All Dots and Lines, a veronica mars fanfic

It was a quick movement, a dance of light across his fingertips that Logan hardly registered before the shirt in his hands burst into flame.

"Fuck!" he shouted, dropping it hastily in a search for something to cool it with. Reaching for the glass on his bedside table, Logan swiftly threw the contents onto the burning material, realizing only at the last moment that it had been full of vodka.

As the burn increased he ran to the bathroom, pulling the shower hose back into his bedroom with him as he doused the crumbling black remains of his favorite shirt.

Logan let his gaze move from his hands to the smoking pile on his floor, back to his hands.

"Fuck! I knew I was hot but…" he muttered quietly.

From around the corner he could see her standing—dumb-struck—staring at her hands. It couldn't be a coincidence, he thought, taking a quick glance at his own hands. Veronica was right, in somewhere like Neptune there just weren't that many coincidences happening.

"You too, huh?" he asked calmly, moving into her sightline.

"Excuse me?"

"Wake up a little different, V?"

"Veronica."

"Fine. Wake up a little different, Veronica?"

She bit her lip tightly, "No."

"So, no visits from radioactive spiders?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Logan lifted his hand, letting the sparks dance around his fingertips as her mouth fell open very slightly. Veronica tried to remain composed.

"So?" he prompted.

Without looking at him Veronica shook her head, picking up a crushed soda can from the ground as Logan watched frost coat its surface.

"Huh," he said finally, "we match."

Veronica's smile looked a lot more like a grimace as she replied sarcastically, "Go figure."

"Indeed."

"What the hell—?" she continued to stare at her hands in confusion.

He shrugged in the face of her dilemma, concentrating on the thrumming heat between his fingers as he replied absentmindedly, "This is what happens when you spend all your time being an icy bitch."

Veronica glared at him sharply, her eyes hardening as she spat out, "Nice, Logan. 'Cause this seems like a real good time to go a round."

"Maybe best ever, we could test these babies out." He flexed his hand investigatively.

Veronica jumped back suddenly, rubbing her arm harshly. "You jerk, you just branded me!"

Logan looked over to her with feigned interest. "Uh, oops?"

"You did it on purpose?" she asked incredulously, anger flooding her features.

"You walked right into my hand," he defended.

"Wear gloves then you ass!"

"Don't know about you, Veronica, but I'm not really partial to the smell of burning."

"Then maybe you could quit burning me!"

"So... d'you think we got any other powers?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know, like super speed or the ability to climb buildings... man, maybe we can fly!"

"You wanna try it out, be my guest."

Logan began to climb the building, moving quickly between hand and foot holds made from ledges and cracks between bricks.

Veronica held her breath, almost scared to watch him as she called up, "Logan! I was joking, get down!"

Logan looked back at the sound of her voice, letting one hand drop away from the wall to turn his body back to her. It was then that his grip slipped and Logan found himself plummeting back to the ground according to gravity's whims.

"So 'no' to the flying then."

"Whatever," he groaned, clutching at his ribs as he tried to stand.

Rushing over to him Veronica tried to support Logan's side just as he cried out in pain.

"Wait, stop! Stay there, I think you've broken something."

He coughed painfully, "Wouldn't be the first time."

Veronica shook her head as she rooted about in her bag swiftly. "You're going to heal crooked one of these days."

"911, maybe?" he requested.

Veronica looked down at him from where she was standing already holding her cell phone to her ear. "I'm on it… hey, keep still."

Logan merely moaned as he let his head flop back against the hard ground, his eyes closing. A second later Veronica was just answering a voice on the other end of the line when Logan's eyes snapped open and he tried to twist his head up. "Wait, hang up!"

Eyes widening slightly, Veronica looked down at him in confusion. "What? No, Logan, you're hurt."

"We can't. If they find out about," he wiggled his fingers, "we'll be screwed."

"To put it all so delicately," she agreed, snapping closed her phone. Moving closer to him she kneeled on the ground, asking, "Can you move?"

Logan's breathing was painful as he let his head fall back again. "Just give me a minute."

"Sure." She nodded, fingers finding their way into his hair as she stroked it back absentmindedly, wiping away smears of dirt from his face with her thumb. "Don't jump off anymore buildings, okay?"

He couldn't even speak as he surreptitiously moved his face further into her hand.

The bandages were barely visible beneath his t-shirt as Logan lay back in the chair he was occupying. Veronica cleared her throat a little, causing his eyes to open and his neck to snap up. She handed him the glass of water, settling herself next to him on the armrest.

"How are you?" She rubbed a hand up his arm sympathetically.

"Bruised," he replied shortly, trying to keep his tone soft as he grimaced past the pain of twisting to face her.

"I shouldn't have let you go up there," she berated herself.

"Veronica Mars does not self-incriminate. I was the one who tried to climb the damn thing."

"But I know you, Logan. I am an icy bitch, I knew you were going to fall and I didn't even try to stop you."

"I was being an ass."

"Still, look what happened."

One hand came up to tilt her chin down to him. "You just need someone to thaw out that icy heart."

"Think you're up to the challenge?" Veronica smiled weakly. "Cause I don't see anyone else in the running."

