Cream and Two Sugars
It was the gentle shaking that finally stirred him up from sleep, the soft tremors lifting him from his dreams. He raised his head slightly, blinking as his eyes slowly grew accustomed to the soft light in the room.
"Hey, sleepyhead," Chris's chuckle gently washed over him and he smiled, leaning up and stretching, suddenly aware of the kinks in his back.
"Hi, what," he paused as he yawned widely, still more asleep than awake, "what are you doing here?"
"Oh, nothing much, thought I would stop by, see how you were, take you home. I'm pretty sure that you want to sleep in a bed as opposed to curled in that chair using your notebook for a pillow." JC watched as Chris quickly scooped up the belongings scattered around the room. His books went into the messenger bag, his phone was put in its pocket, the candles blown out and his notes neatly stacked together. Chris slung the bag over his shoulder then pulled JC up, waiting until he got his footing. He rubbed a hand across his face, trying to gather together his thoughts.
"What time is it?" He really had no clue. An idea had come to him earlier that morning and he left in a flurry, only thinking at the very last minute to stop and leave Chris a note.
"It's around 4. C'mon, C, time to go." Chris tugged at his hand and he followed docilely along, grabbing his notebook and notes from off the console as they went past.
"It's 4? Don't we have that thing, you know, that meeting Lance set up, some kind of internet marketing, what?" JC stopped as Chris started to laugh. "What is it?"
"JC. It's 4 in the morning. Not 4 in the afternoon. Don't worry, it was really, really boring. I told everyone you were at the studio and we all agreed that you were of far greater value being here than stuck in a conference room listening to that drone go on and on. Now, c'mon, I'm tired, too. Damn Joey wore me out. I'm getting too old to keep up with him." Chris resumed their walk down the hallway and JC trailed behind him, his fingers tangled with Chris's.
"You went out with Joey? Did you have a good time? I'm sorry I was gone all day," he stopped and waited while Chris unlocked the car then pushed him into the seat.
"Yeah, it was fun, and, hey, no problem with being gone, you left me a note this time," Chris's voice faded for a second as he walked to his side and JC let his head tilt back, eyes automatically falling shut. He stirred a little when he heard the thunk of Chris's door closing. "That was the agreement, remember? Just let me know where so I don't worry." He felt gentle hands reach across his chest then a sharp click told him that Chris had buckled his seatbelt. "It's cool. Justin wants to hear whatever it is when you get a chance."
JC hummed an acknowledgment, then let himself drift, the spicy scent of Chris's car warm and comforting.
"C, you have to wake up," Chris's breath ghosted across his cheek and he automatically turned into its warmth.
"Are we home?" JC shifted a little, trying to lean into Chris's body.
"Yeah, I just need you to wake up for a little bit, gotta get inside, then right to bed, promise." Chris brushed some hair off his forehead and JC nodded, steeling himself then opening his eyes. Another sigh and he turned away from Chris, not trusting himself to look over. If he did he knew he would simply want to curl up where he was. He managed to get the car door open and he slowly unfolded out of the car, weariness pressing into him. He was tired, deep down tired, and all he wanted was to make it into the house and up the stairs and then onto the bed. He felt Chris duck under his arm and he leaned over, trying to remember how to make his feet work.
"You know, for such a skinny guy, you're awfully heavy to drag. Move those feet, Chasez." Chris grunted and JC felt the smile spread across his face.
"Don't even try, you know you'll take any chance you can to manhandle me." JC murmured as Chris propped him against the door, fingers dancing on the alarm keypad.
"That goes without saying. But you're still heavy when you're being dead weight. Move that bony ass of yours." JC pushed off the door and staggered up the stairs, faintly noting Chris dumping their bags inside the door. He made his way to the bed, not even bothering to undress before falling onto it face first. He inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of the fresh rain dryer sheets Chris insisted on using mingled together with Chris's cologne and his cologne and the deeper musk of their sweat. The smell that he always associated with peace and home and happiness.
He felt the bed dip some time later and vaguely realized that he was being turned over, gentle hands tugging off his shoes then moving up to strip off his shirt. He lay there, peaceful and still as nimble fingers unbuttoned his fly, warm palms urging him to lift his hips enough to tug the rough fabric of his jeans down his legs. The room spun as he was flipped back over, then tugged up a little. He shifted, sliding under the sheets, the weight of the comforter drifting over him like a cloud. He whimpered as the bed tilted again, reaching back blindly, trying to grasp at the body that should be behind him.
