Survival of the Fittest (X-Men: First Class, M/F) 9/9 [Complete!]

[Spoo]

Dusty: Thank you! I really love that AnonyMouse and I paid attention to everyone and made sure they got some love. THEY'RE JUST ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY OKAY. *Sobs*

Renny: Hahaha! We're thrilled that you're enjoying it.

This here is probably my favorite installment, just because a lot of funny stuff happens. You start to feel bad for Erik and then realize that maybe you should feel bad for Darwin instead.

Survival of the Fittest

Part 6

by AnonyMouse and Spoo

Erik hadn't expected to nearly run smack dab into Charles before he could reach his bedroom. The telepath seemed to be in a hurry, which automatically peaked his interest. Had something happened? The metal-bender's eyebrows came together in a look of curiosity. Though, said look of curiosity quickly dissolved before he could ask anything. His breath hitched, his eyes fluttered shut, and he turned away to bend and sneeze openly towards the floor.

"'Eh'IDSSCHHhuuih!"

Very loud. Very aggressive. Very Erik.

He recovered with a sharp sniff, which was further aided by knuckling his itchy nose. The cat was obviously still affecting him, and it irritated him that the reaction was starting up once more. Of course it would have only taken minutes of exposure to set him off again... Well, at least the damn thing was outside where it belonged.

"Did you come up here to look for me?" Erik asked.

Charles blanched, taking on the complexion of a steamed cauliflower. He had not yet decided whether or not he wanted to tell Erik that he was actually upstairs looking for Darwin, but in that split-second of frozenness he determined that dishonesty was the best policy in this situation.

"I'm looking for Sean," he replied. "He left a bit of a mess behind in the kitchen." It wasn't entirely untrue, and he hoped it was a convincing enough story to satisfy Erik's inquiry. "I'm sorry about Raven," he added. "She can be a bit...difficult."

Charles smirked humorlessly at what was probably the biggest understatement to ever leave his mouth, though he had a feeling Erik didn't find Raven's defiance amusing. And now that Charles could see what her bringing the cat back inside was doing to Erik, he didn't find it very amusing either.

"Really though," he continued, his expression more serious now. "I truly am sorry for her behavior."

"You shouldn't apologize for her," the taller mutant countered. "She's capable of making her own choices and accepting the consequences of her actions."

Maturity, however, was a whole separate thing, and it was clear that Raven needed work on that, but it didn't seem necessary for Charles to mop up his sister's messes. She was her own person, after all, and Erik firmly believed that it was time for her to start handling her situations.

But enough was enough about that.

"I haven't seen Sean," Erik tossed in. "Unless he came upstairs after I...hh..."

The same faraway look reentered his expression, implying that his cat allergy was much more severe than it had been prior to Darwin's reintroduction - a reality that annoyed Erik greatly. He turned away from Charles again and breathed out a hitching exhalation.

His eyes watered as the sensation increased, and soon it became more than he could honestly contain. Not one, but two sneezes barreled out of him and echoed down the long hallway.

"EH'KTSCHHhhish!--huh'EGSCHHhhuuih!"

Something unseen rattled in the walls, displaying the sheer loss of control Erik's sneezes tended to cause. Well, control or no control he was incredibly irritated by the increasing consistency of his symptoms, but that much was obvious by the string of German swears that left his mouth.

"What was that?" Charles asked in lieu of his usual polite 'bless you,' in reference to that metal clanking behind the walls.

He had a feeling he already knew the answer. All his life he saw it in Raven and, more recently, Sean and Alex. Distractions and moments of lost or weakened control meant bad news for their mutations. He could recall several instances just in the past year where Raven, distracted either by a sneeze, like Erik, or something else, like Charles flirting with a stranger, lost control and shifted her appearance. It was more of an inconvenience than anything, but in a mutant as powerful as Erik it had the potential to be dangerous.

"The piping," Erik answered, sniffing back whatever was trying to drip out of his twitching nostrils. "And if we're lucky, it'll stay in the wahh…walls." In order to prevent another damn sneeze from coming out, he reached up with his entire hand and rubbed the bulb of his nose into the center of his palm in quick, relieving circles.

He needed to do something about it. Actually, he'd do anything to clear him up at this point. Sniffling again, he looked at Charles and then started to walk off.

"I'm going to take another shower," Erik stated. "Any more of this and I'll destroy the damn house."

And he was only half-kidding about that. The other half was shockingly accurate and something he felt it best not to elaborate on. Charles didn't need to know the serious damage a violent sneezing fit could cause if Erik wasn't careful about it.

Charles sighed as Erik walked away. If Raven would only just listen for once, he thought.

He shook his head. What was done was done, and the only thing he could do now was find the cat that may or may not have been hiding somewhere in the house. He strode off in the opposite direction of Erik's room, squinting at the shadows for signs of movement. Perhaps he could lure the cat out somehow...

Since he was already heading downstairs and towards the kitchen, he decided to stop at the pantry to see if he could find any tuna. He was using the can opener to shovel the chunks of fish onto a plate when Alex and Sean entered the kitchen, the latter holding a hand over his freckled cheek.

"We found Darwin," Alex announced, and Charles felt the relief wash over him too soon.

"Found being the key word," Sean added, removing his hand to reveal a bloody scratch mark. "Lost being another."

Charles frowned, abandoning the plate of tuna to run a hand towel under the sink and walk it over to Sean. "Did you happen to see where he went?" he asked as the redhead pressed the damp towel against his bleeding cheek.

Both boys shook their heads somberly.

"We're thinking he's upstairs somewhere since that's the last place we saw him," Sean added. "Which is bad, because Erik's up there, soooo..."

"So unless we find Darwin," Alex continued. "We're all screwed."

There was always the possibility of Erik being the one to find Darwin (unintentionally, of course) but that would have added further misfortune on their plate. Especially if there was a cat allergy involved. Then they'd have an even bigger mess to deal with.

A sudden groan from the house's internal structure had Sean looking up towards the second level. He blinked and glanced back at Charles, pointing towards the ceiling. "Uhhhh..."

Charles was too busy staring at the ceiling himself to notice Sean. In addition to the creaking metal organs of the house (courtesy of yet another one of Erik's sneezes) he could hear the water running. "Erik said he'd be in the shower," he explained. "Now would probably be an opportune time to check upstairs."

