Scoop3

“Okay, on the count of three.” Justin said as he, Chris and Joey stood at the end of the bed watching Lance and JC sleep. “Ready. One… two… three…” A trio of “awes” was heard one slightly ahead of the other two.

“Damn, I never know if you mean three and then go or go on three.”

“And they call us *NSYNC,” Joey quipped.

Chris rolled his eyes. “Shut up, goober.” Chris waited a moment more before he casually asked, “So, you guys think they’re together yet?”

Joey pretended to consider the question although his amusement was evident in his eyes. “Well…they are in bed together,” he pointed out.

Justin whipped his head around and looked at Chris and Joey.

Chris walked over and leaned on the footboard as Justin’s eyes nervously jumped from Joey to Chris and then to the bed before jumping back again. “True. True. And look, the sheets aren’t tucked in.” Chris made a face. “It looks like they were rolling around.” Chris turned around and casually leaned against the footboard before addressing Justin. “Come on, Curly, spill it. We know you know.”

“Umm…what are you talking about?”

“Now, Justin, don’t make us drag it out of you. I overheard your conversation with JC out by the pool the other day, and I told Chris. Now tell us everything.”

“Uh…I don’t…why do you want to know?” Justin said trying to decide how much he should reveal. He glanced at the bed hoping Josh would wake up and save him from that decision.

“We were just wondering. See, we,” Joey waved his hand between Chris and himself, “have been discussing this. Our little Poofu there hasn’t been this animated in a long time. We think he’s enjoying the attention from Josh and that he’s as interested in JC as JC is in him.”

Chris broke in, “So are you going to help us or are we going to have to be mischievous all by ourselves?”

Justin looked at the bed one more time. Making up his mind, he turned back to Joey and Chris grinning. “Let’s go downstairs. This isn’t the place to discuss this.”

The click of the door shutting woke Lance. He groggily looked over at the clock. 8:03. He closed his eyes and rolled his head back over so that he was facing the ceiling. He lay there flat on his back for a moment and then wrinkled his brow. Something wasn’t right. The right side of his body was relatively chilly while his left side felt like it was cuddled up to a furnace.

He turned his head to the left and saw the back of JC’s head. The events of last night rushed back to him, and he laughed lightly to himself. He turned over on his side until he was flush with JC’s back. He leaned down so he could speak directly into JC’s ear. “Josh.”

“Mmm…” JC shrugged a little at the intrusion into his dream world before settling down again.

Lance smiled. JC was adorable in the morning. “Josh, my arm’s asleep and I’m cold.”

JC’s eyes remained closed. “What do you want me to do about it?”

“Get off my arm and give me some of the covers back,” Lance said as he pushed JC and yanked his arm out from under him. He pulled the covers back over him and turned onto his right side. JC snuggled up to his back and threw his arm around Lance’s waist.

“Don’t worry, baby. I’ll keep you warm.”

“Josh, are you awake?”

“No.”

Lance laughed. “I didn’t think so.” He closed his eyes and savored the feeling of Josh pressed against him. Soon he, too, was back in the land of dreams.

An hour and a half later Joey, Chris and Justin were still discussing the potential romantic relationship between their band mates.

“I don’t know guys. Maybe we should just let JC continue with his ‘Drive Lance Crazy’ plan without our interruption. It did get him into Lance’s bed last night.”

“Twenty bucks says that was just pure dumb luck. Tell him, Joey.”

“Chris thinks it was pure dumb luck, Justin.” Joey shrugged. “Personally, I think Lance seduced him.” Chris and Justin glared at him. “What? It’s possible.”

“Yeah, just not very likely,” Chris snorted.

“Look, guys,” Justin said as he ran his fingers through his curls, “it’s really not our place to interfere. The best thing we can do is stand back and cover for them if they do get together.”

“What do you mean if? If those two aren’t just the picture of Ozzie and Harriet-ville within a month I’ll give JC a blowjob.”

“Eww, Joey, that was a picture I did not need.”

