All the islands in the ocean
All the heavens in the motion
Let me show you the world in my eyes
- "World In My Eyes", Depeche Mode
~~~
Justin was late, late, late by the time his momma pulled into Joey’s
driveway. There were a myriad of reasons for that, but Justin hated being late,
especially with an audience, and fuckhead Chris was sitting on the hood of Joey’s
new car, holding a sign that said "Bon Voyage Justin & Joey" on it
in bright, bold, neon pink paint. When Justin craned his neck, he could see the
bottoms of Lance’s shoes, peeking out from behind a tire. What the hell was he
doing?
"Aw, Tweedle Dee decides to show," Chris said as Justin got out of
the car, racing around to beat his momma to the trunk. He could carry his own
stuff, thank you very much. "Tweedle Dum here," Chris gestured at Joey
with his thumb, "was wondering if you were even going to come."
"I slept in," Justin said, tossing his sleeping bag and his
backpack onto the grass. The canoe, he noticed, was already tied to the top of
Joey’s Explorer. Thank god. Last year, Justin had nearly gotten a concussion
when one of Joey’s knots came loose. "I’m still on Japanese time."
"Man, you guys are masochists," JC’s disembodied voice said.
Justin opened his mouth to point out it was tradition that he and Joey
went on their fishing weekend, six years strong, but then his momma was kissing
him goodbye and giving him random instructions and telling him not to drink too
much before turning on Joey and doing the whole thing again. By the time his
momma was out of driveway, waving, it seemed a moot point.
"Hey, J," Joey said, knocking on Justin’s head with his balled up
fist.
"Hi," Justin said, dancing a little with the excitement pulsing
through his legs. It was a little stupid to be looking forward to this weekend
so much, but Justin loved traditions, and he really wanted a quick vacation.
Japan had been all about sleep-deprivation, and they had the shoot for This I
Promise You coming up and Puffy’s party on the second and about a million
appearances and then the second leg of the tour. Justin just needed a few days
away from it all.
~~~
Chris had dubbed their annual fishing trip "two morons in the
wilderness," which Justin didn’t think was all that fair. Growing up,
Justin’s idea of a vacation had been spending his summers with his dad,
playing Nintendo, eating takeout and staying up way too late. And Joey was the
type of guy who’d spend his entire summer at Disney World and be perfectly
happy.
"If you don’t come back, we have two replacements lined up,"
Chris said as Lance and JC, having successfully squeezed Joey’s sleeping bag
into a small, plastic-covered roll, loaded up the trunk. They were being
unnaturally quiet, but Justin knew it was because they were both fighting
laughter. Morons, all of them. "And you know, don’t let those fish scare
you this year."
"God, will you shut up?" Justin shoved at Chris’s shoulder,
ignoring his gleeful laughter.
"You’re just jealous because you’re not invited, fuckwad," Joey
added, jingling his keys in his palm. When Chris still didn’t stop laughing,
Joey shook the keys right in his face until Chris got pissed off and stepped
back, teeth bared. "So what say we get this party on the road, huh?"
Justin lifted his chin. "Good idea."
"Have fun," Lance said, coughing behind his hand as JC dissolved
into laughter beside him, and Chris joined in, loudly and obnoxiously. Justin
was going to catch a school of fish just to spite them all. It was too early in
the morning and Justin was too jet-lagged for this shit.
"Relax, J," Joey said, tugging on one of Justin’s errant curls.
Another reason Justin had been late was the fact he’d been unable to get the
mess under control, and there was no way he was going into a world of bugs and
twigs and dirt with a nest just ready to pick up all that crap.
"We’re going to have so much fun!" Justin shouted, rolling down
the window and poking his head out. Chris, Lance and JC had sunk to the ground
laughing by then, but Justin wasn’t swayed. "When we get back, Joey and
me are going to be so fucking tight."
"Damn straight," Joey said, grinning.
Chris’s loud "Enjoy your new best friend!" was the last thing
Justin heard as he rolled up the window and gave the three of them the finger
through the glass. Beside him, Joey laughed and pressed on the horn, waking up
all the neighbours. They wouldn’t have to deal with them.
~~~
It was a mere two hours to Lake Istokpoga, where they planned on wearing as
many identity-hiding hats as humanly possible. At the very end of August, most
of the kids were back in school, but Justin didn’t want to risk having his one
real vacation all year ruined.
"Hey, J. Ignore the boneheads, all right? They just don’t
understand," Joey said about an hour into the trip. Guiltily, Justin looked
up. So maybe he had twisted up a napkin into a likeness of Chris and maybe he’d
been systematically tearing it to shreds, but he hadn’t wanted Joey to notice.
Eyes on the road and all that shit. "Though, fuck, how much fish are you
gonna catch?"
"A whole fucking school of them," Justin said.
"Fucking A, dude." Joey slapped his hands on the steering wheel.
"Chris will be finding fish bits in his shit for, like, months. Smelly,
gross fish bits. C and Lance, too!" Joey looked over, eyes wide and
glimmering. "How long do you think they’d survive in the wilderness,
J?"
"Ten minutes," Justin said grimly. "Though, uh, we might not
make it that much longer."
"Oh, right. Eyes on the road when driving. I remember," Joey said,
grinning. Justin laughed and reached for Joey’s CD wallet, flipping through
it. Joey had the most eccentric taste in music ever. He was, like, a musical
sponge, just absorbing everything, no matter how dorky.
"What are you in the mood for, Joey?"
Joey took his eyes off the road again, but Justin was ready this time. He
grabbed the wheel and steered them as Joey looked over the collection of CDs on
Justin’s lap, humming a little as he did. "If you put on some old school
Guns ‘n’ Roses, I’ll do my Axl Rose impression."
"Okay," Justin said, "but maybe I should drive, then. Safety
first and shit, right?"
There was absolutely no way Justin was giving up Joey’s stellar Axl Rose
impression, even if it meant he had to drive. Not that Justin couldn’t drive,
he and Joey had passed their tests on the same day, but it wasn’t his year to
drive. They settled on this type of shit early to avoid stress. The next decade
was planned out. Still, Joey gladly pulled over, and they switched seats.
~~~
They sang Guns ‘n’ Roses tunes all the way to Lake Istokpoga, working
their way through Use Your Illusion I, and continued with it through the forest,
canoe hoisted above their heads and bodies weighted down with all their gear.
This year, Justin’s pack was nearly as big as he was. Joey only tripped three
times on random roots, and Justin stepped in something squishy just once. So far
everything was off to a good start. Justin felt completely in control of his own
destiny.
