Looking for Love in all the Right Places - Chapter 2

Looking for Love in all the Right Places
By Dream Howler

Standard Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction and is not intended to imply anything about the true sexuality of the celebrities mentioned or with any personal knowledge about their private lives.

Author's Note: A good portion of the next few chapters are re-worked pieces from the previous story with irrelevant parts taken out and new parts added. Just a warning.

Beta Thanks: Thanks to my editor, Dawn for all her help with this story. I also would like to thank my other editors/friends Draconian, Jayson and Ntrnyet for doing some editing/test reading on this chapter. Thanks guys!

Dream Howler Contact & Story Information:

Cast Pictures: Click Here.  Link also has pictures of cast vehicles, tattoos, and eventually pictures and floor plans of houses.

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E-mail: dreamy@rqarchive.com

Chapter 1 Recap:

In chapter one, Aidan came back to his dorm room to find his room trashed, and his stuff strung out all over the room. He later learned that his roommate had told his very violent friends on the football team a lie about him in order to get a cheaper place to stay. Aidan luckily had an informant on the inside of the football team, and escaped without the beating of his life. Deciding on a safe course, Aidan moves in with his best friend Kent. Several weeks later, Aidan's cousin, Drew, calls him up and invites him to a concert. Unaware that his online friend CMajor will be at the concert, too.

Chapter 2

The weeks before the concert flew by with the swiftness of a hawk. It seemed like just yesterday that Drew had called and asked if Aidan and Kent wanted to go to the concert with him. Kent invited Drew to stay at his house instead of a hotel, which meant the three of them could ride to the concert together.

Since Drew had VIP tickets, they were able to get into the concert early, when the bands were doing sound checks on the stage. Aidan and Kent had convinced Drew that going to the concert in the suit he'd worn for his earlier meeting wasn't a good idea, as it would make him stand out, and he was supposed to be incognito.

They dressed him in a pair of his black jeans to accentuate his long legs, and a gray polo shirt paired with a black long sleeved starched shirt to show off his muscular physique. The polo shirt matched his steal gray eyes perfectly, and made them appear to sparkle. They were the least dressy items he'd brought with him on this trip, but even so, paired together, he definitely looked hot. Kent had almost broken out his stash of what he called his "borrow clothes" in order to find something suitable, when they found the polo shirt in the bottom of the suitcase.

As the three were off getting ready for the concert, they loudly discussed - from three different rooms - that it would be a good idea to go to dinner a bit early, since they didn't want to buy tons of junk food at the concert at high prices. The three settled on a small restaurant near the campus that served some of the best pizza and spaghetti: one that had quick service.

After Aidan got ready, he walked over toward his laptop and turned it on, deciding to send CMajor an email telling him that he wouldn't be on that night, when his AOL instant messenger client chimed with a message. He grinned as he saw that CMajor was trying to get in touch with him at the same time he was about to email him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

CMajor: Hey, Wolf. Glad I caught you on.

Wolf: Hey! I was just about to email you to let you know I won't be on tonight. My cousin is here and the three of us are going to a concert.

CMajor: Oh? The ones you mentioned last time?

Wolf: Yeah, the Backstreet Boys and *NSync. They're doing a joint tour for some reason. My cousin says one of them was supposed to be in the studio recording a new album, but the record company decided to put them on tour with their biggest rivals at the last minute when their opening act cancelled.

CMajor: Cool. It'll be nice for you to get away from your studies for a night, at least. I think you're working too hard.

Wolf: Yeah, well, I wanted to finish college early, so I don't have a choice in that, really. Anyway... how's work been lately?

CMajor: Tiring. Sorry I haven't told you what I do. It's not a secret or anything... just don't feel like talking about it.

Wolf: It's okay. I understand: never know who you can trust online. You should know by now that you can trust me.

CMajor: I know, Wolf. I'll tell you when the time is right. So... are you wearing that outfit that you talked about the last time?

Wolf: Yeah, a pair of black jeans and a navy wifebeater. Looks really good on me... or so everyone tells me.

CMajor: Yeah... I bet you do. Hey, I'm sorry to cut this short, but I have to go. Got practice to get to.

Wolf: Practice? Okay. Talk to you later.

CMajor: Yeah, practice. I will talk to you soon. Have a good time tonight.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As Aidan logged onto his email he repeated the conversation he'd just had. "Why," he muttered, "does CMajor not want to tell me what he's practicing? Maybe he's a dancer and thinks I won't understand, or plays tiddlywinks for a living. Nah, he's the lead singer with a world famous band; yeah right!" Aidan was startled out of his musing at the sound of giggling. He realized that he was laughing at his own thoughts. Shaking his head to clear it, he turned back to his computer, checked his email, getting rid of the spam and other stuff he didn't want to read. He found a couple of emails from several of his professors announcing his early test dates for his classes, and marked them on his calendar so that he wouldn't forget. After several minutes, he decided to log onto the chat room while waiting for Kent and Drew to get ready.

Logging into NeverNET, Aidan logged into one of the "Nifty" channels that he sometimes frequented, and was surprised that he saw CMajor's name appear in his notify list. It had only been about thirty minutes since he last logged off, and it surprised him that his "practice" hadn't lasted that long. After several moments, a new screen opened up with a message for him.

