1.
"But mom..." Kendall groaned and frowned. "It's embarrassing, I don't wanna." He sighed and pouted his lips. His mother rolled her eyes and pushed him a little closer.
"You need the money, sweetie. How else are you gonna pay for your car and the gas?" She asked and the blond teen sighed and looked back over at the colorful decorations and all the kids running around.
It was the beginning of December but the mall had already started picking out the Christmas stuff and Kendall stood in front of a bit green sign that said hiring. Dean Martin's 'Let it snow' streamed through the speakers around the mall and people were either humming along or scowling the far too early celebrations.
Kendall turned to look up at his mother once more. "Do I have to?" he tried and Mrs. Knight put her hands on her slim hips. "Fine. I'll go. I'll go." Kendall sighed and glanced around before following the instructive signs and came across a small office. He cleared his throat and knocked on the door.
"Come in!" A light voice chirped and Kendall opened the door and peeked inside. A blonde woman sat by a desk, cutting out little trees out of green construction paper. "Oh, hello there!" She cheered. "Merry early Christmas!"
"Y-yeah, hi." Kendall said and stepped inside. "Um... I saw the signs... about you hiring." He said timidly.
"Oh! Yes!" The woman said and shot up from her seat. "Anna Simmons." She introduced herself and shook the teen's hand. "Are you looking for a job?" She asked. Kendall nodded, scratched the back of his neck and adjusted his scarf.
"Uh... yeah." He said. "I am. Gotta earn some money for a car." He explained and smiled sheepishly.
Anna chuckled and swatted with her hand. "Oh, if you're nice and work hard I bet Santa will drop one down the chimney." She said and laughed at her own joke. "We have a spot free and it's a little bit of everything. The pay is pretty decent if I get to say so myself."
Kendall nodded his head. "I'll do anything really. I'm not too picky." He said and his new boss giggled delightfully.
"Wonderful! What's you name, sweetie? I'll pick out the right papers right away!" She said and gestured for Kendall to sit.
Linelineline
"Oh, congratulations, honey!" Mrs. Knight cheered when her son came walking with a small bag – containing various uniforms for different places in the mall – and gave him a big hug. "Your first job. I'm so proud."
"It's not my first job, mom. I worked at the supermarket before they closed down." He pointed out and sighed.
Jennifer chuckled and patted the top of his head. "Of course, honey." She said and smiled. "Now, I'm just going to get one last thing from that store over there." She said and pointed at a large home decoration store. "Do you want to come with me?" She asked and Kendall shook his head.
"I'll check out the mall for a bit before I head back to the car." He said. "Gotta know my way around my work place." He said, mostly to get away from his mother and her Christmas decoration madness. "I'll see you down by the car." He mumbled and his mother nodded before strutting off.
The blond shoved his hand into the pocket of his jacket and sighed again. He already knew his way around, there wasn't really that much to it. Kendall roamed around in the mall for a bit, looking at various stores and then sitting by the large fountain by the entrance and looked at his work schedule.
Mondays and Thursdays he was working in the Toy shop on the first floor. Tuesdays he was cleaning the bathrooms in the entire mall – yippee – and on Wednesdays and Fridays he was to act as one out of three elves, helping Santa at his display.
Kendall was ecstatic... or perhaps not.
Once he spotted his mom coming his way – with four new shopping bags – he got up and folded the paper he held and put it in his bag. "Hiya." He greeted lowly and his mother smiled at him.
"There you are, Kendall." She cooed. "Let's go home, okay? I'll start making some dinner." She said and hooked arms with her son that rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that look." Mrs. Knight said. "Lots of kids go shopping with their mother." She said and smiled sweetly.
"I'm sixteen, mom." Kendall sighed. "I'm not a kid anymore."
"Oh, yes you are." Mrs. Knight said. "My sweet little baby boy." She cooed and Kendall avoided to roll his eyes and sighed instead, letting his mother be. After all she had every reason to hold on to him.
Nothing had been the same in the Knight family since Katie – Kendall's younger sister – had died two years earlier. Mrs. Knight and Katie had been out shopping, while Frank – Kendall's dad – had taken Kendall to the ice rink, when Katie had run off in the store on her own and strayed around before going outside in the snow.
Mrs. Knight had absolutely panicked when Katie disappeared and called everyone. Mr. Knight, mall security, the police and friends came to help them look.
Katie was gone for about a week before they found her again, twenty miles away in some ditch along the road. Katie was nine. Kendall remembered it pretty well. He had just turned fourteen and he had gotten a new hockey stick for his birthday, he had been begging his dad to take him to the rink to try it out.
That Christmas had been pretty horrible. All of Katie's present laid unopened, Kendall was silent all day, Jennifer was crying all night and Frank wasn't even home. Frank had left two days after Christmas, leaving behind a bank card and a note with a bad excuse. The note was since long gone, Kendall remember ripping it into tiny pieces before throwing the remains into the fireplace.
Last Christmas had been to say the least depressing and it had been dedicated to Katie. This Christmas was going to be different. Kendall was going to try his best to make sure that his mom had a real merry Christmas. He's bought her a bunch of stuff, all things she liked. Bathroom stuff like bath bombs and those weird creams all girls seem to use, new fluffy slippers, a French cookbook and a big bag of her favorite tea. Kendall wanted to spoil his mother even with the little money he had.
"What are you thinking about, sweetie?" Mrs. Knight asked when they hopped into the car.
The teen turned to her and smiled sheepishly. "Christmas." He said and his mother chuckled and turned the engine on. "I hope we get a white Christmas." He said when Mrs. Knight backed out of the parking lot and pulled back out on the road. "Maybe we could build snowmen and stuff like we used to?"
