#the newsies watched him talk back to jack and were like: oh this is gonna be hilarious

[corpusdiem-seizethedead]

People deadass forget how fucking sassy he is, AND the fact that Davey Jacobs does not give a single flying fuck.

david isn't a "cinnamon roll" nor is he a "mom friend" david jacobs is an autistic awkward teenager that never really had friends and comes off as kinda mean and he has no idea how to be normal. and that's exactly why all the newsboys guys liked him so much from the beginning

[aceofspades-sml]

A few notes from today's newsies show / random new things I didn't notice before because why not

At this point I am not even trying to make something organized just bear with me

Newsies 29/07 matinee - Lindsay Katherine

When Buttons steals apples at the beginning he throws one at tommy boy who was kind of sulking on the side. Tommy boy then proceeds to do a little victory dance and reappears 10 minutes later with the apple still in his hand

It was my first time seeing Forbes Pulitzer and oh my god he is so evil- like he is evil, he knows it and he's having so much fun with it I love him for that

You know that singsong voice that's just like "take this in your face" ? Yeah that's pretty much how Bobbie says "and guess what ? He got elected"

Jack having to physically restrain Race from beating up the Delanceys when they first appear, then sighting when Race goes toward them anyway. He then tries to restrain Finch and Albert from joining race with basically the same amount of success

"Who's gonna tell Pulitzer uh ?" "I guess you do mister president" cue race silently encouraging Davey from the side

Also oscar and Morris just sitting above the newsies for the whole scene before wwk

Finch and Davey bonding over their anxiety for the "we can't beat up other kids" scene- then Finch attemps a spit shake with Davey, who nervously reaches out for a glove in his bag, puts on said glove and only then proceeds to shake Finch's hand

Then Finch just hanging on his own for the beggining of WWK

All "who wants Brooklyn" reactions, featuring tommy boy curled up on the ground, Buttons and Mush (?) putting their bags on their heads and Romeo putting his cap on his face so he just looks like the creepiest guy ever

"What's the last strike you organized" in the most deadpan way I ever saw Lindsay kath you will always be famous

Basically the entirety of watch what happens because I love Lindsay

Jack having to restrain Race from throwing hands when Davey does his "if you look and see Brooklyn then they're with us" thing

When specs is on lookout and when asked if he saw anything just goes "nothing" and when the others start booing him he adds "I am sorry !" in the most "well I can't do anything about it !" voice and I just think he deserves a hug

After Buttons threw down his papes Tommy boy came back to oscar and Morris who just reassured him for a little while but didn't push him back toward the newsies- instead he ran back to them on his own to yell at Splasher who just joined the newsies

When jack goes on for the name call in Seize the day and Davey tells the others "no wait !" before being the first to join Jack

During the fight Finch and Romeo just hang out in woodside to watch what is happening, then when mush gets hit they rush to the stage to help him

And then later on when Crutchie is gets beaten up, Finch tries to run back to him and Romeo has to physically restrain him while screaming "FINCH NO IT'S TOO LATE" with his whole chest

Then Finch runs away and Romeo just yells his name again before he starts to run as well

Just everyone making a "what the hell" face during the auspicious scene

"I dunno about thaAT"

Then again "what the hell attitude" but more annoyed for the erster scene

Davey's "oh yes above. the fold" attitude just gets more and more excited every time at this point he's just folding the pape in every way possible to show it to Jack

"We. Are. Inevitable." Ryan is having so much fun with this line I love him

Katherine visibly trying to justify herself in Pulitzer's office except no one lets her talk

Oscar and Morris beating Jack up in the back of the stage during the scene change

Brooklyn's here was cool as ever but I almost died laughing at the beginning because there were only three of them. Like they still slayed but I found it super funny for some reason because Spot and Ritz were just bonding on one side of the stage while Pips was vibing on the opposite side

Then mark and alex joined in for the dance break after the name call so that was fun

Also for the borough call it was incredibly funny as well because there was only one guy in each borough

Davey's anxiety at the beginning of the rally >>>

Tommy boy being the most eager one to see jack I love him

"how many days can you go without making money" the way Jack just says that to Pips face broke my heart

Finch booing Jack with his whole chest

The way every newsies just pass in front of jack but meanwhile Race is specifically making his way to him to shove him back

"you never asked for my real name" "well I didn't think I had to" - an actual quote by francis "jack kelly is the name my mother gave me" sullivan

Jack's reaction to "My father owns the tribune" and "and proud to be a part of your revolution" will never not be funny

Race and Spot spending a solid five minutes hanging out in the back and holding hands before once and for all

Also Henry (the new swing) joined in for once and for all so that was pretty cool

Hannah's incoherent screaming on the phone- kudos to Bobbie for nailing it with a sore throat

"I am told we once shared a carriage ride" *turns to Davey* "I TOLD YOU"

The future will be bright and prosperous in Les's hands 😌

The expression of pure euphoria on Finch's face when he sees Crutchie and the way he, Albert and Race rush forward to hug him

"Snyder the spider" - cue Tommy boy having to physically restrain Race from beating up Snyder

(yes this show features a lot of everyone having to physically restrain Race)

Ryan was given the sandstorm line and chose to serve

The only reason Les was looking at Jack and Katherine kissing was literally only because he got bored of Davey talking to Crutchie

"so are you in *points at Wiesel* or are you out *points at Katherine*"

Anyway if anyone cares I am in love with Lindsay's Kath that's all

[kid-blinks-eyepatch]

Mush’s background

 

My take on how Mush became a Newsie 📰

-Mush-

i whimpered, pressing my fingers against my mouth. they came away bloody. i ran a tongue over my teeth and spat out some white pieces oh god it hurt—.

-Jack-

goddamnit it was c o l d. i shivered as i rubbed my arms. shoulda brought my fuckin jacket. 

“it better not fucking snow” i growled, glaring up at the sky. at that point i heard what sounded like someone scrabbling for a foothold. i whipped around, expecting someone other than the Eight or Nine year old boy staring wide-eyed back at me.  

he was darker skinned, with extremely curly brown hair that was matted with blood, his entire face was bloody and bruised. i blinked, startled

“hey kid, what happened to you?” i said gently. looking at him. being almost eleven i probably wasn’t much older than him. he blinked at me, hunching over in a slightly protective way.

“uh- look we gotta get you cleaned up- do you got parents?” he shook his head, watching me warily.

“okay, uhm… alright how about you come back to the newsboy lodge with me, we can patch you up there” i said, reaching out to touch his shoulder. he scrambled back, hissing. i laughed slightly

“hey, hey, i’m not gonna hurt you, i promise, i promise” i said gently “my names Jack, Jack Kelly. people call me Cowboy” i said. he continued to eye me up and down warily. 

“look, just come back to the lodge, none of us will hurt you, i promise”

— an hour later—

Race crouched in front of the boy, holding out some bread

“c’mon kid, it ain’t the best food” he laughed “but it’s food and ya look hungry” the kid just stared back at him. Race tried to hand him the bread and the boy quite literally tried to bite his hand. Race yanked his hand back, an Italian curse slipping out of his mouth. Smalls snickered.

“let me try” she offered, taking the bread from race. she crouched in front of the boy.

“hey kid, i’m Smalls- sorry if i’m talking to loud for ya, I’m a loud girl” she laughed “so uh, i ain’t sayin ya gotta eat it now, but eat the bread” she tossed the bread at him and it landed in his lap. he started and looked at the bread. Race looked at the 6/

“do you talk kid?” he asked. the boy just stared4 back at us. I crouched next to smalls

“you got a name?” the kid bared his teeth, which made us all the more aware of his teeth, which were either chipped or gone. the more i looked at him thhe more i realized how fucked uo his mouth looked. He said something softly. it wasn’t that we couldn’t hear him, we could just couldn’t understand him. i looked at smalls, she shrugged and looked at Race, who threw his hands up. 

“maybe he said is name?” one of the twins suggusted.

“prolly?” Whisper said in his raspy voice. i shrugged. 

“it sounds like total Mush!” Stone said, ruffling his own hair. Race snapped his fingers

“We ought call him Mush!” he said, gesturing to the kids bloodied face.

the kid seemed to be pressing himself more and more into the corner as we spoke. 

“honestly it’s better than Blink” the twin said. Blink made an offended noise.

“hEy!”

“you’re name dumbass not you” the twin replied. that resulted in a minor shouting match

Smalls stood up and shooed the others away.

“quit scarin’ him!” she said. i laughed and backed away. Smalls rolled her eyes and returned to the corner where she and Sniper had been sitting. I watched the boy, who just seemed to be watching all of us. 6i looked around, trying to find Whisper as he had disappeared.

—later 3rd—

Mush was now sitting on a bunk in the corner of the room. one of the older boys whose name he didn’t know had wrestled with him until he could clean off his mouth.  he touched his lip, which had a sort of numb feeling to it and felt slightly misshapen somehow. a boy poked his head down from the bunk above him and Mush started, scrambling back against the wall. the boy, who had shaggy Blond hair and an eyepatch, quirked his visible eyebrow.

“you good?” he asked. Mush just stared at him. the boy jumped down in a well-practiced motion, standing in front of Mush’s bunk. as Mush studied him he noticed the dirt on his neck, and a bruise on his arm. the boy glanced at the bread that lay untouched on the bunk

“id eat it if i was you- it won’t taste right for much longer” he said. mush just stared at him.

“uh- do you speak English?” the boy asked. Mush didn’t respond, wanting to see where this was goin. the boy spoke a few words of a harsh sounding language and waited.

“okay- do you talk at all?” the boy asked, seeming a bit frustrated. Mush shrugged. the boy seemed a little less irritated now.

“okay… oh!” he said “are you not eating cause your mouth hurts?”

mush shrugged, looking down. 

“i’m Blink by the way. and don’t worry about these guys- they’re nice, they won’t hurt ya” mush looked up at the boy- Blink. Blink laughed slightly “and it ain’t so bad here yknow- and i get if it’s a little scary or overwhelming at first but these guys really aren’t that bad” mush tentatively picked up the bread, breaking off a tiny piece. Blink nodded and mush didn’t seem convinced.

“would it help if i ate some? to show you it’s safe to eat?” Blink offered. Mush nodded and blink broke a piece off,  hewing and swallowing the bread. 

“all good- a lil stale though” he laughed a bit. mush ate some of the bread and Blink climbed back up to his bunk. 

[anotherdaveyjacobs]

Last night I saw a local production of Newsies

here are my notes!! (1000000/10, this was AMAZING)

the opening was so funny because they read the theatre rules like headlines (turn off your phone, etc) but the best one was about using the emergency exits and not rushing the stage, because of the fire curtain, it would be "great for readership, bad for you" 💀

important things to note: jack, davey, katherine, and race are played by college students. crutchie and buttons are played by 8th graders. the rest of the newsies, the delanceys, spot, bill, and darcy are all played by high school students. les is played by a 5th grader. the adults are played by adults.

(i didn't know any of this until minutes before the show, but they were on par with a full cast of adults imo)

tommy boy, henry, splasher, mush, ike, jo jo, and finch are all played by girls!! they did amazing

Pulitzer's cabinet is also all women!!!

