A/N: Notes notes notes.

Okay, but seriously. Wait, when am I ever serious...whatever. Um...oh! Quick shout-out to Lonelygirl91 for being annoying! Haha, jokes. But seriously, thanks for the fanart, so awesome! Means a lot when people do that.

What else, what else. Oh, right, butt covering. I don't own iPhone. Or even an actual iPhone. I have just a standard slidey QWERTY keyboard cell. But whatever, it's awesome. I feel like I'd get pissed at Angry Birds more than enjoy it. Wow, have I lost focus. Probably because I'm not sure what to say here.

Cute Kendall/Katie moments are cute. Oh, had this chapter planned pretty much since I first thought up this story idea so. Yeah.

Also, I really wanna watch "Say Anything..." but we don't own it and that makes me sad.

I'm gonna stop rambling. I am TERRIBLE with it today...

Enjoy the chap! I'm gonna go shut up now :D

Tuesday passed by uneventfully. Well, other than Kendall sarcastically waving his beanie at Bitters as he passed the portly principal in the hall in the morning, then putting it on the second the final bell sounded out.

Aaaand more pics of him and James on Tumblr, countless edits and photosets, people he didn't even know or had ever talked to shipping them.

Oh, and work. But fuck that, it didn't count.

Most of Wednesday passed by the same way, until final period and he decided to check his e-mail on his iPhone. Which was a huge mistake. Not because he was supposed to be paying attention to Miss Collins' squeaky rambles about...well, whatever fucking class this was, or because he wasn't supposed to be on the phone during school hours. No, it was because of the return address of the top e-mail he'd received.

JD-at-jamesdiamond-dot-com.

No. Fucking. Way.

No fucking way.

Just...no fucking way.

He lifted his head and looked around, suddenly feeling paranoid. But not about getting in trouble, that he didn't give a shit about. No, he was worried that someone could actually see who the e-mail was from, that someone would know about his secret involving the singer. Well, secrets really.

A quick glance at his bubbly blonde teacher—fuck was she annoying—then he turned his head and attention back to his phone as he hid it on his lap below the desk. He opened the message, having to read it three or four times before he could actually figure out what the hell it said.

'Hey Kendall.

It's James. I had Logan practically bribe the people at VIPNation to give me your email address. Hope you don't mind. I just wanted to wish Katie a happy birthday which I'm pretty sure is today. Could you please pass her that message? Thanks.

XOXO

James Diamond'

Son of a motherfucking bitch.

Five days of nothing, of no contact whatsoever—which is understandable, considering the fact that they hadn't exchanged information—then BAM! Outta the blue, an e-mail. And for his sister. No apologies for walking out, no explanation, nothing. Just 'tell Katie I said happy birthday'. What the fuck was that shit?!

Kendall found himself glaring at his iPhone, before another thought hit him: how could he be so sure that was even James Diamond? It could be some loser with no life posing as the pop star, not exactly a first. Hell, even on Tumblr there were people pretending to be him via anon messages, which got creepy when it was sex. Creepier when the fan was underage.

Okay, the e-mail could've been legit. After all, not like anyone actually knew Kendall was a fan of the singer. Well, except Carlos, but he wasn't smart enough to be able to do something like this. And he didn't tell Camille his sister had brought up her birthday during the meet and greet, so the curly haired female clearly hadn't done it either.

But still, he wasn't about to act like a naive dumbass and taken for a fool. Fuck knew he'd been played enough when it came to James Diamond.

Another fast glance up at Miss Collins before he hit 'reply', quickly typing his response.

'Yeah. Sure, this is James Diamond. I totally believe you.

Get a fucking life, loser.'

He didn't hesitate to hit 'send', despite the fleeting thought that it could've actually been the pop star. Oh, well. Served the motherfucker right to have someone be rude to him. Kendall had earned the right to act like a dick.

He spent the next ten minutes or so looking back and forth between the teacher and his iPhone, eagerly anticipating a response. Although he wasn't entirely sure what kind he wanted to get. Receiving nothing would mean he'd been right, that it had been some poser freak and Kendall had called him on his bullshit, scaring the fake away. A 'shit! Ya busted me. Sorry, just wanted a laugh at someone's expense' would inflate his ego because he'd properly figured out the truth.

But if it actually was James...

Kendall's green eyes went to his smartphone, seeing he had a new e-mail. An actual reply. His heart started pounding, stomach twisting in knots, and he noticed his thumb was shaky as it hovered over the screen, before clicking to read it.

He closed his eyes as the message opened, not sure if he wanted to see it. As badly as he never wanted anything to do with that pop doucherag, he was still hoping it was actually the singer who'd e-mailed, who'd gotten in contact with him, who'd had his friend search him out. The blond wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle it if it really was a poser.

