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Title: Stuck With You
Author: Jemisard
Fandom: X-Men movieverse
Paring: None
Rating: NC-17
E-mail address for feedback:
kalika@senet.com.au
Status: New, complete
Archive: If you ask nicely :)
Series/Sequel: No
Disclaimers: They aren't mine. You
know that. I'm just borrowing them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It had started off as an argument, Scott reflected,
trying to block out the theme music of "Police Rescue". They were
arguing about something, who would give in first if it got down to a case of
him or me.
"As if! She would never call it off!"
Scott moaned. One hundred and sixty hours, thirty
minutes. He had to say it, didn't he? He couldn't have bit his tongue, and just
let it rest. Somehow, Wolverine always got under his skin. He always drove him
over the edge, and made him behave like a jerk.
No, that wasn't fair. He managed to act like a jerk
just fine on his own.
Jean had bet that the two of them couldn't survive a
week handcuffed together. After fighting about being that close together, they
had settled on a lengthened chain and had been handcuffed together.
"I told ya, din't I? I told ya she'd call it off
to be with Mickey."
"I was sure that Mickey was falling for
Angel."
"Nah, Mickey's straight as an arrow. Angel
though....."
"Wolverine! I'm trying to work! Can you keep it
down!"
Logan turned around and stuck out his tongue, before
lighting up a cigar. "Calm down, slim. Ya got plenty of time to do all of
that. Relax."
"I have to finish this, Wolverine. I'm not asking
you to stop, just to keep it down a little."
Logan smirked around his cigar and settled down in to
the cushions again. Scott rubbed his forehead. His head was beginning ache, and
it wasn't from his visor this time.
This was something far worse.
One hundred and sixty seven hours left.
Logan scratched his head and shrugged. "I dunno,
bub. We could try singles, pushed close together."
"I guess. But that means sleeping in the
dormitories with the students."
Logan shrugged. "I ain't got a problem with that,
do ya?"
Scott shook his head. "No, not really."
"That settles it. Dorms it is."
They headed off, with their clothes, to the
dormitories.
--------------------------------------------
There was one room, in between Rogue and Kitty and
Bobby and Warren. They got in there and pushed the beds around, finally
settling on something that was suitable for both of them.
Logan got the bed near the window, Scott was near the
door. They was only a foot between the beds, so that they didn't have to have
their arms hanging over the edge of the mattress.
After arguing over the light for ten minutes, (Scott
wanted to work) and finally agreeing on half an hour more, they settled in
quietly.
Logan rolled over, dragging the chain over his body. The
cuff on Scott's wrist pulled sharply, dragging his arm away from the paper,
smearing ink across his work. "Logan! I'm trying to work!"
"I'm trying to sleep."
"I have to finish this for class tomorrow."
"I need me sleep, one-eye."
"Don't call me One-eye!"
"Turn out the light, and we'll all be
happy!"
"I have to finish this."
Logan pulled the chain again, nearly yanking Scott out
of bed. "I wanna sleep."
The American pulled back in the other direction. "I
need to work."
Logan pulled hard, and Scott fell off the mattress,
caught between the two beds. "I wanna sleep."
He leaned over and turned out the light. "Night,
slim."
Scott freed himself and cursed loudly as he clambered
into bed again, turning on the light as he went. Logan growled. "I jus'
turned that off."
"I know. I need it on."
"I want it off. I wanna sleep, Cyke. I'm tired
and sore from a day o' training."
"You think you've had a bad day? I not only have
to finish this course by tomorrow, I can't stay in my room, which I have lived
in for three years, because of this, I have a blinding headache and a roommate
who not only wouldn't let me finish my work during the evening by tugging on
this fucking chain continuously, but is now intent on making sure that I can't
finish it now!" Scott took a deep breath. "I let you watch your show
without any complaint. I need to finish this, and I really don't need you
fucking me over."
Logan sat there, slightly stunned by the force of
Scott's outburst. He smiled and then burst out laughing. Scott snarled.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothin', bub. Ya finish yer work."
He rolled onto his other side, leaving Scott plenty of
slack to work, and promptly went to sleep.
Scott groaned and massaged his head. One hundred and
sixty two hours left.
----------------------------------------------------------------
It was morning. Well, technically, it was. Scott
grinned and stood up. He was determined to get payback for the night before. He
stretched out and pulled on a pair of denim cutoffs, before wandering what to
do about his tank top. It was summer, so it was pretty hot, and neither he nor
Wolverine had been wearing tops last night when they were handcuffed together.
