DISCLAIMER: Hello everybody, first off, this story is going to be about establishing relationships, not purely about sex, but there will still be encounters here and there. I must however state that I do not know anybody's sexual preferences in REALITY, however, in this little fiction world of mine, they are what I choose them to be. Once again, the "Duh Factor": if you are not old enough to view this material, go away. If homosexual material offends you, why are you here?
Special Thanx: Chris, my first international fan!!! Woohoo =0) Also, thanks to James for the motivation too. Luv ya'll =0)
Reminder: Lance's thoughts are in greater than, less than arrows <> and Joey's are in regular brackets []. Thanx and enjoy!
In the previous chapter:
Lance received a visit from Kevin of BSB and finally admitted to someone else his sexuality. He was convinced to tell everybody else and he soon did. His sister had already known due to here sister-like instincts and the guys took it really well. Joey started questioning his feelings.
Chapter Five
Joey had been driving around downtown Orlando for a few hours. He had to sort some things out and he was looking for a good bar to do his thinking in. Sure enough he came upon a little corner bar called "Pablo's Island Paradise." It wasn't that busy of a place and he decided it would be safe. He found a place to park his Acura SLX and walked on over to the bar. Sure enough it wasn't very busy, considering the location. The bartender almost looked shock that someone actually entered his bar other than the few regulars. Joey pulled himself up on a stool as the bartender walked over.
"What can I get you senor?"
Joey slipped him a hundred dollar bill, "Give me a bottle of Jim and a shot glass."
"Of course," the bartender was, to say the least a little shocked.
Joey started pouring himself shots and downing them at rapid speed. He had developed a tolerance for alcohol and it took a lot to do anything to him. As he continued downing shots, he started thinking to himself.
[Okay, start from the beginning. Think Joey think! Okay, the night after that concert in Atlanta, you knew something was bothering Lance, but why did it bother you so much? When you woke up and saw Lance crying, something panged inside, you felt his pain, his suffering. Why? When you comforted him, you felt...what did you feel? Felt different, that's for sure, I mean, sure I've banged many a girls, but never had any real emotional attachment before. Why did you, how did you become emotional attached to Lance? Because he's so nice and sweet, he's always concerned about everybody else and nobody had ever really paid that much attention to him. Plus, he is kind of cute. Wait a damn second; did I just say that Lance is cute? What the hell? I'm straighter than...than...ugh...am I straight? How can this be happening to me?]
As Joey started downing a beer, a guy came and sat down next to him. Joey looked up and saw this young guy smiling at him. He had brownish blonde hair, sideburns, and some deep blue eyes. Joey just grimaced as the guy started talking because everything sounded a lot louder than it actually was.
"You know, most people come here to drown out their sorrows. I've noticed that about everybody."
"Umm...are you talking to me?"
"Yeah, who else would I be talking to?" The guy grinned and then continued. "My name is Charlie."
"Do I care?" Joey was starting to become extremely irritable.
"I figured you'd just like to know the name of the guy talking to you. You know that there is an easier way to deal with your problems."
"Oh yeah, what would that be?" Joey asked being extremely sarcastic.
At this point in time, Charlie started becoming irritable himself. "You have friends, don't you? You know, those four guys that you work with?"
"They couldn't help me right now. Its stuff I need to figure out on my own," Joey, then realizing what Charlie had said, "wait a second, the other four guys I work with? So...you know who I am?"
Charlie laughed at this and then started talking. "Yes, I do know who you are, Joey Fatone, I'm not a total music reject. You're surprised that I didn't freak out?"
"Actually, I am kind of. Why didn't you say something?"
"Well, I didn't see Joey of 'N sync sitting here, I saw the Joey with things on his mind sitting here. I figured you didn't need a fan right now, but someone to talk to."
Joey grinned at this. "Thanks, but I think I'm just going to drown out my sorrows right now."
"Yeah, so do I, mind if I join you?"
"Nah, why not?"
Joey and Charlie continued drinking together until a little after midnight. Sure enough, after taking down the bottle of Jim Bean and a few beers, Joey was wasted. Charlie didn't drink heavily and new that Joey was in no condition to drive.
"Joey, can I call you a cab? Or somebody to come pick you up?"
"No cab," Joey was interrupted by a hiccup, "You can call Lance for me though." Joey ended in a drunken grin.
"Okay, hand me your phone and I'll call him." Joey handed over his cell and handed it to Charlie. He scrolled down until he found "Lance" on the phone and hit 'send.'
"Ugh...hello?"
"Hello, you don't know me, my name is Charlie and umm...I think I have somebody that belongs to you."
"What are you talking about?"
