[Three times, really, and the worst they hadn't even really talked about. Charles would always have forgiven Erik for hurting him accidentally, but he chose to leave, and that still stung when he allowed himself to think about it.

And maybe it was that memory that made him speak up instead of just nodding and thanking him again, and apologizing for slipping up that badly.]

Stay? Just for a while, I'm probably going to try sleeping again once I've finished with this. [And almost as if on cue, he needed to cough again and made sure to do it into his elbow, because no offense, but you seem like you'd be a really difficult person to take care of when you're sick and so Charles is definitely not looking to get you infected, too.] I promise there aren't any more bombshells to drop.

[Which wasn't explicitly true, but he would be better about making sure not to project things he didn't want Erik to hear.]