Disclaimer: All fiction. Don't know anyone, don't want to imply anything about anyone. And don't get caught.
Here it is, a little late. And a little short. Sorry. Feedback still HIGHLY appreciated. Iconis@gay.com
Chapter 5
"I'm not going there first!"
"Why not?"
"Duh! Who knows what I will interrupt? I'm not going there first, period."
"Well, someone has to go. I'll go wake Justin up."
"Chris! You're not going to wake Justin up 'cause of this. Just get in there, already."
"Why do I have to subject myself to their... what ever it is... Maybe we should wait until they get up - and there's so many possibilities to a joke in that sentence that I'm not going to go there - and have breakfast then."
"For God's sake, Kirkpatrick!" I heard Joe say quite loudly.
"Shh, Fatone. Josh's still asleep," I had to whisper.
I saw Joe and Chris stick their heads out of the curtains that separated the bunks from the lounge.
"Sorry if we woke you... We were just..."
"Coming to get some breakfast," Chris continued smoothly. "Have you been up long?"
"Just as long you two doofuses have been arguing over there."
JC shifted and nestled deeper into my arms. Sometime during the night he had turned onto his side and pressed his head against my chest. He was curled between my legs in a position that couldn't have been comfortable. But he had a smile on his face.
I had to run my hand through his shaggy hair. He had finally let his hair grow a little and it looked good on him. It gave him a totally different look than the short, pedantic cut he had had earlier. This was Josh the Bohemian Artist, that I could imagine sitting at a small, round table at a café in Paris, writing or drawing something into a big black book, having a look of pure concentration on his face.
If I had to choose one thing that I'd always remember about Jayce, it would be that look. The small frown of his brows, lips pursed into a tight line, everything in his form distant. He was totally out of reach when he decided to concentrate on something. I loved that about him; his passion and devotion to the things he did, mixed with realism and responsibility. JC could be there one moment and drift in to his world the second.
"Get your breakfast and let us sleep some more, guys, please?" I whispered to Chris and Joe. They nodded eagerly, took what they wanted from the fridge and discreetly slipped back to the bunk area.
"Are they gone yet?" Jayce mumbled quietly against my chest.
"Yeah. I thought you were still asleep."
"Nah. Joe's voice woke me up. That boy doesn't understand how loud he can be sometimes."
"Let alone Chris."
"That goes without saying."
JC rubbed his nose against my chest like a little kitten.
"You sleep well?" I asked Josh who seemed content not to move.
"Extremely. You are the perfect pillow even if you're a little bony..."
"Hey. Pot and kettle, mister."
"Yeah, yeah. I don't want to get up, Lance."
"Neither do I. So let's not."
"But the guys will want to use the lounge."
"So we'll take my bunk, instead. Or yours. There's not much more space here than on the bunks."
"Okay," he yawned. "You want to carry me?"
"Don't push your luck or I'll go wake Justin up."
"What's that got to do with anything?" JC questioned warily.
"Please! Justin's got you wrapped around his finger so tight that you'd wouldn't be able to sleep anymore, making his every wish..."
"What?! That's such BS," JC said indignantly and raised himself from my lap, "he does not have me..." "Well, that got you up. Move, Josh. Your bunk or mine?"
He scowled at me.
"Mine. I've got nicer sheets than you, Mr. Business Freak."
"Oh, I think we both know who's the freak."
"Josh? Would you rub my shoulders a little? I think I pulled something during my work out tonight," Justin grimaced, stretching his head to the other side.
"No," Josh said lazily. We were sitting at the lounge, watching some random action flick. Joe and Chris were sitting at one end of the sofa, Chris was resting his head on Joey's shoulder, looking quite restful for once. Josh sat next to me and Justin was sitting on the floor in Josh's feet.
"Please, Jayce? It hurts."
"My shoulders hurt, too, Justin. And besides, I'm tired."
"What? You slept like four hours longer than Chris, Joe and me today. Come on, C. Please?" Justin said, smiling sweetly at Josh.
"Oh, fine."
I couldn't help but laugh. Justin swung his head around and glared at me.
"What's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing," I kept a straight face and glanced at Josh. "Whipped," I continued to him under my breath.
Josh's face dropped and he gave the look of death.
"What did you say?" he growled at me, the humor evident in his voice.
"What's going on?" Justin asked curiously.
"Who's whipped?" Chris asked, suddenly looking more alert than he'd looked the whole night.
"Whipped?" Justin's brows went up.
Now or never, I grinned.
"Pussy whipped, Josh. Justin's got you totally pussy whipped," I said, cracking up.
"I'm am not... whipped!" Josh raised his voice in his own defense, his eyes still bright with laughter.
"Who you calling a pussy, Bass?" Justin howled.
"You."
I just loved causing a friendly row. I think all of us enjoyed that from time to time.
"Damn it! Take it back, Lance, or you'll be sorry," Justin warned.
"Ohhhh, I'm so scared. Save me, Josh."
"Oh no, you don't," he shook his head and disengaged my arms from his neck when I tried to seek refuge from him. "You've lost any chance of that tonight, Bass."
"See? You've come to the end of your rope, Lance," Just laughed. "Even your boy toy doesn't want anything to do with you."
"Boy toy?!" Josh shrieked. "What the hell..."
"Settle down, boys. I'm missing the movie. I need to hear if Steven Seagal can actually go through a full movie with using the same intonation in every sentence," Joey said calmly over our raised voices.
"Spoil sport," Justin muttered.
I was drifting into sleep when the curtain in front of my bunk rustled.
"I'm sleeping with you, again."
"Fine. Can't sleep?"
"No, I can sleep. It's just more fun with you."
"Ditto."
Josh nestled himself against my back.
"You really think that Justin's got so much control over me?" Josh suddenly whispered.
"Sometimes. I mean, he can make you do stuff you wouldn't do for anyone else."
"Like what?"
"Well, covering Justin's back with Britney issues. And letting him hear the new songs first. That kind of things."
"We all cover each other's backs when the situations calls for it. I know we've all outright lied to someone to cover for one of us. And I could show the new songs to you first if you wanted to hear them. I just thought you weren't so interested in the rough cuts."
"Where did you get that idea? I'm interested. Maybe it's just that you trust Justin the most and feel comfortable to show them to him. And if Justin asks, you'll do it. That's just how it is."
"I guess so. It's just so easy for me to give in with Justin. I don't know why."
"I think you still somewhere inside you see Justin as the easily impressionable little kid he was years ago. You don't want to break the magic that's there between you two."
"Magic?"
"Well, yeah. You two glow when you sing together. There's such amazing chemistry between you two and your voices support each other better than anyone else's that I've ever heard. Maybe you're afraid that the magic will be broken if you start treating Justin different from what you have treated him in the past."
"I am aware of the magic. Even if that sounds totally narcissistic."
"You're just quoting the facts, Josh. But I'm just interested in why you don't treat me the same way that you treat Justin. Not that I'd want you to but I was as impressed with you and as immature as Justin when I met you and still you treat me different now. Have I changed so much more than Justin? Damn, I sound like I'm complaining but I'm not. I'm just curious."
I was met with a silence.
"Yes, you have, Lance. You've changed a lot."
Josh sounded so strange that I had to turn to face him in the dark.
"What do you mean?"
"You've changed in my eyes. Justin has changed, sure. But you... You've grown up into an amazing man, Lance. Not just physically, but mentally, too. Justin is my brother and I care about him. But you...I treat you differently because I'm in love with you, Lance," Josh said.
Before I had the chance to think, I felt the most softest, warmest lips on mine.
TBC...