Taking a deep breath, he mentally told himself to stop being such a fucking pussy and use the balls he knew he had, then opened his eyes and looked at the screen.

'Why don't you give me your number so I can call and prove it to ya ;)

XOXO
JD'

Kendall cocked any eyebrow. Was this dude for real? How big a moron did he think the blond was?

'Yeah fucking right. I'm not giving out my number to some random nutjob over the internet.'

He was aware of the stereotypes surrounding his hair color, aware his grades were shit, aware that he didn't listen to his mom when she spoke, but he fucking knew that much. Rape or kidnapping weren't on his list of fantasies he wanted to indulge in before he got too old to.

This reply came a lot sooner, like the other person had been waiting around, watching whatever device he was e-mailing from, anxiously anticipating the response, just like Kendall was.

'Fine. Then you call me instead.'

And there it was, ten digits the blond never thought he'd receive—assuming they actually were from James. But surely a poser wouldn't go so far as to give out his phone number. He'd have to have some serious balls, not to mention some serious voice altering technology. That, or he was seriously calling Kendall's bluff, hoping the blond would back down in this game of chicken they were apparently playing.

Well, the motherfucker was about to lose this round.

He copy and pasted the number into his contacts, labeling it as 'James?', right as the final bell rang. Shoving his iPhone in his jeans pocket, he stood, wallet chains rattling against the hard plastic seat that had been numbing his ass for nearly an hour. His beanie went on his head, backpack slung over his shoulder, then he left the classroom.

Deciding to just wait until he was in his car before calling, he made his way through the crowded hall. His heart was pounding, about to burst out his chest, and his stomach was so twisted up, he thought he was gonna blow chunks right there on the linoleum. Which was fucking stupid. He never got worked up over a phone call, never freaked out over dialing a few digits.

Holy shit, his feminization was getting worse.

Kendall made it outside after what felt like forever, but the fresh air did nothing to settle his stomach—or his nerves. He knew Carlos was riding his bike to work, meaning the blond didn't have to wait around, allowing him to go straight to his car. Unlocking the doors, he threw his bookbag in the back before getting in the driver's seat. Where he sat. And only sat.

Hands on the wheel and keys in the ignition, he puffed his cheeks up, before blowing out the air. Was he seriously about to do this? Was he seriously gonna believe some random e-mail sender was really James and that was his actual phone number? And what if he did call and it was him? What exactly did they have to talk about?

Katie. James had wanted to tell her happy birthday.

So, for his baby sister—and his own goddamn curiosity—Kendall pulled out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and called.

Ringing sounded out down the line as he shifted in his seat, wallet chains rattling. He rested his elbow on the center of his steering wheel, hand on his forehead as he hung his head, green eyes focused on his black jeans. Fuck, this was a mistake. He should hang up. He should erase the number. He should-

"Hello?"

Have a huge fucking panic attack right fucking there in his fucking car in the school fucking parking lot.

His eyes practically popped out of his skull, his heart stopping then racing at twice the normal speed, his chest getting tight and his stomach getting fluttery. No way. Was it actually-

"Hello?"

Holy shit, it was! He'd recognize that voice anywhere, had heard it in numerous flashbacks that got stuck on repeat and countless dreams that haunted him nearly every night.

"Kendall? That you?" James' voice was less sure, less firm, sounding like he was questioning things almost as much as the blond was. His next statement was spoken so low, the younger male almost didn't hear what he said. "Please be you."

The pleading in the pop star's words got to the younger male and he felt a small crack form in his still shattered heart. "Yeah." He paused to clear his throat, feeling the shakiness in his own voice. "Yeah, it's me."

An audible sigh of relief came down the line. "I wasn't sure you'd call."

"Honestly?" he began as he sat back, free left hand wrapping around the top of his steering wheel. "I wasn't sure I'd call either."

"Still don't believe it's me, huh?"

He rubbed his thumb on the wheel, staring at his actions. "I don't even know what to believe."

"Okay, well," the pop star started, seeming to be determined to prove who he was. "If I wasn't the real James Diamond, then how else would I know that you nearly broke my fingers 'cause you squeezed my hand so hard when I sang that line about my heart being yours? Or that you put your hand under my jacket during our first meet and greet pic and that your breath hitched when I pulled you close? And how else would I know about that kiss in the dressing room and how hot and amazing it was?"

Kendall's breathing stopped, air stuck in his lungs at the memory. Asshole just had to go there, didn't he? He felt a stirring in his jeans as he remembered how it felt to be pinned between the wall and the singer's body, how it felt to have the pop star's tongue on his, how their hips moved together.

How James walked out.

Definitely a boner killer.

