Finally Clued In
By Funkiechick
(Okay, this is specifically dedicated to a very cool chickadee. Her name is Shinigami Nanoda-also known as Stephanie-and I wuv her. So she gets a Mush/Blink fic. Love ya hunny! The title is some lyrics from a great Sloan song called 'I'm Not Through With You Yet' from the album Navy Blues. Listen to it, it fits this fic perfectly.)
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It was late and the most annoying thing about Racetrack Higgins was he didn't allow a poker game to be discontinued until the next morning. They had to finish it THAT NIGHT and if anyone backed out, Race took all their cash...the annoying little bugger.
Those who had been smart enough to stay out of the poker game had long since gone to bed. However, Blink and Jack weren't always prime examples of intellectual shine. And poor Mush stayed behind for Blink because...well, that's what Mush did.
Race, by now, was beating them all so mercilessly that Jack looked as if he was seriously contemplating suicide. Race had to give Jack's puss credit for being so good-looking, but the guy couldn't play poker to save his life. Blink wouldn't be so bad if he didn't get so _angry_ all the time.
"FUCK." Blink blurted as he stared down at his cards.
Case in point.
"Call." Race said, puffing away at his cigar. He placed his cards on the table, four eight's, and heard Jack and Blink groan. Race grinned as he grabbed his winnings from the center of the table, setting them in a neat pile next to the rest of his cash.
"Ya gonna cut me a break, Race?" Jack asked, staring helplessly down at his remains-exactly sixty cents. "I need ta buy papes tomorrow y'know."
"Yer da one that got into the game." Race said.
Jack glowered. "Bet you'd cut a break fer SPOT."
"Just 'cause I sleep wid' him don't mean I cut him breaks."
Jack rolled his eyes. Spot and Race were becoming a particularly favorite subject of inspection around the Lodgings...including how open Race was about it. They were silent as Race shuffled the deck for another round, and Mush, who was almost fast asleep, stretched largely, and leaned back on his hands.
Race watched this with a raised eyebrow, which Blink caught.
"What are you starin' at?" Blink snapped. Race grinned back at him.
"Nothin'." Race shrugged, dealing out the cards.
"I'm hittin' the sack you guys..." Mush yawned, not noticing the sudden tension between Race and Blink. "I can't even keep me eyes open."
"See ya Mush." Jack said, staring down at his cards. Mush nodded, and gave Blink a pat on the shoulder.
"Bye Mushee." Blink replied, also pre-occupied with his hand. Race gave Mush a wink (Blink's eyes widened) and as Mush left the room, Race watched him go with raised eyebrows.
Blink let his cards fall to the table with a hard 'flop'. "What da FUCK are ya doin'?"
Race shrugged again, looking at his hand. "I aint doin' nothin'."
"You's been eyein' Mush, dat's what yer doin'."
"I wasn't eyein' nobody. You's just jealous."
"Jealous!? Why would I be JEALOUS?"
"Like ya don't know."
Blink leaned forward, but Race's face was impassive. He WAS playing poker after all. Jack rolled his eyes. "Come on, Blink, Race wasn't doin' nothin'. Let it go."
"He was checkin' out Mush!" Blink exclaimed. "It's bad enough we get him talkin' about Spot all da time, and now he's checkin' out Mush!"
Race shot Blink a look. "Hey, I can't help it. Everybody checks out Mush."
Jack looked incredulously at Race. "_I_ don't."
Race turned to Jack, and pointed at him with his cigar to make a point. "No, see, you only THINK ya don't check out Mush. But ya do." Jack stared at Race, and his brow furrowed in concentration as he contemplated what had been said.
"Yeah, I guess I do." Jack nodded after awhile.
Blink, by now, was looking extremely pissed off. "Neither of you should be checkin' out Mush!"
"YOU check out Mush." Jack said.
"I do not!"
"It's MUSH, Blink." Race replied.
"Yeah, he's almost TOO good-looking." Jack added, setting down two cards. "Two, Race."
Race threw him two cards from the deck as Blink slammed his fist on the table. "What are you TALKIN' about?"
The awkward silence that followed was pretty intense, because Jack and Race are both smartasses, and only answered questions if they wanted to. Finally, Race glanced up from his cards. "How many do ya want?"
"One." Blink mumbled angrily, setting down the card. He took the other card from Race and continued glaring. "Well, are ya gonna answer me or not??"
Race sighed. "What, are ya BLIND?"
"Really, Kid." Jack said, shuffling his cards about, making different sequences in hope of saving his hand. "An' that was an unnecessary comment, Race."
Race looked puzzled, and then seemed to remember that indeed, Blink only had one eye. "Right, sorry."
Blink grunted. "I aint blind and don't know what yous talkin' about?"
Race set his cards down, and leaned towards Blink. "Mush is beautiful, he's got one a' the nicest faces I ever seen in New York, and he's built like..."
"Some sorta God or sumthin'..." Jack said, not really paying attention as he looked at his cards. Race nodded at him.
"See, guys like me and Jack, we notice dese things. You, however, are blind." Race went back to his cards. "It's dat simple."
Blink stared back and forth between Jack and Race, not quite believing what he was hearing. Race, okay that wasn't too surprising, but JACK? Looking at MUSH? And now that Blink thought about it, his best friend DID have a striking resemblance to some of those statues in the art museum downtown.
Blink shook the thoughts out of his head. The last thing he wanted was to picture Mush posing naked.
...well, maybe not the LAST thing he wanted to picture...
None the less, Blink couldn't keep his mind on the game and Race ended up winning, of course, and then the three went to bed, with Blink and Jack's pockets considerably lighter than they were before.
