Clueless, or Wake Up and Smell the Chasez
by Karen and LB
© 2002
It's time to face facts, JC decides. And the fact is, he is falling for his bandmate. Has fallen for his bandmate. And he doesn't have a clue what to do about it. He can't quite see himself walking up to Lance and asking, "Gee, on the off chance that you're gay, do you think you might, you know, like me?" So what DOES he do? For now, he watches, and listens. And waits for his chance. Maybe if they hung out more, he'd at least be able to get a sense of how Lance feels. So one free afternoon, he presents himself at Lance's door.
Bleary-eyed, Lance shuffles to the door, figuring it's Lynn wrangling everyone for pictures or something like that. So he's a little surprised to see JC standing at the door. "Hey, what's up?" he says with a yawn.
"Oh, man! Were you sleeping? I just wanted to see if you wanted to do something."
Rubbing his eyes, Lance walks back to the bed. "No, it's okay, I was just catching up. I was reading and fell asleep. What did you have in mind?"
JC had expected Lance to say no, so he hadn't really planned this far. "We could, um, catch a movie. Or there's like, this little amusement park. Like, you know, bumper cars and stuff . . . "
Lance's eyes light up. "Bumper cars? That would be cool! Just give me a minute."
"Sure," JC says, trying to hide his excitement. He can't quite believe Lance said yes.
Lance hurries in the bathroom and grabs his cell phone. "Okay. Are the other guys coming?"
"Oh, I um . . . " Think of something, Chasez. "I asked you first."
"I think they're all shooting hoops or playing video games anyway."
"Oh. Um. Yeah. Probably all busy. You ready?"
"Yeah. Let's go." Lance grabs a hat, and in the hall asks, "You driving?"
"Yeah, Lance. Lou wouldn't go TOO ballistic if we took off on our own. We gotta grab Dre or someone. And those guys never let me drive."
"This sucks. It's like having a baby sitter."
_Or a chaperon. "Still better than staying in all day, right?"
"Definitely. It would just be nice to go out on our own once in a while."
"Yeah. Well, we can pretend."
"That's not easy when you've got a six-foot-three guy following you."
"Think of it this way. His legs are too long to fit in a bumper car." They step off the elevator and practically run into Dre.
"Ready, boys?"
They drive a short distance to the small amusement park and the boys tumble out of the car, hurrying to the gate while Dre lumbers along behind. As promised, they go first to the bumper cars. Lance takes the first red car he sees.
JC climbs into a nearby orange car and grins at Lance from under the brim of his hat. When the ride starts, he immediately steers straight for Lance.
Lance takes the hit, laughing, then speeds off away from JC, zigzagging all over the track and bumping into as many kids as he can, particularly the girls, who scream and giggle every time he does.
JC ends up in battle with a very determined 8-year-old, who seems to have decided that JC's car is a very, very good target. JC laughs so hard every time he sees the kid's resolute face that he's pretty much helpless before the onslaught.
Soon, JC is trapped in the corner and everyone decides that's the place to be. A huge jam-up ensues, and the ride is over. Lance climbs out, laughing. "Let's go again!"
"Yeah!" JC replies, looking happily at Lance's delighted face.
They ride again, but after the second time some girls recognize them and approach them for pictures and autographs. Lance happily signs them and the boys chat for a while before Dre corrals them and moves everyone along.
"That was great," JC says enthusiastically. "Wanna go on the roller coaster? It's only a little one, but still . . . it's all we've got."
"I'll take what I can get." As small as it is, the roller coaster still sends a thrill through Lance, who laughs and screams along with everyone in their car.
JC again enjoys watching how much fun Lance is having as much as he does the ride itself. This was a great idea, he thinks. Something really fun.
They ride more rides, play games in the arcade, and eat lots of junk food. It's good not to have any responsibilities today, Lance muses.
JC spots a game they haven't played, with a Taz doll as a prize. He slips over while Lance is concentrating on another game, and starts tossing pennies, determined to win the Taz for Lance.
Lance tosses the basketball one last time, missing the hoop, of course, and looks around for JC. He spots him across the fairway, tossing something onto a board covered in circles.
JC takes a deep breath and tosses his last penny. It's a gentle toss, but just hard enough to reach the board, not hard enough to send it skidding across. He holds his breath as the penny drops, skids across the circle and stops just inside the perimeter. Score!
Lance feels in his pockets for more money, only to find he's tapped, so he heads over to JC.
The guy running the booth hands JC his prize and JC thanks him, then turns around to see Lance walking toward him. Suddenly he feels like an idiot, getting this for Lance.
