Chapter 2: Drama With and Regarding Fruits
Written: March 14, 2005
Author: Mondie
Disclaimer: Newsies equal sign Disney's. Plot equal sign Mondie's.
"Goo-ood mornin', good mornin'! We've talked the whole night through! Good mornin', good mornin' to you!"
Bumlets looked up with a dark scowl. "Goddammit, Blink, if you don't shut up on your own, I'm gonna make you." He turned to Racetrack, who was sitting at the table next to him. "Why the hell is he always so cheerful on Saturday mornings?"
Racetrack grinned as he ate a large bite of Golden Grahams. "I don't know!" Laughing happily to himself, he pretended that his next spoonful of cereal was an airplane, zooming it around the table and sloshing milk everywhere before eating the "plane" with enthusiasm.
Nibbling at his piece of toast, Bumlets rolled his eyes. "I forgot. You got some last night. …But still! Blink didn't! So why the hell is he so happy? It's far too early for cheerfulness, Blink. In case you didn't know. Go back to bed or something."
Blink grinned as he put down a fruit tray. "I can't sleep in. Can't explain it, either. I just never learned how to grow out of waking up early. I still can't sleep past seven am." He shrugged. "I got up and made this fruit tray today! Look! Fresh strawberries!"
Bumlets took the seran wrap off the top of it and loaded the paper towel he was using as a plate with generous helpings of the fruit. "Yeah. Thanks."
"That's for Mush!" Blink squawked, swatting as Racetrack reached for some, too.
Bumlets suddenly smirked. "Oh. Well then, we can eat all of it." Racetrack smiled in agreement as he added strawberries to his cereal bowl.
"What do you mean?" Blink asked. "Mush isn't here?"
At that moment, a very naked, very petite, light-brown haired boy came strolling into the kitchen. "Mornin', boys," he said, yawning. He opened the fridge and grabbed out a carton of orange juice. He studied a message written on it in black Sharpie. "'Cowboy's. Drink and die. This means you, Spot.' Yeah, right." He tilted his head back and drank half of it. "That's some damn good OJ."
"Hi, Spot," Blink said, laughing as the short boy walked over and planted his nude self in Racetrack's lap. Racetrack looked as though Christmas had come nine months early. "Have a good night?"
Spot just gave a rather vindictive smirk as he drank some more orange juice. "Better than yours, I dare say."
The dig about his lack of boyfriend last night caused Blink to remember Mush's current absence as well. He turned back to Bumlets. "Oh, yeah. You mentioned Mush wasn't here. Did he go out for his morning run already?"
"More like never came back last night," Cowboy said, entering the room and sitting down at the table. He grabbed Racetrack's box of cereal and pulled out a handful, which he began to eat dry. He noticed Spot drinking his orange juice. "Spot! You jerk!" Smacking Spot upside the head, he grabbed his orange juice and, sulking, drank the rest of it in three large gulps. Spot pouted and climbed off of Racetrack to go see what else he could steal from the fridge, which caused Racetrack to pout over the fact that his lap was now as bare as Spot. Cowboy was also pouting, because he had not gotten his daily allotment of orange juice. Bumlets pouted just because everyone else was pouting.
Kid Blink didn't pout, however. He just looked pleasantly confused. "Do you think he's okay? I mean, maybe someone jumped him and attacked him—"
Bumlets burst out laughing. "Can you really see anyone on this campus threatening Mush? The poor sap wouldn't have a chance! Mush is like, three sizes bigger than anyone else! …Well, except Fat Jay. But Mush could outrun Fat Jay, easy."
"Well then, where is he?" Blink asked, scratching his head.
Spot had found Swifty's cranberry juice, and walked around the table to pinch Blink's cheek. "You're so cute and naïve, Blinky," he cooed, before reclining back onto his human chair of Racetrack again. Racetrack seemed to be trying very hard to control himself. "The boy who bid on your big strong boyfriend is one of my brothers."
"Yeah? So?" Blink shrugged. "I'm sure that your brother is a nice fellow and that they had a good time hanging out at the Metro for a few hours."
All of the other boys at the table snorted laughter into their various foodstuffs.
"Blink," Bumlets countered, "What frat does Spot belong to?"
Blink's brow furrowed. He was pretty sure it was a trick question. "The Betas?" he finally supplied.
"Good," Cowboy said. "What are the Betas known for?"
"Money," Blink answered immediately. "Parties. Good alcohol."
"Right on all three counts!" Spot cheered. "So here's the story, Blinky-pie. Last night, Skittery paid off all of us, his brothers, to vacate our house for the night. We're talking big bucks here. He also took a thousand in cash to the auction because he was determined to win your little beau for the weekend."
