Non Challenge
Threesome
From his position on the couch, it was easy for Race to kick either Mush or Blink, who he alternately loved and hated spending time with as a couple. Now, he mostly hated them.
"Just give me the remote!"
"Make me!"
Blink dove for the remote, but somehow he ended up in Mush's arms, and the struggle degenerated into making out.
Race sighed and told them to shut up, he was trying to watch TV. His jealousy at what they had and he wanted to share was as well hidden as the fact that they'd love him to join in.
Rain
Spot irritably lights a match, and before he can get it to the cigarette he's already placed on his lips, the rain has put it out. He swears and drops the match. "I hate the goddamn rain," he says, and tries to get his wet hair off his face.
"You're the one who locked us out," Race reminds him.
"Well it's goddamn cold and I want a smoke," Spot sulks.
Racetrack sighs, strikes a match, protects it with his hand, and lights the cigarette. He takes the cig from Spot, kisses him, hands it back.
"I don't mind the rain."
Library
"I swear, if one more person returns a book late..." David mumbled as he discharged another large stack of books. It was finals week, and it seemed like every book that had been checked out all semester was returned at once.
"Uh huh," Mush answered.
"I mean, this is ridiculous. I'm going to give the next person who returns a book a piece of my mind."
A student walked up to the counter, hair held back by a bandana. "Uh..." He smiled a little. "I think I have some late fees. Can I return some books here?"
David nodded wordlessly.
New York City
Jack looked out at the city skyline. "It's like it's alive, ya know?"
David rolled his eyes. "It's just a city, Jack."
"Nah, it's more than that." Jack smiled over at David. "See, down there?" He pointed at the corner of the block. "That's where I kissed you the first time."
"Jack..."
"And that alley back there... You know what we did there."
David blushed. "Well, we can't see the park where you said you loved me," he said.
"Only because some buildings are in the way."
"It's still just a city, Jack," David said.
"I guess. But it's ours."
First Kiss
Racetrack turned the corner and was shoved against the wall.
Perfect, he thought. I finally earn a couple bucks and I get mugged. He instinctively ducked away from whoever had pushed him, before looking up to see Spot.
"Jesus, you scared me," he said, shoving Spot's hands off his jacket. "What's yer problem?"
"Where ya headed?"
"Sheepshead, I got a tip."
Spot raised an eyebrow.
"A good one. So can I go?"
"Not yet," Spot said, and pushed Race again. Race started to push back, but Spot pressed close and kissed him.
Race stared.
"Now you can go," Spot said.
Bottle
Skittery regarded the bottle objectively. It was brown glass with a cork in the top; inside, the liquid was amber and it was filled, well into the neck of the bottle. Objectively, it was just cheap beer.
Without the objectivity, though, it was a bottle that held his troubles. He could keep them out of his mind by making use of the bottle; he could drink until he no longer worried about Racetrack and girls, and why he liked Racetrack the way Racetrack liked girls. He could just drink, and cork it when he was done.
No worries, just beer.
Les
I always knew there was something strange about Jack, but never could quite put my finger on it. Something about him never seemed right, so I wasn't surprised to find Sarah crying one day.
Jack was gone, David had gone with him. I was only eleven, and I said I wanted to go too; Sarah said I should never say that, never think of them again.
Now I understand all those lingering looks and touches between Jack and David, and why my parents say they only have two children.
I miss them, sometimes, but Sarah says it's better this way.
Spavid
Sideways glances were Spot's specialty. He could watch a person for hours without anyone noticing, especially not whoever he was watching. At least, usually.
Damn David for being so observant, anyway.
"Did I do something?" David mumbled to him after a long night of sideways glances.
"Why?" Spot ask suspiciously.
"You keep... looking at me." David shifted uncomfortably.
Spot shrugged. "If you say so," he said, but smiled a little.
David smiled back. "No problems, then?"
"Nah. Everything's fine, Mouth."
"Good..." David said awkwardly, and smiled a little bit.
Spot raised an eyebrow and smiled back. David was very observant.
Fluff
Moments like these are the good ones. Spot lies in bed, shirtless; Racetrack lies next to him, dozing, a smile on his lips. Spot looks at him, bathed in sunlight from behind tattered curtains, and remembers how much he loves Race. They fight and they push each other, press buttons, and sometimes it's hard to remember--but these are the moments when he doesn't have to think about it.
He wakes Racetrack gently with a kiss to his neck.
"You're in a good mood," Race mumbles sleepily, and wraps a naked arm around him.
Spot just smiles into Race's shoulder.
Coming Out
Spot cleared his throat, sensing David's nervousness. Mostly through the sweat on David's palm, as they were holding hands. "So," Spot said, his voice full of forced casualness, "David and I are. You know."
They both braced themselves, Spot squeezing David's hand a little, and waited for the teasing. But instead, there was stunned silence from the Jacobs family.
Then, "But... David, honey," Esther began, "I thought you and Jack..?"