He shrugged in the end and decided to forego a top,
since he couldn't work out how to get one on. He pulled on hi shoes and
smirked. "Logan! Wake up!"
"Hmm?" Logan rolled onto his back and peered
up at Scott. "What?"
"Time to get up."
"Wassa time?"
"Six. Time to get up."
"Not. I wanna sleep."
"You agreed not to obstruct my routine, and I
would not obstruct yours. I have to get down and get breakfast so that I can
start this morning's classes. C'mon, up."
Logan sat up and rubbed a hand through his hair,
making it stick up worse than before. "I need a shower." He
thoughtfully rubbed his face. "And possibly a shave. Nah, not yet."
He picked up his shorts and walked towards the
bathroom, ignoring protests of breakfast from his other half. Hmm, he liked the
sound of that. He knew he could easily make Scott go where he wanted, he was
stronger and didn't need to worry about bruising from pulling on the cuff.
He stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain shut.
Scott sighed and leant against the wall, listening while Logan sang bad sea
shanties and tried to wake up.
One hundred and fifty six hours left.
------------------------------------------------------
Breakfast was quieter. Once seated, they managed not
to fight for nearly the whole meal. It was about the only time that they
weren't obstructing or annoying one another, except when one tried to reach
down as one reached up.
Jean spent the entire meal smirking at the two of
them. Scott had tried talking to her, but she had fobbed him off in favour of
talking to Ororo about her garden.
Rogue was enthusiastically chatting to Logan about
Bobby, who was sitting next to her engrossed in what Kitty was telling him
about playing hide and seek when you could walk through walls.
Scott drained his coffee and poured another one. He
could already feel a headache coming on, it was always worse in the morning
when the sun first shone.
He was suddenly aware of the fact that Logan was talking
to him, "and head down later?"
"Hmm? Sorry, I was distracted."
Logan sighed. "I said, after lessons Rogue and me
were thinkin' of goin' to the zoo. She ain't never been to one. So, I thought,
we could take her and head down later?"
Scott went to argue about it but paused. He couldn't
remember the last time he went out, without Jean, and it wasn't on business. He
generally didn't like going on into public, he was scared that the glasses
would come loose and he would kill someone. "Okay, sounds good."
Logan froze. That obviously wasn't what he had been
expecting. Scott grinned at him and drank more of his coffee. Logan shook his
head. "Just like that? No arguin'? No, I have better things to do?"
"Nope. Sounds like fun."
Logan shrugged. "Well, kid, ya got a trip
down."
Rogue clasped his hand with a grin. "Thanks
Logan." She leant over and grabbed Scott's hand. "Thank you,
Cyclops."
He blinked, the thanks unexpected. "You, don't
have to call me that. Just call me Scott. And you don't have to thank me."
She blushed. "You must a thousand other things to
do though."
Logan sniggered. "He did most 'em last
night."
Scott ignored the jibe and stared off into space. Maybe
it wouldn't be as bad as he thought.
----------------------------------------------------
The class was a riot when they got there. Of course,
Logan had held them up by demanding that they stayed to get him another cigar,
which made them late, by which time the class had decided to do their own
thing.
Bobby and Warren were in the middle of a 'fight'. Rogue
and Kitty were busy trying to work out how to win the class competition, which
hadn't been announced or even decided on yet, and the rest of them, at least
half of the class, were missing, and presumably inside the maze. Scott sighed
and adjusted his glasses. "Class!"
It fell silent and they all scrambled to their feet,
forming rough lines. Logan had to hand it to him, Cyke could get these kids in
order.
"Do we get to do the maze today?"
"You promised! You said that if we all got A's we
could do the maze."
"You did! I recorded it!"
Scott held up his hand, the one without the handcuff
on it. "Have I said anything to the contrary?"
"No."
Scott smiled. "So, I promised you that you could
do the maze. Have I ever gone back on my word?"
A few of them scuffed their feet. "No."
He dropped the bag he had insisted they collect from
the gym and pulled out a small gun with a large clip. The class broke into
cheers.
"Quiet! Or no maze!"
They fell silent. Logan refrained from snickering at
them. Scott threw the gun to Bobby. "Team one, Bobby, Rogue, Anna,
Chelsea, Danny and Tom." He pulled out another gun and threw it to Warren.
"Team two, Warren, Kitty, Lucas, Darien, Nyoto and Ilyana." He threw
the bag into the crowd and let them gather their weapons.
