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laniew1 He should have known the minute that he got home and found Cameron standing in his living room that something was really wrong.
TITLE: Every Good Plan… Has A Double Date With Ex’s – JC/Britney, JC/Justin UST
SERIES: Every Good Plan
Author: Melanie
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing at all, least of all those contained within.
This is a series, you should really read these first …
Every Good Plan… Has A Beginning
Every Good Plan… Has Its Opposition
Every Good Plan… Has A First Date
Every Good Plan… Has An Intervention Staged By A Boyband
Every Good Plan… Has A Double Date With Ex’s
He should have known the minute that he got home and found Cameron standing in his living room that something was really wrong.
He’d had a headache though and JC’d been missing when he’d got up. When he’d finally reappeared it had been with Britney and they’d been holding hands, smiling, laughing. Justin had wanted to kill them.
Or Britney at least. She knew how he felt about JC; she was like one of eight people who knew.
He’d been worried after they broke up that she was going to out him during an interview or something. That she’d just sort of casually mention that Justin had always thought JC was dreamy.
He would have killed her of course but…
So he’d walked into the house, actually he’d stomped into the house. He’d been frustrated, slightly irritated and his headache felt like it was going to take off the top of his head. He’d just wanted a quiet, dark room to sit and brood in for a few hours before he returned to the fray at JC’s. Instead he’d walked into his house, and seen Cameron.
The smile on her face alone should have had him running for the hills screaming… it certainly in no way, shape or form could be considered friendly.
Of course there was also the fact that she was not supposed to be there.
“Aren’t you supposed to be having a spa day with ‘tina?”
“I got a phone call this morning,” her voice was bright and Justin’s eyes narrowed. She sounded positively gleeful… this could not be anything good.
At least not for him. And he was really not in the mood to deal with this.
“Okay… welcome to the age of the cellphone… did you have a hard time giving up the pen and paper?”
Cameron crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at him. He winced, stared down at the carpet toeing it with his shoe as he muttered a vague apology under his breath; he was going to pay for that later.
“Britney called me this morning.” Justin’s head shot up, a look of alarm on his face.
“Brit called you? Why would Britney call you? How did she get your number in the first place?”
“Yes Britney called me, she got my number from Jared…” a hand flew up to halt the questions rumbling on the edge of Justin’s lips. “He called to warn me that he’d given it to her… he said she was really sweet on the phone… which actually she was,” Cameron said musingly.
“Yeah she’s got great phone etiquette,” Justin grumbled.
“I don’t think phone sex counts as having good phone etiquette,” she grinned.
“So yeah…” he coughed lightly. “Why’d Brit call you?” he asked trying to steer the conversation back to territory less likely to have him being sued for slander if Britney found out that he’d told Cameron and Christina about the phone sex in the first place. That was if she didn’t try and off him before then. He was the competition now, and Britney played dirty when she wanted something enough bad enough.
“She wants to double date.”
“Double date,” Justin repeated after her dumbly. He rubbed his head, blinked twice, then shook his head. Because he certainly couldn’t have heard that right.
“Double date,” Cameron confirmed with a nod. “You, me, JC and Britney. She’s thinking dinner then a movie.”
“Dinner and a movie… together?”
“That is typically what a double date means, yes.”
“Right… and you told her no right, because things are strange enough right now as it is and that would take the strangeness to a whole ‘nother level that I don’t think I’m quite prepared to deal with… unless it means that I’ll have JC naked sooner rather than later.”
“TMI Justin. And I told her we’d be happy to,” Cameron grinned.
“You told her… Are you fucking nuts?!?” Justin exploded and Cameron laughed. “Do you want me to kill her, is that your plan? I kill Britney and you run off with JC instead.”
“He’s not my type.”
“Yeah he’s a nice guy; I forgot you don’t do nice guys.”
Reminder: New friends. Very, very soon.
“I think it’d be fun… plus it’ll give me time to learn more about JC.”
“You don’t need to know anything more about JC.”
“He’s your best friend sweetie,” Cameron cooed at him. “And as your girlfriend I think it’s only right that I get to know your friends better. Besides… he’s the only one that I don’t know that well, I don’t think he likes me.”
“You’re not my girlfriend and JC likes everybody… well almost everybody,” Justin amended. “He normally doesn’t like people who’ve fucked me over in any way.”