< CMajor > Hey Wolf, ready for that concert yet?

< Wolf > Hey! Thought you had practice? Well, I was actually ready when we chatted before. We're going to dinner first, but the guys are still out there getting ready. I hope they won't be too much longer, 'cause I'm starving.

< CMajor > Well, yeah, I was. We're finished for the moment. I hope you have a great time at the concert. I've heard they're pretty good. Are you a big fan, or just doing a favor for your cousin? Do you do that a lot?

< Wolf > Well, not really. My cousin sent over a few of their CD's, but I've been so busy with my class load that I haven't really had the chance to sit down and listen to them, much. I heard a couple of songs that I thought were really good, so we'll see if they live up to that in person. I do occasionally help my cousin with some of his business stuff; it's not often, but he knows I have a good ear for music.

< CMajor > You do? Oh, I forgot you were interested in music. I am too, if you couldn't tell from my name. So, do you think any of them are hot?

As Josh hit the enter key on his laptop, he suddenly wished that he could recall the end of the sentence that he had just typed.

Oh God, What if he thinks I'm ugly. What if he feels I've betrayed him by not telling him who I am? What if he hates me afterwards? Josh thought, waiting for a reply, and panicking a little at the thought that he might have totally screwed up already.

Josh was beginning to feel incredibly guilty about the way he was treating Wolf. He was keeping his friend in the dark and peppering him with questions about guys whom he thought were attractive, and who sort of looked like him, just to see if Wolf would think he was cute. He felt even guiltier knowing more about Wolf than Wolf knew about him, which made him feel really unbalanced: almost as if he were intruding on Wolf's life in a negative way. He really did not like feeling so uneasy, although on the plus side at least he knew Aidan wasn't some love struck fan or groupie; he had had enough of those hanging around as it was, and it got old really quickly.

As Josh sat there waiting for a reply, he began to wonder if Wolf had ever done anything with a guy before. He, of course, wouldn't ask that question - not feeling as guilty as he already did - but the whole thought made him tingle. Josh hadn't had much experience with guys, himself. It was hard to do in his line of work.

< Wolf > You know, you mentioned that last time, but yeah; quite a few of them look pretty hot. However, I don't judge people by covers on a CD or magazines. I'll tell you after tonight. Maybe I'll have a better idea after I see them in concert. We're in the front row, so I'll have a great view.

Josh looked at the screen and let out a shocked gasp, almost dropping his drink. He was going to be in the front row? Oh no! Josh stopped himself. Luckily, he didn't really know exactly what Wolf looked like. He had asked for a picture one time, but he didn't have a scanner so he said he would mail him one, and it never came. He probably just forgot about it, or at least Josh hoped that was the reason. He knew what Wolf was wearing to the concert, and promised himself he wouldn't start scanning the crowd. He didn't need to be too nervous to perform, now did he? Especially when he just got confirmation that Aidan was bringing his record exec cousin to the concert with him.

He had meant to tell Wolf that he was in town, but he figured that maybe he should wait until the group had their two months off and come back to town. Josh still couldn't believe that management had given them two months off around Christmas. He really wanted to meet Wolf, but he was scared. What if he told the press? What if he didn't like him? Of course, Aidan didn't even know who the band was before his cousin and the chat room told him about them, so he figured he was safe. He looked down at his phone and picked it up, making a quick call to Lance and Kevin, letting them know that the possible new management was definitely coming to the concert tonight.

< Wolf > Hey man, you there?

Josh was brought out of his deep thinking as his mIRC window flashed. I wonder how long I was sitting here thinking and talking on the phone? Oh, well, it doesn't matter now. Josh thought.

< CMajor > Yeah, I'm here... I was just thinking about some things. Well, I should get going. The guys will be here shortly.

During the long silence, Wolf was having a thinking session of his own. He was almost completely convinced that CMajor was in a band or a musician of some sort. Whether he was in a band or a backup group or something else, Aidan had no clue. Maybe he was in a singing group, or some sort of dance team. He wasn't certain, but the many mentions of practice and other stuff made him suspicious.

Aidan shrugged as he heard the doorknob turn and turned around slightly to spot Kent and Drew entering the room. Letting out a sigh, he turned back to his computer and fired off a quick message.

< Wolf > CM, listen... I have to go, too. Drew and Kent have finally finished dressing. Talk to you soon, I hope. Bye!

< CMajor > Ok! Have fun at the concert - talk to you soon. Perhaps tonight?

< Wolf > Maybe, if I'm not too tired.

< CMajor > K... see you!

< Wolf > Bye!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Getting into the car Drew had rented for his trip, they took off toward Papaya's Pizza: a nice little hole in the wall Italian restaurant that wasn't too far off campus. The two friends went there a lot, as it was their favorite restaurant. Being of Italian descent, Drew was skeptical at first about how Italian they really were, but Kent and Aidan assured him that he would be impressed with the cuisine, even if it couldn't possibly be as good as Drew's mother's: something Aidan and Kent had often had the pleasure of eating.

