A/N: Hey everyone, thanks for being patient with me. School is hard, marching band is demanding, I'm barely getting enough sleep, and I've recently rediscovered my love of sitting and doing nothing.

Thanks you to AdmCpj, Edward Changed Me, Lewkis, Sum1cooler, Nerdy-Mochi22, duckduck4, OrangeTrufflex, huyandhieu, Tigers257, TidusGT, squoctobird, bubzchoc, KianaRia, and CDKLJ2345 for your reviews, alerts, and faves of this story, and everyone else who read "It's Not the Dark". It all means a lot.

Now, as for the reason that I published a little one-shot over this last week… I had writer's block for this, and that was a little bit more of a pressing issue to me at the time. And it was easier to write too. Oh well. Time to get going.

Chapter IX

It had been quite a while since Logan last had a conversation like the one he was having now.

"I'm telling you Logan, the possibility for transhumanism and possibly posthumanism could be coming around in our lifetimes." His Latino acquaintance stomped his foot on the ground as they walked toward a strip of shops in the Westwood Village. The two had been walking for about fifteen minutes, searching for food in the large shopping center-type area. The brunet raised an eyebrow.

"Carlos, our technology isn't even near that point yet. Hell, prosthetic limbs and pacemakers may be powerful, but it's not like we've developed those mythical 'brain linked internet' chips that everyone hopes to have soon. For the time being, we're human, and nothing more." Logan watched as his new friend's lips turned downward.

"You aren't listening to me, I'm talking about in the future, not right now! I mean, it happens in comics and video games."

"Yes, but it isn't going to happen anytime in the really near future. Think about it, a transhuman society would require so much more technology than we have even remotely planned for the next twenty years. Also, this is real life, not a comic book or video game where you can say anything will happen anytime." Carlos sighed. The gymnast had a point, but Carlos was stubborn. He didn't want to lose this little argument, but it was pretty obvious that he wasn't going to win. That meant it was time for a change of subject.

"So do you like Italian food?" Logan smirked. He totally just won that… whatever it was. It wasn't really an argument to him, since the Latino never really had a viable point in the first place; it was just a conversation that happened to turn a bit annoying.

"Well, I do really like pizza, but-" The tan boy smiled widely at the simple statement, cutting Logan off by grabbing his wrist and pulling him quickly forward. The brunet's breath hitched and he coughed loudly as the sudden increase in speed knocked the wind out of him. "Carlos, where are we going?" he asked frantically, attempting to keep the other boy from pulling him off his feet. Carlos certainly had a lot of enthusiasm… Logan liked that. It was cute.

"Pizza!" the Latino returned, flashing a bright white smile back to his companion before turning his head back forward to make sure that he didn't run into anything. The two boys continued down the main street of Westwood Village before hanging a left turn on a different road. Shortly after turning, the two stopped outside a small shop, a red picture of a very jolly looking chef sitting on the words "Italian Express" painted onto the window. Carlos turned his head to look at Logan again, the brunet concentrating on a menu in the window.

The tan boy took that time to scan over the Adonis standing before him. Perfectly sculpted muscle covered the pale boy's entire body, from head to toe. 'What I wouldn't give for a hug from him… he'd probably split me in half.' Carlos' eyes made their way up and down Logan's body repeatedly, stopping occasionally to stare at different spots for extended periods of time. They went from his massive arms, down to his legs, back up to the chest, then down to his crotch (he blushed when he noticed that he was staring there), finally moving to stare at his face. The look of concentration on Logan's face made Carlos smile, it was a cute expression on an already adorable face that was now turning to look at him. He watched Logan's mouth move for a couple of seconds before giving a simple (but satisfied) smile to the gymnast.

"…well?" Logan asked him. Carlos shook his head. Logan had been talking to him there at the end, but he had been too enthralled by the boy to notice.

"Huh?"

