Snow White: Grumpy
by Karen and LB
© 2002
I keep forgetting to put in a disclaimer. Um, um: Lance and JC have never sung "Hi ho" to our knowledge.
JC willingly admits that it STARTED with carelessness. If he hadn't forgotten to charge his cell phone battery, he wouldn't have had to borrow Lance's. But that's where it ended. He hadn't lost it, or forgotten it, or dropped it, or put it down, or loaned it to anyone. It had been stolen. He faced the angry young man in front of him. "Lance, I've apologized a million times. I don't know what else to say. I'll replace the damned thing. We can get one messengered over right now. But don't you even care that I was robbed? That's not the least bit scary to you?"
"Of course I care! But JC, you know how important that phone was? It's not just a phone--I'm trying to get this management thing going and I had numbers stored on there. IMPORTANT numbers. My parents' number is on there! You think I want some psycho calling them up? And it's not just about the phone. It's about YOU being responsible. How could you just leave it lying around? It's like you have no regard for my stuff. Like you're not even taking my business seriously. How would you feel if I lost your lyrics notebook?"
"Lance, I left it lying around IN MY POCKET. Some creep put his hand in my pocket and took it. And of course I take your business seriously. How many times do I have to apologize?" JC looks reproachfully at Lance. "Our first real fight and it's over a THING? A replaceable thing?"
"It's not just a thing! You know how important my phone is to me! It's my way of staying connected with my family! You know what, I don't think I can be around you right now."
"Lance, I really am sorry."
"Whatever." Lance leaves JC's room and slams the door behind him.
JC sits on the bed in shock. How could something so small turn into something so ugly, and so quickly?
Lance storms back to his room, two doors down, pissed at JC, pissed at himself, pissed at the asshole who stole the phone in the first place. He slams the door, forgetting that there are other people in this hotel who might not appreciate all the banging and flops down on the bed, one arm slung over his eyes. They had a couple of hours before they had to be at the MTV studios for a taping, and he and JC were going to spend it together. WERE going to. Not now. Maybe Lance would see what Joey's doing. But he's too pissed right now to talk to anyone. He notices the partially eaten Caramello bar on his night stand and breaks off a piece. Some of the caramel drips down his hand and he licks it off and puts the tip of his finger in his mouth. A vision of JC licking his fingers pops in his head and he quickly shakes it out. Stop that. You're mad at him, he tells himself.
JC does the only thing JC can do under the circumstances. He curls up on the bed and goes to sleep. People seem to have a lot of theories about why he sleeps so much, some of them true, but at least one of them is to escape when things are difficult. It's a restless sleep he falls into, but he stays there until Joey bangs on his door to tell him he has 15 minutes before they have to leave for MTV.
Lance doesn't want to stay in the room for two hours so he grabs Justin and they go for a bite to eat and some shopping hoping that would take his mind off JC. It doesn't. It just makes him more pissed because he ends up having to buy a new phone, which reminds him of why he's buying the phone in the first place, which makes him think of how he and JC are fighting, which gets him all pissed off again.
He's more than a little snippy during the taping too. When Carson asks them if they ever fight, Chris says they fight like brothers, and Lance chimes in, "Yeah, sometimes one of us will do something REALLY STUPID and inconsiderate." It never came across in the final cut, but Lance is aware of it. But he doesn't feel like apologizing. Not this time.
Their next stop is LA, and Lance and JC stay in their respective rooms. They all go out to dinner and Lance laughs and jokes around like nothing is wrong. He isn't going to give JC the satisfaction of watching him mope.
JC is not sure what bothers him most--the fact that Lance is this mad over something that wasn't JC's fault, or that he's doing such a damned fine job of acting like there's no problem. And it also bugs him that he misses Lance so much when Lance is treating him so shabbily. AND he looks so adorable tonight. He's wearing JC's favorite sweater and leather pants that fit just so. Maybe--MAYBE-- he'll try to get Lance to talk when they get back to the hotel.
To keep his mind off JC, Lance heads off with Joey to the Viper Room after the five or so appearances they had to do today. Lance figures a little drinking and dancing is just the thing he needs to distract him from the fact that he's been colder than ice to his best friend and lover. He feels terrible, but he still can't bring himself to just talk to JC and apologize. After a few hours at the club, Lance just wants to go back to the hotel and sleep it off. Joey keeps trying to push him into hooking up with two blond babes, and the drinks are finally taking their toll. So he pats Joey on the back, tells him to go for it, and catches a cab back to the hotel.
