HELLO, ALL. in honor of the release of Elevate, i have written up a new chapter for ya'll! do you guys love elevate, or do you guys L O V E elevate? i cannot stop listening to it asdjflsadkfj. especially love me love me (where the title of the story comes from ehehe.)
and i know i seem like a huge dick for not replying to your reviews, but know this: i read every single one! i feel that i can just reply to them all here with a big fat THANK YOU I LOVE YOU OMG DID YOU REALLY JUST SAY THAT STOP IT YOU'RE MAKING ME BLUSH ADSKJFASDK.
but seriously, your reviews make me squeal. it's like i live off of reviews. SO KEEP 'EM COMING.
while typing this story, i've realized that my hands get clammy. xD i hope you guys reading doesn't make you have clammy hands...
also, new headcanon for you: logan and james love lady gaga. a lot. just sayin'.
without further ado, here's chapter 4! enjoy! :)
Carlos woke up in bed alone. He was almost disappointed, until he heard the faint sounds of Lady Gaga coming from the living room. He sat up with a yawn, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles. He rolled out of bed, shuffling towards the living room and pausing in the hallway.
Logan and James were in the living room, playing "Born This Way" and totally rocking out. Carlos walked toward the kitchen, where Kendall was groggily eating cereal.
"Hey," he greeted the blonde, and Kendall bobbed his head. "What are they doing?"
"I dunno. I just woke up, and there they were. Dancing to Lady Gaga." he said, staring at James fondly. Carlos grabbed the chocolate milk from the fridge, looking at Logan, who was grinning and laughing as James grabbed his hand and spun him around. He poured himself a glass of milk, going to sit with Kendall at the table.
"...Kendall?" the blonde looked at him, and Carlos shifted slightly. "...How...How did you know you were in love with James? Like...What did it feel like?" Kendall paused, tilting his head in thought.
"...Butterflies." he stated, "There were butterflies in my stomach. All the time. And...like...I don't know. Everything just hurt. Like the feeling you get in your chest when you're about to cry? That's what it felt like. And then he just kissed me one night, and...And everything just like...exploded. I shuddered so hard he thought I was so grossed out I was gonna puke." Carlos chuckled, drinking some of his milk. "But...yeah. I just...James is kind of just like...everything. He's like the sun."
"Okay, no need to get all Shakespeare on me, dude." Carlos paused, then stated, "I'm going to try and fall in love with Logan."
"Hmm. Good luck with that. Logan is stubborn when it comes to his emotions." Kendall replied, standing up to put his cereal bowl in the sink. He then approached the two dancing, clapping. "Alright you two, that's enough Lady Gaga for one morning. Go eat." he ordered, and the two chuckled breathlessly, James turning off his iPod and attacking Kendall in a hug. "Oh, gross, James, you're all sweaty!" Kendall complained, and James merely chuckled.
"That's not what you said last night," he purred, and Carlos made a face.
"Aw, sick. I hope our room doesn't smell like ball sack thanks to you two." James and Kendall flushed at that, and Logan cackled from the fridge.
"Shut up. Who knows what you and Logan did behind closed doors." James retorted, smirking in victory when Logan flushed.
"Maybe we did something, maybe we didn't," Carlos replied with a sly grin, looking to Logan, who was frozen with an apple in his hand. What's with him and apples? "Isn't that right, Logie?" he sent him a flirty wink, and Logan's hand reached out to clutch the counter top.
"Uh," he stuttered, "Yeah. Sure. Um. I gotta pee." he hurried to the bathroom, the door slamming shut. James let out an impressed whistled.
"Whoa. He was flus-tered." Carlos merely shrugged, grinning in victory, finishing his glass of milk and putting it in the sink.
"We better get ready to go to the studio." Kendall sighed, walking towards his room with James clinging to him like a koala, cooing happily. "God, you're so heavy. You have too much muscle."
"You loooooove it," was all Carlos heard as the two wandered down the hall, and Logan emerged from the bathroom, looking at Carlos with wide eyes.
"...I meant what I said last night." Carlos said quietly, offering Logan a small smile. "I want to try loving you."
"...Why me, though?" Logan replied quietly, running his fingers over his apple. "Why not someone else?"
"Nobody else is interested. I...I want to know what love is like. And I figure...We've been friends for so long, and...I feel like loving you would be so easy."
"...Prove it." Logan finally said, and Carlos looked at him, their eyes meeting.
"Prove it?"
"Prove that you want me. Prove that you want to love me." And with that, Logan walked away, leaving Carlos leaning against the sink, deep in thought.
Huh.
...How was he going to do that?
At rehearsal, Carlos was distracted. He couldn't think about singing in the right key or doing the dance correctly when he was trying to think of ways to prove to Logan that he wants to love him.
