Disclamer: I claim to know no one! Please don't sue! If I offend anyone, I apologize profusely. I don't own *Nsync, I don't *know* *Nsync, and I have never even *met* *Nsync. (I've never even been to a concert, and I don't own their first cd. Hehe!) Please don't come after me with a baseball bat... :)
"Help me!"
James Lance Bass--who went by Lance--eyed his best friend and band-mate Justin Timberlake calmly, simply arching an eyebrow as he looked up from his prone position on the hotel bed, where he was trying to read a magazine. "With?" Lance prompted.
Justin dangled a necklace from his pointer finger, letting it drop out of his palm. Lance took the opportunity to study the silver box chain, from which a Japanese chracter hung. He looked up at Justin.
"Don't you think you have enough on?" Lance reminded, indicating the three chains already around the 19 year olds' neck. "I understand that you want to show off for Britney as much as possible, but you're really pushing the limitations on looking good versus looking crappy."
Justin made a face at Lance. "Then tell me which one to ditch," he ordered.
Lance rolled his eyes. "You and I both know you're not going to like my answer. Then you're going to get obnoxious and storm out of here and pound on Joey's door, demanding his fashion-clueless opinion. He'll proceed to suggest you wear them all, then add a few more before you roll your eyes at him, go to JC, who will tell you the same thing I will, and in an exasperated huff you'll go to Chris, who will in turn take off two of your necklaces and replace them with three more disgustingly obnoxious ones. That done, you'll throw those back at him, come back to my room, and demand that I give you my opinion. I'll repeat my earlier suggestion, and grumbling, you'll stick to your own original plan. So give me the necklace and turn around."
Justin simply stared at Lance, who calmly waited for the necklace to be deposited in his hand. Justin suddenly grinned and jumped over Lance, landing on the bed beside him.
"Got a better idea," Justin announced. "Get up."
Lance stared blankly at Justin, knowing full well what he was thinking. "Forget it," he stated firmly. "Your jewelry goes on your body." He picked up his silver cross off his chest, where it rested over his shirt. "This is all there is for me tonight."
Justin immediately began to whine. "It's supposed to increase your kharma!" he exclaimed. "It, uh..." His face screwed as he tried to recall what the package promised. He flashed a grin. "It's supposed to help with love. You'll finally get a chick, Lansten!"
"A regular lucky charm," Lance drawled. He shook his head. "I'll leave the chick getting to you, Curly. You enjoy it more than I ever would."
Lance was surprised when Justin scowled, so he quickly continued. "I mean, then again, all your concentration will be on Miss Britney Spears tonight though, won't it? You won't need some necklace for that. The girl worships the ground you walk on."
Justin shrugged. "We have fun," he said simply. "It's nothing serious."
It was Lance's turn to frown slightly. "Justin, everytime we go to a party, you two practically always leave early 'for coffee'. Don't tell me that's nothing serious--that's cruel. She isn't your sex toy; she's a nice girl."
Justin's scowl was back with reinforcements. "I never said we had sex," he spat. "And since when did you become a moralist preacher? Are you harboring feelings for her that none of us knew about?"
Lance was completely taken aback by Justin's sudden change in behavior, until it dawned on him that Justin thought Lance wanted his girl. Lance worked quickly to dispel that fear. "Of course not," Lance objected. "Britney's yours, Justin. And whatever you do with her is your own business. I just want you to be safe, and remember that while it may be 'just fun' to you, her feelings and emotions are at stake as well."
Justin's mood didn't lighten. "I told you I wasn't fucking her," he growled. "I expect you of all people to believe me."
Lance frowned again. "I believe you," he assured, instead of threatning to wash out Justin's mouth.
Justin sighed. "Sorry, Lansten," he apologized. Instead of elaborating further, he flashed a hopeful grin and puppy dog eyes. "Wear the necklace as a peace offering?"
Lance started to object, then, with a sigh, sat up and turned his back to Justin even as he tossed his magazine onto the bed next to him.
Two hands came into view, as well as a silver chain, before disappearing yet again. Lance forced himself not to stiffen as Justin's fingers touched the back of his neck. Still, he did allow himself to close his eyes. A minute later, Justin's hands were still on Lance's neck, and Lance finally opened his eyes, confused.
"Problems?" Lance asked, relieved to discover his voice wasn't shaking.
"Just with the clasp," Justin replied, his voice low and so close to Lance's neck that his warm breath hit Lance and made him jump slightly; the hairs on the back of his neck standing. "You okay?" Justin asked worriedly, still as close as before.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Lance returned, sounding perfectly normal. Now Lance was convinced something was seriously wrong with him. He had known Justin for five years. Granted, when they had met he had been unable to look away from the bright blue eyes, and found himself captivated by the younger boys' abilities, but it wasn't until recently that he had been having strange thoughts about him. Lance had never really been into relationship... Not with guys or girls. He was not attracted to guys--he liked girls--but there was something about Justin that sometimes made Lance think he needed to have some down-time from the curly-headed boy. Time to recover. On the other hand, Lance and Justin were always together--"The best of friends!" Justin carolled happily, flinging an arm around Lance's shoulders--and Lance relied heavily on Justin. He also didn't have the thoughts all the time--only in passing--every now and then. It confused, and scared, the Catholic boy.
"Done! Finally!" Justin laughed and jumped off the bed, shaking Lance out of his revere. "Gotta go fix my hair," he announced, scampering into Lance's bathroom. Lance sighed and laid back on the bed, wondering why he and Justin didn't just share a room. Most of Justins' stuff ended up in Lance's room anyway... Hell, most of the time Justin ended up in Lance's room, opting to crash there instead of walking the 20 feet to his own room.
"Hey man," Justin began, entering the room with a handful of mousse. "Would it be cool if we just shared a room? I'm getting really tired of crashing on the couch or dragging my lazy ass to my own room at night. And most of my stuff is here anyway. It's cool if you say no--"
"That's fine," Lance assured him, trying not to smile. They were quite alike, the two of them. "I was actually going to suggest it myself. But only if you promise not to come in with any girls while I'm trying to sleep."
Again, to Lance's surprise, Justin's smile faded before he suddenly laughed. "The only person I ever come in with is you, Lansten," he reminded cheerfully, working the foam through his curly hair.
"Well then don't come in with me while I'm trying to sleep," Lance warned.
"Cranky today, aren't you?"Justin teased, his blue eyes glinting playfully. He looked Lance up and down, an action that made Lance very self consious. "You look good," he declared suddenly. Lance blushed and opened his mouth to politely deny it, but Justin was continuing. "It's just not fair," he moaned. "You take ten minutes to get ready enough that everyone stares at you, and it takes me an hour to achieve the same damn effect. You know why I sing lead, Lansten? It's because if they let you do it, none of us would be able to compete in any way, shape, or form." Still grumbling, he retreated into the bathroom again.
