Smile For Me
first tickle fic on the new blog and it's a goddamn First Class domestic fluff piece that is completely self-indulgent
tags: @dannystheone
fandom: x-men (foxverse)
characters: lee!charles, ler!erik (first class era)
a/n: call your dentist, because this fic is gonna make your teeth rot
"Charles, won't you take a break? You've been at this for hours," Erik said, watching his boyfriend scribble away in the hefty notebook that was cradled in his arm. He stood by the wardrobe, pulling a plain, navy t-shirt over his head that hung somewhat loosely from his broad shoulders.
It was late in the night; roughly half-past ten and after a long day spent training, Charles and Erik had retired to the formers bedroom. The curtains were shut and all that lit the room were the small yet elegant lamps on either side of the king-size bed. Charles' shirt and pants had been tossed over an armchair in the corner, leaving him in a white tee that wasn't quite his size and flannel pants that Erik were sure belonged to him.
Charles turned to the next page, not tearing his eyes away from the paper. "Just a couple more minutes, darling." The words left his mouth without him even thinking about it. He continued writing, forehead crinkling as he knit his eyebrows together.
Erik faltered and his heart suddenly fluttered in his chest. He ignored the slight warmth that spread across his face. He walked over to the bed and sat down beside Charles. "You'll work yourself to the bone at this rate," Erik said. leaning over his boyfriends legs, hands on either side of his body, causing the mattress to dip slightly.
"I'm planning to open a school, Erik." Charles turned the page, scribbling something down in the already bursting margins. "That takes work, and planning."
"Well, I think you've done more than enough planning for today," Erik said. He reached out, gently pulling the large notebook from his boyfriends hands.
There was little resistance.
"What do you suggest I do instead, then?" Charles asked. He did nothing to stop Erik, just folded his arms over his chest and watched.
Erik pursed his lips together and kissed his teeth, then shrugged.
"Relax, maybe smile a little."
Charles raised his eyebrow, scoffing quietly. "Smile?" he echoed, narrowing his eyes slightly. The corners of his lips curled up as he watched Erik put his notebook on the bedside table, and then lean back over him. "And how am I supposed to do that?"
Erik moved in, closer, so their faces were only inches apart. His hands started to slide up Charles' thighs, and they didn't stop until they found his sides. "I can think of something.." His eyes took their time finding his boyfriends face.
Charles felt his heart skip a beat and he swallowed silently, trying to pretend like his face wasn't turning bright red. The way Erik's voice dropped so low sent shivers up his spine that he wouldn't mind feeling again.
But then, he felt the subtle, all too familiar twitch of ten fingers against his sides and reality came crashing down on him like a ton of bricks.
Erik noticed this, of course. The gradual widening of his boyfriends eyes gave everything away. He chuckled softly, leaning over Charles outstretched legs and putting his weight on them. "You figured me out then, did you?"
Charles looked warily at his boyfriend, lips twitching as he tried to fight off the nervous smile already trying to plaster itself onto his face. His hands came down, fingers wrapping gently around Erik's wrists.
"Erik, don't-"
"Give me one good reason~" Erik whispered, smiling to himself as he watched that nervous, wobbly smile finally force its way onto Charles face.
And just when it felt like he couldn't get any more bloody handsome.
"I- behecause it's completely childish." Charles regretted those words the minute they left his mouth, but he couldn't take them back, and he was forced to watch in real time as that loving gaze on Erik's face turned into pure mischief.
"Childish?" Now it was Erik's turn to be the parrot. He curled his fingers into Charles' sides, giving them a quick squeeze and absolutely relishing in the way his body jolted.
"N-Now, Erik, hah-HANG on!" Charles gasped, fingers tightening their grip. He couldn't wipe the smile off his face now even if he tried.
Erik chuckled softly, fingers uncurling as he rested his hands on Charles' waist. "Why should I?" he asked, looking into the blue eyes that had captivated him since they first met.
Charles floundered. He was trying to think of a way to convince his boyfriend not to completely ruin him, but he came up empty. His eyes flicked down to Erik's lips.
..That could work.
"Because then I can't do this," he whispered, then leaned in and pressed their lips together.
Erik was caught off guard--but quick to melt into the kiss. He closed his eyes and relaxed his hands. One of them slowly moved behind Charles and came to rest on his lower back.
Meanwhile, Charles found himself loosening his grip on Erik's wrists. One of his hands slid up the mans arm until it found his bicep. Another smile tugged at Charles' lips--though it wasn't remotely as innocent as before.
They stayed like that for more than a few seconds, until Erik eventually broke away to take a breath. He pressed their foreheads together, letting his hand slide back to its original position.
Charles breathed a loving sigh. His arms were covered in goosebumps of the best kind. He felt Erik's hand move back to his waist, but thought nothing of it. Surely, he was in the clear.
For a moment, there was silence, and then..
"Did you really think that would save you?"
Fuck.
Charles' eyes widened again, but before he could do anything, he felt fingers curling into his sides, kneading and squeezing the flesh. He pulled away from his boyfriend with a squawk, and failed to stop the flurry of boyish giggles that burst out of him. "Erihik! Yohou bahastahard!"
Erik just smirked, pinching his fingers indiscriminately up and down Charles' sides. "Honestly, Charles you should've seen that coming. You're a bloody mind-reader."
"You knohow I dohohon't use ihit unlehess I hahAHAVE tohoho!"
"One of the more irritating things I love about you," Erik sighed, shaking his head from side to side. He couldn't put into words how gorgeous Charles looked at that moment—with his scrunched up nose, face more red than the finest of roses and a smile that made the corners of his eyes crinkle.
