#is that jack and spot knew each other in the refuge and spot is several years younger than jack

[loving-jack-kelly]

i think spot admires jack very deeply and looks up to him a lot but would rather be stabbed to death than ever say that out loud. btw. i think jack respects spot and everything that he's done more than almost anybody else in the world but would rather be set on fire than admit it. also.

[generalllimaginesss]

"Hey! Nuh uh, none of that!" reader and luke have been best friends since they were kids and recently got together and reader was visiting luke and jack in jersey and jack catches them making out and it’s disgusted seeing his little brtother and the girl he’s watch grow up and is basically his little sister make out

I actually loved writing this! Lukey Pookieeee!!! My first Luke imagine :)) Enjoy!!!

••

The Hughes family had been your second family ever since you were a thought. Jim and your dad were close in college, inseparable when they graduated. Wherever one went, the other followed close behind. Ellen was a second mom to you, and the boys were your brothers that you didn’t have with being an only child.

While it wasn’t necessarily an “arrangement,” both families knew you were destined to fall in love with one of the brothers. You spent any free time with them and had close relationships with each one. Quinn was your go to for advice, Jack was who you went to for a good time, and Luke was your home in human form. He was somebody that made you feel safe to be you. You didn’t have to play charades and act like somebody you’re not. He could see right through that.

You knew you were always the closest to him, but romantic feelings didn’t really develop until he moved to New Jersey with Jack. Contrary to what he tells everybody, he was the one that admitted his feelings first, although he tells everybody that “She just came onto me and I had to do something,” jokingly of course.

You had been helping him pack his childhood room and came across some pictures from summers through the years at the lake house. Some insane courage supported with the feeling of nostalgia brought out some honest conversations. One thing led to another and both of you admitted that you had feelings for one another.

All of that leads to this moment here and now. You had flown to New Jersey to watch the Devils play the Sabres. There was a couple of guys that you wanted to catch up with on the Sabres, but your focus was on Luke currently.

More specifically: Luke hovering above you as you lay on the couch he and his brother shared in their apartment.

“Luke, they’re going to be back soon,” You let out a quiet moan as he was trailing kisses up and down your neck, sucking on the spots that he knew were a weakness for you.

“I’ve caught Jack on several occasions doing worse,” He continued to tug at your hair gently, gaining access to your mouth with his tongue as you let out a louder moan.

“It’s not a big deal, trust me,” He broke apart and gave you a reassuring look accompanied with a peck on your lips.

“I just feel like it’s different…” You trailed off, but a part of you enjoyed the risk of being caught. Everybody knew about the two of you, that wasn’t the problem. Nobody knew the intimate side of you and Luke, and, in a way, that made it that much more special. It was a piece of the universe that only belonged to the two of you.

“I’m not going to do this if your not comfortable-”

You interrupted him with a deep kiss, wrapping his messy curls around your fingertips. His smile became evident, lips moving upwards as the continued to move in synch with yours. Shivers ran up your leg as his fingertips traced up and down the portion of your abdomen that was exposed from your shirt riding up. Ever so gently he pushed the remainder portion of your shirt up, exposing the sports bra that you wore.

Just when things were about to get even more heated, the door to the apartment flew open revealing a wide-eyed Nico, stopping Jack in the middle of his sentence.

"Hey! Nuh uh, none of that," Jack pushed Nico to side, forcing his way through the door, allowing his friend to follow after him.

"Nico, get comfortable because apparently Lukey Pookie here needs a refresher course on the birds and the bees," Jack threw his keys, making his way to the couch where Luke was pinching the bridge of his nose. Nico chuckled, but found refuge in a recliner in the corner of the room.

"I don't think that's-" Luke began, but was immediately interrupted by Jack forcing himself between his brother and the girl he looked at as a little sister.

Jack turned his head, staring at each person on his side with a suggestive raise of his eyebrows.

"I've seen you both in diapers. I've seen you both go through puberty with braces and unhinged emotions, I've seen you both ugly cry over some dumb shit, but I can confidently say that is the most disgusting thing that I have ever seen the two of you do," Jack recalled some crazy moments over the years where things were kind of questionable with you and Luke.

"You're so dramatic," You rolled your eyes and scooted away from him.

"Yeah, well, I don't want to be an uncle yet. At least not the product of you two. Quinn? Maybe. He could afford to let loose a little," Jack suggested, causing Luke snort.

"It wasn't going to go that far....at least not on the couch," You smirked, glancing mischievously at the boy sat beside you.

"Just...use protection and keep it quiet. If you don't have a condom, there's some in my nightstand. I can give you money to go buy some! Grab some cash out of my wallet! I just don't want to see or hear anything from y'all, ok?" Jack was grossed out by the thought of what goes on behind Luke's closed door while you're visiting.

"Hmm, I'll think about it," Luke chirped as he stood up, grabbing your hand to get you to follow him to his room.

As soon as the two of you disappeared, Jack looked at Nico pleadingly.

"You don't think they're..." He trailed off, but Nico knew what he was talking about.

"Surely not," Nico comforted, but a loud, obnoxious, and obviously dramatic moan echoed throughout the apartment.

The guys in the living room couldn't see it, but you and Luke were laughing your asses off. That's one thing the two of you did best, pushed Jack's buttons.

"My apartment will not be a daycare for their lovechild," Jack announced as he got up to grab something to drink from the kitchen.

Nico laughed, enjoying the scene that had played out in front of him.

Who knew Jack and Luke Hughes could provide more entertainment than the NHL?

*

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*

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[sugarbutterbroadway]

Davey Mine

A/n This is the sequel to Paint The Sky and I hope you guys enjoy it! if you do, a reblog or a comment can go a long way :)

October 12th. October 12th, 2025. October 12th 2025 at 4pm. October 12th, 4pm at Oheka Castle on Long island. Jack could hardly breathe. He was getting married today. He was getting married today at 4pm. He was getting married today at a castle! A real life castle,where he was getting married. To Davey. His Davey. His Davey, who smiled too wide and kissed too rough and was currently kicking ass as a High School History teacher. His Davey who reserved those gentle eyes for him,Les and their puppy Luna. His Davey who still functioned entirely on coffee and got excited when they passed the home goods section in TJ Maxx.  His Davey who had gotten down on one knee two years prior, and asked him to marry him. 

His Davey who he said no to at first because he thought it was a joke, he still cringed at the memory. His Davey who he wasn’t allowed to see until the ceremony and it was driving him crazy. He had tried to run out of his room multiple times but was tackled to the ground each time by Spot,Race and even Katherine.

Then he was put on house arrest. He wasn’t allowed to leave this room until it was time to walk down the aisle.

And he was bored! He was bored and lonely because everyone was too busy to entertain him. Medda was checking the guest books,Race was probably off doing god knows what with Spot,Charlie was working on the floral arrangements,Katherine was making sure the catering was taken care of and Sarah was with Davey. Elmer,Finch,Albert and Romeo were driving up from the city while JoJo and Specs were flying from California. Buttons,Henry and Mush had flown in from Europe the night prior. Skittery only lived a town or two over so he’d be arriving with the other guests. So he wondered how he had a small army on the way and he still felt so lonely. Realistically he knew why, he only wanted to see his fiance and all that mushy shit, but it was getting ridiculous. He had a few hours to waste before he could see Davey, see him and kiss him and get to be Mr. Jack Kelly-Jacobs. He smiled, he couldn’t wait to call himself that. He could at least try to appreciate the place he was staying in, it was gorgeous. 

Davey had really gone the extra mile--even though Jack had assured him he would be fine getting married in a horse stable as long as it meant marrying him--but Davey had just kissed his cheek and promised that it would be a dream come true. And it was, the bed in his room was absolutely gigantic, and he--though he was told several times not to--still had the urge to do somersaults on it.

 The windows were huge and the curtains felt more expensive than anything he could afford, it still made his stomach turn to think about how much money went into this. It was expensive, but weddings only happened once so it was fine, it would be fine, he just needed to stop thinking about it. His favorite part had to be the crowns, Davey had got them matching crowns in gold and silver, and they were to die for. Jack never really had expensive taste, that was all Race, but if Davey kept spoiling him like this he just might turn. His suit hung near the window, a crimson red color embroidered with gold. This thankfully didn’t cost him a dime, Medda was more than happy to make it for him. He offered to pay multiple times but she said seeing him happy was more than enough. It was a beautiful suit, it looked professional. Sure back in her college days she worked on costumes in the theatre but this, she had truly outdone herself. It fit him like a glove and made him feel like a million bucks.

 And the locket, how could he forget about the locket? It was a gold painted locket made by Sarah and he’d been wearing it for weeks. On both sides were pictures of them. One in first grade and the other at their engagement party. He fell in love with the locket immediately and made a secret promise to never keep it out of his sight. It made him a little teary eyed to think of how excited six year old Jack would have been to see all of this. How timid he would’ve been to touch anything lest he break it and get his hide torn up by one of the orphanage workers. Jack grimaced and out of spite ran his hands along everything in the room, he was done being afraid. After he had touched every little trinket in the room he flopped back on the bed with a groan. Someone needed to come entertain him soon before his mind started wandering and he had a breakdown.

-

He was left to his own devices for a little more than an hour before someone came--well multiple someone’s came, and they came in a pack. There was a knock and Jack had barely said ‘come in’ before the boys barged in.

“Hey!-”

“Congratulations, Jack!”the chorus rang, and soon enough he was being pulled on by a different set of arms trying to hug him. He didn’t want to be dramatic, but he was an affectionate man and it felt amazing to hug some of the friends he hadn’t seen in years. They all looked damn good too, wearing the matching robes that Katherine had insisted on. JoJo with always the widest grin pulled Jack into another hug.

“I always knew it would be Davey,”JoJo whispered, before pulling away. Next he was passed onto Buttons, and boy did Jack have a lot to say.

“Benjamin Buttons”He teased and was met with a shove to his shoulders. He laughed and against Button’s will pulled him in for a bear hug.

“Yeah yeah it’s good to see you too”Buttons said, muffled by Jack’s shirt.

“Oh stop gripin”He scoffed, “I ain’t seen you since we graduated”

“That ain’t my fault”Buttons said, “I see a scholarship, I take it”

Jack rolled his eyes, “Yeah, all the way in Scotland. So tell me, any pretty girls caught your eye?”

“Jack, I'm crushed,”Buttons said, but his eyes twinkled with mischief. “You know the only girl I got eyes for is JoJo”

“Hey, listen here you litt-”

The group quickly dissolved into high school level chaos and Jack felt at home. It reminded him of day’s in the living room at Medda’s taken for granted. Sure he was happy to be out of high school, but he couldn’t help but miss it. It’s like someone yelled ‘scatter!’ the second they graduated and they all split up across the globe. He knew it would happen--he was there for every single acceptance letter, but it hadn’t sunk in until it was only him,Davey,Spot and Race left right where they started.

 JoJo had moved out to California to pursue acting,Specs had moved out there for UCLA. Elmer had gone to culinary school,Finch had moved for college,Albert was his roommate so he went too and Romeo got a job at one of Medda’s theaters. Buttons had moved to Scotland for school, while Henry and Mush had moved to London just for the adventure. And Skittery, he was moving up to Massachusetts for college too the following year. Jack was proud, it made his heart burst to think of how far some of them came--how far he had come himself. But he would always find himself thinking about when times were easier, when they were younger and vibrating with untapped potential. He had a hard time living in the moment, he was just always thinking. But he was trying, and he would try his hardest today because he didn’t want to look back and remember his wedding being a blur.

“Any of you smell smoke?”Race teased, and Jack blinked. Once, then twice, because when did Race get in here? And where has he been all morning?

“huh?”Jack asked.

“You were just thinkin so hard that...ah forget it, you missed the joke”Race waved dismissively. “The boys called me in cause you were lookin pale, you got cold feet? Cause I can sneak you out the wind-”

“No”He said, scrunching up his face. That was the last thing he wanted to do, he just wanted to see Davey.

“Then what is it?”Race asked, “You look really serious, it’s kind of concerning”

“I just...I was just thinking about how much I love all of you--not you,Race--but just all of you guys” He said, gesturing to the guests. He ignored Race’s squawk of indignation and continued. “Some of you I met freshman year,some of you I’ve known since the refuge and some of you I met in Juvie” Mush,Finch and Albert ducked their heads, but they were snickering. “I don’t know how to explain this but...we had adults tellin us we weren’t gonna do shit with our lives, and just look at us. We all got jobs,we’re all payin the bills and most of all we’re happy. I guess that’s just somethin to think about”

“Jack Kelly the sap”Mush said, though he was grinning.

“We love you too, Jack”Specs said, giving Mush the side eye. “Some of us are better at expressing that than others”

“We’re all really happy for you”Finch said, “I mean you and Davey were meant to be”

“Like some queer Disney movie”

“Yeah yeah! Exactly like some queer Disney movie!”

“Except more drama”

“Way more drama-”

“-and less magic-”

“-I mean depends on what we consider magic-”

“Alright”Jack groaned, rubbing his temples. “You guys couldn’t focus on one topic if you had a gun to your head”

“It’s really hard,”Albert said, nodding slowly. “I would know”

Jack blinked.“I...you worry me, Al”He said, “Race, collect your best friend before he gives me a heart attack”

“Why don’t you go ask your other brother?”Race scoffed, “The one who you obviously love”

Jack rolled his eyes. “First of all, you know I love you. Second of all, you’re my best man, so do what I say”

“Alright bridezilla”Race muttered, “C’mon, Albie. Let’s go”

“Goodbye!”Albert said, waving to everyone on the way out. Once he was gone Jack buried his head in his hands.

“God I love that kid, but how does he have a bio-engineering degree?”

“I don’t know”

“Beats me”

“I ask myself that everyday”

-

Jack had made a grave mistake. He started this day off begging for it to move faster but now that the anxiety set in, he just wanted everything to slow down. He spent about a little over an hour just chilling with the boys, before Katherine,Charlie,Medda and Sarah burst into the room saying it was time to get ready. Maybe time did fly when you were having fun because the clock that once read 1:15pm now read 2:45pm. He would be seeing Davey in less than two hours. His eyes widened. He would be seeing Davey in less than two hours. Oh god what if this was a mistake? What if the red suit was too much? He didn’t even know what color Davey was wearing. What if he stood out too much? Would Davey’s family like it? Would Davey like it? He squeezed Katherine’s hand as Medda combed and trimmed his hair. It was comforting to have his mom do this for him, but he was still absolutely shaking.

“Take deep breaths with me”Katherine said. He nodded and he tried but his diaphragm was spasming and he felt like he was going to have an anxiety attack. He’d been waiting two years for this day, what if it wasn’t perfect? What if he let Davey down somehow? Oh god. What if they got to the arbor and Davey realized it was a mistake? What if somebody objected? What if-

“Jack,”Katherine said calmly. “You’re not breathing.”

“I’m sorry”He whimpered. He wanted to cry, just a little bit to get it out of his system. But he had foundation on and he’d be damned if he had to sit there and get it applied again.

“Everything is going to plan”She said, rubbing his hand. “The cake is here,the flowers look great,seating charts are at the venue,everyone in both parties are accounted for and catering is on schedule.”

“How is Davey?”he asked, his voice was wobbly. Oh no, he was going to cry.

“Davey is doing just fine”She said, he let out a sigh of relief. “Sarah runs a tight ship”

“Wouldn’t you know, Mrs.Jacobs-Plumber?”He teased.

“Ah, shut up”She said with a smile. “It’s your turn to become a Jacobs now”

“Isn’t that crazy?”He said, “We both dated, and now we both married into the same family”

“I try not to think about it”She said, “And you shouldn’t either, keep your eyes on your Husband”

His husband. Today he got to officially call Davey his husband. God he missed Davey.

“Katherine”he said, sweetly. A little too sweetly. 

“Yes?”She asked, with narrowed eyes.

“Can I please call Davey-”

“Nope”She said, shaking her head.

“Why!”He whined.

“Because it’s bad luck!”She exclaimed, Medda and Charlie hummed in agreement. Jack scoffed, what would Charlie know? He was only twenty-one, and single.

“It’s bad luck if I see him,”He stressed. “I just wanna talk to him”

“No”

“Please”

“No”

“Please”

“No”

“Ple-”

“No!”She snapped. “There is no talking to Davey until your ass is under that arch.”

“Mommy!”He whined, tilting his head to look up at Medda. She simply shrugged.

“I don’t know what to tell you, baby”Medda said, “You put Katherine in charge, not me”

“Grave mistake, Kelly”Charlie smirked, from the couch he was lounging on.

“You’re a little shit”He said. Medda thumped the back of his head and he winced.

“Don’t talk about my Charlie like that,”Medda warned.

“I’m mama’s favorite”Charlie taunted. She gave him a look and he immediately sunk back into the couch.

“I don’t have a favorite”She said, “I adopted you all for a reason. Jack, you’re done baby. Charlie, you’re up next”

Charlie shifted off the couch and limped over, not before receiving a smack to the back of his head from Jack. he went to strike back but Jack jumped out of the way.

“It’s my wedding day”He said, “you bruise me, it’s game over”

Charlie grumbled to himself and sat down in the styling chair. Jack discreetly tucked his phone into his pocket and announced he was going to the bathroom. Once he was safely inside he locked the door and sat in front of it for good measure before tapping Davey’s contact. With the phone pressed against his ear he waited. It rang for what felt like eternity before it went through.

“Hey, sweetheart”

Jack’s eyes fluttered closed and he let out a happy sigh. “Davey”

There was a laugh from the other end. “That bad, huh?”

“They’ve been treatin me like an animal”He whined. “I’ve been locked in this room since yesterday and i’m not allowed out until the ceremony”

“Aww my poor Jackie”Davey cooed, “I heard you tried to run, rookie mistake”

“Sarah is faster than she looks”He grumbled, “So is Charlie”

“Like that leg would stop him”Davey laughed, “He’s been dead weight since the day I met him”

“God, I remember he used to love when you came over”He grinned, leaning his head against the door. “Always wanted to know when Davey was coming to play”

“That seems just like yesterday”Davey said, “I remember those matching overalls Medda used to make you guys wear-”

“Don’t remind me”He groaned, “We’ll call that a lapse in judgement and a product of the early 2000’s.”

“Call it whatever you want, it was adorable.”Davey teased.

“Yeah yeah we was perfect cherubs”He said, “But listen, I don’t have much time. They think i’m just using the bathroom. I was feelin a little anxious and I just wanted to hear your voice, ya know? You ground me”

“And you ground me”Davey said, Jack could just tell he was grinning. “I gotta get back soon anyways, I'm in the garden. But I love you, Jackie and I can’t wait to marry you”

His breath hitched. “S-say it again, Davey”

“I love you”Davey said in a sing-song way, “I love you I love you I love you”

“I love you too, Davey mine”he whispered, a tear slid down his face. “And I-I can’t wait to be your husband”

“Don’t cry, Jackie”Davey said, “You’ll make me cry and then we’ll both be inconsolable messes”

He laughed just a little watery and nodded, “Yeah, we should cut this short before I burst into flames. I love you”

“I love you, see you soon”

With that the line went dead and Jack took a deep breath. How Davey managed to make him a blubbering mess anytime they talked was still unknown to this day. Being in Davey’s presence just made you want to bare your soul for him because he would see right through you anyways. His eyes were intense and his voice was more calming than any lullaby Jack had ever heard and the words he spoke felt like worship. Jack sighed and dapped at his face with a tissue. He was already a wreck and he hadn’t even stepped foot down the aisle.

