Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 20:23:10 +0000 (GMT)
From: goldenknight <goldenknightuk@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: Dreams of an Angel - 12 (gay/boybands)

	Hey all. Here I am again with the next part of Dreams of an
Angel. Yup. I'm so sick of studying, I don't give a damn about what will
happen from now onwards. Heh heh. Naah. I just have some free time on my
hand so I thought what the hell! I might as well do some writing. Anyway,
here it is. Comments and suggestions are deeply appreciated and for all
those who have been very supportive and giving such cool feedbacks and all,
you guys (and gals) are the BEST!

	Onwards to the boring part! Legal matters! Hehehe. You can press
'fast-forward' now.

	Well, first of all, this story, as you will certainly find out
soon, is TOTALLY fictional. So! If any of you truly believe in it... well,
my brother is studying psychiatry right now for his final medical
examination in April, so maybe I'll just refer you to him. You'd make a
good delusional subject. Secondly! None of the guys in the Backstreet Boys
are gay! (No matter how hard I wished it :P). But nobody say we couldn't
dream it, heh heh. Thirdly, Warren Worthington is actually a character from
Marvel Comics, X-men known as Angel or recently Archangel. Okay fine, I
admit it. I'm bored and I am making a pathetic attempt to make life a lil'
bit interesting. Its not like I'm gonna publish it or something. What else
to talk about hmm? Oh, there may be some adult gay scenes in this
story. Unlike my brother, I don't mind writing naughty stuff ;) so! If
you're underage, naughty, naughty! I can only ask you to go away, but I
cannot do anything else to stop you from reading on anyway. Hell! I've been
sneaking into the internet to watch gay porns since I was 13! So, if your
parents or whoever responsible for you catch you, don't say I didn't warned
you. However, if you're homophobic... well maybe I can seduce you enough to
turn you around heh heh. I do so love a challenge ;)

	Anyway, enough talk. Any comments or boos or suggestion or
whatever, just sent it to the same address as in NNTs,
goldenknightuk@yahoo.co.uk . Yeah, we shared the same address. Don't
ask. Long story.

	Okay then! On to the show. Now, don't be shy now. If you got any
comments or suggestions, just drop me a note. You do the request, and I'll
do the show.

	Andy

************************************

"Hey, AJ, buddy, mind waiting for me here for a sec? I need to go to the
washroom."

"Sure, D. Take your time," said AJ as he put on his sunglasses and cap to
reduce the chances of anyone recognizing them.

Howie nodded and walked off towards the nearest toilet. They arrived in New
York about half an hour ago and although the trip was calm and uneventful,
he still felt weary. And the memory of the whole incident with Warren
before they left LA does not help matters at all.

He walked into the washroom and stood before the mirror, taking out his
mobile phone. He feels a bit guilty for leaving AJ in the dark, but he got
to do this alone. AJ is a good friend, but Howie knew that he is smarter
than he looks. AJ doesn't mind mutants at all but at least he is smart
enough not to have any dealings with them. That's good enough in Howie's
book as far as the 'Don't mind mutants' part goes. Howie does have some
degree of tolerance when it comes to other people opinions. But even
tolerance has its limits. And helping and supporting mutants - like what
that guy, Warren, did - that cannot be tolerated.

He dialed a number and waited impatiently as it rings away. He has to get
Nick away from Warren. He will not let Nick ended up like Jessica. He
wouldn't!!

"Hello? Kirk Henrickson speaking."

"Kirk? It's me, Howie."

"Howie. What's up?"

"I need a favor, Kirk."

"Anything, my friend. What do you need?"

"I want access to every scrap of information concerning Warren Worthington
the Third. You told me 'The Right' has done a little bit of research on
him, right?"

"Indeed we do. But not everything. The little shit is quite good at
remaining low."

"Well, give me all you got."

"I'll have his data file ready on my desk as soon as you get here."

"Good."

"Anything else that you need?"

"No, that'll be all for the moment. See you in a bit."

Howie hangs up the phone and walked towards the door, deep in
thought. There are only two possibilities he could come up with when it
comes to people who supports mutants. One would be that that person simply
support them and serve as an ally - in another word, a betrayer to
humankind. The other would be that the person is a mutant himself. The
first is... tolerable. Whoever the person is, he or she can be 'persuaded'
to turn the other way. The second is... inexcusable. Warren had better not
be the latter, or there'll be hell to pay...

