"No, do you remember when Justin's ball came out from under him and he fell flat on his face?" Lance began to crack up at the memory and he giggled slightly as he said it. Joey's eyes crinkled up in the corners as he laughed.
"Yeah, and he tried to play it off as cool...I had almost forgot about that."
The two lay side by side next to the pool in Lance's backyard, tired after an afternoon of sun and swimming. Pop Odyssey had ended the week before, and all the guys had been making the most of their time off. They had been reminiscing all day about the tour, and all that had happened. Joey interlaced his fingers with Lance's as he talked, and absently ran his fingers through the golden silk of his hair. The late afternoon sun warmed their skin as they laughed together.
"He did try to play it cool, didn't he? And then he told us after that he was 'playing it up for the fans'...riiight."
"Wait wait wait, what about the time that we went out in that car on our day off?"
"Oh, God, and then it broke down?"
"We had to call JC to come and get us."
"And then he got lost."
"So he called Chris."
"And Chris found us before he found JC...man, JC was so mad."
"And all Chris could do was say, 'Man, you shouldn't have gotten lost in the first place, I found 'em in 15 minutes!' It was classic."
"I thought JC was gonna kill him...or us! He kept saying, 'Where were you guys going anyway?'" Lance laughed even harder and turned over. Joey looked at him for a moment as he laughed.
"Lance?" He turned toward him and moved closer.
"Yeah?"
"I was thinking...I think that we should tell the guys." Lance blinked slowly and sat up.
"Oh...I was thinking about that too...do you think that now is the time?" Joey sat up as well and wrapped his arms around his legs.
"Well...yeah, I mean, it was kind of weird those last couple of weeks on tour, sneaking around, making excuses...and in a little bit, we are going to be in that situation again, and besides that, besides..."
"They have a right to know."
"Yeah. I think that they will be ok with it."
"I know that, and I know we should tell them, but are you sure that now is the right time?"
"Well, yeah, and I mean, I'm sure that they already suspect something..."
"Do...do you really think so?" Joey looked at him, suddenly worried.
"What, Lance, do you not want them to know?"
"Well, no, no, I mean, I don't..." Lance paused for a moment to collect himself, and then took Joey's hands in his. "I want them to know, Joey, I really do...but I'm afraid of what will happen to us, I'm afraid of what this will mean for the group...I'm just afraid..."
"I'm afraid too, Lance...but I still think that now is the time..." Joey pulled his hands from Lance's and rubbed his palms together. Lance looked down, away.
"I guess...I could do it."
"At least we can tell them together. You aren't alone, you know."
"I know."
"I love you."
"I know...I love you too Joe."
"Hey, Lance."
"Hey." Joey stood up and gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the lips.
"So...are you ready for tonight?"
"Yeah," Lance shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just a little nervous, that's all." Joey rubbed his back for a moment.
"Well, if we get there, and you decide for any reason not to go through with it... let me know." He opened the door for Lance and grabbed his keys to put in his pocket.
"No, I can do it...tonight is a good opportunity."
"Ok then."
Lance pulled up in front of JC's house a few minutes later. The car ride had been oddly quiet, no last minute plans or going over what was to be said. All they had was the truth, and that was what they were going to tell. Joey got out and opened the door for Lance, squeezing his hand briefly before following him to the door. JC opened it before Lance reached his hand up to knock.
"Hey, guys, you're the last ones here." A loud thump followed by a small crash sounded from behind him. He turned around and walked quickly toward the back of the house. "Chris! I told you not to touch that!" Joey and Lance followed him to his living room, where they found a sheepish looking Chris and a laughing Justin. A pile of glass lay on the floor at Chris' feet.
"JC..." Chris shuffled his feet.
"Dude, you know that you owe me a few thousand dollars for that." Chris' jaw dropped open.
"A few thousand! For a glass blob?" JC turned a light shade of red.
"It's called art, Chris. It's somewhat more expensive than what you do to your mashed potatoes at dinner." He bent down to pick up the shards on the floor.
