The medical bay was quiet save for the slow rhythmical breaths of Logan’s unmoving form. Rogue sat at his bedside in a poignant silence, watching over Logan with a constant frown marking her brow. They had only been back at the mansion for a few days, but with Logan’s injuries being initially life threatening when he healed Rogue, he had remained unconscious since as his body was working frantically to keep him alive. It was only last night that Jean had removed the array of plastic tubing that had been attached to Logan’s body, confident that he was able to breathe on his own now.
Rogue had to admit, the lack of the clear piping and beeping machines made the situation look a lot less dire, but still the man hadn’t awakened. His wounds had shown signs of healing over recent days, still being noticeably quicker than a normal human’s, but slow for Logan’s usual standards.
The lights had been dimmed at Rogue’s request, who was all too aware of how blinding the white lights of the underground level could be for one laid here. She hadn’t moved from Logan’s bedside since that morning, watching him so intently to try and catch any signs of him stirring. The more time passed, the more anxious Rogue became. His bandaged chest rose and fell in the deep breaths he breathed, becoming a focal point for Rogue’s eyes as she stared at the movement of his slow breathing rate. Bare from the waist up, his many injuries were painfully evident to Rogue, every white square of bandage standing out.
His face still showed signs of the brutal slashes from Sabretooth’s claws, the skin flamed and sore around the closing wounds. His closed left eye, previously destroyed, now only showed a faint bruising around the fading scar through the socket. Rogue remembered all too well that very eye, milky white and stained by crimson, when he had loomed upon her in Magneto’s lair.
Tucking one of her newly acquired streaks behind an ear, Rogue adjusted her position on her chair to get more comfortable. Her brief movement caused her eyes to wander, and she noticed one of the square pieces of bandages was peeling away from his upper chest. Frowning, Rogue leant forward to carefully attempt to stick the white sticky tape back down upon his skin.
The large form below her gloved fingertips gave a low-throated chuckle as his hand lifted from his side to take hers. Rogue started in surprise as she felt him stir, her round eyes staring at the hand that had moved to hers. “That tickles,” he said in a hoarse murmur, his eyes slowly opening to peer up at her.
Her lower lip hung as she gave a gasp of disbelief, a smile quickly taking over as her hand tightened on his and she moved closer to his head. “Hey,” she said softly.
“Hey,” came his response as he managed a small smile on his scratched face.
“How’re you feelin’?” Rogue asked quickly, watching him closely.
Logan closed his eyes gently as he coughed softly, eventually managing to say, “Fantastic.”
A chuckle sounded from Rogue at his response, causing him to smile gently at her. There was a comfortable pause between the pair in which they just watched each other. Eventually, Rogue glanced down in a moment of bashfulness. “Thank you..”
“I’m glad it worked,” he replied quietly. “I thought I was gonna lose you.”
“Y’know..” said Rogue quietly as her eyes watched his chest absently, “.. you’ve saved my life quite a few times now. Yet I never seem to return the favour.”
But Logan’s hand tightened on hers, summoning her gaze back upon his. “You’ve definitely saved my life,” he assured her, his eyes watching her unflinchingly.
Rogue’s eyes searchingly flickered across his features at the response, she was about to respond, when the circular doors in the metal archway parted with a soft whirred, causing Logan to gently release her hand. Having no time to object, Rogue glanced around at the disturbance, watching Bobby Drake walk into the room with a lunch tray. “Hey,” he called to Rogue as he came towards her, setting the tray down next to her on Logan’s bedside table. “Didn’t see you at lunch so I brought you some food.”
Rogue’s eyes travelled over the tray, noting a sandwich, glass of fruit juice and a side of chips. She forced a smile onto her face as she nodded at him, “Thanks, Bobby.”
“No problem,” he replied, his eyes then glancing over Logan. “Hope you feel better soon.” Logan just watched with a plain disinterest for the boy he didn’t know. Looking uncomfortable, Bobby decided to make his way out, “See you around,” he called, before disappearing through the closing metal doors.
“I think he’s a lil’ taken with you,” Logan spoke up softly, summoning Rogue’s attention quickly.
She gazed down at him, a shy smile evident on her lips as she replied, “Well, my heart belongs to someone else.”
Logan frowned ever so slightly, noticing how endearingly she looked down upon him when she said this. “Kid, you and I.. – “
“You hungry?” she abruptly asked, cutting him off as she brandished the sandwich plate at him in distraction. Her eyes were a little wide, cheeks flushed somewhat. His senses noted her rising heart rate, which pumped nervously in her chest.
Logan’s eyes reluctantly fell from her face to the food presented to him. In truth, he wasn’t hungry. In truth, he desperately wanted to talk to her. Rogue gestured the plate at him, anxiously chewing her lower lip. She had feared words of dismissal; a pitying tone as he attempted to convince her it was nothing but a little crush that wasn’t worth persevering. She could see the uncertainty in his eyes. Uncertainty of how to address her and her problem.
Logan took the plate from her slowly, watching the sandwich forlornly. He wasn’t sure if he was glad if he had been cut off. He wasn’t sure what he was going to have said to her anyway. Was he to brush her off to protect her? After all, the last thing she needed was getting involved with a guy like him. Even though she was already involved in almost every way. Or was he to attempt to explain himself, explain how difficult his feelings really were and why he found it hard to admit the one thing that should be so clear.
“Thanks,” he eventually said, sitting himself up slowly up begin eating the food. He didn’t enjoy the sandwich as he took a bite; it was merely something to do.
The doors parted once more, this time Jean Grey entering with a smile at the two. “Glad to see you awake, Logan,” she said as she came towards the bed. “How are you feeling?” Logan glanced over to Rogue momentarily. How was he feeling? If only he could say.
“Fine,” he grunted, going back to the sandwich he never asked for.
Rogue took the opportunity to stand to her feet, her smile awkward, “Bye, Logan,” she muttered before she turned and made her way out. Her smile soon dropped as she was out of sight, a sigh breathing through her lips. She had been through ups and downs with that man, her attacker, her hero. The man she had fought and at other times embraced. But there was one thing that was far from uncertainty.
She loved him.
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