Charles hoped the plate of tuna would give them an advantage. Shoving it into Sean's hands, he led the way up the staircase to the second floor. They checked the hallways, peeking into each closet and each room that wasn't locked. Most of these rooms hadn't seen the light of day in years. The air was stale and everything was coated in a layer of dust. Charles imagined if the cat had managed to slip into one of these rooms there would be pawprints in the dust.

They were checking a musty old closet when Charles saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye, but it was just Raven trotting down the hallway, looking eager to get somewhere. Her pace and her smile fell when she saw Charles, who turned calmly towards her, folding his arms. To her, his quiet disappointment was more unbearable than if he had just gotten angry and yelled at her.

"Looking for Darwin?" she asked, knowing full well what the answer was.

"Yes, and I suggest you start helping," Charles said, twitching at the sound of something clanking in the wall further down the hallway. 'Erik's allergic,' he added telepathically.

"Well, he should have said something," Raven mumbled, more to herself than the others around her.

"Heeeeeere, kitty kitty," Sean coaxed, continuing to poke around the darkest corners of the closet. Alex had given up with that location and proceeded to another cat-friendly outlet. No one had said anything about it, but finding Darwin felt like it had become a legitimate contest, and the first person to find him won a prize or something.

A few minutes later, a door opened at the opposite end of the hallway. Erik emerged from the bathroom with a veil of steam surrounding his tall frame. He seemed intent on returning to his room, for he paid no mind to anything or anyone else. His bedroom door closed loudly, implying that he didn't wish to be bothered; it was unclear if the shower had helped any, but judging by the sounds and shifts of the house, it was fair to assume that he was still being tormented by their hiding guest.

Charles had frowned as Erik slammed his door. He didn't remember hearing him open it and wondered, idly, if he really left his bedroom door open while he was in the shower. Erik didn't seem the type to --

He paused, standing up and glancing down the hallway towards Erik's room. If Erik had left the door open, it was very possible that the cat had gone in there. Throat dry, charles glanced at the others, but they were too preoccupied with pushing aside boxes of old clothes and making kissing sounds to get Darwin's attention to notice Charles' distress. The last thing he wanted to do right now was disturb Erik, but he was afraid he had no choice. It wasn't right to keep the other mutant out of the loop at this point.

And so, Charles made his way down the hallway to Erik's room, clearing his throat softly as he knocked on the door. "Erik, do you have a minute?"

A response wasn't immediate, but soon the door opened by itself. Erik was seated on his bed, his hand outstretched, implying that he'd relied on his mutation to grant Charles entry rather than physically turning the doorknob himself.

If he had looked bad before, then Erik looked downright awful now. His eyes were notably swollen around the edges, and his sclerae were completely bloodshot. His nose was a red, angry thing that was in constant motion; it twitched, sniffed, and scrunched all within seconds of each other.

"What is it?" he asked, his feral gaze on Charles. He wasn't in the mood for visitors at the moment, and he would have much rather gone to bed than continued to suffer while he was still conscious.

Charles was rendered temporarily speechless by the other mutant's appearance. After a moment he broke the silence to make an observation, though he suspected his dry humor would be less than appreciated. "I suppose that shower wasn't much help then."

Erik looked much, much worse than he did just twenty minutes ago, which all but confirmed the cat was at least on this floor, if not in this very room. But where was he hiding? Charles did a visual scan of the room, then decided to try something a little unorthodox. Pressing his fingers lightly against the side of his head, he tried to merge his consciousness with that of the cat. For a brief moment he saw darkness, but just as quickly as it came it dissolved back into the scene before him: Erik hunched over on his bed looking miserable.

"I'm afraid I may have some more bad news," Charles continued, smiling nervously.

As if things could possibly get any worse, Erik thought bitterly, reaching up to scrub at his itching nose with a curled knuckle.

Nonetheless, he opted to humor Charles' statement. He opened his mouth to ask what this "bad news" could have possibly been, but in the process his body decided it didn't want to speak. No, it wanted to cater to a much more pressing urge.

A shivering breath left his parted lips while his inflamed eyelids fluttered shut. His red nostrils flared and his chest expanded in a single great gulp of air before the allergic maelstrom made itself known.

"EH'IDSSCHHHhhhuih!"

The coils in the mattress sprung dangerously, though that was nothing compared to the nearby lamp (which shot off the nightstand and clambered onto the floor). Erik hardly noticed, because he was far too busy gearing up for another one of the explosive releases. Only, this time he attempted suppression to avoid further destruction.

"Ngh'KTSCH-xt!...hh'IGHhh-gkt!"

It worked, thankfully, and there was no more than a thrumming tremble from the metallic objects surrounding him. Surfacing from the tight steeple of hands that had smothered the powerful sneezes, he looked at Charles - eyes and nose equally streaming - and suddenly understood.

"It's inside again..."

TBC.

Edited April 8, 2014 by Spoo

[Dusty15]

Guh.

SWOON.

I have no more to say.

[Anonymouse]

I got all ready to post

but I realized I was a tad bit premature... so everyone who reads the next chapter, just keep in mind, it enhances the experience if you play the Benny Hill Theme Song in the background.

In fact, it might even work for this chapter too! But trust me, it was definitely going through my head when we wrote the next part.

Thank you again, Spoo, for editing this massive conglomerate of stuff into a story even I am narcissistically looking forward to seeing updated every other day or so!

Thanks again too to everyone who has been reading and/or commenting!

[SneezeyLove]

Ah! No! I want to read more now! Poor Erik. Your "haven" was equal amounts of awkward and adorable, and I quite enjoyed it. I also like that you've included other people sneezing. (Particularly Charles' delicious allergic fit... I wouldn't mind seeing more of that in the future...) Wonderful work, I look forward to the next installment!

[Garnet]

Aw man, mutants + loss of control over powers = my very favorite thing. I'm loving this, even if it's been a long time since I was active in X-Men fandom. Much nostalgia <3

[Jorm]

Aw man, mutants + loss of control over powers = my very favorite thing. I'm loving this, even if it's been a long time since I was active in X-Men fandom. Much nostalgia <3

What she said! Sneezes causing someone with superhuman powers to lose control of them is ridiculously hot.

[March Hare]

OMG awesome. No time for more right now but OMFG.