"Shhh," he heard as fingers skimmed across his lips. "I'll be right back." He nodded then faded off again. He started when a warm arm wrapped around his waist then he nestled back, fitting himself into the curve of Chris's body.
"Chris, wanna, too tired, later, promise," he whispered. Another warm chuckle sounded in his ear.
"Later's fine, sleep, Joshua." Cool lips pressed briefly on the back of his neck and he slipped away again, warmth spreading through his body.
JC flung an arm across his face, sighing loudly. Their bedroom was glowing, the light streaming in through the blinds, bright enough to wake him but not so bright that his eyes hurt. He knew instantly that Chris wasn't in bed with him and he pushed himself up, jaw cracking as he yawned. He paused, then smiled as Chris's voice came drifting up the stairs.
"Sheesh, Joe, that's what you get for putting white carpets in when you have a child. No, no, I don't feel sorry for you at all."
JC grinned a little then looked over at the stand next to the bed. 11:45. No wonder he felt so refreshed. He wasn't sure what time he had fallen asleep at the studio the night before, but he figured he had probably been asleep for a few hours before Chris came by to retrieve him. And it was probably around 4:30 when they got in that morning, so he had at least 7 hours. He stretched, enjoying the motion, then slung his legs over the side of the bed. He paused for a moment, tempted to roll over into the faint indent from Chris's body. He gave himself a quick shake, then stood and headed for the bathroom. He was not going to spend the day asleep. Not when he already left Chris alone the entire day before.
He turned on the shower, stepping out of his boxers and kicking them into the corner where they came to rest next to Chris's. He stepped under the warm spray, idly wondering why they even bothered with putting a hamper in the bathroom anyway. It wasn't like either of them used it. He showered quickly, humming a bit of the song he had been working on the night before under his breath. It wasn't quite there, something was slightly off. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something missing. Something in the melody line, he thought as he rinsed his hair. It didn't quite fit Justin's lyrics. Maybe if he moved the bridge, he mused as he turned off the water, grabbing a towel off the rack. That could work.
He stepped out of the shower then quickly dried off, wrapping the towel around his waist. He grabbed his razor and started to shave, not really paying attention, lost in his pondering about the song. Maybe if Justin changed the lyrics, not much, just little. All he needed was three fewer syllables and then it would flow smoothly. He rinsed off the blade and splashed the remaining traces of shaving cream from his face. Three fewer syllables were all. His hand paused as he realized that his robe was lying next to the sink, a neatly folded pair of boxers on top. He dropped the towel and tugged them on, then wrapped himself in the soft robe. He still couldn't believe that Chris spent all that money on a cashmere robe, but he had to admit, it felt incredible against his skin.
JC padded down the stairs and headed straight for the kitchen table, knowing that's where Chris would be. Chris looked up momentarily, a quick smile flicking across his face, then he turned back to reading the paper, munching on a slice of toast. JC pulled out a chair and sat down, reaching across and grabbing the front page from the pile in the center of the table. He smoothed the paper absently, glancing across the front page. An article on the controversy over the new plans for Disney's latest expansion caught his eye and he read it closely, trying to picture exactly which way the park was going to expand now. The rich scent of fresh coffee suddenly filled the room and he looked up to see Chris standing next to him, holding out a mug.
"Thanks," he said, taking it gratefully. He took a sip and his eyes drifted shut as the flavor coated his tongue. Strong, the way they both needed it to be. Cream and two sugars. Exactly the way he liked it. He saw Chris sit back down from the corner of his eye and he looked over, lifting the mug. "You make the best coffee."
"It's all about the beans," Chris said solemnly. "At least that's what the guy at Starbucks claims. Personally, I think he just says that to justify charging four times what it costs for Folgers." JC rolled his eyes and they went back to reading the paper, the quiet rustling of the pages joining with the noises from the street that drifted in through the open windows.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Chris said several minutes later, looking up from where he was working on the crossword puzzle. "Lance called earlier, he and Justin want us to go to dinner with them tonight."
"What did you say?" JC took another sip of his coffee, letting the paper drop to the table.
