James was worried. He had no idea what had happened between Logan and Luis, but whatever it was had clearly upset Logan. James didn't like that. He knew not to pester Logan when he wasn't in the mood for questions, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try and get an answer, provided Logan didn't end up telling him on his own accord.
But still, not knowing anything was really frustrating him, especially with the way Logan had acted when leaving the Earth Realm. Logan hadn't even let James walk him all the way to the actual portal door- just let go of his hand at the alley entrance and continued walking silently with that calculating expression still on his face.
That was it.
No hug goodbye, no parting kiss, no smile showing off his dimples, not even a "Bye, James." or a "I'll text you later Jamie."
James shook his head and gave a heavy sigh as he walked by himself, mindlessly staring through all the windows of the establishments he walked passed as he made his way to his portal.
James soon got there and wondered to himself what he was going to do to distract his mind from this predicament. Well, he hadn't yet finished that book he'd gotten a while ago at the book cafe.
Logan stayed quiet on the way back to his Realm with Luis- and to his credit, Luis kept to himself. No flirtatious innuendos, no offensive comments or attempts at touching him. It was strange, Logan thought he would take comfort in the fact that Luis wasn't messing with him, but it just made him feel worse. He knew it was his fault Luis was acting this way, he had obviously struck a nerve in the other royal. He just wished he knew what nerve he hit.
Logan also knew his friends were worried about him, they just didn't want to push and for that, he was grateful. He'd be sure to let them all know what was going on, but he wanted to see if he could figure anything out on his own. Maybe he'd talk to Luis and see if he could get anything out of him. Logan glanced over at Luis, taking in the eerily indifferent expression on his face. He bit his bottom lip, turning away and debating what he should say- that is, if he should say anything.
After a few more seconds of chewing on his lip Logan hesitantly reached out his hand to grab Luis by the arm, making Luis stop and look down at him with a raised eyebrow.
"U-um, Luis?" Logan called softly.
"Yes Logan?" Luis answered back, turning to face him. His eyebrow arched higher when he glanced down and noticed Logan's hand still gripping his arm and Logan noticed the gesture, quickly pulling his hand away and clearing his throat.
"I… I…" Logan looked up to meet Luis' gaze. "I… wanted to apologize…"
"Oh?"
"For the way I acted back there- yeah… look, I'm really sorry. You have been really annoying and, at some points, out of line, but… it was really insensitive and unfair of me to say what I did. I hardly know you and what I said was inexcusable. I just… I'm sorry and I hope you can forgive me." Logan finished lamely, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
Luis blinked at him, not expecting to hear Logan say that. "Well… I suppose what I said before you… snapped was out of line. And while I also suppose what you said was unnecessary, you wouldn't have said it had I not said what I said so… I apologize too."
Logan stared at him in surprise. An apology was the last thing Logan expected from Luis, but as Logan had mentioned before, he hardly knew Luis. He smiled anyway and they continued walking. However, his smile soon dropped when he thought of how he was going to ask this.
"S-so, um… Luis?" Logan began hesitantly. "I, um, if it's not too much to ask, what… Um, why exactly did you react the way you did- w-when I said all that?" Logan finished, silently cursing himself for being so awkward. Luis arched an eyebrow and glanced down at him but continued walking.
"Logan, while I appreciate the understanding we've come to, I don't think that warrants me telling you everything as if we've suddenly been the best of friends for forever." Luis replied smoothly, glancing down again to see Logan blushing slightly and chewing on his bottom lip- a nervous habit perhaps, Luis notes.
"Oh…" Logan says softly before they fall back into silence.
After a little while, Luis had had enough of the tense silence and embarrassed regret radiating off of Logan and gave a near inaudible sigh. "The same reason you had started yelling at me, I suppose." He said quickly, Logan snapping his eyes up to look at Luis. Luis was well aware of Logan looking at him curiously, but he kept his gaze forward as they fast approached their destination.
"Wait, wha-?"
"Looks like we're here." Luis quickly cut Logan off as they came to a stop in front of the large double doors that closed off the throne room.
Logan blinked, caught off guard by the abrupt statement. "O-oh. I suppose we are." He said, clearing his throat before moving to open a door. He allowed Luis to enter in first, then stepped in, letting the door close behind him. He found his parents waiting by their thrones for them- his father facing in front of all three thrones and his mother standing off to the side and idly watching him, a small smirk gracing her lips.
