A/N—Welcome to another chapter already. After this one I'll probably go back to posting just once a week, though it depends on how much I get written over the next week. Hopefully it's a lot! And I hope everyone is safe and healthy while we deal with all these transitions in our everyday life. Thank you for reading!

There was no telling how long they laid together in bed, mouths fused together in what shifted to lazy kisses after awhile. They probably would have never stopped if not for a light knock at the bedroom door.

"Boys? Are you awake? Breakfast is ready!"

James' stomach grumbled so loudly that Logan laughed. "Shut up," James hissed, causing Logan to laugh harder. James smacked his shoulder before yelling, "We'll be right out!"

Logan sobered quickly, remembering Carlos' order to keep James in the room until given the signal. How was he supposed to—

Carlos' voice answered that question. "Hurry up, guys, we're starving and Mom won't let us eat until you get up!"

"Well, there goes our peace and quiet," James smirked.

"Oh please, you love him."

"I do," James sighed. He laid his head on Logan's shoulder. "I really would've missed him a lot if I'd left."

"I'm glad you didn't."

James smiled and kissed the tip of Logan's nose. "Me, too. That may change once I see Mom again, but for now..."

"Yeah."

"You guys, come on already! We got pancakes out here!"

Carlos was right outside the door now, and sure enough his fist connected with the wood to start pounding on it.

James scowled. "Oh my god, we're coming! Keep your pants on, jerkface!"

The pounding stopped. "Thirty seconds or I'm busting in!"

"Did I really say I'd miss him?" James murmured. "I take it back."

Logan chuckled and threw James off of him. "Come on, I'm hungry, too. And I need to pee."

"No way, I call dibs on the bathroom!"

Logan had no idea what "calling dibs" meant, but assumed he'd lost the right to the bathroom until James was finished. "Fine, but hurry."

The pounding started again.

"I'm gonna kill him," James warned. "Right now, you're gonna see this happen, I'm five seconds away from—"

"Carlos!" Logan yelled. "Move away from the door if you want to live long enough to eat those pancakes! We're coming out now!"

"Okay! I'll be in the kitchen!"

Logan shook his head with a roll of his eyes. "I'll see you out there." He reached for the doorknob, hesitating when James said his name.

"Logan." James waited for Logan to look back. "One more."

"What?"

"Once we leave this room, that's it, right? We're done? You and me, none of this happened?"

Logan's face fell. "Of course it happened. I'm never going to forget it. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I just..." He swallowed, seeming to reach inside for courage. "Can I just kiss you one more time before we...move on?"

There was no hesitation. Logan crossed the carpet until they were face to face, his arms lifting so that he could lose his hands in that luxuriously shiny hair. "I do love you. Don't ever forget that."

James' head moved in a quick nod, and then his mouth pressed down to cover Logan's. Neither rushed this kiss, knowing it would have to last them forever. When it was finally done, Logan was so dazed he could barely open his eyes.

"I'm gonna miss you," James whispered. "Every time I look at you, I'll remember this kiss."

Logan would remember it even without the visual reminder of James' presence. He hated to bring the moment to an end. "Let's go get some breakfast."

They both knew it was more than that, it was closing the book on a short chapter of their lives each wished they could read every day. Some stories only needed to be read once, though, because they were so good they lived on in memory forever.

Logan knew this would be one of those stories. He opened the bedroom door to face the next chapter.

They parted ways at the bathroom. Logan heard the door close and felt strangely bereft, as if half of his soul had departed and would never return. He was back to doing this on his own, or at least from a distance. It wouldn't matter that he and James would be near each other every day; for all intents and purposes, they would be miles away.

Logan shook off the sadness and continued toward the kitchen, where he could hear loud whispers followed by "Shh, they're coming!" Only then did he remember there had been mention of a surprise. He grinned and peeked into the dining room.

There had obviously been a trip to the store on the way home. The walls were decorated with streamers and a banner that read "Happy Birthday!" Someone had written James' name underneath the words. Carlos and Kendall were wearing old-fashioned party hats, cardboard cones strapped to their heads. Logan snickered at the sight, causing Kendall to look up and offer a deadly, "Laugh and you'll be sorry. It was Carlos' idea."

Sylvia appeared from the kitchen bearing a plate of bacon that made Logan's mouth water. She too was wearing a hat. "Where's James?"

"Bathroom. Do I get a hat?"

