Who: Anatoly and Svetlana Sergievsky along with Logan being, well, Logan What: Hey, Logan, you're doing it wrong! When: Early afternoon of 14 February 2012 Where: Park in Lawrence Warning: We've got some violence, some angry Svetlana tirading..
While people were all excited about this Valentine’s Day thing, Anatoly and Svetlana had decided that they would just treat it as another day. Because really, why was there this need to set aside a specific day for romance? In the end, all the hype would lead to disappointment. And there really should be no reason to build up a day for such things. Sometimes, spontaneity was romantic. It could be something grand and unexpected, but to Svetlana, it was the small details. Simple gestures. Like the bracelet Anatoly had gotten her for their anniversary. The replica of the one she’d been given early in their relationship that had gotten lost over the years. It was simple, but the design detail was accurate, showing he still remembered those details. Games of chess that sometimes mimicked games from the past. Even just getting tea.
Svetlana was used to people mistaking her husband for Josh Groban. It was annoying, but it happened. So after some girl came up, giggled nervously and then ran away, the blond rolled her eyes and looked up at her husband.
“You should have used the wish to not be mistaken for the singer...” It would make their random outings so much easier. Usually Svetlana just stood to the side and smirked in amusement, but sometimes she got frustrated when she and Anatoly were discussing something and some fangirl ran up and usually glared at her for existing. She was tired of that. So once the girl disappeared, Svetlana made her comment and sipped her tea. But no matter. Hearing someone make a comment on a girl denying him a date for Valentine’s day as they walked past, Svetlana looked down. She did feel bad about the Logan thing, but really... she had never made it seem as though she weren’t married. She hadn’t meant to lead him on, but she still felt bad about it. Though she had mentioned it to Anatoly because he had noticed her feeling upset on the matter.
Sighing, the blond pushed the thoughts away as she brushed her hair from her face.
“Should we head to the park?” It wasn’t as if they had anywhere to be at the moment. The girls were at school and it was a nice day out so why not play a game of chess in the park?
Anatoly didn’t understand why people had to set aside one day out of the year to do something special for their loved one. He knew at the core of the tradition was some religious celebration, but Valentine’s Day was so far removed from that simple meaning. The only reason he knew of the religious connection was because he had looked it up. But really, so many people seemed to be turning themselves inside out for this one day. Why was it so special when people all over jumped at it? Some originality did go a long way. And romance should not be focused on in such a way. To Anatoly, romance was a private matter, and to celebrate it publicly like this was really quite unnerving.
And yet again while he and Svetlana were getting tea, doing something simple, it was interrupted by a fangirl mistaking him for that singer. Really, he should have used that wish. Truthfully, the thought hadn’t exactly crossed his mind during that time. If they were here next Christmas and those bauble things showed up, then he’d use it for that. He just wanted to be left alone by these complete strangers. He glanced at Svetlana as she made the comment, and nodded.
“I really should have.” He sighed inaudibly and sipped his tea. “Maybe one of the witches has a spell that could work. I don’t know.” It was a strange thing really, to know that magic even existed yet alone use it for his own personal benefit. But he also knew the less he attracted attention, the better. The last thing they needed was for the media to get wind of Josh Groban being in Lawrence, Kansas and getting on his case even more.
“Yes, I think that would be a good idea.” At least in the park they had a better chance of being left alone rather than sitting in a cafe with people coming and going constantly. He could hide his face by concentrating on the chess board. And as far as he knew, Josh Groban didn’t play chess. Moving to the door, he opened it and held it for Svetlana to go through first. After all, he was a gentleman.
At least Anatoly seemed to agree that he should use the wish should they get the opportunity arise or find someone who could help. Because they really needed to not bring the press here. Svetlana did enjoy the anonymity they were mostly afforded here. Or at least she and the girls when they were on their own. Not so much with Anatoly given Josh Groban and all that. But no matter. And then he was agreeing to go to the park. Smiling to her husband as he held the door open for her, she stepped out and waited for him.
Once they were both on the sidewalk, Svetlana started towards the park. It was a nice day out, so there was that at least in their favor. And thankfully most people were ignoring them as they spoke, too busy fretting about their plans for the night and all the things that could go wrong. Really, this was a much better way to spend the day. Just together and doing something which they enjoyed. Less stress all around, really.