-

In the far wing of the castle things were running smoothly, Davey and Sarah made certain of it. Call it twin telepathy or just amazing organization skills, but not a thing was out of place. They were running right on schedule. Sarah desperately wanted Davey to sit down and at least take a bit of a break but he was always a control freak, and it seemed that was never going to change. He wanted to know everything that was happening. Who was doing what,who was being seated at each table,what the playlist looked like,what alcohol would be served, it was the only thing keeping him from having a nervous breakdown.

 And Sarah caved, promising to give him hourly updates on how things were going. Those things included Jack. He was more than annoyed that they left Jack all alone for so long, it didn’t sit well with him. He would have marched right over there himself if Sarah hadn’t been watching him like a hawk. She’d cave for everything else, but no seeing Jack before the wedding. Davey did the same thing for her wedding, so it felt like it was coming more from a place of revenge than a place of love.

Besides the minor slip, he was excited. He’d been waiting to say ‘I do’ from the minute Jack said yes. He loved Jack, he loved him more than he could ever imagine. That was his best friend,his soulmate, and he had been there for everything. He was there when Davey learned how to ride a bike, he was there for Davey’s piano recitals,his soccer matches,his debate meets, everything. He was the first one Davey had come out, not even Sarah had known at that point. He was there and he held Davey while he cried and they brainstormed a way to tell his family. He couldn’t remember a time in his life before that beautiful whirlwind known as Jack Kelly, he didn’t want to know a time after it. 

He was good with his words so sometimes they come cheap but when he looked into Jack’s eyes and promised forever, he meant it. And he’ll mean it today and tomorrow and everyday to come, because he loved Jack. He could tell him all day long--he wanted to tell him all day long. He wanted to run right out of this room and tackle him to the floor in a flurry of kisses. He wanted to be at home,on their couch with Luna on his lap listening to Jack read to him. But he promised Jack fairytale and Jack was going to get fairytale if it killed him.

“You’re thinking hard, Davey”Sarah said softly, “What’s going on up there?”

“I…”He started, then chuckled despite himself. “I’m just thinking about how much I love him. When I think about him, it all sounds so good in my head and on paper, but then I look at him and I melt”

“That’s love if I've ever seen it”She said, fiddling with her hair in the mirror. “The kind that Mom and Dad have”

“That’s sweet, Saz”He smiled, “I don't know he...he just makes me speechless”

“Save it for your vows”She said playfully, “I’m not the one you have to pour your heart out to, he is”

“I get it, I talk a lot”He said rolling his eyes, “Sue me”

“Hey”She said, pointing a finger at him in the mirror. “Don’t push it, my wife’s a lawyer”

“I know I know”he said, “You only take every possible opportunity to remind me of it”

“It’s what I'm best at,”She said with a wink, “You need to start getting ready, like now. It’s already 3:30pm and guests are arriving at 4pm”

“Oh shit”He cursed, jumping up from his seat. “Out out out!”

“Alright!”She exclaimed, grabbing her brush off the vanity. “Come get me when you’re dressed, you’re not going out with your hair looking like that-”

“Yes, I know”He stressed, pushing her out the door. “But I gotta get dressed, immediately. Love you, bye!”

Davey shut the door behind him and ran a hand over his face. It would be fine, he had thirty minutes and getting dressed would take him no longer than ten. He reached for his suit folded over the vanity chair and sighed. He could do this, he’d be seeing Jack in an hour, then they’d get to go home and sleep in peace. He couldn’t wait to lock himself in the suite, and consummate the marriage til the cows came home.

He smirked a bit, if it meant that then he could definitely do this.

-

Jack leaned in to look at himself in the bathroom mirror. He wanted to get dressed in private, and Katherine granted him that luxury. He felt, he felt handsome. No, not just handsome. He felt beautiful, he’s not sure what he was worried about. The suit looked just as good as the day he tried it on and the gold shimmered in the bathroom lights, he paused, this was a really nice bathroom. He turned around inspecting the trousers and smirked, his ass looked fantastic if he did say so himself. He wiggled his hips a bit and shot himself a cheesy grin, he was starting to feel more like himself. He felt confident. He grabbed the crown that was sitting on the counter and gently placed it on his head. It had felt silly the first few times he tried it on, but now, it just felt right. He gently tucked his gold locket inside of his shirt, that was only for him to see and he wanted it as close to his heart as possible. He took one last look at himself before exiting the bathroom.

“The future prince has arrived”He announced as he stepped out onto the marble floor. All eyes were on him.. He walked out a bit further waiting for a reaction, but none came. His heart stuttered a bit, he knew it. He knew that they would hate it.

“Do...do you guys like it?”He asked quietly. In place of an answer Medda came forward and wrapped her arms around him. He was pulled flush against her chest and she just hugged him tight.

“You look stunning, Jack”She whispered, “Absolutely stunning”

“Thank you, mama”He said, with a shaky exhale. He felt a bit better, Medda didn’t lie. His knees weakened a bit and she held him tighter. The comments soon flooded after Medda’s approval.

“You look amazing, Jack!”Katherine squealed, “you look expensive!”

“I feel expensive,”He chuckled. He walked over to Charlie who had a dopey grin on his face,

“You clean up well, kid”He said, tousling the dirty blonde hair.  Charlie groaned and pulled Jack down for a hug.

“You look good, Jack”Charlie grinned, patting his back.

“So do you”He said, “Try and let me have the spotlight for once”

“In your dreams, Kelly”Charlie said, thumping his temple. He laughed and pulled Katherine into a quick hug, kissing her cheek.

“If you told me this was the same Jack Kelly who took me on a date to Wendy’s in eighth grade I wouldn’t believe you!”She teased, squeezing him extra tight. “Just look at you! God, Medda did amazing work because this fits you perfectly”

“Thank you, Kathy,”He said, swaying them side to side. The last one for a hug was Race. He looked at Jack expectantly with open arms and tears brimming at the corner of his eyes. Once Jack was within arms length he pulled him in and the tears began to fall.

“Fuck”Race choked out, “I promised myself I wouldn’t cry but, this...this is real Jack. This is happening, you’re getting married”

“Aww, Racer”He soothed, rubbing his back. “I’m getting married but I ain’t goin nowhere, promise”

“Y-you promise you’re always going to be my big brother?”Race croaked.

“I promise”He said, “We’ve been brothers since the beginning, I ain’t goin nowhere”

“Good”Race sniffled, attempting to compose himself. “Oh fucking hell-”

“Language,”Medda said, pointing a finger. “You may be grown but i’m still your mother”

He had the nerve to look a bit bashful. “Sorry, ma. It’s just...it’s hard to think of you as someone other than my big brother, ya know? It’s weird that you have a life”

“Thanks”He said flatly.

“That’s not what I meant!”Race whined. “Just...you look spectacular,Davey’s gonna love it and i’m so happy for you”

“It means a lot, Racer”He said, “Honest.”

“Just you wait”Race said, wiping his eyes. “I got a whole best man speech prepared for the reception, it’s gonna be great”

“I have no doubts”He said, “But, we all gotta get a move on it. Guests are starting to arrive and Charlie and Ma are the only one’s dressed.”

Katherine sighed and grabbed her purse off his bed. “You better not try to escape, Kelly. We will find you”

“Yeah yeah, get out!”He said, ushering her and Racetrack out the door. The sooner they got dressed,the sooner they could get this party started. He turned to face Medda and let out a giddy laugh.

“We were so focused on me, but look at you!”He said, “You look beautiful Ma”

“Aw you don’t gotta butter me up Jack”She waved off, “I already adopted you.”

“I mean it!”He exclaimed with wide eyes, “Charlie, doesn’t Ma look beautiful?”

“Absolutely gorgeous!”Charlie said from the couch he was lounging on.

“See?”He said, cocking his hip. “Two against one”

She smiled and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Thank you, baby. I need to be on my way now too, your aunts are here”

“Auntie Esther and Estelle?”Charlie said. Medda nodded.

“I’m coming with you! They always have candy”

“Well come on!”She said, “you know they don’t like being kept waiting”

He pushed himself off the couch and Medda grabbed his crutch off the table handing it to him. He wasn’t too pleased about it, but he would be on his feet for the majority of the day.

“I just want them to hack this fucker off”Charlie grumbled, shoving the crutch under his armpit. Jack frowned a bit, and put an arm on Charlie’s shoulder. Medda took that as a sign to leave with a promise that she would be waiting outside the door.

“It’s only for the ceremony, we just want you to be comfortable”He said softly. “And one of these days it’ll happen, I know it will”

Charlie shot him a crooked smile and shook his head. “Optimism isn’t your venue, Jack. I’ll rant to Elmer later”

“Hey, it’s my job as big brother to at least try and sugarcoat the bullshit”He chuckled, “But seriously Charlie, tell me if you’re uncomfortable. You can sit-”

“No”Charlie said, “No, I wanna stand. It’s the least I can do for you, ya know. Since the minute I step out there everyone’s eyes will all be on me, gotta make it up somehow”

“Yeah, you’re a real peach”He said, rolling his eyes.

“A georgia one!”Charlie called over his shoulder as he left the room. Jack took this time to try and get the butterflies in his stomach under control. He was excited, so excited he might puke. He paused. Or did that mean he was nervous? He had no idea, he just knew that the minute Katherine entered this room, it would be time. That time came sooner than he thought because less than fifteen minutes later Katherine came bursting into the room wearing a champagne colored bridesmaid gown.

“It’s time, Jack!”She squealed. He nodded. It was time. His eyes widened.

Holy shit.

It was time.

“Are you ready to see your groom?”She asked, offering him her arm. With a shaky breath he nodded and looped his in hers.

“I’m ready”

-

The venue was perfect, picture perfect even. It was unseasonably warm for October. The sun was shining through the autumn leaves and the air was still and dry. Not a drop of rain in sight from the clear blue skies above. Jack could hardly believe their luck, it had been storming the week prior and he had been so nervous. He also felt a bit ridiculous, him and Medda were hidden behind a bush because she wanted his big reveal to be a surprise to everyone. He didn’t care about that, he wanted to see what was going on! And most of all he wanted to see Davey, their little phone call was only holding him over for so long. He grumbled quietly with only a stern look as warning to be patient. He was shocked out of his stupor when the music started.

It was almost time.

He peeked over the side as their many groomsman paired off together, sure he remembered from the many dress rehearsals--a theatre mom wants perfection--but seeing his friends dressed so smart made him want to laugh and cry all at once. They had all come here for him today, in the middle of October, just to see him getting married. He pouted a bit and placed a hand over his heart, it was touching. His smile only widened as he saw JoJo and Buttons walking hand in hand instead of arm and arm. Maybe Jack could do a little matchmaking of his own and get them to spill the truth. It took awhile for everyone to get down there, with over ten groomsmen of his own and not even counting some of Davey’s friends, it was a process. His heart stopped when he saw Katherine walking down the aisle with...was that Luna? He turned to Medda with wide eyes about to scream but she just laughed to herself and hushed him.

“Surprise”She whispered. He grinned, of course Davey couldn’t leave their baby out of this.

The wedding march soon drifted into the lantern song instrumental and Jack knew it was time. Without a word he gripped Medda’s arm and stepped out into the open. The applause were deafening but all he could focus on was Davey. There he was dressed in a purely white suit,silver crown on his head and his own silver locket hanging proudly on display. He looked regal, he looked like a prince. But his head was down, without thinking Jack whistled at him and snapped his finger, because hello, he was here now. Davey’s head snapped up and the minute his eyes caught Jacks, the dam exploded. His knees grew weak and he squatted down with tears blurring his eyes.

“O-oh my god”he stuttered, covering his mouth. Jack looked angelic, covered in red and gold from head to toe. This was the man he was about to marry, this was him. Sarah placed a hand under his arm and hoisted him up, letting him lean on her for comfort. How was expected to stand tall when Jack Kelly could bring anyone to their knees? He was blubbering like an absolute idiot but he didn’t care because now Jack was right in front of him. He quickly wiped his eyes and mumbled a quick apology because that was definitely not supposed to happen.

“I-you look-hi”He said. 

“You look pretty hi yourself”Jack smirked. He blushed and shot their officiator--Jack’s friend Blink--a withering look. He seemed to snicker before lifting his hands to silence the guests chatter.

“Friends and Family”He started, then stopped when Jack outright laughed.

“Problem?”He said, raising a brow.

“ ‘m sorry, i’ve just never heard you sound so serious”Jack said, “i’m okay now though, please continue”

Blink rolled his eyes and mumbled something that sounded akin to cursing, He cleared his throat and started again. “Friends and family, we are gathered here today to celebrate the once in a lifetime bond known as Jack and David. And if you couldn’t tell, this will be anything but serious so if that’s what you were expecting, I’m sorry”

A few of the guests laughed and Davey felt much better. Sure he liked serious but he didn’t like stuffy.

“Now, Jack told me that he wanted me to talk as little as possible so I will try to do that”He continued, “But this man right here is like a brother to me, so I make no promises. Marriage is a beautiful thing, but only if both parties are willing. So Davey, please let me know that Jack didn’t bring you here against your will”

Davey let out a startled laugh and shook his head, “I’m the one who proposed, so no”

“I just needed to make sure, we all know he can be a bit pushy”he smirked, “But in all seriousness, marriage is beautiful, a everlasting blond between two people pledging themselves to each other for life.”He paused, “I can admit it is a little culty sounding but beautiful. And as beautiful as it is, it is a commitment. That means sticking by each other's side through the highs and lows and everything that comes in between. Understood?”

“Crystal clear”Davey said.

“Absolutely”Jack said, giving Davey the once over, eyes twinkling.

“This is usually the point where I would ask if anyone has any objections but I think I'll get speared like a shish kebob if I do, so we’ll be skipping that part.”He said, Jack hummed in agreement and reached down to grab Davey’s hand. He was practically vibrating in his skin with mirth, it was a moment Davey wanted to keep forever. “Now I heard from a little birdy, that Davey had a pretty lengthy speech written, so I think it’s best we get straight into the vows”

Right, his vows, that was something that he had to say at some point. He didn’t necessarily have stage fright, but something about all of his loved ones staring,waiting for him to pour out his heart made him feel jittery. He grabbed Jack’s other hand and squeezed it, he didn’t have to look at them. He could just look at Jack and pretend it was only them. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and tried to relax. He could do this.

“I just wanna start this off by saying, I love you. I can never say this enough and I will never get tired of saying it, so. I love you.”He said, running his thumb over Jack’s hand. “You snuck up on me, Jack Kelly. I never saw it coming, but now I can’t imagine my life without you. You always talk about how much i’ve been there for you, but now it’s time for me to talk about how much you’ve been there for me. You may not know this but, you were my rock. You were the one that kept me together, when classes and clubs became too much and I had to work and then go home and take care of Les. I constantly felt like I was falling apart, but just knowing I got to spend time with you made me smile.I was in a dark place for a while, I felt like I was failing everyone around me, like I wasn’t smart enough, like I wasn't good enough. And I hid it, because I was embarrassed that my own brain was even failing me.”

His eyes met his parents in the crowd and he faltered. He’d never told them that and now he couldn’t wait to have their distressed faces playing on a loop in his head for the rest of eternity.

 “I um, I remember even before we were dating I was just so drained that I didn’t come into school, I just laid in bed staring at nothing. You didn’t call or shoot me a text, you showed up outside of my house and scaled the side of it when I didn’t answer the door. You tumbled in through the window,climbed into bed with me and just started listing every reason why you were proud of me, and I sobbed, ugly sobbed. That was the first time I wanted to say I love you”

He shuddered and tried to compose himself, he could do this. He promised himself he wouldn’t completely break down today.

“And I’ve never wanted to stop saying it since, it ran rampant through my mind until that day at the park where I just blurted it out. Lucky for us, Sarah got that moment on camera”

He gave a subtle nod to blink who pointed a remote at the projector in front of them. On a white screen behind them there they were younger but still so in love, August 14th of 2019. He pressed another button and the video started to play. Jack gasped and leaned in closer as the memory came to life.

“I love you”Jack whispered, bringing a hand up to cup Davey’s cheek. “I love you, Davey. I...this is hard for me, really fucking hard. Kids like me don’t get fairytale”

“No, they don’t”Davey chuckled, blinking away a tear. “But they deserve it, and you deserve it”

“You really are my prince”Jack grinned, “My prince Davey”

Davey brought his own hand up and tapped Jack’s ring finger. “And one day i’ll make you a Prince too. I’m in this for as long as you want me”

“What if I want you forever?”

“Then i’ll stay forever”

“Can you please, kiss already!’Katherine exclaimed, breaking through the veil of privacy. “I mean honestly, we’re all waiting for it!”

The video ended abruptly with an unflattering shot of Race and Spot crying in the canopy and Jack was in hysterics. The guests were practically shaking the ground from how loud they were stomping and clapping. But no one was laughing louder than Race himself.

“That’s what I used to look like!”Race cried out.

“You still look like that,”Jack snorted. Davey shook his head and continued.

“I know this is long already but I'm surprisingly not done”He said, ignoring the groan from practically everyone. “I’m hoping I made good on my promise”He grins, “Because you deserve all of this Jack, and you deserve the best version of myself I can be. I promise to stay by your side through calm seas or choppy waters, I promise to be as patient as I can when things get hard, and I promise to love you entirely for as long as I live. I know things are going to get rough and we are definitely going to fight, but looking at the amazing support we have from both sides. I’m not worried. In sickness and in health, til death do us part Jackie”

“Oh fuck you”Jack gasped, then quickly covered his mouth. “That was...I’m expected to compete with that?”

“Yes, now speak”Blink smirked. Jack resisted the urge to give him the finger and instead faced the guests.

“Don’t expect that same thing from me”He said looking towards the guests, “He minored in English.”He got a few laughs out of them and continued. “I guess this is less of a vow and more of a thank you. Thank you Davey, for seeing the best in me, when nobody else would. Now everyone who knows me knows I love my theatrics, blame my mother, she works for a theatre!”he said in a sing-song voice. “So, I have a little story. I was your typical class clown in school, I was always in the office,always gettin in trouble and always fighting. Those staff members didn’t care, they just wrote me off as some delinquent, and gave up on me. No one took the time of day to see what was actually going on, but Davey tried. And I wouldn’t let him in, I was so scared he would look at me differently, so I just kept it all in here”He said pointing to his chest.

