Suds
By: Riley
Summary – When Mrs. Knight is out for the day, the guys decide to try and help her out by doing their own laundry. Too bad they don't know how. It doesn't take a 'genius' to figure it out.
"Do you really think that they're going to help us with this?" Logan asked, looking around in apprehension. He used his forearm to wipe sweat off of his forehead. The humidity was already getting ready to him and it wasn't even noon yet. While he did used to live in Texas, he never realized how hot it got in California. Especially because he didn't believe it, at first, when he was warned that it didn't rain there as much as people would expect.
And he was still regretting not listening to that advice.
"No," Kendall replied simply. "But we might as well try." He reached out and knocked on the door that was in front of him and his friends. The four boys waited patiently, waiting for signs of life behind the door. Kendall turned back to the door when he heard footsteps rapidly approaching the front door, along with a scraping sound.
"Who is it?"
"It's us!" Kendall called back.
The guys waited as there was another scraping sound and then footsteps heading back towards the door again. Then the door swung open and Sydney Jackson-McGuire stood in front of them, peering around the door. His smiled brightly when he spotted Big Time Rush. "Hey, what're you lot doing here?" He opened the door wider and allowed the guys to come inside.
"Mom and Katie went out for the day," Logan explained as they trooped inside. He let out a breath of air, smiling when the air conditioning hit him. "And we…actually Kendall thought that we should help her out." Kendall smiled as Logan, Carlos, and James all glared at him. He shifted the laundry basket that was in his arms. "So we thought that we would do some laundry."
"And you brought it here because?" Sydney raised an eyebrow curiously. He snapped his fingers and answered before they could. "Because you don't know how to do laundry." He then let out a light laugh as he placed his hands on his hips. "And you thought that Riles would do it for you?" He added, speaking of his eldest sister.
"Hoping, actually," Carlos spoke up.
"Sorry, you're out of luck." Sydney crossed his arms over his chest. "They went out to the movies. But, I've known how to do laundry since I was, like, two, so I guess that I can help you guys." He waved a hand and led the boys to the laundry room. He flipped on the light before walking the guys over to the industrial washer and dryers. "Ok, so what is it that you don't know about laundry?"
"All of it?" Carlos winced. "I mean, it's because our mom's would usually do it for us-"
"And ever since we came out here, Mama Knight had started to do it, especially since we've been so busy with our touring and our album and everything," James added. He dropped his laundry basket to the ground and pushed it over to Sydney. "Now, all of my clothes need to be done as delicates, I can't have them get torn unless I'm doing that myself."
Kendall, Logan, and Carlos rolled their eyes.
Sydney bent his head down and looked at the basket. He then reached out his foot and pushed it back towards James. "Uh, sorry mate, but no," he said. He let out a patient sigh, flicking his hair out of his face. "You're going to learn how to do this yourself." He motioned for the other guys to put their baskets down as well. "Ok, first thing you have to do is separate your colors. Whites, darks, lights, reds, and jeans."
"What about purple?" Kendall asked, picking up a shirt.
"That's a red," Sydney explained.
"Would this blue be considered a dark or a light?" James turned a shirt this way and that as he looked it over. He rubbed his chin with his hand. "Hmm, this seems like it'd be more of a dark, because of the way that it goes with my skin tone."
Sydney reached out a hand and yanked the shirt out of his grasp before throwing it back down to James's basket. He sucked a deep breath between his clenched teeth, moving his hands to his face. Kendall almost laughed out loud, from that movement alone, it was obvious that he was related to his brothers and sisters and picked up on their mannerisms every now and then. Sydney was never the kind of kid to get too angry, but when he did, it could be bad. Though none of them had ever really seen it before.
Sydney waited a moment, pressing a hand over his mouth before he spoke again, this time in a tight, somewhat high pitched voice. "Ok, how about I make this easy enough so you boofheads can understand it." His eyes flashed. "Everything that's gray and black, put in the washing machine, we'll deal with the dark versus light conundrum later." He watched as Big Time Rush took their clothes and dumped them into the washing machine. He then instructed them on the amount of soap to use and then slammed the lid closed. "Ok this will take a half hour, so…let's go watch TV or something."
