JC decided that he’d work on Lance first. After all, it was Lance whose nose had been broken in the most recent act of brotherly love. JC was sure that if anyone, Lance would understand where he was coming from. He was sure that Lance would be the first one to leave on his private vacation.

“Hey, Lance? Can I talk to you for a second?” Lance looked up, momentarily startled. JC never came to him, asking him things. JC never went to anyone. JC lived inside his head, with the music, and the pretty things. JC was a pretty thing.

“Yeah, Jayce?” Lance always talked to him as though he were a startled deer about to run away.

“I was just thinking the other day, about your nose. Well, not about your nose per say, but …” JC always got lost in his thoughts, even when he was trying to put them into words. Lance kept pretending to listen, but was really thinking about the figures on the spreadsheet he’d just gotten in his inbox. When JC stopped for a breath, Lance took his chance and said,

“JC. Stop.” He promptly stopped waving his hands around in the air, and halted his speech about noses and spas and mud. “Point? Have you made one yet?”

JC brought his fingers to his chin and thought for a second. “Not yet.” Laughing, he continued. “I was just about to tell you this really funny thing about purple elephants—”

“Um. Jayce? I was kinda in the middle of, um. Things?” Lance motioned to the pile of papers sitting on the desk of his hotel room.

“Oh, for sure! So I was thinking that we should all get away for awhile.” JC always looked eager and excited when talking about ideas he’d come up with himself.

“JC, I’m not sure I can really handle another one of your road trips to the middle of Vermont or something.” Lance sighed, remembering the last vacation they had taken together. Lance had ended up staying in his room most of the time, nursing one or two or six cases of beer. It hadn’t been the most relaxing of trips he’d ever taken.

“No, I mean, like. Not together. Separately.” When Lance raised his eyebrows, JC hurried on. “Not like, forever, but for a couple days. You know, get away from each other for 48 hours or so. Give everyone a chance to do their own thing for a while.” Lance didn’t say anything for a few seconds. He just peered at JC.

“I actually think that might work.” JC just smiled. Actually, JC beamed. JC always beamed when one of his ideas started to come together. Lance continued musing out loud. “I’m not sure if I actually have to go anywhere but home, you know? I could just sit in my house, and that would be good. I’ll just call Johnny and—” he reached for his cell phone.

“I took care of that already.” JC was still grinning like an idiot. “I talked to him and he said we could have 5 days by ourselves. But I think we can have those days with anyone we want, as long as they’re not each other, you know?” Lance stood up, and for the first time in a long time, he hugged JC for no reason at all.

“Yeah, Jayce. You know, that was a really good idea you had.” JC wasn’t one of those people who went bad if you didn’t compliment them on a regular basis, but most of the time, you could tell when he needed patting on the back. This wasn’t one of those times, but Lance did anyways. “We’ve just been together so much lately you know?”

“Exactly. We’re starting to piss each other off. And we’re holding grudges. And breaking peoples’ noses.” JC motioned to Lance’s crooked one. “We need to be in separate corners for a little while.” Lance nodded.

“What are you going to do?” He asked, out of pure curiosity. This strange man who fluttered everywhere was his brother, and had five whole days off, and Lance didn’t even know where he’d go on vacation.

“Just some place I found on the ‘net. I told Johnny the address and everything, so don’t worry about me.” He nodded and looked around the room, taking everything in.

“Don’t get lost, Jayce.” Lance patted JC on the head, on his soft hair. JC had a tendency to forget where he was. He’d tried to explain his absent-minded-ness once, but they had all been a little bit drunk, and didn’t understand him through the slurs. JC also pulled into himself now and then. It was scary, but he said it helped him rejuvenate his soul or something.

“I won’t.” JC smiled. He had been right. Lance was easy to get.

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