“The final straw was when I went to juvie--oh don’t act surprised! Some of you were there with me!”he scolded. Albert and Mush put their heads down once again.  “I was gone for two months, and he had no idea where I was, no one would tell him. The day I got out we got into the biggest fight in our lives. I’m talkin movie type fight, we was both screamin and throwing things. And I was just running my mouth, saying that he would never understand and I remember him just shouting--imagine Davey shouting--he shouted ‘I can’t understand if you don’t tell me you idiot!”

“Oh my god”Davey chuckled, running a hand over his face. Jack giggled and laced their hands together.

“That was like a lightbulb moment for me. We sat on the roof of my house and I told him everything there was to know about me, from beginning to end. And that made our bond even stronger.” He said. “I love him because he looked at me when I was at my worst and meanest and decided I was still worthy of being treated like a person. I love him because even when we fight it’s just because he wants what’s best for me, even when I'm being stubborn. Being loved by Davey has made me swallow a lot of humble pie in my life and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

He turned to face Davey, and wiped a stray tear off his cheek.

“Davey mine”He started, “I promise to take Luna on walks in the morning because you like to sleep in. I promise to be there for you however I can be and I promise to love you unconditionally because you do the same for me. Til death do us part, baby”

“Til death do us part”Davey repeated, starry eyed.

“Hey hey hey!”Blink scolded, waving his hands. “You’re doing my job for me, at least let me try to look professional!”

“Go on then”Jack said, waving him off.

“Do you, David Jacobs, take Jack Kelly to be your lawfully wedded husband?”Blink said.

“I do”Davey said.

“Do you, Jack Kelly, take David Jacobs to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“Hell yes”Jack said, staring at Davey’s lips. He was ready to go in for the kill.

“Then by the power invested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husbands, you may kis--hey!”

Davey had beat him to it. He surged forward with so much force they both went tumbling to the ground. Race squeaked and jumped out of the way ranting about how unbelievable they were, but Jack couldn’t care. Davey’s lips were warm and his body was warm and his hand was cupping his cheek and-

“Alright you two”Blink said, “you are so lucky there aren’t any children here, stand up and have some sort of decency”

“Nah, give me a minute”Jack mumbled, and went right back to kissing Davey. His husband. Oh he could get used to saying that. He only had a few more seconds before Davey was forcefully pulled off of him and pulled over to stand by Sarah. The best part was he was smirking the whole time, he never thought shameless would look so good on Davey, but it was a color he wore well.

“Since these two have no self control”Blink sighed, “I’m going to wrap this up. I now present to you Mr.Jack Kelly-Jacobs and Mr.David Jacobs-Kelly! Now get outta here you two!”

Without a second glance, Jack had surged forward, grabbed Davey and took off running. The hazel eyed man laughed and stumbled behind him but did his best to keep up. They’d be getting an earful from Katherin and Sarah for pulling a stunt like this, but Davey was still learning and spontaneity was his favorite lesson. They kept going until they were well into the gardens and stopped when the roar of the guests could no longer be heard. Jack panted and kneeled bringing Davey down with him. 

“Hey Davey”

“Hey Jackie”Davey giggled.

“We’re fuckin married”

“I know!”Davey exclaimed, he quickly lost his balance and fell on his butt. Before he could get up he had a lap full of Jack Kelly-Jacobs.

“Hey Davey”He pressed his forehead to Davey’s and grinned.

“Yeah?”Davey whispered.

“Can I tell you something?”

“Anything, baby”

“We forgot the rings”

-

The ballroom used for the reception was beautiful. A shiny chandelier hanging from the ceiling,a sea of guest tables and a dance floor perfect for Jack to get drunk and absolutely obliterate. He couldn’t wait. But, it was his wedding and he needed to stay sober for the speeches at least. He was honestly starting to get a little tired, it had been a long day. Leaning his head on Davey’s shoulders he hoped to maybe catch ten minutes while the guests mingled. Davey pouted and brought a hand up to scratch at Jack’s scalp, just the way he liked. He was stupidly in love with this man.

“He’s asleep?”Katherine whispered as she passed by. Davey shook his head and awed internally as Jack groaned and buried his face in his shoulder.

“He just wanted to rest his eyes a bit, I'll keep him awake”He promised. She bit her lip and pointed to the guests who were now finding their seats.

“That would have have to be now”She winced, “We’re about to have the toast and then the speeches”

“I’ll get him up”He said, frowning a bit at Jack’s parted lips. He’d only been out for a few minutes, he must be exhausted. 

“You’re a gem, Davey. I need to make sure nobody is doing anything stupid!”with that she clicked away in her heels,disappearing in the crowd. This was quite the turnout for sure, the room was packed wall to wall. With Davey’s extended family,Jack’s as well along with all of his friends and Spot's gigantic family, they could fill up a stadium. All these people here to see them and Jack was two seconds from slipping into a coma.

“Jack”He whispered, rubbing his cheek. “Jackie, wake up”

“Mmm?”Jack grumbled.

“It’s time for the speeches, ya know? People telling us just how awesome we are”He teased, running that same hand down his neck. Jack squirmed and begrudgingly lifted his head.

“There you are”He said, “And my my my aren’t you beautiful?”

“Go to hell”Jack said, stretching his arms above his hand. 

“I’m already there”He sighed looking around again. Jack’s brows furrowed and he leaned in closer.

“Are you having fun here?”

Davey blinked, that’s not a question he was expecting. But it was sweet. He smiled and pressed a quick kiss to Jack’s lips.

“This is the moment of a lifetime, it’s just a lot to process”He explained. Jack nodded and mumbled a ‘same here’ before leaning back in his chair. Katherine stood at the front of a hall on a stage, with a glass in one hand and a knife in the other. She tapped the side repeatedly until everyone had muted their small talk and looked forward.

“Hello everyone!”she exclaimed, “I hope everyone is having a good time so far! Dinner will be served shortly but first we have some speeches prepared from the families of the grooms. Be prepared to laugh,cry and you’ll want to have your camera out because someone will  definitely do something embarrassing! Firstly we have Racetrack Higgins, brother to Jack and his best man!”

The guests cheered and Race stood up from his seat and walked towards the stage, Spot in tow. He shot Jack a smile and grabbed the microphone that was left for him.

“I want to start this off by thanking everyone who showed up. This packed ass room is just a testimony to how loved these two really are.”He said, Jack grinned and leaned in closer. This had to be good.

“ Now i’ll spare you most of the sob story. The way I met Jack Kelly was a little place called the refuge. I got there when I was two, and I don’t remember this but i’m told that I would scream for hours at night unless I was sharing a bed with him. I don’t know, call it fate but he was the person I decided to cling to.”he said and chuckled, rubbing his eyes.

 “I was so angry all the time that no one else wanted to be bothered with me but he...he dealt with me I guess. Soon enough I would never leave his side, I don’t have a memory there without him with me. Then Charlie came along”He shot a playful glare at Charlie, “and I was no longer the cute and small one, but it was fine because Jack always looked out for both of us. I’ll always say that Jack was my first parent and Medda was my second. It shouldn’t have been that way but..I-I...I’m sorry”he croaked.He turned his back to the guests and buried his face in the crook of Spots neck. 

Jack’s heart dropped.

“Holy shit”Jack said with a shaky sigh, sure he knew he did a lot but he didn’t think it meant this much to him. Davey squeezed his hand and gave a tight smile, tears pooling in his eyes.

“Holy shit is right”

Race took a few minutes to collect himself and turned back around, tears still streaming down his face.

“I-I can’t think right now and it’s really annoying cause I practiced this for weeks but I just wanted to say that Jack is my brother and my best friend and i’m just so happy that he has Davey, because Davey you make him so fucking happy. Kids like us aren’t expected to go anywhere in life, but he has Medda, he has us and now he has you. I wish you guys the best and please make me an uncle soon okay bye thank you” with that he quickly left the stage and leapt into Jack’s arms sending them both flying backwards.

“Ow, Racer. What the he-”

“I’m so proud of you, Jack”He said quickly, “I-I know I haven’t been the best brother or the nicest to you but I need you to know that I love you”

“Okay okay!”Jack said, clutching his hip. “I love you too, punk. We can talk more about this later, but get off of me!”

“C’mon, Tony,”Spot sighed, picking up the mess of limbs. Once Race was on his feet, he bent over and helped Jack up. “Congratulations Jack, you’ve been a pain in my ass as long as i’ve known this kid, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Davey, you keep him out of prison”

“On my honor,”Davey said.

“Yeah, you too Conlon”Jack said, “Who knows, you might be next”

“Oh, Spotty! We should get married!”he gasped. Spot groaned and shook his head.

“You play dirty Kelly,”Spot said.

“It’s the only way to play”Jack smirked, “Go take him for some fresh air, I don’t want him to get antsy”

“Aye aye”Spot said, practically dragging Race out of the room by his suspenders.

Katherine emerged back to the stage and clapped raising her glass. “That is Jack Kelly down for the sixth time today and yes we’ve been keeping score! Next to the stage we have my lovely,intelligent,incredibly charasm-”

“This ain’t about you!”Jack exclaimed. Katherin gave him the finger and continued. “You know her,you love her, my wife Sarah Jacobs, brother to the groom Davey and his best woman! Come on up here, pumpkin!”

Sarah made her way to the stage, and placed a kiss to Katherine’s cheek. “Hello!”Sarah called out to the audience.

 “Unlike the rest of these saps I'm going to try not to cry”She said, “For those who don’t know, Davey here is my twin, and honestly my built in best friend. We’ve been joined at the hip since we could walk,and I know him like the back of my hand. I couldn’t imagine a better fit for him than Jack. Davey was a shy kid, really serious too. Not many kids got along with him because he didn’t like running around or hand games or kickball, he liked sitting off to the side and reading. So he wasn’t really given a chance to show how amazing he was the first few years of school. That was until a little boy who called himself cowboy Jack basically bulldozed his walls and threw himself into Davey’s life.”

Jack laughed and threw his arm around Davey’s shoulder, “That’s true!”

Sarah laughed as well, and continued. “And let me tell you, Davey was pissed at first. He couldn’t understand why this boy wouldn’t leave him the hell alone because oh my god was Jack persistent! It was ridiculous! But little did he know that annoying little boy would become his best friend and later his husband.”

Davey smiled and pressed a hand over his heart.

“My brother is a little hard to read at times, he doesn’t like giving all his tells to just anybody. But what a lot of you don’t know is that he’s caring and kind and cried for hours when he ran over a rabbit--yes that is true. He wears his feelings right on his face, you just need to know how to read him. And Jack could read him just as well as I could which terrified him. He wasn’t used to anybody but me,our parents and eventually Les. He was terrified of getting hurt, he didn’t want to know what heartbreak felt like so he never even tried.”She said.

 “But Jack brought out a different side of him, a side no one had ever seen. He became spontaneous, and more outgoing and actually alive! It freaked us all out at first because we didn’t know why he was changing, but little did we know this was just the beginning of a new Davey. It’s just weird to have known that shy little bookworm and see him become such a social butterfly. I can see people snoring so I’ll get off now, congrats you guys. I love you Davey”

The guests cheered and Sarah made her way off the stage. Jack was looking at him like he had three heads.

“What?”

“You Jacobs ain’t got any emotions or somethin?”He exclaimed, wiping his eyes. “None of your family is cryin, that was beautiful!”

“We cry on the inside, baby”Davey soothed, pulling Jack’s chair closer to his.

“That’s...that’s not good-”

“Alright, everyone!”Katherine said, “This is the last speech we have on schedule for today, so don’t panic. Next up to the stage we have Charlie Morris, baby brother to the groom Jack and one of his groomsmen!”

With a bit of help from Medda, Charlie made his way to the stage. He shot a thankful look at Katherine who brought up a chair, it had indeed been a long day. He grabbed the microphone and plopped down in the seat.

“Thank god”He sighed, a grin when the guests laughed. “Now, I’m going to try and keep this short for Jack’s sake, he looks like he’s about dead on his feet” Jack sighed, he knew this boy was a natural comedian, but if this speech was more than five minutes he would smother him in his sleep.

“Skip the commentary!”Jack called out, then winced when Davey flicked his neck. 

“Would you let me say my speech? You’re lucky I wrote one”He said, “Now, just like Racer said, I can’t remember a time in my life without Jack being there. We fight a lot because I’ve still got that younger brother charm and he just can’t get over it--alright alright! I’ll be serious.”He chuckled after a wad of tissue was thrown at him.

 “Davey was introduced into my life from a young age, once he finally accepted his doom, he began to come over a lot. And I loved playing with Davey, he would teach me how to make paper airplanes,origami and he would read to me, that was luxury treatment in this household, okay. But he would only come over a few times a week, which I understood because he did have a family and all that jazz.”He said, gesturing in the direction of the Jacobs family. Mayer stood up from his seat and waved. 

 “But as those two got older, he was there every single day. And then I started wondering, why is Davey always here? Until I got up one night to get coco puffs and saw them kissing on the couch-”He smirked as the hall erupted in ooo’s “-and my pea sized thirteen year old brain went ohhhhh and I screamed ‘ewww they’re kissing!’”

Davey groaned and buried his face in Jack’s shoulder, he wanted to forget that day ever happened.

 “Which of course woke up the whole house, Jack did get in trouble and yes, I'm still paying him back for that to this day. This speech is not for Jack, no. I want to say thank you to Davey for taking the time to be so nice to me, unlike this man-”

“Get off the stage, Charlie!”Jack booed, putting his thumb down. Charlie blew a raspberry.

“In all seriousness, I'm really happy for you two. I’m not good with affection and stuff but Jack, you know I love you. And of course I'll thank you until the day I die for taking care of me. You’re one of the best big brothers I can ask for, i’m happy you’re getting married and please hold off on making me an uncle”

The applause were deafening, maybe it was Charlie’s humor or maybe they were excited for dinner, the world may never know. Jack was clapping the loudest, he was excited for dinner. Medda helped Charlie off the stage and gladly he went back to his seat. Jack let out of a sigh of relief, he was not ready to make that score seven, his back was killing him.

“Those were really sweet,”Davey commented. Jack rolled his eyes.

“Sweet but long, ‘m tired Davey”He whined.

“I know, sweetheart,”Davey said. “I know, but it’ll all be over soon”

“Promise me we don’t gotta get up tomorrow”He said.

“We can lay around all day,”Davey promised. “We can eat breakfast in bed and cuddle with Luna and sleep the day away”

“Oh my god, Luna”He perked up, “Where is my baby girl?”

“Our baby girl”Davey corrected, “She’s with Les upstairs”

“It got too loud for them, huh”

“Yeah, he texted me like an hour ago that he needed a break”Davey said.

“I sure as hell would like a break too”He grumbled.

“I know”Davey sighed, “are you still having fun?”

“I am”He said, “I am and I know how much work you put into today, I...i’m just reachin a limit, ya know?”

“I know”Davey nodded, “If it gets unbearable, let me know. I’ll tell Katherine to entertain everyone and we can take a break.”

Jack leaned in and pressed his forehead against Davey’s. “You’re so sweet with me”

“I’ll do anything for you,”Davey promised.

“Alright, let’s break up the romance!”Katherine said, taking a seat at their table. 

“Where do you keep comin from?”Jack groaned.

“Hell”She said easily, “Dinner is on it’s way out and I haven’t seen you eat anything but a bagel today”

“He did what?”Davey said.

“It’s not important”She said quickly, “Look, I know he’s exhausted. Just get him through dinner and i’ll cover until it’s time for the dances which aren’t until-”She pulled out her phone and scrolled, “-10pm, it’s 8 now, just make sure he eats and then get him out of here”

“You’re a saint”

“I take my maid of honor duty very serious”She said with a wink, “My phone is on all night so just shoot me a text if anything happens”

“Noted”Davey said, “Now how about you take a little break, you’ve been on your feet all day”

“I would, but I gotta keep things running smoothly”She said.

“Everyone is fine”Davey said, “Have dinner with us, bring Sarah too. It’ll be just like high school”

“Yeah with fancy gowns and fancy food”

“It’ll be like high school cause it’s us”Davey said, rolling his eyes. “now go get her”

“You promise we won’t be intruding?”she asked, “You’ve barely been alone all day”

“I got the rest of my life to be alone with him”Jack said, “today’s about friends and family”

“You have our word, Kath”Davey said, “now go”

-

After a well earned nap, Jack soon became the life of the party. He slid his way to the dance floor,drink in hand and ready to get this party started. Davey for one couldn’t believe he had married a toddler. Naps did nothing for him, he always woke up feeling disoriented and gross. But almost any of Jack’s problems could be solved by a nap, it was scary sometimes. But he was relieved that Jack felt better, they were going to be here for a while. Guests were supposed to be leaving around 11:30pm, and they had to be out of the castle by 1:00am because another wedding was happening that day and the staff needed to clean up. Then they had the drive from here to home which was four hours so they wouldn’t be home until 5am. Davey sighed, he didn’t drink for personal reasons but he’d never been so tempted to take a shot in his life.

“What’s wrong?”Katherine asked, and dear god she did seem to just pop up everywhere.

“Hmm?”he hummed.

“You’ve got that vacant look in your eyes, it’s the same one Sarah gets when she’s stressed”She said.

“Oh boy am I stressed”He sighed, “Just thinking about how long it’s gonna be until we get home”

“Well”She grinned, “This was supposed to be a surprise but you look like you could use some cheering up”

“Please”He said, clinging to her shoulder.

“We hired a clean up crew!”she said, doing jazz hands.

“Oh my god I love you”He all but melted against her.

“Yup!”she smirked, “Which means all we have to do is pack our bags and high tail it home, shouldn’t take any longer than twenty minutes”

“Thank you so much, Kath”He said, “home is still...it’s just so far”

“I’ll drive you guys home”She said, “Sarah and I already talked about this. It’s been such a long day and I know you’re both exhausted, plus Jack is drinking like a monster”

“That’s...I don’t know what to say,”he said.

“You don’t have to say anything, Davey”She said, “We’re family, you two were such a big help at our wedding that it’s the least we could do”

“I like helping,”He said earnestly. “I’d do it again”

“Noted,”She said, eyes scanning over his shoulder. “If you wanna help, go get your husband. You know how he gets when he’s drunk and-”She paused, listening to the music “-Shakira is playing”

“Oh god”Davey groaned, “I-you know where to find me!”

-

The remainder of the reception went off without a hitch. The first dances were as sweet as expected, Jack did shed a few tears as he danced with Medda but mostly kept it together. The bouquet toss went well, Race caught the first one and Spot football tackled Skittery to catch the second. The cake was cut, and the guests were out at 11:30pm on the dot. Jack and Davey had practically sprinted up the stairs and packed up their belongings in record time. The day had been magical,they couldn’t wait to look back on the pictures, but it was time to go home. A little after midnight Davey found himself saying goodbye to Sarah and squeezing into the backseat of their car with Luna fast asleep. If you asked him what had happened in the last hour he honestly couldn’t tell you, he stopped processing it around 10pm. Jack wasn’t any better but for different reasons. A drunk Jack was a handsy Jack and maybe Davey should have taken the front seat.

