I'm so sorry for the long absence, I went on a slightly unexpected vacation to a location that had absolutely no internet access, but now I'm back! Which, of course means more regularly updated chapters (hopefully) and also that Supernatural fic I mentioned, which shall be up soon for all that are interested :)
I hope the grammar is okay, I did the editing at a ridiculous hour of the night...
Anyways, I hope you all enjoy, this started of all angst ridden but then it turned into some kind of fluff fest...
Chapter Nine
The ride home was awkward to say the least. Logan didn't speak, only stared out the window, eyes glazed over with a look of pain. Carlos gave the brunette sideways glances throughout the drive, but they went unnoticed. Carlos didn't dare speak, for fear of breaking what little composure Logan had managed to build around himself. When the two stepped inside the Garcia residence Carlos figured, by the relative silence, that Sylvia wasn't home; he ushered Logan upstairs and into his room, throwing aside a pile of crumpled clothes to give Logan space of the bed.
When the Latino closed the door he turned to Logan and asked in the softest voice he could muster,
"Did you want to tell me what's wrong?"
Logan stared at Carlos for a few moments, seeming not to process what the Latino had said. He blinked once, and when he tried to speak his words came out a strangled cry, tears suddenly springing forth from his eyes.
"I-I-It's all getting too hard," Logan managed, before burying his face in his hands, silent sobs racking his gaunt frame.
Carlos rushed over and crouched before the brunette, prying Logan's hands from his face and gently, but firmly raising his chin, until the two were at eye level with one another.
"I-I-I just c-can't."
Logan screwed his eyes shut and let another wave of silent moans beset his body.
"Logan, Logan," the Latino tried his best to hush the distressed brunette, but to no avail. Logan continued his crying, the silence of it all making it all the more heart breaking for Carlos. The Latino joined Logan on the edge of the bed, encircling his arms around the helpless brunette, rocking him back and forth slowly.
"Hey, it's going to be okay, I'm here, everything's going to be okay."
Logan leant into Carlos' shoulder, sniffling as Carlos shifted again, placing Logan atop his lap, to hold him more securely. After a few minutes the sniffling subsided into silence and finally Logan spoke, his voice holding some strength to it.
"It's, just that everything is getting too hard. I thought things were getting better but somehow I just got shoved further down into the dark. I'm so scared Carlos, I'm so scared. Scared of what other people are going to do to me, but terrified of what I'm going to do to myself…" He finished in a strained whisper, voice slightly muffled by Carlos' sweater.
"Is that why you didn't want to go home?"
Logan only nodded, the two lapsing back into silence.
After a time Carlos spoke up again, resting his chin upon Logan's head.
"You know, Logan, if you want, you could always stay the night here, you're completely welcome, I know my mum wouldn't mind."
The brunette raised his head to give Carlos a frail smile, eyes red and irritated from the tears he had shed, and hair ruffled from his time spent nestled in the crook of Carlo's shoulder.
"Do you mean it?" He asked, teary eyes large and hopeful.
"Of course I mean it," smiled the Latin, "I'd love nothing more."
"Then I think maybe it'd be best if I stayed here tonight."
The night wore on quickly and dinner with the Garcia's passed in a blur of laughter and smiles. He quickly found himself back up in the Latino's disordered room, watching from his place on the bed as Carlos led a futile search through the chaos that was his closet.
"Come on, I know it has to be here somewhere!" Said Carlos angrily to himself as he pulled what looked to be the remains of a tartan scarf from the depths of the wardrobe, throwing it over his shoulder as he continued searching.
The torn and tattered scarf settled itself at Logan's feet, and after a few moments of quizzical inspection he asked,
"Carlos, what exactly are you looking for?"
"Scrabble!"
"What?" Logan stared at the Latino, who had managed to uproot the board game from wherever it had been hidden. The grin he wore was one so wide Logan was surprised he hadn't managed to split his cheeks open.
"Well I know you're feeling upset and when I'm upset board games always help, so I thought maybe it would make you feel better."
The Latino cleared a space on the floor and went about setting up the game, sitting cross-legged with adamant eyes when he finished.
"You do know how to play don't you?"
Logan nodded, joining Carlos on the floor, "yeah, I know how to play."
"Good," Carlos smiled and handed Logan a small bag, which was filled with the milky white letter tiles.
"Now choose your seven letters, and no cheating!"
Without looking Logan sifted through the tiles and collected seven, set them on his rack, and handed the bag back to Carlos. Logan inspected the letters he'd collected, smiling at the seven-letter word he could construct from them.
"Okay Logan, you go first," said Carlos with a smile, waiting as Logan set out his seven tiles on the board.
"R-ro-romance..." Carlos read as Logan set them down one by one.
"Yeah…" answered Logan, not daring to meet the Latino's eyes and the smile he knew he wore. Logan could feel the heat crawling up his neck and onto his cheeks, inwardly cursing the feelings he held.
Carlos shrugged and smiled, "hey, you used all seven tiles. You're pretty good at this game."
Two hours and three games later the two sat in a heated argument with one another, Carlos with his arms crossed defiantly and Logan trying his best to reason with the stubborn Latino.
"But it is a word!" Insisted Carlos, "I know it is!"
"I think I know what word you have in mind, but you've just spelt it, and pronounced it wrong."
Carlos poked his tongue out at the brunette and said, "prove it then."
Logan sighed, "Fine; do you have a dictionary?"
"Dictionary…?"
"Carlos please tell me you have a dictionary."
