Date: 5 Aug 00 00:29:44 MDT From: evil laughter Subject: "Revelations" Part 1/1 boyband Title: Revelations Authors: Kay and Lyz Pairing: JC/Lance, Joey/Justin Rating: R Feedback: oh please. It helps us to get the next fic out that much sooner Email: satans_brides@usa.net Disclaimer: This fic is written purely for entertainment, and isn't meant to suggest anything about the sexuality of any of Nsync's members. The events in this fic are in no way based upon any real event or happening. Everyone knows that they are my and Lyz's sex slaves, any way Warnings: Homoerotic content. But if that's not what you're looking for, then how on earth did you end up here? Summery: Lance and JC finally find their way to each other. Notes: Karen, here it is. Have I told you how awesome you are lately? Closing his eyes, Lance sighed wearily as he relaxed completely into the chair in which he was sitting, sinking down into the soft cushions. He listened to the conversation of Chris, Joey, and Justin, letting it wash over him without really hearing the words. As much as he loved the other members of the band, he didn't have the energy to join in or even pay attention. He didn't even want to be in the room. A tired smile crossed his lips as he considered going back upstairs, crawling into bed, and pulling the covers over his head. He knew that part of his exhaustion was completely understandable - getting ready for a summer tour and promoting a new album each by themselves were enormous tasks; to do both at the same time demanded near super-human strength and endurance, much like Joey's hero, Superman. At the moment Lance felt anything but super. The band had ended up renting out a house in New York, one with a room large enough to rehearse in. Without having done so, they'd have been spending to majority of their time commuting back and forth from New York City and Orlando, trying to balance promotions and rehearsals. This way, they could learn the new moves and plan the tour, but stay close to MTV and most of the other places the band made appearances. *Nsync was constantly on the move, and Lance knew the others were also a little tired. Not that they showed it. Cracking one eye open, he watched as Chris and Justin tussled on the floor. "Those potato chips are mine," Justin laughed, trying to pin Chris down. "Dream on, blondie," shot back the other man, gaining the upper hand for a moment. "The barbecue chips belong to me." The two men mock-fought on, coming dangerously close to banging into the coffee table. A small smile crossed Lance's face as his eyes slipped closed. They were going to be pissed when they finished fighting; Joey was standing there, watching them from the doorway, steadily chowing down on the last of the barbecue chips. Lance became lost once more inside his own head, and the voices of his friends faded away to background noise. There was so much more weighing him down, not just band-related business. His own foray into management, FreeLance Entertainment, took up a lot of his attention, even though he was slowing things down before going on tour. He might only have two artists on board right now, but it wouldn't be fair to them to divide his attention between them and the road. They deserved his best, and until he could give it to them, he'd have someone else help them. His best...he suppressed a groan as that though immediately brought up the memory of Danielle Fishel. Their break-up was still fresh, having only happened a month ago. Lance felt bad about it, and the only thing stopping his guilt from being overwhelming was the fact that she had wanted the split as much as he had. Still, it wasn't something he wanted to think about, and the fact every interviewer seemed to feel obligated to bring it up didn't help. Furious yells brought Lance's attention back to the present scene in the room. Justin and Chris had caught sight of Joey eating the chips, and were now double-teaming him. "I can't believe you'd betray me like this, Joe!" Chris shouted, tackling the taller man. Justin joined in the fray, vowing revenge. The seated man shook his head ruefully. And he was looking forward to going on tour with these crazy people? Of course. He couldn't wait to get back on the road. He loved the new album. No Strings Attached was great. He still got a rush singing songs that they'd chosen for themselves. Hey, Justin and JC had even written some of them. And he wanted to get out there and find a way to give back to the fans - they all did. Two point four million units sold in one week - it was amazing. All of *Nsync felt honored and a little humble in the face of such overwhelming evidence of their fans' love. Going on tour and giving those fans a show they'd never forget seemed like the best way the five singers could show their gratitude. Still, Lance wasn't sure he'd survive the summer tour with his sanity intact. Living on a bus and in hotel rooms made for close quarters. In this New York house they each had their own bedrooms, and quite a few different rooms to choose to chill in, and he still found himself occasionally exhausted by the sheer energy and exuberance of his band mates, and he knew it would be worse on the road. At least he wouldn't have to watch them date while they were on the road. The blond man knew he was being petty, but it was hard to see his friends going out and having fun, trying to fall in love, while he was alone - especially since he had been alone for so long. Lance believed in being honest with himself, so he had acknowledged to himself for years now that he wasn't interested in girls. He'd accepted the fact that he was gay, and had realized early on that his sexuality could interfere with his dreams of succeeding in the music business. It was a choice between his love of music, and maybe finding love, and he had chosen music. Lance was also honest with his family, so he had quietly come out to them when he was seventeen. Those had been a hard few months, to understate it drastically. It had taken a long time for his mom and dad to accept it. Luckily, his sister stood by him until his parents had come around. He felt so much better knowing that his family knew, and that he still had their love and support. They'd been disappointed when he had began dating Danielle, but they understood his need for secrecy. That was the true reason for his break-up with Danielle: his sexuality, not their schedules. If they had really been in love, they would've been able to make it work, he was sure of it. After this experience, he knew better than to try to deny his nature. He'd only end up hurting whatever woman he used for cover, as well as himself. It would also make this tour easier in some ways. He hadn't told the other members of *Nsync that he was gay, at first because he didn't know them and had no idea how they would react. Now he couldn't tell them because he didn't want them to know he had been keeping a secret from them. He knew they'd probably be all right with it, but he didn't want to risk it, especially not before the tour began. Lance resolved to use the time on tour to get himself accustomed to being alone. He was going to be alone for a long time - he had no intention of coming out of the closet and ruining his career, and maybe the careers of the rest of the band. He had also decided not to use any other women as shields, so he was going to be alone. Stretching, Lance contemplated the coming summer. At least the busy schedule would help to distract him from his thoughts. Although, it would make on of his problems infinitely worse. What was the only thing worse than being gay and hiding it from your best friends? Being gay and hiding it from your best friends when you had fallen in love with one of them. Lance knew it was hopeless, but he couldn't help it. He was in love, and there was no way anything could ever come of it. "All right, break it up!" Lance's eyes popped open at the sound of the new voice. He watched as JC entered the room, and waded into the fighting pile that was the rest of the band. "Do you guys know what you did? I was asleep. ASLEEP! And you woke me up!" The tall man began to pull the others apart. "But Joey jacked my chips!" Justin protested. "YOUR chips?!" demanded Chris, hands on his hips, pretending to be the wounded party. "Enough!" JC was laughing even as he yelled. "You can buy more. I'm never going to have that nap again!" Lance quietly stood and slipped out of the room. He couldn't stay, not in the mood he was in. It just hurt too much to be so close to the person he loved and wanted most, and could never have. Feeling his depression deepen, the blond man walked over to a different room, one that was empty, never seeing the