy medication, though occasionally useful, mostly caused Charles a great deal more discomfort by interrupting his ability to block mental noise. Most people just got drowsy from antihistamines, but Charles also had to deal with a barrage of thoughts and emotions from anyone within a two mile radius. He’d rather sneeze.

Pulling the collar of his shirt up, he shielded his nose and strode forward to begin clearing the boxes to access the mannequins.

-

Amongst the upper level of the mansion - particularly the kitchen - Erik was attempting to eat something. Most of the household would swear that the man never ate or slept, and that he was simply a being devoted entirely to training. Contrary to this rumor, however, Erik did require food.

He instantly thought of the leftovers that were in the refrigerator. On any other occasion Erik would have gladly eaten them, yet last night's dinner had been made by Sean, and he wasn't entirely eager to ingest whatever it was that the redhead had concocted.

With a sigh, Erik walked over to the pantry and decided to try his luck there. He came across several knickknacks (animal crackers, Corn Flakes, colorful packets of Tang, an entire armada of tea) but nothing of immediate interest. A wary glance was given to the refrigerator before he surrendered and walked over, opening the door.

Nudging aside the wrapped plates of who-knows-what, he retrieved a carton of eggs and some cheese. There was no rule against making an omelet in the afternoon, and if there was Erik was happily breaking it.

Having been passing by the kitchen at the time, Raven nearly did a double-take when she realised that it was Erik fumbling around in the kitchen.

“So you do actually eat,” she said, in a teasing sort of way. Though, one had to be careful when teasing Erik. (Or so Charles had warned her).

"On occasion," Erik replied, continuing with his omelet preparation without sparing a glance in Raven's direction. "Come to scavenge?"

“Sort of,” Raven replied, plopping herself down at the table and yawning dramatically. “I think I’m getting sick,” she admitted with a bit of a whine to her already congested tone. “Which is not cool.”

If asked, Raven might admit to working herself a little bit harder than usual throughout the past week, and much to her dismay, the telltale signs of a seasonal cold were rapidly becoming more and more apparent as the day went on.

Though Charles had repeatedly attempted to explain how, even with her mutation, she couldn’t avoid getting sick like everyone else, she still didn’t think it was fair.

In all honesty, though, having a few days off might not be so bad.

Raven's admittance to her brewing illness, while a common and casual comment to make, was unnecessary in the long run. Erik had taken note of this the moment she'd spoken. Her smoky voice was thicker than usual; her words were heavier and carried an obvious hint of ailment.

"I can see why that would be upsetting," he said, cracking three eggs into a bowl he had collected from the cabinet.

Sighing, Raven pulled herself up from her seat and headed over to the pantry in hopes of locating something that might soothe the dull ache in her throat.

“It’s not upsetting, it’s tragic,” she groaned, peering into the dark space crammed with a fine selection of junk food (no thanks to Sean and Alex), and... Aha! Tea. Where there was Charles, there was tea.

Speaking of which...

“Have you seen Charles lately?,” she asked, pulling out at least six different boxes of tea and tossing them all onto the counter. “He practically worships this stuff when he’s sick, but I have no idea which type even tastes good, let alone works.”

"Last I heard he was helping Alex in the bunker," Erik answered, summoning a whisk from its placement on a hung rack.

The cooking tool floated across the kitchen and landed within its commander’s hand, ready to be used. Before that happened, Erik finally turned to look at Raven for the first time since she'd joined him. He often wondered why she didn't choose to remain in her natural form, but that was a topic better left for another day.

"He may still be down there. Give him a call," he added, gesturing to his temple with the end of the whisk.

Raven shrugged, tossing the last of the tea on the growing pile. Chances are he'd be less then impressed by her interruption, but whatever. She didn't feel well. That had to count for something.

In the very way Charles had taught her many years ago, Raven called out to him telepathically. She more or less shouted, really, and not at all dramatically.

‘Chaaaaaarles, I think I'm dyiiiiing.’

-

Down in the basement, Charles was trying to ignore the blossoming itch in his nose as he carried yet another crumbling box out of the path to the mannequins. Already his eyes were getting gritty at the edges and tearing up in irritation.

Raven’s voice intruded into his thoughts, causing him to start and drop the box he was holding, sending up a cloud of dust motes that floated in the air.

‘Next time you do that, don’t be quite so dramatic,’ he replied to Raven. ‘You gave me a fright. What’s the matter?’

His mental voice managed not to hitch, though his own breath was doing just that. He hurried to keep moving boxes, knowing he had only a brief amount of time before a full-out allergy attack hit.

With a turn of his head, he bent his nose into his sleeve and sneezed one ticklish outburst, knowing it was only the first of many.

Uhh’hrshggt!

A sniffle and a sigh followed as he went back to moving things, waiting to hear Raven’s voice back in his head.

‘I’m not being dramatic,’ she replied, whining even in their minds. ‘I’m sick.’

And if to prove her point, her already tickling nose decided at that instant to betray her.

She had two choices - sneeze, and uncontrollably shift into her natural form, or try not to sneeze, have her concentration falter, and still transition her appearance. She didn’t really have time to choose, however, because in the next instant she was snapping forwards slightly, hoping Erik wouldn’t notice her faltering appearance.

Hh'nnghsh’iih!

And not notice her faltering appearance Erik did.

That didn't necessarily excuse his ears from hearing a sound that sent a familiar, and secretly humiliating, warmth into his belly; it was as though a flame itself had taken to licking at his insides, starting somewhere low and traveling up to consume everything in its path.

Large hands paused in their task as Erik attempted to regain what little control he'd, reluctantly, let slip from his firm grasp.

"Gesundheit," he forced himself to say, adding cheese to his cooking omelet.

"Ugh. Thanks. First sneeze of the cold," Raven replied, oozing sarcasm. "A dreaded milestone for all," she groaned, sighing heavily. "You have no idea how embarrassing that is," she added, now comfortably back in her preferred form. "I'm literally unable to go out in public when I'm sick, in case, well, that happens."

