Halloween Plot

[echolls_cursed]

They'd been spared.

It was Halloween morning, and there wasn't a pair of hooker-boots between them. It was a huge relief, one which they promptly celebrated with a little roughhousing and a lot of kissing. Both of which were going well until Logan backed into one of Neil's shelves, knocking it down and banging his head.

That sort of killed the mood.

After a brief argument about who's fault it had been, Neil had left in hopes of borrowing some nails and a hammer from the building crew, leaving Logan to tidy up and get dressed. He wasn't alone for long though, and when Logan heard the door open behind him, he instantly assumed it was Joe, coming to see just what the hell they'd been doing.

"You know, in some cultures, they have this thing called 'knocking'. Apparently it stops people from walking in on one another while they're getting dressed," Logan quipped, pulling on a t-shirt and turning around.

He really wished he hadn't.

""Nothing I haven't seen before," Aaron replied, his voice laced with that carefully practiced tone of a loving father. "I spent a good six years bathing you after all."

Something told him that Aaron wasn't going to simply vanish this time, and Logan struggled with himself for a moment as he tried to decide how to react. "You mean the Nanny spent six years bathing me," he corrected, forcing himself to stay casual and relaxed. "Rosalita always had a softer touch than you anyway."

Aaron laughed, a forced and cold sound that Logan was all too familiar with. The calm before the storm. "I've missed you, Logan. I'm really looking forward to becoming a family again."

Logan just shook his head. "You're not my family anymore," he said firmly, voice level and calm. "I'm twenty now, and you're not my father. You were never my father. Just the asshole that..."

He was promptly cut off by the back of Aaron's hand as it hit his cheek, snapping his head to the side with a sound that seemed to echo off the hut walls. "Don't be disrespectful," his father said simply. "I don't care how old you are, you are my son, and you'll show me some respect. You're right, you're not a child anymore, and I won't treat you like one if you don't act like one."

Rubbing his cheek, Logan glared, fighting back the feeling of fear that sat deep in his gut. "You're not my father," he said again, looking up at the older man for a long moment, and then trying to push past him so he could leave.

He really should have known better, but after all this time, he didn't want to be the weak child he'd been two years ago. He didn't want to cave and let Aaron shove him around. He'd built a new life here, and if would take more than a slap in the face to get him to give it up. When Aaron grabbed his arm though, fingers digging into his forearm as he shoved him roughly back into the room and onto the bed, Logan couldn't fight the fear any longer. In that moment, he was seven again, and Aaron... Aaron was the most frightening person in the world.

Mouth open slightly, there was an obvious look of panic on Logan's face as he watched Aaron move closer.

"Is this how it has to be?" he father asked. "Twenty years old, and you still need to be taught how to treat someone with respect? It's embarrassing, Logan, I hope you know that. You should be ashamed of this." Fingers moving to his belt, Aaron just shook his head as he slipped it free from the belt loops on his jeans. "We'll do it this way then."

Logan didn't even argue. He knew better than that. In the long run, the belt tended to be the better option. It was usually enough to calm Aaron down, preventing bloody noses or broken bones. That didn't make it any easier to swallow though, and Logan's stomach turned as he got to his feet and pulled off his shirt. He didn't need to be told to face the wall, he just did it, forcing his mind to go blank as he heard Aaron step up behind him.

"You know I only do this because I love you," he heard his father say... right before the first lash fell.

When it was over, Logan's back burned, and he wasted no time pulling his shirt back on. "I need you to leave," he said calmly, glancing at his father. "You can go to the compound... that big building... you can get a room or something. You can't be here though. Alright?"

Aaron just raised a brow. "Don't want to introduce me to your boyfriend then? You're lucky you're mother's not alive to hear about that. It would have killed her."

Logan just frowned, knowing that wasn't true. "Lucky you drove her to suicide you mean," he corrected coldly. And this time... This time he waited to hit the ground.

(Locked to those close to Logan, If you want to tag in and didn't already get an okay from me, just drop me an e-mail.)

Comments

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan drew back at that, stopping just outside the door and making it clear that had been the wrong thing to say at that moment. It was just more violence. More anger. It made Logan a little sick and he shook his head slightly.

