It's summerrrrr! :D and here is the last oneshot, finally. I did my best with it, so I hope you guys like it :) not gonna lie, I'm delighted to get another story finished completely.
Requested by misguided . ghost 777, in which James has a surprise date! OOOHHH...
Kendall had a crush on James. Might as well start bluntly.
He had for a few months now, and it had just kept growing and growing every day. Or at least, it felt as though it was. Every day he just wanted to be with James more, wanted to cuddle him more, wanted to kiss him more. But none of this was possible given his various female admirers that he wanted to punch more and more. So he just settled with daydreaming, and a lot of stares. Maybe it was a little creepy, but he couldn't help it. The worst thing about this crush was knowing that James didn't like him back. He liked all these pretty girls with their stupid boobs and stupid faces.
Sometimes he hated everything.
"Kendall!"
"Huh?" Kendall looked up, blankly glancing at where Carlos sat across from him. "Did you say something?"
"I was asking you if you could pass the orange juice," Carlos repeated, looking at him weirdly.
Kendall sighed and handed it over, going back to his cereal. "Sorry, I was lost in thought."
"We could see that," James laughed. "What are you thinking about, buddy? Girls? Music? Hockey?"
"All of the above?" Nope. Sorry James, not even close.
"Fair enough." James stretched, getting to his feet. Kendall watched his shirt ride up and swallowed uncomfortably. "Anyway, I've gotta go shower. I've got a big day ahead of me."
"What are you up to?" Kendall asked instantly, looking up at him.
James gave a wide grin. "I've got a big date tonight!"
"With who?" Kendall demanded. Crap, he probably sounded crazy. Oh well.
"Not saying, you don't know her anyway. But I've got a lot to set up. I want this night to be perfect."
Logan sniggered a little, Kendall glancing at him with raised eyebrows. "She must be pretty special," Logan chuckled, grinning at James.
"Oh, she is. That's why I've gotta put so much work into it!"
Kendall sighed, getting up. "Whose turn is it to clean up the table? Not mine, right?"
Carlos shook his head, and Kendall gave a small wave before leaving to brush his teeth and finish getting dressed. Once he had, he walked back out to the living room to see James, Logan and Carlos deep in discussion. They all looked up and smiled at him. "Up to anything today, Ken?" Carlos asked.
"Going to go hang out with Camille," Kendall replied. "I mean, if you didn't have any plans with her . . ."
"I didn't." Logan smirked. "Sometimes I feel like you spend more time with my girlfriend than I do."
Kendall just shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "Well, she's my buddy. I gotta go meet my buddy now so . . . bye." And he hurried out before anything else could be said. Stupid James and his stupid date. What did this girl have that he didn't?! Besides girl parts, obviously . . . if she was smart, he could be smart too. And he could be nice, and funny, and all these other qualities that everyone liked. What made him so unappealing?
As he took the elevator up to Camille's floor, he figured it was probably just because, simply, that he was a guy. And James's best fried. Maybe he just didn't want to jeopardise their friendship. And Kendall didn't want that either, but he was so tired of sitting around and watching James be happy with other people, while keeping his mouth shut for his sake.
Kendall knocked on Camille's apartment door as hard as he could, wincing when his knuckled throbbed. Okay, maybe he was going a little overboard . . . maybe. A slight possibility.
Who was he kidding, James had a fucking date with some skank that wasn't him!
"Camille, open the door!" he called, pounding on it harder. "Come on! I can hear the tv!"
At last the door opened and Camille stood there. "Well, I had to put some pants on!" She snapped. "Jeez." Then she stopped when she saw his expression. "Is something wrong?"
Kendall nodded, biting his lip. "I just . . . I really need your help. Can I come in?"
"Of course!" Camille hurried over to the tv and switched it off as Kendall sat down on the couch. Then she sat next to him, crossing her legs and picking up her bowl of popcorn again. "Okay, begin."
"I wanna tell James how I feel about him," Kendall admitted. "But I'm not sure how to go about it, and I'm not sure how he'll react . . ."
