Chapter Text
He’s alone in a well lit room. It’s the first thing James notices.
He isn’t exactly sure where he is though and makes his way around looking for clues. The room is sparsely decorated, a rose pink chaise lounge rests against the wall with a variety of clothes piled on it. And against the other wall, a vanity covered with more beauty products than James currently had on his own bathroom sink.
James walks over to the vanity to inspect the products more closely, reading the various labels stating “New and Improved Formula”, “No more split ends”. He’s never seen these brands in his life, which for someone who is as look conscious as James, should be weird. He brushes those thoughts aside when he catches a look at himself in the full length mirror by the vanity.
And okay, the situation just keeps getting weirder. He’s still himself, which fills him with relief, but he’s dressed in the most formal looking tuxedo he’s ever seen. He slowly approaches the mirror, turning this way and that and admiring the way the color of the tux compliments his tanned skin.
He continues his inspection, dragging his fingers over the purple silk tie clasped around his throat and the cuff links that catch the light on his wrists. He’d always looked good in that color, he thinks. He makes a mental note to add more purple into his wardrobe whenever he gets back from what’s going on here.
Whatever the situation is, James does take some comfort in the fact that he still took time to look his best. He’d always felt like he could manage a situation better if he could dazzle people with a smile and a flick of his perfectly styled hair.
His momentary preening in front of the mirror is cut short when there is a curt knock at the door.
In drifts a voice muffled through the heavy wooden door, “Are you decent?”
And James can’t help himself when he replies, “Morally no, but if you’re asking “Am I wearing pants?’ then yes.
He hears a sigh on the other side of the door, and James tries to bite back his smile. The door swings open on it’s hinges and reveals Kendall, also dressed in very formal attire.
And god, James hadn’t been this excited to see the tall blonde since they were thirteen and he stood up for him, telling his mother Brooke that there was no way she was going to cut James’ hair. His signature flippy hair had been saved for another day and Kendall had gained James' appreciation for the rest of his life.
Now Kendall stands in the same small room and James feels so happy he could cry, making his way over to the man and locking his arms tightly around his neck.
“You have no idea how happy I am to see you.” He pulls back from Kendall before gesturing to the rest of the room. “I’m having the weirdest day.”
Kendall shoots him a confused look, glancing all over James’ face. “Did you really think I would miss something as important as this?”
Something important as this? What exactly was this? And why couldn’t he remember?
His worry must have been written clear on his face because he notices Kendall stand a little taller, and go into what James’ and the other boys would describe as his leader mode. It was a mode he reserved solely for times where he had to step up and make sure everything was going to go fine.
He reaches forward placing his hand in the crook of James’ elbow, ushering him out of the room. “Look I know how stressful this is, but you can’t get cold feet now.” Kendall is looking earnestly at him, as he leads him down the maze of hallways. “I promise that I’ll be standing by your side through all of this, so don’t worry.”
He takes a quick glance at his watch before he picks up the pace, “We have to hurry though because the ceremony starts soon, and the wedding coordinator will have a hissy fit if I’m not in my spot.”
Cold feet. Ceremony. Wedding Coordinator. All of these words ping in James mind in rapid succession. The whole world seems a little muffled as he comes to terms with this new information.
He’s getting married today.
He’s getting married today and he doesn’t even know the girl's name.
James is pulled from his thoughts for what feels like the umpteenth time today when he and Kendall make an abrupt stop in front of a pair of huge double doors.
In front of them stands Mama Knight who has her back turned toward them attempting to fix a strand of Katie’s hair. From where he stands, it looks like a losing battle as the young girl fidgets and tries to avoid the adjustments.
The sound of footsteps alerts the two of Kendall and James' presence and they turn around to face them.
Mama Knight’s eyes instantly fill with tears as she makes her way in front of James, admiring him. He feels his cheeks flush under the attention, suddenly feeling bashful under her watchful eye.
Kendall thankfully breaks the mood, “You can’t start crying now mom, the photographer will kill you if you walk down that aisle with your mascara running.”
“I can’t help it.” She sniffles, and begins waving her hand in front of her eyes trying to keep her tears at bay. She then looks up at James smiling. “I’ve known you since you were five years old, and I have had the pleasure of being your mother for so many years. But seeing you here right now.” She pauses to steady her breathing. “I am just so proud of the man you’ve grown to be.”
And James had to blink his own tears away at that. All he had ever wanted was unconditional love, and he knows that he’s lucky to have found that with Mama Knight and the rest of her family.
Kendall pats James on the shoulder before he starts backing up down the hallway. “Okay well now that everything is in place, I gotta take my spot.” He points over to Katie, “Remember baby sister, you have to walk out when the music starts. And try to smile!”