"Then what would make you any better than him?" he asked seriously, ignoring the way his insides twisted as he looked at Joe.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"When it comes to people fucking with you, I'm not any better than him," Joe replied and he'd always known it. "Never gonna hurt you, but the people who fuck with you aren't ever gonna be that lucky." And that had always been true. It had been true since he and Logan had met.

For a moment Joe was quiet and then said, "Fine. IPD. He attacked you and he attacked me. They'll deal with him."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"The cops?" Logan asked, too focused on that moral dilemma to notice that Aaron was moving up close behind Joe.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"Gotta keep him from hurting you," Joe replied, shrugging a bit. That was the only thing he was really worried about. The last thing he was going to do was sit around and watch Aaron hurt Logan, know it was happening and not do anything about it.

He didn't expect the arm that snaked around his throat, didn't expect the tight hold Aaron suddenly had on him a moment later.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. Aaron's arm was tight around Joe's neck, squeezing in an attempt to cut off any air.

Logan had seen his father do some horrific things to people in the past, his beating of Trina's scuzzy boyfriend standing out above all else. But this? This was frighting, and Logan hesitated as he tried to decide if maybe he should go get Dale or Ray now.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

Joe didn't think about help, he didn't think about Logan getting anyone, he reacted purely on instinct. It wasn't the first time someone had done this to him, although it might have been the first time he'd been this infuriated by it. His right hand balled into a fist and came up, shooting in a diagonal across his body. The punch wasn't as good as it could have been, but it connected, driving into Aaron's chin.

His teeth made a satisfying cracking noise as they snapped together and the grip on Joe's throat loosened, although not by much.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Head snapping back a little, Aaron nearly let go. Nearly. There was only a slight hesitation though, an soon his hold was even tighter, attempting to wring the life out of the other man before letting him go and heading over to Logan.

Apparently appearances didn't matter anymore, and Aaron had made up his mind about how things were going to go on the island... And prison wasn't part of the plan.

For all his bullshit posturing, the truth was that Logan was just a prop. Nothing more. A tool to make himself look loving and caring in everyone else's eyes. But now that didn't matter. There was a small knife one one of the shelves that Logan and Neil hadn't knocked down during their morning love-scuffle, and Aaron was quick to grab it... Right before he grabbed Logan.

As the cold metal pressed against his throat, Logan realized he didn't know his own father well enough to judge if it was a bluff or not. He might have been upset over it too, if he hadn't been so busy panicking quietly.

"I think we're done here," Aaron told Joe simply, spitting a mouthful of blood and tugging Logan closer. "If you have any sense at all, you won't go running to the police about this."

It was the smartest move he'd made all morning. After all, hadn't Joe just said that he wasn't going to let Logan get hurt?

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"Never big on sense," Joe admitted as he coughed and gasped for air, then wiped his mouth. Right now he had two options. He could go and get Dale and they could come back here and beat the shit out of Aaron together. Well, truthfully, Dale would probably stop Joe from doing that, but the help getting him off Logan would be appreciated. Or he could try and do something about it himself.

Joe wasn't a trained fighter, not by any means, and he didn't know anything about disarming a person. It was sheer luck that Logan wasn't cut when Joe grabbed Aaron's arm and yanked the knife away and it was sheer luck that he didn't immediately yank it back and cut his son.

"Don't you dare threaten him," he growled, voice hoarse. There was just enough room for Logan to get away now, but Aaron didn't seem too interested in letting that last long.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan was in shock, that was the only way to explain his slow reaction. His heart was pounding, and he made a small sound as he stepped closer to Joe and reached for the knife.

He was done with keeping the peace. He was done running.

Silently, he asked Joe to give it to him.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

Joe's gaze moved from Aaron to Logan and he held out on hand, palm flat, and pushed hard against Aaron's chest. The man finally did fall, sprawling back on the dirt and he cursed as he went down. At the same time, Joe handed the knife off to Logan.

What he wanted to do was use the knife to make Aaron hurt like he'd hurt his son, but he couldn't do that here. Not in front of Logan. Besides, it wasn't his fight in the end.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Turning the knife over in his hand, Logan turned to look att Aaron.

Sprawled out in the dirt, he didn't look so frighting anymore, and Logan tilted his chin up as he looked down on his old man. "You gonna kill me, pops? Was that your plan? Was that what you were willing to do to get away?"

