InsaneJournal

Who: Rogue and Logan
What: taking care of the sick
When: During the bleeding eyes plot
status: Complete
rating: Pg-13 for blood

Rogue hadn't been to the cafe that day. Or the day before. Not totally unusual but she didn't call or tell anyone she wasn't going to be around. There'd been no answer in the apartment above the cafe, but she wasn't home either. Someone finally dug out rogues very small rolodex in her office and called Logan, and Kitty, both calls were made nervously. She was in the apartment upstairs but she'd caught the virus sweeping the OC, and was in no shape to answer the door.

She hadn't quite figured out how to draw on the powers she'd long since stolen so she was just as susceptible to things as usual. She figured she'd gotten the flu and had curled up on the couch. Too bad it wasn't just the flu.

Logan had responded first. After all, if Rogue was sick, she was literally the best person he could help. He didn’t think he could get sick, and maybe she could steal his healing factor. If she wanted to. It really depended. Jean had sent him a scathing message about letting Rogue zap him and ‘giving her space to heal mentally’ so maybe that wasn’t an option.

“Darlin’?”

Rogue grunted, which was as talkative as she could muster right now. She liked like Hell, felt like hell, and oh jeez blood from tear ducts wasn't a good thing. She wanted to
just die. She put effort into it and rolled off the couch with a thud, there was no graceful landing.

“You smell awful.” Logan let himself in, closing the door behind him. He’d even brought her soup. Beer. And soup. Though the beer was for him. He set the bag down and came over, picking her up and setting her back onto the couch. “Shit..”

She'd wanted to get up to greet him, or kick him out, but that hadn't gone too well. She did manage to flip him off at his first comment though, even if it took a minute. Rogue grumbled when he picked her up and set her back up on the couch. She'd caught whatever it was that was going around, and she was too sick to whine about it. “Hi.” Took another minute to form, befits she started coughing.

“Hey.” He took stock of the situation. First thing was to empty what she’d been throwing up in, clean it out and put a bag in it. Secondly, he produced a bottle of cough syrup. “Drink some of this. Might help with the coughin’.”

She gave him what would have been a withering look had she not been blood stained and paler than usual. As he tended to her things she gave him a little sass by way of a half hearted growl then it turned into an involuntary groan as she held her fingers up street brushing against her eyes. “Merde.” Sla muttered curse as she pulled herself up by sheer will. “Where did ya pull that from?” Though she reached for it.

“Don’t ask.” Logan unscrewed the bottle and poured her a capful. “Take this, then we’re gonna clean you up, an’ I’m gonna put you to bed. You got that?”

Rogue took the capful and tossed it back like a good girl. She started coughing again and dove for the bucket she'd been using. She sat up, wiping blood from her lips. “Throw me in a shower. This.. Sucks" she groaned. “And is a bit embarrassing.”

“Not how I want to get you naked.” Logan picked her up when she was done coughing. Washing her down was probably a good idea anyway. Nurse Logan reporting for duty. Just never, ever say that out loud.

Rogue didn’t even grumble when he picked her up. “Not how I prefer you to do it either.” she sassed right back and laid her head on his shoulder. She sighed, and lifted a hand up, examining the blood on her fingers from her coughing fit. “I like blood and all “ she muttered “but not like this. I like mine in my body.”

“I like yours in your own body too.” Logan set her on the toilet and started to undress her while the shower heated up. “You shoulda called someone. Me. Kitty. Anyone.”

Rogue helped out where she could - though it was a lot of effort. She grumbled at him. “Since when do I call fer help?” she asked as she tossed clothing to the floor as she could. “Besides… I figured it fer the flu you know?” not bleeding from tear ducts and spewing blood. Just not what she expected.

“Simmer down,” Logan complained. “I got you.” There was uncharacteristic gentleness in his gruff voice. Friends with benefits? Maybe. But he still cared a great deal for her.

Friends with excellent benefits, or whatever they were. It was a good thing. She also knew that that aside, he watched out for her. She’d settled on in under that gruff armor and made herself at home. There was nothing romantic about it, he’d been there for her here, she’d hunted his ass down and killed him, and he’d made herself check her own head out. There was a friendship that ran a lot deeper than the benefits. Not that either of them would just say that. “I’m tired, Logan.” she said after a moment. “I hurt. I hate hurting. It makes me ornery.”

Actions spoke louder than words. Logan was more a man of action than words. “You’re always ornery darlin’. You’re just cranky right now. But it’s okay to be tired. You’re sick.” He didn’t bother to undress himself, instead helping her into the shower. “Think you can stand on your own?”

She had the presence of mind to stick her tongue out at him. “Ain’t always ornery, just lot of the time.” she grinned a bit then grabbed onto the wall of the shower. “Yeah, I think i can manage to stand.” for how long, who knew, but she was trying.

“All the time,” he corrected her, stepping out of the shower but staying close. She looked somewhat frail, so he couldn’t enjoy her nudity the way he otherwise would. Still, he focused more on the wall. “Jeannie gave me a yellin’ at.”

“Takes on to know one.” She looked like shit and she knew it, she’d only been sick for a short time but she’d thrown up a lot. She looked like she’d gone through the wringer and if she stayed sick, she’d probably start showing some ribs. She rarely stopped to eat anyways, this wasn’t helping. “Oh yeah?” she took one hand gingerly off the wall and groped for the washcloth, grabbed it and got soap on it, and started trying to feel cleaner,

He should have stolen an IV kit somewhere. Hell, maybe he could call in a favor at the agency, except he wasn’t sure they had the man power to spare. “Yeah. She wants you to mentally heal without me fuckin’ it up.”