"You won! That's a hard one, too," remarks Lance, when he sees JC holding a prize.
"For your collection," JC says, lamely.
Lance takes the small toy with a bemused giggle. "Wow, thanks! I'm gonna keep this one on the bus."
"So, um, what do you wanna do next?" JC says, to cover his embarrassment.
"The fun house?"
"Oh, yeah! C'mon!" JC urges Lance, resisting his own urge to grab Lance's hand as they run along. "Did you ever get, like, REALLY scared in one?"
"Yeah! There's this one in Mississippi where they have people dressed up and they jump out and scare you and stuff." They try to convince Dre to come in with them, but the bodyguard is having none of it. "You go first," Lance orders JC.
"Why me?" JC says, but he walks in. Slowly, looking around him, glancing back to make sure Lance is with him.
They walk through the usual assortment of warped mirrors, moving walkways, roped bridges, and silly monsters, but as they near the end, a guy in a hockey mask jumps out of the shadows. Lance screams, grabbing JC and backing up.
"Whoa," JC says, as if he hadn't also screamed. "You okay?" Without waiting for an answer, he grabs Lance's arm and pulls him toward the exit.
"That was hilarious!"
"I didn't know your voice could go that high!" JC says, not willing to let go of Lance's arm.
"That scared the crap out of me."
"Aw, even with me there to protect you?"
"Protect me? You were screaming like a girl too!"
"I would never let anything happen to you," JC says, with more passion than he had intended to show. "Um, because, um, Dre would kill me."
Momentarily thrown by JC's words Lance just smiles. It almost sounded like...but then again, how many times have they all joked about stuff like this? "And my mom."
"And Lynn. And Lonnie And Lou. All the 'L' people."
"I'm surprised Dre didn't come running in when we started screaming."
"He's probably laughing his ass off somewhere. Where is he, anyway?"
Lance looks around. Sure enough, he doesn't see the bodyguard. "He must be around here some--there he is." Lance points, then makes a face at the trusty protector.
Regretfully, JC realizes that Dre is signalling to them. "I guess it's time to go."
"Do we have to?" whines Lance.
"We could hide in the fun house. With the scary guy."
"No way. I'm not going near him. But since you're so brave, I think you should," says Lance, pushing JC back toward the exit.
"But, um, but DRE will be mad," JC says, secretly enjoying being pushed by Lance. "And what about MY mom?"
"Your mom would thank me." Lance turns so he's back to back with JC and braces his feet, knowing it's unlikely he can get his stronger bandmate to budge.
JC's foot slips and he falls, Lance on top of him.
Still laughing, Lance remains there for a minute, then rolls over. "Oh man, I'm sorry. You okay?"
JC's glad he's facing away so Lance can't see the deep blush that suffuses his face. "Yeah, I'm fine. How 'bout you? You still gonna make me go in there?"
"It looks like I couldn't if I tried." Lance has managed to get to his feet and reaches out a hand to JC.
JC takes the offered hand and pulls himself up. He glances down and realizes that his jeans are ripped and his knee is bleeding.
"Oh, shit. I'm so sorry, JC," Lance stammers, bending down to inspect the damage. "We better get that cleaned off." He looks around for a bathroom, but doesn't see one. "Maybe there's a first-aid kit in the car."
"I think I'll survive till we get back to the hotel, dude. It doesn't even hurt."
"It looks pretty gross." Lance runs to the nearest food stand and grabs some napkins. "At least put this on it."
"Thanks," JC says as they follow Dre to the car. "It really is okay, you know. I had a great time today. Really great."
"Me too. It was good to get away for a while."
"Yeah. We should, um, hang out more often. We don't do that much, you and me."
"We always hang out. I mean, all of us, I guess."
"Yeah, but not . . . never mind. This was just fun."
"It's always fun until someone gets hurt," replies Lance, gesturing to JC's knee.
"I'm FINE. Just a scratch." JC shakes Lance's arm. "You know that, right?"
Lance looks in JC's eyes, momentarily startled. "Yeah, right. I guess it just looks worse than it is."
"Definitely. So see? You didn't break me." JC tries to think of a new subject. "Hey, how are those courses you're taking, you know, how are they going?"
"Fine, so far. I'm just taking one. It's all I can handle with our schedule."
"I'll bet. I, um, really admire you for doing that. I could never do it."
"You could if you wanted. You could do anything if you want to."
"Nah. I'm not, like, organized enough."
"You don't have to be organized to take a course. Just . . . willing to read the books."
"Yeah, but how do you find time with everything else we do? And what if you, like, don't understand something? There's no one to ask."