When Jack is running from the Delanceys in the beginning, he did this cute little jump and wink at the audience, ran off, and when he came back he shushed the audience like we were gonna tell the Delanceys where he went

Race forgot his line ("don't worry kid it rubs right off") so Jack jumped in and said it for him

Buttons had little buttons sewn all over his suspenders and it was adorable

Medda was AMAZING oh my god I loved her so much

the bowrey beauties costumes matched hers, it was gorgeous

Watch What Happens was AMAZING. Katherine's actress sounded just like Kara Lindsay it's uncanny. She starts at her little desk and then moves her typewriter to Pulitzer's desk to get her inspiration. She also goes to take a drink of the alcohol on his desk, but puts it down once she smells it

During Jack's speech before the fight, the Delanceys are making fun of him (pretending to cry, yawning, etc.)

The fight scene was extremely short (no real pause between the start of the fight and the police showing up) but it was still really good

Crutchie gets carried away over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes (it was so fucking funny, I really struggled not to laugh)

Snyder gets face to face with Jack at the end of the strike but just has this evil laugh right in Jack's face before Jack runs away

Santa Fe??? CHILLS. he was SO GOOD. he pauses to heave breaths like he's crying and i.

Mr. Jacobi thought he was hilarious with his "fish in the desert" comment and repeated it to himself as he walked offstage

This production it was "there's a headline even Race could sell" 💀 poor Race (there was no Elmer in this show)

KONY was amazing. the bit where Katherine and Les have their little tap competition happens and then they like do a few twirls together it was so cute

Letter from the Refuge was excellent, Crutchie was on the top bunk with two newsies on the bottom. When the song swells the first time, they're gesturing at each other like neither wanted to be the one to tell him to shut up, it was amazing

During WWH Reprise when Jack calls Pulitzer a snake, he reaches back and grabs a fist full of Davey's shirt, who then has to get Jack's attention, and Jack smooths it down all apologetic like. love it

Also during WWH Reprise, DAVEY is the one who sings the "we've got Jack" line

Spot's voice was AMAZING

Jack doesn't shove or almost hit Les during the rally, but during the chaos of everyone running away and calling Jack a traitor and a sellout, Davey and Les are left standing in the middle of an empty stage looking lost and betrayed. STUNNING

Something To Believe In was really good, they harmonized so well together, Jack really belted the last "me" at the end and his voice just. ugh i loved it

Jack tried to spit shake Roosevelt so Davey and Spot LEAPT forward to grab his hand and stop him. Davey wiped Jack's hand with his hand, and then wiped his hand on his pants, and Davey and Spot were talking quietly amongst themselves while gesturing at Jack. iconic

"He doesn't do happiness does he" and Katherine shook her head like "yeah no"

Jack's mocking of Pulitzer "it's a compromise we can all live with" was perfect

Roosevelt had the funniest fucking fake moustache, it was this big black thing oh my god, i went back to the IG to check and he was NOT wearing it in the photo they posted, no idea what that was about lmao

Anyway the whole show was amazing and today's the last day of it, so I'm really glad I caught it when I did

[greensleeves-redhead]

“Is everyone okay?” Jack asked his fellow newsies.

The boys nodded.

The day had started out like any other, but one of Delancey’s goons had pushed Crutchie on his paper route, which caused a fight to break out. It lasted a good minute, with everyone getting a few punches in, and only ended when the boys were threatened with the cops as no one wanted to be taken to the refuge.

Jack looked each member of the group up and down, saying their names to himself to make a mental note that they were actually alright. When he got to the last boy, he paused. Davey. He was smiling as he always did, but his eyes were dark and pained and he was clutching his right side.

“What’s the matter, Davey?” Jack asked, noticing he was also struggling to stand. “Jack, I…” Davey muttered, falling forward.

Jack caught him as he fell and situated himself so that Davey was lying comfortably in his lap. He removed the hand holding his side with little resistance and peeled open his vest. His eyes widened and he gasped; a large red stain was spreading quickly across Davey’s checkered shirt.

“Shit!” Jack said, covering the spot with his own hand and pressing down hard. Davey groaned and stared up at Jack, his breath coming out in small short bursts, “it was Mo. He had a knife,” Davey said, “got me real good.”

“Shh, don’t talk. You need to save your energy” Jack replied. He glanced down at Davey’s side and his heart sank, realizing that the pressure he was applying had done nothing to stop the bleeding.

“Don’t just stand there, get some help!” Jack called out to the other newsies. A few boys took off running while the rest stood watch.

There was a brief pause in the action and Jack became hyper aware of the sounds of New York City. He was only brought back to reality by Davey’s voice saying, “hold me.”

Without hesitation, Jack wrapped his arms around Davey and pulled him close. Despite the added warmth, Davey shivered, the likely combination of pain and adrenaline.

“I never thought my life would end this way” Davey said.

“Don’t talk like that, yer gonna be fine” Jack responded, though he had a hard time believing his own words.

“P-promise me you’ll l-l-look after Les.”

Jack nodded, “promise.”

He looked Davey over again, the uneven rise and fall of his chest telling him he was struggling to breathe. Davey’s face was pale even for him and stared back at Jack with eyes that didn’t necessarily know what they were looking at. Jack pressed a hand to Davey’s forehead, his skin cold to the touch.

“I’m s-so tired.” Davey’s eyes blinked open and close.

“I know, but ya gotta hang on. The boys will be back soon and then the docs will have you patched up in no time.”

“Jack, you and I both know I-I’m not going to m-make it that l-long.”

Jack let out a small sob and pressed his forehead against Davey’s as the tears started to fall.

He lifted his head and Davey reached up with what little strength he had left and began to wipe away his tears, “y-you were fine b-before y-you met me and you’ll be f-fine long a-after I’m g-gone too.”

“But I don’t want to live without you, I can’t live without you.”

“Jack, please. Y-you need to let me go.”

“No, Davey, ya can’t do this, ya can’t die, ya just can’t.”

Davey’s eyes fluttered open once more and locked with Jack’s, “I’ll a-a-always be w-with you. I lo-love y-“ Jack frantically planted a kiss on Davey’s lips. Davey embraced the kiss as his body went limp in Jack’s arms.

“Davey?” Jack asked. The boy did not answer.

“Dav-oh god, don’t do this” Jack said, shaking him slightly, “please wake up, please.”

He let out a scream and broke down, as sirens wailed and the sound of running feet approached.

you killed me okay??? you broke my heart okay????? im crying okay???? is that what you wanted anon????

[royallygray]

as JSjkJJMJHsjqiquajahBNHwyuqjqba

I'm normal those are sounds of a normal person

SJWUWUQLQHEOQJUFJS BC KWIOWOWOQPQ IF JSJQJWBSKANQUIEK

GEODE.YOU HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA HOW FUCKING HAPPY I AM THAT YOU LOVE IT SO KUCH AKRJWKHSEKKQOQODND

Okay firstly. The history bit.

Also I'm putting this under a cut too bc it's probably gonna get long

I really don't know when shit was happening, like year wise, but I think it's supposed to be happening in the early 1900s. I'm not big on history.

But what I do know, because throughout my life and journey as Newsies (that sentence is Not Sentencing I'm sorry):

The kids are actually much younger than the cast appears to be. Jack Kelly is seventeen. If we do it more historically accurately, then he'd be twelve or thirteen.

The kids that staged the revolution were really fucking young, is my point. The director for Newsies Jr (the one I was in years ago) told us that our ages were approximately how old the historical newsies actually were. And that like. was hugely impactful to me because I was just trying to make it through summer to get to seventh grade or smth and I could've been SLAVING ON THE STREETS WITH SEXISM TO TRY TO BE ALIVE like bro hell nah

Also I love how you are NERDING OUT on this silly little musical I recommended it makes me so happy because I did not get this info I just. anyways. I just really like it.

Okay Character time!!

I love Katherine. I need to sing Watch What Happens for you. I am leaving for a week with no tech tho starting tomorrow so if I don't do that now the next time I'll be available is next Saturday anyways

Shes. Yeah. A Girlboss.

Also she's Pulitzer's daughter!! And dude her writers block AEFJAJAHEKA it's so relatable 😭 first time I saw Newsies I wasnt a writer yet but by the time I was in Newsies Jr I was like girl I wanna be Katherine just so I can say "six months from!! NEVER FUCK WHY CANT I WRITE DUDE BRAIN PLS WORK OH MY GOD"

Also fuck Pulitzer.

she's so. Wkwjwkehwlajkahwnw. JKwhwkshqloaaskvrw. y'know??????? she's so cool. an icon. I aspire to be her.

Also the woman who played Katherine in the first time I saw Newsies is so fucking cool I love her dude she's such a cool actor. haven't seen her in years but like. hell yeah

CRUTCHIE!!!!!! I LOVE HIM. SO MUCH. btw his song is called Letter From the Refuge

oof

Anyways!!

Dude I love him sm

I really got nothing but yeah his disability is a part of him and they just accept that. also More money = good

Like yes Jack like low-key wants his crutch gone but for crutchies benefit also they are brothers <333

Dude it broke me too. I wonder if I can see what they replaced brother to in letter to the refuge in the jr version bc IT WASNT BROTHER IDK??

this popped up and I think you'd love it

OH EWWWWWWW DUDE I FORGOT WHAT IT WAS FOR GOOD REASON

DUDE IT WAS "GO GET EM"

THEY FUCKING REPLACED "YOUR BROTHER" WITH "GO GET EM" FOR THE JR VERSION EWWW

WHAT DO THEY HAVE AGAINST MY BOYS WTF

OKAY FOR THE LES BIT I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THE DATE THING CAME FROM OR WHY HE AND KATHERINE ARE ON A DATE (or maybe it's one of the Bowery?? idk but it always seemed like it was Katherine)

Anyways he's a ball of sass and honestly. like he is a business man. 60/40 is a pretty good deal. especially when you are Nine and dealing with mr Seventeen over here who is also Jack Kelly

DAVEYYYY MY BOYYYYY

I love him so much dude. Like. He's my nerd character. And I love how he's like "what the ruck you're criminals" to "I am the leader fuck off" and just becomes a Newsie within like a day just. aaaaa

Also the Newsies are 100% a family dude anyone who says different is Wrong and Incorrect

I love Davey. If I were ranting and not typing in my phone with my thumbs I think I could talk better but idk

Race :D yeah he's just an icon. background icon but he is the MAN in king of new York

Also Jack my beloved

Jack and Katherine <3

okay I might come back to rant about Jack and Jack&Katherine but I have shit to do

Also. Annie and Newsies both take place in New York so :) maybe that's similar style of music? idk

anyways yeah

THANK YOU SO MUCH GEODE I LOVE YOU ALSO THANKS FOR WATCHING IM SO HAPPY YIU LVOED IT I WAS THE ONLY OHE BOPPING MY HEAD IN THE THEATER LAST NIGHT SO I AM THANKFUL THAT YOU GOT TO STIM WHILE WATCHING OKAY BYEEEEEEE

ALRIGHTY i am no longer busy so heres my full thoughts on Newsies :DDD

tagging @royallygray and @mysteriouswolf if yall wanna read :D

ok this shit got LONG so the rest is under the cut

GOD where do I even start its beautiful its wonderful its emotional i love it so much

Ill try not to copy my intermission thoughts too much (if you havent seen those here they are)

Ok lets talk about the history of it. A quick google search says its based on a strike in 1899, and Roosevelt ran for presidency in 1901, so we'll just say the musical takes place in 1899 too (correct me if theres a different confirmed time).

During this time, work conditions are absolute shit, monopolies and trusts are on the rise, and the concept of a union has recently emerged. I really didnt need to say much of this bc its apparent in the musical, but i love historically accurate stuff so deal with it /lh

And in the musical we see the beginnings of Roosevelt's trust-busting and ideas of social equality that he acts on during his presidency (it also kinda ties into his environmentalism stuff a bit too!)