worried glance of the newly awakened man locked firmly on his back. ********** JC tossed Chris on the sofa then shoved Justin into the chair Lance had been sitting in. "Separate corners, guys." He caught sight of Joey trying to sneak out of the room. "Hey - you're not finished here either. Sit down." The red-haired man flipped him off, but grinned and sat on the couch beside Chris. JC looked at the three men seriously. "There's something I need to talk to you about. It's important." Chris glared at him. "JC, man, don't tell me you ate the sour cream and onion chips!" JC smiled in spite of himself. "Haven't touched 'em. But I'm being serious here." The older man sobered instantly, all joking immediately disappearing from his tone. "What is it?" "Have you noticed Lance acting strange lately? I hardly see him anymore, unless we're at rehearsals or something like that. It's like he's been avoiding us, or something." Joey shook his head slowly. "I haven't noticed anything like that. He's been a little quiet lately, but he's been around." His face took on a troubled expression. Justin agreed. "He was hanging out with us just a little while ago. He wasn't fighting with us or anything - " "-He doesn't like barbecue," Joey interrupted. "He only eats regular." The curly-haired man glared at him. "-Or anything," he continued pointedly, "but he was still here. If he was avoiding us, then he wouldn't have stayed." JC nodded to himself slowly. "He was in here? When did he leave?" "I don't know. He was here a minute ago..." Chris caught JC's gaze. "He left when you came in." His dark eyes were somber. "He's not avoiding us." "He's avoiding me," JC finished for his bandmate. He was quiet while he chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment. "Thanks, guys." "But what's going on?" Joey asked. "Did you two have a fight or something?" "No, nothing like that. He's just been avoiding me." JC sighed. "I gotta go think about this. I'll see you later." The tall man walked slowly out of the room, lost in thought. What was going on? For the past few weeks he'd noticed that he hardly saw Lance anymore, and almost never spoke to him. He'd been worrying that the blond man was withdrawing away from the band, but now he knew it was just from him. They hadn't had a fight, or even a disagreement, so JC had no idea what was going on. Which was becoming the usual state of affairs for him. The blue-eyed man didn't know how he was supposed to figure out what was up with Lance when he wasn't even sure what was up with himself. Lance was one of his best friends. He could talk to the green-eyed man for hours about music and the business in which they were involved. He could talk to him for hours about anything. Both of them tended to be serious, and it was nice sometimes to have an actual adult conversation. He treasured their friendship, and counted it as one of the most important things in his life. Lately, though, he'd found himself thinking about Lance all the time, even before he discovered that the other man was avoiding him. It was strange - he wanted to be around the blond man all the time, to be able to talk with him and see him constantly. And if he wasn't with Lance, then he found himself thinking about him. It was getting ridiculous - the past few times he'd gone out on a date, he'd been distracted. It didn't matter where he was or whom he was with; his thoughts always returned to Lance. He'd missed out on what his date had said because he'd been too busy wondering what Lance might be doing, or whom he might be with. This strange turn his thought had taken didn't worry JC, exactly. It was different, but he felt good, so he was going with it. It was actually kind of nice, caring about someone so much. He just felt lucky that he got to spend so much time with Lance. The dark-haired man frowned. So now why was Lance avoiding him? He wandered into the room that had been set up as a music room and sat down behind the piano. He began to pick out an absent-minded tune with one hand while his thoughts wandered. JC knew he wasn't going to figure out what was going on with his thoughts sitting on his own. He needed to spend some time with Lance, and see what happened then. Not an easy thing to do when the blond man fled every time he approached. With sudden resolve, JC decided that he was going to find out what was wrong with Lance, why the other man was trying so hard to avoid him. The blue-eyed man didn't want to let their friendship deteriorate, so it had to be settled. Besides, if they didn't work out whatever it was by the time the tour began, it could begin to affect the group. How was Lance going to be able to avoid him on the bus without being painfully obvious? That decided, JC stood up to go find Lance. He wanted to know what was up with his friend. Maybe finding the answer would help him figure out what was up with himself, as well. ********** Lance didn't know whether to laugh or scream. Maybe he'd do both - he was pretty sure he was going crazy, anyway. He knew exactly what was driving him nuts - it was the same thing it always was. JC. The blue-eyed man wouldn't leave him alone. Wherever Lance went, so did JC. The blond man knew what was going on - he'd talked to Chris, and the older man had tried to find out if anything was wrong, why he was avoiding JC. Lance certainly wasn't going to tell him the real reason, and he didn't. He'd made up some vague excuse and then left hurriedly. Now he knew that JC had noticed that he was avoiding him, which explained why the dark-haired man was so insistent on being around him. One part of Lance was warmed, even elated: here was proof of how much the other man cared about him. If JC didn't care, then he wouldn't have transformed himself into Lance's virtual shadow for the past two weeks. The blue-eyed man hadn't pushed him to talk, or anything; he was always just there, wherever Lance happened to be. The other part of Lance wanted to run shrieking into the night. All day, everyday, there was the guy he was in love with, right in front of him, but completely out of reach. It was like something out of that shitty Hercules show: everything he ever wanted was right there, but he would never be able to have it. He felt as though he were behind thick glass, starving to death and watching a family of people consume enough food for an army. He was utterly and completely unable to do anything about his situation. The guilt was becoming overwhelming. There was JC, trying to be a good friend, working to fix a problem that wasn't his fault - it's not like he could help being completely sexy and adorable - and the whole time, Lance was sitting there, hiding his feelings. He didn't know how JC would react if he ever found out he was in love with him, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. But what kind of a friend did it make him, to sit there and love and lust after JC, while the other man was just tying to save their friendship? At least he had a few hours' respite, although even that was a mixed blessing. JC was finally giving him some time to himself - but that was because the older man was out on a date. A date. With some girl. Some girl who couldn't possibly care half as much about JC as Lance did, who'd never be able to care that much. Thoroughly irritated, Lance stopped his restless pacing and knocked his head against the wall repeatedly. They were going to go on tour in a month - this was no time to send himself spiraling down into depression. If he didn't get himself out of this vicious cycle of thought, that was exactly what he was going to do. He decided to take a quick walk around the grounds surrounding the house, to use the evening air to clear his head. As he walked, Lance berated himself, calling himself a fool. Here he was, free from temptation for a few hours, and how did he spend that time? Thinking about JC, making himself even crazier. But how could he not think about JC? It was even more impossible than not loving him. Lance lost sight of his surroundings as him mind pulled up memories of the other man: the way his blue eyes crinkled up at the corners when he laughed, the silly grin that crossed his face when he told a joke. The way his body - usually so explosive when in motion, as if he had more energy than his flesh could contain - would collapse so utterly into sleep, each muscle relaxing completely. The way JC would completely lose himself in music, whether he was singing, writing, producing or mixing. Lance was lost in the haze of his own thoughts, wandering aimlessly. He was finally brought back to himself by the sensations of wet and cold. He blinked and held up one hand, palm open to the sky. Yeah, it was raining. He'd