bakerstreet | thursday pic prompt

When Charles began to pull away, the teleporter took the hint and slackened his grip, slowly withdrawing to sit back on his bed once more. He brought his hands up to scrub over his face, pushing his bi-colored bangs onto the top of his head, opening his eyes as wide as they could go then shutting them for the moment. If they tried tonight, it would offer him the possibility of falling asleep easier, assuming they'd accomplish what they set out to do, but he could hear the faint sound of Charles yawning and that made him pause to rethink his answer.

He rocked somewhat in his spot, shifting so he could sit with his legs crossed, hands splayed across his thighs. "Together," Kurt repeated, the edges of his lips lifting in the slightest smile. "As thrilled as I would be to try and do it as soon as possible, perhaps we should wait until you have gotten some sleep yourself? I would not want to interrupt your schedule, Professor."

Charles quickly dismissed that concern with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry about me. I've managed more on less." He could practically feel Hank giving him a dirty look from his sleep for that statement. Really, sleep came so erratically for so long now it had become the norm for him, but he managed it well enough. The occasional pains, the nightmares, the concern for his students... nights could be long, sometimes.

"It won't be easy," he warned quietly, giving Kurt a look to make sure the other was taking this seriously. "It means getting at the base of your fear and trying to dissolve it. It... also may involve me seeing things you otherwise might not have wanted to show me. I want you to be sure about this course of action before we take it and understand what it means. This isn't something to be done lightly, but... I think it would help you." Funny, in a sad sort of way, that Charles needed this as badly as Kurt but could not do it to himself.

[i am so, SO sorry for my slow. i've been battling this headcold thing for the past few days and have been doped up on a lot of medication. XD]

"That is not healthy, nor is it an excuse to not get some rest." For now, Kurt attempted his best Hank impression and narrowed his eyes at Charles, arms moving to tuck across his chest in a slightly defiant manner. If the telepath wasn't sleeping well, that needed to be remedied and focusing on his nightmares wouldn't help at all; he's younger, able to force himself to run on less sleep. Charles shouldn't have to suffer more insomnia for his sake.

At the mention of Charles seeing things that he might not want to be revealed, he lowered his gaze to the edge of the bed, eyebrows knitting together in contemplation. No, he was serious about this and was ready to do whatever it would take to rid himself of the terrors. "I want them to stop. If this is a way that will actually help me, then I am willing to try it. Besides," he stopped, reaching out to take hold of Charles' hand and give it a firm squeeze. "I trust you."

[Don't ever be sorry! Stop that! :) I just want you to feel better. I'm never in a rush; this past week has been very fun-busy so I was slow on tags anyway.]

Stop that. Charles gave his pupil a long look, almost unable to believe he was getting this from someone so young, and held up a hand. Really, really now. Still, the corner of his mouth lifted, unable to hold back his amusement. Excuse you! He wasn't some old man who couldn't handle a bit of missing sleep! (At least he certainly didn't feel old. ~~the timeline may disagree with that but none of that makes sense.~~)

"It's not about having an excuse not to rest. I enjoy my sleep, I'll have you know." When I manage to get it, he added to himself. The touch to his hand felt like a brief squeeze to his heart and he put his other hand over Kurt's. "The decision lies with you. If you want to try it now, I'm willing to work with you now. If you'd rather try to get some more rest and do this in the morning, I will." Not, in many respects, all that different from staying up with Jean to get her through the night. The power she held inside of her was incredible, stronger than his own in many aspects but also so dangerously uncontrolled. Things that still needed to be worked on.

[fdsjlk;gjfldsa okay! ffffff you are too sweet. ( ꈍ◡ꈍ ) i definitely feel better after taking as many medications as safely as possible. XD i'm glad you're having a good time, though!!]

Okay, so he's not the best at scolding people, but at least his pout is enough to amuse Charles. His scowl disintegrates though, giving way to a broad grin. He's not trying to say Charles is old or anything! Everyone needs sleep, no matter what their age; he just feels like ... Charles deserves it more than he does, at the moment. (~~Exactly, let's not try and make sense of it.~~)

"We all do, Professor. The body needs rest, sometimes in copious amounts." He turned to look toward the door, his smile broadening at the thought of Peter and how often he'd seen the speedster sleeping in - not including the few times he had woken him up to make sure he wouldn't be late for class. A quick shake of the head and he returned his gaze to the older man, biting the inside of his cheek in thought then huffing, "I suppose if we are both going to lose sleep tonight, we might as well be productive and try to do something about it, ja?" And perhaps, they could both get some relief from it.

