Copyright July 9, 2001 by Matthew Haldeman-Time

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Abs Breen/Drew Lachey

Disclaimer: The young men who comprise 98 Degrees and Five are their own people.  The author has not met anyone here described, nor does the author mean to suggest that these people act this way in real life.  This writing is a work of fiction.  I make no money from this venture.

Dedication: This slashfic is for Ewan McGregor, the Savage Garden slashwriters, and anyone willing to read 98 Degrees/Five.

Wherein wow, you'll find references to the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, and even O-Town.  Take that!

Notice: It's four a.m.  I have to get up at seven.  I should be in bed.  But when Drew starts talking, I start writing.

---

Diamond

        Nick followed Drew to his room, right inside.

        Drew looked at him.  "This is my room."

        "This is your big brother."

        "We've met."

        "What's up?"

        "Can I go to bed?"

        "Bond with me."

        Drew hesitated.  Looked to make sure the door was shut.  Grabbed Nick's shoulders.  "He's so cute!"

        Nick groaned.

        "Did you see him?  Have you ever seen anyone that cute?"

        "Drew."

        "He even has a beauty mark!"

        "It's called a mole."

        "Beauty mark.  He's not just cute, he's downright beautiful."

        "Stick with cute."

        "Did you hear him?  His accent.  It makes my balls hot."

        "Whoa."  Nick backed up, hands raised.

        "I think I'm in love."

        "I think you're nuts."

        "He's cute," Drew said.

        "How many unattractive people do you think they put in boy bands?"

        "Have you seen O-Town?"

        Nick laughed.  He loved Drew in a good mood.

        "He's cute," Drew repeated.

        "He's too young for you."

        "I think he's the same age Lance is."

        "So?"

        "If you're older than I am, and Lance and Abs are the same age, how is he too young for me?"

        "Drew, how can you think about anyone named Abs?  His name alone should just, no.  Gross."

        "That can't be his real name."

        "That's no excuse."

        "He's cute."

        "He's short."

        Drew looked at Nick.

        Yeah, that hadn't been the best argument.  "You don't know him."

        "I can get to know him."

        "He thinks that Five has an edge."

        "You think we can sing.  Stay in this business long enough, you start to believe your own press."

        "Go to bed."

        "Why didn't I think of that?"

        "And no dreaming about people with stupid names."

        "He is cute."

        "Yeah.  I still like Lance better."

        "Go and tell Lance that, you sweet-talker."  Drew pushed Nick out of his room.

        Justin came into Drew's room.  "You have to help me out.  Your idiot brother and I just had the stupidest conversation-"

        "Justin's an idiot," Nick announced, making an appearance.

        "He said that you want abs and I said that you have abs, you have the best six-pack I've ever seen, and he said-"

        "You're a dork," Nick said to Justin.

        "Then he started talking about, I don't know what that was," Justin said.  "What were you talking about?"

        "You're a dork," Nick said again.

        "You lack originality," Justin said.

        "Go bother Jeff," Drew said.

        "Okay," they said, and left.

        Drew shook his head.

        Justin came back in.  "Not to be rude about your new love interest, but next time, pick somebody with a better name."

        "I'll do that," Drew said.

        "Great."  Justin left again.

        Maybe there was an opening in Five, and Drew could leave these people.

        Five was staying at the Clifton Inn Plaza.

        "Drew," Jeff said.  "I know that this is a big step for you.  Justin and I, we want you to have this."  He took Drew's hand into his own.  "You don't have to say anything.  We-"

        Drew shoved Jeff and threw the condom at him.

        Nick pushed Jeff out of the way.  "Don't listen to him."  Nick glared at Jeff.  "Ever."

        Jeff went to laugh in Justin's room.

        Nick tugged Drew's hat into place, pinched his cheeks, and pulled his nose.  "Break a leg."

        "You laugh at me, I will hit you," Drew promised.

        "No laughing," Nick said.  "I'd never laugh at you.  When have I ever laughed at you?  Drew, I'm insulted.  I wouldn't think of-"

        "You'd be a lot funnier if you had a better sense of humor," Drew said.

        Nick thought about that.

        "Don't hurt yourself."  Drew patted his chest and left.

        Drew decided to find a less conspicuous bodyguard.

        He looked at his knuckles.  Pushed back his cuticles with his thumbnail.  Counted floor tiles.

        "Are we going to be here all day?"