Bobby and Warren were already aiming each other up. Scott
coughed and drew their attention back to him. "You have two hours to
eliminate the other team. You may not leave the maze. Last team to have a
member standing is the winner."
"What do we get?"
Scott smiled. "The satisfaction of beating the
other team?"
Logan clipped him. "Ya gotta give 'em somethin'
better than that. How 'bout givin' em extra time on their next trip out of the
school?"
They all cheered and Scott sighed. "I'll see how
much time I can get for you."
The maze gates swung open and they disappeared inside.
"Remember, you have ten minutes to set up your base and hide."
They were already gone. Logan sighed and sat down.
Scott frowned at him. "And what do you think your doing?"
"Sitting down. Two hours is a while, slim."
"We're not waiting for them." He grinned and
pulled out two of the marker guns. "We're hunting them."
Logan grinned and laughed. "I like the way yer
mind is workin', slim." He grabbed one of the guns and grinned. "Ya
comin'?"
Scott smiled back. "Happy hunting."
"Happy huntin'."
--------------------------------------------------
Logan had never been in the maze before. It was a huge
complex of traps, a commando course and maze in one. At opposing ends were two
bases, each with a flag.
The objective was simple. Get both flags to your base.
If you couldn't do that, 'kill' all the opposing players.
Scott grinned at Logan. The guns were loaded with a
simple paint bomb system. It stung a little, Scott had told Logan to expect a
sting if he got hit.
They were creeping through the maze. Logan wanted to
explore, but Scott had told him to stay close, or they could get caught by the
students. Logan stayed silent until they reached a small hollow and Scott
pushed him down into it, crawling in next to him.
"So, what's the idea behind this?"
Scott took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well,
they have to learn, things aren't always what they seem to be. They're going to
assume that they only have to worry about each other. They need to learn that
they have to expect the unexpected, and not the hard way."
Logan heard the silent, "Like I did," on the
end of that, but Scott had taken to looking out of the small hole.
"I'd normally hunt them down, but with you here
as well..."
"We're going to do the same thing. I might not
have yer trainin', slim, but I can hold me own."
Scott smiled. "Okay then. We'll hunt them. One
thing, you listen to me. I know this place, I know the traps and the hiding
places. I can keep you out of trouble."
"Ya never done this with someone else."
"No. Never."
Logan grinned and crawled out. "C'mon, Cyke.
Let's hunt some kids."
They crept off into the maze, guns ready.
They found Ilyana first. The young girl had her sights
aimed on Chelsea.
Scott and Logan exchanged smiled and drew aim. As
Ilyana fired and hit Chelsea, two bullets hit her from the side. She cried out
and glanced down. "Yellow? Chels, what colour is your team?"
"Red."
"We're blue. So who's yellow?"
The two girls lay where they had 'died', not allowed
to speak to anyone still playing. They saw movement in the bushes leaving, but
weren't able to discern Logan or Scott as they crept off on their next 'kill'.
------------------------------------------------------
Bobby and John, as team leaders, were staying safe in
their bases. Bobby was stretched out on the floor, gun aimed through the firing
holes.
He caught movement outside. "Blue? That any of
you?"
There was silence. He tightened his grip on the gun. "I
know you're out there."
A noise came behind him. He spun to shoot, but found
nothing there. He laughed nervously and lay back down. "This is
creepy."
He reached over and gripped the flag. With a smile, he
called ice to his hand, surrounding the flag and his hand. They'd have a time
getting that out of his hand if they killed him.
A click sounded behind him and something stung his
back. "Damn!"
He heard a snigger, a decidedly deep one, and glanced
to where the shot had fired from.
The area was already empty.
"Fuck it to hell." He lay back down on his
stomach, eyes closed. He'd thought he'd last a bit longer than that at least.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Kitty was wandering through the maze safely. She had
de-materialised and didn't have to worry about being killed. She tightened her
grip on her gun and stepped through the next wall, before ducking back to hide.
She held her breath. Rogue and Anna, walking along,
searching for their base probably. She laughed quietly. At least she didn't
have to negotiate the maze.
They were sitting ducks out there. She stepped through
quietly, appearing behind them. She materialised, needing solidity to pull the
trigger.
There were two clicks behind her, even as she fired. One
hit the middle of her back, the other shot past her to hit Anna. Her own shot
had hit Rogue, who had gotten off one round to hit her enemy.
They sighed and lay down. Kitty laughed. "That
worked."
