Disclaimer: I have no delusions about owning or holding rights over Newsies; you shouldn't either. Don't sue.
Also, any pop culture references...guess what? Don't own those either. Actually...anything that you may have heard of and/or recognized in this story is owned by someone who isn't me.

Warning:Updates may (and probably will be) slow.
This contains SLASH, in other words same sex couples. If this doesn't appeal to you, you shouldn't be here. It also contains drug use, violence, sexual situations, and may contain a(n OC) death. This story is marked for mature readers only, please treat it as such.

Pairings: Will be switching around quite a bit. If you have any preferences please let me know. They probably won't end up together unless I already planned for it to happen, but I can put in a couple flings for you if you ask nice enough

Beta'ed By: 'Tis a Tale Worth Telling and Elke fa Talia (Oh, yeah, two beta's! I feel like a superstar. And no, you can't have either. I'm possessive.)

Notes: This story has been in progress for a year. I'm not sure if I should be excited about that or not, seeing as it's no where near done yet. At any rate, I decided to celebrate, so you, my fabulous readers will get to spend the day with the boys of Brooklyn. Leave the plot and drama of GBTA behind you; today it's not important.

Getting Back Together Again
Interlude: Let's Give It Up for Brooklyn

Slingshot sat cross-legged on the couch while he kept an eye on his roommates. Bam was relaxing on his bunk while reading a sport's magazine, Stealth was curled up into a ball on his bed, Speed was quietly fussing over a new hole in Gadget's shirt, and Hunter was trying his best to annoy everyone by flicking around little pieces of paper.

It was only on very rare occasions that they were all able to take a break from work at the same time. Slingshot had been eager for it to happen for quite a while. Now that it was actually happening, though, he wondered what had possessed him to make such a wish. These morons were annoying; no wonder he spent all his free time with Spot.

Where was Spot, anyway? Shouldn't he have been busy trying to rescue his poor second-in-command? Obviously, Spot didn't appreciate him like he should.

Slingshot snorted to himself at that thought (as if Spot appreciated anyone), causing Bam to look up at him from his magazine.

"What the hell's up with the giggles?" Bam asked as he raised an eyebrow. "You get your hands on some weed and not tell me? That's kind of low. I'd share with you."

"You never share with me. You're a greedy mother fucker," Slingshot said. "And I'm not high."

Hunter flicked a small wad of paper at him. "You sure about that? I bet you stole it from my stash. Let's see your eyes."

Speed's head snapped up as he started paying attention to the conversation. He jerked his head towards Gadget. "Can we please stop talking about drugs in front of Gadget? He's just a little kid."

Gadget's jaw visibly clenched as he glared at Speed.

"Aw, pwoor wittle kid," Hunter mocked. "Does the wittle kid not want to hear about dwugsy-wugsy? Do they make the wittle kid saddy-waddy?"

"You sound like a fucking retard," Bam said before turning his attention back to his magazine.

Speed hugged Gadget's head to his chest, effectively covering his ears. "Could you please not use harsh language around Gadget? He doesn't need to be hearing that sort of thing all the time."

"Aw, pwoor wittle Gadgey," Hunter began again.

"Shut up, Hunt," Slingshot commanded right away. "You really do sound like a retard … not that it's really any different from how you normally sound."

"Tch. Better than being a fucking tightwad like some people," Hunter mumbled back.

"Hunter! Watch your mouth around Gadget!" Speed said, once again trying to cover Gadget's ears.

Gadget shoved him away. "Would you stop treating me like I'm five years old? Jesus, I already know how to cuss, all right? I don't need lessons from Hunter."

"Everyone needs lessons from me; I'm awesome."

Slingshot picked an empty can off the floor and threw it at him. "Shut up, Hunter. You're a moron."

Bam looked up from his magazine again. "Shouldn't we be doing something more interesting than insulting each other? It's starting to get pretty old. Can't you guys think of something else to do?"

Hunter's eyes widened as a smile grew on his face. "Ooh! I know!" He jumped onto their kitchen table and started thrashing around. "Dance party!"

"There's not even any music, you dumb ass," Gadget said.

"Gadget! Watch your fucking mouth!" Speed scolded right away.

Slingshot tried to massage away an incoming headache. "Hunter, no dance party. Seriously, get off the table right now. What'd you do? You take some ecstasy when no one was looking?"

"I'm not on drugs," Hunter denied, even though he looked like he was suffering from a seizure.

"Yeah … I'm not believing that so much," Speed replied. "Your dancing kind of argues the case for you."