"Awww!" Camille squealed. "It's about time! Do you know how long I've been waiting for this moment?!" She paused. "But why the sudden change of heart? Last time I asked you, you acted as if I wanted you to walk across hot coals."
"It still terrifies me, don't get me wrong. But this morning he told me he's got a special date tonight, and it just hit me. I have to stop hiding away, because while he might not return my feelings at all, I've realised there is even less of a chance he'll return them if I don't make the first move. I just need to tell him, and as soon as possible before I chicken out again."
"Smart choice, Kenny. Smart choice." She tied her hair back off her face before saying, "So, how can I help?"
"I dunno. Give me advice on what to say, I guess. Maybe help me look better?" His face fell slightly. "You know what he can be like when it comes to looks . . ."
"Of course. The look can be the first thing we sort out, I guess." She grinned. "We can make it fun!"
"I'm not sure a makeover is my idea of fun . . ."
"You won't be saying that when you look like a sex god by the end of it!" Camille hopped to her feet and pulled him up with her. "Let's get started!"
Half an hour later, Kendall stood in Camille's bedroom, his reflection staring back at him with the same nervous and unsure expression. His brow furrowed, mouth turned down in a slight pout. He sighed. "I dunno. What do you think?"
"These jeans look great on you!" Camille praised, clapping her hands. "You look gorgeous!"
"They feel a bit tight," Kendall murmured uncomrtable, wiggling his hips a little. The denim material clung to his legs, and pretty much every part of him.
"But look at how hot you look." She pushed him closer to the full-length mirror, stepping back to admire her handiwork. "They make your legs and your butt look amazing."
"Try not to rape me," Kendall joked, turning slightly and gazing at his reflection. "Hmm . . . I do look a lot better. Do you think he'll pay more attention to me this way?"
"Who wouldn't pay more attention to you is a better question." She picked up the massive pile of button-down shirts she'd asked Kendall to bring up from his apartment. "Nope, no . . . ew, never, nope, eh . . ."
"Glad to see you appreciate my taste in clothing," Kendall scowled.
"There's nothing wrong with the ridiculously excessive amount of plaid you wear. It's just not suitable for this kind of occasion. Aha!" She picked up a pale blue shirt. "This one will look great!"
"You sure?"
"Absolutely! You've got a white wife beater, right? All guys should have one. You can wear that under it, and we'll leave these top few buttons undone . . ."
"I feel like I'm being set up for prostitution."
"Do you want James to love you or not?!"
Kendall's cheeks flushed. "I really do . . ."
"Good!" Camille replied, satisfied. "Now, take all these shirts back downstairs with you, and go take a shower, wash your hair and shit. Then put on what I told you to. I'll be downstairs in fifteen minutes, okay?"
"Okay." Kendall picked up the huge stack of shirts, smiling sweetly at her. "Thanks so much, Cam."
"Aww sweetie, don't mention it! It's all for the good of true love!" shw swooned, twirling around.
She's so strange, he couldn't help thinking to himself as he left Camille's apartment. But she's amazing too.
He took a shower and did as she asked, only towel-drying his hair a little before sitting on the couch and waiting for her to arrive. James, Logan and Carlos were nowhere to be seen. He wondered where they all were, and what they were doing. James was probably busy planning his stupid date with that stupid girl. Logan was probably reading somewhere, and Carlos . . . well, he never could tell with him. When he heard Camille knocking he went and let her in, smiling. "I'm ready in the clothes department. Well, except shoes."
"Just wear some vans, but make sure they're clean." She was holding a bag in her hand. "Come on, I've gotta take care of your hair."
"What are you gonna do with it?" Kendall asked slightly fearfully, hand on his head.
"Relax, I'm just gonna style it for you!" Camille rolled her eyes grabbing his arm and pulling him into his and Logan's room. "Now come on!"
Kendall sat obediently on the bed while she took out a hairdryer, a couple of combs and a hairbrush and some other things he didn't bother looking at. He shut his eyes as she got to work, the fan from the dryer whirring and giving him a bit of a headache. Why did it always have to be so loud . . .
