Work Text:
Down Time
by BJ
Logan had a headache. He never got headaches! Waking at the crack of dawn wasn't so bad but the kid bouncing around the room singing at the top of his lungs M-I C-K-E-Y...M-O-U-S-E! It really gave him a sinking feeling about where the next seven days were headed. He glanced over to his right and despite everything that had happened so far he had to smile; Remy was practically vibrating in his seat. " Relax kid, you're gonna hurt yerself."
Remy turned from the small window on the plane and beamed at him, " I can' help it! We're goin' t' Disney World!"
Logan shook his head and chuckled, of all the places on the planet he could have picked, the kid picked Disney World for their vacation. He cringed at the thought of all the dorky cartoon characters and the sappy songs. They could be relaxing on a private beach! They could be snuggled up in a tiny cabin in the mountains! They could be locked in a five star hotel in Vegas! No...they were going to the kiddy capital of the world...GOD. " We can still get off the plane, it's not too late t' change yer mind." He knew it was hopeless but he had to try.
" Non!" Remy blushed a bit and rested his hand on Logan's knee trying not to draw too much attention to them," I know y' think it's dumb but I always wanted t' go. Please, I went campin' last time an' I didn' complain at all."
That was true. The last vacation they took together had them deep in the mountains of Tennessee in a tiny cabin with no electricity, no plumbing, and no neighbors for fifty miles...in other words Heaven for Logan. Remy had been a trooper, he tried fishing, he adapted well to running behind a tree to answer nature's call and he even survived no phone, TV, radio, and Internet. Logan was amazed; the boy was even more glorious out in nature. Every night he would huddle close to Logan and listen to all the sounds of the night. Every once in a while he would jump and Logan would rub his soft back reassuringly and tell him what he was hearing; a wolf or an owl or a deer, and Remy would relax again and eventually fall to sleep in the shelter of his arms. Remy was truly a city boy, wild or not, and since he was such a good sport about the mountains Logan promised he could pick the next vacation...HUGE mistake!
Airport security was always a pain. It wasn't that they had a problem with mutants but a 5'7" man with 300 lbs. of adamantium covering his skeleton, well...
There was a family of five in the row behind them and the five year old; his name was Tommy...EVERYONE knew his name within the first two minutes of their boarding the plane.
"Tommy sit down!"
"Tommy stop kicking that nice man's seat!"
"Tommy don't touch that!"
Now Tommy was singing that same blasted song the kid had been singing at four in the morning!
" Ooo, Logan, they're goin' t' Disney too! M-O-U-S-E!" Remy finished along with the now giggling tot. Remy leaned back over the seat, " ‘M Remy, I'm goin' t' Disney World too!"
Logan covered his eyes with his hands as the song began again this time including the other six children on the flight..."Where's Magneto when ya need him," he whispered as the pilot turned on the No Smoking and Seatbelt signs and they began to taxi to the runway.
The flight could have been, no, WOULD have been intolerable if Remy, and a very frazzled flight attendant named Wanda, hadn't gathered the children (with the approval of ALL on board) into the last three rows and kept them busy with card tricks and cartons of milk. When Remy rejoined his lover forty-five minutes later he gave him a quick kiss and whispered, " they'll be quieter now."
*****
The hotel was nice; he had to admit, if you just ignored the eight-foot tall dog in the stupid hat and the duck in the sailor suit. He knew their names but got some sort of perverted pleasure out of torturing the kid by calling them the wrong thing. Remy would have none of that, he had apparently been planning this trip for the better part of his twenty-four years and he was going to enjoy himself, damn it! " Non, that's Donal' duck NOT Daffy! Come on Cher, I tell y' again. Th' dog with th' hat is Goofy, th' duck's Donal' and I know y' have t' remember the mouse..."
" Ben?"
Non! Mickey! Unless it's wearin' polka-dots an' got a bow, then it's Minnie." He stopped the lecture when he noticed the corners of his lover's mouth twitch, " Logan!" he whined as he wrapped his arms around the older man and spun him around, " Stop makin' fun o' me!"
Logan had the incredible urge to pull him into a tight hug, God he was wonderful like this! The color had returned to his beautiful face and his eyes were dancing. There were gold and bronze highlights shining in his dark red hair and a splash of freckles across his nose. He hated the word that popped into his head but it was the only one that fit; adorable, Remy was adorable. He never looked more stunning. Logan just stared at him a moment, memorizing the look on his face and storing it in his heart. This was the real Remy, not the dangerous man the X-Men knew. THIS was Remy, smiling and starry eyed and full of innocent wonder. At this moment he never wanted to go back to New York. He never wanted to see his young lover hide behind that impenetrable mask he always wore again. He couldn't fight the urge any longer and pulled the boy into a convenient elevator and hit the button for the top floor.
