Like every other morning, Feister was woken up from a deep and peaceful sleep due to a loud crash coming from out in the hallway. She groaned as she snuggled deeper into the mattress, pulling the blankets up and hoped the noise would stop. Deep down, she knew that wasn't the case. More yells were shouted and eventually She had enough. She forced herself up and out of bed since it was no use in trying to get any extra sleep. Just as she was stretching her arms out, Brooklyn was sitting up right in her bed that was on the opposite side of the room. "Why are they always so loud in the morning?" the freckled girl asked with a yawn.

"Cause they're teenage boys who don't know the meanin' of quiet," Feister replied somewhat bitterly as she headed towards the door. She opened it a little, peaking her head out to see some of the boys were walking in and out of their bedrooms all wearing pj pants and t-shirts. Though a few of them weren't wearing a shirt. And sadly her boyfriend was one of them. From across the hallway he spotted her almost immediately. He walked up to where she stood, and leaned one arm against the doorframe, his body now somewhat at an angle as he looked at her with a soft, hidden smirk across his lips. Up close she noticed his hair was still messy after a long night's sleep.

"Hey there beautiful," Mush greeted. His voice was slightly deeper than it usually was, giving away the fact that he was still a little tired himself.

"Hi," Feister replied. She stepped out of the bedroom and closed the door behind her before leaning her back against the other side of the frame. She knew Brooklyn took a few extra minutes to wake fully up in the morning. She did as well, but the difference in it was that Feister was used to the boys rowdiness, Brooklyn wasn't just yet. She crossed her arms over her chest and asked, "Where's your shirt?"

"Have you looked in a mirror lately?" his eyes trailed down then back up, silently telling her she knew where his shirt was.

"You know what I mean," Feister replied in a unamused tone. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed he was subtly flexing his arm muscle in front of her. She knew Mush was one of the boys who liked to keep in shape. By no means was he the type of guy you'd see at the gym who were overly muscular, Mush preferred to keep it simple by doing pull ups on the doorframe or push ups every now and again. But to Feister, there was nothing to look at. Nothing to be impressed about. When they were younger it drove her insane. She always told him he has limp noodles for arms, and yes, she does still think that. How could she not after all the times he'd bombard her with the, "I think somethin' is startin' to show up." so to get him to leave her alone, she'd claim there wasn't anything to look at. And there still isn't in her opinion. But that seemed to have slipped his mind.

"It was hot last night," Mush replied. "Besides…" his smirk grew a little bit. "You can't tell me you don't like what you see…"

With a little sigh, Feister closed the already short distance between her and Mush, looked him directly in the eyes. Lightly, she brought the tips of her fingers up and started to gently run them along the side of his arm. The mere warmth of his skin and smooth bumps of the muscle there sent a tingle up her spine. But she stayed focused on the task at hand as she continued to let her fingers run up his arm and to the back of his neck, stopping at the spot where hair meets skin. "I dunno what you're talking about." her voice was as light and innocent as she could make it sound while her eyes were wide like a newborn deer.

It's fairly obvious Mush gets tongue tied when it came to Feister. But in that moment, he ended up gulping and he may or may not have let out his nervous laugh. He had to admit, this girl knew how to play her cards just right. Which is odd considering she's the worst poker player in the world. "That umm…" he cleared his throat. He knew he needed to look away from her gaze, but that was easier said than done. "That feels nice," he finished, loving the way her fingers gently played with the hair at the nape of his neck, then softly dragged against his skin.

"And ya wonder why I call ya Mush for," Feister said as she fully closed the distance between them. Her other hand gently rested on his shoulder. She felt him go absolutely still at the simple move. One she's done so many times in her life that he should be used it to by now. She'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't enjoying every second of this. Mindlessly, her hand made its way to the top of his head, her fingers still lazily playing with his hair as she quietly said, "Mais tu as de la chance tu es mignon."

"I dunno what you said, and I definitely don't know if you're makin' fun of me, but I like the way it sounds."

"I know," Feister replied. Then she went up on her tiptoes and used her other hand to pull him closer as she pressed a loving kiss to his cheek. Lingering there for a moment before pulling away. She smiled at him that had a hint of flirtatiousness behind it, then walked off toward the bathroom, leaving Mush standing there like a lovestruck idiot.

"You ok, Mush?" Kid Blink asked, doing his best to hold back a laugh.

