This was written for Clarry's birthday. I kept getting Jagan feels from Justin Timberlake's "Dress On" and she kindly persuaded me to write them out. Everyone needs more Jagan in their life. :D
This a sequel of sorts to Beautiful Mess and title comes from lyrics of the inspirational song.
Many thanks to Thilia87 for the beta!
Five songs come and go before James loosens his hold on Logan.
James finally dares to shift his gaze from the dark hair of his dance partner to the duo in the dj booth on his left, the current song winding down. Gustavo stares back unabashedly until the rotund producer gets a few words and an elbow from Kelly.
Another slow tempo song begins.
James continues sending not-so-surreptitious glances around the room as they dance, turning in slow circles awkwardly around the edge of the floor. By the fourth lap, he's certain he can't see Aubrey or her posse. "I think they're gone," he tells Logan, but makes no move to release his king. He finds comfort in having Logan close again.
"Who?" Logan mumbles into James' neck as he turns his head to peer up at him. "Who's gone?"
James shivers as the other boy's breath ghosts across his sensitive skin before meeting Logan's eyes. "My date and her life-threatening entourage." He watches the prom king bite his bottom lip and suddenly the night's events take on a different focus thanks to Logan's tell.
He slides a hand down Logan's tuxedo jacket, grabbing him by the wrist and leading him back to the scene of the crime. Unsurprisingly, no one in the crowd bats an eye or even seems to notice James pulling Logan into the bathroom.
He pushes Logan past him and leans against the door, waiting.
Logan's heart is in his throat by the time he spins to look at James in the awful fluorescent light. He notes the impossibly beautiful boy is blocking the only means of escape and Logan knows he's been caught.
"I–," he starts then stops. He bends down to ensure the three stalls are unoccupied and then bangs each door open to confirm no one's standing on a toilet like James did earlier.
The bathroom is empty outside the two of them.
When he stops searching for eavesdroppers, he's mere feet away from James instead of the miles it felt like a minute ago. He stares at the unintentional prom queen, turning towards the mirror on the wall when he realizes he can't look directly at James and speak at the same time. "This wasn't how it was supposed to go," he begins once more, studying James' reflection over his shoulder. "I wasn't trying to keep you from being prom king, you have to know that. Aubrey and her bodyguards left before I came to 'rescue' you."
He cringes when James steps away from the door.
"Logan, relax."
Every muscle in Logan's body goes on high alert as James' words work themselves through his giant brain. Well, almost every muscle. Seeing James step up behind him, feeling James' hard body against Logan's back, the remaining muscle starts to play catch up. He drops his eyes to the counter in front of them to slow down the effects James is causing his body. "Why should I?"
"Because I'm gonna kiss my hero, the prom king," James croons, lips so close to Logan's ear that if he trembled, their flesh would meet. "Is that okay?"
And when Logan nods his assent vigorously, James' lips do skim the shell of Logan's ear.
The door bangs open behind them.
"There you are! Gustavo's looking all over for the two of you, you better get out there before he comes in and–" Camille stops speaking when she takes in the full picture in front of her and changes tactics. "James Diamond! If you do not go out there and have your picture taken with Logan before you ruin my hard work, I will make it my mission to constantly cock-block you. And you know I will," she growls as she stomps out of the restroom in her borrowed size twelve black oxfords.
She sticks her head back in a second later. "Do my dress justice in the photo and wear the tiara," she commands. "Or my threat will become a promise."
James takes a step back from Logan, casting a glower at the closing door and wincing as Camille's tiny high heels scrunch his toes together if the scowl he directs at his feet is anything to go by.
Logan reaches for James' hand as he turns to face him. "You okay?"
James nods, unwilling to concede and admit to the pain. "Let's go have our picture taken."
Logan can't stop smiling.
"Did the two of you switch bodies when James changed clothes?" Gustavo wants to know. "Now that I know you can you actually appear happy, Logan, I'm going to insist that you try it in band photos. James, smile! Fine, don't smile! It's only your prom photo," he grumbles not so quietly. "Your only prom photo!" he unnecessarily adds at an unnecessary higher volume.
Logan's grin gets impossibly bigger. He can understand why James keeps a crown around. Wearing one makes him feel powerful; add in a sceptre, the feeling is bumped up to invincible.
It's a heady feeling.
