Date: Wed, 2 Jan 2002 08:49:09 EST
From: Gking0301@aol.com
Subject: Celebrity/Boybands/Cheating Game/1

I thought I'd put this out, whether it's good or not.  I was up late
contemplating why school sucks, and why I managed to throw my time trials
for swim team after practicing three hours a day since the beginning of
time.

Gorgio, a character from this story, is a real life person (my boyfriend)
and he is exactly as he is portrayed.  Yes, he is Greek and lives in Italy,
and yes, he is the age he is in the story, about eight years my senior
(twenty six), but I'm still in high school.

Please e-mail me what you think.  Or just to talk.  My love life is pretty
fucked up these days, and I welcome anyone with similar symptoms.  Life is
just cruel sometimes.

gking0301@aol.com

DISCLAIMER: The events which take place in this story are completely
fictional and should not be compared to or considered reality.  All
references to NSYNC and/or members is complete conjecture.  All attributes
to their personality and actions should be considered hypothetical.

Flashbacks start and end with ( ----- )

The Cheating Game (1)

The moon shone down on the harbour brightly, the halo of light surrounded
the street lights.  The stars peered down from the heavens, their faint
light pouring into the street.  On a barge moored at the far side, festive
lights were strung and the faint noises of drunken singing and the dancing
wafted on the night air.  The houses were clustered up the hill, balanced
precariously on the cliffs.  They rose higher and higher, their somber
stoney fronts lent an almost foreboding look to the tiny italian city.  The
waves washed into the harbor bringing with them the faint scent of fresh
sea air and the breeze rattled the dried seaweed stalks along the tideline.
Foaming up toward the cobbled street, the surf receded again, tumbling a
conch shell over and over in its salty embrace.

Joshua Scott Chasez sat on a bench, his eyes shut and his hair blowing
softly in the night breeze.  His hand was slung casually over the corner of
the bench, and his face showed a dark five o'clock shadow.  Breathing out,
he shifted against the man sitting next to him.  He was moderately tall
standing just shy of six feet.  His hair was dark and curly and his eyes
were bright silver, the color of steel.  His shoulders were wide and built
and his torso tapered to a thin and defined waist.  He had unbuttoned his
shirt down to the last two buttons at the bottom, and his defined stomach
muscles twitched visible as JC's hand played across the taut muscle.  His
lips moved slightly and inaudibly, but JC laughed, throaty and quiet,
understanding the unspoken signs of his lover.

The waves washed up to the bench and foamed, wetting JC's toes.  He pulled
back and his lover laughed softly, watching JC wiggle his wet feet around.
Turning to face each other, JC moved in slowly and pressed his lips against
the man's, his face tipped slightly, his bright blue eyes smouldering
behind shut lids.  Smelling the harshly masculine smell of Armani cologne
mix with the seductive strong smell of aftershave, JC opened his mouth
further, letting his lover's tounge invade his mouth, searching the most
private corners.  "Gorgio," JC whispered softly, his sweaty hand gripping
some of the coarse dark curls, feeling their dampness.  "I love you so
much."

Standing up slowly, Gorgio picked up his shoes from beside the bench and
pulled JC along with him.  "Come mon amore, let's get inside before storm
comes."

JC sat up and brushed the sand from his pants, squeezing Gorgio's hand
tightly.  They walked together up the cobbled stone paths, rumbling thunder
in the distance announcing the coming of yet another storm.  Forcing the
old wooden door open, Gorgio pushed it back on its hinges until it groaned
protestingly.  Slamming it behind him, he pushed JC up against a wall in
one swift movement and jammed his tounge down JC's throat, peeling his
shirt and tee-shirt off skillfuly, leting them drop to the floor.  JC
laughed through the kiss, tasting the cool hints of wine mixed with
chocolate and coffee.  Breaking from their embrace, JC moved to the couch,
pushing the books aside and lightning a candle.  The sharp staccatto beat
on the roof announced the gentle rain coursing through the graying sky.
Outside the lamplight flickered as the sheets of rain swept up the high
cliffs.  The candle danced in an unseen small gust of wind through the
house and its shadow on the wall danced.

