Chapter 1: Sequins and a High Bidder

Written: March 12, 2005

Author: Mondie

Disclaimer: Newsies Disney's. Plot Mondie's.

"And now," Mr. Weitzel, the announcer, droned, "Jack Kelly. Jack is a senior and the president of Lambda Delta Lambda. Twenty-one years old, he stands at six foot and enjoys bowling, riding horses, and Jack Daniels. A Leo, he embodies the epitome of –"

"Thanks, Weasel," Cowboy said, grabbing the microphone. "To entice you lovely audience members to bid on me, I am going to sing you a song." He cleared his throat loudly into the microphone. Mush, backstage, winced at Cowboy's uncouthness. Then Cowboy began singing. "Oooh, you get me ready in your '56 Chevy, why don't we go sit down in the shade?" Mush's eyes turned to saucers until Cowboy crooned, "Where is my prairie song? Where is my happy ending? Where have all the cowboys gooooooooone?" filled the air, at which case Mr. Weitzel grabbed back the microphone. Everyone applauded because – though his enthusiasm undoubtedly counted for something – Cowboy's singing voice was somewhere between a screech and a wail. Quite unpleasant, really.

From the angle he was standing at, Mush could just make out a sideways view of Cowboy strutting around the stage. After bitching them out every day for weeks, Cowboy had been in a much better mood the last couple of days, because he had gotten a couple of papers back with big red A's marked on their faces. His big smile, which had been practically nonexistent thus far in the semester, almost distracted away from his outfit.

Almost.

The Deltas had outdone themselves this year.

Last year, when they had dressed up the Lambdas as "newsies," they had dressed themselves as "Victorian bathing beauties." Mush was pretty much convinced that they thought up their own costumes first, and then tried to come up with as ridiculous a counterpart to their outfits as they could, for the boys to wear. The knickers last year had been uncomfortable, and the wool socks and jackets were itchy, while the girls paraded around in cute, distinctly un-Victorian bathing suits. This year, the theme was "Cheerleading Dance Squad!" The Delts wore little tight-fitting red sequined halter tops that ended just beneath their breasts, showing off their little flat stomachs, with little black sequined short skirts that showed off their little skinny legs. They had given the boys outfits that matched pretty well. The only problem, in fact, was that they did match so well.

No shirts. Just a black sequined vest-type thing, which hung open, exposing their abs (as long as they were fortunate enough to have them). No pants. Just tiny little red sequined short-shorts that made them all more than a little uncomfortable.

It didn't look too bad on Cowboy. Cowboy had the right physique for it. He was the right weight, with just enough muscle mass to look good in the outfit without bursting its seams open. As he strutted around on stage, encouraging bids to go higher and higher, Mush suddenly wanted the floor to split open and swallow him whole. He peeked into the audience. Luckily, his boyfriend Kid Blink's hair products were the best in the world, and Mush easily spotted the sheen from the blond's hair from where he sat all the way in the back. Encouraged, Mush turned back to go look in the mirror again.

Mush had started working out daily in the gym when he was eleven. He had yet to miss a single day. He ate right and drank ten glasses of water a day. Therefore, Mush had a body much more built than any of his brothers. His abs had been pronounced since he was fourteen, and now, at twenty, he was the owner of a fourteen-pack. His legs were strong enough for him to push a car up a steep hill with little to no effort. His arms were well-defined, so much so that, unlike the rest of the boys in the frat, he did not need to flex his arms for his muscles to bulge outwards. These physical attributes had come quite in handy when it came to trying to seduce Kid Blink. However, when given a generically small, one-size-fits-all outfit by the Deltas – one that was small enough to fit Crutchy's lanky, skinny form – well… it was just really impossible for Mush to fit inside this outfit. The shorts were practically up his ass, and the vest – which actually overlapped across Crutchy's and Swifty's chests – remained open by at least six inches when Mush put one on. He felt, and looked, ridiculous.

Cowboy was pouting at the crowd, trying to get his price to go higher, but they had stopped bidding. Weasel shouted, "Sold, forty-five dollars!" Cowboy blew a kiss to the audience and strutted off-stage while a lady with a clipboard hurried toward the highest bidder.

A couple of Delts went next, being ridiculous and girly, as always. They primped and bounced and giggled up on stage. Then it was Bumlets' turn. Bumlets also was the right size for this outfit. He did a few breakdancing moves on stage, much to the delight of the audience. He went for forty-two dollars. Next up was Snitch, who rolled his eyes and trudged from one side of the stage to the other, looking annoyed. He only raised fifteen dollars. Looking relieved, he dashed offstage.

