Fallen Star (Part 1)
By: Dean Archer ( dean_archer@hotmail.com )
This is a fictional story, describing erotic relations between two consenting adults. If this makes you uncomfortable, or if it is illegal for you to read something like this, then why are you reading this in the first place?
The following story is entirely a product of my imagination, and is not intended to imply anything about any real people. The characters in this story may have the same names as some real people, but they are in no way supposed to represent anyone other than the people populating my mind.
Permission is granted for this story to be distributed solely by the Nifty Archive: http://www.nifty.org/. You may of course keep a copy for your own use, but you may not redistribute it.
Author's notes follow each installment. *****
Looking back, it was a horrible way to start a relationship. It was a Thursday morning, and I had decided that I needed out. Classes at my university were in session, but with finals coming up, I was getting cagey, and I wanted a break. I grabbed my sunglasses and a hat from my apartment and headed for the mall. I figured on spending a couple of hours bumming around until some of my friends got out of class. I was standing outside some music store when I heard it: a slow rumbling sound followed by high-pitched yelps of pre-pubescent girls. Shivers went down my spine; all I wanted was one day away from this! When were people going to understand that I didn't want to be the person they thought I was anymore?
My name is Dean Archer, but you might know me better as Will Michael from "The Point." I had landed the part on my first audition when I was 12, and the show had run on network television for six years. I played the typical older brother, and I had a lot of fun at first. As I grew older, I began to grow uncomfortable over the amount of fan mail and the attention I was getting from the production people. They wanted me to be some kind of sex symbol, and it started to freak me out. I still managed to do pretty well while working, but all of that changed after one night in the sixth season (when I was 18). The next morning, I walked into the production office, told them I was quitting after this season, and told them to write my character out of the show in some way so I couldn't come back. They gave me some kind of disease (I'm convinced that they did it so that I would have to spend the rest of the season lying on my back in a dammed hospital bed), and I "died" in the season finale (Ironically, I won an Emmy for this episode). I enrolled myself in a college in my home state of Texas, declined every part and interview that was offered me, and hoped that all of the hounding was finally at an end.
I was wrong. For the two years I've been going to school, I must've signed over 10,000 autographs. Girls try to figure out my class schedule so they can get into my sections. I've had people come up and tell me that I caused many a raunchy dream for them, or they'd gush over how hot I looked. I don't see what's so special. I'm 6'1", 200 l.b.s, with blue eyes and light brown hair. I like to run and lift weights, but I don't think I'm "buff," just fit, as a 20 year-old should be. Still, I catch girls drooling over me in sociology. About the only pleasure I get out of this is wondering what they would do if they knew I was gay.
Anyway, back to the mall. I thought that my hat and glasses would disguise me, but they obviously didn't. I put on my "fan" smile and got ready to do the meet-and-greet bit (after seriously contemplating making a break for it). Imagine my surprise when the screaming mass ran past me without so much as a second look. I laughed out loud, but then decided to find out what all the fuss was about. I followed in the direction the mob had gone, and stayed discreetly in the rear of the pack. From what I could see, a group of three guys with dark hair (one of them in braids...why is that familiar?) was utterly crushed by girls. I debated what I should do, and decided that a hasty retreat was in order. I headed back the way I came, and was almost out of the mall when I heard a voice yell, "Oh, my God, it's Dean!!!!"
I cringed, then realized it was a guy's voice. A guy? I turned around. Before me were two blondes, one with spiked hair and the other with curls. The curly-headed one was jumping up and down, yanking on the other one's sleeve and pointing like a dope. I couldn't help it; I cracked a smile and walked towards them. I said, "Yeah, it's me. What can I do for ya?"
"Oh, man," was all Curly could say.
"He's just a little excited," laughed Spike, causing me to laugh too.
"You want an autograph?"
Curly almost froze. "Yeah, oh gosh, that would be just great. Hang on. Scoop, got something to sign?"
Spike/Scoop pulled a receipt out of one of his bags and handed it to me, his eyes still dancing with laughter. I started to sign, but realized I was missing something. "Hey, guy, what's your name?"
He looked startled for a minute, then said, "Justin."
Justin. Justin. Where did I...? Oh, god, 'N SYNC!!!
"Justin, as in Timberlake?" I asked, my hand starting to tremble.
"Yeah," he said, a little more guardedly.
"Okay, it's my turn to start jumping up and down. You guys are from 'N Sync!"
Scoop shot me a worried glance, "Hey, not so loud. We don't wanna get killed."
"Oh, sorry, I know how it is. It's a pleasure to meet you guys, finally," I said, sticking out my hand. "I'm Dean, but I guess you already know that."
They both laughed. Justin and Scoop (Lance, that's Lance!) took turns shaking my sweaty palm. Justin said, "Yeah, we kind of figured it out. Good disguise, though. I hardly recognized you."
