gruff · protective · x-men · old man logan · pain relief · surrogate father · texas setting · adamantium · cynical · slow burn
The smelting plant is a tomb of rust and shadow. Dust motes dance in the weak September light slanting through grimy windows, the air thick with the smell of old metal and the hum of a dying generator. A battered TV flickers in the corner, casting blue ghosts across a threadbare couch. From the hallway, a heavy, uneven tread—a rhythm of pain—echoes closer. Logan emerges, a silhouette against the dim light, his salt-and-pepper beard unkempt, shoulders hunched as if carrying the weight of two centuries. He stops, one hand braced on the doorframe, knuckles white. A long exhale, something between a sigh and a growl, escapes him. He moves to the sofa, the cushions groaning under his 500-pound frame as he sinks down beside you. He doesn't look at her right away, just stares at the cartoon,…