She paused, suddenly curious about the mutant standing before her. "Do your powers ever get, like, out of control when you're sick? I know Charles' do."

Whatever heat had taken to Erik was quickly turning into an icy-cold blizzard. His actions didn't betray his inner turmoil, and since his back was to Raven she couldn't see the conflicting emotion that swam in his blue-green eyes. Even so, one thing was strikingly clear to him.

He was extremely uncomfortable at the moment.

"Occasionally," Erik admitted quietly. "Only when I have a high temperature."

The powerful mutant was far too awkward to reveal that, like Raven, certain symptoms of the nasal variety tended to upset whatever metal was in the room. He recalled nearly sending a taxi off the road during his travels once, due to an untimely, and untamable, fit of four.

He internally shuddered at the memory and the embarrassment that came with it.

In the basement, Charles heard Raven’s voice in his head and winced. Wonderful. Raven, despite all her good qualities, could be a bit of a pain when she didn’t feel well. Charles was more of the ‘curl up alone in bed’ variety of invalid, while Raven demanded a bit more care and waiting-upon of the ‘hand and foot’ variety.

And curling up in bed didn’t sound like such a bad idea for Charles at present. The allergens were settling deep in his sinuses, causing him to sniff every few seconds to prevent his nose from dripping. And of course, sniffing only allowed more dust particles deeper up into his afflicted nose in a maddening catch-22 situation.

He pawed at his face, rubbing his nose and gritty eyes, frustrated.

Urhh’tsghtttttt! Huhhrr...ehhh’tsghhtt!

Pitching forward, he sneezed a double freely into the dusty air, spraying the cardboard boxes with a damp mist.

‘I’ll be upstairs in a few minutes,’ he told Raven mentally as he wiped his nose on his sleeve with a groan of disgust. ‘Why don’t you go to bed and I’ll bring you some tea?’

‘Alright,’ she agreed, sending him an attempt at a telepathic hug. ‘Thank you.’

Although Erik had his back facing her, Raven still turned towards him as she exited the kitchen.

“Charles is on his way up, and I’m going to bed. I’ll see you later,” she said, sniffling a bit. “Enjoy your omelette.”

Erik said nothing as Raven disappeared from the kitchen. Once she was out of earshot, he released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. His shoulders were able to relax when his rigid posture slackened, adding yet another layer of relief to his calming state of being.

He finished preparing his meal shortly after and plated it. Sitting at the table felt far too domestic for Erik's taste, so he remained standing as he ate, using the counter to lean against.

Raven taking a few days off to rest wouldn't hurt their strict training regimen too badly; it would just mean that the others would be specifically focused on during her downtime. If they were lucky her cold wouldn't catch and knock Sean, Alex, and Hank out as well.

No, there was something about that unpleasant reality that didn't settle very well with Erik. Charles, on the other hand…

Erik swallowed a mouthful, hard, and promptly changed his line of thought.

Downstairs, Charles shoved a few boxes out of the path to the mannequins and grabbed two of them, one under each arm, exiting in a hurry in an attempt to escape the dusty storeroom. Out in the hall, he let the two figures fall to the ground as he steepled his hands over his nose in a desperate movement to shield against the impending sneezes.

Ehh...huhh’tsghxxt! Hehh’tssgshttt!

“Christ,” he cursed under his breath as he gathered the mannequins back into his arms.

He continued down the hall, wriggling his nose in irritation. The tickle was deep-seated now and a constant annoyance. Tossing the extra mannequins outside the bunker where he’d been working with Alex, he left the basement and continued upstairs to the kitchens to see to Raven’s tea.

Outside the kitchen door, he paused, his hand pressing against his nostrils to stem the flow of thin congestion beginning to pool on his upper lip. His sinuses were not pleased with the motion and protested with a more urgent tickle that caused yet another double sneeze.

Heh’tsssghtt! Hehh’tstshhhh!

He took a deep, liquid-y sniffle and entered the kitchen, surprised to see Erik standing at the counter with a freshly made omelet.

“If I could smell at the moment, I’d guess that smells delicious,” he quipped, crossing nearby the other man to get a mug from the cupboard. “Good afternoon.”

If Erik were any weaker of a mutant or a man, he might have not only sent something of metallic composition flying clear across the kitchen, but also dropped the plate in his hands. Both were accurate enough reactions to the two sounds that resonated in his ears, even after the origin of said sounds walked into the kitchen, greeting him.

A familiar warmth steadily returned, pooling in his gut again. There was only so much of his feelings that Erik could mask from Charles - the one person who knew him better than anyone ever had - and he hoped that his present 'condition' would fall under that secret category.

"I didn't think Raven's illness would spread so quickly," he commented, having lost his appetite for food and gained an insatiable hunger for…something else.

“It hasn’t,” Charles replied with another sniff of irritation. “I was down in an old storeroom getting more mannequins for Alex to use as targets. Unfortunately, I’m highly allergic to dust and that room hasn’t been touched in years. I’d take something, but it messes with my powers and I’d rather suffer through the itching than the mental voices of everyone in a ten kilometer radius...”

He shrugged and reached for the kettle to set on the stove.

“How has your afternoon been?” he asked, perching against the edge of the counter as he waited for the water to boil. “I take it you saw Raven, then? You’re the odd one out then; not sneezing, huh?”

Erik was both relieved and disappointed at Charles' explanation pertaining to his poor appearance, but before he could think about it any more, a statement was brought up - one that had the man wanting to either bristle or cringe, or both.

"That's a good thing," he replied, toting his now empty plate over to the sink.

He would have left it there to be cleaned by the assigned dishwasher for the night, but he desperately needed something to do with his hands, if only to distract himself from the sudden discomfort he was feeling.

His tongue wished to speak, to point out something. The urge was clawing at his vocal chords, begging to be spoken. He waited until he was finished washing his plate and reaching for a paper towel to finally say it.

"Dust, hmm?"