I chuckled. "It's what I was hoping for. I'm surprised that you guys don't have something on."
Lance joked, "Oh, no, we love to get mobbed."
Something clicked at that moment. "Shit, man, the rest of your group is at the other end of the mall getting gang-tackled by a bunch of boppers."
Both of the guys looked downright panicked. I had to think of something.
"I've got an idea. Why don't you guys wait around here, and I'll go and draw some of the fire." What was I saying? I hate crap like this. Justin smiled at me. God, those eyes; I'd do anything to see that again.
"Okay, but then what?" Lance wanted to know.
"Well, after we get them calmed down, you guys can get out of here."
"Oh, no, we're not gonna leave you alone after this. You want to grab some dinner with us?" Justin said. Was it my imagination, or did the last part have a little bit of pleading tone to it?
I smiled. "Sure, that sounds like a great idea. I know a couple places around here where we won't be bothered."
With both of them in agreement, and safely stashed in the back of a department store, I took a few deep breaths and headed back to the other end of the mall.
Joey, JC and Chris were exhausted. They had never seen so many fans, and it seemed that more were coming every minute.
"What are we going to do?" Joey whined, as he signed another poster.
"I don't know, just ride it out," JC hissed through smiling teeth as a fan snapped his picture.
All of a sudden, the crowd began to shift, and they were no longer crushed up against the front of the store that had been their home for the past half-hour.
"What's going on?" Chris wanted to know.
When I got to the crowd of girls, I had to steady myself for a moment. I reached up and pulled off my hat and glasses, letting my eyes adjust to the light. Then, realizing it was now or never, I stood on the back of a bench and gave the loudest whistle I could muster.
Some of the fans on the edge of the teeming group turned around and stared. Then, two of them shrieked and put their hands to their mouths. "It's DEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I quickly jumped off the bench and braced myself for impact. The first four girls slammed into me with more force than a group of linebackers. I grinned and let them grope what they wanted to. A mousy blonde with braces was almost in tears as I signed her book. She said, "I can't believe I'm actually meeting you. I knew you lived in town, but I could never find where."
I smiled back. "Shhhhh! It's a secret. Actually I live here in the Gap. Saves me time, cuz I never have to do laundry."
She laughed. Fans can be so easy some time.
All this time, I could see at the back of the crowd the rest of 'N Sync looking slightly nonplussed (as well as pretty beat-up). I motioned with my head and mouthed the words "J C Penny's" to JC a few times. He finally caught on and turned to the others; they moved off silently in that direction without much notice from the thinning crowd. I gave a mental sigh of relief, and hunkered down for the rest of the agony.
JC, Chris, and Joey caught up with Lance and Justin in the electronics department.
"You guys finally made it out?" Justin smirked.
Chris pounced on the younger man. "You'll get yours, I promise you. One day, I'm gonna leave you to the pack of ravenous fans like the piece of meat you are," he shrieked, as he pummeled Justin playfully on the arm.
"You'll never guess how we got out," JC said.
Lance smiled. "Dean came to rescue you, right?"
Joey looked shocked. "How'd you kno...Wait, Dean, as in Dean Archer?"
"That was Dean Archer?" JC asked.
"We saw him, and Jus almost tore a piece off his shirt," Lance smirked, looking at the blushing man. "Dean came up with the plan to get you guys out. He said he'd meet up with us back here if we want so we could all catch something to eat."
"That sounds cool. Wonder how long it'll take him?" JC said.
Surprisingly, this crowd was easier to please than I expected. After only about 15 minutes, I was able to make a graceful exit. I stretched and yawned a few times as I walked back to the store where the guys should be. Now, my mind was totally focused on the situation at hand. I had liked 'N Sync ever since I heard their first single. When I saw the group on TV for the first time, I fixated on Justin. He was so hot, and so sure of himself, that I knew that I would like to be around him, even if no touching was involved (please, God, let there be touching). This was my chance, but for some reason, I felt extraordinarily nervous. I had to maintain my image as the cool, straight, burned-out actor, but with this fly specimen, how was I going to keep my control?
Things were complicated by the way he had reacted when he recognized me. It seemed a little odd, almost like how I would have approached some of my fantasy crushes. I stopped dead in my tracks. Could Justin have a thing for me? Naw, couldn't be. But, he did seem really pleased when I said I would go out to dinner with them.
As I rounded the corner, I saw the fab five themselves, live, in person, looking at a Sony stereo. I almost walked out of the store at that. How could I face them without making a total fool of myself? Too late, I saw that Lance had spotted me and was moving in for the kill.
"Hey, there he is. So, how'd it go," he said.
"Nothing I couldn't handle, though I thought that I had put those days behind me, " I smiled back.
Justin looked like he wanted to say something, but JC cut him off. "I can't thank you enough," he said, grabbing my hand and pumping it a few times. "I don't know how we would have got out without you."
