Author's notes: I don't really have anything to say in this chapter, other than the same old stuff y'all have heard... over thirty times now. :P

Thank you guys for reading and reviewing this fic still, after everything that's happened. I'm glad that you all are enjoying it and I'm a little sad to see this all come to an end but I'm also happy because you all have helped give me a lot of confidence when it comes to my writing, so thank you for that. :)

Did anyone else notice that I got a few names from Teen Wolf (that watches it, of course)? (Isaac and Melissa) I honestly didn't notice the second name until I was reading the last chapter at work this afternoon and I was like "huh, that's funny."

There are a couple more chapters after this and I'll probably give you guys a few days to breathe after this one. :)

I'm not going to split this chapter into point of views because that gets hard sometimes. So, just assume that everything is in Kendall and Carlos' POVs.

And, as always, I apologize for errors and anything like that. c:

This chapter is part one of... well, I don't know how many, but there will be several chapters that tie together.

Characters: (This isn't the exact order:) Kendall, Dustin, Kyle, Josh, Logan, Camille, Isaac, Jennifer, Alex, Carlos.
Honorable mentions: Mercedes, Jo, Jennifer, Jett (wow, all those J names).
Warnings: ummm... awkwardness, people being assholes, happiness, more awkwardness.

[June]

It's just shy of ten o'clock in the morning when they finally get to Minneapolis and Kendall watches familiar buildings pass by the window, bouncing slightly on the couch, smiling brightly. He stretches an arm across the back of the couch and rests his chin on his bicep, pointing out places to Josh, who nods his head and laughs at him, patting him on the shoulder. Humming happily to himself, Kendall continues to stare out the window until they pull into the parking lot of a hotel and the tour bus stops.

"We don't have anything to do before the concert tonight, right?" Kendall turns his head and looks at Josh, biting the full part of his bottom lip. "Minus the sound check at five o'clock, I mean," he adds.

Josh rolls his eyes and chuckles quietly, shaking his head. "Nope, you're free to do whatever you want," he answers as he stands up. "So, are you staying at the hotel with us tonight or are you staying with someone else?"

"Like I'm going to share another room with Dustin and wake up to find half the minibar demolished." Snorting, Kendall stands and stretches slightly, groaning as his joints pop and his muscles pull with the movement. "So I'm going to stay with my mom, that way I'll be closer to Isaac and my friends," he says, grinning as he shoves his hands into his pockets.

"Can I come with you? I'm sick of Kyle's snoring," Josh grumbles, running a hand through his hair.

Shaking his head, Kendall laughs and claps his friend on the shoulder. "Nope. Sorry," he says and winks before moving past Josh to go grab his stuff from his bunk and to let the other guys know that they're at the hotel.

Before Kendall goes to gather his things from his bunk, he steps up onto the side and holds onto Dustin's, moving a hand to slap him on the face until he reaches out to push Kendall back. He laughs and stumbles off the bottom bunk, giving his boyfriend's face another smack before going to wake Kyle up the same way. Once his band mates are up and moving, Kendall grabs his bag from his bed and slings it over his shoulder, pushing his phone into his pocket before moving to the front of the bus.

"So, where are you going?" Dustin asks, rubbing a hand over his cheek where Kendall smacked him.

Kendall grabs his shoes from a compartment next to the couch and looks at Dustin with a grin. "Going to spend a little time with Camille and Isaac before the concert," he says, smiling as he pulls his shoes on and laces them up quickly, leaving them half undone. "Do you wanna come with me?"

There's something in Dustin's expression that tells Kendall that he shouldn't have asked. He swallows thickly, holds up a hand when Dustin opens his mouth to answer, and gives him a soft smile before turning to leave the bus, letting the door slam behind him. Once he's outside, Kendall starts walking toward the hotel and he doesn't look back when he hears someone calling his name, just sets out to go see his best friend and her baby.

"Fuck him," Kendall mumbles as he makes his way to the hotel, stopping when he gets near the door. He throws a glance over his shoulder just in time to watch Dustin disappear into the bus and he sighs heavily, screwing his eyes shut before turning back to the door. Huffing, Kendall opens it and steps inside, moving up to the front desk with a bright smile on his face, folding his arms on the desk when he gets there.

