This is the second story in the thematic series which begins with Rhys' Joey Deflowers The Boy. I apologize for my flamboyant use of italics. also, for my lazy lack of research into, like-- names of clubs in Orlando, the day on which Justin's birthday falls, names of esoteric house trance bands, etc. annnd. yeah.
JC Deflowers The Boy
He'd thought Justin was talking about the new Teststripe CD that was due out in a month, which they had talked about and looked forward to very much. It was the only thing he could figure, though it'd seemed strange-- when Johnny had clapped Justin on the back and said, "The big two-one, huh?" and Joey and Chris had started talking about all the varieties of alcohol they were going to pour down his throat, and Justin slanted his gaze and said, "I know what JC's getting me." JC had nodded because . . yeah, okay. They had talked about that one CD.
It'd been strange.***
Lance sat down, looking concerned. Rather, he looked casually curious, sitting down across from JC, which meant that he was concerned. Lance's face never looked like he really felt. He asked casually, "What are you going to do for Justin's birthday?"
JC looked up from the magazine. "well, I talked-- the new Teststripe CD isn't coming out until February 5th, but I talked to Mike and he thinks he can get me an advanced copy. So, and. I think we're all supposed to get him some kind of liquor."
Lance hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah, but I mean, what are you and he going to do?"
JC frowned. "We just. There's gonna be a party."
"Are you going to. after the party?" Lance asked.
JC felt his forehead scrunch up. "what?"
Lance sat back in his chair, started tapping his fingers against the chair-arm. "Okay. Yeah, um-- JC, I think you need to know that Justin thinks that, y'all,"
"oh!" JC said. "yeah, god, I'm stupid. Yeah, we're gonna do that after the party."
Lance said, "yeah?"
"Yeah. I think we all are."
Lance lifted an eyebrow. "umm."
"We did the same thing when you turned twenty-one. We had the party, and then we all went out and got wasted."
"No," Lance said. He sighed. "Okay. Did you ever, have a talk with Justin? about his birthday."
"--we talked about the CD."
"No, I mean, a long time ago. Did you talk about his twenty-first birthday."
JC blinked. "Twenty-one is the legal drinking age."
"Yeah, JC-- I know. What else can Justin do when he turns twenty-one?"
"um."
"He can sleep,"
"He can sleep?"
"with."
" . . hookers?"
"You, JC. He can sleep with you."
He blinked again. "what?"
Lance pushed back his chair and stood up. "You told Justin, when we were first in Germany and he had that crush on you, you told him that he was too young. remember? And he got upset, and you said, when he turned twenty-one, y'all could do stuff."
JC stood up, too. "But. jesus, Lance, that was five years ago."
"Yeah, well, Justin remembers."
"But, jesus. No, I think. We talked about the CD."
"I'm telling you-- come next week, Justin is expecting heavy JC-action."
"but. I don't think so."
"He is."
JC shook his head, his voice was riding high. "He can't be. We can't, do that. that was five years ago."
"So does that mean you're not going to?"
"Sleep with him?"
"Yeah."
"Lance, it's Justin. I'm not, I don't. I can't."
"I think you need to tell him before his birthday, then."
JC looked around the room, went back to his chair, sat down heavily. "what?"
"You need to let him know that what he thinks is gonna happen, isn't going to happen."
"Yeah, Lance. I'll just go find him in the gym and say, 'by the way, no sex on Thursday.'" JC's eyes went wide again, and he added, "sex with me."
Lance shrugged. "I'm tellin' you. Don't wait 'til his birthday. There'll be trouble."***
JC found Justin in the gym. He was working out, the ribbed white of his tank surfing his working stomach. JC grimaced. He said,
"Hey, man. you, uh. You excited about your birthday?"
Justin laughed a little, but he was laying on his back, pushing up on the weighted bar, so it sounded more like a grunt. He said, "yeah."
"yeah, um. Hey, I was thinking, after the party--" Justin put the barbell down, looked up at JC in interest. He was grinning. "--I was thinking we could all go to that club you liked, um, Pogo. It'd be great. You could walk right in."
"I walked right in last time."
"yeah, but. Now you'd be twenty-one. You could show them your ID."
