#jack and race dumbass crusade

[sun-kissed-star]

Hey Twitch, babe. Can I uhhhhhh get some more Jack and Race being dumbasses pleaseeeee

ah yes

the gremlin children

trigger warning: punching

“No, c’mon, kid. You gotta put your thumb outside your fist. Tuck it in and you’re gonna break it.”

Jack stopped inside the door to the bunk room. Les was sitting on Albert’s bed, swinging his feet, and Race was standing in front of him. He had a pillow tucked under his arm and two fists out in front of him, reared back as if about to strike.

“Yeah, there ya go!” Race said, nodding eagerly as Les made a fist with his own hand. “Okay, good. Now you’re gonna swing as hard as ya can. Just punch the pillow.” He held the pillow in front of his face, grinning over it at Les. “Give it your best shot, kid.”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Jack said, running forward. Race froze, his head whipping around, and Jack took the chance to grab the pillow and use it to whack Race on the head. Race shoved him. “What the heck do you think you’re doin’?”

“I’m teachin’ Les, my ol’ buddy, ol’ pal,” Race looped an arm around Les’ neck over the railing of the bunk, “how to pack a punch. In case he runs into trouble while he’s sellin’.”

“Yeah!” Les said, pushing Race’s hand away and bouncing up on his knees. “I’m gonna punch Morris in the nose!” He threw a fist out at the air and kicked his leg out. “It’s gonna be cool.”

Jack caught his fist, then hit Race on the head again. “C’mon, Racer,” he said. “Ya know better than that.”

“Jack!” Race and Les whined their protests in unison, and Race clamped a hand over Les’ mouth to steal the spotlight. “You taught me how to fight when I was nine. The kid’s ten now. Don’t be a Davey, Jackie, let him learn!”

Jack rolled his eyes. “I was gonna say that you ain’t teachin’ him right,” he said. “You really tryin’ to outshine the master, Higgins?”

“I was, too, teachin’ him right!”

Jack ignored him and pulled Les down from the bed, setting him on the floor. “Alright, Les,” he said, kneeling down in front of him, “here’s what you’re gonna do. This idiot’s right, keep your thumb out, but you also gotta make sure…”

“Fifty papes,” Morris said, shoving a stack of papers into Davey’s chest. “For the little rat from the richer side of town.” He leaned in closer and dug his hand into Davey’s shirt. He was making it pretty clear that it would be one of those days, and Jack made a mental note to pair up the people that sold closer to the Delanceys. “You think you’re so special, Jacobs? Had to start a strike right under our noses?”

“Hey!” Les shouted, squeezing under Davey’s arm. He crossed his arms and puffed out his chest, leaning up on his toes to get in Morris’ face. “Leave him alone, ya weasel!”

Morris barked out a laugh. “What’d you just say to me, kid?”

“Just callin’ it how I see it,” Les said. He jabbed a finger at Weisel, sitting on the other side of the desk and ignoring the horror dawning over Davey’s face above him. “Guess he ain’t the only weasel here, huh?”

“Les!” Davey hissed, grabbing him under the arms. “Go away, now. Go over with Romeo and Specs.”

“Yeah, why don’t ya listen to your precious big brother, pipsqueak?” Morris sneered. “Unless you wanna get caught barely breathin’ wh-”

Les hauled forward and nailed him in the mouth.

It was like everyone in the distribution center froze at the same time. Heads turned as the line near the front of the desk went silent. Morris’ eyes went wide, and he slowly brought a hand up to rub his jaw, staring at Les’ glare like he’d grown two heads.

“Don’t talk ‘bout my brother like that,” Les said. He spun on his heel, patting Davey on the chest as he left. Davey turned to watch him go, and as soon as Les hopped up on a paper wagon, he closed his eyes and felt his fists ball around his bundle of papers.

“Jack Kelly,” he said, teeth clenched tight enough to break the second jaw of the day, “Racetrack Higgins, you have three seconds to explain why my ten-year-old brother just threw a punch.”

Sure, he was just guessing Jack and Race had a good few things to do with it, but when he opened his eyes, they were standing in the back by the gates, smiles sheepish and faces white.

