Handsomely Beautiful

By: Rhuben

Summary-James Diamond has no problem calling it like he sees it, he'll call any girl "beautiful" or "hot" without thinking twice about it. If only she could see that she was as beautiful as he thought she was. James/OC Friendship (but can also be seen as relationship).

James Diamond grinned over at Rhuben Jackson-McGuire when he heard her huff of annoyance for the umpteenth time. As he moved through the dance moves he had just learned for that day, watching himself in the mirror, she was waiting to go home. But, he was the reason she was being kept there. She wasn't Gustavo Rocque's personally hired choreographer working specifically with Big Time Rush anymore, but being the great friend that she was, she would come in to help anytime that she was asked.

"Can't you at least pretend to be happy for me? Because I'm so awesome and I just nailed this?" James asked, stopping in mid spin, his shoes making a squeaking sound on the floor.

"I'd be happy, Handsome, if you got your ass out of here so I can get home," Rhuben replied, slapping the floor with the flat of her foot. She had one hand in her lap, on her cell phone, the other had her finger hovering over the STOP button on the remote that faced the stereo system in the corner of the room. "I'm starving."

"Ah, you just want to look at my ass on the way out," James said and Rhuben rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Is that a smile I see on your face, Beautiful? Ah, yes it is."

"I'm smiling because you've once again, proven, that you can take any dance routine I can throw your way, Handsome," Rhuben replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm impressed." James hovered over her and grabbed her wrists, pulling her to her feet.

"And I have you to thank for that, Beautiful," James replied, moving to grab his towel from his bag. He ran the towel over his face before draping it over his neck. He frowned, when he didn't get a witty answer. He lifted the towel from over his face and saw that Rhuben was packing up her bag, an odd look on her face. "What's up?"

He took the towel in his hands, rolled it up, and whipped it at her butt, grinning when she let out a shriek of shock, anger, and annoyance when it connected with a cracking sound. "Get serious, James," she muttered, grabbing the towel from his hands.

"Uh oh, you called me James," James said in a sing-song voice. "I must be in trouble. What's up, Beautiful?"

"You know my name, James, why do you call me that?" Rhuben asked him. She didn't sound mad, she just sounded curious. She shoved his towel into her bag, before slowly standing up to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. "I mean I know you didn't know my name before, but surely you do now."

"Of course I do, Rhuben," James said, leaning towards her as he put stress on her name. "It's what we do. I call you and Riles 'Beautiful' and you girls call me 'Handsome.' It's our thing." He shrugged. "It's…well, it's us." He tilted his head to the side as she went back to pack up her stuff. "And because I do think you're beautiful."

Rhuben stopped what she was doing and slowly turned to look at him. She was looking at him as if he had just told her, with conviction, that the sky was green and filled with cotton candy. Her expression changed, as if she was waiting for him to start laughing and tell her that he was just kidding. And that surprised him.

"You…you don't think—"

"I just don't get why you call me that, I mean, I'm not," Rhuben quickly interrupted him, turning back to pack up her bag. She loudly zipped it shut and threw her bag over her shoulder. "So, if you're done, I can drop the keys off with Gustavo, get yelled at, and head out."

"Stop," James said, grabbing her arm, stopping her from leaving. He let out a breath of air through his nose when she slowly turned around to face him. He open and closed his mouth before asking, "You don't think you're beautiful, do you?"

"It's 'cause I'm not," Rhuben replied after a moment of silence, pulling her arm from his grasp. "Can we go now?"

James hurried to stand in front of her, stopping her from leaving. She looked up at him, raising her eyebrows, waiting for him to say whatever it was that he wanted to say. When he didn't say anything, she side stepped him and went to head out the door again, but again, he stepped in front of her.

"Why don't you see what I see?" he asked.

"Why don't you see what I see?" Rhuben shot back, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat, scratching the back of her neck.

"Whatever your dad, or your ex-dad, or whatever you want to call Robert, told you…whatever he said to put you down, it's not true," James commented. Rhuben shook her head, back stepping, hoping to move around him, but he stopped her again. He couldn't help the pleading tone that filled his voice. "Surely, you know that."

"What I know is that all that matters is how I feel about myself," Rhuben replied, gently pushing him off of her.

"And how do you feel about yourself?" James asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. Rhuben set her jaw, turning her head away. "Come here, Beautiful." He gently took her arm, pulling her towards the mirrors of the dance studio. He pulled her gym bag off her arm and dropped it to the ground, throwing his stuff down beside it. He then stood behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder. "What do you see?" He gave a grin and winked at himself in the mirror. "Besides my handsome self."