And after reading up a bit on the strike the musical was based on, a lot of the effects of the strike in the musical were historically accurate too! the newsboys could sell back papers they werent able to sell on the streets, but the price was unfortunately not yet lowered. (also, the names of the publishers in the show are historically accurate as well!!! makes my little history brain happy :DDD )

SO whats the point of all of my rambling here?

people make historical art all of the time. we see it in musicals like Annie, Hamilton, and so so many more. obviously this goes beyond musicals here, but since newsies is a musical ill try to stay with that topic.

anyway, we learn about history to learn from it. we see these past issues that our previous generations struggled with, in these art forms as to be easily digestible, and we discover their solutions. we get to see the humanity behind the issues and the conflicts they faced to overcome them. and ofc its not the only reason, but one reason these stories are told with art is to bring attention to them. people are way more likely to listen to music than study a historical textbook. so, they make it entertaining. they make relatable and lovable characters. they make people care about the show and subsequently the issue itself. all of this is to explain how and why things that happened in history are bad as to never repeat them again.

We see these topics of worker mistreatment, corrupt businesses, child labor, gender/sex inequality, and the class separation all brought to the spotlight in this show, and it does a damn good job of showing the pain and suffering they cause. the story of this show is incredible and so very important to learn about.

OK now onto the actual musical itself im done nerding out

ive done a lot of charater analysis already in that intermission post bUT WHO SAYS I CANT DO MORE HAHA

im saving jack for last bc theres so much to unpack there

KATHERINE MY LOVE <3333

Everything about her being a girlboss absolutely remains the same shes INCREDIBLE

and holy shit PULITZER'S HER DAD???? i love her even more. she directly ran away from an easy life to follow her own dreams and pursue her own passion from scratch. incredible. inspiring. mwah

i also just love her personality. shes so bubbly and happy and passionate and bright and optomistic shes the best <3

oh god crutchie. hes absolutely my favorite btw im sorry everyone else i adore him <33333

GOD his prison song actually killed me. im fully dead. deceased.

THE NEWSIES ARE SUCH A FAMILY GAHHH THEY LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH RAHHHH

the sheer ecstasy i felt when he came back and hit Snyder with his cane i could not stop stimming MY BOYYYY

the absolute definition of sunshine character. he sees everything as glass half full and wants just the brightest future he deserves the absolute world

and ik i talked about it earlier but i adore how they take such a neutral opinion about his leg. people give him shit for it, and his brother beat them to a pulp. its just a part of him and they love his whole being, so why would they not love that about him too?

Les only got better as the show went on. i thought he was a smartass before LMAOO

AND THE DATE BIT??? WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM???? AND IT JUST NEVER GETS BROUGHT UP AGAIN LMAO WHAT

i think the biggest change i felt towards a character was Davey

he grew on me soooooo much his character growth is everything to me

he went from trying to stay out of their business to teaching them what a union was to helping them start it to running it himself when jack ran off to convincing jack to come back when times got tough he is sooo important to the story

and to me. hes important to me <3

OH AND RACE

i saw people mention the name before but i didnt know which he was until they addressed him directly I LOVE THAT GUYYY

especially in king of new york hes got such a big personality what a silly guy

OK now for the guy the silly the mc jack

At the beginning he is entirely driven by both his love for his family and ofc his dream of living in Santa Fe, but atm hes just trying to get by so hes more focused on the newsies. but a boy can dream

then he gets all caught up in the strike business and only focuses on that for a while bc he wants to protect his boys

then shit goes south. they get essentially jumped, and crutchie gets hurt and arrested.

and he thinks, what was it all for? if he couldnt protect his brother (never living that down btw), whats the point of even trying to strike anymore

so he changes his focus back to santa fe. the one thing hes still got going for him.

and he gets confronted by katherine, les, and davey, and they knock some sense into him. stopping the strike isnt going to take away any of the harm done. the danger is expected, theres no way any of this could go down without some form of a casualty. so why not try to do something about it. the only way to make this situation better is to get back in the game and keep pushing for change.

and ofc the thing with katherine which ill talk abt a bit more later

in all of this, something in him changes. he dreamed of santa fe, a simpler life, one where he didnt have to worry about having to afford food and clothing for the next day.

but what he never considered was the loneliness. sure, he offered to bring crutchie and katherine with him, but hed be leaving behind so many more. and thats when he realized he never needed to get out, he just needed things to change a bit. and they did! because of the strike, living became so much more affordable. no it wasnt perfect, but it was enough to be safe and secure, just like he wanted. and he had his family beside him the whole time.

ill admit that before i sat and thought about it for a while, this ending was really unsatisfactory to me. i mean we got how many santa fe reprises? all for naught?

but in reality, santa fe would never be enough for him. hes just so used to this life surrounded by the people he cares most about and doing everything in his power to protect him, hed just be so bored, so understimulated, and hed just continue to yearn for more. that path of wanting would never come to a conclusion and hed live his life never truly being happy. so i really do thing he made the right choice in staying, because new york became his santa fe. he didnt need to seek it out, it came to him.

Ok now with him and katherine

ill start by saying i do really adore them. i feel like a lot of what im about to say might seem like i think otherwise, but i truly do think theyre very sweet

ok so every interaction of theirs in act one was. very uncomfortable to say the least. he honestly seemed really predatory at times and it just really felt like an old-timey romance where the girl doesnt know her worth so she flocks to any guy that shows interest in hr bc she thinks its her only purpose

now obviously that is NOT the truth, those were just my first impressions. Katherine is extremely capable of taking care of herself and deciding what is and isnt right for her, she likes jack purely because she can and does. she knows her worth and just likes him bc she likes him, no strings attached

i will say the first kiss kinda caught me off guard lmao. like i knew they were gonna be a thing but that is NOT how i expected that to go down. its likely just bc of my aroace-ness but i saw no sign of them actually getting together prior to that, aside from them being the main man and leading lady in the show so ofc they have to be together. i mean ig her reaction to him drawing her was a bit of a hint but still. ok maybe its just bc im demi. hadnt thought abt that until now. damn. is this a normal thing? maybe it is. maybe im being too harsh. idk lmao

anyway ill admit the kiss was successful in getting his attention and getting him to listen to her so ill give it that lmaoo but tbh i did tune a bit of their song out bc it started to make me a bit uncomfy but i did liste back to it later on. they really seem to have a healthy relationship where they both care about the other and know the other is strong enough on their own, they just both want to be a part of the other's life. its really sweet! theyre so supportive of each other!!! green flags all around!!!

the bit with him learning shes pulitzers daughter was really interesting to me. at first she tries to talk to him but he kinda brushes her off, but from then on he just kinda has full faith in her? i mean yeah he gets upset about it bc he thinks she lied to him, but i dont think he thought she had any ill intentions. that was a complicated sentence lmaoo damn. i think he really understood that she wanted to help, he was just caught up in a lot of Feelings and was afraid that she wasnt trustworthy despite him still trusting her. and then he let her explain and from then on they fully support the other and trust each other immensely

so yeah first impressions were a bit iffy but i think theyre very sweet <333

OK GOD CAN I GUSH ABOUT THE STAGE DESIGN FOR A BIT???? GAHHH

i mean the moving stairs and scaffolding arent new. i know this. but just the way they frame scenes with the scaffolding is stunning. the chase scenes??? dude. enthralling. the bits where theyre in the city and they have people just up their acting like civilians? SO cool. makes it incredibly more realistic and believable. and the way they projected images onto the curtain-like things they pulled down was extremely creative!!! like in theory its such a simple design. it was literally nothing more than the scaffolding and stairs, and a few tables and wagons and such in certain areas. but they did SO much with it it was hard to believe it took place on a stage. ofc the filming helps with that but still. the start felt like it was on the roof of the building bc of a combination of the lighting and the use of just one of the scaffolding pieces. and when theyre in buildings, the wall of scaffolding works really well as a backdrop!!! and i already talked about the city street scenes, it fits perfectly. god its so inspiring id love to be behind something like that one day

OK AND THE CHOREO??? the sheer ENDURANCE of these people HOLY I COULD NEVER. THE FLEXIBILITY? THEYRE ALL LITERAL GYMNASTS WTF ARE THESE FLIPS AND HANDSTANDS IM SORRY???? holy shit its all SOSOSO impressive

oh my god i havent even talked about the MUSIC yet

if i had to choose a favorite song, a, i would punch whoever told me that in the face, and b, i would simply combust bc i cant choose just one

my top three tho would have to be between king of new york, carrying the banner, and crutchies prison song (idk the name its not on spotify :'((((( ) in no particular order

i havent had them on repeat enough to have any memorized, but i did remember santa fe, carrying the banner, and the world will know from the last time i watched it and i belted along to all the parts i knew this music is so good at hyping me up I WANNA START A UNION

and oh my god katherines voice???? stunning. her song is sooooo good. her part in king of new york is incredible. i love her <3

jesus christ this post got out of control. im still not done lmaooo

ok one thing that really has nothing to do with the musical itself is just the fact that it reminded me of so many other musicals ive seen at specific parts, even some of the songs sound like others i know.

Santa Fe really reminds me of Maybe from Annie, both music-wise and lyric wise. i mean theyre both "i want" songs so it makes sense but i feel like they sound kinda similar too. honestly a lot of the music sounds like Annie, but maybe its just the types of instruments used and thats just how musicals sounded when they were made. i think they were made about the same time. *checks spotify* ok well the newsies i listen to was produced like 40 years after Annie so maybe that just a stylistic choice-

idk why but the beginning of watch what happens sounds like the intro to reginas speaking part in meet the plastics lmao-

oh and brooklyn's here has the same beat as the military from Seussical but thats just bc its a marching song lmao. its also the same beat as the spanish alphabet song my spanish teacher used to use!

ok and this one really doesnt make sense but something to believe in reminds me of the power in me from Twisted lmao- kinda similar message ig? and sound vaguely similar? but idk it really doesnt make too much sense

i should. i should sum it up. this is getting out of hand.

okay i love this musical sm. clearly. do you see how long this post is. i was missing out when i refused to listen to it previously. oh my god.

and for some reason it really makes me wanna go watch my favorite musical so im ending this here TO YOUTUBE I GOOOOO TY FOR READING IF YOU DID AND TY TO ROYAL FOR UNINTENTIONALLY PUSHING ME TO WATCH THIS HAVE A GREAT DAYYYY

[miryum]

race higgins x reader: enemies-to-lovers (one word), flirting, and fire-escape (also one word)

Warnings: Swearing

“Race, where the hell is my book?”

“Y/n, I swear to fucking god if you touched my cigars-“ 

“Why would I go near your shitty cigars?!”

“And why would I go near your shitty book?!”

“You take that back!”

“Never!”

“Oh my god.” Jack interrupted your squabble by pushing through you and Race, “Could you guys just shut the fuck up?” 

“Sure.” You huffed, “When he gives me back my book.” 

Race groaned, throwing his hands in the air, “Why would I take your book? Reading is for nerds!”

“Maybe you wanted to educate yourself for once!” You growled.

“You’re gonna be late!” Jack called to deaf ears.

“Why do you need your stupid book anyway? You should be selling papes!” Race continues your argument.

“When I’m done selling papes ahead of everyone because that’s how great of newsie I am, I like to read, okay? Or did you not understand that, you ignorant dick?”

“Okay, that’s it!” Race lunged towards you, but Jack was quick to intervene.

“I’m done with you two!” Jack said, “I can’t believe you two aren’t mature enough to at least try to be civil! You know what, you’re gonna be selling partners until you can figure this out.” 

