A/N—Sorry it's late this week, but here's my weekly update. I hope everyone's doing well. :) As a reminder of where we left off, Logan just explained everything to Carlos about the memory wipes of both James and Kendall.

Though their spirits were a bit dampened for the rest of the day, dinner with Gran went well; apparently she'd heard plenty about Logan and spent most of the meal lecturing him about the importance of enjoying life and taking time to smell the roses rather than spending all of his time in a lab. Logan accepted the advice with grace, liking the woman despite her in-your-face personality.

Carlos came by it naturally.

And he was right about the carne asada and rice. Normally not one to eat until full, Logan was bloated by the time he rose from the table to help Gran clean up the dishes. She attempted to argue, but in this he was the insistent one. Carlos spent the time after dinner doing minor repairs around the house and chores that were too hard for her to manage on her own.

Logan realized then that though Carlos appreciated his grandmother's food, his frequent visits were more to check on her and make sure she was taken care of than gluttony. It was no wonder he was her favorite of the grandchildren; he loved her dearly.

Gran insisted on a hug from both during their farewell. Knowing he was outnumbered, Logan didn't even try to decline. In truth, he was getting better about that thanks to Carlos' badgering of him, and with Gran it wasn't a hardship. Logan respected the woman and promised to make time the following week to help her set up the new phone Carlos was determined to buy her, as well as install the security system that Carlos had purchased since her neighborhood wasn't the best.

Logan watched Carlos hug his grandmother, smiling when she whispered something to him and he shushed her with a roll of his eyes. He was suddenly anxious to be gone. "Logan, are you ready? We need to go."

It was tempting to draw out whatever hell Carlos was currently in just as revenge for all of the times Carlos had forced him into uncomfortable situations. He took pity on his friend, though, and nodded. "See you next week, Gran. Thank you again for the meal."

Carlos couldn't get out of there fast enough. He closed the metal screen door behind them and rushed toward Logan's car; they'd taken that since Logan wasn't usually comfortable at the mercy of another person driving. "What was all that about?" he smirked.

"Oh my god, I don't even want to talk about it. Please, Logan, don't make me."

Again, it was tempting. How often did he get to tease Carlos rather than the other way around? "Are you sure? I'm a good listener, you know."

"Shut up and get in the car."

Logan laughed before doing so. They'd made it to the end of the block when he said, "I noticed she didn't ask about Kendall at all. She did know about him, right?"

Carlos' demeanor changed. He nodded, but his eyes were sad again. "I called her after the break-up. She knows. She just didn't want to bring up something painful."

"Ah. And she never got to meet him?"

"No. She wanted to, but Kendall always worked during the day and I work nights, so it was hard to find time to take him. And...honestly, I was afraid she'd chase him away. When I date someone, she's really judgmental and if she doesn't like you, she'll let you know. I get that she just wants to protect me, but it's annoying sometimes. I didn't want her to hate Kendall and make it obvious, you know?"

"Yeah. Do you think she would've liked him?"

"Probably. Or maybe not. She might've sensed that he wasn't fully invested and told me to leave him so I could find someone better."

"I can definitely see her doing that. She's very opinionated." Logan paused before adding, "I like her."

"Do you?" Carlos smiled at him. "I thought you did, but I wasn't too sure. She was really going to town on you about your work ethic."

"Yes, she was," Logan chuckled.

"You handled it well. I kept expecting you to get all uptight and wound up, but you didn't. You just let her talk and nodded a lot."

"Well, a lot of what she said is true, I guess. I don't spend enough time enjoying life as I could."

"Dude, Kendall and I have been telling you that forever. Why did it take Gran to get through to you?"

Logan shrugged. "Maybe because she was feeding me such incredible food that I was more open to what she had to say."

"I knew you'd love it! And she likes you, by the way. She told me that when you were in the bathroom."

"She did?" Logan hadn't realized they'd discussed him, but he should have.

