Happy New Year Everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful celebration and if you're still celebrating then, by all means, party on!
So I decided to start this New Year's off with an update (why not?) and I hope you're all okay with that. Also, wow, sorry about the holiday lagging, oh my gosh, I just realized in this fic they've only just hit Halloween yet here we are in New Years. I am terrible at keeping up;; But anyway, Kendall and Logan go out on their first date, yes, and it's geocaching (which you all will find out what that is as you read). It's a real hobby and it's entirely cool, I suggest all you adventures look it up on google. It's fun stuff!
Besides that, thank you to 801-chan, TheClaire24, child who is cool, klolo8, itrymybest, tank602, and Kurissss for reviewing and to everyone else who has favorited or Alerted. You guys are really awesome thank you, thank you, I cannot express this enough.
Did you all forget this is based on a fanmix?(It's not mine!): theprincessandrajah(dot) tumblr(dot) com(slash) tagged(slash) the_kogan_fanmixes . By the way, her username on here is pixiejazz you should all message her a thank you, her fanmix was powerful enough to make me want to write this and she is SO awesome for letting me.
The Kogan Trilogy:: Falling is Like This
PART I- Falling is Like This
CHAPTER SIX:: Better Together
PART ONE: Try for your Heart
SLAM!
The loud noise rung loud in Logan's ears, disrupting the silence of the booth he'd been calmly eating breakfast in, causing his eyes to look up from his plate. A white sheet of paper that had not been there before was placed before him, full of unfamiliar typed markings and calculations. Logan found this paper to be held down by a stiff hand, prompting him to lift his head to come into contact with the face of its owner. Tall and blonde, Kendall Knight stood opposite of him, wearing a wide grin, book bag thrown onto the cushioned seat behind.
Logan was immediately intrigued, wondering why the other boy was here during early morning hours when he obviously had no classes until noon, but then it clicked in his mind that it probably had to do with the paper he was being shown.
He looked back down, his eyes taking note that these typed letters were not so foreign after all. No, Kendall was showing him a grade sheet, a printed out grade sheet from their online student grade-viewing system, and it was for Mid-terms!
He went down the list, noticing that the first two classes were left with a dash through the assigned date, meaning that they'd scheduled no mid-term. As for the last two, Kendall had scored one B and one A!
He ended up gaping, words of praise slipping from his mouth without even thinking, "Wow, Kendall, that's really good."
"Did you look at the grade for American Government though? Did you see it?" Kendall jabbed his finger at the bold letter, prompting Logan's eyes to follow. He was pointing at a 95%. He got a 95 in American Government. His self-proclaimed, worst subject this semester!
Taking pride in leaving Logan shocked and speechless at his hard-earned grades, Kendall took this opportunity to lean in closer to the other over the table, their heads inches apart as he spoke in a smug tone, "And you thought I was going to barely even pass. You betted on a C minus and I totally proved you wrong."
A smile crept onto the genius' face then, rather glad that Kendall had done so well on a test in a subject he struggled for. It made him happier to know that he'd also been the one to tutor him in that subject, a session that the blonde had paid attention to, so much so he could prove him wrong.
It then occurred to him: Kendall worked hard to get this grade for him.
"And proved me wrong you did." Logan then responded, eyes flitting upwards to catch emerald green ones that had been boring down at him, but also noting the blonde's other attractive features. His pink lips, bushy dark eyebrows, pointed yet adorable nose—without even thinking about it, he leaned in and planted a quick kiss to the tip of his nose right as he thought it, backing down and sipping a drink of his water afterwards as if nothing had happened.
Kendall, however, was baffled and he couldn't even hide the crimson shade that spread across his cheeks at the notion. He began babbling, incoherent letters slipping from his mouth before looking around and settling into his seat in an unexpected silence.
Logan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in interest. This was certainly unexpected. Kendall Knight got easily flustered with surprises?
He smiled smugly. Yes, he could have a lot of fun with this someday.