Mush's turn.

He looked back into the backstage area, his eyes pleading with anyone would look at him. He didn't want to go through with this. Where were all the compassionate people? His brothers – at least the ones who weren't laughing hysterically at his outfit – weren't meeting his eyes, and the Deltas were eyeing him like he was a dead carcass and they were vultures.

"And now," Mr. Weitzel said, "we have the lovely Mr. Micah Meyers." He was supplied with a script written by the Delts every year, and this was no exception. Mush hadn't filled out the personality card supplied to him, so they had made up his bio. "Micah is twenty and … Micah, where are you? C'mon out here, don't be shy."

Since nobody sprang up to help him, he dejectedly walked out on the stage. Remembering how little money Snitch had raised, and not wanting to only be bid on for ten dollars or some mortifyingly low price, he did what he knew how to do. He flexed. Various poses trademarked by large body-builders suddenly became second nature to him. The girls in the audience giggled. He wished that Blink wasn't sitting all the way in the back – he hated feeling so alone up here. Noticing a gentle pair of eyes staring at him from the second row, he latched onto the gaze and began performing to it. Weitzel's description of him was almost over, thank God. He made a note to make sure that the Delts knew for next year that he did not actually enjoy knitting or reading Nicholas Sparks' novels on the beach. Feeling ridiculous, he awaited the moment the bidding would start and he could end this horrid humiliation.

And then, he noticed a flash of sequins in the corner of his eye. Turning sharply to the right, he saw Racetrack putting down a stereo on the lip of the stage. Racetrack, who was wearing the sequined outfit like he was born in it, and had even added a sequined top hat to the ensemble, grinned wickedly at Mush. Mush knew what was coming. "No!" he shouted, but a second too late. Racetrack pressed play.

Beyoncé's "Crazy In Love" began to play.

Mush couldn't explain it, but whenever any Beyoncé song began to play, he just could not sit still. It was the strangest phenomena anyone had ever experienced. As soon as her voice began to sing, he just had to dance. His brothers all found it hilarious, and many parties so far this year had been spent putting on Beyoncé just to make Mush get up on a table and dance. He just could not help himself. It was like his body didn't even listen to his head, which was screaming at him to just act like a normal human being. His body took over and began dancing, and the audience went wild along with it. Mr. Weitzel was staring at him, and there were loud catcalls and cheers from the audience, as his body pelvic-thrusted and pirouetted and Napoleon Dynamited all over the stage. His brain was horrified and screaming for his legs to stop. But his legs weren't listening. Nor were his arms. His hips. Or, for that matter, his ass. His legs had decided to turn around and plant themselves so that his ass could shake itself in a fairly good imitation of Beyoncé, considering he was a very muscular, twenty-year old boy.

And then. The humiliation he had known was coming decided it was time to present itself. In the middle of his booty-shaking, his red short-shorts, which already were riding up his ass and stretched to their very limit, decided to split at their seams. The skimpy little shorts fell to the stage. And, since none of the brothers had figured out a kind of underwear that would fit under the damn things, he was left with a very naked ass facing a very loudly enthusiastic crowd.

Not sure what to do, he only knew that he could not turn around. And yet Beyoncé was still playing, so he couldn't stop dancing, either. He danced off stage. Racetrack, laughing so hard that he could barely walk, got on stage to turn the music off. Mush glared at him as he stepped into his jeans, and, zipping up the fly, walked over and punched Race in the eye before stepping back on stage to a standing ovation.

Bids were flying. Mr. Weitzel couldn't keep up.

"A hundred twenty-five!" shouted a girl in the front row.

"A hundred forty!" shouted a girl mid-way back.

"One hundred fifty!" two boys shouted in unison, then they began punching each other.

"One hundred seventy-five!"

"Two hundred twenty!"

Mush looked pleadingly to the back. He could see Blink's hair again, and it looked as though Blink was trying very hard to get money from the people on either side of him.

"Three hundred," came a calm voice from the second row.

"Three hundred and five!" Blink yelled from the back.

"Three hundred fifty," countered the second-row boy. The room fell quiet.

Mr. Weitzel cleared his throat. "Three hundred and fifty," he said, sounding awed. "Going once, going twice—"

"Three hundred fifty-five!" Blink shouted, sounding slightly desperate. Mush began to get worried. Blink could never even afford his books at each semester's beginning, let alone over three hundred dollars just to spend a weekend with his boyfriend, who he already got to hang out with for free. Mush wished there was a way to tell him to cut it out. A stupid weekend wasn't worth this much money.