"Who shot us?" Anna mumbled. "This is
yellow. We're blue."
Kitty shrugged. "Didn't see. Did you?"
Rogue smiled to herself. She had seen them, running
off, laughing like children.
---------------------------------------------------------
Scott leaned against the wall, breathing hard. "Slow
down there. I don't have the same endurance as you. I have to breathe."
Logan eyed off Scott. "This is fun. Good
trainin'."
"We should even it up. Go and take out John and
another member of the red team. It's only fair."
Logan sighed and laughed. "Yer the boss."
Scott raised an eyebrow. "I'm never going to hear
that again, am I?"
"Nup." Logan tugged the chain. "C'mon,
time to move."
Scott detached himself from the wall, and took off
after Logan.
---------------------------------------------------
John was bored. None of the other team had made it
this far yet, so he was a little anxious to find out how it was all going.
A crack from outside, followed by a hissed,
"Watch it," got his attention. He grabbed the flag and pushed it into
the corner before leaning into the corner.
A face appeared alongside the edge of the window. He
shot at it, and heard a yelp as it narrowly missed. "C'mon! I'm waiting! I'm
ready for you!"
"Yer not." Logan grinned as John at him, a
yellow bomb hitting him in the ribs from the other window.
"Fuck!"
"Language!" Scott appeared in the other
window. John groaned. "So not fair. You didn't tell us,"
"Dead don't talk." Logan growled. "Play
dead."
Scott gave a small smile. "Would that work on
you, Wolverine?"
Logan brought up his gun and shot Scott, who yelled. "That'll
teach ya. Respect yer elders."
Scott pulled the chain, causing Logan to stumble. He
promptly shot him in the head. "You shouldn't shoot your team mates."
They stared at each other for a second before
smirking. Logan wiped the paint off his face. "Let's go get another."
"No. We're dead. We play by the rules. We killed
each other in a fit of rage."
Logan shrugged. "Fine. We do this some other time
though. One on one. Me against you."
Scott nodded. "Me against you."
They wandered off to monitor from the outside of the
maze. John snorted in disbelief before deciding on the dramatic death, eyes
open.
-----------------------------------------------------
It didn't take long for them to finish each other off.
Nyoto was the last left alive, but after she threatened to cut off Bobby's hand
if he didn't let go of the flag, they decided to call it quits and sent for
them to come out.
They were all covered in paint of various colours. Danny
and Tom had accidentally shot each other, just after taking down Lucas. Darien
got caught in the pit trap and hadn't managed to climb out without assistance
and a rope.
They were still complaining about the hunters who had
taken out over half their numbers when Logan and Scott got there. Everything
fell silent when they saw their teachers, covered in yellow paint, carrying the
offending weapons.
There was silence for about two seconds before
everyone began yelling.
"That wasn't fair!"
"You didn't tell us!"
"How were we meant to know?!"
Scott held up his hand. "You should have assumed
the worse, that you didn't know enemy numbers. You have learnt a valuable, if
messy, lesson. You don't know what's out there, what's hunting you."
"And sometimes, the best thing to do is shoot
everyone."
Scott glared and Logan before continuing. "You
did very well, considering. However, only one person survived the whole
thing."
Nyoto blushed. Scott smiled at her. "I'll arrange
for you to get extra time."
There was an outcry from everyone else, including her
team members, who promptly said that the winning team had been promised the
time.
Logan coughed. "Well, no team won. Ya had to have
both flags ta win. So, Nyoto 'ere is the closest thing to a winner we
have."
Silence reigned again. Scott nodded to them. "Go
get cleaned up before lunch. You have this afternoon off, I believe. Have
fun."
They all wandered off towards the dorms. Logan
stretched. "That was a good way pass the time." He shook his head,
splattering more paint everywhere. "I need a shower."
"You and me both." Scott, ran his fingers
through the paint, before catching Jean walking towards them. "Hi,
Jean."
She smiled and turned to Logan. "Logan, I need
your help later today. I have to move some stuff out of the professor's room. Could
you help me?"
"Sure thing, Red." Logan was a little
confused, but didn't let a thing show. He leered as she left, without saying to
Scott, before turning to him. "Think she likes me?"
Scott just looked at him and started walking to the
house. Logan frowned and ran after him. "C'mon, bub, ya know I'm teasin'
ya."
Scott nodded silently, rubbing his temple. Logan was
starting to get alarmed. He'd never heard Scott this quiet, except when
something was wrong. "Scott? What's wrong?"
