Cold Comforts

True to his word, Logan roused Raven before the sun had crept over the horizon, his cool hands brushing against the boy’s face. Raven had blinked up at him sleepily, and then clambered reluctantly out of his bed roll and helped Logan to finish packing up their campsite. They had been on the road within half an hour, the sun just starting to tinge the horizon red.

Logan had handed him food and a canteen of water as they headed down the road. He had promised that they’d arrive at his town by evening, and that he’d fix something warm for dinner then. Raven had just shrugged; he didn’t care if the food was hot or cold. Food was food, and it was given freely, without expectation of anything in return.

As they traveled, Raven noticed that the weather was starting to get cooler. The area they were traveling through appeared to be heading up a mountain, which would explain the cold. Logan must have noticed Raven shivering, unused to such temperatures, because he gestured towards the back. “We’re almost there, kid,” he assured Raven, “but there’s a warm blanket in the back you can use until we get there. We’ll pick up some warmer clothing for you once we arrive in town.”

Raven nodded gratefully and dug the blanket out of the back, wrapping it around himself and burrowing down into its folds, warming up quickly. He didn’t even correct Logan for calling him ‘kid’ again. He knew that the man didn’t do it to be mean; it was just how he saw Raven. And he didn’t seem very socially adept. Logan was very kind to him, but he wasn’t exactly the most talkative, friendly person Raven had ever met, either.

“There we are,” Logan said, the deep rumble of his voice startling Raven out of his thoughts. Looking forward, Raven caught his breath, his eyes wide as he took in the town down in the valley. It was spread throughout the entire valley, surrounded on all sides by mountains. It looked like the road they were on was the main one in and out of the town. The houses appeared to be mostly made of trees that had probably been taken from the valley when they first built the town. Lights glimmered in the windows of the houses in the fading daylight, giving the town a warm, homey feeling.

Raven looked over at Logan, smiling. “It’s very beautiful,” he said, and Logan grinned back at him, obviously pleased with his assessment. “I can see why you’d make your home here,” Raven murmured, watching as they moved closer to the town, the houses looming over them. Men scattered along the street paused as they went by, some of them waving to Logan while others, their hands full, just hollered a greeting. Raven himself got several double-takes and puzzled looks, and he flushed, embarrassed at the attention.

“Don’t mind them. They’re a rough, crude bunch of guys here, but they’re friendly enough,” Logan muttered to him. Raven glanced at him skeptically, and Logan grinned. “Well, okay, we’re probably gonna get teased a bit, but they really don’t mean any harm.” Raven just frowned, but nodded. It’s not like he would be able to stop them from teasing him anyhow. “I’ll keep ‘em off your back, if you’d like,” Logan offered unexpectedly, making Raven jump, “but it’s probably better to just let ‘em tease you at first. They’ll like you better for it,” he grinned.

Raven just shrugged. He didn’t much care if these people liked him or not, but it was obvious that these were Logan’s friends, and if he said it would be best just to let them tease the two of them, then Raven would endure the ribbing. And if Logan said that they were rough but harmless, then Raven would believe that as well. After all, Logan hadn’t done anything to hurt him yet, and he seemed to generally care about Raven’s wellbeing.

The roads in town were mostly just packed ground, though the main road had been properly dug out and covered with cobblestones and gravel. Raven just settled into the seat and watched the kids playing outside, coats and gloves and boots and scarves keeping them warm, their cheeks red from the cold even as they ran around, laughing as they chased each other through town. It didn’t seem like any particular individual was minding the children. Instead, all the adults seemed to keep track of them, occasionally scolding them for running into the road or getting underfoot. This town was very, very safe for children, Raven realized.

“Don’t let the town’s appearance fool you,” Logan said, as if reading his thoughts. Raven turned to look at him, his brow furrowed in confusion. “This place is very welcoming, but it’s also very fiercely protective of its children. Nobody who tries to hurt a child from this town survives the attempt.” With those words, things suddenly fell into place, and Raven’s eyes widened in realization.

“Then those men you killed. They…tried to take a child from here?” he asked. If those men had come to this town, and tried to kidnap a child – or if they had succeeded in doing so – then that would explain why Logan had been in those particular woods, hunting those men. Raven had been wondering why a man like him would be nearly two days away from his town, and why he had killed those particular men.

Logan frowned. “Not exactly,” he muttered reluctantly. “This town isn’t easy to find, and they’ve never set foot in here. If they had, they would have never made it out alive.” Raven nibbled on his lower lip, mulling over Logan’s words. If they hadn’t attempted to take a child from this town, then why had Logan been seeking them? It had been done intentionally, he was sure. Perhaps he had been hired by somebody else? But Logan didn’t seem like the mercenary type, to kill people for money.

