A/N: Hello again everyone! Welcome back to Twin Flames!

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, Guest, Side1ways, RainbowDiamonds, Anno1701, and spookje10 for reviewing!

I hope you all enjoy!

Dinner was quiet and awkward. The distance between them felt like every one of the thousand years that had passed since what happened in Peru.

James barely ate anything, preferring to push the food around the plate with his fork. Logan's appetite wasn't much better.

Logan was unsure if the melancholy he felt was his own or James' echoed back to him. He couldn't discern the difference; their emotions bled into each others.

They never spoke while they ate. They never spoke while they cleaned up. It was awful and draining. Exhausted, Logan went to bed early, though sleep eluded him. He'd hoped to be asleep by the time James came in, but there was no such luck. Logan faced the wall but he had no doubt James knew he was awake.

James sat on the edge on the bed and didn't say anything for a long time. He just sat there. His emotions were in turmoil, a flurry of fear and guilt. Logan rolled over to face him and was just about to ask if he was okay when James spoke.

"I begged him not to do it," James whispered. "I told him it would make no difference. No difference at all. I even tried to convince him the moon god didn't want him to do it." He let out a shaky breath. "He wouldn't listen."

"James…"

"So then I asked Saint Peter to speak to Shi, the moon god, herself. To beg her to please put an end to the suffering. No one had to die. Accept the shells and the tin and copper instead. But she wouldn't listen to him." He shook his head. "What kind of god trakes the blood of children as an offering?"

Logan scooted over so he could rub James' back. "I'm so sorry."

"Qispi died at the hand of her own father. He cut out her heart while it still beat in her chest. She screamed, Logan. Like you can't imagine."

No, Logan couldn't imagine. He'd been in Peru at the time, but he hadn't been in the same village. Though he'd seen James afterward, how wrecked he was. How Saint Peter was overcome with guilt and responsibility…

"Did her life make it rain? Did her blood, did her heart make it rain? Of course it didn't. More died by the hands of their own than the drought ever killed."

"It was a long time ago," Logan offered. "The world is different now. Humans are different."

James looked over his shoulder at Logan, his face etched with pain in the dark room. "Is it though? Humans still kill for their gods, only now they sacrifice other people's children and not their own. They call it war, but it is still murder."

Logan wasn't sure what to say to that. Because as much as he saw the good in people, James wasn't exactly wrong.

James shook his head. "It was the same in China two thousand years ago. And in Rome, Egypt, the Celts, the Aztecs. It didn't matter to which god or for what purpose. Where are those gods now? Where are their shame and guilt? They sit in their golden shrines while we do their dirty work." He choked back tears. "The blood of the innocents is on our hands, Logan."

"You couldn't have done anything else," Logan said softly.

James put his hand to his chest; tears spilled down his cheeks. "I could have tried harder. I could have taken her away. I could have done something."

But he couldn't have, Logan knew that. And deep down, he was sure James did, too.

"They're all the same, Logan," he said, not even trying to hide his tears. "Every god, every deity, every religion. I hate them. I hate how they sit so far removed while the people suffer. While we suffer."

Logan sat up, grabbed James around the shoulders, and pulled him into a crushing hug. And James let himself be held as he cried. The flame in Logan's chest swelled and grew warm, as though it could feel its twin so close, as though it was trying to meld together through their ribs. Logan gave James all the calm and peace he could muster, all the acceptance and forgiveness, too.

And James clung to Logan as he sobbed, though as his tears dried up, his grip on Logan never loosened. He fell asleep, just like that. With his face buried in Logan's neck, his breath warm on his skin, James' body the perfect fit to his.

They had never been this close, this intimate. This personal. Every cell in Logan's body sang; every fiber was alive and thrumming. He was holding James, comforting him, their arms around each other, their legs entwined. A thousand years had come down to this. Logan had never felt so pure, so aligned. So right.

That was how they fell asleep, and that was exactly how they woke up.

It took a moment for Logan to realize why he felt so warm, and why he felt so peaceful and well-rested. Why he felt so aroused.

Then James stirred, and it startled Logan, which in turn startled James. They broke apart with a start.

Logan wondered what kind of reaction he was going to get from James. They'd had a breakthrough last night, as fraught as it was, as hard as it was. But Logan didn't expect things between them to be fixed overnight.

He had, however, hoped things might have moved forward. But he had seemingly forgotten who he was fated to.

"Oh, Heaven's mercy," James mumbled, his expression stricken before he rolled off the bed and disappeared into the bathroom.

So the more things changed, the more they stayed the same.

"Morning," he called out to the empty room.

He could feel the anxiety billowing out from behind the bathroom door, and with a heavy sigh, he got out of bed and went in search of coffee.

That was not how it was supposed to go.

