Disclaimer: This story is purely fictitious, none of the events portrayed are real, nor is the manor in which they are portrayed real. I don't know about the sexuality of any member of 'NSync
Warning: m/m happenings, go away if you don't like it :)
Thanks: Mike, Tommie, Fuzz, DLS, thank you for your advise, time, and for answering all my questions. You rule :)
Notes: This is my first story, please let me know what you think! :) msjingles@angelfire.com
======================== Superman Can't Fly by Dayse ========================
Joey Fatone spun and fell hard onto his knees causing pain to shoot up into his legs like a hard blow driven by a two by four. His jaw rattled and he cursed as the music was abruptly cut off.
"Whoa!" A hand grabbed his and pulled him to his feet and he glanced up with a mix of embarrassment and gratitude to his friend.
Lance smiled, "That looked pretty harsh. You okay?"
"Yeah," Joey mumbled. "But I have no idea why I'm being such a klutz today. Fuck, that must of been the third set I ruined."
"Four, but who's counting?" Chris smiled to show that he was joking and held up his hands in surrender at Joey's look. "Hey, relax man, we're all tired. I'm just ribbing you."
Knowing that his frustration was directed to himself and no one else, Joey quickly nodded and rubbed at his knees. "I - I guess I'm having an off day."
Justin scratched his head and smirked, "It wouldn't have anything to do with that babe we saw you with last night at the club, would it? You know, the one in the neon green tank top?"
A smile twitched Joey's face, "I have no idea what you're talkin' about."
"Bullshit!" Clearing his voice and posturing dramatically, Justin puffed out his chest and deepened his voice into his best 'Joey' impersonation. "'Hey, how you doin'? What's your name?'" He smiled and winked at an imaginary companion, then quickly jerked his head around as if watching someone else walk by. "'Actually, wait a minute...'" quickly running off he stopped again, "'Hey...how you doin'?'"
The group laughed and even Joey couldn't help but smile. "Come on, I'm not THAT bad!"
Chris made a face at Justin, "No, no one's that bad!"
More laughter and JC just shook his head. "Okay, okay. How 'bout this? We've been at this all day, why don't we call it quits and head back to the hotel. I'm pretty tired myself."
"You, you, you, it's always about you!" Chris wagged a finger which JC responded to with a waving fist.
"I don't want you to stop on my account," Joey frowned, "Come on, let's try it again, I know I can..."
"Nah," Justin quickly chimed in. "Josh is right, we're done with rehearsal. We all know this routine backwards and forewords anyway, let's just go."
Deciding to just nod and accept a good out when he saw one, Joey sighed gratefully and started to gather up his stuff along with the rest of the band, stuffing various towels and articles of clothing into his gym bag. He was just happy that the manager or co-ordinater hadn't been around this practice to watch him repeatedly screw up or else he probably would of gotten a dressing down. And just why the hell had he been making so many mistakes anyway? Despite the guy's kidding, he knew it wasn't because of any groupie he had slept with the night before, or from being tired. It was just like...like his feet decided they didn't want to go along with the music.
"Joe?" JC put a hand on his friend's shoulder and smiled reassuringly, "Really, don't let it bug ya. We all have off days." He paused, "It is a little weird though. I mean, you're one of the better ones with all these moves. You're not taking a cue from Lance or anything, are ya?"
Before Joey could answer, a protesting "Hey!" rose up from the other side of the room and he chuckled. "I sure hope not."
Lance stuck his tongue out at them both, but couldn't completely hide his smile.
Sprawled out on one end of the hotel couch and JC on the other, Joey yawned and scratched absently at his stomach. The others had retired to their respective rooms and the two 'NSync members were watching a movie together. Or rather, Joey was. JC didn't seem very interested, although how he couldn't be, Joey had no idea. After all, it was Superman! SUPERMAN! He had thought every red-blooded American boy loved Superman.
In his opinion 'Superman I' was way better then its sequel. Justin didn't know what he was talking about. And, he didn't care what Chris said, Lois Lane was a fucking FOX!
"Do we have to see this again, man? What? You got an infatuation with the man in tights or something, bro?"
Flipping JC the finger without bothering to turn away from the screen, Joey shook his head. "You don't get it. This is SUPERMAN. He can leap tall buildings in a single bound! He can fly faster then a speeding bullet. He is fucking awesome!"
"You're touched in the head, aren't you? Dropped as a child? That's why you have such an obsession with flying. And red underwear." JC reached over and snapped the elastic of Joey's boxer shorts, causing the other man to jump in surprise and glare at his smirking friend.
"Hands off the merchandise, feller."
"Whatever."
Superman had just saved the town's people from the lava before JC spoke again. "You wanna hear my super hero theory?"
Rolling his eyes, Joey chose not to answer.
"Come ooooooon," JC razzed.
Superman flew in a graceful arch through a clear blue, cloudless sky. His cape was a blood red apron of liquid material as it floated behind him.
"JOE!"
"You're gonna tell me anyway, Josh, so just tell me already!" Joey turned his head to look at him for the first time and was surprised by how much closer the other man suddenly was. "And if it's that whole Batman and Robin in the cave thing, I don't wanna know."
JC talked through his smile, showing teeth, "No. This is about the Kryptonion."
Joey paused, "Okay."
"He's not a real hero."
"What the fuck is that suppose to mean?" he demanded, self-consciously fingering the large 'S' symbol he wore around his neck. "Of course he's a hero. He saves people's lives! He's saved the friggin' world in every movie!"
JC watched Joey's fingers move and just shook his head. "Nope, sorry Joe, that doesn't make him a hero."
"And why not?" Joey said, his voice indignant at this blatant bashing of his favorite comic book star, his role model growing up.
Glad to have his friend's full attention for the first time that night, JC smiled and turned slightly on the couch so that they were facing each other. "Well, to be a real hero, you gotta do heroic things, you gotta be willing to put your life on the line for other people and not give a damn about your own. Superman's invincible, he knows that he isn't going to die, so he has nothing to lose. He's not risking his life at all."
Joey shook his head, "First off, that ain't true. Superman isn't invincible. Are we forgetting about a little thing called kryptonite? That could kill him, or at least take all his super powers away. And second of all..." Joey's voice drifted off and he got a slightly sad look on his face.
