Author: Angel

Email: NikkaWhat@Hotmail.com

Pairing: Lance & JC (it's here!)

Disclaimer: Umm duh, of course I don't know (or own, too bad though) N'sync, (or any other boy bands I might happen to mention throughout the rest of the story) if I did I'd be out with them, trying to make sure they fall in love with me, (or at least desire me) not sitting here! So no I'm not implying anything and no I don't know anything either.

Message from the Author: Ok I know this one took me forever! But with school n' all it's frickin hard to find time! But anyway, I hope you all like it, and I promise the next one won't take nearly as long! Oh, and by the way, threatening to beat me up is not the way to get me to work faster! Jeez people, and death threats aren't cool either! Lol, anyway, this one is dedicated all to Laurence, the most amazing guy in the world who I love so much it's not even funny! Anyway, hope you like it cutie! Anyway, everybody tell me what you think, your emails have to inspire me to write damn faster!

P.S. I tried kind of a new writing style in this chapter and I don't know what people are gonna think of it so let me know!

Chapter 7

Mistaken Dreams: Lance n' JC.....


"JC..."

JC was crying.

Lance couldn't breath.

Neither could speak.

JC dropped the note he had been holding.

"I'm-"

"Me too,"

"I want-"

"I know-"

"Will you?"

"Yes,"

"Can we-"

"Always,"

JC leaned down.

Lance stood on tiptoes.

JC tilted his head.

Lance closed his eyes.

JC did the same.

Lance felt a mouth on his own.

A tongue sliding across his lips.

He parted them.

The other man felt it, slipped his tongue in. Explored his soon-to-be-lover's mouth.

A moan.

"JC..."

Another.

"Mmm, Lance..."

Arms sliding up his back.

Hands tangling in his hair.

A body shuddering against his own.

Hands again, his this time, running over the other boy's body.

And then....

A bite.

Shivers up his spine.

A step forward.

And a matching step back, making room for him in the doorway.

They moved backwards together, never breaking their kiss, stumbling awkwardly toward the bed.

JC made sure to close the door.

But the note that he had dropped lay forgotten outside.

***********

Justin was still asleep in Joey's bed.

But Joey wasn't.

Because he couldn't.

He had tried, stripped down to his under clothes and laid down on the couch, which he hadn't been able to pull out, but it didn't work.

The thoughts wouldn't leave his head, they were circling, circling, waiting for him to get weak, then come swooping in, like vultures, vultures.

Too many. Too much. He felt like exploding.

Then...

Footsteps in the hall.

JC, finally.

A door opening, closing.

Silence.

Opening again.

Steps.

Across the hall.

Knocking, then nothing.

Silence.

Then sobbing.

A paper fluttering to the floor.

Voices, but muffled.

He got up, moved towards the door.

He stood against it, listening.

Suddenly:

Moans.

He looked through the peephole.

There they were.

Arms, legs, hands, lips.

JC had won.

Joey collapsed.

**********

They kissed.

Passionate.

But fast.

Needy.

And Desperate.

Like it might never happen again.

They both worried it wouldn't.

They didn't hear the thud.

***********

But Justin did.

He woke up, immediately.

Joey was slumped on the floor in front of the door.

Justin rushed to him.

"Joey, Joey what's wrong?"

But Joey didn't answer him. He just laid there in Justin's arms, muttering to himself and sobbing.

***********

More moans.

Loud.

Passionate.

But Scared.

Nothing else mattered.

Not at all.

"JC...."

************

Justin picked Joey up, still cradling the sobbing man in his arms.

`This is so strange,' he thought. `I've never seen Joey like this before, not at all,' he realized, reflecting over the years he had known the older man. `But he feels so small and weak in my arms, not like himself at all.' So he carried his friend to the bed and laid him down, making sure to tuck the covers up under the other man's chin. He stood there only a minute before deciding he should probably leave and come back in the morning to see if Joey was alright. He turned around to put the plan into action but heard Joey whisper out his name before he got all the way to the door.

"What?" he asked, turning back towards the bed.

"Don't go, please,"

"Umm, ok." He didn't mind staying, of course, he just wasn't sure why Joey would need him. `This must be big,' he thought.

"Thanks." A small voice whispered from the dark.

"No prob, Joe." So Justin turned away from the door and headed towards the couch, starting to check to see if it was a fold out. He hoped so, he hated not being able to sleep in a bed. The bunks on the bus were bad enough but if he had to sleep on the too-small couch....uhg, it was gonna suck.

"Justin, you don't have to sleep on the couch."

Justin turned to the other man, who was staring at him from the bed with red rimmed eyes.

"Huh?" he asked, confused as to what Joey meant.

"I'm just saying, the bed's a king, no need for you to be uncomfortable on the couch." Joey knew that Justin hated not somewhere comfortable to sleep, and since Justin was already being nice enough to stay Joey didn't want him to be uncomfortable.

Besides, if he was then he'd be cranky the next morning, and cranky blonde children were not fun to have to deal with in the morning, as Joey knew from experience.

"Oh, ok."

Joey saw the surprise in his friend's eyes and mistook it for hesitation.

"I mean, if you don't mind, that is." Joey said quickly. After all, he certainly didn't want to make Justin uncomfortable.

But Justin was quick to reassure his friend.

