Title: Of Lightning, Thunder and Fishsticks
Fandom: Big Time Rush
Pairing: shameless kogan
Rating: K+
Warnings: fluff, malexmale
Words: 2,905
Disclaimer: Don't own. Let's move on.
Summary:Logan hasn't been scared of thunderstorms since the third grade. At least that's what he tries to convince himself as he hides against his best friend while the world booms and flashes around them. Kogan
Author's Note: For those that are keeping score, this is the prompt number 34 from 50 Prompts of Kogan that I did that I expanded into a one shot and ultimately changed. In the prompt, it stated Logan wasn't scared any more of storms. In this version I altered it and gave him back his phobia of loud noises and lightning, because that's a very real fear even I have occasionally and I got in the mood to write some scared!Logie and protective!Kendall. Although I feel like no matter how I write Kendall he'll always come out protective. I think it's' just how his character is.
Kendall set the platter of sandwiches down in the center of the kitchen table, and looked over the display, making a mental checklist of the rest of dinner. The tots were in a large bowl and were on the opposite side of the table from Carlos' normal seat. Everyone had chocolate milk set out for them, except Logan who'd wanted water…and that pretty much covered everyone. With his mom and baby sister out shopping for the day, he and the guys had had all day to do with what they pleased, and they spent it goofing off, of course. Now, though, it was nearly seven and they were eating late because he and James had fallen asleep at the pool while Carlos and Logan had splashed around and bothered Bitters.
Kendall listened noncommittally to the pouring rain outside as he poured the ketchup in a communal bowl at the counter. His mom had called half an hour ago, saying she and Katie were spending the night at hotel near the shopping mall, since the Palm Woods was not known for its placement in Hollywood and was over three hours away from the mall. The rain was coming down like bullets, and Kendall still remembered the sting as they'd all raced for the lobby and had gotten yelled at for dampening the carpet.
He cupped his hands over his mouth for effect. "Guys! Dinner's ready, c'mon!" That had been over a half an hour ago, and now Fishstick Friday was about to commence. Or at least it would if James got out of the shower and Logan and Carlos would hurry up and change.
Down the hall toward his and James's room the shower trickled down and stopped. There was a scrambling noise, a muffled curse and a "Be right there!" while Carlos bounded out of his and Logan's room, his swim trunks replaced with shorts and a t shirt.
James ambled into the kitchen behind the smaller boy a few seconds later, Carlos was already at the table and scarfing food faster than the eye could see. He hurried to his place across from Kendall and grabbed some food to ensure he even got any.
Kendall noticed the empty seat next to him just as James plopped down in his seat. He frowned, looking around. "Where's Logan?" He asked over Carlos's eating.
"Sleeping. When we got back he said he didn't feel good so he took a nap. He didn't even want to take a shower and I was gonna wake him up but he sort of looked like he could use it, his face was all flushed and stuff and-"
Kendall didn't catch most of it after that. He closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. In that first moment when there had been no Logan, Kendall's heart had skipped a beat. He hadn't known what he was afraid of, but just knowing that something was wrong… that Logan might so suddenly be hurt or sick or… but if it was just a nap then-wait flushed?
"Was he shivering?" Kendall asked.
Carlos shook his head. "No. He just said he was tired." Turning his attention on the ketchup in James's hand, he lost most focus on the conversation.
"He's probably fine," James said as he handed the ketchup to Carlos. The pretty boy twitched his shaggy still wet out of his eyes as he spoke. "If he's sleeping…" The last word was heavy will implication.
Kendall nodded and took his place at the table. "Yeah, why wake him? I'll check on him after dinner." The blonde boy missed the small knowing smile James gave his chocolate milk.
As Kendall ate, he thought. He thought about the food, and he thought about doing dishes that night. He thought about the new song Gustavo was making them learn and he thought about the new choreography he needed to memorize. But mostly, he thought about Logan. When everyone had convened to the table but the smaller brunette, his relief had briefly turned into irritation at the boy's absence. His best friend got into more trouble than anyone he'd ever met in his life; it defied reason!
But at the same time…he was just taking a nap. Why was he suddenly so worried every time Logan was out of his sight? Kendall tuned in to a conversation James was having with Carlos, something about chicken wings and banana fritters, (honestly, he'd never understand those two) and tuned back out to hear the rain collide violently into the windows.
It wasn't a secret Logan was the more protected one of the group. In fact it was almost bluntly obvious to any of their friends, and it was certainly apparent to their enemies, like the bully's who'd tried to get Logan to do their homework freshman year. Logan had been adamant tough, and had stood up for himself, like they'd taught him. In the end it hadn't been enough. The first bruise Kendall found on Logan's small frame one day at practice and BAM! Kendall, James and Carlos went on a rampage. Those assholes that had hit Logan found Kendall Knight, youngest Hockey Captain ever, James Diamond, best goalie on the team, and Carlos Garica, craziest, friendliest person in their class fiercely go after anyone who picked or pushed Logan around.
