"I just don't think you understand the image we're trying to put forth here," Lou said, breathing heavily. He sat across from Kevin, behind his desk. "No," Kevin said. "I do understand. I wasn't thinking." And he hadn't been. It was a rash decision made during a week of particularly grueling rehearsals and Kevin had lost sight of their goal. He'd forgotten that there were people looking out for their best interests, that there were people willing to help them. To help him. And he'd blatantly acted out against them because he'd been having a bad few weeks. "It's just - personal stuff. I wasn't thinking," Kevin repeated. Lou frowned and then folded his large hands on the desk before him. "You know you can talk to me about these things. Don't forget that I'm here for you boys. You're a good kid, Kevin. I'm sorry I blew up at you out there, but it's really important. Girls want a clean-cut all-American heartthrob, and that flashy piece of metal isn't part of that. You've just got to trust me on this." Kevin nodded. He looked at the photographs on the walls of Lou's office. Lou with Johnny and Donna. Lou with Mariah Carey. Lou with the New Kids on the Block. This was a man that could get them places. "Now you know what to do," Lou said with a sigh that reminded Kevin a little too much of his father. "Sure," Kevin said. Lou gestured that Kevin was free to go, back to running through choreography with the others. "Don't forget, if you're having problems, talk to me. Tell me what's going on. I can help you. That's what I'm here for." Kevin stood and extended his hand, and Lou shook it with a smile. "That's my boy," he said, and Kevin left the office. "I can't believe you caved, man," AJ said, standing outside of Lou's office, waiting for Kevin. "You were like my hero, and you totally caved." "It was stupid," Kevin disagreed, and headed toward the other guys across the room. It had been two weeks since Kevin had finally called Chris. Chris came for dinner, to meet the guys, and created a comfortable atmosphere instantly. He already knew the fellas, of course, had met Brian and Howie and AJ several times, in fact, but never in a private setting, never outside of the restaurant. But Chris brought potato chips and beer and videos and they loved him instantly. Brian had whipped up his culinary masterpiece - hot dogs with macaroni and cheese - and then they'd all settled down in the living room to watch the movie Chris had brought. And that was when AJ told Chris that Kevin had agreed to remove the piercing. "What do you mean, you have to take it out?" Chris demanded, poking at Kevin's abs. "He means he's a pussy," AJ grumbled. Brian and Howie both shot him a look, offended at the use of a term their mother's had forbidden them ever to say. Such momma's boys, the two of them. Kevin swatted Chris's hand away, and tried to focus on the television. Chris had horrid taste in movies and this time was no exception. They were watching Escape from the Bronx, a movie that Chris claimed was made in Italian and then translated into English, despite the fact that it took place in New York City. Brian seemed to be enjoying it. "Lou says it messes with our image. He's right," Kevin said, absently. "This guy, Trash? First, what kind of name is that? And second, he's an idiot." "Trash is great. Didn't you see? He's so great that his poor dead parents had a poster made of him and they hung it in their kitchen," Chris said, throwing up his hands. "And what's with that woman's voice?" Howie asked. "I've never heard a woman with a more annoying voice in my entire life." And just as he finished saying it, the female reporter in the film was shot down. "Oh, ok. Nevermind." "What I want to know is why villains in films have to be so obviously evil," Chris said. "I mean, who actually likes the things villains like? Waste lands and black caves and stinky ass air and stuff." "The villains in this are business men," Brian said. "In skyscrapers." "Right," Chris agreed. "And see, that's what I'm saying. These villains are real people, not some idealized vision of evil. The scariest villains are the ones right in your backyard. The ones that don't wear black capes and have motives that actually make sense. Those are the dangerous guys. Those are the villains that I want to see more of." "These guys don't make sense to me," AJ said, waving a hand at the screen. Chris shot him a look. "I'm just saying," AJ shrugged. "I can't believe I'm watching this movie," Kevin said, for the third time since they'd turned it on. Chris began rattling off the many merits of the film, and completely forgot about the belly button ring. Kevin took it out before his shower the next morning. It didn't take long for Kevin to notice that the subtitled ninja film - which was bad, but not nearly as horrendous as Escape from the Bronx - was playing every time he went over to Chris's apartment. Kevin noticed right away that it had become their sex theme, but he didn't mention it until the fourth time it coincidentally showed up on one of Chris's two channels. "So what's with the video?" Kevin asked, interrupting Chris with a hand on his chin before his mouth lowered. His eyes were confused and his lips held in the shape of an 'o' almost convinced Kevin to let him go back to what he'd been about to do, but curiosity had Kevin and he wanted to know. Chris blinked and then closed his mouth and then tried to evade the question by saying, "What video?" "Do martial arts get you off or something?" Kevin asked. "We could take karate classes if you want." "What?" Chris asked. He looked at the television and then back at Kevin, narrowing his eyes. "You know what I got off on? The belly button ring. And you took it out. I can't believe you took it out. What the hell. Don't I matter at all in this? I loved it. It was so gay, man. And hot. But no one cares what the boyfriend thinks, I guess." "I had to, Chris." "Yeah, yeah. If I ever meet this Lou guy I'm going to punch him in the nose for trying to cut into my fun time. I can't even believe you let him run your life like that. I'd say fuck it. My body, my way," Chris paused. "And then I'd make a commercial or something." "He's helping," Kevin pointed out. "He knows about this kind of thing. He's right." Chris snorted as though unconvinced. "You should come to rehearsal sometime. It would be fun," Kevin said, pulling at the hair on the back of Chris's neck. "Well, it would probably be boring as all hell, but it would be fun during breaks. The guys love you, and as long as you don't punch Lou in the nose - which you're not allowed to do, by the way - everyone else will love you as well." "Maybe," Chris said. "My next day off." So Chris started coming to their rehearsals whenever he could, sitting through, talking to Johnny as Carl had them sing the same line over and over again for an entire afternoon. And just as Kevin suspected, his 'friend' won everyone over, Nick in particular. The only person that wasn't charmed as far as Kevin could tell was Donna Wright. If anything she seemed wary and suspicious and Kevin suspected that perhaps she guessed what Chris's 'friend' status really entailed and disapproved. She didn't say anything though, so Kevin didn't bring it up either. Nick couldn't get enough of Chris, and he became so excited when Chris showed up at a rehearsal that they sometimes had to make Chris leave the room in order to get Nick to concentrate. Completely gone was the rude disgusted boy that first met Chris in the restaurant and brushed him off with distaste. Now Nick jumped on Chris's back when Chris entered the warehouse, hung on him during breaks, laughing high and loud, and begged Kevin to go out with them afterward, though Kevin rarely if ever said yes. "I'm a hit," Chris said, after Brian had helped to pry Nick away by bribing him with ice cream, so that the rest of them could go home. Next