#I GENUINELY LOVE NEWSIES SO MUCH I COULD TALK ABOUT IT FOR HOURS PLEASE ACTUALLY LET ME

[i-aint-got-santa-fe]

We have to seize the day

By carrying the banner

So the world will know

We have something to believe in

So don't come a knocking on my door

Just watch what happens

Because that's the bottom line

:3

[classic80sand90smovieloves2]

Meeting and Dating Specs

(Please ignore how awful my gif is)(Requested via message)

(I’m so sorry I haven’t posted in a while!)

- You met Specs while walking to work in the morning. He was out selling his papers when you and a few of the other girls you worked with passed him.

- He quickly snatched the hat from his head as you walked by, eyes seemingly locking onto you even though you were in the middle of a small crowd.

- The two of you met each other’s gaze and without meaning to, your steps began to slow. A small smile found its way onto your face before you hurriedly made your way back to your group. As you reached your friends sides, you spared one last glance at the boy over your shoulder. You were secretly pleased to see that he was still watching.

- Normally Specs wouldn't linger in a selling spot for too long unless it was raking in a good profit. But let’s just say that he had a bit of an ulterior motive when returning to the area.

- Day after day, you would continue to see him while making your way to work. Your friends began to tease you about it, grabbing your arm and giggling in your ear as you passed him. You felt flattered by the attention but you still wondered if he was actually attracted to you and if so, was he ever going to approach you?

- It was after about two weeks that he finally did. You passed his usual selling spot in the morning and found that he wasn’t there. So, with a little dash of disappointment settling in your stomach, you headed off to work and went about your day.

- You walked out the doors of your work at the end of your shift, wiping your hands on your dress and pulling the hair from your face. It was then that you saw him, his body leaned casually against the wall of the building besides yours.

- He kicked himself off of the wall once he noticed you, pulling the hat off his head as he made his way over.

- He tries his hand at a polite, gentlemanly introduction, fiddling with the hat in his hands as he spoke. He “confessed” that he’d been watching you “for a little while now” and explained that he wanted to get to know you more.

- You smiled and agreed, glad that he had finally decided to try his luck with you.

- Your first date was that same day. The two of you walked around town together, getting to know each other and sweetly flirting. By the time you had to return home, you had already promised to see him again the next day.

- The two of you shared your first kiss on your fourth date. You’d been sitting together in one of the many alleyways of the city, recounting different stories from your day when you started to notice him looking closely at your face.

- You ignored it for a while, figuring that he was probably distracted by a smudge of dust or paint, something that often found its way onto your face after a long day. It wasn’t until you began to walk home together that you finally learned that there wasn’t anything on your face.

- The two of you were just about to say goodbye when he hesitated for a minute, glancing down at what you finally comprehended was your lips and asking if he could kiss you. Now, how could you say no to that?

- Pda wasn’t exactly very common back then so the two of you keep your affection to yourselves for the most part. Although the newsies are far less worried about public decency and reputations, Specs in particular is trying very hard to be a gentleman for you; at least in public.

- Forehead kisses as he wraps his arms loosely around you, keeping you close to him.

- Never ending pecks on the lips. He’ll keep moving in for another one unless you push him away.

- He’s sort of a geek compared to his fellow newsies; he doesn't do nearly as many crazy stunts as them. Maybe he’s more mature, …or maybe he’s just less coordinated than everyone else.

- Even though he’s a geek, he still does crazy/ridiculous stuff; he just doesn’t do acrobatics while doing so. Locked yourself out of your house? He somehow knows how to pick a lock. Forgot something somewhere? He’ll run all the way back there to get it for you!

- He’s kinda slow in the reflex department; you��ve been his savior more than a few times. You’re probably one of the only reasons his glasses are still intact.

- Specs is generally pretty polite but he is not a morning person at all. Be careful when attempting to wake him up, you may end up snatched and cuddled against your will or aggressively grumbled at.

- All the newsies would absolutely love cuddling with their girls and you cannot convince me otherwise. Some may be more shy than others but they all secretly love it. Specs typically sleeps/rests on his back so he’s pretty fond of the sweetheart cradle.

- He’s not ashamed of the fact that he likes when you baby him but he’ll get extremely embarrassed if anyone somewhat comes close to guessing that he does.

- He may be a little rough around the edges but he always tries to treat you like a lady; at least when he can help it.

- Getting visits while or after he sells his papers.

- He would genuinely wait around for hours just to be able to spend a little time with you. Get off work at seven? Well he gets off at five but he can stand to wait a little. Its worth it, right?

- People are just used to seeing him sitting on a crate outside your workplace, fiddling with whatever he can find to pass the time.

- He has a habit of holding/playing with things when he’s stationary so expect to have your hand occupied quite often.

- Piggyback rides. It may not be proper for a lady such as yourself but frankly, you don't give a damn and neither does he if you don’t.

- Likes bothering you in that playful boyfriend sort of way. You get teased, poked and prodded, especially when the two of you are alone together.

- He’s always got something to say. The two of you could have a full conversation about literally nothing at all.