"Oh, that would be lovely." Mrs. Knight said and Kendall smiled.
"Merry early Christmas, I suppose." He said and turned up the volume to the radio, singing Winter wonderland.
Linelineline
"Thank you, have a nice Christmas." Kendall said with a big smile and handed the elder woman the package he had just wrapped. "Be safe of the way home." He added and waved when she left, smiling at him and waving.
The young blond against the counter, watching kids drag their parents around in the toy shop and point at the things they wanted for Christmas. He had to perk up and force a smile every time someone came over to pay for their things. Kendall was always polite, no matter what.
Kendall's shirt – the colorful misfortune he wore – was soft and Kendall would run his fingers over the fabric just to pass time. Christmas was racing towards them and there was more people in the mall for each day. He was mostly lost in thoughts but he was mighty good at snapping out of his daze and treat the customers with excellent smiles and flawless service. He was an expert when it came to acting cheerful.
His thoughts were mostly on his mother and how she were at home alone or perhaps out looking for work herself. They were new in town and had just moved there a few weeks earlier. They had both agreed on that it would be better to move away from their old house, from the memories and sadness.
Now they lived in a relatively large house in a nice suburb. The neighbors were friendly, the house was amazing – with a large driveway, perfect for street hockey – and it was completely different from everything they had before, making it very hard to associate anything with Katie or Frank. Kendall sighed and leaned his chin in his hand. Frank hadn't kept in touch and quite honestly Kendall wasn't so sure his dad were ever coming back. His mother kept his surname and the ring and if anyone asked her she'd say she was still married and that her husband was just out of town.
Kendall never spoke about it. So far he hadn't managed to make any friends since he'd been focusing on his mother and being the perfect son and it was difficult to juggle life, jobs and family. Kendall had never been very good at organizing things. He hadn't been able to start school yet and wouldn't be able to until after New years.
"Excuse me?" Someone said and Kendall quickly scrambled to stand up straight.
"S-Sorry!" He blurted out. "I'm sorry, Mrs." he said and gave the tall woman in front of him an apologetic smile. "I got lost in thoughts." He explained and straightened his shirt. "H-How can I help you?" He asked politely.
The day passed by nicely and it was getting dark when most people had had enough of shopping and started to leave the mall. Kendall couldn't wait to get home and get out of his horrible shirt. Perhaps cook something nice for his mom too? He was just about to close up – locking the door to the Toy Shop – when a boy in his own age came running. "Wait!" He panted and doubled over while trying to force air into his lungs.
Kendall didn't know what else to do but to still his motions and look at the brunet. "A-Are you all right?" Kendall asked and eyed the panting boy.
"I'm fine. I'm fine." The boy said and then looked up at Kendall. "Are you closing up? Could you perhaps just wait a minute or two?" He asked and Kendall nodded before reopening the door and letting the boy inside.
"You know... the shop will be open tomorrow too." He pointed out. "We're open everyday until Christmas."
"I know, but I'm trying to be subtle about my shopping." The brunet said and stood up straight, towering over Kendall and smiling down at him. "Hey. You're new." He said and the blond nodded a bit.
"Yeah... I just moved here from Wyoming." He explained.
The brunet eyes him. "Nice." He said and nodded his head. Kendall furrowed his eyebrows a bit and cleared his throat a bit and gave the stranger a meaning look. "Oh, right!" He said. "Toys, shopping, last minute." He said and went into the shop. "Mind helping me out?"
"What are you looking for?" Kendall asked.
"I don't know." The brunet said and smiled sheepishly. "What do kids like nowadays?" he asked. Kendall shrugged. The brunet sighed. "Hm... I guess I'll just get a little out of everything and we'll be set." He said and walked up and down the isles and picked out random toys. Dolls, toy cars, little kids costumes, coloring books, you name it.
Kendall couldn't help but be puzzled by the brunet and watched as he walked around and seemed to be picking up stuff randomly and dumping them on the counter where Kendall stood. Kendall figured he'd picked up toys worth a few hundred dollars by the time he seemed to be done. "Uh..." He mumbled. "So... I'm guessing you have a lot of siblings? Or...?" He mumbled and the brunet laughed.
"Nah, I'm an only child." He said, making the blond more confused. "These are going to the orphanage down town." He continued and Kendall's lips formed an understanding 'O'.
"That's an awful lot of money to spend though..." Kendall mumbled and eyed the toys. The brunet shrugged and held up a golden credit card. Kendall arched an eyebrow. "Aren't your parents gonna freak?" He asked.
"Nah." The stranger said and shook his head. "She doesn't really pay that much attention to what I buy." He said. "And even if she did I don't think she'd mind." He added and handed Kendall the credit card to pay for the toys.
The blond scanned the toys in and asked if the brunet wanted them wrapped. The stranger shook his head and Kendall went ahead and drag the card through the slot and then hand it back to James and stuffing the toys into plastic bags. In the end he stood there with six bags.
"Your family must be real rich." Kendall found himself mumbling and the brunet shrugged.
"My mom owns a big cosmetics company." He said. "She's not home much but she always tell me to help myself." The brunet said and waved the credit card around before putting it in his pocket and then picking up a few of the bags.
Kendall hesitated before asking, "Do you want any help?"
"Sure." The stranger said. "If you could just help me get these to my car I'd really appreciate it." He said and Kendall nodded and helped the brunet carry the bags. He stopped to lock up and his companion patiently waited for him. "I'm James by the way." The brunet said.
"Kendall." Kendall replied and picked the bags up again and followed the boy out of the empty mall. Security would lock up pretty soon and Kendall really wanted to go home now.
