Copyright August 17-29, 2000  by Matthew Haldeman-Time

Rating: NC-17 for graphic male-male sex

Disclaimer: The young men who comprise 98 Degrees, the Backstreet Boys, and *NSYNC 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 and the Savage Garden slashers.

Notice: This slashfic follows "I Need You Tonight" and "Boy Lead the Way to Ecstasy"; this one will make more sense if you've begun with those stories.

        "Hey, Sneezy.  Or are you Happy?"  Justin wormed closer, snuggling up to him.

        "Good morning."

        "You betcha."  Justin sighed happily and went back to sleep.

        JC smiled, kissed Justin, and left the bed.  Once he was dressed, he heard a knock at the door.  Not wanting to disturb Justin, he stepped into the hallway and closed the door.  It was Jeff.  "Hi."

        "I want to steal you away to our side."

        "You can't."

        "How much do you guys have?"

        "That's confidential."

        "We already have a name and a song list.  We're handing out parts, and we know that we need another lead tenor."

        "And I was your first choice?"

        "There was some discussion, other names were mentioned, but I'm here, aren't I?"

        "What about Justin?"

        "He's welcome to come along with you."

        "What are your songs?"

        "I can't tell you until you've joined us."

        "Let me think about it."

        "That's fair."

        "I'd sing lead?"

        "You'd share it with Nick, and we're giving AJ a healthy share."

        JC considered.  "All right.  I'll come."

        "Thank you."  They shook hands and JC slipped back into the room.  He sat on the bed and smoothed his hand down Justin's satin back.  "Justin baby.  Wake up.  It's moving day."

        "Mmm."

        "Justin."  He dropped a kiss behind Justin's ear.

        One blue eye opened.  "What?"

        "Come with me."

        "Now?  Where?"

        "We're changing rooms."

        "Why?"  Justin sat up suddenly, twisting, looking at him.  "You didn't."

        "I did."

        "You're going with them?"

        "Yes."

        "Why?  You - - we're supposed to be with Lance and Chris and-"

        "I'm going with Joey."

        "JC, you can't.  What'd they say?  What'd they tell you?"

        "Jeff invited me, and I agreed."

        "You're still upset that we want you to sing high harmony with Chris and Nick."

        "I-"

        "You're such a..."

        "Such a what?"

        "Nothing."

        "Such a what?  You were going to say something."

        "We're not fighting over this."

        "Come with me."

        "No.  No, JC, I said I'd sing with these guys and I meant it.  I'm not backing out."

        "Yeah, you get to sing lead with Brian.  I bet you like that."

        "Yes, I do.  What's wrong with you?"

        "I'm going."

        "JC."  Justin gripped JC's hand, keeping him tethered to the bed.  "JC, if you go, you'll have a different room."

        "I know."

        "JC.  JC.  We've...we've always slept together.  Ever since...we always..."

        "Come with me."

        "I can't."

        "Justin..."

        "I can't."

        "Can you come over tonight?  Sleep with the enemy?"

        Justin gave him a slow smile.  "Yeah.  I can do that."

        JC kissed Justin, long and deep.  "Love you."

        "I love you."

        "I'll miss you."

        "I know.  Me too."

        "I mean it."

        Justin kissed him.

        "Could I, before I go..."

        "Anything.  Oh.  Oh god, JC..."

        And if even half of what Nick had told him last night were true...

        "JC left us?" Lance repeated.

        "JC left you?" Chris asked.

        "For them?" Lance asked.

        Justin shrugged as the rest of the table's conversation stopped.  "Jeff came over this morning and he left."

        "He left?  He said good-bye, didn't he?" Chris asked.

        Justin smiled.  "Yeah."

        "And we all know what that smile means," Nick said.

        "You're not mad?" Brian asked Justin.

        "No," Justin said.  "JC can't be happy as second string.  I'd rather have him happy."

        "You're not going with him?" Kevin asked.

        "You could," Nick said.

        "We'd understand," Brian said.

        "No," Justin said.  "I said I'd be here and I'll be here."

        "So mature," Chris said.  "Justin, you're an inspiration to us all."

        "A toast," Lance said.

        "A toast," Kevin agreed, raising his glass.

        "To Mrs. JC Chasez," Nick said, and everyone clinked glasses, and Justin stuck his tongue out at Nick.

        When Nick and Drew stopped by Drew's room for a mid-afternoon tryst, Nick stopped suddenly.  Drew caught his breath and sat up beside him.  "What?"

        "Hotel walls are pretty thin."

        "Usually."

        "And Brian's room is on the other side of that wall."

        Drew hesitated.  "Yes."

        "You think he can hear us?"

        "We're not being noisy."

        "We're just getting started."

        "If you're uncomfortable, we don't have to do this, or we could do it in your room."

        "I'm going to ask you something and you have to promise not to get mad."

        "All right."

        "Do you jerk off thinking about him?"

        Drew tugged his shirt back into place.

        "You can tell me."

        "Usually I think about you," Drew said.  "And thinking about you...works very well."  Nick smiled.  "But once in a while, a few times, I have thought about him."

        "Was it good?"

        "Nick-"

        "Did you like it?"

        "It felt good," Drew confessed.  "But I felt guilty.  It felt like cheating on you."

        "I think about him too, sometimes.  I try not to.  And god, I think about you every second."

        "I know what that's like."  Drew rubbed his hand up Nick's chest.  "We could be quiet, we could skip it, we could go to your room."

        "If he doesn't want to hear it he can go downstairs."

        "That's not very considerate."

        "He dumped me, he knows I'm with you, he can live with it."

        "You're bitter."

        "I wish I could have both of you."

        "I know."

        "I guess you do."

        "Nick, I don't know Brian all that well, and we hardly have the history that the two of you have.  I can't compare my crush with what you're feeling."

        "I saw you this morning.  That's not a crush."

        Fifteen minutes later JC knocked on Lance's door.

        Fifteen minutes later Justin Jeffre knocked on Lance's door.

        "Lance left?!" Chris exclaimed.

        "I can't believe it!" Justin said.

        "I thought that we could count on him," Brian said.  "I thought that he was solid."

        "He is," Justin said.

        "He's been lured to the Dark Side," Nick said.  "Who's next?"

        "If we keep switching around, no one's going to know any of the music," Brian said.

        "We need to know who's committed and who's up for sale," Drew said.

        "Right," Kevin said.  "We can't be worried that we're going to desert each other."

        "I go where Drew and Brian go," Nick said.

        "You're supposed to be loyal to the whole group," Drew said.

        "So I'm loyal to some of the group," Nick said.  "It's a start."

        "What is it with you and short older men?" Chris asked.

        "I feel like Danny DeVito," Drew said.

        "You're just jealous that he only likes some short older men and not you," Brian said to Chris.

        "Guess I'm not short enough," Chris said.

        "Is he being mean to us?" Drew asked Brian.

        "I think so," Brian said.

        "No one's mean to my short older men and gets away with it," Nick said.

        "Don't start a fight," Kevin said.

        "He started it," Nick said.

        "You started it," Chris said.

        "I think you started it," Drew told Brian.

        "Sort of," Brian said.

        "See!  He's the troublemaker, not me," Chris said.  "Yell at him."

        "No one's yelling," Justin said.

        "I'll yell," Nick said.

        "You've been loud enough already today," Brian said.

        "You heard that?" Nick asked.

        "I told you," Drew said.

        "Imagine that," Nick said.

        "We need to lay some ground rules," Kevin said.

        "About what?" Brian asked.

        "How to deal with the other group."

        "Ignore them," Drew said.

        "Spit on them," Nick said.

        "Have sex with them," Justin said.

        "Can we?" Nick asked.

        "No," Drew told him.

        "Darn."

        "I am," Justin said.