Blink listened as Race and Jack settled themselves into their beds, probably falling asleep with absolutely no troubles at all. But Blink found his eyes searching the room and landing on a half naked figure laying on a top bunk not too far away.
Blink shook his head and rolled over in his bed. No way. Race and Jack didn't know what they were talking about. And of course he aint never noticed Mush before. He wasn't that way.
Well, there was that one time that Mush and Blink were drunk at that party, but that was COMPLETELY different. Alcohol made Blink do anything.
When Blink finally fell asleep, even his dreams were filled with the thought of a naked Mush posing.
The dreams weren't so bad, though.
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When Blink awoke the next morning, he had almost forgotten about the dream, and the conversation with Race and Jack that he'd had the night before. But then Mush walked up to the bunk, in all his shirtless Mush glory, and gave Blink a big grin.
"Hiya, Blink!" Mush smiled. "Did you ever win a hand, or am I gonna have ta lend ya two bits this mornin'?"
Blink was about to answer when Race walked by with his toothbrush in his mouth. "Needa lend him two bits." He answered, speech muffled by the toothbrush.
Blink shot the short Italian a glare before he looked at Mush. Which was a bad idea. Mush wasn't wearing a shirt. Well, Mush never wore shirts in the morning. Or to bed. In fact, Mush seemed quite partial to not wearing shirts. If he could, Blink bet Mush would never wear shirts at all.
Okay, he was reading into this way too much and enjoying the thoughts a lot more than he should have been.
"Yeah, I's gonna need ta borrow two bits." Blink cleared his throat, not looking Mush in the eye. "Dat okay?"
"'Course." Mush said, giving Blink a pat on the arm. "Now get outta bed, we got work ta do."
Then Mush turned and walked towards the wash room. He had a really nice back. Probably the nicest back that Blink had ever seen. If this back was on a scale of one to ten, it'd...
It'd...
What was he DOING?
Stupid Cowboy and goddamned Race had started all of this! He had a bone to pick with those assholes. They'd put thoughts of naked Mush into his head, and Blink really didn't want that. Well, he...
"Hey, you gettin' up or what?" Skittery said, giving Blink a smack on the knee as he walked by his bunk.
"I'm sure PART a' him is gettin' up." Race called from the wash room, and him and Jack burst out laughing. Blink glowered.
They'd planned this, those bastards.
Blink hoisted himself out of bed, and ran his hands through his hair, which was filthy. And he didn't even have time to wash this morning, since he'd been thinking about Mush's back for a good portion of his morning.
"Where's yer head dis mornin' Blink?" Mush asked as he splashed water on his face.
Blink watched Mush run a cloth through his wet hair, his mouth hanging slightly open. "Uuuh...I's just tired."
"Did ya get much sleep?" Mush asked, looking worried. Another reason they were best friends. Mush always worried about Blink, and until now, Blink had realized just how much he liked Mush being worried about him.
"Nah, he had other things on his mind." Race came up next to Blink, and when Blink tried to turn away he saw Jack cornering him on his other side. Great. In between a friggen Cowboy wannabe and a 5'3 Italian wiseguy.
"I bet Blink here had some real good dreams last night, didn't he Race?"
"Oooh, I'm sure he did Jack."
"Ya think he'd like ta share 'em, Mr. Higgins?"
"I dunno, Mr. Kelly. Why don't we ask him?"
"Would both a' ya CHEESE IT?" Blink snapped. Jack and Race just snorted, and burst out laughing once more as they left the wash room.
Mush stared at Blink. "What's with them?"
"Search me." Blink grumbled.
Mush smiled again, and Blink found himself noticing just how nice Mush's smile was. "Well, do ya want me ta wait fer ya?"
Blink shook his head. "No, I'll see ya down at Wease's soon."
Mush nodded, and gave Blink a pat on the back as he walked out of the wash room with nearly everyone else. Blink felt a tingle run up his spine. This was unreal. How could so much come out of some stupid things that Race and Jack had said the night before?
Okay, so maybe Blink and Mush had always been kind of...well, touchy feely (not counting a night of hot, drunken escapade), but that didn't mean he LIKED Mush or nothin'.
Maybe once or twice the idea had occurred to him, but not like THIS.
...right?
"Stupid Race and Cowboy, think they can go an' make me want ta..." Blink growled, finally finishing up in the wash room and throwing on his clothes before rushing down the steps. "See ya Kloppman!" He yelled over his shoulder.
He really had to race to beat the clock, and by the time he reached the distribution center, the line was almost through. Mush already had a huge stack of papers in hand, and he stepped in front of Blink.
"I knew ya'd be real late, so I got yer papes." Mush handed him half of the stack huddled under his arm. Blink took them, and stared at Mush.
"Geeze, Mush, thanks. Here, I'll pay ya..." Blink searched in his pockets, looking for the precious two bits that he had managed to save from the night before.
"No, it's on me. Last night pretty much cleaned ya out, right?" Mush said. Blink wordlessly nodded. "Then don' worry. How 'bout you just get me a drink at Tibby's when we all go on Saturday? Den we're even."
Blink flushed slightly. Mush wanted Blink to buy him a drink. Wasn't that a guaranteed sex offer? No no, Mush just wanted a drink, that's all, not sex. Nope. Blink didn't want it either, no way no how.
"Sure." Blink smiled.
"Hey, hey Jack, will'ya buy me a DRINK dis Saturday?" Race said in a rapturous voice to Cowboy. Jack grinned.
"Why...SURE, Race." Jack fluttered his eyelashes. "Gee, I thought ya'd never ask!"
"Shut up!!!" Blink lunged at the two other Newsies, and they rushed off laughing. Mush didn't say anything about the comments. He was like that, Mush never brought up anything that would make you uncomfortable. For that, Blink was grateful.
