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

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"I want to swim," Logan decided cheerfully.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"Then you got it," Joe told him with a small grin. "You wanna fish around in there and see if there's a bathing suit or something for you to wear or are you gonna go swimming in your turtles?"

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan looked a little embarrassed at the mention of his turtles, and peeked his head back over the side of the box. "You see anything?" he asked.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

Joe ducked down again, poking through some of the clothes before he tugged out a small pair of shorts with sharks all over them. "These?" he asked, offering them to Logan.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan took the shorts, his cheeks puffing out a little when his lips curled into a smile. "Look, Joe, sharks," he said happily, holding them up in show in case the older man hadn't noticed the awesome sharks.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"The sharks are pretty fucking great," Joe agreed with a grin, then nodded at the door. "We set now?" Logan could swim in the sharks and he'd be safe from the crabs.

"You don't get to pretend to drown this time," he added a moment later.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"I won't," Logan promised, his voice high pitched but soft as he clutched the shorts and his pajama bottoms to his chest. "I'd hold your hand, but they're full," he realized, looking down at the stuff he was clutching.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"You want me to carry some of it?" Joe asked. "Or I can carry all of it and you can get up onto my back again." Like they had last time and that had worked well enough.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan nodded a little, and held out the small bundle in offering. "OKay," he agreed.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

Taking the clothes from Logan, Joe then got down into a crouch in front of him, offering his back for Logan to climb up on. "There's no hair for you to hold onto this time," he pointed out with a grin.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan hopped up on Joe's back and held on tight, giggling a little in Joe's ear.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"You holding on?" Joe asked as he got to his feet again, holding Logan's pajamas and his new swim trunks out in front of him. "Don't wanna drop you."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I'm holding on," Logan promised, resting his chin on Joe's shoulder before turning his head to give the other man a kiss on the cheek.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

Joe smiled at that, not even trying to hide it before he headed up the stairs. "So which one you wanna go to? The big waterfall or the smaller one?" He'd probably feel better if they want to the small one, just so he could watch Logan easier.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"The big one!" Logan said instantly. "Please Joe, I like that one the best."

[jdick.livejournal.com]

Joe snorted as he climbed the stairs and headed down the hall toward the door. "Of course you do," he replied, rolling his eyes a little. "The one that makes it impossible to watch you."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"I don't need watching!" Logan insisted. "I'm not really a kid Joe. And I can swim, I'm a real good swimmer."

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"You're in a kid's body," Joe replied, heading outside with Logan on his back. "And a kid's body is a hell of a lot easier to break or hurt and that's my fucking concern."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"I'll be fine!" Logan insisted. "And I won't get hurt, I won't, Joe. I never get hurt."

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, right," Joe said dryly. "Just like you didn't whack your head on a rock when you fell off your surfboard. That never happened."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"That was one time," Logan whined. "Besides, we're not surfing, 'member? We're swimming."

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I remember," Joe answered, taking them down the path that led toward the big waterfall, bouncing Logan a little on his back. "We're going to the big one."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan let go just long enough to clap, and then quickly grabbed hold again. Held held Joe tightly, a strange and innocent sort of fluttering in his gut as he rested against him.

He felt safe and loved... and it was nice. Really nice.

"Can we do this all weekend?" Logan asked, trying not to sound too hopeful, even as his tiny voice seemed to betray him and expose every little feeling and thought inside of him.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"You want me to carry you around on my back all weekend?" Joe asked, his voice teasing. "Man, what about when I need to piss? That's gonna be really fucking awkward if you're still hanging out up there on my shoulders."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"Ew, Joe," Logan laughed. "That's dirty."