It all started to go downhill once they found the perfect spot to set up
camp. Joey had somehow managed to lose the English instructions to the fucking
tent, and the other instructions, oddly, were completely in French. "Dude,
this is our Canadian tent," Joey said, knocking his knuckles on Justin’s
head. "Remember? Algonquin Park, two years ago. Our other one leaked."
"Fuck," Justin said, laughing. It was all coming back to him, the
happy memory curving down his spine. "That night sucked. With the bear, and
the rain, and the fucking squirrel that kept running up your pant leg. Shit,
man. And we thought he was confused and after your nuts?"
"Sparky, that little bastard!" Joey laughed, looking back over his
shoulder. He’d tied a do-rag over his head, too. Damp, red-tipped hair curled
out beneath the edge. "I was ready to make him into supper, but then that
lesbian couple across the way ran him over with their SUV."
"I still say we should have had him stuffed then given him to C for
Christmas."
"Dude, whatever fish you want to turn into mummies this year, feel free.
I won’t have to see them." Joey’s eyes narrowed, turning into dark,
evil slits. "But I swear to god, J, if Lance gets a stuffed fish and puts
it up on our bus as decoration? It’s your fine ass I’m going after."
Justin grinned. When Joey body-checked him, Justin tipped over into the
patchy grass, and nearly pissed his pants when Joey didn’t even manage another
step before his ankle was twisted up in the ropes for the poles, going
head-first into the partially standing tent. The sides puffed out like a balloon
then folded in on themselves. Justin tossed back his head and laughed.
~~~
They ate a quick lunch by their fire pit, the one thing they had managed to
learn in the six years they’d been going fishing, before they gathered their
fishing gear and got into the canoe. Well, Joey got into the canoe.
Justin tentatively followed when he was sure Joey was settled and the threat of
capsizing had been significantly reduced. They pushed off backwards onto the
still water. After a few false starts, they managed to get turned around and
settled into a brisk paddle.
"Yell when you hear the fish calling," Justin shouted into the
breeze as he peered around. There was another canoe out on the water, but they
were mere specks on the horizon. Other than that, though, no one else. Justin
took a deep, cleansing breath and cut his paddle into the water.
They canoed in circles for a half an hour before settling on the perfect
spot. Justin made a big production of pulling on his fishing hat as Joey did the
same. Three years ago, in another fish drought, they’d spent their time on the
water adding touches to their hats with sharpies they had stolen from various
autograph-desperate fans in the week previous to their trip. Though faded with
time, Justin could still make out the pudgy fish with the X’s for eyes caught
between the bookends of "FAT" and "ONE" on Joey’s hat.
Justin’s own head was surrounded by a halo of very happy fish. So far, neither
of them had discovered the secret of luring fish with their hats.
"Whose year is it for the worms?"
"Mine," Justin said glumly.
"Then get to it, worm boy. I’m not touching those suckers. Two
please."
Joey held out his hook expectantly, and Justin took it, careful of his
thumbs. Five years running, they’re both managed to harpoon themselves with
the hooks, but this year was going to be the start of a new tradition in which
they both walked away without injury. The worms were cold and slimly and
squirmy, and Justin gagged a couple times before he got two on Joey’s hook and
one on his own, closing up the lid to the Styrofoam container of worms and soil.
"I’m going to smell like worms all weekend," Justin said, running
his fingers through the water. Yuck, yuck and triple yuck. Justin hated bugs of
all kinds, with their too-many legs or their complete lack of legs, and their
general ickiness. On the flip side, Joey adored bugs with the one notable
exception of worms, which left them in a sticky situation. Because yuck, worms.
Joey cleared his throat and put on a British accent. "May I present a
gift from me mum?"
"You may," Justin said, rolling his hand and gesturing in Joey’s
direction.
"Scented hand sanitiser," Joey said simply, pulling a giant plastic
bottle from the bag he’d brought with him. Justin reached for it like Chris in
a candy store, popping the cap and squeezing a dollop into his palm. Joey
squinted at it. "Jeez, that really looks like lube, man."
Justin grinned, rubbing his hands together and covering every inch of his
skin. The acrid scent of artificial flowers wafted up into Justin’s nose. It
was enough to scare the fish away, but Justin really didn’t care. Worms
smelled like ass. "You sure you didn’t bring that by mistake?"
Joey snorted. "As if, man. Who am I gonna get lucky with, huh? You?"
"Whoa, Fatone." Justin held up his hand. "Don’t knock the
goods till you’ve tried them."
"Yeah, I can just picture myself having sex with you. I’d fucking bust
something, J!"
Justin laughed as he cast his line, listening as the hook dropped into the
water with a satisfying plop. "You overestimate how rowdy I am in bed, man.
Seriously, I can be bendy, but I usually don’t wanna be. I say this as the guy
who’s thrown his back out four times whacking off."
"No wonder you don’t like it very much." Joey tugged on his line
a few times, but it stayed loose. Suddenly, Joey laughed. "Man, I was gonna
say that’s the only time I feel safe from injury, but then I remember that
time with the microwave and the cantaloupe and the burns."
Justin groaned as he reeled in his line. "That was sick, dude. Grossest
shit I’ve ever seen."
"Nah, man. That was nothing. I should have taken pictures of my dick
that time I used one of those heavy duty dandruff shampoos as lube. Word to the
wise, J, soap fucking hurts," Joey said, shuddering. Justin kept his
mouth shut which set Joey off into gleeful laughter. "Dude, you never told
me you knew about that. Solo stuff or what? Some guy tell you it was cool?"
"I came up with it on my own, man. And it wasn’t my dick," Justin
added, hot in the face.
Joey whistled. "Ouch."
"Don’t I know it," Justin said, "but I think all this sex
talk is scaring away the fish."
Joey snorted. "Is that our problem?"
Justin just dragged a flowery-smelling finger and thumb across his lips, and
Joey shut up.
~~~
Four hours, and not a single fucking fish. Justin even saw one of the
bastards swimming around, but it managed to get the worm without being hooked.
Those things were wily creatures. Joey managed to reel in a half-deflated
basketball, but that was it for him. It was very relaxing, so Justin had no
major complaints. They played the pissing game over the side of the canoe, which
Joey won by a good four or five inches. Next time, Justin was going to beat him
for sure.
"How’s the Britney thing working out for you?"
Justin cast his line then shrugged. "It’s all right. We finally
settled on the contract. Look for plenty of marriage rumours and a big messy
break up in early 2002, I think. But dude, the one thing they don’t tell you
about this beard business is how it fucking murders your sex life."
"J, you gotta stop going for the classy girls. They’re not gonna cheat
with you, dude."
