She shuffled in to the temporary bath tent. Logan had already undressed and was soaking in the spring, his eyes closed and relaxed smile on his lips. It was relatively dark, but she had her suspicions of how good his eyesight really was.
“Okay. Don’t look…” She said, taking off her jacket. Logan’s head rose from the stone he had been using as a pillow and he blinked.
“What?” He asked.
“I said, don’t look!”
“You really are shy.” That wasn’t a question. It was a statement.
“Well, excuse me if I’m not accustomed to bathing with strange men…”
“I won’t look,” Logan renewed his earlier promise and made a point by closing his eyes and sliding along the brim of the spring until he was seated his back turned towards her.
She undressed quickly, grabbing the towel to cover her nudity and hurried to the opposite side of the spring. Dropped the towel and lowered herself in to the water. For her relief nothing could be seen from under the surface of the water. It was too dark for that.
She leaned back and closed her eyes, mimicking Logan. Hot water felt heavenly. Scent of it was slightly rusty, but yet at the same time strangely pure.
Something brushed against her knee, but she put it out f her mind. Must have been her imagination. She could hear Logan’s breath slowing down. Was he falling asleep? She cracked her eyes open. He was, indeed, sleeping. Hands braced over the brim of the spring to keep him from drowning, his head fallen back, small speckles of dried blood dissolving slowly from his shoulders and throat. His dark hair gleamed wetly, partially slicked back. Scruffy sideburns adorning his face were plastered against his skin, outlining his jaw. He appeared years younger now. Yet she knew he wasn’t a boy. Hadn’t been a boy in decades.
Again something brushed against her shins. She moved a bit and it stopped. For a moment she regretted not bringing the soap with her, but clear memory of one of the biology classes had made her leave it behind. It would spoil the spring.
She relaxed and sunk deeper, sighing from pleasure when the warmth of the water soothed her neck. And screamed, jumping off from the spring when she felt Logan’s foot brushing against her knee, scaring Logan in the process.
They were both standing up, shivering from the cold air. Logan’s suspicious gaze fixed in to the bubbling water, her terrified eyes scanning him.
“What is it?” Logan asked.
“I… I touched you… Are… Oh, my God! Are you alright?” She stuttered, her teeth chattering more out of shock than coldness.
“I’m fine,” Logan said, lowering himself back in to the water, groaning from contentment and sliding under the surface for a few seconds before emerging and fixing his hazel stare to her.
“You’re going to freeze your ass off. Get back in to the water.”
“But…”
“Yeah. You touched me. But I’m alright. It didn’t hurt me. Get in to the water, kid. There’s no doctor around, you really can’t afford to catch pneumonia.”
“But…”
“It’s going to take a while longer before the air under this tarp warms enough. Get in to the water. Or do I have to come and get you?”
“No! I’m coming!”
“Good.”
She slid back in to the spring, now very aware of her exposed state and Logan’s gaze on her. She sat rigidly, drawing her hands and feet as close to her body as possible. Logan kept staring at her, his head tilted slightly, thoughtful look on his face. Suddenly he reached his hand and clasped it around her arm under water. She screamed and tried to struggle free from his grasp. Was he trying to commit suicide? His fingers refused to budge. And as moments ticked by and he just held on and nothing happened, she started to relax. Feeling of wonder crept in her mind.
“What is this?” She asked, staring in to the water, trying to see his hand somewhere down there, holding her. Bare skin on bare skin.
”Hell if I know… Either I’m immune or your skin doesn’t work in water.”
She reached with her hand, shaking off droplets of water before bringing her shaky fingers against his cheek. Se could feel the familiar tingling. Logan drew a pained gasp through his clenched teeth, his fingers curling tighter around her arm. She let go of his cheek.
“Water it is, then…” Logan whispered, letting go of her and flopping backwards, resting his head against the stones.
“You sure do pack a punch, kid… Remind me to try and stay in your good books, okay?” He chuckled weakly, combing fingers through his hair.
She sat silent, trying to comprehend of what had just happened. It took her a while to realize that Logan had just spoken.
“What?” She asked.
“How long?” Logan asked.
“How long since you touched?” He clarified when she just stared at him. She shrugged her shoulders.