"What?" JC asked, a touch of concern in his voice. "Joey, what?" He put his hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Just because you're not in physical danger doesn't mean that you aren't risking something. Who says the worst thing that can happen to you is death?" Joey looked back at the screen where Superman had now changed back to mild-mannered Clark Kent and was clumsily going about his business as Lois gushed to him about Superman's heroics. "Superman may not put his own life in danger everytime, but Clark's always is. A secret identity, an alter-ego. The one the public knows, and the one that he is when he's by himself. After a while, he must get so confused as to which one is really him. It's not easy keeping secrets like that. 'specially from the people you care about."
As the movie credits started to roll and the theme music came on, JC gave Joey's shoulder a light squeeze. "Both of 'em are him," he said softly. "And I was wrong, Joe, you're right. I guess Superman is a hero."
Joey shrugged, "Hey, he's just a fictional character. He's not real. Just some dude a person dreamed up to make himself some money." Rising off the couch he ejected the movie from the VCR and smiled at the cover; the gleaming image of Christopher Reeve's face. "But he is pretty bitchin', huh?"
JC smiled, "Yeah, man. Real cool."
Yawning loudly, Joey stretched high above his head, causing his t-shirt to rise up and he scratched again. "Well, I'm beat. I think I'll turn in early." A chagrined look and Joey cast a bashful expression his fellow band member's way, "I promise to be more with it tomorrow."
"I know you will," JC stood as well, and hid a yawn behind his fist. "Man, I'm out of it, too, I guess I'll go to bed. 'Night, Joe."
"Good night." He paused at the door of his room. "And thanks...for, ah..." he smiled and shook his head, "for Superman."
"No problem, man. Anytime."
The next day's rehearsal went significantly better then the first, and Joey hit every move dead on. Also, his good mood seemed to spread throughout and most of the day was spent laughing and kidding around. Even the usual grumpienss that came with an eight hour practice seemed to be MIA, for which the directors were eternally grateful.
"Yo, looks like someone got his game back," Justin said, smiling and throwing an arm around Joey's shoulders. "Must of been a good night, huh?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"Come on, man. Yesterday you thought I was off because I got laid, and now you think I'm back on because of it? Whatever happened to consistency dude?"
"I know not of what you speak."
Grabbing his wrist, Joey spun the younger man around so he had him in a crude head- lock. "Yeah, I thought so." He ruffled the mass of curly blonde hair to Justin's muffled protests before quickly letting him go.
"Whew! Try some deodorant, Joe, that's a foul odor right there!" Justin laughed.
"Yeah, I got another foul odor for you, brilo head!" Joey joked slapping his ass.
Lance, who had previously been passed out on the floor, looked up and shook his head, "No one wants to see your ass, Joe!"
"15,000 screaming fans would say otherwise," Joey said.
"It's not YOU they're screaming for," Justin teased as he stuck his own ass up in the air.
Chris covered his eyes and stumbled around the room. "Oh! Put that thing away!"
From his chair at the other side of the room, the choreographer just shook his head and made a kill gesture with his hand towards the sound mixer. "Okay, guys, I can see we aren't going to get anything else done here, you're done for today. Go on out if you want, and try not to get into trouble."
A series of cheers and innocent 'who? us?' looks were exchanged around the room as they prepared to go.
JC, getting a conspiratorial look draped his black towel over his shoulders like a cape and swooped over to Joey's side. "Never fear! We'll go in our secret identities! By day I'm Joseph Fatone Jr. mild-mannered singer and dancer, but by night....I'm JOEY-MAN! Seducer of women, drinker of alcohol, smoker of illegal substances..."
"Bullshit!" Joey sputtered, hiding his blush and stealing a look at the disapproving head shake of his manager. "I do NOT. Really!"
"Do not what? Seduce, drink, or smoke?" Lance asked, his eyes wide and innocent.
Joey tsk tsked and grabbed the towel away from JC, pulling it tight around his own shoulders. "Don't make me open up a can of whoop ass on you all!"
"Oh no, JOEY-MAN is going to seduce us!" Chris cried.
"RUN!"
The band scattered as Joey chased them around the room, his black 'cape' swirling behind him.
'Black Fly' night club was already bumping with action when Chris' non-descript white van pulled into the parking lot and the band members piled out. As usual, Bruce, their security was with them but promised to keep a descreet distance at all times. They were fairly sure that they would be pretty much left alone tonight, or at least, not mobbed like they would if they went out during the day.
JC often commented on how their sudden fame had turned them into a sort of vampire - only coming out to hunt and play at night. Justin had seemed to get a kick out of the analogy, which prompted Chris to tease him about the Anne Rice novels under his bed.
"Music sounds pretty good," Joey said as they walked towards the entrance, already attracting attention just because of the fact they were such a large group. "Bloodhound Gang, right?"
"'You and me baby ain't nothing but mammals, so let's do it like they do on the discovery channel'," Chris sang as he did the hip thrusts against Joey's, causing him to laugh and push him away.
"Freak."
Inside, the club was louder and bigger then any of them had imagined with a huge stage and throbbing search lights that spanned the gleaming black dance floor.
Immediately jumping into the fray, Justin hooted and started to dance, with Chris following close behind. Lance, shying away from the floor, went for the bar where he pulled himself up onto a stool next to an attractive redhead.
"Dance?" JC asked.
"Definitely!" Grabbing him by the shoulders, Joey pushed him out onto the dance floor where they both began to jump up and down enthusiastically to the wild beat. That was one of the things Joey loved the most about clubs - no choreographers, no pre-determined dance moves - just unpracticed, bad, dancing. It was a way to look like just any other guy making an ass out of himself and hoping that it was too dark for anyone to notice.
In one simple word: fun.
"Yeah, I guess it is. But it can get a little lonely, too."
"Awwww...."
Lance blinked, shrugged, and went on. "Uh, yeah. But, hey, I've been talking all night - tell me about yourself."
"I'm a really big fan." The redhead giggled and hid her face behind her cup.
"So you've said. No, I mean...where do you come from? How old are you? What are your hobbies?"
