Disclaimer: This came to me in a dream... That means it's fake... Merry Christmas!

        Justin woke groggily the next morning, yawning and stretching tiredly. He'd only gotten a few hours of sleep, and he still wasn't quite sure why he was up at... He glanced at the clock, and then stared at it in disbelief. 8 a.m. He sighed and opened his eyes, looking at the sunlight filtering in.
        He stopped short and stared, his eyes going wide and his jaw falling as he caught sight of the fireplace.
        There were several presents laid out on the mantle, all wrapped in cheery Christmas greens and reds and golds, and there was a single red Christmas stocking hanging from a nail in the stone with his name written on it in gold. It was large and packed with stuff, so much so that it was almost overflowing. There was a small Christmas tree, about the size of his waist, decorated and with a little angel at the top beside the presents, and for a moment, all Justin could do was stare. And then he lept out of the bed, crawled to the fireplace, and snatched the stocking off the hook, dumping it out on the floor and scouring through it.
        Candy. There was quite a bit of candy in there. A new cd--a Christmas one, little South Park figurines, Simpson figurines, that gold chain that he'd been eyeing for quite some time that he kept seeing around in jewelry stores, a pair of cubic zirconia earrings that were absolutely huge, a new simple silver cross, more candy, and a bottle of his favorite cologne. With trembling fingers, Justin reached out for the presents on the mantle. He flipped open the first card and nearly started crying when he read, "To Justin, Love Santa". He pursed his lips and closed his eyes to recompose, then carefully began unwrapping the presents, his heart pounding in his ears as he wondered what they were.
        The first thing he saw was a basketball jersey in dark and baby blue. He laughed out loud and gasped in delight when he saw his name written on the back, and the number 1 and a half on the front and back. Under it were a pair of matching warm up pants, as well as a basket ball game for their sega dreamcast. The next present contained a box of cd's that Justin had wanted, easily totalling up to around 200 dollars. The third box had a South Park mug in it, with all of the characters on it, and filled with candy. Then there were South Park pens with all of the characters, a Simpson's mug filled again with candy and Simpson's pens, and then a bunch of South Park pins and Simpson's pins. The last box contained a digital camera that Justin wanted, that could take sounds, videos, and pictures.
        "Lance," Justin breathed, looking at the card signed from "Santa". He jumped to his feet and ran out of the room, still in his track pants and shirt, and dashed across the hallway, pounding on the door.
        A minute later, a very exhausted looking Lance pulled the door open, but when he saw who it was, his eyes widened and he stood up straighter, looking surprised. "You're up early--" Lance began.
        Justin didn't give him time to finish before throwing his arms around his adorable friend. "Thank you," Justin breathed, hugging Lance tightly. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me."
        Lance laughed weakly. "You're welcome, but I don't think crushing me is going to be a good way of thanking me. Just as a side thought, of course."
        Justin quickly pulled back and held Lance by the shoulders, staring at him. "Thank you," he stated earnestly; seriously. "I will never forget this."
        Lance smiled slightly. "Justin, you don't have to thank me for anything." Ever sweet, that green eyed boy was. "Really. I didn't do anything."
        Justin arched an eyebrow. "Uh huh. Sure." He couldn't help it. He hugged Lance again, and then placed a big, long kiss on Lance's cheek. "I love you!" he exclaimed giddily, causing Lance to burst out laughing. "You are my everything!" He hugged Lance again and then dragged him over to his room. "Look, I'll show you."
        Lance laughingly protested. "Justin, I'm in my boxers! Can I at least go change?"
        Justin paused and turned back as he unlocked his door, giving Lance an appreciate once-over in what he hoped looked like a teasing manner. "I think you look great," he assured Lance. He did, too. Lance was the only one Justin knew that could be so positively sexy when he just woke up. His blond hair was tossled and messed up, his green eyes were bright, his shirt was scewed and rumpled, but he looked perfect. He grabbed Lance's hand and dragged him inside the room, gesturing to the mess he'd created on the floor. "See? Look! I told you!"
        Lance laughed and nodded, and Justin couldn't help but slip an arm around his perfect shoulders. Lance just fit so perfectly against him, how could Justin resist touching him? "You're messy," he teased, looking up at Justin with those beautiful green eyes and soft lips just begging to be kissed.
        Justin grinned back. "What can I say? I'm a boy at heart." He paused, thinking about the night before when Lance had practically searched his soul and he hadn't been able to stop him; hadn't wanted to stop him. He wanted Lance to know everything about him. He wanted to surrender himself completely to Lance.
        "Oh, the angel," Lance pouted, and Justin watched almost sadly as Lance stepped out of his embrace and over to the small tree, straightening out the angel on top and then turning to smile at Justin in a picture so perfect that Justin wished he had that damn camera set up to take a picture.
        "It's beautiful," Justin assured him, smiling. "Thank you."
        Lance waved him off, grinning. "Please. I didn't do anything. Santa did. He searched you out."
        There was a pounding on Justin's door, an almost frantic one, and Justin and Lance exchanged slightly worried looks before going to the door and pulling it open.
        "Santa came!" Chris exclaimed, his large brown eyes wide. "Santa! The big guy! He came here!"
        Justin nearly burst out laughing. "I know, he left me stuff, too."