"Ok, Jace, you know that it looked like Mount Rushmore...Justin, back me up!" Justin laughed harder.
"You should of seen him, guys, he was like, 'Hey, I bet that I can balance this on my head for a minute...time me Justin!' Then, boom! On the floor." He bent over, laughing like a madman. Chris stood there for a minute, and then jumped him.
"Come here, you young in!" The two began to wrestle as JC frantically tried to move things out of their way.
"Try me, old man..." Joey and Lance lost it. They held the piles of "art" and knickknacks that JC placed in their arms and laughed and laughed.
"I swear, this is the last time I'm gonna have you guys at my house."
Eventually, they got Chris and Justin settled enough to sit down to dinner. They sat, afterwards, in the spacious living room and drank coffee, talking. Joey finally decided to bring it up. He looked into Lance's eyes and nodded. Lance's eyes widened and he set down his cup, but he nodded slightly in return. Joey cleared his throat loudly.
"Hey, guys..." The three looked up.
"Yeah, Joe?" JC took a sip from his mug.
"I have something to tell you...." Chris laughed.
"Let me guess, you've decided to become a monk and take a vow of celibacy..." Joey grinned and shook his head.
"Not exactly." Justin put his legs up on the table as JC glared at him.
"Then what? Spit it out Joey...yes, JC, I am moving my feet." He laughed and removed them.
"Well...you all know how hard it's been for me since Kelly and I broke up..." Chris leaned over and patted him on the back.
"Yeah, Joe, I mean, you were with her for so long, we all were a little worried about you. But you've been better lately...right?" JC and Justin nodded in agreement. Lance remained silent.
"Oh, I have been...but it's been difficult...and now, there is something new in my life that has made me even happier..." Justin grinned.
"Ooooo ...who is she, Joe?" Joey paused for a moment.
"Well, I have found someone...but it's not who you think." Chris laughed.
"We don't think anyone, Joey...so just spill it."
"Ok, it's...Lance, do you want to take it from here?" Lance locked his eyes on Joey, stunned. Three very confused heads turned to where he sat.
"Wait...what? I missed something..." JC looked confused. Lance finally spoke up.
"What Joey is saying...is probably what you guys are thinking." Chris spoke.
"I don't know what to think."
"Joey has been there for me, ever since I was diagnosed and Becca did what she did to me..." The others stared at him in confusion and shock. Lance looked at Joey, helplessly, and Joey spoke up again.
"I love Lance. And we are together. " The room was dead silent. JC spoke first.
"What do you mean by 'together'?" Lance answered him.
"We're together...like Joey and I are a couple couple." More silence. Joey swallowed loudly and caught Lance's eye. Lance shrugged helplessly. They had told them now. The only thing to do now was wait for their reactions. Chris spoke up from across the room.
"Well, that's cool...so I heard about some nice property out in Vermont...might be nice for you two...." JC groaned.
"Oh, God, Chris, shut up. Are you like, completely incapable of a serious thought?"
"What? Vermont is very nice in the fall, I hear, and if they...." JC cut Chris off with a look as he turned to Joey and Lance.
"So...you two are in love?" They both nodded slowly, and JC smiled slightly. "Well, that's cool, I mean, it will take some getting used to, but if you're happy..." He glanced over at how Joey had taken Lance's hand in his own, rubbing his thumb in little circles. "If you are happy, then I can think of nothing more natural, and...I congratulate you on what you have found, and...um...good for both of you." He finished a bit awkwardly and stood up to give them both quick hugs before sitting back down. "So...when did this all start, anyway?"
"I know! It was right after I turned you down, wasn't it, Joey? I knew that you were broken-hearted, but Lance? I-"
"Chris, shut up!" JC said, exasperated. Justin, who had been sitting silent the entire time, spoke up quietly from his corner.
"Wait...so you two...are dating?" Joey answered once again.
"Yeah, Justin...that's what we've been saying." Justin shifted uncomfortably and snorted.