- He’s happy to let you lean on him. What’s the difference when it’s a cute girl doing it? He’s used to having the other newsies use him as an arm rest so having his adorable girlfriend resting against him is a welcome change.

- I don’t know if it’s just me; but he looks so much better without his ridiculous top hat on?? Thank god he takes it off around you.

- He doesn’t have much; if any, pocket money so you’re not going to have any expensive dates. That being said, he tries to do something nice with what he has.

- Little love letters filled with misspellings and awful grammar. They may not be the most poetic things in the world but you adore them all the same.

- Walking around town together. You may have seen it all a hundred times before but it seems entirely new when you’re with him.

- Cozying up in secluded corners.

- Refers to you as ‘me old lady’ when talking about you to other people. He doesn’t use too many nicknames when talking with you though. He isn’t a big charmer so he isn’t used to the concept. He probably calls you “missy” jokingly but that doesn’t exactly count as a nickname, does it?

- He both follows your orders and disobeys you like you’re his mother. He’s constantly on that line of I will blindly follow you and I will make you make me.

- He may give you a little shit now and again but he’s a ride or die and thats a fact. When it really comes down to it, he has your back no matter what.

- The newsies may not seem like the most sensitive people in the world but Specs is a bit more empathetic than most. He hates seeing people; especially you, all sad or distressed.

- He may not be the greatest at it but he always tries to comfort or cheer you up in any way he can.

- He’s not used to people really caring about him and his wellbeing so it’s always a shock to him when you worry about his safety or try to take care of him.

- You once brought him some food because you were worried he wasn’t eating enough and he nearly cried. You should have seen his face when you handed it to him; it was like you were giving him a hundred bucks.

- Occasionally you’ll sneak him into your house when your parents aren’t home so he can take a warm bath in a tub that he actually fits in and eat a full meal.

- Sometimes the two of you will walk around town together, pretending that you’re both a wealthy couple. You put on posh accents and look through the windows of shops you could never buy from, boasting about how you’ll get this or that and talking about other “rich person” things.

- He saves up money for an entire year just to be able to buy you a Christmas/birthday gift. Either that or he’ll attempt to make you something, usually some kind of newspaper flower.

- How jealous he gets really depends on who it is that he’s meant to be jealous of. If it’s another newsie flirting then he’ll just tell them to get lost but if its someone with more class than him then he feels more threatened. Why would you chose him over some upper class fellow?

- He may act aggressive with the guy but he’s more reserved and feels like he has to take more shit if the fella decides to get smart. He doesn’t want to be put in the refuge for soaking him if his parents take it up with the law.

- Nearly all of the newsies would be protective of their girls and this trait isn’t lost on Specs. He’ll stare down people he doesn't like, keeping you behind him and puffing out his chest whenever they turn up.

- He’s always keeping an eye out for you and lingering around. He usually isn’t too far from your side when he can help it.

- He always stands behind you as you’re sitting down, holding the back of your chair and keeping a close eye on everything that’s going on.

 - He’s surprisingly fast on his feet and is an arguably good bullshitter/liar which he used for both good and; occasionally, bad causes. He can’t lie to you very well though; you can always see right through him.

- Most of your fights are pretty trivial so it isn't hard for the two of you to makeup. A lot of the time he’ll just forget that you were fighting or what you were fighting about and continue on like nothing happened or admit that he doesn’t even know what you’re supposed to be bickering about.

- You get a ‘love ya’ every time you’re saying goodbye or whenever he just feels the need to say it.

- The two of you will undoubtedly be pretty nervous when introducing him to your parents. The look on his face when you and your father first laid eyes on each other should be framed.

- He’s genuinely ready to spend the rest of his life with you. He’s one of the older newsies too so marriage might be just around the corner; if your folks will allow it.

[i-was-over-on-the-bench]

Make theater more accessible

Hello to all Broadway fans! I can guarantee that you have absolutely no clue who I am because I have only posted two things on here, and they were both about the Riverdale Heathers episode. However, what you should know is that I am a MAJOR fan of the theatre, modern Broadway in particular, and there are many shows I would absolutely love to see, but there is just one problem. Tickets are really expensive, and also New York is hours away. I want to write a letter or sort of essay to the American Theatre Wing or someone who could do something about the accessibility of Broadway to try and sell them on trying to make Broadway shows more accessible, whether it’s making tickets cheaper or doing what they did with Newsies with all of the most popular shows or both or something else. Currently, the only way the vast majority of theater fans get to experience these Broadway shows is through the cast recordings and the occasional bootleg. Even if the tour comes to town, tickets are still expensive, and if your parents are anything like mine, they’re not a huge fan of a lot of this stuff, they don’t understand it that much, and overall, they don’t see much of a reason to spend that kind of money on a “stupid show.” So we watch the bootlegs. We live and breathe the cast recordings. And then when any clips of the show are released, we FREAK OUT. Many people do not have the money, or the support from parents, or they can’t make the trip to New York, but for whatever reason there is, many theater fans have never actually seen a Broadway show. Another thing in the theater is that it is definitely not accessible to the deaf. I know that there was a production of Spring Awakening that was, but for the most part, theater is not accessible to those who are deaf, and sometimes people with other disabilities. Anyways, the point is that I want to write a letter or essay to try and sell the idea of making theater more accessible to everyone, and I want anyone who wants to help to help. I will leave my email and a link to the document, and I am sure that if everyone collaborates, we could probably write something pretty good and send it to the American Theatre Wing. There has been talk for a while about how Broadway needs to be more accessible, and I’ve even seen a post many times about the irony that many shows are about the poor and destitute and yet those are the exact people who can never see these shows because they are so expensive. If you can, try to help write, and also SOURCES. PLEASE. The reason I am reaching out to so many people is because it’s hard to find sources on this sort of thing. Hard as in I genuinely do not know what to search, and then what I did search, I found literally nothing. 

