A/N: So, I think I might be de-aging. I discovered BTR while sick a couple weeks ago, and have since purchased the entire series. These guys are great! Anyway, I felt like the latest episode needed some closure.

Spoilers: Big Time Rides.

Disclaimer: Don't own.

Honesty

There was a lull in conversation after Mrs. Knight happily explained how she "convinced" James to sell his motorcycle to Buddha-Bob. James didn't really feel like making a scene, but he knew he needed to leave and he just happened to be sitting in the middle of everyone. All eyes turned to him as he took a deep breath and stood in the silence. With a limp and a wince, he threw his ice pack on the counter and started making for the front door.

While everyone watched curiously, it was Kendall to speak up. "Hey, where you goin'?"

James's shoulders slumped visibly. When he turned, his eyes told the boys everything they needed to know. James is in trouble again. Logan and Carlos exchanged worried glances but Kendall's gaze never shifted, not even with Jo tucked into his arm. "I got'ta go find Lucy," the would-be-biker mumbled softly.

Mrs. Knight made a face of purest sympathy. "Just tell her the truth, honey. Give her a chance to know you for you…not whether or not you can have a motorcycle…which you can't," she finished with a devilishly loving smile.

James snorted a little. "Yeah, sure."

It worried the boys, how quiet James had been since his…accident. For the normally flamboyant, talkative boy, silence was something that always meant trouble. Or, in this case, heart. Very few people knew it, but the family of apartment 2J knew better than anyone: all of James' vanity and arrogance was all a cover for a very sensitive, very soft heart. And somehow, Lucy had become so tangled inside that heart that Kendall wondered if James cared for her more than just a years' crush.

"You need backup?" Carlos suddenly chirped in, ready to forget his own injuries of the day. "'cuz, you know I got your back, buddy!"

James smiled despite himself. "No, thanks, buddy," he chuckled a little before his smile faded away. "This is something I got'ta do on my own."

Then, turning back to the door and pulling on the handle, he looked back, forcing an enthusiastic mask over his face. "If I don't come back, Carlos, you can have my hair gel."

"Yes!" his Latino friend shouted in a hush. And then, as he opened the door, shouts of "What? Hey! Ow!" chorused through the air. It didn't take a lot of imagining to picture Logan slapping Carlos upside the head, catching the vulnerable spot right were his helmet meets his neck. It was that picture that gave him strength, gave him courage to walk through the door, close it behind him, and take those three nasty steps to Lucy's apartment.

He'd been standing at her door for well over two minutes by now. Breathing harsh and heart pounding, he realized he had no idea what he was doing…or why he was doing it. James Diamond didn't knock on doors just to apologize. He didn't feel like passing out at just the thought of a girl answering the door. He didn't care whether or not a girl was angry with him. And he certainly didn't get so wrapped up in fixing his mistakes that he forgot what a state his clothes and hair were in. But here he was: running through every possible apology in his head, trying to come up with a good excuse while a trembling hand raked through hair dyed ashy white with sheetrock dust.

He didn't know what he was going to say. He was panicking. Every ounce of his mind screamed 'Abort! Abort! Run away!', but his fist had other plans, and before he could stop it, he was knocking on the door of one Lucy Stone.

Five seconds passed, ten, fifteen…he could practically feel her glaring at him through the peep-hole. Then, quite suddenly, the door ripped open, and there she stood: all daggers and scowls and blazing beautiful glory.

James felt himself black out a little inside. For a split-second, when her eyes speared into him like a poison and a cure, he couldn't breathe, couldn't speak; he was almost sure he was having a stroke. But then she spoke.

"What do you want, Diamond?"

Her voice was sharp and harsh, but it was exactly what James needed: an electric shock of life in his bones. "Lucy! Please," he begged, voice already betraying the extent of his stupid heart. "Don't slam the door on me…just hear me out, please."

The girl said nothing, but leaned against the doorframe with arms tightly crossed. James took it as a 'be quick.'

"Okay, okay…" he could feel himself stuttering, but there was nothing he could do. He had no idea what to say, but knew whatever was about to come out of his mouth would be nothing but the truth. Bravely, he stared straight into her heated eyes, matching her anger ounce-for-ounce with regret. "I know I'm an idiot and I lied to you and you think I'm nothing but a shallow pretty-boy, and you're probably right, but you are the most amazing girl I've ever met and you deserve so much, and I thought that maybe if you thought I had a motorcycle and was cool you'd give me a chance to show you how amazing I think you are and that…that…" he was rambling, and her gaze wasn't getting any softer. Stopping in mid-sentence, James shook it off, forced himself to take a deep breath (which came out more like a strangled yell), and tried again.

"Look," he started, this time quieter and markedly slower. "What I'm trying to say here is that I've liked you ever since the day you moved in…the first time. But lately, you're the only thing I can think about. Your hair, your eyes, that cute way your nose crinkles when you're annoyed,"

Realizing he was pointing at her nose, Lucy's wrath cooled, just a little. Did her nose really crinkle?

