Devotion Chapter Fifteen: Role Reversal
Disclaimer: It's two in the morning. I can't think of anything clever to say right now except "Don't drink a cappuccino at eleven at night if you plan on getting to bed any time before three." That and "I know nothing about *NSYNC." Wait, so how am I writing this?
The ride back to the hotel passed without either Justin or JC saying a word. After JC paid the cabby, the two members of *NSYNC made their way back into the hotel and up to the floor they were staying on. It was already after one, so they went straight over to Lance's room. Lance let them in. "How was lunch?" He asked with a wide grin. "I didn't eat anything," JC replied, sounding distant. His mind was elsewhere. "Just got some coffee." "What about Curly, here?" Chris inquired with a laugh. "I bet he cleaned the place out." "Actually, I didn't get anything at all," Justin replied honestly. "What?" the twenty-eight year old teased. "Too busy staring into Jos-er, JC's eyes?" Justin was about to reply when JC cut him off. "Actually there was this one really good-looking waitress," he began, but this time Justin interrupted. "Yeah," he agreed. "She was beautiful." Lance noticed the shadow that seemed to pass over JC's face as the nineteen year-old responded. He glanced at Chris and saw that the older man had caught it, too. "But," Justin continued. "She's not really my type." "And just what would that be?" Joey asked, laughing. "Since `beautiful' doesn't float your boat." "Well," Justin explained, casting a glance in JC's direction. "She had brown eyes and I prefer blue." "Picky, picky!" Chris clucked. "You'll never get a woman that way, Curly." "I know," the blonde replied. Lance, Chris, and Joey exchanged knowing looks. "Is there something you're trying to tell us?" Joey prompted the nineteen year-old. Lance and Chris glared at him. Lance, who was standing right next to the New Yorker quietly hissed, "Don't be so obvious, Joey!" "Sorry," he mumbled back. "I was just trying to help!" Lance chuckled an patted his distraught bandmate on the back. "It's okay, Joe. Just next time, let me do the talking." Joey glared at him, but when he saw the younger man's smile, he quickly smiled, too. "Well," Chris cut in. "I think we'd better get going." "Oh my gosh, it's already one-thirty!" Lance exclaimed. "We've got to get out of here!" The oldest member of *NSYNC sighed. "No one listens to me," he muttered dejectedly. "You say something, Chris?" Lance joked. "No? Okay then, let's go!" "Ha. Ha," Chris replied sarcastically. The five men then made their way downstairs and out to a waiting limo with Lance, Joey, Chris, and Justin making small talk. JC remained uncharacteristically quiet. JC was the first to enter the limo, sliding all the way into a corner. Lance, Joey, and Chris followed, none of them taking the open seat next to the twenty-four year-old. Justin was the last one to get in; he moved so that he was sitting right up against JC. "Josh," he purred, placing a hand on the older man's thigh. "Would you sing for me?" "Wh-what?" JC sputtered, clearly not expecting the nineteen year-old to request such a thing. "Please?" Justin implored, running his hand further up his bandmate's leg. JC looked at the younger man, gazing deep into his pleading blue eyes, and sighed. "What would you like me to sing?" He asked, defeated before he had even put up a fight. Justin smiled at him innocently, but there was a sly twinkle in his eyes. "`This I Promise You,'" he replied. "I sang it for you last night when you were drunk," the blonde added, his hand coming to rest on the older man's upper thigh. JC swallowed, trying to ignore his bandmate's hand. "S-sure," he replied nervously. Lance and Chris glanced at each other. "What's going on?" Lance mouthed to the twenty-eight year-old. Chris simply shrugged. Joey missed the entire interaction. He was too busy watching the other two members of *NSYNC. JC cleared his throat. "Would you like me to sing the entire thing, or come in when I usually do?" Justin slowly dragged his hand across the older man's lap until he reached JC's hand. Gently intertwining their fingers, Justin whispered, "How about we make it a duet?" JC began to blush furiously. Lance and Chris looked at him questioningly, having missed the movement of Justin's hand. Joey tried not to laugh, but a few giggles escaped. A few moments passed with no one speaking; Lance and Chris were trying to figure out what was going on, Joey was trying not to laugh any louder, JC was trying to calm down, and Justin was patiently waiting for JC's response, gazing intently up at the older man, his grip on the brunette's hand tightening. Finally, much of his usual composure regained, JC spoke. "A duet it is, then. You lead." Justin smiled warmly. "Thank you so much, Josh," he whispered, leaning up to kiss the other man on the cheek. JC blushed again. Suddenly, Chris began to laugh. He couldn't help himself. The situation was just so ironic, with the way Justin and JC seemed to have switched roles. Lance looked at the oldest member of *NSYNC sharply. What was Chris thinking, laughing at a time like this?! Glaring at the twenty-eight year-old, Lance folded his arms across his chest and cleared his throat loudly in a disapproving manner. "Sorry," Chris giggled, trying to contain himself. "I just-" Deciding that it would be best for him to not say anything, he stopped there. Ignoring him, JC was about to begin warming up when the door to the limo opened. Standing there was Darren, his arms folded across his chest. "You're late," he informed them. "The dancers are here and have been practicing for three hours," he continued, walking the five men to the dance studio. "They all know the dance; I've been working with them for some time now." "Why?" Chris asked, confused. "We hadn't decided to have dancers until yesterday." Darren laughed. "Joey had told me that you guys were definitely going to do a big number with lots of back up dancers, so I worked something out weeks ago." Everyone turned to Joey, who shrugged, a sheepish grin on his face. "Um, whoops. Did I forget to mention that?" Everyone groaned. "You'll never change, Joey," Lance laughed, patting the older man on the back. "Yeah," the New Yorker agreed. "But you wouldn't want me to, now would you?" /Maybe a little,/ Lance admitted to himself. Then, smiling up at his friend he replied, "Well, not *all* that much." Joey laughed in response, and the two turned their attention back to what Darren was saying. "Okay, this is the room we'll be using today. Let's get to work!" the young choreographer exclaimed. The six young men entered the dance studio and began to stretch and warm up with basic dance moves. Suddenly, Justin let out a yelp. "You all right?" Darren, who was working with Lance on a move the second youngest member of *NSYNC had been worried about, inquired. "Yeah, I'm just sort of sore in my shoulder," the blonde replied, rubbing the spot. "Well, you'd better fix that quickly," Darren told the nineteen year-old sternly. "You've got a lot of dancing to do." After a moment, he added, "Wait, JC? Don't you know how to give massages? I'd do it, but Lance and I need to work through this before he can move on." Lance blushed in embarrassment, and Joey and Chris laughed good naturally at the Mississippian. Justin smiled in satisfaction. Looking over at his best friend, he smiled sweetly and asked, "Would you, Josh?" JC sighed. He'd just told the younger man that he wanted their relationship to remain the same. What was Justin doing? Why was he making this so difficult? "Sure, why not?" the twenty-four year-old muttered. /Why not?/ echoed through his mind mockingly. /Why not put yourself through more torture?/ "Thanks so much," Justin said happily, walking over to the older man. "You're such a sweetie, Josh." Darren raised an eyebrow at the nineteen year-old. "Isn't that supposed to be JC's line?" He muttered to Lance, who laughed. But the Mississippian had seen it, too; the way JC and Justin were acting differently ever since they returned to lunch. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he was going to be sure to find out!What can I say, it just seemed like a good place to end. Sixteen's not written yet, but by the time this is actually posted, it should be! Feel free to write me, I really love feedback!! Thanks! -Angel1313 ^_^