In the days following Svetlana informing him she was in fact married, Logan had spent that time sipping on some of the finer alcohol he had gotten while looking up Svetlana on the computer. And he had found her in a musical called Chess. And he, after much debating with himself, chose to watch it. And it hadn’t helped his temperament towards Anatoly at all. How could Svetlana be with a man who favored such a sissy game like chess over a beautiful woman like Svetlana? It made no sense to the mutant.
Downing the rest of his bourbon, he set the glass down and slapped some bills on the table to pay for his drinks. The bartender had of course, tried to get him to open up but Logan had just glared at him until the man scurried away. Getting to his feet, he pulled his leather jacket out and headed outside. Glancing up at the sun, he decided to cut through the park. It was a nice day and he didn’t mind taking his time in wandering.
So it was in the park when he spotted two very familiar people. Anatoly and Svetlana. But his dark eyes were fixed on that rat bastard Anatoly. He had nerve. Oh he didn’t know the circumstances of why Svetlana was still with Anatoly but still.
Without deviating from his path, he continued walking and was soon approaching the couple. He really did try to put a smile on his face but only a corner of his mouth when up. “Svetlana, Anatoly,” he greeted, his voice the perfect blend of pleasantry and politeness. “Enjoying the weather I see.”
The winter here was far more mild than he had known in Russia, and while he missed the snow, he didn’t mind the warmer temperatures. So to have another nice day like this, he was happy. It allowed them to spend time outdoors and not feel like they were caged inside the complex, which did get quite claustrophobic at times. Though with all the crazy happening around the city now, they probably should have stayed inside, but they were following the rules of not going out alone, and things tended to be more chaotic at night, not during the day anyway.
So he settled into a chair at one of the chess tables and was in the process of setting up his side of the board when Logan showed up. He looked up at the man, of course immediately prickling up a bit as this man had tried to put the moves on his wife. Yes he probably had no right to get upset after what he’d put his wife through the past five years, but they were trying to repair their marriage, rebuild their family. He did realize he was a colossal asshole, he wasn’t such an idiot as to not realize that. He admitted his faults, and Svetlana knew that, and that was all he needed.
“Hello, and yes, it is a very nice day.” And Anatoly was being gentlemanly because there was no point in trying to be like other men and get in Logan’s face. He well knew how that course of action ended with Svetlana. So he took the high road, knowing there were other ways to keep Logan from getting involved.
While she knew that this game most likely would end up with them just playing for the sake of playing and no deep conversations, it was always interesting to see just what would happen. Anatoly tended to use the same opening move so she was always able to predict that, but once the game got going, it would be interesting. And as he was slowly beginning to not be so rigid in the game, she was given more opportunities to be challenged until she eventually won.
As she set up her own side of the board, Svetlana noticed when Anatoly paused and looked over her shoulder to see Logan walking up. Oh... this was going to be so awkward. Something about the way Logan was moving put the Russian woman on edge. Barely concealed anger. If this was just because he saw her out with her husband, Svetlana wasn’t certain, but somehow she knew this wasn’t going to end well. Shooting a look to Anatoly and seeing him school his features so that no one could see his emotions beyond pleasantries, she just wanted to hide her face in her hands. Cue the awkward tension in the air.
“Hello, Logan... yes, it is nice out.”
Small talk. Svetlana hated small talk. Especially right now in this situation. Oh how she hated small talk.
Anatoly was being smart. Getting up in Logan’s face would not end well. Still, he was trying to resist the urge to wipe that damn look of the Russian’s face. He glanced at the chess board, his mind drifting to Xavier. The mind reader had once told him that he and Eric would play chess often, Xavier usually winning as Eric seemed to do nothing but attack head on.
Folding his arms over his chest (mostly to keep hold of his jacket so he didn’t do anything too rash...he hoped), Logan nodded towards the board. “Never understood the appeal of chess. Too damn boring for me I guess.” Perhaps that was a low blow and he really hoped it didn’t insult Svetlana. But she seemed more cunning than most women he had known and chess did seem to suit her.