Fifteen minutes later, a taxi comes to pick Kendall up and he slides into the backseat, watching his band mates walk toward the hotel; Josh looks at him with a frown and Kendall just shakes his head, waving slightly before the taxi pulls away. Once his friends are out of sight, Kendall turns back to the driver and gives him Logan's address, settling back against the seat as they drive.

xx

When Kendall gets to Logan's house, he pays the cab driver and gets his things out, slinging his bag onto his shoulder before nearly running up to the front porch. He knocks on the door and stuffs his hands into his pockets, chewing nervously on his bottom lip as he waits for Camille to answer, silently praying that Carlos isn't home and that he doesn't open the door instead.

Camille opens the door and smiles brightly at Kendall. "You're finally here!"

"God," he breathes, shaking his head as he looks at Camille, feeling tears rim his eyes. "You look amazing."

"Flattery, isn't that nice." With a soft laugh, Camille comes forward and wraps her arms around Kendall, hugging him tightly. "You look great, honey," she whispers, rubbing her hands up and down his back slowly, smiling wide when she pulls back.

Blushing softly and chewing on his lip some more, Kendall shrugs and chuckles. "Can I come in or do I have to stay out here?"

"Oh," Camille laughs, nodding as she steps back into the house, "come on in."

Stepping into Logan's house is like stepping back in time; nothing's really changed and he looks around slowly, letting Camille take his bag. He follows her into the living room and takes his shoes off, kicking them underneath the coffee table, smiling at all the little baby clothes that are covering the tabletop. It really feels like home and Kendall leans forward to grab a blue knit cap off the table, running his fingers over it slowly before looking over at Camille, who takes a seat beside him.

She smiles at him and leans over to kiss his cheek. "I see you let your hair grow out," she mutters, touching the tail at the back. "It looks nice."

"You're the only one who likes it," he mutters, dropping the hat back onto the table. "Is the little man sleeping?"

"Mm," Camille hums, "but he should be up soon. I put him down about an hour ago."

Kendall smiles and nods, leaning back against the couch, holding a hand out to Camille. "How's motherhood?"

"Fantastic and amazing," she answers, smiling as she lays her hand against Kendall's, slotting their fingers together. "Everyone said that I would have problems because I'm so young and they said that Isaac would cry all the time, but he doesn't. He's a quiet baby and he only cries when he's hungry or there's something really wrong, like he doesn't feel well."

"How about Logan? How's he adjusting to being a daddy?"

Camille laughs and leans her shoulder against Kendall's. "He's so in love with Isaac that it's not even funny," she murmurs, playing with Kendall's fingers quietly for a moment, sighing contentedly. "How has the tour been going?"

"It's been going great, minus the crazed fans that would do literally anything to meet us," he mutters, chuckling quietly. "Other than that, though, everything is good and I'm just happy to be home for a while so I can see you guys and take a few days to remember where the fuck I came from and so I can calm down. Sometimes, you know, I wanna strangle Dustin or Josh or Kyle and it gets hard being around them all day, every day."

"What are you going to do after the tour?" Camille asks, yawning quietly as she squeezes Kendall's hand.

Shrugging a shoulder, Kendall lays his head against Camille's. "Part of me wants to take some time off and just go somewhere, you know? Like, either come back home or just go to Hawaii or something, take time for myself."

"You can always come back home for a while and spend time with us," she suggests, moving their hands from side to side.

"That sounds great," Kendall sighs, moving a hand to rub his cheek, scraping his nails against his skin. "How's, um, Carlos?"

Silence falls between them for a moment and Camille just sighs. "Carlos is doing good, I think. He broke up with his boyfriend a few months ago and that's still messing with him, but he distracts himself with work and Isaac," she whispers, pressing herself against Kendall's side. "He'll babysit him when he thinks that Logan and I need a night to ourselves, which is sweet as hell."

"Sounds like something Carlos would do."