        "He left me an' Joey both stockings!" Chris yelped, then looked past Justin into his room, his jaw falling. "Hey! Joey and I didn't get a tree or presents! We just got stockings!" He arched an eyebrow at Justin. "Santa loves you more than us."
        Justin couldn't resist a grin as he thought about how much he wished that was true. "I doubt it," he admonished.
        Chris shrugged, waving his hands at them. "Who cares?!" he exclaimed. "Santa Claus came!" He suddenly stopped short and stared at them. "How come Lance is in your room?" he asked Justin warily.
        Justin grinned devilishly.
        "Justin dragged me over to tell me that Santa came," Lance explained, elbowing Justin in the ribs. Justin grinned down at him and wrapped an arm around Lance's shoulders, delighted when Lance leaned against him.
        Chris grinned like a school boy. "Isn't it great?" he gasped. "This is the best day ever! Ooo, I can't wait til we go on tv and tell everyone that Santa Claus came to visit us!" He turned and ran back into Joey's room, something Justin took careful notice of.
        "He's almost 30 years old," Justin commented thoughtfully, shaking his head.
        "Oh Lord, the entire world is going to think we're insane," Lance laughed, shaking his head.
        "Nope," Justin promised. "They're going to think that we're special. Which we are, because we're friends with Santa Claus."
        Lance grinned up at him, and then moved to his room. "I think I'm going to go change now, okay?"
        Justin pouted, not wanting Lance to go. "Why?" he asked, lowering his voice to one of a child's. "Don't you wanna just stay here with me...?"
        Lance laughed. "How about I come back once I'm all cleaned up?"
        Justin whined. "But you've gotta shower, and shave, then get dressed. You can do all that later."
        "Justin, I'm not hanging out in your room in my boxers."
        "I'll loan you pants!" Justin assured him quickly, tugging on Lance's arm. "Come on..."
        Justin watched Lance hesitate, then smile and allow Justin to bring him back into the room. Justin's heart sang a little song as he rummaged through his bag and found Lance a pair of his favorite track pants. He was sure Lance would look great in them.
        As soon as Lance was wearing pants he seemed to feel better, and when he laid down on the bed, Justin joined him, resting his head on Lance's arm. "This is definitely the best Christmas ever," Justin declared happily, looking up at Lance. "Did I mention that I love you more than life itself?"
        Lance's eyes came down and met Justin's, and Justin wondered if Lance took it as seriously as Justin meant it. Apparently he didn't, because he smiled. "I love you too, Justin. And you're right." He settled more comfortably on the pillows and actually drew Justin onto his shoulder, a position Justin took great comfort in. "This is definitely the best Christmas ever."
        Justin smiled.

        "I need a sweater," Lance moaned, riffling through his bags. He could only find the green one that he'd worn yesterday, because his other ones had somehow gotten his cologne all over them when it spilled in his bag. Thank god he was going home and could do laundry.
        The hotel phone rang, and Lance let out a sigh before snatching it up. "Merry Christmas!" he greeted warmly.
        "Well that's a great greeting if I ever heard one!" Justin exclaimed. "Merry Christmas!"
        Lance laughed out loud. Justin had called the moment he got out of the shower, and now ten minutes later he was calling again. He had also stayed by Lance's side all through out breakfast, which was rather large and a definite feast. Everyone was in jovial moods, and they were going to meet back in JC's room to exchange gifts in ten more minutes, and Lance was still only wearing his khaki's and no shirt.
        "What's up, Justin?" Lance laughed, shaking his head and sitting on the bed.
        "Well, I have a problem."
        "I'm listening."
        "I sorta... Uhh... Heh. I'm an idiot, okay? I got my hair gel all over the inside of my bag, and the only thing that isn't icky are the clothes I was wearing yesterday. Now, the khaki's are good to go, but I'm down to one red sweater and one silver inside shirt. So I was wondering if I could borrow a sweater or something, 'cause I'm running around shirtless and I'm freezing to death."
        Lance's lip curled. Justin was just mean, giving him visuals like that. "Actually, Justin, in any other sitch I'd be more than happy to help you out. Unfortunately, ironically enough, I spilled my cologne in my bag and all of my clothes reek. All I've got is what I wore yesterday."
        "Our matching sweaters and silver shirts, you mean?" Justin teased.
        Lance laughed. "The very same."
        There was a loud sound on Justin's side, and Lance paused, alert. "How about we go matching?" he suggested excitedly. "You in my red, me in your green. It'll be fun!"
        Lance laughed out loud. "You want us to go in matching clothes on national television?"
        "Yeah!"
        Lance thought about it, and the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of spending Christmas wrapped in Justin's scent. "Okay," he agreed. "Come on over."
        "Baby!" Justin finished singingly, parodying off of Christina's latest single. "Be right there!" He hung up and Lance laughed at his enthusiasm, hanging up his own phone. About ten seconds later, Justin was knocking on the door, clad in his khaki's and silver shirt and jumping from foot to foot, rubbing his arms.
        "Should it be this cold?" Justin asked, his teeth chattering.
        Lance tossed him his green sweater. "I would assume that since it's Christmas, yes."
