A/N: Okay, reuploaded! Um, wrote this awhile back kinda liked the concept of Child!Logan and Child!Victor. This is not based off the Origins AU and I do in fact know that Victor and Logan are not brothers (though Vic did claim to be Logan's father at one point, got a total Vader feel to that episode . . . ) and this is not slash in any way. Based off of the Uncanny X-men Universe! RNR!
Romulus stood over them, chuckling darkly as his twisted mind started to formulate a plan, Victor and Logan glared up at him, both were in chains and neither could remember why they were there.
"C'mon, Romulus, I've served you faithfully fer years, lemme go!" Victor roared, straining against his bonds.
"No, I think not, Mr. Creed, you had strict instructions to do away with the X-men and Wolverine many times and yet you've failed to do so. Therefore, I've decided that you will share Wolverine's punishment." Romulus flourished one of his hands and stepped down from his pedestal.
"Which will be, what?" Logan snarled, flexing his hands and cursing that he couldn't get his claws out right now.
"hm, since you two continue to act like spoiled children, that is what you will be." Romulus laughed harshly, and then Victor howled.
Logan looked over and right before his eyes, Victor started to change, shrinking and thrashing as his manacles fell off from wrists that got slimmer along with the rest of his body. He was about to say something when his own body began to burn and felt like it was twisting and his vision blurred until he blacked-out.
"Hey, wake up."
Logan blinked slowly, but then groaned and rolled over, must be one of the students, "Five more minutes-"
Logan sat bolt upright, his eyes snapping open, his own voice had shocked him into waking, he sounded like a little-
"Yeh, I thought the same thing."
Logan looked around until he located the source of the voice, it was a teenage boy of about sixteen with long blonde hair, brown eyes, and . . . fangs. Logan stared at him,
"Creed?" Logan squeaked, then he cleared his throat, "What the flamin' hell happened ta us? What's wrong with my voice? Did my balls drop off?"
"Nope, take a gander at yerself, half-pint." Victor pointed with a clawed finger in some direction.
Logan blinked at him, "Why?"
"Jus' do it." Victor sighed, shaking his head.
Logan stood up, noticing for the first time that they were A) in the middle of the woods and B) Victor was naked,
"Where are your clothes?"
"Dunno, I think Romulus took 'em . . . bastard that he is." Victor stood up, crossing his arms.
Logan looked about and found a stream, he walked over, glancing back at Victor before looking down into the water, then he fell back on his arse, yelling (his voice cracking embarrassingly),
"FLAMIN" HELL?"
He leaned back over and peered into the water, he was a kid again . . . looked to be about twelve or so, he ran his fingers over his soft cheeks, his large blue eyes blinking back at his reflection, short black hair still in the impossible cowlicks. He stood up and looked at himself, naked, clearly per-pubescent with a little more baby fat around the middle than he was used to and not a strand of body hair. His hands snapped down to his crotch,
"Why the hell are we naked?" Logan whined, cheeks blazing, suddenly aware that his eyes were watering.
"I said 'I dunno', runt," Victor rolled his eyes, "All I wanna know is why we're in the middle o' nowhere."
Logan looked around, "Well, we gotta find our way out of the forest somehow, my team'll be lookin' for me . . . "
"Yeah, well, good luck." Victor snorted and started to walk off in some random direction.
"Wait! Don't leave me like this!" Logan ran up, grabbing Victor's wrist, only to be knocked on his ass.
"Knock it off, ya lil' brat!" Victor growled, fixing Logan with a baleful glare.
"C'mon, we're in this together, ain't we?" Logan got off the ground, brushing pine needles off his ass, "Besides, what're ya gonna do? It isn't like ya can wander about in the buff."
Victor seemed to consider this, "Fine, but I ain' gonna hold yer hand or nuthin'."
They started traveling through the woods in no particular direction, Logan followed after Victor, staying a few steps behind just in case the asshole got any ideas to attack him.
"My feet hurt . . . " Logan mumbled, then stopped short, he was really starting to sound like a little boy.
Victor turned around, his hands on hips, "Ya serious?"
Logan shifted uncomfortably, "Um . . . "
"Look, ya either shut up an' quit whinin' or I'm leavin' ya out here." Victor huffed, turning and walking away.
Logan sighed and followed him, this was not a good thing . . . he couldn't place his finger on it, but something wasn't right about this entire situation.
They'd been walking for what seemed like several miles, but Victor couldn't be sure, it was harder to gauge distance when his walking span was reduced by a few feet, he looked up at the sky and noted how dark it was getting and that a storm was about ot break, the smells were unmistakable. He looked back and there was Logan, looking tired and his eyes seemed to be glued to the ground.
