wild boys, never lose it
187 pages in single spaced, 7pt arial narrow. Goodness!!!! I did nothing but read popslash yesterday, and that wasn’t even starting on the BSB stories. WOOOOOOOO SeSa rocks!
The quality this year was really high, some absolutely gorgeous stories and lots that made me giggle out loud. But there wasn’t very much sex. Or not much explicit sex. Or I'm feeling kinda repressed or something unlikely. Hmm. Obviously it’s more of a year for romance. Common themes? Lots of dealing with Lance coming out, lots of the guys disfunctioning working as a team, way more TrickyNick than I would have expected and lots of lovely lovely TrickyFish. In fact - there's a real preponderance of Chris this year - which is a danceable thing.
Ok, the recs. In case you don’t know by now I like 'em long and plotty with humour and Chris banter.
Firstly, the fics that I want to marry in long frilly white frocks that look suspiciously like meringues and may even promise to obey because we’re doing that terrible old fashioned kind of wedding and know we’re going to love each other til we can’t see each other because of the cataracts.
Buoyancy by Merry - Lance is in training for space, none of the boys are coping. I have no words for this because it made me flail that much.
There was a long quiet on the line. Then, very very softly, Justin said, "It's just that you'll be out there all by yourself."
He wouldn't be, there'd be two cosmonauts, and then lots of people on the space station itself. But he knew that wasn't what Justin meant. "Is everybody else freaking out like this?"
"No. Pretty much just me and JC. Well, and we got a copy of Armageddon last week and Joey kind of started crying at the end and I think that's when JC stopped sleeping. And Chris put his fist through a mirror. But it was just that once, and he was pretty drunk, and he didn't even need any stitches. Really, we're all good."
Something to Talk About by Mary the Fan - Just gorgeous. A clueless over-protective Chris who had no idea that Lance was gay. Now he knows he's worried. About Lance. Probably. And himself. Sorta.
"He didn't tell anybody," Chris says, pushing his free hand up under his bandanna and through his hair, dropping his head back against the mattress. It's suddenly an effort to keep his voice steady. "Because we weren't talking about it. Jesus."
Chris remembers this feeling of helplessness, although he's only ever related it to hollowness in his own stomach and 11-year-old hands roughened by farm work and edged with paper cuts from the brown bags at the grocery store that paid him under the table because he was too young to be on the books. And in solving that problem, he'd managed to create a whole new one, the same fame and fortune that freed his family creating a cage for Lance. He laughs, short and sharp and ugly.
pride is for lions and disco divas by stubbleglitter - My absolute favourite title of the lot. The story is totally quippy and witty and gay. Prankster Chris and snippy Lance and. Yes. Just love.
Joey, bless him, acted as though it was all no big deal and just hugged him occasionally.
JC, rather typically, said drawly half-sensical things that were supportive and pointless in equal measure.
Justin, true to form, earnestly told him how wonderful and brave this was and then made dumbass jokes.
Chris ... mailed him a box containing poppers and a mesh crop t-shirt.
Like a Big Pizza Pie by Sola Fiamma - It’s Choey and they’re such boys together. Incompetent, loving, idiot boys. And the dialogue in this could out sparkle the Kohinoor. So so pretty.
"I'm just saying, I understand J's point that maybe Joey's hardwired to be romantic because of his Italian whatsit. Ancestry. Like being allergic to the sun. Or being a hemophiliac. Or being albino."
"Or, in your case, being a stupid twat."
"Or, in yours, a jerk and a liar. There's no coffee, is there?"
"What? Oh, no. Of course not. Sorry. So, essentially, what you're saying is, you have no clue what I should get him? Does that about sum it up?"
Optimistic by Jae - Joey is going through a divorce and a biography of his life is obviously the answer. A tell all, no holds barred (well only those holds that people care about barred and nobody really needs to know anyway) book. But he’s not sure exactly when he knew they were going to be a success.
