Author: Elizabeth
Category: JC/Lance, Joey/Justin but totally later in the story.
Summary: This is AU but they become a band later. Lance�s home caught on fire when he was 12 and his family died. He packed up what little he had left and ran away before social services could get him. On the streets, he meets 10 year old Justin, then 20 year old Chris, 14 year old Joey and 15 year old JC. Soon, these five guys depend on each other and later discover love and a bond that will last forever.
AN: For the person who askedJ Yes, Lance and Justin are Preteens. Justin is 10 and Lance is 12. Joey and JC are teens and Chris is an adult. And it�ll be slash when Lance is 19 and Justin is 17 because they�ll be wondering about their sexuality.
~*~
Lance blew his nose and then sneezed. Joey followed suit.
�Joey�I�m sorry I got you sick.�
�Huh? Oh no it�s okay. I�m fine.� He let out a giant sneeze that shook the room.
Justin walked in the living room with a tray in his hands. He smiled.
�My poor Joey.� He walked over and set the tray down. �I got you some soup and crackers. I got the recipe from your mom.�
Joey smiled. �I�d kiss you but I don�t want you getting sick.
�You�re sweet.� Justin picked the bowl up and fed him some broth and the noodles. Lance lay on the other couch blowing his nose.
JC walked in and smiled. �Oh Lance. I told you we shouldn�t have played with Taylor when she was sick.�
�But she gave me the pout!�
JC shook his head. �Why do you think we ignored Justin all these years?�
�Hey!� Justin said offended.
JC chuckled and proceeded to feed Lance some soup. Chris walked downstairs and smiled.
�I wish I had the camera.�
Joey and Lance groaned.
�How could you joke with us at a time like this!�
�I�m dying!�
�You�re not dying, Joseph Fatone.� Justin said.
�Okay dad.�
Chris chuckled. �Anyway Johnny called. He said there was a function we had to go to but since Joey and Lance are sick, he said they should stay home.�
�Well who�s going then?�
�Well they want to see Justin. It�s about the orphanage.�
Justin groaned. Since the controversy got so bad, they found out that Justin had been beaten. He tried to keep it quiet but not for long. Now he needed to give more detail.
Joey smiled. �It�s okay baby, you can go. I don�t want to�� he sneezed.
Justin sighed. �I can�t just leave you!�
�Baby, go with Justin and keep him company.� Lance said to JC.
�Oh baby no, I couldn�t.�
�You and Justin are like brothers, he needs you. Joey would go but he can�t right now and I�d go but�� he sneezed.
�Are you sure about this?� Justin asked hesitantly.
�Yes. Now go pack!�
JC sighed. �I�ll call Johnny.� He got up and left the room.
Lance looked at Chris. �Cwis?�
Chris looked at Lance. �Yeah?�
�I want a washcloth for my head.�
�Okay.� He went into the kitchen.
Justin looked at Joey. �Are you completely SURE about this?�
�Yes, now go pack!�
Justin sighed and got up. �Okay but no regrets.�
�None.� He shook his head and Justin headed upstairs.
The next day, Justin and JC were all packed even though they hated leaving their boyfriends.
�Would you stop it? I�m fine!� Joey said with a smile.
Justin sighed. �I just worry about you. Ever since that day��
�Hey. Justin, it was a stomach ulcer and they fixed it. I just have a head cold thanks to Bass over there. I�m fine.�
�Okay. I love you.�
�I love you too.�
Justin kissed his lips and sighed.
JC hugged Lance again then gently lay him down. �You rest, okay baby?�
�Okay. I love you.�
�I love you too. Get well.�
�I will.�
Justin and JC hugged Chris goodbye and then left. They got in the cab and headed off to the airport.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
In LA, Justin and JC got to their hotel and decided to stay together just in case the other had an urge to sleep out in the cold. They called up the head of the function and let them know they were there.
�I hate leaving Joey alone for this.�
�I know I hate leaving Lance. It�s like a bad dream.�
�Yeah.�
They sighed and read some books. They went to bed and the next day, Justin called Joey.
�Hello?�
�Hi baby, how are you feeling?�
�Hey. My head�s not aching anymore but I�m okay.�
�Good. I miss you.�
�I miss you too. Hey only four more days.�
�Yeah. Feels like a century!� Justin sighed.
�I know. Hey I have to go, JC and I need to get down there.�
�Okay. Baby, I love you so much. I�ll see you at home.�
�Okay. Bye.�
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When JC and Justin got the function, they wore regular clothes but nice shirts. Justin wore the necklace he had been wearing when he ran away. They took a few pictures and answered some questions. They got to their table and Britney ran over, hugging Justin tightly.
�Hey sweetie. How�s Joey feeling? Lance?�
�They�re feeling a bit better but they are going to stay home.�
�Good. Hey they want us to answer some questions about we kept you sane.�
Justin chuckled. �You and Trace were the only ones who kept me remotely good enough.�
�I hoped so!�
They looked up as Johnny started talking to reporters. Justin and JC just shook their heads.
�Now Justin Timberlake.�
Justin got up and went on stage. �Hello. First, I�d like to say hi to Joey and Lance, who are home sick. And thank you to everyone that I ran across while I was on the run. I was only ten years old when I ran away and didn�t come back. During that time, I had the time of my life. I was happier than I had been in years. When I was at the orphanage, I tried running away at least seven times. Whenever I came back, I got slapped and had to spend a day with no food. But my friend Britney always snuck in and got me something to eat. I don�t want anyone to be punished I just want things to be better for kids who are orphans and have nowhere to go. Oh and Miss. Thompson? 2 + 2 is NOT equal to 5. Thank you for confusing the heck out of me. And thank you Lance for teaching me math.�
JC laughed and Britney gave him a high five. Back home, Lance fell off the couch laughing while Chris and Joey stifled their own giggles.
Justin talked for a bit more before going to sit beside JC. Britney then got up and talked for a bit, talking about how she had seen a tiny eight year old boy and felt like she had to do something for him instead of watching him suffer. The cameraman happened to catch Justin crying softly. Joey sent Justin a text message and Justin looked.
�Be strong. I love you.�
Justin smiled softly.