"Dude, there's nothing on TV. Give it a rest." Carlos Garcia stole the remote out of James Diamond's hand, putting the TV on mute.
"Turn on the news or something," Logan Mitchell waved his hand over his shoulder from where he was sitting at the table in the kitchen. James sighed, taking the remote and flipping the channel to the news.
"Weather. So exciting." A certain blond said from the floor. Kendall Knight smirked, looking over his shoulder to James and Carlos. "Take it off of mute."
James turned the volume back up as Kendall stood up to go see what Logan was doing.
"Hey, smarty-pants, whaddya up to?" Kendall asked playfully. He had been in a good mood all day for some unknown reason.
Logan looked up from the papers on the table. "Studying. I can't seem to figure out if-"
"Never mind! I don't wanna know!" Kendall held his hands up to his ears. Knowing Logan, he would go off on a ramble about what he didn't understand, and that would go on forever.
Kendall took his hands off of his ears, only to hear the newscaster state the upcoming weather in their area.
"And a severe weather alert to all those in this area. Rain, thunder, high winds…"
Kendall's eyes widened. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What did he just say?"
James looked over at Kendall worriedly. "Um, severe weather alert, bud. For all of tonight. Haven't you noticed the skies at all?" James gestured toward the window.
Kendall walked over to the window. "No, actually, I haven't. We haven't gone anywhere today, James." The skies were a dark-ish grey, clouds blocking out almost all light from the moon.
Kendall's expression immediately turned into one of fear. His heart pounded, his palms were sweating, and his vision got the slightest bit blurry.
"Hey, Kendall, are you gonna be alright?" Carlos asked, concern lacing his voice. James and Logan were staring at Kendall with equally worried looks on their faces.
"Um, I don't know… I- I think I'll be okay. I mean, it's time I got over this fear of storms, right?" Kendall laughed nervously while the other three exchanged doubtful glances.
"I guess…" Logan eyed Kendall suspiciously.
"Hey, look on the bright side!" James said, getting up and clapping Kendall on the back, covering the window with the curtain. "At least you'll have me there to protect you if you get scared, Kenny." James told him in a baby voice, patting Kendall's cheek. Kendall swatted James' hand away.
"Ah, cut it out," he chuckled nervously, trying not to blush. He had been doing that a lot lately around James. He didn't understand why he was only finding it hard not to blush around him now rather than when he had first started liking James as more than a friend when he was twelve. "But why haven't we gotten any storms since we've been here? It's been a good six months that we've been staying here."
Logan spoke up. "Nevada is one of the few states that hardly get any storms throughout the year at all. I'm surprised that there hasn't even been one, but maybe that's just because we got lucky."
Kendall nodded. It had rained a few times during their time there, which didn't bother Kendall, but it hadn't stormed. Kendall had never minded rain; it was the thunderstorms that freaked him out. Strong winds, mainly. The thunder and lightning just added to it.
"Thanks guys," Kendall smiled. He stretched his arms. "Um, I'm gonna try to go to sleep before the storm starts. See if I can sleep through it. 'Night."
"'Night," came the replies.
~*~*BTR~*~*
James watched Kendall as he stalked off to his room, looking a tad bit stiff. He hated that Kendall felt so much fear when it came to thunderstorms. He didn't find it annoying at all, he just felt bad for him.
James jumped when he felt a vibration in his front pocket. He pulled out his phone to see a new text message on it from Kendall's mother. Katie and she were on vacation in Florida.
Mrs. Knight: Heard there was gonna be a storm. Is Kendall alright?
James: He's fine… so far. He freaked out for a minute, but apparently he's decided that he's going to get over this fear. He just went to bed to see if he could sleep through it.
Mrs. Knight: Okay. Just in case, will you just do your best to make sure he's okay?
James: No prob. He's safe with me! Don't worry!
