Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2000 18:07:44 EST From: lictor (at) aol (dot) com Subject: NSYNC-lance-n-jc 19-20 'N SYNC: LANCE 'N' JC CHAPTER 19 ---------- Usual disclaimer applies: This is a work of fiction. It is not meant to imply anything about the orientation, beliefs or anything else about the real members of 'N Sync, the Backstreet Boys, or anyone else depicted here. If you are under 18, or are offended by graphic depictions of homosexual relationships, please go back now. Sorry for the long wait everyone, and thanks to everyone who wrote asking for the next installment! It's been kind of a busy month for me, and of course for the boys. We can breathe a sigh of relief that the lawsuit thing is behind them, Bye Bye Bye is already breaking request records, and the video will be on TRL next week. Be sure to vote! And don't Lance and JC look cute in that car together? If you are Lance, JC, Justin, Chris or Joey, please email me! ;-) And even if you're not, email me anyway and tell me what you think! lictor (at) aol (dot) com Story content copyright 2000 T. Kevin. ---- Joey called shotgun as the four 'N Sync members headed towards JC's Jeep; Lance and Chris climbed in back with only a little grumbling from Chris. "Wassa matter, tired old knees don't bend enough to get in the back?" Joey teased him. "Don't make me come up there and kick you in yo' head!" Chris replied with his usual deadpan delivery. JC slammed the Jeep in gear and they were on their way, zooming through traffic on a typical warm and sunny Orlando spring day. Lance leaned over to Chris and waved his right hand under his friend's nose. "Notice anything new?" He grinned. "Yeow! Lance is sportin' some new ice! You aren't gonna turn into another Curly are yah? Between that thang around his neck and those ten-karat rocks he calls earrings..." "No, it's a gift from JC." Lance cut him off. Then he waited to see if Chris would get it. He stared at Lance, deer-in-headlights. Joey, hearing all this, took his cue. "CONGRATULATIONS LANCE AND JC!" He shouted, twisting around in his seat. "So, have you guys decided on when the big day will be yet?" He grinned so hard his eyes scrunched up almost shut. With that red hair, he took on an unfortunate resemblance to Bozo the Clown. Chris' eyebrows shot up, but he still didn't say anything for a moment. Lance kept smiling, but it was getting increasingly difficult under Chris' intense stare. Finally the oldest member of the group said, no emotion in his high-pitched voice, "Sooo, you guys are getting, uh, married?" "Well, we haven't talked about the details yet, like when or where or exactly what we're going to do even. But, basically, yeah." Lance said, then continued to look at Chris. His body language practically screamed "Please don't disapprove!" Chris paused for another couple of eternal seconds, then held out his hand to shake Lance's. "Congratulations. You too, JC." Lance smiled in relief as he shook his group mate's hand, then Chris added, "I just want to know who's gonna give the bride away. Oh wait, there's no bride. Well, can I be the Maid of Honor? Can I wear white?" They all laughed at Chris' typically off-beat attempt at humor. JC grinned at Joey. At the studio they were greeted by a frowning Fatima and an anxious-looking Bobby. "It's about time!" Fatima arched an eyebrow as they filed in. "What happened? "It's not like you boys to be late." Then she noticed there were only four of them, "And where's Justin?" Her expression changed to one of concern. "Is Justin okay!?" True to his word, Lance took her aside while the others warmed up. "Justin is fine, don't worry. I take responsibility for this. Justin had a sort of personal errand he really needed to go on before the tour got rolling and I sort of encouraged him..." "And when is he 'sort of' gonna be back?" She demanded, hands on hips, but secretly relieved. She had been worried about young Justin the last few weeks. He had been uncharacteristically moody, even depressed. She hoped that this errand -- whatever it was -- would help. "Well, I'm hoping by late this afternoon. He had to go kind of far." Lance gave her his best 'don't hurt me' face. Fatima knew exactly what Lance was doing but let it go. "Okay, I have a feeling this has something to do with the way he's been acting, and I also don't think I want to know any more about it! I'll cover for you guys being late, but Johnny and Alex are gonna be coming by this afternoon to watch rehearsal and I have a FEELING they are going to notice that one of the lead singers is absent." "I know. It's not going to be pretty." "As long as he's back tomorrow I think Johnny will get over it. I heard your bus is here so you can spend the time this afternoon checking it out and getting it ready to roll. "Cool! I can't wait to see what our bus is like!" "But First--" Fatima held up a finger-- "Let's get in some practice. Bobby can stand in for Justin. Go get warmed up." "Okay!" Lance smiled, relieved that Fatima had been so understanding. Johnny was probably not going to be so easy-going. And Alex... Lance frowned just thinking about the wormy little manager. Lance had never gotten a straight answer when he asked just who Alex Sommers worked for. He didn't work for the Wrights as Justin had thought. He had TransCon business cards and usually seemed to answer to Lou -- though they rarely saw the TransCon owner. (That was just fine with Lance; Lou Perlman may have given them their big break, but he gave Lance the creeps the way he hugged them... sometimes he would pat Lance's butt in a rather suggestive way.) But lately Alex would talk on the phone with people at RCA or even BMG, which implied that he actually worked for them and was more like Lou's equal; maybe he had switched companies. Lance liked to know the ins and outs of management, and the fact that he didn't have a clear picture of Alex's place in the order of things had always bothered him. And now he had a more than idle interest in knowing how much authority Alex Sommers had, since this man was basically blackmailing them into behaving the way he wanted. Lance felt his jaw muscles tighten in anger. He jumped a little when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Chris. "Hey Scoop, you okay?" "Yeah, just thinking." Lance smiled shyly. "Not about your china pattern and guest list from the look on your face." "Just thinking about stuff, our management." "Yah, that's been on my mind too. Mostly what's been happening with Transcon and RCA." Chris took a drink of water and looked around, as if he was afraid of being overheard. "Exactly. Johnny I trust, but them... Sometimes I think maybe we signed away too much with the record company." "Yup. But let's talk about it later, just us five." "Okay." Lance started stretching. "Can I ask you something else, while we're being all secretive?" Chris asked in a half-whisper and looked around again, this time making sure Joey and JC were occupied. "Okay." Lance looked at Chris with concern. "Is everything okay?" "You tell me. Is Curly mad at me?" Lance frowned, surprised at a question like that from never- serious Chris. He gave it a little thought, which was difficult under Chris' stare. 'This is the second time today Chris is giving me the evil eye,' he thought, 'I hope it's the last for a long time.' Finally he sighed. "Mad at you, no. You know Justin, he's not an angry sort of person. But he was hurt I think because you weren't more understanding about him being gay, and the whole Terry business." Chris worked his mouth around in a series of strange expressions. "Well it was a lot to absorb! There we are hanging out by the pool in Hawaii and suddenly three of you guys announce you're gay, then you and JC say you're together, and Justin, my best bud, is sleeping with some guy almost ten years older than him that we barely know! I was jealous I guess -- not THAT kind of jealous! -- but I was also worried about him." "I know, but you need to talk to him Chris." "Yeah I guess I should have before this, but it's not easy for me, you know. I'm not good with being all sensitive and emotional." Lance made a face. "You don't have to profess your undying love! Sheesh! But you could be more sympathetic. You don't know what it's like to face being gay..." "Well, tell me this, how come he just figured this out? Like, he hasn't known? Excuse me for being dense but I don't get it." "It's okay, man. It's hard to explain. I can't speak for Curly, but for me, I knew, deep down, a long time ago. But being gay isn't exactly acceptable in my family, or my religion, or in the society we