Well, here we are again with another installment of Losing Control! MJ and I are having a blast writing this story and it's good to know that you readers out there are enjoying it just as much! Anyway, I'm gonna keep this short because I know that you want to get to the story. So, read the disclaimer and get right to it!
Disclaimer:
Yes! I DO own them! I use them around the house for decoration, menial chores and manual labor (except for Lance who is chained to Gabriella's bed, Chris who is filling in for Kat's foot stool, and Kevin who is Neto's new house boy)! If you want to know their actual sexualities...GET OVER IT! It's none of our damn business!
Do not read this if:
- You are too young to be doing so. 2) It is illegal to read this type of material in your area. 3) You are offended by homosexual material and/or situations.
If none of the above applies to you, continue reading and enjoy the show!
Losing Control: Chapter 4 (Druid)
Under the glaring Florida sun, the eight singers discussed their courses of action within their respective groups. The news given during the meeting and the behavior of their tour managers had set them all off balance and slightly shaken them. They weren't used to that type of treatment.
"Can you guys believe those two psychos?" asked Nick.
As Howie and Brian shook their heads in nervous agreement, Kevin shook his in disgust.
"God! You guys are so fucking self-centered! Didn't you listen to anything that Mat and Jared said? There is a group of girls in the hospital right now because they felt that they had to defend us! This tour is being put together so that this type of thing doesn't happen again. I don't want to tour with them any more than you do, but if this is what it takes to keep our fans safe, then I'm more than willing to go through with it!" Kevin snarled at his bandmates.
"But-" Nick started.
The older singer cut him off before he could get any further.
"Don't even start, Nick! I don't want to hear your whining and complaining right now! We are all, including AJ, going to suck it up and do what's necessary. Now, do I make myself clear?"
From the sullen nods he got from his companions, the brunette groaned inwardly. This tour was going to SUCK!
Lance was having just as much trouble getting through to his crew.
'Good lord, when did they lose their maturity? Or did they ever have any to begin with?' he thought to himself as Joey was ranting in his ear.
"I'm not going on tour with the Backdoor Boys AND those freak tour managers!"
Chris was still on his denial kick. "I don't even think those two are real tour managers! They're like...insane and shit! I am NOT staying on a bus with them!" he screeched.
After several minutes of this type of talk, the blonde bass finally snapped.
"Just shut up! Our fans are attacking other kids because they think we hate each other and all you can think about is how fucking crazy the tour managers are! What in the hell is wrong with you guys? I don't give a shit how you guys feel about this. We are going to visit those girls and then we're going to go on tour with the BSB no matter how you feel. And, JC, stop pouting about Justin! He got what he deserved!"
JC sputtered at that, totally disbelieving that Lance was being so harsh to his best friend.
"Wh-wh-what? H-how can you say that? They were totally out of line," he finished in a near whisper.
"Oh please, Jace. He always acts like a spoiled little brat when he doesn't get what he wants and someone finally didn't take it from him. It's about damn time he learned that he isn't the be all and end all of everything. Let him take his lumps like the adult he is and stay out of it."
JC's face just drained of color at Lance's words and he looked like he might be sick. The guys had worried for some time that the friendship between JC and Justin wasn't the most healthy, but until now, no one had had the guts to say anything to either of them. Lance had apparently decided that enough was enough.
Turning away from his nauseated band mate, he continued on.
"Alright, right now, I'm going to go and talk with Kevin so we can discuss the trip to the hospital. Y'all take the limo back home and I'll call you after I get back. I expect all of you to be home when that call comes and believe me, I have no qualms about turning you over to Jared and Mat if you're not."
Without so much as a goodbye, he turned on his heels and walked away, leaving the three stunned men gaping on the sidewalk like idiots.
Pulling his thoughts away from their downward spiral, Kevin glanced up to see his blonde counterpart striding purposefully toward them. Seeing the bristling of his friends, he stepped away to meet the other man. As the two reached each other, both maintained eye contact. Neither was willing to be the first to look away.
"Alright, can we just say that we both have big ones and get passed the macho posturing bullshit?" Kevin asked with a smirk.
Allowing a small smile to play over his lips, Lance nodded his head.
"As long as we don't have to whip 'em out in public, I'm all for it."
The two of them were fighting the urge to laugh as their stances relaxed. Both were surprised at the other's humor and were appreciative of the attempt at friendliness. Lance decided that now was as good a time as any to get the proverbial ball rolling.
"Okay, I think we can both agree that both groups need to be at that hospital to show those kids that we don't hate each other. I suggest that you and I go and grab some breakfast and talk over how we're going to work this out so there's no bloodshed."
Nodding, Kevin answered with, "I think that's a good idea 'cause right now, they're probably plotting death and that's not something we need the kids to see. So let me just let the rest of my group know what's going on so they don't think you've kidnapped me."
"Sure, I'll just wait here while you do your thing."
Smiling his understanding, Kevin walked back to his group. After much arguing and cursing, he managed to manhandle them into the waiting limo with a promise to call them after his meeting with Lance. Once he could no longer see the vehicle, he heaved a sigh of relief. The children were finally out of his hair.
