Stretching as she stepped out of the Explorer, Rogue slapped both hands onto her behind and groaned, “Oooh, mah butt’s sore.”
Logan choked on a laugh. His mirth quickly turned into a furious scowl when he saw a scruffy twenty-something who was getting out of his truck eyeing Rogue appreciatively. He flipped the kid off and moved quickly around the front of the vehicle to drop his arm possessively over Rogue’s shoulders.
“I’d offer to massage it for you, darlin’, but that might get us in some legal trouble.”
“Huh?” Rogue craned her neck around to look at him. A frown of confusion was forming between her brows.
Nice, Wolverine scoffed, makin’ jokes the girl doesn’t understand.
Logan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. The tension always gathered right in that spot when Wolverine was being snarky.
“Laws against public lewdness, darlin’,” he muttered, steering her toward the convenience store.
“Oh.” A faint blush dusted her cheekbones.
Inside, Rogue ducked out from under his arm and headed purposefully toward one side of the store. Logan took two steps after her, unwilling to let her out of his sight, before she rounded on him. Rogue made a shooing motion with both her hands as she walked backwards.
“Go on with ya, sugar. Ah’m just gonna be over here a bit an’ then Ah’ll met ya at the checkout.”
“I don’t mind goin’ with you, darlin’.” He continued walking after her.
“Well Ah mind. Now shoo.” She flapped her hands at him again in dismissal.
Logan felt a faint trace of amusement from Wolverine. “You tryin’ to get rid o’ me, Marie?”
Rogue stopped and planted her hands on her hips. “Yes.”
Logan stopped as well and blinked at her. “But why?” He winced internally, hoping that his voice didn’t sound as whiny and little boyish to her as it did to him.
“‘Cause Ah’ve got some stuff Ah need to buy.”
He shrugged. “So do I. We’ll get your stuff, then we’ll get mine. What’s the big deal?”
Rogue’s features contorted into a frustrated pout. Idiot, Wolverine whispered to him.
“The big deal, ya idiot, is Ah want a little privacy, an’ Ah shouldn’t have to give ya an explanation to get some.” Rogue whirled around on one heal, her hair flying out behind her, and stalked away.
“What the hell did I do?” Logan murmured to himself and to Wolverine.
Think, genius. Why would a female want privacy?
Logan blinked. I dunno. It’s Marie. She’s never hidden anythin’ from us before.
True, Wolverine conceded in a tone reserved for particularly slow children, but she’s never flaunted any of the private aspects of her life in our face either, has she?
What the hell are you gettin’ at? Logan roared in impatience, hardly noticing the people skirting around him and casting strange looks at the man standing stock-still in the middle of the aisle with his fists clenched.
I’ll ask you again. Why would a female want privacy from a male?
I dunno. For female stuff, I guess, but what the hell does that have to do with needin’ privacy to buy stu….Oh.
Yes, ‘Oh.’ Moron. Wolverine scoffed once and retreated.
Feeling sheepish, Logan hurried down the aisle searching for the things he needed.
* * *
Back at the Explorer, Logan and Rogue stashed their bags behind their respective seats. Rogue sighed heavily and started to climb into the vehicle, wincing a little as she settled in. Standing at his open door observing her carefully, Logan caught the brief, pained expression and the quick press of one slender hand low on her stomach.
“Come on. Let’s walk a bit, darlin’.”
Rogue’s head whipped around, a smile already starting in her eyes. “Ya sure?”
He shrugged. “I’m sure. Haven’t heard anythin’ on the radio recently that indicates the interview’s made the news this far north. And we won’t go far. Maybe just up that little trail there.” He gestured vaguely toward the wooded side of the convenience store lot. Turning to look, Rogue could just make out the hint of a trail through the snow-dusted evergreens. She gave Logan a beaming smile and hopped out of the Explorer, slamming the door perhaps a little too enthusiastically judging by Logan’s low chuckle.
