Who: Navi and Logan. What: Chance encounter, delicious meats. When: Saturday afternoon. Where: Liquor store, burger joint! Rating: R for language. Status: Complete!
The fairy with the perceptible baby bump bounced into the liquor store, humming a little under her breath as she walked down the aisles. She picked up a couple of bottles of scotch - the good kind - for her husband, but also some juice for herself. One less trip was a very good thing.
As she shopped, she smiled at a burly looking guy standing by the beer. “Is that kind any good?” She pointed at what the man was holding.
Logan was holding a couple bottles with Japanese labels. Yamazaki had won several awards for their whiskey last year and so he’d wanted to try some. “Supposed to be. Won world’s best single malt last year.”
He eyed her belly, then the scotch in her hand, and raised an eyebrow.
“Scotch is the husband, juice is me.” Navi grinned. “Don’t worry! The firebug is going to be juuust fine. I don’t even drink anything with caffeine in it anymore.” She’d had to adjust her tea intake accordingly, but it was a labor of love.
Shifting the scotch and juice in one arm, she reached out for some of the beer. “You look familiar,” she groused. “Oh!” She remembered reading about him in one of Pete’s files as she’d collated it. “Valarnet!”
Logan sniffed. She wasn't human. He wasn't sure what she was, but she made him want to sneeze a little. There was also a smell that was vaguely familiar on her. The husband perhaps.
"I think I know your husband, just can't place the smell."
Only in Orange County was that not a weird statement.
“I’m Navi Wisdom.” She wondered if the last name would tip him off. “Come on, let’s pay for this and I’ll buy you lunch. Anyone that knows Pete and hasn’t tried to scream at me yet is bound to be a friend, right?”
“Wisdom?” Logan asked, a little incredulous. “Pete Wisdom. Your husband is Pete Wisdom? Did he drug you?”
Navi’s eyes went wide. “Oi! Pete’s fantastic, thank you very much! And he wouldn’t drug someone.” She stuck her tongue out at him, unaware that her wings were fluttering fast and hard - which had her hovering a bit off of the ground.
Logan stared at her, then shook his head. Great. She was one of those. If he started hallucinating unicorns he was going to cut a bitch.
“I’m sure he’s fantastic. Just never pictured a man like him to settle down.”
“Oh, Grumbles isn’t what I’d call settled.” Navi had stopped fluttering, and she was grinning. Mimicking Pete’s accent, she scrunched up her face. “Blah blah, everyone sucks, pip pip, I NEED MEATS. He’s still him, he just gets to make babies with me.” Marriage wasn’t really something that changed someone that much, was it?
“Come on, I owe you a burger for glittering you. Pete says it tastes like Cinnamon Toast Crunch.”
“That sounds more like the old bastard,” Logan replied. Not that Wisdom was all that old, and in the dream world they’d had a mutual respect thing going. The drinking contest had been legendary.
“Isn’t it adorable?” Navi grinned, bouncing to the counter and paying for everything - adding on two packs of the smokes that Pete still pretended he wasn’t sneaking. “Okay, so where should we get you fed, grumbly person who hasn’t told me his name yet?”
“I’m Logan, an’ anyplace that makes a decent cheeseburger is fine by me.” The best he’d ever had was an Elkburger in the mountains near Las Vegas. That probably wasn’t happening.
She’d known his name, but she didn’t want him to know she knew. “Right, right, the Canadian guy. You know, your bottom’s really nice for a Canadian.”
“I don’t know whether to be insulted or not,” he replied, paying for his whiskey, and then stepping towards the exit. “You have a car?”
“Yup. On both counts.” Navi led him out to her 72’ pickup, grinning and hopping into the driver’s seat. “Just yell when you see a place where you want to eat!”
Logan shrugged. The bike would be safe where it was, so he climbed into the pickup. It was a nice pickup, and he gave it an approving pat.
“She was my grampa’s, I like her too.” Navi grinned, reaching out to ruffle Logan’s hair. “I don’t get why people think you’re all scary, you’re cute.”
Logan put up with the hair ruffling, because he knew he was doomed from the beginning. Sometimes you just put up with that shit, because it was easier than trying to argue it. “Ain’t cute.”