He led the boys upstairs to the den to watch TV. Carlos, though, hesitated before following them. He walked over to the washing machine and lifted the lid to look inside it. The water had filled about half way and there was only a little bit of soap bubble son the surface of the water. His upper lip curled as he scanned the clothes. This is the stuff that was stained when we played football; it needs to really get clean. He picked up the box of laundry soap and spooned in a few more scoopfuls before replacing it on the dryer top. With a satisfied smile, he closed the lid. Mama Knight is definitely going to love this. He hurried up the stairs to watch TV as well. They were all up there for about ten minutes before they heard a loud banging sound from he laundry room and hurried back down to the basement.
The washing machine was bouncing around so much, it looked like it was about to topple over. Carlos grimaced when he saw the lid starting to crack open, bubbles appearing at the lip .Sydney took a step closer to the washing machine to check it out.
The guys screamed in shock as the lid to the washing machine flew open, sending water and bubbles everywhere. Hey couldn't get close enough to try and turn it off, so they had to retreat to the back of the basement, wiping bubbles and water off of them. Sydney took a long look at the washing machie before turning to Carlos, eyes narrowed in a glare.
"Carlos!" Sydney turned and grabbed onto the older boy's shirt and started to shake him. "What. Did. You. Do?!" He nearly growled each word into his face.
"I just, you know, thought that there wasn't enough soap in it," Carlos said, shrugging. Eyes wide, he looked over at his best friends, who were staring wide eyed at the pile of soap and water that was coming out of the machine. "I didn't know that something like this was going to happen!" He made a whimpering sound. It's just like C.A.L. all over again!
"Ok, nobody panic," Logan said. He held up his hands, trying to diffuse the situation. He put a hand over his chin and started to pace back and forth. "We can figure this out. How can we fix a broken washing machine and get all of this soap and water out of here before the movie ends and Ronan gets back?"
There was a long moment of silence.
"Well?" Kendall cried, shaking his hands. "Do you have an idea or what?"
Logan turned back to the guys. "You remember that idea that I had when we destroyed Gustavo's mansion about going off to Brazil and raising alpacas? How does that idea sound to you now?" Kendall slapped his hands over his face.
James grabbed onto Logan and started to shake him too. "I know that you have better ideas than that, think man!"
Sydney, who had stopped shaking Carlos at that point, suddenly stopped walking and held up a hand, getting the other guys to fall silent. As he stood still, his eyes shifted back and forth rapidly, taking his gaze from the ceiling towards the floor, as if he was reading a sheet of paper that was in front of him. It was the look that he usually got whenever he was thinking or doing an equation in his head. He turned and dove towards a wicker basket that was sitting on top of the dryer and started to throw pairs of jeans out of the way, hitting the guys with each one.
"I know it's in here somewhere," he said under his breath. Finally, he grabbed onto one of the last pairs of jeans and shoved his hands into the back pocket. "Ace!" He cried, pulling his hand back out. "We're saved, check it out!" He turned to the guys. "I found Ronan's black card."
"So?" Kendall removed his hands from his face. "Do you really think that a stupid little piece of plastic is going to help us right now?"
"Uh, hello?!" James reached over and slapped Kendall on the back of the head, earning a glare. "The black card is he kind of card that everyone is determined to get. I's one step higher than platinum. It can get you like anything in the world. Clothes, shoes, concierges, hotel rooms at the best resorts, a personal shopper, anything that I could ever want."
"Yeah, and could never get," Kendall shot back.
"Shhhhhh!" Sydney waved a hand, his phone up to his ear. He waited as the person on the other end said something and then nodded. "Yeah, I need a new washing machine rushed to my house today. And I need it to be that new whirpool one." He raised an eyebrow, making a face as he placed his other hand on his hip. "I don't care if it has jets or not, I just need the washing machine." He lifted the black card up to his face. "The number is 492855985392831," he relayed. "Yeah, I can sign for it through fax." He nodded once. "Great, thanks." He hung up the phone and turned to the guys. "It should be here in a half hour…" he bit his bottom lip. "But that's around the same time that they should be home."
