Favor Fire
by Liz

Written for Navia

 

 

 

"You know what would be hot?" JC asked idly.

Justin's eyes flew open. He gritted his teeth, and hissed out, "You, not stopping to ask stupid questions?" He writhed on the bed, trying to make JC start moving again.

JC didn't budge an inch, the muscles in his arms standing out in sharp relief as he braced himself above Justin. "Don't you think it would be hot," he whispered, leaning down to nuzzle at Justin's ear, "if there were someone else here? Watching. Wanting us so bad."

Justin thought his brain might short-circuit from the overload. "Don't want anyone else," he gasped. "Just you."

JC moved his hips in a long, slow stroke that made Justin's entire body quiver. "You don't get to have anyone else. You're mine. But I know how much you love an audience."

Justin wanted to come. He wanted to come more than he'd ever wanted anything else, more than he'd wanted to get the job on MMC or that record contract or the sales record or for JC to kiss him the first time. He wanted to come, but he didn't want it to be over, either, so he tried to hold back, knowing all the while that it was a futile effort.

Especially with JC still whispering in his ear. "Imagine it, baby. I'm touching you, and you're touching me, and someone's over there, wanting us, but unable to have us. Can't touch. Can only wish they were here with us. Imagine you can feel their eyes on you, traveling over your body." As he said it, JC braced himself on one arm and trailed a hand down Justin's chest, skimming over his nipples then racing downward.

JC thrust into Justin hard, at the same time wrapping his fingers around Justin's cock, and that was all it took. Justin exploded, arching up until he thought his spine might crack, his brain full of white noise and light. It only took another few seconds for JC to follow him over, and then they collapsed onto the bed, still entwined.

"You're such a kinky fucker," Justin said fondly, snuggling into a more comfortable position against JC. "I really like that about you."

He felt a moment of panic when he realized that JC still had that same strange light in his eyes. "Oh, I know you do, you kinky boy. So, whattya think?"

"I think I'll need to rest before we go another round," Justin said evasively. "The power of youth and all that, but still."

JC nudged his hip, one hand trailing over Justin's thigh. "You know what I mean. You wanna... perform for an audience? Give a private show?"

JC couldn't be serious. He couldn't be. He was just trying to get Justin worked up. Not that he was failing.

Justin didn't want to seem uncool, so he tried to laugh it off. "Yeah, good idea. Maybe we could pick a girl from the front row of one of our concerts. Or have people e-mail into the fan club. Now that would be a prize!"

JC just stared at him in that disconcerting way.

"Come on, C. You know we can't risk that. What if whoever it is talks? Goes to the papers? Sneaks in a camera?"

"I thought you liked risk," JC said, his fingers now moving up the inside of Justin's thigh, stroking in circles that reached ever higher. "In fact, it seems like you like it a whole lot."

Justin couldn't deny that -- in fact, it seemed as if his earlier estimates about his recovery time had been too pessimistic -- but he didn't want to let JC's clever fingers distract him from the point. The point that this was an insane idea, even if was turning Justin on like crazy.

"Besides," JC added, his voice dropping even lower as he leaned in to press a kiss on Justin's mouth, "I can think of three guys who wouldn't be any risk at all."

Justin froze. At the same time, his felt his cock jump without JC even touching it.

Justin knew JC had felt his reaction when he saw JC's smile become smug, but then JC finally touched him, and he didn't care. He grabbed JC and pushed him back, rolling so that he was on top, their cocks grinding together. JC was just as hard as he was.

JC didn't seem to mind Justin's sudden urge toward dominance, and smiled up at him, all bright eyes and sharp teeth. "Gets you hot, doesn't it?" He didn't even have to ask, not with the way Justin was moving against him.

This wouldn't last long, which was fine with Justin. Disturbing images were flying behind his eyes, ideas that he'd never really wanted to let out before. "You get me hot," Justin retorted, then captured JC's mouth in a punishing kiss. There had been enough talking.

They thrust against each other, tongues dueling, hands reaching and groping, and it didn't take long before they both came again, gasping at the point where pleasure teetered on the edge of pain as the last tremors left them sated and exhausted.

The last thought Justin had before he dropped off to sleep was that it was a good thing that JC's kinkiest ideas never saw the light of day.

The next morning, Justin was awakened by a soft hand stroking his back, and a sweet voice crooning in his ear. "Justin... wake up.... Justin... open those pretty blue eyes."

Justin woke up with a start. "Am I in some alternate reality where you're a morning person?" he asked suspiciously, staring in amazement as JC reached over and handed him a cup of coffee. JC was not only awake, but he'd been coherent enough to order room service?

JC waited until Justin had a mouth full of coffee -- probably on purpose -- before musing, "So, who do you think? Joey? Chris? Lance?"

Justin wondered if it was possible to cause permanent damage by spitting hot coffee into your own lap. He used the sheets to wipe up the worst of the mess.

"You're not serious. That was just kinky sex talk stuff." He looked at the expression on JC's face. "Um. Wasn't it?"

"You seemed to really enjoy that kinky sex talk stuff, Justin."

JC got a dangerous tone in his voice when he was planning something complicated and involved that would involve completely blowing Justin's mind. After all these years, Justin had an almost Pavlovian response to that tone. It was the same voice JC had used when he'd described to Justin, in excruciating detail, what it would be like the first time JC fucked him. The reality had been even better than JC's promise.

Justin flushed, hating and loving that JC knew exactly which buttons to push. "But it's just talk. Because there's no way any of them is gonna want to come in here and watch us get it on. Not after all the comments they've thrown at us." The other guys were supportive of JC and Justin's relationship, but they were still guys, which meant that the two of them had been subjected to more than their fair share of teasing and catcalls.

He didn't realize until too late that JC might take it as a challenge. "You don't think I could get one of them to do it? That I could make one of them want it so bad that he'd be dying for it? Just like you are?"

Justin gulped. "Chris would laugh in your face," he said shakily. "Lance would run screaming. And Joey, he just wouldn't."

"You know what I love about you, J?" JC asked, sipping his coffee and looking like he didn't have a care in the world. They could have been discussing album sales or the day's schedule. "I love that when you see something you want, you go after it. No hesitation, no cunning. You're as subtle as a steamroller, but somehow, it's just part of your charm."

Justin opened his mouth to protest -- that didn't quite sound like a compliment, even though JC's tone was nothing but fond -- but JC kept talking. "Certain situations require a little more, shall we say, finesse. You'll get better results with a sideways approach than if you attacked front and center. For instance, whoever it is wouldn't be expecting to watch us have sex. He'd be expecting to have sex with one of us, and would end up watching."

Justin's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious."

JC's smile was big and bright and could have been on the cover of a magazine, with only Justin able to see the evil glint in his eyes. "Pick one. Go ahead. Pick one, and we'll see who's right."

Justin's mind spun, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to pick the one who would make JC fail, or the one who wouldn't. But no, this was crazy. JC was going too far this time, and Justin's brain knew it, even if his body was taking the exact opposite stance. "Joey," he finally said.

JC laughed. "Oh, baby. Joey?"

Justin tried not to look smug. "So you're ready to give up this silly idea? Admit that some things are just not meant to be."