[The good old 'keeping yourself drugged to the gills' method of cold fighting. Highly valued method. XD Just keep getting better and tag as you can! <3]

Peter also could be a lazy arse and tended to wait until the last second (sometiems literally) to get to class simply because he could still make it with two seconds to go.

Charles gave a small chuckle at that, then looked around the room once as he decided how best to actually go about this. Realistically, he would need to be in contact with Kurt while this happened, but this was a young man who, while he hadn't shown any issue in touch so far, he didn't want to push too far, either. Quickly he pieced together two possibilities that might work, one he knew his back would be less happy with but might be more mentally comfortable for Kurt and the other would leave them in relatively easy physical comfort.

"Then let's try this," he agreed, deciding to offer both suggestions together. "I need to keep in some form of contact with you during this, even when we are both in your mind. Either I can sit up there with you, my back to that wall and your head in my lap, or we can use some of these pillows and put you off the end of this bed, myself in this chair, and your head in my lap. Which would you prefer?"

[it seems to be the only way i can fight it, haha. XD yes, of course! <3]

Kurt wouldn't disagree with that statement, either. He'd experienced the lackadaisical attitude first hand when they would all gather for Danger Room sessions, but if there was one thing he could admit, it was that Peter knew to shape up when the time came. Ah, the life of a speedster must be a tough one.

Unsure as to what else he could offer to the situation, he shifted to be kneeling on the bed now, flicking his tail around to fidget with the spade while Charles thought about the easiest way for them to do this, yet still be comfortable. He didn't want to think too much about how it was going to work or what they would be doing once they eventually broke into the depths of what had disturbed him in the first place, but he found it hard to simply brush off the nervousness that he was feeling. What if it didn't work? Or on the other hand, what if it made everything worse? Somehow, that seemed unlikely.

His head drew back up at Charles' voice, radiant golden eyes blinking then glancing upward in thought. He averted his gaze to Charles' chair, to his own bed then back to the telepath. "I cannot say that I have a preference. What would be easier for you?"

Alright then, if Kurt didn't happen to have a preference, then he would use his own. "It'd be easier if I was on your bed. I could lean back against the wall and if- well. If it becomes too much, I won't fall out." It wasn't easy to admit that last bit, but in reality, he could over set his wheelchair if he flailed or panicked, or if he collapsed out of exhaustion it would be a bit of a tough place to be.

After pushing himself forward nearly as much as he could against the bed, he reached down and locked the brakes on his chair, still speaking. "It'll be a little difficult at first though, but we can make it easier if we do this together. This bed is a bit higher than mine, so if you'll come around and make sure the chair doesn't move for me, I'll get myself up."

[and then, my laptop died ... /facepalm]

Now that he'd taken a few moments to think it over, that seemed to make far more sense than resting his head in Charles' lap. That method would have worked, but had the telepath lost control, it could have meant trouble in both their cases, with Charles possibly falling out of his chair and Kurt ending up with the back of his head on the floor. "Smart thinking, Professor."

When instructed to hold the chair, he pushed himself forward and slipped off the side of the bed, moving back around to do as he'd been told - secure the seat in place. It was tempting to simply help Charles onto the bed (he'd lifted him before and all), but he imagined the other man preferred to have some sort of independence and Kurt flushed with mortification at his own over-eagerness.

[Oh noes! :( It's like losing a hand, I swear. Got a new one yet?]

Charles was grateful that Kurt decided not to try and help. He was used to, for a certain degree, getting around on his own. Sometimes it became a source of frustration or anger, but right now, it would have definitely been a bit of a nudge at his pride. It showed that he had developed more strength in his upper torso though as he got himself into Kurt's bed, shifting himself back so his back sat to the wall, making himself as comfortable as he could for now with the realization they could be there a while in these positions.

"Alright," he said when he was settled, "get yourself comfortable. It'll be a bit like going to sleep, but it will be a near instantaneous sleep." Something he would force for Kurt, but never quite fall into himself. It would something he would experience 'awake', which he wouldn't mention to Kurt held some dangers of its own.

