Hello, lovely peeps! :) I'm finally back with a new story! I had a lot of fun writing this, so I hope you enjoy it :)

This is NOT slash! I reread this story many times and used spell check, but I apologize in advance for any spelling errors that may still be present.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own...anything.

"All right, you guys behave, okay?" Mrs. Knight ordered as she pulled Carlos, Logan, James, and Kendall into a bone-crushing group hug.

Kendall squirmed away and straightened his shirt, "We will, Mom. You and Katie go have fun - we'll be fine." Kendall reassured, patting his mother's shoulder with affection.

"You two should head out before we get the rain everyone is predicting, Mama Knight." Logan suggested as he warily glanced out the window at the darkening sky.

Mrs. Knight and Katie nodded in agreement with the raven-haired boy, and gathered their duffel bags. After blowing several dozen embarrassing kisses and muttering something about remembering to brush their teeth, Mama Knight and Katie left apartment 2J.

Kendall stood in the kitchen, subtly chewing on his lower lip, unable to ignore the feeling of worry that was in the pit of his stomach. Mrs. Knight and Katie were going to drive to San Jose for the weekend for some overdo mother-daughter bonding time. The boys had rehearsal that night, and then had Saturday and Sunday off. How much trouble could they get into? They were four, sixteen year-old boys - perfectly capable of taking care of each other for two and a half days…right?

Later

All four of the boys couldn't contain a wince as Gustavo's outraged voice reached their ears before they were even in his office. "DOGS. STUDIO. NOW." the whisper-challenged man bellowed.

"You guys ready for this?" James groaned as they made their way to the studio. The other three boys nodded wearily. In six hours from now, they'd be back at the crib.

Three hours later

"Elevate a little higher! Let's throw a party in the sky and cele-" James' vocals suddenly trailed off and five pairs of eyes turned his way.

"JAMES. No stopping, we have a WORLD TOUR coming up and we can't afford any screw ups!" Gustavo reprimanded. When neither the man, red with fury, nor the three other boys received an answer, Logan peered over Carlos's shoulder at the tall brunette.

James was holding his microphone loosely in his hand and staring at the carpet, swaying slightly.

"James?" Logan gently whispered.

Suddenly, a deafening clap of thunder shook the studio, causing everyone to nearly jump out of their skin.

James' head snapped up, his hazel orbs wide with sudden fear. "I-I'll be right back." he stuttered as he bolted out of the studio, his long legs aiding in his quick escape.

The other three boys stood as still as statues, completely dumbfounded as they watched James run off. Several seconds of eerie silence followed before Logan spoke up, "I'll go check on him." he announced.

Carlos and Kendall merely nodded, their mouths still open with shock. And Gustavo and Kelly raised one eyebrow at each other, seemingly unable to do anything else.

"James?" Logan called out, opening the bathroom door to check for his friend. The future doctor sighed in sympathy as he saw James kneeling before the "white throne" as he emptied the contents of his stomach - Lucky Charms, to be specific.

"James, buddy, you okay?" Logan asked, grimacing at how stupid the question was. James took a shuddering breath and rested his sweat-soaked forehead against the toilet seat, shaking his head no.

Logan knelt down in the bathroom stall and placed his hand on James' back, unsure of how to comfort his sick friend. "I don't feel good." James croaked and leaned forward to flush the toilet with one finger, scrunching up his nose in disgust.

Logan reached up and rested his hand across James' forehead.

James shied away from Logan's hand, "Dude." he whined in irritation.

Logan's uniquely expressive eyebrows furrowed as he took his hand off of James. "You're feeling really warm, James. I think we should get home". James shrugged, using the stall door as an anchor to get himself off of the floor.

"Gustavo's never going to let us go home 3 hours early, Logan." James stated, whipping out his lucky comb and fixing his sweaty bangs.

Logan rolled his eyes at James' self-pampering. He can't be that ill then, thought Logan."No, but Kelly might be able to talk him into it. Come on, let's go." Logan replied, gently ushering James away from the mirror and down the hall.

The sick brunette sighed and stuffed his lucky comb back into the pocket of his jeans, following his friend back to the studio.

Kendall was worriedly pacing the room, his arms crossed, and his infamous thick eyebrows furrowed in thought and worry. Carlos was standing by the window in the lounge, his helmet pressed against the glass as he innocently watched the rain pour down. Kendall walked towards Logan and James the second he saw them, his long legs getting him to his two friends in three strides. "Hey, you okay?" Kendall questioned worriedly, reaching out and resting his hand on James' broad shoulder.

"He's getting a fever, Kendall. I think he might be getting some sort of flu. We should go home." Logan said, answering for his ill comrade. James lowered his chocolate gaze to the floor, his cheeks, already naturally pink, turning red from all of the attention.

