Logan woke the next morning as sudden as though he had been hit across the face. At first, he wondered what had caused him to wake up so suddenly, for the room around him was still rather void of morning light. It was then, as he lay on his back in his warm bed, that he realised that there were anguished sounds coming from the bed next to his. A frown consorted his features as he slowly picked his head up off the pillow to peer through the darkness at the uneven shape that lay under the tousled duvet.
Even though he was still a little disorientated from his deep sleep, Logan kicked back the covers from his bed, ignoring the soft thumps of his clothes sliding off the foot of his bed. Nightwear being only his vest and jeans, he proceeded to Rogue’s bedside, hating to see her in the same state she had been in last night.
“Marie..” he called quietly, anxiously running a hand through his untamed hair. “C’mon, girl.. wake up.” He knew he couldn’t move in too close, she was writhing so much that it was all too easy for her to knock her bare limbs against his.
But Rogue merely gave a distressed whimper, a hand wildly flying through the air as if to fight away something in front of her face. “I don’t – “ she gasped softly, giving a soft cry as she edged across the bed as though trying to avoid something.
Logan couldn’t bear to watch her mental struggle, watch her go through the traumas he continually relived. “Marie! Please!” he said, a little louder this time. Abandoning all safety, he knelt down besides the bed, anxious eyes staring at her moving form. She continued to thrash under the covers, which were progressively getting pushed off the bed. She gave a sudden gasp, feet kicking as the duvet was knocked off her bare legs. “Marie..” Logan said softly, his voice full of desperation, wishing she would wake up and get away from those horrific memories of his.
With a gasp, Rogue threw her head back against the pillow, her breathing becoming raspy as it screeched back and forth in her throat. With an exhalation that sounded like she was about to choke, Rogue’s eyes flew open to sit wide and terrified. Staring unseeingly at the ceiling, her arms lifted, fighting once more. A horrific scream burned from her lungs, trembling under the true fear that was only present in a genuinely terrified person.
The sound was haunting to Logan’s ears, who stared at her in shock. Without thinking clearly, he reached forward, grabbing her by the upper arms as she continued to writhe and cry. He could see trail of tears gleam down her cheeks as he tried to pick her up. But she fought against his hold, crying out, “No! NO!”
“Marie!” called Logan firmly as he held her up, staring into her wild eyes. “C’mon, kid!”
Gasping, Rogue’s tugs continued, even though they were becoming weaker. Desperate to calm her, Logan pulled her body towards his, forcing her against his chest as he held her tightly in a warm embrace. She continued to gasp and cry, fighting against his hold but with growing exhaustion. His grip was gentle but unwavering, holding her right until he began feeling her slump against him, her tears of fright turned saddened and confused. Her fighting arms had stopped and now rested limply against his chest.
Cradling her sobbing form in his arms, it was only then when he realised how reckless he had been. And sure enough, he could feel the beginning prickles of her mutation from the bare skin-to-skin contact. Momentarily he pondered the delay in her power’s response. He had been touching her skin for quite some time before he felt her mutation come into play. Rogue, having felt the tingle of her powers also, quickly dislodged herself from Logan’s arms to pull back and stare at him with wearied, tear-filled eyes.
“Nightmare,” she said weakly, voice hoarse from her screams.
“I know,” whispered Logan as he watched her steadily. “I’m sorry.”
Rogue slowly glanced down at her lap, regaining control of her breaths. “How come I didn’t hurt you?” she asked him.
But Logan couldn’t answer. “I don’t know,” he replied, “I kinda forgot about your powers when I grabbed you.” There was a pause when he looked thoughtful. “Maybe it’s my healin’?”
Rogue raised her head, looking calmer now as the colour was returning to her once pale, stricken, face. “Your healing?”
“Yeah, I mean.. when you touched me before.. that was the first time, and I’d never been exposed to anything like that. Maybe.. since it’s happened once.. my healing’s trying to make me.. immune to it?”
Rogue stared at him, absently wiping tears from her face. “You really think that?” she asked, sounding very curious now.
“It’s a guess,” said Logan softly.
But then, Rogue’s next actions surprised him greatly. She leant forward, grabbing his nearest hand and holding it tightly in her bare one. “Concentrate,” she told him, “concentrate on your healing factor. Tell it to fight against my powers.”
And he did, staring intently into her eyes as he fought with all his inner might to combat against the very faint luring sensation of her powers. “Marie..” he said quietly. This was too dangerous to attempt. She was already very shaken from the nightmare, the last thing she needed was more of his memories flooding into her.
“Concentrate, Logan!” she hissed through gritted teeth, glaring at him as she gripped his hand tighter.
“Stop, stop now,” insisted Logan, quickly pulling his hand away from hers. He could feel her powers tugging at him, their strength growing at his effort to put them off began to wane.
Rogue sat back slowly, watching Logan intently with interest. “You ok?”
Logan nodded his head slowly, “Fine,” he confirmed. “You?”
“Fine,” repeated Rogue, who then glanced down at her bare hand. “That’s the longest I’ve been able to touch anybody for a long time..”
“Do you realise how reckless that was though?” asked Logan, now frowning. “That could have gone horribly wrong, you could have got more of my memories, gone mad again.”
At the reprimanding, Rogue stared at Logan, looking increasingly annoyed by his words. “Logan, you don’t understand what’s just happened, do you? I’ve just touched you for about five minutes and we both came out of it fine.”
“Marie – “
“I can’t touch anybody, Logan!” Rogue cried, her voice rising slightly. “I have to wear clothes that cover my skin, just in case I accidentally catch someone! And now I’ve just found out that someone has the potential to not be killed if I touch them. Don’t you realise how much this means to me?”
There was a silence that more deafening than if she had been screaming at him. Very slowly, Logan nodded his head, “I’m sorry, Marie. I know how much it means to you.” And to show his seriousness, he gently placed his hand against her upper arm, squeezing it reassuringly before he lowered his arm. “I do..”
The small smile that came upon Rogue’s face from his simple gesture instantly made Logan feel better. But Rogue felt herself growing curious. This sudden knowledge of Logan being the only person she could touch for a short length of time was quickly making her want to touch him a lot more..
A heck of a lot more.
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