When the sleep started to fade from JC’s mind, he was aware of being watched. It took his mind a moment to catch up, for the sleep to finally slip out and awareness to set in. He felt the warm heat of another body next to his own, he felt another pair of legs entangled with his own under the thick covers, soft fingertips running over his chest. Opening his eyes, he smiled at Justin. Justin was propped up on an elbow, eyes resting on JC’s face.

“Watching you wake up is an amazing thing. You’re gorgeous first thing in the morning.” Justin leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, letting a hand run through his hair, wild from being pressed against a pillow all night. JC tried to respond, but a yawn got in the way and he quickly covered his mouth, mouth opening wide, before he stretched. He felt Justin’s fingers pause and a soft gasp leave his mouth as JC’s muscles flexed below his hand. “God, baby. I think I can get use to this.”

“How much time do we have until we have to get up and ready to head to the venue?” JC asked.

“We gotta leave in a couple hours,” Justin said. “We gotta get there earlier than everyone else for some interviews. And you know they’re going to be crazy because with the exception of the Grammy’s, we haven’t all be together publicly for a year and a half.” He sighed and rested his head on JC’s shoulder. “As much as I’m looking forward to today, I still kind of wish we could just stay here all day, just like this, together. I just got you back into my life. We’ve finally gotten to where we were headed for years and now we have to go our separate ways again. I have a show tomorrow night. I just wish we had some time.”

“I have a week off until I have to be back to the studio. I could, um, you know. I mean, if you wanted me to. I could come. To the show.”

“You want to come on tour with me for a week?” Justin asked, raising his head to look into JC’s eyes. But JC averted his gaze.

“Well, I mean, I don’t have to...”

“Of course I want you to!” Justin exclaimed, cutting JC off. “You have no idea how much I want you to, Josh.” JC’s head turned back, his eyes meeting Justin’s again. They held questions.

“You want me to?”

“Josh, I love you. I’m in love with you. I wasn’t just saying that last night. And I know we haven’t really talked about what this means for us much, but what I do know is that this is going to change things. Not in a bad way, but things are going to change for us. You’ve always been important to me, more than important. But now, well, I’m never going to want to be away from you. Besides, we have a lot of catching up to do. We’ve missed an entire year of each other’s lives. And you have no idea how lonely touring without the four of you is.”

“J, you have an entourage of at least a hundred people following you around. How can it be lonely?”

“It’s just not the same. Yes, there are people every time I turn around. Shit, I can barely make it into a bathroom by myself. But it’s not you guys. It’s just different. And lonely.” JC raised up, tentatively, and connected his lips to Justin’s, pressing against Justin’s mouth. It was soft and gentle, a simple press of lips. And Justin responded, deepening the kiss almost instantly, his tongue flicking out to lick at JC’s lips, asking for access. JC granted it immediately and Justin’s tongue swept inside, licking and stroking the hot cavern, sliding with JC’s own tongue. Hot, wet sounds slipped around the room, assaulting their senses, adding to their arousal. Finally, Justin pulled back, panting. JC gulped in air and grinned up at Justin.

“I know I’m going to be addicted to kissing you, so be prepared.” Justin grinned right back.

“Baby, you’re more than aloud to become addicted. In fact, I encourage it. Because I want to feel your lips on me as much and as often as possible.” Then, slowly, the smile slipped from his face, a serious expression replacing it. “I want to be with you, Jace. I want this. And I’m pretty sure you do to. But I just thought you should know. This isn’t some game, or some phase. I want you, and I love you.” JC smiled and pulled Justin back down to him, wrapping his arms around him tightly.

“I want you too, Justin. And I knew this wasn’t a game. I love you.”

*****

The reporter noticed it, and called them on it, almost instantly. It wasn’t as if he’d noticed anything weird before today, since they all worked so hard to keep the feud under wraps, but when he made mention of the fact that they all still seemed so close, JC turned to smile at Justin.

In the past year, with the break, as well as the feud between JC and Justin, there had been a small amount of tension between the rest of them. It wasn’t a huge thing, but with the way the five of them worked, had worked since the beginning, it truly was in five parts. It wasn’t just in the music, it was in their relationship with each other as well. And since JC and Justin had been off, it had caused the other three to teeter off balance, although slightly.