Blink stared at him. "Are you saying…"
Bumlets stood up and brushed crumbs off his front. "We're saying that your boyfriend spent last night with a boy who owns good alcohol, and that boy put his money to good use to make sure there was a party just for two going on in his room." He patted Blink on the shoulder. "And apparently Mush had such a good time that he's still there. You should be happy for him. I've heard Skittery's a good lay." Turning and leaving the kitchen, he whistled and was suddenly cheered up. Nothing made Bumlets' day quite like a healthy, happy relationship going to shambles.
Specs, Dutchy, and Swifty came into the kitchen at the same time, all greeting Bumlets as he exited. "Ooh, a party!" Swifty said, looking excited at the amount of people in the room. He sat down in Bumlets' vacated spot, and his eyes fell on the fruit tray. "Ooh, fruit!" The next second, his mouth was full of kiwi. No one had seen his hand move to snatch it. The boy was fast.
"I'm not gonna stand here and let you all bad-mouth my boyfriend," Blink suddenly said, looking more than a little irritated. "I'm going back home. Enjoy the fruit tray."
Turning on his heel, he stormed out of the kitchen and out of the house.
"Oh. Someone just got word on Mush's rendezvous last night?" Specs guessed.
"You got it!" Spot giggled.
"Spot, you klepto, stop stealing my damn juice! This is the third weekend in a row!" Swifty suddenly shouted, then got up and began chasing Spot and his cranberry juice around the table.
Spot called to Racetrack, "Go! Your room! We'll have to barricade the door against this crazy man and, oh dear, whatever will we do all afternoon with only each other to amuse ourselves?"
Racetrack was up the stairs before Spot finished his proposal, and Spot darted after him. Normally, Swifty could catch Spot in half a second, but he was wearing his Big Bird slippers that morning, which rather hindered his speed. Spot got up the stairs and safely into Racetrack's room, with the lock clicking after him and Swifty's cranberry juice carton still firmly held in his hand.
"Goddammit," Swifty grumbled, walking back into the kitchen. "Oh, well. At least there's kiwi." He attacked Kid Blink's fruit tray with renewed fervor.
The front door creaked open, and everyone sitting in the kitchen leaned back in their chairs to see through the kitchen doorway to learn who was walking in. Wicked grins crossed everyone's faces.
"Mush! Get in here!" Cowboy yelled.
"Ooh, Spot's gonna be mad he missed this," Swifty predicted.
Mush stumbled into the kitchen. His hair was sticking up in every direction, and though he was wearing his own jeans, his shirt had three Greek letters on it that definitely were not Lambda Delta Lambda. He leaned against the doorframe. "Yeah, Cowboy?"
Everyone hid their laughter. "…Are you all right?" Cowboy asked, trying to keep the amusement out of his voice.
Mush yawned, and took Racetrack's chair. "I think I'm still drunk," he offered, before slumping and letting his head bang into the table. It was too much for Dutchy, who burst into laughter and then tried to hide it with a coughing fit.
"As your R.A. who knows that you are underage, I should report you to ResLife," Cowboy said sternly. "However, as your frat president, I salute you and offer my congratulations."
"So, Mush," Swifty said, grabbing hold of Mush's chest and hoisting him back upwards. Mush struggled to focus his eyes on him. "That does not appear to be your shirt. Care to explain?"
Mush looked down at his chest and would have slumped back over had Swifty not still have been holding him upright. "Oh. I don't know," he answered. "Whose is it, Swifty?"
None of the boys could contain their laughter anymore. It caught Mush's attention as they all howled in laughter. "Why are you all laughing?" he demanded, then shrugged and began laughing, too.
"What's so funny down here?" Itey asked, as he and Snitch entered the room. "It's far too early to be this chipper."
"Snitch! Awake before noon! Congratulations!" Specs said, holding up an apple slice in a toast. "I haven't seen you up this early since… freshman year?"
"Yeah, yeah, don't let it get around," Snitch grumbled.
"And what was so funny?" Itey pressed, eating a handful of pineapple from the fruit tray.
"Mush here is still drunk. And doesn't know whose shirt he's wearing," Dutchy recapped helpfully.
"And he didn't come home last night," Cowboy added.
Snitch looked at the shirt. "Beta? But Blink isn't a Beta."
He was met by smirks from Cowboy, Swifty, Specs, and Dutchy. "Exactly," Cowboy said.
Snitch burst into laughter, while Itey looked mildly concerned. "Mush," he began. "You didn't—"
Snitch slapped the table. "I was wondering why you weren't at the Metro last night with the rest of us! I can't believe you finally cheated on Blink! I've been waiting for this for years!"
