Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2000 02:56:23 -0700
From: Dayse <msjingles@angelfire.com>
Subject: "Superman Can't Fly" - part 1

Disclaimer:  This story is purely fictitious, none of the
events portrayed are real, nor is the manor in which they
are portrayed real.  I don't know about the sexuality of
any member of 'NSync

Warning:  m/m happenings, go away if you don't like it :)

Thanks: Mike, Tommie, Fuzz, DLS, thank you for your advise,
time, and for answering all my questions.  You rule :)

Notes:  This is my first story, please let me know what
you think! :)  msjingles@angelfire.com



========================
Superman Can't Fly
by Dayse
========================



Joey Fatone spun and fell hard onto his
knees causing pain to shoot up into his
legs like a hard blow driven by a two by
four.  His jaw rattled and he cursed as the
music was abruptly cut off.

"Whoa!"  A hand grabbed his and pulled him
to his feet and he glanced up with a mix of
embarrassment and gratitude to his friend.

Lance smiled, "That looked pretty harsh.
You okay?"

"Yeah," Joey mumbled.  "But I have no idea
why I'm being such a klutz today.  Fuck,
that must of been the third set I ruined."

"Four, but who's counting?" Chris smiled to
show that he was joking and held up his
hands in surrender at Joey's look.  "Hey,
relax man, we're all tired.  I'm just
ribbing you."

Knowing that his frustration was directed to
himself and no one else, Joey quickly nodded
and rubbed at his knees.  "I - I guess I'm
having an off day."

Justin scratched his head and smirked, "It
wouldn't have anything to do with that babe
we saw you with last night at the club, would
it?  You know, the one in the neon green tank
top?"

A smile twitched Joey's face, "I have no idea
what you're talkin' about."

"Bullshit!"  Clearing his voice and posturing
dramatically, Justin puffed out his chest and
deepened his voice into his best 'Joey'
impersonation.  "'Hey, how you doin'?  What's
your name?'"  He smiled and winked at an
imaginary companion, then quickly jerked his
head around as if watching someone else walk
by.  "'Actually, wait a minute...'" quickly
running off he stopped again, "'Hey...how
_you_ doin'?'"

The group laughed and even Joey couldn't help
but smile.  "Come on, I'm not THAT bad!"

Chris made a face at Justin, "No, no one's
_that_ bad!"

More laughter and JC just shook his head.
"Okay, okay.  How 'bout this?  We've been at
this all day, why don't we call it quits and
head back to the hotel.  I'm pretty tired
myself."

"You, you, you, it's always about you!" Chris
wagged a finger which JC responded to with a
waving fist.

"I don't want you to stop on my account,"
Joey frowned, "Come on, let's try it again, I
know I can..."

"Nah," Justin quickly chimed in.  "Josh is
right, we're done with rehearsal.  We all know
this routine backwards and forewords anyway,
let's just go."

Deciding to just nod and accept a good out
when he saw one, Joey sighed gratefully and
started to gather up his stuff along with the
rest of the band, stuffing various towels and
articles of clothing into his gym bag.  He
was just happy that the manager or
co-ordinater hadn't been around this
practice to watch him repeatedly screw up or
else he probably would of gotten a dressing
down.  And just why the hell _had_ he been
making so many mistakes anyway?  Despite the
guy's kidding, he knew it wasn't because of
any groupie he had slept with the night
before, or from being tired.  It was just
like...like his feet decided they didn't
want to go along with the music.

"Joe?"  JC put a hand on his friend's
shoulder and smiled reassuringly, "Really,
don't let it bug ya.  We all have off days."
He paused, "It is a little weird though.  I
mean, you're one of the better ones with all
these moves.  You're not taking a cue from
_Lance_ or anything, are ya?"

Before Joey could answer, a protesting "Hey!"
rose up from the other side of the room and
he chuckled.  "I sure hope not."

Lance stuck his tongue out at them both, but
couldn't completely hide his smile.




Sprawled out on one end of the hotel couch
and JC on the other, Joey yawned and
scratched absently at his stomach.  The
others had retired to their respective
rooms and the two 'NSync members were
watching a movie together.  Or rather, Joey
was.  JC didn't seem very interested,
although how he couldn't be, Joey had no
idea.  After all, it was Superman!  SUPERMAN!
He had thought every red-blooded American boy
loved Superman.

In his opinion 'Superman I' was way better then
its sequel.  Justin didn't know what he was
talking about.  And, he didn't care what
Chris said, Lois Lane was a fucking FOX!

"Do we have to see this again, man?  What?
You got an infatuation with the man in
tights or something, bro?"

Flipping JC the finger without bothering to
turn away from the screen, Joey shook his
head.  "You don't get it.  This is SUPERMAN.
He can leap tall buildings in a single
bound!  He can fly faster then a speeding
bullet.  He is fucking awesome!"

"You're touched in the head, aren't you?
Dropped as a child?  That's why you have
such an obsession with flying.  And red
underwear."  JC reached over and snapped
the elastic of Joey's boxer shorts, causing
the other man to jump in surprise and glare
at his smirking friend.

"Hands off the merchandise, feller."

"Whatever."

Superman had just saved the town's people
from the lava before JC spoke again.  "You
wanna hear my super hero theory?"

Rolling his eyes, Joey chose not to answer.

"Come ooooooon," JC razzed.

Superman flew in a graceful arch through a
clear blue, cloudless sky.  His cape was a
blood red apron of liquid material as it
floated behind him.

"JOE!"

"You're gonna tell me anyway, Josh, so just
tell me already!" Joey turned his head to
look at him for the first time and was
surprised by how much closer the other man
suddenly was.  "And if it's that whole
Batman and Robin in the cave thing, I don't
wanna know."

JC talked through his smile, showing teeth,
"No.  This is about the Kryptonion."

Joey paused, "Okay."

"He's not a _real_ hero."

"What the fuck is that suppose to mean?" he
demanded, self-consciously fingering the
large 'S' symbol he wore around his neck.
"Of course he's a hero.  He saves people's
lives!  He's saved the friggin' world in
every movie!"

JC watched Joey's fingers move and just
shook his head.  "Nope, sorry Joe, that
doesn't make him a hero."

"And why not?" Joey said, his voice
indignant at this blatant bashing of his
favorite comic book star, his role model
growing up.

Glad to have his friend's full attention
for the first time that night, JC smiled
and turned slightly on the couch so that
they were facing each other.  "Well, to be
a _real_ hero, you gotta do heroic things,
you gotta be willing to put your life on
the line for other people and not give a
damn about your own.  Superman's invincible,
he knows that he isn't going to die, so he
has nothing to lose.  He's not risking his
life at all."