"…I see me," Rhuben replied.

"Describe yourself," James suggested, as he looped his arms around her waist. Rhuben made a face, squirming in his grasp, but he wasn't going to let go anytime soon. Partly because he loved the way she felt against him and because he wanted to make a point to her. That she was beautiful on the inside and out, whether or not she truly believed it.

"Short. Tan. Thin. Athletic," Rhuben replied. She then gave a shrug and James sighed through his nose.

"Ok, go stand with your back against the mirror," he said, removing his arms from around her waist.

He crouched down by his bag, and rooted around in it, looking for something. He had an idea, something that he used a lot on himself when he was younger, back when he used to be…well, chubbier. Not a lot of people knew that about him and while he was accepting of that side of him, it was hard for him to sometimes realize he used to be that size.

People wondered why he was considered "The Face" of Big Time Rush, but if they really knew it, they'd know it was pretty obvious. He used to be fat, and both his parents took pride in physical appearance. His dad was a professional bodybuilder and his mom was a CEO of a very popular cosmetics line in the Midwest. There was so much pressure to be the best looking he could be at all times. He knew that because of how he was raised he could be very into himself. But, he paid attention to things around him as well.

"You're not going to…like, maul me are you?" Rhuben asked. James laughed. He didn't have to look at her to know that she was giving him a weird look.

"Frisking is more me, but I'm not going to push my luck," James replied, still digging through his bag. Come on, where is it.

"Now you're just lying to me," Rhuben pointed out to him. "You've been pushing your luck since you met me." He could sense her rolling her eyes. He could almost see the impish smile that was sure to follow behind it. James didn't say anything and she scoffed.

"Ah ha!" James said as he pulled out a dry erase marker from his bag. "Just stand there." He looked over at her before he used his teeth, twisting off the cap. He started at her foot and traced around her body. He was aware of her watching his every move, but he didn't say anything until he was done. "Ok, come here. Come stand right beside me."

He blinked when she didn't move, but continued to stand at the mirror. "That makes it worse," she muttered. James gave her a confused look. "Being around you, it…sometimes, it…my self-esteem—low as it already is—it drops even lower. " She put her left hand on her right bicep as she scratched at her ear with her right hand, turning her head away from him.

"I want you to forget all of that and just focus on what I'm saying," James said, repeatedly twisting off the cap and to the marker and snapping it back on. "I know you want to get over this as fast possible, so let's get this over with."

He flipped the marker up into the air, catching it in his hand before handing it t her. "I want you…to walk over to that glass, and inside your body, I want you to write everything that you like about yourself," James said, as Rhuben took hold of the marker. He tightened his grip as she tried to take the marker from him. "Everything on the inside is what you think about yourself. It's what you like about yourself. It's what other people say about you that can make you smile."

James stopped for a moment, waiting to see her reaction. She didn't say anything or show anything in her face. "You have people all around you telling you what they think about you, and I know it makes you smile, I know it makes you happy. But, that's from the people you see everyday and who are the most important in your life. Fans, and haters don't matter her."

"This sounds stupid, James," Rhuben said with a huff of annoyance.

"That's funny…considering you were the one that taught me how to do this for myself," James said, scratching at his jaw. "Remember? A couple months after we first go out to Los Angeles, you put me on the spot and took me out to—"

"Karaoke," Rhuben replied with a hint of a smile. "You freaked out so much. But, you were amazing. You thought you were terrible. But, I could tell that you got hooked by the reception. It was a—"

"Big Time Rush," the two of them said together and they started to laugh a little bit.

"You told me that I had to take all my doubts and fears from what was going on, what was making me scared about doing all this, I had to take all of it and weed out what was important to me, and what was important was how I thought about myself, and I knew I could do it," James said, turning to face her. "I want you to find out what's important to you. I want you to see that you do care about what people think about you, and you do take it to heart. And it's all because of what Robert has drilled into your head. You're great. Everyone thinks you're great."

"Except me," Rhuben said slapping the marker into James's hard chest. She muttered an 'ow' as she shook her hand and James chuckled. "I'm not great! I'm not special! I'm just…I'm not."

"Yes, you are," James replied.

"I'm not, James!" Rhuben cried, her voice cracking. "I'm not. I'm not how everyone thinks I am."

"Who's everyone? The fans?" James asked, his eyebrows shooting up. "They don't matter. Well, I mean, yes, they matter because they're who we're doing this all for. But, they don't matter. They've taken the news of your abuse in stride. You've helped a whole bunch of them come forward about their own abuse. They think you're special because you were brave to go to court."