Anyways, my email is deadgirlwalking.1717@gmail.com and the link to the document is down below. You will have to request edit access.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KRi5Roe_JWuO6EHGfgIHlETbRHFp_rnykf1EptXeFek/edit

Disclaimer: I don’t know if this will help any, but we can try.

Edit: anyone reading this now, feel free to read the letter, but it has been finished and sent off.

[hoshigomi]

10 under 10

Inspired by @zukadiary‘s 12 Underclassmen I’m Into, here’s my spin on introducing you to my favorite young ones. 10 actresses under ken 10, presented in order as they are in that randomly generated graphic above. 

1.) Yuunagi Ryou, Hoshigumi Technically nicknamed Shimo, she has inspired many nicknames that I am the sole user of. I’ve watched more shinkos than I’d like to admit just to catch her saying a few lines in her bizarrely husky and staticky voice. Japanese Twitter has noticed that she’s getting very ヤバイ. One of the best dancers Hoshigumi has, full stop, and probably the most entertaining person I’ve ever watched fuck around in the back of scenes. I would pay full blu ray price for a star angle on her in group scenes. (Ask Me About her Food Antics and penchant for Touching Musumeyaku.) Her classmates have described her as ”強い”. I might be in love with her. Dream role: Hot Bad Boy in a 90′s teen romcom, Anyone in RetJ, a greaser in Grease.

2.) Honoka Kozakura, Hoshigumi Please sign here! (What’s this, you ask?- it’s a petition for the Hoshigumi Producers to Treat Honoka better!) Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, except the one time she got a shinko lead. Voice of an ANGEL. Captivatingly Present onstage. Word of God says she puts in a heartbreaking amount of real-life research into characters she plays and their circumstances, and it SHOWS. She is an ACTRESS.  Dream role: Cinderella. 

3.) Taiki Hayate, Hoshigumi I genuinely don’t have much to say about Taiki because she’s  a 105th and hasn’t grown into anything resembling her potential, which I am assuming she has based on the fact that she’s huge and delivered some IMPRESSIVE side-eye directed towards no one in particular in the Oceans Hatsubutai that I saw. Also, from her Takawiki profile: 

What’s not to love? Dream role: Bill in Me and My Girl in approximately 12 years.

4.) Irodori Michiru, Yukigumi I think it’s fair to admit that I love Michiru because she is probably the cutest human being I have ever seen in my entire life. She looks like a cat. She has the sweetest smile. I’d trust her with tasks like helping alter a dress while it was still on my body, and like being my baking partner for a neighborhood bake sale. Sweet voice, good actress, apparently was tracked against Kuracchi once upon a time but we see how that worked for both of them. I hope Yukigumi keeps her visible for as long as she wants to stick around. In my dreams, her and Machi Yuuka (or more realistically, Aasa), are the top combi of Yukigumi.  Dream role: Katherine in Newsies....

5.) Amato Kanon, Hoshigumi I could literally just write “Amato Kanon Will Be Top Star One Day” here and leave it at that. I have never in my life been so sure of anything. Kanon has made my shoulders shake with laughter (like in Elbe, as Johnny, always yelling, always skittish), and made my stomach drop in a way that a ken-3 otokoyaku should NOT be able to do. Her role in God of Stars is *chefs kiss* inspired. She’s got GAME (onstage). Multiple people have reported to me that they are unable to take their eyes off her. Cries a lot. Loved the hell out of Nanami Hiroki. Just had her first shinko lead, and I hope that was like lead number 1 of 5. Dream roles for her to play: Romeo, Ronan in 1789.

6.) Sumika Amane, Hoshigumi Sumika Amane won me over when I noticed that in the Killer Rouge rockette, she was looking towards the rafters and appeared to be earnestly PRAYING she wasn’t about to fall over. She’s played a non-speaking maid for like three shows in a row. She’s way taller than you think she is gonna be. She gets to sexy dance on the ginkyou in Éclair Brillant and it’s honestly more effective than I expected. Always in pink, the SWEETEST fashion sense, super cute ears. She may not be moving up in the troupe, but every day she moves up in my heart. Dream role: something where she speaks. 