Joey shook his head, "First off, that ain't
true.  Superman isn't invincible.  Are we
forgetting about a little thing called
_kryptonite_?  That could kill him, or at
least take all his super powers away.  And
second of all..." Joey's voice drifted off
and he got a slightly sad look on his face.

"What?" JC asked, a touch of concern in his
voice.  "Joey, what?"  He put his hand on
his friend's shoulder.

"Just because you're not in _physical_
danger doesn't mean that you aren't risking
something.  Who says the worst thing that
can happen to you is death?"  Joey looked
back at the screen where Superman had now
changed back to mild-mannered Clark Kent
and was clumsily going about his business as
Lois gushed to him about Superman's heroics.
"Superman may not put his own life in danger
everytime, but Clark's always is.  A secret
identity, an alter-ego.  The one the public
knows, and the one that he is when he's by
himself.  After a while, he must get so
confused as to which one is really him.
It's not easy keeping secrets like that.
'specially from the people you care about."

As the movie credits started to roll and the
theme music came on, JC gave Joey's shoulder
a light squeeze.  "Both of 'em are him," he
said softly.  "And I was wrong, Joe, you're
right.  I guess Superman is a hero."

Joey shrugged, "Hey, he's just a fictional
character.  He's not real.  Just some dude a
person dreamed up to make himself some
money."  Rising off the couch he ejected the
movie from the VCR and smiled at the cover;
the gleaming image of Christopher Reeve's
face.  "But he is pretty bitchin', huh?"

JC smiled, "Yeah, man.  Real cool."

Yawning loudly, Joey stretched high above
his head, causing his t-shirt to rise up
and he scratched again.  "Well, I'm beat.  I
think I'll turn in early."  A chagrined look
and Joey cast a bashful expression his
fellow band member's way, "I promise to be
more with it tomorrow."

"I know you will," JC stood as well, and hid
a yawn behind his fist.  "Man, I'm out of
it, too, I guess I'll go to bed.  'Night,
Joe."

"Good night."  He paused at the door of his
room.  "And thanks...for, ah..." he smiled
and shook his head, "for Superman."

"No problem, man.  Anytime."




The next day's rehearsal went significantly
better then the first, and Joey hit every
move dead on.  Also, his good mood seemed
to spread throughout and most of the day
was spent laughing and kidding around.  Even
the usual grumpienss that came with an eight
hour practice seemed to be MIA, for which
the directors were eternally grateful.

"Yo, looks like someone got his game back,"
Justin said, smiling and throwing an arm
around Joey's shoulders.  "Must of been a
good night, huh?"  He waggled his eyebrows
suggestively.

"Come on, man.  Yesterday you thought I was
off because I got laid, and now you think
I'm back on because of it?  Whatever
happened to consistency dude?"

"I know not of what you speak."

Grabbing his wrist, Joey spun the younger
man around so he had him in a crude head-
lock.  "Yeah, I thought so."  He ruffled
the mass of curly blonde hair to Justin's
muffled protests before quickly letting
him go.

"Whew!  Try some deodorant, Joe, that's
a foul odor right there!" Justin laughed.

"Yeah, I got another foul odor for you,
brilo head!" Joey joked slapping his ass.

Lance, who had previously been passed out
on the floor, looked up and shook his
head, "No one wants to see your ass, Joe!"

"15,000 screaming fans would say
otherwise," Joey said.

"It's not YOU they're screaming for,"
Justin teased as he stuck his own ass up
in the air.

Chris covered his eyes and stumbled around
the room.  "Oh!  Put that thing away!"

>From his chair at the other side of the
room, the choreographer just shook his
head and made a kill gesture with his hand
towards the sound mixer.  "Okay, guys, I
can see we aren't going to get anything
else done here, you're done for today.  Go
on out if you want, and try not to get
into trouble."

A series of cheers and innocent 'who? us?'
looks were exchanged around the room as
they prepared to go.

JC, getting a conspiratorial look draped
his black towel over his shoulders like a
cape and swooped over to Joey's side.
"Never fear!  We'll go in our secret
identities!  By day I'm Joseph Fatone Jr.
mild-mannered singer and dancer, but by
night....I'm JOEY-MAN!  Seducer of women,
drinker of alcohol, smoker of illegal
substances..."

"Bullshit!" Joey sputtered, hiding his
blush and stealing a look at the
disapproving head shake of his manager.
"I do NOT.  Really!"

"Do not what?  Seduce, drink, or smoke?"
Lance asked, his eyes wide and innocent.

Joey tsk tsked and grabbed the towel
away from JC, pulling it tight around his
own shoulders.  "Don't make me open up a
can of whoop ass on you all!"

"Oh no, JOEY-MAN is going to seduce us!"
Chris cried.

"RUN!"

The band scattered as Joey chased them
around the room, his black 'cape'
swirling behind him.





'Black Fly' night club was already bumping
with action when Chris' non-descript
white van pulled into the parking lot
and the band members piled out.  As
usual, Bruce, their security was with
them but promised to keep a descreet
distance at all times.  They were fairly
sure that they would be pretty much left
alone tonight, or at least, not mobbed
like they would if they went out during
the day.

JC often commented on how their sudden
fame had turned them into a sort of
vampire - only coming out to hunt and
play at night.  Justin had seemed to get
a kick out of the analogy, which prompted
Chris to tease him about the Anne Rice
novels under his bed.

"Music sounds pretty good," Joey said as
they walked towards the entrance,
already attracting attention just because
of the fact they were such a large group.
"Bloodhound Gang, right?"

"'You and me baby ain't nothing but
mammals, so let's do it like they do on
the discovery channel'," Chris sang as he
did the hip thrusts against Joey's,
causing him to laugh and push him away.

"Freak."

Inside, the club was louder and bigger
then any of them had imagined with a huge
stage and throbbing search lights that
spanned the gleaming black dance floor.

Immediately jumping into the fray, Justin
hooted and started to dance, with Chris
following close behind.  Lance, shying
away from the floor, went for the bar
where he pulled himself up onto a stool
next to an attractive redhead.

"Dance?" JC asked.

"Definitely!"  Grabbing him by the
shoulders, Joey pushed him out onto the
dance floor where they both began to jump
up and down enthusiastically to the wild
beat.  That was one of the things Joey
loved the most about clubs - no
choreographers, no pre-determined dance
moves - just unpracticed, _bad_, dancing.
It was a way to look like just any other
guy making an ass out of himself and
hoping that it was too dark for anyone to
notice.

In one simple word:  fun.




"Yeah, I guess it is.  But it can get a
little lonely, too."

"Awwww...."

Lance blinked, shrugged, and went on.
"Uh, yeah.  But, hey, I've been talking
all night - tell me about yourself."

"I'm a really big fan."  The redhead
giggled and hid her face behind her cup.

"So you've said.  No, I mean...where do
you come from?  How old are you?  What
are your hobbies?"

