Stuck With You
by Jemisard

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."

Scott sharply looked at Logan. "Yes. it is. You remembered me saying that?"

"Had me intrigued." Logan stretched out and pulled out a cigar. "I need a light."

Scott sighed and grabbed the cigar. "Look away."

"Huh?"

"Do it!"

Logan closed his eyes. He saw a flash of red and smelt the cigar. "You can open them now."

He took the offered cigar and puffed on it. "Neat trick."

Scott smiled wryly. "Yeah, no need for lighters, microwaves or blowtorches when I'm around."

Logan laughed. "Ya more screwed in the head than I thought. I didn't mean it like that," he hastily added. Scott smiled. "That's fine. I know you didn't. You may be a lot of things, but aren't going to take a shot as cheap as that."

"I'm sorry."

"What on Earth for?"

"For callin' ya one eye. It makes me no better than them kids."

Scott gently touched Logan's shoulder. "I overreacted when you used that before, and I'm sorry. I don't mind it."

"Don't fuck with me, Scott. Outta all the people here, I seem to be able to read ya the best. You were hurtin', and I played it up. That was wrong."

Scott glanced down. Logan was torn between getting up and taking them both back to the mansion or hugging the younger man. He compromised by doing nothing for a while longer.

"What did you mean before? About Jeannie?"

Logan sighed. "She's been real cruel to ya. She ain't got the right to do that. She shouldn't be playing around like she is. There's a line between harmless flirtin' and serious playin' about. She crossed that line. She shouldn't me messin' with me, not while she got ya."

Scott shook his head. "It's her only relief. She needs to be around people who are...." he fell silent, his head dropping again.

Logan grabbed Scott's face under the chin and pulled it up. "Who are what, Scott?"

Scott pulled away, standing up. "Cut me free, Logan. I don't want to go through with this stupid bet."

Logan yanked on the chain, pulling Scott to the ground again. "No way, bub. People who are what?"

Scott tried to free himself from Logan's grasp, but the older man held on grimly. "Not until ya tell me, bub."

"For Christssake, let me go!"

"No! Who are what, Scott?!"

"People who are human! Happy?"

Scott rolled out of Logan's grasp, which was quite easy considering that he had let go in shock. "What the fuck do you mean, slim?"

"You saw it today. She needs to be with people who make her feel like she's more than just a mutant's girlfriend. I should be grateful that she's stayed with me at all. In between my job and the brain damage and putting up with all the mutant crap that comes along with those two, I'm lucky to have her at all. No one else would put up with that sort of shit, day in and day out."

Logan felt like laughing. "Ya believe that?"

Scott glared and stood up. "Cut me free, Wolverine. I want to go."

Logan stood up. "Ya love her. Ya give her all the time ya can. I watched ya skip doing work to help her. Sure, ya ain't normal. But let me let ya in on a secret," he leant close to Scott's ear, "none of us mutants are."

"You don't get it!"

"No, Scott, ya don't. If she loves ya, it's no burden."

"She told me I was lucky after what I had been through to not have it worse, and not to worry about the headaches. If they're ignored, they'll fade."

Logan hit Scott across the face, hard. "Scott, she don't love ya! No one could treat some they love like that. Ya know that."

Scott sank to the ground on his knees, nodding his head. "But what do I do without her?"

Logan helped him up and stared guiding him back to the mansion. "Ya move on."

Logan guided the shell shocked Scott back to the mansion and into the lounge room. Rogue and Kitty watched with large eyes as Logan gently sat Scott down and poured him a whiskey out of a hip flask, ignoring the quiet protests and pressing the cup into his hand.

Kitty came forwards. "Are you okay, Cyclops?"

He nodded mutely. Logan sat down next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders protectively. "He'll be fine."

The door opened and Charles wheeled himself in. He ignored the curious glances and approached the couch. "Scott?"

Scott looked up at last and stared at Charles. The doctor reached forward with his hand, tightly holding Scott's in his own.