"I like classy girls," Justin said defensively. Chris had ragged on
him for the same thing, but Justin would rather be celibate than hook up with
most of the girls who tried to get at his dick. "They’re easier to bring
home to my momma, you know? Hell, I don’t even know if I want a girl to bring
home to my momma. Maybe I want a guy, I don’t know. I’m just saying it’s
frustrating, and I’m really lonely, and I just want someone who isn’t trying
to star-fuck me to share my bed."
"You need a girl like Kelly," Joey said, "and don’t you dare
say Kelly isn’t classy."
Justin held up a hand before Joey could get going on his rant about gender
inequalities and sexuality, how a guy who slept around was practically given his
own golden cock for people to worship while a woman was called a slut and worse.
Justin didn’t like it either, but Joey got really worked up about it.
"Kelly is plenty classy, but most girls don’t do casual like that,
man."
"Then get with a guy who’ll understand the beard business. Go for one
in the industry."
Justin groaned. "Dude, you know it’s not that easy."
"It is that easy, man. You’re young, hot and famous. This is all
you." Joey cast his line again, so quickly that Justin barely even saw its
gold glint before it was yards away. "I get laid by guys more often than
you, which is sad, dude. I’m not even trying. You’re just too damn
picky."
"I’m not too picky," Justin said, tugging impatiently at his
line. "It’s just that hooking up with guys makes me nervous, and I go for
a certain type of guy who generally isn’t interested in me. Brit’s been
trying to hook me up with one of her dancers, but I don’t think I’m gonna
for it."
"Now there’s some sex that would wreck your back."
"I know," Justin said glumly.
They lapsed into comfortable silence. Justin tried to will a fish to hook
itself on his line. Just one, it was all he was asking, one fucking fish to pose
with. He’d toss the damn thing back and skip dinner if he had to, but he
couldn’t face those three gleeful fuckers empty-handed again.
~~~
When it started getting dark, they paddled back to shore and brought the
canoe in. Maybe, Justin thought, they could buy a fish on the way home. It wasn’t
like those three idiots would know a store-bought fish from a lake-stolen fish.
Or a fake fish. A plastic fish would probably look real in pictures. Justin
still remembered those rubber spiders Chris had found.
"Hey, cheer up. Being pissy is absolutely forbidden on this trip. Don’t
make me bug you into having a good time," Joey said warmly, coming up
behind Justin and hooking his forearm lightly across Justin’s collarbone. His
breath was hot on Justin’s cheek, and Justin tried to smile, even though he
felt like a huge fish-less loser. "My mom got us all the stuff for s’mores,
man."
Justin smiled and leaned back a little into Joey’s arms. "Yeah?"
"Yep. I’m all ready to pig out ..."
Joey stopped talking abruptly. Justin looked up, and holy shit, he thought,
there were two guys coming through the dusky shadows, wearing the shortest jean
shorts Justin had ever seen. Handsome as fuck, too. The whole thing sorta
reminded Justin of the beginning to a good porno.
"Hey," the taller of the guys said, his voice heavy and deep with
an Australian accent.
Justin felt his knees buckle. He was sluttishly easy when it came to guys
with accents.
"Hey," Joey said back.
The other guy, the shorter one, stepped in front of his friend. "This is
going to sound like the beginning of a bad porno, but we cooked way too much
food. You guys are the only other signs of life we’ve seen out here, so we
figured we’d offer some of it up. Normally, we’d just throw it out ..."
"But someone," the taller guy said, "spent sixty dollars on
steaks then cooked them all."
"Someone said he was hungry," the shorter guy replied
sweetly.
Joey laughed suddenly. He looked at Justin, who quickly nodded. All they’d
brought were two packs of 100% all-beef wieners, not even the fancy ballpark
kind, and the temptation of steak was enough to risk being poisoned by
strangers, especially after a week of shitty food in Japan.
"We’d love to join you," Joey said, tightening his arm across
Justin’s shoulders. With his other hand, Joey made vague introductory
gestures. "I’m Anthony, and this dude here is Jay."
"Hi," Justin said, waving and feeling a little shy, which was
pretty ridiculous, considering Justin dealt with strangers just about every day,
but there was a world of difference between fans, radio disk jockeys and
critics, and every-day normal people, who didn’t seem to realise who they were
looking at. In the real world, where Justin was just a regular guy, he tended to
be reserved.
"I’m Colin," the taller guy said.
"And I’m Bobby," the shorter guy said. "Come over whenever
you’re ready, okay?"
"Sure thing," Joey replied, his fingers splayed on the round of
Justin’s shoulder. Justin looked at Joey’s hand then turned his eyes on
Colin and Bobby, who were both smiling. Stupidly, Justin grinned back. There was
something completely obvious that Justin knew he was missing, but for the life
of him, he wasn’t making the connection. Oh well. He’d figure it out
eventually.
~~~
After quickly washing up, Joey grabbed a bottle of vodka as Justin gathered
the stuff for s’mores, and they walked over to where Colin and Bobby had set
up camp. They were obviously experienced campers. For one, their tent didn’t
tilt to the extreme left, and Justin was slightly envious. There was no doubt in
Justin’s mind that he was going to wake up tangled in canvas.
It’d been so long since Justin had been treated like a normal guy that he
had no idea how to act. He didn’t even know what was going on in the world, so
he couldn’t strike up a conversation about politics or the news or, hell, even
what was going on in entertainment. All Justin knew for sure was that band Nsync
was huge and the five guys in it were living the life.
Still, it was nice. Joey could engage a rock in conversation, so Justin
mostly listened as Joey went on about everything, a big plate of steak and
roasted potatoes balanced on his knees. Justin ate until he was full then kept
on going. They weren’t kidding about the amount of steak.
"How long have you been together?" Bobby asked as he mixed drinks,
all four of them drinking vodka and orange juice out of plastic beer tumblers.
Already, Justin was feeling a little dizzy. Nice, though, like all the tension
in his limbs had crawled away and finally died.
"Five years," Justin replied as Joey choked on a sudden mouthful of
steak. Without thinking about it, Justin thumped him lightly on the back and
passed him the dribble of remaining drink that Justin had in his cup. Good
thing, then, that Bobby was making more.
"Seven years for us," Colin said, smiling. "We met in
university. We were roommates."
"Me and um," Justin paused briefly, "Anthony met
..."
"In high school," Joey said, coughing to clear his throat. Justin
continued to rub his back like his momma had always done for him. "In our
last year of high school. We’re twenty-three." When Justin opened his
mouth to contradict him, Joey stepped on his foot and crushed his toes.
Bobby laughed and started passing out the drinks. "Just babies, then.
Were you out?"
