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Author's Chapter Notes:
Said I wasn't gonna so it, start another fic without finishing the ongoing ones already, but this plot bunny wouldn't let me go, damn pest!
Truth is I got tired of writing Logan and Marie being shot at, poisoned, chased, mentally tortured and so on thought I'd start this story as a bit of light relief, emphasis on the light!
New relationships are always tough, try relationships in a house full of mutants, all with their own dysfunctional little lives!
LOL, nothing but fluff and humour throughout this fic...I hope *g*
Part 1- ‘The Three Word Slip...’

It was the same way they always cheered each other up, after a rough day, or an assignment that had been particularly tough, they would drag themselves to the kitchen in the middle of the night, she would reach for a glass of milk and he would have his usual beer.

Whoever happened to get to the kitchen first would usually end up setting the scene for the other, she would take a couple of chocolate cookies with her milk, his guilty pleasure was the box of mint chip he kept carefully hidden in the back of the cereal drawer.

That night had been no different; she’d dropped a couple of straws into her milk and settled down to her third biscuit when he came scratching and stretching into the kitchen. His t-shirt rode up a little as he cracked his knuckles, his arms stretched upwards, muscles straining, she looked up and caught sight of his stomach, the taut muscle covered with the slightest tuft of hair, running from his bellybutton and downwards disappearing into the waistband of his jeans.

Marie only smiled at that, couple of years ago she’d have blushed head to foot, the sight of a half-naked Logan setting off all sorts of fireworks in her addled brain, her youthful crush causing her blood to rush to places it really shouldn’t be heading, a hot flush convincing her that she’d melt right there, a pool at his feet.

It had been a long while since she’d gotten over that, many years since she’d started to think of him just as Logan, her best friend Logan, the guy to talk to and share milk and cookies in the middle of the night with Logan, and not as that Logan, sexy as sin, the guy who did all sorts of things to her, in all sorts of ways.

She’d at long last reached that comfort zone with him, being able to look and talk to him without thinking she’d fall head first into his arms if he only asked, reached that level of comfort where she could take off her gloves around him, could walk around in the middle of the night, thin flimsy nightgown hanging open and loose over her shoulders, shorts and t-shirt underneath her gown, showing more flesh in that midnight hour than she did during most of the day.

It was comfortable and it was easy, and she was glad for it, no level of pretence, no being extra careful in case she accidentally brushed past him and ended up absorbing him, mostly because he’d made the habit of assuring her that though he’d never take her mutancy lightly, he would never be afraid of it either, he’d taken to gently brushing his hand against her arm or pressing her shoulder, briefly and lightly, but enough to show her that it made little difference to their friendship.

He would always be there for her, poisonous skin or not, it was a truth she could sense and depend upon as much as the pressing of his skin on hers.

She watched as he walked slowly over to her side of the kitchen units, plopping down onto the stool next to her and taking a long drag from the beer, ignoring the box of mint cookies she’d placed on the table.

‘Tough day huh kid…’ he stated gruffly at last and she smiled. It had been an awkward assignment, the Professor had sent them out to recover a mutant kid who’d run away from home, scared and living on the streets the boy had begun to attract the wrong sort of attention.

Unfortunately by the time the X-men had arrived, Magneto and his horde were already in the middle of a recruitment drive, and from then on it had only gotten worse, Sabretooth having spotted Logan launched himself at his age-old nemesis, Logan had likewise given into his feral nature, the resulting scrap had sent the kid running away from them all.

When the dust had finally settled the boy was nowhere to be seen, and Marie knew Logan blamed himself, Scott’s resulting tirade as they had sat in the blackbird had not helped, it had been a tough day for all of them.

‘The Professor will find the boy again…’ Marie spoke softly, she twirled the straws around in her milk, watching Logan from underneath the white bangs of the hair, ‘come on Logan, it ain’t like ya to let ol’ one-eye get to ya. Don’t worry ‘bout it, ah think he’s got a severe case of PMS…’

She smiled hoping he would join in on her joke but he sat sullenly unwilling to be drawn, she went back to staring at her milk, suddenly her smile grew wider as she grabbed at the straws. Twisting around in her stool, so that her back was turned to Logan, she began to arrange the straws. Logan arching one eyebrow stared curiously at her back.

Marie turned back to him at last, the straw ends stuck up her nostrils and hanging down she grinned stupidly at him, ‘Hey Logan, whaddya think ‘bout sayin’ hi to the walrus.’ She stood up and struck a pose for him, but he simply shook his head and took another swig of his beer.

She chewed her lip thoughtfully, ‘Not gonna bite huh?’ she asked him still smiling, ‘Ok…, hey, ya ever see a walrus do the funky chicken?’

He stared at her, she chuckled before sticking her neck out, tucking her arms in and raising one leg, she flapped her arms in and out, stuck her neck out further, with the straws still stuck up her nose and began to dance on the spot.

She’d done this before as well, some goofy act, or a prank on one of the other X-men, like the time she’d tipped Cyke’s favourite cereal out of the inner plastic bag and straight into the box, she’d arranged the bottom flaps of the cereal box carefully so the next time Scott went for his breakfast it’d end up on the floor at his feet.

It was childish and immature, but she’d done it before, cheered him up in her own way, little gestures, just as he did for her letting him know that she would always be there for him.

And sometimes that meant sticking drinking straws up her nose and dancing stupidly, Logan’s slow grin began at the corners of his mouth, he couldn’t help himself, especially when she started in with a chant of ‘Oh yeah…funky chicken yeah…’

He began to chuckle slowly as her dance got more ridiculous, her arms flapping faster, neck ducking in and out, straws bouncing around, she twirled and he couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

‘You’re great kid…ah love you.’

She froze, he realised all at once what he had said, mid dance she had her back turned to him, turning around slowly she stared at him, a blush slowly creeping up her cheeks, an embarrassment from so long ago, remembrance of that kid with a crush from so long ago.

The straws forgotten, she shook her head slowly, ‘What did ya say…did ya jus’ say…ya loved me?’

Logan could only stare back at her, his lips mumbling trying vainly to form some words. Marie plopped down heavily on her stool, ‘Ya meant it as a friend right?’ she asked at last quietly.

Logan nodded quickly, and Marie thought she could read his expression perfectly, relief. Probably because she hadn’t misunderstood him, it was just as friends, nothing more, there were no fireworks, no streamers, no dazzling lights, hell there wasn’t even a star in the sky, and that was what was supposed to happen when someone said they loved you right?

Not when you were in the middle of a stupid dance, not because you were making them laugh, and not because you were trying to make them forget the shitty day they’d had for a couple of hours, friends did that, friends like they were, the best of friends, Logan and Marie, nothing more, nothing romantic right?

‘Sure, that’s what ah meant kid, ah love ya kid…like a friend.’ The words tumbled out of his lips one after the other hastily.

She took the straws out of her nose at last, staring down at the table, ‘That’s great Logan, ‘cause ah love ya too…as a friend.’

They sat silently, uncomfortable and unsure what to do or say next. Marie cleared her throat, ‘uhmm, ah guess…ah better…’ she got up, tying her dressing gown around her waist, she smiled at him slightly, ‘ah’m gonna try and get some sleep…’ she headed towards the kitchen door. ‘Night Logan…’

‘Night kid…’ Logan called out after her; he finished his beer in one cool swig, staring at the milk glass she had left behind on the table he picked it up and twirled it around in his hand, he shook his head, nope nothing romantic there at all.
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