        Oh, all right.  Drew went to the front desk.  Next time, he was getting an inconspicuous and quiet bodyguard.  The strong, silent type.  One who wouldn't dare to question the talent's modus operandi.

        "Hi."  Now what?  He couldn't ask for Abs's room number.  Besides the mortification factor, she'd never give it to him.  Hotel employees knew not to hand out room numbers to complete strangers, especially room numbers of famous people.

        He hoped.

        Since he was a famous person these days.

        "Hi," the front desk clerk said, smiling.

        Great.  He amused her.  If he wanted people to mock him, he could've stayed back with the guys.  "Can I get a room?"  He cleared his throat.  "May I please have an available room?"

        She laughed.  "Sure.  Single or..."  She gave his shadow a once-over.  "...double?"

        Oh, god.  Right, he was here for a romantic tryst with Andre the Giant.  "Single, please."

        "Smoking or non?"

        "Non-smoking, please."  Did Five smoke?  Did Abs smoke?

        "How long will you be staying?"

        Oh.  Oh, damn.  Think first, Drew, then do stupid things.  "Just overnight," he said, and ignored his bodyguard's chuckle.  Then Drew remembered that he was going to have to pay for this hotel room, too.  Great.  He winced and turned around.  "Can you lend me a couple bucks?"

        A burly black man came out of a room.

        Drew knew a bodyguard when he saw one.  That didn't help much, really.  What was he supposed to do?  Just walk up and say-

        "You with Five?"

        Whoa.  Drew looked over his shoulder.  This guy was useful.

        "Yeah."  Drew found himself being scrutinized.  "Saw you last night.  98 Degrees?"

        "Jamal."

        "Mensa."  They shook hands.

        Mensa?

        "I got the little one, too," Mensa said.  Jamal laughed.  Drew wanted to hit him.  Except...

        "Little one.  Dark hair?" Jamal asked.

        "Abs," Mensa said.  "I'm on my way to wake up the boys."

        "Going somewhere?"

        Abs was sleeping.  Asleep.  Resting.  Dark lashes closed.  What did Abs wear to bed?

        "Sean and Ritchie are doing a radio interview; the other guys are doing a signing."

        Were they talking over his head?  They were talking over his head!

        Voices.

        "-I started doing 'To be or not to be.'  She's falling all over herself.  Then I said, you know, he's the Prince of Denmark.  Do I look Danish to you?  You won't believe what she tells me."

        "What?"

        "She loves danishes, and she wants my cheese filling."

        Laughter.  Drew decided to fear English people.

        "If you know Shakespeare, I'm Tony Blair," Mensa said.

        Scott and J. came around the corner.  "You walk up to an American girl, you have an accent, you - - hey.  Hi."

        "Hi," Drew said.

        Scott snapped his fingers.  "98 Degrees."

        "Five," Drew said.  "I'm Drew."

        "I'm Scott," Scott said.  "J."  They shook hands.

        "Drew wants to come along for the signing, see how the pros do it," Mensa said.  "You, go comb your hair," he said to Scott.  "Go wake up Abs.  And take the little Degree with you," he told J.  "We have work to do."

        "Come on," J. said.

        Jamal smiled.

        Drew should have stayed at his own hotel.

        His skin was the most beautiful, smooth...  Now that was flawless skin.  And it was rich.  Extremely pale for rich, but...  Maybe he wasn't one hundred percent white, with that beautiful shade of skin and black hair.

        "You're coming with us?" Abs asked.  "You must be bored out of your mind."

        "We have the day off.  I don't want to forget everything I've learned."

        "Girls scream loud," J. said.

        "That I remember," Drew said.

        Scott came to Abs's doorway.  "Everybody ready?"

        "Ready," J. said, getting off of Abs's bed.

        "Ready," Abs said, pulling on his jacket.

        Everyone looked at Drew.  "Ready," he said.

        "Come on," J. said, walking him to the door.  "You can be our English-American translator."

        They didn't know why Drew was with them, but they went with it, including him in their conversations, figuring he wasn't hurting anything.

        They put him with them at the autograph table, between Scott and Abs.  They scrounged up some paper and made him a little placard, "Drew Lachey of 98 Degrees."  Some of the fans were more excited to see him than to see them, which they found funny.

        J. made himself a placard that read, "Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees."  "I've been abroad," he explained.