*****************************************

"Warren?"

The man opened his eyes tiredly and smiled as he saw Nick's flawless face
staring down at him, smiling pitifully.

"Hey, Nick. Come to watch me in my misery?" Warren smiled back.

"Board meeting from hell, huh?" Nicks chuckled as he sat beside the man.

"With little devils dancing around jeering at you." Warren replied as he
smiled. "So how can this poor tired little angel serve you?"

He reaches out for a bottle of red wine from the nearby table.

"Wine?"

"That'd be nice. Thanks." Nick replied and took the offered
wineglass. Leaning on his own seat, he sipped the drink and rested his head
blissfully.

"Well, for starters, you can drop that illusion and be yourself. There's no
one here but Jubilee. I don't know about Jube, but I love looking at those
wings and that blue skin of yours."

Warren laughed at that and proceeds to switch off the image inducers. Nick
let go of the breath he's been holding as he saw those wings again. He will
never get tired of it! Those wings simply fascinate him!!

"The wings, maybe. Everyone seems to like them. But not the blue
skin. C'mon, Nick. It's ugly."

Nick frowned at him upon hearing those words. How could the man think of
himself as ugly? That's inexcusable! The blue skin actually makes him
looks... unique. Exotic. And together with those wings and blond
hair... He's simply gorgeous!

"You're not ugly, Warren. You're beautiful. So quit the self pity." To
emphasize his words, Nick reaches his mind out and allows Warren to feel
his sincerity. He's beginning to get the hang of this empathy thingy.

Warren was stunned at Nick's words and sincerity. He has always thought he
looks like a monster ever since he acquired the blue skin. It was a gift
from Apocalypse and he loathes anything that reminds him of
Apocalypse. Most people avoid talking about his blue skin, thinking that it
might open up old wounds. The avoidance however gave him a different idea,
sadly. He began to think that people avoids talking about his blue skin
simply because they are trying to be polite and telling how ugly he is
simply wouldn't do.

"You think it's... beautiful?" Warren asked softly.

"It makes you looks... unique." Nick blushed as he forced himself to say
that. "Like a... peace of art. I like it actually."

Silence stretched on with Warren looking at him with a stunned
expression. Slowly, Warren looked at his hands as if trying to examine the
blue skin for the first time. Never before did anyone tell him that it
looks beautiful. He was beautiful long ago before Apocalypse changed him
and he got so used to that. He looked at Nick quietly for a moment or two,
not quite knowing what to say.

Nick has helped him with his nightmare this morning, and to Warren, that is
a favor he couldn't ever repay. Nick has no idea how much that means to
Warren. Nights after nights, his memories of the past assaulted him,
stealing away his sleep. For months, he has suffered alone. Jean knew, and
Warren was pretty sure Betsy knew too. She is after all, a telepath. But he
couldn't turn to Jean. He couldn't let anyone see him in that state. His
shame. His fear. He tried to kill Jean, and eventhough Jean and the others
forgave him for it, that is not enough to makes him forgive himself. It's
not enough to make him forget the memories.

He had hoped Betsy would help him. He had hope Betsy would be his
salvation. But Betsy didn't want to have anything to do with it. She hates
weakness. She was perfectly happy with the old, proud and arrogant
Warren... and this one weakness simply disgusted her. She didn't say it
aloud and she never even showed it. But Warren can tell just by looking at
her face as she looked at him impatiently. Betsy is a proud woman. Her
brother is a multi-billionaire too, just like Warren, and the Braddock
family has always been proud of their wealth and noble heritage that goes a
long way throughout the history of Britain.

Warren was not surprise when she left him. He actually expected her to
leave him mainly because she doesn't really needs him. Warren wanted
someone he could love and care, but Betsy doesn't need that. What actually
stings his heart was the fact that she left him when he needed her
most. Warren has felt and witnessed many betrayals in the past, but never
as cruel as this. He had heard of various rumors and murmurs amongst the
X-men, particularly from Jean and Rogue, of how cold Betsy could be and
that Warren would only get himself hurt one day for falling in love with
her... but Warren never believed that. Betsy is cold deep down in her
heart, but that is her nature. Everyone is entitled to have his or her own
personality. Logan is feral deep down in his soul and it'd be only a matter
of time before his animalistic urges turned him against the team. Remy is
sly in nature and such thing is expected from a thief. Rogue has a more
than one personality within her. One is good and the other is wild. Even
Jean holds the essence of the dark phoenix within her. So why couldn't
Betsy be cold?

