TrickC day ficlet! (And an earthquake!)
TrickC day! YAY! (Okay, I'm pretending it's the 31st here already, even though I've still got a few hours to go. Hey, I've got Bobba Fett and Princess Leia to take trick-or-treating tomorrow. :DD)
Anyway! TrickC ficlet, roughly 800 words, that's mostly gen(ish). It's loosely based on one part of Out of Sync where Lance mentions that JC and Chris didn't seem all that shocked by Justin's solo announcement, like maybe Justin had already talked to them.
The World's Not Waiting by Sori
Chris comes home and finds JC lying by his pool, feet dangling over the edge into the water.
"Hey," he says, sliding into the space next to JC, toeing off his flip-flops and sticking his feet in the water.
"Hey," JC says, sitting up and resting his elbows on his knees.
Chris has to wonder if this is where they've ended up, all heys and stark silences when, really, there should probably be something else they need to say. After all, chances are good that JC was the second one on Justin's list.
"Justin's going solo." JC says, staring at the water carefully, like all the answers are there for him to see, like maybe it'll make the world feel right when really, it's not feeling very right at all.
"Yeah," Chris says. "He told me." He doesn't try to hide the bitterness, layered somewhere beneath the anger and the sadness.
Chris shifts closer, edging in until his shoulder is touching JC's. The water slapping against his feet is cold and bitter, and it's confusing, sort of, because pool water's not supposed to be cold in the middle of a Florida summer. It's supposed to be still and smooth and warm.
But maybe it's just him.
"Your pool's weird, man," JC says, looking up for the first time and staring at Chris. Chris figured that maybe there'd be red in his eyes, tear tracks down his cheeks which would be strange, yeah, because he's never seen JC cry, but still. It'd make the whole thing more real and not like the weird cold water in his pool; something that shouldn't be there but is.
Instead, JC's eyes are clear and bright and there's not a trace of red anywhere.
"Yeah, I totally paid to have it weird." Chris rolls his eyes at JC , and knows how completely lame that is, but he's rewarded with the very start of a smile anyway.
JC knocks his shoulder into Chris and tilts his head down, smiling all the way now. Chris stares at the smooth line of JC's neck, the hair, too long and resting softly against his skin. He reaches out and can't help touching, winding his fingers through a handful of curls and tugging softly.
"Do we need to talk about it?" JC asks, sliding closer and closing his eyes.
"My weird ass pool? Well, sure. If you want." Chris tugs harder on JC's hair, until JC opens his eyes and looks up.
"No, about Justin, bitch." JC says, and jabs Chris hard in the stomach with his elbow.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure we don't need to talk about that." Chris lets go of JC's hair and shrugs. He moves over, wrapping his hands around the edge of the pool, and putting some space back between them. "Justin's going to do his thing, you know? He always does. We'll be okay."
He looks over at the rose bushes lining the pool and remembers buying the house and throwing his first party here with the guys; remembers Justin puking in the rosebushes, and Lance passing out on the one lounge chair, and Joey dive-bombing into the pool with a splash big enough to soak the patio doors. It'd been good, just the five of them for the first few hours, drinking tequila and following it with beer chasers. When everyone else had finally started trickling in, the party had gotten louder, but not necessarily better.
"Well, yeah, of course we'll be okay." JC shakes his head sadly. "That's--." JC waves his hand in the air, and Chris can almost see him trying to pin down the right words.
"Not the issue?" Chris asks, turning his head and smiling down at JC's hands, now rubbing absently on the slate stones edging the pool.
"Not the issue, no. But also, not what I was going to say."
"No?" Chris cracks his neck, stretches his arms up and over his head, feeling the muscle loosen, the kinks pop. He doesn't care much what JC was going to say, and he doesn't really think JC does either. It's a nice night, cool breeze, cold water on his feet, and that, in the middle of a hot and humid Florida summer, is a small moment of relief.
Sometimes, you have to live for the small moments.
JC doesn't say anything, but Chris watches as he slides his fingers across the slate, closer and closer, until Chris can feel the warmth of JC's fingers along his hand. He smiles when JC's pinkie reaches out and wraps itself around Chris' pinkie, holding on tightly, linking them together in one more place.
And right now, that's enough.
And, hey, we had a very nice 5.6 earthquake shake through northern California tonight. My windows shook and my chandeliers swayed and Spawn 1 rolled out of bed in terror. The excitement never stops. Seriously. :)
Now, go, and make joyous TrickC posts. It shall be a day of GLEE!