        Scott stole Drew's sign and declared himself Drew Lachey.  Abs told Drew to be Ritchie, and decided to be Sean.  It was all downhill from there.

        Then it was time for a photo shoot.  Drew sat off to one side and watched the guys play and pose.  They were great together, relaxed and familiar.

        While they were supposed to be changing, Scott ran over to Drew.  "When we get back to the hotel, I'm going to round up Sean and Ritchie, and J.'s going to take off.  If you don't duck out right off, you can have him to yourself."  Scott ran back again.

        Drew decided to be mortified.

        Grateful, but mortified.

        Maybe even touched, but mortified.

        "You going to stay for a bit?" Abs asked.  "Don't do much work, do you?"

        "We're on vacation," Drew said.

        "I could do with a bit of holiday, myself," Abs said, and grinned.  "Like the way that sounds, don't you?  You Americans and your taste for accents.  I can do North Yorkshire, too, if you'd like, but you wouldn't catch a word of it."

        Drew decided not to mention the heated balls issue.  "If you have something to do, I can go back and bother my own group."

        "Stay a while," Abs said, dropping onto the sofa.  "You can tell me the secret of popularity in America."

        "Join the Backstreet Boys," Drew advised, sitting beside him.

        Abs laughed.  Then he looked at Drew.

        Drew looked back.

        "Is something going on?" Abs asked.  "Scott's in a hurry to get us alone together, J.'s asking what I think of you, Mensa says I need to mind my manners.  Are you recruiting for 98 Degrees or am I totally out of the loop?"

        "No, I..."  Drew hesitated.  "I saw you at the party last night, and I didn't get a chance to talk.  And I have today free, so I..."  Abs was looking at him.  He didn't remember what he'd been saying.

        Abs smiled.

        Drew felt nauseous.  Not because of the smile; it was a cute smile.  But he was nervous and flustered and feeling like someone had written "jackass" across his forehead.

        "Get to know each other," Abs said.  "You try to pick up guys in boy bands often?"

        He hadn't had a good blowjob in months.

        Drew took care of that for him.

        "Where have you been?" Nick asked.

        Drew went into his room and locked the door.  Talking, talking, normal conversation, flirting but just talking.

        And then he'd...done that thing.

        And then Scott had come by and Abs had gone and it was all over.  Five had to go and Drew's mouth still tasted like cum.

        It had been surreal.  It had gone fast but it had happened in slow motion.  He could still see himself leaning in, mouth opening, that naked cock right there for the taking.

        Abs was that pretty, that cute, that flawless all over.

        Drew couldn't believe he'd done that.  It violated all of the rules he'd set for himself.  Why bother to spent a lifetime constructing one's set of morals, one's code of ethics, if a pretty boy with a pretty voice could drop him to his knees?

        It could have been right.  It could have been, it could have...  But he'd blown it.  Literally.  And now what did Abs think?  That he'd only come around for sex, and now that he'd had some, it was over?  That wasn't Drew at all.  But Abs couldn't know that.  And now his chance was gone.  His chance to show Abs who he really was.  His chance to learn who Abs really was.  His chance to make something real for himself.

        That was the only downside to 98 Degrees.  Spending all of his time with the Three Stooges.  Not having anyone of his own.

        He hadn't even taken off his freaking hat.

        Maybe he'd knock anyway.  He grinned.

        Knock, knock.  "Room service!"

        "Ow!" Jeff said.

        "Sorry," Justin said.

        "Drew!" Nick shouted.

        Oops.  Was he interrupting something?  He assumed his innocent expression.

        Nick opened the door and glowered.  "This had better be good."

        "Are you busy?"

        "Invite him in," Jeff called.

        "You wish," Drew called back.  He heard the elevator doors open, and glanced over.

        Ah!

        He ducked into Jeff's room and closed the door.

        "What?" Nick demanded.

        "Eek," Jeff said, pulling the bedclothes to his shoulders.

        "You invited him," Justin reminded Jeff.

        Nick shoved Drew out of the way and peeked outside.  "Whoa.  Are you hiding from a huge black man?"

        "Yes," Drew said.

        "Whoa.  What'd you do?" Jeff asked.

        "He's not one of ours," Nick said.

        "He's with Five," Drew said.

        "Mensa!"

        "Jamal!"

        Drew groaned and leaned against the door.

        "He knows Jamal," Justin assumed.