You were not supposed to blather on like a blubbering idiot. And you were not supposed to fall asleep in his arms. You weren't supposed to know how amazing that felt.

And you most definitely weren't supposed to wake up with a throbbing dick.

Oh, how James hated this human body. If it wasn't trying to kill him with anxiety or headaches, it was doing stupidly embarrassing things to his privates.

The last thing he needed was for Logan to see.

Logan…

Being in Logan's arms last night was the single most bestest thing to ever happen to James, in all his years. Ever.

Finally talking about what happened in Peru, and finally admitting that he has issues with upper management had felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. And he'd wept, actual human tears.

He wondered if that was why he felt so good. It was supposed to be cathartic. Or so he'd heard.

Or maybe he felt so good because Logan had held him all night.

His privates throbbed again at the mere thought, the memory, of being pressed against him. He gave his dick a squeeze, which hurt but also hurt in a way that felt good. So he did it again, and it hurt even better.

He palmed it, and that shot fireworks through his body. He had to lean against the bathroom counter so he didn't fall over.

Heaven's mercy.

So he gripped it instead, and oh Heaven's mercy indeed. Lights danced behind his eyes and his body started to move without his brain's permission, grinding out some sensual dance.

His hips moved, seeking human pleasure he'd never allowed himself before. And when he looked, he saw the flushed head of his cock slide in and out of his fist.

A strange drawing down sensation made him feel as though he was hurtling toward some precipice...and he wanted more. He wanted to launch himself over the edge of it. It felt so incredibly good.

Then a thought occurred to him as he looked down at his engorged dick. How was he supposed to go to work with this?

"James? You okay in there?" Logan asked from the other side of the door.

James almost leaped out of his skin. In fact, he was so startled, he jumped in fright and swung around so fast, he whacked his erection on the bathroom cabinet. Doubled over in pain, he made some strange squeaking-groan sound. It took a second before he could even speak. "Yeah, yeah." His voice was strained and high. "I'm fine. Won't be long."

He hurried to turn on the water in the shower, and he remembered some old wive's tale about cold water, so he opted for the coldest shower he could stand. Which also made it the quickest.

It did get rid of his problem. Well, if it was the cold water, the pain of penile abuse, or a combination of both, James wasn't sure. And although he was thankful, he couldn't recommend either.

He dried off and wrapped the towel around his waist. He was cold now after a freezing shower and just needed to get dressed. In his rush to get into the closet, he collided with Logan.

"Whoa," Logan said, holding onto him for balance. Logan's smile faltered. "Oh, you're cold."

James took a step back away from his touch. He gripped his towel to protect his modesty, and he got the sinking feeling that Logan could teel what he'd been doing in the shower before... "Uh, yeah. Need to get dressed."

Logan nodded slowly, sadly. "Okay."

James ducked into the closet and absolutely did not hide in a row of sweaters. And he was not mumbling to himself or banging his head against the underwear shelving when Logan spoke.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

He shot backward, his hand to his heart. "Oh, grand mercy."

"I didn't mean to startle you." Was Logan trying not to smile? Or was that a grimace of awkward concern?

"I'm fine!" James snapped at him. Logan flinched, and that made James feel awful. "I'm fine," he tried again, gentler this time. "Honestly, I'm fine. Thank you for asking."

Logan gave no more than a nod before he walked out and into the bathroom. James heard the door lock, then the shower started, and he sighed the mother of all sighs.

He got dressed, into the blackest clothes he had, and went to the kitchen for coffee only to find Logan had already made him one. That only made him feel even worse.

Logan and his patience and kindness, his tolerance and forgiveness...it drove James crazy. It would be easier if Logan hated him. Then James wouldn't feel so guilty.

Well, even more guilty.

Logan was too pure for him. He was the epitome of perfection, and James was...not.

James didn't want to hurt Logan. He really didn't. Neither of them had asked for the fated-souls thing. It was thrust upon them, putting them both in a situation they couldn't get out of without inflicting pain on each other. It wasn't fair.

The only other fated souls to ever exist had ended badly, and look at what had happened to them. The whole situation was impossible.

James sighed just as Logan came back out. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Uh, thanks for the coffee," James added. "And thank you for last night. I haven't talked about...Peru in a long time. I feel better for telling you, so thank you. It's given me a lot to think about."

"You're welcome," Logan said, popping some bread into the toaster. He took out a plate, and James could feel his apprehension. James didn't want to rehash the conversation again, but he knew Logan was about to mention it. "So, um...you shot out of bed this morning. Everything okay?"

That was not what he was expecting. "Oh, sure. I just...needed to use the bathroom." There, not technically a lie.

Logan seemed to know it wasn't exactly the truth either. "Right. Want some toast? We need to get to school."