"Do you want to eat here? I mean, I like pizza and all, but if you don't then we can always go somewhere else." The Latino quickly shook his head, slapping himself mentally for not paying attention.

"Logan, I'm like a garbage disposal when it comes to food. I'll eat anything." The gymnast smiled in response, and Carlos admired the cute little dimples that suddenly showed. 'Huh, never noticed those before… he just gets better and better!' Snapping out of his thoughts of how perfect Logan was, Carlos continued. "I know the manager and employees anyways, so I could get us a discount. And possibly a bit of safety from anyone who wants to rush and gush at you," he said as he held the door open, waiting for Logan to head inside before following him in.

"Yo yo Carlos, what's up dude?" the tall curly-haired student behind the counter yelled in a thick Jersey accent before looking back down to the pizza dough he was rolling.

"Hey Johnny boy, long time no see! How's this job been working for you?" the tan boy asked, running up to the counter to give the other man a fist pound, leaving Logan standing in the center of the room alone.

"It's pretty cool. What're you up to?"

"Just computing, singing, and dancing. Y'know, the norm."

"Oh yeah, some chick who came in like ten minutes ago said that you rocked the street fair hardcore."

Logan and a few other customers watched and listened as the two went back and forth, shouting and gesturing wildly for a couple minutes. Logan sighed. 'I really hope he isn't always this hyper, I could really use his attention if I ever get more alone time with him.' The brunet would hear random snippets of the conversation interrupting his thoughts now and then as he continued to wait to make an order.

"How's psychology working for you?"

"Oh, I changed majors…"

"Again? Really?"

"Uh-huh…"

After listening to two more long minutes of random talk between the college students, the gymnast cleared his throat, gaining both of their attentions. Carlos paled when he realized that he pretty much forgot about Logan, running over to grab the brunet by the wrist and pull him over.

"Oops, um… so yeah, sorry, this is Logan," he explained as his older friend gave a small wave to the brunet. Logan returned the gesture with a slight smile before turning to look up at the menu. "We're just here for some quick dinner."

"Oh, well then, nice to meet you sir." John leaned down closer to Carlos with a smirk on his face, long hair almost going into the Latino's mouth. "This your newest catch, dude? He looks kinda like that famous dude, y'know, the gymnast guy. He's a pretty good looking chap if I do say so myself." Carlos blushed heavily, attempting to flick his friend in the forehead and taking a step back as John turned and chuckled to himself. It's not that John was gay, or homophobic for that matter. He just loved poking fun at Carlos, James, and Dak whenever they came into the shop with another guy. The long-haired boy placed his hands back down on the pizza dough. "So what can I make for you two dudes today?"

Kendall pulled into a parking space directly next to the black convertible that he recognized as Logan's from Olympic Rings sticker at the left of the rear bumper. Stepping out of the car, he looked at his surroundings. There were very few people in the parking lot, most of them appearing to be students, and none of them appearing to be the brunet he was looking for. He sighed loudly, beginning to aimlessly wander around, hoping to catch a hint of where Logan had gone.

As he walked, he could feel everyone's eyes quickly glance up at him before going back down to read or turning back to continue some sort of conversation. The blond's suit and tie did seem a little out of place among the t-shirts and shorts that everyone else on campus was wearing, especially on a day as hot as it was. He also wasn't very much older than any of them, so it was pretty much normal for them to judge him by his appearance. Why exactly would someone who looks like he also belongs in college be dressed up like that on a weekend where classes were cancelled?

Eventually, the blond managed to come across a large courtyard type area. Many people were gathered around for what seemed like a street faire, judging from the large stage and concession stands scattered here and there with the occasional performer standing out from the crowd. Kendall made his way over toward the stage, knocking loudly on the door when he arrived. 'Someone has to have seen him around here…' After a short period, the door swung open to reveal a tall brunet carrying an acoustic guitar, the student just staring at him for a couple of seconds before speaking. "Can I help you?"