They moved in tandem toward the front of the vehicle and Rogue expected him to drape his arm across her shoulders again. It was a habit with him, and she genuinely enjoyed the heaviness of his metal-weighted arm surrounding her. But Logan surprised her this time, and with barely a glance in her direction, he grabbed her gloved hand in his and kept moving.
Blinking a little at the change in routine, it took Rogue a few seconds to wrap her fingers around Logan’s hand. She snuck a glance at him, but he wasn’t paying any attention. Rogue could feel the heat radiating from his hand, even though he wasn’t wearing any gloves. In fact, he wasn’t at all protected against the cold except for his beat up leather jacket, and even that was left open. She suddenly felt like a child in her gloves and scarf, her coat buttoned all the way up to her chin. She was even wearing the ridiculous moose earmuffs Jubilee had given her last Christmas, and the way Logan was holding her hand and leading her forward just reinforced the image in her mind of her as a little girl out for a day with Daddy. Rogue scowled.
She cast another surreptitious glance at Logan and tugged on her hand a bit. When he loosened his grip, she quickly rearranged their fingers so that they were laced together. Logan stopped abruptly and looked at her in surprise.
“Darlin’, that’s not exactly the safest way to hold my hand.”
Oh, Rogue thought, somewhat happily. He was holdin’ mah hand that way ‘cause he’s afraid o’ slicin’ mah fingers.
No sooner had she finished the thought than a drowsy voice murmured to her, There’s no danger here. Don’t let him let go. Recognizing the voice from before, Rogue was intrigued by its awareness of her surroundings.
She tightened her grip on Logan’s hand. “Ya just said ya think it’s safe here. An’ Ah still have enough o’ yer senses to tell that the woods are perfectly safe. Maybe a couple o’ deer millin’ around in there, but no people.”
Logan stared at her a moment longer before nodding slowly. He squeezed her hand briefly and started walking again. When they reached the beginning of the path, Rogue saw that it was much narrower than she had thought, and following the quiet whisper at the back of her mind, she took a half step closer to Logan and leaned into his arm, her other hand coming across her body to grip his arm right below the elbow. She glanced up at him from the corner of her eye and saw the hint of a smile tilting up his lips.
They walked that way in silence, their breath pluming the air in front of them, and their boots making muffled crunching noises on the light blanket of snow. The path turned upward briefly and Rogue tightened her grip on Logan a little as they climbed. She could feel his muscles bunching as he absently provided a bit of lift as she stepped over a branch that had fallen into the path. The trail leveled out again, and just up ahead appeared to be a sharp turn. They paused and Logan titled his head in the peculiar manner that Rogue had learned long ago meant he was listening intently.
“Water,” he said finally, curiosity coloring his tone. They continued forward, and upon turning the corner, Rogue saw that he was right. A small stream cut across the path and disappeared into the thick undergrowth of the forest.
“It’s covered in ice, though. Ya could hear the water runnin’ underneath it?”
Logan nodded.
Rogue slid her earmuffs down so they wrapped around the back of her neck and tilted her head the way Logan had a few moments before. She strained her senses, but couldn’t hear anything.
“What’s it sound like?”
Logan considered her question. “The water movin’ along the ice sounds kinda like…mouse feet.”
Rogue burst out laughing, and a cloud of condensed breath briefly surrounded them. “Ah’m afraid Ah don’t know what mouse feet sound like, sugar, but Ah get the idea.”
Logan grinned at her and she leaned her head against his shoulder. They stood watching the slow trickle of water under the ice for a few moments, enjoying the quiet and the solitude. After a while, Logan jostled her hand.
“Better get goin’.” They were back at the bend in the path before Logan spoke again at Wolverine’s prompting. “Listen, darlin’. We’re gonna be with each other pretty much all the time now, so I don’t want you feelin’ embarrassed ‘bout anythin’. And especially when we’re on the road, if you need to make a stop to…you know… take care o’ anythin’, just let me know.”
