Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 19:02:15 EDT From: Christine Murphy Subject: Hey Mickey 10: At Long Last Hey there! Hope you all like this part. I'd like to thank those people who email me to kick me in the butt to write more, who share ideas and their own work, and who just tell me they like it. I just like hearing from all of you! ****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: "So you CHEATED on me?!" JC yelled. Dan's eyes fell to the floor, "It was a mistake." JC immediately felt guilty seeing the shame in Dan's face. "Oh, baby, I'm sorry. I care about you so much, that it just hurt me to see you with -- with another man." Dan smirked a little knowing JC would give in. JC didn't notice the smirk, because Dan's face was still facing downward, his mouth out of JC's view. "I know, JC, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you," he whispered. JC pulled Dan into a hug, a gesture signifying Dan's return to his life. _______________________________________ Hey Mickey 10: At Long Last "I forgive you Dan." "I really am sorry, JC. You know I didn't mean to hurt you." "I know." JC's cell phone rang. "Oh, hey Just!" His eyes lit up as he pulled away from Dan in order to talk to Justin. "You just got in? Great! . . . Am I OK? Yeah! I'm great! . . . seriously. Why are you worried? Can we talk about this later? Yeah, he's right here. Shit! I haven't told him yet!" Dan's eyes shot over at JC. JC raised his eyebrows in an 'I'm sorry; I'll explain' manner. "Well, some things came up . . . later, Just. We'll be right over." Dan raised his eyebrows accusingly as JC hung up his phone and put it back into his pocket. "Uh . . . Justin's coming. I would have told you earlier, but, uh . . . it didn't work out that way. I really want you two to be friends because you both mean so much to me." "What the fuck?!" Dan yelled angrily. JC looked confused and hurt. "I only invited him because I care for you so much," he tried to explain. "This was supposed to be OUR time alone together! I don't want that prick here! He'll ruin everything." "HE'LL ruin everything? OUR time alone together?! You were the one cheating on me with some random man!" "You weren't supposed to be here . . . and you forgave me for that." "I forgave you before you turned psychotic on me about bringing a FRIEND here." Anger flashed menacingly in Dan's eyes. "FRIEND?! You'd cheat on me with him if you had the chance. You know it!" JC looked stunned. He didn't know what to say, because it was the truth, but also because he was afraid of Dan right then. Dan's eyes were white with fury and JC was just immobilized. Dan looked at JC waiting for a response, and when he didn't receive one he let his arm rise and struck JC across the face, creating a trickle of blood from JC's nose. JC's eyes shone with fear and he remained frozen in front of Dan. Dan hit JC again, punching him in the eye. "Why, Dan?" JC mumbled again, before rushing out of Dan's apartment. * * * Justin sat on the edge of a bench, his head in his hands. He had hung up with JC two and a half hours ago, when he said he'd be "right over" with Dan. Justin had called JC several times on his cell phone, but he had apparently disconnected it. 'Where the hell is he?' Justin wondered. Then he felt guilty. "My God, what if something happened to him?" he wondered aloud. Justin couldn't handle that idea and tried to believe that JC and Dan were fooling around or something, as much as he didn't like that thought either. * * * JC sat in the back of a small dark coffee shop. He sipped a cup of strong tea while trying to compose himself before picking up Justin. 'He can't see me like this; I'm a wreck. Between the black eye and the mixture of dried blood and tears, I look like I've been through Hell. Well, I guess I have.' JC left his table and went to the bathroom to try to wash up again. Finally the rubbing motion he used to clean the dried blood did not make his nose bleed again, and he managed to wash away some of the tragedy that had been painted on his face. He examined his black eye carefully, knowing there wasn't much he could do to hide that. He sighed heavily before turning to walk out of the bathroom. He left a generous tip on his table and hailed a taxi to take him to the airport, where he only hoped Justin would still be waiting. * * * JC walked slowly towards Justin's terminal; he felt like he was walking a death march. He didn't want to explain to Justin. He couldn't explain to Justin; he didn't understand it himself. He didn't know why he went back to Dan, he didn't know why Dan hit him, and he didn't know why he STILL wanted Dan back. Justin would never comprehend, nor would he approve. He looked up and saw Justin's tight back slouched over, his head in his arms, sitting on a bench, his backpack in between his legs. He was about to turn around and leave, too afraid to approach the man he loved and to try to explain why he needed another man, when Justin perked up and turned and saw JC. He smiled broadly, glad to see JC was alive, but JC knew he was too far away to distinguish his large bluish-gray eye clearly. He could see Justin's eyes cloud over