I don't own Hairspray or any of its characters.

A.N. Sorry, you'll have to wait a few weeks for the Corny/Link hilarity I promised, but good new…TRACY'S BACK!!!!

Link still lived in the flat that Corny and he had bought the week after his eighteenth birthday. It wasn't too big, but there was plenty of room for the two of them. Of course, there were a few parties – he was eighteen after all – but there a few people who didn't merit an invite.

"Seaweed! You busy Friday?"

"Ummm…..I was going to ask Penny if she wanted to hang out, but nothing's set in stone, why?"

"I was thinking of having a housewarming, I got a flat!"

"What?! Cracker, where did that come from?!"

"Well, I'm eighteen now – I didn't want to be living with my dad for the rest of my life,"

"So, your own place, huh…what's it like living alone?" Maybelle had made Seaweed promise not to leave the house until he was at least eighteen, and he was a good few months younger that Link.

"Well, it's not really alone….I moved in with Corny…." Link was surprised when Seaweed gave him a strange look, "What? Corny's cool,"

"Yeah…sure. He's my boss and my mom's boyfriend and now your…room-mate?"

"Yeah," Link suddenly realised that the last point had been phrased like a question, "Why? What else would he be? Seaweed!"

Seaweed saw how outraged Link was at this suggestion and remembered how he had acted at Corny and Maybelle's platter party after the pageant.

"Link, man, I'm sorry, I forgot. Aren't you worried about what people will say?" Link was brought back down to earth. He had been so happy to escape his violent, alcoholic father's grasp that he hadn't given Brad, Mickey and the other guys a second thought. Of course, it was hard for a private conversation to remain private when there were about 60 teens milling about.

H-A-I-R-S-P-R-A-Y

Link walked through the corridors the next morning, and noticed people would stop talking as soon as he passed them. He reached the 3rd floor detention room. Even though the black kids were no longer made to stay in detention, Seaweed and his friend - along with Tracy, Penny and Link – still hung out there. It was a chance to escape the other kids, who remained narrow-minded despite everyone's best efforts. He walked in, and everybody immediately stopped talking.

"Wh-what?" Link looked at Tracy and Penny, who were amongst those who had been silenced by his entrance.

"Umm…Link" he was surprised to turn around and see Seaweed. He had known him for a little over a year, and never one used his real name. It had to be serious. "Umm it's kind of gotten out that you and Corny are living together…and people are kinda taking it the wrong way,"

Link sucked on his bottom lip, a nervous habit that he resorted to when he didn't know how to act. He turned to Tracy, to see how she was reacting.

"Trace, Darlin', I swear it's lies! It's not true, I swear!"

"Link, I know, I know. You believed me about the whole football team, so I guess I can believe you on this one…" Tracy tried to joke, but it was more serious than when Amber had spread that rumour in an attempt to get Tracy to quit the show. Link was less worried now that he knew he and Tracy were good.

"So….what exactly have people being saying?"

"Well…." Penny blushed. Although she got on with Link, she didn't feel as close to him as she probably could. Seaweed and him were best mates, and he and Tracy were in love, but she was always referred to as his best friend's girlfriend or his girlfriend's best friend. Of course, he never said that himself, but they never spent any time together that was just them. He and Tracy would have romantic time alone, and Seaweed and Link would spend a days 'male-bonding', though Tracy and Penny never quite understood what that entailed. So, it was understandable that she didn't want to explain what exactly was going on.

"Well...the phrase 'love nest' was mentioned, along with some other thing that I didn't really understand. Some of the stuff was actually a bit graphic. But for some reason, you're the only on they're burning. Corny comes off as a good guy somehow. I mean, not that you're not a good guy, it's just that in their minds…"

Seaweed stifled a giggle at his girl's naivety when she said she didn't understand some things. He hadn't always lived in such a nice area, and when he was younger he had heard a lot of bad things, that no 9 year old should hear, and he had to say that he found the whitest kids in town's attempts at hard-core homophobia tame. That was one of the reasons he loved Penny; she was pure.

"What are you going to do?" One of the guys who had been talking to Seaweed asked the question that had been on the rest of the room's mind.

"Well…I guess I'll just have to wait for it all to calm down," Link remained unconvinced, "I guess that's all that I can do…"

"You're forgetting one thing," Tracy had remained quiet up until now, "You have Corny!"

"What?!" Link look at his girl friend like she'd gone wacky, "I think this is why we're in thins problem in the first place,"

"NO, god no. I mean, he's like a god to them. He's white, gorgeous and has control over their careers. I mean, if he tells them nothing's going on, they'll definitely stop talking!"

H-A-I-R-S-P-R-A-Y

Link Followed Tracy's advice. He usually did. They had only known each other a year, but already he would be prepared to trust her with his life.

H-A-I-R-S-P-R-A-Y

Later that day, Link knocked on Corny's dressing room door. He had surpassed that formality years ago, but he felt awkward in light of the rumours. Corny – who had expected it to be Maybelle - opened the door with a grin on his face, that drooped slightly – but only slightly – when he realised it was Link.

"Link!" Corny was pleased, but surprised to see him. Now that they lived together, he had been worried that their dressing room talks would cease. Of course, they would be spending more time with each others as room mates, but their bonding time in the dressing room was special. It was a chance for them both to be themselves, "So, what's up? I mean, you look stressed,"

"God, I hate school! I mean, they found out we lived together, and somehow they got from that to a twisted love nest where I tricked you in to sordid one-sided affair!"

"Wh-what?!" Corny stifled his laughter.

"It's not funny!" Link began to get angered, "It was hell today, people whispering as I walked through the corridor!"

"Little Link, I'm sorry, " Corny managed to calm down, "What can I do?"

"Well…I was talking to Tracy about what I should do, and she pointed out that they all listen to you…so would you…"

"Sure, I'll talk to them" And he did.

That was when Link knew that Corny and his friendship was for life.

A.N. OK, I'm not great at keeping my promises, but there'll be some Corny Link hilarity next. I promise!!! Toodles