F A N F I C T I O N > V . M A R S
Ready to Go by Amberina
The clock on the bedside table read 4:21 (ante meridian, a voice in the back of Logan's head said randomly, and he wondered why voices in the back of people's heads in books were always warning about something, when his never told him anything interesting.)
He could feel Duncan's lips trailing down his body, though the only illumination came from the weak glow of the digits on the alarm clock and he couldn't see him that well. Duncan loved to kiss down his body, lavish his chest and stomach, before finally reaching the promised land. Now, Duncan was taking his time, kissing and licking up and down, and up and down, and up... and down...
Logan ran his hand through Duncan's hair, and gently attempted to nudge Duncan in the right direction. It almost seemed to be working - Duncan's tongue licking just under the waistband of Logan's jeans - when Duncan stopped entirely, and looked up at Logan. "Let's leave," he said, and Logan wasn't sure if he was being serious or not, but either way he would have preferred Duncan's mouth on his cock instead of talking. That was what was supposed to be good about being with guys - they didn't talk, and talk, and talk. Unfortunately, it seemed Duncan had become a girl in the last few weeks.
Logan sighed, and realized that Duncan was waiting for a response. What'd he expect him to say? Golly gee, I thought you'd never ask! Right. "And go where?" Logan asked. He patted Duncan on the head, mostly because it seemed like the thing to do, but also because he kind of did resemble a lapdog. He still couldn't figure out if Duncan was serious or not. Sure, he looked serious, but when didn't he?
Duncan nuzzled his head against Logan's stomach, and Logan nearly laughed at him. Good boy, would you like a Scooby snack? He restrained himself, though, because sometimes even Logan knew when it was best to hold back. "Vegas," Duncan said softly, his lips moving against Logan's skin. Then he pulled back, and looked Logan in the eye, and continued, dead-pan, "let's elope." There were a few seconds of silence, with Logan debating with himself whether to respond or not, when Duncan continued, "I'm joking about the eloping, and... I don't know where. It doesn't matter."
He moved up Logan's body, and kissed him on the neck, on the earlobe, on the lips. He said again, this time his face inches away from Logan's, "Let's leave. Let's go. What's left in Neptune for us anyway?"
Logan turned his head, so he was facing the clock instead. The digits now told him it was 4:42 (ante meridian, the voice in the back of his head said). "Let's go."
"I didn't think you'd want to leave tonight," Duncan said, switching the radio back and forth between the top 40 station and the alternative station, but finding nothing that held his interest. Finally, he switched it off, and looked up. He noticed Logan was heading the opposite way of the highway, towards... "Where are we going?" He didn't have to ask, though. He knew exactly where Logan was going.
It didn't take long before they reached Veronica's apartment. Logan pulled up out front, and kept the car running as he ran inside. Duncan wondered what, exactly, Logan was planning. If he wanted Veronica to come along - something Duncan wasn't entirely against, but wasn't entirely for, either - it'd take a lot more than just showing up in the middle of the night and saying, "Let's go." Duncan and Logan had parents in jail, or worse. Veronica had a father likely to be sleeping one room over.
Logan came out, pulling Veronica with him. Veronica was dressed in drawstring pants and a flimsy camisole, but she carried a small bag with her. She still looked half-asleep. Logan guided her to the car, and once she slid into the backseat, Duncan turned to ask her how he'd managed to convince her. Unfortunately, Veronica was fluffing up the bag she'd been carrying and didn't look like she was up for much conversation.
"Hi," she mumbled, her voice barely audible, and then closed her eyes.
When Logan finally got back in the car, Duncan shot him a look, and said softly, not wanting to wake Veronica up, since apparently letting her sleep in the car was part of the deal, "How'd you get her to come?"
Logan didn't say anything, but instead pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road, a small smirk on his face. Duncan watched him for a moment, and then glanced back at Veronica, who looked decidedly peaceful curled up in the backseat. Suddenly he wondered if her tagging along was such a great idea, considering the history both he and Logan had with her. And the relationship they had with each other.
