Sound Of Music

By: Lara

One

“I asked for leather. A simple, black, leather jacket. You can find one in ANY mall. WHY is this so hard for you people?” Justin snapped.

The assistant seemed to shrink before him. “Well, Mr. Timberlake, we couldn’t get one in time, and we never thought you’d actually wear something from the mall and…”

“Damn right I wouldn’t,” Justin interrupted. “Just find me something else to go over the wifebeater, okay? I don’t know what it is, as long as it’s black. Can you manage to do that?”

“Yes, sir.” She scrambled away, almost in tears.

“God, J, it’s just a Teen Magazine shoot,” Joey said gently.

“So? I asked for a black leather jacket, and I expect to get what I ask for. I’m Justin Timberlake, for God’s sake.” He looked at Lance, who was slipping his feet into a pair of sandals. “Hey, Lance, lemme wear those.”

“Well, I just got them and…”

“Aw, c’mon, Lance. You got other shoes.” Justin actually knelt down and removed them from Lance’s feet. Justin slid the sandals on and left the dressing room.

“Dude, why the hell do you let him walk all over you like that?” Chris asked Lance.

Lance shrugged. “Sometimes it’s easier than hearing him bitch.”

“And all he does lately is bitch,” JC said, pulling a shirt over his head.

Lance sighed and said nothing. He knew he’d find the sandals after the shoot, tossed in a corner after being stretched out by Justin’s big feet. He knew Justin walked all over him. Justin gave new meaning to the word primadonna. In public, he was sweet and generous. In private, he was inconsiderate, rude and egotistical.

But it wasn’t always this way. Lance wistfully remembered back to the beginning of NSYNC, when he and Justin spent so much time together and had all kinds of good times. They were often left behind, and Lance had never thought he could find anything in common with the vibrant and athletic Justin. But they grew close, and they’d even fall asleep together, curled into a little adolescent ball. But things changed after they grew big in America.

Lance sighed again and looked down at his bare feet. He’d just go barefoot.

Justin took one look at Lance’s bare feet and decided that HE wanted to be barefoot. Lance slid his shoes back on and sure enough, they were stretched out so far he almost tripped walking to his place in front of the camera.

“We going out tonight?” Joey asked as they pranced around for the camera.

“Let’s hit a strip club,” Chris suggested.

“No, thanks,” JC said, jumping onto Joey’s back.

“C’mon, Jayce…maybe we can get some guys up there on stage for you and Lance,” Justin suggested. Lance blushed slightly, as he always did whenever Justin mentioned the fact that Lance and JC were gay. The guys were all good about it, but it still bothered him that they even thought twice about the whole situation.

“OR, maybe YOU guys could come to one of OUR strip clubs,” JC suggested, making a face at Chris as the camera clicked.

“NO THANK YOU!” Joey almost yelled. JC chuckled and winked at Lance.

“Lance will come out with us, won’t you, Lance?” Justin asked. He gave Lance a one-armed hug and the photographer loved it. Justin put his face close to Lance’s and gave the million-dollar smile. “I bet you like girls somewhere under there.”

“Not really, Justin,” Lance said, inching away slightly. “But I’ll come if you want me to.”

The night was long. Too long. Lance was stuck between Justin and Chris, watching them hoot and yell and throw money at the girls who were too tired and too skinny, in Lance’s opinion. Somehow he made it through, and then he was suddenly alone with Justin, in Justin’s hotel room. He and Justin had both had a bit too much to drink, and they were sitting in a comfortable little ball on the balcony.

“Thanks for comin’ along tonight, Lancey,” Justin slurred, hugging him.

“No problem.” Lance enjoyed the warmth of Justin’s embrace. It had been so long since a man had paid attention to him, and even though it was Justin, he could pretend it was someone else. And it reminded him of those days back at the beginning.

“Ya know, I just play when I talk about you likin’ boys, Lance, right?” Justin looked at him somberly. “Wanna know a secret? I let a guy suck me off once.”

“You what?” Lance wasn’t drunk enough to miss that one.

“Sure…it was kinda nice…I mean, he was kinda sexy…had nice lips…like yours.” Justin studied Lance carefully. “I bet all guys wanna suck me…girls already do, that I know.”

“Justin,” Lance said wearily. Justin carefully stood up and went to the railing.

“I’m Justin Fucking Timberlake, man, and EVERYONE loves me!” Justin screamed to the city. “I’m handsome, I’m sexy, and I’m damn talented. There’s NOTHING anyone could take away from me that I can’t do without, man, because I am IT!”

Lance closed his eyes as Justin fell into a fit of giggles. “Help me, God,” Lance murmured looking up at the stars.

“God’s not up there, man. God’s RIGHT here.” Justin pointed to himself. “Ain’t nothing all the gods in all the religions in the world can do that can hurt me, man, ya know? Cuz I’m Justin.”

“You sure are,” Lance said, nodding. Justin wove back inside, and Lance stared up at the stars again. “That’s not Justin,” he whispered. “I’d give anything to get Justin back.”

Two