Flame 
By: Rhys 

Every few weeks, JC went through an odd period when he flamed more than usual.
Lance was always the first to notice, simply because he was awake before noon on any
given day and JC never slept in when he was flaming. Lance would smile to himself as
JC strutted by him, decked to the nines in red leather pants and a transparent shirt tight
enough to be a second skin. 

Lance loved when JC flamed, mostly because JC called everybody "man" with this
casual drawl and smiled a lot while he talked, excited about everything as he gestured
extravagantly to drive his often bizarre point home. In JC's off season, he was quiet
and withdrawn and slept for twelve hours a day, but when he was on, he was just
absolutely wonderful to be around. Lance loved it a lot. 

"Fuck," Justin said, munching on Apple Jacks. "He's fucking flaming again, isn't he?" 

JC was on the phone, talking loudly about Glam rock and David Bowie. 

"He's on fire," Lance said, "I should probably warn Chris." 

"Fuck," Justin said, "this isn't going to be fun." 

~~~ 

Chris hated when JC flamed, utterly despised it, and Lance just barely understood
why. He thought it had something to do with the fact JC's fashion sense died a
glorious death when he was on and that it somehow mortally insulted Chris's position
as the group fashion guru. Lance wasn't all too convinced Chris deserved the title.
Chris wasn't all that hip and happening himself. 

"You can't wear shit like this in public," Chris tried to explain once while JC fretted
between the sparkly silver tank top or the fur-lined Renaissance blouse. "Lance, man.
Tell him. He can't do this. Please. Make him stop." 

"I kinda like it," Lance admitted. "He looks good." 

"Thanks, man," JC said brightly, kissing Lance on the cheek. "See, Chris, somebody
loves me." 

Chris threw his arms up in the air and stomped away. 

JC preened in the mirror and looked satisfied. 

~~~ 

Joey always approached the situation with the same comment every time: "flame on,
Human Torch!" And would high-five JC, which made him giggle and kiss Joey on the
cheek, but behind the scenes, Joey always freaked out about it. 

"Is he bi or something?" Joey asked, "is that why he does this?" 

JC was curved over the bar, flirting with the male bartender, a knee bent and a foot
hanging in the air. 

"I don't know," Lance admitted, "he's never said he is. I guess he's straight." 

"That isn't normal," Joey said, "he's so weird." 

JC was curled around two girls now, giving them drinks, and Lance frowned, glaring
at Joey. "Hey, wait. Just because he's a bit flamboyant, it has to mean he's not straight?
I'm mildly insulted by that statement, Joey." 

"I'm just saying," Joey scratched a hand through his hair and looked guilty, "that most
straight guys don't do stuff like this. They don't flame." 

"I flame?" Lance asked, and Joey looked away. "Joey, do I flame?" 

"Not saying anything more," Joey muttered, "going away now." 

Lance lost him in the crowd. 

~~~ 

"I'll shave it off if you don't quit it," Justin threatened as JC fingered his hair, and
Lance looked up from his laptop, biting back the smile. JC grinned and made a grand
production of twirling through Justin's curls. "JC, for the love of god, you dork, go
away." 

"Someone get the bucket of water," Joey muttered, "put him out." 

It was only through sheer, dumb luck that the radio, a whore to the top forty, started
playing ‘It's Raining Men.' Chris smirked and elbowed Lance, "hey, dude, your song.
Wouldn't that be nice? All the cock you'd ever want." 

"Fuck off," Lance said, "it's not my song." 

"Dick from above," Joey added, "how holy and religious." 

"I'm going to fucking kick you," Lance snapped. 

JC was in the corner of the bus, dancing. Lance tried not to look at him. 

Chris flew off the couch, dragging Joey to his feet. "C'mon, Joe. Let's dance and praise
Lance's gods for a rainy season and plenty of succulent men for our little lamb!" And
they began thumping over the floor, waving their arms in the air while they wailed out
the song. 

Lance tried not to look at them either. 

~~~ 

The thing with JC was he usually turned off after a few days, just came in one morning
looking grumpy and dishevelled, but the flaming was extending longer than normal,
and JC didn't seem to mind, just continued on his merry way and ignoring Chris's
grunts of frustration. 

Joey was getting worried and needed to talk at length about his concerns to Lance,
who didn't really care what JC wore or why, or if JC was riding the fence or knocking
it down, or if JC's preoccupation with Justin's hair was unhealthy or not. But Joey, it
seemed, cared enough for Lance and refused to stop asking Lance questions about the
strange phenomenon. 

"You ever, you know?" 

Lance crooked a perfect eyebrow. "Joey, I'm going to smack you." 

"No, seriously. Have you and Jayce ever, you know?" 

