Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 18:47:00 EDT From: Fuse One Subject: Da Real World This IS my first time writing anything of an erotic nature, so all comments (either good or bad) are appreciated. Send 'em to datbeeme@hotmail.com. And, I'm sorry to say, the first part of this is 'da crew' and their antics... so don't freak if you don't see Brian (or Kevin, or Nick or A.J.... you get the point) right away. Just try to roll your eyes at how pathetically childish the supposedly grown up people in this story act/are. Oh yeah, and sex will be coming up soon... just not now. Patience, people! This story does NOT, in any way, reflect the sexuality of any of the celebrities mentioned herein... In other words, all the boy band folks MAY be gay, may NOT be, but it's not like *I* know... if you DO, tell me! If you're not 18 or older - PLEASE go away. Not that there's that much sexually oriented stuff in this first part (meaning none), but you are at an erotic story archive. If it's illegal to view this in the immediate area you are in, just DO NOT READ this. And if you do not like stories of a homosexual nature GO AWAY. Everyone else, here it go! Da Real World By Special K. "Keith! Don't think I won't beat your ass!" Faith yelled as she tore across the room, chasing Keith. "And then what? Huh, girlie? Whatcha gonna do?" He laughed back, jumping over the coffee table. Faith laughed along with him, but still growing tired of his little game. "You may be my best friend but I WILL hurt you, boy! Don't think I won't! Get OVER here!" Keith kept running in circles, avoiding his friend and keeping just out of her reach. As she swiped the air, missing him, he called, "What, bi-otch?! You can't catch the quickness - HEY!" Faith laughed triumphantly as she tackled him to the ground, swiftly confiscating a Polaroid stolen from her. She looked at it and grinned, seeing her and her boyfriend lying on top of each other in the middle of intercourse. That had been the most romantic night of her life - until Lil Man and Keith had come in and snapped a picture of it all. As Keith got up and brushed himself off, he grinned at his best friend, still enthralled by that picture. "See? I knew you'd be glad we snapped that shot! It WASN'T just to humiliate y'all." "Oh, so it was only PART of the reason, ha?" Faith said, laughing. "Exactly!" Keith exclaimed. "I knew you'd see it my way." "Ah, the way I see it, you took pictures of me having sex! That means I'm entitled to an ass whooping…." "Aw, Faith! You know I'd never beat your ass!" Keith said, gigling. "Oh shut up! You knew I meant… Oh fuck it!" she responded, swatting his arm. "Wait - did you mean YOU were gonna beat ME? How you figure you're gonna do that, huh, chica?" he shot back, amused at her 'tough girl' attitude. She slapped him on the shoulder menacingly, but not hurting him. "Can't you hit any harder?" "Wanna find out?" "Nah thanks, I'd rather not," he told her, laughing. "That's what I thought, little boy. Now don't you have to be getting home soon? Cuz I know my baby 'bout to be getting home from work and you do NOT need to be here to kill the mood, aight?" she said rudely. Actually, that was what Keith liked about her most - the fact that she was so straight up about everything. Never telling candy-coated versions of anything and always saying what she means being her trademark, Faith was the best person to go to for bluntness, and often times Keith needed that wakeup call to the real world. "Girlie-friend, I hate to break it to you, but 'da crew' is coming on over here tonight. Everyone's off… It's supposed to be our 'chill together' night, remember?" Faith pouted as she thought of not being alone with her boyfriend. "Well… Okie, okie. Not a problem. Just wish I SOMEBODY woulda told me sooner so I could have cooked something. Now y'all are stuck with mac and cheese," she laughed, trying not to be despondent. "Where that blue box at?" "Faith! Will you do me a BIG favor? PLEASE stop saying 'okie' for me? It's like, so annoying. If you wanna say 'OK' say it right, will ya?" Keith said, aggravated with Faith's made up words. "Hey - there ain't nothing wrong with 'okie'! Just because you're boring and unoriginal doesn't mean I have to suffer," she lashed back, setting an argument. "Why can't you just say things like normal people say them? And what's with all your expressions? 'Cool beans, then.' 'Peace and chicken grease, y'all.' What the fuck?" "Aw, just shut up. Ain't nothing wrong with being different. Sheesh! I mean, blending in with the crowd? Ew. Never give in to the system, boy," she said smiling. Keith smiled, thinking of her motto: "Dare to be different." But he wouldn't let it slide. "Well, come on now, Faith. You can't even curse right! What is 'ish' anyways?!" "If I wanna say 'ish' instead of 'shit' I CAN!" Faith stated simply. "Well, whatever. Just… just know how messed up it sounds, aight?" "Okie. Cool beanz, then!" she said purposely to irk him. Keith did nothing but roll his eyes and turn towards the door as he heard the doorbell ring. "TRIXIE!" Faith shouted, running to her friend as Keith opened the door for her. "Wassup, wassup, girl?!" she asked, running to giver her friend a hug. "Nada, nada chica! Guess who's with me?" Trixie answered, stepping inside. Faith peeked out the doorway and saw the 4 guys standing there. "Yo, you brought the whole crew!" Faith smiled, motioning for her friends to come in. Soon all 7 best friends were assembled in Faith's living room. Keith, Faith, Trixie, Travis, A.J., Lil Man, and Jake - or "da crew" as Trixie had affectionately nicknamed them. The seven closest people ever to walk the earth sat in one room. In ways they were much like kids with Faith and Trixie's endless arguments over the Backstreet Boys vs. 