You're Perfect to Me

'He's gonna be fine, he's gonna be fine, he's gonna be fine.' Kendall couldn't get those four words out of his head, they replayed over and over again in a never ending loop. When James finally got out of surgery, the doctor had explained everything to them. But Kendall zoned out once he said that he was gonna be fine. When the doctor said that James probably wouldn't wake up until the next day, everyone else had gone home to get some sleep. But Kendall couldn't leave James in the hospital by himself, he just couldn't. He was the only person who knew James' intense fear of hospitals, and there was no way he was gonna have him waking up by himself.

Kendall sat in a chair beside James' bed. He was covered in cuts and bruises, and his right arm and left leg were in identical blue casts. James had been jumped on his way home from the store. No one really knew the reason, and the assholes hadn't been found yet. Kendall glanced at the clock; it was almost 2:30 in the morning and he was exhausted. He settled down in the chair beside James, took his hand ever so gently in his, and laid his head on the bed beside James' body. He yawned and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

It was only a few hours later when James moaned. His whole body hurt, and his arm and leg felt strangely constricted. His eyes fluttered open to the view of a white ceiling. He could hear the sound of a slow and steady beeping, and he was surprised at how comforting the sound was. He looked around and noticed immediately that he was in the hospital. Panic seized him, and his chest got unbearably tight. His heart was beating fast and he suddenly couldn't breathe. Tears pricked at the back of his eyes but he pushed them back, he was not gonna cry. He was not gonna cry.

There was a quiet moan, and James looked over frantically. His heart beat almost instantly slowed down, and his breathing went back to normal. Kendall had always had that effect on him. He was the only one who made him feel completely safe and loved.

James watched as Kendall yawned and stood to stretch his aching muscles. Kendall's eyes lit up the second they landed on James. James smiled and reached out for Kendall's hand, squeezing it tightly once they connected.

"Hey baby, how are you feeling?" Kendall asked, gently kissing the top of James head.

"Hurts," James rasped out. He was surprised at the way his voice sounded, it was dry and cracking. "What- What happened?" Kendall's eyes went from being happy at seeing James to being clouded with sadness.

"You were jumped on your way home from the store. Some kids saw you passed out in the alley and called the police," Kendall said as he sat on the side of James' hospital bed. Kendall gently pushed James' sweaty bangs out of his eyes so he could see better. "That's all we really know. Everyone was hoping you'd be able to fill in the gaps," he finished softly.

Suddenly all the memories from the past twenty-four hours came rushing back all at once. James remembered everything.

Flashback

James finished paying, and gave the girl a soft smile. He stepped out of the store and shivered. In the 10 minutes he had been inside the temperature had dropped dramatically, and it was now freezing outside. 'Good thing it's only a short walk back to the Palmwoods,' he thought as he pulled his jacket around him tighter.

He fished out his phone from his back pocket, intending on calling Kendall. He always worried when James went out by himself at night, but it needed to be done and he was okay with it. Before he could push the button to call Kendall though a gloved hand went across his mouth, and strong arms wrapped around his midsection. He tried to scream, but the hand over his mouth prevented that from happening. He felt more hands grab at him, and he was pulled back into the alley.

He was thrown to the ground and before he could scream, he laid eyes on the gun pointed straight at him and he froze. He was surrounded by four guys, all dressed in black clothing and wearing masks. One of the guys leaned down next to James' ear and whispered, "If you scream, we won't hesitate to kill you. Understand?" All James could do was nod, he was absolutely petrified.

The guy, who appeared to be the leader, nodded to one of the other guys. He picked James up and held him as another guy searched him. They took his wallet and cell phone before dropping him. James landed hard on his arm, and bit his lip to hold back the scream that threatened to spill from his throat.

"Holy shit, this guy's loaded," one of the guys said looking through his wallet.

The guy holding him eyes went wide in recognition. "Holy shit, it's that guy. From that boy band my brother and sister are obsessed with. I thought I recognized him."

The leader sniggered and got in James face. "A boy band? You're in a boy band? What are you gay or something?" James shook his head quickly, holding back tears. He was trying not to show that he was terrified, but seriously? Who wouldn't be terrified in this situation? They guy laughed and spit in his face. "He's probably a faggot. Well pretty boy, believe me. By the time we're done with you, no guy his going to want to look at your face again."

Everyone laughed and the guy holding him dropped him. James landed on the same arm as before and this time he couldn't hold back the scream. All the sudden he felt a boot kick into his ribs, knocking the wind out of him. A flurry of kicks and punches rained down on him then, mostly aimed at his face. James curled himself in a ball, trying to protect his face and stomach as the boys yelled insult after insult at him. James lost track of how long they boys went at him, and all he wanted was for them to stop. James went in and out of focus a few times, before his eyes closed and he welcomed the darkness that surrounded him.

End Flashback

James looked away, tears pricking at his eyes. He caught sight of his reflection on one of the metal machines by his bed and gasped. A blood stained white bandage was wrapped tightly around the top of his head. His face was covered in cuts and bruises. A line of stiches started at his right temple and went across his cheek, ending at the side of his chin just under the right corner of his mouth. He was hideous, and he couldn't believe that Kendall had seen him like this.

James pulled the blankets over his head quickly, hiding his face from Kendall. "Please leave, Kendall. I don't want you to see me like this," James said, his voice breaking at the end.

A puzzled expression played across Kendall's face. "James what are you talking about," Kendall said pulling the blankets down so that he could see James' face. He was surprised to see James was crying.

"Look at me Kendall," James said gesturing towards his face. "I'm sweaty and dressed in a hospital gown. My hair is ratted and messy. I'm covered in cuts and bruises. And if you think this," he said gently tracing the line of stiches, "isn't going to scar then you are insane. I'm a mess Kendall. I'm hideous, and I don't want you to see me this way. So please just leave, leave me until I can fix my appearance," James said trying to pull the blanket over his head, but Kendall was not going to let him hide.

"James, listen to me very carefully. I don't care what you look like. You could be dressed in rags and covered in nothing but dirt and mud, and I would still find you absolutely beautiful. Jaime, no matter what you look like I will always love you. I will always find you attractive. I don't care if you have a molted scar across your face," Kendall said gently kissing the scar. "You're still beautiful to me."

"But-" James was interrupted by Kendall placing a finger against his lips. "No buts. I love you, just the way you are." Kendall leaned over and gently kissed every cut and bruise on James' face. "I love you, James. You're perfect to me."

James smiled and took Kendall's hand. Kendall always knew just how to make him feel loved.