"I call my tutor at the college. Or I look it up on the Internet. I have a hook-up to the school so I can access the library. And it's hard finding time, but I try to squeeze it in when we have a break. I'd like to get a degree, but it's gonna be tough. I'll probably have to put that off for a while."
"Yeah," JC says as they pull up to the hotel. "But you'll do it." He climbs out of the car and looks back at Lance. "Thanks for, um, keeping me company today."
"You're welcome. Thanks for asking me." Strange, Lance suddenly feels like this is a date. But that's ridiculous. Isn't it?
JC reaches back into the car and retrieves the stuffed Taz. "Hey, don't forget him."
"Oh, hey," Lance exclaims, taking the toy into his arms. "I wouldn't forget him. Thanks for winning it for me." A short while later in his room, Lance sits next to where he dropped it on the bed and touches the soft fur.
In the room he shares with Justin, JC thinks about the time he and Lance spent together as he gets ready for tonight's show. They had a great time, JC reflects, sticking a bandage over the cut on his knee, and Lance's concern had been sweet, but he's still no closer to knowing whether Lance might be . . . interested than he'd been at the beginning of the day.
At the meet 'n greet before the show, Lance sits next to JC. "How's your knee?"
JC looks up with a smile. "Fine. No stiffness, no pain. So you can stop worrying." He eyes the neckline of Lance's shirt, a little lower than the t-shirt he'd worn today. "Looks like you got a little burned."
Lance looks down fingering the spot JC indicated. "Yeah, I guess I did." How did JC notice that? "I didn't realize how hot it was today." He signs a poster and smiles at the girl who handed it to him.
"It didn't feel that hot, but someone forgot to tell the sun that," JC says with a smile, passing a CD that he's already signed to Lance.
And so the session goes, with Lance exchanging banter with JC more than with the rest of the guys. They even pose for a picture together.
That's the beginning of JC's campaign. He doesn't think of it that way, of course, but that's what it is. That's the day he realizes that no matter what happens, it's all going to be for the good. Even if Lance never feels the same way he does, their friendship is going to become closer, more valuable. And JC is sure that Lance is a friend worth having.
Days pass. The boys perform for crowds in many cities, traveling by bus, posing for pictures, signing autographs, doing interviews. One night, Lance is at the table in the lounge area of the bus, finding some quiet time to read while his bandmates watch a movie in the back.
JC comes out of the back to make popcorn in the microwave. "Hey, Lance. How's it going?" he asks when Lance glances up.
"Uh, fine." Without realizing he even had it in his hand, he puts aside the stuffed Taz.
"Good. I don't want to take you away from your book--I'm just gonna make popcorn, okay?"
"Go ahead. Can I have some?"
"Of course you can," JC says, popping the bag into the microwave. "What'cha working on?"
"Astronomy." He tilts the book so JC can see the cover. "It's pretty cool, but . . . " then he yawns, "I can barely keep my eyes open. What are y'all watching back there?"
"Joey's treating us to the Superman film festival."
"Not again. Isn't that like the third time this month?"
JC rolls his eyes. "You know Joey." The microwave beeps and he pulls out the bag, dumping the contents into two bowls. He puts one on the table for Lance, then goes to the refrigerator, extracting a Coke for himself and a Dr. Pepper for Lance. He leaves the soda next to the bowl of popcorn and heads to the back. "See you, Lance. Unless you've had enough astronomy and you want to join us."
Lance looks from the bowl to the book to the back of the bus. He shakes his head and opens the book in his lap, returning to the page he was reading before JC walked in. Within seconds, the book is closed, discarded on the table, and the boy, the bowl, and the can of Pepper disappear behind the door to the TV lounge.
"Make room for Lance," JC says to the sprawled boys. He greets Lance with a warm smile. "I knew you couldn't resist the pull of Superman."
"You twisted my arm," replies Lance, squeezing in between JC and Chris and laying the bowl between himself and JC.
"'It was the secret ingredient I put in the popcorn."
"JC's putting love potions in Lance's popcorn!" Chris screams.
"Am NOT!" JC returns, glad for the dim, flickering light of the television, which hides his blush.
Lance listens to the exchange with amusement. "Aw, darlin'," he jokes, throwing an arm around JC. "There's no reason to hide the truth."
If Lance only knew how much JC wishes that casual, joking embrace were real. "I guess it was only a matter of time before they learned our secret," he manages with a laugh.
"Should we be leaving you two alone?" Chris asks.
"Please, not in front of the child," chimes in Justin.
"Everyone shut up. This is the best part," yells Joey.