"He's straight," Lance replied, "he has a girlfriend. He might not understand the
concept of monogamy, but he's been with her awhile now." Joey blinked stupidly. "No,
Joey, we haven't you-knowed. I haven't even thought about it." 

Joey grinned slyly. "Bullshit, you bonehead. I don't believe that." 

Lance smacked him, and Joey called him a flaming queen. 

Lance didn't even protest when JC wandered over and offered to fix his hair. 

It felt kind of nice to have JC smiling at him. 

~~~ 

Lance started dating an accountant named Jordan, though the relationship only really
lasted a week because Jordan felt Lance was too straight-acting and liked JC more.
Lance explained, "but he's not gay," and Jordan laughed. 

"I think your boyfriend just hit on me," JC whispered in Lance's ear. 

"We're breaking up," Lance decided right then and there. 

Jordan gave JC his number, and JC gave it to Lance, muttering, "sorry. it's just as
well." 

Lance sighed. 

~~~ 

It must have been something in the air, though, because JC and Bobbie broke up some
time later, and suddenly Lance didn't feel too bad about being alone, because JC spent
more time at his side, watching romantic comedies and telling Lance unfunny jokes. 

So Lance liked being single, but really missed having sex. 

He decided to do something about that. 

~~~ 

So Lance started dating Marco, a muscular guy into the leather scene. Straight-acting,
Lance's ass. Lance was gayer than JC, he was sure of it, but Marco turned out to be a
big, passive bottom, and Lance hated playing butch, aggressive top all the fucking
time. Lance was all about being versatile. 

"Where's what's his name?" Joey asked one day. "The dude in the chaps." 

"We broke up," Lance explained, "I'm single for awhile." 

"JC's available," Joey suggested helpfully, and Lance sighed. 

JC fluttered into the room and announced he was sewing Lance a new pair of pants. 

Joey grinned. 

~~~ 

"No," Chris said, dragging JC back into the room, "no fur, you asshole. Take that off." 

JC looked like a confused deer, staring down racing headlights. "But why?" 

"Shut up," Chris snapped, digging through JC's suitcases while Lance wandered in and
said, "hey, nice coat, Jayce. I almost bought that the other day, but Joey said I couldn't
pull it off. You look really good," Lance said, admiring the stitching. 

Chris's head popped out of the closet. "And you! No bedazzled jean-wear, you idiot!" 

Lance looked down at his floral-decorated denim outfit. "But I look good." 

"He really does," JC affirmed. "I helped him pick it out." 

"Neutral tones," Chris muttered, "black and white and brown. Nice, safe cotton." 

Lance looked at the wall when Chris made him get of his clothes, ignoring JC, who
was smiling brightly and shadowing Chris, letting Chris hold boring outfits up to his
naked body and making Lance give his honest opinion. 

Lance just kept saying, "nice," and hoped thinking about his mom would keep the
situation under control. 

It really wasn't helping at all. 

~~~ 

"Five weeks," Justin announced, "someone please get him back into jeans and a
tee-shirt. please." Justin was sporting a new, buzzed hairdo, and JC was locked in the
bathroom, mourning the loss. "The newspapers are noticing." 

"Lance," Joey said. "Help a fella out, here." 

"What am I supposed to do?" Lance asked, weary. "Just let him be. He's not hurting
anyone." 

"His hair is long," Justin hissed, "and he curls it at night, when everyone else is asleep.
With a curling iron. I think he's going to off himself or something." 

"I've curled my hair with a curling iron," Lance said defensively, "it gives it volume." 

Chris grinned. "Right, Lance." 

"It does." 

Justin sighed. "Lance, talk to him. Make him come out. I'm living in fear." 

"He's not gay," Lance repeated, grinding his teeth. "There's no correlation between the
two. He just flames. He's happy like this, and I don't want to make a big deal about it.
Let him do it if he wants to do it. Okay?" 

Joey shook his head and said, "nuh-uh." 

It said too much. 

~~~ 

"So," Lance said while JC fitted him for the pants. They were snug around his ass and
a lovely shade of green, very shimmery and soft against his skin. Lance loved them,
but he didn't want to say that out loud. "Are you all right?" 

JC looked up from pinning the cuffs. "Yeah, fine. I just like to sew." 

"Okay." Lance grunted and let that go before adding, "you sure?" 

JC grinned. "Of course." 

For the first time, Lance didn't believe him. 

~~~ 

JC turned off a few days later, but managed to finish Lance's pants. Lance thanked him
shyly and wore them that night, but found he couldn't even think about picking up in
them. He settled for a few curious gropes and a sloppy kiss in the bathroom with a
construction worker. 

When Lance got back to JC's place, JC was asleep on the couch, and Lance smiled
quietly, tugging a blanket over the long body and thanking him again for the lovely
pants. JC frowned in his sleep and murmured strange sounds. 

Lance missed him already. 