"Do you think she'd tell you to visit again if she didn't? And trust you to touch anything in her house? Those dishes you washed? Gifts from my Gramps on their first wedding anniversary. Nobody's allowed to touch those except to eat off them. But you were allowed to wash them."

"Why? What makes me special?"

"You're careful. You take your time with things to make sure you do it right. You respect other people's property."

"And she can tell all of that from one meal with me?"

"That, and the things I've said about you in the past."

Logan sensed that if one person in Carlos' life knew all of his secrets, it was Gran. "So...you weren't worried she'd hate me? That's why you let me meet her?"

"Dude, you're not my boyfriend. She can't tell me to break up with you even if she doesn't like you. You're just a friend."

The reminder hit hard, especially after such an intimate family gathering with Carlos. For a short time, he'd actually started to feel like part of that family. "Right." It hurt to breathe. "Listen, um...if you don't mind, I need to get a good night's sleep since I didn't last night. I'll have a lot of work to make up tomorrow. So when we get back to my place—"

"Yeah yeah, you're sick of me. I get it."

That was so far from the truth, and yet Logan did feel the need to get away from him. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I know I can overstay my welcome. Thanks for letting me stay a few nights. I needed a friend."

The hole in Logan's chest expanded. "Glad I could be that for you."

They were silent for the next three miles until Carlos said, "I'm not really tired. I think I'm gonna see if Katie's up for drinks."

"Katie. Shit." She'd texted earlier in the day because she hadn't heard from Kendall and wanted to know how things had turned out for him and James. "I forgot to call her."

"She called you?"

"She texted. I was supposed to update her on everything happening in Sandy Hill, but I was waiting to hear from James."

"You mean Don."

"Right. Don. I'll get used to that. Someday."

"Did he ever call you?"

Logan reached for his phone and scrolled through his notifications while at a stop sign. "He did, an hour ago. I didn't even notice. He's probably getting off soon, so I should check in with him."

"Call him back. And I know you're tired, but you could come out with me and Katie. You don't have to stay long. Just enough to let her know what's happening."

But Logan didn't want to spend more time with Carlos. It just made things harder to be reminded constantly that he would be forever in the friend zone.

Stop being selfish. He's still hurt and doesn't want to be alone, Logan. He needs a friend.

He's got Katie, the cold part of his mind threw at him. Let her be his friend.

"Never mind," Carlos sighed. "Just stay home. It's obvious you don't want to go."

Logan couldn't fight the dejected tone. Carlos needed him. "Look, why don't you see if she wants to come over to my place? We can talk there and you can stay the night again. If you want."

A shocked gaze turned to Logan. "For real? You'll let me stay again?"

"Unless you need to go home. I mean, you probably do since you haven't been there since yesterday, but if you want to stay until I leave for work in the morning, that's—"

"Yes! Thank you! I'm sorry, I know you like your alone time and all, but right now it's hard being there. I just keep remembering all the times Kendall was there and how even though things weren't perfect, I was happy for a lot of it. I miss him."

Logan could understand that; he liked having Carlos around his place, too. "I know. Text Katie and see if she can meet us at the house. I'll make some hot cocoa."

"Do you have marshmallows? Or whipped cream?"

"I have neither."

"Can we stop at the store for them?" Before Logan could say no, Carlos begged, "Please? It's not the same without that. It's just boring."

Logan rolled his eyes. Why couldn't he say no to Carlos? "Fine," he groaned. "Just text her."

He exited the freeway one stop earlier than usual so that they could stop at the grocery store.

"Katie says yes and she's mad at you for waiting this long to answer. I told her I know everything now."

"Was she surprised?'

"I don't know. She just said 'Good.' And she wants mint hot chocolate."

"Of course she does. Anything else? Do you guys want me to bake a cake, too? Maybe whip up some homemade ice cream and roast a turkey?"

"You don't need to be sarcastic, Logan. We're stopping at the store anyway. Why are you so pissed off? If you don't want me to stay with you, just tell me."

Guilt swamped Logan; the last thing Carlos needed right now was to feel unwanted. "It's not that. I'm sorry. I do want you there."

