Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000 23:00:09 CST
From: Peter Kamphuis <rh_chan@hotmail.com>
Subject: Kevin and Justin - Chapter 4

All the usual disclaimers apply:  Please stop reading if you are
underage or homophobic.

This is a work of fiction - nothing is being implied about the
sexuality of any of the people portrayed below.

Author's notes:

1.  I'm not used to thinking of mobile phones as 'cell phones'.
In Australia, they're generally called 'mobiles' and that's what
I'm most comfortable calling them.  However, as I'm dealing with
American characters, when they mention mobile phones, they'll say
'cell phone/s'.  Just note that outside of 'conversations' this
may not hold true.  Big hint: this chapter mentions mobile phones!
:)

2.  Though everyone should already know this anyway, I'll just re-
iterate it...  This is a work of fiction and I'm using 'artistic
license' throughout the story.  Which basically means that my
characters may not 'fit in' with what you know about the real
people they're based on (e.g. nicknames, what sort of underwear
they wear, etc.).  Please don't hold it against me if I get
something wrong - I can't research EVERYTHING about the real-life
people that my characterisations are based on!

3.  I don't know a lot about the 'Boys of Summer' (?) tour, even
after having read several stories in the archive that mention it.
So, in my universe, 'N Sync and BSB are the only two bands on the
tour.  I thought I should mention this right up front, so that you
don't start wondering where the additional 'cast' are.

So, with that in mind, here's the next instalment of 'Kevin &
Justin'.


Kevin & Justin - Chapter 4

Brian was the only one who remained calm at the revelation that
Justin was missing.

"He's probably just in his room.  Don't worry guys!" he admonished
them.  He walked out of A.J.'s suite and strode to Kevin's door.
Knocking didn't seem to produce any results.  Nor did turning the
doorknob: the door was locked and no-one had a master key to the
suites.  He turned around and faced the massed talents of two of
the world's most popular bands.

"We should try their phone.  Maybe they're just asleep and can't
hear the knocking from their bedroom," he suggested, sounding
unconvincing even to himself.

Even though it was only a slim chance, Lance flew back into A.J.'s
room, as if catapulted.  By the time they had all joined him, he
had already listened to the phone in Kevin's room ring for the
third time.  He glanced nervously at the faces arrayed around him.
"No answer yet."

He let the phone ring for a full minute before he hung up and
tried again.

Placing the receiver back in its cradle after the second call, he
shook his head to indicate no-one was answering the phone.  He was
on the verge of crying, along with JC.

"Well, our final option is to get someone in Reception to come up
with a key to their room, but that could raise a lot of unwanted
questions," A.J. said.  "Personally, I think they're not in their
room.  Either they've both disappeared to the same place - maybe
the restaurant or one of the terraces, or they've left separately.
I'm not too worried about Kevin: I don't think he's too far away
and he can take care of himself.  But Justin..."

"There are a couple of options, as A.J. has pointed out," Chris
said, filling the pause.  "I think we should check with the front
desk first, in case they saw Curly leaving.  If they haven't, then
Justin is still somewhere in the hotel.  I'm sure we'd be able to
find him - we have enough people here to do a thorough search of
the building."

"Good idea," Lance agreed, brightening.  "Let me check with the
front desk."

"Do you think Kevin is okay?" Nick asked Brian softly.

"Yeah Nicky, I think Kevin is fine.  He wouldn't do anything
stupid.  He's probably just out walking, or working off some steam
in the gym."

"Kev works out?" JC enquired, having overhead their softly spoken
conversation.  He had calmed down considerably now that they were
'actively looking' for Justin.

"Yeah, Kevin is almost a fanatic," Brian replied.

"I wonder if that's the place to start looking?" JC asked.  "If
Justin IS with Kevin, and Kevin is in the gym, then we should
check there first."

"It's a thought...  But let's wait and see what Lance comes up
with."

They heard Lance finishing his conversation with the front desk.
He turned a relieved looking face to his friends.  "He's still
somewhere in the hotel!  The desk clerk has been there for the
past hour, and she hasn't seen anyone leaving the hotel who
matches Justin's description.  She was at her desk the whole time
- I checked and made sure of that."

