| ++ TWO ++ |
| Lance stood under the hot spray of the shower, still wondering just why Justin appeared at his home, so close to the holidays no less. Christmas was the guys favorite time, and he always spent it with his family, especially easy for him since they all lived in the same home. He rubbed shampoo through his hair and shook his head, blinking water from his eyes. Justin had come out of the shower, not wanting to talk about whatever it was that bothered him. He just sat at the kitchen counter, munching on the food he'd brought, chatting about silly things, like who was on the TRL countdown. Lance knew better. Knowing one another for five years, touring constantly, spending 24 hours a day with each other had taught him a lot about Justin. He was avoiding the situation as only he could. Well, this shit was not going to fly. He liked having him about, but still. It had to be a major thing for him to drive so far. He cut off the water, and stepped out of the tub, wrapping a towel around his waist. Taking another towel, he rubbed it through his hair, using his forearm to wipe off the mirror. He stared at himself, and sighed. He was tired, and didn't feel like digging into Justin's psyche for answers, and what the hell was JC's problem? He grabbed his toothbrush and squirted some toothpaste on it. JC had been so willing to brush the whole thing off, concentrating instead on his fiery girlfriend and yet another arguement. "Lance?" The knock was so soft, even softer than Justin's voice floating in from the other side. "Yeah?" Lance asked, spitting into the sink. He reached over and pulled the door open. "What's up?" "I was just wondering. What are your plans for today? I mean, am I interuppting something?" The forlorn look in those blue eyes made Lance cringe. He hated when any of his friends hurt, but Justin especially. He was so fucking senstitve, and took things more to heart than any of them. "Naw, man, I was just gonna bum around, flip through tv, or watch some movies. You feel like doing something?" He rinsed his toothbrush off and put it back, wiping his mouth with some water, then turning out the light and heading toward his room. Justin shrugged, following him. He grabbed a beanie baby off the shelf and studied it, not quite sure why Lance kept the critters in his room. Frankly, they freaked him out. He made a face and put the thing down, turning instead to the stereo system. "Do you mind?" he asked, clicking it on. Lance shook his head no, pulling a pair of underware on under his towel. He poked in his drawer for jeans and a tee shirt, and winced as the hip hop sounds of DMX filled his room, shaking the nick nacks on his dresser. "Justin, do you mind?" he shouted, covering his ears. "A little lower." Justin laughed, realizing how much he missed Lance. He turned it down and sat on the floor, picking through the box of goodies the fan club sent. "You get the best shit, man." "Come on, you get way more boxes than I get." Lance ran a handful of gel through his hair, and sat on his bed to put on some socks. "So, instead of piliging my stuff, why don't you tell me why you're really here?" He studied his friend carefully, watching as his face turned sour. "C'mon, man. Talk to me." The tears that filled Justin's eyes were unexpected, and Lance stepped back. "Damn, Justin. What's wrong?" JC was right, Justin did whine a lot, and he was super sensitive, but he didn't cry, almost never. The last time had been when Lance collapsed and couldn't perform in May of 99. That was long ago. He stood there, not knowing what else to do. Justin pressed his eyes shut, pissed off that he'd allowed himself to begin to cry. "Shit," he growled, lowering his head. Sure, he could trust Lance not to blab, but he hated to cry, and especially in front of friends. He stayed silent, waiting for the burning sensation to dissapate. When it did, he felt Lance's stare still on him, and sighed, figuring he owed him an explanation. Turning around, he took a deep breath and looked up. "My family is gone. They headed off to Disney for the holidays. I guess I was just feeling depressed about being alone for the holidays. Stupid huh?" Lance knelt down next to him. "No, it's not stupid at all." He tilted his head, tyring to understand this. "Why did they go? You're family was always huge into the celebration." "I know, that's what I said. It's fucked up, man. My mom has her group that she's trying to get off the ground. Now that other group Dream is going strong, and she's pissed that they're doing well when her group has been around longer, and with my grandmother ill, she can't come down." He stood up, still hiding the last thing, unsure if that was territory he could tread on, even with Lance. "I don't know. If I'm being a bother, I could go." "Dont' be stupid. You'll come to my parent's house. They love you like their own anyway." Lance nudged him, smiling. "So, let's go eat and watch some movies, just chill out." Justin nodded, standing up. "Thanks man," he grinned, heading out after Lance. He wanted to tell him so badly, but feared the reaction. Hell, he was still dealing with his own emotions about it, and sharing them with anyone else would be hard. Maybe he would, later. Now, he wanted to eat some more, and settle in to do nothing, with his friend. |