"I mean, obviously you're not going to write a book, we both know that. It's just one of those things people say they're going to do when there's a big life change, like climbing Everest or sleeping with the Miss USA contestants from every South American country -- although I think that last one might be specific to JC. But anyway, I mean, you've got the divorce and all, that's big life change city, and of course you'll say all sorts of crazy shit. But you should just know that you don't have to feel embarrassed or anything later about it, when it turns out you've only written a couple of pages or slept with Miss Argentina. I understand, and I won't come looking to read it or anything in a couple of months, or however long it would take to write a book. You don't have to worry."
Just Another Drunken Bet by i_naiad - Manages to do the impossible and explain both the title of SexyBack and why Chris is doing ManBand. So so so much love.
"Lance? Chris. I’d just like to say, that while I support your decision to come out in People and I’m overjoyed that you’re happy, I hate you and you suck."
Chris threw the phone on the sofa and flipped the TV on. How hard could it be to get on reality TV anyway? He was a famous, formerly-famous, pop star. Producers were going to be fighting over his fat ass.
Always Known by Terri - TrickyFish, detailed and lovely. Plus it's a band gets back together fic and the interaction between the guys is just pitch perfect. I beta read it and loved every single minute I spent with this story.
"So, why monkeys?"
Confused, Joey turns to Chris. "Why monkeys, what?"
"You said as gay as a sack-full of monkeys. I was wondering why monkeys. I wasn’t aware monkeys were particularly gay. It could explain the shit flinging thing though."
Then there’s fics that I have short lived but exceedingly passionate affairs with. I get no sleep with them and I don’t mind at all. They buy me fabulous jewellery, but really I’m more of a nice wine and a good book type and we don’t last all that long. I’m still slightly smitten when I see them in the street five years later.
Metafictional by Steph - The only reason I'm not marrying this story is my deep uncomfortableness with any thought of the guys reading fanfic. Otherwise I would totally be picking out rings. It's Timbertrick and hot and self-loathing and confused and deeply funny.
Chris can't get into this slash stuff as much as Joey, who's already written a thousand words of his fantasy epic about Lance fighting the winged tentacle monsters from outer space. Chris doesn't have the heart to tell Joey that the author's request for "lots of sex!" meant between the two male characters; his proposed orgy of hot lesbian alien babes doesn't really fit under that umbrella.
It sounds like JC's writing a love story about the Backstreet Boys. All of them, actually. Something about brotherhood as a metaphor for repressed desire. According to Joey, the story's incredibly smutty, and JC has called Chris for advice more than once, asking questions like, "Have you ever met a guy whose dick smelled like eucalyptus?"
Reality by Pet - I like sweet clueless Lance very much. Especially sweet clueless out Lance who thinks he’s in love with Nick Carter
Lance gets the feeling that the guys are talking behind his back, because Joey visits him and sleeps on his couch for three days and gets him drunk and makes him laugh. And JC sends him a card with pictures of out gay men cut out and put in it like a scrapbook, with arrows pointing at what JC considers to be their selling points and helpful comments scribbled all over. None of them are at all attractive. Lance wonders if JC is trying to turn him straight again. Or something else, because JC was more excited about Lance coming out than LANCE even was.
Justin sends a fruit basket with a "feel better soon" card, which Lance figures is about as close as Hallmark gets to "I’m sorry your gay crush is straight and not interested in you, buck up little camper!"
Party Like it's Nineteen Ninety Nine by nopseud - Zombies! And the group working together to foil them. Well foil-ish anyway. Long and plotty and fun.
"How did they even know where the dressing room was at all?" Joey whispered. "I thought zombies were, like, mindless."
"They're fans, man," Chris said. "They know when our plane is gonna land, and which hotel we're gonna stay at, usually before we do. They can find a room backstage."
"Also, it says 'Dressing Room' on the door," Lance pointed out.
"Great," Chris said. "Literate zombies. Does this mean they're gonna make us sign shit for them before they eat our brains? 'To Urrrrrrrrgh, with love.'"
Ich Gehore Nicht by Lydia - Anarchist terrorist AU. Completely and utterly different from anything else in SeSa, it's non-linear and sparse with lovely clarity and emotion that comes through the action. Another one I beta read and so interesting. TrickyNick and past TimberTrick.
Nick moans, low in his throat when Chris slides a finger into one of his hoops and pulls gently, just enough for the electricity to spread through him.
"God," Chris smiles. "You're goddamn beautiful."
