Intimate Stranger 4
By Diana
Author's Notes: Well, I've recieved plenty of positive feedback so far, so I guess this story's good after all! grin This segment might seem shorter than the others, but Justin/JC fans, you will NOT be disappointed. Sorry for the delay, but this part hit a bit of a snag, and I'm also working on a new Boyzone/Westlife story, "Bad Boys". Hey, Irda! My damned server deleted your e-mail address. Write me when you get the chance, I have a writing proposition for you!
It was dark. Everywhere. The outside world was lost in a shroud of obsidian, and it had taken all of Justin's feelings with it. Now there was only dark.
His eyes fluttered and abruptly opened. He saw an endless expanse of wood, utterly clean and seeming to stretch eternally in all directions.
The ceiling.
Feeling began to return to his limbs, and he shifted, ignoring the flare of fiery pain the movement caused.
Memory returned, and with it the pain. The disgust. The shame.
Rape. On the floor of his own home. By the man who loved him.
No... that hadn't been love. Jack had fucked him like a wild animal and then left him on the ground in tears.
(i have to get out of here)
Light snoring was coming from the bedroom. Jack. He was sleeping. No guilty conscience.
(i have to get out)
Justin slowly, painfully drew himself up onto his knees. The door was unlocked.
(have to get out)
Despite the agony, he rose, feeling white-hot pain slash through his mind, clearing it of all grogginess.
He held his breath, not daring to make a sound. Jack was a light sleeper, and Justin wouldn't be able to leave if he had to go through Jack.
He quietly grasped the knob, eased it around and slipped through the door, shutting it behind him as slowly as he could.
And that was that. He was outside. Beyond the threshold of the only place he'd ever truly felt safe.
He started to search his pockets for his car keys, but froze. He'd left them in the bedroom. And he couldn't go back into that house.
But where would he go? Where COULD he go?
Justin limped into the street. He must have been unconscious for hours... the sky was much darker. Midnight. Maybe later.
A yellow blur bore down on him from the opposite side of the street. Justin squinted, raising his arm and flagging the cab.
It came to a stop right next to him. He opened the door and quickly collapsed into the back seat, biting back a scream of pain as his lower torso reacted to the sudden movement.
"Hey, two in one week!" the driver exclaimed with a happy Spanish accent. "I..." His brown eyes widened as he took in Justin's condition. "Madre de Dios..." he whispered. "What happen to you?"
"I... I need help..." Justin croaked, catching his reflection in the rear-view mirror. It was bad. Jack had busted Justin's nose, and dried blood was crusted around his nose and mouth. Adding that to the lacerations from the "window accident" and the black eye, and it was a wonder the driver could even recognize him, when Justin himself barely could.
The driver nodded, visibly frightened by the condition of this young man. "Si. Help. Right away. Hold on."
Justin leaned back against the seat and weakly shut the car door. He then closed his eyes and cried as the taxi began to move.
JC couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Justin, petrified when JC had grabbed his arm. He saw Amanda, dead-certain that Justin was being abused. And he saw Jack's smug grin, the evil twinkle of malice in his eyes.
Britney and JC had returned to the N'Sync tour bus after "kidnapping" Justin, completely demoralized. Chris had urged them not to give up, though. He booked an extra week at the hotel they'd been staying in, and Britney took Justin's room. She could only stay for two days, though, after which she'd have to leave for Miami.
But JC was starting to wonder if waiting would make any difference. Justin had changed so much in the few weeks he'd been with Jack. He had always been a force of nature, N'Sync's ray of sunshine. But now that light was snuffed out. Now Justin was cold and cynical, living in constant fear from the person he said he loved.
The one thing that bothered JC most, though, was how. How this total stranger made Justin doubt his best friends. How he'd convinced Justin to forget that Lance, Chris and Joey loved him like family, like a little brother, and that they had always accepted him unconditionally.
And then there was Joshua Chasez. His relationship with Justin spanned years. They'd lived together. JC's love for Justin went beyond friends, beyond family. It was... he didn't know what it was, but it was MORE.
Until now. Until some deranged maniac ensnared Justin in a web of lies, lust and violence. But worse than that: the part JC just couldn't understand was that Justin was letting it happen. He understood what was going on, but he didn't care.
Why?
Someone knocked on the door.
JC sighed, turning on the new lamp and getting up. "So help me, Scoop, if you gimme any more of that talk show shit..."
He opened the door and came face-to-face with Justin Timberlake.
JC's jaw dropped as he stared at his best friend. Justin's nose was covered with dry blood, and he had an arm wrapped around his stomach as he leaned against the doorjamb. But his eyes... those perfect sapphires were blank. Utterly devoid of emotion. He just looked at JC silently, waiting for something.
JC swallowed hard and opened his arms.
Justin's facade abruptly shattered, and he burst into tears, falling into JC's embrace. He sobbed hysterically, arms wrapped in a death grip around JC's neck. JC staggered slightly, but kicked the door shut with a foot as he led Justin to the bed.
