Greed, a big time rush fanfic

Kendall rubbed a hand over his eyes. His head was thick, and he was so tired that he felt sick to his stomach. He thought he could hear someone call his name, but everything sounded like white noise.

"How did we get here?" He asked no one in particular. No one answered but, he wasn't sure he'd actually said anything out loud. He didn't even know if he could, he hadn't really spoken in days.

A frantic voice got through to him as he felt himself fade away into darkness. "Kendall, please!"

Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance. They need and seek too much attention and want people to admire them. People with this disorder may lack the ability to understand or care about the feelings of others.

Six weeks earlier-

James huffed angrily. "I hate this phone!"

"Why, now?" Logan asked.

"Because it's outdated and slow!"

Logan sighed, reached across the table, and held out his hand. "Let me see."

James handed him the phone and huffed again.

"Well, no wonder, you have like eight video chats running. Just close a couple," he advised, handing the phone back to his friend.

"My phone should be able to keep up. I need these chats open to connect with fans."

"I think you'll live having six chats open," Logan told him.

"I need a new phone," James said.

"Can you afford a new phone?" Carlos asked, setting his bowl of cereal on the table and taking the chair next to James.

"No, because Griffin won't give me an advance and my mom said this phone is good enough for now," James said with a pout.

"Isn't your phone only six months old?" Carlos asked.

"So? Technology changes constantly and I need to be able to keep up with everything happening on social media."

"You mean all the giveaways you keep doing," Logan said.

"I believe in giving back to my fans," James told him.

"By charging them fifteen dollars a month to join your online fan club and a dollar for every photo you email them?" Logan said, rolling his eyes.

"I have expenses, besides, it's exclusive," James said.

"You're just using words you learned from Katie, only she does it better," Carlos said, taking a huge bite of his cereal.

You guys have no idea how expensive it is maintaining my image," James said, standing up.

Logan and Carlos both rolled their eyes.

"It is!" James stated as he walked out of the room.

"I don't know how Kendall puts up with him, sometimes," Logan said, shaking his head.

"Love." Carlos sighed.

Logan rolled his eyes again. "They are complete opposites."

"Opposites attract," Carlos countered.

"That's not a proven theory in matters of the heart," Logan said, grabbing his books. "I'm going to the library where I can get some peace and quiet."

"Love is love," Carlos grinned.

Logan looked at him. "Your longest relationship is with your helmet."

"Which I love," Carlos said in singsong.

"You're an idiot," Logan said as he headed out the door.

"But I won the argument," Carlos sang back.

"Did not!" Logan yelled back, closing the door behind him.

James was upstairs and scrolling on his phone when an ad came across the screen. That might actually work, if I can convince Kendall, he thought.

James looked over at Kendall, who was finishing up his last page of homework for the week.

"So…we have an extra-long weekend coming up next week."

"I know, it'll be nice to have four days off from school and Gustavo," Kendall said as he closed his laptop.

"Well, I was thinking it might be fun to get away for the weekend."

"Like where?" Kendall asked, stifling a yawn.

"There's a place up the coast that has great surfing, a carnival on the pier, and they have these beach houses you can rent for a weekend," James rushed out.

"Sounds like fun, I'm sure Logan and Carlos would love it," Kendall said, yawning again. He stood up and walked towards his dresser to grab his pajamas.

James grabbed his hand and pulled him over to him. "Actually, I was thinking of something else."

Kendall smiled and sat next to him. "Like what?"

"Like just the two of us. We never get anytime alone and maybe we can get to know each other a little better," James said with a knowing wink.

"James…I don't know if I'm ready yet," Kendall told him.

"I know and that's totally fine, but we do need time alone. We've been dating for nearly seven months and hardly ever have time with just the two of us," James said.

Kendall gave him a soft smile. "I know but it's hard with the band and school, not to mention my mom."

"What if I told you my mom is going call your mom and invite her for a weekend of shopping and wine testing?"

"And Katie?" Kendall asked.

"You know she'll love a weekend of shopping and advising my mom on business schemes."

Kendall laughed. "That she will."

"So…is that a, yes?"

"What are we going to tell the guys?"

"Logan already made plans to attend a bunch of boring lectures and Kelly is taking Carlos to a couple of movie studios to hang out with some stuntmen," James said with a grin.

"You think of everything, but I still don't know if I'm ready," Kendall told him.

"Just a fun weekend, no pressure, I promise. And if you decide you are ready, it'll be even more special," James said, kissing him softly.

Kendall smiled into the kiss. "Okay, as long as you promise you won't get your hopes up."

"I won't," James promised.

Five weeks earlier-

"I hate this car!" James said, wiggling in this seat a bit.

Kendall shook his head. "James, there's nothing wrong with the car."

"It's old and has none of the perks of a newer one," James complained.

"Like what?"

"A heated steering wheel, heated seats, automatic seats that I don't have to fight with to get into a comfortable position."

Kendall laughed. "Heated seats? James, it's 80 degrees outside. What could you possible need with heated seats?"

"Don't you ever get tired of having used things?" James snapped.

"First of all, this is a classic car, and it was really nice of Gustavo to buy it for us. Second, just because something is new doesn't mean it's better," Kendall said.

"Well, you may not mind hand-me-downs, but I do. We make a lot of money for Griffin and should be paid more!" James said.

Kendall took a deep breath and counted to ten before responding. "You know that most of our earnings go into a savings account for when we're 21, which is probably a good thing, or we wouldn't have anything left. As for hand-me-downs, yeah, I'm used to them AND I'm grateful for them. Not everyone grew up with parents who could give them everything they wanted. My mom worked hard to give us what she could and if that meant I had to wear your discards, that was fine with me."

James sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm in such a bad mood."

"You're probably just tired, we all are," Kendall said, patting his arm.

James smiled and took hold of Kendall's hand. "I think time away is just what we need."

Kendall smiled. "How much longer until we get there?"

"Traffic's good, so about an hour."

"I wonder if there's a place to eat nearby," Kendall said.

"Getting hungry?"

"A little."

"I think the website said there's a taco place near the beach. We could stop and grab lunch before we go to the house," James told him.

"Sounds great."

About forty-five minutes later James saw the sign for the town. He looked over at Kendall, who had fallen asleep, and smiled. "Hey babe, we're nearly there."

Kendall yawned and stretched out. He smiled over at James and sat up straight in his seat. "Sorry I fell asleep."

James smiled back. "Don't worry about it, you needed the sleep. This way you're re-energized for a day of surfing and a of night…"

Kendall raised an eyebrow. "A night of what?"

"Maybe…" James hinted.

"James, I told you I don't know if I'm ready. Please stop getting your hopes up," Kendall sighed.

"I'm eighteen, which means that's ALL I think about. But, if teasing you makes you uncomfortable, I'll stop," James said.

"I just don't want you to be disappointed," Kendall told him.

"Hey, I won't be. I want you to be sure of everything. I'm just teasing, really, and I'll stop," James said.

'That's not really what I meant," Kendall said, looking out the window.

"What do you mean, then?"

"I don't want…I don't…I've never had sex and I don't know what I'm doing. I don't want you to be disappointed and regret dating me," Kendall admitted.

James pulled off to the side of the road and put the car in park. He grabbed Kendall's hand and tugged on it. "Hey, look at me."

Kendall looked over and then back out the window. "I feel stupid."

James tugged on his arm and Kendall looked back over. "Listen to me. No one is born with experience. The important thing is you care about the person, and I care about you. I want your first time to be special, and yeah, I want it to be with me because I love you."

Kendall gave him a small smile. "I love you, too. But this isn't your first time and you do know what you're doing."

"Well, one of us should and I hope you know I did care about everyone I've slept with."

"Just how many were there?" Kendall asked.

"Two, a girl back home and a guy here that it turned out just liked to sleep with up-and-coming famous people," James told him.

"That's not okay!"

James smiled. "It was fine. I knew it was never going to be anything long-term, so I enjoyed it while I could the important thing was, I cared about him, and it was fun. I wasn't ready to be in a relationship, anyway."

"And you're ready now?" Kendall asked.

James looked at him, reached over and brushed Kendall's bangs back. "I love you and have never been more ready."

Kendall smiled and gave him a quick kiss. "I love you, too."

"Well, let's find that taco stand, I'm starving." James grinned as he put the car into drive and pulled back onto the road.

Half an hour later they had found the taco stand and were placing their orders. "Do you want to eat here, or wait until we get to the house?" Kendall asked as he paid for their food.

"Here's fine, I'm starving," James said.

"Go find a table and I'll get the food," Kendall told him.

James nodded and found a small table under a tree. A couple of minutes later Kendall set the tray on the table and sat on the bench opposite of James. "She's going to bring out your steak burrito, they had just started cooking a new batch of meat," Kendall said, handing James the hard-shell tacos he had ordered.

"Perfect!" James said, taking a huge bite of his taco.

Kendall looked at him and laughed. "I thought I drove up here with you, not Carlos."

"Hey, I'm hungry!"

"So, I see," Kendall said, taking a bite of his soft taco.

A couple of minutes later a teenage girl came up and set a tray on the table. "Here you go, sorry about the wait."

"It's fine, thank you," James said, smiling at her.

She stood there for a minute. "Um, can I ask you guys something?"

"Sure," Kendall said.

"Are you part of Big Time Rush?"

"We certainly are," James said, giving her another dazzling smile.

She pulled out a small writing tablet. "I love your music, I have it on play all the time. I especially love Invisible, it's such a special song. Could I please get your autographs?"

"Of course, you can. I usually charge $15 for a photo, but since I don't have any, it'll only be $10," James told her.

Her face fell. "Oh…I don't have that much. I could get you another burrito," she offered.

Kendall glared at James. "That won't be necessary," he told her as he took the writing pad. "What's your name?"

"Martina," she said quietly.

He smiled at her softly as he wrote out a message and signed it. He handed back the tablet. "Write your address down for me and I'll make sure you get a couple of signed photos."

"You don't have to do that, really."

"Hey, you make the best tacos I've had in a long time, and Carlos will be thrilled to hear you love the song he helped write."

"He did?"

"Yes, and it is a special song. No one should ever feel like they aren't seen and, we appreciate all of your support. Don't we James?" Kendall asked, giving James a warning look.

"Yes, sorry, I was just joking, I wasn't really going to charge you. I guess I'm still a bit hungry and my jokes fall a little flat when I need to eat," he said holding his hand out for the notepad.

She smiled at him and quickly wrote her address down. She tore off the piece of paper and handed it to Kendall. Then she handed the notepad to James. "Thank you so much!"

She took the empty tray and headed back to the stand.

"Ten dollars would have covered my lunch," James mumbled.

Kendall shook his head and wrapped up the rest of his taco. "You are unbelievable, sometimes."

"What?"

"She is very sweet, and did you miss the part where Invisible is her favourite song?"

"No, why does that matter?"

Kendall just stared at him.