He swallowed hard before speaking. "If it was so amazing, then why'd you leave?"

Silence descended over his car, the only sounds being the students and vehicles on the outside. James wasn't saying anything, the pause lasting so long, Kendall had to pull the phone away from his ear to check the screen, paranoid he'd been disconnected. Nope, call was still going on.

"I panicked," came the singer's quiet response.

The teen cocked an eyebrow at that. "Panicked?"

"Yeah, I just." Another pause as he let out a harsh sigh. The blond could practically picture the brunet sitting in his dressing room, fingers smoothing through his hair, brow drawn as he sorted through his thoughts.

Kendall wanted to be there, wanted to wrap an arm around the elder male, kiss his shoulder, his forehead, wherever. He wanted to reassure the singer that it was okay, to just take his time, that he wasn't going anywhere. Shit, in all honesty, he just wanted to hold the brunet, for any reason or no reason at all.

"You gotta admit," James started. "It was pretty intense."

The blond nodded as he rubbed the back of his neck, blowing air out between his teeth. "Yeah. It was."

Silence stretched between the two males once again, neither knowing exactly what to say. What words could be spoken after that? How do you keep that convo going? Did they even want to keep it going?

"Look," the singer was the one who broke the silence. "I just wanted to wish Katie a happy birthday, so if you-"

"Call her."

"What?"

"Call her," the teen repeated. "It'd mean a lot more coming from you yourself instead of through me." He didn't mention the fact that Katie would interrogate the shit outta him, more demands to know what happened between her brother and the pop star, more questions he didn't wanna deal with and lies he didn't wanna think up.

"She has her own cell, if you want the number," Kendall added.

"Uh, yeah, sure. That'd be great." James sounded like he hadn't considered that possibility, but was open to the idea. He repeated the numbers the blond gave him, double-checking they were right. "So I guess I'll call her now."

"Yeah. Sounds good, man," the teen responded, thumbing the steering wheel again.

More silence, both males reluctant to say goodbye. But they also knew they had to, that the conversation couldn't go on forever. James had a call to make and Kendall needed to get home. They had lives to lead, lives that didn't involve the other guy.

Which was why the blond didn't wanna end their talk.

But the brunet did it anyway, letting out a small "Goodbye, Kendall."

"Goodbye, James." His voice was just as low, just as unwilling to believe that this was it, that it was over.

But it was. And the singer hung up.

A small sigh came out the blond's mouth as he pulled the iPhone away from his ear, staring at the 'call ended' on the screen. It was like the past couple months of his life was nothing but the singer leaving and the teen trying to figure out how to let him go. Too bad the brunet kept showing up before the blond learned how.

Putting his phone in one of the cup holders of the center console, he finally started the engine, the parking lot damn near deserted now. He shoved aside all thoughts, feelings, and memories the phone call had brought up, concentrating on driving and not getting into an accident.

Too bad he couldn't stop his heart from crashing and burning.

The first thing Kendall did when he got home was drop his book bag on his bed. Second thing was to let out a harsh sigh and roughly rub his face. Third was wondering what the fuck he was thinking when it came to...well, everything really.

Dropping his hands, he placed them on his hips, standing next to his bed, unthinking, unseeing. He was in another daze of sorts, his brain off to Who-The-Fuck-Knew-Where. A long moment—or five—of this and he finally snapped out of it and forced himself into action. He grabbed the items he needed before leaving his bedroom and heading down the hall to Katie's.

Her door was open and he could see her lounging on her bed, right foot flat on the comforter, knee bent, left leg crossed over it with the foot hanging. And, as usual, her personal game system was in her hands, the familiar sounds of Castle Smashers coming from it.

Kendall knocked on the door frame before entering the room, the walls painted a sky blue as a compromise between the two Knight females. His walls were dark gray due to a similar deal, only it wasn't because of any feminine qualities of the color, but because their mom refused to have black walls in her house. Whatever.

Katie looked up, a small smile forming at the sight of him—or more than likely the gifts in his hands. She closed her game system as she sat up, crossing her legs Indian style on the bed. "What's up, big brother?"

"How's it goin', baby sister?" he replied as he sat on the edge of her bed, halfway towards the end. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks," she continued to smile, her face almost immediately switching to a serious expression, like she was discussing a huge merger or a corporate takeover. "Those presents for me?"

"Yeah. This one's from Carlos," he informed, hanging over a small, square-shaped box.

"Sweet," she commented, tearing into the paper. Katie never really cared about saving any wrappings or packaging, only ever giving a shit about whatever it was covering. She let out an "oh awesome!" when she got it open, grin on her face caused by what Carlos had bought her.

