Life especially sucks when you�re Chris and you find your girlfriend, who you thought you loved, had been cheating on you for the past month. And, what a surprise, Dani didn�t even care. She just said, �I�m sorry. That�s just the way it happens sometimes. I care about you a lot, but I don�t love you.� Ha, yeah right.

Bitch.

Yes, life did suck. At least to Chris, who sat alone at the bar at some anonymous club, sitting and trying to forget about everything. It was late at night, and he didn�t feel like going back to home yet. Chris swirled his drink around in the glass, watching the small whirlpool inside the cup. His beer was warm from sitting so long. The glass was half-empty. Definitely half-empty, not half-full.

How many drinks had he had? Chris couldn�t remember, and honestly, he didn�t give a damn anymore.

Not just that, but dammit, he was practically thirty years old. The big �three-oh.� Fuck, how the hell did that happen? It was as if time snuck up on him and all of a sudden he wasn�t 20. There isn�t an excuse for him to act like a kid anymore. Everyone�s got to grow up sometime.

The idea brought a grin to his lips for a brief moment. Chris, growing up. The thought was almost comical. He would have laughed, but Chris didn�t feel like laughing, not tonight, not ever. Nothing has seemed funny anymore.

Suddenly, a strong arm knocked into Chris, pushing him and nearly causing him to fall off the barstool he was sitting on.

�Hey, watch where you�re going,� Chris protested as he righted himself.

�What the fuck did you say to me?� a very loud, very mean voice demanded.

Chris looked up to see a large man with a flushed face, who was obviously drunk. Not to mention the fact that the man looked like he could bench-press a truck.

�Oh shit,� Chris muttered. This was not what he needed tonight.

�N-nothing,� Chris stammered. Where was the nearest exit?

�I don�t think so, fag.�

Fag? Chris barely had time to process the word when he felt thick hands grab his collar. Suddenly, he wasn�t standing on the floor anymore. The man had lifted him bodily up off of the ground, and his feet were now dangling a good foot above the floor.

Only one thought ran through Chris� mind at that moment: I don�t want to die yet.

Chris grimaced as he was brought face to face with the man. Those crazy red eyes mocked him, the hands on his shirt were greasy and dirty, and Chris thought he might pass out from the thick smell of tobacco and alcohol emanating from the man.

�I�ll show you what happens to fuckers who mess with me,� the man said, lifting Chris even higher. Chris coughed as he inhaled the stench of the man�s breath.

�Excuse me, sir,� a deep voice said as a hand tapped the giant�s thick shoulder.

�What the hell do you want?� the man demanded, never taking his eyes off of Chris.

�I think some guys are trying to steal your car outside,� the voice continued with perfect calm. �The alarm is going off right now.�

�Huh?� the large man seemed surprised and his hold on Chris faltered.

�I think you�d better go catch them,� the stranger added. �And teach them not to fuck with you again.�

Chris couldn�t see who was speaking, but the person sounded oddly familiar. He could hear a grin in the words spoken, and Chris wondered what the hell that stranger thought was so funny.

The man nodded in agreement slowly. �Yeah, thanks man.�

�No problem,� the voice said. �And I think you should let go of that guy now.�

The grip on Chris� shirt loosened and Chris felt himself being lowered back onto the ground. As the behemoth turned away and headed for the parking lot, Chris let out a shuddery sigh of relief.

�You okay, man?� the stranger asked.

�Yeah, fine. Thanks.� Chris turned around to face his rescuer. He came face to face with a young man with short dark hair and an infectious grin. And incredibly bright blue eyes. �Hey, you�re�� Chris couldn�t place a name, but he had no doubt that he was just saved from certain death by one of the band members of Blink-182.

�And you�re�� the other man seemed similarly surprised. �You�re from �N Sync.�

�Chris Kirkpatrick.� Chris offered his hand to shake, because it seemed like the right thing to do.

The man took his hand and shook it with a strong grip. �Mark Hoppus,� he said.

�Thanks for the help back there,� Chris said.