And really, the allergy must have been as severe as Charles noted. The telepath’s face certainly reflected it, with his reddish, watery eyes and his clearly irritated nose. Erik tried not to hold the stare for too long as he looked at the other man silently.

That's when he noticed it.

Ripping a fresh sheet of paper towel, he folded it once, twice, and then approached Charles. He stopped in front of him and reached out, having no problem pressing the cloth to the damp nostrils his eagle eye had spotted.

They were rather involved, them two. This wouldn't fall outside of their joined comfort or, hopefully, raise any suspicion on Charles' end.

Surprised, Charles’ nose twitched as the rough paper towel touched his nostrils. He pressed his nose into the cloth to clear away what he assumed was some lingering congestion around his nose.

“Er, thanks,” he said, smiling beneath the tissue.

It wasn’t often he saw this side of Erik, though he knew it was there. His nose was far too distracting to get any proper mental pictures at the moment, and he tried to avoid reading those he lived with, but he did get a brief flash of emotion from the other man. It was an odd surge of discomfort and protectiveness and something Charles vaguely interpreted as lust. He didn’t read too far into it, assuming it was just a passing mood of Erik’s.

“Yes, dust,” Charles repeated, taking the paper towel scrap from Erik’s grip and blowing his nose lightly. “I’ll be at this for hours now.”

He gave Erik a resigned shrug and blew again.

“I do hope you didn’t spend too much time near Raven. It’s funny; she rarely gets ill but when she does, it’s usually a bad one. I’m pretty healthy too, but whatever she gets, it’s like a mutant-friendly version of the common cold or something. We’ll be lucky if we all escape without coming down with it too.”

The paper towel in his hand was damp now and he balled it up, turning it to a dry spot to wipe a drip from his nose. The brush of the rough paper set him off again and he put his arm over his face, sneezing.

Huhrr’tsshttt! Ehh, hehh’tsghhttt!

“Goodness,” he exclaimed as he sniffled back a stream of more watery allergic snot and blinked tears from his itchy eyes. “I always seem to sneeze in doubles. Strange thing, that.”

Being so close, so near, had offered Erik a front row viewing of what was unarguably the most erotic scene he had ever witnessed. Years of masking his emotions and behavioral patterns earned him the ability to conceal the arousal that may have otherwise been apparent on his strong European features, though not even his best poker face could prevent his pupils from dilating.

He wanted to tell Charles that, no, he didn't just sneeze in doubles. He also sneezed in triples when the sunlight caught him the right way, or, in one special case, a rare quadruple that had Erik wanting to shove his closest companion against a wall and shamelessly ravish him on the spot.

Even now he was sorely tempted to disappear with Charles upstairs and make use of what little free time they had before more training would begin. They couldn't, though. Not with Raven requiring Charles' attention - something she never quite seemed to get enough of.

"Are you hungry?" Erik asked, diverting the topic. "I've made myself something, but I wouldn't mind doing the same for you."

“Mhm?” Charles replied as the kettle began to whistle on the stove. He reached for it with a pot holder and carefully lifted it off the heat source. “Sure, I’d appreciate that. I sent Alex to lunch an hour ago and never got to it myself. A sandwich will do...cucumber and butter? Or if we have ham, I could go for that. I’m not sure what Raven bought at the market.”

He poured a mug of hot water and dug in the pantry for the tin of tea he always made when he felt ill.

“I wish I could smell this too,” he said, holding up the tea bag. “It’s the best stuff when you’re ill.”

He dunked the bag into the mug of water and cupped it in his hands.

“I’ll be back down soon. Thanks again,” he said, smiling at Erik.

The other man’s emotions were buzzing strangely at the edges of Charles’ mind. They were strong, but guarded. It made Charles wonder exactly what was up with the metal-bender, but he again shrugged it off as one of Erik’s moods. Tea in hand, he went to the far west wing of the house where Raven slept.

Alone again, Erik took a second to collect himself before preparing Charles' sandwich. Now that the source of his uncommon interest had put some distance between them, he would be able to think a bit clearer.

Well, as much as he could around the two glaring facts that were bouncing around in his head: Raven was sick and Charles was suffering from a prolonged allergy attack.

Mein Gott, it was almost too much.

-

Upstairs, Charles knocked gently on the door to Raven’s room and entered, nearly tripping on a pile of clothes on the floor.

“When’s the last time you cleaned in here?” he asked the lump in the bed. He set the tea down on the bedside table and sat down on the edge of the mattress, swiping his nose with his sleeve. “You’re lucky I’m already dealing with the effects of dust, or I’m sure I could blame your room a similar reaction.”

Now that statement was enough to tear Raven away from her lonesome pity-party. Rolling over carefully, as to not upset her already throbbing head, she turned to face Charles.

Immediately (if only because she had been a witness to the severity of these episodes before), it became clear what Charles was referring to. The allergic reaction was evident in his watery eyes, red nose, and moderately congested voice. God. For someone so smart, he often did really stupid things. As aware of Charles was of his own allergies, he certainly didn’t go out of his way to avoid them. She could understand the medicinal disadvantages and how they messed with his powers, but still. The least he could do was try to not make himself so damn miserable.

Even through her discomfort, Raven managed to roll her eyes, which at the time happened to be a brilliant shade of yellow.

“Why, what’d you do, clean the attic?”

“Worse,” Charles said, smoothing and straightening the blankets around Raven in an affectionate gesture, all the while wriggling his nose in discomfort. “I went down into the old bunker storerooms to get more mannequins for Alex. I didn’t think it would be too bad in there; I thought old Kurt would have had them sealed up better. I guess he didn’t, because...ahh...”

He paused, one hand gripping a bunch of Raven’s comforter as he tried to fight off an onslaught of hitching breaths and a growing tickle inside his nose. His lip curled upward, contorting his face into a vaguely confused expression with his eyebrows narrowed inward. Eyes fluttering shut, he bent forward into the shield of his other arm.