"What? What is that look, what did I do wrong? This is our business, right? I mean, we're supposed to make a profit."

Kendall shook his head and stood up. "Did you ever think that the best profit, the VERY best profit, is that our music touches hearts. That people feel like WE are people who understand how hard life can be sometimes and that we actually freaking care about them! That is the important thing, James, not your $10 autograph discount." He grabbed the bag, shoved his food inside, and headed back to the car.

James sighed, knowing he'd crossed a line. He got up and walked over to the taco stand.

"Did you need something else?" Martina asked.

"Yes, to apologize. I was in a bad mood and didn't mean to take it out on you. "I'm very sorry and, Kendall's right, you do make the best tacos and we will definitely be back."

She smiled at him. "I'm glad you liked them, and I really hope you can make it back, soon."

He smiled back. "We're going to make a point of it. You're not invisible and I'm sorry if I made you feel like you are."

"Oh…apology accepted. Thank you!"

"No, thank you. Without our fans we would be nothing and you're very important to us," James told her. "We need to get going, but we'll be back."

"See you soon, then!"

He smiled and nodded as he headed back to the car. He saw Kendall sitting in the car with his arms crossed and took a deep breath. He got into the driver's seat and put the key in the ignition but didn't start the car. "Before you say anything, you were right, and I went back and apologized. I promised her we'd stop in again and I think we should have Kelly send her some free passes."

"I just don't understand why everything you do anymore revolves around money. It's like the last few months that's all you care about. I get wanting to make a little money, but charging your fans for digital pics?"

"My fans love them," James said defensively.

"Let's talk about those fans, James. Why is it your fans always seem to be in the middle of drama? I had a girl DM me the other day because a group of your fans was ganging up on another girl. They were calling her names, threatening to tell you that she was the one being mean to them, so you'd block her, and just picking at her until she had to protect her account. Those are not good fans," Kendall told him.

"There are always a few who go too far," James said quietly.

"That's when you tell them to stop, or else," Kendall said.

"Or else what?"

"You'll block them."

"I can't block my fans, they'll hate me!"

"It won't get to that point. Usually, you just ask them to stop, and they do," Kendall said.

James sighed. "Okay, I'll try."

"It really is important," Kendall said softly. "Now, why are you suddenly so consumed by money?"

"I don't know, it's like ever since I turned eighteen things have gotten harder."

"How?"

"Well, my mom said since I'm an adult, and working, I shouldn't need an allowance. And Griffin said, no, to upping my monthly allowance from him, even though I lost the one from my mom," James said.

"James, we don't pay rent or housing expenses, we don't even pay for car insurance, Gustavo covers that. What possible expenses could you have?" Kendall asked.

"My hair care regime, my wardrobe, trying to keep up with the newest technology," James said.

"Okay…how much could hair care possibly cost?" Kendall asked.

"The full kit, which lasts about a month, is $250," James told him.

"Dollars!?"

James pointed at his head. "This, requires exclusive care."

"How much was your allowance?" Kendall asked, still in shock.

James shrugged as he turned on the car. "I don't know, I used the credit card my mom gave me to buy what I needed, and she paid it."

Kendall shook his head. "Wow. Wait…you still use that credit card, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"Have you been paying the bill?"

"Bill?"

"Oh my God, James you turned eighteen three months ago. Who has been paying the bill?"

"I don't know, I never got one!"

"The card is in your name?"

"Yeah."

"And they've never sent you a bill?"

"No."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, all I get is fan or junk mail."

Kendall looked at him. "You're sure it was all junk mail? Because my mom usually gets the mail and throws the junk mail in the recycling bin."

"Well, it looked junky."

"Okay, when we get home, we're going to have Katie help you make a budget."

"Budget," James whined.

"Yes, and did you think about asking your mom if she could get your hair care kit for you? She owns a business and can buy it at cost, and maybe she's willing to do that if she knows you're trying to take it seriously," Kendall suggested.

"Do you think she would?"

"I don't see why not. Even if you have to pay her back for it, it's still a lot cheaper than paying retail," Kendall told him.

James nodded. "I'll ask her when I get home."

"Good," Kendall smiled, as a thought came to him. "James, how much did this house cost to rent?"

"Not much," James said.

"James…"

"Really, I told them I would be happy to give them a great review and they gave me 75% off."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, they know I have a huge following and I promised them I would let everyone know what a great place it is."

"What if it's not?"

James grinned. "It's beautiful and even if it's not perfect, it's a house on the beach. I can think of something good to say."

"Okay, but I'm paying half," Kendall told him.

"No way, this weekend is my gift to you for always being there for me," James said.

"James, do you know what my favourite gift from you is?"

"No, what?'

"This," Kendall said, pointing to the bracelet on his left arm. It was braided green leather with a silver concho that had a medieval knight on a horse, stamped on it.

"But that wasn't very much," James told him.

"James, it was everything. I don't care how much it cost because you gave it to me because you knew I'd like it. That's what's important. So, I want to help pay for this weekend."

"Look, I put it on my card and Katie will be helping me with a budget. Last big purchase, I promise."

"Okay, but if you need help, I'm happy to do it," Kendall said.

"I know, but I'm good. I think this whole budget thing will be really good for me," James said as he pulled into the driveway. "Will you look at this place!"

"It's incredible," Kendall said as he got out.

"There's a balcony with an ocean view, a fireplace inside, and a fire pit out back," James told him as he grabbed one of his bags, and a bag of groceries. "Let's get the car unloaded and go for a swim."

"Sounds great," Kendall agreed.

Kendall grabbed his bag and a second bag of groceries from the back seat and followed James up to the house.

James keyed in the code and opened the door. He dropped his bag in the entryway and took one of the grocery bags from Kendall. "The kitchen is back here."

Kendall looked around for a minute. The entry and living room were nice, but so far nothing too remarkable. He followed James towards the back of the house and into the kitchen. The kitchen was nicer, the walls painted a cool aqua blue with stark white trim. There was a black granite island with bar stools lined up on one side.

"What do you think?" James asked.

Kendall nodded. "It's nice."

"Wait until you see the upstairs view from the balcony, it's amazing! Did I mention there's a hot tub out back?"

Kendall smiled. "No, but that's a nice bonus."

"It's also a private beach," James said as he put the entire bag of groceries into the refrigerator.

"James, unpack the bag, not everything goes in there," Kendall told him.

"It can wait," he said taking the bag Kendall was holding and shoving it in next to the other one. He grabbed Kendall's hand and pulled him back through the living room and grabbed their bags.

"James, will you slow down?" Kendall asked, nearly tripping on the first step to the second floor.

"Sorry, I just want to hit the beach," James said as he slowed his pace.

"You can't surf with a broken leg," Kendall pointed out.

James smiled at him, leading the way down the hall. "Wait until you see the master bedroom. It has a gas fireplace, and the master bath has a jet tub that is amazing, perfect after a day of surfing!"

"It sounds like you've been here before," Kendall said.

"What? No! They just sent a video of everything, and I asked a lot of questions," James said quickly.

"James, I was joking," Kendall told him.

"I knew that," James said as he reached the door at the end of the hallway. He opened it and pulled Kendall through. "See, isn't it perfect?"

Kendall looked round. The room was beautiful, with California king bed facing a white stone fireplace, with a door on either side. Shelves lined one wall and had a variety of books, large shells, and assorted coloured bottles tastefully placed. There was a television centered on a longer shelf, about halfway down the wall, and an assortment of DVDs set on the shelf below it. The wall opposite had French doors that opened to the balcony. "It's very nice, what about the other bedrooms?"

"Other bedrooms?"

Kendall just looked at him.

"I thought we could both stay in here," James said as he dropped his bag next to the bed and sat on it.

"James…"

"I'm not saying we have to do anything. I just think we can enjoy each other's company, you do like to snuggle," James smiled as he patted the spot next to him.

Kendall smiled and sat down. "You promise you won't get mad if I'm not ready?"

James put his arm around him and pulled him close. "No, I won't get mad. And I think we're old enough to enjoy this fabulous room, the view, and everything else, without any pressure to do more."

"Okay, as long as you're sure," Kendall said.

"I am." James promised.

"I love you," Kendall said, put his arms around him, and kissed him.

"I love you too," James said, deepening the kiss.

After a minute Kendall pulled away. "We better get changed if we want to get any beach time in.

James nodded and reluctantly released his hold.

Kendall stood up and grabbed his bag.

"Closet is on the left, bathroom on the right. I'll change out here," James told him as he grabbed his own bag.

Kendall smiled and headed for the bathroom to change.

After a few hours of swimming and surfing, James prepared steaks for grilling while Kendall made a salad. After dinner they sat out on the balcony listening to music and watching the surf.

James looked over at Kendall who was starting to nod off. James reached over and squeezed his hand. "Hey, we should get some sleep if we want to get an early start tomorrow."

Kendall stretched out. "Hmm?"

"We should go to bed," James said.

Kendall yawned and nodded. James stood up and held his hand out. "Come on, sleepyhead."

Kendall took his hand and James pulled him up. James put his arm around him and guided him through the doors. James gave him a little push towards the bathroom, go get ready for bed.

Kendall yawned again and then smiled at him. "It's been a good day."

"Yes, it has." James agreed.

Kendall smiled again as he went into the bathroom to change. He quickly put on his pajamas and brushed his teeth. He tossed his dirty clothes in the laundry basket and went back into the bedroom. He smiled as he saw James already changed and was looking at the television remote. "Bathroom is free."

James jumped a little and set the remote back on the shelf. He turned around and smiled. "Thanks."

"What are you doing?"

"I was looking to see if there are any good movies."

"Are there?" Kendall asked as he sat down on the bed.

"A couple of possibilities," James told him as he went into the bathroom. He quickly brushed his teeth and ran a comb through his hair. He turned out the bathroom light and went back into the bedroom, to find Kendall had pulled back the covers and was sitting with his back against the headboard.

"I'm awake now, so what movie were you thinking?" Kendall asked.

"Oh, um… they have the Harry Potter series, Star Wars, and a bunch of rom coms."

Kendall made a face. "Let's watch Harry Potter."

James nodded in agreement and started the movie. He walked over and sat down on the bed next to Kendall. "Can we switch places? I hate sleeping on the left side, my hair always gets weird."

Kendall rolled his eyes. "Yes, dear."

"Haha," James said as he and Kendall switched places.

"You and your hair," Kendall said, shaking his head.

"What? This requires a lot of pampering," James said, pointing to his head.

"Mhmm." Kendall smirked as he reached over and tousled James' hair.

James squealed and grabbed Kendall. He pushed him down and sat on him. Kendall reached up, mussed James' hair again, and started laughing when James squealed even louder.

"Oh yeah?" James said, as he started tickling Kendall.

"No, no, no," Kendall squeaked as he tried to protect his sides.

James laughed and then stopped, looking down at his boyfriend. He leaned down, ran his fingers through the blond hair, and kissed him, slipping his tongue inside as he pulled Kendall up to him.