"We were stupid and we got caught," Rhuben replied, shaking her head. "James, I just want to go—"

"We'll go once we're done here," James said.

He was a patient man. He was patient enough to wait until she actually admitted they were friends. He was patient enough to wait for her to stop being tense whenever he put his arm around her, or when he gave her a hug (although, he was quick to learn that if she initiated a hug, it was fine) and he would be patient with this.

"I'll wait all night if I have to, I don't mind, and I'll be sure to let people know where you are, and that you're safe," James said quietly, rocking back and forth on his heels. Rhuben pressed her lips together as her eyes started tearing up. She looked towards the ceiling, willing them to go away. "Rhuben, you are an amazing person. If you can't see that yourself, then no one else can."

"I guess I'll start," James said, taking the marker from her. He uncapped it and started to write in his slanted scrawl he called his handwriting. "I think you're cool…and nice…and funny…and just plain amazing." His marker made squeaking sounds against the glass.

"Yeah…right," Rhuben replied, rolling her eyes. "That's what you think about me, James. I don't think that way about myself. Not really." James didn't respond. "What, you don't have anything else to say?"

James silently regarded her. "I was trying to think of a way to suavely hold your hand, but since you like to talk with them, it's hard." He grinned.

"Oh," Rhuben replied.

"Yeah," James said with a smirk, "Oh. I'm having trouble understanding something. And I really want to understand this. Truly, I do."

"Mhm?" Rhuben asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It's no surprise to anybody that I think you're beautiful," James explained, popping the cap back onto the marker. He twisted it in his fingers, before walking over to her, tapping her on the nose with it. "You really are, by the way – but you don't think so… So why…What is it that Robert told you that made you not see it? You know, I could make you feel beautiful too."

"Yeah, I'm sure you could," Rhuben replied with a roll of her eyes. "What are you going to do? Get your mom entire make up line and give me a makeover? That'll go over well. You know I hate being someone I'm not."

"You can be sexy when you want to be, it's just not how other girls your age portray sexiness," James said and Rhuben blushed a bright red. "It's a compliment, not supposed to make you feel weird. But, I guess it's hard for you to accept any form of compliment, then. But, I want to test something."

Then he kissed her. It was short and sweet. "You're beautiful, to me, to Kendall, to James, to Logan, to Dak, and WayneWayne, to Ronan, and most importantly to your brothers," James said quietly as he watched Rhuben slowly open her eyes. "Especially, Dak. You know he's crazy about you."

"He won't be crazy to know that we kissed," Rhuben replied.

"Correction; I kissed you," he said, putting up his finger, tapping her nose with his index finger. "And Dak knows that your flirting with me is completely innocent. He knows where we stand. Besides, you two aren't even official. Plus, we've gone out a few times, and you and Dak have gone out a few times. How do you feel about him, by the way? Or, rather, how does he make you feel?"

James couldn't help but grin as Rhuben bowed her head, scratching the back of her neck. It was obvious that she had feelings for Dak. And it was obvious that she had feelings for Logan, whom she had known since she was a kid. And it was obvious that she had a crush on James when she had first met him, in fact both she and her twin sister, Riley, had liked him.

"Stop worrying," James said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Just let it all go. It doesn't matter where you start; with the good or bad. I just want you to come to terms with how you're feeling."

He instantly felt her tense up, but he didn't remove her hand and smiled when, a few moments later, she relaxed, scratching at her left eyebrow with her hand. He recognized that move instantly, she did it on a few occasions; when she was hiding a blush, when she was hiding how uncomfortable she was, and when she was saving you embarrassment by hiding her amused smile. But in this case, it was option two.

"I can't!" Rhuben snapped through clenched teeth, pointing the marker at James's nose. "You know I can't! I don't know why you're making me do this."

James put his hands up in the air and looked at her in the mirror, refusing to look directly into her blue eyes. He knew that he'd back down if he did; it was always those mysterious, gorgeous, blue eyes that made him act like an idiot more so than usual. Rhuben let out a huff of air before turning back to face the mirror, holding up the marker again. He watched as she bit her lip, the marker hovering over the mirror.

"You're a great person," James offered in a quiet voice, barely above a whisper, leaning against the mirror.

"I wish," Rhuben sighed, moving to drop her arm, but James reached out and grabbed it, keeping it up into the air.

