Well, as far as habits go, Erik has a lot of them and they're hard to break. They're not good ones, either, but they're born out of a necessity: he has a hard shell and a hard interior, and it's difficult to get beneath all that, to find the man he is behind all the guards and the walls.

But, in essence, he is just a man, and Charles sees through to the heart of him. He knows this, but even then, it's difficult for him to believe sometimes, to really comprehend that he's there for him, that he understands, that there isn't a need to turn tail and run without so much as leaving a note. Because that is how Erik operates, that is how he needs to in order to survive.

"I'll try." That's not really an answer, but it's the only one he can give at the moment.

He does know that he loves Charles, loves him more than he's loved anyone else before. He knows that Charles is good for him, that much is true, that he has hope when he's with Charles. "I've never felt more safe," he says. "Than when I am with you." And like maybe he can find a place to be free, because even though he isn't tied down anywhere, sometimes the rest of the world just feels like a gilded cage. How does he explain that to Charles?