He beams at James, who continues to look murderous but also gorgeous in the prom queen tiara.
"We're done! You dogs go do something prom-y. And don't leave, you're part of the clean-up crew!" Gustavo decrees before he and Kelly dash off, attempting to do everything and be everyone in order to carry off a successful Palmwoods Prom. They leave Logan and James in their wake, standing in front of the photo backdrop, staring at each other in disbelief.
"Can we please find Camille now?" James pleads after a moment. "I want to make sure she knows that I did what she wanted." He glares at their photo in his hand, eyes softening when they land on Logan in it. "You know, you look amazing in that tux," he says quietly.
The brainiac blushes as he scans the room looking for the other crossdresser at prom. He finds Camille on the periphery of it, speaking to the Jennifers. He points her out to James and the duo make their way through the crowded dance floor to her side.
They extract her from the presence of the scary, same-named trio and escort her to a quiet hallway nearby.
"I did what you want. See?" James shoves his copy of the photo in Camille's face.
Camille gently pries the picture from his grasp and carefully inspects it. "You should have smiled," she chastises him. "You get only one prom photo."
She goes to hand it back to him when he reaches out and sticks his hand inside the white tuxedo jacket she's wearing. She smacks at his arm after it brushes up against her bust a few times, forcing him to withdraw. "Are you really copping a feel with Logan standing next to you? What is wrong with you?!" she screeches.
"Nothing is wrong with me, other than these shoes and your voice's volume! Quiet down, Camille! Do you want us to get kicked out?" James walks a short distance, trying to not get riled up. He breathes deeply, in through the nose, out through the mouth, willing himself to calm down. When that fails, he kicks the wall in front of him and lowly howls in pain.
Stupid high heels, infuriating Camille.
"Can I have my shoes? Please?" James withdraws his aching feet from the heels, flexing his toes. "I think the night will go on much more pleasantly for both of us if we switch back."
Logan acts as the go-between and gets each pair of fancy footwear back to its proper owner, for which James is immensely grateful. He sighs in relief as he inserts his feet into his rightly-sized oxfords.
His jacket appears in his view moments later.
"I managed to get her to take it off. Remove what you need, because trust me, she cannot wear just your dress shirt home," Logan divulges.
"You better not be getting any ideas," James mutters as he takes it from Logan and immediately rummages through an inside pocket. "A-ha!" he crows victoriously, removing his own personal crown from a pocket of apparent hidden depth and encircles his wrist with it.
He glances over to find Logan back at Camille's side, trying to look anywhere but where she's crossed her arms over her chest. He chuckles as Logan stares at the ceiling, his own arms crossed similarly in a valiant effort to self-comfort.
James strides over to them, completing an unintended triangle. He lifts the jacket over Camille's hairdo, draping it on her shoulders. "Here you are, m'lady, and for your gracious gesture, I bestow upon you this tiara...and headband," taking both pieces from his head and placing them on hers.
She laps up the pageantry and returns the favor by slipping the crown from his arm and setting it with great care on his cranium after sliding her arms through the jacket's sleeves. "I crown you King James. Prom King James. It's the twenty-first century; it's time for proms to be ruled over by a pair of kings."
They turn to Logan with big, goofy grins and the only thing he can do is shake his head fondly when he dares to lower his gaze from the molding. "You should probably take the earrings too," he tells them. "They might get lost later."
Camille gently tugs the clip-ons off James' lobes, re-adorning her own ears with them and smiles softly at the crowned boys standing side by side. "My work here is done; I think I'm gonna head out now." Camille buttons James' jacket. "I put your photo in the right front pocket, James. It'll be safe there and I'll return your tux in the morning." She eyes her stretched-out gown on his body. "Keep the dress. It's not like I can wear it again."
She waves goodbye as she walks away, calling over her shoulder, "Enjoy the rest of your night!"
James spins Logan around so that they face each other. "Now, where were we?"
He tilts his head and presses his lips to Logan's.
When he pulls back, he can't help but laugh at Logan's now shiny lips. James rubs his thumb over them, color transferring to his finger. "I think we should clean my face off before we go any further," he says, showing Logan his thumb.
Clean-up is taking way longer than Logan expected.
Gustavo and Kelly are taking a break outside since their photographer/caterer/dj/server jobs are over, which leaves James and Logan all the janitorial duties of the empty, but sort of messy ballroom. Normally, Logan would continue to protest the manual labor but he's having trouble concentrating since returning with his co-prom king.