"What the heck are you all smiley about? I thought you were the one who wanted to keep the PDA low!" Kendall snapped accusingly, cheeks still flushed as he ran his hands through his hair and groaned. "You had me so worried someone saw…"
"Well, we're not entirely visible right now considering we're at an isolated booth in the back of the diner so I figured "why the hell not"." Logan explained with a shrug of his shoulders, offering a small smile before he took in a forkful of eggs.
Kendall's confidence seem to surge back at this, lips quickly upturning into a grin as he leaned in with one elbow, voice smooth as he asked, "If that's the case, then how about you grace me with a longer kiss, preferably on the lips for more than 60 seconds?"
The brunet gave a laugh as he bopped the other's forehead with his palm, forcing him backwards. "Slow down there, you're moving too fast lover boy."
"Fast, what is "too fast" when you're falling in love?" Kendall inquired as he leaned back in his seat. "Heck, I can't even tell what's up or down when I'm with you."
As touching and warm that comment was, Logan knew he had to lay down the rules. He set down his fork as he explained, "Kendall, we can't just rush into things okay. I know you're all excited about this and everything, but there's something called pacing. And we need that, less we want to fall right off a bridge."
"But there's no bridge when I'm with you Logie, only sky." Kendall gave a dreamy sigh as he rested his chin in his hand, leaning back into the table.
"Stop that," Logan tried not to smile, but it was proving to be difficult. Kendall always made him weak with his swooning words. That stupid romantic. He was not helping him keep a steady heart-beat and the best Logan could do was try to look disinterested as he poked around the food on his plate.
The blonde gave a sigh, feeling a little guilty because his words could be taken for pressure and Kendall certainly didn't want the other to feel pushed to love him. He wanted genuine love, unconditional love, like the kind he was sure he felt freely for Logan. He'd rather wait for that then to be fed lies because of a little impatience.
"Alright Logan, we'll go slow. I'm sorry. I just tend to get ahead of myself because I guess you could say I'm anxious, but the good kind! I mean, I know the words "I love you" came out of my mouth fast in the beginning but that's because I was entirely sure of myself that—gah, I don't even know what I'm saying anymore." Kendall made a wild gesture with his hands before setting them down flat on the table and admitting as he stared at the other, "I think… I think I'm just excited for the day you'll finally say it back."
Logan gave a wry smile at this. He certainly wasn't ready for those words to be played out on his tongue at all right now, but that wasn't to say he would never be.
"Well, for now you at least have the satisfaction of knowing that I feel something here… something real strong that could maybe… one day…"
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Kendall locked eyes with the shorter boy, a bubbly feeling rising fast in his chest, dangerously fast. He was forced to look away and clear his throat to regain control. For a second there he thought he could explode from joy. He didn't think it possible to ever get this excited over his love life.
"So, how're James and Carlos?" Logan's question burst the pause of silence that had bridged between them.
"They called me as soon as their flight landed back in Cali on Sunday. They're a little bummed that they only have 2 days of their break left before classes start up again."
Logan gave a laugh, "I would think they'd be thankful. There are many schools like us that don't even have a Fall Break."
The blonde gave a snort, "That's what I tried telling them but, nope, didn't save me from having to listen to their whining. Gosh, I'd kill for a Fall Break…"
"When's the next time they're on break, sometime late December? We could invite them over. I'd like to see them again."
Kendall perked up at this, "You do?"
"Hey, what's with that disbelieving tone?" Logan chided, even though he was grinning. "Of course I do, silly. They're your best-friends and they're lively. I want to get to know them better. I feel like I missed out on a lot of fun with you guys back in high school."
The other was smiling at this. Logan was really a gift. He fit into his life so greatly. It was almost scary but inexplicably pleasing. He offered a sense of calm, got along with his friends, and, he might be crazy, but he had a feeling his mom and sister would have a positive reaction to Logan as well. They would go over to help his mother with tasks she couldn't do by herself, attend Katie's high school graduation, get together for the holidays—
'Whoah, slow down there, Kendall. You're in the present right now.'