"No, I'm fine, thank you." The truth was he didn't have much of an appetite. "I'll just go finish getting dressed."

They walked to school without saying much. Logan's smile was tight, and there was a steady stream of unease coming from him. Even as the kids arrived and during the day, there was a nagging weight that came from Logan.

He didn't like it. He didn't like it all.

And the next day it was no better. And the day after that it was worse.

James knew what would fix it. If he gave into the twin-flame bond, Logan's troubled heart would be healed. James knew he was the cause, yet he couldn't seem to bring himself to commit for some reason.

He liked Logan. He really did. Maybe it was even more than like. Maybe that was something he wasn't ready to unpack just yet. But this time with him had been amazing. Why couldn't they just enjoy this for a bit without the added pressure of eternity?

Though apparently avoiding any chance of conversation wasn't how Logan operated. On Thursday after work, they'd walked into their apartment and James was about to offer to cook dinner when Logan put the keys on the dining table and dropped a bombshell.

"What scares you the most about the twin-flame bond?"

James was completely thrown off guard. "What?"

"Clearly having a fated soul with me scares you. I want to know why."

He didn't say that I didn't want it. He didn't say it angered me or was unfair. He said it scared me…

"I don't know if it scares me," James offered poorly.

"Bullshit."

James blinked, Logan's curse word-and this forthright conversation-stunned him. "Pardon?"

"It scares you witless. You're not pissed off that your choice was removed. You're scared."

"Okay, first, wow. And second, that's incorrect."

Logan sighed as though he'd been pushed one step too far. "Well, what is it? I'm kind of at the point where I don't know what else I can do, James. You seem to carry on like it doesn't even exist, as though it doesn't bother you one bit and you never even think of it." He put his hand to his heart. "Where it's in my every waking thought."

"I do think of it," James replied. "But I try not to. I don't know...I wasn't prepared for this conversation."

"You've had a thousand years."

James cringed. "I just don't know...It didn't work out for the other two fated souls, did it? Maybe what happened to them will happen to us."

Logan rolled his eyes. "They were different. One angel, one human. But I have to tell you, James, the more I think about it, we're not that different at all."

"How so?"

"Uriel decided he knew what was best. He removed Icarus' choice, and Icarus did the only thing he could think of to prove himself worthy. There are parallels between them and us, don't you think?"

"Uriel had tried to protect him."

"No, he removed Icarus' choice."

"He was giving him the choice, and Icarus chose wrong."

Uriel, the angel of the sun, had told the human Icarus their fated hearts wouldn't end well and had refused him, leaving him on Earth alone. Poor Icarus had died trying to reach him, and his death had killed them both.

Logan's face fell, and he was quiet for a long moment. Eventually, he nodded, as though he'd realized something only he was privy to. He took a step back. "I understand. I get it. We will never agree on this."

"I don't think so either," James murmured. It wasn't what he wanted to say, but it was the truth.

The heartache rolling out of Logan was crippling. It was so intense, James couldn't think straight. "Logan…"

He took another step back. "I'm not feeling great. I might just go lie down or…" He swallowed. "I don't think I'll be eating tonight."

"Are you sure?" James tried to reach out to him. He didn't know how else to fix this.

Logan put his hand up. "Don't touch me."

Oh.

James felt like he'd been slapped. "Oh. Okay. Sure. Um...Well, if you're not feeling well, then...yeah…" He had no idea what to say, but Logan already walking away. "Um, if you need anything…"

Logan disappeared into their room and closed the door behind him. James stood there, dumbfounded. What on earth just happened?

Logan didn't come back out of their room. At first, James was shocked, then he was hurt, then he was angry, and then he was indignant. He was also profoundly sorry, and hours later when James finally worked up the courage to open the door, the bedroom was completely dark. James could make out Logan's form in the bed. He was facing the wall and given there were deep and measured breaths and a discernible lack of emotions rolling off him, James assumed he was asleep.

He changed into his sleepwear, but when he came back to the bed, he couldn't bring himself to get into it. What if he woke Logan? What if Logan didn't want him to sleep next to him? He'd said not to touch him, and he did say he wasn't feeling well.

The couch it is then.

That decided, James also decided that first thing tomorrow, he'd apologize to Logan. He was sorry for a lot of things, but most of all he was sorry for hurting him.

For all the things James hated about himself, he hated that the most.

XxX

The couch was not comfortable to sleep on. James lay awake most of the night, thinking and overthinking every little thing, and he finally dozed off sometime around three in the morning.

He woke up to the smell of coffee and the feeling of being watched. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Kendall's ugly mug grinning down at him.

"Wakey, wakey, hands off snakey."

James groaned. His back and hips protested as he tried to move. "Ow."

"Come on, lazybones. Or you'll be late for work." Kendall held out a coffee cup. "You're gonna need this by the look of it."