"Justin you look fine!" Lance called after him, but he was only answered by the squeak of the faucet as Justin turned it on. One thing Justin did better than anyone else was stroke Lance's ego. It seemed like he was doing it a lot more lately, too, which surprised the unfazable and level headed Lance.
The pounding on the front door got Lance up off the bed, and he grinned at the door as he gazed through the peephole at Joey and Chris, who were snickering to each other and trying to be quiet as they waited for Lance to open the door. They were each holding water guns, undoubtably holding some sort of colored liquid.
Lance retreated from the door and called, "Just a minute!" as he picked up Joey's shirt from the dresser. The older man had left it there the other night when he got too hot for the Arizona heat. Justin came out of the bathroom as Lance slipped out of his own shirt.
"Tell me how you really feel," Justin drawled, studying Lance's chest. Lance blushed and quickly yanked on Joey's shirt.
"Go get the silly string," Lance whispered.
Justin's eyes lit with realization as to what was happening, and grinning mischeviously, he rummaged through Lance's bag, pulling out Lance's color of silly string--green. They each had a color: Lance was green, Justin was blue, Chris was pink, Joey was red, and JC was white.
Justin handed the can to Lance even as Lance walked past him, placing it into his stomach almost secretly. Their hands ran over each other's arm, and a shot of electricity ran down Lance's spine, and quickly he hurried to the door, opening it even as Joey began to pound again.
Immediately the spraying began, Joey and Chris with their quirt guns on Lance, spraying red and purple liquid, and Lance with his green silly string. When Chris and Joey were done, they grinned triumphantly at Lance, even though they were covered in his silly string.
"Now you gotta change!" Joey proclaimed proudly.
Lance looked down at himself and nodded ruefully. "I suppose I do," he sighed drearily. "Is that stuff permanent?"
"Maybe," Joey taunted.
Lance easily pulled the large shirt over his head and tossed it into Joey's stomach. "Then have fun getting it out of your favorite shirt," he wished sweetly.
Joey's smile died instantly as Chris burst out laughing. Joey yelped when the saw the now blotchy Superman emblam, shouting threats even as Lance shut the door, laughing. He turned around and ran smack dab into a towel, and hand , which was being held out to him.
"Thanks," Lance laughed, taking the towel and rubbing off with it. There was a small red spot on his khaki's, but he didn't care enough to change them. He followed Justin back into the main part of the room, snatching his shirt off the dresser before flopping down onto the bed and pulling it down over his head to cover up yet again. When he looked up at Justin, in the bathroom doorway, he was astonished and embarassed to see Justin watching him.
"That was pretty cool," Justin congratulated.
Lance grinned, the tension gone immediately. "They need to remember doors come equiped with peep holes for a reason."
Justin laughed. "They're just not as bright as you, Lansten."
"Few are," Lance teased. "Now get ready! We're going to be late!"
"There's a surprise," Justin teased back, but once more disappeared into the bathroom. He continued to talk from the confines of the small room. "Besides, don't you want to make an entrance?"
"Half the people going to this party are going to be attempting to do the same thing," Lance reminded, straightening himself out in the mirror. "And no one is going to be there until they all swarm in at the same time, thinking they're the last to arrive."
Justin's head popped out of the bathroom. "How come you're so cynical today?"
Lance turned from tugging on his collar to the curly headed blond. "I prefer 'perceptive'," he corrected.
"No," Justin disagreed, still eyeing him. "Something's up with you. What is it, and how long have you been hiding it from me?"
Lance felt his heart bottom out. Justin couldn't know the strange thoughts in his mind, could he? Lie, Lance's mind commanded. "Danielle is going to be there," Lance blurted out.
A strange look flashed over Justin's face, but he replaced it in the blink of an eye with a supportive grin. He crossed to Lance's side and turned them so they faced the mirror together, Justin's arm around Lance's shoulders. "Anytime you get uncomfortable," Justin's soothing voice began. "you come find me and we'll go."
Lance shook his head. "Justin, you know that I'm not going to--"
"I'll see it," Justin interrupted. "Whether you tell me or not doesn't matter." He flashed a grin. "On the other hand, you could string up a slew of chicks and show her what she lost."
Lance rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, a major catch."
Justin gazed into Lance's eyes in the mirror, and Lance suddenly felt like he'd been reprimanded; like he'd offended Justin in some way.
"That's my best friend you're putting down," Justin warned. "And I don't let anyone put him down."
Lance grinned slightly and wrapped his arm around Justin's waist, admiring how they looked together.
"You know how they say that they never put us together in photoshoots because we're both blond and they want a balance?"
Lance shrugged even with Justin's arm on his shoulders. "Yeah?"
"I think it's a crock."
Lance couldn't help but laugh.
"I mean, look at us," Justin continued, tightening his grip on Lance's shoulders, drawing him closer. Lance readjusted his grip on Justin's waist, his hand now visible on Justin's side. "We're hot alone, but we're georgeous together. The photographers are afraid of us breaking the cameras if we're together 'cause we're so damn hot."
Lance laughed again. "I'm sure that's exactly what it is," he agreed patiently.
Justin grinned and gave Lance a death squeeze--which he protested--before releasing him. "Gotta get ready!" he announced, going into the bathroom yet again.
"You keep saying it, but your follow through sucks, Timberlake!" Lance called back, fixing his shirt and hair briefly. There was a knock on the door, and Lance checked the peephole. JC was standing there, with a laughing Chris and grumbling Joey. Lance smiled briefly before pulling the door open.
"Good one!" JC congratulated immediately, hugging Lance. "Joey won't stop whining! You really got 'em this time!"
Lance laughed and hugged JC back. "Thanks."
"Oh, hey Curly." JC pulled away from Lance, keeping an arm around Lance's shoulders, and Lance turned around to see Justin standing there, his arms crossed over his chest and his blue eyes cold as he leaned against the hallway wall on his shoulder. He was watching JC and Lance, to Lance's surprise.
"Weren't you doing your hair?" Lance teased, when Justin didn't say anything back. JC was giving the others a confused look.
Justin rolled his eyes, pushing off the wall. "I do do other things besides my hair," he objected, the familiar glint back in his eyes.
"Make up?" Joey suggested. "A nice brown would really bring out your blue eyes."
They all stared at Joey, who shrugged innocently. "I listened when Elise spoke."
They sighed and shook their heads, going into the room. Justin yet again disappeared into the bathroom, while Joey and Chris flopped onto the couch. Lance and JC dropped onto the bed, just a few inches between them. JC and Lance were close. Very close. JC was almost always draped over Lance, who didn't really care. JC was just very affectionate, especially with him.
"We're going to be late," JC called at Justin.
"Then go!" Justin snapped. "I'll come when I'm ready!"
"We'll never see you!" Chris objected. He brightened. "Let's go!"
"Sit," Lance ordered, standing. Chris sank back down, never intending to go in the first place. Lance went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him and completely disreguarding what the others would think.