"Four hundred!" shouted a row of girls in the fourth row in unison. They had apparently pooled their money.

"Four hundred and five!" Blink said, and Mush could hear the panic in his voice.

The second-row boy coolly countered, "Five hundred." The room fell silent again.

"Five hundred," Mr. Weitzel said, in disbelief. "Going once, going twice… sold. Micah Meyers, five hundred dollars." He shook his head. "Gotta feel sorry for whoever is up next…"

As Mush turned to exit the stage, Racetrack, hunched over in the side, pressed play on the stereo again. Mush had no choice but to shimmy over, then he kicked the stop button and then kicked Racetrack for good measure, too.


Back in the tight t-shirt and jeans he had come to the auction in, Mush felt much more comfortable as he went to seek out his boyfriend in the theatre's lobby. Everyone was very happy and congratulating themselves and each other. Mush had set a record with his five hundred dollar bid; the highest before tonight had been a hundred and fifty for the 1995 head cheerleader. Racetrack had raised the next highest amount of the night, with sixty-nine dollars, which had been the first and only bid placed on him. It had been shouted out by the boy he had been sleeping with for a year, a Beta named Spot. Racetrack was now in a very good mood, because he was officially the second-most popular brother, and he was guaranteed to get laid that night.

Blink was waiting next to the water fountain, looking like he wanted to drown himself in it. He rushed over to Mush as soon as he caught sight of him. "I'm so sorry, Micah," he whispered, hugging him tight. "I tried, I swear I tried."

"Look, it's no big deal," Mush answered, kissing his cheek. "It's just one weekend. All I have to do is go to the Metro with him tonight and dance around while eating free Doritos and drinking free soda. It's no big thing at all. I'll make up missing this weekend with you." He kissed Blink again, loving the familiarity of kissing the boyfriend he had had since junior year of high school. He was just so comfortable with Blink.

Medda, the Delta advisor, ran over and grabbed Mush by the shoulder, effectively untangling him from Blink. "Micah, this is Michael. He's the one that bid on you. He bid a lot of money, in case you forgot. Now go hang out with him."

Mush stared at her. "Medda, we're supposed to meet up at the Metro tonight." He looked at Michael for clarification. "Aren't we?"

Medda glowered at him. "Micah. Five hundred dollars. Now go have fun. Your little friend here will understand. Won't you?" she asked Blink.

Blink readjusted the straps of his vintage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles backpack and grinned half-heartedly at Mush. Uncapping his Nalgene bottle of milk, he took a swig before replying, "Of course I understand. I'll… call you tomorrow, huh, Micah?"

"You do that," Medda said, taking his shoulders this time, turning him in the opposite direction, and shoving him away. Beaming at Mush and his bidder, she flounced away.

Mush rolled his eyes at her retreating back, then turned to grin at Michael. "Everyone calls me Mush," he said, extending his hand. "Thanks for the generous bid, dude. That was really cool of you."

The other boy grinned, shaking Mush's hand with his right hand and running his left across his fauxhawk in a slightly nervous gesture. "No problem. Oh, uh, my pledge name was Skittery. No one calls me Michael anymore."

"What frat are you in?" Mush asked, moving toward the exit from the theatre. He figured if they hurried, they could walk behind Blink all the way back toward the frat house, and he could blatantly stare at his boyfriend's ass.

Skittery hurried to catch up with him. "Beta," he answered. "I'm in the frat with Spot; I think you know him pretty well."

Mush laughed. "Yeah. He's a bit of an exhibitionist, isn't he? I've seen him walking naked around our house more often than any actual member of our frat, I think." He could just make out Blink meandering along in front of them, which made him smile.

Skittery caught his arm. "Hey, where are you going?"

Mush stopped to think. "My house? Oh, did you want to go to the Metro? I was kinda hoping you'd want to blow it off. Campus clubs aren't quite my thing."

A giant smile creased Skittery's face. "Yeah, I hate the Metro, too. But I was thinking we could go to my house instead."

"Oh." Mush shrugged. "Well, ya know, it was your five hundred dollars." He turned and saluted. "Lead away, O Captain, my Captain."

The Beta house was well known on campus. On weekends, it was party central. Every weekend. Both nights. Without fail. So when Mush and Skittery reached it and there were no naked girls hanging out the windows or beer cans all over the sidewalk, Mush was very, very confused. "Isn't it Friday night?" he asked.

