"But, Kendall!"

"No!" A broken whine came from the boy next to me as we stood by the front desk of the rental store, my head pounding from my best friend's constant curiosity and interrogation. I stared at the different dresses that were hung around the little shop, ignoring the other's constant complains of being irked with my lack of attention. After a while, I decided to stop being ignorant and listen. Only because he's my best friend. I turned to him and pleaded, "Shut up, stop asking and let's get our suits and go home, shall we?"

Logan frowned. "Geez, fine, don't tell me what happened before we left. It's completely normal for you to smother James with kisses and nearly suffocate him." For a moment, the brunette's eyebrows arched before he smirked. "Oh wait, that is completely normal."

I rolled my eyes and stopped, the situation my best friend had reminded me of bringing back the jumble of emotions that I had managed to store away once I left the mansion. I sighed and rubbed my temples, feeling my muscles tense from all the worrying and overthinking my mind was doing.

The second I made sense of the note, I literally ran down to where my boyfriend was. His hazel eyes were confused when I tackled him into a hug; my face buried in his chest, my arms constricting around his waist. My breathing was labored as I tried to control myself, to keep my worries and fears locked up, to stop my temper from getting the better of me.

When he asked what was wrong, I couldn't think of a reason why I had reacted the way I did. The feel of his warm hands on my cheeks only served as a reminder of what he had been doing behind my back. He's no longer the James I first knew. He's changing, and I have a feeling it's not for the better.

I felt guilty, responsible, for bringing him so much pain, even if I was oblivious. I should've known. Instead of telling him that, I pulled James' face closer to me and kissed him until we were both out of breath, a trail of saliva connecting our parted lips. However, our friend's presence shattered the emotional moment in a second, when he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Kendall?"

I looked up, into Logan's concerned brown eyes, the memories disappearing with the blink of an eye. I gulped and shook my head at the doe-eyed boy's confused expression, his eyebrows furrowed and his lips turned down to a frown. I forced a small smile and smacked his forehead playfully. "Stop frowning, you'll get wrinkles," I joked, which earned me a hard shove in the shoulder. I laughed, albeit forcefully.

Logan picked it up instantly.

"Did something happen between you and James?" he asked, the sympathetic look returned to his face. I bit my lip to stop my expression from changing, but it was too late. The delayed reaction confirmed Logan's suspicions and he sighed, before dragging me towards one of the soft, bouncy sofas they provided. "Look, knowing you, you're going to want to handle this issue on your own. But, you have friends- us- to talk to. So, don't hesitate. We've been here since the start of your relationship, through the different arguments you've faced, and we're not going to leave you two alone to wallow in your own self-pity."

I nodded, running my fingers through my sweat-soaked hair. The pros and cons of admittance were weighed in my head. With a frustrated sigh, I looked at Logan and said, "If you were in my shoes, and you find out that Carlos has been working on a cure- with whom, you do not know- what would you do? What can you do if find out your boyfriend is sacrificing his life for you, over something that could only be proven with a miracle?"

My best friend stared at me with furrowed brows and a frown, and I knew he immediately figured out what was bothering me. "James…?" he trailed off, and for once I saw the disappointment shining in his eyes. "He couldn't have! He wouldn't!"

I shook my head sadly. "I think he is, or did. I don't know if he's still working with said person," I stated, unconsciously touching the note I had brought along in my pocket. "I'm not even sure when it started. I got to know about the works for the cure after Brooke gave me a letter that James had hidden from me; a letter signed by Alexander."

"It made things worse because the person Alexander wanted was me, not James, but he went in my place for God knows what reason. I'm pretty sure that's why Shane's been a little shit towards me." I buried my face in my hands and exhaled slowly, more to calm myself than to pause. Guilt hung onto my conscience, and I feel the other soul within me silently cowering away from the front of my mind, clearly not intending to be involved. Weird. "I'd react the same way if I find out Katie's sacrificing her life for some boy, even if she truly loves him."

We settled into a comfortable silence, Logan staring at the concrete ground as he thought of a reply and me just allowing my thoughts to wander.

You know, smarty pants is right. You need to talk to Blood Eyes. I mean, if he's keeping secrets from you regarding the cure, I can guess that it's because both him and his demon want to keep us safe. I nearly jumped from the shock of hearing another voice in my head, only to realise it was only Electrike- what I had guessed was his name after a while- who had decided to grace me with his presence. However, it did surprise me, the level of sincerity and concern laced with his voice. Also, a slight hint of admiration.

Careful, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you've grown fond of James, I replied. Or maybe his demon is what has you all flustered.

A snort came from Electrike, and I felt my body heat up excessively. Oh my God! Are you blushing? I stifled a laugh, and covered my face with my hands, hiding my goofy grin from Logan. You really like him, huh? I should've let him screw you then. Oh! Maybe I should! James and I wouldn't mind having more sexy time.

I fucking hate you, he mumbled before locking himself out of my thoughts, which ceased any other conversation from going on.

"Why are you red? Is the heat too much for you?"

My head snapped to the side, where Logan was looking at me in apprehension and flattened his palm against my forehead. His hand jerked back with a hiss, and he held it to his chest tenderly. His brown eyes widened when he looked back at me, and his jaw dropped.

"Kendall," he said cautiously, as though approaching a wild animal. "You're changing."

I quirked my eyebrow at his statement and thought of a reply, but stopped short when I noticed tiny blue sparks floating at the corner of my eyes. I resisted the urge to sigh and closed my eyes, listening to my own heartbeat slow down before the tingling in my veins ceased completely.

When I reopened my eyes, Logan looked at me with a small smile and nodded knowingly.

"Mr Mitchell? Mr Knight?" a voice called out. A tiny redhead popped up from the corner, wearing a navy blue suit and smiling at us formally. It was the same guy who had greeted us when we stepped in, his white badge reading 'Joseph'. "I have your suits in the back, if you would please come along."

