// a matter of time //

When JC realised he was in love with Joey, he thought it was probably best he kept it to himself. So he did, for all of two weeks until it all got too much and he had to tell someone. So he told Lance.

Lance glanced up from his laptop when he saw JC standing there, and then closed it once he saw the expression on JC's face. "What's up?" he asked, and JC told him.

"But Joey's straight," pointed out Lance, in what he probably thought was a helpful way.

"I know," sighed JC.

Lance really hadn't been much help at all.

***

JC figured he'd throw his heart and soul into songwriting, and maybe that would help him get over this...whatever it was. He'd tried to tell himself that it was just a silly infatuation, and that'd it'd pass after a while. It hadn't so far, but he was convinced it was only a matter of time. He started to look for things about Joey that bugged him. Like the way he left his stuff everywhere, and JC always tripped over it. That bugged him. Well...not really bugged him, because it was kind of cute, and Joey really just needed someone to look after him. No! thought JC, frowning. This is not helpful. At all. He's a slob. That's not cute.

Except he kinda really did think it was. So he picked up Joey's things and didn't complain and broke out in a silly grin when Joey looked up and said "Hey, thanks C. I was gonna do that later, but yeah. Cool."

And JC had to sit on his hands to stop himself from writing a song about how wonderful it all was.

***

Lance suggested it might be helpful if JC got a hobby. "A hobby besides mooning around after the straight guy," was actually what he'd said, and JC had called him a bitch, and Lance had sniffed and got all defensive and insisted he was only trying to help, and if JC was going to be ungrateful then maybe he shouldn't have bothered, so JC apologised, because Lance on a self-pity kick was really not much fun at all.

Lance arranged for the two of them to do a calligraphy course by mail. JC thought that it was a stupid idea, but he didn't want to upset Lance again, so he went along with it. For a week, the two of them sat side by side on the bus, pens poised as they intently studied the instructions and tried to re-create the fancy writing. There was even an instructional video, which was so boring JC fell asleep seven minutes into it, not waking up until Lance hit him hard and started shrieking about how he really wasn't taking this seriously enough. So JC made a huge effort to stay awake for the next hour by stabbing himself repeatedly in the hand with the nib of the calligraphy pen, just so Lance wouldn't yell at him again.

By the end of the week, JC was actually getting pretty good, making fancy swooping tails on all his Y's and G's, and adding little curls to his C's and S's, and he had to admit that maybe this idea of Lance's hadn't been so bad afterall.

But then Lance found the secret pile of paper where JC had written Joey's name over and over in delicate black ink, complete with swirly hearts and flowers twined around it, and he yelled at JC a lot, and the calligraphy course came to a sudden end.

JC was still kind of sad about that.

***

Justin seemed a little surprised when JC asked if maybe Britney had any friends who might like to go out with him.

"But...aren''t you...like...um....gay?" Justin whispered, looking a little off-balance.

"Well, yeah," replied JC. "But you know, I like to keep my options open."

So Justin had asked Britney, who'd giggled and thought it was cute that JC was wanting to date, like, a girl, and she'd fixed him up with the sister of one of her dancers, and the four of them all went to dinner together. JC was excited-- maybe this was just what he needed to keep his mind off, well, Joey. Yes, JC had decided, he had a good feeling about this. This would definitely help him forget about Joey. He spent a long time getting ready, picking out the perfect pink shirt, wearing a little less glitter than usual. He wanted to make a good impression, and Lance said too much glitter wasn't always a good thing, and JC figured Lance would know.

"Hi!" said the girl brightly, when she was introduced to JC. "I'm Joanna. But you can call me Joey."

It was all pretty much downhill from there.

***

Lance's next bright idea involved going out dancing a lot with Chris, at various clubs in whatever city they happened to be in at the time. Lance made one rule-- Joey wasn't allowed to come with them. At all, no matter what.  JC thought that was a stupid rule and said so, but Lance started shreiking again, so JC pouted a little, and Chris smacked the both of them upside the head and told them to stop being such high-strung bitches.

So JC got to wear lots of glitter and sparkly pink shirts and nice pants, which made him happy, especially because he got to do all that and dance with two of his very best friends until he was smiling and sweaty and exhausted in the best way. But he still felt sad because Joey wasn't there. Lance said maybe he'd meet someone nice at the clubs and even though JC tried, he couldn't help but compare all of them to Joey, and then he'd drink a little too much and end up maudlin in the corner, wanting to go home early.

When that happened, Lance wouldn't yell at him at all, but would leave with him, gently help him wash off all the glitter, and tuck him up in his bed and tell him it would all be better in the morning.

And eventually, JC began to believe him.

***

When JC got entangled in Joey's discarded boxer shorts for the fifth time in as many days and then picked them up and threw them out the window of the bus, he suddenly realised that whatever he'd once felt for Joey was vanishing as fast as the silky underwear that was now fluttering down the highway.

JC thought he should probably feel a little sad about that (and probably about the underwear too -- he vaguely recalled buying it for Joey) but then he realised that he didn't feel sad at all. Just kinda relieved, and like he was suddenly seeing things clearly for the first time in a long while.

***

When JC realised that he was in love with Lance, he thought it was probably best that he went and told him right away. So he did.

Lance looked up from his laptop when he saw JC standing there smiling at him. Then he closed it, and smiled back.

He looked at JC for so long that JC started to panic a little that maybe he'd read the situation wrong, like totally wrong, because, oh god -- what if Lance was straight? Surely no straight man could appreciate calligraphy and glitter like Lance did?

But then Lance stood up and walked over to JC and kissed him gently. "It's about time," he said.

And as JC kissed him back, he thought to himself that yes, it most definitely was.

[ feedback ] [ main fic index ] [ livejournal  ] [ randomness ]