A/N—This is for the Major Event Challenge at the Plot Adoption Forum. The prompt was to write a story where a major event of some kind takes place, something that causes chaos. This probably isn't exactly what the moderators had in mind, but for me writing is an escape and I see so much sadness and fear every day lately that I couldn't bring myself to write something catastrophic. I needed it to be fun. But there is a major event and hopefully that's enough. If not, this just won't be part of the challenge. Either way, I enjoyed writing it so thanks for the prompt! I hope you guys enjoy it and thanks for reading! I'm looking forward to reading the other entries over the next week. :)

EDIT: This will not be included in the challenge, so if you're reading this just because of that you don't have to. Of course if you still want to, that's fine too!

And as always, thanks to my beta who always finds time to look over my work before I post (except the last chapter of "Make It So" because I didn't send it to her!). She catches my mistakes and I'm forever grateful to her.

Mr. X had been brutal today, forcing James and Logan to stay for an extra two hours of dance practice. To be fair, it hadn't been for James' benefit—Logan needed the more intense training because for all his brains, he couldn't seem to remember when to twist or slide or...well, anything related to dancing. When Mr. X asked one of them to stay behind and help coach Logan, Carlos suddenly had homework that was in dire need of getting done (ha, that was a joke). Kendall had hesitated, always willing to be helpful but torn because he had a date with Jo waiting. Did James really want to spend two more hours in the humid dance studio being yelled at by an overenthusiastic man with a foreign accent? No. But he knew Carlos was a lost cause and that Kendall was on his last strike with Jo, so he'd stepped up and sacrificed himself.

Now all he wanted was a shower and a few hours of mindless gaming before shoveling in whatever yummy dinner Mama Knight had planned for them. Actually, wasn't it Friday? Yes! That meant Fish Stick Friday! James' mood bumped up a couple of notches.

Logan walked through the door to 2J and stepped out of the way so James could enter. "After you." He was always holding the door for people and James thought that was weird—nice, but weird.

"Thanks, man. And I know Gustavo will never say it, but I'll tell you that you are getting better. You almost had it by the time we left."

Logan's face brightened for a second before falling again. "Yeah, almost being the key word there. You'd think that with all the useless trivia I have stored in my brain, I'd be able to memorize a dance routine."

"I think that's your problem, you're thinking of it like memorization. And it is, but it's more about listening to the song and knowing what move goes with each part of the song. Try not to think so hard about what comes next, but which move goes with—"

James halted at a loud yell from the down the hall. Logan stopped next to him, eyes wide as Kendall shouted, "Knock it off! I am so not in the mood for this!"

Carlos' voice came next. "You know I'm right! It's a matter of honor, dude!"

Katie emerged from the bathroom, taking in James and Logan frozen in the living room. She rolled her eyes. "Are they still at it?"

"What's going on?" Logan asked.

"I don't know, but they won't shut up. Something about Kendall was supposed to do something and didn't? Honestly, I don't care. I'm tired of listening to them fight. Someone text me when Mom gets back and starts dinner." She moved toward the front door.

James twisted back to watch her go. "Didn't Kendall have a date with Jo?"

"Oh yeah, don't mention that," Katie warned. She opened the door and added, "Not if you want to keep your head. He almost bit mine off when I asked about it. I think it's over."

Again. James barely held back an eye roll of his own; Kendall and Jo broke up every other week, it seemed. "Thanks for the heads up."

"Sure. See ya!"

With a last wave, Katie was gone. James and Logan looked at each other, the sound of raised voices floating to them. "Should we go rescue Carlos before he pushes it too far?" James sighed.

"He always does," Logan nodded. "And if Kendall's in a bad mood..."

Yeah, that wouldn't end well. James dropped his gym bag on the carpet and gestured for Logan to go first. "After you," he smirked.

"Why thank you, sir," Logan chuckled, knowing that James just didn't want to get caught in the crossfire of Kendall's rage. He braced himself and stepped closer to the room he shared with Kendall, James not far behind.