Pulling the car into a parking space, the trio climbed out and went inside. Kent had called ahead and ordered so they could get to the concert early, before the main crowds arrived. Aidan, on the way past the newsstand, grabbed the local paper and began skimming it as he sat down.

About five minutes later, their pizza and bread sticks were served, along with a huge bowl of spaghetti. It was always helpful to pre-order, especially when they had somewhere specific to be. Before grabbing his first slice, Aidan turned to the Entertainment section of his paper. He was surprised to find a press release from the bands they were going to see that night.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

PRESS RELEASE

The Backstreet Boys and touring partners, *NSync, will be taking a much needed tour break starting in December and continuing to the beginning of February. As you know, these groups have been on tour for the last twenty-two months without a major break, and they and their crew need some time off to recharge and recuperate. The tour will be picking up again on February 10th in Buffalo, NY.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Aidan, of course, handed the article to Drew, who nodded and mentioned that it was his idea for the bands to take a break after looking at their touring schedule, and the recent exhaustion that had set in with both bands. They had been running non-stop for quite a number of years, and he thought it was time for them to get a real break.

After dinner, and the usual silly banter between the three of them, they got back in the car and headed towards the Arena. The men lucked out, getting there just as they started allowing the concertgoers to park. Getting out of the car, they started walking toward the building, skirting a large group of girls forming around a line of buses, all screaming and holding up signs.

Aidan laughed and shook his head, "Girls: you notice that there isn't a group of guys over there screaming and bouncing around like idiots to get a glimpse of someone that is probably already inside the arena." As the trio watched the bus for a few more moments, the doors to the buses opened and they noticed several large, muscular men get off the bus, and quickly start backing the girls away from it. As the bouncers formed a clear path, the door of the bus opened and the Backstreet Boys and *NSync came running out, waving to the crowd, trying to make it inside before some girl decided to rip off one of their shirts for a souvenir.

Luckily for both the groups, the three of them weren't there as fans of the groups and didn't feel the need to run over to them to get autographs before they disappeared inside. Not that the three of them would have been so inclined, even under different circumstances. Now if Tyler was here, he might have to walk over to see if one of them would stop. Real shame he's working, tonight, Aidan thought smugly.

Having waited for about fifteen minutes until the stated time of entry on their special passes, they entered the venue before the rest of the waiting fans. All three of them were startled when several girls started screaming that it was unfair that they got to go inside early. The guard just glared in their direction, obviously annoyed that he had to deal with this as well, as they passed through the door with a grin on each of their faces.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Inside the Arena

Having entered the arena, *NSync completed their sound checks and immediately went to their dressing room. They were now in the process of getting their hair and makeup done while the other group was doing their own sound checks.

Meanwhile, the Backstreet Boys had just finished their sound check, and were taking the opportunity to relax for a few moments before they had to go get their own hair and makeup done for their concert. The odd thing was, coincidently enough, that both groups were commenting on a scene that they had witnessed when they were running.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Room 1 - Backstreet Boys - Dressing Room

"Wow, did you see those guys in the parking lot? I mean, three hot men together at our concert. What are the odds? I wonder if any more of them will show up." Howie grinned as he remembered his quick glance at them.

AJ groaned, "Oh come on, they weren't that hot, were they? Not like I got a real good look at them, they were a bit far away...all those girls were in the way."

"Come on, guys; we don't have time to talk about cute guys. We have a concert to get ready for," said Kevin. "We can talk about them after the concert if you want, but not now."

"Oh, all right; let's see if the other guys are out of hair and makeup, and get this concert going," Howie grumbled. However, a smile crossed his face as he hoped that the three men weren't here escorting their girlfriends or something.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

ROOM 2 - *NSync - Hair and Makeup Room

*NSync, whose tour bus had been much closer to the three friends who had been standing in the parking lot, had a lot more to say about them. Justin, for instance, couldn't shut up about them, which caused Chris to grumble and become frustrated.

"Justin, can't you talk about this some other time? Some of us are trying to get ready for a concert around here," Chris said with a blush creeping over his features.

"Awwww... look, he's blushing. One of these days we're going to get you hooked up with a guy, Chris. You might just like it." Justin grinned and winked at him.

"No way, man. You keep your hands to yourself." Chris began to laugh. Being the oldest of the group was a bit tiring, with this crowd.

"Come on, guys; we're done here. Time to get in wardrobe and get this party started!" said Joey, frowning at Josh who was looked rather embarrassed at the way the conversation was going. The group collectively groaned at Joey, and walked out the door as they headed toward the wardrobe room to get ready. As they left, the Backstreet Boys went inside makeup to get their hair and makeup done for the show.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Back in the Arena Seating

Having collected drinks from a concession stand, Kent, Drew, and Aidan walked down the steps to the arena to find their seats. The stage was a flurry of activity as the roadies set up the stage for the concert, setting up instruments and other equipment, and doing instrument sound checks, etc. The three of them chatted idly as the place slowly started to fill up, excited teenagers giving them weird looks, whilst some even giggled and pointed at them, obviously drawing the conclusion, correct in part, that men at a boy band concert alone must be gay.