"Mmm, James, can't breathe," Kendall mumbled through the kiss.

James eased them both down onto the bed and continued kissing him. He ran his hands gently up and down Kendall's sides and then kissed along his jawline and down to his throat. He gently nipped at the sensitive skin, continuing to lightly run his fingers along his sides. One hand slipped under Kendall's shirt, and he pushed it up a little. He kissed Kendall's chest through the soft cotton fabric until he reached bare skin, and then lightly ran his tongue along his boyfriend's ribs. He nuzzled his way up and gently nipped at a now exposed nipple.

"James…no," Kendall managed to get out.

James stopped and looked at Kendall. "Do you really want me to stop?

"Y-yes."

"Okay," James said gently pushing Kendall's shirt back down.

"I-I'm sorry," Kendall said quietly.

"Hey, no, I'm sorry. I was getting carried away and I told you we wouldn't do anything you aren't comfortable doing. Did it feel good, though?"

Kendall nodded, still trying to catch his breath. "Yeah, I just…"

"Aren't ready, and that's okay. But…what would you think about letting me try something, that isn't going all the way?"

"Like what?"

James bit his lip, debating on what to say. "Tell me, how far did you and Jo go?"

"With her dad? Not far, but we weren't ready either," Kendall told him.

"So, you fooled around a little but nothing serious?"

"Yeah," Kendall said, pushing himself up a little.

"Did it get as intense as we were a few minutes ago?"

"No, why?"

"You know there's a lot we can do that doesn't involve actually going all the way, right?"

"Like what?"

James ran his fingers over Kendall's arm and smiled softly. "Like…fooling around with our hands or our mouths."

"Oh," Kendall said, realizing what James was talking about. "I've never done that, either."

"I'm your first boyfriend, I didn't think you had. So, what do you think about me trying to make you feel good?"

"I don't know," Kendall said. His body and brain were sending conflicting signals, and he was confused.

"We won't go all the way and I'll stop if you want me to," James promised.

"But I don't know what to do," Kendall said.

"You don't have to do anything, this is about me pleasuring you. If you'll let me," James said lovingly.

"That's not really fair to you."

"Are you kidding? I want to do this, I want you to feel all those amazing things and still feel safe."

Kendall looked conflicted. It had felt REALLY good, but he still wasn't ready to commit to sex. "Uh…"

"You know you can trust me, right?" James asked quietly.

Kendall looked at James and saw the hurt look. "Of course I do, it's just…I feel so awkward and you have an amazing body, and I don't know what to do."

James smiled at him. "Right now, you don't do anything except let your body respond the way it needs to. I actually love doing this, and when you're ready to try, I'll help you."

Kendall thought about it for a minute and nodded. "Okay, I think I'm ready to try this, but only this."

"You can trust me," James said with a grin.

"What am I supposed to do?" Kendall asked.

"You just lay there and let my mouth work its magic," James said, kissing him softly.

Kendall nodded and rested back against the pillows as James started kissing his jaw again.

James hands reached back under Kendall's shirt and pushed it up. "Let's get rid of this."

Kendall nodded and allowed James to pull his top up over his head. James kissed him deeply and then buried his face in the crook of Kendall's neck, kissing him under the ear. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Kendall said, his fingers strumming through James' soft brown locks.

James smiled and he ran his fingers across Kendall's chest, squeezing his right nipple.

Kendall groaned a little and James rolled it between his fingers, enjoying the response he was getting. His mouth quickly replaced his fingers, his tongue flicking at the soft bud of flesh.

Kendall inhaled sharply as James latched on nipping and sucking at it. His other hand rested on the waistband of Kendall's pajama bottoms, and he carefully pushed them down a bit. His mouth continued working at the now pert nipple as his hand brushed lightly across Kendall's abdomen.

Kendall's breathing picked up as James' hand gently moved south, resting on his v line. James smiled and his mouth moved to the other nipple. Kendall groaned loudly, the sensations were nearly overwhelming. He wanted them to stop, yet to continue.

James released the nipple, and he started kissing Kendall's chest, and then moved down to his abdomen. He pushed the pajama bottoms a little lower and stopped when Kendall tugged at his hair. He looked up at him and smiled. "Are you okay?"

Kendall was breathing heavily but gave him a quick nod.

James smiled again and worked both hands under the waistband, pushing the pajamas down so Kendall was now exposed.

Kendall shivered as James gently blew on his exposed skin and then gasped when his tongue flicked over the head of his cock.

James smiled as he gently took Kendall's cock in his hand and gently squeezed. He kissed the tip and then ran his tongue along the top, flitting at the slit. Then, in one motion he took it into his mouth and gave a strong suck.

Kendall's fingers tangled in James' hair as his boyfriend continued to run his tongue along his length and then pop the head back into his mouth. His body bucked up involuntarily as James suddenly started bobbing his head up and down and squeezing at the base. "J-James…"

James pulled off and looked up at him. "Are you okay?"

Kendall nodded. M-More, please?"

James grinned and quickly took him back in his mouth. After a minute he pulled Kendall up a little, his arms encircling his hips, his fingers strumming along Kendall's ass. A finger made its way towards his entrance, and he gently pushed it in a little.

Kendall pushed away from him. "N-No."

James pulled off and kissed him. "I'm not going to do anything, but it adds to the experience. You can trust me."

Kendall bit his lip and nodded.

James kissed him, put his finger in his mouth to wet it, and then went back to what he'd been doing, only pushing his finger in a little further. He smiled when Kendall groaned and bucked up again. He continued bobbing his head, Kendall's cock sliding up and down his throat, as he twisted his finger, looking for the little bundle of nerves he knew would send Kendall over the edge. He didn't have to wait long and pulled off when Kendall screamed his name. He could tell he was getting close, so he slowed the movements of his mouth, but continued to rub his finger against the Kendall's prostate.

"Oh my God, what are you doing, what is that?" Kendall panted out.

James didn't answer, just squeezed the base of Kendall's cock again, and started sucking harder. His finger continued moving in and out, and Kendall was reduced to groans and pants as the sensation completely overwhelmed him. James could taste semen, so he pulled his finger out, put both arms under Kendall and pulled his hips up as he bobbed his head down. He took the full length down his throat, sucking furiously, his nose brushing against Kendall's abdomen. Kendall's hips jerked as he came, and James continued sucking until he knew Kendall was spent. He pulled off, licking off what remained. He gently released Kendall's hips and pulled the pajama bottoms back up.

Kendall laid there, eyes closed, breathing heavily.

"How was that for your first blow job?" James asked him, brushing Kendall's damp hair back from his forehead.

"What the hell was that?" Kendall asked, his voice fading out.

"The thing with the finger?"

Kendall nodded.

"That, my love, was your prostate gland," James said kissing him on the nose.

"Prostate? Isn't that what the old guys on those ads are talking about when they say have to pee all night?"

James thought for a minute. "I think so. Are you okay, though?"

Kendall smiled. "Yeah, just…surprised."

"Well, when you're ready for your actual first time, that's where I aim."

"Aim?"

James looked at him. "When we…"

"Oh, okay.

"Or did I scare you away?"

Kendall looked at him. "No, I've just never done anything like this before. I don't know how I'm going to learn that, either."

James smiled and laid down next to him. "It's just practice, but don't worry about that right now. I just want your first time, with everything, to be special."

"Well, that was. Now I'm exhausted and I didn't do anything."

James pulled him over, so his head was lying on his shoulder. "You did enough," he said, kissing his forehead. "Now, get some sleep," he said, smiling as he grabbed the remote and turned off the movie.

Kendall heard seagulls shrieking and sighed out. He slowly opened his eyes, took in the strange surroundings, and was confused until he remembered where he was. He realized he was in bed alone and sat up. "James?"

He yawned and got up. He checked the bathroom and saw towels hanging to dry over the towel rack. He decided to jump in the shower and ten minutes later had dressed and towel dried his hair. He headed downstairs and could smell food cooking when he hit the landing. He walked into the kitchen and smiled at the sight of James cooking. "You're up early," Kendall said.

"Or, you're up late," James said, reaching over and kissing him quickly.

Kendall looked at the clock and it said 8:17. "No, you're up early," he said with a smirk.

"Sit down and eat," James instructed.

Kendall looked at plates full of eggs, ham, and English muffins. "Are you expecting company?"

"No, but I'm hungry and I thought you may need to extra protein after last night," James told him.

"Carlos would have a hard time eating this much," Kendall said.

"I cooked extra so we can just warm it up tomorrow morning," James said, sitting down next to him.

"That makes sense."

"Sometimes I have ideas," James said, shoving a spoonful of scrambled eggs into his mouth.

"Slow down or you'll choke," Kendall told him.

"I think I proved I don't have much of a gag reflex," James said, winking at him.

Kendall rolled his eyes. "Food is a little different."

James laughed. "I thought we could spend the day at the pier. The carnival is there, and we can eat at the local seafood place, they have great fish and chips."

"Sounds good," Kendall said, taking a bite of ham.

They finished their breakfast and Kendall quickly cleared the dishes.

"I'm going to run up and grab my wallet," James told him.

Kendall nodded. "Can you grab my hoodie, it's a little chilly out."

James wrapped his arms around him. "I can keep you warm," he said, blowing in his ear.

Kendall rolled his eyes. "Just get my jacket, please."

James nipped at his ear. "Do you need anything else?"

"No, I have my wallet and phone," Kendall told him.

"Okay," James said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Kendall smiled and shook his head as James headed upstairs.

After a morning of playing carnival games and riding every ride on the pier, the boys had a late lunch at The Seven Seas. The restaurant was nautical themed and had a huge seafood buffet. They got their food and sat in a quiet booth with an ocean view.

"It's been a really nice day," Kendall said.

James smiled. "It's been incredible."

"I'm glad we did this," Kendall said, taking a bite of grilled salmon.

"Me too," James said, squeezing his knee under the table.

"Can I ask you something, and don't take it wrong?" Kendall asked.

"You can ask me anything, I'm an open book."

Kendall took a deep breath. "Where do you see this going?"

"See what?"

"Us."

"Uh, I guess I haven't thought about it. I just figured we've always been together and that wouldn't stop," James told him.

"Yeah, but being friends is a little different than being in an actual relationship," Kendall said quietly.

"Why? Shouldn't couples be friends, too?" James asked, wondering where the conversation was going.

"Absolutely, but the risk is if a couple breaks up, what about their friendship? I know we're keeping this low key, but people are going to find out and it's going to affect things," Kendall said.

"How?"

"Well, while people are a lot more accepting these days, there are always haters. And some fans may not like it and that could affect the band's following, and ours," Kendall said carefully, knowing how much James pandered to his fanbase.

James thought for a minute. "Too bad. They'll have to learn to separate the band from our personal lives. Everyone deserves their privacy and to live their lives the way they want, and with who they want."