A hand slowly trailed up the sleeve of
Lance's jacket and he looked down at it
with distant interest, his head tilted
slightly to one side.  He was beginning
to think that this woman was not exactly
what anybody could call a good
conversationalist.  Of course, he
supposed that by the way she was dressed
that she wasn't trying to give off that
impression anyway.

As the hand started to get a little
friendlier, Lance searched his mind for
an excuse to give when one seemed to
literally drop out of nowhere and give
it to him....

In the form of Joey Fatone's arm landing
abruptly around his shoulders.

"Hey buddy, who's your friend?" Joey
winked flirtatiously at the redhead,
causing her to giggle again and he nudged
Lance lightly with his hip.  "Aren't you
going to introduce us?"

"Uh, yeah, sure.  Joe, this is Tifany -
with one 'f' - and Tifany, this is Joey
Fatone.  As I'm sure you know."

Tifany nodded eagerly and let out a
squeal of pleasure when Joey kissed her
offered hand easily.  Lance rolled his
eyes and half buried his face in his
friend's shoulder to hide his smile.

"I hate to break up the party, man, but
you haven't danced with me yet," Joey
said, pulling at the younger man
playfully.  "I'm beginning to think that
you don't love me anymore."

Raising an eyebrow, Lance debated on
whether he should play along or not.  A
quick look at Tifany showed her confusion
plainly on her face.  "Of course I love
you, man.  Don't be getting all jealous
on me now."

"Fuck, that's what you _always_ say!"
Joey sighed dramatically and let his head
fall on Lance's shoulder, bringing with
him the light smell of alcohol on his
breath.  "But you just use me, just like
all the other guys.  Is it ONLY sex with
you, man?"

Tifany, who had now turned an interesting
shade of pink was trying desperately to
look anywhere but at the two men, inches
away from each other's faces.

Lance, finding that Joey's proximity was
inducing a pleasant hum in his body
smiled lazily, "You mean you don't like
rocking the casba with me?"

Obviously taken aback, Joey's face
crumpled briefly with laughter but for
his part he quickly regained control and
shook his head.  He turned to Tifany and
gave a 'can you believe him?' look.  "See
how he treats me?"

"I thought we were going to dance," Lance
interrupted.

Pretending to think about it a moment
first, Joey finally nodded and took a step
back to let Lance walk by first.  He gave
Tifany another wink and her hand another
kiss.  "Pleasure meeting you, Tifany."

Joey found Lance waiting for him on the
dance floor when he got there and smiled
at the look on his face.  "You owe me one!"
he said.

"Excuse me?  THAT was doing me a favour?"

"Oh come on, I could tell you hated her, I
did you a HUGE favour, admit it."  Joey
tossed off one his charismatic smiles and
looked up when the deejay started to play
Alice DeeyJay's 'Better Off Alone' at full
volume.  "Loosen up man, everyone's having
fun but you."

Around them, that certainly seemed to be
true.  JC was dancing fast and furious by
himself, seemingly lost in the music,
while Chris grinded with a girl in a non-
existent black leather mini.  And Justin,
who had been cornered by three girls
himself, certainly didn't seem to be
suffering any.

"This isn't really my scene..." Lance
started, but was cut off when Joey
dismissed him with a toss of his hand.

"Fuck that, come here."  Reaching out, he
grabbed Lance's hand and pulled him in
closer before placing the hand on his own
hip.  "Now just dance."  Smiling, Joey
started to move to the music, eyes closed
and seemingly leaving the planet entirely.
His hips and feet moved in perfect
rhythm with each other, his arms pumped
the air and swung around his body, while
occasionally reaching out to move Lance
along with him.

Meanwhile, Lance felt himself growing red
in the face at the incredible strangeness
of the entire situation.  He had never
actually danced with another man before
and was taken off guard by how casually
Joey seemed to do it.  And the feel of
the other man's body moving underneath his
hand was making his breath come out a
little heavy, not to mention how close Joe
got with some of his moves.  Still, he
didn't move away or let go, but instead
moved with the beat.

Suddenly, Joey pulled him close so that
they were touching and Lance momentarily
froze.  Joey didn't seem to notice as he
whispered hotly in his ear, "Did you know
that this song has about ten words to it?
Still, it's great to dance to..."  He
pulled back just as abruptly and smiled
before returning to his closed eye dance.
Only this time, they were much closer and
Joey had snaked an arm around Lance's
waist so his hand was on his back.

Jesus Christ, Lance thought, why the Hell
does have to be such a fucking FLIRT?
This is payback for all the times I ragged
on him, I just know it is.

When the song finally did stop, Lance
didn't know whether to be relieved or
disappointed, and decided to watch for
Joey's reaction instead.  The other man,
as usual, just seemed to be having a great
time.

Clapping loudly, Joey whistled and
applauded the DJ, pointing at him until the
man took notice and gave a heads up and
point back.  "That was great!" Joey
enthused, turning back to Lance with bright
eyes.  "See?  Aren't you having fun?"

Lance just smiled in return, grateful for
the dark so Joey wouldn't see his blush.

Then, quite deliberately, "Bye Bye Bye"
came on and the band miraculously found
each other.

"Hey, I know this song!" Joey said.

Chris rubbed his goatee, "It does sound
vaguely familiar."

"It's by the Backstreet Boys, right?"

JC shook his head at Justin in
disappointment, "Man, don't you know
anything?  It's by 98 degrees!"

"Man, you're ALL wrong!" Lance said, unable
to help but join in the fun.  "WE sing this
one."

Slapping themselves on the heads, they
nodded agreeably.

"Oh yeah!"

"I forgot."

"Fuck," Joey shook his head sadly, "I should
of known that one."

Meantime, a crowd had formed around them and
was chanting, "Dance, dance, dance!"

Shrugging, they broke into it, easily
stepping into their routine, but this time
improvising along the way and goofing up on
purpose.  Usually, they didn't like making a
spectacle of themselves on their time off,
but since everybody already knew who they
were, they decided there was no harm in it.

Lance found that he was grabbed up by Joey
again for most of it; not nearly the same
way it had been before, but more in the
familiar rough-housing way he was use to
from the other man.

When the song ended the crowd cheered and
started to disperse, and they moved over to
a nearby table.

"This is great, glad we came," Justin
breathed, slightly out of breath.  "And that
chick you were talking to was hot, Lance,
where'd she go?"

Signaling for a waitress Lance just shook
his head, "Beats me, man, and I don't care.
Girls like her are a dime a dozen."

"And how many donuts ARE there in a baker's
dozen?" Joey teased, nudging the other man
with his own shoulder.

Lance just glared and ordered a round of
beers for everyone.

"Oh, not me, designated driver," Chris said
with a disappointed sigh.  "Man, this is
_not_ cool, next time _you're_ driving,
Joey."