JC turned to look at Gorgio, coming in from the kitchen, a bottle of
cappucino liquor in his hand, his shirt undone.  The tanned mediterranean
hued skin glowed its rich dark color in the faint light, and JC's eyes
roamed from the beautiful eyes to the curly dark hair and strong powerful
muscles.  "You are so fucking sexy," JC said smiling.

"I know," he replied, his low voice laced with accent.  "I brought drink,"
he finished holding up the bottle.

JC smiled and lay back on the couch, feeling his sweaty skin sticking to
the fine grained leather.  Gorgio moved toward JC and sat next to him on
the couch, their gazes locked on one another, neither moving, nor talking.
Gorgio smashed the bottle neck on the corner of the coffee table and pushed
JC to lie down on the couch.  Putting his hand against the jagged neck, he
brought the bottle up to head height and drizzled the liquor across the
couch and JC.  Dark amber drops sprayed and pooled inbetween the defined
ridges of JC's pecs and ab muscles.  Putting the bottle down, Gorgio moved
his head down, his tounge darting out to lick the sticky liquid from JC's
chest.  Closing his eyes, JC brought a hand to his lover's head, grabbing
his hair roughly and moving his lips across his chest, feeling the warm
sensations.  Grabbing JC's shoulders, Gorgio shed his shirt and moved on
top of JC, feeling their warm skin touch at last.

"Make love to me," JC whispered quietly, smiling up at Gorgio.

"Italians know love," he said proudly, his perfect lined white teeth
glinting.  "I love you now."

*****

The planes engines screamed higher and higher, the air behind the jets
becoming wavy with the intense heat.  JC sat next to the window, his CD
player and earphones in his lap, the safety card in front of him.  The
retractable video screens dropped down from the ceiling and a flight
attendant began to dictate safety procedures in first english and then
italian.  The plane began to move slowly down the runway, the engines
beginning their low rumbling.  Wiping a tear from his eye, JC coughed and
pulled his seatbelt tight.  His hair was messy and unstyled and his shirt
was rumpled.  Underneath, the remains of the liquor, saliva, and cum were
dried on his chest, the scent of cologne thick on his skin.  He inhaled
slowly, the smells making his mind race and turning his pants into a
confining cloth prison.  Adjusting himself inconspicuously, he lay back and
closed his eyes as the plane banked and gained more altitude, Rome spread
out like a many fingered palm below.

Pulling his wallet from his pocket, JC pulled out a scrap of creased paper
and studied it.  Smiling, he traced the perfect cursive letters, the words
from their first date Gorgio had given him.  He remembered that night at
the hotel room in New York City.  It had been a bitter cold winter, the
winter of ninety six.  JC had been young, na^ve, oblivious to the
harshness of the world, the realities, the agony and pain the real outside
had to offer.  Stumbling across Gorgio, two years older than him, JC had
instantly trusted the man, latching on to him with the hopes of a perfect
future.  And it had been.

Gorgio Lucent was perfect.  Gorgio was a gorgeous man in every respect.  He
was honest, caring, fair and even-tempered.  Physically, he was twice as
breathtaking.  He was beautiful in the kind of way that doesn't take
magazine clippings, carefully styled hair, makeup, and perfect clothes.
Coming out of the bathroom the first day they made love in boxer shorts and
a gray tanktop, JC had smiled from the bed, rubbing the sleep from his
eyes.  Even with stubble growing on his chin, messy hair, and barely any
clothes on, he was as simply beautiful as he always was.

Not knowing what love was like, JC was drawn into the world of rosepetals,
chocolate syrup, fine dining, and romantic movies.  In a whirlwind, JC and
Gorgio's romance had flown out of control taking on what would be worthy of
a romantic movie.  JC flew to Italy at any chance he could, and he was
never surprised to find Gorgio on his doorstep holding a boquet of white
roses and a bottle of wine from his home town.