Yep, Davey thought, a deep sigh escaping his lips loud enough to be heard down in Brooklyn, I’m never doubting my gut again.

TAG LIST

@booksbroadwayandbagels @tis-my-cigar  @harrynerd  @crutchieee-morris  @seizetheimagines @juliet-the-smol @got-the-east-side  @i-got-personality  @internalscreaming012  @voice-foundshoe-lost  @capncrutch @thatfancyclam  @not-your-cigar  @jjjudeshitposts  @orphan-with-a-stutter @disney-princess-sized  @perpetualbedheadspier @bexlynne  @we-dont-sell-papes @the-woild-is-my-what-now  @you-thinks-wrong-romeo  @pitiful-ambitions  @purplelittlepup @imjusttheoutgoingsidekick @damn-too-many-fandoms  @cattt420  @ben-cook-can-cook @thedolanspineapple @racescoronas@awwwwwwdang @bencookisagod @carryingthedaveyjacobs @disasterbisexualhere @maiawakening @hopeful-broadwaybaby  @racetrackcook  @aw-jus-let-em-try @suddenly-im-respecsable @the-dance-boi  @jessmuell25 @intoomanyfandomstopickaname @be-more-chill-evan-hansen  @marcusisaprettygay  @insane-tomato @tomscaprisun

[all-hail-the-witcher]

sprace with number 3?

ah yes, the embodiment of sprace 

credit to @well-the-kids-do-too for the Jack and Race Dumbass Crusade

#3 I may be an idiot, but I’m not stupid

____________

Davey was out of town and had put Spot in charge as the “substitute mom friend.” Usually, Spot wouldn’t have cared. But today he was not in a very good mood, and ontop of that his boyfriend was trying to sneak out of the apartment to good something unspeakable with Jack.

“Antonio,” Spot sang from the kitchen were he was sitting at the island, typing away at his computer. 

Race, who had been in the process of opening one of the living room windows to go out on the fire escape, froze. “Yeah Spot?”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Um, to, uh, get milk?” 

Spot sighed, shutting his laptop lid. “Then why don’t you use the door like a normal person?”

“Cause, it’s, uh, well i thought it wasn’t working and...”

Spot smiled, he totally had him. “Why wouldn’t our door be working, Race?”

Race muttered several curse words. “Um, I’m not sure...?”

“Racer,” Spot laughed. “I may be an idiot, but I’m not stupid. I know you’re trying to go to Jack’s to do something insane and I have strict orders from mom friend himself to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“But Spoooot,” Race whined.

“I don’t care, Race. You’re staying right here where I can keep an eye on you.”

[atleastputinsomeeffortinuroc]

Rant/Review: Detective Conan Movie 21: The Crimson Love Letters --AKA-- Pointless

I’m back to talk about Detective Conan…again.

I know I’m beating a dead horse by continuing to harp about how this show is just mind numbingly bad. I mean, I already did one of my review/rants about the show’s hypocrisy, as well as trudging through 20 movies and rating all of them. I really should just let this show die and stop talking about it.

But I won’t. Mainly because I feel like everyone else just gives it a pass for some reason. Nobody acknowledges these issues that are so obviously blatant, and the show just keeps getting away with it. Perhaps it’s because nobody gives a shit about it, I don’t know. But I do. I care about some of these characters, and I’d like to see the show reach its full potential, and as such, I’m gonna continue my grand crusade to kill this beast until it finally keels over.

With all that being said…let’s talk about the Crimson Love Letter. I watched it out of necessity (hell, I’ve seen all twenty movies, what’s one more gonna do?) and I was…floored. Somehow, someway, The Crimson Love Letter was the WORST Detective Conan movie out of ALL of them. Quite the statement, I know. But hear me out.

Let’s talk about the movie first. What is it about?

An old love returns for a tournament where bombs are placed everywhere, and it’s up to Conan and Heiji to stop them all the while Kazuha and the former love get into a spat because apparently Heiji proposed to the girl as a child and now the two are basically having a little match and whoever wins gets to profess their love ala the beginning race of Kingdom Hearts I. Sounds simple and innocent enough, right?