Carlos' tone had dropped at least a decibel. "I'm just saying, man, it's a matter of honor."

"It's not, it's a stupid game!" Kendall replied. He was pacing the bedroom as well as he could around two twin beds. Carlos was seated on the edge of Logan's mattress, gaze following each step.

"But you made a promise. It's in the rules, you have to do a dare!"

James wanted to groan. Logan did it for him. Were they really back to this? Carlos didn't know how to let something go, and no wonder Kendall was furious; after a fight with Jo, this was the last thing he needed. Carlos seemed to harp on this every time he got Kendall alone.

"Hey guys," Logan tried hesitantly. "How's it going?"

Kendall threw a glare his way. "Will you tell this asshole to just shut up about Truth or Dare and get off my back? Nobody cares, it's a stupid game!"

James would normally have taken Carlos' side on a matter as serious as the rules of Truth or Dare, but knowing what that dare had been, he was more inclined to agree with Kendall this time. "Carlos, it's been months. You have to let this go, it's not gonna happen."

"But it was his dare! Kendall's the one who taught us the rules all those years ago in the first place! Number one rule? If you choose dare, you have to do it. No exceptions!"

Logan pointed out, "I thought rule number one was that if you choose truth, you can't lie."

"Okay, fine, so it's rule number two. Whatever. Kendall, you know I'm right!"

"Whether you're right or wrong, I don't care!" Kendall yelled. "I'm not doing the stupid dare! Why would you even suggest something like that anyway?"

"Because that's how you play the game, dumbass. You find crazy things for people to do! Do you think I liked mooning Mrs. O'Leary at midnight while she was walking her dog? No, but I did it because James dared me to."

James snorted at that memory, which was one of his favorites. He was proud of that dare. And he kept quiet about it now, but he thought Carlos (who was always down to show off his ass) had liked doing it.

Carlos continued, "Since when are you one to back down, man? You never forfeit a game, you always accept a challenge."

"This is not a challenge," Kendall argued. "It's just dumb."

"Oh yeah? If it's that easy, why did you give up when I dared you? Why didn't you just do it? Are you scared?"

"Oh Lord," Logan whispered, knowing this was about to escalate.

Kendall had stopped pacing a minute ago. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, probably in an attempt to keep from decking Carlos. When he spoke, it was through his teeth. "You know that doesn't work on me."

"So if you're not scared, what's the problem? You know the rules. You get a dare, you have to do it. No exceptions."

"Yeah, except that the game took place over a month ago and you still won't let it go."

"No exceptions," Carlos repeated. "You're the one who took off that night and refused to continue. We can't play again until you take your turn. Right, Logan?"

All eyes were suddenly on Logan, who visibly squirmed. "Uh...what?"

"Tell him I'm right. You know the rules better than anyone."

James had to stifle a laugh. Was Carlos really deluded enough to think Logan would take his side over Kendall's? Ever? Logan never took his side. In fact, he'd been known at times to agree with James before Kendall, but never Carlos.

"Well, I uh...I mean..."

Kendall's brows rose. "You're not seriously taking his side. Logan, come on."

"Well...the rules do state that. He's not wrong." When Kendall's gaze turned murderous, Logan added in a high-pitched voice, "But maybe there's a loophole I don't know about." He cleared his throat and whipped out his phone to do a search.

"Oh my god, there's no loophole!" Carlos exclaimed. "Kendall, this is so stupid, I just want to play the game again! What's the big deal?"

Kendall didn't answer. As far as James was concerned, he didn't have to—it was a big deal and that was self-explanatory. Rather than address Carlos, Kendall said, "Logan? Loophole?"

"Uh...so the rules explicitly state that you can't change a dare to truth or vice versa. Not once the dare/question has been posed."

"Okay?"

"And..." Reluctantly, Logan added, "'No matter how embarrassing the dare was, you have to play it.' That's verbatim."

