A/N: Hello again everyone! I'm back with another chapter!

Before we get to the that, I'd like to thank everyone that read last chapter! I'd also like to give a special thank you to Side1ways, winterschild11, Guest, and annabellex2 for reviewing! I know that a lot of you are curious as to who will end up with whom, and it will be revealed eventually, but I'm evil so it'll be a while before that :P

I will say that there will be plenty of hints if you look closely ;)

I hope you all enjoy!


They didn't get along just fine.

James was infuriating.

He made them eat vegetables. Actual vegetables.

He had moved in two days ago, and he'd not only taken over in the kitchen but he had the nerve to tell Kendall to stop lounging on the couch and crack open his econ book if he wanted that A.

Even worse, Katie agreed with him.

Kendall muttered under his breath, grabbed a couch cushion, and slipped it under his head. "I thought you living here would make econ a walk in the park. Like living with CliffNotes."

James walked up to him on the couch and planted a fat textbook on his chest, knocking the breath from him. "Read that, and I'll quiz you."

Kendall narrowed his eyes at him, but James' expression remained unflinching. "Katie?" He called, still holding his gaze. "What dinners would you like this week? I'm going to make a run to the store."

"I call shotgun." Kendall said, trying to push the book away, but James planted a firm hand on it, keeping it right where it was. "What? We are out of pizza and peanut butter."

"No more living off pre-packaged dinners. You need proper nutrition. Both of you."

How hard would it be to slip in a pizza when James wasn't looking? "Let's get on that right now, then."

James' lips twitched. "Read a chapter first, then you can come."

Kendall opened the damn book. "It would help if I could read your atrocious handwriting."

"You just have to have the last word, don't you?"

Kendall looked up at him and smiled. "Who, me?"

James shook his head before he walked off to the kitchen, opened cabinets, and started writing down a shopping list. Kendall read the boring introduction and half of the first chapter. James' presence made it difficult to concentrate. He felt his gaze on him half the time checking to make sure he hadn't drifted off.

And Kendall really wanted to drift off too, but pride. So…

Thankfully, James' phone rang and the guy answered it with a way too happy, "Dak! How are you doing?" He pulled the phone from his ear and spared Kendall a look. "You keep reading." He resumed his call, voice trailing off up the stairs as James retreated to his bedroom.

Kendall waited until James' door shut to leap off the couch and lure Katie from working on her history thesis and into the kitchen. "Yeah, okay." She said. "We can call Mom."

Katie felt for the landline phone they kept at the corner of the kitchen island and began dialing, and Kendall picked up the paper and pen James left on the kitchen bench.

"Jesus, his handwriting is a mess."

"So long as we can slip some chocolate on the list, I don't care. And he's right, you know. We don't eat well."

"I always make sure to get the vegetarian microwavable lasagna."

Katie pressed speaker and the kitchen filled with ringing. Their mom picked up and got right to it.

"Loved ones could confront me with news that may start a massive change for the family. I'm not to assume what that news is and am to take it in stride. Apparently, I have the tendency to butt in where it would be better to let things take their natural course. But now my Leo loves have called and it's all I can do to not badger you for this news."

"Hey, Mom." He and Katie said together.

"Yes, yes, hello, of course. Hugs and kisses, too. The news?"

A hearty laugh came from upstairs only slightly muffled through James' door. Who was this Dak person he was talking to? "News? There's no news."

"Sweetie, I love you, but you're oblivious half the time. Katie, you're usually more perceptive. Can you think of anything that might change the family dynamics?"

"Yes. Ken has been laughing more recently."

Kendall's cheeks warmed. "So has Katie."

"We've decided to move on from Jo and Ryder once and for all." Katie said.

At hearing Jo's name, Kendall was struck with a small pang.

"Matters of the heart." Their mom said. "Yes, this could be the news. Lovely. Maybe it means you'll both soon meet someone new? In fact...oh never mind, I should mind my own business. Maybe a little push in the right direction? Okay, let's talk about Leo capatability."