"That's the tequila talking,'" Nick responds.
"Then let the tequila kiss you," Chris says, and the world slants sideways the first time their lips meet in a dirty bathroom stall in a dirty nightclub backroom.
Chance by Synchronik - Another Lance coming out story, this time relating how each of the guys found out (woo, I spot a theme!). And the ending is utterly gorgeous.
Joey flopped back on the bed, covering his eyes with his hands. "Okay," he said, after minute. "If you were in love with a straight guy, but he was, you know, straight, what would you want the straight guy to do to make you feel better?"
"Give me a blowjob?"
"I hate you," Joey said.
Clichés of the World by Kim G - Chris and JC are kidnapped, in a (probably) Canadian shack, and might get hypothermia. And who cares because it’s all an excuse for bitchy, sniping, sparkly dialogue. Although, the author did miss the ‘under cover as rent boys’ cliché, but I completely don't have anything to forgive because this is such fun.
"You're right, though." JC's grinning, the one that makes his eyes crinkle up; the one Chris can't resist grinning back at.
"I'm right? About--?"
"Best lay of my life." The grin becomes a smirk which Chris returns. "Course I thought that back when I mostly just had my hand for comparison--"
On Love and Smoking by misanthropretty - TrickC. Bitter and nasty and short and full of punch. Ow.
"Oh, come here," Chris says, leaning across to hug him. JC buries his face in his friend's shoulder.
"I mean it, I'm gonna dump Andy and become a celibate lesbian monk. So there." His voice is muffled, and Chris tries not to think about how warm he is.
"You do that. Can I get back to what I was doing now?"
"Oh, *fine*." He pulls back reluctantly and they look at each other for a second, neither one really noticing that the other is moving closer. "...Oh, fucking hell."
And then there’s my crushes, they’re sweet and wonderful and I have them on this pedestal because it puts their crotches nearer my... sorry. Um. I know in real life we wouldn’t have a shot at all. But I can dream yeah? Yeah.
as it is in heaven by torch - Way AU GSF. Temples and oracles and sex magic. Not really my scene but oh so beautifully written and the transitions between sequences are lovely.
JC's part of this ritual ended as he stepped out of the tower and breathed deep of the morning air, moving on to what next had to be done. When he walked into the courtyard, the sun was already warm on his skin, and the scent rising from the zangari bushes was strong enough to be intoxicating; JC opened his hand to the sunlight and wondered if he could lick it off his palm like syrup.
He went over to the hall and opened the door to the cleansing chamber. Steam billowed out. JC sneezed.
"Shut the door, already," Chris yelled. "You're letting all the heat out."
Things That Go Bump in the Wild by emphemera - Some lovely Supernatural inspired TrickyNick with some very hot sex. Yep, I'm fanning myself through the windows of that sleazy motel.
Nick opened the trunk with one hand and slung his duffel bag round and in. The trunk was a mess of bags and boxes with a leather jacket and a four pack of Red Bull with one can missing balanced on the top. Definitely Chris's car.
The floor by the passenger seat was hardly any better, and Nick kicked aside empty chip bags and soda cans as he sat down. At least Chris had cleared the seat for him. The door fell closed behind him, not quite properly shut, but Nick didn't care, because Chris's hand was warm on Nick's cheek, and he'd lost the shades, and Nick couldn’t believe it had been nearly two months. The kiss was urgent and immediate and awkward around the gear stick and so, so good; Chris's mouth under his, and his tongue, and his hair over Nick's fingers, and Nick's scalp tingling where Chris pulled, and - yes. Thank heaven for tinted windows.
Thicker Than Water by Liz - More TrickyNick. Sweet and gives a nice explanation for House of Carters, which, God knows, we need.
Nick sighed. "You won't believe this, but I thought that we'd behave better if the cameras were there." Chris started laughing, and even Nick's mouth twitched. "I know, I know, okay? After all the years of seeing people make total fucking asses of themselves at the VMAs or industry events with a gazillion cameras in the room, I should know better, right? Let's face it. No one has ever claimed I was the smart one."
There was only one good answer to that. "'Guess you're just gonna have to stick to being the hot one." Nick flashed him a brilliant grin, and Chris smiled back. Maybe there were better things to discuss than poor life choices after all.
