![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amfiguree[N'sync] [Basez] [G]
Just Us
Author’s note: I don’t know if JC and Lance really kept or are keeping their supposed ‘distance’ during the concerts and stuff, but it sounded right, so I thought what the hell? Anyway, this short was sparked off by watching ‘Gone’, ‘Pop’ and ‘Girlfriend’ a few times too many. It didn’t help that all the singles were JUSTIN’S damn songs either.
“WHAT?! Why?”
“JC, you know we can’t afford to slip-up. If anyone, and I mean, anyone, notices the looks you and Lance share… well, we’ll be in serious trouble, dude! I mean, we’re okay with it, honestly! But the fans… well, how do you expect twelve-year-olds to accept homosexuality?”
“You… but it’s not fair. It’s not fair to either of us, Justin,” JC let out his breath in a rush and ran an exasperated hand through his hair. “You can’t make us do this just to save a few fans!”
“They’re not a FEW fans, JC! God, why can’t you understand that?” Justin yelled, clenching and unclenching his fists, which were stiffly at his side. “This could change EVERYTHING!”
“It IS about you, isn’t it?” Realization dawned on JC and his eyes widened. “Oh god, you’re just worried about YOUR fame, about YOUR popularity, about YOUR reputation! God, Justin!”
“It’s not just me, JC. This was a group decision,” Justin’s voice was low when he spoke.
“Then that just means you’re ALL against us, doesn’t it?” JC hissed, his tone matching Justin’s.
“No, it doesn’t. You’re overreacting, JC. Why can’t you see what we all can? This relationship won’t last, Jace. You and Lance… it’s impossible. Why can’t you just accept that, for crying out loud!”
“Because, Justin,” JC replied through gritted teeth, his eye blazing with fury, “we share things you don’t and will never understand. We are the ones in this relationship and WE know it’s gonna last. WE know. And that’s enough. We don’t need to prove anything to you.”
“God, JC, get your head out of your ass already, why don’t you?” Justin smirked, not in the least intimidated by JC’s anger. “Lance and you? Please. You could do so much better. What is Lance compared to the thousands of screaming guys lusting after you each day? He isn’t half the man most of them are! Can’t you see he’s just playing you? One day, he’ll-“
With a low growl that cut Justin off in mid-sentence, JC lunged at the younger man. He grabbed Justin’s collar and shook the shocked youngster furiously, his words laced with venom and rage, “Don’t. You. EVER. Talk. About. Lance. That. Way.”
JC’s words were clipped and even and Justin knew the brunette meant business. “Do you understand me?”
Justin nodded quickly and scrambled to his feet as soon as JC stood up. With a last furtive glance at JC, Justin ran from the room, his heart still pounding wildly in his chest.
Lance entered the room to his and JC’s suite as quietly as he could, rolling his neck and trying to get the stress out of his system, glad to be ‘home’. He smiled when he saw JC reading on the bed they shared, the lamp on his bedside table switched on.
Lance loosened his tie and dropped his jacket onto a couch. “Rough day?” he asked his lover when he saw the tired frown creasing JC’s usually smiling features.
JC moaned when Lance slipped his arms around the older man’s neck and kissed his cheek. “Like hell. I missed you."
"Yep," Lance chuckled throatily. "Damn FreeLance meetings."
JC knew there was an understanding smile on Lance’s face as he maneuvered the blond around his body to meet Lance’s green eyes. “Justin again?” Lance asked softly, his work conveniently forgotten.
JC winced at the name before nodding slowly. He managed a small smile. Lance gave JC a quick kiss on the lips. “Tell me.”
JC shook his head, “It… nah… it’s nothing.”
Lance forced JC to look him in the eye. His gaze sent unnerving chills down JC’s spine. “Josh, you’re never upset over nothing,” Lance stated matter-of-factly, his voice low and concerned.
JC just shook his head again and looked away. A frown creased Lance’s forehead as he brought JC’s lips to his. Steel blue eyes met sea-green ones. Lance tilted his head and JC knew he was going to cave any minute. But he couldn’t. He didn’t want to upset Lance.
“It’s nothing, Lance. Really.”
“It’s just us Josh,” Lance said softly, stroking his lover’s cheek. “You don’t have to be afraid of anything. Tell me.”
Lance eyed the brunette carefully when JC shook his head and shrugged. Lance gave him a look of utter disbelief and raised a questioning eyebrow. JC finally gave in. “Justin just said some stuff, that’s all.”
“Like what?” Lance probed.
