The ending
Blood, sticky and slick on his body.
And pain, digging itself deep into his head.
Then the cold.
Then-
Kurt.
Kurt.
Kurt!
—-------------------------------
Logan let himself sink- not hard, he was never a good swimmer- he caught sight of kurts tail whipping through the dark water. It was only made harder to see by his own blood still flowing. Logan swam after Kurt, he saw his tail again, heard a splash and something that could have been a scream, then he caught him.
Kurt wasn't awake, that much was clear, his golden eyes were shut and his body was lax. Logan grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer. He fought the urge to scream, or growl, or rage and cry. Kurt wasn't dead yet. He could still hear his heartbeat. Logan swam until he kicked the ground, barely caring that his vision was going fuzzy without air. He rolled Kurt up on the bank and crawled after him. Kurt caughed, weak and painful sounding, but Logan made himself ignore it for now. He spun to try and find Dog. But no luck. He must have ran after Kurt pulled him away.
Kurt.
Logan dropped to the ground next to him, Kurt had rolled onto his side still gagging and coughing up water. Logan tried to order his mind, tried to think, he cant remember, he doesn't know-
Red hair. Red hair. Think Logan.
Logan growled and closed his eyes tight, chasing an old memory.
"You need to learn how James!" Rose said, she smiled of course. She always did. But he wasn't smiling. The water scared him. Ever since the day Dog had pushed him in.
Rose tugged his wrist and he found himself ankle deep in the river.
"Even if you don't learn how, you should know how to help someone. What if I fell in and you had to help me?" She said. She squeezed his hand-
Logan was moving before he was thinking. Pulling Kurt up onto his hands and knees so he wouldn't choke. It worked well enough and soon Kurt was breathing again. Shallow, stuttered. But breathing.
He shook like a leaf. Logan picked Kurt up and started to run. He could go faster on all fours but carrying Kurt like he was he couldn't do that, this would have to do.
He more rolled and slid than stopped inside the cave. His wolves stared at him. Coming closer to sniff at Kurt. Logan paid no mind. Kurt's clothes stuck to him as he pulled them off. His fur made it difficult, but he'll freeze to death-
Don't think that. He won't.
He won't.
—--------------------------------
Kurt was conscious, but he couldn't process anything. All he could see was Logan.
When he did come to properly, though he was still sluggish and exhausted, he found himself half dressed and surrounded by something soft. It smelled like Logan.
Kurt cracked his eyes open enough to try and see where he was, but it was dark, he was to tired to care anyway.
And he was cold, so cold. Kurt rolled over and curled into a tighter ball. Anything to keep warm.
He felt something warmer then, pulling him close and pressed against his back. He sighed and curled up closer to whatever it was. He was so cold.
—--------------------------------
Logan heard the shift in how Kurt breathed when he woke up, but he didn't say anything. He only watched, curled up a few feet away, until Kurt shivered and babbled and tried to curl into a ball. Logan was more than happy to hold him closer, to try and share the heat he always had with him.
It brought memories flashing back.
Huddling together in the small bed of a cabin. Snow piling outside. Red hair tumbling across the pillows. Logan remembered sneezing. Then laughing. Someone holding him closer with a smile.
"Whyd I have to pick somewhere so cold!"
Logan laughed and pressed his face against her neck with a smile.
"It's Canada. It's all cold!" He said.
It was all cold, and Kurt was still damp. Shaking like a leaf against him.
Logan pressed his face against Kurt's neck, scented him with a small whimper. His only friend…
But Kurt twitched in his sleep and wiggled closer to logan, he's not dead, not yet. Logan nods off with his face buried in Kurt's hair.
—----------------------------
It's the yelling that woke Logan up.
He couldn't figure out what the words are, it took a second to wake up properly, but when he did he growled and slid away from Kurt.
Huddling in the entrance of their cave with a growl.
Thankfully it was well hidden.
The woods were crawling with people. Yelling Kurt's name, the smell of gunpowder hit Logan's nose. Blown by on the wind. His heart turned to ice in his chest. His wolf pressed his nose against his face, but even that didn't help to calm him.
Logan turned and slid back into the darkness of the cave, he crouched down to nuzzle at Kurt's hair.
Dog is out there, dog is out there, he'll kill Kurt. He'll-
He cant!
The voices started to fade away as the group moved another direction, but the fear remained. Logan curled up around Kurt again, holding him tighter as he tried to force the memories of being chased out of his head.
—-------------------------------
Kurt opened his eyes almost a day later, his stomach grumbling and a frown carved into his face. He rolled over and threw his arm over his eyes. Wiggling onto his stomach and arching in a full body stretch that popped every part of his spine with a pleased groan.
Then a warm body pulled him back to its side and kurt grinned.
"I'm better now, I'm not so cold." He mumbled, all the same Logan nuzzLed against Kurt's hair and held him tighter. Only the rumbling of Kurt's stomach pushed them apart.
"I've got to head back liebchen, unless you've got a buffet secreted away out here." Kurt said, he sat up and glanced around for the first time. Dirt and stone floors, walls of rock at every side but one. The pile of furs he and Logan are laid out on now. It's simple but not unloved, something about the place says home.
Then Kurt got up onto his knees to look more and his eyes found the wall.
A mural made of charcoal that Kurt realized was…him.
"Oh…" Kurt sat down, gently, an scooted back across the floor to see all of it. "Oh Logan-"
Logan shuffled in front of him, trying to cover it clearly.
"No, I love it! I'm honored Logan really." Kurt reaches out and hesitantly Logan comes closer and curls up against him for a hug, Kurt looks back up at the mural with a soft smile. "Youre so talented!" Logan rumbled, his rough laugh again, and sat up to look back at the mural. While still holding onto Kurt of course.