They looked at each other, Blink bright red, and then Mush grabbed his arm. "Come on, let's head out. We don' wanna miss all da sellers, right?"
'I LOVE you...' Blink thought, and then smacked himself in the head. 'NO. NO.'
"Uh, Blink, why'ra hittin' yerself?"
"Fly." Blink muttered.
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Race was drunk.
Blink wished he was drunk too.
Spot was wishing Race WASN'T drunk.
That was pretty much a sum up of the evening at Tibby's so far. Race was sloppily chugging out of a bottle and Spot was glaring at him in total disgust and Blink couldn't get his mind off of Mush.
It had been a very bad week. He'd thought this Mush sexual tension thing would have cleared up by now, but it had amplified. It was ten times worse, and suddenly Blink was very aware of the fact that Spot was grinning at Mush and talking to him since Race was unavailable for necking.
Great, had EVERYBODY been wanting Mush and Blink just hadn't noticed?
"So Mush, ya got anybody in ya life right now?" Spot asked Mush, leaning forward. Mush was oblivious.
"Well kinda, y'know?"
Spot was looking at Mush in far too much of a sexy manner. "Oh yeah, I know." They shared an understanding look.
UNDERSTANDING LOOK?
Only BLINK and Mush had understanding looks! Why couldn't Race stop being a drunk ass and keep his dog on a leash??
"RACE." Blink snapped. Race was very drunk and when he looked at Blink he snorted out some laughter.
"Yous looks like...a poor loshhtt PUPPY." Race seemed to think that was pretty funny, because he erupted into a mass of giggles.
"Would ya shut up and go sit wid' yer husband?" Blink said through clenched teeth. Race leaned in close to Blink, and the stench of alcohol was enough to remind Blink of what HE must be like when he was drunk.
"Yous jealous 'cause Spot is talkin' ta Mush?"
"No!!"
"Hey, Jack!" Race didn't pay any attention to Blink's denial. "Hey, Blink's doin' just what I said he would, 'cause I's a g-gen-geniu...I's SMART!"
"The night is young, Racey wacey lacey!" Jack replied. He was pretty dunk too. "The victory...shall be MINE."
"WHAT victory?" Blink snapped at Race.
"Nothin' nothin' nothin'..." Race mused, taking another swig of beer. Blink rolled his eyes, and turned again to look at Mush. Spot was touching his hand.
Wait.
SPOT WAS TOUCHING HIS HAND??
"HEY!" Blink stood up, knocking over his chair. "What are ya DOIN'??" Spot and Mush looked up at him, Mush looking quite surprised, and Spot looking quite amused.
"Gotta problem, Kid?" Spot asked.
"Yeah, Blink, what's wrong?" Mush was looking very worried, once again. He always did when Blink got angry.
"You!" Blink pointed at Spot. By now they had gained an audience, and the rest of the Newsies were watching intently. "Aint ya got someone ELSE ya should be grabbin' hands wid?"
"He's drunk." Spot said easily.
"I aint DAT drunk!" Race burst out, and then he fall off of his chair. A bit of a silence followed and Spot almost looked embarrassed.
"Ya can't ditch someone just 'cause they's drunk! It's up ta YOU ta take care a' him!" Blink spat. Spot gave another look at Race, who was having a lot of trouble standing up.
"But he's gross right now." Spot said, wrinkling his nose. "YOU take care a' him."
"No! Stop hittin' on my Mush and friggen take care a' yer husband!!"
There was a very long pause after that. Even Race, who by then had managed to stand, didn't say a word. It took Blink a moment to realize just exactly what he had said.
'My Mush'.
Hhhmm.
Well.
At least he kind of new what was on his mind. And then he realized in horror that so did everybody ELSE.
"Well, den, by all means." Spot said, standing up, walking over to Race giving him a smack on the head. Race kind of collapsed against Spot, who was holding him up with a reluctant look on his face. "Why didn't ya say so?"
"You owes me four dollars, Cowboy!" Race called, very loudly. Another thing about Race when he's drunk; he's LOUD. Jack handed the money over, grumbling, and Spot grabbed it before Race could.
Mush hadn't said a word so far. He was watching Blink and his face was a very, very deep shade of red. Blink was making a point of not looking at him as he glanced back and forth from Race to Jack.
"You guys were BETTIN' on me?!"
"An' Race won, of course." Spot said, taking the money from a grumbling Jack. "I had ta help out a bit."
Blink stared. "You was hittin' on Mush on PURPOSE? To make me MAD??"
"Sure."
Mush started to say something, but by then, Blink was too afraid to hear what it was. He bolted out of Tibby's, knocking over Boots as he went.
"Spotty, where's me money?" Race asked, leaning into Spot.
"What money?" Spot said innocently. "Don' know what yous talkin' about, Race."
Mush was sitting in his seat, his mouth open, looking a lot like a Goldfish out of water. Jack, still drunk, and falling asleep on David, looked at Mush. "Ya gonna let him go?" Then he conked out.
Mush sat for awhile, and then bolted out of Tibby's, knocking Boots over again, and following Blink. "What IS it with people tonight!?" Boots called out in frustration.
"Come on, Spot, where'd ya put my four dollars?"
"I'm tellin' ya Race, yous been drinkin' too much, I don' know what yer talkin' about."
"Jack, you're reeaalllly heavy..." David whined, as Jack continued to collapse on him.
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Blink wished it was raining. For some reason, rain always helped him take his mind off of things. And he really needed that right now.
He was going to soak both Race AND Jack as soon as he got back. He'd soak Spot too, but that wouldn't turn out in his favor. Blink found himself by the Horace Greeley statue, and he hoisted himself up, sitting at Horace's feet. Like a dog.
