Tourist Trap
"That's what I'm saying Logan!" Kurt said. He stands up off his small couch and waves a hand in the air. His tail whips around close to Logan's nose and he fights the urge to bite the spade of it.
"Saying what exactly elf?" He grumbles.
"Germany is safe for people like us. Freaks or, or fags! I know places we can go. Places I can walk the streets without a cloak to hide me. Places we can live together and not be called brothers." Kurt turns to face him again with a smile. "We could up and leave, in a few weeks at the end of the year. My contract ends and we could go somewhere. Bavaria or Berlin or wherever we end up. We could be together!"
"I don't know Kurt." Logan said, he grabs Kurt's hand and pulls him back down onto the couch, sprawled out in his lap. "The whole world is dangerous, if we go somewhere who knows of its the same as you remember. We could get ourselves in a heap o' trouble." Kurt sighs and tucks his cold nose against Logan's neck. Logan fights back a shiver, thankfully for Kurt he's always run warm.
"I don't care Logan, I just want to be with you. Finally, I've waited for so long, I've been looking for so long. I heard stories…" He cuts himself off with a hum and shakes his head.
"What stories elf?"
"It's nothing."
"Tell me. Please."
Kurt swears and sits up to face Logan.
"I heard, during the war, that there was a man who could take a bullet to the face and stand back up. Somebody who walked through the gas clouds without a mask on and came out the other side. I thought it was you. It had to be you. After I saw you heal after what happened back then I had an idea of what you could do. I hoped…I hoped that it was you because I couldn't stand to never see you again. It's why I'm in Paris at all. I heard you were near France and I took a guess."
Kurt pulls Logan in for a kiss and when they seperate he smiles.
"I'm thankful I was right." He whispers, Logan smiles and wraps his arms around Kurt's waist to pull him closer and cuddle up together. It's quiet for a long time, then the sun starts to set and Logan has to go to work.
He and Kurt arrive at the club together, hand in hand.
“I'll sing a song for you meine liebe.” Kurt said, then he leans down and presses a gentle kiss to Logan's cheek.
Logan grins, putting one hand against his cheek like he can't believe it happened. Something so sweet, so small, it's something he's wished for a long long time.
—------------------------------
The moments before he steps into the light sting.
He used to love this. the showing, thr performing.
But he can't do it anymore without bile rising in his throat.
The whips left scars in his mind just like on his back.
Kurt stares out onto the stage, waiting for Lila to finish. He reaches up to wipe a tear from his cheek and paints on a bright smile.
But she knows.
She's always attuned to emotions, it makes Kurt think maybe she's a little like him. She just always knows, and she pulls him into a hug. Tears of her own on her face.
“Breathe Kurt.” She whispers. “Don't let anyone see you cry.” Then she's off. Back to their shared dressing room that's really no more than a large closet.
He sighs, and smiles wide again.
Then steps out onto the stage.
By instinct he searches the crowd, trying to find somebody who reacts well.
He doesn't ever find anyone who doesn't flinch-
There.
In the dark, barely visible to even Kurt's eyes, is Logan. Waving while he holds up a young man by his collar and tosses him out the door like a bag of flour. Kurt chuckles and maybe, this time, the smile is real.
“I take requests, I just ask you don't interrupt a song.” Kurt said, he puts one hand on the microphone and starts to sing.
He didn't plan on something so syrupy sweet, he wanted to do more of a dancing number tonight.
But this is good too.
Because, because he can still see Logan. Playing with Jimaine’s handkerchief around his neck.
—------------------------------
Logan turns around as the door opens behind him to see a damned good surprise.
“Will What're ya doin?” He said. Will shrugs.
“Thought I'd see this guy that's got you so crazy.” He said, “Which one is he?” Logan sighs and points at the stage. Where Kurt is halfway through a French jazz song.
“His names kurt-”
“Whoa, what the hell?”
That's exactly what Logan was afraid of.
“Will-” Logan pulls his friend off to the side. Away from the crowd. “Hes weird okay? He's weird like I am.”
“Like you? Logan you look…normal.” Will whispers. Logan shakes his head.
“I heal, you know that. Well he…he looks like that. And he can teleport.” Will drags a hand down his face.
“And it's not fake? He actually looks like that?”
“Yes. He always has. Born that way.” Logan said. Will sucks in a breath and scratches at the back of his neck.
“Okay.” He nods. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
Will nods again.
“Thanks Will.” Logan said. He sighs and goes back to stand by the door. “He means everything to me.” Logan whispers. Will grins.
“Yeah I got that. So…”
“What?”
Will leans close to speak over the louder song that starts.
“Childhood romance?” Will said. Logan snorts.
“Yeah. We were kids.”
“That's cute!” Will laughs. Logan scowls.
“Quit that.”
“I won't. It's adorable, you're adorable. Tell me everything.” Will throws an arm across Logan's shoulders. Logan ducks his head and sighs.
“We met in Canada, he was in a traveling circus…
—------------------------------
Kurt never gets a good reception anymore for singing in German, but he can't help it when he's looking through the dark to Logan smiling and laughing as he speaks with someone.
“I won't talk about him ever again!”
Kurt finishes the song and hurries off the stage as he bites the back of his hand to stifle the sobs.
God what had he done? Why did he say that? Why did he leave!? He could have convinced her to stay, he's sure of it, but he didn't.
He abandoned Logan and while Logan has said he forgives him he can't forgive himself.
Watching his mother melt the skin from Logan's bones and the only thing he could think to do was leave?
