Who: Logan Echolls and Veronica Mars When: After midnight, Friday the 14th of May Where: Walking back to the buildings. What: Coming back from the PollyGrind day two! Status: Complete
The first night of PollyGrind had been fantastic with two post-apocalyptic movies and a few interesting short films. It was the Thursday night that Logan was really into, though, because that meant zombie time. Luckily he missed the zombie attack on the city, although he was completely confident that had been there, he would've rocked it. He'd have a shotgun and cricket bat ready. There was a triple feature gorefest of zombie films that night, and the last one was ... interesting. It had English subtitles and involved a sexual deviant who was a zombie hunter. Needless to say it was not just gore and blood in that one. And oh so fun to share with an ex.
It's only awkward if you let it be, he told himself once they exited the building and started on the walk back home. It was a fair distance, but it was nice outside at night now that Las Vegas hit spring, and there were plenty of people still out and about. There was life here, and Logan always liked that about the place. Sure, sometimes that meant there were criminal dealings going down or shady offers from random strangers, but it wasn't a boring place to live. "I liked The Dead Undead the most, I think. Who can resist vampires, zombies, and annoying kids getting killed all in one excellent film?" Not him, that was for sure!
Veronica's hands rested in the pockets of her light blue hooded sweatshirt as she walked along side of Logan on their way back to the Zenner Tower. A light breeze blew strands of her blonde hair around her face. It was late, but the weather was still warm out, and with all the city lights, it couldn't really be qualified as dark. She was content as they walked together. The gore filled zombie flicks had put Logan in a good mood, and when Logan Echolls was in a good mood, there were few people who could resist it. Or him for that matter. The two of them had sat together in the dark munching on candy that Veronica had insisted they sneak in themselves, making cracks about zombie rehabilitation clinics and the stupidity of the characters' reactions. The last film had been a little awkward to watch, but it was already fading away as they walked away from the theatre.
"They get docked points for the lame name." She answered. "But that one probably was the best of the bunch. No one can resist annoying kids getting killed off in a movie. It's what the horror industry is built off of. Well, that and boobs." She smirked a little.
"Alright. It's go time, Logan." She said. "Zombie apocalypse. I want to hear the Echolls contingency plans. Go."
"Either them getting killed off or becoming psychotic ghosts and destroying everyone." At first glance Veronica and Logan hadn't seemed like a couple with too much in common, but looking closer found that they were actually very similar in personality and taste. They were both quick witted, sharp tongued, and had an eye for an eye mentality. Then there was their love of bad action and horror flicks, which gave them an endless supply of amusement just by going to the local rental store and bickering like an old married couple over which movie seemed the worst. Sure Logan stirred up mischief and Veronica usually had to put it out, but he loved the attention and she loved the trouble. They really were a match made in heaven ... or hell.
"This is top secret information. If you spread it around, you'll be the first I'll sacrifice to the zombie gods upon judgment day." Logan over-exaggerated when he was in a good mood, making everything seem brighter and bigger than it really was. He resisted the urge to brush back her hair or playfully tug on her hood, things he did usually to tease and get her to smile, because there was an unspoken rule of no touching between them now. Even innocent gestures were a bad idea. "I have to alter my plan for Las Vegas, because the one in Neptune required a boat. I'm not a sharpshooter so I went with the samurai sword as weapon of choice, perfect for head chopping a la Kill Bill."
He mimicked having a sword and slicing through the air, clapping hands together afterward and rolling his shoulders as he got thinking about it. "Since zombies actually happened here, I already put together a bag. Change of fast moving footwear. Long sleeves so it's harder for them to bite or scratch. Water, non-perishable food, flashlights with extra batteries, and extra weapons to bludgeon them with. The most remote location the better, get to higher ground and get a car with the best gas mileage on it since stopping is dangerous. If only people in movies were as well prepared as we are, they wouldn't end up zombie meat."
Veronica smiled when Logan threatened to sacrifice her to the zombie gods. She knew that if anything really dangerous ever descended on them, he'd be the first one to get to her. She pressed her hands together in front of her chest and adopted an angelic pose. "Your secret is safe with me."
She put her head down as she laughed at his Samurai re-enactments. It was so hard for her to stay away from him. A part of her wished she really could just hate him and cut him out of her life forever. It would be so much easier. So uncomplicated. Less tempting. But she just couldn't. Somewhere along the way, she'd gotten addicted to him. It was why she put up with so much from him over the years. She couldn't picture herself without him anymore. Maybe not in a romantic sense. Although, those thoughts still lingered in the back of her mind....
"Not bad." She mused. "The downside is that you'd have to throw yourself in the thick of it to do any real damage with a sword. Guns provide more distance. The upside is no reloading required. Everyone always seems to run out of ammo at the most inopportune moments."