Huhrr’tsh-ggshhttt!! Ehh’tsh-GHXSTT!

The sneezes were twice as spraying and irritated than his previous ones, and they didn’t stop with a double. As he was about to move his arm away from his nose, a third burst out, equally ticklish.

Heh’TSSHHTT!

“My god,” he said afterward, sniffling thickly. His brilliant blue eyes were bloodshot and watery, and he blinked rapidly, allergic tears streaming down his cheeks. A brush of the length of his arm along his face cleared most of the moisture away.

“I was about to say I don’t think the room was sealed well at all because it’s very dusty, and I’m pretty sure those boxes are covered in mold, which I didn’t fully realize until it was too late. It’s been ages since I’ve had a reaction this severe. It has to be mold too.”

With a frustrated grumble, he pressed his palm to his nose, pushing the tip upwards and snorting in some air, rubbing his palm in circles to massage away the constant pre-sneeze sensation that tingled deep in his airways.

“Anyway,” he said finally. “I’m sorry you’re feeling poorly too. I made some tea.”

“Thanks,” Raven whispered, suddenly feeling far worse than she had a few minutes ago. One could argue that this was an empathetic effect of their close bond, but Raven knew that it was also entirely possible that Charles could be unintentionally projecting his symptoms to her.

It wouldn’t be the first time this had happened.

Often in situations where Charles was either overwhelmed, distracted, or unwell, Raven, if present, suddenly and mysteriously felt symptoms and thoughts that were certainly not hers.

Whether it was due to Charles’ lapse in control, or the rapid progression of her own illness, Raven suddenly found herself gasping a few times before burying her face in her comforter, grateful, at least, this time she didn’t have to worry about maintaining her appearance.

Hh-heh! Hih’CHHU’ee!

A pathetic groan followed the outburst as Raven burrowed herself under her covers once more.

Charles laughed at their mutual misery.

“Bless you,” he said, curling up on the bed alongside her and rubbing her back through the thick quilt. “I’ll stay a bit and then I should go back to the kitchen. Erik actually offered to make me lunch. I think he’s settling in here finally.”

He reached his hand up and felt the back of her neck where a small patch of blue skin was exposed at the top of the blankets.

“You’re only a little warm,” he said, sniffling as his own nose continued to drip. “Try to drink a bit of tea before it goes cold and get some sleep. I’ll come check on you in a little while, okay?”

"Mmm," Raven agreed, curling into his warmth. "Okay. You shouldn't stay long, though. Last thing we need is for you to get sick on top of all this."

Poking her head out of the covers, she managed a weak smile. "Thanks," she sighed, closing her eyes again.

Charles rubbed her back absentmindedly for a few moments longer before he rose, smoothing the covers out again and tucking the edges in around Raven. With a kiss to the top of her head, he whispered a goodbye and moved to sneak out of the room, leaving her snoring peacefully.

Edited August 19, 2013 by Dusty15

[Dusty15]

It took all his willpower to keep quiet as he shut her bedroom door behind him. His nose was on the attack again and almost as soon as he’d released the doorknob, he jerked forward with a single, spraying sneeze.

Ehh’tsh-hooooo!

Alone in the hall, he didn’t bother to cover it, but found himself wishing he had some tissues. He stopped on his way to back to kitchen to grab a wad of toilet tissue from the bathroom and dabbed his nose with it. Everything deep in his nostrils itched so urgently that he didn’t dare blow his nose for fear of setting more sneezes in motion.

He entered the kitchen with the tissues still held to his nose to stem the constant dripping. Erik had his back to the doorway when he walked in.

“Hello again,” he croaked, sitting at the table in front of the sandwich which had been laid out with a napkin and glass of water. “Cheers, thanks. Raven’s gone to sleep for a bit, thankfully. I might have to do the same soon; this sneezing bit is wearing me out.”

Erik finished returning the ingredients of Charles' meal to their proper places before he joined the other man at the table. Had there been a third house inhabitant in the kitchen he would have remained standing, but since it was just Charles - someone Erik had learned to trust - he sat down.

The words that were spoken may have elicited sympathy from another, but from Erik it only welcomed great interest. He had known Charles for less than six months, but he was well acquainted with the telepath's allergies and how they tended to exhaust him.

And why wouldn't they? His symptoms were absolutely brutal.

"That may be a good idea," Erik replied.

In reality, he didn't think it was a very good idea at all. He didn't want Charles to disappear into his bedroom - a place he couldn't visually observe. He wanted him to stay just where he was: In plain sight.

Something between Erik’s words and his projected emotions didn’t fully line up in Charles’ mind, as fuzzy as it currently was. Charles could usually tell when people were lying, even if he wasn’t actively using his powers. Something told him that Erik didn’t really want him going to take a nap.

“I might just lie down in the study, if you want to join. Maybe I could manage a game of chess in a bit,” he suggested. “Either there or my room, I’d welcome your company if you can tolerate my endless sniffling.”

Charles took a bite of his sandwich and chewed quickly, as he was unable to really breathe through his nose at all.

“It’s good,” he told Erik, though he couldn’t really taste it with his clogged nose and itchy mouth.

He took a few more bites of the sandwich, chewing laboriously. It was hard to concentrate on doing anything, even eat, when his nose was like this. He rubbed it vigorously with the heel of his palm, making a strange squelching noise.

“Augh,” he groaned, tilting his head back and looking up at the kitchen light. “I need to sneeze but it feels stuck.”

Mouth open, he squinted upwards, face suspended in a frozen pre-sneeze expression. He reached blindly for his napkin and held it at the ready. After a few painful seconds, he tilted his head forward, sneezing harshly into the paper.

Hahhr’tsshchhooo!

“I’m sorry, I-” he began before his voice faltered and he returned all his energy to the work of sneezing.

Ehhh...hehh’tscghhttt! Eh’tsght! Hehh...ehhh...at’tsch-choooo!

Surfacing with a very wet, gurgling snort, Charles slumped in his seat.

