Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies or any other media references I may make throughout the duration of this fic.

A/n: so, sigh, here it is, my favourite chapter so far. Enjoy.

Chapter 5: There Can Be Chinatown Delights

Spot

"Bon Appetite!" exclaimed Cherish, grinning from ear to ear as the waiter set the plate down in front of us.

"Cherish, "Racetrack smiled, "this is a Chinese restaurant, not a French one."

Cherish shrugged and scooped a pile of noodles onto her plate.

Sitting around us were Racetrack's friends, Bumlets, Itey and Mush, Cherish's friends, Cricket and Spring, and my friends, Kid Blink and Jack.

"Cherish," Spring flipped her hair and made eyes at Blink inconspicuously, "you're hogging all the noodles!"

Cherish slurped noisily and grinned. "You should have been faster."

I wasn't feeling very good. My stomach was churning and the din in the crowded room was making my head spin.

"Sorry," I blanched slightly as the waiter brought another plate, green vegetables and scallops. "I'm not feeling too good. I'm just going outside for a minute."

Cherish nodded before turning back to Spring and I walked to the door.

Racetrack

Spot stands up, tells Cherish he's leaving, and heads for the door. I watch him walk away, not knowing what to say to make him come back. Not knowing what to say to keep him from leaving.

I glance around the table at everyone—who seem pretty happy with themselves—and get up too. No one notices, I assume, because no one asks me where I'm going.

I push the door open and step into the chilly Toronto street. I see Spot disappear into an alleyway, hiding from the wind and maybe from me. I follow him.

"Spot? Are you OK?"

He's huddled against the brick wall, his nose is red and his cheeks are flushed and he looks utterly miserable.

"I'm fine, go back inside. You must be cold."

I realize that I left my coat on the back of my chair and am only wearing my thin t-shirt. "I'm not cold," I lie, restraining from shivering violently.

I stand against the wall next to him, watching his breath still in the air and thinking about what I'd told him. Why in hell didn't I tell him the truth that I did say I loved him? I just let him believe that he'd dreamt it, that he'd made the whole thing up.

"Spot, I have to tell you something."

He looked at me and sniffed loudly. "What?"

"I...you didn't dream it."

"Dream what Race?" He sneezed softly and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand.

"That I...that I told you..." I kissed him. I kissed him hard on the mouth, trying to ignore the fact that he wasn't kissing me back. He was warm and I pulled my body against his, relishing the escape from reality for one second, savouring this moment that I had dreamed about for a long time.

"Race...what was that?" Spot looked taken aback, but not disgusted.

"It was how I feel. I do love you. You didn't dream anything." I swallowed and watched his expression as he took all this in.

"You told me...wh-what about Cherish? What are you thinking?"

And I realized he was right, I wasn't thinking at all about anything. Cherish had been my friend long before she was dating or even met Spot. I still wanted him. I still wanted him to love me back.

"You don't..."

"Race, what does it matter what I do or don't? What about everyone else? I can't hurt them like that, we can't hurt them like that."

I really didn't care about 'everyone else' and Spot had said 'we'. As in him and me, as in both of us.

"Spot, I—"

"Racetrack, I don't want—"

"Spot—"

"Just listen to me for one GODDAMN time in your life!"

"Spot, I don't care!!! I don't care what they think! I love you!" And I kissed him again. This time he just gave up and melted into my arms. I could feel his breath on my neck as we pulled away and I licked my lips, still wet from our kiss.

"Spot, do you want to do this?" I asked quietly, slightly afraid of the answer I might get.

He pulled me wordlessly into the corner of the alley, near a pile of cardboard boxes, and shushed me as he pulled his shirt over his head. I followed his lead and pulled my shirt off too, grabbing his naked body against mine and feeling how I always hoped I'd feel with him. I felt right, like everything was fine and I didn't need to worry anymore.

Surrounded by the thick smell of cooking oil and the sound of cars passing in the nearby street, he climbed on top of me and kissed me slowly. Everything was right in the world just then. I knew that everything was going to be OK.

====================

We lay on the boxes, watching how the light reflected off the shining pavement and feeling each other's bodies of goose bumps and chills from the cold. My shirt lay, soaked, near a dumpster and Spot's had disappeared altogether. One spot of my chest, right above my heart, was warm from Spot's head and I watched his hair move slightly with the wind, listening to his steady breathing.

"Spot, are you awake?" I asked after minutes of silence.

"Hmm." He breathed out, covering my stomach in his breath and making me shiver. More goose bumps rippled across my body and he rubbed around my bellybutton, flattening them out.

A voice called our names, breaking the spell and wonder of the night.

"Spot? Racetrack?" Bumlets appeared at the corner of the alleyway and saw us. "Are you guys coming in?" he seemed unsurprised, like he'd expected this all along.

I sat up, rubbing my arms to keep them from getting any number than they already were.

"You guys had better hurry up. People will suspect something," with a grin, he added, "I don't see why..."

((How was that? Sweet, no? Too rushed? What? I need answers! And reviews!))

Shoutouts:

OK, everything was out of order for this chapter and I got confused. I'm only doing shoutouts for reviews in chapter 4.

Padsfootismyhero- thanks for the compliments!!! I wrote that in a sudden burst of inspiration. In reality I don't like smokers.

Coin- THREE Chinatowns? I've been to dozens of Chinatowns! I've been to the one in London. It's cool. And I'd love to put that licking Spot all over thing, but it seemed a little crude...maybe...

Erin Go Bragh- Does this chapter answer your question? I'm not sure what's going to happen with Cherish and yes, Itey was telling the truth. Mush was just grumpy.

SparkS- you're sick? I got kicked in the foot and my ankle twisted and swelled to the size of a golf ball. Then I had to sit out two of my three games! TWO OF THEM!!!

Madison Square- Cherish is just hyper-ish and controlling. And bubble tea rocks! There really is a place like the one I described in Toronto's Chinatown. Yummy! Bubbly! (I LOVE Itey!!!)

Strawberri Shake- there you have it, my fave chapter! I always thought Itey and Mush would make good brothers. What, with the curly hair and all. I don't have a boyfriend because they're losers. I could, everyone is falling and chasing after me...

Alex: LIAR!!!

Buttons: for once, Alex is right.

Trinity-Matrix-13- whatever, 'Trinity' 'Rinity', it's all the same. What do you mean I'm not updating fast enough? I update 10 times faster than you!!! Hippocrat! Heh heh heh (inside joke)