"And if we decide this isn't working, can we keep our friendship separate from a relationship?"

"Is that what you're worried about?" James asked.

Kendall nodded. "Jo and I couldn't do it."

"Jo left and then cheated on you. She wasn't your lifelong friend and, honestly, she's a bit superficial," James said.

Kendall arched an eyebrow and smiled a little. "Yeah, but that's what worries me. We need to keep our friendship first, before our relationship."

"Friendship first," James agreed. "What else?" He asked, knowing something was still troubling Kendall.

Kendall looked down a little. "I don't know, I guess I wonder, why me?"

"Why you what?" James asked, confused.

Kendall looked over at him and then out the window. "Why did you choose to take yourself off the market for me? You could pretty much have anyone in the world. I was the first one in a serious relationship and I screwed it up, and I just...I don't want you to resent me later because you felt sorry for me."

"Okay, first of all, yeah, I could have anyone I want, but I want you. Second, you didn't screw anything up with Jo, she's a cheater and doesn't deserve you. Third, I didn't say anything, or make any moves on you before, because I didn't know you were okay dating guys. If I had known, trust me, I would have been laying on the Diamond charm like you wouldn't believe."

"Sorry. I just..."

"She really blew your self-esteem, didn't she?" James said softly. "You need to remember that you're a great guy and anyone would be lucky to be with you. Now, I'm going to grab some more of this Ahi, it's amazing. Do you want anything else?"

"No, I'm good, thanks," Kendall said. He watched James walk the buffet again and wondered where he put it all. He smiled as James stopped and chatted with a couple of preteen girls, fans no doubt, and was glad when he set his plate down and signed autographs. Both girls squealed happily and hugged him. James grinned and waved at the girls as they went back to their table.

James was still smiling when he got back to their booth. "See, I can keep priorities straight," he said as he sat down.

"I had no doubts," Kendall said softly.

James looked at Kendall and felt a twinge of guilt. "Maybe you should, I don't have the best track record."

Kendall looked at him and smiled. "I know the real you."

James blushed, slightly, and went back to his meal. Do you? James thought.

A couple of hours later they got back to the beach house and went for a quick swim. After, they sat around the fire pit in their robes and roasted marshmallows.

"I am so tired," James said with a yawn.

"It's barely eight," Kendall pointed out.

"Maybe I'll go take a soak in the hot tub," James said, standing up. "Wanna join me?" He said, holding his hand out.

"That sounds good," Kendall said, letting James pull him up.

They got the cover off, tested the water, and climbed in. "Oh my God, this feels so good," Kendall said.

"It's great after such a long day." James agreed, leaning back and closing his eyes.

Kendall bit his lip and slid over next to him. He hesitantly ran his fingers up James' arm and James smiled. He put his arm around Kendall and pulled him close. Kendall leaned into him and then reached over and kissed him. James turned into the kiss and wrapped his arms around him as Kendall ran his fingers through the still damp brown locks. James pulled him even closer and ran his tongue across Kendall's lower lip. Kendall opened his mouth and James slid his tongue inside as he started running his fingers up and down Kendall's back.

After a few minutes, both young men were nearly breathless and when James tried to pull Kendall over onto his lap, he pushed back a little and shook his head. "I'm sorry."

James smiled and gave him a sweet kiss. "Don't be sorry, and we should probably get some sleep it's been a long day."

Kendall nodded and they got out of the hot tub and put the cover back on. They went inside and up to the bedroom.

"I'm going to take a quick shower," James said, grabbing his pajamas from the dresser. A very cold one, he thought as he went into the bathroom.

Kendall changed into his pajamas and grabbed the remote. He turned on the television and started watching the movie from where they'd left off the night before. He thought about the weekend so far and smiled. He heard James singing in the bathroom and smiled, again. "I love you so much," he said to himself.

James finished drying his hair, checked his phone, and sighed as he read a new text. He sighed, opened the door, turned out the light, and went into the bedroom. He smiled seeing Kendall lying on his left side, watching the movie with sleepy eyes. He climbed into the bed next to him and scooted close. "Hey, wanna spoon?"

Kendall laughed softly. "Spoon? Have you been reading my mom's romance novels again?"

"Maybe," James said, rolling over onto his left side and pulling himself close to Kendall. He wrapped his arms around him and nuzzled his neck. "Is this, okay?"

Kendall nodded as he took one of James' hands.

"And this?" James asked kissing just below Kendall's ear. He continued to nuzzle the younger boy's neck and then latched on and began to suck the sensitive skin.

Kendall jumped a little but didn't say anything. James' hand made its way up under his shirt and he pulled away.

James put his hands up. "I'm sorry."

Kendall rolled over so he was facing him. "Don't be sorry. I-I want this, I t-think I'm ready."

"What? Really?" James asked in surprise.

Kendall nodded. "But I don't know what to do, or how it will feel, and I'm a little scared."

James kissed the tip of his nose. "You don't have to do anything, this is about you," he said reaching across him and grabbing the remote. He pushed a few buttons, and the movie went off and soft music came on.

Kendall looked up at him. "Is it going to hurt?"

"It shouldn't, but it'll probably be uncomfortable since it's your first time. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Kendall nodded. "I want my first time to be with you."

James grinned. "I promise I will make you feel good."

"I want you to feel good too," Kendall said.

"Don't worry about that part, the top always feels good," James said, reaching into the side table and pulling out a bottle of lube and a box of condoms.

Kendall arched an eyebrow.

"I believe in being prepared," James told him, smiling sheepishly.

Kendall smiled a little and shook his head. "What do I do."

"Remember last night?"

"Yeah."

"You just lay there and let me do all the work. It's your first time so it needs to be special," James told him.

"It still doesn't seem fair," Kendall said.

James just smiled. "Oh, it's very fair. Are you ready?"

"I-I think so."

James set the items on the table and pushed the covers off of them. "Let's just start with foreplay." He leaned down and started kissing Kendall, his hands going under his shirt and pushing it up. He placed kisses all over the other boy's chest and abdomen, fingers tracing light circles across his ribcage.

Kendall sat up a little and pulled his shirt the rest of the way off.

James smiled and continued placing light kisses on any exposed skin. "Tell me what you want," he said.

"I don't know," Kendall said, looking up at him.

"Do just want what we did last night, or more?" James asked, as he started kissing Kendall's jawline.

"M-More."

"How much more?" James asked his mouth moving down and latching onto a nipple.

Kendall groaned.

"How much more," James repeated, taking the other nipple in his mouth.

"I want it all," Kendall panted out.

James smiled and his mouth moved further south. He mouthed Kendall through his pajamas and the Kendall tugged at his hair. "J-James, please."

"Please, what," James asked, as he moved up and kissed the other boy again. He pulled Kendall's tongue into his own mouth and sucked at it. He pulled Kendall up from the pillows and pulled them out from under him. He stopped kissing him and looked down into the green eyes he knew so well. "Tell me what you want."

"I don't know."

Jame smirked. "Do you want me to be your first?" James asked as he put his finger up to Kendall's mouth.

Kendall nodded.

"Say it," James said, running a finger along Kendall's lip.

"I want you to be by my first."

"Then suck," he said, pushing his finger into Kendall's mouth.

Kendall looked at him questioningly, but started doing as he was told. James felt himself start to get hard as Kendall sucked at his finger, so he pushed another into his mouth. "We need them nice and wet to prepare you."

Kendall pulled them out of his mouth. "What does that mean?"

James pushed the back into his mouth and added a third. "I have to stretch you so there's no tearing and less discomfort. I'm going to do what I did last night, only with more fingers," he told him.

Kendall's eyes widened a bit, but he continued to suck at the fingers.

James managed to pull off his own shirt with one hand chest. Kendall reached up and ran his fingers across James' chest and tweaked a nipple.

"Hey!" James squeaked.

Kendall pulled James fingers out of his mouth and pushed himself up. He wrapped his arms around James' waist and started kissing his chest. James sat back on his legs and ran his fingers through Kendall's hair. He closed his eyes as Kendall hesitantly gave his nipple a soft kiss, and then wrapped his lips around it, sucking gently.

James groaned loudly, and then yelped, as Kendall reached around and squeezed his ass. Kendall looked up at him and arched his eyebrow.

"We need to slow this down before I can't stop," he said as Kendall nipped at his other nipple. He pushed Kendall back down onto the bed and pushed his fingers back into his mouth.

"Does this really help?" Kendall asked pulling the fingers out of his mouth again.

"Yeah, but I'm going to add lube when it's time," James said. He resumed running his tongue up and down Kendall's body and then moved down and pulled his pajama bottoms off in one swift move.

Kendall shivered as the cold air hit his body. He reached over to pull a blanket around them, but James pushed it away. "Don't worry, you'll be warm enough in a few minutes," James promised as he reached down and ran his fingers up and down Kendall's thighs.

The other boy moaned, and James smiled, again. He bent down and kissed him. "Do you want me?

"Y-Yes."

"Do you want me inside you?" James asked in a husky voice.

Kendall nodded.

James reached over and grabbed the bottle of lube. He squeezed out enough to coat his fingers and pushed between Kendall's legs. "This is going to feel good, I promise."

Kendall nodded. "Okay."

James slowly inserted his index finger and Kendall gasped.

"It'll just take a minute to find it again," he said slowly moving his finger around inside. Kendall's hips jerked a little and he smiled. "Found it!" He rubbed his finger gently across the little bundle of nerves and Kendall fisted the sheets. James continued moving his finger around and finally pulled it out. He kissed Kendall as he inserted two fingers at once.

Kendall winced started breathing heavily, but James found his prostate again and rubbed one finger against it every time he scissored his fingers. Kendall groaned, the sensation going from discomfort to pleasure every minute or so.

"Third finger," James said, kissing him again, as he inserted all three fingers.

"Ow…" Kendall panted out.

"Only for a minute," James promised as he worked his fingers apart and then twisted his hand a little so one finger was constantly rubbing that sweet spot.

Kendall's eyes were closed, and he was panting heavily, so James moved down and took a nipple in his mouth, Kendall's hands flew to James' head and his fingers tangled in the soft locks.

After a couple of minutes, James removed his fingers and kissed Kendall deeply. "I think we're good."

"Are you sure?"

James nodded and kissed him again. "If it starts hurting, tell me."

"Don't worry, I will," Kendall promised, trying to catch his breath.

"This will make it easier," James said grabbing a pillow. He put an arm his under Kendall and pulled him up a little, pushing the pillow under his hips.

Kendall grabbed his arm and looked up at him. "I'm scared."

"You know you can trust me, right?"

Kendall took a deep breath and nodded. He laid back, pulling another pillow under his head. "I know. I think I'm ready."

James smiled and gave him a quick kiss. He stood up and pulled off his pajamas bottoms and Kendall's eyes widened at the sight. He'd seen James naked before but hadn't really paid attention. James' erection had him doubting his choices at the moment. He watched as James pulled a condom on and then covered himself in lube.

