Only one bed

[madmeemey]

there's only one bed!

Two characters have to share a room for the night. Every room is occupied, but fortunately there is one last room available.

There's just one problem — there's only one bed, and the characters aren't comfortable sharing it.

- TV Tropes

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[alivian]

[He registers that distinction, and lets out a soft, sleepy hum.]

Wanted to, huh...

[It's like he can't quite believe it.]

That's definitely something I would say, too.

[Wanting to talk with him. Wanting to eat with him. Wanting touch and kiss and cuddle, and have sex with him (which gets another brief jump in his heart rate.)]

...I never thought being attracted to anyone could be so damned frustrating....

[In so many ways, it's like he's colliding with himself from another universe.]

[educated_wish]

Frustrating? What part of me is frustrating?

[ As if he has to ask? He's aware he is. But he's almost amused to find out the answer in this case, and it shows.

He always likes finding out thew ways he's frustrated people. ]

cw: mental health, abandonment

[alivian]

I feel like we're really alike. That's frustrating.

You give a shit that I'm self-destructing, and... I remember a little of how you took that damned drink.

[Which he... tried to emulate. Right.]

I give a shit about you and feel so fucking annoyed that you feel the same about me.

[In as much as his tone has started escalating, it drops abruptly in resignation.]

And at the same time, I just want to cry and wonder why I'm worth it to someone I've barely known for a day, when those who originally liked or loved me threw me away and haven't looked back for ten years.

[educated_wish]

Those people are barely work speaking about.

[ This is what Logan does - he throws away the people who throw him away. So he will reasonably do the same to those who throw away someone he cares about. ]

If they didn't treasure you, what are they worth? They wasted their chances.

[ He knows it's not easy to say this. He knows. But it's the way he tends to be. ]

They didn't know what they were missing. I would feel bad for them if they didn't do it to themselves.

[alivian]

They have worth even if they don't see it in me.

[Alivian's retort, though tired, is steadfast.

[He moves to try to adjust his position in the bed, but quickly gives up when his body firmly protests. Nope, still not time to get up.]

Ugh. I'm not in a good condition to argue in earnest....

[He's just going to... lie there. Like a silver lump on a log. Or, well, a wolf in a blanket nest.

[It's a really good blanket nest, shitty mattress aside.]

[educated_wish]

Just enjoy the blanket nest, dammit.

[ He starts petting his back again, trying to encourage him to relax and stop arguing with him. ]

I understand wanting to fight for your people. [ Oh, how he understands that, from so many times with the X-men. ] But they didn't fight for you.

[alivian]

How do you know--

[That he likes the damned nest??

[The rest of that, though? Gets a quiet grunt.]

Fine. I hear you.

[He lets out an annoyed little huff, but nothing more, trying to relax again.]

[educated_wish]

Of course you like the blanket nest. Why wouldn't you?

[ He laughs with a clear sound, it's obvious he's proud of it. It's because it's his territory and he made it. ]

I put effort into it. I collected this shit from all over the Void. It's perfect. Anyone would enjoy it.

[ Basically: he assumed. ]

[alivian]

...When I can move without feeling like I'm getting stabbed a hundred times, I'm going to find a soft pillow to smack you with. And then mess up your hair.

[It's quiet and petulant.]

It's comfy and it smells like you. It's good.

[educated_wish]

You can't mess up this hair. It stays perfect.

[ This isn't a - it's not saying he's not allowed, just that he simply can't. Logan is just being arrogant again. He has no idea that eventually, he will be cursing it for white strands, but that's in the future and not now at all. ]

...you like my smell?

[ Wait, the arrogance has dissipated? He's surprised now. ]

[alivian]

Yeah. I like it. But it's also really good.

[Just a casual affirmation. No ifs or buts.]

You've proven yourself to be safe. So... it's a safe smell.

...I need a lot of that right now.

[Given that he can't easily move. He'll need to rely on Logan to move around.]

I can even look at you without the mask. It's.. really incredible.

[He's. Definitely falling back asleep, his voice and accent getting thicker.]

You're really... incredible.

[educated_wish]

You'll never need the mask. Not with me.

[ That makes him incredible? He doesn't see it. He just thinks it's reasonable. ]

I'll keep you safe, I swear.

[ He decides not to encourage him verbally to fall asleep or say anything about it, in case Alivian decides to fight it if it's pointed out. Instead, he just moves a little closer to give his warmth and encourage feeling safe. ]

[alivian]

...Don't promise me that, too...

[It's less of a protest and more of a lament, but, fortunately, he doesn't fuss beyond that, falling slowly back into a shallow sleep. A life without the mask? What is that even like?

[...Is it anything like before? Seeing him, able to really see him...

[He can't really think too hard at the moment. A proper sleep drags him back under before long.

[He's a still sleeper, only his back rising and falling with steady breaths.]

[educated_wish]

[ He wants to say that he'd promise him the world, but he restrains himself and just watches him fall asleep. This time, eventually, he does actually fall asleep as well. After a long night, it's necessary.