"Joey...lets just say that he has seen better days that involved a lot less alcohol."
"He's drunk? Shit, where is he at?"
"A bar downtown called Pablo's Island Paradise. Don't worry, I'm not going to let him go anywhere. We'll be waiting for you."
"Okay, I'll be down there as soon as I can." Lance hanged up the phone, got dressed, and called a cab. He quickly told the driver where he needed to go and he was on his way.
Joey, mainly because of the alcohol, started crying while sitting down on the curb. Charlie, not really knowing what to do, sat down next to him. "Lance said he's on his way, he'll be here in a few." Sure enough, a few minutes later, a cab pulled up and Lance stepped out, paid the driver and walked over to where Joey and Charlie were crouched. Joey had his head buried in his knees and he was sobbing loudly.
"Joey, whats wrong hombre?"
Joey looked up and stared into Lance's green eyes. This only made him cry harder and then he tried to get some words out. "Oh Lance, you're really here aren't you?"
"Yeah, Joey, I'm here, let me see your keys."
Joey handed Lance the keys to his Acura and then tried to get up by himself, but he promptly fell back down and proceeded to puke his guts out in the street. Lance and Charlie helped Joey up and placed their arms around him for support. They finally made it over to the car and plopped Joey down in the passenger seat. Lance turned to talk to Charlie.
"Thanks for calling dude."
"No problem Lance, here's his cell phone."
"Okay, thanks again man."
"Just glad he's got a friend like you," Charlie smiled and extended his hand.
Lance gladly took it and shook hands. He offered Charlie a ride, but he declined. Lance started up Joey's Acura and started driving towards home.
<God, Joey only drinks when something is bothering him, he rarely ever gets drunk at that. Man, something big must have happened, I hope that it wasn't because of me. Wait a second; he did call me after all. He wouldn't have called me if he were mad at me for some reason. Why did he call me? He could have just as easily called Just, JC, or Chris. I really need to stop reading too much into this. Well, he is definitely wasted and I am way to tired to drive back to his place. I guess he'll just have to crash at mine.>
A few minutes later, Lance pulled up into his driveway and turned off the car. He walked over to the passenger side and opened the door. Joey promptly fell out of the car, but Lance caught him in time. Lance place one of his arms around his waist and took one of Joey's arms around his neck.
<Dear God, Joey my man, you have got to lose some weight. Geesh. I'll be sure to remind you when you wake up in the morning.>
After a few minutes of struggle, Lance finally got Joey inside the house. He dragged his semi-comatose friend into the guest bedroom, which was thankfully on the first floor. He was really gentle in laying him down on the bed. Without even thinking, he immediately started undressing Joey. At this point in time, he just wanted to get him ready for bed, but once he got Joey down to his boxers, his mind started wandering a bit.
<Damn, Joey. No wonder you weigh so much, haha. No...Lance...stop looking at his crotch. Not good idea dude. He does have a nice package though. Okay, stop it Lance.>
Lance pulled back the covers on the bed and tucked Joey in. He walked to the doorway and turned around to see his best friend snuggling up in the covers.
Lance proceeded to go upstairs and down the hall to his room. He opened his sister's door quietly and saw that she was sound asleep. He smiled and then went to his room. He stripped down to his boxer briefs and fell down on the bed, totally exhausted.
The Next Morning
As sunlight started pouring into the room, Joey started waking up. He was in the process of sitting up when his head started to pound uncontrollably. He immediately laid back down in the bed and grabbed a hold of his brow.
[Dear Lord, what the hell did I do last night? The last thing I remember is Pablo's Island Paradise, some guy named Charlie, and a bottle of Jim Bean. Where am I? This looks like Lance's house. Did I call Lance? I don't remember. How the hell did I get undressed? Oh man, I need some asprin but I really don't feel like getting out of bed right now. Ugh...what is that smell? Oh man, please tell me its coffee.]
Joey, despite his overpowering headache, stumbled out of bed and toward the door. He was reaching for the handle when the door suddenly flew open and there was Lance. He was bare-chested and was only wearing his boxer briefs. Joey looked up at Lance's face and saw "The Look." When you receive "The Look" you know you are in some deep crap.
"Joey, want some coffee?"
"Yeah, thanks, I think I'm going to lay down some more."
Joey stumbled back over to the bed and sat down sipping his coffee. He was just about to ask for some asprin when Lance handed him three.
"Thanks Bro, I was just about to ask. How'd you know?"
"Well, considering you were plastered last night and I had to drag your ass in here, I figured you'd have one hell of a hangover this morning."