After a while the noise stopped, but he decided to just keep his eyes shut as she continued to work on his hair. He had to admit, it felt kind of nice. Maybe this was why girls loved going to get their hair done or go to the spa and all that weird shit. It was kinda relaxing. Plus he hoped, by the end, he would look so fucking gorgous that James would have to love him, or else jump him. Maybe. He blushed at the thought.
Then he felt a sharp tug at this eyebrows and shrieked, eyes shooting open. "OW!"
"Shush!" Camille scolded. She was holding tweezers in her hand. "I need to fix up your eyebrows!"
"What's wrong with them?!"
"They're all messy and growing into the middle and I have to fix that! Relax, you'll still have your caterpillars. They'll just be neater caterpillars." And she went back to worth, jaw clenched in determination. Kendall whimpered and closed his eyes again. This part definitely wasn't fun.
What felt like hours later, Kendall was ready. Looking in the mirror, he had to admit that he felt great. He felt really 'hot, sexy, magnificent' as Camille put it, which wasn't something he felt often. When Camille left, he sat down in the living room and waited. He knew there was no point in going out to find James; he could've been anywhere. His best option was to wait for Logan or Carlos to come back and ask them if they knew anything about his whereabouts. It was now 5:30pm. He had a feeling James's date would be soon, he just didn't know exactly when. The brunette had never said anything specific.
Eventually, the door to the apartment opened and Kendall sat up, heart pounding. It was Logan and Carlos, walking in and chatting in loud voices. They stopped when they saw Kendall. "Wow," Logan whistled, chuckling. "You look great. Is there a lucky lady we should know about?"
"Not even slightly . . . Um." Kendall stood up, trying to act like his legs weren't shaking. "Do you know where James is? I wanted to talk to him about something."
Logan and Carlos both glanced at each other, smirking a little. Logan turned to Kendall and said, "He's on the roof."
"The roof? That's odd . . ."
"Well, you know James. Go up and see him, go on!" Carlos pushed Kendall towards the door.
"You two are acting weird!" Kendall called over his shoulder as he left the apartment. Shaking more than a little, he stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. He leaned back against the wall, letting out a deep breath. He just needed to focus. He had to say something today, or he probably never would. He could do it. Maybe. Once on the right floor, he headed up the stairs to the roof. He took a deep breath and opened the door, walking out. His jaw dropped, eyes wide.
It was starting to get dark out by now, but there were fairy lights and lanterns hanging across various posts and hooks around the roof. There was a picnic rug set out in the middle, with cushions and a folded up blanket. A picnic basket was in the middle of it. James stood next to it, turning around when he heard the door open. It was everything stupidly romantic and cheesy that Kendall had always claimed to hate. But right now he wanted nothing more than to be part of it. "Kendall," James greeted, walking towards him. "Wow, you're really dressed up."
"So are you," Kendall managed to reply. "I . . . is all this for your date?"
James nodded, smiling slightly. "Do you think she'll like it?"
"She'd be crazy not to . . ." Kendall sighed. "You must really like her."
"I really, really do."
"Okay . . ." Kendall felt embarrassed at how weak and pathetic he sounded. But he couldn't help himself. "I'll . . . I'll just get going . . ." He turned to go, but James grabbed his arm and kept him there.
"Kendall, why did you come up here?"
"I . . ." Kendall tried to step back again. "It doesn't matter, I don't wanna ruin your date . . ."
"Kendall, you could never ruin it," James reassured him, grabbing his other arm and pulling him forward to face him properly. "Please tell me."
Kendall closed his eyes, shaking his head. "I c-can't, not now . . . after seeing all this—"
"Kendall, please. I'm worried now, just tell me."
Kendall opened his eyes, looking up at James's concerned face. He was so handsome, for god's sake . . . "I l-like you."
"Huh?"
"I like you, a lot," Kendall blurted ou, cheeks red. "And I know, t-that you like this other girl and I'm sorry to tell you now but I needed to admit it before I exploded I just—"
"Shh." A large hand clamped over Kendall's mouth, silencing him. James smiled sweetly down at him. "Is that why you're all dressed up?"
Kendall gave a small nod.
"You look great, by the way. I love those jeans on you."
