~~~
Part Four
~~~

JC came back like he said he would, after having thought about it all. He returned after fifteen minutes to where Joey sat, the big body crouched over in the slight night chill and shaking. Joey looked up when JC approached, and JC stopped, just. Didn't resume walking once their eyes met.

"So," JC said, scratching his arm and feeling like he was too thin to be seen, not with all the trees around him. "Okay. I thought about it, and. It's not like I don't love you back."

Joey exhaled loudly. "Thank fucking God."

JC laughed because, like, he couldn't not, but it came out nervous, almost insane. "Yeah. But. Okay. Um. Could you try not to," JC bit his lip and tilted his head, "like, fucking rip me up inside if you should happen to not love me one day? Because. Dylan. He said things, you know? Like, I was ugly. And fat. And. Could you please never say stuff like that to me?"

"Jayce," Joey said, his face scrunching up, "I never would. I promise."

JC started crying again, wiping at his eyes and hating the stupid tears, and Joey was around him in an instant, hugging fiercely. Abruptly, JC started laughing, hugging Joey back and thinking he must have lost his mind somewhere in Kentucky.

JC always loved the fact Joey was cuddly in the off-season, that he packed a few extra pounds and carried it so beautifully, and they'd hugged before, all the time actually, but it felt so much warmer and softer and better now. So loved. JC wasn't sure if he was laughing or crying or both as he pressed his face into Joey's chest.

"Hey," Joey whispered. "It's all right."

JC sniffed loudly and did his best to stop crying, though the tears were all over his face and on the rims of his eyes, threatening to fall. Instead, he smiled and looked around, really liking the world a lot the more he saw it. "Is this why we came to Montana?"

"Yeah," Joey said, sniffling and rubbing his nose, "fucking Montana."

JC giggled and hiccuped. "Yeah. Yeah."

"Fucking Montana," Joey repeated, and JC laughed some more.

~~~

Joey lay on his back, the cold grass tickling the back of his neck, and JC lay perpendicular to Joey, his head on Joey's stomach. At first, Joe hadn't wanted him there, felt obscenely bloated and huge, and JC snuggled right in and didn't seem to mind at all.

Idly, Joey laced his fingers through JC's hair, combing it. It was nothing new -- Joey did it all the time because JC's hair was unnaturally soft and touchable -- but it felt unfamiliar, like undiscovered land in the distance. It looked the same, but it wasn't, not at all.

Eventually, JC rolled onto his stomach, and Joey looked up, trying to figure out why he was moving when it was all so sublimely comfortable. JC just smiled and moved up Joey's body, absolutely the most beautiful creature Joey had ever seen.

"I'm going to kiss you," JC said quietly, "finally." JC grinned and palmed Joey's face, hand warm and soft. "Joe, I don't know anyone else who would have waited five years and twenty-five hundred miles to be here with me." JC squished Joey's cheek lovingly with his finger. "So I'm going to kiss you."

Joey nodded. He'd kissed guys. Of course, he'd kissed guys, but not in a very long time. Chris a couple of times but never JC, and never someone he was so intensely in love with. Or was totally attracted to, not like this, not. Ever.

Joey was a slut, yes, but only out of necessity and desperation.

"Don't think," JC muttered, tapping Joey's forehead, and Joey laughed, ready to ask when had he ever before, but JC shut him up with a press of smiling lips, his weight on Joey's chest as his hand dug into Joey's hair, holding him.

JC tasted good, all sweet and deeply warm, and JC's lips were incredibly kissable, soft but firm with the rough hint of facial hair surrounding it all. He was boney and angular and too-skinny, but JC just fit against Joey in ways Joey always knew he would.

So they made out for a good while until Joey's back cramped, and JC pulled back with bruised lips. They looked at each and started kissing again, immediately, laughing because it was just so horribly addictive, this lewd slid of muscle and skin.

"I'm fucking paranoid of camera men," JC muttered, dipping in again to suck on Joey's tongue, fingers nudged into Joey's neck, and Joey clutched him just as desperately, god blessing Montana over and over again in his head until it became his mantra.

Joey pulled back, unwillingly. "Wanna stop?"

"Nope. But have to," JC murmured, "because, like, motel. Bed."

"Bed," Joey repeated, and JC nodded. "Okay. Bed."

Laughing, they ran to the motorcycle, and laughing, they climbed on, with JC putting on his cowboy hat and saying -- "no helmets, just us like this, free" -- and Joey agreeing, willing to do anything, really.

Everything.

~~~

JC locked the door behind them and drew the curtains shut as Joey went into the washroom, probably to piss and, maybe, JC thought, to buy some time. JC sat on the bed, the double bed, and smiled to himself, giddy.

"Hey," Joey said, sitting down next to him, and JC felt intensely shy for one bizarre, long second, accepting the quick kiss and smiling harder. "I've thought about this," Joey admitted, "for so long. I'm fucking afraid of. Impotence."

JC grinned. "You'll be fine. Joey Fatone has the stamina of a young god, you know."

"Who's been talking?" Joey demanded coyly and kissed JC again, so sweetly warm against JC's body. JC moved closer so their legs overlapped, and he fiddled with Joey's hair. "I just. If I ruin it, it's only because of that, all right?"

"You act like I haven't thought about this," JC replied. "I have. I'm. Really excited. And nervous," JC confessed, blushing a bit because they were whispering and touching and not really doing anything yet but they would. They'd do everything. "Very nervous."

