category: Boyband pseudonym: Squall Thrawn It's the second season of Never Guess Who Ran Into Me Today
Disclaimer: 1) a renunciation of any claim to or connection with; 2) disavowal; 3) a statement made to save one's own ass. Basically, I don't know anybody from N Sync, and thus this story is fiction and is not intended to imply anything about the true sexuality of the celebrities mentioned or any personal knowledge about their private lives. This story should not be read by anybody who is not legally allowed to read it.. So if you're underage, leave right now!!
Author's Notes: After months of waiting, the second season of Never Guess has now begun!! To all those wondering whether the story would ever start up again, here's your answer!! It's taken me a while to get around to this, but my life has been full of twists and turns the past couple of months; some good, mostly bad, but to quote from a Gloria Gaynor song, I Will Survive!! Also, I wrote what was intended to be a one-shot story in the high school section but received such an enthusiastic response, so I'm writing that series as well. So it takes me a bit longer now with two series going. But I have this whole season planned out, so it shouldn't take as long to write as the first season.. Also, you'll notice that while the first season was as close to real life as I could make it, this second season is definitely not all the close to real life. No Lance in space, and Justin hasn't gone solo yet. But I don't think you'll miss that stuff, really. Justin's solo career might be touched on in the future, but it doesn't play a part in the upcoming season. If you have any feedback or comments, e-mail me at THRAWN5678@aol.com
I've created a website for my two main stories. This way, you can read the most recent versions of Last Chance for Jason and Never Guess!! Also, you can expect the website to have the new chapters as they are written a few days before Nifty, so visit if you want a jump on the story!! Vote on the Poll!! Sign the Guestbook!! Join the official mailing list, complete with snazzy newletter!!
http://www.squallthrawn.com
Note: This chapter is starting "in medias res," which means in the middle of things, or something much like that, since Latin is sometimes hard to translate exactly. So if you feel you've missed something in between this chapter and last chapter, don't worry. Keep reading and all will become clear.
The Road Not Taken by Squall Thrawn
Chapter 1
"Hey, Ryan!" said Justin as he burst into the hotel room shared by Lance and Ryan. Ryan looked up from his bed, where he was playing a game of solitaire, something to while away the time until Lance got out of the shower.
"What's up, Justin?" asked Ryan curiously, rolling onto his side. "I've not seen you this excited in a while now. You've been in a funk the past couple of weeks. Deep in thought, hardly talking to the guys, and talking to me just a tad more than that." Just then it dawned on Ryan. "You're gonna come out to them today, aren't ya?"
"Damn, Ryan, how'd you guess?" said Justin, shocked.
"Sorry, Justin, I cannot reveal all of my secrets," said Ryan with a impish grin on his face.
"You!" said Justin, grinning as well, as he ran over to the bed where Ryan was laying, picked up a pillow, and started hitting Ryan with it.
"Hey!!" said Ryan, as his struggling to get out of the way messed up his solitaire game. "I was just about to win!" But he was laughing as he said that, and picked up the other pillow. The two were going at it as Lance stepped out of the bathroom clad only in a towel.
"I thought I heard voices in here," said Lance, his eyebrow raised at the spectacle before him. "It's a good thing, too, 'cause otherwise I wouldn't have kept this towel on."
"Well, I don't have any problems with that," said Ryan, leering at Lance's towel-clad form. Getting up from the bed, Ryan walked towards Lance and kissed briefly on the lips. Firmly restraining an impulse to yank off Lance's towel, he settled for putting his arm around Lance's side and looking towards Justin.
"Hey, Scoop," said Justin. "Once you get dressed, could you meet the rest of us in Joey's room? We're having a group meeting in there."
"No problem, Justin," said Lance, his eyebrow raised once again. No doubt wondering about the change in Justin. But he asked no questions.
"Well, I've gotta pop on over to Josh's room and get him too," said Justin. With that, he practically bounded out of the room.
"Feel like telling me what that was all about now?" asked Lance inquiringly. "He's been so distant and quiet the past few weeks, except with you. And while much friendlier with me today, he was in the middle of a pillow fight with you. Do you think he's figured out whatever it was that he's thinking?"