live in. I kept telling myself, 'maybe I'm not really gay, maybe I can be straight...' I dated girls, but meanwhile of course I was looking at other guys, and thinking about them... being with them..." "Okay, enough information!" Chris cut him off with a little laugh. "Sorry." Lance smiled. "Anyway, so then I joined you guys and it was worse. I thought I'd be letting you down, it would wreck our friendship, mess up 'N Sync. But in spite of that, I knew I was falling for Josh. But even then, I don't know if I would have ever had the guts to do anything if it hadn't been for the accident. I guess YOU would have been happier!" He shot Chris a look when he saw him scowl. Chris turned away and started stretching. "What do you want me to say? I'm happy for you and JC, really. I don't understand it, but even I can see that you guys... you really do love each other. It's kinda cute -- see, I'm even getting used to it! But it's harder for me with Curly. He's like my little brother and I feel like I should protect him. And it tore me up to see him crying over Terry." Lance looked up in surprise and saw genuine pain on Chris' face. He even looked a little choked up. "You guys are my family, and you know Justin, he is mature and strong in a lot of ways, but inside he's still just a sweet kid. And I don't want him hurt by anybody." "I wish he could have heard you say that. He would really appreciate it." "I can't say that to his face! He'll think I'm a softy." Chris rolled his eyes and tossed his dreds. "Now let's practice you flipping me like in 'I Want You Back' -- and no grabbing my package!" Lance looked shocked, then Chris smacked him on the arm. "I'm kidding, Scoop! Jeez, lighten up!" ---- In Terry's apartment, the designer lay sprawled on top of Justin. They caught their breath and enjoyed the somewhat awkward but pleasant aftermath of their lovemaking. "Uh oh." Justin mumbled, looking up. "What!?" Terry looked around worriedly. "It's snowing!" Justin smiled and pointed up at the skylights. Terry flopped down on his back next to Justin and looked up. Through the gray sky he could barely make out big flecks of white drifting down. They touched the Plexiglas skylights and turned to water a moment later. "We better get going! Traffic is going to be crazy!" Justin laughed at the look of panic on Terry's face. "It's okay, man! Relax! It's not like I have a show tonight; we have two days to get back to Florida. Besides, I wanna see snow -- it's been awhile." "But you must have, like, final rehearsals or something?" Terry put his head in his hands. "I don't want to come back being the cause of you missing practices. JC and Lance will hate me." "Jeez, Terry, put away the guilt stick! What are you, Catholic?" Terry couldn't suppress a smile. "Well, no, actually..." "Okay, then, CHILL!" Justin rolled on top and hugged him, making comical growling noises while squirming around. "Okay, okay!" Terry laughed, wrapping his arms around Justin to still him. He pulled the covers up over them and cradled Justin's head onto his shoulder. The blond snuggled against him and sighed contentedly in his arms. Terry wished this moment could last an eternity, but knew it couldn't. He watched the snow accumulating above them and couldn't stop worrying. "We should at least call the airline and find out the flight status; it will make me feel better." "'Kay." Justin said in a small voice and sighed. "And I should let Lance know he doesn't have to keep the secret any longer. JC is probably torturing him over where I am." "You made Lance keep this a secret!? Why?" "Well..." Justin looked up at him shyly. "Just in case I couldn't convince you, I didn't wanna have to come back and face a big pity- party. But now I don' hafta worry about that, RIGHT?" He stuck his face close to Terry's and raised his eyebrows expectantly. "Right." Terry smiled back. "I won't back down on you now, even if we have to walk to Orlando." Justin grinned. "That's my man." "I like being your man." Terry said with a little sigh, and tenderly ran his fingers through Justin's hair. "But maybe we should clean up before anything else. How about a shower?" "Together? Sounds like fun." Justin grinned. "It does, doesn't it." Terry said softly, looking into the youth's eyes. They held each other's gaze for a long minute, not needing to speak. Finally, though, Justin looked away with a little smile. "But I have a feelin' that would delay me calling the airline and talkin' to Lance a while, and I'm already late." "Okay. Why don't you call while I start the shower." "Sounds good." Justin found his boxer-briefs and jumped off the bed. He pulled them up facing away, but turned his head and winked sexily at Terry, wriggling his hips as he slid them over his round little butt. "Tease!" "Little late for that!" Justin smirked " "Not like there's anythin' you ain't already seen! Now where's the phone?" "By the computer." Terry waved towards his desk on his way towards the bathroom. Justin rummaged through his clothes and found the plane tickets. He sat at the desk chair and dialed the airline number first. He went through the telephone menus to get his flight departure update: canceled. "Shit!" "What!?" Terry stuck his head out. "The flight's canceled." "Try to get us on the first thing available." "I know!" Justin glowered at him. "Sorry!" Terry yelped and ducked back into the bathroom The singer finally got connected to a human, who let him know that both DC airports were closed but they expected to have them open by this evening when the snow let up and they could clear the runways. But the first thing Justin could get was early -- very early -- the next morning. He got it confirmed, flicked the receiver and dialed Lance's cell number. He glanced at the clock; it was after noon already! There was going to be hell to pay. "Hello?" "Lance! J!" "There you are! I was gettin worried. How did it go?" "Real good, man." Justin smiled. "Mission accomplished?" "Yup! But I got bad news..." "You're gonna be late." Lance guessed. "Yah. It's uh, snowing up here in DC, a LOT." :Your flight delayed?" "Canceled. But I got a new reservation for early tomorrow morning." "Cutting it close, man. Johnny is gonna have your hide." "I know." Justin sighed. "I don't want to put you in the middle; can you have him call me and I'll explain it to him?" "Well, when he finds out you're not here, he's gonna put two and two together after you asked him to call Cybermedia this morning and request that Terry come back." "Yah, he already knows I got 'ulterior motives' on that front." He smiled as Terry came out of the bathroom wearing a towel. Steam billowed through the open door as the designer maneuvered behind him. "I'll talk to Johnny." Lance assured him. "If you're not too late for rehearsal tomorrow I think it will be okay. We're knocking off early today to check out the bus." "Thanks man!" "Yeah, guess who is gonna get last pick for bunks; you KNOW Chris won't wait for you." Lance warned. "Well, dat's what I get! I guess it's a small price ta pay." Justin shivered with pleasure as Terry's hands slid up has flanks and his lips touched the blond's neck. "Time for your shower, Mister Timberlake." Terry whispered. Lance heard the deep voice over the phone. "Well I see you're busy, Curly, or should I say 'gettin busy'!? So I'll let you go. See you soon!" "Uhh, yeah Lance... mmm thanks again man, I, uhhh owe yuh!" Justin's concentration faltered as Terry slipped his hand inside the waistband of the singer's boxers and closed around his already hardening penis. "Welcome! Whatever!" Lance smirked as the connection broke. "How's Lance?" Terry asked, his lips against Justin's ear. "Fuh-fine..." The singer mumbled, leaning back in the chair and making it easier for Terry to fondle him inside his boxers. He made a little whimpering sound as Terry gently squeezed his hard cock. "You are so hot!" The brunet whispered, wrapping his other arm around to cup Justin's pec and knead it. "'Cause of you, man." The blond turned his head so he could kiss Terry. He rocked his hips up, fucking Terry's hand, rising higher out of the chair with each thrust, until -- after an awkward maneuver -- he was standing up and leaning back into the brunet. Finally Terry broke the kiss, but still holding on to Justin he pushed him bodily into the bathroom. Once inside, Justin reached behind himself and yanked off Terry's towel, then grabbed his thick penis. As he milked it, enjoying Terry's appreciative moans, he noticed the bathtub to the right, steam still pouring out from around the shower curtain. On the left was the sink set in a long