Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 12:41:32 EDT From: Garrett Sparks Subject: Next Window Please - Chapters 2 & 3 Howdy! Thanks for the feedback on the first part of Next Window Please. It's fun writing this stuff. Here are actually the next two chapters, and unfortunately (or maybe not, depending) there isn't any sex. But, this sets it up for the relationship to begin and we all know where relationships lead eventually, right??? As always, please e-mail me and let me know what you think...suggestions are appreciated, especially if you have any ideas for future pairings! And the disclaimer: NSYNC - don't know them and don't know who they like to sleep with. Also, if you are a babe, don't read this stuff and if you are a homophobe, boy did your web browser take you to the wrong place. Enjoy! Next Window Please Chapter 2 - Here We Go Lance didn't know when Justin's family had moved into their nice, two story house. He assumed it was sometime after Just joined the Mickey Mouse Club and before NSYNC. Either way, it was large compared to the one-story dwelling his parents had lived in for the last 25 years. Lance had offered to buy them a house when he got famous, but they had refused. Now, they won't take anything from me, Lance thought to himself as he walked up the front steps and rang the bell. Justin's mother, Lynn, who reminded Lance a little of his own mom, answered the door and immediately smiled. "Lance! How are you, hon?" she hugged Lance and he suddenly felt a wave of relaxation run through his body. Even though the hug was a simple gesture on Lynn's part, it meant the world to Lance. Of course, he didn't know how close she would get when she found out the truth about him. Lynn led Lance inside to the large living room. The house seemed strangely quiet, so Lance asked, "I take it Jonathan isn't here," Jonathan was Justin's younger brother and always seemed full of energy, meaning noisy. "Jonathan and his father are off on some camping trip bonding," Lynn replied as she walked Lance through the living room, "To tell you the truth, it's been nice to sleep past eight in the morning this past week." Lance laughed. Even though JC was the notorious sleeper of the group, Justin rarely got up before the clock hit double digits. Lynn opened the back door and motioned Lance out onto the patio. It too, was deserted. "Justin actually had to step out for a minute. His baby brother in Tennessee turned two last week and Justin forgot to get a present. So, I made him get something pronto," she looked around, "But, Joey is here somewhere". Just then, Lance felt a large presence come up behind him and grab him, lifting him off the ground. Lance could tell by the bright red he spotted out of the corner of his eye, that they had found Joey - or more precisely, Joey had found them. Lynn smiled and left the two alone on the patio. Justin's mom had a pool and the water rippled slightly in the warm summer breeze. Joey and Lance sat down on a couple of deck chairs, "So, Lance my boy," Joey began as he laid down facing the afternoon sun, "we were kinda surprised to get your call. I thought you were gonna stay with them fam this week," Lance lowered his head, "We kinda had a fight and I left in a hurry". Joey nodded, "Justin said you left in the evening and drove all night. Must've been a bad fight, dude". Lance didn't respond and Joey didn't push it. Suddenly, before he realized what he was saying, Lance blurted out, "I'm gay". He looked over to Joey, who hadn't move from his reclining position. He had on sunglasses, so Lance couldn't tell if he was staring or not. Slowly, Joey turned his head and removed his glasses. He sat up and faced Lance and let out a hardy laugh. Lance was confused, not sure what to make of the situation. Was Joey laughing at him, thinking it was a joke, or was it that nervous laughter he sometimes did when he was uncomfortable? Joey put his hand on Lance's knee, "Sorry, man, but I'm just happy". Lance looked strangely at Joey, who picked up on it, "No guy, I'm not happy because I'm in love with you or anything and now we can be together. It's just that I am happy because I just won fifty bucks". "Excuse me?" Lance asked. Joey smiled, "It's just that I had this bet with Chris on when you would come out and he didn't think you would do it until after our tour wraps up. I said it would be sooner". Lance was livid. His friends had been making bets on something that was the most important decision of his life and quite serious. He stood up, knocking Joey's hand off his leg. Joey suddenly stopped smiling. Lance glared at him, "I just did one of the hardest things I've ever had to do and you and Chris play it off like it's some joke". Joey realized his folly and stood up, "Man, it's not like that. It was done out of love. I don't even think Chris thought it was a true bet. He thought it was based on the internet rumors going around all the time". Lance was well aware of those rumors. He and Joey