New Recruits and Old Friends
Kurt sat perched atop one of the mansion’s towering bookshelves, his tail idly flicking back and forth as he scanned the room below. He spent a lot of time here, the library being one of the only quiet spots in the mansion. It seemed most of the students were outside enjoying the rare snow day, leaving the institute almost deserted.
He sighed softly, his golden eyes darting back to the book in his hand, some old, worn-out novel about pirates on the high seas. Kurt had always loved adventure stories, but today, his mind wasn’t in it. His thoughts kept drifting, far away from the page, over to the training sessions, the missions, the team dynamics—over to him.
Logan.
Wolverine.
Kurt felt the familiar twitch of a smile trying to form on his lips, but he shook it off, muttering to himself in German, “Hör auf damit. It's nothing.”
Logan was Logan, after all. Gruff. Tough. Growling his way through life. There was nothing strange about their friendship, Kurt told himself for the thousandth time. They simply worked well together, had each other's backs in battle, and Logan had a knack for making Kurt feel less like a demon and more like… well, just another guy. That was all.
Still, it was hard to ignore the subtle shift that had been happening lately. Logan’s glances were lingering longer than usual. The banter between them, usually so easy and unthinking, now came with these brief, charged moments that left Kurt’s stomach flipping in ways he wasn’t prepared to acknowledge.
The door to the library creaked open, and Kurt immediately stiffened. Speak of the devil.
Logan’s heavy boots thudded against the hardwood floor as he strolled in, his flannel shirt half-untucked and his ever-present cigar dangling from his mouth. Kurt's stomach did another somersault.
"Hey, elf," Logan grunted without looking up, heading straight for one of the shelves. "What are ya hidden in here for?”
Kurt hesitated before teleporting down in a cloud of brimstone and sulfur, landing lightly on his feet next to Logan. “I wasn't hiding,” he said, trying to sound casual as he closed the book and set it on a nearby table. “Just… enjoying some peace.”
Logan raised an eyebrow, his gaze flickering over Kurt. “Peace? In this place?”
Kurt shrugged, offering a small smile. “Believe it or not, it exists if you know where to look.”
Logan huffed out a chuckle, pulling a book off the shelf at random, but Kurt doubted Logan had any intention of reading it. He had that restless energy about him, like he was forever waiting for something to happen. Kurt tried not to watch too closely as Logan leaned against the nearest table, flipping through the pages absently.
The silence between them stretched on, the air feeling a little heavier than before.
“You heard about the new recruits?” Logan asked after a few moments, breaking the quiet.
Kurt blinked, snapping out of his reverie. “Recruits? No. Are they any good?”
“Depends on what you call good,” Logan muttered, tossing the book back onto the shelf. “Bunch of kids, mostly. Eager to prove themselves. Cannon fodder, if ya ask me.”
Kurt’s brow furrowed. “ I was a recruit once too, you know.”
Logan glanced over at him, his eyes softening slightly. “Yeah, and you were different. You weren’t looking for a fight, you were just… trying to survive.”
Kurt’s heart did that annoying flip again. He quickly cleared his throat, trying to hide his expression. “Well, I hope you don’t scare them all off before they even unpack.”
“Can’t make any promises,” Logan replied with a smirk.
There was that familiar teasing edge to Logan’s voice, but beneath it, Kurt sensed something else. It wasn’t tension, exactly—at least, not the bad kind. It was more like they were both waiting for something to happen, though neither of them knew what it was. Or maybe they did, and they were both doing their best to pretend it wasn’t there.
Before Kurt could respond, a voice broke through their moment.
“Logan, Kurt. Can I see you in my office?”Professor Xaviers voice boomed in Kurts mind, he would never get used to that.
Kurt nodded, exchanging a brief glance with Logan.
The two of them walked out of the library, through the winding halls of the mansion. The sounds of the institute were a distant hum, with students’ voices faintly echoing from outside and the low murmur of conversation from the common rooms. Kurt tried not to think too hard about the fact that he and Logan were walking side by side, the easy silence between them suddenly feeling loaded with everything unsaid.
When they finally reached Xavier’s office, the professor motioned for them to sit. Logan took his usual seat, lounging back in his chair with his arms crossed, while Kurt perched a little more carefully on the edge of his.
Xavier’s fingers steepled in front of him as he regarded them both, his expression unreadable. “I have a new assignment for the two of you.”
Logan raised an eyebrow, clearly waiting for more details.
“It’s a partnership mission,” Xavier continued, “one that will require both of your skill sets working closely together.”
Kurt’s tail twitched slightly. "Together?"
Logan shifted in his chair, but Kurt couldn’t tell whether it was discomfort or just impatience.
“The details will be briefed to you shortly,” Xavier said. “But you should know, this mission is going to take you off the grid for a while. And it’s... delicate. Trust will be crucial.”
Kurt swallowed, nodding slowly. He wasn’t worried about trust. Logan had saved his life more times than he could count. But that didn’t stop the feeling—the one that had been creeping up on him for weeks now—that there was more at stake here than just another mission.
Logan shot him a look, his usual cocky grin tempered with something more serious. “Hope you’re ready to spend some quality time, elf.”
Kurt forced a smile, feeling his heart pound a little harder in his chest. “I’ve always enjoyed your company, Logan.”
The tension in the room was palpable, but neither of them said anything more. Xavier, sensing the shift, gave a slight nod. “I’ll send the details to both of you in a bit. Be prepared.”
As they stood and left the office, Kurt could feel Logan’s eyes on him again. The mission was important, sure, but something told him that whatever this was between them—this unspoken thing—was about to get a lot more complicated.
And, strangely enough, he wasn’t sure if he minded.