Age-plot (For Joe)

[echolls_cursed]

When Logan woke to find all his limbs a little shorter, his hair a touch longer and blonder, and his body just a touch scrawnier, he had smiled. Turning his head, he'd looked at Neil, noting that he was smaller too. Much smaller. And for a moment he'd been tempted to wake the other boy just to show him.

After all, who didn't like getting to be small again?

But no, in the end he'd simply let the other boy sleep.

Climbing out of bed, he looked down at his race car pyjama bottoms, noting that they looked a lot better than they had the night before. Last night they'd been lame and childish, but today? Today they were awesome. Race cars always were. On top of that, for whatever reason, Logan knew he was five and a half. Nearly six! Maybe simply because children always know those things. However, as he pulled on one of his smaller shirts (now ridiculously over sized), he couldn't help the rush of memories that came flooding back.

Six had been a very bad year for Logan. Six had been when things went from bad too worse.

When he was just a little older than five and a half, Aaron had taken his first real swing at him, knocking him over hard enough that he'd lost a baby tooth. Logan shivered at the memory and cupped a hand over his mouth, trying not to remember the rest. He'd stopped talking after that, just... stopped. He didn't say a word for nearly six months. In fact, it wasn't until Aaron finally lost it, taking action by stubbing a cigar out on his arm, that Logan had started talking again.

Arms folded over his chest, he stared at Neil for a long moment, and then headed out the door, vowing not to say a word unless he had to. He'd be quiet and invisible, and eventually this would all be over. The memories would vanish again and he could forget it all once more.

He stood outside Joe's hut for what felt like an eternity, eventually peeking his head around the door for a look. Joe was alone and still fully grown, sleeping soundly by the looks of it.

Quiet at a mouse, Logan snuck inside, crawling onto the bed and curling up at Joe's side, cuddling the older man stealthily.

At least with Joe he felt safe. Protected. The weekend would be fine as long as he stuck close to Joe.

Comments

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"You want me to help you find some stuff to wear?" Joe asked, grinning as Logan shuffled over closer. "We can walk up to the Compound and find you something to wear and then do something else."

Or maybe they'd just lie there. Joe was pretty content to lie in bed all day, although he figured Logan might get bored.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan nodded, because that sounded okay, and wrapped his arms around Joe's pillow.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"You like my pillow better than you like me?" Joe asked with a grin, reaching over to ruffle Logan's hair again gently. "C'mon, let's get up."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"Okay," Logan agreed quietly, still holding Joe's pillow as he got up, reluctant to let it go.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"Gonna take my pillow with you?" Joe asked, getting up from the bed and grabbing his jeans, pulling them on. "I need it back at the end of the day."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan just held the pillow tighter, pressing his face into it. He knew it would be silly to carry it all day though, and eventually he put it back down.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"You can take it with you," Joe said with a shrug when Logan put the pillow back, finding a shirt and tugging it over his head. "Just make sure I got something to sleep on."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan shook his head no, if only because he didn't want to get Joe's pillow dirty. Instead he wandered over and held his arms out. The universal child sign for: 'Carry me, carry me now!'

[jdick.livejournal.com]

Getting his boots, Joe put them on, then reached out and lifted Logan up, settling him onto his hip. "This good or do you want on my back again?" he asked. He was lighter this time around, smaller and easier to carry.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan clung on, indicating that he was fine the way he was, and rested his chin on Joe's shoulder with a small smile. His feet swung just a bit, dirty from walking around bare foot again, and he wiggled as he leaned in to press a kiss to Joe's cheek.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

Joe smiled at that, unable to help himself, then pushed back the sheet he used for a door and whistled for Ozzy to come outside with them. If he left her inside she'd end up pissing on the damn floor or something.

"It's a bit of a walk, you might need to go on my back after awhile," Joe said, heading up toward the Compound, but Logan was still pretty light.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan hummed his agreement, holding Joe lightly as he watched Ozzy follow them.

Really, he was just enjoying being with Joe. He didn't care what they did or where they went, as long as he got to be with Joe, it would be good.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"We'll get you some clothes and maybe some breakfast," Joe suggested as they walked, pleased to see Ozzy behaving herself rather than being the fucking psycho she normally was.

"That sound good?" he asked, squeezing Logan a little as he carried him along.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"Not hungry," Logan said, wrapping his arms tighter around Joe. "My feet are dirty though. Maybe I should shower."

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"Yeah? You run over without your shoes on?" he asked without thinking maybe Logan's shoes were too big for him now. "Shower and then clothes, that works. Then we can do whatever the fuck you wanna do."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"'Kay," Logan nodded, turning his attention from Ozzy to Joe with a small smile.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

Joe loved Logan this way, which wasn't to say he didn't always love Logan, but there was something different about this. When Logan was small, Joe felt like he really could protect him from anything.

"Dogs gotta stay outside," he ordered Ozzy when they reached the Compound, which she actually obeyed and went sniffing around in the bushes before she laid down.

Opening the door, Joe set Logan down on the floor. "Okay, you wanna meet me by the clothes box?"

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan seemed to consider that, unsure if he could make it there alone. He was still the stubborn brat he always was though, and the last thing he wanted was to look nervous or anything...

"Okay," he agreed, and then paused again. How the heck would he turn the water on for the shower?

Biting his lip, he quickly scurried off.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"You need some help?" Joe called after Logan, frowning a little bit when he paused. He'd figured maybe he'd be able to do the shower by himself, but if he didn't want to be alone, Joe knew he wouldn't be able to leave him alone.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan just waved him off, the gesture a lot less casual and cool on his small frame, and headed for the showers.

They were huge! Or, well, they seemed huge, and Logan looked nervous as he started to undress. Still, after a lot of awkward reaching and near hissy fits, he was clean and wrapped in a nice fuzzy towel.

Padding down the hall, towel wrapped tightly around his tiny frame, he dragged his clothes behind him and headed into the laundry room and over to the box.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

While Logan showered, Joe stationed himself in front of the box and began to pick through the stuff that was in there. By the time Logan joined him, he'd pulled out a few pairs of jeans and shorts that looked like that might fit him and a couple t-shirts, mostly with bright, obnoxious logos on the front.

"All clean?" he asked when he saw Logan come into the room.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"Yes," Logan said, standing near Joe and looking down at the things he'd found. He was missing one important thing though, and he looked a little embarrassed as he dug through the box and pulled out a pair of little boy briefs. They were green with little turtles on them, and he blushed a bit as he struggles with his new found loss of coordination and pulled them on under the towel.

Once he was satisfied that he wasn't, you know, totally nude, he put the towel aside and picked out what he thought he wanted to wear. Blue jeans and a shirt with a monkey on it.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"The turtles are a nice touch," Joe said with a grin, digging through the box again to see if he could find some socks and shoes or at least a pair of little sandals for Logan to wear.

"You can take the rest of this stuff back with you if you want," he continued, pulling out a sock with red candy canes on it, then another one with watermelons. "So you got something to wear tomorrow."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"No, I'll just wear this," Logan said, pulling his jeans on and then fighting with the shirt as he tugged it over his head.

"Are there sandals?" he asked, going to stand near Joe as he peered into the box.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"None so far," Joe said, but he hadn't dug very deep yet. "You wanna help me or you think you'll fall in and disappear under all the fucking clothes in there?" It was probably possible, Joe wondered just how far down it went sometimes.