had gone to some gay club in New Orleans and the next thing they knew, the press had them as long-time lovers. In reality, they didn't even know the club was gay until they got inside, although Lance was kind of happy at the mix-up. Joey put his hand on Lance's shoulder, "I know this is important to you, Lance. I didn't mean to react like that. I would never do anything to hurt you. You're my bud". Lance felt a little better and smiled a little, letting Joey know he wasn't angry anymore. He sat back down just as Lynn came out with some drinks. They thanked her and she went inside. They both sat back in their chairs in silence, sipping their drinks. Finally, Lance said, "So, you really knew I was gay?" Joey looked over at him, "I'm not gay or anything, but I have to tell you - I have the best gaydar of anyone I know". Lance wanted to ask him if he thought any of the other guys were gay, but didn't want to put Joey on the spot. "So, Lance, are you still mad at me?" Lance didn't reply, but instead stood up and proceeded to pour his drink on the reclining Joey. Joey stood up, dropping his own drink. Lance laughed, "Not anymore. I think we're even". Joey smirked and jumped over his chair, gunning for Lance. They ran around the pool for a second, before a voice halted them. "Didn't your mother's ever tell you not to run in the pool area?" Lance and Joey stopped and looked over towards the door to see Justin standing there. He was sloppily dressed in the Carolina basketball uniform he loved so much. His curly hair was more wild than usual. Justin always bummed during their downtimes. That was, unless they went clubbing, in which case, Curly would spend a good two hours primping and preening. Justin walked up to his fellow bandmates and gave Lance a big bear hug, "Welcome back, Scoop!" He looked at Joey who asked, "No hug for me?" "Not when your all sticky like that, dude." Lance got the wrong idea in his head for a second, before he realized Justin meant the lemonade which he had soaked Joey with. It had left him a little sticky. "I'm gonna go wash up," and with that, he was inside. Justin looked at Lance, "So, what was this fight about?" Lance smiled at his friend, "Vintage Joey, what can I say?" Justin laughed and they went back to the chairs. They chatted about random things for awhile before Joey got back and sat down, in a new outfit. Justin changed topics, surprising Lance with his straight-forwardness, "So, what happened that caused you to leave home in the middle of the night?" Lance hesitated before looking at Joey. It had been easier with him, for some reason, but with Joey's reassuring look, he summoned up his courage and told Justin, "My dad basically kicked me out of the house. I couldn't go back." Justin got serious, "What happened?" Again, Lance took a deep breath, "I told them I was gay". This time, the moment Lance sat waiting for a reply seemed much shorter as Justin extended his hand and grabbed Lance's shaking it, "Thanks for telling me. It means a lot that you can tell me this". Lance felt a sense of relief. He was halfway through telling the guys and it had gone pretty well. And he also knew he would have a couple of days before he would see them. Still, he wished they were all here. He felt a sense of liberty after telling them and didn't want to lose his momentum. But, JC and Chris had gone on some rafting trip together in West Virginia and wouldn't be back for two days. "I just didn't want either one of you to hate me for being gay". Lance offered. Justin smiled, "Dude, half of our fans are gay. I know the management would like to perpetuate the myth that only 12 year old teenyboppers like us, but I'm not stupid. I see them at every show. Hell, I get hit on at least once a week by a guy. It's cool with me." "And you know I am," Joey offered as they sat there, "And I am sorry about the `rents, Scoop I'm sure they'll come around. You're a perfect kid". "Except for the fact that I like to suck dick". Lance offered and slapped his hand over his mouth after he realized what he said. The truth was, he hadn't ever sucked a dick. It just sounded like a gay response. And slipped out of his mouth. Justin smiled, "Scoop! I'm glad you told me you like guys, but I don't need details!" They three guys had a good laugh at this for a minute. Lynn walked outside and told them that dinner was ready. They went in and sat down at the table, beginning their meal of barbecued chicken with all the fixings. Lance couldn't eat much, as the meal reminded him of something his mom would make. He excused himself and went outside to the porch. It was dusk, and he marveled at the beauty of the sunset. He heard the phone ring inside, which prompted him to pull out his cell phone and check his own messages. He only had one. It was his sister, Stacey, "Lance, it's your sister. I talked to mom and dad and they told me what happened. You gotta call home. Mom's a mess and her and dad are fighting all the time. Please call and at