A/N Hey guys! This story is based off of when James told Carlos he threw up in his helmet in chapter 5 of my story Breakdown. I wrote this to get away from the angst of Breakdown, and because it's been in my head ever since I wrote that part in my other story. So I hope you enjoy!

The Helmet

"One more."

"But Gustavo, I've done fifty already!"

"Forty-nine! You've done forty-nine. Is one more too much to ask?"

James sighed. He knew there was no avoiding the wrath of his ill-tempered manager if you didn't do as he asked. Or, demanded.

So, grudgingly, James complied, bending his knees, straightening his arms, and wondering why Logan didn't have to do fifty. James swore, if he got hurt, he was so giving Gustavo a piece of his mind.

James landed his back-flip perfectly.

"X-ceptional," Mr. X praised, at the same time Gustavo grumbled, "Good enough." The boys, particularly James, had been exceedingly annoying today, and Gustavo was glad he was done with them.

James just rolled his eyes as he and his three band mates made their way out of the dance studio. He'd like to see Gustavo do one. James snickered at the vision in his head. But his snickering was cut off by a sudden gag as a wave of nausea made him see double.

His friends were immediately in his face.

"Dude, what was that?"

"Are you okay?"

"If you're gonna throw up, can you at least give us a one minute warning so we can book it outta here?"

Logan and Kendall gave Carlos a bewildered look at that, to which he defended himself with "What? I don't wanna get hurled on. Sorry for being normal."

Kendall gave Carlos a playful shove. "Far from it, buddy."

Carlos muttered something inaudible as Logan turned back to James.

"Seriously, are you okay?"

"Dude, lay off. I'm fine. I was just...picturing Gustavo trying to do a back-flip."

Kendall and Carlos burst out laughing. "Oh yeah, I can see how that'd made you gag."

James smirked, but from the corner of his eye he could see Logan staring at him intently. He knew James was lying.

James shrugged off the eerie feeling of eyes piercing him as he and his friends slid into Gustavo shiny limo to take them back to the Palm Woods. Maybe he'd say he was tired and lie down for a bit when they got back. It wouldn't be a lie, and it was completely plausible.

While laughing with his friends, James' queasiness had vanished, but now as they drove along the slightly bumpy LA streets, James found his stomach doing back-flips of its own. He leaned his head back against the headrest, eyes closed, and took deep breaths. It helped a little.

It seemed to take forever to arrive at the hotel. Once there, James scrambled out of the limo as fast as he could. Roomy as it was, James had been feeling claustrophobic, which had only worsened his nausea. Now that he was out in the open air, though, he felt a bit better.

The boys made their way into the lobby and toward the elevators, Kendall and Carlos chatting and James staying silent as Logan continued to study him from where he walked at James' side. James did his best to ignore the intensity of the stare, but he was beginning to feel very uncomfortable.

The boys made it to the elevator and piled in. As soon as it started up, James instantly wished he had opted for the stairs. James usually loved the funny, tingly feeling he got in the pit of his stomach when he rode the elevator, but now it just made him feel sick to his stomach.

James swallowed hard, almost convulsively, as the elevator jerked to a stop and opened on the second floor. Logan's eyes were still trained on the suddenly pale brunette.

Carlos took his helmet off and flung it onto the counter as soon as they entered 2J. He headed to the bathroom, like he always did when they got back from rehearsal.

The door closed behind him. James started to feel nervous. He really felt sick now, and Carlos was in the only bathroom in the apartment. And there was no way James was going to go knock on, say, Camille's door and say "Hey, can I throw up in your bathroom for a minute? Thanks." No, not happening.

Logan watched as James got paler and paler. Logan started to get mad. Not at James, of course, but at Gustavo. Making him do fifty back-flips? It was absurd! It didn't matter that Gustavo didn't know they'd all had an unusually huge breakfast today because Mrs. Knight was in one of her cookbook addict phases again. It still wasn't right. Fifty was just too much.

Logan cautiously crept closer to his sick-looking friend.

"James? Are you feeling alright?"

James just blinked at Logan. By this time Kendall had finally noticed his friend's sickly appearance. He wandered over. "Whoa. James, you okay man?"

James breathed in and out through his nose, drawn-out, even breaths. Slowly he shook his head in response. Big mistake.

All at once the room was spinning around him. James' stomach lurched, hard, and the next thing he knew, something was shooting up his throat, filling his mouth.

James clamped a hand over his mouth and grabbed the first thing he saw. There was no way he was letting himself throw up all over the floor. The floor may not have been the best place to throw up.

