Forever Young: Letter of Intent
by Karen and LB
© 2002
Number 15 in the series.
Lance crumples the third piece of paper and hits the basket on the first try. This is harder than he imagined it would be, which makes him laugh because this should be easy. It should be easy to tell JC how he feels about him, how even if Lance is having the worst day just one smile from JC can make all his problems disappear, how when JC kisses him Lance feels like his heart will explode. But every time he tries to put into words what he's feeling the pen doesn't seem to want to cooperate. Or maybe he's just blaming it on the pen. Lance never was a very good writer; he's book smart, sure, but he's always been better at math and science than English. So he takes a deep breath, and once again begins to write.
An hour later, Lance finally has what he thinks is a love letter. Yes, it's a love letter. Whether it's a good love letter and whether it expresses everything he's feeling, well, that's to be determined. But he knows that if he looks at it one more time it's going to join its brothers and sisters in the wastebasket. So he caps his pen and folds the letter, and without stopping opens the door to his room and heads down the hall to JC and Joey's room. JC had given Lance his room key in case he needed anything while he was out shooting hoops with Justin, Joey, and Chris, so he doesn't have to worry about anyone barging in on his little mission. He had told JC he had some studying to do. Besides, Lance figured that it was good for them to have some time apart; he didn't want JC to get sick of him. He quickly finds JC's large duffel and slips the note inside. He almost reaches in and pulls it out but stops himself. No, he tells himself. Stop being a wuss. So he goes back to his room, picks up his history book, and begins to read.
JC gets back and immediately heads for the shower, beating Joey to it by seconds. When he's done, he digs through his duffle for clothes, shifting the contents thoroughly. By the time he's done, Lance's letter is firmly wedged under the bottom liner. He straps the bracelet Lance gave him on one wrist and the watch on the other and heads over to Lance's room.
Lance is so engrossed in the War of the Roses that he doesn't hear the first knock on the door. Finally, he's pulled from the pages of his book and leaps off the bed. "Just a minute," he calls out. He runs his fingers through his hair and opens the door, an expectant smile on his face. "Hey," he says when he sees the freshly showered JC.
"Hey, baby," JC says as he walks in. "I missed you." He leans in and lightly kisses Lance on the lips. "I missed you a lot."
Blushing, Lance asks, "How was your game?"
"Fun. But I wished you were there."
"You did?" He read the letter! "Nah, I suck."
"You don't, not really. But that's not the point anyway." JC kisses Lance again. "So what did you do while we were gone?"
Lance pulls back, taken by surprise. What did I do? I poured my heart out to you. Then he realizes JC must be playing with him. But still, that letter was serious and it took him a long time to get the words out. JC wouldn't play with him like this . . . unless he didn't care about the letter. Unless he thought it was a joke. Mortified, Lance wishes he could turn back the clock and rip up every shred of that stupid letter. What a stupid idea to write it in the first place! All Lance wants to do right now is crawl into his bed and pull the covers over his head and stay that way. He can't even look at his friend because he's so humiliated. "Um, nothing. Just, like, studied and stuff."
"You study too much, baby. You look . . . tired or something. Come here." JC leads Lance to the bed and makes him sit, sitting behind Lance. JC starts rubbing his shoulders. "How's that?"
"It's good." But he shrugs off the hands. "You know what? I still have a lot of studying to do before dinner so I'm just gonna . . . " He moves to where he'd tossed his book and flips it open.
"Lance? What's wrong? Are you mad because I took off with the guys?"
Without looking up, Lance replies, "No. I'm glad you did. I just have a test coming up and I want to get a good grade."
"Lance, what's going on? A minute ago you seemed happy to see me."
"I am. I'm just busy." He's fighting hard not to cry, and he hopes JC leaves before the tears start to fall.
JC stares at Lance in confusion. The whole point of Lance staying here while he and rest of the guys played ball was to give Lance a chance to get some work done so they could spend some time together. Instead, he's being . . . dismissed. "Uh, fine," he finally says, rising. "I guess I'll see you at dinner."