As the plane jerked slightly, JC bit his lip and closed his eyes tightly,
trying to block the date out of his mind.  But it was altogether too real.
December 29th, 1999.  Lapsing into flashback, he recalled that chapter in
history that had almost torn them apart, that had almost killed him.
Literally.

-----

Gorgio stepped from the plane, the snowflakes flying wildly in the sky, the
sun just dipping below the horizon.  Walking across the slippery ice to the
ground level entrance to the terminal, he stopped and looked into the sky.
Dark gray clouds seemed to be attempting to touch the ground and the pinks
and oranges of the setting sun were barely visible between the snow and the
clouds.  Reaching the door, he clutched his bag to him protectively and
climbed the stairs up to the terminal.  Loosening the scarf around his
neck, he breathed out in annoyance as he emerged into the throngs of
post-holiday travellers.  Pushing through small groups of people, he sat
down on a bench, looking up and down the long terminal hallways.  His cell
phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket, pulling the mouthpiece down.
"Yes?"

He smiled as he heard the voice come through the line, warm and deep,
comforting and familiar.  "He wop, whats going on?"

Gorgio dug through his carryon back and pulled his laptop from its pocket.
"Wop yourself white trash American bastard," he spit back spitefully.
"When do I get to see you?"

"Anytime you want," was the quick reply.  "I like your jacket."

Gorgio scanned the crowd.  "I don't see you," he said slowly.

"That's because I'm not there," JC said softly.  "And I know I like your
jacket because it's mine.  The black one with the silver lining, isn't it?"

Gorgio smiled and looked down.  "Got me again Joshua," he said, the
laughter dancing in his voice.  "So where are you?"

"I'm just entering the airport, give me ten minutes," JC said, the faint
sounds of automobile horns audible over the phone.  "You'll have to hold me
back from raping you in the airport, I'm so horny baby."

"They'll be plenty of time for that," Gorgio replied.  "I'll talk to you
later."

He switched his phone off and replaced it in the bag.  Opening the top of
his computer, he watched the red blip come closer and closer.  Typing
quickly, he entered the coordinates in, the computer accepting them with an
electronic tone.  Data flashed across the screen, and he copied and pasted
them quickly to e-mail.  Checking his watch, he closed his computer and
replaced it in the bag.

Sighing, he waited, unbuttoning the coat and leaning back on the bench.

*****

Pulling the black mask over his dark brown hair, the silent figure
stretched the material before letting it snap into place, covering his
features, only his bright smouldering blue eyes shone into the darkness.
Picking up the black backpack on the ground next to him, he shouldered it
and glanced up at the building.

With catlike agility, he scrambled up the side, his gloved fingers finding
tiny crevaces in the worn granite.  Pushing with his legs, he made his way
to the top of the building, finally putting his hand over the ledge at the
top.  His youthful muscles straining, he jumped over onto the roof,
crouching down as a helicopter passed low overhead.  Moving quickly, he
unzipped his backpack and lined the contents out on the roof.  Selecting
four metal boxes and a length of galvanized steel roping, he walked to the
edge.  The wind whipped around him, holwing into the canyon between the
skyscrapers.

Securing one end of the roping to a metal grate, he placed the four metal
boxes into a smaller pack and stood, his head bowed watching the ground
thirty stories below.  Cars pulled erratically through the Seattle streets,
their blaring horns were muted from the distance up.  Closing his eyes, he
let his body fall forward and plunge through the frigid air.  Coming to a
perfect stop eighteen stories below, he grabbed the edge of the building
with a gloved hand, steadying himself.

Opening the pack, he removed the four boxes, placing them on the four
screws which held the plate glass window to its frame on the building.
Flicking the four switches into the on position, he watched with silent
satisfaction as the window noiselesly slid outward, leaving a two foot gap
between the window and the building.  Slithering through, he put his foot
onto the table inside, his eyes roving around the room.  Pointing his watch
at the green security panel at the corner of the room, he watched as the
colored switches flickered and died.