"I … have … a song … in my head … and it won't … leave," Hunter said. His hands were on the back of his head as he humped the air in front of him after each pause. "I thought … dancing … would … take care … of it … but it's not … working."

Speed put his hands over Gadget's eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you guys?" He jerked his head to the left, bringing everyone's attention to Gadget. "Impressionable child over here."

"I'm not a fucking kid!" Gadget yelled as he jerked away from Speed's hand. "Stop saying that!"

"Don't cuss!" Speed shouted back.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" Gadget screamed.

"Hey!" Slingshot interrupted. "Both of you shut up before I start pouring concrete in your ears to fill your empty brains, and then throw you off the Bridge. And I swear to God that if I hear one more thing about it while I'm trying to sleep, like last night, I'm going strap you both down and-"

"Rape us?" Gadget asked with a smirk.

"God damn it! Rape is not something to joke about," Speed scolded.

"You know …" Hunter said, still humping nothing while his hands sat on the back of his head. "People … who say … 'Rape is not … something … to joke … about,' have … usually … been raped … before."

"Fuck you," Speed retorted uncaringly.

"I wasn't even going to say 'rape you'," Slingshot grumbled. "I was going to say 'literally sew both your mouths shut."

"The … rape thing's … better," Hunter told him. "God … damn it … someone … get this … fucking song … outta my … head. Start … singing … something … else."

"I'm not helping you," Speed replied, still slightly angry that Hunter had started his hip thrusts while Gadget was in the room.

Bam once again looked up from his magazine. "Enjoying the free show too much, eh?"

"This little light of mine," Speed immediately began singing, "I'm gonna let it shine. Oh, this little light of mine, I'm gonna light it shine. Er, something, something and something else. Hide it under a bush … or something. No! I'm gonna let it shine. Er … something else …"

"You suck at singing," Hunter claimed as he finally climbed off the table. "And the only reason it helped at all was because of the shock at hearing you sing that song. Don't you hate God?"

"I don't hate god," Speed argued. "I'm an atheist. Big difference."

Gadget snorted. "'This Little Light of Mine'? Seriously?"

"Okay, not my fault! It was just the first song that popped into my head, all right? My elementary school years were spent going to a Catholic school; they brainwashed me," Speed claimed.

"Really? You only sang it because you felt you had to? Are you sure?" Bam replied, smirking. "Because I'm pretty sure I've heard you singing it a few times in the shower."

"Fuck you," Speed shot back. "You're pretty like a girl … more so than even Spot."

"Mother fucker," Bam growled. He threw his magazine down before standing up and striding angrily toward Speed.

"Bam!" Spot yelled, suddenly appearing in the doorway. "Would it kill you to go a week without trying to smash someone's head in? Stop giving all my people concussions."

Bam pointed at Speed. "He called me pretty."

"Sure he wasn't just trying to flirt with you?" Spot asked with a smirk.

Speed's eyes widened. "I was not!"

"I saw him staring at your ass yesterday," Gadget supplied helpfully.

"I was not!" Speed denied again.

"You were? Really?" Bam purred, stepping into Speed's personal space.

"Get the hell away from me, you whore," Speed demanded.

Bam punched him, and Hunter burst out laughing.

Spot rolled his eyes as Speed tumbled to the ground. "Bam. God damn it. What did I just say?"

"It's an automatic reaction!" Bam replied. "I can't help it!"

Gadget crossed his arms and pouted. "He deserved it, anyway," he grumbled. "Stupid ass … he's always treating me like a kid."

Slingshot rolled his eyes. "Why can't you guys check yourselves? Exercise some self-control."

"My nose! You fucking punched my nose." Speed was on the ground holding his face. "It's fucking bleeding, you cunt."

"Suck it up," Bam brushed off. "It's your own fault."

"Speed, clean up your face," Spot demanded. "As for the rest of you … Rambler's over, so I need you to make sure he doesn't try and kill everyone."

"Ah, fuck," Speed groaned, still on the floor. "Rambler's here and I'm fucking bleeding. He'll probably try and lick it off or something, the sick fuck."

"You should probably try and avoid him," Spot advised. He quickly turned to his right and tried his best not to jump in surprise when he saw Stealth suddenly standing next to him. Spot nodded at him before leaving, acknowledging the silent message that a private chat was in the near future.

Stealth glanced silently at his roommates, making eye contact with each one, before following after Spot.

An awkward silence filled the room until Hunter decided to break it. "God, how fucking creepy is he?"

"Not it!" Bam called out, touching his nose.