"Whatever." How could he? How could JC be so callous when Lance poured his guts out in that letter? JC knows he's not the most expressive person, so it took a LOT for him to write what he did. After the door closes behind JC, Lance draws his knees up and puts his head down, letting the tears fall silently.
JC stands in the hall for a few moments, forgetting which way to go. He finally walks to his room, letting himself in.
Joey looks up, "Didn't expect you back so soon. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, Lance is still studying, so I'm gonna take a nap."
It takes JC an uncharacteristically long time to fall asleep. He keeps running his conversation with Lance over in his heads, trying to figure out where it fell apart. Nothing makes sense to him though, and eventually he drifts off to sleep.
*****
"Yo, Lance, you should have come out with us," Justin says as he enters the room, still spinning the ball on his finger.
"I had work to do," Lance replies, lifting his head and wiping his eyes.
"Hey, what's wrong, man?"
"Nothing. I'm just tired. My eyes are just tired from reading."
"You look like you've been crying."
"I wasn't. I'm fine." His voice is cold, and he wishes Justin would just drop this conversation.
"You don't look fine, dude." Justin sits on the edge of the bed, cradling the ball. "Did something happen while we were gone?"
"No. NOTHING happened."
Justin narrows his eyes. "C'mon, talk to me. Did something happen with JC?"
Lance laughs bitterly. He knows Justin won't let this go, so he tells him about the letter. When he's done, Justin lets the ball drop to the floor. "Wow, man. That doesn't sound like C. He's usually pretty sensitive about this stuff. I can't believe he would just ignore a letter like that. You want me to talk to him?"
"NO! Gosh, no. I don't want anyone to say anything about this. I just want to forget about it. I wish I could take it back and rip it up."
"No you don't. What you wrote must have been really special. I can't believe JC is being such a jerk about this."
*****
"JC? C'mon, wake up, dude." Joey shakes JC's shoulder again. "C'mon, I'm STARVING."
"Huh?" JC blinks up at his friend. "Is it dinner time already?"
"Yeah! Get UP, already."
JC gets up, walks into the bathroom, and splashes some water on his face. After drying his face, he rejoins Joey. "Ready."
The two take the elevator down and manage to cross the lobby without too much interaction with the swarm of girls haunting the area. They've grown accustomed to it over the past few months, but JC is still surprised by it sometimes.
They make it to the restaurant after signing a few autographs and look around for the others. JC spots Lance immediately and their eyes meet. JC starts to smile, but his smile dies as Lance deliberately chooses a seat between Justin and Chris.
Justin tries to contain his anger as JC takes a seat opposite Lance, who's trying his best to focus on what Chris is saying. When he feels JC's foot brush against him, he quickly pulls his own back.
"Lance?" Chris asks.
"Huh? Yeah."
"You're not even listening."
"Sorry. Just tired I guess."
"Well, you better wake up soon. We got a show tonight."
The show. For the first time Lance isn't in the mood to perform. But maybe that's just what he needs. Something to focus on instead of JC. Even now, he can't seem to look at his boyfriend.
JC keeps trying to make eye contact with Lance, who studiously avoids it. He does, however, catch Justin glaring at him. So it's NOT just his imagination. Lance IS mad at him for some reason, and whatever that reason is Justin knows. JC again goes over this afternoon in his mind, searching for the moment when things went wrong, but he can't find anything.
Lance makes it through dinner, and although it was tense, he's glad to be able to concentrate on something else. Backstage, while they're getting ready, he tries to hide his sadness, but when he glances up at JC he once again feels that wave of embarrassment wash over him, and he quickly turns away. He's just thankful they aren't sharing a room.
JC gets through the show on auto-pilot. He would never disappoint an audience, but his heart sure isn't in it. All he cares about is fixing whatever's wrong between him and Lance, but how can he even do that if Lance won't tell him what's wrong? Backstage after the show, on the bus back to the hotel, at the hotel, JC keeps trying to approach Lance, but Justin is always beside him.