Heart of the Jungle by patchworkdragon - Historical amazonian exploration of the TrickyFish kind. Cuteness and a good ear for the style.
James made a valiant attempt to retain hold of his books, but let them go in favor of keeping the rest of his package safe. Leaving Chris to exclaim over the romance novels James sister had sent, James happily unpacked his new socks, package of needles, and most precious of all, a new leather journal and several pens. Ink was far easier to come by than pens in Para, and he'd never gotten the trick of cutting his own from quills.
"James Lionel, these books your mother sent you are simply improper. I will of course be borrowing them. How soon do you intend to start out?"
The Politicos (This Machine Kills Fascists) by phaballa - Lambs. It's the West Wing AU but with queer politics, bitchy Lance and Justin in a page's uniform.
"You went to prep school, Justin. Is there a reason you insist on trying to sound all gangsta? Is that how the kids are talking at Andover these days?" Lance says, shoving the box under his desk and idly watching the scroll bar on CNN. Apparently, Neve Campbell has signed on for the sequel to Scream, while George W. Bush is being accused of trying to push poll John McCain out of the republican presidential primary race. Both equally important topics, Lance is sure. CNN really stays on top of things.
There Can Be Only One by sperrywink - Yep... it's the Highlander AU. Chris is an immortal and it looks like Nick Carter is one too. Only problem is that Justin doesn't seem to understand what's happening. Probably because Chris hasn't told him what's happening.
Finally just as Nick was saying, "Chris-" Chris' arm sparked and blue electricity skittered along the wound, knitting it together. Nick said, "Whoa." and grabbed Chris' arm to get a closer look. He used his shirt to wipe some of the blood away. "That was so cool. Messy, but cool. Can we do it again?"
"I’m not a freaking toy, Carter. We can do it to you now if you like."
Nick would only agree to a small cut until he saw the electricity knitting his own arm and then he insisted on making another larger cut like Chris’. He wanted to try it a third time but Chris put a stop to it. It would already be hard enough getting all the blood stains out of the carpet. Besides Chris didn’t want the kid developing a cutting habit because that was just too After School Special.
The quality this year was really high, some absolutely gorgeous stories and lots that made me giggle out loud. But there wasn’t very much sex. Or not much explicit sex. Or I'm feeling kinda repressed or something unlikely. Hmm. Obviously it’s more of a year for romance. Common themes? Lots of dealing with Lance coming out, lots of the guys disfunctioning working as a team, way more TrickyNick than I would have expected and lots of lovely lovely TrickyFish. In fact - there's a real preponderance of Chris this year - which is a danceable thing.
Ok, the recs. In case you don’t know by now I like 'em long and plotty with humour and Chris banter.
Firstly, the fics that I want to marry in long frilly white frocks that look suspiciously like meringues and may even promise to obey because we’re doing that terrible old fashioned kind of wedding and know we’re going to love each other til we can’t see each other because of the cataracts.
Buoyancy by Merry - Lance is in training for space, none of the boys are coping. I have no words for this because it made me flail that much.
There was a long quiet on the line. Then, very very softly, Justin said, "It's just that you'll be out there all by yourself."
He wouldn't be, there'd be two cosmonauts, and then lots of people on the space station itself. But he knew that wasn't what Justin meant. "Is everybody else freaking out like this?"
"No. Pretty much just me and JC. Well, and we got a copy of Armageddon last week and Joey kind of started crying at the end and I think that's when JC stopped sleeping. And Chris put his fist through a mirror. But it was just that once, and he was pretty drunk, and he didn't even need any stitches. Really, we're all good."
Something to Talk About by Mary the Fan - Just gorgeous. A clueless over-protective Chris who had no idea that Lance was gay. Now he knows he's worried. About Lance. Probably. And himself. Sorta.
"He didn't tell anybody," Chris says, pushing his free hand up under his bandanna and through his hair, dropping his head back against the mattress. It's suddenly an effort to keep his voice steady. "Because we weren't talking about it. Jesus."