"I'm in love Blink," Mush mindlessly replied.

"Yeah, I figured that out a long time ago," Blink nodded in reply. He then tossed a shirt at Mush's head while saying, "If you're gonna do nothin' but stand there, put that on fore your sister wakes up. We don't need her lockin' herself inside her room again." he clearly remembered how traumatized the freckled girl was on her first morning at the Lodge at the sight of most of them shirtless. They didn't need that to happen again any time soon.

"What - oh right!" Mush said, suddenly remember he was still standing outside the girls' bedroom. Where his sister could walk out at any given second. He took off his shirt, turned it over and put it on.

"You're a hopeless case, Mush," Blink called out with a little laughter. He had to admit, it was rather entertaining watching the lovebirds. Or rather, Feister taking the words right out of Mush's mouth. Then again, she always had that knack even before the she ever got together with Mush. In other words, it was probably funnier to watch now then it was back then because of that fact.

The hallway to the school was busy as it usually was with kids walking to and from classes mixed with some who were rummaging through their lockers. Feister walked close to Albert seeing as their next class was in the same direction. It was one of the few times throughout the day her schedule collided with the redhead despite being two grades lower than him. Usually Mush would be the one to walk to her class, but Feister knew her boyfriend's schedule well enough to know he had back to back classes with barely enough time to make it to the next.

"Tomorrow's episode of Bad Batch is going to be epic," Albert declared. He kept one hand on the strap of his backpack and the other stuffed in his pocket. "I was thinkin' we should binge The Batch Arc of Clone Wars, cause why not?" the redhead suggested.

"Wouldn't miss it even if someone tried to stop me," she lightly laughed as they rounded the corner to a less crowded hallway. One that was much easier to navigate through. Several feet ahead she instantly recognized the boy who was rummaging through his locker. Mush. She felt Albert jab her with his elbow, but before she could so much as scowl at him, she heard a light, flirtatious voice. One that made her stomach turn from the inside out. She slowed down her pace, and without even thinking she grabbed Albert by the arm and tugged him into a corner where she knew they couldn't be spotted, but could also hear everything up ahead. She knew that because….it wasn't the first time she's eavesdropped on Mush from this spot…

"You've been working out, haven't you?" she asked. "I see a major difference from when we were dating." she let out a light giggle. "Do you remember that?"

"I also remember you were the one who broke up with me, Lacey," Mush stated in a serious tone. "And last time I checked, I not only have a girlfriend, but I'm also very happy with her."

"Oh c'mon," Lacey pouted. She dragged one finger up his arm, causing him to pull away and even take a small step to the side so he can do what needed to be done. "Don't be like that. I'm the one who knows you. And I know you can't possibly be happy with her."

Mush laughed. But it wasn't a happy one. "You've got some nerves saying that." this time he turned to her. "You're all talk now. But when Feisty's around you always look down and run away."

But it seemed Lacey was relentless, for she placed her hand lightly on his shoulder. "Remember how happy we used to be? We can be like that again….I know she doesn't treat you the way you deserve. I see the way she's always making fun of you."

Mush swatted Lacey's hand away. Then slammed his locker shut and proceeded to lock it. If reason wasn't going to work, ignoring her just might. This wasn't the first incident Lacey has bothered him with this nonsense, and by the looks of things, it wasn't going to be the last. The reason he hasn't told Feister is because he knew she'd really flip and things wouldn't end well.

This time, Lacey used a single hand to turn Mush around so she could look him in the eyes. She kept her hand steady on his shoulder as she asked, "Does she notice those things about you? I bet not." then she removed her hand, grabbed a piece of paper from her pocket and placed it into his hands, allowing her own fingers to intertwine with his just long enough. "Call me anytime you want, ok?"

But it was what she did next that made Feister's stomach drop and twist into a knot. The same feeling she used to get every time Mush went out with the new girl of the week. Lacey started to get closer to him, about to kiss his cheek. And not being able to take it anymore she walked away. She didn't care if she flunked. She hated the subject anyways. It was useless and boring and made her head hurt. But she knew better than to do that. It was better to be late than to flunk completely. So she ended up taking the long way there. She didn't hear Albert's heavy footsteps go after her. If she knew the redhead as well as she thinks she does, then Feister assumed Albert was currently giving Mush a piece of his mind. Then again, that might be wishful thinking.