        Justin made a face at him, then laughed, yanking the sweater over his head. "Ooo, I love these sweaters." He handed over his red one, and Lance pulled it on over his own silver shirt. Justin suddenly made a growling sound, and Lance looked up at him, surprised, only to see Justin's eyes narrowed at him. "Of course you look better in it than I do," Justin muttered, going into Lance's bathroom. "You look better in everything." He turned when he was in the doorway and glared at Lance. "Did I mention that I hate you?"
        Lance's eyes were wide. Who was Justin kidding? Justin made that green sweater look like it was on a freaking model! Lance considered strangling Justin, then decided that that wasn't in the Christmas spirit, so he settled for making a face at Justin and going into the bathroom, hopping up onto the counter and reaching for his gel. Justin was already making himself at home, taking Lance's mousse and rubbing it through his curly hair.
        "I love Christmas!" Justin exclaimed, hugging Lance tightly. Lance couldn't help but laugh, taken completely by surprise, and would have hugged Justin back if Justin didn't have Lance's arms pinned to his sides. Justin released Lance and went back to his hair, humming "Jingle Bells."
        Lance smiled at Justin as Justin worked a number of products through his hair, occassionally looking up at Lance and grinning. It almost felt natural to work like this with Justin.
        When they were both done, they went over to JC's room, finding that they were the last to arrive. They plopped down on the bed, Joey and Chris being designated the 'gift givers'. JC was sitting on the couch, and when Lance and Justin entered, Lance watched as JC studied them, then slowly forced a smile.
        "Santa visited all of us," Chris proclaimed happily, gesturing to JC's filled stocking. Lance smiled at him and nodded, meeting JC's eyes again. JC grinned slightly and Lance grinned back, until JC looked away. Then Lance looked from Justin to JC and back again. Justin slowly met Lance's eyes, and he nodded in JC's direction, giving Lance an almost sad, reassuring smile. Lance sighed. He had no idea what to do. Part of him wanted to stay with Justin, and part of him wanted to go to JC.
        Lance stood, running his fingertips along Justin's shoulders as he walked past him, and plopped down in JC's lap, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and praying that he wasn't making a mistake. From the way JC's eyes lit up, though, he was sure he hadn't. Until he glanced back at Justin who was laughing with Joey, and then he wasn't sure, so he "ignored" Justin and joked with JC. Then all five of them were laughing and joking together.
        Lance discreetly watched as the other guys opened their gifts. Justin flashed Lance a grin when he opened a box and found season tickets to his favorite basket ball team's games, as well as a signed jersey from Justin's favorite player. From Justin, Lance got a new laptop and a camera that he'd been wanting, coincidentally the very same one that Lance got for both Justin and Chris. Lance laughed out loud when he opened Joey's gift, which was a box of his favorite cd's, but they were all signed, and he gave Joey a rather large hug. Chris gave Lance a gold dream catcher, to Lance's amusement, as well as a talking Kyle from South Park desk set. JC gave Lance an id bracelet with his name engraved on the top, and on the back it read, "To my best friend, I love you. Jace." Lance slipped JC a kiss on the cheek for that, and then quickly put it on.
        Joey bought Chris a friendship necklace that when put together formed a circle, but when separate, was a sun and moon. On the backs were their names, and they each took the others. Chris got the moon with Joey's name on it, and Joey got the sun with Chris' name on it. Lance and Justin gave each other small smiles for that.
        The necklace that Lance bought for Justin was special, and he didn't want to give it in front of the others, so when everyone was taking their stuff back to their rooms, Lance dropped all his stuff on his bed and ran across the hallway to Justin's, hoping that no one would see him. Just as he was raising his hand to knock, the small white box in hand, the door swung open, and Justin and Lance stared at each other for a split second.
        "Come in," Justin invited, and Lance noticed that he was also holding an identical box. He frowned slightly, but ignored it.
        "Look," Lance began, realizing just how nervous he was. "That day that we met up at the mall and I was shopping for gifts? Well, I was actually looking for something for you. I had something made from the same place, so I hope you like it. And I didn't want to give it to you in front of everyone 'cause it's kinda personal, but, well, here." He thrust the box at Justin, hoping that Justin wouldn't see how hard he was shaking.
        Justin stared at the box in his hand for several minutes, so long that Lance began to fidget. And then, slowly, his startling blue eyes came up and met Lance's. "Here," he said, handing Lance the other white box. Lance's eyes widened in surprise as he looked up at Justin, who smiled crookedly. "Like you said, personal."
        Lance smiled back slightly, and then nervously pulled open the top of the box, stopping and staring at what was inside. His breath caught in his throat and his mouth felt like cotton as he stared, unable to believe what he was seeing.
        "The cross..." Lance breathed, astonished. The cross that he had seen in the display case and wanted so badly... Justin had gone back and gotten it for him.
        "These were for me?" Justin asked, holding up the earrings. Lance looked up at him and smiled slightly. "Y-you're kidding, right? These were for me?!"
        Lance frowned worriedly. "I thought you liked them."
        "Lance, I love them!" Justin hugged Lance tightly, drawing him into his embrace. "Thank you so much. I... God, I don't even know what to say."
        Lance smiled over Justin's shoulder, relieved. "I'm glad you like them." He pulled back and held up the cross. "You went back for it?"
