It was cold outside, so cold that Lance felt his liver shiver as they walked back from the bar. He and Joey had bypassed a nights worth of headachy techno music with the other guys and opted simply for a few beers at the bar down the street. They'd left fairly early, shortly after 11:30, shortly after the second or third beer, and shortly after the annoying sounds of Billy Ocean filled the jukebox speakers. On the way out Lance pulled his thin jacket around him and mentally chanted the two words to drive away the cold.

In the bathroom he turned on the shower and stripped off his clothes. He stepped under the hot stream and sighed, perhaps too loudly, and splashed the water over himself. Fortunately, he was only slightly buzzed, so the warmth merely soothed him rather than made him want to crawl into a ball on the shower floor. He was lathering shampoo in his hair when he heard a concerned voice from just beyond the shower curtain.

"Lance, are you alright?"

"Yeah Joey, what's up?

"You ran in here so fast, I thought you'd be puking. When I heard the shower run, I got a bit worried."

"No, not sick. I just wanted to take a shower. I'm kinda cold and I feel stinky after being in that bar."

"Mr. fucking Clean," Joey muttered.

"I heard that," Lance said, and threw water over the curtain.

"Hey!" Joey yelped. "This ain't even your hotel room -- don't get water everywhere."

"Like Justin will care."

"He might not -- but -I- do."

Lance rinsed his hair, and after a minute or so of silence, said "Joe, you still there?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"I dunno."

"Well, unless you want to come scrub my back, I'd like some privacy."

"Okay."

Lance scrubbed his arms with a soapy bath pouf and was sure that Joey had left. He closed his eyes and hummed to himself until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see a very naked Joey wetting himself under the showerhead.

Lance took a step backwards and almost fell over. "What are you doing?" he asked, placing a hand protectively over his crotch.

"You said to come scrub your back." Joey smiled and grabbed the bath pouf from Lance.

"I was being sarcastic," Lance said, his mouth hanging open.

"Too late." Joey said. "Now turn around."

With one hand steadied on his shoulder, Joey scrubbed Lance's back. Lance closed his eyes and tried not to vocalize the grunting that was bubbling up in his throat. Joey's hands moved around to his chest and Lance tilted his head back and sighed. Joey smiled and moved his hand back down Lance's back, and gently worked a soaped up hand between his ass cheeks. Lance didn't flinch, as was expected, but held still and allowed himself to moan a little when Joey brushed pass the taut muscle at his anus. Satisfied with Lance's reaction, Joey reached around and washed Lance's penis in a stroke that was not exactly sexual, but enough so that Lance wanted more. Lance's hands were firmly pressed against the wall, and if the tiles had been pliant, he would be squeezing them now as Joey's hand massaged soap into his scrotum. Joey squatted behind Lance and washed his legs, then stood up and pulled him under the water, where he moved his hands across Lance's body again to rinse him.

Lance opened his eyes to find Joey not smiling, not leering, just looking at him dead on. Joey reached for the bottle of shampoo. "Have you washed your hair yet?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did."

"Okay." Joey squirted some into his palms and worked it through his own hair. His eyes were closed and Lance felt their hips bump as he moved to rinse.

Lance reached for the tube of face wash. "Is this Justin's?"

Joey wiped the water from his eyes. "Yeah, but like he really needs it." Joey grabbed the soap and lathered his chest. After watching Lance study the tube with scrunched brows, he held Lance's chin and looked his face over. "Like you need it, either. Gimmie that."

Lance handed Joey the tube and watched as Joey rubbed the thick white stuff into his face. Lance poked him and pointed at his own face, and Joey leaned in to smear his cheek against Lance's. "Ow! Stubbleface!" Lance said.

Joey rolled his eyes. "C'mere then." He took hold of Lance's chin again and washed his face. Lance held onto Joey's waist and tried not to lean too far into him. Joey pulled both of them under the water and wiped the stuff off. Joey sighed. "A penetrating and refreshing cleanser that improves your complexion." Joey giggled like a girl and Lance swatted his butt.

Lance picked up the bottle of conditioner and Joey tried to take it from him. "No. My turn." he smiled.

Lance ran his hands through Joey's hair, working the conditioner into the roots. Joey locked eyes with him and Lance fought the urge to laugh. He rubbed some into his own hair and watched Joey as he leaned back into the water. Joey switched places with Lance and let him rinse -- smiling as Lance's elbows bumped him in the chest.

Joey reached behind Lance and shut off the water. He stepped out, grabbed a towel, and threw it at Lance. Lance threw the towel back. "What? You're not gonna towel me off, too?"

Joey wrapped the towel around the back of Lance's neck and pulled him close. "Don't push your luck, Bass." He left the towel around Lance's shoulders and dried himself off with the other towel.

Lance watched as a he exited the bathroom naked, fished a pair of boxers out of his bag, put them on and pulled back the sheets of one of the beds. Lance dried himself off, pulled his boxers on, and gathered the rest of his clothes from the bathroom floor. He looked over and caught sight of Joey's butt sticking in the air as he bent over to pick up a pillow. His faced flushed and he felt like a deer caught in headlights. Joey was acting a little too aloof, and Lance sighed as he thought that the shower was just Joey being his normal weird self, and nothing more would come of it. He held his breath and suddenly wanted out. "Bye Joey, I-I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" He headed for the door.

"Lance?" Joey said. Lance turned around and exhaled loudly. "Leaving so soon?" And there was that grin Lance had been waiting for That "you're not getting away until I'm done with you" grin. Joey patted the bed and slid under the covers. "Stay with me?"

Lance tossed his clothes in the corner, turned off the light, and walked over to the bed. He lifted up the bedsheets and hesitated. "Joey? What are we doing?"

"We're gonna cuddle -- that alright?"

"Yeah. I'm just...not sure what's happening." Lance laid down next to Joey, facing him.

"Neither am I." Joey smiled and wrapped his arms around him. "We'll talk about it tomorrow."

Their noses touched and Joey tilted his head to kiss Lance softly. As he drifted asleep, Lance felt two more words settle on his brain -- warm and comforting like Joey's arms around him.

"Love you."

End.