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DISCLAIMER: Not Logan, not Oz. Definitely not Neruda's poem. The
world is a very unfair place.
SUMMARY: Logan and Marie are on the road when she gets a crave for ice-cream. In
Sunnydale.
RATING: PG
WORDCOUNT: 1523
DEDICATION: For Sharon, who asked for W/R+icecream and W/O+poetry and I kinda
blended both requests into one. Oops?
SUBURBIA
by Leni
Logan rolled his eyes for the nth time that morning but docilely let the girl at his side
tug him into the ice-cream parlor. Marie and her whims. Had he known she'd be such a
pushover, Logan would have never brought her along. He heard a little squee at his side,
her round eyes widening and her tongue licking her lips absently at the sight of the 54
options. Figures, even in a little town the size of his thumb there'd be 54 different
flavours. Logan wasn't even sure there were that many fruits.
Then the muted squee became a full-fledged smile and Marie laughed happily even as she
launched herself towards the counter. Logan smothered a smile. Oh, who was he kidding.
He'd have brought her even if she dragged him into every museum in the country. Which she
was in the process of doing anyway, he thought ruefully.
Five minutes later Marie came back with her mango gelatto (her favourite), his double
chocolate with sprinkles (if she breathed one word about it...) and his wallet (huh? When
did she take it?) and tugged him back outside. Just when Logan had thought he'd be free of
this little suburbia nightmare, Marie had turned her big, shiny eyes on him, swallowed a
mouthful of gelatto and asked sweetly if they could go sit in a park.
He watched her throat work even as he was nodding, eying the yellow-orange substance in
her hands with something akin to jealousy. He'd brought his own cup to his forehead,
hoping in vain the cold would, well, cool his thoughts.
Looking around proved to be a better distraction. Marie had claimed a wooden bank under a
large tree, the shadow protecting their icecreams from a too quick melting. She was
talking incessantly at his side, never settling down against him as she usually did when
they were alone. One hand took the spoon from her cup to her mouth - the only pauses she
allowed - while the other pointed from once scene to another. Logan watched her in
amusement, was in a place like this she'd grown up? It was all so damn boring. All
houses were identical twins, everybody smiled and people of all ages milled around the
park on a Sunday morning. It looked straight out of a 60's movie. Insanity. There was an
old woman feeding the doves, a girl walking her dog and making a stop to admire her
neighbour's baby, a couple sitting on the grass contently, a guitar laid carelessly beside
him. The girl was laughing, her hair a brilliant red under the sunlight. He smiled too,
his eyes never leaving her even as he blew a strand of hair from his f--- Wait. Logan
squinted. Then chuckled. Were kids nuts these days? What was it with the green hair?
He shook his head. At least Marie had a good excuse for her hair colour. He saw her white
bangs out of the corner of her eyes, for a moment missing how they used to move with the
wind. Now they were cut up to her chin, a post twentieth birthday rebellion fit that had
also included two bottles of tequila and a more than succesful attempt to get under his
pants. Six months later Logan was still chuckling, Marie was certainly one of the best
strategists around.
"Awww..." His lover's (girlfriend's?) surprised voice was followed to a sharp
nudge to his ribs. He scowled - not that she noticed, or would have cared if she did - and
turned in the direction she was pointing. "Would you look at that!"
Logan looked. Then snorted. "Pansy."
Green-haired boy was sitting as comfortably as he could with his girlfriend on his lap.
One arm was around her, playing with the long hair absently. The other hand held up a
book, and from the dreamy look in the girl's eyes and the steady movement of his lips,
Logan guessed he was reading to her. Considering the guitar, he'd even bet it was some
sweet romantic poem. He snorted again. "God Almighty, look at that! Makes me wanna
p--" His sentence was cut short when Marie's eyes narrowed at him. Survival instincts
screamed in alert; he back pedaled. "p-- p-- pay attention?"