"All shall be revealed at this meeting," stated Ryan mysteriously. Lance playfully smacked the back of his head. "See? All I get is abuse!!" But his protest was cut off sharply by Lance turning towards him and kissing him. As Ryan's tongue explored Lance's mouth, his hands were busy too; Ryan was running them over Lance's abs. Lance started pulling up Ryan's shirt as well, as Ryan's hands started going up and down Lance's back. Reaching Lance's butt, he massaged each asscheek once before ending the kiss. Rubbing Lance's crotch, he said "Down boy." With that, he backed away completely.
Lance's eyes were still closed, but they opened quickly as Lance opened his mouth. "Ah, come on!! Are you going to leave me hanging like that?"
"Well, from what I saw, you sure weren't hanging. You were definitely happy to see me," said Ryan, grinning. "But we don't want to be late to this meeting. Justin'll skin me alive, and I don't know if you'd still be willing to be with me without my skin. But I'll make it up to you tonight, I promise," Ryan said with a grin. With that, Ryan turned and walked over to the closet, where he picked out clothes for Lance to wear. Meanwhile, Lance had pulled on a pair of boxers. Turning back to Lance, Ryan handed him the clothes and he dressed quickly. The couple were soon ready to go to Joey's room for the group meeting in which Justin would finally be able to tell the rest of the guys that which had been really troubling him for a while.
"I want to thank all of you for coming to this group meeting," said Justin. "I know you're all busy, so I'll try to keep it fairly short."
He looked around at the guys. Joey and Chris were sitting on a couch directly in front of him, looking a tad confused; at least Joey was. Chris was still slightly confused, but seemed to be tad more aware of the situation than Joey. JC was sitting in an armchair to the left of them, his brow creased in thought. JC had not been happy when Justin had refused to give him an idea as to Justin's moping around and faraway looks. He had finally accepted the fact that Justin simply wasn't ready to tell him, but it still chafed. Then there was Ryan and Lance, the happy couple. Lance looked just as confused as Joey, but Ryan merely gave Justin a supportive smile. Ryan. The reason why Justin had finally accepted the fact that he was gay, and the reason why he was coming out today. Once, Justin had given up on ever being with Ryan; right after he and Lance told the others about their relationship. But after spending a sleepless night thinking about it, Justin's determination had been renewed. He and Ryan would be together. Justin had no illusions that everything would be right as rain when that day came; Lance would probably hate him and Ryan, but an old saying came to mind. 'Take what you want, and pay for it.' Justin wanted Ryan, and was willing to pay anything, to do anything, to give anything and everything up to make it happen. He cleared his throat, thinking to himself 'It's time to roll the dice.'
"I know that all of you have been worrying about me for the past two weeks," said Justin, his eyes surveying the people in front of him. "I'm sorry for worrying you, but I had a lot on my mind. But I've finally gotten to the point where I feel comfortable sharing with the four of you." Justin shared a brief smile with Ryan, then continued. "Ryan already knew about it, which is why I wasn't as distant." Justin could see that JC and Chris were beginning to figure it out, but hurried on before they could say anything. "But the fact is, guys, there are three straight guys in this room and I'm not one of them." The silence was deafening. Justin looked around the room, starting to panic a bit. Ryan still had a big smile on his face, nodding towards Justin, but the rest of them were flabbergasted.
"Are you sure, Justin?" JC finally managed to say. "I mean, what about Britney?"
"What do you mean, am I sure?" said Justin angrily. "Do you think I would've come out to you if I wasn't? Britney is nothing but a friend, a cover. That's how it is, and that's how it always was." He noticed Chris looking towards Ryan. Instinctively knowing what Chris was thinking, Justin sought to head him off at the pass. "In case you're wondering, Ryan didn't 'make me gay,' as some people believe happen. Ryan was simply a friend who helped me through all of this. He listened to me, told me about how he knew. And everything he was describing was how I felt." Justin could see that Chris now understood him as did Joey as well. Lance was nodding at Justin's words; of course he would, as he had been in the same position three weeks ago when he first met Ryan. JC was still frowning slightly. He stood up in front of Justin.
"Justin," began JC softly yet firmly. "I'll have to admit to being surprised about this, and that hurts me a bit. I mean, you're my best friend in the world, and yet I managed to miss all of your pain and doubt. That's why I asked if you were sure. I still will wonder a bit, but if you say that's how it is, that's how it is." JC gave Justin a big hug. "But just know that no matter what, you have my support."
Joey got up, as did Chris as well. JC stepped aside to give them room.
"I'm with Josh on this one," said Joey. "No matter what, you're still like a brother to me, J." He gave Justin a boneshattering hug, then moved as Chris stepped in front of him.
