Chapter 4: Hanging Out/The Next
Day
Patrick and Mike smiled as they made their way up to the
guys rooms. They all went into JC and Justin's room and crashed
out on the beds and the sofas.
Patrick grinned as he sat on the bed with Mike, JC and Justin.
Mike had one arm around JC and one around Patrick, and was
resting his head on Patrick's shoulder. Patrick yawned and
went to grab the phone to call a cab. As he dialed, Joey took
the receiver from his hands and hung it up.
"We wanted to give Wesley and Diana some time alone
in their new house, so we moved your stuff here and got you
a room down the hall.", he explained, chuckling at the
look of shock on Patrick's face.
"OK. I am gonna go get out of this monkey suit and get
comfortable. Then anyone wanna watch a movie?", Patrick
said.
"Yeah! What's on pay-per-view?", Chris yelled.
Patrick got up off the bed, and waited for Mike to get up
as well. Then both of them, with Lance acting like a bellhop,
got shown to their room.
Patrick put a hand on Lance's shoulder as he opened the door
to their room, "Thanks Lance."
Lance smiled and pulled Patrick into a little hug, "No
problem. Family, remember?"
Patrick nodded, giving Lance a squeeze then walked into their
room and began to undress. Patrick ran into the bathroom and
took a shower, languishing under the hot water for a few minutes,
letting it revive his tired body. He then dried off and quickly
dressed in some shorts and an oversize shirt. He looked over
at Mike who was staring at him, already dressed, and grinned.
"What?", Patrick questioned, smiling.
"Just thinking that I really love you and thinking that
it's such a shame that you'll never be able to host the Dating
Game.", Mike said sarcastically.
"Oh!", Patrick said, flushing red with embarrassment,
"Was I that obvious?"
"No...", Mike smiled, "But I could kinda tell...and
JC kinda talked to me about it all."
"Oh...", Patrick said again, this time sadder,
"And.....?"
"And....I like him. He's a good guy.", Mike replied,
"But....I love you. And you're stuck with me."
"Mike", Patrick began, "I just wanna see that
someone is there for you when I am gone. Just keep JC in mind....OK?
I think the two of you would really do OK together, in kinda
the way we do."
Mike smiled and shook his head. He got up off the bed and
hugged Patrick.
"Not the way we do", he said, "JC and I may
click in other areas, but it'll be different from what you
and I have."
Patrick smiled sadly, "Thanks for giving him a chance....I
just have to know that you'll be happy when I go...."
"I'll be devastated when you go.", Mike said sadly,
"But JC said that he and the guys are gonna be with me
and make sure I am OK. They really are the greatest bunch
of guys I've ever met. Maybe on down the way a bit, if I can
ever get over you, I'll let myself fall in love with him."
Patrick nodded and then he and Mike headed back to the guys
room.
The movie idea was nixed as there was nothing really spectacular
on and Chris and Joey had begun to nod off as soon as Patrick
and Mike got back to the room. Chris grabbed Joey and announced
that they were both dog tired and that they were gonna get
some rest for the concert tomorrow. The rest of the guys turned
on the television and began to watch old TV shows on TV Land.
Patrick began to fall asleep, but noticed JC and Mike deep
in conversation, so he got up and kissed Mike and hugged JC,
Justin and Lance, then told Mike to go ahead and stay and
chat with the guys. As Patrick reached his room and he lay
down on his bed, he felt a comforting feeling of accomplishment
overcome him, causing him to smile and sigh. He had made the
wedding, saw his sister happily married, and started to find
someone special to help his lover through the tough times
ahead, after he was gone. Patrick felt a catch in his throat
as he thought through his own death. Even though he had come
to grips with the fact that he was dying, he felt nonetheless
upset by the thought of it, and what lay beyond. Shrugging
off these feelings, he lay back and fell into a restful sleep.
The next morning, Patrick roused earlier than usual, and
long before the alarm clock was set to go off. He felt his
lover's body beside him and turned over, putting his arm around
him and spooning up behind him, rubbing his arm as he bent
down and kissed his neck.
"Uhhh? Mmmm...Morning", said a very unfamiliar
voice, causing Patrick's to snap open as he quickly pulled
back away from the person next to him.
"Patrick's eyes studied the body next to him as he pulled
the persons arm in an attempt to turn him over. The hair was
the immediate dead giveaway. The person sleeping next to him
was Justin Timberlake. The next question in Patrick's mind
was, where was Mike?
