...who the fuck said I was in love with him?!...

"AJ?!" Chris, still trapped in Nick's body, yelled at Joey, Howie and Nick, who at least had the decency of looking guilty in Chris's body. "AJ is straight!!!"

"We know!" Nick interrupted. "That's what makes it harder!"

"But he's not in love with AJ!" Joey said, hugging the startled Howie. "I…"

"What gave you that idea, anyway?" Chris continued, as if he hadn't even heard Joey defend him. Part of him was glad that his true love remained a secret, but most of him was too tired of being Nick Carter.

"You kissed him." Howie pointed out, only to be shushed by Joey's hand.

"I wasn't about to let Nick's lips kiss the one I love!" Chris answered, outraged. "Besides, I didn't know if he would like it!"

"So, you know now?" Joey joked, only to earn a Chris-Nick glare.

"Not yet. But…" Chris frowned, looking idiotically cute in Nick's body. "I'm tired. I'm going to solve this right now."

* * *

"Hey."

"Hey… Nick? What's…?"

"Just listen man… I've got something to tell you… Can you come to Chris Kirkpatrick's house tonight? Around 10:00?"

"I… Sure, but…"

"I'll explain everything here. Just… just come, please…"

"All right. I'll be there… Just… Just don't do something stupid, please."

* * *

               Justin arrived at Chris's house around 9:00 p.m. He had received Nick's call and was incredibly worried.

               Because Nick had sounded far too nervous.

"Hi, Justin." Joey opened the door, looking sullen. It was then when Justin knew that whatever was going on, was serious. Only that he didn't understood what Joey was doing there… Or why Howie D. was there too, sitting on Chris's couch.

               The first thing that came to his mind was that somehow Jive had found out about his date with Nick and now were forbidding them to see each other.

               And that brought a cold shiver down his spine.

"Joe… What's going on?"

"You will find out soon enough." Joey answered, sitting next to Howie, who immediately hugged the bigger man. And before Justin could ask them if what he feared was the truth, Chris and Nick entered the room.

               Only that, for a second, neither of them looked right. Their body language was completely different, and Justin had to blink to convince his mind that his eyes were wrong.

               Chris was fidgeting. That in itself wasn't unusual, except that Chris hadn't been that nervous in weeks. Months maybe.

               Nick, on the other hand, was extremely serious.

"Nick?" Justin walked forward, but Nick shook his head in a gesture that seemed alien in the younger Backstreet boy and still was very familiar to Justin. Only that he couldn't pinpoint why it was familiar.

"I'll explain everything, J." Nick said, the words sounding weird. Nick never called him J, but that wasn't what put Justin on his guard. It was the tone. The tone that said 'I'm older, so let me explain it', and that sounded too out of place in Nick Carter's mouth.

"But…" Justin tried one more time, trying to understand why Nick would treat him like that.

"Just let him talk, Justin." Chris interrupted, and then Justin knew that something was going on. Because now, more than ever, Chris didn't sound like Chris at all.

"It'll be quick." Nick smiled, weakly. "I mean… the easiest thing would be to just tell you what's going on and that's it. But Joe and Howie said that wouldn't work and we'd be stuck like this."

"Like what?" Justin frowned. There was something about the way Nick was talking that was very familiar, but he still couldn't pinpoint it.

"You'll see." Nick explained, and turned to see Chris. "Go ahead, pretty boy. Take off the contacts."

               Justin was going to ask why Nick was calling Chris 'pretty boy', or what did he thought Chris' would prove by taking out the contacts everyone knew he wore, when Chris bend, blink and catch something in the palm of his hand.

               Then Chris turned to see him and forgot what he was going to say because Chris was looking at him with blue eyes, so deep and blue that they almost shone under the dark bangs of his friend's hair.

               And Justin knew that no contact lenses could look like that, because he knew those eyes very well. He had seen them in T.V. and a couple of times up close many times. Only that never so close, and never looking at him with such emotion.

               With such raw love.

"Justin… I…" The weird blue-eyed Chris began, but Justin shushed him, putting his hand over Chris's lips.

               He wanted to see those blue eyes.

"Nick?" Justin whispered, and the blue-eyed Chris nodded, tears making his eyes shine even more. "But… how?"

"Long story, J." The other Nick, the fake Nick whose movements now Justin recognized as Chris's said. "But it's o.k. You recognized him, and you love him as much as he loves you so… well, we only have to hope I get as lucky and we'll be back in our rightful bodies."