"What!" Mush asked, swaying back and forth in his chair. "I cheated on Blink?" He shook his head slowly. "I wouldn't do that. Not to Blink."
"Then why are you wearing some other boy's shirt?" Specs asked.
Mush appeared to be thinking very hard, then suddenly his bright smile appeared. "I remember! I got chocolate sauce on mine. Well, Skittery got chocolate sauce on mine. So he's washing it for me."
"Chocolate sauce?" Itey asked. "…Why did he put chocolate sauce on your shirt?"
"Because I didn't have any on my face," Mush answered, as if this explained everything.
"Oh, of course," Snitch agreed heartily. "That's why I always get chocolate sauce on my shirts, too."
Cowboy was trying to make sense of Mush's story. "So Skittery put chocolate sauce on you because you didn't have any?"
Mush beamed and nodded. "Yup!" Swifty had slowly removed his steadying hands, and Mush's body fell backwards against the chair, sliding half off it before coming to a stop when his feet braced against the floor. He lay half on and half off the chair, limply sprawled like a rag doll.
"…Does this mean that Skittery had chocolate sauce on him?" Specs asked.
Mush laughed. "Yeah," he agreed. "Because I am no good at pouring it in people's mouths! No good at all!" He laughed again, loudly. Then he turned serious. "Then he had to lick it off me cuz it was all over."
All the laughter in the room stopped, and uneasy looks were exchanged.
"…He licked it off you?" Swifty repeated, the first to regain his voice.
Mush laughed and struggled to upright himself again. "Yeah! And then…" His gaze turned cloudy. "And then…"
"And then what?" Snitch asked eagerly.
But Mush shook his head, and turned and threw up on the ground.
"Ew," Snitch said, picking his feet up off the floor and depositing them in Itey's lap just to be safe.
"Mush? You okay?" Itey asked gently, glaring at Snitch.
Mush shook his head silently, and the realization of what he had done last night, added to his puking, seemed to have sobered him up a little. "I need to go find Blink," he said.
"Want me to help you find him?" Itey asked. "I don't think you should be out there wandering around all alone…"
Wordlessly, Mush got up and went upstairs. A minute later, he reappeared downstairs, with his hair somewhat tamed and one of his own shirts on now. Without another word to the group in the kitchen, he left the house.
"…You're all gonna leave me to clean up his puke by myself, aren't you?" Cowboy asked.
"You are the R.A.," Snitch said mockingly. "We would hate to take away your duties from you."
As the boys slowly meandered from the kitchen, Snitch was the only one wondering aloud about the possible magic potion powers of chocolate sauce. Everyone else was silent. Though they had all laughed and joked about it, no one had really thought that Mush would cheat on Kid Blink. They were the infallible couple, the one that had made it since high school, the couple that was celebrating their fourth-year anniversary in a month. No matter what else was going on, Mush and Blink were the only thing that was always constant. Maybe their being together wasn't necessarily the most logical thing in the world, but it was expected.
And if Mush could cheat on Kid Blink, then were any of their relationships actually sacred?
Spot was the first person to see Mush upon his return to the Lambda house. "Hey there, big fella!" he greeted, skipping over to where Mush sat, looking dazed, upon the couch. His feet were propped up on the battered coffee table, his arms were crossed over his chest, and his eyes were completely unfocused. He didn't respond to Spot's greeting, nor his presence. Spot, who was still naked, even though it was now three in the afternoon, pranced around the sofa, trying to get Mush to snap out of it. Nothing worked, not even when he straddled Mush's bulky form and, grabbing hold of his shoulder, pretended like Mush was a bucking bronco and he was the man sent to tame him.
"You're no fun," Spot pouted, climbing back off of Mush and rolling his eyes. "Is this cuz of Skittery? Cuz, really, Mush, I've been talking with lots of people around campus, and we're all pretty sure that Skittery is much more in your league than Blink ever was."
"Blink and me broke up," Mush said, hollowly, his eyes dead.
"Yeah, well, I just started going out with Racetrack last night, and then we broke up around 2 am because the sex was better before we were boyfriends, but now we're back together as of 2:13 pm!" Spot grinned. "People break up all the time, Mush."
Mush shook his head. "Not me and Blink. We don't break up. We never have before." His eyes, carcasses that used to hold light but were now mere husks, suddenly flickered, just for a second before the spark died again. "I can't believe I did that. Goddamn. I've never done anything like this before." Small tears leaked out of his eyes, but he didn't seem to notice them, and they stopped shortly after starting. "Goddamn."