best get back to the house. The blond man turned to walk back to the house, not wanting to be caught outside in a downpour. As he approached the house, he could see headlights out front. Curious, he altered his course so he could see who it was. A taxi; the vehicle was pulled up near the front door. Lance could see the rain beginning to fall faster in the beams from the headlights. He watched as the door opened and JC stepped out, laughing a little and ducking away from the falling rain. The blond man started to step forward, to call out a greeting to his friend, when the girl got out of the cab. He froze, staring as JC helped her to her feet, and they stood laughing together in the rain. Lance turned away sharply as the pain came back full force. He couldn't watch. Forgetting about the rain that was beginning to pelt down harder, he walked off toward the woods. He was an idiot, spending his time thinking about JC, when JC was bringing a girl back to the house to do whatever with. Leaving the house behind, he headed for the trees, wishing he could leave his pain behind as well. ********** JC blinked water out of his eyes and grinned at Grace. "I think it's starting to come down harder," he said. "You should probably get going." The taxi had dropped him off first, since his house was closer to the restaurant where they had dinner. The brown-haired girl pushed her dripping locks out of her face. "I don't have to leave. Not if you don't want me to." She trailed her fingertips up his arm, then brushed them lightly over his chest. There was a decidedly predatory gleam in her almond-shaped eyes. JC took a hasty step backwards. "That won't be necessary." As he spoke, he caught sight of a movement from the corner of his eye. He turned his head and looked past Grace. There - someone was walking into the woods that bordered the house. Even through the dark and rain, JC knew that body, knew its movements. What was Lance doing? A light smack on his shoulder drew his attention back to the girl facing him. "What?" "You're not even listening to me, are you?" she demanded. "Look, if you're not interested, fine. I'm not going to stand here and be ignored." She ducked back into the cab, and pulled the door closed. She rolled down the window and eyed him. As her gaze slowly traveled up the length of his body, that gleam returned to her eyes. "If you get your act together, give me a call." She closed the window, and the cab drove off. JC barely noticed its going; all his attention was focused on the light hair he could still just make out. Almost without thought, the blue-eyed man began walking toward the woods. It was cold and wet - there was no reason for Lance to be out here. Once he reached the trees it became harder to track Lance. JC didn't want to shout at him - the situation felt too strange for him to make any noise. He was nearly running, when he realized he'd lost sight of his friend. Panic kick-started his adrenaline, causing him to run through the trees, tripping as the underbrush and fallen branches caught at his feet. He was moving so fast that he almost didn't see the river. Fortunately, he tripped over some stones and stumbled to a halt, catching himself before he tumbled into the stream. Panting, he looked around, trying to get his bearings. What was that? Over there. Lance. JC carefully made his way over to the rock where Lance was sitting. "Hey. Man, what's up? What are you doing out here?" Dazed green eyes met his, but Lance made no answer. Frowning, the standing man took in the rain-soaked clothes and hair, as well as the shivers that racked his friend's frame. "We've got to get you inside," JC said, worry leaking into his tone. He grabbed the blond man by the shoulders and hauled him to his feet. He led his friend through the woods, a protective arm around his friend's shoulders, steering Lance through the dark forest and gray mist that was beginning to rise up from the ground. Once they reached the house, JC pulled Lance to his room. He was alarmed by Lance's daze. Nothing would get him to speak or even look directly at JC. He was also worried about how cold and clammy Lance's skin felt beneath his hands. He debated trying to push Lance into the shower and get hot water on him, but the fluttering feeling in his stomach that began at the very idea persuaded him against it. Instead, he tugged Lance's shirt up and off, and began to rub his hands roughly up and down his friend's arms, trying to massage some warmth back into him. Suddenly, Lance seemed to come back to himself. He blinked several times, and stared up at JC. "JC? What?" He jerked backwards, out of the blue-eyed man's hands. Hoping that his blush wasn't as bad as it felt, JC stammered an explanation. "You were cold. I wanted to make sure you didn't get hypothermia or anything." Lance nodded jerkily. "Thanks." "What happened to you, man? You really scared me." The green-eyed man shrugged. "I'm sorry. I'm really wiped out. Can we talk about this tomorrow?" JC didn't want to let it go, but he nodded reluctantly. "I guess. Get yourself dried off and into bed, ok?" He waited until Lance nodded in agreement, then moved over to the door. "I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight, Lance." "Night, JC." The blue-eyed man let his eyes linger on Lance before turning and walking out the door. As he entered the hallway, he pulled at his ear nervously, and headed off to his own room. What was with him? First, he blows off a night with a hot, obviously willing girl to chase after his friend, and then proceeds to get turned on while trying to help that very friend. Remembering the feeling of smoothly muscled skin sliding under his hands, JC repressed a shudder. What was wrong with him? Was he gay? Bi? What? Stripping off his own clothes, JC crawled into his bed. It was a good thing he was exhausted, else he'd never sleep this night. Both dreading and anticipating the coming day, he fell into a restless sleep. ********** Lance groaned, and tried to bury his head under his pillows. He felt like shit. Everything hurt - his head, his eyes, his throat, his entire body. It was like a hangover, only without the good memories of the night before. The night before...this time his groan sounded more like a whimper. What the hell had he been thinking? He knew how important it was to keep his feelings a secret, to hide how he felt from JC and the rest of the guys. So what had he done? Freaked out, scared JC, and now the other man had to know something was awry. It had just hurt so much, seeing some girl so close to JC, seeing the blue-eyed man smile at her, stand so close to her, knowing what they were going to do next. His mind had just shut down. He couldn't handle it, so he'd just blanked out. He'd been only vaguely aware of the things going on around him. He'd come back to himself at the feeling of hot hands running up and down his arms. His first instinct had been to lean forward, to get closer to the source of warmth. He'd realized he was moving in on JC, and had jerked away just in time. Lance knew he couldn't hide in bed forever, no matter how nice it sounded. He really did feel awful. He dragged himself out of his covers, pulling off his clothing and dropping the haphazardly on the floor as he staggered toward the bathroom. With the way his skin was just aching and throbbing, the blond man figured he had a fever. In the shower, he stood under the hot water and tried to come up with a plan. What was he going to tell JC? He knew his friend was going to ask what had happened. The taller man was going to stand there, right in front of him, staring at him with those beautiful blue eyes, ask him what was wrong in the smooth, sexy voice... realizing the directions his thoughts were taking, Lance quickly rinsed off and got out of the shower. He wasn't up for *that* shower activity, no matter how tempting it was. Lance's hands were shaking badly, and he wondered if he had the strength to raise the razor to his face to shave. Miraculously, he made it through his shaving routine without major blood loss, and finished in the bathroom. He pulled on a pair of flannel pants and an over-sized tank top, trying to ignore the urge to crawl back into bed and sleep. He had to go downstairs and face the day. Face JC. He made his way to the living room. The band was supposed to finish discussing possible PR appearances before the beginning of the No Strings Attached tour, and they'd probably meet in there. As he collapsed into a chair, he noticed that he could hear voices in the kitchen: Chris, Justin, Joey and JC. Damn, he must have slept late. "Lance? Zat you, man? You want some pancakes or summin'?" Justin's voice was cheerful