SS4

"Hello boys, I'm home," Lance called as he walked through the entryway of the house and into the kitchen where the others sat gathered around the table eating dinner.

"So nice of you to join us," Chris mumbled as Lance sat down next to him.

"JC was having a hissy fit about waiting to eat until you got home," Justin spoke up in between bites. JC looked down at his plate quickly hoping to keep the others from seeing the blush that ran up his neck and covered his face, but Lance caught it.

"Well, that's nice, but you know business calls as always," Lance said as he lightly nudged JC's shoulder, "Meredith insisted she needed help picking out an 'appropriate' outfit for the Christmas party."

"Aww, how cute, helping the little Mississippian protegee out," Joey laughed as he ate, his one arm resting over Justin's shoulder. Lance eyed the two and caught a pile of presents over their shoulders.

"What, we waiting to do it together this time?" he asked motioning towards the pile.

"Yeah, it was getting boring again, so this morning I woke up and gathered up everything I could find, I thought we could 'bond' since that is the reason why were all here," Chris said as he grabbed the pile and sat them down in the middle of the table.

The three presents that sat there were soon snatched up by their rightful owners. Lance grabbed a box shaped package that had his name on it, Justin grabbed a longer package and Chris grabbed a box of his own. They all ripped them open quickly.

"Wow," Justin laughed looking at what lay in front of him. It was a rather large Britney poster and a pack a darts, "This is gonna be fun."

"Well, whoever has me obviously wants to, well, support me, financially," Chris mumbled as he pulled a shirt out of the box that had a large 'Fuman Skeeto' logo placed right in the middle of the chest. "Ya'll know I can get this shit for free, right?" he joked as he slipped it over his shirt and smoothed it down proudly.

"What'd ya get, Lance?" Joey asked glancing over at the box that was hidden still by the wrapping paper.

"Someone wants to get me trashed," he replied holding up a case of Mike's Hard Lemonade.

"Thrilling, how thoughtful," Justin mumbled shooting JC a non-descript look before standing up. "Joe, babe, can we go clubbing tonight?"

"Sounds good to me," he mumbled stepping into his boyfriend's embrace and nuzzling their noses together. "Anyone else?" he asked as he pulled away, "JC?"

"Ah, no, I think I'll stay in tonight, thanks though," he said as he stretched back into his seat.

"I'm with ya, I can't take much more of this place, meet you down here in ten?" Chris asked as he headed upstairs.

"Sounds good. Lance, what about you?" Justin asked leaning forward with both hands planted on the table.

"Yeah, do you really want to spend a night with boring boy or do you want to come have fun with us?" Joey asked with a laugh as he looked over at JC, whose eyes were zeroing in on Lance's lips, waiting for a response.

"Um, no, I'm gonna hang around here, just relax a little," he replied as he walked up to his room, hard lemonade in hand.

"Ooh, dissed major time, C, sorry about that," Justin said as JC left without a word to go into the living room.

"Shut up, Justin," he called over his shoulder as he slumped down on the couch and turned on the TV. He randomly flipped through the channels stopping when anything caught his attention… their newest video on MTV… a special on the Beatles… some news show about the failing economy… war on terror… I Love Lucy reruns. He stopped when he reached the Travel Channel and continued to watch some special on some white sand beach.

JC listened as he heard the others leave and forgot Lance was even home until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Want one?" he asked handing him a bottle of the hard lemonade he had received earlier.

"Definitely," JC grinned sitting up slightly. He popped open the top as Lance settled down next to him. JC gulped loudly and a made a slight sucking noise as he pulled his mouth away from the bottle.

'Sexy as hell,' Lance thought staring at the man next to him. He took a swig of his own drink and leaned back pulling his feet onto the couch between the two. "So, you tired?" he asked finally breaking the silence.

"Kinda, but not really, you know what I mean?" JC said turning sideways so he could see the blonde better.

