Title: Mutual
Author: Brendan/brencon
Pairings/Characters: Logan/Veronica, ensemble, VD, Logan/Lilly
Word Count: 1,571
Rating: PG-13, so far.
Summary: What if Logan and Veronica got together before everything went to hell?
Spoilers: Set pre-series, but will include some season one stuff soon
Warnings: Minor cussing
Disclaimer: Veronica Mars belongs to Rob Thomas and the nice people at the CW
Authors Note: Thanks to LoVeGrl for the beta, italics represent Veronica's thoughts and/or voiceovers.
As quickly as they got together, they fell apart. Veronica returned to searching through the cub-boards for bandages whilst Logan continued to dab at his wounds.
The door to the office swung open and the Neptune High nurse entered.
"What are you two doing in here?" Nurse Jackson asked, fixing her gaze on the teens.
"I had a little boo-boo and Ronnie here was making it all better." Logan smirked, revealing his scrapped hand to her as Veronica finally found the bandages.
She snipped off a large strip and placed it over his cuts.
"We're very sorry for using your office; we only did it because you weren't here. We'll go now." Veronica said, replacing the bandages in the cub-board as Logan threw the damp towel in the trash.
"Bye-bye now." Logan gave the nurse a wave goodbye as Veronica dragged him from the room.
Nurse Jackson sighed heavily and closed the door behind them.
The clock in the main hallway showed the two that they were already ten minutes late for their next class. Veronica dashed to her locker and grabbed her English book, some homework from earlier in the day, a notebook and a few different coloured pens.
She then turned around on her heel to find Logan standing right behind her.
"What's wrong, Veronica?" Logan asked, reaching out to remove the stray hair from her eyes.
Veronica dodged his hand and took a step back.
"Nothing, I…I-I just wanna get to class. We're starting Romeo and Juliet today."
Veronica raced around Logan and practically ran to her English class, leaving Logan in the middle of the hallway, as if stuck to the ground, with a confused look growing on his face.
After arriving late and receiving a tongue bashing from Mrs. Murphy, Veronica plumped down in her chair and flipped open her book to the correct page. Duncan hadn't even looked up from his text book when she arrived late; he just kept looking at the page in front of him.
As Mrs. Murphy returned to her spot in the passage, Veronica tried her hardest not to get lost in her thoughts for about five minutes.
She lasted a lot longer than she thought she could.
What is it between me and Logan? Is it just lust or… or what? He was so sweet and attentive and caring to me, but when Lilly starts talking about other guys that she's going to have her way with, he gets so angry… so sad. And desperate.
Sometimes I think… sometimes I think he's using me to make himself feel better, but then his kisses and the looks he gives me when it's just the two of us or if we're even in a crowded room filled with others, that make me think that he actually cares for me.
I try not to think about him that way, I do, but it's just not working. He's worked his way in.
Veronica placed her right hand under her chin and looked over in Duncan's direction.
Duncan's been so distant lately, while Logan… Logan's been so touching. And Logan and Lilly have always had this on again, off again thing… but Logan always ends up the one hurting. Lilly just seems to think that she can break his heart over and over again and that he'll still be there, waiting for her.
The sad thing is that he will be. It's what he does for Lilly.
Which leads me back to my first question: what is it between me and Logan?
My head hurts.
The sound of chairs and tables scraping against the floor as people got to their feet woke Veronica from her very confusing thoughts. Next she had a study period and then a free period, so she could go home. She needed to clear her head of all these confusing and painful thoughts.
She gathered up her things and made her way to her next class. Thank God she didn't have it with Logan either. She took an empty seat beside the windows, took out some AP Algebra homework and began working on it.
She heard Mr. Wu enter the room and close the door behind him. Veronica then heard him write something on the blackboard, which, she assumed, was his usual, 'Study Period – Which means study!' And finally she heard the chair at the desk be pulled far enough back from the desk.
It was almost fifteen minutes later that someone knocked on the door twice before entering. Veronica didn't bother looking up, too worked up with her current equation. She heard muffled whispering and then the sound of sneakers squeaking in her direction.
She finally looked up when the new arrival to the class sat beside her and threw a piece of paper onto her table.
It was Logan. Of course it was. Who else could possibly be able to leave their final class of the day except Logan?
Well, maybe Lilly, but that's another avenue Veronica doesn't want to look at.
He pointed to the slip of paper that had landed on her book and indirectly told her to read it.
Ronnie, why'd you run away from me? What'd I do wrong?
Veronica was about to crumple the paper up when she chanced a look in Logan's direction. He had that hurt, lost look that he had on his face in the nurse's office after lunch again.
She scribbled a 'nothing' on it and tossed it in his direction before returning her attention to her math book.
A few moments later, a second scrap of paper had landed on her book. She sighed before taking it in her hand. Wu was currently eating an apple so he couldn't be distracted by notes. She opened it.
Veronica, please, I can tell that you're pissed off. Tell me what I did so that I can explain or attempt to fix it or something. At least give me that chance.
Veronica turned her eyes to the oversized window beside her. The leaves on the only birch tree on the school grounds were swaying in the light Fall winds.
How 'bout ya tell me if you're just using me to get back at Lilly, who, if you forgot, is my best friend, and your best friend's… my boyfriend's older sister, or if you do actually care for me like you said you did when we were alone in that classroom earlier.
That's what she wanted to write, what she'd hoped she could write, but she just couldn't. She wrote nothing. She didn't do anything for the rest of the class except think.
She was slow to pack her things away. But, so was Logan. He wanted her reason for running away from him today and he wasn't going to leave until he got. And since he was giving her a ride home, he knew he'd get his answers at some point during the rest of the afternoon.
When the class was empty, Logan broke the dead silence.
"So, what did I do?"
Veronica put her school bag on her table and looked at him.
"Logan, what does this… us… mean to you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Am I… is this something you're doing to get revenge on Lilly? Do you even feel something for me?" Veronica asked, crossing her arms protectively around her waist.
"You think that this is just some fling? That I'll get bored and return to Lilly's bullshit?"
"I don't know what to think, Logan. One moment, you're all sweet and caring and taking my feelings into account, then Lilly starts talking about getting with Conner Larkin and it's as if what we have, whatever that is, means nothing. Then, to add fuel to the fire, you were on the verge of tears about Lilly not treating you right that you kissed me to feel comfort in yourself. Remember, back in the nurse's office?"
Veronica moved away from Logan to the back of the room.
"Which is it Logan? Am I just something to feed your attention until Lilly clicks her fingers once again?"
Logan's lower jaw was actually hanging, leaving his mouth wide open, as he slumped into his chair, reeling from Veronica's outburst.
"Veronica, what happened between our talk before lunch and our talk in the office wasn't getting a rise out of me because of Lilly; it was because I had to be with someone who finds anybody else she can be with more interesting than me, while here we are, having these most amazing moments behind closed doors or under the cover of tables or written in secret notes. We could have something so amazing that would make the Kane siblings see what exactly they've lost out on, and what a great thing we have together."
Logan got to his feet and followed Veronica's footsteps. He twirled her around and took her hands in his.
"Veronica, I wanna hold your hand in public, to be able to kiss you and just be around you as your boyfriend because… because you bring out the best in me. You make me want to be better."
Once he finished, he kissed both of Veronica's hands. He'd pretty much left Veronica full of awe… and speechless.
He pulled her into a tight hug and again smelled her hair.
After a few moments, Logan pulled back and took only one of her hands in his.
"Ready to go home?"