Around the World
a Backstreet Boys story
by bryanfan
"I BLESSED THE RAINS DOWN IN AFRICA!"
Howie was startled awake as the sounds of Toto's "Africa" blared through the airplane. He heard a low chuckle, as Kevin shifted in his seat.
"Kids. Playin' on the sound system."
"Where are we again?" Howie mumbled, still half asleep.
"Well, judging by the song selection, I would have to say that we are on our way to Cape Town."
"Smart ass." Howie rolled up on his side, glancing towards the front of the plane. Nick was bouncing around with his usual energy, shaking his butt to the music, as AJ circled him with a borrowed camera.
"Work it, own it, you sweet thang." AJ called out to Nick as he danced and sang along, playing it up for the camera.
"Good freakin' lord." Howie mumbled, turning his head and yawning into his pillow. "Aren't those two supposed to be sick?"
Kevin flipped open his magazine, rolling his eyes. "Have you ever met Nick? The kid is a live wire. And he and AJ just play off each other."
"Ugh." Howie mumbled, turning his face back down to his pillow. The Backstreet Boys were currently on a promotional tour preceding the release of their fourth album, "Black and Blue". The "Around the World" tour comprised of the group making stops on six continents in 100 hours, with the trip winding up in New York on the album release date. But of course, whenever the group was going to be under major media scrutiny and they needed to be on top of their game, someone always ended up coming down sick. While Howie was the most cold prone of the group, this one had actually started with Nick, spreading quickly to the other members. It was no wonder, seeing as they spent every waking minute with each other on this tour.
Howie stretched out facedown on one of the long couches built into the side of the plane, dropping his head back down on his folded arms. His head was pounding, his sinuses completely blocked. "This is the worst cold ever. You're so lucky you don't have this bug."
"It's the tofu-burgers. Good for ya'." Kevin was the most health-conscious of them, and usually the last of the five to come down with something, if at all.
Howie wrinkled his nose at the thought of tofu-based anything, causing the sneezy feeling he had been fighting all day to flare up. He ducked his head, muffling a quick "Kisssh! Eh-kisshoo!" into his pillow.
Shifting his weight to lean up on his hip, he snagged a tissue from the box Kevin held out to him. "Thank you." He quickly swiped at his nose.
"Here comes another reporter." Kevin said, poking him. Howie remained stretched out on the couch, but a noticeable change came over them as they assumed their game faces.
"Heh-chisssh!" A chorus of "Bless You's" greeted Brian as he entered the main room of the luxury jet. Rubbing his nose, he shrugged higher the blanket draped over his shoulders and surveyed the room. Kevin and Howie were talking with dark haired woman who appeared to be a reporter. She turned to comment to her cameraman, and Brian instantly recognized her. Katrina Maurer. The Boys and Kat were old friends, dating back to the earliest days of the group, when they were experiencing their first taste of success in Europe. Kat had been a reporter for a German entertainment magazine at the time, and had since worked her way up to a correspondent position for VIVA, the German equivalent of MTV. Their friendship with Kat was much like a little sister with four big brothers looking out for her. However, Nick was the exception. He was her co-conspirator. The two of them had been the brains behind many pranks pulled on the other guys.
Making his way over to the group he jumped on Howie, rolling across his back, legs flailing in the air. Howie burst into laughter at the unexpected, but very Brian-like display as his band mate cheesed for the cameraman.
"Brian, you remember Katrina Maurer . She's along interviewing us for a VIVA special feature." Kevin replied with a quick smile at their antics.
"Of course I remember her, Kev." Brian replied, pulling her up from her seat and into a hug. "Princess Kat, how are you darlin'?"
"Oh my god, the cutest Backstreet Boy just talked to me." Kat replied dryly returning his hug.
Pulling back, Brian grinned. "It's the curls. The ladies love a man with curly hair."
"Don't forget the huge nose." Kat laughed.