"Mom, Jack was dating Sarah," David reminded her.
Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Because I always figured he and Spot..."
"What?! No!"
"Well, that could have gone worse," David decided.
Baby Sitting
Jack looked around the apartment, amused. It was clear that a child lived there by the piles of toys and the sheer amount of baby pictures hanging on the wall. But, still. "Baby sitting? Isn't that a little... girly?" he laughed.
David scowled. "It's money."
"Where is the little monster?"
"He's not a monster, he's adorable. And he's asleep."
"Oh... yeah?"
"Yeah. And his parents said I could have a friend over, and now we've got four hours just sitting here..."
"I can think of something to do," Jack leered.
David rolled his eyes. "Sorry, no. You called me girly."
Halloween
Spot's idea of fun on Halloween was to jump out of the bushes, pin down a second-grader, steal his candy, and run away. Racetrack, however, was having none of that. When Spot, not able to hold him down—he was twelve, just like Spot was, and he kicked hard—said he wouldn't let him go unless he forked over his candy, Race offered to play a poker game instead, with candy rather than money.
The next year, Race took Spot for his whole loot, and the year after that, Spot kissed him to at least get to taste some sugar.
Subway Ride
"It's just a frikking train," Spot sulked, crossing his arms.
"Like you ever been on a train before," Racetrack answered, elbowing Spot sharply.
"I have too. And I didn't pay a nickel for it, neither."
"Oh, boo hoo. You ain't been scrounging nickels since you was a kid," Racetrack answered. "Imagine if they had this thing back when we was newsies. Man, you coulda sold anywhere in the whole city!"
"Why would I ever have done that?" Spot asked. "Like Brooklyn wasn't good enough or something?"
Racetrack rolled his eyes, and Spot crossed his arms. The subway started to move.
Busy Morning
"Mornin'," Jack mumbled, wandering out of the bedroom. He knew David was up, and a glance at the clock showed he'd be out the door any moment.
"Jack, coffee's in the pot, I stuck some leftovers in Tupperware for your lunch, the sports section's on the table, we're out of Cheerios but I left you the rest of the Chex. Gotta dash!"
David skidded out the door and down the hall, then turned around to see Jack watching him, bemused, from the doorway. He hurried back and gave Jack a quick kiss. "And, you know, I love you and stuff."
Sophia's Wedding (EYDW!Universe)
Tony had never had any use for dancing. Sure, he'd heard Dutchy go on about it; dancing was a great way to pick up chicks. But Tony had no need to pick up anyone and no interest in chicks, so the appeal was lost.
But Sophia had made up her mind, they would dance at her wedding. At least she was only making them take a basic classe; poor Itey was enrolled in six different lessons.
"The tango is hot," Sean mumbled in his ear.
Tony agreed. Anything that let Sean put hands all over him in public was hot.
Supermen
Dutchy stared up at the tree in consternation, frowning. Specs gazed up speculatively.
"Have you tried calling her name?"
"Cats don't answer to their names."
"Bribing her with food?"
"She just caught a pigeon, I think."
"Calling a fireman?"
"Do you think one would come?" But Dutchy didn't smile, and Specs sighed a little. Dutchy was supposed to be caring for their teacher's cat, which had somehow escaped. It was now staring down at them from a tree that was resistant to non-feline climbing.
"I'm sure she'll come down."
"I'm the worst cat-sitter ever."
"We can't all be supermen, Dutch."
Itchy (Threesome)
Race felt kind of...itchy. He didn't know why, or what it meant. But when he saw Specs and Dutchy, it just kind of happened. He realized he wasn't supposed to know what the looks and touches between them meant, but he wasn't blind or stupid. He knew, and it itched.
At least until the day Specs happened to glance over and see him watching, as his hand slowly inched up Dutchy's thigh. Race looked away, embarrassed, but seconds later he had Specs on one side of him and Dutchy on the other, and learned how that particular itch got scratched.
Frozen
Jack knocked on the door to the Jacobs' apartment with blue lips. Despite his coat and the scarf, mittens, and hat Mrs. Jacobs had knitted for him, the cold was just too biting. "It's...so far to the lodging house," he said, teeth chattering. "I couldn't..."
David had gotten home from school before the blizzard hit. He helped Jack out of his snow-caked outer layer and started a kettle for coffee. "Stay until it stops," he said quietly, and reached out to take Jack's frozen hands, and rubbed them until they were warm. And for some reason, forgot to let go.
Meaningful
In all honesty, David wasn't thrilled with Jack kissing his sister. But it was about appearances, and he knew that. Jack had told him sometime a little after dawn, when they were both delirious with exhaustion from their night running the press. Jack had whispered it fiercely, "It don't mean nothin', Dave, not like you an' me do," and kissed him fast while Sarah had climbed out the window.
So now that Jack was home, the most important thing, and now that he knew what it meant—nothing—he was able to fight down the knot in his stomach and smile.