Logan glared at the girls and indicated that they should leave. They quietly stood and left, though not before Kitty mouthed, "I won't peek, I promise."

The door shut behind them. Logan loosened his grip on Scott's shoulders. Charles titled his head towards Logan, though his eyes never left Scott's face. "Thank you, Logan."

"What for?"

"For telling him what none of us could."

Scott gave a slight sob. It was obvious to Logan that he was desperately trying to hold onto his self control. Logan rubbed his shoulders soothingly. "It's okay to let go sometimes. Not too often, but sometimes ya need to."

Charles gently pulled Scott forward, so he knelt on the floor next to the wheelchair. He wrapped his arms around the young man, shielding him in a protective embrace while he tried to stop the tears that had won the battle for control.

One hand though, the handcuffed one, reached out and held Logan's tightly, like it was all he had left in the world.

They must have sat there for sometime before Scott pulled away from Charles, dropping Logan's hand as he went. "Thank you. Both of you."

Charles stroked his hair back. "You need to speak to me, you know where I am."

Scott nodded and smiled as Charles wheeled out of the room. He turned to Logan with an embarrassed look. "I guess I really screwed up."

"Nah, bub. Ya misjudged her and ya misjudged yerself."

"Thank you, Logan."

The words were whispered so low that only Logan could hear them, even if there had been someone else in the room. Logan smirked. "Could ya say that louder, slim?"

"Don't push it, Wolverine," Scott smiled back, the tension easing from his face a little. "That's the only time I'm ever going to say that."

Logan shrugged. "Worth a shot."

The door opened and Storm and Jean walked in. Scott's face turned up to look at Jean, and something passed between them. She nodded and turned on her heel, leaving them again. Storm frowned. "Jean? Scott?"

Logan shook his head. "Don't worry, Ororo. It's personal."

Scott stood up. "No, it isn't. This will affect Storm as well. The students however, they shouldn't hear a word of this. Not yet."

Storm glided forward and lay her hand on Scott's arm. "What's happened?"

"Jean and I have separated. Neither of us could live with the way things were."

Storm's eyes flooded with pity. "Oh, Scott, I'm...."

"Please. Don't. It's hard without sympathy."

Logan patted her shoulder. "Ya know how it is. The last thing ya need is other people showerin' ya with pity."

She nodded. "Do you want me to do the office work for while?"

"Thank you. You should probably visit Jean. She'll need someone to be there for her."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

He nodded. "I have Logan. He has no choice about keeping me company."

Storm laughed. "Okay. I'll see you later."

Logan turned to Scott. "C'mon. We're takin' up a public room." He grabbed the hip flask and pushed his companion towards the door. "Time to go back to my place."

"Your place? We're staying in the dorms."

"Not with this stuff we ain't. 'Sides, I got more where this came from, an' ya need it tonight. We ain't gettin' pissed with them kids around." He grinned. "That's why we get private rooms, slim. For doin' things we shouldn't."

Scott followed Logan out and up to his room in the mansion.

"How long now?"

"One hundred, and......, something hours."

Logan laughed. "Ya were keepin' count."

"I lost it. Too late to be doing sums."

"Too blind drunk more like."

"I'm not drunk."

Logan stood up and started to sway slightly. Scott watched him go back and forth. "Why you swaying?"

"I'm not. Yer drunk."

Scot lay his hand on Logan's stomach. "You are moving."

"Yeah, I am. Jus' tryin' ter make ya feel sick."

Scott started laughing. "You're nuts."

"I know. Poker?"

He produced a pack of cards and began to deal them out. Scott shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"How much ya got on ya?"

"Ten dollars. Maybe. You?"

"My whiskey."

Scott shook his head. "Nup. no good. Different denomima...., denomima....., different currencies."

"Oh." Logan thought for a moment. "What ya got apart from money?"

"Nothing here."