"It's okay, Curly..." JC murmured as he sat down, pulling Justin to him and holding him tightly. "I'm here now... everything's okay..."
Justin couldn't stop, though. His anguished sobs were so full of pain and anger that JC was actually scared. The blonde teen pounded on JC's chest weakly, mouth wide open as he tried to scream out his indignity. But all that came out were broken gulps of air and a neverending flow of tears.
JC rocked Justin back and forth, murmuring absent-mindedly that it was all right, that he was safe now. Slowly, Justin's cries diminished, and at last he fell asleep in JC's arms.
JC raised his eyes upwards in thanks and gently lay Justin down on the bed. He was so pale, so
(beautiful)
fragile-looking. It hurt to see his best friend reduced to this.
JC stood, picking up the folded blanket from the foot of the bed and covering his shivering friend with it. Once that was done, he went into the bathroom, dabbed a towel with warm water and returned to Justin's side.
Bending over his friend, he began to wipe the blood away. It came off in dry red flecks, and once Justin's face was clean, JC threw the towel in the wastebasket.
He began to rise, but something compelled him to stay at Justin's side just a moment longer. That angelic face was so vulnerable, so full of pain, so
(irresistable)
innocent. JC gently ran a finger down Justin's cheek, sighing sadly.
"Justin..." he whispered. He didn't know what was happening, or why; it was the moment, the full moon, insanity... it was anything and everything, a primal force far stronger than him.
Leaning in tentatively, JC touched his lips to Justin's.
Justin was deep asleep and probably didn't even feel it, but JC sat back on his haunches, eyes wide in disbelief. What had just happened?! He'd just kissed Justin!
JC scrambled to his feet, thinking of nothing but getting out of that room. He could crash at Lance's for the night...
But someone had to be here for Justin when he woke up. And everyone else was asleep by now.
Gulping, JC walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in, turning off the light as he crawling under the covers. His heart was hammering wildly, and he almost jumped through the ceiling when Justin rolled over, placing a hand on JC's chest.
For a moment, JC didn't know what to do. Then his hand came up like it had a life of its own, resting itself on top of Justin's hand. As if to keep it there.
Sleep came faster than it had in years.
When the sunlight pierced through JC's eyelids, awakening him, his first instinct was to cover his eyes.
As he did so, the world came into focus, and a chill ran through him when he realized he was alone.
"Justin?" JC sat up sharply. Had it all been a dream? Wishful thinking?
"Mmm?" a voice came from the bathroom. JC collapsed back onto the mattress in relief as Justin emerged, a toothbrush in his smiling mouth. He looked much better. A few more days, and he'd be good as new.
"You're still here..." JC exhaled.
Justin's smile faded just a bit. He ducked back into the bathroom, rinsed his mouth and stepped back out into the bedroom.
"Yeah..." the teen shifted uncomfortably. "I was gonna leave you a note or something..."
JC's hopes sunk. "A note?"
Justin shoved his hands into his pockets. "Yeah... Look, I know I was pretty freaked-out last night. It's just... Jack and I had a fight, and I needed some space." He straightened up. "But I'm okay now."
JC rose to his knees, frowning. "No. No way. You're going back to him?!"
Justin shrugged helplessly. "I need him, JC. I'm not going to walk away just because I can't deal, or because our relationship isn't perfect. I'm not going to quit."
"But... last night..." JC stammered.
Justin shook his head. "I needed to get away from him, Josh, just for a little while. Just to think things over. And I did. I thought about it, and the bottom line is that I love Jack. There's nothing else to consider."
He approached JC and hugged his astonished best friend. "Thank you, Josh. You've always been my best friend." He stood and wiped his eyes, still smiling bravely. "I'm going to be fine. You guys can call me, I'll convince Jack it's okay. So... I guess this is goodbye."
Justin turned away, and JC watched helplessly as his best friend walked out of his life. Again.
He couldn't let it happen. His mind refused to fit the pieces of the puzzle together, but he understood only three things. One: he'd kissed Justin last night. Two: Justin was leaving.
And three: JC didn't want Justin to go.
"Justin, wait!" JC shouted, not planning ahead but rather just leaping into the moment.
The urgency in JC's voice halted Justin in his tracks, and he looked over his shoulder at his friend.
This was it. Now or never.
Still kneeling on the bed, JC lowered his hands to his waist and stripped off his shirt and pants, remaining in boxers. JC threw his clothes against the far wall and turned his gaze back to Justin.
"What are you doing?" the younger teen asked weakly, his throat suddenly dry.
"Can't you tell?" JC raised an eyebrow slightly as he beckoned to Justin with his index finger. "Come here, Curly. I want you to fuck my brains out. Right now, on this bed." He patted the mattress.
Justin narrowed his eyes in disgust. "I can't believe you'd joke about something like that..."
JC grinned, running a hand down his chest. "Do I LOOK like I'm joking, Just? I want us to have sex. On the floor if the bed can't handle it. I want you to do things to me that'll make me scream."
