This was a great chapter! I thoroughly enjoyed Erik's trial and error of navigating the world of condoms and lube. And in my head, I was pretending that the guy who helped Erik out in the store isle was Alex. Lol.

The only part of this fic that I thought was weird, and didn't seem to go with the overall concept of the fic, was the car crash and Erik's reaction to it. I can understand the existential feeling one can get from seeing an accident, but the way he seemed to think that he could almost control the metal (or whatever was going on in his head) was a little too far-reaching, considering the lack of powers in this universe. If it was a simple mention like "Erik has always been comfortable around metal bla bla bla" it would make more sense...but that scene just seemed a little too surreal. Hope it makes sense what I'm trying to say, and I hope you don't take offense.

I'm looking forward to Charles putting his plans into action! I'm REALLY looking forward to Erik eventually topping!