Mrs. Knight: Thanks James :) Tell him I said good night :)
James: Will do :D
James sent the last message and tucked his phone back in his pocket, plopping back down on the couch. This couch wasn't as comfortable as the one in their old apartment, but it was okay. Roque Records had somehow gotten relocated to Nevada. It didn't really affect their music making, it just affected where they lived. Nothing had really changed. They still made a lot of money, they still were as famous as they were before they moved, and they still had each other. Sure, they missed their old school and their old apartment, but they were fine with this, too.
*~*~BTR*~*~
Kendall shook with fear underneath the covers. The thunder and lightning didn't stop, and the wind was howling. He had managed to fall asleep before it started, but of course, the minute the rain began, he was awake again.
Kendall let out a small yelp of fear when the wind suddenly seemed to get stronger, and the rain pounded against the window. Lightning flashed and a huge BOOM! was heard, making Kendall bite his tongue.
He barely heard the footsteps that were coming toward him.
~*~*BTR~*~*
James laid his head back while sitting on the couch, bored out of his mind. He was staying awake so he could make sure Kendall was alright. He was pretty sure the blond was asleep, but he could wake up at any time.
The storm was raging, causing the TV to go postal, so that was out of the question. The wind suddenly appeared to get even more violent. James got up when he heard a small yelp come from Kendall's and his room. He sighed, knowing that he was going to have to think of some way to calm him down.
James walked over to the door of their room, being careful not to disturb the already sleeping Logan and Carlos in their own room, and opened it up. He stepped inside, closed it behind him, and smiled and shook his head when he saw the curled up form underneath the covers on Kendall's bed. James was already in sweatpants and a t-shirt, so he didn't have to worry about pajamas. Taking a few slow steps toward Kendall's bed, he noticed Kendall grow slightly stiff, his trembling almost stopping.
"It's okay, Kendall, it's just me." James said softly. Kendall popped his head out from under the blankets and looked at James with wide eyes. "Oh, h- hey."
"You okay?" James asked, walking over to his own bed and getting into it.
"N- Not so much," Kendall answered sheepishly. "So much for getting over it, huh?"
"You'll be okay, Kenny," James smiled, resting his head on his pillow. "Don't worry."
The blond just nodded and rolled over again, closing his eyes and trying not to pay attention to the storm that was currently raging outside. His efforts were all in vain, though, because when the wind picked up again and the lightning flashed, Kendall began trembling again and he let out a whimper of fear.
James let out a small sigh, knowing that Kendall was not going to be able to handle this on his own. He knew that what he was about to do was a little awkward, considering he was practically in love with Kendall, but he couldn't stand to see him like this.
Shrugging, he flung his legs off of the bed and walked over to Kendall's bed once more. Lifting the blankets, he scooted his way under them.
"J- James?" Kendall stuttered.
"Shhh," James pressed himself near Kendall, his chest touching the blonde's back. Kendall was still slightly shaking.
"W- What are you doing?" Kendall managed to whisper. He turned over so he could see James, and found that his face was practically in James' neck now. His breath caught in his throat.
"I'm not really sure, actually," James admitted. He felt Kendall let out a deep breath on his neck, and he had to force himself not to shiver.
"Well, I'm not entirely- AH!" Kendall yelped as thunder boomed, grabbing James' shirt and burying himself into him. His breathing was quick and shallow, he was almost hyperventilating. His hand fisted James' shirt in it, his face pressing into the brunette's neck. His eyes squeezed shut.
James held his breath when Kendall pressed his whole body to his own. His warm breath washed over James' neck, almost making him tremble. He rested his chin on top of Kendall's and slid his arm around Kendall's waist, holding him closer. His hand rubbed slow, soothing circles on Kendall's lower back.
"Shhh, Kendall, it's okay, I'm here, you're fine," James whispered, attempting to calm the shaking blond in his arms. "Nothing's going to happen, I promise. I got you."