You and Race protest loudly until Jack holds up a hand, “You’ll be able to go back to your regular partners and spots once you stop fighting.” 

A long, annoyed silence followed him.

“Alright?” Jack prompted.

“Fine.” 

“Fine.”

***

Except for the shouts to try and sell papes, you and Race were silent. You had soon learned that if you ever tried talking, it lead to shouts and fights. And so, to try to get out of that predicament sooner, both of you had opted to silence. 

You only had a couple papes left to sell, and you soon spotted your next target. 

“Care to buy a paper, mister?” You walked over to a young man, maybe a couple years older than you. You intentionally made your voice sound more proper and light, putting on your flirtest smile. 

“What’s the headline?” The man cocked an eyebrow, smirking.

“Whatever you want it to be.” You said, batting your eyelashes a bit.

“Sure,” The man said, “I’ll buy a paper from a pretty lady like you.”

“Thanks mister.” You smiled sweetly before grabbing his money and quickly exchanging it for a pape. 

You quickly hurried back to Race, not wanting to stay around him anymore than you had to. 

“What was that?” Race said, his jaw tight. 

“What happened to not talking?” You asked cooley, counting your money, “I liked that a lot.” 

“You flirting with that creep!” Race said, ignoring your last comment, “Why’d you do that?”

“To get the money obviously.” You rolled your eyes, “Why else would I flirt with him. He’s not even cute.”

“Oh.”

“Why?” You asked, seeing an opportunity to tease Race, “You jealous.”

“No.” Race said, “Just…” He trailed off, “I’m not jealous.” 

“Mhmm.” You looked him up and down. Race never passed up a chance to fight with you. Why was he acting so weird?

“Whatever.” Race grumbled, “Let's just finish our job.” He then crossed the street and started calling out outlandish headlines.

*** 

You sat on the fire escape, legs dangling off the edge. Your hair was down and your newsie cap was resting next to you.

“Hey.” Your peacefulness was interrupted by a vice you knew well. A voice that was usually yelling at you.

“Hey.” 

Race sat down next to you, a cigar hanging from his lips. 

“Guess you found your cigars, huh?” You gestured towards it. 

“Yeah.” He scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed, “They were under my bed.” 

You hummed indigentley but didn’t say anything.

“Did you find your book?” Race asked.

“Davey had it.” It was your turn to be embarrassed, “Sorry I blamed you.”

“Yeah. Sorry.” Race repeated. 

You both sat there for a minute, watching the New York skyline darken.

“What happened today?” You asked, breaking the silence. 

“What do you mean?” 

“You got weirdly upset about that guy today- the one I sold a pape to.” 

Race shrugged, the darkness hiding his blush, “I got a weird vibe from him. Didn’t want you talking to him.”

“So? It’s not like you cared about my well-being before.” You glanced at him.

“Y-You’re a newsie!” Race spluttered, “Of course I have to look out for you! Otherwise Jack would have my head.” 

“Oh.” You stare long and hard at the skyline, “Is that the only reason?”

Race shrugged. After a minute he mumbled, “I’m supposed to hate you.”

“Why?” You asked, “When did we become enemies? Do you even remember how it started?” 

Race through for a moment before looking over at you, a tired smile on his face, “No. I don’t remember. Wow. I’m stupid.” He chuckled, “Hating you has no reason.”

You let out a small laugh, “Yeah. I guess I’m stupid too.” You pushed your shoulder into Race’s, “So what was the real reason for you getting so defensive over that guy?”

“I guess I was jealous.” Race admitted, “I guess I never stopped hating you enough to realize that I might like you. Like, really like you. And then this guy who has so much more money and all comes over and you’re flirting with him-“

You cut him off, “You like me?” Your voice came out in a whisper.

“Yeah…? Is that okay?” Race braced himself for rejection or a look of disgust. After all, that’s what he always got when he liked a girl. 

“Yeah.” You smiled softly, “Yeah, that’s okay.”

Race’s face broke into a wide smile, “Well then, could I take you out on a date?” He asked, his ever present flirting demeanor back.

“I would love that.”

[finding-an-angle]

Newsies as Things My Family Said While Watching Livesies

So my family doesn't really like musicals. A few days ago, they agreed to watch Newsies with me, and I really liked their side comments :) Enjoy! Also, I'm Jack in these lol

Specs *during Santa Fe (Prologue): For the record, Santa Fe ain't fun. Just stay in New York.

---

Race: Wow, he’s kinda cute. Who is that?

Mike: OH!! It’s Winn from Supergirl!!

Jack: Mike, please be quiet before I disown you.

Jack: *proudly pats Race's back* That amazing human is Jeremy Jordan

---

Davey: Why don't the people buy newspapers from the circulation gate? Think about it. If 2 papers cost a penny, then why go to the newsies? Go straight to the source to get it cheaper

Jack: Please stop talking I like this part

---

Jojo: A grown man, who already has a lot of money bullies kids into giving him more money? This sounds like my high school experience in a nutshell...

---

Romeo *during I Never Planned on You*: When he sings to girls while they work, it's "romantic" but when I do it I'm "annoying and look desperate"

---

Crutchie *during Watch What Happens*: YES SING IT QUEEN!!

Jack: Louder for the people in the back

---

Albert *during Seize the Day*: Dang, I really thought they were gonna start singing a ballad or something, but I mean a song about taking down capitalism is cool too.

---

Spot *during Santa Fe*: I'm all for being depresso sometimes, but bruh you need some common sense in that thick skull of yours. Your friend is gone. Go get your friend then be sad.

Davey: Or be happy because your friend is okay...

---

Specs *also during Santa Fe*: Why does he like Santa Fe so much? It’s unhealthy to obsess over something all the time

Race: That’s real convincing coming from the guy that never got past their One Direction hyperfixation 

Specs: Loving something for 11 years is not bad. Like imagine being a parent. You have to love your child for as long as they live. 

Race: Bold of you to assume I’ll have kids

---

Finch *squealing during King of New York*: I have the sudden urge to take spoons from the kitchen and roll around in Heelys. Why Heelys? Because I can’t tap dance.

---

Davey *seeing the Brooklyn Newsies*: They really just go around wearing muscle tees?

---

Katherine *in tears during Letter from the Refuge*: This should be illegal. Disney did not have my permission to take my heart, squash it, then throw it in the shredder.

---

Albert *during Something to Believe In*: This is homophobic. There is no way Disney is making me believe they are straight when Jack Kelly exudes bisexual energy

---

Elmer *after the movie*: Where do I get a newsie? Just asking for a friend.

Jojo: I don't know, but I want one too

---

Davey: This movie should be illegal only because everyone is so pretty and talented

---

Jack: Well, does anyone want to watch Hamilton?

Everyone: *leaves immediately because they know Jack memorized all the songs and is going to sing along*

[lynnsfics]

Feisty

Pairing: Racetrack Higgins x Reader

Request: “race or spot x feisty reader/oc + prompt #84 (sarcasm) from list 2 could be really fun! if it's not a bother, tysm 🖤”

Prompt: “I can’t date him! He hates sarcasm! That’s like my second language!”

Word Count: Approx. 1.7k

~~~

“Wait up,” Race called as you ran down the steps of the newsies boarding house. Although you felt bad, you didn’t stop. You had barely had time to get dressed before you heard the morning bell. The papes were already being sold and you had just left the house. Race being late was his own problem, not yours. 

As you finally reached the distribution center for the papers you sighed with relief. Fortunately for you, they hadn’t completely sold out. However, that meant the headline wasn’t an easy seller, so you’d be in for a long day. Race caught up with you at the selling window. 

“Hey, why didn’t’ya wait up?” he asked. 

“Because it’d be great if we were both late,” you said, rolling your eyes.

He looked confused for a moment and then sighed with exasperation. “Oh, youse is bein’ sarcastic again. You know I hate when you do that.”

“Sorry Race,” you laughed. “But you know I can’t be late. ‘M already almost behind on my payments for the lodging.” 

Race nodded in understanding. It was the same story for a lot of newsies, not being able to scrape together the money for lodging and then being out on the streets. “Why don’t we’s sell together today? I already has enough for my rent this month, so you can take some of my extra papes.” 

You didn’t want to accept help from anybody, least of all Race. Part of you was worried he would resent you if you held him back, and for some reason that terrified you. “Are ya’ sure? I’ll be fine on my own as always, really.”

He shook his head, “Just because youse is ‘fine’ doesn’t mean that you should have to be all alone.” 

Looking down, you nodded in appreciation. “Thank you, Race.” You prayed to whoever was listening that he didn’t notice the blush spreading across your cheeks. “We’d best buy some papes and start selling then, huh?”

You handed your money to Weasel, who was standing at the window counting the day’s profit. “I’ll take 50 papes, as usual.” 

“Are you sure you can sell that many?” Oscar Delancey taunted. “It’s not a great headline, and you ain’t exactly the top seller anyways.”

Race shot him a glare but you already had a scathing response prepared.  “Oscar, I know it’s difficult for youse to understand, but sales ain’t based wholly on the headline. Stunning good looks also factor in, which must explain why you and your brother never made it as newsies.”

“You’d better watch it,” Oscar threatened, balling his hand into a fist. He narrowed his eyes and you could tell he was getting irritated. 

As soon as Race bought his papers you were off. Although you weren’t opposed to punching a Delancey, you would hate to get all mussed up. After all, you had to at least look a little bit respectable, that way you could sell in the wealthier areas without attracting any trouble. 

You turned to Race with a grin, “So, where to first?”

He shook his head, “Youse is gonna get in trouble for talking back one of these days, you’re too feisty for your own good. But I found a great selling spot in upper Manhattan. People there give great tips too.” 

“Perfect,” you said with a light laugh. “And I thinks I can take care of myself, thank you very much. Those Delanceys won’t even know what hit ‘em.”

Race simply rolled his eyes in response. “I certainly hope so,” he laughed. “Let’s head out before everyone in this city already has a pape.”

It was a fairly quick walk, but the brisk morning air made it seem longer than it was. Race looked over at you, noting that you had been strangely silent for most of the trip. When he saw you silently shivering he smiled to himself. Of course you were too proud to even mention it. 

“Are you alright?” he asked. He already knew what your answer would be, but he decided to ask anyway. At least then it would seem like he hadn’t already made up his mind on what he was about to do.

Just like he predicted, you answered with a simple, “Yes, why?” However a visible shiver passed over you as you answered, giving away your lie.

“Because you seem cold,” he said, trying his best to sound exasperated and not concerned. He knew if he seemed worried you’d refuse his offer, not wanting to seem weak. “Here, take my coat, I don’t need it.”

“Race, no,” you shook your head. “You do need it.”

“Not as much as you do,” he countered. Despite your protests he shrugged off his jacket and placed it around your shoulders. “Don’t even try to give it back ‘til we’s done selling.”

You sighed and nodded, “Fine.” To be honest, it really helped against the chill. Although you knew Race didn’t need it as much, it still pained you to take it from him. There was no way he would take it back, though. He could be as stubborn as you when he wanted to be. 

When you finally reached the neighborhood you breathed a sigh of relief. There were no other newsies in sight, which meant you were probably the first ones there. Or, you thought, the others had already sold everyone a paper and you wouldn’t make any sales. Hopefully it wasn’t the latter. 

Once you began calling out headlines, both real and slightly made-up, you realized your initial impression was correct. Your papers sold fairly quickly and you received a few nice tips too. The whole time you weren’t selling you spent talking to Race about anything and everything. 

Before you knew it the day was winding to a close and you had sold all your papes. Night was falling quickly and you had to hurry back to the lodging house. There was hardly any light on the streets and you became turned around. 

As you tried to navigate on the darkened street you realized you had become separated from Race. You called out to him, “Race? Where are you?” Someone grabbed your hand and you jumped. Your heartbeat calmed, however, when you saw it was just him. “Don’t sneak up on me like that,” you scolded, “I could’ve had a heart attack.”

“Sorry,” he said quickly. “I was jus’ worried ‘cause it’s easy to get lost here. Since I know the way I thought this’d be a safer way of heading back.” He motioned to his hand, still linked with yours. You nodded silently, thankful he wouldn’t notice your blush in the dark. 

The trip back to the lodging house seemed to drag on for eternity as your heart raced in your chest. While you had always considered Race a friend, you had secretly wondered if there was any chance of something more. After the day’s events you realized how much you wanted the chance to be real. 

When you finally returned to the lodging house you quickly said goodnight to Race before rushing to your room. On the way, however, you were stopped by Jack, who was looking at you confusedly. 

“Are you wearing Racetrack’s jacket?” he asked you. 

Shit. You had entirely forgotten to give it back in your haste to get to your room. “Oh, yeah, he lent it to me for sellin’ today. It was chilly so…” you trailed off, praying Jack wouldn’t ask anymore questions. While he had always been like an older brother to you that also meant he teased you like an older brother would. Which, unfortunately, included joking with you when he thought you liked someone.

Somehow Jack had figured out that you had a tiny crush on Race and was determined to set you two up, and tonight was no exception. “Well I didn’t know youse was sellin’ together,” he said with a smirk. 

You answered quickly, “It was just for today, no big deal.” 

“Well, if youse ever does get together don’t say I didn’t call it.”

Rolling your eyes, you began to grow defensive, “I can’t date him! He hates sarcasm! That’s like my second language!” Even as you said it you knew it was a bad excuse. 

Jack chuckled lightly, “Sounds like something someone makin’ up excuses would say.” Damn it, he knew you too well. “Maybe you should go give him his jacket back and, I dunno, talk to him a bit.”

He was right as always. There was no way you could keep living like this, you had to confront how you felt, which meant confessing to Race. “I think I will,” you said softly. “G’night Kelly.” 

You slowly made your way to the front of the lodging house. Somehow you knew Race hadn’t gone to bed yet. When you stepped out into the cold night air, you knew you were right. The faint smell of cigar smoke wafted up the steps from where Race was sitting. 

“Hey Race,” you said quietly. “I realized I never gave you your coat back and,” you shrugged, holding it out to him. 

He took it silently and you sat down next to him. “Thank you, by the way. For helping me sell my papes today, and for lending me your jacket and, everything, really.”

Race smiled, “Of course. It was nice having someone to sell with.” You could tell something was on his mind, he seemed distant. 

“I’m glad you came out here,” he said. “I wanted to talk to you about something. Lately I’ve been thinking, and well,” he paused before continuing, “what if we went out sometime? If you don’t want to that’s fine,” he said quickly, “but I was thinking we could go on a date or something.”

Before you could second-guess yourself you leaned and pressed your lips to his. Your heart was pounding in your chest and after a split-second he returned the kiss. His lips were surprisingly soft, and unsurprisingly, the kiss tasted of cigar smoke and something sweet that you couldn’t quite place. When you finally pulled away you were breathless.

He grinned, putting an arm around your waist, “So, is that a yes?”

You laughed as you rested your head on his shoulder, “It’s a yes.”