JC swallowed with difficulty, trying not to meet Lance’s eyes. But that was impossible. Lance would just shift slightly so that JC HAD to meet his gaze, HAD to be completely honest. “We… we have to keep… um, keep AWAY from each other… you know, throughout the videos… the tour… the… the concerts… anywhere public.”
A confused look crossed Lance’s face before it hardened into a mask of anger. “Who said that… and why?” Lance’s voice was deathly calm and JC knew that was a bad sign.
“Justin… but he said it was a group decision. And… he said the fans wouldn’t be able to accept… accept US.” Even as the first word came from his mouth, JC hated himself. Why am I so weak? WHY? I shouldn’t tell Lance ANY of this. He… oh god, why didn’t I just keep my big mouth shut?
“There’s something else. What is it?”
JC bit his lip nervously. Lance could read him like a book and at times like these, JC wondered if that was a good or bad thing. He gulped, before clearing his throat and saying, in a hoarse tone, “He said… that we would never last… that it was impossible between us… and he said… he said that you were just… playing me.”
Lance’s eyes widened in shock before he pushed away from JC and paced the floor. Tense silence passed between the two and it was an uneasy ten minutes later that Lance looked up, straight at JC.
What shocked JC the most were the tears glistening in the depths of those honest green eyes.
“Do you believe him?”
Lance’s breathing was ragged and JC hardly recognized the voice coming from his lover. “No,” JC answered, without any trace of hesitation or doubt. “No I don’t.”
With a watery smile, Lance dove into his lover’s arms, sobbing hysterically. “God, I was so scared,” Lance whispered, his tears staining JC’s wife beater. “I thought… do you know how hard it would have been if you had told me… that you believed Justin? Christ, Josh, I don’t know what I’d do without you. You’re my sanity. I don’t want to lose this… this feeling… this security... this LOVE. I don’t want to lose YOU.”
“You won’t,” JC promised, holding back his own tears and keeping Lance in his warm embrace. “You won’t.”
“Okay, let’s take it from the top you guys.”
Lance sighed and glanced at JC, who was looking as depressed and exhausted as Lance felt. “Why can’t this just be over already?” Lance muttered, almost groaning when Justin bounced up to him.
“Hey Lance!” Justin’s voice was as chirpy as Lance’s was dull and right then, the blond just wasn’t in any mood to get into an argument with Justin, who was running a confident hand over his shaven head.
“What, Justin?”
Justin rolled his eyes. “Wow, could you be any happier to see me?”
“Well, maybe I don’t appreciate being backstabbed!”
Justin looked like he was about to retort, but thought better of it. “Okay, fine. For whatever I said yesterday, I apologize. I wasn’t thinking straight, all right?” Lance looked hesitant to accept Justin’s outstretched hand but that didn’t deter Justin. “C’mon Scoop, you know I didn’t mean it.”
Lance just smiled coldly and walked away. Justin shrugged as he watched the blond leave, before turning back to the cameramen and discussing the video for ‘Gone’.
JC sneaked a quick look at Lance. The blond looked tired, as if he was sick of staring at a camera after fifteen hours of filming. After all, who wouldn’t be? Usually, they’d be snuggled together under the warm covers of their blankets at that time of night.
But nooo, Justin had to spoil it all. It was always ‘there’s something not quite right’ or ‘Can we take that part again?’. JC pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed softly when he heard Justin’s voice ring loud and clear, “Let’s take it from da top, y’all.”
As Justin launched into the song, JC couldn’t help rolling his eyes. He didn’t even know why they had to be on the set. The whole song practically revolved solely around Justin anyway. They got, what, ten seconds of camera? Why didn’t Justin just eliminate them from the whole video then?
“Gone,” JC chorused with the rest of N’sync, as the camera came to focus on them. Forcing himself to look away from Lance, JC tried to keep his face nonchalant as they sang the few words assigned to them.
As soon as the camera was off him, however, JC turned his full attention to Lance, marveling as the young man sang. His deep bass never failed to impress JC, and the brunette felt himself falling for his boyfriend all over again.
The camera shifted back to Justin and Lance smiled at JC, relief evident in his eyes. “I can’t wait till this is over,” he mouthed.
JC smiled in reply.
The set of ‘Pop’ was no better. Practically everything was concentrated on Justin. AGAIN. Sure, JC got a part this time, but only because Jive had insisted that a single couldn’t be totally Justin-based, or they would lose a lot of fans. That statement had made Lance smile.