James chuckled a bit and nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Kendall." He said and looked over his shoulder at the blond that blushed a bit. "My car's in the parking house so we'll go there." He continued and Kendall nodded.
"It's alright. I've got my car there as well." He said and James smiled at him and then continued walking while humming some obnoxious holiday tune. Kendall wanted to sigh but didn't. They arrived at a black BMW, strangely parked just a few cars from Kendall's own blue Toyota.
They stuffed the bags into the trunk and when they were done James gave a laugh and Kendall looked up at him, furrowing his eyebrows and wondering what the hell the brunet was up to. James chuckled softly and pointed with his finger to something above their heads and Kendall looked up.
"Mistletoe." James said and chuckled. Kendall turned red and glared up at the brunet. "Come on, it's tradition!" James laughed and bent down a bit and pointed on his cheek. "Plant one, Blondie." He said and the blond pouted a bit before looking around, making sure no one was around when he lurched forward to place a quick one on James' tan cheek but before his lips made contact James turned his face and Kendall got nothing but lips.
"Hey!" Kendall yelled and glared at the brunet.
"Merry Christmas, Kendall." James said and winked before closing the trunk of his car and walking around the car and getting in and driving off, honking at the blond before driving out of the parking house.
The blond pouted and glared after the car before looking upwards again and cursed the idiot who decided that a mistletoe belonged in parking houses. Upon further inspection he noticed that there were more of the scattered around in the local. He cursed again before stomping over to his car and drove home.
"You're late." Kendall's mother said when he stepped in through the doors. The blond gave her an apologetic smile and kicked off his shoes and shrugged his jacket off.
"There was a customer that took his time." Kendall said and went into the kitchen where his mother stood. "I helped him carry his bags to his car. He bought a bunch of toys to the children at the orphanage." He said and then stopped and wondered why in the world he had told his mother about the obnoxious stranger that had stolen a kiss from him.
His mother lit up and smiled brightly. "Did he now?" She asked. "How sweet of him. Such a nice thing to do." She cooed while stirring in the pot on the stove. "The world needs more people like that." She added and Kendall shrugged.
"I guess..." He mumbled and nibbled on his bottom lip.
"You seem thoughtful, dear." Jennifer said and Kendall blushed a bit and quickly turned around and walked out of the kitchen.
"Yeah, I gotta change my clothes." He blurted out and raced up the stairs and shut himself into his room and yanked his shirt off and replaced it with a comfy flannel. He plugged his cellphone into the charger and then went back down into the kitchen. "Smells delicious, mom." He said and his mother smiled happily.
They ate together and Kendall briefly told her about his day at work but leaving out the part about where James had tricked him and stolen a kiss. His mom seemed delighted that he was doing so well and praised him for being such a good boy.
Kendall couldn't help but smile. He loved his mother so much and he loved seeing her happy and cheery. He didn't know if it was all an act or if she was genuinely happy but he decided that at the moment it didn't matter and he was going to try his best to keep that smile on her face for as long as he could.
"Are you a real elf?" The small kid asked and eyed Kendall. He felt ridiculous in his costume, with his fake ears and striped pants but he gave a big smile and crouched down.
"Santa needed some help so I'm an elf stand in." He said and pointed at his ears. "Don't tell Santa, but these are fake so that I can pass as an elf." He whispered. "But those other two are real ones." He said and pointed over at the two girls dressed at elves.
The little girl eyed him again and nodded so her pigtails flailed. "I won't tell anyone. Mister." She said and Kendall chuckled and dug his hand into his pocket and handed the girl a candy cane.
"Promise not to tell Santa?" He asked. The girl nodded and smiled.
"Yes, Mister!" She chirped and waved at him before running over to the man dressed as Santa Clause and hopped up in his lap. Kendall gave a small sigh and flinched when he heard someone chuckle behind him.
He swirled around and blinked up at James who were smiling down at him. "What's this? When did Santa get such a sexy elf?" He asked and Kendall rolled his eyes. "Hey." James said and Kendall eyed him.
"What do you want?" He asked and James chuckled again and put his hands on his hips.
"Another kiss perhaps?" He asked and the blond crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay." James sighed. "Maybe I was kind of looking for you and... I got you this, as a thanks and all that." he said and handed Kendall a small white envelope.
Kendall arched an eyebrow and took the envelope from the brunet. James looked a little expectant and Kendall sighed before opening it. It was a red Christmas card with a picture of a mistletoe on it. The blond looked up at James and then opened it. "Merry Christmas, Kendall. I'd gladly return the kiss I stole, when I'm around don't worry about getting any coal. I'm really bad at rhymes, will you go out with me?" He read and then looked up at the brunet. "Really?"
"I'm trying to be romantic." James said and smiled sheepishly.
"It's cheesy." Kendall said.
"I'm a cheesy guy." James said and shrugged. "So what do you say?" He asked and smiled a bit.
Kendall pondered for a moment, glancing over his shoulder at his coworkers that didn't seem to notice that he was not working. He sighed and picked out a pen from his chest pocket. "Pick me up at this address by seven." He said and scribbled down his address on James' wrist.
"Sweet." James said and nodded. "See you later then, Kendall." He said and waved before leaving. Kendall watched as he leave and then turned back to the display to participate in the act again but for the rest of the day he just couldn't help but smile to himself.
When he came home that day he hopped straight into the shower and then dried up and got dressed. He dressed nicely in a blazer over a red plaid shirt and black jeans. He was heading down into the kitchen to grab a glass of water when his mother came home and smiled at him.
"Going somewhere, honey?" She asked. Kendall looked up and cleared his throat a bit.
"Uh... yeah, I'm going out." He said. His mother came up to him and started to fiddle with his hair and then pinched his cheek.