“I… I was thirteen when I manifested. I was with… My boyfriend. He… We kissed, and… He just fell. Just like that. Was in a coma for three weeks.”
“Jesus. And I just grabbed you like that… Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, kid.”
“You didn’t know,” she said quickly, but pulled her knees closer to her chest. Logan shook his head.
“I won’t touch you. You don’t have to be afraid that…”
“It’s not that,” she whispered. Logan tilted his head.
“What is it, then?”
“I don’t want to touch you,” she said, understanding how insulting it sounded when deep frown settled over Logan’s features.
“Didn’t mean it like that…” She muttered.
“It has been so long since I have been able to touch anyone without hurting them… It’s a bit much all of a sudden, it’s nothing personal,” she explained. Logan nodded.
“I know how that feels,” he suddenly said with a low voice, his eyes flickering between the bubbling surface of the water and her eyes.
“You do?” She asked.
“The first time I touched another person after I got out from Stryker’s lab… I… I had no fucking clue of what would happen. Was scared out of my wits that I would crush the damn thing…”
“Thing?”
“It was a gas station. One of those places that’s open 24 hours a day. It was in the middle of a night. I was waiting behind this woman that she could get her groceries paid. She had a baby with her. It was sleeping of course. She just suddenly turned and pushed it to me to hold while she dug up enough cash for the cashier. Fuck, I nearly peed myself…”
Image of him, the big, bad Wolverine standing there, holding a pink bundle of joy on his arms, eyes glazed over from sheer fear flashed in her mind briefly, rousing an involuntary giggle.
“Shit. It wasn’t that funny. That critter was so fucking small and fragile…” She could see that Logan was trying his best to keep his poker face. It wasn’t working very well. Soon he was grinning as well.
“Okay. Maybe it is funny. Wasn’t back then,” he finally admitted.
“Jeesh… We’re pathetic, aren’t we?” She sighed, relaxing slightly, allowing her feet to brush against Logan’s who didn’t seem to mind the contact.
“That we are… Even more so when we have to get out from this spring and walk back home.”
“I guess a ride in the toboggan is out of the question?” She asked.
“Would you really drag me all the way back? Thanks, darling!” Logan said, nodding enthusiastically.
“Uh… I’d have to consult my lawyer first. I’m not sure if my medical insurance covers sprained back.”
“Damn…” Logan grunted, settling against the stones more comfortably.
They sat in silence for a long moment, both enjoying the warmth.
“Oh, God… My toes must be turning to prunes already…” She moaned. She couldn’t remember the last time she had spent this long in a bath. She felt Logan’s fingers curling around her ankle, then brief touch against her toes before he let her foot go.
“No prunes, don’t worry. And we really don’t have any hurry. That’s the best part of being here. There’s no rush. You can just be…”
She closed her eyes, intending to enjoy the bath as long as it lasted because she had a nasty feeling that it would be quite a while before she would have the second chance to indulge in it.
She came awake with a jolt, feeling warm skin plastered against her backside, strong hand around her waist and a palm clamped over her mouth and nostrils. Logan’s hot breath was fanning against her cheek.
“Be quiet, kid… I think we got some company waiting outside…”
And now she could hear it. Over the whistling of the breeze. Slight creaking of the snow. Something moving carefully. Heavy breathing. She could feel Logan’s heart hammering against her back. His muscles coiling. They both turned to look at the toboggan, and the rifle that was almost carelessly thrown upon it. Entirely too far to reach in time.
“It might be just that bear… But I don’t think I have seen a bear smoking a cigar before…” Logan whispered, releasing his hold from her slowly. Now she could smell it, too. Unmistakable scent of cigar was wafting in the air.
“Stay here. I’ll go and see what it is…” Logan whispered, pulling himself up from the spring almost soundlessly, muscles of his upper back and arms bunching and moving liquidly. She could hear their visitor circling the tarp. Logan stayed still and listened, then slid quietly out when their visitor moved behind their improvised tent. She could hear him moving in the snow towards their visitor. Then sudden silence.
“Having fun with your girl, runt?” Question broke the silence. She froze. She knew that voice. Sabretooth.
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