Before they knew it, the house lights dimmed, the backup band took their places on the stage, and *NSync came out onto the stage and began singing 'Tearing up my Heart'. In Aidan's opinion it was interesting, to say the least. He hadn't heard this group before, and had only heard a couple of songs on the CD that Drew had sent him. He was surprised at how cute they all were. Vaguely, he remembered Drew mentioning that several groups had been created because of their good looks, as well as their talent; this must be one them, he thought.

Soon the first half of the concert was over, and time was flying by quicker than Aidan would have expected. The group had quite a few catchy songs, and the guys danced along with the teenagers in the arena, some of them still giggling at them.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Backstage With *NSync

*NSync had just exited the stage, huffing and puffing, trying to catch their breath. After all the costume changes, singing, and dancing during the show, they just wanted to sit down and relax for a bit. They distantly heard the Backstreet Boys take the stage as they collapsed on the couches in the green room.

"Hey, those three guys we saw in the parking lot were in the front row!" Justin said excitedly.

"Yeah, they were; was kinda nice to see a bunch of guys at our concert for a change, wasn't it?" Lance spoke quietly.

"Yeah, Scoop; you're telling me! It was nice to be able to just look down at someone normal. Well, not totally normal, really. They are at our concert, after all," Chris said with a laugh.

"Hey! Just because they're guys and are at our concert doesn't make them not normal; right, Scoop?" Justin said with a huge grin on his face. He loved pitting the group off against each other.

"Hey, leave me out of it! I just said it was nice to see some guys in the audience, for a change." Lance shook his head quietly.

"Um, guys, do I need to remind you again that there are several guys coming from the new record company? These guys could be them," said Josh quietly.

"Nahh! There's no way that they could be record executives. I mean, how many record execs have you seen that were mildly attractive, let alone hot enough to melt butter?" Justin replied.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Meanwhile, Back On Stage

The Backstreet Boys were tearing up the stage, singing 'Larger than Life', when Howie caught sight of three cute guys in the front row. Man, they are hot! Howie thought to himself. Distracted, Howie almost missed his next dance move. Luckily, he was a good dancer, so he tore his eyes off them, and concentrated on singing and dancing.

Shortly, the group started to slow the pace down and began singing, 'I Want it That Way', while several of the guys were looking towards Aidan and his two companions. Of course, the girls surrounding the three guys thought the guys were singing to them, and began screaming madly. Aidan grumbled a few times as some of the unruly girls shoved against him while they were bouncing around like screaming idiots. He began to laugh and shake his head sadly. Teenagers.

The song then changed, and Aidan nodded as he watched Howie begin dancing to 'The One', on the stage right in front of the three of them. He was taken back by how cute he was. His shoulder length hair was floating around his head as he danced. Aidan couldn't take his eyes off him, and he was sure that the girls all around him were enjoying the show as much as he was.

Soon, however, all good things come to an end, and they ended the concert with 'The Perfect Fan', bringing mothers and daughters up onto the stage to sing to. It was a pretty moving song, and the guys put on a fantastic performance. Aidan and his friends got up and started to leave, when Drew began to chuckle.

"Hey, Wolf, where you going? We got backstage passes!"

Aidan turned around and stared in amazement at his cousin. "Oh, yeah; I forgot that you mentioned that! Well, let's go, then."

Drew nodded. "Yeah, as soon as they're done cleaning up, they usually have a small group of fans in to talk to them. We're going to be 'fans' so I can see how they interact with all their fans and talk to them without them being too suspicious as to who I am."

"Did you see the way that one was dancing right in front of us? He was totally cute." Aidan blushed as he whispered his statement and looked down at the ground, hoping none of the hyperactive girls surrounding them heard him, completely missing the point Drew was making. Although he was out, all the pointing and laughing earlier made Aidan a little self-conscious and uncomfortable.

Kent and Drew nodded, grinning widely at their distracted friend.

"I had no idea Howie would pull such a stunt: not on stage, anyway," Drew quietly replied. "If he's gay, he really should be more careful."

Heading backstage, they showed their passes to the bouncer at the side stage door, who directed them to the green room where all the fans were supposed to meet. The bouncer told them that the groups would be in shortly, so Aidan, Kent, and Drew made themselves comfortable on the couches.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Backstage in the Dressing Rooms

As the Backstreet Boys entered the dressing room, AJ ran into the bathroom to shower, not wanting to get involved with the semi-fight that was about to take place.

"Man, Howie, could you have been any more obvious, out there? I mean, making sure you were dancing in front of those guys! What were you thinking? Are you trying to out all of us?" Kevin grumbled, and glared at him.

"Hey, all the girls thought I was dancing for them, as usual. What's the harm? It's not like we'll probably ever see them again, anyway." Howie laughed and shook his head at Kevin. Sometimes he could get to be a little too serious for his liking.

Kevin shook his head and went over to the bathroom door to knock, "Come on, AJ; we can't take long showers, tonight. We have people with backstage passes that we have to go meet."

"All right, Kev; hold your horses... I'll be out in a few minutes!" AJ yelled, over the sound of the shower.

Soon all the guys were showered and dressed, and began walking over to the green room where the fans were supposed to be waiting. Howie was the first one through the door, and suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, blocking the door, which caused Kevin and Brian to slam right into him.

