| Chapter 1 |
| Lance awoke, like he did just about every morning, to the sound of the couple in the apartment next door to him fighting. Again. He groaned and buried his face deeper into his pillow, listening to the Randalls screaming at the top of their lungs. The sound of a china plate hitting the floor didn't even phase Lance. He'd heard it all before. The walls to the apartments he lived in and around were paper thin, so your problems were pretty much common knowledge around this place. Rolling over in bed, he smiled down at his sleeping lover, glad they rarely fought with each other. He ran his fingers through JC's long brown locks for a few minutes, twirling a few strands in his fingers before leaning down to place a small kiss on the sleeping man's forehead. Looking back over at the clock, Lance sighed. He had to be at work in a few hours, so he might as well get up now. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he stood up and stretched, scratching his stomach through his thin T-shirt and heading towards the bathroom. He took a quick luke warm shower, knowing how fast the water would go cold in the tiny apartment and wanting to save JC a little hot water. He got dressed in what he considered to be a decent pair of jeans, and a black fitted shirt. Slipping on a pair of socks, he peeked into bed to make sure he hadn't woken JC, and then slipped down the small hallway and into the kitchen. Putting on a pot of coffee, he bit his lip and looked down at his feet. "Where did I leave my shoes?" he mumbled, closing his eyes and trying to think about what he had done last night. He had worked a ten hour shift at the diner, and then came straight home. JC had been lucky enough at the coffee shop that morning to receive a few generous tips from people, so he decided to surprise Lance by taking them out to dinner. Lance smiled to himself at that and fiddled with the silver ring on his left finger. He and JC both knew they couldn't afford to go out to dinner a lot, what with the bills piling up and JC without a solid job, but he had done it anyway because he knew Lance was too tired to bother with cooking. Lance smiled and kissed his ring, thinking of his boyfriend and now fiancee. "It's only tin," JC had blushed after Lance had said yes to his proposal, looking down at his feet. "You deserve the best ring that money can buy Lance but um, well with the layoffs from work and everything I just couldn't afford it. I'm sorry." The sadness and regret in JC's eyes had torn at Lance's heart, and he had wrapped his arms around JC and kissed his neck softly. "I don't care about the ring," he had whispered, hoping his lover could tell that he meant it. "All I care about is you and me, and spending the rest of our lives together." The noise from the coffee machine shook Lance from his daydream, just as he and JC had gotten to the kiss and other steamy events that had happened following the proposal. Lance grinned and felt himself blushing as he thought about it. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he took a sip, ignoring the way it burned his throat slightly, and thought about last night again. Dinner was wonderful, and afterwards they had gone for a long walk in the park. It was a gorgeous night out, complete with a full moon, and Lance had loved the way the moonlight had lit up JC's face like an angel. Needless to say, when they had returned home they were both a little eager to be with each other. Work and job hunting had been killing them both, so they savored the nights when they got to relax and just be a couple. In their haste they hadn't even made it to the bedroom the first time. The living room had suited their needs just fine. Lance grinned to himself and set his coffee down. In the small apartment the kitchen was pretty much in living room, so he didn't have to walk far. He looked at the blankets and clothes strewn around the room and made a note to himself to clean up later. Grabbing an arm full of blanket, he tossed it aside and bent down beside the couch to grab his shoes. As he was tying the laces, he heard a soft grunt and looked up, grinning at his boyfriend-er, fiancee's sleepy face. "Morning baby," he said as he got up, planting a small kiss on JC's lips as he headed back into the kitchen to finish his coffee. JC smiled, rubbing his eyes and yawning again, and Lance grinned at the picture he made standing there in only his boxers. JC wrapped his arms around Lance's middle and took a sip of the coffee before giving it back to Lance. "How long you working today?" he asked "Seven to five," Lance sighed. "I think I may try to see if I can get some overtime in this week. We could use the money." JC sighed and squeezed Lance tighter. "I don't want you to start working yourself to death again Lance. God if you ever got sick again..." His words trailed, instead choosing to bury his face in the crook of Lance's shoulder and kiss the skin he found there. Lance smiled and leaned his head against JC's. "I won't work too hard, I promise." He petted the side of JC's head softly before turning to kiss the top of his head. JC raised his head, letting their lips meet for the second time that morning. Lance sighed softly into the kiss, setting his coffee cup on the counter with sloppy fingers as JC pushed him up against the cupboards and kissed him again. His fingers immediately found JC's hair, still wild from sleep, and he tugged at the strands gently, enjoying the noises coming from the back of JC's throat. He grinned as JC pulled back to nibble at his earlobe, and he moaned when JC's tongue caressed the skin beneath his ear. "God Josh," he breathed, "if you don't stop I'm not going to make it to work today." JC grinned against his skin and licked at Lance's collarbone, making the young man shudder with pleasure. "Would that be such a bad thing?" he whispered in Lance's ear. Lance shook his head, pressing back against JC's body heat. "No, not really," he admitted, "but we do need the money right now. The bills are already starting to come in." JC sighed, nodding against Lance's shoulder. Lance rubbed his hand over JC's back lovingly. JC spotted Lance's left hand and picked it up, toying with the ring on his finger before it bringing to his lips for a soft kiss. Looking up at Lance, he laced their fingers together. "Someday baby, I swear I'm going to buy you everything you ever wanted," he whispered, smiling softly. "A big house instead of this tiny little dump we live in, a brand new car, I can pay for you to go back to school like I know you want to, and the best damn engagement ring that money can buy." Lance bit his bottom lip and nodded, staring at JC's fingers on his ring so his boyfriend couldn't see the tears in his eyes. Didn't JC know that as long as they had each other, he couldn't care less about the money? Sighing, Lance put on a smile and turned back to give JC a soft kiss. "I better get going soon," he said. "If I don't leave now I'll miss the bus to work." JC nodded and smiled, kissing Lance one more time before letting him go. "I'm singing at the shop for a few hours today," he said, "and then I figured I'd go job hunting some more today. Couldn't hurt, right?" He walked Lance to the door of their apartment, kissing him one more time. "Have a good day baby. If I have the chance I'll try and stop by and see you." Lance nodded excitedly. He loved it when JC stopped by the diner to see him. It made him forget about all the dirty dishes, poor tips, and rude customers, at least for a little while. "Okay," he said. "Good luck today. I love you." JC grinned. "I love you too." With one last look and a parting wave, Lance shrugged his backpack onto his shoulder and headed for the bus stop. JC watched him go, smiling, and then headed back inside to take a shower. |