Pairing: Joey and AJ
Words: depth; clang; Hollywood; evaporate


Joey tossed back another beer.  This far into the night, he wasn't
sure how he'd gotten there or why he was still sitting here at the
bar in the VIP section of this club, except that was late, he was
drunk and he wasn't getting laid.

It was all Lance's fault.  He wasn't sure how, because the blonde
hair and innocent act had never seemed a match for the Fatone charm
before, but tonight...

"Fucking Carter."  AJ dropped onto a stool next to him and signaled
for a drink.  "What does he have that I don't have?  I'm sexy."

"Blondes," Joey commiserated as the bartender came over and filled
AJ's order.

AJ knocked back the shot of Jack and looked at him.  "Nick's
screwing with your action, too?"

"Lance."

"Him?  He's not really blonde."

"Blonde enough."

"Fuck.  I used to be blonder than that."

"I used to be almost that blonde.  Didn't seem to do me any good
then."

"Me either.  Not that I did badly, 'cause, y'know -- dead sexy
here."

"Sorry, you're not my type."

"Babe, I'm everyone's type."

"Not mine."  Joey didn't look at him.

"You're saying you spent years living with Bass, Chasez and
Timberlake, and you never nailed any of them.  Never even wanted to
nail any of them?"

"Yep."  Joey raised his beer to his mouth, then was struck by a
thought.  "You mean...*you* have?  With your guys?"

AJ smirked at him.  "Like I said.  I'm everyone's type."

"Must be."  Joey swigged his beer.

"So -- you want to?"

Joey could see AJ grinning at him from the corner of his eye. 
"No."

AJ shrugged and turned back to the bar.  "Can't blame a guy for
trying."

Joey snorted.  "Y'know, with an approach like that, I can see why
you got shot down."

"Say what?"

"'So you wanna fuck?' isn't exactly a subtle approach, y'know.  Not
the kind of thing women go for.  They like something with a
*little* more depth.  As pick-up lines go, it sucks."

"Well, you aren't a woman, and guys like to cut to the chase."

"Maybe.  But it still seems like the kind of approach that's gonna
get you punched."

"You didn't," AJ observed, leering at him.  "Does that mean you
liked it?"

"No, asswipe, it means I kinda sorta know you, so it seemed like a
bad thing.  Plus, I don't usually punch people."

"All talk and no action, huh, Fatone?"

"Are you this much of a prick to everybody?"

"Only when they're standing in the way of something I want."

"If you're that desperate, this *is* L.A.  Head down to Hollywood
Boulevard and pick yourself up a hooker or something."

"Are you assinua... insistua... trying to say that AJ McLean has to
*pay* for sex?"

"AJ McLean *does* have to talk about himself in the third person
though."

"Damn straight he does."  AJ banged his glass down on the bar top.

Joey finished the beer, and set the empty bottle down with a clang. 
He was at an intermediate stage of drunkenness.  Not as drunk as AJ
-- where it would seem like a great idea to do the "I'm Joey
Fatone.  I'm famous, fuck me" routine.  But too drunk to put in a
genuine effort into finding someone worth spending actual time with
along with the sex.  And he wasn't a complete asshole; he liked it
that way, or he'd play the famous card a lot more often, instead of
watching his chances evaporate when Lance smiled.

No, he was just drunk enough to head back to the hotel and sleep it
off.

"I'm getting out of here.  You need a ride?"

"This a way to get me to come back with you and have sex?"

"No."  Joey rolled his eyes.

"Then fuck it.  You're not my mother.  I can get drunk if I want
to."

"Sure you *can*, but drinking by yourself sucks."

"Fuck off.  'm AJ McLean.  Plenty of people who'd want to get drunk
with me."

Joey shook his head.  "Whatever, man.  None of my business what you
want to do."  He left AJ at the bar, and arranged for a cab back to
the hotel.  At least Lance was having a good time, which was a good
thing.  He was always a lot more mellow after he'd gotten laid.