I do not own Newsies. Disney owns Newsies. Disney owns almost everything.

I do not own the character Saiorse "Irish" Callan. She is owned by her creator Lady of Tir Na Nog, who has graciously offered the use of "Irish" as a character in this story.

I am making no money from this story, so my chances of purchasing any of the above are slim to none.

Rated M for Slash, Sexual Situations, and Adult Language.

Beta credit for this chapter goes to the fantabulous pennylayne. She graciously took the time from her own writing and from her work with Frisky Wallabee at The Wonder Twins LJ.

A/N:

My original idea was to split the party into two parts. When I realized that Race and Blink hadn't had any private time in a while, I decided to give them their moment. The party, and Skittery and Irish, will continue in the next chapter.

And don't worry. The next chapter is already written and ready to post, so you won't have to wait too long.

Chapter 21 – Gentlemen's Agreement

Skittery sat in the locker room staring blindly ahead.

"What are you doing?" Specs asked. "It looks like you're trying to open that locker by mental telepathy."

"Nah, just thinkin'," Skittery said as he opened the door to take a look inside. "Locker number 149. This one was mine senior year. I had my entire life ahead of me the last time I was here. It seems like it was only yesterday and not seventeen years ago. God, so much has changed since then."

"It sure has. Back then you were a skinny kid who did nothing but play basketball and chase skirts. Then you earned yourself a college scholarship, became a star player on your school's basketball team, and got your degree. You went on to play a few years in the pros, and now you're a sports commentator on national television. I'd say that things have worked out pretty well for you."

Skittery merely shrugged and closed the locker.

"Okay, there's obviously something eating at you, so stop jerkin' around and spit it out."

"Nothing's bothering me. I just wanted to take a look around, is all."

"Cut the crap, Skitts. You and I have been through a lot together and it's a bit late for us to start playing games. You're thinking about Irish, aren't you?"

Skittery thought about saying no, but didn't. Specs would know that he was lying. "Some," he replied.

"Are you ever gonna tell me what happened between the two of you?"

"Nope. That's between me and her. It's nobody's business but ours."

"Okay, if that's the way you feel, then I won't push the matter. But I don't understand how the two of you could be the perfect couple one day and hate each other the next."

"I don't hate Irish. We just didn't want the same things out of life. I never hated her." Skittery's voice faded off as he stared into nothingness. Whatever he was thinking had him far away from that room. After several long moments, Skittery shook his head and looked back at Specs. "We made a great couple, didn't we?"

"We sure did, sweetheart," Specs said, blowing Skittery a kiss.

"Don't make me sick, asshole," Skittery smiled. "And don't ever do that to me again. I'll be lucky if I don't have nightmares now! You know damned well that I was talking about Irish and me. We were fantastic together."

"Sure, for a couple of flaming heterosexuals. But if you ask my opinion, I think that Dutchy and I make a much cuter couple.

"In your dreams, Bergman. Irish and I were amazing together. Damn, she was beautiful, wasn't she?"

"Yeah, she was," Specs said, snatching the beer from Skittery and taking a large swallow. "She was pretty enough that nobody even noticed how ugly you are."

"Screw you," Skittery laughed. "And she was feisty, too. We argued two or three times that first night alone. It was great."

Specs threw an arm around Skittery's shoulder as they headed back into the gym. "If you want to know the truth, Skitts, I've always thought it was a little strange that the two of you got off on arguing."

"We didn't get off on arguing. We simply enjoyed a healthy exchange of ideas and opinions. And there is nothing more exciting than a beautiful and strong-minded woman. That's the best way to get my blood boiling."

"You do know that's a bit strange, don't you, Skitts?"

"Yeah," Skittery laughed as they approached the others. "But look at this bunch of freaks we call friends. I fit in well, don't I?"

"Who are you callin' a freak, Callo?" Spot smirked.

"Face it Spot," Specs said, tossing him the empty bottle. "We are a unique group, to say the least."

"Did the two of you make out alright in there?" Dutchy asked.

"Nah. Skitts wanted to make-out with me, but I wouldn't let him. I told him that you're the only man for me."

"Damn, you're disgusting!" Skittery laughed. "We were talking about Itey's birthday party."

"I'll never forget that night," Chris said, leaning back against Tony.

"I'm surprised that you remember anything about the party," Itey griped. "You and Race weren't there for most of it."

Tony loved to run his fingers through Chris's hair. It was what he wanted to do the very first day they met. It was something he thought about doing every day back when they were still just friends. And it was one of the many things he missed about Chris while he, his mother, and Reggie were away.