and loud, cutting through Lance's head. Stomach churning at the thought of food, especially Justin's specialty pancakes, Lance shouted back, "No, thanks. Give my share to Chris." "I'm gonna get you for that," the oldest member threatened, while the others laughed. Lance wanted to join in, but he was concentrating too hard on hiding just how truly awful he felt. He forced himself to sit up straight in the chair. Keeping his voice firm, he called, "Can we talk about PR? I got stuff to do today." "Fine, fine," replied Joey, leading the way as the other men entered the room. He flopped down on the couch and grinned at the blond man. "You look exhausted. You have some kind of hot date you never told us about last night?" Lance shrugged, and even worked up a smile as Chris and Justin joined in the teasing. His green eyes searched the room. JC hadn't come in with them. Where was he? The dark-haired man appeared at the door, cradling a mug of steaming liquid in his hands. Watching the floor, he carefully made his way over to Lance. "Hey, good morning. Finally. I know you said you weren't hungry, but you should still have something. We had this hot chocolate in the cabinet..." He looked up when he reached the chair. JC's blue eyes clouded up with worry, and his voice trailed off as his smile disappeared. "Lance, you look awful. How do you feel?" "With every nerve ending," the blond man replied, tone dry as he took the mug from JC's motionless hands, avoiding the searching eyes. His friend must not be too upset with him if he was willing to make him breakfast. JC didn't laugh. He knelt down beside the chair, eyebrows drawn together in a frown of concern. "I'm serious. You're flushed, and your eyes are glassy. Do you have a fever?" He reached out and laid a gentle hand on Lance's face. The green-eyed man leaned into the touch, amazed that hands that had felt so hot the night before could now seem so wonderfully cool. Realizing what he was doing, Lance pulled back. "I'm fine." "You are not. You've got a fever. You should be in bed." Frantically trying to distract himself from the idea of JC putting him to bed, Lance suggested, "Let's just start the meeting." He took a sip of the hot chocolate, ignoring how cold he really felt. The kneeling man sat down on the floor at his feet. "Fine. We'll do the meeting. Then you're going back to bed." Before Lance could object, Joey leaned forward. "You do look kind of wrecked, man. I think you should do what he says." Justin and Chris echoed their agreement as they sat down on the couch. "Whatever," Lance said, but he knew he would do it. He'd have to - he felt like he was going to pass out. He waited for JC to accept his agreement and go sit in the other chair, but the brown-haired man didn't move. He stayed on the floor, watching Lance, checking him every few moments to be sure he was all right. The blond man tried to pay attention to the meeting, but it didn't work. Between the way he was feeling and the man sitting beside him, his concentration was shot to hell. ********** As the PR meeting ended, JC realized that he hadn't really learned a thing from it. All his attention had been focused on Lance, on monitoring his friend's flushed face and deep breathing. He just nodded his head and agreed with all the others at the end, hoping that they'd come to good decisions. Justin jumped up off the couch. "C'mon guys. Let's go - lunch is on me. It's the most important meal of the day, you know." "No, breakfast is," Chris disagreed. "Any meal I ain't eaten yet is the most important," the curly-haired man stated firmly. Joey laughed, but he stood up and dragged Chris with him. "Whatever, man. Free food is free food." He walked over to Lance and extended his hand to him. "Let's get some food into you." JC shook his head, glad to see that Lance made no move to get up. "No way, guys. Scoop here is going back to bed. Y'all can bring us something back, ok?" "I think I can speak for myself, Mom," Lance said. JC looked away, surprised by how much the comment hurt. Whatever was going on with him, it was getting worse if so little could affect him so much. Chris peered into Lance's eyes. "No, I don't think so, man. Your eyes look really bad. You're staying here, and yo mama can watch you. C'mon Joe." He grabbed Joey and dragged him off toward the door. Justin paused in the doorway. "I'll bring botha y'all back summin'. I hope you feel better, Lance." Once he was gone, JC stood up. "Let's get you back to bed." "Lay off, JC. I'm fine." "No way. Get up." JC didn't want Lance to be mad at him, but he wasn't going to back down. The blue-eyed man was beginning to get scared. All this was a little too familiar. He could still remember how upset and worried he'd been when Lance collapsed during the last tour. He never wanted to see the blond man so sick again, never wanted to be that scared for him again. With a weary groan, Lance shoved himself to his feet. He tried to walk on his own, but after he stumbled for the second time, JC couldn't just watch him. He walked over and wrapped an arm around Lance's waist and helped to guide him to his room. The other man felt too warm, another sure sign that he had a fever. JC let Lance fall gently down onto his bed, reluctantly removing his arm from around him. He pulled back the covers and then tugged them up to cover the blond man. Not sure what to do next, he hesitated, hovering in the room. "JC, man?" the green-eyed man's voice was thick, sleepy. Even while sick, his voice rumbled and sent small chills down JC's body. "What? What do you need?" "I'm sorry I bitched at you. You were right. I feel like shit." Lance pulled the blankets closer around himself. "Thanks for watching out for me." JC glanced around the room, and finally spotted the small chair he knew was in the room. He dragged it over to beside the bed and sat down. "No problem. Anything you need, I'm here for you. Anything you need." Lance smiled weakly. "So you wouldn't mind staying with me for a little while?" JC smiled and scooted his chair closer to the bed. "Sure thing." Lance was too tired to stay awake and talk. In a matter of minutes, he was asleep. The blue-eyed man didn't leave. Instead, he stayed in his chair and watched Lance sleep, lost in thoughts and memories. With his fair skin flushed and lightly sheened with sweat, Lance really did look ill, and JC was reminded again of the blond man's collapse a few years earlier. He reached out a tentative hand and brushed Lance's bangs back, pushing the hair off his forehead. Then he remembered what his mother used to do for him when he had a fever. JC got up out of his chair, and quietly made his way to the bathroom, where he got a washcloth and soaked it in cool water. He lovingly placed the washcloth on Lance's forehead, and Lance seemed to turn towards the cool cloth on his head. After a little while, JC picked up the washcloth, unfolded it, and waved it lightly over Lance's face, using the water from the washcloth to create a cool breeze. Lance sighed appreciatively in his sleep. JC replaced the washcloth on Lance's burning forehead. The dark-haired man grinned ruefully. He couldn't lie to himself any longer. He was attracted to Lance. Judging by the knot he had in his stomach from worry, it went beyond attraction. With more than a little disbelief, he realized that he was in love with Lance. How could he have missed it before? Even months before it had been obvious. When they were filming the video for Bye Bye Bye, he had insisted that Lance be with him in the car scene, so they could spend their filming days together. He hadn't wanted to be separated from Lance at all. With a sigh, JC decided it was a helluva time to discover he was bi, and in love with one of his best friends. He couldn't do anything about it either, especially not now that Lance was so sick. Still, he didn't leave. He sat in the chair and watched Lance sleep, idly wiping the cool washcloth over Lance's head, wondering what he was going to do next. ********** Lance sighed heavily as he came awake. He didn't want to exert the energy to groan - he hadn't thought it would be possible to feel worse than he did when he fell asleep, but he did. His head was pounding, and every muscle ached, worse than after any day of choreography and dance rehearsal. He was aware of something pressing down on his arm and chest. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and glanced down. At first he was confused by what he saw, but he remembered how he went to bed, and everything made sense again. JC had never left him. Instead of going to his own room, the dark-haired man had fallen asleep, still sitting in the chair beside the bed. He was slumped forward, so his torso and head were on the bed. Or more correctly, on Lance. Lance smiled; JC's face was turned to him, those amazing blue eyes closed in sleep. God, he was handsome. The smile faded from his face. JC had stayed with him, however long he'd been asleep. He was a good friend. Too good a friend for Lance to sit and lust after without him knowing. The guilt came flooding back, and Lance was too tired to fight it. He was a rotten friend, and a bad person. How could he use JC like this, when JC was being so good to him? JC stirred a little, and then opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, and smiled sleepily at Lance. He sat up, and stretched, spine popping quietly. "Guess I fell asleep on you there, huh?" He glanced at his watch. "We were both out for a couple of hours. How are you feeling?" Lance shook his head. "Worse, I think." Wow. Was that harsh croak really his voice? A cool hand rested gently on his forehead, then moved to his cheek. "I think you're fever's gotten worse." JC chewed on his lip, looking worried. "Do you feel like eating something? The guys must have come back by now." Lance shook his head. His stomach was churning at the mere thought of food. "I think I just want to sleep. You go get something, though." "Are you sure?" "I'll be fine. Go on." Lance watched JC leave, then tried to fall asleep again. Whenever he was sick, he just tried to sleep his way through it. Every time he woke up, he felt worse. Every time he woke up, JC was there, looking more and more worried. Joey had found a thermometer somewhere, and JC kept checking his temperature and getting more concerned. As evening fell, his temp hit 103. JC shook his head. "This is too high, Lance." The other members of *Nsync crowded into Lance's room with him agreed. "We should take you to the hospital," Joey suggested. It was so hard to think, like his brain was filled with fog. Lance knew he didn't want to go to the hospital, though. He didn't like hospitals - they were cold and lonely and they smelled funny. "No," he said, shaking his head. "I'll be fine. I'm staying here." Chris moved to sit on the edge of his bed. "I'm worried about you, man. 103 is nothing to mess around with. You've gotta go." Justin nodded. "If I have to carry you to the hospital maself." He grabbed Joey's arm. "C'mon Joe. Help me make a few calls." Joey followed him out of the room, looking back over his shoulder at Lance as he did so. Chris stood up. "I'm gonna get some stuff together, then call the hospital so they'll be ready for you." "No, Chris. I told you -" "Yeah, I heard you. It doesn't matter. You're going." The oldest member of the group tried to smile, but the worry never left his eyes. He ducked out of the room quickly, not giving Lance a chance to argue any further. JC opened the door to Lance's closet. "Is there anything you want me to pack for you? How 'bout these sweats?" "Whatever," Lance said, jerking the covers up higher. "What do you mean? Is there something else you want? What about this shirt? Or-" "Just give it up, all right?" The pounding in his head was getting worse, and his vision was funny, with the glittery specks floating in front of his eyes. "Give what up?" JC sounded almost hurt. "This act. That you like me, that you all care about me." Lance was vaguely aware that he was saying things he shouldn't, but he didn't seem capable of stopping himself. "I know the truth, all right? You all, you're all friends. You had something before the band. I'm just here for my voice. If you didn't have me, you'd have someone else, and you'd never know the difference. I'm not one of you, I never have been, and I never will be." He tried to roll over, so he could face away from JC, but strong arms caught him and wouldn't let him go. He couldn't resist as he was pulled into a tight embrace. Warm lips brushed his ear as JC spoke. "That's not true, Lance. You hear me? We all like you. I like you. I think I'm even falling in love with you!" Love? Lance struggled to think, to understand, but before he could make sense of the words, his vision grayed out, and he was pulled down under a black wave of unconsciousness. ********** JC paced restlessly up and down the short tiled hallway, driven by nervousness and worry. After Lance had blacked out, JC had carried him down to the garage. Joey had volunteered to drive, so all five men wedged into the car and drove like maniacs to reach the hospital. Once they'd reached it, doctors had take over, wheeling Lance away on a gurney. The four other men stood around in the hallway, or sat on the small benches available. JC couldn't sit, or just stand. He had to move. What was wrong with Lance? Would he be all right? Anytime someone in hospital garb walked by, either JC or Chris was all over them, demanding answers. So far, no one had any to give. "Wait for the doctor," was the only reply they got. The blue-eyed man glanced over at his friends. Chris was bouncing in place, lightly beating out a nervous rhythm on the wall in front of him. Joey sat on a bench, staring vacantly off into space. Justin sat beside him, talking in a low voice, trying to give him sort of comfort. JC continued to lope up and down the hall, lightly rubbing his arms. Why were hospitals always so damn cold? And where was Lance? And what the hell had he done? What had he been thinking, blurting his feelings out like that? What kind of a friend was he? There was Lance, burning up with fever, and what did he do? Confess his feelings, burden Lance with them. He didn't deserve to call himself the green-eyed man's friend. He should've kept his mouth shut. What right did he have to burden Lance with his problems? He could only hope that the blond man had been too sick to remember what he said. Maybe Lance hadn't even heard him. A doctor appeared at the end of the hall. Chris saw him first, and ran towards him. "How is he?" demanded the dark-eyed man. "Is he going to be all right?" The rest of the group clustered around him, asking questions. The doctor raised his hands in a plea for silence. "Your friend is going to be all right. He's got a nasty virus, but it's only dangerous for twenty-four hours. His fever has broken. With a little rest and recuperation, he'll be fine." Justin gave a victory whoop, and grabbed Joey in a hug. Chris hugged the doctor, then JC, and then the doctor again. "When can we see him?" asked Joey, a huge grin on his face. "Right now. Mr. Bass is asking for you. You'll have to go in one at a time, though, and keep the visits short. I don't want him over-tired. A relapse is unlikely, but I don't want to take any chances." The members of *Nsync immediately began to bicker over who would get to see Lance first. Chris settled the question by asking the doctor which room Lance was in, then taking off in a dead run to it, leaving the other three men to stare after him in surprise. Justin managed to convince Joey to let him go next. JC needed no convincing - he wasn't sure he wanted to go see Lance. What would the blond man say? Did Lance even want to see him? Joey came back after his turn and looked at JC curiously. "JC, man, he's asking for you. Don't you want to see him?" A nervous laugh escaped him. "Of course I do. Does he look ok?" "He looks better than he did. Get in there, man." JC nodded and slowly approached the door. He walked inside cautiously. Lance did look better. He wasn't as flushed, and his eyes were clear, not glazed with confusion and fever. When green eyes met his, he dropped his gaze. "Hey, Lance. You're looking better, man." "Thanks, JC....What's wrong?" JC hung his head. "I'm sorry," he blurted. "I never meant to tell you, not like that. I can't believe I did that to you. I just hope you can forgive me." "Are you talking about what you said before I passed out?" JC nodded. "Come closer, would you? It's kinda hard to talk loud." The dark-haired man slowly approached the bed, keeping his gaze on the floor. When he reached it, he felt Lance reach out and take his hand. JC had to blink away tears. Lance was in a hospital bed, and he was trying to make *him* feel better. "JC, this is important. When you said you loved me, what did you mean?" The blue-eyed man knew this was his chance. He could lie his way out of this, say he meant he loved Lance like a friend, as a brother. But no - he couldn't. He did love Lance. There was no way he'd be able to keep on hiding it. Besides, his friend deserved the truth. Still refusing to look at Lance, he swallowed hard. When he spoke, he was hardly able to recognize his own voice. "I meant what I said. I love you. I'm in love with you." "The forever, no one else kind of love?" "Yeah," JC answered miserably. He waited for Lance