Title: "Comfort" Pairing: Logan/Scott (Jean Grey/Scott) Rating: PG Summary: Logan can't sleep. Disclaimer: Never happened. All rights belong to Marvel & 20th Century Fox, not me. Notes: Written for the contrelamontre 'open-ended/ambiguous' ending challenge. Special shout-out to Dee who read my mind. "Oh, what use is it to pretend I have the strength for this anymore..." -- Michael Penn The irony wasn't lost on Logan that he was far more nervous now, standing outside Scott and Jean's bedroom door (and yeah, could we just pour a little more salt on the wound?) than he'd been earlier battling Stryker's minion. Of course, battle was easy, rage was easy. This was... "Oh, screw this." He knocked sharply on the door and waited. Scott opened it a second later, in a rumpled t-shirt and pair of boxers. "Logan." He ran a hand through bedraggled hair. "Do you have any idea how late it is?" "Yeah." Logan hooked his thumbs through the beltloops of his jeans, shrugged. "You trying to say you were sleeping?" Scott stepped aside, let Logan into the room. "So, something on your mind?" he asked, leaning against the door after he closed it, thin fabric stretching over his chest as he crossed his arms. "Just uh, wanted to..." What the hell did he want, anyway? Why the fuck was he even here? "If it's about the service tomorrow --" "No. It's not about that." Logan didn't really want to think about that, was pretty fucking positive Scott didn't either. "Just...um..." Christ, Logan, get it out "-- wanted to check up on you." "I'm fine." Not for the first time, Logan wished he could see Scott's eyes. This whole mask thing he wore all the time was getting really old. "No, you're not." "We gonna argue about this?" Scott asked, recrossing his arms. Logan sank on the edge of the bed -- wondered if it was her side or his -- and sighed. "No. I don't want to argue." Scott dropped his arms, clenched his fists so tight Logan was surprised he didn't see blood. "It was my fault, you know." "What was?" "Her...death." Scott crossed the room, sat beside Logan, fingers digging into the bunched sheets. "My fault. I caused the dam to rupture." "That's stupid, Scott. You weren't in control of your actions. Stryker was." Scott tilted his head, gave Logan a sad smile without warmth. "Would that comfort you?" "No," Logan admitted softly. "No, it wouldn't." "Didn't think so." "In the end, though, Xavier's right." Logan shrugged, the motion jerky. "Her choice." Scott's throat worked, and it was a minute before he replied. His voice so soft that Logan had to strain to hear him. "Doesn't make her side of the bed less empty." And yeah, that still hurt. "At least you had her." The mask instantly slipped back on Scott's face. "We're not having this discussion." Logan placed a hand on Scott's knee, held it there when Scott jerked away. "Scott, this isn't about --" "Save it." Scott put his hand over Logan's, tried in vain to move it. "Nothing you can say will bring her back." Logan turned his hand under Scott's, laced their fingers together. "Doesn't mean we can't offer each other comfort." "What --" Scott licked his lower lip, dropped his head to their joined hands. "You can't be --" Logan squeezed Scott's hand, his voice low. "You're all I'm ever going to have of her." "And you'll have just as much of me as you did of her," Scott replied, finally lifting his head. The soft kiss he place on Logan's lips tasted of mint and was maddeningly brief. "How did you --?" "Know what happened? Just did." Scott's lips curved, and, for just the barest second -- a flash so brief Logan thought he must be imagining it -- Scott's visor glowed yellow. Onto Absence If you enjoyed this fic, please leave feedback here. Thanks!