"Not it," Hunter and Gadget called at the same time, touching their noses as Slingshot followed close behind.

"Looks like you get stuck with Rambler, Sling," Hunter said happily.

Spot sat down on his bed and looked expectantly at Stealth.

Stealth bit his lip and stared into space for a bit. "Speed thinks you're pretty," he finally announced in a monotone.

Spot looked at him for a while before grinning slightly. "Is that all you wanted to tell me?"

Stealth stared at the floor as he switched from biting his lip to biting the inside of his cheek. He appeared to be extremely worried before he finally looked back at Sean with confidence. "No," he answered, then paused briefly. "Everyone was too loud and I couldn't hear the silence."

Spot nodded knowingly.

Stealth gave a small grin as he stared at a wall for a while. Finally, he released a quiet giggle. "It was angry at me while I was in my room because I wasn't listening properly. But now that it's with you, the silence is very happy. It likes you."

Spot smirked, taking the comment as a compliment. "Has it told you anything?"

Stealth cocked his head at Spot and stared at him for a while. "Nothing of great importance," he finally assured him.

Spot nodded his acceptance. "Keep asking," he demanded. "And make sure to keep alert about what the other gangs are doing. Hunter keeps 'accidentally' insulting people from the Bronx. I'm worried they'll eventually get tired of taking it from him and decide to attack us."

Stealth smiled and tilted his head to the side, prompting Spot to stop talking. It was several seconds later when Stealth finally spoke up. "He does it on purpose." Stealth was calm, and his tone confident. "He likes to get you mad at him. It turns him on."

Spot tried not to make a disgusted face, but he failed pretty miserably. "Ew. That's one of the types of things I'd really be happier not knowing about."

Stealth looked confused for some time before he nodded his head. "I didn't tell you to try and disgust you. I told you so you can be more careful," he tried to explain. "There's no reason to complicate things around here further."

"Complicate things?" Spot repeated. Stealth was pretty much the only person left on the planet that could confuse him without even trying to. "I'm starting to think you know something I don't."

Stealth looked to the side and bit the inside of his mouth again. He was quiet for quite awhile before he was finally ready to talk. "I know many things you don't," he replied finally, with no note of teasing or arrogance. "But I'm pretty sure Hunter is someone you know about more than me."

Spot smirked. "I have to go down to the lobby and make sure Rambler hasn't killed anyone yet. You can stay here so you can hear the silence properly." With anyone else Spot would have left right then, but with Stealth he waited by the door just in case the other boy decided there was something else to tell him.

Stealth immediately started staring out into space again. After what was probably a full minute, he turned to Spot. "The silence doesn't like Rambler. It thinks he's annoying. It says he's talking about you."

Spot nodded. "Better go stop him, then, shouldn't I? Wouldn't want him telling everyone about my dearest older brother."

Rambler grinned too widely for comfort as soon as he finally ran into someone he recognized. "Slingshot," he greeted with wide eyes. "I've missed you. No one bleeds quite like you do."

Slingshot shuddered slightly. This guy really fucking freaked him out. "You've actually made mention of that before. And I … er … thank … you … I guess. Why the hell are you over here?"

Rambler lightly ran his fingernail from Slingshot's eye to his mouth in a slightly curved motion. "You'd look awesome with a cut right there," Rambler complimented dreamily, still wearing the same too-big smile.

Slingshot swallowed loudly. "I'm pretty sure you've mentioned that before, too. Please stop now."

Rambler put his hands on Slingshot's shoulders and slowly backed him against a wall. He leaned over a bit to whisper in his ear. "You look so good when you bleed."

Slingshot shuddered again. "Great. That's just awesome," he replied with forced calm. "Hey, if you get off of me right now and take six steps back, I'll bleed just for you."

"Really?" Rambler immediately backed off. He started bouncing a little in excitement. "Do you need a knife or anything? Because I have a knife. Of course I do. Why wouldn't I? I have more than one knife, in fact. I like knives. They're so much better than guns. Of course they are. Everyone knows that. What type of barbarian uses a gun? Knives are so much better. You get blood on your hands when you use a knife. Of course you would. Why wouldn't you? Who wouldn't want that? Well? Aren't you going to answer?"

"Er … no one wouldn't want that," Slingshot said, trying to press himself into the wall. "I mean … obviously. Blood is just so … great."

Rambler beamed. "I know everything about blood," he bragged. "Did you know a lot of blood is manufactured in the bone marrow? I've never seen bone marrow, but I really want to. Just think about how bloody it would be. I just want to bite into it. Do you think it'd be chewy?"