JC hears the elevator stop for the millionth time tonight and peers out his door to see Lance moving somewhat unsteadily toward his room. He sighs and lets the door close again. He does NOT want to have this conversation with a drunken Lance, so he turns out the lights and gives up on the idea.
Lance manages to make it to his room without incident. He falls face down on the bed and doesn't even bother changing out of his clothes. Tomorrow they're heading to Chicago for more appearances and he needs all the sleep he can get. He unconsciously reaches out to the pillow next to him, forgetting that JC's head is not resting on it. He sighs and falls into a deep, dreamless sleep.
JC spends yet another restless night, dreaming of Lance. He wakes up, unrefreshed, and stumbles into the bathroom for what feels like a much-needed shower.
Lance rolls over onto the side of the bed JC usually sleeps on and wakes up when he realizes his lover is not there. STILL not there. He groans and puts the pillow over his face. It's only when the phone rings, announcing his wake-up call that he pulls the pillow away from his face and sees that he's still fully dressed from the night before and reeking of sweat and last night's alcohol. So he sits up slowly and pulls off his sweater, the red sweater--the one JC likes so much. He wore it purposely, knowing JC would notice, half-hoping he would say something. His mother would say he's acting like a 12-year-old if she knew how Lance was treating JC. But Lance doesn't care. Every time he pulls out his new phone he's reminded of how this whole thing started. He staggers to the bathroom, peeling off his leather pants on the way, nearly tripping and banging into the cold tiles of the bathroom. If he could just make it to the shower, he'll be okay. He happens to catch a glimpse of himself in the full-length mirror on the bathroom door and grunts. Unshaven, hair sticking out every which way--You're a real vision of beauty, Bass, he says to himself.
JC runs the water till it's hot and steps under the spray. He reaches for the soap and begins washing himself until he's frozen by a sudden, vivid memory of a time only a couple of weeks before when he and Lance had showered together.
Getting the faucet to turn was an accomplishment, but actually making it over the rim of the tub without falling was the real achievement. Lance balances himself with one hand on the cool tiles while the other fumbles for the soap. It slips out of the hand and falls to the floor of the tub, and Lance curses as he bends to pick it up. It's so much easier when JC washes him. Lance swears again at the thought. He begins to lather up, and as his hand touches his chest he suddenly has a vision of it being JC's hand instead of his own.
JC closes his eyes and it's as if Lance were there. His hand holding the soap goes from functional to sensual in an instant, rubbing the soap in slow circles against his skin. It's never been JUST about sex with him and Lance, but he certainly misses that aspect of their relationship, even more than he realized. His hand grazes his nipple, and he lets out a moan.
In the next room, Joey grins. "I guess everyone didn't get lucky last night," he thinks.
Lance closes his eyes and lets his head fall back against the tile, unaware of how loud the sound is. In the next room, Joey's head snaps around and he grins. Lance's hand traces lazy circles around his nipples, teasing them erect the way JC often does. The soap slides lower, across his belly, dipping into his navel, and he shivers at the memory of the last time he and JC showered together. JC can be so . . . attentive.
JC slides the soap over his nipples, deliberately this time. He pictures Lance, leaning into him, playfully licking his nipples and he feels himself getting hard. He turns so the warm water pounds directly on his erection, imagining instead the warmth of Lance's hand. He moans again, to Joey's great amusement.
Lance's head falls to the side as his hand travels lower on his body. JC would take his time, would kiss every inch of his body, would massage the soap against his skin, would touch and caress him until he purred like a cat. It feels like weeks instead of days since they last made love. So now all this pent-up sexual frustration is finally coming to the surface as Lance's fingers trace the outline of his erection.
JC lets his hand travel over his own hard stomach, knowing how Lance likes to caress the ridges of his abs, to dip into his navel with his tongue. He slides his hands around to grip the firm muscles of his butt, another thing Lance loves to do. He's gasping now, fighting for breath and to overcome the memories.
Joey puts his ear to the wall, trying his best to stifle his giggles. He loves these thin-walled hotel rooms. Better than cable.