“Let me love you!”Jack whined as he once again grabbed at Davey’s leg.

“You’re drunk”

“You’re hot”

“Thank you, baby”

“Keep it pg back there,”Katherine said, eyeing them in the rear view mirror.

“Tell that to him!”He said, placing Luna on Jack’s lap. “Here, take the puppy”

Jack squealed with delight and focused his attention on that. Katherine stifled a laugh and focused her eyes on the road. Davey sighed.

It was going to be a long four hours.

-

“Thank you, Kath”Davey yawned, stepping out of the car. “I really appreciate it”

“It’s no problem”She replied, stepping out to stretch. “Do you mind if I crash here?”

“Not at all”He said, “there’s a key under the mat, let yourself in. I need to get Jack and Lu”

“Got it,”She said.

Davey walked around to the opposite side of the car and opened the door. 

“Be free”he said. Luna leapt out of Jack’s lap and happily trotted up the stairs. Jack was dead asleep, alcohol and exhaustion seemed to work better than any melatonin he’s ever taken. He leaned into the car and picked him up bridal style, closing the door with his hip. Katherine, ever the saint, had left the door open for them. 

Once he was inside he quickly padded into the bedroom, dumping Jack on the bed. He knew he should probably be a good host and make sure Katherine was comfortable but he couldn’t stand  being awake a minute longer. He closed the door and stripped down to his boxers. He was exactly one second away from jumping into bed before he realized that Jack was fully dressed.

Fuck.

He leaned over and shook Jack’s shoulders.

“Mm?”

“You gotta get naked”He said, then blinked. That’s not what he wanted to say but it got his point across.

“Do it for me”Jack mumbled and lifted his hips up.

Davey sighed and bent down to take off his shoes. “You’re so spoiled”

“Your fault”Jack mumbled. “You made me spoiled”

Next came the socks and pants. “Because I like spoiling you”

“Then stop complaining”

Davey snorted and pulled off his blazer. “I’m not complaining, i’m stating a fact”

“Gonna be so hungover”Jack groaned.

Davey started to unbutton his shirt. “Sounds like a you problem”

“You’re such an ass”

“Am not”Davey said, pulling his arms out. “No one told you to drink like the world was ending”

“I tol’ me to”

“Well you have terrible judgement” he pressed a kiss to Jack’s forehead, “You’re all done”

“Mmmthank you Davey”

Davey finally climbed into bed and relished in the mattress under his back. “No problem, now go to sleep”

Jack mumbled something in agreement and opened his arms, Davey tilted his head.

“ ‘m big spoon tonight, deal with it”He said and well Davey wasn’t going to argue, he was rarely ever the little spoon. He scooted back into Jack’s arms and god he was so warm. He felt a hand carding through his hair and he let out a low hum. This, this is what he had been waiting for all day. And it had been worth it. A full two years of planning,taking on extra projects,living on a tight budget and sheer hope had gotten him the day of a lifetime. And some funny twist of fate got him the man of a lifetime. He didn’t know who or what he had to thank for giving him Jack Kelly, but he found himself thanking the universe. It hadn’t been easy getting to this point, they had fought and argued and screamed and cried, but it was worth it. After all, every fairytale has to start somewhere, and it started the moment they said I do. And the end--well, that’s a long time away so let’s focus on the now. The present feels like a dream and the end is nowhere in sight, their fairytale was just beginning.

And Davey couldn’t wait to see where it took them.

[violetwolfraven]

Prank War

@asexualbert requested redfinch and I think platonic ralbert too so here goes I guess.

((This takes place pre-canon. I know almost nothing about any of the character’s canon backstories, so I made up things to fill in blanks. I heard a thing saying Finch was Brooklyn in the original movie, so idk...))

Warnings: Q-slur, period-typical homophobia, a little bit of internalized homophobia I guess.

...

“Oh, Albie!”

Great. Albert was not in the mood to talk, currently, but this was just how it was, being Racetrack Higgens’ best friend.

“What is it, Racer?”

“Guess what I did?”

“Hmm... let me think. Did ya ask someone out?”

“Who do you thinks I am? Romeo?”

“Well, you flirts like him, so sure.”

“Funny. Everybody get a load of the comedian over here! He might as well get a new career slingin’ jokes!”

“Ey, I could if I wanted to.”

“Sure. You’s about as funny as Wiesel.”

“Seriously though,” Albert said, “What did you do?”

Usually, if Race joked this much, it was because he was deflecting around something while desperately hoping someone would figure out that he really did want to talk about it.

And, usually, this was Race’s way when he had a crush, or had done something moderately illegal. Not that Albert was judging. Pretty much all the Newsies had done something illegal at least once, even over in Manhattan. Hell, even Crutchie had hit a cop with his crutch, once, when he and Jack got in a tight spot.

Or... there was one more thing this could possibly be. Only... no.

“Please tell me ya didn’t.”

Race shrugged innocently, “I did.”

“It’s only been a few months since the last one!”

“And it’s been all quiet-like around here since! We all needs a good shake-up occasionally!”

Albert groaned. As much as he loved Race as his best friend, he absolutely hated when he started prank wars.

The first time, it was funny. The third time, it was still mildly amusing, but mostly annoying. By the seventh time, it was just plain annoying.

But, the younger Newsies loved it, and most of the older ones enjoyed the opportunity to harass each other without any risk of a soaking. If someone pranked you, you pranked them back, but nobody got hurt. That was how it worked, until the war had been dragging on a couple weeks and everybody got bored with it.

At least until Race decided to start a new war.

In the several years Albert had known him, this was going to be the eighteenth prank war Race had started.

“Well, who’d ya prank this time?”

Race grinned, “Spot Conlon.”

“What?!”

Albert yelled it so loud that pretty much everybody came running, wondering what was going on.

“What’s up, Albert?” Jack asked, “Heard yellin.’”

Albert glared at his best friend, “Racer here has started another prank war. And do ya want to tell the gang who you pranked to start it?”

Race shrugged, “Well, I just put a frog in his pillowcase, so it ain’t nothing serious.”

“Ain’t nothing serious?” Albert demanded, “You put a frog in Spot fuckin’ Conlon’s pillowcase!”

Immediately, everyone started yelling at Race, demanding to know how he could be so stupid, why he would do that, and a few asking how Spot had reacted.

Albert, of course, knew that since Race was friends with just about everybody from every borough, Spot couldn’t hurt him without other boroughs trying to hurt Brooklyn in retaliation. And besides, Race had even managed to get close with the King of Brooklyn, so it wasn’t like there was really any risk, but still.

Pranking Spot fucking Conlon was a stupid-ass move.

“Don’t worry!” Race said confidently, “He hadn’t found it yet when I left but I’s left him a note explainin’ the rules. This’ll be the first inter-borough prank war! It’ll be fun!”

The worst part was how some of the Newsies actually seemed to be agreeing that a prank war including the Brooklyn boys would be fun.

Everyone looked to Jack. It probably wasn’t too late for him to just go over to Brooklyn, apologize, and end the whole thing, but would he do that? It seemed like the smart thing.

Jack shrugged, “Long as nobody gets hurt, like always, should be fine. Might actually be fun.”

Race grinned. A few, Albert included, groaned.

This was going to be a long couple weeks.

...

“So, you don’t seem that thrilled with Racer for startin’ this.”

Albert happened to be in Jacobi’s that day, grabbing some water, when most of the Newsies weren’t. The only other one there was Finch.

To be honest, Albert didn’t actually know Finch that well. He knew he’d showed up a couple years ago and was sarcastic 90% of the time, (not that Albert blamed him for that. He was sarcastic a lot, too.) but he usually hung out with Henry or Sniper and Smalls, and Albert usually stuck with Race, and Romeo and Specs.

The prank war had started last night, and so far, no one, Brooklyn or otherwise, had made another move.

“I’m not,” Albert admitted, “Racer has a habit of bein’ stupid for no reason.”

“I don’t think Spot’ll hurt him.”

“Oh, he won’t.”

“Then what’s the issue?”

“This is the second prank war this year and it was only funny the first few times.”

Finch laughed, “You tells it like it is, even about your own best friend, huh?”

“Well, we all know Race talks shit about me, so...”

Finch laughed again, and the twinge in Albert’s chest made him wonder why he was even here.

True, the Newsies were all pretty close. Close enough to at least vaguely know each other’s triggers and what kind of touches everyone was okay with, to count on each other in a fight, to openly know and keep the secret when two boys or two girls started going out... But they still had regular groups or pairs they stuck to. It was inevitable with a friend group that big.

So, why would Finch be straying from his? Was this a prank?

Seeming to sense his thoughts, Finch cleared his throat.

“So... I’s came here today wondering something. If you wanted to be allies.”

Albert was confused, “What?”

“Allies. We prank other people but don’t prank each other.”

“Don’t work like that. Everybody pranks everybody in a prank war.”

“I know,” Finch admitted, “But this time, it’s different, see? This time, we’s up against Brooklyn and Manhattan. And I used to be a Brooklyn boy, so I can tells ya we’s all gonna need friends in a war against them.”

“A prank war,” Albert corrected, “There’s rules for this. Nobody gets hurt.”

“You seriously think all them Brooklyn boys are gonna follow that?”

Albert hadn’t thought of that. He’d been thinking in terms of Spot Conlon, who wouldn’t hurt them because he was so close with Race. But some of his boys definitely would take a chance to soak someone for no reason and call it a prank.

“I know I can’t count on Henry for this,” Finch said, “I’s already asked, and he’s too stupid to see how dangerous this could get. And Sniper and Smalls only ally with each other. I’m askin’ you cause you seem like the smart kind who knows when not to go it alone.”

Aw, what the hell? Albert had never had an ally in a prank war. Maybe this would make it less annoying and more fun.

When Finch spat into his hand and held it out, Albert accepted the spit shake.

...

Unfortunately, Finch was right.

A week into the prank war, and Henry wasn’t hurt bad, when some Brooklyn boys gave him a black eye calling it a prank, but he could have been. Jack had decided not to tell Spot about it, instead giving the Manhattan boys permission to actually hurt people back instead of just the bare minimum defend themselves.

Knowing Spot had ears everywhere, they could only hope that knowing Manhattan was actually allowed to hurt in self defense would deter any Brooklyn boys looking for an easy target.

Of course, this meant that the ones like Jack, Sniper, Finch, Blink, etc, had to teach everyone else to fight at least a little, but it was working out alright so far.

“I don’t see why anyone would wanna soak someone for no reason,” Albert commented, when he and Finch were hanging out in an empty Lodging House. They’d gotten done earlier than anyone else that day.

“It ain’t that simple.”

“How ain’t it?”

Finch shrugged, “All the Brooklyn boys who’s rough is rough for a reason. Some of ‘em had bad folks. Some of ‘em, Spot found in a gang or somethin.’ Some spent time in the Refuge. Some grew up on the streets. All them rough ones grew up so’s they don’t know how to be anything else.”

“Blink’s folks were bad,” Albert pointed out, “Race was in the Refuge for a while. Crutchie grew up on the streets. They all turned out alright.”

“Yeah, cause Jack was there to help ‘em.”

Albert didn’t know how to respond to that.

Finch sighed, “Albert, you don’t get it. Here, everybody’s family. We talk stuff out. In Brooklyn, you got anger problems, Spot just tells ya where to aim it. Ya heal on your own or not at all. That’s just how it works.”

“Is that why you got out?” Albert asked.

He only vaguely remembered Finch coming to the Lodging House. One day, Jack had just introduced him, told the others Finch was one of theirs, now, and given him a bed. Nobody had questioned it, because when Jack didn’t immediately tell someone’s past, it usually meant it wasn’t one that should be asked about.

Finch shrugged, “I got tired of needin’ to be strong all the time. Spot protects who he can, but he’s got a lot more guys than Jack. Most of the time, you gotta protect yourself. Need to make sure the other guys don’t see you as weak. I guess Race noticed I wasn’t cut out for it. Told me I should come over to Manhattan.”

“What made you actually do it?”

Finch hesitated.

“Hey,” Albert said firmly, “Finch, you can tell me anything. Like you said, Manhattan is family.”

The other boy took a deep breath but still didn’t say anything.

“That bad, huh?”

Finch sighed, “I did it because Spot said I had to get out while I could. He said some rough boys got wind about me... about me bein’ queer. He told me to run to Manhattan.”

Albert nodded. He hadn’t expected that, to be honest, but it wasn’t like he could judge.

“Okay. That it?”

Finch seemed relieved, but Albert didn’t really know why. It was common knowledge that several pairs of the Manhattan boys were together, and most of the few girls had paired up with other girls.

“Yeah,” he said finally, “Ya know, Spot can’t be caught supportin’ queers. He’d be dead by the next dawn. Guess the guys who figured out ‘bout me weren’t sure enough to do anything. Still, Spot probably saved my life by tellin’ me they knew. I told my old Brooklyn pals it was cause I had a girl who got sick and died.”

Albert did remember that Finch had come during a cold winter. His Brooklyn friends would have bought it.

“Well, that ain’t gonna happen, here,” he said firmly, “If it was dangerous for queers here, Jack woulda had to kick himself out.”

“Shit, you serious?”

“Course. What did ya think Blink and Mush had goin’ on?”

Finch laughed, “Kinda assumed Jack didn’t know about it.”

“Cowboy is oblivious, but not that oblivious.”

Finch laughed again, and Albert tripped over his next breath.

Aw, hell. Why not?

“And uh...” Albert hesitated, “If Jack was in the business of kickin’ out queers to protect ‘em... he’d have to kick me out, too.”

Finch looked at him in surprise, “Albert—“

They both heard the Lodging House door close loudly, then someone cursed loudly. Definitely not Kloppman.

When he looked at him, Albert didn’t think he’d ever seen Finch so scared.

“I know that voice,” he said quietly, “We needs to hide.”

Albert didn’t question it, just pulling Finch into a broom closet at the end of the bunk bed rows.

Kloppman would be back soon. He’d only gone out on a brief errand. With homefield advantage, Albert and Finch should be able to stay hidden long enough to survive.

“Come on, Snitch, you gots to be quieter than that.”

“Ey, Muddy, I know that fuckin’ queer, Finch, is here. We just gots to find him.”

“What makes you think he’s alone?”

“If he ain’t, we’ll just get rid of whoever protects him, too.”

Their laughter made Albert want to punch something.

Finch was breathing quickly, shaking like a leaf. No one should be able to make him afraid like that.

“Hey,” Albert whispered, “Finch, calm down. It’s okay. They’s not gonna find us. They won’t hurt you.”

“This closet ain’t hidden enough.”

“I remember Muddy and Snitch,” Albert insisted, “They’re dumb as horse shit on the pavement. We just gots to stay quiet and wait for Kloppman to get back.”

It couldn’t be long now, but Finch was clearly too scared to think clearly.

There wasn’t much light in the closet, but Albert grabbed the sides of Finch’s face, digging his fingers into his hair to force the taller boy to look at him.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he murmured, “They won’t find us. Finch, breathe.”

Finch took a deep breath, looking Albert in the eye.

“They won’t hurt you,” he said again.

That was when Finch kissed him, grabbing onto Albert’s wrists to keep him close.

Albert was... surprised, to say the least, but he certainly wasn’t complaining, doing his best to stay silent as he kissed him back.

They pulled apart when they heard Kloppman come in. There was yelling downstairs, and the door slammed. Clearly, the Brooklyn boys weren’t willing to risk tangling with an actual adult, even one that Albert didn’t think could actually fight.

“Hey, anybody here?” he called upstairs, “Anyone wanna explain why I just kicked out two Brooklyn boys?”

“Not that I really wants to, but we should probably get out of the closet,” Albert suggested.

Finch laughed, opening the door.

“It’s probably better ya don’t know, Kloppman!” Albert shouted down the stairs.

“Albert? That you?”

“Finch, too!” Finch shouted.

“Okay! And... be careful, boys! Be discreet!”

Albert stifled a laugh. He’d always suspected that Kloppman knew about the various same-sex pairs, but this was the first real evidence he’d seen.

“So, I takes it this ain’t a prank?” Finch asked.

Albert shook his head quickly, “Not on my end. If it was a prank on yours, you don’t really know what a prank is. I enjoyed that way too much for a prank.”

“Glad we agree.”

“So,” Albert said, sitting down on his bunk.

Finch grinned as he let Albert pull him down next to him, “So.”

“Are we still allies?”

“Hope we’s more than that.”

Albert laughed before leaning forward to kiss Finch again.

[itallstartedwithplayingvet]

Whumptober 2020 Day 6 - Please... + Stop, please

Fandom: Samurai Jack

Characters: Nago (OC), Demongo

Content Warnings: Ambushed, shot with arrows, blood (both human and nonhuman so some of it’s blue lol), field medicine, hunted, hiding, begging, screaming, loss of consciousness

Word Count: 2,402

Nago And The Demon summary:  Seeking revenge for the destruction of her village and murder of her people 15 years ago, a mysterious masked warrior known only as Nago revives a powerful demon who once served under the vile Aku. But to her surprise, she finds that the demon is almost completely powerless! Now in order to carry out her plan, Nago must travel the Earth with this demon, searching for a way to restore him to his former fearsome glory...

The quiet stillness of night was all around them. The sound of the tent’s fabric rustling gently in the breeze, the occasional snorts of Uma the horse, and of course, the crackling of the fire. Well, “fires”. Plural.

It had occurred to Nago in the past that perhaps they didn’t need a campfire, seeing as her demonic companion conveniently always had one of his own. Though, he hadn’t been very willing in the past to sit still and let her warm herself or cook her food over his head. Honestly, a part of her worried that food cooked over demonic flame might...have some unintended side effects if consumed.

Yet as her eyes wandered from orange flame to blue, a thought occurred to Nago. Something she might not have been willing to say some days ago.

“You know, you...actually weren’t so terrible back there.” 

The demon straightened up, and a sort of surprised and somewhat confused expression came over him. “...Was that...a compliment?”

Nago shrugged. “You may take it as one.” She tried in vain to hide the slight smirk that was working its way onto her face. “But really, I think you do have potential. By yourself, that is. And you’re starting to regain the few powers you had to start with.”

The demon’s eyes narrowed to electric blue slits. “What are you getting at, Mortal?” He hissed.

“I’m offering to help you, so don’t get cross with me.” Nago retorted, mirroring his glare. “What I’m getting at is training you to use those powers. So that you won’t need to reclaim the thousands of souls that were liberated from you. It would certainly save us time, and eliminate quite a bit of risk.”

The demon grimaced, clearly more than displeased with her offer. “And why should I rely on myself?”

Nago scoffed. “Why should you rely on yourself?! Because if you don’t, you have to rely on others! And you know just as well as I do that not everyone is reliable. If this alliance is going to work, you need to pull your own weight in battle.” She let out a heavy, exasperated sigh. “I was willing to forgive you for your uselessness when I first revived you. You had spent quite a long time dead, and your body had been reduced to literally nothing else but powder, congealed blood, and a severed hand. That took nearly all of the strength my ritual was able to give you just to piece back together. I didn’t blame you then for being weak, it was to be expected. But now that you’ve had enough time to rest, your powers are beginning to return, and you no longer have that excuse. You don’t have to be content to be powerless without your precious essence.”