They fall silent again and Kendall enjoys just sitting with Camille in the comfortable silence, brushing his thumb along hers. The silence is broken when a soft cry comes from the baby monitor sitting on the end table beside Kendall and he turns to look at it, watching the red light flash when the cries come again. Camille chuckles and pulls away from Kendall before standing, excusing herself as she walks to the staircase and he watches her disappear up them, sighing as he turns back to look around the room.

Camille comes back a few minutes later with Isaac cradled in her arms and a blue blanket tossed over her shoulder. She's cooing softly to the baby as she walks around to the couch before sitting down, looking up at Kendall with a smile. He returns it and watches her quietly, chewing on his bottom lip, thinking about how things happened so quickly and his mind eventually wanders to Carlos.

"Do you want to hold him now?" Camille asks, bouncing Isaac in her arms a little.

Kendall smiles and nods, holding his arms out, swallowing hard when Camille slides the baby into them. "He's heavy," he points out, laughing quietly as he settles back in the corner of the couch with Isaac in his arms, running a finger over his cheek. "What's up, little man? I'm Kendall, your uncle, and I know that I look different than mommy and Logan and uncle Carlos, but I love you as much as all of them."

"It must be easier for you to talk about Carlos now..."

"Why do you say that?" Kendall asks, not looking up from Isaac.

"Because you keep dropping his name like it's nothing," Camille answers as she pulls her legs up onto the couch, tucking them underneath her.

Frowning, Kendall looks up and shrugs a shoulder, pulling his mouth to the left. "I don't know, I guess I have to talk about him because I'm going to see him on this trip, you know? I know I can't avoid it and I don't want to, not really," he mumbles, turning back to look down at Isaac, who's staring up at Kendall with big, brown eyes. "Do you know if he's coming to the concert tonight?"

"He's coming," she answers, nodding slowly. "We're dropping Isaac off with Sylvia so we can come, too."

"I need to see them while I'm here." Smiling softly, Kendall leans down to kiss the top of Isaac's head before pulling away. "He's beautiful, Camille," he mutters, turning to look at his friend with a bigger smile. "Looks like Logan, though."

Camille laughs and covers her mouth with both hands. "Everyone says that! It's exactly what Carlos said after he was born," she says, giggling softly.

"That's not a bad thing, looking like Logan! You're both attractive people and you made a beautiful baby, who is going to be a total heart breaker when he turns sixteen," Kendall comments and turns back to Isaac before talking to him in the 'baby voice.' "Isn't that right, Isaac, huh? You going to break all the hearts when you get older? Gonna drop girls - or boys; it's okay to like both - after a few weeks because you're just not feeling it?" When Isaac makes a gurgling noise and wiggles a little in Kendall's hold, he laughs. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Don't talk my son into breaking hearts," Camille chides, playfully slapping Kendall's shoulder. "He's going to be a gentleman."

Rolling his eyes, Kendall shakes his head and runs his fingers over Isaac's hair. "Gentleman get their hearts broken all the time; I should know," he mutters, sighing as he runs his fingertips down the side of the baby's face, marveling at how tiny and perfect he is.

"So, you're staying with your mom?"

"Yeah, figured that would be the best place, seeing as you guys have Carlos here and I don't want to put you out," he answers, letting Isaac's fingers wrap around his pointer finger, chuckling quietly as he jostles the baby's hand slightly. "Besides, my mom doesn't live very far away so I can come over whenever you guys want me to and I'll be able to spend some time with her."

Humming quietly, Camille nods and smiles. "We'll want you over here all the time."

"I'd stay, but..." Kendall trails off and Camille finishes for him.

"But Carlos, I know." She smiles and wraps a curl around her finger, watching Kendall. "So, do I get to meet Dustin?"

Kendall scoffs and shakes his head. "I don't think he wants to meet anyone here," he mutters, running his fingertip over Isaac's fist.

"Why not? Doesn't he want to meet your family and friends, like a normal boyfriend?"

"He's not exactly a 'normal' boyfriend, Camille. Whenever I talk about home, he gets... weird and changes the subject, usually, and if he doesn't do that then he tries to talk as little as possible. When I asked if he wanted to come with me, he gave me this look that answered the question for me."