Spot looked uncomfortable. "Well, see, Mush, the thing is… you and Skittery make sense, at least. I mean, you're gorgeous – don't tell Race I said that, by the way – and Skitts is pretty cute too – ditto – plus… I mean, what can Blink give you? Skittery's got money and is really nice, I mean besides the fact that he seduced you or whatever last night, and… Oh, Jesus, Mush. Have you even looked at Blink lately? The boy wears Spider-man shirts and carries around a Mutant Turtles backpack. He doesn't take vodka to class in his Nalgene, he brings milk. He has the mindset of an eleven-year old. I can't even believe that he knows how to have sex half the time."
"But those are the things that I love about him," Mush said softly.
"Well then. Last night, did you fight off Skittery?" Spot asked, tapping his foot.
Mush closed his eyes. "I was drunk, Spot."
"Not the point. Did you fight him off?"
Mush sighed, then shook his head. "No."
"And did having sex with Skittery completely suck? Rephrase. Completely blow? …Rephrase again. Was having sex bad?"
Mush turned and glared full out at the naked sprite. "No, Spot. No. It wasn't bad. It was actually fantastic, and that's what is so horrible. Because I love Blink, I do."
Spot let out a scream of excitement and danced around a bit. "Oh, I'm so glad I let myself be bribed last night!" he crowed. "Mush, right now it seems shitty, but that's just because you're used to being with Blink. But you're super lucky, because you don't even have to be lonely for any amount of time, because you have a new boyfriend all lined up!"
"A new boyfriend?" Mush asked, gaping. It was obvious that the thought of dating anyone other than Blink had never crossed his mind before.
Spot caught sight of something out the window. "Oooh! My timing is impeccable!" he grinned. "And in congratulations to myself, I'm going to go up and sexile Daveykins again." Whistling, Spot turned and took the stairs two at a time.
"Fucking exhibitionist," Mush growled as the short little naked creature disappeared from sight. "Well," he said out loud to himself. "I'm not getting up to get the door. Screw that."
Two minutes later, there was a knock, and the front door swung open. Mush didn't turn to look at the person standing in the doorway. He had forgotten that Snipeshooter had broken the door's lock three days ago and Cowboy, being the less-than enthusiastic R.A. that he was, had yet to turn in a work order for it.
"Hey," a soft voice said. "Can I come in?"
Mush didn't answer, though he thought to himself that it was the stupidest question he had ever heard, since obviously the door was open and the boy was already one foot in anyhow.
Skittery tilted his head. "You forgot your roses in my room," he said, smiling and crossing to where Mush sat, unmoving, on the sofa. He put the large vase on the coffee table. "So. Day two of our fun-filled weekend starts… oh, I think about now. What do you wanna do?"
"I hate you!" Mush screamed suddenly, grabbing the vase and throwing it with all of his might against the wall. The roses fell helter-skelter across the floor, and the vase crashed through the plaster, leaving a gaping hole littered with glass. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you! Blink fucking broke up with me! Thanks to you!"
Skittery stared at him, bewildered. "Oh, God, Mush."
"Well! What did you expect?" Mush shouted. "It was what you planned all along, don't play stupid with me! You wanted him to break up with me! Otherwise you wouldn't have done… all that you did…"
Looking torn, Skittery sat down next to Mush on the couch. Mush turned away. "Mush, listen to me. I did want you two to break up. I'm not gonna pretend like I didn't."
"A-ha!" Mush shouted, then fell silent, because he had already known that and the admission really wasn't much of a victory.
"But I didn't want to be the cause of you two breaking up," Skittery said. "I swear. Because now I know that you're going to hate me, because I'm the reason why it happened." He swallowed thickly. "I'm really sorry that I hurt you, Mush. I just thought… I don't know. I thought if you had a night with me, you might realize that there might just be someone out there who is better suited to you than Kid Blink ever was."
"Why is everyone all of a sudden worried about how compatible Blink and I are?" Mush screamed. "Goddammit! Fuck! I didn't ask for this!"
Skittery placed a hesitant hand on Mush's shoulder, which Mush jerked away from. "I didn't ask for this either, Mush. I didn't ask to get the largest crush of my life on the only untouchable boy on campus, and I didn't ask for you to get hurt. That sucks, and I'm sorry that they both happened, because then everyone's lives could still be content and happy. But I didn't ask for anything last night, either. I didn't ask for anything other than your company. Everything that we did last night was half me and half you. I wasn't the only one initiating. So don't punish me for this."
"I know I was wrong, too," Mush said evenly, still not turning to look at Skittery. "But I can't help it. I need to have someone to hate, and so I half-hate myself, and I half-hate you. Together, I can't stand us."