"Yeah," Skittery answered, sounding confused at the question. He caught on quickly, however, when he saw Mush checking the bushes for vomit. "…Oh. The lack of people? Yeah, I thought it'd be better if there weren't people slip-n-sliding across the kitchen floor tonight. I know it's slightly illegal for a Beta to say he isn't always in the mood for a party, but… really, sometimes it's hard to party every night. I paid off my brothers to take their sex partners out for the night."

Mush laughed. "You must have a lot of cash."

"Thank you, Father dearest," Skittery answered ruefully, pushing the front door open. "I'm gonna go get some cups from the kitchen. My room's up the stairs, second door on the right."

The house was almost eerie with its lack of people. Mush had never seen it empty before. The few beer cans on the table seemed lonely, and the couches – usually covered with people making out on top of other people making out – were sagging and sad without occupants. Mush noticed for the first time that the couches were green plaid. An interesting choice in a room with burnt orange carpet and tangerine walls.

He headed up the stairs, and found it strange that he did not have to trip over people on every step. He was almost relieved when he opened Skittery's door, so that he didn't have to see the sad, lonely disposition of the house anymore.

Skittery's room was organized and tastefully decorated with posters of Johnny Depp and Justin Timberlake. Mush sat on Skittery's desk chair and twirled around in it, waiting for Skittery to get up to the room. His eyes fell on a large bouquet of roses. He noticed a little card arranged between the stems, and, smiling, opened it to see who had such a crush on Skittery. His high bidder certainly had many things going for him: he was quite attractive, obviously loaded with cash, and actually seemed to have a decent personality, too. Mush hoped that the roses would develop into a high point of gossip. He loved nothing better than to expose a new crush on campus.

Hearing Skittery on the stairs, however, he hurriedly shoved the card back in its tiny envelope and tried to get it back on its little plastic stand among the thornless stems. Skittery opened the door before he got a chance to actually complete his task, however, and Mush was left slightly mortified.

Skittery put the glasses down on his desk and nodded. "Go ahead," he said. "Read it." Crossing to his closet, he opened it and began pulling down bottles. "What can I fix you?"

Mush looked over at the number of bottles and smiled. Besides being the rich-boy frat that threw the best parties, the Betas were also known for being the suppliers of the best alcohol on campus. Spotting Smirnoff 100-proof among the selection, he grinned and nodded to it. "Something with vodka. Surprise me." Winking, he turned back to the roses. Shrugging, he opened the card, feeling slightly less excited now that he had permission to read it.

It only had two words on it. For Mush. He read it roughly five times, then turned back to look at Skittery, who was measuring out shots into the glasses. "For me?" he asked.

Skittery was adding white grape-peach juice to the vodka, and looked up and smiled before adding in some peach schnapps. "For you," he answered. He pressed the glass into Mush's hand. "This is for you, too."

Mush smiled, but was suddenly a lot less comfortable. "Uh, Skittery. Just so you know. I have a boyfriend."

"I know," Skittery answered. "Try it, let me know what you think."

Mush obediently took a sip. He looked over at Skittery in amazement, then took another drink just to be sure. "…This is the best drink I've had in my entire life."

Skittery grinned. "Thanks. My cousin's a bar tender, and he's teaching me the ropes."

Mush nodded, impressed, and took a longer drink. "You can barely taste the alcohol. Just enough to know it's in there."

"I know. This is my favorite mixed drink," Skittery answered, smiling as he downed his own and began mixing a different drink. Mush, not wanting to fall behind, threw his drink back, too.

Skittery beamed. "How about a peppermint patty?"

Mush grinned. "I haven't had one of those since my first party freshman year!"

"Sit down," Skittery said, pushing Mush gently into his desk chair. Mush sat down and leaned his head back, smiling in anticipation. Skittery walked over and, looking down into Mush's eyes, slowly dripped chocolate sauce into his open mouth. Mush gaped his mouth wider, without really meaning to, because Skittery's eyes were so intense and… well, beautiful.

"Close your mouth a little," Skittery laughed. "You're gonna lose the chocolate down your front otherwise." Mush immediately closed his mouth slightly, as Skittery measured out a shot of peppermint schnapps. Filling it too much, a few drops ran, shivering, down the side of the shot glass. Mush watched, hypnotized, as Skittery lifted the glass and licked the lone drops off its side, seemingly in slow motion. Then he turned and smiled, asked if Mush was ready, and held the shot glass to Mush's lips. Mush raised a shaking hand to take it and poured it into his mouth, then mixed the chocolate and peppermint with his tongue before swallowing it.

"Thanks," he said, clearing his throat, and practically leaping from the chair. "I forgot how much I like those."