Pulling his other leg through, he slid from the table to the floor, quickly
looking both ways as he approached the hallway.  Sliding along the wall, he
gave the same treatment to two other security cameras on the way, and
finally, his hand slowly opened the door.  The room was darkened, but the
city lights pouring through the windows illuminated the study dimly.
Walking to the far wall, he looked as the diamonds glittered in their glass
case.  Smiling, he pointed his watch at the small black box at the bottom
of the case and the green power light died.

He quickly opened the top of the case, grabbing the glittering contents and
shoving them into a small black cloth bag.  Reaching in his bag, he placed
two plastic rings inside, and shut the case.  Once again, he pointed his
watch at the black box and the green light flickered back to life.

The man walked calmly out of the study and into the living room, stepping
back onto the table.  Reattaching the security cable, he replaced the
window and gathered the metal boxes back into his pack.  With the same ease
as before, his shadowy figure climbed back up the builidng to the roof.
Collecting his materials, he zipped his back and pulled off his gloves.
Stripping out of his one piece nylon suit, he revealed cargo shorts and a
long sleeve tee-shirt.

Pulling the mask from his face, he sighed and ran a hand through his sweaty
locks.  Stuffing the clothing into the backpack, he shouldered it and
disappeared into the night.

At street level, a strikingly handsome brunette walked from the building, a
satisfied smile playing at his lips.  He looked both ways, checked his
watch, and set off down the street, opening the door of a black acura and
pulling away from the curb.

*****

JC strode into the airport terminal, his face slightly flushed.  He checked
a small piece of paper and turned toward terminal B.  He walked quickly
down the carpeted hallway, stopping short of the gate.  He was sitting
there on the gate, his smile as beautiful as ever.  His form fitting black
sweater made his rippling muscles visible, his powerful steely gaze falling
on JC.  "Gio," he said and enveloped the man into his arms, pressing his
nose against his neck.  "The smell, God I've missed that smell."

Gorgio smiled grimly and detached himself from JC.  "Not here.  For your
sake Josh, for you."

JC nodded, but his brilliant smile was still visible.  "Let's go back to
the hotel, I've got a surprise for you."

Gorgio nodded and picked up his bags.  "As I you," he murmered quietly.

The black Acura pulled from the parking lot in a flurry of snow and ice.

*****

The heavy steel door opened slowly, the only light from the faint glow
emitting from the skylight stories above.  Slipping noiselessly across the
tiled floor, the silent figure began his dance.  Legs elegantly moving,
arms crossing a beautiful perfectly rehearsed dance, he moved with catlike
agility across the room, the unseen lasers cutting across the room.
Finally reaching the far end, the figure jumped upwards, expertly bending
his body, his gloved hands finding minute cracks in the walls.  Hoisting
himself up to the second floor balcony, he carefully set his back down and
crouched out of view behind the railing.

With catlike agility, he jumped to his feet, sumersaulting over a small
chasm, the walls and windows dropping a dizzying fifty stories down to the
street.  Pausing on the other side, he turned and faced the wall.  His
bright sapphire eyes glinted in pleasure as he walked calmly across to the
cabinet and rounded the familiar corner, as layed out from careful planning
and blueprinting of the building.  He looked up, and froze.

There he stood, his beautiful gray eyes hard and unforgiving, his perfect
muscles hidden by a gray shirt, dark gray pants, a khaki coat and black
shoes. "JC," he said calmly, quietly.  "Joshua Scott Chasez, put your hands
up now."  The gun materialized from the dark folds inside his coat.

JC felt the cold steely edge of fear creep into his body.  "Jesus Gio,
what's going on?"

"I will kill you JC, unless you put your hands up," Gorgio continued
wordlessly.

"God Gorgio, what are you doing?  How, how can you, did you?" JC stuttered,
almost disbelieving the sight of his passionate lover in front of him,
holding a gun.  "I love you so much, you can't kill me."