7.) Aosaki Iori, Soragumi “Aosaki Iori doesn’t even look like herself” - zukadiary, on the picture in the graphic. She’s right. It doesn’t. When the pictures of the 103rd class came out, I picked Aosaki Iori on face alone, and I don’t regret it. I can’t say anything about her stage presence because Soragumi seems hell bent on hiding her from me, though I DID spot her THREE TIMES in the background in Oceans 11. She is TINY. She’s a good dancer! She has huge eyes and a wildly honest and innocent aura about her. I have no idea what she’s gonna grow up to be like. She’s not even in the upcoming Soragumi split. In my dreams, I get to see her for longer than 30 consecutive seconds as a bellboy that Seiko literally shoves aside. If You See This Child, please call me.  Dream role: Literally just let me see her.

8.) Ruri Hanaka, Hoshigumi Another 103rd pick on face alone, but BOY THIS ONE REALLY TURNED OUT TO BE SOMETHING. Ruri Hanaka has: more game than any ken 10+ otokoyaku I have ever seen, more raw sex appeal than Makaze and Aasa (bear with me) put together. I saw two twitter users refer to her as “Rockette Killer Rurihana”. She’s RIPPED. I made eye contact with her once and had to look away because I could not TAKE the energy with which she was looking at me. She gets dance solos for a reason. She runs fast (she was a HIT after her role as Betty in the Elbe Shinko.) I could list what she’s good at for an hour and I wouldn’t even be done.  Dream role: Elle Woods in Legally Blonde 

9.) Natsu Hayato, Soragumi This picture of her actually looks exactly like what Aosaki Iori looks like in real life. The main difference is Natsu Hayato is visible, (probably partially because she’s like nine feet tall.) She was in Sora’s Uptown Funk brilliant dreams. She kind of got the dance. Mostly she fucked around in the back with her oversized shirt not tucked in. Needless to say, I think she’s INSANELY cute and charming. She’s had some good shinko roles. Sweet sweet smile.  Dream role: Sailor Uranus or a barista in a coffee shop romcom. 

10.) Mizuno Yuri, Hoshigumi We call her “Noodle” because I have never seen a like longer, noodlier musumeyaku. Has been partnered with Kai multiple times in the past, which shows in her dance technique (best described as “following the suggestion of the choreography”). Once she tried to talk about Kai and cried so hard someone else had to take over for her. She has a TRULY STRANGE and wobbly way of speaking. Insane dimples. Genuinely reminds me of a newborn giraffe. Seems to have a FUN sense of humor and REAL personality though- and I can’t wait to see how she grows into it, though since they keep giving her either shinko LEADS or shinko nibante musumeyaku leads, maybe we won’t have to look too hard to see her.  Dream role: Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act. 

[broadwaycantdie]

Eid! - Newsies (Pride) Month . Day 4

( tommy boy ) + ( religion )

a/n: i am not muslim! i do not celebrate eid! however, inclusivity and diversity is very important to show throughout stories so i had @newnewsieprice help me with this story because she is muslim and does celebrate eid! she also told me that everyone celebrates differently so this is just based off her experiences and the bare minimum i know :)

warning: besides the fact that i only partially know what i’m talking about ? none

background: Tommy Boy is a Macedonian Muslim Baby Boy™. He is technically the only Muslim newsie in his chosen family. Tommy Boy’s blood family was deported and sent back to Macedonia. Since he was the only family member born in the states, he was left alone. A lot of families were separated during the ICE raids—including some of the other newsie’s—so they all work to bring everyone together in their own little family.

( all macedonian is according to google translate and the translation will be in parentheses, sorry if anything is wrong, i don’t speak macedonian! )

——————————————————————————

“Те сакам исто така, мама. Ми недостигаш. Тоа нема да биде исто без сите вас овде. Ветувам дека ќе се јавам повторно по молитвата. Eid Mubarak.”

(I love you too, mama. I miss you. It won’t be the same without you all here. I promise to call again after prayer. Eid Mubarak.)

Tommy Boy hung up the phone and gently pressed his forehead on the wall, looking down with his eyes closed. He let out a breath.

“It’s hard without them here, isn’t it?”

Tommy Boy jumped, not knowing someone else was in the room. It was very early morning, he didn’t expect anyone to be awake.

He didn’t say anything. He just turned to see who was there.

It was Elmer. He was standing in the open doorway with a sense of understanding on his face. A change of pace from his often confused expression.

Tommy Boy walked over to him, wrapping him in a hug without saying a word.

Elmer knew what it was like. His parents and older siblings were taken back to Poland over a year ago.

He sticks to the newsies because they’re all he has.

Elmer’s family obviously wasn’t the only one who got taken away but his was the first. He has had time to heal, though it still hurts.

Tommy Boy’s parents were taken just weeks ago. He needs more time to accept and learn to move forward. And no one knows that feeling better than Elmer. He went from a blood family of 11 to 1. It was hard.

Elmer knew what a sacred and joyous time this has always been to him, year after year. He use to go to his parents and come back telling stories of all the gossip and events happening back in Macedonia. Stories of his parents saying how they wish they could visit their home again; but they never imagined they would get stuck there, leaving their only son behind.