"What, so now Lance is a narcoleptic homosexual? Right. What does that make you, Joey, his-"
"Justin, chill." Chris, for once, didn't tell a joke. They could all feel the tension in the room at Justin's sudden outburst. JC interjected the silence.
"Justin, you don't have to be like that." Justin stood up and raked his hands through the short curls starting to grow there.
"Be like what? A normal person who finds out that two of his friends-" He spit out the word as though it had a sour taste. "His friends were...were doing that, and not telling anyone for god knows how long." JC stood, trying to pacify the situation.
"J, listen..."
"I have been listening, C, and I'm sorry that I can't be so 'understanding', and 'fine' with everything, like, five minutes after I hear about it! I need time, time to get used to the idea of all of...this. Alright? Is that too much to ask?" He stood there, fists unclenching slowly as he exhaled. Lance took his hand from Joey's and began to play with the ring on his right ring finger. He twisted it slowly as Joey spoke, answering Justin.
"Justin, we don't expect you to be ok with it all right away...but we also feel that you have the right to know, no matter the reaction. But just to let you know, whatever your reaction, that doesn't change the way that we feel, and I hope that you can come to respect that." Justin's shoulders sagged a bit as he stood there, then he reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. When he spoke, it was quiet, unlike the outburst moments before.
"Ok, Joe...I just...need some time." He looked at Lance for a brief moment, and then sighed as he walked toward the front of the house. "I need to leave...I-I'll talk to you guys soon, I promise." Then he left. No one said a word until they heard the front door close.
"He'll come around." Chris reached over and patted Lance's arm reassuredly. Lance looked up in surprise at the older man.
"And what do you think, Chris? Other than talking about property in Vermont, you haven't said much." Chris grinned a moment, then got a serious look.
"Well, it is a shocker...I mean, and I don't know how I'll feel when I find you two lovebirds smooching on the bus one day, but I'm cool with it, really."
It was later on that evening, and Joey and Lance were sitting in Joey's bedroom, in the armchairs he kept to the side of his large feather bed. They were both quiet, contemplative after the events at JC's earlier.
"Lance, are you ok? It went...good, I think." Lance rested his hands on his knees and avoided Joey's eyes.
"But Justin..." He finally said, his voice an octave lower than usual. Joey looked at Lance, upset by the troubled look on his face. Justin's reaction had hurt him, yes, but he knew that he would eventually get over it, and even though it would probably be rough the next few weeks, getting it out in the open, letting the guys know, was important.
"Yeah, what Justin said was upsetting, but...I think that it will all turn okay, I mean, C and Chris...they are behind us, you know?" Lance nodded, his head still downcast.
"That was comforting...it's good that they know. But, what Justin..." He trailed off and stood up, yawning and settling on the edge of Joey's bed. Joey got up and sat next to him, rubbing his back comfortingly.
"I know that what he said hurt you, Lance...but I don't think that he meant it. He was just...shocked."
"I know, and I would have probably felt the same way...it's just that everything seems different now, you know? Like, because of us."
"Different doesn't mean bad...just different." Damnit, thought Joey. He could never say exactly what he felt, what he was thinking. But Lance seemed to always understand what he meant, ever since he had known him. But now, he wasn't sure.
"I know that it will get better, Joe, but for now, I just want to go to sleep."
"Ok, Lance." And that was it. Silence remained between them until much later, when Lance's breathing was tickling the hair on Joey's chest while they lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. Joey couldn't help it. The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them.
"I don't regret it." The breathing stopped for a moment before he felt the hot rush of Lance's reply.
"Regret?" Joey instinctively held Lance a little closer, squeezing a little before he answered.
"Tonight. This. Now. Everything." Lance lay silent for a moment, unmoving, and then lifted his head for a moment, searching for Joey's eyes in the darkness that surrounded them.
