(A/N: My story for the BTR Plot Adoption Forums Valentine's Day Contest. I'm submitting a little bit late but I really hope you enjoy the one-shot. God I miss writing Kames)
Kendall rolled over and felt his bed was unexpectedly cold. He furrowed his brows in confusion and rubbed his tired eyes. He slowly blinked them awake and saw that his bed had been left empty and he had been sleeping alone. Kendall slowly sat up and pulled the blankets over his lower body and sighed. He and James had been spending a lot more time together recently. He remembered the night of passion they shared last night, and it made Kendall's chest hurt. He couldn't understand why James would always leave in the morning. At first Kendall had hoped it was because James didn't want Kendall to see him so early in the morning, despite the numerous sleepovers from their childhood where they would wake up next to each other.
Kendall chewed on his thumbnail and tried to think. When did James even leave? Why does he always leave?
Eventually Kendall dragged himself out of the lonely comforts of his bed so that he could look for James in the apartment. Like usual, Carlos was eating and bantering with Logan, his mum was making breakfast for Katie and James was nowhere to be seen. Kendall sat on the couch and rubbed his head. No one knew what he and James got up to at night because they usually waited until everyone had gone to bed. No one was aware of the flirtatious glances and gentle hand touches they passed when nobody was looking.
The things they did in secret had been staying a secret for many months. Kendall was beginning to feel fed up with keeping the things they did a lie. Not the moments they shared beneath the sheets, but just to freely hold James' hand or even announce that they were a thing. Kendall stopped biting his nail.
Are they even a thing? What are they?
Just best friends who enjoy the physically intimate company of one another? Or are they more than that?
They mustn't be… James barely even talks to Kendall outside of when the others go to sleep. Kendall frowned and just slumped back into the couch. He released a hefty sigh.
"Kendall honey, come have something to eat… Do you want some toast?" His mother asked kindly from the kitchen. She can sense something is off about her son.
"I'm fine thanks, I don't really feel like eating yet. Not hungry." Kendall answered honestly. His stomach grumbled with a request for food, but he couldn't be bothered getting up and preparing something to eat let alone going through the effort of chewing and swallowing. He just closed his eyes and tried to not think about James. Jen stared at her son and wanted to pry. She knows that he usually wakes up starving and scoffing down half the kitchen. She opened her mouth to speak but James came out of the bathroom and hummed happily.
"What's got you so happy this morning?" Jen asked with an amused huff. The sound of James' voice made Kendall's head perk up to look at him from the couch. He looked over at James and sunk down a bit more in hopes that James had not seen he was sitting in the loungeroom.
"Oh nothing too exciting mama K." James said excitedly. He kissed her on the cheek and stole a piece of Katies toast. Katie stuck her arms up and yelled, "Hey! Give that back!"
James shrugged and took a bite of the jam coated toast. He walked past the others as if he was dancing 10ft above them all. Kendall pulled his knees up to his chest and watched the way James moved around the crib. He gave Carlos' hair a bit of a scruffy greeting and then winked at Logan. "What nerd stuff are you up to today?" He asked the boy who had his head buried in a science text book.
"Just doing some extra reading on our day off," He said as he marked his page and put the anatomy book down. "Why are you in such a good mood?" Logan's question made Kendall pay extra attention. He also wants to know why James is acting so happy.
"Oh nothing. Just a certain babe that needs to be picked up is all." James bragged before he leaned against the table and begun styling his hair upwards. Carlos raised his eyebrows and looked up at James.
"Who?" He asked with curiosity. Kendall felt his heart sink through his chest, and he looked over at the table. James pulled out his phone and faced it in Carlos' direction. Kendall tried to have a look, but the screen was too far away. Carlos' face lit up and he gave James a nudge. "Daaaaamn alright then. Have fun with her." He said with a smirk. Kendall felt gross in his chest. He sat up and looked over at James.
"Show me dude." He requested. James looked over at Kendall for a moment before completely ignoring him.
"Anyway, I've got to go now. Early start and all that. I'll see you guys later." James said before slipping his phone back into his pocket and grabbing his coat off the coatrack by the door. Kendall stood up and walked to the end of the table.
