Hello, hope your day is going good! Not sure if your requests are still open, but if so, could I ask for some intrulogical? Thanks! ^^
Okay, so this was obviously just supposed to be a one-part thing, but I couldn’t help but run with this idea so it’s gonna actually be two or three parts. Probably three, if I’m honest. Warning for gore and character being terribly injured. I’d love to hear what you think!
Summary: Remus and Logan's friendship has grown greatly in the last few months, coming as a surprise to Logan. His feelings for Remus have been... complicated, to say the least, as of late, but when the creative side extends him an invitation to his side of The Imagination, Logan accepts happily. However, what befalls them once in Remus's realm is unlike anything either of them could've imagined.
It is by no means Logan’s first time in the imagination. Roman has dragged him into his realm many instances in the past, eager to show him the things that he’d created and, though he’s never explicitly stated it, desperate for approval.
It isn’t as though Logan isn’t impressed with Roman’s creations, at least not entirely. Sometimes, Roman has brought him in for the purpose of allowing him to conduct experiments on the things he’s dreamed up and study the worlds he can form. However, most of the time, Roman is so caught up in making everything absolutely perfect that Logan is to some extent left at the wayside.
That isn’t to mention the many dangerous creatures that Roman tends to surround himself with; Logan will never understand his obsession with fighting monsters that boast strength and size far exceeding his own.
Roman hasn’t asked him to come ‘adventuring’ in some time, though, and Logan’s fairly certain he knows the reason why. After all, recently he’s been spending a great deal of time with his twin.
Initially, Logan hadn’t thought of a relationship of any kind between himself and Remus to be possible. For the most part, Remus represents Thomas’s intrusive thoughts, something that in itself largely goes against logic. He’s an incredibly unpredictable person, something Remus proudly refers to himself as, and his sense of humor, as far as Logan is concerned, far deviates from himself.
Except… with time, Logan learns that Remus isn’t quite what he’d taken him for. While he is indisputably unpredictable and crude, he’s also endlessly curious. He likes to know how things work, sometimes desperate to find out, and Logan can’t help but see a bit of himself in that desire for knowledge. Additionally, something that continues to surprise Logan Is how well the duke listens.
In truth, Logan has become more and more frustrated with his fellow sides as of late. While he continues to claim he possesses no emotion, day by day that’s proven to be a falsehood. So often, Logan’s advice is brushed aside with little regard to how that might affect him. Logan is determined to be taken seriously, to be listened to, and he doesn’t always find that with the others.
Their conversations can go on for hours without either of them realizing the passage of time. Usually, Logan tries to limit how much he blathers, knowing he can easily get lost in his ramblings, but oftentimes, Remus encourages him to continue.
“I like hearing you nerd out,” Remus had said once, strange fascination written on his face, “keep going, nerdy wolverine.”
And so, Logan does. Despite all his better judgment, he allows himself to ‘nerd out’ about all of the topics that interest him. Outer Space, the depths of the ocean, all the strangest flora and fauna planet Earth has to offer, anything and everything is talked about. His conversations with Remus are so engaging, he seldom minds when the topic suddenly shifts as it often does. It’s hard for the others to match Logan’s pace in conversation, but Remus accomplishes it with ease.
So, when Remus offers to take Logan into the Imagination, he’s absolutely thrilled.
“You can study all the weird gross shit,” Remus declares, “Bring back samples to dissect, or whatever. I’ll show you all the best spots; you’re gonna love the river of blood!”
“A river of blood?” Logan asks, doing very little to hide the excitement in his voice, “Fascinating. I certainly look forward to it.”
Remus smiles at that. It isn’t the manic grin he flashes at the others most times, there’s no malice or devious intentions behind it, in fact, it’s a rather soft expression. Almost too soft, Logan decides. He’s not used to Remus wearing such an innocuously happy expression. Now that he thinks about it, he can’t recall the last time one of the other sides have brought out such an expression in Remus, and the feeling the thought elicits is one Logan is quick to shut down. He can’t stand here, thinking about him being the reason Remus has such a peaceful expression without freaking out a bit (a lot), so he’s not going to think about it. Simple as that.