"Oh, definitely," Slingshot answered shakily. "Bone marrow … yum. That's what I want for dinner."

Rambler looked at him with his head tilted for a minute before scrunching up his face. "You can't eat bone marrow for dinner," he said, looking at him as if he thought Slingshot was mentally challenged. "I doubt it would be filling at all."

"Well … yeah, of course," Slingshot agreed hurriedly. "But if you eat enough of it I'm sure … it would … uh … be enough … or something."

Rambler advanced on him again.

"Didn't I tell you to take six steps back?" Slingshot asked. "Your creepiness is very distracting."

"I'd like to eat your bone marrow," Rambler said, ignoring Slingshot's demands to get away from him. He licked his top lip with the tip of his tongue. "I bet it's tasty."

"Uh … no … it's quite … stringy and stuff … and … not bloody at all … Mine's … um … all dry and stuff," Slingshot replied, trying to burrow into the wall he was leaning against. "And, uh … other bad, disgusting things. I'm pretty sure it'll make you … uh … throw up and whatnot and …"

"I love throwing up," Rambler purred, pressing up against the other man.

"Right, of course. Silly me for thinking you wouldn't," Slingshot answered hurriedly. He spotted his boss standing at the top of the stairs out of the corner of his eye, and immediately turned toward him with wide eyes. As Rambler caressed his face, Slingshot shouted, "Spot! It's not working! And Rambler's all over me and it's even creepier than you smiling!"

"Spot? Where?" Rambler asked, immediately backing off and looking around excitedly. "Is he here? Can I see him? Can I talk to him? He doesn't like me, you know. Of course he doesn't. Why would he? He thinks I killed-"

"Rambler," Spot interrupted, coming down the stairs and into the lobby. "What've I told you about telling people that story? No one cares."

"You care about it, though, right?" Rambler asked, bouncing slightly on the tips of his toes. "Of course you do. Why wouldn't you? He was your-"

"You want to tell me why you're here?" Spot interrupted again. "You know I don't like looking at you."

"That guy you told me to look after … you remember? Of course you do. Why wouldn't you? He left. He also broke my door. My boss got mad. He doesn't like it when people break my door. I didn't know that before, but he seemed pretty upset when he saw it. He says I have to pay to have it fixed. Except I don't think I should because I wasn't the one who broke it. I told him that, but I don't think he cared."

"I'm not giving you money," Spot replied, crossing his arms. "It's your fault for freaking him out. I told you to keep your psychotic tendencies to yourself."

"Slingshot says he's going to bleed just for me," Rambler bragged, changing the subject. "He has delicious blood."

"I do not," Slingshot argued. "It's gross and not the right shade of red. Yeah. Please don't-"

"You said you'd bleed for me," Rambler snapped, quite angry as his smile dropped. "Were you lying? You mother fucking cunt. I'm going to rip your skin off and let your blood wash over me, whether you want me to or not."

"Rambler! If you don't have anything important to tell me then get the hell out of here," Spot ordered. "Actually, get the hell out of here even if you do have something important to tell me. Your face is starting to annoy me."

Hunter, Bam, Gadget, and Speed all sat around their kitchen table playing Bullshit, unable to think of anything better to do with themselves. It was a pretty sad fact, but a fact nonetheless.

"Two threes," Hunter claimed proudly, setting two cards on top of the pile.

"Bullshit," Bam said.

Hunter growled as he added the small pile to his hand.

"Have you noticed how Hunter's left eye always gets this tic when he's bullshitting?" Bam pointed out calmly.

"Yes, Bam, we all fucking noticed what a bad liar I am," Hunter snapped. "You know in most places the inability to lie is considered a good thing?"

"You don't have the inability to lie," Speed said. "You just have the inability to lie well. And that little quirk means you're dumb no matter where you go."

"You just got punched in the face," Hunter reminded him. "That tops anything you have to say today."

"One four," Gadget announced flippantly. "Who the hell thought it was a good idea to play Bullshit? This is so fucking boring."

"Language," Speed reminded him.

"I'm not four," Gadget shot back. "Stop fucking treating me like I am."

"I'm not treating you like a four-year-old," Speed claimed. "Four-year-olds know they aren't supposed to cuss."

"Just because you're my cousin doesn't mean you can tell me what to do," Gadget argued.

"You're my responsibility," Speed told him. "I need to keep you slightly moral, at least. What would your parents say if-"

"Fuck my parents," Gadget replied stubbornly.