She was the first to notice the arrival of her son and his "date", immediately alerting her husband. The king snapped his head up to look in Logan's and Luis' direction. A smile soon lit up his face as he took in the two teens, completely missing the tension between the two, and Logan could only smile back awkwardly while Luis slid a smirk back on his face.
"Boys!" The King bellowed, his arms spread open in greeting and a grin stretched wide across his face. "How went it? Do I hear wedding bells in the future or what?" The King asked excitedly, ignoring the heat rushing to Logan's face and missing the Queen's uncharacteristic face palm.
"Dad!" Logan scolded, burying his face in his hands to hide his, now dark red face. "Please don't." He begged.
"Nonsense, Logan. Now tell me, where did you go? What did you do?" He heard Luis laughing quietly to himself and something suddenly occurred to him.
Luis. Crap! What was Luis going to say? Would he tell them about Logan taking him to the Earth Realm? No, no, Logan was pretty sure Luis was just as much allowed in the Earth Realm as he was- so he wasn't allowed to be in the Earth Realm. But then what about James? Would Luis tell his dad about Logan already having a boyfriend? Oh god. If Luis let that slip, Logan might as well get swallowed up by a hole in the ground because at least that form of death would be less painful.
"Um, dad, it really doesn't matter- I bet Luis is tired and ready to go home- right Luis?" Logan quickly cut in before Luis could respond, staring up at Luis with pleading eyes, silently begging Luis not to reveal any jeopardizing information. Luis raised an eyebrow in confusion as he studied Logan's facial expression and realization suddenly dawned on him.
Logan was largely surprised by the conflicting emotions running through Luis' eyes because among all the ones flashing in his eyes, Logan could vaguely make out the hesitation along with understanding, sympathy, slight fear and extreme sadness. Logan couldn't dwell on this for too long, however, because as soon as they were there, a mask of arrogance replaced any emotion Luis might have shown as he turned back to give an answer.
And dammit that only served to frustrate Logan more. He was sure the emotions he saw had to do with the way Luis reacted but just wasn't sure how.
"It was rather enjoyable, your Highness. Logan showed me around some and I even got to meet some of his friends." Luis replied. Logan felt his stomach drop at the mention of his friends. Luis gave a slight smirk- almost as if taunting Logan- and Logan had to resist the urge to glare at him.
"Meeting the friends already?" The King chuckled. "Wow, Logan must really like you if he skipped to that step already." Logan flushed bright red at his father's words and groaned loudly.
"Oh my gosh, dad! Could you possibly be any more embarrassing?!" From the corner of his eye could see Luis' smirk widen and he was sure Luis was trying to hold back his laughing.
"Well that's certainly a pleasant surprise." Luis piped in after clearing his throat. "Is it true Logan?" Luis teased, his smirk turning into a grin as Logan blushed harder.
"Luis I think you should be getting home now." Logan urged. "It was nice while it lasted but it's pretty late and I'm tired." Logan turned to walk out with a second glance, only stopping when his dad started scolding him for not giving Luis a proper farewell.
"Logan that is no way to treat a guest, much less a date."
Logan rolled his eyes and heaved out a sigh of irritation before turning around.
"Logan," The King warned.
"It's quite alright, your highness, I'm sure Logan is simply eager to get to be alone with his thoughts after this rather… eventful day. I bid you all adieu." Luis said politely, giving a slight bow to both the King and Queen in respect.
"Come, let us show you out." The King offered, throwing his arm around Luis' shoulder as he and the Queen began walking to the exit near their thrones.
"Thank you, your highness, I appreciate it." Luis thanked with a nod. Logan rolled his eyes behind their backs, preparing to leave when Luis spoke up once more. "And Logan, we should do this again sometime, yes?" He asked over his shoulder, smirking slightly.
Logan bit his tongue to stop any rude comments wanting to burst past his lips, instead giving a tight smile and and a curt nod before hastily making his way out the main entrance to the throne room before anything else could be said.
For about a week and a half, Logan was left to himself and he spent that time racking his brain to see if he could come up with any reasoning for Luis' behavior. Sadly, he could not. And he found himself growing increasingly frustrated with himself for it.
He mostly stayed cooped up in his room, with the exceptions of meal times and his class sessions with Kelly. He had texted James once during this time but it was merely small talk before Logan gave an excuse about having to study for his upcoming test- which wasn't a total lie. He had a test, he just wasn't particularly worried about studying for it. And he hadn't even bothered making any sort of contact with Carlos and/or Kendall. He knew they were worried about him, and he felt bad- really, he did- but he just needed room to think and he knew being in contact with or talking to any three of them wouldn't allow for such.