"The hell he is!  I'd like to get home in one
whole piece, thanks," JC said.

"You insulting my driving?"

"Yes.  Yes I am.  And while I'm there I would
also like to take this opportunity to insult
your hair, your parentage, your nose..."

Justin laughed and took a chug of his beer,
"Watch out, man, Joe's gonna kick yo ass."

Joey nodded in agreement before sticking his
thumb to his nose and waggling his fingers.
"You're just jealous, mousekateer."

"No dissin' the mousekateers," Justin said,
his words slightly slurred.

Laughing, Chris pushed his untouched mug
towards the blonde teenager, "More beer for
the lightweight!"

"I'm not a lightweight," Justin protested.

"And I'm not blonde," JC said.

"You're NOT blonde."

JC frowned, "Oh yeah.  I think I've had
enough too guys," he said and pushed his own
beer away.  "Those last .... five jello
shots must of just caught up to me now."

"Jello shot!" Joey cheered and suddenly got
to his feet to signal for the waitress again,
"Man, have you ever done a sex shot?"

Exchanging questioning looks around the
table the four others shook their heads and
Joey sighed dramatically.  "Well, you're
going to now, they're kick-ass!"  When the
waitress looked their way, Joey cupped his
hand over his mouth and yelled to be heard
over the music and noise, "Snake bite!"
and held up four fingers.

"Everything is sex with you," Chris said,
but not without a grin.  "I'm surprised
your dick doesn't get frequent flyer
miles."

"And just where would it go if it did?"
Joey asked, eyebrow raised in amusement.

"Chris' room!" Justin giggled and burped
into his hand, pushing aside another empty
beer mug.

"Sorry, you must be at least this tall to
get on my ride."  Joey laughed and ducked a
blow from the other man.

JC watched as the waitress walked over, a
noticeable swing to her step as she did, and
stared at the drinks on the brown tray as
she laid them down in front of them.  "This
just looks like tequila shots to me, Joe,"
he observed.  "You just added the word
'sex' in yourself, didn't you?"

Smiling up at the waitress Joey didn't
answer, "They don't know what a sex shot
is," he said, voice vaguely disapproving.

She hooded her eyes and leaned in close,
"Then maybe we should show them."

The group, who had been watching with
growing interest, eyed the two warily.

"Should we leave you alone for this or
what?" Lance asked.

"Ha.  No.  In fact, I need you here, Lance.
Now don't freak out on me."  Before he
could ask just what the hell he meant by
that, Joey leaned in and gave Lance's bare
neck a generous lick from his collar bone
up to his jaw, causing the younger man to
jump in surprise.

"What!?"

Chris laughed, "Oh man, I think I know
what this is now!"

Feeling the wetness down to the bone, Lance
found that his brain was quickly dropping
somewhere in the vicinity of his pants and
he held his breath as he waited for what
Joey would do next.

"Salt."  Joey held up the glass shaker and
shook out a generous amount on the part he
had licked.  Then, holding up a shot glass
of the amber liquid he pressed it in firmly
between the waitress' breasts, which were
packed tightly into a low cut tank top.

Justin, JC, and Chris seemed to watch
transfixed as Joey leaned down and plucked
the glass from the waitress' chest with his
mouth then swung his head back to swallow
the drink down whole.  Then, he leaned in
and licked the salt from Lance's neck,
eliciting another shudder that no one seemed
to notice.  The lime slice was next, which
he quickly sucked dry before munching down
in short, savage bites.

The whole process took less then 15 seconds.

"That," he said with a flourish, "is a sex
shot!" and slammed the empty shot glass
face down on the table.

Hoots rose up around the table, and Lance
touched a hand lightly to his wet neck,
feeling a little weak kneed.  Justin was
searching for two of the three women he had
been dancing with, drink in hand, while JC
just shook his head in amazement, giving
Joey a thumbs up.

"You are the coolest guy I know, you know?"
Chris said, slapping Joey on the shoulder.
"Fuck!  SEX SHOTS!"

"SEX SHOTS!" They yelled back, causing
several heads to turn their way.

As the guys started to separate around the
club again and the waitress quietly
slipped away, Joey passed Lance a red
cocktail napkin and winked at him.  "I'm
not freaking you out, am I?"

"N-no..."

"Good, 'cause you're fun when you're not
being so shy.  Not that that isn't fun
too!"  Joey laughed and got to his feet,
swaying a little as the alcohol hit his
system.  "Whoo!  That stuff just goes
straight to the brain, you know?  Come on,
you want to dance again?"

Lance thought a moment, then decided that
_standing_ wasn't an option right then.
"Nah, I'll sit this one out."

Already moving to the music, Joey said,
"OK, but don't sit on the sidelines too
long, the club closes in a couple of
hours."

Joey was gone before he could answer and
he found his hand wandering up to rub
his neck as he watched the Joey dance
with Chris.  It wasn't anything like the
bump and grind thing they had done, but
more like head-banging.  Where did they
think they were, a mosh pit?  Lance half-
smiled at the thought and soon JC was
back at his side, flopping down into his
chair like a ton of bricks and nearly
falling over in it.

"Damn Joey and his damn sex shots!" JC
mumbled, putting a hand on the table to
steady himself.  "Ooooh maaaan....I
think I need to go."

"You have to throw up?" Lance asked in
concern, ready to lead JC to the bath-
room should the need arise.

"No, man - just _go_.  This music is
_killing_ my head!" JC covered his ears
with both hands to demonstrate his point
and closed his eyes tightly.  "You think
you could convince the rest of the guys
to check out a little early?"

Looking out onto the dance floor, Lance
saw that Justin was swaying uncertainly
and that Chris and Joey were still caught
up in a song he didn't recognize.  "Yeah,
they'll understand," Lance said.
"Besides, they could always come back
later.  Wait here, I'll go get 'em."

Maneuvering past gyrating bodies on the
dance floor Lance finally reached Joey
and tapped him on the shoulder.  "Hey,
we gotta split.  I think Josh has had a
little too much fun for one night."  He
jerked his chin back into the direction
of their table where JC was half-passed
out.

Chris just clucked his tongue and hit
Joey on the shoulder, "You and your sex
shots man, I think you killed Josh!"

"Does this mean the tour is over?"

"Nah, we can replace him," Chris said
and Joey nodded agreeably.

After a brief struggle with the inside
pocket of his jacket, Chris pulled out a
set of car keys and dangled them in the
air.  "I'll bring the car around, you
gather up the guys, 'k?"

Joey nodded and the two men hugged
briefly, accompanied by rough pats on
the back before they separated.

Watching as his red dyed head bobbed
over mills of people, Lance turned to
put a stopping hand on Chris' shoulder.
"Hey, Chris - can I ask you something?"

