You remember the first time they kissed. You were there, you saw it. It was the day you all won the lawsuit against Lou. You were all sitting there, truly content for the first time in months. There was something in the air between you all that you thought had been lost. But the happiness was electric, almost hissing and crackling between the five of you. Justin was curled up against JC on the couch. That in itself wasn't strange, they did that all the time. You, Chris, and Lance were convinced Justin was part feline. He loved to climb into JC's lap, rest his head against JC's shoulder, and fall asleep. He'd done it for as long as you'd known him.

But as the five of you sat there, basking in the glory of the day, you saw JC lean close to Justin, whisper something in his ear. You saw Justin smile and nuzzle his face into JC's neck, pressing his lips against JC's skin. They shared another smile before Justin raised his head off JC's shoulder. They came together naturally. And neither of them seemed to be aware they were even doing it. Slowly, their lips pressed together, sliding softly against each other. It was over almost as quickly and suddenly as it had started. But in that moment, you were almost rendered speechless. It was the most innocent and beautiful thing you'd ever seen.

They loved each other in a way no one else ever could, all five of you did. And that, the fact that they understood each other so well, was what made it so special. As they pulled away, Justin's head finding JC's shoulder again, it wasn't even acknowledged that it had happened. There was no awkwardness, no blushing or averting of eyes. It was as natural a thing as if it happened all the time. But you knew it didn't.

After that, you kept watching, kept your eyes open, looking for some sort of sign. You figured after that, it was only going to be a matter of time before the two of them told you, Lance, and Chris that they were together. But it never came. There were small things though, small progressions. Natural progressions.

You'd catch JC's hand sliding across Justin's back, coming to rest comfortably on the small of his back. You'd see Justin lean back into the touch. You saw the looks they sent each other, filled with so much that was never said around you. And you were pretty sure it was never said between the two of them when they were alone either. But you saw it, even if they didn't. You saw the love that was between them even if they were blind to it.

The first time you caught them sharing a bed, it wasn't a surprise to you. It had started off as a prank Chris had planned for Justin. And you were in on it. Lance slipped you the extra key after quite a bit of grumbling. But it was three in the morning and the two of you had woken him up, so he wasn't in the best state of mind to argue with you both. As you slipped into Justin's dark hotel room, you saw, through the moonlight filtered across the bed, two figured curled together. It took your mind mere seconds to register who the second person was, even without really being able to see him.

They were both on their sides, facing each other. Justin's face was pressed against JC's neck. JC's arms were wrapped around Justin, his hands spread across Justin's back. It looked as natural as you figured it would. And just as beautiful as the kiss had over a year ago. There was just something about the two of them together that made you smile, made your heart soar. They deserved each other. Chris didn't seem surprised to see them either, and that wasn't really a surprise to you either. He was very perceptive, more than you were even. So it didn't surprise you that he'd seen it too.

The soft click of the door closing behind you startled JC awake. He could sleep through loud noises; the roar of a crowd before show time, Justin and Chris screaming at each other over a video game, but when there was silence, the slightest noise woke him. His sleepy gaze found yours in the dark and he smiled, stretching before pulling Justin closer. It amazed you again how unaware he seemed. For him, for both of them, it wasn't a big deal that they were sharing a bed, wrapped around each other. It was as if it was the most natural thing in the world. And maybe, for them, it was.

You were sure, after that, that they'd come to you soon, sit the three of you down and tell you they were together, that they were in love. But you waited, and still it never came. You asked JC once, in a rare moment you had alone with him, what was going on between him and Justin. He'd looked at you with honest curiosity. He didn't know what you were talking about. There was nothing going on, he said. And you'd seen the honesty in his eyes. He wasn't lying. There really was nothing going on.

When Justin's grandma got sick and ended up in the hospital, you became worried. You knew how close he was to his grandma, yet, he seemed to be fine. It was almost as if it hadn't affected him at all. He laughed and joked around just like always did. He was still completely on, completely concentrated during the shows. And you knew it couldn't be healthy for him. He seemed to be pretending it hadn't happened. You were almost to the point of an intervention when you happened to walk into the quiet room on them.

