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"Alright Andy, I'll pick ya up in a few hours, be good for Viv y'hear?" Logan's words were very quickly disregarded by the boy as he took off, joining Jasmine at the dinner table where she was reading a new comic book. Vivi approached, opening her arms wide. "Hey Viv, thanks fer doin' this, me and Jinnie thought it'd be best if someone kept an eye on 'im so I ain't gotta worry." Logan welcomed the matriarch's hug, his breath leaving in a sharp gasp as she hugged him tight.
"How many times I gotta tell ya that it ain't an issue? 'Bout time you two lovebirds had a proper night out without any interruptions!" He was only slightly horrified that it seemed everyone in Sandrock knew his relationship status, they'd only been together a week, and so far, everyone he's spoken to since has congratulated him. "Now don't give me that look, sugar! We're all jus' proud of you, your Pa would be too."
His heart ached at the mention of his Pa, the years-old wound still fresh on his heart. "Thanks Viv, that means a lot t'me." Her smile faltered at the sight of his outfit, which was his usual brown attire minus the hunting gear, and she raised her eyebrow in the way that younger Logan would shiver at.
Just his luck, the door opened behind him and in came Heidi, she did the same once over that her grandmother had just done. "This won't do, I'm not gonna let ya take that poor girl out on a date dressed like that!" Mentally, he groaned, physically, he remained as still as a statue. "Hey grandma, reckon you got anythin' we can use to fix this yakboy up?"
"Was jus' thinkin' the same thing hon!"
Logan could only describe the next hour as a mess of fabric, hushed comments between grandmother and granddaughter, and the sound of children snickering. "I uh- I reckon I oughta go b'fore I'm late Viv, don't wanna keep Jinnie waitin' y'know?" That was an excuse. Not that they needed to know of course, it was totally believable—
"You ain't gotta meet up with Jinnie for another hour yet! Whatcha lyin' for Logan?" Andy announced loud and proud, a mischievous grin spreading over his face. Logan mentally added that to the list of shit he had to punish the kid for. "Reckon ya need their help with how messy ya are, how can you expect her to stick around if you show up to date lookin' like you bin trampled by a yakmel!"
"Andy! Stop being so mean!" Jasmine kicked the boy's leg under the table, marking the page she was on with a handmade bookmark and set the book down on the table. "I don't think he looks like he's been trampled by a yakmel, he just looks like a monster hunter!"
Logan was truly wishing he was anywhere but here right about now.
Sujin stood in front of her mirror, holding two different but very similar dresses against her underwear-clad form. Logan was a simple man, she knew very well that he was going to show up in whatever he wore to the outpost. So why was she focusing so much on which fucking lace pattern he would like more?
She groaned, hanging both options on her doorknob. Why was she so damn worried about this? They almost died together, they fought for Sandrock together, she basically raised his kid for six months while he was still on the run and then while he was imprisoned. They were fine. This was fine. She was going to be fine.
"You know he would drool even if you wore a potato sack right?" Luna's voice cut through her loud, panicking thoughts. Of course Luna would walk in. "Let me help." Sujin eyed her sister carefully, preparing for the judgment of her messy room. "No, I'm not going to give you a hard time, get off your ass and grab every dress you were considering."
With an obvious hint of hesitation, Sujin rose from the spot on her bed, grabbing the two dresses she had been thinking about. "…these two." Luna smiled gently, reaching for the "second" option. "How'd you pick it so quickly?" She mumbled, accepting the mid-thigh navy blue dress from her sister's outstretched hands. "You really think he'll like this?"
"As I said before, the man can barely focus when you're in the same room, he'll like anything you wear." Luna stepped back, giving Sujin just enough room to pull the dress up. "This feels so official, doesn't it?" Sujin glanced up, seeing her sister's teary eyes staring back at her. "Not to get all sentimental on you, just… hell, I'm glad to see you let yourself be happy."
Affection was still something she was reluctant to accept, from Luna, from Logan, from Andy. So it was no surprise when Sujin swallowed down the lump in her throat and began to adjust the straps of the dress. "I can't tell if I'm doing this whole 'girlfriend' thing right," Luna swatted her fidgeting hand away from the top of the dress, a habit that reminded Sujin of their mother, and moved in front of her to adjust them herself. "Ow, like, am I supposed to kiss him in public? Or, is a kiss on the cheek enough? I know he probably doesn't actually care but I care and I don't know how to deal with it!"
"Well, it's up to the couple, Owen and I keep it pretty clean when we aren't home; some other couples are okay with being affectionate in public, you two have to talk about it." Sujin raised an eyebrow, the look not missed by her older sister. "Here is home just as much as his house is home, don't give me that."
"Right," Sujin snorted, taking a deep breath as she fully took herself in. It wasn't news to anyone that she was attractive— especially to herself. Sujin was attractive in a rugged sense, her usual attire simple, plain, and comfortable, nothing like how she was right now. Right now, she was almost on par with Luna. "Damn, I'm hot huh?"
Luna nodded, her hand gently squeezing the younger girl's shoulder. "Scorching."
"That was cringe, sis."
"I know."