Elmer was prepared to hold Tommy Boy for as long as he needed. He knew Tommy Boy wasn’t one for showing emotions, so he needed to undertand that he could be vulnerable and that was okay.

Tommy Boy pulled away gently. Tears soaked his face and his eyes were red. He hadn’t cried like that since his parents left. He never allowed himself.

He looked at Elmer’s shirt, now housing a wet spot from his eyes.

“Sorry about that”, Tommy Boy said, lightly laughing through tears and choked breaths.

“It’s okay, T. It’ll dry”, Elmer replied, smiling.

They stood there for a bit. Elmer gently rubbed Tommy Boy’s back while he let out the last of his tears and caught his breath. He just needed to get it out.

“What are you gonna do this year?” Elmer asked softly.

“I don’t know. I’m gonna pray. Pray a lot. I might go for a walk. Be by myself for a few hours. But after that I don’t know”, Tommy Boy replied in a deep breath.

“Why don’t you go get ready. Take some time to yourself beforehand. We’ll all be here with you after, okay?”

Tommy Boy nodded his head and went off to the washroom. No one else was awake so he really got to relax and calm down before he went off to the mosque.

In that time, Elmer devised a plan. He was going to do everything he could to give Tommy Boy a good Eid. Nothing would make him feel as good as he did with his parents, but he owed it to him to try.

As soon as Tommy Boy walked out the door Elmer yelled throughout the lodging house.

“Family meeting right now! Everyone come here, please!”

At least he was polite about his early morning aggressive screaming.

Ignoring the moans and groans of sleepy teenagers, Elmer actually got everyone into the main room.

He explained his plan, what he knew of the holiday, and Tommy Boy’s schedule for the day.

“Henry, how long does it take to make an entire feast fit for a celebration?”

“Um? Like all day if I’m lucky?”

“Well we’ve got about 5 hours or so, so you might wanna start now.”

“What?! Elmer that’s impossible!”

“Nothing’s impossible if you put your heart to it...and when you have friends to help...that’s why I made a chart of everyone’s responsibilities for the day.”

More groans filled the room but Elmer ignored them.

He went down the list, giving everyone their job.

Henry, Kenny, Smalls, Crutchie, Buttons, Romeo, Sniper, Specs, Jojo, Kid Blink, and Ike would all be working on food. Like Henry said, it would take all day if he did it himself so Elmer needed as many people as possible to get it all done.

However, not everyone could be trusted cooking.

Albert, Finch, Jack, Mike, Mush, and Race were in charge of getting the house ready.

That included cleaning, setting the table, getting conversation spaces ready, helping Henry if he needed anything and every other little thing Elmer needed.

Specifically, Finch was put on lookout, making sure Tommy Boy wasn’t on his way home. And if he was, the rest of the house would be warned and a distraction would be made.

While the rest of the family worked, Tommy Boy was enjoying his time. He never was one to like a lot of energy and chaos.

While at the mosque he prayed for his family. He prayed they were safe and happy even if he couldn’t be there with him. He prayed for the other first-generations to not have to go through what he did. He prayed that Race would be smart enough to not get in big enough trouble that would get him sent back to Italy. He prayed that one day he would be reunited with his family for good. He prayed he would at least be able to afford to visit until that day came. He prayed for a lot of things. That’s all he could think to do. So he did.

After he left the mosque, he took a walk. He walked around the city watching people live their lives. People not even knowing it was a holiday. People just enjoying their time together. It was nice to see.

Back at the lodging house, they ran into a bit of a problem. No one knew how to make baklava.

“Do we really need it?” Henry asked, already in the midst of making a million other things.

“Yes! It’s a staple of literally any holiday ever!” Elmer said back.

“Well you better bring someone who knows how to make it cause it ain’t me.”

Elmer thought for a minute then picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.

“Hello?”

“Davey! It’s Elmer, we have an emergency.”

“What kind? The kind where I have to sew someone’s arm back on or the kind where you guys are out of m&m’s?”

“The kind where we don’t know how to make baklava and we were hoping you did.”

“I don’t, but my mother does. Why?”

“We need some, like today.”

“Today?! Elmer baklava takes at least two days to make!”

“Fuck. Uh. Do you know where we can get some?”

“Well, lucky for you it’s the beginning of the month.”

“Meaning...?”

“Meaning my mom makes baklava the first weekend of every month!”

“Can you bring it? Please? Like asap!”

“Yeah, I’ll be over soon.”

Since that was taken care of, Elmer got back to getting all the last details finished.

Meanwhile, Tommy Boy decided to participate in one of his favorite parts of Eid, giving to the poor.

He knows what it’s like to not have anything, so giving back to those with even less warms his heart. He remembers being on the other end and watching some of his newsie brothers there too. It’s been tough, but giving back is his way of seeing that he made it through.

He gave what he could in any form. Buying meals, volunteering, or just giving straight up money.

