Rescued ~ Wolverine x reader

4 - The Forest

When he came out of the bathroom, Logan looked like a new man. He still had some facial hair, but his features were much more visible and to say he looked good would have been an understatement. You tried not to stare too much but your eyes seemed to be drawn by any inch of skin this man revealed. 

'Happy?' He asked with a cocky smile. 

'Yes,' you answered, your eyes down. 

'I'll check your bandages again,' he said. 'To see how your wound is healing up.'

You nodded and got up, and he grabbed a chair to sit on so he would be at a good height. You lifted the warm knitted sweater he had lent you up to your ribs. His fingers were warm against your skin and he carefully removed the bandage. 

'You're healing, slowly, but still, you're getting better,' he said. 'I'll just replace the bandage, I won't be long.'

You liked feeling his gaze on you, sensing his fingers skim over your bruised and torn skin and yet, an aftertaste of guilt and shame lingered in you. You tried to rationalise your feelings, telling yourself it was normal to feel drowsily satisfied by attention when you were not used to having people take care of you. But still, you liked the electric feeling that hand around after he'd grazed your skin, especially when it neared your lower stomach. 

He meticulously repositioned the bandage and, once finished, delicately pulled your sweatshirt back down. 

'I was thinking we could go outside today,' he said, and you looked at him with intent. He'd never proposed anything of that sort. He usually kept to himself and you read books in a corner or watched the fire until it burned out. But since that morning, something seemed to have changed within him. 

'Yeah, that'd be nice,' you said. 

'Great, put this coat on and let's go,' he said, throwing you a heavy piece of clothing and walking out the door. 

A fresh layer of snow lay on the ground but the sky was clear again. He made his way between the trees, following the gentle slope of the ground. This wasn't where you had come from, and you decided to stay close to him. There was no path to follow but Logan's steps were sure and decided, and you placed your feet in the tracks he left in the snow. 

You focused on your breathing, trying to keep up with Logan's fast pace. Your body felt heavy, uncomfortably moist and loud, but didn't dare to complain. You were happy to be outside and tried to focus on that feeling. 

Suddenly, Logan stopped dead in his tracks and you almost bumped into his massive frame. With his nose in the air, he took a few quick inspiration. His gloved index reached his lips and he looked at you. You nodded, miming the action of zipping your mouth. His finger left his closed lips to point to your right. There, three deers casually strolled through the trees. You hadn't even heard them. 

You watched their slender limbs unfold as they advanced, nibbling at the bark of trees until they were out of sight. Logan started walking again, and you followed. 

The silence between the both of you felt comfortable, almost natural. The only sound to be heard was your heavy breathing, the crunch of your footsteps in the morning snow and the drumming of your blood in your ears. 

You had lost all notion of time and space and had accepted to just exist in this white landscape. When Logan stopped again, you looked around, but nothing moved in between the trees. 

'Sit down behind that bush, we're gonna wait,' Logan whispered, and you followed his instructions. Your hiding spot overlooked a little clearing where a glistening stream passed, not completely frozen by the cold temperature. Logan sat down close to you, and his shoulder rested against yours. 

The waiting began. This white environment could have brought back unpleasant memories, but instead, it soothed you. You could feel the cold seeping in through your pants, and you were about to shift to find a more comfortable position when Logan's hand grabbed your knee, urging you to keep still. 

In the clearing had just appeared a massive brown bear, all gruff and drowsy from hibernation. It waddled its way towards the stream and began lapping it. 

'Hey he kind of looks like you,' you whispered and he shot you a murderous glance that made you chuckle. 

His hand was over your mouth in a second and he held you tight against him, forcing you into quietness. You could feel the heat of his body radiating to yours and your hand grabbed his wrist for balance. The bear moved on and you followed it with your eyes until he was lost in the forest again. When Logan finally removed his hand from your mouth, your fingers lingered on his wrist for a moment before finally letting go. He shook his head and for the second time today, you saw a smile appear on his face. 

'How did you know we were going to see him?' You asked, your cheeks red from excitement.

'His den is not too far away, but there was no telling if and when he was going to get out. We just got lucky.'

You looked back at the stream where the animal had stood only a few moments ago. 

'Are we going back now? I'm freezing my damn ass off,' you said.

'Yeah, let's go.'

The walk down was more tedious than you had expected, and you were already quite tired from the way up. Your wound had started to hurt again, and Logan seemed to notice that. 

'You don't need to push yourself, I'll carry you.'

You weren't in any position to refuse his offer so you simply nodded and jumped onto his back. His arms wrapped themselves under your legs and you held on tight to his shoulders. Your head was right next to his, and you could hear each of his breaths. The journey back to the cabin seemed to pass by more quickly than you would have preferred.

~ 1000 words

I promise the romance (and smut) is arriving soon, I hope you don't mind the slow build-up