"See, the thing is I know you deserve better than someone like me, but I swear to you, if you give me a chance, I will prove to you that I can be anything you want me to be, and I will never let anything hurt you," James paused, daring to graze a finger over Lucy's arm, his touch feather-light over her skin. "I'm so sorry…for everything."

When Lucy saw James at her door, she'd opened it with the swear that she would never, ever give in to his attentions again. When he'd started rambling, she found her fire weakening, his nervousness reeking off him in a surprisingly innocent charm. Now, as he poured out his heart, his deep chocolate eyes more open and raw then she'd ever thought possible, she was having trouble justifying why she continually rejected him in the first place. She stared at him, lost amongst those troubled eyes and delicate furrowed brow, secretly relishing his gentle touch on her arm.

James, however, took her long silence as the final rejection, the climax in years' worth of batted flirts and squashed hopes. Trying to compose himself, he recalled his hand, and nodded stiffly. "Or, uh…" he hated the breaking deep in his throat. "I c-can go and leave you..um…alone."

Lucy's eyes widened and heart skipped as James moved to leave. Quickly, acting on sheer impulse, she reached out, grasping her fingers around his wrist. "James! Wait," instantly, he turned, barely daring to look hopeful. "Just…wait," Lucy could have laughed if not for the circumstance. Here he was, the one pouring himself out on her doorstep, and now she was the one at a loss for words.

Nonetheless, the smile that lit across her face was more than enough to ease James' heartbreak.

"Why do you want me so bad? You can have any girl you want. Why me?" her words weren't harsh, or even accusing; just curious.

James's features brightened like a rainbow. Lucy wasn't sure he could grin any wider. "Because 'any girl' is just any girl, but you are so much more," both his hands were on her shoulders now, and she couldn't find a reason to mind. "Lucy, you're talented, you're beautiful, you're way smarter than I'll ever be, and you're…you're real,"

Lucy couldn't help the prick of tears in her eyes at the look on James' face. In that moment, it was so pure, so childlike; it was as if the sun was shining straight into his heart and glowing through his entire being. It was something she'd never seen in a man, but had once felt in herself…it was love.

"If there's one thing I've figured out from this whole crazy boy band thing, it's that a person who can truly be themselves without ever letting anyone tell them to change, without ever…being like me…well, when you find that person, you got'ta hold on to them, got'ta keep them safe; ya' can't just let them go without a fight."

And then, Lucy had heard all she could bare. Before she could even register what she was doing, her hands wrapped around James's strong neck and she pulled him down to the height of her tip-toes, their eyes swimming inside each other for just long enough to forget the entire world around them. Ever so softly, her lips brushed against his and his breath caught at the shock of her touch.

Parting for breath, their foreheads rested against each other while blinking eyes glazed over, drunk with the magic of a first kiss. A long, relished moment passed when James suddenly breathed a laugh and a smile.

"What?" Lucy whispered, her voice lost somewhere in the hands gently cradling her body to James' chest.

"Peppermint," he replied rather triumphantly.

Lucy was confused. She leaned back a little, trying to read his face. "Come again?"

If possible, James's grin got even wider. "I've always wondered what you'd taste like. Turns out, its peppermint."

Like a mirror, Lucy laughed. "And, is that a good thing?"

His smirk deepened a little, expression devouring her every movement. "Very."

Minutes later found Lucy once again leaning against the doorway and James standing before her. Only this time, her glare had turned to sparklers and his tentative stutter relaxed into the giggles of a man whose dreams had finally come true.

"So ah," he started, chuckling. "Does this mean you'll still go out with me tonight?" he offered her his arm, attempting at chivalry.

"Well," she pretended to think. "That depends. Are we going to take someone's 'hog'?"

"Mm…sorry. Little known fact: I'm worthless on a motorcycle," his eyes glinted with mischief. "I do, however, drive a mean stick-shift."

"Oh! Well," her performance was over-the-top, and he loved it. "Then I should warn you, I love race-cars."

Moving into the hall, Lucy closed her door and wrapped an arm into the offered crook of James's arm. As they walked away, grinning under their own little bubble, James announced proudly: "And by stick shift, I do mean mini-vans."

Lucy burst in laughter even as James steered them to 2J, claiming he needed to 'borrow the keys.'

Coming to the door, James pushed it open, only to find his four best friends, plus Mrs. Knight and Katie tumbling on the floor in their haste to hide their eavesdropping. James and Lucy's eyes went wide, and knowing smiles spread all around.

Wordlessly, Mrs. Knight handed James the keys and gave him a coat (just in case), the expression on her face nothing less than a proud mother. James beamed and wrapped an arm around his happy date, reviling when she didn't pull away.

"Aw I'm so happy!"

Carlos's exclamation was so perfect, so well timed, that every ache and pain, every awkward moment was instantly forgotten. After years of pining and dozens of over-thought plans, James finally had Lucy. She was finally his.

A/N: Thanks for the interest! Please review, if you'd like. Keep it cool, everybody ;)