A grin spread across Joey's face, "Ohhh...hehe...I guess that is expected huh?" Joey tried to laugh, but he stopped because his head wasn't going to let him.
Lance sat down on the bed next to Joey and gave him a serious look. Joey looked into his green eyes and stared.
"So, what was bothering you? You never get that plastered unless something is bothering you."
Joey immediately stared down at the carpet. He started lying, "Nothing was bothering me, I just wanted to get plastered."
"Yeah right, I know you better than that. Something serious was bothering you. I'm not leaving until you let me know what it is." Lance stated, as a matter of factly.
"Well, it is your house after all, it would probably be kind of stupid for you to leave your own house."
This got a laugh out of Lance. "True, but you know what I mean. So...spill."
"Lance..." Joey started then looked into his green eyes. Tears started falling and Joey started crying.
Lance immediately put his coffee down and pulled Joey into a tight embrace. "Joey, shhhh, don't worry, you know you can trust me."
Joey slowly stopped crying, but he pulled Lance into a tighter embrace. "I can't, not yet anyways. Just give me a little more time, okay?"
Lance pulled Joey up to eye level. He saw something at that moment. He saw himself several weeks ago when he was afraid to tell everybody else about his sexuality. He knew what Joey was struggling with, but, out of respect for his friend, didn't push the issue.
"Okay Joey, fine, just remember you can tell me anything whenever you want."
"I know, thanks James."
"James? You haven't called me James in a while dude."
Joey laughed at that, much to the regret of his head, which proceeded to bang again. Lance saw this and pushed him down onto the bed. "Lay down and sleep it off. You'll feel better in a few hours. Quick question though, who's Charlie?"
"Huh? Oh, the guy at the bar. Just some guy that came up to me at the counter."
"Okay...well...get some rest. I'll bring some more coffee in here in a minute."
"Thanks."
Lance got up and turned to leave. Joey, despite his aching head, took the opportunity to check out Lance's ass in his tight fitting boxer briefs. He then closed his eyes trying to stop himself from thinking about Lance like that. Despite the coffee he had just drank, he promptly fell back asleep.
Lance walked back out to the kitchen, grabbed breakfast for his sister, and walked upstairs. His sister smiled at him as he came in and placed the breakfast tray in front of her.
"Good morning little brother."
"Morning," Lance replied smiling. His smile immediately faded however when his mind returned to Joey. His sister saw this.
"Uh oh, I know that look. Something is wrong, what is it?"
Lance rolled his eyes, "You know sometimes its impossible to keep anything from you?"
"I'm your older sister, duh, I know that look," she replied and smiled. "So...?"
"Well, I got a call last night around 1 or so from a guy named Charlie. Apparently Joey had gone and gotten drunk off his ass. For some reason, Charlie called me on Joey's cell and I went to go get him. Well, when I got there, Joey was crying his eyes out. Well, this morning when I went in to check on him, I asked him what's bothering him. He doesn't want to tell me for some reason or another. I'm really worried about him."
Lance looked at his sister and saw this crooked grin spread across her face. She then smiled at him, "Isn't it obvious?"
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Geesh, you have to learn to read between the lines. Okay. Here we go. Fact number one: this guy, Charlie, was told to call YOU. Even though Joey should have called Justin, Joey or Chris because you would be the one most agitated at him for getting drunk. The others wouldn't care. Fact number two: He was crying when you went to pick him up and he doesn't want to tell you."
"O...k...?"
"Do I have to spell it out for you?"
Lance remained silent giving his sister a look of pure "I have no friggin' clue"
"Joey has feeling for you and I don't mean friend feelings, I'm talking about something more," Stacy finished her statement and started eating her toast, leaving a dumbfounded Lance staring at her. He then managed to get the words out of his mouth.
"Joey...has...feelings for me?"
Chapter Six
<Joey has feelings for me? But, Joey is straight. Right? Isn't he? Well, it would explain why he got drunk last night and told that guy to call me. Stacy was right about the fact that he could have called any of the other guys. Why me? I wish he would tell me.>
The doorbell rings downstairs. <Who the hell could it be now?> Lance got up and started walking toward the stairs when he heard the door open.
"YO LANCE!"
Lance tramped down the stairs and saw Chris poking his head in the door. "Hey doofus, did I say you could come in?"
"Nope, I just decided to take it upon myself," Chris smiled and entered with a bag in one hand.
"Where are the other guys?"
"Huh? Oh...I dunno...probably still home asleep. What? Is it like impossible for me to come visit one of my friends without the entire group tagging along?"
Chris was in the process of walking toward the kitchen when a pillow hit him square in the back of the head. "Hey! That's not fair."
"Haha, you had that one coming smart ass," Lance replied.