Logan must have noticed his confusion, because he growled, “It was a request from an old friend of mine, who had witnessed their treatment of the children they took from their families. You just happened to be the unlucky one when I finally found them.” Raven nodded his acceptance, pleased that the man had told him that much. While it still didn’t explain who Logan’s friend was, or how he had known they’d be in those particular woods, or why he had agreed to kill them in the first place, it reassured him that Logan had been fully aware of what he was doing, and why. Raven had just been at the wrong place at the right time, he supposed.

Finally, Logan slowed the jeep to a crawl, and Raven stared at the log cabin that stood proudly in front of them, separated from its neighbors by a good half mile. It looked like Logan preferred his solitude, as much as could be had in the valley, at least. The windows were shuttered, and the house looked well-maintained, the wood worn but sturdy, and the yard neat and trimmed. The grass was dying, but Raven could tell that the yard was well-taken care of in the warm months, his eyes roaming the area.

A garage was attached to the side of the cabin, not much more than a roof and two walls – the third wall being the outside of the cabin itself – and that’s where Logan pulled the jeep. There was plenty of room to clamber out of the jeep and grab the packs and bedrolls, which Logan did promptly, handing some of it to Raven, who took it readily.

Logan led them around to the front of the cabin and pushed the door open. Apparently, locks weren’t needed in this town. The cabin was chilly inside, and had that slightly stale air that indicated that it hadn’t been inhabited for at least a few weeks, if not longer. Raven wondered just how long Logan had been hunting those men, or if the friend that had made the request was out of town, and he had been visiting him beforehand.

Once inside, Raven looked around and realized that the cabin was really just one big space, separated by curtains mostly. The only rooms that seemed to have their own doors were the bathroom and probably the bedrooms. Noticing the wood stove in the largest room, Raven understood that the cabin didn’t have doors so that the heat flowed throughout the entire house.

Logan gestured to his right, where there were two rooms with doors. “You can have the second room on the left. Go ahead and put the packs in front of the couch so I can unload ‘em, and then go out back and grab some wood, would you? A variety, if you can,” he requested. Raven nodded; he guessed that Logan was going to light a fire and start to warm the place up. The least he could do was get some pieces of wood for the man.

He set the packs down and padded down the hallway in the direction Logan had indicated. Stopping at the second room on the left, Raven peeked inside and saw a single bed, a small wooden desk, and a chest of drawers. He was happy to see that the cabin had electricity, as there was a lamp situated between the desk and the bed, and an electrical outlet nearby. Satisfied that he had found the guest bedroom, Raven continued down the hallway, heading for the back door.

Stepping outside, Raven shivered, goose bumps rising on his arms at the sudden chill. Glancing up, he noted that the sun had fallen behind the mountains, casting the valley in shadows. Over to his right was a large pile of chopped wood, the sizes ranging from twigs to thick logs obviously cut from the trunks of trees. Picking up several of the smaller twigs, and a few bigger branches, Raven turned around to head back inside, figuring that this would get Logan started while he grabbed a few of the larger pieces of wood for the fire.

Raven had only taken about two steps when movement out of the corner of his eyes caught his attention. Jumping, he turned to stare at the large bear of a man who was regarding him steadily. Swallowing, he offered a tentative greeting. “Umm…hello? Are you here to see Logan?”

Suddenly, the man grinned and tipped his back, giving a booming laugh that made Raven jump again, eyeing him warily. “Ah, no need to be afraid of me, lad. At firs’, I thought you were a lass, and I was wonderin’ what a man like Logan would be doin’ with such a pretty li’l thing.”

Raven scowled at him, not liking the way the man was teasing him. “As you can see, I’m not a girl,” he huffed, and the man just chuckled at him, obviously not fazed in the least by his petulance. “If you’re here to see Logan, I’d be happy to let him know you’re here, sir. Otherwise, I’d appreciate it if you’d be so kind as to take your leave.”

The man laughed again, the sound loud in the quiet of the town. “Aye, lad. I’m here to see Logan. If he’ll have me,” he grinned, his eyes twinkling madly. He seemed harmless enough, despite his size, and Raven relaxed slightly. Nodding, he turned to go inside, but was stopped as Logan stepped out, probably wondering what was taking him so long.

He must’ve read the look on Raven’s face, because Logan closed his mouth and turned to the left, appraising the man in front of him steadily for several long moments. Raven fidgeted, not sure whether it would be considered rude if he went inside and left Logan out here with this man. He wasn’t sure what sort of relationship the Logan had with the other man, but from the way the man had spoken, he was sure that it was rocky.

