Disclaimer—I don't own Newsies, nor any other Media references I may make.
I am not profiting at all from this story.
A/n—at the beginning of each chapter it says what day of the week it is. If it says 'Still ' that means the day of the week is the same as the day before it. (duh?) If it doesn't say 'Still' before it that means it is a new day. Please R&R!
Shoutouts:
Strawberri Shake- sigh it's been an Angsty day for poor Buttons. I'm sad. But sorry, there's no Skitts/Crutchy. I already have a guy for Skittery in mind...
Sloane Miette- I'm glad you get Itey on weekends now. I'm in a tournie for soccer all weekend and would neglect poor Itey in my adventures. Look after him well! If he has one out of place hair on Monday, I'll know who it was! Wish me luck in the tournie please all!!! Oh, and Blockbuster should have CAMP...I think.
(Tuesday)
Kid Blink's PoV
"Do you need any help here?" the saleslady looked unsure if she should even be asking.
"Actually," I tried to sound light, "I was here to see if there were any jobs open. I can work part-time, after school hours and on weekends."
The woman turned me down; telling me it is 'a job that needs experience'. How much experience do you need to work at a furniture store?
I left and sat in the back parking lot. It was really cold and quite wet because of the rain we'd been having the last few days. I have been looking for a job because I know that my parents won't exactly accept what I'd done with open arms. I know I needed a place to stay until they got over the shock. Unfortunately, I have been finding it impossible to get a job. Maybe it's because I haven't showered since I left Mush's two days ago, having to sleep outside and all.
"Are you OK?" a man who had been throwing something into a dumpster came towards me. He stepped back pretty quickly, perhaps startled by my smell.
"Huh? Uh.........I'm alright, I'm just looking for a job." Then quite hopefully, "I don't suppose you have one for me?"
The man looked me over. "Come in," he gestured to a door and nodded.
I followed him through two doors, one plain, and another very flashy reading 'Horizontal'. The lights were a little dim, but I could make out a dance floor, band platform, bar, and a few small circular tables. The man sat at one of them.
"Sit down, sit down. I suppose introductions are in order. My name is Jonathan Bashford. My partner Calvin Seitz and I run Horizontal," he gestured to nothing in particular, "a under nineteen club for homosexual children." He spoke quickly but with accurate precision. He looked at me to introduce myself.
"Um.........my name is Nathaniel Hunter. My friends call me Kid Blink, or 'Blink' for short. I need a job," I paused momentarily, "please."
"You don't mind working at a gay club?" he raised his eyebrows questioningly.
I decided this was as good a time as any to tell someone, "I kissed my best friend. A boy. I'm just trying to get some space for a while. Y'know, until people get used to it."
He nodded, showing he understood what I meant, "what do you know about lighting?"
"OK Blink," Jonathan knocked on the door to a room above Horizontal, "this is your room. You'll be sharing it with another boy named Aaron Sullivan or 'Swifty'. He works behind the bar three days a week. You should talk to him, he had almost the same problem as you."
The door cracked open, "oh, hi Jonathan. What's up?" asked a voice from inside.
Jonathan sighed, "open the door Swifty, I've gotten you a roommate."
Swifty laughed almost nervously, "Jon, I've got company." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.
I thought: am I going to be roommates with a player?
"Then tell him to put his clothes on and he can come meet him as well." Jonathan looked very impatient. I felt like I was butting in.
Swifty opened the door all the way. Sitting at the kitchen table was a short, very familiar looking boy with a math textbook and a pencil.
"Nice company Swifty," grinned Jonathan smugly, stepping inside, "this is Nathaniel Hunter. He's going to be working with Puma on lighting. He's your new roommate," he turned to me, "and this is Aaron Sullivan, as I told you, he works behind the bar. A few things for you to know, Saturday is boys night, and Friday is girls night. Every other night is co-ed. You should be relatively silent between two am and six-thirty every day. You may use the telephone for local calls but no long distance. Meals are not provided if you are accepting board, nor are paycheques. Please ask if you have any more questions." he ran his line over very smoothly, smiled, and left.
"So.........I guess I'd better be going," Swifty's friend snapped his textbook shut and shoved it into his bag.
"Sorry to interrupt you guys. I can leave for a while if you want." Why am I apologizing again?
"It's no problem," Swifty gestured to the boy, "this is Boots, he's my tutor."
Boots smiled and shouldered his backpack, "I'd better be going. Same time tomorrow Swifty?"
Swifty perked up noticeably and nodded, "see you."