And now, James keeps inadvertently catching Logan's attention from where he's clearing the tables across the room. The make-up is long gone after a good scrub, followed by copious amounts of kissing and as much dancing as Logan could stand with Gustavo shouting at him to "loosen up".
The "manly" crown remains perched atop James' head however, just like Logan's is, glinting ever so faintly in the room's low light as trash and leftover debris gets thrown into the garbage bag in his left hand.
Logan stares, watching James move with efficiency in the borrowed dress, fairly sizable biceps on display and flexing with each movement. Of course, the low cut of Camille's dress is doing nothing to hide James' firm pectoral muscles and Logan is thankful that James' back is to the room. If it wasn't, he'd be able to see Logan drooling.
"Where do you think Kendall ended up? Minnesota? Jail? Gustavo's?"
James' question snaps Logan out of his reverie and he quickly turns his own back to James and busies himself with his share of the tables. Things would probably go quicker if he put down his sceptre, but if he does, Logan hypothesizes he won't be able to keep his hands to himself anymore.
It's not a theory he's willing to test at the moment; not here, anyway.
He shrugs in response to James, deciding on, "Mr. Taylor should have had his CIA buddies return Kendall to his mom. He's still a minor, there's not much Jo's dad can do to Kendall." Logan pauses for a moment. "Except maybe forbid him from seeing Jo again. He did break her curfew and then snuck her out to prom after he knew she was grounded."
"Do you think the Jennifers destroyed Carlos?"
Logan tries to remember if he saw the eternally optimistic boy leave, but all he can recall is running around and pretending to be working on a way to free the bathroom-trapped pretty boy. Because of this, all info he and James have about the band's other half has come from the record producer and his assistant when James complained about being treated like a slave when he was actually a king. "Quite possibly. Although, I don't think they'll be too hard on him. They like having his attention."
Silence falls between them and each boy continues with the assigned task of making the hotel forget it was suckered into holding a prom. Once the tables are free of remaining clutter and detritus, Logan starts collecting the place settings while letting the events of the night replay in his head once more.
The hairs on the back of Logan's neck stand seconds before arms slide around his waist. "Whatcha thinkin' about?"
James grabs the last tumbler off the last table in his section, spinning to ask Logan how much more they need to do before they can continue enjoying their prom night. When his eyes land on the profile of the prom king– his prom king– he finds himself thinking about their make-out session in what's become James' favorite bathroom.
The clinking of flatware against china brings James back to reality. He's now looking at Logan's posterior and it gives him an idea. James hurries across the floor silently and encircles the other boy with his arms. "Whatcha thinkin' about?" he whispers into Logan's ear, enjoying the feel of Logan against his front.
Before Logan can answer, James simultaneously hears and feels Logan's stomach gurgle beneath his hands. "Didn't get enough at dinner?" As he thinks back, he cannot remember having eaten tonight. That means Logan probably didn't either, having been too busy helping James become prom royalty.
James hooks his chin over Logan's shoulder, eyes catching the sceptre in Logan's right hand. He reaches for it, only to have Logan wriggle out of his embrace, walk a few feet, and grab a broom with his empty hand.
Logan begins his single-handed sweeping, pushing the broom away from James, escaping the only way he can while appearing to keep the sceptre close to his body as if he knows James will run by and make a grab for it if given the opportunity.
If he thinks James will let that move go, Logan hasn't been paying attention for a good number of years. James stalks after Logan, moving stealthily in the other boy's shadow until he's close enough to yank the staff away from its current holder.
Logan whirls around. "Give that back!"
James has known the brains of the group for almost ten years, and yet, Logan's behavior at present baffles him completely. It's not like he's going to keep the damn thing. "What's going on with you? Why won't you put this stupid thing down?" he wonders out loud as he examines it. "Want it? Come and get it," he taunts, waving the coronal tip at the other boy.
James isn't sure what the look in Logan's eyes means so he takes off running. "Bet you're sorry you gave me my shoes back," he shouts, weaving through tables.
"Not really," comes from close by and James only has a second to react before he's tackled to the floor away from the furniture in the back of the room.