~~~ 

"Thank god," Chris said the next time he saw JC, and JC just smiled, tugging at his
tee-shirt and fingering the hole in the knee of his jeans. "Now I only have to deal with
this walking fashion disaster. I won't go grey yet." 

"I'm not a fashion disaster," Lance said idly, flipping his hand about in the air while he
thumbed through the Wall Street journal. "I look great." 

"Yeah, right. You and your passion for pastels. Tell me that's not fucked up." 

Chris wandered away, his attention gone, and Lance looked over at JC, who was
staring at his hands. JC jumped slightly and turned his head, wisps of hair brushed over
his forehead, and he tried to smile, though it was sad and forced. 

"I think you look good," JC said, and Lance nodded. 

JC curled his body against Lance, and they sat there, watching television. 

It was really nice. 

~~~ 

Lance started dating a guy named Scott, who loved horses and cooking. They didn't
really have anything in common beyond that, and Lance even admitted he wasn't all
that into cooking either, but Scott was a good waste of time until he cheated on Lance
with his ex-boyfriend, who turned out to be Jordan the accountant. 

"Dude, that's fucked up," Joey said when he heard. "Where do you find these guys?" 

"Just lucky," Lance said, "or something. I'm celibate from this day onward, I swear." 

Justin grinned. "Yeah, right." 

On the radio, ‘It's Raining Men' started playing again and Chris howled. 

Lance wasn't having a very good time with anything anymore. 

~~~ 

JC sat down one night on Lance's couch and that's how Lance found him, sitting with
his hands together and staring at the carpet. It was pretty late, and Lance didn't know
how JC got in. Lance was renting a small apartment; no one had keys. 

"I climbed in the window," JC explained, "I thought you wouldn't mind." 

"I don't," Lance said. "but, um. you could have knocked or something. I'm three
storeys up." 

JC shrugged. "No, it was easy. I'm fine." 

Lance sat down and pressed his lips together. "You wanna talk?" 

"I had sex," JC blurted out, "with a guy." 

"Oh," Lance scratched his nose, "your first time?" 

JC nodded. 

"Was it all right?" 

JC nodded again and smiled. "Yeah, it was. it was really nice, you know? He was
really nice, so, yeah, I'm fine. It was good. I just," JC sniffed and furrowed his brow,
"felt like I needed to tell someone. So, yeah. I think I'll go home now." 

"You can stay," Lance said, "I'm awake now. You might as well. I can put on coffee."
Lance paused. "And we can do each other's hair." 

JC smiled shyly. "All right." 

~~~ 

"I'm having an existential crisis," JC explained later while Lance lay on the couch,
watching bad romantic comedies with television stars as leads. Lance really hoped On
the Line didn't blow like some of these did. "You know?" 

"I figured," Lance said quietly. "It's all right." 

JC pulled his hair over his eyes. "I thought I would miss her. I don't." 

"I don't miss my harem of boys, either," Lance confessed, "they were jerks." 

"They were," JC agreed, "but they made you happy, didn't they?" 

"For, like, ten minutes. Hardly worth it," Lance said dismissively, pressing stop and
letting the television flicker off. JC looked up, and Lance put the remote on the coffee
table. "You're not happy like this, are you, Jayce?" 

"Like what?" JC asked, like he didn't know. 

"Off. I know the guys tease you when you dress like you want to dress and talk like
you want to talk and be as much of yourself as you're willing to put out there. But
you're happier like that, Jayce. I know you are." 

"Yeah," JC said, "but it's not always worth it. What people say." 

"I like it." Lance touched his fingers to JC's thin wrist. "I like you." 

JC nodded and said, "I know." 

So Lance kissed him. 

~~~ 

JC was warm and limber in bed, this long and sensual creature in complete control of
himself. It was almost like it was when he dressed in spandex tee-shirts and sequined
pants; a moment where JC was only aware of himself and the person with him. 

Lance was very glad to be that man. 

When they were settled for the night, still sweaty and panting but calm instead of
giddy, Lance murmured, "flame on, Joshua Chasez," and JC laughed. nodded and
agreed. 

They were bother happier when JC was on. 

~~~ 

"What? What? No," Chris swore when JC showed up in purple crushed-velvet pants
and a black leather vest, his hair a huge wind-blown mess and his chin stripe back in
full force. "Dude, this is so not fair. We had another few weeks." 

JC shrugged. "They were on sale." 

Lance hugged JC warmly. "Welcome back." 

And JC said, "yeah," and smiled, burning bright. 

Fin.