This, Duncan thought, as Logan pulled onto the highway, was definitely going to be interesting.
Veronica woke up with the hot sun glaring into her eyes, and the bag under her head suddenly very uncomfortable. Her head was pounding, and the heat in the car was killing her. Duncan and Logan weren't in the car with her. They'd left her there alone - with the windows up. Smart guys. She blinked, urging her eyes to get used to the bright light, and then rolled down her window.
After finally waking up for the most part, Veronica glanced around and took stock of her surroundings. They were parked at a gas pump at an old, rickety-looking gas station. They were definitely a long way from Neptune, where everything had been renovated or built in the last decade, at the least. Since it was just a gas station stop, Veronica decided to give the guys a break with the window thing. They'd be out in a minute, anyway.
Veronica panicked for a moment, remembering that she hadn't told her dad where she was going, and then she remembered that he was out of town himself. As long as she called him later in the day, he'd have no reason to suspect a thing. Even if he did, it wasn't like it was the first time she'd left town without telling him first. He'd probably be glad to know she wasn't tracking a murderer.
After waiting for a few minutes, Veronica decided it'd be a good idea to go into the gas station, see what was holding the guys up. Besides, she was thirsty, and could buy something to drink in there. It was as Veronica was getting out of the car that she realized she was still wearing her pajamas, and thus had no money on her. Veronica sighed and opened the bag she had been using for a pillow. She couldn't remember packing the bag... "Crap," she said aloud as she realized Logan had packed her bag.
Well, she assumed he did. That was the only explanation for the fact that the bag contained a her cell phone, wallet and -
A thong, Veronica thought, shaking her head. That was Logan for you.
Having sex in a gas station bathroom was so tacky, Logan decided, as his hands somehow found their way down Duncan's jeans. He had the other boy pressed against the wall that was smudged with decades' worth of Logan-didn't-want-to-know. Duncan had his head resting against Logan shoulder instead of the wall, which was probably smart. Logan could feel his hot breath on his neck as he stroked up and down the cock in his hand.
"How's that feel?" Logan coaxed him, speeding up his motions. Duncan groaned, and then he was holding onto Logan as he came. The two of them stood there for a moment, neither moving. Finally, Duncan raised his head from its spot on Logan's shoulder, and kissed him.
Logan knew Duncan was maybe a little too involved in the relationship. He couldn't do anything about that now, other than try his hardest not to hurt him. Not that he really thought a happy outcome was possible. These things never, ever ended well. Nothing did, really, Logan figured. It was just best to enjoy yourself along the way.
Logan finally pulled his hand out of Duncan's pants, and turned towards the sink. He grabbed the last paper towel from the dispenser hanging on the wall and turned on the faucet. Except it didn't come on, just creaked and groaned. He noticed a dripping sound, but he didn't know where it was coming from - just that it wasn't where it was supposed to be. He was about to twist it back to the off position when suddenly, water began to spurt - just not from the faucet. Instead, it burst forth from the pipes under the sink. "Shit."
Duncan jumped back as the water hit him, and then he dove for the door. Logan would have laughed at how panicked Duncan looked, if he wasn't scrambling to get out of there too. Duncan seemed to have a problem getting the door open, but finally he got it, and the two burst out into the fresh air. Logan could already feel the water on him starting to evaporate. Or maybe he was imagining it. Either way, he figured he'd be dry soon at least.
Duncan stopped before Logan could notice, and he ran straight into the other guy's back. Luckily, he hadn't been going very fast, so they both recovered quickly. Then Logan noticed why Duncan had stopped. Veronica was coming out of the gas station, and walking back towards the car, with a bottle of water and a couple of packages of something that resembled food in her hand.
She seemed to sense them behind her, and turned around. It was then, seeing her standing there, that Logan realized they'd probably need to buy her some clothes soon.