               Justin stayed silent for a moment, digesting everything Chris had said, and remembering the past months from the day when Chris had cut his braids, to Nick's coming out… And finding it easy to believe that all that time, the one he believed to be his band mate was in fact, Nick Carter. And he wanted to kiss Nick, to tell him everything was going to be fine… Only that kissing Chris's lips didn't seem right. Not when…

"Wait a second!" He said, finally understanding everything. "The one you love doesn't love you back… AJ is straight!"

               It was funny, Justin thought later, to see Nick's body doing a full-fledged Chris tantrum.

"I am not in love with AJ McLean!!" Chris yelled, and shook his head. "And after all that's happened, I'm sure I don't want you all finding out who I love. And he's coming here in a few minutes. So go upstairs and talk while I wait for him!"

               Justin wanted to stay, to tease Chris and find out which Backstreet Boy was the one who had stolen Chris's heart if it wasn't AJ. He knew it wasn't Nick. If it were Nick, things would get complicated. And it was obvious that Howie was very much taken by Joey. So that left the straight AJ, and…

"Let's go." Nick interrupted his thoughts, and Justin wished that things were solved fast because seeing Nick's blue eyes in Chris's face was unnerving him. "He'll tell us in time."

               And since Justin couldn't just say no to Nick, he followed the other man upstairs.

* * *

               Chris waited for a few minutes until Joey and Howie left the room before letting out a big breath. So far everything had gone perfect, but he knew that things got a way of not coming out right when you needed them to.

               Especially now that he was going to be face to face with his unrequited love.

               He started to take off one of the contacts, which was itching like crazy, when the doorbell rang.

"Oh, shit." He mumbled and breathing deeply he went to open the door.

* * *

"Hi."

"Hi…"

"Can I come in?"

"Sure. I… Just… make yourself at home."

* * *

"Can you hear anything?" Justin asked Nick. Both were glued to the door of Chris's guest room, their left ears plastered against the wood, trying to hear the voice of Chris's love.

"No. Either they are talking too low or they aren't talking at all." Nick answered, trying to keep his voice low.

               Sure, they were supposed to use the time alone to get to know each other better, but both wanted to wait until Nick was in the right body.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me Chris wasn't in love with AJ?" Howie asked Joey, as they made themselves at home in Chris's second guest room.

"I thought you knew he wasn't." Joey answered, hugging him tenderly. "I thought it was obvious Chris loved someone else."

"Well… I was distracted." Howie said. And to end all possible discussion he kissed Joey before the Italian could think something to say.

* * *

               Ten minutes passed, and despite the fact that he had been cool and focused while talking to Justin, Chris simply couldn't find the words to talk to the man sitting on his couch.

               He had gone through every conversation opener he knew, tested it in his mind, and found it lacking. Thus, there was a long, long uncomfortable silence hanging between them.

               Finally, and just as Chris was opening Nick's mouth to say something that would probably come out wrong, his secret crush sighed, smiled, and broke the silence with his low voice.

"Can I ask you something?" The man said, gazing at Chris with calm, warm, brown eyes.

"Sure…" Chris answered, and for the first time in months his voice came out in just the exact high pitch he had always had. Unfortunately, with Nick's tone of voice, it sounded whinny.

"Did you finally told the whole truth to Justin, or is Nick upstairs convincing him we need some 'band time' before telling us that Howie is dating Joey?"

               Chris blinked once, opened Nick's mouth, and pinched himself just to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"What did you say?"

* * *

               Kevin chuckled.

               After all, the expression of pure shock in Nick's face was something he never expected to see, especially since it was a very un-Nick gesture. In fact, Kevin suspected it was the first true 100% Chris Kirkpatrick expression he had seen.

               And he liked it.

               But he was hoping for other expression that night, he was hoping that he would finally see Chris's face instead of Nick… and thus, he had to explain himself.

"Chris… did you really think I wouldn't realize what had happened?" At Chris's shocked nod, Kevin smiled and continued. "I knew that you were not Nick the very second you stepped in the rehearsal room with dark glasses on. And I knew it was you when you got angry at Nick for cutting your braids off."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Chris asked, finally regaining the use of Nick's vocal chords.

"What could I say?" Kevin shook his head. "I just hoped you two would solve it. I was about to tell you something when you kissed AJ and outed Nick but… then you started to avoid me."

               That was true, and that was what had hurt Kevin the most. Now, he wasn't used to spend a lot of time with the real Nick, that was Brian's place, but ever since the change he had enjoyed Chris's company a lot. So much that he looked forward the few moments they could spend together… and then Chris had gone out of his way not to be left alone with him.

"You… I…" Chris seemed at a loss for words, and that made Kevin's smile grow wider. "Wait! How did you know about Howie and Joey?"

