Justin sat slumped on the floor, cradling his face in his hands. Joey and Lance were on either side of Chris, trapping his arms so he couldn't go after Justin again. JC stood in the doorway, his eyes widened in shock.
"Who the fuck do you think you are, Timberlake?" Chris's tone combined with the fact that he called Justin by his last name left no doubt that he was severely pissed off. He lunged again and was promptly pulled back. Joey and Lance were trying to calm him down, but he just kept his eyes trained on the young man he'd just punched.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Justin rose to a standing position. His face was already starting to bruise, the deepening purple contrasting greatly with his light complexion. He watched as Joey and Lance hauled a squirming, yelling Chris back into the hotel room, shutting the door behind them. JC just stared at him and Justin flushed under his gaze. He knew exactly what Chris had been talking about.
Before he could think of something to say, he heard a door shut quietly and looked up to find JC gone. Shit. Chris was pissed at him and it wouldn't be long before the rest of them were too. He hadn't meant for it to happen, it had just.... happened. He wished he could erase it, but he couldn't.
The door to Chris's room opened and Joey slipped through. Justin could still hear Chris yelling in the background and he winced, hanging his head. Joey was quiet and that worried him. Joey was never quiet.
"I think we need to take a walk."
Justin just barely nodded his head, but Joey had already started down the hallway. He trailed behind, not wanting to even contemplate Joey being mad at him. He knew Chris and the others would calm down and eventually go back to normal, but when Joey was mad at you.... it took a lot to bring him around.
They took the elevator down to the lobby, the silence hanging heavily in the tightly enclosed space. When the doors opened, Joey headed straight for the small bar. It was empty except for the bartender who was shining up the glasses and watching a baseball game on tv. They sat at one end so they could talk without being disturbed and Joey ordered a bottle of tequila with two shot glasses.
Justin was numb already, but the first taste of the fiery liquid seemed to burn as it coursed through him. Joey downed his and refilled their glasses. This time, instead of drinking, Joey stared at the amber colored liquid. He glanced up at Justin and back to the glass.
"So," Joey began, "Why'd you do it?" Justin had planned on what he'd say. Johnny had said that he had to. He'd been messing around in the studio and Johnny had overheard and decided his voice fit the song better. He had tons of different answers, but none of them were believable. None of them were true and Joey would see right through them.
Justin just decided not to answer. What could he say? That he was jealous? That Chris had written the best song that they'd ever put out and he wanted to be the one to sing it? That he couldn't handle the fact that he wasn't known as the 'front man' anymore? No. He couldn't tell them that. So, he didn't say anything.
Joey watched as Justin's face transformed. It went from fear to hurt to sorrow to...something else. Something he couldn't place. He'd been just as surprised to find out from Johnny that Justin would be singing Chris's song. What had hurt the most though was that Johnny had said that Justin had thrown a fit until he'd okayed it. None of them understood why and Chris had just completely blown up.
They'd tried to catch him before he confronted Justin in the hall, but he'd been to quick. Before they knew it, Chris had swung and connected. He may be smaller than the rest of them, but pulling him off Justin had been like pulling a rabid dog off its kill. Joey's stomach still throbbed where Chris had kicked him trying to break free.
"There you are, you little son-of-a-bitch!"
They both turned to see Chris striding into the bar. Justin cringed again, his hand unconsciously going to his face. Joey stood up and came around in front of Justin to head off Chris.
"Get outta my way, Joe." Chris's voice was even, but held the promise that if Joey didn't do what he wanted he'd do whatever it took to get by him. Joey held his ground and leveled his gaze on Chris's.
"Go back upstairs Chris," he said, "This isn't going to solve anything"
"Oh yes it will," Chris ground out, "He's not going to do this."
The bartender pretended disinterest as if celebrities came in and argued everyday, but Justin could tell by his stance that he was paying very close attention. Justin took a deep breath and stood. He couldn't let Joey intervene like this. He had to face Chris and find a way to fix it. He slipped from behind Joey and held up a hand when Joey tried to stop him.
"Joe, can you leave us alone? Chris and I need to talk."
Joey looked at him as if he'd lost his mind, but eventually shrugged. He warned Chris not to do anything stupid and left the bar, stopping Lance who came running in to find Chris. When they were gone, Justin turned his attention back to Chris and felt everything in him crumble at the hurt in his friend's eyes. Spinning on his heel, he grabbed the bottle and shot glasses and headed for a table in the farthest corner of the room. If he was going to talk, he didn't want anyone but Chris to hear what he had to say.
Upstairs Lance was pacing the hallway. He argued with Joey that they should go back down, but Joey wouldn't budge. He told Lance to let them work it out and went back to his room. JC still hadn't come out of his and Lance didn't know what to do. He'd never believed the media hype about Justin's ego and how he'd become a victim of the celebrity downfall. They had all worked together on the new album just as they had before, although this time it had been better. This was going to be their biggest success yet.
No matter what they'd done, they had never let their status take over their morals. They had respected their fans, their families, and their friends. They had given back as much as they received and that was what made them able to return time and time again. Justin and JC's solo albums had both done extremely well and they were all proud of each other's accomplishments, but this.... this was just something that they couldn't comprehend. Exhausted from all the thinking, Lance headed for his own room. Joey was right. Chris and Justin would just have to work this one out on their own.
~**~
JC looked at the clock on the table and stretched. It was after four and he needed to get some sleep. Just as he climbed into bed and flipped off the light he heard loud voices in the hallway. He turned the light back on and hurried over to the door, opening it as quietly as he could. What he saw surprised him. Chris and Justin were stumbling down the hallway, arms thrown over each other�s shoulders. They were trying to hold each other up and giggling like two children.
Across the hall, Joey and Lance appeared at their doors as well. They all watched as Chris pulled Justin down and rubbed the back of his head with his knuckles. When Justin tried to get away from him, their legs got tangled up and they fell, landing with a loud thud. The drunken laughter that followed eased the tension of the three watching. Joey was the first to venture out and he leaned down to help Chris up first.
Chris grabbed Joey's arm and pulled himself up, staggering. Joey steadied him and raised his eyebrows when Chris let out another stream of giggles. Justin crawled over to the wall and leaned back against it, his legs spread out in front of him. Seeing that everything seemed to be okay, JC shut his door and crawled back into bed. Lance stayed in his doorway, his gaze flicking back and forth between the two drunken men. When Chris caught his breath, he leaned over to Joey. He was trying to whisper, but it still came out loudly.
"Jusssin's not doin my ssssong."
The beaming smile on his face made Joey raise his eyebrows. Joey glanced down at Justin and the return smile was proof. Joey didn't know what had been said down in that bar, but he was glad whatever it was. He and Lance helped the two men to their rooms, Justin apologizing and Chris mumbling about 'his sssssong' and how 'Jusssin was a pusssy'. Once they had the two in their beds, Joey and Lance closed the doors and sighed.
"I wonder if they'll ever tell us what that was all about," Lance said.
"Who knows," Joey answered, "But I'll tell you one thing. I hope it never happens again. Chris has one hell of a powerful kick."
Lance chuckled and Joey grinned back at him. They nodded and went to their rooms. Chris and Justin would be okay now and they'd return to normal by morning and be their usual, hyper selves. As Lance lay staring into the darkness, he thought about the song. It was the best one they'd ever made and he was kind of glad that Chris was the one who got to shine.