Kendall cleared his throat and tightened his tie, then reached into his pocket and grabbed his wallet. "Hey there, do you happen to know where I could find this person?" He dug through his wallet, easily finding a picture of Logan and holding it up. The brunet's eyebrow rose and he gave Kendall a curious look before responding.

"I don't personally know where he is, but I bet James does. I'll go get him, you come on in." The boy replied as turned away and headed back onto the stage with Kendall close behind. While walking, he blond heard the sound of conversation from inside grow louder as the boy in front of him began to play a simple melody on the guitar. "James, someone is here for you," his guide shouted before walking toward a group of five other students conversing loudly off to the side. Kendall waited for this "James", pulling his phone out to make sure he hadn't missed any calls or texts from the missing gymnast. A hand on his shoulder caught the blond's attention, causing him to turn, and he was met with the face of an extremely handsome brunet, the taller boy taking a step back suddenly before putting on a relaxed smile.

"Hey there, the name's James. How can I help you?" The brunet raised his left eyebrow at Kendall and put on a dazzling smile, eyes twinkling brightly. The blond grinned at the expression. This guy was definitely putting himself out there.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Kendall. Now, you see, I'm kinda looking for someone and was hoping that you-"

"Well, Mr. Kendall, I think that the someone you're looking for is right here," James interrupted him in mid-sentence, pointing to himself. The brunet quickly snaked an arms across Kendall's shoulders, pulling the blond into a more relaxed position. "How about I take you out to dinner, blondie? Or maybe a movie?" Kendall chuckled at the brunet's straightforward attempts to make a date. Heck, this James kid didn't even know if he was really gay or not (which he was), but that didn't stop him from trying anyways. Sadly, Kendall had a job to do and a gymnast to find.

"Maybe some other time, handsome," he returned, removing the muscular arm from his shoulders. Now, about this someone I'm looking for," he replied as he once again attempted to reach into his pocket for his wallet. The hand was stopped when James grabbed his wrist, and Kendall looked up into hazel eyes.

"Look, for one thing, you don't refuse James Diamond. For another thing, I know who you are, I watched the Olympics. You're Logan Mitchell's manager, you're really fucking hot, and I want you. So if I help you find your little gymnast buddy, will you accept my invitation to dinner?" Kendall raised an eyebrow. Now the brunet was bargaining with him, but there was no other way that he was going to find Logan. And he did kind of want to go out with this guy… The blond sighed loudly and put a hand to his forehead.

"I guess you have a deal, Mr. Diamond. I'll take you to dinner tonight, but only after you help me find Logan."

"Cool." The taller boy turned to the other group of students, whistling loudly to get their attention. "Dak. Camille. You two are in charge of holding down the fort while I take blondie to find Carlos and Logan." The brunette girl gave him a quick wave, signaling that she heard. James smirked and grabbed Kendall's wrist, pulling him out the stage door and onto the sidewalk.

"How the heck can you eat that and stay in that shape?" Carlos asked, taking the last bite of his pizza as he gestured up and down Logan's body, referencing the vegetarian pizza that was sitting on the gymnast's plate. Logan raised an eyebrow in return.

"Well, for one thing, vegetables are good for you-"

"Blech."

"-and for another thing it's just one meal. You haven't seen me eat anything else before. For all you know, this is a one time thing." Carlos sighed, knowing that Logan had won once again. The brunet simply gave him a sympathetic smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Carlos, you have to think your arguments through a little bit better before making them, you're never going to win if you try to argue an invalid point." 'Especially against me. Trust me, Kendall's tried.'

"Yeah yeah, whatever." The two sat in silence for a minute, Carlos sitting and pouting at his empty plate as Logan slowly finished up his gross looking veggies. Whenever he knew that the Latino wasn't looking, Logan would glance up at the adorable little pout that he had on, enjoying how the tan boy's lower lip stuck out and his eye stared longingly over toward the counter that had more pizza waiting behind it. Logan waited to see if the tan boy would move before offering him a bite of his own food. Carlos looked down at it with disdain, scooting back a bit.