"Right, huge nose too. Speaking of whi-...which....Het-chissh!" Brian's features collapsed as he turned away quickly and sneezed into a curled fist.
"Gesundheit!" the others sing-songed with cheesy grins.
"Thank you. Freaks."
"So wait, curly hair and a big nose? Wouldn't that make me a shoo-in for cutest?" Howie teased.
Sinking down into the couch, Brian sniffed. "Only one truly scientific way to know D. Rock, paper, scissors?"
The two of them counted to three, pounding their fists into their open palms. Brian's flattened palm indicated paper, while Howie had his hand cupped, palm upturned, and fingers wiggling.
"What the heck is that?" Brian laughed.
"Fire. It beats everything." Howie deadpanned.
Kevin reached out, making a fist above Howie's "fire", and then extended his fingers making a hissing sound. "Water balloon. Beats fire."
"Well-played, Phoebe Buffay." Howie replied quirking an eyebrow, then breaking character as he and Kevin high-fived.
"Good lord, I warned AJ about giving you two those Friends tapes." Brian gently shoved Howie, the four of them cracking up.
"Okay fellas, enough joking around. I believe the lady has some questions for us." Kevin chided, motioning for Nick and AJ to join them.
All eyes turned towards Kat, as she flipped her notebook back to the correct page and resumed her questioning.
"How does Black & Blue compare to your previous album, Millenium, in regards to style and content?
"We wanted to expand the musical styling with this album. There are many different sounds, and some new ground, new material you know, that we are trying out this time around. We've creatively collaborated with several different composers, technicians, and producers who we've never worked with before and I think that it brings across a freshness in this album that was also present, but in different form, on the last album." Brian explained, exchanging looks of approval from his band mates as he spoke....
"....okay, I think that about wraps it up." Glancing over her notes one final time, she smiled with satisfaction. "I just had a few more questions that were selected from those submitted by fans via the internet. First off, Kevin: Boxers or Briefs?"
AJ immediately beamed, while his group mates all groaned, reaching for their billfolds. The "Boxer/Brief" issue was one of the most commonly heard questions in interviews. So common in fact, that they had begun taking bets on which boy would be asked in a particular interview.
"Two to one odds! Pay up fellas!" AJ rubbed his hands together with an evil cackle. Four twenty dollar bills dropped into his lap. "Daddy needs a new pair of shoes!"
The group erupted into laughter. Howie's laughter soon dissolved into a harsh coughing fit however, and Kat excused herself, promising to wrap-up the interview later. Kevin patted Howie's back as he muffled his body-wracking coughs into his pillow. Brian nudged him on the arm, offering him a bottle of water. He gratefully took the bottle and downed it quickly, calming his cough.
"Go get some rest D." Kevin nudged him as he sat upright. "Trying to sleep out here won't do you any good. We can take care of the interviews for the time being."
Howie nodded wearily. "Thanks man." He bumped his shoulder against Kevin's in appreciation, and rose, grabbing his pillow and making his way through the plane. Entering the bedroom, he grinned at what AJ repeatedly referred to as the "big ass freakin bed". Climbing across to the far side, he sighed at the comfort of the bed, hugged his pillow to his chest, and quickly fell asleep.
Cupping his hand to the side of his face to block the glare from the inside lights, Kevin peered out through the small porthole-like windows of the jet. It was a clear night but unfortunately, the moonlight was not bright enough to reveal anything beyond the wings of the plane. He wished that Kristin could be here. She was so good at keeping him from crashing during their downtime. But she was in LA, getting in some promotional work before the impending holidays. Besides the fellas had all agreed that their heads would be clearer and more focused if none of the girlfriends or wives were present for this trip. It was strictly a business trip, when it came down to it. Although he couldn't imagine many businessmen who spent workdays at a photo shoot surrounded by Catholic schoolgirls, or on private yacht tours of the Sydney Harbor.