JC laughed again, and this time the sound sent a shiver up Justin's spine. "Oh, I don't think so. Why, this is practically a sure thing."

"Joey is one of the most stand-up guys I know. Not in a million years would he let you cheat on me by sleeping with him. You know he'd never do that to me."

"You're right. Joey wouldn't do something like that to you." JC's voice was calm and serious, and oh so smug. "But do you really think there is anything in the world that Joey wouldn't do for me?"

That was an awfully good point. For the first time, Justin wondered if JC really could pull this off. "I don't think Joey's affection for you goes quite that far, C."

"I think you're wrong. In fact, I think you're so wrong, I'll bet you I can do it before the end of the month. That's, what, a little over a week?"

Justin gulped. JC sounded utterly sure. "And if you don't?"

"I will." JC looked at Justin's expression. "Okay, fine. You know that fantasy, the one you whispered to me that night after the VMAs when you were high and drunk and so very out of your mind? The one you told me to forget about and never mention again, even though we both know how much you want me to do it?"

Justin stared at JC, his eyes wide, as he nodded, unable to force a single word out of his throat.

"I figured you wouldn't have forgotten it. Well, if I fail to deliver, you can do that. No holds barred." JC reached out to stroke Justin's cheek, the gesture oddly soothing. "So either way, you win, huh?"

Justin just nodded, wide-eyed, and suddenly JC pulled him into a hug, wrapping him in a tight, steady embrace. "This is gonna be fun, J. Just you wait and see," JC whispered into Justin's ear, and as always, Justin couldn't do anything but nod, hold on, and go along for the ride.

Justin went down to breakfast ahead of JC, who was still fussing with his hair. This was part of the up-side of having shaved his head -- no more screwing around with the damn curls every morning. Though it didn't seem fair to Justin that he was still viewed as the high maintenance one of the pair.

Lance and Chris were already there, Chris grumbling about the fact that there weren't any chocolate-chip bagels. Joey walked in right behind Justin, and pointed out that no self-respecting New York bagel would ever allow itself to have chocolate chips in it. Justin grabbed a bowl of cereal and sat down across from Lance and his newspaper. Just another morning on tour.

Busy shoveling cereal into his mouth, he still registered that something was weird with JC as soon as he came into the room. He just seemed a touch... off. Not that C was ever really a morning person, but this was different than his usual start-of-day spaciness. JC looked drawn in on himself, almost sad. He hadn't looked that way when Justin had left the room, and Justin ran through the morning in his head trying to figure out what could have happened since then. Had it all been some big elaborate test, and JC was upset because Justin had agreed to the harebrained scheme that JC had cooked up in the first place?

But JC wasn't like that, and Justin and JC weren't like that. JC had been straight with Justin from the beginning -- games and playacting were perfectly wonderful in bed, and never acceptable out of it. If they had a problem, they talked about it. JC might yell, but he didn't sulk and he didn't pout, and he wouldn't let Justin, either. "You may be young, J," he'd said, way back when it all started, "but if you're old enough for this relationship, you can't hide behind childish moods when it suits you."

Joey and Chris were telegraphing looks to each other and to Justin, who could only shrug. He had no idea what was going on. When JC came over to the table, gave everyone a tired smile, and walked right past the empty chair next to Justin to sit down next to Joey, Justin almost dropped his spoon.

Justin opened his mouth to say something -- something like, "The hell, JC?" which probably wouldn't have helped the matter much -- but was stopped by a sharp look from Joey. Justin's mouth snapped closed.

Joey reached out to ruffle JC's hair, and bumped his shoulder. "Hey, C, you're more out of it than usual this morning. Got lost on your way to the breakfast table?"

JC gave Joey an incredibly unconvincing smile, then sighed and rested his head on Joey's shoulder. Justin watched as JC's eyes slid over and met his own for a second, then dropped abruptly. JC sighed again.

"The hell, JC?" This time Justin couldn't stop himself. What was going on?

JC suddenly pushed back from the table, slamming his mug down so hard that coffee sloshed everywhere. "I'll see you guys on the bus," he said to the floor, and fled the room.

Now everyone was staring at Justin, who was just as baffled as the rest of them. "I have no fucking clue, guys, honest. He was fine when we woke up this morning." Better than fine -- because JC had been up so early, they'd had time for slow, leisurely sex, which was a luxury on tour, especially in the morning. "I'm gonna see what the hell is going on."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Lance asked. "I mean, no offense, J, but it looked like you were part of the problem."

Justin took a deep breath, determined not to lose his temper. He knew they'd be just as protective of him if they'd thought JC had done something to upset him, but right now it felt as if they were ganging up on him.

"I'm sure it's nothing. We'll see you guys outside, okay?"

JC was lying on the bed in their room, headphones on, humming along to a song as if he didn't have a care in the world. When he saw Justin standing there, he pulled the headphones off, smiling so big his eyes almost disappeared, then tugged Justin down to sprawl on top of him on the bed. "Mmmmm," JC murmured, between kisses. "And they say I can't act." He pulled back to look at Justin. "I don't suppose you brought me anything to eat? I'm starving."

Justin's mouth gaped open, and he suspected he probably resembled a fish at the moment, but he really had no idea what was going on. "Wait, so that was all... what was all that?"

"God, you're cute when you're playing dumb." JC shifted under Justin, running his hands down the back of Justin's thighs, hitching their bodies closer together.

"I'm not playing," Justin snapped, then flushed red when JC burst out laughing. "You know what I mean." But looking back, he had to admit JC's behavior made more sense. "So, what, do you expect me to play along with this? I mean, it is a bet," he said. Of course he couldn't go to Joey and tell him the whole thing, but that didn't mean he had to actually help JC.

JC leaned up to lick at the pulse at the base of Justin's neck, which always made Justin crazy. "J, I think we just proved that all you have to do is be yourself."

JC kept up his quiet-and-reserved bit on the bus, leaving his headphones on and scribbling in his notebook for the whole ride. Justin was tempted to write "tortured artist" on a piece of paper and tape it above JC's head, in case Chris didn't get the point.  This was a little silly, especially when it was just the three of them.

Except when he looked up from their video game long enough to gesture toward JC with his head and roll his eyes at the melodramatics of it all, Chris didn't smile at the shared joke. In fact, Chris gave him a stern look, as if scolding him. This time it was Justin's turn to sigh.

At the venue, all the pre-show madness went on as usual. They had the real soundcheck and the fan soundcheck party, and somewhere in there managed to get food. Justin and JC didn't usually spend a lot of time together before shows anyway, since Justin tended to run around like a lunatic to get his energy level up, while JC preferred to stay quiet and low-key, then let the energy explode on stage.

Still, it gave Justin a moment's pause to walk into the quiet room and see JC and Joey curled up on one of the couches, fast asleep. It wasn't anything different than he'd seen almost every day on tour, and yet today it felt different.

He shook his head, inwardly chiding himself for being foolish. If he was going to get jealous of everyone JC fell asleep on top of in a given week, it might become a full-time job.

They had a great time on stage, playing off each other and the crowd. The energy was fantastic, and Justin couldn't help the huge smile on his face as security herded them out of the venue. He looped an arm around Lance's neck, giving him a wet kiss on the cheek. Lance just looked at him and shook his head, bemused.