to drop his hand, to tell him to leave, get out, and never come near him again. None of that happened. Instead, he felt a feather-light brush of warmth against his knuckles, then again. When he looked up at Lance, he felt it a third time, and saw what it was Lance, brushing his lips against his hand. "God, JC." There were unshed tears in the blond man's eyes. "You don't know how good it is to hear that. I love you - I have for ages now. I never thought you'd feel the same way, never in a million years." JC stared at him for a moment, then began to smile as the cold weight of dread inside him melted and disappeared, replaced by the warmth of joy and love returned. "You mean it?" Lance nodded. "I love you." JC couldn't help himself. He leaned down over Lance, and pressed his lips to the other man's. The contact lasted but a moment, and when he pulled back, Lance was smiling up into his eyes. JC returned the smile, then bent down once more. This time when he tried to pull away, a strong hand at the back of his neck stopped him. "Where do you think you're going?" asked Lance, barely stopping the kiss to form the question. "Nowhere," JC promised. "I'm not going anywhere." Lance didn't move his hand, though. The two men continued to exchange soft, exploratory kisses, friendly and gentle and full of promises for the future. JC could hardly believe it was happening, but it was. That thought faded, and all that mattered was the moment, the feel and the taste of the man so close to him. ********** Lance looked over at the man he loved and sighed. His wildest dream had come true - his love was returned, and he and JC were together. So what was he doing, with everything he ever wanted right in front of him? At the moment, he was considering beating JC unconscious with a throw pillow. He'd been out of the hospital for two weeks, and he felt fine. He'd been following the doctor's orders, getting a lot of rest, and gradually getting back into the choreography routine. The virus was long gone - all he had to do was avoid doing anything stupid, like taking another late night walk in the freezing rain, and he'd be fine. Lance felt good, and he was ready to get back into things, get back to living his life. Unfortunately, JC wasn't nearly so confident about his health. The dark-haired man was still obviously afraid of Lance suffering a relapse, of him overexerting himself and hurting himself. A rueful grin crossed his face. The coddling wasn't all bad. This morning, he'd awakened to the scent of hot French Toast, covered in syrup and powdered sugar; JC had grinned at him as he carried the tray into Lance's bedroom. Breakfast in bed was always nice, but this had been great - JC had insisted on feeding him, and any spills or smears of syrup, JC cleaned up. With his tongue. Lance smirked. He knew most of the spills had been no accident. The grin faded away. He knew he shouldn't be complaining. JC loved him. And Lance loved spending time with him. He loved the way that the blue-eyed man was content to spend hours holding him, sharing gentle kisses and just reveling in the freedom to touch each other. Lance wouldn't trade those slow hours spent in each other's room or on a couch for anything. As much as he loved what they had done together, the blonde man wanted more. He knew JC did, too - he'd had more than enough evidence of it when they had made out. Those sessions often left Lance hard and aching, and he'd felt the same need in JC. But the older man always drew back, always slowed things down, before they really got anywhere. JC was scared of hurting Lance, of over-tiring him and bringing on a relapse. Lance appreciated his concern, but he was ready for more. He was *really* ready for more. His train of thought was interrupted when JC entered the room. The huge grin that lit the dark-haired man's face was gratifying, and the way the amazing blue eyes fixated on him, and him alone, sent warmth flooding through him. The tall man walked over to where Lance was sitting and bent down, pressing his lips to the seated man's. Lance reached up and pulled JC down to sit beside him, not breaking contact with the other man's mouth. Fingers twining in the thick, dark hair, he pulled JC closer, not stopping until the taller man half sprawled on top of him. Warm hands roamed restlessly over his body, finally slipping up under his shirt to caress his skin. When JC finally drew back and ended the kiss, both men were panting. "What was that all about?" JC asked. "Not that I'm complaining." Lance smiled a little. God, he loved him. "There are some things we need to talk about. Things we need to do." "Like what?" "Like tell the rest of the guys about us." JC nodded. "They should know." His gaze searched the blond man's face. "There's something else, isn't there?" Instead of answering him directly, Lance decided that a demonstration was in order. He grabbed JC and flipped their position, so the taller man was pinned beneath him on the couch. The blue-eyed man tried to push him off, but couldn't move him. JC's struggles stopped as Lance's mouth descended over his, taking control, dominating the kiss with frenzied movements and meetings of lips and teeth. When Lance pulled back, he could feel a flush on his cheeks, and he wondered if his eyes were as dilated as JC's - looking in the other's eyes, all he could see was a thin ring of blue around enormous pools of black. Licking his lips, Lance murmured, "Did that feel like an invalid's kiss?" JC mutely shook his head, hands moving restlessly over the man on top of him's back. "Then stop treating me like one." Lance ground his hips down against JC's. "Understood?" The dark-haired man grabbed his head, sliding his hands around to cup the back of Lance's neck. He pulled the green-eyed man's face back down, kissing him even more fervently than before. As they parted, JC said, "I understand. Why don't we go tell the others, and then go upstairs and finish discussing this?" Lance grinned, ignoring the fluttering in his stomach. He stood up, and pulled JC to his feet as well. Together, they wandered the house until they found the rest of *Nsync. Justin, Joey and Chris were all in one room, sorting through some of the massive amounts of fan mail they had received. Glancing at JC, Lance cleared his throat. "Guys? Can we talk to you for a minute?" Joey looked up, as did the others. "Sure, what's up?" JC laughed a little nervously. "This is probably going to be hard for you to believe, but..." he quickly explained how he and Lance felt about each other, and that they planned to pursue a relationship. Dead silence reigned for a few moments. "This isn't a joke, is it?" Chris asked, voice quiet. "No joke," Lance answered. Justin shook his head. "I don't understand. JC, you've always liked girls." The dark-haired man shrugged. "I like girls, I *love* Lance. That's just how it is, how it's going to be." Chris sighed. "This isn't going to be easy for you." "We know," Lance replied. "We know it's going to have to stay a secret from the public, but we couldn't lie to you." Chris stood up. "Thanks for telling us." He walked over, and hugged first Lance, then JC, a broad grin crossing his face. "You two are going to be happy together. You'd better, because I wouldn't be able to decide whose ass to kick if you have a fight." Justin stood up and hugged them too. "We'll just have to kick both y'all's asses," he decided, to Chris's delighted laughter. Joey came over and offered his congratulations as well. The five men talked and joked around for a while, but eventually Chris, Joey, and Justin went back to reading their mail. Lance leaned over to whisper in JC's ear. "Race you upstairs?" He watched, a blush rising in his cheeks, as the other man bolted from the room, an eager grin spreading across his chiseled features. Ignoring the speculative and amused glances of his friends, Lance followed him, moving just as fast. ********** JC paced nervously around Lance's room, unable to stay still for more than a moment. When the door opened, he turned and watched Lance walk in. The blond man was flushed, and he looked as nervous as JC felt. Maybe more. The dark-haired man walked over to him. "Hey," he said softly. "Hey." Lance allowed himself to be pulled into JC's arms. Staring into the green eyes so close to his own, JC smiled a little. "I guess now would be the time to tell you that I really haven't done anything with a guy before. Not before you." He felt strangely embarrassed by the confession. The blond man nodded. "Me, too. You're the first man I've ever been involved with, the first one I've ever really wanted to be with." Hearing that caused some of JC's nervousness to melt away. Tightening his