"You sure? Because I can just go."

"Don't." Logan reached out a hand to link their fingers together. "I'll feel better knowing you're okay."

Carlos bit his lip and looked away. "You're worried about me?"

"A little, yeah. What you've been through isn't easy. You can stay with me as long as you need to."

The offer surprised them both the second it was out of Logan's mouth. Had he really just said that?

"Are you serious right now? Don't say things like that if you don't mean it."

"I actually do." An unsteady laugh escaped Logan. "Weird, right?"

"Totally weird. But you're serious."

"I am. Go figure."

Carlos tightened his grip on Logan's hand before leaning across the console to lay his head on Logan's shoulder. "I'm so glad we're friends."

Logan didn't reply. He just kept on driving, wishing he still possessed the power to shove his feelings down so far he could ignore them.

Logan sent Carlos into the store with his credit card, hoping he wouldn't end up regretting that. But he'd wanted time to talk to Don before Katie joined them, and this was the only option.

Don didn't answer his cell, so Logan looked up the number for the restaurant. He asked for Don and was put on a brief hold before an eager voice came through. "Kendall?"

Logan chuckled. "Nope. Sorry to disappoint you, it's just me."

"Logan! Hey!"

"Hi. I won't keep you, I know you're at work, but I just now saw that you called. Is everything good? I take it things went well with Kendall?"

"Dude, my life did a complete 180 overnight. I can't say for sure that I've never been this happy, but...I've never been this happy. He's fucking perfect."

"That's great, Don. You sound happy."

"I am. We need to talk when I have more time, because a lot of stuff is changing in my life, but for now please don't yell at me that I'm moving too fast. With this guy, there doesn't seem to be a slow setting or an off button. It feels like we've known each other forever. I went home on my dinner break and fucked him. Twice. I'm sure the sex will calm down eventually, but right now we can't get enough of each other and it's freaking amazing."

Logan knew from their previous relationship that the sex wouldn't settle down; that was one thing they had in common, a mutually intense libido—for each other, anyway. "Hey, you never know. Maybe it'll always be like that."

"Fuck, I hope so. He's the hottest thing, dude. When he's inside me, I—"

"Whoa, okay, I'm going to stop you right there, buddy. I was just returning your call and—"

"Sorry, you know I'm an open book with you. I just feel like I can tell you anything."

"You can. I like that. What's the plan tonight?"

"Well, I'm off in about thirty minutes. We didn't eat earlier, so I'm gonna take food home to him and then I'm hoping we can just talk for a while. I love talking to him. He makes me feel safe when we do, he just holds on to me like he needs it as much as I do and I can't...Logan...I'm so in love. I'm so fucking in love. I'm gonna marry this guy. Don't even try to talk me out of it. It's happening."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Don. So is he moving there?"

"Yes. He might have a job here, we won't know for sure until tomorrow. But he went down and had an interview today, and he said it went well. He's pretty sure they're going to make him an offer. Logan, it's all happening so fast! I can't believe it, this is exactly the kind of guy I wanted! He told me about his family today, it's just his mom and his sister and they're really close, and...you know. I want a family to be part of. I don't have anyone but you. Not that you aren't enough, it's just—"

"You don't have to explain. I know what you mean."

"You're the best. Shit, I have to go, they need me, but I'm off tomorrow. Can I call you then? I promised Kendall my full attention but if he gets the job he'll be going down to sign paperwork anyway. Maybe we can talk while he's gone? I have so much to tell you!"

"You can call me. If I'm at work, I'll take a break so we can talk. I'm really happy for you, Don."

"Thanks. I seriously don't know what I would've done without you in my life. I wish you lived here. I miss hanging out with you."

"You've got Kendall now."

"Yeah, but he's not you. He's amazing, but not you. I want you to meet him. He's—okay, I'm coming! Logan, sorry, I really have to go, but—"

"It's fine. Call me tomorrow when you can."

"Thanks, man. Love you."

