A/N: Hello again everyone! New chapter alert!

Before we get started, I would like to thank everyone that read last chapter! I would also like to give a huge thank you to winterschild11, Side1ways, Guest, and RainbowDiamonds for reviewing! :)

This chapter is on the shorter side, but it's an important one.

I hope you all enjoy!


Kendall wakes up so slowly, he's a little bit convinced he's still dreaming.

He blinks, taking in the room around him. He's in James' bedroom for the second time in as many days, beneath the covers and fully pressed into the mattress. It's so comfortable that Kendall momentarily lets himself fall unconscious again. When he blinks awake for the second time, he decides he probably should actually get up.

The memory of last night plays on repeat in his mind. His body aches in the nicest way and he still feels full and satisfied in a way he thinks might be entirely new. The feeling of James inside of him was so all-encompassing that Kendall thinks he could never get tired of it.

James is still asleep, his body curled in a c-shape with Kendall pressed to his back. Kendall leans up slowly and sees that James' face is still relaxed, mouth parted slightly open as he sleeps. He looks damn near adorable and Kendall only just stops himself from groaning.

The sunlight is streaming in through thin curtains and Kendall extracts himself from the covers and bed as slowly and carefully as he can. He doesn't want to wake James up yet.

He's still naked from last night and he grimaces at how messy he is. He grabs his clothes from where they've been thrown about the room. He can't find his jeans but decides it doesn't matter and quietly shuffles to the bathroom. He cleans himself off as best he can and dresses in his boxers and t-shirt before slipping out and quietly going into the kitchen.

The coffee is already brewing, thank God for James' timer coffee pot. He could just get dressed and sneak out, come by Brooke's after work. Or, he could wait for a cup of coffee and then write a note, let James know that he had to run.

He should do one of those things. He should leave.

Instead, Kendall finds the eggs in the fridge and cracks a half dozen into a bowl, whipping them together.

He starts breakfast, keeping the light off except for the small one above the stove. He makes easy buttermilk biscuits, the kind that only really take twenty minutes if you roll the dough fast enough. Then he whips together the scrambled eggs, adding cheddar cheese and a touch of nutmeg. When they're done, he makes two plates and pours two cups of coffee. He can't remember how James takes his coffee and it annoys him, so he fills a glass with a bit of creamer.

He sets them on the kitchen table and turns on the light.

He'll wake James up-maybe in a really nice way, the kind of way that he really wants to with his mouth and hands instead of words-and they'll eat breakfast and Kendall won't say anything dumb but he'll spend his morning with James, the way he wants.

He makes it halfway through the living room when the door to the apartment opens and he jumps so high, he nearly falls.

James jumps too, a loud curse coming out of his mouth as he uses one hand to grab at his chest.

"You scared the hell out of me!" James accuses, coming in through the door and closing it behind him. Balanced with his his hip and on one hand is a tray. There are steaming piles of sausage and french toast, along with two glasses of orange juice.

Kendall's too tired to care. He grins widely.

"Is that breakfast?" He asks.

James bites down on his bottom lip, his surprised anger replaced with sheepishness. Kendall wants to kiss him. "It's the most important meal of the day."

"It really is." He walks back to the kitchen and James trails after him, coming to an abrupt stop when he gets into the kitchen. "I...did you…"

"Breakfast," Kendall sits down in the chair he'd used the other morning, grinning up at James, "is the most important meal of the day."

James blinks at him. And then he laughs.

It's loud and long and he has to set the tray down to put both hands on his hips, bellowing. When he's done, he wipes at his eyes and sits down, the occasional chuckle still falling out.

"Then I guess we feast." James laughs out.

Kendall laughs a little, too. "Bon appetit."

And there's way too much food and Kendall thinks his biscuits could be better but the french toast is to die for. They keep smiling at each other from over their forkfuls of eggs and Kendall thinks that maybe it's okay for him to stick around Poplar a little bit longer.

They finish their meal, barely chatting, but just enjoying the food and each other's company. James had dressed in pajama bottoms, the v-neck he was wearing yesterday, and his hair is ruffled and messy. Kendall is unreasonably fond.