Logan thought a little more. "Let's play strip poker. Ya got clothes, I got clothes."

"It's summer."

"We won't get cold then."

"We won't go for many rounds before someone runs out of clothing."

"Yeah, but it'll be funny."

Scott snorted with laughter again. "Okay."

"Yer just agreein' cause yer drunk."

"Yeah. But I forget about..........damn. I remembered why I'm drinking again."

Logan pulled Scott close enough to hug. "Poor bub. No one loves ya."

Scott thumped him. "Not nice."

"But true."

"You love me."

"Yeah, yer my bestest buddy."

"How many bottles we got left?"

Logan looked at the bottle count on the table. "Not enough."

"For what?"

"Huh?"

"Not enough for what?"

"I dunno. Ya tell me."

"You said it."

"Said what?"

"Not enough."

"Enough what?"

Scott shook his head. "I feel sick."

"It's the booze."

"It's the confusion."

"It's both."

Logan crawled towards his bed. "I'm tired."

"What about poker?"

"Fuck poker. I wanna sleep. Some idiot woke me up at six this mornin'."

"Yesterday. It's five now."

"Fuck. I wanna go to sleep."

Scott followed him to the bed. Logan glared at him. "What yer doin'?"

"We still got this on." He rattled the chain. Logan nodded slowly. "That's right, we do. Hop in."

Scott slid under the sheet with a yawn. Logan crawled in next to him and curled up, burrowing in net to Scott's back. "Night, bub."

He got no reply, but it didn't matter. He wasn't listening anymore.

Logan woke up with a mildly bitter taste in his mouth. He wrapped an arm around the body next to his, not caring who it was. It was warm and soft and in his bed, and that was good enough for him.

A loud groan forced him to wake up properly. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, before looking at the very hung over field leader of the X-Men. "Mornin'."

Another groan greeted him. He snickered. "Not feelin' too good?"

"No," came the whispered reply. Logan rubbed his back soothingly. "It'll pass. I could get yer somethin' for that headache o' yers."

"Thanks."

Logan rolled over and pulled a small bottle out of his drawer. "Don't need it me self, I keep it for poor buggers like ya."

He opened it and helped Scott sit up. "Open yer mouth."

Scott did as he was told and Logan drew one drop from the bottle, letting it fall into the other's mouth. "Swallow that."

Once again he was obeyed, and Scott shuddered. "That's foul."

"But ya feel better?"

"Yes."

Logan glanced at the clock. "I'm goin' back to sleep."

Scott nodded slowly. "What's the time?"

"One."

"One! I have classes!" Scott went to clamber out of bed, but Logan grabbed him and pulled him back. "Yer don't. Storm stopped by before, she's dealin' with yer classes. Ya need to rest today."

Scott let Logan pull him back into the bed. "I shouldn't have done that."

"Drunk so much?"

"Yeah. I have responsibilities to....."

"Yer need time to yerself. Ya important too, just as important as anyone else."

"No. They've all they can for me, but those kids,"

"Will survive without yer for a day. Yer need to look after yerself."

Scott leant back into pillows. "I suppose. Who else will now? There was always Jean before. Charles has a busy schedule, and now that she's gone........"

Logan rolled onto his side, looking down at Scott, reclining on his back. "I'll look after ya, Scott."

"I don't need your sympathy," he said softly. "I can cope on my own."

"But yer have to live. 'Sides, I want ter look after ya."

Scott looked at Logan. "You do?"

"Ya need someone, Scott, whether ya like it or not. You don't worry enough about yerself, so I'll have to do it for ya."

Scott frowned, puzzled. "You don't have to do anything, Logan."

Logan leant in closer. "But I wanna do this, slim."

Scott opened his mouth to protest, but Logan had covered it with his own.

It was more intense than anything he had ever felt. The soft tongue that stroked his own, the way he felt like he could live on this alone.

A hand caressed his face softly. He was surprised that there were no calluses on the fingers, but they were soft and smooth.