At the sharp tug on his hand, Logan glanced down and saw that Rogue’s cheeks were covered in a deep blush. He wouldn’t let go of her hand, though. She turned to face him, planted her free hand against his chest, and shoved hard. He barely rocked on his feet, but she lost her balance and started to tip backward. Logan lunged forward and wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her, but he misjudged the slope of the path and they both went down hard.
Powdery snow flew up around them, and as it settled back down, Logan took stock of the situation. He had prevented Rogue’s head from slamming into the ground by getting his hand into place quickly enough, but he didn’t think that an adamantium-laced hand was much better than the frozen ground. Rogue’s eyes were open and focused on his, and he could see a hint of pain in the brown depths. Her tongue probed her lower lip carefully, catching his attention, and he noticed a trace of blood, maybe from his shoulder slamming into her when they fell.
He had managed to fall mostly on his elbows so he didn’t crush her under his considerable weight, but as it was, she had to be uncomfortable. One of her legs was trapped completely under his, and the other was sprawled a bit to the side. The end result was that he was in an awkward half cradle with their stomachs and hips pressed firmly together.
Rogue gave up poking at her lip and pulled her leg up to get her foot on the ground, the inside of her thigh resting against Logan’s hip. She pushed against his shoulders, giving him a disgruntled glare when he didn’t budge.
“Ya gonna let me up?”
Don’t you dare move, Wolverine said firmly.
Wasn’t plannin’ on it. Logan couldn’t keep the satisfaction out of his voice.
“Don’t think so, darlin’,” he said out loud, some of his smugness seeping through. “Shouldn’t move for a while after a fall like that. In case of serious injuries.”
“Ass,” she mumbled, poking him in the sternum resentfully and locking her gaze on the hollow of his throat.
Logan sighed, his breath stirring her white bangs slightly. “Marie, I’m sorry if you’re embarrassed, but it’s not like I didn’t know.”
“Know what?” she asked mulishly.
You’re gonna have to say it. She’ll just keep pretendin’ she doesn’t know what you’re talkin’ ‘bout otherwise.
Knowing Wolverine was right, and knowing that Rogue would see it as an invasion of her privacy, he explained, “That it’s your time of the month. Well, it will be in a couple of days anyway.”
“What the hell?” Rogue yelped, startled into meeting his eyes again. “How the hell do ya know down to the day?”
Logan cleared his throat. “Heightened senses, remember?”
Rogue’s lips twisted distastefully. “Ye’re sayin’ ya can smell the difference? That’s just…disgustin’.”
He sighed again. “Marie, listen. Don’t worry about it. Your scent changes slightly, that’s all. It’s not like I spend my time sniffin’ around tryin’ to figure it out. And you don’t smell bad or anythin’. Just different.”
Eyeing him distrustfully, Rogue remained silent.
“It’s just like when I pick up on the change in your scent when you’re afraid or nervous. Or lyin’,” he chuckled.
“Ah’ve never lied to ya!” Rogue denied hotly.
“I know that. But you’ve lied to other people in front o’ me.”
She scowled at him a moment longer. Letting out a sigh of her own, Rogue closed her eyes and a slight look of concentration crossed her face.
Ah’m bein’ an idiot, aren’t Ah? For the first time, Rogue tried directing her thoughts toward the voice she had been hearing.
Yes, came the prompt reply. But he won’t hold it against you. I, on the other hand, might if you don’t get your head out of your ass.
Rogue surprised herself with a mental snort at the voice’s straightforward attitude. Opening her eyes, she studied Logan’s face. He was keeping a carefully neutral expression, but something in the set of his shoulders betrayed his anxiety.
He’s really worried he’s upset me, isn’t he? she marveled. He’s not just bein’ a typical male an’ assumin’ Ah’m getting myself worked up for no good reason.
I would think, the voice said tartly, that you should know that by now.
Stung by the unspoken accusation, Rogue defended herself quickly. Ah guess it’s just hard to believe that he’d take me seriously at all when Ah’ve been all…wonky the last couple o’ weeks.
