[ Adrian leaves the clinic only a few minutes late, though it isn't exactly of his own volition. Two of his colleges have insisted on walking him home because he 'seems upset about something' and 'looks tired,' which is, as far as Adrian is concerned, a clear exaggeration. He knows that they're going to ask him for details as soon as they're clear of the clinic and, while their concern is well-meant, he doesn't have any desire to divulge those details.
A look of relief briefly washes over his face when he spots Logan outside, just across the street. Adrian makes an excuse for himself, and when the nurses look skeptical — you really should stop chasing rough-looking guys like that, Adrian — he adds, I'm not — he's — my uncle. You should go ahead. I'm sure he'll drive me home.
He doesn't give them the chance to argue before hurrying across the street. ]
Mr. Logan. [ Adrian exhales, coming to a stop just in arms' reach. He isn't shy or nervous, just resigned. Tension settles in his shoulders like he's braced for something. ] This is about Lucina, I presume?
[ He's my uncle luckily doesn't reach Logan's ears over all the squealing tires and blaring horns that play in concert across four lanes of traffic.
He takes in the sight of Adrian, and immediately sighs. ] I didn't come to kick your ass, relax.
[ Maybe he was inclined to in the moment, but between talking to Arlie and heading over here, he's...okay, he didn't so much cool off as Lucina's little boyfriend ended up absorbing most of his bad mood, which frankly, the kid had an attitude, so.
Adrian, on the other hand, looks like he got caught slinking through the door after curfew. ]
And no. This is about you. You know, just 'cause she was the only one hurt doesn't mean you couldn't have been, either. What the hell were you even doing?
[ To begin with, he means. How'd this start? Because from where he's standing, either Adrian got in way over his head and didn't see it coming, or this mysterious Marc dragged him into something he didn't ask to be—and that scenario, he will be pissed about. ]
[ Adrian does not relax. If anything, he gets more tense, his brow knitted with unspoken frustration. It only gets worse when Logan continues speaking. ] But I wasn't hurt in any way that matters. If you had said all of this in your message, I would have told you not to waste your time checking on me. [ Adrian folds his arms, shoulders hunched inward. ] Lucina is the one who almost died. Did she tell you that? It took everything I had just to stabilize her condition, and even then, there's only so much that I can do for her with magic.
[ He chews on his lower lip, and then stops himself just as quickly. It's the sort of fidgeting gesture that ought to have been trained out of him as a child.
Adrian takes a breath, shaking his head as if to clear it. His gaze fixes somewhere on the handlebars of Logan's motorcycle. ] A few weeks ago, I went to a diner to have coffee with Marc. Some raiders came in and started threatening the waitstaff, so we intervened. No one died, but it left such a mess that the diner closed temporarily. I thought that was the end of it.
He straightens up from where he's lounging, taking in the other side of the story. Lucina didn't give him much. Got the sense she didn't know much, frankly, and he wasn't going to give her the third degree while she was laid up.
After a second, he pushes the details aside. Feels like there's suddenly something more important to address first. ]
She didn't have to.
[ It wasn't hard to put two and two together; Lucina was in bad shape when he came to her door, and he's got no question that if Adrian could've healed her better, he would have. So whatever injuries she sustained, it must've been damn near fatal. Like Cassian—who Adrian had also only stabilized, not fully healed. ]
And it's a good thing I don't care what you think is a waste of my time. [ He takes a step forward. ] Look at me. I know you feel like shit about what happened, and that's something you're gonna have to learn to live with. But I happen to prefer both of you in one piece, so next time you start some shit that didn't get cleaned up, call me.
[ He nods slowly at first. It's good, actually, that Logan had discerned that particular fact for himself. Getting Lucina to understand the seriousness of what had happened to her is clearly going to take an entire army of people.
He knows that on some level, she's trying to be kind to him as well, downplaying it all... but that's just. That's a whole different problem.