Justin never turned from the mirror, instead followed Lance's image with his eyes, watching him closely as he sat on the top of the toilet unit, his feet resting on the down top. He knew very well that Justin was watching him, and once he was settled, green imaged eyes met blue.
"Wanna talk about it?" Lance finally asked casually.
"Not really much to say. I'm just tired of always getting rushed." Even as he spoke, he ruffled his curly hair. "Not flat! Not today!" he moaned.
Lance grinned. "Sit," he invited, moving his feet to the outer rim of the top. Justin glanced at him in the mirror, then almost hesitantly did as he was told. Lance reached onto the counter, his leg brushing Justin's side as he did so. Lance felt a shock go through his body, and despite the fact that he was desperate to keep the warm contact, his fingers closed around the gel bottle and he settled back, no longer touching Justin. That is, until Justin's arms closed around Lance's legs.
"Don't fall," Justin warned, pulling Lance's legs up onto his sides and keeping his arms hooked around them.
"I'll try to avoid it, thanks," Lance replied drolly. Sometimes he was amazed he could even speak when Justin was around. He squeezed some of the gel into his palm, rubbed his hands together, and studied the curly mop before just putting his hands in.
Despite all the crap Justin was constantly putting in his hair, his blond curls were soft, and Lance loved it, happily tossling the curls and scrunching handfuls in his hands. He hoped he wasn't hurting Justin, and snuck a peek at the mirror as he worked. He smiled to himself, seeing the closed eyes. Obviously Justin was okay. He continued what he was doing until Justin's hair was just as Justin liked it. Then, not wanting to risk messing it up, he pulled away.
"There," Lance declared, watching his friend in the mirror. Justin lazily opened his eyes, releasing Lance's legs and going to the mirror, his blue eyes lighting with delight.
"Lance! My man! You are my new god!"
Lance grinned slightly, rolling his eyes, then stood as well, behind Justin and over his shoulder. Justin--to Lance's surprise and slight discomfort--reached back and wrapped his arm around Lance's waist. Lance studied their image, thinking about how good they looked together. He was only a few inches shorter than Justin, and both looked stunning--Justin in a black, tight shirt and Lance in a long sleeved dark green one. The green shirt had actually been Justin's choice, saying that it made Lance's eyes stand out. Lance had proceeded to suggest that Justin consider serious medical help, but wore the shirt anyway. The last time Lance and Justin had dyed Lance's tips, they had streaked part of Justin's hair, too, and it actually looked good on the red-blond boy.
"Look as us," Justin carolled, in a seemingly much better mood. "We are gods amongst men."
Lane sighed. "Where exactly did your ego come from?" he asked patiently.
Justin shrugged. "Dare you tell me it's not so?"
Lance considered for a moment, then nodded. "It's not so."
Justin threw both arms around Lance, his front in Lance's side, almost smothering him in his hug. "You're beautiful, Lansten," Justin said softly, his voice almost as low as Lance's normally was. It sent shivers down Lance's spine, and he couldn't help but shiver. Did Justin honestly have no idea what he did to him? Lance wondered. Because he certainly wasn't cruel enough to play with Lance that way.
Justin moved a few inches from Lance, who already missed Justin's warm breath on is ear, and the intimacy of the closeness. It wasn't gone for long, however, when Justin grabbed Lance by the shoulders and gazed seriously into his eyes, their faces only inches away.
"I mean it," Justin insisted softly. "You have no right to have a low self-esteem. You amaze me. You have done so every day for the past five years, and you will continue to do so until the day we die, when you will still amaze me in Heaven."
Lance tried to smile weakly, but the expression broke apart. His breath was caught in his throat, and if he didn't know any better, he would swear Justin was leaning forward... But no, that was just his imagination. He forced the smile onto his face, pulling Justin into a hug and wrapping his arms around the taller boys' waist while two strong arms went over his shoulders. Lance dropped his chin onto Justin's shoulder. "Thanks Curly," he laughed softly. "Thousands of girls may scream they're your number one fan, but really, they all pale in comparison to me."
Justin nodded. "Yes," he agreed lowly. "they do."
Lance's heart skipped even as Justin pulled away and smiled warmly at him.
"Ready?" Justin asked, straightening Lance's shirt. Lance returned the favor and they grinned at each other.
"Let's go knock 'em dead," Lance agreed cheerfully, forcing the intimacy they had shared moments before out of his mind. Justin obviously meant nothing by it, and reading into his actions would surely destroy their friendship.
They walked out of the bathroom to see the other three dog piled on the bed, grumbling at each other.
"And they blame being late on me!" Justin scoffed at Lance, indicating the three on the bed.
Lance tsked, shaking his head. "How utterly aduacious," he agreed.
"Stop gawkin' and start helpin'!" Joey growled from the bottom of the pile.
Lance sighed and carefully pulled up Chris, who was still laughing. Then, depositing Chris into Justin's arms, Lance reached for JC, whose foot was caught under Joey. JC stumbled and would have fallen if not for Lance catching him.
"Thanks," JC said sheepishly.
"You okay?" Lance asked, stiffling his laughter.
"JC's a born klutz, aren't ya, Joshie?" Justin teased, helping JC off of Lance by practically yanking him up.
JC made a face at Justin before straightening himself out completely. "You think you're cute, Curly," JC mocked, then turned and helped Joey up. "How ya doin', Joe?"
Joey made a face at him. "I'm squished, but thanks for asking."
"No problem," JC replied cheerfully. He turned to the others. "Everyone present and accounted for?"
"Yes, now let's go!" Justin urged, gesturing to the door.
"That eager to have a little romp with Britney?" Joey teased, already his grumpy mood forgotten.
Lance glanced at Justin, who had tensed, his face carved of stone. Quickly Lance cleared his throat, smiling brightly. "There's going to be a lot of cute girls there," he reminded. "Justin's young, why bother settling with one girl?" He smiled mischeviously. "That's for old men like you to do."
As the halls filled with Joey's outraged cries, Lance felt a hand slide across his back. Looking to his side, he saw Justin smiling appreciatively at him. Lance grinned back and joined the trek to the elevator.
Lance was miserable. Danielle was hanging all over him--literally--and while he could sometimes catch a glimpse of Joey across the room flirting with a group of girls, for all intensive purposes he couldn't see the other guys.
"Justin and Britney are so cute!" Danielle squealed, pointing to the dance floor. Lance followed her gaze to where the Prince and Princess of Pop were making a rather large spectacle of themselves, using horizontal moves in vertical positions. Britney's ice blue bra top and skimpy, clinging skirt certainly left little to the imagination, but Lance still liked her. She was a little flaky, but definitely a nice girl.
"Yes, they are," Lance replied politely, silently kicking himself for being such a gentleman. If he could only be a little ruder, maybe she would leave him alone and he could catch a cab back to the hotel.
"This I Promise You" came blaring through the speakers, causing an excited cry through out the crowd, and a groan from Lance.
