Who: Leon Orcot and Logan Echolls What: Apologies and surfing When: A couple of weeks after the Shattered Sight plot Where: A beach. Warnings/Ratings: None minus language Status: Complete
Logan maybe hasn't faced the full force of Leon's week of being a raging douchebag (for instance, Leon didn't get into a fist fight with him like he did Max, throw baked goods around his apartment, or tase him even if Veronica kind of deserved it), but they had had their run-ins and Leon felt awful about about some of the things he had said. The Orange County was the Orange County and Leon attempted to brush it off as nothing, but, well, he had said some phenomenally shitty things to one of his best friends in the whole world. And it wasn't exactly like Leon had friends to spare.
It was a few weeks late for an apology, maybe, but he'd make it up to Logan. He dropped Chris off with the babysitter for the day, and was actually kind of excited for a day of surfing, ogling beach babes, and drinks (on Leon, of course) for the day. "Shit is this a good day for this," Leon said, looking out over the water. The sun was shining and hot, the waves looked great, and the babes looked better.
“Yeah, it is,” Logan said, dropping his board to the sand for a few minutes, just to adjust the wet suit he wore. He loved the ocean, but it was cold. That didn’t stop him from getting out their and shredding on a surfboard. He loved it. Surfing was the one activity that he had held onto his entire life, and that was not going to change.
He looked over at Leon. They had been here before many times, but it was the first time since the craziness of the week that left everyone angry. Veronica had tased him, or they tased each other, and the two of them were fighting. He had hated it. At least he knew what was going on and why, but it was still hard for him. They had been friends for a long time.
“Come on. Let’s get to it.” He also understood that this was a way to bring them back together. They were both bad at talking, especially when it involved deeper feelings. They could do it on boards, and honestly, that worked too.
Leon enjoyed surfing. It had always been a fun hobby for him. Not something he took particularly seriously, like baseball or football, but it was his second favourite thing to do at the beach (the first being, of course, looking at the ladies, and he ogled an especially well-endowed woman as Logan adjusted his wet suit).
“Right behind you, buddy,” Leon said, getting his board into the water. “I’m thinking of getting Chris a board for his birthday. You wanna help me pick one out afterward?” he asked. He’d been trying to teach his little brother how to surf, but he really wasn’t a fan of rentals. People needed to get a feel for their surfboards, and getting a new one every time wasn’t the best way to go about that.
Logan watched the woman pass and shook his head. “Are you serious? That girl is gonna fall over.” Logan had a taste for very petite women. His was right in that ballpark. Veronica was tiny, cute and blonde. She was also very smart and opinionated, and stubborn as a damn mule.
“I’ll help you pick his board,” he said as they walked. “We will get him something wider so it’s easy to learn.” That was the way to go. He had a board before he ever got in the water. Logan never used a rental in his life. Chris would need something that he could get used to as an extension of himself. Surfing really was a way of life, at least for some. Logan hadn’t found anything that suited him better. “I could work with him too.”
“Maybe I should keep an eye on her to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Leon said, grinning. He wouldn’t ditch his friend for some girl who’d probably turn him down anyway, especially not on their bro-date, though Leon’s taste absolutely was big breasts, tiny waist, and an ass that could stop bullets.
“Would you? That would be great.” Leon was good on a surfboard, but he didn’t put nearly as much time into it as Logan did and it showed. More than that, he didn’t really have the patience to teach anyone anything. He had worlds more patience when it came to his brother than he did with anyone else on the planet, but trying to teach new skills always kind of stretched it thin.
“You could just prop her up with your hands,” Logan added, giving the issue a shrug. Men were still men, and they liked to talk. He was pretty sure if Veronica was there, he would be getting the look.
Logan was a decent teacher when it came to surfing. He enjoyed sitting out on the board in the ocean, watching the waves, showing a new kid how to move. It was a lot of work, and it would take a while to get Chris to balance just right, but with surfing, it was about persistence and a true desire to do it. He also liked the kid. Logan was like another brother, or at least a really cool uncle. “I’ve got this. How is he with swimming in the ocean?”
“Now you’re talking,” Leon said, laughing. The bright side of being perpetually single was that he could talk and look all he wanted. The downside was that that was more or less all he ever got to do.
“Kid swims like a damn fish,” Leon said, obviously proud of the fact. “I wasn’t really expecting it, to be honest. He’s more of an indoor kid.” This was especially true when he first showed up at Leon’s, though he was more keen on playing outside now that Leon had gotten him into the habit. The kid still liked his video games, but he also had grown rather fond of throwing around a pigskin every now and then. “Thanks for offering man. I’ll owe you one.”
Logan, oddly enough, was usually taken. He never had trouble getting dates. Usually it was with the wrong women. Most of them had issues, or just weren’t interesting enough to keep him tied down. Veronica lasted longer than most, even if there were some issues to sort out. He laughed about Leon’s lack of love life regularly, especially since he could have one if he wanted. “You let me know how it goes.”