What had he just done?
He'd always felt this way, hadn't he? Always wanted Mush to be around, and he was. He took for granted how much Mush stuck by him. Like the night this all came to mind-Mush avoided sleep to watch Blink play poker.
Had everyone known how Blink felt but BLINK?
"Kid?"
Blink raised his head to see Mush standing and staring at him from the base of the statue. "Don' even say anythin', I don't-"
Mush pulled himself up to sit next to him, and hit his shoulder. "No wait, why did you..." Mush gulped. "I wanna know why ya said what ya did."
Mush got right to the point. He didn't usually do that, and when he did, it was always something really important to him. So Blink knew he had to tell the truth. He couldn't back out of this.
"I uh..." Blink scratched his head. "But, I aint like this."
"No, Blink-"
"I aint. I mean, it's okay if Jack and Race and Spot and Davey and..." Blink knew he was rambling. "Well, I know dat dey's like that, but I aint like dat. I didn't think..."
Mush glared. "You have somethin' against that?"
Blink let his head fall. "...no."
Mush didn't say anything a moment, understanding that Blink was just confused. But he still needed to hear. "So...so does this mean ya love me too?"
Blink jumped. "What?!" Okay, his life officially made no sense at all. Mush was in LOVE with him?? The guy with a bare back that was an eleven on a scale of one to ten was in LOVE with HIM?
"I always thought ya was into girls. Well...MORE into girls. 'Cause ya never seemed ta notice dat I was always with yous and I was scared ta say anythin'."
Blink couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd ran out of Tibby's because...well, because he'd been positive that Mush was most likely going to avoid his presence for a very long time after what he'd said. Mush was too nice to hate anyone, after all.
So Mush loved him.
"DO ya love me too?" Mush said, looking very nervous, very scared, and very beautiful.
Like a god or something. Jack was right.
"Yeah."
Mush smiled.
Blink leaned forward and his lips met Mush's in a small, absolutely breathtaking, perfect kiss. When they pulled away, Blink smiled at Mush, their foreheads touching.
"I guess I don' hafta get revenge on Race and Jack after all..." Blink said.
"Guess not..." Mush smiled, and they kissed again, this time opening their mouths and letting the kiss grow more passionate. And when Blink set his hand on Mush's back, he had to grin because now that eleven out of ten back was HIS.
Then he heard some yelling, and they regretfully pulled away, Mush glancing over his shoulder to see what Blink was staring at.
Race and Jack were walking back to the Lodgings, drunk as anything, ahead of the rest of the crowd, singing very, very loudly. Spot seemed to have swiped Race's cigars and kept his four dollars because he had a brand new bottle of beer in his hand and was smoking two cigars at the same time ...which Blink didn't know was possible.
Bumlets was also spinning. When Bumlets was drunk, he danced a lot. And it was actually quite lovely to watch, even if he sometimes spun into things.
"We gonna go wid 'em?" Mush asked, leaning into Blink's chest, kind of snuggling.
Blink looked down at Mush and smiled. "Nah. Let's stay here for a bit longer."
Mush smiled up at him, and they kissed again, leaning against Horace Greeley's left leg.
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The next morning, everyone groaned as Kloppman awoke them all with shouts and various bangs on the head. Nearly half of all the Newsies were hung over. Poor Bumlets had it the worst-he threw up, he broke out in a rash and he had headaches all day afterward. But at least he was warmed up if he planned on dancing any time soon.
Racetrack was lucky. He only got through the day with a slight headache, unlike Jack. Jack puked for about half an hour (he had just finished a few moments prior) and then he was fine. But Race was what you would call a lucky drinker.
"Come on, Racetrack, ya think ya can sneak Spot in every night? Ya better pay for 'im later!" Kloppman gave Race's head a smack as he walked by. Race groaned, and disentangled himself from Spot, who was still fast asleep. It had been too late for Spot to head back to Brooklyn the night before.
"Look at 'im." Race muttered to Snipeshooter and pointed at Spot as he rubbed his head. "He's like a log." Snipeshooter snickered as Race fumbled through the empty cup beside his bed. "Where's my cigars? And da four dollars?...oh I left 'em in me coat pocket."
Race stood up to shuffle through his clothes, and then fell forward slightly when he was whapped harshly on the head. He swore and looked up, Jack glancing above Race's bed at the upper bunk.
"What'd ya do that for, ya bum?" Race growled at Jack. Jack motioned for him to look at Blink's bunk, and Race rolled his eyes, standing on his tiptoes. "I can't SEE." He muttered, blushing. Jack wordlessly lifted Race up from under his armpits. "Thanks."
Race looked at Blink's bunk, and his eyes widened. Blink and Mush were lying in the bed together, holding the other in a very romantic, and even more cheesy kind of fashion.
"Ya see dat, Race?"
"I see dat, Jack."
"Ya know who's doin' that is?"
"I have an idea, Jack."
"Dat was OUR doin', Race baby, OURS!"
Race and Jack whooped, and cheered all the way to wash room...Jack still holding Race up under his armpits.
All was well.
Blink had Mush, and the two spent the whole day selling together, and truthfully, not really concentrating on selling. Race and Jack whooped and patted themselves on the backs like the cocky little twits they were, and Spot got two free cigars, a four dollar bottle of beer, and a free night in Racetrack's bed.
And they all lived happily ever after.
Except Race, once he realized he wasn't getting his cigars or his four dollars back.
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END
(LOL. I loved writing this, I just went nuts. I really did not follow any rules. I kinda of just went with the flow. Stephanie baby, this is for you. Oh...and sorry for the Spot/Race...I just couldn't resist. =D See ya!)
