So the end of that last chapter. That was something. I kind of lost control on that one, but there is an explanation and a purpose for it, so don't think I've gone off the deep end. I am perfectly sane and perfectly in control of this plot, and if you were to say otherwise I'd deny it. Here's me proving my point in a chapter that I'd meant to split into two, but what the hell.

- Seven –

This time when Logan woke up, he was met with a rush of memories from the night before, Kendall's voice husky in his ear when they…he cringed into the sunlight in embarrassment. Whatever had overcome him last night, it was gone now, and he tried to force away the snippets he was recalling, his hand in his boxers as Kendall had thrown him over the edge.

He'd never done anything like that, and never this early into a relationship. They weren't even in a relationship for fuck's sake. He knew before he called, that moment of hesitation before he pressed Kendall's contact information on his phone, that he shouldn't have called Kendall while he was tired and horny. It was a bad combination.

He thought of looking Kendall in his eyes again, and he blanched, realizing that he wouldn't be able to face him with all the embarrassment he felt from what they'd done. It wasn't that it was disappointing, or that he hadn't enjoyed it, but if there was anything Logan Mitchell was about it was planning, and phone sex was supposed to come quite a few steps after admitting their feelings, if the allusions last night could count as that.

He felt foolish and duped, not by Kendall, but by his own urges, and he wished he could take that whole conversation back, even the perfect bits where Kendall had admitted to thinking about him all the time. That had happened right? Admittedly, there were more vibrant memories in that conversation, but Kendall had definitely said he was thinking of him.

Another thing he'd mentioned was his suit coat and Logan groaned as he realized that he'd promised to deliver it that afternoon. It had seemed like a fine idea at the time, getting to see Kendall for a few minutes of harmless flirting, but the flirting was no longer harmless. It was sexually charged and intense, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for that.

Calling James, he asked when his shift was over, and when James told him one they made plans to meet up for lunch, the more experienced man teasing him about "boy troubles" before he promised to get the jacket out of Logan's locker for him.

It was late morning by then, and Logan spent most of it trying to distract himself from the crippling embarrassment he felt from letting it go that far, nay, he had encouraged Kendall, threatening to hang up. He knew the blame fell on him, whatever the consequences of last night's indiscretion were, though he wasn't sure if he was ready for them.

Climbing into the booth at one of their favorite places, James tossed him the suit coat before starting his merciless teasing, every jab hitting its target, until he realized that Logan's grin was actually a grimace and became concerned, "Did something happen between you guys? What aren't you telling me?"

"He…we…" Logan couldn't bring himself to say the words, and though he knew James would be the last to judge him, saying it out loud would make it real. It would no longer be on the fine line between fantasy and reality, "Last night we were on the phone, and he caught me at a weird time and we ended up…I mean he…and I was in bed…"

James grinned, his tone patronizing as he congratulated Logan, "Little Logie's all grown up and having phone sex!"

The more private man shushed him as a few people looked up from their coffee at James's remark, and he blushed as he used the menu to hide his reaction, "It's not funny James."

"I didn't say it was," James responded, tugging the menu down so he could see Logan's face again. "But I still don't see what the problem is. I mean, you're two consenting adults that are into each other. My real surprise is that it wasn't the real thing."

"Exactly!" Logan interjected, though his wording wasn't totally correct, "We haven't done anything real. We missed the step between flirting and phone sex and I don't know how to find it again."

"Well you start by asking him out on a date," James said, the answer obvious to everyone but Logan. "And then maybe you can work your way up to phone sex again. Nobody said that you couldn't have a second chance."

"I just can't get over the embarrassment. How am I supposed to look at him after we…" once again, he couldn't bring himself to define what had happened the night before.

A look of confusion crossed James's perfectly sculpted face as he asked quietly, "Was it really that bad?"

Only allowing himself a moment to relive the gentle purring of Kendall's voice in his ear, he cleared his throat, "Not at all. I mean, it was new to me, but from what I can tell…he was spectacular."

"Of course he was. Mr. Golden Boy. Please, if you ever find something he's bad at, let me know," James teased, before seeing the way his friend's face dropped. "Oh god, what did I say now?"

"What if I ruined it? What if I can't look at him the same way?" he pleaded, tying his running shoes when there was nowhere to run.

James shrugged, "Who says you have to look at him the same way? Now you know two very important things: he is attracted to you, and he gets you off. I know you think I'm a slut, but those two things alone have built some of my most rewarding relationships."

Logan rolled his eyes, still not totally convinced, but their food came and James got distracted, only stopping to pull Logan out of his thoughts every few bites. Logan was bad enough at following meal patterns without the distraction of conversation, and James began to talk just to force him to keep eating.

