2
Whilst some things changed, others it seemed would always be exactly the same. In whatever timeline, in whatever year, some of the students of the Xavier Academy were restless and up at all hours of the night. At least this time Logan had remembered that he needed to bring his own beers. He'd been deep in thought when a wind had blown through the kitchen at two in the morning, halted in front of one of the refrigerators, unsurprised when the light from the opened door had revealed the unscarred face of the boy who wasn't his old friend.
"Up early, aren't you?" Logan muttered. The boy didn't respond until he had zipped across to the table where he was sat, set a large double-chocolate gateaux down and took a seat.
"Woke up hungry," Peter told him, dug up a heaping spoonful of chocolate, "You?"
"Not such a great sleeper"
He watched the younger man for a moment, shovelling spoonfuls of cream and chocolate into his mouth as if his life depended on it – which in a way, Logan supposed, it did. Pietro had been the same around food, never passed up an opportunity to eat, crazy speedster metabolism meaning he needed it. He hadn't really had a sweet tooth though, Logan recalled, would have been far more likely to come grab a couple of footlong subs than a whole cake if he woke up needing a snack. It seemed to fit though. This boy was overall sweeter, softer, it made sense that he liked to fill up on dessert more than his spiky, snarky friend had.
"Why'd you ask about my sister earlier?"
Peter didn't take his eyes off his snack whilst he said it, continuing to work his way through. Only flicked his eyes up to Logan when there was no response. He shrugged
"Where I'm from… or was from.. or whatever the hell's the right way of sayin' that, Wanda's a loon who likes to level cities and turn people inside out"
Peter made a face, half amused and half grossed-out
"Well, she's nothing like that. She's a hero, people look up to her" he paused, shoved in another few spoonfuls, "I look up to her"
"Seems you're quite the hero yourself" Logan grunted. Peter smiled shyly.
"I help" he said simply. Licked the spoon clean and sat back a moment, eyed the last quarter of the gateaux and rubbed his belly contemplatively, "It's good to do something helpful. Maybe I'm a hero, I don't know. But I like it this way"
Logan raised an eyebrow, cracked open another beer, offered one to the other man who shook his head with a smile. That was different too – Pietro would never have turned down a drink. It was one of the ways he tried – and failed – to keep himself balanced.
"You're a permanent X-Man then?" he asked, took a swig of his beer. Peter only smiled again and picked up his spoon, continued his onslaught.
"Have been for a while now" he said, "Dude, I know we didn't get much chance to talk way back when, but why so curious about me? It's like you think you know me, but you don't"
"Hit the nail on the head, kid" Logan told him, a rough half-smile at that. Guy was smart, or at least perceptive. That was the same too.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning I knew you. Another you. In my own timeline, you grew up pretty different"
Peter had finished the gateaux, was clearing the last smudges of cream with a finger, sitting back in his chair and adjusting the waistband of his pyjamas. Gave Logan a curious look.
"Was I evil too?" he asked, "Like the other Wanda?"
"Not evil, just…" he thought about it, smirked, "Just on whichever side was winning at the time. And nuts"
Peter grinned at that, relaxed back with his hands behind his head and stretched his spine out luxuriously.
"Plenty of people will tell you I'm still nuts" he remarked, "But definitely not a turncoat. I owe the Professor way too much to ever turn on him"
"That's good to hear, kid" Logan grunted. Sat in silence for a while until Peter had asked
"What was he like? The other me. Were you friends?"
"Much as he was friends with anyone," Logan smiled almost fondly, "He was a vicious, ruthless, cold-hearted lunatic. Damaged goods, dangerous, and not just to others. Never knew what made him crazy, just that he sure as hell was"
Peter looked thoughtful. Seemed to be mulling over the idea that in another time he'd turned out that way. Logan could see he didn't have it in his to be vicious, cruelty was alien to him. Wondered if it hurt to know that he could have been.
"I haven't always been like this, you know" he said quietly, "I mean, damaged goods is a pretty good description of me as a kid. Guess I just found the right people at the right time. I'm sure I could have turned out bad if I hadn't"
Logan didn't think that was true. Thought Peter could maybe had been sad, or mad, but never bad. Never as cold as Pietro had been. He had too big a heart for that to have ever really happened to him. Not long after, Peter's eyes had started to close of their own accord, and he'd taken himself back off to bed, contented and dozy. Logan sat until sunrise, drank a few more beers. Was grateful somehow that by some accident, this timeline he'd set in motion had led to a happy, settled man in place of the tormented one he had known. Smiled just slightly to himself, and for once didn't miss Pietro at all.