He suddenly noticed that the moth was moving away. He grabbed hold of the coarse black hair and pulled it back down, exploring further into the lovely cavern.

Finally, they separated. Scott remembered why he had to move and started gasping in air. Logan grinned at him. He went to say something, but Scott decided that anything he said would spoil the mood, so he grabbed him and kissed him again instead.

This time, it was rougher. Their tongues were dueling, mouths bruising with the force of the kiss. A hand was working its way along his side, stroking and tickling the skin.

They were kissing frequently now. how one kiss had turned into this passionate wrestle was beyond him, but right now he didn't care. The hair under his palms was a reassuring presence, the chest was broad and strong.

"Hey, slim?"

He stared up at Logan, wondering what on earth he could have to talk about at the moment. "Hmm?"

"Ya shouldn't be doin' this."

"Huh?" Scott's lust fogged brain decided that it really didn't care what Logan was trying to say and that sucking his throat would be a far more productive pastime than listening.

Logan gasped as Scott homed in on the hollow of his throat and started licking and sucking. "Cyke, no, ya need ter, God, right there, no,"

Scott clamped his mouth over Logan's, silencing any further protests. Logan went with the kiss until he remembered why he couldn't do this. "Not now, Cyke."

Scott stared in disbelief. "What?"

"No. I can't do this. Not now, like this."

"Why?" Scott still lay draped over Logan, who was on his back on the bed. He slipped out from in under the X-Man. "'Cause yer on the rebound. Yer just broke up with Jeannie, o' course yer want someone."

"I don't want someone." Scott grabbed Logan's ankles and pulled him back along the bed again. "I want you and only you."

"And if Jeannie came in and begged fer ya back?"

"I'd tell her no. I loved Jean, but I don't know if I was in love with her. I needed her. I thought she was the only person who could ever love me for who I am. Then, I worked out, no, then you made me realise that she didn't and that she wasn't."

Logan bit his lip. "Yer sure?"

Scott was already working away at the zip on Logan's shorts. "Mm-hm."

Logan grabbed his arms and dragged him over his body, so they lay face to face, Scott's slender body covering Logan's heavier one. "Listen ter me, Scott. I don't want ter be some one night fuck, and ya ain't that to me. I don't want ter do this now 'cause yer ain't thinkin' straight. Yer hungover, depressed and lookin' fer affection. I ain't gonna indulge ya, not until I know I can have yer fer longer than the end o' this week."

Scott sunk down onto Logan's chest, wrapping his arms around the sturdy older man. "I know, I know I am."

Logan kissed the top of his head. "Yer calm down and think about it a bit."

Scott looked up and Logan. "Thank you, Logan."

He pressed himself further into Logan. "Thank you so much."

Logan sighed and wrapped his arms around the younger man. "Yer'd do the same fer the one yer love," he whispered to himself. "Yer'd do the same."

The rest of the day was spent in a peacefully state of companionship. Logan taught Scott how to play an unusual card game called eleven, and Scott showed Logan the best way to cheat at snap.

They had tea upstairs in Logan's room. Ororo brought it up for them, smiling at Scott conspiratorial, touching her lip. Scott brought his hand up to his bruised lip and blushed at her.

Logan heartily tucked into the roast that was brought up, but Scott's appetite seemed to have deserted him again. He picked through the meat and pushed it away after a while. Logan frowned at him. "Eat, Cyke. Ya need to eat."

"I'm not hungry, Logan. You have it."

Logan pulled a bit off with his teeth and chewed on it thoughtfully. "Ya need food."

Scott stood up. "No thanks. Look, I want a shower. Can you eat out there?"

Logan picked up the platter and shrugged. "Do ya a deal. Have a bath, that way, I don't get wet, ya can have yer wash."

Scott gazed around. "Fine. You have to move to let me run the water and get some clean clothes."

Logan nodded. "Sounds good, bub."

They left the water running while they fetched some clean clothes.

