echolls_cursed | (no subject)

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snow

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He'd told Jack he was going, and even scribbled a note down to leave on the table in case Joe stopped by. Just a few days out on the mountain with Linus to clear his head, a trek he found he was making more and more lately. Maybe because he needed the space, or maybe simply because he liked it out there. Logan had always tried to be independent, but sometimes it seemed the only way to be independent, involved being too far away from the rest of the island to cling to anyone else. Besides, it was so fucking hot, it had to be cooler up on the mountainside. It had to be. It was like a sauna on the rest of the island, but all those trees and that hight? It had to be a little better than the damn hut.

His bag was light, nothing more than a thin blanket , a pillow, and a few pairs of shorts filling it. After all, he would only be staying a few nights, and it was too hot to justify dragging along much else. Some fruit, of course, and food for Linus. Water, flip flops... Yeah, that was it. That was all he needed, and he grinned as he headed out the door, whistling for Linus to follow.

It took longer than usual to head up to the spot, the heat weighing him down and causing him to stop now and then for a drink. Even Linus was sluggish, and by the time they reached the spot, the sun was starting to set. Setting up camp didn't take long, and after playing with Linus and having a bite to eat, Logan settled in to sleep under the stars, completely unaware of what the island had planned.

He'd been thinking of and hoping for snow ever since the first day of December. It was just his luck that tonight would be the night it came. He was probably lucky not to freeze to death in his sleep. He woke shivering, his hands numb and his body covered in a layer of snow. It took him a few minutes to dig the blanket out, shaking it clean and wrapping it around himself. It was thin though and already soaked through, to the point where he couldn't decide if it was making things better or worse. His arms and legs were covered in goose bumps, and he was shaking so much that walking was slow at best.

Linus whimpered, sticking close to his side as he started back the way he hoped was the way he'd come. Though with the snow... Well, his sense of direction was bad enough, but in the snow? In the snow he had no idea which way he was walking. All he could do was hope for the best.

Two hours later, and he could hardly walk. The snow was falling thick, and his legs were numb and stiff. He was shaking harder now, his breath short and his body sore. ...He needed a break, just a few minuets rest. Just a few. That's what he kept telling himself as he sat down in the snow, the blanket wrapped tighter around himself as he tried to fight off some of the cold. It all reminded him of a safety class his mother had made him take the first time they'd gone skiing, and he couldn't help but wonder if something was happening to him. If he was dying.

Closing his eyes, he tried to think of something warm. God, he really needed to stop heading up to the mountain. This was the second time things had all gone wrong.

(Email me if you want to tag in. Leah and Shan, you guys obviously don't need to ask. <3)

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Logan relaxed slightly at the feeling of hot air against his lips, breathing as deep as his lungs would allow and trying to stop the shaking.

No doctors. That was okay. He could live with that.

Finishing up the cursory check of digits and appendages, Jack left Logan with Joe to get the water. It was just a little too cold so he carried it over by the fire to warm it a bit. Not too much, Logan couldn't take the shock of something too hot.

He ran through the mental list of everything he knew about exposure and it all came down to 'get a doctor'. Or, actually, 'get the Doctor'. Leaving wasn't an option, and so the next best thing was this. As long as Logan was breathing and shivering and had a safe place out of the weather, he'd be okay. He had to be.

He brought the water back when it was about the same temperature as his wrist and sat down. "Joe," he said quietly, "help me sit him up? He should get something inside him to help warm him up, too."

Moving carefully, not wanting to jostle Logan too roughly or do anything that might make him cough, Joe helped him sit up. "C'mon," he coached gently, just saying the words without knowing if they had any impact. "It's okay, we're just gonna get you sitting up. Get you to drink some water, okay? That's all we're gonna do right now."

Logan sat up slowly, gasping again and leaning heavily against Joe.

Reaching out he blindly, he tried to grab the cup, wanting something warm. He felt so cold still, both inside and out, but at least now he had an idea of what was going on. At least now he could focus on Jack and Joe, and take in what they were saying and doing.

Jack caught his hand, careful not to hold it too tightly. The cup only had a small amount of water in it and he put it to Logan's lips and tipped it carefully.

"Go slow, baby," he said, far more gently than he'd spoken to Logan before. Signs of lucidity were a good thing, even if he wasn't quite there yet. He couldn't care less what Joe thought of the endearment, it dropped from his lips as naturally as the commands had before.

"Just be careful," Joe murmured, barely hearing what Jack was saying. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful for his presence, but Joe's field of vision had long ago narrowed down to just Logan when there was trouble and this day wasn't any different. He watched over Logan carefully, making sure he wasn't drinking too much or too fast.

Logan drank deep, batting at hands to try and do it himself. Pulling away from both joe and Jack, he started to cough again, the cold air making his throat ache.

His hands were still shaking, and he nearly dropped the cup as he tried to take it.

Catching it from the bottom, Jack shook his head and looked at Joe. "He's not lucid enough, but he's getting there," he said. That cough was actually reassuring, even though it sounded like hell. It meant he was breathing, and breathing deeper than he had been before.

Jack moved Linus aside so he could check Logan's legs again, pleased to see much of the skin taking on a bright pink blush. It would be hours of work, but he'd be okay soon enough and they could get him back to civilization.

"Definitely getting there. He won't need a doctor."

