Chapter Text
Logan found himself walking aimlessly around the mansion in the dark. Like many nights before, sleep evaded him and he grew too restless to stay in his bedroom.
At least this time it wasn’t because of a nightmare. It took a while, but he finally felt like home at the mansion, and with time his trauma started to heal. Healing could possibly take years, decades even, and there wasn’t a certainty that he would ever be nightmare free, but it was an improvement.
Tonight however, his bedroom felt too empty, his bed too cold. Recently his feelings for Jean had turned sour. After she told him girls flirted with the bad guy but went home with the good guy, Logan lost all hope of something more happening between them. Jean assured him she loved Scott and she wouldn’t leave him, breaking Logan's heart in the process.
Feeling restless, he threw on some sweatpants and decided to leave the room to clear his head, hoping he would eventually get tired enough to sleep.
He roamed around the ground floor, not wanting to wake up any of the kids or other teachers sleeping in their rooms. He made his way to the kitchen to get a beer from his personal, secret stash, when his hearing picked up a faint music.
Logan tilted his head and focused on it. “In the mood”, by Glenn Miller played from somewhere inside the mansion. Following the music Logan walked down the hall until reaching Charle's office. The door was slightly open and when he peeked inside, his heart almost stopped.
Charles Xavier was dancing.
Yes, dancing. Slowly, and albeit a bit clumsily, Charles danced to the old swing song. He wasn't alone: Logan then saw a young, beautiful woman dancing with him. Charles smiled widely as she encouraged to keep moving. Logan didn’t know it at the time, but that woman was you, and you would turn his life upside down.
“Look at you go! You still got some moves!” You said and laughed.
Logan pushed the door open in shock.
“Chuck?”
Charles turned to his friend and waved his hands, gesturing to him to approach them.
“Logan! Come! Come! There's someone I want you to meet.”
Logan stepped into the office, his mouth half open.
“You're… dancing.” He said in disbelief.
“It's a miracle, isn't it?” Charles smiled before turning to you. “Darling, this is Logan, one of the professors here. Logan, meet our newest member, Angel.”
You offered Logan your hand to shake and your first name. "Angel is my mutant name.” You explained. Logan shook your hand, still in shock.
“Angel has healing powers.” Charles explained. Suddenly something clicked in Logan's head.
Logan found the name fitting, since Charles called her power a miracle.
“Wait… you healed Charle's legs?” He asked in disbelief, as if he hadn't just seen the two of you dancing just moments ago. You nodded your head and hummed.
“More like his spinal cord, but yeah, basically.” You replied. Logan stared at you still trying to wrap his head around this.
Despite the excitement, it was obvious Charles was out of breath and a little fragile, so he leaned against his desk. Both you and Logan quickly offered him support, one on each side of him. Carefully you walked him back to his chair and sat him gently.
“I don't think you'll be running any marathons any time soon.” You joked, and Charles smiled.
“I've used this chair for so long, it will take time to get used to standing on my own feet again.” he commented.
“Just take it easy.” You said with a comforting smile.
He nodded and turned to his friend.
“Logan, would you please show her the way to her chambers? It's room number 29.” He instructed before turning to you. “Tomorrow you'll meet the rest of the team.”
You nodded your head and picked up your suitcase.
“Thank you for this opportunity, Professor. You won't regret it.” You said and Charles smiled.
“Welcome to the team, Angel.” He said, using your now X-Men name. Your smile was wide and beautiful.
Logan walked you out of the office and took your suitcase from you.
“Oh, you don't have to…”
Logan shook his head. He wouldn't call himself a gentleman, but he wasn’t about to let you carry a heavy suitcase up the stairs, especially after you gave Charles the capacity to walk again.
Eventually you reached a door with a golden “29” painted on it and Logan set down your luggage.
“I'm in room 14. It's, um…” He pointed over his shoulder. “End of the hall, to the left. In case you need anything.”
You smiled softly.
“Thank you Logan. Good night.” You said before stepping into the room and closing the door.
Logan stood in the empty hallway. There was no way he would get any sleep now.
.
The next morning there was a knock on your door. When you opened it you found a hairy, blue creature looking back at you. If it wasn't for the fact that you had seen pictures of him in the newspapers, you would've thought he was some kind of puppet. Dr. Hank McCoy introduced himself in a very polite manner and requested you follow him to the Professor's office.