Glancing at the quickly toppling JC and
then at the not much better off Justin,
Chris paused, "Can it wait?"

Lance followed his gaze and they shared
a smile, "Right.  Priorities.  Meet you
out there, then."

Patting him on the back, Chris gave a
curt nod and headed out for the parking
lot, tossing his keys up in the air and
catching them as he did.

"JC, come on man, we're going back to
the hotel," Lance said, helping him to
his feet.

"Oh, thank God," JC muttered.  "Man, if
I, like, hurl on you....I promise to pay
for the dry-cleaning, aw'right?"






The dark was pleasant and cool, and
heavy with a comforting silence that was
more then welcome after the hectic
sounds of the night club.  It wasn't as
if he hadn't had a great time, but being
alone in the quiet and dark was good
too sometimes.

Pulling off JC's shoes, his watch, and
then finally the belt on his pants, Joey
threw a blanket over him and made sure
he was on his stomach before carefully
backing out of the room.  He felt kind
of guilty for introducing him to the
drink that had put him in the state he
was in, but - hey....JC couldn't deny
that he had had fun.  Well, maybe in the
morning he would.

Yawning loudly and running a hand
through his sweat damp hair, Joey walked
out into the living room, half-surprised
to see that Lance was still there.

"Hey, man, you have any trouble getting
Justin back to his room?"

"Nah, he's a lightweight in every sense
of the word," Lance said.

"Alright, cool.  Well, I guess I'll turn
in then," Joey said, inclining his head
in the direction of his own room.  "But,
actually, wanna wait around for a bit
and watch some TV?  I heard there's
some weird Bug movie on the Sci-Fi
channel."  Joey smiled temptingly,
"Should be good."

The VCR over the TV read 3AM, and Lance
shook his head, "No way, I need my rest.
We can't all be night owls like you,
Joe.  But thanks anyway."  Heading
towards the door, Lance felt more then
saw Joey following him and his heart
kicked up a few notches at the
knowledge.

Opening the door for him, Joey leaned
against the frame and pulled at the
collar of his shirt, "'Night, Lance,
see you in the morning."  Then, with a
small, Joey-esque smirk, he reached
out and pulled him in for a quick kiss,
a light brush of lips across his cheek
before he pulled back.  "Thanks for
the dance."

"Uh, yeah...sure."  He was doing it on
purpose, Lance thought with a frown.
Messing with my mind deliberately.
But...he looked up at Joey's smiling
face, his sincere eyes, and realized
that if anyone was fooling anyone, it
was himself.  Joey just wasn't that
type of guy, at least, not when it
came to stuff like this.  He was the
biggest flirt Lance had ever seen,
didn't it make sense that that attitude
would stretch to men as well?

Joey watched from the doorway until
Lance was safely in the elevator before
retreating back to his room, his eyes
already getting heavy with sleep.  Well,
the movie's out, he thought to himself.
It wouldn't be fun by myself anyway.

Stripping down to boxers and a t-shirt,
Joey quickly brushed his teeth before
slipping under the freshly washed and
starched hotel covers.  One of the
things that he missed most about home
was his own bed.  His worn in sheets
and mattress. And yes, even Mr. Teddy.
Someone no one would ever, _ever_, hear
about as long as he had a breath left
in him.

As sleep came, Joey found his thoughts
drifting to Lance, to JC, and to
Superman; all of them, flying though
a clear blue sky.







The first conscious thought that JC had
when he slowly opened his eyes that
morning was that the room was shaking.
His second was he had had waaaaay too
much to drink the night before.

The third was....the room was _really_
shaking!

Headache momentarily forgotten, JC
bolted up in bed, blankets practically
knotted around his feet and he let out
a yell of surprise, "EARTHQUAKE!!!"

Crawling out of bed and landing on all
floors, JC searched frantically through
his fogged mind for exactly what the
hell it was you were supposed to do in
the event of an earthquake.

The bed continued to rattle, and JC
quickly made for the doorway, "JOE!
EARTHQUAKE!  Doorway, man, doorway!"

He was halfway there when he realized
that the room was no longer shaking,
and that he had actually spoken to
someone.  A someone that was laughing.
A someone wearing red boxer shorts and a
blue Superman t-shirt.

"You son of a - "

His hand still on the headboard, Joey
was doubled over as his laugh shook
him, and he fell onto the bed in a heap
of helpless gasping.  "Oh God!  You
should of seen your face, man!!"

The bastard had been the one shaking the
bed!

Letting out a growl, JC jumped on top of
the other man and started to hit him
with the pillow, causing Joey to duck
but not stop laughing.  "You scared the
SHIT out of me!" JC yelled, then groaned
and grabbed his head.  "And those fuckin'
sex shots of yours are giving me a huge
hangover."

Still half pinned by JC's legs, Joey
propped himself up on his elbows and
mock pouted at him, "Aw...can't Joshy
handle his booze?"

"Dude, I don't have the same..." he
snickered, "..girth as you, okay?"

"You callin' me fat?"

"Yes.  And you have stupid hair."

"Well, guess what Mr. Mouse?  _I'm_ not
hung over, and I was letting you win!"
With a loud whoop of laughter, Joey
grabbed JC by the shoulders and easily
threw him onto the other side of the
bed where he bounced a couple of times
before Joey landed on top of him,
straddling his waist and pinning his
shoulders to the mattress.

JC's head protested loudly to that, and
he felt his stomach rumble dangerously
at the jostle.  Blinking up into Joey's
smug face, he hoped that if he _did_
blow chunks, it would be projectile
vomit.

"Who's the leader of the club that's
made for you and me?" he sang, and
bounced as he did, "F-U-C, K-Y-O,
U-J-O-S-H!"

"You're a freak, you know that?"

Joey bounced on his knees some more,
causing the mattress to squeak and Josh
to groan from the pain in his head, "Ah,
but a freak who's a morning person, my
friend!"

"Why are you torturing me?" JC moaned.

Leaning in close so that their noses
were nearly touching, Joey smiled
slowly, a grin that was attempting to
be sinister but turned out to be more
charming on his face.  "Because I
can."

Then, making sure that JC felt it, Joey
got up, a little too slow in JC's
opinion, and he eyed the other man
warily.  Out of all the guys, Joey was
the one that he had the most difficulty
figuring out, and he was pretty sure if
asked they would all say the same thing.
For the love of God he was already
confusing the hell out of poor Lance.

"I hate you," JC said.

"Bah."  Extending a hand to help the
other man up, he pushed him in the
direction of the bathroom and pulled
at the hem of his own t-shirt.  "Go
ahead and take a shower, make it a
cold one, and I'll get you some of
Uncle Joey's Hangover Remedy.  It'll
fix you right up."

JC gave him a suspicious look, "Uncle
Joey's Hangover Remedy?"