“Guys, you’re forgetting one thing.” Joey and Chris turned to Justin with a question in their eyes. “We know how JC feels but what if you two are wrong and Lance doesn’t return those feelings?”

“That is just not possible. Those two go together like me and sex.” Chris and Justin looked at Joey like he was crazy and then busted out laughing. “What?”

Lance stumbled into the living room and plopped down on the couch next to Joey. His heavy-lidded eyes took in the scene.

“Well, look who decided to join the land of the living.” Joey said as he turned his attention to Lance.

“What were you guys laughing about? I could here you all the way from the top of the stairs.”

Justin, Joey and Chris glanced at each other as they shared a conspiratory grin. “Nothing, Lance.”

Lance looked at the three as they struggled to keep innocent looks on their faces. He knew something was up but he was in too good a mood to let it bother him. “Whatever. What are you guys doing here this early? Shouldn’t you be sleeping off whatever it was you did last night?”

“Ah, all we did was dance. Speaking of, are you going to hit that new club with us tonight?” Justin asked.

Lance groaned. “I don’t even want to think about dancing. I am way too sore for it.”

“What’s wrong, Lance? You and JC get freaky deaky last night?” Chris asked as he leered in Lance’s direction.

A satisfied smile appeared on Lance’s face as he closed his eyes and rested his head on the back of the couch. “Something like that. I made JC scream before we went to sleep.”

Astonished looks appeared all around. Surely JC’s plan hadn’t worked that quickly. Chris asked what was on their minds. “Really?”

“It was great. I was lying in bed minding my own business when JC ran into the room and jumped on top of me. It was kinda crazy. We ended up rolling off the bed and onto the floor. I was on the bottom.” Lance missed the incredulous looks his friends shared. “Between the hardwood floor and JC squirming around on top of me it’s a wonder I made it out of bed at all.”

“Too much information,” Chris muttered.

“And you had a good time?”

“Oh, yeah. I haven’t had that much fun in a long time. JC didn’t like it though. He got all mad and pissy when he realized what had happened.”

Justin just stared at Lance as Joey and Chris shared worried looks. Maybe they had been wrong about JC. Justin wanted clarification. “But Josh was in bed with you this morning. If he didn’t like it why would he have stayed?”

Lance raised his head up and stared directly at Justin. “Because he’s a weenie, and he was afraid to sleep by himself.” Right as he finished talking he felt a smack to the back of his head.

“Hey! I resemble that remark.” JC said as he perched on the arm of the couch. He shook his finger at Lance. “If I had done to you what you did to me, it would have freaked you out, too.” JC huffed and tried to look mad.

“Yeah. Yeah. Just admit it. You thought it was good.”

“Never!” JC jumped up and raised his hand in the air, one finger pointing up. “I will never admit to one of your jokes getting the best of me.” A slow, lazy grin crossed JC’s face as his eyes closed half way. “Face it, Scoop, it ain’t gonna happen.”

“Umm hmm. I guess I’ll just take what I can get. A numb arm and freezing body because you stole my covers cause you were too scared to sleep by yourself.”

Chris watched the interaction between the two and was even more confused. Joke? “Guys, will one of you tell us exactly what happened last night?”

JC rolled his eyes and propped his hands on his waist. “Little Lancypoo there decided he was going to scare me.”

“I got him good.”

JC glared at the interruption. “After the movie was over we went to bed. At the stroke of midnight my alarm went off. If you’d seen the movie you’d understand why that was scary.”

Lance took over the story laughing at the memories of what happened. “JC screamed and ran down the hall to my room. He jumped from practically the doorway and landed on top of me. We rolled to the other side of the bed and fell off.” Lance glanced at JC. “He got all mad when he realized that I had played a joke on him.”

“So you guys didn’t…you just played a joke on him, Lance?” Joey managed to get out. He looked confused.

“Yeah, what’d you think we did?”