After another hour or so of him being out, Tommy Boy decided it was time to head home. He promised his mother he’d call again and he didn’t want it to get too late.

Davey made it to the lodging house just minutes before Tommy Boy did, finishing the table setting.

The boys somehow got everything done in time.

The table was set with all the food they could make. Foods like Tajine, Tufahije, Bolani, Pite, Spice Cookies, and—of course—Baklava. Along with other little things like dates and tiny snacks.

Finch yelled out that Tommy Boy was walking up. They all scrambled around and stood in front of the table, hiding what was behind it.

Tommy Boy walked in the same way he always does, but this time, noticed the odd behavior of the boys.

“Hey guys?” Tommy Boy confusingly asked.

“Hey, T! How was going to the mosque?” Elmer asked, genuinely curious.

“It was good! Uh...what is everyone doing?”

“Well...this is your first Eid without your usual traditions and celebrations. So...”

The boys slowly moved away from the table, revealing the food.

“...we wanted to make a new one!”

Tommy Boy’s jaw dropped.

“You—how did you? You—you did this? All of this? F-for me?”

“Of course! T, we are family, and after seeing you this morning I couldn’t have you just being alone. I can’t change what happened, but I can do everything in my power to make what you have here, the best.”

He felt the tears fill up his eyes again but quickly wiped them away.

Tommy Boy isn’t much of a talker, but that reaction said more than words ever could.

They all sat down in their respective seats and began eating the food. They all talked and gossiped and enjoyed each other’s company.

After they ate more food than probably healthy, they moved over to the couches while Henry brought out tea and cups.

Tommy Boy used this time to leave the room and call his mother back, as he promised he would.

He waited a bit longer than he should have, so his mother didn’t pick up. However, he did leave her a message.

“Здраво, мама. Се извинувам што не се јавив порано, толк�� многу се случи денес. Моите пријатели го донесоа Еид и ја направија речиси иста како она што го користиме за да го направиме, иако со својот мал пресврт сепак. Тие ја направија мојата омилена храна и навистина ме натераа да се чувствувам добредојдена. Не знам што направив за да ги заслужам сите, навистина. Тоа беше целата идеја на Елмер, ми рече дека тоа е групен напор, но знам дека го планирал. Неговото семејство беше однесено пред една година, па ми помагаше. Многу ми недостасуваш. Се надевам дека си имал добар Еид. Еден ден повторно ќе го прославим�� заедно. Се надевам наскоро. Океј, те сакам, мама. Кажете им на сите што ги сакам. Повикај ме кога ќе можеш. Eid Mubarak.”

(Hello, mama. I apologize for not calling earlier, so much happened today. My friends brought Eid to me and made it almost the exact same as what we use to do, with their own little twist though. They made my favorite foods and really made me feel welcome. I don’t know what I did to deserve them all, really. It was all Elmer’s idea, he told me it was a group effort, but I know he planned it. His family was taken a year ago, so he’s been helping me out. I miss you all a lot. I hope you had a good Eid. One day we’ll celebrate it together again. Hopefully soon. Okay, I love you, mama. Tell everyone I love them. Call me when you can. Eid Mubarak.)

[irlweissschnee]

Sleepy Talk

A/N - Waddup your favorite just wrote some more Spot x Reader that sounds alot like the last one she wrote but that is okay. I did so much typing in one sitting so in about 6 or so hours I had 1,500 and I just recently typed over 1,000 more and BLAM! Here you go! Enjoy!

Word Count - 2.6k words

T/W - none

“Seriously, I don’t see why it’s such a big deal.” You rolled your eyes at Jack, who was making a big deal out of nothing

“I don’t want ya goin’ to Brooklyn again! Spot Conlon is not a safe person to be around.”

“I thought you two were friends?” You questioned

“We are, but I think even he knows he ain’t stable enough to watch after ya. Plus, the newsies they’a might not know who you are. Please, if you go, at least be careful.” He was not happy with his little sister, his only family, going to another part of New York where he couldn’t have complete watch over you. You smiled at his care, but didn’t push him any further. He was letting you go, but only if you were ‘careful’. You jumped up before making him stumble when you gave him a hug. You then proceed to run out the door, to say you were excited was an understatement. You were ecstatic. You were going to see some of your absolute best friends, and one that you hoped would be a bit more.

“Love you Jack! Thank you!” was all Jack heard before you ran out the door of the lodge.

You were standing in the line for the bakery down the street from your next destination. You bought a dozen rolls before give up your coins. You grabbed the basket and headed down towards the bridge that would lead you to where you needed to be. You jumped up onto the metal platform, before jumpily skipping to the other. You may have gotten a few weird looks, but you didn’t mind. You just wanted to go to your second home. You got to the other side rather quickly. That was when you stopped acting so bouncy, you didn’t want to get glares from the people who lived in Brooklyn. You knew that the newises wouldn’t mind, but you wanted to keep some presentability. You only had to walk a few more blocks until you made it to the lodging house. When you made it to the steps, the newsies on the outskirts of the buildings tipped their hats to you, knowing you were welcome because of how often you come. Some did give you looks though, which preceded to make the nearby newsies to whisper in their ears. They then tipped their cap to you. You smiled at them before offering them half a roll each, wanting to have enough for everyone. They all came up to where you decided to sit on the porch. They thanked you genuinely. That was when you heard a familer voice.

