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It was simultaneously warm and cool where he was. He felt as though he was floating while his body sank into the softest fabric he’s felt in his life. When he tried cracking his eyes open, white overwhelmed him. So he kept them shut.
He didn’t need to see to know he was there.
Finally decided to rest?
Wasn’t much of a choice, elf, he grunted. He hardly felt like he was speaking despite feeling his mouth open. It felt more like he was projecting his thoughts from his mind. Is this what it was like for Red?
A laugh lilted from Kurt; wind chimes stirred by a gentle breeze. It was more of a choice than you know, mein Fruend.
Logan huffed. If you’re here, I take it I ended up there?
You sound surprised.
Guys like me don’t usually meet angels at the end of our ropes.
Then you’re in luck! A devil has come to greet you instead.
That cheeky fanged smile flashed through Logan’s mind as Kurt spoke. Logan couldn’t help but snort. I’d take you over any Peter or Paul.
Kurt didn’t reply. He made a small, content sigh as Logan felt something rest on his shoulder. It was a familiar touch, the tip of his spaded tail that he would often use to get his attention, tease him, or even tug him away from danger.
If Logan had the strength, he would have tried to reach for it, for him. To test if he was real, physical. Not some illusion or figment of his imagination. This was far too good of an ending for him after all.
Logan opened his mouth. The others—
“Oh, Wolvieeee!”
If Kurt’s presence was that of cool shade on a hot summer’s day, then his was the scorching asphalt that seared your soles when you stepped back into the sun.
Logan could not hold back the half-groan, half-growl that ripped through his throat as he felt the stampeding buffoon that was Wade charging forth.
“There you are, Wolvie! Hiya Kurt. Wasn’t expecting to see you here. Well, heaven. Yes. But here? No.”
Guten Tag. A friend of yours, Logan? The humor on Kurt’s voice irked Logan.
No.
“Oh shit, you’re speaking in italics! That’s a no-go I’m afraid. We gotta get back.”
Back? Did that shit for brains lie to us about that anti-matter-matter interaction?! Just what he needed. The one time he lives up to this damn costume and it didn’t even work.
“What?” Wade’s laugh almost gave Logan the strength to swing at his face once more. “Of course it worked! This is an MCU movie after all. The last-minute fatal flaw reveal with the MacGuffin always solves it.”
Er…Logan was ist--? Logan could feel Kurt shift next to him as he turned for Logan’s explanation.
Don’t ask. I don’t even know.
Wade continued prattling on through the pair’s confusion. “And while you being reunited with your dearly departed friends and me going back to my very much alive friends would make for a stellar ending to both our character arcs, I’m afraid that limits the chance for franchisement!”
What the hell are you talking about?” The weightlessness that Logan felt suddenly disappeared as he felt Wade’s hands seize his wrists and drag him upright. An indescribable amount of pain ripped through his body, but he gritted his teeth to hold back a snarl.
“Ah, there we go. Quotations are back. C’mon. Back to the cameras. The audience is going to wonder where we are. And they are so not going to read this to find out.” Wade tugged him forward.
“Wait a damn minute!” Logan pushed Wade off and he staggered back. He finally opened his eyes, squinting slightly to suppress the amount of white that flooded into his vision.
Yeah, they were certainly standing in the middle of a white void. For some reason, he was hoping heaven would be a little more creative than that. Either way, the damn freak in red was standing before him. While his mask covered his face again, Logan could imagine the dumbass expression he probably had on. Logan felt an aneurysm coming on just looking at him.
“I died.” Logan hissed. “We both did. That was the deal.”
Wade let out a breathy chuckle as he rested his hands on his hips. He shook his head slightly. “Wolvie, you’ve been at this longer than me. You should know that even when we’re supposed to die, we don’t. That’s not how it worked. Ever.”
Wade stepped to the side, motioning with his arms for Logan to push past. “Whether you like it or not, you got a second chance at life.”