"Well, that's a relief," Chris said.  "So he's somewhere in the
hotel.  Where could he be?"

"Let's check the hotel brochures.  That should tell us what's open
at this time of night.  Then we'll split up into groups and go
looking for him," suggested Howie.

Lance 'leapt' into action once more and hurriedly picked up the
dossier, which was lying next to the phone.

"Okay let's see.  There's the pool deck.  That's on the 14th
floor.  The gym's on that floor too.  Both are still open."  He
paused as he scanned the rest of the booklet.  "There are two
restaurants still open at the moment.  One is on the 1st floor and
the other is on the 3rd.  And the only other place that's still
open is the bar on the ground floor."

"Okay, BSB guys: grab your cell phones and select a partner!"
Brian said quickly.  "JC, care to come with me to the 14th floor?
We'll check out the pool and the gym.  The rest of you can take
care of the other possibilities.  As soon as you find Justin, or
Kevin for that matter, call the others and let them know!  If you
don't find either of them, come back here.  We'll all meet back
here, and if they're still missing, we'll take the next step."

Brian didn't bother waiting to see if anyone agreed with him or
not.  He grabbed JC by the arm and pulled him out of the room.  He
raced back to his suite and grabbed both his and Nick's mobiles.
On the way back out, he almost smashed into Nick, who was striding
to their room in search of his phone.  Nick's partner was Lance.

"Here's your cell phone Nick.  Good luck!"  Brian handed over the
mobile, then took off at a trot.

"Yeah, you too Bri."

"Just so you know Brian," Lance called out, "A.J. and Chris will
be checking out the bar, and Joey and Howie the restaurant on the
3rd floor.  Nick and I will check out the restaurant on the 1st
floor."

"'Kay, got it!" Brian called, opening the doorway to the
stairwell.  He wasn't in the mood to wait for the elevator to
arrive.

JC hastily followed and caught up with him just as he exited the
stairwell on the 14th floor.

"Do you really think they'll be in the gym?" he asked Brian.

"I don't know, but I'm sure hoping so!  I don't want to think of
what it could mean to find that my cousin is missing!"  He fell
silent as he felt a shiver go down his spine.  Then turning to
look at JC, he continued, "I guess you'd feel the same way about
Justin?"

The bleak expression on JC's face was all the answer he needed.
However, JC also nodded slowly in answer to his query.

They checked out the pool first, as they had to pass it on their
way to the gym.  Brian suggested that JC stay in the hallway, just
in case Justin and/or Kevin walked by, while he checked the
terrace and pool area.

A few minutes later, he reappeared and shook his head, indicating
to JC that he hadn't seen them.

They resumed their trek to the gym, silently praying that their
missing friends would be there.

They turned the corner and entered the gym.  Both stopped dead in
their tracks.  Kevin and Justin were there: fiercely hugging each
other, and crying softly.

Brian and JC looked at each other.  Brian briefly glanced back at
the pair in concern before turning to face JC once more.  He
indicated with his head that they should leave and saw JC nod in
agreement.  They turned around and left the gym without disturbing
the crying duo.

Once well away from the gym, Brian pulled out his phone and called
Nick.

"Frick?" answered Nick in a hopeful tone.

"Yeah Frack, we've found them.  They're both in the gym," Brian
explained, not hiding the relief in his voice.

"Oh thank God!" Nick replied, his voice almost breaking.

"Look Nick, can you do me a favour and call Howie and tell him?
I've still got to call A.J."

"Sure Frick.  What do we do after that?"

"Let's just head back to A.J.'s room, okay?"

"Okay.  Thanks Bri!  See you soon."

"'Bye Nick."

Both Howie and A.J.'s groups were informed, much to their relief
as well.  Soon, they had all assembled back in A.J.'s room.

"So where are they?" asked Chris, peering behind JC and Brian, as
if expecting their missing colleagues to be following the two of
them.