"Hey, dude, let's go play Tomb Raider," Justin says to Lance, nudging him with his arm.
Lance shrugs. "Okay. Whatever." They head up to the room, and before they reach the elevator, Lance looks sadly over his shoulder.
JC catches Lance's look. He looks sad, not mad. Then why won't he talk to JC? JC's sure he could make things okay, if only he knew what was wrong. He heads for the next elevator and finds Joey at his side.
"What's up, dude?" Joey asks. "You and Lansten have a fight?"
"I wish I knew, Joe. It's like everything was fine one minute, then he stopped talking to me."
"Weird. That's not like Lance."
"Tell me about it. And whatever's wrong, Justin knows, too, but he's not talking, either."
"Weird."
Justin does his best to cheer up Lance. In fact, Lance is having a good time hanging out with his younger friend, and before long he's so engrossed in the game he doesn't even think about the letter.
Joey urges JC to go out clubbing with him and Chris, but JC declines. He sits on the bed, flipping channels inattentively for a while, then gives up. He lies for a long time, staring up into the darkness.
The next day, Lance feels a little better after having Justin keep him occupied. They have a few interviews, and Lance keeps pretty quiet. He lets the other guys answer most of the questions and only speaks when he is addressed directly. During meals, he tries his best to take a seat away from JC. He still can't bear to be near him, knowing that JC knows what he is thinking and feeling about him and doesn't care. That night, another show, another screaming crowd. Lance gets lost in the music, but when they sing Together Again, he feels a lump in his throat. When they return to the hotel, Joey drags him to the hotel bar, where they stand around the piano with a bunch of fans and sing songs. Again, Lance finds escape in numbers and for a while at least is able to push down his embarrassment.
JC feels like a zombie. He's just barely getting through the days and nights and feels vaguely angry with Lance for being able to act practically as if nothing's happened. JC is walking around with a big hole in his heart and Lance is singing in hotel bars.
The next day they move to another town, another hotel. JC thinks--hopes--it may be an improvement to get away from the place where whatever it was happened. He keeps thinking that right up until they draw for rooms and he ends up with Justin.
Justin figures it's better that he drew the room with JC than Lance, although he's still worried about his friend. When they get to the room, Justin throws his bag on the floor and puts on his walkman.
Gee, thanks, buddy, JC thinks. We've been friends for HOW long? JC sighs and starts rifling through his duffle for his notebook. Not that he's going to get any writing done. When he can't find it, he dumps his bag out completely, shifting the bottom liner. He peers in and sees the edge of something peeking out and reaches for it. Curious, he starts reading.
Justin finally allows himself to glance at JC and is shocked by what he sees. JC is sitting on the floor, clutching a piece of paper, tears pouring down his cheeks. The past few days forgotten, Justin throws off his headset and crouches beside his friend. "C? What happened?"
"I--I--I found this in my bag." JC waves the paper. "Justin, how could he write what he wrote and then treat me like this?"
"Wait a minute, dude. You JUST found that? Shit. Oh, man. Stay here. Just stay here." Justin jumps up and runs to Lance's room.
"Dude," he gasps when Lance opens the door. "He just found it. The letter. He's sitting in our room crying. You've gotta go over there."
"What are you talking about? I gave that to him days ago. He acted like it was no big deal. I'm not gonna humiliate myself again. No way."
"Dude, you're not listening to me. He just found it. I'm not kidding. Maybe it got stuck inside of something. I don't know. All I know is, he totally dumped out his duffle and he's sitting there crying."
Lance considers this for a moment. Stuck? How could it get stuck? He eyes Justin suspiciously, wondering if this is a setup. But if JC really is crying . . . There's only one way to find out, he decides. "Okay, but if this is some kind of joke, Justin . . . "
"Lance, I've been sticking by you for days, haven't I? I've totally avoided JC. I was almost as mad at him as you were. This is no joke."