But what pleased him the most about realizing this was the fact that he'd actually thought about the future. He'd never been the type to think about the future before. Yet, with Logan, he'd started to.
"You know, speaking of fun times," The blonde spoke up, mind quick to remember the events at hand, "What exactly are we doing tonight? It's Halloween, you know, or are you the type that ignores Halloween as a holiday altogether?"
Logan chuckled after he swallowed down a bite of his bacon. "I don't do much on Halloween, I'll admit, but I am going with a couple of guys from my Comp class to the Halloween Horror Flick Night they're having at the dorms. Would you like to join?"
"Would I? Well, what do you think?" Kendall gave a smirk.
"I'll take that as a yes."
"Although, are you sure it's okay to want to go to a public Halloween Horror Flick Night? Because I'm sure they'll notice when you cling and bury your face in my chest during the scary parts."
"Hah," Logan was grinning as he shook his head. "Of course, because I am five after all. I'm sorry mother, I forgot."
"I didn't say that," Kendall held his hands up in defense. "I'm just saying, if it gets too scary and you cling to me as you scream, everyone calling you wuss is gonna be all on you."
Logan rolled his eyes. "Yeah right, you're going to be the one screaming."
The blonde couldn't help teasing as he leaned in across the table once more, "Are you gonna be the one who's making me?"
Logan shoved his head back as he stood up grabbing his tray of empty dishware. "Clean up on aisle four, we have a dirty mind over here!"
He flashed the blonde a quick grin over his shoulder as he walked away towards the drop off for the plates in the back. Kendall simply laughed as he tossed his bag over his shoulder, following after his boyfriend with a skip in his step.
He was definitely in those white clouds.
Kendall Knight was whistling a soothing tune to himself as he returned home from another short day of schooling that Thursday afternoon, swinging his keys as he crossed the distance of the small parking lot. Normally, he'd opt for the indoor elevators to get to his apartment but he felt like taking the side stairs today. He'd been having a good amount of energy these past couple of days, he usually did when he was in joyous moods, and he wasn't about to deny that it all couldn't be linked back to Logan. In fact, it most probably was.
He whistled a little louder at the thought as he began ascending the stairs.
Really, he couldn't express enough to the world how whimsical he was these past two days because of his and Logan's mutual agreement to build upon their relationship. It was certainly as if a wall had been demolished, a wall he hadn't noticed was actually there until now, and they were slowly opening up completely to one another. Logan didn't shy away from his touches, they freely spoke about nearly everything that came to mind, and they shared more secret kisses behind closed doors than they had in the week before.
It was very satisfactory for Kendall. So much that he wanted to give back to Logan by taking him out somewhere nice, somewhere they could both have fun together.
Yes, he was talking about taking Logan out on their first date. Certainly, being with James and Carlos in their last outing did not count. Plus, they'd been dating for 4 weeks. It had to be about time.
'Only problem is where.' Kendall thought to himself as he walked across the adjoined balcony to his doorway, untangling his keys from his school ID on the lanyard where he kept all his important belongings on.
Of course he'd thought of many places of where he could take the brunet. He'd seen enough romance movies to know about cute first date ideas, like a trip to the movies or a quiet dinner in a nice restaurant. But, for some reason, he didn't want to take Logan out to any of those.
He felt those ideas weren't special enough. Call him crazy.
'I'm probably just over-thinking things.' Kendall gave a sigh as he twisted his key into the lock. He was just about to open his door when he heard a boisterous voice call out his name.
The blonde turned around just in time to see his next door neighbor pop out from his apartment with his car keys in hand. Short, black-haired, with a tan skin complexion, Kendall came face-to-face with the man known as TJ. He was a sophomore attending the local community college. He'd been living here ever since the spring of his senior year in high school and was kind enough to welcome his new neighbor with open arms. They didn't hang out much but Kendall was always glad to exchange quick conversation whenever they caught one another in the parking lot, or in the doorway.