"We left them in the gym," Brian replied carefully.  "They seemed
to be really involved in discussing something, and we didn't want
to interrupt them.  But they're fine.  We'll see them either later
tonight or tomorrow, no doubt."

JC didn't say anything.  They had discussed what they would tell
the others as they made their way back to A.J.'s.  Brian had felt
like telling everyone the truth, but JC had argued that that would
just cause everyone to feel guilty again.

He thought it was best to keep the others in the dark about what
they had seen in the gym, especially now that the two groups had
talked things through and had come up with their plans.  That way,
the guys would be able to approach both Kevin and Justin with a
positive attitude!

Although Brian hadn't been convinced, he had eventually conceded
to JC's arguments.

"Ugh, it will have to be tomorrow in my case," Joey replied,
getting to his feet.  "I'm wasted!  And I've got to get up early
too!  Oh why did I agree to take on Lance's job?" he wailed.

Lance and Chris laughed, taking absolutely no pity on Joey.  After
all, Lance hadn't offered him the job.  Joey had taken it by
force!

"I have to agree with Joey...  I'm for bed," Lance said.  "I know
I don't have to get up early tomorrow," he cast a smug glance at
Joey before turning back to face the others, "but I can't shake
the habit overnight.  I'll be up early whether I like it or not."
He got up and turned to face Joey once again.  "Come see me in the
morning and we'll talk about the schedule."

Joey nodded his head in resignation.  "Okay."

"'Night guys," Chris said.

The others echoed him, as Joey and Lance walked out of A.J.'s
room.

"No offence guys, but I'm also ready to get my beauty sleep...
Can I please ask you all to leave?" asked A.J., smiling to soften
his rudeness.  The only people who could have taken offence were
JC and Chris.  The others were used to A.J. and paid no attention
to his rudeness.

Chuckles greeted his request, as everyone got up and started
filing out.  "'Night A.J." they chorused.

A.J. closed his front door and wearily locked it.  He was on his
bed and sleeping within a minute, with a relieved smile on his
lips.

*-*-*

The others said 'good night' to each other outside, in the
hallway, before peeling off to their respective rooms.  Soon, JC
was the only person left standing in the hallway.  Though he also
felt tired, he sat down near the door to Kevin's and Justin's room
and patiently waited for them to appear.

He had a lot to think about...

Not only about how rotten he felt for causing them both to be
hurt, but also about the realisation that Justin was gay.

Try as he might, he couldn't feel any surprise.  He thought back
over the years that he had known Justin and could recall trivial
events, comments and actions which now made perfect sense to him.
He realised that he had always known: it had just taken him a
while to 'see' the obvious.

And one thing that was patently obvious to him at the moment was
that he still thought of Justin as his closest friend.  Not even
the fact that Justin was gay could make him change his feelings
towards his best bud.

Besides, away from the band he had several close friends who were
gay, so he knew he could cope with Justin being gay!

He smiled gently as his thoughts turned back to how Justin had
acted since meeting Kevin...

A new suspicion started to form in his mind...

*-*-*

Justin and Kevin pulled apart and sat back down on their bikes.
Both had given up the thought of doing any more exercise.

"Justin, I know that what I did was wrong.  I relied on you when I
had no right to.  This is my problem, not yours, and I think I'm
going to have to solve it by myself."

"How do you plan on doing that?"

"Well, there's really only one way: I'm going to have to spend
time with your friends.  I don't know if I'll become the best of
friends with them, but I'm going to try my hardest to get to know
them better, and allow them the chance to do the same with me."

Justin smiled at the determination he could hear in Kevin's voice.
Hopefully, after the scene he had caused earlier, Kevin's wish
would be easier to accomplish than expected.

He still felt an overwhelming urge to tell Kevin that he would do
anything in his power to help him, and after seeing how much pain
he was suffering, to also comfort him.  But he didn't think it
would be a good idea.  One wrong word and Kevin might find out
that he was gay!  Just the thought of that happening was enough to
freeze the blood in his veins.  Kevin's friendship was too
valuable to lose!

