Kendall doesn't know what possessed him to do he currently was involved in. The gloomy Thursday night found him over at James' house, comforting the broken boy. Dark bruises made a sick contrast against his soft, pale skin, the twisted mix of colors traveled up each arm, disappearing beneath the sleeve of the white v-neck he wore.
James was too pretty to have such morose marks afflicted upon him. He didn't deserve it and Kendall was certain that the bastard who did this to him would get what he deserved. A deep, raging anger coursed through his veins at the incoherent yelling of James' dad. He was home and he was incredibly drunk, as usual.
"Please just go, don't do this," James would beg and it hurt to see cracks of vulnerability breaking through his typical confident shell. Kendall would do anything for James and it was downright impossible for him to argue with anything he said but this was the one thing that Kendall couldn't and wouldn't oblige to. He was absolutely sure about what he was about to do.
He crossed the room, pressing his lips to James' forehead for a sweet, comforting kiss. He whispered how much he loved the boy and how this was all for him and it would be over soon.
He knew his motives were in line and his actions were totally justified but the tears that still rolled down James' cheeks broke his heart into a million pieces. All he wanted to do was to rid his boyfriend of the pain and agony of his horrible home life. He never considered how his method of solution might affect the boy.
"Just be careful," James whispered, eyes shining with love and concern masked by worry and anxiety. Kendall nodded, silently agreeing. He took a second to think, as he was retrieving the bottle of pills from his bag, how things had ended up as horribly as they did.
6 months earlier
"Yes Kendall!" James shouted, wrapping his arms around the other boy's neck. A joyous laugh erupted from his throat, causing a giant smile to spread over Kendall's face as he hugged his friend, now boyfriend, back. "Oh my god, yes."
Kendall pulled back slightly, cupping James' rosy cheek and leaning in to press their lips together in a soft, sweet first kiss.
They'd been best friends since either of them could remember. Arguably, feelings had always been there, evident between them, obvious to others, but hidden to themselves. They each had unexplainable feelings of infatuation towards their best friend but neither of them ever being brave enough to express said feelings aloud.
And honestly, the two acted like a couple enough already when they were just friends. There was barely anything they kept from each other, they both knew all their secrets, no matter how secret or intimate. There was absolutely no boundaries between them; they were 100% comfortable with each other, doing things most guys their age would never even think of doing. They knew how to be there for each other, whether it was a long, tight hug or a shared bed at night after a nightmare.
They found no shame in it whatsoever. It was natural to them. And that's why it was so easy for Kendall to finally ask James out, officially and why it was so easy for James to say yes.
Forgoing the risk of sounding conceited, both boys would proclaim, quiet openly, that they had the perfect relationship. It was everything their friendship was - fun, honesty, trust - with the sweet affection of a couple.
Even between their mildly busy schedules (hockey practice, choir concerts, drama rehearsal), they always made time for each other. It wasn't an extremely difficult task considering they'd always hung out before they started dating anyways. That wasn't going to change now.
Admittedly, there was a little less hanging out with the group and more private, one on one hanging out. Logan and Carlos didn't mind though. They were happy for their friends and also incredibly wrapped up in their own relationship.
James couldn't be any happier when he was with Kendall. It was like he was the main character a cheesy teenage romance movie and Kendall was his sweet, suave love interest. But unfortunately every such movie needed an antagonist trying to ruin the young couple's love.
Another teen romance necessity. Fooling around in their bed with the door locked in case their parents came home early. A particularly long and busy Friday left the two boys exhausted and seeking relief from the tense stress that nag at their muscles. Both had previously determined making out and mutual hand jobs to be extremely effective in this situation.
They were up in James' room, Kendall hovering over the slightly taller teen, kissing him hungrily, hips grinding together impatiently. The blond was just about to tell him how fucking hot he was when a loud crash sounded downstairs. The only thing more startling than the loud boom they'd just heard was how unstartled James was by it.
"It's just my dad," he said with a shrug, trying to pull Kendall back down for another needy kiss. "He gets drunk after work a lot and comes home angry," he explained after Kendall's questioning look. Any further questioning was cut off when James snuck his hand past the waistband of his jeans.
For their six month anniversary, Kendall treated James to the nicest restaurant in town, getting the dessert to go and taking him to the park to lie in the grass and stargaze. Romance was thick in the air as the two lay on the blanket they'd brought, pressed so close to one another they could practically hear each other's heartbeats. It couldn't have been any more perfect. James gazed up at Kendall who looked back at him with a smile.
"Whatcha thinkin' 'bout cutie?" he questioned, fingers trailing up and down his well-toned arm.
James hesitated a few seconds before answering shyly, "just wondering if now was a good time to tell you how much I love you."
A gentle kiss was placed to his lips. "Seems like a perfect time to me," Kendall mumbled, kissing him again. "I love you James Diamond. I never thought I would ever find someone I feel this strongly for."
A soft pink hinted at his already rosy cheeks, "I love you Kendall Knight. Just being with you seems to make even the crappy stuff in life bearable." The two shared another kiss after those spoken words but this time, there was a desperate passion behind it. Their lips moved together in a slow, sensual rhythm, expressing a deeper love that words couldn't even hint at.
