A/N: Beta'd by papercutperfect of course, because she's the best!

"I'm breaking up with you," Charles said as he set his books down on the cafeteria table, right in front of Erik.

"Is this because I didn't warn you before I came?" Erik replied without even looking up from his Mechanical Engineering book, his lunch tray of half eaten food pushed away. "Because I already told you I was sorry for that. Besides, you were doing that thing with your tongue that you know drives me over the edge."

"No, Erik, I'm fucking serious."

Erik finally looked up at that, shocked, because Charles Xavier never cursed. Ever.

"What? Why?" Erik asked as a frown formed over his face. "Is this because of our age difference? Because I just turned eighteen, and you'll be seventeen in a few months."

"It's not our age difference," Charles replied with a sigh. He looked away.

Erik didn't think so; they'd be dating since Charles was a freshman and Erik was a sophomore. The age difference had never bothered Charles then, so why would it now?

"Then what is it?" Erik asked, still staring at his boyfriend (or, well: ex, now).

A sigh. "It's just…" Charles looked away again, unable to meet the other teen's eyes. He observed a group of rowdy boys at a table nearby, the blond one teasing a redhead the next table over.

"Well, what is it, Charles?" Erik nearly snapped. He had the right to know why the boy he'd been in love with since first sight was crushing his heart into pieces.

Finally, Charles blurted out his response all at once, looking back at Erik, "You're graduating in three months and going off to Engineering school and I'll be going to Oxford after I graduate next year. We'll never see each other again! I can't deal with the long distance; I think we should just end it now, before our relationship gets too serious."

After a long, long moment of silence (and staring), Erik blinked.

Too serious? What the actual fuck, because: "We've been together for nearly three years! How are we not serious, you twat?"

Charles gave him a flat look. "Also, you're kind of a jerk."

"You knew that getting into this," Erik deadpanned.

"Yes, I do recall," Charles countered, just as dry. "Which is why I should've hooked up with-"

"I swear to god, if you say Hank McCoy," Erik cut in fiercely. "I will find him and beat him to a pulp."

"You don't even know where he is."

Another flat look from Erik. "He's in the Science lab."

Charles looked away quickly. "Damn it," he muttered. He glanced back at Erik. "Well what? We would've made a better couple anyway; Hank and I had more in common."

Yeah, they were both nerds. Not that Erik really cared that Charles was a nerd, because he was that special type of nerd. The cute nerd. The one that made boys like Erik want to ravish them until they blush a deep shade of red.

And yes, Erik remembered the day that he "stole" Charles away from Hank. It was during their Chemistry class, and everyone had needed a lab partner. Erik hadn't thought it fair that two nerds were already working together. You see, Erik believed that there should be an equal nerd-to-jock ratio when it came to labs. It wasn't fair when two nerds worked together; they're already going to get A's no matter what. Best to spread out the nerds, pass them amongst those in class who may not be so good with Chemistry.

Which is why Erik ended up stalking over to Charles and Hank's lab table, right as Hank was setting a beaker on a Bunsen burner, or whatever the hell they're called, and said: "Xavier, you're with me. McCoy, you got Summers over there." Erik looked right at Hank. "You got a problem with that, you can take it up with my fist."

Needless to say, after that it was love at sight.

For Erik and Charles, not Hank and Erik's fist.

"Listen, Erik," Charles said, bringing the other teen back to present time. "I do care about you, I really do." A pause. "I love you, actually."

Yes, Erik already knew this; and he the same. Which was why it felt like someone had reached in and grabbed his heart, ripped it out of his chest, and stomped on it.

"But I think it's best if we end this now." Charles lowered his head. "I can only take so much hurt."

"Charles-" Erik went to protest, reaching a hand out, but Charles cut him off.

"I'm sorry." He bent down and placed a kiss to Erik's cheek. "I'll always love you, Erik Lehnsherr."

And just like that, Charles disappeared, after grabbing his books back from the table, Origin of Species and all.

Erik sat there for a numb, life-shattering moment, all the voices of the cafeteria coming back to him in a dull roar.

He looked down at his text book, then shrugged.

Fuck it. Without Charles Xavier by his side, he did the only thing he knew he could:

He got up and walked out of the school.

…

Three hours later, a furious knocking came at his front door. Erik swung it open, only to be met with:

"What the hell, Erik? Is what I heard at school true?" Charles said as he stormed passed Erik and into his house. He twirled around and faced his ex-boyfriend, anger plastered on his face. "You just left school in the middle of the day?"

Boy, gossip traveled fast.

"No," Erik said, and Charles' shoulders relaxed a fraction. "I dropped out completely," He finished, and Charles' shoulders promptly tensed back up again.

The younger boy took a swing at Erik's upper arm. "What the HELL, Erik?" He shouted. "You have three bloody months left and you drop out now? Why?"

Erik shrugged. "You dumped me; I see no reason to be in school any longer."

Now it was Charles who took a long, silent moment to stare. "What about Engineering school? You're just going to give up on that, too?" He demanded to know.

Another shrug. "I'll just get a job at Shaw's shop, fixing cars. He always says I'm welcome there."

"Yeah, and what's he going to pay you; eight dollars an hour? You know that guy's a sleaze."

"I'm sure he'll pay me at least ten," Erik responded. He glanced down at his fingernails. He knew Charles was starting to seethe, and for good reason.