[it seriously is. D: i did get one that should work for now! a friend of mine gave me her old one (which is super kind of her because it's ridiculously nice ...)]

Silently watching Charles made Kurt's heart swell with both pride and appreciation; the former because he was so proud to be able to call this man one of his mentors and the latter for being allowed to see the other mutant this way - getting to experience how strong Charles was, regardless of the fact he was bound to a wheelchair. It was fascinating to him and not because he didn't think of the paralysis as a weakness, but more of how Charles didn't seem to be bothered by it.

After his teacher was settled, he shook his head to draw himself from his thoughts and moved to get back onto the bed, positioning himself so his head was resting in Charles' lap, his legs dangling over the edge of the mattress. "Will I actually be asleep or will it be more of an unconscious sort of state?"

[That was SUPER nice of her!!]

Charles would have been a terrible mix of proud and ashamed that he was able to hide how he felt about his paralysis. It would, as far as he was concerned, never stop bothering him and bothering him deeply. It was something that hit hard every day of his life, even these years since it had happened. In reality, he knew the truth that it was something he was slowly, even if very slowly, becoming more and more used to and the pain of its reality becoming less razor-edged, but it was still there. It was something he worked to hide from everyone absolutely, even if Hank and Raven were, thankfully, still here and still knew.

"Here, wait a second," Charles said after Kurt put his head down. He shifted to grab a pillow and tapped Kurt's head until the young man lifted his head. Quickly he tucked the pillow under there, something that would be more comfortable in the long run for both of them. "There we go."

It was a little bit of work to get them both settled but once they were, Charles gently placed his fingertips on Kurt's temples. "It will be the former to start, then true sleep as I bring your mind deeper. Just remember that no matter what happens, I'm right there with you. If it becomes absolutely too much, you let me know. We can stop, but I want you to push yourself through this." He peered down to Kurt, hoping the other understood.

"First things first, though. I want you to feel what it feels like when I touch your mind and make sure you are comfortable with that."

[yes, it really was!]

It was something that Kurt constantly wanted to ask about, but he could never seem to work up the nerve to do so. Always too afraid of offending his teacher or coming off as rude when that would never be his intention. Besides, it's not really his business anyhow, so keeping his questions to himself seemed like a better idea when it came down to it. Maybe, one of these days, he'll find the courage to finally inquire on the more simple things that buzz around in his mind.

"Huh?" He shifted to better look up at Charles, curious as to what he was doing. The touch to his head and the sight of a pillow ultimately cued him in on what the other mutant was doing and he raised enough to let the cushion be placed, settling his head onto it afterward. "Thank you."

As they progressed, Kurt could feel his nervousness rising, but he inhaled deep and released the breath, urging himself to relax when Charles' fingers rested at his temples. "I will do my best to get through it. If it becomes too much, I will remember, though I am going to force myself to continue - for the both of us." Even if that meant driving himself to the point of painful distress.

"Understood, ja. I am ready whenever you are, Professor."

Charles let his eyes close on that go-ahead, his fingertips pressing lightly to either of Kurt's temples, taking a slow breath in... out... until he felt his heart calm. It wasn't a task that was without a hint of nerves for himself as well, as he hadn't done this for another student beyond Jean, so it would be a learning experience for them both.

"Just a touch, first," he murmured quietly before he let his power reach out, down through his body and out of his fingers, sinking into Kurt's mind. Not too deep, not this time, only similar to a brush against the mind, picking up only the outer-most surface thoughts. For Kurt, there was only the faintest feeling, something a bit akin to having someone very much in his personal space without touching him. A bit uncomfortable for most, and those who knew him usually could identify him from only this touch if he reached out to them, but far from a terrible feeling.

Can you feel me? Charles' voice was not in Kurt's ears but in his mind, in that same non-space Kurt's own mental voice came from.

Once Charles closed his eyes, the younger mutant did the same, breathing deep along with him. It did help lessen his anxiety, but not entirely; the feeling lingered in the depths of his mind - a constant reminder of its ability to resurface at any given point in time. Hopefully, it would not hinder them in any way.

Strangely enough, the breaking past the barrier of his mind wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as he'd thought it would be, especially since it had been willing this time. Their exchange in the library had been more of an accident than anything and it had surprised him to the point of not wanting to pry with any questions, but there had been that lingering hint of curiosity afterward. Now, as he rested in Charles' lap, his entire mind laid bare at his hands, Kurt felt an odd sense of tranquility flow through him and something else that he would later remember as absolute trust.