"I don't either, Joe..." Joey hoped that Lance couldn't see the tears brightening his eyes, but Lance noticed; saw the deep brown glisten in the faint moonlight streaming from the slightly open window. Lance reached a hand up to Joey's face, his fingers coming in contact with the warm wetness of the tear seeping out the side of his eye, tracing it gently. "Why are you...?" Joey cut him off; leaning forward and pressing his lips against Lance's slightly open ones, kissing him gently. He pulled away slowly and settled Lance back against the curve of his chest. Lance could feel the rumble of a sigh deep within, and felt him speak his next words.
"You need to sleep, Lance, it's late..."
Lance stared at the ceiling of the hotel room and listened to the sound of the shower, trying to will himself back to sleep. He turned over and grunted, looking at the bright green digitized numbers. 6:48. He still had a little more than a half hour to sleep. He had woken up suddenly, and was having problems falling back asleep without the comfortable familiar warmth of Joey next to him. He must have gotten up early to take a shower, and managed not to waken him. Lance turned over again and closed his eyes as he heard the shower turn off.
A few moments later Joey emerged in a cloud of steam, a towel wrapped loosely around his waist. Lance stared at him as he pulled a pair of boxers out of his suitcase, slipping them on before using the towel to rub the water out of his hair vigorously. He shook his head and noticed Lance's eyes boring into him from the bed.
"Hey, you're up, " He whispered, as though not to wake Lance up any further. He walked over to the side of the bed and sat down on it. Lance smiled and spoke in his morning sleepy voice.
"Yeah..." He stared at Joey's expansive chest and slight potbelly, where water drops clung. Joey followed his gaze to his stomach, and he smiled, jiggling it a bit.
"What, man, are you checking out my gut?" He grinned, and Lance laughed before settling in more under the covers and sighing. Joey's face grew serious. "Did you sleep ok? You look tired." Lance threw his arm over his eyes and nodded.
"No...I slept ok...its just all this press is driving me crazy...its so tiring." Joey nodded and rubbed Lance's leg through the heavy hotel comforter.
"Well, its only another week or so...but if you ever need me to handle an interview by myself-" He smoothed Lance's hair away from his forehead. "...just let me know, ok?" Lance nodded in agreement.
"Thanks, Joe...I think I can handle it...but the minute we get a day off-I plan to spend the whole time in bed." Joey grinned wickedly.
"Me too." Lance groaned at the look on his face.
"I meant sleeping." Joey leaned back in mock astonishment.
"So did I! Honestly, Lance, must you always have your mind in the gutter?" Lance laughed.
"Riiiight." Joey glanced at the clock and shifted.
"You should take a shower...I tried not to use all the hot water." Lance propped himself upon his elbows, then fell back down.
"How many are we doing today?"
"Six." Lance closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them to find Joey looking at him with concern.
"I'll be ok, Joe, don't worry." Joey glanced down and shrugged, then looked into Lance's eyes.
"I can't help it...I worry about you even when I know that you're okay." His eyes clouded over as he leaned down to kiss Lance. It was an intense kiss, and Joey found himself leaning closer, bracing his hands on either side of Lance's head. Lance threaded his hands through the damp hair curling at the base of Joey's neck.
Eventually, they pulled apart slowly and Joey rested his forehead against Lance's shoulder, breathing heavily. They lay there like that for a moment, Lance feeling the comfortable weight of Joey leaning against him, before he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, sitting side by side with Joey.
"I should go take a shower and you should finish getting ready." Joey stood up and adjusted his boxers awkwardly, running his fingers through his unruly hair.
"Yeah...we've got a long day ahead of us." Lance nodded and stood, making his way towards the bathroom. He turned suddenly, and Joey looked at him quizzically. "What's the matter?"
"Don't let me forget to call Laura so we can get all the arrangements straight with her flight and all that for the premiere." Joey reached into his suitcase again and pulled out some socks. "Joey, you know that I would go with you if I could."
"I know, and it doesn't really matter since I'm going to be there anyway...it is our movie. Sometimes I just want to go out with you, tell everyone how much you mean to me." He didn't look up; just sat down and talked to his feet while he put his socks on. Lance sighed.