But now, Lance was frowning. JC was being felt up by girls he didn’t even know. It was obvious to Lance that his boyfriend wasn’t enjoying himself one bit. Lance sighed. Sometimes it was hard to believe how much they sacrificed for the sake of their music.
When they sang the chorus of ‘Pop’ on stage, Lance and JC were kept at the opposite ends of the stage, as they were in ‘Gone’. Lance knew that ‘Joey’ was supposedly stationed next to him, and he had to admit, Wade was doing a pretty good job of dancing, but that would fire off more rumors about himself and Joey. Lance was NOT looking forward to that.
Sometimes he wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Fans thought that he and JOEY were together. JOEY! His best friend! Well, next to JC, of course. But still… Lance didn’t understand it. Wasn’t the love in his eyes so apparent every time he stood next to JC?
It probably was, since so many of their photos couldn’t be released because of the ‘love sick’ way he and his boyfriend looked at each other in them. Lance sighed but plastered a smile on his face as they launched into their given lines. He sang with all his heart, but his spirits fell as soon as the camera shifted from him and he was free to look at JC.
JC. He was not taking it well. Lance could see it in the defeated look in his boyfriend’s eyes. But finally, the cameramen shouted ‘cut’ and Lance didn’t think he had ever been as happy to hear that word.
“Missed you,” JC murmured softly, as he rested his head on Lance’s shoulder wearily.
Lance smiled, “You were with me the whole day.”
“No I wasn’t.” JC pointed out. “I couldn’t even LOOK at you.” JC added sleepily, “Today sucked.”
Lance nodded and dropped a tender kiss on JC’s forehead. “But we don’t have to keep our distance anymore, Josh. Not anymore.”
JC opened his sleep-clouded eyes for a few seconds to gaze into Lance’s sparkling emerald ones. “And… no more girls?” he asked in a fearful tone, looking around the limousine which was completely empty save the two of them and the chauffeur.
Lance laughed. JC was always irresistibly cute whenever he was sleepy. “No more girls, babe.” Lance whispered softly, nuzzling his cheek against JC’s and smiling when the brunette gave a quiet, contented sigh and silently slid his eyelids shut.
“It’s just us,” Lance smiled down at his sleeping boyfriend. “No more girls, no more Justin, no more distances. Just us.”
-fin-
Just Us
Author’s note: I don’t know if JC and Lance really kept or are keeping their supposed ‘distance’ during the concerts and stuff, but it sounded right, so I thought what the hell? Anyway, this short was sparked off by watching ‘Gone’, ‘Pop’ and ‘Girlfriend’ a few times too many. It didn’t help that all the singles were JUSTIN’S damn songs either.
“WHAT?! Why?”
“JC, you know we can’t afford to slip-up. If anyone, and I mean, anyone, notices the looks you and Lance share… well, we’ll be in serious trouble, dude! I mean, we’re okay with it, honestly! But the fans… well, how do you expect twelve-year-olds to accept homosexuality?”
“You… but it’s not fair. It’s not fair to either of us, Justin,” JC let out his breath in a rush and ran an exasperated hand through his hair. “You can’t make us do this just to save a few fans!”
“They’re not a FEW fans, JC! God, why can’t you understand that?” Justin yelled, clenching and unclenching his fists, which were stiffly at his side. “This could change EVERYTHING!”
“It IS about you, isn’t it?” Realization dawned on JC and his eyes widened. “Oh god, you’re just worried about YOUR fame, about YOUR popularity, about YOUR reputation! God, Justin!”
“It’s not just me, JC. This was a group decision,” Justin’s voice was low when he spoke.
“Then that just means you’re ALL against us, doesn’t it?” JC hissed, his tone matching Justin’s.
“No, it doesn’t. You’re overreacting, JC. Why can’t you see what we all can? This relationship won’t last, Jace. You and Lance… it’s impossible. Why can’t you just accept that, for crying out loud!”
“Because, Justin,” JC replied through gritted teeth, his eye blazing with fury, “we share things you don’t and will never understand. We are the ones in this relationship and WE know it’s gonna last. WE know. And that’s enough. We don’t need to prove anything to you.”
“God, JC, get your head out of your ass already, why don’t you?” Justin smirked, not in the least intimidated by JC’s anger. “Lance and you? Please. You could do so much better. What is Lance compared to the thousands of screaming guys lusting after you each day? He isn’t half the man most of them are! Can’t you see he’s just playing you? One day, he’ll-“
With a low growl that cut Justin off in mid-sentence, JC lunged at the younger man. He grabbed Justin’s collar and shook the shocked youngster furiously, his words laced with venom and rage, “Don’t. You. EVER. Talk. About. Lance. That. Way.”