Thinking quickly, he decided to change the topic before he said
something that would embarrass him or expose him.

"Say Kev, I think I heard Nick say something like 'Rock' earlier.
What did he mean by that?"

Kevin smiled, knowing what Justin was attempting to do.  He
decided to follow Justin's lead anyway...

"'Rok', spelt R-O-K by the way, and 'B-Rok', 'B' and 'Bri' are
Brian's nicknames.  Nick was probably talking to him at the time
he said that."

"That's a lot of nicknames for one person," Justin said.

"I guess," Kevin said, shrugging.  "It's really just the one
nickname though: B-Rok.  But because we use different parts of it,
and also because we sometimes shorten Brian's name to Bri, it just
sounds like a lot of names.

"His other nicknames, by the way, are 'Frick', 'Seaver' and 'Mr.
Joker'.  Just don't ask me to explain any of them!" Kevin said,
holding up his hands to ward off any suggestion of Justin doing
just that.

"Do the others have any nicknames?" Justin asked, smiling at
Kevin's antics.

"Yes, but I'll only tell you about them if you return the favour."

Kevin smiled his 'special' smile at Justin as he made his
roundabout request.

"It's a deal," responded Justin, grinning back at Kevin as his
heart raced in response to that 'special' smile.

"Okay, well let's start with A.J.  'A.J.' is actually sort of a
nickname.  His real name is Alexander James - that's where the
initials 'A' and 'J' come from.  But if you try calling him Alex
or Alexander, he'll give you the evil eye!  His other nicknames
are 'Bone' and 'Mr. Cool'."

Kevin snorted to show that he still found the nicknames funny,
even though he had heard them countless times over the past six
years.

Justin continued to grin.  He found it so easy to talk to, and to
listen to this wonderful man.  Well, most of the time - when he
wasn't worried about saying something that would reveal his
secret...

"Howie is just 'Howie', or sometimes 'D'.  His full name is Howard
Dorough: that's where the 'D' comes from.  We also call him 'Sweet
D' and 'Latin Lover' from time to time.  No guesses as to why!"
Kevin shrugged his shoulders as he snorted in amusement.

"Nick's nicknames are 'Frack', 'Kaos' and 'Mr Hyper'.  'Frack'
being the complementary nickname to Brian's 'Frick'...  We also
sometimes call him 'Blondie', just like JC did earlier today with
you, or even just 'Nicky'.  He hates that by the way!  He only
lets Brian get away with calling him that, but I guess that's
understandable: they've been living in each other's pockets for
the past 5 or 6 years!"

"I'll have to remember that for the next time I speak to Nick."

"Good luck," said Kevin, and really meaning it.  Nick had a bad
habit of becoming volatile when he thought he was being made fun
of.  "Okay, your turn now.  Tell me all, Just!"

"Okay, where to begin...?  Well JC is a bit like A.J. - 'JC' is
one of his nicknames.  We also call him 'Mr. Serious' on occasion
- no prizes for guessing why.  If you want to annoy him, by the
way, call him 'Joshua'."  Justin's smirk was echoed by Kevin.

"Chris's nicknames are 'Luckey' and 'Puerto Rico'.  He doesn't
mind them, but he absolutely hates it when people call him
Christopher.  Joey is the same.  To upset him, call him Joseph.
As for his nicknames, we often call him 'Flirt', and on occasion
'Phat-one' - spelt P-H-A-T, by the way.

"Which only leaves us with Lance.  He also has quite a few
nicknames, but the most often used ones are Scoop and Lansten.  We
also sometimes call him by his first name, James, but it doesn't
annoy him the same way as the others."

"James?" asked Kevin in surprise.

"Yeah, that's his real first name.  He just prefers to be called
Lance."

Kevin smiled broadly.

"What's so funny?" Justin asked.

"I just realised that Chris is the odd man out on another count."

"What's that?" asked Justin, amused at Kevin's train of thought.

"Well, Chris is the only one in your group who doesn't have a name
starting with 'J'!"

"Oh yeah.  That's right!  James, Josh, Joey and me, Justin."