"Hey, Howie - what's the holdup? Why'd you stop walking?" Kevin yelled, rubbing his chest a bit where he had slammed into Howie. Howie pushed back on Kevin, and pushed them out of the door.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In the Green Room

Aidan, Kent and Drew were chatting quietly, wondering if they were the only ones that were going to show up backstage, when Kent spotted Howie start to come in the door. Howie paused only for a moment before he backed up and began to push the guys back out the door, almost knocking them over in his hurry to leave. They started laughing, as it was funny seeing Howie backing up out of the door instead of turning around.

"Wonder what's the matter with him? Never seen a guy here before, I bet." Drew chuckled and looked over at Aidan and Kent, before looking back at the door.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Outside The Green Room

AJ laughed at Howie, "What's the matter, Howie? Looks like you've seen a ghost! Who's in there? An old boyfriend?"

Howie shook his head. "No. It's the guys from the front row... they're the only ones in there." Howie's sentence trailed off quietly as he looked across at Kevin, who blinked in shock. This was the first time that they had a bunch of guys in the room waiting for them, with no fangirls around. Perhaps someone forgot to sell all the backstage passes. There were usually ten or so at each concert.

Kevin shrugged, and spoke. "Look! Just think of this like every after concert meet and greet. Okay, Howie? Forget how cute they are, and just talk to them. I'm sure they're probably nice guys." Hot too, Kevin noted to himself. Hey... what am I thinking? Ummmm... This is not the time to go over my identity crisis!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Inside The Green Room

The Backstreet Boys finally filed into the green room, and walked over to Aidan, Kent, and Drew. Howie was hanging in the back of the group as Aidan stood up, following Kent and Drew's lead.

"Hey, guys; great concert! My name's Kent, this is Drew... and over there is Aidan." Kent winked, watching their reactions, and found they weren't shocked. Sure... like three guys coming to a concert for the Backstreet Boys and *NSync with no girlfriends tagging along were straight, right? Of course, as far as the guys knew, one of the men might be the record executive that was supposed to show up tonight, and he could possibly be straight.

Howie was standing at the back of the group, blinking in confusion as he watched the three men standing before him and pondered the situation. I hope they're gay, or at least one of them is, he thought to himself. It would make a change from the nerdy, unappealing ones at most of our other concerts. Who'd have thought three hot guys would come to this one? Please let them be gay. Looking over toward the men again, he noticed the cute black haired Adonis he'd noticed during the concert. Wow: up close he's even better looking than I thought. And those clothes! It should be illegal to fit that well!

Slowly moving forward as the band began to shake hands with the three, he found himself next to Aidan, who reached out his hand toward Howie. Grabbing his hand and shaking it, Howie looked up at the dark haired god above him, suddenly having a flash of what he might look like nude and hovering above him. The thought made his pants become extremely tight and, now uncomfortable in more ways than one, Howie quickly released his hand and went to sit down.

Aidan grinned and followed Howie over to the couch. As he sat next to him, AJ joined them, so he was sandwiched between the two of them. Aidan glanced over at AJ, slightly startled by all the tattoos covering his body. Aidan himself only had one tattoo of his namesake, 'Wolf', and had no desire to get dozens of tattoos. AJ himself looked like the poster child for a Hell's Angel gang, though he was mildly cute. He seemed nice enough, nonetheless. Turning slightly in his seat, Aidan smiled at Howie, thinking it odd that he was being so withdrawn at a "meet and greet."

"Hi, how are you?" he asked, trying to get Howie to be at least sociable.

"Doing okay; have you been a fan long?" Howie asked quietly.

"Actually, would you believe me if I told you that I wasn't a fan at all 'til tonight?" Aidan chuckled. "Drew kind of dragged me along, and Kent is here for moral support. Though I have to admit, you guys rock." Aidan leaned over to whisper in Howie's ear. "I especially liked it when you were dancing in front of us on stage. Man, it was hot." Aidan straightened up, and winked.

Howie blushed and stuttered slightly, "I... uhh... What? Huh?"

Aidan nodded and smiled. "Though I'm sure all those girls thought the moves were for them, so I think you're safe, li'l bud."

Howie blushed again, "How do you know I was dancing for you guys? I could have been dancing for the girls!"

Aidan shook his head. "Nah; I could tell the second you ran out on stage that you were dancing for us. You thought you would never see us again; am I right? Just thought you would tease the gay guys in the front row, since you could."

Howie stuttered. He was caught. "Yeah..." He whispered softly. "We don't get many good looking guys at our concerts. Don't worry; I already got yelled at for dancing in front of you guys." Howie looked down at the ground quietly.

Aidan hmmmed and lifted Howie's chin, "Hey, look at me. Don't worry about it. Like I said... it was hot. You have a great body... and you're a great dancer."

Howie blushed again. "Thanks."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On the other side of the room, as Kent and Drew were chatting with Brian, Kevin, and Nick, Kent was eyeing Aidan and Howie, grinning to himself. He elbowed Drew slightly, and nodded his head in Aidan's direction, causing Drew to grin widely.

"Hey, guess that little dance of Howie's must have really turned Aidan on, huh? I sure hope Howie is gay, 'cause if he isn't, Aidan won't be great company later," said Kent.