His girlfriend's (lover's?) eyes softened, even if they kept a warning in them. Logan made
a mental note to buy chocolates in the very near future. "Come here," he
said when he considered Marie had cooled off. He caught her shoulder and pulled her to
him, smiling - not goofily! - when she didn't resist.
"What will I do with you, Logan?" she asked rethorically, even as she took his
hands in hers.
Logan laughed good-naturelly. "You'll find out, darlin'."
She smiled back at him. Minutes passed until she shifted in his hold. "Let's go or
we'll never get a room next town."
He nodded and helped her stand up, threading his arm around her waist as soon as she was
on her feet. They walked past the happy couple, hearing the perky girl ask for a new poem.
Logan rolled her eyes when the boy grinned and nodded. "I could write the saddest
verses in this night..." he began smoothly.
Marie sighed at his side. "Oh, that's one of my favourites."
That was his Marie, always going for that romance stuff. "But you wouldn't make me
read it to you," he laughed.
She went still.
Logan could have cursed aloud if he didn't know he'd just be digging himself further.
"Come on, baby, you know that's not my thing," he tried.
Silence.
"I wouldn't even know where to begin." He brought them to a stop, standing in
front of her and catching her chin in his hand. She wouldn't meet her eyes.
"Marie..."
She moved away from his touch and began walking ahead. Logan was about to follow her when
he remembered he'd set his wallet beside him - it wouldn't fit in his pocket - at the
bank. Shit. "I'll be right back. I forgot my---" She shrugged, her shoulders the
only hing he could see moving as she walked away. "Marie!" he called again but
she didn't answer. Damnit, he had half their money there, he wasn't leaving it for some
stupid delinquent who hadn't even fought for it.
Logan ran back to where they'd been, finding his wallet instantly. He almost laughed.
Small town. Of course noone would have grabbed it. When he turned around he was more than
a little surprised to find Green standing there. How...
"Couldn't help but hear your friend."
Logan took a step forward, confidentally smug when the boy didn't even reach his shoulder.
Whatever his plans were for him or Marie, Logan could easily overpower him. Suddenly a
book went flying towards him; instinctively, he caught it. What the...
"Page sixty-three." Would this boy even let him finish a thought? Logan scowled.
He recognised the book as the one Green had been reading before. He bristled at the
insinuation. "If I wanted your opinion, I'd read your entrails".
Threats less imaginative than that were known to send grown men scurrying away. This boy
wasn't the least fazed by it. He blinked, then shrugged. Apparently having sensed the
tension, the little redhead ran to them, hooking her arm through Green's and staring at
him up and down. If Logan didn't know better he'd say Miss Freckles was assessing how much
danger he posed. He scowled once more, determined to go past them to reach Marie.
Marie had thought the same thing, having calmed down and waited long enough to be worried.
She pushed past the kids, regarded the scene and, convinced that there was no danger,
placed a hand on Logan's arm. Her eyes widened when she noticed the book. "Selected
Poems?"
A corner of the boy's lips lifted upwards while his redheaded friend nodded
enthusiastically. "We heard you and I remembered that I already have a copy at home.
We don't need two and you sounded like you liked it, so I thought and I told Oz and he
agreed and I hope we didn't anger you or anything. Because we meant well and angry you
would be of the not well." She breathed in and smiled even wider. Logan stared. Not
even Jubilee on caffeine was that bad.
Marie just smiled back. "No, it's okay. Thank you so much." She nodded at the
girl's boyfriend - Logan had lost his name within the torrent of words - as a silent
acknoledgment and gratefully said her goodbyes. Then she poked Logan's side.
"Yeah, bye," he gruffed out, still confused by it all. The little girl even
waved at them as they left. "Weirdoes," he muttered when they were out of
earshot, refusing to feel guilty when Green's eyes threw daggers at him.
Marie giggled at his side. "Pot; kettle."
He smiled too and, putting the book in the small backpack she insisted on carrying around
everywhere, lifted her onto the motorcycle. He chuckled one last time before wearing his
helmet; suburbia life held its own surprises after all.
The End
10/11/04
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