counter, and above it the whole wall was a mirror. The sight of him and Terry made him even harder. Their image faded in and out as the steam intermittently clouded the glass, revealing his slender body arched forward as Terry gripped his hard dick, and behind him was the lean, sinewy brunet, his cock pointed up towards Justin's little rounded ass. Terry caught his gaze in the mirror and smiled, looking kind of embarrassed. "What are you looking at, handsome?" He asked, running his hand over Justin's defined chest and abs. "You. You and your strapped self." The blond smiled, then edged his ass back while holding Terry's dick, until he felt the head pressing between his cheeks. The feeling was exciting, sexy, kind of scary. But then Terry took charge, maneuvering so his penis slid up the crack between the firm globes of Justin's ass instead of towards his virgin hole. Then the brunet hugged him from behind. "Don't tease me like that!" He whispered, his voice tight. "I wasn't teasing! I want you man. I want you, you know..." Terry thrust slowly against Justin, enjoying the friction of rubbing in his crack. "Not yet. When we're both ready, and we can be safe. For now let's just shower, okay?" It was so tempting to accept the beautiful teenager's offer, but he knew this wasn't the time... not yet. He wanted it to be just right, and make sure that Justin enjoyed it as much as he did. The very last thing he wanted was to hurt this boy, physically or emotionally. Terry snapped out of his reverie when the blond twisted around to face him. Justin was trying to look mad but as he turned their hardons smacked together liked dueling swords and he burst out in giggles. Terry grabbed him in a hug and pulled them together, their cocks pushing up side by side as they kissed. He cupped the blond's muscular ass and ground their hips together, then finally broke the kiss. "Whew, man! We better get in before the hot water is gone." He smiled. "Okay." Justin hung his head, doing his little boy impression. He reached between them and held their cocks up together. "What is it?" Terry asked, looking down. "You're bigger than me." Justin stuck his lower lip out. "No, we're about the same." "Not! Look, you're bigger. Damn, everybody is hung bigger than me! I thought six inches was average!" "It is, and you're bigger than that anyway." Terry said dismissively and pulled the shower curtain back. "Nope, I measured just last week." Terry couldn't keep from smirking at the mental image of teen superstar Justin Timberlake holding a ruler to his dick. "What!?!" It's not funny! And don't tell me you never measured yours!" Terry took the blond by the hand and dragged him into the shower. "Okay, first, yes I have, though not recently. Second, Justin, I don't care what you say, you're plenty big. I'm not complaining!" "You're just sayin' that to be nice." The blond pouted. "No, I'm not! Honest!" Terry said, impatiently slamming the curtain back in place. He handed Justin a washcloth and the shower gel. "Here, now get going." "All the other guys are bigger than me too." The blond continued while he worked up a lather and absently started washing Terry's chest and shoulders. "You should see Lance, he's huge! And JC, he's always at half mast. And Joey and Chris aren't giant but they're bigger than me. Chris makes fun of me sometimes, cause mine is so little when I'm not hard." "Well, when you're not hard doesn't matter much does it?" Terry demanded, at the same time taking some gel and rubbing it into Justin's soft skin, working up a sweet-smelling lather. "Some guys are 'growers' and some are 'showers'." Justin shrugged, but still didn't seem convinced. "I just wish I was a LITTLE bigger!" "Jeez, so does every guy on the planet, get over it!" He turned the blond around and began to soap his back and neck. "Justin, I actually thought your were bigger. Take it as a compliment, since you've already stuck your dick in all the places that matter!" Terry stopped suddenly. He felt himself turning red in embarrassment at his own blunt statement. Justin turned his head and smiled slyly over his shoulder. "You bad!" He snickered, then turned back and sighed. "Okay, if you say so. Just don't ever let me catch you scammin Lance when you see him naked! I'll have to kill yah!" Terry was glad Justin couldn't see his face at that moment. He wasn't lying: there was nothing wrong with Justin; in fact he was perfect, not too big or small. But he had to admit there was something exciting about the thought of innocent-seeming Lance having a huge... "Hey!" Justin turned around and smacked Terry on the ass. "Quit dreamin' about Lance!" But to Terry's relief he was smiling. "Why would I dream about Lance when I have you right here?" He wrapped his hand around Justin's hardon and pulled him closer. "That's bettah!" The blond grinned and slid his soapy hands over Terry's back... They ended up running out of hot water after all. ---- "What sort of 'personal emergency'?" Johnny's eyebrows went up. "Nothing serious I hope." He stared at Lance, his expression changing to more one of worry than anything else. Well, you remember we asked you to call Cybermedia this morning to request Terry again for the web job..." Lance trailed off as the manager mentally made the connection. "...and Justin went up there to ask Terry personally." Their manager nodded in understanding and relief, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. He reigned it in and managed to look serious again. "But now that big storm coming in from the northwest has closed the DC airports." "Basically, yeah." "Well ain't that great." Johnny threw up his arms as if in supplication to the heavens. "Oh God, please what have I done to deserve this?" Then he let his arms fall and looked at Lance again, now in a mixture of disappointment and sympathy. Johnny's face was nothing if not expressive. "What is with you guys since Hawaii? Something in the water? You and JC, Justin and Terry. And of course I heard about Justin dancing with -- of all people -- Nick Carter, at Pleasure Island." "News travels fast." Lance said quietly. "Yes, in fact I got a photo emailed to me from RCA, taken off some teeny's website with a caption something like "Despite rumors that 'N Sync and BSB are feuding, looks like Nick and Justin are best buddies, or should we say 'butt buddies'?" "That _is_ bad." Lance stated the obvious. It was kind of funny, though... "You're telling me. If Terry does come back, he and Justin better cool it, at least in public. Same with you guys. The last thing we need is Alex breathing down our necks every minute of the day. You know your contract with TransCon and RCA binds you to certain behavior. Remember how they flipped when Joey showed up to film the video with a ring through his eyebrow? That was nothing! They'll use any excuse to cut your -- our -- royalty." "I've been wanting to talk to you about that. I know that when we signed with RCA we were nobodies and had to take what we could get. But now our album is platinum, and I've been reading over our contract. Basically it seems like they say 'jump' and we say 'how high?' And the US is considered a 'foreign country'?" "Uh oh, Lance is smelling the coffee." Johnny smiled grimly. "I understand your concerns, and they are valid. I'll be happy to talk to you alone or with the other guys any time, but not here." He glanced around warily. "Got it." "In the meantime, I am going to put off Lou and Alex until tomorrow afternoon and pray that Justin gets back before then. For the rest of today you can check out the bus, tell Melissa what sort of stuff you are gonna want, and get started on wardrobe. Oh, and don't forget, tomorrow night Lou is throwing that barbecue party to start off the tour. He needs to know today who's families are coming, so try to get answers out of the other guys and call me later, okay?" "Okay, cool. Thanks Johnny!" Lance smiled. Johnny Wright nodded an acknowledgment before turning away and pulling out his cell phone. Now all he had to do was stall Lou and Alex. As Lance turned to rejoin his bandmates, his smile faded. He had forgotten all about the barbecue. He wished he could keep forgetting about it. Josh's parents would be there and he was determined to tell them about him and Lance. That would put more pressure on Lance to tell his own mother and father, something he just wasn't ready to face. And perhaps worse, Danielle was going to be there, posing as his girlfriend and making their life more complicated. What would JC's mother and father say when the supposed love of their son's life had a woman hanging all over him? Of