Justin blinked, feeling blood rushing straight to his groin. How many times had he dreamed about something like this? How many times had he prayed that JC would come to him one night and take him, as hard as he wanted? After he'd finally convinced himself it would never happen, being slapped in the face with the opportunity had knocked the young teen completely off-balance. "I... I don't..." He wasn't even sure what he was trying to say. His mind had gone blank.
JC rose off the bed, approaching Justin and taking his hand gently. "Do you want me, Justin?" He fought to control his own blush as Justin nodded meekly, looking like a lost little boy.
"That's good. So come closer." JC did his best to keep that seductive half-smirk from sliding off his face. The rational part of his mind was screaming to back off, to find another way. But his heart was telling him he had to make Justin stay. No matter what the cost.
JC pulled Justin closer, bringing their bodies together as he undid the top button of Justin's shirt. His fingers were shaking wildly, but Justin didn't noticed, his eyes distant and far-away. The second button followed, then the third, the fourth, until JC was able to slide the shirt off Justin's shoulders.
Skin met skin, and electric sparks seemed to fly between them. JC could almost feel Justin's heart like a jackhammer in his chest. And still the younger teen didn't move.
"C'mon, Just. You don't have to be shy around me." JC whispered, hugging Justin to him and planting a soft kiss on the side of his neck. The blonde shivered slightly, but finally responded, wrapping his arms around JC's neck.
JC's brain was on automatic. He couldn't think about anything but stopping Justin from walking out that door. Words came out of his mouth. They weren't his, yet they seemed to rise up from inside him like they'd always been there.
"I want you so bad, Curly." Another kiss on the neck. "I'm going to make you forget everything but me."
Wetness touched his cheek, and JC realized Justin was crying. He almost stopped until he realized his friend was clinging to him, unwilling to let him go.
"Josh... I can't believe this is really happening..." Justin whispered, running his hands up and down JC's bare back. He backed his head away just a bit, and their eyes met. Justin's eyes were practically glowing.
JC felt his heart stop as Justin suddenly leaned in, his lips trembling, his eyes fluttering shut. And like an automaton, JC mirrored his friend's movements, lowering his head towards Justin's. Last night replayed in his thoughts: the all-too-brief taste of Justin's mouth, the secret, forbidden promise in that kiss, the surge of arousal it had sent through his body like a flash fire...
And suddenly a single realization crashed into JC's mind. Justin had been asleep then. Last night didn't count. But if they kissed now, it would be real. It would change their lives forever.
And JC wasn't ready for that. He didn't know if he could handle it.
His indecisiveness got the better of him, and he froze, jerking his head away at the last moment.
Justin opened his eyes after a few seconds, and he looked so betrayed, so hurt, that JC immediately felt remorse.
But before he could say anything, Justin shoved him hard, sending JC sprawling onto the bed.
"You lying bastard..." Justin was fighting to keep from crying. "You almost had me. Almost." His fists clenched, and he growled: "But at least when Jack kisses me, he means it!" Justin spun around and ran out of the room, the door shutting with a bang behind him.
"Justin! NO!" JC got to his feet and gave chase, but Justin was gone. The hallway was empty.
"Fuck!" JC roared, driving his fist into the wall. What had he done?! How could he have broken his best friend's heart like that?!
If they kissed now, it would be real. It would change their lives forever.
And that was what he had really wanted. He had wanted to kiss Justin, to lead him to the bed, lay him down and make love to him. And he'd chickened out, because he was afraid of making the dream real.
Once upon a time, years ago, two kids named Joshua Chasez and Justin Timberlake had been best friends. And back then, the possibilities had been endless for the two of them.
It had started out a flicker, one of the many fantasies JC had entertained while jerking off. Sometimes he imagined Britney, more often Christina or Keri... and then he started thinking about Justin. He'd dream about Justin in bed with him, kissing him, holding him, touching him... and it had been RIGHT. Though he'd never been attracted to any guy before or since, JC's midnight thoughts were rapidly being consumed by the curly-haired blonde with the million-dollar smile.
Naturally, JC had buried those feelings as far down as he could. Nothing was worth the possible destruction of their friendship. Not even the promise of something more. So they'd been best friends, and JC had been content.
Then Jack Matthews got into the picture. Why had JC been so freaked-out by Justin's coming out? Why had he been so obsessed with "saving" Justin, being the heroic white knight who'd ride in and rescue his friend from danger?
Because only then did JC understand. Justin loved him. All the way, all those years, Justin had been in love with him. And every day they had kept it secret was another day they could have been more.
That was why Justin let Jack hurt him. That was why he kept going back. Because he believed that Jack could love him the way JC couldn't.
"Shit..." JC breathed, only now understanding the gravity of what he'd done. He had been given a chance, one shot to set Justin free, to give him what he'd wanted all along. And he'd blown it. Not only that, he'd probably made Jack's hold on Justin that much stronger.
And now it was too late. JC loved Justin, and there was nothing he could do about it.
To be continued...