But JC was crashed on the couch in the living room, and if he woke up Joey, Joey would come down here looking for food and he'd wake JC. Not that he didn't like JC's company, but he would rather have Joey to himself.

He was just plain jealous was what he was. He took a bite out of the sandwich and chewed, thinking of how, earlier that night, JC had flirted with Joey so blatantly. And none of them had been drunk.

JC had spent half the night sitting in Joey's lap, and the other half sitting behind Joey, massaging his shoulders. He was almost surprised that the two hadn't gone to bed together.

Chris was pretty sure that they would've had Chris not been there. Modesty had gotten the better of them. Wouldn't want to boink each other within earshot of their good friend Chris, now would they.

Chris cursed as his toe stubbed on the table. He dropped the bottle and it broke on the floor, waking JC out of sleep and off the couch.

"Wha? What was that?" JC said, on the floor and only semi-conscious. He turned toward the kitchen as Chris turned on the light.

"I just dropped something, man. Go back to sleep."

JC shielded his eyes from the light. "What are you doing up?"

"I dunno," Chris said. "I was hungry."

JC got up off the floor and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a towel to help Chris clean up. "You didn't have to make so much noise, you silly dodo," JC said, and flipped Chris in the ass with the towel.

Chris batted his eyelashes and stuck out his bottom lip. "I'm sowy. It was an axident."

JC laughed and Chris felt better. Laughter was always the best medicine.

They cleaned up the spill in silence and then both sat at the table. JC watched as Chris picked at his sandwich rather that eating it.

"So why are you really up?" JC asked.

"I guess I couldn't sleep." Not a lie, but not the whole truth.

"Why not?"

"I dunno."

JC frowned. "Yes, you do know," he said. "But you won't tell me, will you."

"No. I don't think I can." Honest, but not forthcoming.

JC picked up the statue of quaetzecoatl from the middle of the table, the one he had bought for Joey when they all went to Mexico. He shook it at Chris. "You, you.....You should be able to say anything to me."

Chris sighed and pulled the figure from JC's hands and ran his fingers over its reptilian form. "I'm jealous."

JC smiled, unexpectedly, knowingly. "Don't be."

Chris froze. He almost drooped the statue on the floor.

JC took it from Chris so he wouldn't break it. "Joey and me, we just play. It's nothing." His grin was still wide as the Mississippi. "He's not really interested in me. But I know who he is interested in."

Chris wouldn't believe it, not until he heard JC say it. His mouth opened, but nothing came out.

"Don't look so surprised. I know he likes you. I don't know how you couldn't see it," JC said. "After all, I was the one who crashed on the couch while you two went upstairs."

"But..."

"I guess he just wants you to make the first move."

Chris jumped out of his chair and knocked his sandwich on the floor as he went running upstairs to Joey.

JC sighed. "I"m tired of playing matchmaker," he said as he picked up the sandwich. "I need my own man now."

JC smiled and wondered if Lance would be up at this hour.

End.

Originally written as an *Mprov on 11/14/00, with the words Natural Mystic, modesty, dodo, quaetzecoatl.