She was fooling herself if she thought he'd date based on a star sign.

"Jo and Ryder weren't good matches for you." She said. "Especially Jo, Kendall. Virgos are the absolute least compatible match for a Leo. No sexual chemistry whatsoever."

"There was plenty of sexual chemistry, thank you very much."

"That wasn't chemistry, darling. That was fucking."

"Mom!"

"I'm just saying. Real chemistry makes sex fun and emotional."

"How do you know it wasn't emotional?" It wasn't, because sex never was, but still.

"Did either of you ever make love-"

"Two minutes in and I'm already wishing this call was over."

"See, you haven't."

If Kendall hadn't lived with this type of mothering his whole life, he'd be wishing for the ground to open and swallow him whole. As it was, this was just another Saturday.

"Making love is a Hollywood invention. It's right next to Middle Earth in a Tolkien dictionary."

"All I'm saying is if you think a Virgo is good, you'll be blown away if you meet an Aries. Or Sagittarius."

Katie, who had been giggling throughout the not-so-enlightening back and forth, laughed harder. "Tell me more about Aries and Sagittarius."

Kendall shook his head and added 'chunky' to 'peanut butter' on James' list as his mom detailed the trust, communication, and sexual intimacy in a Sagittarius-Leo pairing.

He doodled a Leo and a Aries on the bottom of the paper as their mom dove into their most compatible matches.

"Aries and Leo's are so passionate together. And the intimacy. The intimacy. There is a tendency to get jealous and possessive but it's compensated with absolute loyalty these two have for each other. Really, you couldn't find a better match. Aries feeds your need for attention while remaining faithful in their own character. Both of you need to prove how amazing you are, and while doing so, Aries energizes Leo. And Leo in turn cherishes Aries. Despite the battle for dominance, the relationship flows with warmth, passion, and playfulness."

"Ken," Katie said, waggling her brows. "Make sure you find me an Aries."

He snorted. "You don't actually believe this, do you?"

"Don't be too dismissive." Mom said. "You might miss out."

As he finished the horns on the Aries, he heard the upstairs floorboards squeak. Katie must have heard it too, because she palmed her head and said, "Oh, yeah. We have a new roommate. He used to be Kendall's econ tutor."

Speaking of econ...Kendall glanced over at the textbook he had plunked on the coffee table. Maybe should hurry back to his spot and pretend like he'd been studying the whole time, if only to keep James from issuing another exasperating comment.

"His names' James." Katie added.

Kendall clicked speakerphone off and snapped the phone to his ear. "So maybe, and I mean this with all my love, maybe next time you call you can make sure you're speaking to us before diving into the secrets of the universe? Love you. Bye."

He placed the phone into Katie's hand and ushered her back into her room. Grabbing his textbook, he jumped back on the couch as James descended the stairs.

James walked past him into the kitchen without even looking at him. "It would probably be easier to absorb the principles of efficiency and equity in relation to tradeoffs with the book turned the right way around."

Dammit.

Kendall peered at him over the top of the book. "You underestimate my talents, Diamond. I happen to be proficient at reading upside down. Also backwards, as a matter of fact."

"And yet my handwriting eludes you."

Point, James Diamond.

Kendall flashed his dimples at him.

James scooped up the shopping list and grabbed his keys from the rack. Kendall responded to the jingling like the last bell before summer break. He jumped off the couch, snagged his jacket, and stuffed his feet into his shoes.

James knocked on Katie's door and asked if she wanted to join them. She came out with a bounce in her step, slipped into her jacket, and they stepped out into the frosty air to James' car parked at the curb.

They clambered inside, James giving Katie time to familiarize herself with his car and settle comfortably in the backseat. James started the engine and cranked up the heat.

"It's so...clean in here." Kendall said, glancing around the spotless leather interior.

"Just the way I like it."