"Hey- wait a second- I want to see her too. Who are you seeing?" Kendall tried to ask again. James continued to ignore him by just opening the door. He gave Kendall a cold, warning glance over his shoulder before closing the door behind him and leaving. Kendall stood there with his jaw slack from shock. There was silence throughout the crib. It felt heavy and awkward.
Katie broke it with an awkward laugh, "Did you guys have a fight or something?"
"Not that I can think of." Kendall said with a frown. He marched to the door and opened it up.
"Wait- Kendall," Jennifer interrupted his movements. "You're still in your pyjamas." She said. Kendall just walked out the door instead of responding. He didn't care. He managed to catch James waiting at the elevator. He stormed up to him and grabbed his shoulder; forcing him to turn around.
"Hey back off-"James spat. He looked defensive until realising it was Kendall who forced him to face the opposite direction. "Oh, hey Kendall," James said with a flirty smirk. Kendall scoffed and gave James' shoulder a shove.
"Dude what the hell? Why did you ignore me? Where did you go this morning? Where are you going now? Who are you seeing?" Kendall quickly asked as many questions as he could in case James would turn around and ignore him again.
"Chill man, I just had to start getting ready. Besides, Logan was starting to wake up y'know…" James said awkwardly. Kendall rolled his eyes.
"Well why did you ignore me? Who is this score you're seeing?" Kendall noticed how handsome James was looking. He stepped back and frowned. "James… where are you going…" He said in a small, insecure voice. James sighed and crossed his arms.
"Look Kendall, its none of your business." He said firmly. James stepped closer to Kendall and stared him resolutely in the eyes. Kendall took a step back and swallowed thickly.
"I think it is- I just- James I have so many questions. Not just this morning but- every other morning- why do you always leave? Why can't we say anything? What are you so scared of?" Kendall matched the determined gaze in James' eyes. James went quiet. He just turned his head and moved to stand in front of the elevator.
Ding
The doors slid apart and James just walked in. "Just leave it alone Kendall." James said before the doors closed and left Kendall standing in front of the elevator in nothing but his pyjamas and a confused heart.
Kendall couldn't figure out what James was doing to him. Especially when that night James rejected his advances. James went to bed in his shared room with Carlos, leaving Kendall alone to try and think about why James would reject him so many times in one day. He figured it was time for a bit of a break anyway. They were starting to get too close. If anything, Kendall was just confused because it was James' idea to start all this fooling around and apparently now, James is also the one who ends it.
The next day Kendall and Logan were heading down to the pool. Kendall needed some bro time to take his mind off things. They were in their swimming shorts and had towels slung over their shoulders. The Palmwoods was buzzing today. At the front desk Bitters was selling single red roses for $15, the lobby was decorated with pink and red paper cut outs of love hearts and roses. There were helium heart shaped balloons and posters and banners boasting about Valentines Day. Kendall stopped in his tracks.
"Wait- what's the date today?" Kendall asked while overlooking the horrendously 'loved up' lobby.
"February 13th man. Valentines is tomorrow." Logan answered. "Remember I was telling you on the way down about how Camille and I are going to go see some plays and then have a dinner date?" Logan said to prompt Kendall's memory.
"Yeah I thought you meant just a date in general I had no idea you meant for Valentines Day." Kendall said with a sigh. He rubbed his head. He was a hopeless romantic at heart, but he didn't have anyone to celebrate with this year. Jo was still away in New Zealand and no new girls had caught his attention. He considered that maybe he could do something with James but he was nowhere to be seen. The thought of how absent James was made Kendall's heart hurt. "Do you know what James and Carlos have planned tomorrow? Cause like, I want to have a bro day or something since I've got no one to spend the day with."
"Um… I think Carlos had a date with someone. Not sure who, he isn't really talking about it. Neither is James. I wouldn't be surprised if James had numerous dates tomorrow to be honest." Logan said before continuing his walk to the pool. Kendall followed awkwardly.
"Yeah that makes sense…" Kendall said as he put his towel down next to Logan's on one of the poolside chairs.
"Hey, if it makes you feel better, I'm sure Camille wouldn't mind if you came with us on our date," Logan kindly suggested. Kendall shook his head. "I think I'll be fine on my own," he said in response to Logan. "Thanks anyway."