One of these days Justin would figure out the logic behind fans loving the group so much that they would skip the actual show to wait outside the hotel for a glimpse of them arriving. They signed a few autographs until it looked like the mob scene was getting out of hand, and then they made their way inside.

"Radio interview in the morning," Johnny reminded them, in case they might be under the delusion that they could sleep in on a non-travel day. Tomorrow night they were doing another show at the same venue, so at least they could skip soundcheck. It was a mostly free day, or would have been if they weren't scheduled to whore themselves out to the media for a few hours.

That night, though, they were going clubbing, so they went to their rooms long enough to shower and change. Justin beat JC to the room, thank god, because JC always took a year and a half in the shower, and if Justin took him up on his offer to "conserve water," then they'd have to deal with the knowing looks and ribald jokes from the others when they showed up even later than planned.

It wasn't until Justin walked back out to the bedroom that he realized JC had never showed up at all. That was weird. Maybe he was so busy whining to Joey about what a lousy boyfriend Justin was that he had lost track of time, Justin thought, not a little bitterly.

Except that JC was in the hall with everyone else when Justin went out, showered and changed and wearing a pair of leather pants that made Justin weak in the knees just looking at the way they clung to JC's thighs. Justin maneuvered himself over to JC's side, feeling like a particularly pathetic teen-aged girl, and was disturbed by how relieved he felt when he wrapped an arm around JC's waist and pulled him in, and JC leaned into his arms, just like always. 

"Miss me in the shower, baby?" JC whispered low into Justin's ear, and Justin couldn't help but shiver. He also couldn't help but notice that Joey, Lance, and Chris seemed to be making a very big point of not looking at them.

As he felt JC grind into him, hard and ready against his hip, Justin didn't care. God, JC was always so turned on after a show, especially a great show. Ignoring their audience - it wasn't like the other guys and the bodyguards hadn't seen it all before - Justin raked his fingers through the curls at the nape of JC's neck, and angled his head for a hard, possessive kiss.

There was a moment of perfect connection, and Justin felt JC's hand squeeze his crotch in a secret, hidden caress - and then JC pushed him away, stumbling back. Justin almost growled in frustration, stopped short by the look on JC's face. It was an act, Justin reminded himself, it was a stupid act, but seeing that trapped, panicked look on JC's face fucking hurt.

"Jesus, Justin, do you think you could manage to keep from groping JC for ten consecutive minutes?" That Lance was stepping in was maybe the biggest sign that JC's act might be stupid, but it was also convincing. Justin opened his mouth to say something nasty and cutting to Lance, then closed it. It would just get ugly, and none of them needed that. It wasn't worth starting a fight.

"Are we going?" he snapped, "or are we planning on standing around this lovely hallway for the rest of the night? Maybe someone should call E! for the exclusive on how crazy and wild popstars really are." He was pissed off enough to be playing the diva card, and damn if that didn't go right along with JC's plan, the fucker.

They went, a crowd of people in multiple SUVs, and somehow, he and JC ended up alone in the back of one. Justin wasn't sure if it was serendipity or JC's plotting, and at this point, he didn't even want to know.

"You okay, baby?" JC practically purred. "You look a little... worked up." One hand stroked up Justin's thigh, petting and teasing. Justin grabbed JC's hand, hard.

"This really isn't  funny, C."

JC smiled. "Oh yes, it really is."

Justin glared, which of course didn't intimidate JC one damn bit.

JC moved fast, straddling Justin astride the seat. "So, did you?"

If possible, JC was even harder than he had been before, and it would have taken a stronger man than Justin not to react to that. He arched up, responding helplessly. "Did I what?"

"Miss me in the shower." JC growled the words into Justin's ear as he ground down, and for a second, Justin could have sworn that he saw stars.

He had barely gotten his arms around JC, barely started kissing him, hard and wet and nasty, when he felt the SUV begin to slow as they arrived at the club. JC slid away and out of the backseat before the vehicle had even fully stopped, leaving Justin to try to adjust himself to something approaching decency.

The night went by in a blur. JC had somehow managed to get himself between two lithe little blonde girls who reminded Justin an awful lot of Britney, and he couldn't imagine that was an accident. Sadly, Justin was unable to find a Bobbie look-alike to taunt JC with, but dirty dancing with a gorgeous Latina woman seemed like an appropriate comeback.

The other guys kept their distance, apparently afraid of being caught in the crossfire, except for Joey, who always had to play peacemaker. "What's up with you guys? You're practically shooting laser beams at each other across the floor."

"Ask him," Justin grumbled. "As far as I knew, everything was peachy keen before he started acting completely bizarre." And that was mostly true, after all.

I know it's intense for you guys, living under a microscope, being on tour and everything. But go easy on C, okay? He's more fragile than he looks."

It was on the tip of Justin's tongue to tell Joey that JC was about as fragile as a lead brick - and about that subtle - but he held it back. One thing JC probably hadn't predicted was that after Joey's first instinct, which would be to comfort JC, his second would be to do everything he could think of get his friends to be happy together. This could only work to Justin's advantage.

"Yeah, I know. I know how lucky I am to have him, Joe, really." Justin suspected his act wasn't nearly as convincing as JC's - though it was true that he really did feel lucky to have JC, pissy bitch and all. Luckily, Joey was more than a little drunk, and not in any condition to critique Justin's acting skills.

"You guys will be fine, I have faith in you." Joey clapped a brotherly arm around Justin's shoulder. "After all, who the hell would ever put up with you guys except each other?"

It took a second for the jibe to sink in, and then Joey was already racing across the club. Justin let out a shout and gave chase. He really did have the best friends in the world.

He was still feeling that glow when he ran into JC in the corridor leading to the bathroom. "I can't wait to get you out of those damn leather pants when we get back to our room tonight," he said against JC's ear, leaning in so that a casual observer would just think they were trying to hear each other over the din of the music.

Hidden between them, JC's hand rubbed up Justin's thigh. "Sorry, baby. That's your room tonight. I've got my own."

JC squirmed away, leaving Justin standing there with his mouth hanging open. So that was why JC hadn't come back to the room to shower, and why his luggage hadn't been there. But understanding didn't mean he had to like it.

JC wasn't the only one who could come up with nefarious plans. Justin headed out of the club before the group, and managed to finagle a key to JC's room out of the cooperative front desk clerk. "Just a little practical joke, ma'am," Justin said, all southern-boy charm, emphasizing his drawl. She slid a cardkey across to him, then giggled and blushed as he signed an autograph for her. Piece of cake.

He'd timed it well, and he didn't have long to wait before he heard the snick of JC's key in the lock, and the door swung open. He stepped forward and swung it closed behind JC before he could turn on the light.

The sudden darkness must have been disorienting for JC, but Justin's eyes had adjusted while he waited, and he had no trouble finding JC in the room. He came up behind him, breathing against his neck. "Someone has been a very. Very. Bad. Boy."

JC turned into his arms without hesitation, melding their bodies and their mouths together at the same time. His hands shoved under Justin's shirt, trying to pull it off, but Justin was having none of that. He plucked JC's hands away easily, then pushed JC against the wall, hands suspended over his head.

"And someone is feeling very alpha tonight, I see," JC taunted back, flushed and breathless, writhing as Justin palmed his erection through the leather pants that had been driving him crazy all night.