"I saw their cars in the driveway." Kevin laughed, and tired of the question game he got to his feet. He grabbed Nick's chin and looked into Chris's eyes. "Are you going to take those contacts off? I want to see your eyes."

               Chris obeyed and Kevin got his first good close look at Chris's eyes. Then it made sense to him that Chris had used colored contacts the whole time. Not only did Nick's face looked weird with those golden chocolate eyes, it would have been impossible to hide that Chris's soul was in that body.

"I want to kiss you." Kevin said, his voice not giving room for doubt. "But I can't. Not while you look like Nick."

* * *

               Chris was going to answer but then he felt dizzy. He closed his eyes for a second, heard Kevin's concerned voice…

               And opened his eyes to find himself face to face with a very worried Justin.

"Nick?" Justin asked, frowning.

               That was all Chris needed. He grinned widely, fully aware that his body no longer felt too big or too clumsy. "Guess again, J."

"Chris?! You're back?" Justin looked completely surprised for a second, before hugging Chris with all his strength. "Wait… that means that Nick is…"

"Outside the room." Nick's voice answered him, and Justin opened the door and threw himself at Nick , who seemed as happy as Chris to be back in his rightful body.

"All right. I'll leave you two alone. I need to go back downstairs." Chris said, completely sure that neither of the younger men was paying attention to him.

               Although if he had just stayed for a second he would have been proved wrong.

"Justin, you're never going to believe who's downstairs with Chris…" Nick said, but his phrase was cut short by a very, very long kiss.

* * *

"You knew all the time." Chris stated, still getting used to use his own voice again.

"Yeah." Kevin smiled, playing with Chris's beard. "All the time."

"But… but how?! I had everyone fooled! My act was flawless!" Chris pouted. He had made quite an effort to act like the favorite Backstreet Boy ever. Like the cute, clean, and incredibly whinny Nick Carter. He had been even better than Justin as the 'golden boy' of the boyband.

               Well, except for the coming out thing.

               And the two dozen girlfriends he had had before that.

"I know Nick since he was 14, Chris." Kevin explained, chuckling softly. "It's hard not to notice some changes. And…"

"And?" Chris pressed. Usually, he was too nervous around Kevin Richardson to think straight, but in this particular case he knew that Kevin loved him too, that Kevin wanted him too. If not, why he was back in his body?

"And I memorized long ago the way you move… Why do you think we always knew what *N Sync was doing?"

"You kept a close eye on your rivals?" Chris offered, grinning as Kevin leaned closer to him.

"No. I kept an eye on you." Kevin whispered as he finally kissed Chris's lips.

* * *

               It was around 11:00 a.m. when Joey finally left the bed and decided to join his lover and friends downstairs in Chris's kitchen.

"You must have seen wrong." Justin's voice reached Joey's ears, and he supposed that they were discussing last night's happenings. "It couldn't be Kevin."

"I saw Kevin." Nick answered. "I know my band mates!"

"Look, Justin… if Nick says he saw Kevin, then Kevin was the one with Chris…" Now Howie joined in the argument just as Joey crossed the kitchen door and went straight to hug him, kissing his neck.

"Back in your body, Nick?" Joey asked very nonchalantly as Howie fed him his toast.

"And not planning to leave it ever again." Nick smiled him a perfect smile as he downed a glass of water and served himself another. "I have to loose a ton now!"

"You look just fine." Justin told him, and shook his head. "Now, Joey… You're the one who knows the truth… Chris is in love with Kevin Richardson or Nick was seeing things last night?"

"Chris is…" Joey began to answer, when Chris's voice interrupted him.

"Right behind you." The chirpy man said, coming into the kitchen, grabbing a piece of bread from the counter and biting it. "And yes, I'm in love with a Backstreet Boy. Any of you have a problem with that?"

               He said it smiling, and Joey just looked at Howie, and Justin looked at Nick… And no. There was no problem at all with Chris being in love with Kevin.

               Kevin came in a few minutes later, and they all sat to a quiet breakfast, fully aware that they soon would have to leave, each to join their own band.

               This comfortable silent was suddenly broken by Chris's laugh, making all of them turn to see him.

"What's wrong?" Kevin asked, leaning down to check on his lover.

"Nothing…" Chris smiled, kissing him gently. "I just realized… 3 out of 5 Nsyncers are gay… 3 out of 5 Backstreet Boys are gay…"

"Yeah, and?" Nick frowned. It wasn't as if he had much trouble with that. Thanks to Chris, everyone knew he was gay.

"Well… Who's going to break the news to Brian?!"

The end.