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xp_logsAnother session... with a bit of a lesson afterward as well
Marie had passed up some of her morning run in favour of flying over the lake. The long, sweeping passes over the surface in the early light combined with the memories of Monday's session, or what came after, combined to make her almost giddy. It also almost made her late. She flew all the way to the side door of the mansion, an uncharacteristic indulgence, and then ran to the fencing room, arriving flushed and dishevelled from her aerial games.
Logan looked up when the door opened; he'd been sitting on the mat, focusing himself. Her hair was messy and she looked /happy/. He smiled. "Hey."
"Hi." Marie gave him a brilliant smile and started taking off her shoes. "Sorry I'm late. I was playing," she confessed.
"Don't worry about it," he laughed, standing up. "Have you been practicing what we worked on Monday?"
"Yes, sir." The second word was punctuated by her usual anarchic little grin. Still, she had practiced. It hadn't been too hard to keep the sequence in her head, and practicing it before doing yoga in front of her television and right before bed had made it more automatic every day. Shoes and socks and jacket off, Marie ran her fingers through her hair to straighten it and bounced over to the mat to stand facing him. "Hi," she said again, obviously in a dangerously irrepressible mood.
"Hi," he replied. Her mood was contagious; he found himself grinning. Tugging on her hair, he raised an eyebrow. "D'you wanna try it out again?"
Marie gave him a calculating smile. "...oh," she said at last. "You mean that sequence? Sure."
His face blanked, and then his eyes narrowed, his eyebrow raising once more. "Oh," he repeated, a tiny smirk sliding across his lips.
"I've probably gotten a little sloppy, practicing on my own. You know how hard it is at first," she said, all business all of a sudden. "So, yes. Let's see how badly I've mucked it up in the last forty-eight hours, shall we?"
He snorted, shaking his head. "Right. D'you need a warm up, or are you good?"
"Do I look warm enough to you?" she asked, a bit of the imp creeping back in for a moment. "I'm good. Come on, Master Logan, let's get this done."
They worked through the form three times before he let her stop and she hit every move perfectly. When he'd decided she really did have it down, he taught her the Tai Otoshi, the judo throw he'd used on her at the end of their last session, in combination with the kuzushi exercise. A quick learner, she was throwing him to the floor within the hour.
Learning the throw Logan taught her was more than just fun. Marie really had to think about not letting her strength get out of hand and she found herself frowning at one point with the effort. After the move was more automatic and she trusted herself more, it got easier. Finally, it seemed to go perfectly and she smiled down at him. "How was that for you?"
He groaned, pushing himself into a sitting position for what felt like the hundredth time. He raised an eyebrow, eyes narrowing. "Wanna come down here and find out?"
Marie tilted her head, looking at him speculatively. "Yes," she said after a moment's thought. Taking his question as an invitation, she sat down in his lap facing him, her arms around his neck. "Lesson over then, Master Logan?" she asked quietly.
He closed his eyes, breathing her in, then forced his eyes open. "Yeah," he growled. "Lesson's over."
She pulled her gloves off, not taking her arms from around his neck, and then ran the fingers of one hand through his hair, gloves held in the other. "I thought it might be. Now, what was it I was supposed to be finding out about?"
He could feel fingernails against his scalp. Fingernails, not fabric. He leaned forward -- slowly, so she could stop him if she wanted -- brushing his lips over hers. "This."
Marie smiled a little when Logan's lips brushed hers and in a moment of mischief sparked by pure happiness, she nipped lightly at his lower lip before she pulled away.
He swallowed hard at the press of teeth, a sigh passing his lips when she pulled away. She really did know him. "So, was it good for you?" he asked, repeating her earlier question.
"Yes." She answered without hesitation and tugged at a lock of his dishevelled hair, mimicking his usual gesture of affection.
He propped himself on one arm, raising his free hand to settle at her waist. "Good." He wondered, sometimes, how much their occasional brushes of skin affected her. When she tugged on his hair -- an action characteristic of /him/, not her -- he wondered again.
Marie studied Logan's face, brushing the tips of her fingers almost over his skin, tracing his features. Her affection for him was inscribed clearly in her own expression as she did so, but her eyes were dark and full of thought.
He sat comfortably beneath her almost-touch, just as content to be still as to be moving. Watching her face, her eyes, he murmured, "Something wrong?"
"No," she said softly, then focussed on him. "Just thinking of everything I didn't say... couldn't say... to you before."
"I'm listening now," he offered, still meeting her eyes.
"I think you're wonderful," she said evenly. "I don't love you /in spite of/ anything and I know you enough that you might think I do. It was always you I wanted, but I love you so much that I'd take what I could get and if we were just friends forever I wouldn't feel cheated, but it's not all I want,not by a long shot. How's that for a start?"