Lance imagines the way JC's tongue swirls around his stiff member and uses his finger to mimic the motion. It's not nearly as satisfying, but he keeps seeing JC's face in front of him, the way his full lips feel when he presses them against Lance's, the way his eyes sparkle when they make love. "Nooo," he moans. He doesn't want to feel this way, but he can't stop his hand from gripping his erection the way JC does.
JC finally gives in to his desire and brings one hand around to encircle his erection. He feels a surge of pure NEED for Lance, so much so that he contemplates getting out of the shower, going to Lance's room and begging for an end to this war. He's never felt so lonely in his life, even though he's nearly always surrounded by people. He groans in frustration as his hand begins the slow, steady stroking that Lance does so well.
With one palm pressed against the shower wall, the other strokes Lance's throbbing erection. He physically aches for JC; the pain and longing surge through him as his tears mingle with the spray from the shower. He grips himself so tightly and angrily he has to bite his lip to keep from crying out.
JC can almost feel Lance pressed up against him as his hand moves more quickly, more surely. He flings his other hand out to grip the towel bar as he feels his knees weaken, fighting the need to call out for his lover, making a completely inarticulate sound.
Joey runs from one wall to the other, unable to decided which is the more interesting.
Lance begins to quicken his strokes, squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth as he feels himself close to climax. "Josh," he moans softly. He imagines JC's lips on his neck, kissing his adam's apple, touching his nipples even as his hand strokes his erection, urging Lance on. It's when he thinks about JC's voice in his ear, whispering words of love that he finally does come, and he cries out as he sinks to his knees, the hot water from the shower spraying him and mixing with his own hot fluid.
JC makes his stroking hand more insistent. He's so close and, oddly enough, he wants to get this over with. It's just too painful, thinking about Lance. When he comes, it's unfulfilling. Yes, he's physically satisfied, but that's not enough, not any more. His strangled cry fades into silence as he whispers "Lance," the sound lost in the still pounding water.
Lance holds his head in his hands for what seems like hours before he finally moves. Angry at himself for letting this get so blown out of proportion and more frustrated than before he rises and finishes showering. He's never felt more alone.
JC quickly and practically finishes washing himself, washing his hair and rinsing off, and steps out of the shower. He finishes getting ready as he tries not to think about what just happened.
Joey strolls into the lobby where Chris and Justin are waiting for everyone to gather. "Hey, Joe," Chris greets him. "We're trying to think of "gr" words for how Lance and JC have been acting lately. We've got grouchy, growly, grumpy, grinchy and gruff so far. You got any?"
"How about gratified?" Joey grins. "Two very interesting showers going on on either side of me . . . "
"Ohhhhhhhh! I do not need to know this!" Chris groans, doubling over.
Lance is the first one down; his hair is still damp, and when Justin and Joey see him they look at each other and crack up. "How was you shower, Scoop?" Joey asks.
Lance, puzzled, replies, "Fine, Joe. How was yours?" He scowls at his friends and looks around for JC, slightly relieved that he's not here yet. Their flight to Chicago leaves in an hour and the less he sees of him right now the better.
The guys are already getting in the van when JC arrives, breathless. He doesn't have time to wonder about Joey and Justin's snickering before they take off. He does manage to get a glimpse of Lance's scowling face before Lance turns to stare out the window. JC sighs and wonders if this is gonna go on forever and how he'll stand it if it does.
Lance doesn't know how to deal with this anymore. Maybe he should just say something. But when JC got in the car--late as usual--he looked pissed and Lance didn't want to say anything. So he ignored Joey and Justin and watched the cars on the freeway. They barely had time to spare when they got to the airport, and Lance ended up next to Justin on the plane. By the time they got to Chicago they were exhausted; they were immediately driven to their hotel to check in before a scheduled appearance at Planet Hollywood.
And that's when things got worse. The reservations had been mixed up, and they only had two rooms. They drew lots to see who would share with whom, and Joey managed to fix it so Lance and JC ended up with the double. He was tired of seeing the two best friends fighting and hoped that throwing them together would do the trick.
Lance felt his face grow red when the lots were drawn and he ended up with JC. Figures. This is perfect. And there's only one bed. Well, I'll sleep on the floor if I have to, Lance thinks.