Kendall muttered a loud "Fuck!" while Carlos whooped in joy. "See, Kendall? I'm right! Will you just kiss James already and get it over with?"

James closed his eyes, willing the entire argument to disappear as if it never happened. Why had Carlos chosen him? Had he dared Kendall to kiss Logan, they probably wouldn't be having this conversation right now (or ever) because Kendall would've done it. James didn't know how he knew that, but he did. The problem wasn't so much kissing a guy, it was kissing him.

And while James himself had never considered kissing a dude before the dare, it still hurt that Kendall was so completely opposed to trying it with him once the opportunity was thrust upon them. He'd been told plenty of times that he was a great kisser, it was a source of pride for him. Kendall could certainly do a lot worse.

Carlos pleaded, "Come on, dude, I just want to play again. I miss the game!"

Kendall shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest before looking at Logan again. "Options?" Before Logan could answer, he added, "And you'd better not say I have none."

"Well," Logan started, "the truth is that the easiest way to make this all go away is to just do it. It's ten seconds of your life, Kendall."

"No. No, that's not an option." Fuming, Kendall started pacing again while running a hand through his hair. He halted suddenly and spun to face Logan. "Hang on. Is there a way to like...trade dares with someone? Can you take my dare now and then I take one of yours later?"

Logan's eyes grew round. "Uh, I'm not kissing James. Gross."

That was the last straw. James blew up. "Okay, I'm standing right here! What the hell is so wrong with me? I'll have you know that nine out of ten girls rated me a fantastic kisser on that app everyone's using now. And the one who didn't ended up being clinically psychotic. She's in jail now. So you know what? Fuck all of you, because you're missing out on the ride of your life."

With that, James stormed out of the room and into his own. He didn't need the abuse. He made sure to slam the door before throwing himself onto his bed. What did he care if Kendall didn't want to kiss him? Kendall was just a homophobic jerk like everyone else. Was James gay? No, not even close. But it would be nice to have the option to try something like that and see what all the fuss was about. There had to be a reason that gay couple in 4C was making out every second, right? They were practically glued at the lips.

It wasn't like he could go out and find someone either, because he was in a famous band and that kind of stuff got out. Gustavo would murder him for risking bad publicity. Carlos would never take it seriously, he found the notion hilarious. James thought Logan might've been at least curious enough to try it, since he liked to know about everything. But nope, apparently the idea of kissing him was "gross." In truth, if there was anyone who could be trusted to keep this a secret and who would be mature enough to give it a real chance, it was Kendall.

But Kendall turned out to be an insecure macho jerk. So...yeah. Whatever. James would just take his shower and play a game like he'd planned to. Let those assholes fight about it.

He got up and rooted through a dresser for clean boxers. He heard the door open behind him but ignored whoever it was (probably Carlos, coming in to complain about Kendall being a dick), and had chosen a comfy tee when his name was spoken softly.

"James?"

James' breath caught. It was Kendall. He hadn't even noticed the fighting had stopped. "What?" He didn't turn around, just kept hunting for a pair of sweats.

"Look, it's not..."

"Save it. I don't need your excuses." James shoved the drawer closed and spun around with fresh clothes in hand. "I get it, kissing a guy is weird. Whatever."

"I just wanted you to know it's not...I mean, it is, but..."

It's not but it is? Kendall was making no sense. "Just forget about it, okay? Carlos will get over it, or forget. Eventually."

"No, he won't. We both know that."

They did, but James was tired of thinking about it today. "Dude, I'm exhausted and just want to get clean and zone out on the couch playing Castle Smashers. I'm over this."

He tried to move past Kendall, who shifted to block his path. "We have to do it."

James froze, his heart leaping in his chest. He suddenly realized how close he was standing to Kendall and backed up. "What?"

Kendall rolled his eyes, obviously as tired of all of this as James was. "Logan's right. The only way it's gonna go away is to just...do it. I swear I won't like...you know." Kendall's cheeks flushed as he looked away. "Use tongue, or anything."