The Latino looked at Logan uncertainly, "should I have a dictionary?"
Logan sighed again and said, "look, I think you're trying to spell the word masque, but you've spelt it m-a-s-s-k-e-w, not m-a-s-q-u-e."
Carlos gave the brunette a confused look.
"I'm not trying to spell the word mask, and you spelt mask wrong."
Logan gave another long sigh and smiled, "no it's just pronounced mask is all, it's still spelt m-a-s-q-u-e. Do you even know what it means?"
"What's it to you if I don't?"
At Carlos' retort Logan began to laugh, a light, almost hysterical sound escaping from his throat.
"It isn't funny!" Said Carlos, glaring at the brunette.
At that Logan laughed even harder, nodding his head furiously, insisting that it was.
"Oh look, too bad, an earthquake hit Scrabble land!"
Carlos lifted the board and shook it fiercely, vowels and consonants flying in all directions. Logan's laughing died down, the brunette raising a questioning eyebrow at the Latino.
"There are no earthquakes in Scrabble land, that only happens in Monopoly!"
"Yeah well I'm god of Scrabble land, and what I say goes."
To that Logan let out another laugh, this time a childish giggle that left Carlos grinning.
"So what are we going to do now?" Asked Logan, "I mean, you decimated Scrabble land."
"I'm not sure…" replied Carlos, looking around his room for something else to occupy the two.
"I know! I brought Carrie, we could read more of that!"
Carlos thought back to the exert Logan had read to him last time.
"I have a better idea," he said, although he had absolutely nothing of the kind.
"What?" Asked Logan, watching Carlos intently, waiting for the Latino's answer.
"Well…" Carlos scanned the room desperately looking for something, anything. He didn't think he could stomach a second helping of Stephen King. Carlos' eyes landed on a plastic crown studded with faux glass emeralds and a soldier's helmet, complete with a dull, flexible spike. The Latino jumped to his feet and grabbed them, setting the crown atop Logan's dark hair and the soldier's cap atop his own head. Logan rose uncertainly, staring at Carlos wonderingly.
"Sire, the enemy has reached the city's borders! What are we to do?"
Logan smirked with a sudden understanding, jumping to stand on the bed, using it as a makeshift throne.
"Well you shouldn't be standing here! You're the army's commander, you should be out there on the frontline, leading the attack! I ought to have you in the gallows for this display of cowardice!"
Carlos took a step back.
"No, your grace, have mercy! I came to protect you, in the event that the enemy breaches the city walls!"
Logan pretended to consider the plea for a moment, before saying, "If you've came to protect me then I suggest you make use of yourself, escort me back to my chambers!"
Carlos looked over his shoulder, feigning a look of horror, "oh no, the enemy have reached the castle! Your grace, watch out for that arrow!"
The Latino jumped onto the bed and tackled Logan onto the mattress, the two breathless.
"Commander, you saved my life…"
"All in a days work my lord," answered Carlos, grinning.
"But there must be some way I can reward you…"
Carlos stared into Logan's eyes, unsure of exactly what the brunette was suggesting. Logan leant in ever so slightly, Carlos doing the same. The two were mere inches away when Sylvia, rather unceremoniously threw open the door; the two boys jumping away from one another violently.
Sylvia looked between the two boys, who both wore bashful smiles.
"I was just coming up to tell you boys that I was heading off to bed, but I can see you're busy…" With a knowing smile she closed the door, leaving the two in a tense silence.
"Well it is getting late…"
Logan nodded in agreement, "we should be getting to bed…"
"Good idea."
"So where will I be sleeping?"
Carlos looked at Logan for a few minutes, beginning to blush when he realised what the brunette had asked.
"Well I thought that, since my bed is so big, I mean, I thought you could just, well you know, you could just…" Carlos lapsed into silence, allowing Logan to finish the sentence for himself.
"That we could just share the bed?"
Carlos nodded in confirmation. Logan tried is best to hold his calm but his mind was in complete havoc.
I'm going to share a bed with Carlos Garcia? Oh God, oh God… What have I gotten myself into? Hell, he doesn't even like me that way… How could he? I'm lucky he considers me a friend…
Logan tried his best to keep tone neutral as he answered.
"Fine, but I get the duvet."
Logan awoke with the coming of dawn. Glancing at Carlos' bedside clock he read that it was six-thirty. He sighed and went to roll over but froze when he registered the pressure on his back and arm.
"Oh geez…" He muttered to himself as he raised his head and found that in his sleep Carlos had managed to nestle up against the brunette's back, and wrap a wiry muscled arm around Logan's exposed side.
Logan's heart began to thump at a faster rate, his mouth suddenly becoming dry like sandpaper.
"Logan stay calm, he's sleeping, you should probably just wake him up…"
But Logan couldn't bring himself to do it. Carlos looked so peaceful, a small smile playing at his lips. Logan lay back down on the pillow and allowed himself a smile of his own. He knew the day coming would be a long one, so much had happened in such a short time. This new found friendship, Kendall's blackmail, the escalating situation at home, his own internal struggle, the mysterious declaration of love in the form of an anonymous note and the beginning of what Logan feared could be full scale bullying at school…
But there, in Carlos' arms, none of it mattered, Logan felt peaceful, all his worries and troubles mere whims that seemed a world away; because for that morning Logan was content to stay safe and sheltered in Carlos' arms.
Chapter ten shall be up soon, which I'm excited for, something terrible happens to Logan!
I just realised how terribly sadistic that sounded, I apologise, that was cruel.