#jack kelly sketchbook reveal when

[paper-bag-arts]

i stole this from jack kelly’s sketchbook 😋

[lovingmusicalmen]

"Wh- so you did remember my birthday!" || "Of course I did. How could I ever forget?" with Jack Kelly?

This one's lowkey v cute! I hope you enjoy!

Still accepting blurb requests!

Fluff 21 - "Wh- so you did remember my birthday!" || "Of course I did. How could I ever forget?"

If you were to ask Crutchie, he would say that Jack was moping.

A claim that Jack himself would vehemently deny. Jack Kelly did not mope, though that didn't mean that he didn't occasionally feel a tad bit disappointed. Especially when his girlfriend avoided him at every turn and gave absolutely zero inclination that she knew his birthday had been coming up.

And, yes, perhaps that mild upset was showing through Jack isolating himself on the roof of the lodging house with only his sketchbook for company. If you were to ask Jack, that was the ideal way for anyone to spend their birthday.

So no, of course he was not moping, no matter what Crutchie and Race and whoever else had to say about it.

"Jackie? You up here? The guys said they saw you head up here."

Jack tensed up at the familiar voice floating up to where he sat sketching from his penthouse.

"Oh so you actually want to talk to me now?" Jack bit out before he could think better of it.

Okay, so maybe Jack was a little more upset than he wanted to let on.

"Jackie?"

He let out a long sigh, snapping his sketchbook shut and turning around to face his girlfriend.

Y/N stood at the edge of the penthouse, her arms behind her back. There was a nervous smile on her face, and she was bouncing up and down a little on her heels. Her clothes were surprisingly clean considering that Jack knew she had been working far harder than usual lately.

"Yeah?"

"I have something for you," she said, smile widening.

Jack raised a single eyebrow at her, refusing to let her words raise his hopes.

Y/N crossed over to him, moving her hands to her front to present him with two small parcels and a piece of card.

"It's not much - but happy birthday, Jackie."

Jack blinked at her, staring between his girlfriend and the gifts she was presenting him with.

"Wh- so you did remember my birthday?" Jack asked in mild disbelief. Y/N let out a quiet laugh, biting her lip as she nodded.

"Of course I did. How could I ever forget?" Y/N asked, her voice soft.

"But you've been avoiding me."

"I wanted it to be a surprise. And I've been taking a couple of extra jobs to try and save up for what I wanted to get for you."

"You didn't have to do that!" Jack hadn't realised he had stood up until he had already crossed over to her. He clasped his hands ever-so gently on her arms.

"Of course I did - I love you, Jackie! Happy birthday!"

Jack learned and pecked her cheek before accepting the objects in her arms. He couldn't help but laugh at the card - two crudely drawn figures on the front holding what Jack presumed were meant to be newspapers.

"Yeah, okay - we can't all be artistic geniuses, Kelly," Y/N huffed, pouting.

"It's beautiful. I'll treasure it forever, baby," Jack promised, swallowing back any further laughter that threatened to bubble up.

True to his word, he strode over to where he had tacked up several of his own drawings to the railings, adding the birthday card to the mix.

"Crutchie is going to think your artistic talent took a serious hit," Y/N snorted, and Jack turned around just in time to see her flop down onto the piles of old clothes and blankets which served as Jack's bed.

Jack just grinned at her, joining her on the bed and carefully peeling away the newspaper which wrapped the two parcels.

A single cupcake was revealed in the first box and Jack's mouth watered at just the sight of it.

"This must've cost a fortune,"

"You deserve a birthday cake, Jackie - not every day you turn 18," Y/N murmured, grabbing hold of his hand and giving it a quick squeeze.

"I love you," he said, tightening his hold on her when she tried to pull away and instead tugging her closer to peck her lips.

"Yeah, yeah," Y/N waved it off. "Open the other one. That's the real present."

"The real present?" Jack repeated incredulously. Y/N just nodded eagerly, eyes fixed on the scruffy parcel. Jack picked it apart carefully, his eyes widening as he revealed a brand new set of paints for him to use. "How the fuck did you buy these?" He whispered.

"I told you - I've been taking a lot of extra work," Y/N shrugged bashfully.

Jack didn't think twice before lunging towards her to pull her into a long, deep kiss.

[crunchie-morris]

Hello I didn't proof read this and it stinks but have a bad Christmas fic based on Gift of the Magi (specifically the Mickey Mouse one)

Jack clutched a box wrapped in newspaper close to his chest, a warm smile covering his cold face. It’d taken extra selling all month, including on Christmas, and selling some of his very few possessions, but he finally got it - the perfect gift for Crutchie.

