All I Want For Christmas Is You

By: Lara

“And you know we have that Christmas thing at my work tonight, right, JC? This is REALLY important.”

“Right, Lysette,” JC called towards the bathroom door as he tied his shoes.

“If you’re not back here by six, I’m going without you!” His girlfriend called.

“One could only hope,” JC muttered. “Look, Lys, I’m late. Gotta run.”

“JC, it’s seven o’clock. Your studio doesn’t even open for business until nine.”

“I’m decorating for our Christmas lunch,” JC admitted. Lysette poked her head out of the bathroom.

“Really, JC, decorating for Christmas? You’re such a girl sometimes.” She returned to the bathroom.

“Bah humbug,” JC whispered. Lysette was a legal assistant at a prestigious law firm in the city, and she hated the fact that JC was a simple recording engineer at a local recording studio. “I’m leaving. Bye.”

JC climbed the stairs of the subway entrance, shivering at the sudden cold. Snowflakes fluttered down to settle in his dark hair. JC smiled and tilted his head back to catch some of the icy whiteness on his tongue. Nothing like snow to erase the memory of an argument with a woman he no longer loved, or really even liked all that much.

Someone bumped into him, and JC regretfully snapped back into reality. “Oof! I’m sorry.”

“No problem,” the man muttered, brushing by.

JC turned to walk on, but was stopped by a hand on his chest. Beautiful green eyes stared out of a pale dirty face. “Stay here.”

“Look, man, I hardly have any money. Mugging me ain’t worth it.”

“Damn right you have no money. STAY HERE.” The young blond took off after the man who had bumped into JC. JC was so shocked that he remained where he was.

The young man soon came jogging back. “What was that all about?” JC asked. The man silently handed JC a wallet. “Hey, that’s MINE!” JC gasped.

“That guy’s one of the best pickpockets in the city,” the man told JC.

“Wow. Thanks so much!” JC made sure to put the wallet in one of his jacket’s INSIDE pockets.

“Aren’t...aren’t you...gonna count your money?” The man asked. JC shook his head.

“Nah. Hey, I was gonna grab a bagel and coffee before I head into the studio. Wanna come?”

“I shouldn’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m...and you’re...” The man looked at JC’s khaki pants, blue sweater and brown leather jacket, then looked down at his own battered denim jacket and torn jeans.

“Are you hungry?” JC asked. The man slowly nodded. “See? So am I. We already have something in common. C’mon.” JC started across the street to the bakery, hoping the man would follow him. He did.

“What kind of studio do you work in? An art studio?” The man devoured his two bagel, egg, cheese and bacon sandwiches.

“No. A recording studio. I’m a recording engineer.” JC spread cream cheese on his blueberry bagel. “I’m JC, by the way.”

“JC?” The man asked, and JC was enthralled by the way his name sounded in the low southern voice. “That’s your given name?”

JC laughed bashfully. “No. Actually, it’s Joshua. Josh.”

“Josh,” the man repeated. “I’m Lance, Josh.”

JC glanced at his watch. “Shit. I gotta get to work.”

“Right.” They walked out of the deli.

“So...thanks again, Lance,” JC said, feeling stupid. This street child with the beautiful voice and the wary pretty eyes enchanted him.

“No problem. See you around, Josh.” Lance began to walk away.

JC couldn’t bear the thought of Lance shivering out in the cold. “Lance, wait!” JC called, running after him. “Why don’t you come to the studio with me? I have to decorate for this stupid Christmas lunch...you could help me.”

“Really?” Lance said eagerly. “But, no. I’m sure your boss wouldn’t...”

“My boss is my best friend. Joey doesn’t care WHAT I do, as long as the work gets done sometime. C’mon, Lance...I really like talking to you.” JC wondered where THAT had come from.

“Um, okay,” Lance said shyly.

JC flipped on the lights and tossed Lance a set of keys. “The big gold key opens the third door on a right. It’s a closet. The decorations are in there.” Lance ambled down the hall. JC started a pot of coffee in the kitchen, and went back to help Lance. “Down here...” JC led the way to a small conference room. “Why don’t you start untangling those lights while I put the tree together? I have no patience for that kind of thing.”

“Sure,” Lance said, sitting down on the floor. He began to wade through the pile of lights. ‘Do you sing, Josh?”

“Only in the shower,” JC replied. “How about you?”

“Only in the shower,” Lance repeated, and JC was suddenly hit with the mental picture of Lance, naked, in the shower. JC shook his head to clear it.

“You’re not from around here?” JC stated, placing the small artificial tree in its stand.