Lance throws some popcorn at Joey but leaves his arm draped around the back of the couch.
JC picks up his soda and sips, then holds the can against his flaming face. "There's a best part?" he whispers to Lance.
"The credits. Then we know it's over."
"I heard that," Joey calls out.
"Must be his super hearing," JC says, cracking up at his own joke.
Lance grabs the bowl of popcorn, which nearly goes flying when JC's legs kick out as he laughs. "Whoa!"
"This is NOT a comedy," proclaims Joey.
"It is now," Lance says dryly.
"Don't worry, Joey," JC says, still giggling. "I'm not laughing with you. I'm laughing AT you."
"You can all just shut up now." Joey tosses a pillow in their general direction, hitting the bowl and sending some of the popcorn flying.
"Joey! Geez, dude." Lance flicks the popcorn off his leg, his hand brushing against JC's leg.
That innocent action makes JC jump, and he covers by reaching for another pillow to throw at Lance. He briefly considers holding it in his lap instead, as things are somewhat twitchy down there.
Lance ducks but still gets hit, laughing. Soon, the boys quiet down, and as often happens, the motion of the bus lulls Lance to sleep. His body slack, his head falls against JC's shoulder.
JC is almost afraid to breathe for fear of waking Lance and losing this precious moment. So they remain, until the credits roll on the last movie.
Lance is vaguely aware of some music and movement on the couch, but he stays where he is, too comfortable to move. "Lance?" JC says softly, gently shaking Lance's arm. "Buddy? Time to go to bed."
"Mmmpf? Huh?" Lance yawns and stretches. "The movie's over? Are we there yet?"
"Yeah, the movie's over. And no, we're not there yet," JC says, thinking that sleepy Lance is even more adorable than sleeping Lance.
Lance blinks, trying to get his eyes to stay open. Somehow, he manages to stand, and starts shuffling to the bunk area, yawning again. "Good movie," he mumbles.
JC's side feels cold where the warmth of Lance had been, but he manages a smile. "Yeah, good movie. Good night."
"Good night, JC." He reaches his bunk and climbs in, stepping on Justin's bunk below.
"Good night, Lance," Joey sing-songs from his bunk.
"Good night, Joey," Chris mutters.
"Will everyone just shut up?" Justin whines from his bunk.
"Good night, Justin," they all chorus, then everyone bursts into laughter.
Still chuckling, JC gets up slowly and moves around the tv area, picking up soda cans and popcorn bowls. He deposits them in the trash, then heads to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He stares at his reflection for a long time, trying to figure out what he should do, if anything. When he finally emerges, the bus is quiet except for the humming of the wheels on the pavement.
Now that Lance moved from the lounge, he can't sleep. He was so comfortable back there he slept so peacefully. Now, he has to get comfortable all over again. From the front of the bus, he hears JC puttering around and peers out the curtain of his bunk to see JC approaching.
JC sees the movement of the curtain and stops. "What are you doing up?" he whispers.
"Can't sleep. Should have stayed back there."
"Sorry. I guess I shouldn't have woken you up."
"Not your fault. I shouldn't have moved. I'll sleep when we get to the hotel."
"I'll watch another movie with you if you want. I'll even let you pick."
"Yeah? Aren't you tired?"
"Not THAT tired. Come on."
Lance clambers out of the bunk and follows JC to the back amid the soft snoring coming from Joey's bunk. When they get to the back, Lance shuts the door behind him and crouches before the shelf of DVDs finding his favorite. He holds up the cover, showing JC "Clue" and flashing his notorious boyish grin.
"You're almost as bad as Joey," JC chides.
"At least my movie is funny." Lance pops it in the player and settles on the couch, legs stretched out but leaving plenty of room for JC.
"If you say so," JC mutters, but soon enough, he's laughing right along with Lance.
Lance delights in watching JC enjoy himself. It's one reason he likes sharing this movie with his friends: it's pure fun.
In spite of his enjoyment, this time it's JC who starts nodding off halfway through the movie.
Seeing JC's head loll forward, Lance reaches for a throw blanket and covers JC, then settles back and watches the rest of the movie. By the time they pull into the hotel driveway, both Lance and JC are fast asleep.
"Aw, they're so CUTE."
"So PRECIOUS."
"So BEGGING for a prank."
The voices drag JC to the surface, and his eyes blink open just in time to save Lance from a magic marker mustache.
Lance's eyes fly open, and he struggles to make sense of what's going on. "You jerk!" he exclaims to Chris, who looms over him with the marker and is caught in JC's grasp. He laughs delightedly as he watches Chris bend under JC's grip.