A hand slowly trailed up the sleeve of Lance's jacket and he looked down at it with distant interest, his head tilted slightly to one side. He was beginning to think that this woman was not exactly what anybody could call a good conversationalist. Of course, he supposed that by the way she was dressed that she wasn't trying to give off that impression anyway.
As the hand started to get a little friendlier, Lance searched his mind for an excuse to give when one seemed to literally drop out of nowhere and give it to him....
In the form of Joey Fatone's arm landing abruptly around his shoulders.
"Hey buddy, who's your friend?" Joey winked flirtatiously at the redhead, causing her to giggle again and he nudged Lance lightly with his hip. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"
"Uh, yeah, sure. Joe, this is Tifany - with one 'f' - and Tifany, this is Joey Fatone. As I'm sure you know."
Tifany nodded eagerly and let out a squeal of pleasure when Joey kissed her offered hand easily. Lance rolled his eyes and half buried his face in his friend's shoulder to hide his smile.
"I hate to break up the party, man, but you haven't danced with me yet," Joey said, pulling at the younger man playfully. "I'm beginning to think that you don't love me anymore."
Raising an eyebrow, Lance debated on whether he should play along or not. A quick look at Tifany showed her confusion plainly on her face. "Of course I love you, man. Don't be getting all jealous on me now."
"Fuck, that's what you always say!" Joey sighed dramatically and let his head fall on Lance's shoulder, bringing with him the light smell of alcohol on his breath. "But you just use me, just like all the other guys. Is it ONLY sex with you, man?"
Tifany, who had now turned an interesting shade of pink was trying desperately to look anywhere but at the two men, inches away from each other's faces.
Lance, finding that Joey's proximity was inducing a pleasant hum in his body smiled lazily, "You mean you don't like rocking the casba with me?"
Obviously taken aback, Joey's face crumpled briefly with laughter but for his part he quickly regained control and shook his head. He turned to Tifany and gave a 'can you believe him?' look. "See how he treats me?"
"I thought we were going to dance," Lance interrupted.
Pretending to think about it a moment first, Joey finally nodded and took a step back to let Lance walk by first. He gave Tifany another wink and her hand another kiss. "Pleasure meeting you, Tifany."
Joey found Lance waiting for him on the dance floor when he got there and smiled at the look on his face. "You owe me one!" he said.
"Excuse me? THAT was doing me a favour?"
"Oh come on, I could tell you hated her, I did you a HUGE favour, admit it." Joey tossed off one his charismatic smiles and looked up when the deejay started to play Alice DeeyJay's 'Better Off Alone' at full volume. "Loosen up man, everyone's having fun but you."
Around them, that certainly seemed to be true. JC was dancing fast and furious by himself, seemingly lost in the music, while Chris grinded with a girl in a non- existent black leather mini. And Justin, who had been cornered by three girls himself, certainly didn't seem to be suffering any.
"This isn't really my scene..." Lance started, but was cut off when Joey dismissed him with a toss of his hand.
"Fuck that, come here." Reaching out, he grabbed Lance's hand and pulled him in closer before placing the hand on his own hip. "Now just dance." Smiling, Joey started to move to the music, eyes closed and seemingly leaving the planet entirely. His hips and feet moved in perfect rhythm with each other, his arms pumped the air and swung around his body, while occasionally reaching out to move Lance along with him.
Meanwhile, Lance felt himself growing red in the face at the incredible strangeness of the entire situation. He had never actually danced with another man before and was taken off guard by how casually Joey seemed to do it. And the feel of the other man's body moving underneath his hand was making his breath come out a little heavy, not to mention how close Joe got with some of his moves. Still, he didn't move away or let go, but instead moved with the beat.
Suddenly, Joey pulled him close so that they were touching and Lance momentarily froze. Joey didn't seem to notice as he whispered hotly in his ear, "Did you know that this song has about ten words to it? Still, it's great to dance to..." He pulled back just as abruptly and smiled before returning to his closed eye dance. Only this time, they were much closer and Joey had snaked an arm around Lance's waist so his hand was on his back.
Jesus Christ, Lance thought, why the Hell does have to be such a fucking FLIRT? This is payback for all the times I ragged on him, I just know it is.
When the song finally did stop, Lance didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed, and decided to watch for Joey's reaction instead. The other man, as usual, just seemed to be having a great time.
Clapping loudly, Joey whistled and applauded the DJ, pointing at him until the man took notice and gave a heads up and point back. "That was great!" Joey enthused, turning back to Lance with bright eyes. "See? Aren't you having fun?"
Lance just smiled in return, grateful for the dark so Joey wouldn't see his blush.
Then, quite deliberately, "Bye Bye Bye" came on and the band miraculously found each other.
"Hey, I know this song!" Joey said.
Chris rubbed his goatee, "It does sound vaguely familiar."
"It's by the Backstreet Boys, right?"
JC shook his head at Justin in disappointment, "Man, don't you know anything? It's by 98 degrees!"
"Man, you're ALL wrong!" Lance said, unable to help but join in the fun. "WE sing this one."
Slapping themselves on the heads, they nodded agreeably.
"Oh yeah!"
"I forgot."
"Fuck," Joey shook his head sadly, "I should of known that one."
Meantime, a crowd had formed around them and was chanting, "Dance, dance, dance!"
Shrugging, they broke into it, easily stepping into their routine, but this time improvising along the way and goofing up on purpose. Usually, they didn't like making a spectacle of themselves on their time off, but since everybody already knew who they were, they decided there was no harm in it.
Lance found that he was grabbed up by Joey again for most of it; not nearly the same way it had been before, but more in the familiar rough-housing way he was use to from the other man.
When the song ended the crowd cheered and started to disperse, and they moved over to a nearby table.
"This is great, glad we came," Justin breathed, slightly out of breath. "And that chick you were talking to was hot, Lance, where'd she go?"
Signaling for a waitress Lance just shook his head, "Beats me, man, and I don't care. Girls like her are a dime a dozen."
"And how many donuts ARE there in a baker's dozen?" Joey teased, nudging the other man with his own shoulder.
Lance just glared and ordered a round of beers for everyone.
"Oh, not me, designated driver," Chris said with a disappointed sigh. "Man, this is not cool, next time you're driving, Joey."
"The hell he is! I'd like to get home in one whole piece, thanks," JC said.
"You insulting my driving?"