"Logan..." Aaron said quietly.

Logan just shook his head and quickly cut him off. "No. Just... don't. Don't lie. You should leave now."

[jdick.livejournal.com]

Joe nodded his agreement, but he didn't say anything. All he did was stand where he was, watching Aaron, watching Logan, making sure nothing else happened while he was there. That nothing else happened at all. He'd stand here all fucking day if he had to.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"Logan," Aaron said again, starting to get to his feet.

"No. Just...stay away. Stay away from me, from the people in my life," Logan warned, letting the knife drop to the ground.

"I never want to see you again."

Turning, Logan took Joe's arm, tugging him a little before taking his hand instead and leading them away from Aaron.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"Logan," Joe warned quietly, leaning down to scoop up the knife, if only so Aaron couldn't grab it again. After the last attack, he didn't want to turn his back on him while there was a knife.

Tucking it into the waist of his pants, Joe shot Aaron a final look, a look so filled with loathing and disgust that he might've reserved it only for Bruce. But there it was. And then he squeezed Logan's hand and turned back, letting him lead them away.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

It wasn't until they were well away from the hut that Logan let go of Joe's hand.

He could feel himself start to break down, and he turned away. The first sob was silent, but his shoulders shook. He tried to compose himself quickly, blinking back tears he didn't want to shed and coughing as his breath hitched.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"Logan, c'mere," Joe said quietly, moving closer, sliding one arm around Logan's shoulders. His own body was still shaking, adrenaline pumping through him as he pulled Logan closer toward him. There was likely going to be bruises on his throat, definitely one on his ribs and probably a couple on his face, but he'd worry about explaining those to Dale later. Right now he just needed to make sure Logan would be okay.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Face screwed up, Logan tried to swallow it all down, but when Joe pulled him closer, he had to let it go.

Still silent as his breath hitched and he choked back sobs, he let the tears come this time. It was stupid. So fucking stupid. And he hated himself for letting Aaron get to him. For letting him hurt him again.

Turning, he rested against Joe, hiding his face against the other man's shoulder. He winced a little and let out a hiss when the other man accident touched one of the welts that criss-crossed his shoulders and back, but didn't pull away. In fact, he held on just that much tighter.

[jdick.livejournal.com]

There was nothing really that Joe could say in response to everything that had happened, nothing he could do that would make any of it any better, but he kept his gaze on the direction they'd come, making sure Aaron hadn't followed them. If there was one thing he could do, it was keep Logan safe and he fully intended on doing just that.

His own bruises hurt and his throat ached, but he kept both arms tight around Logan. Brushing his hand back and forth gently over his shoulder, Joe let him cry and he watched the trees.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

It took Logan a long moment to pull himself together, but when he finally did he took a step back and dried his eyes.

"You okay?" he asked Joe, his voice tight and dry. "I didn't... I didn't want you to get hurt, you know?"

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"I'm good," Joe said easily, brushing it off, but his voice was hoarse from the hold Aaron had had on his throat. "Don't worry about me, man, I've had a hell of a lot worse." That, at least, was the truth.

"You okay?" he asked. "He hurt you bad?"

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"No," Logan lied. "I'm fine. Just took a bad fall."

It was a stupid lie, seeing as how he was pretty sure his back was bleeding... He didn't want Joe worrying though.

"So... Bucky's here? What happened?"

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"Me and Dale woke up and he was there," Joe said with a dismissive sort of shrug, not really wanting to get into it. He figured Logan would have to see Bucky sooner or later, but if he could put it off at all, that was exactly what he was going to do.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan looked at Joe searchingly, looking for some sign of what had happened, but didn't push. Instead he wrapped his arms around himself and tried to look calm and casual.

"I think I'm bleeding," he admitted. "I don't want to go to the clinic though. I don't want to have to explain this to anyone."

[jdick.livejournal.com]

"C'mon, I'll take you back to the hut, I got some shit there," Joe said, nodding in the direction of his place. The only reason he had that shit there was because Dale made him keep it, but it was useful for things like this.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan nodded a little and followed, hesitating again before moving closer so he was flush against Joe's side.

It was childish, but for the time being, Logan was sort of okay with that. He needed Joe. Needed to be with him.