“So he just dates them then?” Cameron’s smiled was innocent and sweet. It was just really to bad that Justin knew it was almost always an act. “And honey everyone thinks we’re dating… there are certain things that people expect with that in mind. One of those things is me getting to know your friends better.”
“I think you’ve gloated enough Cam, isn’t ‘tina waiting for you?”
“As a matter of fact yes,” she glanced at her watch, probably just to double check. “I wouldn’t worry about it Justin, the early pool has you in the lead.”
“Excuse me? Are you betting on me?”
“Of course,” she smirked. “I’ve got a thousand bucks on your sweet ass stealing JC away from Britney.”
“You’re betting on me,” Justin shook his head in disbelief, which shouldn’t have surprised him because Cameron and Christina had been betting on much more mundane things before his love-life had become semi-interesting. “You’re betting on my life.”
“Yep… don’t worry pretty much nobody’s betting against the home team… even the Backstreet Boys are betting on you succeeding. I’d watch out for Nick Carter though, he’s got money on you but I think he really wants to see you lose to Britney. What the hell did you do to that poor boy?”
“It was nothing,” Justin frowned. “Who’s holding the pot and taking the bets?”
“Trace.”
“Trace,” he shook his head. It so figured.
“I told Britney Saturday was good for both of us, so unless you’ve broken them up by then I’d plan on putting your best face forward.”
“I think I need a drink,” Justin rubbed a hand across his face.
“Thousand bucks,” she smiled. “Don’t let me down pretty boy.”
New friends. ASAP.
******************************************************************************
JC stared at the clothes laid out on his bed with a vague sense of growing horror. This was such a horribly bad idea that he was contemplating faking the flu or some other life threatening illness.
He probably would have if he hadn’t thought that Justin and Britney would bring their battle to his bedside. Britney as his doting ‘girlfriend’, Justin as his concerned ‘best friend’. It was highly ironic that they were playing each others roles.
Justin and Britney were going to be the death of him, he just knew it. Justin and Britney, who hadn’t even managed to have a conversation consisting of more then five words, only two of them civil ones, were going to be stuck together for hours. It would have been funny if he and Cameron weren’t going to be caught in the crossfire while the battle raged.
This was going to be the double date from hell. In his minds eye he could clearly see him and Cameron refereeing as Justin and Britney snarked at each other all night. Unless it turned into a full out brawl.
He still had absolutely no idea how Britney had got Cameron and Justin to agree to do this. Why Justin had agreed to do this was beyond him.
“You aren’t dressed yet,” Britney’s voice from the doorway and JC jumped. Hands’ flying to his waist to make sure his towel was still securely fastened; he was wearing underwear of course but still…
Because that would be his luck lately, having the towel fall off because Britney surprised him, then Justin would walk in and he’d get pissed and kill Britney. Then Chris and Lance would help bury her in his backyard and they’d give soft spoken sad interviews saying they didn’t know anything about anything.
“Your powers of intuition amaze even me,” JC grumbled.
“Don’t be a snarky bitch, I think that’s going to be Justin’s role for the evening… I wore a bulletproof vest under my t-shirt,” Britney smirked and sometimes even as well as JC knew her he couldn’t tell when she was joking or not.
If he’d been in her place, he’d have so been wearing some sort of protection. Justin wasn’t even his boyfriend and he was already tired of the over-protectiveness and possessiveness. He was a grown man he could take care of himself. Sometimes it might not look like it but he could.
“Justin and Cameron are going to be here in thirty minutes, and while I don’t think Cameron or I would mind if you went out on the date in the towel, Justin would probably try to gauge our eyes out for looking at you… so clothes,” she pointed to the bed tapping her foot impatiently.
“How did you get in here anyway…? I though Chris and Lance were guarding the doors with their bodies,” JC muttered. It was like he was under house arrest in his own home. He was expecting random drug testing to start any day now. It was the only thing they hadn’t tried yet.
“Lance got a phone call and Chris couldn’t guard both doors. I wanted to make sure you weren’t freaking out… which was probably a good idea because you are.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” JC asked, ignoring the rolling of Britney’s eyes as he pulled his pants on. They were a little on the tight side. Britney had helped him pick out the clothes, assuring him that he’d look fabulous. This night had all the markings of either being really fantastic or really horrible.