"Love you, too." As Logan ended the call, it occurred to him that Don was more carefree and affectionate than James had been; the burden of his covert occupation was no longer weighing him down. He didn't have to be so guarded and careful these days. It was refreshing to see.

The passenger's side back door swung open. Carlos dropped two shopping bags on the seat before joining Logan up front. He passed over the card with an apologetic expression. "I went a little crazy, but I figured since I'm gonna be staying there a while, I should get some of my favorite things. Don't hate me."

If only I could. Still in a lighthearted mood from his conversation with Don, Logan smiled. "Did you pick up bananas? I could make some bread when I get home tomorrow."

Carlos grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that. I did. I have to work, but it would be awesome to have that waiting for me at home."

Home. It should scare Logan that Carlos was referring to his house as 'home.' Instead, it just made him happy. He turned the key in the ignition. "And I can make you more pancakes before I leave in the morning."

"You know, buddy, if you keep this up, I'm never leaving."

Logan backed the car out of the spot.

"You're not scared," Carlos noted.

"Should I be?"

"Uh, yeah. The Logan I met months ago would be scared out of his mind at the threat of me moving in."

"The Logan you know now is learning to appreciate the little things. I think Gran would be proud of me for not freaking out."

"Oh, Gran would be jumping for joy. But why aren't you freaking out? Did I really have that much of an impact on you?"

"Carlos, you have no idea. There's a room at the back of the house I could clear out for you. Right now I use it mostly to store notes and records. I think it would be more useful to you."

Stunned, Carlos stared at Logan. "You really mean it," he whispered.

Logan nodded. "Just stay out of my office. I have that set up exactly how I like it and I will freak out if anything gets moved."

Carlos swallowed hard, overcome with emotion. "I hate living alone. I've always hated living alone. I swear I'll follow your rules. I'll stay out of the office. I'll try to keep my room clean and not break stuff and be quiet when you need me to. I'll do my best not to annoy you. I'll pay you rent, do yard work, keep the backyard neat. I'm great with a garden. I'll even cook sometimes if you need a break. Just...give me a chance."

Logan didn't trust himself to look at Carlos. "Did I not just offer you a room in my house?" he asked lightly. "How much plainer can I make it, Carlos? Move in with me."

"Okay." He struggled to speak over the lump in his throat. "I'm not stupid. I know you're upset about Kendall moving away and that's why you're doing this." He leaned his head on Logan's shoulder again. "You're not alone."

"Neither are you."

Katie arrived at the house ten minutes after they did. While Logan busied himself putting away groceries and boiling water for the cocoa, Carlos led Katie by the hand through the place to show her his new room—or what would be as soon as he could make it happen. Logan chuckled when he heard Carlos' excited voice from all the way in the kitchen; he'd always been one to enjoy peace and quiet, but he thought Carlos' presence would be a welcome change.

He just had to retrain his mind to think of Carlos as a friend and not someone he'd kill to bend over the kitchen table and—

No no no, Logan, don't even finish that thought. He trusts you to be a friend and that's what you'll be.

Eventually they gathered in the living room to discuss the situation between Kendall and Don. Katie took the overstuffed chair, leaving Carlos and Logan to settle in on the sofa. And when Carlos chose to sit next to Logan rather than at the other end, that was okay. Logan was quickly getting used to having Carlos near.

They all agreed that fate would most likely grant Kendall the new job he was seeking. Katie said she'd handle acclimating Jennifer to the speed at which everything was moving; it was up to Kendall to break the news to his mother, who would respond by either discouraging him from moving too quickly or be overjoyed that he'd found someone. Her fondness for Carlos might also be a challenge. Until she met James, she would probably be loyal to him.

Katie suggested the three of them take a trip as soon as possible to "meet" Don. Carlos would be able to take some time off easily, and Katie would be free towards the end of the month for the Thanksgiving break. Logan was the only one who might find it difficult, since he'd just been away for a week.

"Maybe we can convince Kendall to bring Don here," Carlos suggested.

Katie disagreed. "It might be dangerous for him to come back here this soon."