"Let's dance!" Danielle didn't wait for an answer, instead dragging Lance out. Calmly, and a bit reluctantly, he placed his arms around her waist, and she hugged him tightly around the neck, almost choking him, but manners kept his mouth shut.
"Lance?" Danielle purred.
Lance tried not to wince. "Yes?"
"Why did we break up?" Her feather-soft breath touched his ear. "I miss you."
Painfully Lance closed his eyes, his face twisted in a grimace. "You broke up with me, Danielle, remember?"
"I know," she pouted. "And it was such a huge mistake. I'd really like it if we could--"
"Lance! My man!"
Lance and Danielle broke apart, Lance relieved and Danielle annoyed.
"Hey JC," Lance greeted happily.
"I've got a headache," JC sighed. "I'm gonna cut out."
"I'll go with you," Lance offered quickly. He turned to Danielle. "You know how these things are. JC really shouldn't be alone. Hope you have fun. See ya later!"
"Lance!" She grabbed his arm, spinning him around, and to his astonishment, pressed her lips firmly against his.
Lance gently detached himself, still not wanting to be rude, offered her a weak smile, and all but ran out with JC, feeling like a jerk and a total loser.
"Movie?" JC suggested brightly.
Lance grinned, then laughed. "Lead the way, Savior."
Lance flashed a grin over his shoulder as he unlocked his door. "Later JC. Sleep well."
"You too. Night!"
Lance shut the bedroom door behind him, sighing tiredly and allowing the smile to fade away instantly. He and JC had gone to a comedy movie, then out for coffee, and Lance was exhausted. He was also trying to convince himself that he didn't care where Justin was. So what if he was probably curled up in Britney's bed right now? Lance had to stop these thoughts... Quickly. He forcefully yanked his shirt over his head, tossing it onto the ground before going into the bathroom and staring at his reflection as he leaned against the counter, gripping it for support.
Green eyes, full of confusion and anguish stared into their mirror image, and Lance closed his eyes. He hated feeling unsure of himself. The one person Lance Bass depended on without a doubt was James Lance Bass.
"Where the hell have you been?"
Lance's eyes flew open as he gasped and whirled around at the same time. Justin's cold blue eyes gazed back icily at him, waiting for an answer. He didn't look as though he'd been asleep, despite his flannel plaid pants and tight gray tee shirt.
"Jesus Justin, you scared the crap outta me," Lance sighed, forcing himself to take several deep breaths to slow his heart. "When did you get back? I thought you'd be with..." Lance trailed off, suddenly feeling sick. Justin's hair did look disheveled, as though hands had been through it. And his clothes were scewered and rumpled. Lance felt the blood drain from his face as he looked past Justin to the darkness of the hotel room.
"Fuck, Lance, she's not here. We went for coffee around 11 and at midnight went our separate ways. Now it's 2 a.m., and you're just now walking in. I saw that kiss with Danielle earlier. I don't think anyone at the whole god damn party missed it. So I repeat, where the hell have you been?"
Lance was too relieved to reprimand Justin's language. "JC and I saw a movie; grabbed some food. What's your problem?"
Justin's eyes narrowed. "I was worried. I thought if you were going to cut out, we were going to do it together. I spent almost an hour looking for you, until Chris told me you and JC ran off."
"Number one, I saw you with Britney and didn't want to interrupt. You two don't get enough time together. Number two, I'm sorry I didn't tell you I left. I was a little desperate to go after Danielle's very public display of affection, which you oh so thoughtfully reminded me of. She was suggesting we get back together when JC thankfully interrupted."
Justin eyed him. "You and JC seem to be close lately," he commented casually, though there was nothing casual about the calculating blue eyes.
Lance arched an eyebrow. "I'm not gay, Curly, and neither is JC, so whatever it is that you're thinking, forget it."
Justin shrugged. "I didn't say anything."
"You didn't have to," Lance returned calmly, his voice low. He stepped to the doorway, to go past Justin and into the room for his clothes, but Justin stopped him, putting a hand on Lance's bare chest, startling Lance into stillness.
"Just jealous," Justin finally muttered, his eyes dropping from Lance's, as well as putting his hand back behind his back with the other one. "If JC takes my spot--"
"He won't," Lance interrupted firmly. It must have been firmer than he thought, because Justin looked up at him. Blue met green, neither wavering.
Finally, Justin smiled slightly. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Now can I go get dressed?"
Justin flashed his trademark grin. "But you're so cute!" he objected. "Why would I let you do that?"
"'cause I'll just wear your clothes," Lance responded automatically.
Justin opened his mouth to respond, then slowly shut it, only a devilish smile remaining from whatever his thought had been. Lance warily went to inquire about it when from behind Justin's back, the curly-headed boy produced Lance's pj's: green plaid flannel pants--baggy--and a dark green tee-shirt--tight. Lance couldn't help but grin as he took them from the blue-eyed boy.
"You're so cute sometimes, Curly," Lance teased. "Thank you."
"You're welcome!" Justin carolled back. "But what's with this 'sometimes' business?"
Lance merely snickered and yanked the shirt over his head as Justin leaned his back against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest, regaling Lance with tales from the party. Lance hesitated before undoing his pants, wanting to kick out Justin and yet not wanting to. Justin helped him out, looking the other way and continuing his stories without missing a beat. Lance swiftly changed, and once done gestured to Justin to go into the other room.
They climbed onto his bed together, Lance propped up against the headboard with his hands folded over his stomach, and Justin on his stomach only inches away from Lance, propping his head on a pillow.
"So what movie did you see?" Justin asked.
Lance tried not to sigh in disappointment. He liked to hear Justin's soft, southern voice. It didn't matter what Justin was saying, he just had a soothing tone.
"Time Before Dying."
"What was it about?" Justin's bright blue eyes were becoming lidded, and he was snuggling in more comfortably.
"A bright pink snake that flew around the world singing Christmas carols."
"Cool," Justin mumbled. Lance smiled gently at him, amused slightly.
"Come on Curly, sleep time," Lance told him softly.
"No," Justin protested, forcing his eyes open. "Talk to me."
"About what? And why?" Lance asked. "It'll only keep you up and you're obviously tired."
Justin shrugged slightly. "You've got a nice voice. Talk me to sleep."
Lance's heart skipped for a moment, and eventually forced a smile and half-hearted teasing. "Isn't it 'sing' me to sleep?"
"Your choice," Justin muttered.
Lance hesitated, and softly began discussing his night with JC. Justin was asleep in minutes, and Lance shut up, gazing at the serene face beside him. Justin, even with his imperfections, was beautiful.
The thought scared through Lance into sitting up straight. He needed fresh air. Maybe he was just spending too much time with Justin. Maybe next week, when they had a two week break, would be a good idea. The distance would probably help.
"What's wrong?" Justin asked tiredly as Lance tried to get up off the bed and go to the couch.
"Nothing. I'm just going to go lay on the couch."
Justin's eyes opened with a tired difficulty. "Why? It's a big bed. We'll both fit."