"You think you're in charge here?" Justin demanded, frustrated and turned on all at once. "You don't get to make all the rules, C. Not even close."

JC gasped, whatever he had been planning to say lost as Justin shoved his pants halfway down his thighs and started working his cock in a fast, relentless rhythm. All Justin could think about was that he wanted to see JC lose control, wanted to see JC lose that calm air of superiority and come apart in his arms.

It didn't take long, as turned on as they both were. Justin barely managed to hold back as JC stiffened in his arms, keening out a sharp note that sounded like Justin's name as he came. Justin milked every last drop ruthlessly before letting go of JC's cock and swallowing his mouth in a hard, bruising kiss while JC was still shuddering with the aftershocks.

He fumbled in his pocket for the condom and lube he'd stashed there, letting go of JC's wrists long enough to yank his own pants down and kick them off. JC remained in place, sated and pliant, and all Justin could really see of JC's face in the dark was the way his eyes glittered as he watched Justin.

"Turn around," Justin whispered hoarsely, and JC turned obediently, bracing his arm against the wall as Justin palmed his ass. He let out a gasp when Justin thrust a finger into him with almost no preliminaries, then gasped harder and pushed back when he added a second.

Justin waited until JC was hard again, pushing against his fingers and making soft pleading noises in his throat, before he leaned forward and set his teeth at the base of JC's neck, lightly biting the tendon. JC's cries turned high and sharp, and Justin almost came right then and there.

"You want it, baby? You want me to give you what you've been teasing me with all night? You better fucking ask for it." He rubbed his cock against JC's ass teasingly, feeling JC quiver.

"Do it," JC demanded, arching as he tried to get the stimulation he needed to get off. Justin held him back, whispering roughly into his ear, completely avoiding stroking his cock, until he heard JC's voice break. "J, dammit. Do it. Please..."

On that last word, Justin sheathed himself inside JC with one stroke, thrusting hard and deep. He reached around to find JC's cock, working him with the same rhythm. Fast and crazy, against the wall, the two of them moved together until with one last twist of his hips, Justin sent JC over the edge again. The heat and pressure, along with JC's voice calling his name, were all it took for Justin to follow.

"Holy. Fuck," JC gasped out a few minutes later, when they finally got their breath back. "J, next time I call you a whiny bottom boy, you should totally kick my ass."

Justin couldn't help it, he burst out laughing. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to get so rough." He was a little embarrassed at just how "alpha" he'd actually been.

"Mmmmm," JC said. "I like you rough. It's very hot."

They cleaned up and snuggled into bed. "Don't even think about suggesting I should go back to my own room," Justin warned.

"And he's still giving orders." JC dropped a kiss onto Justin's shoulder. "Would any sane man kick you out of bed? Though you're awfully cute when you're jealous."

Justin would have moved away, or sat up or something, but he was far too comfortable and that seemed like a lot of trouble. He settled for grumbling, "Not jealous."

He could feel JC shaking with laughter behind him. "'Course not. How about possessive. Is possessive okay?"

Justin muttered something purposely unintelligible, and then relaxed back into JC's arms. He could probably live with possessive, he thought, as he drifted off to sleep.

Justin had no idea what time it was when JC nudged him. Fucking early, for sure. Justin was mostly ignoring him, half-listening in case JC was waking him up for sex, which was certainly worth being awake for. Then JC whispered, "J, wake up. You need to go back to your room."

That brought Justin awake in a hurry. He opened his eyes and fixed JC with the full-on diva glare. "Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me."

JC wasn't moved by the glare, but then, he never had been. "It doesn't do me much good to stay in a separate room if we're gonna roll out of here tomorrow looking well-fucked, does it?"

"And this is my problem how?" JC might have a point, but Justin was trying to win a bet here, too.

This time it was JC's turn to glare. "If you want to get laid again this tour, I think you should make it your problem."

Justin gulped. JC was bluffing. He was sure of it. Almost totally sure. But Justin knew that, deep down, JC was just as competitive as Justin was, if not more so. Not at things like basketball, but when it came to a personal challenge, you might as well wait for mountains to crumble before JC would give in.

"You are not a nice person," Justin grumbled, and JC smiled. He knew he'd won. On the plus side, JC liked winning a whole lot, so Justin would undoubtedly reap some benefits. Just not this morning.

Justin gathered his stuff together, trying to think of a perfectly cutting remark to toss at JC on his way out. He gave up when he saw that JC had already fallen back to sleep. He slipped on his pants, carrying everything else. He couldn't imagine anyone would be awake at this ridiculous hour, and sure enough, the only people he saw on the way down the hall were Mike and Tiny, who already thought the five of them were complete lunatics.

Justin managed to get a few hours more sleep before the pounding on his hotel room door woke him up. They couldn't use a wake-up call like normal people? He staggered to the door, grumbling, and opened it up to find Joey, looking disgustingly cheerful and wide awake. Justin scowled as Joey pushed past him.

"Come on, you two, up and at 'em, we've got a radio interview in-"  Joey stopped short at the sight of the empty room. "Where's C?"

"Probably in his own damn room," Justin said, not even having to feign annoyance.

They always rented separate rooms for JC and Justin, because hotel employees loved to talk to the press, but no one could remember the last time they'd actually used both. Joey seemed bowled over at the concept.

Justin waited for Joey to ask him if everything was all right, if there was anything he could do. Joey was like that. Except that Joey just gave Justin a pat on the back and said, "I'm sure it'll all work out, J," and headed out of the room. "In the car in 30, okay? We're supposed to be at the radio station at half past 8."

Justin peered down the hall after Joey, and sure enough, he went straight to JC's room. Why did everyone always assume that if something had gone wrong with JC and Justin, JC would be the one who needed comforting?

At the interview, Justin felt like everyone was trying to run interference between him and JC, sitting between them, deflecting questions to Chris and Lance. This was getting a little silly, wasn't it? Did they think he was going to whine about his love life on air? JC seemed perfectly normal, sitting with one arm draped over Chris's shoulder, babbling on happily about nothing in particular.

After the interview they actually had some free time. Everyone had plans - Lance and Joey were going shopping for toys for Bri, JC was going to a museum, and Chris and Justin had planned to check out a motorcycle place that Chris had read about. Justin hesitated, looking at JC. "I could come with you to the museum..."

JC raised his eyebrows and made a sound something like a snort. "And listen to you whine about how your brain is numb from looking at pictures painted by dead people? Yeah, that sounds fun."

Justin did complain when JC dragged him to museums, but secretly he kind of liked it. He didn't usually see the symbolism in the art that JC would talk about, but he liked the time together. It felt like something people who lived normal lives would do - going to the museum with his boyfriend.

Today, though, he didn't even have the option, and he and Chris took off while JC headed in the other direction. The motorcycle place was cool, and he and Chris had fun, but he was distracted. He thought about calling JC, but that seemed pathetic. He couldn't take a day apart from his boyfriend? Besides, he'd see him at the venue in a few hours.

Whether by accident or design, their paths didn't cross again until just before the show, when he found JC in the quiet room, reading a magazine and listening to music. Justin sat down on the floor in front of the couch where JC was sitting, and smiled when JC's fingers automatically stroked over the soft stubble on the top of his head. Justin tipped his head back to lean against JC's thigh, closed his eyes, and felt himself relax completely for the first time all day.