"Ok, then, we'll just get this washing machine out of here and we can switch it as fast as we can before they get back," Kendall said. He pointed at James and Carlos. "You guys help me get this washing machine upstairs.
Logan looked offended. "Why didn't you ask me to help?"
"Because we need you to sign for the washing machine when it gets here," Kendall explained.
"And…" James reached over and grabbed onto Logan's bicep, pushing the muscle down to his bone. Logan winced and jerked his arm away. James grinned back at him before flexing his own muscles. "I think that says it all." Logan gave James and evil look before he and Sydney hurried up the stairs. Sydney sat up at the top, watching as James, Kendall, and Carlos grabbed onto the washing machine and started to pull it out from the wall.
"Ok, just shimmy it this way and we can get it out," Carlos said, as he was standing at the back. Kendall and James grabbed onto the front and started to twist it back and forth against the floor as Carlos pushed with all of his might on the back of it. Carlos held his breath and planted his feet firmly on the floor as he pushed his body weight against the washing machine. A sense of relief washed over him when he felt the machine move against the floor. "Almost got it!"
"Carlos, wait!"
"No!"
There was a snapping sound and all of a sudden, Carlos was soaked from head to toe. Screeching something inaudible, Sydney flew down the stairs and across the room so fast it was as if his feet didn't hit the ground. He grabbed onto the broken hose that was flying around, soaking the three teenage boys, and directed I up towards the ceiling before reaching over and turning off the water. Carlos turned and smiled sheepishly.
Sydney looked back at him darkly. "Ok, we gotta fix that too." He moved over to the free side of the washing machine and placed his smaller hands on it. "Let's get this up the stairs before the ground opens up and swallows us or something." He bent his head and started to push the washing machine. "Knowing my luck, the whole house will explode."
When he noticed that the other teenage boys didn't start helping him move the machine, all staring with wide eyes, he gave them all a pointed stare. "I'm stronger than I look, ok? Now push!"
Kendall, Carlos, and James snapped back into action and the four boys started to push the washing machine towards the stairs. They managed to get it to the bottom, but then took ten minutes or so just to get it up a few stairs. With shouts and screams of frustration at each other as well as the fear of dropping the washing machine, they stopped to take a break. But when James had leaned down to rest his arms on top of the washing machine, it slid out from his grasp and managed to knock Carlos back down the stairs. Sydney merely watched as James and Kendall hurried back down and dragged their best friend from underneath the machine before bringing it back up the stairs. The four boys then took the machine and brought it up from the basement and shoved it into the garage under Sydney's instruction.
That opened its own can of worms as they had to take it down another set of stairs, though this one was smaller, and make sure that they didn't hit any of the cars that were in the garage. They came back into the house at the same time that the doorbell rang, signaling that the delivery man had brought the washing machine. Logan quickly signed for it and the guys brought it back down to the basement to put it in the laundry room.
"Hey, we're back!" Ronan's voice called from above them.
"Yikes!" Sydney scurried to the stairs, waving a hand behind him, signaling for the guys to follow him and to be quiet. He stopped at the top of the stairs and poked his head out, looking around, before waving the guys up. "Hey!" He called back. "How was the movie?" He pointed over to the kitchen door as the guys rushed over to it.
"It was alright," Ronan replied as he walked into the kitchen. Sydney turned around, holding his hands behind his back, after making sure that the guys had managed to get out of the back door completely. He looked innocently at Ronan. "Why was there a delivery truck here?"
"Uh…" Sydney's eyes shifted. "They made a mistake, sent the stuff to the wrong house." He laughed nervously before there was a low rumbling sound coming from the basement. His smile dropped as Ronan look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Y'know, I can explain that."
Ronan pointed at Sydney, silently warning him to stay put before he disappeared downstairs. Sydney squeezed his eyes shut. "What the? Syd!"
"Big Time Rush did it!" Sydney shouted before slipping out the kitchen door and closing it behind him, running to catch up with Big Time Rush.
THE END
A/N: This was just a random idea that I came up with, it would probably work in an actual episode of the show. Haha. I hope you guys like it.