Murder in the Dark
Logan remembered that day when they had played murder in the dark. It had been a few weeks before the end of it all. Duncan and Veronica had been slightly tipsy; typically Logan and Lilly were smashed.
They were in his pool house when Lilly had turned off all the lights and declared they were going to play the game. No one was in a fit state to argue so as Lilly counted and twirled, donning one of Aarons old ties as a blind fold for an extra effect they all struggled to find a hiding spot.
Duncan went under the table; Logan knew that without having to see. Duncan was predictable; he'd hid there first ever since they were children.
Logan stumbled to the bed, falling over some of the many empty bottles that littered the floor he cursed then crawling and snorting in his drunken stupor he finally found the edge of the bed and fell onto the thick mattress as Lilly got to fifteen.
He heard a muffled shriek underneath him and attempted to quickly scramble up, as he was pushed. He smirked in the darkness as he felt a familiar slap on his shoulder.
"Well, well," he slurred in a staged whisper, "Great minds think alike hey Mars."
She shoved her hand over his mouth in an indication to shut up, and quickly scrambled further up the bed, towards the pillows.
In his stupor Logan followed her at a crawl, somewhere underneath the alcohol he thought he liked her perfume and her soft hand on his mouth.
He went softly this time and felt her arm, she had buried herself in the pillows, she attempted to push him away in a suggestion to get his own hiding spot. He ignored her, instead curling up next to her he grabbed one of her pillows and shoved it on top of him.
She was prevented from protesting as Lilly reached twenty and they could hear her stumbling around, calling out to them. They lay side by side, he could hear her breath, in out, in out, he supposed she could feel his breath on her hair, slow and steady, tinged with the heavy scent of alcohol.
For some reason, despite them being so very mature, and Logan feeling like he'd seen everything, there was that slight thrill of expectant fear as they lay in the dark, fear of Lilly's hand touching them, of being found.
It was like he was a child again, only twelve, hiding in the closet waiting as they'd played hide and seek in the Kane mansion, almost jumping out of his skin when Lilly had thrown open the door and grinned at him.
"I knew you'd like the closet," she'd said, swaying closer to him, her lips close to his as he pressed against the wall. That was the first time they'd kissed, it was after Logan had given up any hope of ever acting on his slight attraction towards Veronica.
He had realized that Veronica and he were two very different people, coming from very different worlds, but Lilly... there was something superficial yet knowing about her which let Logan be with her. She had knowledge, she was hardened, maybe voluntarily unlike Logan. Despite that Logan felt as if she understood that there was bad things in this world. Besides her innocence would never be corrupted by him, she'd already seen to that before he even came to Neptune.
Now here he was on his pool house bed, with Veronica curled up beside him, breathing and shivering slightly with expectation. He supposed it was the alcohol, but Logan also felt it, felt the excitement and felt the fear.
It wasn't the fear he felt when he was hiding in here before, from Aaron, when he was younger. Then he had been shaking and sobbing, Aaron had a belt and a bad temper, he'd just lost an important role and Logan had dropped a bit of food on his suit during a dinner party. Aaron had waited for all the guests to leave before getting his belt, and Logan had run. It was stupid of him really, it had been worse for him after. That fear he had felt was different to now, choking, searing, burning, he had felt like he couldn't breathe then.
Now with his friends and the surety of protection from Aaron for a whole night and day Logan felt a slight tingling of anticipation, more excitement then fear.
He shifted slightly, unintentionally moving closer to Veronica, brushing her bare shoulder with his hand. He heard her slight intake of breath as it felt like an electric current ran through them, for a moment he stopped breathing, he wanted to wrap his arms around her then, hold her close, breath in her sweet scent.
"Donut you're such a doophus," Lilly's loud voice shocked him, making him jump and quickly move slightly away from Veronica, but not too far. "You always hide under there, God get an imagination."
"I was hoping you'd forget," came Duncan's rueful voice.
"Now help me find Logan and Veronica."
"I'll go check near the liquor cabinet, Logan can't be far from there," said Duncan, he could hear Veronica's slight snort at this, he grinned.
He heard Lilly stumbling around, kicking empty alchohol bottles out of her way as she went. He heard her bump against the bed and curse.
"Veronica," she called softly, "Logan." He held his breath as she made her way around, he knew Veronica was doing the same thing beside him, hung in suspension they waited. Then suddenly Lilly flung herself on top of the bed, inches from where Logan was, he moved ever so slightly closer to Veronica, pressing to her as Lilly thumped the bed with her hands. Suddenly he felt Veronica's hand in his own; he felt her chest rise and fall as they waited.
"God where are you losers," Lilly cried out impatiently, making her way off the bed.
And Logan couldn't hold it in; he shook with suppressed nervous laughter as he thought of telling a stranger this story. How Ronnie and him hid in a bed together, in the dark while Lilly searched for them. It sounded like one of those stupid plot lines from Aarons movies. Lilly paused for a moment, and then slipped softly back on the bed, moving closer. Veronica squeezed his hand, and just as Lilly's face was close to him Veronica sat up, grabbed a pillow and chucked it at her. Lilly screamed and Duncan quickly scrambled turning on the lights.
"God Mars," she laughed, holding her side as she lifted up one side of the blindfold, "You sure know how to scare."
"Lots of practice," said Veronica grinning.
Logan laughed too but felt a slight bit of disappointment as he sat up, he wouldn't have minded staying like that for a little longer. He didn't know whether Veronica had the same thought, or an opposite one, either way she quickly slipped off the bed and moved towards Duncan, not turning to look Logan once.
"Well lover," said Lilly, forcing Logan to turn away from Veronica, "I guess you won."
"Yeah, I s'pose," Logan muttered, "So what's my prize."
Lilly crawled slowly over to him, pulling up the blindfold and leaning in she paused for a moment, her lips close to his. "I knew you'd like the bed," and she kissed him.
She pulled away smiling, as Duncan made retching noises and Veronica turned away in embarrassment, or was it something else?
"Duncan if I win again," Logan said grinning, "You can give my prize to Lilly."
They played another round, this time Veronica hid on the opposite side of the room from Logan, and she won it. Then it was Logan's turn to turn away as Duncan and Veronica kissed.
"I'm bored," he muttered to Lilly, attempting to sound nonchalant as she turned to him and he looked away from Duncan and Veronica, thumbing through his DVD collection, "Why don't we watch a movie?" It wasn't the real reason, and he thought Lilly knew it as she raised her eyebrows and looked back at Duncan and Veronica. She didn't say anything however, and for that Logan was grateful.
They put on some horror movie, the typical slash and hack thing, Logan had chosen it.
Veronica placed herself as far away from Logan on the couch as she could get, with Duncan and Lilly between them. He supposed it would always be like that. But for a moment when they had lain on that bed there was nothing in between them, and Logan wished it could always be like that.
Now they were still playing murder in the dark though they had all seen stuff which had aged them before their time. He supposed though adults were all really still playing kids games, even though they attempted to disguise them as something else. Veronica was the seeker trying to desperately find Lilly's murderer, who had taken her out of the game too soon. Duncan was still hiding predictably under the table. And Logan... he was waiting for her to find him on the bed, and remember how it could be.
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