embrace, he pulled Lance even closer to himself. "Then I guess we'll take it slow, and figure it out together." He bumped his nose against Lance's a few times, and was pleased to see him smile. He then captured Lance's lips in a kiss. Starting out slow and sweet, it soon escalated. The pent-up sexual frustration that had been building up for the past two weeks threatened to overwhelm both of them. JC tugged at Lance's shirt impatiently, wanting to feel skin, not cloth. He tore his mouth away long enough to pull the blond's shirt up and off. Much better. He changed tactics, abandoning Lance's mouth in favor of attacking his neck. Now that the others knew, they didn't have to hide as much. Focusing in on where the neck met the shoulder, he bit down lightly and began to suck. Lance gasped. "Oh, God...JC...what? You'd better not be..." He tried to pull away, but JC wouldn't let him. Wrestling playfully, the two men ended up falling onto the bed, JC landing on top of Lance. Propping himself up on his elbows, the blue-eyed man looked down at the mark he'd created with satisfaction. "Mine." "I can't believe you gave me a hickey!" Lance felt at the mark, staring at JC in disbelief. JC admired the dark purple bruise on the soft white flesh of Lance's neck. "What are you going to do about it?" the taller man taunted. Eyes narrowed, Lance took up the challenge. After a few minutes, he had reversed their position, and knelt over JC, straddling his hips. He yanked the dark-haired man's shirt off. Staring down, his hand hovered hesitantly over the chiseled chest below him for a moment, then he reached down and brushed his thumb over one of JC's nipples. The blue-eyed man arched up into the caress. He was rewarded by the same touch across the other nipple. When he gasped, that touch was replaced by something warm and wet. JC's eyes flew open, and he watched as Lance licked his way across his chest, making little circles around his nipples. After a moment, he grabbed Lance's upper arms and dragged him up for a hard kiss. Lance responded eagerly for a few minutes, then pulled back. "I haven't made my mark yet," he said, grinning wickedly. He stared down at JC for a moment. "Here," he decided, pushing the pale Leo necklace to the side. "Right here, this place I almost never see." He bent down and bit the small expanse of skin gently, then harder, sucking hard on it as well. JC's hips bucked, and he was helpless to stop them. When Lance finally sat back, a smug grin on his lips, the dark-haired man began to pull at the buttons of his pants. "Get these off," he ordered hoarsely. With the blond's help, soon they were both naked. At the first feel of bare skin against his own, JC froze for a moment. He saw the smile begin to fade from Lance's face, and immediately cursed his nervousness. He reached out and pulled the blond man up to lay directly on top of him. He claimed the mouth above his in a loving kiss, using lips and tongue and teeth to apologize. Warm fingers tangling in his hair told him all was forgiven. Slowly, they began to rock against each other. JC shuddered, and wrapped his arms around Lance tighter, bringing the sweat-slick body above him even closer to his own. His movements sped up, and Lance matched him, until they were thrusting urgently against each other. JC was vaguely aware of the words that spilled from his lips, words of love and desire, promises of forever, all meant for Lance. Hearing those words echoed and returned by Lance pushed him over the edge; with a triumphant shout, he came, feeling the blond man spasm above him and cry out as well. Spent, they lay panting and sweating in each other's arms. JC floated in a fog of bliss, until he was called back to awareness by soft kisses scattered across his face. He blinked hazily, and smiled. "Wow." "Wow," agreed Lance. "Do you think we could do that again?" "We'd better; I plan on doing this with you forever." JC cupped Lance's cheek and guided his face down for a kiss. That kiss turned into several, until they were lost in the feel of each other again. Finally, JC pulled back, resting his head on the pillow. "We should get cleaned up. I want to be with you forever, but not *stuck* to you forever." Lance laughed, and stood up, pulling JC up along with him. "Next time," he said, leading the way into his bathroom, "I should put on a CD." He grinned mischievously. "Let's get it on..." he sang softly and sexily in his deep voice. Laughing, JC hustled him into the shower, thinking to himself how lucky he was, how much he loved, and how much he was loved. Following his giggling lover into the shower, JC wondered if life could get any better. ********** Lance flipped through the next page of the appearance proposal in his hands, and continued to read through it, checking it over before he gave his approval and signed it. He'd gotten behind in doing paper work - the upcoming tour, being sick, and JC had taken a lot of his attention. Not that he minded being wrapped up in JC. In fact, right then, his dark-haired lover was curled around him, pressed as close as possible. Lance had needed to get this reading done, but hadn't wanted to be away from JC. The solution: he reclined on the couch to read, and JC crawled on top of him to take a nap. The blond man continued to read, absently running his fingers through his lover's hair as he did so. The quiet sound of footsteps attracted his attention, and he looked up. "Hey, Joey," he said cheerfully to the man standing in the doorway. "How're you doing?" "Fine," Joey mumbled. His eyes met Lance's in an intense stare that lasted but a moment. Then the bearded man looked away. "I should get going. Wouldn't want to wake JC up." "Don't worry about it. He sleeps like the dead. It takes quite a bit to wake him up." Lance hoped he wasn't blushing. It was true; JC was a heavy sleeper. Only a few things could wake him up. One was Lance trying to leave - the moment the green-eyed man tried to pull away, JC's arms would tighten around him, so Lance would have to wake him up to get away. The other things...Lance wasn't going to think about them. As much as he enjoyed them, he didn't want to have to explain his blush to Joey. Joey shook his head. "No, it's ok. I got stuff to do before tonight." He disappeared from the doorway before Lance could say anything else. The blond man frowned. Joey had been doing that disappearing act for a couple of weeks now. He hadn't noticed at first - his relationship with JC had distracted him. But now Lance realized that Joey had been avoiding him and the rest of *Nsync for a while. The New Yorker had begun dating a girl none of them liked - some chick named Sara, who he'd picked up in a random bar. Lance couldn't figure out what his friend saw in her; she had rotten taste in music, and she was always cutting him down. Judging by the way she talked, though, she was some kind of freaky sex fiend. That probably helped make up for the fact that she was a raving bitch. It wasn't right. Sara wasn't right. Lance knew he had to find out what was bothering Joey, and try to make it right. He got ready to wake JC up, so he could go after his friend. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Lance looked up and watched Justin enter the room. "Hey, Just." "You know he hates letting go of you more than he hates waking up," the curly-haired man said with a grin. "What are you thinking? He'll be tired and grouchy, and he'll take it out on me." Lance returned his smile, then looked down at JC, sleeping obliviously through the entire conversation. He found that he was still running his fingers through the dark hair. Just then, JC gave a sleepy murmur of pleasure and rubbed his face against Lance's chest for a moment, then settled back into motionless sleep. The green-eyed man grinned. His lover was definitely a Leo; that was a cat move if he ever saw one. If he did that again, Lance was going to chase Justin out of the room and try out a new fun way to wake his lover up. Justin's voice pulled his attention away from the sleeping man. "Hmm? What did you say?" Justin shook his head ruefully. "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?" Lance shrugged carefully. "He's a good distraction." "I bet distraction's not all he's good at." Justin laughed as a blush stained Lance's cheeks. "I'm done teasin', I promise." He raised an eyebrow. "But since you obviously don't want to leave, where were you going?" Lance explained about his concerns for Joey, and wanting to go after him. Justin shook his head. "I don't think it's a good idea. You talking to him, I mean. Let me do it?" "Why?" "I'll tell you later, a'ight? Just trust me." The blue-eyed man grinned. "You stay here, and