Long Road Home (the_wolverine) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-04-24 02:33:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, logan howlett (wolverine), tifa lockhart |
I warned you!
Who: Logan and Tifa
What: sharing really powerful drinks, comforting, deep discussions
When: Early April
Where: Seventh Heaven
Status: Complete
Rating: Pg-13 for language and ftb fun times at the end
There were people that Logan had a certain fondness for, and Tifa was one of them. Not just how hot she was or how good in bed she was (though he was certainly fond of both), but also in how she approached the world. She was kind and gentle yet could break a man’s face who looked at her funny.
Logan probably had a type.
Since he couldn’t drink away his sorrows, he’d tried to find other ways to move on. Usually dangerous ones, or faces he barely remembered. So the promise of actually getting a little drunk was a powerful one.
That probably wasn’t too healthy an approach, but whatever.
While Tifa’s heart was set on a man who may not ever return and see her for anything more, she didn’t let that stop her from experiencing connections. She didn’t want to isolate herself the same way he did, electing to be with people in the hopes that, when he did decide to come back, he’d have a safety net of others to support him. She kept her eyes on the future as much as she could to make up for how heavily covered up in the past her heart remained.
A day after arriving home from Taiwan, she contacted Logan and invited him over. Seventh Heaven was closed on Sunday, which worked out well for her when taking long trips--not that she did.
Sitting down in the bar area, she was situated atop the bar counter with one leg crossed over the other. It was late enough in the day that she didn’t mind nursing a whiskey on the rocks while she waited for him to arrive. Comfortable wear for Tifa consisted of a black miniskirt and a white tank top, a choice of attire mirrored by her dream self. Two bottles of Kaoliang were situated beside her and a tall glass for the pouring, too.
It was definitely something that Logan understood. Hoping, wanting, needing, but moving forward rather than waiting for something that might not ever happen. How many times had he waited for Jean or someone like her? Too many.
Logan parked in back but came around front. He stepped inside, giving her an appreciative once over as he did so. Tifa sitting on her own bar in that outfit was probably one of the better sites a person could be exposed to. His own comfortable wear was jeans and a short-sleeved flannel shirt. No tank top today. "You look real good, Tifa. But isn't sittin' on the bar frowned upon?"
Looking up from her glass, Tifa set it down to regard him with an amused grin. “Yeah, so don’t even think about it!” Her bar, her rules, she’d say. After hours, she didn’t care so much, her words were definitely spoken in jest. Patting the empty space next to her, she gave a small laugh.
“Have a seat, Logan. I’m curious to see what you think of this stuff…” Tifa glanced over at the Kinmen brand, fifty-eight percent as promised. She wasn’t a fan and couldn’t wrap her mind around how anyone else could be for that matter. If it helped him a little bit though, that was all that mattered.
He laughed. He hadn’t laughed much lately. Around Rogue mostly. “Just don’t kick me out over it, I like it here.” Hopping up next to Tifa and picked up a bottle to look at it. “Fuck I can smell it without opening the bottle.” Logan turned to her. “How was the flight back?”
“Promise I won’t,” Tifa chuckled, nudging him with her shoulder once he was beside her. Taking the opportunity to lean lightly against him, she peered at the bottle with a nose wrinkled in disdain. “It’s rough stuff, don’t say I didn’t warn ya.”
Pouring herself a little more whiskey, Tifa took a sip as she recalled the long flight back. “It’s not a fun flight back, there’s always this one patch of turbulence, gets me every time. Guess that’s another reason why I only go once a year! Have they invented teleportation yet?”
Logan bumped his shoulder against Tifa’s, then popped open the bottle. It was strong. Honestly he was excited, he’d been considering brewing his own moonshine just to have something strong enough. Logan patted her thigh. “Next time, I can fly you in my jet. Hypersonic, can travel anywhere in the world in just a few hours.”
He took a long swig. It burned going down, both his throat and his nose and his eyes. “Fuck that tastes like shit.” So he took another swig.
Nearly choking on her whiskey, Tifa looked at him in surprise. “Hypersonic? Seriously?” The prospect of being back in Taiwan in the span of a mere hours blew her mind. “That would be incredible!” She just might take him up on it one day.
Balling a fist at her mouth to conceal a laugh, Tifa clinked her glass against the bottle. “Told you. You have some catching up to do, I’ve seen elderly women drinking this at festivals! They’re the real heroes!”
“I’ll take you up sometime. Goes suborbital too. Great view of….well everything.” He took another swig and grimaced. Once he got used to it it would be easier, but his super sniffer was having a hell of a time with it. It made him happy.
“No kidding?” Tifa was doing her best to grapple with the mere concept. In her dreams, space travel was unheard of, and in reality--it wasn’t getting very good funding. That he had something capable of going that far amazed her.