JC’s words were clipped and even and Justin knew the brunette meant business. “Do you understand me?”
Justin nodded quickly and scrambled to his feet as soon as JC stood up. With a last furtive glance at JC, Justin ran from the room, his heart still pounding wildly in his chest.
Lance entered the room to his and JC’s suite as quietly as he could, rolling his neck and trying to get the stress out of his system, glad to be ‘home’. He smiled when he saw JC reading on the bed they shared, the lamp on his bedside table switched on.
Lance loosened his tie and dropped his jacket onto a couch. “Rough day?” he asked his lover when he saw the tired frown creasing JC’s usually smiling features.
JC moaned when Lance slipped his arms around the older man’s neck and kissed his cheek. “Like hell. I missed you."
"Yep," Lance chuckled throatily. "Damn FreeLance meetings."
JC knew there was an understanding smile on Lance’s face as he maneuvered the blond around his body to meet Lance’s green eyes. “Justin again?” Lance asked softly, his work conveniently forgotten.
JC winced at the name before nodding slowly. He managed a small smile. Lance gave JC a quick kiss on the lips. “Tell me.”
JC shook his head, “It… nah… it’s nothing.”
Lance forced JC to look him in the eye. His gaze sent unnerving chills down JC’s spine. “Josh, you’re never upset over nothing,” Lance stated matter-of-factly, his voice low and concerned.
JC just shook his head again and looked away. A frown creased Lance’s forehead as he brought JC’s lips to his. Steel blue eyes met sea-green ones. Lance tilted his head and JC knew he was going to cave any minute. But he couldn’t. He didn’t want to upset Lance.
“It’s nothing, Lance. Really.”
“It’s just us Josh,” Lance said softly, stroking his lover’s cheek. “You don’t have to be afraid of anything. Tell me.”
Lance eyed the brunette carefully when JC shook his head and shrugged. Lance gave him a look of utter disbelief and raised a questioning eyebrow. JC finally gave in. “Justin just said some stuff, that’s all.”
“Like what?” Lance probed.
JC swallowed with difficulty, trying not to meet Lance’s eyes. But that was impossible. Lance would just shift slightly so that JC HAD to meet his gaze, HAD to be completely honest. “We… we have to keep… um, keep AWAY from each other… you know, throughout the videos… the tour… the… the concerts… anywhere public.”
A confused look crossed Lance’s face before it hardened into a mask of anger. “Who said that… and why?” Lance’s voice was deathly calm and JC knew that was a bad sign.
“Justin… but he said it was a group decision. And… he said the fans wouldn’t be able to accept… accept US.” Even as the first word came from his mouth, JC hated himself. Why am I so weak? WHY? I shouldn’t tell Lance ANY of this. He… oh god, why didn’t I just keep my big mouth shut?
“There’s something else. What is it?”
JC bit his lip nervously. Lance could read him like a book and at times like these, JC wondered if that was a good or bad thing. He gulped, before clearing his throat and saying, in a hoarse tone, “He said… that we would never last… that it was impossible between us… and he said… he said that you were just… playing me.”
Lance’s eyes widened in shock before he pushed away from JC and paced the floor. Tense silence passed between the two and it was an uneasy ten minutes later that Lance looked up, straight at JC.
What shocked JC the most were the tears glistening in the depths of those honest green eyes.
“Do you believe him?”
Lance’s breathing was ragged and JC hardly recognized the voice coming from his lover. “No,” JC answered, without any trace of hesitation or doubt. “No I don’t.”
With a watery smile, Lance dove into his lover’s arms, sobbing hysterically. “God, I was so scared,” Lance whispered, his tears staining JC’s wife beater. “I thought… do you know how hard it would have been if you had told me… that you believed Justin? Christ, Josh, I don’t know what I’d do without you. You’re my sanity. I don’t want to lose this… this feeling… this security... this LOVE. I don’t want to lose YOU.”
“You won’t,” JC promised, holding back his own tears and keeping Lance in his warm embrace. “You won’t.”
“Okay, let’s take it from the top you guys.”
Lance sighed and glanced at JC, who was looking as depressed and exhausted as Lance felt. “Why can’t this just be over already?” Lance muttered, almost groaning when Justin bounced up to him.