But now, with JC and Justin back on track, their entire group dynamic was balanced again as well. Chris had noticed it immediately, the moment JC and Justin had joined him in the lobby. It was a tangible thing, the feeling that washed over him without even speaking to them. He had been signing autographs, his back to the elevators, and hadn’t even known they had entered the lobby until he felt it. It trickled across his skin, warmed his stomach. He had turned to them, smiling brightly, only to be met with two bright smiles in return as they moved away from each other to sign some autographs of their own.

Now, standing here being interviewed before the game, things were back to normal. They joked and laughed with each other. Playful banter filled the air and smiles were wide. Although all five of them were sure that the reporters hadn’t picked up on the fact that there was a secret to their smile. They all knew it, all felt it. And it was a nice feeling, knowing that still, after everything they’d all been through, together and separate, nothing could touch what they shared.

*****

“Do you feel it?” Chris leaned over the bench, leaning in to talk to Joey quietly. Joey turned to him, eyes scrunching up in a smile, as he nodded. “It’s like, the bond is back and I can feel it deep within my soul. Now that the two diva’s have reconciled, and seem to have fallen in love in the process, it’s like everything is centered again.”

“We’re back,” Joey declared, slapping Chris on the back, his smile wide and huge.

“I seriously had my doubts for awhile. And I’m sure I wasn’t the only one worried about what would happen between the two of them once we headed back to the studio. They’re bad enough when they’re best friends and getting alone. No way I could fathom what it would be like if they hated each other.”

“Dude, you know neither one of them ever hated the other.”

“I know that, you know that, and Lance knows that. But I don’t think the two of them knew that. I’m just glad they finally talked about it. I was getting sick of hearing them bitch.”

“I hear you,” Joey said, glancing at JC who was at the other end of the locker room. “I was ready to lock them in a room and make them work it out. I’m just glad it didn’t come to that.”

*****

“So, you and baby J, huh?” Chris asked. He was seated on the sidelines next to JC. JC’s eyes were trained intently on the game, or rather, intently on one Justin Timberlake.

“Huh?” JC mumbled, turning to Chris quickly before turning back, but Chris knew he had JC’s attention.

“You and the infant?” JC could hear the smile in his voice and it made him blush.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Naw, not to everyone. To me, Joey, and Lance, yeah, but not to everyone. Although, you and him have been playing each other pretty tight out there.” Chris grinned as JC dropped his gaze, staring at his hands. “Relax. No one knows. And it’s kinda cute. If you’re into that I’m-so-in-love-so-I-have-to-touch-you kind of thing.”

“Does it bother you?”

“Not at all, man. I always thought you two should have gotten together years ago. I’m just glad everything is finally ok between the two of you.” He didn’t miss the grin that spread across JC’s face, fleeting as it was.

“It’s incredible, Chris. It’s like the past year never happened. I mean, we picked up right where we left off.”

“With the addition of being in love now,” Chris added. JC shook his head.

“That was there before. During the Celebrity Tour we were leading up to this. It just never quite got that far.” Chris’s mouth dropped open. How had he missed that? Before he had a chance to question it, JC was climbing to his feet and heading toward the score table. He was going back in the game. Chris’s eyes were on Justin the moment Justin realized JC was coming onto the court and he didn’t miss the blinding smile sent in JC’s direction as JC walked toward him, ready to guard each other.

Yes, their group dynamic was back on track. But Chris had a feeling it wasn’t going to be quite the same. The two of them had always been close. Closer, even, than they were with the rest of the group. Chris was sure that would only become more evident between the five of them now. But he was happy for them. They deserved it, they deserved each other. He knew they’d make each other happy. Their inner circle was a hard place to get into and so far Kelly was the only woman who had really succeeded. It was hard to understand what the five of them felt for each other and went through on a daily basis. Chris knew that no one but the five of them truly understood it, and he knew that now, with the two of them, nothing could stand in their way. They understood each other so well. And they were two of the five people that really understood Nsync. They deserved a totally understanding love like the one Chris knew they would share.

As he watched the two of them interact on the court, Justin’s hand resting on the small of JC’s back as JC dribbled the ball, trying to get away from Justin, a smile reached Chris’s lips. They were two of his favorite people in the world and he couldn’t be happier for them.

The End