Logan cleared his throat and said, "Or maybe I could just quit my job."

Carlos and Katie stared at him in shock.

"I've been thinking about it for a while now. I'm not happy there. I don't like what we do."

"I thought you loved your job," Carlos commented.

"I like the science part of it. The innovation. But I've learned that brilliant ideas can be twisted to harm people, and I don't want any part of that. I could get a job at a real lab somewhere, doing research in areas that actually help people. I think I'd be happier with that."

"What would that mean for me moving in?" Carlos wanted to know. "Can you still afford this place with another job?"

"The house is paid off, Carlos. It has been for a year. We're set here, unless you'd rather live somewhere else."

Carlos stared at Logan for a few seconds before shaking his head.

"Don't worry about the house," Logan reiterated. "And I should be able to find a new job easily. The hardest part will be breaking my contract with my current employer. I might have to get a lawyer involved. But if that's what it takes..." He shrugged. "I'm ready for something new."

"Wow," Carlos marveled. "You're serious about all this."

"Completely."

Katie interrupted. "I think our biggest problem regarding Kendall and James—sorry, Don—is that they both know Logan. How are you going to explain that?"

"I have a plan. It's going to piss Kendall off, because I'll have to make it sound like I lied to him on purpose about my trips back east. But he'll get over that eventually."

"You hope," Katie commented. "You know he doesn't take well to people lying to him."

"Well, Katie, it's either that or I admit to him that I repeatedly made him forget the most important person in his life. Which do you think he'd get over faster?"

Carlos scoffed. "Logan's right, Katie. There's no way he'd forgive either of you for going along with that."

Katie nodded. "Okay, good point. I don't want him to know that about me, either. But what about Don? He's going to realize that you knew Kendall all along."

"Uh...I...hadn't considered that. But I'm not worried about him, because if I explain that it was to protect Kendall's feelings, he'll understand. At his core, he's still James—he'd do anything to protect Kendall."

Carlos looked back and forth between the two of them. "You know, I'm sorry that I never got to see them together before all of this went down. I bet it was epic."

"Oh, it was," Katie confirmed. "We were all positive they'd get married. The only reason they hadn't already was because of James' job."

"And now they don't have that to stop them," Logan mused. "Both have already mentioned marriage to me. So, Carlos, in a way you will get to see them together. And I know that might be hard at times, considering your feelings for Kendall, but—"

"Dude, now that I know the whole story...I mean yeah, I miss Kendall. But like I said before, he never really belonged to me. He belonged to James. They deserve a chance to finally be together."

Logan and Katie agreed with that. Katie said she'd call Kendall the following morning in hopes that he'd spill about Don.

"Just remember to act like you don't know him or anything about this," Logan reminded her. "Because my plan with Kendall involves keeping Don a secret from everyone."

"Got it." Katie stood up. "Okay, boys, I'm gonna head home. I know Logan has to get up early for work. Carlos, you're staying here?"

"Yeah. We have to figure out the whole move-in thing, but for this week I'm gonna crash on the couch. I'll go home in the morning to get some stuff, like clothes and my games. Oh, Logan, can I bring over my video games? I'll only play them when you're not here, so it doesn't bother you."

Logan smiled. "I haven't played video games since high school. Maybe you can show me what you've got over the weekend."

Carlos' face lit up. "Really? It's so much more fun to play with someone in person! Dude, seriously, you are never getting rid of me."

Sensing Katie's fixed gaze on him, Logan cleared his throat and rose from the sofa. "Thanks for coming over, Katie. I really didn't want to go anywhere."

"No problem, but you're walking me out to the car. Carlos? We'll talk." She hugged him tight. "Don't be a stranger, okay? Just because you're not dating my brother anymore, that doesn't mean you aren't family. Mom's worried about you. Let us know when you're off so we can have you over for dinner."

"I'm down for that! Tell her I'm okay. Logan's taking good care of me."

He offered Logan a winning smile. Logan avoided that to lead Katie toward the front door. "I'll be right back, Carlos."

