Rescued ~ Wolverine x reader

3 - Explanations

You watched as your breath crystalised into the cold dawny air. A week had passed since you had escaped. You could walk alone now, strength returning to your body a little more each day. This morning, as Logan still slept on the couch, you had adventured yourself outside. 

Wrapped in a thick blanket, you stood amazed as the colours of the rising sun painted the white forest. You took a few steps, enjoying the warmth of its rays on your cheeks. 

Then, something caught your eye, a few meters in front of you. A quick flash of movement that made your body tense. Instinctively, you unsheathed your claws and held your breath, on the lookout. A shiver ran through your body as you spotted the grey wolf that had emerged from between the trees. 

The beast stood still as he observed you, and you stood stiller, your wide-open eyes fixed back on it. You were suddenly very aware of your weaknesses, your still unhealed wound below your ribs, and the hollowness of your breathing. The wolf took a silent step towards you, then another. It glided over the snow, much more delicate than you with your bulky boots. 

As it got closer, you were surprised to see that the wolf's eyes were soft. It didn't bear its fangs at you and simply sniffed the air in your direction. It was at arm's length from you now and, gently, took a last step closer and nudged the bulk of your elbow with its muzzle. 

You retracted your claws and held out your cold fingers tentatively. The wolf licked them with its warm pink tongue and then, pressed its head into your palm.

'Hey, whatcha doing out there-,' you heard Logan say before his words choked in his mouth. 

You turned around and grinned wildly as you ruffled the wolf's head. It was happily panting now, tongue hanging out like a big, soft dog. 

For the first time you'd met him, Logan's face turned into a smile. 

'Well that's new,' he said with a chuckle that made your heart flutter. 

The wolf had turned to Logan now and sniffed his boots before looking up at him and sitting down on its rear. Logan looked at it for a moment and then clumsily patted its head with his hand. You could see the hair slightly standing up from the cold on his bare arms. He thought of putting on a jacket in his hurry to get out. 

'Could we feed it?' 

'You want to give our food to a wild animal?' He asked in disbelief. 

'Yes, why not?'

He sighed and stepped inside. A few moments later, he was back with a bucket full of the entrails of one of his previous hunts.

He tipped it over in the snow, the blood spreading through it like scarlet ink. The wolf trotted over and began eating. Its tail wagged happily as you sat down on one of the steps in front of the house to watch. 

When the wolf had finally gone, Logan sat down next to you. The sun was fully up now, and you enjoyed the silence of winter until Logan spoke up.

'I know you've been avoiding the subject, but you're going to have to explain what you ran away from.'

Your gaze followed the trail of a falling snowflake. The clouds had blocked the sun and hung low, full of upcoming snow.

'I know. It's just that it's not something I want to think of.'

Your body shivered, the cold seeping a little more into you. Logan glanced over at you and his arm wrapped itself around your shoulder, rubbing it gently. His movement felt awkward and uncertain, but you smiled at it nonetheless.

'We should go back inside.'

You watched him add a log to the crackling fire and sit down on a stool next to you. 

'Logan?' You asked, and he hummed in response. 'Why do you live alone in the middle of the mountain?'

'I see you'd rather ask questions than answer them.'

You shrugged. 'So?'

'I've been alive for... a long time. And let's just say I got sick of people. And I didn't want to hurt them anymore.'

You nodded and kept silent for a little while. 

'And why don't you get rid of your beard?'

He raised an inquisitive eyebrow. 

'What?' You said, half-laughing and half on the defensive. 'It makes you look like a grumpy caveman!'

He shook his head and let out a grunt that could have been a laugh. 

'Alright, I'll shave if you tell me about yourself.'

You felt your throat tighten, but you knew that there was no escaping it. 

'Alright.'

'Alright,' he repeated, folding his arms over his chest.

You took a deep breath and started.

'That night I escaped, it was really out of pure luck. The place I left is where I'd always lived. For as far as I can remember, I'd been inside there, in small, sterile white rooms. Sometimes there were other kids, and they too had... special powers. But more often than not it was just me. The men that ran the place were some sort of scientist and they tried to test my powers. At least that's what they did when I was little, but at some point, they just started to drug me to contain my mutation. Some days, nurses would come, and teach me things like how to read, write or count. They would read me stories about wide forests like this one, with happy children who lived with their families. These stories were the only thing I held onto while they performed operations on me. It never mattered how much I cried and shouted, I knew they would start over and over again. I'm not sure how I managed to escape. They chased me, I could hear them running after me when I entered the woods. I don't know how they never found me.'

As you talked, you could feel Logan's gaze on you, and despite his intimidating appearance, this helped you to get your story out. Your throat felt dry when you finally stopped, but you felt a little lighter. Logan seemed to be lost in thought, his eyebrows furrowed and the sharp lines of his face more tense than usual. 

'The night you arrived, after I patched you up, I heard people walking around the cabin,' he said. 'I'd figured they were after you, so I got out, and when I did, they tried to attack me. I had to hide their bodies far from the cabin so you wouldn't see them.'

Your jaw was clenched shut. They had come after you after all.

'I hadn't killed a man for almost five years,' he said, and you could hear the strain in his voice.

'I'm sorry,' you whispered, but he shook his head. 

'Don't be. At least this time I had a good reason.'

He got up from his chair and walked to the sink. You stayed in your seat, replaying his words in your head. You had stopped shivering, but it was only partially due to the fire. 

~ 1100 words

Sorry for the little break, I should post another chapter soon :)