Scott looked at him and smiled softly. "My head
hurts, that's all. The longer I'm n the sun, the worse it gets."
"How's that?"
"The sun powers it. Light powers my blast. The
longer I spend in direct sunlight, the worse it gets."
"Oh." Logan fell silent and followed him up
to the house. He knew that there was more to it than that, but he stayed
silent, and didn't ask.
Scott, for his part, didn't offer.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Apart from the chain, they looked like a normal group
out for a day at the zoo. The ticketer gave them a strange look, especially
Scott in his visor, and glanced up and down Rogue, taking in the long gloves on
a hot day. Logan slapped down some money and stared at the guy, challenging him
to make a comment about their appearance.
They wandered into the main area and Scott snagged a
map. "Well, what're we here to see? Marie?"
Rogue smiled shyly. "The cats. I've never seen
big cats."
Logan tugged the chain impatiently. "C'mon
then." He grabbed the map and pulled in out of Scott's grasp. "We
don't need that. I got all the sense we need."
Scott rolled his eyes. "Fine, lead on,
MacDuff."
They set off after Logan, ignoring the glances and
whispered comments. This was going to be a fun day out.
---------------------------------------------------
Rogue was sitting by the tiger cage, enchanted by the
docile looking cats. Logan sat on the grass nearby, happily chewing away on a
steak sandwich he'd convinced them he needed right then and there.
Scott leaned back and closed his eyes. This was nice. Resting
in the shade, away from the hassles of leading the X-Men team, away from
teaching, Jean's confusing and spiteful behaviour, away from it all.
Logan rolled onto his stomach and poked his finger
into Scott's side. "Hey, slim?"
"Hmm?"
"Wanna bite?"
He opened his eyes and smiled. "No thanks. Not
hungry."
Logan shrugged and bit into the meat again. Scott
glanced over Rogue quickly, but she was still watching the two cats circle each
other warily before settling down again, now snuggled up together, despite the
heat. She looked back at him and smiled. "They remind me of you two."
"How?" Scott sat up and leant forward,
earnestly interested.
"They pretend to dislike each other, but when it
boils down to it, you're better friends than enemies."
Scott leant back again, thinking about what she said.
"You two comfy down there?"
Logan grinned and finished off the sandwich. "Yep.
Beats sitting in the sun."
"Could we move somewhere else now?"
Scott stood up, tucking the chain into his pocket. They
had to walk close together, but it stopped people asking why they were
handcuffed together. "C'mon, Logan. I have a good idea of what we should
see next."
Logan stood gracefully, stretching himself out. "Okay,
bub."
Scott smiled and headed off. He had always loved this
display, he could only hope that Rogue and Logan would feel the same.
-------------------------------------------------------
The marine display was the best in the country. They
had carefully worked the setting to appear completely natural, and had removed
the predators to a separate tank.
Scott had always loved the sea. He had seen in often
as a child, but when he had moved here after his family's death, this had been
his only connection to the lovely marine landscape.
Rogue stopped short, catching her breath. "It's
lovely."
Logan stared at it. "I been here before, I
think." He frowned. "Maybe not."
Rogue tugged on Scott's hand. "I ain't seen that
before. What's that one?"
"An orca. They're also called killer whales. Normally,
that dorsal fin would stand up, but when they're held in captivity, loses its
rigidity."
"Killer whale? Are they a whale?"
"No, they're a dolphin actually. Though dolphins
and whales are members of the same family, it isn't a whale."
"So why do they call it a killer whale?"
"They hunt whales. A pack can take down a large
whale between them."
Rogue stared at the elegant black and white mammal. "Really?"
"Yeah."
She gazed around the pool. "Do you know what sort
of dolphin that is?"
Scott gazed along the same direction. "Bottle
nose."
"It looks so sweet."
Scott went to comment on their ferocity, but stayed
silent. Let her keep the illusion. Too much of her innocence had been stolen.
Logan glanced at Scott, waiting for him to tell them
about the bottle nose. He was surprised to see him gazing out along the water. "Slim?"
"Yeah?" His voice had a soft tone to it.
"Ya okay?"
"Fine. Just thinking."
"Oh." Logan leant on the rail. "Those
critters are so graceful in the water."
Scott nodded with a slight frown. "Logan, can we
go to the bench quickly?"
"Sure."
Logan followed Scott back to the bench. "Are you
okay, slim?"
Scott pulled off his visor, eyes clenched shut. "There's
salt spray around the seals. It's burning like anything."
