Pairing: Joey and Brian
Words: affectionate; prance; capture; arid


"So."

"So."

Joey looked at Brian, who looked back at him with the impassive
stare of a man who has seen it all and is not in the slightest bit
impressed.  "You're older."

"It's not my problem."

"It's not anyone else's problem."

"They've got brains, and they know how to use them.  They've got
friends other than us, bodyguards to protect them, and publicists
to spin it if things go too far."

He was good.  Joey was impressed.  "Things have already gone too
far."

"I've seen worse."

"I've done worse.  But not in public, and not with..."

"Other men?"

"Yeah.  That."

"You know, there was a time when they wouldn't have done anything
like this in front of me out of respect for my religious beliefs,"
Brian said, playing with his cross.

"They don't respect your beliefs any more?"

"I don't respect my beliefs any more.  This is stupid, not sinful."

"Not sinful?"  Joey looked at the way Lance was prancing around,
the affectionate hand JC had placed on AJ's... yeah.  Not going to
go there.  JC might get jealous.  "Interesting definition of the
term."

"I went with the interpretation that Jesus really meant it when he
said the chief commandment was love.  Nothing else makes much sense
when you put it together with the kind of lives we lead, and even
then, there's the bit about rich men and the eye of a needle to
cause problems.  Besides, you have the bit about not throwing
stones."

"*You're* gay?"

"Er, no.  Just... you know, never mind.  It's not that important,
and I'm fairly sure you're not interested."

Joey's attention was captured by Kevin grabbing Justin's ass, and
the surprised squawk Justin gave before he leaned into it.  He
covered his eyes with his hand.  "Anything to keep my mind off of
that.  Anything.  I mean it."

"You could leave.  I don't think they'd notice."

"Well, you'd be surprised what Chris notices.  But it seems wrong
to leave them, y'know?  Like what would happen to them without the
blanket of straightness to cover things up?"

Brian favored him with a dry look.  Practically arid.  "Joey. 
Look.  Do you see any women at all in this club?  Even a waitress? 
Even a pair of lesbians dancing together?"

"No."  He'd looked.  He'd looked very hard.

"Trust me, the blanket of straightness will not cover this.  The
bed is unmade, the sheets are dirty, and everyone can tell."

"Nice metaphor."

"Thanks."

"So what are you doing here, if you're not trying to give them
credibility or cleaning up their mess?"

"Collecting blackmail material."

Joey nodded wisely.  He could understand that one.

Brian sipped his drink, looking at his bandmates cavorting with
Joey's.  "When you got into this business, did you ever think you'd
end up playing yenta for eight of the gayest guys in history?"

Joey snorted.  "No way.  I got into this for the chicks."

"I've heard of that strange species.  What were they like again?"

"Damn if I know."