"Yes. Yes I am. And while I'm there I would also like to take this opportunity to insult your hair, your parentage, your nose..."
Justin laughed and took a chug of his beer, "Watch out, man, Joe's gonna kick yo ass."
Joey nodded in agreement before sticking his thumb to his nose and waggling his fingers. "You're just jealous, mousekateer."
"No dissin' the mousekateers," Justin said, his words slightly slurred.
Laughing, Chris pushed his untouched mug towards the blonde teenager, "More beer for the lightweight!"
"I'm not a lightweight," Justin protested.
"And I'm not blonde," JC said.
"You're NOT blonde."
JC frowned, "Oh yeah. I think I've had enough too guys," he said and pushed his own beer away. "Those last .... five jello shots must of just caught up to me now."
"Jello shot!" Joey cheered and suddenly got to his feet to signal for the waitress again, "Man, have you ever done a sex shot?"
Exchanging questioning looks around the table the four others shook their heads and Joey sighed dramatically. "Well, you're going to now, they're kick-ass!" When the waitress looked their way, Joey cupped his hand over his mouth and yelled to be heard over the music and noise, "Snake bite!" and held up four fingers.
"Everything is sex with you," Chris said, but not without a grin. "I'm surprised your dick doesn't get frequent flyer miles."
"And just where would it go if it did?" Joey asked, eyebrow raised in amusement.
"Chris' room!" Justin giggled and burped into his hand, pushing aside another empty beer mug.
"Sorry, you must be at least this tall to get on my ride." Joey laughed and ducked a blow from the other man.
JC watched as the waitress walked over, a noticeable swing to her step as she did, and stared at the drinks on the brown tray as she laid them down in front of them. "This just looks like tequila shots to me, Joe," he observed. "You just added the word 'sex' in yourself, didn't you?"
Smiling up at the waitress Joey didn't answer, "They don't know what a sex shot is," he said, voice vaguely disapproving.
She hooded her eyes and leaned in close, "Then maybe we should show them."
The group, who had been watching with growing interest, eyed the two warily.
"Should we leave you alone for this or what?" Lance asked.
"Ha. No. In fact, I need you here, Lance. Now don't freak out on me." Before he could ask just what the hell he meant by that, Joey leaned in and gave Lance's bare neck a generous lick from his collar bone up to his jaw, causing the younger man to jump in surprise.
"What!?"
Chris laughed, "Oh man, I think I know what this is now!"
Feeling the wetness down to the bone, Lance found that his brain was quickly dropping somewhere in the vicinity of his pants and he held his breath as he waited for what Joey would do next.
"Salt." Joey held up the glass shaker and shook out a generous amount on the part he had licked. Then, holding up a shot glass of the amber liquid he pressed it in firmly between the waitress' breasts, which were packed tightly into a low cut tank top.
Justin, JC, and Chris seemed to watch transfixed as Joey leaned down and plucked the glass from the waitress' chest with his mouth then swung his head back to swallow the drink down whole. Then, he leaned in and licked the salt from Lance's neck, eliciting another shudder that no one seemed to notice. The lime slice was next, which he quickly sucked dry before munching down in short, savage bites.
The whole process took less then 15 seconds.
"That," he said with a flourish, "is a sex shot!" and slammed the empty shot glass face down on the table.
Hoots rose up around the table, and Lance touched a hand lightly to his wet neck, feeling a little weak kneed. Justin was searching for two of the three women he had been dancing with, drink in hand, while JC just shook his head in amazement, giving Joey a thumbs up.
"You are the coolest guy I know, you know?" Chris said, slapping Joey on the shoulder. "Fuck! SEX SHOTS!"
"SEX SHOTS!" They yelled back, causing several heads to turn their way.
As the guys started to separate around the club again and the waitress quietly slipped away, Joey passed Lance a red cocktail napkin and winked at him. "I'm not freaking you out, am I?"
"N-no..."
"Good, 'cause you're fun when you're not being so shy. Not that that isn't fun too!" Joey laughed and got to his feet, swaying a little as the alcohol hit his system. "Whoo! That stuff just goes straight to the brain, you know? Come on, you want to dance again?"
Lance thought a moment, then decided that standing wasn't an option right then. "Nah, I'll sit this one out."
Already moving to the music, Joey said, "OK, but don't sit on the sidelines too long, the club closes in a couple of hours."
Joey was gone before he could answer and he found his hand wandering up to rub his neck as he watched the Joey dance with Chris. It wasn't anything like the bump and grind thing they had done, but more like head-banging. Where did they think they were, a mosh pit? Lance half- smiled at the thought and soon JC was back at his side, flopping down into his chair like a ton of bricks and nearly falling over in it.
"Damn Joey and his damn sex shots!" JC mumbled, putting a hand on the table to steady himself. "Ooooh maaaan....I think I need to go."
"You have to throw up?" Lance asked in concern, ready to lead JC to the bath- room should the need arise.
"No, man - just go. This music is killing my head!" JC covered his ears with both hands to demonstrate his point and closed his eyes tightly. "You think you could convince the rest of the guys to check out a little early?"
Looking out onto the dance floor, Lance saw that Justin was swaying uncertainly and that Chris and Joey were still caught up in a song he didn't recognize. "Yeah, they'll understand," Lance said. "Besides, they could always come back later. Wait here, I'll go get 'em."
Maneuvering past gyrating bodies on the dance floor Lance finally reached Joey and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, we gotta split. I think Josh has had a little too much fun for one night." He jerked his chin back into the direction of their table where JC was half-passed out.
Chris just clucked his tongue and hit Joey on the shoulder, "You and your sex shots man, I think you killed Josh!"
"Does this mean the tour is over?"
"Nah, we can replace him," Chris said and Joey nodded agreeably.
After a brief struggle with the inside pocket of his jacket, Chris pulled out a set of car keys and dangled them in the air. "I'll bring the car around, you gather up the guys, 'k?"
Joey nodded and the two men hugged briefly, accompanied by rough pats on the back before they separated.
Watching as his red dyed head bobbed over mills of people, Lance turned to put a stopping hand on Chris' shoulder. "Hey, Chris - can I ask you something?"
Glancing at the quickly toppling JC and then at the not much better off Justin, Chris paused, "Can it wait?"