        "No you're not," Chris said.

        "I'm not?" Justin asked.

        "No fraternizing with the enemy," Chris said.

        "He's my husband," Justin said.

        "That's your problem," Chris said.

        "I never thought it was a problem at all," Justin said.

        "Who else votes we kick Chris out of the group?" Nick asked.

        "Nick, that's mean," Drew said.

        "We need him," Brian said.

        "You're free to leave, though," Chris told Justin.

        "Okay, that's mean, too," Drew said.

        "I'll leave," Kevin said, and got up and left.

        "He can't do that," Brian said.

        "Kevin.  Kevin!" Nick shouted.

        "He can't leave," Chris said.

        "Can you carry the bass?" Brian asked Drew.

        "I'm only a baritone.  We're going to be awfully top-heavy," Drew said.

        "Don't bring Dolly Parton into this," Chris said.

        "Think we could get Lance back?" Justin asked.

        "I think this is getting ridiculous," Drew said.

        "You think?" Brian asked, teasing.

        "There are elements of the ridiculous about it," Chris admitted.

        "What do we do now?" Nick asked.

        "With only five people it'll be easier," Brian said.  "But the balance is off."

        "We could trade Justin for a bass," Drew said.

        "Why me?" Justin asked.

        "So you can be with JC," Drew said.  "We don't need you and Brian and Nick."

        "And we can't separate Brian and Nick," Nick said.

        "Right," Drew said.

        "You're so sweet," Brian told Drew.

        "Don't say that," Drew said.

        "Isn't he cute?" Brian asked Justin.

        "I'm cute," Justin said.

        "You're being traded," Chris told Justin.  "We'll miss you, man."

        "It's been great," Justin said, and hugged Chris.  "Stay cool."

        "Be strong."  Chris led Justin from the room.

        "Is Kevin coming back for his stuff or can we have it?" Nick asked.

        "We'd like to make a trade."

        "We already have tenors," Nick said.

        "You don't need Kevin and Lance and Justin Jeffre," Chris said.

        "What's going on?" Jeff asked, joining them.

        "They want to trade a tenor for a bass," Nick said.

        "We'll have to think about it," Jeff said.  "Let me call a meeting."

        Five minutes later, Chris and Justin were sitting on the side of Jeff's bathtub while the others convened in Jeff's room.

        "We don't need another tenor," Howie said.

        "And we don't need to help them out by giving them a bass," AJ said.

        "If they need basses so badly, they should have kept the ones they had," Justin said.

        "Come on, guys," Nick said.

        "We could be mature and adult about this," Jeff said.

        "We could?" Joey asked.

        "Why?" JC asked.

        "Where's the fun in that?" AJ asked.

        "Which bass do they want?" Lance asked.  "And which tenor are they giving us?"

        "I don't want that to influence your decision," Jeff said.  "As for which bass, it's up to you."

        "I'll go," Justin said.

        "Don't you like us anymore?" Nick asked.

        "I think that someone needs to be over there to keep an eye on Drew," Justin said.

        "He's an adult, he can take care of himself," Howie said.

        "I wouldn't mind having someone keep an eye on Nick," Nick said.

        "Okay, you have a point there," Howie said.

        "Do we accept the trade?" Jeff asked.

        "We'll miss you," AJ told Justin.  "You've been with us right from the start."

        "Two whole days ago," Kevin said.

        "So who are we getting?" Lance asked.

        "Nick seems to switch teams a lot," JC said.

        "Brian switches teams a lot," AJ said.  Everyone cracked up laughing.  Jeff rolled his eyes and went to the bathroom.

        "Chris.  We'd like to offer you Justin."

        "Good.  That's good.  We'll take him," Chris said.

        "So nice to be accepted," Justin said, getting up from the sofa.  "Guys, it's been fun, but I've been called to duty elsewhere.  I'll always remember this special time we had together."

        "So who do we get?" Lance asked.

        Justin Timberlake stepped from the bathroom.  "Hi."

        JC stood.

        "Right.  We stand upon the entrance of a lady to the room.  Where are my manners?" AJ asked, rising.  At that, everyone else stood, too.

        "Justin for Justin," Howie said.  "That works."

        "I thought you weren't going to come over," JC said.

        "I wasn't going to leave.  A trade is different," Justin said.

        "I can't believe they're having a touching reunion," Joey said.  "They've been apart for like two minutes."

        "Eleven hours," Justin said.

        "Eleven and a half," JC said.

        "Okay, so kiss and cry, I have to take my acquisition back to the winning team," Chris said.  "Adios."

        "Adios," AJ said.

        "Okay, so you say it better," Chris said.  "Come on, Justin, let's go."  Chris and Justin Jeffre left.

        Justin and JC met in the middle of the floor and embraced.  "You didn't really think I'd let you leave me, did you?" Justin asked.

        "Justin, I was in a different hallway," JC said.

        "But it's more fun this way," Justin said.  "Lots more fun," he said, sliding his fingers up JC's spine.

        "Yeah," and JC kissed him.

        "Can we trade him back?" Jeff asked.

        "Hey, can we?" AJ asked.

        "Oh, sure, give them Nick and Brian and Justin and JC," Joey said.  "Again.  Do you want to win this thing?"

        "We could trade Justin and JC for Nick and Brian," Jeff said.

        "Could we?" Howie asked.

        "You can't just steal the entire BSB," Lance said.

        "Why not?" Kevin asked.  "This group had all of 98 Degrees."

        "Let's trade," Nick said.  "Justin and JC for Nick and Brian."

        "You know if Nick comes, Drew will come, too," Kevin said.

        "This could be great," Howie said.

        "Then they'll need someone to replace Drew," Lance said.  "They'll try to get Joey."

        "It's not like we need him," AJ said.

        "I'm right here," Joey said.

        "Joey's staying here," Jeff said.  "Let me go talk to Brian."

        "Shouldn't we at least tell them?" Kevin asked, gesturing to JC and Justin.

        "They're busy," Nick said.

        "I see that," Kevin said.

        Jeff went to the other hallway and found Brian, Nick, and Drew still in Kevin's room.  "Your trade worked out so well that we'd like to try another."

        "Who could you possibly need?" Nick asked.

        "You," Jeff said.  "And you."

        "Me?" Brian asked.

        "We'd like you to join our group."

        "In return for whom?" Drew asked.

        "Justin and JC."

        "You just got them," Nick said.

        "Will you think about it?" Jeff asked.

        "You want to trade the two of us for the two of them," Nick said.  "What about Drew?"

        "That's up to Drew," Jeff said.

        "If I go, you're going too," Nick told Drew.

        "Frick and Frack and Drew has such a nice ring to it," Brian said.

        "I liked the little group we were putting together here," Drew said.

        "I still don't understand why you want to trade," Nick said.

        Jeff grinned.  "Everybody knows the Backstreet Boys are better than *NSYNC."

        "That's such bullshit," Nick said.

        "It is?" Brian asked.

        "Of course not, but he's just saying it so we'll go with him," Nick said.

        "It is true," Drew said.

        "Don't you start," Nick said.

        "Think about it," Jeff said.  "If you join us, you'll have all of the Backstreet Boys together.  How can you lose?"

        "Plus, if we go and Drew comes with us, three out of four 98 Degrees," Nick said.

        "I'm not asking Drew to come," Jeff said.

        "But you know he will," Nick said.

        "I can't help that."

        "You're like evil or something," Nick said.  "Okay.  Should we do it?" he asked Brian.

        "You want to?" Brian asked.

        "It could be fun," Nick said.  "AJ might stop being mad at you."

        "That would be nice," Brian admitted.

        "Okay.  Let's go," Nick said, and stood.  Brian stood beside him.  He looked down and held out a hand to Drew.  "You coming?"