"A bit fancy, don't you think?" She asked and tugged at her son's collar. "Where are you going?" She asked and smiled at him.
Kendall blushed a bit and sighed, taking out the Christmas card he'd gotten. "Uh... well, this guy I met yesterday asked me out and... well... I thought it'd be fun. Even if it doesn't work out I'll get to go out for a bit and see some more of the town and maybe make a friend." He said.
His mother smiled while reading the card. "That's sweet." She said. "But what do they mean 'kiss they stole'?" She asked. Kendall sighed.
"Ah, mistletoe." He grumbled. "Got tricked and they did the kiss on the cheek thing when they turn their head in the last second. I felt like a fool." He sighed and his mother laughed softly and leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "I won't be very late." Kendall promised.
"Oh, don't you worry about me." Jennifer said. "You go out and have fun." She said. "May I ask the name of your date?" She then asked and Kendall took the card back from his mother and hung it on the fridge.
"It's James." He said and his mother smiled softly at him. "It's the guy from the toy shop that I told you about." He added and Jennifer lit up. There was a knock on the door and Kendall glanced over his shoulder. "See you later, mom." He said and kissed his mother's cheek and then went to open the door.
James smiled at him and eyed him. "Hey." He said. "I found the right house after all." He said and chuckled. Kendall nodded a bit and eyed the brunet, he was also dressed nicely in a cool jacket and a gray dress shirt. "You look nice." James said.
"Thanks..." Kendall said. "You too..." He mumbled and took a step out on the porch. "Bye, mom!" he called before closing the door and turning back to James. "So... uh... where are we going?" He asked and the brunet chuckled a bit and held out his arm.
Kendall couldn't help but roll his eyes before taking the arm offered. "I might have something up my sleeve." James murmured and Kendall rolled his green eyes again.
"You're so cheesy." He said and James chuckled while leading the blond to his car.
"I told you, I'm a cheesy guy." James said and opened the door for his date and Kendall slid into the car and watched the brunet walk around it. Kendall took a quick glance around in the car to make sure that there wasn't anything too suspicious looking lying about and then turned back to James when he jumped into the car.
They were playing the usual Christmas jingles on the radio and to be honest, the more he heard them the more Kendall liked them and got excited for Christmas. He was longing for snow and to get a tree and eating roasted turkey with his mother and maybe for his grandmother to visit. Kendall wouldn't admit it, but he loved Christmas despite everything bad that had happened on that certain holiday.
James started the car up and drove down the street. The only thing that sounded was the radio and the two boys sat silently during the drive until James decided to speak up. "That was sweet what you said to that girl today." He said. "Elf stand in, that's pretty clever." He said and chuckled softly.
The blond blushed and shifted in his seat. "Uh... I guess." He mumbled. "You were watching that?" he asked and looked embarrassed.
"I was waiting for my turn with one of Santa's elves." James said and took a left turn.
"And did you mean that other thing you said?" Kendall asked shyly and James shot him a quick but confused look. "The sexy elf part?" Kendall asked and cleared his throat, blushing.
James blinked his eyes and then chuckled. "Sure I did." He said. "Or... well sexy elf stand in." He said and Kendall gave a light chuckle. James looked pleased and then stopped the car and turned the engine off. Kendall looked around and blinked his eyes a bit before giving James a puzzled look. "Stay here." James said and got out of the car.
Kendall turned around in his seat to look at the brunet and see what he was up to. They were practically in the middle of nowhere and the blond felt a nervousness bubble up in his stomach. Where was James going and what was he doing? The brunet opened the trunk up and grabbed something before coming back with a backpack. "What's that?" Kendall asked with a hint of worry in his voice.
His date turned to him and smiled softly. "Our date." He said and zipped open the bag and got out a small tablet and a bag of popcorn.
"We're gonna have our date in here?" Kendall questioned and James shrugged. "Where even are we?" Kendall asked and James smiled a bit and held up a finger and jumped out of the car again. This time he took longer and Kendall was worried. He couldn't see James out there in the dark.
Just as Kendall was thinking about carjacking the brunet and driving himself back home there was a click and then thousands and thousands of lights lit up in front of him and the entire area was lit up by millions of fairy lights. "Oh.. my..." Kendall breathed and James got back into the car.
"Let there be light." he said and chuckled a bit. "What do you think?" He asked.
"It's... it's really cool." Kendall said breathlessly and turned to the brunet with wide eyes. "Where are we?" he asked. James smiled a bit and looked out over the lights through the windshield.
"It's the old power station." James said and glanced at his watch. "I reckon we have about three hours before anyone shows up and ruins the fun." He murmured and turned to Kendall. "We've got plenty of time to finish a movie and return stolen items." He added with a wink.
The blond blushed and furrowed his eyebrows. "We'll see about that..." He muttered and crossed his arms over his chest. James chuckled and turned the tablet on, asking the blond what he would like to see and they both settled on some thriller movie. They both sat kind of close together with an ear phone each plugged into their ears and looked at the screen.
It was nice, Kendall didn't think it'd be that nice abut he was pleasantly surprised.
By the end of the movie James had managed to sneak and arm around the blond – that didn't mind too much – and gently squeezed his shoulder. The end credits rolled and Kendall gave a light sigh and turned over to the brunet who were smiling softly at the screen. "Good movie." He said.
The blond nodded a bit and James turned to him, still smiling. "It was." Kendall confirmed and James looked at him, stared him right in the eyes.
"About that kiss..." He said but didn't need to finish since the blond was already moving forward and pressed their lips together.
