Joe collects Logan
Logan didn't say anything when he saw Joe come in, and when he saw Ray start to explain what had happened, he looked away. He'd done nothing but yell and argue for the last hour or so, swearing up a storm and refusing to stay in the clinic. When told that he had to be in the care of somebody, he offered up the name of the only person who still wanted anything to do with him.
"Joe, I'll go with Joe," he'd told Ray.
They'd taken his gun, making it pretty clear that he wasn't getting it back. Not that he cared. Logan didn't much care about anything now, he just wanted to go home. He just wanted to forget everything and start over again.
--- --- ---
This was where Joe figured the testing started to happen, where he found out if he was really cut out for this shit with Logan and he rubbed his hand over his head nervously as Ray explained what he'd seen, everything that had happened. It made Joe feel sort of sick and brought back the sharp memory of the crack of his own gun, of the exploding pain and then nothing. Then the island. Unable to actually thank Ray the way he wanted to, Joe just squeezed his arm, probably too hard, then limped over to Logan.
There wasn't a hell of a lot he could think to say and he figured his throat was probably still too tight to really get anything out, so he just nodded in the direction of the clinic door. Stewie's room was empty now and Logan could stay there. No, fuck that, Logan would stay there, he wasn't getting any say in that and he sure as hell wasn't going to be spending any time alone in the near future.
--- --- ---
Logan didn't say anything as he got to his feet, sparing Joe not much more then a glance as he brushed past and headed out the door. It wasn't like he knew what to say anyway, other then a muttered 'thanks for not letting them strap me to a bed', or something similar. Wrapping his arms around himself he headed down the hallway and made his way outside. The warm night air felt too heavy, and he couldn't help but wonder if he could just make a run for it or something. Joe was limping after all, it wasn't as if he could chase him down.
--- --- ---
"You have anything in your hut you wanna get before we go?" Joe asked, making it clear that there wasn't any place to go but home with him. If he had to, he'd drag Logan there and maybe he wasn't strapped to a bed in the clinic, but he'd end up strapped to a makeshift bed in Joe and Billy's hut if he wasn't careful. He had absolutely no qualms about making sure Logan stayed there and stayed safe by physical means. If it came down to it, he was sure Billy or Cutter or someone would help him hold Logan down, but he really, truly hoped it didn't get to that point.
--- --- ---
"Uh, my dignity, maybe?" Logan suggested. "Look, Joe... Thanks for coming to get me and all, but I'm fine, alright? I don't need to be in the clinic and I don't need to be babysat. So... I'm just gonna go home, okay? I'll see you."
He gave Joe a polite nod and started to walk away, not heading back to the hut so much as he was heading to the beach.
--- --- ---
"No, Logan," Joe said, his voice low and firm, then followed him, catching up quickly even though his ankle hurt. Making sure not to put much pressure on it, he hurried, his hand closing down on Logan's shoulder and although he wasn't holding onto him too tightly, his grip was still firm. "You're gonna come back with me or I'll take you back to the clinic. This isn't a fucking joke this time."
--- --- ---
Pushing Joe's hand off his shoulder, Logan drew himself up to his full height with a scowl. "I'm fine, alright? And I know this isn't a joke, Joe. I know it isn't because... it hurts, okay? it hurts and I just want to be alone. You know. You know, okay, I know you do. I know you know exactly how this feels."
His voice had started off firm, but it quickly faltered and cracked into something much weaker as he spoke. "I don't want to go to the clinic, and I'm not going to let you treat me like some sort of headcase. So just... back off."
--- --- ---
"Yeah, I know exactly how it feels and I know exactly what I'd do if I felt this way and got to be alone again, so you don't get to be alone right now," Joe said, taking a step forward. It wasn't menacing and he wasn't trying to be threatening at all, but he really wasn't going to let Logan spend any time alone right now. Logan was right, Joe knew how it felt and he knew how badly he'd needed someone to be there even as he pushed everyone away.
"You're not a fucking headcase, but I can't let you walk away," he said softly, shaking his head.
--- --- ---
"Yeah, well, I'd really like to see you stop me, old man," Logan muttered, turning away again.
And yeah, okay, he felt bad for being such an ass when Joe had never been anything but giving and kind to him. But... Everything just felt wrong. He felt wrong. And the idea of being tucked away somewhere while he stopped with the crazy just seemed pointless. He was young, and he couldn't help but think he'd feel this way forever. That it would never fade away or get better. It would just be never ending misery.
--- --- ---
Joe reached out as Logan tried to walk away, going for the one thing he'd noticed had stopped Logan before, his hand settling on the back of his neck. Again, his grip wasn't all that hard, but it was firm enough that he could probably stop Logan if he tried to pull away. If it came down to it, he'd fucking sit on Logan, but he was hoping he wouldn't have to do that. Right now he just needed to get Logan back to his hut.
"Why'd you tell Ray to get me?" he asked, his hand still on the back of Logan's neck.
--- --- ---
Logan tensed and stopped walking, looking down at his feet. “Because I knew you wouldn’t let them lock me in the clinic, and because there’s no one else left who gives a shit,” he said quietly.
"I just... I want to go home. I thought maybe I could. Hell, I know I could have. And... Fuck, I wasn't trying to hurt anyone. I'm not doing anything wrong, I'm just trying to get home. Since when is that a damn crime?"
--- --- ---
"Wanting to go home isn't," Joe said, tugging Logan closer slightly before he walked around to stand in front of him, his hand still on Logan's neck. "It's not the wanting to go home back that Ray freaked the fuck out over and it's not the wanting to go home part that..."
