Not So Different After All

Summary: Gabi can’t stomach tending to Logan’s injuries, so someone’s got to do it. Unfortunately for Colt, that someone is him.

Note: This is an alternate version of the scene in chapter 5

“Logan, I’m so sorry.” Gabi ghosts her fingers over his face and he winces at the featherlight touch. “You didn’t have to do this for me.”

“Yes, I did.” Logan replies affectionately.

Colt rolls his eyes, a little disgusted by the sappy display. “As touching as this is, you need to fixed up, man if you don’t want those injuries to get worse. I’m sure your little girlfriend would love to play nurse.”

Gabi glares at Colt but before she can say anything back, Logan jumps in. “Gabi, I’ve got a first aid kit up in the loft. Will you come help me out?”

Gabi shakes her head. “I wish I could, but I get really squeamish around blood. I’d probably pass out and get my own head injury. I’m sorry Logan.”

“Ximena, Toby, Mona? Anyone able to help me?” Logan pleads.

The three of them look at each other and then Mona smirks. “I think it’s best if the three of us stay here and run interference in case Kaneko comes back. Colt, looks like that leaves you.”

Colt wonders if this is some sort if twisted conspiracy to make him and Logan get along, but if that’s the case, they can forget it. No use trying to play nice with some punk kid who hopefully won’t be around much longer, but he’ll help just to appease them for now. “Fine. Let’s just get this over with.”

“Great.” Logan says flatly, rolling his eyes. “Let’s go, Nurse Ratched.”

Colt follows Logan up the stairs. He’s not trying to stare at Logan’s ass hugged perfectly by his form fitting jeans, but it’s right in front of his face. He almost forgets momentarily the cocky asshole it’s attached to. So what if he’s hot? That’s pretty much his only redeeming quality.

Once upstairs, Logan flicks on an old lamp and retrieves the kit from a cabinet. “Here.” He thrusts it roughly into Colt’s hands and sits on the edge of the bed.

Colt sits on the couch next to the bed to survey Logan’s injuries. He’s got some good cuts and bruises on his face, and Colt notices a deep gash near his collarbone extending under his white t-shirt. “I think you better take your shirt off, so I can check everything out.”

Logan smirks. “I usually require a litte foreplay before I start taking off my clothes.”

Colt narrows his eyes. “Do you want my help or not?” He’s so not in the mood for Logan’s sarcastic remarks.

“Okay, okay.” Logan winces as he lifts the dirty, bloodied shirt over his head. Colt doesn’t fail to notice Logan’s nicely sculpted upper body. A spark flickers in Logan’s eyes as he looks back to Colt. “You can close your mouth now before you start drooling.”

“I wasn’t…whatever,” Colt mumbles with no basis to protest further. He was totally gawking at Logan’s shirtless body and he got caught. He realizes he’s too far to reach Logan from the couch so he gets up to join him on the bed. “Don’t worry, I’m not trying to make a move on you. I’m just too far away over there.”

Logan chuckles. “That’s too bad,” he jokes, or so Colt thinks. It’s difficult to discern from his tone. Logan hisses as Colt starts to dab the cut on his collarbone with peroxide saturated gauze. “Ouch!”

Colt eases up but continues to clean the cuts. “Sorry, but that’s about as gentle as I can get. I’d kiss it better, but I’m not your mother.”

Logan’s expression hardens. “Don’t mention my mother,” he snaps, but then his features soften slightly. “It’s a sore subject.”

“I get it. Same here,” Colt confesses.

Logan scoffs. “Like you have anything in common with me. At least you weren’t living on the streets when you should have been in high school. At least have a parent who loves you and wants the best for you – who can afford to send you to college and give you pretty much anything you want. And you don’t even appreciate any of it and would rather throw it away and come back here, for what?”

“Fuck this.” Colt throws the bandage in his hand down on the bed. “You know nothing about me, and I don’t need to listen to you telling me how good I have it. You can fix yourself.”