        Justin smiled slightly. "Believe it or not, I didn't. I bought it before I met up with you, and that was why I was so worried when you were looking at it and told you not to get it."
        Lance's jaw fell. "Seriously?"
        Justin laughed. "Seriously." The smile faded, and he took the necklace from Lance, carefully slipping it around Lance's neck. "I knew it would look good on you," he said, smiling gently.
        Lance grinned up at him and nodded at the box, still nervous. "Keep going," he urged. "The most important part is still to come."
        Justin laughed and lifted the white cotton that had put on top of the necklace. Justin's jaw fell and he stared at it in disbelief. He was actually trembling as he held it, and Lance bit his lip nervously, waiting for Justin's reaction.
        "Oh Jesus, Lance..." Justin breathed softly, his eyes still on the necklace. "I-I don't even know what to say..."
        Lance smiled weakly. "Hopefully it's something good."
        Justin blinked. "Hopefully it's...?" he trailed off and looked up at him. "This is the best gift anyone has given me. Ever. I-I... I don't even know where to start thanking you."
        Lance smiled in relief and took the necklace out of the box with trembling fingers, slipping it around Justin's neck. "I knew it would look good on you," he told him softly, smiling. "I'm glad you like it."
        Justin hugged him tightly, crushingly. "I love it," he breathed in Lance's ear. "Thank you so much, Lance. This has been the best Christmas... The best day, of my life. Ever. And it's all because of you."
        Lance closed his eyes. "I'm glad you're happy, Justin." Hesitantly he kissed Justin's cheek and pulled back, smiling warmly at him. "But we've got to go."
        Justin had his eyes closed, and slowly they reopened, revealing a cerulean blue. "I love you," he whispered softly, joining their hands. "Thank you."
        Lance swallowed hard and smiled weakly, knowing if he spoke in anything above a whisper his voice would be hoarse. "I love you too," he whispered back. "And thank you."
        They hugged again tightly.

        "And we're joined by the five members of Nsync, Joey, Justin, Chris, JC, and Lance. Hi guys! Welcome to the Macy's Christmas Parade!"
        "Hi," they all greeted, sitting down on the couch together. JC perched on the arm beside Lance, who easily slung an arm on JC's leg. Justin claimed the seat beside Lance, and then Chris and Joey sat on the other side of him.
        "How's it going, Katie?" JC asked friendily, grinning at Katie Curick.
        "It's going well, actually. Are you guys having fun?"
        "We're having a blast!" Chris exclaimed.
        Lance laughed. "Well, Chris is. He got a free balloon."
        Chris held up his wrist, which had a red balloon tied to it. "Lance is just jealous 'cause he didn't get a balloon," Chris told Katie and the camera. "He only got trampled on by the little kids trying to get to the balloons."
        Lance nodded and held the microphone up to his lips. "It's true. I did. Those little kids are stronger than you give them credit for. I mean, you stand in their way and you won't be standing much longer."
        "Ankle biters," JC laughed.
        "Ankle biters," Lance repeated, nodding. "They just went straight for my legs. One kid actually got a good grip around my calf bone."
        Katie laughed and shook her head. "That's terrible! What happened?"
        "Justin kicked him," Lance told her, glancing slyly at Justin, whose jaw dropped.
        "Hey!" Justin exclaimed, holding up his microphone. "Now everyone's going to think I hurt kids or sumthin'!"
        Lance laughed at him. "Like you didn't hold your little brother up by the ankle and drag him around the house like that the last time you were home?"
        Justin held the microphone up to his lips, paused, and then dropped the mic before laughing and then bringing it back up. "That's different though," he argued.
        "Oh yeah? How?" Lance challenged, grinning.
        Justin paused again, and waved his hands up in the air, shaking his head. "I don't even know, man." He turned back to Katie. "Have you been down there yet?"
        Katie laughed and shook her head. "You know, I haven't? I've only seen it from the balcony, but it looks cold out there!"
        "It is," JC assured her. "Joey went out with slightly wet hair and we broke off one of his spikes."
        "It's true," Joey agreed ruefully. "I froze like an icicle."
        "It's so cold," Lance echoed, holding up his mic and rubbing his arms to prove his point. "I thought I was going to freeze to death, and I was smart enough to go out without wet hair."
        Joey reached over and poked Lance over Justin, while Lance laughed.
        "Yeah, but you still weren't smart enough to get out of those kids' way," Chris reminded.
        Lance shook his head. "There's some things that not even I can figure out," he told the camera. The other guys started laughing and cajoling him while he grinned.
        When they settled down, Katie turned to Justin. "I have to ask. Isn't your girlfriend, Britney Spears, a little sad that you aren't spending Christmas with her?"
        Justin shook his head. "Even if I wasn't here, we still wouldn't be together. We wanted to be with our families for Christmas, and I am." He reached out and wrapped his arms around the guys, the mic being handed to Joey and Lance holding up the mic for Justin. "We are family." He released the guys and took his mic back.
        "Yeah," Lance continued, glancing at Justin. "As a matter of fact, Justin was supposed to go home last night, but he asked to stay an extra night so that we could spend it together. And as much as I love my family--Mom, Dad, Stacy, I love you guys--these guys," he gestured to his friends. "are my family, too, and this has been the best Christmas ever."