They got in the pool and that was when Kendall noticed everyone was very loved up right now. A lot of couples either swam way too close to one another or they were snuggling on the chairs beside the pool. A few couples were even making out. One guy even brought one of Bitters' roses to his girlfriend which caused a series of awwwes from the surrounding pool patrons. Kendall almost felt sickened by so much PDA.
"Sorry man, I'm not feeling too good. I might go back up to the crib…" Kendall said with a frown. Logan looked at him with deep concern.
"What's wrong? Is it anything I can help with? Where about are you feeling off?" Logan asked frantically. Kendall shook his head.
"Don't stress man, its just a bit of tummy pain. Might have eaten something weird this morning." Kendall said softly. Logan nodded.
"I think I'm going to stay down here… I'll see you later on though… Rest on the couch and make sure to keep your fluids up." Logan said to reassure Kendall that he will be okay. Kendall nodded. "Thanks man…" He said before he pulled himself out of the pool. He wrapped his towel around his waste and walked straight to the elevator. The doors opened and he saw James and a woman wearing a black blouse and matching pencil skirt in the elevator. She was young and very pretty. Kendall looked from James to her and then back to James again.
"Um- hi?" Kendall said awkwardly. James cleared his throat and put his hand on the woman's lower back, giving her a slight push so they could step out of the elevator. Kendall noticed she was holding a tablet and making notes on it. She looked up at Kendall and smiled a perfect smile.
"Oh! This must be Kendall," She said kindly. Kendall thought about how even her voice was smooth and perfect. This must be the score from the photos James showed Carlos yesterday. She held her perfectly manicured hand out to Kendall. He forced a smile and shook her hand.
"Hey… you must be…?" He tried to encourage an introduction. James cut in and pulled their hands apart.
"She's no one you need to know about," James said coldly. Kendall stepped back slightly and nodded slowly. "Oh… okay…" He said under his breath. She cleared her throat and straightened her back. She looked up at James and smiled slyly.
"I see what you were talking about…" She said soft enough for it to be a secret for James, but loud enough for Kendall to hear her. "I'll see you tomorrow." She said to James before giving a small wave and walking off; brown locks flowing behind her. James then turned to walk back into the elevator and Kendall followed silently. James pressed the button for the elevator and waited for it to open. The doors opened rather quickly considering the elevator was already on the ground floor. James stepped in then stopped Kendall at the doors.
"Where are you going?" James asked defensively. Kendall's face scrunched up in confusion.
"I'm going back up to the crib. Dude I'm cold in the aircon I just want to have a shower and play videogames stop being an idiot and let me in." he said as he tried to push his way past James. James blocked Kendall and shoved him away from the elevator.
"Come up later or something. I just need some alone time first." James said irritably. The doors shut before Kendal could block them. Kendall cursed under his breath and ran a hand through his hair.
"What the hell is going on with him." He said angrily. He watched the elevator go up and figured it was easier to just take the stairs. Kendall took the stairs up to the crib and just opened the door right up. He opened the door to see James sitting at the table with his laptop. Kendall walked in and pulled the towel up and draped it over his shoulders.
"What are you doing?" Kendall asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Just mind your own business Kendall." James muttered as he continued to type away on the laptop. Kendall grabbed a chair and flipped it around. He straddled the seat and rested his arms on the back of the chair. His chin then rested on his arms and he stared at James. He huffed.
"Is everyone out?" Kendall asked. James nodded. "Oh, okay good." Kendall nodded and looked at James. "Can you just give me some answers? Like? Why the hell are you being so weird? Who was that girl you were with? Are you doing anything tomorrow?" James blushed at Kendall's questions. He slammed the laptop screen down and glared at Kendall.
"You have to stop being so nosy Kendall. You'll find out things you're not supposed to know." James' tone was threatening, and it made Kendall decide to not press any further. Kendall stood up and pushed his chair back in.
"Fine. Sorry for asking." Kendall spat. He walked around the kitchen and opened the bathroom door. "You know, I thought we had something… Like, I don't want to sound like too much of an idiot, but I thought that we actually had something going." Kendall said with a frown. "Like I really thought we would maybe start actually dating or something I don't know…"
"Kendall…" James said in a small voice. Kendall suddenly felt hopeful, though he didn't show this on his sombre face. James sighed and rubbed his eyes. "You know I don't date." James said before picking up his laptop and walking out to the next room. Kendall felt his heart drop again.
