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Kurt was restless.
His fur itches a little more than usual and no matter how he lays, he can’t get comfortable. His back hurts a little and he was stiff even after doing stretches.
It’d been weeks of this already and nothing helped. He went about as normal, doing missions and teaching classes, but when he was left to his own devices he just couldn’t relax.
He tried laying in his bed like normal, upside down, sideways, and his body still felt stiff and out of place. After two weeks of bad sleep, he tried the lounge instead. Both the large couches were no better and it was seriously affecting his mood.
In the fourth week, he dared to try something else. He was alone in the lounge and heading to the couch again when he paused, eyeing Logan’s recliner. He knew no one was allowed to use it, and the others would absolutely laugh at him if they found out, but he’s getting desperate.
Logan’s not here, Kurt thought to himself. He’s still in Alaska, probably for a few more weeks, yet.
So, Kurt glanced around again to ensure that he was alone and cautiously sat on the recliner. And just like that, he felt comfortable, for the first time in weeks. No wonder Logan loved it so much. Kurt melted into the seat, finally feeling relaxed for the first time in weeks.
He knew Logan would probably kill him for this. He knew that even if he cleaned up the couch of his fur, Logan would still somehow smell that he sat there or something. He didn’t care. He needed sleep, even his students noticed how exhausted he’d been! Kurt pulled a blanket over his shoulders and closed his eyes, ready to rest for the first time since, well, since Logan left, he supposed.
It wasn’t uncommon for Logan to leave for weeks at a time. When something bad happened, or, sometimes, when something great happened, Logan would head out to Alaska and trek through snow for days or weeks at a time. It was relaxing for him, Kurt understood. When Kurt was overwhelmed, he found himself in a cathedral or high up in the school's tower, clearing his thoughts. When Logan was upset, he traveled nature and lived self-sufficiently.
Kurt should be used to it by now, and he sort of was. He’d spent a majority of his life alone, and the x-men lifestyle offered all sorts of inconsistencies and long periods of travel, but, lately, he found the distance harder to handle.
He missed Logan. He missed him a lot.
Maybe that’s why the recliner was so comfortable. It smelled of Logan, and retained the shape of the other man’s body. For how old and worn down it was, there was no other reason it should be so comfortable.
Man, Kurt was a mess.
A mess who just had the best sleep of his life.
After that, he spent the next week and a half sleeping on the recliner. He was sure some of the others had spotted him by now, but nobody commented. Ororo had smiled at him kindly when she saw him headed to the lounge instead of his own room, and Jean gave him a slightly pitying look, but otherwise nobody mentioned that he was risking his life by taking such a spot.
It was his second week sleeping there when the restlessness came back. It was a month and half and Logan still wasn’t back yet. Still within the realm of normal for him, but, mein gott , was it hard to sleep.
The recliner smelled more like Kurt than it did Logan, and his own shape was becoming too ingrained in the old recliner.
And Kurt was restless.
“Drastic times,” Kurt muttered to himself after a particularly tough morning.
He’d woken up with a terrible pain in his neck. Then his students were especially loud in class that day. Then he was called in to protect another kid from the MRD and took a bad shot to the leg. Then, he found the last of his favorite beer was out and he was too damn tired to teleport all the way to Germany right now.
“Drastic measures,” he grumbled, stomping down the hallway with the teacher’s rooms. He stopped briefly in front of his own bedroom door, hesitating for just a moment, before he moved to the room directly to the right.
He opened the door cautiously, shoulders tense and ears perked. Seeing the empty bed, still set and untouched from weeks of unuse, his shoulders relaxed. The familiar scent of the room relaxed him furthermore.
“Apologies, herr Logan,” Kurt whispered to himself, shutting the door and making his way to the bed.
He was clean and dry, having taken a long shower and taken extra time ensuring his fur was dry (it was inconvenient to spend ages blow drying his fur, but the warmth was soothing all the same). He knew Logan wasn’t exactly the cleanest of the x-men—especially seeing as he was currently trekking through the woods without access to soap and a proper shower—but he was self-aware enough to realize he was crossing some boundaries.