'N Sync, Travis' boundless energy, the trips to amusement parks together, and even the fact that they still got together on Monday nights to watch football. But it was so much more then a bunch of over-grown kids partying together. Da crew had made it through everything together, the seven of them with a great love much like that of a family. That was, in fact the role that they played in each other's lives: family. They all had their parts: Faith, the crazy one; Keith, Faith's partner in crime; Trixie the sensible one; Lil Man, the peace keeper; A.J. the flirt; Travis the organized, adulty one; and Jake, the spiritual guy. "Hey y'all! Know what I was thinking today? We are, like… the people off of Friends! Only, uh, plus two," Faith said, to break the ice. "And since I thought of it, I get to be Monica!" "Nah, yo! Know what we are? The Real World!" A.J. threw in. "All seven of us? Most definitely Real World material." "Ooh! I'm Colin!" Keith threw in. "He's like, so hot!" he finished, making everyone laugh. "No, seriously - he's pretty fine, y'all!" "AND he has that supa fly honey Amaya - has anyone checked her bra size lately?!" Lil Man added. Trixie frowned, looking at her small pair. "She's not all that, y'all," she said. "Jealous?" Jake teased. Faith shook her head at them. "Sheesh you guys! Comparing us to some TV show? How childish is that?" she said, trying to keep a straight face as they threw popcorn at eachother and Keith whined about Colin being straight. "We are TOTALLY real, y'all. I don't care what the title of that show is, that ish is produced, censored, and recycled from it's true form so much I really don't think that's even part of the real world," she said seriously. "THIS is 'The Real World,' peoples. Us: Da Crew. We is totally true blue! Ever think of that?" A moment of silence filled the room. "Yeah, whatever… RUTHIE!" Keith shot out, trying to lighten the mood and making everyone laugh. He stuck his tongue out at her and she made an equally silly face until the two of them had their faces contorted so badly they should have frozen. "Oh yeah? Well I am SO not an alcoholic, okie? I just like some spirits in my drinks!" "Sure… Filipino chick with the wavy dark hair who thinks hangovers are normal and likes to strip - that's not YOU or anything," Keith replied sarcastically. Being half Filipino, Faith laughed and playfully chucked a pillow at Keith's head, missing and hitting AJ. "YO!" he called out, upset that his spikes - which he had so carefully geled up that morning - were messed up. "Hey AJ - dude you wearing DKNY tonight? Think that's a little dangerous to wear on one of our chill together nights? I mean, unless you're SUPA DUPA rich, like SOMEONE over there..." Trixie said. The minute she said it she wished she hadn't. Travis looked a little hurt. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm SORRY I have money, ok? I'm SORRY. Blame, like, my grandaddy or something... I just took it on over!" Why did they have to talk about money? They knew he was sensitive to issues like that, and he always felt uncomfortable when they talked about how bad they had it as a kid... He just couldn't relate, and felt left out because of it. In a way, he was the one in da crew who was the "loner." Being raised in the South, being wealthy.... it's not that he was offended when they playfully called him "white boy" but all of that made him feel excluded in a way. His different way of looking at things, too, pushed him even farther out of the circle. It's not like he was even sure of his sexuality. He knew he had a girl who loved him, though - that was important. And even though sometimes he could go off into his own little world, he knew everyone in da crew would always be there for him. He thought of how much he loved the guys around him like his family, how much he had gone through with them. The name 'da crew' hadn't really happened until recently; Faith had wanted an actual name to be able to refer to them by and instead of making up a corny name, they just used what Faith said every time all seven of them came at the same time - "Damn, you brought the whole crew!" "Ya'll, it's way too quiet here. Let's just... ask survey questions!" Jake piped up. "Gawd, are we that bored?" Travis teased. "HELLZ yeah we are!" Faith laughed, rubbing up against Travis. "Yo I'll start - Limp Bizkit or Kid Rock, you guys?" "LIMP BIZKIT!" everyone shouted, except Keith who started humming the tune to Kid Rock's "Bawitdaba." Faith groaned, saying, "It's all bout the Bizkit, boy! You know that!" "It's all about those phat beats, yo. Have you even HEARD their new CD? The beats are so sick!" Trixie threw in. "To each his own," Keith replied calmly. Then adding, "'I wanna be a COWBOY, BABY!'" They all laughed at him and AJ motioned for the next question. " 'N Sync or Backstreet, y'all?" Trixie asked. "Oh God, here we go again!" Lil Man groaned. "Why did you have to bring that up?" He knew what would happen next - the endless arguments between Trixie and Faith, in which the picked apart the one band they hated and the other loved. "BSB, baby-BABY!" Faith yelled, sticking her tongue out at Trixie. "Have you heard that stupid 'N Sync song? Talkin' 'bout the 'Music Of My Heart' or whatever? Justin sounds like he had a cold when he recorded that ish!" "Yeah? That doesn't even compare to how bad whiny-ass Nick be soundin'!" Trixie shot back. "'Tell me why-EE?!?'" she mimicked. "Sheesh… they gave HIM a solo on the album? Please!" "Let it go, girls! Let it GO!" Travis said, having heard this so many times before. "Okie, okie. Fine. But I just wonder what the Backstreet Boys are doing now? It'd be, like, so cool to know!" ******************* Brian stumbled through the Richmond International Airport, trying to hold all his luggage and not fall on his face. Nick walked behind him, dragging one suitcase and holding one under his arm, while slinging a duffel bag over his shoulder. "Yo, what time is it, fellas?" A.J. called out to the two of them, who were ahead of the rest. "Uh, 'bout 4 AM I think, bro. But I can't really see my watch right now," Brian huffed out, signaling that his arms were full. "Oh, aight. I was just worried about some fans being up in here, but I guess we don't have to worry, huh?" A.J. managed to say, before groaning under the heavy weight of his bags. "Dammit, how come we never get someone to carry this stuff FOR us?" "Because we're hard working men who don't mind pulling our weight," Kevin responded, toting only one case. "Sure, Mr. I Travel Lightly!" A.J. snapped, tired of shifting around. "Will you two just shut up?" Howie asked crossly, having put up with their arguing all during the plane ride from the Philippines. Now all he wanted to do was get "home" and fall into a bed. Fourteen hours on a plane - even first class - gets to you, and it made Howie more and more upset to hear Kevin and A.J.'s endless bickering. "At least we won't get lost in THIS airport," Nick said good-naturedly, always the cheerful one. "How SMALL is this place, anyway?" "I know, right? It's like itty-bitty tiny and these fools are complaining about lugging their stuff ALL THE WAY to the exit!" Brian said sarcastically. "Tsskk... Don't act like you ain't struggling with this mess!" A.J. replied to Brian, juggling all his suitcases. "I saw you at the baggage claim like, 'Damn, all this crap is mine?'" "I never said it wasn't a whole bunch