"Out where?" Justin asked, taking the tumbler and immediately
downing a gulp. Funny, he couldn’t even taste the vodka anymore, but he wasn’t
that drunk. At least, he didn’t think so. When Justin looked up again,
Colin and Bobby were laughing, and Joey looked faintly bemused.
"No," Joey said, "no, we weren’t out."
Justin finished his dinner as Colin, Bobby and Joey switched the topic to
Colin and Bobby’s world travels. He finished his drink, too. Later, when Colin
and Bobby got up to find more wood for the fire, Justin leaned over and
whispered in Joey’s ear, "Out where, man?"
Joey just shook his head and laughed.
~~~
It wasn’t until the s’mores that Justin really got it. He’d stopped
drinking, fearing he would puke. Between all the water Joey kept making him
swallow and stuffing himself with s’mores, Justin sobered up. Still, he wouldn’t
have clued in if Colin hadn’t leaned in and licked the marshmallow off Bobby’s
lips and lingered just a heartbeat too long. Oh, Justin thought, they’re
together. There went his dreams of a night of hot sex with Bobby or Colin or
both.
They were together ... and uh oh. Justin looked down at Joey’s hand, which
Justin had pulled into his lap for no apparent reason. Joey’s knee kept
rubbing up against his, ruffling the hair. Oh Jesus, Justin thought. This was
definitely one part of the trip Chris was not being told about. JC got enough
shit from him for being the last one to get the joke, and this was well
beyond that.
Justin acted cool as a cucumber until Colin and Bobby got up to empty their
bladders.
"They think we’re together," Justin hissed, putting his mouth
against Joey’s ear then pulling back to gauge Joey’s reaction.
Joey turned to look at him and snorted, but he didn’t pull his hand away,
which was fine. Justin wasn’t sure he was willing to let go. It felt nice to
have someone sitting too close. This beard nonsense with Britney just wasn’t
fulfilling. Joey leaned in and whispered, "Well, no shit."
"They don’t know who we really are?"
"Nah, I don’t think so. It must be our clever disguises," Joey
added, tugging at the rim of Justin’s fishing hat. Justin looked up until his
eyes hurt then nodded. Must be, Justin figured, because there was no such thing
as gay guys who didn’t know who Nsync was. At that, Justin grinned and put his
head on Joey’s shoulder. Joey chuckled, his laughter rumbling lightly.
"Man, if all I had to do to make you smile was get you drunk and pretend to
be your boyfriend ..."
"I’ve been a little surly, haven’t I?"
"Just a teensy bit," Joey said, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
"From now on, man, I’m gonna be the funnest guy ever,"
Justin vowed solemnly.
Joey laughed, helping Justin sit upright again. Justin hadn’t even noticed
he’d begun to tip over into Joey’s lap. "Okay, J. You just do that.
Want some more s’mores? I think our hosts are doing it in the forest under the
pretence of taking a piss. They’ve been gone awhile."
"I thought I was gonna get lucky," Justin said glumly.
"Night’s still young, kid," Joey replied, smiling.
~~~
Pretending Joey was his boyfriend turned out to be the most fun Justin had
experienced in ages. By the time it became obvious that Colin and Bobby just
wanted them gone, Justin was in a fantastic mood. Justin felt blissfully normal,
and though he was weary to the bone, he was so past the point of utter
exhaustion that he didn’t want to sleep. Justin wanted to swim instead.
"J," Joey said helplessly, laughing as Justin struggled to get out
of his shorts. Justin wasn’t drunk, really. It was just that in his
enthusiasm, he’d lost all control of his suddenly gangly limbs. He was so very
sober. If he was drunk then he wouldn’t be swimming. His momma would kill him,
otherwise. "C’mon, man. It’s late. We can go swimming tomorrow."
"I’m going to call the fish to us," Justin said, wrenching off
his shirt and dropping it to the sand, which squished wetly between his toes.
For a moment, he just stood there, hands lifted above his head, belly taut with
the breath he held. "And Joey, I’m really sober, so it’s
okay."
"Well, you did stop drinking a while ago," Joey said slowly, like
he didn’t want to believe it. He looked Justin up and down, and whoa, Justin
thought, did he just check me out? When he squinted questioningly, Joey just
looked away. "Whatever, man. I’ll be your David Hasselhoff."
"Or you can come swimming with me." Justin lifted his eyebrows,
knowing Joey was two second away from giving in. Joey was awful when it came to
peer pressure, bowing like a reed in the wind. Which was good, because sometimes
Joey got so wound up trying to make sure everyone was happy that he needed a
good kick in the ass towards relaxation and skinny-dipping. "C’mon, Joey,
you know you want to, so get nekkid and follow me in, all right?"
Joey rolled his eyes, but he was already tugging off his shorts and shirt.
Justin wiggled his ass then ran into the water, diving under the surface and
coming up a few feet from where he started. Joey splashed up next to him, his
red-tipped hair sticking to his head like a helmet. Justin didn’t even want to
know what his own hair was gonna look like tomorrow morning.
"They’re probably doing it right now," Justin said, grinning.
"Maybe if we’re quiet we can hear them," Joey replied.
Justin strained his ears trying to catch even a whimper in the breeze, but
either they were really quiet or they weren’t having sex. Justin put his vote
on being very quiet. Two hot guys like that probably couldn’t keep their hands
off each other. Justin often felt the same way about the group, the five of
them. Sometimes, he was truly amazed he’d never slept with any of them.
"Have you ever slept with, you know, anyone in the group?" Justin
whispered after it became obvious they weren’t hearing anything. He also knew
stuff carried across water, and the last thing he needed was for some gaggle of
girls downwind to hear Joey Fatone very clearly say,
"Nope."
Justin was actually surprised by the admission. If anyone in the group had
fooled around, Justin would have put his money on Joey and Lance, even if it was
limited to kissing. In Europe, they’d been pretty intense about the other’s
friendship. Probably the same could be said for him and Chris, but Justin could
never sleep with Chris. They’d fight through it, and that would suck.
"Why? Have you?" Joey asked after a moment, his eyes wide with the
same surprise that continued to curl around Justin’s belly.
The aforementioned type of guy that Justin was interested in, who generally
wasn’t interested in him? Usually friends, usually guys he’d known forever.
Being in Nsync was like living in hell, minus the fire and the brimstone and the
agonising eternal pain. Sometimes, Justin just wanted to fuck them all, simply
to get it out of his system. As if that would actually work.
Justin snorted. "I wish."
"Yeah?" Joey’s voice held a note of eagerness that made Justin’s
stomach swim, but not with surprise this time. More like ... warmth, and
excitement, and whoa, Justin thought, Joey is seriously checking me out again.