James climbed up onto the bed and gently pushed Kendall's legs apart and positioned himself in-between them. "I'm going to go really slow, and you tell me if you want me to stop."

"I will."

"I mean it, because it always feels uncomfortable your first time," James said.

"Okay."

James poured a little more lube onto his hand. "This is a little cold," he said as he rubbed some on Kendall's opening and then inserted a finger. He smiled as Kendall shivered and then pulled his finger out.

"Okay, here we go," he said as he pulled Kendall's legs around his waist and guided his cock into Kendall's entrance. Kendall groaned a little and James pushed himself in a little further.

"Stop, stop for a minute," Kendall groaned. The pressure was nearly too much, and he tried to even out his breathing.

James stopped moving and gently rubbed his hips. "Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, just like coach used to tell us when we got a cramp. Whatever you do, don't push," James said as he felt Kendall involuntarily squeeze down. He groaned loudly and resisted the urge to start moving.

Kendall nodded and tried to relax his muscles. He focused on his breathing as James continued rubbing his hips. After a minute he felt a little better and took a measured breath. "Okay, keep going."

James leaned down and kissed Kendall's abdomen, dipping his tongue into the other boy's belly button. He smiled a little when Kendall giggled. He reached over and took a hold of Kendall's shoulder as he pushed himself in further.

"Oh my God, please stop," Kendall asked again.

James stilled his movements. "Are you okay?"

Kendall was breathing heavily and shook his head. "Just wait, please."

"Does it hurt," James asked in concern.

"Um…not really, it's just really uncomfortable."

"Okay, just let me know. I'm already in all the way," James told him, wondering if he was going to have to pull out.

Kendall nodded and closed his eyes. He groaned as he felt James take his cock in his hand and gently tug. James rubbed his thumb over the slit and then gently twisted his fingers around the head. Kendall groaned again, this time in pleasure as James continued working his fingers up and down his cock. He opened his eyes and looked up at James. "I-I'm okay."

James smiled and leaned down to kiss him and he slowly pushed himself closer. He sat back up on knees and slowly pulled out a little and then back in.

Kendall bit the inside of his lip. The pressure wasn't as bad, but it was still uncomfortable as hell.

James pushed Kendall's legs back around his waist further and supported himself on his elbows as he started kissing Kendall again. His lips moved down to his neck as he started moving faster. "You feel so damn good!"

Kendall didn't get the chance to respond as James kissed him deeply. He cried out a little as James pulled out most of the way, and then right back in. "So good!" James panted as he sat back up. He wiggled his hips a little trying to find Kendall's prostate and grinned broadly when he rubbed against it and Kendall's hips jerked in response.

"There we go," James said as he held tightly to Kendall's legs and aimed for the same spot. Kendall's hips jerked again, and the blond moaned loudly. James pulled out all the way, tugged on his own cock for a minute, and then pushed back inside. He pulled Kendall's left leg up a bit and started going faster, his aim was impeccable as he made contact with the bundle of nerves every time.

Kendall couldn't even speak. One moment there was an uncomfortable, nearly painful feeling, the next was pleasure. James took a hold of both his shoulders as he started moving faster, if that were possible. "J-James…" he stuttered.

"Yes, babe?" James asked, hoping he wasn't going to tell him to stop because at this point, there was no way that was happening.

"I love, you," Kendall said.

"I love you, too," James said, kissing him. He got back up on his knees and lifted Kendall's hips up, holding on tightly as his movements got harder.

Kendall cried out in pleasure and James could feel his walls tighten around him every time he made contact with the other boy's prostate. "I'm getting close," he said as his movements intensified. He stopped moving for a moment, leaned down and pushed his face into the crook of Kendall's neck as he slammed back in. He repeated this a couple of times, Kendall crying out each time. James gently moved half in and half out as he rode out his orgasm.

James pushed himself up onto his elbows and kissed Kendall deeply. "Are you okay?" He asked, brushing back Kendall's bangs.

Kendall nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"Did it feel alright?"

"I think so," Kendall managed to get out.

James kissed him again and smiled. He sat back up on his knees and gently pulled out.

Kendall winced and James rubbed a hand across his abdomen. "Let me get rid of this," he said, pulling off the condom and tying a knot in the end. "Now, let me help you finish."

"What…" Kendall started as James took him in his mouth. It only took a few minutes before Kendall came, James sucking him dry.

James collapsed on the bed next to his boyfriend. "That was the most incredible thing I've ever experienced," James told him, nuzzling his neck.

Kendall just nodded.

"Are you really, okay?" James asked, concerned by the other boy's silence.

Kendall nodded. "I just…"

"Just what?"

"Never felt anything like that before."

"Well, did you like it?"

Kendall nodded again. "It was really nice."

"Nice?"

Kendall rolled his eyes. "It was the best, mind-blowing experience of my life."

James grinned. "Let's jump in the shower and then get some sleep."

Kendall nodded. "That sounds good."

James smiled and got up. "Come on," he said, helping Kendall up.

Kendall's legs felt like jelly and nearly went out from under him. "Whoa."

James put an arm around him. "I should have warned you, sometimes it's hard to walk after sex."

"Good to know," Kendall said, allowing James to support most of his weight.

James guided them into the bathroom and started the walk-in shower. Twenty minutes later both boys were back in their pajamas and snuggled together under the covers. "Tomorrow, we need to try out that jetted tub," James said.

"Sounds good," Kendall said softly. His head was resting on James' chest and his eyes were already closed.

"Go to sleep," James said, kissing the top of his head.

"Mmm," Kendall murmured as he fell asleep.

James reached over with his right hand and grabbed his phone. He sent off a quick text and set the phone back down. He smiled as he watched Kendall sleep before turning out the light.

James felt the sunshine on his face and stretched out. He saw Kendall was still sound asleep, so he grabbed his phone and checked his social media pages. He answered a few messages and then checked his texts. He was reading one from his mom when one from Carlos came through. He laughed to himself as he looked at the photos Carlos had sent of himself in a harness. "I get to jump off a three-story building and onto this!" James looked at the next photos of a building front and a huge net. "Have fun but be careful, buddy!"

"I will! You guys having fun?"

James smirked. "We're having a blast. The surf has been great."

"I gotta go! See you Monday!"

"See you at home." James responded.

Another text came through and James smiled again. "Yes!" He said to himself. He grabbed the television remote and pushed a few buttons, until music came on.

Kendall sighed in his sleep and James had an idea and pulled back the covers a bit. He took a few pictures of his sleeping boyfriend before bending down and kissing him. "Good morning."

Kendall opened his eyes and smiled up at him. "Good morning."

James nuzzled his neck and kissed him again.

"Mhm, James not now," Kendall said, pulling away a little.

"Are you okay?"

Kendall yawned and nodded. "Just tired and a little achy."

"I'll get you some Tylenol," James said jumping up. He returned a moment later with a glass of water and a bottle of Tylenol. He popped open the bottle and poured out two. "Here."

"Thanks," Kendall said sitting up and taking the glass and pills.

"Are you sure you're, okay?"

"I'm fine, just a little sore," Kendall told him as he popped the pills into his mouth and took a sip of water.

"But you want to do it again, right?" James asked.

"Not right now, but, yeah," Kendall said swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"And it was good for your first time?"

Kendall arched an eyebrow at him. "Why do you keep bringing up it was my first time?"

James sat down next to him. "I just want to be sure you enjoyed yourself. I know it being your first time it was probably scary and uncomfortable."

"Are you sure you're not worried it wasn't my first time?"

"What? No! I know it was I just want to make sure it was special enough," James told him.

Kendall smiled softly. "It was very special, and I really appreciate your patience and making sure I wasn't in pain. But I also don't need to talk about it all the time."

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, I'm glad you care but you don't need to keep asking me. I think we're old enough to let each other know if there's a problem," Kendall told him, standing up.

"Yes, we are," James said, standing up as well. "Why don't you get dressed and I'll warm up breakfast."

"You made breakfast yesterday," Kendall pointed out.

"Yeah, but I made enough for today, too." James reminded him.

"Okay, but I'm cooking tonight," Kendall told him.

"Sounds good." James smiled. "What do you want to do today?"

"I think just hanging around the beach house would be nice," Kendall said as he opened the closet and grabbed some clothes.

"Me, too!" James grinned as he headed downstairs.

The next two days flew by as the boys surfed, swam, and enjoyed each other's company. James gave Kendall some time to recover completely before instigating another round of passion the night before they had to leave. Kendall enjoyed it much more this time, and, after several hours of making love, they filled the jetted tub and soaked their tired muscles. After a few minutes, James felt himself growing hard again and begged Kendall to ride him. Kendall happily complied and an hour later they pulled themselves out of the tub and fell asleep in each other's arms, exhausted.

The next morning, they packed up the car and headed home. James kept his promise and stopped at the taco stand on their way out of town. They put in a to-go order and James got Martina's email and told her that Kelly would be contacting her with free passes for their next local show. After several hugs and cheek kisses the boys were on their way home.

Four weeks earlier-

After eight hours of recording and dance practice, the boys headed home to the Palmwoods.

"I am so hitting the pool when we get home," James said as he leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes.

"Good luck with that, we still have homework and we're supposed to answer at least ten pieces of fan mail, each," Logan told him.

James groaned. "I answer DMs every day, why doesn't that count?"

"Because this is for the band, not your fan base," Kendall said.

"My fan base counts!"

Kendall took a deep breath and counted to ten, again. "Yes, they do. But we, as a band, have a responsibility to ALL of our fans, James."

"And we don't charge them," Carlos added.

"Hey!" James said, sitting up straight.

"Are you still doing that?" Kendall asked him quietly.

"Only my fan club," James said defensively.

"I thought you were going to let Katie help you set up a budget?" Kendall asked, knowing he hadn't. He and Katie had helped James go over his bank account and Katie had developed a projected budget for him the week before.

"I'm going to, I promise. But my mom said she'd help me catch everything up and pay for my hair products," James told him.

"I hope so," Kendall said.

"It's true," James said with a smile.

Kendall smiled back. "I'm glad."

The car pulled up in front of the Palmwoods and the boys jumped out. "If we hurry, we might be able to get some pool time in," James said as they headed inside.

"Don't you have English and math homework?" Logan asked as he pushed the elevator button.

"Nope, I already finished English," James told him as the elevator doors opened.

"Lucky, I have math, English, and science," Carlos whined as they all got in.

"Well, if you would actually do some work in class, instead of goofing off so much, you wouldn't have homework all the time," Logan pointed out.

"School is boring," Carlos said.

"And homework isn't? Kendall asked.

"I can eat while I'm doing homework," Carlos told him.

Kendall rolled his eyes. "You and your stomach."

"You realize if you put in a little effort at school, you'd have more time to goof off at home?" Logan asked his friend.

"Hmm, I guess I didn't think of it that way," Carlos said.