“Well Y/N, what’a doin’ he’a?” The accent was thick. You saw in front of you one of your favorite newsies.

“Well hey there Danny! How have ya been?” He smiled at your non-existent accent.

“Just about to head inside to see Spot, wanna come with?” He wiggled his eyebrows, you rolled your eyes, then nodding. You stood up and turned around to head up the rest of the stairs to head into the building. Danny opened the door for you, bowing to you like royalty. When you walked past him into the room, you stole his hat from his head and walked in. He gave you a chuckle before grabbing it from your hand. When he grabbed his hat, he also grabbed your hand. He gave you a spin, making you giggle. He headed over to the couch in the main room. You followed him and then plopped down next to him. He then tossed his arm around your shoulder before shaking you, laughing at the way you became shocked. You two sat like that, talking about things in each other's respective borough. That was when you heard the sound of steps coming from the room above you two headed toward the stairs.

“Oh gosh, guess who you are gonna hav’ta deal with now.” Danny looked at you, smiling. He could always sense that you had a liking to Spot, but he never really brought it up.

“Awh, talkin’ bad ‘bout me? Why would ya’ do that?” You looked up and saw your best friend, Spot Conlon. You stood up from where you were sitting with Danny. You began to smirk, knowing you and Spot would begin to go back and forth for a minute. He came through the doorway and saw you instantly, spawning a smirk of his own on his face.

“Well Y/N, nice to see ya again!” He walked forwards and gave you what you thought would be a normal hug, but instead he picked you up at spun you around. You were shocked and you swore you saw Danny give you a knowing look, one to say ‘he likes you too’ but you knew he wouldn't mean that. You never told anyone about you liking Spot more than a friendly way, but maybe it was obvious that you did. When he let you down, you shuffled a little bit, trying to regain your balance. Spot then walked over to the couch and sat down. He patted the area next to him, offering you a place to sit. You proceeded to sit next to him. He did the same thing that Danny did when you sat down, he put his arm around your shoulders. He squeezed your arms before talking to Danny next to you. You swore you saw him glance at your, you could feel your face getting only slightly warmer. You didn’t let that bother you though. Before you knew what was happening, Spot began to talk to you.

“So, has ya brother been botherin’ you about comin’ here?” He looked at you, waiting for an answer. You continued to look straight ahead when you were talking.

“Yeah, talking about how he ‘can’t watch over me’ when I am over here in Brooklyn’. I swear he is like a hawk. But I love ‘im, I kinda have to.” You chuckled, looking over in the direction of Spot. He gave a small grin before laughing. He brought a smile to your face. You were about to let him speak before you remembered the gifts you had.

“Oh! Did you want a roll? I bought them from this bakery back in Manhattan. I already gave some halves to the newsies outside but I think there are some left.” You stood up and reached into the basket you placed near the door. You grabbed two roll halves, knowing you already gave Danny one. You turned back to the boys on the couch. You tossed one roll at Spot. He caught it, of course. He thanked you before munching on it. You sat back down and began nibbling on the bread. You heard boys rushing in followed by a sudden crack of thunder. You never saw any clouds on your way over here, but there it was, pouring down rain. You saw boys coming it, trying to get out of the rain. It was later in the day, so most of the boys had already sold all their papers. Most of the boys came into the room you, Spot and Danny were in. They all gathered around the couch, talking to each other about how sudden the downpour was. You and all the boys sat there for an hour or two. It got dark out quickly, meaning it was getting later. It was still raining out, meaning you would be soaking if you tried walking home then, you would be soaking wet by the time you got to the Brooklyn bridge. You grew tired, though. You thought of just napping on the couch like you did occasionally, but you noticed that Spot had seen you yawn the past three times. He leaned in and whispered in your ear.

“Hey, Y/N, hun, you gettin’ sleepy?” You nodded. You couldn’t lie. You were exhausted. Spot stood up and excused you both. You could barely get up yourself. You nearly fell over from fatigue before Spot caught you. He picked you up, getting some looks from the other boys on the floor, but the look on your face gave them the reason you were practically tumbling in Spot’s arms. He placed you down when you got to the first step. He didn’t want to fall, no matter how much he was ‘muscular and macho’, he didn’t trust himself with carrying you up some stairs. He held your arm as you two slowly yet surely made it up the stairs. You thought you would be resting in an extra bunk, but you were actually led to Spot’s room. You started to feel uneasy, but then you remembered that Spot was never going to force you to do anything. He could sense you getting kind of tense as you passed the bunk rooms.

“I’m gonna have ya sleep in my room because you need as much rest as youse can get, and them boys ain’t the quietest.” You were reassured. You continued to try and keep your stance and make it to Spot’s room.

Woah.