“Thanks for the sandwich. I may have to wrap up the other half to eat later. I do need to go lie down...”

Erik's nails had found a home in the kitchen table by digging into the aged wood grain. He could have sworn that Charles was doing this on purpose - that Charles somehow knew what he was doing to him with those impressive fits.

He suddenly rose.

"Charles…"

Erik was conflicted, severely so, and suddenly torn between telling Charles to leave him alone and drawing the other man close against him.

Worse than that, though, he was sure his emotions and racing thoughts were gradually betraying him; he couldn't get a hold of either, because, quite frankly, his peculiar attraction was beginning to overwhelm his ability to command them.

Wordlessly, Erik rounded the table and began to leave. Before he did so, one of his hands framed Charles' shoulder in a single touch. His palm was warm, burning even, and he wondered if Charles would feel this special heat through the material of his dress shirt.

The contact lasted perhaps five seconds at max before Erik was leaving the confines of the kitchen and heading upstairs - ever the stray animal longing for an escape when anxious.

At the very touch of Erik’s hand, a swell of emotion coursed through Charles, making him flush. He sat still for a moment, processing the strange mix of longing, anxiety, lust, fear, and concern. Lust? He was a little confused. He and Erik certainly had shared some level of intimacy in the past months, but he’d never felt this level of want from the other man.

He sniffed thickly and pushed his plate away, rising from the table. In a daze of itchy, allergic stupor, he went about wrapping up the end of his sandwich and putting it in the fridge before turning his attention to cleaning up the last of the dishes.

Erik hadn't thought ahead concerning where he was going. He had just known that he needed to get away from Charles before he did something that would permanently compromise whatever had been built between them.

His natural instinct was to go to the study, to calm himself by poking around the literature that was available there, or by having a glass of scotch. Thus, he set his course for there.

-

If it had been minutes or hours since she had drifted off with Charles' calming presence beside her, Raven wasn't sure. It took her a few seconds to figure out where she was after she awoke, and only a few moments more to realize that she was most definitely burning up with a fever.

Head pounding in time with her heart, Raven attempted to sit up. The small shift in position apparently did not agree with her lungs, however, and she was suddenly overcome with a onslaught of painful coughs that filled her vision with tiny stars and left her breathless in the aftermath.

The tea Charles had left on her bedside table was still steaming, letting her know it hadn't been long at all since he had left. Raven took a sip of it to sooth her throat, pausing when she heard a familiar creaking noise from the hallway.

"Charles? Is that you?," she managed to rasp.

From behind a closed door, Erik heard Raven call out to Charles, who she had obviously mistaken him for. He was tempted to keep walking, to pretend as though he hadn't heard her, but then he remembered that Raven was sick and didn't deserve neglect.

The doorknob turned by itself and pushed the door open as he poked his head into the room, looking at the young woman in bed.

"I'm not Charles," he said. "Do you need something?"

Erik would have offered to fetch Charles himself, but he really, really didn't want to go back downstairs.

“Oh!,” Raven gasped, startled. A bit of tea splashed over the rim of the mug, but she barely felt the burning sting. “I-I thought you were Charles...”

Desperately, she attempted to concentrate for the duration of that one crucial second it would take to shift into appearance that was a little less blue. But as it always had when she was stressed, tired, or ill, she could not find the level of control necessary.

Damn sickness. The worse than being sick was being sick and being a mutant.

“I’m just - I don’t...”

God. Even the mere effort of talking was too much.

“Fever,” she managed to whisper, trying to avoid Erik’s stare.

Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes and she wasn’t sure if she should blame them on the fever, embarrassment, or the combination of both.

Well, this certainly wasn't what Erik was expecting. It was clear that Raven was ashamed of her inability to mask her natural form, which wasn't necessary. Not really. In fact, he much preferred this version of Raven more than any other appearance she took on.

"It's alright," he said, stepping into the room and approaching the bedside.

He didn't sit, nor did he plan to stay for very long.

"You won't get well if you exert most of your energy into looking a certain way.”

“And you won’t be well if you stay any longer,” Raven snapped, immediately defensive.

She couldn’t quite look Erik in the eye, but she was thoroughly aware of the way he was gazing at her - as if he had never seen her before. It made her uncomfortable, and even in her weak state, angry.

“I...I should rest,” she rasped, turning over to face the wall. “You should go check on Charles or something.”

"Charles can look after himself," Erik was quick to reply.

Besides, he had no desire to be anywhere near Charles at the moment. Not while the man was still suffering handsomely from his allergic reaction.

Erik didn't say another word to Raven, but he did reach out to adjust her covers, so that they draped over the topmost part of her shoulder. Afterward, he turned around and left the room. The door closed without him even touching it.

-

Downstairs, Charles put his clean plate in the dish rack to dry and wiped his hands on his trousers. He was feeling very light-headed from his continued allergy attack and was looking forward to going up to his study to lie down for a little bit to hopefully sleep the rest of the attack off.

He was halfway there when he paused in the hall, patting his pocket. He usually kept the study locked, owing to some rather sensitive case materials he stored in his desk and to discourage anyone besides Erik and Raven from running off with the house’s extensive collection of rare books. On the same key ring he kept the keys to the bunkers and store rooms of the mansion, and of course he’d left that very ring downstairs in the door of the very dusty storeroom.

Briefly, he considered just asking Erik to come unlock the door with his powers, but he’d have to retrieve his keys eventually and seeing as he was already struck with fits of sneezing, another brief exposure to the room didn’t seem very dire.

He went back to the basement, his thick sniffles echoing along the concrete corridors. Within a few feet of the store-room, his nose seemed to swell with more irritation and he pressed it with the back of his hand, snorting away a fresh stream of congestion.

Ehhh’hetsghxtt!

With an impressive snap forward, he sneezed openly, misting the air. He groaned and blinked his itchy eyes as he grabbed his keys from the door and went inside for a moment to pull the cord for the light. The smell of mold would have been prominent if he had any sense of smell left, but instead he just felt a hot burning in his sinuses as he closed the door behind him.

