Pairing: Lance and Joey
Words: infinite; frisky; naive; wishing


Joey loves NSYNC.  He loves everything about NSYNC.  He loves
touring and being stuck on the bus and having people he doesn't
even know and will never meet screaming his name.  He loves being
pawed and talked about.  He loves the guys and loves being with
them.  He'd be perfectly happy, if it weren't for the fact that he
loves Lance a little more than all of it.

Lance is this font of infinite naivete.  Even now that he's not
unaware, he's still somehow... innocent.  At his most frisky, when
he's planning a thousand and one jokes with Chris, Lance is still
sweetly unaware of what his presence does to people.  Joey can't
help wishing that Lance would notice some day.  Notice Joey
looking.  He can't help wishing Lance would look back, and actually
see.

"Hey, Joey," Lance says, as he comes from the back of the bus,
still sleepy but awake.  He goes for the coffee pot.

Joey looks.  "Hi, Lance."

Lance smiles at the tinted window.  He likes Joey.  He likes
touring with Joey.  Especially since Joey went along with his idea
of just having one big bed instead of them both being crammed into
bunks.  They're both adults, they can handle it.  Plus it's nice
sometimes, with Joey warming up the bed.

Joey nods at nothing.  "Um.  It's that Vienna kind.  The coffee. 
That you like.  The Vienna stuff, I mean, not the coffee, though
you do like the coffee, too."  Hello, idiocy, my old friend.

"Thanks, Joey."  Lance takes his cup, and comes to sit next to
Joey, leaning on him just a little.  "You're the best."

Joey smiles.  "Thanks.  So're you."

Lance smiles at nothing and sips his coffee.

Joey puts his arm around Lance's waist.  "Sleep good?"

Lance lets his head fall against Joey's shoulder.  "Mmm.  Good. 
But I'm still tired."

"Go back to bed," Joey suggests.  "We've got time."  Another thing
he loves about NSYNC.  Late mornings.

"I'm awake now.  Besides, we're back on the interstate, right?  We
have to be, 'cause of all the honking."

"Yeah."

Lance nods.  All the busses say NSYNC on them, and that attracts
attention.  It's not as bad on the smaller highways, but people are
quite capable of creating a traffic jam by pulling up alongside the
busses, pacing them and screaming and honking.  The closer they get
to their next date, the worse it gets, too.  "Gotta be tough to
drive, too."

"Luckily, we're not the drivers."

"Yep."

Joey nods and sighs.  "You feel good?"

"Tired."

"C'mon.  Back to bed," Joey insists.  He takes Lance's coffee away
and herds him back to the bed.

"Joey," Lance protests, but he lets himself be herded.  He enjoys
Joey taking care of him.  It makes him feel special.

Joey ignores the protest and tucks Lance under the blankets.  He
makes sure all the shades are tightly closed to make the room dark,
and lays next to Lance.  "See?  All nice and night-like."

"People're still honking," Lance says half-heartedly.  He's curled
up on his side, facing Joey.

Joey sighs.  "Fine.  I'll just have to sing for you.  Any
requests?"

Lance yawns.  He really is tired.  His eyes are already closed, but
it's all right because he can feel Joey's reassuring bulk.  "No. 
Don't sing.  Don't wanna start trying to sing along.  Just talk to
me."

Joey smiles ruefully.  He never seems to have the right ideas. 
"Okay.  So, your goddaughter..."  Kid stories usually go over well
with Lance.

Lance smiles, burrowing in close to Joey, wrapping his hand over
Joey's bicep.  He doesn't listen to the words, just the tone.  It
lulls him into a doze.

Joey lets his stories trail off when Lance's breathing evens out. 
He kisses Lance's forehead and says, "Sleep, baby.  I love you." 
He can let himself say that because it's the same thing he says to
his daughter.  He's got an excuse if anyone ever calls him on it.

Lance mumbles something back, but doesn't wake.

So, yeah.  Joey loves everything about NSYNC.  He just loves Lance
-- and holding Lance while he sleeps, especially -- just a little
more.