Really, Logan couldn’t wait to teach Chris to surf, especially if he could swim without issue. Logan would watch out for him, but they could ride the waves together. “It’s no problem. That kid is like my little brother too, and say surfing and I’m all there.”
He dropped his bag as they neared the water. He wasn’t worried about the cold with the wetsuit. The skin that was exposed was used to it. He began to wade out, pushing the board along with him.
“Well, Chris’d love to spend more time with you. Get some one-on-one time, just the two of you.” Leon said. Chris kind of adored Logan, which was good. Sometimes Leon worried that Chris spent more time with Leon’s friends than kids his own age, but Leon didn’t know many people with kids and he couldn’t go to school with the kid to make friends for him. He had a couple of friends, and Leon encouraged him to spend as much time with them as possible, but he seemed perfectly content with hanging out with adults all day. Besides, Chris probably needed more men in his life. Back home he had two older sisters, and here he tended to spend most of the time he wasn’t with Leon with either Sharon or Zelda. Maybe that was part of the reason he was such a crybaby (not that Sharon or Zelda weren’t just as tough, if not tougher than most of the guys at work, but still).
He stepped into the water and shivered probably more dramatically than was strictly necessary. “I fucking hate autumn surfing,” he muttered. Maybe it wasn’t cold out, but he definitely prefered to surf when it was blisteringly hot out and the water was delightful. Not like this. The things he did to make amends with his friends. Once he was close to waist deep, he dove completely under the water so he could acclimatize quickly. “You’re lucky I like you,” he said once he came back up.
Logan had never minded hanging out with Chris. He was a good kid, and he gave Logan an excuse to be a kid again, or still. He liked to run around on the pier and eat ice cream and cotton candy. He even liked spending way too much money on stuffed animals and playing frisbee on the beach even if he had twisted his ankle the last time. They always had a blast. He even got onto Chris about the girls at school, encouraging him to talk to the ones he liked.
Logan dunked himself behind Leon, not for the cold, but because it was easier when he actually got on the board. He got up on the board right after, paddling further out in the ocean. He loved this part actually. It was relaxing, the same way it was when they stopped to wait for the perfect wave. Once he was far enough, he sat up, straddling the board, feeling the sway of the water underneath it.
“You weren’t in the best mood the other week,” he said, looking at his friend. He was now aware of the whole OC phase, and he was trying not to be offended by it. Once it was over, Logan had chosen to ignore it. Not facing it was easier than talking about it. It was the same way with Veronica. Now that they were talking, it brought back that initial sting.
Once Leon had paddled out next to Logan, he sat on his board as well. Really, coldness of the water aside, it wasn’t so bad out here. Leon didn’t find it easy to relax, but when he was sitting on his board on the ocean, feeling the gentle rise and fall of the water, it was a little easier.
“Yeah,” Leon said, frowning. “I’m really fucking sorry. I was such a massive asshole.” Leon tended to be a bit of an asshole in general, but at least when he was with his friends he was a friendly asshole. There hadn’t been much friendliness involved when he’d been under whatever mood (he refused to call it a spell) the OC had inflicted on him. He still felt awful about it. His wallet did too; he’d bought Chris a new PS4 as a ‘sorry for making you cry before dropping you off at camp for two weeks’ gift. “I didn’t mean any of that shit, you know? You’re like my best friend.”
“So what was so different about that day?” Logan asked, still straddling the board, talking with his hands. It took him a few extra seconds, but the smile spilled over his face. “You really were a deluxe asshole that day.” Point made, apology accepted. It was something that needed to be said, and he wasn’t going to make his friend grovel, even if there was a small devil on his shoulder that wanted to. “I should make you buy me three dozen roses for my desk, but then I would be afraid that you would actually do it and you know how people talk.” He held out a hand to shake instead, a gentleman’s agreement preferable to gifts.
They were all set, and waves were on the way in. He could feel the shift underneath them, rising and falling a little quicker. Logan looked over his shoulder, monitoring the activity, waiting to see the swell of the wave. It could take several minutes to hit just the right one, but he had patience. He wanted the best ride he could get. “I’m glad you are still here,” he said, looking back at the impending ride. “Now just don’t get lost in the ocean.”
Leon gave a half-annoyed snort when Logan asked him what was so different, and went to splash him a little. But his apology seemed to be accepted, and that felt like a weight off of his shoulders. He knew Logan probably wouldn’t hold weird Orange County shit against him, but it was still nice telling Logan that he hadn’t actually meant anything he’d said, and that Logan believed him. “Like I can afford three dozen roses anyway,” Leon said, grasping Logan’s hand in a broshake.
“I’m glad you’re still around too.” He grinned. So long as they didn’t let Orange County fuckery get in the way of their friendship, Leon suspected they’d both be around for each other for a long time.