"A friend is someone who knows your own personal song, and is there to sing it for you when you forget it." - Wolverine
The mutant known as Wolverine once said, "A friend is someone who knows your own personal song, and is there to sing it for you when you forget it."
Bobby Drake remembered that, and watched as Logan once again returned from one of his searches for 'who he is'. They drove him nuts, and he just came back feeling worse than when he left.
Wolverine's past wasn't very pleasant, and the things he had to do made him sick. These searches he went on never helped, just made him hate himself even more.
And everyone just let it be. Everyone just let him stay in that one niche he seemed to have found. Just like Scott was the 'Fearless Leader' who could do no wrong, and he was 'the jokester' who never got past the age of two, Wolverine was 'the animal'.
Well it was time to stop that. Time to stop letting these facades run their lives. It was time to show Logan someone saw him as more than just 'the animal' or 'the killer'. Someone saw him for who he really was, and loved him for it.
Leaving his room, Bobby Drake was a man on a mission. Today was the day that all the self hatred, all the bad vibes went away...at least on Logan's half. And today was the day Logan was finally going to find out Bobby's little secret.
As he approached the main staircase, a loud crashing in the kitchen drew his attention. Raising an eye brow, the sandy blonde raced down stairs, heading towards the source of confusion.
Entering the kitchen, he saw a petrified Jubilee and Kitty with a raging Logan throwing things.
"Logan!" he called, immediately looking to see if anyone was hurt. Logan turned to him, eyes flashing, nose flaring, giving him one of those 'don't mess with me' growls.
"Calm down." he repeated softer, moving slowly in as much of a non-threatening way as he could.
"Bobby.." Jubilee whispered, eyes as big as dinner plates.
"It's alright Jubes...just calm down." He reached the shorter man and slowly dropped to his level. "Logan? Logan what's up?"
"Go away Icepop! Get away from me! Get everyone away from me!" he growled, as he spun around and stomped towards the back door. Letting him leave, Bobby watched through the bay window as he headed towards the woods.
"Jubilee, Kitty, go tell everyone to stay away from the woods for a while. Let Scott know Logan's moody again."
"Wait, where are you going?" Kitty asked, still calling him 'Mr. Drake'.
"I'm going to talk to him Kitty. And for Pete's sake, call me Bobby. I'm not that much older than you." he added, as he too headed towards the back door, grabbing a soda or two from the fridge as he went.
Hitting the back porch, Bobby already had a plan in mind. First he'd wait a bit, let Logan cool down some, then he'd follow the mangled foliage to a, hopefully, calmer Logan.
Settling on the back stairs he pulled a comic book out of his pocket and waited.
#
Figuring an hour was enough time to let Logan return to his relative sanity, Bobby embarked on his mission. As he hit the woods, he noticed the lack of decapitated foilage. Well, this might take some doing then. A challenge, and Bobby liked challenges.
Carefully picking his way through the forest, he kept his eyes open for any sign of the older mutant. A sudden stapping of a twig and a massive body colliding with his, drew Bobby's attention from his thoughts.
"Wha--?"
A low growl, deep in the throat of the body that pinned him, silenced the younger man and he relaxed into pure submission.
"What the hell are ya doin' out here Icepop?" Logan spat, more of a snarl than anything.
"Looking for you." he replied simply, wishing he could see Logan's face from the corner of his eye. But he couldn't, Logan was holding his face to the ground.
"I told ya ta stay away!" he growled, pushing off of the slender form below him and started to storm off.
"Logan get your ass back here. I'm sick of this! I'm sick of you always running away! You can't run away from what's bugging you, it'll just come back and bite you in the ass!" Bobby yelled, getting up and noticing for the first time the three holes in the side of his shirt.
Well that stopped Logan, and he turned around, glaring and growling once more.
"The Wolverine runs from nothing!" he snarled, stomping back towards the taller mutant.
"No, but Logan the man does."
"There ain't no man here Drake. Just an animal!"