~~~

Requested By: anon

Why do my newsies fics always end up longer than I originally plan? Let me know if you want to be added to my taglist and as always likes and reblogs are appreciated! Love you all! <3

[newtsies]

Wish You Were Sober || Ralbert One Shot

a/n: this one shot is based off the song ‘Wish You Were Sober’ by Conan Gray! anything italicized and bold is lyrics of the song! its from Alberts perspective but its 3rd person if that makes sense idk. includes both  92sies and livesies characters. albert and race are based off of the livesies characters

tw: mentions of alcohol, drunk race, swearing, mentions of weed, mentions of possible drink spiking

modern college newsies au!

word count: 2,401

this party's shit

All Albert wants to do is leave, but he couldn’t do that. Race was drunk, even though he would deny it, it was obvious. Now usually that wouldn’t stop Albert from leaving but, Racetrack had driven himself. He couldn’t let his drunk friend drive himself home.

All Albert wants to do is leave, but he couldn’t do that. Race was drunk, even though he would deny it, it was obvious. Now usually that wouldn’t stop Albert from leaving but, Racetrack had driven himself. He couldn’t let his drunk friend drive himself home.

“Racer,” Albert yelled into Race’s ear over the loud music.

He grinned widely at him and threw his arms around Albert, “Albie!! Have ya had a drink yet? C’monn, juss take a sip!”

Albert winced at the smell of alcohol on the blonde boys breath and shook his head, “You’re drunk, Race. Let’s go. You’re gonna have a horrible hangover tomorrow!”

“Aw, I’m not drunk, Albie!!” He slurred, “C’mon, have some fun! Don’t be soo tense!”

go anywhere but here

“Racetrack, I really don’t want to be here,” Albert begged, “Can’t we go to McDonalds or something? Get you coffee and get you sober?” Race shook his head.

“Noo, they have good drinks! Just try the beer, you’ll see!” Race raised his can but Albert pushed the cup away from him. Race shrugged and walked away into the crowd.

Albert stood on his toes in attempt to follow his friend through the crowd. Race walked towards Jack Kelly, the football captain, who had his arm wrapped around David Jacobs shoulder. As Racetrack sat down, he was offered a blunt from Skittery.

don’t take a hit

Racetrack pulled it to his lips and inhaled. Albert frowned as he watched his friend blow out the smoke and smile. He repeated this action a couple more times.

Albert shook his head again and made his way back to a couch. He sat down, trying to get away from the loudness. The music still boomed, even in the farthest corners of the house. People bumped into his leg and shouted over each other. He closed his eyes and covered his ears in an attempt to escape his reality.

A few seconds passed before he felt someone sit next to him. He opened his eyes to see Racetrack, still holding the joint. Albert was met with a tired looking smile, but he knew his friend was anything but tired. Race started to lean into his face, but Albert pushed his face away lightly.

don’t kiss my lips

Race frowned for a second but shrugged and went back to smoking. Eventually, he got up and handed the blunt back to Skittery. Albert watched as he danced to the music, carefree. Acting as though there was no one else in the world.

Albert was memorized and watched him with a grin. The song ended, Race made his way to the kitchen. Albert jumped up and followed him, pushing through the crowd.

“Race!” He called, finally pushing into the kitchen.

and please don’t drink more beer

Racetrack brought the can of beer up to his lips and chugged it down. Albert winced once more and attempted to pull the drink away. However, he was ignored and pushed away as his friend continued to drink.

“Race, you’re cross-faded,” Albert groaned, “I really think you should go home. I’ll drive you, or walk you.”

“I’m fine, Albie! Honestly. It’s a partyyy, this is supposed to happen!” Race stated confidently, his words slurring every so often. Albert shook his head and looked at Race desperately. His friend ignored him and instead grabbed onto his hand and pulled him through the house.

“Albert! Racetrack!” Spot called out to them, “Hey guys!”

“Spott!” Race slurred and giggled. He pulled Albert towards to Spot.

Spot had a beer in hand but placed a hand on Race’s chest to hold him up, “Jesus, Race. You’re drunk as hell. Having a good time?” Racetrack nodded excitedly at him. Spot smiled and looked at Albert. “Haven’t had a drink yet, man?”

“He wants to goo, can you believe him?” Race scoffed.

“Albert! C’mon, man! You gotta just let loose some times!” Spot quirked his eyebrow and held out his drink to Albert.

Albert shook his head, “No thanks, Spot. This really isn’t my kinda place. Thanks though, it was pretty cool. I had fun.” That was a lie. There was nothing fun about this to him, but you wouldn’t catch him dissing the football captains party.

i’ma crawl out the window now

Albert pulled away from Race’s hand and pushed his way to the front door. Sarah Jacobs was using the door to support her back as she giggled her way through kisses with Elmer. Elmer too was laughing as he kissed her and ran his hands through her hair.

Albert sighed and swerved towards an open window. He climbed through it and fell onto the grass. The grass was cold and wet, possibly from dew or possibly from spilled alcohol. He groaned and walked out.

cause i don’t like anyone around

He was grateful to finally be away from everyone. The music was a lot quieter and he could only faintly hear people talking. Although he had no beer, his head was pounding. He rubbed his forehead and sighed.

kinda hope you’re followin’ me out

He heard someone fall through the window and turned around to see who it was. Instead of being met with Race, as he hoped, he saw Henry on the floor laughing. Henry jumped out and shouted at the boys as he pulled himself back in through the window.

but this is definitely not my crowd

Romeo was passed out on the stairs, his head hanging off the step. His arm was hanging off too but his hand was wrapped firmly around a can of beer. Mush and Kid Blink were making out against the door too, except on the front side. They weren’t giggling either, just kissing each other.

A baseball flew threw one of the windows and nearly hit Albert, who ducked just in time. The whole window was shattered. Albert shook his head and continued to walk throw the lawn until he got to the sidewalk.

19 but you act 25 now

Albert was stopped as he felt a hand on his shoulder, weakly attempting to hold him back. He turned to see Race who was panting and smiling at him. Albert smiled a little back at him and helped him stand up straight.

“They had so much alcohol! It was all amazing- They had- They had the best brands too! The wine made me feel so fancy!” Race rambled.

Albert chuckled a little, “You’re 19, Race. How do you know so much about alcohol? You can’t even legally drink it yet.”

His friend grinned and shrugged as he kept talking about the party.

knees weak, but you talk pretty proud, wow

Race was all but wobbling, leaning against Albert for support. Nonetheless, he continued to talk about his adventures clearly.

“I downed like 5 cans,” He stated proudly, “Hey, did you know Crutchie is like amazing at chugging! He downed like 8 beer cans! Oh, today. Spot taught me that space doesn’t stop expanding, isn’t that crazy?”

Albert nodded, pretending as if they didn’t learn that in 8th grade. Race looked at the cup in his hand, noticing it still had liquid in it. He grinned and brought it to his lips, drinking the practically full cup in just one gulp. Albert sighed.

ripped jeans and a cup that you just downed

Race shivered as cold air hit his knees through the rips in his jeans. His flannel blew behind him and presented the white tank top underneath it. He held the empty cup in his hand.

Albert couldn’t help but watch Race. His friend was very attractive, he wouldn’t deny it to himself, only to other. Racetrack crumpled the cup and tossed it into some yard.

“That’s not good for the environment,” Albert sighed, but Race just shrugged at him. Albert continued, “What was in the cup?”

trade drinks, but you don’t even know her

“Dunno! Me and this reallyyyy pretty girl traded drinks!” He grinned.

“Who was it?”Albert asked.

“No idea,” Race chuckled, “Never seen her before! Didn’t ask for her name, music was too loud.”

“Race!” Albert groaned, “The drink coulda been spiked!”

“Nah,” He laughed, “Saw her drink out of it before we traded. Plus, I feel fine. I left anyways, so it’ll be okay.”

save me ‘til the party is over

“Anyways, I noticed you were gone. Thought you were kidding. Decided I’ll keep you company ‘til the party ended. Consider it me saving you,” Race grinned, his words slurring even more than at the party.

Albert forced a smile and shook his head.