"I guess we'll find somewhere ta sleep." Victor sighed heavily.
"Okay, I'm hungry." Logan muttered, looking around, "You smell any critters? I bet we could run down a deer or something."
Victor snorted, "Runt, yer way too small to be runnin' down anythin' right now, I'll do it."
"I could so!" Logan growled, popping his claws, then his eyes widened, "O-Ow!"
"Idjit," Victor shook his head, "Put those away, if ya couldn' take me as an adult, what makes ya think ya could take me as a lil' boy?"
"You ain't so big now either!" Logan snapped, his claws sheathed and he stumbled forward, "Dammit, what's wrong with me?"
"Well, first off, I think we're havin' ta deal with a lot less body than we're used to," Victor started to look around, "Second, we're actin' like a pair o' kids."
"Yeah, you're bossy and an ass." Logan growled.
"And you're whiny and a lil' brat." Victor snarled in reply, crossing his arms, then he sighed, "Look, I can smell a brace o' rabbits, I'll take 'em down an' then we'll find somewhere t sleep, a'ight? Just stay put."
Logan nodded, sitting down on a rock as the first raindrops started to fall, "Uh oh!"
Victor looked up and huffed, he reached over, grabbing Logan's wrist and leading him through the woods, "C'mon, half-pint, let's get outta this rain!"
Logan stumbled behind Victor as they came to an old cave and both ducked in, unfortunately they were already soaked and panting. Victor groaned and sat against the far wall, closing his eyes and huffing,
"Well, looks like we ain't gonna get nuthin' ta eat t'night."
Logan whimpered, hugging his chest and squeezing his eyes shut, his whole body was wracked with shivers, Victor opened one eye and looked at the small boy,
"Ya cold?"
"N-No . . . " Logan growled defiantly, his teeth chattering.
"Sure, kiddo. C'mere b'fore ya freeze." Victor grabbed Logan's arm and pulled him closer, putting an arm around Logan and holding him to his narrow chest, "Don' act so damn proud, idjit."
"D-Don't call me n-names!" Logan muttered, he snuffled quietly into Victor's shoulder, "Th-This sucks, I'm hungry Vic . . . "
"I know, lil' man, but . . . we can' hunt in the rain." Victor mumbled, closing his eyes and brushing his hair off his face.
Then he started to snicker, his whole body shook with laughter, Logan lifted his head up, looking at Victor,
"What?"
"So, is it supposed ta be so small?" Victor giggled, "I mean, it ain't that little when yer an adult, right?"
Logan blushed, "Of course not, asshole."
Victor snorted, "I'm only kiddin', half-pint."
"It isn't funny."
"Alright, go to sleep."
"I hate you."
"I know, I hate me too." Victor closed his eyes, tucking Logan's wet head under his chin.
Victor opened his eyes and looked down, Logan was curled up tight to his body, his mouth open with a string of drool dripping off his lower lip, he was fast asleep, clutching Victor tightly with his scrawny arms. Victor carefully untangled Logan and crawled to the mouth of the cave, the sun was shining cheerfully in the sky and there were birds singing and Victor could hear dozens of critters moving about, he grinned and leaped out into the forest.
Logan snorted and opened his eyes, blinking slowly around, he sighed and reached out his hands, where was Victor? He blinked harder and stood up, where was Victor?
"Victor? . . . Creed, where the hell are you?"
Logan searched the whole cave and surrounding area, but there was no sign of Victor, Logan sat down on a rock, sniffing hugely. Had Victor left him behind? Taken off without him? Could he have abandoned Logan in the middle of unknown woods? Logan's eyes watered and spilled over, he buried his face in his hands and cried, it was stupid and he didn't understand why being alone bothered him right now, but his whole body shook as he sobbed. Logan started to wonder if he'd regressed more than just physically when a familiar scent hit his nose.
"What ya cryin' fer, Logan?"
Logan's head snapped up, he rubbed his eyes, and glared at Victor, "Where the hell were you?"
"Huntin'." Victor dropped two rabbits at Logan's feet, their throats slashed out, "I thought you were hungry."
Logan picked a rabbit up and grimaced, "Raw, huh? Okay, I can do that."
They both sat on the rocks, tearing into the rabbit carcasses, blood dripping down their chins and splattering onto their knees and down their forearms. Logan finished first, sitting back and sighing, chucking what was left of the rabbit to the ground. Victor looked up from his own food, setting it aside and licking a finger,
"So, why were ya cryin'?"
"I wasn't cryin'." Logan growled, crossing his arms and looking away.