"Gross."

"Just try it, I can tell you're still hungry and I don't want you spending any more money right now."

"But-" Logan placed a hand on Carlos' wrist to cut him off, handing him the rest of the slice of pizza and leaning forward.

"Eat it before I shove it down your throat." Of course the dirty half of the Latino's mind clicked on at the statement, causing him to start giggling uncontrollably. Logan looked at him quizzically before placing a hand to his forehead. "Oh my God, you didn't just think that, did you?"

"You're the one who said it," Carlos chuckled back before looking back to the handful of vegetables that he was holding. It was gross looking. He didn't want to eat it. And he knew he wasn't going to get out of eating it. He gave Logan one last pleading stare, the pale boy just pointing between the food and his mouth. Sighing, the Latino raised the food to his mouth, quickly eating the last few bites and placing his hands down on the table. Logan smiled triumphantly and leaned back in his chair.

"So? What do you think?" Carlos' unhappy look didn't faze the brunet at all.

"I think I'm gonna hurl." Logan just laughed and pulled the boy up from his chair. Turning his head to the counter, he said a quick thank-you and goodbye to John, the blond man waving a quick goodbye as he spun another pizza dough circle over his head.

Carlos showed Logan around Westwood Village for a while longer, the two stopping in shops every once in a while when the Latino saw something that captured his attention. They visited a video game store, a candy shop, and a small pharmacy before finally slowing to a stop outside a store that had hundreds of cookies in the window. Logan stared for a second, trying to start them walking again.

"We can't stop here." Carlos eyed him suspiciously.

"And why not?" Logan sighed and pointed to the store window, watching as Carlos licked his lips.

"But I love this place!"

"Carlos, I'm not going in that store, you can't make me." The Latino smirked. Looks like the unbeatable gymnast Logan Mitchell had a weakness.

"Come on, we're going in. I'll buy you a cookie."

"No! Carlos, I'm telling you, I don't want one!" Carlos grabbed onto the brunet's hand, locking their fingers and pulling him inside. Logan blushed at the touch, it seemed a little more intimate than just a "come on".

"And your eyes are saying you definitely do. Let's go!"

Half an hour later, the two boys walked out the door of the last shop and onto the sidewalk, the Latino leaning on the taller boy the whole way. Logan shook his head and sighed.

"Note to self- four extra hours in the gym tomorrow," he said to himself, hearing the Latino laugh at the statement.

"Oh come on, it was just two cookies." Logan looked at his companion who was still leaning against him. The tan boy looked exhausted, but adorable all the same as he began to fall asleep standing up. "Logan, I'm tired," Carlos whined into his ear with a yawn, eyes half closed and struggling a bit to keep standing.

"I'd bet you are from all that singing. Why don't I take you home now?" The Latino smiled at him, closing his eyes and reaching his arms out like a small child.

"Carry me?" Logan raised an eyebrow.

"Why? You do have two legs that aren't broken."

"Because you like me. Please?" Logan smirked. The other boy had finally won one of their arguments. Placing one hand behind Carlos' back, Logan ducked down and pulled his legs up, the tan boy coming to rest in his arms. The Latino's breathing immediately slowed, his head coming to rest in the crook of Logan's neck as they headed back the direction they came from. That's when Kendall's familiar voice called through the throng of people to him.

"Logan!"

A/N: I'm gonna make this quick since I have barely any time right now. I'm sure that this isn't my best writing ever, and I just hope you all don't dislike it. Sorry for ending it there, but it's a lead in to next chapter of course.

Thank you all for reading, please review. Don't worry, Dreamscape is actually coming along for the first time in the almost month and a half (.) that I haven't posted anything for it. The next chapter of this should be up by next weekend. I hope you all are doing well, and have a great holiday.