Date: Sat, 14 Oct 2000 21:13:00 +0000
From: Angel1313@att.net
Subject: Devotion ch.20

Devotion
Chapter Twenty:
Roller Coaster of Love

Disclaimer: *NSYNC may or may not be gay.  Hmm, what else? I don't know
them, I'm just writing about them. Oh, yeah, and I was waaaay off with the
lyrics for "Are you gonna be there!" Thank you, Jon and Ann!! It's "warm
touch," not "water." It's still a cool song, even if it *was* funnier with
the British accents! ^_~ I hope you like this chapter, it's one of my
favorites. Feel free to send me feedback at Angel1313@att.net I'd
appreciate it! Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Twenty:
Roller Coaster of Love

	Justin sighed as he leaned heavily against the bathroom door. He
hadn't meant to yell like that, or to run away so quickly, but he just
couldn't face JC. Not after he had said *that.* How had the twenty-four
year-old seen through him like that? Justin wasn't trying to propose to the
older man, but marriage had been on his mind when he brought up the
subject.
	Sighing again, the nineteen year-old pushed himself to his feet. He
might as well take a shower, now that he was in there and everyone thought
that he was going to. Slowly, the blonde walked over to the shower and
turned on the water. After he undressed, Justin headed into the warm water
that fell gently from the shower head.
	Several minutes passed before Justin became aware of someone
singing. Immediately he knew that it was JC; Justin could recognize the
voice of his angel anywhere.
	"When winter comes in summer
	When there's no more forever
	That's when I'll stop loving you
	I'm sure you've heard these words before
	and I know it's hard for you to trust them once more
	You're afraid it all might end
	and a broken heart is scared of breaking again
	But you've got to believe me
	I'll never leave you
	you'll never cry unless I am there
	And I will always be there
	You will never be without love."
	As the twenty-four year-old sang the last notes through the closed
bathroom door, Justin rushed to rinse the shampoo out of his hair. The
blonde then quickly got out of the shower and dried off, not even bothering
to condition his unruly curls. Wrapping a towel around his waist, the
nineteen year-old headed out of the bathroom.

	"What was that all about?" Chris muttered to Lance and Joey as they
watched as JC sang to the youngest member of the group.
	Snickering a little, Joey added, "Yeah, I bet Justin can't even
hear him."
	"Shut-up, both of you," Lance growled. The two he was directing the
comment at immediately became quiet, surprised by the behavior from the
Mississippian, who was usually the most collected of the group.
	Lance was about to apologize to Chris and Joey when the door to the
bathroom abruptly opened. JC immediately spun around to face the young man
who stood in the doorway, a towel draped loosely around his waist the only
attire the nineteen year-old had on.
	As JC waited in silence, staring at the blonde that stood facing
him, Justin took a single step foreword and wrapped his arms around the
older man's neck. Taking a deep breath, JC pulled the younger man to him,
gently caressing the smooth skin of the nineteen year-old's back. The other
three people in the room looked on in wonder as Justin began to gently
nuzzle his best friend's neck.
	"Justin," JC whispered, leaning foreword so his cheek rested
against the nineteen year-old's head. "I'm sorry."
	Gently placing a line of kisses along the brunette's neck, Justin
whispered back, "Don't be; I shouldn't have overreacted like that."
	Tilting his head down to kiss the younger man's cheek gently, JC
murmured, "I shouldn't have teased you, Just. There's no excuse for that."
	Looking up, his face nearly close enough to the brunette's for
their lips to be brushing against each other, Justin breathed, "It's fine."
	The two gazed deeply into each other's eyes, still less then inches
apart. Without being conscious of it, they began to drift closer still,
until their lips gently grazed across each other. As both men began to
close their eyes and succumb to their inner most desires, there was a loud
cough.
	"A-HEM!"
	As Justin and JC broke apart, everyone turned to glare at Joey.
	"Joey," Lance hissed through gritted teeth, death in his eyes. "Are
you okay? Maybe you need to get a drink of water."
	Joey swallowed nervously. "U-uh, y-yeah. I think water'd be good
right about now."
	"You'd better hope I don't try to drown you in it," Lance muttered,
dragging the New Yorker to the door. "We'll call you when the stylists get
here. Until then, lye low, okay?" He called to the two members of *NSYNC
standing in front of the bathroom door.
	"Later," Chris called, following Lance and Joey out into the hall.
	"Bye," JC mumbled. Justin didn't say anything at all as he stared
pointedly at the carpeting beneath him.
	As soon as the door closed behind the twenty-eight year old, JC
turned back to his best friend, who was still staring at the
ground. "Well," he said, trying to sound casual. "We've still got over an
hour before the stylists are supposed to be here. So, um, anything you feel
like doing?"
