Braces
Justin watched Chris talk - he was meant to be doing his maths homework but Chris and JC had wandered into his room and any thoughts of maths were soon banished - watched the light catch on his braces and thought about how they made him seem younger. More like Justin, gawky teenager rather than really cool older guy.
His thoughts were interrupted when Chris turned around and caught him staring. Chris snapped his mouth shut and glared at him. "Look, J. I don't like them anymore than you do. So quit staring, ok?" Justin nodded and looked back at his maths book. He couldn't think of how to do any of it, not when he was still thinking about Chris and his braces. He wondered what it'd be like to kiss him with them in.
Chris wouldn't smile now. Not properly. Or when he did, he soon stopped and started smiling with his mouth closed. It didn't suit him, it made him look worried and old.
Justin wished he'd smile properly again.
Justin kept watching Chris. Occasionally he'd strike pay-dirt and Chris would smile properly and Justin could see gawky teenaged Chris again. Joey spotted him staring at Chris and teased him about a crush. Chris stopped smiling when he did that and Justin glared at Joey for the rest of the day.
Chris got the braces off shortly after they returned to Orlando. He smiled a lot now but he didn't look like the gawky teenager Justin had crushed on anymore. He looked older again, worried and way out of Justin's reach.
With a sigh, Justin went back to his math book.