The Planet Hollywood appearance was uneventful. Lance smiled and joked with the host and happily signed autographs. Justin sat between him and JC, and kept glancing back and forth, concerned. Lance ignored him. It wasn't until they got back to the hotel, much later, that things came to a head.
JC just barely made it through the appearance. He felt like his nerves were completely raw and one wrong word was going to cause him to blow up. And he didn't want to blow up at some innocent bandmate or security guy or something. As for Lance, JC was completely bewildered. He just couldn't believe that things had gotten this bad over such a small thing. Maybe, maybe Lance had been looking for an excuse. Maybe he just didn't really love JC and just wanted to get out of the relationship. And that thought made JC sadder than he could possibly have imagined before today.
Okay, Lance admitted--he was going to talk to JC tonight and put everything out there on the table. But that was before this whole rooming fiasco. Before, if things went badly he could just escape to his own room. But now that he and JC were thrown together, if he confronted him and things went badly JC would probably want to leave and that would be the end of that. And the truth is, Lance doesn't know what to say. He's angry at himself that he let things get so out of hand, but once they did he didn't know how to stop. He knows he was behaving immaturely and irrationally, but he can't seem to find the words to apologize. Maybe it's for the best; maybe JC just sees him as some kid he could mess around with. Maybe this is his way of getting rid of Lance. Or maybe Lance is just using that as an excuse because he is starting to believe that he doesn't deserve JC.
So now, much later, after grabbing dinner and hanging out in Joey, Justin, and Chris's room to watch movies, Lance decides that he can't delay the inevitable and heads back to his room.
JC had stayed up for a long time, thinking. Toying with the idea of quitting the group. It's just so painful being around Lance when Lance won't even speak to him. But how can he give up the only other thing he loves? He finally gives up and goes to bed, only to lie there, sleepless.
Lance opens the door as quietly as he can, knowing JC will be fast asleep. This will be the hardest night of his life, laying in bed with the man he . . . loves. No matter what happened, he still loves JC. Lance closes the door and leans his head against it; if only he could turn back the clock and take back what he said. But he can't. So he shuffles to the bathroom to wash up and get ready for bed. When he emerges, he debates throwing a pillow on the floor and just sleeping there, but he figures he may as well suck it up for one night. JC sleeps like a log anyway and probably won't even notice Lance is in the bed with him. He strips off his shirt and pants on the way, and slips in beside JC, being careful not to touch him. Closing his eyes, he takes a deep breath. What he wouldn't give to touch JC, just one more time.
JC listens to Lance trying to be quiet, and feels him as he climbs into bed. For a moment, it feels like old times, then he glances over to see Lance practically clinging to his side of the bed, as if the least possibility of an accidental touch was to be avoided at all costs. That's it. I can't DO this anymore, JC thinks, as he struggles to hold it together until he hears Lance's breathing become deep and even. When he's sure that Lance is asleep, he finally allows the tears to come, muffling the sound in his pillow.
Lance's eyes fly open. It's the sound that finally gets to him, that finally reaches his heart and breaks down the barrier he'd built up over the past few days. He rolls over, tentatively, wanting so badly to pull JC to him, but unsure how he'll react. So he carefully reaches out a hand and gingerly touches JC's back. "JC? J-Josh?" The lump in Lance's throat feels like it's going to explode and render him speechless, but he fights for control when he says, "Josh, I'm SO sorry. Please, don't cry. Please, please talk to me. I'm so sorry. I've been such a dickhead. I don't know what's wrong with me." His voice cracks. "Josh, please."
The sound of his own name said gently, tenderly, after days of curt "Jay CEE's" makes JC cry harder. "I can't DO this anymore, Lance," he whispers between sobs. "I can't take being near you when you don't love me anymore."
"Oh my gosh, JC, I DO love you. I love you so much." Lance moves closer, slowly wrapping his arm around JC, pulling himself to a sitting position so he could see better. His other hand begins to stroke JC's hair back from his forehead. "Please, Josh--please look at me."
JC takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself enough to look up at Lance. "I thought you hated me," he whispers, still not trusting his voice.
"Aw, Josh, I could never hate you. Never. I love you too much. I don't know what's wrong with me--I should never have taken it out on you. I'm so sorry. I've been such a jerk and if you never speak to me after tonight I wouldn't blame you. But know this: I...love . . . you. I never stopped loving you."