"Where's Logan?" James tried to sit up but it hurt so much he could barely manage it. He let out a yelp. "Oh, Heaven's mercy. This body is broken. What on earth happened to my back?"

"You slept on the couch, that's what happened."

He managed to sit up, and keeping his hands on his lower back, he tried to stretch it. But then his neck cricked. "Oh my word! My neck. Ow."

"Quit your whining," Kendall said before offering the coffee again. "Here, drink this."

"Where's Logan?"

"Shower."

James sagged with relief. At least he was still in the apartment. He sipped the coffee and grimaced at how much everything ached. "Do I need to know what you're doing here? And just so you know, this couch needs to be burned."

Kendall sat down opposite him. "James, I don't have much time while Logan's indisposed, so listen up."

Oh dear. Conversations such as these never ended partially well.

"I would say that you and Logan need to sort your shit out, but honestly, it's you. You need to sort your shit out."

James sipped his coffee, surprisingly used to being forced to have conversations he didn't want to have. "Okay, so first, I hate that you can still swear and I can't. Like, I hate it. It really milks my yak that you and Logan can swear and I can't."

"Milks your yak?"

"Do you have something against yaks?"

"No. Do you have something against Logan?"

"What? No. Of course not." James studied him for a moment. "What are you even doing here?"

"He asked me to come."

"To speak to me?"

"No," Kendall replied. "Don't flatter yourself. It's not all about you."

"Okay, wow. I think you need a refresher course on effective bedside manner."

"Look, if you could pull your head out of your ass for a second, that'd be great."

"And maybe you should also do a refresher course on how not to be a big bag of penises."

"Let me ask you something," Kendall said, unperturbed. "Do you think Logan's gonna be around forever?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"A valid one. Just answer it."

"Yes, he'll be around forever. Angels are immortal. That's how immortality works."

Kendall's smile turned rueful, and he shook his head. "Oh boy."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Just then, the bedroom door opened and Logan walked out, putting an end to James and Kendall's conversation. Logan managed a small smile, and any hope James had that they'd wake up to a fresh start was dashed.

"Coffee?" Logan asked as he walked through to the kitchen.

James stood up, and every bone and every muscle in his body protested. "Oh, sweet mercy bless," he cried, putting his hand to his back. "This couch," he said to Kendall, pointing to the offending furniture. "If you care about me at all, you'll smite it. Smite it real good." He tried to stand to his full height, but his back hurt. "Ugh. What even is this? How can this back not work properly?"

Logan looked unimpressed over his coffee cup. "That's what you get for sleeping on the couch."

"You looked so peaceful and I didn't want to disturb you." And I'm a coward. "And you didn't want to see me, and I thought I was doing the right thing." And not forgetting that I'm a coward.

Logan stared at him for a full few long seconds before he sighed. "A hot shower will help you." Then Logan did some weird, silent eye contact thing with Kendall, and James took his cue to leave them to have the conversation they were obviously going to have about him.

The shower helped his muscles and it did make his back feel better; the anxiety in his stomach, not so much. Or maybe it was Logan's anxiety...It was getting hard to tell them apart.

Despite his better judgment, he got out of the shower, dressed for work, and walked back out to the kitchen. He needed to say something to Logan. He just had no idea where to begin.

He didn't have to.

He walked out to find the apartment empty. Logan and Kendall were already gone.

"Hello? Logan?"

No answer.

So yep, already gone. James tried not to panic. He tried not to crumple to the ground in a pile of anxious goo. He was breathing hard, and his forehead was leaking again. His stomach twisted awfully, and he remembered Logan saying a dry cracker might make him feel better.

He went to the pantry and rummaged around for the crackers, though it felt and tasted like old cardboard in his mouth. He couldn't even swallow it, so he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and he forced down a mouthful.

This was bad.

Logan leaving him was bad.

He went in search of his phone so he could check the time, and he saw he had a message. It was from Logan.

Gone to the store before school. See you there.

Relief dropped on James like a ton of bricks. It was so staggering, he needed to sit down. He pulled out a dining chair and slumped into it.

He hasn't left you.

He should have. But he didn't. He just went to the store.

Pull yourself together, Diamond.

He should have left you.

"But he didn't," James said to the empty room. To himself. "He'll be at school."

So get your stupid self to school.

Does my own brain have to hate me, too?

James, shut up, stop stalling, and get yourself to school.

"Okay, okay, I'm going." He snatched up his keys and pocketed his phone. "This body hates me already and now my brain does, too. Awesome."

Done! So it looks like things are still rocky with Jagan.

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 that you all enjoyed and that you all are staying safe! Not quite sure when the next chapter of this will be up, but it should be up either before or by next weekend!

Until then!

-Epically Obsessed