	/Don't ask if you don't want to know the answer,/ Justin thought to
himself ruefully as he began to pick clothing out of their dresser.
	"Um, not really," the nineteen year-old answered aloud.
	"Well, we can just..." JC trailed off as he tried to think of
something. "We could go back to bed," the brunette finally suggested.
	Justin smiled at the older man. "Yeah right! I'll never get you up
again!"
	JC smiled back. "True. Got any other ideas?"
	"How about we get breakfast? I'm starving!" the blonde replied
immediately, throwing on a tee-shirt.
	JC laughed and casually turned away as he heard Justin's towel drop
to the floor. "Oh, that's right! You haven't had anything yet. Room service
okay, though? I don't think Scoop wanted us to leave the hotel."
	"No problem," Justin replied, zipping up his jeans. "As long as it
gets here quickly. I'm so hungry I could even eat *your* cooking!" the
nineteen year-old teased.
	JC pouted, turning back around to face the other man. "What's wrong
with my cooking?"
	Taking the older man's hands in his own, Justin gave them each a
kiss. "Nothing, babe, you're a great chef," he reassured the brunette.
	/I can't believe I just called him "babe"!/ Justin thought
frantically. /What was I thinking?!/
	"Well, I don't think you're being sincere, but you called me a
babe, so you're off the hook," JC informed the blonde who was still holding
his hands.
	Justin began to blush deeply. Watching him, JC began to get worried
again. /Maybe I went too far, as usual./
	"Well," the youngest member of *NSYNC said, looking up at the man
in front of him. "It's just the truth. And your cooking really isn't that
bad."
	"Oh, gee, thanks," JC responded sarcastically. "Well, if I offered
you some of my not good, but not bad, cooking to you instead of ordering
in, would you accept it?"
	"Josh," Justin replied with a shy little smile. "If you took the
time to cook something for me, I would eat it, even if it was made with the
ingredients we have here."
	"You mean the contents of the mini-bar?" JC asked with a laugh.
	"Yep, for you I'd do anything; even eat a bunch of over-priced crap
all mixed together!"
	"Aw, Just, that's so sweet, um sort of," JC laughed, leaning down
to plant a kiss on the younger man's cheek. "The first part was sweet
anyway."
	Justin giggled a little. "Thanks. So, um...Can we order now? I
really *am* hungry, you know."
	JC smiled and left the nineteen year-old at the table to retrieve
the menu. "Now, Just," he said, handing the menu to the blonde. "Remember
that it's already quarter to twelve, so breakfast is over."
	"Aw, I was really looking foreword to cereal," the youngest member
of *NSYNC pouted.
	"Tell you what," JC said to the younger man, getting up and
slipping on his shoes. "Don't order anything. Wait right here, and I'll be
back in a few moments."
	"Does one of the other guys have cereal?" Justin asked as he walked
his best friend to the door.
	"Something like that," the twenty-four year-old replied with a
secretive little smile. "You'll be here to let me in, right?"
	"Of course," Justin assured him immediately.
	"All right then, I'll be back in a few," JC told the younger man,
before leaning in to give him a light kiss on the cheek.
	"Bye," the blonde whispered as he watched the older man
leave. After he quietly closed the door, Justin slid down to sit against
it. "If I hadn't messed things up before, that would've been a good-bye
kiss on the lips," he lamented. Sighing, the nineteen year-old pushed
himself off of the ground and headed back over to the kitchen
table. Hearing his stomach growl, Justin glanced at the clock in
irritation. "Why won't he let me order?" the blonde complained to the empty
room. "I'm starving!"
	Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Josh?" Justin asked
hopefully, opening it up.
	"Nope, just us," Joey informed the blonde. Behind him were Lance
and Chris.
	"Say, where *is* JC?" the eldest member of *NSYNC wondered aloud.
	"I don't know; he just up and left," Justin told the three. "Right
when I was going to order lunch, too."
	"What?" Lance exclaimed. "Even after I told you guys to hang around
here?"
	"Ha-ha," Chris sing-songed. "No one listens to Lance!"
	"Shut-up," Lance mock-growled. Sighing, he took a seat on one of
the beds. "You don't mind if we hang out in here, do you Curly?"
	"No, not at all," Justin replied, smiling. "But how come you picked
our room?"
	"It's the cleanest," Chris laughed. "I mean, we know *you're* a
slob, but JC keeps this place all nice and tidy."
	"Well, what do you expect?" Joey retorted. "He *is*-"
	"Make a derogatory reference to his sexuality, and I'll see to it
that you're found piece by-"
	"Justin!" Lance interjected. "That's quite enough!"