As you approached the office you felt yourself growing anxious. This would be your first time meeting the team. You knew who they were, but you never met them in person before.
When you got there, everyone turned to look at you, and suddenly you felt very exposed.
"Hey.” A voice behind you said. You turned to find Logan walking towards you. "How was your first night at the mansion?”
You smiled, feeling a little bit less anxious.
"Good. I hardly slept, though. I was too nervous to sleep.” You said shyly.
Logan smiled softly.
"You'll do just fine, bub.”
A few more X-men arrived, and once everyone was there, Charles started the meeting.
"Some of you might have heard there would be a new member on our team.” Everyone turned to look at you, seeing you were the only new face. "I would like to introduce you to Angel. She's a healer and will be a great asset during battles.”
You awkwardly waved your hand.
"What kind of healer?” Scott asked.
"I'll answer that. " Charles said before standing up behind his desk. A chorus of gasps and whispers filled the room.
"Professor…” Jean said, slowly stepping towards the desk. “You can walk?”
Charles nodded his head.
"If she can heal an old wound that no doctor could, who knows how many other things she can heal or cure.” He said while walking around his desk. Most people in the room turned their faces to you. You wanted to hide, but Logan’s presence by your side brought some comfort, seeing he hadn’t backed away and people knew they could trust you.
“She'll work at the lab with Hank, and as the school's nurse, since she can take care of any wound or sickness our students could get.” Charles explained and sat back down. “So let's get her settled in. Ororo, please show her around the school, give her a tour. Next week we'll start working on including Angel in our missions.”
-
The next couple of weeks you settled in just fine. You were the “shiny new toy” so most of the staff took an interest in you. Some of them, like Jean and Hank, were fascinated by your mutation. Unlike most mutants, your powers didn’t bring harm or danger. They were quite the opposite, you couldn’t hurt anyone and that was a novelty.
That being said, you were at a disadvantage on the battlefield. You couldn't fight or even defend yourself, so you had to be very strategic when it came to taking part in the missions. While you healed fast yourself thanks to your mutation, you still needed to be careful.
Shortly after you arrived you started training at the Danger Room, where you would follow Jean or Scott’s instructions to move from one spot to the other, always quietly and in the shadows. You also learned to work with the team: having Kurt move you from one room to the other unharmed, or have Kitty turn you intangible and dodge dangerous objects coming your way.
You knew that when the time came, you would be ready to move through the field and heal any wounded friend. However, that wasn’t enough. In case it was necessary, you must be able to defend yourself, to fight if it meant saving your life.
Enter Logan.
He took it upon himself to train you in the Danger Room, just the two of you. Ever since you healed Charles, Logan knew you were special and had the utmost respect for you. He wanted to make sure you would be able to protect yourself and remain safe during battle.
Going easy on people wasn’t his style, but seeing you didn’t have a mutation you could use to defend yourself, he was very patient. He taught you all the basics, like how to block an attack and throw a good punch. Eventually you gained muscle memory, and were able to keep up.
Well, most of the time.
“Left, right, left, right, left, right, down, down.” Logan counted as your gloved hands punched his and ducking low when he attacked back. “Kick!” You went to kick him but lost your footing and ended up falling backwards.
“Crap!” you said as you bounced on the mat.
“We gotta work on that.” Logan chuckled and offered you his hand. You hooked your wrist with his, since you were both wearing gloves, and he lifted you up. “I think that’s enough for today.”
“Thanks.” You started removing your gloves.
“Same time tomorrow?” Logan asked.
Usually Logan detested training beginners, he preferred training with someone who could keep up with him. Sure, you could heal fast, but he still didn’t want to hurt you, so he pulled back most of his punches. There was no actual challenge for him.
Yet he didn’t complain. Not only did he enjoy your company, but he was impressed by how well you took his lessons and how much effort you put in your training. Most people would complain and give up quickly.
Seeing you all breathless and sweaty was a bonus. Mutant or not, he was still a man, and he couldn’t help his eyes wander down your body every once in a while.
To his disappointment, you quickly shook your head.
“I can’t. I have something to do tomorrow, it will probably take all day.” You replied.
You liked training with Logan. He was a good teacher, and very patient with you, which was a very good thing considering how often you got distracted by his good looks. He was, without a doubt, the most beautiful man you had ever seen. There was also something endearing in the way he treated you. You knew he was known for his rough exterior, and most people at the school either respected him, or feared him. You had seen him get angry at Scott Summers over the smallest things, or lose his patience with rebellious students.