        "You could at least try to talk me into it," Drew said.

        "Please?" Nick asked.

        "Give him that cute young earnest look," Brian said.

        "Please," Nick begged, giving the cute young earnest look.

        "Okay," Drew said, taking Nick's hand and standing.  "Let's go."

        "Great."  Jeff led them across to the other hallway.  Upon their entrance, everyone applauded.  Brian smiled and waved.

        JC stopped kissing Justin.  "What?"

        "You've been traded," AJ said.

        "Bye," Howie said.

        "Hey!" Justin protested.  "I just got here!"

        "Then you won't have missed much," Nick Carter said.  "Bye."

        "Bye bye bye," Joey said.

        "Bye bye bye," Lance said.

        "You're not funny," JC said.

        "I'm not leaving," Justin said, and crossed his arms over his chest.

        "Don't they have to go?" AJ asked.

        "Guess not," Howie said.

        "I thought it was a trade," Joey said.

        "You can't leave Chris and Justin Jeffre alone," Kevin said.

        "This is interesting," Nick Carter said.

        "You have to go," AJ told Justin.

        "I'm not going," Justin said.

        "Marvin K. Mooney," Lance said.

        "Are you staying?" Nick Lachey asked JC.

        "I'm staying," JC said.

        "You've got no choice babe but to move on," Joey told JC.

        "I'm staying," JC repeated.

        "Hey, cool, me too," Justin said.

        "This is insane," Drew said.  "I'm seceding."

        "You're what?" Nick Carter asked.

        "You can't," Jeff said.

        "You're starting your own group?" Brian asked.  "Can I come?"

        Nick Carter coughed.

        "Behave," Drew told Nick.

        "What?" Howie asked.

        "I officially declare myself out of this group and the other," Drew said.  "I am starting my own free society."

        "I'm going with him," Nick Carter said.

        "Me too," Brian said.

        "Me three," Kevin said.

        "Me four," JC said.

        "I'm going with him," Justin said.

        Chris and Justin Jeffre appeared in the doorway.  "Everybody's in here.  What is going on?" Chris asked.

        "It's not clear," Howie said.

        "There was a trade that only half-took, and then Drew dropped out, and now everyone's going with him," Lance said.

        "It's clear after all," Howie said.

        "So Justin and I are an entire group?" Chris asked.

        "That can't be good," Justin Jeffre said.

        "Is anyone else willing to give up?" Joey asked.

        "I think half of us already did," Lance said.

        "Who started this?" Jeff asked.

        "He did," Brian said, and threw an accusing finger in Howie's direction.  "He did it, officer, I saw him!"

        "Then I'm ending it," Howie said.

        "Officially?" Justin Jeffre asked.

        "Officially," Howie said.

        "Thank god," Kevin said.

        "The weirdness was getting to you, wasn't it?" Brian asked sympathetically.

        "These people are worse than you and Nick," Kevin said.  "I can't take it anymore."

        "It kept us amused," Lance said.

        "I just got dizzy a lot," Nick Lachey said.  "I couldn't keep track of who was supposed to be where."

        "Did anyone actually decide for real on a song to sing or a group name?" Kevin asked.

        "I don't think so," Justin Timberlake said.

        "We were too busy betraying each other to bother," Drew said.

        "Way to keep the focus where it belongs," Nick Lachey said.

        "It was a nice way to get to know each other," Lance said.

        "I already know these people way more than I want to," AJ said.

        "I agree with Lance," Howie said.  "I mean, before, all I knew about him was that he's just a nice guy who sings bass."

        "What is it about the basses?" Justin Timberlake asked.  "No one ever pays any attention to them."

        "The Backstreet Boys are making more of an effort to give everyone more solos and integration," Brian said.  "Did I say that wrong?"

        "I think so," Jeff said.

        "No, you mean, like for 'Millenium,' Kevin's actually on this album," Justin Jeffre said.

        "Right.  And, like, Lance, when you see *NSYNC perform, he's just the guy off to one side smiling and cheerful," AJ said.

        "And no one cares about Justin Jeffre," Nick Carter said.  "I didn't mean it like that."

        "I know what you mean," Justin said.

        "So everyone ignores the basses, even when they're off to the side smiling and cheerful," Howie said.  "And some people you can't ignore."

        "Some people won't let you ignore them," Kevin added.

        "And everyone is looking at me why?" AJ asked.

        "I think that if anyone's going to have a solo career, it would be you," Howie told AJ.

        "Or Brian," Kevin said.  "Or Justin Timberlake or JC.  Or Nick Lachey."

        "If this is going to turn into a discussion, I might as well get comfortable," Nick Carter said, and sat on the floor.  He tugged Drew down to sit in front of him and propped his arms on Drew's shoulders.  Brian sat beside them.

        "AJ's a one-man show all of the time," Joey said.  "And JC and Brian have that creative ambition thing."

        "You think they're the best singers?" Chris asked.

        "We're not getting into that," Kevin said.

        "Brian's better than I am," Nick Carter said.  "I overemote."

        "I'm still sorry," Drew said.

        "You think I'm better than you are?" Brian asked, sounding surprised.

        "You think Brian's better than JC?" Justin Timberlake asked.

        "Yes," Nick Carter said.

        "No," Chris said.

        "We are not getting into this," Jeff said.

        "So who's the best dancer?" Joey asked.

        "Not me," Jeff said.

        "Not me," Chris said.

        "Not me," Brian said.

        "Justin," JC said.

        "Not AJ?" Howie asked.

        "Justin's better," AJ said.  "I'm mature enough to admit it.  I think."

        "Go Justin," Nick Carter said.

        "Go me," Justin Timberlake agreed.  "I'm the cutest, too."

        "Um, no," AJ said.

        "What do you mean no?" Justin asked.

        "You're the best dancer, you're the youngest, that's all I'm willing to give you," AJ said.

        "Kevin and Nick Carter are officially named Beautiful People," Drew said.

        "I wasn't going to bring it up," Kevin said.

        "Well, Kevin - - Brian has it too," Joey said.

        "Has what?" Brian asked.

        "Those jawlines," Chris said.

        "What's the deal with that?" Justin Timberlake asked.

        Kevin rubbed his chin.  "It's very..."

        "Patriarchal," Howie suggested.

        "Dignified," Lance suggested.

        "Square," Justin Jeffre said.

        "Big," Chris said.

        "Yeah, but the cheekbones balance it out," Justin Jeffre said.

        "Which makes you both look..."  Nick Lachey searched for a word.

        "Gorgeous," Nick Carter said.

        "That works," Nick Lachey said.

        "JC has cheekbones," Justin Timberlake said.  He took JC's chin in one hand.  "Look at this face.  This man is gorgeous."

        "Look who's talking," Joey said.

        "Aren't you sweet," Justin said.

        "JC's beautiful," Lance said, "but he's...skinny."

        "Way skinny," Chris said.

        "He weighs like two pounds," Joey said.

        "You want to talk about body type," Nick Carter said, "I think we all know where to look."

        "98 Degrees of Seriously Buffed Guys," Chris said.

        "Amen," AJ said.

        Drew pulled his knees to his chin, hiding.

        "I had no idea, I thought they were normal people, and then I saw that poster," Joey said.

        "The firemen poster?" Howie asked.

        "Where they're like...  We don't have posters like that," Chris said.

        "We aren't built like that," Justin Timberlake said.

        "Some of us are too skinny," JC said.

        "Are you going to be mad at me now?" Lance asked.

        "Never," JC said.

        "Good," Joey said.

        "You guys should have naked concerts," Chris told 98 Degrees.

        "Naked concerts?" Nick Lachey repeated.

        "Naked concerts," Jeff repeated.

        "I don't think so," Justin Jeffre said.