“I should’ve known you’d be the first to come ‘round and be nosey,” Logan growled at last. The man just grinned at Logan, completely unfazed by his obvious irritation. Glancing over at Raven, Logan swore under his breath and jerked his head towards the house. “Go on in, Raven,” he said. “You might as well come, too,” he scowled. “But at least earn it. Bring in some of that wood so the kid doesn’t have to.” Relieved, Raven hurried into the house. Logan followed him in, not bothering to pick up any of the firewood.

Raven looked uneasily back at him, and Logan gave him a small smile of reassurance. “Don’t worry, kid. Russ is mostly harmless. Just annoying. He’ll probably thoroughly embarrass us before he leaves.” Raven was relieved; he could handle annoying, and he could take a little embarrassment. As long as Russ wasn’t dangerous or an unwelcome intruder, it was okay.

Raven had just set the twigs and branches by the wood stove when Russ walked in, his footsteps surprisingly light for a man of his size. “I must say, Logan, I didn’t believe the rumors flying through town when I first heard them. They were even mostly correct,” he grinned. Raven looked up at him curiously, and Russ caught his look, grinning madly. “They said Logan here had taken a pretty girl under his wing, but instead, it’s a pretty boy.”

His words weren’t malicious, and his tone of voice was friendly rather than filled with lust like the men who had bought him from his parents, so Raven dismissed the words as just that…words. Even so, he felt his face heating up at Russ’ assessment. He couldn’t really deny any of it, either. After all, he had gotten in trouble because of his feminine looks in the first place, and Logan had more or less taken him in, despite not knowing who he was or where he had come from. In fact, Logan hadn’t really asked much of anything from him. Anything he knew had been information that Raven had volunteered.

“You’re not the one to take in random kids, Logan. So what’s he here for? And more importantly, does he even realize why he’s here?” Russ asked, his voice suddenly serious. Raven paused for a moment, then continued to stoke the fire, trying to get enough of a blaze going that some of the larger logs would catch.

Logan snarled at the other man. “He’s here because I found him! I certainly couldn’t leave him where he was, Russ! And as for why he’s here, that’s nobody’s business but mine and his. Got it?” he demanded, his voice tight with anger. Still, even though he was angry, he didn’t seem to be particularly insulted. Raven wondered what that meant. Perhaps Russ’ words had hit a little close to him.

The twigs finally caught, and Raven added a few larger branches before standing up, brushing himself off with a sigh. Turning to face Russ defiantly, he answered for Logan. “I’m here because I want to be. Logan offered to bring me to a nearby town, or to help me get back home. My being here is by nobody’s choice but my own, and I don’t appreciate you implying otherwise.” He felt Logan staring at him in surprise, but kept his gaze trained on Russ.

The big man blinked, obviously caught off-guard, but then he threw his head back and laughed, the sound roaring around the cabin in his delight. “Oh, Logan! You’ve found a treasure, haven’t you? A real gem, this lad!” The approval was obvious in both his voice and expression, and Raven relaxed after several moments of consideration. Russ was harmless, like Logan had promised. He had just been testing them.

Seeing that no further input was needed from him, Raven turned back to the fire, noting that the logs had caught nicely. Moving to stand in front of it, Raven basked in the heat, happy to feel the tension level drop. It seemed like his outburst had startled Logan out of his anger, too. Logan finally answered Russ. “Yeah, I know. Believe me,” he murmured fervently, and Raven grinned to himself. He just knew that this was going to work out!

Russ seated himself on the couch with a groan, and Logan rolled his eyes. “Just make yourself at home, why don’t’cha?” he asked dryly. Russ just chuckled and settled himself further into the cushions, obviously content to stay right where he was. Raven grinned to himself; Russ seemed like a fun guy. It was plain that Logan didn’t really mind him as much as it appeared, as long as the other man kept certain things to himself.

Logan disappeared for a moment into what Raven had learned was the kitchen, and a few moments later, the scent of coffee filled the small cabin. “Soup and sandwiches okay, kid?” Logan asked, opening the curtain between the sitting room and the kitchen. Raven just nodded. “Help Raven out, if you’re gonna make a pest of yourself, ya damn mooch,” Logan shot at Russ before disappearing back into the kitchen.

Russ shot a grin in Raven’s direction, and the boy smiled tentatively back at him. “You’re a friend of his?” he asked, curious. “How long have you known him?” Russ stood up as he spoke, moving over to the woodstove and nudging Raven gently out of the way. Checking on the fire, he nodded in satisfaction and stood back up.