“Hey Lance!” Justin’s voice was as chirpy as Lance’s was dull and right then, the blond just wasn’t in any mood to get into an argument with Justin, who was running a confident hand over his shaven head.
“What, Justin?”
Justin rolled his eyes. “Wow, could you be any happier to see me?”
“Well, maybe I don’t appreciate being backstabbed!”
Justin looked like he was about to retort, but thought better of it. “Okay, fine. For whatever I said yesterday, I apologize. I wasn’t thinking straight, all right?” Lance looked hesitant to accept Justin’s outstretched hand but that didn’t deter Justin. “C’mon Scoop, you know I didn’t mean it.”
Lance just smiled coldly and walked away. Justin shrugged as he watched the blond leave, before turning back to the cameramen and discussing the video for ‘Gone’.
JC sneaked a quick look at Lance. The blond looked tired, as if he was sick of staring at a camera after fifteen hours of filming. After all, who wouldn’t be? Usually, they’d be snuggled together under the warm covers of their blankets at that time of night.
But nooo, Justin had to spoil it all. It was always ‘there’s something not quite right’ or ‘Can we take that part again?’. JC pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed softly when he heard Justin’s voice ring loud and clear, “Let’s take it from da top, y’all.”
As Justin launched into the song, JC couldn’t help rolling his eyes. He didn’t even know why they had to be on the set. The whole song practically revolved solely around Justin anyway. They got, what, ten seconds of camera? Why didn’t Justin just eliminate them from the whole video then?
“Gone,” JC chorused with the rest of N’sync, as the camera came to focus on them. Forcing himself to look away from Lance, JC tried to keep his face nonchalant as they sang the few words assigned to them.
As soon as the camera was off him, however, JC turned his full attention to Lance, marveling as the young man sang. His deep bass never failed to impress JC, and the brunette felt himself falling for his boyfriend all over again.
The camera shifted back to Justin and Lance smiled at JC, relief evident in his eyes. “I can’t wait till this is over,” he mouthed.
JC smiled in reply.
The set of ‘Pop’ was no better. Practically everything was concentrated on Justin. AGAIN. Sure, JC got a part this time, but only because Jive had insisted that a single couldn’t be totally Justin-based, or they would lose a lot of fans. That statement had made Lance smile.
But now, Lance was frowning. JC was being felt up by girls he didn’t even know. It was obvious to Lance that his boyfriend wasn’t enjoying himself one bit. Lance sighed. Sometimes it was hard to believe how much they sacrificed for the sake of their music.
When they sang the chorus of ‘Pop’ on stage, Lance and JC were kept at the opposite ends of the stage, as they were in ‘Gone’. Lance knew that ‘Joey’ was supposedly stationed next to him, and he had to admit, Wade was doing a pretty good job of dancing, but that would fire off more rumors about himself and Joey. Lance was NOT looking forward to that.
Sometimes he wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Fans thought that he and JOEY were together. JOEY! His best friend! Well, next to JC, of course. But still… Lance didn’t understand it. Wasn’t the love in his eyes so apparent every time he stood next to JC?
It probably was, since so many of their photos couldn’t be released because of the ‘love sick’ way he and his boyfriend looked at each other in them. Lance sighed but plastered a smile on his face as they launched into their given lines. He sang with all his heart, but his spirits fell as soon as the camera shifted from him and he was free to look at JC.
JC. He was not taking it well. Lance could see it in the defeated look in his boyfriend’s eyes. But finally, the cameramen shouted ‘cut’ and Lance didn’t think he had ever been as happy to hear that word.
“Missed you,” JC murmured softly, as he rested his head on Lance’s shoulder wearily.
Lance smiled, “You were with me the whole day.”
“No I wasn’t.” JC pointed out. “I couldn’t even LOOK at you.” JC added sleepily, “Today sucked.”
Lance nodded and dropped a tender kiss on JC’s forehead. “But we don’t have to keep our distance anymore, Josh. Not anymore.”
JC opened his sleep-clouded eyes for a few seconds to gaze into Lance’s sparkling emerald ones. “And… no more girls?” he asked in a fearful tone, looking around the limousine which was completely empty save the two of them and the chauffeur.
Lance laughed. JC was always irresistibly cute whenever he was sleepy. “No more girls, babe.” Lance whispered softly, nuzzling his cheek against JC’s and smiling when the brunette gave a quiet, contented sigh and silently slid his eyelids shut.
“It’s just us,” Lance smiled down at his sleeping boyfriend. “No more girls, no more Justin, no more distances. Just us.”
-fin-