Kurt leanes his back against the wall in a dark corner with another bitten off sob.
Sure Logan seems better now but…But maybe if Kurt was there Logan wouldn't have gone to war.
It's an ugly thought, that he alone could have saved Logan from the pain of that, but Kurt has ugly thoughts sometimes. He's come to terms with it.
He hears footsteps nearby and climbs up the wall to tuck himself in the shadow at the junction between wall and ceiling.
It's not Logan. Just some coworker whose name he doesn't know because this place has an insane turnover rate. People just seem to disappear.
Kurt closes his eyes with a sigh and leans his head back against the wall.
(Shit.) He mumbles in German.
Time passes slow and Kurt stays hidden in the dark above people's heads. He almost dozes off a little. But wakes up quick when he hears Logan under him.
“Whatcha hiding for elf?” He said. Kurt smiles but doesn't open his eyes. He twists and falls off the support beam he's been perched on, hanging from his knees bent over it and reaching out to Logan. “Careful…” Logan mumbles. Then Kurt is kissing him. It's clumsy, being upside down and all, but it sort of works and they take a good while to seperate. Then Kurt does a neat little flip and lands on his feet in front of logan.
“Haven't lost those skills I see.” Logan said. Kurt smirks and waves for him to follow.
“Let me get my things, then I want to show you something.” He said. Logan waits outside the dressing room so he doesn't see Kurt throwing everything haphazardly into his bag before stopping and smiling at the half dead rose Logan had given him. In a cup of water now. Then Kurt ducks out the door and runs down the hall with a laugh. Logan rushes to follow him with a laugh of his own.
“Oh ya wanna chase elf?” Kurt slows down to push the back door open and is caught and pressed against the wall of the alley. Logan leans close and presses his nose against the side of Kurt's neck. Taking a long drag of his scent. Then he looks up to meet Kurt's eyes. “Gotcha.” He whispers. Kurt puts on a pout.
Then disappears in a cloud of smoke.
Logan coughs and spins around to see Kurt at the mouth of the alley pulling a long hooded jacket over himself. Once the hood is up all Logan can see are those golden eyes.
Kurt waves for him to follow, then he's gone.
Logan snarls, if Kurt wants to play then they can play.
Kurt leads Logan through the city, at one moment even jumping onto a lamppost and flipping up and over a truck only to land with a wave on the other side of the street while Logan had to wait to walk with the other pedestrians.
The infuriating thing is that Kurt doesn't teleport even once, and still Logan doesn't stand a chance of catching him.
That frustration is why when Logan finally catches Kurt he doesn't realize where they are.
Not until Kurt giggles and spins him around with one arm held out in front of him.
"Look, liebe!" He said.
The Eiffel Tower. Tall and lit up in the dark, like a tower of stars. Logan is breathless. But then he turns to look at Kurt and the view gets better.
Kurts beautiful eyes are reflecting the lights from the tower, and his hood had fallen down at some point during the chase so Logan can see every detail of his face.
The darker fur along his jawline, those long eyelashes over the eyes Logan loves so much, and one sharp canine tooth visible in kurts lopsided smile.
He stares so long Kurt catches him of course, and Kurt leans close to kiss him quickly. There are tourists about and it isn't safe. But the short moment it lasts is perfect.
Then Kurt pulls his hood up and grabs Logan's hand. Leading him to the tower.
“Tickets are expensive elf how did you-”
“Oh, we're not climbing it legally.” Kurt pulls Logan into a tight hug and turns to face the tower. “all aboard the elf express, you could say!” He said. Logan's eyes go wide and he sputters.
“Kurt wait-”
Bamf
Logan's stomach drops and he holds on tighter to Kurt, God he hates heights so much.
He feels the wind on his back, much colder this high up, and dares to open his eyes a crack.
“Fuck!” He yells, and closes them tight again.
Kurt holds him tighter and it helps, it does, but not much.
“Do you want to get down?” Kurt said. Logan shakes his head, then presses his forehead hard against kurts shoulder.
“No! No, just gimme a minute.” He said, and he does notwhimper when he opens his eyes again. He does not.
Even so Kurt moves so that logan is pressed between the metal of the spire and Kurt, somehow feeling the wind less helps and Logan is able to keep his eyes open this time.
The city is beautiful from up here. Lit up by the street lamps and the few automobiles. Somewhere music drifts up from the street and Logan can only hear it because of his powers.
He smiles, and hears Kurt giggle.
“Devious little elf.” Logan grumbles. Kurt laughs louder this time and tucks his face against Logan's neck.
“You like it.”
“I do.”
They don't talk much, just let the light of the city below and the moon above set them aglow as they watch the world go by.
“I like you.” Logan aid, Kurt snorts.
“I know.”
“No I…” Logan smiles a little. “I like you like the strongman’s wife likes him.” He said.
Kurt groans.
“I can't believe you remember that!”
“Of course I do. I remember everything. I wont forget it, ever.” Logan said. Kurt picks his head up and meets logans eyes.
“Still, you don't need to bring up my past inadequacies. I was still learning English at the time.” He said. Logan bumps their noses together and they close their eyes as they meet in an unhurried kiss.
“For the record mein wolf,” Kurt said, “I would marry you if I could.” He said. Logan smiles wide and for the first time in a very long, long, time he is excited for the future.
“Maybe we should go to Berlin, what do you think?” He said. Kurt smiles soft and his tail wraps around Logan's wrist, the spade of it pressed against his palm.
“I think I love you.” Kurt said.