of stuff I'm carrying - I just said how lazy you've gotten! Can't even carry your junk no more!" Brian teased. It seemed he hit a sore spot. A.J. hated people telling him he had changed from all this fame - of course he hadn't! He was still A.J., goof-off master, Bone. Who WOULDN'T get pissed at having seven pieces of luggage everywhere at 4 in the morning? Noticing that he looked upset from his comment, Brian set to apologize before it got out of hand. "Man, Bone - you know I was just kiddin', right? Life's like that movie - 'Something About Mary.' I guess what I mean is, 'I'm fucking with ya!'" he laughed, making A.J. break into a grin also. "I see the light!" Nick shouted as he caught sight of a bright EXIT sign, and acting like they were crawling out of a dark hole. "Glory be!" Shuffling out of the airport, all five of them saw the limo parked outside, and - more importantly - three people willing to take relieve them of their burdens and put their luggage in the trunk. A.J. smiled at their PR who came strolling up. "Listen up, guys - this is important!" Sandy, their PR yelled at them, giving Brian a smack in the back of the head for being turned the opposite way, chatting with Nick. "I SAID listen. Now, here's the plan: you'll be kicking it at the Hyatt for a few days - that cool with ya'll?" She listened as to a chorus of "yeps" and kept going. "There should be an in-studio radio interview going down in about 3 days with... well... one of the stations here. I forget. But ANYWAY, that's about all that you need to need to do for now. The record company figured ya'll needed a break from all the traveling and stuff. Personally, I don't understand it, because ya'll get a whole two months off in a week... But whatever. The important thing is, until the radio thing, you guys have 3 days to just chill. That sound cool?" "Yeah yo!" A.J. smiled. "3 days to chill and THEN two months at home in O-Town? VERY good thing!" Chapter 2 "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!" Kevin shouted into his cell phone. They were all in the limo, riding to the Hyatt. "Just - I mean - COME ON ANDY!" They heard Kevin hold a brief argument over the phone, and then hang up. They all braced themselves for whatever Kevin was going to tell them. "Hey guys?" Kevin started. "You know that down time we were supposed to be getting in Orlando after this place for a couple months? Well - " "Oh my God, Kev - don't tell me we're not gonna get time off?!" AJ shouted, looking forward to the relaxed days they were promised. "Nah… We're going to get our down time. Just not where we want it, exactly," Kevin said, shaking his head. "We're, umm… We're going to have to stay in Virginia the, uh, whole time. In the Richmond area, preferably. They said, uh... so that we can do the Christmas concert in smoothly, we have to do rehearsals once a week. And that means we have to be near." Kevin explained that everything as they all sat frowning. "You mean we have to stay HERE? In this country muthafucking place?" Howie complained. "THIS is supposed to be the capital of Virginia? Oh God, help." "Hey - don't you make fun of the country!" Brian interjected. "It seems nice here. City's not too big, not too small." "Yeah, you WOULD like this boring ass place," AJ grumbled. "Excuse you!" Brian retorted, giving A.J. an icy glare. "So WHAT if I like peace and quiet? Better than you, Mr. Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n Roll!" "Hmm… THAT'S MEEE!!!!" AJ said in a goofy tone, lightening the mood. "Look at it this way, y'all - remember all the beautiful women that were here in Richmond last time?" He added, grinning. "Like that does me a lot of good," Brian mumbled, staring out the window. He couldn't help but think about what happened with the last "beautiful girl" that he had had anything to do with, Leigh Ann Wallace. When Jive had asked him to calm down the rumors of him being gay by getting a "girlfriend," he had agreed, reluctantly. But it had turned out to be one of the worst mistakes of his life, leaving him with a pest that just wouldn't go away, and a broken heart when she had ruined his relationship with Nick. Nothing ever worked out right for him, it seemed. Nothing. *************** Faith sighed screwed the top back on to her Sprite as she felt the commercial drawing to a close. Placing her headset back on, she flipped a switch to have her broadcast. Reading to herself the paper she was about to read on air, and smiling at the little event that was probably inspired by her and Trixie, she began. "Backstreet Boys, or 'N Sync? BSB or 'N Sync? That's all I hear. And as much love as I give the other genres of music - I grew up on hip hop, ya'll - I have to say that the boy bands are most definetely ruling the music scene. SO here's the deal: call me here at the station. I mean, tell me what you think... I'll put you on the air, give you some time on why YOU think the one boy band rules. Remember, dissing the other band is so NOT prohibited, so go ahead and tell us how it is, insults included. Hmm... 98 Degrees seems to be neutral territory - so if THAT happens to be your fave, more power to ya. I mean, Jeff IS a hottie!" She stopped to giggle a bit. "This little 'Dis Fest' is gon' go down Friday night, peepz. So look out! Well ANYWAY, on with the countdown! "Aight, y'all, on the way is the number one song in Richmond tonight - as requested by YOU! - on J100's top 8 at 8!" Faith said into her headset. She rolled her chair over to the other side of the round room and hit a button. "So here goes - it's my boys, the BSB with 'Larger Than Life,' BABY!" she said, introducing the song and then taking her finger off the 'on air' button. Letting the song play she dialed her home number. Travis answered. FM: Hey baby. I'm comin' home soon, okie? TR: Aight sweetheart. I was gonna cook… FM: You cooked? TR: Nah, I WAS GONNA, until I remembered I can't cook for shit. So pizza's alright, right? FM: Yup, yup! Pizza's coo'. Any of da crew comin'? TR: Trixie's got a date, Lil Man's got a meeting - Jake and Keith should be eating with us, and AJ'll probably show up without calling later on. But we ALL gon' be there tonight at Insomnia... Cheering you on, baby. So just come home, grab something to eat, watch that BSB concert on disney or something, and then we'll all hit the club... Sound good? FM: Sounds great, babe. ISH, the song's 'bout to end, honey - gotta go. I love you. Bye baby. TR: Love you sweetie. Bye. Faith hung up the phone in time to end the song and broadcast again. "So that's it - the top songs in Richmond tonight. And NOTICE that