“You worry too much, in a few weeks when you’re deliriously happy and so sated on sex that you can’t move I’ll remind you that you were freaking out.”
“I’m not freaking out,” he muttered as he finished pulling the pants on, tossing the towel aside, scowling at the shirt. It was one of his plainer ones. Designed to keep from drawing attention to himself. He hadn’t been able to convince Britney to let him wear one with a little color… or embroidery. “You and Justin are going to be on your best behavior right?”
“I promise to not goad him into attacking me but if he attacks first I’m defending myself.”
“I know,” he tossed the towel on the bed. “He’s promised to be good.”
“You talked to him about this?” she asked curiously setting on the edge of the bed, cocking her head as she studied him. He held out his arms allowing her eyes to scrutinize his attire, his hair. When she smiled he smiled back. It had become a familiar act over the last week and made him feel slightly better.
Even if the night was a horrible disaster at least he knew he looked good.
******************************************************************************
JC wondered if it would be insane if he and Cameron ran off together. He thought it might be easier than trying to deal with both Justin and Britney at the same time.
He made a mental note to ask Britney if mental illness ran in her family because this double date (or hell as he’d come to think of it in the short time that he’d been stuck in it) had not sprung from the mind of a sane woman.
He thought they were going to get into a fist fight at the counter when he’d casually mentioned that he felt like popcorn. Britney was playing up the girlfriend angle so well that there were actually a few minutes where he’d believed their own hype. But then she’d wink at him, or whisper something in his ear and he’d remember that yes this was not real and they were doing it for a reason
A very tight, denim clad reason. He wondered if Cameron had helped Justin get dressed, he’d have to thank her… then he banished that thought because it led to other thoughts that made him think unkind thoughts about Cameron.
Cameron who was being such a great sport about her boyfriend basically ignoring her and fawning over JC. She’d actually laughed at him twice, Justin had flushed like they had some private joke… which they probably did and damn there went his kind thoughts.
Justin had held the doors, paid for the tickets… JC knew that if he didn’t get his hands on the bill at the restaurant quick enough that Justin would pay for that as well.
He’d let JC pick the seats in the theater before plopping down in the chair next to him, squirming to get comfortable as Britney and Cameron had taken their own seats.
When the lights had dimmed and the previews had started he’d thought he was going to be holding both Justin and Britney’s hands before Justin had remembered himself, grumbled something quietly that JC couldn’t hear but that Cameron had laughed at and started eating popcorn.
They’d decided to do the movie first; actually he and Cameron had decided to do the movie first. Justin and Britney had been to busy glaring at each other to care one way or another.
It was the longest two hours and thirty minutes that he’d ever had the misfortune to live through. He hadn’t even realized that Justin had spent more time watching him and by default Britney until Justin had almost jumped out of his seat when Britney had laid her head on his shoulder. He figured that Britney had known as her body had been shaking with barely constrained laughter.
JC had tried to ignore him, tried to act the role of doting boyfriend. Hand holding, quick kisses… all the while his body was filled with awareness of Justin. Humming desperately. Justin just watched, studying, waiting.
They’d left silently after the movie, although walking out of the aisle had been interesting. They’d all been pressed close together in the crush, and he wasn’t positive but he thought Justin might have felt him up. Of course if it hadn’t been Justin he wondered if he should be worried, because the only other people in the position to do that had been Cameron and strangers.
They were at dinner now, Justin and Britney studiously ignoring each other and studying their menus, which was kind of stupid because he’d eaten here with both of them numerous times and they always got the same exact thing.
JC and Cameron exchanged wry grins and JC added an apologetic look just because. He wanted Justin, but he didn’t want anyone to get hurt as he accomplished his goal.
He squeezed Britney’s hand under the table.
“I’ll be right back,” he murmured softly. She nodded, smiling gently. He knew that she knew that he needed a minute to re-strengthen both his nerves and his defenses. Justin was very systematically destroying both even with his girlfriend sitting right next to him.
“Do you want me to order for you C?” Justin smiled, a friendly, sweet honest smile and JC couldn’t help but return it. Regardless of everything else Justin was still his best friend and he adored him.
“I’ve got it Justin,” Britney said laying her menu down. “He gets the same thing every time.”