least talk to her. I love you bro. No matter what happens, I do." Lance smiled a little as he ended the call. He really hadn't thought much of his sister when he thought about coming out. She had her own life with her husband and he wanted to deal with them first. Lance dialed his parents number, praying that his father wouldn't answer. He was in luck, as his sister picked up the phone. "Lance! I am so glad you called. Did you get my message?" "Yeah, thanks for it," Lance replied. "I meant it, Lance. I may not totally understand it, but I'm not gonna judge you. I just want you to be happy," she said sincerely. Lance felt the tears welling up, "Thanks. Is mom there?" She told him to hold on and he wiped away the tears before his mom answered the phone. It was evident she had been crying too, "Hi honey". "Mom, I'm sorry I worried you with my leaving". His mom interrupted, "I'm just glad you're okay. I just hate to think that you're alone". Lance smiled as he listened to the noise coming from the kitchen inside, "I'm not mom. I'm actually at Justin's and Joey is here too," he paused, "And I told them". Diane paused, "I take it went okay with them," "Yeah, they accepted me. No problem," Lance didn't mean this to sound accusatory, but his mom took it that way. "I'm sorry we can't accept this, James. This is hard for me," she said in a stern tone. "Mom, I didn't mean that to be crass. I just wanted to let you know I'm okay and I still love you and dad". This seemed to calm Diane down, "He'll come around. It's just that you're his only son and it's hard for him". Lance appreciated the sentiment, but really didn't want to hear it. So, he changed subjects, "That's fine mom, but I have to go. I'm going out with the guys tonight to let off some steam". Diane was quiet, then stated, "I love you James." Lance felt the tears returning and simply replied, "I know. Thanks". He said goodbye and hung up before he completely broke down. He heard Joey come up to him and sit down. He said nothing, but put his hand on Lance and rubbed his shoulder in a reassuring way. Lance was suddenly very thankful for his friends. Lance wiped his eyes and smiled at Joey as Justin emerged from the house, "Hey guys! That was Josh on the phone. They said that the water level was too low or something to go rafting and the trip got cut short. They'll be here tomorrow afternoon!" "And then off to rehearsal," Joey lamented, "Why did we agree to another leg of this tour?" "To appease the fans," Lance stated. Justin turned to them, "Hell, I'm doing it for the money!" They all laughed and sat there staring at the sun, which was now a bright shade of pink. Justin finally got up, "Well, I'm ready to go clubbing. How about you guys?" Joey eagerly stood up, "Absolutely. I need to get my groove on," he looked at Lance, "and maybe we can find you a man tonight," Lance stood up too and followed them as they went inside to get ready, "Don't think I'm ready for that yet". He secretly wondered if he ever would be. ******************************************************************* CHAPTER 3 - I told you not to worry In Lance's dreams, the men are usually faceless. Hung, but faceless. Tonight, however, Lance thought that this guy, the guy who presently had his mouth attached to Lance's penis seemed familiar somehow. Lance tried to get a better look, but the ecstasy was too much and he felt himself coming. He sat up in his bed, sweat pouring down his face. Lance tried to get adjusted to his surroundings. He wasn't at home - he was at Justin's house. More importantly, he was in Justin's bed. A wave of panic suddenly overcame him as he tried to remember the night's events. The guys had gone to a club - a straight one - and Lance proceeded to toast to his new found sexual freedom. Joey matched him drink for drink and before he knew it he was out on the dance floor, grinding with anything he could. Male, female, it didn't matter to Lance. Usually, he hated dancing - it was his least favorite part of the band thing - but tonight, he let loose. He didn't remember much after that. There was a quick flash to him bending over the toilet, throwing up and then to walking up Justin's front steps with Joey and Justin at his sides, helping him. Then, nothing. He looked over to the other side of the bed and saw Justin lying there, breathing heavily. The panic came back as Lance wondered what else the alcohol had opened him up to. He slowly lifted the sheets and saw that he was still in the clothes he had worn last night, sans shoes and a quick glance over to Justin showed him in a pair of sweatpants. Lance felt a little relieved as he thought that if anything had happened, they wouldn't be dressed this way. At least he didn't think so. He just hoped the face in the dream wasn't a flashback to a night of passion with Justin. Suddenly, a loud snoring sound came from the floor at the foot of the bed. He leaned over and saw Joey lying there, also still dressed with a blanket covering part