Carlos, who had stealthily made his way to his three friends, piped up, "James, you're not feeling good?" Carlos asked.

Kendall eyebrows furrowed even more (which no one thought was humanly possible) as he saw Carlos's huge brown eyes gaze up at James with anxiety. Carlos worried…a lot, which was the last thing Kendall and Logan needed on top of James possibly coming down with a flu.

"He'll be okay, Carlitos." Kendall answered, looping his arm around the young Latino's shoulders to comfort him.

"Gustavo?" Logan called out, motioning towards the studio window so he would come out.

"What?" Gustavo answered angrily, coming out of the sound booth.

"We need to go home. James is getting really sick. Besides, the weather is getting nasty." Kendall explained, never failing to be Big Time Rush's fearless leader.

Gustavo's face turned red with fury once again and he opened his mouth to yell, but was stopped short when Kelly slapped him upside the head with her clipboard. "OW." Gustavo whined loudly.

"Let them go. There will be no world tour if James ends up in the hospital." Kelly ordered.

At the word "hospital", James suddenly became alert, his eyes widening to the size of golf balls.

Logan slapped his palm against his forehead with frustration, "Thanks, Kelly." he said sarcastically.

"Hospital? Wh-what? No, no, no, I am NOT going to the hospital!" James screeched, his voice going up several octaves as he stomped his foot.

Kendall put his hands up defensively, "No, you're not going to the hospital tonight. We'll go home and get you feeling better, so we don't have to take you to a doctor. Okay?" Kendall comforted. James' lips formed a deep pout, but he nodded and stayed silent.

"FINE. Go home, and make sure James doesn't get too sick." Gustavo complied, and then proceeded to stomp back to his office. Kendall nodded towards Kelly, silently thanking her before she walked off after Gustavo.

"All right, let's go home, guys." Kendall sighed, wrapping one arm around James' waist, both as a source of comfort and physical support.

Logan shoved open the door to apartment 2J, stumbling as the distribution of James' weight was thrown off by his movement. James wasn't heavy, per say, but he was pretty much twice the size of Logan. Kendall, being built somewhat like a green bean, was struggling as well with James' dead weight. "Come on, James. You need to help us just for a few more feet." panted Logan.

James groaned, his feet dragging against the floor as they made their way to the bedroom. Carlos trailed behind them, unable to help much since he had a corndog in each hand already. Kendall's foot caught on the hallway area rug, and he let out a high-pitched yelp as the three of them swayed, nearly crashing into a dresser. Logan and Kendall promptly tossed James onto his bed, extremely unceremoniously, and slid down the wall with exhaustion.

"Lay off the extra pie for a while, okay, James?" Kendall breathed.

James moaned, rolling onto his back, and tugging at his shirt. "I'm not comfy, guys." he feverishly complained. Kendall exhaled deeply and tiredly got to his feet once again.

"Okay, let's get you changed then." Kendall offered, waltzing over and helping James out of his top button-up shirt. Kendall slipped James' arms out of the shirt and tugged it off, throwing it into a nearby pile of laundry. "Better?" Kendall asked.

James shook his head, fumbling with his belt and beginning to undo his jeans with shaking fingers. Kendall rolled his eyes, completely uncomfortable with the unfortunate situation. Logan sighed and rubbed his hand over his eyes, knowing that he was going to have to help.

Within a few short minutes, Kendall and Logan got James situated in a simple tank top and his flannel, checkered pajama pants.

"Is there anything else we can do?" Logan asked, kneeling by the side of the bed and feeling James' forehead. Logan recoiled, grimacing at the unnatural warmth of his friend's tan skin. "His fever's getting worse." Logan stated.

Kendall put his hands on his hips and sighed, "What…what should we do? Should I call Mom?" he asked, completely flustered.

"No, that's okay, don't bother Mama Knight quite yet. We can handle this. Why don't you go get a cool, damp towel and the Tylenol from the bathroom." Logan said. Kendall nodded and practically ran from the room to do just that.

"I'll be right back, bro." Logan reassured, patting James' leg, which elicited a groan from the ill boy.

Logan exited the bedroom, nearly head-butting Carlos in the doorway. "How is he?" Carlos innocently asked, fiddling with his helmet straps.

"He's really sick, Carlitos. But, he'll be okay. I think until he gets better, you should come stay in the bedroom with Kendall and I, so you don't get sick, too." Logan suggested, and Carlos nodded.

"What can I do to help?" Carlos asked, throwing on his helmet and patting it, ready for anything Logan needed him to do.

"Uh…" Logan thought about this for a minute, unsure about handing over any medical tasks over to Carlos. "Um, Kendall and I are going to get James comfy, so why don't you make some dinner? Your pick." Logan said, smiling at the enthusiastic grin that spread across Carlos's face. Carlos nodded rapidly and sped off at an inhuman speed.