Paranoia was Duncan's middle name. Okay, maybe his middle name was Christopher (Lilly used to say that if only they'd thrown Ian or Isaac in there, he'd have the world's most accurate initials. She'd call him various names that started with "I" whenever she was annoyed with him. It got interesting, sometimes, when she was grasping for a name to call him, and ended up coming out with "Iago" or something similar. Of course, she only stooped to "I"-names when she'd already used "Donut" too many times during a single argument), but the fact remained. He tended to get a little paranoid, and this wasn't an exception.
What if she could tell? Duncan wasn't entirely opposed to being known as gay - or bisexual, or straight-with-exceptions - but the entire situation was complicated, and he'd rather she didn't find out about him and Logan like this. Even if a situation like this was kind of how he found out about her and Logan. Which was over, Logan said, but Logan said a lot of things.
Duncan noticed Veronica was looking mostly at Logan, and he frowned slightly, then her gaze drifted slowly towards him and he felt as if she was shooting laser beams through his body. Her voice came out sounding groggy, but cheerful enough, as she asked them what had happened to them.
"Water. In the bathroom," Duncan said awkwardly, and then he realized that made the whole situation seem even odder and what if she knew?
Veronica seemed to accept that answer, and she turned and continued to walk towards the car. Logan followed, and Duncan figured he should probably do the same. Since Veronica had taken the front seat this time, Duncan climbed in the back and pushed Veronica's bag aside. It was kind of nice to be able to stretch out a little bit back there, so he didn't mind.
"I need clothes," Veronica said simply, and Duncan couldn't believe she hadn't brought any to begin with, but then again, Logan probably did rush her. Logan made half a sound that indicated he was about to speak when Veronica cut him off with, "and not clothes from Victoria's Secret."
"Fine," Logan replied. "Though in case you haven't noticed, we're currently in the middle of nowhere, so you'll have to wait a while."
Duncan sighed and propped his head against the window. Veronica switched on the radio and pushed a few buttons. The CD Logan had in blared from the speakers. Duncan jumped, and then Veronica turned it down. Logan was the only one of them that hadn't outgrown his Linkin Park faze.
"Nice," Veronica commented, a bit sarcastically, before she switched over to the radio, and began searching through the dial for a radio station that would come in.
Veronica sighed at the radio when she came up with nothing but static-y commercials for window panes and country songs about whiskey. They really were a long way from Neptune. She gave up on the radio and glanced around the car. Logan was quiet, staring out at the road but not seeming to be paying much attention to it. That might've been a bad thing, except there were no other cars on the non-paved road they were traveling so it wasn't that big of a deal right now. Still, she made a note to watch out for him.
In the backseat, Duncan seemed in deep thought as well. His face wasn't as blank as Logan's, though, which was a bit odd, come to think of it. He stared at the back of Logan's head and was chewing on the inside of his cheek. The look in his eyes kind of resembled...
Veronica shifted in her seat and coughed. Duncan turned to look at her, and he seemed a bit like a deer caught in headlights. Interesting. "Nice scenery, huh?" she said cheerfully, gesturing at the blank tableau out the window.
Duncan looked taken aback and said, slowly and seeming to trip over his words slightly, "Oh, uh, yeah. It's ... uh.... "
"Logan said this was your idea," Veronica said, carefully prodding. "I'm so glad you decided to invite me. I mean, otherwise I'd have been all alone with Backup and copious amounts of mac and cheese, and we all know that never ends well."
Duncan flashed that Kane smile at her. Veronica guessed he'd recovered from whatever about her had shocked him. Or whatever he thought she might suspect, Veronica noted. "It wouldn't have been the same without you," he said, with a quick wink and Veronica nearly burst out laughing. His supposed composure and cheerfulness was faker than Caitlin Ford's hair color, that she could tell.