Justin nodded. "Okay. What about after that?"
"well. Maybe after that, we could all go. down to Toyland. The putt-putt course stays open all night, and so do the batting cages."
Justin lifted an eyebrow. "okay. After that?"
"I." JC shrugged helplessly. "Justin, we can't have sex."
Justin said, "what?"
"oh, shit," JC thought, and he took a step back. "uhh. I mean--"
Justin stood up, the sweat towel slipped off of his shoulder. "You promised."
"--That was five years ago, Justin."
"Yeah-- and you knew when you said it that it was gonna be five years. There is no fucking way you're backing out of this, man."
"No, man-- there's no fucking way you and I are going to, go there."
"oh, oh I don't believe this. no way." Justin picked the towel up, bunched it, threw it across the room. "You were never, you told me-- and years . . do you have any fucking idea how many guys I coulda been with if I hadn't been-- fuckin' saving myself for you?"
JC's eyes widened. "You were, what." His voice shrank. "waiting?"
"I told you I was gonna wait."
"that was--"
"Five years ago."
"So you're still. You're still a virgin?"
"With guys, yeah."
"jesus. I didn't think,"
Justin said, "Scott and Tommy, JC. The twins. Kobe Bryant, that really hot Korean guy in wardrobe. Fuckin' Craig David, JC."
"Craig David? Really?"
"Yeah. At that party after the VMAs. I was like, sorry, man, call me when I'm twenty-one. after I'm twenty-one. 'Cause this guy I know isn't such a pussy-ass loser that he'd back out on a promise he made, no matter how long ago it was, even if he never fuckin' meant it."
"Justin, it's not that I. Justin." They were silent for a long moment, and then JC said, "Justin--" Justin met his gaze hard, and eventually JC's eyes dropped. "Yeah, okay. jesus. Okay."
Justin said, "yeah?"
JC took a deep breath. "Yeah."
"--Are we still gonna do putt-putt?"
"um, if you wanna."
Justin smiled. "Cool."***
JC thought it was weird that as uncontainable as Chris was, he spent his time off doing the same things he did while he was on tour-- but he found him in his living room, in front of the Playstation, bottom lip knotted between his teeth. JC sat down next to him, cross-legged on the floor. He said, "hey."
Chris jerked his controller sharply to the left. He said, "my thing is jacked."
"what?"
"My shooter guy."
"oh."
Chris struggled through a few more screens before shutting off the game with a sigh. He turned to JC and said, "What's up?"
JC pursed his lips. "I need to talk to you. about Justin."
"--okay, if you got him that monkey robot toy, I'm kicking your ass. I called that present months ago."
"No, I'm not. this isn't. I need to talk to you about, sleeping. Me sleeping. with. see." JC gulped a breath. "I'm having sex with Justin on Thursday."
Chris blinked.
"I thought you were getting him the Teststripe CD."
"I am. --jesus, Chris, the sex isn't his birthday present."
He stood and offered JC a hand up, and after a moment, he nodded. He said, "What is it, then?"
A pained look crossed JC's face. "I don't know."
They walked into the kitchen, Chris fished two beers out of the fridge, gave one to JC. He said, "uh, okay. Why are you having sex with Justin?"
It was a pretty sensible question. JC popped open the beer, took a sip, grimaced. Took another sip and sighed. "I told him I would."
"Were you drunk?"
"No," said JC. He'd been completely caught off-guard and terrified, but he'd been sober as stone. Over-warm and flushed with dancing, and Justin's skin had shone with the same.
"Was he drunk?"
"No."
"And you told him you'd have sex with him."
"I told him we could pursue a, thing. a sexy sex thing. When he turned twenty-one."
"And now he's turnin' twenty-one. On Thursday."
"yeah."
"Well, there you go."
"what, but. Wait." Chris had turned back to his refrigerator in apparent approval, rummaging, and JC shook his head. "Don't you think this is-- you're not worried about us, like. messing up the group dynamic?"
Chris withdrew a piece of pizza from a cardboard box on the bottom level and offered JC half. JC shook his head again.
Chris said, "Maybe this kinda thing is a bad idea, but, y'know. Things happen. Not doing stuff will affect stuff, too."