But not you. Never you. He was soft spoken and kind around you.
That being said, you could use a little break from all the training even if it was just for one day.
Logan clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“Alright, but you’ll do twice the work next time. I won’t go easy on you until you know how to kick property without hurting yourself in the process.” He said teasingly. You rolled your eyes and smiled.
“Can’t wait!” you said sarcastically.
Truthfully, you did want to train with him again soon.
-
Ever since he started training you, Logan began sleeping a bit better. Teaching you was a good workout, and with the following shower, Logan found himself more relaxed at the end of the day.
He was still an early riser, so the next morning he was the very first in the kitchen to make coffee. He enjoyed the quiet mornings, before everyone woke up and the school came alive. But that morning the quietness was interrupted by the sound of someone stomping on the stairs.
“Jesus, fuck!” He heard you curse. “Goddammit!” Intrigued, he walked out of the kitchen and saw you walking down the stairs, struggling to carry down a huge plastic bag. It was almost half your size.
“What are you doing?”
You weren’t expecting him, so you snapped your head towards him looking embarrassed.
“Um…” You blinked. “I didn’t think it would be this big, or this heavy.”
Logan sighed and walked up the stairs.
“What is it in here, anyway?” He said taking the bag from your hands and easily carrying it down the stairs.
You rolled your eyes.
“Show off.” You mumbled and Logan gave you a cocky smile. “If you must know, I’m bringing toys to the hospital. I make a donation every now and then, and I get to cure some kids.” You said as if it wasn’t a big deal.
Logan looked at you surprised.
“You go to a hospital and heal kids in your free time?” He repeated, as if he hadn’t heard you correctly the first time.
“It’s better than doing nothing.” You shrugged. “What’s the point of having this gift, if I don’t do something good with it?”
“Aren’t you worried people will figure out you’re a mutant?”
“Nah, usually they don’t notice they’re healthy until much later.” Your phone made a little “ping” and you took it out of your pocket. After quickly looking at the notification, you groaned. “My Uber cancelled, great!” You complained.
“I can give you a ride.” Logan offered. Usually he wouldn’t bother, but he wanted to see you in action.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a burden.” You said quietly.
“If you were a burden, I wouldn’t have offered.” He replied before walking towards the garage door. “Come on!”
-
The ride to the hospital was a quiet one, only the radio filling in the car -one that Logan “borrowed” from Scott-.
“So, what are we doing here exactly?” Logan asked as he parked the car. You looked at him confused, you assumed he was only dropping you off.
“Oh, you don’t have to come inside with me…”
“Someone’s gotta carry that big bag, and we both know it won’t be you.”
“Ha-ha.” You fake laughed. “Just… just play along, okay? We’re here to visit the kids and hand out donations.” You explained before getting out of the car, Logan following close by.
You walked to the reception and greeted a nurse.
“Hey Rhonda!”
“Hello my little miracle worker!” She smiled. “I’m so glad to see you, I swear everytime you come by, the kids feel so much better the day after! We had several discharges after the last time you were here.”
“Oh, that’s nice!” You giggled before shooting a look at Logan. He raised an eyebrow and smirked. He knew he had to keep his mouth shut.
“And who is this tall glass of water?” Rhonda asked as she looked at Logan up and down.
“Oh, this is my friend Logan. He’s here to help me with the donations today.” You explained.
“Well, we sure can use more helping hands around here.” Rhonda said in a suggestive tone.
Logan cleared his throat uncomfortably, and you quickly started pushing him towards the pediatric wing.
“It was nice seeing you Rhonda! We’ll be out in a jiffy!”
“Friend of yours?” Logan teased when you were out of earshot. You rolled your eyes.
“She’s harmless, I swear.” You replied, making him laugh.
You stopped by a door that had some pink and purple flowers. In the middle there was a name tag that said “Manx, Ashley.” You turned to Logan and opened the bag to fish for a toy. After coming up with a sweet looking purple dog, you knocked on the door.
A woman, Ashley’s mom you assumed, opened the door. You put on your best, kindest smile, knowing it’s never easy to have a child in the hospital.
“Good morning, ma’am! We come on behalf of a non profit that donates toys to sick children. Would it be okay if we come in and meet your daughter?” You asked politely. The woman stepped aside and let you in.