"I'm sorry Joe." Joey looked up and grinned; the moment had passed.
"No, it's all good. I like Laura, and I know that this is the best for everyone." Lance smiled and walked into the bathroom.
"What? You're what?...Well, I don't see why-riiight...Fine. Do whatever...Yeah, I'll tell them. Uh huh...I just don't think that you are...Fine. I'll let you go then...right. Talk to you later." JC hung up the phone with a grimace on his face as Joey, Laura and Lance looked at him across the limo.
"Who was that, C?" Joey wanted to know.
"It was Justin, wasn't it?" Lance asked from his position beside the limo's tinted window. JC sighed and ran his hand through his hair as he slipped his phone back into his pocket.
"Yeah, it was...uh, we don't have to pick him up." He smiled tightly. Joey rubbed his goatee thoughtfully.
"Is he meeting us there then? Or is he just not going at all?"
"He's...not going at all. Um...he said that he got caught up in some stuff, and couldn't make it." Lance chuckled harshly.
"Oh, I'm sure he got caught up in stuff...C, you know that he didn't want to come in the first place." JC frowned and nodded.
"Lance, he's working on it...I think that it's getting better." Laura spoke up from her position between Joey and Lance.
"Getting better? About what?" Lance answered her quietly.
"I told you about it, Laura." She nodded suddenly, her eyes widening as it dawned on her.
"Oh. I'm sorry, Lance...I remember now."
"That's okay." Joey spoke up.
"Ok, so what do we say when people ask where he is, like you know they will." JC thought for a moment.
"We can tell them that he was doing some press with Chris for Fuman." Lance groaned.
"I can't believe we're making excuses for him, when it's not our fault that we...we disgust him." The whole limo was silent for a moment, and then Joey spoke, quietly.
"Lance..."
"What? Joe-I just don't want to talk about it right now, we're almost there." He looked out through the tinted glass again, and Joey stared at him sadly, while JC and Laura looked on helplessly.
"Ok, Lance."
The premiere went fine, everyone loved the movie, and there were the inevitable inquiries of where the other two group members were. They all smiled and fielded the questions, but Lance felt...not right. He just was so tired. So tired, in fact, that after the press following the premiere was done, he and Laura left to return to the hotel. Lance walked her to her door silently.
"Thanks for coming, Laura." He gave her a hug.
"No problem...are you going to be ok?" She opened her door and looked into his eyes, noticing that they were slightly bloodshot.
"I'm fine...all this press has made me tired, among other things." She patted his arm thoughtfully.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Lance shuffled his feet uncomfortably.
"No...not really."
"Well, come in for a moment then."
"Ok...one minute." He followed her into her room.
"You were good tonight, I really liked the movie."
"Thanks, I'm glad that you think so."
"Joey, he was good too." Lance turned his head slightly and smiled as he sat down in a chair.
"He was, wasn't he?" Laura smiled at his expression and tone of voice.
"He was...I'm glad that you invited me to come."
"You are a good friend, Laura, and I am glad that you came when I invited you." She sat across from him and patted his knee.
"You know, when you first called, I thought that you wanted me to come...because...because you wanted to take our friendship to the next level..." Lance looked up, surprised.
"But I had told you..."
"About Joey. I know, and I believed you, but I thought...maybe it was just a phase, or something."
"A phase?"
"Lance, a girl can dream, can't she? But then I saw you two together when you picked me up, the way he looks at you, the way you smile when I even mention him...now I can see what you were talking about, and I would never get in the way of that. You are lucky Lance, you must know that."
"I know."
"Good." She was about to change the subject when a troubled look crossed his face and he mumbled something inaudible. "What did you say, Lance?"
"It's Justin..."
"Justin?"
"Yeah..." He avoided her eyes.
"What about Justin? Oh, is it because of how he feels...?"
"Something like that."
"You seem awfully mad at him, understandably."
"I'm not mad at him..."