For Tony, the days moved slowly at his aunt's home, and the nights were almost unbearable. He would lie on the cot in his cousins' room listening to them breathe while the clock on the nightstand checked off the minutes. Some nights he could fall asleep by counting the monotonous ticks of the old clock, but other nights were not so easy. Often his thoughts of Chris were emotionally and physically overwhelming. On those nights, Tony would need to sneak away to the bathroom and relieve himself of these feelings.

Now, at Itey's party, everyone and everything except Chris seemed to fade away. Tony wove his fingers through the straight blond hair as his tongue traced the familiar textures of Chris's mouth. Tony smiled against the kiss when his fingers found the single patch of hair that curled on the nape of his boyfriend's neck.

Tony felt a pang of guilt when he silently and selfishly wished that Chris's leg wasn't broken. The plaster cast that started at his foot and ran almost the entire length to his hip was like an obstacle keeping them apart. As Tony's excitement grew, so did his frustration. He wanted to pull their bodies close and feel Chris's growing excitement against his own. As much as he wanted Chris, it was hard to stay focused while trying to find a position where they were both comfortable.

"This sucks!" Chris snapped as he pulled away from Tony.

"Whadda you mean, this sucks?" Tony asked defensively.

"This!" Chris growled looking at his leg. "We can't make-out with this thing hanging off of me. It's like a plaster chastity belt!"

"It's not that bad," Tony said, trying to convince himself as much as Chris.

"That's easy for you to say. You haven't been dragging this thing around for three weeks."

"I know, Blink, but- -"

"No, you don't know. You have no idea what it was like for me while you were away. I couldn't sleep at night thinking about you. I thought I was gonna explode! Damn it, Race. It's been a freakin' month since we were together, and now I can't even get close to you with this thing between us."

Tony smiled at the frustration on his boyfriend's face. He'd been so wrapped up in his own feelings that he never realized how much Chris would miss him.

"C'mon," Tony said, tossing Chris his coat. "We're getting out of here."

"What do you mean, getting out of here? Where are we going?

"We're going to my house."

"We can't leave Itey's party, and besides, your mom will kill us if she catches us. Have you forgotten that my mom made her promise that we wouldn't be alone together?"

"Don't worry about it, Blink. She isn't gonna catch us. We'll come back to the party, but I want us to be alone for a while."

"Are you willing to risk getting grounded just so we can make-out alone?"

"Making out was not what I had in mind. Now, put on your coat and stop asking questions!"

Tony made his way through the crowd and pulled Reggie aside. "I want you to cover for me," Tony said as he put on his jacket.

"What do you mean, cover for you? Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm just going back to our house. I want to be alone with Blink for a while."

"You can't leave! Itey held off celebrating his birthday until we got back. He refused to have this party without us being here."

"Itey refused to have his party without you being here. He won't care if Blink and I duck out for a while."

"You listen to me, Anthony Michael Higgins. I'm sick and tired of the way you treat Itey. And if you think that I'm gonna let you - -"

"It's okay, Reg," Itey said as he came from behind and put a hand on her shoulder. "Let him go. I don't mind."

"No, it's not okay! You were nice enough to wait until we came home to have this party. The least he can do is to hold off groping Blink for one night!"

"Race is right, Reg. You're the reason that I put off having this party. If he and Blink want to go and do whatever to each other, I don't care. It's better than seeing them try and climb each other on my old toy box."

Reggie looked from Itey's face to Tony's and back again. "Alright, I'll do it!" she snapped. "But only because Itey asked me to."

"Thanks, Reg. Thanks, Itey," Tony said. Then he grabbed Chris's crutches and they both snuck out through the garage.

Tony no sooner had the bedroom door closed behind them when he pulled off his jacket and tossed it to the floor, followed immediately by his shirt and trousers. "Give me those," Tony smirked as he took the crutches and tossed Chris's coat to the floor on top of his own.

Tony helped Chris to the bed then quickly nudged him to lie down.

"If you were in this much of a hurry we didn't have to leave the party," Chris laughed. "We could have just gone out to the garage and I could've stuck my hands down your pants. Then you would have gotten off and been back to the party before the ice melted in your drink."

"I was just in a hurry to get you alone, moron. I've waited too long for this and I'm not going to rush through it. Besides, you're the one who said that he was going to explode."

"Well, don't do this just for my benefit," Chris raised his chin in mock petulance. "You can keep your mercy fuck."