“Not always, he got chicken once… through us all for a loop,” Justin was scowling when JC stood, folded his napkin, set it on his chair and walked away.
In the bathroom he ran a hand through his hair. He still couldn’t decide if he liked it straight or curly.
He wondered if the others would miss him if he snuck out the back door.
“You okay?” Justin’s voice was quiet behind him and JC jumped slightly before whirling to face him.
“I’m fine, just needed…”
“A break, from us…” Justin laughed sharply. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“Britney and I… we… can’t seem to get along.”
“It’s understandable J, this was such a horrible idea,” JC shook his head. “I don’t know what Britney was thinking.”
“I don’t know,” Justin’s eyes ran down his body. “Anything that puts you in tight leather can’t be all that bad.”
JC choked down the hysterical laughter and managed to restrain the ‘do you remember Cameron is sitting right outside this door chatting with Britney’ comment but couldn’t keep his eyebrows from flying into his hairline. He figured he had to look like a crazy person but since Justin was just pretty much staring at the leather pants, probably wondering how he’d got into them and when he’d bought them.
It would definitely ruin Justin’s good spirits if JC told him that the pants he was admiring Britney had picked out so he didn’t say anything.
“Right…” JC fell silent, because really what did one say to that? He wished now that he didn’t know about Justin’s feelings, it would be easier to not read subtext into everything and just enjoy the evening. But if he didn’t know they wouldn’t be here because he wouldn’t be dating Britney and it all was like a big circle and now he had a headache.
“Are you happy with her?” Justin’s voice was quiet and fairly young sounding and it took a moment for JC to realize that the younger male had moved into his personal space.
“What?” He knew he sounded confused, because he’d expected a lot of things after the leather comment but certainly not that. It had always amazed him how Justin could change moods at the drop of a hat.
“Because you don’t look happy,” Justin said softly his eyes searching for something. “And I’ve been watching C… you don’t kiss her, you don’t touch her, you don’t make any moves at all towards her unless I’m watching… or you think I’m watching.”
“Justin…”
“I think it’s all an act,” his fingers were soft where they were touching JC’s face now. Drawing a line from the corner of his eye, across his cheekbone, across his lips… when had Justin started touching him? And why wasn’t he moving away? Because Cameron… right. out. side. And she wouldn’t not understand this.
“J…”
“Some elaborate act… I just can’t figure out who it’s all for… For the public, for the media,” he felt like he was getting lost in Justin’s eyes, hypnotized by the sound of his voice. He really needed someone to show up right now before he did something stupid.
Like jumped Justin in the men’s room of a fancy restaurant.
“Or for me,” Justin finished and he was close enough now that JC could feel the heat of his body.
In that moment JC could swear he could see everything, could see every hope, every dream, every wish that Justin had ever had or made. He’d been one of them. To Justin he’d been a wish and a dream and a hope, he’d just never seen it. And suddenly JC wanted to tell him everything. Every secret that he’d ever held within him… including the one he currently shared with Britney.
“Justin,” if he leaned forward an inch their lips would be touching. They’d be kissing. Justin would be betraying Cameron and JC couldn’t find it in himself to care and he knew he should.
Cameron was a good person, she didn’t deserve heartache not by JC’s hands, not by Justin’s.
“JC? Justin?” Britney’s voice interrupted them, a heavy knock on the door pulling them back to themselves. Reminding them where they were and who they were supposed to there with. “Appetizers are at the table are you coming?”
Justin flushed as he stepped back eyes on the floor, JC sighed turning back to the mirror, plucked at his hair futilely. Maybe he should just cut it off? Justin seemed to like his head being shaved maybe they could start a new trend.
He sighed, glanced over at an unmoving Justin and walked to the door. Smiling down at Britney when it opened. Her eyebrows arched in question, flying over to where Justin was studying the floor intently. She winked at him, smirking as she took his hand.
“You know your timing? It’s either really great or just totally sucks I can’t decide,” JC muttered under his breath as he settled in his chair. “I just thought you should know.” He watched covertly as Justin sat quietly down in his chair, leaning over to whisper something in Cameron’s ear that made her grin wildly.
He felt the puff of air on the side of his face as he turned to where Britney was now right next to him.
Literally.
“Be a good boy,” she murmured in a breath so soft that he had to strain to hear her and her lips were brushing his ear. “Won’t be much longer. Will it?”