Backstreet was number one, people. I would like to dedicate that to my friend Trixie, with this little message: HA HA! HAHAHAHA!!!!!!" she laughed into her mic as she thought about how red Trixie was probably turning. "Okie, I'm over it, people... I'm calm. "Ohh… Some more juicy Backstreet Boys gossip!" she said continued, reading a sheet set in front of her. "First off, sources say that Backstreet is..." Faith felt herself not being able to breath for a moment. "HERE IN RICHMOND! Oh my GOD, folks… HERE! In our little, boring ass corner of the world… OH ISH!" She gave herself a few seconds to calm down; she didn't want to sound even more stupid while broadcasting all over the city. "Ooh, and guess what else? Rumor has it…" Faith started. "Rumor has it that Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys will be leaving Miss Leigh Ann Wallace…." She trailed off for a few seconds again before finishing the sentece, "FOR ME!" She laughed into her headset. "And that, folks, is the rumor going around because I just started it!" *********** Brian smiled to himself as he listened to the radio. 'How cute,' he thought as he listened to a local female DJ say he was leaving Leigh Ann for her. He liked the way that woman sounded: confident, playful… He hoped that radio interview was to be with that radio station - he would like to meet her. More than anything he wanted to meet new people while on his "vacation" in Virginia. On the road, it was the other four guys or nobody, and, as much as he loved them, he would like to make new friends. Four people, 24/7, made him crazy. As hard as it was to make new, REAL friends, it was worth the effort just to be able to have someone besides family to care about him, watch the group's tv appearances, things like that. Brian turned his head as Nick walked into the room. "Hey boy," Nick said. "Wassup?" "Nuttin' much. Listening to some music, though. Dude, we were number one on this countdown-thingy this radio station has!" Brian replied excitedly. "Oh for real? Cool beans!" Nick shouted happily. Brian looked at him, annoyed with him saying that stupid phrase AGAIN, but let it go. "Matter of fact, the radio station is having a club night tonight… Some placed called Insomnia. The DJ that's on right now's gonna be there - you wanna go?" "Yeah, dude. Sounds like fun. Party hard!" Nick responded, making Brian laugh. "Go get the others, okay? Ask 'em if they want to join us. If they say no, it's all good - we can go by ourselves," Brian told Nick. "Oh cool… I hope they don't wanna go! Then it'll be 'Frick & Frack Night!' " Nick said excitedly. Brian smiled at his 'little bro.' He smacked his ass playfully as Nick got up to leave, and Nick just smiled at him. "Hey Nick? Bring your N64 up in here, ok? We have, like, an hour and a half before the club even opens, and we don't wanna be there when it first opens anway. So I guess I'll just have to beat your ass a few times in Mario Cart?" "Pssshh, you WISH! How many times do I have to tell you? I am the MASTER at this video game stuff. It's all ME!" Nick responded to Brian's goading. Of course it was all about him when it came to electronics - who else? Maybe Brian rocked the court, but he ruled the couch, no doubt. ************** Faith continued broadcasting, advertising the club she'd be at later on that night AGAIN. She had said it so many times even she was tired of hearing it, but she put on her best attitude and spoke into the mic. "Peoples, you lookin' for a slammin' joint with kick ass tunes to at party tonight? That's all good, because it's J100 night at the new hot spot in up Richmond - Insomnia. If you is 18 years or older, come on up and see me there, starting at 10:00. I'll be spinning the discs, and - you know the drill - any club I'm at, well, it's LADIES NIGHT! So come on up, and fellas, in order to see them beautiful women - cover charge is only 15 dollas. I better see y'all folks tonight! "Well, up next is the wonderful, smooth, one-and-only DJ Lonnie B, who'll rock this station while I go get some pizza tonight with my BABY. Lonnie - where you at, boy-ee?" The other DJ started talking into his mic, "Yeah, yeah y'all. I'mma be holdin' it down tonight after DJ Temptation here leaves, yo. It's PETERSBURG in the house! So stick around, cuz commin' at ya we gots Juvenile - Cashmoney records, baby! - and then we's gon' give it up for the illest MC ever to come out of Brooklyn: Jay-Z, wit 'Jigga My N --.' Oh, and one more thing: DJ Lonnie B is NOT responsible for my girl Faith here saying 'ass' on the radio!" he laughed. "But right now it's TLC's 'Silly Ho.' ... You a silly ho, Faith?" Faith laughed. "Oh hellz nah, boy! You know me, keeping it ALL GOOD for the females 'round here! So you know I ain't no ho... But I can tell you one thing, people... Lonnie here be a SCRUB!" "Pigeon," the DJ replied simply, making her laugh. "'Uh-OH! Ya'll cat's ain't gettin nada....'" he began. "Okie, OKIE!" Faith said, still laughing. "I better get outta here before Lonnie comes up with more lame cracks. But I'll see EVERYONE tonight at Insomnia - ladies night! Lonnie, man, rock this joint for me! Big shout out to my boys BSB - a little bird told me they're in the Richmond district, and hey, you never know who could be listening! MADD props to y'all. So peoples, this is Faith Madison, a.k.a. DJ Temptation signing out! KEEP THE FAITH, peepz!" She flipped the switch to 'off air' as Lonnie started the song playing, and grabbed her keys. Giving her friend and co-worker a hug, she slipped out the door and on to the elevator, thinking about that little rumor she had "spread." Her mind drifted to her favorite Backstreet Boy, Brian. 