Bobby's expression softened and he sighed. "Animal," he paused at Logan's barely suppressed flinch, "What animal? All I see is a man who's hurting and just too damn stubborn to admit it. Who's just too damn stubborn to see when someone..never mind. You want a pity party, go ahead and have one. I'm through trying to play concerned teammate."
Iceman shook his head and turned to leave, praying to whatever the hell was out there that he wasn't making a huge mistake. He took two steps when a hand grabbed his arm, stopping him.
"Someone who what?"
"Nothing. Never mind. It's not important. Just go have your pity party."
"Tell me Drake."
"Stop calling me that!" Bobby barked, turning to glare at Wolverine and snarled. "I'm tired of hearin' it! I have a name!"
"Really? Never would have guessed," Logan quipped, curious as to the sudden change in the younger man. He went from the jokester to a serious young man.
"What?" he barked, folding his arms over his chest.
"Bobby..." Logan breathed, closing his eyes. This was a different side to him and Logan didn't know weather or not he liked it..
"This isn't about me. Don't make it about me. I wasn't the one who trashed the kitchen and scared the two young women I see as daughters."
Logan sighed and shook his head. He was not going to talk about it. No way in hell.
"Logan, I know you. You think you have to be this strong man who doesn't let anything or anyone bug him. You don't have to be anything you're not with me...I hope you know that...You're not going to talk, I know that, but if you need to, or want to, the offer stands."
Once again Bobby started to walk away.
"Bobby."
the soft voice stopped him and he turned to see an utterly defeated man standing where Logan once had.
"...yeah?"
"They made me into a killing mechine. I slaughtered a whole town..." Logan refused to look anywhere but the ground right in front of his feet. Iceman tried to remain neutral, for Logan's sake, but it was hard.
"...Was it willing?"
Logan's head jerked up at Bobby's sudden question. He had expected a freak out. But never a question.
"...No..yes...I dunno." He was confused, and the whole thing was sketchy and blurry.
Bobby nodded and walked back over to Logan.
"If you don't know then it wasn't. Logan," he sighed, trying to figure out how to word this without it coming out wrong. "Logan, I don't know what you were forced to do during Weapon X, but I do know you. You may act gruff and tough, but you aren't. You're....I'm not sure what you see when you look in the mirror, but when I see you I see someone I can always trust to have my back, in battle, in life, always. I see someone who's hurting more than he'll ever let on because he doesn't think he can share his pain. I see someone who'll, in his own way, go out of the way to make sure someone's happy. I see someone who, no matter what, is always there for those he cares most for.
"I see someone who I've fallen so hard for it's not funny, and I'm tired of seeing him hurting..." Bobby's eyes went wide, and he slowly backed away. "Logan I-I didn't mean for that to-."
Logan cut him off with a wave of his hand. Bobby flinched as if he expected that hand to hit him.
So this is Bobby huh? Logan slowly smiled gently at the terrified man before him, He loves me...huh.
"Look, Logan, I..I understand that you must not like the idea of another man being in love with you...I won't do anything just don't-"
"Bobby..."
Bobby stopped his stuttering and flushed seven different shades of red. He seemed to have collapsed into himself and he kept his head down, avoiding eye contact.
"Bobby." Logan reached a hand out to lift his chin, but he flinched back so violently Logan dropped it. "I ain't gonna hurt you."
"I know.."
"Then why-?"
"Remember when I was away at school and Hank freaked cuz I didn't call or come to see you guys for almost a month?"
Logan nodded, Hank had come to him and all but begged him to go check on his little buddy. "Yeah..Blue tried payin' me t' go find yer ass."
"It was in the hospital..." he whispered, still not looking at Logan. "I-I couldn't let anyone see me like that..."
"What-" Logan tried to ask, but Bobby's visible shudder cut him off.
"...I wasn't sick..I would have come home if I was....I-I went out clubbing and..." he paused trying to think of a better word than the one he had. He knew he couldn't say 'mugged', because in all honesty he hadn't and Logan could smell a lie at two hundred yards.