"Gadget!" Speed snapped, shocked.

Bam rolled his eyes. "Relatives should not be in the same gang together," he grumbled. "My turn, right?" He threw a card on the pile in the center of the table. "One five."

"Bullshit," Hunter replied right away. "I have all the fives, bitch."

Bam immediately picked up the small pile.

"You're a sucky player who keeps having to pick up the pile. It's not something you should be bragging about," Speed told him.

"Again, I say, 'You got punched in the face'," Hunter shot back.

Speed thought back to what had led to the punch in the first place. "For the record: I haven't ever stared at your ass, Bam." He carelessly flung two cards onto the table. "Two sixes."

"You've totally stared at my ass," Bam argued. "It's okay, though. I have a great ass."

"And you always wear really tight pants," Hunter interrupted before chucking four cards into the pile. "Four sevens."

"Do I?" Bam asked, looking down at his pants. "This is just how tight I've always worn them. It's gotten comfortable."

"I don't see how pants that tight could ever be comfortable," Gadget confessed. "I don't even see how you could find pants that are tight on you; you're so skinny." He threw two cards onto the pile. "Two nines."

"What are you? My mother?" Bam scoffed uncaringly.

"We're on eights, not nines, stupid," Speed pointed out to Gadget.

"Are we? Okay, two eights, then," Gadget decided, not making a move to switch out his cards.

"Bullshit," Hunter called out.

"Nope," Gadget stated proudly as he flipped up his cards to reveal two eights. "Pick up the pile, bitch."

"Language," Speed reminded him tiredly.

"Fuck you," Gadget replied.

"Both of you shut the hell up. You're annoying," Bam demanded before picking a card out of his hand. "One nine."

"This is boring," Gadget whined. "Can we do something else?"

"Shut up," Speed ordered, looking at the only card left in his hand. "I'm about to win."

"Okay, I quit," Hunter decided, knowing he was probably going to lose anyway and wanting to drag Speed down with him.

"That means you have tens instead of jacks," Hunter pointed out to Speed.

"Fine. One ten," Speed said with a pout as he threw his only card into the pile.

"Bullshit," Gadget called out, flinging the pile toward his cousin. He quickly put a card down on the table. "One jack."

"Three queens, and guess what? I just kicked all your asses," Bam said, holding up his hands to show everyone he no longer had any cards.

"Does this mean we can do something else now?" Gadget asked right away, flinging the rest of his cards onto the table.

Bam sighed. "I really have no idea what to do. I don't think all of us have ever had a day off together before."

Hunter's eyes immediately brightened and he perked up a bit. "You want to have a dance party?"

"I think I've had enough of your dancing today, thanks," Speed wrote off quickly.

"You: punched in the face," Hunter replied as he crossed his arms.

"You people are pathetic," Gadget told them before getting up and heading towards the door. "I'm going to go and hang out with people less boring than you guys."

"I'm … hell, I'm probably going to let myself work. I'm sure there's at least one car that can stand fixing," Speed said before leaving.

"Dance party?" Hunter asked, still as eager as before.

"I refuse to watch you dance," Bam declared, making his way over to his bottom bunk and picking up the magazine he had been reading earlier.

"I don't think I really like being the damsel in distress," Slingshot confessed as he laid next to Spot on the bed. "I do like the sex afterwards, though. Very nice. Very … tender."

"Tender?" Spot asked, looking surprised and slightly offended. He tilted his head in order to look at Slingshot.

Slingshot laughed. "Relax; I'm kidding. It wasn't tender at all. It was rough and ferocious, just like you."

"Are you trying to patronize me?"

"No," Slingshot assured him. "It was rough. It hurt like hell … but I think that was a fault in preparation … meaning you did not practice it … at all."

"I used lube."

"Yeah, but you pretty much skipped out on the whole stretching thing," Slingshot pointed out. "Have you ever been fucked in the ass without bothering with the stretching? It fucking hurts."

"I've never been fucked in the ass," Spot said, shrugging.

"Oh, right … because that's too gay for you. I should have remembered. But on to more important things…" Slingshot subdued his eagerness to ask, "Can we cuddle?"

"Are you asking to cuddle or spoon?"

"Does it matter?"

"Not really, because I'm not doing either."

"Come on! You owe me! You made my ass hurt. I'm going to be walking funny tomorrow. And everyone's going to know why, which means everyone's going to be making fun of me."

Spot rolled his eyes. "Fine. Do whatever the fuck you want. Just stop whining, for God's sake."