"Papi!" Carlos called out in a badly-attempted whisper. "Bring the other hats!"

While Logan waited, he continued to peruse the table. Two tall stacks of pancakes, one at each end. A platter of scrambled eggs. Two pitchers of orange juice. A mountain of what looked like fried potatoes. And of course, the bacon, which was set down between a can of whipped cream and...

"Is that ice cream?" Logan wondered.

Sylvia shrugged. "You said he wanted some and...it's his birthday. I couldn't resist."

"And look!" Carlos exclaimed. "Chocolate chip pancakes!"

Logan held out a hand for the hat being passed to him. "He's going to cry. You guys are going to make him cry."

"Crying's okay if it's for a good reason!" Papi clapped Logan on the back. "Morning, son!" That was followed by a one-armed hug, which Logan returned with a smile. He was getting more used to the outward affection every day.

"Morning, Papi."

"Logan, hurry!" Carlos hissed. "Put on the hat before he gets out here!"

Kendall gestured for him to join them on the other side of the table. After donning the hat, Logan did. James would be facing a wall of love and support the moment he stepped into the kitchen, and it would overwhelm him.

Logan couldn't wait.

"Hold on, let me get my phone!" Sylvia started toward the kitchen.

Logan knew what she was planning and his ever-present fear of harm coming to James kicked in; there could be no more saved memories until after the assignment was turned in. "There's no time!" he argued. Luckily just then they heard the bathroom door creak open. "He's coming!"

The group waited in silence. James was rubbing his eyes as if just waking up while rounding the corner. Logan had time to wonder if he'd been crying, then his thoughts were drowned out by screams of "Surprise!"

James halted, hand falling away to reveal wide eyes. He took in the hats, the walls, and then the table, too shocked to speak.

Carlos moved first. "Happy birthday, dude!" He ran forward to tackle James with a hug. "Can't believe you're an official adult now! So crazy!"

After returning the hug, James' gaze searched out Logan. "Is this your fault? Did you do this?"

"Nope. I'm as surprised as you are."

"It was Carlos' idea," Sylvia smiled. "I mentioned stopping at the store for ice cream, and Carlos turned it into a breakfast party. You can thank him."

James surveyed the table again. "Ice cream?"

"Yep!" Carlos grinned. "And we got chocolate chip pancakes, and whipped cream! And look at all the food!"

"Which is getting cold," Papi reminded them. "Come on, sit down and eat!"

James made a beeline for Kendall instead. Before he could take a chair, James dragged him into a hug. Kendall's arms squeezed tight around his waist. "I'm glad you stayed," Logan heard him murmur. "We'd miss you like crazy."

Logan could tell that James was barely holding on; Kendall seemed to reach a part of him that few could, and rather than be jealous it made Logan happy to know James was finally opening up. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I've been such a dick. It's just so hard knowing—"

"Shh. We'll talk later. Carlos did this to make you happy, so...be happy."

James wiped his eyes on Kendall's shoulder. "Fucker. He made me cry."

Kendall laughed and patted James' back. "I won't tell. Now sit down before he takes all the food."

James looked for Logan then, who gestured at the chair between himself and Kendall. "I snagged you a few pancakes."

"You're the best," James chuckled. He cleared his throat and settled in. Before he could even think about food, Kendall passed him a party hat. "Uh no, I'm good."

Kendall leaned closer to say, "If I have to, so do you. Do it for Carlos."

James sighed but fastened the hat over his head and secured it in place. In truth, Logan didn't think he minded all that much. After everyone was loaded up with food (James having two scoops of ice cream over his pancakes), Logan rested a hand on James' knee. "Happy birthday," he whispered.

Through a bite of potatoes, James replied, "I know it won't last, but right now it feels like the best birthday I've ever had. Thanks for not giving up on me."

Logan shook his head. "Never."

Katie's prediction proved true on a deeper level with James' added presence—it was almost impossible to get the three of them to focus during the study session. Part of that was because everyone was hopped up on sugar from chocolate chips, ice cream, and whipped cream. Logan figured the rest was just their normal inability to be responsible when teamed up together coupled with the fact that they'd come so close to being separated forever; Carlos and Kendall seemed happier than usual to have James in their midst.

Not that Logan was any different in that aspect. He too had come close to losing James. Would he have truly traveled across the country in search of James? Yes. His duty (and his love for the young man) would have left him no choice. It would have cost them precious time, though, and he was grateful it hadn't come to that. Mostly he was just grateful James was speaking to him again.