******************************************************************************
TITLE: Every Good Plan… Has A Double Date With Ex’s – JC/Britney, JC/Justin UST
SERIES: Every Good Plan
Author: Melanie
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing at all, least of all those contained within.
This is a series, you should really read these first …
Every Good Plan… Has A Beginning
Every Good Plan… Has Its Opposition
Every Good Plan… Has A First Date
Every Good Plan… Has An Intervention Staged By A Boyband
Every Good Plan… Has A Double Date With Ex’s
He should have known the minute that he got home and found Cameron standing in his living room that something was really wrong.
He’d had a headache though and JC’d been missing when he’d got up. When he’d finally reappeared it had been with Britney and they’d been holding hands, smiling, laughing. Justin had wanted to kill them.
Or Britney at least. She knew how he felt about JC; she was like one of eight people who knew.
He’d been worried after they broke up that she was going to out him during an interview or something. That she’d just sort of casually mention that Justin had always thought JC was dreamy.
He would have killed her of course but…
So he’d walked into the house, actually he’d stomped into the house. He’d been frustrated, slightly irritated and his headache felt like it was going to take off the top of his head. He’d just wanted a quiet, dark room to sit and brood in for a few hours before he returned to the fray at JC’s. Instead he’d walked into his house, and seen Cameron.
The smile on her face alone should have had him running for the hills screaming… it certainly in no way, shape or form could be considered friendly.
Of course there was also the fact that she was not supposed to be there.
“Aren’t you supposed to be having a spa day with ‘tina?”
“I got a phone call this morning,” her voice was bright and Justin’s eyes narrowed. She sounded positively gleeful… this could not be anything good.
At least not for him. And he was really not in the mood to deal with this.
“Okay… welcome to the age of the cellphone… did you have a hard time giving up the pen and paper?”
Cameron crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at him. He winced, stared down at the carpet toeing it with his shoe as he muttered a vague apology under his breath; he was going to pay for that later.
“Britney called me this morning.” Justin’s head shot up, a look of alarm on his face.
“Brit called you? Why would Britney call you? How did she get your number in the first place?”
“Yes Britney called me, she got my number from Jared…” a hand flew up to halt the questions rumbling on the edge of Justin’s lips. “He called to warn me that he’d given it to her… he said she was really sweet on the phone… which actually she was,” Cameron said musingly.
“Yeah she’s got great phone etiquette,” Justin grumbled.
“I don’t think phone sex counts as having good phone etiquette,” she grinned.
“So yeah…” he coughed lightly. “Why’d Brit call you?” he asked trying to steer the conversation back to territory less likely to have him being sued for slander if Britney found out that he’d told Cameron and Christina about the phone sex in the first place. That was if she didn’t try and off him before then. He was the competition now, and Britney played dirty when she wanted something enough bad enough.
“She wants to double date.”
“Double date,” Justin repeated after her dumbly. He rubbed his head, blinked twice, then shook his head. Because he certainly couldn’t have heard that right.
“Double date,” Cameron confirmed with a nod. “You, me, JC and Britney. She’s thinking dinner then a movie.”
“Dinner and a movie… together?”
“That is typically what a double date means, yes.”
“Right… and you told her no right, because things are strange enough right now as it is and that would take the strangeness to a whole ‘nother level that I don’t think I’m quite prepared to deal with… unless it means that I’ll have JC naked sooner rather than later.”
“TMI Justin. And I told her we’d be happy to,” Cameron grinned.
“You told her… Are you fucking nuts?!?” Justin exploded and Cameron laughed. “Do you want me to kill her, is that your plan? I kill Britney and you run off with JC instead.”
“He’s not my type.”
“Yeah he’s a nice guy; I forgot you don’t do nice guys.”
Reminder: New friends. Very, very soon.
“I think it’d be fun… plus it’ll give me time to learn more about JC.”
“You don’t need to know anything more about JC.”
“He’s your best friend sweetie,” Cameron cooed at him. “And as your girlfriend I think it’s only right that I get to know your friends better. Besides… he’s the only one that I don’t know that well, I don’t think he likes me.”
“You’re not my girlfriend and JC likes everybody… well almost everybody,” Justin amended. “He normally doesn’t like people who’ve fucked me over in any way.”