Lance hesitated. "I should go lay on the couch. It'll just be easier."
"Huh?" Justin asked, still sleepy and not focusing.
Lance shook himself. Justin had no idea it was ackward, and if Lance acted that way, Justin was going to wonder what was up.
"Nevermind," Lance admonished, laying down completely. Despite the vast area of room they each had on their other sides, they remained in the middle of the bed--next to each other.
And there, the two blonds fell asleep.
"Get that!"
Lance's eyes flew open as he was smacked across the chest. Justin's hand was slowly sliding across his chest, until he buried his arms under the pillow, and his face over it.
Lance stared at him for only a split second before reaching over to Justin's side and snatching up the annoying phone, laying across Justin in the process.
"Hello?" Lance asked tiredly, his voice scratchy wtih sleep.
"Lance? Breakfast, Joey's, 10:00. Justin?"
Lance took a second. "Got him."
"Alright. Bye."
"Bye," Lance yawned, hanging up the phone and simply laying on his stomach across Justin's back, still tiredly.
"Who was that?" Justin muttered tiredly, from somewhere in the pillow.
"JC. Breakfast at Joey's at 10:00. Get up and shower."
"You first. I'm sleeping."
"You're always sleeping."
"I am not, you're thinking of JC."
"Nah, JC and I go out together while you sleep."
Lance grunted when Justin flipped over so quickly Lance merely remained where he was, on his stomach and now laying across Justin's stomach.
"Ow," Lance muttered, his face in the mattress. Sometimes he really wanted to pop Justin.
"You and JC go out after I'm asleep?" Justin asked, sounding wide awake.
"Only a couple of times," Lance defended, wondering why he was feeling guilty all of a sudden. One look into Justin's betrayed blue eyes quickly reminded him, as unjustified as Justin's reaction was.
"Why didn't you wake me?" Justin demanded. "I would have hung out with you!"
Lance sighed and turned on his side, propping his head on his hand as he stretched over Justin's body, his side pressing into Justin's stomach.
"You were tired, Curly, and when you're tired, I let you sleep."
"You two went out again last night after I went to bed?" Justin yelped, sounding horrified.
"You're dillusional, you know that? 10 minutes after you were out, so was I. And will you quit worrying about JC and I? He's not you."
Justin sucked in a breath and stared at Lance, who was suddenly panicking that he'd said something wrong.
"Thank you," Justin breathed softly, smiling sheepishly. "You'd think thousands of chicks screaming my name would give me a little self-confidence. It's just..." He trailed off nervously, hesitating. "JC's a cool guy, and I wouldn't blame anyone for wanting him as their best friend. It's just that, you know, JC in; Justin out."
Lance shook his head. "If anyone should be worried about being replaced, Curly, it's me."
Justin scoffed immediately at him. "I wouldn't; couldn't. Don't be silly."
"And yet you think I could?" Lance eyed Justin.
Justin sighed. "No, of course not. I just worry, I suppose. I know how close you and JC are, and I don't have anyone else that close to me besides you."
Lance patted Justin's stomach with his free hand. "It'll be just you and me for the rest of our lives, Curly. Don't worry about that." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them, but the way Justin's eyes lit up made him suddenly forget everything.
"That's right!" Justin declared happily. "Just you an' me!"
Lance smiled gently, a bit nervously, and nearly gasped when Justin grabbed his hand. "Promise?" Justin pleaded.
"I promise," Lance agreed softly, his voice breaking as he stared into those blue eyes threatening to tear into his soul.
"I promise too," Justin whispered, smiling gently.
When Lance realized that neither one of them was moving, he purposefully yawned and stretched, breaking his hand holding with Justin as he stood, albeit crawling and dragging his body over Justin's to do so. "I'm showering," he announced. "I'm dirty."
"Lance, you couldn't get dirty if someone paid you," Justin teased. "You're 'Mr. Clean', remember?"
"Of course, and in order to stay that way, I must shower," he reminded, going into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him. As soon as the door was closed, he sagged back against it, trying to breathe normally and stop his pounding heart.
"Party people, ho!" Justin carolled as he burst into Joey's hotel room. Lance was right behind him, laughing slightly, and the other three simply looked up, called their hello's and chorus', and then turned back to their tv.
"How my people ova he'e?!" Justin yelped, flopping down next to Chris on the couch, who was sitting next to Joey. JC was in the arm chair, and as Justin discreetly watched, Lance gently sat on the arm of the chair, immediately engaging in a quieter conversation with JC. Justin gritted his teeth and forced his eyes back to Chris, who was watching him. Justin's smile died away as Chris continued to simply stare at him, and just as he was about to comment, Chris spoke.
"We be good, yo," Chris returned easily, as though he hadn't spent the past few seconds giving Justin a pointed stare.
Justin forced his smile back up. "What we watchin'?" he asked, dropping an arm easily around Chris' shoulders and turning to look at him and Joey, trying to catch a glimpse of Lance and JC in the process. Lance had his arm on the back of the chair, supporting himself, and he was grinning and nodding at JC, who was laughing. Justin quickly looked away, before Chris saw him again.
Justin wasn't sure what was up with himself. He'd been having these strange feelings about Lance lately. Not like, wanting to kiss him or anything, because Justin Timberlake was not gay. He was never attracted to guys; only girls. Though... There was something strange about Lance... Something that set him off just slightly. He had yet to define it, and if he was perfectly honest, he was afraid to do so. He could still remember the first time he met Lance... His green eyes had seemed to pierce into Justin's soul, and the dazzling smile he sent Justin's way scared the curly headed boy so badly that at first, despite the fact that there had undoubtably been an immediate connection and the two had a lot in common, he avoided Lance for a while. That had continued for about six months, until the two had accidentally gotten locked in a closet together, and they had bonded immediately, so much so that Justin knew in his heart he would never be able to be without this boy again, and the thought scared him to death sometimes.
Such as right now.
Justin loved JC with his whole heart, and yet currently he was picturing taking JC apart piece by piece. It was completely irrational, and he knew that, but he was so jealous, and JC was so god damn wonderful... Justin was scared, and he knew he was being an ass about it. Lance and JC had been friends from the very beginning. From day one. JC had taken Lance under his wing, constantly being around the younger boy, hanging out with him when Lance didn't want to go partying with the others. Justin still remembered being jealous when he would leave with Joey and Chris so long ago, watching Lance and JC sitting next to each other on the couch as the door closed.
"Justin!"
Justin's head snapped up and he looked at Joey with wide eyes. The other four were staring at him, Chris expressionlessly, Joey with confusion, JC with amusement, and Lance with... God, with as long as they had been friends, Justin still had a hard time reading Lance's expressions when they were directed at him. With anyone else, he could read Lance like a book and better, but when Lance looked at him, sometimes Justin forgot to think. And that scared him.
He was such a wuss.
"Sorry, Joe, what?"
"I asked if you would rather watch the news or MTV," Joey repeated, eyeing him.