Logan stared up at his ceiling, deep in thought and he frowned deeply when, for what seemed to be the hundredth time, he came up with no explanation to Luis' behavior. Sighing, he turned on his side, facing his window. It was such a nice day out, and here he was, inside, over analyzing things. Logan figured that, maybe, he should just give it a rest already. It had nearly been two weeks already and despite his father's rather blatant enthusiasm on him and Luis going on another date, one has yet to be scheduled. If this keeps up, odds are he won't really see Luis again-with the exception of once a year when that huge and important meeting is held with all the royals. Even then there is no real reason for the two to speak to one another; and really, it was none of Logan's business. Logan didn't even honestly know why he was trying so hard to figure out what Luis' deal, especially since he knew there was nothing to figure out with the little knowledge he had, but, he supposed it was just his natural curiosity eating away at him.
With that in mind, Logan heaved himself into a sitting position and pulled his phone from underneath his pillow and sent a quick message to James, asking if he had time or was willing to talk, before deciding to head down to the garden and sit in the middle of the oasis and just… feel the water around him. It had been months since he actually got to do that and he missed it. He shoved his phone into his back pocket, making sure to pull his shirt over the protruding shape it made, before he left his room and started towards the garden.
As he made his way down he felt a vibration emanating from his back pocket and frowned at the odd sensation (it would certainly take a while to get used to that). He reached his hand back, about to pull the device from his pocket but quickly remembered his location and instead passed off the motion as him reaching to pull his shirt further down in case anyone had seen and wanted to question him.
When he finally made it to the garden, he placed his hand on the graciously carved door handle, running his thumb over the tiny, intricate design and briefly wondering who it was that had the patience to do all by hand. Huffing out a short breath, Logan pulled the doors open, smiling at the uninhabited space before him and inhaling the smell of freshly grass and crisp water with his eyes closed in appreciation. He opened them as he let out a long breath, his eyes glowing a dull ocean blue. He stepped inside fully, closing the door behind him and moving forward once he heard the soft click of the door shutting.
Venturing on to the patch of grass in the middle of the oasis, he pulled out his phone to check and see that he did, indeed, have a reply from James. He hit the power button, watching as the screen went black, then continued the decreasing distance to the oasis with his phone in hand.
Once he reached the circular body of water surrounding a small patch of land, he stared down at the water for a moment and his eyes glowed a much brighter ocean blue as he made sections of the water rise and solidify into blocks that made a path for him to the patch of land. He walked easily on the path, not the slightest bit worried about slipping, the blocks of ice melting back into the water, one by one, as he stepped off them. He reached the grass and turned to face the doors to the garden before crossing one leg over the other and simply let gravity pull him down to the ground where his legs folded graciously in a legs crossed position.
He let out a contented sigh before opening his phone and clicking on the message James had sent him: "Of course I want to talk, I've missed talking to you." Logan let slip a small smile at the message before he began typing out his reply.
"I've missed you too. And I'm sorry for being so anonymous these past few days, I just had a lot on my mind." Logan chewed on his bottom lip as he read over the message, his thumb hovering over the send button. He briefly debated with himself on whether he wanted to say anymore, but decided that he wouldn't say anything unless James asked. With that in mind, he let out a sigh and pressed send.
He placed the device down on the grass beside him and placed his hands in his lap before closing his eyes and breathing in deeply, feeling the energy of the water course through him as gentle waves combed through the water around. For a long while it was quiet and Logan just focused on breathing and the way his muscles began relaxing the longer he breathed in the slight smell of fresh, clean water. It hadn't occurred to him how worked he had gotten himself until he was gradually feeling tension leave his shoulders and back with each breath out. His phone vibrated beside him and he quickly moved to grab it, picking it up before opening his eyes to read the message.
"I figured… What happened? You've been this way since your… talk with Luis." Logan sucked in a breath at the message, holding it for a moment before blowing air out upwards through his mouth, some of the hair resting on his forehead flying upwards gently before fluttering back down. Of course James would ask. It's what any good boyfriend would do. Heck, the fact that James hadn't pestered Logan about it and given him his space made him an even better boyfriend in Logan's eyes.
