Thanks to Vic, for coming up with the songs, Terri and Eva for proof-reading!
Justin Timberlake, the twenty five year old, curly haired, R&B star, was having what could only be called a temper tantrum. He’d just arrived in Liverpool to perform at Paul McCartney’s ‘When I’m 64’ Birthday Tribute, had checked in and had been given the order of performance. Since reading, the only discernable words had been ‘fuck’ and ‘bastard’. The first shouted at mid air and the playbill, the second directed at his personal assistant and best friend, Trace who was currently avoiding thrown objects and attempting to calm Justin down.
“Justin, you knew you’d get assigned songs, I told you that when I asked you if you wanted to perform. What’s so bad?” Trace was still attempting to look at the playbill that had caused this reaction in Justin, so at the moment was clueless. Well, until the aforementioned playbill was screwed up in ball and thrown directly at the middle of his forehead.
Justin sat down on the edge of the king-sized bed and sat, glaring at Trace, waiting for a reaction. Trace meanwhile unscrewed the playbill and sat reading, scanning down the list until he got to Justin’s name.
“In My Life? That’s a good song, Justin. What’s the problem?” Trace asked, confused now at his friend’s reaction.
“Keep reading.” Justin replied in muted tones. Trace raised an eyebrow and carried on reading the sheet, getting only slightly lower before looking up and going ‘oh’.
“Keep reading” Justin said, his voice now at that false calm level, the one a person wronged should never trust.
“Fuck!” Trace shouted, as he got to the bit that had obviously sparked Justin’s temper tantrum.
“Yes, Trace. Fuck. I can’t refuse to do it either, can I? They’d never let me, it’d ruin two years of media spin.” Justin looked at Trace, his eyes begging for any reason that he could get out of the duet.
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In another hotel room across the hall, the 30 year old, curly haired, singer credited with reintroducing the electronica pop-dance genre to the R&B obsessed youth of 2005, was looking at his playbill and laughing. He’d been given ‘Let It Be’ to sing, which was one of his favourite songs, and having seen his duet, he could imagine the temper tantrum going on. In fact, he was sure that if he turned down the TV, he could actually hear the sound of ‘FUCK’ being shouted.
You see, JC Chasez didn’t have the same depth of feeling against his former band mate as was directed towards himself. To him, the feelings were more apathy than hatred, he didn’t have enough energy to keep up the anger. Not anymore, not since his career had taken off with the use of ‘100 Ways’ in the biggest blockbuster movie of 2005. It had kick started his career, got records flying off the shelves and his second album had been top 10 for the last two months, fighting with Justin’s third record for the number 1 slot most of the time.
You had to admit, this was a clever idea by the organisers, putting Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez together to sing ‘The Long and Winding Road’, rumours of a rift between them had been around since the hiatus of NSYNC had started three and a half years earlier with Justin’s solo record. Regardless of the fact that they still got together for Challenge for the Children every year, regardless of the fact that the other three members were all doing exceptionally well in their chosen careers, Broadway, movie producing and a rock band called Little Red Monsters, the common rumour put the reason for the long break up squarely on the shoulders of the two lead singers.
It was funny, because it was true. They couldn’t tell anyone that it was true, they played happy families in front of the cameras whenever they needed to and they made sure that nothing of what had gone on would ever get into the public eye, but the rumour was actually true this time, Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez were not on speaking terms, hadn’t been since their break-up that signalled the end of NSYNC.
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“So, how is this going to work?” Justin asked Trace, having finally calmed down enough to talk about the show. After his earlier tantrum he’d not read the rest of the pack concerning rehearsals and sound checks.
“There’s rehearsals tomorrow and Friday morning in the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, which is actually Paul’s old school. You’ve got private sessions doing your part of the duet and your solo song tomorrow, then you’ve got a two hour session rehearsing with JC on Friday. I think they’re working on the basis you can practise in your room too, as they’ve included a backing CD, music and lyrics in the pack.” Trace waved the aforementioned items at Justin.
“So I don’t need to see him till Friday?” Justin asked, knowing that he’d need the extra day to build up the courage to be in a room with JC.
“Friday, 11am.” Trace replied, looking at Justin with concern. He knew it wasn’t anger that Justin felt for JC, more that he was just worried about seeing him. No one really knew why they’d broken up other than the two of them, all their friends knew was that one day they’d just not been together anymore, but still speaking. Then as Justin’s career took off and he started being seen more with women, one specific woman for a long time, the rift between the two men grew and grew.
JC had stayed very publicly single, always out with a big group of people, he spoke out about how he wasn’t old enough to settle down with one person yet. The rumours of Justin’s engagement and upcoming marriage grew and grew until the woman had realised that he wasn’t going to be putting a ring on her finger, no matter how many stories her people leaked out about it.
So now, they were going to have to perform together, for the first time since they’d broken up without the barrier of the other three members of the band to separate and support them. It was going to be a ride, Trace knew that.
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11.30 o’clock Friday Morning.
“This isn’t working, guys. What’s going on?” the music director of the show, otherwise known as Sir Paul McCartney, had just been called into Rehearsal room 3, because the highly anticipated duet between JC and Justin just wasn’t working. It had been leaked onto the internet to expect it on Thursday night and now tickets were exchanging hands for upwards of £500 on eBay, it was exactly the publicity they needed to get the DVD sales up to get lots of money raised for the various music charities Sir Paul was supporting with this concert. At the moment though, it was looking like the duet wasn’t happening.
