Six 

“So…where are we off to?” Justin said as he helped Lance pack up the last of his bags.

“YOU'RE going back to the States,” Lance said sternly.

Justin chuckled. “You sounded exactly like my mom. I am not doing any such thing. I'm hanging with you, babydoll.” Justin pinched Lance's cheek. “Where were you gonna go?”

“I dunno.” Lance shrugged. “I'm not ready to go home yet. I thought I'd bum around Europe.”

“Europe? Let's go to Paris!” Justin said excitedly. “As two regular tourists. It'd be fun…and we could hang in all the artsy places and make JC incredibly jealous!”

Lance laughed. “Think you can get us plane tickets and hotel rooms?”

“I KNOW I can,” Justin said confidently. “Can we stay at some hole in the wall little place instead of a fancy one?”

Lance stared at him. “Are you on drugs?”

“No…I just thought it would be fun. Me and you, in some romantic little hole in the wall in the artsy section of Paris…two musicians trying to make a go of it.”

“We're not moving there,” Lance pointed out, but he liked the picture Justin was painting. It was perfect. Justin smiled and picked up his phone. 

“He's WHAT?” JC almost yelled.

“In Russia. With Lance,” Chris said slowly. “Are you okay?”

“That vein is throbbing,” Joey observed, pointing to JC's forehead with a fork full of potato salad. JC glared at him.

“You're telling me Justin is in fucking RUSSIA with Lance?” JC's voice rose even further.

“Knock it off!” Chris hissed. They were in a tiny deli in New York, and as of that moment, no one had recognized them.

“And probably as of this very second, they're probably on a flight to Paris,” Joey said. “Just getting some R and R.”

“Lance…and Justin…in…in Paris?” JC said sadly. What had happened in Houston obviously hadn't meant to Lance what it had meant to JC. Justin would be even more magical in Paris. JC himself doubted HE could resist Justin in Paris.

“Yeah. You sure you're okay?” Joey looked at him in concern.

“Fine.” JC shoved his plate away. “Just full.” 

“This is it!” Justin said excitedly. “Beautiful.” He walked out onto their impossibly tiny balcony and sighed. “Lance, isn't it beautiful?” Lance didn't answer, and Justin returned to the small hotel room. A twin bed sat in either corner of the room, and Lance was already curled up on one of them, fast asleep. Justin smiled and sat down on the empty bed, watching Lance sleep.

Justin couldn't believe his impossible luck. He knew something had gone on between JC and Lance in Houston. It was so obvious. JC walked around with a smug _expression on his face, and he was so sweet to Justin afterwards that Justin wanted to slap him. But it was Justin who had hurried to Lance's side when the shit had hit the astronaut fan, and it was obvious by the look on JC's face that Lance hadn't bothered to call him when it happened.

Justin slid off the bed and walked across the floor on his knees. He knelt by Lance's bed, letting a finger run down the pale cheek. Lance was tired and too skinny and miserable. Justin hated every part of that. Lance deserved to be energetic and happy and healthy. And Justin silently vowed to get him back that way. THAT was the Lance he had fallen for.

Justin stared into space, his finger freezing on Lance's cheek. Him? Falling for Lance? That was a new thought. Yes, he was attracted to Lance. Justin was always attracted to beautiful things. And while he flaunted girls on his arm like there was no tomorrow, there was something intoxicating to Justin about an attractive man. And Lance was definitely attractive. Fighting JC for him was just an added plus. JC was so pretty…what any gay man would want. Justin had to appear straight, first of all, so it was hard to hook up with a man when you couldn't act like you WANTED to hook up with a man. Secondly, JC just had that face…the eyes, the lips, the hair…and Justin had none of that. Not in the way JC did. Usually when Justin knew he didn't really have a chance at something, he lost interest. Why waste time? But Lance…he was worth all the time in the world.

And Justin spent a lot of time thinking about him. Thinking about how he'd love to just unzip Lance's spacesuit and do all kinds of dirty things to Lance's body. The thought of Lance beneath him was sometimes more than Justin could bear. But he thought about it anyway.

Lance's eyes fluttered open and he watched Justin. Justin was staring into space, but his hand rested against Lance's cheek. Lance turned his head and placed a soft kiss on Justin's palm. Justin jumped and stared down at Lance, but didn't remove his hand. Lance then bit at the tender skin below Justin's thumb. Justin let out a whimper he didn't realize and Lance smiled in satisfaction, slowly sitting up.

Seven