Well, I know I've been writing a lot of dark stories lately, and I apologize for that. Today I was talking to KogiesGirl about how Michelangelo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reminds us so much of Carlos, and somehow I got the idea for this story. :) I hope you guys like it. It's not that sad; you'll see.
Chestnut brown hair fell over his hazel colored eyes, blinding him from the heartbreaking sight in front of him. He barely had a chance to swipe it away with his hand as a smaller body collided against him; little arms being thrown around his neck, and a head burying itself against his chest. Utterly confused, the brunette wrapped his strong arms around the shaking body in front of him, pulling it even closer to him and nuzzling his face against the soft tufts of black hair.
"Carlitos?" He spoke his best friend's name in a soft tone, fearing that the shorter boy would completely deteriorate in front of him if he spoke any louder.
The little Latino shifted in his arms, letting his head lean against James' shoulder. His dark brown, caramel eyes bore into James' hazel ones, silently begging for him to take away his sadness. Not really knowing what to do, James closed the front door of his house behind them and guided Carlos to his bedroom, where he sat the boy down on his bed and wrapped a warm blanket over his shivering form. He then sat down beside him and wrapped an arm around the boy's waist, pulling him against his body and wrapping his other arm around him.
"Carlos?" James questioned again, seeing as how the first time he had referred to his best friend, he had emitted no sound whatsoever. "Come on, 'Litos, what's the matter?"
Tired and watery eyes looked up into his, lips turning downwards into a frown. James didn't miss the way Carlos' bottom lip trembled, or the fact that a tear leaked from his left eye, rolling down his tan cheek. "I lost Chewy," Carlos squeaked out just as James wiped away his tear with his thumb. "I can't find him anywhere, Jamie."
James frowned. He knew very well who Carlos was referring to when he said 'Chewy'. By Chewy, he was referring to his pet turtle, which was practically the little boy's best friend, besides James and their other two best friends, Logan and Kendall. Carlos loved the turtle. James couldn't even begin to imagine the pain his little friend was experiencing.
"He's gone?" James asked. "How could you have lost him?"
"When I c-came home from school, I went to his bowl to feed him, b-but he was no longer there," Carlos stuttered out. James closed his eyes and tightened his hold on Carlos' body. His head rested against the boy's skull, brown locks falling over his eyes once again. He didn't know what to say or do to make his best friend feel better, and he loathed the feeling of being so helpless and useless.
"Did you look around your house?" James asked. Carlos nodded his head against his shoulder. "Well? Was he anywhere else?" He knew it was a stupid question, since Carlos had already told him that Chewy remained missing, but he just had to make sure. The shake of a head gave him his dreaded answer. "I'm so sorry, Carlitos."
"I miss him, James," Carlos spoke softly, sniffling right afterwards. He fisted a section of James' sweater on his small hand and let the waterworks finally fall. James gently rocked the boy back and forth, from side to side. He whispered soft words of comfort against the boy's ear and ran a hand through his raven-colored hair, hoping the smaller boy would calm down soon. The sight of his broken best friend was tearing his heart to shreds.
The tender actions eventually lulled the crying boy to sleep. James couldn't help but let out a shaky breath of relief when he saw Carlos' eyelids slowly drop, until they were completely covering his mocha eyes. He smiled softly and planted a brotherly kiss to Carlos' temple, carefully pulling both of them against his mattress and grabbing another blanket from beside him. He pulled the soft fabric over both of their tired forms and let his head loll to the side; his chin resting against the top of Carlos' head. His eyelids dropped shut in a matter of seconds, bringing him into complete darkness.
James awoke with a smile on his face the next day. He knew what he had to do, and he needed Kendall and Logan's help to accomplish his mission.
Gently, he pried Carlos' arms from around him and placed a stuffed puppy he owned in his place. The sleeping boy didn't even flinch at the small action, to James' relief. The brunette slipped his sneakers on and put on his jacket, cautious not to make any noise as to not disturb Carlos' still form. He made sure to grab some money from his savings, before running out of his bedroom.
In a matter of minutes, James had brushed his teeth, grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl in his kitchen, and ran out of the door. He knew Carlos slept a lot, so he wasn't the least worried that he would awaken before he came back.
Swiftly, he ran to Kendall's house and knocked on the door, then stopping and tapping his right foot against the small rug outside of the front door, impatiently waiting for the door to swing open. And when it did swing open, the frowning teen wasted no time in pulling his shorter friend out of his house and onto the lawn of the house in front of his; Logan's house.
"James, what's up with–?" Kendall didn't even get to finish his sentence as James pressed a finger to his lips, shushing him immediately. The blond rolled his eyes and watched his brunette best friend with curiosity as he knocked on the wooden door of Logan's house. A light giggle slipped from his lips when James almost hit Logan on the face with his fist, after having opened the door.