To hell with all the rules that said you couldn't kiss on the first date. To hell with all the rules that said that you couldn't cope a feel here and there. To hell with all the rules that said that you couldn't get rid of a few layers of clothes in a car parked by an abandoned power station in the middle of the woods.
Kendall panted, tangling one hand in James' incredibly soft hair and grasping the brunet's shoulder with the other. He was halfway over the gearbox and halfway into James' lap. The brunet was shirtless and Kendall was on the road to being shirtless, his red plaid shirt was unbuttoned and hanging loosely on his arms but he was too busy trying to touch James everywhere to bother with taking it off completely.
James himself was covered in popcorn that they had knocked over and in the back of his head he knew that the car was going to be a bitch to clean out but at the same time he didn't really care. He grabbed a hold of the blond's belt hoops and pulled him into his lap completely, rearranging his legs a bit so that he wouldn't be too uncomfortable. "Fuck..." James breathed and Kendall pulled away to catch his breath.
"What?" He asked.
"You're really hot." James said breathlessly and Kendall couldn't help but roll his eyes before diving back down to capture James' lips again.
The two stayed like that, lip locked and tangled in each other. They both flinched away from each other when someone knocked on the car window and James cursed. The police officer outside pointed at his watch and the two teens scrambled out of the car and Kendall tried his best to cover up while trying to act normal.
The police officer eyed them both and nodded slowly. "Good evening, boys." He said and the two teens shifted awkwardly.
"O-Officer." James mumbled and pretended to scratch his neck to have something to do. The police officer nodded a bit and glanced over at Kendall who were looking down at his feet while having his arms wrapped tightly around himself.
"Out for a midnight ride?" The police asked and the blond's head snapped up to look at the police before turning to James. "Does your parents know you're out here? Trespassing into a power station? It's very dangerous, you know." He said and the teens nodded. The police officer eyed the two boys for a while before giving a sigh. "Oh, what the hell..." He mumbled. "It's Christmas." The two teens turned to look at each other for a second. "Just get out of here and don't tell anyone, and I'll forget I saw you."
James furrowed his eyebrows and glanced at his date before turning back to the police. "R-Really?" He asked. "Thank you, officer."
The police man chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. But you better find yourself a better spot to take your dates." He said. "Hell, I took my first two wives out here." He laughed and Kendall furrowed his eyebrows. James gulped a bit and nodded.
"U-Uh... s-sure." James said and gulped. "C-C'mon, let's go." He said and took Kendall's hand, gently pushing him back to the car. The blond blushed and jumped back into the car, gathering his jacket and the shoes he had kicked off and put them on. James reached into the backseat to retrieve his shirt and his boots before turning the car on and then driving back to Kendall's place.
The two sat on Kendall's driveway for what seemed like an eternity. It was way past midnight and Kendall wasn't looking forward to going inside and facing his mother. Especially not in the condition he was in, looking like he'd just walked through a tornado.
James cleared his throat and Kendall turned to look at him. "Uh..."
"I-I had a good time." Kendall blurted out. "Thank you." He said and James smiled a bit. "W-We should do it again."
James nodded a bit, putting his hands on the steering wheel – even though the car was off – gripping it tightly. "Uh... yeah." He said. "Sure, I'd love to." He nodded his head and smiled over at the blond. "Um... how about I call you?"
The blond nodded and they exchanged numbers. "Um... I should get back inside." Kendall said. "My mom is probably going to give me hell... and... I'll probably get grounded for a week." He mumbled and sighed. James smiled a little and nodded slowly.
"So I'll see you in a week, then?" He asked. Kendall blushed.
"Yeah." He said. "Sure." They stayed still for a while more until James couldn't help but lean over and kiss his date once more. Kendall smiled a bit and kissed back, eagerly pulling the brunet closer. They both went on until they were out of breath and Kendall pulled away. "I-I should go."
James nodded and the blond got out of the car, waving shyly and unlocking the door and going inside. The hallway was dark and Kendall could hear James' car pull out of the driveway and then drive down the street. He smiled to himself and then went into the living room. His mother was lying on the couch, fast asleep. Kendall couldn't help but frown and went over to her, kneeling next to her and kissing her cheek.
"Mom?" He asked softly. "Mom? I'm home, I'm so sorry. I lost track of time." He murmured.
Jennifer's eyes fluttered open and she looked up at Kendall. "Kenny?" She asked. "What time is it?" Kendall sighed and looked at the clock on the wall.
"It's almost one, mom. I'm sorry I'm late." He said. "I didn't mean to make you worry."
His mother smiled softly and shook her head. "It's alright. I'm glad you're home safe and sound." She said and sat up. "Did you have fun?" She asked. Kendall nodded a bit. "You know... as much as I love you having a good time, I'm afraid you've been out over your curfew and you know what that means."
"Yes, mom..." Kendall mumbled.
"You're grounded, Kendall. For at least a week. No going out, no cellphones and no internet." Jennifer said and yawned. Kendall nodded.
"That's fine." He said softly. "Come on, I'll help you to bed. Wouldn't want you to sleepwalk and fall in the stairs." He said and his mother playfully punched his arm and gave him a soft glare. "Come on."
Kendall yawned a bit and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. There was another sound – much like the one that had woken him – coming from the window and the blond got out of the bed and went over to the window and opened it up and peeked his head out. "Ow." he grunted when something hit him on the forehead. "What the hell?"
"Psst!"
Kendall's eyes narrowed and he squinted into the darkness of his backyard. "Hello?"
"Hey, Kendall." James whisper-yelled and waved happily. Kendall hushed at him and made sure that his bedroom door was closed and that there was no one who could hear. "Hey!"