" Where we-" The question was swallowed as Logan kissed him deeply. By the time it ended Remy was lucky he could remember his own name. The doors opened and they stepped around Pluto and headed to their room. Epcot would be less crowded later in the day anyway.
*****
The vacation flew by and without even realizing it Logan began to relax. They strolled through the huge rambling parks stopping when something caught Remy's eye or peaked his interest. Logan had been worried that the crowds and the noise would play havoc with his hypersensitive hearing or his lover's empathy and spatial-awareness but he was pleasantly surprised.
They strolled slowly through the World Showcase at Epcot on their last day. It was a representation of different countries and cultures from around the world. France, Norway, Canada, the UK, Morocco, Italy, Germany, China, Mexico and Japan. Logan chuckled and watched as Remy flirted in flawless German with a young girl in Germany. They wandered aimlessly from area to area. To his surprise, Logan found that he was impressed with the Japanese section. His eyes lit up with memories as he told Remy stories about the beautiful country and Remy listened with the same excitement. Logan never talked about his past because he was never sure if what he remembered were real or implanted memories. This was a rare opportunity to learn more about the man who had captured his heart and soul.
They stood silently on the steps of the Japanese Pagoda at the end of their last night and watched the fireworks. He heard a small gasp beside him and turned to his lover, was there a threat he hadn't noticed? The sight, when he turned, literally took his breath away. Remy was staring up into the brightly lit sky, he had taken off his shades and his eyes were wide and bright. His mouth had formed a soft "o" shape and a single tear made a path down his cheek. When he finally noticed Logan staring at him he quickly wiped the tear away. " Sorry Cher it's just..." He looked back up at the sky and made a tiny gesture with his hand when the words to describe why he was crying escaped him.
Logan wrapped his arms around the younger man not caring one bit what anyone else thought and pulled him close in a hug, " It's okay darlin, I understand. We never get to see the beautiful things in this big ol' world, only the ugliness."
Remy leaned back into the solid warmth of his lover, his eyes never leaving the colorful lights in the sky, " It's jus' that...when I was little I saw this show on a TV in a window..." He finally met Logan's eyes, "W-when I got scared sometimes I'd... I never thought it would be so..." He gave up on words again and looked back up at the sky as the final burst of fireworks faded.
"Was that the first time y' ever saw fireworks?"
Remy just nodded, still staring up at the sky as the crowd around them rushed to leave the park. Logan just held his ground and the young Cajun letting him work through whatever thoughts were floating around in his head. He would never admit it to another living soul but it had been a wonderful vacation. Remy was relaxed and looked healthier than he had in ages and Logan couldn't deny that there was a sort of peace inside him now. He felt ready to face whatever they walked back into at home.
*****
" Please Cher?" It was the morning of their departure and they were having the only disagreement of the entire trip.
" Darlin'...I've done everything you asked, can't you just do it on yer own? I‘ll just wait for ya at the end."
" Non, I need t' see it with y'."
" Kid..."
" Please Cher? We gotta leave in six hours, please, for me?" He added the big eyes this time and he could practically hear his lover's last wall of defense crumble.
" I must really love you Cajun."
Remy beamed and gave his lover a loud, sloppy kiss, " Merci Cher! Love y' too!" He plopped the mouse ear hat on his head and slid one onto his lover as he tugged him toward the line for It's a Small World...
"Ya owe me BIG TIME fer this one kiddo..."
*****
Logan stared out the little window on the plane as it flew through the night back toward New York and certain mayhem. It was quiet now; Remy was sound asleep, as was Tommy who just happened to be on their flight AGAIN. Remy spent nearly an hour talking to the boy and his siblings about the rides and the different characters they saw. Logan pulled the blanket up a little higher on his lover; the freckles brought a smile to the gruff older man's face. He made the kid endure a marathon love making session, drawing out a separate orgasm for each of the freckles he could count. It was Remy's "punishment" for making him sit through that never-ending ride that was STILL ringing in his ears!
Remy was dreaming, a sweet, soft smile played at the corners of his lips and Logan felt secretly happy that HE had been the one to share the place with him. The kid's childhood was a living nightmare and he felt proud that he could be with him, give him some fond, carefree, memories that he could cherish and think back on if he wanted to or needed to. He was taking home a few memories of his own he realized. He leaned over and kissed the young man gently then fell asleep to visions of fireworks and his lover's tanned, smiling face.
End
Note: Sorry, sorry, sorry! I know it was pure sugary Hell but I had to get it out of my system so I could rejoin the real world! Now I can get on with the laundry and the cooking and the cleaning...