"I hate myself for getting you hurt," Skittery said, mostly to himself. Mush froze at the sincerity in his voice.
"You really do like me, don't you?" he countered, sounding slightly taken aback.
Skittery fought back a sarcastic laugh. "I have never spent over two thousand dollars on one night with a boy before, trust me."
"Two thousand?" Mush asked, confused. "It was only five hundred—"
"Not to get all my brothers out of the house too. I had to pay them each 75," Skittery countered. He looked down at his hands and began picking at a hangnail. "You don't seem to understand how perfect you are, Mush." He looked over at the back of Mush's head. "How perfect you are for me."
Mush sighed. "It's just too bad I hate us together. That's all."
Skittery thought for a moment. "But if only half-hate yourself and you half-hate me, then there are halves of both of us that you don't hate. So can't those two halves combine into an us that you like?"
Mush bit back a smile at how Skittery's voice was so pleading. "…Sorry I threw the roses."
Skittery shrugged. "More roses can be easily acquired," he answered. He reached over and took Mush's hand gently. Mush didn't shy away from the touch this time. "Mush, I know that we got off to a… bad start…" he began.
"But we didn't," Mush answered, in barely more than a whisper. "That was part of the reason why I hated us: it was because I didn't hate us at all."
Skittery got up and walked around to Mush's other side, so that Mush was now forced to look at him. "Please, Mush. Give me a try. Give us a try."
"I don't know," Mush answered, trying his hardest to look away from Skittery's eyes but finding it impossible. "I just don't know."
In response, Skittery leaned down and kissed him firmly.
David had postponed his sexile for as long as he could by swearing that he was almost done with his paper, but finally Racetrack had caught onto his lie and had quite literally thrown him out into the hallway. Cursing his look at getting a nymphomaniac roommate, David headed downstairs to see if anyone was watching a movie or doing anything remotely interesting down there.
He stopped short on the stairs when he caught sight of Mush making out with Skittery. Turning on his heel, he dashed back upstairs and flew into Snitch and Itey's room, hoping to high heavens that they were fully clothed. Luckily, they were, and were even sitting at their respective desks, across the room from each other. "Mush is making out with a strange boy who isn't Blink," he panted.
"What!" Snitch cried, jumping to his feet. "C'mon!" He began knocking on doors, spreading the word, and before long, the entire frat plus Spot was gathered in a clump on the stairs, with mouths wide open.
"I'll be damned," Cowboy said.
"Mush be damned," Spot amended.
"You'll be damned," Swifty answered. "Where's my juice, bitch?"
Spot let out a high-pitched shriek as Swifty chased him down the stairs and out the front door. "I'm naked! I'm naked!" Spot was squealing long after he was out in the snow.
"That's never seemed to bother you before!" Snitch laughed as the rest of the brothers chased after the two, slamming the door behind them.
"They didn't even notice," Snipeshooter said in awe, peering in through the living room window. "We ran right through the room, and they didn't notice one bit! They're still making out like they didn't even hear us!"
Inside, Mush pulled away from Skittery for a moment. "I hate my brothers," he said.
"Yeah. Well, at least you aren't fraternally related to the short naked one who steals juice," Skittery answered, then leaned over and kissed Mush again.
Shoutouts!
Studentnumber24601: Uh. Please don't kill me. If you kill me, then you will never know whether Blush gets back together in this fic or not. Plus I'd be dead. And uh. Dead isn't fun? Uh… I made Blink uber!cute in this chapter for you:D That should count for… something… -runs and hides-
Charlie Bird: Ha. Just try and escape the Skush love. We have you hooked. BWAHA. I am so glad you are my new pet, because I adore you sohardcore. :D Thanks for the lovely review!
Omni: Haha. I really like Race in this story. I've been neglecting him for a while. I like having him back around. Plus I love having you around too! –cheers for omni love!-
Pyromaniacal Llama: Yes, yes, Skitts –is- too pretty to be mad at. (Mush: You got that right.) It is just another reason why we adore him so very, very much. :D
Sita-Chan: I'm so glad you're reading:D As we are TEH SKUSHERS OF DOOM. I'm so glad we made up this pairing! XD I LOVE YOU SO MADLY DEEPLY TRULY, my darling darling Sita!
Dreamer110: Yes, well, I have found at college that some of the guys you would most expect to be able to hold their liquor are the exact ones who fall over after one shot. Which is really amusing, actually. :D Hee! Thanks for the review!
Don't forget to review, all you readers-and-not-reviewers… Because I say so. And so does Mush. And Blink. Blink wants your sympathy and Mush wants your "AHH YOU'RE HOT"s. Because he is. And yes. Review, wenches!
