Camping (locked to Joe, backdated to Sept 29th)

[echolls_cursed]

Seeing as how he and Neil had been fighting about damn near everything all week, Logan had been more than a little eager to go camping with Joe by the time Saturday morning rolled around. So eager, in fact, that he'd already been to the compound to find a sleeping bag in the clothes box (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle themed no less), and had packed his make-shift bag before Joe had even come to find him.

For once Logan was ahead of the game, knocking on Joe's door to see if he was ready.

God, he'd never thought he'd be so eager to stare at trees for nearly forty-something hours.

"Hey, you ready?" he asked, knocking once and then pushing the door open a crack. "I grabbed some food for us to take or whatever... so, uh, I'm ready to go when you are man."

Comments

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"I was just telling you to make conversation!" Logan snarled, throwing his bag down and sitting down on a nearby rock. "And it was a stupid question, you know I'd do anything I could to make things work with him. But I'm tired, and I'm sick of not being needed or wanted. So just fuck you, alright? Fuck you. Maybe you should have gone camping with someone else if you think I'm such a dick."

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"If I thought you were a dick, I'd tell you that you were a dick," Joe pointed out, not sounding particularly impressed when he turned around and watched Logan throw his bag down. "I think you're taking your shit with Neil out on me, but I don't think you're a dick. Well, not most of the fucking time, anyway."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Loan didn't say anything, he simply stared down at his feet. His lower lip stuck out slightly, almost sulking as his brow furrowed and he kicked at the dirt.

"Whatever," he mumbled eventually, the closest thing to an apology that Joe was likely to get. "I'm tired, and I just... need to be with you right now. Everything's kind of fucked up, and you're the only person who ever seems to make it feel okay."

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, 'cause I'm the fucking expert," Joe agreed with a soft snort of laughter as he moved over to where Logan was sitting and sat down on the rock beside him. "I love you, man, but I think there's something wrong if I'm the one making it feel okay," he continued, nudging Logan's shoulder lightly with his own.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"I don't even want to talk to him these days, Joe," Logan sighed. "I feel so much resentment or something. Like, he's off meeting new people and making friends, and I just can't. I mean, what happens when he meets someone better? Hell, what if he already has?"

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"The only way you're gonna feel any better about this is if you talk to him," Joe said honestly after a moment, frowning faintly. "I know you said you don't wanna, but there's not a hell of a lot you can do other than that, you know? Gonna drive you both fucking nuts otherwise."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"I know... I know," Logan said, raking his fingers through his unruly hair. "I'm just not ready to deal with it, Joe."

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"The don't deal with it right now," Joe answered, still watching Logan. "We're going away for the weekend, right? Just... don't fucking worry about it for the next couple of days. Take a break."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan nodded a little, and after a moment he grabbed his bag and got to his feet with a sigh. "So, uh, how much further?" he asked, looking at Joe for a moment before looking away and into the distance.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"Another half hour or so," Joe said, getting to his feet as well before he headed back up the mountain. "Not too far and it's kinda worth it."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"Alright," Logan nodded, forcing himself to just relax and to try and enjoy the time he and Joe were going to be spending together. After all, he'd been looking forward to it.

"Lead the way, man."

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"You're probably the only person who'd trust me to lead 'em up the fucking mountain, man," Joe said with a soft snort. "Everyone else'd probably think I'd get them fucking lost or something."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"I dunno, I bet Dale would follow you... though, uh, he could probably find the way home if you ot him lost," Logan said with a small smirk.

He was quiet for a bit after that, mulling over his thoughts before speaking up again. "You know, I didn't mean to give you a hard time about him when you guys got together for real... I guess I just thought maybe you wouldn't need me around anymore or something. I've only met him, like, once, but Dale seems like a good guy. ...He's been good for you so far at least."

[jdick.livejournal.com]

Joe smiled when Logan spoke, glancing at him over his shoulder as much as the path allowed. He appreciated Logan saying it now, appreciated what it took for Logan to say it and he was quiet for a long moment as he listened. "He is a good guy," he agreed. "Thanks, man. It, uh... it's kinda important that you get along with him."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan just shrugged a little and walked on. "So, uh, you think you guys are gonna live together or something? I mean, you spend enough time together... might as well take the next step. What's the worst that could happen?"

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"I dunno, we never really talk about it," Joe admitted, which was perfectly fine by him. He also thought it was perfectly fine by Dale and although maybe it was a pain in the ass to go back and forth sometimes, he didn't think either of them really minded. "Been almost six months. Jesus."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"You guys ever talk about Billy?" Logan asked, knowing he was probably pushing it, and asking too much. Still, he was curious how that worked.

Billy had been the love of Joe's life, right? And even though Logan knew that sometimes you had to move on, and that Billy would have wanted Joe to move on and be happy, he couldn't help but wonder if it ever caused any tension. Like, if maybe it was something they argued about.

After all, Logan and Neil had argued about Lilly often enough in the past, and Logan really didn't know all that much about Dale. Who he was and who he'd been. The guy was a total mystery to him.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"Sometimes, yeah," Joe answered. And that was maybe one of the best things about Dale. Like Joe understood that Dale was never gonna forget the woman who'd died, Dale understood that Joe would never forget Billy. There was always going to be a part of each of them that belonged to someone else and it worked.

"He and Billy were friends, y'know?" he asked, hoisting himself up over a rock. "So, yeah, sometimes we talk about him."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"Is it ever, I dunno, awkward?" Logan asked. "I dunno if I could handle that, talking about someone my boyfriend or girlfriend had really loved. I'd just get... jealous or something. I guess that just makes him a better person than me though."

[jdick.livejournal.com]

Joe shook his head, because it oddly wasn't. He was a jealous person and he hated Jack and Mamet because of what they had with Dale, but there was something different about Sookie. Maybe it was easier because Joe had loved her, too.

"It's not so weird," he admitted. "Which in itself is fucking weird."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"I guess, but a good weird," Logan shrugged, going quiet again as he pushed himself to walk a little faster.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"Better than me and him trying to kill each other all the fucking time," Joe agreed. "He'd kick the shit out of me, anyway. I'd lose." And there was really no question of that, as Dale had already proven twice.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan snorted a little at that, but didn't argue. He was pretty sure Dale could take Joe without even really trying.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"Not much further," Joe said after a moment, following the path up the mountain a bit further. "We're close now."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"Thank god, man," Logan sighed. "It feels like we've been walking forever."