The other part catches him off guard. Adrian was already a bit touchy, but when Logan steps forward his eyes narrow, an argument on the tip of his tongue.
There's a moment's hesitation, but Adrian does look up when Logan asks it of him. He doesn't immediately argue, the way he might with someone else. There is just something about Logan's presence that is... steady. As if he's the sort of person who can be relied upon. (Even despite the kind of state that Adrian usually finds him in.)
Adrian does, in fact, respect him. So his jaw clenches, but he nods. ] ...I will. I suppose that I've gotten accustomed to Fern and I handling this sort of thing together. I... appreciate your concern. [ He's working very hard not to decline it entirely. ] But you don't need to worry about me, really. I don't heal as quickly as you do, but I'm not human, either.
[ Adrian chews his lip again before adding: ] Mr. Logan... How do you live with it?
[ Hell, Logan is expecting an argument. He didn't come here to say what Adrian wants to hear. But Adrian doesn't, unhappy as he looks about it.
He can accept that.
His weight shifts. Yeah, well. He's known plenty who aren't human, mutants more powerful than him, and most of them didn't make it. There's a limit to everyone. He understands that better than most.
—The question makes him blink, thoughts sidelined. ]
I don't get a choice. [ That's the simple answer. Sometimes, he finds his reasons, and those are his good days—or weeks or even months—and sometimes, those reasons aren't enough. Even when they should be, they aren't always.
But he's still here either way. He still finds himself back with his own. ]
Turns out, when you're around people, you start listening to what they say. After a while, they might even convince you to stop feeling sorry for yourself.
[ Adrian's eyebrows draw together in gentle sympathy. He should have guessed. Logan had implied as much before, hadn't he? It must be strange, having to learn to live with... living.
In some ways, it's a bit of a relief. Deep down, he knows that there's very little that he can do to ensure that those he cares for aren't taken by some sudden accident, even outside of this foolish misstep he's made. With Logan, he'll never have to worry about that.
Yet, all the same, a life without end sounds truly exhausting.
He's glad that Logan has people. He's just not entirely certain of what to do with the idea that he might be one of them, in some way or another.
Wry: ] Fern would be the first to tell you that I don't listen to anyone. But... I am trying. [ Adrian breathes a sigh. ] Was there anything else?
[ A half-shrug meets Adrian's pinched brows. It's a part of what he is. He used to think of it as a curse; some days, he still does. Other times, he knows it's the sole reason he's done what he has. Kept people safe. Tried to, anyway.
He'll bet. He shouldn't be surprised. Every doctor's got a stubborn streak a mile wide.
Guess he isn't one to talk. ]
Maybe you oughta start with her.
[ He swings his leg back over his bike. In answer, the engine revs. Nah. He said what he wanted to say. The rest is up to Adrian. ]
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A look of relief briefly washes over his face when he spots Logan outside, just across the street. Adrian makes an excuse for himself, and when the nurses look skeptical — you really should stop chasing rough-looking guys like that, Adrian — he adds, I'm not — he's — my uncle. You should go ahead. I'm sure he'll drive me home.
He doesn't give them the chance to argue before hurrying across the street. ]
Mr. Logan. [ Adrian exhales, coming to a stop just in arms' reach. He isn't shy or nervous, just resigned. Tension settles in his shoulders like he's braced for something. ] This is about Lucina, I presume?
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He takes in the sight of Adrian, and immediately sighs. ] I didn't come to kick your ass, relax.
[ Maybe he was inclined to in the moment, but between talking to Arlie and heading over here, he's...okay, he didn't so much cool off as Lucina's little boyfriend ended up absorbing most of his bad mood, which frankly, the kid had an attitude, so.
Adrian, on the other hand, looks like he got caught slinking through the door after curfew. ]
And no. This is about you. You know, just 'cause she was the only one hurt doesn't mean you couldn't have been, either. What the hell were you even doing?