"Yeh, ya were, c'mon, if we're gonna be stuck out here, ya might as well spill it. Besides, it's annoyin'." Victor snorted.
"I . . . " Logan swallowed, feeling his eyes prickling with more tears, "I thought ya left . . . I thought you were gone an' I was all alone . . . "
Victor stared at him, "Ya know sumthin', ya remind me o' my brother, Luther. He cried when he was alone too. I always had ta hold his hand when we went somewhere 'cuz he got scared when he got lost an' shit like that. It was annoyin' 'cuz he was my big brother."
Logan blinked at him slowly, " . . . I know it sounds stupid."
"Naw, I'm gettin' a handle on this I think." Victor snorted, "Ya need to get cleaned up, kid."
Logan looked at the blood all over him, "So do you."
They splashed about in the stream, laughing and shoving each other, they'd found a wide part that was over their waists. Logan waded about until he found a deep spot and went over his head in water, he felt a hand grab him under the arm and then he broke the surface again.
Logan gasped, clinging onto Victor, tears rolling down his face while he tried to catch his breath. He was vaguely aware of Victor picking him up and carrying him to the shore, rubbing his back and muttering in his ear,
"Easy, half-pint, slow down, ya'll find yer lungs again."
Logan was set down on the shore, coughing and sniffling, he shivered and looked over at Victor, the teen raised an eyebrow,
"Why didn' ya mention ya can' swim?"
"I-I thought I could, just . . . just s-something about goin' under . . . s-scared me." Logan whimpered, pressing his head into Victor's shoulder, "Thanks."
"Don' mention it . . . " Victor sighed, standing up and holding his hand out, "C'mon, Logan, let's get ya home, okay?"
Logan took the hand after staring at it for a few seconds, he kept holding it after he stood up, swallowing, "I hope we can find the way . . . "
"Don' ya worry yer lil' head," Victor gave Logan's hand a squeeze, "I found out where we are, c'mon."
Logan traipsed behind Victor, trying to keep up with the taller boy's long strides,
"Where, then?"
Victor smirked, shoving a branch out of their way, "Home."
Logan's jaw dropped, "You gotta be shittin' me!"
It was true, they'd been lost on the outskirts of Salem Center, Westchester, New York, and there right in front of them was the X-Mansion. Victor was about to take off again, but Logan held on tightly to his hand,
"What?"
"Look, we don't like each other, but . . . won't this be easier if we stick together?" Logan pleaded.
Victor huffed, "Oh, can those eyes get any bigger? A'ight."
"Extraordinary." Professor Charles Xavier said, shaking his head, "It is Logan and Victor Creed, but . . . somehow Romulus has found a way to revert them to childhood while keeping their minds basically intact."
Logan shifted uncomfortably, he and Victor were dressed in loose-fitting sweatpants and baggy t-shirts,
"Can you fix it, Chuck?"
Charles blinked at Logan's soft, child-like voice, "I don't know, Logan, you see, I have to know how Romulus achieved such an amazing feat and then-"
"Tha's a 'no', fuck-wit." Victor smacked Logan's shoulder.
"I said don't call me names!" Logan snapped, punching Victor's arm.
"Ooh, did I feel a draft?" Victor teased.
"Boys, behave!" Hank McCoy growled.
Both looked at him, Logan went back to pouting and Victor leaned back, tucking his hands behind his head and snorting,
"Whatever ya say, fuzzy."
"I suppose we could find Victor a suitable place to sleep." Charles said calmly.
"I don't think we have a cage small enough." Scott Summers and Jean Grey walked in.
Logan hopped off the table and scurried over to Jean, wrapping his arms around her and smiling winningly, "I might have nightmares later, after spending the whole day with him, can I sleep with you?"
"Sorry, sweetie, no can do." Jean patted Logan's head and giggled, "Nice try, Logan."
Logan grinned, "Can't fault a guy for tryin'."
Victor glared at Scott, "Don' think just 'cuz I'm a teenager again that I can' take you an' yer lil' X-men, four-eyes."
Logan blinked at Victor, "C'mon, Vic, give it a rest, willya? We all know you're tough, okay?"
Victor blinked at Logan but then shrugged, "Fine, whatever."
Logan let go of Jean and went over to Charles, "So, you can't fix this? Not yet anyway?"
"That is correct, I'm sorry, Logan, but I won't rest until I find a way to reverse this."
"Huh," Victor stood up, setting a hand on Logan's head, "Hey, short-stack, why don'cha show me where the food is?"
"Okay." Logan glanced up into his hairline at the claws on his forehead, "This way."
"Odd," Hank said, setting his tablet down as the two children took off together, "They seem to be getting along quite well considering their past."
