Still basking in the afterglow of what had happened in the kitchen, Justin let his hand rub lazily over JC's stomach. "Please tell me, Josh," Justin asked quietly again, "starting with what you were going to tell me in my room, something about it being a long time for us, or something. I didn't understand."
JC took a deep breath and pulled Justin closer in his arms. Justin could feel the strong beats of JC's heart. "What I meant, J, was that this, you, here, is what I've wanted. For a long time. I was trying to say that it took too long for us to get to now. I had pretty much given up by the time I got to Brian's party that night."
"JC, I ..." Justin's mind was racing to fill in the blanks, but JC shushed him.
"Let me say it all, Justin. Please? Since you asked?"
"OK." Justin tried to calm himself and listen.
"So yeah, that night at Brian's, I almost didn't come. I was sick of watching you hotshot around with Lance and the other Jefferson kids, I totally had decided you were never coming back. We'd been such good friends, and teammates, and kids together ... but after Lance said you weren't allowed to even talk to Kennedy kids anymore, well, that's when you became my rival. That's where the competition came that night. That's why I had to win. I couldn't have you, so I had to defeat you instead. But, you ass, you took that from me, too. Even from the bench that night, you beat me. You and Lance."
Justin rolled over, away from JC so he could see his friend's face. "My God, JC, if I'd only known..."
"It wasn't something you could know, 'Lake, I didn't talk to anyone about it. My mom only knew some version of a story where you and I were in a fight, so that's why we weren't talking."
"She must've told my mom that, cause Mom said how happy she was that I was spending the night here had something to do with you and me being over a fight!"
"Yeah. That's right. So that's why I was so cold that night. That's why I wouldn't back down from your challenges. I s'pose, really, that's why everything happened in the hallway. You and I met on a battlefield where neither could really be the victor."
"I think we both won, JC," Justin said, and JC just nodded. It was quiet in JC's room for awhile, then Justin said softly, "But still, Josh, I should've paid attention to you. I didn't listen to Lance, I totally ignored him when he said we shouldn't be friends, but then I realized something and I ..." Justin stopped short, unable to finish.
"What is it, Justin?"
"Josh, I ..."
JC pulled him close again. "You know you can tell me," he whispered into Justin's curls, "what is it?"
"I knew I was in love with you."
When the words left Justin's lips, JC squeezed him even tighter to him and planted soft kisses all over Justin's curl-covered head. JC's voice was a lilting song as he said, "Justin, I never thought this day would come, but in all the time I was wishing and hoping that this would come true -- and now it has. Justin Timberlake, I love you, too. And I have since before I even knew what love was. I grew into it, grew into you, grew into the perfect 'us' that we are now -- what a dream come true this has been..."
"Except for Lance. He's been nothing but a nightmare," Justin sighed, once again drawing patterns on JC's stomach.
JC smiled and an evil glint snuck into his sparkling blue eyes. "I have a plan for Lance," he said.
Justin's eyes grew wide with curiosity. "What is it?"
"Oh, you'll see." JC grinned and kissed Justin's
forehead. "It'll be worth the wait."