The two grapple for a long minute over the sceptre until it slips from James' grasp. Neither notice it rolling away or that their crowns have disappeared too since Logan's hands are busy skimming over James' bare arms, holding them lightly over James' head while James is getting a hickey sucked into his neck and gently bucking up into the body lying flush on top of him.
A groan of great satisfaction escapes James' lips and he closes his eyes, enjoying the onslaught of sensations for what feels like a nano-second and an eternity all at once when it all stops.
Logan hears James groan and leans back, eyes wide, and frees the arms he'd been holding captive.
He goes to climb off of James but is stopped by a questioning look on James' face. "The faster we finish, the sooner we can get you out of that dress," Logan says and immediately colors. "I mean, finish cleaning the room! And that dress has to be really uncomfortable and embarrassing, right?"
"I'm not embarrassed by it; I look good. Although, we should get back to work, if you ever want to get me out of it." He smirks at Logan as they situate their clothing and themselves before standing. "And since it's stretched a bit more, it's almost comfortable," James confides as he runs a hand over the dark, satin-y fuchsia material, noises coming from Logan's midsection at the same time. "We'll be getting you some dinner first, though." James lowers his voice to add, "Can't have you passing out in the middle of everything."
Gustavo storms into the ballroom half a second later and pins them with a laser-like gaze. "Dogs! Go home! Kelly says you've done enough!"
Logan races to the door, scooping up the prom souvenirs with his hands as he goes. James is hot on his heels. They know from previous experience that if they linger, Gustavo will defy Kelly and put the couple back to work since his other two dogs are MIA.
The cool night air feels great on Logan's face the moment they step out of the hotel. They turn in the direction of The Palmwoods and Logan spots a diner seven doors down. His stomach complains its loudest yet tonight at the sight, breaking the comfortable silence that blossomed the moment Gustavo released them.
He fully intends on walking past and not stopping until he's in the kitchen of 2J, where he'll quietly concoct the largest sandwich he can with all the ingredients in the refrigerator. He might spare James some fixings if the other prom king asks nicely.
Suddenly James' arm drops over his shoulder and Logan finds himself being steered through the diner's set of doors, then shoved onto a booth bench, couched between James and a wall.
He wants to be offended and outraged for being manhandled, but he's pleased that James is fulfilling his promise and all Logan can think about is how close he is to getting some actual food. Logan puts the crowns and sceptre on the table, grabbing a menu. He sightlessly peruses it, his focus shifting from one insatiable hunger to another thanks to the heat radiating from James' body and how it's making him forget being desperately hungry for food.
The waitress comes by to take their order and when it's his turn to speak, James places a hand on his thigh, presumably to still his bouncing leg and Logan's mind goes blank– not that he had an order ready to request– when James' fingers creep close to the pants' inseam. He gapes like a fish for a few seconds before James orders for him and asks her to bring two baskets of chicken fingers and fries, as well as a large stack of toast.
She fills their water glasses before she takes the menus and departs to place their order.
Logan rests his forehead on the table, unable to look anyone in the eye while James feels him up. "You did that on purpose," he hisses at James when he's relatively certain she's out of earshot.
"You bet I did," he hears James gloat as his fingers claim their prize. "Too bad you're not wearing a dress."
An hour later, James and Logan stand in front of Logan and Kendall's shared bedroom door.
They exchange chaste goodnight kisses, James knowing that going any further would be difficult to pull off with all occupants in residence. He doesn't want to put Logan in that kind of situation.
But speaking of situations…
James puts his hand on the bedroom's door, keeping it from closing. "Hey, Logan?"
"What?" Logan's voice floats out quietly, trying not to disturb Kendall.
"I had a good time tonight; thank you for making prom memorable." He pauses for dramatic effect. "There's no one else I'd rather be pre-pre-engaged to; I can't wait to be your husband." He's entirely sincere, but not to the degree he leads Logan to believe.
They have plenty of time to work their way up to marriage.
James sprints down the hall, cackling softly as Logan panics loudly in his room, waking Kendall in the process. Entering his and Carlos' room, he rapidly disrobes and slips into his bed across the room from Carlos' slumbering form.
James counts his lucky stars that Carlos is a heavy sleeper because he can hear his almost-betrothed ranting at his roommate through the quartet's shared wall. Not only did you not get the crown, but now you won't be getting much rest either, he muses closing his eyes.
Take that, Kendall.