'And they're HERE. HERE IN RICHMOND!' her mind screamed as her body tensed with excitement. The Backstreet Boys were in her very own city, and she could hardly stand it. Chapter 3 "NICK!" Brian hollered into his hotel room from the hallway. Sighing, he stepped back into the room, and found Nick fixing his hair in the bathroom. Studying his face in the mirror, Nick frowned at a pimple forming on his chin. "Nah, Nick, that's not vain or anything," Brian teased. "Sha-up!" Nick said, whirling around, embarrassed at being caught looking at himself. "Man, let me just fix my hair for a minute and we can go," he told Brian. "Gawd, how long does it take for a guy to fix his hair?" "I LIKE to keep myself well-groomed, you know. Not like SOMEBODY I know who can't even run a comb through his nappy head every now and again…" Nick started. Knowing he didn't mean it as soon as he looked at Brian's soft, perfect auburn hair, Nick sighed. He missed that hair, missed feeling it, touching it... "Uh-UH… you did not just go there!" Brian laughed at Nick insult. "I'mma have to hurt you now!" "BRIAN!" Nick shouted as Brian pounced on him, tickling him even as they both fell. "DUDE! Get off… get… DUDE!" he managed to shout as he tried to curl up in a ball to avoid Brian's attacks. Brian just smiled. "I'll stop… As long as you say, 'B-Rok is da bomb diggity.' " "B-ROK SUCKS!" Nick shouted in a fit of laughter. Brian shook his head in amusement. "Aight, Nicky - one more chance. Now, say 'Brian beats my ass every time at basketball!'" "I BEAT BRIAN EVERY SINGLE TIME AT TEKKEN!" he screamed in defiance while Brian continued to bombard him with tickles. Sighing, Brian gave up and stood. Standing, he looked down and smiled at Nick's form, beet red, breathing hard. Brian's breath caught in his throat for a moment as the full beauty of his friend sank in. The flushed face, and his lips - a rosy red from all the shouting - appealed to him like never before. Shaking his head, Brian began to chastise himself. 'What are you thinking? He'll never... Not anymore. That's it.' He knew his hormones were, of course, working overtime since it had been so long... But never had he felt this strongly for his best friend. Surely, he felt himself drawn to kiss him after a slight wrestling match or whatnot, but who wouldn't? It had happened before and not worked - not at all. Brian and Nick - Frick and Frack - were better off friends, period. So why did he feel so strongly for him right now? Shaking the thoughts out of his head, he took again to teasing Nick. "You ready yet, Pretty Boy?" "Shut up! Just comb it back a little bit and... there. I'm all set. HAPPY now?" "Very. Let's GO!" "Hol' up - those other fools coming?" Nick asked, at the elevator, looking for any sign of the other guys. "Oh yeah! I forgot about them! Kev said to come get him, and A.J. said he'd be waiting with Kevin. Howie... I guess we'll have to go check on him - I think he said he wanted in, but how am I supposed to remember these things?" Nick smiled at Brian's memory - or lack of one - and walked in the direction of Howie's room, while Brian knocked on Kevin's door. ****************** "WHA'?" He heard A.J. answer from inside. A.J. opened the door for Brian and they walked into the room. "Kevin's in the bathroom... STILL. How friggin' long does it take to comb your hair?" "EXACTLY!" Brian shouted, surprising A.J. "Oh, I mean, 'Exactly!' I swear, I was waiting in the bathroom with Nick for like, 25 minutes before he was finally done combing EVERY STRAND -" "Dude, you were in the bathroom with Nicky at the same time? Bad boy!" A.J. teased. "Nah - not like that. That's over... It is. But I was messing with him about that pretty boy mess, though." Brian cupped his hands around his mouth, and yelled towards the bathroom, "Hey CUZ! Hurry UP now!" Kevin came walking out of the bathroom, baggy pants straightened, baby blue shirt fitted snugly around his form. "Wow Kev - trying to pass out that 'playa' vibe tonight?" A.J. said, whistling. "OH MY GOD HE'S NOT WEARING BLACK!" Brian burst out, making them laugh. "A.J. picked it out, boy. You approve?" "Do I approve? I LOVE IT!" A.J. shouted. "I swear - I should have been a wardrobe director." Suddenly realizing Kevin was speaking to Brian, he blushed, making them giggle even more. "I totally approve, Kev. Very nice. A little feminine, but hey -" "FEMININE?! Come on now - someone told me baby blue looks VERY hot on guys." "Who? Justin Timberlake?" Brian teased. "Oooh, don't get me started on that boy!" Kevin said. "Can we go? I mean, it's 10:15 and we're wasting precious time, people! I should be getting my party on right about now!" They walked toward the door and got out in the hallway just as Nick and Howie came out of their room. "Let's go, guys." ****************** Keith, Faith, Travis, Jake, Lil Man, AJ, and Trixie walked into Insomnia at exactly 9:45. People were already lined up outside, which was amazing for a place that was only half-packed the previous Friday. As Faith walked up to the DJ booth with her crate of records she brought to every gig, she noticed the superior equipment supplied for mixing. "Yeah buddy," she said softly to herself. She was going to have a great time tonight. Fine tuning the equalizer she remembered something Keith had told her the other day, "You have the coolest job - you know that?" Faith smiled, knowing she did. She got to be around her one love, her passion - music - all day long. And it thrilled her. The changes she had made to the station - less commercials, more contests, hyper energy, and REALLY high ratings - made her feel accomplished, and she loved the way the people in the city knew her. Being a people person, she always loved being surrounded by friends, and just chatting it up. Keith walked up to his best friend, day dreaming at the booth. Looking at her, he could still see that little tomboy ten year old with the backwards, dirty Yankees cap. How long ago had that been? "GIRLIE FRIEND!" he yelled at her. "It's 10:15! You're LATE opening, girl!" Faith looked at her watch. "Oh MY BAD!" she shouted. "OH MY GOD! I'm in sooo much trouble, ain't I?" "Uh, yeah, after this is done," Keith said, giving her the truth. The people outside were most likely really pissed at having to wait so long - usually the club opened early. Faith shooed him away, and started speaking directions into her mic. "DONNIE! LET 'EM IN NOW!" The doors opened and as people started to enter the dark club, Faith had the music blasting in two seconds flat. As soon as the club was almost full, she put on her headphones and started talking into the microphone. "ALL I WANNA KNOW IS WHERE THE PARY AT?!" she shouted energetically to the crowd, and was greeted by shouts from the crowd. "COME ON YA'LL - I KNOW YA CAME HERE TO PARTY! AM I RIGHT? HUH? AM I RIGHT?" She smiled as she again got an excited response from the young people in the audience. "WELL AIGHTY, THEN - LET'S ROCK THIS PARTY!" She threw on a mix, hit the strobe lights, and sat back as people filled the dance floor. ********************** "Yo, this club KICKS ASS!" Nick yelled over to Brian as he started to sit down with his friend. He had noticed Brian sitting alone at their table while he danced all night and decided to go check on him. "Dude, Bri - what's up with you?" "Oh, nothin', little boy... I'm just tired tonight," Brian said, searching his brain for an excuse to tell his best friend. In truth, he didn't know why he felt so down right then, but he didn't feel like gettin' jiggy wit it any more. "Tshha, whatever! It was YOUR idea to come, Rok. Why don't you go do something? Like, go talk to that DJ you were talking about earlier - isn't she here tonight? Or, like, go shake ya ass for a while; it's cool, yo. I mean, just have some fucking FUN, dammit!" Brian laughed at how desperate Nick was to get him off his ass so Nick could go back to dancing. "Fine, boy. FINE. I'mma dance... Look, I'm getting up!" Brian said, acting like it was a big deal for him to be standing. "Aren't you proud of me, Nicky?" "Yeah. Now GO!" Nick gave him a little shove and he walked around, melting in with the crowd. After a few minutes of wandering aimlessly, a petite, mocha skinned woman bumped into him. As she turned to apologize, Brian noticed her long, thin braids - like Brandy's in her last video, he thought. 