“I’ve known Logan for about ten years now, since he first moved into town,” Russ answered his questions. “I suppose I’m probably the closest thing he’s got to a friend in these parts, though most of the guys know and like him. Most of ‘em just aren’t welcome in his home,” he added, grinning. “Now, how ‘bout we get your room set up while we wait for dinner, aye? If you’re staying here, surely he’s not so cruel as to make you sleep on this lumpy old thing,” he laughed, gesturing towards the battered couch.

Raven smiled widely at him; he liked Russ. He was a little bold, and very loud, but also very friendly. Raven had been skeptical of him at first, but it was obvious that Logan trusted Russ to be alone with him, and that the two men did like each other, despite the initial vibes they had been giving off.

He led the way down the small hallway and stopped at his bedroom door, opening it and stepping inside, Russ following right behind him, pausing to look around. “Hmm…so we need some bedding, some pillows, and maybe a few knickknacks to make the place feel like home.” Having decided on a course of action, Russ walked back into the hallway, Raven following him curiously.

To the right there was a small door, and Russ opened it to reveal shelves obviously used for storage. There were bed sheets and extra blankets, towels, toiletries, and a whole host of other items that Raven couldn’t see from where he was. “You like blue?” Russ asked him. Raven just shrugged and nodded; he liked most colors, and since this was Logan’s home, he didn’t really care what color his bed covers were. Russ just nodded and pulled out a pile of sheets and blankets, handing them to Raven. Reaching back into the closet, Russ pulled out a thick comforter, and then gestured for Raven to go back to the room.

Once inside, Raven made the bed, while Russ organized the blankets. He took one and tacked it up in front of the window. The blanket was thin and light enough that it didn’t take much to attach it, and it let light filter into the room, but kept it from being too bright. Russ then wrapped a cord he had presumably gotten from the closet around the middle of the blanket, pulling it in neatly and letting the sunlight into the room.

Raven finished making the bed and folded two more of the blankets, setting them at the foot of the bed. That way, he could add them if he needed them, or just leave them there if it was warm enough. Finished with that, he watched as Russ plugged in the standing lamp and turned it on to make sure it worked. Both lights came on, and Russ grinned. “Well, at least he keeps the place nice,” he grinned.

He turned to Raven, and his expression grew grave again. Closing the door behind him, Russ seated himself on the floor in front of the door, blocking the way out. Raven tensed, wary but not afraid. After all, he couldn’t imagine that Logan would let anything happen to him, not in his own home. Moving backwards, he seated himself on the bed, feeling better once he was seated higher than the other man.

“I’m sorry, lad. I don’t want to spook you or anything, but I have to ask, okay?” Russ asked, his voice gentle. Raven nodded, wondering if this had anything to do with the man’s offhanded comment in the sitting room earlier. “How did you come to live with Logan?” Russ asked, straight to the point.

Raven bit his lip, debating on how much to reveal to this other man. He wondered if this was the ‘friend’ that had sent Logan out after those men. If he was, then he should know without having to be told much. If he wasn’t, then Raven still couldn’t reveal too much, because it would implicate Logan as a murderer. Deciding to trust his instincts, Raven replied evenly, “I was sold by my parents because I could not hold a job and was little more than a burden to them. Logan found me with the men who had bought me and rescued me, bringing me here when I told him that I didn’t want to go home, or be left in an unfamiliar village with people I didn’t know.”

Russ nodded, his eyes contemplative as he considered Raven, who sat still under the scrutiny, meeting Russ’s gaze. “Very well, then. I’ll buy that for the moment,” he decided. “Now, I’m not sure what sort of people your parents sold you to, though with your pretty looks, I can guess,” he scowled. “Anyhow, the reason I was concerned earlier is because if you were taken by the sort of monster that I rather suspect you were, then you ought to know a few things about Logan now, so that you can decide what you want to do before it’s too late and you find out the hard way, because it’ll hurt more later than if you decide to cut ties with him now.”

Raven frowned, not entirely certain that he wanted to hear what Russ had to say. Wouldn’t it be better for Logan to tell him those sorts of things – whatever they were – himself? Rather than having to hear it from a stranger who claimed to be Logan’s friend? Still, he kept silent, his curiosity and general uneasiness keeping him from refusing the offer.

Russ must have seen that he had decided to hear him because he nodded. “Okay, first things first. At one time, Logan was one of those men who bought and sold human lives,” he said bluntly, cutting straight to the chase. “He had been kidnapped as a young child, and the men who had taken him raised him that way, so that he could help them when he was old enough.”