Justin opens the door for Lance and what Lance sees when he enters the room almost breaks his heart. "Josh?"
JC looks up, his eyes huge, pale, red-rimmed. "Lance? What are you doing here?"
"Um, Justin told me you were . . . upset about something." He leans against the wall, afraid to move any closer.
"Like you care."
Lance turns to leave, but Justin puts a hand on his chest and stops him. "Talk to him bro. I'm gonna . . . I'll just be down the hall."
Justin shuts the door behind him, and Lance turns to face JC. "As much as you do, obviously."
"Me? I've been trying to talk to you for days, trying to figure out what happened, and you wouldn't talk to me. Then I find this." JC gestures with the letter. "How could you write what you did, then treat me like this?"
"I wrote that days ago, JC. Remember that day you went to play basketball? I wrote that and put it in your bag and you acted like it was no big deal. I poured my heart out in that stupid letter and you didn't say a word."
"Because I didn't get it. It was--look," JC holds up the duffle bag. "See this part? It was under this. If I hadn't turned this thing upside down I might never have found it."
"Well, I didn't put it there. I put it where you could find it." Lance bites his lip to keep from crying too.
"You could have said something, Lance. I mean, is this what you really think of me? That I would blow off something like THIS? After all this time, I thought you knew me."
"What was I supposed to say? Hey, JC, what did you think of that stupid letter I wrote you? What do you I think of you? Man, I thought the letter said it all."
"And it never occurred to you that something could have happened. You just automatically assumed the worst of me."
"No, it never occurred to me. I put that letter where you could find it. How could it get lost? I spent hours writing that, JC. I didn't assume the worst of you--I expected more from you. And you acted like it was just another letter. Like it was just another fan letter or something."
"No I DIDN'T. And I wouldn't. You should KNOW me better than that. What have I ever done that makes you think I would treat you like that?" JC picks the letter up. "This is . . . it's beautiful. It's everything I've ever want . . . " JC trails off. "If you think I could have read this and just acted like nothing special happened, you don't know me at all. I would have been babbling. I would have hugged you for about three days."
Eyes on the floor and so softly he can barely hear himself, Lance says, "It's true. Every word of it."
"You mean that? Still?"
"I could never stop meaning it."
JC rises from the floor and walks over to Lance. Wordlessly, he takes Lance into his arms, and hugs him tightly, desperately.
It's like the brightest ray of sunlight washes over him. Lance wraps his arms around JC and squeezes his eyes shut, squeezing back the tears. For days, this is all he wanted. To be in these safe, secure arms. To be held this way. To feel loved.
"I missed you so much," JC whispers brokenly. "You were right here and I couldn't touch you or talk to you or be with you . . . "
"I missed you too. It hurt so much."
"Promise me we won't let this happen again. Promise me you'll trust me, trust my love."
Trust--something that Lance takes very seriously and something his mother feels he gives too easily. But at this moment, there's no one he'd trust more. The words almost get trapped in his throat, but then he's finally able to say it. "I promise. I promise."
JC crushes Lance to him even more tightly. "I love you so much," he whispers, fiercely.
"I love you too. That's why I . . . wrote that stupid letter."
"It wasn't stupid. It was the best letter I've ever gotten."
"Really?" Lance pulls back so he can see JC's face. "I feel kind of stupid for writing it."
"You shouldn't. Not if you mean what you said in it."
"I mean it--all of it. I guess I should have put it in a better place, huh?"
"I guess," JC says, rubbing the letter against Lance's back. "This is too precious to be lost."
Lance takes JC's hand and places it on his heart. "What's here can't be lost."
JC presses his hand hard against Lance's chest, feeling the beating of his heart beneath. "That's all that matters."
It had been days since they've had any contact like this, and now Lance gazes down at JC's hand. He can feel the heat through the fabric of his thin t- shirt and when he lifts his eyes his voice is deep and quiet. "You're all that matters."