'Are they fake?' "Oh, sorry man, I'm in a -- OH MY GOD! You're Brian Littrell!" Brian was pleased that this woman actually knew his last name, for usually he was, 'Brian of, uh, that boy band... the Backstreet Boys.' "Yeah, hi," he said, surprisingly nervous. "Are you a fan?" The woman, after getting over the intial shock of running into a Backstreet Boy in her little city, seemed calm. "Oh, who, me? Nah, I'm not - " she felt bad the minute she said it. "But dude, my best friend TOTALLY is. You think that girl ya'll did FANatic with was your #1 fan? Psshh... she is, like, IN LOVE with you!" Brian smiled at that, as she went on. "The, uh, DJ here tonight -- DJ Temptation -- that's her. You don't think you could -- Oh, I'm so stupid! Ya'll are pro'lee here to chill, not be mobbed - my bad! Uh, I'll let you go. But do you think I could get an autograph for her?" Brian, still getting getting over the disapointment of her not being a fan, just replied with, "Huh? Oh sure!" "Just sign the shirt; it's hers anyway... But keep that on the DL, boy - don't want people callin' me a pigeon or nothing..." Brian laughed singing singing a line from the song, "'Frontin' with your girlfriend's dress on!'" Trixie smacked him playfully on the arm. Already she felt comfortable with him. "But seriously - that's a nice shirt. Sure she won't kill you?" "Your signature on her shirt? She's gonna die. Friggin' hyperventilate! Fubu is no match for the almighty B-Rok!" Trixie teased. "Here - pen." "Yo ROK!" Brian turned around as a familiar voice was calling him. A.J. stood behind him, calling out his name. "Wha'?" Brian asked, annoyed at having his conversation interrupted. He turned to the woman. "Sweety, some idiot's calling me. Uh... Don't move, ok? I'll be right back!" He waited for her to say something. "Oh, aighty. No problem, it's no big deal. Go party, boy... Oh by the way, my name's Trixie," she said nonchalantly, letting him go as she turned and grabbed a man at random and started grinding with him. 'Gee, I guess she really wasn't a fan,' Brian thought, disapointed. He was so used to fans clinging to him, when one walked away he was taken aback. Strolling down to A.J., Brian snapped, "What the hell do you WANT, Alexander?" "Hey, hey, HEY! Don't CALL me that!" A.J. yelled back. "Kev wants us all outside for a minute, aight? Sheesh, I mean, it's not like you were gettin' ready to take that chick home or anything! God!" "Fine, fine. Calm down, boy. Sorry I'm so uptight tonight, I was just meeting someone new. Someone besides Sue Ann, the 12 year old from Tennessee. I need that sometimes, you know?" A.J. nodded. "Yeah, bro, I understand. I feel like that sometimes, too." He paused for a second. "But NOW, we need to get outside before Daddy Dearest takes us over his knee -- you know how that kinky cousin of yours be actin'!" Brian laughed as he walked towards the exit. Getting their hands stamped so they could get back in again, the two walked out the door to find Kevin, Nick, and Howie standing there. "KEV! What you need, boy?" Kevin sighed as he saw his goofy cousin approaching. This wasn't going to be easy. "Rok, D, Kaos, Bone - we have a problem," he started. He watched as the guys' faces turned from smiles to frowns. He went on, "We've, uh, been kicked out of the Richmond Hyatt, guys." He paused for a second. "And, uh... the Hilton. We've been banned from that one, too. And the Marriot... And the Sheridan. Umm... Four Seasons, also. You know -- basically every hotel in Richmond. As a matter of fact, it IS every hotel in Richmond, guys, excluding the Holiday Inn which is booked." "SAY WHAT?!" Howie and A.J. exclaimed together. "How are we banned from places we've never even STAYED IN?" "Uh... apparently this town loves us, guys. Every teenager in a 500 mile radius was at the gates of the 5 main hotels in this town." He paused for a minute, answering everybody's unanswered question: why did they gather outside ALL of them? "Nobody knew where we were staying... So they crowded EVERY SINGLE one, ya'll. They blocked the roads, and harassed the clients staying in EVERY FUCKING HOTEL!" Kevin tried to stop himself from being so angry, but he couldn't help it. "They managed to get us kicked out of places we've never even been before! Don't we have the BEST fans??" Kevin said, letting how upset he was show. Brian put his hand on Kevin's shoulder. "Kev... I know it sucks, but think about it this way - they love us that much, cuz. They love us that much..." A few moments of silence filled the air as they thought about it. Nick decided to interrupt. "I know this is heartfelt and all - but NOW where the fuck we supposed to stay?" "Can we say tour bus?" Kevin said calmly. "TOUR BUS?" Brian exclaimed. "We're gonna be here for two goddamned months and they want us in a bus? Oh hell no - HELLZ NAH!" He knew he shouldn't have been so bluntly against it, but he couldn't help it. "I know, for real, Bri! Ain't no way I'm living in a bus for the next month. FUCK Richmond, FUCK management, FUCK having to drive to D.C. for rehearsals - I'm going HOME if I have to stay on the bus!" Nick hollered, angry at how cheap the label was getting. "HELLO?! An apartment! Why the fuck can't we get a damn apartment for the month?" "I tried, bro, I really did. I'm so sorry," Kevin said, on the verge of tears. Everyone was mad at him, he could tell. "Kev -- aw, gee, Kev! It's - it's ok, man. It's all good. Tour bus, hotel, whatever. We'll be fine," Brian said, noticing how upset Kevin was. . A.J. didn't seem to mind. He HAD to tell them what he thought. "Gee, this day just keeps getting better and better," A.J. said sarcastically. "5 in the morning, we find out we have to stay in this dumb ass town until Christmas. 