Camille bites the edge of her lip and rests her arm on the couch, leaning her head against her hand. "I'm sorry, honey. Maybe he just feels weird because of Carlos and everything that's happened here?"

"Maybe." Kendall shrugs and shifts Isaac in his arms. "I just think he's not as serious about this as I am. I feel like it's all about sex and there's, like, zero romance between us which... is fine, I guess, because it's hard to do that on the road anyway but," he stops, shrugging again as he looks down, pressing his finger against Isaac's foot.

"So, are you going to end it, then?"

Sighing, Kendall shrugs again and looks up at Camille with a sad smile. "I think so," he sighs again and continues, "I mean - I want to be with him, don't get me wrong, but everything is so confusing now. With what happened back in April and being home, where Carlos is, and... I just think we'd be better as friends and band mates."

"Wait," Camille says, her forehead furrowing, "what happened in April? You mean Isaac?"

Kendall looks down at the baby in his arms and shakes his head slowly, patting him on the bottom before turning back to Camille. She looks anxious, with her eyebrows drawn together and her mouth open slightly, the hand on her lap tapping against her thigh. For a moment, Kendall contemplates not telling her the truth but then he remembers everything he told her back when they first met; he remembers the reason why they're best friends and that's because he can tell her anything... and everything.

"Carlos called me the night Isaac was born and left a message," he explains, his attention drawn back to Isaac, who's staring up at him contentedly, eyes big and curious, "and he congratulated me on the album and tour success, then on being an uncle; he said it was great, you know, that I had a CD and that I was going on tour. Then he got quiet and said that he missed me and that he still loved me, which is what makes everything confusing between me and Dustin."

When he looks over at Camille, she's got a hand over her mouth and he can tell she's smiling.

"What?"

Camille shakes her head and drops her hand back onto her lap. "It just sounds like you two might get back together," she says, simply.

"That's fucking ridiculous," Kendall mutters, looking back down at Isaac.

"If you would just think about it," Camille starts, shifting so she's sitting against the arm of the couch. "Carlos breaks up with his boyfriend - who was just shy of being perfect for him - and then he calls you to say that he still loves you and that he misses you. Then you cut to your relationship with Dustin and - from what you've told me and Logan - it sounds like you're drowning in a loveless relationship. So, when you get the message from Carlos, it stirs up some old feelings - "

"It did not," he interrupts; Camille ignores him.

" - and you start to think about ending whatever it is you have with Dustin. Tell me that doesn't sound like what's going on here?"

Kendall chews on his lip and shakes his head, sighing softly. "Okay, maybe I would be breaking up with Dustin because of Carlos but you know that it won't work if we get back together. We'll break up and things will go back to the way they were before, with us avoiding one another for the rest of our lives and we can't do that, especially since you and Logan have Isaac."

"I don't think it will end like that, especially since you and Carlos clearly still love each other. I mean, you wrote songs about it, honey; doesn't that mean that you still have feelings for him?"

"It could mean that I just wanted to make a lot of money," Kendall mumbles and Camille taps him on the back of the head. "Ow! Okay, yes, it means that I still have feelings for Carlos, okay? I'm not even in love with Dustin but I feel... something with him, you know? Definitely not the something I felt when I was with Carlos, but I could love Dustin if I tried real hard."

Camille laughs and shakes her head slowly. "Your heart belongs to Carlos," she mutters, holding her arms out. "You're hogging my baby."

"You've had him for two months! I've only just gotten to hold him for this little bit of time." Pouting, Kendall kisses Isaac's head again and hands him back to his mom, smiling when she cradles him close and starts humming. "Can I take a nap here for a while? I don't have to be at the venue until five for the sound check and my excitement kept me up most of the night."

"Sure, you can sleep in our room," Camille says, pointing to the stairs. "You know where it's at?"

Smirking, Kendall nods and leans over to kiss her cheek before pecking Isaac's head. "Could you wake me up after a while? So I can spend some more time with the baby and then take a shower before I have to leave?"

"Sure thing."