We looked at one another for a second, a spark of excitement evident in our eyes as realisation dawned on us that we were finally getting to see our attire for our special night, and walked up to the salesperson, who brought us further into the store, the corridor illuminated by strobe lights.

The hallway stretched out into a large studio; fairy lights were wrapped around the poles that hung in the air, which in turn lit up the formal pieces hung on them. The salesman stood at the side of the room, his fingers swiftly flowing across a keyboard connected to the wall.

As Logan and I entered, a rod with multi-colored suits was lowered from the ceiling, suspended in the air by thick ropes. Joseph walked towards us with his professional smile permanently glued to his face, gesturing to the clothes that seemed to ooze wealth and formality.

My best friend looked uncertain as he reached out to softly brush against the silk-like material. I, however, stood rooted where I was, right by the entrance of the wide room, with a look of pure awe.

"Mr Knight?" the salesman called out, snapping me out of my daze. In his hands were two black suits, a red undershirt accompanying the one on his right and a blue on his left. What caught me off guard was the intricate design of a flame with blue streaks stitched neatly onto the left corner of their breast pockets.

"Is that-?" I swallowed the lump that rose in my throat, still in shock with what was presented to me.

A small, satisfied smirk flashed for a moment before it was replaced with the usual warm smile as he brought the suits to me for closer inspection. The soft tulle of the shirts barely wrinkled under my rough touches, and the cotton blazer added on to the coolness of the whole attire.

My fingers lingered over the small icon, a little bewildered from the intimacy that hit me. The design looked just like fire and electric merging, the way James and I have come together over the months. "Who did this?" I asked, finally looking up at the man who was holding the suits up silently as he watched my actions with a hint of caution.

Joseph shook his head. "Sorry, my customer has demanded that they stay anonymous & it's the company's policy to listen and obey. All I'm allowed to tell you is that the person who had this custom-made said that this is a present for you and your boyfriend for your prom night."

I remained silent, looking at him in dissatisfaction but I knew he wasn't at fault; after all, he's only an employee following the rules of the store he's working for. I wouldn't get anything out of him even if I bribed him. I glanced at the brunette I came along with, hoping for a little help from the brains of our social group, but he was too busy going through the different colored clothes available.

Joseph then left me with my thoughts to tend to my best friend's demands as the brunette told him of the requirements he wished to be met with his suits. Once Logan had chosen his pair, we made our way to the front to get them paid, albeit a little hesitant on my end. Especially after I found out that mine was fully funded by this stranger who knew us well- enough to have knowledge of the fact that James symbolises flame and I symbolised lightning.

Logan had gone outside to pick up a call when it was my turn to pay, thus he wasn't aware of the gift James and I were given. We parted ways soon after, and I immediately headed back to James', wanting to tell him about what had just happened. The plastic bags in my hand were the cause of worry and fear that crept around in my head, and I ended up half-jogging, half-running, impatience running through my veins.

I barged into the Diamond's household without knocking, knowing that Brooke was away for the month due to some business meeting in Asia and that my boyfriend was waiting for my return after my prompt departure. "James!" I shouted, slightly out of breath, dumping the bags at the door as I walked into the living room. "I need to talk-"

My breath caught in my chest, and I'm frozen in time as the scene unfolded painfully slow, every sound more prominent and loud in my ears. James was hunched on the floor, clutching at his crazily beating heart, gasping for air that seemed to be cut off from him. As though he was kept in his own invisible dome, to suffer. I crouched next to him, cupping his cheeks and turning his heated face to me, softly cussing at the defeated look that stared back. I placed my hands on his forehead and bit my lower lip, fretting. "You're burning up! Fuck, do you have a fever? Where are the medications?"

I shifted slightly, but was stopped by James collapsing into my body, toppling us both over. He buried his face in the crook of my neck. "James, I have to-"

The pretty boy, drenched in sweat and shivering from the intensity of his pain, looked at me, his hazel eyes faltering between its original shade and a bright red. James shifted slightly, and flinched, as the bones in his body began to break and reform. I stayed beneath him, too afraid to move or make a sound- just watching my lover's face scrunched up as he keep himself awake. "He said I'm cured. Why is this happening again?" James wailed, tears gathering in his eyes.

The last bone in his body- his spine- finally snapped, knocking him unconscious in the midst of a mighty roar, and crushed me under a newfound weight, with a James twice the size he usually was.

A/N: Welp, I'm back again. With a new chapter. It's been in my drafts since I uploaded chapter 16 but ... School. I swear to God majority of the reason I'm such a loser at meeting my dues for this fic is bc of school & its dramatic amounts of work, work, work. But, the semester's ending. All I have left is two exam papers & I'M FREAKIN' FREEEEEEE :3

Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter. It's hella late & I just got this done so... Yeah.

REVIEWS!

ms simmons - hahaha ikr! :p

winterschild11 - aww, thank you *inserts heart shape here* & yeah, I want a love like that. xD But it'll only be a fantasy, like majority of the things that go on in my head.

annabellex2 - thank you! :D

Chey21 - thank you! Hope you enjoyed this one! :P

itsallguchicauseyolo - thank you. I was contemplating waiting ten years to upload this... I'M KIDDING NO I DIDN'T :P I love you guys too much to let you wait for even a month (I feel bad when I do. D:). Heheheh.

Crazy For Kames - Hehehe sorry! I get caught up with school & projects & stuffs. Urgh. I just wanna write all day all night all the time but nope. D: Hahaha!

& now I shall thank all of you for still continuing to read this fanfic even when I'm a completely horrendous human being who keeps you waiting with horrible cliff hangers. I LOVE YOU :D