NSYNC and the House of Dark Challenges By Mega-Nick Copyright 2000 Ok this is my first attempt at a slash story. You guys be kind or I'll hunt you and haunt you and hound you until hell freezes over!
The obligatory disclaimer: I have no clue as to the sexual preferences of anybody in this story. This is fiction and if you don't believe it, get a life! If you are underage according to the community standards of where you live then you shouldn't be at the Nifty Archives at all, and you certainly shouldn't be reading this story. The author takes no responsibility for the actions of the irresponsible.
Dedication: this first part of the story is dedicated to my good friend and inspiration, Jay aka Superjoey.
Acknowledgements: special thanks to Schuyler, CJ, Rachel, Karen, Josh, Kyle, Little Jon, DLS, Dark Seraphim, Kat, Superchris, Jay Cee, Jeff, Em, Eric and all the guys at Boy Band Chat for their warm welcome and wonderful friendships and kindnesses. All comments and quality constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated.
Who knows? If you're real sweet you might make a friend for life! You can reach me at mega_nick@hotmail.com Part One: Nick's Mom's House Thursday afternoon: 4:00 PM Storm Warning
It began simply enough. Lance and Joey arrived at Nick's mom's house only three hours late, as usual. Somehow Lance and late seemed to be inter-changeable words. He wasn't late out of meanness or from irresponsibility, he just always showed up late. Justin would arrive at nine this evening. J.C. was already there and Chris would be in tomorrow morning early. Nick sent them all emails the previous week and swore them all to secrecy. Each of the members of the band were on vacation and the idea Nick proposed to them seemed more than just a little entertaining. Three days in a genuine haunted house was sort of a lark, or so they all thought...
Nick's mother welcomed the young men into her home with her usual air of mildly irritated indifference. Donna had two daughters and only one son, her youngest, Nick. He was what is called in the entertainment industry a journeyman actor-well known and respected, but neither world famous nor a super star like his friends. Lance knew the drill well and took no offense from Nick's mother, but he referred to her as "that woman" like most people.
Lance threw himself at Nick and smiled as he embraced him.
"Hey Skinny boi where's that cute little Jay of yours?" Lance asked.
"Jay's upstairs playing Dungeons and Dragons with the tiger and Andy and Kyle and JC. " Nick said, as he tried not to look Joey directly in the eye.
Ever since Joey and JC split up any reference to Kyle made Joey wince and Nick and the others all knew it. Time passed and things were better, but it was still a touchy subject even at the best of times. This time Joey seemed to take the revelation that JC was with Kyle in stride and didn't even flinch. He said he was hungry over his shoulder and walked off to raid the fridge.
Lance looked at the retreating back of his good friend and shook his head. Then grabbed Nick around the neck and pulled him down onto the couch.
"Ok Skinny, spill it. Are Tiger and Andy a thing now?"
"Seems like it's working in that direction. I just wish Andy wouldn't be so rough with him. You know how the tiger is with his lung problems and all."
"Yeah. I know. Ok, so tell me about this adventure you got planned for us. Why all the secrecy?"
"Look Lance, I want to wait until everybody is here, and then I will tell you everything. I got a letter from a guy who used to date my sister Em. This is on the level. It's a real haunted house, and we are going to spend the whole, three-day weekend there. " Nick smiled. He liked Lance and at one time held strong feelings for him. That all ended the previous fall when he'd first met Jay. Jay wasn't rich or famous. He was just a boy from Chicago who happened to be one of the most talented writers Nick ever read.
If Nick was a shrimp, then Jay was just downright little, but to Nick's mind, Jay was the most perfect boi he'd ever met.
One night last fall, Nick sat naked in his room in Dallas, crying his eyes out from sheer loneliness. He slumped in his chair and flipped on the monitor to his computer. He punched up the Internet connection and read the news and his horoscope. Then on an impulse he decided to go read some stories at the Nifty Archives. If he had to be lonely at least he could take his mind off of it by reading stories about people he really knew by people who didn't know them at all, and he always got a laugh or two out of some of the outrageous things that the slash writers dreamed up. He paid particular attention to the NSYNC stories because he was a good friend with all the guys in the group and it was always a hoot about what the slashers thought the guys were like, which often as not was so far from the truth, that he would giggle intensely. He came across a story called "When You Wish Upon a Star" by some guy who called himself Superjoey. He read the story and to his amazement found it quite good. Not just as good slash, but systemically good. The writer had no idea of what the real Joey was like, but it didn't matter, the story was interesting and fun to read.
Nick finished the story and went to look for more, and came across the Nifty news html. He thought, I've never seen this before, so he punched up the page and there was an interview of the writer of the story he'd just read. Nick read the interview, and thought to himself, hey this guy is really interesting. He noticed that on the page was a chat room. Still bored and lonely he decided to do something very much counter to the security clauses in his contract about not going into chat rooms on the Net.
He picked out a nickname for himself and made up a password and entered the chat. And there he was, the writer Superjoey. Nick spoke to him in the room and quickly found out the boy's name was Jay. The rest was history. That was how Nick and Jay first met. They lived together now. Jay traveled with Nick whenever Nick had to work, Nick did the same for Jay.
