Modern AU

"Alright do we have everything?" little Romeo asked excitedly as he jumped up and down to see all the items on the counter.

"Flour, eggs, where's the chocolate chips?" Jack asked while looking at the boys, and Feister. When no one answered that's when Jack noticed there were a few chocolate colored smudges on Albert's face.

"Why are you lookin' at me?" the redhead asked innocently. Jack gave "the look" and in that moment Albert handed the bag of chocolate chips to Jack. It was a cold Saturday morning, and with not much to do the newsies thought it would be a good idea to make some cookies.

Kloppman thought it wasn't the best idea since they would be using the oven. But after some reassurance from Race that they wouldn't burn down the Lodge. Specs of course covered Race's mouth and promised that they would all be careful, and any mess that was made would be cleaned up on the spot.

So, in other words that's how the newsies were going to spend the next few hours making cookies Let's just hope that everything goes as planned.

"So, how is this gonna work?" Tommy boy asked while leaning on the counter. "There's a bunch of us in a small space."

"Easy, we split up into groups," Finch replied as if it was nothing.

"Can we make icing too?" Romeo asked with bright eyes.

Jack groaned quietly. "The last thing we need is a sugar high," he replied. If any of the newsies ate way too much sugar it would be one long weekend. First they would all be hyper, then there's the after effect and...it would just be Halloween all over again.

"Plus, icing is real sticky," Mush added.

Feister crossed her arms, looked at Mush through the corner of her eyes and said, "I told you not to do it. But ya go ahead an' do it anyways. Three showers later an' you're still pickin'-"

"I was thirteen!"

"I was twelve. Your point is?"

"I was young an' dumb."

"Ya got the dumb part right."

"Yeah, well you-"

"Two quit it already!" Kid Blink yelled breaking up Mush and Feister's little fight. "I swear you two fight like an old married couple." Anyways, after a very long debate on whether or not they should make icing. They were going to make it. Looks like it's going to be one long weekend. Err, hopefully it won't be that bad.

"Ok the oldest in each of the groups is in charge of what happens. um...Finch, Henry, Elmer, Tommy, Buttons, you guys make the batter. Specs, Jojo, Ike, Mike, Snipes, you guys get the pans an' oven ready. Race, Mush, Feisty, Romeo, you're on icing duty. Albert, Crutchie, Blink, you guys are helpin' me with the hot cocoa." When Jack finished everyone went to their group to make what they were assigned too

"So what do we do first Finch?" Elmer asked.

Finch thought very carefully for a moment. "Tommy, Elmer, Buttons you measure everything. Henry, you and I are on mixing duty." after a few nods the five boys got the measuring cups, bowls or, the mixing spoons.

While he was getting the mixing spoons Buttons ended up dropping the normal sized spoons. When he picked them up well...long story short he started playing them. Elmer seemed to catch onto the idea. Before Finch, Henry, and Tommy boy knew it Buttons and Elmer were having a spoon battle right in the middle of the kitchen.

"Spoon fight!" the younger newsies all yelled at the same time. Some of the boys stopped what they were doing to watch, the others started making bets on who would win, while Jack facepalmed at the sight. If he saw it once he saw it a million times.

"So, we goin' with the good ole sugar cookies, or the chocolate chip?" Henry asked once the spoon fight was

"Jack what kind of cookies are we makin'?" Finch yelled over the noise from the other boys.

"WHatever ya want!" Jack yelled back while trying to make sure no one burned themselves from the hot cocoa making process.

"How bout we make both," Elmer suggested. "We can make the sugar cookies, take out half the batter an' then put the chips in and BAM! Everyone's happy."

"Not a bad idea Elm," Finch said while patting the younger boy on the back.

"How do you make icing anyways?" Romeo asked. The older boys, and girl shrugged.

"Um...Feisty, look up how to make icing," Race said to the younger girl who was already on it.

"1 cup of sugar, 2 teaspoons of milk, and light corn syrup. almond extract and food coloring," Feister read off her phone. When she looked up the boys had come back with everything they needed.

"What now?" the three boys asked.

Feister smiled as she read, "In a small bowl, stir together sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup." Let's just say things could've gone a bit smoother than it had.

While Feister was mixing the icing Race was getting the food dye, and Mush was getting some smaller bowls to mix the icing and food dye together. They ended up bumping into each other in the small space they had.

To make matters worse when Feister went to help both boys up Romeo had tripped over her and when the little newsboy tried to grab onto the counter so he wouldn't slip he ended up grabbing the bowl and well...you can guess what happened then. Icing was now all over the place, and bowls, and food dye.

The loud crash caused Buttons to jump back. He bumped into Kid Blink who had gotten the milk for the hot cocoa. So, now there was milk and about three cups of flour all over the floor. When Finch and Albert went to help Blink and Buttons up they ended up slipping on the milk and caused another crash that made the cookie batter bowl fall right onto Mush's head.

Feister swiped some of the batter off of Mush's cheek and tasted some of it before saying, "Ease up on the sugar next time."

"At least things can't get any worse," Mush said as he took the bowl off his head. Just then Sniper was coming back with some pans while Henry was getting eggs from the fridge. The two boys ended up slipping on whatever was on the floor and BAM! Pans and eggs were all over the ground.

"You just had to say that, didn't you," Feister said deadpanned as she looked at Mush, who only shrugged.