"...I got attacked.." he forced out waiting for the older man to question why he didn't use his powers.
"Who the hell are they?"
"Dunno.." he shrugged, still not looking anywhere but Logan's feet. "Skin heads I guess."
"Skin heads?..what the hell kind of-"
"It was a gay bar okay?!" he all but shouted, looking to stare at Logan. "I was on a date, but things didn't go well. He left me alone and I got jumped. I couldn't Ice up cuz I have all of Xavier and Scott's lectures drilled into my head." He was on the defence and felt like he had been backed into a corner.
Logan stood there mildly shocked. He had always suspected the Icepop swung at least both ways, if not swung for the other team. Not that he cared...hell he couldn't say anything about it. During his god only knew how many years he had fooled around a few times..after all a man could only sleep with women so long before he got bored. Now that was confirmed and the Icecube said he loved him.
Bobby had once again caved in on himself when Logan titled his head slightly to study him better..The Iceman would never admit it, but he found it endearing...kind of like when a puppy tilted its head in thought or confusion..not that he'd ever tell Logan that! He liked his guts where they were..in fact, the fact that they were still where they belonged made him wonder...
"You don't....mind?"
"What?"
"Me....being attracted to you.." he squeaked out, stiffening as if awaiting a blow or an erruption.
"Nah. Suppose I should be honored. Me instead of t' Cajun.." he grinned, watching as the tomato red Bobby got redder.
"He's not my type...too tall."
"And not hairy enough?" Logan asked, half joking, half wondering if maybe this was some repressed feelings for Hank pushed on him.
"Yeah..kind of...but Hank's too hairy if you're worried about that..besides, he's too tall too." He was loosening up, but suddenly realized somehow, someway this had been turned onto him. "But we were talking about you." he reminded and smirked as Logan growled what he tought was a Japanese swear word.
"Ya don't ferget do ya?"
"Nope." he winked, walking over to a fallen log. Sitting down he waited to see if Logan'd join him or not. Apparently it was not, as Logan stayed standing, pacing back and forth.
"You're making me dizzy.."
Sighing Logan stopped and sat next to Bobby on the log.
"Look, kid-"
"I'm twenty seven Logan. Been doing this shit since I was thirteen. I haven't had time to be a kid.." Bobby interrupted. Logan rolled his eyes and tried to start again.
"Fine, Bobby, I ain't the kind of guy ya want ta be around. People always get hurt."
All but growling in frustration, Bobby grabbed Logan's face and made him look into icy blue eyes. "Look, Ninny, I don't care. I can take care of myself...I love you Logan, I have for a long time and you know what? I'm not going to stop. Weather or not you want me is something completely different, and I'm not saying seeing you with someone else won't kill me, but I dont' care. I'll love you til I die." He paused and saw Logan, who was growling, about to retort, "Logan, no one's life expectancy is that great in this buisness. Hell tomorrow someone might find something that can kill you. But I don't care. It's better to have loved and loss, than to not have loved at all."
Logan had to grin, "Hank's gettin' ta ya."
"I know." He let Logan's face go, but grabbed his hand instead. "Now, what do you say?"
"Ya askin' me out Drake?"
Bobby winced at the "Drake" but nodded anyway. "yeah, what are ya gonna do about it?"
"This."
Firm lips sealed over slightly softer ones and it took Bobby's breath away. When Logan broke away Bobby's eyes were glazed over and his mouth hung open. "Is that a 'yes'?"
"That was more than a "yes" Bobby."
"Awsome..."
Logan's laughing could be heard all the way back at the mansion.
#
Scott Summers looked up from his paper work and out his window at the sound of Logan laughing. Grinning he turned to the man in his office and said, "Well Remy, you owe me twenty."
"Damn it cher," he grumbled, pulling his wallet out none the less, "An' here I t'ought the Icecube wouldn' get off his ass.."
Scott grinned and forced the money away. "Now who said I wanted twenty dollars?"
Remy grinned to Match Scott's.
~FIN!~