He had hoped Betsy would eventually returned his love. But he never
expected her to betray him so cruelly like this. He had hoped... and
believed the illusion of a wonderful dream... and ended up falling to the
ground.

But then, Nick came into his life... and he has fallen in love again. Is
this an illusion too? Dare he hoped again? The promise Nick made to him in
the morning means more to Warren that anyone could ever imagine. He truly
did suffer alone for so long that the hope of someone out there
understanding how he felt and what he is going through seems like a mocking
dream now - dream that is so near and yet out of his reach. But Nick did
know what he was going through at the time. Could Warren trust him or will
Nick betray him like Betsy did?

He dimly remembered how he admitted to himself that he has fallen in love
with the young man and looking at Nick's blushing face... he quickly make
sure his shield is tightly intact to ensure none of his feelings towards
Nick leaks out. Nick's straight and if Warren couldn't have his love, then
at least he have his friendship and that's more than what he could bargain
for.

Nick looked up when he felt Warren grasping his hand.

"Thanks, Nick." Warren spoke softly at last. "That really means a lot to
me."

Nicks simply smiled and grasped back.

"Jube is brooding." Said Nick, trying to change the subject.

Warren looked at her sadly.

"Howie's words really hurt her feelings. She really loves you guys, you
see. But listening at Howie makes her remember all the hardship she has to
endure in her own past. She had a hard time too. Just leave her
alone. She'll be all right soon."

"She told me about her past." Said Nick. "How could her parents turn her
out into the street like that? That's cruel."

Warren simply shook his head at Nick's naivety.

"It's a crazy world out there, Nick. There are all sort of things happening
out there that you wouldn't even dream of. Jube's childhood life is pale
compared to some of the things I've come across. Believe me."

Nick only listen in thoughtful silence as he stares out of the window.

'It's a crazy world out there.' Both Jubilee and Warren have said that and
deep inside, Nick shivered slightly. Ever since he learned that he's a
mutant, his whole world seems to be changing. His whole life is turning
into a totally new direction. What kind of life is he going to lead now?

The captain's voice emanating from the speaker shatters the silence
however, thankfully. The plane is descending and they'll be arriving at
Westchester soon. Silently, Nick buckled his seatbelt and leaned back on
his seat. He's leaving his old life, and is about to embark into a new
one. His whole world is changing and it feels like he's about to start
everything again from the very beginning. There's a whole new world to
explore before him. A 'crazy world' as Warren and Jubilee mentioned. Is he
strong enough to survive it? Only time will tell.

****************************************

The landing was as smooth as any plane ride Nick had in the past, and as
the plane slowly makes its way to a stop, Nick couldn't help wondering what
the rest of the guys are doing at this very moment. He finds himself
wishing Brian were here with him right now. But he dismisses the thought as
quickly as it came. Married couple should be left alone as long as
possible.

He got up from his seat and start gathering his stuff together. Warren is
already up and about; gathering his notes and laptop and whatnot but then,
the flight attendant emerges from the cockpit and quietly informed Warren
to see the captain. The two men walked past Jubilee who is also gathering
her stuff and disappeared into the cockpit.

Nick picks up his bags and walked to the front. He smiled as Jubilee looked
up at him.

"Hey Jube. Feeling better?"

The girl gave him a small smile in return.

"Yeah. Nick, I'm... I'm sorry for being nasty to you earlier. I... I was
kinda upset... you know... with the whole incidence with Howie and all..."

"Hey, it's cool, okay?" Nick replied. "Just remember that the rest of the
guys do not share his opinion. And... well... I certainly don't."

Jubilee simply smiled and nodded.

"So you're ready to meet the others?"

Mustering his courage, Nick forced himself to grin and nodded.

"Hope they won't be too hard on newbies."