Justin's head was resting on JC's thigh, JC's fingers running lightly over his scalp. Justin's tone was quiet and you didn't want to pry, but a few words reached you before you could leave the room again. He was talking about his grandma, about how scared he was. And you could see tears glistening on his cheeks. A smile reached your face as you slipped back out into the hallway, closing the door softly behind you. He was dealing with it. And JC was helping him. It was suddenly ok that most times he pretended like nothing had happened, like everything was fine. Because he had his moments of dealing with it, with JC by his side. He had someone he could, and would, turn to when he was ready to let it all out. He had someone who was willing to be there for him, through the laughter and the tears. And you knew, without a doubt, that JC would be there for him through everything life could throw his way.

You remember during the rehearsals for the Pop Odyssey tour when you got caught in the trap door vividly. Every detail in those few moments stands out in your life. But the ride to the hospital, and the hours following are a blur. The one thing you do remember though was in a few quiet moments you had to yourself. The doctors had come and gone, the guys had visited, tried to cheer you up, but then left you alone to sleep, promising to wait around the hospital. Your door was open slightly and in the hallway, you heard Justin's voice call out softly to JC. He must have been sitting outside your room, and you could hear their whispered conversation with an eerie clarity. JC was crying, you could hear it in his voice, and Justin was trying to offer comfort. It was a few minutes into the conversation when you heard JC's whispered sentence. He said he didn't know what he would have done if it had been Justin that had gotten caught. That he couldn't imagine if it had been Justin, and that he'd been so scared it had been him. It should have made you mad, would have made you mad if it had been anyone else. But the truth in his voice reached a place deep inside you. And you knew he didn't mean he wasn't sorry it happened to you, wasn't scared out of his mind when he'd heard the scream. You knew it was the love between them, the love they felt for each other. And in that moment, you couldn't imagine if it had been Justin either. In that moment, for JC's sake, you were glad it had been you.

It was not long after you got out of the hospital, maybe only a few weeks, that you saw them kiss for the second time. Chris needed to talk to Lance about something, and apparently you weren't invited. So you'd grabbed your stuff and headed over to the bus JC and Justin were on. As you climbed up the steps, the quiet filled your ears and you wondered if maybe they were already asleep. Heading down the hallway, you saw their bunks were empty and you heard soft whispers coming from the back lounge. Sliding up to the door, you peered inside. They were cuddled together on the couch, Justin pressed against the back of the couch and JC facing him. It made you laugh to yourself. Two grown men, pressed against each other on a couch that was too small for Justin alone. But they somehow made it work.

Justin's whispered goodnight hit you ears just before you saw JC tilt his head and press his lips to Justin's. Again, it was over just as quickly as it had started, but it was just as beautiful to you as it had been the last time. Justin's eyes met yours and he smiled softly before his eyes closed, pulling JC closer to him and relaxing into sleep.

You stood there for a moment longer, not feeling at all like you were interrupting a private moment. This was them, this was who they were. And neither of them ever seemed to be embarrassed by the fact that you'd seen them. It was only then that it hit you. For years now, you'd assumed there was something going on, only to be told there wasn't. But maybe this was it. Maybe what they had with each other didn't need to be defined with flowers and candies and expensive dinners. Maybe what they had didn't need to be talked about endlessly with their friends. Maybe the love they had between them, unspoken but real, the bond they shared, knowing they always had each other to turn to, was enough for them. In this moment in their lives, they didn't need to define anything. It wasn't necessary to place a term like boyfriend or lover on it. It was just enough that they knew where they stood with each other.

You heard fans say it all the time. JC and Justin were perfect. You could dispute that with any fan that wanted to take on the challenge any time they were ready. You knew they weren't perfect, neither of them. You could come up with a list of imperfections on both of them if you needed to. But those imperfections were what made you love them both even more. You loved that JC slipped off into his own little world, often forgetting to tune back in when necessary. Justin would be there, shaking him back into reality. The smile he'd send Justin, send all of you, was worth it. You loved that Justin's ego sometimes got out of control. Because JC would be there to bring him back down, knock him on his ass and remind him that he wasn't the king of the world. The look he'd send all of you, embarrassment written across his face when he realized how he'd been acting, made you love him even more.

Maybe they weren't perfect, were far from it actually. But as you leaned against the doorway, watching them sleep, you realized that maybe their imperfections, the things that made them real, made them your friends, were also the things that made them perfect for each other. And that was all that mattered.