JC snuggles up against Lance. "I missed you so much. I was so scared that there was something else going on. That you'd decided you didn't want to be with me anymore and this was just a way of getting rid of me." JC pauses and thinks about how that sounds. "I mean, I know you wouldn't do that, but I wasn't exactly thinking straight."
Lance shifts so that JC's head is in his lap. "To tell you the truth, I thought YOU were getting tired of me. I know I can act immature sometimes, and I know that must bug you; I mean, putting up with me can't be much fun. Maybe . . . maybe you're better off without me." Lance throws this out but he's praying JC won't take him up on it.
"Better off without you? Look at me. Does this look better off to you?" JC wipes his hands over his tear stained face. "And I don't think I could ever get tired of you. I worry because I'm the only person you've ever been with, and do you ever wonder what you're missing?"
"No." The word is said with such force Lance surprises himself. He nudges JC's hand away and wipes the tears himself, needing to touch them, to feel JC's pain. "How can you even think that? You know that sex to me isn't just something you do with just anyone. I made love with you that first time because I love YOU. Even if we didn't have sex I would have still wanted us to be together, in whatever way we could. So no, I don't want to be with anyone else. I only want to be with you." Lance rolls his eyes. "Gosh, that sounds so sappy. But it's true. I'm not missing anything." He pauses. "That's not entirely true. I miss you, Josh. I miss you so much. I HATE what I've done."
"Can we, can we just go back a few days? I'll apologize some more and be more understanding about how important your phone is to you, and you'll accept my apology and know that I would have prevented it if I could have?"
"You don't have to apologize for anything. I just want you back."
"Baby, I never went away."
"I pushed you away."
"I'm here. I love you. I want us to be okay again."
Lance shifts again so he is laying down on his side, facing JC. "I want that more than anything."
JC smiles, the first genuine smile in days. "And I always try to give you what you want."
Lance caresses JC's face, audibly breathing a sigh of relief that this fight is finally over. "That and more," he says, smiling back.
JC turns his face into the caress, kissing the palm of Lance's hand. "Promise me we'll never do this again? That we'll talk about stuff instead of shutting each other out?"
The kiss! Those lips against his skin--oh, how he's missed that. At this point, if JC asked him to run down the street in a chicken suit, he'd do it. "It's a promise. Because I couldn't stand to lose you."
"You're not going to. And that's a promise, too." JC pulls Lance very close, as if to prove that he's never going to let go. "I love you so much."
Lance rolls his eyes and smiles as he says, "I'm such an idiot. You should just kick me out right now. You should make me sleep in the bathtub. Or worse--with Joey, Chris, and Justin."
JC grins. "C'mon. I wouldn't do that to my worst enemy."
Lance rolls onto his back and throws his arm over his forehead. "Whew! I was really scared there for a minute. You know how Joey snores."
JC runs a light finger down Lance's arm. "I don't suppose you'd like to see what I would do to my best friend?"
"Um, yes, actually I would like to see. Very much."
"Then you'll have to come back over here."
"Over where? Here?" Lance asks playfully as he rolls onto his side again. "Or here?" He rolls on top of JC, pinning him to the mattress.
"There's good." JC lifts his head to graze Lance's lips very lightly with his own. "There's very, very good."
"Oh yeah? How about here?" Lance touches his lips to JC's just as lightly--first the top lip, then the bottom lip, and then both at once.
At the same time, he rubs his hips against JC's, unable and unwilling to hide his growing erection.
JC almost feels like crying again. It just feels so good to be able to hold Lance again, to touch him, to kiss him. He claims Lance's lips in a kiss again, this time not a light one.
Lance feels like someone just plugged him into an electrical socket, he's so charged up. He pulls back from JC, surprised and aroused by this sudden burst of passion. "Wow," he exclaims when they finally part. "This almost makes me want to have fights more often."
"Almost." JC guides Lance's mouth back down to his own. "But let's not."
"No--umph," Lance moans as JC's mouth claims his and he's lost in the kiss. His tongue finds its way inside, and he feels along JC's teeth, the roof of his mouth, every nook and cranny, finally becoming entwined with JC's warm, wet tongue.
