Snitch's last class of the day turned out to be drama. The easiest class he had ever taken. Miss Larkson had yet to be moved from teaching both home ec. and drama and was tired from putting out fires from her freshmen cooking class so last period drama mostly just sat around the theater and talked. It was fine by Snitch since he had Swifty in that period. Swifty, his fiancée. The word never got less exciting the more he said it.

He leaned against him in his theater seat, humming 'Once upon a Dream' to himself.

"Stop it," Blink said irritably next to him.

"Awww, what's got Blinky's panties in a knot?" Snitch cooed. "Still pissed off about your Kabbalah-obsessed boyfriend?"

Blink socked him in the arm and went back to sulking. Obviously, his Mush predicament had yet to relieve itself.

"Stop it." Swifty hit him playfully and planted a kiss on the top of his head.

Snitch exhaled. Yeah, not too hard to not be a wiseass when he was in Swifty's arms.

"So when's the wedding?" Blink asked, trying to start up conversation.

Swifty shrugged. "Not sure yet. We're winging it."

Snitch nodded and tilted his head up for a kiss. He noticed Blink wince a little and wondered if he was jealous because his boyfriend was off in cuckoo-land rather than earth. Snitch paused. Well, Mush was never quite grounded. He was just getting progressively worse.

The theater doors slammed open and a large-nosed boy with thick, wavy hair strode in. Blink sat up straight as he handed a schedule sheet to Miss Larkson. Snitch watched in interest as he headed over to them.

"Hey, Patches," he said easily to Blink like they were old friends.

Blink, on the other hand, looked like a starstruck little girl. So much for his rotten mood. And Patches? What the hell?

"Hey, Luca," he breathed as if this dude was some Greek God.

"Have we met?" Snitch asked almost rudely. He didn't like it when his friends knew people he didn't.

"I'm Luca DeLancey."

"DeLancey?"

"Oscar's cousin," Blink explained. "From Jersey."

"Always loved England."

"New Jersey." Swifty shifted a little and flicked him.

"I knew that."

Luca smiled at him but his eyes were on Blink. Snitch suddenly felt defensive for Mush. Sure, he was a little out there—putting it lightly—and he was certainly the first one to point it out, Mush was still Blink's boyfriend. And Luca should know that.

"He's taken, you know," he stated matter-of-factly.

Blink shot him a glacial look to which Snitch fielded with an innocent smile.

"He knows that," he snapped.

"I just happen to think Patches is nifty," Luca said easily, shrugging his shoulders.

Snitch scowled. He didn't like the whelp already.

--

Spot slammed his locker shut He must've set a new record; it was the second day of senior year and his life was already roadkill. The only positive thing about last night—if could indeed be called that—was that Jack couldn't remember a thing. Spot didn't know whether to be relieved or offended. But Race was gone. His first actual boyfriend. Okay, so maybe they kept cheating on each other but they were obviously meant to be.

Spot snorted a laugh. He should seriously stop hanging around Eva and her spawn if he was sounding that girly.

He noticed that dork Ben Lee walking over to him, devoid of that little weirdo who was friends with David.

"Hey, um…Spot?" he looked visibly nervous. "Do you want a ride to Eva's this afternoon? She lives in my building."

Spot cocked a brow. He lived in Eva's building? Damn, boy was rich. That would, of course, explain the 'stang he drove.

"Sure," he said, tossing aside his status for a ride to Fifth Avenue.

Spot followed him down the stairs, feeling shorter than usual. He tossed his stuff in the car and sat in the passenger seat. Swifty sat for a minute behind the steering wheel, tapping his fingers on it lightly.

"You put the key in that little slot there and turn it," Spot advised.

He turned to look at him, his almond-shaped eyes suddenly fierce.

"Spot…um…Snitch kind of sent me to ask you something since he's best friends with David."

Spot glowered. Of course. The entire fucking school had heard about his little game of mouth 'Rattler Race' with Jack. He was tempted just to throw off his seatbelt and bolt but didn't for reasons he couldn't name. Well, those and the fact that Race, Jack and David were leaving the building as they spoke.

"Okay," he said instead of the million biting comments he had swimming around his head.

Swifty started the car and pulled into traffic.

"It's just that he told me to say that Jack and David have a really good thing going and he didn't want you to, um…interfere."

"Don't you have anything to say about it?" he asked snidely. "Or does Snitch speak for you both?"

From what he had gathered from short meetings with the buck-toothed whelp, Snitch talked enough for the entire island of Manhattan.

"I don't know Jack all that well and, frankly, I don't like him," Swifty said easily. "So I have no opinion. But he figured since we're both going to the same place, I could talk to you about it."

Spot folded his arms. "Alright then. Go."

"I just told you."

He let his arms drop. Man, Swifty was quick. Damn.

"I don't want Jack," he said, surprising even himself. "I want Race. But I fucked things up."

"You did."

Spot glowered. "You're not even going to reassure me that I didn't?"

Swifty laughed. "You blew off some other guy and your boyfriend walked in. I'd say that you fucked that up quite nicely."

He was impressed. That was the second time that Swifty had called him out. He smirked a little.

"Don't make me have to like you."

--

"Jack, for the last time, take your shoes off of the couch," David sighed and leaned against the counter.