"Oh yeah, it's very old and super
mysterious," Joey said dramatically,
"It's been passed down from generation
to generation, and if an outsider were
to ever find out the secret recipe he
would have to be killed on sight."

"It's beer, isn't it?"

Shoulders slumping, Joey made a face,
then brought his hand up to make a
gun with his index finger and thumb.
"Get in the fucking shower."




"Whoooaa...I am so glad that we have
the day off today!  You and your damn
drinks!"

Raising both hands in the air Joey
shook his head, "Hey, don't blame me,
lightweight, you're the one that went
overboard."

Justin glared at him and continued to
rub his temples, trying to massage the
headache out of his head.  Never again,
never again, never again....

Chris, Lance and Joey, the only standing
survivors of the night before shared
superior smirks around the living room
in Joey and JC's hotel room.  Nothing
like the morning after to separate the
men from the mice.

"So, what are we going to do tonight?
I mean, this is sunny Florida, there's
a ton of stuff!  The beach, Disneyworld,
hit a few malls..."

"DISNEYWORLD!" the group chorused.

Joey picked Chris up and swung him up
easily over his head, pressing him like
a wrestler, "As if there's any other
answer!"  He quickly let him down before
the other man got upset, and happily
ruffled his hair.  An unsaid rule
amongst them all was that they let Joey
goof as much as he wanted on them, as
long as he didn't go too far.  Which,
he thought a little bleakly, he
sometimes did.

"UGH!  Count me out!" Justin grunted.

"Me, too.  'Uncle Joey's Hangover
Remedy' my ass."

Joey laughed and shrugged, "Hey, maybe
it only works if you're a Fatone."

"Take the headache man, the alternative
is not worth considering," Chris said
gravely.

Pushing the other man onto the couch,
Joey swore something in Italian and
flipped him off before heading towards
the bedroom.  "I'm gonna change," he
said, being the only one still in his
pajamas.  "And when I get back out here,
_all_ of you better be off your asses
and ready to go."

The door slammed behind him just as a
couch cushion sailed in his direction
and Chris shook his head fondly before
flopping back down onto the couch.  Then,
catching Lance's eye he nodded in his
direction, "Hey, you wanted to ask me
somethin' last night?"

Lance felt uneasy as three sets of eyes
turned curiously in his direction.  This
was really something that he had been
hoping to be able to talk to Chris alone
about, but...well, he supposed it would
get out to the others sooner or later
anyway.  With such a tight knit group
that spent most of their time together,
it was just impossible to keep any sort
of secret.

"What's the deal with Joey?" Lance asked.

Confused, Chris titled slightly in his
seat.  "Uh, he's Italian, has crazy hair
and likes Superman.  What the hell are
you talking about?"

"I think I know," JC smiled through his
hangover, staring at Lance long enough
to further add to his discomfort.  "I
think Lancelot there finally got on the
receiving end of Joey's charms."

There was a chorus of understanding
ooohs and ahhhs, and Lance frowned.
"What?  You guys too?"

"It's just his way, man," Justin said,
shrugging easily.  "Joey flirts with
anything that moves.  Literally."  He
tossed a look at Chris, "Probably
Busta, too," he said to a round of
laughs.

"So he _is_ bisexual," Lance pushed.

JC frowned, "I don't know," he said, his
voice thoughtful.  "None of us have
actually ever _seen_ him with another
guy, but really...how often have any of
us seen him with a girl?  Sure, he does
a lot of talking and posturing, but he
doesn't take the groupies back to the
hotels any more then any of us do."

Realizing that this was true, Lance got
lost in thought.  Was he disappointed
or relieved that Joey was probably just
fooling with him?  It was hard to say.

"Has anyone ever asked him?" Lance said.

"Nah, why?  It don't matter to us,"
Chris said.  "Why?  Does it matter to
you?"

Lance quickly shook his head, "No!  I -
just curious."  And, he thought to
himself, I'm also curious as to why he
just started acting this way around me
now.  Or was it much sooner then that,
and I just didn't notice?

The door to Joey's room opened suddenly
and he popped out with arms high in
the air.  "DISNEYWORLD!"  He ran over
to where Justin sat on the couch and
grabbed the man around the chest, under
his arms and lifted him into the air.

"Let's go!"  Then, whispering something
intimately in the other's ear that went
unheard by the others, he scooped him
over his shoulder and practically ran to
the door.

Giving Lance a 'you see?' look, Chris,
JC, and Lance quickly ran to catch up.







Deciding that they would have the least
chance of getting recognized if they
split off into smaller groups, the band
decided that JC and Lance would go off
on their own and meet up with the
others later in the day.  All wore their
now standard baseball caps/bandannas
and dark sunglasses.

"So what do you wanna go on first?" JC
asked, looking around the brightly
coloured park.  "God, it really is...
the happiest place on Earth isn't it?  I
mean, look around?  EVERYBODY'S smiling."

"I think that's your mousekateer days
talkin', man," Lance joked.  "How 'bout
the Rockin' Rollar Coaster?  I heard
that's pretty good:  a ride in the total
dark with Aerosmith playing the whole
time."

"Sounds good to me, let's do it!"  JC
clapped Lance on the back enthusiastically
as they followed the signs towards the
ride.

They had walked only a few minutes,
enjoying the colour and noise around them
when JC suddenly spoke up, "So, you have
a thing for Joey, huh?"

Nearly stumbling in his surprise, Lance
stared at JC's profile wide eyed.
"_What_?"

"You heard me."

"No, I - no!"

JC gave him a look.  "Don't fuck with me,
man.  And don't be ashamed, there's
nothing to be ashamed _about_...I mean...
Joey, he's - " he trailed off.

They walked a little further in silence,
Lance silently puzzling and fuming over
what JC had said, and the other man
patiently waiting him out.

Two hot-dog venders, a Snow White, and two
dwarfs later, Lance spoke up, "What makes
you think I'm into Joey?"

"Two words, bro:  SEX.  SHOT."







Justin wobbled out of the exit for the
"Tower of Terror" ride and placed a palm
flat on the wall for support.  On top of a
hangover, he now had a case of EXTREME
nausea.  As he coughed and his vision
blurred slightly, he became vaguely aware
of Chris and Joey coming up behind him.

"You okay, man?" Joey asked.

"Yeah, that was pretty intense," Chris
said, his voice a little shaky.  "But,
dude - what a ride!"

Spitting and wiping his mouth, Justin
looked up and shook his head slowly.  Very
slowly.  "I'll be fine," he reassured.

Joey grinned, "Great!  Then we can go on
Space Mountain!  Or how 'bout the teacup
thing, that's cool!"  Grabbing a wrist
each, Joey had just started to drag his
friends along when he bumped into someone
behind him.