"How'd that happen?" Logan took the visor
from Scott and carefully wiped the seals off.
"They're a bit loose. I need to get home fixed as
soon as possible. I was going to do it earlier, but when I was late to class, I
didn't have time to drop them off at the labs."
"Sorry." Logan carefully wrapped Scott's
hands around the visor. "Here, put it on."
"Thanks." Scott slipped the piece into place
and fastened it on securely. He glanced at Rogue, who was leaning over the edge
of the rail to watch the animals. "Marie!"
She turned back towards him? "Yeah?"
"Don't lean over like that. Don't want you
drowning."
"I can swim."
"I don't care. Don't do it."
Logan punched him playfully. "She's just having
fun."
Scott turned on him, his voice a harsh whisper. "She
could kill not only those animals but anyone who dives in to rescue her. She
can't run that risk. She's a mutant, she has to be more responsible than
that."
Logan snarled at
Scott. "She ain't likely to forget
that, bub. But she's a kid, ya ain't got the right to take her fun."
"Most kinds of trouble start off as fun."
"She's just looking!"
"She falls, how many could die?"
Logan felt the twitch in his hands. He wanted to run
that arrogant bastard through here and now. Before he got far, he heard Rogue
call. "Scott, Logan, you gotta see this!"
Glaring at each other, they stood and walked over to
her. Rogue smiled up at them. "Isn't it beautiful?"
A disabled child had been put in a separate pool, with
a few dolphins. As they watched, the dolphins moved around the small girl, eliciting
squeals of delight.
"I wish I could have done that, before this
came."
Scott nodded. "At least you'll always have the
memories of this. And of the times before you discovered your mutation."
She leant on Logan, careful not to touch his skin with
hers. "Yeah. That's enough I guess."
Logan glanced at her. "I don't remember not being
Wolverine. I don't really miss it either."
Scott snorted. "What's to miss? A time when you
didn't heal at a phenomenal pace? When you didn't have hidden claws?"
Logan narrowed his eyes. "A time without
nightmares, Cyclops."
Scott nearly blushed. Logan took the opportunity
presented to start his own attack. "Whaddya have to miss, Scott?"
Scott remained silent. Logan smirked at him.
"Thought so, slim."
Rogue coughed. "Hey, maybe we should go
home?"
Scott didn't say anything. Logan nodded, then stopped.
"Nah, there's one thing I gotta see first."
---------------------------------------------------------------
The wolverines were like nothing Rogue had ever seen. She
was staring at them with unabashed fascination. She watched them fight each
other, and shivered at the sight of the long claws that extended from under the
fur on the paws.
"They named you for this? Fitting."
Logan laughed, a deep rumble. "Sure is,
sweetheart. These are my kinda animals."
Scott watched the two of them. Rogue adored Logan, and
Logan felt the same. He had never seen such affection between two so different
people.
One of the wolverines trundled up to the bars and
peered through them intently, sniffing the air. Rogue smiled at it and turned
to Scott. "Do you know anything about wolverines?"
"The animal or the ones in the cage?"
She laughed, and Scott was surprised to see Logan's
shocked look turn to one of amusement. "The ones in the cage, Scott,"
Rogue laughed.
"They can take down deer and caribou by
themselves. Solitary hunters, endangered because of over hunting. They're very
resilient and aggressive, but won't attack if left alone."
Logan smirked. "That's me."
"Hey look, it's a troll. A one eyed, fucking
mutant."
Scott turned his head sharply. Four young men were
leaning against the low wall nearby. He narrowed his gaze at them, but turned
back to watching the wolverines.
"Hey, freak! Why don't you go back to the cave
you crawled out of?"
"And stop hasslin' that girl. She don't need a
mutie creeping her out."
"Hey mister, better keep your sister away from
that there freak!"
Scott closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He
felt, rather than heard, the snarl next to him. "Logan, don't. They're
just kids."
Logan's head snapped around to gaze into the red
visor. "They ain't got the right to say them things to us," he
hissed."
"Hey, troll. This is for the enjoyment of humans,
not freaks."
"Yeah, one eye. Humans, not your sort."
They sauntered off, laughing among themselves. Logan
snarled and spat out a curse. Rogue's lip was trembling. "Why? Why do
people do these things? What did we do to them?"
Logan wrapped an arm around her. "I dunno,
sweetheart. People are just arseholes sometimes. They think that insulting us
makes them tough."
"Not us," Scott whispered. "They
weren't insulting us."