Scott sank into the water with a sigh. Logan had promised not to watch, and hadn't as far as he could tell, while he got in the bath.

Logan handed him a piece of meat. "Eat it."

"No, thanks."

Logan pushed it at his mouth. "That weren't a question."

Scott took it and made a show of eating it. Logan handed him another piece waving in front of his face.

Scott smiled and took the meat from Logan's fingers, sucking the tips slightly as he did. Logan smiled and watched Scott eat it. "Want more?"

He nodded silently. Logan bit off a piece and leant in close. Scott eagerly pressed his mouth against Logan's, taking the meat from his teeth.

Logan smiled. "I shouldn't be encouragin' ya, slim."

"I know." They kissed lightly, Logan could taste the meat on Scott.

"I should stop."

"I know." They kissed harder, Scott's arms snaking around Logan's neck.

"I can't do this, slim. It's wrong ter do this now."

Scott let go and sank back into the water. "I know. I just," he turned his face up Logan, "I don't have to be the fearless leader, infallible and tough with you. I can let you in because you don't expect me to be perfect."

Logan ran his hand across Scott's face, gently tracing his features. "That's sweet o' ya to say."

"It's the truth. You see me, not Cyclops."

"What colour are yer eyes?"

"Hmm?" Scott looked baffled, changing topics so suddenly. "Blue."

"What sorta blue?"

"I don't know. I can't remember anymore."

Logan settled down next to the bath. "I wish I could see 'em."

Scott gazed into the water. "I trust you, Logan. More than I ever have anyone, and probably ever will."

Logan was shocked. "Ya do?"

"Yeah, I do. I, there is a way. I could see you, for while."

Logan's head shot up. "What?! Why the hell ain't ya used it before?"

Scott grabbed a towel and stood up, wrapping the towel around him. "I've never trusted anyone enough. It, it cuts off the powers until removed. It leaves you amazingly vulnerable. I," he blushed, "I never trusted Jean enough, and she didn't really seem interested in seeing me. She told me not to do it, that I should be happy enough with what I had. She didn't realise that..."

Logan pulled Scott's face upwards. "Maybe you wanted to do it, and be someone who would look after ya while ya were helpless."

Scott nodded. "And she never finished my sentences for me."

Logan wrapped his arms around Scott and lifted him out of the bath with a startled cry. "Ya wanna do it?"

"You wouldn't mind...."

"Ain't nothin'' to do with me, slim. This is about ya. Ya have to live with it, not me. All I'm gonna do is look after ya."

Scott dried off quickly and pulled on some clothes. Logan didn't watch again, he wanted Scott to trust him and not betray that trust. One day, maybe, he wouldn't need to worry about not looking.

"C'mon, we'll have to get it from Charles. There's only one of them now. He has the sole remaining Genoshan collar."

Logan nodded and followed Scott out of the room.

Charles was waiting for them. He smiled and pulled out a box, carefully undoing the lock with his mind. "Are you sure, Scott?"

"Yes, I am." Scott glanced at Logan. "How long can I wear it without damage?"

"One day. Every year, you can wear it for twenty four hours."

Logan choked. "That's all? That's only two hours a month."

Scott turned to him. "It's two hours a month I wouldn't have otherwise. It may not be much, but it's more than I've seen for years."

The older man took a deep breath. "What happens if ya go over that time?"

"Any more and the brain doesn't cope properly. Another mutant may be able to wear it marginally longer, but we don't know. The brain begins to shut down and it causes eventual brain death."

Logan shivered slightly. "Not nice."

Charles took a metal circle out of the box. It was a collar, though it could be passed off as a necklace. It had a simple locking mechanism at the back that could be released with the correct pressure and movement.

Scott took it gently. Charles laughed. "It's very durable, Scott. You won't be able to break it. It won't be affected by water, fire, explosives or force."

"Adamantium casing?" Logan butted in.

"Yes."