Now why would he not want her to go? Obvious reasons aside. Veronica sat back in her seat and glanced over at Logan. And why would one ex-boyfriend be oogling the other? And why - she added to her list, mentally - would they be in the bathroom together?
No way they were... Unless... Veronica closed her eyes and suddenly a lot of things made sense. A lot of things she'd brushed off as Logan's sarcasm...
Her ex-boyfriends were sleeping together. And she was the third-wheel on their grand road trip. Which Logan had invited her to.
Veronica looked back at Logan. He finally seemed to snap out of his daze and smiled at her, in that Logan, half-smirk/half-smile kind of way. Veronica suddenly had her second realization of the last minute or so. She looked out her window, eyes wide. Now this was something she wouldn't have expected. Not even from Logan.
Logan glanced over at Veronica again, trying to figure out what was wrong with her. When he had held her gaze - ever-so briefly - he had seen a look on her face that could only be described as stunned. She was now looking out the window, as if anything outside it was interesting.
Logan was thinking that he should maybe - maybe - look at the road when Duncan suddenly screamed from the backseat, "Logan!" He glanced back out of reflex and then he heard - he heard it first - the crunch-smash of metal and glass. Then his body responded, launching itself forward and then bouncing back from the seatbelt that was doing a pretty shitty job of restraining him.
Then, and only then, did he see it. A car in front of them had apparently been stopped (its hazard lights were blinking pathetically back at him) and he had crashed right into its back end. The X-Terra was buckled up in front but mostly in-tact, it seemed. The other car didn't fare quite as well.
Its back window was shattered and the trunk was now inside the car. And yet, still the hazard lights mocked him. Logan kind of hoped no one had been in the backseat.
After glancing around to make sure the others were alive, everyone was very quiet. They were waiting for the other people to get out - maybe wave guns at them? - but no one did. Veronica sucked in her breath audibly. "I'm going to see if they're okay."
"No!" Duncan and Logan said at the same time. Then Logan said, "I'll go," and Duncan shrugged. Veronica looked a bit relieved.
Logan opened his door, his hand shaking a bit. The last thing he needed was a vehicular manslaughter charge. He climbed out and walked over, one foot in front of the other and the other and the other until he got there. He looked back at his car with Duncan and Veronica both sticking their heads out the window, gawking.
Logan looked, then, through the smashed car's windows. He turned his head and, where the others couldn't see him, leaned over and began to gag loudly.
Duncan's heart skipped a beat. Both he and Veronica acted quickly, jumping out of the car and rushing towards Logan. Oh god, what were they going to do?
Duncan reached Logan first, though Veronica was right on his heels. "Logan, Logan," he thought he said but apparently he said something entirely different because Veronica shot him a look of surprise. Then she looked away and focused on Logan, so Duncan thought maybe - just maybe - he'd imagined it.
Logan dry-heaved. And then he began to laugh, a kind of choked laughter that made him seem insane. Duncan figured if someone seemed insane to him, then it was a safe bet...
"Logan?" Duncan and Veronica both said, reaching for him. Trying to stabilize him so he didn't fall over.
"No one's in the car," Logan said then, his breathing strained from laughing too hard. "So what do you think? Should we leave a note?"
"I think you're an ass," Veronica said, storming back to the car.
Logan's face fell for a split second and then he recovered and gave Duncan that frightening Echolls smirk. "Aw, baby, you called me baby."
"No, I didn't," Duncan said quickly and made his way back to the car. But not before he saw Logan throw his hands up the air in a "I can't win" sort of gesture.
Duncan had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, the kind he usually had when having a nightmare about Lilly. (She would wake him up, lying at the foot of his bed. She would talk to him about movies and music and Veronica. Duncan always woke up nauseous and covered in sweat.)
So now Veronica had near-confirmation that Duncan and Logan were definitely... involved - was involved the right word? Were they dating or just fucking? Was it any of her business?
She knew that it wasn't. She also knew that she did not care all that much whether or not something was technically "her business."