After his time on the run, Logan would've considered himself somewhat calm and composed. The loss of Howlett and self-imposed isolation from the only home he's ever known forced him to grow up, to see the world as it is rather than some fantastical paradise.
So why did his legs turn to jelly when he saw Sujin enter the saloon?
"H-hey darlin', you uh, you look nice," He met her at the counter and hoped she didn't notice how much he had been sweating. "Not that you ain't always look great, just, uh, ain't used to ya dressin' up and I uh—"
Sujin grinned, taking one of his shaky, sweaty hands in hers. "Thanks, Lo, you clean up well yourself." Light, how was he supposed to survive this? "Let's go sit down, think ol' Coop will come over if we stand here any longer." Logan looked up, spotting Cooper, Mabel, and Elsie all seated in a booth at the other end of the saloon.
"Y-yeah, reckon that's a mighty fine idea."
They sat at their usual table, Andy's absence loud. Neither of them knew what to do. Owen broke the awkward silence as he approached with two glasses of yakmel milk, the alcoholic scent was dizzying. "Well, if it ain't two of Sandrock's heroes! Can't have you two going thirsty without a beverage, as a thanks from the Blue Moon, have these two drinks on the house!" Sujin glanced over at the bar, spotting her sister and Grace whispering to each other. She rolled her eyes, accepting the drink from her brother-in-law's hand. "I'll be back in a few with the menu. If you need any help, feel free to wave somebody down!"
"Thanks, O," Logan took a particularly long draw from his drink, the thick beverage leaving a distinct burn in his throat. That was the indicator that he fucked up, feeling the booze hit as quickly as he drank it. "Shit, I shouldn'ta done that!" He coughed, briefly catching Sujin's worried, then amused expression.
"You alright, yakboy?" Sujin was chewing on her bottom lip, though that didn't help the twitching of the corners of her mouth. "Didn't think the famous monster hunter would be a lightweight."
He frowned, wiping the corners of his mouth. "I ain't a lightweight! Jus'… weren't expectin' it!" That was one thing Logan didn't take as a joke— no, he was great at handling his liquor. "Reckon I oughta challenge ya to a drinkin' game in the future, then you'll really see how great I am at handlin' my liquor!" Well, he thought he was great with it, Owen and Justice regularly told him when they were younger that he was the first to tap out. She didn't need to know that.
"I'll remember that, for the meantime, I guess I should match your energy," he hesitated as she tilted her cup back, downing half the contents in seconds.
Logan watched with wide eyes, his cheeks flushing a deep red. "I don't know if I should be frightened or attracted, darlin'." She giggled, a sound so unfamiliar to his ears that he almost forgot what he was thinking about, and wiped the corners of her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Don't worry, I'll regret it if I keep going like that," The red tint that slowly spread up her neck was a testament to her statement. "Anyway…" She picked up the menu, looking over the newly added features with curiosity. "Wanna try something new? Or should we just get our usuals?"
Sujin glanced up, meeting a pair of sparkling blue eyes. Logan was staring, and she wasn't quite sure why. "You alright, Lo?"
He snapped back from his spacing out with a flustered cough, his eyes suddenly so interested in the sweat from his cup. "S-sorry, I uh, I ain't mean to stare like that, you can uh, you can choose for me, I ain't picky."
"Right, so chili an' spicy fish?"
The alcohol did wonders in helping the words flow easier, to ease the tension that had built up through each anxious worry. Logan squeezed her hand as they walked in tandem, the moon lighting up the oasis in a serene glow. "Reckon I could get used to this," Logan said lowly, the warmth of her palm sending warmth through his body. "Jinnie, I uh, I hope I ain't bore ya too much. I ain't bin out doin' somethin' like this in years."
"It's been fun, Lo, I consider this a good first date, not like I have the experience to determine that of course," she chuckled with a hint of bitterness. "For real though, I haven't enjoyed myself like this before."
Logan's heart tightened at the mention of her previous lover, the implication of their time enough to cause the nasty feeling of jealousy to creep up his spine. "He ain't even take you for dinner?"
She shook her head, sighing into the humid air. "No, not like I wanted him too either," Sujin frowned as her eyes remained fixated on the oasis. "Let's not talk about him, not right now."
"Right," he agreed, his gaze lingering on her. "Yer beautiful, I look forward to tellin' ya that every day."
"…since when did you get to be such a sap?" Sujin mumbled, glancing over at him just long enough for him to catch her blushing face. "Don't look at me like that if you don't intend on doing something about it."
Was that an invitation? Was she asking him to kiss her? Or is she telling him to back off? Logan's chest tightened, his mind running wild as his eyes searched her expression for the answer. Sujin rolled her eyes and reached for the collar of his shirt, pulling him in. He gasped, melting into the kiss.
"You're allowed to kiss me, yakboy, don't have to be a gentleman anymore," Sujin rested her hand on his cheek and pressed their foreheads together. "I love you, Lo, thank you for today."
The words sat heavy in the air between them, his response catching on his tongue. "I—"
"You're okay, you don't have to say it, at least for now."
Logan swallowed hard, his mind made up then and there. "Nah, I'll say it now," his voice came out low, rough, as he leaned in to close the gap between them once more. "I love ya, Jinnie, reckon I'll say it til I'm six foot under."