By Funkiechick
(Okay, this is specifically dedicated to a very cool chickadee. Her name is Shinigami Nanoda-also known as Stephanie-and I wuv her. So she gets a Mush/Blink fic. Love ya hunny! The title is some lyrics from a great Sloan song called 'I'm Not Through With You Yet' from the album Navy Blues. Listen to it, it fits this fic perfectly.)
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It was late and the most annoying thing about Racetrack Higgins was he didn't allow a poker game to be discontinued until the next morning. They had to finish it THAT NIGHT and if anyone backed out, Race took all their cash...the annoying little bugger.
Those who had been smart enough to stay out of the poker game had long since gone to bed. However, Blink and Jack weren't always prime examples of intellectual shine. And poor Mush stayed behind for Blink because...well, that's what Mush did.
Race, by now, was beating them all so mercilessly that Jack looked as if he was seriously contemplating suicide. Race had to give Jack's puss credit for being so good-looking, but the guy couldn't play poker to save his life. Blink wouldn't be so bad if he didn't get so _angry_ all the time.
"FUCK." Blink blurted as he stared down at his cards.
Case in point.
"Call." Race said, puffing away at his cigar. He placed his cards on the table, four eight's, and heard Jack and Blink groan. Race grinned as he grabbed his winnings from the center of the table, setting them in a neat pile next to the rest of his cash.
"Ya gonna cut me a break, Race?" Jack asked, staring helplessly down at his remains-exactly sixty cents. "I need ta buy papes tomorrow y'know."
"Yer da one that got into the game." Race said.
Jack glowered. "Bet you'd cut a break fer SPOT."
"Just 'cause I sleep wid' him don't mean I cut him breaks."
Jack rolled his eyes. Spot and Race were becoming a particularly favorite subject of inspection around the Lodgings...including how open Race was about it. They were silent as Race shuffled the deck for another round, and Mush, who was almost fast asleep, stretched largely, and leaned back on his hands.
Race watched this with a raised eyebrow, which Blink caught.
"What are you starin' at?" Blink snapped. Race grinned back at him.
"Nothin'." Race shrugged, dealing out the cards.
"I'm hittin' the sack you guys..." Mush yawned, not noticing the sudden tension between Race and Blink. "I can't even keep me eyes open."
"See ya Mush." Jack said, staring down at his cards. Mush nodded, and gave Blink a pat on the shoulder.
"Bye Mushee." Blink replied, also pre-occupied with his hand. Race gave Mush a wink (Blink's eyes widened) and as Mush left the room, Race watched him go with raised eyebrows.
Blink let his cards fall to the table with a hard 'flop'. "What da FUCK are ya doin'?"
Race shrugged again, looking at his hand. "I aint doin' nothin'."
"You's been eyein' Mush, dat's what yer doin'."
"I wasn't eyein' nobody. You's just jealous."
"Jealous!? Why would I be JEALOUS?"
"Like ya don't know."
Blink leaned forward, but Race's face was impassive. He WAS playing poker after all. Jack rolled his eyes. "Come on, Blink, Race wasn't doin' nothin'. Let it go."
"He was checkin' out Mush!" Blink exclaimed. "It's bad enough we get him talkin' about Spot all da time, and now he's checkin' out Mush!"
Race shot Blink a look. "Hey, I can't help it. Everybody checks out Mush."
Jack looked incredulously at Race. "_I_ don't."
Race turned to Jack, and pointed at him with his cigar to make a point. "No, see, you only THINK ya don't check out Mush. But ya do." Jack stared at Race, and his brow furrowed in concentration as he contemplated what had been said.
"Yeah, I guess I do." Jack nodded after awhile.
Blink, by now, was looking extremely pissed off. "Neither of you should be checkin' out Mush!"
"YOU check out Mush." Jack said.
"I do not!"
"It's MUSH, Blink." Race replied.
"Yeah, he's almost TOO good-looking." Jack added, setting down two cards. "Two, Race."
Race threw him two cards from the deck as Blink slammed his fist on the table. "What are you TALKIN' about?"
The awkward silence that followed was pretty intense, because Jack and Race are both smartasses, and only answered questions if they wanted to. Finally, Race glanced up from his cards. "How many do ya want?"
"One." Blink mumbled angrily, setting down the card. He took the other card from Race and continued glaring. "Well, are ya gonna answer me or not??"
Race sighed. "What, are ya BLIND?"
"Really, Kid." Jack said, shuffling his cards about, making different sequences in hope of saving his hand. "An' that was an unnecessary comment, Race."
Race looked puzzled, and then seemed to remember that indeed, Blink only had one eye. "Right, sorry."
Blink grunted. "I aint blind and don't know what yous talkin' about?"
Race set his cards down, and leaned towards Blink. "Mush is beautiful, he's got one a' the nicest faces I ever seen in New York, and he's built like..."
"Some sorta God or sumthin'..." Jack said, not really paying attention as he looked at his cards. Race nodded at him.
"See, guys like me and Jack, we notice dese things. You, however, are blind." Race went back to his cards. "It's dat simple."
Blink stared back and forth between Jack and Race, not quite believing what he was hearing. Race, okay that wasn't too surprising, but JACK? Looking at MUSH? And now that Blink thought about it, his best friend DID have a striking resemblance to some of those statues in the art museum downtown.
Blink shook the thoughts out of his head. The last thing he wanted was to picture Mush posing naked.
...well, maybe not the LAST thing he wanted to picture...
None the less, Blink couldn't keep his mind on the game and Race ended up winning, of course, and then the three went to bed, with Blink and Jack's pockets considerably lighter than they were before.
Blink listened as Race and Jack settled themselves into their beds, probably falling asleep with absolutely no troubles at all. But Blink found his eyes searching the room and landing on a half naked figure laying on a top bunk not too far away.