She sat in the backseat this time. She really didn't want to sit next to Logan after the stunt he pulled. It also gave her a good view of both of them and the looks they exchanged. Veronica Mars, always the detective.
God, why the hell did Logan invite her, anyway? It was obviously a calculated move on his part. She really hoped that he wasn't expecting something from her. Especially after being a complete jackass.
Maybe he just wanted her company. Veronica snorted at that.
Duncan turned around to look at her. He rested his head on the top of his seat. "So..." he began, but trailed off.
Veronica bit her tongue to keep from blurting out something. Then she did anyway. "Look, I don't care that you guys are together. Just... stop trying to hide it. You really suck at it."
Duncan's mouth opened and closed. Logan said nothing, but Veronica thought she could tell that he was gripping the steering wheel harder than usual.
Finally, Logan said in a mocking voice, "Oh no, we've been found out." He turned towards Duncan and added, "Duncan, I told you the closet wasn't big enough to hold me."
"Duncan is, though," Veronica replied before she could stop herself (not that she wanted to). And then she laughed because she could not stand the way Duncan was looking at her.
Logan had hoped that when Veronica found out, it would be more sensational. She would be asleep in the car while Duncan gave him a hand job, and she'd wake up to the sounds of Duncan moaning his name.
He wasn't sure why, but it seemed like a more entertaining scenario than the current one that featured Veronica pissed off at him for unrelated reasons and Duncan looking like a robotic deer caught in headlights.
Not that that was an unusual look for Duncan.
And then, to top everything off, Logan realized that the X-Terra was out of gas. A bit too late. Logan slammed his hands against the wheel, a few choice curses escaping from his mouth, as the car sputtered to a stop.
"What just happened?" Duncan asked and he seemed genuinely confused. Maybe he had never been in a car as it ran out of gas before.
Logan and Veronica ignored him. Logan heard Veronica sigh from the backseat. "You didn't get gas at the gas station we were parked at this morning?"
Logan rolled his eyes and looked at her through the rear-view mirror. She seemed more than a little annoyed. They were like twins, oh my God! "Obviously not."
"We were parked at a pump," Veronica continued.
"Wow, you really are a master detective!" Logan pulled the keys out of the ignition with more force than he probably should have. "We forgot."
"You forgot," Veronica repeated.
"If you really must know, I was too busy making your ex come to worry about gas," Logan said bluntly. He could not help the satisfaction he felt when her eyes widened ever-so-slightly. "By the way, how are the frozen McMuffin things they have?"
"Tasty and flaky. You're my ex, too."
"All these technicalities."
"Stop it," Duncan said then, and both quieted.
Duncan sighed. This was turning into an even bigger disaster than he thought it would be. An accident, running out of gas, and now awkwardness and fighting. Well, actually, it seemed he was the only one with any sense of the awkwardness. Maybe they were strange pod people sent from the planet...
Duncan tried to think of what planet the aliens were from in Invasion of the Body Snatchers. He drew a blank. It had been so long since he'd read it.
"Don't you guys think we need to deal with the gas situation before this becomes the Jerry Springer Show?"
Logan said, completely deadpan, "Duncan, hold my wig."
"Hold your own damn wig," Duncan replied quickly. Maybe he sounded too bitter, too unsure of anything, too Duncan.
Logan almost looked hurt. And then, with a quick, "I'm walking back to the gas station," he got out of the car and started walking.
Duncan and Veronica were both silent for a long, drawn out moment. Their eyes were focused on Logan as he walked. Neither made any attempt to go after him. Or to walk with him.
After a while, Veronica said, "We have cell phones."
"I know," Duncan acknowledged, leaning his head against the back of his seat and closing his eyes. "And so does he. He's just being dramatic."
"He's just being Logan."
"Yeah."
There was silence again. Duncan had hoped they would have gotten over that since, before this trip or whatever it was, they had become more accustomed to being in each others presence when not dating. And then there was this.