Jack looked up at him and grinned but kicked his boots off. David shook his head and placed the plate of apple slices and peanut butter on the kitchen table, knowing that it would go uneaten except maybe by Liberace—the Miracle Dog, as he had secretly began to call him. Esther had expressly told David that Les and his friends needed healthy food. However, Jack came over with a bag of Doritos and that all went south.

Les and his buddies were currently sitting on the floor in a tight circle—seeing as there were only three of them—and discussing something in low voices. Every once in awhile a laugh would erupt and one of them would stick their head up and look around but then go back to whispering.

David shrugged. At least they were being good. Les's friends were alright: a little black kid he called Boots and a chubby kid who was for some reason called Snipeshooter.

"Could you keep it down?!" Sarah cried angrily from her bedroom.

The door opened and Morris stuck his head out. David glowered a little but raised his brows.

"What?"

"Sarah wants you to be quiet," he said too loudly and then mouthed the words help me at him.

David had to laugh as he ducked back inside. Sarah was entering her third trimester and things weren't pretty. He sat down on the couch next to Jack who snapped up into a sitting position so they could sit together.

Jack started to tilt his face towards him but David held his hands up.

"Jack, no making out while I'm babysitting. It's really unprofessional."

Jack sighed and turned to Les and his friends on the floor. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a crushed beyond all consumption package of Gushers. He tossed it to Les.

"Hey, Good Feathers," he said authoritatively. "Go to Les's room. We need private time."

David was about to bring up his fallacy in judgment since it would make more sense if he and Jack went into the room he shared with his brother but decided against it since they were already up and going.

Jack put his arms around him and kissed his cheek. "There we go."

He kissed him lightly. David put his hands up again.

"Ugh, what now?" Jack asked irritably.

"Just one thing…Good Feathers?"

"You know, from Animaniacs?"

David laughed. "Jack, you're a moron."

Jack pushed him down a little on the couch. "A hot moron."

David worked his arms around his neck. "This is true."

--

Blink stood awkwardly in the doorway. He didn't know why. He had gone to Mush's apartment tons of times, why did it have to be so weird now? He opened the door. Like pretty much everyone at Pulitzer High, Mush lived in a walk-up with no buzzer so Blink could just mosey in when he pleased.

"Hello, Alex!" his mother always seemed incredibly happy to see him.

Blink smiled at her.

"And how are you, Alex?" she asked from her spot in the kitchen.

Spicy smells were emanating from in there and Blink's stomach growled.

"I'm fine, thanks," he said. "Um…"

"Dean's in his room, Alex."

Blink nodded in thanks. Usually, Mrs. Meyers's tendency to say his name after everything he said (as though she had to remind herself who she was talking to) made him smile but it for some reason annoyed him today.

He wound his way around the props his father made crammed into every spare inch of the apartment to Mush's room.

He found the door open. Some Yiddish chanting music was playing and the lights were off. The room was lit by only a fat, lemon-scented, votive candle in the center of the room by Mush, who was meditating completely naked.

"Mush?"

His head snapped up and he grinned broadly at him. "Hey, Blinky! Did you come to join me?"

He rose, completely shameless, and bounded over to him. He put his arms around Blink's neck and kissed him. Apparently, his body being 'a temple' thing was only a one day occurrence. Blink sighed. He missed the old Mush. The soccer-playing, Bigfoot-obsessed Mush he had known and loved.

"No, just wanted to see how you were doing," he said.

And pretend that my stomach doesn't flip every time I see Luca.

Actually, seeing Mush completely naked was a very good distraction for the stomach flippage. Mush was one of those guys whose body looked better naked than in clothes…for very obvious reasons.

"Oh…okay!" he said excitedly.

Blink stepped in the room and Mush shut the door behind him. The candlelight flickered on his face and he had to stop. Sometimes Mush caught him off guard with his high cheekbones and his full, cherubic lips and he just had to stop and stare and wonder why he was ever allowed to touch him.

Then he remembered the stupid red thread around his wrist. That little piece of fiber was the only thing keeping them from going back to normal.

Mush put his hands on his shoulders and widened his grin.

"Blink, you won't believe it! I can have sex! I read this book where you just meditate for hours together until you just…are…and it's amazing! We have to try it."

"Actually, Mush, I think that's the beginning of Dream a Little Dream."

He gave him a confused look and Blink shook his head. "Never mind. Can't we just have regular sex?"

Mush sighed and sat on the floor. "But…Blink…"

He looked up and aimed those huge, brown eyes at him. Blink nearly melted to the floor. Looking at Mush made it so easy to forget Luca.

Shit. There he was again.

Your boyfriend is in front of you, naked. Take advantage of the situation!

He knelt down and ran a hand through Mush's curls.

"Listen, let's do it regularly for now and then we'll watch Dream a Little Dream and you can moon over Corey Feldman."

Mush turned to him and sighed. "Okay…fine. But you're gonna meditate with me some day."

Don't hold your breath.

"Sure," he promised.

--

A/N: I'm officially back! With renewed spirit, I am off hiatus. DAMY will now be updated regularly. Hooray! Also, I may finally get off my ass and make a personality quiz on Quizilla or something. I just need to bug my friends with photoshop to help me make banner-y things since this new computer doesn't offer jack (both in the form of editing programs and Kelly). But enough rambling. xD