Lance still tastes sweetly of the toothpaste he'd used not that long ago, mixed with his own unique flavor. JC savors the kiss, his hands slipping up under the hem of Lance's t-shirt to caress the long planes of his smooth back.
When JC's hands touch his bare skin, Lance automatically presses his hips harder against JC. He begins to move against his lover, not even aware he's doing it; so conditioned is he when he's with JC it's an automatic response.
JC moans, the sound nearly lost in Lance's mouth. His hips thrust upward in response to Lance's movements and he knows he's getting harder by the minute.
Lance can't keep his hands off JC any longer. With one hand, he balances himself above JC; the other moves under JC's shirt to caress his smooth, warm chest. He finds first one nipple, gently circling it with his thumb, and then the other. Frustrated at the limited contact, he raises himself up on his knees and lifts JC's shirt up and over his head. Straddling JC, he sits for a minute, taking in the sight of his friend's bare chest. "You can't believe how much I've missed this."
"Oh, I think I can," JC rasps as he pulls at Lance's shirt. Lance helps JC remove it, then they stare at each other foolishly for a few long moments.
Lance smiles and looks away, knowing that if the lights were on his face would be bright red. So he bends down for another kiss, this time kissing not just JC's mouth, but his cheek, his eyelids, his nose--everything he'd deprived himself of for the past few days.
"Mmmmmm, Lance," JC sighs as he tries to kiss the moving target that is Lance's face. One hand reaches up to bury itself in Lance's soft hair and the other roams over Lance's chest, just avoiding the nipples until he finally takes one between his thumb and forefinger and squeezes gently.
Lance moans, mid-kiss and giggles, delighted that things are back the way they should be. He wants this moment to last for hours; he wants to get to know JC all over again.
He moves along JC's strong, defined jawline, licking his way from one end to the other, and then moving slowly down to his neck, kissing it and sucking gently at the tender place where his neck meets his shoulder.
Maybe Lance is right--maybe they SHOULD fight more often. Because right now, Lance feels like the most delicious combination of new and familiar in JC's arms. JC lets his fingers slide down Lance's ribs...one...at...a...time...before returning to caress his nipples.
It's as though, during the time JC and Lance were apart JC went out and learned all these secret ways to pleasure Lance. Lance gasps in surprise at JC's practiced, patient touch and nearly comes right then. He takes a deep breath, resting his head in the crook of JC's neck, closes his eyes, and fights for control.
"You okay, baby?" JC asks, concerned. He cradles Lance to him tenderly.
"Oh yes. OH YES. I've never been better." His breathing is ragged, though, and he knows he's not fooling JC. "I think I just came," he jokes.
"I knew I was good, but I didn't think I was THAT good."
"Josh, you're that good. But don't worry--I didn't. Yet. But if you keep this up I'm going to soon."
"Well, then. Maybe I should just lie back and let you take over for a while."
"Oooo, JC, you don't know what you're saying," Lance growls, pressing his lips to JC's skin and clasping JC's hands in his own, pressing them against the mattress.
"Don't I?"
"No, because you have no idea what you're doing to me." Lance's lips travel lower, past JC's collarbone to his chest. He feels JC's pulse quicken as he searches out one small, erect nipple. His tongue teases it, until he finally takes it in his mouth, sucking lightly and rolling it between his teeth.
JC grins. "Don't I?"
Lance nips lightly. "You're really asking for it." He takes the other nipple in his mouth, rubbing his fingers against the other, still-wet one. This time, he licks slowly, pulling away each time to look into JC's eyes.
"I know," JC whispers, giving in to the pleasure Lance is giving him.
"You do, huh? So, you know about this?" Lance presses his erection against JC's thigh.
"I'd sorta noticed."
"That obvious, huh? Now, what about you, hmmm?" Lance punctuates this by reaching down between JC's legs and cupping the bulge forming there.
"Well? Noticeable?"
"Heck yeah. But I think it could use a little work." He begins to rub the bulge through the fabric of JC's shorts, while placing soft kisses on his chest.
"Hard work is always rewarded."
Lance's head pops up. "What kind of reward?"
"What would you like?"
"You."
"You've already got me. You'll have to be more specific."
Lance's eyes gleam. "You want me to TELL you?"
"Or you could demonstrate."
"Now THAT I can do." And he does. He slips his hand inside JC's shorts and wraps his fingers around his stiff member. "I've missed this," he whispers, moving up slightly on the bed so he's face to face with his lover.