Kendall's breathing slowly calmed down, but he was still shaking. Being this close to James was… nice. It made him feel safe; protected. Without really realizing what he was doing, he released his death grip on James' shirt and let his hand instead travel to James' back, his own arm wrapping around the boy he loved. His trembling stopped.
"Thank you, James." He whispered. The lightning and thunder no longer bothered him, nor did the wind. It was all in another world, away from where he and James were.
His eyes closed, and he fell asleep to the sound of James' breathing.
~*~*BTR~*~*
Kendall was damn sure that this was the best morning of his life.
For one thing, he felt great. He wasn't sore or stiff like he usually is when he wakes up, and his eyes adjusted to the light immediately.
For another thing, as soon as he could see, he realized that he was snuggling with James.
Snuggling.
With James.
Oh, yes. This was amazing. James was on his back, his left arm above his head, his mouth open, and Kendall's head was on his chest. James' right arm was wrapped around Kendall, while Kendall's right arm was wrapped around James' waist. Their legs were actually kind of entangled with each other, Kendall's right leg thrown over James' right one, their feet touching. He sighed happily. James was still deep in sleep, thankfully. Kendall froze, though, when James' hand started to move up Kendall's arm, giving him goose bumps. James' hand stopped at Kendall's shoulder, and slid back down. Kendall looked up at James carefully, but it seemed as if the boy was still fast asleep. James' hand continued to slide up and down Kendall's arm, relaxing him.
It was a perfect moment, but of course, all moments are ruined by something.
This time, that "something," was Kendall's bladder.
Dammit, Kendall thought frustratingly, of all times to have to take a piss, it just had to be now.
Kendall slowly removed his arm from James' waist and stopped James' hand while it was continually sliding up and down Kendall's arm. He set James' arm on the bed, and at up, carefully untangling his legs from James'.
He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and got off the bed without making any noise.
After taking care of his bathroom business, he stepped quietly out into the kitchen.
"Kendall! You're up!" Carlos came up from behind him suddenly and gave him a bear hug from behind. Kendall's eyes bugged out, seeing as that was the last thing he expected to happen. Logan followed behind Carlos, both of them heading towards the cupboards for cereal. Kendall dragged his feet while walking to the table and plopped down on one of the chairs.
"So, Kendall," Carlos began. Kendall looked at him. "I guess it's obvious that James and you had a nice sleep, hmm?"
"Um…" Kendall knitted his eyebrows in worry. "Whaddya mean?"
"I mean that Logan and I saw the two of you all cute and cuddly on your bed this morning!" Carlos puckered his lips, making kissy noises. Kendall's face immediately went beet red.
"It wasn't like that! He just… laid down with me so I would calm down last night."
Carlos shrugged. "Okay. Fair enough."
Logan spoke up. "But what I want to know is how long you've had a crush on James."
"What? I don't have a crush on James! I don't know what you're talking about." Kendall attempted to lie.
"Kendall," Logan sat in the chair next to him, "We all know that you're a horrible liar. Just give it up."
"I'm not ly-," Kendall tried again, but stopped when he saw the look on Logan's face. He sighed. "Okay, fine. You got me. It started when we were all twelve."
"Wow, that long?" Carlos said from the kitchen. He appeared to be trying to balance a spoon on the tip of his nose. "And you never told us you're gay, why?"
Kendall laughed. "It's not something I can just come right out and say! 'Hey guys, guess what? I'm gay. Straight Kendall is long gone.' Yeah. That'd work out great."
Logan shrugged, playing with his cereal. "I really wouldn't have cared. We're all best friends; you being gay shouldn't affect that. I think it's awesome that you're gay."
"Really?" Kendall asked, surprised.
"Heck yeah!" Carlos fist pumped. "It just makes you even more awesome since you're gay! For some reason, I've always wanted a gay friend. And now look! My best friend is gay!"
"Same here," Logan smiled, chuckling. "And now the only thing to wonder about is James. Carlos and I have always had the feeling that he wasn't… straight. He acts too much like a girl. And he stares at you. A lot."