Chris remembers this feeling of helplessness, although he's only ever related it to hollowness in his own stomach and 11-year-old hands roughened by farm work and edged with paper cuts from the brown bags at the grocery store that paid him under the table because he was too young to be on the books. And in solving that problem, he'd managed to create a whole new one, the same fame and fortune that freed his family creating a cage for Lance. He laughs, short and sharp and ugly.
pride is for lions and disco divas by stubbleglitter - My absolute favourite title of the lot. The story is totally quippy and witty and gay. Prankster Chris and snippy Lance and. Yes. Just love.
Joey, bless him, acted as though it was all no big deal and just hugged him occasionally.
JC, rather typically, said drawly half-sensical things that were supportive and pointless in equal measure.
Justin, true to form, earnestly told him how wonderful and brave this was and then made dumbass jokes.
Chris ... mailed him a box containing poppers and a mesh crop t-shirt.
Like a Big Pizza Pie by Sola Fiamma - It’s Choey and they’re such boys together. Incompetent, loving, idiot boys. And the dialogue in this could out sparkle the Kohinoor. So so pretty.
"I'm just saying, I understand J's point that maybe Joey's hardwired to be romantic because of his Italian whatsit. Ancestry. Like being allergic to the sun. Or being a hemophiliac. Or being albino."
"Or, in your case, being a stupid twat."
"Or, in yours, a jerk and a liar. There's no coffee, is there?"
"What? Oh, no. Of course not. Sorry. So, essentially, what you're saying is, you have no clue what I should get him? Does that about sum it up?"
Optimistic by Jae - Joey is going through a divorce and a biography of his life is obviously the answer. A tell all, no holds barred (well only those holds that people care about barred and nobody really needs to know anyway) book. But he’s not sure exactly when he knew they were going to be a success.
"I mean, obviously you're not going to write a book, we both know that. It's just one of those things people say they're going to do when there's a big life change, like climbing Everest or sleeping with the Miss USA contestants from every South American country -- although I think that last one might be specific to JC. But anyway, I mean, you've got the divorce and all, that's big life change city, and of course you'll say all sorts of crazy shit. But you should just know that you don't have to feel embarrassed or anything later about it, when it turns out you've only written a couple of pages or slept with Miss Argentina. I understand, and I won't come looking to read it or anything in a couple of months, or however long it would take to write a book. You don't have to worry."
Just Another Drunken Bet by i_naiad - Manages to do the impossible and explain both the title of SexyBack and why Chris is doing ManBand. So so so much love.
"Lance? Chris. I’d just like to say, that while I support your decision to come out in People and I’m overjoyed that you’re happy, I hate you and you suck."
Chris threw the phone on the sofa and flipped the TV on. How hard could it be to get on reality TV anyway? He was a famous, formerly-famous, pop star. Producers were going to be fighting over his fat ass.
Always Known by Terri - TrickyFish, detailed and lovely. Plus it's a band gets back together fic and the interaction between the guys is just pitch perfect. I beta read it and loved every single minute I spent with this story.
"So, why monkeys?"
Confused, Joey turns to Chris. "Why monkeys, what?"
"You said as gay as a sack-full of monkeys. I was wondering why monkeys. I wasn’t aware monkeys were particularly gay. It could explain the shit flinging thing though."
Then there’s fics that I have short lived but exceedingly passionate affairs with. I get no sleep with them and I don’t mind at all. They buy me fabulous jewellery, but really I’m more of a nice wine and a good book type and we don’t last all that long. I’m still slightly smitten when I see them in the street five years later.
Metafictional by Steph - The only reason I'm not marrying this story is my deep uncomfortableness with any thought of the guys reading fanfic. Otherwise I would totally be picking out rings. It's Timbertrick and hot and self-loathing and confused and deeply funny.
Chris can't get into this slash stuff as much as Joey, who's already written a thousand words of his fantasy epic about Lance fighting the winged tentacle monsters from outer space. Chris doesn't have the heart to tell Joey that the author's request for "lots of sex!" meant between the two male characters; his proposed orgy of hot lesbian alien babes doesn't really fit under that umbrella.