It wasn't like Duncan didn't think Veronica should know. Eventually. And it wasn't like he was uncomfortable with his relationship with Logan or whatever it was. He just... wanted things to be peaceful for a change.
Was that too much to ask?
Veronica broke the silence again, about ten minutes after it had started. "I don't care."
Duncan blinked rapidly at her. It was as if she had said, "Hi, I'm pregnant by the big man in the sky, would you like to rub my belly for luck?" Which she hadn't, and she wasn't.
"If you... and Logan... I don't care. It's your business." She lied because it was easy and because she wasn't quite sure what she felt about it.
"I don't think we're together-together," Duncan replied and Veronica noticed how sad he seemed about that fact.
She wasn't sure what to say. She opened her mouth and then closed it again. Saying "I'm sorry" felt wrong. Maybe because she wasn't sure if she was. Or maybe because she was surprised that she was. Introspection wasn't quite working for her today.
"You don't have to worry about offending me," Duncan said quietly.
"The last time I offended you, you went to Cuba," Veronica reminded him. Maybe it was a cheap shot, but it was true.
Duncan's breathing pattern changed slightly - something no one other than Veronica would notice. His voice was overly even, as if he was trying to keep it that way on purpose. "My only mode of transportation right now is out of gas."
"You could call a cab," Veronica suggested.
Duncan didn't say anything.
Veronica sighed. "I'm just saying, you're not the most unflappable person."
"I do not flap," he said carefully. So carefully. He was completely unaware of the multiple levels of hilarity involved in that statement.
"You're flapping now because I think you're flappable!"
Duncan scowled. "You're confusing," he said with a slight pout in his voice. It was surprisingly vulnerable, much less guarded than she was used to.
Still. "I'm the confusing one?" Veronica asked, bewildered.
"Not the confusing one," Duncan said slowly. "Just confusing."
When he was sure he was out of sight of Duncan and Veronica, Logan whipped out his cell phone and dialed information. After securing the number of a local cab company and informing them that they could find him on the side of the highway somewhere between Nowhere and Nothing, he sat down and waited.
And he thought, which wasn't fun but what else was he going to do? Nothing and Nowhere was not an exaggeration.
He thought about Duncan. He was... Duncan. Best friend, good mouth. More than a little infuriating at times, but he liked that too. He just wasn't in love with him.
He thought about Veronica. He thought about the way they broke up and how he wanted to touch her. Just a little. He thought maybe he was in love with her - which was any number of things but comfortable. He didn't bother lingering on that.
So he thought about Duncan some more. He thought about him looking up at him, hopeful and content. It was weird. Bothersome. Addictive.
Logan absolutely did not think about himself.
Soon enough he didn't have to. The cab pulled up and he directed the driver towards the X-Terra. Duncan and Veronica climbed out as they approached and Logan silently gestured for them to climb in.
"Where are we going?" Veronica asked as she slid into the seat next to Logan. (Duncan was on the other side. Unfortunately, it was the smallest cab ever. Three adult people could not fit comfortably in the backseat. Also, there was a seatbelt sticking him in his ass.)
"You still need clothes," Logan said. "So we can find the nearest K-Mart - yeah, I know, they're nicer than what you're used to, but don't worry, baby, I'll foot the bill - " Veronica's eyes shot daggers through him " - and then we can find somewhere to stay for the night. Unless anyone has any other suggestions."
"Fine with me," Veronica replied, obviously avoiding looking at him.
What a fabulous trip this ended up being.
They actually did stop at a K-Mart. Duncan had heard about K-Marts before, he just couldn't ever remember being inside of one.
It was a plastic paradise of pink flamingo lawn ornaments and cheap spandex (both for sell and on women with insanely huge hair and caked-on orange makeup. Duncan hadn't quite seen people like this before. Neptune's poor was different than everywhere else's poor, he realized.)