[ To begin with, he means. How'd this start? Because from where he's standing, either Adrian got in way over his head and didn't see it coming, or this mysterious Marc dragged him into something he didn't ask to be—and that scenario, he will be pissed about. ]
no subject
[ He chews on his lower lip, and then stops himself just as quickly. It's the sort of fidgeting gesture that ought to have been trained out of him as a child.
Adrian takes a breath, shaking his head as if to clear it. His gaze fixes somewhere on the handlebars of Logan's motorcycle. ] A few weeks ago, I went to a diner to have coffee with Marc. Some raiders came in and started threatening the waitstaff, so we intervened. No one died, but it left such a mess that the diner closed temporarily. I thought that was the end of it.
no subject
He straightens up from where he's lounging, taking in the other side of the story. Lucina didn't give him much. Got the sense she didn't know much, frankly, and he wasn't going to give her the third degree while she was laid up.
After a second, he pushes the details aside. Feels like there's suddenly something more important to address first. ]
She didn't have to.
[ It wasn't hard to put two and two together; Lucina was in bad shape when he came to her door, and he's got no question that if Adrian could've healed her better, he would have. So whatever injuries she sustained, it must've been damn near fatal. Like Cassian—who Adrian had also only stabilized, not fully healed. ]
And it's a good thing I don't care what you think is a waste of my time. [ He takes a step forward. ] Look at me. I know you feel like shit about what happened, and that's something you're gonna have to learn to live with. But I happen to prefer both of you in one piece, so next time you start some shit that didn't get cleaned up, call me.
no subject
He knows that on some level, she's trying to be kind to him as well, downplaying it all... but that's just. That's a whole different problem.
The other part catches him off guard. Adrian was already a bit touchy, but when Logan steps forward his eyes narrow, an argument on the tip of his tongue.
There's a moment's hesitation, but Adrian does look up when Logan asks it of him. He doesn't immediately argue, the way he might with someone else. There is just something about Logan's presence that is... steady. As if he's the sort of person who can be relied upon. (Even despite the kind of state that Adrian usually finds him in.)
Adrian does, in fact, respect him. So his jaw clenches, but he nods. ] ...I will. I suppose that I've gotten accustomed to Fern and I handling this sort of thing together. I... appreciate your concern. [ He's working very hard not to decline it entirely. ] But you don't need to worry about me, really. I don't heal as quickly as you do, but I'm not human, either.
[ Adrian chews his lip again before adding: ] Mr. Logan... How do you live with it?
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He can accept that.
His weight shifts. Yeah, well. He's known plenty who aren't human, mutants more powerful than him, and most of them didn't make it. There's a limit to everyone. He understands that better than most.
—The question makes him blink, thoughts sidelined. ]
I don't get a choice. [ That's the simple answer. Sometimes, he finds his reasons, and those are his good days—or weeks or even months—and sometimes, those reasons aren't enough. Even when they should be, they aren't always.
But he's still here either way. He still finds himself back with his own. ]
Turns out, when you're around people, you start listening to what they say. After a while, they might even convince you to stop feeling sorry for yourself.
starting to wrap? 🎀
In some ways, it's a bit of a relief. Deep down, he knows that there's very little that he can do to ensure that those he cares for aren't taken by some sudden accident, even outside of this foolish misstep he's made. With Logan, he'll never have to worry about that.
Yet, all the same, a life without end sounds truly exhausting.
He's glad that Logan has people. He's just not entirely certain of what to do with the idea that he might be one of them, in some way or another.
Wry: ] Fern would be the first to tell you that I don't listen to anyone. But... I am trying. [ Adrian breathes a sigh. ] Was there anything else?
🎀
He'll bet. He shouldn't be surprised. Every doctor's got a stubborn streak a mile wide.
Guess he isn't one to talk. ]
Maybe you oughta start with her.
[ He swings his leg back over his bike. In answer, the engine revs. Nah. He said what he wanted to say. The rest is up to Adrian. ]