Twenty minutes later, Kevin and Lance had been seated at an out of the way diner. Neither of them was quite sure how to begin or even really how to act. Consequently, they were studying their menus like there was going to be a test later on. They were so engrossed in the selection that the waitress had to clear her throat four times before they even realized she was there. Both flushing with embarrassment, they quickly gave the annoyed woman their orders. Their faces flashed with a moment of panic as the menus were whisked away, but were almost immediately smoothed over. Deciding to end the torture, Kevin gently cleared his throat.
"So, do you have any ideas about how we should do things tomorrow?" he asked.
Taking a drink from his water before answering, Lance nodded his head, "Yeah, I have one. Since those girls got in this fight because they thought that our rivalry needed defending, I think that we should allow them to meet both groups together, maybe in the hospital's conference room. We'll let them ask some questions and generally show them that we can get along with each other. Then we should pair up one member from each group with one of the other and visit the other kids in the hospital."
Kevin snorted at that, "Oh, that's gonna be a whole lot of fun. I see what you're getting at though. In one respect, it will allow those girls to see that the members of the other boyband are nice people and it will also let them see that we can be friendly toward each other. That last is going to be the problem though. I'm not sure if we can keep them throwing down right there on the hospital room floor."
"I know what you mean," Lance groaned while rubbing his forehead, "they're gonna throw a fit when they find out about this, but it will get us some good exposure and also maybe cheer up some of those kids."
At this point, the waitress returned with their orders and the two halted the conversation to eat. They both jumped at the chance to stop talking and focused their attention solely on their food. However, all to quickly, the last bits of breakfast were scraped from the plates and there was no choice but to continue their talk.
"Okay," Kevin began, "I say that we just tell our guys that we're going to see the girls and leave out that both groups are going to be there at the same time. I know that my guys will respect the hospital's rules regarding noise and decorum after what happened with Brian. That will eliminate any hostility from my corner."
Lance looked confused, "What do you mean after what happened with Br...ooohhh! His heart surgery. I see what you mean. How's he doing now, by the way? If you don't mind me asking." He finished timidly.
Surprised by the small show of concern, Kevin stammered out his response. "H-he's fine now. Th-thank you for asking," he answered in a soft voice.
None of the Nsync guys had ever shown any interest in his cousin's health problems. That single question gave Kevin just the slightest hope that this tour might just end up being a good thing.
"Kevin, are you all right?"
Shaking himself from his inner musings, he nodded his head to show that he was fine.
"Yeah, I was just thinking. Sorry about that."
Waving away the apology, the blonde intimated that he understood.
"Don't worry about it, man. I do that myself sometimes. Now, as to the hospital situation, I think that you have the right idea...
-2:30 the next afternoon-
Kevin and Lance had decided that the groups should arrive a half hour early so that they could get the situation under control before the girls were brought in. It turned out to be a prudent course of action because the tension in that conference room was palpable. The other eight guys were acting quite cold towards each other and that was obviously not acceptable. The two basses cut off the behavior by explaining that they might not like each other, but they better damn well act like it until they were back at home. After a lot of bitching and moaning, a temporary cease-fire was agreed upon. Admitting that this was necessary, they all pasted their fake photo-op smiles on and waited for the girls to arrive.
After a few minutes, a soft knock was heard as the door to the conference was opened. A doctor in her standard white lab coat held the door open as four girls were wheeled into the room followed by an obviously younger girl.
She smiled at the singers before walking over to Kevin and Lance to introduce herself.
Holding out her hand, she addressed the two with a smile, "Hello Mr. Bass, Mr. Richardson. I'm Dr. Malina and I'd like to thank you for coming over today to visit our younger patients."
The two stepped forward and greeted her, saying that there was no need for the formality. They were simply Lance and Kevin. She smiled her understanding before leading them over to the excited girls.
"Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to Angelica, Julie, Erika, Nina and her sister Amanda," she said, pointing to each girl as she said their name. It was actually pretty funny because each blushed when attention was brought to them.
After the doctor's introductions, the singers mingled with the girls. For about thirty minutes, the five females got to talk to the objects of their obsessions and they all looked like they were about to piss themselves with excitement.
However, as with all good things, this too had to come to an end. Saying their sad goodbyes, the girls promised that they would never believe the rumors about the bands' rivalry again. The guys thanked them and promised them signed cd's and concert tickets. The girls squealed when they heard that and thanked the men profusely. Finally, though, it was time for the guys to visit the other patients. Dr. Malina escorted them to the children's ward and they were greeted with a lot of excitement.
The guys paired up: Brian and JC, Howie and Justin, Kevin and Lance, AJ and Joey, and finally, Chris and Nick. They visited with the children, enjoying the smiles that their appearance had garnered. The children were happy that such famous people had taken the time to come and see them as some of them got very few visitors. Seeing how happy they were making these kids, the fake smiles that the singers had arrived with soon changed to real ones. Right now, there were more important things than their mutual animosity and they embraced them.
Well, I hope that you liked the latest installment of Losing Control. I know that I liked writing it! :) Anyway, MJ and I would like to thank those readers out there who have written to us and let us know how we're doing with this story. The e-mails have been much appreciated!
NEXT CHAPTER: Written by the lovely MJ
Questions or comments:
E-mail us at druid_mj@hotmail.com
Luv ya,
MJ and Druid