of his body. Lance leaned back and sighed. He must've passed out and nothing happened. Besides, he didn't tend to have those erotic dreams unless he was a little sexually frustrated. Not that he had ever had the real relief he wanted. His right hand could only provide so much companionship. Lance slowly got out of bed and felt surprisingly okay. He figured he puked up most of the liquor last night. He glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was a little after nine. He was feeling somewhat dehydrated and decided to go downstairs for a drink. The house was pretty quiet, but as he approached the kitchen, he heard the sound of music. As he walked through the door, he saw Lynn sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper and sipping on some coffee. The radio on the counter was tuned to a country music station. Lance smiled. He enjoyed country music. Lynn looked up and smiled at Lance, "Don't take this wrong, but you look awful Lance". Lance smiled back and took a seat, "Long night". Lynn got up, went to the fridge, and pulled out a pitcher of juice, "Yeah, I didn't even hear you come in last night. And your room was empty". "Yeah, I slept with Justin last night". Lance didn't think about his statement, but Lynn suddenly spun around, staring at Lance. Lance immediately knew that she knew he was gay. "Justin told you." Lynn nodded and began to pour the juice, "Sorry, it just kind of threw me for a loop". "What? The gay thing or the sleeping with Justin thing?" Lynn placed the glass in front of Lance, "Both, actually". Lance said nothing and sipped his juice. Lynn sat back down, "Look, honey. I know nothing happened with my son. I just have to get used to this. I was kinda surprised when Justin told me. And don't be mad at him, by the way. I sorta forced him to tell me," she leaned in, "I told him I wouldn't do his laundry until he told me". Lance smiled, "You don't hate me then?" Lynn laughed, "I am the last person to judge anybody. You are a sweet, kind, intelligent young man. It doesn't matter to me what side you butter your bread on!" The two of them had a good laugh. Then, Lynn pulled Lance into a hug, "It's gonna be okay." Lynn felt a tear run down his cheek as he pulled away from Lynn. She wiped it away and smiled, "Now, you had better go wake up the guys. You have to pick up Josh and Chris at the airport in a couple of hours." When Lance had tried to wake Joey, he didn't hear exactly what the redhead said, only something to the effect of, "Leave me alone. I'm dying." That was all Lance needed. So, it was just Justin and Lance in Lance's car headed towards the airport. Lance smirked, "You know, I think I nearly gave your mom a coronary when I told her I slept with you last night". Justin turned in shock to his friend, "Excuse me?" Lance laughed, "Don't worry. She knew what I meant". They sat in silence for a minute before Justin turned to Lance, "So, when did you know you liked guys?" Lance thought for a minute, "I've always known deep down. I remember my sister used to have this poster of John Taylor - you know the guy from Duran Duran - on her wall and I loved to just stare at it. I didn't know why at the time, but now I do". Justin nodded, "Cool". He looked out of the window, "You ready to tell the other guys?" Lance sighed, "Yeah, I guess. I just hope they take it as well as you and Joe". Justin looked at Lance reassuringly, "I'm sure they will". Lance was kind of modest about using his fame to his advantage. That is, unless it was airports. He loved the idea of being able to drive to the VIP entrance and just go right on in. He hated having to drive and find parking. JC and Chris were the first ones off the plane. They both looked tanned, especially JC, who was so pale much of the time. Lance noticed it brought out his deep blue eyes. The guys gave a quick hug to each other and headed back to the car. The ride to Justin's was pretty uneventful. JC and Chris related their tales, each putting their own twist on things. In Chris' tale, he rescued three people from certain death on the raging and dangerous river rapids. JC, however, likened his heroics to something closer to helping pull people in after they had fallen out. Somehow, Lance believed JC a little more. Chris was the master of exaggeration. When they got home, they found Joey relaxing by the pool, sipping on a glass of iced tea. Any signs of his hangover appeared to have been cured. Lance wondered how much of Joey's sickness was real and how much was his desire to catch a few Zs. The guys explained pleasantries and Justin and Lance headed in to get some drinks, not wanting to hear Chris explain his Herculean feats again. As they headed back outside, Justin asked, "Ready?" Lance understood and nodded. They walked out onto the porch. Joey had made his way into the shallow end of the pool, but stepped out when he saw the serious look on Lance's face. He knew what was about to happen and wanted to offer his support. Lance cleared