"Hush!" Kendall hissed and opened the window as far as it would go. "What are you doing here? It's in the middle of the night." Kendall said and yawned. James smiled at him, climbing up on the porch and jumping up and grabbing the windowsill and pulled himself up. "James." Kendall sighed but got interrupted by James pressing his lips against his. "James, what are you doing here?"
James smiled at him and climbed in and flopped down on Kendall's bed. "I wanted to see you of course." He chirped happily. "Can't do that when you're grounded." He said and Kendall rubbed his eyes again. "You look good in blue, Blondie." James said and nodded at Kendall's blue boxer briefs and the blond blushed.
"It's two in the morning." He said and sat down on the bed again, yawning and pouting childishly. James smiled at him, loving how cute he looked when he was halfway to dreamland.
"C'mere." He said and grabbed Kendall's arm and pulled him closer.
"James, it's late." The blond whined and pouted. "I've got work in the morning and I'm still grounded." He said and pushed the brunet away. "Besides, my mom is home and you're gonna wake her up if you continue like this." He sighed when James peppered his cheek and neck.
Kendall pushed him away again but the brunet wasn't having any of that. "I missed you all week." James said. "Where are you working today? I wanna come and get you." He murmured and pushed the blond down on the bed, straddling him and smiling down at him. Kendall blushed, still being slightly out of it since he just woke up and wasn't entirely awake.
"I'm at the toy shop tomorrow... but you know you can't. I'm grounded for two more days." Kendall said and looked confused.
James smirked at him and leaned down to lay over the blond, pinning him down. "Who said I'd come and take you anywhere?" He asked. "Maybe I just want to come and get some of this?" He asked and nuzzled his nose against the blond's. Kendall smiled and James rolled them both over and laid next to the blond. "When do you have to be up?"
"Six."
"Then I've got four more hours." James smiled and grabbed one of Kendall's legs and wrapped it around his waist. "I could definitely get used to this." James said and grinned. The blond rolled his eyes but let the brunet be. "Kiss me." James said.
Kendall pouted and furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't wanna." He sighed and James grinned at him.
"Yeah, you do."
"Fine." The blond sighed, placing a quick peck on James' lips – something James seemed absolutely satisfied with – before grabbing the his comforter and covering both himself and James up. "Good night, James." He muttered and the brunet pulled him closer and tucked Kendall's head in under his chin.
"G'night."
Kendall was actually kind of relieved to find James gone when he woke up. Relieved as well as a little sad that the brunet had left without saying goodbye. Kendall got out of bed and dressed himself in jeans and his ugly Toy shop shirt before making his way down the stairs and into the kitchen where he stopped and gasped, "James!"
"Morning, Kendall." James chirped just as Jennifer poured him a cup of tea. "You look nice." He said.
"Mom! This isn't-" Kendall began but Jennifer just chuckled and shook her head.
"Oh, Kenny, don't do that." She cooed. "James told me he snuck in last night." She said and gave James a meaning look. "I woke up and bumped into him when he was up and about. I thought he was a burglar. I nearly called the police."
James rolled his eyes. "I was going to the bathroom." He said and chuckled. "I'm sorry I scared you so, Mrs. Knight." He apologized. "I didn't mean to." James said and Jennifer smiled at him and ruffled his hair.
"It's alright, James." She said. "At least you're honest."
Kendall gulped again and hesitantly lingered in the doorway until his mother told him to sit down and the blond scrambled to sit by the table and tried his best not to look so troubled. He glanced over at James who returned the look with a smug smile and Kendall blushed. "Kendall." James suddenly said and the blond reluctantly looked up at him. "Since I'm here and since I'm passing it, would you like a ride to work today?"
The blond glanced at his mother before turning back to the brunet. "Um... If it's no trouble..."
"Oh, of course it isn't trouble!" James said with a smile. "Just tell me when you're ready and we'll be off!" He chirped and Jennifer smiled softly at the brunet and ran her fingers through her son's hair and kissed the top of his head.
"You go ahead and do that, sweetie." She said and leaned down to whisper in his ear, "And just this one time I'm letting you off the hook early. You don't have to come home directly after work."
Kendall smiled nervously at her and nodded his head. "O-Okay." He said and blushed a bit when his mother kissed his cheek before disappearing up the stairs. Then he turned to look back at the brunet. "Um... Are you ready?" He asked and James finish his cup of tea.
"I sure am!" James said and wrapped an arm around the blond's waist and lead him to the hallway and they both got dressed. When the blond reached for his scarf James stopped him. "Not that one." He said and wrapped his own scarf around Kendall's neck. "This one." He cooed and Kendall blushed.
The blond blushed and James tugged him closer with the scarf and kissed him. "Hmpf-" Kendall huffed and pulled away. "My mom is like in the house!" He whispered and glared up at the brunet. James only replied with another kiss.
When he pulled away even the tips of Kendall's ears had turned pink. "Let's get you to work." James murmured and opened the door and stepped outside. Kendall gave a small gasp.
"Snow!" he cheered and lit up into a big smile. "I love snow!" he squealed and smiled happily. James nodded and took the blond's glove clad hand into his.
"You're adorable." James cooed and kissed him once more before gently pushing him towards his car – that was parked behind Jennifer's on the driveway. Kendall stopped to glare at him again.
"You snuck into my house in the middle of the night but you parked your car in the middle of the driveway?!" He hissed and James shrugged innocently. "You planned to get caught, didn't you?" The blond asked.
The brunet chuckled and pushed the smaller male towards the car. "Yeah and look! You're not grounded anymore." He said and opened the car door. "Come on, babe. Let's get you to work so that I can distract you while you wrap presents for the kids."