Well, here’s the thing.

If it already wasn’t a clear rip-off of two of its other movies hastily duct-taped together (Crossroads and Eleventh Striker with its focus on Heiji’s relationship and a race against the clock with some kind of sports event,) it does…nothing.

The Crimson Love Letter is the one movie thus far that not only has accomplished nothing (which some of the other movies have done,) but it has nothing interesting or good going for it. Granted, most of these Detective Conan movies seem to have that little issue where they basically amount to NOTHING in the grand scheme of things, and accomplish all of jack and shit in terms of character development, interesting story, or anything else in particular in favor of simply returning to the status quo—but this one just rubbed me in ALL of the wrong ways. For one, it’s a Heiji movie. Already, I’m not a fan. But what’s more, it’s a Heiji episode…that doesn’t do fucking ANYTHING WITH HIM. You have this basic love triangle bullshit thing thrown in the story for no real reason because…because fuck you we needed a movie and it’s not like we did this same exact plot oh wAIT I TOO REMEMBER CROSSROADS (unfortunately.) Again--that’s the thing with this movie! It feels like it’s been already DONE before. It’s Eleventh Striker and Crossroads had a kid and that kid just sat in the corner and did NOTHING. That’s not to say you can’t do another Heiji movie again, or another movie revolving around a sport event--BUT AT LEAST DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Both Striker and this have bombers (granted, a lot of these movies have that...I’m just saying the bomb thing is getting boring for these movies,) and both Crossroads and this have the same shtick with beating it into your head that Heiji and Kazuha are meant for each other (though, by the end, nothing ever comes of it.)

Everything that could have had POTENTIAL is LOST. New layers to Heiji and Kazuha’s relationship? NOPE. By the end, even though love is KIND OF expressed (it’s not really sure) the relationship they had before has gone NOT A SINGLE STEP FARTHER THAN IT DID AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MOVIE. What’s MORE, let’s talk about this competition the girls go through because my GOD does it piss me off. Like, ok, remember that comparison I made to the race with the beginning of Kingdom Hearts I? Well, you wanna know why it worked there and not here? THEY WERE KIDS. They were kids who didn’t KNOW any better. Sure, it’s a bit different since it’s the girls fighting over the man, but that sure as hell ain’t making this dumbass ritual of fighting over a mate fucking progressive. Remember how Ran’s character basically sets women back a decade? LET’S SEND EM BACK A CENTURY WITH THIS BULLSHIT. They’re acting like CHILDREN fighting over some douchebag with their endgoal SIMPLY BEING that they want Heiji to MARRY THEM. What is MORE, there is NOTHING MORE TO THEIR CHARACTERS.

That one girl that he “confessed to” (by the way, you can tell from second one that it’s going to turn out that he didn’t and it was a misunderstanding—but it’s not going to be addressed until the end because “conflict” is hard to write) has the personality of…nothing. She had no character. She is simply “I want to marry Heiji” and that is it. That is her only character trait that defines her, aside from MAYBE a close relationship with the teacher of whoever taught her that card game? But even THEN, it’s never expanded upon save for being shoved in at the end. Again, I couldn’t tell you the first thing about her.

But that’s all side shit. What about the meat of this thing, right? The murder and intrigue?

Well, there isn’t any.

What there is is hard to follow and keep up with since they throw so many characters at you that are so unmemorable that they begin to meld together. By the time the reveal rolls around, I am just begging for it to end. And believe me…this motive and everything done to get to the point of it…is REALLY FUCKING DUMB. “I lost a private card game where there was no money involved, and there was nothing to be lost by anything so I HAVE TO KILL YOU.” That’s one of the motives of one of the crimes committed in this stupid movie. No, I’m serious. Then there’s the current crime happening with the bombs that, honestly, I couldn’t give less of a shit about. There was so little to hook onto like in previous flicks like Captured in Her Eyes or Quarter of Silence with the colorful cast, that every time they talk about the murder, you’re just BEGGING for the movie to end.

As for the action scenes, they are so lacking in tension because you do not give a shit about the characters and you KNOW that they’re gonna make it out unscathed, that you, once again, are just left sitting there, staring at the screen and waiting for it to fucking END.

