Pre-Author's Notes (humor the crazy lady, please…): well, I've had this chapter on my computer for awhile, but forgot to post it!! *dies from embarrassment* hopefully I'll be able to start this fic up again. Cheers!!

Author's Notes: Yep, sixth chapter. Geez, this baby it getting long! Um, one announcement. Updates will prolly be coming in slower now. I got into my school winter production, and I'm teching for the fall show. This means I have rehearsal afterschool and set building on the weekends (woohoo! fun with power tools...^_^). I actually have a plot for the entire fic, so it won't shrivel up and die, it'll just might get a little stale for a while. Also, since I love all my reviewers to pieces, I've succumbed to shout-outs. ::shakes head:: But they're doubling as a chance to prod other people into writing more of their stuff. Hee hee, evil me. And, as always, a thousand thank-yous go out to Sinhe. I love you, honey!!

Caroline Gottschalk Jackson~ Wohoo, a slash newbie!! Enjoy it dear, it'll take over your life. Lord knows it's taken over mine. ^_^

Sinhe~ ::massive glomp:: seeeeeeeex!!!!!!! You must bow to the almighty seeeeeeeex!!!!!! Now once you read this, go write more Foundations and The Sweetest Wine. Quickly, go, go!! ::pokes with plastic spork:: And thanks for the jewish desserts!!

Ann Valentine~ ::grins:: Your reviews always crack me up. Gah, Deep Water? More? Please? Grrr, last chapter was a cliff-hanger...

Stage~ ::waves flag with Stage, then turns to poke her with it:: Dammit, I need more Malevolent Sins!! Write!! I command you!!

Blinks-Tiger~ ^_^ T'anks!!

Snape No Kobito~ ::tacklelatchglomp:: yay!! I loved your long reviews hon, they made me feel so special!! ::beams:: Now, where's Cowboy's Bad Idea? I neeeeed my humor!!!!

Dizzy~ Yum, Specs in black underware. Keep the vision as long as you like! And write more little ficlets, they make me so happy!!

Akkira~ XD Gracias!

Liss~ ::giggles:: rhyming words are fun...

FictionHobbit~ ::pets:: Erm, it wasn't soon, but here it is anyway.
 
Chapter Six-Discoveries
"Boys! Would you get up aready?"

Kloppman's voice jerked me awake. I cracked my eyes open and saw the old man bent over Swifty, shaking him. The Asian boy muttered and burrowed deeper under the blanket, pointedly ignoring him.

I looked blearily around the room. Almost everyone else was already moving around. Granted, they weren't actually awake, but at least they were up. I groaned and sat up. I hate getting out of bed in the morning.

I rubbed my eyes and walked to the bathroom, stifling a yawn with one hand. Ignoring the general chaos of the morning rush, I splashed some water on my face. Let me tell you something, cold water wakes you up every time.

"G'mornin', Race," someone said, appallingly cheerful this early in the morning. I turned around and saw Blink with a funny half-smile on his face. I gave him an odd look.

"What're you so 'appy about?" I asked grumpily.

"Oh nothin', nothin' at all," he practially sang.

Okay, something was definately up. Blink was never this happy in the morning. Suddenly, I remembered he hadn't come back til real late last night.

"So Blink, where was youse last night?"

His expression quickly shifted from dreamy to guilty. "Uh, nowhere. I just, uh, came back late, dat's all."

"Well, Ise figured dat," I said patiently. "Ise mean where was youse before ya came back."

"Yeah, where'd ya go?" Jack said, coming up behind the one-eyed blonde.

Blink squirmed under the pressure, fiddling with sleeve. "Er-I mean-I just-"

"Wait a minute," Jack said, twirling Blink around and peering into his face. "Youse got laid!" he accused.

Blink's good eye widened. "Wha-?"

Jack huffed. "Oh, don' try an' deny it! It's written all ovah ya. Youse was hummin' dis mornin', for god's sake!"

"So, who's the lucky goil?" I asked, elbowing him. I can't believe he didn't tell me he was seeing somone!

"Well-ya see-me and-and-" Blink stuttered.

"Hey fellas," someone said, saving Blink from having to answer.

"Mornin' Mush," Jack said, grinning evilly. "So, do you know where our boy heah was last night?"

"Wha-wha-what?" Mush stuttered, his cheeks turning pink.

I looked back and forth between Mush and Blink. Why was the poor boy blushing so hard? Suddenly, I put two and two together.

"Mush!!" I practically yelled. "Did you have sex with Blink?!"

The curly-haired boy suddenly seemed to find the floor riveting. That and Blink's guilty grin said it all. I threw up my hands, disgusted. Why were all my roommates gay?

"Well, since dey aready know, I guess wese should play it up," I heard Blink mutter to Mush. He grabbed his new lover and bent him back in a long, romantic kiss.