Mark he waved off the thanks. �Nah,� he said. �I didn�t do anything. He was drunk-stupid. I could have said the Titanic was sinking, and he would�ve believed me.�

�Yeah, but still,� Chris insisted. �He was going to cream me and eat me for lunch.�

Mark�s blue eyes glittered merrily. �Not a bad a idea.� There was something in his voice that made that statement sound so�

�What?� Chris asked, not understanding.

�Nothing.� Mark continued to grin his teasing smile. Chris suddenly felt flustered and confused and he had no idea why. Maybe he did have too much to drink. The blush on his face had to be from the alcohol.

�I think we should get out of here,� Mark was saying.

�What? Why?�

Mark�s grin widened. �Because that guy�s car is still in the parking lot and there�s no one out there for him to beat up on, so I suggest we leave before he comes back looking for some asses to kick. Namely ours.�

Chris nodded. �Okay, good idea.�

�How are you getting home?� Mark asked as they headed out of the bar.

�Driving,� Chris nodded to his car parked in front of the building.

Mark looked at him skeptically and said, �You�re drunk.�

�No, I�m not.� At least Chris didn�t think he was. But as Mark kept grinning and looking at him, Chris wondered why he was feeling a little light-headed all of a sudden.

�Let me drive you home,� the man said, surprising Chris.

�What?�

Mark sighed. �You know when you�re drunk when you say �what� as a response to every damn thing I say. Let me drive you home.�

Chris eyed his new companion suspiciously.

�What the hell do you think I�m gonna do?� Mark demanded, almost exasperated. �I can just see the newspaper headlines. �Blink-182 Kidnaps �N Sync.� Look, I�m just trying to do you a favor here.�

Chris frowned, trying to clear the haze from his mind. The man was making sense. �Okay, okay,� Chris paused. �You didn�t drink anything tonight?�

Mark laughed, stepping closer. �Do you think I did?�

Chris looked into those impossibly clear, bright blue eyes that reminded him of a summer sky. The clarity of that gaze alone proved Mark�s sobriety.

�Well?� Mark asked again, and somehow the man had gotten closer. His warm breath fanned over Chris� cheek. He smelled like mint and Dial soap, which was oddly comforting.

Chris shook his head silently, no.

�Where are your keys?� Mark�s voice was softer and gentler now.

�In my pocket.� Chris whispered. He watched Mark wet his lips absentmindedly.

�Which one?�

Chris pointed to the left front pocket of the faded pair of jeans he was wearing. Without warning, Mark put his hand into Chris� pocket, searching for the keys. Chris gasped slightly as he felt the man�s fingers brush against his thigh through the fabric and getting dangerously close to his crotch. As soon as the hand was there, it was gone, and Mark had stepped away. He winked at Chris, dangling the keys from his index finger.

�Let�s go,� was all he said.

Chris swallowed thickly, following Mark blindly and wondering why the hell his heart was beating so fast.

* * *

�That�s not funny,� Chris insisted. �That�s a horrible joke.�

Mark laughed as he steered the car down the highway toward Chris� house. �Yeah, it was, but you smiled. I saw you.�

�Only because it was stupid.� But Chris couldn�t help smiling along with the man.

�I�m hurt,� Mark said, pouting. Instantly, the grin was back and Mark said, �But I have another one. A whore, a priest and--�

�It�s alright. I�ve had enough,� Chris interrupted hastily, laughing.

�So you do laugh,� Mark murmured.

Chris frowned as he stared out the car window. �What do you mean?�

Mark shrugged, turning the steering wheel as he rounded a curve. �I dunno, that�s the first time you laughed tonight. Wondering if you had a sense of humor in there.�

Chris shook his head, grinning. �You won�t even know. I�m the craziest guy in �N Sync. I�m usually up a wall and back.�

After a moment, Mark asked, �Why were you at that club?�

With that question, reality crashed back into Chris, brutally harsh after the temporary distraction he had. With Mark, the world was funnier and more controllable, but now Chris was reminded of just why he was at that bar in the first place.

�I don�t want to talk about it,� Chris finally muttered. He watched the colored lights of the highway fly by the window.

�Hey, Chris, I know I�m not exactly a good friend or anything,� Mark began. �But I won�t go telling the press or whatever if you tell me something. It won�t leave this car. But it might help if you talk about what�s bugging you.�

There was a pause. Both men were silent and the only sound heard was the hum of the air conditioning and of the car engine.

