A/N: So, writing AU - especially modern AU - is not really my thing, but after finishing "In It To Stay," my plot bunnies (who have a mind of their own) insisted on more Race and Davey shenanigans, and this is the result. Please forgive the ensuing absurdity (including, but not limited to: occasional OOCness, inconsistent pacing, and a plethora of unapologetically out-of-context lines from Newsies).

Disclaimer: This is a non-commercial work of fanfiction. All of the characters and dialogue from Newsies referenced in this story belong to Disney and not to me. The same goes for any musical referenced here directly or indirectly (full list included in the author's note of the final chapter) - all rights belong to their respective owners.

It was a well-known fact that Davey Jacobs was not a morning person. Not in the how dare you wake me up I'll throttle you kind of way. But in the sullen and silent kind of way. His friends knew this, and they avoided Davey in the early hours, knowing that, given some time to wake up, he would be back to his even-tempered, reasonable self.

So, when Jack let himself into Davey's apartment at 7:30 a.m., Davey was already suspicious of an ulterior motive. Jack, of all people, should have known that one did not simply stroll in at the ungodly hour of 7:30 a.m. He would have thought that four years of being roommates would have taught him that.

"Mornin', Dave!" Jack said cheerfully, moseying over to the table where the other boy was sitting.

Davey didn't answer, eyeing the paper cup that Jack was holding out in front of him like a peace offering.

"You bought me coffee," he stated flatly.

"Sure did!" Jack gave him a sunny smile.

"From Stumptown."

"Your favorite: straight black, just the way you like it!" Jack proclaimed, setting it down in front of Davey with a flourish. When the other boy made no move to take it, he asked, "What, ain't you gonna have some?"

Davey didn't even glance at the cup, crossing his arms and giving Jack a wary look. "I'm not touching it until you tell me what the catch is."

Jack looked hurt. "Come on, Davey! Can't a guy just buy his buddy a cup of joe every once in a while to show his appreciation?"

Silence.

"Alright, so I do have a favor to ask you," Jack admitted. "You know Ace an' I are movin' next week."

Davey nodded. The Kellys had finally decided to leave New York behind and pursue Jack's dream of "livin' sweet" in Santa Fe. They'd put their tiny condo up for sale and had recently closed on a starter home out west. All that remained was to finish packing their belongings.

"Well," Jack continued, "since we's gonna be flyin' out to meet with the realtor about our new place, we realized we needed someone to drive the movin' van out to Santa Fe for us." Davey's face relaxed.

"That's all? Jack, you didn't have to buy me coffee just to ask me that. Of course I'll do it!" Jack held up his hands hesitantly.

"It's a pretty long drive, three days on the road, probably, so we thought it'd be better if you had someone to go with you."

"Seems reasonable," Davey agreed, finally reaching for the coffee. He pulled the splash stick out of the paper cup and took an appreciative sip. "Who'd you get for the job?"

Jack hesitated. "Well, most of the boys was unavailable next week, but Race said he could make the trip-"

Davey nearly spit out his coffee.

"Yeah...thought you'd take that well," Jack muttered.

"Sorry," Davey said, composing himself. "Look," he sighed, "It's not that I have anything against Race. I'm just not sure it's a good idea for us to spend three days in close quarters. We aren't exactly best friends, you know. I'm sure he'd say the same."

"I hear ya," Jack agreed. Davey and Race had met in college (Jack being their mutual connection) and they had never really gotten along well. The ongoing prank war between Jack and Race probably hadn't helped endear the latter to Davey, who, as Jack's roommate, often found himself caught in the crossfire. Jack half suspected that, by the end of the year, Race was actually trying to see how far he could go in pranking Davey too while still making it seem like an accident. When they had parted ways after graduation, Jack was sure the two boys never intended to cross paths again. But next week they would be spending nearly every waking hour in each other's company for the span of several days.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, Jack thought.

"So, how did it go today?" Katherine Kelly asked her husband over their dinner of chicken wings and frozen pizza.

"Well, the boys is both on board," Jack reported, finishing a wing and wiping his fingers on a napkin. "I stopped by to see Dave this mornin' before work, and he agreed to go."

"You know he would never say no to you," Katherine smiled. Reliable, careful Davey had been their first choice for driver, so she was thankful he was willing to make the trip.

Jack laughed. "He was his usual huffy self at first, but yeah, he caved pretty quickly."

"And Race?"