"You're supposed to drop his jacket off at the fire station after this, aren't you?" he asked, mouth still full of food.

Logan shook his head before asking, "I told him I would, but I'm afraid of what I'll do. Are you offering to come with me?"

"Some things in life you just have to suffer through alone," James teased, adding, "Having to interact with a hot man who doesn't even have to touch you to get you off? Let me just throw you a pity party. Smallest violin Logan, it's playing just for you."

He raised his fingers and rubbed them together, only long enough to mock Logan before diving back into his food, "I'm telling you, he's probably not overthinking this as much as you are. You are the grand duke of overthinking. Why don't you just wait to see what happens like a normal person?"

"He says as if anything about this relationship is normal," Logan added with a roll of his eyes.

James glared at him, willing him to see reason, but it was no good, "Just promise me you're not going to do something stupid like hide from him and not return his calls? Because I know you, and if you go all Logan the Hedgehog on me I will personally beat your ass. For your own sake, of course."

"Did you really just call me that?" Logan interjected, looking up from his plate at the phrase that had popped out of James's mouth, but he was met with a forkful of hashbrowns that James was so willingly feeding him.

"Eat. I expect you to be at the fire station in half an hour, and I'm not letting you avoid this. It's for your own good," he said, persistent.

Logan grumbled, unsure of how he felt about be mothered by someone as immature and self-centered as James Diamond, but he nodded and began to eat, promising to meet James's deadline.

Sure enough, half an hour later he was parked outside the fire station, not so far from where he'd dropped Kendall off the night they met. He was unsure of how to approach the station, but settled on entering through the open garage doors at the front. He grabbed the jacket that sat in his passenger seat, before making his way up the driveway.

Stepping into the cavernous garage, he looked around for a moment, finding it nearly empty. As he tried to think of what to do next, a door opened near him, and a short Latino came out, chuckling to himself.

Logan stood still for a moment, unsure of how to proceed, before the man looked up and saw him standing there. He looked from Logan's face to the jacket clenched in his hands, and smiled before exclaiming, "You must be McDreamy!"

He was taken aback by this conclusion, pausing before prompting, "Excuse me?"

The man smirked, before holding his hand out to shake, "Sorry, I like to tease him about you, the hot doctor he never stops talking about. Logan, right? I'm Carlos."

Finally catching up, Logan realized that Carlos was just how he'd pictured him, grinning from ear to ear as his body language changed to fit the situation. These few moments had confirmed that Logan wasn't a stranger, and he had to wonder if Carlos knew as much as James did by now. The thought made him blush.

"Is Kendall around?" he asked, knowing he owed James that much, but Carlos smirked, his dark eyes knowing. Yeah, Carlos was in the loop.

"He's still sleeping. We actually had a call early this morning, and it didn't help that he was up all night. Took a really long shower after a phone call last night," he added, eyebrow raising as he smirked knowingly at Logan, who cleared his throat, embarrassed. "McDreamy indeed."

"So should I give this to you then?" he asked nervously to change the subject, holding up the jacket, which Carlos folded over his arm.

Unsure of how to withdraw himself, he was about to step away when Carlos caught him by the arm, "You know, I can tell why he likes you. You're good for him. I know you can't see it because you didn't know him before, but he really is different since he met you. Even the nightmares…"

He realized he'd said too much and stopped, but Logan encouraged him, "So it happens a lot? He had one yesterday. Scared the shit out of me."

"Only when he's really tired or stressed out," Carlos admitted. "But I'm not sure if he remembers them in the morning. He's never really mentioned it after the fact. But yeah, I've had to snap him out of a few. And they've gotten less frequent since he met you, like I said."

Logan wasn't sure if the last part was true, or just Carlos downplaying the situation, but either way he had to wonder what would haunt him so badly to tear him apart like that, and he decided that he would get to the bottom of it. That is, if he ever had the guts to face Kendall after last night.

"Well, I should get back to work. I'll tell Kendall you dropped by. I'm sure he'll be glad you came," he said, his smirk so subtly referring to the fact that he was privy to more than Logan would have liked, and he stifled a blush as he left the station.

A few hours later he got a text from Kendall, and he felt embarrassed to look at it, wondering whether it would be flirty or sexually charged or annoyed. Instead, it simply said, "Hi."

He groaned, realizing that anything he said now would be a mistake, and instead put his phone on the charger, an excuse if Kendall wondered why he hadn't answered. Instead, he used his landline to call James, who once again threatened him against shutting Kendall out, but agreed that it was probably best not to respond if he didn't know how to.