On stage they couldn't have avoided each other if they wanted to, and it didn't seem as if JC wanted to. They played off each other, and played with the crowd, and the connection felt electric. The music, the crowd, the other guys, all of it mixed together until Justin felt like he was floating across the stage. God, he loved his job.

After the show, Justin ran onto the bus, practically bouncing from all the energy coursing through him. JC was the same way after a show; there had been nights when Chris had threatened to open a window and toss them both out onto the highway if they couldn't keep it down. JC's response to that had been to buy Chris noise-canceling headphones for his CD player.

The bus started moving, and Justin looked around in surprise. He was sure he'd been out of the venue before JC. He took a quick walk through the rest of the bus, and only found Chris sitting in the lounge. "Where's C?"

Chris shrugged. "He said he was going to catch a ride with Lance and Joe."

Justin turned away before Chris could see the look on his face. This was taking things a little too far, wasn't it?

 

 

"You sure you guys don't mind?" JC asked for the third time. Joey shook his head.

"I told you, man, anytime. Just don't bitch too much about the smell of the ferret, or Lance'll toss your ass out of here." Joey moved around the small kitchen, putting together a snack. "You want anything? Tea? Beer?"

"Beer sounds good," JC said, as Lance came out of the shower, toweling his hair dry.

"Uh oh, Justin is driving JC to the hard stuff," Lance joked, and Joey shot Lance a dark look.

Joey settled down on the big couch, pulling JC over next to him. "Man, you're too tense." Joey rubbed JC's shoulders until JC relaxed back against him. Joey really did give the best backrubs.

"You wanna talk about it?" Joey asked in a quiet voice, after Lance had disappeared back to his bunk for the night. "You don't have to if you don't want to. Just, you know. If it helps."

JC shrugged, as if he didn't even know where to start. "It's nothing, really. I'm being silly."

"Silly-looking, maybe," Joey teased, tugging on one of JC's curls until JC smiled at him. "C'mon, talk to me."

"It's just... nothing. Everything. I don't know." JC sighed. "I just sometimes think he's too much for me, Joe."

"Too much, how?"

"Too..." JC waved his hands around aimlessly. "Too famous. Too popular. Too confident. It's like... I've known him since he was a kid, right? And now it's like he's grown past me. I feel like he's leaving me behind, like I'm too small for him, now." JC gave Joey a shaky smile. "See? I told you it was silly."

"No, no, of course it's not." Joey wrapped JC in a hug, squeezing tightly until JC squeaked. "But J loves you, C. Tell him what's going on with you. You know he'll try to make things right."

"He'll think I'm jealous. That he's had more success with his songs, that the whole damn world is waiting for him to go solo and give us the boot."

Joey didn't say anything, just continued to rub JC's back. "It'll be okay, C. I believe in you guys."

"Thanks, Joe. I hope you're right."

JC snuggled against Joey, getting comfortable. He could drop off to sleep right here, actually. He felt Joey drop a kiss on the top of his head, and closed his eyes.

He still couldn't believe that Joey had actually bought that crock of shit.


 

 

They arrived at the hotel at five in the morning, and of course there were fans waiting outside. Justin was kind of amused to see that some of them noticed JC getting off the bus with Joey and Lance. Trust it to their fans to know their normal travel arrangements.

This time, Justin didn't wait to see where JC was planning to sleep. It probably wasn't fair to take advantage of JC in his almost comatose state, but all was fair in love and war, and Justin had started to lose track of which one this was. He wrapped an arm around JC's waist and steered him through the door to his own room, then quickly stripped off both their clothes and steered them into bed.

JC went without protest, barely even awake from the walk into the hotel, and Justin felt a surge of possession so fierce it surprised him. He and JC usually didn't spend every waking minute together, but knowing that he couldn't be around JC had made the need sharpen.

"Go to sleep," JC muttered into Justin's shoulder, and Justin jumped. He hadn't thought JC was awake. "You're thinking too loud."

Justin turned his head to look at him, but JC's eyes were closed. "Love you," he said softly.

"Love you, too. Now go to sleep."

Justin did.

JC was still asleep when Justin woke up, and Justin didn't have any qualms about wrapping his hand around JC's morning erection and stroking it to further hardness. JC thrust into Justin's hand, murmuring nonsense syllables as Justin jacked him slowly, trailing kisses down JC's neck. Justin loved JC like this, sleepy and incoherent, and loved being able to drive JC out of his mind.

"Mmmm, god, yeah," JC gasped, as he got closer, and Justin sped up his motions, his other hand grasping his own cock and stroking to the same rhythm. They were both getting close. "Oh," JC sighed, and Justin knew he was about to come. "Joey!"

Justin froze in place, shocked, and when he looked at JC, JC's eyes were wide open and he was snickering. Justin squeezed JC's cock none too gently, and JC winced.

"That was not funny," Justin said, and wondered how many times he'd said that over the past few days.

"Oh my god, your face," JC gasped, shaking with laughter. "I'm sorry, it's just. Your face!"

Justin snarled and JC reached up and guided his head down for a kiss, JC's tongue playing at Justin's sealed lips until Justin relented, letting him in. Maybe it had been a little funny. Just a little.

JC rolled them so he was straddling Justin, then leaned over to grab the bag Justin had dropped by the side of the bed. "Let me make it up to you." Justin nodded eagerly as JC fished the condoms and lube out of the bag.

It was practiced, this dance of theirs, but it never got old. They knew each other's bodies so well, where to touch, where to kiss, when to be gentle and when to be firm. JC had been Justin's first, and if he had anything to say about it JC would be his last, and Justin couldn't imagine wanting anything more than this, ever.

Afterwards, when they were cuddled together, Justin almost said so. That he didn't care about the games and the ploys and they should just drop the bet. But one of the things he loved so much about JC was that JC never stopped challenging him, and while he knew JC would stop this in an instant if he thought Justin didn't want it, he also knew that the next time JC wanted to push Justin's limits, he wouldn't go quite so far.

In a way, this was about trust. Justin trusted JC absolutely, and if this was what he had to do to prove it, then so be it.

The wake-up call came while they were still dozing. Justin braced himself for JC dashing out the door, so the guys could see him leave from his own room later, but JC just grinned and tugged Justin into the shower. Justin would have liked to think it was the pleasure of his company that had changed JC's mind, but he knew it was probably all part of JC's plan. Whatever the hell that was.

Sure enough, when the two of them stepped out into the hallway together, Joey gave them a sharp look. JC looked down at the carpet, not meeting Joey's eyes, and Justin's own eyes narrowed. If JC so much as hinted that Justin had somehow forced him, this game was over right this fucking minute.

Instead, JC looked up and down the hallway, making sure it was no one but their own people, and dropped a light kiss on Justin's lips. "Love you," JC whispered.

"Love you, too," Justin answered, the reply automatic, but never rote.

If the past few days had been spent mostly apart from JC, today JC clung to Justin's side as if they had been separated for years. It was nice, having JC no more than an arm's length away all day. It was like when they'd first gotten together, when they couldn't stand to keep their hands off each other. Joey walked in on them making out in the quiet room, and instead of teasing them, he smiled fondly. He was obviously glad to see that things were back to normal. Justin wished he could believe they really were.