course there would be media coverage at this event too. No privacy. Lance felt a headache coming on. He never used to get headaches. The rest of the practice went remarkably well, all things considered, and Fatima let them go when Melinda, their tour manager, showed up. "Hey guys! Long time no see!" She laughed when they all ran up and greeted her like giddy children. "Hey Mel! How's it goin?" Lance got there first and gave her a hug. "You can't fool me, Lance Bass! You're not all that happy to see me!" "What!?" Lance pulled back in panic. Did he have 'I'm a fag' written on his forehead now or something? "I know you're just excited about seeing the bus." She smirked. "Oh, yeah, busted!" He blushed. Not that Melinda wouldn't find out the real truth about him pretty soon. He had a feeling that before the tour was over most of the crew would know about him and Josh. It just wasn't something that could be kept secret to a bunch of people they would be working so closely with. Melinda, Steve, Lonnie and the other bodyguards would have to be told soon. He hoped they would be cool with it. He was particularly concerned about how Joey's brother would react. He'd heard Steve make a 'faggot' comment more than once... "Okay guys let's go." Melinda was talking again. "Though I have a feeling you'll be sick to death of this bus long before the tour is over." She led them out to the parking lot, then around to another lot on the other side of the compound. There it was, a big beige bus with swirly designs on the side. 'Kind of tacky,' Lance thought... meanwhile the other four were running up to it. Lance followed along with Mel. "So what's this I was reading in the last fax about the MTV stuff we have coming up?" "Two things. MTV is hot on you guys with the release of the God Must Have Spent video. First, as soon as the tour gets underway they want to have a day to shoot a huge special of your top 40 favorite videos, with lots of interview clips in between, basically a day on tour with 'N Sync. They are gonna run all this trivia about you guys during the vids, sort of like that 'Pop Up Video" on VH1. I figure that will also be a good time to get a lot of good pics for a tour book we're planning to do; get it all out of the way at once." "Sounds good." Lance nodded. "AND..." Mel continued, "They also want to fly you down to Cancun for a day to perform for their Spring Break week on this show called 'Fashionably Loud.' They want 98 Degrees too." "Cool! Those guys are great." Lance smiled. 'And hot, too.' He thought to himself. 'Good thing JC and I are together... don't want him getting ideas.' "And while you are down there they also want you to do a little 'favorite five spring break videos.'" "Jeez, they DO love us!" Lance shook his head. "You guys are a hot commodity right now. And it's perfect cross promotion with the tour and the video." "I guess we should start picking out our videos." "Well, you can pick, but the MTV suits are gonna want to 'pick' most of them for you out of what's currently big. You guys will probably get 2 or 3 each. And no Garth!" She added as Lance opened his mouth. "How about Shania Twain? She has a new album that's kind of crossover." "Maybe." Mel nodded. "And it would be good for your image, an attractive female artist." Lance frowned and cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" "Nothing, hon." She smiled and patted his arm. "Go play on the bus. I got stuff to take care of." Mel hurried off, leaving Lance in a bit of a daze as he climbed on the bus. Did Mel already know? Did everybody know about him before he did? The thought gave him pause. "Cool man, check it out!" JC was wandering up the aisle and grabbed Lance as he climbed on. "It's got everything!" "Whoa! Look at the mirrored ceiling over the kitchen with the little lights! SO seventies! I'm, like, in a disco!!" Chris started spinning around and rolling his head in a creditable 'flashdance' impression. Lance wrinkled his nose. "God that ceiling is hideous!" He mumbled to himself and wandered into the lounge area in back. "And what is this upholstery, Naugahyde? Ugh!" "Six bunks!" Joey observed. "That should make life interesting with Steve and Terry both coming along, that makes seven people..." Then he added, more quietly, "Maybe it would be better if Steve rode in one of the other busses anyway." "Joey gets an 'A-plus' in math! I say we pick bunks now." Chris grinned evilly. "That's not very fair to Justin." Lance protested, emerging from the back. "Since when was life fair? Curly would get last choice anyway since he is youngest. Dibs on this top bunk!" "Sure you can climb up there, shorty?" JC teased. Chris shot him a withering look. "Well, since we're picking I'll take the other top bunk!" Joey leapt up, almost banging his head on the ceiling. Lance and JC claimed the middle ones facing each other, leaving the two on the floor for Justin and either Terry or Steve. "These bunks are pretty deep," Lance volunteered, "JC and I could probably share sometimes." "And I bet Terry and Justin wouldn't mind doing the same." Joey smirked. "And as I understand it we'll rarely be spending all night on the bus, right? We'll have some hotel time every night." While Joey was talking, a smiling JC was gently pushing Lance into his chosen bunk and climbing in after him. Lance allowed himself to be maneuvered against the back of the bunk. JC twisted in the confined space and pulled the little curtains shut. "See you guys later." He said. "Lance and I are gonna try out the accommodations." Then in the darkened little bunk he pulled Lance to him. "It's a good thing we aren't claustrophobic." "Not as long as you're here with me." Lance smiled. He scooted over and kissed JC. It had only been a few hours but it seemed like ages since he'd felt Josh's lips against his. He held JC in the gentle kiss, closing his eyes and enjoying how his lover responded to him with a happy little moan... "What are you guys doing!" Chris shouted from the aisle. "Ewww! They're making out!" Screamed Joey. "Ew! Ew! Ew!" They both chanted louder and louder, jumping up and down and making the bus rock. "Who invited the children along?" Lance whispered as JC hugged him. "Just ignore them and maybe they'll go away." At that moment the curtain was jerked open and Joey's grinning face appeared. "What'cha doin' guys? Are yah having SEX?!?" "We would be if you left us alone, thank you very much!" JC snarled. "Hey Chris! Mom and dad are screwing!!! Yuck!" Joey hollered, then he and Chris proceeded to run up and down the aisle squealing and carrying on. "Can we kill them now?" Lance asked. "No, unfortunately we need them for the tour." JC sighed in mock disappointment. "Maybe we could drug them or tie them up." Lance suggested. "Can we sleep with you guys?" Chris asked, trying half heartedly to climb in behind JC. "I take it back." JC grunted as Chris kicked him in the shin. "Maybe we should kill them." ---- For all his talk about snow, Justin seemed content to watch the weather from the inside. With not much else to do, Terry suggested that they stay inside and watch movies. The singer rifled through Terry's video collection and quickly made his choices. "'Star Trek First Contact', the one with the Borg, right?" "Yup." "'Borg, sounds Swedish.'" Justin quoted with a little laugh and did a goofy robotic impression of a Borg. "If I tried to tell people how silly you really were, they wouldn't believe me." Terry shook his head as he took the cassette. "What? I'm not silly! Ahm ah fly dude!" He tried to keep a straight face as he stood up and struck a 'fly' pose before handing Terry his other choice: 'The Lost Boys.' "Whatever!" So they spent the afternoon on the sofa, cuddled under a blanket together in t-shirts and boxers, watching movies. At first Terry was a little self-conscious; after Justin's sudden arrival that morning, then the wonderful sex, then the shower... he felt like just lying around would be anticlimactic for the singer. But when Justin snuggled up to him like an affectionate puppy, he relaxed and wrapped his arm around the blond. "You comfortable?" "Very." "Me too." "This is golden man, it's like a little vacation!" "You don't mind just staying here and watching a movie?" "Nah! Can't think of anythin' better! On the couch with my... my boyfriend." He smiled over his shoulder. "Okay if I call you that?" It took Terry by surprise and for a minute he couldn't speak, so he just smiled and pulled Justin close to him. Finally he managed to say "Yeah, I like that." "Good." It was nice, Terry thought, to just lie together. Though he couldn't resist caressing