JC frowned. Chris patted his shoulder. "Affecting stuff isn't necessarily bad." He grinned suddenly. "And besides, you'll get to deflower the Boy. That'll be cool."
JC's eyes widened. "it's Justin."
"Until Thursday. Then it'll be--" he lowered his voice, made it breathy and moany-- "oh, Justin, oh, oh, baaaybee. Justin." JC reddened, slapped Chris' arm, but he laughed. "god, you're totally no help at all." Chris smiled, and JC added soberly, "you really don't think this is weird? like, at all?"
Chris chewed thoughtfully on his pizza for a moment, and then said, "Do you think you can get it up for Justin?"
JC looked down at this feet scuffling against the linoleum floor. He laughed a little. "uh, yeah. That's not. not gonna be a problem."
"And he's got five years worth of build-up for your sweet Chasez ass. So. Y'all are both hot for it, and you're friends, and it's not weird."
"But what about the whole--, y'know-- 'these guys are my brothers' and all that?"
Chris took a swig of his beer, considered, and said, "You're right. You're a total perv."
JC sighed.***
There were people over at Joey's house when JC got there, and Joey opened the door and music spilled out, and JC tugged on his arm, out onto the front porch.
"C, man," Joey said, "what's up?"
"I didn't want you to feel like, that there was stuff you didn't know."
"You gotta come in and meet this one lady. She's a fire-eater. like, for circuses."
"I'm gonna have sex with Justin."
Joey took the remaining steps out of the doorway and shut the door. "--unh?"
"I just came over to let you know. 'Cause, y'know, Chris and Lance both know, and if it came up later, I didn't want you to think that nobody was telling you. like."
"You're having sex with Justin?"
"Yeah. On Thursday."
"I thought you were getting him that CD."
JC rolled his eyes.
"I'm saying, Justin and I are, this is going to be something that Justin and I are doing. have done. Something that we do. fuck, I don't know. I just, I thought you should know. in case. I don't know." Some voice from inside the house called Joey's name. "so, I'll see you tomorrow." He turned to go, and Joey caught his arm.
"Hey, hey, hold up."
JC spun and threw his hands up. "see!! It's crazy! I can't have sex with Justin!"
Joey shook his head, like he was trying to hear. "Hold up, man. Is this about that stuff you told him at that party at the hotel in Amsterdam?"
JC dropped his hands. "You know about that?"
"Justin told me about it a couple years ago. I didn't figure you'd actually do it."
"No," JC said, snorted. "Neither did I."
"So, hey. C'mere," and he gestured to some patio furniture out on the lawn. They went and sat, and Joey said, "You're gonna have sex with Justin, and you're freaking out."
JC said, "I am freaking out. yes."
"'cause you don't have that for Justin?"
"No. I mean, no, yes-- I. Justin is." JC put his hand to his forehead. "Joey."
"yeah, you're definitely freaking out. Listen, it's an easy question: can you get it up for Justin?"
JC stood up, made an abortive move to pace away; bounced on the balls of his feet. "You and Chris say that like it's that simple."
Joey shrugged. "Maybe it is."
"but it's not! jesus, Joey--" JC sat, abruptly, leaned toward Joey with a voice of confession, and said, "I could've gotten it up for Justin when he was. five years ago. That didn't make it simple, or right."
"That's your freakout? Justin isn't fifteen anymore, C."
"I know!" said JC, standing again. "I know. I don't know."
"JC. Sit down. Breathe."
JC sat, leaned over, head in his hands. He said miserably, "I am breathing."
Joey said reassuringly, "You are breathing."
"I am breathing."
"Listen. You're not the same person you were five years ago, and neither is Justin. None of us is. And if there's something between you and Justin and you don't do anything, don't let anything happen, 'cause of, psychological whatever, then that's gonna jack you guys up just as much."
JC was still leaned over, elbows on knees, but his hands dangled and his face peered down at the grass thoughtfully. Joey's hand settled on his shoulder, and he added,
"Don't do anything with Justin if you think it's wrong. but decide if you do or don't think it's wrong, and then figure out why."