"JC, I'm warning you," he said, his hands trembling.  "These diamonds, they
are my buisness.  My gang.  My cut in this is for me, I'm sorry the paths
of our professional lives had to cross, I'm sorry we had to end like this."

JC shook his head, clearing his mind.  "You, you steal too?"

Gorgio nodded.  "I'm part of a corporation larger than you can imagine JC.
Leave and never talk to me or about me again, or stay and I will shoot you.
I have no choice Joshua, this is a side of me you haven't seen, a side I
was hoping to hide from you."

JC moved closer to Gorgio, so close he could feel the warmth radiating from
Gorgio's body.  "I might as well die Gorgio, If I can't have you then I
don't want to live.  This, this is bullshit.  It's all about money, but
you, you're my life and soul."

Gorgio's eyes narrowed.  "I will count Chasez, if you're not gone by the
time I stop counting, I will shoot you."

"Three."

"Gorgio, listen to me," JC said frantically.  "I, I love you, you have to
understand, I'll do anything for you, just let me be with you, just one
more day."

"Two."

"God, one more day as lovers and you can kill me.  I promise.  Just let me
have one more day with you, I need you."

"One."

JC fumbled in his pocket and brought forth a small scrap of paper.  "Look
Gorgio, it's the letter, the letter from the hotel on our first date.  I
always keep this next to my heart, reminding me of what I live for.  You
wrote this to me, you wrote that you'd love me into eternity, you told me
that we'd be together even after death.  Kill me now and I'll wait for you,
I'll wait until the day when we can be together again."

JC paused, his eyes void of tears, but reddened and bloodshot.  "I will
love you as much no matter what."

The gun discharge was quick, and a small amount of smoke dissipated into
the surrounding air.  The crack hung in the silence afterward and Gorgio's
head bent in silence, dejected agonizing silence.  The gun fell to the
floor with a clatter, and his bright silver eyes became wet with tears.
Dropping several magazines to the floor, he bent on his knee and crossed
his hand over his heart.

"Mio Dios, I tried," he said softly.

The burned scorched floor and chipped bits of marble and bullet fragments
smouldered soundlessly.  Standing up, Gorgio averted his eyes to the
ground.  "Joshua, I tried to kill you, I did."

JC stood transfixed on the floor, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
He wordlessly walked forward and pulled his boyfriend into an embrace,
their heads resting on one another's shoulders.  Outside, the snow fell in
soft sheets blanketing the city.  But inside, they stood next to the safe,
the diamonds glittering beautifully against their black velvet background,
forgotten.

This was love, this was them.

*****

The sea was quiet and blue, serene and void of any movement.  Almost
unearthly silence hung in the air, and no breeze whipped across the
expanse.  The sun was just coming up, rising in the far east in its blazing
splendour casting its dancing rays on the mirror calm.  The boat rocked
softly, the decks quiet, a seagull perched on a deck chair.  The water was
crystal clear and deep, multicolored fishes darted in and out of the coral
beneath the shummering surface.  Gorgio sat at the foredeck in jeans and a
gray sweater, his eyes blending in to match the flecked gray of the
material.  He looked out into the ocean, his foot dangling from the
railing.  He was quiet and his expression was vacant, like a screen
displaying nothing, void and silent.

JC came to sit by him, wrapping his arms around his lover, kissing his
neck.  Gorgio's face came to life quickly, his smile revealing the same
breathtaking white teeth and his eye sparkled.  "Good morning mon amore,"
he said, his voice thickly accented in the early morning, not yet
accustomed to speaking yet.

JC passed Gorgio a cup of strong black coffee.  "I'm nervous, he said
quickly, the words tumbling out of his mouth.  "I would never go sailing
for anyone else."

Gorgio laughed, wrapping his arm around JC's strong back, pulling him in
close.  "I could swim to the coast form here," he said softly into JC's
ear.  "If we sink, I'll swim with you all the way to shore, I promise I
won't let you drown."