"Great!" Slingshot replied, perking up. He immediately shoved Spot onto his side and mashed him up against his chest. "Oh, I was talking about spooning, by the way."

"Just don't breathe on my neck this time," Spot growled.

"When have I ever breathed on your neck?"

"Now. You're breathing on my neck right now." Spot tried to fling his arms out to get away. "Get the hell off of me."

"Nnnoooo," Slingshot whined, hugging Spot closer to his chest. "Why can't we ever do something I want to do?"

"Because everything that you want to do is completely gay," Spot said. "Now get the fuck off of me. You're getting way too clingy, and you aren't taking a nap in my bed."

"Fine," Slingshot finally, pouting. He roughly shoved off of Spot and left, making sure to slam the door on his way out.

"Spot's a dick," Slingshot complained as he stretched out on the couch in his room. He glanced at Hunter and then at Bam, happy that the room had gotten a little less hectic. "Apparently I can't sleep in his bed even though I fuck him. God, he makes me feel like such a whore."

"Yeah, well, that's probably because you are," Hunter said. He handed Slingshot a beer before opening one of his own. "Ha, you're Spot's dirty little whore."

Bam frowned, roughly and needlessly shoving past Hunter on his way to the door, spilling Hunter's beer in the process.

"Oi!" Hunter shouted, his shirt now wet. "God damn it, what the fuck is with you? Are you just feeling like a prick today or something? Pull the stick out of your ass."

Bam's only response was to slam the door behind him.

"Holy shit, what the fuck is up his ass? Seriously," Hunter grumbled. He sat down next to Slingshot on the couch, ignoring the great splatter of beer soaking his shirt.

Slingshot just shrugged uncaringly before opening his beer.

"That fucking car's possessed!" Speed announced to everyone when he came in with motor oil covering every other inch of him.

"You talking about that black jeep?" Slingshot asked. "Hasn't it been broken down for, like, a couple of months now? I thought you had given up on it."

"She was the only car that still needed to be worked on … which was both gratifying and annoying at the same time," Speed told Hunter and Slingshot. He went over to the paint-splattered stereo in the corner and turned it on. The speakers fizzled (a sure sign that they couldn't handle the volume they were usually forced to give), but the sound came out fairly well.

Slingshot frowned slightly, less than pleased at the techno music pumping out of the stereo speakers. "Is it really necessary to be listening to-"

"We've gone over this so many times," Speed complained. "You're the only one in this room that doesn't like techno … Except maybe Stealth, because he leaves the room … but he does that whenever we play anything, so I get the feeling he doesn't like music in general. He's such a weird guy." His brow furrowed for a few seconds. "Uh … what was I saying? Oh, right. So anyway, since we can't agree on any other type of music, you're just going to have to suck it up."

"This makes me want to dance," Hunter happily announced. He shoved his beer at Slingshot to hold as he jumped up from the couch and started his hip thrusts yet again.

"Turn it off!" Slingshot urgently demanded.

"Yes, sir," Speed obeyed just as quickly, switching the stereo off as fast as humanly possible.

"Oooh," Hunter whined as he cut off his hip thrusts. "I was just starting to get my jam on."

"Yeah." Slingshot sighed. "We saw."

"And it was not pretty," Speed said.

"Okay, no music, then," Slingshot decided. "Not if Hunter's going to be … doing that. Whatever happened to combining what money we had and going out to buy a television?"

"I lost all my money in poker," Hunter answered. "How much do you have?"

"Not a lot," Slingshot replied. "I spent most of it on Spot's birthday present."

Speed shifted nervously as both Slingshot and Hunter turned to him. "I … uh … spent it … on … um … a … uh … Spot made me pay to have this car I was working on repaired because I … kind of … broke it … more … when I was trying to fix it," he confessed.

"Ha! You suck at your job!" Hunter laughed, splashing even more beer all over himself in his hysterical glee.

"Hey! My job is transportation! Technically, I shouldn't even be near the car's engine."

"And you should really start practicing that evasion," Gadget said as he walked into his room. He was covered in mud, and a few bruises were scattered across his face. "Repairing things is my department, after all. It's annoying when people see a fucking idiot doing your job. It completely takes away the importance of my job." He walked farther into the room, and tried to sidestep his cousin.

"Wait a fucking second there, Princess," Speed demanded. He caught hold of Gadget's arm. "Okay, first: language. Seriously, when the fuck are you going to get that through your head? No cussing. Second: I am not an idiot. I was helping you, you gigantically incredible bitch. Third: don't come tracking mud in here. I'm the one that's going to end up cleaning it, and that really pisses me off. Fourth: where the hell did you get those bruises? Did someone hit you? Give me their name right now, and I'll go kick their ass so hard they'll be puking their crap."