"We're all that matters," JC says, smiling his first genuine smile in days. "Let's never forget that again."
"Forget what?" Lance teases, so happy to see JC smile again that he wants to see more.
"Forget this, " JC says and kisses Lance tenderly.
"I don't want to," Lance says, shyly looking down between their bodies and back up again.
"Then remember this," JC whispers, claiming another kiss. Lance falls back against the wall, melting into the kiss. He parts his lips slightly, and meets each of JC's kisses with his own.
JC takes the open mouth as an invitation and ventures out with his tongue, tasting Lance for the first time in days.
There's a sharp intake of breath as Lance welcomes JC's hot tongue. His hands grip JC's waist but soon venture lower, to JC's tight, toned ass. He's yearned for this for so long; even a few days is too long to be away from his lover.
One of JC's hands moves to cup Lance's face, the other still clutches the letter. He pulls away from Lance, carefully folding the letter. He walks over to the pile of stuff that had tumbled out of his duffle when he upended it, and locates his notebook. JC stuffs the letter inside the notebook. "Don't want it to get lost again," JC says, looking over at Lance who, in JC's opinion, looks incredibly sexy leaning up against the wall, his hair mussed, his lips kiss- bruised, his eyes clouded with desire.
Lance puts his hands behind his back, against the cool wall, and watches JC intently, watches the letter being handled so emotionally. "You don't have to keep it, you know."
"Like I wouldn't keep a love letter from you?" JC walks back over to Lance, standing inches away, not touching yet. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Lance says, still not moving, still not sure what to do, even after all this time.
JC takes one more step. The space between them is paper thin. He closes his eyes and breathes in Lance's scent.
Lance can feel JC's breath on his skin. He can feel the heat between them. He can practically hear their heartbeats. So he reaches out with his lips and just grazes the soft surface of JC's mouth until he can stand the separation no longer and pulls the older boy into his arms.
It isn't until that moment when Lance embraces him that JC knows for sure that everything is okay between them. He wants to laugh and do cartwheels, but instead he kisses his boy.
The kiss is slow and tender; Lance takes his time with just JC's lips at first, but soon his tongue slips inside JC's mouth, exploring the warm, delicious cavern as his hands hold JC close.
It's only been a couple of days, but Lance feels at once new and familiar to JC. He explores every surface of Lance's mouth as if re-learning him, and when he pulls away, it's to place tiny kisses all over his face, pausing in between as if carefully considering where the next kiss should go.
Lance tries to capture JC's mouth, but each time JC moves in for a kiss he evades him. He smiles as JC's lips tickle his skin, and finally he lets his head fall back against the wall and lets JC have his way.
JC lets his kisses linger longer, pressing his lips into Lance's soft, resilient skin. He considers moving down to Lance's neck, but he needs to taste those lips again, so he brings his mouth back to Lance's. Lance meets JC halfway, taking those full, soft lips into his mouth, licking along the soft surface before slipping his tongue back inside, even as his hands venture lower, into the back pockets of JC's jeans and squeezing JC's tight butt.
This time when they press together, their arousal is evident, and JC undulates his body against Lance's, tantalizingly. His tongue duels with Lance's, at once playful and sensual. While JC is thus occupied, Lance uses the opportunity to slide his hands around JC's body to the front, under his shirt, where they explore the smooth planes of his chest. He reaches up to tease the small nipples into hardness, but even then his hands remain, pinching and caressing the tight buds.
JC pulls Lance away from the wall and walks backwards, never breaking the kiss, until he feels the chair behind him. He sits, guiding Lance into his lap, straddling him.
Lance grips the back of the chair as his lips travel over JC's face, drawing across the chisel cheeks, the soft eyelids, the strong, defined forehead. His mouth soon finds JC's ear, and he breathes hotly into it, his tongue tracing the long curves until it finds the fleshy earlobe, which Lance pauses to nibble.
