Feral Compulsion
"Chapter Nine"

Surprisingly to everyone after passing out straight in front of both Dr.s, Logan had stayed in the med wing for the exact amount of time Jean demanded he stays. Not once trying to break the duo out. Which shocked both healers at the change in personality with their most stoic resident.

Logan didn't know that he'd caused such a wave with his suspicions. He was unaware of the thoughts of the others. He and Harry were, again, on their way to Professor Xavier's Office. This time from the bottom of the school rather than the top.

Harry and He were holding hands now. Logan too afraid to leave him out of his sight.

When they made It to the wise man's office, the door was already open and a small-statured student was exiting the office. She had dark red hair with the front fringes an impeccable white. She turned her gaze from inside the professor's office toward the duo with a smile on her face. "Oh you are Harry, and Logan, right?" She asked in a southern brogue. She continued to stare into Logan's eyes, unblinking. "Have we met before?" She asked in confusion. Sure she'd seen someone like this man before. His hair and eyes were strikingly similar to something in her memory.

"I don't think so, darlin'," Logan said. Wondering the same thing. Not willing to admit the girl seemed like a distant memory. Like a smell that brought you back to your yesteryear.

"Well if you're sure…" Rogue said slowly as she mystically walked away and out the entrance of the manor that was situated just off the entrance of Xavier's' office.

Logan had no time to think on the matter because the two of them were one after the other walking into the office that stood before them. Logan flinching as Harry screamed when the door slammed shut behind them of its own free will.

"Dear Lord, I am so sorry about that. My window is open-" Charles said in a rush as he turned around in his chair and shut the large pane window behind him. "Please, take a seat." He said genially, the two stuffed chairs already placed further than normal away from the desk. Something Logan noted with distaste. He didn't want a reason to like these people. He needed to recover faster before these guys realized he didn't plan on staying, that they were hiding multiple mutations, and could accidentally make the most indestructible killing machine between them if Harry ever got pregnant. He had to find a way to prevent that.

"Logan?" Charles asked. Shaking the man from his morbid thoughts.

The pair proceeded to sit in the cushy navy chairs. Harry wanted to tell Logan it was the most comfortable one he'd ever sat in, but knew now wasn't the time.

Both men were so enraptured in their thoughts, they missed Charles's lips turn to what appeared to be a welcoming smile, however on the inside Charles was sad. How the man so wished he could heal these two gentlemen's problems with a snap of his fingers. He did. Without skipping a beat Charles began the topic of the discussion he's been meaning to have with these two. "Harry, are you wanting to attend the school year here?" He asked. "It starts in 2 weeks. It would be nice to have you with us."

Fear. Charles was suddenly confused. Why would the teen be fearful? He caught Harry eyeing Logan with a frown on his face. The other man was not showing anything outwardly. Though his emotions were the same. Something was amiss.

"I assure you the class sizes are small. If you've missed a few classes at your previous school, you'd be able to catch up with a bit of tutoring. Which the teachers offer."

Reluctance. Excitement. Apathy. These emotions were enough for anyone to get a Headache. It was a good thing Charles was a master at controlling his facial expressions when needed. He was pretty sure rubbing his head just now would be huge to tell that he was using his powers, but Jean and Hank had come to him in concern. He needed to waylay that.

"Sure…" Harry said after a long pause. He and Logan seeming to have a staredown with their eyes. Something Charles didn't understand was said between that, but apparently, this was not the answer Logan wanted if the glare he was now giving Harry was to go by.

Charles rifled through the papers on his desk in search of a clipboard before handing Harry a form. "I need this filled out and returned today so we can start the registration process and get and immunization records we might need." He said conversationally not expecting Logan to intercept the clipboard and peruse the paper.

"We got this," Logan said simply, going to stand from his chair, clipboard in hand.

"Not so fast Logan!" Charles exclaimed. Nearly laughing internally when he saw the slender man roll his eyes. He'd so pegged this man right on the spot. He had nothing for authority but held an inkling of respect when needed. "I'm short a teacher, and you're short a job," Charles stated matter of fact.

"What's it do?" He asked. Knowing they did need to get new clothes. They'd been wearing the gyms spares for the last 2 months as far as he knew.

"It's for history" Charles stated. Impressed when he was confronted with an emotion of excitement from the man in front of him. This confused him more. So many pieces to put together with these two.

"I'll do it."

"Great. Now that that's all settled, I'm going to have Jean take you two into the city to get cleaned up before school starts.

-BREAK-

Scott and Jean sat in front of one of the cars the school used for transportation around town. Harry and Logan seated behind them deftly not speaking to each other and watching the landscape around them. When they approached the shopping center parking lot Logan didn't pick up on Harry's fear at first. Traversing out of the car together, he felt it. Enveloping him like plastic wrap.