[Renny]

HSDFFHFS

Erik ohmygahhhhh

I'm so excited to read the rest of this!

Edited April 9, 2014 by Renny

[AngelEyes]

EEEEEEP!!!! Fabulous!

[Spoo]

Allow me to say a collective "THANK YOU!" to everyone who's left such lovely comments. AnonyMouse and I appreciate it more than you know. Here we have another update, but this one - along with the one that follows - will come with a warning (I'll be sure to emphasize the warning with the next update as well). For those of you who are uncomfortable with vomiting or anything surrounding this, be warned that there WILL be mentions of it.

That aside, things get a little serious in this installment. A bit sad, too.

Survival of the Fittest

Part 7

by AnonyMouse and Spoo

It's inside again.

"He never went back out," Charles said quietly, correcting Erik's statement.

He felt that he didn't need to explain it any further. Erik was there, he'd deduce on his own that Raven dropped the cat before leaving the house to make her statement.

"The problem now," Charles continued, as Erik processed that bit of information, "is that we don't know where he went. If you want any relief we'll need to check your room and make sure he isn't in here." As he spoke, Charles gestured questioningly towards the slightly open closet, silently asking permission to check it for Darwin.

An irritable sound left Erik's throat as he stood up from the bed and marched over to the closet. Were the door made of metal he would have ripped the damn thing off the hinges, but since it was wood he settled for a harsh opening instead. He glared inside accusingly and moved things around with his hand; he even manipulated the coat hangers to slide themselves out of the way so he could see better.

"It's not in here," he grumbled.

With a wet and itchy sniffle, he pulled back and looked around his room to see where else the creature could have been hiding. It couldn't have fit under his dresser, or under the nightstand, so that left his bed as the solitary culprit. Walking back over, Erik did something rather extraordinary: He extended his hand, took hold of the springs in the mattress, and actually lifted it (sheets, comforter, and pillows) towards the ceiling. All that was left was the bed frame on the floor, and...something else.

Something furry. Something...hissing.

Charles saw a pair of glowing eyes peering out from the shadow the floating mattress was casting. He held still, so as not to startle Darwin, then slowly advanced towards him; he braced himself for the inevitable scratching that was bound to happen.

The mattress wasn't heavy, and it didn't take much effort to keep it hovering while Charles tried to get the cat. Erik watched as the animal backed up defensively and even growled as the telepath crept towards him, but his gaze soon went unfocused when a poorly timed, eye-watering tickle skittered its way against his sensitive nasal membranes.

He tried to suffocate the sensation by crushing his nose into his shoulder and giving it a few thorough rubs. Unfortunately, that did little to help. If anything, it catalyzed the reaction and had Erik quickly realizing that he stood no chance at making it go away.

He was going to...

"Ch--hhh!" The warning broke off into an audible inhale. Two more followed - each one sharper and deeper than the last - before the barrier of restraint snapped entirely. "EHD'TSCHHHhhhuih!"

Two things happened then: The mattress in Erik's control collapsed onto the floor on its side, and the cat, ridiculously startled by the impact, shot out of the room faster than a bat out of hell. The miserable mutant couldn't even bemoan the unfair escape because he was sneezing again and again until the invisible feather up his nose decided that it wanted to dislodge itself.

"EH'KTSCHHHhhh!...EH'ISCHHHhhuih!"

Charles froze for a moment, not sure whether to pursue the cat, attend to Erik, or address the issue of the misplaced furniture. Composing himself, he prioritized his tasks - cat, Erik, furniture - and was preparing to broadcast a message to the younger mutants when he heard the commotion in the hallway. He could hear squeals, shouts of "Get him!" and heavy footsteps as the kids scrambled to grab the cat.

'Whoever catches Darwin gets to sleep in an hour early,' Charles told them all telepathically, in case they needed any extra incentive aside from not having the house collapse on them. Which is exactly what Charles feared would happen if Erik continued on like this.

Stepping over the mattress that had fallen between them, he took Erik's arm and gently guided him to the armchair in the corner of the room. "Sit," he said firmly, keeping one hand on Erik as he patted his pockets with the other.

Pulling out a handkerchief, he forced it into Erik's hands. "Here."

Erik couldn't tell what was happening, seeing as he was still caught in an awful sneezy limbo, but he'd felt his body being guided and put in a chair, and then something being thrust into his hand. He managed to glance up at Charles through watery, squinty eyes before he utilized the handkerchief and buried the lower part of his face into it.

"EH'KSCHHHhmmff!"

Nearby, the empty bed frame curled in on itself with a horrid screeching noise. The metal-bender made a mental note to fix it once he got his rebelling nose under control (something he was attempting to do by blowing it). The stimulation was almost enough to coax yet another sneeze out, but luckily for him the gasping hitches died down into nothing more than shivering, unproductive breaths.

Allergic tears clung to his long eyelashes, and what didn't cling trailed down his cheekbones. He could only imagine how utterly pathetic he appeared. The weakness, the vulnerability. And Charles was yet again around to witness all of it.

Wonderful.

It took every last bit of strength Charles had not to take back the handkerchief and tend to the tears rolling down Erik's flushed cheeks. The image of Erik, so weak and helpless, was heartbreaking to him. He could sense without either of them saying a thing that this was a massive blow to the older mutant's ego, so Charles forced himself to back off a bit, finaly removing his hand from Erik's arm.

"You're probably not going to like what I'm about to suggest," he said, "but I've got some antihistamines in my medicine cabinet. I really think you should try to take some."

He left the decision up to Erik - Charles wasn't going to force him to do anything - but he hoped the other man would at least consider his suggestion. As if to strengthen his case, Charles glanced over at the bed, observing the damage done to the antique metal bedframe.

Medicine.

The very word was enough to rouse the small hairs on the back of Erik's neck. During his time in the camps, he was often given experimental drugs by either Shaw or his Nazi associates. There were some tablets that did nothing to him and had no effect whatsoever. And there were others that made him writhe and vomit - sometimes so badly that he was reduced to a sobbing, crumpled heap on the filthy floor.

Of course, he knew that the medication Charles was offering him was what he said it was; it wouldn't bring him harm. However, that didn't necessarily remedy his traumatization. He doubted that anything could. The memories were too strong, the pain far too vivid.