"Oh." Justin paused. "The news."
"Good choice!" Chris agreed, yanking the remote away from Joey, who began pouting. "Some of us like to be educated in any way that we can, Joseph," Chris told him condescendingly. Joey simply made a face back in return, and then both burst out laughing, kidding around with each other.
Justin smiled at them, watching them play around, and looked up again and Lance and JC. JC was still talking, and Lance was nodding and smiling, but his bright green eyes were trained on Justin, which made the curly headed boys' heart skip. God Lance had beautiful eyes. Hell, Lance was beautiful.
The thought made Justin cold. A fine sweat broke out over his back as the impact of his conscious realization came forth. He couldn't be attracted to Lance, could he? He liked girls. He'd never been attracted to a guy before in his life! Maybe they had been spending too much time together. Over the past few weeks, their time together had increased so much that the only time they weren't together was when they were in the bathroom, almost literally. Last night had been the first time they had been apart for more than an hour, and after two hours had gone by, Justin missed Lance horribly and asked to go back to the hotel, only Britney wanted to stay out later and Justin agreed, not wanting to say why he wanted to go back. The idea of being without Lance made Justin slightly sick, and he didn't like that fact one little bit. How was he going to recover from Lance if he couldn't get away from him?
It finally dawned on Justin that he was staring at Lance, and, offering a sheepish smile, he ducked his eyes and tried to focus on Chris and Joey's conversation. He wasn't even thinking about them, though, only about Lance, and hesitantly he looked at JC and Lance again. Lance had gone back to looking at JC, and while he was smiling, it looked slightly forced, though JC seemed oblivious. Justin wondered if he was the cause behind the fake smile, and something inside of him told him that he was, and that made him sad. He never wanted to worry Lance, or make Lance unhappy in any way. He would do anything to keep Lance happy.
Anything.
"You look kinda serious," Chris mumbled to Justin, even as Joey began shouting things at the tv news. Justin quickly met Chris' eyes, but Chris merely arched an eyebrow, waiting for an answer to the unasked question.
"Just thinking. I know it's a foreign concept, but you should try it sometime."
Instead of responding with an insult, Chris merely gazed evenly at him. "We'll talk later," he told him, then yelped, "Sorry Curly, I never pick on people when I can't understand their language!"
Justin was still thinking about Chris' warning, which was exactly what it sounded like. Was he broadcasting his feelings for Lance or something? The thought made him pale. Feelings for Lance? He didn't... Justin slowly looked up at Lance, who was smiling at JC. Just the sight of him made Justin forget what he was worried, and scared, about. Justin found himself smiling slightly just at the sight, until he quickly snapped back to reality, nausious. He really did care about Lance. He had feelings for Lance. His best friend in the entire world. No, that couldn't be true. He was just lonely and he and Lance were best friends.
Keep telling yourself that, his mind chided. Maybe you'll believe it.
Justin felt sick.
"And now, we'd like to welcome five of the hottest guys in the country, and my personal friends, 'Nsync!"
Lance felt like covering his ears against the loud screaming in the studio, despite the fact that he was used to it by now. He felt a hand on his back before they stepped out into the public, and gave Justin a wanly grateful look. Justin was gazing back sympethetically, knowing how Lance hated the loud screams. They appeared from the back, all smiles, waving at the fans who were jumping up and down, shouting, and even crying. Lance hated the criers. They always made him feel horrible for not being able to hug them all, and that did not do good things for his self esteem.
They joined Carson Daly on the stage, waving at the people below in the street at Times Square. The fans, upon sighting them, began to scream so loudly the guys could hear them all the way up on their floor. They laughed and while Chris and Joey began to act silly, Lance and JC claimed a couple of the chairs. It was Carson, JC, Lance, and... Chris? Before Justin could sit down, Chris claimed the seat, giving Justin a look Lance didn't quite understand. But Justin was gazing back evenly at Chris before calmly taking the seat on Chris' other side, laughing at Joey as he continued to play with the crowd below until he finally took his seat on Justin's free side.
"Wow, guys," Carson teased. "Should I start screaming, too?"
"Only if you want a sock in your mouth," Chris warned.
"But don't let it be Chris' sock, 'cause the smell will kill ya," Justin stuck in, shooting a teasing look at Chris.
"Just the smell of Justin'll kill ya," Chris threw back.
"Oh, Chris, don't even make me--" Justin started.
"Stop," Lance sighed, shaking his head. He turned to Carson and the crowd. "Do you see what Joey, JC, and I have to put up with daily?!"
Carson laughed. "Aw, Lance, the voice of reason. How are you holding up, keeping these two from massacuring each other?"
Lance made a face. "I could use a nice vacation in the Bahama's."
"Without them," JC added.
Lance laughed and nodded emphatically while Justin and Chris protested good naturedly, Joey applauding.
"You guys would miss us," Chris objected.
"Terribly," Justin agreed.
Lance arched an eyebrow at the two. "Sure we would. We'd miss being mediators, having ice cold ocean water dumped on us while we're suntanning, having orange juice tossed on us while we're trying to eat breakfast--"
"It was an accident!" Chris yelped.
"Chris, you threw the juice at me!" Lance exclaimed back.
"Did not," Chris defended. "It sorta slipped, and then you just happened to be in the way--"
"You totally aimed for me," Lance interrupted, turning back to Carson. "You see?"
"They're children," JC sighed, putting a hand on Lance's shoulder. "Without Lance and Joey way down there to keep me sane, I'd have been put in a mental institution long ago."
"You give us too much credit," Justin teased.
"No, no, he doesn't," Joey sighed, shaking his head, and with a devilish twinkle in his eye glanced up at Chris, and as soon as their eyes met, they both began howling in a joke only the two of them knew about.
"We don't ask, they don't tell," JC explained.
Carson laughed. "Well, you guys are about to start on the second half of your tour. Are you excited?"
"Definitely," Lance spoke up. "We're going to finish the first half next week, and then we're home for two weeks on a break, back into the studio to learn a couple of new dances, and then we're back out for the second leg of the tour. We couldn't be happier."
"You sound very busy," Carson pointed out.
"We are," Lance agreed immediately. "But we love it. This," he gestured to the fans in the crowd, and then out the window, indicating those below. "This is what we love. This is what all of us dreamed about."
Carson nodded. "I noticed earlier while the other four were in the dressing room primping that you went out there and sighed a few autographs. We actually have some footage of you braving the crowds, if you'll direct your attention to the monitor..."
They did, Lance sheepishly looking as well. He hated to watch himself on tv. It made him incredibly self conscious. He figured if he couldn't see himself, it didn't matter what he looked like. On the other hand, when he had to look at himself, he immediately criticized everything about him. He was his own worst enemy.
The footage showed Lance surrounded in body guards, walking out through the building and through the front doors. As he came through, the crowds burst out screaming so loudly that Lance cringed just remembering. He could hardly hear himself think through all that, but he did his best to sign as many autographs as possible. There were clips of him talking to the fans, giving a couple of them hugs and kisses, and then a very eager fan showed up on the screen, crying.
