The blue elf was asleep on the couch.
He was curled up on his side, one arm under his head. His tail was loosely curled around his other wrist, and his knees were pulled up close to his chest. It looked uncomfortable to Logan, but he was fairly sure the guy had said he'd been in the circus; he was probably more flexible than Logan. That still didn't explain, however, why he was sleeping on the couch instead of in his bed.
He probably had a bed. Logan didn't know for sure, but he assumed someone had given him a bed. The school was full of space and empty rooms, and someone must have given one to the elf. Ororo, probably, or Xavier. Everyone was distracted, of course, after what happened at the lake, but they wouldn't be that distracted.
Not everyone would be, at least. Scott had barely left his room, and Logan himself…
He'd hardly slept, in the days since they'd gotten back. He dreamed every time he tried, either of Jean or of Stryker or of some sick combination of the two. He could get away with not sleeping, but the long nights had begun to weigh on him, like chains around his neck. That was why he'd come downstairs, to the sitting room that had the television the most tucked away. He'd brought some beers that he'd snuck into the school, and he'd planned to sit in the armchair that let him keep half an eye on the door and watch something mindless. He hadn't planned to have to work around a sleeping elf.
The guy did have a name. Logan had no memory of what it was. He had other things to worry about.
He opened a can of beer and sat down in the armchair, reaching for the remote. It wasn't his problem if the elf had decided to sleep in a sitting room. It was a public space, so if he wanted quiet, he should have stuck to his room. Logan had every right to watch television in there, elf or not.
He kept the volume low, though.
The elf must have been a deep sleeper, or otherwise used to sleeping in louder environments, because he didn't even twitch. Logan shuffled through channels until he found an old movie that worked as mindless background noise, then he leaned back in the chair and drank his beer. It was quiet enough that he could almost forget the elf was there.
Until, of course, he was reminded.
He caught the change in scent first, a sour edge of fear threatening to overtake the elf's normal scent. Then the twitching, then the little gasping breaths, and then finally, the elf exploded into wakefulness, one hand scrabbling at the back of his neck in a panic. That bit, Logan knew too well.
He gave the elf a few moments to breathe, then he said, loudly enough to be heard but hopefully not so loudly as to startle too much, "Didn't anyone give you a room?"
The elf let out a choked gasp, whirling towards Logan. His tail lashed wildly behind him, and Logan tensed slightly, keeping a close eye on it; the spaded end looked sharp. Logan would heal, of course, but he'd still rather not get stabbed.
Slowly, the elf relaxed, at least enough that he didn't look like he might attack. "Yes. Ororo did."
"Then why are you sleeping out here?"
The elf tucked himself into the corner of the couch, wrapping his tail around his legs and pulling himself in to take up as little space as possible. Logan knew that bit too. "I could not sleep. I did not mean to fall asleep out here, but I…"
Logan studied the elf for a moment. His scent was still a bit too anxious to be normal, and he was holding himself too stiffly. His body language was uncomfortably familiar, and Logan didn't want to think about why that would be the case. Instead, he grabbed a beer and held it out.
"Here."
Slowly, the elf took the can of beer and cracked it open. He took a small sip, and his tail uncurled just the slightest bit. Logan turned back to the television. He hadn't really been watching the movie, but it was better than watching how skittish the elf was. He knew enough about what had happened to the elf to where that kind of skittishness came from.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, the elf sipping his beer slowly while Logan finished his can and moved onto a second. Finally, the elf asked quietly, "You are the one they call the Wolverine, ja?"
"Name's Logan."
"Oh. I-" The elf looked down at his beer. "I was mistaken."
"No," Logan sighed, "I'm also the Wolverine."
He had an idea of where the elf might have heard that name.
"You were the one who escaped, then?"
Logan arched an eyebrow.
"Herr Stryker mentioned you," the elf elaborated. "That you escaped. He did not like you very much."
"Yeah, I imagine he didn't."
"I thought of you sometimes," the elf continued. "When I could think. I wondered where you were. And I thought, perhaps, if you could escape…"
"You escaped too," Logan replied, feeling distinctly uncomfortable with the almost reverential edge to the elf's voice.
"I am not certain if I truly escaped or if I was let go," the elf admitted. "Herr Stryker wanted me to attack the president, to give mutants a bad name. I did my job. He had no use for me after that." The elf slowly turned his beer can in his hands, staring down at it. "The others, they asked me how you can hold a teleporter captive in the first place. But you are not asking."
"I know how Stryker worked."
It wouldn't have been much of an explanation for anyone else, but it was enough of one for the elf. He knew how Stryker worked too, after all.
"How long did it take to stop fearing you would be taken again?" the elf asked after a long moment. "I dream of it, but… It is not just in my dreams, but in my waking hours as well, I wonder if he will come. And I know he must have drowned, but I still… When will it stop?"
Logan drained the rest of his beer and opened a third. "It won't."
The elf looked down. "Ah."
"It'll get… better," Logan said awkwardly, feeling a little guilty about how harsh his words had come out. "But the dreams don't go away fully."
In a sudden movement, the elf drained his own beer. "Ah."
"Do you…" There was no point in asking the question when it was clear what the answer would be, but Logan asked anyway. "Do you remember things from before Stryker took you?"