"I didn't mean to imply that Ryan was influencing you or 'making you gay.' If I came off as thinking that, I'm sorry, Just. I just worry about ya sometimes, just like I worry about Lance and now Ryan. If you're sure about this, then I have no problems with it," finished Chris as he gave Justin a hug as well.
Justin turned to Ryan and Lance who simply got up and gave Justin a strong three-way hug.
"Listen, Justin, if you ever need to talk to anybody, but you feel uncomfortable about talking to JC or just want to talk to somebody who understands where you're coming from," said Lance, speaking for the both of them, "feel free to come to one or both of us. You probably already know that, I just felt the need to emphasis that now."
"Thanks, you two," said Justin emotionally. "Do you mind if I go rest in my room for a while? This has taken a lot out of me." Ryan and Lance nodded, and Justin quickly made his way out of the room.
"That was a bit tense there for a while," said Lance as he leaned his head against Ryan's chest as they sat on a couch in Lance's room a bit later. "I mean, I never suspected that Justin was gay, but the others weren't as supportive at first as I thought they would be. Don't they realize how much Justin was going through?"
"Actually, I suspected something like that was going to happen," said Ryan regretfully. He looked at his watch. "Get ready for company any minute now."
Before a bewildered Lance could ask him what he meant, somebody knocked at the door.
"Come in, Justin," called Ryan. A second later, the door opened and a shocked Justin walked into the room.
"Damn, Ryan, do you have super powers or something?" asked Justin as he sat next to Lance, who was now sitting upright.
"I was expecting you to come any minute," said Ryan, smiling briefly. "I didn't think you'd be able to sleep in your room considering the recent events."
"You're right. I was just lying there in bed, wondering why they weren't as supportive of me as they were of you, Scoop," said Justin in a hurt voice. Lance instinctively knew what Justin needed, so he moved so that Justin was sitting in between Lance and Ryan, so that Ryan could put his arm around Justin.
"Justin, don't think that they're not as supportive of you as they are of James," said Ryan, glancing at Lance as he said that. "They're just looking out for you, and want to make sure you're not doing something you might regret."
"What do you mean, Ryan?" asked Justin. "Why would they ask me all these questions and just accept Lance's word when he came out." For his part, Lance looked just as curious.
"Well, I was talking to Chris not too long ago, and he answered that question a bit. It seems that they've pretty much known about James's sexuality for a while, even longer than you did, Jaim," said Ryan smiling. "Also, they were more inclined to believe James after they could see the feelings we had for each other."
"But what does that have to do with me?" asked Justin, a tad confused.
"You, on the other hand, don't seem like a classic closet case. You've had what seemed like a girlfriend, in Britney. Josh didn't even know that you're gay, and you two are really close. Also, there's the fact that I might have influenced you." Justin looked like he was about to protest. "Let me explain. You came to me with confused feelings, and I helped you figure out what they meant. But my interpretation is slanted, since I'm gay myself. Perhaps they could have been interpreted a different way, which might not mean you're gay. Do you see what I mean?" Justin reluctantly nodded.
"But don't worry," Ryan continued. "They'll come around eventually and show their support even more. Trust me, Just."
"You know I trust you, Ryan," said Justin. "You're like the big brother I never had, even though you're shorter and younger than me!"
Ryan laughed, then kissed Justin on the forehead.
"Thanks, Ryan, for everything," said Justin, a big smile on his face. "I think I'll go take a shower now. I'll leave you two alone." With that, he bounded off, thinking to himself 'Is there any way to avoid washing my forehead?' Any doubts Justin might have had of continuing his plan were gone now.
Meanwhile, Ryan and Lance were back to cuddling. This time, Ryan had his head leaning back on Lance's chest, and Lance was gently running his hair through Ryan's spiky black hair.
"How did you become so wise, Ryan?" asked Lance, smiling. "No matter what, you seem to have the answers."
"Well, I did take a few psychology classes in college," said Ryan. He frowned slightly, though. "But I don't know any of the answers to my own questions. Why did my mom react like that? But I shouldn't dwell on that. Eventually, I'll make my way back to St. Louis, when I'm ready."
"And when you do, I'll be there to support you," said Lance firmly. "And you know that the others will be there for you too if you need them. Especially Justin. I have a feeling that he'd walk through fire for you."