Anyway! TrickC ficlet, roughly 800 words, that's mostly gen(ish). It's loosely based on one part of Out of Sync where Lance mentions that JC and Chris didn't seem all that shocked by Justin's solo announcement, like maybe Justin had already talked to them.
The World's Not Waiting by Sori
Chris comes home and finds JC lying by his pool, feet dangling over the edge into the water.
"Hey," he says, sliding into the space next to JC, toeing off his flip-flops and sticking his feet in the water.
"Hey," JC says, sitting up and resting his elbows on his knees.
Chris has to wonder if this is where they've ended up, all heys and stark silences when, really, there should probably be something else they need to say. After all, chances are good that JC was the second one on Justin's list.
"Justin's going solo." JC says, staring at the water carefully, like all the answers are there for him to see, like maybe it'll make the world feel right when really, it's not feeling very right at all.
"Yeah," Chris says. "He told me." He doesn't try to hide the bitterness, layered somewhere beneath the anger and the sadness.
Chris shifts closer, edging in until his shoulder is touching JC's. The water slapping against his feet is cold and bitter, and it's confusing, sort of, because pool water's not supposed to be cold in the middle of a Florida summer. It's supposed to be still and smooth and warm.
But maybe it's just him.
"Your pool's weird, man," JC says, looking up for the first time and staring at Chris. Chris figured that maybe there'd be red in his eyes, tear tracks down his cheeks which would be strange, yeah, because he's never seen JC cry, but still. It'd make the whole thing more real and not like the weird cold water in his pool; something that shouldn't be there but is.
Instead, JC's eyes are clear and bright and there's not a trace of red anywhere.
"Yeah, I totally paid to have it weird." Chris rolls his eyes at JC , and knows how completely lame that is, but he's rewarded with the very start of a smile anyway.
JC knocks his shoulder into Chris and tilts his head down, smiling all the way now. Chris stares at the smooth line of JC's neck, the hair, too long and resting softly against his skin. He reaches out and can't help touching, winding his fingers through a handful of curls and tugging softly.
"Do we need to talk about it?" JC asks, sliding closer and closing his eyes.
"My weird ass pool? Well, sure. If you want." Chris tugs harder on JC's hair, until JC opens his eyes and looks up.
"No, about Justin, bitch." JC says, and jabs Chris hard in the stomach with his elbow.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure we don't need to talk about that." Chris lets go of JC's hair and shrugs. He moves over, wrapping his hands around the edge of the pool, and putting some space back between them. "Justin's going to do his thing, you know? He always does. We'll be okay."
He looks over at the rose bushes lining the pool and remembers buying the house and throwing his first party here with the guys; remembers Justin puking in the rosebushes, and Lance passing out on the one lounge chair, and Joey dive-bombing into the pool with a splash big enough to soak the patio doors. It'd been good, just the five of them for the first few hours, drinking tequila and following it with beer chasers. When everyone else had finally started trickling in, the party had gotten louder, but not necessarily better.
"Well, yeah, of course we'll be okay." JC shakes his head sadly. "That's--." JC waves his hand in the air, and Chris can almost see him trying to pin down the right words.
"Not the issue?" Chris asks, turning his head and smiling down at JC's hands, now rubbing absently on the slate stones edging the pool.
"Not the issue, no. But also, not what I was going to say."
"No?" Chris cracks his neck, stretches his arms up and over his head, feeling the muscle loosen, the kinks pop. He doesn't care much what JC was going to say, and he doesn't really think JC does either. It's a nice night, cool breeze, cold water on his feet, and that, in the middle of a hot and humid Florida summer, is a small moment of relief.
Sometimes, you have to live for the small moments.
JC doesn't say anything, but Chris watches as he slides his fingers across the slate, closer and closer, until Chris can feel the warmth of JC's fingers along his hand. He smiles when JC's pinkie reaches out and wraps itself around Chris' pinkie, holding on tightly, linking them together in one more place.
And right now, that's enough.
And, hey, we had a very nice 5.6 earthquake shake through northern California tonight. My windows shook and my chandeliers swayed and Spawn 1 rolled out of bed in terror. The excitement never stops. Seriously. :)
Now, go, and make joyous TrickC posts. It shall be a day of GLEE!