JC nodded and sat down on a deck chair.  The perching gull jolted awake and
flew into the cloudless sky in a flury of downy feathers and outraged
noise.  Gorgio grinned.  "Upsetting everything everywhere Joshua, you need
to practice being elegant, difnified, like me."

JC smiled back.  "You are so perfect Gorgio.  Never loose your cool, do
you?"

Gorgio shook his head, pulling his sweater over his head revealing his
perfectly sculpted body, a sight JC grew familiar with, but nevertheless
fascinated by.  Looking like a greek adonis, he stood up and walked over to
JC, sitting down on his lap.  "I never do loose my cool."

"Except when I have my dick up your ass."

Gorgio kissed JC on the lips, tasting the sweetness of his mouth and the
strong tang of the coffee.  "That is the one time I do loose my cool," he
said.  "But I am happy to loose it then."

JC exhaled breifly and he unconciously began to trail his hands over
Gorgio's defined stomach muscles, his long fingers playing across the taut
skin, the masculine lines and cuves of Gorgio's body like a visual
aphrodisiac.  "I would have killed you, you know," Gorgio began quietly,
his voice reserved.  "But I loved you too much, I knew that even before I
saw you, I knew I wouldn't be able to do that."

JC nodded and rubbed Gorgio's back softly.

"If you had walked away from me, I would have used the gun on myself," he
continued quietly.  "If you walked away like I didn't mean anything to you,
I would kill myself then and there."  The thick accent was back as the
emotion rushed into his voice, his words catching in his throat.  "I wasn't
prepared for you, for what you did.  For what you told me."

"You and me, we are not safe now, not after that night," Gorgio said, his
hands playing with JC's hair, twisting it into tight curls like his own.
"We are on a death list now."

JC nodded and kissed a powerful bicep, feeling the muscle twitch beneath
the skin.  "If you die, I die."

"As you say," Gorgio replied.  "No longer can I live without you, your
voice, your smell, your taste, your body."

JC shivered as Gorgio kissed him on the lips.  He felt Gorgio's hands
creeping inside his shirt, pinching and pulled the skin, the fingers
running down and down, further and further.

"God," JC gasped as Gorgio's hands grasped the sizeable bulge building in
his pants.

Gorgio smiled and knelt down at JC's feet, undoing his lover's belt buckle.
He moved forward and ground his face into JC's crotch, feeling the warmth
and hardness encased inside the thick material.  JC got up and lifted
Gorgio to his feet.  Their lips mashed against each other as their tounges
dueled together.  Falling to the deck, Gorgio ripped JC's shirt open, his
mouth instantly seeking the warm flesh.

-----

JC closed his mental book, sighing in relief that the craziness and
paranoia surrounding their true occupations and the quick unseen enemies
they had made didn't tear them apart.  The plane jerked again, and JC
brought out his stress ball.

*****

Joey Fatone stopped outside the hotel room and fished in his pocket for the
key.  Pulling out a wrinkled gum wrapper, a movie rental card, a mini
pocket flashlight, and a few crumpled bits of paper, he cursed and let the
scraps float to the floor.  Shivering, he felt his wet swimsuit hug his
thighs and the cold air-conditioned blast on his water-speckled skin.  He
jiggled the doorknob a little, just to make sure, and found it securely
locked.  "JC?" he called through the door, pressing his face up to the
peephole, quickly realizing that being able to see inside from the outside
would defeat the whole purpose.

Sighing, he dropped his towel and bag to the floor and wrapped his arms
around his chest, his teeth beginning to chatter.  "JC, open up, wake up,
whatever, just get out of bed and open the door."

"Joey?"

Joey turned around and smiled, seeing JC walk up behind him.  "Hey Joey,
loose your key?"

Joey shrugged and picked his towel up, rubbing his hands together
vigorously.  "Nope, just, um, getting ready, I mean, waiting," he said in
between shivers.

JC ran his card through the slot and waited until the light turned green.
"You should really stop leaving these down by the pool," he said pulling
another card key from his pocket and handing it to Joey.  "It was sheer
chance that I took the back door and walked by the pool.  I saw this key
and your necklace," he said pulling the chain from his pocket, "and figured
you would probably miss them at some point."