“No. Mississippi. Came up here with the wrong group of friends...things went bad. Real bad. Some of them got into worse trouble, and died. Now I’m on my own...I live on the street, get by as I can.”

“Damn,” JC whispered. He helped Lance wrap the lights around the tree. “Um...I’m gonna go pour some coffee. Why don’t you keep on decorating? I’ll be right back.” JC went down the hall to the small kitchen area, his heart breaking for Lance. He ignored the fact that he felt more emotion for Lance then he had towards Lysette in months.

“Here. Let me help you.” Lance took one of the steaming mugs as JC came back. “So...Josh, what are your plans for Christmas?” Lance asked as he opened a box of ornaments.

“Well, I’m supposed to go to New York...my...uh...girlfriend’s parents live there.” JC had no clue why he felt so uncomfortable admitting that he had a girlfriend. “I hate going. They look down on me. SHE looks down on me,” JC admitted.

“I’m sorry,” Lance said softly. JC shrugged.

“How about you?”

Lance looked away. “Oh, you know, parties, dinner, the works.” He picked up a small spring of plastic. “Mistletoe?”

JC rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know. It goes in the doorway there.”

“I THINK I can reach.” Lance stood on his toes.

“Lemme do it.” JC took the mistletoe from Lance and reached over his head. “There.” JC slowly lowered his arms. Lance was staring at him, his tongue unconsciously running over his bottom lip. A surge of lust like nothing JC had ever experienced ran through his body. “Lance...”

“JC?” A voice yelled. Lance shrank back, stepping back into the room.

“Hi, Joey,” JC sighed, turning around.

A man with dark hair and a dark beard walked towards them. “Hey there, Santa Clausez…Clausez. Isn’t that cute? I thought it up on the way here.” Joey’s dark eyes flicked over to Lance.

“Joey, this is my friend, Lance. He’s helping me decorate. I thought he could stay and watch me work, then stay for lunch,” JC said almost in one breath. He saw Lance start to protest, but silenced him with a look.

“Sure. No problem.” Joey looked at Lance’s dirty face and clothes. “Might wanna clean up some, though. Looks like you guys have been working hard.”

“We sure have. I have some extra stuff in my locker. He can wear that.” JC smiled at Joey. “Coffee’s on.”

“Cool. Nice to meet you, Lance.” Joey strode back down the hall.

“What is this? Give charity to the street kid day?” Lance snapped as soon as Joey was out of earshot.

“No, Lance. I…I want you to stay here. Please. I…I owe you, and…” JC sighed. “This is the first time in forever that someone’s actually seemed to listen when I’ve talked.”

Lance sighed. “Okay. It’s not like I have anything better to do.”

“Gee, thanks,” JC said, and Lance finally smiled.

“How many people do we have scheduled today?” JC asked Joey as they entered one of the studios.

“Just two this morning. I kept the schedule light today, because of the lunch.”

“I’m gonna get Lance into some new clothes, and then I’ll be back in.”

“No problem.” Joey held out his hand. “Joey Fatone.”

Lance shook it. “Lance Bass.”

“Any…friend…of JC’s is a friend of mine,” Joey told him, smirking as he looked from JC to Lance. JC looked at him oddly and Joey just shrugged.

JC led Lance down the hall to the small break room. “I think I have…here.” JC pulled a sweatshirt and faded but clean pair of jeans out of a locker. “You can wear these…if you want. Keep them, actually. They’re old and I don’t need them.”

“Okay,” Lance said slowly.

“There’s a bathroom down the hall…you can change there. I’ll be in the studio with Joey.”

“Okay,” Lance said again.

“What was all that about?” JC asked as soon as he was back with Joey. “That weird way you said he was my friend.”

“God, JC, when are you gonna drop Lysette and go after what you really want?” Joey asked, chuckling.

“What do I really want?” JC asked, leaning over the soundboard.

“Boys,” Joey answered, and JC almost slipped off his chair.

“I don’t want boys! I want…”

“Okay…you want ONE boy. That one. That one down the hall with the pretty eyes. JC, I’ve watched you go through the motions with Lysette for, what, a year now? And I’ve watched the way you’ve looked at the guys who come in here. Even your own cousin.”

“Justin? You’re sick, Joey,” JC snapped.

“Not that you WANT him, but you look at him and appreciate that he’s beautiful. Hell, even I think the boy’s good looking, and I’m straight as hell.” Joey put a hand on JC’s shoulder. “Don’t fight it anymore, JC. If you want this boy, go for it.”

“Whatever.” JC shrugged Joey’s hand off. “I need to make a call.” JC went into one of the other studios and picked up the phone.

“It’s early so I KNOW this is important,” a sleepy voice said.

“Chris…it’s JC.”