	Justin's anger was boiling at the surface, but he managed to keep
it in check enough to answer the phone, which had begun ringing. "Yes?" he
hissed; his grip on the receiver was so tight his knuckles were turning
white. Suddenly, his grasp on the handle loosened. The anger drained from
his face, and he smiled.
	The other three members of *NSYNC looked at each other in relief,
but also in question of what was going on. As soon as Justin spoke again,
however, it became clear.
	 "Josh? Where are you?" the nineteen year-old asked in amusement.
	"The cereal isle at the store," came the reply from his best
friend. "I can't decide which one to get you."
	Justin laughed giddily. "Joshua Scott Chasez, you are the sweetest
person in the whole wide world. Anything you bring back will be fine."
	Chris, Lance, and Joey all looked at each other in confusion. "What
do you think they're talking about?" Joey whispered.
	Chris shrugged. "Condoms?" he guessed. Lance slapped him playfully,
and the three chuckled quietly.
	This time it was JC who laughed. "Curly, I called you up because I
wanted to get you the right cereal. Now don't go telling me that any of
them is fine, `cause I want you to be happy."
	"Josh, I'll be happy as soon as you come home," Justin informed the
man on the other end of the line. "The cereal is just an added bonus."
	"Cereal?" Joey repeated. "This is about cereal?"
	"My bad," Chris laughed.
	"You have a dirty mind, Christopher," Lance joked. Turning serious,
he added, "Besides, I get the feeling that they're not at that level yet."
	"Really?" Chris wondered. "Because I get the feeling that they're
engaged or something. Seriously, I've never met two people so into each
other."
	"Or so right for each other," Joey commented.
	"Or so clueless," Lance added. Seeing the strange looks he was
getting from the other two, the Mississippian elaborated. "Seriously, I've
been thinking about it since they got back from lunch yesterday. Something
happened; they don't seem to be communicating. I don't know why, but
they're definitely having some problems. Why else would Justin have gone
out with Britney?"
	"They're just friends, Scoop," Chris sighed, rolling his
eyes. "C'mon, even *Joey* knows *that.*"
	"Hey!" Joey protested, shoving at the twenty-eight year-old
playfully. Lance was going to respond when their attention was brought back
to the nineteen year-old on the phone, who laughed again.
	"Josh, you don't need to tell me every cereal that there is! You'll
be late if you don't just pick one."
	"How about *you* pick one, to put my mind at ease about getting it
right," the twenty-four year-old suggested.
	Smiling happily, Justin complied with the request, "Oh, all
right. Would you get me a box of Lucky Charms?"
	"Lucky Charms for my lucky charm, got it," came the reply.
	Justin blushed. "Now just hurry back, Josh," he mumbled, trying his
best not to giggle.
	"All right, I'll see you in a few. Bye, Just."
	"Later, Josh." With that, Justin hung up and turned to see the
other three people in the room staring at him intently. "What?" he asked,
turning away from their probing gazes.
	"What did JC want?" Chris asked, even though they all had heard.
	"Oh, he went and got me some cereal because they're not serving
breakfast here any more. Isn't that sweet?" the nineteen year-old gushed
excitedly.
	"Aww," Lance cooed. "How cute! JC is such a great guy."
	"I know," Justin replied smugly.
	Lance looked over at the two other members of *NSYNC in the
room. "Maybe I was wrong about them not having a relationship," he
muttered.
	"Hmm?" Justin asked, but Lance just shook his head.
	"Lance here is just jealous," Joey laughed.
	"Well, I think I have every right to be," Lance laughed back. "I
mean, not everyone has a gorgeous roommate-slash-best friend who's willing
to go out and get you whatever you want at the drop of a hat. You're one
lucky guy, Curly."
	Joey raised an eyebrow at the "gorgeous" comment, but no one else
seemed to notice.
	Justin smiled. "Are you kidding me? I think I'm the luckiest guy on
the planet! Josh is just so wonderful, and I don't even deserve him."
Justin's smile began to waver as he added, "He means the world to me; I
just hope he knows it."
	"Don't worry, Just," Chris soothed, walking over to the younger man
and patting him on the back. "I'm sure JC knows how you feel, and even if
he doesn't, *you* can rest assure that he feels that way about you."
	The blonde's smile returned to its original brilliance. "You
think?" he asked hopefully.
	"Hey," Chris responded with a laugh. "Can you picture him going out
at a moment's notice to get *cereal* for anyone else in the group?"
Laughing a little, Justin shook his head. "Exactly. Face it, Curly. You're
special."
	Justin folded his arms across his chest. "And don't you forget it!"
	"Guys," Lance began, hoping to gently pry further into Justin's
take on his relationship with JC. However, before he had a chance, there
was a light knocking at the door.
	"Just?" JC's voice was muffled through the door, but still
recognizable. "It's me."
	Justin practically ran to the door. "Josh!" he exclaimed, throwing
it open.
