The open door only had the smell wafting out. Logan's nose crinkled in obvious distress-- if Scott thought it was bad, then it was a thousand times worse to a feral mutant with hypersenses-- but he pushed on, a hand on Scott's back to push him forward.
The house was in obvious disarray. There were boxes of takeout and pizza, cans of cheap beer, the lingering scent of cigarette ash...
And a boy seated on a sofa stained with piss and vomit, his face glowing from the light that came from the television. His head was lifted, staring at the two men in the doorway, but he didn't look afraid so much as he looked curious.
Loud snoring came from down the hall. "Parents're knocked out," Logan muttered, but he didn't move from where he stood behind Scott's frame. "I can hear their heartbeats, but they're slow..." A wince. "Aw, fu-- heck, Cyke, I think they're high."
"Oh god.. We need to get him out of here and fast."
Scott had never seen something that terrible and he had seen a lot. The parents gave an unflattering impression, both passed out in the hall and snoring. What Logan said next didn't really surprise him. The smell made it obvious there were some questionable things going on in this house.
"Hey, Marcus. It's okay.. We're here to help you." He gave the boy a reassuring smile to show he was friendly and genuine. "I'm Scott and this is Logan." Scott gestured to the older mutant standing next to him.
Marcus relaxed after Scott said his name, but given the fact that Logan was standing with his arms crossed and his lips pulled in a frown, Marcus seemed to be less inclined to trust him.
"I'm hungry," the boy said. Logan gave him a once-over and frowned even deeper-- his clothes were stained, his hair sticking up and looking like it hadn't been shampooed in days. Marcus was sniffling too, bits of snot dripping from his nose.
He didn't even bother wiping it off any more, meaning his lips and chin were shiny from what was sliding downward. "Do you have food, Mr. Scott?"
Logan wasn't quite as good with children as Scott was (or at least, that was what he believed). So for the most part, he hung back, keeping his ears peeled for the parents down the hall, instead.
The boy looked like he hadn't eaten properly in days and it angered Scott. He couldn't understand how someone would treat a small child in such a way, prioritizing drugs over their son. Allowing them to sit and sleep on unclean surfaces, covered in filth and fluids.
"We'll get you something to eat and get you cleaned up. Logan, can you carry him?"
The parents might wake up any second and Logan was faster than him, and able to get the child out of there safely and unnoticed. He peeked out of the room to make sure the coast was clear, ready to act quickly if needed.
At first Logan gave Scott a look that read really?, but ultimately he crinkled his nose as he went to do as he was told, anyway.
Marcus sniffled, backing away a bit as Logan came closer, and he frowned even deeper. "He doesn't like me," Logan said, looking over his shoulder to where Scott was. "Why do I gotta do it?
Just because he had a better, more mutual understanding sort of relationship with his leader didn't mean that Logan wasn't without complaining. Marcus huffed.
"Mr. Scott" -- cough -- "said you have to."
So Logan whirled back around, his look of disbelief now sent towards the kid. "Hey, you're the one who's backing away from me."
That drew a chuckle out of Scott. Watching Logan trying to deal with children will never stop being adorable. "You're stronger, faster and you can get him out safely."
Also it brought a small glimmer of light into this dark, terrible situation they were saving Marcus from. The sooner they left this rotten house the better.
"He might look mean but he's really a good man, Marcus. You'll be okay in his care."
Scott kept a close eye on the surroundings to make sure they'd get out alright.
At Scott's words, Marcus looked up at him before finally sniffling and scooting closer to where Logan stood. "Okay..."
And even if Logan sighed just a bit seeing that wariness still on him, he did his best to put on a kind face as he held his arms out. Marcus wrapped his arms around Logan's neck, too thin and too scrawny and too weak in its grip, and even if the smell of the kid was hell on his nose, he was more concerned with how light he was.
He spared Scott a glance, and even if it wasn't obvious, there was enough worry in his eyes that he knew his leader would pick it up.
"Not so bad at this carrying thing, am I?" he scoffed, and Marcus lowered his head to press his face to Logan's shoulder (and smear snot into his suit-- all fucking right).
"You're okay," Marcus said. "But you're not as nice as Mr. Scott..."
"Yeah? Well Mr. Scott's a lazy little prick--" Logan started his walk out, Marcus in tow, and only when they got to the doorway did the boy look up and face the hallway.
Then he looked at Scott, clearly troubled. "What about my ma and pa?" he asked, biting his lip.
Scott noticed it. The poor boy looked far too skinny and unwell. He'd be in good hands with Jean back at the school, properly cared for after a good bath.
"No, Mr. Scott's only being smart and entrusting this task with his best man." He said with a small grin, walking alongside Logan while he carried the child.
The boy's words had him stopping on his tracks, however. He glanced at the older mutant and then at the parents still passed out in the hall. "I'm sure someone can help them, too. It's important to bring you to safety now." His heart sank at the reality of it all.
Scott looked at him and Logan could only frown in reply. If Scott didn't know what to say, then Logan sure as hell didn't, but Marcus gave one longing glance before nodding in agreement. "Okay," he said. "Maybe after you help me we can come back and help them? They just need their needles taken away, I think..."
Logan grit his teeth against the profanities he clearly wanted to let out. Something about how parents weren't supposed to do that, about how the needles weren't supposed to be in the house, about how shitty they were and how Marcus deserved better. He bit these remarks back as he walked from the door down the driveway towards the car they'd taken here.