"I put Carlos in charge of dinner, just warning ya." Logan said as Kendall came back into the bedroom.

Kendall laughed, "Great".

Logan knelt beside James' bed, "James? Buddy, I need you to take these pills." he said, holding out his hand to reveal the two Tylenol that Kendall had given him.

James fluttered his long, dark eyelashes before looking over at Logan with his feverishly bright eyes. "Fine." he whispered, letting Logan set the pills on his tongue and hand him a cup of water.

"Okay, good." Logan praised, taking the cup of water from James after he had swallowed the pills. "Now just get some rest, okay?" he said, patting James' shoulder as the sick boy nodded.

Kendall frowned down at his bedridden friend and adjusted the blankets around James' shoulders. The green-eyed boy watched James sympathetically before gently and shyly running his hand down the side of James' face. "Get some sleep, bro." Kendall murmured, before leaving with Logan to go face whatever Carlos had whipped up for dinner.

"Kendall."

"Kendall?"

"Kendall!"

THWACK!

"WHAT?" Kendall tiredly exclaimed, tossing the offending pillow off of his face and sitting upright on the bed. Logan was standing beside his bed, raven-colored hair standing on end as he looked at Kendall with a completely annoyed expression. Kendall glanced over at Carlos, who was snoring in his nest on the floor like there was no tomorrow.

"What's wrong?" Kendall groaned, running his hand through his hair and widening his eyes as he came in contact with a clump of it that was standing straight up.

"James is getting worse. I called Mama Knight, she's going to be here tomorrow afternoon." Logan replied, guilt evident in his sleep-thickened voice.

Kendall sighed and threw back the covers, standing up with little balance. "Okay. Thanks, Logan. Why don't you get some sleep, I'll take over with James for awhile." he suggested, lovingly patting his crestfallen friend's shoulder.

Logan merely nodded, crawling into Kendall's bed instead of his own since it was already warm. Kendall stumbled through the bedroom, thankfully avoiding stepping on Carlos as he made his way to James' bedroom.

"James?" Kendall asked softly, stepping in to the dark room and closing the door behind him.

"Kendall?" came the muffled reply.

Kendall weaved around furniture and made his way over to sit on the bed with James. "What's wrong, dude?" Kendall asked sympathetically, situating himself cross-legged beside James.

"I-I don't feel good." James replied, complete misery in his voice. Kendall sighed, and laid down beside James so he could face him.

"What's bothering you?" Kendall asked, reaching out to give James' hand a gentle squeeze.

"My body hurts and I'm cold, but Logan said I could only have one blanket." James complained, rolling onto his side to make eye contact with his blonde friend. Kendall frowned as James looked at him, his bright hazel eyes looking incredibly sad. "I really, really don't feel good." James confessed, his voice breaking.

Kendall bit his lower lip, feeling his heart break into pieces as James began to sob uncontrollably. "Oh, James." Kendall whispered, at a loss for words. "Come here." Kendall said, throwing the rules of manliness aside as he wrapped his arms around James.

The brunette threw them aside, as well, as he let himself be pulled into Kendall's long arms. "It's okay, bro. We'll get you feeling better soon." Kendall soothed, threading his fingers through James' sweat-soaked hair as he cried into his shoulder.

Kendall squeezed his eyes shut, the sound of his friend sobbing making him want to burst into tears, too. The worst part was that James wasn't even snapping at Kendall for messing up his hair. "You're all right, James." Kendall reassured, moving his hand down to rub James' shoulder, wincing as his fingertips came in contact with James' scorching hot skin.

James sobbed for a good ten minutes, leaving Kendall an exhausted mess by the time James fell asleep - still engulfed in Kendall's arms. Kendall exhaled deeply as James began to snore softly, but he kept his arms around his ill friend. Closing his eyes, he gently tightened his arms around James, the close contact bringing comfort to himself, as well.

"You're gonna be okay." Kendall whispered, not caring that James probably couldn't hear him. Kendall carefully tugged the small blanket up and over the two of them, gently settling James in the crook of his arm. James shifted slightly, resting his warm, flushed cheek against Kendall's shoulder and snuggling against his friend as if he were a stuffed animal. Kendall sighed and gingerly brushed James' bangs to the side, happy that he was comfortable and finally getting some sleep. Maybe, just maybe, the two of them could have a peaceful night.

"Kendall? Kendall, wake up, I'm scared."

Kendall slowly opened his eyes, wincing as it felt like sand had been thrown into them. Carlos was standing beside the bed in his pajamas, his helmet tucked under his arm, and his brown eyes large with fear. Kendall shifted James in the crook of his arm, briefly wondering why both of them were damp.

The blonde leader opened his mouth to ask why Carlos was scared, but his question was answered by a deafening clap of thunder, quickly followed by a blinding flash of lightening. Carlos jumped a foot, a small "meep" of fear escaping his lips.