"Good morning Justin", Patrick said smiling, "Did
you sleep OK?"
"MmmmHmmm", Justin smiled sleepily.
"Oh good...", Patrick said sweetly, "You wouldn't
perhaps know where Mike is, hmmmm?"
"Mike fell asleep last night talking to JC, so JC put
him on my bed and I said I'd sleep over here.", Justin
smiled, "I didn't know that there was only one bed in
here at that time. But the spooning and the neck kissing was
real nice."
Patrick chuckled, "It's a good thing you spoke up when
you did, otherwise, you might have gotten an altogether different
wake-up than what you are used to."
Justin's eyes popped wide and he blushed a deep crimson as
Patrick gave a smug look to Justin's crotch.
"Well....that would have interesting, then sorta embarrassing,
then just really awkward, ya know?", Justin said quietly.
"I dunno about awkward. Mike says I am awesome doing
that. Tho it would have been more embarrassing for me if I
didn't realize the guy I was giving a hummer to wasn't my
lover.", Patrick laughed.
Patrick watch Justin squirm and blush some more, before letting
him off the hook.
"Don't worry about it, there Thrusty Justy", Patrick
grinned, "I promise not to tell a soul that I slept with
THE Justin Timberlake. As long as you promise not to tell
anyone that you slept with me and I let you off without laying
a hand on you....it'd ruin my reputation....they might take
away my homo card." Justin and Patrick laughed a while
then Patrick got up and went into the bathroom to shower and
shave. Justin had fallen back asleep when Patrick came out
of the bathroom to grab some clothes. After he dressed, he
quietly walked over to JC and Justin's room and knocked on
the door. A second later, a yawning JC opened the door.
"'Mornin'", JC said sleepily.
"Morning JC. I'm sorry to wake you up so early. I was
just concerned when I woke up spooned up next to Justin. Well...concerned
is a strong term for a situation like that...curious is a
better term", Patrick grinned.
JC laughed, "No...did you really? He slept on the bed
with you. That's funny!"
"No. Funny was me spooning up next to him and giving
him some lovin' til he said "morning" and scared
the begeezus outta me!", Patrick laughed.
JC was on the floor laughing loudly at this point and Patrick
looked over to see Mike sitting up in the bed, grinning and
chuckling.
"You started givin' Justin some nooky, huh?", Mike
grinned as he got out of bed and hugged Patrick.
Laugh tears had begun to fall from JC's face as he held his
stomach from laughing so much. Lance walked into the room
through the open door, knocking as he entered.
"Good mornin' y'all.", he drawled, "What's
so funny? I heard JC laughing clear down in my room."
Patrick leaned over and quietly re-told the story of the
mornings goings-on to Lance, who, by the finish had begun
to laugh as much and as loudly as JC.
"You guys have to stop. I don't want him to be embarrassed
to be around me.", Patrick said.
"OK Patrick", JC and Lance said in unison as their
laughter quieted into light chuckles.
Patrick sat down on the sofa as Mike went back to their room
to change. A minute later Justin staggered through the door.
"Good morning Justin", JC and Lance said as Justin
flopped down on the bed, "Are you tired?"
"MmmmHmmm", Justin responded sleepily.
"Really?", Patrick said innocently, "You seemed
to be up and ready to go earlier."
Justin sat up in the bed and shot a scared look at Patrick
who immediately realized the double entendre in his words.
"Uh Oh", JC laughed, "Did Justin flash you
the ole morning wood this morning? I get to see that every
morning that we're on tour together."
Justin gasped and blushed at JC's words, "I didn't think
I was that obvious."
"C'mon Justin, we all have them! One morning it looked
like you were gonna poke through the bed sheet.", JC
laughed.
"Well you guys", Patrick said quietly, changing
the conversation topic to ease Justin's obvious embarrassment,
"Lance and I are already showered and dressed. Why don't
you two get dressed and we'll have some breakfast before you
have to get ready for rehearsals for the show." Justin
and JC nodded then raced to the bathroom, Justin just edging
past JC and closing the door.
"So", Patrick said to JC lightly, "What'd
you guys talk about last night?"
"Everything, really", JC stated, "we talked
about you and your family and moved onto Mike and his family
and then to my family. It was a nice time just talking. I
haven't done that in years."