"Maybe try, at least." Kendall laughed.

"Maybe I will."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Logan said shaking his head as the elevator doors opened.

"You'll see!" Carlos said, whapping his friend on the back of the head as he took off running towards their apartment.

"Hey!" Logan yelled and started running after him.

James started to run after them, but Kendall grabbed his arm. "Hey, what do you think about a movie tomorrow night?"

James smiled at him. "Sounds good. We can check to see what's playing later."

Kendall nodded and they followed their two friends to the apartment.

The next evening, Kendall checked his phone for a text from James. Gustavo made the other boy stay late because he was having trouble hitting some notes in the new song.

At about 7:00 he sent a text to James, asking if he wanted to meet at the theater because the movie started at 8:00.

At 7:15, Kendall texted Kelly to ask when they would be finished, so he could change the ticket times, if needed.

Kendall's phone rang and he checked his caller ID. "Hey, Kelly. I just wanted to know how much longer James is going to be because we were going to see the new Godzilla movie."

"Oh sweetie, I think he must have forgotten. We finished about 6:30 and he said he was going to meet up with some fans."

"O-Oh, okay. No big deal, thanks for letting me know."

"No problem. I'll see you Monday."

"Yeah," Kendall said quietly.

"Are you okay?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah, I was just looking forward to the movie," Kendall told her.

"You know James, his attention span goes out the window when there's a pretty girl involved."

"Yeah…thanks Kelly."

"Are you sure you're, okay?"

"Yeah, just…"

"You know, I had a friend who would cancel on me all the time, and I know it doesn't feel good. I'm free if you don't want to go to the movie alone," Kelly said softly.

Kendall smiled a little. "I'm okay, really."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, thank you, though. Have a good weekend," Kendall said.

"You too, sweetie," Kelly said, and he ended the call.

Kendall sent one more text to James. "Where are you?"

After twenty minutes Kendall turned on his laptop and brought up BTR's social media accounts. He typed James Diamond into the search bar and hit enter.

He scrolled through several fan posts before coming to a video that James had posted. James was smiling broadly and holding his phone up as he recorded himself and about a dozen teen girls. "This is what it's all about. I would be nothing without my amazing fans, I love you all!"

The girls started squealing and a couple pulled him down a little and peppered his face with kisses. "We love you, James!" A tall blonde girl yelled.

"And I love you too!" James winked at the camera before kissing her.

Kendall slammed his laptop closed, grabbed his jacket, and headed out the door.

Kendall walked to the Palmwoods Park and sat under one of the large oak trees. He sighed sadly as he leaned back against the tree. "I miss home," he said to himself.

He sat there, lost in thought, until a chill ran through him. He realized it had gotten dark, so he stood up and made his way back to the Palmwoods. He got to the apartment and found his mom and Katie watching a movie.

"Hi sweetie, where how was the movie?" Jen asked.

"And where's James. Wasn't he going with you?" Katie asked.

Kendall shrugged and kissed Jen on the cheek. "James got stuck at work so we didn't go. I was just hanging out at the park."

"I'm sorry, maybe you can go tomorrow," Jen suggested.

"Maybe. I'm tired though, so I'm going to go to bed," Kendall told her.

"Goodnight, honey," Jen said patting his hand.

"Goodnight," Kendall said, heading upstairs.

He decided to take a shower, so he grabbed his pajamas, went into the bathroom, and locked the door. He turned on the water and, once it was warm and steamy got in. He stood there for a few minutes letting the water run over him and wash away his tears.

James got home about 11:30 and the apartment was dark and quiet. He made his way upstairs and carefully opened the door to his and Kendall's bedroom. He closed the door behind him and looked over to see if he had woken Kendall. When Kendall didn't move, he grabbed some pajamas from the dresser and quickly changed. James slid into bed, set his phone on the night table, and sighed contentedly as he closed his eyes.

Kendall woke up early. He saw James sleeping peacefully and tried to decide if he wanted to wake him so they could talk. He sighed to himself and decided he didn't really want to get into it with everyone home. He shook his head and got his clothes from the dresser. He quickly changed and went over to make his bed when James grabbed his hand and pulled him over to him.

"Let go," Kendall said firmly.

James released him. 'What's with the attitude?"

Kendall walked away and quickly made his bed.

"I asked you a question," James said, sitting up.

"Check your phone," Kendall said as he headed for the door.

"My phone? What about my phone?" James asked as he picked it up and looked at the screen.

Kendall stopped and turned to face him, crossing his arms over his chest. "Where were you supposed to be last night?"

"What?" James asked in confusion.

Kendall shook his head. "What did we decide to do yesterday morning?"

"Uh…the movie," James said as he remembered the date they had planned. "Why didn't you message me?"

Kendall arched an eyebrow. "Check your damn phone."

James looked at it and saw no notifications. "There's nothing here," he said, holding it up.

"I sent you two texts, asking where you were. I even got worried and called Kelly and she said you decided to meet up with some fans," Kendall said holding his own phone up, showing the texts.

James looked at his own phone again and opened his texts. "What the…I never got a notification."

"Right, or maybe you just thought it would be more fun to hang out with all your fans," Kendall said, pulling up the video of James kissing the blonde.

"You know that's not true," James said, standing up.

Kendall just looked at him.

"Look, I'm sorry I forgot, but Gustavo was screaming at me all day because of the stupid song. He threatened to make me take voice lessons and I guess I just needed…"

"Someone to stroke your ego," Kendall said.

"No, but…oh," James said as he looked at the settings on his phone.

"What?"

James held his pone up. "Gustavo said he was going to take my phone away unless I put it on do not disturb. I totally spaced taking it off because I never use it. That's why I wasn't getting any notifications." He tapped the button and his phone started dinging.

Kendall still looked unconvinced.

"You know I wouldn't ignore you on purpose," James said softly.

"Why were you kissing that girl?" Kendall asked.

"Because we agreed to keep our relationship a secret and it would have been a normal reaction," James said, walking over to his boyfriend.

"I don't like it," Kendall said.

"I won't do it again," James promised. "Forgive me?"

Kendall sighed. "You should have remembered."

"I won't ever forget again."

"I mean it, James."

"I know, so do I. I was just tired and frustrated with Gustavo and needed to get away from that place," James told him.

Kendall looked at him, debating on what he should say. "I forgive you THIS time. But if you keep forgetting about us, you can forget about us. I'm not going through what happened with Jo, with you."

"You know I wouldn't do anything like that!"

"You already did. I know we have to keep up appearances, but we have to agree on no physical interactions with others. It's not okay," Kendall told him.

James nodded. "I promise."

"I mean it."

"I know. You can trust me babe, really."

"I hope so, James. I really do," Kendall said quietly.

"You can," James said, pulling Kendall into a tight hug.

Kendall hugged him back. "Relationships take work, nothing worthwhile is ever easy. We both have to pay attention."

"I know," James said, kissing him on the cheek.

"Okay," Kendall said, pulling away.

"Hey, how about next Saturday we go to dinner at that new Italian place and then go see the movie?" James suggested.

Kendall smiled. "That sounds good."

"That way, if I have to stay late at the studio on Friday, we won't miss anything," James said, grabbing some clothes from the closet.

"Why are you having so much trouble with the new song?" Kendall asked.

"I don't know. Gustavo keeps saying I can't hit the notes right, but I think it sounds fine."

"You know, a voice coach might help. That way, Gustavo would stay off your back," Kendall said carefully.

"I don't need a voice coach, I have perfect pitch, "James told him.

Kendall rolled his eyes. "Okay…but if you just agree to go, maybe Gustavo would leave you alone about it."

"I don't need help. Gustavo just likes picking on me."

"James, we all have things we need to work on. Gustavo may be loud and obnoxious, but he wants us to succeed," Kendall said.

"My fans think I'm perfect," James snapped.

"No one is perfect, and Gustavo has been doing this for a long time," Kendall said trying to reason with the stubborn brunette.

"Exactly! He isn't keeping up with all the modern times. If he would just listen to my fans, he'd know I don't need any help." James huffed.

"Just think about it. It might be worth it just to keep him off your back," Kendall said as he opened the door.

James mumbled to himself as he followed Kendall downstairs.

The following Wednesday, Kendall, Logan, and Carlos sat quietly as Gustavo and James yelled back and had been going on for nearly an hour and neither was showing signs of stopping.

"I don't need a voice coach!" James yelled.

"You haven't hit one note right ALL week!" Gustavo screamed back.

"That's because you don't write for ME you write for Kendall! Try making him back-up for a while and giving me a chance because I have what it takes and actually WANT this! THIS is gold!" James yelled, pointing at his own face.

"Hey!" Kendall said, standing up.

Gustavo pointed at him. "Stay out of this, Dog."

Logan and Carlos each took an arm and pulled him back down.

Gustavo sat down. He looked at the boys and drummed his fingers on his desk.

Before he could say anything, Kendall stood up again. "Give it to him."

Everyone looked at him in surprise.

"What?" Gustavo asked.

"He wants the lead so much give it to him," Kendall said through clenched teeth. James' comments had hurt his feelings, but he wasn't going to fight about it anymore.

James had the good sense not to say anything, he knew he'd crossed another line.

Gustavo looked at the boys, contemplating what he was going to say. "Sit down," he said in an unusually quiet voice. Do you know why Kendall is the lead singer?" Gustavo asked, looking at James.

"Because he's got the fire," James mumbled, repeating Gustavo's claims.

"That's right. Do you know what the fire is?"

"He can yell as loud as you?" James said sarcastically.

Gustavo pointed at Kendall as the boy opened his mouth to respond. "I've got this."

Kendall looked at him and nodded.

"The fire is passion. The fire is having the guts to jump on a table and proceed to tell off the very famous producer who just insulted his friend. The fire is then kicking coffee at this producer and singing a song calling him a giant turd. The fire is being strong enough to fight for what you believe in, no matter what. Do you remember what you did when I said you had no talent?"

"No," James pouted.

"Not a damn thing. You didn't stand up for yourself, you didn't demand a second chance or, just take it. You didn't have enough confidence to do ANY of that. But he did," Gustavo said, pointing at Kendall again.

"He didn't even want this!" James said.

"No, but he got it. And exactly what were the terms, James?"

"You had to make us a group?" Carlos provided when James didn't respond.

"Exactly. And every one of you has worked hard to make this band work. Except for you," Gustavo said, pointing at James.

"I work hard," James said.

"Sometimes, when it doesn't interfere with your social media posts."

"Fans are important," James told him.

"Yes, they are. But you seem to forget you are part of a group and this is NOT the James Diamond band."

"It could be if you'd give me the chance!"

"I've been trying to give you the chance, but you won't listen. This is a hard business, James, so I'm going to give you some hard facts."

"What facts?"