Joey looked ruefully at the ground and grabbed the silver chain from JC
quickly.  "Thanks Jo," he said softly.

JC shrugged and ushered Joey inside.  Noting the shivering, he quickly
flicked the air conditioner off and the hotel room was plunged into
silence.  "So, what you doing tonight?" JC asked pulling his wallet and
keys from his pocket and arranging them carefully on top of the television.

Joey hung his towel on the rack and stepped out of his swimsuit.  "Nothing,
I think I'll just catch a movie."

JC nodded and looked away as Joey turned around, pulling his boxers on.
"Jesus Jo, it's not like I care if you see me or not, I mean, it's viewer
discretion, but it won't kill you."

JC shot Joey a pained smile and brought a hand to his eyes.  "Sorry, but
once I look, it'll haunt me for the rest of my life."

Joey pulled on a pair of track pants and shook his head spraying water
droplets at JC who stepped back.  "Hey, at least you haven't seen Chris
naked," Joey said drying his hair.  "That'll really haunt you."

"So yeah, I'm just going to watch a movie or something, just pop a bag of
million-calorie microwave popcorn and veg.  I really don't want to go
clubbing tonight, too much noise and the atmosphere makes me nauseous,"
Joey said pulling on a sleeveless tee-shirt and running a hand through his
water-darkened locks.  "Anyways, I'm exhausted and I definitely don't have
enough energy to do any extreme physical activities tonight."

JC sat down on the bed and lay down, putting his hands behind his head.
"Sounds like a great party, wish I could make it."

Joey shrugged.  "You want to stay here with me?  I mean, we could rock this
place with me, myself I, and well, you," he said smiling.  "And a bedroom
gets lonely."  Joey winked at JC suggestively and thrust his pelvis out
slightly.

JC closed his eyes and made a face.  "Good lord Joey, when you put it that
way, I guess I have no choice but to stay here.  Your sexual drive is
insatiable, and hey, we'll try.  I mean, what are friends for?"

Joey laughed and shoved his suitcase back against the wall, wrestling with
the zipper.  "We can stay up late and swap manly stories." He paused as JC
cocked his head to one side.  "And in the morning, I'm makin' waffles."

JC groaned.  "God Joe, if it isn't Superman, why does it have to be Shrek?"

Joey shrugged and threw his wet swimsuit in the direction of JC's head.

*****

"You didn't kill the dragon?"

"It's on my to-do list."

Joey paused the movie and looked over at JC.  "Alright, spill it shit for
brains."

JC looked taken aback for a second and looked at Joey, his eyes puzzled.
"What is it?"

"What the fuck is eating you?"

JC sighed and ran a hand through his tangled hair.  "Nothing."

"Bull fucking shit," Joey said spitefully.  "It's Gorgio."

JC let out another louder sigh and looked at Joey, his eyes dull and his
fatigue evident.  "No, I love him, we're fine.  He tried to kill me, but I
understand."

Joey looked at JC, slightly taken aback.  "Sure bro, your lover tries to
kill you, but it's really handy dandy that you understand," he said, making
quotation marks in the air around understand.  "I just don't get you buddy,
you're one fucked up guy."

JC sighed and leaned his head back against the bed.  "I know.  I'd be a lot
calmer and happier now if half of Italy wasn't trying to kill me."

Joey laughed.  "Now that's a good one Jayce, that's a good one."  He paused
and cocked his head.  "You are joking, right man?"

JC shook his head.  "But it's over.  I love him so much, I would do
anything for him.  In any other situation, I would consider that much
emotional attachment to be very dangerous."

Joey nodded vigorously.  "I think you've got that right."

"But Gorgio would never do anything to hurt me, I feel more secure with him
than I do anyone else," JC finished.  "He's my soulmate."

Joey nodded again.  He pulled a bag from the closest bed.  "More microwave
popcorn?"

*****

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