Shit, how drunk was he? Should they even be swimming?
Probably not, but instead of getting out of the water like Justin intended,
he kinda stepped right into Joey’s sculpted arms, and then they were kissing.
Real kissing, openly and with tongue, the kind that made Justin want to take off
his clothes and have sex. Being naked already, Justin skipped right to the
latter, pressed flush against Joey, arms looped around his neck.
"What are we doing, J?" Joey asked between kisses, Justin’s lower
lip caught between his teeth. They lasted all five words before they were
kissing again, hot and deep, like needy wanton desperate virgins. Justin couldn’t
remember ever kissing like this. "J, seriously, man."
Justin licked his lips and swallowed hard. "We’re gonna have sex, you
know."
"I figured," Joey said, lowering his mouth to Justin’s again.
"Just checking."
~~~
The thing was, Justin wasn’t drunk. Buzzed, maybe, but definitely not
wasted. Maybe tomorrow, he’d blame it on the moon or a sugar high or being
horny, but probably not. Justin didn’t do anything without wanting to do it.
It was just the way he was. Occasionally, it took him a while to realise what he
really wanted. Five years, in Joey’s case. Justin wanted him bad.
They stumbled out of the water because two guys having sex in plain view in
Florida was nine shades of illegal. Maybe they laughed all the way across the
sand, but Justin always laughed when he was nervous. Years of bragging about how
good he was in bed, of which Joey was equally guilty, had finally brought him to
the point where he had to actually be spectacular.
Justin stopped Joey as he bent down to enter the tent. "Dude, if I suck,
it’s all nerves."
"Ditto," Joey said and crawled inside, flashing his pale ass.
Like a moth to a flame, Justin followed. In his head, there was already a
line up of people who were going to kick the crap out of him for doing this with
Joey. Chris was first, his momma was second, Johnny was third. JC and Lance were
actually low on the list. They would totally fuck each other if JC was even a
shade of queer and Lance could stop sleeping with models.
But Joey. Now that he was lying there, watching Justin with his dark sexy
eyes, Justin didn’t know what to do with him. Well, he knew, of course. It
wasn’t like he was a virgin or even freshly deflowered. Three years of
sporadic experience wasn’t much, but Justin had skills.
"Can I blow you?" Justin asked, wetting his lips, knowing Joey’s
answer already.
"If you let me do it back."
"Deal," Justin said, keeping his eyes on Joey’s cock. It’d been
months since he’d last gotten laid, even longer since it’d been a guy.
Justin had the same sort of fluttery feeling in his belly that he still got
every Christmas morning when he stumbled downstairs for presents.
"J, I hate to tell you this, but you can’t blow a guy with your
eyes," Joey said, grinning.
"Shut up," Justin murmured, but he was smiling, too.
Justin meant to get right into the blowjob, really he did, but he got
distracted by Joey’s open mouth. He slithered up Joey’s body, and they made
out intensely until they were both covered with a thin sheen of sweat. Justin
was impossibly hard, and his dick kept skidding against Joey’s soft belly,
undoubtably leaving sticky trails behind. Come morning, Joey was going to find
the map of Justin’s desire etched on his skin. That thought was impossibly
sexy.
Eventually, when Justin was on the cusp of coming, he started making his
leisurely way down Joey’s body, stopping to suck his nipples and tease them
into points. Down further, and Justin dropped all pretense of taking his sweet
ass time. Joey’s cock fit perfectly into his mouth, already slick with
pre-cum, and Justin licked it clean with determined swipes of his tongue.
"God," Joey moaned, trying to spread his legs, but Justin was on
his thigh, using the warm muscle to thrust against. Way things were going, Joey
wasn’t going to be able to get his mouth on Justin’s dick, and Justin didn’t
actually care. Still, when Joey reached down and put his hands on Justin’s
hips, pulling him around, Justin went with it. His mouth never left Joey’s
cock.
It was Justin’s turn to moan when Joey’s mouth found his dick. In theory,
he’d always thought sixty-nine-ing would be distracting and clumsy and porny,
like one of those sex acts that always looked good on a television screen and
then really sucked when you tried it out for real. But it was nothing like that.
It just spurred Justin onward, going deeper on Joey’s cock than he ever had
before, even on the guys he’d slept with whose dicks had been more manageable
than Joey’s.
Justin came first, and Joey came about a minute later, which Justin would
have worried reflected poorly on his technique, but years of whacking off on the
bus had been a testament to Joey’s stamina. Justin knew Joey could go all
night and not come, so it was actually nice that he had.
Joey hauled Justin against him and giving him a kiss on the head. Still
hooked together, they managed to squeeze into Justin’s sleeping bag. It was a
bit of a tight squeeze, but Justin was suddenly freezing as the sweat on his
skin cooled. "Jeez, you’re good at that, you know?"
Justin grinned and squirmed a little closer. "Well, you’re not half
bad yourself, Joey."
"Mmm," Joey replied, but it sounded like he was about ready for
sleep, and Justin was more than happy to follow him there. Suddenly, the week of
sleep deprivation in Japan hit him squarely in the belly, and Justin felt like
he could sleep for nine years and still not wake rested.
~~~
When Justin open his eyes, "Morning Has Broken," the Cat Stevens’s
version, was running through his head. No wonder, since Joey was humming it in
his sleep. Weird, Justin thought, but it was about the only weird thing. Justin
was surprisingly calm about the squeezed naked into a sleeping bag with Joey
thing. Last night was crystal clear, and Justin didn’t regret it.
Justin had to pee like nobody’s business, so he unzipped his way to freedom
and stepped outside into the new morning air. He took a deep breath then walked
barefoot to the tree they’d been using as a urinal, using it to prop himself
upright as he went. The birds were chirping, and his belly was rumbling. The sky
was clear, and Justin could almost hear the fish calling him.
The lone downer was his hair, which looked suspiciously like the head of a
dandelion when Justin checked it out in the mirror. If only his pride would let
him wear swim caps in the water, but his grandma wore those things, and
Justin had an image of coolness to maintain.
Justin walked back to the camp, sitting his bare ass down on one of the logs
they were using as seats. He got the fire going and started to warm up,
crouching right at the edge of the pit. His stomach growled again, and Justin
rubbed idly at it. Wieners or left-over peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast,
that was the question. He felt inexplicably drawn to the hot dogs.
He had stripped a few branches, stuck them into the wieners and roasted them
by the time Joey stumbled out, looking bleary and confused. He made of a face of
longing at the food then darted behind the tree, moaning his relief so loudly
that Justin heard it and laughed. When Joey came back, his eyes were actually
open, and he was smiling. Justin couldn’t help but smile back.