        "I don't think so either," Jeff said.

        "Howie used to get naked onstage," Nick Carter said.

        "I did not," Howie said.

        "No, that solo, when you came out, you weren't always entirely shirted," AJ said.

        "Look who's talking," Howie said.

        "Brian and Nick never get naked," Justin Timberlake said.

        "Some of us have scruples," Nick Carter said.

        "Nick's too young," Brian said.  "Not anymore, but we don't do that stuff anymore anyway."

        "We're mature now," Kevin said.

        "Right," AJ said.  "Mature."

        "What's that like?" Justin Timberlake asked.

        No one answered.

        Nick Carter slid his fingers through Drew's short dark hair.  "Do you think that Universal Records would care if we stole Drew?"

        "I might care," Nick Lachey said.

        "Can I ask something?" Justin Timberlake asked.  "There are fourteen of us in the room.  And, what, like, six and a half of us are gay or bi."

        "Six and a half?" Joey repeated.

        "I'm bi, JC's gay, Nick Lachey's bi, Jeff's gay, Drew's gay, Nick Carter's something."

        "Mostly gay," Nick Carter said.

        "Mostly gay," JC said.  "Is that like being a little pregnant?"

        "That's like being a little confused," Nick Carter said.  "I've been with girls."

        "Yeah, but did you like it?" Chris asked.

        "Not nearly as much as I like it with Drew," Nick said, running his hands from Drew's shoulders to elbows.

        Drew lowered his forehead to his drawn-up knees.

        "You named six, you said six and a half.  Who's the half?" Joey asked Justin.

        "Brian," Justin Timberlake said.

        "I'm not half," Brian said.  "I'm bisexual."

        "You're pretending you're not," Justin said.

        "I'm not pretending anything," Brian said.

        "You made a business decision to dump someone who was totally in love with you," Justin said.

        Drew raised his head.

        "Justin," JC said.

        "No, he was a complete asshole and everybody here knows it," Justin said.  "Everybody in this room knows that Nick was in love with him and he broke Nick's heart because he was scared."

        "It was my decision to make," Brian said.  "Nick's happy now."

        Drew leaned back against Nick, whose arms went around him.  Nick's cheek rested against Drew's temple; they breathed together unconsciously.

        "Doesn't stop you from being a bastard," Justin said.  "He got lucky."

        "Justin," JC said, "that's between Nick and Brian."

        "How do you decide to turn off your heart like that?" Justin asked.  "How can you just stop caring?"

        "I never stopped caring about Nick," Brian said.  "I love Nick.  He's my best friend."

        "You don't treat the people you love like shit," Justin said.  "So, what, he has somebody else now, it doesn't matter anymore?"

        "He didn't just find somebody else, he fell in love," Brian said.  "Nick loves Drew."

        "Nick loves you," Justin said.

        "Past tense," Brian said.

        "Maybe you can turn off your feelings, but not everyone can," Justin said.

        "I didn't-"  Brian stood and left.

        "You had no right to say any of that," Kevin told Justin.

        "Somebody go after him," Joey said.

        "I'll go," AJ said.

        "No.  Let me," Drew said, moving from Nick's embrace.  He stepped into the hallway and saw Brian rounding the far corner.  He hurried and reached the elevator in time to see the light hit the first floor.  He ran down the stairs and came out in the lobby.  Brian was just stepping out of the building; he followed.

        Flashbulbs popped.

        "Don't they ever give it a rest?"

        Brian turned at Drew's voice.

        "Hi," Drew said.

        Brian looked away again, across the parking lot.

        "It's awfully late."

        "Yeah."

        "You want to sit?"

        Brian sat on the stoop.

        Drew sat beside him.  "Some of what Justin said is true.  He shouldn't have said any of it-"

        "I know.  I know I'm a bad person.  I know I never should have done that to Nick."

        "I understand why you broke up with him.  I don't know how you did it, I know I never could, but I understand why you thought that you shouldn't get involved with another man."

        "He wasn't a man then, not really.  He's so young sometimes."

        "I know."

        "What Justin and JC did, I can't imagine.  That takes courage."

        "You're a very strong person."

        Brian glanced at him.  "Thanks."

        "He is still in love with you.  He's in love with me, I've been extremely fortunate, but he does love you."

        "He doesn't.  He told me he doesn't."

        "He told me he does."

        "He told you he's, he's in love with me?"

        He could feel Brian looking at him.  He nodded, watching the screaming fans.

        "When?"

        "Yesterday."

        "Yesterday."

        "He's in love with both of us.  I wanted him to tell you."

        "Why?"

        "Because I think that you're still in love with him."

        "What about you?"

        "I'm in love with him, too."

        "Then why are you doing this?"

        "I want him to be happy."

        "So do I."

        "You don't think that he'd be happy with you?"

        "He won't be happy without you."

        "He could have us both."

        "What?"

        "Brian, Nick and I haven't seen each other for six months, and it's made us miserable.  He sees you every day.  If the two of you are...a couple, it'll make it a lot easier for him."

        "What about you?"

        "I'll miss him.  But I'll know that he's in good hands."

        "You can't be serious.  You want us to share Nick.  This isn't 'Melrose Place.'"

        "I think he'd like it."

        "You haven't asked him?"

        "I don't need to."

        "Drew."

        Drew turned his head and met Brian's gaze.

        "I do love him.  I never stopped.  But I can't do this.  It's not fair to you."

        "Is that what's stopping you?"

        "Yes.  Since I broke up with him, being without him, seeing Justin and JC, I've realized that I...  I know you were miserable without him, but I was with him every day, I'm with him all day long, you have no idea what it's like being that close all of the time and not being allowed to be any closer."

        "He feels the same way.  You would be with him, then, if it weren't for me?"

        "If he asked me to come back, if he forgave me, I'd be there in a second," Brian said.

        "He has forgiven you."

        "I haven't forgiven myself.  Everything Justin said to me I've said to myself a million times.  I was glad when Nick started talking about you.  You're good for him."

        "So are you."

        "You're a great guy."

        "Thanks."

        "You think he really has a thing for short older men?"

        "It would seem so.  Brian, I...I really like you.  I hope we can be friends."

        Brian smiled at him.  "I hope so, too."

        "You want to go sign some autographs?"

        "It would be really mean to sit here ignoring them," Brian admitted.  "Especially the one with the poster."

        "You saw that," Drew said.

        "Hard to miss."

        "I think that if I did marry her, she'd be really disappointed."

        "Nick would be disappointed.  I think she'd be thrilled."

        "You could console him for me."

        "Let's go."  Brian grabbed Drew's hand and hauled him to his feet.

        The two of them signed autographs, then more autographs, until their hands were beyond cramped and their signatures beyond illegible.  They tried to avoid being mobbed, keeping the security guards and taped lines, but consented to a few hugs and were photographed until their eyes were blinded by the flashes.  Finally they went back inside the hotel.

        Nick Carter began to get worried when neither Drew nor Brian returned.  He checked various rooms on the third floor, then went downstairs.  He found them sitting in the otherwise closed dining room, talking together.

        "I really like your accent," Drew was saying.

        "My little country twang?" Brian asked with a smile.  "It's really slight.  Nick likes it.  Can I ask, what color are your eyes?"

        "Hazel."

        "They're very pretty."

        Drew blushed.  "Thanks.  That's what Nick said.  I don't know if you're sensitive about...  Did it bother you that Nick was taller than you were?"

        "Not really," Brian said.  "I know I'm short.  Man, he got big fast.  When we first met he was thirteen, and he just got huge all of a sudden.  And his being taller...  I am not even going to finish that sentence."

        "What?"

        "You don't want to know."

        "Why not?"

        "Because I'm not supposed to talk about that with Nick's new boyfriend."

        "Then you probably shouldn't say it."

