[Incomplete]

[im_not_a_rookie]

Who: Elena and lil!Logan
When: Today
Where: The streets of the Lower Level, halfway point between their homes.
Rating: PG
Warnings: TBA
Summary: Elena goes to get Logan and bring him back to her place for awhile.

Comments

[murderperfect]

"I'm fine!" he snapped back, swatting at her, features crumpled up in an angry little grimace, "N'maybe I did, but you deserved it in the first place for actin' like I need someone takin' care of me!"

Rolling over on his stomach, he got to his feet, glaring daggers up at the woman and attempting to gain his bearings. He hadn't actually run into an adult yet, and found the experience pretty... awkward. He could see right up her nose! Is this what kids saw everyday?

"Anyway, where's my sammwich? Did you bring it with you?" The question was asked as he reached at her pockets, patting her here and there, searching out any food-shaped lumps and sniffing for something edible. It was bizarre how this transformation had settled in; almost as if a psychological affect played into his size, the sound of his voice... he was still him, and this was certain, but his view on the world was incredibly askew. Elena was a big dope, and bossy! What was her problem all of a sudden?

Still glaring at her, hands stuffed in the kangaroo pouch of his sweater, he was either waiting for food, or the leading-of-him to food.

[im_not_a_rookie]

Elena had to wonder if he was this bad all the time when he was a child. She rolled her eyes dramatically, dodging his swat, before she shook her head, the blonde hair swaying. "No, it's back at the house. That, and I have some cookies. And milk, with regards from Mister Shu sir."

She didn't stop him from patting her pockets, and there was a little lump in one. Another roll of her eyes, and she pulled out a wrapped piece of chocolate from Valentine's Day, a left over gift from one of the guys. Tossing it to him, she started to turn around and walk back towards home, waiting for him to catch up.

Sure, sugar was the last thing he needed, but it was all she had on her at the moment.

"I can carry you if you want." And what might have been teasing before lacked any condescension now, just an honest little kind offer.

[murderperfect]

"I don't need no one t'carry me! I can walk fine by myself if you'd... if... uh... " he started, following along at her heels for the first few seconds before lagging back, entirely focused on peeling away the thin, crinkly red tinfoil wrapped around his treat, "... quit walkin' so fast!" Damn the short legs!

Catching up, popping the chocolate in his mouth and gnoshing it down greedily, he finally fell into an awkward stride beside her, walking in sort of a jog/skip and unconsciously grasping at her hand. "Shu's a jerk. So're other people! I'm gonna fire that Roxas guy once I'm bigger. Who's he think he is sayin' this is justified!" He looked up at her then, wondering somewhere between rage and confusion what kind of cookies she was talking about, and whether the milk was skim or not. Elena was kind of pretty, he thought, though hardly felt the same as he had just a few days prior. No, there was something marred there with his perspective... which was probably a good thing. He was at a good height for butt-pinching.

She probably had cooties anyway.

"So why didn't you turn into a kid, I wonder. Did I do somethin' wrong? I wonder if that's it... though Makublocks never does anythin' wrong, an' he's a kid too! And Rikku! She's a brat, though, n'I can't even tell'er she's a brat, 'cause she's talkin' in that stupid way she talks sometimes... " he said, prattling off about Rikku and her lack of comprehension, talking away mindlessly.

[im_not_a_rookie]

"Sure you can, Logan. Sure you can."

But she didn't press the subject anymore, simply slowed her steps without thinking of it. Brown eyes widened when she felt the small hand grab hers, and it struck her that she hadn't held a child's hand before, weird as such a fact was. She squeezed it a little, gently, before holding it warmly and letting him ramble on. It was cute. Terribly cute.

"Everyone knows that Shu's a jerk." Except her; she actually liked him, enjoyed his company over tea and personal rebirth. After all, he had held her when she cried and reminded her that she actually did have eyeballs in her skull. "But he's your boss, so you should show him the proper respect. Plus, he has a good heart. Somewhere in there. Way, way deep down.

"And don't go around firing anyone, Logan. Not unless they're not performing at their job. Anything else is personal. Especially during this difficult time."

She laughed at the question, shaking her head. "I'm just lucky, I guess. But I have the inverted personalty and you didn't, if I recall correctly, so I don't want to hear it; that was way worse. And you should talk nicer about the other kids; they're sweet in their own ways. Shiva, I don't even know how Reno and Ondrea are faring; you might have to deal with them being children, too. Patience is going to save you in the end."

[murderperfect]

Tipping his head to the side, he regarded her quizzically, brow furrowed in a way reminiscent of his former self whenever someone said something he didn't particularly agree with. "But I can fire anyone I want! He was a bum... " The voice trailed off as he thought of all the wonderfully clever things he'd say to Roxas when he was bigger, not quite realizing yet that none of that would actually come to form. No, work would resume as normal, though he might still harbor some resentment for Shu's little portion of mockery. Maybe.

