Guys! Why didn't anyone say anything about me saying "ears of a hawk" in the first chapter?! Mother of God. Okay. Moving on.
"God DAMMIT. We're never gonna find these guys." Kendall screamed, whirling around to slam in palm into a building. "We've been looking for a god-damn WEEK. Carlos, we're in FUCKING Nebraska."
Hearing Kendall blow up like this- lose hope- only made Carlos more afraid for his life. The hole in his ribs was mostly healed now. They had asked five people in Nebraska- just letting the last go on with their lives- none of them seeing the boys.
Yes, they spent a week looking for these guys. The two were relieved to hear that someone in Saint Louis had seen TWO bird-boys flying together- which meant that Kendall and Carlos didn't have to look for two boys, but one, knowing the other would be with him. They went to Missouri and Kansas, tracking these guys by asking around, locals pointing them in the right direction. And finally they lost them, getting to Nebraska; nobody had seen either one of them.
"A whole WEEK- gone to SHIT, Carlos!" Kendall raged. "How in the HELL are we supposed to find these guys?"
"Kendall!" Carlos cried. "Shut up! You're scaring me!"
Kendall sighed and leaned his forehead on the building. It was night time.
"I'm not giving up, Los." he said calmly. "You're my brother. I'll never give up."
Carlos nodded and looked up at the stars.
"Think God loves mutants?" he asked.
"God loves everyone, Los. C'mon- let's go find a gas station to bum some food from." Kendall said gently, taking off in the air.
"Hi there, Sweetheart." James winked, leaning on the counter of the gas station. He had learned that he was actually quite a catch, able to charm girls into anything- even giving him free stuff. "What state are we in?"
The girl leaned on the counter, mesmerized.
"Nebraska." she said dreamily.
"DAMMIT!" James exploded, a powerful fist coming down on the counter. The girl jumped and backed away slowly. He was glad that Logan was in the back of the store, finding food, and didn't hear the girl prove him right and James wrong. Logan kept insisting that they were going the wrong way, but James told him he knew exactly where they were going. It wasn't too bad, though. They were going for Kansas, but ended up a state above there in Nebraska. It took them a week because they were in no rush at all. They took their time with everything.
"TOLD YOU." Logan called from the back. Something James hated about his travel buddy: he saw and heard EVERYTHING.
James took a deep breath and stole away, outside, frustrated, passing two guys on his way out.
Kendall and Carlos split up once inside the gas station- Carlos going straight to the back for the beef jerky, Kendall going for drinks.
"Hey, man." Carlos said cheerfully to the raven haired boy with an armful of Chex-Mix and chips, a duffle bag over his shoulder. The guy merely looked over and nodded before turning away.
Carlos watched him go a few steps before turning back to the jerky, having to do a double take when something caught his eye... Huge black wings on the guy's back.
"Hey! You!" Carlos said quickly, lunging forward to jerk the guy back. The guy struggled from his grip, looking angry, but Carlos took his hand and started shaking it quickly.
"My name's Carlos. What's your name?" Carlos pressed.
"Get the hell away from me!"
"And my buddy over there- he's Kendall. WHAT'S YOUR NAME?"
"If I tell you, will you leave me alone?"
"Yeah! My name's Carlos."
"I get that." the guy rolled his eyes. "I'm Logan."
"Logan... Mitchell?" Carlos egged. The guy jerked his hand away, looking creeped out.
"YES! IT'S YOU!" Carlos squealed throwing his arms around the guy. "I'm not gonna die! KENDALL I'M NOT GONNA DIE!"
"Get the hell away!" Logan growled, shoving Carlos away, into a taller, blonde guy. The Latino whirled around.
"Kendall! It's the Logan guy! Look! Look at his wings!" Carlos beamed, Logan staring at Carlos's big white wings before his dark eyes darted up to Kendall's. With that, he dashed away, dropping the food and out the door.
"NO!" Kendall yelled, running after him, dropping the drinks.
Logan snagged James's hand on the way down the sidewalk, James protesting.
"Slow down!" James complained. "What-"
His other hand was caught and suddenly he was yanked the other way, feeling like he was being torn in half.
"WHAT'RE THE FUCKING ODDS?" Kendall said happily, jerking the taller boy to him to inspect him.
"Let em go!" Logan said defensively, but his own arm was grabbed and he was stunned to see the Latino at his side. "What the hell is this?" Logan growled.
"We've been flying around all WEEK to find you guys!" Carlos squealed, hugging Logan again, Logan going stiff.
"Why?" James asked, allowing the blonde to stare at him in awe.
"Oh, cause Kendall's dad said-"
"My dad said that you guys lived in Saint Louis and that we should try to find you." Kendall interrupted quickly. Carlos gave him a confused look, still pressed up against Logan. "Cause we're like you guys."
"Well we're not interested." Logan said with finality, prying Carlos off of him to make his way past James.
"Hey! You guys wanna come to California with us?" James was already asking cheerfully.
"THAT'S SO PERFECT! GOD DOES LOVE MUTANTS! I'M NOT GONNA DIE!" Carlos yelled in excitement. Kendall stepped over to put an arm over Carlos's shoulders.
"We'd love to come to California with you." Kendall said proudly. Logan punched James- hard- in the arm, James rubbing it.
"You can't come with us." Logan growled.
"Actually, we're going to California, too." Kendall said smoothly. "We just escaped from a lab in Wisconsin and-"
"I thought you said you talked to your dad..." Logan cut in, eyes squinted.
"I did- I- I called him. Him and my mom and my little sister live in California, so me and Carlos here are going to live with them." Kendall said.
"Are you guys gay together or something?" Logan asked, James punching him in the shoulder.