Gadget rolled his eyes as he ripped his arm away. "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, and I was playing football, you complete jackass. I can take care of myself, and I don't need you trying to be my father. I already had one of those, and it worked out pretty badly. Leave me alone, you kike."

Speed scrunched up his nose. "Since when did I become Jewish?"

"That was actually my subtle way of telling you that your nose is swelling up pretty bad. Bam sure can punch, huh?" Gadget beamed.

Hunter burst out laughing, managing to get even more beer on himself as his whole body shook.

Speed's hand flew to his nose as his eyes widened. "It's swelling? Shit!"

"Ah, man." Hunter sighed, finally stopping his laughter and wiping a tear from his eye. "I love you guys."

"Can we listen to some country music?" Slingshot asked, his eyes brightening.

"Hell, no!" Hunter, Speed, and Gadget shouted in unison.

Bam stormed into Spot's room and found him lying comfortably under the covers of his bed. "What the hell is Slingshot to you?"

"Are you trying to be Slingshot's dad?" Spot asked calmly. "Never been very into role-playing. Get the hell out."

"You're acting like he's your whore," Bam claimed, ignoring his boss' previous statement.

"Is that what this is about? You're projecting?" Spot replied. "God damn it. When the hell will you stop going on about how you were a hustler. This is getting fucking ridiculous. Look, if we're going to have some stupid heart-to-heart, then I'm going to need my pants."

Bam silently scooped up the pants from the floor while walking over to Spot. He sat on the side of the bed and handed the clothes over. Spot immediately slipped on his pants under the covers.

"Fuck, Bam. I didn't pick you up off the street because you were a whore," Spot told him. "If that was the reason then I would have gotten someone a lot less pissy."

"Stop talking about us like we're objects!"

"There is no 'we', you complete moron. If you haven't noticed, you're no longer a hooker," Spot said. "And when people call you pretty? That's a fucking compliment, you cunt. It was back when you were hustling, and it is now. No one's fucking mocking you."

"What am I to you, then – if I'm not just some whore?" Bam asked skeptically.

"God, Jesus, fuck. All your self-confidence is in your looks, but you get livid if anyone compliments you on them," Spot complained. "What the hell is wrong with you? And why the hell would I go out of my way to get myself a whore, but never even attempt to sleep with them? That's just stupid."

"Answer the question," Bam ordered. "Or can't you?"

"I picked you out of the crowd because I saw in you what I saw in everyone else I picked out: desperation. The thing all you idiots have in common is that when I found you, you all would have done anything I told you if it meant a stable environment," Spot explained honestly.

"And you were looking for a person like that among all the whores in town because…?" Bam asked angrily.

"Because those people are desperate enough for money to whore themselves out! What the hell do you want from me? Get the fuck over yourself. There's nothing different about you. And I certainly wouldn't have made you head of weaponry just because I wanted to fuck you. Don't you fucking dare disrespect me by thinking that," Spot ranted.

"And Slingshot? What's he to you then?"

"Jesus. You think I recruited Slingshot so I could fuck him? You really think I have to go through all that trouble just to fuck someone? God, if I wanted to get laid so bad I'd just walk into a gay bar topless," Spot told him.

"So … what's Slingshot to you?" Bam asked, seemingly calming down.

"He's my second-in-command," Spot answered. "The fucking's a side thing. He knows that, and he also knows that it won't affect the way I treat him the rest of the time, whether that's in a positive or negative sense."

"Yeah. Okay. Sorry," Bam mumbled quietly as he looked down at his feet.

"You gotta stop with all this paranoid crap," Spot ordered. "No one here even knows you used to be a whore besides me, and I'm certainly not going to judge you for it."

Bam looked at his boss suspiciously. "Why did you stress the 'I'm'?"

"Hm?" Spot quirked up an eyebrow.

"You stressed the 'I'm'. Why do you seem so certain that you're going to judge me less than other people in the gang?" Bam asked with a frown as he tried to figure it out.

"Huh. That was a little weird, wasn't it?" Spot replied nonchalantly.

"Were you a …" Bam started to ask, amazed, before he decided that it wasn't possible. "Mm, know what? Never mind. I'll … uh … get out of your hair and stuff."

Spot smirked at him as he left.

"You finally get that stick out of your ass?" Hunter asked from beside Slingshot as Bam came back into the room.

