#will never hop off the “x-men take logam for granted and make him worse off most times” train

[lysenfeu]

Victor loves Logan more than the X-Men ever could.

The X-Men love Logan because of what he does for them.

For the older ones, his teammates, he's still a weapon. Does the hard and dirty work the others are too noble or weak for. He's a meat shield at best, built for carving through front lines and taking the brunt of the action. At worst, he's the exact snarling beast he violently rejected when Victor told him it was what they he was, just directed at a different enemy. Foes that have been officially deemed Bad Enough to Die, so he can justify it to himself, avoiding the guilt and pain he still carries for being nothing more than an animal with blood-stained claws.

For the younger generation, he protects them. Wandering around adopting so many scared little kids, bringing them to the mansion and teaching them to... what? Be heroes. More accurately, soldiers. They sacrifice their abilities and individual identity, in exchange for a codename, spandex tights and a pledge to fight for Xavier's dream. He's a military recruiter, once again justifying the cycle by telling himself it's for the greater good. For the mutant dream! He's still a weapon, but on the side of good. He's a hero, as long as he behaves. As long as he doesn't get too dark, too angry, too violent. He's a hero now. Right?

But Victor? Victor loves Logan simply for everything is already is. For what he's made of, forged from the same slate of bloodlust and pure instinct that he is. Victor doesn't care what Logan wants to do, he just wants him to be free. Free from expectation, free from the burden of performative humanity, free from the judgement of people who will never understand the pure hunger that pumps through them. To be himself, raw and unrestricted. Two wild beasts fighting and hunting side by side, for the eternity they've both been cursed with. Together.