Chris finally broke the silence. �I just found out my girlfriend was cheating on me today,� he said softly.

�That�s harsh, man,� Mark said sympathetically.

�I felt bad about it, even though I couldn�t really do anything about it,� Chris sighed. �Like it was my fault. I know it wasn�t, but it still feels like it. I don�t know. Maybe if I had been there for her and maybe if I hadn�t been so busy with my company and the group and�� Chris trailed off as he saw Mark�s frown.

�You can�t fuck yourself over about that, Chris. You didn�t have any control over what you needed to do. If she really cared about you, she would�ve understood.�

�It just seems like everything is going against me,� Chris murmured. Mark glanced at him. �What else?�

�I don�t know�� Chris sighed again. �This is going to sound stupid. But I�m turning 30 this year. I just feel like I�m too old to be running around in a boy band and having 12-year-olds screaming for me.�

At that, Mark grinned. �I don�t know. Those preteen boobs are pretty fine.�

When he saw Chris� shocked expression, Mark burst out laughing. �It was joke, man. Learn to take a joke. Damn, you think being 30 is old? I�m already 29. If you�re old, then I might as well just get myself cremated now and get it over with.�

Chris shook his head. �I just feel like okay, now I�m 30 and I need to act my age. But I don�t want to. I don�t want to grow up yet because I want to stay a kid for as long as I can.�

�I know what you mean,� Mark nodded. �Hey, look who you�re talking to. A member of a band of 20-somethings who run around in the streets naked.�

Chris couldn�t help smiling at that, and Mark grinned again. �Hey, I�ll even start singing �What�s My Age Again?� if it�ll get another laugh out of you.�

�Why is laughing so important to you?� Chris asked suddenly.

Mark paused, thinking. �I guess� because if you can�t laugh, than what can you do? Laughing is better than sitting there on your ass and feeling sorry for yourself. The world is a hell of a lot funnier than it gets credit for, and we might as well appreciate it.�

Chris had to admit that made sense. He used to believe that himself once. Whatever happened to that Chris, he didn�t know. That Chris got lost in the chaos of stardom and the media. Now, laughing seemed like something from his childhood. He had lost it. But somehow, Mark was helping him to find it again.

�And by the way,� Mark added as he pulled up to Chris� driveway. �You should laugh more because you have a nice laugh.� His blue eyes practically sparkled.

Chris blushed and suddenly that flustered feeling was back.

Mark parked the car and sat back in his seat. �Aren�t you getting out?� he asked.

Chris raised an eyebrow. �It�s my car.�

His companion snapped his fingers in mock disappointment and said, �Damn, I was hoping you�d forget.�

Chris laughed again, shaking his head. But neither made a move to leave the car. Tentatively, Chris put his hand on top of Mark�s, which was still resting on the gearshift. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest when he realized Mark hadn�t pulled away. Chris smiled when he saw the faint pink blush on the other man�s cheeks.

�Have you ever kissed a guy before?� Mark asked softly.

Chris blinked, surprised. �Actually, no.�

Mark grinned that bright smile, which seemed to light up the night, eclipsing the moon and the stars. �My motto for life: you�ve got to try everything at least once.�

With that, Mark leaned close and before Chris knew what was happening, he felt warm lips press gently against his. Mark�s mouth was soft and spicily sweet, like cinnamon. Chris ran his hand through Mark�s spiky dark hair as he pulled the man closer to him. He felt strong, sure arms wrap around his waist, making him feel utterly safe and protected. Somehow, this kiss was innocent and pure, and it erased everything bad that happened tonight.

Mark murmured against Chris� lips, �Are you going to be alright?�

Chris nodded, only a little surprised by Mark�s sudden tenderness.

�If you need to talk, look me up. I�m in the phone book, I swear,� Mark continued to say as he pulled away slowly, and Chris couldn�t help smiling.

�Okay,� he managed to say. �Thanks for� everything.�

�And make sure to laugh more often,� Mark reminded as they got out of the car. �It�ll keep you young.�

Chris grinned. �I will.�

The End