his throat and got the guys' attention. He sat down and looked at JC and Chris, "Guys, I need to tell you something". JC looked concerned, "Sounds pretty serious. What's up Scoop?" Lance took a deep breath, "Well, I am just going to let it out, since that seems to be the easiest way. Chris, Josh...I'm gay". He proceeded to tell about his parents and telling Justin and Joey, all the time avoiding looking them in the eyes. When he was done, he looked up and both guys had looks on their faces Lance couldn't make out. Suddenly, Chris stood up and began ranting, "Oh my God! What's going on here? I can't believe this! This is too much!" He just walked past the guys and went inside, never ending his rants. Lance wasn't sure what to make of this. Was Chris angry or just shocked? He had never seen his bandmate acted so weird. He turned to JC, to get his reaction. JC looked at Lance, stood up and walked off into the backyard. He took a seat on a bench by the fence, his back to the others. Again, Lance was confused. He looked at Joey and Justin. They shrugged their shoulders. Justin stood up, "Okay, we need to do damage control. Scoop, you take Josh and Joe and me will take Chris. We'll see if we can figure this thing out". Lance walked over to JC, who was staring out at the trees ahead of him. He sat on the bench, hoping JC wouldn't run off. JC looked at him, "You're gay huh?" "Yeah, I'm pretty gay. Sorry it wierded you out like that. I hope it doesn't affect our friendship," Lance offered, knowing his friendship with all the guys had been forever altered by this. He just hoped it wasn't for the worse. JC laughed lightly, "I'm sorry about walking away. I don't want you to think I hate you or anything". Lance felt a little relieved, "I'm glad you don't. I care about you - all you guys - a lot and I wouldn't want anything to hurt the band or our friendships". JC looked at Lance and smiled, "Something like that would never make me hate you or not want to be your friend. What you did was so brave. I respect that so much". Lance relaxed some more, but was still a little confused, "So, why did you walk away like that if you weren't offended?" JC paused for a minute and finally turned to Lance, "I didn't walk away because I was offended. I walked away because it hit a little close to home". Lance cocked his eyebrow and looked at his friend, who was now holding his head down. Lance just asked, "I'm confused. What does that mean?" JC looked up, "God, I don't know why this is so hard. You did it. Damn! I should just say it," he turned to Lance, "Lance..." Just then, Justin emerged from the house and approached the guys and exclaimed, "Josh, you're gay too?" JC looked up and rolled his eyes, "Chris has a big mouth". Chris, who had now walked out with Joey, heard this and responded, "Well, I was a little shocked and I couldn't explain it otherwise and you never told me not to tell..." JC cut him off, "I'm not mad. I was gonna do it soon. Scoop here just accelerated that a little". Lance smiled, but was still shocked, "Can someone fill me in on the backstory please?" JC replied, "I told Chris on the rafting trip about me and so when you told him, it must've been a bit overwhelming." Chris stated, "That's putting it mildly," he walked over to Lance, "Seriously, dude. I'm happy for ya. If the fellas are what float your boat, more power to you." Lance smiled at Chris and looked over at Joey, who was grinning wildly. He'd have to ask him about it later. For now, Lance wanted to move on with their lives. It was out - he was out - and he wanted things to be back to normal. Of course, in the course of 24 hours, 2 members of NSYNC had come out of the closet. Things were quite different now. That night was the final night before they were heading to LA to start rehearsing for the tour. The guys opted to spend it at home, watching movies and eating pizza and generally just chilling out. JC was a little preoccupied and Justin noticed it. Josh was his best friend in the group - the guy he had known the longest. So, when JC went to "get some fresh air" Justin followed him. "Man, what's up? You got something on your mind?" JC nodded, "It's more gay stuff. You wanna hear?" Justin smiled, "As long as it's not graphic, I'm all for it". JC took a sip of his drink, "You know, when I thought that I was the only gay guy in the band, I wouldn't have even thought of the possibility of dating one of you guys." Justin leaned in, "You gotta crush on Scoop?" JC shook his head, "Well, not exactly. What I'm saying is I would never have acted on feelings for someone if I thought they were straight. But, now things have changed," JC looked up at Justin, "I think I'm in love with Lance". Thought I'd do the cliffhanger thing a little. The next chapter will get juicier, I promise. Will JC tell Lance he loves him? Will Lance return the feeling? Will Joey eat all of the pizza? These questions and more will be answered in the next chapter! And, please mail me!!!!!!!!!!