“Never would’ve pegged you for the chess type Anatoly. Y’any good?” Oh Logan knew Anatoly was good but he was hiding that knowledge so well. He would prove to Svetlana that he was the better man.
The small talk was far more than awkward, but Anatoly was going to keep his cool. He wasn’t about to get in a confrontation with Logan because it would only sever any chance he had to fix his marriage. So instead, he would be diplomatic. That was the only way to approach this encounter, really. He turned his gaze back to the board as he finished setting it up.
Then there were the comments about chess. Now, if this had been Bangkok, Anatoly might’ve stood up and challenged Logan to a game to prove that he was, indeed, good. Now? He looked up at the man calmly. “I find the strategy appealing. It keeps my mind sharp.” Which was the truth, he wasn’t making any digs at anyone. It was a good way to keep his mind focused and sharp. But then was the question about whether he was good or not. And again, he kept his cool, not rising to the bait. “I like to think I am. I was World Champion.”
Now, the fact that he used the word was said it all. That was the past, and he was changing now. Changing back to a man who cared nothing about titles or prestige. And the way he said he’d been world champion was one that didn’t carry pride in it, for once. If anything, he rued the title now, knowing everything he had lost in order to get it.
It was official. Svetlana wanted to hide. This was so ridiculous. Logan knew Anatoly played chess. It was his reasoning on why he thought her husband was gay to begin with. So why mention not seeming the type to play it? It made no sense. And the comment on being good. Okay, so far he didn’t seem to actually know anything, but given the first comment? She wasn’t too sure.
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Svetlana just stared at the board. Clearly they weren’t going to be playing a match any time soon. So instead, she then picked up her tea and sipped it, her gaze flickering between the two men. But she was proud of Anatoly for not rising to the bait. She knew that had this been when they first showed up, after Bangkok, he probably would have. But then again, he also seemed to realize what that pride had cost him. She saw him changing back to how he’d been before. It was why she kept fighting for this when she knew everyone thought she should give up. To leave him and move on with her life. But no one beyond herself and the girls actually knew Anatoly. They only knew what happened in that damned musical.
Whether or not Logan would pick up on the way he said he’d been World Champion or the fact he used it in the past tense was up for debate. Given how he apparently felt about her and the things he had conveniently ignored in regards to her being married? She wasn’t so certain. That and she knew he liked to pick fights so what was to stop him from purposefully finding a fight when there was none to be had?
It was official. Svetlana had a headache.
“World champion huh? I guess that’s impressive.” But it was clear Logan wasn’t impressed in the slightest. “I’m sure such a prestigious title cost you.” Logan’s gaze was focused solely on Anatoly now. “I do hope it was worth it.” Finding a spot to lean against, he kept his arms folded and leaned calmly, his eyes never leaving Anatoly’s scrawny form.
“Personally, I’d’ve kept the things that meant something. Family. Friends. People who cared about me and didn’t see me as a tool to be used to show off my country.” In spite of his best efforts, Logan couldn’t help but pick a fight. Especially with this fool Anatoly. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly and his arms moved down to his side calmly as if he was bored of having them crossed.
Well this really could only end well. Anatoly saw Svetlana pinch the bridge of her nose in his peripheral vision. All right, he would have to try and find a way out of this conversation because the last thing he wanted was to put Svetlana in this awkward position. And it was plainly clear to him by now that they wouldn’t be having a quiet match, or even a quiet day. So now it was trying to either excuse himself and Svetlana from the conversation or have Logan excuse himself as quickly as possible.
“It wasn’t worth it.” Had this conversation taken place soon after he’d arrived in this world, he would have claimed the opposite. But now? Anatoly knew what he had lost, he knew the cost of pride and he was no longer willing to pay it. He had a family, and that was where he belonged. The limelight could go back to Freddie as far as he was concerned.
And then came the comment about his family and not being used as a pawn. Clearly Logan had no idea what it was like to live in a Communist country. Yes Anatoly could have said no to Molokov, could have turned away from him. But once he went and had said yes, all the pride aside, it was out of his hands really. No doubt Molokov was KGB and one way or another they would have made him play, carrying out their political desires despite not giving a shit about politics himself.