10:30 at night, we learn we have to stay in the dumb ass TOUR BUS while in the dumb ass town for a month. Great." Kevin ignored his comment. "Well, ya'll... That's it. Still wanna go back in?" "Shit, we might as well, I guess. Not like we gots a place to go to if we leave, right?" Brian said, shrugging. "Let's all go at the same time; Don't leave without everyone else, aight?" "NOW who's being the daddy?" Kevin mocked, making them laugh even in their situation. "That's right! Now get on in, children." ******************* "Hey Keith, I wanna play that Destiny's Child song but it's not a single. Think I'll get in trouble?" Faith asked, changing discs. "What, 'Bug-A-Boo?' Yeah it is!" he replied. "Nah, 'Jumpin' Jumpin' - don't you think it has the ultimate party vibe?" "Oh yeah! Play it... I don't think anyone will know!" Keith said excitedly. "Hurry up - it's 11:28 right now!" He walked down towards the dance floor again as Faith started talking into the microphone. "Aight, peoples... Anybody know what time it is? That's right - 11:30 and this party just STARTIN', folks. So here we go with a personal favorite of mine: Destiny's Child, with 'Jumpin Jumpin' ya'll!" The room filled with a beat made for dancing. And Faith couldn't help but bounce to the beat, too. So he say he got a girl Yeah it's true you got a man But the party ain't gon' stop So let's make it HOT HOT Ladies leave your man at home The club is full of ballers And they pockets full grown And all you fellas leave your girl with her friends Cuz it's 11:30 And the club is jumpin' jumpin *************** Brian couldn't help but dance to the beat playing throught the club. He smiled at the simple lyrics and strained to understand what they were saying. Sexy women do that dance Fly ladies work your man Ballin' fellas time to clown We can get DOWN DOWN Bounce baby bounce the-bounce-the-bounce, twirk-it-twirk-it Shake baby shake to-shake-to-shake with-it-with-it Twist baby twist ta-twist you better DIP that thang He bumped into someone again while he was rocking to he beat, and as he turned around he noticed it was that same woman - Trixie, she said it was. "Gee, we just keep bumping into eachother," Brian yelled at her over the music. "Yeah, I know!" She noticed the way his hips swayed. "Wanna dance?" 'Why not?' Brian thought, and he nodded. Bumping and grinding - which felt surprisingly pleasnt - they hardly noticed when the song changed. But Trixie's ears pricked up as she heard Juvenile's voice come up in the song, "Back That Ass (Thing) Up." "Yo, boy - I gotta go for a sec. About 3 minutes, actually - this is Faith's song! I'mma go DJ for her," Trixie yelled into Brian's ear. He just nodded again as she walked away. Soon he saw a tall, dark haired woman leave the DJ booth, dancing. She ran over to a blond man and started dancing with him, hips thrusting, grinding together. 'Freak dancing,' Brian thought. With every beat she came down lower, shaking her ass, dancing in perfect time to the music. Despite the obvious sexuality to the dancing, she gave the moves a grace that seemed unnatural to a position that low. 'And they say white girls can't dirty dance?' he smiled to himself again. He heard the new person in the DJ booth speak as the spotlight fell upon Faith and the man, freak dancing together. "Ya'll - give it up for DJ Temptation! And her man Travis Rosseau!" She began a chant as people formed a circle around the DJ and her man. "Go FAITH, GO FAITH, GO-GO, GO FAITH-FAITH!" Brian stood impressed, still dancing to the song. As the song neared a close, however, the high of the energy rushed out of him, and again a wave of anger washed over him from having his "vacation" ruined. As Brian sat down, he felt a hand grip his arm gently. He looked up to find Trixie had caught up with him. She noticed the troubled expression on his face, and even though she didn't know him, decided to try to help. "Hey, boy," she started, "what's the problem?" He looked up at her. How long had he known her? 10 minutes? But for some reason, he felt comfortable around her. She wasn't a psycho fan, so he knew she wasn't just putting up a front to be around a Backstreet Boy. She seemed... genuine. He decided to tell her about everything, if only just to be able to say something to someone and recieve sympathy. Not wanting to offend her by disrespecting her town, he chose his words carefully. "We... We were promised downtime. You know, vacation? Two whole months off - we haven't had that much time off in forever. And then in December, we were supposed to have a big Christmas concert in Washington. So we expected to be sent home to Orlando... " He paused for a minute. "But they made us stay here, in Richmond. I know it's nice here and everything, but we seriously wanted to go home. So after he get over having to be here the whole time, we find out we've been banned from all the Richmond hotels because we cause a disturbance with all the fans. So, like, now we don't got nowhere to stay but our tour bus," Brian said, sounding disgusted at the last part. Trixie shook her head, feeling for the poor guy. "Ain't that some shit?" she said, taking a deep breath. Suddenly, it dawned on her: Faith. Faith's big ass house. Faith's big ass house with seven guest bedrooms... "Dude! I think I can help you." "For real? How?" "My friend... My best friend, the DJ? Well, she loves you guys, like I said. She really and truly does. And she has a really big house. Cuz, like, her boyfriend is a millionaire or whatever. They're both really nice... and Faith'll love me forever if I got the Backstreet Boys to stay at her house. I kid you not, boy, she LOVES you!" Brian smiled at that. But he couldn't possibly force the whole group upon her poor friend. "I don't really want to bring five rowdy guys over to a stranger's house --" he started. Trixie slapped her forehead with her palm. "Oh, I'm so sorry, yo - I wasn't thinking. I know it's a major security issue and everything, just going on over and living with some stranger... I shouldn't have brought it up," Trixie said, yelling at herself inwardly. 'How could you actually INVITE them to her house? He probably thinks you're some psycho,' she scolded herself. "Nah, it's cool," Brian assured her. "I would actually love to. I wanted to meet your friend DJ Temptation - Faith, whatever - since I heard earlier this evening. Do you think she'd really let us stay at her house?" "Yeah, dude, she'd love ya'll to go there. And plus, then you could chill with us!" Brian gave her a puzzled look. "Oh, Faith, Travis, me, and a few others - we're ALWAYS at her house! The other people are madd cool; you'll love them." She paused for a minute, letting Brian think. "So... Do you think ya'll can come? It beats a bus, don't it?" "Most definetely. I'll talk to Kevin... As a matter of fact, come with me." "Where we going?" Trixie asked, as Brian pulled her through the crowd. "To ask Kevin," Brian said simply. "If he approves it, we can do it. If he don't... I guess I'll have to beat him until he does," he said, making Trixie laugh. ********************* Kevin saw his cousin approaching, dragging a woman with him. 