Lance followed his gaze and they shared a smile, "Right. Priorities. Meet you out there, then."
Patting him on the back, Chris gave a curt nod and headed out for the parking lot, tossing his keys up in the air and catching them as he did.
"JC, come on man, we're going back to the hotel," Lance said, helping him to his feet.
"Oh, thank God," JC muttered. "Man, if I, like, hurl on you....I promise to pay for the dry-cleaning, aw'right?"
The dark was pleasant and cool, and heavy with a comforting silence that was more then welcome after the hectic sounds of the night club. It wasn't as if he hadn't had a great time, but being alone in the quiet and dark was good too sometimes.
Pulling off JC's shoes, his watch, and then finally the belt on his pants, Joey threw a blanket over him and made sure he was on his stomach before carefully backing out of the room. He felt kind of guilty for introducing him to the drink that had put him in the state he was in, but - hey....JC couldn't deny that he had had fun. Well, maybe in the morning he would.
Yawning loudly and running a hand through his sweat damp hair, Joey walked out into the living room, half-surprised to see that Lance was still there.
"Hey, man, you have any trouble getting Justin back to his room?"
"Nah, he's a lightweight in every sense of the word," Lance said.
"Alright, cool. Well, I guess I'll turn in then," Joey said, inclining his head in the direction of his own room. "But, actually, wanna wait around for a bit and watch some TV? I heard there's some weird Bug movie on the Sci-Fi channel." Joey smiled temptingly, "Should be good."
The VCR over the TV read 3AM, and Lance shook his head, "No way, I need my rest. We can't all be night owls like you, Joe. But thanks anyway." Heading towards the door, Lance felt more then saw Joey following him and his heart kicked up a few notches at the knowledge.
Opening the door for him, Joey leaned against the frame and pulled at the collar of his shirt, "'Night, Lance, see you in the morning." Then, with a small, Joey-esque smirk, he reached out and pulled him in for a quick kiss, a light brush of lips across his cheek before he pulled back. "Thanks for the dance."
"Uh, yeah...sure." He was doing it on purpose, Lance thought with a frown. Messing with my mind deliberately. But...he looked up at Joey's smiling face, his sincere eyes, and realized that if anyone was fooling anyone, it was himself. Joey just wasn't that type of guy, at least, not when it came to stuff like this. He was the biggest flirt Lance had ever seen, didn't it make sense that that attitude would stretch to men as well?
Joey watched from the doorway until Lance was safely in the elevator before retreating back to his room, his eyes already getting heavy with sleep. Well, the movie's out, he thought to himself. It wouldn't be fun by myself anyway.
Stripping down to boxers and a t-shirt, Joey quickly brushed his teeth before slipping under the freshly washed and starched hotel covers. One of the things that he missed most about home was his own bed. His worn in sheets and mattress. And yes, even Mr. Teddy. Someone no one would ever, ever, hear about as long as he had a breath left in him.
As sleep came, Joey found his thoughts drifting to Lance, to JC, and to Superman; all of them, flying though a clear blue sky.
The first conscious thought that JC had when he slowly opened his eyes that morning was that the room was shaking. His second was he had had waaaaay too much to drink the night before.
The third was....the room was really shaking!
Headache momentarily forgotten, JC bolted up in bed, blankets practically knotted around his feet and he let out a yell of surprise, "EARTHQUAKE!!!"
Crawling out of bed and landing on all floors, JC searched frantically through his fogged mind for exactly what the hell it was you were supposed to do in the event of an earthquake.
The bed continued to rattle, and JC quickly made for the doorway, "JOE! EARTHQUAKE! Doorway, man, doorway!"
He was halfway there when he realized that the room was no longer shaking, and that he had actually spoken to someone. A someone that was laughing. A someone wearing red boxer shorts and a blue Superman t-shirt.
"You son of a - "
His hand still on the headboard, Joey was doubled over as his laugh shook him, and he fell onto the bed in a heap of helpless gasping. "Oh God! You should of seen your face, man!!"
The bastard had been the one shaking the bed!
Letting out a growl, JC jumped on top of the other man and started to hit him with the pillow, causing Joey to duck but not stop laughing. "You scared the SHIT out of me!" JC yelled, then groaned and grabbed his head. "And those fuckin' sex shots of yours are giving me a huge hangover."
Still half pinned by JC's legs, Joey propped himself up on his elbows and mock pouted at him, "Aw...can't Joshy handle his booze?"
"Dude, I don't have the same..." he snickered, "..girth as you, okay?"
"You callin' me fat?"
"Yes. And you have stupid hair."
"Well, guess what Mr. Mouse? I'm not hung over, and I was letting you win!" With a loud whoop of laughter, Joey grabbed JC by the shoulders and easily threw him onto the other side of the bed where he bounced a couple of times before Joey landed on top of him, straddling his waist and pinning his shoulders to the mattress.
JC's head protested loudly to that, and he felt his stomach rumble dangerously at the jostle. Blinking up into Joey's smug face, he hoped that if he did blow chunks, it would be projectile vomit.
"Who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me?" he sang, and bounced as he did, "F-U-C, K-Y-O, U-J-O-S-H!"
"You're a freak, you know that?"
Joey bounced on his knees some more, causing the mattress to squeak and Josh to groan from the pain in his head, "Ah, but a freak who's a morning person, my friend!"
"Why are you torturing me?" JC moaned.
Leaning in close so that their noses were nearly touching, Joey smiled slowly, a grin that was attempting to be sinister but turned out to be more charming on his face. "Because I can."
Then, making sure that JC felt it, Joey got up, a little too slow in JC's opinion, and he eyed the other man warily. Out of all the guys, Joey was the one that he had the most difficulty figuring out, and he was pretty sure if asked they would all say the same thing. For the love of God he was already confusing the hell out of poor Lance.
"I hate you," JC said.
"Bah." Extending a hand to help the other man up, he pushed him in the direction of the bathroom and pulled at the hem of his own t-shirt. "Go ahead and take a shower, make it a cold one, and I'll get you some of Uncle Joey's Hangover Remedy. It'll fix you right up."
JC gave him a suspicious look, "Uncle Joey's Hangover Remedy?"