Charles made countless, useless attempts to grab Erik's hands and pry his fingers away. He even made a desperate swipe at Erik's torso in hopes of somehow turning the tables.
He was unsuccessful, clearly.
"You're shouting my name an awful lot, Charlie, is something the matter?~" Erik feigned concern, knitting his eyebrows together as he vibrated his thumbs into the meat between Charles' poor ribs.
Then, Charles cackled, arching his back as he felt thumbs dig into the bottom of his ribs. This was promptly followed by a squeal as eight fingers wiggled into his lower back—just behind his sides. He tried to escape them, but no matter where he went- up or down- Erik's fingers were there to meet him.
It was quite unfair.
"ERIHIHIK!"
Charles snorted, squeezing his eyes shut. He felt his face heat up at that bloody nickname. His fingers dug weakly into Erik's bicep as he twisted and turned, like he was trying to shake free of the tickling fingers.
Erik chuckled and, with one swift motion, climbed onto the bed and knelt over his boyfriend. His fingers came to a halt, but his hands never left Charles' body—not even for a moment. He could feel the younger man trembling as quiet titters and giggles sputtered their way out; chest heaving softly as he panted for breath.
But they followed him wherever he went, practically glued to his body. Part of him was loving it, the other part considered tossing his boyfriend across the room.
"Yohou knohohow eHEXAHACTLY whahat the blohoody mahatteher ihihis!"
"Are you quite alright?" Erik hummed softly, twitching his fingers just so he could feel Charles jolt beneath him.
It was beyond intoxicating.
Charles opened his eyes hesitantly, looking up at Erik with a wobbly grin that made his boyfriends heart beat faster. "Erik, plehease, I implore you-"
"To what? Have mercy?" Erik interrupted, raising his eyebrow. "Charles, how could I possibly when you look like that? Besides, you'll just pick up that notebook again and go right back to work," he said, twitching his fingers again and soaking in the sound of his lovers gasp.
"Anyway, I still have one more thing to do.."
"Ahah, d-do I even wahant to know what that IHIHIS—ERIK." Charles let out a shriek, eyes widening and hips bucking quite violently as he felt thumbs swirling into his divots.
Erik was quick to trap Charles beneath him, straddling his thighs and pressing his knees against them. He looked down at Charles and, God, the way he laughed.. It felt like falling in love all over again.
Erik still remembered the day he first laid eyes on Charles Xavier. They were in the Paraná river, and the water was freezing. Erik had been sure he was going to drown, but then something pulled him up. When he surfaced, he locked eyes with Charles and it was like everything else just melted away.
In all his reminiscing, Erik almost forgot he was bringing his boyfriend to tears. He shook himself out of his thoughts and looked down, a loving but cruel smile gracing his features. He couldn't resist. Erik dug his thumbs in that little bit more and picked up the pace, just to hear Charles shriek again.
He could do this for hours if only the genius professor could survive it, but Charles was so ticklish that he'd probably start getting dizzy soon.
"How is it that you're one of the most powerful mutants on the planet, and yet I can take you down just by wiggling my fingers?" Erik tilted his head, staring down at his love. He wanted to memorize every minute detail of him; from the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled to the subtle dimple in his left cheek that you could easily miss if you weren't paying attention.
Charles, of course, was incapable of answering. He was too busy losing his mind, head thrown back into the pillow with his eyes shut tight, fingers still wrapped around Erik's wrists. He fell silent for a moment before suddenly erupting into a new bout of frantic laughter that had Erik thinking about engagement rings.
Eventually, Erik had to take pity—mostly because he was actually starting to feel himself get pushed back by something unseen as Charles smacked his arm with a weak hand. He chuckled softly and pulled back, letting his hands rest on his boyfriends waist.
Charles took a deep, giggly breath of air and his arms came forward to cover his face, crossing over each other as he trembled and panted.
Erik couldn't look away.
No matter how hard he tried, which frankly wasn't that hard at all, Erik Lensherr could not tear his eyes from the man trapped beneath him.
Charles' flustered state only made him more irresistable—something that Erik hadn't thought possible. His eyes were full of tears that, in the soft glow of the lamplight, made them glisten like morning dew caught in the sunrise, and the red flush in his cheeks that spread to the tips of his ears and the bridge of his nose was just.. well, adorable.
Everything about Charles Xavier, in that moment and all others, was just breathtaking.
Erik climbed off his breathless lover and settled into the empty space beside him. "Are you alright?" He smiled, reaching out to card his fingers through Charles' messy hair.
The younger man simply rolled over and buried his face into Erik's shoulder with a quiet giggle.
Erik chuckled again and wrapped his arms around the professor while planting a soft kiss on his head. "I'll take that as a yes." He spared a glance to the bed, which was a complete and utter mess now.
The blankets and quilts were hanging over the end, threatening to fall to the ground if either of them so much as shifted.
It brought his mind back to the previous night—though the bed had been thoroughly messed for much different reasons.
Erik decided not to dwell on that and started rubbing Charles' back, letting the man catch his breath and calm down.
"You are quihite cruel," Charles said, finally raising his head to look at Erik. He did everything in his power to muster up a glare, but it was far from threatening.
The latter simply smirked, bringing one hand forward to cup Charles' face and tenderly brush his thumb over his cheek.
"Charles, I am known for many things to many people, but I can assure you that cruel will never be one of them; not to you, anyway."
Charles' face softened and he let out a quiet breath. His hand came to rest gently on Erik's chest. The subtle thumping of his heart was comforting in ways that Charles couldn't describe.
"Have I ever told you how much of a sap you can be?" he asked, voice lowering as he leaned in closer.
Erik tilted Charles' chin up and did the same. "Many times.."
That was the last thing he said before their lips touched and his eyes closed.