"You can't sing. Your voice is all over the place because you can't settle on a sound. You can't hit a high note and you can't hold a low note. You can't hold ANY note for as long as Kendall or Logan. Your voice is not unique, and you refuse to get training, which could help. Your voice is too soft and while that works for some songs, not most. You don't listen and your attitude the last few months is unacceptable. You are not a solo act and never will be at this rate."

The room was quiet.

"I do want this," James finally said.

"Then fight for it," Gustavo said.

"James, a voice coach isn't a bad thing. It's like any other class it's just training," Logan said.

"But you don't have to do it."

"I'll do it with you," Carlos told him.

"I will, too," Logan said.

James looked over at Kendall.

Kendall shook his head, grabbed his jacket, and headed out the door.

"You better fix this," Logan hissed at James.

James sighed and ran after Kendall.

Kendall got outside and took off for the Palmwoods. He was about four blocks away when he heard James calling him. He ignored him and kept walking.

"Kendall, please stop!" James yelled. He ran to catch up and grabbed Kendall's arm.

"Let go," Kendall ordered pulling his arm back.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I was just mad at Gustavo for not letting me sing more!"

"How did that go for you?"

"…Not so good," James said looking down.

"Why do you always have to do things like this? You know it's going to piss him off and it doesn't get you anywhere."

"Well, he's not fair," James said quietly.

"Or you just don't listen.

"I do!"

"I love you, but he made some good points. Nothing is easy and we have to work for what we want," Kendall said as he started walking towards home.

"You don't," James said.

Kendall stopped. "What?"

"Everything comes easy to you."

"Like what?" Kendall asked.

"Hockey, for one."

Kendall shook his head. "James, I started playing when I was three. I practiced every day I could and when school started, I practiced after school. Whether it was at the ice rink or the pond, I worked hard learning all the moves. The thing that sucks about being here is I don't get to play anymore, and I can guarantee if we did play a game, I would not be good."

"Well…singing."

"I can't help it if I have range. Maybe it's because I sang the oldies with my dad, or all the 90's at work, or whatever. We all have gifts, and we all have to work when we want something that doesn't come naturally," Kendall told him.

"Maybe," James said, looking down.

"If you really want this, then do something about it. Work for it, take the classes, learn the craft because there's no shame in learning."

James gave him a small smile. "Just like there's no shame in being born with a gift. I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you."

Kendall smiled back. "Apology accepted."

"I'll call Kelly and have her set up classes," James told him.

"Good. You need to go back and talk to Gustavo, too," Kendall told him.

"What if I just call him and ask him to set up the classes. That way he'll know I'm serious."

"That'll work."

"I'll call when we get home," James promised.

"Did you want to walk or go back?" Kendall asked.

"I still have homework, so what if I call Logan and have him tell the driver to pick us up?"

"Okay." Kendall nodded and James called Logan.

A couple of minutes later the car pulled up and the boys got in.

"Are you guys, okay?" Carlos asked, looking at his two friends.

"Yeah," Kendall said.

"I'm going to call Gustavo and have him set up voice lessons." James sighed.

"It'll be okay, buddy. We'll still go with you," Logan said.

"You know, I think I'd rather go alone," James told him.

"Why?" Carlos asked.

"Because I'm the one Gustavo thinks needs improvement, so I need to show him I can do it."

'Well, if you change your mind just let us know," Logan said.

"I will, thanks guys." James smiled.

The car pulled up to the Palmwoods and the boys got out.

"Well, I don't have homework so I'm going to meet Camille at the pool," Logan said as they got on the elevator.

"Lucky," James said.

"I don't either, so I'm going to see what the Jennifers are doing." Carlos grinned.

"I just have to finish a couple more math questions and I'm done. So, I'll help you James," Kendall offered.

James smiled. "That would be great."

They got to the apartment and Jen was in the kitchen. "Hi boys. How was school and practice?"

"Fine," Kendall said, kissing her cheek.

"I made chicken and rice for dinner, just warm it up. Katie has a dentist appointment, and I promised her shopping after," Jen told him.

"Chicken and rice!" Carlos said.

"Yes, and broccoli. Eat it too," she instructed.

"Eww," Carlos said.

"Eat your veggies and I'll bring you ice cream," Jen promised.

"What flavour?" Carlos asked.

"Whatever flavour you tell Logan after he confirms you actually ate your veggies," Jen said, kissing his cheek.

"Awe," Carlos whined.

"I'll keep an eye on them," Logan said.

"Snitch," Carlos whispered.

"Keep it up and I'll tell her you didn't eat any, even if you did," Logan said with a smirk.

"Not fair!"

Logan just smiled.

"Boys, be nice," Jen warned. "Katie, it's time to go!"

Katie came out from her room. "Do I have to go?"

"Yes, and we're going to be late if we don't leave," Jen told her, ushering her towards the door.

"I'm okay with that," Katie said.

"No," Jen told her. "Oh, James, there were a couple of deliveries for you. I put them in your room."

"Thanks Mama Knight."

"You're welcome. Oh no you don't," she said grabbing Katie before she could slip away. "Bye boys!"

"See you later." Kendall laughed.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours to warm up dinner," Logan said, as he left to meet Camille.

"Broccoli," Carlos said, still pouting.

"At least it's not Lima beans," Kendall told him, a look of disgust on his face.

Carlos shuddered. "True."

"I like Lima beans," James said.

The other two boys looked at him. Kendall made a face. "I can't believe I kiss you."

"And you're darn lucky I let you," James said.

"Can you guys not!" Carlos said.

"Feeling left out?" James asked.

"Yes. No! I mean I'm going to go find the Jennifers!" Carlos said, running for the door.

"Poor Carlos!" Kendall said, shaking his head.

"Poor me. I hate homework," James said as he headed for the stairs.

"You don't have that much."

"Enough to prevent me from getting any sun today," James told him.

"I think you'll live."

"What if I don't?"

"Then no more homework," Kendall said opening the door to their room.

"And, no more sun," James pointed out.

"We'll put you in a glass box, like Snow White."

James smiled. "So, then everyone can come to admire me."

Kendall rolled his eyes. "Yeah, until you start shriveling up into a mummy."

James shrieked.

Kendall laughed at him. "You are too easy."

"Not funny," James said, tossing his books on the desk.

"Why don't you call Gustavo and get it over with?" Kendall suggested.

James sighed. "I hate this."

"Just say you're sorry and tell him you're serious about being the best singer you can be."

James picked up his phone and just looked at it. "Can I just text him?"

Kendall took James' phone and punched in Gustavo's number.

"What?" Gustavo answered.

"It's Kendall, here's James." He handed the phone to James.

James shook his head and Kendall pointed at him. "Ask him."

James sighed. "Hey, Gustavo…I was wondering if you could arrange time with the vocal coach for me?"

There was silence on the line. "I'll have her call you."

James smiled a little. "Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"Just make sure you show up," Gustavo said.

"I will," James promised and ended the call.

"I'm proud of you," Kendall said, patting him on the back.

"I can do this, right?"

"Yes, you can," Kendall said reassuringly.

James' phone dinged and he checked it. "I need to answer these DMs."

Kendall took his phone. "After homework."

"But…"

Kendall looked at him. "You need to prioritize things, and answering social media messages comes after practice and homework."

"Fine." James pouted.

"Good. You know, if we hurry it might still be daylight when we finish," Kendall told him.

"Not with my luck," James mumbled.

"We don't have that much," Kendall said.

James nodded and opened his math book.

Kendall opened his own and finished up the few problems he had left to do and then helped James with his.

"See, it didn't take that long," Kendall said.

"I still have to finish reading this chapter for English Literature," James told him, taking a book from his backpack.

"A chapter isn't too bad," Kendall said.

"I guess not," James said deciding to get comfortable by sitting on his bed. He sat against the headboard and started reading.

About fifteen minutes later James' notifications dinged again and he sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"I still have four pages," he said, looking at his phone.

"Four isn't that much," Kendall said.

"It's been a long day," James whined.

Kendall took a deep breath and walked over and sat down next to him. "I know, and I know it hasn't been fun. What if I help you relax?"

"How?"

Kendall bit his lip as he reached over and undid James' belt. "I still need to learn this," he said as he leaned down and mouthed James through his jeans.

"Oh," James breathed out.

Kendall unsnapped James' jeans and then slowly pulled the zipper down. He looked up at James, who was licking his lips. Kendall slipped his hand inside the jeans as he leaned over and kissed James. James groaned loudly as Kendall pulled his cock free from constricting cloth. He laid across James legs as he gently flicked his tongue over the head. He tried to remember what James had done and took the head in his mouth and gently sucked at it. James wrapped his fingers in the blond locks, moaning again. Kendall tried to relax his throat and take more of James and the other boy yanked on his hair and groaned.

James' phone dinged and he quickly glanced at it. "Damn it, forgot I was supposed to meet fans at the park!"

James suddenly grabbed Kendall and pulled him up and away, the other boy nearly hitting the floor. James jumped up and pulled the zipper up on his jeans.

"Are you kidding me right now!?"

"I promised them," James said, tucking his shirt in and grabbing his phone. "I'll be back," he said as he ran out the door.

"What the hell just happened?" Kendall said to an empty room.

James got home about three hours later where he found Logan and Carlos watching television. He set the shopping bags he was carrying on the table.

"Hey!"

"Where have you been? You missed dinner," Logan said.

"I had a meet and greet with some fans," James said, sitting down next to him.

"Aren't you supposed to clear that with Kelly?" Carlos asked.

"These were from my fan club. Is Mama Knight home yet?"

"No, and you should be glad because you know you're not supposed to be out late on a school night," Logan pointed out.

"It's not that late," James said.

"It's after eight," Carlos said.

"I got all my homework done and called Gustavo to apologize," James told them.

"That's good, when's your first lesson?" Logan asked.

"I don't know yet. Where's Kendall?" James asked, realizing the blond wasn't there.

"I think he went to bed," Logan said.

"This early?"

"I don't think he had a very good day, James. I know you guys made up, but you were really mean to him," Carlos said.

"We're fine," James said, standing up. "I think I'm going to head up to bed, too."

"Night," Carlos said.

"Goodnight," James said. He grabbed his bags and headed upstairs.

James opened the door to the bedroom and tiptoed in. He stopped when he didn't see Kendall in the room. "He must be in the bathroom," he said to himself.

He quickly pulled something out of one of the bags, went over to the closet, put the bags on the top shelf, and pushed them back towards the wall.

He changed into his pajamas and sat down on his bed. He sat back against the headboard and checked his messages. After a few minutes, he wondered if Kendall was taking a shower and got up to check. He found the bathroom empty and went back to their shared room. That's when he realized Kendall's pillow was not on his bed. "What the hell?"

He looked around and found the rest of Kendall's belongings were still in the room, so he walked across the hall to Logan and Carlos' room. He opened the door and saw both beds were empty, so he turned on the light.

He saw something dark green on the floor on the other side of one of the beds. He walked over and found Kendall asleep in his sleeping bag. James sighed and knelt down next to him. He gently shook him. "Hey, why are you in here?"