Justin was losing track of which city they were in, but the crowd loved them, and the show went off without a hitch. He loved this tour, loved that it was stripped down from the crazy tricks and stunts and sheer size of Pop Odyssey, and that it really gave them a chance to connect with their fans and each other.

It was another travel night, and Justin almost let out a sigh of relief when JC followed him onto the bus. He didn't think JC had dropped the bet idea completely, but maybe it was on hold for a couple of days. They didn't have too long a ride, and when Chris saw the looks Justin and JC were giving each other he gave them an indulgent smile and headed off to his bunk with those noise-canceling headphones. Maybe Justin and JC should pretend to fight more often, if it gave them carte blanche to fuck around whenever they wanted.

At the hotel, they did the stumble-off-the-bus routine again. No one said anything when Justin and JC headed off to their room together.

Once inside, JC wasted no time stripping Justin out of his clothes, and then taking off his own. They hadn't really had time to do more than exchange quick blow jobs on the bus - not that Justin was complaining about that - so it was nice to have a chance to take their time. It wasn't really that late, Justin thought, checking the clock. If they'd gone clubbing they probably wouldn't even have been back yet.

"Got somewhere to be?" JC teased, bringing Justin's attention back. "I'd hate to keep you from an important appointment."

"You're the one who's been doing the disappearing act lately," Justin said. "I'm glad you gave up on that."

JC's smile was predatory. "Did I say I'd given up?"

It was hard to feel as alarmed as he probably should be when he couldn't concentrate on much more than the hand JC had wrapped around his cock. "So the game is still on, then?"

"Isn't it always?" JC stroked Justin firmly, their eyes locked together.

Justin arched up as JC lowered his head to suck at one of Justin's nipples, making him moan and writhe on the bed. "I don't really care," he gasped, all thoughts of plans and schemes and anything else that wasn't JC wiped out of his head.

The wake-up call came too early, as always, and Justin had to practically drag JC into the shower if they were going to be on time. Once the warm water woke him up, JC's attention turned to Justin's sleek, wet skin, and they were almost late anyway.

The radio interviews this morning were call-ins, which meant they could do them from the suite, all of them lounging around in casual clothes, munching on breakfast between segments. JC sat practically in Justin's lap, feeding him bites of muffin and sips of juice. Justin was kind of amused to discover that he'd somehow acquired his own personal slave.

They all stayed in the hotel until it was time to leave for the venue, wandering in and out of the main room of the suite. Chris and Justin played video games, and Lance and JC worked out in the hotel gym, and it was just a quiet morning with the five of them hanging out. It was nice.

 

 

Joey and JC ended up sharing an SUV heading over to the venue. Joey probably thought it was an accident. JC knew better. He leaned back against the leather and waited for the question, because Joey loved to gossip almost as much as their teenage fans did.

"So you guys are cool, huh? I told you it would work out." Joey was beaming, happy that his friends were happy, and JC waited a beat before wiping the satisfaction off Joey's face.

"Yeah," he said, staring out the window. "I realized I was just being stupid. It wasn't important."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Joey sit straight up in his seat. "Wait, you didn't talk to Justin about what was bothering you?"

JC kept looking out the window. "What's the point? He wouldn't... it's just easier this way, Joe. Trust me."

"C." Joey grabbed JC's arm, forcing him to turn and make eye contact. JC tried to look sad. "You can't just pretend that everything's okay. That's not good."

"We're fine," JC said defensively. "You saw. Justin's happy. Everything's fine."

"Well, isn't that nice for Justin. What about you?" Joey was getting more and more worked up by the second. It was an impressive show of loyalty, and JC really did love him for that.

"As long as Justin's happy, things are fine," JC repeated. God, he sounded like an abused wife. He'd need to tone things down before Joey started checking him over for bruises.

"Oh, baby." Joey pulled JC into a hug. When Joey's friends hurt, he hurt, and all he wanted was to help them make things better. "I know you love him, but it's not worth losing yourself if that's what it takes to be with him."

Deep down, JC knew that none of the others had really expected his relationship with Justin to last. They thought Justin was too immature, and JC was too intense, and that the two of them would burn themselves out quickly. JC had let them believe that because as long as he and Justin knew the truth, what the rest of them thought didn't really matter. Now that was working to his advantage, because the scenario being played out was one everyone had viewed as inevitable anyway.

"It's just hard. Being around him." JC sighed again. He wondered if you could hurt your voice by sighing too much.

"I'll tell you what, they're all going out tonight, why don't we hang together at the hotel, just the two of us? Watch hotel porn and eat room service and hang out. Like old times."

"I don't really remember your mom letting us watch porn when we hung at your house after MMC," JC joked, and Joey gave him another squeeze. "Thanks, Joe. That sounds really nice."

In fact, it sounded perfect.
 



Justin hadn't really thought anything of it when they piled into the cars to go to the venue and he found himself with Lance and Chris. When they arrived, however, and he saw the way Joey was hovering over JC, he knew the pleasant interlude of the past day was over. Apparently they were back to The Plan. Justin was really starting to hate The Plan.

His dejection must have showed, because Chris tracked him down after the fan soundcheck, when Justin was sitting in one of the empty corridors with his headphones on. Usually he and Chris would have been tearing around on their scooters or trying to kill each other on some video game, but Justin just didn't have the heart for it today.

Chris slid down to sit next to him, kicking at Justin's ankle until Justin couldn't really pretend not to notice that Chris was there. He turned off the music and gave Chris a look.

"Wanna talk about it?" Chris usually stayed as far as possible from JC and Justin's relationship issues, so the fact that Chris was even opening this line of discussion spoke volumes.

"It's nothing. We're fine. Tour stress, you know." Justin had no idea what JC had been telling Joey, so it seemed best to just keep denying that anything was wrong.

"I don't really know what's going on with you two, because, you know, not my business. Joey's kinda hinted at some stuff. But, you know, you two have had a good run. It's hard, with someone you work with. I went through that with Dani, trying to run the business after the relationship fell apart. But you and C have always been good friends."

Chris wasn't much given to long speeches, so it took a second for it to penetrate that Chris was trying to give him advice on how to handle breaking up with JC in the middle of the tour. As if there was no question but that Justin and JC had had their "good run," and now it was over.

Justin scrambled to his feet. "The hell, Chris? You just said you don't know anything. Me and C are not over. Far from it. And fuck you if you think we are."

Chris had followed Justin off the floor, and now he grabbed his arm. "Hey. What you two do affects the rest of us."

"Yeah? Well, the rest of you can leave the two of us the fuck alone." Justin shook Chris off and stomped down the hallway, determined to find JC and put an end to this once and for all.

The quiet room had its name for a reason, and Lance, Joey and JC looked up in surprise when the door slammed back against the wall. Justin didn't miss the way Joey moved slightly in front of JC, as if to guard him from Justin, and that just fueled his temper.

He pointed at JC. "You. Me. Right now." Joey opened his mouth, and Justin cut him off ruthlessly. "Not your fucking business, Joe. Now, C."