        "You two haven't made love yet, have you?"

        Drew shook his head, suddenly self-conscious.  Brian had experience.  Brian had Nick experience.

        Nick was hiding and holding his breath.

        "Do you mind if I ask you one little question?" Drew asked with great trepidation.

        "You sound more nervous than I am, so go ahead."

        "Is it hard to...make love...face-to-face?"

        "I think it depends on flexibility.  I've done it both ways."

        "Is it better one way?"

        "Face-to-face is more romantic, and I'm a romantic, so I like it that way.  And Nick liked it that way."

        "You've never been with anyone else?"

        "Guys, just Nick.  I've been with girls."

        "I hope I'm not embarrassing you."

        "Like I said, as long as you're more embarrassed, I'm okay."

        "I have questions.  About what it's like.  To be with a guy.  I could ask my brother or Jeff, but it's easier to talk to someone who doesn't work with me.  I've asked Nick, but what he tells me isn't unprejudiced."

        "Are you worried?"

        "He doesn't pressure me, but I know that he wants...to make love with me.  I want to make love with him, too.  I'm just worried that we won't do it for the right reasons."

        "Why?"

        "We've been apart for all of this time, we'll be apart again, soon, for another long time.  We might be trying to force intimacy when we can to make up for the separation.  I love him but we're still getting to know each other.  You and Nick knew each other for years before you became lovers, like Justin and JC."

        "When Nick thinks that he wants something, he can be very determined and eager to get it.  But he won't do anything that you don't want."

        "I know."

        "Before, you said that we could share him.  You'd be okay with me and Nick having sex every day while you're on the other side of the world without that connection?"

        "I didn't say that it was an ideal situation," Drew said.  "I just thought that as long as we both love him and he loves both of us, that it might work.  You call it 'Melrose Place,' I call it mature."

        "You'd be left out."

        "I know how to share."

        "You're serious about it."

        "I haven't even mentioned it to him, but I just can't...  I feel like I'm standing in the way.  I don't want to keep you from each other."

        "You're not.  I am.  I blew it all on my own."

        "But you could have him back."

        "After what I did?"

        "He loves you."

        "He loves you."

        "We're both exceedingly lucky."

        "So you want us to be Frick and Frack and Drew.  For real.  For good."

        "I want him to be happy."

        "You're the most generous person I've ever met.  Or the most naive and insane."

        "I like you, too."

        "I don't need to ask what he sees in you."

        "Same here."

        "I miss him.  The way we were."

        "He misses you.  You're still close but it's not the same."

        "I don't know about this. I feel like you won him fair and square, what right do I have even to think about trying to get back together with him?"

        "I'm asking you to get back together with him.  There's always the possibility that we'll mention this to him, he'll hate the idea, and we'll both be single."

        "We could get together."

        Drew turned red.

        "I'm kidding."

        "I know."

        "You've never been with anyone else?"

        "I know, it's pathetic, you don't have to tell me."

        "I'm just amazed that no one ever...  I mean, you have to be one of the...  If I weren't in love with Nick I'd have the biggest crush on you."

        Drew turned redder.

        "Don't worry, I'm not coming onto you.  I wouldn't ever try to get you to cheat on Nick.  I know you're better than that."

        "What time is it?"

        "Um...wow.  After three."

        "In the morning?"

        "We'd better get to bed.  Nick's probably waiting for you, thinking mean evil Brian's thrown your body in a dumpster behind the kitchen."

        "Probably not."

        "Have to get rid of the competition somehow."

        Nick bolted for the stairs and raced up to the third floor, not wanting to get caught.  He slammed into his bedroom and stripped to his boxers and fell into the bed.  He heard the hushed murmurs of Drew and Brian in the hallway.  He practiced feigning sleep.  There was a chuckle - - Brian - - and then the door was being unlocked.

        "Thanks," Drew whispered.

        "Any time.  See you later."  The door closed.

        Nick kept his eyes closed.  He heard Drew moving about the room, visiting the bathroom, undressing - - the soft thud of shoes hitting the floor, the rip of a zipper opening.  Then Drew was crawling onto the bed, coming up behind him.

        He rolled over and jumped on top of Drew, who yelped and jumped.  "Where've you been?"

        "You gave me a heart attack, you-!"  Drew smacked his naked shoulder.  "Bad Nick!"

        "Where've you been, young man?  Out until all hours of the morning."

        "I was with Brian.  We signed a million autographs apiece, all of those girls out there.  And we talked."

        "Talked."

        "About you, mostly."

        "You're getting along?"

        "He's the best."

        "I'm the best."

        "You're right, you're the best."

        "You really like him."

        "I told him something.  Maybe I shouldn't have."

        "What?"

        "That you're still in love with him.  It wasn't my place, I know."

        "What did he say?"

        "He's still in love with you."

        "He is?"

        "He is."

        "What are you doing?  You act like you're trying to set us up together.  I'm already with you."

        "I think that you'd be happier if you were with him, too."

        "Too."

        "Also.  I don't want to give you up, and I won't give you up, I'm not nearly that noble, but I think that you'd be happier if you were with both of us, and I...told him...that I'm willing to...share.  I don't want that to sound demeaning, I don't want to make it like some...menage a trois.  I'm selfish, I want to keep you all to myself.  But that's not fair.  You love two people, and you deserve to be with both of us."

        "You want to share me.  Turn a love triangle into a threesome."

        "Not a threesome."

        "What did he say?"

        "He thinks that I'm insane, but the idea of being with you again is too good for him to say no."

        "It can't work.  Drew, it's too...  It's unrealistic."

        "'Melrose Place.'"  Drew sighed.  "Nick, we're adults."

        "You're an adult.  Brian and I aren't."

        "Okay, I'm an adult, and I say that it can work."

        "You wouldn't get jealous?  He wouldn't get jealous?  I wouldn't take advantage of the situation?"

        "Oh, I'm sure that you'd take advantage.  But...I believe that you love me.  I can't be jealous, Nick."

        "Would you be jealous of me for having him?"

        Drew looked away from him.

        Nick tapped Drew's chin.

        Drew looked up at him again and sighed.  "Of course I'd be jealous.  I know, it sounds so stupid, I'm in love with you and I'm telling you to be with another man, and then I'm feeling jealous of you for having him, it's backward.  But Nick, he's so...  And he loves you, he loves you very much, you have to know that.  That's why I'm doing this.  If I thought that he'd hurt you again I'd never suggest it."

        "How did I get this lucky?  You're my favorite person in the world."

        "One of two, anyway.  But I'm in good company."

        "You seriously want to share me with Brian."

        "He can be with you when I can't."

        "We could just quit our jobs and live together."

        "We could," Drew agreed.  "If we were insane."

        "I think that you are insane.  Or else you're just so horny over the idea of me and Brian in bed together that you're doing anything you can to get us there."

        "I know that he and I will only ever be friends," Drew said.  "I'm not trying to look for more."

        "You should."

        "No, I shouldn't.  It'll only hurt all three of us."

        "Just promise me you won't feel guilty for wanting to have sex with my boyfriend."

        "I do feel guilty."

        "What am I going to do with you?"

        "Sleep."

        "Sleep?  We're in bed half-naked and you want to sleep?"

        "Nick, it's going to be four in the morning soon.  Four o'clock.  That's a.m.  Sleep."

        "You're no fun."

        "No fun whatsoever.  No fun at all."

        Nick kissed him.  "You can make it up to me tomorrow."

        "I'll try."  Drew smiled and kissed him.

        Justin rinsed the gel off of his hands.  "Hey, Sweetie-pie."

        "You were really cute before."

        "I was?  Before?  You're saying I'm not cute anymore?"  Justin looked horrified.

        "When you had really short hair, really blonde."