“Adorable, then. Hush, I’m a fairy, I know these things.” Navi found a steakhouse and bounced a little in her seat. “Delicious cow for meeee~,” she sang. “And the grumbly moooose~.”
One of Logan’s eyes twitched as she sang, but again, he said nothing. He understood what had happened to Wisdom. The man had been cuted to death.
Once parked, she hopped out of the trunk, then looked at Logan. “So. Do you always do the Stoic McBroodypantymelt thing?”
“Mcbroody what now?” Logan climbed out of the car and stared at her. “You must speak the same crazy language Jubilee does.”
“You have that brooding hero thing girls like. That ‘oh, I can’t stay, darlin’, I have to go to the next town and save the maiden fair but I’ll totally call you when I’m back in town’ thing.” Navi grinned, mimicking his growly voice. “Girls dig this.” She moved closer to Logan, growling quietly. “Darlin’, I’m going to fuck you until your knees give out.” Then she giggled, bouncing happily. “That’s totally you, isn’t it?”
Logan gaped.
Navi couldn’t help but laugh harder at that. “Ha! Your line works on you! Come on, beefy treats!” Her wings glittered him as she turned to walk into the restaurant.
Sparkly cinnamon sugar. She hoped it wouldn’t bug him too much.
It was better than unicorns. Logan followed her in. “For a fairy you’ve got quite a mouth on you.” Made even more sense, if she married Wisdom.
“I’m just honest.” Navi grins. “They’re just words. I try not to swear too much, but you? I’m guessing you’re a sailor.” She was the sort of woman who looked happy and cute while pregnant, and they were soon shown a table.
“Army, close enough.” Logan took a seat, ordering a beer and then looking at the menu to decide on the best sort of burger to eat. “Ain’t sayin’ it’s bad. You just don’ look the type.”
Navi ordered a chocolate shake and some chili fries as an appetizer, grinning at Logan. “My grampa was a Marine. Used to tell me ‘Navi, swearin’ ain’t the problem, it’s finding the right word that’s the problem. Don’t say ‘fuck’ to a nun, and don’t say nice shit to sailors.’” She smiled, looking fondly off in the distance. “He was the smartest person I ever met.”
“Sounds like a good guy. Lot of jarheads are.” Logan nodded his head, settling on an artery clogging burger with cheese fries. And more beer. Because beer is awesome.
“He raised me after my parents died when I was a baby.” She smiled, leaning forward on her elbows. When the waiter came, she ordered a steak with a loaded baked potato. “This baby’s gonna end up like her daddy, I think. I’ve gotten more carnivorous.”
“He’ll be happy to hear that. Thought it might be a girl, didn’t want to say anythin’ since not everyone wants to know that kinda shit.” Logan smiled at her.
“I’m pretty sure it’s a girl. Just ... I know somehow.” Navi chuckled, rubbing her stomach lightly. “He wants eleven boys, but at least one’s going to be a little girl.” She smiled back at him, shaking her head. “You know, I get why all the girls like you now. Your smile’s the best part.”
Logan tapped his nose. “I can tell too.” Logan didn’t blush, but he did look momentarily bashful. “How the fuck did Wisdom meet you, anyway?”
Navi grinned, leaning back. “There was this time where everyone’s phones weren’t working - everything went to the wrong person - and I was talking about how I wanted random boobs in a text. He was all BLAH BLAH BRITISH JUNK and so I sent him pictures of my boobs on his phone.” She giggled. “He liked that I was direct, so we went to a bar on a date. I fell in love with him right away, it was ... yeah, I just knew.”
Logan was amused. “Damn. Wish women would send me pictures of their tits, too.” He really didn’t need to complain (he saw plenty in person), and he knew it, but it was fun to joke about it.
“Ask Pete to send ‘em to you.” Navi smiled. “He’ll get jealous if I do it.” She swung her legs, impishly taking a big swig of her shake. Fairy metabolism ran high to begin with, but being pregnant too didn’t help.
Logan rolled his eyes. “Wouldn’t want to see Wisdom’s tits. Thanks for the offer though.”
“I meant mine, you dummy.” Navi rolled her eyes. “Pete’s are perkier, though.”
