Chapter 2
The next few days, Logan mostly spent his time observing the man. His kind demeanor didn't manage to blind Logan. He mostly kept himself out of the way, joining them only when business was included. Erik kept his eye on Charles, which made Logan concerned at times, hoping Charles kept it together. Despite his occasional doubts, the meetings ran surprisingly well.
Hank didn't waste any time, showing off his newfound projects with humble proud. Surprisingly, out of them three, Hank managed to hold it together best. That is, until the new asistant of Erik's joined them. He caught Hank's eyes averting to her blonde curls when he thought nobody was looking. Despite his obvious interest and hopeless avoidance to it, Logan didn't bother teasing him. Atleast not yet, the poor guy might get scared off just by a knowing word from one of them.
Raven was genuinely nice, though she didn't hold back when she felt threatened. She often threw a smartass remark to any of them who dared to show too much attitude for her liking. Though sometimes she could get insufferable, he respected her. The woman knew how to stand for herself, even if alone. He didn't bother teasing her, leaving the job to Hank, who didn't bother either.
They were sitting at the conference table, Raven passing them binders, smiling when Hank remembered to thank her as she passed him one. Logan tilted his head down, trying to mask his smirk as he watched the awkward, yet somehow cute interaction. He nodded his head in acknowledgement when she passed him his binder, his eyes averting back to Erik.
He let his thoughts stray somewhere else, which he started doing more often lately. His strong focus lessened when he noticed the meetings were mostly them updating the things they've spoken last time and some smart words Logan wasn't paid enough to listen to. He knew it would be smarter to listen, but it didn't matter anyway, since he'd be as confused as he would be if he hadn't listened.
His gaze travelled outside the door, where the living room was visible from his seat. Despite his inital thoughts, he let his eyes observe the smaller figure occupying the room. Peter sat in the almost too expensive looking sofa with his too simple clothes. His shirt looked overworn, a name of a band he can't recognise printed on it. The neckline hung low, showing off his noticeable collarbone, to which Logan silently scoffed, turning his gaze away.
His clothes certainly were a choice. He wore the tight, shiny pants that would usually make him roll his eyes. A matching jacket that was usually thrown over it was gone, now accentuating his slimmer physique. The younger man shot him an amused smirk when he caught his stare, leaning back on the couch as a mock invite, making Logan grunt in annoyance, rolling his eyes before he turned his attention back on Erik and the others.
Fortunately, the others didn't seem to notice their antics, too busy with their business talk. Half an our of twirling his pen and zoning out later, the bunch finally stood up, talking excitedly, making Logan sigh in relief discreetly, quickly joining the rest as they walked into the living room. Erik busied himself with preparing drinks, leaving the three of them alone to talk.
The first few seconds of silence passed quickly as Charles decided to speak first. "So..it seems to be going quite well." He said proudly, leaning back on the cushion in relaxing manner. Hank nodded, offering no words. Logan sighed, pressing his digits into his temple. Before any complaints could escape his mouth, Charles quickly interrupted him. "Thank you, Logan, really. For everything." The complaint was now stuck in his throat, letting out a choked exhale in defeat. "Any time, asshole." Charles smiled, claiming his win.
A few words later, their chatter got interrupted by Peter loudly passing the room, a focused look plastered on his face as he walked. Logan rolled his eyes, listening as Hank spoke. "He seems nice enough." Logan shot him an incredulous look, restraining a sigh. "He's a spoiled brat." They turned when they heard the familiar words. "From you, I'll take it as a compliment." Peter smirked, watching the men silent at his words. "Hello Peter." Charles gritted, a soft expression painting his face.
Unfortunately, Peter took it as an invitation, parking himself next to Logan. Logan growled quietly, scooting away as the youngster made himself comfortable. "So. What's the dealio here? You've been here for a couple of days, seems important." Logan held back on snarky remarks, letting the two answer instead. Charles cleared his throat, scooting towards the end of the sofa as he spoke. "Well, this is kind of a big deal for us, your dad could be our biggest client we have." As Charles spoke, Peter seemed to pay attention pretty well, nodding at the words.
Logan watched him from the end of the sofa. If he acted like how he looked right now, maybe the constant urge to slam the guy wouldn't be present with him all the time. He fixed his posture in an awkward manner when he caught Hank's eyes still onto Logan's, looking at the direction he was staring at. Before Hank could show any expressions, Logan shot him a warning glare, denying his wandering thoughts. Hank shrugged, his head turning as Erik announced himself in the room.