JC sighs deeply as he lets his hands wander over Lance's torso, then begins working on the buttons of his shirt. When the shirt is open, JC flattens his hands against Lance's stomach, sliding them slowly up to his chest.
Lance flinches against the cool hands on his exposed skin but smiles against JC's neck. He leans into the touch, his feet firmly on the floor providing balance, but his pants are becoming so uncomfortably tight that he has trouble keeping still in JC's lap.
JC wraps his arms around Lance's legs and lifts him so he's kneeling with his knees on the cushion on either side of JC's legs. He pushes aside the open sides of Lance's shirt and leans forward to capture one nipple in his lips.
Lance cranes his neck and gazes at the ceiling as the sensation of JC's hot tongue on such a sensitive spot hits him. His hands move to JC's shoulders as he arches his back to give JC more access. JC's mouth stays busy at Lance's nipples, and one hand slips behind him to support him. The other moves downward to the front of Lance's jeans, and JC massages Lance's erection through the fabric.
Gasping, Lance kisses the top of JC's head, breathing in the sweet scent of his shampoo. He thrusts his hips; it's a small rocking motion against JC's hand, but it provides the most delicious friction for Lance. He's feverish with desire; his erection presses tightly against JC, and he can feel JC's own arousal as he straddles the older boy.
JC's nimble fingers release Lance's button and zipper and he snakes his hand into the open jeans to touch Lance through the thin fabric of his shorts. The tiny portion of his brain that's still receiving oxygen registers that the position they're in won't allow him to do anything more, but for the moment he's content to kiss and caress his boy. Lance sighs into JC's ear. His tongue darts out, licking the curvy surface and trailing down to JC's neck, the veins standing out and the tendons stretched, beckoning Lance to lick and suck gently.
JC finally pushes Lance away, helping him to stand. JC stands himself then pushes Lance into the chair. He kneels to remove Lance's shoes, gazing up into Lance's eyes, fumbling with the laces. Panting softly, Lance smiles down at JC. "Need a hand?"
"I'll get it. I'm on a mission." JC finally manages to untie the laces and remove Lance's shoes and socks. He reaches for the waistband of Lance's jeans, then, easing them over his hips and sliding them off. The shorts follow, and JC grins up at Lance. "See?"
Blushing, Lance replies, "Yeah, I do. Except now I'm naked and you're not."
"Did you want to do something about that?"
"Yeah, I do." Lance pushes himself up and stands before JC, keeping his eyes focused on his friend's to distract him from his nakedness. He pulls JC's shirt up slowly exposing the skin underneath one inch at a time. After tossing the shirt across the room, Lance runs his hands down JC's arms to his hand and then around JC's waist to the front of his pants. He unbuttons the jeans, then slides the zipper down slowly, slipping in his hand inside briefly to brush against the pulsing bulge underneath. Fortunately, JC wasn't wearing shoes when Lance arrived, so he's able to lower JC's pants and shorts without stopping, and as JC's erection springs free from his pants, Lance smiles. He's sitting down in the chair again, and he turns his eyes up to JC, eyes smokey with desire.
JC kneels in front of the chair, reaching up to claim Lance's lips once more. He lays his hands on Lance's knees and slides them slowly up his thighs. Before he reaches the top, he can feel the heat of Lance's erection, and when he reaches it, he wraps his hand firmly around it.
Lance moans into the kiss. From mere days of separation he's so starved for this kind of physical contact that his heart pounds in his chest. He brings his hands to JC's chest again, caressing the soft skin before moving around to JC's back, and lower, to the long crease between the tight muscles of JC's perfectly toned ass.
JC breaks the kiss to drop his mouth to Lance's neck, licking the sensitive Adam's apple. His hand on Lance's erection moves in a rhythm all its own, a rhythm that pleases Lance if his reaction is any indication.
"Oh, Josh. I've wanted this so badly. I've wanted YOU so badly." One hand moves into the deep crevice of JC's ass, finding the tight, puckered opening and just teasing it.