Nick, who was leaning in to talk to Kent and Drew, heard that little bit of information and grinned. He figured it wouldn't hurt to tell them, after talking to them for the last ten minutes. He knew they weren't going to run to the press. "Don't worry...it's all good." Nick winked at Kent and chuckled. "Howie got yelled at when he got off stage for his little performance in front of you guys. That was supposed to be my spot, actually."

"Oh. Yours, huh? I guess that means that... Hey... Look!" Drew noticed Aidan with his hand under Howie's chin, lifting it up to get him to look at him. "I wonder what just happened."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Aidan slowly dropped his hand from Howie's face and smiled at him. "Hey, cheer up, man. Don't worry... I'm gay. You don't have anything to worry about."

Howie looked up into Aidan's hazel eyes and smiled shyly. "Yeah, I do actually. It's hard being in this type of business when you're gay. Heck, you could be a model; you're really hot." Howie blushed and looked over towards the other members of the group, noting a look of approval on Nick's face. "You're not, are you?"

"No, I'm not, but thanks for the compliment. I'm a student at Georgia Tech," replied Aidan.

"Oh? What are you studying?"

"I'm studying Information Security, and Business Management." Aidan looked towards the rest of the group and smiled at his cousin and best friend. They seemed to be having a great conversation over there, and Drew seemed to be sitting awfully close to Brian.

Howie smiled, "A smart cute guy... What are the odds?" he chuckled lightly.

"Yeah, I get that a lot, believe it or not. They expect someone who looks like me to be dumb, or something; it's a bad stereotype. I mean, take Cindy Crawford, for instance. She has a degree in chemical engineering, and edited and ran a magazine! So she's a smart cookie, but she said in an interview that the major problem she has is people treating her like a brainless bimbo, because she's pretty."

"Yeah, I know the feeling. You know, we have several days off before the next lot of concerts: the last before we head back home for a rest from the tour. Did you want to maybe hang out with us tomorrow?" he asked, then quickly added, "Your friends can come too, if they want," Howie said, blushing hotly at his forward request.

"Well, sure, that sounds great! Luckily, it's the weekend. I only got a week or so of school left, then I'm done. I wasn't supposed to be graduating yet, but I've been working hard on my degree, trying to graduate early. I just got the confirmation from my professors before the concert that after I take a couple of tests, I'll be done. I officially graduate next month."

"Oh?" Howie said.

"Yeah. I forgot to tell the guys earlier, but it seems that some of the credits I took in High school were transferable, so when that happened I had enough for my degree. I filled out the forms awhile back to see if I could use them, but it took forever for them to get back to me. I found out about a week ago that they might, but I didn't actually think that it was really going to count since it was taking so long. The administration office emailed me today to let me know that it will count, and gave me my test dates."

Howie nodded and smiled. "Well, I guess that's pretty cool, then. We don't go back on tour, 'til February."

"Yeah, I saw that in the paper on the way here, actually. That's great for you; guess you could all do with a break. I probably won't end up getting a job right away. Even though I'm not going to be attending classes, since I won't get my diploma straight away, I won't be able to go job hunting until December, and that's not the best time to do so, huh?"

Howie nodded, and looked up as the door opened and *NSync came walking in the door, all talking and chatting. Howie lifted his hand and waved, hoping that Aidan wouldn't run off now that the other group had shown up.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Justin was chatting with Chris as they headed into the main green room, when he blinked and rubbed his eyes for a moment. Am I dreaming? he thought. On the couches, surrounded by the guys of Backstreet, were the three men from the concert and parking lot. Justin put on his usual confident grin and walked into the room, looking around for a place to sit.

Chris walked in after Justin, and noticed that they had company. "Hey, guys, who are your new friends?" Chris asked.

"Hey guys! This is Kent and Drew," Nick said as he pointed to each man, before pointing in the other direction. "And over there, is Aidan." Nick chuckled softly, winking over at Justin.

"Well, pleasure to meet you guys. We just got finished listening to screaming girls in our room. Why is it that girls have to scream and yell when they meet us?" Chris spoke up.

Kevin nodded sympathetically and spoke up, "No Idea, but it's hard on the ears, isn't it?" he said as he laughed softly.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As Josh walked further into the room, he was glad that Justin finally got out of the way, and he had a chance to get a good look at the guys who were introduced earlier. Josh blinked several times, turned on his heel, and promptly walked out of the room, leaving several confused looks on the faces of the occupants.

A moment later, Lance's cell phone rang. After a quiet conversation, he nodded to Joey, and they both exited the room and disappeared. As things settled down again, the banter between the groups continued as the rest of *NSync came and joined in the conversations around them.

Justin, of course, tried to get closer to Aidan, whom he was the most attracted to, but the couch was only so big, and neither AJ nor Howie were budging. Therefore, Justin did the only thing he could think of, and sat on the floor in front of the couch, looking up at Aidan. Just as Justin was about to say something to Aidan, he felt a stab of envy run though him, as he noticed that he was already in conversation again with Howie, leaning over to whisper in his ear.

"So, are you out? If not we can talk about tomorrow later," Aidan whispered.

