Happy Birthday, Cecilia

When JC was 16, Tony kissed him.

They were at a party, drunk, and they stumbled into a bedroom somewhere. They were laughing at Keri. She'd said something about Tony's kissing technique, and Tony had argued it was different, a screen kiss. And then he was cupping JC's face, saying, "I'll show you," and they were kissing.

It was hot. Tony's tongue between his lips, licking at the roof of his mouth. Tony's hand on his waist, holding him lightly, firmly. Tony's chest against his, his head bowed just a little.

JC pushed him away. "I. I'm not gay," he'd said -- he'd lied, but no one knew. Not even his parents, not even. No one.

"Me neither," Tony had said, "just provin' my point. I can kiss."

"Whatever," JC said, and then they'd cracked up, and gone back downstairs and drunk some more, and that had been that.

Except that now Justin wanted Tony to open for them. And Britney -- who by all rights and purposes should have absolutely no say in who opened for them -- agreed with him.

"He was your best friend, man," Justin said.

"It'll be sweet," Britney said.

"He's talented," Justin said.

"He's one of us," Britney said.

"You already own all his CDs," Justin said.

"He's cute," Britney said.

"Okay," JC said, "I'll talk to the rest of the guys."

* * *

They made JC call him, of course. He tried to argue that Johnny should have someone get in touch with someone who would get in touch with Tony's manager, who would get into touch with Tony. But he was voted down, 5 to 1.

"Why does Britney get to vote?" he asked.

"Fine," Justin said.

"Really?"

"Yes. You're outvoted *4* to 1. Now get on the phone, dork."

"I'm not a dork," JC muttered, but he was already picking up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Tony? It's JC. Chasez."

Britney smacked him. "Dork," she whispered. JC turned his back on her.

"Hey, JC, how are you? It was good to see you, man."

"Yeah, it was good to see you too."

Justin gave JC a thumb's up. He stared at the wall. Hard.

"'Sup, man?"

"We -- *nsync -- we were wondering if you wouldn't mind. That is. We." Someone hit him upside the head. JC walked into the bathroom, closing the door over the stretching cord. "We want you to open for us. If you wouldn't mind."

"Cool, cool," Tony said. "That would be awesome."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Just like old times. Although, I guess I can't call Justin a baby anymore."

"Why not?" JC said vengefully. "We all do."

"Listen, I was just heading out the door to buy groceries. I've got friends coming over, and I need to cook. Can I tell my people to call?"

"Yeah, absolutely," JC said. "We could do lunch. Or something."

"Cool, man. This is gonna rock."

"Bye," JC said.

There was a pounding on the bathroom door.

"What?!"

"Is he or isn't he?"

"Of course he is," JC said, pulling the door open. "If *nsync offered you a chance to open for them, wouldn't you?"

"No," Britney said.

* * *

Tony won Joey's heart forever by cooking them all dinner their first night of touring. They trooped onto his bus after performing, to be greeted by the smell of garlic bread and gravy.

"It'll only be a few more minutes," he said. "Sorry my timing's off -- I ran out of oregano, and the caterers didn't have any fresh, so I had to run to the store."

Joey sighed. "Ah," he said, "the days when I could run to the store for fresh oreganoÉ"

"Can't have gravy without it."

"Well, duh," Joey said. "Can I?"

When Tony nodded, Joey picked up the wooden spoon and tasted carefully. Joey was very picky about gravy. His mother's recipe had been handed down from generation to generation, and Joey rarely liked what JC insisted on calling "tomato sauce." His face took on an expression of bliss over Tony's cooking.

"It's nothing special," Tony said. "My grandma's."

"With. Basil?"

"Mmhm."

"Can I take you home and keep you?"

Tony laughed. "You've got the movie theatre, right? Dude, I'm yours to marry."

Britney scowled.

"Remember," Justin said, "when we used to talk about being movie stars on MMC? You and Jayce were gonna make it big."

JC put his head in his hands.

* * *

Tony, it turned out, knew business.

"I go over all my contracts myself, and stuff," he told Lance. "It's soothing."

"Isn't it?" Lance said. "I *love* it. Watching all the numbers line up when you tally your accounts--"

"Is one of my favorite things *ever,*" Tony said.

"Wouldn't you rather write music?" Justin asked.

"JC writes a lot," Britney said.

"Not just for us, either," Justin said, "but for all sorts of other people."

"He produces, too," Britney said, "and knows all sorts of good things."

"And--"

"I hate accounting," JC said. "I can't cook for beans, either. Buy all of my food from discount stores, and eat Ramen noodles most of the time. When I remember to eat."

"Ramen," Tony said, "is a staple of any diet.

Britney and Justin beamed.

* * *

"What do you mean, you don't like Playstation?" Chris said.

"It's. boring," Tony said.

Justin smiled.

Chris blinked. "How can you *possibly* think it's boring?"

"It's too much. Overstimulating. Now, Atari is a *real* game system."

"You have an Atari?"

"In mint condition. Nothing less is good enough."

"Fuck," Chris said. "Do you have *any* idea how much I *love* those things?"

"They're the best," Tony said.

"Breakout?"

"Breakout."

"You," Chris said, "are the coolest friend JC has ever had."

Britney bumped into him, accidentally spilling her soup.

"Ow!"

"Oh my God, Chris! Are you all right?"

"Let me get some napkins," Justin said. He and Brit surrounded Chris, pushing him away so they could "tend those poor little wounds."

"I'm not even burnt!" Chris said. "It was barely -- OW! JUSTIN!!"

"Are they always like this?" Tony asked.

JC looked up from his keyboard. "Justin and Britney? Pretty much."

"Cute little kids."

"Not really," JC said.

* * *

It was in the next city that JC finally worked up the nerve to invite Tony over.

"We can hang, just the two of us. Like old times."

Tony shrugged, and agreed, and that was how they wound up on the bed in JC's room, watching Aladdin on the tv. Just like old times.

"Are you still straight?" JC asked.

Tony spluttered. "What?"

"Well, I mean. You're kind of, you know. Cute."

"You're not gay," Tony said. "You said so."

JC flushed. "I might've lied."

"You lied to me."

"Yes."

"You lied to your best friend."

"Yes."

"You lied to --"

"YES, Tony. I lied. I'm gay."

"Well," Tony said. "That makes two of us."

"Oh," JC said. "OH. Ohhhh..."

Justin turned away from the connecting door, a smile playing about his lips. "That," he told Britney, "takes care of that."

"Oh goody," she said. "Now. Trickyfish?"

Justin nodded. "Trickyfish.