For the rest of the day, she went through the movements from going to class after class until the final bell rung. She walked home with Buttons, Sniper and the twins as she always did since they shared the same class at the end of the day. Trailing close behind them, their voices all muddled together in her mind. She couldn't even tell when Mike was speaking, nor when Ike was. And she was usually rather good at that. She was one of the few who could tell the twins apart without thinking much about it, everyone else had trouble, but she managed to find little hints. Maybe Mush was better off with Lacey in the long run. Or with any other girl in the world that wasn't her. Clearly, he saw something in Lacey all those years ago. And it was obvious whatever that something was, Feister didn't have. At first glance it was simple enough, she was nowhere near blonde. She couldn't dye her hair even if she tried. The lightest she could probably go without damaging her hair would be at the very least a caramel color. Even then, it'd be a pain to dye the roots every few weeks. Besides, that wasn't healthy. Not a color as light as that for a girl like herself. Her skin was a fairly light color, but it didn't look smooth and soft like Lacey's. She used lotion, but no matter what she used, it only made it look soft for a day or two. If she was lucky. She hated how she looked. She stuck out like a sore thumb among other girls. And she wasn't blonde. Feister knew better than anyone Mush had always had a thing for blondes. That she would never come close to the girls he used to go out with. Couldn't even if she tried. And maybe she has in a way. But she never felt comfortable when being anything but herself.

Feister didn't even notice she was back at the Lodge until Buttons reminded her to close the door. When she did, she kicked off her shoes and headed right out to her room, starting right away with homework, giving herself something to do when Mush came back. As she laid in bed, she had a hard time concentrating on the work in front of her. Around her bed attached to fairy lights were endless pictures of her, the boys, Brooklyn, and of course, Mush. She looked at the closest one, which happened to be one of her favorite pictures. They were both wearing matching outfits. Black pj pants, and gray hoodies. Underneath they were wearing the same shirt, but nobody knew that. His hair was messily fluffy, and hers were of course in two Dutch braids. She sighed then flopped back down onto the bed.

Looking over to the side at her little collection of stuffed animals her eyes fell upon the reversible octopus. She picked it up with her other hand, staring at it until she remembered Mush had given it to her. Or rather he won it for her at a carnival back before they were dating. When he wasn't dating anyone that is. He was taking a break after the girl he dated before they got together. Well it was actually a mutual break up, but the point still stands. Though Mush still went through that dry spell where he was a lump of sadness. But when she had managed to get him out of bed, during that time at the carnival, she remembered thinking that maybe there was a chance he liked her back. Then reminded herself he was just rebounding. The arm slings, little compliments, even the kiss on the cheek at the end of the night. She told herself it was all part of him rebounding. And, perhaps she still thinks that. It wouldn't be surprising at the time.

She was soon pulled out of her thoughts when there was a knock on the door. But before she could say anything it opened up as a voice say, "Before you throw the nearest object you can at me. I brought a peace offering." looking toward the door, she saw Mush was standing there, holding up a bag of Swedish fish, and gummy bears. So he brought options in case he was really in the dog house. She looked at him, then the octopus plush before throwing at him. It hit his face then fell to the floor without making a single sound. Then she turned onto her side, silently telling him to leave her alone.

"I knew this would come in handy," Mush said with a laugh as he picked up the octopus with his other hand before walking over to the bed. He set the bags of sweets on the nightstand along with the plush. "Al told me you saw what happened….and fore you start gettin' any ideas in that head of yours. I didn't let her….ya know. You're the only one who could ever do that. The only one I'd let."

"She's pretty," Feister quietly said.

"Not as pretty as you," Mush replied. "Couldn't come close no matter what. You're beautiful, Feisty. Gorgeous. Stunning. Breath takin'...but there isn't a word big enough to explain how I see you."

Feister sat up, one leg was tucked underneath arch of the other leg that was pressed against her chest. But she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes. "Do yourself a favor and stop lyin' to yourself. I'm not pretty."

"Don't say that Feisty."

"It's true. It's only a matter of time fore you realize that." there was a small pause. "Mush I know you….and I know you could do so much better than a girl like me."

He cupped her face so he could look her in the eyes. What he saw was like a punch to the stomach. The fire, though still there, had been reduced to nothing but a mere flicker of a soft candle light. "Feisty, you're the only girl I'd ever want to be with."

