Title: Candy Hearts and Chocolate Kisses Author:Jules - mailto:goddess_julie@just-in-dreams.com Part:1/1 Pairing:TimberNick Rating:PG-13 for language (no smut, sorry) Disclaimer:I am not making assumptions on the sexuality of both of these men. It is fiction for entertainment purposes only Warning:Slash warning. Bigroupal warning Notes:This is in response to the TimberNick Slash list challenge. We had to use the phrase 'parmesan cheese'. Also, in lieu of this Friday being Valentine's Day, it has a Valentine's theme! I do not know if the Lakers have a home game on Friday night. Just pretend for me! Oooh, and usually I have my fics stationed out of Florida (either Tampa or Orlando, I change from time to time.. This time I decided it was going to be an LA based fic. Just to be different!). ~~~~~~~~~~~ Candy Hearts and Chocolate Kisses by Jules Justin looked at the calendar on the wall, his mouth breaking out in a huge grin. Friday's date had a big red heart around it reminding him of what the special occasion was. Valentine's day. A day of the year he used to hate. It was the one day of the year that he felt pressured to prove his love and affection to whomever it was he was dating at that particular time. It wasn't that he was against showing that OEspecial' person how he felt about them, it was more that he didn't appreciate the obligation to do so. You could buy your lover a dozen roses every single day of the year, but watch out if you happened to forget to do so on February 14th, the official most romantic day of the year. That was what pissed him off. Having to profess his love on that day, as if forgetting meant that you didn't really love them. Plus, he hated the way their eyes lit up, expecting something extravagant and expensive in whatever package it was that he was giving them. That he was being judged on whatever present he bought for them. At least, that's the way it had used to be. The day of the year that he used to dread was no longer a dark cloud for him. For the second year in a row, Valentine's day was a day that he had been anticipating, although he wasn't sure how he was going to top last year's. His whole outlook had changed, and it was all because of one person. One incredibly beautiful, amazing, sexy, individual. Nick Carter. Justin's cheeks reddened slightly, his temperature rising at the thought of his lover. This was going to be their second Valentine's day together and it was Justin's turn. Justin's turn to celebrate. They had only been together for three months when V-day had come around the year before and Justin had admitted rather candidly one night, that he hated February 14th and everything it represented. Nick had laughed, figuring that the younger man was being melodramatic, but once Justin had indulged him in a few of his horror stories, Nick realized that he was telling the truth. Justin could still hear Nick's voice in his ears as he remembered back to that conversation. "Well, how about this. You give me this Valentine's day. You let me take care of everything and we'll see if I can change your mind on how shitty February 14th is." Justin had been skeptical, figuring that nothing Nick could do could erase his feelings on that day. He had never been so wrong in his life. Nick had taken every opportunity to shower Justin with romance and affection, showing him that it didn't have to entail expensive gifts and extravagance. It was the little things that you did that made the OEholiday' special. Curled up together in bed after spending the whole evening making love to each other, Nick looked Justin in the eye and said in all seriousness, "every day can be like Valentine's day if you let it, but on February 14th, you have the opportunity to be down right cheesy. Anything goes and you can blame it on Cupid's arrows or something like that. But J, baby ...it's an excuse to be as sweet and romantic as you want to be. If you're lucky enough to find love, any excuse to celebrate it should be commended." The expression on Nick's face, the love in his eyes changed his views on Valentine's day forever. Nick had given himself all day in the little things he had done expecting nothing in return. No gifts were exchanged and Nick treated Justin like royalty from the moment he woke up, to the moment he fell asleep. He had never experienced that type of unconditional love before and it had shaken Justin to the core. All Nick had said was, "you got next," before kissing him good night. And Justin had thought all year on what to do for his lover. "What are you thinkin about J?" Nick's voice startled Justin out of his daze. He turned around to find his lover

		leaning back against the fridge, legs crossed at the ankles, arms crossed over his chest. Nick had a huge grin on his face as Justin crossed the room to greet him with a brief kiss on the lips. "Us." "What about us?" "How perfect you are. How happy you make me." Justin saw Nick's face soften and his cheeks turn a light shade of crimson in embarrassment. His stomach fluttered at the sight. "I'm serious baby. I'm so lucky to have you." Nick's arms wrapped around his waist tightly, pulling Justin close to his body. "I'm the lucky one," Nick whispered softly before covering Justin's mouth with his own, starting them on a slow, leisurely kiss. When they broke apart, Justin rested his forehead against Nick's, their eyes locked. "But seriously, what were you thinkin about?" "Valentine's day. Your surprises..." "J.. Don't go to too much trouble baby." Nick