        "Really not my own hair color.  See this?  Real hair color, real curls."

        "Real cute."

        "You're sure about that?  I'm not less cute than I used to be?  This is important, JC.  I can't let my cuteness start slipping.  The cuter I am, the more CD's we sell."

        "You're terribly cute."

        "Not just terrible looking?"

        "I have seen you when you were up for three days straight, when you had bed hair, when you were throwing up-"

        "Stop stop stop!"

        "You have never looked terrible."

        "It's a gift."

        "It is."  JC kissed him.

        "More please," Justin said, pulling JC back in.

        "You know how everyone keeps calling us Mrs. Timberlake and Mrs. Chasez?"

        "You noticed?" Justin asked, trying to kiss him.

        "Mmm..."  There was a substantial pause in the conversation while they were distracted.  "Did you ever think about us changing our names?"

        "To what?  Bert and Ernie?  Thelma and Louise?  Dr. Evil and Mini-Me?"

        "You know, like legally making us Justin and JC Chasez Timberlake."

        "Really?"

        "I know that some performers don't change their names, to keep their careers."

        "So are we both Chasez or both Timberlake or hyphenated or what?"

        "I don't know.  That's why I'm asking you."

        "Justin Timberlake.  Justin Chasez.  Justin Chasez Timberlake.  Justin Timberlake Chasez.  That sounds good.  Justin and JC Timberlake Chasez."

        "You think so?"

        "Yeah.  So we can do that legally?  Make it official?"

        "Yeah."

        "That would be so cool."

        "It's kind of permanent, Justin.  We can't do it just because it's cool."

        "No, I mean, it's like a whole official thing.  We're married but it's not legal or anything.  This would be a legal change, a legal difference."

        "There are other things that gay couples do, legal things.  Like making each other next of kin, making it so your partner makes legal decisions on your behalf, so you have some rights."

        "We should do that.  We have to.  I mean, JC, you're my husband.  That's a permanent and official thing.  We have to make people understand that this is serious.  This is forever."

        JC rested his hand on the back of Justin's neck.  "I love you."

        "I know some people think that this, us, it's a gimmick, it's something Jive put us up to, it's some weird rebellion, it's a passing little whim, it's because we're young and spoiled, something like that.  They don't realize, they don't see.  I love you.  I will always love you.  Seventy years from now when we're not young and nobody knows who we are, we'll still be together."

        "In seventy years from now, people will still know who we are.  We're going to keep having fun, and we're going to keep working, and we're going to make a difference."

        "People think I'm too young to get married."

        "You sort of are, Justin."

        "You married me anyway."

        "Like I could say no?!  My god, Justin, you were proposing marriage to me.  I'd sooner kill myself than say no."

        "We could have waited."

        "No, we couldn't have.  I wanted to claim you for myself.  My Justin Timberlake," JC said, arms closing around Justin's waist.

        "Justin Timberlake Chasez," Justin corrected.  "And you can be JC Timberlake Chasez."

        "That sounds good.  It really does."

        "You know what?"

        "What?"

        "We should celebrate."

        "How."

        "Sex."

        "Good."

        "Did you hear that?"

        "No."

        "Good."

        "I'm still not hearing what I'm not hearing."

        "Me too."

        "You want to see what it is we're not hearing?"

        "It's probably just one of the guys."

        "It doesn't sound like one of our guys."

        "No, it doesn't."

        "I'll go get it."

        "You can't.  We're not hearing it."

        "I can't ignore it."

        "It stopped anyway."

        "I have to see who it was."

        "He's probably gone.  JC!"

        JC opened the door.  "Hi."

        "We can come back later if you're busy," Jeff said.

        "We're not busy," JC said.

        "Not anymore," Justin said.  "Welcome welcome to our humble abode."  Jeff and Nick Lachey came into the room.  "How can we help you this fine morning?"

        "When you got married," Nick said, "what did you do?"

        "Got married," Justin said.  "No, no, let's see...  We had to find a preacher who'd do it.  Because we wanted to get married, and no one legal could do it, so we had to get someone religious.  There's this church in D.C. that JC knew about, the MCC, they were really helpful.  They hooked us up with a pastor in Orlando.  We did everything real people do, pre-marital counseling, blood tests, the whole nine yards.  We got the flowers, cake, caterers, church, tuxes, the guys were our best men.  You know, you were there, what am I saying?"

        "The guys, our families, our friends, everyone was really supportive," JC said.  "And those who weren't, that's their decision."

        "So we just sort of did the whole thing like straight couples do.  And now, can I tell them?"  JC nodded.  "We're going to do legal stuff, name each other as next of kin, and the what's it called-"

        "Living will," JC said.

        "And change our names."

        "To what?" Nick asked.

        "Justin and JC Timberlake Chasez," Justin said.

        Jeff smiled.  "That's great."

        "Congratulations," Nick said.

        "So.  You're here.  And you're asking us this.  Is there something happening here?" Justin asked.  "Some little engagement party we should be planning?"

        "Sort of," Nick said.

        "Sort of," JC repeated.

        "It's not official," Jeff said.  "We've talked about marriage, in sort of vague terms, but we're not at the proposal stage yet.  We just thought that since you guys are ahead of us, that we could ask you what it's been like.  Since you're in a group and you're out as gay, and you're married."

        "Some people hate us," JC said.  "Actually hate us."

        "We've had some threats," Justin said.  "It got really scary for a while."

        "But we knew," JC said.  "We know that there are some very hateful people out there, and we know that we live in the public eye.  We expected negative feedback."

        "The guys, the guys have been so great," Justin said.  "And our families support us."

        "We've had to make a few changes," JC said.  "Some of the people who work with us and travel with us weren't comfortable, so they left.  Security's tighter than it ever was, because now we don't just have screaming girls, we have the religious right."

        "They picket our concerts," Justin said.  "They picket outside of our hotels."

        "There were a few times we almost had a riot," JC said.

        "So if you're asking if there's a down side, yeah, there's a whole huge whopping downside," Justin said.  "When our next album comes out, we might not sell as many as we have been.  We've lost fans, I know we have, we have to have lost some.  But we're here, and we're together, and that's what we wanted.  Lance and Joey and Chris told me, when I told them that I wanted to propose to JC, they told me to do it.  They were happy for me.  They're smart, they knew what could happen, they knew it wouldn't be all happy and easy.  But as long as they're on our side, you know, it's just...  I love JC.  If I had the choice again, either marry him and face the hatred and lose fans, or not marry him and pretend to the world that I'm not with him, I'd do it again, I'd marry him."

        "It's hard but it's worth it," JC said.  "I don't question it."

        "It's sort of weird," Justin said.  "I was, like, a nineteen-year-old guy and I married another guy, this gorgeous wealthy older man.  I mean, before, we were together all of the time, but now it's like, I can't go home and get away from him.  We're married.  We live together.  We're going to be side-by-side for decades and decades."

        "You just made me sound like your sugar daddy," JC said.

        "Let's sing.  I'll be Michael and you be Jermaine and-"

        "If I'm the sugar daddy I'm Michael," JC said.

        "My cue to go," Jeff said.

        "If you do get married, if you do, you have to invite us to the wedding," Justin said.

        "Absolutely," JC said.  "Invite us."

        "We will," Nick said.

        "Your boyfriend is a slave driver," Brian said.  "He thinks that just because he can do 500 reps of 760 that we all should."

        "Are you being mean to Brian?" Nick asked Drew.

        "I was encouraging him," Drew said.

        "He threatened me," Brian said.

        "You threatened Brian?" Nick asked.

        "I told him that if he didn't do two more I'd tell Kevin," Drew said.

        "Kevin doesn't care," Nick said.

        "It was the way he said it," Brian said.

        "You want to press?" Drew offered Nick.