To his surprise, the elf didn't respond with an immediate yes. "I remember… most of it, I think. But there are holes, and there are memories that I do not think are real. It is… hard to know."
Logan wondered if it was better or worse to have memories that you couldn't trust instead of no memories at all. He knew which one he thought he'd prefer, but he didn't know if he actually would.
"The professor might be able to help," he offered. "He might be able to tell what's real."
The elf shuddered slightly. "I do not think I want anyone in my head again."
Xavier was trustworthy, Logan was fairly certain. He had his own agenda, but Logan didn't think he would harm his allies in pursuit of it. But he understood the elf's hesitance, his discomfort with the idea. Logan's memories had been wiped, but the elf's had been toyed with. Someone had been in his head in a way they hadn't been with Logan. Of course he didn't want someone else to do the same again.
"Suit yourself."
The elf looked over at him warily. "I had thought… The others would have urged me to trust him, would they not?"
"Yeah, probably."
"But you do not."
"You can make your own choices of who you trust."
"Do you not trust him?"
Logan shrugged. "I do, mostly. But I'm not really one of his X-Men. I don't trust him like they do."
"He is their… commander?"
"He'd probably rather you say teacher or guide, but yeah, he's pretty much a commander."
The elf sighed. Logan handed him another beer.
"Before, when I was at the circus…" The elf cracked open the beer and took a slow sip. "I think it was simpler. I was an acrobat. The circus knew me, but our audiences thought I was in a costume. We were entertainers. It was… There were parts that were complicated, but not like things are complicated now. Now, everything is so strange."
"You wanna go home, then? Bet the professor could get you back pretty easily."
"I…" The elf looked down at his beer and drank from it again. "I do not know how long it has been. I do not know if my memories are real. I do not know if I would still fit."
"Wanna stay here?"
"I do not want to fight." The words came out in a rush, like the elf had been holding them back and they were finally let loose. "I fought for Stryker, and I know this is not the same, and I know it would be better here, but I do not want to fight for anyone. I never wanted to fight for anyone."
"You don't have to be an X-Man," Logan said. "You could be a teacher."
"The school was attacked. This is not a safe place to avoid fighting and violence."
Logan shrugged. "Tell me if you find a place that is. Especially for us."
The elf looked down again, but Logan was pretty sure he was looking at his own hands this time, not the beer he held. A lot of mutants could pass for human, Logan included, but the elf couldn't. Maybe, if he really covered himself up and stayed in the shadows, he could pass from a distance, but not any closer. Logan guessed that was probably part of why Stryker had chosen him to attack the president; his teleportation was useful in the mission, but his appearance would spur even more fear.
It wasn't fair. Xavier would want to fight to change that, to make a world where the elf could go out in public without hiding and not cause a riot. Logan thought the more important thing was making sure the elf lived long enough to reach that world.
"Do you live here?" the elf asked. "Are you an X-Man? You seem like one, but I have heard you say you are not."
That was the million dollar question, wasn't it? Logan still shied away from the idea of being part of a team, especially one as idealistic as this one, but he'd come back, and he'd fought with them again, and he hadn't fled even after they lost Jean. He wasn't quite sure he was really ready to call himself an X-Man, but…
"I'm sticking around," he told the elf. "Got nowhere better to go."
Mercifully, the elf accepted it. "Neither do I," he murmured. "I… I think I will stay. For now. I do not wish to fight, but perhaps I will like teaching. And protecting the children… I can do that."
"You can talk to Charley in the morning," Logan said. "You could teach… I don't know. German, or something."
"Charley?" the elf repeated, a small smile on his face. "From what I know of Herr Professor, which I admit is not much, I do not think he would like that sort of nickname."
"He doesn't," Logan replied. To his surprise, the deadpan statement made the elf laugh, a bright sound that he hadn't expected in the tense night. The tension didn't fully go away, but it felt softer afterwards, less intense.
"Thank you, Herr Logan," the elf said quietly. The gratitude in his voice was uncomfortable, but not as horribly so as Logan might have expected.
"Didn't do anything that needs thanking. And it's just Logan."
"Then you must call me Kurt," the elf replied, and Logan suddenly remembered his introduction; "My name is Kurt Wagner, but in the Munich Circus, they called me the Incredible Nightcrawler!"
It was a fine name. Still, Logan hesitated a moment.
"How do you feel about nicknames?"
"Not as negatively as Herr Professor."
To Logan's surprise, he found himself letting out a snort of amusement. "Good to know, elf."
The elf - Kurt - startled slightly, then he smiled. "I like that one."
Logan grunted and held out the final beer can in a silent offer. Kurt shook his head, so Logan drained his own can and cracked open the last one. He'd planned on drinking all six and sitting by himself, but perhaps it hadn't been the worst thing that Kurt had been in the room he'd entered. Perhaps it hadn't been the worst thing that he hadn't been able to stew in his own feelings for one night.
"I am glad that I am staying," Kurt said after a moment. "I think I will like it here."
Logan didn't admit it out loud, but he felt the same. From the slight smile that spread across Kurt's face, he was pretty sure his face was easier to read than he'd thought. For once, he didn't mind. Maybe, sometimes, it wasn't so bad to be known, depending on who it was who knew you.
They settled in with their beers and the old movie still playing on the television screen, and Logan hoped this could become a habit. It would be a good one.