Full-bodied laughter spilled into every empty space in Rogue’s mind. 'Wonky?' There was a definite smile in the voice now. That’s one way of putting it. So, forgetting everything that’s happened, if you had found yourself in this position with Logan a couple weeks ago, what would you have done about it?
As Rogue opened her eyes, she felt a grin pulling at her lips and warmth pooling in her stomach. Ah woulda made the best o’ the opportunity.
Exactly right, the voice responded, and then seemed to take a step back.
“Fine then, sugar,” she said, her voice slightly husky. “Ah’ll let ya know whenever Ah want ya to stop.”
Logan’s eyes narrowed and heat spilled into them. Wondering if he had imagined the double meaning to her words, he observed her carefully. He didn’t dare scent the air in case he was mistaken; the action would no doubt send her into a fit of angry accusations.
I don’t think you were, Wolverine rumbled, his voice close to a purr. Her pupils are dilated.
Seeing that Wolverine was right, Logan dropped his gaze to the pulse fluttering rapidly at the base of Rogue’s throat. He noted at the same time that she was breathing faster. As the small puffs of air escaping from her slightly parted lips brushed his chin in a warm caress, Wolverine became fixated on the tiny bead of blood welling from her split lip.
Vaguely hearing Wolverine’s Rrrw of interest, Logan asked in a low voice, “How’s your lip doin’, darlin’?” Without giving her a chance to respond, he leaned in and gave her a half-kiss. His upper lip brushed hers lightly, and his tongue, in place of his lower lip, laved the cut gently.
Rogue’s breath caught in her throat with an audible gasp. Logan chuckled as his eyes closed and he kissed her fully this time. Feeling her gloved fingers lacing through his hair, Logan couldn’t help feeling satisfied that there was none of the hesitance that had marked her kiss with Wolverine. The thought brought Wolverine even more fully to the front of his mind, but instead of fighting him as Logan usually did, or falling back to give him control, there was a curious shifting sensation. When everything settled once again, Logan felt Wolverine’s startlement at his place next to Logan. He was unsure how he had made room in his psyche for Wolverine’s presence to equal his own, but he – and Wolverine was in agreement – deemed it unimportant at the moment. He turned his attention back to Rogue.
Marie, his voice and Wolverine’s whispered together.
He cracked one eye open long enough to note that Rogue’s were closed. When he noticed the excited color high on her cheekbones, he felt a surge of satisfaction that matched one from Wolverine.
She’s never had a chance at this, you know, Wolverine said. She always had to worry ‘bout her skin before, and even after she got control of it, nobody at the mansion dared go near her.
Their loss, Logan muttered in response. Now shut up.
He nipped lightly at the uninjured side of Rogue’s mouth and nudged her parted lips with his tongue. Chuckling lightly when he realized she had her teeth together, Logan lifted his left hand to cup her jaw and pressed the pad of his thumb against her chin right below their joined lips. Understanding what he wanted more out of instinct than any reasoning thought, Rogue relaxed her jaw and Logan took the opportunity to lightly brush her tongue with his. She made a noise low in her throat that had his stomach muscles clenching tightly. He slid his hand forward until his fingers cupped the nape of her neck. She shivered when he rubbed the silky skin of her earlobe with his thumb. Liking the response, he did it again and was rewarded when Rogue pulled him closer and deepened the kiss.
Several minutes later, when he thought that he could happily spend the rest of his life with his world narrowed to just Rogue’s lips and tongue, he felt the cold dampness of melting snow against the back of his knee. Focusing on their position for a moment, he was aware of one of Rogue’s hands gripping his back just below his shoulder blade and the other restlessly caressing the back of his neck. The dampness on his knee, he realized, was from the heel of Rogue’s boot. At some point she had freed her trapped leg and hooked her foot around him. Her left foot was still flat on the ground beside him, but she had bent her knee at a sharper angle, shifting until her ankle was against his hip and her thigh was pressed tight against the side of his waist.