"People always say that horror movies would be boring if the characters were well prepared. No thrill or whatever." She waved her hand. "I disagree. I think you and I would make a kickass zombie fighting team. Taking out the zombie hoards, witty banter, not to mention we're just so pretty."
It was common knowledge that Logan was protective to the point of overbearing with Veronica, which was at least one of their problems as a couple. Perhaps it came from the fact the two most important women in his life except for her both died and he couldn't do a thing to help them. Or maybe he always had that possessive streak in him. He'd destroy everything in his path to get to her in case of an emergency, no matter who else was hurt in the process.
An addiction was the word for it. Even as enemies they couldn't stay away from each other very long. Being away from her was like having half of his body chopped off, so yeah, Logan was willing to do what it took to keep her in his life. Even if that meant dealing with her dud of a boyfriend. Lilly provided enough of a distraction right then that the darker sides of his personality were kept in check. Looking at Veronica now though, feeling at ease and laughing and just knowing they were right, he had to struggle with any plans coming to mind.
"I'd strap a few guns on me too, of course, the more weapons the better. It's even a better idea to blow out a limb or something to take them down and then finish the kill." There might be something disturbing about how enthusiastically they talked on the subject. "Hey only the fittest survive in the apocalypse. Those whiny, confused sheep would be dead within a few minutes. People like us are the ones who survive." And they were survivors. Maybe not of a zombie apocalypse, but so much more!
"We could make a movie out of it, but I would probably have to be a woman so they could get some lesbian action going on too. And the zombies start ripping away our clothes instead of our flesh. You know that's where it would end up." And he would totally go to that movie. First row!
After her initial excitement of finding out about the Grindfest, Veronica had thought a lot about if she should go with Logan or not. On the one hand, she knew it made Piz uncomfortable, and she had wondered if maybe she should have asked him along. Or Lilly. Or anyone really. But it wouldn't have been the same. Half the fun of going to the festival had been the fact that it was just Logan. Cheesy horror movies had been their thing. She wasn't sure she wanted to share it. Not with Piz who would make it tense and awkward. Or Lilly who didn't like scary movies. In the end though, she knew she would go. She rationalized that it would be fine as long as she and Logan behaved themselves. No touching. No arguments. No talking about their complicated past. It was work, to be sure. There were times when her hand wanted to snake out and wrap itself around his. Or the way his breath felt on her neck when he leaned over to whisper something to her doing the movie.
Still, in moments like this, when things were happy and good, the work felt like it was worth it. She was finding it surprisingly easy to be happy here. Despite the circumstances surrounding her arrival.
"Guns and swords?" She said lightly, her hand poised on her chest. "Be still my heart." She stopped when they reached a crosswalk, hitting the button for the signal. "I can't help but be a fan of the chainsaw." She said, looking back at him. "I know. It's clunky, requires too much gas, and nearly always ends up sawing into the wrong person at some point...but it's a classic. There's something so satisfying about it."
"Lesbian action?" She asked, her face as serious as she could make it while struggling not to laugh. "Logan. You've been downloading Zombie porn on the Internet again, haven't you?"
Logan didn't even consider bringing another person to the Grindfest. Lilly didn't have the same taste in horror, and he was determined to keep their thing casual no matter what. It threw him completely off when Lilly told him she wasn't with anyone else and didn't plan to be. Years ago that kind of declaration would've had him wrapped up in the palm of her hand, but things changed. He wasn't sure what he was waiting for, and in a very real sense he doubted he'd ever get over Veronica. So this was the impasse they were in. She was with Piz, and he'd take the crumbs he could get from her. Eventually something had to give, but for now they were walking the tightrope, and Logan just hoped there would be a safety net when he eventually went crashing to Earth.
"Honey bunch, no offense, but a chainsaw would knock you over as soon as you'd start it." Logan laughed and leaned his hand onto the signal pole, trying not to hover too close to her like he wanted to. "I can just see you pull the chain and fall over, splitting the nearest person to you in half." Ooo, but that person could be Piz. Dark eyes were momentarily distracted as he pictured such a momentous event, but he pulled himself out of it. She'd just end up feeling guilty and cry about it for a lifetime. That wasn't worth it. "Next costume on the list to get you, a yellow jumpsuit and a katana. Then you can be the Bride for Halloween." Veronica could pull that off. She was much more badass than Uma Thurman.
He smiled without shame and gestured for her to walk when the sign changed, his hand instinctively going to her back to lead her but he stopped it just in time. Instead he shoved it into his pocket and kept walking. "There's nothing to do here but figure out what we've missed in the past few years, and sometimes if that involves me researching lesbian Zombie porn, well, I'll do what I have to do."
"What?" Veronica asked with mock hurt in her voice. "Have you seen my guns?" She pushed back the loose sleeve of her hoodie and flexed her rather unimpressive upper arm strength. She scrunched her face as she pretended to strain. "Oh yeah." She nodded impressively. "Don't be jealous." She pulled the sleeve back down as the signal changed and they could cross the street.