When you said Spot’s room in your head, you became nervous. You spoke up.

“Where are you gonna sleep?” Your voice was quiet, but he heard you.

“My bed is pretty big, we can both fit. Unless youse uncomfortable with it.” He began to stutter his words.

“No no, it’s fine. I shouldn’t keep you from sleep,” You yawned, “it’s your room anyways.” You got flustered at the fact you were about to sleep in the same fucking bed as the guy you slightly-but-you-don’t-really-know-kinda liked. It wouldn’t mean anything, you two were just gonna sleep and wake up and then you guys would hang out, of course. You made it to his room. The room looked the same as the bunk rooms, but smaller and had only one bed, Spot’s. Spot led you to his bed and put you under the covers. He left the room for a minute before coming back and getting underneath the sheets as well. He turned off the light near the bed and hugged you tight. Your smile was the last thing you remember before falling asleep.

Back in Manhattan, Jack was going mad. You weren’t home, the rain was hitting hard, and you were in Brooklyn, the place where he wanted you least. Once the rain died down, Jack was off. He was going to head straight to the lodge in the heart of Brooklyn. He knew that if he couldn’t find you, he was damn sure going to get Spot on it. He ran as fast as he could, across the bridge in record time. He saw the building in the distance and he began running even faster, if that was even possible. He ran up the stairs two at a time. The lights in the main room were still on so he knew someone would be there to help him. He knocked on the door, irritated yet worried. The door opened and he saw a newsies around his height, maybe a few inches shorter.

“Have you seen a girl, about yea’ height,” He raised his hand to show him around how tall you were, “she has H/C hair about this short.” He again used his hand to signify how long your hair was. The information provided seemed to have rung a bell to someone inside.

“Are you talkin’ ‘bout Y/N?” Jack looked back to see someone he didn’t know, but he must’ve known you. It was Danny, but Jack didn’t know.

“She went upstairs with Spot an hour or so ago, went to bed I think.” Danny looked towards the stair casually, but Jack was practically fuming. Jack dashed towards the stairs, upset that you were with Spot of all people, and the fact that you guys were alone made him even angrier. He could hear from downstairs the familiar voice downstairs yell slightly.

“Last room on the left!” Jack looked down the hall and headed for it. He opened the door to see the faint light of the moon shining on the bed. He saw you and Spot laying rather close. He was glad you were okay, but was absolutely angry and the lack of space in between you two. Spot must have been a light sleeper because he woke up immediately. Spot jumped out of the bed, wanting to explain why he and Jack’s sister were laying so close in his bed. Jack pulled Spot into the corner of room. As much as Jack wanted to soak the absolute hell out of Spot, Jack couldn’t let you be in on it, so he just sent Spot out to the hallway. Spot was rather annoyed that he was being bossed around, on his turf of all places. Spot did what Jack said, as much as he wanted to go against it, he wanted you to sleep as well as you could. Spot walked out of the room, quietly closing the door. Jack didn’t want you to wake up because he could practically sense what you would do. You would become angry at the fact that Jack didn’t trust you or you would be sad that he came all the way to Brooklyn because you had done something that had deemed you untrustworthy. He wanted neither. He just wanted to protect his baby sister at all costs, and seeing you and Spot so buddy-buddy didn’t help yours or his case. Jack began pacing around the room, thinking of what to say when all of a sudden, he heard it.

“I,” there was a pause, “love you too.” Jack knew of your sleep-talking habits, but usually it was random words, one at a time. This was practically a full sentence. You began sleep-talking more, but it seemed less like you were sleeping, and more like you were trying to talk to someone, yet you were unconscious and unable to backup what you were saying. More sentances seemed to come out of your mouth.

“Spot, I,” pause, “really like you.” Jack became more attentive to what you were mumbling.

“I understand,” pause, “if you don’t feel the same.” You fixed the covers before speaking again.

“Had crush,” more silence, “long time.” He put the pieces together. You liked Spot, but he didn’t know yet. Maybe it was fate that he didn’t hear it, but Jack couldn’t just walk out casually, he needed to let Spot know. Jack tiptoed over to the door before walking out into the hall to talk to Spot about what he just heard. He didn’t want to hide anything, but he didn’t want to have to explain anything but the basics. He looked Spot right in the eyes and told him.

“She likes you Spot, she said she loves ya.” Jack then walked back downstairs without even explaining what he had just said. You...liked him? Spot was both confused and excited. You liked him! Spot had this new feeling, he was feeling weird. He didn’t know that people could like him more than a friend. He always felt like he was just a leader figure. He walked back into the room where the bed was, he laid back down in the same place he was laying before. He tried to act natural, but when he heard about what you said in your sleep, he didn’t know what to think or believe.

Spot fell asleep an hour later, still thinking about what you had been talking about. You woke up after Spot was rustling in the comforter. You were just as confused as him, but for different reasons. You were in the guy who you kinda likes’ bed. You tried to roll back over, but as soon as you were about shut your eyes, he started to sleep talk, but in whole sentences.

“Love you too,” There was silence.

“Y/N.”