The soft whoosh of the elevator doors mingled with the distant strains of classical music drifting down through the air as Logan made his way down toward Hank's favourite weekend haunt, his lab. In between the weeks spent on the road or in DC dealing with the necessary evil that is the political clime, this was one of Hank's preferred sanctuary, researching vaccines and treatments for various maladies known to afflict mutants.
Placing his hand on the scanner at the door, Logan opted not to knock. Hank was one of the few mutants on this planet with a sense of smell as sensitive as his own and if the furball hadn't noticed his scent yet, chances were good that he was so engrossed in something that he really wouldn't appreciate the interruption violent distraction of knocking.
"I shall be with you momentarily Logan." Hank murmured distractedly, never taking his safety goggled-eyes off the tray of miniscule testing containers before him. Logan held his tongue as he watched Dr. Hank McCoy's massive hands performed this delicate task with a practiced grace. Feeling more than a little bored waiting, Logan took the opportunity to glance around the sterile environment that he so rarely found himself in. Everywhere he looked was gleaming chrome and white surfaces, entirely the opposite of what he was comfortable with. His world coincided more with the wild forests of the Rocky's, or some rough, undiscovered part of Europe, though, granted he did prefer the Rocky's. Being surrounded by these sterile, clinical instruments brought his hackles up, reminding him of what Stryker and his bitches had done to him, what they had made him do for them.
"There, now that that's dealt with, what can I do for you Logan?" Hank asked, thoroughly derailing Logan's train of thought, something for which he was more than a little thankful.
"I need to talk to someone and you're probably one of the few people who would understand in this place." Logan grimaced as he tried to order his thoughts, but he wasn't even sure where to begin. "It's about Kiera and... I'm not sure where to start." He finished, growling (pathetically in his mind). Hank didn't speak for a few minutes; just watched Logan for a time, doing nothing to decrease the feral's discomfort. The idea of being watched irritated Logan, once again reminding him of a past that he would much rather forget. "Would you just say something!"
"Please forgive me Logan, but what would you have me say?" Hank asked, shrugging his shoulders. "This is hardly a situation that comes under my purview all that often and without more information, I can hardly be asked to render appropriate advice." As he spoke, Logan's restlessness began to eat at him, to try and get a handle on it, he began to pace, still feeling Hank's eyes on him. "Now, you have mentioned this matter concerns Kiera. Should you not, then, discuss it with her?"
"That's why I'm here Blue. I have no fucking clue how to do that!" Logan exclaimed, not even noticing Hank's wince at the half-intended curse word. "I barely have any idea what I'm doing, how in the hell am I going to explain it to her?"
Sighing softly, Hank moved to the trash bin, disposing of the XXXL latex gloves with a loud snap. "Perhaps, in absence of the professor, Jean would be..."
"I can't talk to Jean about this." Logan interrupted, drawing Hank's eyes back to him. "She... she can't be objective." He finished lamely.
"Objective." Hank replied, arching a brow. Logan grimaced once more, not really wanting to go into details about that particular situation. The more people knew how Jean was acting, the more likely it would get back to Summers, and Summers would most likely blow his top at Logan, if only because he couldn't bring himself to blame Jean for the situation. 'I may enjoy needling the self-righteous little prick every now and then, but even I'm not that cruel.'
"Yeah, objective." Logan snapped, his tone booking no arguments. "Look, Kiera and I have been getting along really well and... God-damnit." He muttered, planting his face in his hands. "I sound like such a fucking pussy."
"You really care for her don't you?" Hank asked quietly.
"Well obviously. She and I are good friends with each other..." A single, chiding, look from Hank silenced Logan's excuses. Taking a breath, Logan tried to steady his nerves, to get his thoughts in order. "Yeah, yeah I guess I do."
"And how does Wolverine feel about her?" Hank asked, walking back over to perch on a nearby stool.
"These days, I haven't a freaking clue. He saw her as prey the first time we spotted her around her horses. She was walking around the paddocks and he started keening to hunt." Logan replied, grimacing at the thought. "Since then, I've been keeping a tight leash on him around her. I don't want him to think either group is free game for him."
"You don't want your more aggressive nature to come out towards her or her herd." Hank said, the tiniest of smiles tugging at the corner of his lips. Logan had always been one to be overprotective of those under his care and Kiera, at this point he supposed, had come under his care. 'Oh, if Kiera ever finds out he thinks about her like that, there WILL be hell to pay, even for Logan.' Hank thought, fighting down a snicker. 'I wonder if she would let me watch. I don't believe I've ever put him through such an extreme stress test as she will.'
"They're not toys for Wolverine to screw around with. Kiera cares for her horses and I am not willing to put them at risk if I can't control him." Logan growled, not willing to even consider the consequences of losing control around Kiera or her herd. 'Kiera relaxes me; she relaxes my control.' Probably part of the reason this was affecting him so badly, the loss of control.
"Are you sure Wolverine does consider them toys?" Hank replied, turning to his computer as it beeped to alert him to his results. Although, this turn had a twofold benefit as the massive doctor just simply could not contain his smirk anymore. While he had to admit that it was probably a little unfair of him to allow Logan to continue to spin like this, Hank also knew quite well, what the actual problem here was. Hank was also well aware that Kiera would not thank him for interfering too much in this situation. More than likely, she would quietly come down to his lab and mentally kick his ass, breaking her usual rules pertaining to her powers.
"I think I know pretty damn well what his reactions mean McCoy." Logan snapped, rolling his eyes.
"No, I mean now Logan. Since you've been keeping such a tight rein on him, how on earth do you know what he still thinks of them? For all you know, your rigid control around her might have made him think twice about his initial reaction to her."
"I doubt it." Logan replied, bitterly.
Sighing, Hank threw up his hands in resignation. "What would you like me to do Logan? I cannot tell you how to handle this situation you're in as you are the one involved in it. You and Kiera are the only ones who can truly understand what this issue calls for and so are the only ones who can solve the matter." Turning to Logan, Hank observed him for a moment, noting just how frustrated his friend was. Control was not something Logan liked to give up or share being the alpha male that he was.
"Why the hell do you think I'm here Blue!" Logan exploded. "You and Chuck are the ones with the words. How in the hell am I supposed to fix this situation if I have no fucking clue how to explain it!"
"Logan, please." Hank chided gently. He watched quietly, timing his next comments carefully; allow Logan time to calm himself. "How on earth do you know the situation does need to be fixed as opposed to simply being cleared up? You know Kiera better than I do and I'm sure you know full well how much she hates having people decide what's best for her. She won't thank you for it and you know that." At Logan's silence, Hank continued. "You have the words inside you. The one puzzle piece you are missing is Kiera and her input. There is nothing that I or Charles can tell you to say that you don't already know. All that's left to do now is for you and her to discuss things, much as it may pain you to do so."
Once again, Logan didn't say a word. Both mutants remained silent for a moment, Logan, thinking over the hell he was about to go through, Hank thinking over the conversation and its implications. He had an idea of what was coming. Perhaps it was a good thing Charles had planned to take the students out to a movie. Chances were good, things were going to get messy.