For the first time in weeks, work that night was almost a relief, and when he checked on Charlie the boy seemed to be healing faster than he had been up to that point. With his estimation, they'd have him awake within the next few days, and part of him couldn't wait to meet the child he'd already handed his heart to, though another part of him feared the battle he had ahead, hoping that Charlie was as strong as they'd all hoped. He would have to be to fight through the skin grafts, which were painful but necessary.

He felt obligated to text Kendall an update on Charlie's condition, and they texted back and forth for a few minutes until he found an excuse to be called away before he could bring up what had happened the night before. The rest of the week went much the same, with Kendall texting or calling him at work, and him making an excuse as to why he was being called away. He felt awful about it, but he still wasn't ready to face him, not sure how to ask for a redo.

"Kendall, I don't know how to say this, but I'm kind of anal…" he started, muttering to himself, before realizing there could be a sexual connotation to that and starting again, "Kendall, I think we should go back to friends…" but that was the last thing he wanted, he just wanted to find the step that came before… "Kendall, I just want to kiss you. For now, I just want to…taste you…"

He groaned as he slammed his head against the locker room wall. His Friday morning shift had just finished, and he was headed home to get some sleep when a text came in from Kendall, "We should do something."

"Not sure. I might have plans with James," he lied quickly, squinting as he realized how horrible he was. He would likely be sitting at home watching hockey highlights all night and he knew it.

"I didn't know we had plans," James said, catching him off guard as he hugged him from behind, reading his cell phone screen over his shoulder. Logan turned to see him smirking, and he regretted ever using James in the lie. "Listen, if you're avoiding that hot piece of ass, I'm not letting you just sit around and do it passively. Nobody likes a liar Logie. I'll pick you up at six. We have plans now."

He tried to argue, but James made a show of getting to work, and Logan knew that he was going to go along with whatever James had planned. As it was, he didn't have anything better to be doing, and whether he liked to admit it or not, one night of James's exuberant lifestyle would be just the prescription to get his mind off of Kendall.

That night Logan opened the door no later than five, and James made a point that he was there to help Logan get ready. The smaller man tried to argue, but he still wasn't dressed or showered, and his arguments were silenced as James shoved him into his bathroom to shower, raiding his closet in the meantime for something suitable to wear.

There were a lot of things James was horribly wrong about, but when it came to men's fashion Logan had found he was consistently reliable, and though he questioned the necessity of dressing up for whatever James planned for their outing, the image that greeted him in the mirror was hard to argue with, a picture of class with gray slacks and a striped shirt that fit him better than his own skin.

"Now you're suitable to be seen with," James admired, straightening the creases on Logan's sport's jacket, a smug look on his face.

"Where are we going anyway?" Logan asked as he gathered his essentials for the night out, struggling to locate his phone.

Instead of helping him, James rushed him out, "Don't worry about it. Come on, you don't need your phone to distract you. Tonight you're going to have fun."

He knew the moment they left that they were headed to one of James's favorite clubs, the first one he'd taken him to on their one and only date. It had ended with Logan bringing James home, only because he'd drank too much and needed to sleep it off. They'd been nothing but friends ever since, but it didn't hurt that James was hot and a great dancer. He was indeed going to enjoy his night, and he was almost glad that he'd left his phone at home so he could focus on his friendship with James and not his whatever-it-was with Kendall.

James had no trouble getting them in. As a regular he was easily recognized, both by reputation and face, and he greeted half the club as they made their way to the bar. James was driving, and promised to drink only a small quantity and early in the night, and when he ordered shots Logan knew they'd be there a while. He drank his quickly, and James smirked again, definitely up to something.

"What are you up to?" he asked, but James only smiled before pulling him to the dance floor. The shot was just what Logan had needed to loosen up, and he began to dance with abandon, grinding into James, laughing at his observations of nearby couples. Anybody else would have thought they were together, but he could see James looking around for better pickings and he didn't mind at all. After all, his mind was still partially on Kendall, whether he liked to admit it or not.

In his tequila-induced haze, he almost thought he was hallucinating, spotting a pair of confused green eyes in the crowd, before his eyes roamed the face they were attached to and found that it was indeed familiar. As impossible as it was, the face was inevitablely…

"Kendall?" he asked aloud, and James turned as well, before waving over the confused blond. Carlos trailed close behind, and as they came closer they were forced to press up against each other to be heard. Still feeling awkward about their last encounter, Logan prickled at that way Kendall pressed up against him, and he made conversation to distract himself. "What are the odds of seeing you guys here?"