"You aren't?" She reached and took his hand.
"I'm upset...that he feels like that, and I think that I..." He trailed off, looking lost.
"What is it, Lance?" He looked away, and then answered.
"I think that I'm mad at him for...for making me think these things."
"What does he make you think?"
"Like...what Joey and I have is wrong...that we shouldn't be together...every time I think of Justin, of what he feels, I feel it too, like..."
"You feel like Justin represents your doubt, at all that you have?" Lance was silent for a few moments.
"I don't want to feel like that, Laura, I really don't." A single tear escaped from the corner of his eye, sliding down his face slowly.
"I know that you don't, Lance." He pulled his hand from hers and wiped his face, standing up.
"I've got to go."
"Lance?" He turned before walking to her door.
"Don't throw it all away...you're happy." He stepped forward and gave her a hug.
"Thanks Laura." She walked him to the door.
"And get some sleep!"
"Ok, ok." He stared at her closed door for a couple minutes before continuing down the hall.
A rattle at the door half an hour later awoke Lance. He had walked right in the door and passed out on the bed, in a restless sleep. He half got up and stared bleary eyed at the shadow of Joey standing over him.
"You ok?" The voice was gentle. When Lance spoke, the voice was raspy.
"Yeah...I'm fine. Just tired." Joey still stood, unmoving.
"You left. I was worried."
"I'm sorry...I just had to get out of there."
"Don't be sorry, I know that tonight was rough, after..."
"Yeah."
"Do you want to talk about it yet?"
"There's nothing to talk about. Nothing has changed."
"Ok...maybe sleep would be best."
"Uh..." Lance was already drifting away. He was aware of Joey undressing him and moving him under the covers, and he could hear him clattering stuff around in the bathroom, faintly. It was only when he felt the bed shift with Joey's weight that he turned over and settled himself into Joey's arms, falling into a deep sleep. Joey kissed the top of his head and spoke quietly in the darkness.
"I love you, Lance."
There was no answer but that of a shallow breath.
Lance brushed the confetti out of his hair as Chris came up to him, twirling a noisemaker and looking mischievous and more than a little drunk.
"Hey, Lance! Are you having fuuun?" He hung on him as Lance laughed.
"Oh yeah, Chris, lots of fun." Chris lurched off of him, gesturing wildly as he made his way across the crowded room.
"Grrreat! Just checking!" Lance looked around at all of the other partiers in Justin's expansive house. It was New Year's Eve, and almost midnight. Both Lance and Joey had been surprised to receive an invitation from the young man, even more surprised that he had called to tell them about it. The past few months had been rough with him still "dealing with it", and Lance and Joey hoped that this invitation was a step in the right direction. Neither of them had spoken to him since arriving, but Lance hoped to talk to him before they left. He knew that Joey had tried quite a few times in the past few months, and that it frustrated him to no end how Justin always had an endless stream of excuses to avoid them both unless absolutely necessary.
And there was Joey now, working his way through the crowd towards Lance. He caught Lance's eye as he came to stand next to him. Lance smiled as he came nearer.
"Hey Joey." Joey leaned forward, talking in Lance's ear loudly above the noise of the crowd.
"Can we go outside? I want to talk to you." Lance looked at him and nodded, following him through the crush of people to the back door leading outside. He stared at Joeys back and wondered what he wanted to say. He was worried. As much as Joey had tried to talk to Justin, Lance had done all he could to ignore his old friend. Every time he got near Justin, that doubt would swell up inside him, and he knew that no matter how hard he tried, he acted differently toward Joey. He wondered if Joey noticed how sometimes he pulled away in bed the night after an appearance somewhere with the rest of the group, including Justin. He knew when Joey's hand began to reach out for him; he knew the right moment to turn over, to settle into his pillow. It was nights like that when he felt that hand rest on his arm, before slowly retreating to his side of the bed. And he felt horrible every time it happened. He wanted nothing more than to reach out to Joey, to pull him close and reassure him that he loved him, that he was happy. But he couldn't those nights. Those nights when thoughts plagued his mind, all that he had been raised to think about what exactly he was doing. But then there were the times when he felt happier than he ever thought possible. He hoped Joey knew. And he also hoped he didn't know.