Without responding, he looked at the ruined bed frame and extended his hand in an attempt to fix what he'd done. The metal moved on its accord, bending back into place (though not perfectly). There were a few irreparable ridges and bumps, yet it wasn't something that would prevent the mattress from going back on. And speaking of that...

He guided the fallen piece back into place and settled it on the frame again. Aside from the covers and sheets being rumpled and strewn off the side, the bed appeared in one piece again.

"I don't know," Erik finally answered, referring to the solution he'd been presented with.

"Do you think you might be able to manage without them?" Charles asked, sitting tentatively on the newly restored mattress. "You seem to have recovered a bit."

Erik's nose and eyes were still streaming, and he was breathing in soft wheezes, but at least he'd stopped sneezing long enough to speak. Still, Charles would have liked to see him take the medicine, if only to put him to sleep and help him forget this unpleasant evening for a few hours.

"For now," Erik quipped, knowing that it was only a matter of time before the sneezing started up again.

In fact, he could already feel a pinprick of a tickle forming in his right nostril, and it frustrated him beyond words were capable of conveying. This was maddening.

The better option would have been to just take the damn medicine, but it was a resolve that wouldn't be easily broken. It would require a large amount of surrender on his part, as well as trust. The last thing he needed was to lose himself in a memory and inadvertently target his rage on Charles.

And yet...maybe...if he was careful...

"Show me where they are."

Charles gestured for Erik to follow, though not too emphatically - he was afraid that moving too suddenly might startle the other mutant into changing his mind. "Follow me," he said, opening the door and peering out into the hallway to make sure it was cat-free before proceeding.

His room was on the same floor, but down a different wing, so it was a short walk to get there, during which they did not encounter any cats or young mutants. At least not before arriving at Charles's room. When Charles rounded the corner he found Sean standing outside of his room, rubbing fervently at his eyes with the palms of both hands.

"Sean?" he asked loudly, so as to alert Erik, who was a few paces behind him, that they had company. He wasn't so sure Erik would want any of the kids seeing him in this state. Not that Sean was looking much better.

"Do you have, like..." the redhead asked, still rubbing his red, teary eyes with one hand and gesturing with the other as he tried to come up with the word. "Anti... hister... allergy medicine?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Charles replied, smiling a bit. "This is perfect. You can be my Guinea pig."

"Your what?" Sean queried, allowing himself to be herded into Charles' room.

Well, at least Erik wasn't alone in his torment anymore (though Sean's reaction was comparatively nothing to the monstrous symptoms Erik was presently experiencing). Erik walked with the other two to wherever Charles happened to be leading them and trailed behind purposely.

It may have been ridiculous of him, but he had decided to keep the handkerchief pressed to the lower part of his face while crossing through the halls. He'd inhaled enough dander to last him a lifetime, and he had no interest in upping the ante in that unpleasant area.

"I take it this is Darwin's doing?" Charles assumed, opening the medicine cabinet and smiling wryly. "You didn't tell us you were also allergic."

"I thought if I said something you'd make us give him away," Sean said, a bit sullenly.

Erik snorted.

"I'm surprised you still want to keep him, after that," Charles replied, frowning at the fresh cut on Sean's arm. "Looks like you had another unsuccessful encounter."

He rummaged through the cabinet for peroxide, cotton balls, and Band-Aids, then poured two of the antihistamine pills onto his palm.

"Perfectly safe antihistamines," Charles announced, passing them to Sean, who looked at him strangely before swallowing them dry.

Erik said nothing as he eyed the white capsules warily. They seemed harmless enough - small, chalky - but his apprehension about taking medicine continued to weigh heavily on his shoulders.

That and he didn't think he could actually take something with Sean being around to watch.

It was hard enough showing weakness in front of Charles, but doing it in front of someone much younger than him, as well as someone they were supposed to be mentoring? It didn't settle well with him at all, which is why he glanced at the telepath uncomfortably.

"Take these with you," Charles said, shoving the rest of the supplies into Sean's arms. "I'm sure you'll be needing them."

Sean clutched the items to his chest and left quickly, dropping the cotton swabs on the way out without stopping to pick them back up. Retrieving another dose, Charles held the white pills out to Erik, smiling at him reassuringly.

"I recommend taking them with water."

The handkerchief was finally lowered away from Erik's face as he stared at the tablets in Charles' hand. He had encountered many fearful things throughout his lifetime, and yet here he was, feeling ridiculously unnerved by something so small and insignificant. It made him feel even weaker than he already was.

Eyebrows furrowing, he started to lift a hand to accept the pills into his possession, but the whims of his protesting nose seized him then, as it had been all night. This, however, was an interruption he'd gladly accept, if only because it prolonged the inevitable.

Turning away from Charles, he sneezed against, but not into, his shoulder. "HH'EKSCHHHHhuih!"

Behind them, the shower and its contents rattled and a few stray droplets of water leaked from the jostled faucet. He sniffed mightily and returned to the scene before him, which hadn't changed.

Reluctantly, he took the medicine into his palm. This wasn't something he could manipulate; he held no power over the capsules. They sat lifelessly on his skin - pale and ominous. His esophagus tightened reflexively, forcing him to swallow.

He didn't think he could go through with it.

TBC.

Edited April 9, 2014 by Spoo

[Dusty15]

Ohhh ERIK <3 <3 Poor thing! Gosh…so afraid and miserable, yet trying to be so stoic.

This, in particular, totally ruined me:

Allergic tears clung to his long eyelashes, and what didn't cling trailed down his cheekbones. He could only imagine how utterly pathetic he appeared. The weakness, the vulnerability. And Charles was yet again around to witness all of it.

Wonderful.

It took every last bit of strength Charles had not to take back the handkerchief and tend to the tears rolling down Erik's flushed cheeks. The image of Erik, so weak and helpless, was heartbreaking to him. He could sense without either of them saying a thing that this was a massive blow to the older mutant's ego, so Charles forced himself to back off a bit, finaly removing his hand from Erik's arm.

I'm gonna need some major Charles-taking-care-of-Erik sweetness next for this!

[AngelEyes]

Gah!!! I am wordless. This is just so much......

[Jorm]

That was without question the best part yet. *wibbles* Aaaaaaah, allergy fitting Erik.... MOAR! MUST HAVE MOAR!

