Chapter 2: Logan had plans to stay for a couple of days. And then Charles happened.

Logan doesn't remember the first time he met the Professor, though Chuck likes to remind him of the story often. Apparently, he was his usual charming self and told the telepath and his friend to "Go fuck yourself".

Yeah, that sounds about right.

The second time he meets the Prof. is in an old abandoned warehouse in Mexico City, where he'd gone to check the rumours of a mutant smuggling operation. He could have taken all of them on - the humans weren't particularly smart or welled armed – but they had threatened to shoot the kids as soon as Logan appeared.

So he let them put him in shackles and toss him in a cage.

The fourth time he wakes up from the damned drugs they used to keep him under there's someone looking at him through the bars. The man is dressed in a sharply tailored, navy suit and sitting in a custom wheelchair. He looks like a goddamn kid; face impossibly young and eyes sky blue and laser sharp.

"Who the fuck are you?"

The kid's lips curl upwards into a warm smile and then the posh, privileged accent of old money floats into his head. I'm Charles Xavier. And I'm here to get you out.

He pushes himself to his feet and glares at the man gazing serenely at him. "Well? What the fuck are you waiting for?"

The others call him 'Prof.' or 'Professor X', but Logan thinks 'Chuck' suits him just fine. He agrees to follow him and his X-Men (original fucking name Jesus Christ) back to New York, to the School to help the half a dozen kids they've rescued get settled in.

He listens as the Prof. drones on about the School; about his plans to recruit more teachers and students; about his wish for peaceful co-existence between mutants and humans. Logan grunts occasionally in answer but half his mind is already thinking about moving on to the next town, to the next shit hole of a bar.

The other half is occupied by more immediate concerns. He's totally distracted by how fucking good the kid looks and smells. Chuck stutters mid-sentence and flushes a pretty shade of pink and Logan can't help but chuckle.

They give him a room in the west wing with all the other teachers and students. The youngest one they rescued, Ororo, is situated right next door and has taken to visiting him all hours of the day and night. He's got a soft spot for the little girl who is equal parts sunshine and storm, like her mutation, and takes to sneaking her cookies from the kitchen.

He meets Chuck's kid the second day he's there, the 4 year old walking right up to him, eyes wide and all smiles. "Hi Logan! I'm Max! Can I see your claws please?"

"Sure kid. Just be careful." And he extends the bone claws from his knuckles, letting Max feel the the sharp edges with the tips of his fingers.

"Wow," Max looks up at him and beams. "Those are awesome!"

"Yeah kid," he says, "They kind of are."

He brings it up one night over a round of beers, sitting with Chuck and his 'First Class' in the kitchen after the students have all gone to bed.

"So where's Max's mother?"

Hank almost spits out his mouthful of beer, while Alex tenses and Sean just looks uncomfortably at everything but the Professor. Chuck looks amused at their reactions and then explains the whole secondary mutation thing with a careless shrug of his shoulders.

And then Logan takes a sip of his beer and asks, "So the other guy, the one with you at the bar that time. He the other father?"

This time, the Prof. looks strained and there's not a fucking sound to be heard in the room. Chuck doesn't answer immediately and they all sit in silence nursing their beers, waiting for his response.

"Yes," he licks his lips and puts the empty beer bottle on the table. "But he's not a part of our lives anymore."

And that's the end of that.

There's a big, comfortable looking study in the mansion that stands empty, unused.

Nobody goes in except the Prof., and no one ever talks about what he does in there all by himself.

Logan thinks it's bullshit.

So the next time he catches Chuck heading in, late at night, he promptly follows, hefting a couple of bottles of tolerable tequila. The Prof. is sitting by the fire, not looking at the chess board on a nearby table.

"Logan, this is a surprise."

"Here," he hands a shot to the Prof. and then pours one for himself. "When's the last time you got good and pissed."

The other man chuckles under his breath. "It has been a few years."

"Well then," he downs the shot and gestures, waiting for Charles to follow. "I say tonight's a great night to start again."

"He sounds like a Grade A asshole, Chuck."

The Professor is laughing, his body shaking and Logan thinks it's a sound that should be heard much more often. "You're right! He is a Grade A asshole! And what does that say about me, hmm?"

Logan throws his feet up on the coffee table and his arms behind his head. "It says you like assholes."

And that sets Chuck off again, another hysterical bout of laughter that has him stopping to take a breath, before he winks at Logan. "Oh god. It's been so long since I've had the opportunity to like any other assholes, my friend."

"Oh?" He's pretty interested in where this conversation is headed. "You haven't...with anyone? Lately?"

The Professor snorts, "I'm paralysed, with a four year old I gave birth to, running a School for mutants. There's hardly a line of people waiting to get into my bed."

Logan stares at him and pointedly rakes his eyes over the Prof's body. "I'd take you to bed Chuck. Just say the word."

"What?" The smile fades from the other man's face. "I don't need your pity Logan. I'm perfectly fine without..."

"I don't do pity," he cuts the Professor off mid-sentence. "I'm simply telling you that you're a hot piece of ass and we should fuck if you're interested."

Chuck looks a bit taken aback by Logan's words, but then a slow, sexy little smile crosses those ruby lips. "Why don't you come closer, and I'll let you know if I'm interested."

So he crosses over to Chuck and lifts him up and out of his chair, carrying him over to the couch. Logan lays him down and then leans over to press a light kiss on the Prof's lips.

"Oh Logan," the Professor grins and pulls him down until he's sprawled on top of him. "You can do much better than that."

So he does.

And he ends up staying a lot longer than the couple of days he'd originally planned.