Kendall huffed out another breath. "I'm not your babe." He stated and got into the car. While James walked around the car Kendall couldn't help but have flashbacks to the last time he sat in the car. Only this time it was considerably colder but the memories made his cheeks flush warm and red. The brunet jumped into the car and smiled at him.
"Hey." He said.
"Hey." Kendall replied and couldn't help but give James a small smile. "You're pretty cool... you know that?" he asked and James chuckled.
"You think so?" he asked.
Kendall nodded. "Yeah..." He said. "Pretty cool." he hummed and James smiled smugly. "Hey... um... since I'm not... you know... grounded anymore... w-would you like to... um... w-would you like to-"
"I'd love to." James interrupted him. "I'll come and pick you up, take you out for some fun." He said with a wink and took a left and drove into the parking house of the mall. "Here you go, babe." James said and got out of the car and let Kendall get out before he pinned him against the car.
Kendall blushed and gulped a bit. "James..." He sighed, struggling weakly. "I have to go to work..." James kissed him and completely ignored what the blond was saying. "James." Kendall whined but kissed back, not really wanting to stop.
The brunet pulled away and smirked at the smaller male. "Just giving you a taste of what's to come." He purred and pulled away completely, giving the blond's behind a playful slap when he walked away.
"H-Hey!" Kendall squeaked and James laughed softly.
While the blond blushed and glared at him, he just waved and smiled innocently. "I'll swing by later. Okay?" Kendall nodded. James shot the blond another grin and then got back into his car. Kendall gulped a bit and then hurried to get to work, being just on time.
Linelineline
When Kendall was in the middle of locking the shop up he suddenly felt a pair of arms being wrapped around his middle. "Hey, gorgeous." James cooed and nibbled on the blond's earlobe. "Missed you all day." The brunet hummed and turned the blond around. "This shirt is hideous. You should take it off."
"I-I'll freeze to death." Kendall said and pushed James away.
"There's ways to stay warm." James cooed and started unbuttoning the blond's colorful shirt.
Kendall slapped his hands away and glared up at him. "Not in public, idiot!" He hissed and James laughed and dragged him along over to the mall's bathrooms and Kendall squeaked when he was pushed inside. The mall was about to close and the whole building was close to empty. James tossed his and Kendall jacket on the counter by the sinks, there were three sinks and behind them there was four stalls. "This is still public!" Kendall whined when James stripped him.
The brunet chuckled softly and went for the smaller male's belt buckle. "Aw, come on. There's no one around." James purred and Kendall blushed, hesitantly allowing James to continue. James chuckled and Kendall took the decision to return the favor and get James out of his shirt.
"This is crazy."
"Want to stop?"
"No way!"
James laughed softly and picked the blond up, placing him on the counter by the sinks. The blond shivered when he sat on the cold marble surface. The taller boy hugged him around the waist and leaned in for another kiss, gingerly letting their lips brush together. Kendall gave yet another sigh and chased after James' soft lips when he pulled away.
The brunet couldn't help but smirk. "Eager." He cooed and the blond glared softly at him. "So is this alright for you?"
"I'd prefer a softer surface." Kendall said with a shrug and then spread his legs a bit and allowed the brunet to walk in between them and hug him closer. James arched an eyebrow and nuzzled his nose against his neck. "What?"
James shook his head. "There's a furniture store down on the other side of that wall." He said and Kendall seemed to consider it.
"If we get caught we'll be in so much trouble..." He whispered.
"I'll make it worth it." James murmured and the blond gulped a bit and then nodded and jumped down from the sink and grabbed his clothes. James did the same and went over to the door and peeked outside. "It's all clear." He said and then cursed silently. "There's probably cameras though..."
Kendall shook his head. "The cameras and the alarms aren't turned on until ten." He said and James looked at him over his shoulder and smirked.
He grabbed the blond's hand and grinned. "Then what are we waiting for?" he asked and dragged the nearly naked blond out of the bathroom and then to the right and turned to smaller boy again. "Keys?" He asked and the blond handed him his keys and James unlocked the back door to the store and they snuck inside. "Hm, let's find you something soft to lie on." He cooed and the blond blushed furiously.
Kendall silently followed the brunet around and yelped when he was pushed onto one of the high beds and pinned down. "Hm." He hummed and glanced around.
"What?" James asked.
"I like this one." Kendall said and James laughed.
"Baby, you'll love it when I'm done." James purred and shed his pants and climbing up on top of the blond and kissing him. Needless to say Kendall really did love that bed once James was was finished.
Linelineline
"You're home late." Jennifer pointed out when Kendall stepped in through the door. The blond blushed slightly and nodded his head.
"Uh... I was hanging out with James." He said. "Sorry, I should have called." He mumbled but his mother just chuckled and peeked out of the kitchen.
Kendall smiled tiredly at her when he went into the kitchen to see what she was up to and to his delight she was in the middle of baking a gingerbread house. "Sweetie, it's not that late and I told you it was alright. I'm glad you have found someone to spend some time with. It's nice to see." Jennifer said and Kendall nodded again.
He cleared his throat a bit and sat down by the table, taking the marshmallow his mother offered him and munched on it silently. "He's a nice guy..." He mumbled and then seemed to hesitate a bit. "Hey... mom... uh... I was thinking of inviting James over for Christmas dinner." He said and his mother glanced at him before sprinkling some powdered sugar over the small house.
"Isn't he spending Christmas with his own family?" She asked and glanced at her son when he shook his head.
"His parents are divorced and they are both out of town over the holidays." Kendall explained. "And he's an only child so... I thought it'd be nice to invite him over..." He mumbled shyly and blushed.