“Give me your keys,” Albert stated. Race tilted his head in confusion but gave him the keys anyway. They walked together to Race’s Rover. Albert held the door open for Race and helped him inside. He then closed the door and climbed into the drivers side.

kiss me in the seat of your rover

As soon as he got into the driver seat, Race grabbed his face and pulled him into a kiss. For a second, Albert forgot his friend was drunk. He slid his hand into Race’s hair and kissed him back, until he opened his mouth and Albert could taste the alcohol Race had drank. Albert pulled away and pushed away Race’s hands away as his friend attempted to pull him into a kiss again.

real sweet but i wish you were sober

Albert looked up and held his eyes open, attempting to hold back tears. He closed his eyes and banged his head gently against the steering wheel.

“Why did you pull away,” Race whispered.

“You’re drunk,” Albert choked out, “You’ll forget tomorrow, anyways. I can’t kiss you. Just drunken feelings, Race, that’s what you’re feeling. I don’t feel that. I got real feeling, sober feelings. Let’s get you home, yeah?”

trip down the road

Albert turned the keys and started the car. Driving off towards Race’s house. Nearly halfway there, the car started sputtering. He pulled off to the side, only to see the gas tank was empty.

He groaned and got out of the car, pulling Race out too. Albert called Tripple-A.

“We can take you boys home,” The tow-truck driver offered. Albert shook his head.

“We’ll walk, it’s only a bit from here,” Albert stated and pulled Race along the sidewalk.

walking you home

Race couldn’t walk straight. Albert was holding his hand and pulling him, but he kept tripping. Albert sighed and ducked under Race’s armpit and supported him. He wrapped his arm around his blonde friend’s waist and held him up.

Albert continued to walk himself and Race towards the rental house his friend lived at. After a bit, they finally arrive at the house. Albert walked him up the porch.

you kiss me at your door

Racetrack grabbed Albert’s face and pulled him into a kiss again. Albert sighed and pulled away, resting his forehead against Race’s. Race sighed too, the alcohol on his breath filled Albert’s nose. He groaned and grabbed his friends keys.

He pulled Race into his own house and sat him down on the couch, moving to the kitchen. Albert quickly made coffee, black coffee, and sat down next to Race. He brought the cup up to Racetrack’s lips and made him drink it.

Race’s nose wrinkled at the bitter taste, but he drank it anyways. Albert brought the cup down and place it on the table.

“Finish drinking the coffee. Take this,” Albert placed an ibuprofen on the table, “Then go to sleep, okay? I’ll come check up on you tomorrow.” He started to get up.

pulling me close, beg me stay over

Race pulled Albert close to him, and looked at him with sad eyes.

“Stay, Albert. Please,” He begged, “You can stay on the couch. Don’t leave me here alone.”

but i’m over the roller coaster

Albert sighed and kissed Race on the forehead, “Not this time, Race. You’ve  kissed me twice today, and you’ll forget that in like 5 minutes. I’m tired, man. It’s been a crazy day. Tomorrow, I’ll be back. I promise. I gotta go.”

i’ma crawl out the window now

He placed the house keys on the table and moved towards the door. Albert figured that Race wouldn’t get up, meaning he wouldn’t lock the door behind Albert. So, he locked the door for him then crawled out of Race’s window. He closed the window behind him and watched Race’s hand lazily lock the window.

getting good at saying, “gotta bounce”

Albert didn’t expect to drag himself home. Usually, he would just go along with what Race said. “Stay,” was all it usually took to get him to stay.

He’s just getting better at saying goodbye, he figures.

honestly you always let me down

Race was always dragging him to things, promising to not drink. It never happened. He would always drag him home and make sure he didn’t die. But, no matter how many times Race let him down, Albert would still go along with him.

Albert grumpily walked into his house, angrily slamming the door behind him. He kissed Race twice today. His friend wouldn’t even remember. He shook back tears before climbing into bed and falling asleep.

He woke up early the next morning due to a consistent ringing of his door bell. A hand banged on the door repeatedly while the door bell rang. Albert climbed out of bed and opened the door.

and i know we’re not just hanging out

Albert didn’t even get a minute to register who was at the door before he was pulled into a kiss.

“I didn’t forget,” Race whispered into his ear before pulling him back into another kiss. Albert grinned and finally kissed him back.

No trace of alcohol was in Race’s system.

He was sober.

--

[5-jorjas-in-the-fence]

Fearless (Taylor’s Version) as Newsies

Fearless: Romeo. Yes I know you think he’d be love story but he’s such a hopeless romantic I can guarantee he lives for the whole ‘take my hand and drag me head first fearless’. Plus he’s a pretty timid guy, so him being fearless is just *chefs kiss*

Fifteen: Davey. I feel like he’s made some bad choices which is why he’s so careful. He definitely lives by ‘I found time can heal most anything’

Love Story: Race, the dramatic little f*cker, lives for Love Story. Don’t act like he won’t speed down a freeway screaming at the top of his lungs while whoever is in the passenger seat (usually Albert) looks at him with great concern.

Hey Stephen: Les. He probably has written poetry for some girl in his class. Plus it’s such a wholesome song, I’m just imagining his little voice in the back seat of the car singing ‘I CANT HELP IT IF YA LOOK LIKE AN ANGEL, CANT HELP IT IF I WANNA KISS YA IN THE RAIN SO COME FEEL THIS MAGIC IVE BEEN FEELING SINCE I MET YOU’ and then Davey (who’s driving, he doesn’t trust anyone else to give Les lifts unless it’s Jack or Sarah) Just turns it up so he doesn’t have to hear Les’s screeching

White Horse: oh boy time to ✨cry✨ and you know who relates to this song? Albert. Not sure why, he has a lot of feelings so for him a song about pure hurt is up his ally. He loves all the lyrics and ‘I’m gonna find someone some day who might ACTUALLY TREAT ME WELL’ he screams a little too passionately and then race is there like ‘am I a joke to you 👁👄👁’

You Belong With Me: Crutchie lives for this song. It’s so fun and he loves humming it and he just- he loves a good classic. He definitely has a Junior Jewels shirt that he got all the newsies to sign. It’s his favourite pyjama shirt.

Breathe: Elmer. Probably cause he has nine siblings and he had to leave them, he was hella close to them so now he’s alone... I’m fine

Tell Me Why: Henry. ‘CAUSE YOURE THE ONLY THING ON MYYYYY MIND’ he does that and points his finger dramatically. I have this weird head canon that he takes SO LONG in the bathroom so he sings into his shampoo bottle and looks in the mirror... yeah it’s a lot.

You’re Not Sorry: Specs. It slaps. So does Specs. In conclusion: yes.

The Way I Loved You: Jack. Now The Way I Loved You is about two people. The one they’re currently with, and the ex. So for him I feel like he’s not really sure what his feelings are doing, so he misses his ex while he’s with his current partner... yikes. Someone get the boy some therapy he needs it.

Forever and Always: Spot. He’s angry. He’s going feral. ‘OhhhHHHHH AND IT RAINS IN YOUR BEDROOM EVERYTHING IS WRONG, IT RAINS WHEN YOURE HERE AND IT RAINS WHEN YOURE GONE’ yeah he’s really into it... like he’s popping off. Specifically that part where Taylor is full on P I S S E D and that high note comes up.

The Best Day: *don’t touch me I’m crying* Katherine (pt 1, yeah she has two songs stfu like you didn’t see that coming) k so she loves the best day cause she ✨lost her mother✨ when she was 14 so uhhh, she just likes it cause it reminds her of her... which is sad... oh fearless OG came out when her mum was around as well, so when she lost her she probably played The Best Day to cope.

Change: oh all of them I mean have you HEARD it??? ‘It was the night things changed, I can feel it now, all the walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down itS A REVOLUTIONNNNNNNN SO THROW YOUR HANDS UP CAUSE WE NEVER GAVEEEEE INNNNNNNnnnNn *inhales* AND WELL SING HALLELU-‘ yeah it slaps.

Jump Then Fall: SARAH JACOBS!!! It’s so soft and I can BET she kinda sits there quietly watching her SO and then is like ‘holy shit- fuck their laugh- oh my god’ and has moments where she’s like ‘my gosh I love them’ and she’s so comforting and warm. So the whole line ‘I’ll hold you through the night until you smile...’ cause she knows that she wants to fall in love so bad but she’s also like ‘please don’t be afraid to fall please just love me holy shit I love you’

Come In With The Rain: gosh idk they all scream the chorus at the top of their lungs (there are so many tracks on this album I’m just going to have to skip songs where I can’t think of anyone 🧍‍♀️

There’s also probably gonna be a few repeats

Superstar: Pulitzer thinking about Teddy Roosevelt 😏

Today Was A Fairytale: Albert, he deserves a happy song. After a happy date he dances around the room singing it, until someone knocks on the door and he’s like ‘shit they heard me’

Mr Perfectly Fine: ohhhhhhhHHHH KATHERINE MY QUEEN. She’s p i s s e d. She’s m a d. She’s p a s s i o n a t e. She’s also still with Jack at the time so he’s like ‘wtf’ scared for his life- then he uhhhh breaks up with her... cause of valid reasons and is ok but still broken and that takes her love for the song to a whole new level cause she always got it but never got it. Not she’s on the verge of smashing a vase as she screams it.

We Were Happy: ✨newsbians✨ just for the line ‘talking bout your daddys farm we were gonna buy some day’. Idk if I ever like- posted about it but Chandler @tarantulas4davey and I had a wholeeee thing for cottage core Kath and Sarah so yk

Don’t You: Jack. He’s a mess. Wbk.

Bye Bye Baby: Race. he just wants to live that main character life cause he’s dramatic so... ‘it wasn’t just like a movie, the rain didn’t soak through my clothes, down to my skin’ honestly same. What a mood.

Love story Remix: THEYRE ALL VIBING

Anyway, in conclusion: yeehaw.

Stream Fearless Taylors Version. Please send in asks asking to elaboration or something if you want to :)

[carryingthebanner]

✎ Writevember Day 3 ✎

Day 2

Balloons for Les

Prompt: Balloons

Words: too many 3,058

Content Warnings: food mention, briefly mentions loss of parents

“Ya can’t go there, Les. ‘S Brooklyn.” Jack sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. “No kid ‘o mine is goin’ down to Brooklyn by himself. ‘S just not happenin’.” Les huffed, facing toward Davey. “Don’t look at me! I’m not going to Brooklyn again.” Davey exclaimed, throwing up his hands. He shot Jack a glance, hoping that he would back him up on this. Instead, a mischievous smile crept on his face. “Dat don’t sound too bad, huh. Dave, you should take ya little brudda to Brooklyn.” Jack paused, holding back a snicker as Davey’s eyes widened. “I’s sure Spot would love to see ya.” Davey shot Jack a death glare before shaking his head. “What makes you think he would want to see any of the Manhattan newsies? We’re not Race or Albert.”

It was true - only Race and Albert had the privilege of going to Brooklyn whenever they pleased. Jack didn’t like it (and may or may not have felt a bit jealous that he, a fellow leader, wasn’t allowed on Spot’s turf), but he couldn’t blame Conlon - although he was cordial with Jack after his betrayal in order to make the strike successful, he had made it very clear on multiple occasions that he didn’t trust Jack: “Prove it to me, Kelly. Then we’ll talk.” However, Jack felt relieved knowing that at least two Manhattan newsies were on good terms with Brooklyn. If he ever needed a representative, he never hesitated to ask Race or Albert.