He just frowned and turned back to tuck his face under Kurt's chin.
Just then, as Kurt was trying to find something else to say, a wolf nosed against his shoulder. Then another curled up behind them, the whole small pack of them piling on or around them. Kurt didn't move a muscle.
Not until Logan looked up and smiled, it was…he was…Kurt didn't have a word for Logan just then in any language he knew.
But that smile was brilliant. Kurt couldn't help himself, he poked the dimple on the right side of Logan's cheek with a small laugh.
There, covered in warm fur and holding onto his wolf boy, Kurt felt almost complete. Like something in him was clicking perfectly into place.
—-------------------------------
The sun rose again.
Warm, bright but not blinding, hidden behind a fuzzy blue shoulder. Fur rucked up the wrong way from turning in his sleep. Logan lapped at it, setting it to rights while Kurt woke with a yawn and a small giggle.
Kurt, wonderful.
Logan purred, burying his face against Kurt's shoulder blades. The slide of Kurt's fur against his scratchy teenage stubble brought his purr louder. Rumbling through them both.
They stayed that way together until Kurt slid away from Logan to find breakfast.
He found yesterday that Logam kept a stash of the things he'd given him that wouldn't perish. Mainly jerky, but also an interesting thing that Kurt's mother had found in a market she had visited. Something from the West called pemmican. It was delightful. Kurt chewed on that and chanced to scratch behind the ears of Logan's wolf.
Logan rolled to his stomach to watch, he feels like he'll puke or explode.
It's good. To be overwhelmed this way with the view. All the same, it could be better.
Logan crawled out of his nest and went over to Kurt's side. Only to press his face against the graceful curve of Kurt's neck.
It was then, with Kurt stretching his arm across Logan's shoulders, that something clicked in Logan.
Kurt didn't just smell like fur and brimstone.
He smelled like Logan now.
Logan leaned away with a frown, a pinch between his eyebrows. Kurt tilts his head, his arm slides down from Logan's shoulder to rest on his hip.
"Logan? Are you alright?" He said, logan shook his head. Then picked up Kurt's hand between both of his.
"I…I care about you."
—-------------------------------
Logan said that, then he dropped his head and stared down at their hands. Waiting to be rejected.
Instead Kurt planted a kiss on his forehead with a smile.
"I know you do! I care about you too." Kurt said, he put his hands on Logan's cheeks and tilted his head up to meet his eyes. "I care about you like our strong man's wife cares about him." Kurt said, a purple blush rose on his cheeks and he glanced away.
Logans eyes were wide, his mouth hanging open to show his fangs in his wonder.
Kurt went to say something else but Logan grabbed onto his shoulders and jumped forward to kiss him on the lips.
Kurt gasped when they pulled away and they stare at each other again.
Kurt blushed deeper and let out a bashful giggle. Then he pulled Logan in again for another kiss. This one lasted longer, it was deeper. There was something more to it. Especially when Logan grumbled and crawled into Kurt's lap.
It was clumsy and messy, but it was perfect in the moment.
Until-
"Get away from my son." Came from the mouth of the cave.
Kurt gasped and sat up, he pulled Logan close to his chest to protect him.
At the mouth of his cave was his mother, one hand coated in jumping flame and a deep scowl on her face.
"Mutti! Wait-" she came forward and reached out to grab at Logan, but kurt twisted and pushed him behind himself.
"Mutti stop!"
Margali stopped, the flame in her hand extinguished but she still glared at Logan.
"Leave Kurt, go home baby." She said, she reached for Logan again but Kurt got in the way. At his sides Logan's wolves gather with a chorus of growls.
"No mutti, Logan is good. He hasn't hurt me. Leave him alone." Kurt said, nargali hummed and stroked her thumb across her sons cheek.
"Blau he kidnapped you. Dog saw it all."
Kurt shook her hand off and snarled.
"Dog is lying! He was trying to kill Logan, he tried to kill me! Logan saved me!" Kurt got up on his knees and spread his arms out, behind him Logan growled deep.
"Liebling you should go hone." Margali said, steel in her voice.
"No! Logan is my friend!"
"Kurt. Go home, now."
"No-"
She grabbed kurts arm and started to pull him but logan pounced. He pushed Margail away and put himself between her and Kurt.
Flames engulfed her hand again and she threw Logan to thr ground. Skin sizzled and Logan yelped.
"Stop child, you've done enough damage." She said, she held Logan down by his throat while he thrashed.
—-------------------
Let go.
Logan panted and started to shake. No not again. He twisted but he couldn't get away. A broken howl escaped his mouth and while his wolves try the woman is able to keep them back with more flames.
Kurt wailed and threw himself at his mother, but she didn't stumble. Logan's eyes start to slide closed, everything is cold. For the first time in a long time Logan is scared to die.
He cried, choked off wails and whines as he clawed at the woman's hands.
Then she lets go.
Off in the distance Logan hears Kurt speaking, but he can't move. His vision still hasn't come back-
"Let's go home mutti. Back to Germany and I won't talk about him ever again. Just don't hurt him anymore. Please,"
No, don't leave…Logan cried. Silent tears sliding down his eyes. Useless eyes that have just started to come back.
He saw Kurt kneeling in front of his mother, crying and tugging at her dress like a little boy.
Logan started to roll over and he clawed at the ground, dragging himself over the smoothed out stone and toward Kurt.
"Never again Kurt, this is over. We're going home."
Logan kept dragging, but Kurt stood and his mother took his hand.
Then they're walking, so far away, Logan wailed.
Kurt gave him one last look over his shoulder, a sobbing frown screwed into his face, and waved a small goodbye.