Joe nodded again, looking at Logan still, his own hand reaching out to catch the cup even though he knew Jack had it. "See, no doctors," he said to Logan, his arm still tight around his shoulders, still making sure to keep him warm. "Don't need to worry about that anymore, okay?"

Logan nodded a little, wrapping his arms around himself and trying to lay back down.

"I just... I need to sleep. I'll be fine if i just get some rest," he insisted.

"No!" Jack barked sharply. "No sleeping, Logan. Come on...you can't go to sleep yet."

There was an urgency in his tone that betrayed everything he'd been suppressing so well. They were doing so well, but sleep wasn't an option.

"Joe," he said, drawing out the man's name. "Keep him awake. Make him talk or something. Sing. Just...no sleeping."

"He's right, Logan," Joe pointed out, shifting again, keeping Logan in an upright position. "C'mon, you know this. You're fucking smart, you know you've been stuck out into the snow for far too fucking long and that going to sleep is dangerous. You know this. So you stay right here with me, okay? We can figure shit out. Talk about... 'bout the set list for the next show maybe, alright?"

"I know, I know, okay," Logan said forcing his eyes back open and trying to stay alert.

It was only then that it dawned on him that it was Jack and Joe looking after him. Not that he hadn't known who it was before, but only then did he realize they were working together. They were talking, and Joe? Joe wasn't glaring daggers at the other man.

He smiled, looking dozy as he grinned, then ducked his head as he coughed again.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he got up, leaving Logan to Joe for a minute while he pillaged Dale's stuff. He found a pair of socks and a light undershirt and carried them both nearer to the fire to warm them up a bit. It didn't take very long, mainly because he didn't want then too hot, but Logan was good enough that Jack wasn't worried about his heart quite as much.

He passed the shirt to Joe wordlessly before he carefully unwrapped Logan's feet and slipped the warm socks onto him. If he wasn't going to be beside him, hanging onto him like he might genuinely lose him, it was better to be busy. With as much worry as he was holding back, there was no way he could be still.

"C'mon, so what songs should we play?" Joe asked as he took the shirt from Jack and then moved away a little to help Logan into it. "I was thinking Son of a Bitch to the Core, maybe. Could be the name of the night or something, too. Can't exactly call it a tour, but it still needs a name."

He was just rambling now, getting the shirt onto Logan and then putting his arm around him again. "What d'you think?"

"Okay, yeah, okay," Logan agreed, nodding his head and forcing his eyes back open as they started to droop again. "You should play that," he agreed, even though he couldn't remember what song was what just that moment, all his energy focused on staying awake.

The new shirt was nice and warm, and he wrapped his arms around himself as he leaned against Joe and blinked up at Jack.

Jack didn't have the faintest idea what they were talking about, but it didn't matter. Logan was talking and moving with much more coordination. His whole focus was on the guy's physical signs. Joe could take care of the rest.

"Gotta check your heart," he said as he laid his fingers against Logan's neck and counted. Without a watch, he had no idea how many beats per minute it was, but it was stronger and faster than it had been before. He put his fingers to his own pulse for comparison, but his heart was racing. He huffed a sigh and gave Joe a quick look before doing it to him. If only Logan was as freaked out as they were...his heartbeat would be just fine at half the speed of Jack's. He closed his eyes to count Joe's, getting messed up more than once so he had to begin again.

Joe wasn't sure what Jack was doing at first, but he didn't even move. Whatever he was doing, it was all part of helping Logan and that was all that mattered right now. It was the only thing Joe could think about.

"Yeah and we should finish one of the songs we're working on," he added, still talking to Logan. "Bet the audience'd fucking love that shit."

"One of my songs?" Logan asked, trying to keep up with the conversation, only to get distracted by the feeling of Jack's fingers on his neck.

He was warm and everything inside was warming up also... maybe faster than it should have been, and Logan's head tipped back for a moment as he blinked up at Jack.

"I write songs," he said simply, just as his eyes slid shut and his body went limp. He didn't even finish falling before he jerked awake, his leg kicking out as he gasped and used Joe to pull himself upright again.

Jack gasped and lunged forward, but there was no need. As fast as he folded, Logan snapped back. Definitely hours to go.

"You write songs?" he asked, knowing full well that Logan did. That he was learning to play the guitar. There wasn't much that Logan did on a daily basis that Jack didn't know about.

"Sing me a song?"

Joe didn't know if that was a good idea, not when Logan kept coughing, but he wasn't a fucking doctor. He shifted on the bed, trying to keep Logan sitting upright so that he could get the air into his lungs that he needed if he did want to sing.

"C'mon," he urged quietly, mostly just mumbling against Logan's hair.

"I don't sing," Logan insisted, content to simply sag against Joe for the time being. "Joe sings. I just... I play. Not that well."

"One of these days, you're going to have to play something I know," Jack commented, smirking a little at the thought of Logan picking out something Cole penned. "You and Joe, both. Someone to watch over me. Can't go wrong with Gershwin."

"You're good at guitar," Joe answered, looking up at Jack with a snort and an arched eyebrow. Now really wasn't the time to get into a conversation about music, though, so he just let it be. "You're learning from the fucking master, remember?"

"Yeah, I know. I'm learning from the best," Logan replied, his throat dry and his voice horse as he rested his head against Joe's shoulder and stared at Jack blankly.