"Whaddya talkin' about, Cyke? They came here and
were slingin' insults like pies at a circus at us."
"No, they weren't. They weren't insulting
us."
Logan raised an eyebrow. "It sounded like insults
to me, slim."
Scott sighed and lifted his head. "They weren't
insulting us, they were insulting me. Not you, not Rogue. Me."
He walked off towards the exit, his shoulders slumped
in a defeated pose that Logan had thought he'd never see on Scott. Rogue
glanced up at Logan. "Not good."
"So not good."
They followed Scott to the waiting car and climbed in.
The trip back to school was silent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
When they arrived, Jean was waiting. Rogue smiled at
her as she disappeared into the dorms, in a hurry to leave Scott and his eerie
air of defeat.
Jean kissed Logan's cheek and smiled briefly at Scott.
"You gonna help me move that furniture?"
Logan stared at her. What sort of woman was she? Anyone could
see that Scott was hurting here, and hurting bad, but she ignored him and
promptly started to flirt instead.
Scott ignored what was going on. His back was
straighter and the air of submission was fading. "Sure, we can help
now."
She ignored him and ran a finger along Logan's arm. "How
long is it now, until you get released?"
Logan shrugged. "Dunno. Cyke, how long now?"
"One hundred and twenty one hours," he
glanced at his watch," if it is actually five and it isn't just my watch
playing up."
Jean nodded. "It's five." She turned back to
Logan. "I'm cooking tea tonight for the team. Any preferences?"
"Meat." Logan shrugged and gave her a feral
grin. "You know me, red. So long it was living, I'm happy."
She frowned at him. "Logan, that's
disgusting."
"We need meat. I'm more honest about it."
She shrugged. "I guess so. I didn't think of it
like that." She smiled at them and headed into the mansion. "Tea at
sixty thirty, boys."
Logan turned to Scott. "And she doesn't ask about
what ya, her boyfriend, wants for tea?"
Scott shrugged noncommittally. "She probably
knows what I like already. no point in asking."
Logan heard the slight hesitation in his voice, but
didn't voice his concern about it. If he wanted to talk, he would talk. If not,
it weren't none of his business.
They went inside the mansion and headed to the labs.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"I don't get it, Scott. Your visor shouldn't have
been affected like it was."
Scott shrugged, his glasses now resting on his face
rather than the visor. "It was irritating my skin though."
Logan nodded his agreement. "They smelt of salt. In
fact, it's stronger now, away from the pool."
The tech frowned at the metal band. "I'll see
what I can do."
They left him there to puzzle over the seals. It was
only as they left that Logan started thinking. The salt he had smelt then was
different. Softer, more spicy.
That salt hadn't smelt like the tank water from the
zoo.
That salt had smelt of tears.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Logan was following Scott out of the room,
deliberately slowing down their pace. He figured that despite the fast pace of
his walk, Scott needed some time to calm down and get a grip on himself.
"Hello, Logan. Hi, Scott. How are things
going?"
Logan glanced up at Storm. "Fine, sweetheart. We
only got one hundred and something hours..."
"..twenty one...."
"...left till we get out. It ain't been so
bad."
Scott turned his head towards Logan sharply. Logan
grinned at him, recognizing the action as one of shock. "Whassa matter,
slim?"
"Nothing." Scott glanced at the ground. Storm
noticed the movement and gently cupped her hand under his chin, bringing his
face up to look her in the eye. "Are you really okay, Scott?"
"I'm fine, Ororo. I just, it's been a long day. Enjoyable,
but hard."
Storm nodded sympathetically. "I always tend my
garden after one of those days. Maybe you should unwind before tea?"
"Yeah, I will." Scott smiled at her. "Thanks,
Ororo."
"You're welcome. You look well, Logan."
"I like that maze thing. Great fun."
Storm glanced at her watch. "I have to get going.
See you at tea."
They all said their farewells and separated. Logan
glanced around the hallway, checking for people. He spied a door that led to
one of the private wards, and dragged Scott over to it before he could protest.
He shut the door and leaned against it. "What's
wrong, bub? I know ya had a shitty day, but ya don't have to put on a brave
face."
Scott scowled. "It's none of your business. I can
handle each day as it comes. I will be fine, so there's no point in having
hysterics over the fact that one day has gone wrong."
Logan pulled Scott so they were face to face. "Bub,
ya aren't listenin'. I can smell it, the tears, the sadness, I can read ya like
a book. Tell her."