“Well then let’s go!” Remus says excitedly, grabbing his hand and dragging him in the direction of his room. Logan’s stricken by surprise for a moment; he didn’t know Remus meant right now. Even so, he allows the intrusive side to lead him along, doing his best to disregard the feeling of warmth that shoots up his arm in response to the contact.
While Logan has spent a great deal of time in The Imagination in the past with Roman, studying the rolling hills speckled with castles and towers as well as the many mythical creatures that inhabit it, he’s never been in Remus’s half and it would be quite the understatement to say that he’s excited for the possibility of discovery.
Remus brings him to a neon green door in his room, faded with age and littered in slashes, likely left from his Morning Star. Remus hasn’t let go of Logan’s hand yet, still holding tight as he pulls them through the door and the pair stepped into Remus’s side of the Imagination.
Immediately, Logan’s awestruck. He’s used to the sprawling green fields, bright blue skies with puffy white clouds. He’s used to wildflowers and woodland creatures roaming the forest, many of which most likely, somehow, possessing a singing voice. Logan’s used to a setting straight out of Disney film and this… isn’t that at all.
Remus’s half, while also a forest with rolling hills, is not bathed in sunlight. The only light that shines is that of the crescent moon that hangs high in the night sky. The foliage is not green and vibrant, instead dark as pitch and looking rather venomous. Logan can see a crumbling tower off in the distance, one that seems to resemble Rapunzel’s in a twisted way. Perhaps it resembles that of Disney’s creations more than Logan initially thought, but certainly in a far darker way. He loves it.
“Remus, this is so… different than Roman’s half. Is it night here, all the time?” Remus nods.
“It sure is! Cool, right?”
“It’s incredible. I can’t believe I haven’t been here until now.”
“Well, Roman just hates to come over here, it’s no wonder you’ve never been. He says it’s positively deplorable; and he’s right! But you’re with me, now,” Remus says, his grip tightening on Logan’s hand slightly, “C’mon, I’ll show you everything!”
It’s clear that Remus is excited to show Logan this world, and Logan is just as eager to learn. Not long ago, he’d thought the idea of him and Remus being friends was beyond absurd. But now? Now Logan can’t find himself minding as Remus drags him down a beaten path, conjuring a lantern for them to see by.
“This is intriguing,” Logan notes, letting go of Remus’s hand and crouching near a plant that seems to resemble that of the Venus Fly Trap.
“Careful, specs, that thing eats human brains,” Remus explains casually, “And I’m sure you look like a whole-ass meal, what with all the brains up in your head.” Logan grimaces, though he can’t help the strange compliment of his intelligence endearing, in a clumsy, uniquely Remus way.
“Where do you find the… food to supply it with?” Remus shrugs.
“Oh, you know, here and there.” Logan decides not to question it further, instead allowing Remus to lead the way.
“You spoke of a river of blood,” Logan says after a moment, seeing Remus’s eyes lit up with manic glee, “I’d very much like to see that.”
“Right, ‘course! C’mon, it’s just this way! It’s so deep you could drown in it, Lo! Wouldn’t that be the coolest? Drowning in blood!” Remus asks, though Logan has very little chance to answer, as Remus is talking again, lengthily about the prospect of drowning in human fluids of various kind. Logan can’t find it in himself to be disgusted; after all, thinking of what it would be like to drown in blood, vs, say, stomach acid is rather interesting to contemplate.
They walk down the path, Remus’s torch guiding their way, though it’s clear the Intrusive Side knows his realm quite well. Logan’s fairly sure he could traverse it in pitch-black darkness, no problem. The lantern is probably only there to assure him in some way, and Logan can’t help but dwell on that for a moment.
That is until he hears a loud sound overhead that jars him from his thoughts.
“What in the world is that?” Logan asks, craning his neck to look up into the black sky. Quickly, Logan realizes that the strange noise seems to be flapping, a dark, incredibly large outline is just barely visible.