When James stands up to do the dishes, Kendall offers to dry them.

He knows he's stalling but he's not ready to go to Griffin's and leave the bubble they've found themselves in. It's comforting and good and Kendall likes it way too much to be content with leaving.

They finish the dishes. James turns around, leaning against the sink, his arms folded across his chest. He stretches out his legs and it's such a clear copy of the pose that Kendall usually puts himself in that he can't look away. He likes what it does to the lines of James' body and he likes that James' body is trying to mimic Kendall's.

He likes James.

He really wishes he didn't.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" James blurts out.

And it is a blurt, judging by the way James' eyes widen and his hands clench into fists.

Kendall licks his lips. "Nothing." He says. He winces and hopes that James didn't notice the way his voice went up an octave.

"It's Carlos' birthday." James continues.

"The bartender?"

"Yeah….yeah, Carlos is one of my best friends and we're all-well, me, Dak, Stephanie, Lucy, and maybe one or two others. We're just going over to Carlos' place and we're going to...I don't know, drink beers or whatever. You could come. You know, if you want."

Kendall's heart is in his throat. "You want me to come?"

"Well…" He swallows and Kendall watches. "Yes. I mean, you're going to be here for a little while, right? Might as well make some friends."

"Right." Kendall does not deflate.

"And," James looks up, eyes staring at the ceiling as he takes a deep breath, "I would like you to come. With me."

Their eyes snap to each other. They stare, unblinking, for an immeasurable amount of time.

Clearing his throat, Kendall moves and steps between James' legs. "I'll bring the cake."

James' hands find Kendall's hips as if on instinct. "Thank God. I was in charge of the cake."

"Oh, you're so lucky I'm around." Kendall teases.

James' face flushes red again and he grins. "Yeah...I really am."

Kendall doesn't know what else to say.

He kisses James instead. They kiss for a few minutes, soft the way that Kendall barely knows how to describe, and their hands firm against one another's hips. The urgency from last night is gone and this kiss, unlike so many of their others, exists just for the purpose of it. It's new and Kendall finds that he really does like new things.

When James pulls back, it's with an annoyed groan. "I have to get ready for work."

Kendall sighs. "Me too."

"See you tomorrow?" James asks.

Kendall can't help it; he smiles. "What time?"

"Nine thirty?"

Kendall nods. "I'll be the one with the cake."

"I'll be the one that looks like me." James winces as soon as the words are out of his mouth. Kendall laughs and kisses him again, spilling some of his laughter in his mouth.

He whistles on his way home, thinking about the different types of birthday cakes he could make for tomorrow night.

XxX

Kendall shows up at nine thirty on the dot. He went to the one department store in town and bought one of those big, fancy cake holders, with the dome cover, and he carries it with him like a baby, both arms securing it to his chest.

The cake took him all afternoon. Luckily, Martha had developed a sweet spot for him and let him into the church's basement so he could bake it. It's a German dark chocolate cherry cake made with homemade candied cherries and rum and it is probably one of the most beautiful things Kendall has ever created.

Not that he's bragging. He just….knows a good cake when he sees one.

He lets himself into Brooke's and grins when he sees Stephanie and Dak dancing. Dak is dancing terribly, a full on mistake of movement, while Stephanie does the jitterbug as if she's twelve and eaten all the pixie sticks in the state.

He watches them, trying not to laugh, until James comes in from the kitchen groaning.

"You two are terrible." He says, shaking his head. His head snaps to Kendall and he grins. "Hi, Kendall."

Stephanie, who had been sticking her tongue out at James, spins around and her eyes widen. "Oh, hey, Kendall! Didn't see you there."

"I figured as much." Kendall winks ad her and she laughs. Dak is decidedly not looking at him and Kendall decides not to tease them about their dancing.

He crosses over to where James is and sets the cake down on the nearest table. He puts it firmly in the middle, carefully removing his hands and making sure he doesn't bump the table.