Justin's chest through the t-shirt every once in awhile, or nuzzling his neck. And the singer didn't seem to mind. Sometime before the vampires made their attack on Jason Patric and family, Terry noticed Justin's eyes drooping shut, and soon after that he heard quiet snoring. Rather than wake the blond, Terry laid his head down next to him, and soon he too drifted off. Terry woke up to silence. The movie was over, and it had gotten dark. His left arm was asleep under Justin's head, and his back hurt from lying sideways on the couch. Suddenly laying on the couch together seemed a little less ideal. He shifted gently, trying not to wake Justin, and winced as he felt the circulation returning to his arm. He needn't have bothered. In a sudden flailing maneuver, Justin threw his limbs out in every direction and tumbled on the floor with a crash. "Hey!" He yelped, sitting up and looking around in confusion. "Morning, sunshine." Terry said sarcastically. "Oh, jeez." The blond rubbed his eyes. "Is it really morning?" "No, dummy, it's like seven at night." "I thought we talked about you calling me a dummy." The singer scowled at him. "Oh, Justin, I'm sorry!" Terry reached out tentatively. "I didn't mean it, really." Justin's face broke into a grin. "I know, I was just practicing with the guilt stick. Works fine!" "Bastard." Terry glared. "I been called worse." The singer cocked his head and beamed his patented photo-op smile. "Want to go out for dinner?" Terry changed the subject. "We could make something and stay in." Justin wiggled his eyebrows. "I don't have a lot of good stuff around, and I'm not much of a cook." Terry admitted. "I love to cook, but just not for a certain four other guys." Justin hopped up and went into the small kitchen. "How about spaghetti? I make a killer spaghetti sauce!" "I'm sure a lot of restaurants are still open; I don't have everything you need." Terry persisted. Justin banged cabinet doors, "Not by a long shot. Is there a store nearby?" "A couple blocks away." Terry sighed with a little smile. He could see he was losing this battle. He got up and started hunting for clothes. ---- CHAPTER 20 They stepped outside into a white-covered world. The snow was still falling softly in large flakes and there was no wind. It was a very peaceful, almost unreal, scene. "Woah, this is golden!" Justin said with awe. "It's not like you've never seen SNOW." Terry almost laughed. "Yeah, but we didn't get much in Memphis when I was a kid, and from twelve on I basically lived in Orlando. And you know how much it snows there." "I love it when it's like this, so quiet with the snow muffling the sounds, and almost no traffic." Terry sighed. "Yeh, it's cool." They walked side-by-side down the deserted sidewalk for a minute or so. Then on impulse, Terry stuck his left hand in Justin's right coat pocket and clasped his hand. Justin looked over at him in surprise, then glanced around as if to see if anyone noticed. "It's okay -- this is Dupont Circle: gay central. Two guys can actually hold hands here and no one cares... unless you don't like holding hands." He added tentatively. "Naw, it's cool wit me, but hold on." Justin pulled out their hands and took off both their gloves, then clasped Terry's hand again before putting them in his pocket. "That's better." He grinned, giving Terry's hand a little squeeze. "Yeah, that is better." Terry returned the smile, then playfully bumped shoulders with the blond. The little grocery store was bustling with people, and at first Justin looked around like a frightened animal caught in the bright fluorescent lights. He kept putting his head down and trying to hide behind Terry. His insecurities taking charge, at first Terry thought that maybe Justin was embarrassed to be seen with him, an older guy. But then the designer realized what was going on. "Uh, no teenage girls here, man!" He whispered with a little smirk. "Though I'm sure there are some guys here who would recognize you, I don't THINK any of them will squeal and try to rip your shirt off. Although, I kind of like that idea..." "Quit dat, man!" Justin shot him a dirty look. "You don't know what it's like with those girls! They can be like a mob of piranhas!" Even as he said that, a twenty-something guy with a shopping basket walked by and gave Justin a look. At first it was just appreciative, then his eyes opened a little wider for a second. Then he quickly looked away and hurried into the next aisle. Terry and Justin turned the corner and caught the man whispering to another; they both tried -- without much success -- to check out Justin without being obvious. The singer nodded at them coolly. They tried to act nonchalant and nodded back. He had been recognized. "Didn't know I had a lot of guy fans older than me -- or guy fans period." Justin whispered. "Hate to break this to you, kiddo, but you are a lot of gay mens' fantasy boy. And here you are in a grocery store in the heart of the DC gay ghetto. Tongues are a-wagging." "Man, we gotta get outta here!" Justin started to look scared again. Terry sighed. This was part of what worried him. Justin was -- understandably -- concerned about being 'spotted' in a 'gay' place. It wasn't as bad as a gay bar, but still... "Calm down. No one will believe them. If anyone asks, say you're flattered but no you're not him." They got to the spices aisle and Justin picked out what he wanted, then when they were at the meat counter another guy looked over at them, then stared. Before they could move away, he stepped over to Justin an touched him on the arm. "I'm really sorry to bother you, but I couldn't help but notice that you looked an awful lot like a celebrity. You aren't by any chance..." Justin started to smile his artificial for-the-fans smile and opened his mouth, ready for a polite denial. "...Ryan Phillippe, the actor?" Justin's eyes went wide. "Uh, no I'm not!" He said, a little more indignantly than he had planned. Terry tried to stifle a snicker. "He gets that a lot." He nodded to the young man and took Justin by the arm. "'Ryan Phillippe!' Jeezus, I haven't heard that one in awhile." Justin seemed disappointed. "'Ryan Phillippe!'" He curled his lip a little. "He's not so great." "Well, he is pretty hot, great ass." Terry smiled. "And you do look like him, kind of." Justin grabbed a package of hamburger and threw it in the basket. "Let's blow this popsicle stand, man, before somebody thinks I look like Nick Carter!" ---- True to his word, Justin was a very good cook. While he took over the kitchen, Terry finished packing, changed the bed, and made a fire in the fireplace. They took their plates and ate in front of the fire; Terry opened a bottle of wine, and though Justin said he didn't drink, he agreed to a taste... or two. "It's okay I guess. I'd just as soon have a Coke." He shrugged, then messily slurped a mouthful of spaghetti strands into his mouth. Terry just shook his head and smiled. Mature he might be in a lot of ways, but Justin still ate like a five-year-old. When they were both stuffed, the blond took their dishes back into the kitchen, then came back to lie down by the fire. Terry was still sipping his wine, looking into the flames. "Everything okay?" Justin asked, gently running his fingers over Terry's arm. Terry looked down at Justin, the blond's head resting on a pillow, half his face illuminated in the flickering firelight as he smiled contentedly back up. "Yeah." He smiled, "Perfect. Thank you for dinner." "Welcome." The designer dipped a finger in his wine glass, reached down and touched Justin at his Adam's apple. He ran a little shining trail down into the hollow of his throat... down his open shirt along the little furrow between his pectorals. "What are you doing?" Justin asked with a sleepy smile as Terry dipped his finger again. But Terry only smiled back and rubbed his wet finger across Justin's full lips, then over the center of his chin. Then he leaned down and very tenderly kissed the blond once... again... their tongues met and played gently, both tasting the wine. Terry began to kiss and teasingly lick Justin's chin, his throat. The youth rolled his head back with a little moan of pleasure, giving Terry full access to his neck. The brunet's lips worked slowly lower, over his Adam's apple. Then he came to the hollow of Justin's throat and lingered there, kissing the tender flesh. Justin couldn't believe how this was turning him on. His chest was heaving; he was already hard and tenting his borrowed boxers. Terry paused as he got down between Justin's pecs and he raised his head to check on his lover. "Why did you stop