But it's a lot better than throwing up in your best friend's helmet.

James clutched the helmet so tightly his knuckles turned white. His body heaved as he spluttered out vomit until the helmet was nearly full. He could hear Logan and Kendall crying out in shock and disgust, but they were the least of James' worries. Carlos. Was. Going. To. Kill. Him.

Stomach now empty, James straightened up and didn't dare look in the helmet. Instead, he raised his wide eyes to his blonde friend and his smart friend. Their expressions reflected what James was feeling right then. Terrified, mortified, horrified. He was so dead.

Finally James was able to speak. "G-guys, ooohhh my god," he moaned. "No, no, no. Anything but the helmet. Carlos is gonna be out any second. Quick, help me hide the evidence!"

Logan was still standing their, boggle-eyed and mouth agape. Kendall shook out of his stupefied daze and stared in revulsion.

"Are you kidding? I'm not touching that!"

James was getting desperate. "Look, just, go stall Carlos until I...fix this." His face twisted in disgust. "Please, Kendall!"

"Stall me from what?"

James shrieked in his girlish way and spun around. He wavered dizzily for a moment before regaining his bearings. Carlos was standing in the bathroom doorway, looking expectantly at any of the three for an answer.

"James, what are you doing with my helmet?"

Carlos charged at James, but Kendall moved quickly, diving in front of Carlos before he could launch himself into James and...make a mess of the kitchen.

"Carlos, uh, hey, did you see that thing...in the lobby?"

Carlos' interest what immediately sparked. "No! What thing?"

"The, you know, thing that I said I wanted to- to show you...a while ago..."

Carlos nodded excitedly. "Oh yeah, that thing! Lets go!" Then he frowned. "Wait a second...James, helmet. This thing could be dangerous."

James shook his head frantically, forgetting that that identical movement was what had caused this whole predicament in the first place.

"No, no, it's not. I've seen it already, you'd actually look pretty stupid if you wore your helmet while looking at this...thing."

"James," Carlos whined. "It isn't your helmet."
"Yeah, I know, but, uh-"

"What is that?"

"Wh- what's what?" James stuttered out nervously, but it was too late. He knew Carlos had seen.

"Oh my gosh, James, did Lightning throw up in my helmet?"

Logan finally snapped back to reality. His head shot up to look at Carlos.

James' face began to retrieve colour again. He looked relieved. He started to smile, a little uncertainly.

"Y-yes. Yes! Yeah, he did. He just sneaked right in here and I chased him around the second floor a bit and when I found the helmet he was gone and- bam! That...was there." James finished with a tense chuckle that would have given him away to anyone but Carlos.

"Oh, thank you for getting it back, James!" Carlos cried happily. He moved to give his friend a hug, but he remembered what his helmet held. Carlos' lower lip jutted out.

"M-my helmet..."

James glanced frantically at Logan and Kendall. Logan was now aware of what was happening around him, but he didn't look too ready to help James out here. And Kendall was visibly busy trying not to laugh.

James fought the urge to roll his eyes. But, this was his mess- literally- it was his job to clean it up.

James sighed. "Look, Carlos, how bout, to make it up to you- I mean, to make up for what Lightning did to you, why don't you let me buy you a new one? An even better helmet?"

Carlos continued to look gloomy and downcast. He sighed sadly. "It'll never be the same. That helmet and I, we've been through some pretty rough times together. Like when-"

"At least let me clean it out for you. It's the least I can do."

Carlos looked at James suspiciously. "Why is it the least you can do?"

Logan and Kendall raised their eyebrows at James, a trace of a smirk playing at the blonde's lips.

James sought for an excuse. "Uh, well, um...because I didn't get to Lightning fast enough to stop...that."

Carlos nodded, satisfied. "Oh. Okay. Well, it's not like it's your fault. But sure, James, that'd be great. You're such an awesome friend. Can you bring it to our room when you're done?"

James smiled weakly. "Sure thing, buddy."

"Thanks." Carlos grinned hugely and walked off to his and James' room.

The instant he had disappeared from sight, Kendall and Logan burst into wild laughter.

"Oh, you're such an amazing friend, Jamesy," Logan mocked in a high-pitched voice that didn't resemble Carlos' in the slightest. "Lying about puking your guts up into my helmet to protect my feelings. That's so sweet of you."

Kendall smirked his trademark smirk at James. "Guess you're never doing another back-flip again, huh? Good luck explaining that to Gustavo."

This time, James made sure to aim for the kitchen sink.