"Damn, I've missed you," Tony chuckled, kissing Chris's pouting lips. "I especially missed you at night. I had to sneak away to the bathroom and take care of business so many times that my mom thought I'd developed stomach trouble."

"Well, at least you could take care of your business. Ever since I came home from the hospital, my mom has been making me sleep with the bedroom door open in case I need her. She won't even let me lock the bathroom door because she's afraid I'm gonna fall, and she'll need to come in and help me. And yesterday morning I dropped my can of deodorant on the bathroom floor, and she came barging in to make sure that I was alright."

"What's so bad about that? Your mom isn't my favorite person, but I have to give her credit for caring about you."

"I was naked, Race! She barged into the bathroom and I was totally naked! It was . . . It was gross! I haven't been able to look her in the eye since. I don't think that I'll ever be able to look her in the eye again!"

Tony clenched his lips together trying to keep a straight face. He could picture Chris standing naked with his jaw hanging open in shock while scrambling for something to cover himself. Tony could feel the sides of his mouth starting to curl, and his shoulders were shaking as he fought to keep from laughing.

"What? . . . . What? . . . . It's not funny, Race!"

The look of righteous indignation on Chris's face was more than Tony could stand, and he exploded into thunderous laughter.

"Fine!" Chris snarled, pushing Tony away and sitting up in the bed.

"I'm sorry," Tony snorted. "I couldn't help it. It's funny. You must have looked like a deer caught in the headlights. . . . A naked deer caught in the headlights!"

"If the thought of me being naked is so hysterical to you, then you don't ever have to see me naked ever again!" Chris said, pushing Tony out of his way and scooting across the mattress on his butt.

Tony grabbed Chris's arm and pulled him back. "C'mon, Blink, I'm sorry I teased you, but we both know that your mom is fuckin' nuts. You've gotta learn to laugh at this kinda of stuff or she's gonna drive you bat-shit."

"You wouldn't think it was so funny if you had to live with her."

"Well, you won't have to put up with it for too much longer. When we graduate in June, I'm getting you the hell out of there. I don't care if I have to work two jobs when we start college, we're getting our own place, and I don't want her coming over to see you unless I'm there to run interference. Then, when we both have our degrees and are making some real money, the first thing we're gonna do is buy your mom a condo in Florida or something so she can't come between us anymore."

"What do you mean we are going to buy her a condo?"

"I mean we, as in you and me. You don't expect me to pay for it myself do you?"

"I wouldn't expect you to pay for it at all. Why would you want to buy my mother a condo?"

"I always figured that we'd share everything like my parents did. It was never his money or her money; it was always their money. I mean, I know that you're going to be a lawyer, but I don't like the idea of those palimony agreements. To me, signing one of those things would be like betting against us. We're never gonna split-up, so we don't need one of those things."

"Are you saying that we're going to be together? Like forever?"

"Of course that's what I'm saying. I thought that's what we both wanted. Don't you want us to be together?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I do, but my mom and I talked about that while you were gone, and she said I shouldn't expect to be with you after high school. She keeps reminding me that most people don't end up with the person they first fall in love with.

"Wake up and smell the Valium, Blink! Your mom is a controlling whack-job who'd love nothing better than to break us up. She thinks that if she can get you away from me then you'll magically turn straight. . . . . Jeez, I'm still in high school and I already have mother-in-law trouble. . . . Now that I think about it, Florida is too close. We're gonna get that woman a condo so far away that she'll need a passport to get back into the country!"

"Um, Race? Did you just call my mom your mother-in-law?"

"Okay, so she won't technically be my mother-in-law. I know we can't get married like my parents, but that doesn't mean that it won't be the same for us. We'll be partners for life just like they were. . . . That is what you want too, isn't it?" Tony asked nervously.

"Yeah, it is, Race. More than you know."

"Then what's the problem? . . . . Hey, wait a minute! You're not expecting me to get down on one knee like the guys do in those cheesy chick-flicks, are you?"

"God, no!" Chris laughed. "I don't think I could keep a straight face if you did something like that."

"So then you do want us to be together, right?"

"Hell, yes!" Chris said, pulling off his shirt and pushing Tony back down onto the mattress. "Now, how about you showing me what those nights in our own place are going to be like?"

"You're such a slut," Tony grinned, sliding on top of Chris.

"And you're the best thing that ever happened to me," Chris sighed, against Tony's ear. "Now shut up and start doing nasty things to me!"

"Damn, I've missed you," Tony smiled against Chris's neck. He reveled in the feel of his lips traveling Chris's smooth skin, and breathed in the warm sent of the familiar cologne. Tony marveled at the sight of his pale white hand against the slightly darker skin of his lover's body. Chris wriggled slightly when Tony's mouth found his nipple and a half sigh and half moan escaped his lips.

