What Are Friends For?

One

"So, then if you pick two cards, I pick one," Chris explained, dealing the cards to JC. "See how it works?"

"I see that you're cheating," JC replied, not even attempting to pick up the cards. "And how comes you get four cards and I get sixteen?"

"Because you're four times the man that I am, and you can handle it," Chris said seriously.

"Um, Jayce? You do realize he's making up rules as he goes along, right?" Joey called from the bathroom.

"I realize that you shouldn't talk to people while you're in the bathroom," Chris said.

"Yes, Joey, I realize it," JC said patiently. "I'm not THAT dumb."

Joey laughed out loud and even Justin snorted. "Sorry," Justin apologized after JC gave him a dirty look.

"I'm not playing cards with you," JC said finally. "Not when I don't already know the game."

"But, Jayce..." Chris whined. "Do you know how long this bus ride is gonna be?"

"I don't care. I need to help Justin with his homework." JC stood and stretched his legs. He smiled down at Justin, who was on the floor flipping through a magazine.

"Someday we'll have more than one bus, and I can get away from Father Chasez," Justin grumbled.

"How about thinking about the day when you actually pass English?" JC said.

"Shut up," Justin grumbled, but he went for his bag of school books. Lance smiled at him pleasantly as he scooted by. Lance was all but done with his schooling, and he always had his work done. Justin shot Lance the finger, and was rewarded with a hurt look in the green eyes. Sometimes he liked putting that look in Lance's eyes, because then he didn't think Lance was as pretty.

Justin frowned as he reached in his bag for his English Lit book. He mentally slapped himself for thinking of "Lance" and "pretty" in the same sentence, and then slapped himself again for getting JC's attention away from Chris and being proud of himself for it. He liked having JC's attention...and lately JC's attention had really been riveted on Chris.

When he returned to the "living room" area of the bus, Joey was out of the bathroom and was playing poker with Lance. Justin shook his head; Lance had quickly learned all the rules and could bluff them out of anything, even Chris, who had taught him the game. Joey was so dense sometimes. "Okay," Justin said, pouting as he sat at the table with JC. "Here I am."

"Okay." JC gave Chris one last kick under the table, and Chris rewarded him with a kiss blown from his palm. Joey rolled his eyes, Lance blushed, and Justin watched JC. JC only turned pink and giggled a bit.

Justin lay on the bed and watched JC get dressed. He kicked himself for not getting there sooner; he always enjoyed watching JC dry off from the shower. And JC had no shame, thinking nothing of parading around naked in front of any of the other four. "Um, Jayce?"

"Huh?" JC held up first one shirt, then another. "Which one?"

"Black," Justin said immediately. "Are you and Chris going out?"

"Yep."

"With Joey?"

"Nah...he found some girl he's gonna hang with. She actually speaks English." JC nodded at the black shirt and threw the rejected shirt onto his suitcase.

"Are you going to a gay bar?"

JC raised an eyebrow. "Yes," he said slowly.

Justin sat up, crossed his long legs, and gathered every bit of his sixteen year old courage. "How did you know? That you were gay?"

"I just knew," JC said, shrugging. "I never really was into girls. I always liked guys better."

"Wasn't it scary?"

"Definitely," JC said. "I was still scared of it during MMC...I really only got comfortable with it since I met Chris. We've had a lot of talks, and he taught me a lot."

"I bet," Justin said, and JC turned to look at him. Justin blushed.

"What's this all about?" JC asked.

"I'm confused and I want to know," Justin said. "And I want you and Chris to teach me."

"You want WHAT?" JC gasped.

"Hey, kids," Chris said, breezing through the unlocked hotel door. JC had the single, and Chris was sharing with Joey. "Ready, JC?"

"No," JC said weakly, sitting down.

"Are you sick? You look paler than usual," Chris observed.

"Justin," JC said feebly.

Chris looked at Justin. "What?" Chris frowned, something he rarely did in connection with Justin. Everyone knew that Justin was Chris' baby brother.

"I just asked for a favor!" Justin said innocently. "And JC freaked out."

"It wasn't just a favor," JC hissed. He looked at Chris. "He wants..."

"It's not like we don't know you and Chris do it," Justin said. "I want you to teach me."

"Teach you..." Chris paused.

"About being gay. About gay sex. About all the stuff guys do," Justin said, smiling.

Chris sat down next to JC. "Uh..."

"I think you should leave now," JC said to Justin.

"But..."

"NOW," Chris growled, and Justin hopped up.

"Fine. God, you'd think I asked you to piss on the Bible or something." Justin flounced out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"He didn't just ask..."

"Yeah, he did," JC interrupted Chris. "What the hell?"

"Did you have any idea he had...tendencies?" Chris asked.

JC shook his head. "No way. And apparently he's been playing pretty close attention to us...you and me."

"OH. Do you mind?" Chris asked. JC smiled.

"No way. I'm not ashamed of whatever it is that you and I have," JC said, squeezing Chris' knee. "But back to Justin. I say no."

"You do?"

JC looked surprised. "Hello, he's freaking jailbait, first of all. And secondly...he's jailbait."

"Good logic, there, Chasez." Chris grinned. "But if we don't teach him...who will? Some loser who'll just use him and hurt him?"

"True," JC said, his fraternal instincts jumping to the foreground. "But Chris...this will be weird."

"Yeah, I know."

"I don't know if I can DO that with him. I mean, he's Justin. He's the baby, the sweet and innocent one."

"No, that's Lance," Chris corrected. "Justin's not as innocent as we think."

"Obviously," JC muttered.

"Do you think you could be attracted to him?" Chris asked softly.

"Hell, yeah," JC said immediately, and Chris chuckled.

"I think I need a drink. Let's go out, and we'll talk about it some more, and then talk to him tomorrow after the show."

"Okay," JC said, but he still looked worried. Chris tenderly kissed him.

"Relax," Chris said, but he himself was far from comfortable with the whole idea.

Two