Anatoly drew in a breath, it was silent but slow and deliberate. He couldn’t lose his cool, not when he was trying so hard to fix things. He wasn’t about to lose the last chance he had to have his family back.
“Pride will always corrupt people, but I’ve realized what I lost, and I’m trying to fix it.” Well, so he opted for the truth instead of being evasive. That wasn’t exactly something Svetlana would find easy to hear, but he was saying it, once again affirming he was willing to go the distance. “I know I screwed up, but I’m human. I’m not perfect and I make mistakes just like everyone else.” It was amazing how well he was controlling himself because really, he just wanted to punch Logan for the comment about his family, but he still wasn’t rising to fight because that’s not the kind of man Anatoly was. Unless Logan outright insulted Svetlana or his daughters, then Anatoly would snap and do everything he could to take him down.
Logan remained silent as Anatoly spoke, just watching and listening to him. He could tell the boy was close to snapping. He might have fooled a normal human but Logan wasn’t a normal human. The smirk widened ever so slightly on his face as his eyes narrowed with the comment of Anatoly’s trying to fix it. It took every ounce of willpower and self control Logan had not to pop his claws out right then and take down Anatoly. And all things considered, Logan was doing a marvelous job of not beating Anatoly to a pulp like he deserved.
“Right. Trying to fix it.” How Logan kept from sneering that out, he had no idea but he had managed it. Barely. But he had managed it. He should’ve gotten points for that. Recalling what he’d seen, he felt a slight twinge of guilt for what he was about to say as it was going to most likely hurt Svetlana but he needed to say it.
“Tell me one thing though. Why did you really defect back to Russia boy? Was it really for your family? Or was it so you could make that woman Florence happy if her father was really alive and in a Russian prison? After all, you left your family all alone in a damn communist country to fend for themselves just because you had a romantic spark with some English woman you’d never met before Merano. Left them just like that,” he snapped his fingers, his gaze focused solely on Anatoly.
“Some husband and father you are.” His fists clenched and the tips of his claws started sliding out and it was only the familiar pain that kept him from releasing them fully, instead having them retract back up into his arms.
Again, Anatoly took a deep breath. He had accepted that no one except Svetlana even knew him, truly knew him. Everyone else only knew the fraction of his life that had been in that musical. Not even during the year he’d spent in England had Florence seen anything other than the cold machine he’d been. So he wasn’t expecting Logan to even be remotely interested in seeing the other side of him, the human side.
“I went back for my family. I was still a machine, still full of pride, but I went back for my family.” He looked at Logan, still remaining seated. He knew this conversation would hurt Svetlana, but Logan was the one pushing it. It seemed that all Logan wanted to do was to push him into fighting. Well, he’d be sorely disappointed because Anatoly wasn’t going to fight. Even without knowing anything about the other man, Anatoly knew he’d be on the losing side of any physical confrontation. And there was the fact Svetlana hated men that sought to use physical force to solve problems and express themselves. So Anatoly was sticking to words.
“I know I’m a horrible excuse for a human being, I know I don’t deserve a second chance. But that is between Svetlana, my daughters and myself. No one else.” Which really was the point. This was a private family matter that no one else had any business being involved in. Yes Anatoly was upset Logan was inserting himself into something he had no complete understanding of, and he was taking the diplomatic route to get him to leave them alone.
“You’re not just a horrible excuse for a human being bub,” Logan growled, growing irritated at Anatoly. A real man would have been defending his family’s honor by now, even if the battle was hopeless. “You’re a horrible excuse for a husband and a father. A rock would be a better man than you. Hell, Magneto would be an improvement over you and he hates humans.”
Logan sucked in a quiet breath in hopes of gaining composure. It didn’t come as he knew it wouldn’t. “The only one you have to blame for lettin’ yourself become a machine is you pal. You gave up being human all for glory and pride and the rest of that bullshit. I’d never would’ve done that. I don’t know much about my past or what kind a man I was before gettin’ experimented on, but I’ve had lovers off and over the decades and I never once did wrong by them. I stayed with them ‘til it ended. I’m a mutant but I’m more human than you’ll ever be.”
