Mprov: Ophidiophobia -- JC and Justin

Written with Kate (sirkate).

Summary: It's not a fear, it's a phobia.


Pairing: JC and Justin
Words: bounce; brood; loathe; flank


Justin looks up at JC, smiling. "You have fun with the brood?" he asks, referring to the elementary school JC spoke at today. It's career week, and damn if JC's niece didn't demand he come talk about producing and singing and generally music.

"Flank," JC replies, heading past Justin. "Blue," he says over his shoulder.

Justin frowns because that's odd, even for JC. He gets up and follows along. "What?"

"Right. Left. Flank." JC's going through the desk.

"Okay, but what about it?"

JC frowns at him and puts his finger to his lips and goes back to looking through the desk. "Flank," he says to himself, as if trying to remember an idea that's struggling to get away. After a few more frantic seconds, he pulls out a notebook and sighs with relief. Then he realizes he doesn't have anything to write with.

Justin hands JC a pen.

JC smiles at him. "Thanks!" Then he sits down -- right there, on the floor -- props the notebook on his knees, and pen in hand, looks up at Justin, horrified. "Thanks!" he wails.

Justin's lips quirk in a smile. He just can't help it. But he squats in front of JC. "Blue, flank, left, flank, left right flank," he says helpfully.

JC shakes his head. That's wrong. It's the wrong order. If he puts it that way, it'll be all, um. Wrong. He gives Justin a pleading look.

"Sorry. Flank, blue. Right. Left. Flank. Flank. Thanks."

JC nods. Yes! He writes that down in just that order and starts trying to figure out what he'd meant. Flank. Flank for side. Sides. Changing sides. Changing positions. Movement. Army. Formations. His pen scribbles furiously, trying to get all the ideas down. The words have a song in them, but the song has a dance in it, too, and he's got to get both. Flank. Out-flank. Out-manuever. Flank of a girl. Out-flanking her boyfriend -- no. The boyfriend flanking her, then out-flanking her boyfriend to get her. And, um, something.

Justin shakes his head. As soon as the word 'girl' appeared on JC's page, Justin ceased to exist. He accepts this, but he doesn't have to sit here and like it. He goes back to watching TV.

JC loses focus after that point. That was as far as he'd gotten with the song part of the idea. But then -- yes! Dance-off for the girl! With formations! Like a Sharks-Jets showdown. And then it can end with the guy leaving with the girl at his side. And it would be all clever because of the use of flank and him showing how he knows all the meanings of it. JC smiles triumphantly and looks up.

And there's nothing there to see, except the fruit salad Justin set out for him an hour ago.

JC gets up, puzzled. Wasn't Justin here when he came in? He ignores the fruit salad. He isn't hungry. He wanders into the kitchen and gets something to drink, sending out psychic, 'Where's Justin?' vibes the whole time.

Justin frowns and gets up, heading down the stairs two at a time. There's something weird going on. He nearly runs into JC in the kitchen. "Hey! Hi, baby."

JC glows. "Justin!" He hugs him. "I wanted you and you came!"

"I always come when you want me." Justin hugs JC back. "You get that song down?"

"Uh-huh. Sort of. It's not really a song yet. More like an idea that needs a song to go with it. But I had to write it down, because otherwise it would've been all gone."

"Yep."

"Wanna see?"

"Sure."

JC hands him the notebook, grinning.

Justin reads it through. "It's cool. Shows your vocabulary."

"All one syllable words!" JC says proudly. "It was the word of the day!"

Justin grins hugely, but doesn't laugh. "Good job."

"School was so much fun. I could do that every day."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh." JC nods enthusiastically. "It was fun. I got to sit in one of the little desks with everybody else, and we learned about snakes!"

"S-snakes?"

"Did you know that most snakes aren't poisonous?"

"No. But, uh. They don't bite people much, do they? Even the non-poisonous ones?"

"Nope. Snakes mostly don't care about us at all. But this one had very cool skin. It was... soft to the touch, sort of."

"You touched a snake?" Justin asks, backing away.

"Uh-huh." JC looks at Justin. "You're upset?"

"Did you wash your hands after?"

"No, because that was after lunch. Why?"

"Ew! Go wash your hands!"

"Snakes are very clean animals."

"Snake! You touched me with snake hands. I need a shower." Justin shudders and heads upstairs for the deluxe shower. The one with four heads.

JC thinks about this, then follows Justin, slowed down only slightly by stripping his clothes off along the way.

Justin's scrubbing at his skin with the loofah sponge. After this, he's going to burn it.

JC gets in the shower with Justin. After all, Justin wants him to wash, so this'll get that done. And they won't waste any hot water.

Justin shivers harder as he feels cool air swirl around his ankles. He has to look down to make sure he's imagining the brush of scales across his feet. "Snake. Fucking..."

"Hey," JC says, grabbing his own soap.

Justin screams and flinches back into the corner of the shower.

JC raises his eyebrows. "What?"

"I hate snakes. I loathe snakes. I'm scared to death of snakes."

"There's no snakes in here," JC says reasonably.

"Snake on your hands."

"So?"

Justin pouts and turns back into the water, scrubbing at his skin again.

JC reaches past Justin and gets water on his hands and starts washing them.

Justin's settled into a really fine brooding session, scrubbing away at himself thoughtlessly. He's not even mad at JC, not at all. He's mostly just thinking about snakes killing him.

JC leaves Justin to his silence until they're both clean. Then he turns off the water. He gets out, since Justin doesn't seem to feel like moving, and gets two towels. He goes back to the shower and hands in the towel. "It's all gone now."

Justin wraps the towel around JC and pulls him close. "Sorry."

JC agreeably starts drying Justin off. "It's all right."

Justin shakes his head. "It's not. It's not right to freak out."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because it's not."

"So?"

"I don't know," Justin admits, shaking his head.

JC nods wisely. "So it's okay and it's over now and you're all safe and, um. It's okay."

"Yeah." Justin pulls JC closer. "And you're here. And I'm here. And we're naked."

"Uh huh."

"Wanna go make out?"

"Go?" JC says, winding himself around Justin.

"I stand corrected."

"Mm-hmm," JC says, kissing Justin.

Justin moans softly, kissing JC back. He reaches behind, turning the shower back on. He tugs JC in with him, knocking over the conditioner as he does. It clatters to the floor, bounces once, and breaks open. The air suddenly smells like coconut and banana.

"You're wasting water," JC says.

"Guess we better do this the fast way, huh?"

JC pouts.

Justin sighs and turns off the water. The tiles will stay warm for a while anyway.

JC takes Justin's hand and smiles appealingly. "We can take a very long time out of the shower. A long time. With licking."

Justin considers. "Okay!" He follows JC with a spring in his step and a song in his heart.

JC grins the whole way to the bedroom.