With an easygoing smile, she nodded happily. “I’d like that! A lot, don’t know if I’d get used to that kind of view though!”
It wasn’t quite a space ship, but close enough. It was great for impressing people, or just going some place really face. It was also armed to the teeth and could cloak but that was less important.
“Not a view to get used to. Can’t hurt to go up once or twice.” Logan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and then took another swig. The room was swimming nicely and he grinned sloppily. “Haven’t felt this loose since I lost my powers that one time.”
One didn’t need beer goggles for a woman like Tifa, but she positively glowed. He raised the glass in toast of … something.
Whatever he’d been going through, it was obvious he needed some sort of mental reprieve from it. To see him grinning, even if it was just from the booze, she felt like she’d done something good for Logan. As he raised his glass, she lifted her half-full one and hit it against his.
“To better days,” she offered. “Things can get better,” they had to.
“They always get better,” he replied. “Even if it don’t feel like it now. The hard part is rememberin’ that. An’ rememberin’ how to move forward.” Logan put an arm around her and squeezed.
Moving forward was the trick. Scooting a tad closer to him, Tifa rested her head against his. Sometimes she got lonely, not that she’d ever admit it. All the patrons in the world couldn’t keep her from having down days, they were distractions. Things to keep her from calling him or compulsively checking her phone for messages.
“Not as easy as it sounds, huh?” She lamented, though managed a smile in spite of it. “Must be what friends are for. But, you know. It’s alright not to be okay for a little while, too.”
“Not easy at all.” He smiled into her hair. Sometimes it was good to hear that. That it was okay to not be okay. Hell, it was advice he gave people on a regular basis. Maybe he just needed to hear it from someone else. “Definitely what friends are for, darlin.’”
Logan sipped from the bottle again. Still burned. Didn’t care. “This really is shit.”
Tifa knew all too well how important it was to be reminded of the things often said to others. She didn’t know what all was going on inside his head, but she was more than happy to assure him that being stuck in it happened to be normal, healthy even. It was burying issues that could be toxic.
Turning her head to laugh against his shoulder, she sat upright and gave a tiny sneer at the Kaoliang. “I warned you! I’m pretty sure the smell alone could kill small animals!” It was a wonder she even got orders for it once in a blue moon at the bar, but that was part of the annual trip home--bringing back her own Kaoliang and selling it to brave patrons.
“Should save some stuff. Deal with wounds, it’ll be better than antibiotics.” Logan grinned at her. In this part of the world the chance of wounds was actually higher than you’d think. Especially for Dreamers. “But it’s… nice. Gives me enough of a buzz to remember what that was like.” He leaned over, kissed her cheek.
“It keeps a long while,” she nodded. “And doesn’t sell well, you can imagine! I’ve got a decent supply! I buy as much as they’ll let me take in my suitcase without raising too many red flags!” Not that anyone ever seemed to know what it was when she told the people at customs, but she had yet to encounter any troubles!
“I’m glad it could,” Tifa added, smiling at the gesture. “Can keep that bottle, I brought it for you. Don’t plan on drinking it all in one go, do you?”
All she’d have to do is let customs have a sip and they’d be out like a light, Logan thought. Effective! “Thanks. Nah. Might save it for a bad day.” Logan rubbed a hand up Tifa’s back. “I really...thanks.” He grunted, like that type of gratitude was hard.
“Good plan, but…” Tifa reached over to cup the side of his face with her hand, her smile hopeful. “I hope you don’t have one any time soon, Logan.” Returning his previous gesture, Tifa leaned toward him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. It didn’t trouble her at all to be there for him. She may have been slightly jet lagged, but that was where loads of coffee came in. Resetting her internal clock wouldn’t be a challenge.
“Want something a little easier on the palate now?” She offered, leaning back a tad to reach for the bottle of whiskey she’d used to pour herself a glass earlier.
“Thanks…” Logan nodded, looking at the bottle like it was a life saver. Something nice and smooth would do his throat some good.
“Have at it,” she said, offering it to him. “Sure there’s not anything else I can do, Logan?” It didn’t feel altogether right filling him with alcohol. She couldn’t help it, it was in her nature to try and be there for people.
He grinned at her. He had some ideas, and there was almost a twinkle in his eyes. “Whatever you want. I’m feelin’ a lot better.”
“Yeah?” Shifting back on the bar, Tifa set one hand on his shoulder to steady herself as she slung a leg around him to sit astride his lap. Arms looped lazily about his shoulders, that twinkle in his eyes easy to read, she made herself comfortable. “I have a couple of ideas that might interest you…”
This was...definitely one of the nice benefits of this kind of friendship. Logan rested a hand on Tifa’s waist. “I’m listenin’...”