JC nodded slightly, and after a long moment of silence, he said, "yeah."
They sat without speaking for a minutes more, and then Joey withdrew his hand. He said, "y'know, I have a birthday coming up."
JC grinned weakly. "get in line, Romeo."***
There was a giant plaster polar bear. He was laughing at JC. So was Chris.
"jesus fuck, C, just hit the ball with the stick."
"shut the fuck up, man. This is the last shot. If we get it in his mouth, we get a free game."
Lance and Joey were pretty wasted, and they'd been snickering anytime JC said "mouth" all evening. also when he said "in" or "it" or "later" or "do". Chris was toasted, too, but he'd just put his arms around JC's and Justin's necks and say, "my boys, my boys." JC would push him off, would glare at Lance and Joey; but Justin-- who was relatively, surprisingly, sober-- would sling an arm around Chris' waist and they'd bounce around each other until JC said, "shh, I'm concentrating," and Justin would look up and meet his eyes. Then the golf club would melt in JC's hands and the ball would fly away; JC would look down and swing, and make the hole in about seven strokes. This kept happening. It was a very long putt-putt course.
Eventually, it was three in the morning, and no one got their ball into the polar bear's mouth, and Joey won by three strokes. and they were standing in the parking lot, and there was sudden silence as they looked at the two taxi's parked at the curb. Joey looked at JC and then at Justin-- and then Chris started making siren noises and running around, and he wordlessly ushered Lance and Joey into a taxi with himself and waved at JC and Justin and closed the door, and they sped away.
JC said, "um."
Justin grinned and opened the door of the remaining taxi. He shrugged. JC smiled back, and Justin's hand brushed his back as he climbed past him, into the car. Justin gave the driver JC's address and they sat quietly, they both gazed out of JC's window, and the city, and they didn't talk until Justin walked past JC into his living room and sat on his couch and said,
"I was thinkin'. You don't have to."
JC shut the door and leaned back against it. He said, "no, I know. Do--" He moved into the room. "Do you want something to drink?"
"nah, I'm good."
"You sure? I mean, I have-- I have, like, water and tea and stuff. You want a coke?"
Justin stood and looked at JC and said, "You don't have to."
"No, it's no trouble, I'll just go and get,"
Justin shook his head. "JC, stop. You don't have to."
JC breathed deep. He nodded. "No, like you said, I promised you, and--"
He moved over to JC, put his hands on JC's shoulders; tightened them sercurely around him when JC tried to pull away, and he touched his forehead to JC's. He said, "You don't have to." JC whispered, "I want to."
JC's hands snaked around Justin's waist and pulled, pulled in, and Justin's frame slid in; slick and humming-- he led them over to the couch and turned, pushed, JC collapsed down onto it. His hands skimmed restlessly over Justin's shoulders, his stomach, the seam of his jeans, and it seemed--
Justin sank into JC's lap, and it seemed impossible to JC-- young Justin; tall, menacing, laughing Justin-- nudging at JC's mouth with his own. It wasn't their first kiss, because JC let Justin kiss him way back when, when everything first came out, thirty seconds before JC completely freaked out and made big promises.
Justin said, "You don't have to," again, but he was smiling, because it was only to hear JC said, "I want to," again; and the heat of it, of Justin up against him, and his breath, and his voice, was all familiar. JC remembered it, from when it was a steady tide years ago, when they first came together in Florida, and then in Europe-- a consistent wash of Justin's gaze over him, the brush of Justin's hand, a treble between them-- which withdrew immediately, when JC asked it to. JC had said, wait, and Justin had nodded, had pulled it all into himself. The gaze had stopped, had turned into jokes, and the touches into brotherly comraderie, effortlessly, and JC had thought, that is that.
But Justin curved into JC on the couch, canopying him, straddling, chest against chest, mouth on mouth-- and JC realized that it hadn't cooled, but simmered, that when it had seemed like Justin stopped looking, stopped pressing in, years ago, he had only been waiting patiently. for this, and now the heat was back; was adult and consuming, and JC said,
"you don't," helplessly, head thrown back. "I."
and Justin tugged on the top button of JC's shirt and said, "I know."
-end-
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me