Scott was holding the collar, his eyes closed. "Not yet. I want to keep it though. I want to be able to have the choice when I'm ready."

Charles handed him the box. Scott seemed to be listening to something and he nodded. "I won't forget that."

Logan followed Scott out again, yawning slightly. He wanted to go to sleep, it was too late for him to be contemplating this sort of thing.

Eleven at night. Ninety one hours left. He was almost regretting when it came to an end now.

They slept in Logan's room again. Scott fell asleep first, curling around Logan, nuzzling into the warm side he had found.

There was a light knock on the door. Logan sat up, careful not to wake up his sleeping friend. "C'm' in."

Jean stepped in and looked at them. "Logan."

"Jean."

She smiled at him. "I was wondering, would you like tea sometime? Just the two of us."

Logan felt anger burn through him. She had treated Scott so cruelly, and she was already trying to hit onto him. "No, Jeannie."

"Why?"

"Ya know why."

"You love him."

"Yes."

"I never stood a chance."

"No."

She sighed. "Tell him I said I'm sorry. I don't want to wake him now."

Logan nodded curtly. "'Night, Jeannie."

"Good night Logan."

She left, and Logan settled back into bed, wrapping his arms around Scott protectively.

Scott woke up wrapped around Logan. He blinked sleepily and yawned. He hadn't woken up wrapped around someone for years. Jean hated having her personal space invaded, especially in bed.

"Mornin'." Logan stared at him and smiled. "Whassa time?"

"Seven. Morning yourself."

Logan stretched and stood up. "Gotta eat. Up, bub."

Scott stood up and leant into Logan. "I feel better than I have in years."

"Liberation."

"Waking up curled next to someone." He tipped Logan's face upwards and kissed him gently. "I've been thinking about what you said. Thanks for stopping me, I don't want to do something when I'm in that kind of mood."

Logan's heart sank, but he smiled again. "'S'okay. I don't mind."

Scott smiled. "I'd rather do it because I wanted to.'

Logan stared. "Ya.....?"

Scott kissed him, harder this time. "I don't know why, no, I know why I stayed with her, but I wish I'd met you sooner."

Logan responded to the kiss by latching his mouth onto Scott's jaw, gently tracing the line with his tongue.

"We, mm, should eat, that's nice, do that again."

Logan chuckled into Scott's throat and ran his mouth across the hollow again. Scott shuddered slightly. "Logan......."

"Yeah, breakfast." Logan released Scott's throat and pulled him out of the room. "We need to eat. Food." He amended as Scott grinned.

The table was as noisy as ever. Logan shoved his way through and grabbed two seats for them. Ororo smiled at them and waved. "You want pancakes?"

"Yeah, two servings, thanks."

Rogue tapped Scott on the shoulder. "You feeling better?"

"I'm fine, thanks."

She offered him a jug of juice, which he took gratefully. Kitty leant over and winked. "Better?"

"Better."

He saw the looks that went around the table. He patted Rogue's shoulder. "How many people has Kitty told about me and Jean?"

She blushed. "She wasn't listening in...she just...only a few. It circulated fast."

Scott nodded. "Uh huh." He took a glass and poured the juice into it. He passed it to Logan, who poured his own and slid it down the table to Ororo.

"What classes do you have today?"

"Outdoor education. I was thinking of letting them into the maze and leaving them to sort it out."

Logan's ears picked up at the mention of the maze. "Does that mean...."

"No. Not this time. We just monitor them."

Logan pouted and slid out a claw, spearing an apple on it. "I was hoping we...."

"No. Later maybe."

Logan chewed the fruit slowly. "Hey, Storm? How long are the pancakes gonna be?"

"About two or three minutes."

Logan slid his hand under the table to scratch a bite on his leg, but redirected it and ran it up Scott's inner thigh. Scott froze for a second, but relaxed, not giving away anything to the others.

Logan ran his nail along the skin, delighting in the small hitch in Scott's breath that it caused.

