Disclaimer: The dialogue at the very beginning is from/based from JONAS episode 7, Fashion Victim. I do not own JONAS.

I’ve seen this episode 16 times by now and every time I see it I get more inspiration.

I’ll Stay

[Oneshot]

. . . . . . . . .

“Are these pants okay to get something to eat in?” Nick asked, “because I’m starving.”

“You wanna come with?” Joe asked Stella, who was standing across from him, holding a pair of Kevin’s pants.

“I’d love to,” Stella said, “but I can’t-“she held out Kevin’s pants, unfolding them in front of the brothers-“I have to replace the knees in all of Kevin’s pants.” She glared at the oldest Lucas brother who smiled back at her nervously. “Why do you insist on power-sliding across the stage every night?” Stella asked, crossing her arms with a huff.

“Because I’m awesome,” Kevin responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. His brothers stared at him for a long moment and Stella still glared.

“He is awesome,” Nick responded, earning a slight nod and an amused smile from Joe as he agreed. Stella rolled her eyes.

“Anyways,” she began, “it’ll take me all night by myself…” she trailed off, giving the boys a look that said “please, please stay here with me”. The three brothers exchanged glances and stared at Stella for a long moment, seemingly considering her silent request.

“Well, bye,” Nick said, starting a chain reaction of salutations. Stella watched with a less-than-impressed expression on her face as her best friend and his two brothers made their way to the firemen poles in the center of the room.

“See ya, Stells,” Joe said as he grabbed the pole and slid down.

“Bye Stella,” Nick said, following his older brother’s lead. Kevin, however, lingered around for a second.

“Aren’t you going to go too?” Stella asked him, when she noticed he hadn’t tried to follow after his brothers just yet. Kevin didn’t respond for a long second. Wondering if he was really hungry enough to leave Stella in her time of need.

“I’ll stay, Stella,” he said, stepping away from the pole and walking back towards her.

“What?” Stella asked, wondering if she had heard him right.

“I’ll stay,” he responded. Stella blinked, a little confused.

“Nah, Kev,” she said, “I’ve got this, you go on ahead and eat with your brother-” he cut her off. “I want to stay here with you.”

“Are you sure, Kev?” She asked, she hadn’t expected any of them to actually stay. She had known these boys forever. Her “damsel in distress” look didn’t work on them.

“I’m sure,” he responded, “after all, you are fixing my pants.” Stella smiled.

“Thanks Kev,” she said.

“What do you want me to do?” He asked.

“Go down to the bus and get me the rest of your pants,” Stella answered, watching as walked towards the pole and slid down, smiling at her the whole way. With Kevin helping her, this all-nighter might not be so bad.

He returned about a half an hour later, just after Stella had finished setting up her sewing supplies and had chosen the patching she would use for the first pair. Stella turned around and looked at him, watching with interest as he pulled a huge amount of pants behind him in a laundry bag. She swallowed, feeling butterflies erupt in her stomach when she saw sweat beading on his forehead.

“I’m…” Kevin began, pulling the bag the rest of the way up the stairs, “back.”

“Is the bag heavy, Kev?” She asked, trying to sound sarcastic. Instead her voice came out in a nervous tone that could’ve been passed off as concern. She hoped Kevin wouldn’t notice how nervous he made her looking all hot and sweaty like that.

“Yeah,” he responded, a bit breathless, “Who knew ten weeks worth of pants would be so heavy?” He wiped his forehead on his sleeve and Stella felt her heartbeat race. What was it with her and sweaty guys anyhow? She bet every other girl on the planet thought they were gross. What made her so different?

Kevin took a few deep breaths and picked up the strings of the heavy bag of laundry again, pulling it towards her. Her breath caught as she watched the muscles in his back tense and relax, tense and relax. She felt her mouth water, as strange as that sounded. Her mouth was watering at the thought of Kevin Lucas’ back muscles. She hoped it was because she just really missed him when he was on tour. Even though she already knew that wasn’t the case. It never was when it came to mouth watering though.

“There ya go, Stella,” Kevin said, sweat beaded on his forehead and neck…and…Stella coughed, reminding herself that he was her best friend’s oldest brother. The best friend that she was totally secretly crushing on. Which made her sexual-esque thoughts about him even worse.