The confusion only became more prominent as Kendall pulled out his phone, "You texted me to meet you here?"

Logan took his phone to read the message, "I'm sorry I haven't made time for you all week. James and I are out, but if you bring a friend maybe we can lose him."

It was the last part that gave him away, and he turned to James as he addressed Kendall, "On our way out I noticed my phone was missing."

Without missing a beat, he pulled Logan's cell phone out of his pocket, "Oh, I thought I told you? I grabbed it for you."

He handed back with a smirk, and Kendall glanced between them before blanching with embarrassment. After all, he'd dragged Carlos all the way to the club under the false pretense of Logan wanted to spend time with him, only to find out that it was likely a means for James to get laid. Trying to cover for his friend's horrible judgement, Logan found the courage to lean forward to confirm, "I'm glad you're here. You should thank James, I was too nervous to ask you myself."

The look on Kendall's face showed he wasn't about to thank James for anything, and it was only then that Logan realized the taller man's arm was still hanging loosely around his waist from when they'd been dancing. He swatted James away, knowing from his smirk that he'd known all along, and instead introduced him to Carlos, who wasn't trying to hide that he liked what he saw.

James quickly offered to buy Carlos a drink, and the pair disappeared, leaving Logan and Kendall alone for the first time in what seemed like ages. The song had a decent beat and Logan took the initiative to pull Kendall closer to dance with him. Part of him wanted to show Kendall that whatever conniving had brought him here, Logan was glad he'd come, and another part of him craved Kendall's touch as he always had, even when it wasn't convenient.

Leaning forward to speak in his ear, yelling over the music, "I was starting to think you were avoiding me."

"Does it look like I'm avoiding you?" he hedged, hand resting against Kendall's hips, trying to distract him. The look in his eyes said he wanted to continue his line of questioning, but not at the moment, not when the beat was good and the melody was humming like a cicada, driving them on as they ground into each other. Logan could feel his body losing control again, the burning desire taking hold, and rather than lose it in the middle of the dance floor, he pulled Kendall toward the bar, needing another drink to calm his nerves.

Kendall was also driving and ordered a ginger ale, but paid for Logan's gin and tonic before leading him toward a corner of the loft where they could overlook the dance floor while still able to hear each other without yelling. Logan sat down, and Kendall pulled his chair over so they could sit next to each other rather than across, leaning into the conversation. After all, Logan's tactics had kept them apart for nearly a week.

"I'm sorry," he started, knowing there was no way of avoiding the topic. After all, he'd ignored ever text and call for nearly a week, and Kendall deserved an explanation. "After our…conversation, I panicked. I didn't know what it meant and I was afraid I'd fucked things up. And by avoiding it, I fucked things up worse, and you deserve an apology for all of it."

The alcohol was making his thoughts incoherent, and even though his speech hadn't begun to slur yet, his words refused to order themselves in any way that resembled rational thought. Still, Kendall showed that he understood, and Logan had to wonder if he even deserved the forgiving shrug he was given.

"I was confused too," Kendall admitted. "It just seemed that we were moving so slowly, and then all of a sudden fast, zero to sixty…and as good…"

"Great," Logan corrected him, a knowing smile on his face.

"Great," he confirmed, before continuing, "as that night was, I'm not sure we were ready for it yet. And I know for a lot of guys it would be nothing to complain about, but I'd rather take things one step at a time…"

"And that was a huge leap," Logan finished, glad to realize they were on the same page. "And I don't want to go back to passive flirting, but I think it would be good to take a step back. I want to take this slow, do it right, because…I think you're worth it."

Kendall smiled from ear to ear, nodding, "If it's any consolation, I think I'm worth it too."

"You sounded like James just then," he chuckled, but Kendall's face lost some of its good humor and he added. "Ask me, right now, before this goes any further."

Kendall looked like he wanted to deny the insinuation, but instead he paused before asking, "Is there anything going on between you and James?"

"Apart from the night almost five years ago when he tried and failed to get into my pants? No," he confirmed, not sure if it was enough.

He found James on the dance floor, not surprised to find that he was still with Carlos. Their dancing was heated, and he had no doubt that James would get what he'd been looking for. Carlos was in a state of euphoria as James kissed his neck, his hand in the taller man's hair, and he had to wonder how Kendall was ignorant to this while he was busy interrogating the man next to him.

But he was, and continued darkly, "You're just very affectionate. And I don't want to be one of those jealous types that doesn't want you hanging around the people you love, but it's unnerving. Anybody with eyes can see he's attractive."