She'd punch him in the nose if he did, she didn't like the idea of him wasting favors on her. Rogue was beginning to think she needed to stock a much better first aid kit in her homes. “Oh for fucks sake"' she groaned as she watched the blood swirl down the drain. “I baked six tons of brownies, made four big batches of jerky and i think I ate most of a batch of brownies batter.” She had to pause, the idea of food made her stomach churn. She closed her eyes until the feeling passed, when it didn't she leaned on the wall “How are you going to fuck it up?”

“Get in your head again. Or make whats in your head worse, I don’t know. She seemed to think you were on your way to full control again.” It was what he wanted for her too, and that actually had little to do with the more selfish reasons Rogue having control could exist.

“Yeah no sugah, you're still in there, i freaked out and took off and ran into Codys room in there. But yer behaving in there. “ she'd never share why she'd been so adamant about him staying in the first place. It was her secret. “I think I'll get there faster. Kind of put the rest in a curio cabinet.”

“Good.” He glanced at her, to make sure she wasn’t going to fall over. “I’m gonna heat up your soup. Don’t go anywhere.” Gruffly, he headed out the door.

Rogue rolled her eyes. “Where am I gonna go?” She called after him then sunk to sit. She'd never felt so sick in her life.

Logan didn’t know, but in Orange County (or New York) anything was possible. He got her soup started, downed a can of beer, then came up to check on her. “How you doin’? Gettin’ pruny yet?”

She had no energy to run. Though she had no reason to either. Unless he was thinking about her running away from her own head. That was effort. “I'm a prune. I'm clean. Pretty sure death would be nicer than this"

What, she hated being sick.

“Ain’t lettin’ you die.” Logan turned the water off, then helped towel Rogue off. He ended up doing most of the work. “Here you are all naked an’ at my mercy.” He smiled, brushing some hair from her face. “Lets get you back to bed.”

“I'm being dramatic.” Rogue let him dry her off without complaining. “I'd ruin the moment.” She laughed, it was airy and tired. “Ain't a good time when any rough motion would make me sick again.” Because nothing said mood killer like coughing up blood. She gave him a tender smile as he brushed the hair from her face.

Logan put her into her bed, and even tucked her in. “I’ll bring up the vomit bin, an’ put your soup on a tray.” He looked over at the tv. “We could put somethin’ on?”

Rogue reached up and touched the back of her hand to his forehead like she was taking his temperature. She was grinning though as she let her hand fall. “Whatever you'd like darlin’”

“Lets save that for if you really are dyin’,” Logan said. He meant it.

Rogue let out a tired laugh. “Jes checking if you're running a fever, ain't used to anyone tucking me into bed.” She teased as she blew him a kiss. “Don't plan on ever dyin’. Almost did that once already.”

“You’re too sick for the other ing into bed.” He grinned at her, then got up to get the soup. This house was too big for just her and Kitty, he thought. But he couldn’t live here. He just couldn’t.

Rogue’s laugh followed him as he went to grab the soup. She laid her head back and tried not to cough. She could feel the urge to just pass out but she didn't want to do that. She was too stubborn. The house was way too big and to think for a long while it'd just been her. She'd never suggest it to him, though.

Too many memories. He’d straight up given it to her after all. That’s what friends did. Give them houses apparently.. Logan was just that kinda guy. He came back with the soup. “Still feeling like shit?”

It really didn't matter in the long run, rogue spent too much of her time above the cafe anyways. Before Kitty moved in, the house sat empty save for a couple days a week. It held a lot of memories for her, too. Of friends who've drifted apart. She lifted a hand to flip him off. “Hard to stay awake, don't want to pass out though.”

“Eat somethin. Then maybe you ought to rest anyway. This is what you get for workin’ as hard as you do. There’s this thing called a vacation, darlin’. An’ days off. Those are good too.”

She was in danger of rolling her eyes into another dimension at this point. “Days off, who even does that?” Though she reached for the soup.

“Normal people. People who ain’t you.” He handed over the soup, then pulled up a chair so he could sit near her. “Maybe gettin’ sick is a good thing.’

“Ain't never been normal.” She chided as she started in on the soup. “Oh yeah, you're yer stuck babysitting my ass apparently, feel bad fer you”

“No, you ain’t ever been normal. An’ I don’t mind babysitting you. You’re jus’ lucky this started after I got back from Japan.” The mention of the country seemed to make him sober just a little bit.

Rogue gave him a weak smile. “You're the best. And I have good timing.” She blew him an exaggerated kiss before setting her soup aside and closing her eyes. “I don't feel well”

“You get some rest.” Logan smirked at her. “I’ll keep watch, darlin’.”

Rogue was out before the words were. It'd be that heavy, coma like sleep, too. But she'd survive. Quite probably because she'd turn in her sleep, one hand reaching, then her brain kicking in and shuffling through the collection, until it found his. Her body was tired of her not utilizing the gifts she'd stolen over the years.

Logan didn’t mind. A little hit now and again didn’t hurt, and he didn’t want her hurting if he could help it. Mostly, he just let her rest.