He carried a tray of glasses, a few bottles put aside on it. "Well, boys, since the deal is looking quite well, how do we feel about a small celebration?" None of them had any objections, each grabbing a glass as they watched Raven pour the drinks. Peter, focused on his phone, reached out his hand to Erik, who quickly passed him a can of soda. Before he could mouth the words, Charles seemed to think faster, speaking first. "So, how old are you, Peter?"
Peter looked up from his phone, his dark eyes focusing on Charles. "I'm nineteen. Twenty soon." They nodded at the words, Logan unable to restrain the words escaping his mouth this time. "You don't look that young." Peter's eyes now focused on him, the brown color now looking almost black in the warm lighting. "Well, you don't look that old." He smiled suggestively, making Logan roll his eyes again as he shut up. The few laughed, not sensing the awkwardness Logan felt. Peter learned how to step on his nerves in the short time they knew each other, which he would find impressive if he didn't want to smack the kid already.
Raven started speaking with Charles, the two connecting as they spoke about their roots, Hank occasionally throwing in a word as usual. Logan's eyes turned to Erik, whose face fell just slightly as he stared at the pair. He hopes Erik isn't the kind of guy who gets overprotective over his friends, looking at the two interact. Peter disappeared as they talked, Logan only noticing it as they spread around the room. He doesn't understand why he notices such unimportant things, quickly blaming it on his nerves as he turned his head to check the time.
The time passed surprisingly quickly, despite them only sitting and talking with drinks in their hands. The last thing he needs is to become one of those pretentious rich men. He got up, letting out a small exhale as he excused himself to the kitchen. He might as well grab a drink since pretty much everyone took their turns to run to the kitchen for their own choices of drinks.
He made his way to the kitchen, checking out the cabinets, settling for a warm bottle of beer. He soon sensed the joined figure in the room, turning his head to the entrance. Peter made his way inside, his long hair now put into a failing high bun, clearly messed up from a nap. He relaxed when Peter didn't bother to tease, walking past him as he reached for the freezer. "This is what you call a dinner?" Logan teased instead, as he watched the younger man tiredly pull out a tub of ice cream, throwing a playful glare at the man as he heard the words.
"Could've said the same thing to you, old man." He hissed back, pushing the spoon into his mouth. Logan chuckled, surprising himself with it as he did. They didn't speak, keeping company to each other in the kitchen. The somewhat comfortable silence was broken by Peter, turning to Logan with a questioning expression. "Why're you not hangin' out with your buddies?" He asked, partially testing and partially genuine.
Logan turned his head, looking at the empty hall outside the kitchen. He debated lying, telling the kid to fuck off and mind his own business but he knew it didn't matter. He sighed as he answered. "Needed some peace and quiet after hours of smart talk." His words felt silly leaving his mouth, but Peter only nodded in response. "Try living with that." The younger answered, bringing the spoon to his mouth again.
Logan almost shot him a wry look, seeing the man genuinely speak for the first time. He almost felt proud. "Well, I kinda do. I work with these two every day. You can guess how it goes." The words pull a small giggle from Peter, making Logan's lips upturn slightly before his face sterned again. Don't go soft.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." He said, his words interrupted as Erik called him over. He turned back to Logan, shooting him his usual amused smile, the genuineness disappearing from his face in a second. Logan's face fell, more so at the thought of feeling sympathy for Peter, both of them quickly scrambling through the kitchen. Logan dropped the can into the bin, watching the other work his way through.
His gaze travelled down to his waist as Peter bent over to drop the spoon into the washer, throwing a playful look back as if he knew Logan was looking. "Take a picture, it'll last longer." He spoke, his usual teasing words coming back to his vocabulary. Logan scoffed, quickly mumbling an excuse, which only made Peter chuckle. He turned back, his dark eyes finding Logan's. His expression held the same, yet something had shifted on his face, something Logan couldn't quite place.
He broke the contact once Peter slid past him, his smaller hand grazing his upper thigh slightly as he walked past. Logan automatically flinched back, watching Peter make his way to the living room. Before he could think of anything, he walked out of the kitchen, heading for his room. He's sure the group wouldn't miss him terribly. The hour wasn't late, for which he didn't care. He'll just light up a cigar and lay on his bed until he dozes off.