Demongo scoffed in return, and turned his head to dismiss her. He stood up and walked away from the fire, his slender shadowy form soon becoming lost in the darkness of the night. Well, save for the bright blue flame atop his head. That was quite easy to follow with one’s eye.

Nago shook her head, content to let him wander for a bit while stewing in his anger. She knew from experience that he never actually went far, and he’d always returned by at most the following morning. He knew he wouldn’t get far without her, and she knew it, too. She smiled to herself as she began to stand up, thinking she might test her stealth by following him. If she were to jump out suddenly and startle him, well, he certainly deserved at least that.

But something distracted her. Above the sounds of the crackling fire, she’d heard the subtle rustling of grass just above her. She froze up on instinct, and slowly glanced towards the cliffs above the camp. Shadow blanketed the rocks, but glistening in the moonlight, Nago could see the pointed tip of an arrow.

Her eyes grew wide. At once, she leapt from her place in the light of the fire and sought shelter in the shadows. An arrow whizzed by her and landed unsettlingly close to her head. She saw her own face reflected in the sharpened arrowhead. She looked just as frightened as she felt. Silently cursing her demonic companion’s decision to wander away from camp, and then praising his convenient light, she spotted him quickly and ran towards him on all fours, keeping low to the ground in the hopes of not being spotted. A few more arrows whizzed past her, embedding themselves in the ground mere inches from where she had been. Hiding was no good. Whatever was hunting them, it had either impressive night vision, or impeccable hearing. Perhaps both.

As Nago cleared the distance between her and Demongo, realization struck her, and she began to curse the convenient light of his that she had only seconds ago praised. He was the most obvious target on the plains now. She was prepared to tackle him to the ground and extinguish his flame if need be.

As she drew closer, he seemed to pick up on the rustling of grass, and turned around to face her. And it was then that an arrow struck him in the center of his chest. He seemed to fall as if in slow motion, his fanged mouth agape in a soundless cry of alarm. However, he didn’t quite fall immediately, instead merely stumbling backward, his hands moving to the arrow as he simply stared at it in utter shock.

“Get down!” Nago cried. Alas, her warning had come too late. Just as the words left her lips, another arrow struck the demon’s abdomen. He stumbled again, and this time turned to look at her. In the next instant, a third arrow struck his side, followed by another, and another...each striking in close proximity to the one before. At last, he fell. With one clawed hand outstretched towards her, he fell onto his chest.

Nago grimaced, knowing that such a fall would only push the arrows deeper into his flesh. With another panicked glance at the cliffs above, Nago leapt onto the demon’s body and frantically began to drag him away towards the opening of a cave at the base of the cliffs beside them. She made haste, but before she could reach the comparative safety of the cave, an arrow embedded itself firmly in her right forearm. She let out a pained cry of alarm, and released the limp body of her demon to clutch at the wound. A second arrow whizzed past and merely grazed her leg due to a quick reaction to pull it towards her. With adrenaline fueling her, she resumed dragging her companion along, and darted into the cave. She didn’t stop moving once inside, and only came to rest after fleeing to a small crevice in the rock wall. She and the demon she was nearly certain must now be dead sought refuge in a small secluded chamber hidden behind the crevice.

Panting heavily, Nago cringed at the sight of an arrow protruding from her arm. She didn’t quite feel it now, thanks to the adrenaline racing through her system, but she was still lucid enough to know she needed to do something about it. She could remember being taught that embedded objects should not be removed in the field, as doing so was likely to cause further blood loss, but she also knew that the wound would not heal if the arrow remained. Gritting her teeth, she took hold of the arrow with her free hand, and tugged firmly. It came out with some committed effort, and she at once cast it aside and got to work on tearing her clothes to create makeshift bandages. Tying the cloth around her wound as tightly as she could manage without completely cutting off circulation, Nago at last leaned back against the wall and took a moment to catch her breath. The graze on her leg was much less severe. She could afford to leave it be for a  moment.

It was only as the adrenaline began to wear off that she noticed a dim blue light within the chamber. Thinking at first that it was some manner of luminescent rock or fungus, as her narrowed vision cleared, she saw that the source of the light was the demon she had begun to think must have perished from his wounds. But that wouldn’t be lit if he were dead or unconscious...then that must mean...

Demongo groaned, and wearily opened his eyes to meet her bewildered gaze. 

“...How...” Nago trailed off, for a moment too shocked to complete her response. “...How in the hell are you still alive?”

“...Does it matter?” He replied, his voice strained. 

Nago had to concede that at the moment, it didn’t. Instead, she rose to her feet and approached him, examining the wounds he’d sustained. She could hardly believe what she saw. “...Every single one of these should have been a kill shot...” She muttered in awe. 

“Nnngh...pocket...dimension...” The demon whined.

Nago thought this at first to be delirium. She braced him against the wall, and turning around, retrieved her arrow from the floor. She pried the weakened demon’s mouth open, and placed the arrow’s wooden body inside. “I need to remove these. Bite down when you feel the need to scream.”

The demon’s eyes widened in fear...but he nodded slowly. Nago firmly gripped the body of the arrow--or what little of it still remained outside of his body--and pulled. At once she was met with the demon’s muffled screams, which only grew higher in pitch until the arrow finally left his body. Nago immediately clamped her hand over the wound, expecting a sudden arterial spray...but paused when she realized that the blue blood leaving the wound merely oozed rather than spurted. Now she was completely baffled. Assuming his internal anatomy was anything like that of a human’s, the arrow should have struck some manner of vital organ...yet it seemed to have only pierced skin and muscle.

“...There’s something very wrong about this.” Nago muttered as she began wrapping cloth around the wound. “What are you made of?”

He spat the arrow out. The wood now bore deep grooves from his fangs. “I...told you...” He wheezed, one slender finger pointing to his chest. “Pocket... dimension...”

“...Is...that were you once kept your captive warriors?” Nago at last began to realize.

The demon nodded.

“And this dimension in your torso, I assume, also shields your fragile innards from damage?”

He nodded again.

“Well...were we not hiding for our lives from what’s probably a very skilled bounty hunter, that would be absolutely fascinating.” She retrieved the arrow she’d extracted from his chest and placed it into his mouth. “But now...it’s just lucky. Brace yourself.” She gave this last bit of warning just before she tugged a second arrow from his flesh. The muffled screams came louder this time, and he thrashed somewhat, nearly causing her to lose her grip. Still, she managed to free the arrow from his flesh. She quickly got to work on bandaging the wound, and then moved to the third arrow. Before she could grab it, however, the dim light began to fade. Panicked, she saw that her ally was beginning to lose consciousness.

Nago slapped the side of his face a few times. “Stay awake, damn you!” She hissed at him. “I can’t see what I’m doing without that flame of yours.”

He grimaced and whined, but at last opened his eyes, and the flame atop his head grew brighter, though Nago noted that it was still a bit dimmer than usual. But it would have to do. 

“Good. Thank you. Now, brace.” She gave the third arrow a firm yank, wrenching it free of its target. In the same instant, she heard the snapping of wood and a short, high-pitched cry.

She frantically placed her hand over his mouth, and listened intently for footsteps upon the rock outside. Thankfully, there was nothing. She gave a quiet sigh of relief. Not wasting any time, she patched the wound and attempted to place the third arrow into his mouth. However, he turned his head away from her, his mouth held shut. She sighed again. “There’s only two left. If I don’t remove them, you won’t heal properly.”

When she reached for the fourth arrow, the demon suddenly began to beg. “No, please...stop...Nago, please don’t--!”

She seized this opportunity to wrench the fourth arrow free, and immediately clamped her hand back over his mouth to muffle his cries.

“Stop it...stop...” He wheezed as she finished bandaging the lastest wound. “Nago...please...”

“Look.” She gestured to her bandaged arm, the cloth tied around it already stained with red. “If I can work on you with a wound like this in my dominant arm, you can stay awake for one more of these.” She took his face in her hand, forcing him to look her in the eye. “After that, you can pass out for as long as you want. Deal?”

He nodded weakly, and reluctantly allowed her to place another arrow into his mouth. “Brace.” His eyes shut tightly as soon as she said it. With one final act of strength, she removed the final arrow. The demon gasped sharply when she’d finished, and slumped forward over her shoulder. Reluctant, yet moved to pity by his reactions, Nago gingerly placed a hand on his back. It wasn’t long before he fell completely limp, and the light from his flame went out as it became mere smoke. At once, it was terribly dark within the chamber.

Nago leaned him back against the wall, and moved to the space next to him...so she could better watch the crevice that lead into their chamber, is what she told herself. But she didn’t watch for long. Her arm ached and burned terribly, and the exhaustion of her mad dash into the cave had begun to catch up with her. She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. They would find a way out in the morning...if there was one.

Perhaps she had made a grave mistake in reviving this demon. For ever since, the price on her head had been increasing at an alarming rate. She wondered as she drifted off, how many more times they would be attacked by bounty hunters looking to make a quick buck.

[captainlordauditor]

300x3 1:02

Well. Most of this was technically written Thursday, so I’m counting it. Day 2 of my first attempt at the 300x3 challenge! Once again, the idea is to write at least 900 words a week in 3 spurts of at least 300, and share them to encourage others to do the same and hold yourself accountable for actually writing.

This one is from a post canon Newises fic that takes place about a month and a half - two months after the strike. It’s going to be a bunch of short character studies of Jack and Katherine from outside perspectives. This segment is 756 words!!

Linguistic and trigger notes:

Extremely brief mention of domestic abuse. Not meant to be taken as something that’s happening to anyone, just as a thing that Race knows exists.

Kivvutz - rough guess at the form of the word here, if anyone can correct it please let me know. The modern form is ‘kibbutz’, but the first one, which was formed in 1914 was named ‘kvutzat’, so I’m kind of taking a guess. Refers to a socialist farming commune.

goyische - nonjewish. Used here to mean Christian.

kvetch - a kind of habitual complaining

kvell - habitual bragging, usually about someone else

shul - synagogue

Jack never complained. Not for himself.

Jack didn’t complain about the Refuge, even when he barely slept. Jack didn’t complain about the shoulder he’d injured in one of his escapes, even when he could barely move it. Jack didn’t complain about Race spending so much time in Brooklyn, even though it got more and more dangerous to come home every day he spent there.

Jack talked about things, sure. He talked about things he wanted, even. He did that all the time. He wanted out of New York, except he didn’t, really. He wanted a kivvutz, and his brothers safe, and for no one to die like his parents had. He wanted socialism and sunsets and paint and someone to share it with, because it wouldn’t really be socialism if he didn’t share those sunsets, would it?

Race could swear Crutchie’s goyische optimism had infected Jack since they’d been sleeping right up next to each other for so long. He’d never say it to Jack, but he’d once almost made the crack to Hildy that he had a hard time believing Jack was still Jewish seeing as how he didn’t kvetch or kvell and got coffee from nuns more than he went to shul.

It made it hard to get a grip on how things were going in Jack’s life, because he never complained. Jack could be eating two bites a day, sleeping in the gutter, half his bones broken and all of them done by his sweetheart and Race and Crutchie would have to get to him while he was asleep to even know what was happening.

Race knew that way, way too well.

“Hey,” Spot’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “You just lost three hands in a row. What’s eating you?”

Race looked up at him over his cards and grinned. “How nice your arms looks.”

“Bullshit.”

“What, I can’t appreciate how you looks when it’s just the two of us and-”

“You’s barely looked at me all game,” Spot retorted. 

Race made a face and threw his cards on the table. They were bad cards, anyway. Make that four hands - damn, he really was bad when he wasn’t counting, wasn’t he? It was a good thing he and Spot had stopped playing for money when they’d started dating. “Thinking about Jack.”

Spot put his cards down too, face down. “He can take care of himself.”

“Yeah, I knows.” Race picked at his nails. “I dunno, something don’t feel right.”

“Did something happen?” 

“Naw, not yet, I just - I gots a feeling. You knows?” Race wished he could put it into words.

“About Jack?” Spot asked.

“Sorta,” Race admitted. “About - you’s gonna hate me.”

Spot’s face softened. “I could never hate you.”

Race smiled, and tucked this moment in time away in his memory for later. “Well, you’s gonna be mad at me.”

Spot shrugged. “Indulge me?”

Race liked it when he did that. Anyone else, Spot would tell them, and they’d obey. Race, he asked, and Race agreed. “Katherine.”

Spot tilted his head, watching Race, or possibly something in the cracked mirror that hung on the wall by his head. Everything about Spot’s tenement was deliberate. The bed, pulled out from the wall, so neither of them was trapped in a corner. The window beyond the bed, with nothing below it, so Race could come in knowing how to get down but anyone who’d never been inside would fall. The crates for sitting on, and storing things they weren’t supposed to have. The washing stand and its mirror, across from the door, so that Spot would know who was coming in no matter where he was sitting.

Six months ago, when Spot had moved in, Race had polished that mirror until it was shiny as new. It hadn’t lasted long in the grime and dirt of a dockside tenement, but Spot had deserved something nice, and Race had been having a bad week with work. The room had seemed so strange then, empty and small, nowhere near big enough for one person after living on the streets for so long, never mind two of them. The idea of Spot’s lieutenants all meeting here to talk work had seemed even more crowded. Now, the room felt as if it had grown, filled with stolen gifts and bits of taxes Spot had kept, along with the things needed for living. Spot made it seem bigger, just by existing.

“Did she do something now?” Spot asked after several moments.

[jordmacwriting]

That’s My Kid Sister-{r.h. x kelly!reader}

Author’s Note: hey y’all! this is a Race x Kelly!Reader(which y’all probs knew bc it’s there in the title...) anyway...hope y’all enjoy!

Masterlist

Requested: yes!

Request: “Racetrack x reader where the reader is the younger sister of Albert/Jack/JoJo and Race is SO in love with them but they’re like super oblivious and they tease each other and stuff but the older brother is SUPER protective” by @newsieswearingheelies

Warnings: v grumpy and angsty Jack Kelly(it’s probs pretty cringy how angsty and protective he is)

Word Count: 2272

You were Jack’s little sister. He was a good older brother, always helped you find food and shelter, and he was very protective. You always wanted to go to work with him and sell papes with him, but he didn’t want you to go, he was scared you were going to get hurt. You were the last piece of the family he had and if you got sent to the refuge, he would be heartbroken.

You had begged him for months to go work with him, and finally, on your sixteenth birthday he caved.

You practically dragged him to the boys, who looked surprised to see you-as if he had never mentioned you before. The only boys that weren’t shocked to see you were Crutchie and Davey, whom you had met on several occasions.

“Hi (Y/N),” Davey said, coming up to you. “I see Jack gave in to your pleads.”

You smirked at Davey. The other boys looked at you, afraid to say anything to you.

“They’re not always this quiet, right Davey? The way Jack described them, they always seemed rambunctious and full of life,” you looked at all the boys. “These are not da boys he described.”

“It might be because of your brother.”

Davey spun you around to face Jack, who was staring all of the boys down, as if warning them that if they came near you, he’d hurt each and every one of them.

“Jack, stop scarin’ them.” you said and lightly punched your brother on your shoulder.

Jack broke his stare and looked down at you and smiled.

“Sorry, it’s just, they can be flirts, the whole lot of them, and I don’t want them hurtin’ ya. I mean, you’re my kid sister.”

“Jack, you’ve got nothin’ to worry ‘bout. None of them are gonna hurt me.”

You smiled at the boys, and you’re eyes locked with a blonde who had blue eyes that glittered underneath the morning sun, a cigar in his mouth. He looked at you, and the cigar nearly fell out of his mouth, leaving you snickering.

“Here, let me introduce ya to da boys.” Crutchie said.

You met all the boys, going down the line and shaking each of their hands and giving them a smile. They wondered if this was really Jack’s little sister. At the end of the line stood the blonde, trying to quickly fix his hair, deciding if he should put his cigar in his pocket or in his mouth once more.

You soon made it to the end of the line, where the blonde stood straight and tall, his cigar placed neatly in his pocket.

“(Y/N), this is Racetrack.” Crutchie said.

You quietly said hi and stuck out your hand to shake his.

Race looked scared to say hi or to touch your hand when you shook his.

“Hey Racer!” Jack said. “Come o’er here!”

Race’s eyes filled with fear as he walked over to Jack. You watched as he walked away and wondered what was making him so shy.

“Yes Jack?”

“I need ya to be (Y/N)’s selling partner for a while, show her da ropes. Can ya do that?”

“Yes, of course Jack.” Race said bluntly.

“And Racer,”  Jack got close to Race. “Ya hurt that girl, or she get’s hurt while you’re helpin’ her, ya will be sorry.”

Race nodded at the words Jack had said, terrified of what Jack would do to him if anything happened to his kid sister.

Race knew however, that he would do anything to protect you. The boy had fallen fast for you.

Months had passed. You were one of the best newsies-well that’s what Jack would say at least. Rae and you were still selling partners, and the boy had warmed up to you after the first week of selling. The two of you soon became best friends. But you had become close with all of the boys. You lived at the lodge with your brother, but instead of staying in his “penthouse”, you slept in the bunks like the rest of the boys. How Jack let you sleep in a room with twenty plus boys, you had no idea.

Race became your number one confidante, other than Davey. After a couple days of working together, you soon found you had feelings for the boy, something you had only told Davey, but something everybody could tell. And everybody noticed that Race had feelings for you, something that was completely over your head.

The two of you always teased each other, and he often flirted with you, but you knew that he was a flirt. Jack had told that about Race to you when you started working.

Race was also terrified of Jack, only flirting with you when he knew Jack was around. He really liked you, but Jack’s threatening words preyed upon him. He knew he’d have to be careful about his feelings.

It didn’t help that whenever you weren’t around, the boys would tease him about you. He would quickly punch the guys if Jack came into the room. If Jack heard about his little crush, Race knew he was a goner.

You were out working by yourself when Race came up to you and tossed his arm around your shoulder.

“Good mornin’ doll.” he said, his cigar between his fingers and a smile on his face.

“Good mornin’ Higgins.” you continued to try to customers attention.

“Listen, I was thinkin’ doll, that you and I, we could get lunch….today.” Race said, removing his arm from your shoulder and taking your hand in his, his thumb going over your knuckles.

You felt yourself blush and looked up at him.

“Sure Race, that sounds…”

“Anthony Higgins!” you were cut off  by your older brother. “Get your sorry self over here.”

Race let go of your hand and walked over to Jack. You slowly walked away to sell your papes, running into Davey.

“Are you good (Y/N)?” Davey questioned.

“My dumb brudder...he ruins everythin’.” you explained what had just happened, how Race was just asking you out...and holding your hand.

“Ya know, it could have meant nothin’, Davey. He probably was just flirtin’ with me like he flirts with all his customers…..maybe it’s a good thing Jack yelled at him.”