"Jeez." Stephanie says. "Did you bring a bomb?"

He rolls his eyes, pretending like he's not flushing. "It's just a cake." He says.

"I'm sure it's great." James reaches for him and then his hand snaps back down, then up to run through his hair. Kendall grins and closes the space between them so their sides are touching. They both relax.

"I'm careful with it because I care." Kendall says, dramatically genuine.

Stephanie laughs loudly and Dak joins in. "You're in a good mood." Dak notes.

Kendall shrugs, though his lips are still twitching and he knows he is. He's just...happy.

James doesn't really like him the way that Kendall does but Kendall knows that James likes him at least a little bit and he can't help but feel high from it. He feels so close to something he can't name.

Plus, a good night in bed is never bad for the mood.

As if he heard what he was thinking, James' head snaps towards Kendall and he nods, smiling at him. "Ready?"

Kendall picks up the cake again, hugging it to his chest. "Ready."

Stephanie hooks her arm in Dak's and it cements his theory that the two are dating. He realizes he could have just asked James, but he likes having figured it out on his own. It sits right with him to know things about James.

He waits outside the restaurant while James locks up the door and by the time he's ready, Stephanie and Dak are halfway down the street.

"We usually drink, so we're just walking." James says quietly to him. "Is that alright?"

"Of course." Kendall nods.

James shoves his hands into his pocket. "Good. Good. So-"

Kendall raises an eyebrow when James cuts himself off. "Yeah?"

"Nothing."

"Okay." Kendall isn't going to badger him. They walk in quiet and it's a little nice. The Kansas air is sweet and warm and he's starting to recognize the streets enough to feel...good. To feel at home. Kendall really isn't sure what to do with all these little realizations that keep building up.

He decides to ignore them. At least for tonight. For the party.

"I just...they might say some stuff." James finally says.

Kendall looks at him, raising an eyebrow. "What kind of stuff?"

"I...I mean, I don't know. Just...some of them think we're dating."

Kendall's heart stops. "They do?"

James rubs his hands over his face. "I've told them a thousand times we're not, but they just won't stop."

His heart restarts, too quickly, and he can't believe how heavy a stomach can feel. "It's okay, James." Kendal walks a little faster. "I know that's not what we are or what you want. I'll set it straight."

"They just got it into their heads and-"

"James. Seriously, it's fine. We're not interested in each other like that."

"Wait, you're not interested?"

"No." Kendall answers quickly. Then his lungs fill too much. "Wait...are you?"

"No! I mean...I'm not if you're not."

"Well, I'm not if you're not."

They both stare at each other, having given up on walking all together. Kendall is confused and his head is starting to pound and his palms are too sweaty to be holding this cake. They start walking again.

There's nothing but the low thrum of Stephanie's voice too far away to make out any words and their footsteps for half a block. Well, that, and Kendall's pounding, angry pulse.

Five minutes later and they watch Stephanie run up a few stairs, Dak a few steps behind her, and they walk into a house without knocking.

He notices that James has stopped when he gets a couple steps ahead and then he turns, frowning.

James covers the space and grabs him by the back of the neck.

"Fuck it." James says, and then they're kissing.

It's short and sharp, a possessive kiss that spreads heat through Kendall's body without easing any of the confusion. Everything is swirling inside his mind and he can't make sense of any of it.

He kisses back, trying to explain with his tongue and lips what his throat can't.

When James pulls away, they're both panting. Then James swipes his thumb across his bottom lip. He takes a shuddering breath and shakes his head. "Okay. To the wolves, then."

James walks up the stairs and pushes the door open, shooting Kendall one last smile and a wink before going inside.

Taking a deep breath, Kendall follows.


Done! Like I said, a shorter chapter, but an important one, as it leads us into the next chapter which will sadly be the final one.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter, as well as if you happened to have a favorite part/moment!

Again, I hope you all enjoyed! I haven't decided when I'll post the final chapter just yet, but it will be up by the first half of next week, no later than Wednesday.

Until then! :D

-Epically Obsessed