Date: Tue, 02 Jan 2001 23:18:44 -0500 From: Christine Murphy Subject: Hey Mickey 14: AIn't Nothin' But Mammals Yeah, it's been a while. I'm sorry. Hope you all remember my story. I've even slacked some in reading slash since Thanksgiving. January shouldn't be anywhere near as busy, so maybe I'll write a lot and finish Mickey off this month (yes, it does have a planned ending. I just have to get there.) ****DISCLAIMER: This is fiction, I don't own anyone, I don't know anyone in the story. Therefore, I don't know their true sexuality, and I don't mean to imply that anyone is something they're not. Also, if it's illegal where ever you are to read this, then don't. Hmm... and if you're against male homosexuality, then don't read this. Last time, on Hey Mickey: JC watched Justin undress, while he himself took off his pants, remaining in his black silk boxers. JC slid into the bed while Justin took off his own pants, revealing his black boxer-briefs. Justin got in next to JC and cuddled up to him, and JC wrapped his arm around Justin's chest. "Love you, Just." "I love you too, Jace," Justin whispered as he fell asleep in JC's arms. ________________________________________ HEY MICKEY 14: Ain't Nothin' But Mammals Justin awoke to find himself still wrapped up in JC's arms. He smiled and thought that he could get used to this. Lying in the warm, hard, soft arms of the most energetic, talented, passionate, sweet, loving man he had ever met. The way he exploded with force on stage was just hinting at the passion and energy he had for music and life in general. Justin loved JC for these qualities and more. He loved everything about him. The phone rang suddenly, causing JC to stir. Justin picked up the hotel room phone, "Yes?" "Good morning, Mr. Chasez, this is your wake up call. Have a nice day!" "Thanks," Justin replied. 'Mr. Chasez?' he thought. 'Oh, yeah, this is JC's room, but I could definitely get used to being Mr. Chasez!' "Who was that?" JC asked groggily. "Wake up call." "Damn it! I don't want to get up!" "Sorry, babe. We have to go back to the tour. Our little love retreat is over." "Justin, our little love retreat will never be over," JC said huskily. Justin rolled his eyes. "None of that, we have a plane to catch! Besides, we have morning breath. I ain't kissin' you 'til you brush yo' skanky ass mouth." JC laughed, "You ain't?" "Nope!" "Why did I fall for the loser who tries to talk like he's from the 'hood?'" "Why did I fall for the freak who likes to sleep all the time?!" Justin shot back. * * * "Joe?" "Yeah, babe?" "Do you wonder what happened to JC and Justin . . . do you think Justin's OK?" Chris asked Joey. "Well, I'm sure Justin would have called us if he were upset, right?" "I don't know . . . I hope he would." "You're cute when you're worried, Chris," Joey said as he leaned over to kiss Chris. Chris smiled half-heartedly, "Well, I must be gorgeous right now, because I'm really worried about Lance. He hasn't been the same since the run-in with management. I think he was really hurt by what Wade said to him." "I know," Joey said quietly, as he lay back on their bed and stared up at the ceiling in contemplation. "I just wish Lance and Justin never had to hurt as much as they do. They're so young and . . . beautiful." "Hey!" Chris responded, trying to lighten the mood, "Are you saying I'm old and ugly? Do you think they're more attractive than I am?" "You're wise and sexy, Chris. I'd much rather have a sexy boyfriend who knows what he's doing . . . and boy do you know what you're doing . . . than some pretty young thing. They're just so innocent and young and I worry about them. I don't want to see them hurting." "I can accept that explanation . . . I suppose. What're we going to do about our pretty young friends?" "I don't know." * * * Later that afternoon, Justin walked into *NSYNC's hotel clutching his backpack and went up to the floor where the band was staying. He knocked on Joey and Chris's door, where he knew the three other members of *NSYNC would probably be playing video games or watching a movie. "Hey guys," Justin said, giving them no clue to his mood. "Hey Justin, you're back!" Joey murmured, looking up from the movie to try to read Justin's expression. Nothing. He stood emotionless. Damn, he had a good poker face. All Joey noticed was that there was some redness and swelling on his face, but he didn't know where Justin could have received those injuries. "Hey, where's JC?" Justin's face involuntarily scrunched up into a sad scowl. "He's . . . uh, not here. He had something to do." Lance continued to stare at the television, too engrossed in his own problems to register anything, but Chris shot up out of his chair and ran to