Oh, how peculiar. It is like I am listening to you, but you are not speaking ...

The voice you hear in your mind is still your voice, as much as is the one your vocal chords produce, Charles said calmly, wanting Kurt to become used to the feeling of him. Right now, I'm only on the outer edges of your mind. Knocking at the door and speaking to you through it, I suppose you could say. I will be stepping through it next, but I'll need a few moments to figure out where I need to go. After that... I will be taking you down you down into your unconscious.

With another slow breath in and out, Kurt would feel something, almost akin to a pressure, right between his brows where the third eye was to lie. Ready?

And yet, I am not saying anything. Charles' power was truly marvelous; he could feel it spread - a slow creep through his consciousness and outer thoughts, settling just at the edge of his mind. How will you know where to go and what to do when you get there? He knows he shouldn't worry so much on details, but again, his curiosity was hard to curb and not only that, he's concerned about one thing: What if I mess something up?

The compression caused his brow to furrow, earning a noise of slight discomfort, but that was it. He could also try and blame it on nerves, but-- ... I think so.

[Just so you know, I am going to be slow as heck this week. I'm running a 50 person LARP this upcoming Friday through Sunday and I am basically going nuts trying to get everything ready + a lot of stuff at work. @_@ My apologies! Hopefully things will return to normal by Monday.]

Then here we go. Charles' eyes closed as he took a breath, and then all at once, the world would blink out for Kurt. It would turn dark and silent, empty, like the depths of sleep. Nothingness. Then into that nothingness came something. A fuzzy light, the idea of consciousness, until it began to grow in color and depth, a multitude of colors that might have been images but they were too fast, too blurry, to make out. Then, like the snap of a rubber band being pulled and released, white. Everywhere.

There they stood, in a room that was completely white with a pair of doors in it, on opposite walls. Charles stood in front of Kurt, actually stood. His wheelchair was no where to be seen and he still had all of his hair. Sometimes the mental image of a person didn't change as quickly as their physical shell could. "Here we are," he said with a tiny bit of amusement in his voice.

[that is absolutely fine, dear! i am obviously being super slow right now, anyway. i just got back from a two week adventure (first at my friend's, who had strep then at my ma's where one of the kids also had strep), so i have been sleeping a lot. i hope that you are able to get things together with as little stress as possible and have fun with your larp! c:]

The darkness surprised him more than the rush of colors that followed it, although the sudden slack of his consciousness fading, easing him into the relative calmness of white had been a much easier motion than he'd thought it could be. If that was really the correct word for this sort of thing.

He briefly winced his eyes shut at the stark ivory of the room, blinking his attention over to the doors then up to the mutant that stood in front of him. Kurt straightened as much as he could manage, astonishment flooding his features at how different Charles appeared in his mind. Sure, it was subtle differences, but to see his teacher standing filled him with this delightful excitement that he almost couldn't contain. "So, is this how your mind appears to you all of the time?"

[Well I am home, exhausted, but happy! *yawnies!* I hope YOU haven't gotten strep through!! :( :(]

Kurt was the kind of person who hid nothing of his expressions and thus the surprise that came across the other's face was something that was simaltaniously amusing and heartfelt. It managed to bring a smile to Charles' lips, gesturing out with one hand to indicate the room. "This isn't my mind at all, but yours. This room, though, is something I've created as sort of a... visual representation. A starting point. That door," jerking a thumb over his shoulder to indicate the door behind him, "is the way back out and that door," pointing behind Kurt, "is the beginning of the path in your mind. This is someplace neutral we can start."

But he paused, his head tilting ever so slightly, before he added, "if you're talking about this?" Gesturing down at himself slightly, indicating his current form, "this is how it appears now." Which hinted it had changed from something in the past, but the faint hint of something sad in his voice hinted at something else as well. He knew eventually he would probably lose this as much as he had lost the ability to walk in the real world.

