A/N: Hey, I'm almost keeping up w/the updates now! I've got several
friends who volunteered to read this over for me, so if you happen to be
one of them.you better write something nice or I shall kick your ass. Have
a nice day. (Kidding of course, I love you all.mostly)
1 Chapter 5
Flare & James sold papers all morning, with Flare giving James some pointers along the way. As the morning progressed, James found himself getting quite good. Flare was right about the patch, though, that was for sure. All morning, people asked him about it, & gave him extra money for his papers. He stuck to Flare's factory story, pointing her out as his sister. Because of this, Flare would also earn the occasional nickel or dime. She grinned to herself.
"Good thing I picked ya up," she commented to him. "I'm makin' enough ta take the next week off!" James just smiled a little in return. Finally, they had sold all their papers.
"Good sellin', kid," Flare said, patting James on the shoulder. "Ya loin fast."
"Thanks," James replied, grinning back. He had actually enjoyed selling with her today. He dug out the money he'd made with the papers & offered it to her. She pushed his hand away.
"Keep it," she said. "Ya earned it."
"But dose were yer papes," he argued. Flare just held up a hand.
"Considah it a gift," she replied. James reluctantly pocketed the change & Flare turned to look the other way. "Now we just gotta wait fer Mush. Gawd he's slow."
"Dat's the othah guy, right? I mean, the one dat was heah earlier?"
"Yeah." Flare nodded, craning her neck to see better.
"So, uh, are you two, like." James trailed off & Flare laughed a little.
"Yeah," she replied, turning to face him again. "Dat would be right." Suddenly, she waved at someone. James turned to see the curly- haired kid from earlier walking towards them. As he got closer, James noticed a bruise on Mush's cheek & shuddered a little. Flare noticed the bruise too & her face broke out into a wide grin.
"Wheah the hell did dat come from?" she exclaimed with barely- contained laughter.
"Some guy," he replied, grinning back. "Found out yer corpse story wasn't exactly what he thought it was." Mush shrugged. "Didn't like dat so much, apparently."
"Didn't ya get out aftah you sold the pape?"
"Tried to. Guess I wasn't fast enough." Mush grinned again & Flare threw back her head & laughed delightedly.
"Guess not," she agreed.
Mush finally noticed James standing next to Flare, trying not to look awkward, & he gestured to him.
"Who's dat?" he asked Flare. Flare made a face back at him.
"Ask him yerself," she replied. "He ain't deaf." Mush looked expectantly at James, who remained mute. Mush looked back to Flare.
"Help," he said. Flare looked at James & they shrugged.
"He ain't told me nothin'," she said at last. "I don't even know his name, I've been callin' him 'kid' all mornin'."
"Well what's yer name then?" Mush asked. "Unless ya like bein' called 'Kid'."
"No," James interrupted quickly. "No. The name's..ah.it's Blink." He stood up a little straighter, liking the way it sounded. "Blink."
"Hey, dat's not bad," Mush replied. "Did ya just make that up?" james ducked his head a little & Mush laughed.
"Just kiddin'," he assured him. "Well, my name's Mush."
"He knows," Flare piped up. Mush looked at her in mild surprise & she shrugged. "I told him." Mush nodded.
"An' I'm guessin' ya know Flare," he continued. "She give ya a demonstration about why we call her dat?"
"Oh yeah," James confirmed. "I think I'll be rememberin' dat one fer a while!"
"Yeah, she's got a good punch on her," he agreed. "Fer a goil," he added, a devilish grin on his face. Flare glared at him.
"Ya want anothah bruise ta match dat side of yer face?" she threatened. James grinned as they continued to bicker. He could tell they were only kidding, & he found it sort of amusing. He liked being around the two of them. There was a comfortable sort of atmosphere between them; you could tell they were pretty close. It was weird, but he almost felt like he belonged. A part of him hoped they wouldn't go dance out of his life as quickly as they had come in.
"So whaddya say, Flare?" Mush asked her. "Up fer Tibby's?"
"Nah," Flare replied. "I gotta go get Kid Blink signed inta the lodgin' house."
"Blink," he corrected.
"Kid Blink," Flare repeated. "Just go with it." She motioned with her head in another direction. "C'mon, let's go." She kissed Mush quickly, almost shyly, then grabbed James's arm & hauled him off in the direction she'd motioned to.
"See ya," Mush called after them. Flare grinned to herself & James smiled knowingly. Flare raised an eyebrow.
"What?" she asked. James only laughed.
"Nothin'," he replied. Flare cast him a sideways look but said nothing. As they kept walking James noticed how fast Flare was going.
"Hey, slow down!" he exclaimed. "It ain't a race!"
"An' it ain't my fault if ya can't keep up," she shot back. James made a face.
"Do ya always walk dis fast?"
"Don' really notice." Flare glanced at him again & reluctantly slowed her pace a little.
"So, uh, how long have you an' Mush been togethah?" James asked, trying to make conversation.
"Well, I've known him fer 2 years, I think, an' we've been togethah fer about.6 months, give or take." James looked at her in surprise.
"Dat long?"
"Yep," Flare nodded. "We got tagethah after this whole thing." She trailed off before waving a hand over her head. "Anyways, yeah, dat long."
They finally reached the steps of the lodging house. James looked up at the building, with its rows of windows going up several floors. 'Dis is it,' he thought to himself. 'Dis is my new life.'
"Hey, Kid Blink!" Flare called, already up the stairs. "Ya comin' up or do ya wanna stare at the sky a little longer?"