An hour into the session, Logan almost gave up. Kendall must have sensed his frustration because he attempted to corral the other two into being serious. Just like with Carlos before, when they started to go off track Kendall got them back where they needed to be. Logan knew that if it had been just him and James (and it would be, soon enough), he could've handled it on his own. Carlos and James together, though...

That required a sterner hand. Logan was beginning to get a sense of the dynamic between The Three Amigos now that he was spending time with them all together, and Kendall was definitely a leader of sorts. Logan found it interesting that James, who by Brooke's own words was desperate to be the star always, allowed Kendall that position. It couldn't be denied, though—when Kendall put his foot down, James acquiesced.

That might come in handy later.

For today, it didn't solve the problem entirely but it helped Logan to keep their attention long enough to complete assigned homework. Since it was James' birthday, he told them they were free to have fun once that was done; they could pick up the extra studying the following weekend.

"Hang on," James argued. "I was promised some sort of game. Carlos said you made this fun. Where's the fun, Logan?"

One of Logan's brows shot up. "You're serious? You want to keep studying?"

"I want a chance to leave these jerkfaces in the dust."

"Oh yeah?" Carlos countered. "You didn't see me last week, bro. I was on fire. I kicked Kendall's ass!"

Kendall jumped in. "Hey, it was a close call. Don't make it sound like you smashed me into the ground."

Carlos offered a smug smile, arms crossing over his chest. "I will this time. Logan? Let's do this."

Logan blinked at all of them in shock. They'd been given a chance to walk away from studying and do something more fun, but they would rather stay and learn. James was staring back in challenge. Kendall was smirking as if he knew what Logan was thinking. He winked at Logan before nodding once, as if to say "You're welcome." And then Logan remembered that it had been Kendall who had come up with the idea of making it a game. He owed Kendall. "Well, okay. But the only way this is going to help all of you is if I quiz you each on the subjects you need help most in. Carlos? We're still working on history so we can bring your grade up to a B. Though I think next week I'll throw in some grammar and spelling too, because you really need work there."

Carlos frowned, his face falling like a sad puppy. Kendall reached over to nudge him. "It's okay, dude, we'll help you. You got this." The sad puppy look disappeared in a flash, Carlos beaming at Kendall.

"Kendall," Logan continued, "your subject is—"

"Math, I know," he sighed. "Mom's been on my ass about it."

Logan nodded. "James, we haven't talked much about your grades outside of biology. Do you need help anywhere else?"

James shrugged, not meeting his eyes. "My grades aren't the best anywhere, but that's because I haven't really cared. Mom says if I did, I wouldn't have so many problems. She thinks I'm smarter than I act."

"I happen to agree with her on that. Today we'll focus on biology, and then during the week I'll get a better sense of where you're at on everything else."

"Okaaaaaay," he replied, obviously dreading it all.

Logan hid a smile; James was truly adorable. "So pass me your books and give me a few minutes to figure out what exactly I'm quizzing each of you on. Now's a good time for a bathroom break."

"Or a snack break!" Carlos exclaimed. "I haven't eaten in like...two whole hours!"

"Oh, you poor thing," Kendall teased. "You must be starving."

"I am!"

"Come on, let's make sure you don't waste away." With an amused glance back at Logan and James, Kendall slid an arm around Carlos' waist and led him toward the kitchen.

James smiled over at Logan, who was paging through a math book. "You know, you're really amazing."

"Huh?" Logan gave him a distracted look before returning to his work.

"You've got Carlos excited about learning. Carlos! That's almost as impossible as getting me excited."

"I don't believe that. You said yourself that the stuff Mrs. Simmons talks about is interesting."

"Sometimes," James admitted. "The human body really is kind of fascinating when you think about it. The way everything works together. Like a big machine, you know? With lots of gears."

Logan's finger had been running down a page. It slowed to a stop before he gave James his full attention, hope fluttering like butterfly wings inside him. "Yeah. It's definitely fascinating. Especially when you get deeper into the cells and understand how those work. Cells are really the building blocks. They determine pretty much everything."

"I don't know a lot about those."

Logan's mouth slowly curved into a smile. "You will."

"Hey James, we found some cookies Mom was hiding! Happy birthday, dude!"

The moment gone due to Carlos' outburst, James looked up in time to catch a bag of chocolate chip cookies heading his way. "Right on! Now we just need some milk!"