Joey took Lance's hand as they stepped out into the backyard dimly illuminated by the moon. He pulled him more towards one of the shadowy corners and kissed him lightly. Lance pulled back a bit.
"Joey? What did you have to talk to me about?" Joey smiled and ran his finger along Lance's cheek.
"It's almost midnight..."
"It is, another year is almost over." Joey frowned for a second.
"This past year was a rough one, especially for you." Lance looked into his eyes and felt his own moisten with all that he saw there.
"Joe...it was bad for you too." Joey smiled slightly.
"Yeah, but it ended up being one of the best I've ever had..."
"Joe..." Joey silenced him.
"Lance, I brought you out here since I knew that when we were at the party and it was midnight, I couldn't exactly...kiss you, and I wanted to tell you a few things."
"Like what?"
"I love you so much. Finding you has made me happy. There are a dozen things that I could tell you, but none of them would mean as much as this." And he kissed him.
The sound of someone opening the door and walking outside made him pull away quickly. They both looked to see who it was. Justin. Joey turned to Lance and whispered.
"Maybe he wants to talk to us." He let go of Lance's hand and stepped out of the shadows. Justin looked up and smiled awkwardly.
"Hey, Joe...I was just looking for you, and Lance...I need to talk to the both of you. Have you seen him?" Joey nodded and pulled Lance up behind him. Justin's eyes widened slightly and he nodded.
"Oh. Well, I guess that I have the two of you to talk to then." He gestured toward the large picnic table in the middle of his backyard, and the three sat down. Lance spoke first.
"Ok...Justin...what did you want to talk to us about?" Justin licked his lips and ran his fingers through his hair awkwardly.
"Well, I know that it has been a long time since...since you two told the rest of us about...what you shared." Joey nodded.
"A couple months, yeah." Justin cringed.
"And I know that I have been an ass about it to the both of you." They both nodded this time, and Justin chuckled. "I haven't done a good job of hiding it, have I? Hmmm..." He stared into the distance for a moment, and then looked back into their waiting eyes. "You guys have been two of my best friends for eight years now, and I'm not gonna lie, it was a shock when you made your announcement at JC's. I was mad. I was mad that you didn't tell us sooner, I was mad that when you did tell us, you acted that it wasn't a big deal, and...I was mad at the fact that I got mad." They both looked confused, and Lance leaned forward a bit.
"Mad for being mad?" Justin shrugged his shoulders.
"I had always thought that if one of my friends were...gay, then I would handle it. No big deal. But I was so...not okay with the fact that you were together, that I didn't try to see at all what you meant to each other. But a couple weeks ago, Jace and Chris had a talk with me." Joey and Lance looked at each other again, quizzically. Joey rubbed the bridge of his nose between his fingers.
"Wait wait wait...they had a talk with you?"
"Yeah, they sat me down and told me to just look at the two of you together sometime, to see how you acted around each other. And I did. I saw the way you looked at each other, and I knew, I knew that you really did love each other. And, to get to my point, I am not entirely ok with the fact of what you are doing, but I respect it, and I do love you guys. I don't want to throw away our friendship over this. I wish you nothing but happiness, and I will be here for you." Joey and Lance stared at him. They had waited two months to hear those words. Justin stood and gave them both hugs, then walked back into the house, closing the door gently behind him, probably looking for Brit since it was a couple minutes to midnight.
"Lance, did you hear all that?" Lance was still staring in shock at the door.
"Yeah...wow." Joey wrapped his arms around him and kissed his nose.
"Now we can really start the year off right." He leaned down and kissed him again, and it was a few minutes before Lance answered him.
"It will be a good year." The two walked slowly back into the house as the shouts of 'Happy New Year' began to ring out.