Blink shook his head and rolled over in his bed. No way. Race and Jack didn't know what they were talking about. And of course he aint never noticed Mush before. He wasn't that way.
Well, there was that one time that Mush and Blink were drunk at that party, but that was COMPLETELY different. Alcohol made Blink do anything.
When Blink finally fell asleep, even his dreams were filled with the thought of a naked Mush posing.
The dreams weren't so bad, though.
--------------------------------------------
When Blink awoke the next morning, he had almost forgotten about the dream, and the conversation with Race and Jack that he'd had the night before. But then Mush walked up to the bunk, in all his shirtless Mush glory, and gave Blink a big grin.
"Hiya, Blink!" Mush smiled. "Did you ever win a hand, or am I gonna have ta lend ya two bits this mornin'?"
Blink was about to answer when Race walked by with his toothbrush in his mouth. "Needa lend him two bits." He answered, speech muffled by the toothbrush.
Blink shot the short Italian a glare before he looked at Mush. Which was a bad idea. Mush wasn't wearing a shirt. Well, Mush never wore shirts in the morning. Or to bed. In fact, Mush seemed quite partial to not wearing shirts. If he could, Blink bet Mush would never wear shirts at all.
Okay, he was reading into this way too much and enjoying the thoughts a lot more than he should have been.
"Yeah, I's gonna need ta borrow two bits." Blink cleared his throat, not looking Mush in the eye. "Dat okay?"
"'Course." Mush said, giving Blink a pat on the arm. "Now get outta bed, we got work ta do."
Then Mush turned and walked towards the wash room. He had a really nice back. Probably the nicest back that Blink had ever seen. If this back was on a scale of one to ten, it'd...
It'd...
What was he DOING?
Stupid Cowboy and goddamned Race had started all of this! He had a bone to pick with those assholes. They'd put thoughts of naked Mush into his head, and Blink really didn't want that. Well, he...
"Hey, you gettin' up or what?" Skittery said, giving Blink a smack on the knee as he walked by his bunk.
"I'm sure PART a' him is gettin' up." Race called from the wash room, and him and Jack burst out laughing. Blink glowered.
They'd planned this, those bastards.
Blink hoisted himself out of bed, and ran his hands through his hair, which was filthy. And he didn't even have time to wash this morning, since he'd been thinking about Mush's back for a good portion of his morning.
"Where's yer head dis mornin' Blink?" Mush asked as he splashed water on his face.
Blink watched Mush run a cloth through his wet hair, his mouth hanging slightly open. "Uuuh...I's just tired."
"Did ya get much sleep?" Mush asked, looking worried. Another reason they were best friends. Mush always worried about Blink, and until now, Blink had realized just how much he liked Mush being worried about him.
"Nah, he had other things on his mind." Race came up next to Blink, and when Blink tried to turn away he saw Jack cornering him on his other side. Great. In between a friggen Cowboy wannabe and a 5'3 Italian wiseguy.
"I bet Blink here had some real good dreams last night, didn't he Race?"
"Oooh, I'm sure he did Jack."
"Ya think he'd like ta share 'em, Mr. Higgins?"
"I dunno, Mr. Kelly. Why don't we ask him?"
"Would both a' ya CHEESE IT?" Blink snapped. Jack and Race just snorted, and burst out laughing once more as they left the wash room.
Mush stared at Blink. "What's with them?"
"Search me." Blink grumbled.
Mush smiled again, and Blink found himself noticing just how nice Mush's smile was. "Well, do ya want me ta wait fer ya?"
Blink shook his head. "No, I'll see ya down at Wease's soon."
Mush nodded, and gave Blink a pat on the back as he walked out of the wash room with nearly everyone else. Blink felt a tingle run up his spine. This was unreal. How could so much come out of some stupid things that Race and Jack had said the night before?
Okay, so maybe Blink and Mush had always been kind of...well, touchy feely (not counting a night of hot, drunken escapade), but that didn't mean he LIKED Mush or nothin'.
Maybe once or twice the idea had occurred to him, but not like THIS.
...right?
"Stupid Race and Cowboy, think they can go an' make me want ta..." Blink growled, finally finishing up in the wash room and throwing on his clothes before rushing down the steps. "See ya Kloppman!" He yelled over his shoulder.
He really had to race to beat the clock, and by the time he reached the distribution center, the line was almost through. Mush already had a huge stack of papers in hand, and he stepped in front of Blink.
"I knew ya'd be real late, so I got yer papes." Mush handed him half of the stack huddled under his arm. Blink took them, and stared at Mush.
"Geeze, Mush, thanks. Here, I'll pay ya..." Blink searched in his pockets, looking for the precious two bits that he had managed to save from the night before.
"No, it's on me. Last night pretty much cleaned ya out, right?" Mush said. Blink wordlessly nodded. "Then don' worry. How 'bout you just get me a drink at Tibby's when we all go on Saturday? Den we're even."
Blink flushed slightly. Mush wanted Blink to buy him a drink. Wasn't that a guaranteed sex offer? No no, Mush just wanted a drink, that's all, not sex. Nope. Blink didn't want it either, no way no how.
"Sure." Blink smiled.
"Hey, hey Jack, will'ya buy me a DRINK dis Saturday?" Race said in a rapturous voice to Cowboy. Jack grinned.
"Why...SURE, Race." Jack fluttered his eyelashes. "Gee, I thought ya'd never ask!"
"Shut up!!!" Blink lunged at the two other Newsies, and they rushed off laughing. Mush didn't say anything about the comments. He was like that, Mush never brought up anything that would make you uncomfortable. For that, Blink was grateful.