"Hey man, what's up with you?" TJ asked, slapping hands with him in greeting. "I heard that whistling of yours from all the way up here."
"Really, I was that loud?"
"Nah," He gave a laugh. "I'm just messing with ya. I had my windows open so I heard you when you were coming up the stairs."
"That's not any better, but it's good to know I'm only bothering one guy in the neighborhood." Kendall flashed him a grin and TJ offered a shake of the head in response as he shifted on his feet.
"No but, seriously, what is up?" The elder pursued in his questions. "Something happen the past week or so? Because the last time I saw you, you had this mopey atmosphere about like you didn't want to talk to no one."
"Ah, it was just a mood." Kendall tried to shake it off as nothing, waving a hand as if to dismiss the question.
His neighbor wasn't buying it. "Just a mood, yeah right, I think I know what's going on here."
"Aw come on TJ, why you gotta be so nosey." Kendall was laughing as he said this though. He really couldn't find it in himself to be so upset this week. Why should he when everything was going great? He could handle a friend's little curiosity. "Okay, you want to find out? Throw me a couple guesses and I'll tell you if you're right."
"It's a girl. You finally got her to go out with ya and it's all cloud nine."
Kendall made a noise like an error buzzer, "You're off the mark there."
"Oh, so it's a guy."
The blonde was taken aback by this—he hadn't been prepared to hear his neighbor, or anyone else besides James and Carlos for that matter, to speak the truth—and, unfortunately, this delayed his reaction to cover it up. "N-nope, that's still not it."
TJ walked over to him and rested an arm on his shoulder then, understanding expression situated on his face. "You hesitated. It's okay. I have no problems with it. You're still the same guy that moved in next door in August."
Kendall gave a dejected sigh as he lowered his head, knowing there was no fooling the other. "Gah, damn you and your psych classes."
His neighbor gave a laugh, "So, how is he?"
"Okay, you've reached your maximum asking of questions for the day I think." Flustered, Kendall Knight turned back around to his apartment, pulling his keys out of the lock as he worked on re-opening the door. As much as he liked the fact that he had Logan for his own, he wasn't exactly ready to talk about it to just anyone.
"Alright, sorry, I guess I am getting a little pushy." TJ gave a chuckle as he turned around to lock his own door, adjusting the coat on his shoulders before turning back around to Kendall who stood inside his own doorway.
He offered a wave to the taller boy before walking away, "It was cool seeing you again, Kendall. See you around and, like I've always said, if there's anything I can help you with though, just let me know."
"Yeah, see you!" The former hockey captain called to his retreating figure, planning to spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing in front of the television and possibly Google searching good date ideas on the web—wait.
He yanked the front door open a second later, running back out onto the landing as he shouted over to the shape of the short college student on the verge of descending the stairs. "Hey, TJ!"
"Yeah?" He'd replied, pausing mid-step to look over to his shoulder.
"Actually… you got any ideas of where I could go for a date?"
"Hey, you're back from practice early." Logan remarked as he looked away from the screen of his laptop on his desk. His head turned right just in time to catch his roommate Sean walk through the front door in his sweats.
"Oh yeah, hey." The other greeted somewhat in a sullen mood, wiping sweat off his forehead with the grey towel slung around his neck. "Some of the boys from the team and I were warming up in our laps when we found out practice got cancelled. It's getting ridiculous. The communication throughout the team is just falling apart horribly. Anyway, I trust your day's better?"
"It's rolling along." Logan answered simply, offering a shrug from his seat as the built red-head retreated into the bathroom, door open as he splashed his face. "I'm actually going out to tutor in a few minutes so you'll have the dorm to yourself for a couple of hours, if you decide to stay here."