"I can't help it if I have a smart ass," Chris replied while pouring himself a cup of coffee. He immediately pulled himself up on a stool around the kitchen counter. Lance comes in and sits down across from him. "What's in the bag?"
"Huh? Oh...doughnuts!" Chris laughed as he suddenly remembered. He opened the bag and handed one to Lance. Lance took a bite. <Pretty good. What the hell is Chris giggling about?>
"What's so damn funny?"
Chris proceeded to point at Lance's lips and said, "Cream filled!" He busted out laughing.
"You sick little pervert!" Lance yelled as he wiped his mouth off.
Chris was laughing so hard that he fell off the stool. He fell down and back, hitting his head hard on the counter behind him. "Owww, shit!"
Lance started laughing, but stopped when he saw that Chris was in real pain. He got down off his stool and went over to Chris. "You okay?"
"I hit my head pretty hard, damn that hurt!" Chris placed his hand on the back of his head and brought his hand back out in front of him, "No blood, that's good."
"Come on, lets get you to the couch," Lance said as he pulled Chris up. Chris thought he was okay until he stood up all the way. A wave of dizziness hit him and he would've fallen down if Lance hadn't been there to catch him.
"Woah, dude," Lance said as Chris fell into his arms. He looked down and saw Chris grimacing in pain. Lance helped Chris over to the couch and went back into the kitchen. He returned a moment later with some Tylenol, a glass of water, and an ice-pack.
"Thanks," Chris said as he downed the Tylenol and placed the ice-pack on his head.
"That's what you get for being a little pervert," Lance said jokingly. "We probably need to get you to the hospital and get you checked out."
"What for?"
"Duh! You hit your head doofus. You could have a concussion or something."
"Nah, I'll be okay in a few."
"I'm not going to take 'no' for an answer dip, I'll be back in a few, I'm gonna go throw on some clothes and check on Joey."
"I was wondering why his Acura was out front."
"Yeah, he got plastered last night and I had to go pick him up."
"Joey called you instead of me? Didn't he know the grilling he was gonna get from you?" A slight grin escaped Chris' mouth until it was immediately replace by another grimace.
"Apparently he just didn't think about it. Either way, I'm gonna go check on him and I'll be back in a few."
"Okay."
Lance was almost up the stairs when he saw his sister come out of her room. "And what do you think you're doing?" Lance asked as he strategically placed his hands on his hips.
"I am going to go use the bathroom."
"Okay, let me help you," Lance stated as he started towards her.
Stacy's hand flew up almost immediately, "Hold it right there little brother. Didn't you hear me? I am going to use the bathroom. I do not require your assistance." She then raised her head and started off toward the bathroom with her crutches. Before she got to the door, she turned around and called back to him, "Besides, I have to learn how to use these things sooner or later." She walked in and closed the door.
Lance sighed and finally realized that he had been babying his sister. <She does have a point. I have been babying her a lot lately. What did she expect me to do though? Oh well, I might apologize later, but right now I need to go get fully clothed.>
With that thought finished, Lance ran jogged off to his room and started pulling on some jeans, a sleeveless T-shirt and a button-up. As he was walking past the bathroom, he stopped for a second to let his sister know what was going on.
"Hey Stacy! I have to take Chris to the emergency room, he fell and hit his head, I'm not sure if Joey his staying or going. Just wanted to let you know so you don't freak when you see that Italian st..." Lance stopped when he realized what he was about to say.
However, his sister had already caught it and finished it for him, "...Italian STUD walking around the house? No problem, tell Chris I said 'hey' and I hope he feels better."
Lance could swear he heard a giggle, but he let that slide. "Okay, I'll be back as soon as I can, you got my number. Later."
Lance silently cursed himself as he walked downstairs. Chris was still holding the ice-pack to the back of his head. "Hey, you ready?"
"Yeah, just let me check on Joey real quick, he may or may not want to come with us."
Lance jogged back to the guest room where Joey was and stopped at the door and knocked. "Hey Joey, you up?"
"Yeah, I can't really sleep with this friggin' hangover."
Lance opened the door and saw Joey sitting up in the bed with one hand on his brow. "That's God's way of telling you that you shouldn't drink that much." Lance knew this would piss Joey off and sure enough he got the fake laugh look from Joey.
Lance continued, "Chris is over, but I'm about to take him to the emergency room." He saw the look of terror on Joey's face and immediately saw he should have finished. "No...nonononono...its nothing serious. He just fell and hit his head. I want to take him to the ER to get it checked is all."
Joey finally breathed out, "Geesh dude, don't freak me out like that!"
