Blink had gone to sleep fairly late, as he'd stayed up till nearly three hanging out with Sari, before she'd walked down the block to collapse at her own house. So, he was rather annoyed when the lights went on at 5:30 am.
"Race," he groaned, still half asleep. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"Oh, shit," Race muttered. "Sorry Blink, I forgot…" his words slightly slurred as he half-stumbled across the room.
"How much did you have to drink?" Blink demanded.
Race shrugged, collapsing on his bed. "A lot. I don't know, I really don't remember."
"So what happened?" Blink asked, sitting up on the couch.
Race shrugged. "We talked. We fucked. We went out for drinks and fucked some more."
"So you two are okay?" Blink was really worried. Racetrack drank on occasion, but never enough to get drunk. Never to the point where it would affect him as much as it was now.
"Yeah," Race sighed. "We'll be fine. Same as we always were."
"Race," Blink began, but Racetrack cut him off.
"It's 5:30, go back to sleep." And Race rolled over, hitting the lights, and immediately falling asleep.
Blink stayed up a little while longer, just thinking, and trying to make sense of the shambles his life had become.
*
The sound of shouting from upstairs woke Blink up. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was just past noon. He sat up straight on the couch, and noticed that Race's bed was empty. He got out of bed and headed up the stairs, and paused when he could clearly hear what was being said.
"Look, I had a few drinks, it's not really that big a deal," Race was snapping at his father.
"You're out until all hours of the night, with this boy, and you don't respect your family anymore. You spend too much money, and you –"
"Are you done yet?"
"Anthony," his father said warningly.
"Look, I had a bit too much to drink, and I'm sorry. But there's no need for you to treat me like I'm a child."
"You are still living under my roof, and you'd best –"
"Follow your rules? I do. Mom's rule is I need to sleep in my own bed. And I did."
Blink listened in on the conversation nervously. He hadn't ever heard Race's family argue like this before. This one was serious. And he was seriously worried about Race… especially considering how he'd acted the night before. Race may like playing as people's therapists, but he certainly sounded like he needed one of his own.
"Oh, Ryan!" Mrs. Higgins called from the top of the stairs. "You're awake!"
Both Racetrack and his father instantly shut up, and returned to glaring at each other silently.
"Really boys," Mrs. Higgins said crossly. "Don't you both think you could behave yourselves for once? We do have a guest."
"Sorry Mom."
"Sorry Dear."
Mrs. Higgins smiled at Blink, and gave him a knowing wink. "Really, it's all about knowing how to manage them. They're both too stubborn for their own good, but Anthony, if you ever drive drunk again, you will never set foot behind the wheel of a car again as long as I live. Do you understand?"
Racetrack nodded sullenly, and motioned for Blink to join them for breakfast. Blink sat down at the table and reached over to grab a bagel. The mood was almost the complete opposite from a few minutes before. Race's family was smiling and laughing, the earlier argument seemingly forgotten. It wasn't exactly a normal meal, but with the Higgins family there really wasn't such a thing.
Breakfast was proceeding smoothly, and Blink was finally starting to actually relax when Mrs. Higgins spoke up.
"Now, Ryan, dear," she began, "I'm going to call your mother in a little while. I'd like you to try to talk to her."
"My mom?" Blink asked hesitantly. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Ryan, I spoke to her last night, and she was concerned about your whereabouts."
"She kicked me out."
"Just try to talk to her, sweetie. I know how hard this is for you, and I'm so sorry that you're being put through this. But, you need to talk to your mother."
"I really don't want to," Blink said sullenly.
"Try," Mrs. Higgins stressed, "As a favor to me."
Blink just sat there for a moment, thinking that he really had no desire at all to speak to his parents. They'd both made it clear what they thought about him. There were ashamed of having a gay son. He'd made his mother cry just by being himself.
"Blink?" he heard Race say. "Blink, are you okay?"
Blink looked up from the table and turned to Race, who looked incredibly worried.