“So he just dates them then?” Cameron’s smiled was innocent and sweet. It was just really to bad that Justin knew it was almost always an act. “And honey everyone thinks we’re dating… there are certain things that people expect with that in mind. One of those things is me getting to know your friends better.”
“I think you’ve gloated enough Cam, isn’t ‘tina waiting for you?”
“As a matter of fact yes,” she glanced at her watch, probably just to double check. “I wouldn’t worry about it Justin, the early pool has you in the lead.”
“Excuse me? Are you betting on me?”
“Of course,” she smirked. “I’ve got a thousand bucks on your sweet ass stealing JC away from Britney.”
“You’re betting on me,” Justin shook his head in disbelief, which shouldn’t have surprised him because Cameron and Christina had been betting on much more mundane things before his love-life had become semi-interesting. “You’re betting on my life.”
“Yep… don’t worry pretty much nobody’s betting against the home team… even the Backstreet Boys are betting on you succeeding. I’d watch out for Nick Carter though, he’s got money on you but I think he really wants to see you lose to Britney. What the hell did you do to that poor boy?”
“It was nothing,” Justin frowned. “Who’s holding the pot and taking the bets?”
“Trace.”
“Trace,” he shook his head. It so figured.
“I told Britney Saturday was good for both of us, so unless you’ve broken them up by then I’d plan on putting your best face forward.”
“I think I need a drink,” Justin rubbed a hand across his face.
“Thousand bucks,” she smiled. “Don’t let me down pretty boy.”
New friends. ASAP.
JC stared at the clothes laid out on his bed with a vague sense of growing horror. This was such a horribly bad idea that he was contemplating faking the flu or some other life threatening illness.
He probably would have if he hadn’t thought that Justin and Britney would bring their battle to his bedside. Britney as his doting ‘girlfriend’, Justin as his concerned ‘best friend’. It was highly ironic that they were playing each others roles.
Justin and Britney were going to be the death of him, he just knew it. Justin and Britney, who hadn’t even managed to have a conversation consisting of more then five words, only two of them civil ones, were going to be stuck together for hours. It would have been funny if he and Cameron weren’t going to be caught in the crossfire while the battle raged.
This was going to be the double date from hell. In his minds eye he could clearly see him and Cameron refereeing as Justin and Britney snarked at each other all night. Unless it turned into a full out brawl.
He still had absolutely no idea how Britney had got Cameron and Justin to agree to do this. Why Justin had agreed to do this was beyond him.
“You aren’t dressed yet,” Britney’s voice from the doorway and JC jumped. Hands’ flying to his waist to make sure his towel was still securely fastened; he was wearing underwear of course but still…
Because that would be his luck lately, having the towel fall off because Britney surprised him, then Justin would walk in and he’d get pissed and kill Britney. Then Chris and Lance would help bury her in his backyard and they’d give soft spoken sad interviews saying they didn’t know anything about anything.
“Your powers of intuition amaze even me,” JC grumbled.
“Don’t be a snarky bitch, I think that’s going to be Justin’s role for the evening… I wore a bulletproof vest under my t-shirt,” Britney smirked and sometimes even as well as JC knew her he couldn’t tell when she was joking or not.
If he’d been in her place, he’d have so been wearing some sort of protection. Justin wasn’t even his boyfriend and he was already tired of the over-protectiveness and possessiveness. He was a grown man he could take care of himself. Sometimes it might not look like it but he could.
“Justin and Cameron are going to be here in thirty minutes, and while I don’t think Cameron or I would mind if you went out on the date in the towel, Justin would probably try to gauge our eyes out for looking at you… so clothes,” she pointed to the bed tapping her foot impatiently.
“How did you get in here anyway…? I though Chris and Lance were guarding the doors with their bodies,” JC muttered. It was like he was under house arrest in his own home. He was expecting random drug testing to start any day now. It was the only thing they hadn’t tried yet.
“Lance got a phone call and Chris couldn’t guard both doors. I wanted to make sure you weren’t freaking out… which was probably a good idea because you are.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” JC asked, ignoring the rolling of Britney’s eyes as he pulled his pants on. They were a little on the tight side. Britney had helped him pick out the clothes, assuring him that he’d look fabulous. This night had all the markings of either being really fantastic or really horrible.