[i'm glad that you had a good time!! -squishes- c: i got extremely lucky and didn't get it, thank goodness. XD]

"Mine?" he questioned incredulously, studying the space around them that they currently resided in. Although Charles had been the one to create the visualization, he felt like it was rather fitting; all white - like a blank slate, which was how Kurt tried to keep it when his thoughts weren't jumbled or out of his control. Starting with complete emptiness on something always felt like he could give a far better idea behind whatever it was he'd been thinking about. He eyed the door behind Charles first, then turned to look at the one over his own shoulder, making a note of the differences in them.

A simple nod of the head was all he offered, though in the back of his mind, that melancholic tinge had not gone unnoticed. He strode forward and reached to place a reassuring hand on Charles' shoulder, lips curving into the smallest of smiles. "No matter how your image changes, you will always be the amazing Professor that I've come to know."

[I am SUPER glad to hear you didn't get it!!! I am one of those people that ends up with *everything* around her, so that would have made me go live in a bubble!! How are you? Things have been crazy around here but it's a good kind of crazy! And now my living room floor is made of beanbags. XD]

"Yours. A small space of my own creation, temporary of course, inside your mind. Sort of... a safe haven, somewhere we can retreat to if things go sour or are too overwhelming. Free of stimulus, and the entire mind is stimulus. It's a necessary thing to be able to spend any length of time here if we're together. On my own... things are a little different, but we're here on a mission!" He gave that quirk of a smile he got, very rarely now a days, but the ghost of something from the past. A bit of mischief in that look.

But it dissolved into surprise, then a certain fondness, as Kurt stepped up to reassure him. Still, he didn't want to linger on it, not when his emotions could just as easily affect things within, and gave Kurt's shoulder a pat. "Thank you," meaning it, but continuing on. "For right now, let's see where we can start. It might not be pleasant, but what can you remember from the dream you where having?"

[i'm super glad, too, but i ended up getting something else possibly? i was having really bad headaches, now i just get dizzy, but it hasn't happened today, so ... \o/ aside from that, i'm doing great! good crazy is nice. XD how's your beanbag floor?]

"Incredible. This is such an absolutely amazing gift ..." He gave their surroundings one final, lingering glance then returned his attention to Charles, a wide grin of his own coming across his face at the sight of his teacher in such a seemingly enthusiastic mood. (Was that a possible hint at some playfulness in there?)

Kurt's smile softened, warm and content in response to the affectionate touch to his shoulder. "You are welcome and thank you, Professor," he paused, taking a deep breath to steel his nerves, features immediately shifting to worry. "The beginning of the dream is not always the same. Sometimes, I'm in a church first and things get progressively worse from there, but they eventually end up in the same place: the fight club that Raven rescued me from. More often than not, the ... box I was kept in."

[Nooo no you stop that no getting sick or feeling bad! :( :( I hope you're feeling even a little better...? Dizzy is always a horrible feeling. Our beanbag floor has been reduced by half because we had company, but it's the most ridiculous pile of comfortable ever.]

"Mm." There was just a tinge of anger Charles couldn't help at the idea of Kurt being kept in a box like some kind of animal, but he needed to focus on this problem now and making sure whatever that mess was in Kurt's homeland was taken care of later. (And he damn well would after seeing all of this.) "We need to see how things start as much as where they end, so... I want you to imagine this church. Is it a specific church? An imagined church? A church made up of other churches?" Trying to get a clue going through Kurt's mind so they had a starting place.

As soon as Kurt started to imagine that place, the white room would start to dissolve into it. No matter what the imagined church looked like, there were still two doors. Maybe this time it was the huge double doors at the back of the church people usually entered and the smaller door used for the priest to come and go at the front, but always two doors, just like the white room.

[so, we aren't sure what it was, but ... i'm better now that i've started taking more vitamins? XD ffffff it sounds great! i want a beanbag floor to snuggle my cats on -3-]

It wasn't hard for Kurt to notice the hint of irritation from Charles, though he figured it better to not mention it. If they were to get distracted, the mind-space could be distorted and all of their careful planning would be derailed. "It's worn and abandoned ..." He tried his hardest to imagine the church from his dreams, attempting to conjure up even the smallest details about the place - any particular things he could remember.

The ivory space began to fade around them, giving way to a far more intricate sort of setting; a church, as Kurt had described, with double doors at Charles' back and a vast empty space with another door at his own. He turned to gaze around at the old stone pillars, faded stained glass windows and arching ceiling, swallowing hard around the forming lump in his throat. "... this is it," he stated simply, trying to keep his voice from wavering.

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