"I'll talk to her," he said finally. "I don't know what it'll accomplish though."
Mrs. Higgins positively beamed at him. "That's wonderful, Ryan!" she exclaimed. Turning to her own son, she quickly instructed him to do the dishes, eliciting a whine from Race in response, as he poured himself another cup of coffee.
"Now, Anthony."
Race grumbled, but obediently began clearing the table. Mrs. Higgins placed a hand on Blink's. "Ryan, if you want, I'll speak to her first before you do."
"I'd appreciate that," Blink said softly.
Mrs. Higgins picked up the phone and dialed a number. She waited a few moments, and then began to speak. "Hi, Jennifer? It's Debbie. Oh. Hi Craig." Mrs. Higgins friendly tone immediately changed to ice. "Yes, your son is here, and he's… what do you mean? Your wife said… Craig, that's incredible. He's your son!"
Blink stopped paying attention to the conversation, and went to go join Race in the nearly-finished kitchen. Race shot him a sympathetic glance, and continued loading the dishwasher.
"Not going well?" he asked.
"When is it ever?" Blink replied gloomily. "Your mom was wrong, and they don't want me home."
"Well, they're idiots then."
There was more shouting from the dining room. Mrs. Higgins had never sounded this angry in Blink's memory. He tried to tune in out, but certain phrases kept popping in.
"Homophobic bigot… your own son! What kind of a father are you?"
Blink couldn't take it any longer. He started for the front door, but Race put a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Don't even think about walking out," he said firmly. "He'll come around. And worst case, you stay here for a while longer."
"I don't want to be-"
"If you finish that sentence, I'll hit you," Race interrupted. "You're not a bother, you're not a pain in the ass, and you're not intruding. Blink, you're my best friend. You're practically my brother. You're always welcome here."
Blink didn't know what to say, but the awkward moment was luckily interrupted by Race's mother, who had stopped screaming into the phone.
"Ryan," she called, "Your mother wants to talk to you."
Blink glanced at Race nervously.
"Talk to her," Race said firmly. "She's not as much of a jerk as your dad is."
"Well, that's helpful," Blink muttered, but he walked into the dining room and took the phone from Mrs. Higgins anyway.
"Hello?" he asked hesitantly.
"Ryan?" It was his mother's voice. She was calmer than he expected her to be, but he could still tell that she had been crying recently.
"Yes, Mother?" he asked harshly.
"Ryan, I'm so sorry."
Blink waited for her to continue. He'd heard her apologies before. They didn't mean anything. But when she didn't continue, he offered her a prompt.
"For what, exactly, are you apologizing for?" Blink asked her, unable to prevent the bitterness he felt from creeping into his tone.
"For asking you to compromise your integrity. For not standing up to your father. For not stopping him when he kicked you out. For allowing my own prejudices to get in the way. For everything."
Blink didn't say anything, he just stared at the phone in shock, not believing what he'd just heard.
"Ryan," his mother's voice pleaded. "Ryan, please say something."
"What do you want me to say to that? That I forgive you, and we can just go back to being one big happy family? That worked really well after the last time you kicked me out."
"I'm not asking you to forgive me. Not yet. What I did was inexcusable. What I'm asking for you to do is come home, where you belong."
"If I come home, I'll still be your gay son. You know that. And I'm not going to live be those rules of Dad's."
"I know. I'll accept that. If you want to go out and express who… who you are, or go…go out with a boy, I'll… I'll accept that. Because I love you, Ryan, and I don't want to lose you."
"What about Columbia?" Blink asked.
"I'll work on your father. I want you to be happy, and I know that Columbia would help with that."
"That… that sounds good."
"So it's settled then? You're coming home?"
"No." It was the hardest thing Blink had ever had to say.
"No?" his mother sounded panicked. "But… Ryan!"
"Does He want me home?"
"Your father," his mother began, "he loves you, Ryan. He just isn't very good at accepting new ideas."
"He's had three years to get used to it."
"He's working on it, I promise."