Opening his mouth to apologize, Joey
stopped when he saw who it was.  All the
colour seemed to drain from his face and
he actually took a few steps back.

Chris looked at him in concern, glaring up
at the man that stood before them.  He had
never, _never_, seen Joey so intimidated
before, whoever this guy was he was not a
friend.

"Well, look who it is..." the man rumbled,
his gaze flickering over Justin and Chris
but lingering on Joey.  "Never thought I'd
see you again, Fatone."

"Who the hell are you?" Chris demanded,
unconsciously stepping between Joey and
the stranger.  "Do we _know_ you?"

The man was a couple of inches taller
then Joe, who was pretty tall himself,
and of an above average build.  Way, way,
_WAY_ above average.  This guy gave Lonnie
a run for his money.  He had brown hair
that was cut in a straight, no-nonsense
buzz, and cold, cobalt blue eyes.  He
looked to be around 26 or 27, maybe older.

His voice was like thunder, rolling and
deep, "No, _you_ don't.  But me and Joey,
we go way back.  Don't we?"  A meaty paw
reached out for the other man's shoulder
and Joey flinched.

Chris quickly whacked his arm away, un-
thinking, causing everyone to stop.
Justin cursed on Joey's left, getting an
idea of where this was all leading, and
Joey seemed to actually come out of his
trance long enough to look Chris' way.

The man, who was still a question mark,
just stared at Chris, his hand still in
mid-air where Chris had knocked it.

"Sorry, but you're not wanted," Chris
said, sneaking a quick look at Joey to
confirm this; his pale complexion said it
more then clearly enough.  "So why don't
you just get lost, huh?"

"And who's going to make me, you?"  The
man laughed at the absurdity of the
idea, throwing his head back and showing
a mouthful of silver fillings.

Justin took a breath, "And me," he said,
steadying his voice.  He was pretty sure
the man in front of him could knock him
to next week without so much as a second
thought, but he wasn't about to let Chris
go at it alone.

The laughing stopped but an amused glint
remained in his eyes, there was a cruel
turn to the man's mouth.  "Fine," he said,
taking a step back.  "I don't want to
cause any trouble for my Joey.  I get
that I probably stir up all sorts of
unwanted memories, don't I?"

Joey remained silent, looking down at the
floor.  Chris put his hand on his shoulder.

"Later, _Fatone_."  The man walked off,
disappearing into the crowd.

"What the fuck was that about?" Justin
breathed, craning his neck to watch the man
go.  "Did you see the _size_ of that guy?"

Squeezing his shoulder, Chris tried to get
his friend's attention, "What's the
matter?  Who was that jerk?"

Joey swallowed and shook his head, "No one.
Just...I don't want to talk about it."

Uncomfortable to see his usually happy,
always charismatic friend struggling for
composure, Justin shifted on his feet.
"You sure?  You look..."

"What?" Joey's head snapped up, "I look
like what?"

Justin blinked in surprise, not use to the
other man's anger.  "Nothing.  Sorry, I'm
just worried.  He seemed to know you," he
cautiously added.

Sensing that Joey didn't want to talk
about it, Chris tightened his hold around
his shoulders.  "Nah, probably just some
nutty fan, right Joe?"

Grateful, Joey nodded.  "Yeah, a fan."  A
visibly forced smile and Joey tried to
regain his happy attitude, "Come on, we
still got a whole day ahead of us.  Let's
go on some more rides."





The rest of the day went without seeing the
stranger again, the man Chris had started
calling "Lex Luther" behind Joey's back.
But it didn't help in improving the other
man's mood, he was as morose and silent as
anyone had ever seen him.  It was kinda
frightening really, no one would of guessed
that Joey had a depressed bone in him.

On the ride back to the hotel, a bulky
security guard behind the wheel and the
five members sitting in back talking about
their day, Joey remained silent, staring
blankly out the tinted van windows.

"Hey, what's wrong with Joe?" JC asked,
leaning in to ask Chris in a hushed voice.
"Is he sick or something?"

Chris just shook his head.

They arrived at the hotel in silence,
Joey's bad mood catching and spreading
uncomfortabley, and the driver pulled
around to the back lot so as not to be
mobbed by any screaming fans.

Piling out of the car and riding up the
service elevators, Joey quickly escaped
from the group and disappeared into his
own room as soon as they entered the
suite.  They stared after him in confusion,
Lance flinching slightly as the door
slammed shut.

"So much for the happiest place on Earth."

"Geez...I've never seen him so out of it,"
Justin said, scratching his head.  "Think
someone should go talk to him?"

Chris made a negative sound, "No, I know
Joe well enough to get he needs to be
alone right now.  So let's go downstairs
and grab something to eat, give him some
time to himself."

"We can't just leave him in there to get
even more depressed," JC said with a
frown.  "I'm going to go talk to him."

Heading in the direction of his roommate's
door, JC was pulled back by Chris tugging
on his shirt.  "Fuck that, listen to me:
Leave.  Him.  Alone.  You go in there now
and he'll just get pissed at you, okay?"

Wanting to argue but knowing he was wrong,
JC finally stepped back and out of Chris'
grasp.  "Fine.  But if we come back up
here and the mini-bar is empty and Joe's
passed out on the floor, _you're_ going to
be held personally responsible."





Sitting in the near empty hotel restaurant,
in back and away from the front entrance,
Justin, JC, Chris and Lance ate their food
and politely signed whatever autograph
seekers came their way.

"So, what do you want to do after the concert
tomorrow?" Justin asked between mouthfuls of
pasta.  "Isn't there some big after party at
MTV or something we have to do?"

Lance nodded, "Yup, televised and everything.
But we only have to stay for a coupla hours,
then we're on our own."

"But by then we'll be too tired to do
anything," Chris said.  "It's their evil,
evil plan to suck every last bit of energy
out of us.  Turn us into weird, boy-band
robots."

"It's not that bad, a party's a party,"
Justin said.  "'Course, now we're going to
have to be 'on', all night."

JC laughed, "I didn't know YOU ever turned it
off!"

Continuing to eat and talk, all four could
not help but sneak glances at the empty seat
where Joey would normally sit, joking along
with all of them.  It was if someone had
purposely put the extra chair there as a
reminder.  Fate was not without its guilt
trips.

"So what went on with Joey today, huh?  He
was fine before we split up, did something
happen?" Lance asked, addressing the question
to Justin and Chris.  "What, some girl turn
him down or something?"

Chris rolled his eyes and stabbed a piece of
shrimp off his plate, "Right.  No, we met
Joey's Lex Luther.  This huge bastard who
really got to him.  Picture an army drill
sergeant with an evil streak.  We ran into
him outside the Tower of Terror."  Chris
frowned, "I don't think I've ever seen Joe
so upset before."

