JC is often very vague. He doesn't catch on to things immediately, and he can miss things right in front of him. He's well aware of this, so he wonders how long he's missed seeing the bruises that Justin sports from time to time, that sometimes seem to be the same shape as fingers, or are places that would be hard to reach in a skateboarding fall. He watches him sharply for the whole night, almost ignoring Joey, even, and doesn't like what he sees.

The following day he calls Lance. He has to do a bit of searching to get the number, but eventually he catches him between work and going out. Lance is surprised to hear from him, maybe pleased.

"JC! Hey. Um, what's... is everything..."

"Hi, Lance," he replies, "I just wanted to say hi. And to talk to you about Justin."

"Ju—Justin?" He stumbles a bit over the word, and JC decides to push the advantage.

"Yeah, Justin. Um, what's up with him?"

"What do you mean?" Lance sounds really confused.

"He's," he hesitates a minute, then damns the torpedoes. "He's always got all those bruises."

"Oh. Well. Uh. He's. You know, he's mouthy and he gets in a lot of fights."

JC wonders how much of the truth that is. He notes that Lance doesn't say who the fights are with, and presses. "Fights? With who?"

"Who? Well, uh..." he stutters a bit, and then sighs. "With his dad, JC. With his dad."

It's exactly what JC was expecting to hear and he still doesn't want to believe it. There's silence for a minute, and then he lets out a breath and holds the receiver a little tighter. "Ok. Ok. And he won't, can't leave?"

"He'd pretty much be on the streets if he did." Lance's voice holds years of bitterness. "He— My parents won't take him, he's got six months 'til social services won't take him, if he leaves he won't have a place to stay. Food, clothes, anything. I don't—" here he breaks off and there is a hitch in his breath. "I think he thinks turning eighteen will just make it better or something. He just. I don't. I don't know."

JC is silent on the other end of the line and then he says, "Ok, ok."

They talk a bit more and Lance doesn't ask if he's going to do anything. He thinks he'll try. Maybe he'll talk to Chris.

Chris pretty much doesn't want to hear it. He shuts JC up pretty fast, and when JC pushes, says "Do you think shacking up with a guy ten years older than him is going to help? Because I can guarantee you it isn't."

JC looks at Chris, who looks older than he is and thinks about the two jobs Chris is holding down and the scholarship he's working on keeping, and the fact that every time he's eaten dinner at Chris' house they've had ramen or mac 'n' cheese. He thinks, too, about the looks Justin gives Chris and the sexual tension that snaps to life every time they go out. He wonders if Chris would help if he could. He gives him the benefit of the doubt, but is aware that might be just his need to see the good in everyone.

So he's struck out with Chris, and he talks to a friend who's pre-law and Lauren's friend who seems to know stuff about how social services work and realizes that Lance is right, there's not a whole lot of options for Justin. 'All right,' he thinks, 'all right'.

The next time they talk, JC is sort of weird, but Justin doesn't let that bother him. He just leads the conversation in another circular route to get to Chris, and JC lets him. He even gets JC to talk about how he was a model for Chris' art class, which is how they met. He wonders if Chris would draw him if he asked. He decides to try the next time they meet up.

JC talks some about how the apartment he shares with Lauren and how they have been thinking about getting a third roommate, since their rent's about to go up $50. Justin jokes about how they should make Joey pay rent, since he's there enough. JC laughs, but Justin thinks it's kind of a hollow sound, and he feels bad for rubbing Joey's relationship with Lauren in JC's face. JC's been really great to him about his own romantic troubles, and it's not fair to make him unhappy. He apologizes, and JC tells him it's ok, but he's still kind of weird when they get off the phone, and Justin resolves to be really nice to him when he sees him on Friday at the latest bar they're going to.

Friday rolls around, and it's the same ol' same ol', Lance is staring longingly at JC and Justin only has eyes for Chris, and he thinks they're quite a pair if they're this desperate for guys who don't seem to care. He teases Chris about drawing him, and gets shot down again, then spends a lot of the night talking to Joey. Lance makes noises about leaving, like usual, and he has no problem getting up tonight, makes no more than a token protest. JC stands up to walk them out, while Joey and Chris hang back, and while Lance is fumbling with the car locks, he pulls Justin aside and hands him a key. "Look, you know, we're going to need a roommate, and, um, yeah. It would be cool if it were you. And, um, it won't be very much and even if you haven't moved in yet, if you ever need it, use it. The address is on the keychain. Um, yeah." And Justin just stares at him for a minute, and JC nods a bit, and then turns away, heading back into the bar. Lance yells from the car, and Justin quickly pockets the key and slides in, telling Lance, "Keep your shirt on. You're such a bitch."

Later that night, when he's back at home and seething from another fight with his father, with another bruise coming up dark on his skin, he pulls out the key. He holds it in big hands, loose, then tight, then loose again. The keychain is one of those round circles of paper with metal edging, and the address is written in neat script. 'Girl's handwriting' he thinks. He tightens his hands on it again, and then slips it into his wallet.


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