"No questions! Let's go!" James shouted, before Logan could even open his mouth to question him. He took a hold of both of Logan and Kendall's hoodies' collars, dragging them along behind him. Chocolate eyes met green with a confused look. Kendall only shrugged as he struggled to keep up with James' fast pace.
"The pet store?" Kendall asked, eyebrow rising in even more confusion. "Why are we at the pet store, James?"
"Because," James started with a roll of his eyes, "Carlos came to my house last night, very upset because he lost Chewy. And I, being the genius that I am, got the idea that we should buy a puppy for the little guy."
Logan chuckled. "James, if I do recall correctly, you are failing English."
"What does that have to do with anything?" James asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"That you're not a genius!" Kendall practically spat, laughing at the face James made after his little outburst.
"I would knock you to the ground, Blondie, but I have other, more serious matters to attend to, and so do you." Kendall was pulled into the pet store by James' grip on his wrist. Logan followed suit after them, not wanting to be dragged inside like his younger friend.
"Puppies!"
Logan and James both watched as Kendall pulled away from James' hold and ran over to a cage containing a bunch of little, yapping puppies. He pushed a hand through the little holes on the cage and giggled softly as the furry animals took their turn at licking his fingers. James kneeled down next to him and stared into the cage, watching each puppy closely.
"So what kind of puppy are we looking for?" Logan questioned from behind. James cocked his head to the side, thinking about the brunette's question.
"I guess a puppy we can all agree on. A puppy that is soft and fluffy, cuddly, friendly. Just… one that Carlos would like."
"Like this one?" Kendall slowly opened the little cage's door and lifted a tiny, black puppy with white spots into his arms. Logan studied the puppy for a second or two. A smile tugged at his lips. He nodded to James, who took a longer time at examining the little bundle of fur.
"I like him," he finally said. He took the canine from Kendall's arms and held it close to his face. The whimpering puppy licked at his face without a care in the world. The brunette laughed softly, right before handing it to Logan. The smaller boy chuckled as his face got attacked with the pup's pink tongue. "Let's take him."
Logan went to sign the adoption papers for the puppy, while James and Kendall went around, looking at all the other animals in the store.
"James, look!" James turned around and shrieked in alarm when a little, white animal was shoved into his shocked face by a giggling blond. "Isn't he cute?"
"Kendall. Get that mouse. Out. Of. My. Face," James said sternly. Kendall pouted and set the little animal back in its cage. "Much better. Never do that again."
"Sorry," Kendall said softly. His eyes suddenly lit up. "Logie's back!"
James turned around; sure enough, Logan was standing behind him with the little puppy in his arms. "Ready to give Carlos his new best friend?"
James smiled. "Yep!"
All three boys rushed to James' house, where they found a sleeping Carlos sprawled on the brunette's mattress. Smiling, James took the dog from Logan's hold and lowered it to Carlos' face. It wasn't long before the puppy was yipping and yapping with excitement, licking all over the boy's face. Carlos groaned at the feeling of the puppy's soft tongue against his skin and cracked his eyes open. A squeal of excitement slipped from his lips at the sight of the fluffy beast attacking him.
"Puppy!"
Logan, Kendall, and James smiled at one another at Carlos' smiling face.
"It's all yours, Carlitos," James finally spoke. "We thought you might want a new friend to keep you company."
A hurt look crossed Carlos' eyes. The boys' heart sank. But before any of them could apologize, the shorter Latino pulled them all into a giant bear hug. "Thank you," he said with happiness. "I love him." The boys all cheered, knowing they had done something right.
"So what do you want to name him?" Logan asked as he slung an arm around Carlos' shoulders and pulled him along with him to sit down on the bed. The puppy crawled over to Carlos' lap and stared up at him with big, brown eyes.
"Sparky!" Carlos answered almost instantly.
"Sparky?" James asked. "I like it."
"Me too," Kendall said with a smile. "How about you, Logan?"
Logan turned from the puppy to Carlos' smiling face. He then smiled up at Kendall. "Perfect name for him."
"Sparky it is, then," Carlos said, taking the puppy into his arms and hugging it tight. He giggled at the puppy and kissed him on the nose. "Welcome home, Sparky."
Hope you guys liked it, and that it was happy and not that sad. :)
If you're reading the story I'm writing with MikaMikaru; Parenting, then expect an update this weekend. I already finished the chapter. She's just going to add a little bit more to it. And if you haven't read that story, please check it out. It's under her account, and it has a bunch of Kogie bromance. We would greatly appreciate it. :D
Thank you for reading!
~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)