[Renny]

That last part had me hanging on the edge of my seat omfg like seriously I was like "SJDAKJFJKSADFKJALSDFJKAF WHERE IS THE KITTY IS ERIK GOING TOS;DKFHSAJDKFASKDJFSDKJLFALSJDK"

ah, how i love this!

[Spoo]

Dusty: One Charles-taking-care-of-Erik sweetness! Coming right up!

AngelEyes: Awww! We hope you're not too overwhelmed, hehe.

Ouroboros: HERE! HAVE MOAR!

Renny: Darwin is out of control! ...Juuuust like Erik is. But seriously, that poor cat is beyond traumatized, omg.

Alas, my loves. This is the second to last chapter. But never fear! AnonyMouse and I may have more in store for all of you mutant lovers out there~ Now then, allow me to bring up the warning that I did in the last installment: There WILL be mentions of vomiting, gagging, and so forth in this! If that makes you feel uncomfortable in any shape, way, or form it's probably best that you don't read.

Otherwise, have some more Cherik fluffiness!

Survival of the Fittest

Part 8

by AnonyMouse and Spoo

This officially marked the first time Charles had ever seen Erik look so unsure of something. "I'll be right here," he said softly, reassuringly, as he reached forward to gently squeeze Erik's arm. "I'll make sure you're alright."

He met those watery, red eyes for about two seconds before looking away and grabbing a paper cup, which he then filled halfway with cold water from the sink.

"Even if you choose not to take them, at least have some water."

Erik had to agree with Charles' statement concerning a drink; his throat was starting to hurt from all of the harsh sneezing he was doing. Therefore, he took the cup and sipped at it slowly before he channeled all of his unease into a single pressing task. Before he could think to do otherwise, he opened his mouth, set the pills on his tongue, and then drowned them with what was left in the cup. He didn't swallow right away, even when he tilted his head back, but his Adam's apple eventually bobbed.

It was done. He set the cup onto the counter and released an awkward breath, having convinced himself that he had succeeded. Unfortunately, that notion abruptly shattered when his body decided it wanted absolutely nothing to do with what it'd been fed.

A sickly paleness claimed Erik's face, draining it of color entirely. He quickly grabbed onto either side of the sink, his fingers gripping the porcelain basin so tightly that it may as well have crumbled in his grip. His stomach convulsed once, twice, and it made him gag. Memories from a darker time surfaced, blinding him, as he tried to get through the crippling reaction.

He could practically hear Shaw's manipulative voice, as though the man were there and speaking into his ear, telling him to keep the pills down, to not vomit, to think of the reward he'd get for being such a good boy.

Erik's delayed reaction was something Charles had anticipated happening, so he was prepared to do his best to handle the situation. "You're fine, Erik," he said in a low, soothing voice, rubbing his hand up and down the other mutant's trembling back. "Just relax..."

A moment later he pressed the middle and forefinger of his unoccupied hand lightly against his temple, his other hand now moving in slow circles against Erik's back. He felt it was dangerous to dig into Erik's subconscious at this particular time, even just to pull up one of his more pleasant memories, but he didn't see any harm in sharing one of his own. It was recent, last week in fact, when he and Erik were rounding up the last of their recruits on their tour of the east coast.

They were lying wrapped up in each other on one of the two twin beds in their motel room, pleasantly buzzed on boxed wine and cheap beer. The television was on, but muted, so all Charles could hear was the sound of Erik breathing. It was one of the few times Erik had let his guard down since they met, and Charles caught a brief glimpse of the emotions that existed behind that stoic facade.

Charles put his focus into recalling the absolute sense of serenity he felt while he was falling asleep that night. He bundled all of it up - the comfortable heat of their bodies, the soft mattress, the feelings of belonging and security and something fond and unidentifiable - and let it tumble over Erik like warm laundry fresh out of the dryer. He moved his hand up to stroke his fingers through Erik's still slightly damp hair, making soft shushing sounds as the mutant's body spasmed.

And just like that, there was a glimpse of light in what seemed like eternal darkness.

Erik felt his fear, his discomfort, and everything that was associated with negativity fade into the void of his mind. Yet again Charles had saved him and brought him back to the surface from the dark, chaotic depths of his past.

It took a few more solid breaths to calm down, but soon enough - and when it became apparent that he wasn't going to empty his stomach - the taller mutant slowly released the sink. Circulation happily started up in his fingers, filling his bleached knuckles with color again. Continuing to pant softly, he turned his torso to face Charles.

He didn't say anything. He never did. All Charles received was a throbbing forehead on his shoulder, courtesy of an exhausted and unstable Erik.

"Well done," Charles praised him, smiling against the top of Erik's damp head and scratching his fingertips lightly across his skin. "It will be worth it, trust me... I promise you'll be feeling better in no time."

Erik was warm and heavy in his arms, and Charles found himself struggling to support him. He maneuvered himself onto the closed lid of the toilet seat, wrapping his arms around the other mutant's shoulders and burying his face in his clean-smelling hair. They stayed like that for a moment, Erik partially kneeling, with his face turned into Charles's shoulder, their bodies pressed together and the telepath still gently massaging Erik's back with one hand. His other hand was intertwined with the fingers of Erik's left hand, though he could not recall who initiated the contact. Not that it mattered anyway; neither of them seemed to mind it. Erik had a firm grip, but Charles was finding that he liked having his hand held tightly.

After a while, Charles nudged Erik gently, coaxing him to look up. "Perhaps you'd be more comfortable back in your room?" he asked, his hand going tingly and numb in Erik's powerful grasp.

Erik shook his head, suggesting that he wouldn't be comfortable in his room that night. He would have taken the basement - or even a separate bedroom entirely. Just one where the cat hadn't been most frequently. He had medicine in him now (he shuddered at the reality of that statement) but he still held no desire to revisit any space where the animal had inhabited.

Sniffling very softly, he gazed into Charles bright blue eyes. He released the hand in his grip, feeling that he'd held it for long enough. He may have been expressing an uncontrollable weakness at the moment, but he was beginning to escape the poisonous restraints of his mind. He was piecing himself back together again.

"You're more than welcome to stay here. Well, not here," Charles said, in reference to the bathroom. "Unless you find this space particularly comfortable, but we can move out to the bedroom if you'd like."