kissed Justin again, stroking his face gently with his right hand. "I don't need anything..." "Shhhhh. It's not what you need, it's what you deserve. And I want to show you how special you are to me. What you mean to me." "But no presents. It's not about what you can buy me. You know that your love is enough for me." "I know baby. Don't worry about it, it's all taken care of." Justin took a nip at Nick's lower lip before pulling away and winking at his lover. He had a few more days to complete his perfect Valentine's day plan. Nick wouldn't know what hit him. ~~~~~~ Nick woke up to darkness. He tried to open his eyes but there was something covering them, preventing him from seeing. As he tried to reach up to his eyes and remove whatever was covering them, he found that he couldn't move his hands. They were tied together. "Fuck..." He groaned, panic rising. "Who's there?" "Shhhh." The voice whispered against his neck causing him to jump. "You'll find out soon enough pretty boy." Nick felt goose bumps cover his skin and he flinched causing the person to chuckle. "Don't worry Nicky boy, I'm not going to hurt you. I value my life ...not to mention my reproduction capabilities too much to do that." Nick couldn't make out the voice, but noticed that their touch was gentle. They managed to sit him up and help him into a pair of jeans. He'd only worn a pair of boxers and a tee shirt to bed, and now he was thankful he'd put that on. God knows what the person would have done had they found him how he usually slept, naked. As if they were thinking the same thing, the person spoke, "I have it on good authority that you sleep in the buff. I appreciate the fact that for some reason last night, you decided to wear clothes to bed. That's a sight I definitely don't need to be witnessing." Nick had come to the conclusion that the person holding him captive was a male. The stubble against his cheek when they leaned in close to talk was evidence of that, but because they were whispering, Nick couldn't figure out who it was. He was still trembling slightly and they noticed. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." "Then why the fuck do I need to be bound at the wrists?" "Because you'll try to take off the blindfold." "Why the fuck do I need the blindfold?" They tried to pull him to his feet, but Nick protested, letting his body go lax and refusing to cooperate. He heard them sigh in frustration and he held back a grin. "Because it's a surprise. Now either help me out here or you'll be carried. Either way you're coming with me." Nick didn't move. He'd made his decision. "Fine. We do it your way." And suddenly whoever it was stepped away, leaving Nick wondering what the fuck was going on. He cocked his head to the side trying to hear what was going on but there was silence. After a few seconds he heard someone come back into the room. With a squeal, he felt himself being lifted effortlessly. As if he wasn't 6 feet and 200 pounds. "What the fuck?" "He gave you a choice. Walk or be walked. You made your choice, push came to shove and I'm carrying you out." This wasn't the same person who had been talking earlier. This person was using their full voice, a voice Nick

		didn't recognize. "Hey...." "We've got your wallet and keys. We'll lock up. Don't worry. Just relax and enjoy the ride." Nick couldn't explain it but he wasn't as freaked out as he probably should be. They hadn't really done anything to make him uncomfortable, in fact repeatedly telling him that he was safe. So rather than think too much about it, he did as was suggested, relaxed and waited for whatever was to come, to come. Carefully he felt himself being placed in some sort of vehicle and driven around. "Where we going?" Nick asked, not expecting an answer but asking all the same. "After all that, you're just asking now?" "Making conversation." "You'll find out when we get there." "How long till we're there?" "I'll let you know." The music in the car was turned up and Nick took that as a sign to stop talking. Shrugging he leaned back into the seat and tried to think about where the hell he was going and who was behind it all. He figured it was Justin, but wasn't entirely sure. The other guys had been known to do something like this before as some sort of practical joke. In fact, he'd done it before as well so he knew to expect almost anything. The last time they'd taken AJ out into the middle of the desert and stripped him almost naked, leaving him there to find his way to where they were waiting for him. Nick chuckled at the memories of how pissed off AJ had been. He jumped when he felt something land on his lap. "Happy Valentine's day pretty boy." The person beside him in the back seat whispered. Nick felt a cloth bag, pulling the ribbon off blindly. His fingers dipped in grabbing a few of the contents. Feeling it out, he realized that they were Hershey's Kisses and Cinnamon Hearts, two of his favourite things about Valentine's Day. He unwrapped a few of the chocolates and put them into his mouth, savouring the rich chocolate on his tongue. If one thing, the loss of sight had heightened his other senses, the taste of the chocolate intensified. "Want one?" he offered. "No. Thanks." Nick shrugged before eating a few more. Once he'd had enough of the chocolates he popped a few of the cinnamon hearts into his mouth. Suddenly the car stopped and Nick felt the engine cut. "We're here." He felt himself being pulled from the vehicle and pulled in one direction. Nick