This time its Jubilee's turn to grin.

"Hmm... we shall see."

"Care to tell me a little about these people so that I have some idea who
I'm dealing with?"

"Well, you've already met Jean and Hank. The team leader is Scott, Jean's
husband and he... well... the best way to imagine him is to take 10 Kevins
and squash them all into one."

Nick whistled as he heard that.

"That tight, huh?"

"You have no idea." Jubilee laughed before continuing. "Then, there's
Ororo, our 'number 2'. She's quiet most of the time, but when she's mad,
you can expect lightning, thunder and maybe a little bit of hurricane
winds. She has the ability to manipulate the weather. Then, there's ole
grumpy Logan. Don't let his growl and scowl bother you too much. He's like
that to everyone, but he got a good heart. Then there's Bobby Drake, the
cheerful Iceman. If his pranks bother you too much, just spray him with
some water. Hmm... who else? Oh yeah, Rogue and Remy. Be careful not to
touch Rogue's skin. She has the ability to absorb your power and
personality. Remy is our friendly Cajun thief and a damn good one at
that. So watch your stuff. Then there's the professor. He's really cool and
you can trust him. Betsy is the other telepath in the team. She can be a
bit creepy whenever she's around, but don't let that bother you too much. I
don't think there's anyone else around at the moment. Kurt and some of the
others are away at Muire Island."

"Sounds like a big happy family." Said Nick.

"A li'l demented, but yeah... happy." Said Jubilee. "They're the only
family I got, now. You should have seen us last Christmas. Bobby and Remy
planned a Christmas prank by putting some alcohol into the punch and then
Scott, who privately decided that a li'l bit of alcohol would do us all
good that night, put in some more. Then the professor also thought it'd be
good to put in some too. And then Hank did the same too. You should have
seen the state everyone was an hour after that!"

The flight attendant threw open the door at that moment, and the two walked
outside, breathing in the fresh air deeply as they did. On the ground, Nick
saw a sandy-haired man in about his mid-20's standing next to a car,
waiting for them.

"Bobby!!"

Robert 'Bobby' Drake, also known as the Iceman, smiled widely and waved at
them. Jubilee rushed to him and gave him a huge hug.

"Hey, hey, you li'l runt. Missed me, did ya?" Bobby laughed.

"Oooh! You should have come along. Warren can be so dull and forbidding
sometimes. You know he locked out all the porns channel just so that I
cannot watch them?"

"Aww, poor baby." Bobby laughed. "But at least you enjoyed the
concert... or so I heard from Jean and Hank."

He looked at Nick and grinned.

"You even manage to kidnap one of them and brings him back home with you!"
He continued, "Hi, I'm Bobby. Jean told us about you. Nice to finally meet
you."

"Pleased to me you too. Warren told me about you too." Nick greeted in
return as he shook the man's hand.

"All good, I hope. Or else, I have a whole bucket load of stuff I can tell
you about him!" Bobby replied cheerfully. "Where's that li'l bird brain
anyway?"

"He's still in the plane, talking to the pilots... no wait, here he is. Hey
Warren! Over here!" Jubilee shouted.

Nick turned and saw Warren stepping out of the plane. His image-inducer is
on. The fading evening sunlight from the horizon appears to make his golden
hair seems alive for some reason. Warren looked up and his gaze fell on
Bobby.

"Bobby!!" he shouted and rushed towards the man.

"Wings! How are you doing, you arrogant li'l peacock!" Bobby laughed before
being enveloped into a huge hug. "Aaaah!! Not too hard! Not too hard. I
need to breathe!"

"I'll be happier once I'm back at the mansion. I'm sick of hiding behind
this illusion." Said Warren. "Hey, you've met Nick?"

"Yeah. The professor is curious about your potential, Nick. He wanted to
come along to greet you but Hank needs him in the lab." Said Bobby as he
led them all into the car.

"He's not gonna dissect me or something, is he?" Nick asked as they drove
off with Bobby on the wheels.

"Hmm... I dunno about that. Scientists are a weird bunch. Hank would..."
Bobby taunted right before Warren interrupted him.

"Bobby! Stop taunting him. No, Nick. He's *not* gonna dissect you." Warren
said firmly.