Grabbing the younger man's hand, Logan was not surprised when Harry clung to him again. The pair walking in unison, almost as one body. "Harry you need to breathe," Logan said as they entered the sliding glass doors of the mall and made their way towards an escalator that would lead them up another level.

As the quartet stepped onto the escalator, Harry almost fell at the sudden jerk of the stairs. Not used to anything like this. Before Logan could grab him though Harry was bent over with his hands on the bar that scaled the stairs. Logan helped him stand up more freely on the escalator, just in time for them to reach the end on the new level. This time, Logan lifted Harry so his feet left the ground and he was able to land much more solidly where Logan placed him.

"Come on guys. We don't have all day." Jean called from ahead of her where she and her boyfriend were watching the duo.

"Are you sure this is safe, Jean?" Scott asked whispered before the duo reached them. Not knowing that normally Logan would have been able to hear him, but in the mall; it had too much ambient noise.

"Yes, now stay quiet or I'll leave you here. I still know where you stash the spare key to that car you picked today." She said holding up an auspicious key on a glinting ring.

"What's wrong," Logan said as they finally made it within the other duo's bubble.

"Why does something always have to be wrong?" Jean asked playfully.

"Because it smells like bullshit in here, that's why," Logan stated without missing a beat, causing even Harry to laugh as the other duo just stared at them in disbelief. "Harry, you have to stop laughing at my bullshit. You're calling me out!" Logan whispered while bending over to whisper in the younger man's ear.

"GUYS! Come on!" Jean Hollered over the mall noise a bit ahead of them. Now they knew she meant business.

-BREAK-

Logan couldn't believe he was sitting for a barber. The last time he remembered doing this was probably in 1862. After that, he started cutting his hair. He didn't need any turncoats slicing his throat twice. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

He also knew they had brought him here to get this mangy beard off his face. Which suited him just fine. Harry might not like that though. Oh god. He was so whipped, he thought as he glanced toward his charge and the holder of his heart. Harry was getting his hair washed in one of those posh lay back sinks. How this hairdresser managed to get him to lay like that he'd never know.

Jumping, he could see a woman behind him now. "Hi," She said. "What are we gonna do, today?" She asked like she had a pep in her step. Lowering Logan's chair so she could reach the tall man's head. He flinched when she began running her hands through his hair. "You have thick hair!"

"Just hand me the razor," Logan stated gruffly. Wanting this to be over. He was not going to sit here with some woman running her hands through his hair while he could feel Harry burning a hole in his back.

Logan looked into the Mirror in front of him, not seeing the despondent figure he was in whole. Jean popped her head around the curtain just as he was about to grab the razor from the Barber's hands. "Logan." She said accusatorially. "What's the matter."

"He wants to do it himself." The woman behind him stated before he could answer his friend. Wait, friend? No that was not good. They weren't sticking around long; they couldn't be making friends.

"Could you come here real quick? Before you start." Jean asked the hairdresser, indicating to the front of the store near the mall.

Logan was fuming, knowing the two would be out of his hearing range with the echoing of this giant building, but it didn't take long before the hairdresser came back looking softer in the face than before, and offered the now closed razer to Logan. He glanced at the offer in shock. What did Jean say?

"I'm sorry. It's just not protocol. I'm sure we can make an exception this once." She said still holding the razor out.

Grabbing the offered item, Logan was aghast. He opened the razor a bit to see if she was playing with him. No, she was not. Standing to get a closer view from the mirror, Logan watched as the hairdresser sat next to him in the empty chair and just watched him work. She never said a word the entire time he pulled his face taut and worked at his beard. Never correcting him or demeaning him for using the oils laid out on the edge of the mirror.

It was a slow process, a master at work; using an old-fashioned razor that took this woman 10 years to learn how to use in her career without nicking herself. She watched in awe as this man not only shaved his face but cut his hair into a style that seemed to bring out his eyes and face. It wasn't a style she'd ever seen done, or ever use, but it suited the rugged man she'd been slotted to cut today.

Logan swiftly shut the razor with a slinckt sound, having wiped it with a towel that was laying on the edge of the mirror. He handed the razor back to the woman, without a word and marched over toward the empty seat next to Harry who was getting a pedicure. Slumping into the chair, Logan couldn't help but resign that he was tired now. Weary rather would sum it up better. Glancing to his younger partner, Logan noticed the boy was half asleep as the poor woman below his feet was scrubbing away. Smiling slightly, Logan couldn't help but think maybe they were in the right place. Were they doing the right thing?

Author: Sorry guys for so many updates after so long without updating, but you'll love the next chapter! I've never been one to commit to a writing schedule, as writing is a crutch for me now at this point in my life. Kind of why I push so many chapters out at once, then nothing for so long.