"You are," he said. "You're a great person, sister, friend, and mother figure to us 'dogs'." He couldn't help but give a small grin. "You're caring, you're doting, you're attentive, an amazing listener, you're helpful, you're a bomb ass dancer, one hell of a singer, and well…beautiful. And hot."

"Which, in your case, goes hand in hand," Rhuben commented.

James let out a short laugh, scratching the side of his jaw. "Actually, it doesn't, and you know that," he replied, giving her a pointed look.

And she did. It was her and Riley that found out why James never had a steady girlfriend or had ever really been in a committed relationship. But, that was due in part that he didn't want to end up like his parents, who had gotten divorced and his dad's new girlfriend was fifteen years younger than him. It didn't seem like his mom would ever get over it, and all his parents did whenever they had to get together was fight.

"Sorry," Rhuben replied.

"You didn't deny anything I just said," James said, before pushing himself off of the glass, pushing Rhuben towards the glass. "Start writing."

"I'm nice," Rhuben said as she started to write, adding her own, swirly, signature to his slanted writing. "Most of the time." James smiled. "I'm a great dancer. I'm supportive…a good listener…a great advice giver…a good sister, a good—a good daughter…an awesome friend…musician."

She then moved to the area outside of her shape and started writing faster and more sloppily. Her breathing came out more labored, she clenched her teeth together as tears stung her eyes. "I'm stupid, I'm a coward, I'm heartless, I'm fat, I'm ugly, I'm selfish, I'm a bitch, I'm worthless, I won't amount to anything, I'm pathetic, I'm a coward…"

James silently watched as the list got longer and longer. He briefly closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh through his nose before stepping forward, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug as she cried. He ran his fingers through her hair, before turning her around to face the mirror, wiping away her tears with his thumbs.

"You see? This is who you are," he said quietly, motioning to her flushed cheeks as she slowly stopped crying. Her bright pink cheeks made her eyes stand out more than they usually did. "This is what Dak sees every day, all the time. Showing how you're really feeling; that's beautiful. This…all of this—" he waved his hand at the words written outside of the body shape on the mirror. "This means nothing because the person that made you think about those words, isn't around anymore. And I'll be damned if I just sit by and let him come back. Ronan, too."

He then reached for his towel in his bag and started wiping it away. "And that is why I call you Beautiful," James said, pausing in what he was doing to give her a meaningful look. "And you're beautiful on the inside and out. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Thanks, Handsome," Rhuben replied, wiping at her eyes. "You're a great friend."

"As are you, my dear," James replied, tossing the towel at her head. James smiled when Rhuben let out a very un-Rhuben-like giggle. "Huh. If only I could get that out of you more often. Dak's a lucky guy. He sure knows how to pick 'em. He's right for you. If there's anyone who can help you realize just how beautiful you are, day in and day out, it's him. You know he cares so much about you. We all do."

"How is it that you know what to say all the time, Handsome?" Rhuben asked, giving him a nod of thanks as he handed her, her bag.

"Because I've seen how my parents treat each other and I always told myself that I wouldn't end up that way," James replied."You're welcome, Beautiful."

"Thanks, Handsome," Rhuben replied. "Even when I didn't want it, you've always been there to help me. But now, I think it's time I help you."

"How so?" James asked.

"I'm going to help you get and keep a girlfriend," Rhuben replied and James gave her a confused look. "Everybody's been coupling up around you, I can tell you're feeling a little…left out. That's why you kissed Camille, right? The second time, I mean."

James's lips twitched. "Sorry, I said I wouldn't bring it up again. But, anyway, I'm going to find you a girlfriend, preferably after you get back from tour, and someone who has no problem looking at your handsome face all day." She reached up her hand and pinched his cheek, giving him a teasing grin. James chuckled, batting her hand away.

Soon, he left for the All Over the World, but when he got back, he noticed a change in her. She was smiling more, and her clothes changed from keeping everything covered, to fitting her personality more. She had never been more beautiful.

A/N: Part of this fic, mentions something that's going to happen soon in Never Again. This was an idea I've had for a while for a James/Rhuben fic. It's basically set during season 3 and how James helps Rhuben with her self image, and she helps him come to terms with her parents' divorce and how it has affected him. It might end up having hints of James/Jo or be a Jo/James/Rhuben love triangle to go along with our timeline (despite the timeline having it be Della). I've just been thinking about doing a full Jella fic for a while. Alternate title is "Diamond in the Rough."

Hope you guys liked it. Just Listen will be uploaded real soon.

Cheers,

-Rhubes