"Couple of school girls, huh?"

"Yeah." JC smiled. "So. Come on," JC whispered, tugging Joey's shirt off over his head and kissing the shoulder when it was exposed. Joey tasted like sugar, and JC said so. Joey laughed as he returned the favour, now a pro at getting JC's shirt off without hardly any trouble. "You've done this before," JC said.

"A couple times," Joey replied, "years ago. With, um, a couple of your Mouse brothers."

"Tony?" JC asked, grinning.

"How did you --?"

JC laughed. "How do you think? He got me, too."

"Fucker," Joey breathed. "What a little fucker. He said he never --"

"Yeah, me too. Big, lying fucker." JC pulled off his own jeans as Joey did the same, while they smiled at each other, then, suddenly, they were naked, and that seemed to kill that line of conversation because JC couldn't stop staring. "Fuck. Like, you're delicious."

Joey grinned. "Fuck. Like, you're a spazz."

"Maybe," JC conceded, "but you obviously don't mind."

"Obviously."

"Right. So let's shut up and you can, like, love me," JC said, crawling back on the bed, and breathing sharply when Joey moved over him, all big. And Joey. And. "I love you, too. Okay? I don't think I said it like that yet. But I do."

The kiss that followed was deep and hot. The sex, even hotter.

~~~

"I fucking love Montana," Joey announced the next morning, naked and revelling in the freedom as he bounced around on top of JC, who was squealing and demanding to be allowed to sleep. "God, and we fucking have to leave. Not fair."

"What? Why?" JC asked, sitting up and touching his purple lips.

"The tour starts soon, and Johnny gave me nine days off, and I never actually told him you were coming with me, but we're all interchangeable. Mostly." Joey flopped onto JC, smelling him with a huge breath inward. "We have to go."

"Fucking bike," JC said, "I. Have to sit on that thing, don't I?"

"Um. Oops?" Joey offered, not having thought about that last night and probably should have. JC cracked his back and shrugged hugely with a grin, not looking like he really cared all *that* much. "Will you be all right?"

"Fine. Like, Dylan used to get a bit. Rough, and I danced through it, right? Same thing. Kind of." JC wandered off into the bathroom, and Joey followed like a shadow. "What, Joe?"

"Was he nice to you?"

JC smiled automatically, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Not as nice as you."

"Serious. Was he mean, Jayce?"

"He could be, but it was more like. I let him be, you know?" JC turned on the shower and didn't even ask when he pulled Joey in, lathering Joey up with soap and shampoo. "And well. He was really a dick when I made a big deal about Matt."

"Who?"

"Anorexic lighting guy," JC said, and Joey tipped his head so JC could lather fully. "I just. He called me fat, and. I have issues with that -- issues that Johnny has me working through -- so like, that was mean because he knew about that."

"I think you're dangerously skinny," Joey confessed, running his fingers over JC's ribs, counting them, and JC looked at him, then watched Joey's hand dip into the dent of JC's hip. "We all do. We are so worried about you, Jayce."

"I know," JC said and sighed. "I'm trying."

"Yeah. I know you are. I love you," Joey added, and JC nodded, kissing Joey's jaw and smiling when Joey switched their position, cleaning JC then sucking him off and making another mess, then cleaning him again, just loving this togetherness.

Joey was insanely happy.

~~~

By the time evening rolled around, JC was begging to stop for the day. "My fucking ass," he confessed, pivoting his hips just to make sure he still functioned. Joey looked really sorry, and JC smiled, "just a sacrifice I chose to make. I could really go for a bed, though."

Whlie Joey wandered off to get a room, JC slipped into the phone booth and called Chris collect, grinning when Chris answered with -- "Fuck you, Joe. You're paying my fucking phone bill; I hope you realise this, you motherfucking monkey-trained son of a very bad whore on roller skates!" -- and JC said, "um. Hi, Chris."

"Jayce? Fuck. Is Joey all right? Where are you?"

"We're in South Dakota. Again," JC added because he hated South Dakota. "And he's fine. I just wanted to say we should be home in three days or so, so if you want to, like, throw us a welcome home party, it'd probably be appreciated. Just the five of us."

Chris hummed. "So. Um."

"We're dating," JC hissed, and Chris whooped loudly, clapping. JC tried not to jump around but he probably might have bounced a bit. "And, like, Chris. Next time someone loves me for five years and you know about it? Say something, you asshole."

"I gave my word."

"Like that means anything," JC replied with a grin.

"Touché, Chasez." Chris paused. "And fuck, I'm a poet. Give me a prize."

JC laughed. "Freak."

"Spazz."

"Fuck you."

"You wish. Redirect your energies, kid." Chris made a loud kissing noise. "Ciao, baby."

Joey came out of the office swinging a set of keys and JC grabbed the bags, and they tumbled inside. Pressed up against the door, JC was laughing as Joey gnawed at his neck like a big, vegetarian bear, speaking of love and other such delights.

"You know," Joey said later, when they were sweaty and sated and comfortable, tangled in knots and practising at being lovers. "South Dakota sucked ass the first time around --"

"Did the second time, too," JC added, licking circles on Joey's chest. "Just literally."

Joey coughed. "Well, yes. But. It's almost as cool as Montana, too. Now."

"Nowhere's as cool as Montana," JC murmured, "but it's kinda close. Now."

And Joey said, one last time. "God bless, fucking Montana."

JC just smiled and said, "yeah. Fucking Montana."

Fin.

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