JC looks up into Lance's eyes, sparkling even in the dim light of the room. "Me, too."
"How badly did you miss it?" Lance purrs, beginning to stroke the length of JC's erection.
"Can't you tell?" JC presses up into Lance's hand.
"I think I could tell better if you weren't wearing these." Lance snaps the waistband of the shorts and hooks his fingers under the elastic.
"Then we should definitely get rid of them. If they're interfering with your progress and all . . . "
"They are. I can't get anything done with these on. So I hope you don't mind if I just slide them off." And that's what he does; once the constricting garment is off, Lance kisses his way up JC's legs, running his tongue along the inside of his thighs and pausing above JC's erection, taking in the musky scent.
"Not at all, Lance. Oooh, Mmm. Not at all."
"Then I guess you won't mind this?" Lance wraps his fingers around the base of JC's erection and touches the tip with his tongue.
JC suddenly loses his ability to banter. That hot tongue, touching him. That cool hand holding him. "Feels so good, Lance."
This time Lance opens his mouth and takes in just the head, sucking gently and then releasing it. The next time, he goes halfway down the shaft, swirling his tongue and then once again releasing it. Finally, he takes the whole length of JC's erection in his mouth as far as it will go, while fondling his balls gently with his hand.
JC feels enveloped in heat. His hands reach for Lance, fingers clutching and stroking his hair. His own head rolls against the pillow and his ragged breathing tells Lance just how aroused he is.
Lance places his palms on JC's hips to keep him still. He begins a slow, steady in-and-out rhythm, bringing his lips to the very tip of JC's throbbing member and then plunging back down again, engulfing its length with his mouth. He feels a warmth spread through him at the knowledge that he's pleasing his lover; he still feels so guilty for the way he treated JC that Lance wants only to see him smile again. The few days apart have certainly made them even hungrier for each other than usual.
Making love has always been good between them, but this . . . this time, after JC had been so sure he had lost Lance, is particularly sweet and hot. JC wants to thrust into Lance so badly, but the strong hands hold him firmly in place and he HAS to simply let Lance have his way with him.
Lance slows his pace even more, wanting to draw this out, wanting JC to experience as much pleasure as Lance can give. He raises his eyes once to gauge JC's reaction and increases his movements when he sees the expression of lust on JC's face.
JC's fingers grip more tightly at Lance's head. The need to thrust is almost unbearable now. He whispers Lance's name over and over like a prayer, a litany.
Lance feels JC's urgency, and he carefully pulls back. He can feel the heat in his face when he says, "JC, take me. Please."
JC draws Lance up beside him, pressing him back into the mattress with a deep, probing kiss. He presses himself against Lance as if they could occupy the same space if they tried hard enough. JC breaks their kiss and covers Lance's face with tiny kisses. He runs his tongue over Lance's chin and finds the most sensitive spot on his throat, the spot he knows Lance loves him to lick. At the same time, one hand slips beneath Lance, clasping him around the waist and holding him in place, while the other seeks his throbbing erection, at first stroking it through the thin fabric of his boxer-briefs, then reaching inside to grasp the hot and straining organ.
Lance squeezes his eyes shut, wanting to memorize every minute of this. JC knows every nerve in Lance's body, every sensitive spot that will drive him over the edge. And when he feels JC's hand on his hardness, he cries out softly, burying his face in JC's hair.
JC smiles, slow, lazy, loving. He swiftly removes Lance's shorts, then encircles his heat once again. He can feel Lance getting even stiffer with every stroke, and Lance's arousal feeds his own. He lets his hand drift lower, then stops. "Be right back," he mutters, dropping a kiss onto Lance's shoulder. He rolls off the bed, stumbling to his duffle bag, which he searches through for his lubricant. He certainly hadn't unpacked it, given the circumstances. JC returns to the bed, lying down and gathering Lance to him.
Lance groans when JC leaves the bed, not wanting to be separated for even a few seconds. He tingles with anticipation when he sees the tube in JC's hands and he smiles as JC pulls him close. Lance throws his arms around his friend and kisses him, deeply and passionately.