        JC affectionately patted Lance on the back, letting his hand stay on Lance's shoulder. "I think it's been all of our best Christmas."
        "Really? What did you guys do?"
        Chris piped up quickly. "Santa Claus came!"
        Katie paused and smiled, laughing. "He did?"
        "Yup," he told her proudly. "Found us in the hotel and everything." He turned to the camera and spoke sternly. "Santa Claus does exist! He found us in the hotel and gave us stockings with goodies in them."
        "Really?" Katie asked, grinning at them.
        "Oh yeah," Chris assured her seriously. "Candy and cool little things. It was so cool. This morning I woke up and the first thing I saw was a stocking with my name on it. Of course I dumped it out and then ran to Joey's to see if he got one too, and he did, so we went through his and went over to Justin's, and he and Lance were in there already looking at Justin's stocking, and then later we all met in JC's room and checked out what JC got. It was great."
        "Santa Claus strikes again," Katie teased. "Sounds great."
        "It was," Justin spoke up, his arm along the back of the couch behind Lance. "I mean, I don't know about anyone else here, but I love Santa Claus. I mean, Santa and I, we're tight." He lifted his arm from around Lance and crossed his fingers together. "Santa's my buddy." He replaced his arm around Lance's shoulders. "I've never been more excited in my entire life than when I woke up this morning and found a stocking full of stuff from my favorite guy in the whole world. Definitely the best wake up I've ever had. This day has just been great."
        "And it's only just begun," Katie reminded, laughing.
        "Right," Justin agreed, grinning.
        "Well," Katie continued. "You guys I understand are going to go out there and ride on one of the floats and then go do some more commentary, am I right?"
        "Right," JC and Lance said together.
        Katie grinned. "Alright. Well, then, we'll see you guys later."
        They all grinned and waved at the camera until it was cut. Then they stood, climbing off of each other, and followed the crew workers to the outside, where they were supposed to get on their float.
        Lance was dreading it, thinking about how cold it was going to be, but he was excited nonetheless.
        "Cold?" Justin asked, coming up behind Lance and rubbing his arms through the sweater he wore.
        Not anymore, his mind answered. "Yeah. It's freezing out here."
        "We've got a full day of this, 'out here'," JC reminded, grinning. "May I suggest coffee?"
        Lance made a face. "May I suggest antifreeze?"
        "Sure. Swallow it and die, we won't miss you," Chris returned sarcastically, throwing an arm around Lance's shoulders. "You die, and I'll kill myself to come after you," he warned seriously.
        Lance laughed and wrapped an arm around Chris' waist. "Love you too, guy."
        Chris laughed and they made their way to the float, climbing on it and helping each other up before situating themselves all around it.
        It was cold, they were freezing, but it was so much fun to see all the kids smile and scream as they waved and blew kisses. Definitely worth the hour of numbness. It was over almost too soon, and yet not fast enough, and they were back inside, wrapped up in blankets and huddling up together, shivering.
        "Your lips are blue," Justin told Lance through chattering teeth.
        "Yours are too," Lance responded, worried. If Justin even caught hypothermia, he was suing!
        Justin smiled weakly, and they were given hot tea to warm up with. Lance was so numb that it hurt when he started to warm up, and he thought he was on fire. Justin sat beside him and hugged him tightly, despite the fact that JC was right there, and Lance dropped his head to Justin's shoulder, closing his eyes as Justin held him.
        A half an hour later, they were back on the inside interviewing room with Jenna and Mike, and they piled onto the couch together, all five of them squeezing on it. It was Joey, Chris, Justin, Lance, and JC, and Lance was still freezing.
        "How're you guys doing?" Jenna asked when they were taping.
        "Freezing," Chris returned. "But we're excited. This was so much fun."
        "The cold was definitely worth it to see those kids' faces," Justin agreed.
        "It was fun, too, 'cause I've always wanted to be in a Macy's Christmas Parade. So now my life is complete," JC piped up, grinning broadly. He had an arm wrapped around Lance, who was still trembling, but trying to repress it.
        "Well, we're going to cut to commercial and we'll be right back," Jenna told the camera, and as soon as the red light was off, she turned on Lance. "What is wrong with you?" she asked worriedly, her eyes scared. "Do you need a doctor?"
        Lance looked up, surprised. "What? No. Why?"
        "You're blue," she answered, frowning. "I'll go get you some tea. I'll be right back." She stood and disappeared, despite Lance's protests.
        "I'm not blue," Lance objected, turning to JC. "Am I blue, Jace?"
        JC frowned and nodded. "Yeah, Lance, you're very blue."
        Lance frowned back and turned to Justin. "Justin, am I blue?"
        Justin scowled. "I'm about three seconds away from calling for the medics."
        Lance sighed. "I'm fine," he told his friends firmly. "I'm just a little cold."
        Jenna came back and handed Lance a cup of steaming tea. "Careful, it's hot," she warned. Lance took it and held it between his hands without noticing anything, and ignoring the looks his friends were giving him.
        "This is just great," someone muttered from the side. "We get sued by one of the members of the most famous band in the world for getting hypothermia."
        "Hey!" Lance protested, turning to look at them. "Number one, I don't have hypothermia. And number two, I'm not suing anybody!"
        "Lance," JC warned softly, placing a hand on Lance's leg. "Shhh."