Apparently Logan had taken too long to respond because he felt more vibrating in his hand and snapped his gaze down to read another text message. "You don't have to tell me if you really don't want to." Logan couldn't help but smile lightly at the message silently beaming at James' understanding nature.
He bit down on his bottom lip, hesitating for a moment, but began typing out a reply. "No, it's ok. I'm sorry it's just something that Luis said that got to me. He... I said something really insensitive- calling him a home-wrecker and man whore and he blew up saying he wasn't either of those and was about to say something else but cut himself off. He looked about ready to cry but took a deep breath and told me we should be getting back. He was acting so different after that- no flirting or slightly perverted comments, he hardly even acknowledged me.
Logan sent the message, still gnawing nervously on his bottom lip and he stared down at his phone, re-reading the message until he got a reply.
"Well I don't blame him, Logie. That was kind of harsh- especially since you don't know him," Logan paused in reading to roll his eyes despite the pang of guilt that shot through him, "That doesn't explain why he was on the verge of tears though. I mean, it's one thing to get pissed off at being called a home-wrecker and all that, but to be brought to tears by it? Obviously there's something more going on here."
Logan quickly perked up, sitting up straighter, his fingers flying across the digital keyboard and his heart pounding in his chest with excitement. "Yes! Exactly, that's what I've been trying to figure out- it's been driving me crazy!"
"It's definitely a mystery, but Logan, it's not really your place to get so worked up over it. Obviously there's something Luis doesn't want you to know about and you shouldn't snoop." Logan huffed at this, frowning at the message before shaking his head.
"I know, James, but I can't shake the feeling that this has to do with something much bigger than any of us realize. I mean, how could something so petty as name calling bring a person to tears?"
"Maybe he's just really pompous and superstitious." Logan furrowed his brows in confusion before he realized what James meant to say. He smiled fondly and rolled his head. Oh James...
"I think you meant to say superficial."
"Right. That." Logan let out a breathy chuckle."Well, who knows, maybe he has a dark past and something about what you said or even the way you said it triggered a memory he locked away."
Logan blinked in surprise at the sudden bout of intelligence. Not to say he thought James was dumb, because that definitely wasn't the case, it was just weird to hear James say something so… so out of character. "Wow, Jamie, who knew you could be so philosophical." Logan complimented, smiling proudly down at his phone.
"I'm more than just a pretty face ya know XP" Logan covered his mouth to stifle the laugh bubbling through his chest.
"That you are, James. That you are." Logan soon lost track of time as minutes turned into hours, the both of them making small talk that eventually slipped into mindless conversation. And yeah, Logan missed talking to James too.
It was at dinner time that Logan's dad made the announcement that he had arranged another date for Logan and Luis. Logan was quietly sipping at his soup with a secret smile on his face after the conversation he had shared with James when he heard of the arrangement. His head shot up and he opened his mouth to say something but started choking when the small amount of soup remaining in his mouth shot down his airway instead of down to his stomach.
"Drink some water, dear," Logan's mother advised, concern showing in her face as she watched him cough into a napkin that was beside his bowl of soup. She made a move to come over to him but he just held up a hand to tell her to stay seated. Logan sat in his chair breathing deeply and sipping water until he felt like he could speak without throwing himself into a coughing fit.
"You alright, son?" His dad asked, his eyebrows raised in concern. Logan nodded sheepishly.
"Yes, sorry. What was that you were saying?" Logan asked, hoping he had heard wrong. By the way his father's face lit up, he knew he hadn't.
"Ah, yes! I've arranged a time for you and Luis to go out again." The King beamed proudly. The Queen sighed quietly to herself, feeling pity for both Logan and her husband for different reasons.
"Why would you do that?!" Logan exclaimed. The King frowned.
"Well, I just thought that-"
"Dad if I wanted to go on another date with him, I would have made the arrangements myself!"
"Logan I'm just trying to help you out here, since apparently you want to stick to this idea of preferring men over women. I thought you'd be happy about this."
Logan's face turned a light shade of red and he narrowed his eyes. "It's not an idea, it's an identity- I did not choose to be attracted to men; I was born in to it."
"Oh, come off it. You can't tell me you've had an attraction towards men since you were born- did you swoon at the male doctor once you were out of the womb?"
"Did I 'swoon' at the female nurse when I came out of the womb?" Logan challenged back.
"This is ridiculous! All I'm trying to do is find you someone suitable for marriage."