Scott yanked himself away from Logan's grasp. "Tell
who what?"
Logan growled, more from frustration than anger. "Tell
yer Jeannie not to treat ya like that. She ain't got the right to do it."
"You leave Jean out of this!" Scott yelled.
"Look, do you want to end this? Do you want to call it all quits?"
"No, slim. I ain't quitting. An' neither are ya. We're
gonna show 'em that we can survive each other."
Scott took a deep breath. "Okay. But you leave
Jean out of our arguments."
Logan nodded. "Okay. I can do that." He
looked down at his stomach and frowned. "I'm 'ungry. Whassa time?"
"Six."
"Lets go and wait for tea. I need to eat
soon."
Scott rolled his eyes behind his glasses. "Fine.
We'll go eat."
-----------------------------------------------------
Tea proved to be steaks. Logan eagerly tucked into
his, before looking at Jean with puppy eyes, (something he wouldn't normally
do), to get a second serving.
Rogue was enthusiastically telling Kitty and Bobby
about her trip to the zoo. They were listening enthralled, to her tales about
the marine tank and what she had discovered about the wolverines.
Logan leant over and snagged the rest of her tea when
she was talking. Kitty caught him, but just started snickering.
Rogue spun around. "Logan!"
He smiled at her and took a bite. "You weren't
eating it."
"Well, no, but that's my tea."
"Was." He grinned again and took another
bite. "Yer a beaut cook, Red."
"Thank you, Logan. Nice to know I'm appreciated
in the kitchen."
Logan turned to Scott. "She cook often?"
He shook his head. "No, not really."
Logan glanced at the plate. There seemed to be an
awful lot of food left still, just cut up into small pieces. "You eating
tonight, Cyke?"
He pushed his plate towards Logan. "Go on. Your
staring at it like you haven't eaten for months."
Logan stared intently. "Ya barely eaten."
He shrugged. "I'm not hungry. I feel a little off
colour."
Storm turned at the words. "You feeling sick,
Scott?"
He sighed. "A little. It's nothing to worry
about."
She rummaged in her pocket. "I have a herb
that'll cure that for you, if I....."
"No, it's okay. I had lunch and breakfast. I'll
eat later, that's all."
Logan was busy clearing off Scott's plate. Rogue
raised an eyebrow at him. "Didn't you eat just before we got back
here?"
"While before."
"And you're hungry again?"
He nodded, then shook his head. "Not now."
Storm stared at the three empty plates and started
laughing. Logan raised an eyebrow at her, which only made her laugh harder. "What's
gotten into ya?"
"You finish off three and a half normal servings,
then decide that you're full, after eating only hours before? That's what's
making me laugh."
Logan scowled playfully. "I'm growing."
Jean was writing in her notebook. "Logan, next
week I want to run some tests. I'm wondering if your appetite is related to
your high regeneration."
Logan shrugged. "Whatever." He stood up and
stretched. "Jog, slim?"
Scott glanced up at him. "Okay, I guess."
Logan hauled him out of the room and out into the
grounds.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Logan jogged slower than normal to allow Scott to keep
up. When they reached the glen in the forest, he stopped.
Scott looked around. "Why have we stopped
here?"
"So that everyone won't hear us yellin' at each
other."
"What?"
Logan paused, staring at the light glow from the
sunglasses. "Why can't ya control it?"
"What?" Scott seemed really confused now.
"Yer blasts. Why can't yer control them?"
Scott sat down. "Brain damage. I was in an
accident when I was younger. Killed my family. I was just a child, I don't
remember it all that well. The impact damaged the section of my brain that
would normally be used to harness mutant powers."
Logan stared. "I had no idea."
Scott shrugged. "It's no big deal. Charles has
always been good to me, almost like a father."
"So, if not for the crash....."
"I wouldn't need these," he indicated the
glasses. "You thought I'd yell at you for asking?"
"Dunno. 'Sides, it's a nice place to talk."
Scott lay back and stared at the stars. "It
is."
"How old were ya?"
"When?"
"When ya were in the crash."
"Five," he said peacefully. "I used my
powers to blast my way out, or I would have been killed."
Logan fell silent. Five. He hadn't seen the world
without those glasses since he was five. "Do ya remember what colours are
like?"
"Not really."
"Don't ya miss it?"
"Not really. I don't remember anything else. It's
like asking the born blind if they miss sight."
Logan pondered this. "Ya lying. That's what ya
wish ya could remember. A time with no glasses, no visor."