Forcing his hands to relax, he took a step towards Anatoly. “I seriously hope your kids never end up like you. A pitiful excuse of a human who’s only joy in life is a game that brings nothing but emptiness and no sense of accomplishment.”
This was getting more and more out of hand. Svetlana was proud of Anatoly for not rising to the bait because it was clear that Logan was trying to get him to do just that. She didn’t understand what that would accomplish. Then again, she never understood the point of turning things into fights, turning them physical. Especially over a person who was right there. Jaw clenching though Anatoly would be the only one to notice as her back was to Logan, Svetlana had a pawn in her hand and was tapping it against her leg in growing agitation. When Anatoly finished his initial retort, the blond turned as she was hoping they could excuse themselves, which meant that she saw the eyes narrowing and smirk widening. Just as she thought. Logan was trying for a confrontation.
And then? Logan more or less admitted to watching Chess by mentioning Florence. Oh, Svetlana had had her suspicions on the matter but this just proved it. And it didn’t help that he had to mention her probably being the actual reason Anatoly had returned to Moscow in the first place. To help a man he didn’t know and not his own daughters. Body going completely rigid, Svetlana returned her gaze to Anatoly to see how he responded. They had never discussed this. It was one of the things they were avoiding as timing never seemed to be in their favor lately. They were working still on rebuilding the foundation in which to have the talks that needed to happen and now once again their issues were being brought up in front of them. But while no one else knew Anatoly, truly knew him, Svetlana did. So she’d be able to tell by how he held himself, his words, what was going on.
He was telling the truth. He truly did think that of himself. It wasn’t something easy to hear. Because while she agreed that he had made horrible mistakes, she knew this, he had hurt her beyond anything she had thought possible... had broken all of his promises... that didn’t mean he was a horrible excuse for a human being. He had just said that he was human and made mistakes. The fact was he saw that and was trying to fix it. A horrible excuse for a human wouldn’t bother.
But he was right. This was a matter for their family. They didn’t need people putting in their own two cents on the matter. They were the only ones who truly knew the other. Understood how they were, what made them who they were. Part of it was because they were the only ones beyond their daughters from the Soviet Union. They had grown together as a couple before Molokov. And yes, Anatoly had let the pride take over, but that didn’t mean anyone else here knew who he truly was. Not like Svetlana did. But Logan just kept pushing. Reaching over, she grasped her husband’s hand if only to try and keep him calm. She knew he was wanting to snap, but he was taking the high road. Because picking fights would do no good. Not like Logan knew that.
There was so much she wanted to say, but as always, the woman held her tongue. She wasn’t about to get into a fight in the open where people could see. She was beyond livid that Logan had gone behind her back to watch Chess, and his words were angering her all the more. She had told him she judged people on their merits, the things they did, not where they were from or what they were. But his current course of action? The goading and insulting? It was doing little in his favor. And mentioning the girls?
“Logan. Stop.”
Her voice had a hint of finality to it. This was going to stop. Now. She had been hopeful that it could be resolved between the two, who had seemed to have forgotten her presence in the conversation, but Logan was going to keep pushing this and neither she or Anatoly had to put up with it. Because this wasn’t Logan’s fight. He had no place in it despite his supposed feelings for her. Which meant she was ending this.
Standing up with her tea, Svetlana moved to her husband so they could leave. Oh, she was in full on ice queen mode at the moment, but she was very close to cracking in anger because of Logan. So very close to that point.
Of course it would be now in Logan trying to pick a fight that Anatoly finally gave voice to the way he thought of himself. That was the price of letting himself feel again, of being human again, he had to feel the bad things as well, and five years of guilt and mistakes weighed heavily on his shoulders. Anatoly knew most men would get up and punch Logan for challenging the honor of his family, but that’s not the way Anatoly defended them. He defended with words and peaceful action, not violence. Violence rarely, if ever, solved anything. It was oh so hard for him to resist getting up and punching Logan for poking his nose into private matters that didn’t even concern him. Nothing would make him happier right now than to just excuse himself and Svetlana from this because neither of them needed their issues thrown back at them from someone who knew nothing of the underlying reasons, their shared past. Obviously Logan had seen that blasted musical, and Anatoly didn’t even begrudge him for hating him. Who wouldn’t hate him after seeing that? What he did object to was the blatant trying to pick a fight and push issues that he had no business being a part of.
