Nine

Three days passed, and Josh didn't even bother opening the gallery. He just wasn't in the mood to see anyone. He called Brian, told him to take care of things, and stayed in. Chris pestered him for the first few days, then finally left for his store, telling JC that self-pity didn't become him.

JC didn't care. For the first time in ages, he decided to simply baby himself. He drank endless cups of tea, watched Days of Our Lives, and painted. He did what he thought was some of the best work of his life, filling canvas after canvas with paintings of sunsets and landscapes and places that he'd never see…and that didn't even really exist. He told himself it was just because he needed a break from the monotony of his life and his job, but he knew the truth. He was pouting over Lance Bass.

“Today is the last day,” JC said on the fourth morning. “This is crazy. I'm acting like a high school girl.”

He got up early and made Chris breakfast. He didn't even raise an eyebrow when Chris came down in one of HIS favorite t-shirts. “What's all this?” Chris asked, surprised.

“Eggs. You like them with chocolate syrup on them, right?” JC plunked the syrup down on the table.

“You're back from the dead.” Chris plopped himself down at the table and covered his scrambled eggs with chocolate syrup. “He wasn't all that, anyway.”

JC looked up from his newspaper. “Who?”

Chris leaned over and tapped the front page of the Living section. “Lance Bass. He had weird eyes. C'mon, Jayce. Anyone who would date a crackhead loser like AJ McLean is NOT worth your time.”

JC choked on his toast as he looked down at Lance and AJ. They were seen having an argument at a deli downtown the day before. “Crackhead loser, huh?”

“JC, AJ McLean is your classic druggie. I bet he blows half his dough on powder every week.” Chris munched thoughtfully on a piece of rye toast. “Look at him. He weighs about fifty pounds soaking wet, and he always has those sunglasses on.”

“He looked normal enough to me,” JC said softly, remembering the way the tattooed arms had wrapped around Lance.

“JC, you just don't notice what's right in front of you.” Chris shook his head and wiped his eggs through the chocolate mess on his plate. “And when did you see AJ McLean, anyway?”

“In, uh, Lance Bass' penthouse,” JC answered quietly. Chris stared at him for a long moment, perfectly serious for once.

“Now I see. This is more than a little girl's crush. You're in love with Lance, and AJ showed up and ruined it for you.”

“I'm not in LOVE, Chris. I hardly know him.” JC looked back down at the picture in the newspaper and began to unconsciously stab at it with his fork.

“Then why are you turning McLean's face into a dartboard?” Chris asked. He stood up and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. “Cheer up, JC. You're WAY too good for anyone who would let that crackhead fuck him.” He gave JC a sticky kiss on the top of his head, and went to get ready for work. 

JC cleaned up the apartment and did the grocery shopping, grateful that he had something to keep him busy. Chris was right. He was so much better than AJ or Lance or any other celebrity weirdo. His life was boring and quiet and that's the way he liked it. The phone was ringing when he came back into the apartment.

“Hello?” He said breathlessly, putting the bag of groceries down on the table.

“Jayce? Baby, I need you to come get me,” Justin said tearfully.

“My God, Justin, are you okay? Where's Joey?” JC gasped.

“FUCK Joey. I never want to talk to him again!” Justin yelled.

“Justin, put down the phone. Let's talk,” JC heard Joey say in the background.

“Please, Jayce, come over here and pick me up,” Justin begged.

“God, Justin, okay…I'm on my way.” JC hung up, threw the perishable groceries into the refrigerator, and left the apartment. 

When JC arrived at Justin and Joey's, the door was open. He heard raised voices coming from the bedroom.

“Justin, stop, okay? Just put the suitcase back and we'll talk about this,” Joey begged.

“I'm not listening to you. You had NO right, Joey. None at all,” Justin said angrily. He tilted his head. “Is that you, JC?”

“Yeah, Justin, it is.” JC looked at the suitcase on the bed. “Going somewhere?”

“I'd love to know where.” Joey folded his arms across his chest.

Justin carefully dug through a drawer and pulled out his own t-shirts and some underwear. “I'll stay with JC. Can I stay with you for a while?”

“Uh, I don't know where…I don't have a spare room anymore,” JC reminded him. “What's going on?”

“I could sleep on the sofa…or just with you. We used to share a bed all the time,” Justin said. He closed the suitcase.

“You're NOT sleeping with JC!” Joey said.

“Excuse me, it's none of your business WHO I sleep with. And I'd much rather sleep with him than with you, anyway,” Justin said. He smiled sweetly in Joey's direction. “He's much better in bed than you ever were.”

“JUSTIN!” JC said, horrified. “Someone needs to tell me what's going on.”

“Joey is interfering in my life, in a place he has NO right to be,” Justin said.

“I didn't do anything, I swear!” Joey protested. “Remember how I told you about the whole surgery thing…about the expenses?”

“You TOLD him?” Justin asked. “God, Joey, is NOTHING private to you?”

“All he said was that you didn't want to go into debt to pay for it,” JC said gently.

“That's right. And what does he do? He tells them to call to schedule an appointment for a consultation. A PRE-SURGERY consultation.” Justin turned to Joey. “Where the hell are we getting the money, huh, Joe? You putting out on a corner or something?”

“Justin, stop it!” JC snapped. “You don't mean any of what you're saying.” He looked at Joey.

“I swear on my Mom that I have no clue what he's talking about. There was this call on the machine today, from the doctor's office, saying that they want to set up this appointment, okay? And I call back and they tell me everything's paid for.”

“Paid for?” JC repeated.

“Yeah…I didn't do it, JC!” Joey turned to Justin. “Baby, I love you. I admit that I knew about why you didn't want to get it done, and I love you for it. You know I'd mortgage my freaking heart if it meant you could see again. But I didn't do this. I wouldn't go behind your back like this.”

“Then who did?” Justin asked, sitting down. He allowed Joey to sit down next to him and put an arm around him.

“Why don't we just see what happens, okay? Maybe there's someone out there looking out for you.” Joey kissed Justin's forehead.

“I'm so sorry, babe. I didn't mean any of what I said,” Justin whispered. “I'm so sorry.”

“Shh.” Joey leaned his forehead against Justin's, and JC backed out of the room quietly.

Ten