Logan looked down at Navi’s chest. “He’s probably delighted what being pregnant is doin’ to them.” The man could appreciate a good pair of tits. He could even appreciate the beauty of a pregnant woman.
“I am too! You know, I heard that sometimes women get to keep them. That’d be nice, I’d never have to beg Pete to take out the garbage again. I’d just have to bounce and point.” She smiled and clapped gleefully as she got her food.
“Hopefully. If you can fly with those things, you’ll do good.” Logan expected her to tip over from being so top heavy, if she kept them.
“Oh, I can! Even if I couldn’t, I think I’d be okay if I went little.” She looked around to see if anyone was looking. Finding herself satisfactorily unwatched, she went little and fluttered around his head. It sounded like windchimes in his ear, and she beeped his nose before settling back in her seat.
Logan sneezed, and was grateful he didn’t send her flying. “Stop that. You remind me of a girl I knew in my dreams cept your dust don’t make me hallucinate. Thank god. Chasin’ unicorns down wasn’t as fun as it sounded.”
“Some people pay good money for that,” Navi grinned. “Meggan, right? Pete’s mentioned her. I think he’s terrified that Kitty’s one of my best friends. That and I snog Lockheed. And let him burrow into my boobs.” She grinned to herself.
“Lockheed’s a little perv,” Logan agreed. It didn’t surprise him that Navi and Kitty had become friends. “How’s she doin’, anyway? There are some things she don’t tell me, even though she knows she can.”
“He’s lucky he’s a dragon, or Pete would have competition.” Navi laughed, swinging her legs. “She’s ... a little better lately. But I think she has to stop feeling responsible for everything.”
“Yeah that’ll never happen.” Logan sounded like he was joking, and it was half-true. “She always got too serious, underneath it all. Like the world aged her too soon.”
“Still. The guilt will eat at her until there’s nothing left to eat,” Navi murmured. She sighed and looked down at her hands. “It’s really sad. She’s so sweet, she deserves so many happier times.”
“She’ll figure something out, an’ we’ll help her get through it. It’s a terrible thing, losin’ someone you love like that.” It sounded like he spoke from experience.
“Who was it for you?” Navi smiled sadly, reaching out to take his hand.
“My wife, and our foster daughter,” he said, but he didn’t offer more than that. It wasn’t that he was against talking about it, but he didn’t want to, not right now. Only a few people knew any details.
Navi might have come off like a bull in a china shop (albeit a very glittery one), but she knew someone who didn’t want to talk when she saw one. She just squeezed his hand and offered him a chili cheese fry while still holding his hand.
Logan smiled, and took the fry, popping it into his mouth. “Thanks, darlin’.”
“Ha! You do call people darlin’! Shouldn’t you sound less like a cowboy and more like a mountie?” She grinned, biting her lip as she teased him. “You’re adorable.”
Logan gave Navi a dry look. “Funny, comin’ from a fairy. Darlin’.” His expression became a grin.
“Why is it funny, Sweetass?” Navi grinned, leaning back, crossing her legs. She was inventing nicknames for him as she spoke.
“Now you’re crossin’ a line. I don’t know what line it is, but you’re crossin’ it.”
“Aww, pookie can’t take a nickname.” Navi’s eyes narrowed playfully. “It’s almost like you had a sense of humor there for a second.”
“Depends on the nickname.” He took “Wolvie” from Jubilee, Patch from plenty of people. Only Kitty was allowed to call him ‘old man’ though.
“I take it Sweetass isn’t going to work. Hmm. Maple Syurp? Mountie! Get it? You’re Canadian, and you’re unfy.”
“Unfy? Is that even a word? No, don’t answer that.” Logan grimaced. Mountie worked. He didn’t object to that one.
“It’s my word!” Navi held up her hands, turning the left into an ‘o’ and putting the index finger through it. “Unfing.”
“Never use it to refer to anything I do an’ you can call me mountie. Deal?”
“Fine.” She rolled her eyes, knowing she’d do whatever she wanted and he’d let her.
Girls like Navi tended to wrap Logan around their little fingers. He knew it, they knew it, it was just a fact of life. Logan grunted, and knocked back his drink.