"That's..." he blinked. "That's a good start." He was quiet for a moment, mulling her declaration in his mind. He took a breath, then started at the beginning. "D'you... there's not a lot you haven't seen of me, I know, but d'you really understand what... what I am?"
"I know what you are. And I know what you think of yourself. I know you think you're an animal in a man's body, at the core." Marie could feel it in him when he'd touched her in the past. The undercurrent of his nature and his reaction to it, she knew them both well. "I won't deny what you are, and I won't tell you it doesn't matter. I like it," she said plainly. She watched his face as she spoke. "I love /you/. All of you."
His eyes widened and disbelief coloured his expression. He was forced to dismiss it, though, because they'd always been honest with each other. "You like it?" he asked doubtfully.
Marie gave him a crooked little smile and wriggled her hips. "Yeah. You don't believe me?" Her eyes darkened and her stare was intense. "What the hell were you doing when I met you, Logan? Barfighting in Alaska and scaring the life out of the natives with those big claws of yours. And I followed you. Sweet little me. You think you were the first mutant to cross my path all that time on the road? /Think/ about it."
He ground his teeth and his hand clenched on her hip, a gentle encouragement to /stop moving around like that/. Then he focused on what she was saying. "Guess you've got a point." He searched her eyes. "But I didn't /kill/ anyone in Alaska," he said bluntly.
"No. But I saw you. I saw you fight. First person I saw you really come close to killing was me." Marie's eyes were relentless. "When are you going to get it? I /like/ you. That you kill people doesn't bother me. That you /like/ it keeps me safe. /I/ like it." It was the first time she'd ever articulated the sentiment, even to herself, but it was true to her core. He made her safe, fearless.
/That you like it keeps me safe. I like it./ His eyes darkened. She really /did/ understand. "You mean that."
"Oh yes." She leaned forward and brushed a kiss over his cheek, a feather-touch of lips and tongue. "Cross my heart," she whispered.
/And hope to die./ His eyes fell closed. "You don't want to be just friends?" he whispered, hoping for an assent.
"That's right." She pulled herself a little closer to him. "I'm glad we got that cleared up."
He slid his arm around her back, his fingers tracing her lower spine. "Me, too."
Marie had passed up some of her morning run in favour of flying over the lake. The long, sweeping passes over the surface in the early light combined with the memories of Monday's session, or what came after, combined to make her almost giddy. It also almost made her late. She flew all the way to the side door of the mansion, an uncharacteristic indulgence, and then ran to the fencing room, arriving flushed and dishevelled from her aerial games.
Logan looked up when the door opened; he'd been sitting on the mat, focusing himself. Her hair was messy and she looked /happy/. He smiled. "Hey."
"Hi." Marie gave him a brilliant smile and started taking off her shoes. "Sorry I'm late. I was playing," she confessed.
"Don't worry about it," he laughed, standing up. "Have you been practicing what we worked on Monday?"
"Yes, sir." The second word was punctuated by her usual anarchic little grin. Still, she had practiced. It hadn't been too hard to keep the sequence in her head, and practicing it before doing yoga in front of her television and right before bed had made it more automatic every day. Shoes and socks and jacket off, Marie ran her fingers through her hair to straighten it and bounced over to the mat to stand facing him. "Hi," she said again, obviously in a dangerously irrepressible mood.
"Hi," he replied. Her mood was contagious; he found himself grinning. Tugging on her hair, he raised an eyebrow. "D'you wanna try it out again?"
Marie gave him a calculating smile. "...oh," she said at last. "You mean that sequence? Sure."
His face blanked, and then his eyes narrowed, his eyebrow raising once more. "Oh," he repeated, a tiny smirk sliding across his lips.
"I've probably gotten a little sloppy, practicing on my own. You know how hard it is at first," she said, all business all of a sudden. "So, yes. Let's see how badly I've mucked it up in the last forty-eight hours, shall we?"
He snorted, shaking his head. "Right. D'you need a warm up, or are you good?"
"Do I look warm enough to you?" she asked, a bit of the imp creeping back in for a moment. "I'm good. Come on, Master Logan, let's get this done."
They worked through the form three times before he let her stop and she hit every move perfectly. When he'd decided she really did have it down, he taught her the Tai Otoshi, the judo throw he'd used on her at the end of their last session, in combination with the kuzushi exercise. A quick learner, she was throwing him to the floor within the hour.
Learning the throw Logan taught her was more than just fun. Marie really had to think about not letting her strength get out of hand and she found herself frowning at one point with the effort. After the move was more automatic and she trusted herself more, it got easier. Finally, it seemed to go perfectly and she smiled down at him. "How was that for you?"
He groaned, pushing himself into a sitting position for what felt like the hundredth time. He raised an eyebrow, eyes narrowing. "Wanna come down here and find out?"