They both grinned.

"Okay, time to get really dirty.  What are your nicknames Kev?"

Justin couldn't help but smirk at Kevin's abrupt change of
expression.

"Well, promise you won't laugh?" asked Kevin.  "There are quite a
few odd ones..."

"I promise."

"I don't know if I can trust you to keep your word," teased Kevin.

"Of course you can.  I'm a man of my word.  Besides, if I laugh,
then there's a big chance that you'll return the favour when I'm
telling you my nicknames."

"Okay, I guess I can trust you...  The obvious ones are Kev and
Kevy, though only my mom really calls me Kevy.  Sometimes the guys
do, but not that often."

"Any others?" asked Justin.

"Yeah," Kevin replied, grimacing.  "There's also 'Kevy-Kev',
'Train' and... 'Mr. Body Beautiful'."

Justin guffawed loudly.

"Hey, you promised!"

"Sorry Kev, it just caught me by surprise.  How did you manage to
get that name?"

"I don't think I should tell you.  It will only make you laugh
more!"

"I'd really like to know."

"Maybe some other time Justin...  When I don't feel so certain
that you'd laugh in my face."

"Okay," acquiesced Justin.  "Any others?"

"Yeah there's one more," Kevin said, surprising Justin.
"Sometimes the guys call me 'Boo'."  Kevin's tone had lost all
semblance of humour.  Justin could tell that this particular
nickname was special to Kevin.

"That's a bit of an odd nickname, but it sounds kinda nice."

"Yeah.  The guys call me that when they feel especially close to
me, or when they want to cheer me up."  He paused as his eyes
briefly clouded over in pain.  "At least that's what they USED to
call me...  I haven't heard them say it in a long time."

He hung his head, trying to overcome the wave of sadness that had
rolled over him.  But mostly, he hung his head so that he could
avoid looking at Justin's expression.  He knew that he'd 'break
down' if he saw Justin looking at him with concern or empathy.

"I'm sorry to hear that Boo," Justin said gently, his voice filled
with concern, compassion and warmth.

Kevin's head snapped back up as Justin's words, their tone, and
his nickname being uttered by those lips, all combined to pierce
his heart.

His eyes urgently sought out Justin's, as if being drawn there by
a magnet.  He looked deeply into his angel's eyes and instantly
felt himself become lost!

Justin immediately sensed the change in Kevin and found himself
returning Kevin's soul-searching gaze.  He felt as if he was being
allowed the special privilege of seeing into Kevin's soul, and he
couldn't suppress the sense of wonder that overcome him!

Kevin, in turn, felt the impact of his feelings for Justin and
looked away quickly, his eyes misting over with the ache he felt
in his heart.  In amongst his heartache there was also a feeling
of terror!  If this wasn't love, he dreaded to think of how he'd
feel when he came up against the real thing!

Justin had only just started to become lost in Kevin's eyes, when
Kevin looked away.  As with Kevin, he felt a pain grip his heart
that startled him with its intensity.

This was quickly pushed aside as he became aware of the distraught
look on Kevin's face, and the glimmer of moisture in his eyes.

He got off the bike once more and grabbed a hold of Kevin in his
arms.  "I'm so sorry Kevin!  I shouldn't have called you Boo."

"No Justin, please don't ever think that!" Kevin said anxiously.
"I'm not upset that you called me Boo, it was just the way you
said it.  I could feel your... friendship and warmth... in that
word, and it took me by surprise, that's all."

Kevin mentally cursed himself for his 'near-slip'.  He had almost
said: I could feel your *love* and friendship...

Justin hugged him tighter, feeling both happy and sad at the same
time.  This marvellous man was so genuine and good!  And hidden
deep inside him was a lot of hurt.  He could sense it!  He knew
that it was eating away at Kevin's self-confidence and courage,
but Kevin would be hard pressed to let anyone past the barriers to
help him.

The ache in Justin's heart came back doubled and he couldn't
control his tears anymore.