The sound of a heavy sigh drew Kevin from his reverie. To his left, at the end of the bench seat, Brian was wedged in the corner against the wall on his cell phone. Judging by the low tone he was using, it was apparent whom his conversation was with. Pinching at the bridge of his nose, Brian squeezed his eyes shut. "It's just stress that's all. Jet lag on top of this cold, and this breakneck schedule. But there is a nice break for Thanksgiving, and we'll take care of it all then....Okay, but d...don't---het-chish!" Brian dipped forward from the force of the sneeze, then sniffed heavily. "Thank you. Okay, I'd better go...and don't worry, we'll work it out...Love you too....bye." The phone beeped as he disconnected the call.
"Leigh feeling lonely?"
Brian turned towards the source of the question. Raising one eyebrow at his cousin and sighing again, "Yeah, its tough. It's not like we've never been apart, or that we aren't used to the schedule demands, but -"
" -But you weren't newlyweds then either." Kevin finshed. Brian and Leighanne had only gotten married 3 months before, and this was the longest time the two of them had spent apart since before the wedding. And not only was it time apart, it was also a half a world apart.
"Besides she's in the middle of finding new management, and that's stressing her out. I want to be there to help, but I can't and it's just frustrating." Brian ruffled his hand through his honey-brown curls, slouching back against the seat.
This was the biggest pitfall of downtime. Their schedules were normally so hectic that they didn't have time to think about anything outside of Backstreet while "on the clock", so to speak. It was when they had free time that all the things they had been putting off worrying about came rushing at them like a tidal wave.
Kevin could see that the jet lag was really taking its toll on Brian. Hell, none of them had slept for more than two hours at a time since this whole thing started.
"Listen Bri. Leighanne, Kristin, our regular lives, we can worry about all of that later. Right now, we are doing something that all of us have dreamed about as kids. Look around us. This is where our fans brought us to, and they are out there in full force supporting us. That's what this whole trip is about, ya know. Of course promoting is a big part of it, but doing this is the least we can do for all the ones out there in the areas we haven't been to since the beginning, if at all. Don't get me wrong, I'm not preaching -"
"Just re-establishing perspective." Brian grinned. "I know cuz. And you're right."
The two of them glanced over at the sudden cheers erupting from the group in front of the Nintendo. Their good friend Paul, better known as Cubby, a radio DJ from Orlando who had come along on the trip sat Indian-style on the floor next to Nick, the two of them laughing and exchanging high-fives. Marcus and Carlos, AJ's and Kevin's security respectively, groaned as their team's quarterback was carried off the field on a stretcher. "Man, we lost Warner? We're screwed now."
Kevin rose, stretching his arms over his head. He slapped Brian's knee, "Come on. Backstreet poker. Set it up?"
Brian nodded, moving off to get the game.
Ambling over to the Nintendo tournament, Kevin ruffled Nick's hair. The young blond leaned backwards until he bumped Kevin's knees, looking up as Cubby and Marcus heckled each other's teams good-naturedly, Carlos looking on and laughing.
"Whats up Kev?"
"Backstreet poker. Big table. Five mintues." Kevin replied. Nick nodded, rolling his shoulders. "Where's Jay?"
"Crashing in the back. His sinuses were bothering him until Marcus found a bottle of Nyquil, and that knocked him out pretty good, the lucky bastard." Nick replied, pushing aside the Nintendo controllers and straightening his 6'2" frame.
Kevin knew Nick wanted to sleep, as they all did, but their bodies hadn't a chance to catch up to a time zone before another raced by.
He draped an arm across Nick's shoulders as the two strolled towards the large round table where Brian was busy setting up the game.
The group groaned collectively as Brian decided against playing yet another domino, after carefully analyzing the game board.
"Brian! Make your move already!" Kevin laughed as a teasing grin appeared on his cousin's face.
