Did Howie really think that Nick was just going to up and agree to tell the rest of the guys? I mean, I know that he's made progress in terms of telling other people, but telling AJ, Kevin, and Brian would make the situation too "real" for him. Right now, he can still walk away from Howie and pretend like the whole thing never happened. As long as nobody in Nick's immediate world knows about him and Howie than he's "safe".

I also think that he makes a good point in the sense that it wouldn't be good for the group if he and Howie went public. I'm trying to think about what would happen if this came up in real life. How many fans would peace out if two of the boys came out as being a gay couple? The whole concept of a boyband is a bunch of good looking guys that girls are supposed to lust over so that they spend tons of money. I know that the die-hard fans would stick around no matter what, but I'm willing to bet that the guys would lose a lot of the "nostalgia" crowd that still comes out to see them. No straight girl wants to scream for a gay man. I know that the guys are all married, but as long as they're straight, there will always be those women who think that they still have a "chance". If that "option" was gone (especially as far as Nick is concerned), I think that a lot of their fans would be gone too.

Thanks for the update! I'm looking forward to the next one!

Author's Response: Great points! "As long as nobody in Nick's immediate world knows about him and Howie than he's "safe"." <-- I think you hit the nail on the head with this. Your question about how many fans would lose interest if two of them came out as a couple in real life made me think. I don't think it would bother me any more than them being married to women, although it would definitely be weird at first, but I'm sure some fans would have a problem with it. I keep thinking of Lance and 'NSync, but it's different because he didn't come out until after the group had disbanded, and it's not like he was dating someone else from 'NSync. It's interesting to think about. I definitely prefer the bromantic relationship the Boys have with each other to any romantic ones, although it's been an interesting challenge to explore the latter in this story. Thanks for the review!

Yay for an update! I'm still here and reading - in case you were wondering. HAHA Anyways, I enjoyed this chapter, but I found it heartbreaking at the same time. I totally felt for Howie walking into his condo and not seeing any traces of his kids. I can't remember the last time that I walked into my own condo and didn't trip over some random toy!! LOL I'm curious to see where you're going to take this as things seem to be chugging along in about the best way that they can given the current circumstances. I know that you're not done with the drama!! :P

Author's Response: Thank you! I was wondering if ANYONE was still reading after how flaky I've been with updating, so it's nice to know at least one person is! I really appreciate it. I fully intend to keep updating this (hopefully more frequently than I have been) and finish it; I just got busy at the beginning of the school year and lost my writing mojo and never got it back until I had some time off. I need to try to stay more disciplined about making myself write on the weekends so that doesn't happen again. Anyway, thanks again for the review! I felt sad for Howie writing this chapter too; poor guy has lost just about everything, and his kids being gone must be the hardest part. I am definitely not done with the drama, so stay tuned! I intend to update again this weekend.

Well, this chapter just gave me all the feels! I think you hit it bang on with Howie's siblings already knowing. I mean, they know him better than anyone OF COURSE they would have an inkling that he was gay. Also, I loved that his sisters called Nick out and I love that Nick actually didn't run screaming from the house in terror. He's still a long way from going public with his feelings, but I feel as though his thought process is evolving in a very natural kind of way.

I am dying to find out what happens once they meet back up with the other guys!! I just need to know how they will react, because I have a pretty good idea that Nick and Howie won't be able to keep their secret for very long. :)

Author's Response: Aww, thanks! Yeah, I figured with as close as Howie's family seems and his siblings being older than him, they might have suspected. It was a big deal for him to come out to his family, but this was also an important chapter for Nick, getting over that hurdle of opening up to other people about his relationship with Howie. The group will be back together in the next few chapters, so you won't have to wait long to see what happens there. I'm going to post the new chapter today. Thanks for the review!

So, as soon as I read that line about the Kevin hotline I started to sing "Hotline Bling" by Drake! LOL Now, it's stuck in my head and probably will be for the entire day ... So, thanks for that. HAHA :P

Yay for Nick FINALLY calling the other boys! Let's get some full group bromance going! Or, it actually just occurred to me that, all of them being together may lead to a fight? Damn! I wish I hadn't thought of that. It doesn't matter. I'm still excited that Brian is on his way. I've missed his presence (and the other guys too, of course)!

Author's Response: LOL Thanks for getting it stuck in my head too; I HATE that song!! I think it was actually you that inspired me to have Nick call the guys in this chapter because you commented (on a chapter last summer, which is when I wrote this one) something about wanting the other guys to come back, so I started thinking of how I could work them back in sooner than anticipated. So the boys will be back in town very soon! Thanks for the suggestion and the review!

LOL at AJ's comment about Ava: "2.5 going on 23"! That is totally the situation in my house at the moment!!