"Oh, no, it's fine, I was just a little surprised is all." Justin said and Joey breathed a heavy sigh of relief. But once the blonde singer continued to just stand there and look at him Joey tensed up again. He waited for a minute or so before saying:

"Um, J, by `the bed's a king, no need for you to be uncomfortable' did you think I meant that I wanted it all to myself, or what?"

Suddenly it was like Justin had snapped out of a trance.

"Huh, what did you say Joe?"

"Justin, were you not listening at to me at all?" Joey sighed, now exasperated that he'd been so freaked out.

"Yeah, I mean no, I mean I wasn't, sorry." There had been something about Joey, in that one minute, that had held Justin transfixed, he didn't even know why, or what, and now it was gone. Oh well, he started to move towards the bed.

`That was....weird.' Joey thought, reflecting on Justin's strange behavior.

By that time Justin had made it over to the bed, but Joey was still lost in his own thoughts.

"Um, Joe, we're you planning on scooting over of did you just want me to lay on top of you?" He honestly hadn't meant for the words to sound like that but somehow they had just popped out that way.

Joey just stared at him a moment, slack jawed, then recovered and raised one eyebrow suggestively. He was having fun watching the expressions play across Justin's face until he realized what he was doing.

`I'm flirting with him for god sakes! Not even officially broken up with Lance yet and already I'm flirting! Justin's not even that way!' But considering Lance was in the next room with JC, probably having his brains fucked out, Joey couldn't really feel too bad.

It was a full minute before Justin recovered from having Joey stare at him that way.

"Ok, doofus, scootch on over, get out my way,"

"Scootch?" Joey asked, laughing at Justin's choice of words.

"Yes, Scootch," Justin replied, pouting. "It's a word!" he said loudly, defending his decision from Joey's questioning look. Joey just stared at him, and Justin could see the laughter sparking in his eyes. Finally, Joey moved over on the bed and without another word to Justin rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. Justin sighed and slowly stripped down to his wife beater and boxers before climbing under the covers and switching off the bedside lamp, laying on the opposite side of the bed from Joey. He listened to the other man's breathing slowly settle into a steady rhythym. He fell deeper and deeper into sleep, scooting closer to the other side of the bed as he did. Right before he slipped into unconsciousness he felt the mattress shift and arms slip around his waist. He scooted back into them; the only thought making its way through to his mind was how nice it felt to have someone to hold him.

************

"JC..."

But JC only kept on kissing him.

"Wait, JC, wait!"

Instantly JC became tender, moving his lips back away from Lance's and slipping his arms down from up around Lance's neck to his waist.

"What is it, baby?"

Lance could see that JC's eyes were glazed over with lust but his voice was tender, soothing, forgiving.

"I...it's just, with Brian, I, I mean, when we, and it wasn't, but then, and I, with us...."

By the time Lance finished he was starting to hyperventilate and choking on his sobs, but JC understood.

"Lance, Lance, it's ok, baby," he said, pulling the younger man into his arms and held him close.

"You know I would never make you do something you didn't want to do,"

"But I do, I do! I just, I just can't, not yet," Lance replied, still crying into JC's shoulder.

"Lance, it's ok." JC said, his voice still echoing with soothing, calm tones.

"I'm sorry, JC, I'm so sorry," Lance sobbed out.

JC was torn between laughing and crying at the thought that Lance felt he needed to apologize for not being ready jump into bed when they had been together for no more than 5 minutes. So instead of doing anything he just held his baby's shuddering body in his arms.

"Lance, I love you cus you're you, not cus of your body," he whispered softly into the younger boy's ear.

His words had been meant to stem the tears pouring from Lance's eyes but instead they just increased their volume. He sighed softly, and began to rock the man in his arms back and forth until the crying finally stopped and the ragged breathing softened into a steady rhythm of in and out.

"C'mon, baby, let's go to bed." he said, and stood up from the bed, leaving Lance where he was sitting. When he saw a tear streaked face look up at his full of fear he sighed again.

"Don't worry, I am gonna stay, but it's only to sleep," he said and pulled Lance up into his arms. He moved the two of them to the head of the bed and pulled back the covers, slipping Lance, who was already in his pajamas, under them and then standing back up to get undressed himself. He slowly stripped off his pants and over shirt, revealing the boxer briefs and white beater he had on underneath. He slid in bed behind Lance and pulled the younger man close to him, snuggling him up and wrapping his arms around the younger boy, never wanting to let him go again. He heard Lance sigh, and squeezed him tighter, vowing to himself to protect Lance from whatever it was that he might need defense from, for the rest of both their lives.

"Thank you, JC, for everything,"

The next words were a soft whisper, barely anything really, but enough that they would stay with JC forever.

"I love you."

And then there was only silence from the young blonde man, and JC knew he had fallen asleep.

"I love you too, Lance, always, and forever."

***********

OK, there it is everybody, I hope you all liked it, I know I made you wait far too long, but man I have been like SO frickin busy! And I know I didn't include a flashback, which everybody said they really liked but I'll try and stick a couple in there next chapter! So anyway, thanks one more time to Laurence, who better email me about this chapter! And so should all y'all reading this! Nikkawhat@hotmail.com.

-Angel

Next Chapter: the morning after it all, and we find out what the dropped note says! Even I don't know yet! :)