"Oh yeah, it's very old and super mysterious," Joey said dramatically, "It's been passed down from generation to generation, and if an outsider were to ever find out the secret recipe he would have to be killed on sight."
"It's beer, isn't it?"
Shoulders slumping, Joey made a face, then brought his hand up to make a gun with his index finger and thumb. "Get in the fucking shower."
"Whoooaa...I am so glad that we have the day off today! You and your damn drinks!"
Raising both hands in the air Joey shook his head, "Hey, don't blame me, lightweight, you're the one that went overboard."
Justin glared at him and continued to rub his temples, trying to massage the headache out of his head. Never again, never again, never again....
Chris, Lance and Joey, the only standing survivors of the night before shared superior smirks around the living room in Joey and JC's hotel room. Nothing like the morning after to separate the men from the mice.
"So, what are we going to do tonight? I mean, this is sunny Florida, there's a ton of stuff! The beach, Disneyworld, hit a few malls..."
"DISNEYWORLD!" the group chorused.
Joey picked Chris up and swung him up easily over his head, pressing him like a wrestler, "As if there's any other answer!" He quickly let him down before the other man got upset, and happily ruffled his hair. An unsaid rule amongst them all was that they let Joey goof as much as he wanted on them, as long as he didn't go too far. Which, he thought a little bleakly, he sometimes did.
"UGH! Count me out!" Justin grunted.
"Me, too. 'Uncle Joey's Hangover Remedy' my ass."
Joey laughed and shrugged, "Hey, maybe it only works if you're a Fatone."
"Take the headache man, the alternative is not worth considering," Chris said gravely.
Pushing the other man onto the couch, Joey swore something in Italian and flipped him off before heading towards the bedroom. "I'm gonna change," he said, being the only one still in his pajamas. "And when I get back out here, all of you better be off your asses and ready to go."
The door slammed behind him just as a couch cushion sailed in his direction and Chris shook his head fondly before flopping back down onto the couch. Then, catching Lance's eye he nodded in his direction, "Hey, you wanted to ask me somethin' last night?"
Lance felt uneasy as three sets of eyes turned curiously in his direction. This was really something that he had been hoping to be able to talk to Chris alone about, but...well, he supposed it would get out to the others sooner or later anyway. With such a tight knit group that spent most of their time together, it was just impossible to keep any sort of secret.
"What's the deal with Joey?" Lance asked.
Confused, Chris titled slightly in his seat. "Uh, he's Italian, has crazy hair and likes Superman. What the hell are you talking about?"
"I think I know," JC smiled through his hangover, staring at Lance long enough to further add to his discomfort. "I think Lancelot there finally got on the receiving end of Joey's charms."
There was a chorus of understanding ooohs and ahhhs, and Lance frowned. "What? You guys too?"
"It's just his way, man," Justin said, shrugging easily. "Joey flirts with anything that moves. Literally." He tossed a look at Chris, "Probably Busta, too," he said to a round of laughs.
"So he is bisexual," Lance pushed.
JC frowned, "I don't know," he said, his voice thoughtful. "None of us have actually ever seen him with another guy, but really...how often have any of us seen him with a girl? Sure, he does a lot of talking and posturing, but he doesn't take the groupies back to the hotels any more then any of us do."
Realizing that this was true, Lance got lost in thought. Was he disappointed or relieved that Joey was probably just fooling with him? It was hard to say.
"Has anyone ever asked him?" Lance said.
"Nah, why? It don't matter to us," Chris said. "Why? Does it matter to you?"
Lance quickly shook his head, "No! I - just curious." And, he thought to himself, I'm also curious as to why he just started acting this way around me now. Or was it much sooner then that, and I just didn't notice?
The door to Joey's room opened suddenly and he popped out with arms high in the air. "DISNEYWORLD!" He ran over to where Justin sat on the couch and grabbed the man around the chest, under his arms and lifted him into the air.
"Let's go!" Then, whispering something intimately in the other's ear that went unheard by the others, he scooped him over his shoulder and practically ran to the door.
Giving Lance a 'you see?' look, Chris, JC, and Lance quickly ran to catch up.
Deciding that they would have the least chance of getting recognized if they split off into smaller groups, the band decided that JC and Lance would go off on their own and meet up with the others later in the day. All wore their now standard baseball caps/bandannas and dark sunglasses.
"So what do you wanna go on first?" JC asked, looking around the brightly coloured park. "God, it really is... the happiest place on Earth isn't it? I mean, look around? EVERYBODY'S smiling."
"I think that's your mousekateer days talkin', man," Lance joked. "How 'bout the Rockin' Rollar Coaster? I heard that's pretty good: a ride in the total dark with Aerosmith playing the whole time."
"Sounds good to me, let's do it!" JC clapped Lance on the back enthusiastically as they followed the signs towards the ride.
They had walked only a few minutes, enjoying the colour and noise around them when JC suddenly spoke up, "So, you have a thing for Joey, huh?"
Nearly stumbling in his surprise, Lance stared at JC's profile wide eyed. "What?"
"You heard me."
"No, I - no!"
JC gave him a look. "Don't fuck with me, man. And don't be ashamed, there's nothing to be ashamed about...I mean... Joey, he's - " he trailed off.
They walked a little further in silence, Lance silently puzzling and fuming over what JC had said, and the other man patiently waiting him out.
Two hot-dog venders, a Snow White, and two dwarfs later, Lance spoke up, "What makes you think I'm into Joey?"
"Two words, bro: SEX. SHOT."
Justin wobbled out of the exit for the "Tower of Terror" ride and placed a palm flat on the wall for support. On top of a hangover, he now had a case of EXTREME nausea. As he coughed and his vision blurred slightly, he became vaguely aware of Chris and Joey coming up behind him.
"You okay, man?" Joey asked.
"Yeah, that was pretty intense," Chris said, his voice a little shaky. "But, dude - what a ride!"
Spitting and wiping his mouth, Justin looked up and shook his head slowly. Very slowly. "I'll be fine," he reassured.
Joey grinned, "Great! Then we can go on Space Mountain! Or how 'bout the teacup thing, that's cool!" Grabbing a wrist each, Joey had just started to drag his friends along when he bumped into someone behind him.