"You two okay?" Ororo frowned at them. Logan grinned and took the plates from her. "Fine. Why'd ya ask?"

"You look, I don't know, distracted."

"No, we're fine. Hey, slim?"

"Yeah, I feel great." Scott smiled and dug into his pancakes, liberally covering them with maple syrup. Logan grabbed the bottle and repeated the action.

Rogue and Kitty watched the two of them, aware that something as going on, but not sure what.

Logan's feet were actually playing with Scott's and was trailing his toes up the sensitive skin of the back of his legs.

In the end, Scott stood up and pushed his plate away. "Logan, we gotta go."

Logan shrugged to Ororo and grabbed his plate. "Okay."

Scott leant down to whisper in Ororo's ear. She smiled and nodded. He turned to the group and announced, "Class. Storm's taking you today. Meet her at the maze for your equipment."

The group cheered and Scott pulled Logan out of the room.

They reached Logan's room and Scott pushed him inside. The door was shut and locked by Scott who turned to Logan. Logan folded his arms. "Cyke, what ya doin'?"

"Shut up, Logan." He slammed Logan against the wall and kissed him thoroughly. Logan moaned as he felt Scott's hand snake between them and roughly stroked him through his shorts.

"Scott, ya sure......"

"I'm sure. I know. I want you, I think," he paused and took a deep breath. "I think I might've fallen in love with you. I trust you."

Logan spun them around, pushing his body into the slimmer one of his soon to be lover's. Scott moaned as they pressed into each other. Logan kissed him again, biting him on the neck none too softly. Scott moaned louder and arched his body into Logan's' seeking more friction.

"Ya sure?"

"Shut up, Logan." Scott grabbed Logan's hips and grounded the two them together. They both moaned, heads leaning back slightly.

Logan spun them around and pushed Scott back on to the bed, crawling up his body with a wild gaze. Scott shivered and licked his lips.

Logan pulled down Scott's shorts, hungrily taking in the sight of his lover naked. Scott blushed slightly, looking away from Logan.

"No." Logan brushed his hand across Scott's erection. "Look at me, Scott. I wanna see ya. Yer beautiful, ya know that, don't ya?"

"I, I never thought of myself as beautiful. More flawed."

Logan bit the stomach in front of him, bruising the skin. "No! Yer shouldn't say that! Yer beautiful. Yer so perfect, even if yer can't control the blasts, that don't matter. That's part of ya. And I love it all."

Scott suddenly moved and started rummaging in the drawer. He threw out a tube of lubricant, which made Logan laugh huskily. He then drew out the metal box and unlocked it, pulling out the slender collar.

Logan swallowed. "Yer sure, Scott? That's a big thin' to offer me."

"I trust you." He handed over the collar and leant towards Logan, his head hanging down, exposing his nape. "Put it on, if you want."

"Do ya want?"

"Yes."

Logan slipped the collar around Scott's slender throat and clasped it shut. Scott looked up and stared at Logan. He was trembling slightly as he reached up to remove the visor. Logan pushed his hands away. "Let me."

"Okay."

Logan pulled off the visor and tilted Scott's face up to his. "Open yer eyes."

"I'm scared."

"I know. Trust me, Scott."

Scott opened his eyes slowly. No deadly blasts tore through the room, no gleaming red, just the most beautiful midnight blue eyes he had ever seen. He gasped slightly, and Scott looked down. "God, I forgot it all. All the colour."

Logan stared him in the eye. "Yer beautiful, Scott. But yer shouldn't be wastin' yer hours. Take it off, you can look all yer want later."

Scott closed his eyes and took off the collar. He put it aside and lay back, not bothering with the visor. "Logan? Can we get back to this?"

Logan laughed and pounced on him, kissing and sucking his mouth while his hands explored. He could feel hands exploring his body, running over the lines and curves, learning how he felt.

He pulled away from the mouth and started to explore. He wanted to spend longer on this, but they both knew what they wanted and needed, and they needed it now.