"Then why aren't we up there?" Lance said
and stood, "You know what?  Screw this, I'm
gonna go cheer Joey up."

"I wouldn't man," Chris warned, his tone
weary as he watched Lance prepare to leave.
"If you bug Joe when he wants to be left
alone, he could turn his anger on you."

Lance shot him an annoyed look and quickly
left.





The ride up to the suite took a lot longer
then Lance would of liked, the lift stopping
on every second floor.  Luckily, he was not
recognized.

Walking down the hall to Joey and JC's room,
the blonde man frowned when he realized that
the door was slightly ajar.  He was certain
that they had closed it behind them when
they had left because he had been the last
guy out.  Which meant that someone either
came in or left while they were in the
restaurant.

Knocking lightly on the frame, Lance pushed
the door open the rest of the way and stuck
his head inside, "Joe?  Joey, buddy you in
here?"  Lance walked into the living room
and his eyes widened at what he saw.  Holy
shit!

Joe was sprawled out on the floor near the
couch, his jaw cradled in his right hand,
and a huge man stood over him, his fists
clenched hard and pulled back to deliver
another blow.

All Lance could think was:  drill sergeant
with an evil streak.

Acting before thinking, Lance let out a
shout and ran towards the big man at full
speed, tackling him to the floor.  His arms
wrapped around the person's head but he was
unprepared for when the man suddenly stood
up with Lance hanging off his neck like a
human backpack.

"GET OFF ME YOU LITTLE SHIT!"  The man
swung around wildly, knocking over a lamp,
the telephone, and an end table.

Lance tightened his hold, trying to choke
him into submission, when suddenly a meaty
paw came down on the back of his own neck
and the world swerved as he was flipped onto
his back.

"Ooomphf!"  He hit the floor with a loud
thud and grunted when his head bounced off
the carpet.  Gazing up dizzily he saw the
dark blur of his attacker coming at him
again and he quickly raised his arms in an
attempt to fend him off.

"STOP!"  Joey's voice.  "Goddamn it, Anthony,
leave him alone."

Lance blinked up in confusion as Joey's head
loomed into view.  "You okay?" Joe asked, he
held out his hand and Lance was quickly
pulled back onto his feet.  "Shit, what, uh,
what are you doing here?  I-I thought you
went to dinner with the guys."

"I was worried about you," Lance said, his
voice terse.  He glared at the bigger man,
"Who the hell is this guy?"

Joey looked worried, he ran a hand through
his hair and swallowed a few times before
answering.  "This is...this is Anthony
Pazarri, someone from my old neighborhood."

"Is there any particular REASON he was
punching you in the face?!"  Lance demanded,
voice rising.  He knew his face must of been
flushed a hot red and his temperature rose
further when the man named Anthony smiled
smugly down at him.

Another uncomfortable moment and Joey rubbed
his jaw, "Just a little disagreement, no
harm done.  Uh, Tone, why don't you beat it
for now.  I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Nodding easily, Anthony smiled toothily and
punched Joey in the shoulder hard enough to
jar him foreword, "Sure thing, man,
tomorrow."  He looked evenly with a hint of
underlining menace to Lance, "I'll see you
tomorrow, too."

"I wouldn't count on it," Lance called after
him, and added as the door closed, "you
piece of shit."

Joey chuckled lightly at that and swung an
arm around Lance's shoulder, "My hero.  I
didn't know you had it in ya."

Angry, and now way beyond simple confusion
and concern, Lance shrugged off his friend's
shoulder and stared at him expectantly.
"Joey, what the _fuck_ is going on?  Who was
that guy?  And how the hell did he get here?
He's the guy from the park today, isn't he?"

Smile fading, Joey backed away into the
kitchen, "Look, it's none of your - "

"Don't GIVE me that!" Lance interrupted,
yelling now, "TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!"

"I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU SHIT!" Joey yelled
back.  He threw the freezer door violently
open and came out with the ice-tray; started
to slam cubes into the kitchen cloth.  "Damn
it, sometimes you really gotta learn to
keep your nose outta other people's personal
business, SCOOP!"  The nickname, usually
said with only the deepest affection was
spit out like a curse, and Lance watched,
somewhat hurt, as Joey put the wrap of ice
to his quickly swelling jaw.

A moment passed in silence with Joey looking
at the countertop and Lance staring hard at
him.  "I'm just worried," he said, voice calm.
"This isn't about nothing other then that."

Brown eyes blinked up at him, and Joey
quickly turned away, "I said I was fine, I
meant it, you don't have to be worried about
me.  I can take care of myself."

Before Lance could answer the door opened
again and he quickly turned, half expecting
'Lex Luther' to be coming back for Round Two,
but it was only the rest of the guys.  He
slumped and turned away, crossing his arms
tightly over his chest.

There was a stunned silence as they took in
the scene before them.

"Shit," JC said, looking from Joey's ice
pack, to Lance, to the toppled furniture.
"Did you guys fight or something?"

"Yeah, way to comfort, Lance," Chris said
sarcastically.  "Man, I _told_ you to leave
him alone!"

"It wasn't Lance," Joey said with an
impatient sigh.

When the others turned to him for an
explanation, Lance glared hard at Joey's
profile, "It was the guy from earlier
today.  _Somehow_ he got into our room and
was beating on Joey."

Justin seemed horrified, "_What_?"

"Look, I invited him, okay?" Joey said,
his eyes flicking from one friend to the
next.  "And I gave him a backstage pass for
tomorrow too, so he's gonna be there.  I'd
appreciate it if you didn't go all WWF on
him," he added, pointedly looking at Lance.

Chris stared at his friend in disbelief
and took a few steps towards him, "You did
what?  Why?  Is he...is he threatening you
or something?  'Cause we could call the
cops.  Hell, we could get The Pack to beat
the living crap out of him..."

"That's not it," Joey mumbled.

"Then WHAT?" Lance said, his voice rising
again.  "Damn it, TELL US!  We're your
friends, can't you see we're worried about
you?"

Quickly walking back towards his room, Joey
avoided looking at anyone, "I don't need
your worry, I don't need your concern,
just leave me alone."

As he passed him, Lance reached out to grab
for Joey's arm, "Don't walk awa - "

Moving before he could react, Joey yanked
out of Lance's grip and pushed him back in
one smooth motion, sending him staggering
into Chris and nearly toppling both men.
He walked into his room and shut the door
without missing a beat or looking back.

"Well fuck you too!" Lance practically
screamed, and the others looked at the
usually calm, collected young man with worry
and surprise.  "He can rot in there for all
I care," Lance muttered, and he shouldered
past the others and out the front door.

Silence reigned thick in the room and Chris
looked around again as if expecting things
to change in front of his eyes.  When they
didn't, he shrugged.  "So.  Who's up for
cake and ice cream?"