The other newsies looked stunned for a minute, as if someone had run around and hit every one of them on the back of the head with a board. Jack's jaw was glued to the floor. But the silence soon erupted into whistles and cheers, egging the pair on.

I rolled my eyes. Some people would do anything for attention.

I walked back to finish getting dressed, shaking my head. I should have seen it coming, really. I mean, Blink flirted with Mush all the time. I was hoping, praying, that they wouldn't get more explicit now that the relationship was out in the open. I didn't know how much of that I could take. Snoddy and Skittery weren't all that bad, but both of them were shy. And Jack and Spot, well, half of that occured in Brooklyn.

I sighed. Well, at least now the competition for the dolls had dropped.

"Heya Race," someone croaked from behind me.

I turned around. "Bumlets! How ya feelin' buddy?" I asked, punching him lightly in the shoulder.

He attempted to shrug. "Eh, Ise feelin' bettah dan I felt last night," he lied. The slight grimace gave him away. Besides, I knew from experience it hurt worse on the morning after. That's when you realize how hard you really got hit.

"Youse not sellin' today, are ya?" I asked suspiciously. Bumlets could be so stubborn about being sick. He'd insist that he was fine, then end up hurting himself worse.

He tried to grin. "Nah, Kloppman said he'd 'ave to strap me down if I tried to get up foah anudda week or so."

I nodded in approval. "Well good. Youse just sit tight and we'll be back befoah ya know it."

"Yeah. I might just take a nap or somet'in', maybe borrow a book from Specs," he said. "So, what's all da commotion about ovah dere? I heard a lot o' noise. I mean, more so dan da usual."

I raised an eyebrow. "Youse really wanna know?"

"It can't be dat bad," he chuckled.

"Well, we just found out dat Blink and Mush are now more dan 'just friends.' Blink just kissed 'im."

I was expecting him to looked shocked or surprised, or even a little disturbed. But instead, he broke out into a huge grin. "Really?" he asked excitedly. "Finally? It shoah took dem long enough!"

My jaw dropped. "Wait, you knew about dis?"

"Knew about it? I practially had to set dem up!"

I covered my eyes with my hand. "I ain't hearin' dis, I ain't hearin' dis..."

"Ehy, can you honestly say dat you never once suspected? Come on, Race, youse ain't stupid."

"Just 'cause I suspected don't mean I actually t'ought it was true!"

Bumlets looked at me with his dark eyes, the grin gone from his face. "Does it bother youse?"

I shook my head and sighed. "Nah, it don't bother me. I've always had a soft spot for dose two, anyway. I guess if it makes dem happy, who am I ta say it's wrong?"

Bumlets smiled. "I'm glad. I always t'ought da same thing. Now, if youse don't get outta here, you'll be late. Go on, Ise tired o' lookin' at ya," he said playfully, shooing me out the door.

I walked out of the Lodging House with the rest of the newsies. I let the chatter and noise wash over me, barely acknowledging it when someone spoke to me.

I guess Blink and Mush's display of affection had bothered me more than I thought. I wanted them to be happy, I really did. And I had no problem with Skittery and Snoddy. But then again, they don't flaunt it. They barely hold hands in public. Even in the Lodging House, all they do is touch each other lightly, or cuddle a little. It wouldn't be that hard to pretend they're only friends.

Blink and Mush, however, won't keep it quiet. It'll be impossible to ignore now that I have two male friends that want to be together. I'll have to face facts, to decide how I really feel about this. It's one thing to agree with something in the abstract sense, but it's quite another to see it happeneing right in front of you.

I hitched a ride to the track, still lost in thought. I sold almost automatically, letting my mouth do the work. I wasn't paying attention to the people I sold to, wasn't half-looking for familiar faces like I usually do. Instead, I let my customers blur together, indistinguishable from each other. That's why I didn't hear it at first.

"Issac?"

That name snapped me back to reality. I whipped my head around, looking for whoever said that name. I hadn't heard it in ages, painful memeories blocking it out. I hadn't heard it since I was a child, since I was left at the orphanage. It reminded me of home, of innocence lost. It was a special name, a child name.

My name.

"Issac! My God, it is really you?"

A man was running toward me, arms outstretched. He grabbed me tight in a hug, squeezing me like he'd never let go. His coat smelled like whiskey and horses, like a man who'd lost his life only to gather up the pieces years later. He had a beard, thick and scratchy. His hands were big and rough, callused from years of hard work.

I pulled away from him, hardly daring to hope. I reached out to touch his smiling face, my fingers brushing the scar that traced from his ear to his cheekbone. His face began to blur, hot tears filling my eyes and spilling down me cheeks.

It was my father. He had finally come back to me.

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Closing Comments~ ::insert dramatic music here::