Joey plopped down on the nearest stump and leaned forward. "You willing
to share?"
"Oh, I suppose," Justin said, grinning.
Hot dogs for breakfast, it was a novel idea. Justin preferred cereal, but
there was something to be said for wieners. For one, they were incredibly tasty
for all their questionable ingredients. For two, they had a very pleasing shape,
which Joey started demonstrating on his second one with sensuous glides of his
tongue and a wide open grin. Bastard, Justin thought.
Never one to be outdone, Justin sucked the lukewarm end of his hot dog
between his lips, hollowing out his cheeks as he swallowed it down. That seemed
to be the death knell of whatever fucked up foreplay they were attempting. They
scrambled inside the tent, and Justin knew, if they’d been wearing clothes,
they would have been ripping them off with their fucking teeth.
~~~
"Maybe if we soaked the worms in tequila first then we’d have better
luck. Everybody likes booze. My dog likes booze," Joey said after a long
afternoon of nothing. He stuck his arm into the lake and twirled it around like
he thought the taste of human flesh would reel in the fish.
Justin pushed up the edge of his fishing hat then rubbed at the sweat beading
on his brow. Lord, it was hot. "Did you ever see that movie about the
piranhas that, like, attacked people and ate them? I think it was even called
Piranha. It sucked something awful, too. I saw it on Fox."
Justin watched as Joey quickly pulled his arm of the water. It was noble that
Joey was even still trying to find signs of life in the lake. Justin had given
up an hour before, claiming the lake was obviously a dead zone and cutting off
his growing frustration before it completely ruined his day. Justin was still
blissed out and relaxed from all the fabulous head going around.
"Did the piranhas chew through the raft these guys were on?" Joey
asked after a minute.
"Yeah, I think so."
"That movie sucked donkey balls." Joey sat back, using a couple
life jackets to cushion his head. The canoe bobbed unsteadily for a moment, but
if there was one thing Justin knew it was how to guess Joey’s next move and do
the opposite. It was a game they had been known to play on the bus when they
were bored. "You ever see a movie called Orca the Killer Whale?"
"I don’t think so." Justin paused. "Should I?"
"No," Joey said. He spread his legs and hooked his calves over the
side of the canoe, his heels barely brushing the water. Justin tried to keeps
his eyes off the bulge in Joey’s shorts, but Joey was practically flashing his
dick, forcing Justin to look. What a mean guy, that Joey Fatone. "There’s
only one movie related to the horrors lurking beneath the water’s surface that
anyone should bother to see, and that’s Jaws. Steven Spielberg is the only
dude allowed near the ocean."
"What about the Abyss? I liked that one, and that wasn’t Spielberg,
right? It was ... James Cameron. Yes? No?" Justin pushed his hat up again,
straining his eyes to see Joey’s face. "Am I a bad pupil who hasn’t
listened to a word you’ve said for the last five years?"
Joey hummed a little, dropping his hand into his lap and honest to fuck rubbing.
"You’ve got that right, and I guess I understand what you’re saying,
but the Abyss was an underwater rip off of Close Encounters of the Third Kind,
which was also Spielberg. And James Cameron gave us Titanic, which is a fucking
crime regardless of how many people in this canoe cried during it."
"I was having a bad day when I watched it," Justin muttered,
crossing his arms over his chest and tucking his chin into the dip of
sweat-soaked skin at the base of his throat. If Justin hadn’t taken off his
shirt, he would have pulled it up to his eyes. Heat was crawling up the back of
his neck, arcing over his ears. Justin knew he would be mercilessly teased about
that little indiscretion until the day he died, but the movie had
been pretty fucking sad, all in all.
"Sure, man," Joey mumbled, but he didn’t much look like he was
paying any sort of attention to their conversation. Justin stayed very, very
still, anticipating Joey’s next move. He willed Joey hand to move to
the zipper on his shorts, to tug it teasingly down, to pull out his dick. Justin
had this kink, you could say, about jerking off. While he didn’t do it too
much for a myriad of neurotic reasons not limited to back injury, he fucking loved
watching other people do it.
Joey’s hand lingered on his groin, just resting there, and Justin began to
wonder if it was actually a subconscious thing and Joey wasn’t actually going
to beat off. A strange sort of whining sound built in Justin’s throat, all
desperate and slutty, and Joey raised his eyebrows at it.
"J, are you waiting for something, man?"
Justin chewed his lower lip between his teeth then nodded. He grinned a
little, too.
"That’s dirty, dude. I didn’t know you had it in you."
"Please?"
"Anything for you, J," Joey said as his fingers pinched the metal
zipper, pulled it down so. fucking. slowly. Shit, Justin noticed as Joey reached
inside, his fingers already curled and just a flex away from a tight fist, he’s
seriously gonna do it ... and he’s not wearing underwear, like he’d been
planning it. Justin looked up, grinning, and Joey grinned back, his eyes two
happy narrow slits.
~~~
There was irony, Justin supposed as they paddled back to shore, that during
Joey’s one-man masturbation show, Justin had lost his fishing rod over the
side of the canoe, tugged away by some unknown assailant. A smarter man would
have reeled in his line when he gave up on the active fishing, but Justin had
been hoping, subconsciously of course, that he would get lucky, and he had, in a
sense, even if he didn’t have a fish to show for it, and no fishing rod
either.
"I think you can afford to buy a new one, J," Joey said as they
paddled back. Even though he was practically yelling it, Justin could barely
hear him as the wind rushed by his ears. It is not going to rain, Justin told
himself. You are having an amazing vacation, and it is not going to rain.
"You know who stole it, don’t you? The biggest fish in the whole
fucking lake."
"Probably, but why stress it, dude? It obviously outwitted us. We never
stood a chance."
By the time they pulled up to shore, dragging the canoe onto the sand and
bringing in Joey’s rod and the tackle box, Justin was simmering in something
akin to rage. All his good feelings were gone, replaced by the same sort of
overwhelming frustration and aggravation that had followed him into this
weekend. A fucking fish had stolen his fucking fishing rod.
"Hey," Joey said, grabbing Justin by the wrist, "follow me. I
gotta show you something."
Which was how Justin found himself pushed up against the rough bark of a
tree, shorts around his ankles. If Justin looked down, he would come. Even
thinking about Joey on his knees made his balls tighten. Joey, his smiling mouth
open around Justin’s dick, the sweet hollow of his cheeks, the determined pink
slice of his tongue. Uselessly, Justin curled his toes into the moist mess of
leaves and dirt, trying to fight off his impending orgasm, but it was hopeless.
"Better?" Joey asked, standing up and brushing his knees clean.