"Oh my god," she sobbed to the camera. "I just met Lance Bass! He is so hot! I am so in love with him! He thanked me for coming out and he signed my bracelet... This is my new prized possession!" Proudly she displayed the blue wrist cuff, with Lance's sloppy scrawl on it. "He is so sweet to come out here even though he doesn't have to. He's my favorite."
And another fan. "Lance is so cute!" the girl gushed. "Everytime I hear about him, everyone talks about how he's always talking to the people, and how he really gets into the crowd. He doesn't have this, 'I'm Lance Bass from 'Nsync and I'm famous so don't touch me' attitude. He's very open and caring, and I love him so much!"
"He hugged me!" A new girl, about 12 years old, was squealing excitedly with her friend. "Lance Bass hugged me! I'll never forget today! This was the best day of my life!"
Carson turned from the monitor and looked at Lance, who was blushing furiously and had his head in his hands. The other guys were grinning broadly and looking at Lance, JC patting Lance on the back supportively.
"What's wrong, Lance?" Carson asked playfully. "They love you out there!"
Lance laughed slightly and lifted his head, speaking into the mic. "I love them too," he assured Carson. "I'm just embarassed. To be honest, I hate looking in mirrors, and people telling me they think I'm cute just blows my mind."
"Aw, a shy boy!" Carson teased.
"The shyist of all of us," Justin agreed. "But probably the nicest, too."
"I'm nice!" Chris objected. At Justin's arched eyebrow, he relented. "Okay. Maybe not as nice as Lance, but that's not really humanly possible."
"Okay, we can stop," Lance objected immediately. "This is not, 'boost Lance's ego' hour."
"Aw, he's blushing!" JC teased, poking a finger into Lance's cheek. Lance laughingly slapped his hands away, making a face at the older man.
"Alright, we'll leave you alone," Carson agreed, still grinning slightly, and turned to Justin. "Now, how about those rumors about you and Miss Britney Spears?"
Justin groaned. "There's more?" he sighed. "Britney and I are just friends. Yes, we kiss. Yes, we date. Yes, we have fun together. But that's it. It's not serious."
Carson laughed. "According to the lastest tabloid..." He picked up a paper and held it up for them all to see. "Britney Spears Timberlake?" He turned to the page and read, "The Prince of pop proposes to the Princess."
Justin's jaw fell. "I proposed?!" he exclaimed, his blue eyes wide. "Wow! Where was I? Did I at least give her a nice ring? When's the wedding? I'll be sure to mark it on my calendar."
Carson grinned. "So there's no truth to the rumors?"
"None whatsoever," Justin stated firmly. He groaned. "My mama's gonna call me tonight and be like, 'Why didn't you tell me you were gettin' married?' And then she's going to scold me for an hour about how she's my mother and she has a right to know what's going on my life."
"Justin spends at least an hour on the phone every night with his mom," Chris tattled. "But most of us do, too."
"Oh yeah, we love Justin's mom," Joey agreed, then grinned, and they all laughed.
"I mean our own mom's," Chris clarified, exchanging grins with Joey. "We're all mama's boy's."
"And proud of it!" JC declared.
"Definitely," Lance added. "After all, your mom was the one who brought you into this world, and as my mom likes to say, 'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it!'"
They all laughed, knowing Lance's mother's strict ways quite well. It had become a running joke in the group, and Lance took it all in stride, as did his mother. She was actually very easy to get along with, despite her strictness.
Carson continued their interview with a few more questions, and they preformed "Bye Bye Bye" and "It's Gonna Be Me" for the crowd before giving their goodbyes and going backstage yet again.
Lance eyed Justin as they climbed into the limo. He'd been strangely silent almost all morning, and Lance was, quite frankly, worried about his best friend. Instead of sitting next to Lance, as he always did, he sat across from him, between Joey and Chris. JC and Lance sprawled out on the other side, JC resting his head in Lance's lap. Justin kept his eyes closed the whole ride back to the hotel, and the one time he did open his eyes, he didn't even look at Lance, rather, looked at the head resting in Lance's lap and closed his eyes again.
Lance was utterly confused.
After dinner at 8, the guys all went their separate ways. Sort of. JC went back to his room to sleep and call people, Chris and Joey went to the strip to wander around, and Justin and Lance went back to their hotel room as well, ordering a movie and sprawling on the bed together, their heads at the foot of the bed, resting side by side on their stomachs as they watched the man hack his wife into pieces. Lance was a little relieved; Justin seemed almost completely normal, but Lance could tell something was bugging him, and it scared Lance to think that Justin was pulling away from him. He couldn't lose Justin; he couldn't.
"Mind if I lay on you?" Justin asked tiredly.
Lance was so caught off guard he almost forgot to answer as he stared at the curly headed boy who was already making himself at home on Lance's back, stretching perpendicularly to Lance so that he could rest his head on his back.
"Not at all," Lance agreed, as though he'd even been given a choice. He could feel Justin's hand on his back, and he couldn't even concentrate on the movie anymore as he felt the heat radiating from it. He closed his eyes, savoring the feel.
"I can't believe we're going home in a week," Justin sighed. "We'll be apart for two weeks. Two weeks."
"It's not so long," Lance managed to choke out, sounding normal. He surprised himself in doing so, thinking that he wouldn't even be able to put a coherent thought together, let alone speak.
Lance could feel Justin stiffen. "It feels long," he retorted, and Lance knew immediately that he'd offended Justin. He turned over, propping his pillow behind his head so that he could look at the boy who was now resting on Lance's stomach, looking up at him with hurt blue eyes.
"Of course it's long," he amended. "But it's not like we won't call each other every day, and before you know it, we'll be arguing over the bathroom again." He couldn't resist running his fingers through Justin's curls gently as he spoke, and to his delight, Justin seemed to visibly relax, his eyes hooding as he sank further against Lance.
"Sounds good," Justin mumbled. "Keep doing that, okay? Just until I fall asleep."
Lance's heart skipped and he nodded, even though Justin couldn't see him. "Sure thing, Curly," he promised softly, loving the silky texture of his best friends' hair, and hating himself for doing so. He was going to ruin everything. He just knew it.
Lance woke up slowly, blinking against the harsh lights of wakefulness that indicated the sun being up. There was a heavy pressure on his stomach, and as he managed to focus, he could see Justin sleeping exactly where Lance had left him earlier. To Lance's horror, he found his hand tangled up in Justin's hair, and his other hand actually intertwined with Justin's. He didn't remember doing that, and with horror his subconscious, the part he couldn't control, screamed how right this felt. Touching Justin... Something went off inside of Lance when he was touching Justin. Being with him was wonderful, but when they were actually touching, skin to skin, electricity filled the air between them.
Lance's mind screamed that he was imagining things at him. He was lonely and looking for someone to lessen the pain with, that was all.
