No strings attached, written by Lulupower
Legal disclaimer: This story involves homosexual topics, so if you're not 18 or if you're offended by that, please leave now. Also, this is a work of fiction, and I'm not implying anything about the sexuality of any of the celebrities mentionned below.
Author's note: Hi y'all! Here is chapter 11. Hope you'll enjoy it! I'll try to put a little more action in it, since you've been asking for it. If you have any ideas, comments, questions, whatever, drop me a line at lulupower@hotmail.com okay? I'd like to thank everyone that has written to me since the beginning, especially Neal, who's been the greatest fan of all :)
Another thing: I used the lyrics of 'All the way' from the new Celine Dion's album, all the way. I'm not in the mood to be called by an angry David Foster saying that I used his song without permission. (Which I did, in fact...) If you haven't already, go read these:
- Brian and me - Studio in the country - Brian and Justin - Because I love you - My suprise romance - Fixing the Backstreet boys - Open arms
Now, on with the story!
CHAPTER ELEVEN
JC stared at Lance. Lance laughed nervously. "Aren't you going to say something?" he asked softly. "Are you serious?" JC asked. "Yeah, of course I am. We've been living together for a while now, except we've been with your family. You could move in with me, and we'd live together...It would be great!" Lance said. "Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go!! JC said with a smile. "You mean it's a yes?" Lance asked. "Of course it's a yes!" JC said. Lance smiled broadly and threw his arms around JC. "It's gonna be great, I promise you won't regret it." Lance said. "I've never regretted anything about us, and I'm not about to start either." JC said, wrapping his arms around Lance. "One thing though. I'm not moving with you now." JC said. "Why?" Lance asked sadly. "Well...My parents don't even know you're leaving yet, and I have to tell them and leave them time to get used to the idea." JC said. Lance sighed heavily. "Okay, I'll wait. But you have to promise me you'll come." Lance said. "I promise." JC said with a smile. Lance smiled too. "I love you Josh." Lance said softly. "I love you too Scoop." JC said before kissing Lance softly on the lips. "Now, let's finish packing up my things so I can move as soon as possible. The tour starts back in a week, so I'd like to be settled before we leave." Lance said, releasing JC. JC sighed. "I don't want to go back on tour. I'm so tired of all this..." JC said, sitting on the bed. "I know it's hard and tiring, but don't you love it when we're on stage with all those screaming fans in front of us?" Lance asked. JC looked at him with tears in his beautiful eyes. "Not anymore...When we stopped touring, I was tired and I couldn't stand the thought of having to come back to this kind of life. But I kept telling myself that I was just tired, that I would rest during our break and that everything would be better when we'd start back. But it's not better! We're leaving next tuesday, and I don't wanna go back. I want to stay here with you and..." JC stopped, crying too hard to continue. Lance hugged him. He couldn't believe it. What was up with JC? "Shhhh JC...Just take a nap now, and we'll talk about this after dinner. Okay?" Lance asked. "Okay. Will you sing me to sleep?" JC asked, wiping his eyes. "Yeah, sure..." Lance said. He cleared his throat and started to sing softly in JC's ear.
When somebody loves you It's no good unless he loves you all the way Happy to be near you When you need someone to cheer you all the way
Taller than the tallest tree is That's how it's got to feel Deeper than the deep blue sea is That's how deep it goes - if it's real
When somebody needs you It's no good unless he needs you all the way Through the good or lean years And for all the in-between years - come what may
Who knows where the road will lead us Only a fool would say But if you let me love you It's for sure I'm gonna love you all the way
When Lance looked up, JC was asleep. Lance sighed and went to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and looked for a drink. He grabbed a bottle of apple juice and poured himself some, then he put the bottle back in the fridge. He leaned against the counter and sighed again. Then the front door opened. "Is anybody home?" Karen yelled. Lance stuck his head in the kitchen door. "Yeah, we're here. JC's sleeping in his room." Lance said with a smile. Karen put down his bags and hugged Lance. "How was your date yesterday?" Karen asked, while Ray and the kids went to unload the car. Funny how it takes more stuff for a two-days trip than for a month-long one..."We didn't go on a 'date', we just went clubbing with the other guys." Lance answered. "Oh! And what did you do today?" she asked, pouring herself a glass of water. "We went to look for an appartment. And I found one. I'm moving on monday." Lance said. "Okay. And when is JC moving?" Karen asked. Lance raised his brows. "How did you know he was going to move in with me?" Lance asked, surprised. "Well...Moms know these things...Seriously, I kinda figured it out. You two are always together. It was just inevitable. My big boy is leaving me already..." Karen said, faking tears. Lance smiled. "Yeah. I don't think he'll be leaving on monday with me though. He'll probably wait for us to have another tour break..." Lance said, frowning. He was still trying to figure out why JC was being so depressed about going back to tour. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a little packing left to do, so I'm gonna finish that, okay?" Lance said with a weak smile. "You look tired honey. Yous hould get some sleep." Karen said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I will do that. Thanks Karen." Lance said. "For being like a mom to me." Lance said, walking to JC's bedroom. Karen smiled sadly. She was going to miss him. Lance went to JC's bedroom and laid down on the bed beside JC. He softly stroke JC's arm and kissed his neck. "JC, baby, wake up..." he whispered. JC stirred and opened his eyes. He looked at Lance and smiled. "Hi there Scoopy!" JC said with a smile. Lance raised his brows. "Scoopy? Where did that come from?" he asked. "I don't know. It's cute though." JC said, laughing. "Yeah, right. Don't you dare calling me scoopy in front of other people..." Lance warned him with a smile. "Okay, I won't." JC said. "I'm glad to see that you're in a better mood than you were a little while ago. Do you want to talk about it?" Lance asked. "Well...I've been doing a lot of thinking. You know, I love music. I couldn't live without it. But lately, singing has been more of a job to me. Something I have to do. I can't stand those screaming girls in front of us anymore. And...I think I want to take a break from N'sync." JC said, looking at the floor. "Did you talk about it with somebody else than me?" Lance asked softly. JC snatched his head in Lance's direction. "What? You're not screaming at me or anything?" JC asked, shocked. "No, why would I do that?" Lance asked. "Because everyone is supposed to think I'm insane." JC said, sitting, his gaze going back to the floor. "Listen Josh, if you're so tired of touring that you'll have a nervous breakdown or something, you'd better stay home. I don't want you to be sick." Lance said soothingly, his hand caressing the little of JC's back. "Yeah...But management is not going to be happy, and the guys either, not to mention the fans...I'm dissapointing everyone if I leave for a few weeks. But if I don't, I might just break down and leave everything forever." JC said, resting his head on Lance's shoulder. "I understand. If someone doesn't want you to leave, I'll talk to him, trust me. I don't want you to be sick JC. I don't want you to feel like you have to stay and feel the pressure and all. Okay? I'll support you." Lance said. "Thanks James. I really appreciate it." JC said with a small smile. "Anytime man." Lance said, kissing JC's forehead. They got up and finished packing Lance's stuff. Then, with Ray's help, they packed up Lance and JC's cars and went to Lance's new appartment to put it there.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Lance and JC were sitting on their new couch, in their new living room. The room smelled fresh paint. There was no dust yet on the new TV. From their point of view, you could see the new table set and, in the slightly opened door of the bedroom, the huge bed that they had just gotten. It was Friday. On monday, they had moved a couple of JC's things ( two chairs, his stereo, a lamp and two nightstands ), then on Tuesday they had shopped for the bed, the table, an oven, a dishwasher, a washing machine and a dryer and had moved it in. On Wednesday they had bought the TV and chosen the colors of the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom and the living room. On tuesday they had painted these rooms, chosen the colors of the dining room and had gone grocery shopping. And that day, they had painted the dining room. They had done all that with the other guys, and Ray and Karen's help during the day, and on the evenings, the four kids had helped them. It had been a crazy week. They had slept about five hours per night. They were exhausted, but they were proud of themselves. All they needed to do now was rest before the tour started back on Saturday. JC had talked to the other guys, mostly while they were painting. They had all agreed that it was best for JC's sake if he stayed home for a little while. Then JC had called management. There had been yells, and tears, and sighs, and finally JC was told that he had to go on tour. He had no choice. Thinking about that, JC grabbed Lance's hand and squeezed it. "Thinking about the tour, uh?" Lance asked. JC nodded and closed his eyes, allowing a few tears to fall. Lance put his arm around his neck and pulled him closer. "It will be okay. I promise." Lance said soothingly. "At least we'll be together..." JC said, wiping his tears. He got up and grabbed a kleenex from the counter in the kitchen. Lance got up too and followed him in the kitchen. "Are you staying over tonight?" Lance asked. "Hmm, no offense Lance, I'd really like to but it's the last night I can spend at home with my family..." JC said hesitantly. Lance smiled. "It's okay Josh. I understand." he said. JC smiled weakly. "Thanks baby." JC said, then he went to the living room and grabbed his coat. Lance followed him again and, when JC had his coat on, he wrapped his arms around his lover. "I love you James." JC whispered. "I love you too. Sleep tight." Lance said, then he leaned over and kissed JC. They parted, and JC smiled. "Goodnight." he said, then he left. Lance closed the door behind him and sighed. He looked around and felt very alone. He went to the window and looked at JC stepping in his car and driving away. Lance sighed again and moved away from the window with a shiver. What was wrong with the damn temperature? It was summer and it was freezing cold outside. Lance went to his room and looked at the clock. 