It sounds like JC's writing a love story about the Backstreet Boys. All of them, actually. Something about brotherhood as a metaphor for repressed desire. According to Joey, the story's incredibly smutty, and JC has called Chris for advice more than once, asking questions like, "Have you ever met a guy whose dick smelled like eucalyptus?"
Reality by Pet - I like sweet clueless Lance very much. Especially sweet clueless out Lance who thinks he’s in love with Nick Carter
Lance gets the feeling that the guys are talking behind his back, because Joey visits him and sleeps on his couch for three days and gets him drunk and makes him laugh. And JC sends him a card with pictures of out gay men cut out and put in it like a scrapbook, with arrows pointing at what JC considers to be their selling points and helpful comments scribbled all over. None of them are at all attractive. Lance wonders if JC is trying to turn him straight again. Or something else, because JC was more excited about Lance coming out than LANCE even was.
Justin sends a fruit basket with a "feel better soon" card, which Lance figures is about as close as Hallmark gets to "I’m sorry your gay crush is straight and not interested in you, buck up little camper!"
Party Like it's Nineteen Ninety Nine by nopseud - Zombies! And the group working together to foil them. Well foil-ish anyway. Long and plotty and fun.
"How did they even know where the dressing room was at all?" Joey whispered. "I thought zombies were, like, mindless."
"They're fans, man," Chris said. "They know when our plane is gonna land, and which hotel we're gonna stay at, usually before we do. They can find a room backstage."
"Also, it says 'Dressing Room' on the door," Lance pointed out.
"Great," Chris said. "Literate zombies. Does this mean they're gonna make us sign shit for them before they eat our brains? 'To Urrrrrrrrgh, with love.'"
Ich Gehore Nicht by Lydia - Anarchist terrorist AU. Completely and utterly different from anything else in SeSa, it's non-linear and sparse with lovely clarity and emotion that comes through the action. Another one I beta read and so interesting. TrickyNick and past TimberTrick.
Nick moans, low in his throat when Chris slides a finger into one of his hoops and pulls gently, just enough for the electricity to spread through him.
"God," Chris smiles. "You're goddamn beautiful."
"That's the tequila talking,'" Nick responds.
"Then let the tequila kiss you," Chris says, and the world slants sideways the first time their lips meet in a dirty bathroom stall in a dirty nightclub backroom.
Chance by Synchronik - Another Lance coming out story, this time relating how each of the guys found out (woo, I spot a theme!). And the ending is utterly gorgeous.
Joey flopped back on the bed, covering his eyes with his hands. "Okay," he said, after minute. "If you were in love with a straight guy, but he was, you know, straight, what would you want the straight guy to do to make you feel better?"
"Give me a blowjob?"
"I hate you," Joey said.
Clichés of the World by Kim G - Chris and JC are kidnapped, in a (probably) Canadian shack, and might get hypothermia. And who cares because it’s all an excuse for bitchy, sniping, sparkly dialogue. Although, the author did miss the ‘under cover as rent boys’ cliché, but I completely don't have anything to forgive because this is such fun.
"You're right, though." JC's grinning, the one that makes his eyes crinkle up; the one Chris can't resist grinning back at.
"I'm right? About--?"
"Best lay of my life." The grin becomes a smirk which Chris returns. "Course I thought that back when I mostly just had my hand for comparison--"
On Love and Smoking by misanthropretty - TrickC. Bitter and nasty and short and full of punch. Ow.
"Oh, come here," Chris says, leaning across to hug him. JC buries his face in his friend's shoulder.
"I mean it, I'm gonna dump Andy and become a celibate lesbian monk. So there." His voice is muffled, and Chris tries not to think about how warm he is.
"You do that. Can I get back to what I was doing now?"
"Oh, *fine*." He pulls back reluctantly and they look at each other for a second, neither one really noticing that the other is moving closer. "...Oh, fucking hell."
And then there’s my crushes, they’re sweet and wonderful and I have them on this pedestal because it puts their crotches nearer my... sorry. Um. I know in real life we wouldn’t have a shot at all. But I can dream yeah? Yeah.
as it is in heaven by torch - Way AU GSF. Temples and oracles and sex magic. Not really my scene but oh so beautifully written and the transitions between sequences are lovely.
