It's been quite awhile. I'm not sure if anyone I talked to years ago still floats around here, but for those who are new, I'm Emilie, and I used to be an avid poster. Due to personal reasons, I took a bit of a hiatus, though I am back now, and hope to post like I did in the past. Here's a little thing I typed up, it's just a one shot, but I thought it was pretty cute. Enjoy. :)

Kendall's eyes wandered back to the door again and though he had only done this twice, it soon began to feel like a hundred times. Grumbling under his breath, the man peered at the black and silver watch he was wearing. 12:03AM. Being a musician, Kendall's boyfriend, Logan, often worked strange hours. As a musician himself, Kendall understood the drill. If a popular event was taking place at 2AM, that's when he'd have to be out. But what made this night different was the younger one's lack of punctuality. Just an hour ago, he was on the phone with his partner, assuring him that the show was over, all went smoothly, and that he'd be home for midnight. Now, three minutes past his promise, Kendall found himself growing worried. Cracking at his knuckles absent mindedly, he stood up and walked to the kitchen slowly. Ignoring droopy eyelids and his clouded mind, Kendall headed for the sink. A yawn slipped past his lips as he glanced down at the mess in front of him. All he wanted to do at this point in the evening was get some rest, but it didn't seem right to do that without Logan home and safe in their bed. Being clever enough to know that standing around and staring at the doorway would only make everything drag by slower, the man settled for cleaning instead to pass the time.

With shaky hands, Kendall picked up their dishes and a sponge. A small smile formed on across his face as the scent of strawberry soap filled the area. Logan didn't even like strawberries, but he was so hellbent on keeping the theme of pink in every room of their home, he didn't even care when he bought the wash. If it were up to Kendall, each space of the house would have a different style. His boyfriend twitched at the thought of mix and matching, though. He was the one with a neat bedstand and an organized bathroom counter, whereas Kendall wouldn't bat an eye if he were to find deodorant in his sock drawer. The man didn't mind taking a step back and allowing Logan to be in charge of decorating, however. Seeing his boyfriend's brown eyes widen and twinkle with pride at his masterpiece of a house made up for the nagging Kendall would get if he moved something and didn't put it back in it's exact spot.

Even while divvying up the housework fairly evenly, there still were some things the other just wasn't able to master. Logan would never get over the time he gave his love food poisoning, and Kendall still felt bad about all the shrunken sweaters. Moments like that always made the two men feel as though they fit like puzzle pieces. They were far from perfect, yet they were a flawless team. Logan made sure Kendall always had clean clothes laid out on his bed and in return, he never came home to a cold, uncooked dinner either. If it were earlier, the older man would've put something together for him, though he figured his boyfriend probably already got food while he was out. Kendall still made him a cup of tea, anyways. After setting Logan's favorite mug on the table, he put a teapot on the stove and began boiling water. It was a stormy night and Kendall knew his boyfriend would want something to warm him up once he finally got home.

The ticking of their antique grandfather clock chimed back in, catching Kendall's attention. He looked over at the time and felt as his heart sunk to his stomach. 12:37. Sweat started forming above his eyebrows, causing a small spark of embarrassment to light inside him. It had only been about a half hour, he shouldn't have been as anxious as he was. The man's mind instantly began to grasp for some sense of logic to ease the fear. Maybe Logan got caught in traffic, maybe he was in the driveway making a call, maybe he was asked to do more work. Why wouldn't he let him know in advance, though? Kendall's mouth went cottony as his thoughts got darker; the only explanation to Logan's lack of communication would be if an emergency occurred.

He dug around in his grey jogger's pockets for his phone, fumbling with the underused device before pressing the number he had set as Logan's speed dial. While the cell rang and rang, Kendall's heartbeat sped up. It was unlike his social boyfriend to not answer right away; he was the one who was always MIA when it came to things like this. Finally, after what seemed to be ages of waiting, the phone clicked and Logan's voice could be heard. Kendall grinned to himself, relief filling his veins on que.

"Hey, what's up?" Logan spoke, his tone being cheery as per usual. Kendall chuckled to himself, loving how even at nearly one in the morning, his boyfriend was still bright and bubbly as though it were still daytime.

"Where are you, babe? I'm getting worri-"

"Just kidding, this is my voicemail." Was spoken, cutting Kendall off. A long beep followed, causing the man to grunt and hang up, tossing his phone to the sofa in defeat. Ignoring the feeling that something just wasn't right, Kendall decided to give his love some space. He didn't want to come off as overbearing, especially not when it came to Logan's job. What if he was speaking with someone important? His phone being blown up certainly would give off a bad impression.

"But what if he's hurt…" Kendall sighed to himself, letting his voice trail off with desperation. With another glance to the clock, the man decided he'd give it until 1AM before starting to bug Logan again for an answer.

The sound of the door swinging open made Kendall jerk awake and nearly fall off of the couch. Feeling around his head space, he grasped for his phone to give him some light. He must've passed out unexpectedly, though. Forcing his eyes to open, the taller one peered around and realized he wasn't in his bed. Kendall sat up, struggling to be alert through his tiredness. He rubbed at his eyes and groaned lowly, "I'll gut you," he then hissed in a tone that was hoarse from having just got up.

