The aroma of popcorn hung in the air, mingling with the faint scent of Kendall's cologne – a familiar comfort to Jo. She'd barely stepped into 2J before the familiar urge to tease him bubbled up.
"You know," she'd said, a mischievous glint in her brown eyes, "for a famous pop star, you'd think you could afford better popcorn."
Kendall had just chuckled, his dimples deepening.
"It's the perfect amount of buttery goodness, Jo. Don't knock it 'til you try it." He'd ruffled her hair, his hand lingering a moment longer than necessary. "I'm gonna hit the bathroom, make yourself at home."
Jo hummed, a sly look settling on her face as the bathroom door clicked shut.
"That's exactly what I intend to do."
Immediately, she turned towards Kendall's side of the room, the space he shared with Logan, who was thankfully MIA. She knew Kendall was messy, but a quick glance confirmed it – not exactly military precision, even though everything had its place. She began her exploration with a quick sweep of his desk, finding an assortment of guitar picks, lyric scraps, and a half-eaten box of cookies. Giggles escaped her as she looked at the random collection. It was so undeniably Kendall.
But her main objective wasn't random knick-knacks. Katie, Kendall's little sister, had mentioned something about a photo album. Specifically, one containing baby pictures of a cherubic, dimpled Kendall. That was the treasure Jo was after. Her fingers were practically itching to find it, and her search quickly escalated, moving from drawers to shelves, her giggles growing louder with each new discovery. A half-finished comic book, a rubber chicken, and a surprisingly well-folded collection of band t-shirts turned up.
Completely lost in her quest, she nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice cut through the quiet.
"And what exactly do we have here?"
Kendall stood, leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, one eyebrow raised in amusement.
Jo, caught red-handed with her arm deep in a box, quickly withdrew her hand and shoved the offending box under his bed.
"Nothing," she mumbled, her cheeks burning.
"Nothing?" Kendall echoed, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Jo, I've seen better liars in a kindergarten class. Try again."
She sighed, defeated.
"Fine," she admitted. "I was looking for… a photo album. Katie said there was one here with baby pictures of you, and I wanted to see if I could… snag one."
Kendall's chuckle was low and mischievous. He slowly rolled up his sleeves, the gesture not lost on Jo, who knew exactly what it meant: tickle time.
"No no no," Jo said, backing away, a nervous giggle bubbling up. "Don't, Kendall, please!"
Kendall advanced, rubbing his hands together like a cartoon villain.
"Oh, but I must," he said, his voice laced with mock seriousness. "You see, Jo, you've been a bad, bad girl today."
"I have not!" she protested, even as she couldn't help but grin.
"Oh, you have," Kendall countered. "First, the popcorn critique, then the snide remarks about my hair, and now you're snooping like a little detective!" He paused, lowering his voice to a mock whisper, "And weneversnoop."
"I wasn't snooping!" she cried, her laughter rising. "I was… investigating!"
Kendall shook his head, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Too late, Jo. You've forced my hand." He looked down at her, his look a mix of affection and playful predation.
Before she could react, he leaned down, scooped her up over his shoulder, and with a groan that was more for show than anything, carefully dropped her onto the bed. He climbed in next to her, wiggling his fingers menacingly.
"This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you," he teased, inching his fingers closer to her belly.
"Kendall, no!" Jo shrieked through her giggles. "I'll do anything! Anything but tickles, please!"
Kendall paused, his fingers hovering just above her skin.
"Anything?" he asked, a glint of an idea forming in his green eyes.
"Yes! Anything!" she pleaded, relieved at this potential reprieve.
A slow, sly smile spread across Kendall's face. He was clearly cooking up something.
"Anything, huh? Even… this?" He retracted his fingers and sat up, smirking, and patted the space next to him. "Come here."
Jo eyed him suspiciously.
"Why? What are you planning?"
"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," He said, with that disarming, charming smile, "Come on." He patted the bed again.
Reluctantly, she moved closer and sat beside him. Before she could say anything, he swiftly maneuvered her, taking her over his knee. Jo let out a surprised shriek, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Kendall! No!" she cried, squirming. "You can't do this!"
He chuckled, holding her firmly in place.
"But you said anything but tickles, my dear Jo. And I'm a man of my word." He started to pat her bottom lightly. "Time for a spanking."
Jo let out a laugh, mixed with a squeal.
"No! Kendall, this is ridiculous!" she managed between her giggles.
He ignored her protests and started the playful spanking, each swat landing with a light thud on a different part of her bottom.
"I think I'm doing a pretty good job, if I do say so myself." He commented.
"Ow!" she yelped, mostly from the ticklish sensation. "This is so unfair! You're a monster!"
Kendall just laughed at her, his dimples deepening with each playful swat.
"Oh, but you weresobad today, Jo. You have to be punished!" he said between spanks. "Right cheek, left, right, left, a little in the middle…"
Three more light smacks on each cheek of her bottom, and he paused, his hand hovering.
"Are you ready to apologize?"
Jo, still giggling, managed to choke out,
"I… solemnly swear… to be good,"
He chuckled, giving her one last, slightly harder swat for good measure, followed immediately by a gentle rub.
"That's what I like to hear." Then he lifted her up and pulled her into a hug. "You took that like a champ," he murmured into her hair.
Jo, still recovering from the odd turn of events, playfully shoved him back.
"You're an ass," she said, a wide grin splitting her face.
Kendall grinned, his eyes twinkling.
"That's cute." He stood up, a smirk playing on his lips. "Hold on a sec."
Just as he reached the door, he turned back, pointing a finger at her.
"No snooping in the absence of my presence or else..." he added in a mock threatening tone, before disappearing out of the room.
Jo, still giggling, threw her hands up in mock surrender, her cheeks flushed. Kendall returned a few minutes later, holding a well-worn photo album. He sat down on the bed and patted the space next to him, and Jo immediately snuggled close. Together, they flipped through the pages, each picture bringing forth a new story from Kendall. He pointed out awkward toddler poses, ridiculously adorable baby faces, and the occasional embarrassing moment – all accompanied by his signature charming laugh.
Finally, they reached the end of the album.
"Okay, your choice," Kendall said, turning the book so Jo could see them all.
Jo carefully examined each photo, finally selecting a picture of Kendall, a baby with big, curious green eyes and tiny dimples.
"I love this one!" she exclaimed.
"Alright," Kendall smiled, "Its all yours."
They spent the rest of the day curled up on the bed, the photo album discarded on the floor, content in each other's company. The popcorn was forgotten, replaced by quiet laughter and the comforting warmth of shared affection. And Jo, even though she'd been lightly spanked, couldn't help but think that maybe being a little bad wasn't so bad after all. Especially when it involved a certain green-eyed charmer with dimples.