He curls closer to him in his sleep, automatically drawing towards warmth and the smell he's already so fond of. ]

[alivian]

[Alivian eventually wakes up... at some point. The pain is back down to dull aches that come and go - his new normal as of a few months ago - and doesn't move as he slowly focuses on his surroundings.

[Logan's scent is first as he opens his eyes, the blankets around him. He flexes his hands first, testing his body for its limits.

[Eventually, he sits up, blinking slowly and sluggishly as he looks over his surroundings.]

[educated_wish]

[ Logan doesn't wake up so immediately. He may even have to be shaken awaken, now that he's asleep and around someone he is trusting for once, he is sleeping very soundly.

He may even be snoring. It's kind of a silly, deep sound. His scent is very calm. ]

[alivian]

[Noticing the snoring, the deep breaths, and all, Alivian regards Logan thoughtfully, and just... indirectly watches him through the corner of his vision as he looks around, contemplating his next move here in this place.

[He could just... stay in bed a bit longer, right? He doesn't want to risk going too far and getting caught by some sort of predator. But at the same time, he's awake, and he's not about to fall back asleep anytime soon. Probably.

[Though he opts to shift a bit, he just tugs his tail onto his lap to start working on the tangles in his tail by hand, starting with the very ends.

[It will at least help him wake up a little while he works. And... hopefully not cause any sort of alarmed feelings for either of them. Better, safer, to move around at the same time, and know where the other is going.]

[educated_wish]

[ As he shifts, Logan automatically moves even closer, trying to lessen any space gained. He's a clingy sort of sleeper and it's reflecting in his unconscious actions right now.

He kind of reaches out in his sleep, grasping at Alivian's thigh. ]

[alivian]

[A little surprised by the closing of the gap, Alivian just lets him reach out, lets him touch, and calmly resumes grooming his tail.

[Yep. Staying in bed right now was the right call. He'll just do this and... just rest and try to think of their next moves to try to leave this place, until they're both awake.]

[educated_wish]

[ Logan is in such a deep sleep that it's risky. And it means eventually, as all his deep sleeps do, it will get disturbed by what tends to plague him - nightmares.

It becomes clear soon enough when he starts furrowing his brow in his sleep, and turning this way and that. He kind of seperates and curls in on his own body, letting go of Alivian altogether. ]

[alivian]

[The sudden separation is strange, but Logan's scent tells him more of the shift than his body language does. Distress, for sure. Pain too, probably.

[Uncurling his tail, he shifts a little, contemplating the safest place to touch. The shoulder probably isn't safe, he thinks, if his own experiences have merit in Logan's.

[Reaching out, his touch is feather-light at his elbow, and then slowly firms, but he doesn't grab.]

Logan? Hey....

[Shit. Can he even do this? Can he wake Logan comfortably? Will his words be even remotely good enough?

[But letting Logan sit in a nightmare is unthinkable.]

Logan. Logan, come on....

[educated_wish]

Ugh -

[ Logan's hand grasps at his arm, all of a sudden, with strength behind the gesture. Like he's thinking that whatever is touching him is an intruder and he needs to show his strength to protect himself. At the same time, his claws shoot out of the back of that hand, a display of dominance and power. He's completely doing all of this in his sleep.

He will be so mad at himself when he awakens. ]

[alivian]

[Alivian's senses concentrate in the wake of such danger; there's no time to regret this path. He releases Logan's elbow immediately, but as those claws come out, they graze over his arm, and cut deeper than he expects. IT doesn't hurt as much, however, as the hold on his arm. His bones creak in warning, overriding the medicine running in his veins and leaving what feels like shards digging deep.

[If he moves, though-- he risks getting hurt worse, he realizes. With the angle of the claws, one wrong move and he could lose his hand if they're strong enough, and Alivian's own bones are already compromised.]

Logan-- Hey! I yield! I yield! Charles!

[Hopefully even a small part of Logan hears him. Telling him to stop, even if the safest option, isn't the safest for Logan.

[All he can do is watch Logan like a cat staring down another cat, waiting for the first sign to take a drastic move. He doesn't have the space to feel fear right now.]

[educated_wish]

[ He does hear him. Maybe if the Command hadn't happened, he wouldn't have, but he's attuned to this already. Feels it with every fibre of his being, even when not conscious. The claws withdraw and he falls back again, back against the blankets, back into deep sleep. His hand releases its grip. ]

[alivian]

[Everything in Alivian relaxes as soon as Logan withdraws. He lets out a quiet breath, but doesn't let himself actually sit back, for now. He's certainly bleeding, his arm stinging in that distant way before the full force of the pain can hit.

[For now, he hurries out of the nest to avoid dripping too much blood on it. The cleanest thing he has his is shirt, unfortunately. The material of his coat is too dense to properly tear apart even if he had to.

[Aside from borrowing a very small amount of that cognac for his wounds to make sure they don't get infected, he tears up a long strip from the bottom of his shirt and works to bandage it.

[Well. Waking Logan could have gone much better. All things considered, though? It could have gone even worse.

[His thoughts aren't his priority, though. Wrapping his arm and putting on as much pressure as is safe is his priority, even as the pain from the scratches worsens. They're deep enough that he partly wishes he had a needle and sutures on hand. Oh well.]