Encouraged by the position, and unable to believe he hadn’t even noticed how it had come about, Logan slid his right hand down from Rogue’s shoulder. He pressed his hand firmly against her side, resenting the bulky fabric of her coat. He thought, perhaps, that his thumb had brushed the side of her breast, but he couldn’t tell. Wolverine gave a frustrated growl, and he was surprised to hear the same sound from his own lips. He drew his hand along Rogue’s ribs and waist. When he felt the rough denim of her jeans beneath his fingers, he cupped her hip and squeezed briefly before sweeping his hand under the edge of her coat.
He paused at the feel of her smooth, warm skin beneath his callused palm, and Rogue gasped slightly through their kiss. Logan splayed his fingers wide, marveling at how petite Rogue actually was when he realized he could easily span her stomach. Letting his fingers relax again, Logan moved his hand up to her ribs, tracing each one before moving higher. While before he had cursed the coat between them, now he was glad for it. The confining fabric kept his hand pressed firmly against Rogue’s skin, leaving no chance for an accidental break in contact.
When the tips of his fingers encountered the satin-covered underwire of her bra, Logan paused again. Dismissing, for the moment, the option of working his hand under the fabric – he was back to hating the coat because it didn’t leave him any room to maneuver – he slid his hand up just a few inches more and palmed her breast.
Rogue gasped and arched into his hand, tipping her head back and breaking the kiss. Content with the change, Logan pressed his lips to the underside of her chin. He trailed kisses down her throat, nudging her scarf aside with his chin, and finally settled on the curve of her neck where it met her shoulder. Rogue gasped again and tightened her grip on his head and shoulders when he brushed his thumb gently along the inside curve of her breast. Trying to get more leverage while he considered fuzzily how upset Rogue would be if he popped his claws and sliced through her jacket, Logan used the crook of his elbow to edge the bottom of her jacket up. The fabric moved easier than he had expected, but before he could get his hand inside the cup of Rogue’s bra, she screeched and shoved hard at his shoulder.
The combination of the force of the shove and sheer surprise was enough to unbalance Logan and he rolled heavily onto his side, grunting a bit as he did so. Rogue sat up immediately and swiped at her lower back frantically.
“Cold!”
It took a few seconds for his desire-fogged brain to process the situation. He thought, at first, that perhaps he had done something to scare her, but when the meaning of her gasped exclamation hit him, Logan chuckled.
Rogue glared at him as she finished brushing the snow off her skin. She paused briefly when she noticed the golden hue of his eyes, but dismissed the oddity as an effect of the bright winter sunlight.
Logan sat up slowly, wincing at the tightness of his jeans. He cast an amused look at the trampled snow around them and chuckled again when Wolverine thought the melted hollows looked like the beginnings of a den. As Rogue continued staring at him wordlessly, Logan wondered if she was regretting any of what had happened. He cleared his throat, but his voice was still rough when he spoke. “Guess this wasn’t the best place for that, was it, darlin’?”
He climbed to his feet and brushed the snow from his jeans before holding his hand out to Rogue to help her up. She grimaced as she stood, but before Logan could ask if she was hurt somewhere, she sighed and shook her head. “Great. Ah started out with mah butt sore, an’ now it’s cold an’ wet.” Rogue turned away from him and started walking gingerly down the trail.
When he saw that her jeans were soaked through in the back, a laughed bubbled up and burst forth, the sound clearer and more joyous than any he had ever heard from himself. Rogue paused and looked at him over her shoulder. Her lips stretched wide in an answering grin and Logan moved forward quickly to catch her hand in his.
He laced their fingers together as they walked, and when they reached the parking lot, he didn’t care who saw the silly grin on his face or whether they wondered about their wet clothes.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
There will be no eating of ears if I can help it! *grin*
Thanks to everybody for reading.
Thanks to everybody for reading.
Chapter End Notes:
This chapter was fun to write. And before anybody asks, no, I will not write anything really explicit. I'm committed to keeping this no higher than an R rating.