The whole fiasco left Charles feeling drained, and he could only imagine how much worse Erik was feeling. He hoped the Benadryl would kick in soon and relieve every last trace of discomfort, both physical and emotional. Chances were it would start working pretty quickly, since it had been years since Erik last took medicine. Charles wanted to get him to the bed or the couch before he started feeling too sleepy.

It was unclear if Erik heard Charles; he didn't exactly respond right away. Eventually, though, he gathered himself back into a proper stand and started to make his way out of the bathroom. His nose seemed to be behaving for the time being, which was good, and he hoped that whatever was in him would now keep it that way.

Upon seeing the large and no doubt comfortable bed, Erik decided to forgo it entirely and choose the couch as his place of lounging. It was a bit strange - having both a bed and couch in a bedroom - but anything was possible in the Xavier mansion, it seemed.

The rooms were large enough to fit several couches in addition to the king bed, so why not have one? It gave Charles a comfortable place to work that wasn't his desk or his bed; he found that reading and working in bed made it harder for him to get to sleep at night. Like Erik, he generally preferred lying on the couch if falling sleep wasn't the ultimate goal.

Nevertheless, Charles followed Erik back into the bedroom and joined him on the couch, but not before grabbing a few extra handkerchiefs from the bedside drawer. Settling on the couch beside Erik, he wrapped his arms around him and gently drew him close.

- - -

What was intended to be a relaxation session had turned into something much more intimate when Erik eventually felt the full effects of the medicine Charles had given him. A powerful drowsiness had settled over him like a cozy blanket, slowing his movements, his thoughts, his everything. He had only been able to remain upright for so long before his body decided it wanted to lay down.

Thus, Erik's head found its way into Charles' lap. His cheek was pressed into the younger man's thigh, seeking an uncharacteristic comfort. He would, of course, never admit to doing this, or bring it up in the future. It was acceptable for the time being and that was that.

"Mmm," he hummed, blinking his puffy eyes sluggishly.

Charles snorted softly, having drifted off, when he felt Erik shift languidly in his lap. Rubbing his own eyes with the heel of his hand, he combed the fingers of the other through the tuft of hair that was sticking up from the other mutant's head and smiled. Erik looked so sweet sprawled across his legs, trying so hard to keep his eyes open.

This was the first time all day Charles was able to just sit and relax without interruption, and now he was realizing how tired he was. He stifled a yawn against his fist, then moved the hand that was stroking Erik's hair down to rub his back.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice a bit hoarse from his short nap.

"Drugged," Erik muttered. "But I'm not causing any damage, so maybe it's for the better that I remain this way." In all honesty, he had no control over what he was saying anymore. It almost felt as though he were drunk, yet there was no nausea involved. Just weightlessness and a lack of verbal filter.

Looking up, the metal-bender gazed into Charles' face and regarded him through eyelids that were half open. He squinted slightly, as if concentrating, prior to lifting a hand to brush his fingertips against the younger man's mouth. Charles' lips were always flushed, no matter what he was doing. They were alluring in that way, and Erik felt strongly encouraged to pull his companion down into a kiss.

Perhaps he would have, yet something deterred the woozy mutant. His nose twitched and catered to a sneeze that must have been left over.

Only--

"ISSCHHHhhish!"

--it was nowhere near as destructive. Replacing the strength and volume of his usual releases was something softer and voiceless; it was merely air and a damp rush - nothing more - followed by a series of slow, spaced out sniffles.

Charles had recognized the expression that typically preceded Erik's sneezes (by now he was quite familiar with it) and braced himself for the inevitable explosion. Fortunately the medication, in addition to making the older mutant calmer and more complacent, also seemed to take the oomph out of his sneezes. Charles hoped it would have stopped the allergic symptoms altogether, but it was better than nothing, and Erik didn't seem to be suffering as badly as before.

Though it did seem Erik was too doped up to remember his manners, or perhaps he was just too tired to care. Charles had shivered at the warm rush of damp air against his belly, muffled by the fabric of his sweater, before he smiled down at Erik, resting the palm of his hand against his cheek and stroking his thumb tenderly over the tip of Erik's nose.

"If you needed a handkerchief, you needed only ask," he teased.

"When have I ever asked you for anything?" Erik droned, shutting his eyes. Whether he intended to or not, he found himself rubbing into the touch. His nose was itchy and Charles' thumb was conveniently already there. "This is why there can't be a cat in the house."

It was something he'd already stated, but repetition was inevitable given how loopy he was. Sniffing again, he moved a little closer so that his forehead was successfully pressed into Charles' soft abdomen; he stayed like that, breathing quietly, until it was obvious that he'd slipped into a medicated sleep.

TBC.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Spoo

[Renny]

Oh my gosh! Cherik caretaking/cuddling, that was ridiculously adorable! <3

Edited April 10, 2014 by Renny

[AngelEyes]

Awwww! Such sweetness!

[Anonymouse]

Drugged Erik (and his soft, drugged sneezes) was my favorite part of this whole thing and we absolutely need to do more of that in the future. :wub:

[Dusty15]

Mhmmm…agreed that sleepy, drugged Erik is lovely and adorable <3

[Bongo]

Erik's torture is absolutely delicious. His tetchy-ness is exactly how I would imagine he would react to everything that's going on. After all, why admit to weakness when you can just get sullen and cranky instead?

And I'm glad you threw a few of the mini-mutants into the mix as well. I had a huge crush on Alex, and thought Sean was absolutely adorable. So I'm glad Darwin messed with him a itttle too.

[Spoo]

Renny: Wasn't it? Charles and Erik can be preeeetty adorable~

AngelEyes: Yup!

Nonny: We definitely do, because it's 100% precious.

Dusty: It makes you just wanna cuddle with him, right? Even though Charles would be jealous.

Bongo: Ahhhh yes. We made sure to really play up the torture, because both AnonyMouse and myself love being mean to Erik. Thanks for the love!

First and foremost, thanks to everyone who's read, commented, or just lurked (I'm looking at YOU, Anonymous internet folks and Guests ). AnonyMouse and I appreciate it all, and we sincerely hope that you've enjoyed this wild ride. We have another XMFC plot line that we're still somewhat working with, so who knows? Maybe that'll go up at some point as well~

Here's the last part. Enjoy!

Survival of the Fittest

Part 9

by AnonyMouse and Spoo

Alex had seriously started to think that Sean had locked himself in the bathroom (again), yet he was relieved when the redhead finally showed his freckled face after what felt like an eternity.