        "Jamal told me I owe him for your hotel room," Nick said to Drew.  "You want to explain that?"

        "No," Drew said.  "Be quiet and let me listen."

        Nick peeked out again, then shut the door fast.  "Your boyfriend's here."

        "What?"

        "Abs.  He's here."

        "No."

        "Yes.  Why do you look scared?  You're supposed to like him."

        "I do like him."  A little too much, too fast.  "Can I hide in the bathroom for the next few hours?"

        "Sure," Jeff said.

        "They're knocking on your door," Nick said, listening.

        "I'm not in there," Drew said.

        "I see that," Nick said.  Drew hit him.

        "Where did he get to?" Jamal asked.  "Andrew Lachey!"

        "Get out there," Nick said.

        "No way," Drew said.

        "You are not hiding from Jamal," Nick said.

        "I can if I want."

        "Drew, if he doesn't find you, he'll come looking for you, and then he'll find us."

        "So get dressed."

        Nick looked at him.

        Drew wavered.

        Nick kept looking.

        "You owe me."  Drew slipped into the hallway.

        "There you are," Jamal said.  "The little ones are always so easy to lose track of," he told Mensa.

        "Hi," Abs said.  "We just got back, I thought I'd drop over."

        "Hi," Drew said.  He looked at Jamal and Mensa.  Now what?  Abs was here.  Doing follow-up.  Either to get to know him for real, or for sex.  If it was just for sex, Drew had to say no.  And had to say no right here in the hallway, because inviting Abs to his room and then being asked for sex and then having to throw Abs out, that would be hard.  It would be easier to say no here.  But if Abs wanted conversation, more than just sex, then he wanted to say yes, yes yes yes.  But how was he supposed to know which Abs wanted?  "How was it?"

        "It was good," Abs said.  "I'm really sorry about running out like that.  I didn't know we'd have to go right then."

        "That's, it was...bad timing," Drew said.

        "Are you busy?"

        "Not really.  Do you want to come in?"

        "Sure," Abs said.

        Drew needed to find a bodyguard who wouldn't be laughing at him all of the time.  He let Abs into his room and closed the door.

        And smart and nice and fun and funny and interesting and all of those good things.

        This time, they made sure to slow down some.  They sat and talked, and talked, and talked.  And each time Drew was thinking, we've talked long enough, he's going to want sex now, they'd wind up talking for another two hours.  Then they did stop talking, and started kissing.

        Drew couldn't be in love with someone this fast.  It was too soon.  But he was captivated.  He couldn't get enough of looking, of hearing, of touching.  He didn't know what it was.  Abs couldn't be this interesting.  But he was fascinated anyway.

        He seemed to have triggered a switch of some kind.  Abs could sit and talk, sit and talk, sit and talk; and then, when the kissing part started, Abs was horny and hot.  This had happened last time, in Abs's room.

        He wouldn't do it this time.  He'd remember his standards for himself.  He'd remember his upbringing.  He'd remember his pride.  He'd - - oh, he'd come in his pants in another second.  Oh, god, not the neck, please, he...oh...  Drew moaned, getting a hand up under Abs's shirt.  That felt good.  Soft, hungry mouth on his skin.  Wet heat, suction.  He wondered if Abs would suck his dick for him if he asked.

        "My mum would kill me if she knew I was doing this," Abs said.

        No kidding.

        "Can I stay here tonight?"

        "Yeah."  Drew made himself let go of smooth skin and body heat.

        "Can I borrow your toothbrush?"

        "Yeah."

        "Can I see you naked?"

        Drew smiled.  "No."

        "You've seen me."

        "Maybe later."

        "Ooohhh."  Abs smiled and touched his cheek.  "Do you ever take off your hat?"

        "Sure."  He wondered what his hair looked like, but he took off his hat and rubbed his ear.

        "Drew."  Abs leaned closer.  Kissed his mouth.  Drew's eyes closed.

        They had breakfast.  Abs talked to Mensa and called his own hotel; Nick came by and harassed Drew.  Abs spent the morning, talking with Drew, lounging on the unmade bed, wearing Drew's hat.

        They switched accents, but they both ended up sounding Australian, so they gave up.  Then they made out for a while, mild groping included.  Drew was glad he had a good body, because Abs really seemed to like it.  They eased off a little when things began to get too hot, and resumed talking, but Abs stayed close, resting against his body, touching him at random.

        Drew decided that he was in love.