Lance is looking for Justin. He hasn't heard from him in three days and the last time he called Justin's house Justin's father called him a little prick and told him no Justin's lived there. Lance can't remember the last time that happened, which scares him. So he calls everyone he can thing of, goes by houses of guys he's scared of. Most of them sneer at him, taunt him, or laugh. Now, in the shade of Nick's house, looking up at him, he wonders distractedly if he's going to be called a dickweed again.

Nick just looks at him a minute, though, considers him, measuring him somehow, Lance thinks. He's waiting, but impatience is thrumming through him and he wants Nick to just say something, insult him, so he can head off to Lena's place-she's next on the list. Now Nick is opening his mouth and Lance is concentrating, waiting for it, and Nick says, "When I dropped him on Thayer Thursday night he had a black eye and blood on his face."

And Lance stares, because it's not what he's expecting and because he can picture it so clearly, and Nick stares him down with blue eyes. When Lance blinks the world is new and Nick's split lip is darker, more telling. Nick watches him get it, and then says, "He took off as soon as I let him out. I haven't seen him since."

'Ok,' thinks Lance, 'Ok,' and he repeats it out loud and nods and turns back to his car. He drives home and picks up the phone and tries Chris' number. He'd been saving that, waiting, but Chris doesn't answer and he'd been sosure and he wants to scream-

'JC,' the thought. The number is buried, hidden, and he digs it out. The phone rings once, twice, and then JC answers and Lanced breathes, tight and tense, "JC."

"Lance?"

"I'm looking for Justin."

"Oh. Oh, he's-" some sound from the background. "He's here."

The sigh Lance lets out just shakes his whole body. "Can I- "

"Um. Lance. Man... He's... I think he'll call you."

"Oh. But- he's ok? He's- "

"He's here." And JC sounds lost or something, the way Lance feels. "He's. I'll talk to you later, Lance."

The click is soft and Lance stays on until the dial tone sounds again. He blinks, once, twice, and thinks, 'Ok.'


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