He was lying to himself, and he refused to admit it.
Lance knew he had to get up carefully. Justin couldn't find them like this. It would be too ackward. Hesitantly, he took a big risk and ran his fingers through Justin's hair a couple of times, closing his eyes against the sensation. God he loved Justin's hair. His eyes flew opened when he realized what he was doing, and he forced himself to let go, and after another pained hesitation, he de-entangled his hand from Justin's and slowly slid out from under the curly headed boy, standing at the foot of the bed and staring at him for so long he lost track of how much time he had actually been there, but his body was sore from standing for so long, and so quickly he disappeared into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.
Justin's eyes flew open and he sat up, staring at the closed door with wide blue eyes. Lance couldn't be... Could he? Justin's heart leapt into his throat in, oh god, he was hopeful. He wanted Lance to be... No, no, of course he didn't, he admonished himself quickly. Lance was his best friend! So what if Justin had woken up an hour before Lance decided to open his beautiful green eyes? So what if Justin was the one who had interlocked his hand with Lance's? So what if he had almost moaned when Lance got up, missing the contact immediately? So what if he wanted Lance to lay back down on the bed with him, and allow Justin to curl up to him and never let him go again? So what if Justin cared about him more than anyone in his entire life?
So what if Justin couldn't explain the strange feelings he had for Lance?
Justin was watching tv when Lance emerged from the bathroom, freshly clean after a nice long, hot and cold shower, and shaved smooth. He wore a simple pair of khaki pants and a dark blue tee shirt that he thought might have been Justin's, but their clothes were so tangled up that he didn't know whose were whose anymore.
"Hey," Justin greeted warmly. "How'd you sleep?" He tossed the remote on his right side, leaving the left for Lance.
Lance shrugged nonchantly, hoping that Justin couldn't see the blush forming on his cheeks. "Okay," he answered easily. "You?"
"Great, actually. When I woke up, I was still sprawled across the foot of the bed. Where did you sleep?"
Lance swallowed a gulp. "Couch," he replied, not wanting to deal with any questions Justin might have.
Something unknown to Lance flickered through those blue eyes, but whatever it was quickly changed into surprise. "Why? We could have shared the bed, you know. It's not a big deal."
Lance shrugged again, feeling his face turn bright red. "Just thought it would be easier," he told him, getting up and going to the refridgerator and pulling out a bottle of water.
"Ooo, me!" Justin squealed, so much like a little kid that Lance had to laugh. Sometimes Justin was just too cute, especially when he sat up on the bed like that, eagerly waiting for Lance to share the bottle, his blue eyes lit from someplace deep inside.
Lance reached for the other bottle in the fridge, but Justin simply grabbed for Lance's, drinking almost half of it as Lance watched with wide eyes. Justin was positively guzzling it.
"Thirsty?" Lance monotoned as Justin gave the half empty bottle back, panting for air and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Uh huh," Justin breathed, crawling off the bed. "I'm going to shower. Be back."
"In a couple of hours," Lance muttered teasingly, bringing the bottle to his lips.
The next thing Lance knew, he was flat on his back, there was water all over him and his shirt, as well as a heavy weight covering his body, pinning his arms above his head and his legs down.
Lance opened his eyes and gazed back evenly at Justin, who was arching an eyebrow, daring Lance to retaliate. Lance was stuck, he had to admit. Justin was just stronger than he was, there was no way around that. The water bottle soaked the carpet next to Lance, getting some of his shirt wet.
"What was that?" Justin panted, still out of breath from having drinken so much without stopping, and now the added exhertion had him tired.
Lance simply met his blue eyes, and watched as the smile slowly died off of Justin's face with a bit of confusion. He was going to flip them, so that Justin landed in the puddle of water, but something was going on in Justin's mind, and Lance had no idea what it was. He knew that his heart was pounding furiously against his chest, and Justin was laying on him, body to body from toe to chest, their heads only inches away from each other, and their arms interlocked above their heads.
Justin wasn't... Lance nearly had a heart attack. Justin wasn't leaning down, was he? He couldn't be. It wasn't possible. Justin was not leaning down! Lance's mind screamed at him. He just wanted Justin to lean down, and so he was imagining it. But, Lance discovered, neither one of them was moving. They were hardly even breathing as they gazed into each other's eyes. Someone had to do something, quick. Anything.
In a burst of adrenline, Lance threw his body against Justin's, flipping them indeed over so that Justin landed in the water, which he yelped loudly against in protest. And then, looking up into Lance's green eyes, he started to laugh. Soon they were laughing so hard that Lance couldn't keep Justin pinned down anymore, and simply collappsed on top of his best friend, his forehead resting against the carpet next to Justin's head as they both laughed, their bodies shaking.
"You win," Justin conceeded, through his giggles. Lance loved to feel Justin laugh like this. His entire body shook, and as they continued to laugh, Justin actually wrapped an arm around Lance's back, still laughing.
"I'm wet now," Justin told Lance, as though he didn't know. "Thank you."
"You were going to take a shower anyway," Lance returned, giving himself only a fleeting moment to enjoy Justin's arm around him before pushing himself up off the ground and offering a hand out to his best friend, who took it. Lance pulled him up easily, only Justin must have miscalculated or something, because he stumbled into Lance, and they staggered, their limbs entertwined as Lance caught him and leaned backwards to do so, their bodies pressed up against each other.
Justin looked up at Lance a bit sheepishly. "I guess I should enter klutz into my vocabulary, shouldn't I?"
"Might be a good idea," Lance agreed weakly, his voice sounding slightly strained as he forced himself not to think about how good it felt to have Justin in his arms, and to have Justin's arms around him.
Justin, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice, because he dropped his head into Lance's chest, a bit of a stretch for the taller boy, but he managed, and sighed. "Okay, so I'm blond. Sue me."
Lance was too busy trying not to groan to reply.
Justin let out a dramatic sigh. "You're like a big pillow!" he teased, cuddling up further to Lance. "Come lay on the bed and let me lay on you."
"But you're all wet now, and so am I," Lance protested weakly, wanting to do nothing more than curl up on that bed with Justin for the rest of his life, and then berating himself for such thoughts. Justin was saying all of this innocently. He probably had no idea that his best friend was... was a pervert. That's what Lance was, a pervert! Thinking strange, bad thoughts about his best friend... He was sick in the head, Lance Bass was!
Justin gave him a quick squeeze and released him, with slumped shoulders and a wet back going into the bathroom. "If you need the sink, come on in, but let me know you're in there, first."
"I'll do that," Lance agreed dryly, his cheeks turning red at the idea of walking into the bathroom while Justin was toweling off.
Justin only laughed and closed the bathroom door behind him. Lance watched the door for a second, dropped down onto the bed--wet and all--and buried his face in the mattress, while on the other side of the bathroom door, Justin sagged against the wall and closed his eyes, willing away the tears.
To be continued...
Next Chapter
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