James was speechless. Now that Kendall had agreed to it, the idea seemed a thousand times more scary.

"They both swore they'd never tell anyone. And Carlos agreed not to film it after I threatened to break his fingers."

A reluctant laugh broke free. "You get his fingers, I'll handle his legs."

"Deal."

Kendall chuckled, and suddenly James could breathe again. This was going to be fine, it was Kendall. "Okay. I'll try not to make it too gross or anything."

"Oh my god, that was Logan who said that. Just...come on, let's fucking get this over with. And then never speak of it again."

James smirked. Kendall had no idea what he was in for, because nobody could kiss James and forget about it. He dropped the clothes on his bed and dragged Kendall by the hand out of his room and into the other. "Okay, here's how this is gonna go down. No cameras, no audio, and not a peep out of either of you. You get to watch but only because it's in the rules. And when it's done, it's done. You guys don't get to tease us about it for years, you tell no one, and you'd better make sure I never have a chance to dare you two in the future, because I am a man of vengeance."

Logan's jaw dropped. "This wasn't my idea! I had nothing to do with it!"

"Don't care," James replied. "Deal?"

Logan swallowed hard before sinking down next to Carlos. "Deal."

"All right!" Carlos clapped his hands together. "Finally!" He stared up in anticipation. "Let's do this!"

James turned to Kendall, who stepped closer and licked his lips. It was rare to see Kendall nervous. There was a tiny part of James that liked knowing he could put Kendall off his game.

"Wait, can he shower first?" Kendall suddenly asked. "No offense, dude, but you're rank."

"Hell, no!" Carlos called out. "Logan stinks too, but you don't see me whining about it." Logan looked hurt for a second until Carlos continued, "No more excuses. Just do it!"

"Sorry," James said, wrinkling his nose. "Try to hold your breath, I guess. Wait, is my breath okay?"

"James, stop stalling!"

"Hey, Kendall doesn't need to be subjected to that. No need to traumatize him even more. And I have a reputation to uphold."

"James, it's fine," Kendall assured him. "We'll just peck and be done with it."

"Nope," Carlos grinned. "Has to be for ten seconds."

Kendall accused, "You just made that up!"

Logan shook his head. "It was in the original dare. I remember. 'Kendall, I dare you to kiss James on the lips for ten seconds.'"

James met Kendall's eyes with a shrug, and Kendall sighed but acquiesced. "Let's just do this."

"I'll try to make it nice," James whispered. "I am a pro, after all." He winked.

The teasing got the desired result, Kendall rolling his eyes but for a second dropping his guard. James went for it then, when Kendall wasn't expecting it. He dove forward to lock lips, holding Kendall in place with hands on his biceps. Kendall gasped in surprise, giving James an opportunity to do what he'd never sworn not to—let his tongue dance with Kendall's. Kendall was too off balance to fight it, so James took advantage of the moment to put his skills to use.

He'd expected Kendall to enjoy it (most likely against his will), but what James wasn't ready for was the earth-shattering way his own body reacted. The ground seemed to move beneath him, sending shockwaves through his legs so strong he fell forward against Kendall, who fell back onto his bed. James followed, because no way in hell was he breaking that kiss before time was up. Time in fact stopped, even the sound of Carlos and Logan yelling seeming far away. Kendall's arms came up to wrap around James' neck, and that rule about him not using tongue? Right out the window. Kendall's tongue probed deeper so that James opened wider with a hum, and if Carlos or Logan called time he was going to punch them. Hard. His entire world was shaking in a way it never had before, not even with that hot girl from Miami who'd taught him a few things about kissing. Kissing Kendall was like being swallowed into a gaping hole of chaos and liking it.

Eventually the earth stopped moving and James paused for breath, but Kendall didn't let him go for long. Kendall sat up with James straddling his hips and kissed him harder, and this was what a kiss was supposed to feel like. James ignored Logan's instruction to stop, but that was okay because Kendall was ignoring it, too. Kendall didn't feel like he'd ever let go of James, and that was fine with him. They could just spend the rest of their lives kissing.