man!?" Justin pleaded. Terry grinned, pleased that Justin was enjoying this apparently as much as he was. He unbuttoned the blond's shirt and opened it. "Just be still. I ran out of trail." He whispered, dipping his finger in the wine again. He touched Justin's left nipple and made little circles on the tiny brown dome. Justin gasped, his chest rising. Terry leaned down and gently blew on the wet nipple, watching the goose bumps rise on his smooth skin. The blond just whimpered and squirmed, clutching at the pillow under him. Terry wet the other nipple, his finger spiraling out as he admired the youth lying there in the dim light. Then he ran his path down over Justin's ridged abs, right to the waistband of his boxers. With an effort he managed to resist touching Justin's obvious hardon poking up in the flannel. Then he flicked his tongue out over the little knob in the center of Justin's left nipple, traced around it and over it. At the same time he ran his hands over Justin's lean flanks, feeling his ribs through the flesh. "Oh my god man! You're makin' me crazy!" Justin groaned. He ran his fingers fitfully through Terry's black hair; his long legs thrashed slowly, toes curling. Terry smiled at him again. "Good! I like you crazy. And you are delicious with red wine, by the way." Then he went back to work, nibbling and sucking on the sensitive puckered skin, driving Justin to new heights of pleasure. "Hmmm, Terry...." Justin took the brunet's head in his hands and guided him up so they could kiss. He pulled Terry down on top of him, yanked his shirt off and brought their lips together with a smile. "You are too money, man." He whispered between kisses. "You inspire me." Terry answered, a little embarrassed. But Justin held him tight, then rolled them together so he was on top. Terry opened his legs to allow the blond to lie between them, and they began to slowly grind their hips together. Justin's smile faded to a look of concentration as he looked into Terry's eyes. Then they kissed again, passionately this time, tongues battling for territory as their hardons rubbed together in their boxers. The blond began to make little whimpering sounds as Terry cupped his ass in his hands and pulled them tighter together. Meanwhile Terry was breathing harder, consumed with desire to have Justin again. "I want you..." he groaned between wet kisses. He slid his hands inside the blond's boxers and pushed them down onto his thighs. "Yeah, man..." The blond muttered, thrusting against Terry. "You got me so worked up!" He in turn grabbed the waistband of Terry's underwear and scooted them down. After some maneuvering they were both naked, but the nearby fire kept them warm. Writhing together, they kissed and caressed each other hungrily, until Terry pulled his head back. Breathlessly he asked "Can we...?" Justin looked down at him, his jaw slack, his eyes dark with desire. He paced his hand on Terry's chest and nodded once. Terry smiled, slid his hand under one of the cushions and searched around for a moment. Justin smirked when he saw what had been hidden under there. "You're prepared!" He whispered. "I was hoping." He reached down with his free hand and stroked the blond's hardness. Justin levered himself up, took the condom and lube and got himself ready. Terry laid back and smiled, watching Justin's concentrated frown as he put the rubber on, then lubed himself. He leaned down and -- without any warning -- took Terry's penis into his mouth, sucking hard on the head. Terry let out a groan and reflexively rocked his hips up, so the blond took the opportunity to slip a lubricated finger between Terry's ass cheeks and up to his entrance... the brunet gasped as Justin's finger slid inside him, the sensation incredibly pleasurable combined with the eager job being done on his cock. The singer worked on him for many minutes, bringing him close to orgasm before Terry made him stop. "How am I doing?" He smiled crookedly. "Great, you sure learn fast!" "Good teacher I guess." As they were talking, Terry was urging Justin up. He took hold of the blond's still-hard penis as Justin raised Terry's legs onto his shoulders and scooted forward. He placed the head at Terry's hole and looked up, waiting for permission. The brunet nodded and he pushed gently. Terry sucked in a breath as Justin entered him, but he gripped the blond's ass and wouldn't let him pull back. "It's okay, keep going." He reassured. Justin eased in, closing his eyes as he was overwhelmed by the intense pleasure. Deeper... until he was all the way in and he leaned forward onto Terry. Then he looked down at his lover. "You okay?" "Great." The brunet sighed, enjoying the feeling of Justin inside him, on top of him, the two of them joined so intimately. He raked his fingers over the singer's back and Justin arched his back with a groan, pushing a fraction deeper. "Oh, man." Terry whispered. "Kiss me." As he said it he pulled the blond down, sucking his tongue into his mouth. Justin wrapped his arms around Terry and began rocking his hips up and down, making them both grunt with pleasure. After a while he leaned back so he could caress Terry's chest while continuing with his slow rhythmic fuck. They stared into each other's eyes for a long time, neither saying anything. At first Terry felt self- conscious, but he couldn't break Justin's intense gaze. He couldn't remember ever making love with someone like this before, eyes locked together for so long, but the longer it went on the more intense the feeling was. Justin pinched his nipples and he couldn't hold back a little cry of pleasure. He squeezed Justin inside him and got an answering moan as the blond leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together. Justin tried to keep it slow but as he got closer he couldn't keep from accelerating his pace, at the same time thrusting harder, digging his toes into the carpet for traction. Terry encouraged him with inarticulate sounds and his feverishly caressing hands. All too soon Justin felt himself getting close. "I'm... gonna cum." He whispered between ragged breaths. Terry began to stroke himself in time with Justin's thrusts. It only took a moment before he let out a choked whimper and released a volley of cum over his stomach. Seeing this -- and feeling Terry tighten around his cock -- Justin moved even faster and within seconds he was cumming too, gasping as he collapsed onto Terry's heaving chest. "My god." Justin mumbled, his body shuddering with the aftershocks. "I love being with you. You're amazing, man." Terry kissed him gently on the neck and pulled him close. "So are you." ---- JC opened the door to his room to find Lance, walkman on his belt, dancing around the room. His eyes were half-shut and his arms waved in the air as he gyrated in circles. He was singing along in his deep voice... "'Do you Be-lieve.... in life after love? Do you really think you're strong enough?'" Josh leaned against the door frame, smiling to himself as he watched his boyfriend getting all crazy, thinking no one was watching. Lance really could dance when he wanted to, though he did look like a big ol' gay boy. "'I need time... to move on... I need love that feels strong...'" Just as Lance was doing a series of sexy little hip thrusts with his hands in the air, he opened his eyes and saw Josh watching him. "Hey!" He immediately went beet-red and cut off his walkman. "How long were you spying on me?" He demanded indignantly. "Just a minute or so. You were so cute I didn't want to interrupt you! What was it that got you going?" "Um, Cher." Lance said quietly. JC burst out laughing. "Cher! I love it! Oh... I remember now, they played it at Mannequins the other night, her new single, 'Believe', right? It was a fun song, very disco. Not your usual fare, though, country boy." He said, walking slowly up to Lance and putting his hands on his hips. "Well, sometimes I like to do other stuff than two-step and our pop-lock gyrations." The blond said with a little pout. JC slid his hands down over Lance's butt. "Other stuff, like what?" He asked huskily as he pulled their hips together. "Ohhhh, I dunno." Lance tried to sound conversational but his voice was already shaking with anticipation. "I like horseback riding, I like to jetski, play... uhhh!... video games...." he recited his stock interview answers. Lance groaned as Josh slid his hand between them and began to massage the blond's hardening dick. "Video games, sure." JC whispered. "I think I found your joystick." "You are so bad." Lance moaned, making no attempt to move away. "You like me bad, don't you, baby." JC squeezed