maybe wake JC up, and enjoy yourself. I'll take care of Joe." With a wink, he was gone. Lance stared after him for a moment. He was still tempted to go, but he trusted Justin to take care of it. He glanced down at JC. Besides, there was something he wanted to try. With a wicked grin, he got his plan ready, to give JC a wake up call he'd never forget. ********** Justin paused outside of Joey's room, eyeing the closed door. Now that he was here, he wasn't so sure that his plan was such a good idea. Still, he had to try; Joey was slipping away from them, one night of kinky sex at a time, and it had to stop. Nodding sharply to himself, he knocked on the door. "It's open!" Upon hearing that, Justin pushed open the door. As always, Joey's room looked like a tornado had hit it, but only after a group of lunatics had torn it apart after a bomb had gone off. Joey stood in the middle of the chaos, blending in surprisingly well. He looked haggard and miserable. "Hey, Curly. What can I do for you?" "You can tell me what's wrong." Justin kept his tone gentle, but firm. The dark-eyed man laughed. "What are you talking about? Nothing's wrong. Are you feeling all right?" If Justin hadn't been listening so carefully, he might not have noticed how fake the laughter was, or caught the way the other man wouldn't meet his eyes. "Don't play like that, man. You know what I'm talking about." Justin crossed his arms. Something was hurting his friend, and he wasn't going to let it go. He couldn't. Joey tried to get him to go, but Justin refused to be moved. He might be a skinny-ass white boy, but he was stubborn. Finally, Joey couldn't take it any more. "Fine! You wanna know what's wrong? Lance is with JC!" After that explosive outburst, Joey fell silent, staring at him challengingly, yet his forehead didn't crinkle as much, and he seemed relieved that he'd spoken the words that had been eating at him for weeks. Justin frowned. "C'mon, Joey. Be serious. You can't have a problem with them being together." "Oh yes I can." "You're not a homophobe!" "No, of course not. *I* want Lance!" Justin stared at him, but he believed him. It made sense; Joey had been drawing further away the closer Lance and JC got. The blue-eyed man had noticed the way Joey always seemed to pay special attention to Lance, and he'd gotten very quiet when Lance and JC had announced their relationship. Licking his lips, the curly-haired man asked, "Are you in love with him?" Dragging his hand through his hair, Joey sank down on his bed, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "No," he answered quietly. "But if I'd had the chance, the chance to be with him, to tell him how I do feel...who knows what might have happened? But I'll never know now, will I?" "No, you won't." Justin's voice was full of sympathy. "They're head over heels for each other." "I know. I'm happy for him, for them both, really. It just takes some getting used to. I've been trying to keep myself distracted, you know?" Justin grimaced. "That freak kinky girl you've been sleazing around with isn't the answer." "Then what is?" The blond man hated the lost sound of Joey's tone. He'd do anything to make that go away, to help him through this. He walked over to sit next to Joey. Placing a careful hand on his friend's shoulder, he asked, "You're sure you aren't in love with him?" "I'm sure. Why?" "Because if you're not nursing a broken heart, that means I might have a chance with you." Joey stilled. He looked first at Justin's hand, and then at the blue eyes focused so intently on him. He swallowed hard. "What are you saying? That *you're* in love with me?" "No," Justin shook his head. "But I care about you, Joe. That means something. Friendship is important." A small smile crossed Joey's face. "So's kinky sex." The blond laughed out loud. "We'll have both." The smile faded from Joey's face. "Just? I never knew you..." "Swung both ways?" Justin shrugged. "I usually prefer girls." "But you'll make an exception for me? I'm honored." Joey leaned in towards Justin. Their faces inches, millimeters apart, he paused. "Are you sure?" In answer, Justin closed the distance between them, claiming Joey's mouth. ********** Chris sighed and put down his copy of Newsweek. He had been trying to get prepped on current events, since it was so easy to lose track of things when the group was preparing for a tour. Not any more. He wasn't even going to bother to pretend to be paying attention to the words in front of him. It was pointless. The goings-on on the next couch were way more interesting. He watched as JC watched the movie on TV, and Lance pretended to. In reality, Lance was watching JC; every time his lover was thoroughly engrossed in the film, the blond would sneak out a hand and steal some of JC's M&M's. This was after refusing JC's offer to share, claiming that he wasn't hungry. Chris leaned forward a little. Here it came. Lance had just stolen the last of the candy a moment before, and now JC was reaching for it. Still fixated on the movie, JC's fingers wandered the empty bowl, trying to find the M&M's. After a few seconds, the blue-eyed man frowned and looked down. He stared down disbelievingly at the empty bowl for a second, then slowly raised his head to fix Lance with an icy glare. "Lance..." he said in a dangerous voice. "Yes honey?" Lance's eyes were wide and innocent, his voice sugarcoated and too high. "What happened to my candy?" "I don't know." "The lie would work better if you didn't have M&M colored smears on your fingers." Lance looked away to glance at his hand. The second he did, JC jumped him. Laughing, the two wrestling men fell off the couch, crashing lightly down on the floor. The fall didn't even seem to register with them: they were too wrapped up in each other and struggling to get the upper hand to notice their change in location. Chris shook his head. It could've been obnoxious, but it wasn't. They were just so damn cute. It helped that they were also obviously in love and good for each other. He glanced away from them. Where was the rest of the band? Movement in the hall caught his attention, and he craned his neck to get a better view. There they were; a disheveled looking Justin and Joey, walking out of Joey's room. Disheveled. Justin and Joey. Joey's room. Eyes narrowed, the dark-haired man watched the two men enter the room and sit on the couch vacated by Lance and JC. Those two were still giggling and fighting on the floor. He continued to watch, and caught a strange look exchanged between them - there was a strange...heat...to it that had never been there before. Justin caught him staring. "What?" His expression was overly innocent. "Don't what me. What's going on with you two?" "Nothing." "Nothing?" Joey protested. "You call what we have nothing? How could you?" Justin hit him. "You're overreacting," he chided. "Definitely hammy, Joe," Chris agreed. "So what's going on?" "Nothing," Joey said. "We're friends. With benefits." "What?" yelped Lance. JC used the momentary distraction to roll on top of the blond man and pin him to the ground. He looked over at Joey. "Like no-more-scary-Sara-hanging-around benefits?" "No more Sara," Justin promised. Joey grinned sheepishly, and nodded. Chris leaned back in his chair. "This is great!" he enthused. Lance's eyes widened. "You really hated her," he commented from the ground. He'd given up his struggles - JC was sitting on top of him, and had pinned his arms to his sides, holding him at the wrists. "Well, yeah. But that's not what I'm excited about." It wasn't. Chris had seen Joey shutting down and pulling away, but hadn't known how to help. He was glad Justin had been able to step in and pull the other man off the self-destructive path he had set for himself. Watching Justin and Joey together, he thought that the friendship they had could very well develop into something more. "I'm pumped. Totally pumped," he concluded. "Do you know what this means? The next time we run short on hotel rooms, I get my own!" He threw his arms up in the sign for a touchdown. The rest of *Nsync laughed, and he grinned as he watched his friends' reactions. Justin and Joey shared another warm glance, and scooted a little closer to each other before starting to watch the movie. JC had given up on the film entirely. Instead, he concentrated on tickling the man beneath him, and stealing frequent kisses from his out-of-breath, laughing lover. Chris got up and quietly left the room. He was happy for his friends, really, he was. But seeing them together, so happy and so in love was a little hard, since he was alone. He had to find the phone. He wanted to hear the voice of the woman he loved. He needed to talk to Terra. The End.