Date: Sun, 14 Nov 1999 11:31:20 EST From: Steven F. Subject: JC's New Life pt.1 J. C.'s New Life-pt. I Disclaimer: The following is a fiction story of romance between 2 males. This does not imply the sexual preferences of J.C. Chasez or Justin Timberlake of *N Sync. Hope you enjoy it. Feedback is welcome at: stevenl7Ol@hotmaii.com I was walking through the book store at the mail when I saw J. C. Chasez from *N Sync sitting in a lounge chair, with red puffy eyes likes like he'd been crying. Since I had a crush and wanted to meet him I went up and asked him if there was anything he wanted to talk about. When he looked at me with those tear stained blue eyes, I went weak in the knees. "No, it's a problem I have to deal with by myself " "J. C., you shouldn't have to deal with anything by yourself I'm not leaving you until you tell me what's wrong." and I sat down beside him. After a few minutes of silence, I guess to see if I'd really stay. J. C. said "I got kicked out of the group." My mouth dropped to the floor in amazement. After regaining my composure, I said "Come on, let's go somewhere where we can talk." "As long as we're away from other people. I know that sounds bad, but I can't deal with a lot of fans right now." "Peal. Are you hungry? One of my friends runs a Chinese restaurant that is very quiet" and romantic Steven thought. J. C.'s gorgeous eyes sparkled and he -gave a smile. "You don't know me that well, do you?" Laughing Steven said "Then what are we waiting for?" Even though the ride to the restaurant was quiet, Steven was glad J. C. was with him, but he didn't want J. C. to find to find out how he felt. They found a parking space and Patsy had a table ready for them when t.,-ey walked in the door. J. C. seemed impressed by the authentic Chinese decorations and the great smells. FEs stomach growled and he realized how long it had been when he had eaten.. Steven made small talk between bites..Several times he noticed J.C. looking at him out of the corner of his eyes. Steven put it off as wishful thinking and didn't think anything about it. After they finished they thanked Patsy for dinner and they left. " So where do you want to go now Mr. Chasez?" "As long as I don't hear the words *N Sync, I don't care." "Want to talk about it yet?" "No, I'm enjoying tonight too much to ruin it." and he put his hand on Steven's and squeezed it Steven looked at him and smiled "Want some dessert? I know a bakery that has the best chocolate you can dream of I always go there when I'm depressed." "You seem too happy to get depressed." "It happens, when I realize how lonely I am, it bothers me." "Am I making you depressed?" J.C. asked with despair in his voice. "Of coarse not ... it's just that its been a while since I've had someone I could really talk to." That s@emed to cheer I. C. up again. "Actually, I'm pretty stuffed. You said you haven't had anyone to talk to in a while, so let's go somewhere and talk." "Anything you want." Steven drove to a lake where ducks were eating pieces of bread that kids threw down. Since it was getting dusk, it seemed very romantic. Steven hoped J. C. felt the same way. "So Steven, have you been in love?" Surprised, Steven answered "Yes, but I didn't want to hurt the relationship I had with the person." ttwhy not?" "It was one of my best friends and I didn't want to hurt our relationship." "It must have been very important to you, Did she know how you felt?" "I don't know, if she did, she didn't let on. Which was good. Even though things may have been different." "Why?, then we may not have met" "That's true, that'd be a real loss.". "You know you're really great guy." J. C. said. "Thanks, I appreciate that. I just hate seeing someone depressed especially when its someone I admire. You have a place to stay tonight?" "No, I was going to look for a hotel when you were ready to go home. I still need to find a way to get my stuff from the group.." "Fir@t of all, you're staying at my apartment. I'm not leaving you alone at a time like this. As for your stuff and anything else, I'll help you in any way that I can. I a appreciate that, but I don't want to impose." le s @ot imposing, I live alone and I could use the company, and I know you could." "You sure?" 'Of coarse, we can rent a movie or something. Do you need to get clothes or anything?" "Actually, if we could make a quick stop at a store so I can get a few outfits." "I can handle that, there's a store right by the video store." Since J.C. was the depressed one, Steven decided to let him pick out the movie He knew what he wanted to see because he got Sleepless In Seattle and The Faculty. When they got back to the apartment J.C. said he wanted to take a shower before watching the movies. Steven said he'd get the popcorn ready. Steven had a fold-out couch so he decided to get it ready in case J.C. fell asleep while watching the movies. When J. C. got out of the shower, he looked and felt a lot better. All he had on was a wife beater and boxers. It was all Steven could do to try and keep from looking at his muscles. "So what do you want to watch first?" asked J.C. "I guess it's a question, I'm in a romantic mood or I want to be scared silly. Hmmm. Tough choice." He saw the took of disappointment in J.C.'s eyes, at least he hoped it was disappointment, at least he hoped it was disappointment so he decided to test him. "The Faculty, but just so you know, I'm the biggest chicken in the world." "That's okay, I'll protect you." "Truth is every time I see a romance, it makes me realize how lonely I am." "I know how tough it must be." "If you only knew." "But I do, when I was on the road, I couldn't have a relationship, let alone a date with anyone. The loneliness was the only part I hated about the group." "Oh JC, I never realized..." Steven reached over and hugged him, while they cried for what seemed like an eternity, knowingthey were falling in love, but too scared to admit their true feelings." "Looks like we'd drown if we watched Sleepless In Seattle." "Well, that leaves the Faculty or tv." The Faculty, nothing good is on Monday night, but make me a promise." "Anything. 