"It's over, Kirkpatrick," JC says in his best tough-guy voice. "Drop the marker and back away from the Lance."
"You can't make me, Chasez!"
"Get him, JC!" cheers Lance.
JC may be slight, but he's strong. He twists Chris's arm until he drops the marker and kicks it out of reach before he releases Chris. JC grins triumphantly at Lance.
"My hero!" declares Lance, scrambling to his knees on the couch and throwing his arms wide.
JC resists the urge to hug Lance, offering him a high-five instead.
Still laughing, JC helps Lance up off the couch and they leave the bus to go into the hotel in triumph.
A few days later, JC finds a vintage Clue game in an antiques store he'd wandered into, drawn by a vase in the window that he was thinking about getting for his Mom's birthday. He impulsively buys the game for Lance and secretly slips it into his bunk, leaving no note.
That night, the boys stumble into the bus after the show, tired, happy, ready for some R&R. A short while later, Lance decides he's had enough video games and heads to his bunk. It's there his hand comes into contact with the rectangular object, and when he pulls aside the curtain he sees the game, his favorite game. His whole face lights up and he turns, facing the back room, and he's about to speak but then doesn't. He knows who it's from, but for some reason he doesn't want to ruin the moment by announcing it to the whole bus. Instead, he climbs into his bunk and lifts the lid, peering inside at the nearly perfect components.
JC watches Lance go to his bunk with some trepidation, almost wishing he could go snatch back his gift, but wanting more to see Lance's reaction.
Lance flips through the cards with glee, thrilled to see the original pictures of the characters, not the actors who played them in the movie version. He pokes his head out of the bunk and sees JC through the doorway to the back of the bus. Crooking his finger, Lance motions him over.
For a moment, JC can't move. If Lance had ANY idea how sexy he looked making that gesture . . . Finally, JC walks over, stifling a smile. "Yeah?"
"This is VERY cool," states Lance softly.
"Oh, it's just . . . I just saw it in a store and I thought you'd like it."
"I do! It's so much cooler than the new kind. These are the real people and everything."
"I'm--I'm glad you like it."
"I really do. We should play it."
"Sure. I've never played. You can teach me."
"You NEVER played CLUE?"
"Nope. I had a deprived childhood."
"Very. Well, look, it's really simple." Lance explains the game, showing JC each piece and the character cards and the different murder weapons. "It's fun trying to figure out who did it. One time, I threw this Clue party at my house and everyone came dressed as a different character. I was Professor Plum."
"This guy?" JC picks up a card and looks it over, then giggles. "You?"
"Yeah. I wore this big coat and I even had a fake pipe and stuff."
"You must have looked . . . " JC catches himself and replaces "adorable" with "funny."
"I'll show you pictures sometime."
"I'd like that," JC says, with a soft smile. He looks into Lance's eyes for a long moment, finally tearing his eyes away precisely before Lance really registers the gaze.
Something's different about JC. Lance can't put his finger on it, but it's there. He lays back in the bunk on his side. "Well, thanks for the game. It was really cool of you to buy it for me. I guess I owe you one."
"No biggie. Glad you like it. " JC retreats back to the lounge. He pulls a soda out of the refrigerator and sits for a while sipping it and thinking. He's got to stop doing this, he realizes. He has to stop making excuses to hang with Lance, and buying him things. Because he's sure now that they're never going to be more than just friends.
A few nights later, the boys decide to stay in and watch movies in Lance's room. But instead of popping a tape in the VCR, Lance pulls out the game. He smiles at JC. "C'mon, I'll teach you."
_I shouldn't even be here, JC thinks. but aloud he says "Sure."
"Time for JC to get a clue," proclaims Joey.
Lance ignores him and sets up the board, and they all stretch out on the floor surrounded by soft drinks and candy bars.
JC makes a face at Joey and settles down next to Lance. Lance goes through the rules and soon they're heavily into the game. Lance carefully shields his cards from Chris, who is trying whenever he can to peek at everyone's cards. After three games, JC emerges victorious. JC grins at Lance. "I guess you're a really good teacher."
"It's an easy game. You picked it up all on your own."
JC smiles sweetly. "Nah, you gotta take SOME credit."
"Can we watch movies now?" Chris whines, breaking the mood completely.
"Yeah, you got any Barney tapes for Chris? That's about his speed tonight," Joey adds, kicking playfully at Chris's sneakered foot.
Chris makes a face and mocks Joey, repeating everything he said. "Let's watch a Jackie Chan movie," says Chris, kicking out at Joey. Joey catches the foot and flips Chris to the floor.