"Yes, I think perhaps Romulus had a hand in that, Logan is definitely displaying signs of distress and does Victor seem almost . . . protective of him? I think this is affecting them both on a very emotional level." Charles shook his head, "I think we should keep a close eye on the two of them."
Victor dug another spoonful of peanut butter out of the jar while Logan devoured another piece toast, he watched Victor, then he scooted closer to him, his eyelids drooping,
"'m so tired and it's only nine . . . " Logan yawned hugely and rubbed at his eyes with his fists.
Victor blinked down at Logan, it was adorable and yet . . . so weird, "Well, looks like it's time fer ya ta go ta bed, lil' man."
Logan yawned again and closed his eyes, "Mm."
Victor huffed and slid his arms under Logan's knees and shoulders, hoisting him up and standing, "Where's yer room?"
Logan mumbled something and cuddled up closer to Victor, the older boy sighed and rolled his shoulders, "A'ight, I know where my room is, hope tha's okay."
Victor carried Logan up to where Victor was told he could stay (how long he wanted to stay was debatable) and opened the door with his bare foot. He carefully set Logan down on the bed and crawled up behind him. It may have been creepy, but Victor watched the little Logan while he shifted in his sleep, mumbling to himself and shifting. Victor was about to roll over and fall asleep when Logan whimpered and grasped about him. The older boy blinked, reaching out and shifting one of his arms around Logan's waist, this seemed to pacify the little boy who cuddled closer and started to snore softly.
"Go ta sleep, Logan, maybe we'll wake up from this nightmare." Victor whispered, curling up and falling asleep.
Logan was falling, the air was so heavy and it dragged him deeper and deeper and air wouldn't fill his lungs and he realized that it wasn't air, but water and it was rushing into his mouth and filling his lungs and he was drowning and-
"Agh!" Logan sat up, immediately bursting into tears and latching onto the sheets, "Ah-ha-hah . . . "
Victor blinked at Logan, he'd woken up when Logan started to kick and thrash about on the bed, "Hey, cool it, it was just a dream . . . "
Logan turned and stared wide-eyed at Victor for a second, "What-What're you doin' here?"
"Ya wouldn' tell me where yer room was, so I brought ya here." Victor sat up, "Ya okay?"
"N-No, I had a dream I was drowning and-and no one would rescue me . . . " Logan blinked, "Wait . . . why is this bugging me? I've never drowned before, have I?"
"I dunno." Victor shrugged, fidgeting, "Maybe when ya really was a kid ya did drown an' now that we're kids again, we're relivin' stuff."
"What have you relived?" Logan asked, trying to calm down enough with the idea that he and Victor were in the same bed together.
" . . . I didn' like bein' down in the basement . . . my father kept me chained up when I was a kid." Victor mumbled, running his claws over his knee.
"Oh." Logan shifted, "I didn't know that."
"How could ya? I never told ya." Victor shrugged, "Well, I did, but ya don' remember that."
"You did?" Logan tilted his head in a very adorable fashion.
"Uh-huh, when we used to be buddies." Victor sighed, sitting back on his pillows.
"When was that?" Logan asked, "I mean, I didn't think we got along at all."
"We used to be best friends, you an' me, we would shoot pool and dick around drinkin' at the bar or go on missions together, we got on real well . . . fer awhile." Victor sighed, rolling onto his side.
"What happened?" Logan murmured, scooting closer to Victor.
"Ya got a girl that I liked too, but she kept tellin' me 'no', didn' matter what I did or said, she liked ya an' not me . . . then I accidentally hit her an' she got knocked unconscious only I thought I'd killed her . . . ya got so mad at me . . . an' after that, we hated each other."
"Over a girl?" Logan wrinkled his nose, "That's really stupid, Vic."
Vic looked over his shoulder, "Yeah, it was, then ya forgot who I was an' a whole lot o' other things happened an' I never got ta say that . . . that I was sorry."
Logan leaned forward, touching Victor's shoulder, "Really? I mean, you're really sorry for that?"
"Yeah . . . Logan?"
"Huh?"
"Could we . . . could we be pals again?" Victor sat up a bit, glancing at Logan, "This whole stupid feud is over a stupid girl that ya hardly remember an' I don' really give a shit about anymore."
" . . . okay, but if you play me false, I'll tear your lungs out." Logan threatened, baring his teeth, Victor snorted,
"Not likely, you burst inta tears whenever ya try ta pop yer claws."
"Shut up." Logan snapped, but he settled back on his pillow and closed his eyes.
A/N: Yup there it is. There's about four chapters to this fic so I'll get them up when I can! RNR please!