Justin expected JC to start yelling back, but instead JC gave Joey a look and a small shrug, then stepped toward Justin. For a second Justin thought that Joey was going to try and stop him, and then Joey stepped back, his eyes darting worriedly from Justin to JC and back. Lance was just staring at them with his mouth slightly open, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Justin couldn't quite believe it himself.

His grasp on JC's wrist was probably too hard, but Justin couldn't let himself care. He pulled JC down the hallway, past an astonished Chris, and added Tiny to the list of people he'd been rude to today. "Can you find us somewhere we can talk? Alone?"

After a quick discussion over the radios - and oh, wasn't that fantastic, now their entire security team knew Justin and JC were having a meltdown - the two of them were ushered into a small office. Tiny stood outside the door, but no matter what happened, he'd pretend he hadn't heard a thing, and he wouldn't let anyone in.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Justin demanded, and now JC was the one who looked shocked. "Because, seriously, if this whole thing is just an excuse to get rid of me, tell me now."

"J?" JC's voice was tentative, and he looked like he was trying to figure out what was going on in Justin's head. "Hey. C'mon. What's gotten into you?" He reached out to touch Justin's shoulder, and Justin stepped back. He couldn't think clearly when JC was touching him, and he needed to think clearly now.

"They all think we're breaking up. Joey, Chris--okay, I don't know what the fuck Lance thinks, but I'm sure he agrees. And they all think it's my fault." He paced restlessly, keeping his distance from JC, the words tumbling out. "And they're not even surprised, like they expected it, like they expected I'd be a jerk to you. They're my best friends, C. What the hell?"

This time JC didn't let Justin stop him from closing the distance between them. He grasped Justin's chin, forcing him to meet his eyes. JC's eyes were clear and steady, never wavering. "Justin. I love you. You know that."

"But -"

"No. No buts. Did we listen to them when they said you'd get tired of me, that I was just an experiment in guys? Did we listen to them when they said I was too intense, and you'd feel smothered? Did we listen to them any one of the thousand times they tried to tell us we were great guys, but it just wasn't going to work out for us?" Justin was shaking his head no with every question, and JC's voice dropped and gentled. "Then why are you listening to them now, J?" 

Justin shuddered and wrapped his arms around JC, holding on for dear life. "But why is it so easy for them to believe it's my fault? That I'd be like that to you? Don't they know me better than that?"

JC's hands swept up and down Justin's back, soothing and comforting. "We had a choice, J. We could lay our whole relationship out there for everyone to see, or we could let them see what we wanted and keep the rest for ourselves. If they don't know what we're really like together, it's because we never let them see. That's why. Because we're the only ones who know the truth."

JC kissed him then, soft and gentle and searching. Justin relaxed, all the tension pouring out of him so fast that he swayed until JC braced them both against the wall.

"I'm sorry," JC whispered. "I didn't know you'd get like this. I didn't mean to upset you, really. Forget it, okay? It doesn't matter."

He meant the bet, Justin thought hazily, as his hands burrowed under JC's shirt, seeking the smooth skin underneath. He meant it was over, that everything could go back to normal now.

"No," Justin heard himself say, to his own surprise as much as JC's.

JC pulled back slightly to look at him. "What?"

"No. Don't stop it. The bet's still on." He hadn't been sure before. But now he was.

"If you're worried about collecting your prize, you can still -"

"No, I mean it. They think they know us? Fine. Let's take what they think they know and turn it on its ass." He sounded mean, Justin thought, which really wasn't like him. He could never hold a grudge; he was too good-natured. JC was usually the one who remembered every slight and couldn't let go of the resentment.

JC was still studying him, and Justin wondered what he was looking for. "Nobody gets hurt, J. They're our friends, and we're not doing this to hurt anyone."

Justin pulled JC in for another kiss. "Nobody gets hurt. Good clean fun. Well, good dirty fun." He still didn't quite understand how JC was going to get Joey to make the leap from comforting JC to wanting to jump JC, but if anyone could do it, he had faith in his boyfriend.

"Mmmmm. Dirty fun. My favorite kind." Somehow JC had maneuvered them so that Justin was backed up against the desk. "You've been a really good sport about this, J. I think you deserve a reward."

JC dropped to his knees, and that wasn't the kind of reward Justin was likely to ever turn down, whether he'd been a good sport or not. He used one hand to brace himself against the desk and buried the other in JC's soft curls, tugging the way he knew JC liked. JC loved giving head, and like most things he loved, he gave it all his attention and skill. And oh yeah, that was a whole lot of skill.

Justin would have been embarrassed at how long he lasted - or didn't last - if it hadn't felt so damn fantastic. When it was done he pulled JC to his feet, kissing him deeply and tasting himself on JC's lips before starting to kneel to return the favor. JC stopped him. "It'll wait," he said. "Let's go back before the other guys start to wonder if we've killed each other."

When they got back to the quiet room, JC gave him a quick kiss before grabbing his hand and opening the door. Chris, Joey and Lance were huddled together on one of the couches, but their conversation broke off as soon as the door opened. Justin followed JC's lead, literally, as JC pulled him by the hand into the room. He wondered what JC had up his sleeve next.

JC looked back at the stares of the other three. "What? Do I have something in my hair?" His hair was a little mussed from Justin's enthusiastic pulling, but nothing too obvious.

It was Chris who finally had the nerve to ask. "Is everything okay?"

JC smiled so brightly that it could not have looked any more fake. "It's fine. Everything's fine. Justin was a little upset about something, but he's fine now." JC squeezed Justin's hand. "Right, J?"

"Uh, yeah. We're good. Sorry about the fuss." This might work better if JC told him what the hell he was supposed to do beforehand. Of course, JC would probably say he was more convincing when he had no idea what was going on.

"Well, you definitely look more... relaxed," Lance drawled, with that edge of sarcasm that Lance had perfected. "Though you might want to zip your fly if you don't want to give the teenies heart attacks."

Justin looked down and, sure enough, his pants were still open. He yanked his hand out of JC's and fumbled the fly closed, looking up just in time to catch JC wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Well, that shouldn't leave much doubt about what they'd been up to. Especially when JC reached down and casually adjusted himself, leaving no question about who had gotten off, and who hadn't.

Justin sat down on the couch across from the other three, pulling JC down so he tumbled across Justin's lap. "Now that's where I like you, baby," he said. The others averted their eyes from the pair, and JC smiled up at him with a glint in his eyes that only Justin could see.

This was definitely going to be more fun as a team.

The show was fantastic, and afterwards Justin couldn't wait to hit the club and dance his ass off. He was surprised to find that, once again, he was in the car with Chris and Lance. He was even more surprised to see the SUV ahead of them turn back toward the hotel instead of downtown.

"Where are Joey and C going?" he demanded.

"Joey said something about the two of them spending some quality time together or something. I think he's been reading those damn parenting books that Kel keeps sending," Chris said.

Both Chris and Lance seemed to be watching him closely, probably wondering if Justin was going to pitch a fit.

Justin was pretty sure JC had something different in mind than playing patty-cake, but he kept his mouth shut and concentrated on looking disgruntled that his boyfriend had deserted him as they headed to the club.
 

 

JC couldn't remember the last time he'd spent time alone with Joey as a planned event, rather than hanging out together while they were waiting for something - to get to a venue, or for soundcheck to start, or for the show to begin.