Justin swallowed, his heart still racing up his throat. "Yeah. Just
peachy."
"Fab," Joey said, giving Justin’s satisfied cock one last
delicious squeeze through Justin’s shorts. "Now, the rules of camping
reciprocity dictate that we gotta go over to Colin and Bobby and see if they
want to join us for dinner. Hopefully, they’ll bring the alcohol and the
dessert."
"Hopefully," Justin agreed, his eyes still crossed. His brain was a
puddle in his head, all gooey and useless, and Justin was just really repeating
stuff back, like a parrot. If his brain was even still there at all, and Justin
wouldn’t have been surprised if Joey had sucked it clean out. Which was fine
since didn’t need it for a while. Justin only had one question to ask it,
anyway.
Why the hell had he waited so long to hook up with Joey?
~~~
Colin and Bobby were evidently hoarding all the fish. They brought over two
largemouth bass, freshly plucked from the lake. Motherfucker, Justin thought.
Sheepishly, he stuck the package of wieners back into the cooler and tried to be
enthusiastic about eating the bastards. The fish, Justin meant, not Colin and
Bobby. They couldn’t possibly be as hot in bed as Joey.
"Not having any luck out there?" Colin asked as he gutted the fish
with a thin knife.
"Not really," Justin admitted, trying to swallow his envy.
"Where are y’all finding them?"
"Um." Colin at least had the decency to look a little apologetic.
"Everywhere?"
Justin had to suffer through dinner, listening to their tales of all the fish
they’d caught, how one had nearly jumped into their canoe, how they’d thrown
back most of them. Joey seemed to be living vicariously through them, which was
actually a brilliant idea. They could steal Colin and Bobby’s stories
about the schools of fish desperate to be on their hooks. Chris and JC and Lance
would never know the difference, would they? Except there were no pictures.
Glumly, Justin poked at his fish, savouring each delicious mouthful. When he
looked over at Joey, Justin noticed his plate was still full, even if everything
had been pushed around and cut up into pieces. Justin raised an eyebrow, but
Joey just shook his head sharply. When Colin and Bobby weren’t looking, Justin
shovelled everything Joey hadn’t eaten onto his own plate.
"Are you not feeling well?" Justin asked quietly, later.
"Fine, J." Joey squeezed his knee then grinned. "Don’t worry
about me, all right?"
Wordlessly, Justin nodded. When Joey leaned over for a kiss, Justin gladly
gave it.
~~~
Justin thought about suggesting they try night-fishing after Colin and Bobby
left after dinner, booze and dessert was consumed, but he was too comfortable to
move, sitting between Joey’s legs down on the beach. The stars were twinkling
brightly in the sky. Twice, two of them streaked across the dark canvas, leaving
long wispy trails. Justin made two wishes.
"Remember the first time we did this?" Justin asked quietly,
playing with the hairs on Joey’s arms. There was no reason for them to
continue to pretend they were, like, hardcore boyfriends, but there was no
reason for them to stop either. It felt right, so Justin went with it.
Joey chuckled lowly, warm breath cutting through the helmet of Justin’s
hair. "Yeah."
It hadn’t been Justin, originally, who was supposed to go with Joey. It had
been Steve and then after he fell through, Jason. Jason had fucked off the day
before, leaving Joey with all the supplies, a camping site reserved and paid
for, and not a soul to go with him. The problem, as Justin understood it, had
been that Joey no longer had anyone to drive him there.
"I asked everyone but you to go. I was trying to be so secretive, too. I
didn’t want to hurt your feelings," Joey admitted, smiling when Justin
looked up at him. Joey had a really great smile, Justin had always thought that.
When Justin looked back at his time on the MMC set, he realised he remembered
Joey’s smile more than he remembered Joey himself. It was that great.
"You didn’t, really. I wouldn’t have wanted to hang with a
fourteen-year-old kid, either."
Joey snorted. "I didn’t ask because I knew you couldn’t drive, which
sort of defeated the point, you know? Of course, I didn’t count on you getting
your mom to agree to drive us there and back, when it was a three hour one-way
trip. Twelve hours, J, just so we could camp. I never told you how she ripped
into me, making me promise that you wouldn’t drown, that I wouldn’t let you
eat poisoned berries or diseased fish, that you wouldn’t be abducted by
yetis."
"Some things never change, huh?"
"I’m just glad she never made me promise to keep my hands off you or
then I’d be in serious trouble." Joey gnawed a little at Justin’s jaw,
tickling the skin with his beard stubble. "It was probably an unspoken
rule, but I’m not good with those, man. I need it laid out straight."
"Or not so straight." Justin grinned when Joey bopped him
affectionately on the head.
"So," Joey said after a moment of lazy comfortable silence,
"you up for round four?"
Justin grinned, leaning back into Joey’s arms. "Yup."
~~~
Justin woke up early, before the sun had even risen. His limbs felt
deliciously leaden, his sore back twinging with each cautious movement. Joey’s
fault, of course, for not letting him come until he was a huge knotted ball of
tension, every muscle in his body tightened in anticipation. He liked to let the
guys think all the jerking off injuries came from him doing something wild, like
trying to give himself head or getting into some implausible fucking position,
but the truth of the matter was that he got Charlie-horses when he was sexually
tense.
"Hey," Justin whispered in Joey’s ear, curling a hand around Joey’s
ass and pulling him close enough that their cocks bumped. Justin’s dick
twitched, but he was completely fucked out after coming twice last night. Four
times in one day, five times in a little over twenty-four hours; Justin hadn’t
thought he could actually do it. "You wanna get some fishing in before we
leave?"
Joey groaned, trying to bury his head in his pillow, but he nodded. Justin
got dressed quickly, the early morning air nipping at his skin, and when he
stepped outside, he took a great big stretch then went to pee. Joey joined him a
few seconds later, looking bleary and exhausted.
"I’ll drive home ..."
"Thanks," Joey said.
"... old man."
Joey chased him to the canoe, waving his fist and laughing, and Justin danced
away from him, grinning. Even when Joey caught him by the waist and hoisted him
clear off the ground, Justin refused to apologise for mocking the fact that Joey
was not only tired but impotent. They shook hands once as a peace agreement was
reached. They weren’t three feet from shore when the canoe tipped over,
completely of its own accord. Laughing, they ran back to the tent to find
something dry to wear, and started again. Well, not before making out some, of
course.
"You are a sex fiend," Joey said as they limped back to the canoe,
holding hands. The front of Justin’s shorts were tented, but Justin knew if
they started anything that it would take a good hour to coax anything out of his
dick. Joey, on the other hand, was fascinated. "Seriously, dude, how can
you keep going? I woke up soft for the first time since I was, like, ten."