"Hey! Guys!" That was Carlos, annoying as always. "Guys, knock it off!"

But why? There was no reason to stop, not when Kendall's tongue was stroking his own in a way that made James think of Kendall stroking him elsewhere.

Logan finally dragged James away, enough that there was six inches between him and Kendall. "Guys!"

Kendall's eyes were glazed over. "I swear I felt the earth move," he murmured. "Holy shit, James."

James nodded; he'd felt it, too.

"That's because we had an earthquake, you assholes!" Carlos yelled. "What the hell, how did you not feel that?! Logan's study lamp fell off the desk and broke! Kendall, your hockey awards are all over the floor!"

It was like waking from a dream. James blinked, Kendall still very much awake under him, and looked around. "What?"

"You guys didn't feel that?!" Logan asked in disbelief. "The shaking? I thought all my books were going to fall off the shelf!"

Reality returned suddenly. Kendall shoved James off him and stood up to take in the damage, which was minimal, thank God. "Are you guys okay? Everyone okay?"

"We're fine, just...damn, that must've been some kiss!"

Carlos wasn't wrong.

"I need to call Katie." Just then Kendall's phone rang. He answered quickly after looking at the display. "Mom! Where are you? Are you okay? How bad was it?"

Logan answered that question, having looked up the information in record time. "5.9. Not too bad, but the epicenter was close enough that we felt it pretty good." He tossed his phone to the bed. "You know, as much as I love California, I could do without these earthquakes. They really shake me up." He realized what he'd said and cringed when Carlos laughed. "That's not what I meant."

"Aww, is baby Logan scared of a little earthquake?"

"Oh shut up, who was holding on to me while it was going on? Let's just hope that wasn't a foreshock for something bigger. Now help me pick up this stuff."

James watched them get to it. The earthquake had taken their minds off that kiss, hopefully forever. He didn't need them asking questions about it or teasing him for the fact that it went on much longer than necessary. Kendall was busy talking to Katie now (who had interrupted the call with Mama Knight), and James thought this a good moment to slip away unnoticed. Maybe Kendall would forget, too, and not question him about the obvious enjoyment he'd taken in what was supposed to be a hardship.

He returned to his bedroom for the clean clothes and then made his way to the bathroom. Time alone was exactly what he needed.

The shower was on and James had stripped to boxers by the time a knock came at the door. It was probably Logan or Carlos wanting to pee before he got in, but he hoped it was Kendall. Of course if so, it might just be Kendall wanting to confirm that they never spoke of the kiss again, but...

He braced himself and opened the door. Kendall stood in the hall, nervous again. "Hey. You okay?"

"Yeah. Barely felt it. You?"

"Same. Just uh...making sure."

"Thanks. Katie and your mom?"

"They're fine. Katie's down by the pool. Mom's on her way back, but she'll be at least thirty minutes."

"Good. And um...Jo?"

Kendall blinked a few times. "Jo. I never even thought to call her."

James nodded, finding that more interesting than it should've been. "Well. You probably should."

"Yeah."

James waited, sensing that there was more Kendall wanted to say. Nothing came. "Okay, I'm gonna get back to my shower. Since I'm so rank," he teased.

"Sorry about that," Kendall chuckled.

"Don't be, it's true. See you in a few."

"Right."

James waited again. Nothing. He nodded at Kendall once and closed the door, letting out a breath. So they weren't going to talk about it. That was for the best. The harder part would be not thinking about it.

He got as far as tugging on the waistband of his boxers before the door slammed open, and this time Kendall came in and kicked it shut behind him. Hands bookmarked James' face to keep him from moving so that Kendall could dive in again, tongue searching James' mouth for something he'd gotten a taste of and decided it wasn't enough. Relieved, James returned the favor.

He had no idea where this would take them or how many problems it might cause in the future, but at the moment he really didn't care. The earth was moving again, and nothing else mattered.