"Race...needed a little convincin,'" Jack admitted. "He said he don't mind the drive, but he 'ain't relishin' the thought of spendin' three days with that 'know-nothing, tie-wearing, uptight little son-of-a...' "

Katherine snorted a laugh, amused at her husband's imitation of Race's distinctive voice, but a little taken aback at Race's rather harsh assessment of Jack's former roommate.

"I seem to remember Davey not being too fond of Race, either," she mused.

"He already said as much to me this mornin,'" Jack confirmed. "He was just was too polite to say it bluntly the way Racer did." He sighed. "I dunno, Ace…I'm a little worried."

Katherine gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Maybe this will be a chance for them to get to know each other better," she suggested hopefully. "Who knows, they could end up good friends when this is over."

"Yeah, maybe," Jack muttered, "if they don't end up soakin' each other first."

One week later…

It was the morning of the trip to Santa Fe, and Race decided it was probably about time to start packing.

Cuing up the Footloose soundtrack on his phone, he surveyed his room, pulling clean clothes from the piles stacked haphazardly atop his dresser. He tossed his toiletries into a Ziploc bag, grabbed his phone charger and earbuds, then dug under the bed and stuffed several boxes of Pop-Tarts into his duffel bag. A pair of sneakers and a few bottles of shelf-stable Sunny Delight completed the list, and Race zipped his bag up neatly, all ready to head out the door. Let's hear it for the boy, he congratulated himself.

His phone buzzed. It was a text from Jack.

Racer - friendly reminder: don't try to talk to Davey until he's had his morning coffee.

Race scoffed, ignoring the text. As if anyone with half a brain didn't know that. He pulled his baseball cap on and checked his watch; it was about time to head over to the Kellys' condo to meet Davey.

His phone buzzed: Jack, again. Poor sucker must be bored waiting at the airport, Race thought. Jack wasn't usually a worrier, but Race could tell that he was nervous about the impending road trip. He glanced down at Jack's text.

Also, Race, you might want to bring your noise-cancelling earbuds. Davey talks in his sleep.

If he wakes me up at night, he's getting a pillow in the kisser. Race texted back, rolling his eyes. He was a notoriously light sleeper, which usually wasn't a problem, as he didn't need much sleep to function, but he never enjoyed being woken up in the middle of the night.

A thought crossed his mind, and he dug through another pile of things until he found what he was looking for buried at the bottom. Maybe it was overkill, but in light of Jack's warning, it probably couldn't hurt to bring it along.

Race shoved the zippered case into his duffel bag.

Meanwhile, Davey was getting his own peppering of text messages from Jack. He was already at the Kellys' condo, having packed (and triple-checked) his bags the day before, and he had just finished loading his luggage onto the moving van. This left him with nothing to do but wait for Race and answer Jack's texts.

Keep an eye on Race when he's driving, will ya Dave? He kinda thinks of the speed limit as a "friendly suggestion."

Duly noted, Davey replied.

Also, make sure he actually eats somethin' besides Pop-tarts.

Yes, Jack.

Oh, and Davey? Prepare yourself for Race's alarm clock.

Davey frowned. ...what's that supposed to mean, Jack?

Just...prepare yourself.

Before Davey could interrogate Jack further, Race arrived with a small duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

"That's all you're bringing?" Davey asked, putting away his phone.

"It's a three day trip of straight drivin,'" Race shrugged. "What do ya think we's gonna be doin' all day, sightseein' and goin' to tea parties?"

Davey squelched the urge to wing back a sarcastic reply (it was still early in the morning, after all, but at least he'd had his coffee). He merely unlocked the passenger door for Race, then walked around to the driver's side of the van, taking a deep breath and telling himself that it was only going to be three days, and that he could put up with Race for that long...for Jack's sake.

Race tossed his duffel bag into the van, then climbed in, settling himself into the passenger seat and clicking his seatbelt into place before leaning back and resting his feet on the dashboard.

Davey started the van.

"So, what'd they bribe you with to get you to agree to this?" he asked. Might as well have it out there; it was clear they were both reluctant partners in this endeavor.

Race gave him a look of mock outrage. "What'd they bribe me with? Nothin' more than the chance to take a road trip with my best buddy, Davey!" He punched the other boy in the arm. "What kind of a guy do you take me for, huh? Thinkin' I'd need any extra motivation!"

Silence.

"Okay…" Race admitted. "They was Coronas."

A/N: What do you think? Should I keep going down this rabbit trail?