"My turn," Skittery said. He pointed at the desk vaguely. "Chocolate sauce is over there." Mush turned to get it, and when he turned back around, Skittery was lying on his back on his bed, waiting.

Mush swallowed, hard, feeling his heart begin to pound. Juggling the chocolate sauce, shot glass, and schnapps, he walked over and knelt beside the bed. Skittery closed his eyes and opened his mouth. Mush began pouring in chocolate sauce, his hand shaking, causing him to get sauce all over Skittery's mouth, but rarely inside it. Skittery began laughing, and Mush did too, and all the tension was now gone. He finally got chocolate in Skittery's mouth – a perfect mouth, Mush noticed, with nice, full lips and straight teeth – and then measured out a shot, which he poured slowly into Skittery's mouth. Skittery smiled and swished the combination around, then swallowed it and opened his eyes.

Mush laughed. "You have chocolate all over you," he said, grinning. "Go look in the mirror."

Skittery followed his advice, then laughed at his reflection. "You suck at giving peppermint patties," he told Mush. "And, what do you know… you have chocolate all over you, too."

"I do not," Mush answered, walking over and looking at his reflection. He hadn't noticed Skittery leaning back and grabbing the chocolate sauce. Skittery suddenly attacked him with it, squirting chocolate all over his face. Mush screeched and looked for something to either hide behind or retaliate with. Coming up with neither, he instead grabbed the bottle of Absolut from where it sat unguarded on the desk.

"Don't throw that!" Skittery said in alarm, lowering the chocolate weapon.

Mush scoffed at him, then tipped his head back and began drinking from the bottle. Skittery began laughing, then dropped the chocolate sauce on the carpet. "Share," he said. Mush chugged half the bottle, then laughed and handed it over. His head was reeling. While Skittery began drinking from the bottle too, Mush walked to the mirror and looked into it. "I'm a mess," he said, touching the chocolate on his face. He burst into laughter as he swirled the chocolate on his cheek. "I'm also a lightweight."

Skittery giggled. "I am too," he said. "Oh, I missed some." He tipped back the almost-empty bottle again.

"Let me," Mush answered, walking over and grabbing the bottle from him. He threw back his head and drank the last few drops. He dropped the empty bottle with a soft thud on the carpet and noticed how hard it was to focus on … well, pretty much anything. "Wow. That was a stupid thing to do."

"Was it?" Skittery asked. "You sure?"

Mush shrugged. "Pretty sure." His eyes fell on the roses. "Did you really get those for me?"

Skittery grinned. "I did." His hand was suddenly resting on Mush's side, and Mush moved closer to him. "I like you a lot, Mush."

Mush smiled. "But I'm covered in chocolate and gross-looking." He pouted.

Skittery leaned forward and began licking the chocolate off his cheek. Mush giggled. "That tickles!" Skittery smiled but didn't stop, and then his tongue licked at a bit of chocolate in the corner of Mush's mouth, and Mush's mouth opened of its own accord and he suddenly found himself kissing Skittery.

And Skittery had yet another thing going for him. He was an amazing kisser.

Mush forced himself to push away. "That was another stupid thing to do," he told Skittery.

"Was it?" Skittery whispered, kissing his neck. "You sure?"

Mush took a sharp intake of breath. "Pretty sure," he breathed back. "…I think."

"You think?" A long kiss, perfect and exciting and fantastic.

"I don't know," Mush breathed. "But I still have chocolate on me."

Decoding the message, Skittery smiled as he wrapped his arms around Mush, and kissed him fiercely.


Shoutoutification!

Charlie Bird: Haha, I am the foreshadowing QUEEN. Bwaha. Worship me. Now. Hehe you are so my new favorite. Ooh, how I adore you. :D Hee!

Dreamer110: Haha, thanks. I enjoy having newsies picking on each other. Haha. Thanks for the review:)

Buttons14: Oh. There will be much hilarity concerning Snipeshooter being in the frat. The only reason I ever put him in any story is to torture him. LOL. God, I hate that kid. Anyhow. Thanks for taking the time to review! I hope you stick with the story. :D

Omni: I love thee! I'll try and finish it. For you, my dear. :D Haha! Oh man, I love my Omni so much:D :D :D

Cards: If the muses love me, then I love you! Thanks for the review, dollface:D

Studentnumber24601: I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. I hope your headache goes away:( I'm sorry about the whole cheating-on-Blink thing in this chapter. I promise I still adore you!

And last, but not least… to my darling SITA… who is my co-Skusher and whom I love DEARLY. (Read my story, wench!)