"Good. I am glad of it.", Patrick said, "I
wouldn't have wanted to almost have seduced the wrong guy
for no good reason."
JC and Lance began to chuckle again at Justin's misfortune.
"I almost peed myself when you told him he looked up
and ready earlier.", Lance said, "I thought I was
gonna die if I didn't laugh."
"That was innocent. I really didn't mean it to sound
like that.", Patrick smiled, "Though you are right.
He about dropped his teeth on the floor when I said it."
JC, Lance, and Patrick snickered a while longer then the
door to the bathroom opened and Justin stepped out. JC went
into the bathroom and began to shower as well.
Lance turned to Patrick and grinned, "Let's go get Joey
and Chris up."
Lance and Patrick walked down the hall slowly and Lance turned
to Patrick and smiled.
"Ready to jam at the concert today?", Lance asked.
"Yeah. Though I wanted to thank you for singing yesterday.
It really meant a lot to me.", Patrick said, putting
his arm around Lance and giving him a squeeze.
"Patrick", Lance said quietly, "You are the
bravest person I have ever seen. I just don't know how you
do it. I'd be a basket case."
"I was a basket case there for a while.", Patrick
said after a second, "I was gonna sit in my house and
waste away and just die. I had taken care of everything that
needed to be taken care of and I just had nothing to look
forward to. Then I got this call from my most favorite band,
and they talked to me and expressed as much of an interest
in wanting to get to know me as I had in wanting to get to
know them. That gave me the kick in the ass I needed to get
up and try to maintain what little level of health I had left.
My doctor says it's nothing short of miraculous."
"Awwwww...", Lance said softly, "But now that
you know us....you can't just up and die. We care about you
now and wanna hang with you."
"Lance", Patrick said, "I am not gonna up
and die....but I know I am not gonna make it to the end of
this year. I won the battle here, I got to see the wedding
and meet all of you. I got everything I wanted to get done,
completed, mostly. I am just about out of time." "But...I'll
always be here for you guys", Patrick said as he poked
Lance in the chest over his heart. "I owe you a great
debt....for coming into my life, being with me at my sister's
wedding, and for taking Mike in as a friend and promising
to help him out after I am gone....and I am not one to leave
a debt owed...."
Lance nodded and knocked on Chris and Joey's door. A second
later, Chris opened the door all dressed and ready to go.
Joey appeared from the bathroom a moment later, also ready
to get to breakfast. The guys walked back to JC and Justin's
room where Mike and Justin sat on the bed. JC finished up
in the bathroom and then they were off.
Breakfast was an immense gathering of the concert managers,
the band, and some fans and was held in the banquet room of
the hotel. The guys, Mike and Patrick were sat at a separate
table and served an immense amount of food. Patrick and Mike
ate lightly, watching Justin and Joey shovel the food in with
both hands. Patrick decided to slow down the rapid eating
by playing with Justin.
"God Justin", Patrick smiled, "looks like
you sure worked up an appetite this morning."
Hearing this, Justin spit the mouthful of food he had been
chewing out onto his plate, while JC and Lance just snorked
and choked on their mouthfuls of food, covering quickly by
drinking their drinks. JC and Lance grinned at Patrick, while
Justin kicked him in the shins under the table. Patrick smiled
at Justin and gave his leg a squeeze, and was rewarded with
a ear to ear grin from Justin.
As they finished up their meal, the guys began to talk with
the fans, who were allowed to walk over to the table, and
sign autographs. The tour manager approached Mike and Patrick
and grinned.
"Hi. You must be Patrick and Mike. Lance and the guys
have talked so much about you all.", he said. "I
wanted to drop by and make sure you got your tickets and backstage
passes. Normally we don't do the passes, but the guys insisted
that they be able to sit and talk with you before and after
the show."
Patrick smiled and showed their passes and tickets to the
manager, then shook his hand. The manager smiled and walked
back to his table.
Patrick gave Mike his ticket and pass, then the two waited
for the guys to finish up their autographs.
After the autographs were finished, the guys talked with
Patrick and Mike quickly, inviting the two to come to the
sound check and rehearsal, which was their next stop. Mike
agreed while Patrick said he thought he might stay and take
a bit of a nap before the show later that afternoon.
Patrick went back up to his room and wearily got into the
bed, falling into a dream filled sleep.
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