Kendall shook his hand off and turned away from him. "Why do you think?"

"I don't know! Because I had to go meet with fans?"

"No, because you chose to go meet with fans," Kendall said sitting up.

"I had an obligation!"

Kendall arched an eyebrow at him. "If your fans take priority over us, there is no us."

James sighed. "Babe…"

"No, I mean it James. You've blown me off twice, now."

"Twice?"

"You blew me off for the movie and you blew me off a few hours ago, when…I was trying to blow you," Kendall whispered.

"Oh…I'm sorry, but I forgot I promised to meet with them, and it was little kids from foster care."

Kendall shook his head. "After the other night, what you said today, and what you did tonight, I think we need to take a break."

"Please don't break up with me, I love you," James said quietly.

"Do you?"

"Of course, you're my best friend."

Kendall sighed. "I think that's why we need to take a break. I don't want to lose our friendship and you keep making me feel like I'm not a priority."

"I am so sorry. You know I'd never hurt you on purpose, I guess I just don't think."

"No, you really don't. Maybe we just aren't mature enough for a relationship," Kendall said softly.

"What if we just put it on hold for a couple of weeks? That way I'll have a chance to do better at work and maybe show you how much I do love you," James suggested.

"I don't know."

"Please? I really think it's been all the stress at the studio and since I'm going to be doing what Gustavo asks, it'll get better."

"James, it's not just that. It's social media, it's the fans, it's all the stuff that goes with it," Kendall told him.

"Okay, what if I promise to limit all social media to before six at night. No more meet and greets unless I tell you first, and you can even take my phone."

Kendall looked at him. "I don't want your phone, I want to be the priority in your life. If I have to remind you than I'm not."

"You are, but you know I have trouble with this kind of thing. Please? "

"James…" Kendall started, shaking his head.

James reached over and took Kendall's hand. "I promise to do better, but I'm being honest about needing help to stay on track. Doesn't that count for something?"

Kendall sighed. "Yes, it does. But I'm worried if you don't take this seriously it will destroy our friendship. I couldn't live with that."

"I would never let that happen," James promised.

"Okay, we won't break up but…we are not dating until you get things figured out," Kendall told.

"What does that mean exactly?"

"No dates, no…what we did at the beach house."

"Can we still make out?"

"No, that's part of dating," Kendall said.

"I know," James said smiling. "I was joking."

"I want this to work," Kendall said quietly.

"So do I, more than anything," James told him.

"I hope so."

"I do, and just because we're not technically dating doesn't mean we can't be roommates," James said.

"I guess not."

"Will you please come back to our room?" James asked, holding his other hand out.

Kendall sighed and took his hand. "Okay, but just as roommates."

"Just roommates," James promised and pulled Kendall up.

Kendall grabbed his sleeping bag and followed James back to their room.

Once Kendall had put his sleeping bag away, James handed him the small box he'd taken from the bag. "What's this?

"I saw it and thought of you." James smiled.

"James, this would fall under dating," Kendall said, holding the box out towards him.

"Friend give friends gifts," James said, pushing it back towards Kendall.

"James…"

"It's a thank you for helping me today and for believing in me."

Kendall opened the box to find a necklace. The pendant was a silver arrowhead with a black onyx stone at the base. Kendall sighed and shook his head. "It's too much, you need to take it back," he said setting the box on the desk.

"I can't. I had them engrave your initial on the back," James told him.

"James, what happened to your budget?"

"It's okay, really. My mom gave me some extra spending money when I showed her the budget you and Katie helped me work out. She said it was for a last spending spree before becoming a responsible adult."

"I don't understand your family, at all. You should have just put it in the bank so you had a cushion to fall back on."

"But it was for a spending spree, and I wanted to spend part of it on you," James said.

"I appreciate that but we're not dating right now, so you should save it for Christmas or my birthday."

"No, it's a thank you for everything. Including insisting Gustavo bring us all out here, and especially for always being there for me," James said taking the necklace out of the box and putting it over Kendall's head.

Kendall smiled softly at him. "Thank you."

"Are we good?" James asked quietly.

Kendall nodded. "We're good."

Three Weeks Earlier-

Kendall was down at the pool waiting for James. They had agreed that going to a movie and to a regular restaurant would count as a friend activity, so they were finally going to see the new Godzilla movie.

Camille stood there and watched him for a minute before going over and sitting next to him. "Hey."

Kendall smiled at her. "Hey, what's up?"

"Um, can I talk to you?"

"Of course."

Camille wrung her hands nervously. "Can we talk in private? It's important."

"Sure…are you okay?" Kendall asked looking at his distraught friend.

"Not here," she said grabbing his hand and tugging at him.

Kendall went with her, very concerned. "Is everything alright? "

Camille led the way to the elevator and once it opened, pulled him inside. "When we get to my place."

Kendall nodded.

The elevator stopped and Camille pulled him through as soon as the doors opened and led him to her apartment.

"Cami, you're freaking me out. What's going on?"

She walked over to the couch and sat down. "You know I have a lot of friends in different parts of the entertainment business, right?"

"Yeah…" Kendall said completely confused.

Camille sat next to him again. "Gosh, this is hard."

Kendall took her hand. "Cami, calm down and just tell me what's wrong."

She looked at him and ran her hand over his bracelet. "There has to be an easier way to do this."

"Do what?" Kendall asked.

Camille took a deep breath. "I have a friend who works with a government unit that monitors websites for kiddy porn and trafficking."

"And?" Kendall asked, wondering where this was going.

"Have you ever heard of a website called My First Time?"

"No."

Camille stood up and started pacing. "It's um…it's a website where people get paid to upload videos of their first time."

"Their first time what?"

Camille sat back down and took his hand. She ran her fingers over his bracelet again. "This is a really pretty bracelet."

"Off topic, please tell me what's going on," Kendall said, getting very worried about his friend.

"It's pretty unique, isn't it?"

"Yeah, James found a place that makes them, and he chose what to have stamped on the metal. Why?"

Camille pulled a photo out of her pocket and handed it to him. It was a photo of his hand and wrist.

"Why do you have a picture of my bracelet?"

"My friend got the photo from that website I told you about."

"What?"

"There's a video on there with two teens. Their faces are pixelated, but only the faces," Camille told him, her eyes filling with tears.

Kendall shook his head. "It's some kind of mistake."

Camille bit her lip. "Did you and James go to a beach house a few weeks ago?"

"Yeah…"

"Up north?"

"Cami, please just tell me what's going on!"

Camille's voice was trembling. "There's a beach house that this website provides for the videos. It's isolated and has a private beach, but it's not too far from a small town. That's where most people go to film…"

"Film what?" Kendall asked, taking her hands.

Camille shook her head as she started to cry.

"Cami, please!"

Camille took a deep breath and pulled out her phone. She pulled up the text with the link her friend had sent her. "H-Here," she said, handing him her phone.

Kendall took it and read the text. His chest felt tight as he clicked the link and waited while it loaded. Camille was sobbing so he put his arm around her and pulled her close. Once the link loaded, he saw the same beach house he and James had stayed in.

"Someone set us up?"

Camille shook her head.

"What do up mean, no?"

"S-Someone arranges to take someone there. If t-they can p-rove it's their p-partner's first time, they get paid a b-bonus."

Kendall thought he was going to be sick. "No, no, no, he wouldn't do this to me," he mumbled, running his hands through his hair. "He didn't do it! Please, Cami, tell me he didn't do this!"

"K-Kendall, I didn't want to t-tell you, but the video was uploaded a week ago, and even though they pulled it, there's a chance people watched and downloaded it. They're trying to track it b-but it takes time."

"They made a mistake."

Camille was still crying. "I'm so sorry. N-No, because the phone n-number listed is his."

Kendall looked at the text again and saw it was true, he felt his heart shatter. He clicked forward and sent it to himself. "I have to go," he said quietly.

"Please don't leave," Camille begged.

"It's going to be okay. I want you to call Logan and have him come stay with you," Kendall said standing up.

"W-What do I tell him?"

"The truth," Kendall said as he walked out the door.

Kendall went home and headed straight for his room. He closed the door and stood there for a moment before grabbing James' laptop. He opened it and pulled up the internet, knowing James rarely closed the tabs. It seemed an eternity until the tabs loaded and when they did Kendall found the website for the beach house.

Kendall clicked on the website and read through the disclaimers and then the ad.

Wanted: Young couples who are looking for that special place for that special first time.

Would you like to spend a weekend away at a beautiful beachfront house?

If so, we have the place for you! Not only is the house on a private beach, but it has nearly every amenity you could dream of. The master bedroom has French doors that lead out to a fully furnished deck, overlooking the ocean. The master bath has a walk-in shower with three shower heads (one portable for your pleasure) and a jetted tub. On the first-floor deck, there is a cozy hot tub that also overlooks the ocean.

Now, you may wonder about the price for such a special home, and it's comparable to all the other houses in the area. But, if you have a special someone and it's their first time learning the secrets of physical pleasure, and you're willing to record it, we've got a discount for you. All they have to do is say it's their first time and not only will the weekend be on us, but there will be a cash incentive. There's are extra bonuses for same sex couples, or a ménage à trois. While kinks are accepted, no violence is allowed.

All parties must be of age, and a willing participant.

Acceptance of the rules can be written or, oral.

Book your weekend today and take our virtual tour. The special tour includes locations and instructions for all video equipment.

Kendall checked James' downloads and found the virtual tour. He felt numb as the video showed the cameras in the television, one in the bathroom, and another overlooking the hot tub. He felt a sharp pain and realized he had bit his lower lip so badly it was now bleeding. He ignored it as he clicked on the other open tab - James' bank account. He shook his head at the fact James never activated the two-part verification. He typed in the password and a message popped up saying it was the wrong password.

He thought for a minute before typing something into the password bar. When it flashed password and email do not match, he chose the three-question option for changing the password. 1: Favourite colour - purple 2: City of birth - Minneapolis 3: What is the name of your first-grade teacher - Ms. Blain.

Kendall held his breath as the page loaded and granted him access. He looked in shock at James' balances. He felt his eyes tear up again. "You sold me," he whispered. For a minute he thought he was going to pass out but then anger took hold. He thought about it for a minute and then created a new bank account requiring two signatures and two-step verification for withdrawal, his and James'. He scrolled through James' activity and found two large deposits from the week before. One was to checking and a larger one to savings. He clicked on transfer money from saving and typed in the bank account number he had just created. He stared at the screen for a moment before hitting send. He closed out of all the tabs and turned the laptop off.

He tasted blood and got up and went into the bathroom. He stared at his reflection for a minute before turning on the sink faucet and rinsing his face. He grabbed a tissue and applied pressure to his lip, which was now swelling. After a couple of minutes, the bleeding stopped, and he threw away the tissue. He started feeling sick, so he sat on the floor, leaning against the tub. "Why?"