Hey all, told you that I had another chapter coming soon. Again the dedication goes to Pyro, who is my superhero! IcedBlaze kicks A! thanks for helping me, honey. I hope that you all enjoy it and please, leave a review, they're always fantastic to read and really do help the writing process!
Chapter 11: Midnight Conversations…
The room was dark, lit only by the DVD's looping title. Cuddled into Deadpool's snoozing side, Darcy slowly awoke. Yawning, she noted that somehow her companion figured out where the mute button on the remote was and switched off all the lights. Blushing, she realized that instead of going back to his own room, he opted to sleep next to her. Hair tickled her neck, and she reached up and pushed it away, her hair band nowhere to be seen. A soft smile crossed her lips as she vaguely remembered him loosening her tie and brushing his fingers through her hair as she dozed, sending her further into sleep.
Looking at his face, she noted how peaceful he seemed. Her hand touched his cheek softly before reaching over to the bedside table for her glasses and the remote. Her smart mutant obviously didn't realize the red button was the power off. Sighing, she settled back into his arms to try and get to sleep, but sleep was elusive. Her eyes fell on the orange bottle of pills as she contemplated taking one, just to slip into the arms of Morpheus. At this point, she didn't care if she had nightmares, she just wanted to sleep.
Deciding against the pills, mainly for the heavy lethargic feeling and the headache she would have the next day, Darcy decided on plan B, Logan. Like every time she had a nightmare, she knew that her father figure would not deny her some dreamless sleep, even if it meant sleeping in his arms. Deadpool wouldn't wake for some time, she mused, and she could always set Logan's alarm to sneak back in.
Slowly, she slipped out of the man's arms and out of the blankets, grabbing her old terry cloth robe and wrapping it tightly around her. Silently, she opened her door and walked down the corridor, her bare feet barely making a noise. Logan's room was only a couple of doors down and the rooms between them empty. Quietly, she opened the door and snuck inside, vaguely making out the lump on the bed.
"Are you awake?" she whispered, hoping that he had noticed her coming in. A grunt was her response as the figure rolled over.
"I am now," Logan growled, turning on the lamp beside him. "Are you aware of what time it is?" The red glowing numbers showed barely three in the morning. Darcy winced, knowing that it was probably a bad time to wake him.
"Sorry, Logan," she apologized, wincing. Logan sighed and pulled his blanket back in invitation. Quickly, she shucked off her robe and slipped into the bed, already kind of missing the warmth that Deadpool had. Although Logan had his own body heat, it was nothing compared to her companion's furnace. Logan took in a deep breath as she rested her head on his chest.
"You and Mouthless seem close…you sure you want to get into that?" his voice rumbled out of his chest.
"What do you mean?" she asked tiredly, not wanting any word games.
"I can smell him on you, Kid, you sure you wanna get into that mess?" Logan's arms wrapped around her comfortingly. Although reluctant, she sat up, her ire rising.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked heatedly.
"I'm just saying," he replied defensively, "Speaking as a former runner, it's easier to skip out than it is to settle in."
"Logan, I was right there with you, remember? I know that," she said softly, lying back down again. Darcy was touched at his concern. "Besides, I just feel sorry for the guy, look at him. I can't help but want to help him." Logan gave her a squeeze.
"I know—you have a habit of getting attached and lending a hand where you can…What if he doesn't get attached back?"
"Then he'll leave and I'll get over it." Neither believed her words. She would be devastated if Deadpool left. Logan stroked her hair lovingly, his movements very similar to the man she left in her room. Her Wolverine grumbled for a moment, trying to find the right words.
"I just…you know that…" he pulled her close, "You deserve to be happy," he said finally, keeping simple. "After that bullshit with Ricky, well…" He didn't have to say any more. Remembering the hell she went through still brought tears to her eyes.
"Thanks Logan," she sniffled before leaning up and kissing his cheek. "I need to kiss a few toads before I find my prince." Logan waited a few beats before replying sardonically.
"I guess, in all fairness, Mouthless kind of looks like a toad." Darcy giggled.
"I'm going to talk to Hank about helping me fix him," she said after a while, taking comfort from her father figure.
"I'd like to see Fur Ball try, so I'm reserving front row seats so I can point and laugh."
Darcy hit his chest. "No! You can't make a mockery of someone's pain…Unless it's a guy who just got kicked in the balls."
"Well, I'd laugh if some poor shmuck was popped in the jewels—didn't think I needed permission for laughing then," he joked, ruffling her hair. Darcy pouted for a moment then let out a laugh. The comment was so much like her new friend, causing a pang when she realized that he didn't know where she was. Already she missed Deadpool and was thinking of ways to go back into her room.
"You know," she said thoughtfully, "Despite him being an arrogant prick who couldn't find his own balls with a microscope, Deadpool's actually a really funny guy." Logan frowned.
"He's funny, huh? How would you know that? The guy doesn't have a mouth. Funny-LOOKING, yes…" He trailed off. Darcy shifted guiltily.
"Oh…um…not quite like that," she squeaked. Logan looked down at her with a brow raised.
"Come on and tell me already, I've known you long enough to know when you're hiding something…I'll try not to judge," he cajoled.
Darcy hesitated before jumping in, speaking quickly, "Um, well, you see…the thing is…He and I talk telepathically, which is annoying because I try to block him out, but I can't and he talks to me whenever he wants and I almost killed him on the way here from the base, and I'm sorry for not telling and…and…and…" she took a deep breath, pausing for the moment. Not wanting to be caught up in another spiel, Logan jumped in.
"Ok, ok, ok, slow down, honey…You can talk telepathically, and so you're forced to deal with him?" He questioned. Darcy made an unsure sound, wondering whether it was a good time to reveal the root of her problem or not.
"Well, I wouldn't say forced… but to be honest, yes. I've tried blocking him out, it just doesn't work. And I don't have the professor's ability anymore either; I haven't spent enough time with him to make the imprint permanent." She sighed. "I just don't know what the hell is going on."
"You know how I feel about all of this invasion of privacy stuff," Logan growled, "But I think you should talk to Wheels about it if you really want it to stop. You know…unless you….don't want it to stop…" he trailed off, waiting for her answer.
Sitting up, Darcy rested her head against her knee and looked at Logan, giving his question a lot of thought. "I don't think I want it to stop, I mean, the guy really hasn't had someone to talk to for so long and to be honest, I kind of like the idea around it." Logan sat up with her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"You can help him if you want to…just promise you'll be careful though? Telepathic links are tricky…and if he hurts you…his ass is toast," he said simply, giving her a smile. Darcy laughed and gave him a hug.
"You know, at times, it's nice to have my honor so ardently protected."
Logan smiled and replied, "I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one around here that would make him wish he'd never been born if he steps out of line." Logan paused for an instant before changing the subject once again. "When are you going to talk to Fur Ball?"
"Around lunch, I think, I've got a lot of marking to do and at eleven I have my first hour of office hours," she reported lightly. Logan nodded and decided to say one more thing.
"I trust that you know what you're doing. Do you want to sleep in here for another few hours before we have to get up? I'll only be a little offended if you go back to your toad," he gave her another hug and kissed the side of her head. Darcy let out another giggle and shook her head.
"I better go back; he doesn't know that I've gone." She slipped out of the bed and wrapped her robe around her again.
"Alright…be careful, and physical violence works if he steps out of line—just letting you know," he grinned happily at the thought of anyone in a little pain.
"You've taught me well," she replied with a smile, "Especially with those kidney punches." She leaned over and kissed him on his cheek. "Thanks, my Superhero." He nodded and watched her slip out with a shake of his head.