"Justin," Kevin whispered, "thank you so much for caring about
me."  He gently rocked the sobbing man, all the time whispering,
"Let it all go, Just.  Let all your negative emotions wash away
with your tears."  He ignored his own coursing tears as he tried
to comfort the angel in his arms.

A while later Justin had calmed down enough to talk.

"Kev, I'm so sorry about that.  I don't know what came over me,"
he said, as he pulled out of the hug.

"Don't apologise Justin - you needed that.  I guess I did as
well...  I cried almost as much as you!"

Justin grinned weakly.

"Now, we were discussing nicknames if I recall correctly, and you
were about to tell me yours," Kevin said, hoping to lighten the
mood.

"Oh shoot, I hoped you had forgotten," Justin said petulantly,
still drying his eyes.

"Not on your life buddy!  So spill them," Kevin said, laughing,
and hoping that he could get Justin to brighten up.  He hated to
see him looking so upset!

"Well, you already know two of them," Justin said.  He noted
Kevin's surprise.  "Remember?  'Just' is one of them, and the
other is 'Blondie', same as Nick."

"Oh okay.  Well 'Blondie', any others?"

"Yeah a few more.  'Shot' is another one, and the guys sometimes
call me... 'The Baby'"

"Awww, that's so cute!" Kevin teased.

"Hmmmm, I guess I deserved that for laughing at your nickname
before."

"Yes, you could say that," Kevin said, grinning broadly.  "Is that
all?  You don't have any other nicknames that I can make fun of?"

"Ha ha Kevy...  not so very funny!"  Justin grinned along with
Kevin, feeling happy that they were able to joke around with such
ease.  "As a matter of fact, I do have another nickname.  It's
related to my hair.  Can you guess what it is?"

"Your hair?  Let me see...  Curly?  Shor-," at Justin's nod, Kevin
backtracked, "Curly?"

"Yeah, the guys often call me Curly."

"In an affectionate way?  It doesn't really sound too
affectionate..."  Kevin's eyebrows rose in surprise and confusion.

"Yeah, it seems like a name which can't be used in an affectionate
manner, but you'd be surprised!  I'm used to it, so I don't hear
it any other way.  Even then, when you said it a second ago, it
sounded kinda nice."

"Hmm, so Curly it is," said Kevin, smiling broadly.

Justin grinned back at him.

He felt so exhilarated being with Kevin.  He also felt a bit
tired!  He looked down at his watch and was surprised to see it
was almost midnight.

"Ah Kev, I don't mean to be a spoilsport, but it's getting kinda
late.  Were you thinking of working out for much longer?"

"No Just, I think I'm done.  And you're right, it is getting
fairly late.  We should get back to our room."

Justin nodded in agreement and helped Kevin get up from his bike.

*-*-*

JC heard a sound coming from the end of the corridor and
recognised it as laughter, just as the elevator doors opened.

He saw Kevin and Justin spill out, still smiling at whatever they
had been laughing about.  He got to his feet and felt life slowly
returning to his tired legs.

Justin caught the movement out of the corner of his eyes and he
turned to see what had caused it.  "Josh?"

Kevin's attention was immediately redirected to JC as well.

"Uh, hi guys," JC said, smiling at them, as they walked to stand
opposite him.

"JC," acknowledged Kevin carefully.

He realised that JC probably wanted to talk to Justin.  "Well it's
fairly late and I've got to get up early, so I'll head off to
bed...  Good night JC."

"Umm, wait a second Kevin, there's something I need to say to
you," JC said.

"I'm listening Josh," Kevin replied, turning to face JC from the
partly open doorway to his suite.

"I just wanted to apologise to you.  We were severely out of line
tonight.  And even earlier in the limo and at the airport.  I hope
you can forgive us?  We'd really like to get to know you better.
*I* would really like to get to know you better," JC said.

Kevin blinked in surprise.  What had changed?  When he had last
seen the guys they had almost ignored him, and now, all of a
sudden, they wanted to apologise to him and get to know him
better?  He looked into JC's eyes and saw the sincerity there.
Regardless of what had happened, JC was being honest.  He seemed
to be genuinely sorry and wanted to get to know Kevin better.