Lance's thick cock through his pants. "I like you any way you want to be." Lance answered as he wrapped his arms around JC and looked up into his pale blue eyes, his expression serious. "And by the way, Joshua Chasez, I don't think I've told you today... I love you." JC felt a shiver pass through his body. He surrendered his grip on Lance's manhood and he closed his eyes, for a moment unable to bear his lover's intense gaze. "What?" Lance asked quietly, worry in his voice. "Did I do something wrong?" "No, no of course not." JC opened his eyes again and shook his head slowly. "I just... Sometimes I still can't believe this..." He returned Lance's gentle embrace. "I've known you for years, lived with you. And now, it's the best of both worlds. You're my friend I know so well, but you're this new, wonderful..." JC paused for a minute and looked away again, trying to find the words. Then he smiled. "People -- guys especially I guess -- seem afraid to say what they feel; scared of being hurt or looking foolish I guess. But you, my handsome James, are not afraid to say it, to say 'I love you', and every time you do I know you mean it. And it gets me every time. I hope that never changes." Then he leaned in slowly and pulled Lance into a tender kiss, the first of many... They just stood and held each other for a long time. When they finally parted with a little sigh, Lance smiled, "See, you're not so bad after all." JC cocked an eyebrow. "We'll see about 'bad'!" He stepped away from Lance only long enough to lock the door. When he turned around, Lance was already backing away warily, smiling but with his hands out defensively. "No tickling, please!" Lance begged. JC grinned and stepped towards him slowly, his movements fluid like a big cat. "You know you love it." "Noooo..." Lance shook his head, still backing away. Then he bumped against the bed. He was trapped. "Please, Josh!" He whined. But JC was not deterred. He lunged forward, his fingers extended towards Lance's midsection. He darted past the blond's pitiful defense, grabbed him under the arms and flung him onto his back on the bed. Lance tried to fight but JC was simply to fast and agile for him. He was quickly reduced to a giggling, quivering mess, curled up in a fetal position while JC continued to jab playfully at his stomach and underarms. "Josh! Please" He begged, gasping for air, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I give up! Uncle!!" "Okay, Scoop, I'll stop." JC said softly. He took Lance by the shoulder and pulled gently. Lance allowed himself to be rolled onto his back but he still looked warily at JC as the lean brunet climbed up to straddle him. "No tricks." He said in a little-boy voice. "No, no tricks." JC took Lance's wrists and gently pulled his arms over his head. He was tempted to make one last attack, but Lance was looking up at him _so_ trustingly he just couldn't. He scooted down so they were even and ground his hips against Lance's, still holding his arms up. The blond's chest was heaving under him as he leaned down and gave him a little kiss on his smooth cheek. JC's face, by contrast, had a serious 5 o'clock shadow. "Ohhh, Josh." Lance sighed. "See, you do like it when I'm bad." JC whispered in his ear. "I like it when it's over!" Lance said with a little laugh. Then he rocked his hips up to meet JC's. Both of them were getting hard. "What time is it?" "Why?" JC asked, squirming provocatively against his lover. "I was wondering how late it was. If we had time to..." His voice trailed off, but he answered JC's grinding with another hip-thrust. JC raised his head, at the same time sliding his hands up so his fingers intertwined with Lance's. Looking into the blond's eyes, he spread Lance's legs with his own and began to thrust rhythmically against his crotch. "There's always time for that," he said huskily, enjoying the look of pure lust now on the blond's face. Lance gripped JC's hands and wrapped his strong legs around the taller boy's so he could match his movements. Neither said a word, but their eyes remained locked as they ground their hips together, strong young bodies straining, as if they could become one through force of will and muscle. Through their clothes each could feel the other's hard cock fighting against its confinement. Their breathing grew more labored, their skin sheened with sweat, but neither seemed inclined -- or perhaps able -- to release the other. Finally Lance fell back gasping, still holding JC but unable to keep up while supporting his lover's weight. "We might make more progress if we got undressed." He sighed. "You turn me on even fully dressed, baby." JC growled playfully. Then he leaned down and began kissing Lance's neck, sucking and gently biting the taut skin. "Oh god..." Lance moaned. He tore his hands away from JC's and roughly pulled the brunet's shirt up, then slid his hands up over his back. In response, JC bit a little harder and thrust against Lance again. "Ahhh, Josh..." Lance's fingers dug into JC's lean back. "Josh... fuck me." He whispered. JC's head snapped up in surprise and he looked down at Lance. The blond was smiling coyly up at him. "Oops. Said a bad word. You gonna punish me?" JC smiled evilly. "Now who's bad? I'm gonna give you just what you ask for, you naughty boy." Not wasting any time, he began unbuttoning Lance's shirt. Lance started in on JC, and in a flurry of flying clothes, they were down to their underwear. Lance propped up some pillows at the headboard and laid back down on the bed spread-eagle. "Sexy boxer-briefs Mister Bass." JC said, crawling on top of him as he admired his gray Tommy undies. "Your Abercrombie boxers are cute also Mister Chasez, but there seems to be something poking out..." He wrapped his hand around JC's hardon, which had found its way through the front flap. "Ohhh." JC sighed and closed his eyes as Lance began to stroke his cock. "That's nice." The blond gently pulled on him until he was straddling Lance's chest, then he guided JC's cock into his mouth. "Mmm, even nicer." JC grinned, watching as Lance sucked more of his hardness into his mouth. Sliding a hand up one leg of the boxers, Lance fondled JC's balls while eagerly sucking and licking on the pulsing cockhead. "Ohhh, god!" JC cradled Lance's head while he sucked, enjoying the tingles racing over his body. But he didn't let Lance continue for too long before he pulled back and scooted down the bed. With a smile, he helped Lance out of his underwear, slipped out of his own and laid down on top of him. "Hey handsome." Lance smiled up as JC toyed with his hair. "Hey yourself." Josh smiled and wiggled his hips. "Something wrong? Lance's smile faded when JC showed no sign of moving further. "No, just enjoying our being alone together." The taller youth's smile almost looked a little sad. "We won't have a lot of private time pretty soon. Even in our hotel rooms, you know we'll be exhausted, and the bodyguards will be all over the place keeping fans out." "Yeah, you're right." Lance sighed. Then JC leaned down and kissed him... at first lightly then becoming more forceful, his tongue entering Lance's mouth, where the blond sucked on it hungrily, turning him on even more. He pushed Lance's legs apart and felt his cock slip down between the blond's legs. For awhile they just made out together, naked on his bed, but finally the teasing sensations on his dick were too much for JC. He fumbled for the lube, then slid his hand up under Lance's large balls, fingering his hole. "Ohhh, yeah Josh." Lance groaned in his deep voice. JC pushed one, then two fingers inside Lance's tight sphincter, getting him ready to take his cock. If the sounds he was making were any indication, Lance was soon more than ready. Without any more delay, JC moved up and eased the head of his penis into Lance. He watched the blond's expression to make sure he wasn't hurting him. but all he saw was a glazed expression of lust as he pushed in. Lance let out a long low moan as JC went in him deeper and deeper, his manhood stroking against Lance's prostate. "Man I love you inside me." He whispered as Josh leaned down over him. "No place I'd rather be." JC said with a little smirk. "I love you... ugh!" Lance murmured, his declaration punctuated as JC thrust into him the rest of the way. "I love you too, James." JC smiled. "Then giddeup!"Lance said with a laugh. ---- Terry woke in the darkness, momentarily disoriented. He looked up and saw only the dim glow of a nearby streetlight filtering through the blanket of snow on his skylights... he was home. Then he realized that Justin was beside him, his back to Terry's