Veronica stared blankly at the clothing racks. Duncan and Logan stood behind her. Duncan was being quiet, taking in his surroundings. Logan, however, had much to say.
"What about this, V?" he asked, waving around a pale pink t-shirt that featured a puffy picture of a cat drinking milk. "It's so you."
Duncan almost laughed but he restrained himself.
Veronica apparently did not want to dignify that with an answer.
"Come on, Ronnie, let us Queer Eye you," Logan mock-whined, stomping his foot on the dirty, tiled floor. Someone had apparently spilled chocolate milk or something (Duncan hoped it was chocolate milk, at least).
"I am not a straight guy."
"And I am not gay," Logan retorted. "That's not the point."
Duncan looked down at his feet. Then he started to wonder about the "chocolate milk" on the floor, so he looked back up at the others.
"What the hell are you then?" Veronica asked, and there was a fire in her voice that made Duncan's stomach burn.
"Can we not talk about this here?" Duncan interrupted finally.
Veronica could not agree with Duncan more. As soon as she had said it, she regretted it. Logan - and Duncan, because he was irrevocably involved - did not deserve such vitrol for being... whatever the hell they were.
Okay, maybe she shouldn't think about it at all. Which was so easy!
Veronica grabbed up a plain white t-shirt and a pair of jeans and made her way towards the front of the store again. She made sure the pants were a size too big so she didn't have to try them on. She just wanted out of there.
She imagined a nice, warm bath would feel really great. Yes. She could relax and come out clear-headed. And able to face Duncan and Logan without flip-flopping between mild approval and "OH GOD, why?"
Hey, maybe she could start dating Meg, just to stay with the formula, and they could like, double date. It would be awesome.
She held out her hand to Logan - though she had enough to pay herself, she felt as if he deserved to pay for the remark about her being poor - and he pushed a crumpled-up twenty dollar bill into it. "Keep the change."
Her hand remained in its expectant position. "Logan, the pants alone are twenty dollars."
"Inflation is a bitch." Logan rolled his eyes and forked over another ten.
Veronica sighed and focused on the back of the head of the woman in front of her in line. Her hair was bleached white-blonde and teased all over. It was lovely, really.
After she paid, she changed in the restroom.
The distant sound of a baby wailing drifted through the walls and echoed in her head. I know how you feel, Veronica thought, staring at her reflection in the mirror over the sink. I definitely know how you feel.
Logan and Duncan waited in the lobby for Veronica to change. Duncan kept inserting quarters into machines, gathering up quite the collection of stickers, alien-shaped goo, mini-handcuffs and gum balls. Logan found it a little cute, he had to admit.
"So what are you going to do about the X-Terra?" Duncan asked, admiring his new "Boys Drool" sticker.
Logan shrugged. He hadn't really thought about it. He knew he'd go back and get it, possibly drive them back in it, but he didn't care to think out the details right now. "Eh. I'll get it later."
Duncan moved closer to him and gave him that "let's do something naughty" smile. Shoppers pushed their carts past them. Kids rode electronic horses ("Wheeee!") Their fathers looked like they had big, faggot-hating guns.
"Not in Hicks-R-Us," Logan said, turning away and looking down at a "please take one!" stand full of apartment-hunting guides and job papers.
Logan could feel Duncan roll his eyes at the back of his head.
"You're going to have to deal with things," Duncan said. Logan wanted to laugh. If anyone should deal with things, it was certainly Duncan and not him.
"O-kay, Mr. Anti-Depressant," Logan scoffed.
"You know what? Fuck you," Duncan said. Logan heard a crash from behind and instinctively turned around.
Duncan was making his way out of the store, moving quickly in front of families with overflowing carts. The second rack of free literature was tipped over, the papers and magazines littering the floor.
Logan sighed.
Veronica exited the bathroom to find a mess all over the lobby. Not to mention Logan skulking in the corner pretending he had nothing to do with it, and Duncan nowhere to be found. She really could not take them anywhere.