By the time he was back upstairs, he was practically wheezing, unable to get a good breath of air into his strained lungs. He coughed hoarsely as he passed the hallway that led to Raven’s room. For a moment, he tried to mentally check in on her and found himself too drained to properly get a read. Figuring she’d call for him if she needed anything, he continued on to the study and found the door already unlocked....

Perched on one of the antique armchairs, Erik looked up to see that Charles had entered the study. An unmistakable tension seized his shoulders, causing his already erect posture to stiffen even further.

Perhaps it had been foolish of him to think that the telepath had changed his course of action and retired to his bedroom instead, since he hadn't been in the room when Erik had originally arrived.

Leaving now would be far too suspicious after his earlier retreat in the kitchen. Thus, he would need to stay. At least for a short while.

"Still living in torment, I see."

He wouldn't have been able to avoid the obvious, and Charles would have more than likely mentioned something of it had Erik not brought the awkward topic up first.

“Aye,” Charles agreed, flopping down on the leather sofa opposite Erik. He squeezed his eyes as tightly shut as he could to combat their itchiness, tears leaking from the edges. His fingers rubbed lightly over his eyelids as he gave a frustrated groan.

“I made the very stupid mistake of going back down there for something I’d forgotten and I fear I’m going to pay for it tenfold for the rest of the day,” he said. “I don’t think I-”

He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes remaining shut tight. His upper lip curled into what looked like a sneer and he made a tent of his hands, cupping them over his nose.

“I...ehhh...”

His voice quivered and he rolled to his side, curling his knees towards his chest as he sneezed, not once, not twice, but a fit of six.

Ehhh...heh’tschtt! ‘tsGHXTT! Ehh...heh’tsghHHTT! T’sght! Tsshh’ghhht!! Hehhh.....ehh... ehhh’TSGHXTTT!

When he surfaced from the attack, his eyes were blurred and streaming along with his leaking nose. Barely recovered, he felt a very strange surge of emotions that made his toes curl involuntarily. Sniffling, he tried to focus and get a better read on the brainwaves he’d somehow absorbed.

In all honesty, Charles might as well have dropped to his knees and did Erik a favor, because that's more or less what he did with that ridiculous fit. The metal-bender had to literally pry his fingers away from the arms of the couch, given how deeply he'd gripped them.

A wild heat began to spread through his body, accompanied by a heavy feeling of arousal. Far too overwhelmed, he was unable to properly protect his thoughts and innermost desires. It would only be a matter of time before Charles figured it out.

It was practically inevitable given how intensely Erik was staring at him now, pupils blown wide and breathing slightly accelerated.

The realization hit Charles nearly as quickly as the sneezing fit had. He’d been far too distracted by his allergies to fully understand the bursts of emotions he’d been getting from Erik all afternoon but now, as they sat across from each other, the whole thing became clear. He allowed himself the briefest glimpse into Erik’s mind and saw himself, red-nosed and itchy, and Raven, fevered and congested. The hot rush of arousal he shared with the other man made him blush so strongly that he turned away for a moment, pretending to scratch his beleaguered nose.

He’d never felt this kind of lust from Erik before, even when they’d fooled around a little and spent the night together. The brief glimpse of fantasy he’d just seen in Erik’s mind was a little strange, but Charles always valued himself as open-minded. Besides, when he took a brief second to think about it, the kink made sense. Erik had always been in pursuit of control and power, so weakness in others made him excited.

Charles...

A weak voice sounded inside his head, distracting him. Raven.

He looked up at Erik sitting across from him, glowing with a mix of shame and arousal.

Standing, he crossed to Erik and put a hand on the man’s cheek, tilting his head upwards.

“Raven needs me for a minute. Go to my room and I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

He tipped his face towards Erik’s, kissing the man’s cheek and letting his damp nose linger a moment too long against Erik’s.

Out in the hall, he paused, leaning against the wall to collect himself. He wasn’t sure what Erik would do at the revelation that Charles knew what was going on and was willing to indulge him.

I’ll be right there, Raven, he said mentally.

He had an idea, but first he desperately needed a fresh tissue and a bit of water on his face.

"And now you know," Erik said to the empty room, dragging his tongue across his thin, dry lips. He shuddered. "The utter hell you've put me through today…"

When he was certain that he could actually make it to Charles' room without stealing the man from Raven's room along the way, he began walking out of the study and into the hall. He hadn't wanted Charles to feel obligated when it came to his peculiar interest, but, then again, he wasn't complaining.

-

Although she had noticed Erik's brief demonstration of compassion, Raven was far too upset to properly appreciate it. She was far too sick to think with complete coherence; angry at herself; her imperfections; her mutation.

'Charles...'

There was only one person in the world who could soothe her.

Grateful for his promise to check in momentarily, Raven decided to try and sit up. She got as far as leaning against the headboard of her bed when she was forced to pause, a wild tickle suddenly taking her by surprise.

Ehh'TSCH'huihh! H'eh...Kh'tsscchhuu'! Et'chiiuuhh!

Now that was completely and totally uncalled for.

Charles had just reached Raven’s door when he heard her outburst of sneezes. With a sympathetic smile, he opened the door and crossed to her bedside.

“How are you, love?” he asked, sitting down on the edge of her bed and pressing a practiced hand to her brow. Her blue form didn’t phase him; he’d seen her like this more than any other person had. She was warm to the touch still and even with blue skin, her nose looked painfully red at the edges.

Charles cleared his itchy throat with a slight cough and sniffed back a stream of congestion before he spoke again.

“I can try to use my powers to get you back to sleep,” he said, brushing her hair back in slow strokes. “But first, I have a question for you.”

He curled up at her side, tucking her warm, blanketed body against his legs and propping himself up against the headboard while he sat with her.

The question on his mind wasn’t terribly easy to phrase, and he certainly didn’t want to scare or offend her, but if he was going to go through with his plan, he wanted to make sure he had Raven’s permission.