"No!" Carlos squeaked. "We're brothers! That's incest!"
"Brothers? A Mexican and a blonde BROTHERS?" James asked, unconvinced.
"Okay, I'm NOT Mexican." Carlos cut in. "I'm a perfect mixture of Spanish and Venezuelan."
"And he doesn't mean literally brothers. But we take care of each other. We're not gay together." Kendall assured. "Are YOU guys?"
James giggled and Logan rolled his eyes.
"No." James answered. "We barely even know each other."
"So... Are we going to Cali?" Carlos asked excitedly.
"Hell YES we are." James said happily, Logan raging and dragging him aside.
"We can't go with them. They're sketchy."
"So? We'll end up running into each other anyway! We're going to the same place." James whined. "Besides, since when do you care about going on long trips with sketchy people who you just met."
Logan sighed and shook his head.
"The short one's too handsy." he said.
"So?" James laughed. "Enjoy it."
"That's creepy." Logan said flatly.
"They're NICE." James said. "I've got your back, I HOPE you have mine. If they try to kill us in our sleep, we'll ditch em. What's the worst that could happen?"
"I could get raped by a Mexican."
"Hey! He said he's not Mexican."
Logan rolled his eyes.
"I'm the leader here and I say we go with them." James said.
"YOU'RE the leader?" Logan challenged. "I don't think you can have that roll anymore, now that you lead me the wrong way."
"Please, Logan?"
Logan sighed and glanced at the other guys, just twenty feet away.
"You've got my back?" Logan asked, looking back up to James.
"Of course." James said. "You have mine?"
"Yeah." Logan nodded. "So... I guess we go with them."
James grinned and pulled Logan back to the other two.
"Okay." James nodded. "Let's go."
"YES!" Carlos wooped, hugging James tightly, then Logan. "I'm not gonna die!"
"Why does he keep saying that?" James asked as they began walking. He was next to Kendall.
"He's weird." Kendall said simply. "I'm sorry- I didn't catch your name."
"James." James said charmingly. He had no idea why he was using his girl charm on Kendall, but it came naturally with this guy. He found himself drawn to Kendall- not just his looks, but his all around atmosphere. Maybe bird-boys are meant to be with other bird-boys. But then that made no sense, since he and Logan felt nothing toward each other and Kendall and Carlos had nothing romantic going on. "James Diamond."
"Hm. And your boyfriend's name?"
"Logan." James said. "And he's WAY not my boyfriend. Not my type. I mean- not that I haven't tried."
"Seriously?"
"It was a joke!" James said reassuringly.
"We should probably get to a rooftop or something." Kendall said, making to run and take flight, when James caught his hand, jerking his own back.
"Did you shock me?" James asked, cradling his hand.
"No! Did you shock ME?"
"Must be our electrical chemistry." James said smoothly.
"Are you gay? It's a good thing to know if you are." Kendall asked.
"I'm James." James shrugged. "Anyway, Logan and I have a hotel room- just down the road a little."
"Not your boyfriend, eh?" Kendall snorted.
"We sleep in separate beds and change clothes in the bathroom." James argued.
"Okay, STOP with the touching." Logan said, pushing Carlos away when he realized the significance of what was happening and tried hugging the boy again.
"Kendall never complains when I touch him." Carlos pouted, making Logan actually feel a little pity for him.
"That's cause you're brothers and it's okay. But we're STRANGERS." Logan insisted. "You don't even know me."
"Are you and James besties?" Carlos asked.
"No."
"Why?"
"Cause we're not." Logan said with finality. "We're way too different."
"But you're friends, right?"
"I guess." Logan gave in, trying to get the boy to shut up.
"There's only two beds and I'm NOT paying for two strangers to get their own room." Logan said as they entered the room. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was clean and comfortable, with a TV.
"No worries. Kendall and I will bunk together." James said cheerfully as he wrapped an arm around Kendall, turning to him. "We can spoon."
Kendall laughed and shrugged James off of him. He wasn't pushing James away- he liked the flirting. He had NEVER been given this kind of attention, and he hadn't completely grasped the concept that boys were supposed to flirt with girls, not boys with boys. Hey- he had never actually lived out in the real world. Only knew what "gay" was when Carlos explained it.
"Sorry, Carlos is my bunkmate." Kendall said.
"Okay, I'm gonna sleep on the floor." Logan said, not wanting to risk James cuddling with him in the midst of the night.
"C'mon, man!" James giggled. "We can cuddle."
"Zero boundaries." Logan grumbled.
"Okay, WELL, I'm gonna take a shower. Which I haven't done for more than a week." Kendall said. "I'm gross. Carlos, you need one, too."
"I'm tired, though." Carlos whined.
"Then you go first, then you can go to sleep." Kendall nodded, herding Carlos to the bathroom.
After both were showered, they settled into the bed on the right. They didn't cuddle, because there was no danger and Carlos wasn't afraid, but both were extremely relieved to be in a bed- no matter how lumpy it was. Logan slept on the floor between the beds, James in the bed on the left, leaving the offer for Kendall to come over any time open.
Kendall couldn't sleep for a while, thinking about their main goal. Getting Logan and James to the lab to save Carlos's life. He knew he couldn't allow Carlos to get too attached to the two- Carlos was extremely friendly and already seemed comfortable with even the dark and dangerous Logan. And Kendall knew he couldn't get attached to them, either. And should probably get James out of his bubble, or else it would be hard for James to accept Kendall being a back-stabber and hard for Kendall to BE a back-stabber. But James WAS attractive and sweet and charming. No. Kendall couldn't take his eyes off of his goal. He made the decision not to get close to James. It could only end badly.
Okay. So the ball is rolling! Yay! Like it? I loved writing it. I love this story.