"Well, y'all could've handled it easier if everybody had been there," I said, giving Justin a mock serious look. "As it was, you had to settle for a simple, brilliant plan from a has-been actor."
Justin got an odd look, and again moved to speak, but Chris cut him off. "Brains and acting ability...sounds like someone I want to get to know. Let's get out of here, I'm starving."
He was joined by a chorus of agreement from the others.
I laughed. "Whoa, looks like you fellows are hungry. We better get outa here."
Justin finally found his voice. "Where we gonna go?"
"Pizza!!!" Joey squealed, making me bust up even harder. These guys were so hyper it wasn't even funny, and this was after a nightmare fan session.
"Chinese!" JC yelped.
The other three added various other cuisines, and small arguments were breaking out about which one of the foods caused a certain member the most gastric problems. I was hysterical.
We settled on a quiet diner I knew of that, considering the fact that the regular clientele cared for none of either their music or my work, would give us a chance to act at least somewhat normal.
Dinner ended up being rather uneventful, except for the fact that the guys kept me rolling the whole time. They acted like a group of four-year-olds let loose in a toy store. Chris was what my mother would call a live wire, but the others were just as bad. I laughed so hard that my cheeseburger and soda almost came back up a few times. Everything was going so well until I happened to look over at Justin and catch him staring directly at me. His head immediately whipped around, and he acted as if he had been reaching for a fry.
Damn. Why'd he have to go and do that?
I tried to ignore the incident and answer the guys' questions about what college was like and if I kept in touch with any of my former co-stars (Joey seemed kind of hung up on my "little sister," played by Pam Ross). I usually dread this kind of questioning, but it seemed natural with these people. I, in turn, asked them about touring and the MMC. I let them know that I had actually wanted to try out, and JC and Justin thought that was hilarious.
Lance was the one who had to bring up The Question. "So, Dean, why'd you quit acting?"
I sighed. "I really wanted to move on with my life. The show was fun, but it was beginning to get boring. I don't work well when I'm not interested."
"But, why not act some more? I saw you in that movie you did about the autistic kid. You were really good."
I fake-smiled. "Thanks. It just didn't appeal to me. I'm happy where I am now. I really don't want to talk about it." I am a horrible liar, but, in addition, I was beginning to get a little upset. The other guys sensed this, and I saw Chris and JC tense up.
"But, surely you got offered something? How could you just quit something you like to do?"
Now, I was mad. "I'm sorry, and I know that we just met, but how the hell do you know what I can or cannot do? What makes you think that you know me? How could you think that I would want to put myself through something as horrible as that again?" I was sitting on the top of my chair, yelling.
I became aware of the fact that Joey had put his hand on my arm, and of the fact that every eye in the place was now glued on me.
Lance was flushed. "I didn't know it was such a problem. You're right, I don't know you, but it would seem like it would take something pretty horrible to just pack it in like that. It seems like it would take a lot more to make me quit."
I was fighting the urge to hit him and cry at the same time. I quickly got up out of my seat, throwing some money on the table. "It was nice to meet you guys. Sorry, but I have to be somewhere."
I got up and rushed out. I could hear Justin calling to me to come back, but as I exited the building, it was hard to hear over my building sobs.
I walked awhile, crying softly, until I realized that I would have to catch a cab, as I had driven over here with the guys, and the buses had stopped running earlier. I was all the way across town, and I was miserable. I sat down on the curb, and just rocked myself. Damn Lance. Damn them all. Just when I thought I had found some people who could see me for more than a character, I was proved wrong again. On top of all of it, he just had to reopen the memories of that horrible night before I decided to leave the show. Damn them all.
"Dean?"
It was Justin. I didn't want to talk to him, or even look at him, so I kept rocking with my face buried in my knees.
"Lance is really sorry. He didn't mean to get so mad. Why don't you come back with me?"
I shook my head, trying not to let him know I was crying.
I felt his hand on my back. It was like electricity, calming me to my very core.
"What's wrong? There's more to this than just what Lance said."
I nodded, stifling a wail. His arm moved to my shoulder, and he cradled my head. God, I felt so safe.
"Tell me, please."
I looked up at him. His face showed true concern. I sniffled a few times, and tried to wipe the tears off my face. I needed to talk.
Well, that's it. This is my first story, and I hope that everyone liked it. I've basically introduced everyone in the story except for Pam (the girl Joey has a crush on) and my family, and they'll come later. I'm sorry if you think it's moving too slowly, but I want to develop these characters first. People, then sex (and believe me, there will be sex).
The next installment may take a while, because I have finals, but it'll be out as soon as I can get to it.
I have a few ideas for where this is going to go, but your comments are always welcome at dean_archer@hotmail.com. Be sure to put Fallen Star in the subject, and don't send any flames, cause I'll just stop writing.
DA