        "Yeah, but only if Brian spots me and you leave the room," Nick said.

        "You want me to leave?" Drew asked.

        "I don't want you to see how weak and feeble I am."

        "You're not weak and feeble," Drew said.

        "Nick, he's already seen you naked," Brian said.  "It's not like you need to impress him."

        "I'll go over there and work on those machines," Drew said.  "With my eyes closed.  Okay?"

        "Okay," Nick said.  "No peeking."

        "No peeking," Drew promised with a smile.

        Nick waited until Drew had moved away before setting up the bar.  He laid down and adjusted his grip.

        "Nick, this is none of my business, I have to ask."

        "What?" Nick asked, looking up at Brian.

        Brian crouched down and whispered, close, "He's hung, isn't he?"

        Nick laughed.  "Totally."

        "God, I laid down and he was right there and I just...  I had to do the whole set with my eyes closed."

        Nick laughed.

        "I just had to ask you, I didn't want it to be my imagination."

        "No, he's...  It's not your imagination."

        "You think his brother's like that?"

        "He said there was an eligibility requirement to get into 98 Degrees."

        "You're kidding."

        "That's what he said."

        "Little Drew Lachey said that?"

        "Little Drew Lachey?" Nick repeated.

        Brian cracked up and fell on his butt.  "Never mind."

        The three of them spent the day together.  They worked out then played an interesting game of basketball.  It was every man for himself, so that with every pass they formed different alliances.  They suspected that Brian won, although they lost track of the score due to the general hilarity.  Then they split up to shower and met again for lunch, after which they stole a videotape from someone on the first floor and watched *NSYNC's Disney In Concert special, the three of them making a running commentary which was, in the end, highly critical of Justin Timberlake's vocals on the opening song, "Crazy for You."  They ended up watching that section time and again.

        "He is not speaking English."

        "I think it's English."

        "I think it's Martian."

        "I can figure it out."

        "No, you can't."

        "Never."

        "No, it's - - here, play it again."

        "For the 27th time."

        "Maybe the 98th time."

        "You're so funny."

        "They do know what 'witchoo' isn't a word, don't they?"

        "I think it's 'with you.'"

        "I don't think that they know that."

        "Listen!  He said 'a little.'"

        "A little what?"

        "A little gobbledygook garble."

        "Play it again."

        "We're going to ruin this tape."

        "I think Justin ruined it already."

        "Okay.  'I'm waiting for the phone to ring.  And all the wonder love should bring all the things' what?"

        "Darling."

        "Sweetie."

        "So funny."

        "Rewind it."

        "'All the things darling I left behind please give me a sign.'"

        "Cue Justin."

        "A little something something!  What the - - is he saying?"

        "'A single touch would blow my mind.'"

        "'Girl you know by now you've got to be mine till the end of time.'"

        "Well that's just inaccurate."

        "They can't go back and rewrite all of their songs now that he's married to a guy."

        "I'm just saying-"

        "What is he saying?  That's the question."

        "To garble lyrics or not to garble lyrics, that is the question."

        "He chose to garble them."

        "Rewind it."

        "I think that the VCR is going to spit the tape out at us if we replay that part."

        "It's become a quest, a mission, to figure out what the hell that boy is saying."

        "A little.  We have two words.  We can figure out the rest."

        "I don't think that he knows the words.  I think that he just stuck in some garble because he doesn't know the words."

        "Did he forget them or did he not know them to begin with?"

        "A little what?"

        "A little...a little...a little..."

        "Joey's scaring me."

        "Me too."

        "JC's really good-looking."

        "You just noticed?"

        "Would you stop checking out other guys in front of me?"

        "Excuse me?"

        "Do they have to sing Michael Jackson?  It's a crime against humanity."

        "Spoiled white kids singing the music of a god.  They must be punished."

        "Wow.  Nice tongue, Justin."

        "Don't look at his tongue."

        "Well he stuck it out there-"

        "Don't defend him!"

        "I'm just saying!"

        "What's Justin saying?"

        "Don't change the subject!"

        "That was the subject!"

        "A little...smoobrouhaha, I don't know."

        "Do you have the CD?"

        "You think that I want to boost their sales by buying their CD's?"

        "Do you have the CD?"

        "No way."

        "Do you have the CD?"

        "Of course...not...  It doesn't have a lyric sheet anyway."

        "You sneaky little - - I knew it!  I knew it!  You're a secret *NSYNC groupie!"

        "We could just ask  Justin what he's singing."

        "Or not singing."

        "Or garbling."

        "I still say he forgot the words."

        "You know, Chris got much better looking."

        "It's the hair."

        "I know, he's like really good-looking now.  It's just the hair."

        "I'm going to go find Justin."

        "Wait for me!  Don't leave me alone with this!"

        The three of them found Justin and JC signing autographs in the parking lot.  So they signed autographs, too, and got hugged, and had their pictures taken.  They ignored the picketers and protestors.  When something exceptionally harsh was shouted, Brian watched Drew close his eyes temporarily.  Brian squeezed Drew's arm and smiled.  Drew smiled back at the reassurance.

        Then Brian said to Justin and JC, "Can you guys do something for us?"

        "Sure.  What?" JC asked, handing a pen back to a screaming girl.

        "Can you sing 'Crazy for You?'"

        "What, now?" JC asked.

        "Here?" Justin asked.

        "Why?" JC asked.

        "Just do it," Nick said.

        "Would you mind?" JC asked the girl.  She screamed.  "Okay," JC told Brian.  "Here goes nothing."  He and Justin backed up some to give themselves space away from the screaming girls, and they started, going into the intro.  JC did the first verse, then Justin sang.  They didn't have the guys, which meant that they didn't have Chris's harmony, but they sounded terrific.  They did the chorus, then JC sang his verse.  Brian, Nick, and Drew listened intently.

        Justin sang.

        "A little smile would light my life!" Drew shouted.

        Justin, startled, stopped singing.

        "What?" Nick asked.

        "You understood that?" Brian asked Drew.

        "A little smile would light my life," Drew said.  "Justin, please, do that again."

        Justin gave them a dubious look but sang it again.

        "A little smile would light my life!" Brian shouted.  "Drew, you got it!"

        Justin stopped again.

        "Do it again," Brian said.  "Do it again."

        "What the heck is wrong with you?" Justin asked.

        "Do it again," Drew said.  "Please."

        Justin shrugged and sang it again.

        "No way," Nick said.  "He's singing in Martian."

        "I didn't get it at all that time.  What are you singing?" Brian asked.

        "A little smile would light my life," Justin said.

        "So you were right," Brian told Drew.

        "Why do you do that?" Nick asked Justin.  "You sing it in Martian."

        "I'm going back to my room now," Justin said.  "Away from you.  Far far away from you."

        "A little smile would light my life," Drew said.  "That's nice."

        "I cast my vote for a little smoobrouhaha," Nick said.

        "Please never come near us again," JC said.

        "Please ask him to sing in English," Nick said.

        "Would you like my candid opinion of your performance?" JC asked Nick.

        "No," Nick said.  "That's okay."

        The protestors got extra loud.

        "I'm going in," Drew said.

        "Wait, we'll come witchoo," Nick said.

        "We're so bad," Brian said.

        "A little smile would light my life," Nick said.  "Who would have guessed?"

        "How did you figure it out?" Brian asked Drew.

        "A burst of inspiration," Drew said.

        "Brilliant," Brian said.

        "I know how to pick 'em," Nick said.

        "I need junk food," Drew said.

        "You would," Nick said.

        By midnight the three of them were sitting on the floor in Drew's room on the Jive side of the hallway, listening to *NSYNC's self-titled album and singing along between bouts of hysterical laughter.  Then they played the Backstreet Boys's self-titled album and the laughter got worse.  Then they found the video for "Quit Playing Games."