"Tutoring, on a Saturday?" Sean popped his head out from the bathroom doorway adjacent to Logan's room, an eyebrow arched. "Who would be crazy enough to ask for a tutoring session on the weekend of all days?"
"Hey, that person would be Deanna. She's a friend of mine from my math course and I'm "crazy enough" to do here a favor." Logan said in defense as he turned back to his laptop, finishing up an email he'd been in the midst of typing when his dorm mate had come in through the door.
"Ohhhh," Logan didn't need to turn around to look at Sean to know the boy had a smug grin across his face. "I see where this is going. Have fun at your "tutoring session", Logan."
"No, it's not like that!" Logan had whirled in his seat to shout this directly at the other boy, only to find his bedroom doorway was empty and he'd retreated to his room.
"Sure, sure it isn't!" Sean managed to yell back through the wall.
"It's not!"
"I'm not convinced!"
Their argument was interrupted with a knock to their front door to which Logan responded with an "I'll get it". He got up on his feet, striding up to the door with little effort, flipping it unlocked and pulling it open with ease. A gasp tore itself from his throat at the sight of the person who'd been waiting behind it.
"Kendall!"
"Surprise!" He punctuated this with a cute outstretching of his arms. "Now go get your shoes and put something over that t-shirt because we are going out on our first date." The blonde made sure to say the last four words rather quietly.
"Now?" Logan looked at him with wide eyes. "But Kendall, I'm supposed to be going to tutor someone in twelve minutes, I can't-"
"Shush," Kendall placed a finger over Logan's lips at this, explaining himself in a serious manner, "Just tell the student that you had to cancel, please? I didn't pick today for nothing. It's the warmest day it's gonna be here in weeks and I need you to work with me on this."
Logan gave a sigh once the blonde removed his finger. He couldn't believe he was about to do this, but the begging look in those green eyes was overwhelming and that slight pout of those pink lips definitely was not helping. "Okay, I'll do it. Wait here."
The former hockey captain resembled a happy puppy then, beaming as he watched Logan retreat into the dorm room through the half-opened front door. If there weren't other people down the hall, he would be jumping.
Inside the brunet scurried to put on his shoe wear, simultaneously reaching for his cell phone that he'd left on his desk with the intent to tell Deanna that he had to cancel. To his fortune, he'd found that she'd already left him a message in his inbox two minutes ago asking to move the tutoring session over until tomorrow. Logan thanked whatever god was helping him as he shoved the phone into his pocket, throwing a long-sleeved navy sweater over himself on his way out.
"Sean, I'm going out!" The genius called over to his dorm mate that was currently in his room, not that he could see him through his closed door.
"Who is it, your girl Deanna came to see ya already?"
"N-no, shut up!"
"Have fun on your date!"
Logan slammed the door shut quickly after that, locking it up before turning on his heels to face Kendall who stood behind him a knowing grin on his face. "So… Deanna, huh?"
"Not you too!"
"I didn't say anything." The blonde held up his hands in defense. "It's a cute cover up name for me though."
"Uh, yeah, sure." The shorter boy bit his lip, following closely as Kendall lead the way down the hall.
He briefly remembered that time where he and Kendall stood in the hallway and the older boy had told him to make up the fact that he had a "girlfriend" to ward off other girls of interest. That's probably what he thought Sean was talking about. And he would correct him by telling him that "Deanna" was a real girl but, well, they were going out on their first date. He didn't want to ruin the atmosphere with any explaining nonsense that would only cause useless tension.
The instant they walked into the stairwell Logan found himself tugged in and pressed up against the door, the taller boy assaulting his lips. The brunet took hold of Kendall's shoulders, taking a couple seconds to appreciate the feel, kissing back softly before pulling back with a smug grin on his face.
"Now I see why you skipped out on the elevator."
The jock returned the gesture, pressing his forehead against the other's as he spoke, "Don't you know it."
"So, where is our "first date" at anyway?"