Love could come later, this was about sex.

Logan licked at Scott's erection, eliciting a delighted moan from above. He sucked the length into his mouth, twisting his tongue around the tip while his hands and lips worked along the shaft.

Scott was moaning and thrashing now, hips rocking in time to Logan's administrations. Logan knew it wouldn't last much longer, he could feel the tightening that signaled his lover's approaching orgasm.

He pulled back slightly to swallow the stream of semen easier, listening to Scott's scream as he came.

He crawled back up the long body, kissing and sucking as he went. Scott was boneless on the bed, and Logan grinned. "Yer mind I....." he trailed his fingers along the cleft of Scott's butt, pressing his fingers in slightly.

Though he said nothing, the wriggle back onto his fingers and soft moan was all the answer he needed. He grabbed the tube and squeezed some onto his fingers, smelling fruit as he did so. He tasted a little, smiling when the taste of strawberries assaulted his mouth.

He rolled Scott onto his stomach and massaged the gel into his buttocks, slowly moving closer to his target.

He pushed a finger into the tight hole, amazed at how tight and yet how relaxed Scott was, though the latter was probably due to his climax before.

He eased a second finger in, causing Scott to push back sharply, gasping as he felt the fingers brush across his prostate.

Logan was growing impatient, but he would not hurt his lover. He carefully coated himself with the gel and pressed into Scott with a long thrust.

Scott yelped slightly, but pushed up onto all fours, forcing Logan all the way in. Logan resisted the urge to move, waiting until Scott moved first.

He felt a twitch and his lover rocked back slightly, moaning. Logan grasped the slim hips and pulled out slowly, then slammed back in, crying out as he did so.

They rocked together, both moaning and crying out as Logan picked up pace, thrusting in and out, closing his eyes to take in the pleasure that he had never experienced the like of before.

Scott leant down on his arms, reaching under his body. Logan beat him to it, wrapping his hand firmly around Scott's cock, stroking it in pace to the frantic thrusting.

He kept rocking, driving deep and hard. He could hear Scott mumbling incoherently, feel his own climax drawing near, saw that slim body arching and tensing under his own.

He suddenly felt his body tense, and bit down on Scott's shoulder hard. He cried out, pouring his juices into Scott. He could hear Scott wail as he came over Logan's hand, collapsing onto the bed under the other man's heavier weight.

Logan gasped for a bit, trying to get his voice back. "Fuck."

"Done, that." Scott panted.

Logan laughed. "Yer gonna feel that tomorrow."

"I'm feeling it now. I don't care. I love you, I trust you, I don't want to ever have to leave you."

Logan wrapped his arms around Scott, spooning around his body. "I love ya too. I never thought I'd say that ter anyone."

Scott pulled his visor over and slipped it on. "I could see you, in colours, I could imagine what you looked like as you fucked me. You've done that a few times before."

"Yeah, I have." Logan sat up slightly. "Ya had, hadn't ya?"

Scott shook his head. "No, never trusted anyone enough."

Logan felt tears sting his eyes. "Ya, God, Scott, yer shoulda said."

"Why? You might have done something different."

Logan shook his head and kissed Scott again, long deep and gentle, trying to convey his love. Apparently Scott felt it, because he smiled. "Love you."

Logan yawned. "How long now?"

"Seventy eight hours left."

"Do ya think we could stay like this forever?"

"Why Logan, I never saw you as the romantic sort."

"I never have been. Ya being it out of me. Well, could we?"

Scott turned and kissed him again. "I hope so. You aren't ever leaving me."

"Never. I love ya too much to do that."

Scott snuggled into Logan's embrace. "I have you forever now. Who cares if they can see what holds us together or not?"

"Who cares? I don't care who cares."

Ninety hours down, eternity to go.

"Guess I'm stuck with ya for good."

"Yep. You're stuck with me."

They went to sleep, happy in their love.

The End