There is NOTHING interesting about this movie, save for maybe one thing. Heiji’s mom. She’s actually introduced in this movie (unless she was previously in the show, and I didn’t know,) and she’s such a welcome change of pace of just being this total bitch with a purpose for like five minutes in a montage, that when she leaves, you’re sad to see her go. She’s like this badass female version of Mr. Miyagi that comes in and leaves halfway through the movie. Everyone else is just…SO FUCKING BOOOOOOOORING. HELL, KOGORO AND AI SHOW UP FOR LIKE…MINUTES AND AREN’T EVEN SEEN FOR THE END. SHIT, I DON’T EVEN THINK I REMEMBER KOGORO EVEN APPEARING IN THE LAST FUCKING THIRTY MINUTES OF THE MOVIE, AND AI WAS ONLY IN IT FOR LIKE TEN IN TOTAL! I know it isn’t their movie, or it isn’t about them—BUT THE REASON WHY THEY WORK IS BECAUSE THEY’RE THE ONLY ACTUAL CHARACTERS.

Ok. Maybe that’s not entirely fair. Kazuha kinda has one? But it is sure as shit not enough. She’s just like a more quick-tempered Ran, meaning that her constant state of mind is simply to whine about the boy she loves for an hour and a goddamn half.

In short, nothing was gained nor lost (save for my time), nothing was interesting about this movie in the slightest both in the murder aspect and in the card competition thing since I don’t know how the game works and it was all done mainly through montage, there were frames of animation that were…terrible (I thought one dude broke his arm,) the only real what I’d call ACTUAL CHARACTERS don’t even do anything in the movie (and there’s a scene where Conan is a COMPLETE DICK TO AGASA AND IT’S NEVER TALKED ABOUT AGAIN that I glossed over), and everything just lacks…effort.

At least Jolly Rodger had a cool treasure thing, as shit as it was. At least Crossroads had cool history shit and that one frame that was so memorable. This has nothing. And that, dear friends, is the greatest crime any film can ever commit. It accomplishes and delivers nothing. If the film actually delivered on the Heiji plot with him coming around to finally admitting his feelings towards Kazuha and their characters moving forward to some capacity in some WAY, then I’d maybe let some of this slide. It’d still have that sexist undertone with the whole “all I want in life is to be married” shtick, but at least it’d do SOMETHING.

Maybe that’s what got under my skin with this movie in particular.

My hope—my DREAM is that one of these movies actually DOES something. That something in a movie happens that shakes up the show for the better and makes it perhaps interesting to WATCH again. I am tired of these movies cheaping out and returning to the status quo, or doing something completely worse (which is what this movie did) and not even straying from the status quo—but instead just doing the same shit over and over again.

Give me a Detective Conan movie that has a main character DIE.

Give me a Detective Conan movie where Conan fails and it result in DEATHS that he can’t atone for completely.

Give me a Detective Conan movie where Heiji actually decides “no, I love you Kazuha” and proves to Conan that this pussy-footing around admitting your love for someone is only going to serve to drive them apart.

Give me a Detective Conan movie where something HAPPENS.

I don’t think that’s a request that should be that hard to ask for from a plot that the show deemed so important that they made it into a MOVIE.

As I said, somehow…this is the worst one I’ve seen thus far. I wasted a couple hours of my time watching this damn thing that I can never get back. I hope other people who like the show can at least understand WHY I’m getting tired of this shit. And I hope that they grow tired of it too, to be honest. Not because I want them to hate the show, because I’d hope that it might start a kind of change for the show to actually have a point again. To not be…pointless.