"You are the best," Kendall says, smiling at Camille as he pushes himself to his feet, groaning as he stretches. He grabs his bag and goes up the stairs, taking them two at a time until he gets to the top. When he gets there, Kendall sees that one of the bedroom doors is open and he heads down the hall, pushing the door open with his foot. He steps inside and looks around for a moment, his stomach dropping when he realizes that he's in Carlos' room.

After a moment, Kendall backpedals and goes into the hall, shutting the door until it's opened just like it was before he went around snooping. With a heavy sigh and a yawn, he moves down the hall to Logan's room and goes inside, shutting the door behind him. Once he's inside, Kendall goes over to the bed and lays his bag on it before stripping down to his boxers, pulling on a pair of gym shorts and a tank top when he's done. He tosses his stuff onto the floor and slides underneath the blankets, nuzzling his face against the pillow as he yawns loudly and closes his eyes, falling asleep quickly.

xx

Camille wakes Kendall up at three in the afternoon and they hang around for a bit, playing with Isaac and talking until he has to take a shower and leave. When he's done with his shower and dressed, Kendall goes downstairs to call another cab but Camille just takes the phone away from him and shoves her car keys against his chest. This leads to him protesting but she gives him a stern look until he cracks and finally agrees to take the car, smiling as he kisses her cheek and then Isaac's forehead. He leaves and hops into the car before driving to the venue, lightly drumming his fingers against the steering wheel the entire way.

Everyone's waiting for him when he gets there and he mutters an apology before taking his place on the stage, taking a microphone when they're being handed out. He puts his feet on the rungs of the stool he's sitting on and listens to Kyle talk into the mic, all of them wincing at the high pitched feedback that follows his voice. After a moment, they're giving the okay to try again and Dustin says something into his mic, the words lost to Kendall as he looks out across the seats, imagining a screaming crowd.

After everything is checked and tweaked, the boys go backstage to get ready for the concert. Dustin pulls Kendall off to the side and he huffs, wrenching his arm away from the other man's grip, rubbing at his bicep with a slight pout. He swallows hard and clenches his jaw, looking at Dustin expectantly, fingers still rubbing against the muscle of his arm.

"What the fuck do you want?" Kendall hisses.

Dustin raises his eyebrows and sets his jaw. "I'm sorry about earlier," he starts, his expression softening. "I'm just not used to this, okay? I mean, you have a history with these people and I don't want them to think I'm some kind of asshole or something."

"Well, you are an asshole."

"Yeah, but they don't need to know that," Dustin mutters, running a hand through his hair. "I don't want to be an asshole, believe me."

Sighing, Kendall shakes his head and shuts his eyes, grabbing his bicep. "I do believe you, okay? But I don't know if we can do this much longer if you continue to be an asshole that refuses to meet my family or my friends," he says, opening his eyes to stare at Dustin.

Dustin blinks and his eyebrows knit together. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying," Kendall sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, "that I don't know if this will work, us being together. I mean, I want to be with you but I can't do it if you don't want to be around my family or friends because they're everything to me."

"Alright." Dustin gives a smile and it doesn't settle well with Kendall, but he accepts the kiss his boyfriend gives him before watching him walk away.

Kendall sighs and turns on his heel, walking toward his row of clothing to pick something out for the show, scrubbing a hand over his face before grabbing a lilac and black plaid button-up. He grabs a tank top, a pair of jeans, and his Doc Martens before going to the changing area, tossing his clothes onto a small table behind the curtain.

After changing, Kendall wanders around for a while before heading to the food table, grabbing something that will settle his stomach. He grabs a muffin and a bottle of water, picking at the top of the muffin as he sips his water, watching people walk around, some of them giving him a smile as they pass by. Kendall returns the smile but not until they're gone, swallowing a piece of his muffin before taking a long sip of his water, setting both of them on the table before heading toward the stage to watch the techs set everything up.

Half an hour later, Kendall watches people flood in and take their seats, the venue filling up quickly. He watches them from backstage, hands shoved deep in his pockets, eyes scanning the crowd for his friends and family but he spots a few familiar faces as well. When he sees Mercedes sitting in the front with Jett, Jennifer, and Jo sitting beside her, Kendall's stomach drops and then he laughs, shaking his head before turning away to talk to the band and do their pre-concert ritual.