“(Y/N), I don’t think that’s the case. We all think Race really likes you. Jack’s just scared to have you close to him, since he is a flirt. But maybe, just maybe he really cares about you.”

During the time you and Davey were talking, Race feared for his life.

Jack looked ready to punch him the moment he walked over to him.

“Race, ya can’t near my sister like that anymore. Ya can’t just flirt with her ‘cause she’s givin’ ya attention. What if….what if she likes ya, and you’re just flirtin’, nothin’ more. You’d crush her, and then I’d have to crush ya Race,” Jack cracked his knuckles in between statements. “She’s gonna start sellin’ with Elmer or JoJo, or I won’t let her sell anymore. But she can’t sell with ya anymore.”

Race had no words, until Jack started to walk away.

“Jack, I care ‘bout (Y/N) more than ya could understand. I’d never do anythin’ to hurt her. Ya can’t keep her away from me. Ya can stop her from sellin’ with me, but that won’t stop me from carin’ for her, and if she cares for me, ya know that ya can’t stop her from bein’ ‘round her.”

Jack turned away, his fist ready to punch Race. Race started to cower away, scared that after this, he’d never see you again. What he had just said, could have put him in deep trouble with Jack.

“You’re not gonna sell with her. You’re not gonna go near her. Ya won’t talk to her. Ya won’t flirt with her. I don’t care that ya like her, Race. I know you’re a good guy, but I can’t have ya hurt her. ‘Cause it’s destined to happen,” Jack fumed. He got closer to Race, rage circulating through his face and he pushed Race with his pointer finger. “Ya got that Race?”

Race nodded and Jack walked away to sell his papes. Race wondered what he’d do now, now that he couldn’t even go near you.

Weeks passed. Race kept his distance, making you go crying to Davey, saying that you knew Race didn’t have feelings for you. He didn’t even acknowledge your presence. You became selling partners with JoJo, and you weren’t as happy as you were when you were selling with Race.

One night, you decided it was time to confront Race. The boys were all playing poker in the bedroom, except Race.

“Albert,” you hissed.

“Yes, (Y/N)?” he replied.

“Where’s Higgins?”

“Up in his usual spot. I’ll make sure Jack doesn’t see ya.”

Race had a special spot, just like Jack did. You snuck out of the lodge, the boys all distracting Jack.

You headed to the balcony where Race was. You knew he was there, as you could see smoke puffs in the dark.

You climbed up the ladder leading to the balcony, and soon found him. He was paying attention to the sky. He wished he could see stars, but the night was cloudy.

“Race….”

He was silent. He puffed some smoke into the sky, ignoring your presence. Jack had told him that he couldn’t talk to you, and for his life and for your sake, he was going to listen to Jack.

“Race, you’ve been ignorin’ me for three weeks. Did I do somethin’?”

He was silent again. He held onto his cigar, it was distracting him from your voice.

“Oh come on Race. Ya can’t just ignore me foreva. I’m not goin’ anywhere,” you sat down at his feet. “I’m not leavin’ ‘til ya tell me why ya ain’t talkin’ to me anymore.”

He continued to smoke his cigar, not saying anything to you, trying to ignore your presence. But he knew that your (Y/E/C) doe eyes were looking up at him. He wanted to look at you, but he was scared that if he did, he wouldn’t be able to control himself, and then Jack would hurt him.

But you, you had enough of Race not talking to you. You pushed yourself up to him, where he fiddled with his cigar. You snatched it from his hand, hoping to get a reaction. But nothing.

“Anthony Higgins, ya can’t ignore me. What did I do that made ya not talk to me for three weeks!” you raged.

He looked at you, his glittering blue eyes locking with yours, like the day you had first met. He knew he couldn’t control himself. But he’d been waiting months for this.

He grabbed your face and pulled you towards him, lips connecting.

You couldn’t believe this, you were finally kissing Race. You stood still, not sure what to do-the kiss was such a surprise, but you kissed back.

It was as if the whole world disappeared completely.

Until….

“Anthony Higgins I’m gonna kill ya!” Jack screeched.

You pulled away, looking at Race, who had terror in his eyes. Jack was rushing up to the both of you, and as he reached the both of you, you stood in front of Race.

“Race, I told ya…..I told ya, if ya go near my kid sister...I’d hurt ya,” his face was red. “You’re gonna hurt her….I told ya...not to do this.”

You had never seen your brother like this, so pent up with rage.

“Jack! I’m not a child anymore. Ya can’t control what I do.” you said sternly.

“Yes I can! Ya can’t work with me anymore. Ya can’t live in the lodge anymore. Ya have to come up to my roof every night. Ya have to find a different job, a safe job, where he,” he pointed at Race. “Isn’t near ya.”

“JACK!” you yelled. “Did ya threaten Race? Did ya tell him he couldn’t go near me?”

“Yes, I….I did. But it’s only ‘cause I don’t want ya to get hurt. I don’t want ya to find yourself in trouble…...you’re the last one I’ve got left (Y/N)....what if...what if ya got hurt so bad, that it was just me?” Jack said, stuttering. He was scared of you for once.

“Jack, I know you’re worried ‘bout me….but you’re not gonna lose me. Ya can’t be so protective of me.”

“I...I know. I’m sorry Race. I’m sorry sis.”

He wrapped you up into a hug. Race stayed frozen in his spot.

“It’s just...we lost ma and dad...and I don’t want to lose ya. Why do ya think Ise been so protective ya?”

“I know Jack...I know.”

The two of you continued to hug for a while until Jack pushed you away.

“Race, why don’t ya tell her...why don’t ya tell her what ya told me.”

Jack crawled off the balcony, leaving you and Race alone again.

“Listen…(Y/N), I’m really sorry Ise stopped talkin’ to ya. It’s just Jack said that I couldn’t ‘cause he was scared I was gonna hurt ya….but (Y/N), I’d never hurt ya. I love you….I love you a lot.”

You looked into his deep blue eyes, and wrapped your arms around your neck.

“Race...I love you too.”

You found the two of you in another kiss. He picked you up and spun you around, leading to you smile during the kiss.

Down from the balcony, the boys cheered, and Jack looked up at the both of you, knowing he wouldn’t have to worry.

tag// @newsieswearingheelies @ben-cook-can-cook

[astraea-writes]

Sacrifice- Davey Jacobs x Reader

So sorry for the quick scene changes and silly ending, but I'm drowning in ap homework and wanted to get this out tonight

Requested!

"Strike! Strike! Strike!" was all that could be heard in Newsie Square. Dozens of kids were fighting policemen and thugs, throwing punches that never resulted in impact, suffering blows to their stomachs and their pride. Yells and grunts were clouding Daveys mind as he frantically searched for you in the crowds. "Y/N!" He called, racing towards you, shoving people out of his way as he grabbed your hand and pulled you out of the reach of a goon. The two of you ran together until you reached a safe place. "Davey, we have to get back out there! They need our help!" You argued as he begged you to get as far away as possible. "I need you safe" he argued "I need you to get away. And take Les, I can't have the two of getting hurt!" "Davey Jacobs. I am going to be alright. They need us out there fighting. We have to have their back or this whole thing is pointless" you told him, grabbing onto his shoulders, getting him to take a deep breathe and focus on you. He slowly nodded. "You're right. They need us. See if you can find Crutchie, yeah? I'll grab Les and once this is over we'll meet at our selling spot alright?" You nodded, pulling him into a hug and then taking off into the riot. Davey followed behind. You dodged carts and flying newspapers as you searched for the sources of Crutchies screaming. It was getting louder and louder as you turned corners and you were nearly in tears looking at your friends. When you found Crutchie, he was facing two goons and Snyder the Spider himself. Climbing up the nearby fire escape, you called his name and threw rocks you had picked up, nailing all three in the head. You threw anything you could find, screaming at them to come and get you, and you thanked God it was enough to get them away from Crutchie long enough for him to take one out with his crutch. You jumped down from the escape and tried to run past Snyder, hoping to get him away from the Newsies, but as Crutchie went to work on the other thug, you ran out of taunts and small objects to throw, resorting to your fists. "Crutch! Run!" you yelled behind you as he started to come to help you. You were sprinting like mad, tripping as many of Pulitzers men as you could while avoiding collisions but Snyder caught up to you. As you tried to turn back, several men appeared behind you and had you surrounded. You screamed for help as they grabbed you, and Crutchie tried to reach your voice, but the kid was just too slow. "Take her, boys." Snyder ordered. "Let's see how the newsies do without their little firecracker" Pulled by the hair, you were led to the carriage set for the refuge. "Crutchie! Davey!" You screamed as loud as you possibly could, but with your running and their pulling, you were well out of reach. "Davey! Davey! Help me somebody help me!" you were fighting through tears now, as they threw you in and took off before someone could come save you. Crutchie had ran back to the center of the fight as quick as he could, calling for anyone to come help. Davey heard his name being shouted and looked up to see Crutchie in tears, and he felt a lump in his throat as Crutchies face said it all. "Dave, they got her. She's being taken to the refuge right now" he gasped, breathing painfully. Everything went into slow motion for Davey as he punched a man lunging for him square in the jaw, knocking him out cold and took off in the direction Crutchie had come from. He sprinted until he could only hear his heartbeat in his ears and saw your carriage disappear into the horizon. He fell to his knees and fought back tears as he watched you being taken to hell.

When Davey had finally gathered the strength to stand and make his wy back, The fight had dispersed and the Newsies had scattered, bandaging wounds and drying up tears on every rooftop nearby. "This means war boys" Davey called out to every newsie remaining. "I propose a meeting. A rally. Where every newsie has a chance to speak. We will not rest until we get freedom! Justice! Equal rights!" he screamed, trying to channel his anger but really just ending in choked out tears.

The rest of the Newsies didn't comment on it. Crutchie had told them everything. And they knew that you were the only thing keeping Daveys head on straight. You were his go to, his best friend, and the love of his life. And they knew better than to question or challenge him when it came to you.

Days went by before Davey finally tracked the missing in action Jack Kelly to the theatre. He told Jack about the rally, and asked him to be the first speaker. "Davey, you look like you haven't slept in days man. It's pointless. We lost. It's better to give up before we lose everything." Jack sneered. "You don't know, do you?" Davey asked quietly, filling up with every emotion he had been pushing away the past few days, focused on the rally. "Know what?" "They took her, jack. Y/N is at the refuge and I will not stop until she and everyone else come home." The silence was defeating. "Y/N is a tough girl. She can make it." Jack said after a moment, turning back to work on his painting. Davey marched over to him and turned Jack forcefully, meeting his eyes. "I've seen the pictures, Jack! She's in there with no food and no water and no one telling her she's gonna be okay! Excuse me for not wanting to stop until she's safe! But unlike you, I don't just give up and accept the way things are! So I can't give up, because I've already lost everything! " Davey yelled. "Oh really?" Jack yelled back. "You don't give up? You? Because as I recall, you gave up a long time ago. Every newsie in New York knows you love her. Have since the moment you met her, right? Did you ever do something about it Dave? Or did you just give up and accept it? You ever think that maybe if you told her how you felt she wouldn'tve gone off without you? Don't lecture me on giving up Dave! And you know what the kicker is? She loves you too! But you're too blind to see it, lying to yourself saying she doesn't want you. But guess what! You're lying to yourself that there's nothing there and you're lying to yourself that this rally is gonna make a difference!" Davey was silent. And then his fist met Jacks nose. The boys fell to the ground, wrestling and punching each other, ripped away by Miss Medda.

"Boys!" she yelled, and that was enough to make them both hang their heads in shame. Sensing things had calmed down, she left for them to work it out. "You're right." Davey said after a moment, sitting down on the stage. "I love her, jack. You gotta help me get her back" Jack nodded. "Then I'll do the rally." The two boys shook hands and went off to enlist Katherine and the Newsies for their project. Apologies were never uttered, nor were they needed. Because there were more important things at hand. You. "....and one more thing," Governor Roosevelt smiled. The fight was finally over. The Newsies had won. "I believe a very special girl needs to come home" Davey looked up at the Governor, and Jack winked at him from his place next to Roosevelt. Davey turned from the front of the crowd to hear applause and cheers from his friends. The boys parted, leaving Davey staring ahead, where you stood on the other side of the street. You were smaller and more weary, but you couldn't have looked more beautiful to Davey. "Did you miss me?" You smiled, and Davey ran towards you, pulling you into a hug as you ran to him as well. His hand buried in your hair and the other pressed against your shoulders as he held you close. You pulled away after a moment, and his hand went from the back of your head to your cheek. You placed your hand on his. "I thought you were gone." He choked out, barely above a whisper. "Never," you reassured him. "You can't get rid of me that easily" Davey suddenly smashed his lips onto yours, bringing his other hand down to your hips as you wrapped your arms around his neck. "I love you. I love you" he muttered against your lips in between kisses as the rest of the Newsies hollered and cheered. "It's about time lovebirds!" Jack called from above, and the two you smiled. It took a revolution to admit it, but the two of you were soulmates, always were and always will be. No thug or fear would ever keep the two of you apart again.

Thanks for reading! I write everything on mobile so sorry for the formatting and lack of editing! Requests are always open!

[migrately]

Cruise Confessions: The Ultimate Beach Day in Hamilton Island, Australia

The view from Black Watch after arriving at Hamilton Island

It’s a new day on our world cruise on board Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Black Watch so it’s time for a new port. Today we’re in port in Hamilton Island, Australia and that can mean only one thing. Sun, sand, water, and shopping.

The view from Black Watch over to Hamilton Island

Located 551 miles north of Brisbane, Hamilton Island is the only island located within the Great Barrier Reef. 

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Taking the Tender to Hamilton Island

Taking the tender

As Black Watch was anchored off the coast, passengers needed to take a tender in from the ship. Danielle and I  were anxious to spend the day at the beach and were ready to go in early after a quick breakfast at Glentaner. However, independent guests had to wait until those on tours went first. This completely makes sense, but for two sun worshipers waiting for their beach day, it was torture. Remember, we lost our beach day in Tahiti as well as when we lost the ports of Bora Bora and Rarotonga.

From the Tender to the Shuttle

Finally, our tender number one was called and we piled on in the boat and made the quick trek over to shore. From there it was a quick walk to the free shuttle around the island offered from the city. We jumped onboard and were able to see some great views and learn more about what was on the island.

Finally A Beach Day

Entrance to the beach

The second of the three stops the shuttle offers is at a beach resort at Catseye Beach and this is where we got out.

The beach at Hamilton Island

Within minutes we were walking along a white sand beach and I was quickly kicking off my flip flops and clothes to get in the water. As someone who isn’t fond of being seen in a bathing suit, it was so hot I just didn’t care.

Beach selfie

I twisted my red hair up and onto the top of my head and quickly found my way into the cool water.

Always Reapply Sunscreen

My view from the beach

This is where my story gets interesting. Before I left the ship, I liberally applied my Australian Gold suntan lotion.

Look who went in the water?

However, once in the water, I cooled off and dismissed the idea of reapplying. The sun didn’t feel hot, I ended up in partial shade thanks to the looming palm tree overhead, and I wasn’t that bothered by the sun.

This is what happens when you don’t reapply sunscreen

However, fast forward to that evening and my back, bum, and legs were a nice shade of bright red. That’s right – I was sunburned to a crisp. I even posted a pic on Facebook and got some interesting recommendations from holistic homeopathic to over the counter remedies. My solution was Australian Gold aloe vera gel which relieved the pain while moisturizing my skin.

Back to the Beach

Regardless of the sunburn, this was our best beach day thus far. Granted, it was our only beach day but still our favorite. Danielle was overheating so she found a little shade by the rocks. If I felt hot, I’d walk a few steps to the water. Nearby was a restaurant and stores if you wanted anything and Danielle picked me up a bottle of water and a slushee for herself.

A few hours later we felt we had enough sun and we went back to the shuttle stop for a ride back to the first stop. Little did we know it was basically down the hill and we could’ve walked.

Lunch Time

There are several stores and restaurants in the marina including take away shops like the Bakery or the Fish and Chips shop. When we were on the shuttle, I noticed the Marina Tavern with outside terraces so that’s where we ended up.

Marina Tavern

As we approached, we could see many cockatoos hanging out on the ledges all around the tavern. Several steps up and we were inside and looking over the menu.

Inside Marina Tavern

Guests order and pay at the bar and receive a pager to notify them when their meals are ready.

Veggie wrap, salad, and chips at Marina Tavern in Hamilton Island

Danielle ordered the calamari and chips with a side of aioli and I ordered the Tandoori  chicken wrap without the chicken. Clearly this is not something that’s usually done, so the supervisor on duty, Alice, had to check with the chef. So no tandoori but I had a mushroom wrap with salad and chips, which was really good.

Meanwhile outside on the terrace, someone didn’t watch their food and the cockatoos started gathering around. Soon it was a white swarm of birds and feathers and meals were destroyed and people were losing their minds. The next time you see a bird coming near your food, grab your plate and go instead of leaving a feast for a crowd of rowdy cockatoos.

Shopping in Hamilton Island

After lunch we decided to check out some of the boutiques like Salt and the General Store. Prices are definitely on the higher side but I was able to find a nice pair of Billabong shorts on sale with an additional 20% off so not too shabby. Danielle found a t-shirt at the General Store and before melting entirely, we decided to return to the ship.

Taking the Tender Back to Black Watch

Taking the tender back to Black Watch (image courtesy of CruiseMiss.com)

To get back to the ship, we would need to get on a tender. Since Hamilton Island is fairly small, locating where the tender was located was simple.

Taking the tender back to Black Watch (image courtesy of CruiseMiss.com)

We didn’t have to wait at all as a tender was waiting and we quickly climbed on board.

The view from the tender as we head back to Black Watch

Always looking for the best seats for pics, we chose seats near the entry and soaked up the sun and the breeze once we started moving. Our tanned feet looked incredible against the blue waters of Hamilton Island.

Black Watch anchored off Hamilton Island

Black Watch anchored off Hamilton Island

Since it was a quick ride, we spotted Black Watch right away waiting for us.

A “Skinny Jack” after my day in Hamilton Island

Soon we were back on the ship and getting ready for dinner. But before dinner we enjoyed a drink on the deck before sail away. My latest drink choice is a simple one: Vodka, sparkling water, and lime, which is also known as a “Skinny Jack.” 

Sail away party on Black Watch as we leave Hamilton Island

While I enjoyed my drink, other passengers lined the aft decks to enjoy the sail away party festivities. This including music, dancing, and drinking. I have to admit that I tend to watch to enjoy the bad dance moves. Yes, I know. I’m a horrible person.

Dinner and A New Member to the Family

Danielle and I quickly changed out of our beach clothes and showered for dinner. This is when I could really appreciate the severity of my sunburn and so could everyone else.