"Are you fucking serious, Erik? So that's it? That's what you're going to do for the rest of your life: work in Shaw's shop, fixing cars until you die? What about your dreams of mechanical engineering? Opening up your own shop?"

Again: "You dumped me, I just don't care anymore." Erik looked down, his face sadder than Charles had probably ever seen it before. "Without you life is meaningless. I have no drive, no desire, no will to go on." A short pause. "I just don't care anymore."

Charles dragged a long and tired hand down his face. He glanced back up at his ex-boyfriend. "Okay," he said. "Okay. If I get back with you–" Erik beamed "-will you go back to school?"

"Yes," Erik exclaimed, grabbing his once-again-boyfriend and bringing him into a bone crushing hug.

"It's only for the next three months though," Charles said as Erik nearly smothered him. He placed his hands on the taller teen and pushed him back, looking up into Erik's eyes. "I'm serious, Erik; just until school's out, then we're breaking up again."

Erik nodded. "Okay, that's fine." He looked down at Charles with a smile that could scare sharks. "I love you."

A sigh. "I love you too, you big twit." Charles pressed up and placed a kiss to his boyfriend's mouth.

Okay, so three more months with Charles, it was good enough for Erik.

That, and, he could always "drop out" of Engineering school, if need be.

Epilogue.

Three years later…

"Hey," Erik said, as he and Charles lay together in the brunet's dorm room. Charles found the other man's eyes. "I've always wanted to ask you something."

Charles rolled onto his side to see Erik better, Erik placing his hand on Charles' hip. "Yeah?"

"Remember back in high school, when you dumped me?"

Charles sighed, burying his face into the crook of Erik's neck. "Erik…"

"No, let me finish," Erik said as he brought a hand down to pull Charles' face free from its hiding spot. He caressed the younger man's cheek with a thumb. "What was the real reason why you dumped me that day?" He asked softly. Charles sighed again, looking away. "You can tell me," Erik went on. "I promise I won't be mad."

A pause, where Erik swallowed thickly, trying to push down all the hurt that was about to come with the next statement."Was it…was it because you wanted to hook up with some other guy?"

Charles sat bolt upright. "Erik Lehnsherr," he near shouted.

Okay, so that wasn't it.

Relief flooded Erik's veins.

"I have never, and would never, have dumped you so I could –" Here, Charles stumbled on his words, clearly shocked by Erik's accusation - "'hook up' with another guy!"

"Okay, I'm sorry. I just had to ask." Erik reached up and brought Charles back down to where the smaller man was on top of him. "Sorry," he repeated, and then placed a quick kiss to his lover's mouth.

Charles let out a huff of air, rolling off Erik. "All right, so you want to know the real reason why I dumped you?" He looked up at the ceiling before closing his eyes.

Erik said nothing, just watched his long-time boyfriend, waiting.

Blue eyes flew open again, still fixed upon the ceiling. Another sigh. "I may have…I may have seen you talking to Emma earlier that day, and-"

"Wait," Erik cut in, sitting upright. He looked down at Charles, who made a sheepish face. "Emma?" He blinked. "Emma, captain-of-the-cheer-quad-I'm-a-total-bitch, Frost? You were jealous that I was talking to her?"

"Well you two did used to date!" Charles said defensively. He too sat up.

Erik's face went flat. "We dated in the seventh grade, Charles, and for like, two weeks."

"Still…"

Erik dragged a hand down his face. "Jesus Christ, Charles. You do realize that I did like, nothing with her?" He looked back at his clearly insane boyfriend. And here everyone thought Erik was the jealous/possessive one. "I didn't even get to touch her boob."

"Is that why you dumped her?" Charles jumped in on the defense.

"Oh my god," Erik grumbled as he covered his face with both hands. "This is not happening."

"Okay, whatever; forget about that," Charles said. Erik uncovered his face and glanced back at the brunet. "I don't really care why you dumped her…it's just…"

"What, Charles?" Erik asked, beginning to lose all patience he had with the man he loved.

Looking down, Charles started to pick at his light brown bed covers, which were still a rumpled mess from his and Erik's earlier activities. "It's just," he lowered his voice. "I saw the way she was touching your shoulder."

Again, Erik deadpanned. "Are you sure she wasn't pushing me away?"

Charles' head whipped back up, meeting Erik's eyes. "I'm serious, Erik! I saw the way you were looking at her, too." He paused. "Like you wanted to kiss her," he spat out venomously. Charles started to get up and off the bed, possibly to go over to his book covered desk in the corner.

"Charles." Erik grabbed his boyfriend's hand and brought him back down. He held the smaller man to his chest. "Charles, Charles, Charles." He placed a kiss to his hair. "And here all our friends thought I was the crazy one."

A soft, slightly muffled chuckle came from Charles. "You still are."

Erik pulled his lover back, until they were eye to eye. "It was only you, Charles; no one else, ever. Not now, not back then. I was not trying to get back with Emma, I swear to you."

"I know this now," Charles replied, burying his face back into Erik's chest where it was warm and familiar. "I was just a stupid high school kid with too many emotions. I overreacted."

Erik pulled him back again."I know, but I still loved you anyway."

A smile. "And I still love you now."

"And I too," Erik said, right before kissing Charles.

END