"Ya got mush in your ears too or somethin," Feister asked, pulling away from him. " I don't even come close to your type. I mean look at you." she gestured to him. "You're…..sweet, and carin'. You're the type of guy any girls' parents would approve of right off the bat. You get along with everyone, and you're….Mr. Ripped and Has a Six Pack." she rambled without even thinking very much. "Then there's me. I'm….meh compared to every other girl in the world. I'm not pretty, or blonde. My hair has a mind of its own. Have you seen it when I take these braids out? And don't say yes. I mean if I were to take 'em out right now. It'd be one wavy mess, and when I try to brush it, it puffs up. I may as well look like a poodle after gettin' blow dried. And I - I don't deserve you." her voice was shaky as she let herself fall into his chest. Burying her face in the side of his neck. But it was mostly so he wouldn't see how unstable she had become.

Mush wouldn't have been taken back if it weren't for the fact he sensed it coming deep down. If someone were the ask him to explain every mood Feister has, he'd be able to do it without stopping to take a single breath. That's how well he knew her. And he knew it went deeper than seeing his ex flirt with him. Though she rarely showed it, Mush knew she had insecurities. Which in his mind was a dumb thing. But….he also knew where she was coming from, after all, he's partly the reason why she feels that way in the first place. Back before he realized his own feelings for his best friend, he used to go from girl to girl. Most of the time in between, it was just him rebounding. That was no excuse. He knew it too. Knew that no matter what he did, he'd never be able to live that down. All he really knew was that he loves Feister.

Then, he remembered something interesting she had said during her little ramble. "Feisty? Did you just admit I've got muscles...and a six pack?" he asked, doing his best to hide the smugness in his voice.

"No…" Feister mumbled.

"Yeah I'm pretty sure you did," he lightly chuckled.

"Mush," she whined as she buried her head into his chest. "Shut up."

"Make me," he replied casually. With those words, Feister pulled away and looked at him. The candle light flame started to spark up into that fire he knew and loved so much. That was something no other girl he ever looked at had. She has a special spark that he never wants to see go out. He's always heard the saying "don't play with fire" but with Feister….that's a risk he's more than willing to take. He doesn't want that to die down, he wants to see just how big he can make those flames. And it was one of the things Mush wished he could put into words. But every time he tried, it'd all get caught in his throat and jumbled in his head. "Stay here. I'll be right back." he pressed a loving kiss to the top of her head, then got up. Before he left he tossed the candy bags to her.

Once out of the bedroom, he headed towards his, then he opened up the draw that held all his socks. Reaching into the very back and digging into the bottom, he pulled something out. A lump that was around the size of his palm along with an envelope. He took one look at the small object then went back into the girls' bedroom to see Feister was already munching away at the gummy bears. He plopped himself down next to her again and said, "So. This was supposed to be your sixteenth birthday gift. But, then I remembered that one, you prefer these types of things on a random day of the year rather than holidays or your birthday. Secondly, it's close enough that you can have it. Third of all, you need this more now. Happy early, sweet sixteen, Feisty." he handed her the object and envelope.

Feister stared at Mush for a moment, then opened up the card. Which was easy since it had been closed with a heart sticker. After all, she was terrible at opening envelopes, packages, even bags of food would always end up getting ripped. Slipping out the card, the front had the number sixteen that was surrounded with blue butterflies and silver glitter outlining. When she opened it up, she was somewhat surprised to see that it was his own handwriting inside. Even at a young age, she always admired how he wrote. How each letter was small, delicate, and how she loved watching him slowly transfer from print to cursive. Though Mush used both in a way. But it somehow came together. Inside it read:

For every promise I've made it the past. For every promise I've made today. And for every promise I make tomorrow, in the future, in the next five minutes even. When you're feeling down and hate my guts, I hope you'll look at this and remember just how much I love you. Today, tomorrow, forever, my always until and beyond the end of time. Happy sweet 16 Feisty,

Love, Mush.

She looked over at him again to see nothing but pure love written across his face. Then she looked down at the little box that was wrapped in blue paper and tied off with green ribbon. "My favorite colors," she quietly joked, causing him to laugh a bit. She untied the ribbon and picked at the paper until it was teared open. In her hand sat a little box made of dark wood. The lid of the box was decorated with a simple heart that had a few flower designs, and in the center was M + F all together it looked like it had been burned onto the wood. Inside was a little ring sitting on top of tissue paper. On the inside of the lid were - "Entre deux cœurs qui s'aiment, nul besoin de paroles," she quietly said to herself. which translated too, Two hearts in love need no words.