Katie nods from spot next to the double doors, and James’ finally notices the basket of flowers she had nestled in the crook of her elbow. He has to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing because he knows Kendall had to pull some big brother points to get Katie to agree to being a flower girl.
His assumptions are proven right when he hears a soft piano piece being played in the other room. Katie takes her place in front of the doors before, glancing over at James. “You’re lucky I love you.” The affectionate smile she wore, gave away that she didn’t really mind her situation all that much though. And James watches her walk through the double doors.
And then there were two.
Mama Knight takes her place beside James’ and slips her hand into the crook of his elbow, the same spot that Kendall had dragged him by earlier that day. He took a deep breath and relaxed, letting her touch ground him.
He might not fully understand what was going on, and he might not know exactly who he was going to marry. What he did know is that none of his family would ever let something bad happen to him. And wherever Carlos and Logan were, they wouldn’t let something happen either. So he rolls his shoulders back, stands in front of the double doors and waits for his cue to enter the room.
James wasn’t entirely sure how weddings actually operated. He knows that there is something about making some promises, and you exchange rings. And he definitely knows that he gets to kiss his new wife at the end. But all the details of the ceremony were kind of fuzzy in his brain.
He wondered if his fiancé was going to make her entrance down the aisle after he and Mama Knight made their way to the altar, but he didn’t have any more time to dwell on those thoughts as the double doors finally opened again and James was bathed in the natural light of the ceremony room.
He steps forward into the room, trying to absorb everything he can. The room is filled with the warm afternoon light, cascading from the floor to ceiling windows that lined the walls. And everywhere he looked, he could see beautiful arrangements of purple and white flowers.
Set up on both sides of the room were many white chairs, and as he scanned the room he recognized many familiar faces in the crowd. The Jennifers, Jett Stetson, hell even Lightning the TV Wonder Dog was in attendance. He knew he’d have time to see his guests later, but for now he needed to make his way through the room. But when he finally cast his eyes forward, it’s like the air was taken from his lungs.
There Kendall stood off to the side of the altar, right where he said he would be, ready to help James if he needed it. And James felt some comfort seeing his stand there. And James’ had finally found Carlos who stood on the other side of the altar, opposite of Kendall.
The shorter man was also dressed in a tuxedo, missing his signature helmet. The sight felt a little strange to James, and he almost wished that he could see the helmet and feel a sense of regularity.
And his eyes finally drifted toward Logan, the sole reason James had yet to take a breath.
He looked beautiful. It was the first and only thought in James’ head. He had seen everybody today in their most extravagant formal attire, but there was something about Logan that had James’ thoughts reeling.
He stood at the altar beside a very official looking man in a suit. Tied around Logan’s throat was a purple bow tie, close to the color of James’ own tie. And James had to smile because the bow tie brought this nerdy charm to his attire that he always associated with Logan.
James was halfway down the aisle now, aware that all eyes in the room were on him. His own eyes never left Logan’s. There was this look of pure adoration on Logan’s features and a smile so wide showcasing his dimples. The very same dimples that James’ had informed Logan when they were twelve, would be the ticket to getting any girl. And here they were aimed at James’ making him feel like his heart was going to break from his chest.
In the back of his mind, James wondered if he should feel a little weird about this. Up until a minute ago he had incorrectly assumed he would be tying the knot with an unknown woman. But instead Logan stood in place of this unknown woman.
The very same Logan he had known since he was eight years old. The boy who wanted to make friends so desperately in his new school that he did not only his, but the other boys homework as well. The boy who was so painfully awkward with dating, that he would turn to James’ expertise, hoping he would never utter the words “Bleep Blap Bloop’ again. And the boy who’s intelligence left James’ in awe, never once doubting that one day he would be a doctor.
That Logan.
If he should feel weirded out, he didn’t.
He finally arrived at the edge of the altar, and felt Mama Knight lean up to place a kiss on his cheek before she made her way to her seat in the front row beside Gustavo and Kelly. Logan offered his hand to James to help him step up on the platform, and James felt grateful that he didn’t release the hold on his hand once he finally stood in front of him.
Behind Logan, Carlos gave James a huge double thumbs up, and James could feel the huge stupid grin on his face, no doubt matching the one on Logan’s face.
The official standing on the platform with them began his speech, and James had a hard time paying attention to anything but the twinkle of Logan’s eyes. He was brought right back into the moment though when Logan began to speak his vows.
“I was eight years old when I first met James Diamond. And if you thought he was a handful now, you should have met him back then.” He paused while the room erupted in light laughter before continuing. “But even though he was a lot to take in back then, I knew there was never going to be another guy like him.”