Kendall stepped back then, eyes a light with a plan he had yet to reveal to the shorter boy, and reached into his pocket, pulling out a rectangular handheld device. He tossed it to Logan who caught it with ease.
Upon first glance at the device in his hand, it looked to be a PDA. That was until the genius noticed the map and numbers of latitude and longitude on the screen.
No, this was no palmtop computer. It was a GPS.
"Try those coordinates."
Trees.
There were trees everywhere. Well, perhaps not trees with many leaves since winter was fast approaching, their faded colored leaves littering the grass on the ground, but there were many frames of barren trees around them. There was also an occasional bush here and there, a piece of bark, a log—overall, it wasn't very hard to tell exactly where they were.
"A forest?" Logan looked over at the taller boy besides him, GPS slung around his neck with his neck for security even though he held it in his hand. "You brought us to a forest?"
"Well, I'm not bringing us to a forest for no reason you know." Kendall assured him as he clapped his hands together. "We're going treasure hunting!"
"Oh, okay we're going tr—we're going treasure hunting?" Logan gaped at the other as if he'd grown two heads. "Kendall, what century do you think we're in? People don't just leave wooden chests sitting around with gold and jewels. Besides, do you know where we live? No old legendary pirate in history probably ever left gold sitting around in a forest out here in this small town-"
"Logan, Logan, give a guy the chance to explain before you go jumping to conclusions." The blonde hushed him with a raised hand as he gave a small chuckle. "I'm not talking about that kind of treasure hunt. We're going on a modern day version. It's called geocaching."
"I've never heard of it…"
"Now you have! Our goal is to find a cache, it's a name given to these containers that people hide outdoors all over the world of all different sizes, and I've already punched in the coordinates of one in the GPS around your neck. It led us here so, obviously, this is where we start our hunt."
Logan was frowning as he looked up at the other, "Is this like a hobby of yours I haven't been told of until now?"
"Nah, I didn't find out until a couple days ago from a friend, but I think that's what makes this even greater. I get to find my first cache with you." He gave a shy smile as he explained, "They say you never forget the experience of finding your first cache."
The brunet found himself returning the favor, his heart fluttering in his chest at the thought of the young man next to him wanting to share such a memorable moment with him. It was a sweet consideration, delightful. His expression quickly turned worried as a thought occurred to him, "As nice as this is, please don't tell me you wasted a whole bunch of money buying a GPS just for today. Especially because the one I'm holding looks really expensive."
"I thought you'd be happy to know I'd spent that much money just for you."
"Kendall!"
"Kidding, I borrowed it from said friend." The blonde let out a laugh. "You're face though Logie, you really don't like people spending so much on ya?"
The brunet turned his head down, twiddling his thumbs on the screen of the GPS in his hand as he admitted softly, "It isn't necessary to spend that much… on someone like me."
The instant those words left his lips he felt fingers grab at his chin, pulling his head upward. He had no choice but to look into those pools of gentle green irises, conveying so much honesty and adoration. "Don't say that. You're worth it."
Without even realizing it he found himself beaming, the edges of his lips stretched impossibly wide, and at this notion Kendall pulled away, physique expressing equal joy as he took hold of the GPS from Logan's hands.
He took a while in interpreting the map before speaking, "Alright, so it says we have a few more feet before reaching the actual coordinates and that the direction we need to go is…" His head snapped up from the device and he pointed forward, towards the path that winded into the wilderness, "That way!"
"And that way we shall go." Logan agreed with a nod as he lead onwards, ushering the blonde to follow with a beckoning hand as he jogged fast into the brush. "Come on, better keep up or else you're gonna get lost!"
"You're the one who's gonna get lost!" The blonde accused as he sped past the shorter boy in a sprint, sticking out his tongue as he hopped over a log.
Logan gave a laugh as he hurried after his boyfriend. "I'm the one with the GPS that makes no sense— Hey Kendall, come back! Kendall!"