He was trying to find the quickest way out of this, but Logan was making that difficult. Still, somehow, Anatoly kept himself under control. And then he felt Svetlana’s hand on his and he looked over at her.
Oh. Shit. To anyone else, she seemed perfectly calm, but not to him. Oh he could see the rage boiling under the surface. He saw the way she held herself. And then there was the tone of her voice. This was going to be really bad if they didn’t get out of there now. Because he knew there would be casualties if Svetlana unleashed her feelings. Anatoly sure as hell wasn’t about to do something that would crack that ice queen shield. So when she stood up, he followed suit, grabbing his tea. He glanced at Logan.
“If you were wise, you would stop pushing this topic in public. And you have no business even talking about it in the first place.” And that was as much of a “fight” as Logan was going to get from Anatoly.
Being able to heal fast had never made Logan afraid of anything. The closest he had ever been to death had been when he had saved Rogue’s life after she had been strapped in Magneto’s machine. But even after the days and weeks it had taken him to fully recover from that, he had in fact recovered. So he really had no idea of the danger he was in given his lack of self preservation.
Oh, he had heard Svetlana. But even his keen ears couldn’t detect how dangerously close he was to making her snap. He watched as the two Russians stood. He wasn’t letting this go. Not this easily. Oh no. Before Anatoly could even start walking away, Logan grabbed his shoulder roughly, spun him around, and hit him square in the jaw. While it was hard, it was no where near as hard as Logan could have punched. Unbreakable metal did cover every inch of his bone structure. Had he gone full force, Anatoly’s jaw would definitely be broken if it wasn’t with that light tap (okay, maybe it wasn’t a tap for the chess master but for Logan, a tap).
“You have no business being with her! She deserves a better man than you!” he snapped, eyes blazing in jealousy and anger. His fists were clenched but the claws hadn’t come out. As much of an ass as Logan found Anatoly to be, he didn’t deserve a quick death. No. Anatoly deserved to suffer for putting Svetlana through a year or more of hell.
And even though he didn’t have to, Anatoly had tried to warn Logan that he was pushing his luck. He was already upsetting her with his words, putting her completely on edge. But she was going to let it go. She was going to leave the park with her husband, they would go back to the Complex until it was time to pick the girls up and calm down. That was just how it was going to be. Because Anatoly clearly knew what was about to happen. He knew every sign to look for in these matters.
Thankfully, Anatoly was willing to let it go. He was willing to just walk away and the two could just go on their way and deal with this in their own terms. But no. Logan just had to keep it up and turn it physical. As her husband was pulled back and turned around, Svetlana turned and felt her eyes grow wide as he was suddenly punched in the jaw, tea dropping to the ground.
“Toly!”
Quickly kneeling on the ground next to Anatoly, Svetlana gently touched his jaw where he’d been punched, wincing in sympathy. Oh, that was it. Standing up quickly, the petite blond spun on heel and glared at Logan, not even bothering to mask her emotions now. Because really, this was ridiculous. Without a word, Svetlana slapped Logan as hard as she could. No, she didn’t have metal attached to her skeleton like the mutant did, but that really didn’t matter. Because Svetlana was livid to the point where her skin pallor had dropped.
“What is your problem!? You cannot just go around punching people for no reason! You were the one trying to provoke him and when you did not, you still attack him! You have absolutely no right to tell anyone if they deserve to be with me or not, that is not your place and you hardly know me! He is human. And yes, he made mistakes but at least he is making up for them! You say he is a horrible excuse of a husband and father, of a man, yet he is willing to admit his faults and work to fix what he messed up! Horrible excuses of men and fathers and husbands would not care and leave it be!
And you? You pick a fight you have no business in. You go behind my back to watch Chess without thinking maybe I do not wish people to know what happened, that I wish my private life to remain a semblance of private! I do not go around reading whatever it is that you are from! You say that despite being a mutant you are a better man than Anatoly but you are not. You are just like everyone else. Quick to get into fights and not caring about reason. Pushing things that you should not. It is disgusting! I am sick of people like you thinking that they know what is best for me! Those are my decisions alone! You know nothing of my life or his. You know what happened in one year. That is all anyone knows about any of us!”