Also, I can't believe that I didn't make the connection that it was Fifths disease. I was just handed an info sheet about it when I picked up my daughter from daycare last week as it's been going around in the Infant Room. (So far none of the kids in her room have gotten it though.) I really should start paying more attention, apparently.

The "group hung" bonding moment was sweet. I love the interaction between Nick and AJ; no sugar coating anything. AJ totally knows that Nick is potentially feeling a little something for Howie. Nick didn't recover quickly enough - I know it!! LOL

Author's Response: LOL My niece is also 2.5, so I get that! And what a coincidence... I'd heard of Fifth disease before, but didn't know much about it. I was trying to find something minor that had symptoms that could be signs of other complications and wouldn't be instantly recognizable, and it fit perfectly. Apparently it's most common in young children. Hope your daughter doesn't get it! I'm glad you liked the scene with the rest of the guys. It was fun writing them together after so long. Yeah, AJ might have his suspicions that the Howie/Nick situation is not completely one-sided after all. Thanks, Erika!

Oi! You know that I'm totally invested in this story and that I'm not going to stop reading, but that last bit was hard for me to read. Perhaps I will get used to the two of them being together as things progress? I'm not sure at this point. I've told you before that slash is hard for me to "get". You've written it well and the progression of Nick's feelings has been realistic. It's just hard for me to accept!! HAHA No worries on your end though; the problem is mine. :P

All of that being said, I am DYING to find out what will happen when all of the guys get out on tour. Can we please get a terrible reaction from Leighanne just so that she and Brian can have a fight and I can get a good laugh out of it?!

Author's Response: LOL It's okay, I totally get it. I don't think I will ever become a full-time slash writer. I've kind of gotten into it with this particular story, but I'll be honest and say I laugh through the writing of "romantic" scenes like the end of this chapter. I just can't take it seriously. That said, I appreciate you saying the progression of Nick's feelings has been realistic because I was worried about that. I knew he needed to make a move at this point in order to move things forward, but it still felt super awkward writing him doing it. LOL Love your Leighanne suggestion... we'll see! Thanks so much for the review and for sticking with this, even though the last part was hard to read.

*waves* Still reading!! I did more laughing than cringing during this chapter. It's refreshing to know that Nick feels as though he's God's gift to both men and women. *rolls eyes*

In all seriousness, Nick either needs to commit to the road he's started down with Howie or bail right now; like, right this very moment. The way he's thinking is not fair to Howie. The two of them won't be able to carry on if they both don't get on the same page. It doesn't matter what kind of relationship your're in; if one person is in "love" and the other person is "fooling around", it's not going to end well.

Anyways, I enjoyed Nick's perspective. Thanks for just alluding to his perspective about the "bedroom activities" as the previous chapter was more than enough for me!! :P

Author's Response: LOL Yay!! I bet that's exactly how Nick feels, and who in his whole adult life has ever given him reason to doubt it? LOL I think you hit the nail on the head with what you said about "love" vs. "fooling around" though. And you're welcome LOL; I definitely didn't want to go into anymore detail about their "bedroom activities" than I did, which was already farther than I thought I was going to go. I even tried reading some slash for "inspiration" when writing these two chapters, and all I did was giggle and cringe through those too. So I get it. Anyway, thanks for the review!!

I loved the Full House references!! I was obsessed with that show as a kid! Nick is totally Uncle Jesse, Brian is totally Uncle Joey, and it's a toss-up between Kevin or Howie for Danny. HAHA

My daughter calls all of my close friends "Auntie" and "Uncle" as well. She's probably closer to her "fake" aunts and uncles than she is to her "real" ones, so it makes sense as far as I'm concerned. I think it's a totally sweet gesture, and I love that Howie's kids refer to Nick as "Uncle Nick". :)

I had never once considered how Howie's highly Catholic family would respond to his new normal. Hmmm. I would like to think that his mama would accept him, but (like Howie) I have my doubts. Our generation is very accepting, but a lot of older people still aren't (sadly).

Also, your butt jokes are on point!! :)

Author's Response: Thanks! Full House was my fav show back in the day, too! I couldn't help but think of it with the two of them taking care of the kids together LOL. I don't know if the Backstreet kids really call the guys "uncle" or not, but I figure they are so like brothers, that's probably how the kids think of them when they're on tour together, as sort of surrogate uncles. I'd like to think that, anyway! Howie's family seems so close, I'd hope that they would accept him, but I also know how strong religious beliefs can change one's perception, especially in the older generation, so who knows. Glad you're enjoying the butt jokes! I can't help myself! LOL When I first thought of the idea for this story, it started out as a joke in the first place, and then when I decided to write it for real, it sounded like such a downer, I wasn't sure I would be able to get any comic relief in there, so I'm really enjoying this part of the story, where there's not SO much drama and I can work in some fun stuff. Thanks again for all your thoughts!