"Well that was freaking rude!" Kendall yelled in hurt anger. He sighed and shook his head, going into the bathroom and slamming the door shut. He felt his chest and throat tighten up, and tears threatened to spill from his eyes. He rubbed his eyes and grunted against his hands. He couldn't understand what he did wrong. Why was he so undatable? Why did James Diamond not even want him for more than some intimate moments at night? Why did he suddenly want nothing to do with him?
Kendall remembered the first night they did anything. Between heated kisses and roaming hands, he knew that it would ruin their friendship. How do you go back to being friends after kissing the way they did? How can you remain only friends after learning things about each other's bodies that no mere friends should ever know?
Kendall woke up to another empty bed. He groggily checked his charged phone. It's Valentine's Day. Usually he wakes up with someone on this day. He was always fine to be on his own, but he always had at least something fun planned for Valentine's Day. His brain was so preoccupied with hurt and James that he didn't even think to look for someone to spend the day with. He just didn't have time. Kendall blinked a couple of times and noticed something beside his bed.
His slender hands reached out and grabbed at the folded paper. He opened it and saw neat handwriting that read; Morning Kendall, go look under the kitchen sink.
He slowly sat up and stretched. He heard and felt his back crack in multiple places that made him hum happily. He sighed and pulled himself out of bed. He changed into quick jeans and a plaid shirt and walked out to the kitchen. It was still too early for other people to be awake, so he was alone. He enjoyed the silence on days he wasn't really feeling himself. He opened the cupboard under the kitchen sink and saw another folded piece of paper. There was a key with it. The paper read; look under the couch cushions.
Kendall yawned and pushed his hair back. He stood up and walked over to the couch. He thought about how annoying this was. He put the key and papers in his pocket then pulled up some of the couch cushions. He wasn't seeing anything important. He expected another note. Instead he eventually found a small locked box after making a mess of the loungeroom. The box fit in the palm of Kendall's hand. He didn't even know what it was. He noticed he had never seen it before. Kendall opened the box and found a set of car keys.
The keys had a rental tag and the number plate of a car on them. He could tell the brand was a luxury brand that not even Gustavo owned. Maybe Griffin owned a car like this. He put those keys in his pocket then noticed a piece of paper inside the box. He put the box down and opened the folded paper; go outside and follow the petals.
Kendall was just confused now. He walked to the front door and grabbed his coat. He felt something in his pockets. He pulled out some gum and just started chewing as he opened the door. There actually were petals on the ground. Rose petals. Kendall blushed a little and followed the trail that led to the stairwell. He opened the door and sure enough; the rosy path continued downwards. Kendall could barley understand what all of this meant and why it was happening, but he couldn't lie; he was having fun. Kendall had always been the kind of guy who enjoyed puzzles and figuring things out.
Kendall's adventure led him to the carpark beneath the PalmWoods. He was a bit annoyed that he was made to take the stairs instead of just using the elevator. Kendall opened the door to the carpark and saw a note was taped to the floor. Kendall bent down and picked it up off the floor. The same handwriting as the other notes read; Find the red car with the same number plate as the one written on the keys.
A long sigh came from Kendall's parted lips. He was still in his pyjamas and all he wanted to do was crawl back into bed and sleep through another single Valentine's Day. He huffed and just continued his walk until he found the car. Kendall's jaw dropped and he gasped dramatically.
He had never stood in front of such a pricy car before. He couldn't even tell what brand it was but he knew it was luxurious. He pressed one of the buttons on the car remote and the driver side door slowly moved upwards. Kendall stared in awe before he stepped closer. He delicately placed a hand on the car and sighed.
"Wow…" He murmured before moving to sit in. He wondered about who's car it was and if he was even allowed in it. He assumed he was since he had the keys for it anyway. He looked at the keys and noticed there was no key at all; just the presser. He furrowed his confused brows and looked behind the steering wheel. There was no keyhole either. In place of where the keys in any normal car would go was a button. So, Kendall pressed it.
The engine revved to life and Kendall whistled. The engine was a smooth as the paint job on the expensive car. Kendall then put the car into drive but pressed hard on the breaks when a screen lit up. The screen was where the stereo in ordinary cars would be. It lit up and a GPS opened. The GPS already had a coordinate set and Kendall stared at it.