Chris shrugged. "I told him I'd ask but I figured you would be headed back to the studio. We have to let him know later."
"Do you want to go?" JC turned to face Chris, watching him closely. Sometimes it was still hard for him to know what Chris was thinking. But there were some things he had learned. Like that the way Chris was spinning his pencil between his palms meant that he wasn't going to answer the question.
"Doesn't really matter to me. I know that you wanted to get that part worked out,"
"Chris," JC interrupted, reaching out and plucking the pencil from Chris's hand. "I can work on it tomorrow. If you want to go, we'll go."
"I don't want to interrupt if you're in the middle of something." Chris replied. "It's not a big deal."
"I know, but if you want we'll go. Besides," JC stood and moved over to stand in front of Chris, "I'm not going to leave you alone all day again." He settled into Chris's lap, looping his arms around Chris's neck.
Chris automatically placed his hands on JC's waist. "I don't mind, really, C. It's okay if you want to go back today."
"Well, you might not mind, but I do," JC ran his fingers along the back of Chris's neck. "I missed you."
"Hmm, missed you too," Chris sighed as JC leaned forward and brushed his lips against Chris's. "Thanks for leaving the note. I appreciated it."
"I almost forgot," JC whispered, eyes fluttering closed as Chris slid his hands under JC's robe and began stroking his spine. "I had to come back in. Sorry."
"No need to apologize. You did remember. That's what matters." Chris muttered into JC's neck. "So you want me to call Lance and tell him we'll do the dinner thing?"
"Yeah, but not now." JC managed to pull back, tilting his head so he could meet Chris's eyes. "You know, it's later."
"It is indeed." Chris grinned up at him. "You feel like going back to bed for awhile?"
"Oh yeah," JC whispered, sliding back and off Chris's lap. "That's a great idea." He pulled Chris up and then turned to head back to their bedroom, Chris pressed tightly against his back. "That's a really, really great idea."
"Christ, Josh," Chris moaned as he slowly traced his fingers over JC's face. "Do you have any concept of how utterly beautiful you are?"
JC felt the color rise to his cheeks as he stroked a hand down Chris's chest. "Not as much as you." It was true. He had opened the blinds and the sun was now streaming through the windows, ringing Chris in a golden glow. He sighed as Chris stroked his hair, relaxing fully back into the embrace of the bed. The sheets felt cool on his back, smooth cotton soothing as Chris slowly worked his way down his body. This, this was his favorite thing in the world. To be lying here, worshipped and worshipping, twined together and feeling like they had all the time in the world. It wasn't like when they were on tour and they tumbled into bed exhausted and sweaty but thrumming with residual adrenaline from the show. Or like during rehearsals where they staggered home together, propping each other up. Or like when they were recording and things were quiet, their throats too sore to speak. All those times were wonderful and perfect in their own way. But this was his favorite. Long and slow and tender and sweet.
He arched up as Chris slowly sucked on his collarbone, his hands running up and down Chris's spine, pressing firmly on certain spots and tracing feather light touches on others. He moaned softly as Chris moved down and licked a path down the center of his chest, lingering around his belly button. His hands moved to Chris's hair and he simply let his hands rest on Chris's skull, fingers moving slightly as Chris's head bent and bobbed. He endured the torment for a few minutes, then shifted on the bed, craving more contact.
"C'mere," JC tugged on Chris's shoulders, "come up here, Chris." Chris smiled up at him and slowly eased his way up JC's body, coming to rest on JC's chest, his body blanketing JC's.
"Was there something you wanted, JC?" Chris asked, eyes sparkling.
"Uh huh," JC pulled Chris's head down, tracing Chris's mouth with the tip of his tongue. Chris moaned slightly and JC pulled him in closer, opening his mouth and kissing Chris deeply. Their hips rocked together and JC luxuriated in the feel of Chris's skin. They continued kissing, long and deep, slow and sure, kissing through Chris's orgasm, kissing through JC's, unwilling to stop even for a moment. Finally, though JC pulled back and ran a finger over Chris's mouth.
"Want to shower?" Chris nodded slightly, sucking briefly on JC's finger. Chris finally pushed himself up and JC followed, picking his robe up on the way. He knew they would need it after the shower. After all, he loved how it looked on Chris.