"Took you long enough," the blond teased, prior to gesturing towards the closed lab doors. "So, I'm thinking we go in there and tell Hank he's our bait. Darwin was practically glued to him when he first came inside, so I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that Bozo will lure him out."

And honestly, they had nothing to lose at that point. Anything was worth a try.

Sean ran his fingers through his shaggy ginger hair, pushing it into his eyes and puffing out his cheeks as he considered Alex's plan. The Benadryl was kicking in surprisingly fast, numbing his processing time a bit.

"That's better than anything I've tried to come up with," he said at last, letting his hair fall back into place. "Let's do it. But, are we just marching right in there or...?" Or nothing, because even though Sean had asked the question, he was also opening the doors as he spoke.

Both he and Alex were stunned into silence by the scene that greeted them: Raven was perched on a blushing Hank's lap, peering through a microscope. When Hank heard the door opening he leapt to his feet, nearly spilling Raven onto the floor. Sean broke into a wide, knowing grin, then nudged Alex a bit too hard.

"I think we interrupted something," Alex snickered, watching as Hank desperately tried to offer an explanation. Poor guy kept stuttering though, so Havok spared him the embarrassment by announcing he and Sean's business right off the bat. "We need you as bait, Hank."

The 'bait' in question blinked and then reached up, adjusting his glasses, as though doing so would make the statement (not his vision) clearer. "I don't understand," he replied.

"Darwin likes you," Alex clarified. "That much was obvious when he didn't want anyone to hold him but you. So we're thinking that you're our best bet at catching him."

"Yeah. You have that animal magnetism," Sean added, raising his eyebrows suggestively at Raven, who did not appreciate the innuendo.

"Do you two geniuses really think it's going to work?" she asked, not thrilled by the idea of spending an indefenite amount of time with Team Interruption. Not that anything had been happening between herself and Hank before they came in, but still. She was still unhappy that they'd ruined the moment.

"Only one way to find out," Sean replied, grabbing Hank's arm and pulling him out of the lab. Alex followed and Raven, who was beginning to regret setting Darwin loose in the mansion, followed huffily.

Hank, while understanding the basic principles of trial and error - as well as their purpose when applied to experiments - didn't feel comfortable that Alex and Sean saw it fit to use him as their Guinea pig. Darwin's claws weren't a force to be reckoned with (if the fresh scratch Sean was sporting said anything about that).

"Alright," Alex announced, once they had all arrived at the last hallway Darwin had been spotted in. "We need to do this right or he'll know something is up." As funny as it may have been, the situation was a fairly serious one. At least, if they wanted the mansion to keep standing on its foundation (no thanks to Magsneezo).

Raven could sense how uncomfortable Hank was with this situation and felt compelled to make a stand, since he clearly wasn't going to speak up for himself. "How does one do this right, exactly?" she challenged.

"Maybe by not letting the cat inside in the first place?" Sean replied in an equally confrontational tone, but while sporting a good-natured grin that made Raven want to punch him in the face.

She was feeling pretty homicidal these past couple of days. Maybe it was nearing her time of the month. Or maybe she was just surrounded by idiots.

"Raven's got a point, though," Sean added, circling Hank with his hand thoughtfully caressing his own hairless chin. "Maybe we should roll him in tuna first."

Hank paled at the suggestion of being rolled in tuna. That didn't sound particularly enjoyable, and he desperately hoped that Sean wasn't being serious with the absurd suggestion.

"Too much work and not enough tuna," Alex commented, relieving Hank's paranoia. "I say we just have him sit in the hallway and call Darwin. Maybe make some, I don't know, purring noises?"

"Couldn't we just wait for him to come out on his own?" Hank asked, having not been around when the true reason for Darwin's search had been stated.

"We might be buried under rubble if we wait," Sean said, and then, as if the severity of the situation just hit him he added, eyes wide. "Should we just evacuate? Take cover under a desk?"

"Oh my God. Stop being so dramatic," Raven groaned, though judging from the sounds she heard earlier the insides of the house were taking quite a beating. She then noticed the adorably perplexed expression on Hank's face and realized that he was inadvertantly left out of the loop. "Apparently Erik has a pretty severe cat allergy," she explained.

"'Severe' she says," Sean snorted. "More like catastrophic. No pun intended."

"Whatever it is, if he was upfront with us in the first place, none of this would have happened," Raven quipped.

Hank absorbed the new information and went silent for a moment. Everything made sense now: Why they were intent on locating Darwin, why Erik (and Charles) weren't around, and why it was crucial for them to remove the cat from the house at all costs.

"Alright," he finally agreed, accepting the situation as an actual obligation. "I'll see what I can do."

"Whoa," Alex exclaimed, slapping Hank on the shoulder in an amicable (though still a bit too hard) way. "Someone means business over here."

"Well, it's imperative that we find him," Hank said in a softer voice, stepping away from Alex (as well as the others). "I can try calling him. If that doesn't work, I'll just look for him myself."

"I'm sure he'll come out sooner or later if you just keep standing there looking pretty," Sean said, earning himself another sidelong glance from Raven, who was seriously starting to wonder if Sean was dropped on his head as a baby.

He was right, though... Hank was pretty. She would never say so out loud because 1. he would be mortified and 2. it wasn't really acceptable to describe a guy as being pretty.

Her thought process was derailed when she saw Sean twitch out of the corner of her eye, the strange movement accompanied by an even stranger sound. It reminded her of the sound Charles made when he squashed his sneezes, and for all she knew it may have been a sneeze, so to avoid being impolite she offered a tentative: "Bless you...?"

Sean looked down almost bashfully and murmured his thanks, which was surprising to Raven, as Sean tended to be obnoxious about everything he did.

Feeling that simply standing around "looking pretty" wouldn't generate the results they needed, Hank turned and started walking towards the end of the hallway. He didn't say anything at first, but soon there was a quieted monotone awkwardly calling out: "Um. Here, kitty..."

Alex snickered. "Turns out he is good for something after all," he joked, perhaps a little meanly. "Or two things." He looked at Raven now, raising his eyebrows suggestively. "Getting a little cozy in the lab?"