They ordered a ton of food from room service - "I can't eat all that!" JC had insisted, but Joey had poked him in the ribs, declared him too skinny, and promised to eat anything JC didn't finish. They also hit the mini-bar, though JC pointed out they could save a lot of money by sending security out to a liquor store. Joey countered by pointing out that they were millionaires.

"I bet you go down the hall to get a soda out of the machine rather than drink the four-buck Coke from the mini-bar, huh, C?" Joey teased.

"That's not true," JC insisted. Then he confessed, "I usually make Justin go."

Joey paused at Justin's name. "We don't have to talk about this if you don't want to. This is supposed to be a chance for you to unwind. But, C... you know this isn't healthy, right? What happened at the venue..."

"You have no idea what happened at the venue," JC said. Boy, was that true.

"It wasn't that hard to figure out." Joey gave JC a pointed look, and JC looked away. "But hey, this is supposed to be about you relaxing. C'mon, let's pick out some porn."

The porn selections on the hotel television were as lame as expected, and they ended up settling on a Trading Spaces marathon. To JC's surprise they actually did finish all the food - though he was thankful he wouldn't have to dance the next day - and then settled down on the bed, trading commentary about the various designers and room set-ups.

As the pile of bottles on the nightstand grew higher, their remarks got more and more silly. "I would lock every door in the house and hide in the basement if they assigned me Frank!" JC declared. "Vern. Vern is the guy to get."

"Oh, come on, I bet you'd love to have Hildi show up and staple silk flowers all over that big empty space you call a living room." Joey, who had no sense of personal space even when he was sober, pushed JC back and started tickling him. "Admit it! You want tacky flowers and straw-covered walls and bright colors and clutter!"

JC giggled, rolling back and forth, trying to escape. "Do not! Do not!" he shrieked out, as Joey continued to tickle him mercilessly. Finally they were both laughing so hard that Joey just collapsed on top of him.

JC looked up to say something, and found himself staring right into Joey's eyes. "It's good to see you smile," Joey said, looking down at him fondly.

JC stared back for a few long seconds... and then pushed at Joey's shoulders. "Get off me, you big oaf. Can't breathe!"

Joey let him up, and JC stumbled over to the bathroom. Inside he straightened up, took a piss, then looked in the mirror, pondering his hair. He didn't think Joey'd caught on to how many of the empty bottles were whose, and how few were JC's.

Back in the room, he staggered back to the bed, landing pretty much right on top of Joey. Unfazed, Joey wrapped his arms around JC, blowing a big wet raspberry on his neck. JC squirmed into a comfortable position, and Joey squirmed back, and, curled up like that, they fell asleep in front of the television.

When JC woke up a few hours later, the television was off, but the lights were still on. Joey must have woken up long enough to grab the remote, but not wanted to disturb JC. JC snuggled closer. Joey really was sweet. And warm. And cuddly.

And hard.

JC could feel the arousal pushing against his leg, and he shifted a little, rocking slightly. It wasn't enough to wake Joey up - not yet - but more than enough to make his body react. JC doubted he had a starring role in whatever Joey was dreaming about, but friction was friction, as Chris was fond of saying.

He shifted closer, breathing into Joey's neck, his knee moving in a smooth, easy rhythm. Joey whimpered slightly, shifting closer, the hand that had been curled around JC's back moving restlessly up and down before cupping JC's ass and pulling him closer. Now JC was grinding up against Joey's thigh, the two of them moving instinctively. This was maybe starting to get a little out of hand, JC thought, and then he felt Joey start to wake up. He closed his eyes and feigned sleep, hoping Joey wouldn't actually shove him off the bed when he woke up and ran screaming across the room.

Instead he felt Joey go completely still, and then Joey leaned over and brushed the hair back from JC's forehead, dropping a light kiss on his temple. "Hey, sleeping beauty, wake up. You're so horny you're humping the wrong guy."

JC fluttered his eyes open and looked up at Joey, who was grinning in amusement, but still hadn't moved away. Since they were apparently not pretending not to notice what was going on, JC felt justified in pointing out, "I'm not the only horny guy doing the humping."

Joey laughed - and still didn't move away. In fact, for a second he pushed closer, and JC wondered what he'd do if Joey actually tried to take this any further. "Looks like my subconscious has a thing for skinny guys with weird hair. Who knew?" Now Joey did roll away, his erection blatantly obvious, but it didn't seem to concern him at all. "Now get your skinny butt out of my bed, Chasez."

Then Joey seemed to remember why they'd been hanging out together in the first place. "I mean--you can stay here tonight, if you don't want to be alone, or, you know." Or go back to Justin. "I promise not to molest you in your sleep. Any more."

"Well, what would be the fun in that?" JC practically purred, and for the first time Joey looked a little discomfited. He was trying to play it off and be casual, but maybe he wasn't as comfortable with the situation as he'd pretended.

"They're probably back from the club by now. I'm sure Justin is looking for me. I should go." Joey looked like he wanted to comment on that, but he stayed silent. "Thanks, Joe. Tonight was a lot of fun."

"Anytime. Whatever you need, I'm here, C. You know that." Once again, it looked like Joey was considering saying more, but he didn't.

JC gave Joey a hug, holding on just a little too long, then stepping back quickly, acting flustered. "Um. Yeah. I should go."

He didn't have to look back to know that Joey was standing there watching him go.


 

 

Justin wasn't sure how long it took to actually wear down a carpet from pacing, but he supposed it was longer than he'd been doing it. It sure felt like he'd been doing it a long time, though.

When he heard JC talking to someone in the hall, he quickly turned out the light and jumped into bed. He didn't want JC to think he'd been worried. Or jealous. Or anything.

As JC moved around the room, Justin tried to breathe evenly so it would sound like he was asleep. He heard the water running in the bathroom, and then felt the bed dip as JC climbed in. JC spooned up behind him, and Justin snuggled back--and then forgot all about pretending to be asleep.

"Hey, is that me you're so glad to see?" JC was hard against him, and Justin wasn't sure if he wanted to know what he'd been doing with Joey to get into that state.

JC chuckled. "And hello to you, too."

Justin rolled over. He could just barely make out JC's profile in the dark. "So what were you doing over there, anyway?"

JC dropped a light kiss on Justin's shoulder. "We watched television and ate room service and fell asleep. Exciting stuff."

Justin wasn't going to be deterred. "Well, this," he said, giving JC's dick a squeeze, "sure makes it seem like there was something exciting going on."

"Are you jealous, baby?" JC sounded amused. "Were you lying here thinking about what I was doing to Joey? Wondering if I was touching him... kissing him... were you?"

JC's voice had dropped into the register he only used in bed, and Justin's breath was coming faster just from the sound of his voice. Certainly not from the image of JC touching Joey, and Joey reacting...

"Oh, you like that, hmmmm?" Now JC's fingers were teasing the hair above Justin's groin, making him twitch impatiently, wanting JC's hands to travel lower.

"I just think," Justin said, trying to keep his voice steady and not wholly succeeding, "that we need some, oh, ground rules here. About, oh god, what is... acceptable." JC was barely touching him, lightly running one finger up and down the length of Justin's cock, and the teasing pressure was making him crazy.