Eager hands began roaming down the other's body as they kissed passionately under the stars, each wondering how they got so lucky to find one another. It seemed like they'd been lying there for hours, just kissing and enjoying each other's company. They pulled away and their gazes locked, expressing a mutual agreement to what was about to happen. They both loved each other and they knew it was the perfect time to take their relationship to that next level.
At least, Kendall thought this was the case until James suddenly swatted his hand away when he tried to strip the other of his shirt. He covered with a rushed apology about not being ready and just wanting to lie there and enjoy the moment with Kendall. Although the blond was more than a little curious about what had just happened, he was content to do whatever James wanted, unable to say no to the brunette.
The next day at school didn't present any answers to him. If anything, the day's events just furthered his dying curiosity. Something was obviously going on with James and it was killing him inside to know James didn't feel he could come to Kendall and talk about it.
He ran into his boyfriend in the hallway between classes. The other was dressed in a fitted black long sleeve shirt and jeans; even just this simple outfit made him look beautiful and as always, it took Kendall's breath away.
He went to kiss the boy on the cheek in greeting but James tried to duck right past him. Confused, Kendall reached out to grab James' wrist before he walk away. He didn't miss the sharp wince that contorted the boy's face as his hand made contact with his arm.
He watched, without a clue, as his boyfriend stormed away, head cast down. His heart ached at the sight; he had no clue what was going on with James but he was determined to find out.
Kendall returned to the locker room long after hockey practice had ended. Everyone had exited the room expect James and Kendall knew it was the perfect opportunity to talk to him. The sight he found, however, took any words he had right out of his mouth. He was left speechless.
James was changing, currently shirtless before him. That wasn't what made his jaw drop down in shock. All across his back and shoulders, continuing down over his arms were the sickest, darkest bruises he'd ever seen. Mixes of blue and purple spread over his skin.
Kendall hadn't meant to gasp but he couldn't help it. A deep knowing ache settled in the pit of his stomach. Suddenly, he understood. He knew what was going on. The audible sound caused the other boy to spin around, surprise evidently written across his face. He seemed to notice the similar shock on his face.
"The guys were a little rough today," he lied with a chuckle and fake smile.
"Don't lie to me James, they didn't touch you once," Kendall whispered, stepping forward, reaching out to gently trace the nasty looking bruises that covered his skin.
Kendall watched his boyfriend's face fall, lips quivering as the tears finally rolled down his cheeks. "I don't know what to do Kendall," he cried, burying his face in Kendall's shoulder. "It happens almost everyday."
That was the beginning of his determination to get revenge on the man who hurt James. After they'd talked for almost an hour in the locker room, huddled together, back against the cool wall, Kendall took James back to his place. Exhausted from practice, James crashed on his bed, the picture of peace as he slept, even considering his broken state.
Kendall took that opportunity to initiate step one of his plan. He made his way over to Carlos' house, ringing the doorbell impatiently. Relief washed over him when Carlos finally answered, Logan following shortly after him.
"I need your guys' help."
"Kendall you're crazy!" Logan exclaimed in disbelief at his friend's announcement.
"I don't care. That bastard hurt James and he's not getting away with it," Kendall growled as he sat before his two friends. He turned towards Carlos. "You can't tell me you wouldn't do everything in your power to stop someone who hurt Logan. You can't tell me you'd stand idly by because you wouldn't! And neither am I!"
Carlos sighed, getting up and disappearing for a few minutes. He came back and handed an orange bottle to the distraught teen. "My dad confiscated these from some addict. Says they're highly lethal. Slip one of these in his drink. He'll be gone."
Kendall nodded, "thank you." he whispered, getting up and rushing back home to his boyfriend. He smiled fondly when he found James was still asleep, curled up in bed, a blanket wrapped tightly around him. He slid into bed behind him, pressing his body against his, drifting off to sleep with a satisfied smile on his face. He could rest well knowing that James' dad would never be able to hurt him again.
"Logan told me everything," James muttered out of the blue that next morning.
The words left Kendall shocked; he didn't know how to respond to that. He wasn't the least bit surprised that Logan had tattled on him. But he didn't honestly care because nothing was going to stop him from carrying on with it.
"He's never gonna hurt you again James," Kendall offered as an explanation. It was the only one he needed. "I'm making sure of that."
He was nervous. There was no getting around that but there was also no denying that he was willing to do anything for James, anything to protect him and keep him safe. He loved James with all his heart. The other boy was his entire world. And that's why he knew he had to do it.
His hands shook as he shook a few pills into his hand. He timed it just right, sneaking downstairs while the man was in the bathroom. He slipped the pills into the man's newly opened beer, hearing them dissolve in the liquid. He slipped the bottle with the remaining pills into the medicine cabinet before going back upstairs.
He returned to James' bedroom, where the brunette was curled up in bed, tightly clutching one of his flannel shirts to his body. He silently walked over to the bed, lying down beside his boyfriend, pulling the crying boy into his arms. He held James as he sobbed, comforting him with a sweet song.
"I love you." Kendall whispered, pressing his lips to James' forehead.
"Love you too," James returned quietly, red, puffy eyes slowly slipping shut. A small smile tweaked his lips as he too drifted to sleep, finding sleep came easy to them both. They could finally rest easy now that it was finally over.