When they'd first met, Crutchie had nothing except the clothes on his back, or so it appeared. But one night, after staying up much too late for two kids who had to be up before dawn, Crutchie had pulled something out from under his pillowcase and pressed it into Jack's palm. It was a small silver band. There were no jewels or engravings to adorn it, only rust.

“It was my uncle’s,” Crutchie had revealed quietly. “It was passed down from generation to generation. He always said he'd give it to me one day, before…” He sighed. “Before things turned bad. But, before I was kicked to the streets for good, I took it. My uncle had visited and taken it off for some reason, and he left it behind. My parents were gonna return it to him, but...I took it.” He tapped his fingers on his knee nervously. “It-it reminds me that I had a family once, so...maybe one day, I could have one again.”

Crutchie never wore the ring. It was far too big for him, made for the hands of a grown man, not an under-fed, sickly boy. He knew it’d slip off if he ever tried to wear it. So, he just kept it under his pillowcase, like a gift from the tooth fairy but much sweeter. But, he always worried that someone would steal it while he was out selling. He rushed to his pillowcase at the end of each day to ensure it was still there. It always was, but his fears were never calmed.

“What's that?”

Jack's memories were interrupted as soon as he climbed onto the roof, where Crutchie was already sitting. His crutch lay abandoned by his side, and his legs swung freely over the edge of the building.

Jack couldn't contain a wide grin, which warmed Crutchie despite the bitter night. “Merry Christmas, Crutchie.”

Crutchie blinked in surprise. “Jack, I told you not to get me-”

“And since when was Jack Kelly a good listener?” Jack chuckled and set the package in his lap. “C’mon, open it.”

Crutchie beamed and ripped off the newspaper. He lifted the lid of what was a rather nice box to reveal a small, shiny silver chain. He picked it up gently and observed it. “What's this?”

“A chain,” Jack couldn't stop himself from smiling. “For your ring. So, you don't gotta worry about someone taking it no more. Even though it's too big, you can wear it! Wear it ‘round your neck, all the time.”

A strange expression that Jack hoped was good crossed Crutchie’s face. “Oh, Jack…”

Jack stood up eagerly. “You want me to grab the ring so you can put it on now?”

“Jack, I-I sold it.”

Jack froze. “What?” He sat back down, searching Crutchie’s face for answers. “Why would you do that, Crutchie? That ring, it means the world to you.”

Crutchie, who’d quickly turned a shade of red seen on the bows that were tied to each lamppost, meekly pulled a package out of the bag that held his newspapers. “I wanted to get you something, but...it was mighty expensive.”

Jack’s jaw dropped. “Crutch...why would you do that for...me?” He asked quietly.

Crutchie smiled softly. “The ring was a reminder that I used to have a family, so I might have one in the future. I don't need it anymore, though, ‘cause I got a family now.” He took Jack's hand. “You’re all the reminder I need. So, how about you open that gift?”

Jack squeezed Crutchie’s hand, biting back tears. With his free hand, he ripped open his package. Inside was a beautiful, leather-bound sketchbook, with crisp white pages.

“Crutchie…” Jack brought his hand to his lips. “Crutch, how-how much did you spend on this?”

Crutchie waved his hand. “Don't matter. I wanted to get you something real nice, real professional. I made sure to get one you could paint in, since painting’s your favorite.”

Jack’s eyes widened for a brief moment, before he burst into a fit of giggles.

Crutchie, albeit confused, couldn't help but join Jack's infectious laughter. “What’s so funny, Cowboy?”

Jack shook his head. “I sold my paints, Crutchie.”

It was Crutchie’s turn to let his jaw drop. “Jack! Jack, you sold your paints? All of them?”

Jack nodded, smiling. “I sold ‘em to pay for your chain.”

Crutchie did not return Jack's smile. “Jack...painting is...painting’s the most important thing to you. Why would you give that up for me?”

Jack shook his head. “I’ll get more paints one day. I'll never get another Crutchie.”

Later that night, Jack helped Crutchie put his new silver chain on, even though there was no ring to hang on it, and he began to draw in his sketchbook, even though there were no paints to color it. An empty chain and a black-and-white sketchbook weren’t halves of a gift; they were reminders that they had each other, and that was worth more than any Christmas gift.