"Kendall's bringing that. Oh, but he'll need help. I'll be right back!"

Carlos was gone again. James bit his lip while staring at the bag. "Are these the ones from last night? That we forgot about?"

"Yeah. We were a little distracted last night."

James nodded. He opened the bag and slid a cookie out. "Last night...that was a good night."

Logan said nothing, lost in memories of kisses and caresses.

"Here. Have a bite." James pressed the cookie against his lips. Logan accepted it, taking a large chunk before James did the same. "So...what's the prize?"

"Hmm?" Logan was back to that dazed state he'd been in when James had kissed him last. His brain couldn't seem to focus on anything else. Or maybe it was the way James was speaking, in a soft murmur that brought back more of the night before.

"What do I win? If I beat them?"

Oh. Right. The challenge. The game. The studying. Logan cleared his throat. "I buy dinner for the winner one night. At Good Eats."

"Oh hell yeah. I'm so winning that. They have the best burgers!"

Kendall and Carlos were suddenly in their midst, and the trance was completely broken. Logan looked away from James. Math was what he needed to think about. Math and history and biology.

Just not James' biology. Because that was the bad place. That was the place his mind was not allowed to go.

Roger, give me strength here. I'm only human!

Roger had no words to give this time. Logan was on his own.

It was a close race between Kendall and James for the finish, but Kendall was the victor. Probably because Carlos hadn't been doing a lot of studying throughout the week, he'd forgotten much of what he'd learned previously. Kendall seemed to be better at retention. James, on the other hand, remembered because it was a subject that did genuinely interest him (as much as it was possible for a school subject to do that) and he surprised himself with his own knowledge. Kendall tried harder once it was obvious Carlos was out of the running and beat James by one point for the win.

Logan wondered if that would've been the case had he been up against Carlos at the end, and thought for the first time that Kendall had probably let Carlos win the previous week. He should've seen that at the time. Or maybe it was just that Kendall knew less about history than Carlos; today he'd been quizzed on math.

Either way, Kendall was victorious and made sure to rub their faces in it by listing his future order at the restaurant. Carlos reached over to shove Kendall out of his chair with a "Shut up already! We get it, you won!"

"Oh, like you didn't run around the house screaming about being number one for a freaking hour last Sunday!" Kendall barely saved himself from hitting the ground. "You are so paying for that."

A hand on Logan's knee caused him to look over at James, who was showing him a text that had come in earlier. "Are you boys still coming over at one?" Logan noted the current time as just after noon and nodded. "Tell her we'll be there," he whispered. "Do you want them to come?" He saw the hesitation on James' face. That was all he needed to know. "It's fine, they'll understand. Let's pack up here and get ready." Logan stood up and grabbed his biology book, which they'd used for James. "Go on," he urged gently, seeing that James was feeling bad about leaving his friends out. "I'll be there in a minute."

Kendall and Carlos had been paying them no attention, too caught up in an argument over who was going to win their rematch, which would take place on a gaming console. Once James left the dining room, though, Kendall asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Brooke is asking when we're heading over there. I know you guys want to celebrate with him, but I think—"

Kendall cut him off with a shake of messy blond hair. "Don't worry about it, that's why we had the party this morning. We know he needs time with his mom."

"Yeah," Carlos nodded. "That's the whole reason I made Mom do a party instead of just breakfast. I figured you guys would want time alone."

"It's not that," Logan started, "it's more about Brooke. They really do need to talk and I think he's finally ready. The only reason I'm going is because he asked me to be there." Which made Logan feel like he was bragging. "I mean...not that he wouldn't want you guys, it's just—"

Kendall rolled his eyes. "Logan, we get it. You're special. It's fine, neither of us is jealous."

"Yeah, it's not like we want to make out with him. We'll let you have that," Carlos teased. Before Logan could respond, he added, "Did you guys stay out of my bed?"

"Nothing happened!" Logan hissed. "We slept in my bed. We just...kissed a lot. And that's done, okay? We agreed that we're just friends starting today. So please don't make your jokes or tell anyone about this, because it's over."

"What?" Kendall frowned. "What are you talking about? You two are crazy about each other. Why wouldn't you let yourselves be happy?"

"It's better this way. James doesn't want anyone to know about his...feelings. And I need him to focus or he won't graduate. It's just better all around. Trust me."