        "How old are you?" Drew asked.

        "There?" Nick asked.

        "Young," Brian said.

        "Skinny," Nick said.  "God, I used to look so good."

        Brian and Drew exchanged a look.  Brian coughed.  "Used to?"

        "Look at me.  I was young, I was thin, I had the clearest skin ever.  Woah, hello, Howie's nipple."

        "That was not my idea," Brian told Drew.  "I want it on public record that I did not say, hey let's get wet and naked for public home viewing."

        "Wow.  It's like porn," Nick said.

        "Child porn," Drew said.  "It's disturbing how good you look wet."

        "You've gotta shower with me sometime.  For the record," Nick said, "do you mean just me or both of us?"

        "What?" Drew asked.  He'd become completely thrown by the shower suggestion.  Shower.  With Nick.  Wet.  Naked.  Wet and naked.  Steam.  Slippery.  In a confined space.  Wet.  Naked.  And he remembered Nick's confession, six months ago, in this very hotel, of how Nick masturbated in the shower thinking about him.

        Nick grinned and turned back to the television.  "Never mind.  What the hell is my hair doing?"

        "They're right, my jaw is huge," Brian said.

        "But look at those cheekbones," Nick said.

        "Could I have this?" Drew asked.

        "You want to keep it?" Brian asked.

        "Are you going to pay us for it?" Nick asked.

        "You want to keep it?" Brian asked again.

        "I think that he wants to collect, for posterity, one of like two times ever that AJ appeared in public without sunglasses or a hat," Nick said.

        "It is a mark-the-calendar moment," Brian agreed.

        "Is that supposed to be dancing?" Nick asked.  "What in the world am I doing?  People watch this video and I'm doing that?  It looks like I'm trying to do the Y.M.C.A. dance but I got confused and just started doing some weird version of the Funky Chicken."  Brian and Drew were laughing too hard to listen, so he stopped talking.

        Brian and Drew finally quieted a little and Brian said, "Which tape is this?"

        "The 'All Access' one," Nick said, checking the box.

        "'Everybody' is on this, then," Brian said.

        "Let me see," Drew said.

        Brian rewound.  They ended up watching the entire tape.  Drew was fascinated.

        "Can you tell?" Nick asked Brian.

        "No," Brian said.

        "Tell what?" Drew asked.

        "That we were lovers," Brian said, sitting up straighter.

        "During the shoot for 'As Long As You Love Me,'" Nick said.  "I mean, look, normal straight guys don't play with normal straight guys's hair like that."

        "Yeah, but look at how close you were standing to Howie," Brian said.  "It looked like you two were starting something."

        "How do you sing that song?" Drew asked Nick.

        "Which song?  I'm not singing in Martian, am I?" Nick asked.

        "No, in 'Everybody,' you keep asking, 'Am I sexual?'  I could never say that."

        "It's just a song," Nick said.

        "It doesn't embarrass you?" Drew asked.

        "I'm okay as long as the audience doesn't shout back at me, 'Hell no!'" Nick said.

        "That won't be a problem," Brian said.

        "Did you two ever...  I know that my brother Nick sings about Jeff for some of the songs, at least in his head he's thinking about Jeff.  Did you two ever do that?"

        "'Anywhere for You,'" Brian said.

        Nick nodded.

        "I mean, the song is completely a love ballad, and it's completely a duet," Brian said.  "It's basically me and Nick singing to each other.  When we performed it onstage, they made us stay on opposite ends of the stage so no one would consider what the song really was."

        "But we knew," Nick said.

        "I think that every song we sing is about love and romance in one way or another," Brian said.  "But when you're onstage, with your lover, singing a love duet, it's hard not to make it personal."

        "We don't really sing it anymore," Nick said.

        Brian checked the clock.  "It's late.  Time for the children," he pinched Nick, "to be in bed."

        "If you're tired now, your age is catching up with you," Nick said.  To Drew, he said, "Brian just turned 26."

        "Getting old," Drew said.

        "You're 24?" Brian asked Drew.

        "I'm 21," Nick said, grinning.

        "Nick's so proud he can drink now," Brian said.  "Not that we let him drink."

        "If we're doing vital statistics," Drew said to Brian, "how tall are you really?"

        "You mean how short is he really," Nick said.

        "Six one," Brian said.

        "Five two," Nick corrected.

        "How tall are you really?" Drew tried again.

        "Five seven.  On a good day, five eight," Brian said.  "Taller than Howie."

        "By a millimeter," Nick said.

        "Taller than Drew," Brian said.

        "By two inches," Drew said, and sighed.  "I'm short."

        "You're crying over the faded beauty of your youth, you're sighing over your height, you guys are pathetic," Brian said.  "You're absolutely gorgeous people."

        Nick studied Drew.  Snapped his fingers by Drew's ear.  Accused Brian, "You broke him."

        "I'm sorry," Drew said.  "I'm just not used to...that."

        "That what?" Nick asked.  "Having the pinnacle of all that a boy band member aspires to be tell you that you're absolutely gorgeous?  It's nice, isn't it?"

        "I'm not the pinnacle of anything," Brian said.

        "Right.  I forgot you can't dance," Nick said.  "Drew's the best dancer in 98 Degrees."

        "Not that that's saying much," Drew said.

        "You don't get complimented much, do you?" Brian asked.

        "People say I look like Nick, that's supposed to be a compliment," Drew said. "And people say I'm cute."

        "They only say you're cute because you're short," Nick said.  "If they were really looking they'd say you're absolutely gorgeous."

        "I look like I'm twelve," Drew said.  "I've learned to accept it."

        "If you had a naked concert, no one would ever think of you that way again," Nick said.  "Or a half-naked concert."

        "You have a jaw thing happening, too," Brian said, reaching out gently and tipping Drew's face to one side.  "One of those strong masculine kinds, not the scary kind I got."

        "I have a nose thing happening," Drew muttered.

        "You're pretty.  Isn't he pretty?" Nick asked Brian admiringly.

        "Very," Brian said.

        "Okay, okay, everyone stop looking at me," Drew said.

        Brian let go but smiled.  "Sorry."

        "There's nothing scary about the way you look," Drew said.

        "Isn't he beautiful?" Nick asked Drew.

        "Very," Drew admitted.

        "Are we all just forming a mutual admiration society?" Brian asked.

        "As people in the entertainment field, we're supposed to have huge egos," Drew said.  "We just need to work on ours some more.  This is a good way."

        "We'll have to reconvene tomorrow," Brian said.  "I need to go to bed."

        "You're leaving us," Nick said.  "How sad."

        "You'll see me tomorrow," Brian said.

        "We'd better," Nick said.

        "Drew, good night.  Nick, good night."  Brian shook their hands.

        "Go with God, my son," Nick said.  Brian saluted and left.  The door closed.  "He wants to have sex with you," Nick said.

        "What?" Drew asked, startled.

        "He wants you.  He likes you.  He was flirting with you."

        "When?"

        "All day.  Where have you been?  He wants you.  I know you want him."

        "I don't hide it very well, do I?"

        "Not really.  Come on, let's brush our teeth and go to bed.  We're supposed to have lots of sex.  You said you'd make it up to me last night."

        "Nick, we can't."

        "Why not?"

        "It's late, the whole hotel's quiet, Brian's on the other side of that wall, you know he can hear us."

        "That's the idea."

        "We can't.  He's in love with you, and hearing you making love with someone else will hurt him too much."

        "This is supposed to be our week together."

        "We're together."

        "I really like this.  I really do.  You're here, we can spend all day together, we can just be together, I've missed you so much and now you're here.  I don't know how I'll say good-bye."

        Drew reached up and kissed him.  "You don't have to say it yet."