Katie chuckled. "Don't let Kendall eat in the car, then. There'll be crumbs in places in the upholstery you didn't even know about."

James leaned an elbow on the middle armrest and glanced at him. "Is that so?"

Kendall pressed his finger to the condensation on the front window and started writing. "I like my cars with personality."

"That means he cherishes the smell of stale crackers."

"Katie!"

She laughed. "Hey, I like it. All I have to do is feel the grains and I know I'm home."

Kendall finished writing the windshield quote: And yet my handwriting eludes you.

James read it, looking torn between irritation that fingerprints would stain the glass and mild amusement.

"I said that."

"Five points to Team Diamond." Kendall scribbled James' name under the quote.

James smiled a half inch then dropped it and shook his head. "Belts on, Leos."

James had overheard their mom's call, then. Kendall palmed his head.

Buckled in and ready to go, James eased away from the curb and drove down the road toward the store. While he chatted with Katie, Kendall cracked open the glove compartment and peered inside.

Car registration and documents. Two bottles of water and five Hershey's Bars past their use-by date.

"Anything incriminating?" James asked in a low voice as they waited at a red light.

Kendall gave him a quizzical look. "What's with all the expired chocolate?"

"In case I get stuck in traffic driving out of state, of course."

Of course. James sure liked having his shit together.

"I'd better replace those, though. What's with the smile?" James asked as he started to drive again.

Kendall felt his dimples deepen. "You're so organized. No wonder I drove you crazy."

A few seconds passed before James responded. "That's cute."

"What is?"

"Your use of past tense."

Kendall punched James in the arm. "Why did we choose this guy as a roommate, again?"

"Because he's smart and considerate, he cooks, he separates out the white laundry and he has a car and…" His sister continued all the way to the store parking lot.

Kendall pivoted in his seat and stared at her. Was he witnessing the start of a beautiful friendship? James was about the same age and shared the same determination Katie did, and Katie admired the guy's incessant need to keep things in order.

And, frustrations aside, James was…

Well, he would be the insufferable brother-in-law that always wound him up the wrong way, and Kendall would give it back just as good. He liked getting a rise out of him even if James' hazel stare made him a little nervous.

It was nothing he couldn't handle. Nothing at all.

He shifted in his seat and stared out the front window. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw James grinning.

"Katie, thank you." James said, with arguably the biggest smile Kendall had ever seen on his face. "You're close to being my favorite girl ever."

"Stop feeding his ego." Kendall said as he climbed out of the car. "His head is big enough."

They made it inside, Kendall offering Katie his shoulder to hold. James pushed the grocery cart and eyed them as Kendall swiftly navigated past the fruits and veggies aiming for the frozen food section.

Kendall had barely made it three steps past the fresh produce before Jame gripped his other shoulder and gently guided him to a stop. "Let's try that again." James said before looking at Katie. "May I lead you today?"

She shifted her hand from him to James. "He made straight for the pizza, didn't he?"

Kendall huffed. James told him to handle the cart as he steered Katie back toward the broccoli and cauliflower.

If the guy wasn't so good to his sister, he'd think about throttling him with the green onions that had landed in their cart.

Carefully, they made it through the healthy sections filling up their cart with eggplant, garlic, carrots, and too many green items to name. It wasn't enough to get rice and pasta, so James tossed in lentils, couscous, and quinoa, whatever the hell that was.

Turned out one frozen pizza was okay in the end, because, moderation or whatever.

But the final straw came in the peanut butter aisle.

Kendall always ate chunky peanut butter.

Apparently, James always ate smooth.

Kendall stood next to James hugging an extra-chunky peanut butter jar against him.

Katie made the final decision. "Shopping with you two is like listening to daytime soaps." She said. "The drama. I don't mind either type but I'm partial to smooth. Sorry, Ken."

His mouth dropped open. "We are not of the same blood! Smooth?!"

James' barely refrained smugness twitched at his lips. Clearly he found the situation amusing.