Logan hovered over his boyfriend who was still sat on the sofa, giving a sheepish laugh, "Baby, it's just me. But damn, someone's going to break into the wrong home someday."

The previous anger didn't subside, despite the joking around, "you nearly gave me a damn heart attack."

"I know, but I figured knocking would be worse. Besides, I didn't expect you to be awake to get the door, anyways." Logan shrugged, placing his jacket on the chair and going to the fridge, opening it and scanning the contents.

Kendall stood up and followed, crossing his arms over his chest, "You said you'd be home three hours ago."

Logan chuckled a bit, "I didn't realize I had a curfew, Kendall."

"Where were you?"

"Some of the guys from the show and I went out for drinks, time just got away from us, I guess. I turned my phone off, didn't want to be rude." Logan bit his lip and closed the fridge so he could turn and face his boyfriend. The displeased look on the other's face seemed to fuel a bit of rebellion in him. While it was always done out of love, Logan wasn't too fond of Kendall's constant grasp on everything he did. Protectiveness was nice, comforting even. The man bordered on smothering from time to time, though.

"You should've called." Kendall muttered flatly, his eyebrows furrowed in suspicion and paranoia, "What? Were you cheating or something?"

Logan shook his head in shame and rolled his eyes, "I honestly can't believe you'd even ask that. Do you really not trust me that much?"

"You always call. You had me worried!" He spat back.

"You know, you treat me like a child sometimes. And I'm fucking sick of it." Logan's tone matched his boyfriend's defensive one as he fumbled with hands awkwardly. Fighting with the other man luckily wasn't a usual occurrence, that didn't make things any less pleasant, though.

Kendall sighed and ignored what his partner had said. "I made you tea, it's cold now, though." He grumbled, flipping the cup off of the table as he walked to his room and shut the door behind him. The mug went flying and landed right on the wooden floor, cracking into a few pieces as well as spilling liquid everywhere.

Logan kneeled down to pick up the mess, shouting across the house as he did with annoyance present in his words, "If there's anyone who should be treated like a child, it's you!"

Just before he could open the door to their bedroom, Kendall froze in his tracks, gritting his teeth and squeezing at the brass knob in his hands. The man took a deep breath, knowing it'd be smart if he composed himself before going to talk to Logan. He'd never be able to live with himself if he let his rage get the best of him and laid a hand on his partner.

"I don't know why you're shifting this around on me," Kendall called back, turning on his heels and approaching the other male again. Towering above Logan's short frame, Kendall glanced down at him in suspicion. "You wouldn't be so defensive if everything was fine. What happened?"

"Nothing happened, oh my gosh!" Logan threw his hands in the arm and groaned, "stop pestering me!"

"I'm not pestering you, I'm nervous!"

"No, you're...you're being controlling again," the younger one let his previously annoyed voice simmer down to a soft one. His expression melted into one of realization, making it as though a light bulb had popped above his head. "I can't do this anymore," the man mumbled in vanquish, reaching out for his jacket yet again. Slinging the fuzzy, white coat up his arms and then zipping it to his neck, Logan directed himself to the front doorway.

"See you whenever, I guess," he grumbled under his breath as he disappeared into the dark, dreariness of the night. Kendall ran to follow behind him, but was cut off when the door slammed in his face. Holding his arm out, as though to try and grasp for his partner, Kendall stared ahead of him at nothing more than distressed wood. The man gulped hard and peered down at his bare feet with a slight pang of guilt seeping in. It pained him to see his boyfriend upset, but even more so, he hated knowing he was the reason behind that anguish.

As Logan hurried to his car, rain pelted down from the sky violently as usual. The water was cold this night, however, and sent shivers down the smaller one's spine. He hugged himself and stared at the ground, staying as huddled as he possibly could during his journey back to shelter. The moment he got into his car, he pulled down his sleeve and used the fabric as a way to wipe off any water on his cheeks. Logan bit his lip and ignored the mess his hair had become, his mind being too focused on the past few years of his life to divert from that subject. All it took was one fight to send him into a tizzy. His mind raced at a hundred miles per hour, replaying every memory he and Kendall once shared. The male's heart ached at the fact that the bad ones were most prominent. Though there only were a few, they seemed to be the only ones Logan could see as he drove away.

All it took was a solid ten minutes of driving before Logan sighed and pulled over. Flicking open the mirror above him and gazing at his reflection, the male ran a finger gently over a scar that still lingered on his jaw. Even after three years had passed, much like the blemish, Logan's recollection of what caused that never faded away.

"I just want to go to bed, please," Logan whimpered lowly, avoiding eye contact with his father, Steven, who stood on the first step to their staircase with his arms out to block his son from escaping.

The elderly man laughed, stumbling a bit, but hanging onto the railing tightly to achieve some balance. "You're not going to sleep, no. You're going to sit at the top of the stairs and listen to me fight with your bitch of a mother." Steven's words spilled out in a slur as he squinted at his child and lifted a bottle back to his lips. Taking another swig of alcohol the old man's mind got cloudier and Logan's anxiety heightened.