Whit – the newest member of the animal menagerie

After dinner we went up to see some of our cruise friends on deck 8 and that’s where we had a lovely surprise. Denise and Christian had purchased for each of us a cute little stuffed turtle that had “Cruise Whitsunday” on their bellies. Since she knew I was a cruiser and of course, Danielle is the one and only CruiseMiss, it seemed like the best gifts ever. I’ve named mine Whit and Danielle’s turtle is Hamilton. They now join Sydney the Australian Gold koala bear and Callao the alpaca in our cabin. Seems like our cabin is turning into a wildlife refuge.

Final Thoughts on Hamilton Island

Without a doubt, I’m so glad that Black Watch has the port of call of Hamilton Island. I had never heard of it before and I’m not sure I would have ever sought it out if I had. While we were hoping to get to Whitehaven beach, which is rated one of the best beaches in the world, I had an incredible beach day with my BFF and wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world. If you are looking for sun, sand, water, and shopping, then you should consider a visit to Hamilton Island as well.

Have you visited Hamilton Island? Can you suggest any other destination in Australia that you found equally exciting? Leave your comments below. Discover some other great destinations and travel ideas here on the Travel Shop Girl website.

  On my new SPONTANEOUS TRAVEL SCALE of 1-5, with 1 being super easy and spontaneous and 5 being you better plan far in advance, Hamilton Island scores a 3 for spontaneous travel as it might be difficult to get to on short notice, but once there, I promise you won’t want to leave. 

While Australian Gold has provided me with sunscreen products, as always all opinions and photographs, unless otherwise noted, are my own.

The post Cruise Confessions: The Ultimate Beach Day in Hamilton Island, Australia appeared first on Travel Shop Girl.

Cruise Confessions: The Ultimate Beach Day in Hamilton Island, Australia published first on https://medium.com/@888MigrationServices

[jifsy]

Cruise Confessions: The Ultimate Beach Day in Hamilton Island, Australia

The view from Black Watch after arriving at Hamilton Island

It’s a new day on our world cruise on board Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Black Watch so it’s time for a new port. Today we’re in port in Hamilton Island, Australia and that can mean only one thing. Sun, sand, water, and shopping.

The view from Black Watch over to Hamilton Island

Located 551 miles north of Brisbane, Hamilton Island is the only island located within the Great Barrier Reef. 

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Taking the Tender to Hamilton Island

Taking the tender

As Black Watch was anchored off the coast, passengers needed to take a tender in from the ship. Danielle and I  were anxious to spend the day at the beach and were ready to go in early after a quick breakfast at Glentaner. However, independent guests had to wait until those on tours went first. This completely makes sense, but for two sun worshipers waiting for their beach day, it was torture. Remember, we lost our beach day in Tahiti as well as when we lost the ports of Bora Bora and Rarotonga.

From the Tender to the Shuttle

Finally, our tender number one was called and we piled on in the boat and made the quick trek over to shore. From there it was a quick walk to the free shuttle around the island offered from the city. We jumped onboard and were able to see some great views and learn more about what was on the island.

Finally A Beach Day

Entrance to the beach

The second of the three stops the shuttle offers is at a beach resort at Catseye Beach and this is where we got out.

The beach at Hamilton Island

Within minutes we were walking along a white sand beach and I was quickly kicking off my flip flops and clothes to get in the water. As someone who isn’t fond of being seen in a bathing suit, it was so hot I just didn’t care.

Beach selfie

I twisted my red hair up and onto the top of my head and quickly found my way into the cool water.

Always Reapply Sunscreen

My view from the beach

This is where my story gets interesting. Before I left the ship, I liberally applied my Australian Gold suntan lotion.

Look who went in the water?

However, once in the water, I cooled off and dismissed the idea of reapplying. The sun didn’t feel hot, I ended up in partial shade thanks to the looming palm tree overhead, and I wasn’t that bothered by the sun.

This is what happens when you don’t reapply sunscreen

However, fast forward to that evening and my back, bum, and legs were a nice shade of bright red. That’s right – I was sunburned to a crisp. I even posted a pic on Facebook and got some interesting recommendations from holistic homeopathic to over the counter remedies. My solution was Australian Gold aloe vera gel which relieved the pain while moisturizing my skin.

Back to the Beach

Regardless of the sunburn, this was our best beach day thus far. Granted, it was our only beach day but still our favorite. Danielle was overheating so she found a little shade by the rocks. If I felt hot, I’d walk a few steps to the water. Nearby was a restaurant and stores if you wanted anything and Danielle picked me up a bottle of water and a slushee for herself.

A few hours later we felt we had enough sun and we went back to the shuttle stop for a ride back to the first stop. Little did we know it was basically down the hill and we could’ve walked.

Lunch Time

There are several stores and restaurants in the marina including take away shops like the Bakery or the Fish and Chips shop. When we were on the shuttle, I noticed the Marina Tavern with outside terraces so that’s where we ended up.

Marina Tavern

As we approached, we could see many cockatoos hanging out on the ledges all around the tavern. Several steps up and we were inside and looking over the menu.

Inside Marina Tavern

Guests order and pay at the bar and receive a pager to notify them when their meals are ready.

Veggie wrap, salad, and chips at Marina Tavern in Hamilton Island

Danielle ordered the calamari and chips with a side of aioli and I ordered the Tandoori  chicken wrap without the chicken. Clearly this is not something that’s usually done, so the supervisor on duty, Alice, had to check with the chef. So no tandoori but I had a mushroom wrap with salad and chips, which was really good.

Meanwhile outside on the terrace, someone didn’t watch their food and the cockatoos started gathering around. Soon it was a white swarm of birds and feathers and meals were destroyed and people were losing their minds. The next time you see a bird coming near your food, grab your plate and go instead of leaving a feast for a crowd of rowdy cockatoos.

Shopping in Hamilton Island

After lunch we decided to check out some of the boutiques like Salt and the General Store. Prices are definitely on the higher side but I was able to find a nice pair of Billabong shorts on sale with an additional 20% off so not too shabby. Danielle found a t-shirt at the General Store and before melting entirely, we decided to return to the ship.

Taking the Tender Back to Black Watch

Taking the tender back to Black Watch (image courtesy of CruiseMiss.com)

To get back to the ship, we would need to get on a tender. Since Hamilton Island is fairly small, locating where the tender was located was simple.

Taking the tender back to Black Watch (image courtesy of CruiseMiss.com)

We didn’t have to wait at all as a tender was waiting and we quickly climbed on board.

The view from the tender as we head back to Black Watch

Always looking for the best seats for pics, we chose seats near the entry and soaked up the sun and the breeze once we started moving. Our tanned feet looked incredible against the blue waters of Hamilton Island.

Black Watch anchored off Hamilton Island

Black Watch anchored off Hamilton Island

Since it was a quick ride, we spotted Black Watch right away waiting for us.

A “Skinny Jack” after my day in Hamilton Island

Soon we were back on the ship and getting ready for dinner. But before dinner we enjoyed a drink on the deck before sail away. My latest drink choice is a simple one: Vodka, sparkling water, and lime, which is also known as a “Skinny Jack.” 

Sail away party on Black Watch as we leave Hamilton Island

While I enjoyed my drink, other passengers lined the aft decks to enjoy the sail away party festivities. This including music, dancing, and drinking. I have to admit that I tend to watch to enjoy the bad dance moves. Yes, I know. I’m a horrible person.

Dinner and A New Member to the Family

Danielle and I quickly changed out of our beach clothes and showered for dinner. This is when I could really appreciate the severity of my sunburn and so could everyone else.

Whit – the newest member of the animal menagerie

After dinner we went up to see some of our cruise friends on deck 8 and that’s where we had a lovely surprise. Denise and Christian had purchased for each of us a cute little stuffed turtle that had “Cruise Whitsunday” on their bellies. Since she knew I was a cruiser and of course, Danielle is the one and only CruiseMiss, it seemed like the best gifts ever. I’ve named mine Whit and Danielle’s turtle is Hamilton. They now join Sydney the Australian Gold koala bear and Callao the alpaca in our cabin. Seems like our cabin is turning into a wildlife refuge.

Final Thoughts on Hamilton Island

Without a doubt, I’m so glad that Black Watch has the port of call of Hamilton Island. I had never heard of it before and I’m not sure I would have ever sought it out if I had. While we were hoping to get to Whitehaven beach, which is rated one of the best beaches in the world, I had an incredible beach day with my BFF and wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world. If you are looking for sun, sand, water, and shopping, then you should consider a visit to Hamilton Island as well.

Have you visited Hamilton Island? Can you suggest any other destination in Australia that you found equally exciting? Leave your comments below. Discover some other great destinations and travel ideas here on the Travel Shop Girl website.

  On my new SPONTANEOUS TRAVEL SCALE of 1-5, with 1 being super easy and spontaneous and 5 being you better plan far in advance, Hamilton Island scores a 3 for spontaneous travel as it might be difficult to get to on short notice, but once there, I promise you won’t want to leave. 

While Australian Gold has provided me with sunscreen products, as always all opinions and photographs, unless otherwise noted, are my own.

The post Cruise Confessions: The Ultimate Beach Day in Hamilton Island, Australia appeared first on Travel Shop Girl.

Cruise Confessions: The Ultimate Beach Day in Hamilton Island, Australia published first on https://medium.com/@GoShopMalaysia

[shahrzada-blog]

♘ MEDIA INSPIRATION ♘

CHARACTERS MENTIONED: Rose DeWitt Bukater (Movie: Titanic); Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (Historical Figure); Princess Lia (Literature: The Remnant Chronicles); Kestrel (Literature: The Winner’s Trilogy)

♘

ROSE DEWITT BUKATER (TITANIC)

Jack: Rose, you’re no picnic, all right? You’re a spoiled little brat, even, but under that, you’re the most amazingly, astounding, wonderful girl, woman that I’ve ever known… Rose: Jack, I— Jack: No, let me try and get this out. I’m not an idiot, I know how the world works. I’ve got ten bucks in my pocket, I have nothing to offer you and I know that. I understand. But I’m too involved now. You jump, I jump remember? I can’t turn away without knowing you’ll be all right… That’s all that I want. Rose: Well, I’m fine… I’ll be fine… really. Jack: Really? I don’t think so. They’ve got you trapped, Rose. And you’re gonna die if you don’t break free. Maybe not right away because you’re strong but…sooner or later that fire that I love about you, Rose…that fire’s gonna burn out… Rose: It’s not up to you to save me, Jack. Jack: You’re right…only you can do that.

Molly Brown: [to the group who are dining at the same table] Hey, uh, who thought of the name Titanic? Was it you, Bruce? Ismay: Yes, actually. I wanted to convey sheer size, and size means stability, luxury, and above all, strength. Rose: Do you know of Dr. Freud, Mr. Ismay? His ideas about the male preoccupation with size might be of particular interest to you. Ruth: [whispering] What’s gotten into you? Rose: Excuse me. [She rises and leaves] Ruth: I do apologize. Molly Brown: She’s a pistol, Cal! Hope you can handle her. Cal: Well, I may have to start minding what she reads from now on, won’t I, Mrs. Brown?

Old Rose: I saw my whole life as if I’d already lived it. An endless parade of parties and cotillions, yachts and polo matches. Always the same narrow people, the same mindless chatter. I felt like I was standing at a great masterpiece, with no one to pull me back, no one who cared… or even noticed.

Rose: Teach me to ride like a man. Jack: [speaking with a southern American accent] And chew tobacco like a man. Rose: [trying to imitate the southern American accent] And spit like a man! Jack: What, they didn’t teach you that in finishing school?

Rose: [whispering to Jack] Next it will be brandies in the smoking room. Col. Archibald Gracie: [to everybody] Join me in a brandy, gentlemen? Rose: [whispering to Jack] Now they will retreat into a cloud of smoke and congratulate each other on being masters of the universe.

Rose: So you think you’re big tough men? [Rose takes Tommy’s cigarette and takes a pull] Rose: Then let’s see you do this. Hold this for me Jack. [lifts up her dress train] Rose: Hold it up! [Rose then slowly rises on her toes to complete a toe-stand] 3rd Class Woman: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Rose: I know what you must be thinking. “Poor little rich girl, what does she know about misery?” Jack: No, no, that’s not what I was thinking. What I was thinking was, what could’ve happened to this girl to make her think she had no way out?

Rose: Mr. Andrews, forgive me. I did the sum in my head and with the number of lifeboats times the capacity you mentioned, forgive me, but it seems that there are not enough for everyone aboard. Thomas Andrews: ‘Bout half, actually. Rose, you miss nothing, do you?

Ruth: Do you understand me? Rose, I forbid it. Rose: Oh, stop it, mother. You’ll give yourself a nose bleed.

Rose: Jack… Mister Dawson, it’s been a pleasure. I’ve sought you out to thank you, and now I have thanked you. Jack: And even insulted me. Rose: Well, you deserved it.

Rose: You know, my dream has always been to run away and become an artist. Living in a garrett poor but free! Jack: You wouldn’t last 2 days. Theres no hot water and hardly any caviar.

♘

GRAND DUCHESS ANASTASIA NIKOLAEVNA OF RUSSIA (HISTORICAL FIGURE)

❝ Anastasia Nicolaievna, on the other hand, was very roguish and almost a wag. She had a very strong sense of humour, and the darts of her wit often found sensitive spots. She was rather an enfant terrible, though this fault tended to correct itself with age. She was also extremely idle, though with the idleness of a gifted child. Her French accent was excellent, and she acted scenes from comedy with remarkable talent. She was so lively, and her gaiety so infectious, that several members of the suite had fallen into the way of calling her “Sunshine,” the nickname her mother had been given at the English Court.

In short, the whole charm, difficult though it was to define, of these four sisters was theirextreme simplicity, candour, freshness, and instinctive kindness of heart. ❞ —Pierre Gilliard, Thirteen Years at the Russian Court

❝ The youngest of the four daughters and destined by history to become the most famous, Anastasia, said one courtier, was “quite unlike any of her sisters, with a type of her own.” Lili Dehn, one of the empress´s closest friends, called Anastasia “pretty” but noted that “hers was more of a clever face.” Her hair was dark blond with a slight golden tinge, and her features ‘were regular and finely cut.’ Above all else, it was her gray-blue eyes - “of great luminescence,” as Tatiana Botkin, daughter of the imperial family´s chief physician, Eugene Botkin, recalled - that attracted attention, vibrant “wells of intelligence,” according to Dehn, that were constantly moving and glowed with mischief.

This impression - that with Anastasia mischief was always lurking just beneath the surface - was one that the little girl herself cultivated from an early age. Perhaps, as the youngest of four girls and the least important of five children, she consciously grasped at opportunities - no matter how inappropriate - to assert her individuality, for she was certainly very different from her sisters in behaviour and temperament. There was something altogether irrepressible about her spirited energy, as if she knew no boundaries and feared nothing. Her aunt and godmother Grand Duchess Olga Alexanrovna nicknamed her “Shvibzik” (Imp), an Anastasia fully lived up to the designation. From an early age, said Dr. Botkin´s youngest son Gleb, Anastasia “undoubtedly held the record for punishable deeds in her family, for in naughtiness she was a true genius.” ❞  —Greg King & Penny Wilson, The Resurrection of the Romanovs: Anastasia, Anna Anderson, and the World’s Greatest Royal Mystery

♘

PRINCESS LIA (THE REMNANT CHRONICLES)

❝ I had always hidden my fears from others with sharp talk and bold gestures. How many times had she seen me trying to tame my breathing in a dark corridor of the citadelle after a nasty encounter with the Scholar when he told me I was deficient in my studies, social abilities, or any number of things where I fell short of what was expected. Or the many times I stood frozen at my chamber window blankly staring at nothing at all for as long as an hour, blinking back tears after another curt dismissal from my father. Or the times I had had to retreat to my dressing chamber and lock the door. I knew Pauline had heard me cry. The last few years, I hadn’t measured up in any way, and the more they pushed, molded, and silenced me, the more I wanted to be heard. ❞ —Mary E. Pearson, The Kiss of Deception

❝ “Ancients pulled metals more precious than gold from the center of the earth—they spun into giant lacy wings that flew them to the stars and back.” “Is that what you’d do with wings?” She shook her head. ‘No, I’d fly to the stars, but I’d never come back.’ ❞ —Mary E. Pearson, The Kiss of Deception

❝ DARKNESS WAS A BEAUTIFUL THING. THE KISS OF A SHADOW. A caress of soft as moonlight. It had always been my refuge, my place of escape, whether I was sneaking onto a rooftop lit only by the stars or down a midnight alley to be with my brothers. Darkness was my ally. It made me forget the world I was in and invited me to dream of another.❞ —Mary E. Pearson, The Beauty of Darkness

❝ My emotions weren’t blinding and explosive, as they had been back then, but were now tight and contained, like an animal pacing behind the cage of my ribs. ❞ —Mary E. Pearson, The Beauty of Darkness

♘

KESTREL (THE WINNER’S TRILOGY)

❝ “I like riddles,” said Kestrel. “Tell me one.”

“There is a riddle that I simply cannot figure out,” said the lady sitting next to Maris. “It is: I leap without feet to land, my cloth head is filled with sand. I have no wings, yet try to fly…what am I?”

Kestrel helped herself to some cream. She wasn’t angry anymore. The truth was that she, like her father, knew how good it felt to cut with certain weapons. She took a whitened sip of chocolate, the cream cool and pillowy against her lips. “Maris knows the answer to that riddle,” she said.

“I?” said Maris. “Not at all. I cannot guess it.”

“Can you not? The answer is a fool.”

Maris’s smile wilted. There was a silence broken only by the delicate clink of Kestrel setting her cup on the tray. She gathered her white furs about her and swept away. ❞ —Marie Rutkoski, The Winner’s Crime

❝ …Kestrel had a knack for working her fingers through schemes, and sometimes she pulled the strings, and sometimes she tugged at the edges until she uncovered something she shouldn’t. ❞ —Marie Rutkoski, The Winner’s Crime

❝ “I don’t mind being a moth. I would probably start eating silk if it meant that I could fly.” ❞ —Marie Rutkoski, The Winner’s Crime

❝ “My character seems contradictory.” “Why?” “I don’t think you can be manipulative and kind at the same time.” He laughed. “You can.” ❞ —Marie Rutkoski, The Winner’s Crime

❝ Once there was a girl who was too sure of herself. Not everyone would call her beautiful, but they admitted that she had a certain grace that intimidated more often than charmed. She was not, society agreed, someone you wanted to cross. She keeps her heart in a porcelain box, people whispered, and they were right.

She didn’t like to open the box. The sight of her heart was unsettling. It always looked smaller and bigger than she expected. It thumped against the white porcelain. A fleshy red knot.

Sometimes, though, she’d put her palm on the box’s lid, and then the steady pulse was a welcome music. ❞ —Marie Rutkoski, The Winner’s Kiss

❝ “She could be useful.”

“You will not use her.”

“The general’s daughter? We’d be fools not to. You talk about her as if she’s made of spun glass. Know what I see? Steel.” ❞ —Marie Rutkoski, The Winner’s Kiss

[violetwolfraven]

Touch x5

No one asked for this but y’all can’t stop me. Basically 3 people who experience the Newsies habits involving physical touch, (and why specific individuals touch each other) 1 who is reintroduced to it, and 1 who completely misreads what it means.