In went the smooth peanut butter, and away his traitorous sister and James went.

Of course, they could have bought both, but smooth versus chunky felt like a game, and Kendall had never been into cooperative games. He liked a clear winner. He liked to be the winner.

Overseeing the cart made it easy to win. The smooth peanut butter fell out and the chunky fell in. Oops.

They made it through checkout and halfway back to the car when Katie's phone rang. James stopped at a safe space on a pedestrian island and let her answer.

"Ryder?" Her voice sounded breathless, and Kendall froze with the cart. He knew the way her stomach must be filling with butterflies. Every time Jo's ringtone sounded, he'd hoped there was a chance Ryder and her hadn't worked out and she was calling to ask for another chance.

James swung his gaze from Kendall to Katie, a curious brow rising, then beckoned Kendall over to swap jobs.

Kendall moved to his sister's side and James pushed the cart to his car and opened the trunk.

Katie squeezed his hand and let out a familiar bitter laugh. "Your birthday...party at your new place...can bring a date."

For a moment Kendall thought she'd hang up on Ryder, but she straightened her shoulders and held up her chin. "I'll be there."

He wasn't surprised when his phone went off moments later.

"Hey, Ken." Jo said when he answered with a grunt. He hated that he could tell she was smiling. "Maybe you already know why I'm calling?"

"Let's see. Your car got a flat and you need me to hoof it over and change it for you? You need someone to give your philosophy paper a good edit? You need me to help you choose a gift for your boyfriend, fiance's, birthday?" Kendall shut his eyes, breathed in, and released the pain. He had had enough of this. "I gotta stop doing things for you, Jo." He said softly. "You've moved on and I am too."

"You're right." She said quietly. "I'm sorry. If you want to come to the party to hang out, you're more than welcome to come. I hope you show up. You're a great guy, Kendall. I like you in my life."

Kendall swallowed, staring dumbly toward James shutting his trunk. James looked up then, their gazes clashed, and James hesitated before retreating to the driver's side.

Kendall hung up and, in taut silence, led Katie to the passenger side of James' car. She could sit up front this time.

James said nothing as they piled into the car, but he glanced at him through the rearview mirror once, twice, three times before they left the parking lot.

Finally, James spoke. "Who was on the phone?"

Kendall pulled out a small smile. "My ex."

James nodded grimly. "One of those."

Something about the sad way he said it made Kendall believe he understood. "Anyway," Kendall said, playfully tugging Katie's hair through the gap in the headrest. "What are we making for dinner?"

"We?" Katie scoffed.

"Okay. What are you making, Mr. James Diamond?"

"We," James said, pegging him with a look through the rearview mirror. "Are learning how to make a lasagna. The non-microwave variety."

When they parked outside their home, James fished out the shopping list and reached it back to Kendall.

"What's this for?" Kendall asked, climbing out of the car and following James to the trunk.

James grabbed six bags and lifted them effortlessly. "You drew a little something at the bottom."

The Leo and the Aries. "I'm sure you can guess why, eavesdropper."

"A subconscious need to find some real chemistry perhaps?"

"I know chemistry, James." Kendall waggled his brows. "It's hot."

Katie, waiting at the side of the car, snickered, and Kendall grabbed the remaining bags, turned on his heel, and offered her his shoulder.

"I still wouldn't mind finding an Aries." Katie whispered.

Kendall hadn't thought her soft words had traveled.

They must have, though, because once Katie disappeared into the kitchen and Kendall was toeing off his shoes, James slid past, pinning him with a twinkling gaze.

"Did you know I'm an Aries?"


Done! So it looks like Kendall and Katie have found their Aries! But which one will end up with James? And Dak was kind of introduced in this chapter, but he will be making a reappearance soon. Any guesses as to what role he'll play?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter as well as your thoughts on James' relationship with both Kendall and Katie!

Next chapter will be up soon! And by soon, I mean sometime this week :P

Until then!

-Epically Obsessed