The remaining Backstreet Boys still suffering from insomnia, joined by Marcus and Carlos, had struck up a game of dominoes, or Backstreet poker, as they liked to call it. It had become band tradition to play dominoes when on the road. The pieces were heavier than cards and therefore didn't slip around as much when trying to play in a moving tour bus. It was a great way for them all to relax and unwind from the day's high-stress schedule and numerous interviews.
Carlos placed his piece on the game board, and Nick counted the points in play, before turning to his bank of dominoes.
As the conversation floated around them, Brian noticed that Nick looked as if he was a million miles away, his forehead wrinkled and his eyes unfocused. Then in one swift movement, Nick turned to the side, his hand hovering near his face, and with a quick gasp...
"Eh-tisch! Tisch! Tisch!" His eyes remained squeezed shut, the tickling sensation so strong that it didn't even allow time for a breath between sneezes. After the third, he opened his watery eyes, although his expression remained twitchy.
"Ble -"
"EH-TISCHOOO!" Nick gasped with relief as the fourth and final sneeze arrived, bending him at the waist. "God that felt good to get out!"
"Bless you, little man!"
Nick grinned at the endearment, rubbing at his nose with one knuckle, and pushing his domino into place. "Fifteen points. Sniff!"
Kevin laughed, shaking his head as he marked the points under Nick's column on the score sheet.
As the game continued, Nick's cold symptoms became progressively worse. Plenty of coughing and sniffling, but worse was the endlessly ticklish feeling in his nose that resulted in sneezing fit after sneezing fit, but never quite abated. After awhile, Nick excused himself from the game, heading for the bathroom. He spied AJ's bottle of Nyquil when passing through the bedroom, and snagged it, continuing on. Closing the door to the bathroom, Nick quickly unrolled a handful of toilet paper, pressing it to his nose, his head reared back with a desperate "Eh...heh-heh!" prepared to sneeze yet again, when it suddenly froze. The itch spidered throughout his sinuses, but somehow would not allow him the release of this sneeze. After a few gasping inhales, he blinked rapidly, catching his eye on the overhead light. His head snapped down repeatedly with release, "EH-TISCH! HEH-TISCH! TISCH! TISCH! Heh-heh-heh...EH-TISCHOOO!"
"Ugh. Enough already." After blowing his nose thoroughly, Nick uncapped the medicine bottle, taking a quick swig of the thick green liquid. Grimacing at the bitter taste, he turned on the sink faucet, drinking from his cupped hands and then splashing his face with cool water.
Wiping his face with the bottom edge of his t-shirt, Nick headed back towards the main room.
"Hey Carter, heads up!" Nick glanced up just in time to reflexively catch the box of tissues flying at his head. "Kleenex is your friend."
Nick grinned at Brian, sniffing loudly and obnoxiously just for his benefit.
"Punk." Brian ruffed Nick's hair as he walked past. "I'm gettin' some sleep dude."
"Night." Nick called over his shoulder, then turned back lazily surveying the room. The domino game had long since been packed up. Marcus and Carlos were dozing on couches near the front of the plane, while Kevin lay stretched out on the other end of Nick's couch, Kevin's posture mimicking his own.
As he softly blew his nose, wincing at the soreness that was beginning to appear from overuse, he studied his bandmate. Kevin had one arm bent behind his head, his elbow jutting out as he studied the paperback book before him, the cover curled back, occasionally licking the tip of his finger to turn a page.
Nick bent his ankle, tapping his foot against the other man's. "Whatcha readin' Kev?"
Kevin glanced up, seeing a sleepy-eyed Nick opposite him. "The Horse Whisperer. It's about someone who has a special gift regarding horses, the ability to understand them and make them understand him, by way of 'whispering' rather than using physical domination. I know that Montana is nothing like Kentucky really, but it still reminds me of being back home. Taking care of the horses for the camp and riding with Jerry and Tim."
Nick crinkled his forehead. "Whispering to horses? Doesn't make sense to me, but if you say so, then alright."