“Listen, I know this is a terribly strange thing to ask you, but it’s for Erik’s sake,” Charles began, still stroking Raven’s hair. “If he seems a bit more distant today than usual, I’ve discovered the meaning of it. It seems as if the idea of sneezing...well, it seems as if it excites him in some way.”

Raven blinked, sitting up slowly. There was no way she was going back to sleep now.

If it hadn’t been for the way Charles had blushed slightly as he spoke, Raven wouldn’t have understood what he meant. Still, it took her a minute to put everything together.

“You mean…Oh.”

There was a brief silence while she processed this.

“That’s…convenient,” she managed, unsure of what else to say.

Charles laughed.

“I suppose so,” he said. “Anyway, I thought...well, I know this is a terribly odd thing to ask of you...but I thought I’d perhaps give him a bit of enjoyment, for once in his life. I think I can get ahold of my own sneezing long enough to cast a bit of a mental image for him and...well...the two of us could....I mean, if you’re okay with that but you can say no...but I...”

He couldn’t help but blush and stammer. He thought of Raven as his sister most of the time and definitely not as a grown, desired woman. The brief glimpse into Erik’s head has told him he definitely thought of her that way.

“Anyway,” he continued, getting the words out now with less stammers and a few more sniffles as his nose ran. “I thought we could give him a bit of fun and I’ll make sure it isn’t mentioned again. You never have to acknowledge any of it.”

"Kinky," Raven snorted, snickering quietly. "Oh my God. You do realize that we're actually having this conversation right now, right?"

More alert now that this unexpected topic had been brought up, Raven sat up a bit more, despite the protests of her cold-ridden body.

"You know what? Sure...on one condition, though," she said, grinning widely and reaching for what was left of her tea.

“I do realize it, and I have the feeling I’ll be twice as mortified when I remember it later,” Charles replied, passing Raven her mug of tea before getting a tissue for himself from the nightstand and wiping his nose. “Name your conditions and I’ll let you get back to sleep.”

Raven giggled, taking a sip of tea. Saying nothing, she merely grinned, tapping two fingers against her temple. She figured she could spare Charles the mortification of having her actually say her conditions out loud.

“Alright then. You asked...”

--

As per Charles' request, Erik had entered the telepath's bedroom. He idly glanced at some picture frames and other belongings as he waited for his companion to enter.

After a minute of this casual meandering, he decided to wander over to the large four-poster bed that sat against the wall in the center of the room. He ran a hand over what was no doubt an imported comforter, feeling the expensive material beneath his calloused palm.

Now that he'd had a short while to collect himself from his earlier 'excitement' he was beginning to wonder if revealing his strange fascination to Charles was a good idea. Clearly the man had something planned.

Erik could only wonder what exactly that was.

Pausing outside the door to his bedroom, Charles put his fingers to his temple and closed his eyes. He concentrated, taking a moment to find Erik’s mind and assess the man’s mental state. A few seconds later, Charles entered the bedroom, sniffling and rubbing his left eye, clearly still suffering from his allergies.

“Hello,” he greeted Erik, pinching his nose and massaging an itch. “I do apologize if I embarrassed you. I didn’t mean to read your thoughts, but they were so very strong that I couldn’t help myself. And I don’t mind a bit of my own suffering if it brings you some pleasure.”

He approached the taller man, sliding a hand around Erik’s waist. He tipped his head upwards to kiss Erik but stopped at the last moment.

“Excuse me,” he said, turning his face away. “I have to...”

Ehh’tsCGHT!

He sneezed wetly to the side, misting Erik’s shoulder a little.

Oh, how things had changed.

A strong shiver rippled down Erik's spine as he framed one side of Charles' waist with his hand. He hadn't expected to dive right in, but since the other seemed so intent on beginning…well, he wouldn't complain.

His lips sought out Charles' then, kissing the man with enough intensity to convey his unspoken, yet understood desire.

Charles pressed his lips back, his bulbous, damp nose squishing against Erik’s own long and narrow one. The mental heat from the metal-shifter was so strong that Charles felt himself getting swept up in the excitement of it all.

“I, I,” he stammered against Erik’s lips, drawing himself back a little and turning his kisses to Erik’s neck. “I have to...”

He let his face press into the stubbled skin along Erik’s jaw, his nose trailing damp along the curve of the man’s neck.

“I have to sneeze,” he said in a desperate whine as his breath hitched inwards, rushing hot air along Erik’s skin.

Urhhh’tsGHTTT!

The sneeze burst wetly onto the skin with a warm mist but Charles’ beleaguered nose was not finished and he inhaled rapidly, hitching wildly as another sneeze gained momentum.

Huhhr...hehh...hurrr...ts’GHHHT!

The utter desperation and blatant loss of control was enough to have Erik hissing in unrestrained pleasure. His grip upon Charles' side grew tighter as he drew back for a second, but only enough to speak in the small space between them.

"If you keep doing that," he said, speaking in a low tone of voice. "I may not be able to stop myself…"

----

For those with adult board access, this story is continued here: http://www.sneezefetishforum.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=52196

Edited August 19, 2013 by Dusty15

[GeldingWest]

Gaaah! Holy cow I wish I could see the rest of this... Still this is awesome! *re-reads 5 more times*

[Anonymouse]

He sighed, knowing what was about to happen. Charles had a rather severe dust allergy.

And thus my giddy giggling begins and won't likely end until I finish reading this.

Most people just got drowsy from antihistamines, but Charles also had to deal with a barrage of thoughts and emotions from anyone within a two mile radius. He’d rather sneeze.

Trust me, we'd rather him sneeze too.

I love drama queen Raven and her cluelessness re: tea, and the fact that Charles seems to hoard the stuff like an addict.

Aw, Raven shifting when she sneezes.

"First sneeze of the cold," Raven replied, oozing sarcasm. "A dreaded milestone for all."