Kendall choked on his own spit at that. "Wait, he stares at me? Like, what kind of stare? The 'creepy-I'm-planning-to-murder-you' stare? Or the 'I'm-in-love-with-you' stare?"
"Definitely the second one." Carlos and Logan said at the same time. Kendall raised his eyebrows in shock.
"You guys think that James likes me?" Kendall squeaked.
"Nope." Logan said. Kendall's face drooped. "We think that he looooves you."
"He so does," Carlos finally came to sit at the table. His nose had a red streak going across it.
"Um, Carlos?" Kendall pointed. "What the hell did you do?"
"Some things are better left unexplained." Carlos suddenly took great interest in his cereal bowl.
Kendall chuckled and shook his head, standing up and walking back to his room to see if James was awake.
*~*~BTR*~*~
Kendall couldn't help but smile and stare at the brunette boy fast asleep in his bed. James had curled up now and was hugging a pillow to his chest. He appeared to have a small smile on his face.
Kendall sighed dreamily, walking over to the bed and looking at James. His hair was all ruffled with a major case of bed head. Kendall reached his hand out and brushed a strand of it away from James' face, causing the sleeping boy to stir a little. Kendall tapped James' face.
"Jaaames," Kendall cooed. "Jamie, wake up… It's morning!" When James refused to wake up, Kendall resorted to more extreme measures. He looked over at the desk in the corner and saw James' phone sitting on it. He took it, put the ringer on full blast, found the most obnoxious ringtone that he could, and set it on James' head near his ear. Kendall got out of the room and closed the door. Going into the kitchen, he dialed James' number with *67 in front of it so James would not know that it was him calling.
Logan and Carlos looked at him, confused. "What're you-?"
"Shut up!" Kendall swatted his hand.
Within a few seconds, Kendall could hear the ringer going off, followed by a shout, which eventually led to a thud.
Kendall was trying hard not to burst out laughing. Suddenly, James' voice was on the phone.
"Hello?" He didn't sound too happy.
Kendall cleared his throat. "Yes, Mr. Diamond? This is Derek Masterson calling from the kitchen. I have been told to request that you get your ass out of bed BEFORE I BRUTALLY MURDER YOU!" Kendall yelled into the phone. The next thing he knew, James was running out of their room and charging straight toward him. Kendall only had time to drop his phone before he was being picked up by strong arms and being carried over to the couch where he was thrown down in a not-so-gentle manner.
Kendall laughed hysterically as James yelled at him. "Kendall, that was NOT funny! That nearly scared me to death! Not to mention it nearly scared the hearing out of me! If I ever suddenly go deaf one day, I'm blaming it on you."
Kendall continued to laugh, holding his sides because he was laughing so hard.
"You're just gonna keep laughing," James rolled his eyes. "I know."
"I- I'm sorry! You would- wouldn't wake u- up, s- so I h- had to do that!" he was sent into another round of hysterics.
After about five minutes of his non-stop cackling with his oh-so obnoxious laugh and James just standing there with his arms crossed, Kendall finally calmed down. He stood up and slapped James on the shoulder.
"Ah, I'm sorry, man. I couldn't help it." He smirked. James smiled.
"S'okay." James said. He pulled Kendall's head down and ruffled his hair, giving him a noogie in the process. "Besides, this gives me a chance to piss you off."
"Oh, God," Kendall groaned.
"Jeez, could you guys be any more g-," Carlos started, but Logan slammed his hand over the shorter boys mouth. He wagged his finger at Carlos, ignoring the confused expression from James and the pissed expression from Kendall.
"Are they okay?" James asked Kendall.
"They're fine." Kendall shook his head, rolling his eyes.
Logan grabbed Carlos's ear when he tried to continue and dragged him off to their room.
James and Kendall were left alone in the living room. Kendall plopped down onto the couch, James following close behind.