Kurt and Logan were close, of course. And he’s well aware of his special treatment from his best friend. Logan was never able to stay upset with him for long, no matter how much Kurt drove him mad. They could talk about anything and no matter how into it they got, they could part in a better mood. And personal space wasn't that big of a deal between the two of them. But he felt jittery nonetheless.
Sliding into the sheets and pulling the comforter over himself, he felt he melted even more than when he first lay in the recliner. For such an unused bed, it was the most comfortable mattress he’d ever had the pleasure of laying in.
And, the major bonus, Logan’s distinct smell was present. Despite leaving the school rather frequently, Logan clearly used the bed enough.
Kurt breathed easier and sleep quickly washed over him.
He took it back, this was the best sleep of his life.
He woke up refreshed, his leg feeling infinitely better and his mood soaring. The sun peaked in through the blinds and washed over his fur. God did exist and heaven had just reached him.
He stretched and went about his morning routine as usual, fixing up the bedsheets before leaving the room. It was Saturday, so there were no classes today. He’d also been promised that unless a world-ending event occurred, or just a mission requiring his specific ability, he would have the day off from mutant-hero activities.
He brewed himself some coffee and grabbed the book he’d been reading from the room, before returning to Logan’s room.
Kurt spent the entire day lazing about in Logan’s room. When the sun had set and his eyelids grew heavy, Kurt placed the book on the nightstand and went about his nightly routine. After a quick prayer and washing up, he returned to the room and quickly curled up under the warm blanket.
He sighed and once more melted into the warmth, feeling as though Logan was right there with him. It was comforting, yet he still felt a longing to see the man. Maybe sleeping in his bed was too much, maybe it was worsening his loneliness. But, alas, he slept amazingly.
“Dirtying my bed while I’m gone, Elf?” a deep voice mused. Kurt tensed under the sheets. He’d been on the cusp of sleeping, moving between conscious and unconscious, and hadn’t heard anyone enter.
He felt as though the blood drained from his body and stiffened in his spot. With a jolt, he sat up and looked in the direction of the voice. There, by the window, stood Logan. He stood with his arms crossed, his hip leaning against the windowsill (because of course he wouldn't enter through the door, like any normal person), and an amused smile on his face.
“Ah, Logan!” Kurt gasped, realization dawned on him. His blood returned to his body, only to rush to his face and ears. “I-I’m sorry, I did not mean—!”
“Relax, Kurt,” he huffed with a light chuckle. “I don’t mind, really.”
Kurt froze, gaping at the other, before ducking his head. “I’m sorry.”
A frown tugged at Logan’s lips at his friend's reaction. He uncrossed his arms and moved closer to where Kurt sat on the bed.
“Seriously, Kurt, I don’t care,” Logan assured, stopping near the end of his bed and reaching out to the other. He gently touched his chin, lifting his head.
Kurt’s pointed ears were flushed and he was gnawing at his bottom lip.
Cute , Logan thought.
“Miss me that much, elf?” Logan teased.
Kurt groaned and glanced away, too flustered to look the other in the face.
“Shut up,” Kurt muttered.
“Now, now, that’s no way for a church boy to talk,” Logan lectured, earning an eye roll from his best friend.
“I gotta shower, it's been ages since I had a real one,” Logan said, switching subjects. “You can go back to sleep, I’ll be back in just a minute.”
“I can leave—” Kurt began, quickly interrupted by Logan’s disapproving stare.
“Go back to sleep,” he ordered. He paused to ruffle Kurt’s hair, then he walked off to the bathroom, dropping his bags as he went.
What a slob , Kurt thought with a smile, melting back under the blanket and burying his burning face into his—Logan’s—pillow.
Kurt was once again nearly fully asleep when the mattress dipped and a breeze broke through the blanket. He opened his heavy eyes enough to see Logan laying next to him and curled closer to the man, ready to sleep.
“Good night, Elf,” Logan whispered. He wrapped his arms around the blue mutant and pulled him close, tucking Kurt’s head under his chin. Kurt hummed in response, grabbing at Logan with a sluggish arm before welcoming his dreams.
And,
God
, was it the best sleep of his life.