"I umm...debated between that or…." Mush wracked his brain hard, trying to remember what the other one was, before saying, "...Car, vois-tu, chaque jour je t'aime davantage, aujourd'hui plus qu'hier et bien moins que demain…." he made sure to speak slowly so each word was properly pronounced. "But it was too long to fit in there. But it's also kind of true."

"How did you know that?"

"The internet is a lifesaver," he replied. Then he looked down at the ring that was in the box, then at Feister as he asked, "Can I?"

"I would be mad if you didn't," Feister said. She watched him take the ring out of the box and take her left hand into his, carefully slipping the piece of jewelry onto her finger. For the first time she admired it. The band was silver and dainty with a little round gem in the center. Nothing too flashy or over the top. But just simple enough to stand out.

"Perfect fit," Mush whispered with a soft smile.

"Your sister's help?" she vividly remembered the time when Brooklyn was sorting through her jewelry one day, and when Feister had offered some help, the freckled girl insisted that she try some rings on for fun. In other words, she knew Mush must've asked for help since the only jewelry she owned were a few chokers.

"My lips are sealed." but the look in his eyes told Feister all that she needed to know.

"And maybe someday, this will turn into something more," Mush said without breaking any eye contact as his thumb ran over where the ring sat. Maybe it was wishful thinking, or stupidity of a lovestruck teen. Or hey, maybe a bit of both. Maybe there would come a day in the future where he wouldn't give her a ring sitting on top of her bed surrounded by gummy candy and homework with endless chaos happening on the floor below. Nowhere near close to the setting they were in now. But instead they could be alone after some romantic date. Or maybe even during. It didn't matter. What mattered was that Mush hoped someday in the future there would come a time where he'd be able to get down on one knee, say those four, life changing words, which would hopefully be followed by a yes from her. The words that would lead to the day he'd be able to change her last name from Johnson, to Meyers. Kid Blink was right. Feister Meyers does have a nice ring to it. Mush didn't even realize how lost in thought he was until he felt Feister nudge her head against his chest, her little arms wrapping around him, pulling his body as close as she as could to her own.

"Mushy."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"Anythin' for my girl." he pressed another kiss to her forehead, lingering there for as long as he could before pulling away and resting his chin on top of her head.

"Call me that again."

"You're my girl Feisty. Today, tomorrow. And always."

"I like the sound of that."

"And Feisty has the nerve to call you mushy. Yeah no, if anythin' you're rubbin' off on her, Mush." Kid Blink stated, making the lovebirds look up toward the doorway. "Secondly, save this for your honeymoon cause right now it's dinner time and you know how Henry gets if the rice is left too long in the pot or whatever." and with that, Blink walked away.

After sharing a laugh, Mush got up, offering his hand to Feister, who took it with without any complaint. She kissed his cheek and then they headed downstairs hand in hand and completely in love. Naturally, the boys took quick notice of the ring on Feister's finger and immediately freaked out thinking they were both engaged. Which wasn't the case at all. But of course, jokes were made about it and for the first time in their lives, neither Mush or Feister stopped the teasing or made one single protest against it. For they both secretly hoped it would happen someday. Not any time soon, but one day, maybe it would.

Author's note

First off, I'll start by saying I don't own Newsies or anything Star Wars related, only OCs. Secondly, I'm never going to let myself get Meister (or Alblyn) deprived, or else it'll result in a one shot becoming 5,000 words long. It's safe to say that officially outranks my longest word count (excluding A/N's of course). Besides that, PineapplesAndPapes came up with "Mr. Is Ripped and Has a Six Pack". So really this one goes out to her. Totally go check out her stuff on Wattpad or here cause she's awesome. And if you do, let her know Crystal sent you over (or not. Doesn't matter). As confident and loud as Feister can be she really does have insecurities about the way she looks deep down, especially compared to the other girls Mush used to date. In translation...it's the abandonment issues kicking in. All in all I really loved how cute and fluffy this turned out in the end. Anyways, this is already long enough as it is, so all I have to say is I hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading and I'll see you soon!