The boys ran around in the forest then, chasing each other like children. It was nice to frolic about without meaning, leaves crunching beneath their feet, wind rushing through their hair without a care in the world. It wasn't something they got to do often. They were both maturing youngsters that usually dealt with the pressuring responsibility of paying bills and juggling options of careers for their future, but in the woods, amidst nature's beauty and clean air, none of it mattered. They were simply another one of earth's children born to explore and discover each of her land's secrets, untold stories that lay buried deep underground, in the green grass that scrunching beneath their feet.
Ever the bold, Kendall Knight had really thought he'd lost his boyfriend amongst the trees, cackling in rejoice of his successful accomplishment in a great outrunning when a sharp force collided right into his right side. He was knocked over straight into a pile of leaves, the tall boy and Logan going down in a fit of giggles as they rolled around on the grassy floor.
Autumn leaves of many shapes, sizes, and colors circled around them in a flurry, gently falling one by one, landing on their clothes. Neither minded, they didn't have to, self-content in laughing and blowing the leaves off each other's faces with pursed lips and gleaming eyes.
Their voices came to calm after a while, dying down into the natural silence of the slightly chilly woods, with both young men's paused forms lying on their sides to face one another wearing matching broad grins.
"You look silly." Logan whispered then, reaching over to pull out one of the many brown autumn leaves that stuck up every which way out from his golden locks.
"Yeah? Well so do you."
The brunet gave a squeal as Kendall ruffled the top of his head roughly, sending more leaves flying.
Kendall sat up on his knees after, clapping his hands in an almost impatient manner as he asked, "So, come on Logie, you're the navigator. How far are we from our treasure?"
Composing himself, the shorter boy pulled himself up from the ground, grabbing the GPS that dangled around his neck and studying it. "Well, according to the device… it's actually right around here."
They jumped to their feet then, the excitement of it all flushing through each of their bodies, adrenaline pumping as they scrambled throughout the area of the forest ground. Rocks and sticks were over-turned, piles of leaves pushed aside, but neither boy was able to uncover a thing. Plenty of dirt and grub was discovered in the process, they even flung a few shards of grass at each other, but nothing remotely similar looking as a plastic box or cylinder turned up. It was all nature's doing.
After an unsuccessful fifteen minutes of searching passed, the two plopped down on their behinds side by side at the trunk of one of the area's largest trees, heaving quiet sighs as they brushed the remaining pieces of grass and leaves from their hair and shirts.
"I guess we're heading home fruitless." The genius was the first to state the obvious, settling back with his palms outstretched behind him.
The blonde couldn't help letting out another sigh at this, tangling his fingers into the bangs that covered his forehead. "They do say that sometimes when you go out on your first search you don't always find the cache, which is why you're supposed to have back-up coordinates for another one just in case but I was so stupid! I didn't think we would-"
Logan put a hand on the blonde's shoulder, instantly shushing him as he spoke soothingly, "Hey, it's okay, don't beat yourself up for it. We forget things, it happens."
He peered out from behind his forearms, hands still fisting at his hair as he admitted in a high-pitched voice, "But I just ruined our date."
"You ruined nothing." Logan pulled down his raised arms back into his lap in order to keep better contact as he continued, "Things don't always work out the way we plan, Kendall. It's a part of life. Don't blame yourself for it. And so what if we didn't find the treasure-cache-thing? I still had a great time chasing you through the forest like a nut."
Kendall laughed in memory of it. "Okay, I have to admit, that part was pretty fun."
"Exactly." The shorter boy agreed with a smile. "The point was we had fun together. Isn't that the point of any date? So, in my opinion, this one is perfect, as I'm sure every single one will be as long as I'm with you."
Try as he might, Kendall couldn't stop the heat from rushing to his cheeks, the embarrassment getting to him so much so that he had to turn his head away, pretending to gaze at something interesting upwards. "And you say I'm the sappy romantic..."