"Can't I leave you guys alone for two minutes without violence and sex ensuing?" Veronica asked bitterly.
Logan shook his head, "No. Not a chance."
Well, at least he was being honest. She tried taking a different route. "What is going on between you guys anyway?"
"A lot of sex. You know, the whole dick-sucking, ass-fucking shebang," Logan said with a shrug. Veronica knew what he was doing and it would not work on her. She would not be intimidated.
"That's great. I mean, why did Duncan go hulk-smash all over the apartment guides?"
"Because he's Duncan? Hulk-smashing is his thing. This is not news, Veronica." When Veronica rolled her eyes -- they both knew that was not a valid answer -- he continued. "Okay, what, do you want me to say I'm in the process of breaking his heart? I am. And I don't. care."
Veronica could tell from the look in his eyes that he was lying through his teeth. He was so transparent, it was hilarious. "Right. That's why you look like a sad little puppy dog."
"You don't know," Logan began but then he changed mid-way. "Look, I'm not going to talk about this with you." He moved to walk outside but Veronica stopped him.
"Is it because I'm your ex-girlfriend or because I'm Duncan's?" Veronica ventured.
Logan snickered and the look in his eyes burned through her. It was... hate? No, not quite hate. Helplessness. "You are so fucking sure of yourself. Maybe it's just none of your business. Some things aren't there for you to know."
Veronica's not sure why, but that stung. It really stung. Veronica gave up then, and made her way back to the cab where Duncan was already sitting.
The ride to the hotel would not be pleasant.
Okay, so maybe hotel was the wrong word. Motel was more like it. The structure was a long strip of rooms with a small, dinky-looking office placed in the center of the parking lot. The Pepto Bismol-colored paint was peeling off in spots and the pool was full of leaves.
But they had free adult movies.
Duncan paid for the rooms. He got two, one for Veronica and one for him and Logan. Considering what had happened before, he wasn't sure why, but that was that. It felt wrong to get three rooms. Blasphemous, almost. Not that Duncan knew much about blasphemy.
Logan didn't scowl or snark or do anything when Duncan told him they were sharing a room. He just nodded, like he expected as much. Like Duncan hadn't thrown a fit inside K-Mart.
Veronica just wordlessly took her bag into her room. He imagined her locking the door behind herself, sliding chains and deadbolts into place because she wanted to get as far away from them as possible. Their rooms were side-by-side though.
Duncan sat on the bed (it was outfitted in a stained, flowered comforter). Logan just stood in front of him.
Duncan smoothed wrinkles out of his jeans with the palms of his hands. "Do you love me?" he asked.
"You're such a girl," Logan said with a laugh and then he sighed. "No."
Duncan felt his stomach sinking, but he just nodded. "Okay."
"You love me though, right?" Logan asked then. His voice sounded strained, shaky. As if the world depended on what he was asking. Which was odd.
"How can I?" Duncan replied and his own words surprised himself. He realized they were true. He didn't love Logan, not in the way he though people should love people they were fucking. He did, however, want him to love him.
Logan laughed and he sat down beside Duncan on the bed. "You're smarter than you look."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Duncan asked.
"Exactly," Logan said and then he kissed him. Logan kissed him softly, tentatively. He kissed him.
Logan pushed him back then, and his hands moved on his jeans (unbuckling, unzipping, pushing, pulling). This is what it was, what it would be. Yearning for more was stupid, Duncan realized.
Logan's mouth moved against him, and Duncan had a weird kind of peace.
Veronica exited the bathroom in a torn-up towel. She was greeted by the muffled sounds of sex from the room beside hers. She paused and listened for a second.
I guess they made up, she thought.
She flipped the television on and was greeted by more sounds of sex. Great, she thought, but she settled into a spot on the bed and just watched, turning up the volume to drown out Duncan and Logan.