Lance moves onto the bed. "Watch whatever you want. Hey, I think Star Wars is there somewhere."
JC's eyes light up. "Star Wars? You got Star Wars?"
Joey turns away from tackling Chris to roll his eyes expressively. "Again?"
JC stands over Joey. "You shouldn't talk, Superman."
Lance wriggles to the end of the bed and reaches over to a box of videos. "Star Wars has everything: martial arts, flying, something for everyone." He pops the tape in and pushes Play.
"Okay," says Joey, "but here's one thing I never got: You have Luke and Princess Leia, who are are brother and sister, but in Empire Strikes Back, she kisses him. Then you've got Han Solo, who is clearly hot for Leia, but he doesn't say anything until the second movie. I mean, she's right there in front of him the whole time and he never says anything."
"Maybe he was afraid," JC says softly. "He thought Leia was out of his league. Unattainable."
"No one's out of your league. Except maybe Janet Jackson. But dude, if you see someone you like you just go up to them and say, 'Hey, baby, you are looking FINE. How 'bout you and me take a walk.' That's what Han Solo should have done. Instead, he wimped out until he was about to be a human popsicle. That's lame."
"Yeah, but what if she'd said 'No way! I'm str--I'm a princess. I can't be with someone like you.' He would have felt like an idiot."
"But that's like the glass is half empty. What if she did go for it? If you don't try, you could miss out on the best relationship ever. Or at least good sex."
"Yeah, maybe. But it's not always that easy." JC drops down onto the bed and says, gruffly. "Can we just watch the movie?" Belatedly, he remembers he was going to try to keep a little distance between himself and Lance, and here he is practically on top of him again.
Lance listens to the exchange with amusement, puzzled by JC's sudden change in mood. Soon, the boys quiet down, as much as boys can during a sci-fi movie. When Darth Vader and Obi Wan go at it with the sabers, Chris jumps to his feet, holding a pretend saber, while Joey does the same. "You are not my father!" Chris exclaims.
"Wrong movie, dude," pipes Justin. Chris and Joey dance around the room, staging their mock fight, until Joey falls on the bed, causing Lance to fall into JC.
"Hey!" JC sputters, trying hard not to hold onto Lance too tightly. "Did I pretend to fly when you made us watch Superman?"
Lance whacks Joey with a pillow. "I am not paying the damage bill on this room."
"It's all fun and games until something gets broken," mutters Justin.
"Yeah, don't break the Lance, Joey," whines Chris.
"That was the lamest fight I ever saw, anyway," declares Lance.
"Totally, they're SO not Jedi material," JC says, quietly, his eyes meeting Lance's. Suddenly, they're laughing together, conspiratorially.
"Uh oh, seems Luke and Leia are about to share an intimate moment," teases Joey.
"Shut up, and get off my bed, Darth," sneers Lance.
"Looks more like Chewbacca to me," JC says, and he and Lance start giggling again.
"Yeah, Joey, put on that furry shirt of yours and I'll give you a Chewy snack."
"I'm NOT Chewbacca or Darth. I'm Boba Fett."
"Boba Fett didn't have a light saber," Justin chimes in.
"How do you know? Just cause he didn't use one doesn't mean he didn't have one."
"He didn't have one, Chewy."
"Yeah? If I'm Chewy, you're an Ewok!"
"Ewok, that's a good one," roars Chris.
"Shut up, Jabba the Hut," sneers Justin.
Chris does his best Jabba laugh and points to Lance. "Young Skywalker . . . "
"I'm Luke?"
"Yeah," says Joey, "'cause you're all sweet and innocent."
Lance groans and rolls his eyes. "Then JC is Han. The scoundrel."
JC looks proud for a moment, then freezes. "Hey! Why am I a scoundrel?"
"Because . . . everyone thinks you're this nice guy but you're really a player."
"I am?" JC says, confused. "Where'd you get that idea?"
"Cause you're smoooooooooth."
"You're . . . you're nuts." JC says, stung, moving away from Lance slightly.
Unaware that JC is genuinely hurt by the comment, Lance just grins. "No need to hide it from us, JC. Besides, all the chicks dig Han."
"Whatever." JC pushes himself up from the bed. "I'm tired. I'm gonna go crash. See you guys later."
"You're not even staying for the ending?" Lance asks, disappointed that JC is leaving before the good part.
JC smiles sadly. "I know how it ends."
"The good guys win. C'mon, stay." Lance pats the bed next to him.
But JC keeps walking. "See you guys tomorrow."