"Kendall?" James said, looking down at his lap.
"Yeah?"
"Um, last night, if I, like, did anything you didn't want me to, I'm sorry." He blushed.
Kendall stared at James. He was apologizing? "James, you don't have anything to be sorry for. It was what you did that calmed me down, wasn't it? We're cool."
James smiled, flashing his teeth. Kendall could feel his insides turn to jelly at seeing his favorite smile.
"Awesome," James said.
*~*~BTR~*~*
It was that time of night again. Carlos and Logan were in their own room, James and Kendall in theirs. James had his pajamas on, which was just a plaid pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt, and Kendall had similar pants with a t-shirt on, too. After brushing their teeth and taking care of all the basic things a person has to do before bed, they threw themselves onto the mattresses.
"No storms tonight," James chuckled, lying on his side and facing Kendall.
"Yeah…" Kendall breathed. Truth be told, he was disappointed that there were no storms tonight because that meant that James would not be in his bed.
James sat up at the same time Kendall did (who was now sitting and leaning his back against the wall) and cocked his head at the shorter boy. "You okay?"
"Um… Yeah," Kendall shrugged. His face grew red. "But, I was just wondering… Would you mind, uh, maybe, if… you know, you would-"
"Spit it out," James laughed.
"I was wondering if you could sleep here again tonight." Kendall said all in one breath, almost too quickly for James to understand it. But he did understand it, so his eyes went wide.
"What?" He gaped.
"I- I don't know…" Kendall scratched the back of his neck, his face growing hot. "It's just… Last night, it was really comfortable with you, and…" He trailed off, not knowing how to finish that sentence.
James stood up and walked over to Kendall's bed, sliding onto it and next to Kendall. His shoulder touched the blonde's.
"I'm fine with it," James whispered. Kendall smiled embarrassingly, blushing.
"Hey, James?" Kendall spoke softly. He turned his head toward James, finding that they were nose to nose.
"Y- yes?" James gasped. They both continually moved their faces closer, their noses brushing the other's cheek.
"Don't kill me for this," Kendall told him, and without any warning, he crushed his lips to James'. James didn't immediately respond, seeing as he was basically shocked into stupidity, but it didn't take long for him to open his mouth, allowing Kendall access. Both of them gasped at the shock that went through them. Kendall's hands slid up to James' hair, fisting them in it. James, breathing hard, managed to push Kendall down on the bed so he was straddling the shorter boy.
Kendall moaned slightly, sliding his tongue along James' lower lip. James automatically allowed Kendall's tongue access to his mouth. Their tongues tangled together, fighting for dominance. Kendall ran his hands through Kendall's hair, messing it up. James would only ever let Kendall do that from now on.
With the sudden need for air, they broke apart.
"So," Kendall breathed. "Should we go to bed, then?"
James smiled, rolling off of Kendall and lying next to him. Kendall set his head on James' shoulder, the taller boy's arm wrapping around Kendall. He nuzzled his face into the blond hair.
"I guess," he sighed.
Kendall closed his eyes, breathing in James' sent for the moment. After about fifteen minutes, James had assumed the Kendall was asleep.
"I love you, Kendall," he said into the boy's hair. He stiffened when he heard Kendall chuckle.
"I love you too, James," Kendall replied softly, burying himself into James.
They never heard the door click shut.
~*~*BTR~*~*
Carlos softly closed the door to James' and Kendall's bedroom. Turning around to Logan, he folded his arms across his chest and held out his hand, waiting for Logan to hand him the fifty dollar bill.
"Told you it would happen tonight."
YES! IT'S FINISHED! I'm so proud of myself! I actually think that this piece is really good. Maybe a little too cheesy, but it was good in my opinion.
James: I liked it :)
Kendall: I second that.
Logan: It was kinda… meh.
Carlos: Oh, Logie, don't be so mean. You just wish you could get some action.
Logan: You have three seconds to run.