JC looked at Joey and Chris a little puzzled. When his eyes rested on Justin, he realized what had happened. Justin’s red face gave away his embarrassment. JC decided to play it up for them talking about him and Lance behind their backs. He rushed over to Lance and plopped down in his lap. He wrapped his arms around Lance’s neck as Lance automatically wrapped his arms around JC’s waist. He started planting kisses all over Lance’s face, talking between each one. “Oh…Lansten…they…found…out. There’s… no… need… to… hide…any…more.”

JC pulled back and noted the stunned expression on Lance’s face. Chalk one up to JC. He would have to remember to thank Joey, Chris and Justin for their dirty minds and wrong assumptions.

Lucidity finally came back to Lance’s big green eyes as he stared at JC’s smiling face. He, too, realized what they had been thinking and decided to play along with JC. He moved one had down to JC’s ass and with the other he caressed his inner thigh. “Yeah, baby. Let’s go back upstairs,” he whispered.

“Er…I hate to break up this touching moment but JC and I have to be at the studio in twenty minutes. You’ll just have to save your hanky panky ‘til later, Lance.”

“Geez, Justin, you know just how to spoil the moment.” Lance let JC go as he climbed off his lap and stood up to join Justin. He just hoped JC hadn’t noticed his painfully hard erection as he climbed off of him.

Justin leaned over and pinched Lance’s cheek. “That’s ma job, lover boy. Don’t worry. I’ll have him home in time for dinner.” Justin straightened back up and he and JC left.

Lance released the breath he wasn’t even aware he was holding. JC was really getting to him. His behavior over the past few days was making Lance’s resolve slip. The day was coming when he wouldn’t be able to control himself around JC and that scared him.

Chris and Joey were watching Lance with interest. They could see he was fighting with himself and they decided the ‘give in to JC’ side needed a little help.

Joey cleared his throat and caught Lance’s attention. “Is there something you want to tell us, Lance?” He grinned and pointed to Lance’s lap.

Lance caught their meaning and grinned sheepishly. “Not yet.” He pushed himself up from the couch and started out of the room. “I’m gonna take a shower.”

Joey couldn’t resist teasing him, “Better make it a cold one.”

“And don’t spend too much time with Rosie Palmer and her five sisters.” Lance didn’t even turn around as he flipped Chris off before walking out of the room. “Save that for JC, Scoop. I’m not interested.” Chris yelled after him.

Chris turned to look at Joey. “Well, that was interesting.”

“Umm hmm and it also means you lost the bet.”

“Hey, he didn’t actually say he has a thing for JC.”

“Yeah, but he didn’t deny it either. So I win.” Joey gave Chris a very satisfied smile. “Told ya I knew my boy.”

Chris scowled. “Ok, double or nothing.”

“What’s the bet?”

“I say Lance gives in and makes a move on JC first.”

“And my side would be that JC jumps Lance first.”

“Yeah. Are we on?”

Joey looked thoughtful for a moment. He was weighing his options. “You’re on. And, just to sweeten the pot, we don’t tell Curly about this little scene. It wouldn’t do for JC to find out and ruin our fun.”

“Deal.”

Justin waited until they were out of driveway and heading for the studio before he started in on JC. “Josh, I’m dying of curiosity here. Spit it out.”

JC leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. He could almost feel Lance snuggled up against him, his warm breath as it tickled against his ear. “I love him, Just. I thought it was just lust but it’s not. When we’re together he treats me like I’m the most important person and he takes care of me.” JC smiled. “And he let me sleep with him because I was scared. Even you wouldn’t do that and we’ve been friends forever.”

“So you think he’s interested?”

JC raised his head up and his grin turned naughty. “If that rock hard erection he was poking me with was any indication, I would say yes.”

Justin nearly ran out of the road. “What?”

“When I started kissing him he sprouted a stiffy.” JC laughed out loud. “Zero to steel in two seconds flat. Umm…the things I would like to try with that boy.” JC unconsciously licked his lips.

Justin turned his head and caught JC licking his lips. “Eww, Josh, I’m too young to hear that.”

“Whatever. You’re just jealous.”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

“Am not!”

They continued their childish bickering all the way to the studio where, for a while at least, JC was able to put his attraction to Lance on the back burner.