"Your parents'll need a lot more help than that, kid." It was the tamest thing Logan could say, and he moved to the backseat of the car and opened it to set Marcus down there. Part of him had a feeling they wouldn't even notice their son was gone.
"You comfy?" he asked, to which Marcus nodded his head. "Wear your seatbelt."
Marcus struggled pulling it, so Logan reached out to help him click it shut. Even with this, however, the boy was peeking over Logan's shoulder to where Scott was. "Can Mr. Scott sit with me?"
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The open door only had the smell wafting out. Logan's nose crinkled in obvious distress-- if Scott thought it was bad, then it was a thousand times worse to a feral mutant with hypersenses-- but he pushed on, a hand on Scott's back to push him forward.
The house was in obvious disarray. There were boxes of takeout and pizza, cans of cheap beer, the lingering scent of cigarette ash...
And a boy seated on a sofa stained with piss and vomit, his face glowing from the light that came from the television. His head was lifted, staring at the two men in the doorway, but he didn't look afraid so much as he looked curious.
Loud snoring came from down the hall. "Parents're knocked out," Logan muttered, but he didn't move from where he stood behind Scott's frame. "I can hear their heartbeats, but they're slow..." A wince. "Aw, fu-- heck, Cyke, I think they're high."
no subject
Scott had never seen something that terrible and he had seen a lot. The parents gave an unflattering impression, both passed out in the hall and snoring. What Logan said next didn't really surprise him. The smell made it obvious there were some questionable things going on in this house.
"Hey, Marcus. It's okay.. We're here to help you." He gave the boy a reassuring smile to show he was friendly and genuine. "I'm Scott and this is Logan." Scott gestured to the older mutant standing next to him.
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"I'm hungry," the boy said. Logan gave him a once-over and frowned even deeper-- his clothes were stained, his hair sticking up and looking like it hadn't been shampooed in days. Marcus was sniffling too, bits of snot dripping from his nose.
He didn't even bother wiping it off any more, meaning his lips and chin were shiny from what was sliding downward. "Do you have food, Mr. Scott?"
Logan wasn't quite as good with children as Scott was (or at least, that was what he believed). So for the most part, he hung back, keeping his ears peeled for the parents down the hall, instead.
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"We'll get you something to eat and get you cleaned up. Logan, can you carry him?"
The parents might wake up any second and Logan was faster than him, and able to get the child out of there safely and unnoticed. He peeked out of the room to make sure the coast was clear, ready to act quickly if needed.
no subject
Marcus sniffled, backing away a bit as Logan came closer, and he frowned even deeper. "He doesn't like me," Logan said, looking over his shoulder to where Scott was. "Why do I gotta do it?
Just because he had a better, more mutual understanding sort of relationship with his leader didn't mean that Logan wasn't without complaining. Marcus huffed.
"Mr. Scott" -- cough -- "said you have to."
So Logan whirled back around, his look of disbelief now sent towards the kid. "Hey, you're the one who's backing away from me."
no subject
Also it brought a small glimmer of light into this dark, terrible situation they were saving Marcus from. The sooner they left this rotten house the better.
"He might look mean but he's really a good man, Marcus. You'll be okay in his care."
Scott kept a close eye on the surroundings to make sure they'd get out alright.
no subject
And even if Logan sighed just a bit seeing that wariness still on him, he did his best to put on a kind face as he held his arms out. Marcus wrapped his arms around Logan's neck, too thin and too scrawny and too weak in its grip, and even if the smell of the kid was hell on his nose, he was more concerned with how light he was.
He spared Scott a glance, and even if it wasn't obvious, there was enough worry in his eyes that he knew his leader would pick it up.
"Not so bad at this carrying thing, am I?" he scoffed, and Marcus lowered his head to press his face to Logan's shoulder (and smear snot into his suit-- all fucking right).
"You're okay," Marcus said. "But you're not as nice as Mr. Scott..."
"Yeah? Well Mr. Scott's a lazy little prick--" Logan started his walk out, Marcus in tow, and only when they got to the doorway did the boy look up and face the hallway.
Then he looked at Scott, clearly troubled. "What about my ma and pa?" he asked, biting his lip.
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"No, Mr. Scott's only being smart and entrusting this task with his best man." He said with a small grin, walking alongside Logan while he carried the child.
The boy's words had him stopping on his tracks, however. He glanced at the older mutant and then at the parents still passed out in the hall. "I'm sure someone can help them, too. It's important to bring you to safety now." His heart sank at the reality of it all.
no subject
Logan grit his teeth against the profanities he clearly wanted to let out. Something about how parents weren't supposed to do that, about how the needles weren't supposed to be in the house, about how shitty they were and how Marcus deserved better. He bit these remarks back as he walked from the door down the driveway towards the car they'd taken here.
"Your parents'll need a lot more help than that, kid." It was the tamest thing Logan could say, and he moved to the backseat of the car and opened it to set Marcus down there. Part of him had a feeling they wouldn't even notice their son was gone.
"You comfy?" he asked, to which Marcus nodded his head. "Wear your seatbelt."
Marcus struggled pulling it, so Logan reached out to help him click it shut. Even with this, however, the boy was peeking over Logan's shoulder to where Scott was. "Can Mr. Scott sit with me?"