        Lance frowned but sat back, holding the mug in between his hands and then taking a sip of the hot liquid. Well, he knew it was hot because it was steaming, but against his lips it almost felt cold.
        "Lance, are you alright?" JC asked worriedly. "Do you want to go to the hospital?"
        Lance scowled at him. "No. I'm fine."
        "We're back in five," someone at the camera warned. Lance quickly set the drink down and resettled himself, JC's arm around him again.
        "Welcome back, we're here with the members of Nsync," Mike greeted, then turned to the guys. "Now, guys, has this been a crazy Christmas or what?"
        "Oh yeah," Justin agreed easily. "And we're spending it here, in New York, at the Macy's Christmas Parade. It doesn't get much better than this."
        "What was your favorite part of the parade so far?" Jenna asked them.
        "That guy who was juggling the plates on sticks," JC answered, grinning. "He was cool. I'd like, lose my balance and topple over or something, landing flat on my face and bonking a few people on the head with the plates."
        "'Bonking'?" Lance repeated, looking up at him with a grin.
        JC grinned back. "Bonking." He lifted the hand around Lance's shoulders and lightly tapped Lance on the head. "Crack."
        "Smack," Chris offered.
        "Crash," Joey added.
        Justin looked around at all of them, and then shrugged, shaking his head. "I dunno. I'm not as creative as them," he told the camera.
        "Smash," Chris supplied, exasperated, and smacked Justin on the back of his head.
        Justin made a face at him.
        "Well, at least you're not Lance," Chris pointed out. He turned to the camera. "Lance's got hypothermia."
        Lance made a face at Chris. "I do not," he objected, then turned to the camera. "I do not. I'm a little cold. No biggy. I'll warm up."
        JC rubbed Lance's arms and then resumed his position. "Poor Lance. Gonna turn into a popscicle."
        "Like my hair," Joey reminded happily.
        Justin looked at Joey and shook his head in disbelief, then laughed slightly. "Just like your hair, Joe," Justin agreed. Joey smiled brightly.
        "My favorite part was when Lance got bit by those kids," Chris stated. "That was funny. He's hoppin' around, trying not to step on any of them, and they're like, trying to knock him over."
        Lance made a face. "Haha, Chris. You're so funny."
        Chris grinned. "I know."
        Joey raised his mic. "I liked watching the kids as we went by," he answered. "Their faces all lit up."
        "That's 'cause they recognized Lance and wanted to charge him," Chris interrupted.
        "Chris," Lance began warningly, his eyes dancing.
        Chris laughed.
        "I liked it when the Backstreet Boys came out and played," Justin spoke up. "They're really good, and their new song..."
        "Shape of my Heart," Lance supplied.
        "Thanks, yeah, 'Shape of my Heart' is really good. And no, I'm not just saying this to seem like 'the bigger man' or whatever. It's true. They're really good."
        "And they're really nice, too," JC agreed. "We always get along wherever we go."
        "The guys are cool," Justin added. "They even helped us out a bit at an award show. There was like, this wierd part of the stage where it like, tilted or sumthin', and they warned us about it otherwise we would have gotten screwed up."
        "I liked the Christmas tree," Lance spoke up thoughtfully. "I like Christmas trees, and the one out there is beautiful."
        "Trust Lance to like the inaminate objects," Chris sighed, shaking his head.
        Lance shrugged innocently.
        "It's a cool tree," JC agreed thoughtfully. "But I think that ours is better."
        Lance paused and looked up at him, then grinned and turned to Jenna, Mike, and the camera. "Yesterday JC and I were thinking about how we didn't have a tree to put all our gifts under, so we went out and bought this little tree that's about as tall as me--"
        "Short," Chris stuck in.
        "And we bought lights and Christmas decorations and strung them up, and all around the room we lit candles and hung that like, Christmas garland everywhere. It looked great, and it was really nice, because we couldn't have a real tree so we made do with what we could have."
        "They did a great job," Justin added. "We were really surprised." He gestured to himself, Joey, and Chris.
        "Which was the point," Lance reminded, grinning up at JC. "JC and I were pretty proud of ourselves, weren't we, Jace?"
        JC nodded matter-of-factly. "Very proud of ourselves."
        "And with every reason to be," Joey assured them, smiling. "It was the best Christmas tree ever. Even if it was fake."
        "Now what did you all give each other?" Jenna asked, smiling at them.
        "Well I got a new cool camera," Chris spoke up, pulling it out of his pocket and turning it on, snapping a picture of his friends on the couch. "Lance got it for me. It records sounds and movements, and pictures. And he bought me a top-of-the-line laptop. But check out this camera!" He held it out for the camera to see, which sent the other guys into loud laughter.
        "He gets a laptop, and yet the camera is what excites him," Justin commented in amused disbelief. "Only Chris."
        "I got a Rolex from Chris," Joey announced, holding out his arm to reveal the gold watch. Chris smiled proudly.
        "I got a new alarm clock from Justin," JC spoke up, shooting Justin a mock smile, then laugh. "And music sheets with my name embossed on the top, which is really nice because I've been meaning to get a book of music sheets and Justin not only saved me the trouble but got them engraved, too."