comfort Justin. "Oh, I'm sorry Justin. Is everything OK?" Justin looked a little confused, but said, "I hope so." "What happened, Justin? I was afraid this trip would do more hurt than good," Chris consoled. It dawned on Justin. They didn't know. They didn't know about Dan's cheating and abuse, or about he and JC getting together. As far as they knew, Justin was upset because JC and Dan were still together. "Oh, no!" was all the amused Justin could muster. Chris and Joey exchanged a look of confusion, and Lance finally climbed up off the floor after flicking off the television. The three of them stood, staring at Justin. Justin just laughed nervously. "I have a lot to tell you guys, don't I?" "I don't know, do you?" Joey cut in. "But I'd like to wait 'til JC gets back," Justin finished. "So, is this good? Is this bad? Should we get champagne? What the hell happened to your face? Should we beat JC up? And where IS JC?" Chris said. "DO NOT TOUCH JC!" Justin yelled, as memories of Dan flooded back into his mind. Chris was caught off guard by Justin's outburst. "OK, Justin. Are you sure there's not anything you'd like to get off your chest, though? You seem . . . jumpy." "And who or what did that to you?" Joey added. "What the fuck? Get off my back! Just wait 'til JC gets back, and we'll fill you in. And, if you must know, he's getting an HIV test right now, OK?" Joey rubbed Chris's shoulder soothingly. "We only asked because we care, Justin." "Yeah, I know. I appreciate it, but I'm a little on edge right now, OK?!" "An HIV test? Should we be worried, too?" Lance asked gently. Justin smiled weakly at Lance, "I hope not. God I hope not. JC's just being careful. You know him, he likes to make sure everything's perfect." Lance hugged his friend. "Why don't you lay down until JC gets back? You're probably tired after your flight and subsequent interrogation," Lance shot Chris and Joey a look. "Thanks, Lance. I am tired." Justin said as he disappeared into his bedroom. Lance, JC, and Justin always switched off who got to have a room to himself, and this time Justin got it. Justin smiled to himself as he entered the room when he realized this would probably be the last time he'd ever have a room to himself again. "What the hell, Lance? Why are you shooting us dirty looks?" Chris asked. "You're not his parents. Let him tell you when he wants to. Geesh!" "We just care." "He knows that, Joe. He's also almost twenty, and you're not his parents. Let him live his life." "Do we try to run your life too, Lance?" Chris asked. "Sometimes . . . but how else are you going to help your pretty young friends?" Lance smiled. "You heard that?" Joey asked incredulously. "The walls are really thin, 'Love Monkey.'" Chris and Joey blushed as they realized that Lance could overhear everything that went on in their bedroom, and apparently HAD heard them last night. "Just try to keep the wild monkey love down, 'k?" Joey and Chris both laughed a little, but then Chris turned a serious critical eye toward Lance. "Hey, Lance, are you OK?" Lance looked a little sad, "I will be, Chris. I'm just a little lonely." "You're too good for Wade. You know that, right?" Joey said. "Thanks, Joe. It's just so hard to meet people with what we do, you know?" "I'm sorry Lance. What about a Backstreet Boy?" Lance contorted his face in mock disgust, "Ewww! They're all so skanky! And they can't dance . . . unless you count pounding your chest like Celine Dion as dancing!" "This is true," Chris laughed. "Hey, you're not the world's answer to good dancing yourself, there," Joey replied. Lance shot him a look, "Why are you defending them? If you think they're so great, why don't you marry one of them?" "A.J. Fatone . . . ," Joey muttered. Chris slapped his chest in mock anger. "What about Joey Kirkpatrick?" he suggested. "Mmmm . . . I think I like that one better." Joey put his forehead to Chris's and they kissed. "Ewww! You two are too much in love . . . it makes all us single people sick, right Justin?" Justin had reappeared from his bedroom and was standing in the doorframe of the door that connected his room to Chris and Joey's room in his boxers and an undershirt. "Hey, I just came back to tell y'all to shut up; I'm trying to sleep . . . 