Bam sat beside Hunter on one arm of the couch. "A bit, yeah. Spot helped."

Hunter immediately cringed away. "Ew! I don't want to hear about your sex life, okay?"

"Is my nose swelling?" Speed asked as he came out of their bathroom, not moving his hand off his nose. "It's not, is it? God damn, Bam, I am going to kill you. You can't just make a guy's nose swell up like that."

Bam flicked his head back to get the hair out of his face. "Yeah, well, maybe if you stop looking at fellow guys' asses, being punched in the face wouldn't be a problem."

"Hey! If I remember correctly, you were flattered to find out I look at your ass. You even starting coming on to me."

"So, then you admit that you have stared at my ass? Because while we were playing Bullshit you totally denied it." Bam grinned. "It's fine, though. I knew you were lying. I mean, when you're forced to live in the same room as someone for a few years, you learn a lot about them. Hell, I didn't even need the few years; I knew you were hot for me since the very beginning. It's nothing to be-"

Speed took a swing at him.

"Oh!" Hunter immediately brightened as Speed's fist made contact with Bam's face. He twisted around to see Bam on the floor, then broke out into a grin and tried his best to keep from laughing. He failed. "You guys are my best friends … ever. Oh, my God."

"Speed!" Gadget shouted from where he was sitting on his bed. "Jesus Christ, dude."

Bam spit out some blood from his mouth, not exactly sure where it had come from. Had he bit his tongue? Hm, quite possibly. His teeth hurt. Oh, fuck, did he lose one of his teeth? His eyes widened in panic as he felt around for any gaps in his mouth.

"Bam," Spot said, bringing everyone's attention to him. "What the hell are you doing bleeding on my floor? You didn't call anyone 'pretty', did you?"

Bam picked himself up off the floor, satisfied that all his teeth were where they belonged. He stood up straight as he turned to face Spot. "I implied Speed was gay … sir. I also told him that he was hot for me."

"And I assume that it's Speed who punched you, and not his boyfriend."

"Hey!"

"Shut the hell up, Speed," Spot demanded. "God, you morons give me a headache."

"You want a beer?" Slingshot offered, lifting up an unopened beer can.

Spot raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Trying to get me drunk?"

"Sex orgy?" Gadget asked with a small smile. "Sweet."

Speed's eyes widened. "Gadget! You … you're not … you don't even know what sex is. That's what you tell your parents if they ever ask, got it?"

Gadget rolled his eyes. "Duh. How stupid do you think I am?"

"Can we have a dance party now?" Hunter asked.

"Hell no," Spot answered before anyone else could. "I swear to God, if I ever see you dancing, I will personally make sure that you never have children. Hell, I'll personally make sure you never have sex again."

"Alright, fine, no dance parties while you're around," Hunter said.

"No dance parties while I'm in the state."

"But you never leave the state. Hell, you hardly ever leave the city."

Spot shrugged at Hunter. "Guess you're never going to have a dance party, then, huh?"

"You suck hardcore." Hunter pouted as he crossed his arms.

"Can we please stop talking about dance parties?" Slingshot asked, rolling his eyes. "God, seriously, what's with you and dance parties today?"

Hunter continued to pout. "I just like dance parties is all."

"Tch," Slingshot replied. "Well, give it a rest, all right? It's getting damn annoying."

"What's annoying is you bitching about Spot all the time," Hunter said.

Spot raised an eyebrow. "Bitching about me?"

Slingshot's eyes widened. "No! Of course not! Never. Hunter's just being a jackass like usual."

"Yeah. Whatever," Spot replied stoically as he headed towards the door with his beer. As soon as he opened the door he turned back around to face everyone. "Next time I come in, could you guys make sure that no one is getting punched?"

"Sir, yes, sir," Gadget replied happily as he fired off a salute.

"Got it, Bossman," Speed answered with a grin.

"You take all the fun away," Hunter said, falling into a pout yet again.

"I make no guarantees," Bam replied before popping his knuckles.

Slingshot sighed. "I'll make sure to maintain order, sir."

Spot rolled his eyes at his subordinates. "Just make sure it's Hunter getting punched next time," he demanded before leaving.

"Hey!" Hunter shouted at the now-closed door.

A/N:

How'd you like it? Was it a good break from exams for you kids? Please review. If enough people like it I might put in another interlude ... but if it was just annoying then I won't bother.

Also, thank you for being patient; I know it took awhile for me to post. The break was nice, but I plan on getting back to work on it.