tried to figure out where they were by the sounds around him, but there was nothing too distinctive. They went inside somewhere and Nick knew it was a large building by the echo of their feet. He walked until he was stopped. "Stay there." Suddenly, Nick felt goose bumps cover his skin, his pulse racing and stomach fluttering. He tensed as someone approached him. "It's okay. I'm going to untie your hands. Don't touch the blindfold until I say okay." He voice paused and Nick didn't move. "Please?" "Okay," Nick whispered back this time, his voice barely audible. He was trembling in anticipation, biting his lower lip nervously. His hands were freed and Nick's first instinct was to flex them to get the blood flowing to his fingers again. There was movement around him and Nick held his breath, waiting for the sign to remove the blindfold. Finally, it came. "Okay Nick. You can take it off now." Slowly, Nick raised his arms behind his head and felt around for the knot holding the blindfold on. The material was a bandana and he instantly giggled. Justin. It was at that moment he knew who orchestrated it all. Justin. Nick's eyes were still closed when he'd fully removed the blindfold. He took a deep breath before opening his eyes, shocked to see that he was in an arena. On the sidelines of a basketball court to be exact, standing on a red carpet that led to centre court. Where Justin was standing holding onto a single red rose, a giant grin on his face. Nick's stomach fluttered a few more times. "Happy Valentine's Day baby." Justin said, loud enough to echo just a little. "Holy fuck." Nick said, not moving a muscle. There was a table set for two with candles and flowers. A cart with two settings on it and a bottle of champagne chilling. Nick looked to his side and saw Joey grinning at him

		along side a huge man he'd never seen before. That must have been the one to carry him from the house to the car. "Nicky. Happy valentines day," Joey said as he approached. He gave Nick a brief kiss on the cheek with a slap to his ass. "Don't hate us too much." All Nick could do was nod dumbly. And with that, they were alone. Him and Justin. On the same court that the Lakers played every home game. There weren't any words to describe what Nick was feeling at that moment. Looking up, he noticed that Justin was now directly in front of him. "You okay baby?" "You did all this? For me?" Justin grinned as he grabbed Nick's hand and led him to the table. "Of course. We're going to have breakfast and then when we're done, we're gonna practice with the Lakers...." Justin paused when he saw Nick's eyes light up. "Yeah. I made a few phone calls and hooked us up babe. Then we're going to go for dinner and come back for the game. Court side seats. Nothing's too good for my baby." Justin sat Nick down and kissed his forehead softly. "And then, when the game's over we're gonna go home and celebrate... just the two of us." Nick trembled as Justin's voice lowered, getting husky. "How does that sound?" "I love you so much baby." "Me too Nicky." Out of the corner of Nick's eye he saw the bench, covered with clothing. It was a Laker's jersey with his name on it, as well as about 10 different Nike boxes, all in his size. When Justin saw what he was looking at, he grinned. "Can't have you playing in what you're wearing. I made a phone call and gave the manager your shoe size. He happened to send me the top ten best selling shoes, in both of our sizes, so we can pick out the ones we like best. Same with the Lakers' outfitters. You've got your choice of home and away jerseys...." "I told you no presents...." Nick started. He stopped when Justin raised a finger to his lips. "I didn't buy you anything." Justin grinned, winking at his lover. "Being Justin Timberlake has a few perks." Justin handed Nick a plate while grabbing one of his own. He squeezed Nick's hand affectionately, waiting for his lover to oncover his plate. When Nick pulled the top off of his plate and gasped when he saw what was underneath. "Is this...?" "It's a fritata," Justin blushed, taking his own cover off of his plate. "Like an ommelete ..but different." "And it's shaped like a heart." "Yeah. I thought it might be too corny..." "Nah. It's amazing. Did you make this?" Justin nodded, blushing even more. "Yeah... The red is tomato, and there's a hint of onion." Nick cut a small piece from the bottom and put it in his mouth, savouring the taste of his Valentine's day breakfast. He grinned as he took antoher bite, Justin watching closely. There was something that he couldn't exactly decipher what it was. "What's that taste ...it's...." "Parmasean cheese. Joey gave me the recipe, says his mom always uses parmasean. It gives it a little kick." "She's right." Nick stood up and moved his chair so that he was directly beside his lover, pulling him in for a deeply tender kiss, their tongues pressing together erotically. "Thank you so much baby. For everything. For going through all this trouble, for knowing me so well and surprising me with the most perfect Valentine's day ever." "You did the same for me last year Nicky, I just wanted to show you how much I love you. Show you that ....you're my everything and I would do anything for you." "Even cook me breakfast!" "Every morning if you wanted." Nick caressed Justin's cheek with his thumb, as they gazed into each other's eyes, mouths inches apart. "Nah, not every morning Because then this wouldn't be as special." "The day is just beginning Nicky."

		FINIS