"I was just wondering if you wanted to come or just hang here."
"Yeah, just let me get dressed real quick, it would probably be better if I went ahead and got some fresh air anyways." Joey got up and slipped on his shirt, pants, and shoes from the previous night and Lance had to make a comment. "Wow, this is a first."
Joey gave him a dumb look, "What do you mean?"
"THE Joey Fatone wearing the same thing two days in a row, its like a sin or something." Lance started cracking up.
"I would probably hit you right now, but you're lucky because I really don't feel like it."
Joey followed after Lance and saw Chris with an ice-pack on his head. Chris saw them coming, "Are you guys ready to go? I'm telling you its nothing, I just don't feel like arguing with Lance."
"Okay, now I know something is wrong if you don't want to argue with me," Lance stood in front of Chris. "Come on, let me help you up." Lance grabbed Chris and pulled him up and toward the door. Luckily, Chris had parked behind Joey's car. So they all piled into Lance's 4-runner. Since the hospital was not that far away, the three of them didn't really get to talk about anything.
Once Chris had been taken to the back to get a check-up, Lance and Joey walked over to the waiting room. They sat down in chairs facing one another and Lance looked at Joey. <Why is he avoiding eye contact? Now I know it has something to do with me. I just wish he'd tell me so we can get this out of the open.>
"Okay, spill."
Joey looked down at the floor. "What?"
"Don't play dumb with me Joey, I know something was bothering you last night, other wise you wouldn't have got plastered. I also know that it has something to do with me since you are making an obvious effort to avoid eye-contact with me."
Joey laughed at this. The he got this serious expression on his face. "I'm not going to lie to you. You've been too good a friend for me to do that. It did have something to do with you, but it isn't what you think. I have no problem with you being gay. I mean, your decision is your decision. Its just..."
"Just what?" Lance asked as he got up and sat down next to Joey.
"Its just...you coming out to me that night. I saw how vulnerable you were and how much you needed me there as a friend. I don't know how, or why, but...it sparked something inside of me. I haven't been able to figure it all out yet...it started with little thoughts here and there. I just don't understand...its so damn confusing." Joey stated and got up, pacing in front of the chairs.
Lance thought about it a minute. "Wait a second, are you trying to tell me that you...you find me attractive?"
Joey looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes, "Yes, I think so." "What about all the girls you've been with? I mean, were they just flukes?"
"No, its not that. I enjoyed my time with all the girls. I would have even considered it being 'in love'. Its just that I've started...noticing guys more than I used to."
"So...that means that you're Bi?"
Joey grinned at Lance's bluntness. "I guess so." For the first time since this conversation began, Joey made eye-contact with Lance. Lance saw what he felt that night. A complete 'lost' look that made Lance jump up and hug him. Then he remembered what Joey had said earlier about finding him attractive.
"Joey, sit down for a minute." Joey did, although a tad-bit confused at the moment. "I just want to say something. I know it may sound really harsh, but I have to say it. You just now found out that you're attracted to guys. Although I'm happy to hear you find me attractive, I don't want us to get into anything. Don't take it the wrong way, I find you attractive as well, its just that we are both kinda new to the scene, so to speak. I want us both to do some serious thinking as to what we want. Okay?"
Joey looked like he was about to break down into tears when an ambulance pulled up to the ER. All the nurses scrambled, knowing exactly what to do. Joey and Lance, temporarily distracted looked up to see what was going on. They saw the two emergency technicians pushing somebody in. Yelling out what was wrong with the patient.
Most of which they could hear, "Broken nose, severe blood loss, possible concussion..." The list went on and on. The technicians and nurses pushed the patient right past where Joey and Lance were standing. Although the body lying there looked like hell, they could immediately tell who it was. They both looked on in shock as the patient was rolled away to an operating room.
"Oh my God," Joey finally stated. "Lance...that was the guy I met last night at the bar." Lance was still in a state of shock and didn't reply.
"Lance, that was Charlie!"
Did I get you? I'm sorry if I disappointed anybody that was looking forward to Joey and Lance hooking up. =0/ Major bummer for ya'll. Don't worry, these guys are going to get involved with someone really soon. I know I've said that before, but now with all of this preliminary stuff out of the way, I can get into the more relationship oriented stuff =0) Looking forward to replies and any suggestions. Just a minor note that I need to mention. I've been pretty swift updating this story, I'm going to try my best to keep doing it. However, I'm about to start my second semester of college and I don't know how much time I will be able to devote to this story. Believe me when I say that every spare moment I have will be devoted to it. Also, if you want to know when I've updated this story through my email, let me know. Luv ya....Charlie grandbaykracker@hotmail.com