7@ "If I get scared will you hold me?" "Only if you hold me if I get scared." "Deal. Just to be sure after Steven turned on the v.c.r., he put his head on J.C.'s lap. A few minutes into the movie, J. C. started running his fingers through Steven's hair. Steven couldn't tell if he was doing it on purpose, while at the same time, J. C. couldn't tell if Steven enjoyed it. Unfortunately, it wasn't as scarey as Steven hoped, so he hardly even jumped. By the time the movie was over J.C. had fallen asleep. He looked so peaceful, so Steven tucked him in. Now it was,Steven's turn to run his fingers through J.C.'s hair. He couldn't resist kissing him on the cheek, and feeling his soft skin. He reluctantly went to his room and thought about how wonderful today had been. TWe next morning Steven woke up to the smell of bacon frying, he freaked out until he realized it Was probably J. C. When he walked in the kitchen, he realized to his delight, J. C. hadn't changed. His hair was wild and he needed to shave, but he still looked good. J.C. turned around and said "rise and shine sleepyhead. I hope I didn't wake you." He said with a smile. "It's okay, it smells great.77 "I know this isn't much, but I wanted to do something to show how much I appreciated you." "Just seeing you happy is enough thanks for me." J. C. sniiled again and said "By the way, someone named Melanie called and said you have a manager's meeting at 2 today." "Great, a meeting on my day off. I wonder what it's about." "I don't know, but she didn't sound happy." "That's not a good sign, want to go or hang out here?" "I'll hang out, maybe walk to the store and get us something for dinner." "If you want, you can drop me off, use my car, and I'll call you when I'm done." "That'd be cool, if you liked breakfast, dinner will really surprise you.'7 I can't wait." Steven did some cleaning up before they left, wondering what J. C. had up his sleeve. When Steven got out of the car J.C. gave a hug, taking him by surprise putting Steven in a good mood for one of the worst meetings of his career. When he waled inside, Melanie looked like she was on the verge of tears. Steven thought to himself "Dr. Hunter is on duty again. 2 times in 2 days. Man I need to get paid for this." She got them both drinks and told him to go sit down. "What's up?" "I have some bad news, but first how the hell did you get J.C. to your house, and is that the same J.. "It's a long story, I'll tell you after you tell me what's wrong." "I'm getting promoted" "Congratulations, why do I sense a but?" "We're getting a new manager and assistant, I know you wanted to be assistant, and believe me I wanted you to get it, but its out of my control." "Do you know who it's gonna be?" "No" "Take me with you, be your assistant. You're the only reason, I'm still around." " I know..l tried, but they wouldn't have it. You're a hell of a manager, the store wouldn't run with out you." "I'm a hell of a manager because you taught me everything I know. We told each other that we'd never be split up. If you jump, I jump, remember?" "I hate this as much as you do, trust me, but its out of my control." "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy you're getting promoted, but I'd be happier if I got to be assistant, but now I'm screwed. When are you leaving?" 2weeks, so I can make sure I get my bonus." Melanie said with a smile. "Chances are I'm going to put my two weeks in tomorrow. I don't think I can work here under someone else. I need to go home and think about this." "I understand, so what's up with you & J.C.?" "I saw him at the maR crying because he got kicked of the group, he hasn't told me why yet, and I didn't want him to be alone." "You have sex?" "No you perv. I haven't even seen him naked. He's making dinner tonight, and he made breakfast this morning. That'll cheer me up, maybe he'll take me away with him somewhere." "You wisw, "You also said we'd never meet. Obviously, anything can happen." "Be careful and don't make this an unrealistic situation. "That's what I've been telling myself This is so weird, he even squeezed my hand and hugged me a few times yesterday." "You do have a way of thinking too much." "I know, I'll just have to see what happens tonight." "You know you have to tell me what happens." "You betcha, I think I'm going to walk home so I can think about everything. If J calls tell him I'll be there in a little while." Steven felt better by the time he got home, but he didn't know whether to quit or not. When he walked in the door he smelled spicy food and he smiled when he thought about who was cooking. He told himself he had to be strong for J. C.. None the less, J knew something was wrong when he walked in the door. - "Penny for your thoughts." "You ever be pissed and on the verge of tears at the same time?" J.C. nodded affirmative. "I found out that one of my best friends was getting a promotion