“Colt, wait.” Logan grabs his hand as Colt moves to leave. An unexpected tingle of electricity from Logan’s touch travels across Colt’s skin. “I didn’t mean it like that. Can we please finish this?”

He’s not sure what compels him, but Colt reluctantly sits back down. Maybe it’s the vulnerability in Logan’s voice, or that if Colt were in that position he’d need help too. He nods but doesn’t say anything, and after an awkwardly long pause, they both seem to realize at the same time that Logan is still holding onto Colt’s hand. Colt pulls away, clearing his throat and starts to bandage up the rest of Colt’s wounds.

Logan is the first to speak again. “Not to dig myself a deeper hole, but I feel like I should explain a little better. Your father has done more for me than I could have ever hoped for. He took me in when I had nowhere to go, gave me a job and some direction, but still I am completely envious of you. He’s been kind to me so far, but the second I mess up or put his crew at risk, he could cut me out for good, just like that. He’s the closest thing I’ve had to a father figure in a long time, but I’m not going to delude myself into thinking we are family. That’s what you are. He loves you unconditionally and wants a better life for you than this. I’d trade places with you in a second if I could.”

Colt takes a deep breath and mulls over Logan’s words. To hear Logan is jealous of him throws Colt for a loop. All this time he’s been jealous of Logan for taking a place in the crew he thought should be his. But after Gabi at the drive-in and now Logan here basically saying the same thing, Colt might be starting to believe it. Whether he agrees with his father or not, deep down Colt knows Kaneko loves him. Colt tips his head up and looks into Logan’s crystal clear blue eyes as if really seeing him for the first time. “Heh. And to think I was jealous of you too.”

“Of, what? My devastatingly handsome good looks?” Logan laughs, trying to lighten the mood.

“Definitely not your modesty,” Colt quips, choosing not to dispute Logan’s comment because he is fucking gorgeous. But Colt’s been told more than a time or two how hot he is. “And for the record, I know I’m not half bad to look at either.”

Logan’s eyes darken as he keeps his gaze fixed on Colt. “No, no you are not.” A wicked smile briefly flits across his lips.

Colts looks away as he rises in his cheeks and he checks Logans injuries over one more time and thinking of something to change the subject before he embarrasses himself further. “So…you and Gabi seem to be spending a lot of time together.”

Logan frowns and Colt instantly regrets bringing her up. “Gabi’s a nice girl, and I really do like her, but…I don’t know what she’s doing with a guy like me.”

“Oh.” Colt neglects to hide the disappointment in his voice. For a split second he thought he might say something cheesy like, ‘she doesn’t compare to a guy like you.’ What the hell is wrong with him. He still hates Logan, doesn’t he?

“She deserves to go to college and meet someone more like her…And I need someone who can keep up with me and really gets where I’m coming from.” Logan tilts Colt’s chin up, looking him straight in the eyes. “Maybe someone more like you.”

Every sensible part of Colt is telling him to run down those stairs and not look back. He and Logan don’t get along and would never be a good match in any way, shape or form. Logan probably has a concussion and doesn’t know what he’s saying. Any yet… Colt licks his lips and leans in towards Logan like a moth drawn to a flame. Logan closes the distance, his lips brushing against Colt’s ever so softly.

“Logan!” Gabi’s voice calls from the top of the stairs, suddenly jolting them apart.

“Hey, Gabi. What’s up? Colt was just checking me over and making sure I’m good to go.”

“Oh, are you done?” Gabi asks Colt. “I need to get going soon before my dad flips out.”

Colt shakes his head up and down. “Yep, he’s good as new. He’s all yours.” Colt starts to turn and then looks back at Logan blankly. “I’ve saved your ass twice tonight, you owe me.”

“That you did.” A sly grin spreads across Logan’s face. “I’ll definitely have to make it up to you. Goodnight, Colt.”

A shiver runs down Colt’s spine at the implication of Logan’s promise, while Gabi looks on, seemingly none the wiser. “Goodnight.” And with that he walks down the stairs not knowing if everything has changed between them, or if this is a momentary lapse in judgment that will be all but forgotten in the morning.