heavily when he must have noticed JC's current state. JC let out another sigh and walked towards Justin. Justin anxiously ran toward JC, his concern clearly visible in the folds of his perplexed face. Justin hugged JC as soon as he was within reach. "What happened, JC? What happened?" he pleaded. JC shook his head and whispered, "Not here. Too public." Justin nodded, but the look on his face showed that he didn't necessarily agree with JC. JC led Justin out of the airport, tears once again flowing down his face. Justin noticed his tears and reassuringly took JC's hand in his. JC looked at him curiously, but Justin just smiled at him lovingly, as always. The two climbed into a taxi and sat in silence the entire way to the hotel as JC tried to postpone the inevitable conversation. * * * Justin opened the door to the room and threw his backpack on the bed. He then realized that there was only one, king-sized, bed in the room. He looked at JC and smiled inwardly, but didn't mention it, given JC's current state. He quickly turned his attention back to JC, who was sitting on the edge of the bed slowly rubbing his temples. Justin sat down closely next to him and gently rubbed his tight back in small circles with the palm of his large hands. JC turned and looked at Justin, and Justin realized there was fear in his eyes. He stopped rubbing JC's back and put his arm around him instead. "Jace, what's wrong?" "Where should I begin?" JC looked up and saw the answer to his question in Justin's large caring eyes which were shining with concern. "Fine, the beginning . . . yesterday. Yesterday I got to Dan's apartment and let myself in, thinking he'd be at work . . . thinking he'd be at work . . . ," he mumbled. He looked up again to see Justin was still looking at him wide-eyed. JC started to put his head down again to continue his story, but Justin pulled his face up gently, so that JC was staring into his eyes, letting him see that his gaze wouldn't falter. He wiped a tear out of JC's eye with his thumb. "I walked into the room and he was . . . fucking some guy." "Oh, JC. I'm so sorry," Justin whispered, pulling JC into a tender hug. "There's more, Just. This morning I went back to talk to him," he paused to see that Justin was again looking at him, and this time he returned the gaze, "and I forgave him. Then you called me, and . . . ." he trailed off, again shifting his gaze from Justin to the floor. Justin looked at him expectantly, "And what . . . ??" "I don't want to tell you." Justin refused to show that he was hurt by that statement, "You can tell me. I won't judge you." "He hit me because I invited you here during 'our' time together." "He hit you?" JC made a small nod. "He's such an asshole! What fucking right does he have to--," he cut himself off and continued. "Well, we're only here for a little while and then he'll be out of your life forever, right?" JC flinched and turned his entire body toward the wall. "Oh JC, . . . don't tell me . . . ." "He's my boyfriend. He's all I have." "JC! Why the fuck would you want him back after what he did to you?" he pleaded, not in anger, but in confusion. "I don't know. I mean, he only hit me because he cared. If he didn't care, he wouldn't have been that upset with me." "JC, my God! Listen to what you just said! He doesn't care, or, if he does, he doesn't express it the right way. You just need to get away from him, before he hurts you again, either physically or emotionally. I really don't know why you're even thinking . . . damn. You're too good for him! JC, you deserve so much better!" "Well, sometimes the person we want isn't what we get, and what we get isn't what we want. I just can't understand what happened; why he'd do that." JC began sobbing again in earnest. Justin pulled JC towards him again, so that his head rested on his shoulder. "It will be OK, but you have to tell me what's really bothering you. I know this isn't all about Dan . . . tell me about that night on the bus. JC, I can't stand to see you like this." "No, it won't be OK. Don't you see? Now I'm totally alone!" JC admitted "No you're not. You have me, and you always will." "But Dan loved me." "*I* love you, JC." JC turned his head from Justin to hide the pain, the pain because Justin loved him, but was not in love with him. "No, Dan was *in* love with me." "No, he wasn't. He never said it. But I am. Someone who's in love with you wouldn't do those things to you. I love you JC; I'm in love with you. Can't you see that? And I will never hurt you, I will always be there for you, and I'd never cheat on you . . . because I don't know of anyone who's sexier than you are," Justin proclaimed, his soft round lips turning up into a devilish smile at his last statement. JC couldn't control his shock at Justin's words. 'You . . . you really feel that way?" "Of course," Justin grinned, as he kissed JC's forehead. "I . . . I feel the same way." "I know." _______________________ Well, I hope this was worth all the build up. Of course, more will come after this; don't worry, but I don't know how often, seeing as classes start Tuesday for me here and I can tell by my books that I'm gonna be busy. Eek.