"James Diamond lip gloss?" Kendall questioned, eyebrow cocked. He let out a snort. "Wow is that gay."

His little sister tilted her head, lips twisted in an 'oh please' expression. "Okay, all these gay jokes are clearly wishful thinking."

He rolled his eyes, totally disagreeing. Regardless of what he wanted the pop star's sexual orientation to be, the singer having his own lip gloss really was fucking gay.

"Whatever," he muttered, holding out the second gift, this one bigger, flatter, and more rectangular. "Just shut up and open your gift from me."

She did just that, eyes going wide, lips parting with a gasp. Those same big brown orbs shot up to him, as if she couldn't believe what he'd given her. Which was just weird, considering it was simply their meet and greet pic framed. Not a big fucking deal really.

"Thanks!"

He shrugged, playing it off like the small thing it was. "No problem."

"No, really. I mean it. Thanks." Her face was serious as she looked at him, holding the frame on her lap. "For this, getting VIP tickets, entering that contest so James would call, all of it."

Kendall hid the confusion from his face, keeping his expression flat as he told her she was welcome. What contest? The fuck was she talking about?

Then it hit him. James probably told her it was some sorta contest thing, used that bullshit to explain how he got her number, rather than having to go into details about his relationship—or lack thereof—with her brother. Pretty smart when the blond thought about it. He just wished the brunet would've told him before hand so he'd know.

Not that they really talked all that much.

Katie raised an eyebrow in skepticism, folding her arms over her chest, 'tude full visible in her body language despite the fact that she was sitting on her bed. "There was no contest, was there?"

"Yeah, there was." He faked lightness, acted like he had no idea why she wasn't believing him when he was totally telling the truth.

"I'm twelve, not retarded," she pointed out flatly. "I don't believe you about this, just like I don't believe you when you say there's nothing going on between you and James."

His eyes closed in frustration, voice exasperated as he harshly sighed out an annoyed "Katie."

"It's cool," his younger sister stated before he could say anything else. "I'm fine with it."

He reopened his eyes, checking her face for any signs that she was lying, that she was just saying it to placate him for the time being, before tearing him a new one. "Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, I know I said I'd kill ya if James took you onstage-" She held up a hand as he opened his mouth to object "-And don't deny it because all the clues say you were." She dropped it as he relaxed, his mouth shut, not about to interrupt. "But I didn't mean it when I said that" He raised an eyebrow, wordlessly questioning her. "Okay, I kinda did mean it, but now that I think about it, I've changed my mind. It'd be really cool if there actually was something going on between you guys."

The eyebrow shot up again as he turned more towards her, left leg bent and laying flat on the bed. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "Yeah. 'Cause if the two of you hooked up, I'd get to hang out with him all the time. Not to mention I'd be able to get the rights to his likeness, music, merchandise, and-or become his manager."

Ah yes, the Katie Knight Plan to Take Over the World, Version C.

Kendall wasn't entirely sure how to react, other than letting out a long, slow "ohhhkay" as he rubbed the back of his neck. He was slightly stunned, not because she wanted to handle James Diamond's career, but because she pushed aside her own tweenage fangirl jealousy to let her brother have the pop star. More or less.

Too bad it would take more than his baby sister's permission in order to get with the singer.

"Hate to break it to ya," he began, dropping his hand on his lap. "But there really is nothing going on between me and James."

She rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest once again. "Oh, please. The guy was clearly happy to see you. Plus he called your little sister on her birthday. He obviously wants in your pants," she commented, motioning with her hand to the mentioned article of clothing on him.

Yeah, she knew too much for someone her age.

"Gonna pretend you didn't just say that."

She refolded her arms and shrugged. "Suit yourself. It's true though."

"Whatever you say," he commented with a sigh as he stood, taking a step over before wrapping an arm around her. Her own arms automatically went around his waist as she leaned against his torso. "Happy birthday, baby sister."

"Thanks, big brother."

A small smile played on his lips as he rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. Then he left her bedroom and went to his own.

Kendall let out a sigh as he closed his door, only feeling a little bit better than he had when he previously entered his room. At least his sister had liked her gift. He could feel good about that.

Walking over to the nightstand, he unclipped his keys from his right belt loop, tossing them on the piece of furniture before taking his phone out.

And seeing he had a text.

From James.

'Can I call u after th sho 2nite?'

Holy. Shit.

He stood there staring at it, trying to figure out what the fuck was going on. James wanted to call him? Seriously? He pinned the blond against the wall, shoving his tongue down the teen's throat, then left without a word, and now he wanted to call?

James Diamond could go fuck himself.

A new text showed up on his screen, one word that totally broke his resolve: 'please?'

And with one word, Kendall totally went back on his resolution to be done with the pop star and move on.

'yeah.'