and I won't be able to work with her anymore." "And you miss her obviously-,, "Yeah, don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled for her, but she's the only reason I'm still at that store. She wanted me to be her assistant manager so when she retired she knew the store'd be in good hands. Today she said we're getting a new manager and assistant, so basically I'm screwed." " I can see why you're upset." "I love that store and the people there, but I don't think I'll be able to work there after all this..I'm going to sleep on it and decide what to do tomorrow." "Anything I can do?" "Unfortunately, no. This is my problem. Just keep my mind off of everything. OK?" "Deal. I went through your cookbooks and found probably 50,000 recipes for jambalaya, so I figured you'd like it, so I made some of my special j ambalaya.. ",What's special about it?" "It's a secret." '@Ok, I love surprises. I'm starving, need help with anything?" "Nope, just sit down and it'll be ready in a sec." C@OK.1) Steven went and got some paper and started writing his resignation. After they ate, they decided to go to sleep early. While J.C.. was getting ready for bed he found Steven's paper. He felt bad when he read it. He decided to go to Steven's room to make sure he was okay. "Steven?" "Yeah, come on in." 1. C.. walked in and Steven was sitting in a chair with the lights out looking out the window. "I just wanted to check on you, and tell you if you need to talk I'm here for you." "Thanks, I appreciate it. Sleep tight." "If I sleep at all, If you can't sleep wake me up" "OK, same for you." J. C.. got a knot in his stomach when he saw how depressed he was. He knew neither would sleep that much that night. He realized that both of their careers could be over. He was falling in love and wanted them to spend their lives together. He couldn't tell how Steven felt or how they'd live. He couldn't believe he could fall in love so fast and feel this close to someone. He took Steven's keys and went to look for a way to help him. Steven could believe he told J.C.. everything, as if he didn't have enough on his mind. He'd make it up to him tomorrow as he drifted to sleep. The next morning, J.C... woke up early knowing what he had to do. When Steven looked at his clock at 10:00am, with his sleepless night, he had not fully decide what to do. He was getting out of bed when J. C... burst into his room. "Well, aren't you in a good mood." "You will be to when I show you what I got to cheer you up." "Joshua Scott Chasez what did you do? "Here." giving Steven a small box. The only thing that was on Steven's mind that it was a ring of something. "Well, come on, open it." "Ok, but you're scaring me." Steven said as he opened the box to find his anniversary pin from work. "You lost me. How is this supposed to cheer me up?" "Oh, I forgot these." handing Steven some papers. "This looks like..." "A deed to the store. I just bought it."J. C. screamed "and you're the new manager. I went up there last night and the crew was devastated that you were leaving, so I decided to surprise you." "Oh J.C. as Steven pushed him onto the bed and hugged him. In the process, their lips touched. They looked at each other, but neither pulled away. J. C. put his arms tighter around Steven and told him he loved him, but not before Steven told him the same thing. Steven laughed and said "Looks like you won't be sleeping on the couch anymore." J.C. just smiled and pulled Steven closer for another kiss. The next morning Steven was awakened by the phone ringing. "Hello?" "Is this Steven Hunter?" "Yeg. Who's this?" "It's Justin Timberlake" Steven was thankful, J. C. wasn't in the room. "What can I do for you Justin?" "J. C. came by this morning and got the rest of his stuff. I was hoping he'd be coming back, but today proved he wouldn't" "He was upset about the way you guys treated him after he told you he was gay. He thought it'd be easier for him to accept, not lose the 4 best friends he had." "I freaked out. I tried to talk to him today, but he ignored me." "He's really upset right now. I know I don't know him as well as you do, but the time we've been together, he doesn't go a day without talking about you. I don't know if he wants to be back in the group, but he does want to be friends someday." "Me too, we've been through too much for me to lose him like this. I feel bad that I wasn't there for him." "I'll try and talk to him and see if he'll talk to you, just so you know if he wants me there I'll be there." "Thanks, but why are you doing this?" "I want him to be happy" J.C. then walked in. "Well, Melanie I gotta go, J.C. just walked in." "OK, thanks Steven" "You're welcome." "Hey sweetie, how's everything going?" as Steven went up and gave him a hug. "Tiring, I got the rest of my stuff this morning." "You see the guys?" "Yeah, they said they were sorry. I told him what happened with us and they seemed happy. Justin even started crying." "You miss him, don't you?" "Very much so." "Ask him over for dinner, I'll be here if you want. It was a lot for him to deal with, but just the two of you talking will help you both feel better. If you want, I'll be here." " I guess that's why I love you, because of your good ideas." Steven just looked at him " the sex isn't that bad either." "Ooh thanks. Now go call him." Steven went to his room to give him some privacy. A few minutes later J. C.. came in "He's coming over tonight, and I do want you here." "You got it, you ok?" "Yeah, just a little nervous."