"And who says I haven't found someone already?!" Logan shot back, not realizing the words he had spoken he saw his mother's eyes widen at him from the corner of his eye. Despite his little slip up, he held his father's gaze.
"Well, have you? And for goodness sake, tell me it's not that friend of yours- Kendall." His father said scrunching up his nose in distaste at Kendall's name.
"Who's to say- and what do you have against Kendall anyways?" Logan demanded.
"Well, for starters he's the reason you were frolicking about the Earth Realm for days on end-"
"You can't just tack that on Kendall! It's not like he kidnapped me!"
"He might as well have!"
"ENOUGH!" Logan and his dad snapped their attention to the Queen, who was now standing and glaring at the both of them. "I have had it with all this bickering going on between the both of you! Hortense you need to try being more sensible to Logan's feelings-"
"How much more sensible can I be?!"
"Forcing Logan into a relationship based on how 'suitable' you find the person is not sensible in the least!" She shouted at him.
"Thank you!" Logan piped up with a grin.
"And you young man- stop being so selfish! Can't you see your father is trying hard to make this work out for you? Granted he could have taken a different approach to it but you're behaving like a spoiled child." She turned a disappointed glare to her husband. "And I don't blame him for being mad at you for the way you've been acting since you discovered his preferences- but regardless of either of your feelings we are family first and royals second so I'd appreciate it if you both would just talk to each other because this lack of communication is doing nothing for either of you."
There was a moment of silence as both males looked down in shame. "Are we clear?" She asked gently, looking from her son to her husband. She rolled her eyes as the silence stretched on for a while longer. "I said are we clear?" She repeated with more force, causing Logan to jump slightly in his seat and the King to flinch.
"Y-yes, mom."
"Yes, dear." The two mumbled.
"Good." The Queen said, slowly lowering herself to take her seat once more. She scooted up to fit snugly between the table and the chair. "Now," She started, scooping up a spoonful of soup and bringing it to her lips before pausing, "Logan, you will go on a date with Luis." She then quietly began sipping at the spoonful of soup.
"Wha- but mom-!" Logan cut himself off at the sharp glare his mother turned on him. The Queen turned back to look at her soup once she was satisfied with Logan's silence. "Your father has already made the arrangements and it would be rude to cancel them now."
Logan gave a heavy sigh but otherwise gave no protest. "When will this date be taking place?" He asked, glancing at his father before looking back to his mother.
"Saturday." The Queen answered gently, her gaze still on the soup before her. Logan nearly choked on his spit.
"But that's two days from now!"
"Well, we couldn't very well schedule it for tomorrow when you have a test you need to focus on, now could we?" She replied smugly. Logan wanted to protest more, but thought better of if and instead gave another heavy sigh.
"Fine."
"Excellent." She smirked. "And dear," She started, turning to her husband, "After Saturday, no more arrangements."
"Fine." The King mumbled, a slight pout on his face.
"I mean it, Hortense. No more arrangements- with Luis or anyone else. If Logan wants to continue dating Luis, he will, but if he decides to be with someone else, it is entirely his choice." The King only gave a curt nod and a grunt in response.
With that, they continued their dinner in silence before parting ways.
"Your mom sounds scary." James said in reply to what Logan had told him about what happened at dinner that evening. Logan snorted and shook his head.
"You don't know the half of it…"
"So, do you want us all to come with you again?" Logan pursed his lips in thought about it for a moment before giving an answer.
"No… I feel bad for last time so I might as well give him the benefit of the doubt since this is the last date we'll ever go on. Besides, I want to see if there really is a person to the facade."
"Sounds… fair enough." Logan raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.
"No worries, James, if anything happens you'll be the first person I call."
"Ok, good. I'll have my phone on me all day. But you know… I don't have to necessarily be WITH you on your… outing with Luis, but that doesn't mean I can't be in the Earth Realm on my own :D" Logan let out a laugh and rolled his eyes.
"No, James, I'll be ok, I promise."
"Ok, ok. But I still want you to call me if anything happens."
"Of course."
A/N: This is long enough, yes? Yes, ok. Should I write the actual "date" with Luis and Logan or just give a summary? If i do write it, it probably won't be too long of a part because I still have a bunch more to get through for part one :P
Welp, this is the fasted I've updated in a while- even though it's mostly a filler chapter, there's still some drama in there though so… there's that :3
Anyway, next chapter as soon as I can, I just started school and homework will only get worse once I start my english class on Monday :/
Toodles! ^-^