They looked at each other, Blink bright red, and then Mush grabbed his arm. "Come on, let's head out. We don' wanna miss all da sellers, right?"
'I LOVE you...' Blink thought, and then smacked himself in the head. 'NO. NO.'
"Uh, Blink, why'ra hittin' yerself?"
"Fly." Blink muttered.
-------------------------------------
Race was drunk.
Blink wished he was drunk too.
Spot was wishing Race WASN'T drunk.
That was pretty much a sum up of the evening at Tibby's so far. Race was sloppily chugging out of a bottle and Spot was glaring at him in total disgust and Blink couldn't get his mind off of Mush.
It had been a very bad week. He'd thought this Mush sexual tension thing would have cleared up by now, but it had amplified. It was ten times worse, and suddenly Blink was very aware of the fact that Spot was grinning at Mush and talking to him since Race was unavailable for necking.
Great, had EVERYBODY been wanting Mush and Blink just hadn't noticed?
"So Mush, ya got anybody in ya life right now?" Spot asked Mush, leaning forward. Mush was oblivious.
"Well kinda, y'know?"
Spot was looking at Mush in far too much of a sexy manner. "Oh yeah, I know." They shared an understanding look.
UNDERSTANDING LOOK?
Only BLINK and Mush had understanding looks! Why couldn't Race stop being a drunk ass and keep his dog on a leash??
"RACE." Blink snapped. Race was very drunk and when he looked at Blink he snorted out some laughter.
"Yous looks like...a poor loshhtt PUPPY." Race seemed to think that was pretty funny, because he erupted into a mass of giggles.
"Would ya shut up and go sit wid' yer husband?" Blink said through clenched teeth. Race leaned in close to Blink, and the stench of alcohol was enough to remind Blink of what HE must be like when he was drunk.
"Yous jealous 'cause Spot is talkin' ta Mush?"
"No!!"
"Hey, Jack!" Race didn't pay any attention to Blink's denial. "Hey, Blink's doin' just what I said he would, 'cause I's a g-gen-geniu...I's SMART!"
"The night is young, Racey wacey lacey!" Jack replied. He was pretty dunk too. "The victory...shall be MINE."
"WHAT victory?" Blink snapped at Race.
"Nothin' nothin' nothin'..." Race mused, taking another swig of beer. Blink rolled his eyes, and turned again to look at Mush. Spot was touching his hand.
Wait.
SPOT WAS TOUCHING HIS HAND??
"HEY!" Blink stood up, knocking over his chair. "What are ya DOIN'??" Spot and Mush looked up at him, Mush looking quite surprised, and Spot looking quite amused.
"Gotta problem, Kid?" Spot asked.
"Yeah, Blink, what's wrong?" Mush was looking very worried, once again. He always did when Blink got angry.
"You!" Blink pointed at Spot. By now they had gained an audience, and the rest of the Newsies were watching intently. "Aint ya got someone ELSE ya should be grabbin' hands wid?"
"He's drunk." Spot said easily.
"I aint DAT drunk!" Race burst out, and then he fall off of his chair. A bit of a silence followed and Spot almost looked embarrassed.
"Ya can't ditch someone just 'cause they's drunk! It's up ta YOU ta take care a' him!" Blink spat. Spot gave another look at Race, who was having a lot of trouble standing up.
"But he's gross right now." Spot said, wrinkling his nose. "YOU take care a' him."
"No! Stop hittin' on my Mush and friggen take care a' yer husband!!"
There was a very long pause after that. Even Race, who by then had managed to stand, didn't say a word. It took Blink a moment to realize just exactly what he had said.
'My Mush'.
Hhhmm.
Well.
At least he kind of new what was on his mind. And then he realized in horror that so did everybody ELSE.
"Well, den, by all means." Spot said, standing up, walking over to Race giving him a smack on the head. Race kind of collapsed against Spot, who was holding him up with a reluctant look on his face. "Why didn't ya say so?"
"You owes me four dollars, Cowboy!" Race called, very loudly. Another thing about Race when he's drunk; he's LOUD. Jack handed the money over, grumbling, and Spot grabbed it before Race could.
Mush hadn't said a word so far. He was watching Blink and his face was a very, very deep shade of red. Blink was making a point of not looking at him as he glanced back and forth from Race to Jack.
"You guys were BETTIN' on me?!"
"An' Race won, of course." Spot said, taking the money from a grumbling Jack. "I had ta help out a bit."
Blink stared. "You was hittin' on Mush on PURPOSE? To make me MAD??"
"Sure."
Mush started to say something, but by then, Blink was too afraid to hear what it was. He bolted out of Tibby's, knocking over Boots as he went.
"Spotty, where's me money?" Race asked, leaning into Spot.
"What money?" Spot said innocently. "Don' know what yous talkin' about, Race."
Mush was sitting in his seat, his mouth open, looking a lot like a Goldfish out of water. Jack, still drunk, and falling asleep on David, looked at Mush. "Ya gonna let him go?" Then he conked out.
Mush sat for awhile, and then bolted out of Tibby's, knocking Boots over again, and following Blink. "What IS it with people tonight!?" Boots called out in frustration.
"Come on, Spot, where'd ya put my four dollars?"
"I'm tellin' ya Race, yous been drinkin' too much, I don' know what yer talkin' about."
"Jack, you're reeaalllly heavy..." David whined, as Jack continued to collapse on him.
----------------------------------------
Blink wished it was raining. For some reason, rain always helped him take his mind off of things. And he really needed that right now.
He was going to soak both Race AND Jack as soon as he got back. He'd soak Spot too, but that wouldn't turn out in his favor. Blink found himself by the Horace Greeley statue, and he hoisted himself up, sitting at Horace's feet. Like a dog.