"See what I mean, Bobby? Warren can be sooo dull sometimes." Said Jubilee.

"Of course he's dull, Jube. With all those shares and business thoughts in
that little bird brain of his, it leaves little space for fun." Bobby
replied.

"Ah! So Professor Bobby has spoken his mind at last!" Said Warren dryly.

"Very funny. So tell me a li'l bit about yourself, Nick. You like
Twinkies?" Bobby asked.

"I *love* Twinkies!!" Nick exclaimed causing Warren and Jubilee to groaned
loudly and Bobby grinned widely.

"Oh dear God! Not another one!!" said Warren.

"Greetings, Twinkie brother!!" said Bobby. "Hank and I are organizing a
Twinkie run soon at Harry's to celebrate your arrival. Not tonight
though... but soon. So be prepared! There will be no warning. We'll just
grab you someday and go."

"Harry's?" asked Nick.

At the same time they drove pass a small pub beside the road.

"That's Harry's Tavern." said Warren, pointing to the pub. "We usually hang
out there when we got sick of being cooped up at the mansion."

"We've been hanging out there since around the time the X-men were created
and the place means a lot to us. Even after it was destroyed in an attack
some years ago, Warren actually donated his own money to have it rebuilt
again." Said Bobby.

"That place hold a lot of memories, okay." Said Warren. "Even Xavier is
fond of the place. Hell! You even met your first boyfriend there."

"Oh God please! Don't remind me of that little slut." Bobby groaned even as
Warren laughed. "What was I thinking hooking up with him?"

"Boyfriend?" asked Nick.

"Oh, Bobby is bisexual, Nick. Hope you don't mind." Said Warren.

"Blame the team!" Bobby laughed again. "Of all the girls there, all of them
are either married, taken, weird or babies. A guy need release too you
know!"

"Babies??!!" Jubilee said indignantly. "I'm 18, you ass! With a gorgeous
body anyone would die for."

"No, Bobby, I don't mind at all. Woo me time and again and I might even get
flattered." Nick smiled.

Bobby laughed happily.

"Oh wow! A gorgeous boyband singer giving me an invitation! Me-ow-ow!!"

His remarks caused everyone in the car to laugh. Nick leaned back against
in seat. The cheerful emotions running off from their mind are really
relaxing. Nick actually felt calm and relaxed. The fact that Bobby is bi
doesn't bother him at all. Maybe he could talk to Bobby about his feelings
he has on Warren.

"What about Storm? She's still single." Said Jubilee.

"That moody old weather witch? Are you crazy? She'd probably zap me with a
lightning bolt the first time we have a lover's quarrel." Bobby replied.

"There's also Betsy... oh! Umm... sorry." Said Jubilee apologetically.

Nick looked up as he felt a touch of sadness from Warren's mind. Who's
Betsy?

"Warren, you okay?" he asked curiously.

The flow of emotions from Warren immediately ceased as Warren slammed up
his mental shield tightly. He smiled at Nick.

"Yeah, I'm fine. How's Betsy doing, Bobby?" said Warren.

"Umm... she doing okay, Wings." Bobby replied hesitantly. "She going off to
her penthouse in London tomorrow. She said she needed to spend some time
alone."

"Oh, okay." Said Warren quietly.

An uncomfortable silence stretched for a moment, and Nick looked up as
Jubilee leaned towards him.

"Betsy is Warren's ex-girlfriend. She called the whole thing off a couple
of weeks ago. Try to take care when mentioning her name around Warren
okay?" She whispered softly.

Nick nodded silently though deep inside, he felt crushed. So, Warren is
straight after all.

The car sped on and soon they arrived at the gates and further on to a huge
mansion.

"Here we are!" Said Bobby cheerfully as they stopped at the front
door. "Welcome to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngster, Nick. Home for the
X-men and heaven for mutant-loving geeks!"

"Home sweet home!" Warren said happily, his saddened mood vanished. Nick
smiled to himself as he stepped out of the car. Warren switched off his
image inducers and Nick marveled at the sight as Warren spread his wings
and immediately took off into the sky. "I've been waiting to do this since
this morning! Sitting in that cramped plane is not a good way to pass the
time for a man with wings!"