Trembling in rage, Svetlana worked to calm her breathing, her gaze holding fast with Logan’s despite the near foot difference between them. This was beyond anger that she had felt when Erik had attacked Anatoly, when Anatoly once made the mistake to try and lay claim to her, to try to be the brawn in fighting for her when it disgusted her. It even went against her tirade at him in Bangkok. What had happened when she’d been sick and let loose all the feelings she’d been holding for five years, the questions and accusations which seeing the musical had brought as well.
“What right do you have to judge him? None.” Despite the fact that she wasn’t yelling, the danger in her tone was still evident. It laced her words tightly. The intensity of her rage focused on the words she was saying, the fire of anger burning brightly in her eyes. Logan may have gotten the ice exterior to crack, but that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
A slap from Svetlana had not been what he had been expecting. He had seen her raised hand and swiftly as he could turned his head with it so she wouldn’t break her hand against his hard head. But that didn’t lessen the sting any. He reached up and rubbed his face where he’d been slapped, staring in confusion. But that confusion soon turned to growing wariness and slight fear as he listened to her tirade about him.
It was Svetlana’s eyes that scared Logan the most though. But a small part of him found them beautifully scary blazing in anger like that. But it didn’t lessen the sting of her words. Hearing how she saw him as a typical man. That actually made him fidget some in discomfort. As her tirade ended, he did his best to stand up straight and match Svetlana’s glare though he doubted he even came close.
“Fighting’s the only way to survive Svetlana! I’ve had to fight every damn day of my life since waking up in a science lab with this on every inch of my bone!” He held his fist up after making sure there was space between them and let his claws slide out with a snikt! “Do you know how much these hurt when they come out? Or what they can do?” He moved and slashed the chess board in half before standing up, the claws sliding back into his arms.
“He cheated on you! That bastard deserves worse than what I just gave him!”
Hearing the comment about fighting being the only way to survive, Svetlana just rolled her eyes and scoffed in disgust as he sliced the chess board.
“Is that supposed to impress me?”
Her words were dripping with sarcasm because he was doing just what she had already stated she hated. Men trying to be all physical to prove their prowess. It was sickening. Everyone was so ready to fight and not think about peaceful ways to end things. Intimidation. And then the comment about Anatoly cheating.
“No, really!? He cheated on me?! I had no idea! This changes everything!”
Sarcasm? Oh most definitely. Because really, how else was she supposed to respond? Without even flinching, the Russian woman stepped closer to Logan, eyes still blazing as she glared up at him.
“Right here, right now? You disgust me. You are like everyone else. Even that rat bastard Molokov. The only difference is instead of emotional blackmail to intimidate, you decide to use brute strength. You say it is the only way to survive but that is just part of it. Have you ever even bothered to learn other ways to live and survive since then or do you use it as an excuse?”
Shaking her head in disgust, Svetlana held her own. Size was of no importance to her. It didn’t matter that she was smaller than the both of them, that she was just a regular human being. No one threatened her family or harmed them. And no one involved themselves in her personal affairs without her permission.
Truth be told, Anatoly should have known he wouldn’t have gotten away without taking a punch. But he was ever the pacifist. Despite being who he was, he generally tried to believe that most people could use the better part of judgement and not resort to physical ways of settling things. And once again he was proven wrong that people would always resort to using their fists to put an exclamation mark on their point. Now, Anatoly didn’t know anything about Logan, didn’t know about the metal in his bones or anything, all he knew was that his jaw really hurt right now. He remained on the ground, gently rubbing the area that had been hit while Svetlana began her tirade.
During said tirade, he could only remain there on the ground looking up at her, feeling a bit sorry for Logan, but at the same time knowing Logan had brought this upon himself. There were times when it was good to break the ice queen persona, but in those times there was a certain way it had to be done in order to keep something like this from happening. Logan really should have taken both his and Svetlana’s warnings to stop. Because now Logan would have to deal with all the fall out. And really? That display with the knives that came out of his hand? That would only make things worse. Really, Logan would be lucky if Svetlana even talked to him again at some point in the future.