"Press auto-drive." The car said. Kendall blinked. The car just spoke to him. He swallowed thickly then looked around for anything that said auto-drive. He pressed the button upon discovering it, and the car begun to move on its own.
Kendall was then driving through Los Angeles. Well, not necessarily driving, more so being driven. He did keep an eye on things though. He inhaled deeply through his nose and loved the new car smell this expensive car had. He still couldn't figure out who it belonged to. He couldn't even think of who would set all of this up.
Kendall begun to assume James did all of this. He then second guessed those thoughts when he thought about the money James doesn't have and the foul mood James had been in for the past couple of days.
The car then came to a stop. He was at a location he was unfamiliar with. The drive had been a good forty minutes so he hoped he would get some answers upon getting out. He stared at the door. A large part of him didn't want to leave the lovely car. He then noticed a lady walking towards him. He squinted then noticed it was the woman James had been with in the elevator. Kendall frowned in jealousy as she approached. He didn't want to talk to her. Kendall begun to worry that this was all some sick plan to make Kendall get mad at James or something. He still couldn't figure it out.
The woman held something up. The door of the car then opened. Kendall was even more confused. She walked over and leaned against the frame of the car door. She then pulled something out of her handbag. Kendall was silent and just watched; he waited for her to give him some kind of explanation.
"You need to put this on." Kendall looked down at the blindfold she was talking about. Kendall shook his head then stepped out of the car.
"Wait- is this your car? What am I doing here? Do you have answers? I was just following the petals dude." Kendall said in a quick panic.
"It's not my car, it's my fathers. I'm borrowing it as a favour for someone. Just… please trust me, you need to wear this." She said and held the blindfold forwards; insisting that Kendall take it. Kendall looked down.
"I don't even know you, how am I supposed to trust you?" Kendall said defensively.
"You trusted my car," She pointed out.
"It's not even your car," Kendall argued. "I'm calling Gustavo. He can book me a ride home. Where am I?" Kendall looked at the large building he was in front of. He noticed it was an ice rink. "Why did your car bring me here?" Kendall asked.
"Fine, ignore the blindfold. Just go inside, he's waiting for you. I'll let him know you were too stubborn." She said.
"Wait- who? James?" Kendall said hopefully. The woman shrugged. "You'll have to find out." Kendall just rolled his eyes, he was sick of the games now. He decided he just wanted to go home. Or maybe he would stay and play hockey in his pyjamas. You know, self-love and all that.
He then stormed towards the building. It was dark inside. It appeared the lights were off. Kendall rolled his eyes and shoved the door open and walked in. There was a mannequin staring at him.
"This just keeps getting weird and weirder…" Kendall said with a sigh. The mannequin was wearing his Minnesota hockey uniform. There was a note pinned to it. He pulled the note off.
Put this and some skates on. Meet me on the rink.
This time he could recognise the handwriting. It was neat and in all caps. It was James'. Kendall still couldn't really understand why he was here and why he was brought here the way he was but he followed the instructions anyway.
After putting the uniform on and tying his skates, he walked to the edge of the rink. There was a couple of dim lights. The rink was empty aside from the one person who stood in the middle; James.
James was also wearing their Minnesota hockey uniform. He was on his phone texting wildly until he heard Kendall clear his throat. James quickly shoved his phone into his pocket before he turned around swiftly on his skates. He skated to the wall and moved himself to the gate. He pulled it open.
"Hey…" He said softly. Kendall stared at him; a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"Hey?"
"Look- I know I've been a real ass lately but- I wanted to do something special for you…" James said softly.
"Dude- all you've done is hurt my heart and confuse the hell out of me." Kendall stated bluntly. James blinked and was silent for a moment. He then nodded.
"Yeah… and I'm sorry for it being like that… I just didn't want to spoil it." James said softly.
"Spoil what?" Kendall asked.
"Our Valentines Day date…" James said with a sad tone.
"A date? Why are we on a date?" Kendall asked harshly. "James we're not dating. We were never dating. We just messed around a lot. I saw you flirting with so many girls and whoever that rich girl was-"
"-She was a BTR fan." James interrupted. "I met her on accident and she agreed to help me with whatever I wanted as long as I just took a couple of photos and hung out with her. Her father and her own this chain of ice rinks. She let me borrow this one for free. And her car. Until lunchtime though." James finished. Kendall shook his head.