It hadn't been easy for them. They fought along the way to becoming lovers. Jay lived in Chicago and Nick lived in Dallas and at first it was hard just to meet, then to see each other for a day or two, and then one day, one very good and very bad day...
"Hey Skinny? Are you ok?" Joey said as he came back into the room bearing a plateful of sandwiches and a bag of cool ranch Doritos. Nick blinked his eyes and saw that Lance stared at him like he'd just turned green or something.
"Sorry guys, I was just thinking. I wander in and out like that sometimes ya know. Hey don't look at me like I just died. I was just thinking about Jay and how he and I first met."
Joey started laughing so hard he spit his bite of sandwich out, which promptly flew right into Lance's left eye.
"Oh you mean that story the little wolf cub wrote about him and I changing bodies? God, Nick when you showed me that story, at first I laughed my ass off, and then couldn't believe anybody would care enough about me to write a story like that. It was sweet of Jay to write that." Joey said and then plopped down on the couch on the other side of Nick from Lance.
Lance sat there with a grimace on his face, and wiped the sandwich bite out of his eye. He looked at Joey, who seemed singularly unremorseful about his manners. Lance started to say something and then decided against it. Joey was hopeless about some things. He did catch Nick looking at him in a kind of awe for his self-restraint. Lance thought to himself, well dangit somebody around here has to be in charge and it always seems to fall on me to be peacekeeper, and Mr. Responsibility, which is why I can get away with being late if I want.
Upstairs in the game room across the hall from Nick's room the Dungeons and Dragons gamers just finished their session. Kyle had to catch a plane out of DFW International back to California that evening and the tiger and Andy had promised to take him to the airport. Kyle and JC embraced and said their goodbyes. Kyle hated leaving JC, but he had a meeting at work the next day that he just couldn't miss. The younger boys grabbed Kyle's bags and the foursome headed downstairs. JC had already decided not to go to the airport with them. He'd be seeing Kyle at home early next week anyway.
Downstairs in the living room, the tiger saw Joey and Lance had arrived and he threw himself at them. He told them how happy he was to see them and that he and Andy would be back later that evening. Andy, the tiger, and Kyle said goodbye and left for the airport, with Andy hoping that traffic wouldn't be too bad.
JC looked at his friends and decided it was ok to be nice to Joey. He choose a spot on the floor next to where Joey sat on the couch and leaned up against him. Nick's jaw just about hit the floor, but he said nothing. He wondered if there was something still between Joey and JC that might be salvaged. Joey just smiled his secret little smile, and said nothing.
Lance picked up the remote for the entertainment center and turned on the early news. The weather was on and Lance was about to switch channels when the squawk of the severe weather alert came on. He looked at Nick and everybody paid attention to Dave Finfrock of the Channel Five weather alert.
"A category five tornado is on the ground and moving in a north-easterly direction across the central part of the Metroplex. Severe thunderstorm warnings are in effect for the following counties: Navarro, Kaufman, Tarrant, Dallas, Denton, Sherman, Denison, Rockwall, Rowlet, and Collin. Persons in these counties are advised to take shelter immediately. These storm cells are extremely dangerous and intensifying. With rainfall beginning in the western half of Tarrant county and Fort Worth intensifying to seven inches per hour. Ladies and Gentlemen, these storms are extremely dangerous. The dew points are up to 72, and large hail and damaging winds are expected throughout the evening hours and late into tomorrow morning. The winds of the out-flow boundary in the western half of Fort Worth are rising to near hurricane force at 68 miles per hour. Wall clouds are associated with these storms and more tornados are expected to touch down. We could be faced with a major tornadic outbreak. The cloud-tops of the these storms are topping out above 50,000 feet into the stratosphere. Stay tuned to Channel 5 News for further developments. This is David Finfrock in the Channel 5 severe weather emergency station. Channel 5 will keep you updated with up-to-the-minute reports as these storms develop across the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and surrounding areas."
"That doesn't sound good." Lance said with just a hint of a quaver in his voice.
"I hope Kyle and the boys will be ok on their way to the airport." JC spoke with worry in the sound of his voice.
"Nick? Where are we in relation to those storms?" Joey asked.
"We are on the far north side of Dallas County off to the east. It will be at least an hour and a half to two hours before those storms hit here, but we are right in the middle of the path of the storms. Don't worry about the tiger and the guys. The tiger is a pilot you know and he has flown emergency air rescue missions for NOAA, and FEMA. He knows how to handle himself in these kinds of storms. I'm more worried about Justin's flight coming in later this evening. He's going to be flying right into the teeth of this thing, and maybe Chris tomorrow morning too." Nick said.
Jay came downstairs. He looked at the worried looks on the faces of his friends and squished himself in between Joey and Nick.
"What's wrong Nick? You guys all look like you'd just seen a ghost."
"Bad storms coming in Cubby. There's already a giant tornado on the ground in south central Fort Worth and the storms are heading right for us."
"Eeek!" Jay exclaimed.
"My feelings exactly Cubby." Lance said. "I've never been in a tornado before. This sucks!"