Blink nodded skeptically, even though he knew his mother couldn't see it. "Tomorrow," he said finally. "I'll be home tomorrow night."
He heard his mother's sigh of relief. "Oh, Ryan, that's wonderful. I'll see you… around six?"
"Yeah. Six. Bye Mom." He hung up the phone, and collapsed into a chair. Race and Mrs. Higgins were hovering over him expectantly.
"Well?" Race demanded.
"Mom apologized. She said she'd work on Dad, and try to get him to come around." Blink said quietly.
"Oh, that's wonderful news, honey!" Mrs. Higgins exclaimed.
"If… if its okay, can I stay here one more night? I can't go home yet… it's just..."
"Of course, sweetie," Mrs. Higgins told him.
"Thanks, Mom," he said, getting up to kiss her cheek.
She pulled him close into a tight hug. "Everything is going to be okay," she told him firmly. "I promise."
Blink nodded.
"So!" Mrs. Higgins exclaimed. "What are you boys doing tonight?"
"Up to Blink," Race said. "Although, Spot may tag along… if it's okay?" He looked at Blink nervously, and relaxed at Blink's nod.
"Well, Becca's show is tonight. If I don't go, she'll kill me."
"Sounds fun," Race grinned.
"And… club after?"
Race's smile grew, but was interrupted by his mother. "No alcohol, Anthony. You've been drinking too much."
"I only had a few drinks last night, Mom. You can trust me."
"I trusted you before you drove home drunk. If you go to the bar, either you don't drink at all or you get someone else to drive. And by someone else, I mean me."
Race looked like he wanted to die, and Blink started laughing at his friends distress.
"Don't worry, Mom, I'll keep him under control."
Race glared at him, but Mrs. Higgins looked overjoyed.
"Oh, thank you Ryan!" she said, alternating between beaming at him, and glaring at her own son. "I knew you were the responsible one."
~*~
The show had been wonderful. Becca was in her element whenever she was onstage. The girl did have a flair for the dramatic. Race and Spot seemed to be getting along better, and amazingly managed to behave themselves during the performance, although they had disappeared during the intermission, and returned twenty minutes later, both looking very smug, earning a glare from Sari.
As everyone filed out as the show ended, Spot pulled Race in close for a long lingering kiss.
Blink winced. He knew how much Spot loved pissing off the breeders, but he wished they wouldn't do it at his school. After all, he was the one who would have to pay for it on Monday.
Luckily, Race had more sense and broke off the kiss after a few long minutes. "Not here," he hissed.
But it didn't matter by then. They'd already been seen by a bunch of jerks from the wrestling team.
"Look, the fag found some friends. Ain't that cute," one of them called.
Blink winced. Sari and Spot looked outraged. Spot took a few steps forward, but Race put a hand on his shoulder, and shook his head.
"Look at this," another one laughed. "The fairy thinks he can fight us."
Race glared at them, and removed his hand from Spot's shoulder. He opened his mouth, clearly about to curse them out. Blink took a step back nervously.
Luckily, the situation was diffused by Becca's arrival.
"Hey Blink!" she called cheerfully. "You made it!" She gave him a hug, then turned to the others and hugged them as well.
She glared over at the jocks. "And you're all leaving now, right? Show's over, there's really nothing left to see here."
"You're a freak, Becca," one of them told her.
"And you're an ass, Snoddy."
"Come on guys," he muttered. "Let's get out of here." The wrestlers began to file out, and Blink gasped. Mush was among them. And this time… he hadn't done anything. He'd just stood there.
Blink wasn't the only one who had noticed. Both Race and Becca were shooting him sympathetic looks.
"Come on," he muttered. "Let's get out of here."
The group walked to the parking lot in silence. As they got to Race's van, Blink turned to Becca.
"You were awesome, you know."
Becca smiled. "Thanks Blink. I'm glad you liked it." She gave him a brief kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry about those jerks. You're better than them."
"Are you going to come to the club with us?" Blink asked.