The boys go back to watching the movie, but Lance is curious as to why JC didn't want to hang out anymore. He tucks that thought away, figuring he'll ask JC about it tomorrow.
*****
The next day, before the show, the boys are hanging out backstage, signing stuff that was sent to them and items from TransCon that will be sent out to fans.
Lance pens his name on a picture and slides it to JC. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," JC says. Last night had been a turning point for him. He had already been telling himself that it was never going to happen with Lance, but he'd still had hope. Last night had ended that for him.
"Okay. It's just that when you left, you seemed pissed about something."
"You know how I get when I'm tired--just gotta sleep."
"Yeah. Like there's any time for that."
"You gotta make time for the important stuff," JC says, with the same sad smile he'd worn when he left last night.
"Like sleep," Lance jokes, trying to make his friend smile. He can't understand what has made JC so sad. They'd been having such a good time these past few days.
"Like sleep," JC agrees. "You know us scoundrels. Gotta keep our strength up."
"Yeah, it's hard battling the evil forces of the universe while saving the damsel in distress."
"Oh, but players don't save anyone."
Lance stares at JC for a minute before speaking. "Are you actually pissed because of what I said last night?"
"Not pissed so much as . . . Lance, I thought you knew me better than that."
"I was only kidding. I thought you knew THAT."
JC shakes his head miserably.
Confused, Lance shrugs and goes back to signing more pictures.
This time, JC sticks to what he's decided, and stops making excuses to spend time with Lance. Days pass and they see one another only in passing. Then one day he's passing a record store and remembers that Lance lost his favorite Garth Brooks CD. Without thinking, he goes in and buys it, and later that night on the bus, slips it in among Lance's CDs.
It's one of those quiet nights when the boys are too tired to even talk, so Chris, Joey, and Justin retire to the back of the bus to watch movies and Lance sits up front, going over some contracts Johnny sent him to look over to use as a model for Lance's prospective management company. Lance decides he wants some music, so he finds his walkman and goes through his CDs. When his hand touches the Garth Brooks CD, he pulls it out, turning it over in his hands. He remembered losing it, but this one is brand new, still in the plastic. But how? And then he knows. He just knows. JC always seems to know what he needs. For a moment, he sits at the table, holding the CD. Soon, though, he rises and goes to the bunk area, pausing before JC's bunk. "JC?" he asks softly.
JC considers pretending to be asleep, but he pushes aside the curtain and peers out. "Yeah?"
"Look, I'm sorry to wake you. I just wanted to . . . thanks for the CD." Lance holds up the album in question with a small smile playing on his lips.
"Oh," JC says, stalling as he thinks about denying responsibility. "It's, um, nothing."
"I was looking all over for this. I don't know how I lost it. It's my favorite CD."
"I know. That's why I got it."
Lance nods, then turns to leave. He looks back at the bunk and says with straight face, "You know, you'd make a good boyfriend."
JC pulls the curtain closed without another word.
Lance heads back to the lounge and unwraps the CD, placing it carefully in his discman. Soon, the familiar strains of Garth reverberate in his ears.
Joey comes out to raid the fridge and pauses when he sees Lance's troubled face. He pops a sandwich into the microwave and when it's done takes it and a soda and sits down at the table. When Lance glances up, he gestures to Lance to remove his headset and asks, "What's wrong? You look like you lost your best friend."
"Huh? Oh, nothing. Well, I don't know. I think JC's mad at me for something."
Joey pushes his unopened soda can over to Lance and retrieves another for himself. "Wanna tell me about it?" he asks sympathetically.
"What's to tell? I have no idea why he's mad at me. One minute he's buying me games and CDs, the next he barely speaks to me."
Joey thinks for a moment. "So he's been buying you things. What else? I noticed you've been spending more time together lately."
"No more than any of the rest of you. Well, maybe more than we used to."
Joey pauses, choosing his words carefully. "Lance, if you were spending more time with someone, buying them little presents, winning them stuffed animals at amusement parks, what would it mean?"
"I don't know. That I like them? Oh. But JC and me, we're friends."
"Are you sure that's all it is? For BOTH of you?" Joey picks up his soda and snack and heads to the back of the bus. "Think about it."
Lance isn't sure exactly what Joey is implying, and he's not sure he wants to go down that route. Is it really possible that JC likes him more than just as a friend? And if that's the case, is it possible that Lance feels the same way and has just been ignoring those feelings?
The next morning, JC feels as if he hadn't sleep at all, although he had. He has that hollow- headed, unreal feeling that a sleepless night brings, and he stumbles, zombie-like, to the coffeemaker.