Kevin's expression mellowed.  "Thanks JC.  Apology accepted and
I'm glad that you guys want to make the effort.  I'll also make
more of an effort to get to know you guys better.  Well, I'd
better get going.  Good night JC."

"'Night Kev."

Kevin briefly glanced at Justin before he entered the suite and
closed the door behind him.  He suddenly felt happy!  Things were
finally looking up.

*-*-*

Justin's expression cleared at the acknowledgment that Josh and
the others were willing to get to know Kevin better.  He felt a
smile touch his lips as Josh turned to look at him.

"I've got to apologise to you too Curly.  None of us knew how
personally you felt for Kevin, even though that's no excuse.
We'll do everything we can to make sure we don't hurt either of
you again."

"Oh Josh, thank you," Justin replied, beaming at him.  "Come here
you big lug and give me a hug."

JC stepped into the hug and felt tremendously happy.  Justin
seemed to be back to normal, or maybe even happier than he had
seen him in a long while.  It looked like his suspicions were
confirmed...

"Well, I'd like to continue this all night... not!"  JC said,
smiling wearily.  "Seriously, I'm dead on my feet, but I wanted to
see you guys and clear the air."

"Thanks Josh.  Thanks for understanding.  Now go!  Get your beauty
sleep," Justin replied with a chuckle.

"Okay, good night Justin."

"Good night Josh."

They parted and entered their rooms, each happy that the other one
was feeling happy.

*-*-*

Josh leaned against his door and paused to think about the change
in his best friend.  It was so wonderful to see Justin so happy.

And though Justin would deny it, JC knew the reason why.

He was glad that his buddy had finally found someone to love.  And
he had no doubt in his mind that Justin loved Kevin with all his
heart, even though Justin would deny it, even to himself, for some
time to come.

Grinning at the thought, he walked to his bedroom, stripping to
his boxers with a minimum of movements, and collapsed onto his
bed, foregoing the chore of brushing his teeth just this once.

Just as he dropped off, he wondered whether Kevin was gay?

*-*-*

Justin felt like he was walking on air!  His friends had come
around, and his friendship with Kevin was becoming as deep as the
one he shared with JC.  The only thing that would make his life
perfect would be for Kevin to fall in love with him!

But he didn't hold out much hope of that happening.  Nothing he
had seen about Kevin tonight indicated that Kevin was gay.  Or
even that Kevin was interested in him beyond friendship.

Sighing, he turned off the lights in the lounge room and walked to
the bedroom.  When he reached the doorway, he froze.  Kevin was in
the process of pulling down his boxers!

Kevin sensed his presence and stopped before he had revealed
anything.

'Oh damn,' he thought in panic.  'I shouldn't have taken so long
getting ready!'

Justin stared at Kevin and Kevin stared back at Justin in fear.
Almost as if by a silent signal, they both blushed and looked away
from each other at the same time.

"Umm, Kevin?" Justin said hoarsely, "I'll just be in the bathroom.
You go ahead and get into bed."

He rushed past Kevin and closed the bathroom door behind him.

Kevin lost the willpower to continue undressing and sagged down
onto his bed.  'Shit,' he thought, 'I knew that I should've told
him!  He shouldn't have found out this way.  The last thing I
wanted to do was to shock or hurt him.'

"Damn," he cursed out loud.  "What have I done?  I've upset him
and probably ruined our friendship!"

He could feel himself getting angrier and more upset with each
passing second.  'You stupid fool!' he chided himself.  'Why
didn't you just get into bed with your boxers on?  Why couldn't
you have just slept in the damn things?  Would it have killed you?
Now you've ruined everything!'

A minute later, Justin opened the door to the ensuite and stepped
out.  He was surprised to see that Kevin was still in his boxers,
and sitting on his bed, rather than lying in it.  He was also
surprised to see the look of anger on Kevin's face.  Not sure of
what to do, he sat down next to Kevin and tried to comfort him.