JC leans into the kiss, savoring every second. His hands are everywhere, lightly caressing his lover, building the desire in both of them. He fumbles with the tube for a moment or two, then reaches a slick hand between Lance's legs. He rubs his slippery fingers against the sensitive flesh, until an almost imperceptible relaxation in Lance signals him to continue. He presses a finger into Lance's tight opening, waiting again for that slight untensing of muscles that tells him Lance is ready for more. He begins a slow, steady thrusting with his finger, pressing against the gland enticingly.
Lance arches his back, biting his lip to keep from screaming. How does JC learn these things, he wonders. It's like they're making love for the first time all over again. Each touch is new, each caress sends a wave of pleasure through Lance like nothing else. And what JC is doing to him now nearly sends him over the edge. "Josh, more, please, oh my gosh, more."
JC smiles down at his lover, capturing his lips and muffling the sounds coming from Lance's throat. He adds a second finger, then almost immediately a third as he feels Lance open up to him.
Lance raises his hips slightly, meeting JC's thrusts. His whole body aches for the man he loves, and he moans quietly into JC's mouth, pulling him even closer.
JC feels Lance's readiness. He reaches for the lube again and quickly slicks some onto his own erection, then slides himself on top of Lance. JC looks into Lance's eyes as he pushes into Lance's entrance. "I love you," he whispers, as he slides into his lover more easily than ever before. He immediately begins to move in and out in long deliberate strokes, watching Lance's expressive face.
Lance's eyes roll back in his head as he feels JC pressing into him. He grabs JC's shoulders, needing to touch him, to hold him. He brings his knees up, allowing JC to go as deep as he can. He's panting now, struggling to catch his breath, so intense is the sensation. "Josh, I love you too. So much. So much."
JC quickens his pace in response to Lance's movements. He lowers himself to kiss his boy's lips as he plunges ever deeper into him. Lance opens his mouth to JC and thrusts his tongue hungrily inside the warm, welcoming mouth.
Lance moves his hips in time to JC's rhythm, and his own erection is pressed deliciously between their two bodies. He feels the intensity build as the friction increases, and he knows he won't be able to hold on much longer.
JC slides one hand between their straining bodies and encircles Lance's hot member, stroking it in the same rhythm as he thrusts himself into Lance. Has Lance ever been this tight, this hot and yet this open? He can feel how close they both are, and he redoubles his efforts, intent on bringing them both to completion at once.
Lance's head whips from side to side as he struggles to contain the surge of adrenaline coursing through his body. JC's tight grip on his erection urges him on, and Lance finds he can't hold back any longer. As JC thrusts into him Lance cries out, burying his face in JC's shoulder as he comes in his lover's hand.
Lance's cry is the most sensual thing JC has ever heard and he manages a final thrust before he comes, too, collapsing against his boy and kissing the side of his face as he whispers his love into Lance's ear.
Lance wraps his arms and legs around JC tightly, rubbing his sweat-soaked back lovingly as he says softly, "I love you, Josh, and I will never, ever take you for granted again." They stay that way for a long time, until JC finally slips out and Lance shifts so that his lover's head rests on his chest. He silently plays with the soft, dark locks of JC's hair and stares at the ceiling.
JC tightens his arms around Lance and listens to his heartbeat. He looks up at his lover's face and smiles. "I'm so glad we were able to- -um--talk this out."
Lance furrows his brow. "They say 'communication' is very important in a relationship, so I think we should communicate as often as possible."
JC smooths his hand over Lance's brow. "See? You're not only beautiful, you're wise, too."
Lance laughs, loving the sound because it's JC who brings a smile to his face. A comforting wave of relief washes over him as he realizes things are back to normal. Well, as normal as they can be for two band members carrying on a clandestine romance. Lance squeezes JC gently as fatigue suddenly hits him, and he closes his eyes and falls into a deep, restful sleep.
The next day, the boys are scheduled to appear on Oprah. Joey, Justin, and Chris nudge each other when they see the smiles on JC and Lance's faces as they head to the studio.
Oprah asks the question every interviewer seems to ask these days: "You boys spend so much time together, you must fight now and then. What do you fight about?"
Justin is about to speak, but Lance cuts in. "We fight like brothers, about really stupid stuff." His body is turned to JC, and he locks eyes with his friend. "But the important thing to remember is that we love each other." He turns his eyes on Oprah. "And we always end up making up in the end."