Lance decides to try to catch JC before they have to run around from publicity shoot to interview to show. He knocks softly on JC's door, shifting nervously from foot to foot.
JC opens the door and starts in surprise. "Um, hi, Lance. You wanna . . . ?" He holds the door open, gesturing Lance in.
"Thanks. I know it's early but I wanted to catch you before we got too busy." He holds up the papers he brought with him. "Johnny sent these to me--they're sample contracts that I'm thinking of using for my management company and I wanted your advice."
"MY advice? But I don't know about this stuff. I mean, I'll help if I can, but . . . "
"Well, you know from an artist's point of view. What would you want? What would make you happy?"
"Happy? I . . . I . . . " JC suddenly needs to look out the window. Desperately.
"Yeah, what would make you happy, JC?"
JC turns back and stares at Lance, his eyes wide and open and vulnerable. "You really want to know?"
"Yeah, that's why I'm here."
"I, um . . . you."
"Me? You want me? Like, how do you want me?"
JC sits again, his hands so tightly folded that his knuckles are white. "I . . . I think I'm falling for you. I think I've fallen for you."
"You have? Like, in a friend way or in a more-than-friends way?"
"More than friends," JC mumbles, staring at the carpet.
Lance takes a seat on the bed. "Wow. Is that what all the presents were about?"
"Yes. No. I mean, I wasn't trying to buy you or anything. Obviously. I just wanted to give you things. Things you'd enjoy."
"I did. I do. I love that you did that."
JC relaxes a tiny bit. "Good. Cause I wanna, um, make you happy."
"JC, I'm not sure how I feel right now, but I can tell you this: I'd like to find out."
JC looks up from the carpet. "You would?"
"Well, sure. I don't know what this is--I never thought about guys before. Not in that way. But now, with you, I don't know. It's different. You're different."
"I . . . I know there are no, like, guarantees here. But if you'd be willing to, like, see where this goes, that would make me really happy."
"Then let's see where this goes."
"Yeah? That's . . . .wow."
"So, um, we're cool? You're not mad at me anymore?"
"I wasn't mad at you. I was more mad at me. I'm sorry if I took it out on you."
"It's okay. I just wish you would have told me."
"I was afraid you'd run screaming."
"I'd never do that."
"I know that now." JC reaches over and covers Lance's hand with his own. "I was stupid."
It's a simple touch, and they've touched each other many times, but not like this. Lance stares at their hands, then looks up at JC with bright, curious eyes. "No you weren't."
The expression in Lance's eyes is enough to make JC melt. "Okay," he says softly. "I was just scared."
"I won't bite."
"Not even if I do this?" JC leans in and brings his lips to Lance's, kissing him sweetly, chastely.
The shock of being kissed by a guy causes Lance to flinch at first, but then he overcomes his trepidation and relaxes, allowing his lips to kiss back.
When JC finally pulls back, he's smiling. "I've waited SO long to do that."
"Was it good?"
"Better than I even dreamed it would be."
"So you've been fantasizing about kissing me?" Lance asks with a leer.
"Yes," JC says frankly."Is . . . is that okay?"
"It's pretty cool. So what did you think about?"
"This." JC touches Lance's soft hair, then slides his hand down to cup his face, tilting it upward so their lips can meet again.
This time, Lance closes his eyes and takes in all the sensations: the hand on his face, the soft, moist lips, the sounds their mouths make. And he likes it.
This time when they come up for air, JC's not just smiling. He's grinning. "So, um, do you still want me to look at those contracts?"
"What contracts? Oh, those. Yeah, now that you mention it, you probably could help."
"So that wasn't just an excuse to have your wicked way with me?"
"Okay, it was kind of an excuse. But it worked, didn't it?"
JC's hands settle on Lance's waist. They just seem to fit there. "Yeah. But why? Why today? Why now?"
"I guess I just needed someone to knock some sense into me. I was pretty clueless."
"I didn't give you much to go on."
"You did everything but hire a plane to write it across the sky."
"And here I thought I was being subtle."
"Nah, you never get anywhere that way."
"How'd you get so smart?"
"If I was smart, I would have gotten it when you won me the Taz."
"You got it now. That's all that matters."
Lance kisses JC lightly. "Yeah." Then he sits back. "I guess I better let you get ready. We've got a lot to do today." As he nears the door, he turns around. "You wanna have dinner sometime? Just the two of us?"
"Yeah. I'd like that a lot."
"It's a date then."
A date. JC can't wipe the grin off his face as the door closes behind Lance. He'd been so sure the whole thing was going to freak Lance out. That this would never, ever happen.
And Lance thought HE was the clueless one.