Peeking out from around the wall was Marie, Logan's mother. She cupped a hand over her mouth to muffle the sounds of her cries. Pain radiated off of the woman, the sight of her husband antagonizing her son being too agonizing to bear. Fear glued her feet to the spot she was standing in, though. If she dared to get in the path of her drunken spouse, things wouldn't have ended well for any of them.

Tears now began to well up in Logan's eyes, "I won't eavesdrop, I just want to sleep…" He let his voice trail off weakly, finding it hard to push himself away from breaking down right then and there. If he let the water drip from his eyes even more than it already was, Steven would only get crueler.

Another chuckle came from his father, "What a pussy," he sneered, raising the near-empty bottle above his head before smashing it down in the direction of Logan's face. The teenager jumped back to avoid being hit, though glass sparked up in every direction anyways. A shard flew past his cheek and knicked his jawline, slicing deeply through the skin and instantly drawing blood. Red poured from the open wound like a river which made the intoxicated man snicker.

"Whatcha going to do now? Damn you can't do anything right! Couldn't do good enough at school, couldn't get into med school, and you're bleeding all over my floor."

Marie emerged from behind the corner, shaking with worry, "Enough!" She shouted, even though her voice was tiny.

The woman made her way to her son's side and held his shoulders, walking him towards the outside. Not saying another word, she ushered him out to her car, knowing he had to get to the hospital quickly for a deep cut like that. Steven's eyes followed them, but now being without anything else to drink, the drunk had other priorities.

Nothing but the sound of blood occasionally splashing onto the car's interior filled the space on the drive to the hospital. Guilt made Marie's lips remain sealed, and shame kept Logan entirely silent. The quiet was sickening, only making the male feel like this was more of his fault. Tension was a constant mood of his home lately. He couldn't help but point the finger at himself for that one. Despite not having any reason to, the guilt lingered with him.

Logan shuffled inside the hospital and sat down on a chair, flushing with embarrassment at the disgusting state he was in. While his mother went to go and speak with some nurses, he scanned the room, his eyes instantly stopping when he spotted a familiar face. Way down at the other end of the hallway, in the pediatric center, stood Kendall. Being a volunteer there in that section, he took on the paternal role for all the unfortunate kids who had to waste their childhoods away in a recovery prison. With a hand reaching up to get a puzzle off a high shelf for a kid, Kendall stopped short and glanced at the one making eye contact with him. He smiled at his friend and waved him over.

"I'm so bored," Kendall whispered to Logan, obviously not wanting to upset the children. He loved helping out and putting a smile on the patients faces, but after hours of being there, he looked forward to the time he'd be able to go home.

"At least you're not bleeding to death." The younger one replied, using a light tone to drown out his morbid statement.

Kendall's eyes got a little wider with concern, "What the hell happened?"

Logan exhaled and glanced from side to side awkwardly, as though to be stalling time and avoiding what he wanted to say. He had known Kendall since they were kids, but the idea of opening up about something so personal frightened him. Gazing up into Kendall's eyes, Logan caught sight of something new, however. True worry was very apparent on his friend's expression, something Logan saw from no one ever since things began to go downhill. His mother, rightfully so, had plenty of other things on her mind, and obviously, his father didn't give a damn about his well being. Yet here stood his best friend, genuinely concerned about him.

"I got into a fight with my dad, but I'll be okay." Logan admitted, his tone lingering just above a whisper.

Kendall nodded respectfully, and even though he didn't pry, he expressed his care in another way. Walking over to a basket in the back of the room, he searched for some gauze and then gently moved Logan's cupped hand away from his face.

"You've gotta apply pressure to it." He said simply, holding the cloth tightly to Logan's cut.

Logan nodded softly and peered in Kendall's direction. The other male seemed focused on watching over the wound, so he didn't say much else. A tiny grin formed upon his face, though. For the first time, an actual person cared. And it wasn't fake either, Kendall really cared.

"What was I thinking?" Logan shook his head to brush away the memory and then started his car back up, quickly turning it around to head back home.

"Baby?" He called out, shutting the door behind him and stepping inside their home. On the sofa sat Kendall, glancing down at a book on his lap. He shut the pages and sighed sadly, shifting how he was sitting to be facing his boyfriend.

"I'm sorry I was being so interrogative earlier," Kendall said softly, "I don't mean to talk down to you like that, I just w-"

"You worry, and that's okay." Logan finished his sentence for him and sat next to him on the couch, hugging his side and burying his face into his chest.

"You sure? I don't want to be overbearing, I hate seeing you so upset like that." Kendall muttered, his eyes drooping with both exhaustion and sadness.

"I'm positive. It really is nice to be cared about, it was years ago, and it still is now."

Kendall smiled and held Logan's chin, gently bringing their faces closer and giving a light peck to his boyfriend's lips.

"As long as I'm around, there always will be someone who cares."

Thanks for reading. :)

xoxo

~Emilie