“Oh, that’s probably just the bat.” Logan turns to Remus, horror surely present in his expression.
“The bat?! How large is it? From the sound of it flapping, as well as what I can make out of it –.”
“Pretty fuckin’ big,” Remus says nonchalantly, before seeing the look in Logan’s eyes, “Whoa, hey, there’s no need to panic, nerd. It’ll probably just keep flying, anyway. It usually only eats Unicorns, and most of those live on Roman’s side.”
Logan isn’t one to believe in something as silly as a jinx, and yet the thought can’t help but come to mind as the bat suddenly pauses before swooping, growing closer to them with each passing second. Logan finds his hand pressed into Remus’s again, this time by his own intention, squeezing it.
“Remus – it, it appears to be getting closer…” Remus nods, his eyes trained on the beast quickly gaining in closeness.
“Should – should we run?” Logan finds himself asking. He’s never had to worry about this with Roman; while he often creates monsters far too large to handle, they’ve never gotten too close when Logan was present. Now though, this thing is heading right toward them and blood is pounding into Logan’s ears.
“Nah, we’re good,” Remus says, his Morning Star appearing in his hand as he turns to Logan, a reassuring smile on his face, “Don’t worry, Nerdy Wolverine, I’ve got this –.”
Remus shouldn’t have turned away, not even for the second that he did because the monster is upon them, it’s long talons grabbing hold of Remus and pulling him from Logan. Remus’s Morning Star falls to the ground as well as the lantern, which shatters upon impact. The flapping of creature’s wings shakes the trees as it bites down on Remus, who lets out a groan of agony.
“Remus!” Logan shouts, icy panic flooding his veins.
He watches in horror as the creature’s grip tightens around Remus, carrying him up higher and higher. Logan doesn’t know how this realm works, the rules and regulations of these monsters, if there even are any, but he does know that he’s presently seeing Remus being carried away. This situation is devoid of logic, a beast of such absurd size overtaking his friend, and Logan doesn’t know what to do. How can he possibly help? How can he do anything but watch and scream in horror, a sound he’s barely aware he’s making.
Suddenly, in his struggle Remus manages to deliver a sharp kick to the beast, it’s bird-like talons releasing him in response. The fall must be twenty feet, at least. Remus hits the ground with an unsettling thud, hissing in pain. Logan clampers over to him in an instant, eyes quickly scanning Remus’s body. Nothing looks broken, somehow, but he can’t be sure and there’s blood, there’s a lot of blood beginning to seep from his wounds, and –
“Remus? Remus, can you hear me?”
The creative side groans, though that seems to be the extent of his capability of speech for the moment. The Earth shakes beneath them as the monster lands, several feet away. It hisses, and even in the low-light, Logan can see despite it’s more Bat-like traits, how much more sinister it truly is. Its ruby eyes are piercing, wings adorned with purple and blue feathers that seem to serve little purpose other than aesthetic. Going by the looks of things, Remus decided to slap a bird and a bat together to create a gargantuan, horrific monster just for the hell of it. It’s not surprising.
The beast moves forward as if to descend upon Remus once more, and before Logan knows what he’s doing Remus’s Morning Star is clutched in his hands.
“Stay back!” he warns, his voice a shout as he aims the weapon high. If things were different, he might wonder how well the animal could see. He would study its form, decoding what traits it shares of each animal, he’d examine it. Such passive thoughts cannot come to mind now, though.
The creature hisses loudly again, saliva splattering over him and Remus, who he stands in front of protectively.
“Don’t – don’t come any closer,” Logan says, feeling the break in his voice. He’s surely shaking terribly, the pounding of his heart unrelentingly fast, fear gripping him like a vice, but his focus can’t linger there. The only thought that goes through Logan’s mind now is that of Remus’s safety, something he is willing to protect at any cost.
The Creature dares to edge closer, too close, and Logan arches his arms back and swings hard. The bat lets out a sound of anguish, reeling back. Logan can see the lacerations he’s formed, blood trickling into the matted fur.