“JC…it’s early, so I KNOW this is important,” JC’s friend Chris Kirkpatrick repeated.

“I need a favor.”

“It better be important.”

“Chris, God…” JC tried to control his annoyance. “It’s a beautiful winter day outside, snow is falling. Quit being a sleepy Scrooge.”

“You’re one to talk.” But JC could hear Chris stretch and sit up. “What do you need?”

“How full is your shelter?”

Chris laughed long and hard for ten minutes. “JC, it’s a week before Christmas. It’s cold and snowy, as you pointed out. How full do you THINK it is?”

“I need you to find room for someone.”

“JC…”

“Chris, you’re a freaking social worker. Haven’t you committed yourself to helping your fellow man?”

“I should be committed, yes, you’re right. Who is this person?”

“A friend. Just…he needs a place, and he can’t stay with me.”

“Kick the bitch out and move him in. He can’t be worse than she is.”

“Chris,” JC sighed.

“Sorry. I know. Bashing the woman again. I could MAYBE squeeze him in somewhere…but you’ll owe me.”

“Fine,” JC sighed again.

“Send him over tonight.”

“Thanks, Chris. You’re awesome.”

Lance spent the morning with JC, silently watching him work. A young girl was recording a demo CD, and she wasn’t very good. JC kept wincing, and Lance laughed as he watched.

“I called a friend and got you somewhere to stay for a while,” JC said finally. He leaned in towards the microphone. “That’s the best we’re gonna get, Stefanie. Thanks. We’ll get that in the mail to you soon.” JC turned off the microphone and swung around in his chair to smile at Lance. Lance didn’t smile back. “What’s wrong, Lance?”

“What, are you some kind of Christmas Good Samaritan, Joshua?” Lance snapped.

“No, I…I just have a friend…he works at a shelter…he said he could squeeze you in…” JC stammered helplessly.

“Don’t do me any favors.”

“Lance…” JC took a good look at the other man, and saw pride, loneliness, and hope battling on his face.

“Or are you looking for something else?” A hardness entered Lance’s eyes. He put a hand on either side of JC, pinning him to the chair. “Looking for some loving, maybe? The girlfriend not putting out?” Lance’s Southern drawl got low and pornographic.

“Jesus,” JC whispered, feeling himself get hard. “No, Lance. “I just hate thinking of someone like you out in the cold. You belong inside, where it’s warm…and safe.”

“Oh.” Lance pulled back suddenly, blushing with shame.

“That’s the last one before lunch.” Joey poked his head into the room. “The food will be here soon.” He left as quickly as he had stepped in.

JC and Lance stared at each other. “She doesn’t. Put out, I mean. And to be honest, I haven’t really missed it.”

“I don’t…sleep around like that,” Lance said softly. “I only…uh…blow guys…you know…when I’m hungry and broke.”

“Lance…” JC whispered, putting a hand on Lance’s arm.

“Speaking of hungry, let’s go eat.” Lance moved back so JC could stand. JC nodded and followed Lance into the hallway, wanting desperately to help him, but not knowing how.

JC introduced Lance to his coworkers, but he seemed most comfortable with Joey. Joey asked a lot of nosy questions, which embarrassed JC, but Joey asked with such a warm and friendly smile that Lance laughed and answered him, though vaguely.

Joey cornered JC by the buffet as he was getting dessert. “How’d you meet him REALLY?”

JC sighed. “Today someone picked my pocket on the way in here. Lance went after him and got my wallet back. He lives on the street.”

“Damn,” Joey muttered.

“Please don’t say anything, Joe,” JC begged.

“God, Jayce, give me SOME credit,” Joey said. JC returned to Lance.

“So, where’s this shelter?” Lance asked shyly. JC smiled, but before he could reply, hands covered his eyes.

JC ran his hands up under the sleeves of the sweater on the person behind him. “God, Justin…you have the hairiest arms this side of a gorilla.”

“Thanks, Cuz.” The person behind JC grabbed a folding chair, flipped it around backwards and sat down. “I love you, too.”

JC took one look at Lance and sighed. If there was any doubt in his mind that Lance was gay or bisexual, the way he was staring at Justin confirmed it. JC knew his cousin was beautiful…hell…he had admitted it out loud before. Justin had sandy soft curls and bright blue eyes. His pink lips loved to smile, and his grin was like the sun. He had a long sexy body, with legs for days. He had perfect rhythm, danced like a madman, and everyone loved him, including the camera. Justin was a model. “Lance, this is my baby cousin, Justin Timberlake. This is my friend Lance.”

“Hi,” Lance said shyly. Justin turned that grin on him.