JC gasps and lets his head lean on Lance's shoulder for a moment. "Me, too, baby, me too." In one quick movement, he drops down and takes Lance's hardness into his mouth.
With JC out of reach, and startled by JC's sudden action, Lance can do nothing but grip the arms of the chair. He groans as he watches JC work his magic on his heated erection, trying to stay still but knowing he won't be able to hold back much longer.
JC licks over every inch, making sure to wet Lance completely with the moisture from his mouth. Then he climbs up on the chair, straddling Lance, and slowly lowers himself onto his hot stiffness.
"Josh, wait--OH! Ohhhhhhhhh," he moans, realizing it's too late to do anything about this, because the pleasure washes over him in one huge ecstatic wave and he doesn't want JC to move. He just wants him here, like this, joined together as they were meant to be. He cups JC's face between his hands and gazes up into the eyes of his one true love.
JC smiles down at Lance. "You want me to wait?" He raises himself and again lowers himself, engulfing Lance's heat again. "You sure?"
"No! Heck, no. I...I don't want to hurt you."
"Nothing that feels this good could hurt," JC pants as he moves over Lance.
Lance holds JC steady with one hand and brings his other hand to JC's erection. He lightly fingers its length before wrapping his hand securely around the thick shaft. "I love you so much, you know? So much." He brings his lips to JC's chest and begins stroking his hardness while thrusting gently inside his lover.
"Love you too," JC murmurs into Lance's hair as Lance fills him. "So very much."
Lance matches his thrusting with his rhythmic strokes, all his concentration thrown into pleasuring JC. He presses into him deeper and quicker, as sweat pours from his face and down his back.
"So good. So good," JC pants as he feels himself getting close. He arches back involuntarily as his orgasm hits him, grasping the chair arms as he fights to keep his balance.
Lance holds JC tightly, nuzzling his chest, squeezing his eyes shut, taking in the sounds and sensations of JC's release while still moving inside him. He thrusts faster, surrounded by JC's tightness. It's exquisite, and when his own orgasm hits him, he cries out against JC's chest, sending a low vibration throughout JC's body.
JC collapses against Lance, still shuddering with the impact of both orgasms, and he waits for his breathing to return to normal.
Lance just cradles JC, squeezing him so tightly he's afraid he'll break, so he loosens his grip but doesn't yet release him, wanting to stay inside JC for as long as possible.
When he can finally speak, JC grins and says, "So, we're okay?"
"Other than the fact that I don't think I can move right now? Yeah, I think we're just fine."
"Good." JC snuggles against Lance more tightly. "I wonder what happened to Justin."
"Now? You're worried about Justin now?"
"Well, we did kind of chase him out of his own room."
"There's a perfectly good bed in my room. Unless you want me to leave." Lance starts to raise JC off his lap.
"I just got you back. Of course I don't want you to leave." Lance finally does slip out of JC and shifts him so he's more comfortably settled in his lap. He snuggles against JC and murmurs, sleepily, "Good, because right now I just want to curl up in bed with you and hold you."
"That's such a good idea. See, you're not only beautiful and talented; you're also very, very smart."
"If I was so smart, I would have found a better place for that letter."
"Baby, it wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault. I may have to kick the crap out of my duffle, though."
"I'll buy you a new bag."
"You got a deal." JC gets up and extends a hand to Lance. "Come to bed." Yawning, Lance takes the hand and allows himself to be pulled to his feet. He falls to the mattress with a soft thud and curls up on top of the covers.
JC smiles down at the younger boy, who can go from lover to little boy in a matter of moments. He walks to the bathroom and cleans himself off with a washcloth, then carries the cloth out and does the same for Lance. JC rolls Lance under the covers, then crawls in beside him, gathering his boy into his arms.
"Mmmm. I don't know how I ever get to sleep without you, Josh."
"What am I, your teddy bear?"
Lance snuggles closer. "Better. And Josh?"
"Yeah, baby?"
"Next time I want to tell you something, I think I'm just gonna say it."