He takes a deep breath as he tries to get ahold of the emotion in his voice.
“You’ve always been someone that I strived to be like. Beautiful, suave, and talented. You were and always have been so sure of yourself and your future, and back then I hoped that by being around you, some of those traits would rub off on me.” He laughs softly, squeezing James’ hand. “ But all these years I have spent with you, as your best friend and your boyfriend, I’ve learned that the best trait you have is your never ending kindness.”
James could feel the tears welling in his eyes as he heard the other man's words, but he couldn’t find it in him to care. His words sounded so pure and from the heart that James wondered how he was ever going to follow this up.
“You came to my rescue when we were younger, protected me from an entire wrestling team. And even though they gave you a black eye and bruised your face, you were still more concerned about whether I was okay.” Logan smiles at the memory. “It was the first time I had to confront that there was more to you than I had previously known. And for a know-it-all like me, it was hard to accept.”
Logan takes one more deep breath, scanning the crowd in the room before he locks eyes with James once more. “But what I want you to know is that I want to spend the rest of my life learning about you. I don’t think I’ll ever know enough, but I want to keep learning because I love you. And I can’t wait to be your husband.”
He punctuates his speech with one more heartfelt squeeze to James hands, and James wishes more than anything that he could break tradition and kiss the man standing in front of him.
The official gestures to James and he realizes that he now has to follow up that heartfelt vow completely on the spot. But if there is one thing James knows how to do, it’s how to give a performance. So he relaxes his shoulders, and starts speaking from the heart.
He turns his head slightly addressing the crowd before speaking. “Logan right when he said I was a handful. When I was younger I was a little self absorbed, and self centered. I knew I was going to be someone someday and I acted like I already was.” James then turns to make eye contact with Logan. “But, and I know you don’t hear this often, you were also wrong.”
“Those qualities you saw in me all those years ago, you had them too. Maybe not in the exact same way as me, but you 're beautiful, suave and talented too. I’ve admired you since we were small for your work ethic and intelligence. Even if you didn’t understand something, you’d work the night away until you did.”
Not everything came easy to Logan. Contrary to popular belief. He’d been tutoring the other boys since they were all small. Though he wouldn’t admit it, James had seen on countless occasions Logan studying subjects he wasn’t even taking just to be able to help Kendall, Carlos and James on their homework. It was one of his ways that he showed his love for the boys.
“If you think I’m selfless, I don’t even know how I would describe you. The boy who put his own dreams of being a doctor on hold to help me pursue mine. I can’t wrap my mind around that kind of love, but I’m thankful to have it from you. And my only wish is that I can give you the same amount of love and support that you have always given me.” The last sentence comes out choked as James fights back his tears. “I love you Logan Mitchell. And I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”
What a pair they made, James thought. Both standing at the altar, hands entwined tightly with silent tears running down their faces. You would think they were upset if the giant grins on their faces didn’t give away their true feelings.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees Kendall pass over a container holding two rings. He’s thankful as Logan reaches out to take a ring first, since James isn’t positive which ring is Logan’s.
The ceremony continues on as the two men exchange their rings, and James feels amazed at how pretty the ring looks on Logan’s hands.
James hears the words “Kiss” and “Groom” and is pulled from his trance. The moment he’d been waiting for since he had first entered the room.
Logan steps closer, tilting his face up toward James and he can feel his breath tickling his cheeks. James instinctively slides one of his hands to cradle Logan's jaw, his eyes slip closed, and he leans down slowly as ever to meet their lips.
Just as they are finally going to kiss, James is startled by a smack to his face.
His eyes fly open and he has to adjust to the dimly lit room. He’s no longer in the ceremony hall he notices. He’s in his bed at the Palmwoods, with his alarm clock blaring loudly on his bedside table.
He looks over and sees Carlos’ blankets are pulled over his head and he hears under the blankets, Carlos’ muffled cries. “Dude we don’t have work today, turn it off.”
James leans over and finally puts an end to the shrill alarm, before he notices Carlos’ pillow on the floor. That must have been the force that hit James in the face he deduces.
Without the alarm blaring in the room, James is able to lean back into his bed and his thoughts immediately drift to his dream. He was going to kiss Logan. Scratch that, he was going to marry Logan. And not one part of him had found that weird.
He could brush the whole thing off, it didn’t have to mean anything and really no one was in control of their dreams. But James couldn’t ignore the pit in his stomach and the disappointment he felt when he awoke alone in his bed.
He’d have to deal with this at some point, but for now James shifted further into his blankets and closed his eyes. Maybe if he falls asleep quickly, he could pick up his dream where he left off.