distance ;

He keeps a careful, measured distance between them when they're together.

Logan being Logan, this was not unusual. He had always kept most people at an arms' length for the most part. Over the years, he'd found a few exceptions had wormed their way into his space - an arm around Marie's shoulder, a hearty pat on the back for Hank, a cuff on the shoulder for Petey... Naturally, they didn't happen on a day to day basis, and not usually where others could see.

Ororo had been an exception too, as far as most were concerned. Or at least, she had been. The others tried not to mention anything, but it was hard to miss. The New Logan was keeping everyone at several arms' length for now, and no one could blame him, but it seemed so much more pronounced when he was with her.

"He's just so - so careful with you," he overheard Jean saying one night. He was heading back to his bedroom when he heard her voice drift down the hall to him. She and Scott had their room just a little bit down the hall from his (their teenage son Nathan had the one directly across his own.) and she must have left the door ajar or something.

"Careful?" Ororo's soft voice replied. Even from where he stood out in the hall, he could hear the faint smile in her voice.

"Yes," Jean continued. "I mean, aside from the Professor, he seems most comfortable with you and Marie, for some reason." Logan allowed himself a brief grin as he listened in. Jean was as curious about the new Logan's timeline as the others were, but she kept her eagerness fairly well concealed out of respect to him. Something she didn't have to do behind closed doors, apparently. "... But it's almost as if - as if he's keeping himself in check with you, you know?"

"Mmm. I suppose."

Logan heard a soft thwap. He guessed a pillow or something similarly soft and throwable had been chucked at her. Ororo was chuckling.

"Oh, you know what I mean!" Jean said. Then her voice softened. "It's different. When he's talking to me, it's almost like there's this... disbelief in his eyes. He does it with Scott, too. I mean, with less touching, of course, because he keeps reaching out to my hair - can you believe that? He hasn't done that in fifteen years!" Jean paused, and Logan imagined her raising her brows at Ororo. "It's like he can't believe we're here... and I hate to think about what that means."

"... But with you there's this sense of, of restraint, I think. It's as if he's consciously holding himself back." There was a pause, and then a rustle of bed sheets and cloth. "... And it's just so different from what we're used to with you guys."

Logan headed into his room then, shutting the door behind him. The sound of their voices was reduced to a dull murmur, one he'd have to focus really hard on to understand. It was still more than most could hear, but he wasn't in the mood to make an effort.

He hadn't expected them not to notice keeping apart from everyone, so he wasn't bothered by that. What he wasn't expecting was that sort of reaction from Jean (or from anyone, really) with regards to him and Storm and how they I else did to be. Actually, near as he could tell, he and this Storm hadn't even been more than friends. Or were they? He thought he knew, and had been preparing himself to just deal with it.

He sat on his bed, clenching and unclenching his fists, deep in thought. Jean had been right; he did have to keep himself in check whenever he was around Storm. It would have been so easy for him to fall back to old habits where 'Ro was concerned. Sometimes it was wanting to grab her and pin her to the nearest wall - but more often than not it was just an urge to squeeze her arm when he was struck with an idea, or to brush his fingers against hers when they said hello, when they said goodbye... Little, familiar gestures that he'd previously taken for granted. He'd been so sure that this 'Ro wouldn't have appreciated him being so familiar with her.

Now, he wasn't so sure. And he didn't know if that should bother him or make him smile.