Marie tilted her head, looking at him speculatively. "Yes," she said after a moment's thought. Taking his question as an invitation, she sat down in his lap facing him, her arms around his neck. "Lesson over then, Master Logan?" she asked quietly.
He closed his eyes, breathing her in, then forced his eyes open. "Yeah," he growled. "Lesson's over."
She pulled her gloves off, not taking her arms from around his neck, and then ran the fingers of one hand through his hair, gloves held in the other. "I thought it might be. Now, what was it I was supposed to be finding out about?"
He could feel fingernails against his scalp. Fingernails, not fabric. He leaned forward -- slowly, so she could stop him if she wanted -- brushing his lips over hers. "This."
Marie smiled a little when Logan's lips brushed hers and in a moment of mischief sparked by pure happiness, she nipped lightly at his lower lip before she pulled away.
He swallowed hard at the press of teeth, a sigh passing his lips when she pulled away. She really did know him. "So, was it good for you?" he asked, repeating her earlier question.
"Yes." She answered without hesitation and tugged at a lock of his dishevelled hair, mimicking his usual gesture of affection.
He propped himself on one arm, raising his free hand to settle at her waist. "Good." He wondered, sometimes, how much their occasional brushes of skin affected her. When she tugged on his hair -- an action characteristic of /him/, not her -- he wondered again.
Marie studied Logan's face, brushing the tips of her fingers almost over his skin, tracing his features. Her affection for him was inscribed clearly in her own expression as she did so, but her eyes were dark and full of thought.
He sat comfortably beneath her almost-touch, just as content to be still as to be moving. Watching her face, her eyes, he murmured, "Something wrong?"
"No," she said softly, then focussed on him. "Just thinking of everything I didn't say... couldn't say... to you before."
"I'm listening now," he offered, still meeting her eyes.
"I think you're wonderful," she said evenly. "I don't love you /in spite of/ anything and I know you enough that you might think I do. It was always you I wanted, but I love you so much that I'd take what I could get and if we were just friends forever I wouldn't feel cheated, but it's not all I want,not by a long shot. How's that for a start?"
"That's..." he blinked. "That's a good start." He was quiet for a moment, mulling her declaration in his mind. He took a breath, then started at the beginning. "D'you... there's not a lot you haven't seen of me, I know, but d'you really understand what... what I am?"
"I know what you are. And I know what you think of yourself. I know you think you're an animal in a man's body, at the core." Marie could feel it in him when he'd touched her in the past. The undercurrent of his nature and his reaction to it, she knew them both well. "I won't deny what you are, and I won't tell you it doesn't matter. I like it," she said plainly. She watched his face as she spoke. "I love /you/. All of you."
His eyes widened and disbelief coloured his expression. He was forced to dismiss it, though, because they'd always been honest with each other. "You like it?" he asked doubtfully.
Marie gave him a crooked little smile and wriggled her hips. "Yeah. You don't believe me?" Her eyes darkened and her stare was intense. "What the hell were you doing when I met you, Logan? Barfighting in Alaska and scaring the life out of the natives with those big claws of yours. And I followed you. Sweet little me. You think you were the first mutant to cross my path all that time on the road? /Think/ about it."
He ground his teeth and his hand clenched on her hip, a gentle encouragement to /stop moving around like that/. Then he focused on what she was saying. "Guess you've got a point." He searched her eyes. "But I didn't /kill/ anyone in Alaska," he said bluntly.
"No. But I saw you. I saw you fight. First person I saw you really come close to killing was me." Marie's eyes were relentless. "When are you going to get it? I /like/ you. That you kill people doesn't bother me. That you /like/ it keeps me safe. /I/ like it." It was the first time she'd ever articulated the sentiment, even to herself, but it was true to her core. He made her safe, fearless.
/That you like it keeps me safe. I like it./ His eyes darkened. She really /did/ understand. "You mean that."
"Oh yes." She leaned forward and brushed a kiss over his cheek, a feather-touch of lips and tongue. "Cross my heart," she whispered.
/And hope to die./ His eyes fell closed. "You don't want to be just friends?" he whispered, hoping for an assent.
"That's right." She pulled herself a little closer to him. "I'm glad we got that cleared up."
He slid his arm around her back, his fingers tracing her lower spine. "Me, too."
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no subject
Date: 2004-01-21 03:53 pm (UTC)That's enough excuse not to, for Cain. :)
no subject
Date: 2004-01-21 03:57 pm (UTC)Marie: Or just really piss him off and call the aftermath training.
*headdesk* So. Unhelpful.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-21 04:46 pm (UTC)Since when did Marie and Sarah share the same brain?
no subject
Date: 2004-01-21 04:57 pm (UTC)