I stood in the corner while they said good-bye. When Swifty was done and had shut the door he turned to me. "No offence, but maybe you should take a shower."
Now that I was inside and the smell was restricted to a certain area I could tell that he was right, I reeked.
"Yeah, is there a towel I can use? And soap?"
Swifty directed me to a sparse linen closet and told me that I could use his soap and shampoo for now.
"So what's up with you?" Swifty asked when I sat down on the bed he had made me by stacking a bunch old mattresses on top of each other.
"I kissed my best friend. He had whipped cream in his mouth." Did that sound as stupid as I think it did?
But Swifty nodded knowingly, "so you've been to Horizontal before than?"
"No," I shook my head, "I don't even know if I am gay. It was just a spur- of-the-moment thing. You can't just wake up one morning knowing." Although, oddly, that sounded exactly like what happened.
"So how'd you get a job here then?" Swifty looked confused.
"Jonathan saw me in the parking lot and I asked him for a job."
"Oh, that works."
"What's up with you?" I asked practically the same question he'd asked me.
"My dad disowned me when he found out I was gay."
"What about Boots? He can't just be a tutor," I teased.
"How do you know that something's going on?"
"I'm not slow Swifty, I can fit the pieces together, who refers to their tutor as 'company'? And I saw how happy you were when he said he'd be back tomorrow."
Swifty moaned and fell into his bed, "am I that obvious?"
"Definitely, so what's the story?" I was itching with curiosity now.
"He's straight, he was here the other night with his friends. He really is tutoring me though," he insisted.
Someone knocked at the door. Without waiting for an answer, a dark girl with tiny cornrows stuck her head into the doorway.
"Are you Nathaniel?" she asked me.
I nodded.
"I'm Puma. We have to go set up now. It's about time I got some help," she added to no one.
I followed her outside and down the hall. I'd better get used to this, it could be my life for a while.
A/n: who said the chapters were getting too short? Well I proved you WRONG! This is one longish chapter, if I do say so myself. I love Swifty! I love Blink! Who knew Horizontal would play such a key role in this fic? That's right, ME!
On a completely different, unrelated note, I came into my room just now and it was FREEZING! Then I discovered that my window was open. Honestly, who leaves a window open in the middle of MAY? In Toronto it's not 'April showers bring May flowers', it's 'April showers bring May showers and lotsa cold'!!! Read and Review PLEASE!
A/n—at the beginning of each chapter it says what day of the week it is. If it says 'Still ' that means the day of the week is the same as the day before it. (duh?) If it doesn't say 'Still' before it that means it is a new day. Please R&R!
Shoutouts:
Strawberri Shake- sigh it's been an Angsty day for poor Buttons. I'm sad. But sorry, there's no Skitts/Crutchy. I already have a guy for Skittery in mind...
Sloane Miette- I'm glad you get Itey on weekends now. I'm in a tournie for soccer all weekend and would neglect poor Itey in my adventures. Look after him well! If he has one out of place hair on Monday, I'll know who it was! Wish me luck in the tournie please all!!! Oh, and Blockbuster should have CAMP...I think.
(Tuesday)
Kid Blink's PoV
"Do you need any help here?" the saleslady looked unsure if she should even be asking.
"Actually," I tried to sound light, "I was here to see if there were any jobs open. I can work part-time, after school hours and on weekends."
The woman turned me down; telling me it is 'a job that needs experience'. How much experience do you need to work at a furniture store?
I left and sat in the back parking lot. It was really cold and quite wet because of the rain we'd been having the last few days. I have been looking for a job because I know that my parents won't exactly accept what I'd done with open arms. I know I needed a place to stay until they got over the shock. Unfortunately, I have been finding it impossible to get a job. Maybe it's because I haven't showered since I left Mush's two days ago, having to sleep outside and all.
"Are you OK?" a man who had been throwing something into a dumpster came towards me. He stepped back pretty quickly, perhaps startled by my smell.
"Huh? Uh.........I'm alright, I'm just looking for a job." Then quite hopefully, "I don't suppose you have one for me?"
The man looked me over. "Come in," he gestured to a door and nodded.
I followed him through two doors, one plain, and another very flashy reading 'Horizontal'. The lights were a little dim, but I could make out a dance floor, band platform, bar, and a few small circular tables. The man sat at one of them.
"Sit down, sit down. I suppose introductions are in order. My name is Jonathan Bashford. My partner Calvin Seitz and I run Horizontal," he gestured to nothing in particular, "a under nineteen club for homosexual children." He spoke quickly but with accurate precision. He looked at me to introduce myself.