Logan decided to stay behind, watching you from the door.
You approached the bed and made an effort not to get too emotional as you locked eyes with the little girl.
She looked so fragile, her bald head covered with a pink wool hat, cables stuck to her chest and sticking out of her arm. Your heart ached for her.
“You must be Ashley.” You said as you sat on the edge of the bed. She nodded her head shyly. “I saw the flowers on the door, they’re beautiful. Did you make them?”
Ashley shook her head.
“My friends at school made them for me.” she said, her hands fidgeting with her blanket.
“Oh, that’s so nice! I bet they miss you a lot at school… Do you miss school?”
Ashley nodded her head.
“The doctor says I won’t go back in a long time.” She explained sadly.
You heard the mom’s breath hitch. Clearly Ashley’s prognosis wasn’t good. Taking a deep breath, you braced yourself and put on a wide smile.
“I’m sure it won’t be that long. But until then, I have a little friend here that could keep you company.” You said sweetly before showing her the stuffed dog. Ashley smiled. “Do you like it?” The little girl nodded and reached out. As you handed it to her, you made sure to place a hand on her arm. Instantly your mutation transfers your powers through contact.
Ashley took the dog and hugged it tight to her chest.
“Thank you.”
The entire time Logan watched you closely from the door. You were so kind and gentle, so selfless with your power.
“Thank you for this.” The mom said to him. “We don’t have many good times at the hospital, for obvious reasons. What you and your colleague do is very meaningful. We really appreciate it.”
Logan stood in silence, not knowing what to say. He just nodded his head.
You stood up from the bed and gave Ashley’s hand a gentle squeeze.
“You take care, sweetie. And take care of that little friend.” You said pointing at the dog. She giggled and nodded her head.
“I will!”
Once you and Logan left the room, Logan stopped you.
“What happens next? Will she be okay?” He asked and you nodded your head.
“Tomorrow, or one of these days, the doctor will run some tests and find out there’s no traces of cancer in her. It will be odd, and no one will be able to explain it. Her mom will probably say it’s a miracle or something like that… and that will be it.” You shrugged. It really was that simple.
“I’ve never seen anything like that.” Logan said, amazed. You smiled.
“You just wait and see, we’re just getting started.” you said before picking another toy and heading towards the next room.
-
The toy bag was empty and you were exhausted. It had been a long day at the hospital and you were ready to go home and sleep for the next week and a half.
Logan noticed you could barely stand on your feet, so he wrapped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you closer, letting you use him for support as you both walked back to the car. He opened the passenger door and helped you sit down before fastening your seatbelt.
“You doing ok there, bub?” He asked with a frown.
“Yeah, I’m fine, I think I’m running on empty now.” You said softly, your head wobbling against the headrest.
“We’ll get something to eat on our way to the mansion, alright?” He said before closing the door and getting to the driver’s side.
As promised, Logan stopped by a diner on the way to the mansion and got some food. Sitting on the hood of the car, you munched happily at the burger he got you, humming at the delicious fatty taste. Logan sat next to you, eating a burrito.
“It’s a good thing you have healing powers.” Logan commented, one hand holding up a tray of fries for you to take some. “That looks like a heart attack on a plate.”
You chuckled.
“You don’t get to judge, I’ve seen the cigars you smoke.” You teased back and grabbed some of the fries. Logan smiled.
“How often do you do this?”
“Every other week.” You replied. “I would do it more often but people would start getting suspicious.” Then you frowned, and Logan watched you zooming out, deep in your thoughts. “It sucks, really. I wish I could help them all, I wish I could cure everyone, everything… There are so many people in pain, so many lives I could save or change for the better, but there’s only so much I can do in one day.”
Logan felt a tug in his chest, his heart aching for you. He placed a hand on your shoulder and gave you a reassuring squeeze.
“You’re already doing a lot. Think of all the parents that won’t have to bury a child thanks to you.” He said softly, and his words comforted you. “You may not save the whole world, but you save theirs.”
You smiled softly.
“Thank you Logan. Would you like to come with me to the hospital some other time?”
“Of course, bub.”
Logan had given up on humanity a long time ago. He had seen so much pain and cruelty, he was sure it was only a matter of time before human kind exterminated itself.
You gave him a little bit of hope. Maybe not everyone was so bad.