I guess I should continue the rating system, eh? ((2/10))

[sun-kissed-star]

can i get some race hcs

yea ofc! that’s my boy right there

sexuality headcanon

gay! also trans, i know that’s got nothing to do with sexuality but i just gotta throw it in there

otp

ralbert!!!!!

brotp

i’m the leader of the jack and race dumbass crusade, i have like 12 unfinished fics of Jack being a big bro or them just being idiots and i love that for them

notp

i’ve seen him shipped with everybody, but i don’t like him with Elmer. just not my cup of tea

first headcanon that pops into my head

he’s the kid in school that wears funky socks everyday, like ur sitting next to him in math class minding ur own business and he’s like “psssst. my socks have cats on them :)”

one way in which I relate to this character

super fidgety and seems kinda insecure and i felt that :(

thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

ben cook kicking himself in the face during seize the day

cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

u know he’s a problematic fave but honestly, it can vary from moment to moment

[sun-kissed-star]

alright twitch for the jack and race dumbass crusade i raise you “on a scale of 1-10 how bad do you think it would be if-” “at least a 20” (compliments of my pintrest writing folder)

okay okay i got this

“Jack!”

Jack tore his eyes away from the blank canvas in front of him as Race came barreling in. He’d been banging his head against the wall more than he’d been painting anyway. Maybe that was a sign he needed a break.

“What’s up, Race?” he said, brushing his hands together. 

“Okay, hear me out here.”

“That’s never a good sign.”

“Shut up.” Race shoved his shoulder, plopping down on the floor in front of him. “Okay, on a scale of one to ten, how bad do you think it would be if -”

“At least a twenty.” Jack picked up his paintbrush and turned back to his painting. 

“You don’t even know -”

“Don’t have to,” Jack said, not even looking up. “Get it out of your head. Any idea you have is a dumb one.”

Race nabbed the paintbrush and tucked it in his pocket. “Says the one that chugged three mugs of paint water yesterday ‘cause Crutchie said you couldn’t.”

Jack sighed. Damn. Begrudgingly, he turned back to Race, propped his chin up on his hands, and said, “I’m listening.”

“On a scale of one to ten, how bad do you think it would be if we recreated the Krispy Kreme vine?”

Jack leaned back against his canvas. “You might get kicked out.”

“Worth it.”

“If you break the sign, you’ll have to pay for it.”

“Also worth it.”

“If you crack your head open, I’m gonna say I told you so.”

“But I’m not.”

“Also, I get to film it.”

“Yeah, ‘cause you’re about as talented as an old man with a busted hip,” Race said, dipping his finger in an open can of purple paint and smearing it on Jack’s forehead. 

Jack swatted at him, tapping him on the nose with a blob of white. “Yeah, okay. I don’t see why not.”

Race grinned and clapped him on the shoulder, then leaned back on the floor and shouted, “DAVEY! Can you drive us to Krispy Kreme? We’ll bring back doughnuts for Les!”

There was a long pause, and then, from the other room: “No. You can’t recreate the vine you’ve sent to the group chat eight thousand times in the last three hours. But thanks for asking.”

TAG LIST

@booksbroadwayandbagels @tis-my-cigar  @harrynerd@crutchieee-morris  @seizetheimagines @juliet-the-smol @got-the-east-side  @i-got-personality  @internalscreaming012  @voice-foundshoe-lost   @capncrutch @thatfancyclam  @not-your-cigar@jjjudeshitposts  @orphan-with-a-stutter   @disney-princess-sized@perpetualbedheadspier @bexlynne  @we-dont-sell-papes @the-woild-is-my-what-now  @you-thinks-wrong-romeo  @pitiful-ambitions  @purplelittlepup @imjusttheoutgoingsidekick @damn-too-many-fandoms  @cattt420  @ben-cook-can-cook @thedolanspineapple @racescoronas@awwwwwwdang @bencookisagod @carryingthedaveyjacobs @disasterbisexualhere @maiawakening @hopeful-broadwaybaby@racetrackcook  @aw-jus-let-em-try @suddenly-im-respecsable@the-dance-boi@jessmuell25 @intoomanyfandomstopickaname

[all-hail-the-witcher]

what are some newsies blogs you recommend?