"My vote is to just ignore it." Any more, and he’d have no skin
left on his cock.
"I guess I can try," Joey said, grinning. "You’re asking a
lot of my willpower, though."
"Maybe later," Justin conceded, "if we have time."
"Maybe," Joey agreed.
~~~
Justin would have missed the subtle tug on Joey’s line if he hadn’t just
taken the fishing rod into his own hands as Joey leaned over the side, going,
"Here, fishy fishy fishy. We have a big fat wiggling worm for you that we
would like you to eat," in a high-pitched helium-like voice.
"Oh my god," Justin said when it happened again, fumbling for the
reel and starting to cautiously bring the line back in. Please, god just one
lousy fish, Justin thought, it’ll be good for my self-esteem. "I think we
seriously caught something, like, something that’s actually alive."
Joey peered over the edge again. "No shit."
Justin nodded, trying to keep his attention on the reel. Round and round and
round, and he could see it, the silvery gleam of its scales through the calm
water. Joey grabbed for the line, nearly tipping them again, and pulled it clean
out. Well, Justin thought, that’s definitely a fish.
"Wow," Justin said slowly, peering at the fish as it wiggled on the
line, "that’s really ..."
Joey started to blink rapidly, the corners of his mouth turning downwards.
Justin bit his lip. It was a little ... smallish, compared to the fish they’d
had for dinner.
Joey cupped the little guy in his palm and dipped him back under the surface.
Gently, Joey started trying to ease the giant hook out of the fish’s tiny
mouth. "I’m sorry, J, but I don’t care how great a snack this dude will
make. I can’t let you eat him. He’s just a baby fish."
"No, I couldn’t. I’m not a monster, man," Justin said, leaning
over to hold the little dude as Joey freed him. He looked a little frayed around
the edges by the time he was unhooked, but Justin figured it was better than
being someone’s dinner. They waved to him as he swam away.
~~~
"So I haven’t been completely honest about this fishing thing we
do," Joey said as they packed up the Explorer, having dragged all their
slightly-worse-for-wear equipment back through the woods. The canoe was already
on the roof, which Justin was trying to tie down with a rope. "I’m not
exactly here for the fishing part of it. I’m here more for the you part
of it."
Justin glanced over his shoulder. "Tell me you haven’t been sabotaging
my efforts."
"Not exactly," Joey said slowly. "I just haven’t been making
it easy, and I have been pulling the worms off my own hook when you aren’t
looking, even though worms are so fucking gross. But I haven’t ever tried to,
you know, save the fishes from you. You do that on your own."
Justin jumped off the back of the car then sat down on the bumper, leaning
against the trunk. Joey looked sheepishly apologetic, and Justin held out his
hand, smiling when Joey took it and walked up to rest between Justin’s legs.
"You could have just told me you didn’t like fish."
"I love fish, but entirely as pets. Remember me telling you about Goldie
the Goldfish?"
Justin looked up at him. "The one that Steve used to dress up in Barbie’s
clothing?"
"Right. That’s the one. Anyway, after him, I never ate fish again,
even on Good Friday."
Justin put his hands on Joey’s hips, hooking his thumbs into the front
pockets of Joey’s jeans. Despite the cars whizzing by, Justin wasn’t
nervous. Part of the reason Justin loved these annual fishing weekends was that
he, finally, just blended in. It wasn’t an easy feat these days.
"You’re a good actor," Justin said, grinning. "An incredible
freak, but also a good actor."
"Thanks, dude. I’m just glad you’re not pissed at me."
Justin tugged Joey a little closer by the pockets. "I still want to do
this with you."
The skin around Joey’s eyes crinkled. "I wouldn’t think about
stopping our annual fishing trip, J. They’re too much fun. I’m even cool
about the fishing thing. I just can’t witness anything, or I flashback to
Goldie and wimp out completely. And no baby fish. I’m sensitive, you
know."
"I was talking about us actually," Justin said, "but that’s
good to know, too."
Joey leaned in close, his smile warm and open against Justin’s cheek.
"So you’re offering to make an honest man of me, are you?"
"Something like that," Justin agreed, laughing.
~~~
When they pulled into Joey’s driveway, Chris was standing there with a big
sign that said, "welcome back, Justin & Joey" in neon green
lettering. Chris, Justin thought, had way too much time on his hands. JC and
Lance were holding something that looked suspiciously like a cake.
"Do you ever get the sense that our friends are complete lunatics?"
Joey laughed. "All the fucking time, man."
They didn’t have long until they had to be at the airport to fly to New
York for the party that Puff Daddy was throwing in East Hampton. Busy little
fucking bees, Justin thought, but he felt less frantic about it, more like he
could handle anything thrown at him. Even seeing Chris, who had driven Justin
crazy from beginning to end of the trip to Japan, didn’t piss Justin off.
"Have a good time?" Chris asked, following them inside with JC and
Lance close behind, still holding that damn cake. Hopefully, it could be wrapped
up and taken on the plane, which would be a welcome lunch after a weekend of
wieners and various other meats and fish.
"The best ever, thank you," Justin replied, wondering if he had
time to take a shower or, better, if he had time to take a shower with Joey.
His cock was still a little plump, and they’d at least have fun seeing if
Justin could manage to come again, maybe even achieve that dry orgasm JC was
always going on about after having read an article in Cosmo. "It was so
much fun."
"Best weekend ever," Joey agreed, hooking his arm around Justin’s
waist. "We even caught a fish, but he was just a baby, so we threw him
back. And no dire injuries, either."
Justin grinned. "And the canoe only tipped once, for no good
reason."
"And we met these hot Australian guys, who had been together for seven
years."
"And they thought we were boyfriends," Justin added, sliding his
hand possessively across Joey’s belly.
"And now we actually are."
"And Joey and I fucked each other’s brains out," Justin finished.
"I guess you weren’t kidding about coming back tight, huh?" Chris
paused, and Justin smirked, already anticipating the punch line. "Or loose,
I guess. Don’t tell me, either way. I don’t think I want to know." They
needed to have a talk later, him and Chris, about apologies.
"Either of you two boneheads have anything to add?" Joey asked.
JC and Lance exchanged looks but said nothing, just held the cake out a
little more, and Justin could see it more clearly now. There was a bunch of
small plastic fish swimming in a sea of bright blue icing and a red blob that
looked vaguely like a squid in the top lefthand corner, its long tentacles
curving around the ankles of two plastic groomsmen. In the middle, on a square
of white chocolate designed to look like a piece of driftwood, it said: "Just
Married Gone Fishing".
Fin.