“Hey, Lance.” Justin turned to JC. “Joey told me your party was today…I was hungry and thought I’d crash.”

“I swear, Justin, you’re at this studio as much as I am. Why don’t you just ask him for the studio time and get your voice down?” JC turned to Lance. “Lance, Justin sings like an angel.”

“Not really,” Justin said, but he blushed. “How’s that sexy woman of yours, Jayce?”

JC rolled his eyes. “Do we have to talk about her?”

“No. But she’s your girlfriend, I thought you’d WANT to brag about her.”

“She’s beautiful, she’s smart, and she’s gonna go far once she gets into law school and goes where she wants to go,” JC sighed. “Happy?”

“God, Jayce…you make it sound like a bad thing to have someone like that.” Justin got up. “I gotta run. Busy tonight?”

“Yeah…some Christmas shindig with Lysette. I don’t want to go…and she’ll have my ass if I don’t,” JC told him.

“If you need me to fill in…” Justin wiggled his eyebrows. “Nice meeting you, Lance.” He went to say goodbye to Joey, then left. JC looked at Lance.

“Justin has…different priorities than I do,” JC said finally. Lance smiled, but said nothing.

Joey decided to close the studio early. “We’re all gonna go down to that bar on Seventh,” he told Lance and JC. “Interested?”

JC looked at Lance. “Nah…you go ahead. I’ll clean and lock up here.”

“Really, JC? You sure?”

“Yeah,” JC said softly, not wanting to waste one more precious minute alone with Lance.

In a loud clamor of goodbyes, the rest of the employees left the conference room and headed out for the bar. Lance held a garbage bag as JC shoved paper plates into it. “What were you doing when that guy knocked into you today?”

JC blushed and giggled. “I…uh…I was catching snowflakes on my tongue.”

Lance smiled. “I used to do that all the time. When I was little, I used to pretend they were…”

“…sugar,” JC finished for him. “I still do. You need to try to catch one again, Lance. You never know. It could be the sugar one.”

Lance shrugged. “Not for me. Nothing that sweet in my life now.”

JC turned away, tying the garbage bag closed. “I’m gonna take this out to the dumpster.” He started for the door.

“Wait!” Lance yelled. JC stopped in the doorway. “There’s a hole.” Lance pointed to the trail of wetness that leaked across the carpet.

“Shit,” JC moaned. Lance hurried over with another bag, and they placed the first one inside. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Lance said softly. They looked up at the same time. “Mistletoe,” Lance whispered.

“Yeah,” JC answered softly. “Stupid, really. I mean, why should you need an excuse to kiss someone if you REALLY wanted to kiss them.”

“Right,” Lance agreed. He swallowed deeply. “Josh, I’m not like other people. Not like you. I’ve lived a hard life, and at the tender age of twenty-two I’ve seen more nightmares than anyone would want to. I’m a loner. I’m used to it.”

“I see,” JC said sadly.

“But I WANT to be like you. I want to be happy and kind and just…normal,” Lance said sadly.

“You can be,” JC said softly. He touched Lance’s cheek.

“You have…someone,” Lance reminded him.

“I live with someone, but I haven’t had them for months now. Not in my heart. If…if I break things off with her…will you give me a chance? You can stay at the shelter…I can get Joey to give you a job doing something here. Please, Lance…I’ve never felt this way about anyone…guy or girl…and I’ve never been with a guy at all…but…”

“I don’t know…” Lance said. “First I need to get to the shelter. Can you take me tonight?”

“Sure! I…” JC moaned. “Fuck. I have that thing with Lysette.” He looked at Lance for a long moment, then pulled his cellphone out of his jeans pocket. He hit the memory dial button. “Hey, Justin? It’s JC. Still free for tonight? Pull out your sharpest suit and be at my place by six. Take Lysette out. Yeah…she’ll be pissed at me. But I don’t really care anymore. And, Justin? If you wanna be the concerned cousin and console her, I don’t mind. Go for it. Yes. I’ll explain it all later. Yeah. And tell her not to throw my stuff in the snow…at least put it into boxes. I’ll stay with Chris tonight at the shelter. Yeah. I owe you one. Bye.”

“She’d kick you out like that?” Lance gasped as JC hung up.

“Yeah, she would.” JC smiled bashfully. “So, I guess I’ll be homeless, too…you’ll need to show me the ropes.”

“I’ll take good care of you,” Lance said softly.

JC leaned down, and Lance’s lips met his in a warm, tender kiss. Lance steadied himself by placing his hands on JC’s arms, and JC felt a shiver go through his body. “This is gonna be the best Christmas ever,” JC finally whispered. “I’m getting everything I ever wanted.”

The End

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