"Um.........my name is Nathaniel Hunter. My friends call me Kid Blink, or 'Blink' for short. I need a job," I paused momentarily, "please."
"You don't mind working at a gay club?" he raised his eyebrows questioningly.
I decided this was as good a time as any to tell someone, "I kissed my best friend. A boy. I'm just trying to get some space for a while. Y'know, until people get used to it."
He nodded, showing he understood what I meant, "what do you know about lighting?"
"OK Blink," Jonathan knocked on the door to a room above Horizontal, "this is your room. You'll be sharing it with another boy named Aaron Sullivan or 'Swifty'. He works behind the bar three days a week. You should talk to him, he had almost the same problem as you."
The door cracked open, "oh, hi Jonathan. What's up?" asked a voice from inside.
Jonathan sighed, "open the door Swifty, I've gotten you a roommate."
Swifty laughed almost nervously, "Jon, I've got company." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.
I thought: am I going to be roommates with a player?
"Then tell him to put his clothes on and he can come meet him as well." Jonathan looked very impatient. I felt like I was butting in.
Swifty opened the door all the way. Sitting at the kitchen table was a short, very familiar looking boy with a math textbook and a pencil.
"Nice company Swifty," grinned Jonathan smugly, stepping inside, "this is Nathaniel Hunter. He's going to be working with Puma on lighting. He's your new roommate," he turned to me, "and this is Aaron Sullivan, as I told you, he works behind the bar. A few things for you to know, Saturday is boys night, and Friday is girls night. Every other night is co-ed. You should be relatively silent between two am and six-thirty every day. You may use the telephone for local calls but no long distance. Meals are not provided if you are accepting board, nor are paycheques. Please ask if you have any more questions." he ran his line over very smoothly, smiled, and left.
"So.........I guess I'd better be going," Swifty's friend snapped his textbook shut and shoved it into his bag.
"Sorry to interrupt you guys. I can leave for a while if you want." Why am I apologizing again?
"It's no problem," Swifty gestured to the boy, "this is Boots, he's my tutor."
Boots smiled and shouldered his backpack, "I'd better be going. Same time tomorrow Swifty?"
Swifty perked up noticeably and nodded, "see you."
I stood in the corner while they said good-bye. When Swifty was done and had shut the door he turned to me. "No offence, but maybe you should take a shower."
Now that I was inside and the smell was restricted to a certain area I could tell that he was right, I reeked.
"Yeah, is there a towel I can use? And soap?"
Swifty directed me to a sparse linen closet and told me that I could use his soap and shampoo for now.
"So what's up with you?" Swifty asked when I sat down on the bed he had made me by stacking a bunch old mattresses on top of each other.
"I kissed my best friend. He had whipped cream in his mouth." Did that sound as stupid as I think it did?
But Swifty nodded knowingly, "so you've been to Horizontal before than?"
"No," I shook my head, "I don't even know if I am gay. It was just a spur- of-the-moment thing. You can't just wake up one morning knowing." Although, oddly, that sounded exactly like what happened.
"So how'd you get a job here then?" Swifty looked confused.
"Jonathan saw me in the parking lot and I asked him for a job."
"Oh, that works."
"What's up with you?" I asked practically the same question he'd asked me.
"My dad disowned me when he found out I was gay."
"What about Boots? He can't just be a tutor," I teased.
"How do you know that something's going on?"
"I'm not slow Swifty, I can fit the pieces together, who refers to their tutor as 'company'? And I saw how happy you were when he said he'd be back tomorrow."
Swifty moaned and fell into his bed, "am I that obvious?"
"Definitely, so what's the story?" I was itching with curiosity now.
"He's straight, he was here the other night with his friends. He really is tutoring me though," he insisted.
Someone knocked at the door. Without waiting for an answer, a dark girl with tiny cornrows stuck her head into the doorway.
"Are you Nathaniel?" she asked me.
I nodded.
"I'm Puma. We have to go set up now. It's about time I got some help," she added to no one.
I followed her outside and down the hall. I'd better get used to this, it could be my life for a while.
A/n: who said the chapters were getting too short? Well I proved you WRONG! This is one longish chapter, if I do say so myself. I love Swifty! I love Blink! Who knew Horizontal would play such a key role in this fic? That's right, ME!
On a completely different, unrelated note, I came into my room just now and it was FREEZING! Then I discovered that my window was open. Honestly, who leaves a window open in the middle of MAY? In Toronto it's not 'April showers bring May flowers', it's 'April showers bring May showers and lotsa cold'!!! Read and Review PLEASE!