What had he just done?
He'd always felt this way, hadn't he? Always wanted Mush to be around, and he was. He took for granted how much Mush stuck by him. Like the night this all came to mind-Mush avoided sleep to watch Blink play poker.
Had everyone known how Blink felt but BLINK?
"Kid?"
Blink raised his head to see Mush standing and staring at him from the base of the statue. "Don' even say anythin', I don't-"
Mush pulled himself up to sit next to him, and hit his shoulder. "No wait, why did you..." Mush gulped. "I wanna know why ya said what ya did."
Mush got right to the point. He didn't usually do that, and when he did, it was always something really important to him. So Blink knew he had to tell the truth. He couldn't back out of this.
"I uh..." Blink scratched his head. "But, I aint like this."
"No, Blink-"
"I aint. I mean, it's okay if Jack and Race and Spot and Davey and..." Blink knew he was rambling. "Well, I know dat dey's like that, but I aint like dat. I didn't think..."
Mush glared. "You have somethin' against that?"
Blink let his head fall. "...no."
Mush didn't say anything a moment, understanding that Blink was just confused. But he still needed to hear. "So...so does this mean ya love me too?"
Blink jumped. "What?!" Okay, his life officially made no sense at all. Mush was in LOVE with him?? The guy with a bare back that was an eleven on a scale of one to ten was in LOVE with HIM?
"I always thought ya was into girls. Well...MORE into girls. 'Cause ya never seemed ta notice dat I was always with yous and I was scared ta say anythin'."
Blink couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd ran out of Tibby's because...well, because he'd been positive that Mush was most likely going to avoid his presence for a very long time after what he'd said. Mush was too nice to hate anyone, after all.
So Mush loved him.
"DO ya love me too?" Mush said, looking very nervous, very scared, and very beautiful.
Like a god or something. Jack was right.
"Yeah."
Mush smiled.
Blink leaned forward and his lips met Mush's in a small, absolutely breathtaking, perfect kiss. When they pulled away, Blink smiled at Mush, their foreheads touching.
"I guess I don' hafta get revenge on Race and Jack after all..." Blink said.
"Guess not..." Mush smiled, and they kissed again, this time opening their mouths and letting the kiss grow more passionate. And when Blink set his hand on Mush's back, he had to grin because now that eleven out of ten back was HIS.
Then he heard some yelling, and they regretfully pulled away, Mush glancing over his shoulder to see what Blink was staring at.
Race and Jack were walking back to the Lodgings, drunk as anything, ahead of the rest of the crowd, singing very, very loudly. Spot seemed to have swiped Race's cigars and kept his four dollars because he had a brand new bottle of beer in his hand and was smoking two cigars at the same time ...which Blink didn't know was possible.
Bumlets was also spinning. When Bumlets was drunk, he danced a lot. And it was actually quite lovely to watch, even if he sometimes spun into things.
"We gonna go wid 'em?" Mush asked, leaning into Blink's chest, kind of snuggling.
Blink looked down at Mush and smiled. "Nah. Let's stay here for a bit longer."
Mush smiled up at him, and they kissed again, leaning against Horace Greeley's left leg.
--------------------------------------------
The next morning, everyone groaned as Kloppman awoke them all with shouts and various bangs on the head. Nearly half of all the Newsies were hung over. Poor Bumlets had it the worst-he threw up, he broke out in a rash and he had headaches all day afterward. But at least he was warmed up if he planned on dancing any time soon.
Racetrack was lucky. He only got through the day with a slight headache, unlike Jack. Jack puked for about half an hour (he had just finished a few moments prior) and then he was fine. But Race was what you would call a lucky drinker.
"Come on, Racetrack, ya think ya can sneak Spot in every night? Ya better pay for 'im later!" Kloppman gave Race's head a smack as he walked by. Race groaned, and disentangled himself from Spot, who was still fast asleep. It had been too late for Spot to head back to Brooklyn the night before.
"Look at 'im." Race muttered to Snipeshooter and pointed at Spot as he rubbed his head. "He's like a log." Snipeshooter snickered as Race fumbled through the empty cup beside his bed. "Where's my cigars? And da four dollars?...oh I left 'em in me coat pocket."
Race stood up to shuffle through his clothes, and then fell forward slightly when he was whapped harshly on the head. He swore and looked up, Jack glancing above Race's bed at the upper bunk.
"What'd ya do that for, ya bum?" Race growled at Jack. Jack motioned for him to look at Blink's bunk, and Race rolled his eyes, standing on his tiptoes. "I can't SEE." He muttered, blushing. Jack wordlessly lifted Race up from under his armpits. "Thanks."
Race looked at Blink's bunk, and his eyes widened. Blink and Mush were lying in the bed together, holding the other in a very romantic, and even more cheesy kind of fashion.
"Ya see dat, Race?"
"I see dat, Jack."
"Ya know who's doin' that is?"
"I have an idea, Jack."
"Dat was OUR doin', Race baby, OURS!"
Race and Jack whooped, and cheered all the way to wash room...Jack still holding Race up under his armpits.
All was well.
Blink had Mush, and the two spent the whole day selling together, and truthfully, not really concentrating on selling. Race and Jack whooped and patted themselves on the backs like the cocky little twits they were, and Spot got two free cigars, a four dollar bottle of beer, and a free night in Racetrack's bed.
And they all lived happily ever after.
Except Race, once he realized he wasn't getting his cigars or his four dollars back.
-------------------------------
END
(LOL. I loved writing this, I just went nuts. I really did not follow any rules. I kinda of just went with the flow. Stephanie baby, this is for you. Oh...and sorry for the Spot/Race...I just couldn't resist. =D See ya!)