“Fine. How’s about I come with ya?” Jack suggested, against his better judgement. Davey looked at him incredulously. “Jack, if there was a list of newsies from any borough that Spot didn’t want to see, I’m certain that you would be at the top of it.” Jack shifted uncomfortably. “I’s changed, Conlon’s gonna have to realize that - one way or another. I ain’t trespassin’ on his turf ‘cause I ain’t sellin’ no papers there. If Les wants to have a look at the circus, then we should let ‘im.” Davey knew good and well that that wasn’t what trespassing meant, but he kept his mouth closed. Jack had a way of working his magic on practically everyone he came into contact with, so maybe he knew what he was doing. Davey just had to relax and trust him.

“Really?” Les squealed, looking enthusiastically between the two of them. Jack glanced over at Davey again before slinging his arm over Les’ shoulder. “Yeah, kid. Let’s go.”

The water sparkled beneath the sun and boats made tiny ripples in the water as the three of them walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. Les stopped every few seconds to feed pigeons or to rush over to the nearest boat to watch it pass under the bridge, completely ignoring Davey’s calls to not stray too far behind.

They were barely halfway across the bridge when they heard loud whooping and the sound of coins being scattered across wood. The Brooklyn newsies were there. Not too unexpected. The Brooklyn boys often hung around here: playing jacks, selling papers and looking out for anyone that might be a Manhattan newsie. They slowed down their pace, and Davey stopped telling Les to come over.

He eventually did. “Did you see the big one? It looked incredible!” Les exclaimed, walking over to them. “What? Oh, nah kid. I didn’t see it. I bet it was though.” Jack responded, nervously running a hand through his hair. “How’s about you go looks at some more? I bet there’s others that are just as big.” Les shook his head. “No, I’m ready to go now. Come on, I wanna see the circus!” Jack shot Davey a nervous glance for what was probably the umpteenth time and then they continued on their way. It wasn’t that Jack was scared of Spot - he wasn’t even intimidated. But Jack knew how badly he had let down all of the newsies when he briefly became a scab. It still hurt him deeply to think about, and he felt ashamed to even show his face in Brooklyn. And it wasn’t just Brooklyn - It had taken him a bit to even feel comfortable with his newsies again. Sure, they accepted him back in no time (even the ones who were a little hesitant at first), but Jack still couldn’t shake the feeling of being a backstabber. Especially when it came down to the younger newsies and the ones who were badly wounded during the strike. Living as a newsie was far from living in high society, but it had always been important to Jack to set a good example for them. And he failed. He had assured Crutchie that he would never let him down, he had promised to fight for all of the newsies, even the ones who didn’t partake in the strike. And he was the one who turned out to be the quitter. Oh, the irony.

As they approached closer, Jack tried not to think about the past and instead tried to think of how he was going to explain to Spot’s newsies his reason for coming to Brooklyn. Suddenly, Davey poked him, and gestured up ahead. Surprise surprise, Spot was here too. “Just as luck would have it.” Jack muttered, sucking in his breath.

He squared his shoulders and strode over to where Spot, a few Brooklyn newsies, and (not so surprisingly) Race and Albert sat. “Heya Conlon!” He said, making sure to play up his charm. “How’s things goin’?” Spot looked up at Jack, continuing to maintain his gaze as he put down his cards and stood. “Why’re ya here, Kelly? State your purpose.” “We’s taking-” Spot moved to stand directly in front of Jack. “Business or pleasure?” He crossed his arms, waiting for an answer. “Pl-” “I’m going to see the circus!” Les interrupted, the excitement evident on his face. Spot glanced at Les before returning his gaze to Jack.

Behind him, Albert nudged Race, prompting him to reach out and tap Spot on the arm. Spot turned his head ever so slightly to look back at Race, whose eyes pleaded with him to let Jack off the hook. Spot turned his back to Jack, and stood in silence for a few seconds before waving his hand in the air. They were in the clear. Jack gave Race a quick nod before continuing his walk. Spot stood watching them until they disappeared out of view.

They heard the circus before they saw it. Animated carnies yelled, “Come to the circus, it’s the best day of the year!” and loud horns played in the distance. The smell of fresh, buttery popcorn wafted through the air. Les couldn’t contain his happiness. He bounded over to the nearest booth, completely ignoring the ticket collector and tried to peer inside. “Hey kid! Where’s your ticket?” The collector yelled, standing up to block his view. Les stumbled back, stunned. A hand landed on his shoulder. “I’m sorry for any trouble he was causing, sir.” Davey’s voice came from behind him. “We were just on our way.” The collector gave them a stern look as Davey steered Les away, and Jack followed.

“I didn’t do nothin’,” Les was clearly irritated. “I was lookin’!” Davey shook his head. “Looking to get yourself in trouble.” Les pulled himself away from him, walking over to go stand by Jack’s side. “Jack told me I could look! I was lookin’, right Jack?”

Jack nodded in agreement. “Davey, ‘s okay, really. And Les, maybe ya should stay by da fence.” A long, metal fence surrounded the circus, keeping them out but still allowing them to view the vibrant red and white booths, the carousel’s intricate designs, the flashy costumes of the performers and the enticing fair food. The circus showed up annually and although Jack had never been, he had heard plenty from newsies who had seen it in passing. It was like nothing he had seen before.

Les looked longingly at the sight in front of him, and soon a man holding balloons came by. Immediately his eyes lit up. “Look, balloons!” He turned attention to Davey. “Could I get one, David? Please?” Davey shook his head. “I don’t want to have to explain to father why our earnings are significantly less than it was last time.” “I’ll work extra hard then! Younger sells more papes, remember?” Les insisted. “I said no, Les.”

Jack felt uncomfortable, as if he was intruding on something. Among the newsies, he was usually the one to break up fights and settle disagreements. He wasn’t used to this. “But-” Les tried again, only to be cut off by Davey. “Les, we can’t afford it. That’s final.”

Jack glanced awkwardly between them before holding up a finger to Les, and leading Davey a few feet away. “Listen,” He kept his voice low and dug around in his pocket. “I might have some spare change.” After all, he slept on the rooftop, so he sometimes did have a little extra money as opposed to the newsies who had to pay for a bed every night. He typically saved the extra cents in case a newsie happened to be down on their luck. Davey looked at Jack, his face turning red. “We’re no charity case.”

Jack felt as if he had been punched in the gut. The last time Davey had said those words to him were before he even knew Davey was Davey. Of course Jack knew that they weren’t a charity case, they both were hard workers and Davey hated asking anybody for anything.

“Stop thinkin’ dat’s what I means. I’s tryin’ to do a little somethin’ for da kid!” Davey forced a laugh. “What? I do not think that all the time! When’s the last time-” He stopped mid sentence, shocked. The last time he uttered those words was back in July. Back when he still didn’t trust Jack.

To make matters worse, Les had made his way over and they hadn’t noticed. He hated fights. He hated that his brother seemed so serious about saving money. Why couldn’t his enjoyment be just as important as what his family spent their money on? He didn’t understand.

“I think I’ve seen enough,” Les whispered, unknowingly breaking both Jack and Davey’s hearts. “We should go.”

Davey’s hands fiddled with his pencil. He was trying to study for a test, but he couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened earlier that day. Les had been silent since then, and had barely eaten anything at dinner. To make matters worse, their mother had told him that if he didn’t eat, he couldn’t sell papers on Sunday. Selling papers on Sunday (and the occasional Friday) was something that Les looked forward to, and he hated that his mother threatened to take that away from him. One by one, the family retreated, leaving Les at the table. Davey hoped some space would do him good. He also hoped he hadn't been too hard on him.

Plonk! Davey jumped slightly as something hit his window. And then hit again and again. He set down his pencil, lifted up the window and peered out. Jack stood below, waving his hand. “‘Punzel, ‘Punzel, let down ya… fire ‘scape, or whateva.” Davey laughed quietly, leaning out the window further to lower the fire escape to the ground. “I didn’t know you liked fairytales.” Jack shrugged, coming closer to the ladder. “Heard Katherine readin’ it to Smalls da udder day. Thought I’d try it on ya.” Jack grabbed a hold of the rungs and climbed up. Davey moved back a little to make room for him, but Jack held up a hand. “Not comin’ in Dave. I wanted to-” “I’m sorry I snapped. I shouldn’t have said that to you, you were just trying to help.” Jack met Davey’s eyes. “Don’t sweat it Dave. I shouldn’t have put ya on da spot like that.” They stood in silence for a minute before Davey noticed Jack’s eyes scanning the room. “How’s Les?” Davey looked down as the guilt kicked in. It had been nearly two hours since he had last checked in on his brother. In all honesty, he didn’t know how to go about it. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. He didn’t know how to respond, and Jack took notice. “Go check on da kid, I’ll see you’se tomorrow.” Davey sighed and nodded. “Good night.” He said quietly, and walked toward the kitchen.

Jack reached into his pocket, taking out a small, flat package wrapped in newspaper. He reached inside and pushed the window almost all the way down, before carefully placing the corner of the package under the window and shutting it.

Then he turned and started his way down the fire escape.

Les sat in front of a three-quarters-finished bowl of soup. His head was down, but the dried tears on his face were visible. Davey’s heart ached. He looked so small, so fragile. This was all because of him. He slowly walked over to the chair opposite Les and sat down. Les didn’t move. A long silence went by before Davey took a deep breath and broke the tension. “I’m sorry.” Les looked up slightly, blinking his eyes. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I didn’t mean to be so harsh on you. I didn’t mean to take away your happiness. I’m sorry for taking so long to check up on you. I’m sorry for ruining today for you. I’m… sorry.” Davey’s voice was quiet and his fingers twitched nervously. “And you shouldn’t have to eat this if you don’t want to. I know that soup is colder than a brick right now.” Another minute of silence passed before Davey pushed back his chair and stood up. “Come here.” He said, outstretching his arms. Davey knew that hugs always made his brother feel better, especially hugs from their mother. Even though Davey wasn’t Esther, he could still try and comfort Les the best way he knew how to.

Les padded over to him, taking him up on the offer.

“Why can’t I ever buy candy? Or go to the toy store just once? It’s not fair.” Les sniffled. Davey remembered asking these questions too when he was his brother's age, but that was before he understood how the world worked. He knew his parents wished that they could give them everything and more, but it just wasn’t very possible. “It’s just the way things are right now. They’re doing the best they can. It’s not easy, but they’re trying. I’m sorry.”

They hugged for a few more minutes before Davey pulled back. “Go get ready for bed, you look tired.” Les nodded sadly, and began to walk toward the door. Suddenly, he turned around and faced Davey. “It’s okay.”

Les walked over to the small, wooden table to blow out a candle. But his attention diverted to the window, where something had caught his eye. He crossed the room and gingerly lifted up the window, the package falling in his hands. Bringing it over to the candle, he realized that “For Les” was scrawled in big, messy letters. His eyebrows raised in surprise and he tore open the newspaper.

In his hands, he held a piece of paper. His eyes were drawn to the small signature in the bottom right corner. Jack’s. And then he noticed the picture.

Balloons.

Little bursts of red, green, white, orange and blue balloons. They were outlined with a pencil, and had curly, straight and wavy strings attached to them. Les couldn’t believe his eyes. Each one looked vastly different from the other. They were beautiful. The paper smelt vaguely of food, and Les giggled to himself. Jack must’ve used old fruits and vegetables to get the pigment. But that didn’t matter because it was perfect; It was his. He hugged the picture to his chest like it was worth a million dollars. To him, it was if Jack had given him the world.

Les ran ahead of Davey to the circulation gate, and for the first time, Davey didn’t tell him to slow down. He was glad to see a smile back on his brother’s face. He sped up, just in time to see Les bum rush Jack.