Howie nodded, "Been out for awhile. Quite a few of the guys in both bands are actually bi or gay too, so it was easy to come out to them."

Aidan blinked; quite a few of the guys in the bands were bi or gay? Man, that news would rock the world of entertainment. He could see the newsflash now... "Today, certain members of the guys in the Backstreet Boys and *NSync announced that they were bi or gay. News at 11!" Oh my! That would that cause a stir, he thought. It was a good thing that he was an honest person and was good at keeping secrets, because that little bit of information would be worth a lot of money.

"Really?" Aidan whispered, as Howie began to nod.

Howie chuckled as he saw the look of shock on Aidan's face at the information he'd just been given, knowing that Aidan could be trusted with their secret. After all, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that ninety nine percent of their fan base was girls, or that this information in the hands of the press would be a sure way to ruin all their careers.

Justin, who was still sitting on the floor, wanted to introduce himself to Aidan, but somehow felt this was some sort of intimate conversation. How could they be that way already? What is with all the whispering? he thought.

Aidan finally looked down, noticed Justin at his feet, and smiled. "Um... Hello. Sorry, we were just talking."

Justin looked up as Aidan spoke to him. God! How could he get even cuter when he smiles? Reaching his hand up to shake Aidan's, he introduced himself, "Hello, my name's Justin. I saw you earlier near the buses before the concert and, of course, during."

Aidan looked slightly shocked, "You mean you saw us when you were running out of the bus? I would have thought we would have been a blur as you ran into the building."

Justin chuckled, "It's hard to miss three guys standing in the parking lot alone, especially three guys who look like you do. No, we saw you earlier. It's easier to look over past the fans before getting off the bus, so we can calm ourselves enough to get into the building in one piece: especially when screaming girls are trying to rip off your clothes, and are trying to mob you. Looking directly at the mass of bodies makes it harder. It's not easy when you essentially can't defend yourself."

Aidan nodded quietly. "Yeah, I can imagine that wouldn't be too fun. At least you have the money to replace the clothes, right?" he chuckled and winked.

Justin nodded, "Yeah, but it's hard when it's a one of a kind shirt that I bought somewhere that I won't get back to for a long time."

Aidan nodded again, "True... I had some guy pull the shirt off my back one night at a club. It was my favorite shirt. I almost decked him, but luckily, Kent was there to save me. He's a great friend."

Justin was intrigued. "Why was he trying to pull off your shirt?"

Aidan blushed slightly, "Well, I let some of the guys down at the club talk me into playing in their band, and one of the guys decided that he wanted a souvenir when I got offstage. Luckily, the bouncers grabbed him and threw him out while Kent held me back."

Howie finally pulled back from his thoughts. "What do you play?"

Aidan shrugged, "I play the guitar, sometimes the piano, but I have to be pretty inspired to touch the piano these days."

Justin blinked. A musician? How perfect was that? Justin began plotting. There just has to be a way of getting Aidan on the tour when it starts back up.

When Justin didn't say anything, Aidan shrugged and looked towards Howie and nudged him gently. "Want to take a walk? I need to stretch my legs, and we can talk about tomorrow."

Howie smiled and nodded. As they both stood up, Howie realized how short he was next to Aidan's six-foot tall frame. I could get used to this; he's so tall and gorgeous! Howie looked up into Aidan's incredible hazel eyes, and instantly felt himself grow hard. He blinked as Aidan smiled down at him, and then turned to move towards the door. Howie followed him closely until they got outside.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

By now, the arena was deserted except for the roadies loading the bands' equipment and instruments all around them. Aidan made a quick decision, walked up the steps to the arena, and turned to make sure that Howie followed. They went to the last row and took a seat, slightly hidden from the work lights of the stage.

Aidan adjusted himself in the seat slightly and turned to face Howie. "So, what did you have in mind for tomorrow? Did you guys already have plans or something?"

Howie nodded, "We were planning on going to Six Flags, if they're open, actually. The management usually arrange for us to get the park to ourselves for the day."

Aidan blinked. "Wow... Never thought to do that before. No lines, no waiting... Sure: I'd love to come. Sounds fun, actually."

Howie's heart skipped a beat. He was coming with them! Howie always had problems when they went to amusement parks. He never had anyone to sit with. Brian and Nick always sat together, and Kevin and AJ always sat together, which left Howie the odd man out. Sometimes Kevin took pity on him and sat with him, but most of the time being in a five-member group had its drawbacks.

Howie smiled, "Great; I'll let management know. I'll need to have your address and stuff, so we can pick you up."

Aidan nodded, took out a piece of paper, and wrote down his address and phone number. "There you go; I added my number just in case you can't find the house."

Howie nodded, looking down at the address. Howie scooted to the front of the seat and stood up, putting it in his jeans pocket before sitting back down. He looked at Aidan, smiling shyly. Howie normally wasn't shy around guys, but when it came to guys like Aidan, he had a small problem about blushing a lot.

They talked for about twenty minutes about general things, just getting to know each other, when Howie looked down at his watch. His mouth was dry, and he had to clear his throat as he spoke. "Perhaps we should get back; I'm kinda thirsty. We'll probably be leaving shortly for the hotel, anyway. Did you want to come with us and get some food?"

