Alla
Copyright March 24, 2001 by Matthew Haldeman-Time
Rating: R
Pairing: JC Chasez/Justin Timberlake
Disclaimer: The young men who comprise *NSYNC are their own people. The author has not met anyone here described, nor does the author mean to suggest that these people act this way in real life. This writing is a work of fiction. I make no money from this venture.
Dedication: This slashfic is for Ewan and Darren/Daniel writers.
Wherein they sing, they dance, they pound on walls.
"Uh, Justin? Do you know what you're singing?"
"Miss Janet!" he said, and did his favorite new shimmy. He'd been practicing it last night while brushing his teeth, and he thought it was turning out pretty well. The trick was to tuck his hips-
"Now, I know you don't shake the sugar stick anymore-"
"I shake it!" he protested.
"Yeah? When's the last time?"
"I shake it plenty!"
"Man, you haven't gotten laid in-"
"Guys," JC cut in. "Come on, leave him alone."
"Yeah," Justin said, strutting. "Leave me alone."
"Where do you two come up with these things?" Lance asked. "Shake the sugar stick? What is that?"
"He said it first," Chris and Joey said together, each pointing at the other. "No, you did. Hey!"
"Guys," JC said again. "All we gotta do is this one song. It's not that hard."
"Not hard at all," Joey said.
"Never hard," Chris said.
"How about it, Justin?" Joey asked. "You think it's hard?"
"Don't make me come over there," Justin said. "I'll whoop ya'll."
"Justin," JC said, "It's 'I'll go deeper, baby, deeper.'"
"Will you?" Joey asked.
"Yeah, JC, will you?" Chris asked.
"How far?" Joey asked.
"Wait, he can't," Chris said. "He said it's not hard."
"Give it a rest or your butt's out of here," JC said. "You mock me or my boy one more time-"
"Your boy?" Joey asked.
"He means his sugar stick," Chris said.
"No, I think he means Justin," Joey said.
"Maybe he means Justin's su-"
"That's it!" JC shouted.
"Whoa," Chris said, stunned.
This was not cool, man. JC was turning red.
"Out!" JC shouted. "Get out! I don't want to see your face or hear from you until you are ready to work and cut out this crap! We have work to do and I don't have time to stand around waiting for you to-"
"JC," Lance said.
"Out!" JC shouted, pointing to the door. Justin could see the tension in his arm.
Joey and Chris left.
"I'll talk to them," Lance said, and followed.
The door closed.
"JC," Justin said. "They're just fooling around. We've been working like-"
"We have to work," JC said. "We don't have time to fool around."
"Freaking on the guys won't help."
JC ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "I know, I know." The tension drained from him, and his shoulders sagged a little. "But we gotta get this done, T."
"We will." He had to smile at the nickname. First Josh had gone to JC, and now they kept shortening JC to "C." In rebellion, JC had decided to make Justin "T." That pointed nickname had become an unconscious habit.
"Why do they have to-"
"JC, calm down, man. It's just stress. They're running on it, and it makes them run at the mouths."
"They're like comedy club rejects."
"They are."
JC met his eyes and smiled, a real smile. "Lucky us."
"Yeah, lucky us."
"What was that move you did?"
"I'm standing still here, C."
"No, earlier. It was sort of," and JC did a tight shimmy.
"That's my move, man! That's it!"
"That's what I'm saying," JC said. "Where'd you get that?"
"You like it?"
"It's sweet, Justin. How'd you do that?"
"You just did it."
"Did I?"
"That was it. Supersweet."
"You gotta do that onstage."
"We gotta do that onstage," Justin corrected.
"All right," JC said, and slapped his hand, and did the shimmy. "Let's get the guys back in here. We got work to do."
"We got fun to have," Justin said.
"Never let me forget that," JC said.
"Never," Justin promised.
"What do you think?" Joey asked, holding up a bright orange button-down.
"Oh, that's all the rage," Chris said.
"Yeah, man, they got those on from Paris to Milan," Justin said.
"I better not get it, then," Joey said. "Don't wanna look like everybody else."
"Don't worry," Lance said.
Justin smiled and looked around some more, starting to sing to himself.
"When are you gonna get that?" Joey asked.
"What?" he asked, looking up.
"Justin, it's 'I'll go deeper, baby, deeper.' You. Not her. Because if you're the one she's going deeper into-"
"I get it, I get it." God.
"You have sung that right once," Joey said.
"One time," Chris emphasized.
Justin scowled and flipped through the rack faster.
"Good thing you got it right, or we would still be there," Joey said.
"This is sweet," JC said.
"Whoa, ugly," Chris said, backing up into Joey.
"JC, that's nasty," Joey said.
"You think it'll fit?" JC asked.
"Nothing fits you, C," Joey said.
"Everything fits him," Chris said.
"I know. I hate it," Joey said.
"Let's kill him," Chris said.
"Let's kill that shirt," Joey said.
"Definitely going for the shirt first," Chris agreed.
"JC, you're not getting that," Lance said.
"No, it's sweet," JC said. "What do you think, Justin?"
"It's kinda loud, JC," Justin said.
"It's kinda a crime against fashion as we know it," Chris said.
"I'll be a trendsetter," JC said.
Justin didn't bother to hold back his laughter.
"Hey, what about this?" JC asked.