"CARLOS!" Gustavo screamed, making the entire band jump. "WHY do you sound like COMPLETE AND UTTER CRAP?"
"Hey, don't talk to Carlos like that!" Kendall replied, wrapping his arm around the smaller boy. "He's just distracted. We're all distracted." Gustavo let out an exasperated sigh.
"Fine. FINE. Take a ten minute break, dogs! And when we come back, Carlos, you better remember how to sing correctly!" The boys sighed, tugging off their earphones and exiting the booth.
"Carlos, are you okay?" James asked, "Gustavo was right, um. You kind of were not on key." Carlos glanced at Logan, who was smirking behind his water bottle.
Smug bastard.
"I just have a lot on my mind, is all." he replied, a plan forming in his mind. "When we get back in the booth, I'll sing in the right key. Promise." he gave James a grin, and James smiled back, patting him on the back before chugging down a bottle of water.
They entered the booth ten minutes later, Carlos standing in between James and Logan, smiling.
"Alright, Superstar, from the top." Gustavo ordered, and they sang, Carlos hitting the right key this time around, his eyes darting toward Logan, who leaned toward the microphone.
"Let's take over this club," he sang, and Carlos grinned, reaching behind Logan quietly, "You're shining bright in the daaark, da-AHH!" Logan squealed, jumping a foot in the air, his cheeks turning a dark red. "C-Carlos! What the hell?" The boy in question shrugged, grinning innocently.
"HEY!" Gustavo shouted, "DOGS! Get back on track! I gave you a break so you could do better, not fool around! FOCUS!" Logan gave him one last glare, and they returned to singing, a goofy grin plastered on Carlos's face the entire session.
After they got home, Logan shoved Carlos into his room, Carlos still grinning.
"What's wrong, Logie?" he asked innocently, and Logan glared at him, his cheeks still a flushed red.
"You know what's wrong! Why the hell were you groping me the entire rehearsal? It was embarrassing!" he hissed, his arms crossed against his chest, and his lips pulled into a pout.
"You're so cute when you're mad." Carlos cooed, and Logan blushed even harder, tensing.
"Carlos, don't change the subject," he said weakly.
"But you liked it, didn't you?" he challenged, and Logan's eyebrows furrowed. "You liked it when I touched you. Right, Logie?"
Carlos had to admit, Logan looking all flustered was just as cute as him being mad.
"I'm going to shower," he muttered, and turned away, and Carlos stepped forward, grabbing Logan's ass, the pale boy letting out an 'eep'. Carlos leaned to whisper in his ear.
"You like it when I touch you like this, Logan," Logan squirmed, and Carlos grinned, kissing the shell of his ear. He pulled away, walking to the door. He turned to look at Logan, who looked dazed and flushed and scared and confused and kind of aroused and adorable, and he grinned. "Have a nice shower, Logie." He left the room and went into the living room to wind down with some TV as everyone took turns taking showers.
Logan showered first, then Kendall and James took one together to 'conserve water' (have sex), then Carlos took one, washing away the sweat and the worries with soap and shampoo and bubbles. After he was done, he sat on the couch with James, watching some Spongebob while eating a bowl of grapes.
"Logan has a nice ass." Carlos randomly chimed, and James choked on his grape.
"Oh my God, what?" he said hoarsely, still coughing lightly.
"Logan has a nice ass. I grabbed it today. It was awesome." he grinned, and James laughed.
"Carlos, oh my God. You're going to kill me one day, I swear." he chuckled, and Carlos stuffed another handful of grapes in his mouth.
During dinner (dinosaur chicken nugget Wednesday, motherfuckers.), Logan avoided all eye contact with Carlos. He ate quietly, and Carlos made no move to attack him in some way, shape or form. James snorted out a chuckle everytime he looked at Carlos, and Carlos grinned, ripping the head off his stegosaurus.
After dinner, Logan hurriedly rushed to his room, and Carlos followed.
"Carlos, please don't," Logan pleaded, trying to push Carlos out of his room. "Not right now."
"I just wanted to apologize. It's just..." he sighed, "You distracted me today with your 'prove it' business. I wanted revenge. I'm sorry. I am." Logan swallowed thickly, his cheeks still a nice pink color. "...I'll prove it to you, Logan. I want to love you."
Then, very carefully, Carlos leaned forward to press a soft kiss to Logan's nose.
Logan's face scrunched in the cutest way, his cheeks flushing a dark red, and Carlos chuckled.
"You're so adorable," he murmured. "Good night, Logie."
"...Good night, Carlos." he replied quietly, and Carlos left.
It was cold in his bed, sleeping alone.
The next thing he knew, he was being woken up by his covers being pulled back.
"Wuh?"
"I was cold," Logan's voice whispered, his body curling up against Carlos's.
"Mmm." Carlos replied, tugging Logan close and pulling up the covers. "Night."
"G'night."