James had once admitted to Kendall, in private one night after a particularly rough work out with Mr. X that actually left Logan unconscious on the studio floor, that he looked at Logan and saw Shane, his little brother. James had shrugged, unable to explain his otherwise protective feelings about their skinny genius.
Kendall wasn't sure about Carlos, considering Carlos would fight to the death for any one of his friends to being with, the boy was insanely loyal to them.
Sure, they all teased him. He gave back what he got. They were normal boys, they rough housed and wrestled and got into fights and passed out together on the couch afterward. But let anyone else rough the little brunette up and they were on them like black on an eye. Lately though, Kendall crunched a fish stick thoughtfully, things had gotten different.
Maybe it was because, even at a young age he felt attracted to the boy more than James or Carlos, or at least in a radically different way. To him, Logan was smaller than all of them. His brain was far more developed than his body, even with hockey and gymnastics, Kendall saw himself grow tall and lean while Logan grew like a twig with a few muscles here and there.
James followed Kendall's path of growth in height and quickly gained more muscle than Kendall, while Carlos stayed stocky but strong, built like his father but with his mother's friendly, cheerful face. Logan was like his math problems, all angles and points.
There was no beating around the bush, Logan was scrawny and his ass needed saving regularly.
Kendall was okay with that though, his mom said being protective was like second instinct to him or something.
A clap of thunder jolted Kendall out of his thoughts and Carlos nearly out of his seat. "What was that!" Carlos yelped as he scooted his chair closer to James.
"Thunder. And lightning. Man, and I thought Minnesota storms were-" A flash of light nearly blinded them all and startled James into silence. Kendall had gone stock still. 'Logan hates thunder storms.' That thought in mind, the blonde boy leapt up to action on the second clap of thunder and ran as fast as he could down the hall.
After the thunder boomed again, this time not even bothering waiting for the lightning to finish, it just kept on pounding, and the modest chandelier above them and the lamp by the couch and the peace sign light all buzzed, faded, flickered…
James and Carlos stared at each other. The lights fizzled weakly one last time around them, then went out with a small pop! Apartment 2J, and presumable the rest of the Palm Woods, went into total pitch blackness.
James and Carlos heard Kendall all the way down the hall skid to a stop. "Shit."
There was the sound of someone tripping around a corner and smacking face first into a door.
Kendall jiggled the handle of Carlos' and Logan's room and opened it carefully to enter. The window to his far left had its shades drawn, but flashes of light still illuminated the room for three milliseconds, oddly giving Kendall enough time to adjust his eyes to the pitch black room.
His stare sought out the bundled comforter on Logan's bed that was tucked against the wall the bed was against.
"Hey, Logie, you okay?" He called as he entered, choosing to stand directly between Logan's bed and the window.
Logan didn't answer, but raised his head out of the blanket to stare up at him with those big chocolate eyes and shake his head 'no.'
Neither of them expected the next clap of thunder to sneak up on them like it did. But the next boom! that shook the Palm Woods had Kendall catching Logan as the smaller boy tackled him in what appeared to be the boy's best attempt at a flying take down. Thank god for Kendall, Logan was like, a walking twig, so all Kendall did was take one step back as he held the boy against him.
Logan clenched the fabric of Kendall's shirt in front of him as his shoulders began to shake. Logan was angry and embarrassed and… he wasn't even sure what he felt. Shame? That sounded about right. 'Logie', Kendall had called him… and always called him, no matter what.
Kendall called him again, making sure to keep his voice soft. "Logie?"
A tiny mumbled voice rose up to him, but it was muffled by his shirt.
"Logan, can you look at me?"
A shake of the head.
Kendall closed his eyes for a moment, sighed quietly, and opened them again. "Logan. Look at me."
Logan flinched. The softer questioning tone had left his best friend's voice, leaving behind an ordering air that he knew he had to answer to. Kendall hadn't been mad at him yet, and Logan didn't know how he would handle it if he made him that way.
He pushed himself back a bit from Kendall's sternum, but he still couldn't bring himself to raise his eyes. "Everything's different now…" He yelped.
The storm raged outside, covering Kendall's gentle shushes and murmurs of "It's okay," and "I'm right here," to anyone except for Logan, because he was whispering it inched from Logan's ear, speaking over the storm.
Kendall nodded and observed his brunette's posture. He had expected the confidence loss, but it was still painful to watch. Kendall wasn't used to seeing Logan so fearful. The sight made his internal need to protect the boy become much stronger than… ever, really. His theory had been right: He did feel something more toward Logan than others, really.
"Well, you know this has always scared you," he pressed, sounding casual.
Logan shook his head and began to clench and unclench his hands in Kendall's shirt. He started to look out at the window again, but turned his head back quickly, eyes squeezed shut as the lightning bit back at him with a flash. He started breathing faster, "It's not just that. It's so- it…" he stopped and bit his lip, his hands still fisting up in nervous frustration. Kendall couldn't tell if Logan was having trouble finding the words he wanted, or if he'd just become overwhelmed with trying and stopped.