"Please do," Sari begged. "I could use the company."
Becca sighed. "I'd rather not, honestly. The cast party is tonight." She turned to Sari. "Why don't you come along? Leave the boys to themselves."
"Sure," Sari smiled. "I'll see you guys later."
~*~
Blink sighed. Why had he suggested the club again? Spot and Race had disappeared nearly an hour ago, and knowing them, they probably wouldn't be back for a while. Blink headed over to the bar, where Jack was once again stuck working, although, he seemed a lot more interested in the dorky looking guy who was sitting at the bar.
"Hey Jack, hey David," Blink called.
Both turned to him and smiled.
"What's up Blink?" David asked.
"Been abandoned by Spot and Race again?" Jack laughed.
"Oh, shut up," Blink muttered. "Besides, they need it. They had a fight last night."
"They fight every night," David reminded him.
"No, a real fight. Race came home totally trashed."
Jack nodded. "Yeah, he was pretty messed up when he left last night… but the two of them have been together for a really long time. They can survive."
"Race is going to Boston in four months."
"Oh shit," Jack groaned. "I forgot about that. No wonder he drank so much last night."
"I think they're okay now," Blink told him. "But, they still ditched me."
"Well…" Jack said. "Bumlets is over there. He's been moping all night, because of that." He motioned to Specs and Dutchy, who were busy making out in the corner of the bar.
Blink looked at the Hispanic boy who was nursing a drink. He was really hot. Nice hair, nice body… and single apparently. He was pretty sure that was the same person that Race had suggested setting him up with earlier in the week.
"I don't know," he said quietly.
"Come on Blink, you've been hanging out here forever. You should hit on someone at least once."
"Have you ever even been on a date?" David asked.
"I hate you both," Blink muttered. He got up and headed down the bar towards Bumlets.
"Hi," he began. "I'm Blink. Mind if I join you?"
~*~
Author's Notes-Happy (belated) birthday Mondie! This chapter is dedicated to you, I hope you like it. Even if I was teasing you earlier. *adores* Anyway, there are massive QaF references in this chapter. Because I'm really sadly obsessed with that show, and the new season starts in like…three days, and I'm at school and can't watch. The vast majority of this chapter was written during classes, so I'm rather glad we were watching movies today. Many many many thanks to Shortie for beta reading, because my grammar? Yeah. Non-existant.
Disclaimer: I don't own the newsies, and I don't own the QaF references. I wish I did.
Next chapter- Blink goes home. And he and Mush get into a bit of a fight at school when they start working on their project.
Shout-outs-
B-Who are you, and what have you done with B? Demanding more SpRace in a Blush fic? *adores*
Nani-You know, I feel bad for Mush. He's all in denial land. But he should really stick up for Blink…
Shortie-WOO! Turtles stuff. :D *adores* Glad you like the QaF references darling, because I adore you.
Braids-Glad you like the Spot/Race. It's totally me just having way too much fun writing my OTP.
SillyFidget-QaF is the best thing ever.
Oxymoronic Alliteration-Both Blink and Mush thank you for your suggestion in the review. It took me a while to pry them away from it.
Flare-No killing Blink's dad yet! I need him.
Rumor-Race just needs a fun family. Because, with the amount we torture him… he needs some sort of interesting family. I adore SpRace. I wish they could be all fluffy. But no, they have to bicker. Which is fun too. *evil grin*
PsychoJo-Glad you're enjoying the slashiness. *evil grin* It's so much fun. :D
Strawberri Shake-Spot is adorable. And he'll make it up to Race later. And often. Race is a moron, but I love him anyway. And Blink? He so agrees with you about the Mush loving. :D
V-channy-chan-YES. You MUST see QaF. Everyone must see QaF. Spread the love!
Thistle-Blink is so sweet and adorable. If only Mush would notice that… And yes, I am evil to him. Because torturing him is fun.
Mondie-*adores* hope you like the chapter darling. It's all for you.
Til next time!
~TSB