"Oh my god," Chris said. "JC found something that's not from Planet Ugly."
"What would he be doing at your home planet?" Joey asked Chris.
"Oh, that was harsh," Lance said.
"You're not getting any tonight," Chris told Joey.
"I didn't want any," Joey said.
"True," Chris said.
"Here, try this on," JC said, offering the shirt to Justin.
"Me?" Justin asked.
"No, the bald guy behind you," JC said. "Yes, you."
"It figures the one time he picks up something half-decent, it's for somebody else," Joey said.
"That's our JC," Chris said. "Unfortunately."
Justin took the shirt. "JC, I'm gonna look like a pimp."
"No, you're gonna look like what the pimps try to sell," Joey said. "You gotta get that, Justin. The girls'll be, whoo, all over you."
"Justin doesn't do that anymore," Chris reminded Joey.
"Then give me the shirt," Joey said.
"Like you need help getting girls."
"Like he does?" Joey asked.
Justin pulled off his own shirt and pulled on JC's offering. Oh, damn. Sleek and super-soft. He looked like he was selling something. His own ass, maybe. "I look fine."
"Sweet," JC agreed.
"Supersweet," he said. "Check me out. I can't go out in public looking like this."
"Why not?" Joey asked.
"Come on, T., you look supersweet," JC said. "You need to show some of that to the ladies tonight."
"They're gonna be grabbing at you anyway," Joey said.
"Might as well give them a reason to," Chris agreed.
"You buy it," Justin told JC. "You'd look great."
"I got my own wardrobe," JC said.
"From the garbage can," Lance said quietly to no one in particular.
Justin petted his chest. "I like this. What is it?"
"It's your shirt, buddy,"
Joey said. "Are we getting out of here or what?"
"You seen JC?" he asked.
"You ask me that one more time and I'm going to draw the word 'No' on your forehead so you can just look in the mirror and quit asking me," Lance said.
"You spend too much time with Chris," Justin said, and looked around the club. Without warning, someone grabbed him around the shoulders from behind and squeezed. "Hey, JC!"
"You're not out there dancing!" JC chided, letting go of him. "Come on, we gotta show these fellas how it's done."
"I've been showing them for ten hours straight. Where've you been?" he asked, standing. "Oh, JC, you look fine."
"You look sweet," JC said, and rubbed at the fuzz on his chin. "You showing off like the man?"
Justin blushed. "I'm twenty, JC, I'm allowed to show some facial hair here."
"Let's go grab some ladies
and do the ride," JC said.
Somebody smacked his ass. "Come on, I'm getting out of here."
"How did you even find me?"
"I followed the path of screaming
girls," JC said. "Cab's outside."
"They're gonna wear out the bedsprings," JC said. "You want something?"
"A Grammy, the meaning of life, and some new shoes."
"What's wrong with those?"
"They're fine. My feet are killing me, but the shoes are fine."
"Tell me you're growing again."
"No way. I'm all finished there. This is Justin Timberlake, take me or leave me."
"I'll take you," JC said.
"We didn't leave Lance there, did we?"
"No, he went home with...what's her name?"
"Lady."
"I thought we were supposed to call them women."
"No, that's her name."
"Her name is Lady?"
"Yeah."
"Why do her parents hate her?"
"Guess they wanted a dog."
"Lance is no tramp."
"Guess she's out of luck, there. She can take Joey."
"That was cold," JC said.
"Wait, we're supposed to call them women and not ladies?"
"That's right."
"Why?"
"It's sexist."
"To call a female a lady?"
"That's right."
"JC, where do you get this stuff?"
"I pay attention."
"No, you don't. You live in JC world."
"And I'm very happy there, thank you very much."
Justin pounded on the wall again. "I'm asleep on my sore feet, here."
"You wanna crash?"
"It's two inches down the hall to my room, JC."
"You wanna crash?"
"Sure."
"You move over."
"You're on my side of the bed."
"The whole bed is mine."
"How many arms do you have?"
"Two."
"Then why are they all over here?"
"I can't get comfortable."
"And that's my problem?"
"You're griping about it, I guess it is."
"Gripe. Who says gripe?"
"I just did."
"Well stop saying it and go to sleep!"
"Tell you one thing."
"What?"
"I'm glad you chopped the crop. This way I don't have to wake up with your afro in my face anymore."
"And when do you ever wake up before me?"
"I'm just saying."
"You're just full of it, is what you just are. You miss my fro. And you're jealous that now I'm looking all old and sexy while you're a salon's worst nightmare."
"You are not old and sexy."
"I am old and sexy."
"You wanna see old and sexy, you look at me."
"I'm looking, and all I see is that big old mop on top of a pile of bones. Your hair weighs more than the rest of you, JC."
"At least I have hair."
"At least I have a body."
"I have a body!"
"My body is fine."
"My body is sweet."
"Supersweet, JC."
"That's right."
"You are."
"I know it."
"JC."
"Justin."
"It's kind of dark in here."
"Sshhh."
"I have to tell you something."
"No, you don't. I know."
"No, I-"
"Justin."
"What?"
"You want me to go deeper?"
"Oh god, JC."
"I will if you want. Only if you want. Only what you want."
"You don't have to, I just-"
"I will."
"Oh, oh god, JC..."