"No one is denying that I am more badass than Uma Thurman." She said. "But that is never an excuse to wear a yellow jumpsuit."
She made her way across the road, "You're a true hero, Logan Echolls." She said, hopping up onto the curb on the opposite side. "Sacrificing yourself in the name of zombie porn."
"Ooooh, show me your guns again." Logan waved a hand in front of his face like he was fanning himself off. "That was so hot, I could just swoon. Good thing I have your impressive guns to catch me if I do." He pulled up his own t-shirt and flexed his much more impressive upper arm strength at her, knowing very well Veronica had a thing for his arms. She was a smart girl and his wit was always her favorite part about him, he knew that, but she also was a hot blooded woman. He knew that too. Then he innocently started across the street.
"You're just upset because you don't think you could pull it off as well as she could." Personally Logan didn't think Uma was that attractive. He didn't see it, even with his taste for badass blonds.
He grinned puckishly at her as he hopped up onto the curb and winked. "I do what I can. Someone's got to keep the zombie porn industry afloat, and by gum if that someone isn't me."
Veronica was on the verge of punching him with her tiny, yet effective, fists when Logan pulled up his shirt and flexed for her. Outwardly she managed to save face by rolling her eyes, but she could feel a certain amount of heat flush across her skin. She hoped that the darkness would be enough to hide it. Because Logan certainly wouldn't let her forget it if he caught it.
"What can I say?" She shrugged, still attempting to ignore the blush she felt on her neck. "Yellow, not my color. I'm more of an autumn."
She stuck her hands back in her pockets as they walked along the sidewalk. "Did you just say 'By gum?'" She quirked an eyebrow at him.
Please, like Logan wasn't watching her as closely as possible for reactions to everything he said. His self-satisfied smile said everything and he absolutely could not resist teasing her. "You look a little warm. Is it warm out? Maybe I should take my shirt off." Logan laughed and moved out of range for her to punch him. She did have effective tiny fists of fury! It definitely made him feel better to know he could still get a reaction out of her. Despite everything else, she did want him. Then again desire was never their problem.
"I don't know, I think you went along well with my car, and that was yellow." Especially the backseat. As long as he managed to keep those thoughts on the inside, he figured they'd be fine. Logan usually said exactly what he thought, no matter how crude or callous it was, and he actively was holding back. "I miss that car. My baby."
He laughed and turned so he was walking backwards, facing her while they strolled. It meant he couldn't see where he was going, but he figured Veronica would clue him in if anything embarrassing was about to happen. Or maybe not. He'd take the chance. "Like that's the strangest thing I've said."
"Oh, shut up." Veronica said. Further embarrassed that he had caught her. "It is warm. But you better damn well keep that shirt on." She tried to hide her smirk. "You are so not as cute as you think you are."
She turned away from him, distracting herself from thoughts of his arms by focusing on some of the gorier scenes from that evening's movie selections. Yep. Nothing to chase away unwanted sexual tension like remembering a zombie snacking on someone's arm.
"You could always just buy a new car, you know." She said as they walked. Trying to change the subject? No, Veronica Mars would never do that. "Unlimited credit cards and all. Besides, you're not going to be walking when the Vegas summer hits."
"I'm just as cute as I think I am. Maybe more so, in fact, because I'm very modest." Logan was confident and it showed in everything he did. The way he walked and talked and caught attention simply by entering a room. It was what made him the leader of the 09er crowd, and if it bordered on arrogance, he was okay with that. But despite all that, he cared what Veronica thought. He took whatever he could get from her, even if it was spite and negative attention, because as long as she noticed him, she wouldn't leave. Veronica always had his number and threw him off guard, and he needed that, otherwise he would go too far.
"I could buy a hundred cars, and not one of them would replace my sweetheart. Cars aren't like girls, Veronica." It was possible he was trying to get a rise out of her. It was his second favorite past time. "But you're right, I'll need one to get around. Then again I could just fan myself off with cash and pay the downtrodden to carry me from place to place on a palanquin."
Yes, Logan knew he was cute. That was probably one of the most annoying things about him. Veronica rolled her eyes. She looked at him as he walked backward in front of her, grinning at her with that smile that he knew she loved. She just shook her head and smiled in response. She reached up and tucked her blond hair behind her ear before unzipping her hoodie and slipping it off her shoulders. The light green t-shirt underneath had a picture of a shotgun with the words Zombie Repellent written boldly underneath it. Like she was going to get a better chance to wear it than to a zombie movie fest. She draped the hoodie over her arm and continued walking.