"Nick! Make yourself at home!" Warren yelled as he soars through the air
happily. "Bobby, introduce him to the others okay? I'll be back in a couple
of minutes!"

"Show off, you overgrown pigeon!" Bobby yelled back as he laughed.

"I'm not carrying your bags, d'you hear??!!" Jubilee yelled as Warren
continues to shout and somersaulting happily in the sky, his wings
stretched out magnificently on each side.

"Spoiled brat," Jubilee grumbled and pouts as she took hold of Warren's
stuff anyway, while balancing her own as well. "Got sooo used to having his
nursemaid doing everything for him... AAAAYYEEEEIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!"

Nick laughed brightly as the grinning Warren swooped down and snatched
Jubilee into his arms right before sweeping up into the air again, with
Jubilee kicking and screaming as he did. The bags were scattered all over
the driveway.

"C'mon, Nick. Let's meet the others... oh here's Jean. Hey gorgeous! Missed
me?"

Nick looked up as Jean stepped out from the front entrance, followed by a
man in his early-30's with brown hair and wearing a cool red-tinted glass.

"Gorgeous? Were you addressing Scott or me, Bobby?" Jean smirked even as
the man beside her blushed. "Nick! I'm so glad you're finally here!"

She rushed forward and gave Nick a warm hug.

"Did you have a good flight? Where's Warren and Jubilee?" she
asked. Jubilee's screams in the sky made her looks up and smile
though. "Oh! Never mind. Nick, this is Scott Summers, my husband."

The man in the red glasses smiled and shook his hand formally.

"Hi, Nick. Jean told me about your strong empathic talent. Welcome to
Xavier's Mansion."

Ugh. Jubilee was right. It takes only one glance to confirm that this guy
is tighter in the ass than Kevin. But he scored an A++ in the looks
department though.

"Thanks. I'm sorry to be the cause of ruining your anniversary dinner."
Said Nick.

"Nonsense. We were glad to help. Right Scott?" Said Jean.

"Yeah. Think nothing about it. Warren is going to make it up anyway." Said
Scott. His attention was immediately drawn to the front entrance when a
polite cough interrupted their conversation. "Oh, professor! I wasn't aware
you're there. Nick, this is Professor Charles Xavier."

Nick looked at the bald man sitting on a wheelchair, looking at him
curiously.

"Hello. You must be the Nick I've heard so much about from Jean and
Hank. Welcome to my mansion." He said formally.

"Pleased to meet you, sir." Said Nick.

"I have to admit, Jean's report on your empathic ability is intriguing
indeed." Said the professor. "I have never met anyone with that much of an
empathic potential as Jean has described before. I look forward in helping
you control this gift."

"Thanks, sir." Nick replied.

"Jean also told me of your... distress... when you were told that you're an
empath." The professor continues. "I understand what you're feeling right
now, Nick. Let me assure you right now that there's nothing wrong in being
a mutant. It is part of the evolutionary process of life. You have been
given a special gift, Nick. That doesn't make you a 'freak' or 'monster' as
the rest of the world assumed. Everyone here in this mansion has their own
gifts too, Nick, and they are more than happy to help you in controlling
your abilities. So, it is all right to be yourself."

"Thank you, sir." Nick nodded. Somehow he felt relieved and more at home
after that little speech. "I'll do my best."

"I'm sure you will." The professor smiled. "Now, I see that Warren has
finally had enough of having his feet touching the ground. One of you will
have to show Nick his room. You must be tired from your journey, Nick. Go
to your room, wash and rest. Dinner will be ready in couple of hours. The
rest of the team is away on a mission, but they are on their way back right
now even as we speak. You'll meet them at dinner."

"I'll take you to your room, Nick. C'mon. It's right next to mine and
opposite Warren's. It's gonna be fun with you here, dude." Bobby said
cheerfully as he helped Nick with the luggage.

"Hmm... looks like Bobby has corrupted him already. Nick's lost to us
forever." Scott groaned. "May God have mercy on us all."

"Be strong Nick! If he gets too annoying, just kick him in the ass once or
twice." Jean called out after them.

"And if you need a gun, there's one in the professor's study." Scott yelled
out before they disappear from sight.

Bobby just laughed while Nick grinned as they went off into the mansion.

*********************************