The Wonderful Queer Story of Racetrack Higgins

A Good Day

Blush is here. :)

Enjoy! :)

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Race actually slept well last night for once. That's a first.

It was probably his talk with Jack.

He's feeling a lot better now.

And because he made a promise, he's going to bind safely today.

"Hi, Race." Kid Blink jumps down from his bunk before Race can move. "How're you this morning?"

"Fine," Race mumbles. He knows something's up. "Jack told you what happened last night, didn't he." Not a question; just a statement.

Blink looks away for a moment. Then back at Race. "You know that there are people here who care about you, right? Like Mush and I. We ain't ever going to fully understand like Jack can, but we'se here for you, okay?"

Race takes in a deep breath. "Yeah. I know." Finally, he sits up in his bed. "So. Just another regular day carrying the banner, huh?"

Blink grins. "Only fifty cents per hundred."

And so the morning routine continues, all doing their own things.

Race just finishes wrapping the bandages around his chest. He can breathe, and it's not too tight. He examines himself in the mirror with his shirt on. Yes, it's going to work.

"Hey, Race?"

It's Mush.

Is he going to give the same little talk that Blink gave to him?

"Here to tell me the same thing Blink said earlier?" Race asks, not looking behind him.

"What? No. I'm actually here to talk about Blink."

Race turns around. "Oh?"

Mush rubs the back of his neck. "I've been trying to ask him out on a date for a while now, but then this week's been crazy, and now I don't know."

"You know that if you asked him to go to the ends of the Earth with you, he would say yes?" Race asks him. "And now that the strike's over, and our lives are going back to normal, it should be easier. Why don't you just ask him if he wanted to go to Tibby's or Jacobi's with you? It shouldn't be too complicated. It'd be like a we-won-a-strike celebratory dinner that also works as a date. Blink would really like that."

"You think so?" a smile tugs at Mush's lips.

Race grins. "I know so."

"Thanks Race!" Mush full-on smiles now. He glances over in Kid Blink's direction. Race can see the palpable love and affection in his eyes.

Race wishes that he had someone to look at him like that.

"Okay. I'll ask him now." Mush starts walking over to Blink. Then he turns around and says, "Race, whenever you'll need help getting a date, Blink and I are here for you, got that?" And continues on.

As Mush and Blink start talking (in which the conversation began with a peck on the cheek from Blink), Race plays back that last sentence in his head. Whenever you'll need help. Not when you need help, but when you will need help. There's a difference.

Mush knows that Race has no one at the moment.

And he said it in the most polite way possible.

Race sighs.