Opening his mouth to apologize, Joey stopped when he saw who it was. All the colour seemed to drain from his face and he actually took a few steps back.
Chris looked at him in concern, glaring up at the man that stood before them. He had never, never, seen Joey so intimidated before, whoever this guy was he was not a friend.
"Well, look who it is..." the man rumbled, his gaze flickering over Justin and Chris but lingering on Joey. "Never thought I'd see you again, Fatone."
"Who the hell are you?" Chris demanded, unconsciously stepping between Joey and the stranger. "Do we know you?"
The man was a couple of inches taller then Joe, who was pretty tall himself, and of an above average build. Way, way, WAY above average. This guy gave Lonnie a run for his money. He had brown hair that was cut in a straight, no-nonsense buzz, and cold, cobalt blue eyes. He looked to be around 26 or 27, maybe older.
His voice was like thunder, rolling and deep, "No, you don't. But me and Joey, we go way back. Don't we?" A meaty paw reached out for the other man's shoulder and Joey flinched.
Chris quickly whacked his arm away, un- thinking, causing everyone to stop. Justin cursed on Joey's left, getting an idea of where this was all leading, and Joey seemed to actually come out of his trance long enough to look Chris' way.
The man, who was still a question mark, just stared at Chris, his hand still in mid-air where Chris had knocked it.
"Sorry, but you're not wanted," Chris said, sneaking a quick look at Joey to confirm this; his pale complexion said it more then clearly enough. "So why don't you just get lost, huh?"
"And who's going to make me, you?" The man laughed at the absurdity of the idea, throwing his head back and showing a mouthful of silver fillings.
Justin took a breath, "And me," he said, steadying his voice. He was pretty sure the man in front of him could knock him to next week without so much as a second thought, but he wasn't about to let Chris go at it alone.
The laughing stopped but an amused glint remained in his eyes, there was a cruel turn to the man's mouth. "Fine," he said, taking a step back. "I don't want to cause any trouble for my Joey. I get that I probably stir up all sorts of unwanted memories, don't I?"
Joey remained silent, looking down at the floor. Chris put his hand on his shoulder.
"Later, Fatone." The man walked off, disappearing into the crowd.
"What the fuck was that about?" Justin breathed, craning his neck to watch the man go. "Did you see the size of that guy?"
Squeezing his shoulder, Chris tried to get his friend's attention, "What's the matter? Who was that jerk?"
Joey swallowed and shook his head, "No one. Just...I don't want to talk about it."
Uncomfortable to see his usually happy, always charismatic friend struggling for composure, Justin shifted on his feet. "You sure? You look..."
"What?" Joey's head snapped up, "I look like what?"
Justin blinked in surprise, not use to the other man's anger. "Nothing. Sorry, I'm just worried. He seemed to know you," he cautiously added.
Sensing that Joey didn't want to talk about it, Chris tightened his hold around his shoulders. "Nah, probably just some nutty fan, right Joe?"
Grateful, Joey nodded. "Yeah, a fan." A visibly forced smile and Joey tried to regain his happy attitude, "Come on, we still got a whole day ahead of us. Let's go on some more rides."
The rest of the day went without seeing the stranger again, the man Chris had started calling "Lex Luther" behind Joey's back. But it didn't help in improving the other man's mood, he was as morose and silent as anyone had ever seen him. It was kinda frightening really, no one would of guessed that Joey had a depressed bone in him.
On the ride back to the hotel, a bulky security guard behind the wheel and the five members sitting in back talking about their day, Joey remained silent, staring blankly out the tinted van windows.
"Hey, what's wrong with Joe?" JC asked, leaning in to ask Chris in a hushed voice. "Is he sick or something?"
Chris just shook his head.
They arrived at the hotel in silence, Joey's bad mood catching and spreading uncomfortabley, and the driver pulled around to the back lot so as not to be mobbed by any screaming fans.
Piling out of the car and riding up the service elevators, Joey quickly escaped from the group and disappeared into his own room as soon as they entered the suite. They stared after him in confusion, Lance flinching slightly as the door slammed shut.
"So much for the happiest place on Earth."
"Geez...I've never seen him so out of it," Justin said, scratching his head. "Think someone should go talk to him?"
Chris made a negative sound, "No, I know Joe well enough to get he needs to be alone right now. So let's go downstairs and grab something to eat, give him some time to himself."
"We can't just leave him in there to get even more depressed," JC said with a frown. "I'm going to go talk to him."
Heading in the direction of his roommate's door, JC was pulled back by Chris tugging on his shirt. "Fuck that, listen to me: Leave. Him. Alone. You go in there now and he'll just get pissed at you, okay?"
Wanting to argue but knowing he was wrong, JC finally stepped back and out of Chris' grasp. "Fine. But if we come back up here and the mini-bar is empty and Joe's passed out on the floor, you're going to be held personally responsible."
Sitting in the near empty hotel restaurant, in back and away from the front entrance, Justin, JC, Chris and Lance ate their food and politely signed whatever autograph seekers came their way.
"So, what do you want to do after the concert tomorrow?" Justin asked between mouthfuls of pasta. "Isn't there some big after party at MTV or something we have to do?"
Lance nodded, "Yup, televised and everything. But we only have to stay for a coupla hours, then we're on our own."
"But by then we'll be too tired to do anything," Chris said. "It's their evil, evil plan to suck every last bit of energy out of us. Turn us into weird, boy-band robots."
"It's not that bad, a party's a party," Justin said. "'Course, now we're going to have to be 'on', all night."
JC laughed, "I didn't know YOU ever turned it off!"
Continuing to eat and talk, all four could not help but sneak glances at the empty seat where Joey would normally sit, joking along with all of them. It was if someone had purposely put the extra chair there as a reminder. Fate was not without its guilt trips.
"So what went on with Joey today, huh? He was fine before we split up, did something happen?" Lance asked, addressing the question to Justin and Chris. "What, some girl turn him down or something?"
Chris rolled his eyes and stabbed a piece of shrimp off his plate, "Right. No, we met Joey's Lex Luther. This huge bastard who really got to him. Picture an army drill sergeant with an evil streak. We ran into him outside the Tower of Terror." Chris frowned, "I don't think I've ever seen Joe so upset before."
