A/N: I need to be kept away from memes on Livejournal. I really don't need to be writing all of these prompts. But I love them, and my sister has demanded that I fill this, so enjoy my first Big Time Rush fic!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

It's generally a pretty normal thing for someone to be sleeping at 2 in the morning. At least, normal for Kendall Knight. Apparently, however, this is not normal for the rest of the world because someone has woken him up by tapping on his window.

Grumbling to himself, he makes his way to the window, wondering who the hell would be messed up enough to wake him up this late. Someone better be dying.

All of those thoughts fly out the window when he sees his best friend, James, outside of said window, bruises on his arms and face. Kendall can tell he's been crying, but is trying not to show it. You can't even really tell, because it's pouring outside and cold, and James is shivering. Kendall pulls him into his room, wiping James' hair out of his eyes. He's soaked and looks freezing, so Kendall offers up his blanket to James. He nods in thanks.

James grins, "Hey." It sounds sad, and tearful, and not like James and all he wants to do is hug him to make all of his pain go away. But it would be better to learn what's going on first.

"What happened?" Kendall asked, gasping.

"Nothing. I'm fine. My dad and I got in a fight and I figured it would be better to come here instead of it getting worse and me wrecking my hair," James said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

"What were you fighting about?" Kendall questioned, not giving in to James' obvious way of trying to ignore the bigger issue.

"It's nothing. I just want to go to sleep."

"I'm not letting you sleep until you talk to me," Kendall said, trying to be soft, but increasingly impatiently.

"Can you just drop it?" James said, "I told you I'm fine."

Kendall noticed the tears running gently down James' cheeks and moves his hand to let his thumb gently brush them away. "You're crying," he said softly.

James squeezed his eyes shut. "I told him."

Kendall's face flickers with confusion. "What?"

"I told him…them…that I like…guys," James said slowly.

"Oh…" Kendall replies, barely a whisper. "I guess he didn't take it very well."

James attempts to glare at him, but he's so sad looking and his face is so tear stained that it just looks like a weary look. "No. He didn't take it well."

"Explain," Kendall said, wanting to know what exactly happened so he could help James.

"We were talking, and he kept asking if I had a date and about all these girls and I just snapped and told him why it was never going to happen. He got pissed and asked me what the hell I meant. I kept explaining and he kept telling me that no son of his was going to be a queer. I said I couldn't help it. He said, 'Help this!' and…and he hit me."

"What did your mom do?" Kendall asked, horrified.

"Nothing. She stood there and just stared on and watched it happen."

"I'm sorry," Kendall says. He knows it's not enough, not near enough, but what else can he say? He's never been very good with words.

James snorts. "It's not like it's your fault. It's mine. It's my fault for being this gross, pathetic, unnatural…thing that I am."

James is looking down and Kendall puts his hands gently under the other boy's chin and lifts up, forcing James to look at him.

Kendall can't believe what he's hearing. This is James. James who's been his best friend since kindergarten. The same person who helped Kendall pass English 2 years in a row. The same person who can't leave the house without his lucky comb in his pocket. The boy who Kendall can talk to until 6 AM about nothing. The person, who, if he's honest with himself, he's liked since about 8th grade. He doesn't know what he's doing, but he can't let James think that about himself. Can't let him be that hurt about a lie.

"You're anything but disgusting. You're…you're awesome. Beautiful," he says, leaning forward to brush his lips against his best friends.

He feels James collapse into him crying and letting go, clutching to Kendall's shirt desperately.

Kendall just holds him and kisses his forehead and whispers that everything will be alright and that no matter what Kendall will protect him.

They're not sure what it means…they won't know until months later, when the band they didn't know they were going to be is underway. They just know that for now it feels right and that no matter what, James will always have Kendall to crawl to and Kendall will always be there to open his window up for James.