“Don’t fucking touch him!” He roars, hitting again, even harder as the creature rears its head, earning another round of hissing. He would hit, again and again, beat the creature to death, if given the chance. But it seems it’s decided this fight is not worth its time. It withdraws, creeping backward and allowing itself space to once again take flight. Logan doesn’t care what direction it’s heading, so long as it’s away from them. He can hear the sound of flapping growing distant as he kneels by Remus’s side, dropping the Morning Star in the dirt.
“Remus. Remus, can you hear the sound of my voice?” Logan asks, desperately, as he sees the blood pouring from where the creature sunk its fangs into his side.
“Mm – Logan?” Remus asks, his voice weak and eyes bleary.
“I’m here. I’m right here,” Logan says, quickly pulling at Remus’s sleeve that had been torn, tearing within seconds. He presses it hard to the wound, which is weeping blood, so much blood, and Remus moans in pain. “It’s alright. You’re – you’re going to be alright. You’ll be fine.”
“You saved me,” Remus whispers, his voice awed, a faint smile appearing on his lips, “You- you really showed that fucker who’s boss.”
“Why the fuck would you make something so dangerous?” Logan asks, holding the cloth to Remus’s side, aware of the countless others injures that litter his body, blood already beginning to soak through the torn sleeve, “You’re – you’re even more reckless than your brother.”
“Don’t cry, Nerdy Wolverine,” Remus says, his voice achingly soft, achingly weak, “A pretty thing like you shouldn’t… shouldn’t cry.” Logan hadn’t been aware of the tears running down his cheeks, not until now. Remus’s eyes are fluttering open and closed, his breathing growing shallow.
“Hey, y-you need to keep your eyes open. Remus, Remus look at me,” Logan commands, sniveling as the hopelessness of everything only seems to grow.
“Wouldn’t-wouldn’t be so bad,” Remus says, his speech beginning to slur, “If you were the last thing I saw.” Logan shakes his head, panic clenching his heart.
“Don’t say that. You’re – you’re going to be fine. We can’t die, y-you can’t die, Remus. You’ll be okay, just, s-stay awake. Focus on me.” A trickle of blood runs down Remus’s lip and Logan feels his breath catch.
“Y-you don’t know that, though, do you?” Remus asks. It’s true; Logan doesn’t know. None of them have ever been injured to this point to the best of his knowledge, not even Roman, and there’s a chance, there’s a chance that –
“O-of course I know,” Logan insists, sniffling as he fumbles for something, anything, to stop the blood from pouring out. “You’re not going to die. You’re – you’re not going anywhere.” Remus struggles to keep his eyes open, blinking in and out of consciousness.
“You can keep my Morning Star, if… if you want,” Remus breaths out, “You… you sure know how to handle yourself with it.” Logan shakes his head, tears rolling down his cheeks as a sob erupts from his throat.
“No, why – why would I need it? You’re not going anywhere. Remus – Remus? R-Remus look at me. Come on, look at me, you’re alright. You’re – you’re hardly bleeding! Don’t be such a child, you’re fine! Remus! Remus, come on!” Remus fails to respond; his eyes having slipped shut and breathing growing all the more depthless.
Logan gasps for air, panic overtaking as he does all that he can think to do: he calls out for Roman.
“Help! Roman, H-help! Remus needs – needs assistance! Help! Roman!”
Logan doesn’t know how to summon him, not here, not in this senseless realm of which he knows so little of in the grand scheme of things. There’s so little chance of Roman heading his call, of even hearing it, but Logan is desperate, and Remus might very well be dying. He’d do anything now if it meant Remus would be alright. Logan holds him in his chest, sobbing and begging him to stay with him.
Logan is not a man of nonsense; he is not someone to throw himself in the direction of false-hope just because he wants something. But now, Logan prays for Roman to come and do something, anything, to help. He has so little left to cling to.
(I accidentally forgot to add my taglist upon initially posting this, oops!)
If anyone wants to be added to my general taglist, please let me know! I’d be happy to add ya!