"No way," Carlos disagreed. "James needs to be happy. You make him happy. It's dumb for you guys to just be friends when you want so much more." When Logan gave him a look, Carlos had the decency to blush and avert his eyes. "You know what I mean."

"I do," Logan nodded. "But the time isn't right. Not for us, anyway," he said meaningfully. "If someone else was in that position, being friends and wishing for more, I'd say they should go for it." Now it was Kendall who looked uncomfortable, so Logan backed off; he'd said enough to hopefully get them both thinking. "The point is, we mutually decided this was the best course for us to take. Please respect that."

Carlos slowly shook his head. "Sometimes you sound just like my teachers. How are you younger than me?"

Damn. His true age was showing again. "I'm just smart. So drop it, okay? James and I are friends and that's how it's going to stay. He's asked me to join him in that capacity. I'll be home tonight, Carlos."

"You'd better be, it's a school night. Mom will kill you if you aren't home by nine."

"Noted." Logan smiled and glanced toward the hallway. "I'm gonna go talk to him. Do you guys need the room?"

"Nah," Carlos answered. "We're just gonna go downstairs and play games. Take care of our boy, okay? Let us know how it goes."

"I will." He followed instinct and hugged them both, glad he'd done it when neither held back. "Thanks for understanding."

"We just want James to be happy," Kendall stated. "Or...as happy as he can be with...you know."

Logan nodded. He definitely knew. Now to face what might turn into the worst birthday of James' life.

Though Logan was dying to hold James' hand on the walk to the Diamond home, he held back for the sake of appearances—and the fact that they were no more than friends.

Friends hold hands, right? Sometimes?

Did they? In truth, Logan didn't know. It would probably be best to keep his hands to himself when it came to James, though.

The further they got, the harder that became because conversation with James tapered off more and more with each step. He was scared.

Logan finally settled for a shoulder bump. "It'll be okay," he said quietly. "Once all the hard stuff is done, you'll be glad you talked it out."

James shook his head, not in denial but in a manner of "I don't know about that." "You promised me I didn't have to talk about it today."

Damn, I did. Logan had forgotten that. "Okay. Then we'll just have leftovers and cake and celebrate how amazing you are."

James rolled his eyes. "I still don't get how you think I'm so amazing. I mean, I put out this image that I am but if anyone knows the true me, it's you."

"And seeing the true you, I still think you're amazing. I guess that means you are, hmm?" When James' response was a light (but disbelieving) chuckle, Logan bumped his shoulder again. "Who's the smart guy here, James? I'm the nerd, which means I'm always right. Trust me, you're amazing."

"Well, as long as you believe that..."

"I do."

They turned the corner onto Lockwood, James halting Logan's progress to study him closely. "You know..."

Logan waited patiently, afraid to say anything because he sensed that what James had to say was important.

"It really is for the best that we're not...together."

"I know."

"Because you were right. If we were, I wouldn't be able to hide it. I'd be taking you down right here on this lawn after a comment like that." Logan's breath caught. "And it's not even my lawn. Could you imagine? Sunday afternoon, my neighbors come out to water it and find us rolling around on the grass?"

Logan could imagine it. His mouth dried up.

"So..." James nodded. "Yeah. I was wrong before, when I said we could keep it a secret. It was easy to hide it when I thought it was one-sided. Now that I know it's not? No way. I knew what I was doing when I avoided you."

Logan had to look away from the intensity of the deep stare into his eyes. "Okay. I'm glad we're in agreement."

"Part of me isn't, but...the smart side of me knows you're right. If we let it happen, I'd want to touch you all the time. We'd never study, we'd never do anything but make out every chance we got to be alone. So..."

"I get it." The last thing Logan needed was this reminder of everything he was missing. "Your mom's waiting for us. We should go."

James kept his gaze on Logan's face, perhaps to make sure Logan was suffering just as much with the imposed rules, before dropping it and turning away. "The cake did look good last night. I can't wait to try some of that."

Logan let out the breath he'd been holding. It was like he'd been pinned to a wall by nothing but a gaze. That was the power James had over him—and he liked it.

Stop it, Logan. Use your head. The one above your shoulders.

"You coming?" James called back from five steps away. And damn if he didn't sound amused. He knew the effect he had on Logan.

"Right behind you." Which was where Logan belonged. He wasn't destined to be at James' side. His place was in the wings, pushing James to be the star he was meant to be.

All in all, it wasn't a bad place to be.