Logan didn’t budge. He ripped his eyes away from Wade to stare down at his boots. The suit he wore was smudged with dirt and blood, its yellows and blues dulled. “I don’t deserve a second chance—"
Logan. A hand rested on his shoulder. Logan turned at the touch.
He nearly choked on his breath when he saw him. Disheveled, curly black hair. Bright, yellow eyes nearly always creased up from a smile. Blue fur that gleaned in sunlight. The only difference was instead of his red and black spandex suit, he wore white robes trimmed with gold.
The sight of Kurt made his chest swell as it stirred up old memories, memories he tried to drink away and forget. Of Red and the damn boy scout. Of Storm and Charles. Of all the idiot kids running around the mansion. Their joys, their fears, their laughter and warmth. It was far too much, far too overwhelming. The weight of it threatened to bring him to his knees. He would have collapsed right then and there had it not been for Kurt holding him up so.
“Elf—” Logan started, but his voice broke. He roughly cleared his throat. “Kurt, I—"
Logan, Kurt gently interrupted. His voice that had once sounded so strong before was now more of a brief whisper. What the man in red speaks of is true. It is not your time, not yet.
“It…It shouldn’t be me,” Logan managed to finally croak out.
But it is. Kurt squeezed his shoulder, his gaze softening.
Despite him standing right next to him, Logan could feel Kurt drifting farther away. The curtain between life and death was slowly lowering until it finally closed again. He had probably a breath of a moment, and in that breath, Logan finally reached for him.
Logan didn’t consider himself much of a hugger. But apparently on death’s door, he became one, dragging Kurt into a tight and desperate hug. Kurt was as natural of a hugger as one could get and reciprocated with ease.
At least Logan got his confirmation. He was real. Not an illusion or a figment of his imagination. He felt his chest swell with a thousand different emotions again as Kurt’s arms tightened around his shoulders.
“Make sure to do it like one of those Disney hugs, Kurtie. The kind where you don’t stop hugging until he stops. Because let me tell you, he needs it.”
“Will you—” A snarl ripped through Logan as he stepped back from Kurt, his claws unsheathing with a short snikt.
Wade held his hands up in mock surrender, tiptoeing back slightly. “Sorry, sorry. Just practicing my ‘ruin a tender and profound character moment with a witty one-liner’ for future films.”
Was that not three lines? Kurt’s brow furrowed in confusion as his gaze darted between Wade and Logan.
“Hey! No one asked you, italics!” Wade pointed at Kurt before tapping his wrist. “Anyway, clock’s a ticking so is there anything else you’d like to share? A last-minute love confession maybe? The shippers will love that.”
“Can you shut the hell up for one minute?” Logan snarled as he turned his back on Wade towards Kurt. It became apparent just how right Wade was. Kurt seemed to be fading right before his very eyes. A pang of grief hit his chest.
Kurt smiled warmly at him as he looked him over. A brief chuckle escaped his lips. You’re finally wearing it.
Logan glanced down. It was still as dirty as it was before. “Yeah…” Logan breathed. “I’ll…try to make you all proud.”
Kurt reached out once more. His touch felt like a small breeze now. He gently squeezed Logan’s shoulders.
Mein Fruend, you already have.
That was the last thing Logan heard before an ear-splitting alarm overtook every ounce of hearing. He suddenly shot up, the smell of burnt skin and hair hitting him like a wall.
It took a minute for him to get oriented to the near darkness that engulfed him. As his eyes and senses adjusted to…being alive, his gaze rested on the ugly mug of Wade who propped himself up on his elbow.
His other arm was a stump with tiny fingers poking out of it. It flopped around like a ballon full of meat. The skin around his body was slowly regenerating back, chewing away at the third-degree burns that ravaged him. Logan briefly wondered if that’s what his regeneration looked like.
Wade flashed a smile. “Have a good dream, princess?”
Logan felt his lips curl up into a snarl. “Shut up.”