"What's goin' on in here?" Kloppman asked as he walked into the kitchen. To his surprise there were pans, bowls, flour, eggs, milk, what looked like batter and icing was all over the floor. Race and Mush were covered in icing. Feister's face was covered with different colored streaks, and Romeo was wearing a small bowl on his head while licking the icing off his fingers.

Buttons and Kid Blink were sitting in a puddle of milk and flour. The pure white flour and milk was in both boys' dark hair. Which made they look like two old guys. Henry and Sniper were covered in eggs from head to toe. Finch and Albert were somewhat clean. But their clothes, not so much.

Jack, Specs, Jojo, Crutchie, Elmer Tommy boy, Ike, and Mike were the only ones standing. Their eyes were wide and mouths were gaped open at the sight. "I can explain!" all the newsies yelled at the same time before talking over the other.

"One at a time!" Kloppman yelled.

"It was my fault Klopp," Romeo admitted quietly. "I tripped over Feisty an' when I grabbed the counter, I ended up grabbing the bowl instead. Which caused everyone to start trippin' an' fallin'."

"Like ya said Rome, you tripped over me-"

"Which wouldn't have happened if I watched where I was goin'," Race cut Feister off.

"I was the one who had the bowls that caused Buttons to jump back," Mush added.

"An' I was the one who bumped into Blink," Buttons said quietly. "That's how the flour an' milk spilled on the floor."

"Al, an' I were the ones who caused the batter bowl to fall," Finch said.

"We were only tryin' to help out our little brothers," Albert said while looking at the ground.

"Ok, that explains how all that happened," Kloppman said. He turned his head to Henry and Sniper as he asked, "How did the eggs break?"

"I wasn't watchin' where I was goin'," Henry admitted.

"I shoulda watched where I was goin' too," Sniper added. The smallest smile appeared on Kloppman's face. While the newsies may fight, every five seconds, or cause trouble. But by the end of the day they're a family.

"Alright, everyone clean up this mess, then clean up yourselves. Race, Feister, go to the store and get more stuff to make the cookies. Plus a few other things on the grocery list. And this time, please don't turn the kitchen into a mixing bowl." the newsies all laughed at Kloppman's last statement.

Anyways, with that being said the newsies all did what Kloppman said, and they did a pretty good job. Ok, so there may of been a few minutes where the boys, and Feister were throwing soap foam at each other. And when Romeo got soap in his mouth somehow. But at least the kitchen got cleaned.

───── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─────

"I'm never goin' to the store with this idiot again!" Feister yelled as she walked into the kitchen while carrying two grocery bags with Race right behind her.

"What happen now? Jack groaned.

"Five words," the small girl yelled as she dropped the bags on the table. "Clean, up, on, aisle, three," Feister said slowly as she counted off each word with a finger while glaring at Race.

When none of the boys understood what was going on Race started laughing as he said, "I put Mentos in the pop bottles."

"This nut head is lucky he didn't get banned from the store for life," Feister said with her "I'm so done with this idiot" face. Which is one she wore a lot.

"Anyways, we got stuff to make the cookies, and a few things that were on the grocery list," Race announced. And so it was back to work. Team Cookies and Team Icing made a whole new batch. This time they were all aware of what they were doing.

When Team Cookies was finished with the batter they all went to help cut the batter with cookie cutters. When there was no more batter left the older boys carefully put the pans into the hot oven, and now all that was left to do was wait.

While the newsies waited for the cookies to finish baking they all gathered in the living room with the hot cocoa to watch Home Alone 2 Lost in New York. Something they always watch around the holidays. Naturally, the second Home Alone is probably the favorite amongst the newsies.

"You know the New York Plaza Hotel looks a lot like the Tipton Hotel from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody," Romeo pointed out with a smile.

"Rome, how do ya know that?" Race asked. "You were like two when Zack and Cody came out."

"Just cause I was still in diapers, doesn't mean I don't know bout it. Sides, Home Alone was made before any of us was born. Yet, we know bout it." no one argued with Romeo on that. Question is, when did an eleven year old get so smart?

"Didn't Klopp band us from watchin' that show?" Buttons asked.

"Yeah, cause Race an' Jojo got way too crazy when they watched it," Specs replied with a laugh.

"Why watch a dumb old tv show when you have a real life Zack and Cody right here!" Jojo exclaimed while patting Race on the back.

"Are you guys forgettin' that there's a set of twins right here?" Mike asked.

"Hey guys," Feister said breaking up the fight. "What's that smell?" everyone stopped what they were doing and sniffed the air. That's when the smoke detector went off. In seconds the boys, and Feister quickly got off the couch and made a run to the kitchen. Black smoke was seeping through the oven cracks that left a somewhat bad smell in the air.

Some of the boys started waving dish towels around the smoke detector to stop beeping. Others ran around to open the windows. A cold wind blew into the Lodge. But it was either that, or have the place smell like smoke.

Jack quickly grabbed some oven mitts, opened the oven and took out the smoking pan and after a few minutes the beeping stopped and the smoke was gone.

"What's going on now?" Kloppman asked just as Race was taking a bite out of a black chunk and spit it out.

"Who wants to get Schmackary's instead?" Race asked. Everyone looked at each other before running off to get their boots, hats, scarves, mittens, jackets and anything else that would keep them nice and toasty in the cold New York air.

"That's all the way up in Midtown!" Kloppman yelled as the newsies all ran out the door.