Tony was lost in the moment but was jolted back to reality when Chris pushed him away gasping; "Wait a minute!"

"What the hell is the matter now?" Tony groaned, throwing himself back against the pillow.

"Nothing's wrong. I forgot that I have something I want to give you."

"I have something I want to give you too, so shut up and lay back down so I can give it to you."

"Very funny," Chris mumbled, while trying scoot off the bed by kicking his legs and sliding along on his butt.

"Damn, Chris, do you have to do this now? Can't it wait?"

"It will only take a minute. It's in my coat pocket."

"Fine," Tony grumbled, pulling himself off the bed. "I'll get it."

He handed the coat to Chris and tried not to look too impatient as Chris searched through the pockets. "Here," Chris said, handing him a cassette.

"What is it?"

"Put it in the player and you'll see."

They both listened as the wheels on the tape turned and squeaked in the player. When the first few notes played, Tony smiled. He recognized it immediately. It was their song; Can't Fight the Feeling. But he was still a bit confused. He already had that cassette. Chris knew that he played it all the time.

"Well? Chris asked.

Tony smiled not knowing what to say. He didn't want to seem ungrateful, but there was obviously something that he wasn't getting.

"That's ninety full minutes of REO Speed wagon's, Can't Fight the Feeling. I recorded it for you while you were away. I know how you like to listen to it over and over, and now you don't have to keep getting up to rewind the tape so you can play it again."

"This is fantastic, Blink. But it must have taken you forever to make."

"What else did I have to do while you were away? It took me a few days to get it done with all the stopping and rewinding and starting again, but it was worth it. It made me feel like you weren't so far away, and it gave me the added satisfaction of driving my mother crazy."

"Your mother is already crazy." Tony said laying back down with Chris.

"Yeah, but she knows that it's our song so that made her even crazier. It felt like I was fighting back without having an actual confrontation."

"You're a sneaky bastard," Tony laughed. "You're gonna make a great lawyer."

Chris smiled, and Tony's stomach tightened. To him, there was nothing more beautiful than that smile. "Now, where were we?" Tony asked, moving his mouth back to his lover's chest.

The sight and feel of Chris's body always excited Tony, but now it seemed new and even more intoxicating. The feel of the subtle muscles on his lover's abdomen made Tony's breath quicken as his hands and mouth traveled the length of the lean torso. Tony ached inside when he reached the spot under Chris's navel where the line of hair lead a path below his trousers. Tony eagerly undid the button and zipper, but was exceptionally gentle when he pulled the trousers with the one cut off pant leg, and the boxers over the plaster cast. When he rolled Chris onto his side he breathed, "I love you, Blink," against Chris's shoulder.

"I know you do," Chris gasped as Tony reached down his back. "I love you too, Race."

After, they lay together, half-asleep and completely satisfied. A sudden burst of loud music from Itey's house made Tony groan. "We'd better get back to the party before my mom finds out that we skipped out."

"Okay," Chris yawned as he searched the bed for his clothes. He found his shirt tangled in the sheet and blanket at the end of the bed, and was putting it on when he noticed that Tony was watching him. He was leaning against the headboard, still unclothed and grinning from ear to ear. "What's with you?" he asked uncomfortably.

"I've decided that I'm actually glad we can't get married."

Chris's heart sank and his stomach clenched as he gaped at Tony.

"Don't get bent out of shape," Tony said when he saw the look on Chris's face. "I still want us to stay together, but the thought of you in a wedding dress is making me want to hurl!"

"You suck!" Chris said, hitting him on the arm. "You scared the shit out of me, you prick!"

"You're stuck with me and you know it," Tony laughed. "So whadda you say we make it official?"

"What do you mean official? How can we do that?"

Tony spat in his had and reached out to Chris. "Partners for life?" he asked.

"Partners for life," Chris said, spitting in his own hand and sealing the deal with an official spit-shake.

"You proposed with a spit-shake?" Jack laughed. "What a moron!"

"Screw you, Kelly," Chris grinned. "It was very romantic, and it was the perfect proposal for a gambler like Tony to make. I couldn't have asked for better."

"Well, I made up for it the last time I proposed." Tony said. "I did the entire one-knee, hearts-and-flowers thing, and he didn't laugh like he thought he would. Then Chris went and turned the table on me."

