Work Text:
Logan doesn’t count himself to be anything close to a sad person. Boring, maybe (harsh words from older kids, who a young Kendall had eventually punched for shouting them, echo in his mind before dissipating), or even an annoying know-it-all (the voices of teachers telling him off for immediately answering despite having only just shot his arm up, and not even being called on yet, ring in his ears)—but not sad, never sad.
Something strange overcomes him as he settles down on the couch on his phone, suddenly semi-frozen and staring blankly at it as a little game loads on screen.
His breath skips and his eyebrows twitch together for a moment.
A sting crawls its way in the corners of his eyes.
Huh .
He tries blinking it away, but a wave of…what he can only label as despair …comes lapping lightly at the shore of his mind.
Logan has no idea where it’s from, but the way it blankets over him almost felt…cozy, in a slightly dangerous way.
Alarms ring in the far, far, far back of his mind. It knows, logically, that succumbing to that feeling—which he has felt before, long ago when he was a scrawny kid who shouldn’t be feeling that way at all, but who could blame him when everyone kept bullying him before he met the 3 lucky charms in his life—could lead to a hundred steps backwards that he’d so desperately unlearned already.
He tries to rip himself out of the blanket, but he’s still there…
Stuck frozen on the couch holding his phone, the screen turned black from idleness.
The screen turned black from idleness.
Idleness.
Another breath gets stuck fighting to come out his throat.
The alarms try to blare louder in Logan’s head, but the feeling of tears starting to brim feels more prominent suddenly that he can’t seem to hear them.
A door slams open, and the breath gets punched right out of him.
A tear falls.
“Logie!!!”
Blinking rapidly, more of the air in his lungs gets punched out of him as a bundle of joy crashes itself into Logan’s chest. The force nearly topples the both of them off the still-obnoxiously-orange couch that they brought along with them when they changed apartments 4 years ago. (Sue them for outgrowing their swirly slide, but they do own a fireman’s pole now in their current apartment, so.)
It’s Logan’s main lucky charm who wiggles around on top of him, before resting his head on his chest.
Carlos had long since bulked up way more than Logan did, but their heights stayed the same and he was very much still their little one after all these years.
The dull throb clamping around his brain loosens, and the tears subside.
“Logie, I’ve missed you!”
Logan breathes a laugh.
“It’s only been a day since we last saw each other, man. Not my fault your voiceover work took until late last night, and that I go to bed early, you know?”
Carlos nuzzles his chest.
“I know, but… James offered to drive me home, and I saw Kendall come home from his jog this morning, before I went and helped the Jennifers out with their sink, so so so…! I didn’t get to see you.”
The big puppy frown with matching puppy eyes that Carlos looks up at Logan with melts the despair away completely, like the lucky charm he is to ward away the fears and doubts.
“Well then, you know what that means!”
Sparkles started to dance in Carlos’ eyes as Logan paused for dramatic effect.
“Cuddles time!”
With two matching squeals, Logan squeezes Carlos’ wider frame, and Carlos’ larger arms just about engulf Logan. They’re both giggling, Logan’s phone now forgotten on the floor.
The front door clicks again.
“Wh— Is it cuddles time? Without us ?!”
“You’re so gay, James.”