For a moment Joe had to stop, had to collect himself and he chewed on his lower lip briefly. "It's the gun, Logan. It's the fucking gun, that's the part that people aren't just gonna let you fucking do, you asshole. You don't even know that killing yourself would send you home."
--- --- ---
"Yeah, well, even being dead has to feel better then this," Logan replied, pulling away. "You want me to go home with you, then fine. Whatever. But you can't be with me all the time Joe."
--- --- ---
Eventually Joe hoped he wouldn't need to be with Logan all the time, but for as long as he needed to be, he would. He'd follow him to the fucking bathroom if he had to, although, like sitting on Logan, he sort of hoped it didn't come to that. "Good," he said firmly. "Now is there anything you want from your place?"
--- --- ---
"No. there's nothing there. Just clothes, and I don't want them. I don't want to look at anything he ever fucking touched. I want to burn the place to the ground," Logan said obnoxiously, starting towards Joe's.
--- --- ---
"Yeah, well, my place first, arson later," Joe said dryly, following Logan in the direction of the Hamlet, limping along beside him. It would've been smart to stay off his ankle, but all he'd done lately was walk and he had a feeling that he wasn't going to be able to stop any time soon. This wasn't just going to get better or go away overnight.
--- --- ---
"What did you do to your ankle?" Logan asked finally, glancing down.
--- --- ---
"Jumped off the Compound roof onto the trampoline," Joe admitted, his voice low and kind of embarrassed. At the time it had seemed like a good idea, but at the time he'd also been pretty upset and angry. It was pretty fucking stupid of him, really. "Horatio was there. He wrapped it for me."
--- --- ---
"That was a really stupid thing to do," Logan said simply. "I can't believe they'd release me into your care. You jump off a roof and it's fine, I play with firearms and it's the end of the world."
--- --- ---
"Yeah, well, jumping off the fucking roof isn't gonna kill me," Joe pointed out. "But it was pretty fucking stupid." There was really no sense denying that and so he didn't bother. It had seemed necessary at the time. "Besides, they released you into my care because you gave them my name."
--- --- ---
"Well who else's name was I going to give them?" Logan muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Duncan's an ass, Dick is M.I.A. or... gone, Veronica hates me, Neil hates me... I'm sort of running short on people who'll vouch for my sanity."
--- --- ---
"Is that what I was supposed to do?" Joe asked dryly, casting Logan a glance as they approached the Hamlet. He sure as hell hadn't told Ray that Logan was in his right mind or any bullshit like that, because it was just that: bullshit. He'd just promised to make sure Logan didn't try to hurt himself again.
--- --- ---
"What, you think I'm crazy?" Logan asked, stopping again. "I'm not... I just wanted to get out. I wanted to make it stop. I wanted to go home. Since when does that make someone crazy?"
--- --- ---
"Doesn't make you crazy, it makes you fucking stupid," Joe replied, his hand going to Logan's elbow and tugging him along gently. "I didn't tell Ray I thought you were okay because you're obviously not okay. I said Ray I'd watch out for you and that's what I'm gonna do."
--- --- ---
Reluctantly, Logan let Joe tug him along. "I'm fine," he argued. "I'm fine. I don't even have my gun anymore. What the hell do you think I'm gonna do? Bic my wrists? That would take hours."
--- --- ---
"You're creative, I'm sure you could come up with something," Joe pointed out, walking closer to Logan and maybe using his grip on his elbow to help him walk a little bit. He didn't want to remind Logan that there was medication in the clinic and waterfalls and cliffs to jump off of.
--- --- ---
"Whatever," Logan muttered, sulking just a bit as they reached Joe's hut. "If you think I'm gonna snuggle up with you, you've got another thing coming," he added dryly.
"I'm not drunk enough to spend all night rubbing your bald head. I'm not even stoned enough. This place really needs a bar."
--- --- ---
"Apparently one's being built," Joe said, although he didn't think that was really such a great idea. Booze led him to want to get high and he'd learned that the hard way after the bonfire. Pushing aside the curtain, he ducked inside, then motioned for Logan to follow him inside. Ozzy barked once, quietly, then dropped her head down again as they entered.
--- --- ---
Logan followed, pulling a face. "Seriously? Like, they thought that was more important then, I dunno, a homeless shelter or something? The bleeding hearts of the island all want to just get drunk and hump one another. I find that... unsettling actually."
--- --- ---
"I dunno who the fuck is building it," Joe said with a shrug and it was obvious he wasn't too pleased with the idea. Yeah, progress, all that bullshit, but he wasn't really ready to be confronted with that scene again. With bars came gigs, sure, but with bars came booze and drugs and hookers and a life that led Joe to kill himself.
--- --- ---
Logan just shrugged, not really caring enough to have an opinion of the place. He was too busy wondering just how long he'd be stuck in Joe's hut. After all, he had a real mattress back in his and Neil's hut, right? Maybe he should have asked if they could grab that.
"So what now?" He asked.
--- --- ---
Joe looked around and figured Billy was probably hanging with King somewhere, which still sort of set a weird jealousy burning in him, but not like before. His shoulders rolled in a slow shrug and he gestured at the bed. "You can sleep, if you want."
--- --- ---
"Whatever," Logan replied, ungreatful and unhappy all at once as he lay down. He didn't want Joe's pity or worry or... whatever it was. He didn't want anything but to make it all stop. If only so he could start again.
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