Finally, Anatoly got back to his feet, disregarding his jaw for the meantime, though he could all ready feel the bruise forming on it. No doubt it would be black soon and remain that way for a few days.
Then his eyes widened as Svetlana compared Logan to Molokov. Oh shit, this was definitely bad. He could tell she was more worked up now than she had been when Anatoly had tried to use brute force to lay claim to her. He wanted to try and stop her from this, but he of all people knew once Svetlana got started in unleashing her feelings like this, nothing was going to stop her until she got it all out. And really, he’d rather she let it all out now so they could go back to their apartment and try to calm down before the girls got home from school. The last thing they needed was for Anatoly to stop her now and have her still stewing on the inner emotions she had from this.
Logan remained silent as Svetlana continued her tirade. Okay, that had been the wrong thing to say. And then the comment of if he had ever tried not using physical force to survive. Flashes appeared in his mind and he shut his eyes, forcing them away before looking at Svetlana, his face a stone mask of indifference.
“I wouldn’t know. I have no memory before humans decided to play lab rat with me. And since then I’ve had to go on the run to survive, never knowing who did this to me, why they did it, or if I’d be left alone. I ain’t from your world darlin’. Mutants often don’t get a chance to solve issues with words. Not when humans want us dead for just bein’ mutants. Yeah, I went behind your back and saw where you’re from. I act on instinct. It’s kept me safe and alive.”
He glanced at the chess table before looking back at the two. “Instinct’s all I’ve ever had in my life and probably all I ever will have. Who wants to be with an ageless freak like me, right?”
His fists were shaking in rage that Svetlana had chosen Anatoly. Oh how he wanted to beat Anatoly into a pile of blood and pulp. But emotions were high and Logan decided to finally follow a wise decision and walk away.
His gaze shifted to Anatoly and his eyes grew more dangerous before he fumbled to get a cigar out to keep him from doing anything else that was stupid. In seconds, it was lit up and he took a long, much needed drag on it.
Perhaps she should have felt bad for him. And she had until today. Because until today, he had just read the signs wrong, saw what he had wanted to. That she could forgive. Be a bit confused by, but forgive. This? No. This just made her feel disgust and anger. And again with the sob story. They all had them. They all had things that made them who they were but that didn’t mean they let it hold them back. That didn’t mean that they just went along with it. That didn’t mean anything. Because he was going to have to learn how to survive here and his normal way wouldn’t do that.
Not that she really was going to say as much. She was too upset. She felt physically ill. Her mind was all over the place now. She’d been focused on her anger, and it was strictly anger at Logan for what he had done and said, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t stirred up other emotions, memories and feelings. How she had felt when she had first seen Chess, the doubts and insecurities. The questions. And then being back in Moscow because of Molokov’s name being mentions. But it was true. While Molokov was more apt to use blackmail to intimidate her and others, that didn’t mean that was the only way to intimidate someone and anyone who tried it was the same in her book. But after what had happened there? She didn’t want to have to think of that bastard.
And trying to insult himself as an ageless freak as if that would make her feel bad for him? Maybe that wasn’t his exact intent but that was how it came out. The ‘pity me because I’m different’ card. They all were. None of them were in their own world but they still adapted. That would be his downfall if he kept this up.
But then he was lighting up his cigar and Svetlana coughed as the scent of smoke hit her nose. Well, it could have been worse, she supposed. But whatever. While she might have considered Logan a friend, at this point in time, she was too upset to even say anything. He would just misconstrue it anyway, so what was the point. Turning around she went to Anatoly and sighed. His cheek was definitely swelling up.
“Let’s get back to the complex and I can tend to that...”
The words were spoken softly in Russian before she started back to the Complex. At the moment, she had put the mask back on, the calm exterior of ice even as her mind struggled with all the emotions she was dealing with. There were reasons breaking through in that particular manner was a bad idea. It was too jarring to cope with. So she did what she had to in order to deal with people and once they were at their apartment, Svetlana had Anatoly sit down on the couch and went about making a cold press for his jaw, moving over and sitting opposite him before she started to tend to the injury. At least it didn’t seem broken. There was that at least.