"How am I supposed to believe that?" He asked with a hint of defence. James rolled his eyes and grabbed Kendall's wrist. He skated backwards and dragged Kendall onto the ice. Kendall's eyes widened and his limbs flared. He tripped as his skates dug into the ice, and James caught him. Kendall landed in James' chest and blushed furiously. He huffed and pushed James away from him and stood upright on the ice. He stared into James' eyes.
James smirked and skated backwards. "Come on. You and me. One on one." James said breathlessly. Kendall looked around the rink and noticed the goals and pucks. He watched as James skated off to the side and pulled 2 hockey sticks over the wall. "It'll be fun." James insisted. Kendall stared and then caved in.
The two played a fierce game of Hockey. James played fairly and they both found themselves tied. They played hard. Bodies smacking; curses and grunts being muttered and yelled when their puck was stolen, puffs and pants from the exertion of energy. They were having fun. Kendall couldn't even remember the last time he had this much fun playing hockey. The ice made his inhales feel cold as he panted.
They were on their final round. Kendall had taken the lead and was heading for the goal. James followed very closely behind and attempted to steal the puck multiple times. James grunted and got close enough to run his shoulder against Kendall's. Kendall lost his balance and slipped over. He fell and smacked his lower half into the ice. He braced himself for the impact and grunted when his body hit the ice. James stopped moving and carefully skated straight over to Kendall.
"Oh- shit- dude I didn't mean to hit you that hard-" James panicked as he knelt on the ice beside Kendall.
Kendall laughed and put his hands on his tummy. "Nah man, don't stress. Its been a long time since that kind of adrenaline hit me anyway. You were always one of the best players hey." Kendall chuckled. He sat up; his ass cold and wet from the ice.
"Sorry for being an idiot… I just thought you never wanted to be public or like… Do anything more than the stuff we do at night…" Kendall said sadly. James shook his head.
"I've been dying to do more than that… I just… didn't have the confidence to come to terms with it. I started planning all of this as soon as I did though…" James stated. He stood up carefully on the ice then offered his hand down to Kendall.
"Kendall… I don't want to just be friends anymore. I think I actually really like you and… well… just, please forgive me…" James' confession failed. He had never had this kind of issue before; the issue of not being able to confess or even flirt properly. Kendall chuckled and took James' hand. He hauled himself up with a bit of James' assistance.
Kendall kept his hand on James' and shook his head. "You were being pretty harsh… But… I feel the same way…" Kendall admitted shyly. James grinned.
"For real?" He asked. Kendall nodded. James pulled Kendall into a tight hug. It had been a really long time since they had been this physically close (hockey game aside). Kendall's arms wrapped firmly around James and he breathed him in. He smelt of Barracuda Man Spray, sweat and ice. It was the smell of James and Kendall loved it. He felt James give him a light squeeze.
They held their embrace for some silent moments before James moved his head. He flicked his head to the side to move his hair out of his face. He moved one hand up to gently cup the side of Kendall's face before he leaned in. Kendall was more than ready to feel James' lips. He had been longing for them for so long.
James gently pressed his lips to Kendall's and it was unlike any other kiss they had shared before. In the past their kisses were just necessary conversation when their bodies hotly intertwined. But right now, this kiss was sweet and delicate and full of love instead of lust. Kendall melted into the feeling of James despite them being on ice. Their lips moved slowly and passionately and Kendall could feel his chest continued to warm, just like his cheeks.
Neither of them knew how long they kissed for but they both felt as if they couldn't stop. They stared into each others eyes and Kendall sighed.
"Be my Valentine?" James asked. Kendall snorted.
"Don't be so cheesy dumbass." Kendall said with a chuckle. He stared into James' eyes.
"Um, but yeah… I suppose I will…" Kendall hummed. He gave James one last chaste kiss. "Only if you beat me though." He said before pushing James out of the way. He grabbed his hockey stick and resumed the game. James was a little out of it before he registered what had happened. He snorted and quickly chased after Kendall on the ice.
"No fair that was supposed to be a timeout!" James yelled before continuing to play the game they both loved.