Excellent characterization with Raven. With all of them, actually. I love how uncomfortable Erik gets when Raven starts talking about sneezing/sickness.

He recalled nearly sending a taxi off the road during his travels once, due to an untimely, and untamable, fit of four.

Dead. Absolutely dead.

He pawed at his face, rubbing his nose and gritty eyes, frustrated.

Urhh’tsghtttttt! Huhhrr...ehhh’tsghhtt!

Pitching forward, he sneezed a double freely into the dusty air, spraying the cardboard boxes with a damp mist.

:dribble: !!!

"an attempt at a telepathic hug" This is bringing up so many feels re: Raven and Charles's relationship (and lack thereof in the future :\).

Love that little detail about sitting at the table feeling too "domestic" for Erik.

“Goodness,” he exclaimed as he sniffled back a stream of more watery allergic snot and blinked tears from his itchy eyes. “I always seem to sneeze in doubles. Strange thing, that.”

*squirms* We're not even onto the adult part yet and he's driving me crazy.

That part where Erik reveals how observant he really is when Charles sneezes. Photic triples? Yes PLEASE.

I love that Charles's sneezes wore him out. Cute delicate thing.

That stray animal analogy is perfect for Erik.

Barely recovered, he felt a very strange surge of emotions that made his toes curl involuntarily.

DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN that fit while they're making out... Time to read the adult board portion! I feel sorry for those who don't have access.

[SpookyScarySkeleton]

I can't explain how good this "role play" or however is. Amazing. Amazing just I can't explain..;o it felt so real. Thank you for writing this guys!:3

[Dusty15]

Anony, thanks for the epic play-by-play! I can't describe how happy it made me! :-D

And thanks so much to everyone else <3

@Madwonder, you'll just have to fill in the rest with your imagination

[Ciuty80]

this was SOOOO good!!! :drool:

[Meala]

this is amazing!! and i love how beautifully written it is! <3 gosh im kinda annoyed a bit that im not a member yet but i will do my best to become one and read the rest of it!

[Feta Sneeze]

I may need to push for Adult Board access for this...it's so terribly good!

[Bruyere]

I'm so glad that you three collaborated on this! I love the way you write these characters!

*Runs, does not walk, over to the next part*

[Dusty15]

Z-4ce- it's worth it!

Thanks to Bruyere, Ciuty, and Sneezelova! Glad you enjoyed!

Edited August 22, 2013 by Dusty15

[phoenix]

I read this when it first came out, but decided to wait until I had time to write a response that really did it justice. So! Here we are.

(Note: If you can believe it, I used to have more block quotes, but the software informed me that I was over my quote quota, haha. I'm sure the pared-down version will express my enthusiasm just as well.)

He sighed, knowing what was about to happen. [...] This room was more on the attic-scale realm of dust, with the mannequins themselves each coated in a thin, grey film. The disintegrating cardboard boxes were equally dust-coated and likely mildewy.

I love his resignation in the face of the inevitable. And the sheer magnitude of the problem. Yes.

The allergens were settling deep in his sinuses, causing him to sniff every few seconds to prevent his nose from dripping. And of course, sniffing only allowed more dust particles deeper up into his afflicted nose in a maddening catch-22 situation.

He pawed at his face, rubbing his nose and gritty eyes, frustrated.

Urhh’tsghtttttt! Huhhrr...ehhh’tsghhtt!

Pitching forward, he sneezed a double freely into the dusty air, spraying the cardboard boxes with a damp mist.

Guh. As you may have guessed, I have a Thing for Charles sneezing openly, probably because it doesn't seem like something he'd do in company (especially with wiping his nose on his sleeve a moment later!)... it feels voyeuristic. :-)

He wanted to tell Charles that, no, he didn't just sneeze in doubles. He also sneezed in triples when the sunlight caught him the right way, or, in one special case, a rare quadruple that had Erik wanting to shove his closest companion against a wall and shamelessly ravish him on the spot.

Ahhhh, he has all that information filed away. Though I would, too, if I were him.

As aware of Charles was of his own allergies, he certainly didn’t go out of his way to avoid them.

And we're grateful for it. :-)

The sneezes were twice as spraying and irritated than his previous ones, and they didn’t stop with a double. As he was about to move his arm away from his nose, a third burst out, equally ticklish. [...] Raven suddenly found herself gasping a few times before burying her face in her comforter, grateful, at least, this time she didn’t have to worry about maintaining her appearance.

Both of them sneezing in quick succession is great.

Mouth open, he squinted upwards, face suspended in a frozen pre-sneeze expression. He reached blindly for his napkin and held it at the ready. After a few painful seconds, he tilted his head forward, sneezing harshly into the paper.

Love this visual.

of course he’d left that very ring downstairs in the door of the very dusty storeroom.

*grins wickedly*

His voice quivered and he rolled to his side, curling his knees towards his chest as he sneezed, not once, not twice, but a fit of six.

Ehhh...heh’tschtt! ‘tsGHXTT! Ehh...heh’tsghHHTT! T’sght! Tsshh’ghhht!! Hehhh.....ehh... ehhh’TSGHXTTT!

In the words of Tumblr: *dies and is dead.*

He tipped his head upwards to kiss Erik but stopped at the last moment.

“Excuse me,” he said, turning his face away. “I have to...”

Ehh’tsCGHT!

He sneezed wetly to the side, misting Erik’s shoulder a little.

*having recovered a bit, promptly swoons again.*

"If you keep doing that," he said, speaking in a low tone of voice. "I may not be able to stop myself…"

Oh man, I cannot wait until I have access to the rest. Phew.

... Okay, I feel like I've adequately expressed my appreciation of this fic, haha. Since you brought up your other epic co-written projects, let me express my undying love of "Partners in Misery" in particular. You guys have a great thing going. :-D

[Dusty15]

Oh my goodness, Phoenix! Thanks for the play-by-play! I love NOTHING more than this kind of amazing feedback and I'm sure the other girls will feel the same way