"Funny, he said the same thing about you. Maybe I should be worried," Logan joked, and he looked down at the rings on the table, realizing how ridiculous he sounded. But Logan knew that it wasn't ridiculous, not when it was James, and reached out for his hand, "I have never felt an ounce of what I feel for you when I'm with James. He's my best friend, and that's not going to change, but when he touches me, it doesn't feel like fire against my skin. My heart doesn't attempt to beat out of my chest. And I definitely don't stop to wonder what it would feel like to kiss him, to the point it's distracting."

He seemed to have found the right words, and Kendall smiled, his thumb running along Logan's knuckles slowly, "Are you thinking about it right now?"

He nodded, wondering if the time had come, but Kendall shook his head, though he looked a little disappointed as well, as he explained, "Not here."

Not able to argue with that conclusion, Logan stood to pull him to the dance floor, wondering if they'd do anything like this again. Not that he thought he'd never go out with Kendall, but this place obviously wasn't part of their scene, and without James neither of them would have seen the inside of it. Still, they could enjoy it, and used the cluttered dance floor to be closer to one another, moving to the music and enjoying themselves, until Logan realized it was starting to get late. Kendall almost looked disappointed at the conclusion, but the words "not here" were reflected in his eyes and Logan was willing to fly if it could get them out of there any sooner.

After a few minutes searching, Carlos and James were certainly missing, and Logan could draw his own conclusions on why. After a call to each of their voice mails, it was decided that Kendall would drive him home, though that would have inevitably been decided anyway. As they darted between the other patrons, Kendall took his hand as not to lose him, but once they were out in the fresh air he refused to give it back, instead leading their way to his car with fingers intertwined.

This is what Logan had wanted, this slow personal progression of their relationship, and he couldn't stop being thankful that they had a second chance to do it right. Part of him hoped that if they did it right this time, they'd never have to do it again, with anyone else, ever. As if to prove the thought, Kendall opened his door for him and he climbed into the Mustang. Once he'd taken his place behind the wheel, Kendall took his hand again, and he was bursting with anticipation as Kendall drove back to his place.

Parked in front of his building, Logan hesitated, not wanting the night to be over. He thought about asking Kendall up, but knew that would ruin whatever they'd just fixed. Instead he glanced over at the man in the driver's seat, catching his eyes, and he opened his mouth to say something, but Kendall spoke first, "I'll walk you to the door."

Though he argued halfheartedly, he knew what this meant, and he became suddenly anxious, more than he'd been for any kiss apart from his first. With Kendall, it was special, and he knew it, deep down in his heart. This wasn't a throwaway thing he'd forget about once they'd moved forward. This would only intensify his already burning feelings for the man, and he had to be sure he was ready for it.

When they paused at the stoop and Kendall stopped, looking down at him for confirmation, he knew he was prepared for whatever this brought. He wanted it, he craved it. He brought his hand up to skim the side of Kendall's neck before leading him down until their lips met. With this confirmation, Kendall pulled him closer, unable to ignore the combustion of their lips touching and wanting more. Letting his fingers tangle in the hair at the nape of Kendall's neck, Logan tried to control himself, repeating in his head that they meant to slow down.

Pulling back, they seemed to be in agreement. Kendall's eyes promised that it wouldn't be their last opportunity by any means, and he asked quickly, "Please don't make me go another week without hearing from you. I couldn't stand it."

"You'll be lucky if you don't hear from me before I make it upstairs," he joked, but his eyes were apologetic. He knew he'd never do that again.

Unsure of what to say next, Kendall leaned down for one more kiss, this time softer and sweeter, before pulling away regretfully to get back to his car. With the Mustang between them, likely so he wouldn't run back, he smiled as he waved at Logan, who raised his hand in response, unable to repress the grin that tugged at his dimples.

He looked at his phone as he got into the elevator, and unable to resist, he dialed the number on speed dial. When Kendall picked up, he teased, "If I'm not getting lucky tonight, neither are you."

"What floor did you make it to?"

Logan hesitated before admitting, "The elevator just started moving."

There was a pause and he knew that Kendall was smiling, so hard it threatened to pull a muscle, and he waited for the response as the elevator dinged on each floor.

He cleared his throat, but his voice came out husky anyway, "I told you I was worth the wait."

"I never argued," he reminded him, as the elevator opened on the correct floor. "I don't want you driving distracted. I'll call you tomorrow."

"I'm already driving distracted. You think I need to speak to you to be distracted by you? This week disproved that theory, sorry," he chided him again.

"I'll call you tomorrow," he repeated, this time as a promise, before they both said their goodbyes. As he entered the apartment, Logan couldn't help but pause, biting his lip to remember the way Kendall had tasted, and he found himself smiling again.