"Hold yer horses, I'm on my way," James replied, grinning. He walked up the stairs towards her, instantly looking forward to whatever lay in front of him.
1 Chapter 5
Flare & James sold papers all morning, with Flare giving James some pointers along the way. As the morning progressed, James found himself getting quite good. Flare was right about the patch, though, that was for sure. All morning, people asked him about it, & gave him extra money for his papers. He stuck to Flare's factory story, pointing her out as his sister. Because of this, Flare would also earn the occasional nickel or dime. She grinned to herself.
"Good thing I picked ya up," she commented to him. "I'm makin' enough ta take the next week off!" James just smiled a little in return. Finally, they had sold all their papers.
"Good sellin', kid," Flare said, patting James on the shoulder. "Ya loin fast."
"Thanks," James replied, grinning back. He had actually enjoyed selling with her today. He dug out the money he'd made with the papers & offered it to her. She pushed his hand away.
"Keep it," she said. "Ya earned it."
"But dose were yer papes," he argued. Flare just held up a hand.
"Considah it a gift," she replied. James reluctantly pocketed the change & Flare turned to look the other way. "Now we just gotta wait fer Mush. Gawd he's slow."
"Dat's the othah guy, right? I mean, the one dat was heah earlier?"
"Yeah." Flare nodded, craning her neck to see better.
"So, uh, are you two, like." James trailed off & Flare laughed a little.
"Yeah," she replied, turning to face him again. "Dat would be right." Suddenly, she waved at someone. James turned to see the curly- haired kid from earlier walking towards them. As he got closer, James noticed a bruise on Mush's cheek & shuddered a little. Flare noticed the bruise too & her face broke out into a wide grin.
"Wheah the hell did dat come from?" she exclaimed with barely- contained laughter.
"Some guy," he replied, grinning back. "Found out yer corpse story wasn't exactly what he thought it was." Mush shrugged. "Didn't like dat so much, apparently."
"Didn't ya get out aftah you sold the pape?"
"Tried to. Guess I wasn't fast enough." Mush grinned again & Flare threw back her head & laughed delightedly.
"Guess not," she agreed.
Mush finally noticed James standing next to Flare, trying not to look awkward, & he gestured to him.
"Who's dat?" he asked Flare. Flare made a face back at him.
"Ask him yerself," she replied. "He ain't deaf." Mush looked expectantly at James, who remained mute. Mush looked back to Flare.
"Help," he said. Flare looked at James & they shrugged.
"He ain't told me nothin'," she said at last. "I don't even know his name, I've been callin' him 'kid' all mornin'."
"Well what's yer name then?" Mush asked. "Unless ya like bein' called 'Kid'."
"No," James interrupted quickly. "No. The name's..ah.it's Blink." He stood up a little straighter, liking the way it sounded. "Blink."
"Hey, dat's not bad," Mush replied. "Did ya just make that up?" james ducked his head a little & Mush laughed.
"Just kiddin'," he assured him. "Well, my name's Mush."
"He knows," Flare piped up. Mush looked at her in mild surprise & she shrugged. "I told him." Mush nodded.
"An' I'm guessin' ya know Flare," he continued. "She give ya a demonstration about why we call her dat?"
"Oh yeah," James confirmed. "I think I'll be rememberin' dat one fer a while!"
"Yeah, she's got a good punch on her," he agreed. "Fer a goil," he added, a devilish grin on his face. Flare glared at him.
"Ya want anothah bruise ta match dat side of yer face?" she threatened. James grinned as they continued to bicker. He could tell they were only kidding, & he found it sort of amusing. He liked being around the two of them. There was a comfortable sort of atmosphere between them; you could tell they were pretty close. It was weird, but he almost felt like he belonged. A part of him hoped they wouldn't go dance out of his life as quickly as they had come in.
"So whaddya say, Flare?" Mush asked her. "Up fer Tibby's?"
"Nah," Flare replied. "I gotta go get Kid Blink signed inta the lodgin' house."
"Blink," he corrected.
"Kid Blink," Flare repeated. "Just go with it." She motioned with her head in another direction. "C'mon, let's go." She kissed Mush quickly, almost shyly, then grabbed James's arm & hauled him off in the direction she'd motioned to.
"See ya," Mush called after them. Flare grinned to herself & James smiled knowingly. Flare raised an eyebrow.
"What?" she asked. James only laughed.
"Nothin'," he replied. Flare cast him a sideways look but said nothing. As they kept walking James noticed how fast Flare was going.
"Hey, slow down!" he exclaimed. "It ain't a race!"
"An' it ain't my fault if ya can't keep up," she shot back. James made a face.
"Do ya always walk dis fast?"
"Don' really notice." Flare glanced at him again & reluctantly slowed her pace a little.
"So, uh, how long have you an' Mush been togethah?" James asked, trying to make conversation.
"Well, I've known him fer 2 years, I think, an' we've been togethah fer about.6 months, give or take." James looked at her in surprise.
"Dat long?"
"Yep," Flare nodded. "We got tagethah after this whole thing." She trailed off before waving a hand over her head. "Anyways, yeah, dat long."
They finally reached the steps of the lodging house. James looked up at the building, with its rows of windows going up several floors. 'Dis is it,' he thought to himself. 'Dis is my new life.'
"Hey, Kid Blink!" Flare called, already up the stairs. "Ya comin' up or do ya wanna stare at the sky a little longer?"
"Hold yer horses, I'm on my way," James replied, grinning. He walked up the stairs towards her, instantly looking forward to whatever lay in front of him.