Raven let out an indignant huff and folded her arms, looking Alex square in the eyes to let him know she wasn't intimidated by his tough guy attitude. But even after all that effort she really couldn't deny it: She and Hank were getting cozy. Or trying to, anyway. Clearly being subtle was getting her nowhere, so she had taken the opportunity to plant herself in Hank's lap when he asked her if she wanted to see a prepared slide of a lilac petal under the microscope. Raven liked to think it was his own nerdy way of giving her flowers. Or something.

Luckily, she didn't have to come up with a reason for why she and Hank were getting close in the lab. Sean smacked her and Alex on the arms to get their attention and pointed emphatically down the hallway, where Hank must have been doing a decent job of being bait, because Darwin was creeping slowly towards him, his tail twitching from side to side. He seemed to sense that this was some kind of set-up, judging from his agitation and the wary glances he kept sending their way, but apparently Hank was just too irresistible for him to ignore.

Purring, he wrapped himself around Hank's leg, rubbing his head against one of his big shoes.

Hank allowed himself the satisfaction of a small smile. Though, said small smile faded a little when he realized that out of all of them he was least likely to get sliced apart when trying to put the cat outside. Taking a breath, he slowly reached out and took Darwin into his arms. He braced himself for a scratch, or at the very least some squirming, but there was nothing of the sort.

Just more purring. And head-butting. And a sandpaper lick to the end of his nose. Maybe this cat was in love with him...

Turning towards the others, Hank made a wordless gesture with his head that suggested he was going to put Darwin outside. There was another staircase that led to the first level around the corner, so he walked on and eventually disappeared, so as not to pass the other three and spook the creature in his arms.

"That was easy," Alex deadpanned.

"Darwin's totally gay for Hank," Sean snickered, playfully smacking Raven on the arm again. "Looks like you've got some competition."

Raven smirked and returned the gentle slap. These guys weren't so bad, but she could only take so much of them. Especially since they'd be spending pretty much all day together tomorrow for their first day of training.

"I'll let Charles know," she volunteered, conveniently leaving out the fact that she could communicate the news to him without actually having to leave the room. The last thing she wanted to do was bother Charles after all the trouble she caused that night.

Sean yawned and stretched his arms over his head. "Man. What a day."

"You're telling me," Alex agreed, beyond ready to turn in for the night. "I'm done with cats for a while."

- - -

Charles' eyes opened to the sun peeking through the bedroom window, as well as the sound of Raven's voice in his head. She had contacted him the night before, informing him that Darwin was finally outside, and now she was speaking with him telepathically again.

'Where are you?' she asked, and in a panic Charles realized it was already nine o'clock. 'Sean and Alex are trying to make breakfast. It looks like a warzone down here.'

'Just a moment,' he replied, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and registering the warm, heavy weight in his lap. Erik.

The man had quite literally slept like a log, his face still buried in the telepath's sweater and his feet hanging off the end of the couch. If the uncomfortable tingling sensation in his thighs was any indication, Charles had lost circulation over the course of the night.

It was then that the sunlight caught his eyes once more, and he felt a very different kind of tingle starting up back in his sinuses. Lifting his arm with subdued urgency to avoid waking Erik, he clamped his thumb and forefinger over his nose and jolted forward slightly with three consecutive, soundless sneezes.

It could have been the movement - small as it was - or just a conveniently-timed coincidence, but either way Erik shifted in Charles' lap and started to return to the land of the living. His actions were slow, and his long limbs popped when he shifted to lay on his back. One of his hands lifted up and rubbed at his eyes, which felt sticky and grainy (probably with residue from the hell he'd been put through the day before).

His blue-green irises eventually came into view when his eyelids parted, and the first thing that fell into focus was Charles. Well, Charles' chin and nose, since he was looking up at him. Had they really slept like this all throughout the night? Erik didn't know whether to be impressed or annoyed by it.

He eventually sat up and was pleased to notice that he didn't feel any lingering effects from the medicine he'd taken; his head was clear, and his nose felt free from that constant feathering itch he'd severely suffered from. All in all, everything was back to normal. Well, save for the kinks in Erik's neck and spine, but those would be worked out when he stretched.

"Ah, you're awake," Charles said, smiling warmly.

He would have said more but Raven cut in again without warning, like unwanted static on a radio station. 'Are you with Erik?' she asked, and out of habit Charles slid his fingers across his temple, though it wasn't really necessary to communicate with her.

'Why would I be with Erik?' he replied evasively.

There was a brief but awkward pause, and then Raven said: 'Well, if you happen to see him, let him know Darwin's outside. And hurry up and get down here, we're all waiting for you.'

'Alright,' Charles returned, sliding his fingers away from his temple and letting his hand fall back against the arm of the couch. Now he remembered why he did that - it was strangely satisfying, much like hanging up the phone on someone you weren't feeling particularly keen on speaking with at the moment.

"I was informed last night that the cat has been put outside," he announced, glad that Erik would be able to start off the day with some good news.

"Where it will stay," Erik added firmly, knowing that Charles would agree. He got to his feet and began the relieving process of a good stretch. He twisted out his arms, stepped out his legs, and followed it up by catering to a satisfying crackle-pop of his back and neck.

There. Now he felt awake. Without even knowing of Charles and Raven's mental conversation, he automatically assumed the others were waiting for them.

"I'll see you downstairs," Erik announced, turning to offer the telepath a final glance before he exited the room. He'd need to wash up, change, and comb his hair before he even thought of facing the others. Training would officially begin that day and he planned to get everyone in gear right off the bat.

Charles nodded as Erik left the room, then tried to make himself as presentable as possible in under five minutes. He was sure the younger mutants were absolutely devastated about having an extra hour to themselves, and while he would have loved to take his time getting ready, there truly was a lot of work to be done.

END.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Spoo

[SneezeyLove]

This is so cute! Loved it!

[Renny]

Nahhh! So good! The Cherik was just so adorable omg!

Omg though this fic/rp has seriously had such a huge impact on me you guys- like right now I'm in crazy XMFC fangirl mode and for days I've been binging on Cherik/Halex RP and fanfic and like this is perfect I have found new happiness! *explodes*

Thanks for this awesome story Spoo/AnonyMouse!

[AngelEyes]

Just lovely! Sad it's over. Brilliant story though!

[Dusty15]

D'aww! Smooshy lovely X-Men family goodness <3 I love sleepy, stifling Erik and sheepish Sean! And adorable Hank/Raven! <3