"Yeah, after the ceremony when the guy said we could kiss, I spat in my hand and held it out to Tony. He laughed and we sealed the ceremony with good old fashioned spit-shake. We kissed too, but I don't think that it would have been official, for us, if we didn't spit-shake."

"The guy thought we were nuts," Tony snorted.

"You are nuts," Spot added. "And I bet you had that damn song playing the entire time."

"We sure did," Chris said, sliding his arm around his partner. "It's been my favorite ever since Tony snuck me behind that curtain for our first dance."

"Oh, I seem to recall that song making several appearances before that night," Spot smirked.

"Shut it, Conlon!" Tony demanded.

"Sorry Race, but that story is too good to waste."

"It is one of my favorites, too," Chris grinned.

"Don't make me cut you off," Tony glared at Chris.

"Now you've got to tell that story," Jack pleaded. "If it will keep Race from wanting to have sex all over the place, I'll pay you to tell that one."

"Well, Race had it bad for Blink from the first time he laid eyes on him. Back then, Blink was clueless as to his sexuality and to Race's mad crush. Tony would sit in his room hour after hour, listening to that song and pining after Blink. It went on for months, right, Itey?"

"That's right. He was making everyone crazy, playing that song over and over and over and—"

"They get the point, Itey!" Tony grumbled.

"Anyway," Spot continued. "One day Mr. H. had all he could stand. He was trying to read his newspaper, and it seemed like every time he turned the page, Race started that song over again. Finally Mr. H threw down the newspaper and stormed down the hall to Race's room. He banged on the door until Race turned off the stereo and hollered for him to come in. Mr. Higgins was trying to stay calm, and he did a good job for a while, but then he lost it. He said, 'Anthony, you are my first-born child, and I love you very, very much. I would do anything for you including give up my life. But if you don't stop playing that damn record, I'm gonna throw it out the window, and then I'm gonna throw you out the window after it!'"

"That's it?" Mush grumbled. "I thought this was a good story. My mom threatened me like that all the time. She still does."

"No, that's not the end of the story," Spot laughed. "Reggie and Itey felt sorry for Race, so when his birthday came around, they bought him a set of stereo headphones. Then he was able to listen to that song and pine after Blink without bothering anybody. It worked for a while, but then one night we were all sitting around watching TV and we heard Race start to sing a the top of his lungs,

'And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I miiiiiiiight!
And I can't fight this feeling a-ny-moooooore!
I've forgotten what I started fighting foooOOOooor!. . . .'

"Mr. H. put down his newspaper, but this time he was smiling, and he told us all to come with him. He opened the door and there was Race, lying on the bed with his headphones on. His eyes were closed, and his arms were stretched out to the ceiling and he was singing;

'And if I have to crawl upon the floor!
Come CRASHING through your door!
Baby, I can't fight this feeling a-ny-moooooore!'"

"It was beautiful," Itey laughed. "Race must have realized that something was wrong, and opened his eyes and saw Mr. and Mrs. H., Reggie, Spot, and me all standing in the doorway watching him. He sat up and pulled off the headphones and shouted 'What the Hell?!' Then . . ." Itey was laughing so hard he couldn't go on. "You tell it, Spot," he managed to choke out.

"Then I threw out my arms and shouted, 'Baby! I didn't know you cared! C'mere and kiss me!'"

"You should have been there!" Itey snorted. "Race flipped out and charged at Spot, who took off running. The whole way Spot was laughing shouting 'Baby, come and get me!' He chased Spot out into the yard and started to beat the crap out of him. Spot was laughing so hard that he couldn't fight back. He just curled up into a ball and kept laughing. It took both me and Mr. H. to pull Race off of him. Then when Race finally calmed down, Mr. H went into his tool box and took out a roll of duct tape. He told Race that if he couldn't learn to sing more quietly that he should put a piece of tape across his mouth the next time he wanted to play that song."

"I hope you all enjoyed the story," Race grumbled.

"You didn't have to suffer for too long," Spot laughed. "A month later, Blink suddenly realized that he was hot for your form and jumped you. Then you were both too cute trying to look like you weren't doing the nasty."

"We're still cute," Chris grinned, kissing Tony on the cheek. "And we proved my mother wrong. We're together fifteen years and counting. I guess we all beat the odds," he said, gesturing around the room at his friends.

"Not all of us, huh, Skitts?" Itey asked, looking at his brother.

"No, brother Itey. We Callo boys didn't end up the way either of us expected, did we?"

End Chapter 21

A/N:

Thanks for taking the time to read this story. Your reviews will be greatly appreciated.

Let me know that you're out there. It's getting lonely around here!