"Mmf?" Kendall's eyes widened slightly. He looked great?
James chuckled, hand still firmly over his mouth. "Listen, Kendall . . . the special girl is you."
"Mmff?!"
James nodded, looking a bit nervous. Which was a strange thing for him. "It was Logan's idea, him and Carlos have been helping me with it all day. I wanted to set up something special for you, so I could tell you how I felt . . ."
Kendall grinned up at him. Then realised James couldn't see his smile because his mouth was still covered. He pulled James's hand off with a huff and said, "I freaked out today when I heard. I got so jealous. That's why I went to Camille for help . . ." He gestured at his whole body with his hand and said, "That's where all of this came from. I decided today was the day to tell you, or I'd never manage it."
"Well, we both had great timing," James laughed, wrapping an arm around his lower back and pulling him closer. Kendall big his lip, knowing his cheeks had flushed again. He decided he didn't give two shits. Then he leaned in and gave James a quick, gentle kiss on the lips. It only lasted a second or two, but it turned his face hot and made him tremble a little at the knees. Maybe it was just because what he'd viewed as the impossible was finally happening; he was kissing James. Because James liked him back, and had set up this perfect night just for the two of them. And as if the moment couldn't get any cheesier, it honestly felt like he was in a dream.
"Come sit down," James said softly, taking his hand and leading him over to the picnic rug. They sat down together, James picking up the basket and opening it up to unpack everything. Kendall sat and watched him, smiling sweetly. He saw then, as James unpacked everything, that there was a selection of their favourite things. James offered Kendall a cupcake, giving him a sheepish grin.
Kendall laughed and took it. "Thanks."
"Just so you know, nothing in this picnic is remotely healthy."
"I'm perfectly okay with that."
They ate their junk food and chatted. Kendall found that even when they were on a date, as . . . boyfriends, maybe, it still felt like he was talking to his best friend. He was still so easy to talk to; he'd been worried it would feel different, maybe a bit awkward. But it was perfect. "So, when did this idea come to you?" Kendall asked as he sipped the glass of coke James had poured for him.
"Well, I've wanted to do something special as a confession for a while, I just couldn't think of an idea," James replied, packing the empty food containers back into the basket. "Plus, I wasn't sure if I would end up making a complete idiot of myself. So I went to Logan for help. And he told me something to get you riled up, like a jealousy test, would be a good way to go. And he guided me along."
"I'm surprised he hasn't dated more people, considering he seems to be so in tune with these things."
"Me too. But he's happy with Camille." James smiled shyly at Kendall, blushing slightly. It was a strange sight to see. "They've been in a steady relationship I guess, for a while now. I'd kind of like that with you . . ."
"I want that with you too," Kendall replied steadily, holding his hand. "It's definitely gonna be strange at first, but I've wanted it for a while."
James grinned, pressing their lips together. Kendall kissed him back happily, smiling too much for it to work very well. James's breath puffed out against his lips as he chuckled a little.
Eventually, as the sky darkened completely, James set out a couple of cushions and unfolded the blanket, lying back. Kendall watched him, biting his lip. James looked up at him and cocked an eyebrow, lifting a hand and beckoning him over.
"Come here." James waited until Kendall was tucked in comfortably against his chest before wrapping the blanket around them both, cuddling in the warmth. "Next weekend, I was thinking we could go on another date. Like, an actual planned one."
"Anything works for me," Kendall laughed, pressing his lips to his neck. "I'm just happy I'll be with you." As soon as he said it, he scrunched up his face and sighed. "God, that was so cheesy."
James smirked. "I like cheesy. But not as much as I like you."
Kendall giggled. "Okay, that was even cheesier."
"But you loved it."
"Yeah, I did . . ."
James tilted Kendall's chin up and pecked his lips. Kendall just knew he had the goofiest smile ever on his face, but he really didn't care. He was the happiest he'd felt in a while. And to think that morning, he'd been in the worst mood possible. Then he'd been determined to makes James his. But it turned out he wouldn't even have needed that. James had the exact same plan. They were each other's now.
Thank you to everyone who read this :) xxx