well hands down @aw-jus-let-em-try my fellow disaster like at this point if you follow one of us without the other wth are you doing and also fizz has that good content and fics even though she writes all of them at midnight and refuses to sleep

next up issss @well-the-kids-do-too captain of the jack and race dumbass crusade and official saph and twitch angst off winner even though she refuses to admit it. good fic bois but stubborn tree climber get dowwwwn

and then @hey-thats-my-leg-of-lamb literally like such nicely pretty fics I’m in Love I think I cried when randi asked to be on my tag list also 20/10 name

next we have @papesdontsellthemselves cause damn w r i t i n g g o a l s like yeeee all of the content I stan and literally fantastic at writing al as a confused high disaster somebody get this boi some fruity pebbles

and one more cause I gotta get up and do some stage makeup groan and it’s @thomasbeingthomas yeeee I love love love the hcs they’re so good and cute and yes just yes pop this babe a follow okay thanks 

there’s always more but I gotta get up and put on eyeshadow so

[all-hail-the-witcher]

a list of some of my favorite fics cause its fic authors appreciation day or something

the empty mason jar by @voice-foundshoe-lost

literally its so cute, I love how soft you made them and how race gives al a walkie talkie cause dyslexia ahhh its so soft so pure I love it youre a fantastic writer 

the blush content no one asked for by @heyjackyboyuh

wow oh my god, the nightmare mush has is so real like damn the first time I read it I thought blink actually died and just like damn its so well written wowie

I think ill stay by @aw-jus-let-em-try

so I already ranted about fizz ik but this is such a damn good story like alberts whole inner turmoil and flashbacks and stuff and race is just so patient yet still very in character as an asshole I love and I stan

this thing where jack and race accidentally kiss by @well-the-kids-do-too

argh it was so hard to pick a favorite because damn your writing issue good, but I love the jack and race dumbass crusade its so good and inventive and in character and I also screeched when I read the the first time

this thing where race breaks his toaster by @fameworks-quicker

oh wow this one this was so good like so in character like of course race would wander to alberts apartment to use his toaster at 5 and and the dialogue and the little nod to ralbert ahh I love yes

and theres more but I dont wanna dig through junk anymore 

but also shout out to @racetrackcook @be-more-chill-evan-hansen @elmer-s-s0cks @ben-cook-can-cook @fairly-awkward-trashcan @galaxy-trees13 and @spot-conlon-king-of-brooklyn for liking my stuff periodically and having great blogs and just being overall great people 

[sun-kissed-star]

jack n race who has to bust the other out of jail

i’m gonna name myself the official leader of the jack and race dumbass crusade

who steals french fries off the other’s plate

Race, he’s such a thief. He takes the whole thing and dumps it in his mouth when Jack isn’t looking

who jokingly moves in for the kiss when someone asks if they’re a couple

Race does because he’s literally the worst and Jack just shoves him away by the face

who has to bust or bail the other out of jail

They’re sitting in jail together. Davey busts them out.

who gives the other advice/comfort about dating issues

Disaster gay and disaster bi gotta stick together, they rant to each other

who shamelessly cheats at games by reaching over to cover the other’s eyes

Race cheats subtly so he doesn’t get caught and Jack covers Race’s eyes

who immediately calls dibs on the top bunk

Jack does, but he usually ends up falling off while he’s sleeping

who starts and who wins the pillow fights

Jack starts them but Race like. just ends up sitting on top of him. hitting him repeatedly with a pillow. Jack doesn’t go down without a fight so he refuses to stop even though he never wins

who says “your pants would look better on their floor” to the other’s potential crush

Bold Of You to assume both of them don’t do it

[sun-kissed-star]

If prompts are open (if they arent ignore this!!) im a sucker for baby newsies fluff w jack and race??

sure thing, babe! i’m sorry this took 4.6 million years. i wasn’t sure if you wanted Jack and Race with little kids or them as kids, so i just went with them as little kids. enjoy!

“Whatcha doin’?”

Jack went into defense mode and hugged the old newspaper he was sketching on to his chest as Race’s head popped up over the ladder.

“Hey, roof’s my space,” he said, swatting at Race with his free hand. “Get your own.”

Race shrugged and heaved himself up on the roof anyway, feet swinging against the side of the lodging house. “Yeah, but didn’t Bear tell ya you’re too young to be up here by yourself anyway?” He grinned, tongue poking out between his teeth. “I’m keepin’ ya company.”