Finally, they take the stage and Kendall bounds over to the mic, taking it happily. "What's up, Minneapolis!" The crowd cheers and he laughs, going to grab his guitar from the stand before coming back, wrapping both hands around the mic. "It's good to be in my hometown and I see a lot of familiar faces out there," he says, sweeping a hand toward the front rows where everyone he knows is sitting. "Hope you guys enjoy the show."

Immediately after Kendall's speech, they start playing and the crowd seems to cheer louder than any other city did. That makes Kendall proud and he plays his heart out as sweat pours down the back of his neck and onto his hair, soaking it. After they play a couple of their own songs, they play a few covers and then go back to their own music, finishing the set with the acoustic version of Diamond. When Kendall finishes playing, he's not ashamed - or surprised - to feel tears on his cheeks and he stands up after he's done, bowing in front of the crowd, who cheers louder.

The band disappears off stage after yelling a few "we love you guys" and "you guys are great" to the crowd. When they get backstage, Kendall is bouncing with excitement and he wrings his hands, watching out for his friends and his mom. He laughs when Josh tells him to calm down and just keeps bouncing slightly, running both hands through his sweaty hair.

Logan is the first person Kendall sees and he's moving the second he appears, throwing both arms around him. "I missed you so fucking much," he says, muttering the words and laughing when Logan hugs him back, squeezing him tightly before letting go. "Where's everyone else?"

"Still fighting their way through the crowd, I'm afraid." Logan smiles and Kendall takes a moment to look at him, noticing the dusting of stubble covering his jaw and chin, making him grin wider. "You look fantastic, dude! It's great to have you at home for a while," he says, laughing as he claps his hands on Kendall's biceps.

"Thanks." Laughing, Kendall puts his hand on Logan's cheek and pats it lightly. "You're looking good, yourself. Fatherhood looks good on you."

A loud laugh leaves Logan's mouth and he rolls his eyes. "Thanks," he mutters, punching Kendall's shoulder lightly. "Carlos is coming back here, I hope you don't mind? He didn't know whether or not you would want him to but Camille and I kind of forced him."

"I don't mind at all," Kendall murmurs, smiling as he pats Logan's cheek one more time before dropping his hand. He's about to open his mouth and say something else when the rest of his family comes back, Carlos leading them all. It takes Kendall a moment to realize that the guy standing there is actually Carlos and he blinks rapidly, lips curving into a small smile.

Carlos returns the smile and shoves his hands into his pockets. "Hey," he offers and Kendall lets out a nervous laugh. "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing," he mutters, quickly, and shakes his head before looking Carlos up and down. "You look good."

"Thanks," Carlos laughs, nodding his head toward Kendall, "so do you."

Blushing, Kendall bites his lip and walks around Logan, coming forward to hold his hand out. "I'm glad you came."

For a moment, none of them move and Carlos just looks down at Kendall's hand, unsure on whether or not he should take it. Shaking his head, he takes his hands out of his pocket and steps forward, wrapping both of his arms around Kendall's middle, hugging him tightly. He nearly cries when he feels two arms wrap around his shoulders and he leans into the other man, closing his eyes tightly. Kendall smells like sweat, cologne, and Carlos' body wash which causes a few tears to slip out before he pulls away, laughing.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," he mumbles, putting his hands on Kendall's biceps. "We should, um, catch up. Later."

Kendall nods his head and smiles. "We should," he agrees, frowning a little when Carlos drops his hands and steps away. He's about to open his mouth and protest when his mom comes forward, arms outstretched and a smile on her face.

"It's so good to see you, sweetheart." Jennifer wraps her arms around Kendall and pulls him in close, hugging him tightly. He wraps his arms around her and holds on for dear life, burying his face against her shoulder before letting himself cry. A hand goes to the back of his head and his mom's fingers run through his hair slowly and lovingly, calming Kendall down instantly. "You were fantastic," she whispers.

"You think so?" Sniffling, Kendall eases away from his mom and wipes his face with one hand, drying it against his jeans.

Jennifer smiles proudly and nods. "I know so."