He heard that charming sound then, that riveting laugh that floated out from Logan's mouth into the air, the sound that captured his attention from the very first moment he heard it. Placed on top of the endearing comment he'd been told only seconds before, it only served to speed up his already loud thumping heart. Although, he focused on returning his dangerously high heart rate (at least that's what it felt like) to normal by focusing on the white fluffy clouds in the blue skies above from in-between the many naked branches of the tree they sat under. He was actually fond of the shape of these branches, some thin, some large, a funny looking box-shaped one there—
'Wait a minute.'
"Logan!" He'd screeched so shrilly that it'd literally caused the unsuspecting boy sitting beside him to jump to his feet along with him. "Logan, I found the cache! It's up in the tree we're under, dangling from one of the branches on a string!"
The brunet looked upwards then, squinting. "I don't see it."
"It's right there!" Kendall came to stand behind him, pointing over the shorter boy's shoulder at the darkened object so clear in his vision. "Do you see it? Do you see it?"
"Oh, yeah, I do!"
"Come on, let's go get it!"
Logan couldn't suppress the chuckles that escaped him as he was pulled along by the eager college student in front of him.
Kendall began climbing up the tree first, urging Logan to follow as he scaled the trunk. And, even though he hadn't climbed a tree since he was maybe 5, much less any one this tall, somehow he wasn't scared a bit. Maybe because he trusted that the tree was sturdy, maybe because he trusted that Kendall would catch him if he fell, or maybe he just trusted Kendall. Whatever the reason, it didn't matter, because Logan scaled that bad boy all the way to the top as if it wasn't a terrifying feat at all.
Getting comfortable on a branch was a much more challenging task. Being that high up and working around each other on a branch much thinner than the trunk was less than easy, but they made it work, squishing side by side with their arms nearest each other entwined for comfort. They'd hardly any personal space, but they could care less. The branch they were sitting on wasn't breaking and that was good enough for them.
The taller reached out for the boxed container tied to a shorter branch above their heads and pulled it down, cheering triumphantly. "Mission accomplished!"
"What's inside?" Logan wondered, tapping the lid.
"Toys and trinkets." Kendall explained as he popped open the cover, Logan's eyes widening slightly at the collection of bracelets, key chains, and cards within. "People leave them here for others to find and take as a memory of finding this cache. We're free to take one as long as we put an item of equal value back in."
"That's actually a really neat idea."
Kendall reached into his pocket and deposited a silver collectible coin of some sort into the box. He then dug through the container for a bit before picking up a simple green and blue threaded bracelet, holding it out to Logan. "Here, for you."
"But I couldn't-"
"Shhh, just take it." Kendall gently pulled forward Logan's left arm, pushing back his sweater to reveal his wrist. He began tying the ends of the bracelet after wrapping it around to a suitable length. "I want you to have this to remember today, to remember me, so that whenever you're feeling down sometime in the future you can look at your arm and laugh about how ridiculous we looked with leaves popping out of our heads."
Logan chuckled as he watched him tie, "That image will be forever printed into my brain bracelet or no."
"A physical reminder is always a plus."
"If you say so."
"I know so."
Kendall looked up from finishing the tying of his bracelet then, their eyes locking instantly in the newfound silence. Logan offered a smile, one that Kendall easily reciprocated before asking softly, "So… perfect date?"
The brunet pecked a swift kiss on those adorable pink lips. "It was perfect the second you showed up at my door."
An embrace followed. Free, comforting, and compassionate, Kendall's arms went around Logan's waist, pulling him tight to his side, with the genius' own tying tight around his midsection.
And though the chilly November air swirled and gusted around them, it did not a thing to freeze their limbs. They had each other, the radiant sunlight casting a soft glow on their faces, sitting on a pale empty tree branch several feet above earth's grassy terra below as they gazed out to admire the view of the vast land laid out like a map before them, flora, fauna, and never ending sky galore.
Yes, Logan couldn't help thinking as he settled his head down against Kendall's comforting shoulder. He wouldn't have had today go any other way.