chest. For a moment of muddled thought he imagined them living here together as a couple, not having to go anywhere. Then suddenly all of yesterday's life-changing events slammed back into his memory. The complex reality rebuilt itself: they were on borrowed time here in DC. While trying not to wake the singer, Terry gingerly draped his arm over Justin, then pulled them a little closer together; it was less a sexual than an affectionate gesture, and a need to touch. Terry felt the youth snuggle back into his embrace and smiled to himself. He knew it wasn't very macho, but he loved just holding Justin while he slept, feeling the warmth of his body, the slow, steady thump of his heart, even the faint scent of his skin. It made everything real, and it reassured him. He knew somehow that these moments alone were very precious. Soon he would be competing with Justin's best friends, his managers and thousands of fans for his attention. What was he getting into? Then he felt Justin move again, and a hand closed gently over his. "I wish I could just stay here with you." The singer said sleepily, as if reading Terry's mind and sharing his desire. "I feel... safe here. Safe and away from everything that makes me... different." "Different?" "You'll see." Justin's voice took on an edge, and he held Terry's hand a little tighter. The guys say I change when we are on tour. In public it's like I put up a shield. I guess I do -- we all do, kinda, but you hafta. Life is weird on tour. And you'll be meeting Lonnie." "Who?" "My bodyguard." For a minute Terry was speechless. He knew they had bodyguards and had met a couple of them on the Hawaii trip, but hadn't really given it a lot of thought, since they had pretty much hung back. There was something scary about some hulking man between him and Justin. "Yah, it'll take him some time to get used to you. He's real protective of me. It will probably freak him a little when I explain that I have a boyfriend!" Justin gave a little laugh. "He'll be jealous I think." "I hope he won't be sleeping with us!" Terry tried to say it lightly, but he couldn't keep the tension out of his voice. Sensing something, Justin twisted in Terry's embrace so he was facing him. He placed his long-fingered hand gently on the brunet's cheek. "No, but believe me, he won't be far away. It's his job to protect me, and more than once he has literally kept be from getting hurt by a mob." "That's kind of creepy." Justin sighed. "It is sometimes. And it's getting worse. One of the reasons the five of us guys spend so much time together is that... we don't have a lot of other real friends any more -- especially me. People I used to think were friends now are just people who want something. Everybody wants something from us." His voice cracked and he blinked. Terry thought he could see tears welling in Justin's eyes in the dim light. "That's another way you're special." He smiled crookedly. "You actually tried to get away from me! Nobody does that!" "I'm sorry." Terry pulled the young man to him. "I guess I never thought about how it must be hard for you guys." "You get used to it. There are times, for just a minute, I wish I'd gone to high school, had a normal life now, but still... I wouldn't, I couldn't trade this. It sounds corny, but I do love those four guys like brothers. I'd do anything for them." Justin murmured. "And then you walk into my life and help me wake up and see a big part of who I am." "Well, it seems like Lance and JC had a lot to do with that." Terry said hesitantly. "Sure." Justin gave a little shrug. "But I hope I've proved that it's you I like being with... like this." He smiled and sniffled a little. Terry reached over Justin and got him a Kleenex from the bedside. "You have. Now I hope you haven't caught a cold from my weather." "Nah, just gettin' all girly and weepy." "Hey there's nothing girly about showing some emotion. At least I hope not, god knows I've been doing it enough lately." Terry rubbed Justin's shoulder as the blond noisily blew his nose. "I like it that you care." "Well, you probably won't see it again for awhile. Like I said, on tour you have to kind of pull back. You're putting on a smile mask all the time." "I hope you can take that mask off for me." "I'll try... I will. But let's not talk about it no more." He turned around and spooned back into Terry again with a contented sigh. "Now it's jus' you an' me, so let's enjoy it." "Okay, babe." Terry put his arm around Justin again and pulled him as close as he could, wishing he could never let him go. But at the same time he was worried. This young man in his arms had a very complex life that he was only beginning to understand, and he knew it wasn't going to be easy finding a place in that life. And Justin's talk about how he was 'different' on tour wasn't very reassuring either. Terry started to feel that fear again, the self-doubt. His heart was beating faster, and it was suddenly more difficult to breathe... was he making a mistake? Sure Justin said he cared for him now -- and maybe he really did -- but when would he get tired of a boring old computer geek, with so many other young, beautiful people vying for his attention every day? Maybe Justin was gay and the 12 year old girls were no threat, but there were a lot of young guys out there who were in love with Justin TImberlake too... "You're not sleepin, Terry." Justin whispered. "Neither are you." The brunet answered, barely getting the words out. Justin pulled away, scaring Terry until he realized the teenager was just turning around again. Then Justin put a lean arm over Terry, pulled him close and kissed him very tenderly. Terry closed his burning eyes and sighed, but he was trembling and he knew Justin could feel it. "Wassup wit dis? Are you trying to make me feel better by cryin' too?" Justin asked. Then he added softly, "I messed you up with my talk 'bout Lonnie, and me actin' different, didn't I?" "I messed myself up. I just can't get over... you... I guess." Terry felt the tears start to flow. He was angry at himself, and that only seemed to make it worse. Justin gingerly dabbed at the tears with his thumb. "Would it help if I told you how incredible you make me feel, how this day with you has been... one of the happiest of my life?" Terry looked at him sharply, as if he found such a statement hard to believe. "No lie man. And I don't just mean the... the, you know..." He smiled shyly and looked away. "The sex part?" Terry volunteered, sliding his arm around Justin, caressing his lean body under the t-shirt. He was starting to feel better. It was hard to believe that he had really made Justin that happy, but maybe it was true. "Yeah man, that was... incredible too. But just walkin' together, holding hands was cool. Talkin'... like we are now. It's different than talkin' to the guys. It's all new, but it feels right, like I'll never get tired of it." "You're pretty smooth, you know that." Terry smirked. But in answer Justin fiercely pulled their bodies together, and when Terry looked into his eyes he saw an intensity... Then Justin kissed him -- hard. He rolled on top of Terry and thrust almost roughly against him before breaking the passionate kiss. "Smooth ain't got nuthin to do with this, man!" He gasped. "You believe me, dammit!" "Okay!" Terry was taken by surprise by this outburst. Justin almost seemed angry with him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way!" The blond relaxed and settled on top of him. "I know. I just want to get it through your thick head how strong I feel about you." He looked down into Terry's eyes, his expression... the designer could only describe it as tenderness. "You showed me." Terry smiled and hugged Justin tightly, finally allowing himself to accept it. The blond rested his head on Terry's chest. "Good! Now mebbe we can sleep. We gotta get up in a coupla hours." "I know. But I'm glad we can talk to each other like this." "Yah." "I dunno if I can sleep though. I'm nervous about seeing everyone again." "When I can't sleep yah know what I do?" Justin whispered. "What?" "I sing to myself." "That's so cute it's kind of sickening." "Oh thanks, see if I sing for you!" "I'm sorry." "Now you have to ask." "Justin... would you sing to me... please?" He caressed Justin's back and neck. "Well... okay." He cleared his throat and began to sing very softly... "You'll never know... what you've done for me. What your faith in me... has done for my soul. You'll never know... the gift you've given me... I'll carry it with me...." ---- To be continued... Email me and tell me what you think! lictor (at) aol (dot) com