“You worry too much, in a few weeks when you’re deliriously happy and so sated on sex that you can’t move I’ll remind you that you were freaking out.”
“I’m not freaking out,” he muttered as he finished pulling the pants on, tossing the towel aside, scowling at the shirt. It was one of his plainer ones. Designed to keep from drawing attention to himself. He hadn’t been able to convince Britney to let him wear one with a little color… or embroidery. “You and Justin are going to be on your best behavior right?”
“I promise to not goad him into attacking me but if he attacks first I’m defending myself.”
“I know,” he tossed the towel on the bed. “He’s promised to be good.”
“You talked to him about this?” she asked curiously setting on the edge of the bed, cocking her head as she studied him. He held out his arms allowing her eyes to scrutinize his attire, his hair. When she smiled he smiled back. It had become a familiar act over the last week and made him feel slightly better.
Even if the night was a horrible disaster at least he knew he looked good.
JC wondered if it would be insane if he and Cameron ran off together. He thought it might be easier than trying to deal with both Justin and Britney at the same time.
He made a mental note to ask Britney if mental illness ran in her family because this double date (or hell as he’d come to think of it in the short time that he’d been stuck in it) had not sprung from the mind of a sane woman.
He thought they were going to get into a fist fight at the counter when he’d casually mentioned that he felt like popcorn. Britney was playing up the girlfriend angle so well that there were actually a few minutes where he’d believed their own hype. But then she’d wink at him, or whisper something in his ear and he’d remember that yes this was not real and they were doing it for a reason
A very tight, denim clad reason. He wondered if Cameron had helped Justin get dressed, he’d have to thank her… then he banished that thought because it led to other thoughts that made him think unkind thoughts about Cameron.
Cameron who was being such a great sport about her boyfriend basically ignoring her and fawning over JC. She’d actually laughed at him twice, Justin had flushed like they had some private joke… which they probably did and damn there went his kind thoughts.
Justin had held the doors, paid for the tickets… JC knew that if he didn’t get his hands on the bill at the restaurant quick enough that Justin would pay for that as well.
He’d let JC pick the seats in the theater before plopping down in the chair next to him, squirming to get comfortable as Britney and Cameron had taken their own seats.
When the lights had dimmed and the previews had started he’d thought he was going to be holding both Justin and Britney’s hands before Justin had remembered himself, grumbled something quietly that JC couldn’t hear but that Cameron had laughed at and started eating popcorn.
They’d decided to do the movie first; actually he and Cameron had decided to do the movie first. Justin and Britney had been to busy glaring at each other to care one way or another.
It was the longest two hours and thirty minutes that he’d ever had the misfortune to live through. He hadn’t even realized that Justin had spent more time watching him and by default Britney until Justin had almost jumped out of his seat when Britney had laid her head on his shoulder. He figured that Britney had known as her body had been shaking with barely constrained laughter.
JC had tried to ignore him, tried to act the role of doting boyfriend. Hand holding, quick kisses… all the while his body was filled with awareness of Justin. Humming desperately. Justin just watched, studying, waiting.
They’d left silently after the movie, although walking out of the aisle had been interesting. They’d all been pressed close together in the crush, and he wasn’t positive but he thought Justin might have felt him up. Of course if it hadn’t been Justin he wondered if he should be worried, because the only other people in the position to do that had been Cameron and strangers.
They were at dinner now, Justin and Britney studiously ignoring each other and studying their menus, which was kind of stupid because he’d eaten here with both of them numerous times and they always got the same exact thing.
JC and Cameron exchanged wry grins and JC added an apologetic look just because. He wanted Justin, but he didn’t want anyone to get hurt as he accomplished his goal.
He squeezed Britney’s hand under the table.
“I’ll be right back,” he murmured softly. She nodded, smiling gently. He knew that she knew that he needed a minute to re-strengthen both his nerves and his defenses. Justin was very systematically destroying both even with his girlfriend sitting right next to him.
“Do you want me to order for you C?” Justin smiled, a friendly, sweet honest smile and JC couldn’t help but return it. Regardless of everything else Justin was still his best friend and he adored him.
“I’ve got it Justin,” Britney said laying her menu down. “He gets the same thing every time.”
“Not always, he got chicken once… through us all for a loop,” Justin was scowling when JC stood, folded his napkin, set it on his chair and walked away.