"I-I just, I hate these stupid storms so much, and even back home they weren't this bad, were they? I-I…dunno what…" Logan hiccupped and felt tears well up.
"Shhh…you're safe, Logie. Nothing's going to take you from me. Nothing." He promised. He swiped his thumbs over those wet cheeks. "Shhh, I got you."
Logan moved beyond the point of coherency as Kendall dropped his chin into Logan's hair and held him. After several wonderful minutes of just holding him there safe in his grasp, Logan relaxed despite the illuminating room and shaking walls.
Finally, Logan rounded up what courage he could muster, "Kendall?"
"Hmm?" Kendall tried to encourage without actually sounding like he was trying to encourage. Not that it mattered, because Logan had stopped whatever he'd been trying to say. Logan had never had a problem adjusting to anything before now, really. Unless you counted the new state, new city, new career, new life thing. He doesn't know what he's feeling right now… and he's mad at himself for it. Logan always knows what to think, even if he doesn't always act on it.
Kendall sat down on the boy's bed, and placed Logan in his lap and began to run his hand up and down along Logan's back. He didn't really know how to comfort someone other than Katie when she couldn't sleep, but he figured he couldn't lose anything by trying and he really needed Logan to pull it together a little and talk to him. He was relieved when the boy responded by relaxing under his touch, and kept the treatment going.
"You're safe now…" A nod from under his chin. Kendall took a different road to approach the subject that had breeching his thoughts ever since he'd heard the trademark stutter in Logan's voice.
"Logie, I know this has always scared you, but you and I both know it doesn't usually scare ya this bad. I think you need to check it out, even if it is just this one time." Kendall felt that he should be more nervous than Logan at this point. At least Logan was scared of something tangible; Kendall was having an internal battle over falling in love with his best friend who most certainly was not into him.
Logan was quiet. He still looked like he wanted to look at the window again, but it seemed to Kendall almost as if he didn't dare. He opened his mouth to say something -and gave a sudden start and abruptly turned and pulled himself against Kendall's chest as if seeking refuge against it. His feet never left the carpeting, however. "What was that?"
Startled by his genius's unpredicted movement, Kendall instinctively dropped his shoulder a few inches lower and leaned his body an arm around Logan for good measure, creating a semi-shield around him just in case. He looked around in confusion. "…What was what?" He made sure to keep his himself steady as Logan's grip on Kendall's shirt tightened, but there was still no response.
"Logan, what was what? I didn't notice anything… Did you hear something?"
Suddenly Logan turned away from the where ever he had the thought the sound had come from. In the pitch black, it was hard to tell what or even where Logan had been looking, but it obviously wasn't James or Carlos because he had a feeling they were tucked away in James's room by now, seeking shelter against each other and under the covers, safe from harm's way.
Staring down at his frightened friend, Kendall decided they had the right idea.
"Logan," He waited until the boy had met his gaze before continuing. "Let's get some rest, okay? I know you were just sleeping but-"
"No, that's a good idea. Sleep is essential to a person's mental and physical growth, especially adolescents between the ages of 13 and to adult hood. Teenagers especially require eight hours a day." Logan rattled off absentmindedly as Kendall blindly groped for the comforter that had fallen to the way side at the start of all of this.
"Kendall?"
Kendall paused for a moment, "Yeah?"
"C-can you… will you stay nearby? And h-hold me? Until this storm is over, I mean?"
Kendall smirked, "I'll stay by you longer than that, Logie, you can count on that."
Logan wanted to respond other than a smile that he knew Kendall had no way of seeing in the dark, but his breath was taken from him when Kendall suddenly found him in the darkness and lifted him up and under into his grasp. It was only until Kendall had laid him down and followed suit that he found his voice to stutter out a "Thank you," as Kendall curled closer to him than he'd ever been before.
"Of course." He couldn't help the innocent contact his lips made when he found Logan's forehead and pressed against it amiably. Logan mumbled something and sighed a sigh that was all of sudden deeply saturated with sleep. He didn't expect for his body to shut down so quickly while his mind was still freaking out, but, as his body reminded his mind, Kendall was here and holding him and that always made everything okay. With this thought in mind, Logan drifted off as Kendall cradled him.
Kendall had been startled at how fast Logan had drifted off. He wondered if it was one of his light dozes he tended to fall into, but decided not to push his luck and simply stayed as still as possible when Logan fully went limp against him and small mewls that could only described as snores trickled up to his ears. 'He trusts me this much, that even thoughthis storm scares him senseless, he knows I'll stay by his side and never leave. And that just makes me love him even more.'
As if it had lost all interest in its job, the thunder rumbled quietly and took longer and longer to respond to its partner, and the lightning lost its timing and flashed almost sheepishly as the storm stopped and the rain took over the job of noise maker. Kendall kept watch over Logan for the rest of the storm and well into the night, holding him as he slept.