"Sure! Don't worry about the cups and stuff, I'll clean up the dishes. Night, Katie!"

"Goodnight, Carlos."

Hands in pockets, Logan followed Katie down the front walk and over his lawn toward her car. He could feel that she had a lot to say and he wasn't prepared to hear any of it.

She paused near the passenger door. "Okay, so...you asking him to move in. We both know it's your heart in charge here and not your head."

"Katie, please. It's not something I'm going to pursue."

"And you think he's not gonna pick up on it? While living with you?"

"He's oblivious."

"For now." She shook her head. "But you can't ignore this forever."

"I'm not ignoring it. I'm very much aware of my feelings, and they will pass. Eventually he'll date someone new and—"

"And it'll kill you. Why would you ask him to move in? That's just making it harder on yourself."

"Because I worry about him. And..." This was harder to admit. Logan looked down at the grass. "I like having him near. He makes me happy."

"Ugh, Logan. You're putting yourself in a bad position. What happens if you can't control your feelings and make a move on him?"

"I won't. I'd never risk that."

"You know, with anyone else, I wouldn't believe that. But you have an iron will and the ability to act like a robot, so..." She shrugged. "Okay, I said my piece. You know you can call me anytime. Take care of him."

"That's why he's here."

"Goodnight, Logan."

"Goodnight."

Katie didn't try to hug him again, though it was clear she wanted to. She moved around the hood of her car toward the driver's side and opened the door. He started to turn away, but she hesitated. "Hey, Logan..."

"Yes?"

"There's always a chance he'll fall for you. In time. Once he's over Kendall."

"I don't even want to consider that. It's best that I just count on him finding someone else."

"Okay. I'm just saying, I can tell how much he likes you. He likes having you near, too. You make him happy."

"Not the way I'd like to."

"I don't know, Logan. I could see it happening. Give it some time."

"Nope. He's a friend. That's all."

"Okay." Her tone implied she didn't buy it. "Just take care of him."

Logan didn't bother to reply. He waved to her once she was inside the car, then waited until she'd driven away to return to the house. He closed and locked the front door, hearing a gasp from the kitchen followed by a crash.

"Carlos? Everything okay?"

"Uh..."

Visibly cringing, Carlos stepped out from the kitchen holding what looked like the remnants of Logan's second favorite mug (though technically it was his new favorite, since James had broken the other). "Sorry. My hands were wet and it slipped and...please don't kick me out!"

Surprising himself, all Logan could do was laugh. "It's...don't worry about it. Let me help you clean it up."

"I'm sorry! I'll buy you a new one!"

"You know what? It's just a mug." Logan walked past Carlos to get the broom from the closet. "You didn't cut yourself, did you?"

"No. I'm fine."

"That's what matters."

Carlos watched him clean up the mess, arms crossed over his chest anxiously. "You're really not mad?"

"I'm really not. I'm learning that there are more important things in life than objects." After putting everything away, Logan turned to Carlos. "Hey," he said softly. "It's really okay."

"You sure?"

"Positive." Logan lifted a hand to Carlos' face, knowing in that moment that Katie was right—moving Carlos in with him would be the stupidest thing he could do. He couldn't bring himself to care. "Would you like to sleep in my room tonight?"

"No way. I'm not making you sleep on the couch in your own home."

"I'm not going to."

The implication set in. Carlos licked his lips. "I'm a bed hog."

"I'll kick you if you try to take over my side."

"I steal covers."

"Not from me, you don't."

Carlos swallowed. "I might try to cuddle with you. It's habit when I sleep with someone."

"I'm counting on that." Logan swept his thumb along Carlos' cheek. "Just until you get your bed moved in."

"Right. This weekend?"

"I'll make sure I'm available."

"Cool." Carlos couldn't seem to look away. "So um...should we...are you tired?"

"Yes. Very tired."

"Race you to the bedroom."

Just like that Carlos was gone, and Logan breathed in deeply. He could do this.

The promise of Carlos in his arms all night was worth any unsatisfied longings that might come from it.