'Not bad,' he thought. 'Quite pretty.... But what the hell is he doing with a girl?' "Hey cuz! Meet my friend, Trixie..." he trailed off, realizing he didn't know her last name. "Trixie Jones, Kevin," she spoke, stretching out her hand. "Kevin Richardson," he answered, shaking her hand. "What can I do for you?" "I understand ya'll need a place to stay until Christmas?" Kevin shot Brian a look of contempt, mad that he had blabbered their business to a stranger. "That's right," he told her. "And?" "I know a place ya'll could stay. Not a hotel, just a friend of mine's house. You know the DJ? That would be my friend. She's, like, got this huge house -- and plenty of guest bedrooms. I know it sounds really strange of me to do this, trust me, she loves you guys, you know? Well, what I mean is, that's a place you could stay if you got really desperate," Trixie explained in one breath. Kevin made her seem more nervous, not like with Brian. "I'm sure you are trying to be nothing but nice," Kevin started, "but I'm afraid we just can't go to the home of every fan for a house call. We're far too busy to try to entertain every common fan like that." He looked at her harshly. "I'm sure you understand." Trixie glared right back at him. She tried not to say anything that would offend him, but her nature got the best of them. "Hol' up - a house call? That's what you think this would be? I'm trying to hook ya'll up here, give you a place to stay or whatever - and you go and dis my best friend - pass her off as some freak? She loves you guys, but I guess since ya'll are just sooo special, you can sleep on a tour bus for forever!" She started to leave, then turned around to say one more thing. "Oh yeah - for your information, I HATE ya'll's group! I LOVE 'N SYNC, asshole!" As she started to walk away, she noticed the other members of the group getting closer. Nick ran up to her. "Yo, that was good!" he laughed. "You told off Mr. High and Mighty! Personally, I'm glad SOMEONE wants to hook us up. I mean, I am NOT looking forward to living on the bus," he told her. "Yeah," A.J. said, walking up to her. "Does the offer still stand?" "Because we'd love to accept the offer, ma'am," Howie said politely. Trixie smiled at Howie. No matter how much she loved 'N Sync, Howie always did seem to be the cute one of BSB. "'Ma'am'?" she mimicked. "I'm not THAT old, yet!" Howie laughed, saying, "Well, you know, all those 'Southern gentleman' manners are rubbing off on me from Brian! But really, Trixie, we need somewhere to stay. When could we go?" "Tomorrow... Yeah, tomorrow. In the morning, after she leaves, probably. I'mma surprise her, guys. No more candy for Halloween, I got her the BSB!" Trixie said, grinning. Kevin, getting over it and accepting that they were going to go stay with a perfect stranger, decided he needed a little more information. "Where is her house?" "In a little county about an hour away from Richmond -- is that ok?" "An hour? Wow... she drives that to work every day?" Brian asked. "Yup. A whole hour... And ya'll will, too. Because where we're going... It is COUNTRY! Like, more 'little town' than this city seems! If you need to do anything, you'll probably have to drive into Richmond like everyone else," Trixie stated. "But you'll love it, because, not to brag or anything, but the people who we all hang out with - we are buddas. I mean it, yo! You'll love 'em. Ya'll can kick it at my place until tomorrow - it'll be cramped, but oh well. I'll sleep in the bathtub or something. When ya'll wanna go?" "How 'bout now?" Brian asked. "Sheesh - what's the rush?" Trixie asked playfully. "You'll have to forgive Brian, but it's just that stressing over sleeping on a bus takes a lot out of ya," Nick laughed. "But, seriously - you don't think we could go anytime soon, do you?" Trixie winced, remembering Faith was her ride. "Folks, I sorta came here with Faith. I, uh... Can't get home without her." "Oh, no prob! It's called a LIMO, Trix!" A.J. teased. "Oh, EXCUSE ME!" she laughed back. "So I'm really gonna ride in limo? How cool is that?" "Yeah, yeah - you don't gotta tell us how BUDDAS we are!" A.J. said, emphasizing that word. "Hey now! That's MY thing!" Trixie laughed. "Aight, aight - can we GO?" Kevin said, smiling at A.J. ******************* On the limo on the way to her house, she reflected on the evening. She had managed to not only meet the Backstreet Boys, but offer them a place to live for the next two months. 'Damn, I'm good,' she thought. It made her wonder as to why she wasn't so star struck being with them, but Brian seemed so easy going, and every body else did as well. Only Kevin had made her feel uncomfortable, but that was over with. She was cool with all of them -- she was cool with the Backstreet Boys! No matter how much of an 'N Sync fan she was, she couldn't deny that this was cool. 'Wow,' she thought. 'I'm bringing the Backstreet Boys to Faith? She is gonna LOVE me!' The limo stopped in front of an apartment building in downtown Petersburg. "So this is where we stay tonight?" she heard Nick ask as they exited. "Cool beans." ***************Continued. I know, peoples, it was boring this time, but I'mma try to make it better next time - I promise! Cuz then 'da crew' actually meets BSB, so it'll (hopefully) be more interesting. Hopefully the next set will contain some sex, too. Uhh... I know it'll be a hard task, but I'm really thinking about bringing in 'N Sync into the picture, cuz Trixie loves them so much. What do ya'll think? Personally, I'm a 98 Degrees kinda guy, but oh well! And a few shout outs: Mah "Baby-girlies" Trixie and Sunny - I love you guys and thanks for pushing me to write this. And to the other 4 guys that make up my crew - my NO LIMIT SOLDIERS - we's just keepin' it rowdy ROWDY and 'bout it 'bout it! So much love. Everyone else, tell me what you think of the story... And tell me if it's not worth saving. PLEASE do. I'm pretty sure I haven't copied any author's work previously posted here, but you know, if I did, my bad! Just tell me. (Like, I'm fixin' ta read "Justin's Real World" in a min. just to make sure I didn't jock his style!)