	"Wow, you must be really hungry!" the twenty-four year-old
commented as he stepped inside.
	"Aw, I'm just glad to see *you,* not the cereal," Justin replied,
hugging the older man.
	"Geeze, you'd think he just had a near-death experience or
something. He just went to the store, Justin," Chris teased.
	"Actually, I was almost hit by a car when I was crossing the street
on the way back, but-" JC began, but the blonde in his arms cut him off.
	"What?!" the nineteen year-old exclaimed. "Oh my god, Josh, are you
okay?"
	JC laughed. "I'm fine. I said `almost,' remember?"
	Justin remained serious. "But still, oh my god! Oh my *god*!" he
repeated, pulling the older man close.
	Gently stroaking the younger man's back, JC soothed, "Just, it's
okay, I'm here. That's all that matters. Now," he said, pulling back from
the blonde. "Why don't you have some of this cereal that I risked my life
for?"
	Justin still looked shaken up, but he smiled slightly at the
comment. "Thanks," he whispered.
	"Hey, I wasn't kidding when I said I wanted to make you
happy. That's why I came home in one piece," JC joked.
	"So what happened?" the question came from Lance, who had
previously kept quiet as he tried to figure out what was going on with JC
and Justin's relationship.
	"Some idiot in an SUV ran a red light. Nothing special," the
brunette responded nonchalantly.
	"They're lucky they didn't hit you," Joey commented. "Because if
they did, they'd have Justin here after them. You can't even make a joke
with out him-"
	"Joey," Lance growled, keeping his voice low enough for only the
New Yorker to hear. "Shut-up!"
	"Joey, making rude comments that are closed-minded and simply
mean-spirited is not `joking,' okay?" Justin retorted hotly. JC gently took
the bowl that the blonde was gripping tightly enough to shatter out of the
younger man's hands and placed it on the table. He then lead the nineteen
year-old to one of the chairs and waited for him to sit down.
	Justin silently poured some cereal into his bowl. When he was done,
JC, who was still standing next to him, handed him some milk. Lance, Joey,
and Chris watched as JC then put away the milk and cereal for his best
friend.
	"Why can't you be like that?" Lance asked Joey.
	"You mean be your roommate and double as your mother?" Joey teased.
	"Shut-up, Josh is not my mother," Justin argued around a mouthful
of Lucky Charms.
	"So what is he then, your waiter?" Chris joked.
	"He's a hell of a lot more then that, you imbeciles," Justin
replied, still not really paying attention to the conversation.
	/This is the perfect opportunity to get them to talk about what
actually *is* going on with their relationship,/ Lance thought excitedly as
he watched as JC and Justin sat across from each other, reading different
sections of a newspaper JC had picked up.
	"So," the Mississippian entered the conversation. "If JC isn't your
mother or your waiter, what is he?"
	"My best friend," Justin answered, flipping to a different page of
the section he was reading.
	"That all?" Lance prodded.
	Justin froze. He glanced across from him at JC and saw that the
twenty-four year-old was focused on the article he was reading. Justin knew
that the older man was listening; it was impossible for him not to be in
the small quarters of their hotel room.
	"No," the nineteen year-old finally answered. "He's more then a
best friend. He's my everything, so there. Stop asking me questions about
Josh right in front of him. It's rude!"
	"Your everything?" Lance repeated.
	"Ask me to define `everything,' and you will quickly find my foot
up your ass, Scoop," Justin growled, back to reading the sports page.
	Chris laughed. "I'm surprised JC's not more interested in this
conversation, but what's it to you, Lance?"
	"Just curious," the Mississippian replied casually. However, he
turned to glare at the twenty-eight year-old when no one else was looking.
	"Why *aren't* you more interested in this, Jace?" Joey asked
suddenly.
	"You mean pressuring Justin into talking about something that
concerns none of you and is absolutely private anyway? Oh, gee, I don't
know, I just didn't really feel like it," the twenty-four year-old shot
back.
	Justin smiled and looked up from the story he was reading. "Thanks,
Josh."
	JC's scowl turned to a smile as he reached across the table to
squeeze one of the younger man's hands. "No problem, Just."
	As the two went back to their newspapers, the other three members
of *NSYNC glanced at each other nervously. Now they were even more confused
about their bandmates' relationship then they had been before. Things were
*not* working out the way they were supposed to, to say the least.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wow! That's the longest chapter I've written yet! I hope you liked it
because I really did! Not sure as to *why,* though =P Oh! And the song JC
sings in the beginning is "That's When I'll Stop Loving You" from No
Strings Attatched, if you were wondering. Anyway, until next time, feel
free to write me, and bug all the other authors to write more in their
stories! Thanks! -Angel1313 ^_^