"The storm is getting worse." Carlos exclaimed, his voice nearly drowned out by the sound of the pouring rain.

"Carlos…" Kendall began to explain that he couldn't fix the rain, but he was interrupted as the power suddenly shut off, the entire apartment going black. Carlos screamed, and James shot up into a sitting position along with Kendall.

"Wh-what happened?" breathed James, clutching his chest as his heart pounded in his ribcage.

"Power went out because of the storm." came a reply from the doorway. Suddenly, a small amount of light appeared, illuminating the bedroom - and Logan along with it. Logan set the flashlight upright on the dresser, keeping the room dimly lit as he made his way to his three friends.

By now, Carlos was lying on his stomach at the end of James' bed, his arms covering his head, and nothing but a tuft of soft black hair reassuring Logan that it actually was Carlos. James' head was buried against Kendall's shoulder as the blonde kept he and James sitting upright.

"Why are you all wet, James?" Logan asked confusedly, sitting on the edge of the bed and resting his hand on James' forehead.

To Kendall and Carlos's surprise, Logan smiled and sighed in relief. "Okay. The good news is that your fever broke. The bad news is that you need to get out of those clothes and sheets. You, too, Kendall." Logan said, and Kendall nodded. The four boys couldn't contain a wince as another clap of thunder shook the apartment and a flash of lightening eerily illuminated all of their figures.

"How are you feeling otherwise, James?" Kendall asked, his arm still around James' shoulders, holding him close to his side.

"I'm really tired, and everything still hurts." James truthfully answered, his voice holding an unusual innocence and fear.

"Okay, we can fix this. Carlitos? Go get some fresh pillows and blankets from the cabinet in Mama Knight and Katie's room." Logan gently ordered, and the Latino left to do just that at El Hombre Del Flaming Rock Man's speed.

"Kendall, you go get some fresh clothes for you and James while I strip the bed." Logan said, shooing Kendall out of the bed and helping James stand on shaky legs.

"Just stay right there for a sec, dude." Logan said to James, helping him steady himself against the wall.

Within an impressively short amount of time, James and Kendall were changed into fresh pajamas, James' bed was stripped of all sweaty sheets, and a gigantic nest of blankets and pillows was set up in Logan and Kendall's bedroom. Kendall and Carlos had worked together to move the beds into the corner, clearing almost the entire bedroom floor to build the nest.

"Hey, Logan, look what I found!" Carlos excitedly exclaimed, handing his raven-haired friend six flash lights.

Logan smiled, happily accepting them, "Where did you find these, Carlos?" he asked.

Carlos shrugged, "I found Mama Knight's emergency kit." he stated.

Logan raised his eyebrows, completely unaware that Mama Knight owned an emergency kit.

Kendall came into the bedroom, gingerly supporting most of James' weight as the brunette tiredly sagged against him. Logan and Carlos worked quickly, setting up all of their flashlights in different corners, brightening the room considerably.

"Okay, there we go." Kendall said as he gently lowered James into the abyss of plush blankets that Carlos had arranged on the floor. James let out a sigh of content as he fell into the nest, exhaustion nearly taking over immediately.

"We good?" Carlos asked Logan, turning on the last flashlight.

"We're good." Logan confirmed, giving his friend a triumphant high-five.

Logan, Kendall, and Carlos all jumped into the nest beside James, sighing as they snuggled underneath the warm blankets and pillows. The four boys were fast asleep before they could even say "goodnight".

That next morning, Mrs. Knight came rushing into apartment 2J like a chicken right out of a coop, ready to deal with disaster. Poor Katie trailed behind her, carrying all of their bags and looking completely harassed. Mrs. Knight went straight to James and Logan's bedroom, frowning as she saw that it was completely empty…and completely messy.

Confused, Mrs. Knight tried Kendall and Carlos's bedroom, her expression softening as she was met with the sight of all four boys asleep, snuggled against each other in a gigantic nest.

"Aww." Mrs. Knight whispered, tiptoeing over and kneeling beside the blankets. She leaned over, pressing an affectionate kiss to each of their foreheads and straightening the blankets around their shoulders. Mrs. Knight reached over Logan to brush James' bangs off of his face, happy with how cool his skin felt beneath her fingertips. She'd known that the boys would take good care of James.

Mrs. Knight got off of the floor and began to leave, stopping in the doorway to gaze at the sleeping friends once more. Carlos was curled up in a ball between Logan and Kendall, who had one arm around each of them, and James was asleep snuggled against Kendall's other side. They looked ridiculously content and cute. Mrs. Knight quietly closed the door and smiled to herself, she really did have the most precious boys on earth.

Thanks for reading! Reviews would be greatly appreciated! =) Happy Monday!