When his mom lets go of him, Kendall turns to look at Alex, who is standing beside Carlos with a huge grin on her face. He chuckles and opens up his arms in invitation, making a soft 'oof' noise when she runs into his arms, wrapping hers around his waist. Chuckling quietly, Kendall squeezes her and holds onto her for a moment before letting her pull away, shaking his head slowly.

"You're almost a grown up," he points out, smiling when she blushes.

"Don't tell my mom that," Carlos grumbles, playfully, giving Kendall a grin.

Glancing over at Carlos, Kendall rolls his eyes and then looks back at Alex. "It's true! You weren't this tall last time I saw you."

"I've grown a few inches," Alex says, beaming as she holds her wrist out, showing Kendall a handmade bracelet with his band's name on it. "I made this, do you like it?"

"I love it," he answers, smiling as he hugs her again. "Can I buy one off of you before I leave?"

Alex blushes again and nods her head. "I'll give you one," she says, wringing her hands together when they ease apart.

"Nonsense! I pay for my merchandise." Kendall laughs again and ruffles her hair a bit, looking up at where Camille is standing, smiling at the two of them. Every time he sees her, he feels this pang in his chest and he swallows hard, feeling guilty for leaving and not coming back until they went on tour. "Sylvia's got Isaac, huh?"

Camille nods and smiles, coming forward. "She volunteered to keep him over night but I'm kind of tired," she mumbles, biting her lip.

"Aw," Kendall pouts, lifting a hand to scratch the tattoo behind his ear. "I was hoping we could all go out and celebrate, maybe get something to eat because I'm starving."

"What about your friends?" Carlos asks, nodding pointedly to the group of people behind Kendall. "Don't you want to go out with them?"

Snorting, Kendall waves a hand and shakes his head. "I see them every day and this is the first time I've seen all of you, so who wants to go out tonight?"

"I'm down." Logan smiles and looks at Carlos, raising a brow.

"I guess I am too, but who's going to take Camille and Alex home?"

Logan gives a one-shoulder shrug and then looks at Kendall. "Guess I'll take them home and meet you somewhere?"

"Yeah," Kendall answers, nodding his head slowly, "that sounds good. Meet us at the diner on Longview?"

"Will do." Clapping his hand against Kendall's shoulder, Logan smiles and then ushers Camille and Alex toward the door.

Jennifer watches them go and goes to hug Kendall again. "There's a key hidden in the third frog on my porch," she says when they pull back, putting her hands on either side of Kendall's face, smiling softly. "Try not to stay out too late, okay? I've actually got stuff planned for tomorrow and I will be angry if you decide to sleep the entire day away."

"I'll make sure he's home at a decent hour," Carlos promises, giving Kendall a smug smile.

Laughing, Kendall rolls his eyes and looks at his mom. "I won't stay out late, I promise."

"Good," his mom says, smiling again as she drops her hands away from his face. "See you in the morning."

"Night, Jennifer." When Jennifer gets close, Carlos hugs her and waves goodbye, watching her leave before turning back to Kendall. "So," he says.

Kendall nods and swallows thickly, scratching his tattoo again. "So," he parrots.

"We rode here with Camille and Logan."

"Oh," Kendall says, eyebrows drawn up slightly. "I've got Camille's car, so I guess we'll take it and I'll drive?"

Carlos laughs and motions toward the door. "After you, Knight."

The way Carlos says his last name makes Kendall shiver and he excuses himself for a moment to go talk to the band and let them know what's going on, in case Kyle and Dustin didn't know where he was going to stay. After promising to text his friends later (and if there's a party going on), Kendall goes back to Carlos and claps a hand on his shoulder before heading to the door, trying to ignore the way his heart is beating rapidly in his chest.

When they get outside, Kendall has to fight the urge to open Carlos' door for him and it feels weird to just slide into the driver's seat without doing that one act of generosity for Carlos. He turns the engine on and waits for the passenger door to be shut before putting the car in drive and pulling out of the parking space, heading through the lot until he gets to the road. After looking up and down the street, Kendall pulls out and starts heading toward the diner, stealing a glance at Carlos whenever he can.