Author's Note:
The Perfect Gift: Cargan
Logan loved the Christmas season, even if he gave up on religion; he still loved the holiday season. He remembered the Christmas after his father died, it didn't feel right and it felt wrong to be happy if his father wasn't there. His mom tried to get Logan out of his room, but gave up after she stopped getting a response from her son. She understood his reluctance to be happy; she didn't feel like celebrating a holiday without her husband. He only passed away less than a month ago, a drunk driver hit him on his way home from work.
Instead of opening her presents, from Logan obviously, she baked some cinnamon rolls. If Logan didn't come out for the rolls then she wouldn't be able to get him out of his room. When she knocked on his door, all she heard was a mumbled sentence about how he wasn't hungry. Sighing and deciding that he needed to be alone for a while, she heard the doorbell ring and set the plate in front of his door.
"Hello Mrs. Mitchell! Is Logan done opening his presents?" Carlos asked with a wide grin. His grin didn't fade when she informed him about Logan's actions.
"I don't know what I can do to help. He won't answer me most of the time. He won't even eat Carlos, I am really scared that he might do something." Carlos just hugged her before asking if he could try. She nodded and Carlos bounded down the hall, yelling loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear.
"LOGAN! IF THAT DOOR IS LOCKED THEN I AM BUSTING IT DOWN!" When Carlos turned the knob, he was surprised to find it unlocked. Walking into the dark blue room always made Carlos shiver, he never liked the color of Logan's bedroom walls. Logan said it was easier for him to sleep in complete darkness, so the walls were a must.
"Logan? Buddy?" Carlos asked in a much quieter voice. He got inside, that's further than his mom got.
"What Carlos?"
"It's okay. We don't think any less of you if you're not feeling like celebrating. It's normal to grieve. Do you remember when my Gran-Gran passed away when we were freshmen?" Logan was sitting on his bed, staring at the photo of his family that sat on the dresser across from his bed. Carlos was sitting right next to him on his bed, staring at the same picture. Instead of getting a response, all Carlos got was a single nod.
"Well I went through the same thing. I didn't feel like doing anything, but you told me 'She is always with you, regardless of where you go. Love never dies.' It's the same thing here. Your dad may be gone, but his love for you remains." Logan felt a tear roll down his cheek, and a thumb brush it away, Carlos' thumb. Carlos placed a small box wrapped with brown paper in Logan's hand, whispering the words 'Open it.'
Logan tore into the paper and found a small metal statue of a shield. Carlos then explained what it was. The shield is meant to protect the hurt, lost, and anyone else who needs protection or assistance.
"As long as you have the shield nothing can hurt you. And if it does, then it will have to deal with me." Carlos said before pulling Logan into a tight hug.
Logan remembered the day as he held the shield in his hand and smiled. Ever since that day, Carlos always came over on Christmas, to make sure Logan was okay. And now that they were living in the same apartment, Logan didn't have to worry about Carlos walking the three mile distance in the harsh Minnesota snow.
Carlos had a problem on his hands as he paced back and forth in the room he and James shared. He didn't know what Logan would want for Christmas. Last year Carlos got him the medical book that he had been eying the month before. Since then Logan couldn't be seen without that book, ever. Now Carlos was out of gift ideas. Kendall and James were easy to shop for, anything about hockey and hair/skin care would work. But Logan wasn't that easy, he had different likes, some of them went above Carlos' head.
Carlos tried making a list but instead of writing gift ideas, he just doodled little stick figures in random situations. He left his room and saw Logan sitting on his bed holding the shield statue. Continuing down the hall and into the living room, he saw Mrs. Knight baking cookies.
"What's wrong Carlos? You look like a lost little kitten." Mrs. Knight said placing the cookie filled cookie tray into the oven. Mrs. Knight then began washing the dishes she used, keeping an eye on Carlos as he sat on the stool and leaned on the bar.
"I can't think of anything to get Logan. I ran out of ideas." Carlos groaned before burying his face into his arm. Mrs. Knight laughed before splashing a few small drops of water at Carlos.
"You and Logan are best friends; anything you get him will be fine. He will love it because it came from you." Carlos thanked Mrs. Knight for the advice and headed to the mall, he wasn't leaving the mall until he found a gift. He passed a bookstore, clothing store, and jewelry shop, all things that Logan either had enough of or wouldn't like. Wandering through the mall Carlos tried to think of something that would make Logan really happy, but instead he couldn't think of anything. That was until he walked into a small store in the back of the mall. The cashier gave him a strange look, but Carlos didn't care, he would look around in case he found something Logan would like. Weird items and different shaped objects lined the walls, most of which Carlos didn't know were for.
"Do you need any help finding something?" a person asked while they placed more items on the shelf.
"I am looking for a gift for a friend." Carlos said as he stared at the items being placed on the shelf. Bright and vibrant colors caught Carlos' attention, but nothing that he would think Logan would like.
"A 'friend' huh? Well, what does your friend like? Is he a pitcher or catcher?" the employee asked Carlos before deconstructing a box and opening another. Carlos thought about what Logan was. In hockey Logan was the goalie, so in a way that made him a catcher, right?
"A catcher, I guess. Does it make a difference?" The stock boy just smiled and handed something to Carlos from the box.
"Trust me, it makes all the difference. This will make your 'friend' very happy." Carlos thanked the guy who helped him and paid it at the front register. Walking back to the exit where he entered the mall from, Carlos noticed that people were staring at him. Most of their faces were in shock, while a few gave him a smile.
Christmas Morning
Logan heard Carlos yelling about Santa and presents. When he looked at the clock he noticed that it was 5 in the morning. Groaning, Logan got out of bed and practically dragged Carlos back into his bed, telling him that the presents will still be there in a few hours. He noticed James had headphones on, along with Kendall as soon as he returned to his room. Why didn't Logan get the memo?
Carlos couldn't sleep, so instead he walked into Logan's room and poked Logan. He motioned for the taller teen to follow him.
"Carlos, its 5:05 in the morning. Presents can wait for a little more, okay?" Logan turned to walk back to his room but Carlos grabbed his hand.
"Wait, I want to give you this now. I don't want you to be sad in front of everyone else if you don't like it." Carlos said handing him a brown wrapped box. Logan sighed and opened the present, his eyes growing as he read the box. 'So close to being the real thing!' Logan nearly fainted when he realized what Carlos bought.
"You don't like it. Do you?" Carlos said with tears growing in his eyes. Logan didn't say anything, he was still in shock from the contents of the present. When Logan heard sniffling, he quickly did the one thing that he thought would fix the situation. He kissed Carlos. Now it was Carlos' turn to freeze, since when was Logan into him, and why didn't he do something sooner.
"Mistletoe and I love the gift. But I really wanted you for Christmas Carlos, so would you be my present?" Logan asked and smiled when Carlos nodded. They went back to Logan's room, to sleep until it was time to open the rest of the presents.
"Logie?" Carlos asked snuggling closer to Logan.
"Yeah?"
"There wasn't any mistletoe where we were standing."
"No there wasn't Carlos. I just needed an excuse to kiss you."
Logan decided that this would always be the best Christmas he ever had, even if he would have to explain to Carlos what those kinds of 'gifts' were. He didn't care that he got one, because it came from Carlos, he just didn't want to have anyone else know what he got.
A/N: Yes, Carlos is that naïve to not know what kind of shop that was. And if you don't know what kind it was, then ask someone else, because I am not going to explain it that would be awkward. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Have a nice day and Happy Holidays!
_RAY_