“Thanks, Kev,” she said, trying very hard not to stutter. He wiped his forehead on his sleeve again, and she swore her heart stopped for a second. Maybe this was why Macy was on so many sport teams. To watch all those guys practice. To see their muscles tense, and…Stella swooned inwardly.

“What do you want me to do now?” Kevin asked, still as enthusiastic as ever. Ah, Kevin.

“You look tired, Kev,” Stella said, reminding herself to keep her breathing even when she noticed the beads of sweat on his upper lip, “just sit down…” she trailed off, caught between wanting him to stay there and keep her company while she worked and wanting him to leave so she could actually concentrate on what she was doing. And not on that little drop of sweat slowly creeping it’s way down his temple, over his cheek and to his chin. He wiped it away on the back of his hand and she sighed.

“Sit down and keep me company?” She said, coming out as more of a question than anything else.

“Okay,” he responded, taking a seat on the floor next to her. A little too close next to her. She swallowed, turning back to her work, laying things out and smoothing her hands over them. She was stalling, still thinking about what it would be like to feel Kevin’s back muscles tense beneath her fingers. She took a sharp breath, staring at the jeans she held in her hand.

“Wow, Kev,” she said, painfully aware that she was tagging his name to the end of everything she said. She wondered if he noticed. Maybe he just thought she enjoyed saying his na-wait, that was the real reason. Maybe he thought something else then.

“What?” Kevin asked, watching in mild interest as Stella stuck her hands into a pair of his jeans, wigging her finger through the hole he has torn in the knee from power-sliding.

“I don’t know,” she said, not really sure why she even said “wow, Kev” in the first place. She felt really stupid right now. Kevin didn’t say anything, instead he reached out to touch the hole in his jeans. Stella swallowed, painfully aware that his hand was now touching hers. She didn’t know if he meant to do that…or…

She watched his hand, slowly smoothing over the tear in the jeans, all the while his skin touching hers. It was like a whisper, she could barely feel it, but she knew it was still there. She was getting goosebumps. She watched as he pulled the jeans from her hand and placed his palm against hers. Her heart was pounding so loudly she could feel it in her throat. She was pretty sure her own beads of sweat were forming now.

He laced his fingers with hers and she finally looked up at him, eyes locking. His lips curled into a smile. The kind of smile that only Kevin Lucas new how to give. Completely aloof, yet still…he knew what he was doing.

“This-” Stella said, watching as his eyes flickered from her own eyes to her lips, “this doesn’t change anything, Kev,” she whispered, wanting him to know that if he kissed her nothing would change between them. They would still have the same relationship they had now, he would be her best friend’s brother and she would be his stylist.

“I want to,” he responded, letting her know that he understood. Then he did it, he leaned across the mess of sewing supplies and patching materials and he kissed her. It wasn’t the weak kneed kind of kiss she knew she’d experience with Joe. It wasn’t the spark-less kiss she had felt with Van Dyke. This kiss, was a mixture of both, somewhere in the middle.

Her heart fluttered as he pushed farther into the kiss, practically climbing on top of her. It was like he knew what she wanted. She held onto his back to remain in her slanted position, she felt his muscles tense and she almost moaned. She wondered if this was what it would be like to feel Joe against her.

Kevin had her completely against the floor now, somehow able to press his body against hers completely without crushing her beneath him. A second later, just as Stella thought she was going to explode, he pulled away from her slowly, panting. She watched him, her eyes locking with his, pleading silently for him to continue, to stay there on top of her.

It was breathtaking to feel the warmth of his body against hers. Even if he wasn’t Joe, she was sure he was a close second. He was the closest she was able to get right now. Kevin smiled sadly, surrendering to her silent request. He leaned in again, planting soft kisses against her jaw and trailing them down her neck. She moaned Joe’s name before she could stop herself and Kevin pulled away from her, eyes locking once more.

“I know,” he told her aloud, accepting her silent apology.

“One last time?” She asked, moving her hands up his back to tangle them in this curly dark hair. He sighed and smiled, leaning down to capture her lips once more.

He wasn’t Joe, but this certainly was good practice.

. . . . . . . .

Uhm. Yeah. So. Stuff happened. I should really be asleep right now, but instead I’m up obsessing over It is Written’s fanfics. Curses. Why are you such a good writer? Enjoy this story… I swear I’ll update something else sometime. And maybe stop bombarding your e-mail inboxes with story alerts. Maybe.