"Yeah," said Ryan, smiling. "Hey, Jaim, would you mind if I took a shower now? I was going to take one after you got done, but Justin came around in the meantime."
"No problem, Ry," said Lance. "I'll be waiting for you."
"Thanks, Jaim," said Ryan, grinning. "I'm glad you won't be running to Joey for affection while I'm in the shower."
"You know something, Ryan? Your sense of humor, however odd, is one of the things that I love best about you," said Lance. "You always have a joke for everything, no matter how serious or formal the occasion. You're a constant reminder that no matter how serious the world may seem at times, we always need a smile on our faces to prevent the world from dragging us down." Lance turned Ryan's head slightly, so that he could bend his head down and give him a quick kiss. "Granted, there's also your awesome personality and beautiful body. And your friendship.. now that's something so powerful I hesitate to put words on it."
Ryan was blushing crimson at Lance's words; he wasn't one to take praise easily. "Let me go take my shower now," said Ryan, grinning, "and when I'm done, we can discuss just how much you mean to me... at great length."
Lance laughed as he raised his eyebrows at Ryan. Ryan gave him a peck on the lips, then headed into the bathroom. He quickly disrobed and hopped into the shower. As Ryan washed himself off, he thought about how the dynamics between Lance and himself had changed. When he had first hooked up with Lance, Ryan was hesitant to get too intimate with him. He suspected that all of the rejection he had suffered that infamous Wednesday night had made him hesitant to trust anybody, even Lance. Things had changed since then. As he continued showering, he recalled that night a week ago....
Tour life was tiring. Ryan had no idea how the guys could do this for a couple months. He had only been on tour a little more than a week, and he was already tired. He suspected they were used to it, but he could tell that they were exhausted as well. That day, the guys had spent their time doing radio interviews, appearances at music stores, interviews for magazines, photo ops.. The list seem to go on. Ryan wasn't even entirely sure where they were anymore. One night there, two nights elsewhere, and plenty of nights on the bus. It was about seven pm when Lance tromped into their shared room. He looked bone-weary, and Ryan could tell that there was something troubling him.
"Hey, Ryan," said Lance in a worried voice. "Could I ask you something?"
"Well, you just did, but there's a special tonight, two for one," said Ryan in a bantering tone. "Ask away."
"Do you know what's troubling Justin? He's been in his own little world since we left St. Louis. You two seem to have connected, and I was wondering if you had any idea what the problem," said Lance.
Actually, Ryan knew exactly what was troubling Justin. The day after he had met Lance, Ryan had met Justin and the rest of the guys. And for whatever reason, he and Justin had connected, and were already as close as brothers. One of the main things that held them together was the fact that Ryan was the only one who knew that Justin was gay. Ryan had offer a helping hand and a shoulder to lean and cry on, and Justin had accepted gratefully.
"I know that Justin needs to sort this thing out for himself," said Ryan, trying to avoid telling Lance that he knew all about this, while also trying to avoid lying to him as well. "I do know that when Justin's ready to tell you guys what's on his mind, he will."
"Ryan, please, tell me, what is troubling him?" asked Lance. "I'm really worried about him."
"James, if I knew what's on Justin's mind, though I'm not saying whether I do or not, it wouldn't be my secret to tell. It'd have to come from Justin myself," said Ryan.
"Fine." Lance laid down on their bed, and closed his eyes, obviously miffed at Ryan.
Ryan sat down on the bed next to Lance. He put one of his hands on Lance's arm. "Listen, James, I know you're worried about Justin. J hasn't been himself for a while now. But this is something he needs to sort out for himself. I know you guys have been there for each other no matter what. Right now, the best thing you could do, for both Justin and you and the guys, is to stand back and support him from a distance. Just let him know that you'll always be there for him, and you respect his need for distance right now."
Lance opened his eyes and looked at Ryan. Without realizing it, Ryan had sounded much like JC, when JC had given Lance advice about his relationship with Ryan. And the thing of it was, JC had been right, and Ryan was right now.
"I'm sorry I was so harsh with you," said Lance, putting his free hand on top of Ryan's hand on his other arm. "I just worry about Justin sometimes. I'm glad that Justin has you to talk to, if he's having problems talking to Josh."