        "Aw, you're making me blush," Justin teased, and they all laughed. "Well I got a computer from Chris," Justin continued. "Complete with all the cute little toys to make it all cool and stuff. But really he got it for me so that I'll stop using his."
        "Joey gave me a box of my favorite cd's, all signed by the artists," Lance added, smiling at Joey. "Which is really cool."
        "Sounds nice, guys. Now let's talk about fashion. What is cool to wear at the Macy's Christmas Parade?" Mike asked.
        The guys all started laughing. "Sweaters!" Justin exclaimed, laughing. "Anything warm."
        "Turtlenecks," JC advised, tugging on the collar of his own green turtleneck under a gold and red sweater.
        "Sweaters," Joey repeated.
        "Sweatshirts," Chris added, tugging on his red and green sweatshirt.
        "Well you two match," Jenna said to Justin and Lance. "Was that intentional?"
        Lance and Justin exchanged a look and started laughing. "Not really," Lance confessed, while Justin shook his head. "It was by accident. We showed up wearing the same sweater in different colors."
        "And the necklaces?"
        Justin cleared his throat. "We actually bought them separately, too. We somehow ended up at the same store, and then it turned out that what we had bought there was really a gift from the other."
        "So that cross was a gift from you?" Jenna asked, gesturing to Lance's neck.
        "Yeah," Lance answered. "It's kinda funny, too, because I was looking at this cross in the store and I was going to get it but Justin stopped me. At the time I didn't know why, but then this morning I found out that he had gotten it for me already."
        "Well that's ironic," Jenna laughed.
        Lance grinned. "Kinda cool, too."
        "Now, we have one last question guys, and then we unfortunately have to let you go because you have a plane to catch. So, here is it: After Christmas, are you guys going to be ringing in the new year with someone special?"
        "Actually," JC spoke up, picking up his mic and holding it to his mouth. "We've got a big party at Jive that we're going to be preforming a few songs for. So we'll be ringing in the New Year together."
        "So with lots of other special people," Chris piped up, grinning. "Maybe Lance will finally get a girl to kiss him."
        Lance sighed ruefully. "What can I say? Girls hate me."
        Justin burst out laughing. He took a moment to recompose himself while the other guys looked at him, and then held up his mic to speak. "Sorry," he apologized, still snickering slightly. "Sorry. I'm fine." He turned on Lance. "What do you mean, 'girls hate you'?" He turned to the camera. "This guy gets more girls to hit on him than I could possibly count. We can't go anywhere without someone hitting on him." He gestured to the other guys and himself. "We actually have to work to get a girl to talk to us. Lance just stands there and girls gravitate to him." Justin made a face at Lance. "'Girls hate you...'"
        The other guys laughed while Lance shook his head, and JC picked up his mic. "Well, we'd like to wish everyone at home a great Christmas, and we hope that it's wonderful."
        "Merry Christmas!" the guys all chorused, and then the camera shut off.
        The guys all shook hands with the people around them, thanked them for having them, and then dashed out to their limo and to the airport. They were jovial and full of excited energy as they ran with their security to Chris' gate, because Chris was the first one to leave.
        "Bye!" Chris called at them, starting to go down the terminal.
        "Chris, wait!" Joey called back, running past the ticket woman to Chris. Justin and Lance exchanged nervous and excited looks as they watched the two standing there, talking quietly. Chris was smiling slightly and Joey was looking nervous, and then Chris reached up and hugged Joey tightly. They pulled back, Chris gave Joey a gentle kiss on the cheek, and they held hands until Chris was too far away to hold onto and they had to let go. Joey stood there for a long time, until Lance broke through Justin and JC and went to Joey's side, putting a hand on his back.
        "I'm gonna miss him," Joey told Lance sadly.
        "I know, man," Lance assured him quietly. "But he'll be back later. We'll all be back together on Wednesday. Just a few days."
        Joey turned those bright brown eyes on Lance, and Lance paused, caught off guard. "You say that when you're saying goodbye to Justin," he warned, his eyes starting to tear up. Lance's jaw fell and he started to sputter out a response, but Joey was already turning away. "We've got a plane to catch," he told Lance almost roughly, brushing past him and back up to the terminal.
        Lance stood there, staring after him for several more seconds before slowly treking his way back up, still completely dazed as to what he had heard. How the hell could Joey know how Lance felt about Justin? He didn't think that he had done much differently with Justin. Lance and JC were the ones that Lance figured everyone would pick up on.
        "What's wrong?" Justin asked as soon as Lance joined him. Joey and JC were already racing with half the body guards to JC's plane. Lance numbly shook his head and took off after the other two, Justin jogging right along side him.
        "Jace!" Lance called out as JC handed over his ticket to the woman, glancing nervously at the clock. JC turned around and smiled warmly, and Lance ran into his best friends' arms, hugging him with everything that he was worth, and leaving Justin behind with Joey.
        "Have a merry Christmas, Lance," JC whispered softly in Lance's ear as he hugged him tightly.
        "You too, JC. We'll be back together on Wednesday." Lance pulled away and smiled warmly up at JC. "Now don't do anything too crazy, like dream yourself into a coma or something."
        JC laughed. "I'll be careful," he promised, then his smile slowly died away. "Wednesday. Not really that far, I suppose."