8:30 pm. He sighed, for the 3rd time in a few seconds, then he went back to the living room and turned on the TV. He flipped through the channels but there was nothing interresting on. He turned the TV off. This silence was killing him. He grabbed the phone and dialed his sister's cell phone number. "The cell phone you're trying to call is currently turned off. Please call back later." an unpleasant female voice said. Lance tried Ford's number. Same thing. "They must be in bed then." Lance said to himself. He hung up the phone and got up. He turned on JC's stereo and put on a cd. He looked at his cd's but there was nothing he felt like listening, so he turned the stereo off and decided that he'd take a shower. He went to the bathroom and closed the door, the opened it. He was alone after all. He stripped, turned the shower on and stepped in. The flow of hot water cascading down his body felt great. He grabbed the soap and roamed his hands all over his body, then he rinsed the soap off, and turned off the shower. He stepped out and grabbed a towel, then he looked at his watch on the counter: He had been in the shower for only fifteen minutes. Lance sighed again. "God, I wish JC was here..." Lance whispered. He wrapped the towel around his hips and walked slowly to his bedroom. He opened the door, and on the bed, sleeping peacefully was JC. Lance frowned and went beside him. "JC...Josh, wake up..." Lance said, softly shaking him. JC stirred and opened his eyes. He smiled when he saw Lance. "Hey...Hope you don't mind...You were in the shower and I kinda fell asleep..." JC said, rubbung his eyes while he sat up. "No, of course I don't mind. I was actually wishing you'd come. But...weren't you supposed to sleep at home tonight?" Lance asked, putting on some boxers. "Well...I realised it was the first night I'd sleep without you since we got together. And...I also realised that this was my home now." JC said, motionning to the appartment. "So I brought my stuff. Is it okay with you?" JC asked softly. "Sure, it's okay with me, I mean it's our place, you can move in whenever you want." Lance said with a smile, then he pulled JC by the arms so he was standing, and he wrapped his arms around him. "I'm glad you're here Josh. I was feeling so lonely, you couldn't imagine how. This place is way too big for only one person." Lance said, sighing. JC hugged him back and kissed his forehead. "I'm here now." JC said simply. "I'm glad you are..." Lance said, releasing him, and walking to the side of his bed to set the alarm clock. "Sorry Josh but I'm going to bed, I'm dead tired. And we have to get up really early tomorrow." Lance said, slipping under the covers. "Kay, let me get my teeth brushed and I'll join you right after." JC said, leaving. When he came back, a few minutes later, Lance was sound asleep. JC smiled and joined him under the sheets, placing his head on Lance's chest. Soon enough, he was asleep too. The next morning, JC awoke to the unpleasant sound of the alarm clock buzzing, then the even more unpleasant sound of Lance's hand slapping it shut. " 'Morning Josh." Lance said softly. " Yeah, 'morning." JC said grumpily. "Man, aren't we happy this morning." Lance said, smiling. "May I remind you that we're going back on tour today?" JC snapped at Lance. He regretted it immediately, but he didn't show it. Lance sighed and got up. "Okay, you shower first, I'll get breakfast ready." Lance said, starting to be in a bad mood too. "Okay." JC said simply, then he got up too. And the mood was like that all morning, while they packed their stuff. They kept snapping at each other and when they joined the other guys, they were the only grumpy ones. Justin was holing Fatima's hand and they were so cheezy it was sickening. Chris was always cracking jokes with Joey and after a few seconds, JC was ready to kill them all. The second they got settled on the bus and were all sitting in the 'living room', JC exploded. "Will you guys just shut the fuck up?? Stop the cheezy stuff Justin and Fatima, and Chris, your jokes are far from funny. And Joey, dammit, stop that fucking music my head will explode." he yelled. The others stared at him in awe. Chris was the first to speak. "JC, calm down...We know you don't want to be here right now, but try to calm down, okay? Why don't you try to rest a little?" he suggested. "I know, I'm sorry...I'll just lay down in my bink for a while." JC said, close to tears. "I'll come with you, if you don't mind." Lance said softly. "No, I don't mind." JC said, walking out of the room. Lance followed him and laid down beside him in the bunk. "What's wrong Josh?" Lance asked softly after a while. "You know what's wrong." JC said. "Listen Josh, if you start the tour thinking you won't like it, then you won't like it. Why don't you try to be a little more positive?" Lance suggested. "I know I should be. I'll try to be." JC said, closing his eyes. "I'll let you sleep, okay?" Lance said, starting to roll off the bunk. "Wait, could you stay with me?" JC pleaded with puppy eyes. "Yeah, sure..." Lance said with a small smile, laying back on the bed. "It sure hasn't been a great start for this tour..." JC said sadly. "I'm sure it'll get all better." Lance said. "I hope so..." JC said, closing his eyes again, and soon he drifted off to sleep.
TO BE CONTINUED
There ya go folks! Don't forget to e-mail me with comments, questions, ideas, anything -> lulupower@hotmail.com 'til next chapter, BYE BYE BYE!!