'Love Monkey?' I think that's WAY more information than I needed to know!" "Oh, his majesty is trying to sleep . . . he's just jealous of our love, Joe!" "Who said anything about being jealous?" Justin asked cryptically. "Oh, and send JC into my room as soon as he gets back." Justin returned to his room, leaving the other three to ponder his responses. "Do you think . . .?" Chris asked. "I don't know . . ." Joey replied. >From Justin's room came, "SHUT UP AND WAIT 'TIL WE TELL YOU!" And, with that, they shut up. * * * Justin flew out of his bed and opened the door as soon as he heard JC play with the handle. "How'd it go? What did it say?!" he inquired breathlessly. JC smiled comfortingly, "I don't know. They said it would take like a week." "Why?!" Justin's eyes were wide open in fear. "I don't know, Justin. They have to send my sample to a lab somewhere. I just don't know, sweetie," JC rubbed his thumb along Justin's jaw line. "I want you to be OK. Now." Justin whispered. "I know, baby, I know." Justin pulled back suddenly. "How come you wouldn't let me go with you?" "It was something I needed to do alone." "ALONE? You don't ever have to be alone again. You have me." JC just looked at him with love. Justin broke. "Di-didn't they have to stick you with a nee-needle? You hate needles! You must have been terrified. I-I could have-I should have been there. Dammit, JC, I love you. I want to be there for you. I need to be there for you. You were afraid." Justin stuck out his lower lip in a subconscious pout. JC rubbed Justin's jaw line once more before pulling him into a hug. "I know. I was afraid, Just. I did need you. I wanted you there, but I didn't want you to see me vulnerable," he admitted. "Fuck that, JC. Everyone is vulnerable at some point in their lives." "I know. But you're always so strong around me, so strong for me." "JC, do you know that you're the only person who's ever made me feel vulnerable? You're the only one who has so much power over me as to make me doubt myself?" "It's just, I feel . . . that's all I've been so far in our relationship. The vulnerable one. You always have to help me . . . first on the bus, then with Dan, now with this." Justin looked intensely into JC's deep blue eyes. "You HAVE been strong, Jace. You left Dan when he hit you. You beat him up when he came back. You are strong." "Would . . . would you come with me when I go in to get my results next week?" "Do you really think I'd let you go back there alone?" Justin smiled. JC leaned into Justin and breathed in his musky scent. He smelled of sleep, if sleep had a smell. He kissed Justin gently on the forehead, then the nose, and finally the mouth. Justin opened his mouth and JC explored the soft, warm opening with his tongue, savoring the sweetness of the moment. "JC?" Justin breathed. "Mmmph?" he mumbled. "When your results come back negative, I'm going to fuck you like an animal." Justin bit his lower lip. JC grinned, "I thought you said you could never fuck me. That it'd be more like making love with me." "I changed my mind. And we'll have time to do both. That night, if you want." JC raised his eyebrows suggestively, "You want me that bad? Think you'll be able to handle all that sex?" "We'll never stop. We'll be like bunnies." "What about the fans?" "What *about* the fans? They can watch." "I can see it now. *NSYNC's new tour will be called 'The Big Gay Sex Peep Show for Twelve Year Old Girls.'" JC stood up and began fiddling mindlessly with some of Justin's belongings on the dresser. "It would sell." "What would your mom think?" "My mom? Way to ruin a beautifully lustful moment! Don't ever do that . . ." "When we're making love like bunnies?" JC laughed and turned back to look at Justin. Justin bit his lower lip again. He was fully aware how much that that turned JC on whenever he did it. ". . . And fucking like animals . . . Having wild monkey love." "Justin, do you have some animal fetish I should be aware of?" JC joked. Justin threw a pillow at JC. "I really should tell my mom, shouldn't I?" "I don't think your mom needs to know about any fetishes." Justin threw another pillow at JC. "I meant about us. She'll be happy, right?" "You're nervous." Justin just nodded his head sadly. JC took a seat next to his young boyfriend and put a gentle arm around his shoulders and pulled him close to him. "I'll be here for you. I'll be there for you. Coming out to your parents is really hard." "She accepts you . . . and Joe and Chris and even Lance . . . so why not me?" JC laughed, "And even Lance?" "Well, I meant in general." JC laughed again and kissed Justin reassuringly on the lips. When he pulled away, Justin reached forward again and kissed JC hungrily while swinging his leg around him so that he was straddling him. "Like bunnies," he whispered, almost a promise. "And even if she doesn't accept me for who I am, at least I have you." "Mmm . . . this is true," JC moaned. "*AHEM!*" Justin rolled off JC, his pout returning. "WHAT, CHRIS?!?" he yelled to the door. "Ahh . . . wasn't there something you and JC were going to tell us?" Justin rolled his eyes and grabbed JC's hand, pulling him towards Joey and Chris's room.