Jack rolled his eyes, scooting back against the railing to keep his paper out of sight. “Yeah, well, Bear ain’t here,” he said. “And I’m ten. You’re eight, you’re the one that shouldn’t be up here.”

“Bear ain’t here,” Race said, lowering his voice as low as an eight-year-old’s could get to mock him. “And I just wanted to see what you’re doin’.” He pouted and cocked his head. “Don’t ya love me, Jackie?”

“No,” Jack muttered. “I should’ve just left ya on the streets.”

“Then consider this a thank you for draggin’ me here instead of leavin’ me to starve.” Race crawled closer across the roof. Crossing his arms, he stood up in front of Jack like he could actually be menacing if he tried. “Tell me what you’re doin’.”

There was no getting rid of this kid. Jack liked him enough, but he was loud, always had an unlit cigar in his mouth unless one of the older kids grabbed it from him, and just about every Manhattan kid in town had dragged him away from getting beaten to a pulp at least once. Sure, Jack was guilty of that last one too, but he had his reasons not to trust people.

“I’m just drawin’.”

Race’s nose wrinkled. “You’re doin’ that art thing again? Didn’t that lady Medda give ya her entire theater or somethin’?”

“Nah, she’s just lettin’ me use her paints and stuff.”

“Same thing.” Race crouched down next to him, tapping the back of the newspaper. “Lemme see. I’ll be your official art judge or whatever.”

Jack hesitated. He pulled the paper away a fraction of an inch to peek at it. The paint was blotchy and damp on the thin page. The hair wasn’t really much more than a blob of curled lines and the ears were more towards the neck than the sides of the head. He’d seen better in shop windows and on Medda’s theater walls. She’d told him he was a good artist and that he was only ten, that he would get better and he had a ‘big future ahead of him’ and ‘natural aptitude’, whatever that was, but he was starting to doubt that as Race stared at him, waiting.

“If I show ya, will you go away?”

“You’ve got a greater chance of me goin’ away if ya show me,” Race said, sitting back on his heels and holding his hand out.

Jack held off for another full minute, then his resolve was gone with Race’s half-promise for some alone time. Sighing, he gave in and handed the paper over.

Race eagerly held the drawing up to his face. He looked surprised for a second, and Jack watched him with rigid shoulders until he broke out in a smile.

“Is that s’pposed to be me?” he said, turning the paper over.

“Uh, yeah,” Jack said, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, it is. What do ya think, mister big ‘art judge’?”

Race pursed his lips, tracing his finger over some dirt Jack had drawn on paper-Race’s face. “I don’t like it.”

As hard as he tried not to let it show, Jack’s face fell. “Oh,” he said, reaching to grab it from Race’s hands. “Yeah, uh, it ain’t my best work. I’ll probably just throw it away, it’s not -“

“Hey, ya didn’t let me finish!” Race said, holding it out of arm’s reach. “I don’t like it. I love it.”

Jack groaned and shoved his arm.

“I’m serious!” Race said, shoving him back as he brushed the paper off. “Looks just like me!”

“So you’re sayin’ it’s ugly?”

“No, I’m sayin’ ya brought honor to me and my charmin’ face. Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll be able to make yourself look this good.”

It was the most Race compliment Jack had ever heard in his life, but it still made him smile. “Thanks, Racer,” he said, ruffling his hair.

“Yeah, yeah.” Race stood up, shaking his legs out. “I’ll get off your precious ‘penthouse’ now as long as I can do one thing.”

Jack raised his eyebrows. “What?”

“Keep this.”

“No way, it ain’t done and it ain’t even -”

Race twirled out of his reach. “I think it’s done,” he said stubbornly. “Please, Jackie? I won’t show no one.”

“But -”

“It really looks good. And I don’t got much for myself. Kinda the perks of livin’ on the streets, huh?” He held the drawing up to his face, mimicking the smile in it. “Might as well have this.”

Jack lasted about as long as he did when Race had wanted to see it in the first place. He slumped down and nodded. “Fine,” he said, “but if ya tell the guys I’m gonna punch you in the face.”

Race lunged forward and wrapped him in a hug. “Sure ya will,” he said. “As soon as I stop tryin’ to fight the Delanceys.”

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