With that, Ryan leaned over and kissed Lance on the lips. Lance quickly responded to the kiss and as their tongues dueled, Ryan moved so that he was laying on top of Lance. His hands started running up and down Lance's chest, until he finally stopped at the bottom of Lance's shirt, and pulled it up enough so that he could get his arms under the shirt. No matter how many times he was with Lance, Lance's soft alabaster skin still aroused Ryan. Gently pulling up, Ryan broke their kiss long enough so that he could pull Lance's shirt off. Resuming their kiss, Ryan's hands gently pinched Lance's nipples, as they immediately became hard and erect. Needless to say, something else of Lance's had already become erect.
Suddenly surprising Ryan, Lance turned them both over so that he was laying on top of Ryan. Lance quickly pulled Ryan's shirt off, as the two of them began kissing again, each marvelling at the feel of the other's bare skin against their own. Caught in the moment, Lance started to reach for Ryan's belt. Previously, Ryan had quickly caught his hand and told Lance that he wasn't ready. But this time, Ryan's hand remained around Lance's body, and as Lance looked into Ryan's eyes, Ryan nodded his head up and down. Lance quickly got Ryan's belt off and pulled off Ryan's jeans. He could see a definite bulge in Ryan's boxers, with a wet spot on the front of them.
Ryan managed to get Lance's belt off as well, and as Lance shifted slightly, Ryan got Lance's khakis off. Lance moved back and they kissed for a while, their tongues dueling lazily. Then Lance broke the kiss, and the silence.
"Can I.. can I see it?" asked Lance.
"Yes, please," said Ryan softly, his passion at war with his insecurities. But Ryan knew in his heart that he could trust himself with Lance, that Lance wouldn't reject him.
Lance gently removed Ryan's boxers, and looked at the beautiful olive-skinned boy laying naked before him. Ryan's pubic hairs were the only sign of hair on his body besides the hair leading down from his navel, and were neatly trimmed. His cock, fully erect, looked to be just over 6 inches, cut, and just a tad on the thin side. "Oh my god, you're so beautiful," said Lance, his eyes drinking in the sight.
"Could I see yours?" asked Ryan a bit shyly, blushing because of the comment. Lance quickly stripped off his boxers, and Ryan was able to see the sight of Lance Bass that thousands of screaming girls would have killed to get a glimpse of. Ryan looked in awe at the 7 1/2 inch circumsized cock pointing towards him.
After a good look, Ryan pulled Lance back down towards him, and they kissed passionately, their hard cocks grinding against each other. As he felt Lance's silky member rub against his own, Ryan knew that he wouldn't last long. It had been too long since Ryan had jerked off, and there was nothing holding him back. Moaning into Lance's kiss, his cum covered Lance's abs and chest. At the thought of the hot olive-skinned boy ejaculating all over his lower body and the feel of the hot cum, Lance couldn't hold back any longer. "I'm cumming," yelled Lance as he came, coating them both. Exhausted, Lance put his head against Ryan's shoulder as he panted.
"I love you," gasped Ryan, also winded, as he ran his hands up and down Lance's back slowly.
"I love you too," replied Lance, kissing Ryan's neck. They lay there for a while, caught up in the euphoria. Eventually, Lance rolled over and lay next to Ryan. "Do you want to take a shower before all of this cum dries?"
"Sounds like fun!" said Ryan, as he slowly sat up. Lance did as well, and they made their way to the shower, holding hands.
Ryan smiled as he remembered that night in the shower. How they had explored each other's bodies as they washed each other off. It had been an erotic scene, but Lance had remained the gentleman, and had not gone any further than they already had.
Since then, they had taken baby steps. They jerked each other off. Ryan recalled vividly yesterday morning, when he had awakened to Lance with his hand on Ryan's cock, slowly pumping it. That morning had been fun.
Finally finished with his shower, Ryan dried off and exited the bathroom, only in a towel. Lance was already waiting for him in bed, all his clothes neatly folded and laying in a chair. Ryan walked over to the bed, as Lance raised the sheets so that Ryan could get in; and so that Ryan could see that Lance wasn't wearing any clothes either. With a grin, Ryan whipped off his towel and got into bed.
"I seem to remember you leading me on this evening, and then abruptly stopping," said Lance with a sly grin on his face. "But then you said you'd make it up to me. Care to show me how?"
"I'd be glad to, Jaim," said Ryan as he rolled over to face Lance.
Well, there's the first chapter of the second season!! I hope you enjoyed it, and stay tuned for the next installment, coming soon! Also, remember to visit www.squallthrawn.com for special features and my other stories!!
Squall Thrawn THRAWN5678@aol.com