Logan grinned a little, extracting his fingers from her cheek to rub his hands in anticipation as he proclaimed, "Be prepared to melt before me."

A stifled laugh escaped Veronica's mouth as she leaned down to him, careful not to place her weight against his battered chest as she inquired with a cocked eyebrow, "Are we done with the punning?"

Logan's mouth closed over hers, his tongue slipping past her lips to press against her own before he broke away with an almost silent, "For now."

"Hey, hey, keep those hands to yourself. I don't want my dick to get frostbite." Logan lay on the couch, his hands catching Veronica's wrists as they moved for the button on his pants—the bandages around his middle now gone and only a faint green hue to indicate that his skin had ever been beaten against the sidewalk.

She smiled beatifically, biting her bottom lip coyly. "I'll be careful."

Reluctantly he released her arms, allowing Veronica to continue her progress with a stifled groan as her hands moved on him over his jeans. "You'd better," he grumbled.

"Promise," she breathed against his chest, "but if you burn me again you're going down.

"Believe me," he let out a strangled moan as her hot, little, sweat-slicked hands found their way inside his pants, grasping him firmly, "you're hot enough."

"Cliché even with superpowers, so I guess they really can't make the perfect guy."

"If you wanted to shut up about now, that'd be great."

"Aw, and sweet too."

Veronica stretched languidly along the length of the bed before her neck snapped up sharply as she turned onto her side, nudging Logan in the ribs to gather his attention. "Did you just set the sheets on fire?"

"Told you I was hot," he grinned, leaning closer to press his lips against her.

"No, jackass," Veronica pushed him away, "like, is that smoldering on your side of the bed."

Logan flipped himself over before his eyes widened. "Shit!" he cried, slapping at the bed with one hand, which only proceeded to make matters worse.

Sighing, Veronica leaned over and pressed one cold palm onto the charred sheets, cooling the slight spiral of smoke.

Veronica sat quietly on the couch, her face pale and her hands shaking as Logan came through from the kitchen with a hot water bottle which he wedged firmly between the hands on her lap.

Cold tears pooled in her eyes, intensifying her shivering as he moved his warmer hand over her back. "Maybe I deserve this, you're right—"

"Veronica—" he disagreed.

"No, Logan, it's true," she cut him off.

Logan shook his head, one hand running up and back down the length of her arm warmly. A shudder ran through her and he grasped her hands in his other, Veronica leaning against his shoulder as she soaked in the warmth she found sparking from him. His voice was low as he confided, "You just need defrosted occasionally."

Veronica's face scrunched up as she asked, "Like a freezer?"

"But smaller and more fun to make out with," he agreed with an affirmative nod.

Veronica's lips pursed in amusement as she smiled into his shoulder, asking wryly, "Is there something you and the freezer need to tell me?"

"You're cute?"

"Which one of us do you think would win in a fight?" Logan asked suddenly, shoving another handful of chips into his mouth.

"Huh." Veronica turned to face him, a strip of red liquorice halfway to her mouth.

Logan rolled his eyes, settling more comfortably on his elbow so that they were now facing each other on the couch. "Like Spiderman versus Superman, me versus you, who wins?" he clarified.

Veronica shook her head in mild disbelief. "You know that, Logan."

"Uh huh?" he prompted.

"Nobody wins when we fight," she smiled knowingly. "We just blow off a lot of steam."

"Aw," he faux-cooed over her. "Lookit you with your cute—yet strangely literal—answers."

She smacked his arm in response.

"Hey, shouldn't you have a costume, spandex of some kind perhaps?"

"And shouldn't you be wearing tights and panties?" she asked, just as seriously. "I'm not wearing spandex, Logan."

"Please?" he pouted, wheedling.

Veronica crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back against the kitchen counter as she bargained, "I'll wear a spandex cat suit when you wear tights."

"I'm not wearing tights."

"Robin Hood wore tights." She nodded to indicate her point.

"Robin Hood was poor," Logan argued redundantly.

"And a hero," she replied.

"And gay," he retaliated.

Veronica sighed exaggeratedly. "He wasn't gay, Logan."

"You tell me why all his men were so merry then."

"They were helping people."

"I'll help you out of your spandex," he offered with a small smirk.

She pushed her tongue against the inside of her mouth, trying not to smile. "They were helping the poor."

"You're poor," he shrugged lightly.

Veronica glared, narrowing her eyes to his gaze. "You know appendages fall off when they get too cold…" she warned, wiggling her fingers unnervingly close to his pants.

Logan took a sharp step back, raising his hands in defense. "You stay away from my appendages."

"Might want to keep your mouth shut next time, then," she suggested smartly.

Logan only grinned in response, pondering, "Bets on how long before you revoke that statement?"

Veronica shook her head despairingly as he moved closer to her once more, hands slipping round her waist to pull her against him. "I hate you."

Logan tilted his head to the side, slanting a quick glance over to Veronica as she asked, "So… wanna go fight crime?"

He pulled her to him, his laughter caught up in her mouth as his hands fumbled over her zipper and he finally replied, "You know, I've always felt it was kind of criminal to let you wear pants…"