At his "Cars aren't like girls" comment, she stopped, staring him down and giving him one of her patented Veronica looks. As he continued on, she rolled her eyes again. Seriously? How did he always know the right thing to say to get a rise out of her? It was like some jackass sixth sense of his. Tilting her head to the side, she smiled and crooked her finger at him, motioning for him to come closer to her. "C'mere." She said.
He might have watched her slip off the jacket with open interest, because he was walking backwards and there was nothing to look at other than her. Logan wouldn't deny there was something suggestive even in the smallest gestures like that, but he did focus more on the shirt underneath and couldn't help but smile. She was so unique. There was no girl in the entire world like Veronica, not even a little bit. He'd always admired her, liked her, but it was when she toughened up after Lilly's death that all the edges in her came to the surface. And the girl she became was the one he loved, even if it had to come out of tragedy.
The Veronica look warned him not to trust her, and he knew very well after saying that line he was probably going to annoy her. Logan was used to saying things and knowing that he was about to get in trouble; it was part of why he said them in the first place. Like a crazy person. So he knew that coming closer to her was a bad idea, that she was drawing him into her for a reason he wouldn't like, but Logan didn't listen to logic. He listened to his heart that said seeing that look on her face and coming closer would be worth it. So he stopped walking and did just that, stepping into her space but not touching her, his smile softening as he gazed down at her. Marshmallows and promises.
Veronica was a smart girl. And she knew Logan like the back of her hand. It didn't escape her notice that he watched her remove her sweatshirt, her t-shirt hitching up and ever so slightly revealing small patches of her stomach. What? Paybacks were a bitch, and so was she. She knew exactly what she was doing. And maybe she didn't mind so much the way his eyes lingered...
Honestly, it was a fifty-fifty bet whether or not Logan would actually come nearer to her. He had to smell trouble, but she was banking on the fact that he usually couldn't resist her to get him within range. She wasn't disappointed either. He stepped closer to her, smiling down at her. She tilted her head back, looking up into his eyes. Smiling, she quickly stuck her index finger into her mouth and then dug it into his ear.
Logan was waiting for a kick, maybe a slap, maybe a snarky comment, but probably not a wet willy. He cringed and laughed and whacked at her hand, holding her wrist so she couldn't try to do it again. "What are you, five years old? I haven't gotten one of those since fourth grade." It was just like her to do something completely ridiculous and be adorable at the same time. "It's not like I don't think men are replaceable too. Isn't that the point?"
Hadn't she replaced him? That's what people did when they moved on, they got another person to fill their needs. The gender didn't matter. Trust him to be cynical right when he was close to her, releasing her wrist from his grip and still watching her with sharp, thoughtful dark eyes. Logan remembered the first time she let him get this close, outside the motel when he came to her 'rescue.' Unfortunately things would never be so easy again. But he let the silence stretch on, not quite ready to laugh it off and skip away. If she could just give him this moment ....
Veronica grinned up at him when he smacked her hand away and grabbed a hold of her wrist. She knew she'd caught him by surprise, and that never failed to bring a smile to her face. "I stick with the classics." She said, noting the warmth of his hand around her wrist.
But then his face clouded over and he let her go. They stood there, facing each other silently, the warm Vegas night going on around them unnoticed. She knew what he was thinking. He'd made it clear with his comment about men being replaceable. Didn't he know? Didn't he know that there was never going to be anyone who could even come close to replacing him in her life? Probably not. Logan had all the confidence in the world when it came to witty banter and teasing...but when it came down to real, raw emotions, he was just as insecure as the rest of the world. Maybe even more. She watched him carefully, wanting to touch him. To reassure him. But she kept her hands at her sides.
"Logan." You are completely irreplaceable. It's what she wanted to say. But she couldn't. Her mouth stubbornly refused to say the words. "We should get back." She said, finally.
Veronica didn't realize how lucky she was in some ways. She never doubted her father's love for her, not for an instant, and she wouldn't have to. Her mother was more difficult, but she did love her, even if she had problems. Duncan had worshiped her for a time. Wallace, Mac, Piz, they all loved and followed her without question. Logan had a father whose idea of attention was a belt, whose mother drank herself into numbness and then jumped off a bridge, whose sister was full of spite and resentment, and whose first love made it very clear that he was never enough. Duncan was his only friend and left, and Dick was hardly a serious companion outside of boozing and fun. Logan had no reason to have confidence in his ability to earn the love of someone else and keep it. All evidence to the contrary.
"Veronica," he replied dryly. He knew the spell was over and he had to get her home before the carriage became a pumpkin again, but that didn't mean he was happy about it. "You're the one who stopped us." She was also the one who encouraged him closer, but Logan decided to take pity on her this time. "So tomorrow night I was thinking of wearing my Freddy Krueger hand and randomly crawling it up people's shoulders. How many restraining orders do you think I'll be slapped by?" Without missing a beat Logan shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to stand next to her, beginning their walk again.