JC's part of this ritual ended as he stepped out of the tower and breathed deep of the morning air, moving on to what next had to be done. When he walked into the courtyard, the sun was already warm on his skin, and the scent rising from the zangari bushes was strong enough to be intoxicating; JC opened his hand to the sunlight and wondered if he could lick it off his palm like syrup.
He went over to the hall and opened the door to the cleansing chamber. Steam billowed out. JC sneezed.
"Shut the door, already," Chris yelled. "You're letting all the heat out."
Things That Go Bump in the Wild by emphemera - Some lovely Supernatural inspired TrickyNick with some very hot sex. Yep, I'm fanning myself through the windows of that sleazy motel.
Nick opened the trunk with one hand and slung his duffel bag round and in. The trunk was a mess of bags and boxes with a leather jacket and a four pack of Red Bull with one can missing balanced on the top. Definitely Chris's car.
The floor by the passenger seat was hardly any better, and Nick kicked aside empty chip bags and soda cans as he sat down. At least Chris had cleared the seat for him. The door fell closed behind him, not quite properly shut, but Nick didn't care, because Chris's hand was warm on Nick's cheek, and he'd lost the shades, and Nick couldn’t believe it had been nearly two months. The kiss was urgent and immediate and awkward around the gear stick and so, so good; Chris's mouth under his, and his tongue, and his hair over Nick's fingers, and Nick's scalp tingling where Chris pulled, and - yes. Thank heaven for tinted windows.
Thicker Than Water by Liz - More TrickyNick. Sweet and gives a nice explanation for House of Carters, which, God knows, we need.
Nick sighed. "You won't believe this, but I thought that we'd behave better if the cameras were there." Chris started laughing, and even Nick's mouth twitched. "I know, I know, okay? After all the years of seeing people make total fucking asses of themselves at the VMAs or industry events with a gazillion cameras in the room, I should know better, right? Let's face it. No one has ever claimed I was the smart one."
There was only one good answer to that. "'Guess you're just gonna have to stick to being the hot one." Nick flashed him a brilliant grin, and Chris smiled back. Maybe there were better things to discuss than poor life choices after all.
Heart of the Jungle by patchworkdragon - Historical amazonian exploration of the TrickyFish kind. Cuteness and a good ear for the style.
James made a valiant attempt to retain hold of his books, but let them go in favor of keeping the rest of his package safe. Leaving Chris to exclaim over the romance novels James sister had sent, James happily unpacked his new socks, package of needles, and most precious of all, a new leather journal and several pens. Ink was far easier to come by than pens in Para, and he'd never gotten the trick of cutting his own from quills.
"James Lionel, these books your mother sent you are simply improper. I will of course be borrowing them. How soon do you intend to start out?"
The Politicos (This Machine Kills Fascists) by phaballa - Lambs. It's the West Wing AU but with queer politics, bitchy Lance and Justin in a page's uniform.
"You went to prep school, Justin. Is there a reason you insist on trying to sound all gangsta? Is that how the kids are talking at Andover these days?" Lance says, shoving the box under his desk and idly watching the scroll bar on CNN. Apparently, Neve Campbell has signed on for the sequel to Scream, while George W. Bush is being accused of trying to push poll John McCain out of the republican presidential primary race. Both equally important topics, Lance is sure. CNN really stays on top of things.
There Can Be Only One by sperrywink - Yep... it's the Highlander AU. Chris is an immortal and it looks like Nick Carter is one too. Only problem is that Justin doesn't seem to understand what's happening. Probably because Chris hasn't told him what's happening.
Finally just as Nick was saying, "Chris-" Chris' arm sparked and blue electricity skittered along the wound, knitting it together. Nick said, "Whoa." and grabbed Chris' arm to get a closer look. He used his shirt to wipe some of the blood away. "That was so cool. Messy, but cool. Can we do it again?"
"I’m not a freaking toy, Carter. We can do it to you now if you like."
Nick would only agree to a small cut until he saw the electricity knitting his own arm and then he insisted on making another larger cut like Chris’. He wanted to try it a third time but Chris put a stop to it. It would already be hard enough getting all the blood stains out of the carpet. Besides Chris didn’t want the kid developing a cutting habit because that was just too After School Special.