Kevin failed to even notice him sitting there.  Justin thought it
very likely that Kevin was too lost in his own thoughts to take
note of his presence.

"Kev?" he said gently, placing his hand on Kevin's shoulder and
softly shaking it.  He marvelled at the felling of touching
Kevin's skin, even so briefly.

Kevin's head immediately snapped up, and his eyes focussed on
Justin's.

"Oh Justin, I'm so sorry!  I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know
how to," he started to explain, feeling his eyes mist over.

"Oh Boo," sighed Justin as he reached over and hugged Kevin.  "You
caught me by surprise, that's all.  I don't care if you sleep in
the nude.  It doesn't bother me in the least."

Justin was relieved that Kevin was unable to see his face.  His
face told another story entirely!  In fact, deep down, he was
feeling guilty at the thought of what might have happened if he
had sprung Kevin several moments later.  But it couldn't be; the
cost of losing Kevin's friendship was just too great to pay.

"Boo, please don't be upset.  I can't stand the thought of you
crying."

Kevin heard the warmth in Justin's voice and instantly felt more
secure and equable.  He disengaged from the hug and smiled weakly
at Justin.

"Just, I know that you feel embarrassed, regardless of what you
say, so I'll just sleep in my boxers for the next two nights,
okay?"

"I don't want to put you out Kevin.  Are you sure you can sleep
comfortably in your boxers?"

"I can try," replied Kevin, immediately regretting it.  He should
have emphatically said 'Yes'!

"No, it would just make you feel uncomfortable," Justin said,
appreciating Kevin's honest answer and sensing the mental slap
that Kevin gave himself.  "Besides, from what Lance has told me,
you're usually up later than I am, and also wake much earlier than
I do.  So, provided you undress in the dark, it won't bother me
and we're unlikely to embarrass each other."

"Just, I don't know...  What if you get up sometime during the
night or wake up before me tomorrow?  Or maybe the next day?  You
might get a surprise that you'd rather not get."

Justin just laughed.  "You're worrying too much Boo!  I never get
up during the night.  I sleep the night through!  And do you
remember what the guys said in the elevator?  They weren't lying.
It takes a lot to get me out of bed in the morning.  You could
sleep in until midday and I'd guarantee you that you'd still be up
before me."

"If you're sure?" Kevin replied uncertainly.

"Yes, I'm sure.  Believe me Kev, a marching band could be parading
around the room and I still wouldn't wake up."

Kevin just laughed at the image, and acquiesced.  He smiled his
'special' smile at Justin, and nodded.  Justin, in turn, suddenly
felt warm all over and tried to ignore the ache that briefly
clenched his heart.

"Okay, if you're sure," Kevin said, "then get settled.  I'll wait
till you're in bed before getting the lights."

Justin quickly complied, walking over to his bed and stripping
down to his boxer-briefs.  He tossed his gym clothes into a pile
near his suitcase.  He was unaware - thankfully for Kevin - of the
effect his unintentional strip tease had had on Kevin.  Kevin
composed himself after Justin had got into bed, then walked over
to the light switch near the door, and flicked it off.

He carefully made his way back to his bed and quickly removed his
boxers.  He slid under the covers and settled down, turning to
face in the direction of Justin's bed.  He briefly heard a
rustling movement coming from Justin's bed...  He couldn't see
anything clearly in the darkness of the room, but he suspected
that Justin was now lying on his side, facing towards him.

"Good night Curly."

"Good night Boo."

Silence enveloped the room.  Soon after, a very soft snoring noise
emerged from Kevin's bed.

Justin lifted his head from his pillow and propped it up on his
hand, never taking his eyes off the extremely dim outline of his
friend.  "You're a very special man, Kevin Scott Richardson," he
whispered lovingly.

Feeling a deep sense of rightness settle into his body, he
burrowed back into his bed and drifted to sleep, with a final
whispered, "'Night, Boo."

End - Chapter 4


Hope you liked this part!

Does anyone know what Kevin's nickname (Mr. Body Beautiful) means?
I couldn't find anything about it on the 'net...