Warnings: Uh... period-typical homophobia/internalized homophobia, referenced physical abuse, PTSD, brief mentions of injuries I guess?

...

x1

Les thought the atmosphere that was created by most or all of the Manhattan Newsies (plus a couple of Brooklyn boys, occasionally) was exciting.

He’d always had friends back in school, but his old buddies weren’t like this. They didn’t randomly jump up against a building to vault off it and do a backflip just to hear the cheers and laughter of their friends. They didn’t check each other over carefully whenever someone was hurt. They didn’t take a second to stop and ask if you were okay if you did anything that indicated you might be sad.

But mostly, Les’s old friends didn’t touch each other as much as his new ones did.

Back in school, it had always been ‘hands to yourself,’ except when they were playing tag or football. But with the Newsies, it was a constant stream of friendly touches. Les was always getting his hair ruffled or his shoulder squeezed or his arm punched in a friendly way and he loved it. He even loved the way one Newsie would take his hat off so another could slap him with theirs if he said something stupid.

Les was well aware that in school, it wasn’t that way because... well, that would be weird. You didn’t just sling your arm around your friend for an entire conversation or jump on their back and cling there until there was a risk of falling over just to surprise them. You just didn’t.

But you did with the Newsies. You didn’t question it. You just did.

Les thought it might be about the way everyone reacted after the strike, when everyone was in pain and those who were in a little less were helping those who were in a little more. Les vaguely remembered Race rubbing his arms to try to calm him down and flicking his nose in a friendly manner before quickly setting his broken wrist with a stick and some stray strips of fabric and telling him not to take it out of the sling until it didn’t hurt anymore, plus a day, just to be safe.

And after he was okay—well, not crying anymore and more okay than a lot of others were—Les noticed how even when all of them were covered in cuts and bruises that would probably just hurt more if touched, the stream of physical contact didn’t end. No, it just got a little more gentle, taking away the fearful adrenaline and helping everyone feel safe.

Kid Blink still leaned against Mush’s knee despite his bruises, sitting in front of the crate the other boy was on. Les knew that the only people around to see in the alley all the Newsies were clumped together in between some dumpsters as they patched each other up enough to move back to the Lodging House were each other, but that didn’t make it any less surprising when Mush stopped stroking Blink’s hair and leaned down to kiss the top of his head.

Les knew even most of the other Newsies didn’t touch each other that way, so he guessed maybe ‘best friends’ wasn’t a term that applied well to the pair.

Well, confusing as that may be, Les didn’t see how it could be anything but natural in a group that made each other feel safe even while most of them were hurt.

...

x2

Sarah knew not a lot of girls sold newspapers, and sometimes she asked Davey to go grab her papes to avoid the Delancey brothers’ comments, but she certainly enjoyed this more than her old factory job, and besides, now there was room to make friends.

All of Davey’s new friends were fun, but at first Sarah thought they were a bit handsy, with the way someone was always clapping her on the back or bumping her shoulder or grabbing her hand just to squeeze it before running off to their spot. But then she figured out that they acted like that with everyone, and they always stopped if she asked them to, and it wasn’t just because she was a girl around their age.

It took some getting used to, but Sarah eventually found it just another part of her day. It became routine; block Jack’s hand before he could mess up her hair, let Mike and Ike adjust her form when they teach her some self defense, throw her arm around Jojo to stop girls from flirting with him so he doesn’t get uncomfortable... it was easy. Physical contact was written in everything the Newsies did. It was as essential as breathing.

And then there was Katherine, and Katherine didn’t have as much time to hang around the group, but she’d joined it around the same time Sarah did, and was just as new at all of this.

Katherine’s red hair shined in the sun and her hands were always gentle when she helped a little one patch up a scraped knee and Sarah really wanted to hold her hand but she wasn’t sure if Katherine would be okay with that, with how the reporter often brushed away Jack’s and Romeo’s touches as annoying.

And since Sarah spent practically every day with the Newsies, she knew their gossip better than Katherine could. She knew that several pairs of them were... more than friendly, even being the same gender, and while it wasn’t safe, the group didn’t care. Sarah had no intention of telling anyone that she was attracted to girls, but she was. She understood what they felt but didn’t know if Katherine would even want to be her friend if she knew.

But then one day, Katherine was hanging around the girls’ corner of the Lodging House, where Sniper and Smalls slept and had a couple spare blankets to drape down from the top bunk so the boys couldn’t see them change, and Sarah found out that the reporter didn’t mind at all.

Sniper was leaning upside down over the edge of the bunk, trying to win a bet and shoot a can set up on one of the boy’s beds, when Smalls very suddenly kissed her, making her miss her shot, though Sarah noted that Sniper didn’t seem to mind that much, just content to keep doing what they were doing.

Katherine’s only reaction was to roll her eyes and smile, swatting Smalls with a newspaper and complaining that she’d cheated. And when the short brunette fell backwards next to Sarah sitting on the next bunk over, Sarah was glad that it was acceptable to reach over and squeeze Smalls tightly in her excitement.

...

x3

When Katherine first started hanging out with the Newsies, she’d figured out pretty quick that touch was their love language, and not even in a romantic way, for the most part. Touching each other was how they made sure each other were okay and how they showed their brotherly bond. It was beautiful to Katherine, if very different from how Bill, Darcy, and all the other men she’d grown up with expressed affection.

For the Newsies, it was the most natural thing in the world to celebrate a good headline by grabbing the nearest friend and dancing a messy little do-si-do, or to huddle together on a cold day. Not a one of them bothered with social conventions that men weren’t supposed to show affection, and definitely not by touching each other constantly.

But that was how the Newsies worked, and Katherine couldn’t say she was sorry that they adopted her effortlessly, incorporating her into their existing friendship like she’d always belonged there.

Katherine liked waking up early to meet them at the gates for a bit of hangout time before work started. She liked meeting Davey halfway for a one-armed hug, or dodging Jack and Romeo’s joke-flirting only to let them clasp her shoulder in greeting, or making up a new secret handshake with Race because they both forgot the one they made last time.

Actually, it was through Race that Katherine learned how some of the touches between certain Newsies weren’t just about friendship.

She was meeting him over at Sheepshead, since supposedly he had a scoop on one of the trainers sabotaging other people’s horses, though Katherine was a little skeptical about if he’d actually found anything or was just over-dramatizing things.

She’d turned a corner to the place under the stands where Race usually was when he took a break from selling, only to find not only her good friend Racetrack Higgins, but Spot Conlon, and well... even for the Newsies, being pinned against a wall while someone kissed you senseless wasn’t a platonic gesture.

The two jumped apart the second they saw Katherine, and Race tried to say that it wasn’t what it looked like, but Katherine assured them that she wasn’t going to tell anyone, but wanted to know if the Newsies were okay with that kind of thing; being in a relationship with someone of the same gender.

Race was puzzled, but responded that, yes, the fellas were fine with it, and that various combinations of their group had courted at one point or another, with several pairs currently together. Spot chimed in to report that even a few inter-borough relationships happened, his and Race’s being one of them.

That fact known, Katherine felt absolutely no guilt when Medda put on a special show after hours just for the Newsies as a one-time thing, and Katherine put her arm around Sarah near the beginning of it, the two of them more or less cuddling for the duration of the show. And she definitely wasn’t complaining when a love song came on, and Sarah gently turned her face up so her lips could meet Katherine’s.

Somehow, the fact that Jack had seen and told pretty much everyone didn’t embarrass Katherine too much. Or maybe she just enjoyed the playful camaraderie of her friends coming up to congratulate her with a handshake or a slap on the arm.

...

x4

Crutchie had always known that his friendship with the other Newsies worked differently than a lot of friendships, but he’d never really registered how differently until he was forced to go without it.

In the Refuge, there was no Jack helping him get down a ladder, or Romeo offering a one-armed hug as a good morning, or Finch ruffling his hair when he predicted the weather. Even being new, Crutchie noticed the sore absense of any kind of positive contact between anyone. Even boys who claimed to be friends never touched unless they absolutely had to.

No, contact was limited to Snyder and the guards giving a beating, or someone roughly shoving their way down the hallway because they judged those in front of them too slow, or a hard slap against a limb to try to jostle for more space on the bed or get someone’s foot out of their face.

The only remotely positive interactions Crutchie got were sympathetic grimaces from a boy who saw his bruises, or an only slightly grumpy hand handing him his crutch, but those things were not even close to what he was used to and not nearly enough after years of nearly constant friendly contact from boys he considered his brothers.

Then Crutchie was released, and he got back that contact he’d been hanging onto the memory of, but somehow it wasn’t how he remembered it. He suddenly couldn’t let Race throw an arm around his shoulder to greet him in the morning. He couldn’t accept a double-hug from Mike and Ike when there was a good headline or keep from flinching when Jack tried to make sure he didn’t fall on the way down from the Penthouse.

Crutchie didn’t understand. He’d spent his time in the Refuge missing this and now he could barely take any of it? It didn’t make sense.

When he tried to explain to Jack, the older boy just smiled sadly and nodded in understanding. He said that he’d gone through that when he first got out; not being able to let anyone touch him for a while. Jack still couldn’t handle people touching his left shoulder unexpectedly, but they all had little triggers like that. Random touches or tones of voice paired with specific words that couldn’t be used. Crutchie just didn’t understand why he seemed to be triggered by practically everything.

But Jack said to give it time. To let this get better with time and just try to be patient with himself.

And slowly, with help from the other Newsies, all of whom were willing to do whatever they had to do to help as best they could, Crutchie did get better.

Maybe not all of his scars could completely heal with time, but Crutchie was getting better. Now, when Davey patted his shoulder before they parted ways selling or Romeo leaned up against him while dramatically describing his latest failed romantic venture, most touch could feel as normal as it had before he’d gotten taken.

...

x5

Davey had noticed the Newsies as very physically connected people even before he’d been one of them. That was to say he’d noticed them playing around, putting each other in headlocks and even one guy casually riding on another’s shoulders from the first morning he’d started selling.

And as much as Davey enjoyed this dynamic once he started getting included in it and got used to someone always touching him, it made it that much more painful, knowing that a certain friend of his touched everyone he cared about like that.

Davey had never fallen in love before, so he kind of missed that he did at first, before realizing that what he was feeling for one of the Newsies was everything he’d read in books that involved love. From thinking about him constantly to getting butterflies whenever he saw his smile, Davey couldn’t deny that he felt something more than simple friendship.

Unfortunately, Jack Kelly happened to be a boy, which made him completely unattainable, even if it made Davey felt like sparks were flying every time he touched him, and he had to remind himself that it didn’t mean a thing.

It didn’t mean anything that Jack practically picked Davey up in his excitement when there was a really good headline and he hugged him and spun around. It didn’t mean anything when he grabbed Davey’s face to check him for injuries after they got out of a fight. It didn’t mean anything when there weren’t any spare chairs in Jacobis and Jack chose Davey’s lap instead of the table.

After all, he’d seen Race hug Spot much tighter when he got excited. Sniper always looked that worried when she checked Smalls over after a fight. Kid Blink sat on Mush’s lap even when there were free seats.

And it wasn’t like Albert didn’t kiss Finch on the cheek some mornings before mock saluting when they went off on separate selling routes, or laugh loudly when the taller boy sometimes pulled him back to whisper something in his ear while keeping one hand on Albert’s waist.

All that was to be expected of Newsie friendships. None of it was weird with them because... well, it just wasn’t. The fact that he loved those friendships so much was why Davey could absolutely not tell anyone that he’d fallen for his best friend. They would never understand. The others would hate him if they found out, not that Davey could blame them. Guys weren’t supposed to love other guys. Davey knew that, so as long as nobody ever found out, those friendly touches and friendships wouldn’t change and Davey would never lose them, right?

Wrong, apparently.

It wasn’t common that the entire group wasn’t together after a day of selling, but when one of those days came, Jack was painting a backdrop for Medda, and the rest of them were hanging out in the Lodging House, Davey personally watching Race beat everyone at poker.

“So, when is Jack getting back?”

It’d been an innocent question. Fair, for a best friend. Davey didn’t think anyone would suspect anything.

Instead, Race turned around to give Davey a smirk, “Why? Only been a few hours since sellin’ time! Missin’ ya boyfriend already?”

“What? My—“ Davey sputtered, “Jack is not my— why would you think—?”

“Please,” Spot said nonchalantly, “As if we all couldn’t see how you’se been crushin’ on him since day one.”

Davey’s breathing sped up as he realized what they were saying. They knew. They all knew.

“Whoa, Davey, are you okay?” Mush’s voice asked, sounding far away.

Davey couldn’t breath. He was going to lose them all. He didn’t have any other friends and now he was going to lose the ones he had. Everything felt like too much, from the press of the bedpost where he was gripping it probably too tight to the others voices, all overlapping and sounding too loud and too far away all at once. Davey sucked in breath as fast as he could but it didn’t seem to be enough. He still couldn’t breath. He couldn’t get enough air.

One voice cut through it all.

“Whoa, whoa, what’s wrong? Davey! Davey, are you okay?”

Davey flinched away from Jack’s touch, and the other boy stopped trying to grab his shoulders, his hands hovering halfway between Davey sitting on the bed and Jack crouching in front of him.

“Davey, I won’t touch you if you don’t want me to, but you need to try to breath, okay? Just take a deep breath with me. In... and out.”

Davey did his best, breathing in and out as Jack instructed, slowly managing to come down from his panic.

Jack looked around accusingly at the fellas, “Alright, who did this? What did alls you’se do?”

“We didn’t do anything!” Spot protested.

“Spot mentioned things ‘bout Davey bein’ queer,” Smalls said.

“Smalls!”

“What? I tells the truth, unlike you!”

Jack looked back at Davey, and found that the other boy wouldn’t look him in the eye. Why would he? Davey certainly didn’t want to look at the boy he loved whilst getting kicked out of the friend group.

“Don’t worry about it,” Davey mumbled, “If it’s okay with you, Les’ll keep selling, but I’m sure I can find other work.”

“What are you...” Jack seemed to realize something, “Dave, can I touch you?”

Davey was surprised he wanted to, but nodded.

Causing even more surprise, Jack didn’t put his hand on Davey’s arm or hand. Instead, he grabbed the taller boy’s chin gently and forced Davey to look at him.

“Dave, what do you see when you look over there?”

Davey looked where Jack was gesturing with the hand that hadn’t moved to Davey’s shoulder. He didn’t understand, but he looked.

Blink was sitting in the poker circle, on Mush’s lap as he leaned back against the other boy’s chest, somehow neither of them having looked at each other’s cards.

Smalls was on a bunk behind them, laying back with her head close to where Sniper was sitting, who was softly smiling as she stroked Smalls’s hair. Smalls was playing, but Sniper wasn’t.

Race had his legs tossed across Spot’s, and he occasionally leaned over to try to get a look at his cards, though the King of Brooklyn always pushed him back with a fond smile.

Finch was playing as a team with Albert as they didn’t have enough cards for everyone, and the latter was between the former’s legs as Finch rested his chin on top of Albert’s hair.

Katherine wasn’t playing poker, but she was perched on a bunk nearby, sitting very close to Sarah, who was looking at Davey like he was stupid for some reason.

Sarah only gave him that look when she was genuinely frustrated with him, and Davey stared his twin down, not sure what she was trying to get at, here as they tried to communicate with just their facial expressions.

“Uh, what’s going on there?” Jack asked.

“It’s a twin thing,” Mike answered.

“You wouldn’t understand,” Ike agreed.

Davey gave up trying to get whatever Sarah was trying to communicate and turned back to Jack.

“What am I looking at?”

Jack made a small noise of disbelief, “You really don’t see it?”

“See what?”

Jack huffed and dragged his hands through his hair, “So, why do you think we wouldn’t want to be friends with you anymore?”

“Because I’m... I like boys,” Davey admitted, “Why would you want to be friends with someone like that? You’re all such close friends, and—“

“You think we’re all friends?” Albert asked, sounding disbelieving.

“Of course you are. Why else would you be—“

“Davey,” Mush cut him off gently, “That’s not... we aren’t...” he made a frustrated noise, “I don’t do this with my friends.”

Davey was fairly certain his brain short-circuited out of surprise as Mush leaned down and full-on kissed Blink on the lips. Sniper wolf-whistled, but other than that, nobody had really any reaction.

As they separated, Blink shrugged with a smile, “He does that with me, though.”

Suddenly, a lot of things made a lot more sense, and Davey wondered how he’d never seen it before. Even Sarah... oh, God, how had he never noticed?

“Yeah, we don’t much care if ya like Jack’s ass,” Spot summed up.

Davey froze. He’d just accepted that the fellas were okay with him liking boys, but that didn’t mean he wanted Jack to know he liked him.

Especially since... especially since even if Jack didn’t care, he’d been with Katherine a while back, and Sarah for a bit afterwards. He liked girls. He wasn’t one of the ones like Davey.

But Jack just stifled a laugh, “You like my ass?”

“I wouldn’t put it like that,” Davey mumbled, “But yeah, I... I have feelings for you. I have for a long time. And it’s okay that you don’t feel the same.”

Davey made a point not to meet Jack’s eyes. He didn’t want to know what the other boy’s expression was, because even if he wasn’t disgusted by Davey liking boys, he might be by Davey liking him specifically, and even if he wasn’t, he might feel guilty for rejecting him, and Davey didn’t want him to hurt like that or at all and—

“Why would you think I don’t feel the same?”

Jack’s words were soft in a way Davey had never heard before, and gentle in a way that he had never expected to have meant for him.

Davey looked up in surprise, meeting Jack’s eyes and finding that his expression was gentle and almost... loving?

“You were with Katherine,” Davey stuttered, “And... and Sarah. You like girls.”

He was finding it very hard to think as Jack ever so slowly leaned closer, laughing lightly.

“And that means I can’t like boys?”

“Well...” Davey’s brain melted as Jack leaned his forehead against his own, the gentle pressure sending fireworks through his mind.

“It just so happens, I like you a lot, too,” Jack said quietly, “And in case you still don’t get it...”

Jack pressed a small kiss to Davey’s lips and Davey felt warmth pass through him in a flash.

“I love you, Davey Jacobs.”

Davey took a shaky breath, not quite believing his ears, but responding anyway.

“And I love you, too, Jack Kelly.”

This time, Davey kissed him first, and he certainly didn’t feel Jack protesting as the shorter boy kissed him back.

It wasn’t until Sniper wolf-whistled that Davey remembered there were other people in the room. He hid his face in Jack’s shoulder as the room full of their friends actually applauded.

“Okay, okay!” Jack called, waving his hands around for emphasis, “You’se can collect ya bets now, but leave me and my boy alone, hear? We’ll be in my Penthouse if anyone needs me.”

As they left the room, several Newsies clapped Davey on the shoulders or ruffled his hair in encouragement, all calling out their congratulations.

Yeah, Davey decided that in a sea of friendly touches and a few more than friendly touches, he was happy.