"Yeah, I do. I guess if I can't sleep I might as well get shit faced," he laughed as he poured the remainder of his first bottle down his throat and grabbed another from the floor next to him. They both grew quiet not exactly sure what to say next.

"Hey, Lance, there's something I've been wanting to tell you and like," JC stumbled leaning forward a little bit. He scooted his body towards the middle of the couch so that he was practically leaning on Lance looking posed to tell him a secret.

"What is it, Josh?" he whispered finding his throat hoarse all of the sudden.

'Ooo, he said Josh again' JC's mind buzzed as he licked his lips. "Well, I just wanted to thank you for being so cool and everything about me coming out. A lot of people would've freaked out but ya know, you didn't and that meant so much to me," he spilled trying not to let anything slip that he wasn't ready to let slip yet.

"I would never freak out on you, babe" Lance whispered biting down hard on his lip as he realized what he had just said. It was the alcohol, it was JC being so close to him, it was the growing heat throughout his body, and that special spot in between his legs that was telling him everything about this situation was so right.

"What?" JC asked his eyes growing wide as he set his empty bottle on the table and grabbed his second, his eyes wide.

"I said I'd never freak out on you, C," Lance lied praying he wasn't turning 20 shades of red. JC nodded and leaned forward.

"Thanks," he whispered almost directly in Lance's ear as he wrapped his arms around his shoulders and pulled Lance's body against his own. He could feel the blonde's warm breath hit his neck lightly and it sent chills down his spine.

JC didn't pull away but settled into the touch. It wasn't until Lance finally sat back that he returned to his previous position. They continued to sit there and drink just as friends do, just as they always did.

They settled into some movie that neither of them were paying much attention to since their minds were on the other man sitting just inches away. JC didn't even look at the movie until he realized that the two main characters, a man and a woman, were in the midst of a love scene. The woman was topless hanging over the man, kissing him deeply.

JC didn't even realize he was speaking until his words came out, "That just doesn't do it for me anymore, Lance." He looked over quickly to see the look on Lance's face and saw his cheeks turn red.

JC looked quickly back to the screen, not knowing where else to look, without fail his mouth opened again, "I mean, a man's body is just so much more, I don't know how to say it. Just so much more sensual and attractive."

What made him look at Lance next couldn't have surprised JC more. The blonde was sitting there, his face slowly quivering as tears slowly seeped from his eyes. JC got up quickly and sat down next to him.

"Babe, what's wrong?" he mumbled trying to get Lance to look at him. "Did I offend you or something? I'm sorry, I was just blabbering, I didn't think before I started talking," JC asked concern growing in his eyes. Lance looked up slowly, his green eyes drowning into his reddened face.

"Josh, I'm gay," he whispered so softly JC wasn't sure if he had heard him right.

"Wow, wow," was all JC could say.

"It's just really scary," Lance cried his sobs growing a little louder and the alcohol that was running through his body wasn't helping matters.

"Come here," JC whispered pulling Lance into his embrace, "It's gonna be okay. I promise," he said leaning back on the couch and bringing Lance down with him. He turned the TV off with one hand as he pulled a blanket over them with the other. "I promise," JC mumbled one final time as he felt Lance relax into his arms.

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"Juju, baby, you're a hot one, you're a hot one, Juju, baby," Joey slurred hanging from Justin's waist as they walked inside the house early, very early the next morning.

"Shut up, you freak. You're gonna wake JC and Lance," Chris hissed as he walked up the stairs quickly. Justin had guided Joey into the living room planning to throw him on the couch to sleep his hangover off there but two bodies already occupied that spot.

"Aw, Joe, look at them, they're sleeping together," Justin mumbled taking in the site of JC's arm wrapped snuggly around Lance's waist and the blonde in turn, curled up to his chest. It looked like it could be some demented Hallmark commercial.

"Yeah, adorable," Joey muttered not feeling to good as he leaned on Justin, "Take me to bed."

"What a line, Joe. I love you, too," Justin said as he lugged Joey's dead weight up the stairs and threw him on their bed.