Aidan smiled, "Well, we ate before the concert... but if you want us to tag along, that would be okay with me: if it's okay with everyone else."

Howie stuttered slightly, "Oh... Well, no pressure. It's just... we don't really eat much until after a concert: helps with not getting sick on stage."

Aidan nodded, chuckling softly. "Sounds like a good idea. Come on; let's get back. Kent and Drew are probably thinking we're off making out, or something."

Howie's blushed deepened to crimson as he stood and walked with Aidan back to the green room.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Meanwhile - Elsewhere in the Arena

"How could I have not told him? Did you see him in there making eyes at Howie? Of course, who could blame him after that little dance I heard Howie did for them during the concert? How could I have been so stupid? He's so gorgeous!" a voice was heard getting louder and more distressed by the second.

"Calm down, when he gets online tonight, tell him the truth; tell him that you like him a lot, and you want to meet with him. Maybe you can invite him to the park tomorrow and spend some time with him?" a quieter melodic voice answered, obviously trying to calm down the first speaker.

"What if Howie already asked him? You saw them walk off together... What chance have I got?"

"Listen, man, you're a hot guy; he'd be stupid not to like you. Just tell him the truth!"

"Yeah, but I don't want to hurt him. What if he really likes Howie?" the first voice replied, much softer now, sounding very unsure of himself.

"How can he really like him? He just met him a half hour ago. Give him a chance to decide on his own. You said that he's always excited when you log online, right? He must like you at least some; use it to your advantage! He probably thinks he'll never meet you."

"Yeah. Yeah, I suppose so."

"Come on; we better get back to the Green Room; people are going to begin to wonder about where we all went, and why."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Back In the Green Room

When Howie and Aidan returned to the Green Room, it was mostly cleared out. AJ was lying on the couch and appeared to be sleeping, Kevin, Nick, Drew, and Kent were talking quietly in a corner of the room, and the rest of *NSync were nowhere to be found. Aidan shrugged, walked over towards his friends, and smiled.

"Hi, guys! Where did everyone go?"

Drew smiled and winked up at his cousin. "Well, Brian went with Chris to find the rest of the guys, and Justin is in the restroom."

Howie and Aidan nodded as they pulled up chairs and sat down.

Kent grinned at his best friend. "So where did you two go? You were gone for at least twenty minutes."

Howie blushed as Aidan spoke up. "Oh, well my legs were cramping from sitting, so we went for a walk around the arena and talked."

"Talk? That's all? Well, guess it's better than nothing. Hey, Aidan, the guys invited us to Six Flags tomorrow; did you want to come, too?" asked Kent.

Aidan laughed, "Actually, Howie already asked me to come with them. We were coming back to ask you the same question."

The group laughed and went silent for a few minutes. Meanwhile, the door to the bathroom opened, and Justin came out dressed in a blue wifebeater and a pair of tight blue jeans. He walked over to the group feeling another pang of jealousy run through him as he continued to plan a way to get Aidan on the tour.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Howie walked over to some chairs and pulled one close to the rest of the group, wondering where the rest of *NSync was. He'd seen how oddly several of them had acted when they saw Aidan. He'd also noticed the way that Justin was undressing Aidan with his eyes, the lust-filled look that said that he wanted to fuck Aidan six ways to Sunday. Not that Howie didn't agree with him, but he'd seen that look a lot, and hoped that he would one day be able to stop having to fight for the attention of men he liked. Competing with Justin was not a very fun pastime. Howie had lost several potential boyfriends this tour because of Justin, and this time he planned to fight and win.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Nick watched Howie curiously. He had always thought of Howie as a brother, and didn't miss the look on his face as Howie watched Aidan. Howie really liked Aidan, he could tell. In fact, the last time that Howie found a guy that he really liked, Justin stole the guy away and left poor Howie heartbroken. Justin and Howie were not the best of friends after that. Thankfully for Howie, Justin dumped the guy shortly after; in fact it was so fast that Howie didn't even have time to react. Howie had later found out that the guy's goal was to sleep with all of them, and Howie was glad he hadn't had the chance to do that. Truth be told, Justin almost did Howie a favor, though Howie would never admit it.

Nick knew that he was going to have to say something to Howie as soon as he could pry him away from the group. Glancing fleetingly towards Justin as he took a seat near Aidan, Nick had a sudden case of dejâ vu. He had noticed that same gleam in Justin's eyes when he had met Mark six months ago, and he wasn't about to let Justin get the upper hand again.

If all else failed, maybe one of the other guys, who were both really hot, might be interested in a younger guy, and would take Justin's mind off Aidan.

Author Notes: Well, there is chapter two. I hope that you liked it. Yes, quite a bit was the same as far as the concert went. The only main difference is that Trevor and Duncan have been erased from the story, so Kent and Drew went instead, which changed some of the interactions a bit. I also tried to add a bit more detail in certain scenes. If you are curious about the Nick thoughts near the end of the chapter, don't be. Right now, the central characters are Aidan, Josh, and Howie. So obviously, someone looking out for Howie would be mentioned, since he is currently a central character. Or that is my reasoning, at least.

Chapter three is at my beta reader, and I am working on chapter four and five of LFL.