In the bathroom he ran a hand through his hair. He still couldn’t decide if he liked it straight or curly.
He wondered if the others would miss him if he snuck out the back door.
“You okay?” Justin’s voice was quiet behind him and JC jumped slightly before whirling to face him.
“I’m fine, just needed…”
“A break, from us…” Justin laughed sharply. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“Britney and I… we… can’t seem to get along.”
“It’s understandable J, this was such a horrible idea,” JC shook his head. “I don’t know what Britney was thinking.”
“I don’t know,” Justin’s eyes ran down his body. “Anything that puts you in tight leather can’t be all that bad.”
JC choked down the hysterical laughter and managed to restrain the ‘do you remember Cameron is sitting right outside this door chatting with Britney’ comment but couldn’t keep his eyebrows from flying into his hairline. He figured he had to look like a crazy person but since Justin was just pretty much staring at the leather pants, probably wondering how he’d got into them and when he’d bought them.
It would definitely ruin Justin’s good spirits if JC told him that the pants he was admiring Britney had picked out so he didn’t say anything.
“Right…” JC fell silent, because really what did one say to that? He wished now that he didn’t know about Justin’s feelings, it would be easier to not read subtext into everything and just enjoy the evening. But if he didn’t know they wouldn’t be here because he wouldn’t be dating Britney and it all was like a big circle and now he had a headache.
“Are you happy with her?” Justin’s voice was quiet and fairly young sounding and it took a moment for JC to realize that the younger male had moved into his personal space.
“What?” He knew he sounded confused, because he’d expected a lot of things after the leather comment but certainly not that. It had always amazed him how Justin could change moods at the drop of a hat.
“Because you don’t look happy,” Justin said softly his eyes searching for something. “And I’ve been watching C… you don’t kiss her, you don’t touch her, you don’t make any moves at all towards her unless I’m watching… or you think I’m watching.”
“Justin…”
“I think it’s all an act,” his fingers were soft where they were touching JC’s face now. Drawing a line from the corner of his eye, across his cheekbone, across his lips… when had Justin started touching him? And why wasn’t he moving away? Because Cameron… right. out. side. And she wouldn’t not understand this.
“J…”
“Some elaborate act… I just can’t figure out who it’s all for… For the public, for the media,” he felt like he was getting lost in Justin’s eyes, hypnotized by the sound of his voice. He really needed someone to show up right now before he did something stupid.
Like jumped Justin in the men’s room of a fancy restaurant.
“Or for me,” Justin finished and he was close enough now that JC could feel the heat of his body.
In that moment JC could swear he could see everything, could see every hope, every dream, every wish that Justin had ever had or made. He’d been one of them. To Justin he’d been a wish and a dream and a hope, he’d just never seen it. And suddenly JC wanted to tell him everything. Every secret that he’d ever held within him… including the one he currently shared with Britney.
“Justin,” if he leaned forward an inch their lips would be touching. They’d be kissing. Justin would be betraying Cameron and JC couldn’t find it in himself to care and he knew he should.
Cameron was a good person, she didn’t deserve heartache not by JC’s hands, not by Justin’s.
“JC? Justin?” Britney’s voice interrupted them, a heavy knock on the door pulling them back to themselves. Reminding them where they were and who they were supposed to there with. “Appetizers are at the table are you coming?”
Justin flushed as he stepped back eyes on the floor, JC sighed turning back to the mirror, plucked at his hair futilely. Maybe he should just cut it off? Justin seemed to like his head being shaved maybe they could start a new trend.
He sighed, glanced over at an unmoving Justin and walked to the door. Smiling down at Britney when it opened. Her eyebrows arched in question, flying over to where Justin was studying the floor intently. She winked at him, smirking as she took his hand.
“You know your timing? It’s either really great or just totally sucks I can’t decide,” JC muttered under his breath as he settled in his chair. “I just thought you should know.” He watched covertly as Justin sat quietly down in his chair, leaning over to whisper something in Cameron’s ear that made her grin wildly.
He felt the puff of air on the side of his face as he turned to where Britney was now right next to him.
Literally.
“Be a good boy,” she murmured in a breath so soft that he had to strain to hear her and her lips were brushing his ear. “Won’t be much longer. Will it?”