        "Feels far," Lance finished, saying what JC was hinting at. JC nodded. "I know. Call me, okay?"
        JC grinned and nodded. "Okay. Love you, Lance."
        Lance smiled up at him. "I love you too, Jace," he reassured his best friend tenderly, blinking away tears. "Now go before you miss your plane."
        JC hesitated, then hugged Lance tightly again. His lips barely grazed Lance's cheek, but Lance felt it, and he sadly watched JC leave, walking down the ramp to his plane. When he was out of view, Lance turned to Joey and Justin, who were standing side by side sadly, watching Lance.
        "How long until your plane, Joe?" Lance asked. "I know that Chris and JC were our tight window."
        Joey glanced at a clock and shrugged. "About five minutes before I start to board."
        Lance laughed shakily and quickly wiped at his eyes and the tears in them, feeling Justin's arm encircle his shoulders. He smiled up at Justin, thinking of how much he was going to miss JC, and then allowed himself to be led to Joey's terminal.
        Joey hugged them both tightly, and seemed to whisper something to Justin, before he turned and gave them a cheerful grin. "Wednesday!" he called as he walked down to his plane. "Back together on Wednesday!"
        "Wednesday!" they called back, grinning at him and waving. And then, Joey was gone.
        Justin and Lance exchanged a look before dropping down into two seats and staring at their feet.
        "Now what?" Justin asked. "My plane doesn't take off for an hour."
        "Mine for two," Lance sighed drearily.
        "I know. Sorry about that. I tried to get the latest flight I could, but..." Justin pursed his lips, silencing himself. Lance stared at him in disbelief. Justin had tried to get a late flight to stay with Lance? Why?!
        "You what?" Lance asked, not sure if he had heard Justin right. He couldn't have heard Justin correctly. Could he have?
        Justin smiled weakly. "I could have left a few minutes before Chris or an hour before you. I opted for the hour before you."
        "Why?" Lance breathed, amazed. "You could have been home so much earlier."
        Justin shrugged slightly, his smile embarassed. "There's more to life," he reminded.
        Lance could not believe his ears. How sweet Justin was, not wanting Lance to have to be alone for two hours with just Ramond to keep him company. Lance opened his mouth to thank Justin for his consideration, when Ramond spoke up.
        "Oh shit..."
        Lance and Justin both looked at him in surprise, then followed his gaze to the window.
        Snow was starting to fall.

        "Here." Lance held out a steaming cup of coffee to Justin, who was on his cell phone. Justin smiled gratefully and took it as Lance sat down next to him in the corner they had staked out. Both of their planes had been delayed several times, it was 10 o'clock on Christmas Day, and the snow was a foot thick on the ground and didn't look to be letting up any time soon.
        "Mom, please--" Justin tried desperately, but Lynn wasn't listening.
        "You were supposed to be home last night, Justin! Last night! Am I going to see you at all on your break?"
        Justin sighed tiredly. "Mom, it's not my fault! I didn't ask the snow to start falling." Justin gave a small start when he felt hands on his shoulders, but then he relaxed and allowed Lance to rub away his soreness.
        Ramond and Danny had built something of a baracade, and they were making sure that nothing bad happened to the two superstars as they talked to their families on their cell phones. Justin felt bad for them.
        "Well is anyone there with you?" Lynn demanded. "Or are you all alone?"
        "Lance is here, Mom," Justin assured her calmly. "His flight was delayed, too."
        Lynn sighed. "Well at least you two are together," she grumbled. "But I don't like this at all, Justin!"
        "I know, Mom. I'm sorry I won't be home for Christmas." Justin felt Lance's hands still, and then Justin was suddenly leaning back against Lance, who was wrapping his arms around Justin. Justin closed his eyes and nearly sighed in utter contentment. He was warm, at least, and safe, and perfect. Even if he had to spend Christmas in the airport, at least he could spend it with Lance. Honestly, as long as Lance was there, he didn't care where he spent Christmas, because it would still be good.
        "I saw you at the Macy's parade," Lynn returned instead. "You and Lance were cute in your little matching outfits."
        Justin laughed slightly. "Well, we're still in our 'little matching outfits'. We caught a lot of flack for that, too! The producers nearly made us change, but we were like, why? As you saw, we won."
        Lance chuckled softly, the sound welcome and gentle in Justin's ear. Justin couldn't help but look up over his shoulder at Lance, whose eyes were on the window and the snow falling past it, but he was definitely listening to Justin. Justin smiled happily and went back to closing his eyes, snuggling against the warm body he was with.
        "You looked great, honey. You all did," Lynn reassured him. "I thought you two matching was cute."
        "Me too," Justin agreed off handedly, growing tired as he rested against Lance. His eyes weren't opening, and he didn't even feel like speaking anymore.
        "You sound tired," Lynn commented.
        "I am," Justin mumbled, pillowing deeper in Lance.
        "I'll let you go, then. Call me if something changes."
        "Okay. Merry Christmas, Mom."
        "Merry Christmas, baby." Then Lynn hung up and Justin ended his phone call, not moving out of Lance's embrace, which was still firm.
        "I'm tired," Justin mumbled, already feeling himself doze off.
        Lance laughed softly. "Then sleep. I won't let you go."
        Somehow, those words held more promise than Justin dared hope for.


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