Sucking in a gasp of shock, Raven stared at the large man sitting harmlessly on the floor of his room, matter-of-factly telling him such horrible things. Logan had once been a slave trader, too? He had been kidnapped and raised to be a slave trader? What sort of person did that make him?

He finally realized that Russ was scrutinizing him intently, and he flushed. “He saved me,” he stated simply. “And he’s not that way anymore, right? I mean, he can’t be.” Raven was absolutely certain about that. Logan would not have saved him, or killed those brutish men, if he had still been in the business. It might explain why he had bothered to save Raven, though. Perhaps he was trying to make up for his past, a past over which he had little control.

Russ grinned at him in delight. “Aye, lad. He left them as soon as he could manage, right in this town, actually.” Raven stared at him wide-eyed. “Ah, you didn’t know that, did you? They came here lookin’ to take some kids back with ‘em. They never left, thanks to Logan. He might not have a heart of gold, but that man’s got a very strong sense of right and wrong, and of justice.”

Russ shook his head. “Anyhow, I’m back off track. Just one more thing, and then the rest you can figure out for yourself. Since you didn’t back down after the first tidbit, I’ll tell you this last thing before you make any decisions. Logan has…a rather unique taste for these parts. He has no interest in procreating, and you’re very much his type. Do you understand?” he asked pointedly.

Raven tilted his head. “You mean he likes males, and I fit the criteria of his preferred…lovers,” he stated, just as bluntly. Russ nodded, evaluating his reaction. Raven was careful not to give him one, keeping his expression completely blank as he mulled over the older man’s words. Somehow, it didn’t really surprise him to learn that Logan preferred the company of his own gender. Still, he had made no indication that he desired Raven for anything more than perhaps a bit of companionship.

The idea of being with another man nauseated him, but the thought of being with Logan was somehow not repulsive in the least. He had known for a while that he didn’t have any particular preference as far as gender. His problem had been with the way he had been approached, as if those who came on to him would force him if given half a chance. Some of them had even tried, though they had always been interrupted or caught. And Raven had learned a few ways to fight back on his own, as well.

Knowing that Russ was expecting an answer, Raven looked him straight in the eyes and spoke the words that he hadn’t known would come. “I don’t mind if Logan sees me that way. I know he won’t force me, and that he’ll ask. I don’t even care that he’s male. The men I was with were little more than beasts in human form. They couldn’t even be called human,” he spat. “Logan’s different. I don’t care what happened in his past, and I don’t care about his preferences. They don’t matter. And, if he wants me that way in exchange for saving me, then I’ll deal with it then. But for now, all that matters is that he saved me, and that I want to stay with him.”

Russ was staring at him in surprise, and had just opened his mouth when there was a rough knock at the door, making both of them jump and stare at each other wide-eyed as Logan’s voice came through the door. “Dinner’s ready, you two, if you’re done yapping!” he called, and the two men inside relaxed. He hadn’t heard their conversation. Or not enough of it to know what they had been talking about.

Russ stood first and turned, opening the door. “We’re coming already,” he teased the shorter man, and Logan just shook his head. Chuckling, Russ turned back to Raven and smiled. “Well, shall we go eat? Logan cooks very well, actually. I’m sure this’ll be a treat for you.”

“It’s just soup and sandwiches,” Logan grumbled, but Raven could tell that he didn’t mind the praise at all. In fact, he looked almost…proud, as if his ability to cook was something to be proud of. Perhaps it was, Raven mused. After all, he could cook, but most of his older brothers couldn’t cook anything more than the basics. Only his mother and sisters knew how to cook a proper meal.

As he walked out the room and past Logan, the man reached out and clapped a hand on his shoulder. Raven paused and looked up at him, and Logan smiled warmly, his eyes warm and affectionate. “Thanks, kid,” he muttered, then released Raven’s shoulder and moved down the hallway. Raven could hear him bickering good-naturedly with Russ, and he smiled. So Logan had known what they had been talking about. He had probably been listening for a lot longer than he had let on.

Raven found that he wasn’t offended in the least; Logan had needed to hear those words as much as he had needed to say them. Now that it was all out in the open, Raven was sure that they could handle whatever came their way. Somehow, the thought was comforting, he thought, as he watched out the window, where the first snowflakes were beginning to fall. Even in the cold of winter, there was warmth to be found, and Raven laughed merrily, his eyes bright and happy as he hurried into the kitchen, where his savior and new friend were waiting for him. He was where he belonged at last.