"Then why aren't we up there?" Lance said and stood, "You know what? Screw this, I'm gonna go cheer Joey up."
"I wouldn't man," Chris warned, his tone weary as he watched Lance prepare to leave. "If you bug Joe when he wants to be left alone, he could turn his anger on you."
Lance shot him an annoyed look and quickly left.
The ride up to the suite took a lot longer then Lance would of liked, the lift stopping on every second floor. Luckily, he was not recognized.
Walking down the hall to Joey and JC's room, the blonde man frowned when he realized that the door was slightly ajar. He was certain that they had closed it behind them when they had left because he had been the last guy out. Which meant that someone either came in or left while they were in the restaurant.
Knocking lightly on the frame, Lance pushed the door open the rest of the way and stuck his head inside, "Joe? Joey, buddy you in here?" Lance walked into the living room and his eyes widened at what he saw. Holy shit!
Joe was sprawled out on the floor near the couch, his jaw cradled in his right hand, and a huge man stood over him, his fists clenched hard and pulled back to deliver another blow.
All Lance could think was: drill sergeant with an evil streak.
Acting before thinking, Lance let out a shout and ran towards the big man at full speed, tackling him to the floor. His arms wrapped around the person's head but he was unprepared for when the man suddenly stood up with Lance hanging off his neck like a human backpack.
"GET OFF ME YOU LITTLE SHIT!" The man swung around wildly, knocking over a lamp, the telephone, and an end table.
Lance tightened his hold, trying to choke him into submission, when suddenly a meaty paw came down on the back of his own neck and the world swerved as he was flipped onto his back.
"Ooomphf!" He hit the floor with a loud thud and grunted when his head bounced off the carpet. Gazing up dizzily he saw the dark blur of his attacker coming at him again and he quickly raised his arms in an attempt to fend him off.
"STOP!" Joey's voice. "Goddamn it, Anthony, leave him alone."
Lance blinked up in confusion as Joey's head loomed into view. "You okay?" Joe asked, he held out his hand and Lance was quickly pulled back onto his feet. "Shit, what, uh, what are you doing here? I-I thought you went to dinner with the guys."
"I was worried about you," Lance said, his voice terse. He glared at the bigger man, "Who the hell is this guy?"
Joey looked worried, he ran a hand through his hair and swallowed a few times before answering. "This is...this is Anthony Pazarri, someone from my old neighborhood."
"Is there any particular REASON he was punching you in the face?!" Lance demanded, voice rising. He knew his face must of been flushed a hot red and his temperature rose further when the man named Anthony smiled smugly down at him.
Another uncomfortable moment and Joey rubbed his jaw, "Just a little disagreement, no harm done. Uh, Tone, why don't you beat it for now. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
Nodding easily, Anthony smiled toothily and punched Joey in the shoulder hard enough to jar him foreword, "Sure thing, man, tomorrow." He looked evenly with a hint of underlining menace to Lance, "I'll see you tomorrow, too."
"I wouldn't count on it," Lance called after him, and added as the door closed, "you piece of shit."
Joey chuckled lightly at that and swung an arm around Lance's shoulder, "My hero. I didn't know you had it in ya."
Angry, and now way beyond simple confusion and concern, Lance shrugged off his friend's shoulder and stared at him expectantly. "Joey, what the fuck is going on? Who was that guy? And how the hell did he get here? He's the guy from the park today, isn't he?"
Smile fading, Joey backed away into the kitchen, "Look, it's none of your - "
"Don't GIVE me that!" Lance interrupted, yelling now, "TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!"
"I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU SHIT!" Joey yelled back. He threw the freezer door violently open and came out with the ice-tray; started to slam cubes into the kitchen cloth. "Damn it, sometimes you really gotta learn to keep your nose outta other people's personal business, SCOOP!" The nickname, usually said with only the deepest affection was spit out like a curse, and Lance watched, somewhat hurt, as Joey put the wrap of ice to his quickly swelling jaw.
A moment passed in silence with Joey looking at the countertop and Lance staring hard at him. "I'm just worried," he said, voice calm. "This isn't about nothing other then that."
Brown eyes blinked up at him, and Joey quickly turned away, "I said I was fine, I meant it, you don't have to be worried about me. I can take care of myself."
Before Lance could answer the door opened again and he quickly turned, half expecting 'Lex Luther' to be coming back for Round Two, but it was only the rest of the guys. He slumped and turned away, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.
There was a stunned silence as they took in the scene before them.
"Shit," JC said, looking from Joey's ice pack, to Lance, to the toppled furniture. "Did you guys fight or something?"
"Yeah, way to comfort, Lance," Chris said sarcastically. "Man, I told you to leave him alone!"
"It wasn't Lance," Joey said with an impatient sigh.
When the others turned to him for an explanation, Lance glared hard at Joey's profile, "It was the guy from earlier today. Somehow he got into our room and was beating on Joey."
Justin seemed horrified, "What?"
"Look, I invited him, okay?" Joey said, his eyes flicking from one friend to the next. "And I gave him a backstage pass for tomorrow too, so he's gonna be there. I'd appreciate it if you didn't go all WWF on him," he added, pointedly looking at Lance.
Chris stared at his friend in disbelief and took a few steps towards him, "You did what? Why? Is he...is he threatening you or something? 'Cause we could call the cops. Hell, we could get The Pack to beat the living crap out of him..."
"That's not it," Joey mumbled.
"Then WHAT?" Lance said, his voice rising again. "Damn it, TELL US! We're your friends, can't you see we're worried about you?"
Quickly walking back towards his room, Joey avoided looking at anyone, "I don't need your worry, I don't need your concern, just leave me alone."
As he passed him, Lance reached out to grab for Joey's arm, "Don't walk awa - "
Moving before he could react, Joey yanked out of Lance's grip and pushed him back in one smooth motion, sending him staggering into Chris and nearly toppling both men. He walked into his room and shut the door without missing a beat or looking back.
"Well fuck you too!" Lance practically screamed, and the others looked at the usually calm, collected young man with worry and surprise. "He can rot in there for all I care," Lance muttered, and he shouldered past the others and out the front door.
Silence reigned thick in the room and Chris looked around again as if expecting things to change in front of his eyes. When they didn't, he shrugged. "So. Who's up for cake and ice cream?"