The music was loud, the beat pounding hard. The VIP room was slightly quieter than on the floor, but not much. JC sat back on the couch contently, bringing the almost empty beer bottle to his lips. And then suddenly, Chris was next to him, swiping the old beer bottle out of his hand and replacing it with a full, new one.
“You look in high spirits tonight. And I know you haven’t had enough to drink for that to be the reason, so,” he paused for effect, raising an eyebrow. “Talk to me man, what’s up?”
“Justin and I talked. Like, really talked. Without screaming or yelling.” A grin reached JC’s face before he could stop it.
“So you guys are cool?” Chris seemed pleased.
“Getting there. There’s still stuff we need to talk about, but we got a lot off our chests. Basically we were both complete dumbasses for an entire year and this could have all been avoided if we’d learned how to just fucking talk to each other.”
“Fucking drama queens,” Chris mumbled into his beer bottle. A smack to the back of his head made his eyes meet JC’s, a glare spreading playfully across his face. “I totally meant that in the nicest way possible, dude.”
“Uh huh, just like that smack was meant in the nicest way possible.” Chris just grinned. JC smiled back at him, but his mind was already off, wandering to thoughts of Justin. Justin back at the hotel. Waiting for him. It caused him to smile again, to know that, after everything they’d been through, they had come to this point. It had been years in the making, the timing never being quite right. And then, with the whole last year, JC had given up hope. But now, the path before them was clear again. And JC couldn’t be happier things were happening they way they were.
“What the hell are you smiling about?” Chris asked, eyes intent upon JC’s face. JC ducked his head slightly. He could feel a blush creeping up his neck as his fingers found the label of his beer bottle, pulling at it nervously. Things were so new between he and Justin. The truth was, JC had no idea exactly where this left them. They had admitted their feelings, poured out their hearts and souls, but not talked about anything serious. And JC didn’t want to say anything until he was sure. Until he was sure Justin was sure. And until they both were ready for their friends to know. So instead of answering Chris, JC pushed himself off the couch and handed his beer back to Chris.
“I’m gonna head back to the hotel. I’ll catch you tomorrow.” He thought he got away with it. He thought he was home free. Until he felt Chris’s fingers wrap around his wrist, stopping him from leaving.
“No way, Chasez. There’s something going on here that I don’t know about. Now spill.” Chris yanked slightly and JC fell back onto the couch, his shoulder pressed tightly against Chris’s. JC sighed and let his head fall back to the back of the couch, his eyes closing briefly.
“There’s nothing to tell. I’m just glad that we’re ok again.” JC shrugged. JC felt Chris’s eyes on him, gazing at him, wandering over his face for a few moments before he spoke again, humor laced in his voice.
“Anyone ever tell you that you’re a horrible liar?” JC grinned and turned his head, eyes meeting Chris’s.
“I’m sure it’s come out of your mouth before. And I am a good liar. Just not to the four of you. You know me better than anyone else in this world. I can’t hide anything from you. I’ll work on that.” He tried to stand again, but was stopped by Chris’s hand on his chest, holding him down.
“Nice way to try and change the subject. I won’t be deterred. Now, I’m gonna ask you one more time. What’s going on that I don’t know about.”
“There’s a lot going on that you don’t know about. Like the fact that Lance has a kick ass payback set up for Joey tomorrow afternoon. Or what’s playing on MTV right now. Or what the oldest man in France is doing at this very moment. You just like to think you know it all, Kirkpatrick.”
“The oldest man in France? The fuck?” Chris asked, shaking his head. JC grinned. “How does anyone ever follow a damn word you say, Chasez? Anyway, you know exactly what I meant. There’s something going on with you, involving Justin, and I wanna know what it is. You’re not moving from this couch until I find out. Got that?” JC sighed. He knew there was no getting out of this. Chris was a stubborn fucker when he wanted to be. JC was stubborn as well, and normally a showdown between the two of them could last for hours before someone gave up, but right now JC had better things to do, better places to be. Mainly in Justin Timberlake’s hotel room. So he didn’t plan on sitting here and out waiting Chris.
“Look, just suffice it to say that I’m in love with him. I’m not sure what that’s going to mean, or where that’s going to go. But for now, please let that be enough.” Chris must have caught the pleading look in his eyes, the earnest tone of his voice, because JC felt the hand loosen off his chest and pull away.
“Get out of here, man. And tell the infant I said hi.” Chris winked, jumped to his feet, and bounced away, leaving JC slightly dizzy, even though he was hardly intoxicated.
*****
JC opened Justin’s hotel door and slipped inside. The TV was on, casting long shadows across the room with the rapidly changing light. The sound was low. So low, JC could barely hear it. He could see Justin, sprawled out on his stomach across the bed, covers pulled up across his back, pillow hugged tightly against him. He was snoring lightly, the sound barely registering in the room, but enough that it made JC smile.
Slipping off his shoes, JC made his way to the bed, sitting down on the edge, facing Justin’s back. He reached out, his hand touching smooth, creamy skin. His fingertips flittered lightly over the tight skin and thick muscles, tracing the lines and ridges, stroking slowly across Justin’s shoulders and down his arms. Justin stirred, shifting slightly, moving his body into the warm touch, and settled back into sleep. JC leaned down over Justin, pressing his lips to the back of Justin’s neck. He rained soft butterfly kisses across Justin’s shoulders and down his back, feeling the bones of Justin’s spine below his lips. A soft sigh escaped Justin’s lips and he moved again.
“Jace?” It was mumbled into the pillow, voice thick with sleep. Justin shifted, turned slightly so he could see JC’s face and JC saw the smile play across his lips, crinkle the skin around his eyes. He rolled over and wrapped his arms around JC’s waist, pressing his face into JC’s stomach. “How was the club?”
“I didn’t really pay much attention. My mind was back here with you all night.” He could feel Justin smile again, pressed against his stomach, as he leaned down to kiss the top of Justin’s head. The short, buzzed hair was soft beneath his lips. Justin pulled away, letting his back rest against the soft sheets, and opened his arms, inviting JC into them. JC stood and slipped his shirt and pants off, crawling under the covers in only his boxers. Justin’s arms were around him immediately, warm and familiar.
“Missed this, Jace. Missed you. Been way too long.” The words were pressed against JC’s forehead. They wrapped around him, warming him and making him smile.
“I missed this too, Justin. So many nights I woke up and swore I could feel your arms around me. It was a sad disappointment when I found it wasn’t real. We still have a lot to talk about, but I’m glad we’ve come as far as we have. I’m glad we got it all out today.”
“Mmm, me too. We’ll talk tomorrow. Sleep now.” Justin tilted his head until his lips were even with JC’s. Slowly, they pressed together in a soft, tender kiss. It wasn’t about arousal. It simple held love.
Justin was asleep in moments, his breath evening out along with the rise and fall of his chest. JC lay awake for a while, his fingers dancing softly along Justin’s chest and stomach, feeling the taunt muscles ripple below his touch. His lips laying soft kisses against Justin’s skin. He lay awake for awhile simple watching and touching and thinking about how wonderful this all was. Thinking about how two days ago he never would have believed they’d be here right now, but so very glad they were.
Finally, with Justin’s warmth around him, Justin’s breath sliding across his skin, and Justin’s heartbeat singing him a peaceful lullaby, JC drifted off as well, pressed close to his best friend, to the man he loved.