Crossing his arms over his chest and closing his eyes, Nick questioned around a yawn, "Speaking of Jerry and Tim, how is little Will? Have you seen him lately? How old is he getting now?"
Kevin beamed at the question. He adored his little nephew Will. "I haven't seen him since the wedding this summer, but Mom sent me some new pictures. He's three now and just started pre-school. Jerry took him out trick-or-treating this year for the first time and he said Will was all excited about his costume. They dressed him up as a racecar driver, and he even had a little soapbox racer that Tim found out in one of the old barns that was left behind from when we were kids. I tried sending him a -"
Kevin was interrupted by a soft snore. The young blond lay sleeping, his right hand propped up against his cheek, his mouth slightly open, unable to breathe properly through his cold. His medicine must have finally started to kick in. Good thing too, the kid could really use some sleep. The makeup woman would have a fit when she saw the dark circles under their eyes in the morning.
Before Kevin could return to his book, his cell phone rang loudly. He silently cursed himself for forgetting to turn the ringer volume back down after the loud dinner that night on the plane. He moved quickly to answer it before it woke anyone, but Nick started awake at the first shrill ring.
Looking around confusedly, Nick blinked at the overhead light, and then turned to duck his head under his raised elbow, sneezing a weary sounding "Chissh!"
"No Kris, its okay...hang on just a second." Pressing the phone against his shoulder, Kevin reached over, patting Nick's shoulder. "Why don't you head to the back to sleep? Quieter room and a comfortable bed sound good, right?"
Nick nodded sleepily, dragging himself into a standing position, and stumbling still half-asleep through the door to the bedroom.
Entering the tiny bedroom, he slid into the only vacant spot on the bed, and rolled onto his back. His entire body seemed to sigh with pleasure at the extreme comfort of the soft mattress as he slipped into a deep sleep.
Cracking one eye open, Kevin groaned as Carlos shook his shoulder again to wake him.
"What are you doin' man? I'm beat."
"Hey Sleeping Beauty. We'll be landing in about an hour. And besides, you SO have to come see this."
Kevin wearily pulled himself from the comfort of his couch and blanket. Carlos gently pushed him towards the bedroom door. Entering, Kevin could see small glints of daylight shining through the slightly raised plane window shutters. But the most surprising thing was the sight of his four band mates, all stretched out side-by-side on the one bed. They had spent most of the trip so far in good-natured bickering over who retained temporary ownership of the bed. Seeing them each staking their own claim on it brought forth a soft laugh from the oldest member. Carlos tapped him on the shoulder, motioning for him to take the camera he was holding. The two exchanged a look, slow smiles spreading across their faces, one thought standing out in both of their minds. Blackmail.
The two snapped several pictures of the scene, before quietly backing out of the room to allow them at least a few more minutes of uninterrupted slumber. At the door, Kevin paused taking a final look at his little brothers. Pride in what they had achieved together swelled in his heart as he looked upon them. Then turning, he exited the room, closing the door softly behind him and whispering the line he had heard AJ use earlier in the trip. "The tightest we've ever been. Nobody can touch us..."
I do not own the Backstreet Boys (but how cool would that be?). I do not personally know them, work for them, nor am I in any way affiliated with them, their wives/girlfriends, their families, or JIVE records. I am simply a very dedicated fan, living vicariously through my writing. A/N: I have included a link containing pictures that coincide with my story. Go here, and the pictures are in order by the way they relate to the fic. Please check out the pics, because they really do help with the "awww" factor. During the real "Around The World" trip, all of the boys were sick with colds, so there is a teeny bit of reality to the relationship between the pics and the fic. Also, for a bit of backgrounding, the trip this fic is based on took place in November of 2000, about a week before Thanksgiving. Finally, a big MUAH goes out to my beta, Mahtalie. I'd never finish anything without you keeping me motivated girlie. Enjoy the story!