"I never wanted a boss. I like him well enough, but workin' for someone else ain't my style." He tugged at her arm a bit, kicking rocks as they came along during their walk, sneakers scraping across chill-hardened pave, "I guess I jus' wanted t'be a part've somethin', like back home. It sucks bein' by yourself sometimes!"

He fell silent then, thinking on what she'd just said about those he'd been talking back and forth with since he'd found himself kidsized. Oh, but Rikku still drove him up the wall! Kind of. She was nice though, when she wanted to be... and wasn't talking in a language he didn't understand. He still wasn't sure what "sunuh" meant.

"I'm patient enough. What if Reno n'On- Ondreas ain't kids? What if they don't want me there??"

[im_not_a_rookie]

"Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should." And boy, wasn't that the truth? Especially with the event before this one, she found that reflected rather true, didn't it?

She tried to imagine not working for Rufus or Tseng, doing her job on her own. What if they hadn't been pulled to Purgatorium? What if none of the Turks had been? Where would she be? She hadn't ever worked by herself before, had always had a boss, and she had to wonder if what was such a foreign concept to her was a normal one to him.

"But, Logan, you should know by now that you're never by yourself here. You have a lot of people who care for you, who love you." She fell quiet for a moment, hand giving a warm squeeze again, before saying, "Besides, I know Shu is glad to have you on his team, even if he doesn't come right out and say it. Trust me on this. He went through a lot to get you with him, and I know he wouldn't have done that for just anyone."

And while she was content to keep going, his last question caught her off guard, made her stop in her tracks. If they didn't want him there, what would she do?

Turning to face him, she knelt down in the street so she could look him in the eye while resting both hands on his thin little shoulders. "If they don't want you there, too bad for them. It was my house first, before Reno, before Ondrea. And if they want to be that stupid about it even after I remind them of that fact, then we'll get go and get our own place together, just the two of us. Okay?"

[murderperfect]

He blinked, stunned for some reason that she'd decided to drop down to his height. "Okay." Nodding, he plucked up the end of her tie, fidgeting with the fabric for a moment before speaking again, voice quieter now as he realized he didn't have to yell up at her from this level. He probably didn't have to when she was standing either, but for some reason felt it the only way to be heard.

"Shu's like me kinda, I think. He doesn't say stuff when he maybe should. He's kinda weird. Sometimes I think he only wants me around 'cause I'm strong n'can't die n'stuff... but that ain't true, right? Why would someone do that!"

Waiting for a response, albeit only for a couple seconds, he reached out and honked the tip of her nose, a wicked little smirk finding his features now. "N'everyone's by themselves here, 'Lena! All we've got is ourselves! Love's a pile've crap, like Whisker n'Hojo." He nodded again, rolling the tie up to the knot and stuffing it down the collar of her shirt before giving her shoulders a shove, intending to knock her backwards.

"I'm tired a'talkin'! Let's keep goin' t'your house, okay? I want my non-crusty, triangle sammich."

[im_not_a_rookie]

She didn't try to stop him from playing with her tie; truth be told, on the slow days at the desk, she plucked at it, too, tickling her nose with the end of it. She watched his small hands working over the fine dark material, wondering just how big his claws were in this form. Were they just as sharp? Just as threatening?

Brown eyes snatched up to his, watching him as he spoke. She didn't have the heart to say to him that of course those were the reasons he wanted Logan around; being strong and not dying were sort of Logan's job, and thus, he was accomplishing his job by following those rules of existence. But, in he same vein, she liked to think that Shu possibly enjoyed Logan's rather... prickly nature in the same way she did, though she couldn't be sure.

Then again, Shu was dating Schuldig, so there was a probability that he enjoyed a good battle, be it verbal or otherwise. Gave him room to work on a strategy, so that might almost make sense. Either that, or they just both enjoyed the headaches, leaving her to wonder if they were masochists.

"He wants you around because you're good at what you do, Logan. The best at what you do. And he appreciates that and you."

When he touched her nose, she offered him a bright grin. "Beep," she chirped, remembering when her mother used to do that to her when she was small. "The one person we should depend on more than anyone else is ourselves, I'll say that much. But love is never a pile of crap, honey. A weakness? Yes. A liability? Definitely. A pain in the ass? Most certainly. But never, ever a pile of crap. It's there for a reason, and it's worth it. You know it is."

He didn't knock her backwards, but she did sway threateningly. Climbing to her feet, her palms brushed off her knees before she took his hand and started walking again. "What kind of sandwich do you want when we get home?"