Justin and JC looked at each other, each willing the other to talk. They both knew why it wasn’t working, you can’t sing when you’re on edge, you can’t project when your whole body is tensed up because of who you’re standing next to. You can’t give a song feeling, when your own are so messed up. In the end, it was JC who spoke.
“It’s strange just being two of us. I think we need a little time without all the people, to get over it, you know?” Justin stared at JC, did he just say that he wanted to be alone, with him, in a room, that could be locked? Shit, that wasn’t the way to get him to relax.
What JC Chasez wanted though, JC Chasez got, and the room cleared out and he locked the door behind them. Then smiled as he turned to see Justin sitting on the couch in the corner, pillow on lap.
He knew Justin better than Justin knew himself, even now, and he knew it was useless for him to start anything, Justin had to come to him. JC sat down at the piano and started playing Let It Be, humming along and occasionally singing the lyrics. Practising for tomorrow night, where he’d actually be playing piano on stage for the first time. He was keeping an eye on Justin, watching his body language. JC knew Justin had to be the best at everything, he knew he’d want to make this song work, there was no way he’d get on stage and let the world know that there was something wrong between them.
Justin put the pillow to one side, started leaning forward a little bit, JC changed the song to ‘Long and Winding Road’ starting to sing the whole of the song. He loved the song and singing it alone he sang out fully, putting all of his energy into the lyrics. He could sing the song, he knew Justin could sing the song, it was just singing it together that was the problem.
JC saw the younger man start to stand, and then slowly walk over towards the piano coming to stand just by JC’s seat.
“I love to watch you play.” He whispered, the words barely audible over the sound of the piano and JC’s voice. JC stopped playing and shuffled over on the seat, patting the now empty space as an invitation to sit down. Justin took the offer and the two men started playing together, as they’d been doing for over 10 years. They played together for a few minutes, neither talking, going from one song into another without words being spoken. It was only when they’d reached the last page of the music that there was a moment of silence, neither man wanting to be the first to talk.
They looked at each other, each making eye contact before quickly turning away, then a nervous laugh from JC, a smile from Justin, the room filled with anticipation. Justin took a deep breath, turned to JC, and looking him in the eye, asked him why they’d broken up.
“Because you wanted to play the field, you were too young to be tied down, remember. You wanted freedom, the chance to express yourself, you couldn’t find the time with your career to give the time a relationship needed. “ JC said, sounding both bitter and sad at the same time. “So I gave you space, and you started seeing HER, and then people started asking me why I was single in interviews. I couldn’t exactly say my boyfriend had left for a woman, so I told them why you’d left me in the first place, hoping you’d hear it and remember what you’d said. You did hear it, but you got angry. Started twisting what had happened into your own version of events, started seeing it as me having left you, when in actuality, you left me. You left me because you wanted freedom, and spent 2 and a half years in a relationship not 6 months after we’d broken up. It was supposed to be an 8 month hiatus, Justin. Not over 3 years.”
“You’re still waiting for me, aren’t you?” Justin said, shock written all over his face. He’d spent the last two years hating JC so much for him wanting to be alone, blocking out the real reasons in his head. Put like that though, it was true. He had left him, he had got scared, he never been alone and he hadn’t liked it, but then Cameron had come along and she was fun, and one thing had lead to another and then JC wasn’t speaking to him and he didn’t know why and it was just too confusing.
JC started playing again, a song unknown to Justin. Justin sat back, listening, watching JC’s fingers move across the keys, smiling as he saw the tip of his tongue poke out from between his pink lips. He couldn’t help himself, he turned his body around, taking JC’s hand in his and brought his lips up to those of JC’s. It only took a second for JC to respond, turning his own body towards Justin’s and deepening the kiss. Hands moved from hands to backs, backs to chests, under t-shirts and inside waistbands. Hands exploring the changes to the bodies they’d known so well, feeling how muscles had toughened, stomachs had toned.
“You’re still too thin” Justin muttered, between kisses, “but I love you like that.” He finished, as his hand slid round to undo the fly of JC’s jeans.
“and you’re still too pushy, J. “ JC replied, trying to swot Justin’s hand away from his jeans before Justin realised that he was going commando.
Too late. They were going to christen the floor of the rehearsal studio, not for the first time in their relationship, but JC had liked to think that at 30 he’d have the control to at least wait till he got to the hotel room. It wasn’t to be though.
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The next night, the three remaining members of NSYNC sat at Joey’s house watching the tribute concert. The whole of the Liverpool waterfront was lit up from the twin birds of the Liver Building, still standing, still protecting the City, to the old warehouses, now apartments and shops of the Albert Docks. A little further down, on the remains of the old King’s Dock, the specially built stage dominated the view. A change in the familiar skyline for one night only.
Chris, Joey and Lance had suspicions something was up when Justin had done his solo, having seen JC do his, they were actively discussing if something had happened. When they came on to do the duet though, the chemistry on stage was electric. Chris put his head in his hands, having been stuck between the two of them on numerous occasions when they were in this type of mood, he knew exactly what the hidden body language was saying.
As the song finished, he turned to Joey and Lance and smiled. “I guess the hiatus is over.” He joked, laughing as Joey’s phone started to ring, caller ID flashing up Justin’s name.
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