Jennifer turned back to her work and smiled to herself. "You are a sweet boy, Kenny." She said. "I think that's a great idea." She continued and Kendall smiled happily. "I'll make sure to put out an extra plate for your friend." She assured and leaned down to kiss the blond's blushing cheek. She turned her back on him for a minute and gave a weak chuckle.
"What?"
"You really like him." Jennifer pointed out and Kendall turned red in an instant.
"No, I don't." He blurted out and furrowed his eyebrows. "I-It was one date a-and we're just kind of friends..." He mumbled, not wanting his mother to know just how much he really liked James and what they had done earlier in the mall's furniture store.
His mother chuckled again and turned to him. "I can tell that you do, Kendall. There is no use in denying it." She told him. "He seems like a sweet boy."
Kendall couldn't help but smile too but he tried to hide it. "He's really sweet..." He mumbled and then gulped and got up. "I-I'm gonna go and take a shower." He announced before racing out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Jennifer chuckled.
She knew her son had it bad.
Linelineline
"I-I don't know about this..." James mumbled nervously and tugged at his tie to try and loosen it up a bit. "Dinner with parents seem so... I don't know..."
Kendall smiled up at him and rolled his green eyes. "You have nothing to worry about. My mom's really chill and besides... if you leave now then you won't get the present I got you." He said and James looked down at him.
"You... got me a present?" he asked. When the blond nodded he gave an awed smile. "Really?"
"Well... yeah. You got me one." Kendall said and looked confused. "Isn't it the right thing to do and get you one?" He asked and James gulped and looked very confused and almost lost. Kendall frowned a bit, thinking he screwed up but when James leaned down and kissed him those thoughts went away.
James chuckled slightly and shook his head. "No, it's just... I can't remember the last time someone got me a Christmas present... or invited to celebrate the holidays." He said.
"No Christmas dinners?" Kendall gasped and James shook his head. "Get in the house." Kendall demanded and the brunet chuckled again and followed the blond inside. "Mom! James is here!" He announced and grabbed the brunet's hand and dragged him into the living room where Kendall's mother sat and read a book in the couch.
She looked up and smiled brightly at James when he walked in. "Oh, merry Christmas, James!" She cheered and got up and enveloped the brunet in a big hug and kissed his cheek. "I hope you're hungry, I made a big dinner!" She said and James blushed and looked nervous.
He nodded shyly. "S-Starving, Mrs. Knight." He said and the red haired woman rolled her eyes.
"Oh, please. I feel so old whenever someone calls me that. Call me Jennifer." She insisted and James gave another nervous smile. "Now, I'm just going to check on the turkey, you make yourself at home. Okay, sweetie?" She cooed and James nodded before she disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the two teens alone.
"She's really nice."
"Yeah." Kendall murmured and looked happy. "She's the best mom in the entire world." He mumbled and gave a small sigh, looking away and sitting on the couch. "S-Sorry, I just... thought of something." He mumbled and tried to regain his smile.
James furrowed his eyebrows a bit and sat down next to him. "You look troubled."
"I just... I just want to have a happy Christmas." Kendall mumbled silently. "I want a Christmas where nothing goes severely wrong. Just a calm night with the ones I love the most."
"If you wanted me alone so bad you could have just asked..." James said teasingly and Kendall glared at him and shoved him a little in the chest.
"Hush." He gritted out and gulped a bit. "Hey... James..." He mumbled. "We're friends, r-right?" he asked warily and the brunet gave an amused chuckle and slung an arm around his neck.
"Do you remember the furniture store? Or the old power station?" he asked. "I believe we've reached the next level." He said and the blond gave a weak smile. "What? You don't want that?"
"I-I do." Kendall blurted out. "It's just... someone like you don't end up with someone like me very often." He said and turned away. "Or am I just imagining it? Is this a cheesy romance novel or teenage movie where the new kid magically gets the hottest guy?"
James rolled his eyes and wrapped and squeezed the blond's shoulder. "You are definitely over thinking things." He said. "I like you, alright? I really hope you like me back because now that I've said it I can't take it back."
The blond gave another smile and nodded. "I like you too." He said and the brunet gave his cheek a kiss and Kendall sighed happily. "I like you a lot." He confessed. James whistled lowly and nodded. "You better not fail me now because I've given you a lot of my firsts." He said and James arched an eyebrow.
"Really now?"
"Yup." The blond said.
James smirked a bit and eyed the blond. "And what was the best?"
"The first kiss." Kendall said without hesitation. The brunet softened a bit and frowned.
"I was your first kiss?" He asked silently and Kendall nodded. "Oh my gosh... If I knew that it your first I would have done it so much better..." James sighed and looked almost as if he was sad about the whole thing. Kendall chuckled. "Don't laugh! This is not a laughing matter!" James said.
The blond shrugged his shoulders and smiled happily. "I thought it was perfect." He said. James rolled his eyes and then smiled lovingly at the blond. They both looked up when a flash blinded them and Kendall turned red like a tomato. "Mom!" He cried. "No!"
Jennifer smiled at them and looked down at the camera. "Oh, but it's such a nice picture." She cooed and the blond hid his face in his hands, embarrassed over his mother but James didn't seem all too bothered. He actually smiled – secretly hoping he'd be able to get his hands on the picture later. He turned back and eyed the blond and smiled at how even the tips of his ears and his neck was flushed red.
James would never tell them – especially not Kendall – that the blond had taken a first from him as well. James decided to stay silent and just enjoy the fist Christmas he didn't have to spend alone.
A/N: Hey, guys! Long time to see! So it's Christmas eve, and I've opened my presents, had dinner with my family at home and I'm dead tired. But then I found this story that I wrote last year, and I don't think I ever uploaded it, so here it is! Some fluffy sweet Kames for you! Merry Christmas everyone. Have a great time ! :)