Jack steadied himself to keep from crashing into the newspaper wagon as Les threw his arms around him. Then he froze. Now Jack had always been affectionate. He was used to ruffling the newsies’ hair, playfully punching their sides, and slinging his arms around their shoulders. But hugs? That wasn’t something that he was used to. Well, at least not anymore.

When he first became a newsie, he was made fun of a lot for “being soft.” He really wasn’t (as most kids who had gone through a significant amount of loss which caused them to learn how to fend for themselves weren’t), but at the time, he just wanted to feel loved. Nowadays, he would usually hug a younger newsie when they were still new and grieving the loss of their parents or when they occasionally suffered a nightmare. Hugs were something that came only on occasion.

But this was Les, and Les wasn’t letting go. Jack could hug him without worrying that he was going to be mocked. So he relaxed his shoulders, and pulled his arms around the boy. Les squeezed him even tighter then. Jack could barely breathe, but he would never say anything to Les about it - he would hate to hurt the kid’s feelings. Plus, he actually liked the hug. He didn’t realize how much he had missed them. A few more moments passed before Davey appeared, holding his and Les’ papers. He took one look at Jack’s face and tried his best to keep from bursting into laughter. “Les, let up some. You don’t want to squeeze his insides out.” Davey chuckled. Les let go and grabbed his papers out of Davey’s hands. As he was putting them in his bag, Davey’s eyes locked with Jack’s. His eyes told a million stories. “Come on,” Les said, grabbing Davey’s wrist. “I don’t wanna miss my usual customers!” Les began to run, dragging Davey with him. With his eyes still fixed on Jack, Davey mouthed “Thank you,” before turning around to face whatever the day had to offer.

[carnationcreation]

can you do 15 with reggie peters pls❤️

TITLE: 3 Simple Rules (Reggie Peters x reader) [MUSICAL THEATER AU]

✌🏻Masterlist Taglist, Requests, and Works in progress!

Please check bio to see if requests are open before sending any in! 

Request: can you do 15 with reggie peters pls❤️

Prompt/summary:  [Musical Theater AU] Reader has to explain the three simple rules of the theater to Reggie. (And also help him out of trouble)

Word Count: 1,411

Authors note: From my AU prompt list on Tumblr!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There were three rules that came with being in the theater department at Los Feliz High School.

Rule One: No talking in the wings.

From the moment I met my co-star Reggie Peters at auditions, I knew he was going to be a pain to work with.

For example, he did not prepare an audition song. Instead, he broke out a guitar and took a request from Mrs. Harrison and wowed with his impressive vocals instead. His lines were half memorized and his wardrobe was not fit for the dance portion of the audition.

For Christs sake we’re doing NEWSIES!

The rehearsal period was over a month long and every week about thirty students crammed into the auditorium to relentlessly rehearse and prepare for opening night. 

My character, Katherine, didn’t dance much other than in King of New York. The big tap dance number I had to master next week.

A lot of my time was spent waiting in the wings for my next cue. Unfortunately, so was Reggie’s. 

“Wait was that my cue?”

“SHHHHH!” I said, looking anxiously to see if the stage manager on the other side of the stage heard us.

“Oh come on,” he said, “they can’t hear me over the music.”

I rolled my eyes before grabbing his hand and dragging him to the hallway of dressing rooms right behind the stage. 

“Do you seriously not know anything?”

He looked at me confused.

“The rules of being in theater?” I said, when he shrugged I continued, “One, no talking in the wings. Two, no eating or smoking in costume. And three, always show up early or else you’re late.”

“I didn’t think this was that serious.”

I scoffed, “Why did you even sign up for this?”

He shrugged, “Mrs. Harrison cornered me in English and said she needed someone who could actually sing for Jack Kelly.”

I rolled my eyes, “You better keep your mouth clean. I don’t want to have to kiss someone who’s breath stinks every weekend.”

Suddenly, the door we just came out popped open.

“(Y/N)! It’s almost your cue! Reggie, what are you doing out here?” Julie whispered.

“Nothing. Let’s go Reginald.”

“It’s Reggie!”

Rule 2: No eating in costume

The snack table near the dressing room was kept stocked with lots of different things, and it was meant for those out of costume or stagehands since we didn’t get to eat dinner until afterwards on show nights. 

I’d never been a stickler about eating in costume considering I’ve done it myself numerous times. At least I was always careful about it though, putting on a jacket or blanket over me to keep stains from getting on the meticulous costumes our school would make.

“What are you doing?” 

I tried to keep my voice low, but the shock and panic that went through me when I saw orange smears on Reggie’s vest from the pack of Cheetos in his hand made it come out in a squeek.

He looked up at me frantically, “I forgot!”

I huffed in frustration before running into the womens dressing room to grab paper towels.

Reggie tried to take them from me when I came out but I slapped his hand away.

“You’ll try to rub it, you need to pat the stain out.”

The wet paper towel made the brown vest look darker, but at least I got the orange out.

I grabbed his hand and dragged him back into the dressing room, “Stand there.”

He stood where I pointed right beside the electrical outlet and watched me silently as I plugged in the hair dryer and set it to the cool setting. I put it on it’s lowest setting so I could carefully listen so we wouldn’t be late for our cues. Luckily it was Pulitzer’s solo so we should have enough time.

I looked up and noticed his cheeks were red, “What? It isn’t too hot is it?”

“Uh- no I just- we’re in the dressing room alone-”

“And I’m getting the stain out of your shirt so Katie won’t go nuts when she sees your costume almost ruined. No one’s gonna say anything Reggie, especially not to me. This happens more than you think.”

He nodded and looked down at the vest. It was still slightly damp but not enough to be noticeable on stage.

“Thank you,” Reggie said as I pulled the door open.

“Next time put a jacket on before you eat. Three simple rules Peters. Remember them.”

Rule 3: Always show up early or you’re late

It was almost the end of our show run. The past few weeks had been amazing and it was saddening to think that tonight I would have to say goodbye to Katherine. 

As I sat in my dressing room I heard a knock at the door, Julie entered and stood behind me as I pinned my hair up for my wig.

“Have you seen Reggie? It’s almost 10 minutes till places.”

“No I haven’t, has he messaged Luke about being the understudy?”

She shook her head, “Katie said he hadn’t.”

I felt anxiety rise in my chest, hopefully we wouldn’t have to delay the show just to get someone in costume.

I peaked my head outside and just as I did Reggie Peters came sprinting down the hallway.

“Where have you been?”

“I got a flat on the way, how much time do I have?”

“10 minutes till places. If you hurry you might not be late.”

He nodded.

“Rule number 3 Peters!”

He shouted over his shoulder back at me, “I know!”

I rolled my eyes. Having pity for the boy, I decided to try and help.

I went and grabbed his mic from the stage manager and updated her on the situation. With it in hand I went back to his dressing room and knocked.

“Come in!”

Reggie stumbled around the room finding pieces of his costume to pull on. 

“Sit,” I said once he had the pants and shirt on.

I handed him the vest and tucked the mic pack into the back of his belt before letting him run the wire up through the shirt.

“Do your hair, I’ll get the makeup ready.”

He tousled his hair and I couldn’t help but stare. Him clearing his throat brought me back to reality and I began applying the foundation and powder to his face. The entire time I felt his eyes looking at me causing my face to become unexplainably hot.

Finally I pressed a cut up makeup sponge covered in black and gray eye shadow to give him the look of a dirty newsie. 

“All done,” I said. I tried to stand up quickly so I could go and get my face to not feel like it’s on fire.

He grabbed my wrist, “Thank you.”

“For what?”

He sighed, “You’re always helping me with something.”

“Well,” I smiled, “Hopefully you’d do the same for me if the situation was reversed. Besides theater geeks look out for each other.”

“I’m not a geek!”

I laughed, “It’s almost time for places. Let’s go Peters.”

The final curtain call had most of the cast in tears. This was the night we’d have to put all the props away and say goodbye to Newsies.

I neatly put my costume away before turning off my dressing room light for one last time.

I’ll admit. Working with Reggie wasn’t all that bad. At least he was a good kisser and took a mint before the finale each night. 

I pulled my duffle bag over my shoulder and walked towards the entrance of the school.

“(Y/n)!”

I looked behind me to see Reggie jogging to catch up with me.

“The rest of the crew is going to iHop, are you coming?”

“I dont know,” I said, “I’m kinda tired.”

“Come on,” he groaned.

“No Reginald I’m tired and sad the show ended.”

He smirked, “And going with the rest of the cast will make the grief a little less.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Please?” 

I walked off leaving him to trail behind me.

“Please (Y/n)!”

“Why do you want me to go that bad Reginald?”

“It’s Reggie,” he said, I smirked, “And... I don’t know anyone else that well.”

 I stopped and turned to him, he looked slightly embarrassed. 

“Please? I don’t wanna go by myself.”

I sighed, “Fine. But you’re buying me a milkshake.”

He smiled widely and before I could react pressed a kiss to my cheek.

As he pulled back he realized what he had done causing us both to blush.

“Is that against the rules?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[enter-a-newsies-obsession]

Dark Alleys and Dark Bruises- Javid

Helllloooo!!! I haven’t posted a Javid oneshot for awhile so here you go! (also on Wattpad: Forbidden Thoughts~Javid Oneshots)

TW: blood, homophobia, use of f****t, angst (with happy ending!!)

The dirty puddles twinkled in the soft lamplight as Jack Kelly's footsteps disturbed them. He watched the ripples disappear into the edges, humming with slight interest. Leaning on the wall beside him, Jack looked up at the few stars that he could see through the clouds.

That kid's really killin' me, he thought bitterly. Again, his mind landed on a subject that he could never escape: David Jacobs.

Jack was on the way back to the Lodge from walking Davey and Les to their home, "It's dangerous out these days," was the only excuse he could muster, trying to hide the fact he just wanted more time with Davey.

Now, as Jack stood alone, he looked glumly around. Everything here could only remain him of Davey- the grimy pavement as dark as the boys hair, the soft lamplight as tender as his cheek, hidden alleyways where Jack would fantasise pulling him into, the twinkling stars matching his shining eyes.

Jack shook his head angrily.

He pushed off the wall and stuffed his hands roughly in his pockets. Girls, boys, he loved them both. Too bad none but the newsies really liked that.

So caught up in his thoughts as he was, Jack didn't see the two shadows slither up  behind him.

A voice dripped in sarcasm drifted out from the darkness as Jack froze in his tracks.

"Oi! What'd we's have here now? That the famous Jack Kelly, is it?"

Oscar and Morris Delancey scuffled out from behind him. Jack sighed loudly, turning back with a fake, smug smile and threw his hands up.

"Oscar, Morris. What cha doing down in these parts, shouldn't yer be crawlin' 'round by someone else's feet at this time of night?"

Oh, they didn't like that comment.

Their smiles faded and clean shaven jaw clenched.

"We's was just passin' by 'til we saw ya round 'ere alone." Oscar spat, cracked his knuckles and advanced. Jack tried to stand his ground but when Oscars hot and mucky breath washed over his cold face, he clenched his fists and stepped back.

"My fists have been aching without anything to punch-" before Jack could respond, Morris took a swing at him, but he dodged it with a gulp. What were they playing at? What did they want?

"Oi, where's yer little boyfriend, aye Kelly? Davey was it?"

Ah, so that's what they wanted.

"Don't have a boyfriend," Jack shrugged, "What, you offering Morris?"

Morris growled and pushed him roughly into an empty alley way. Jack, who hadn't prepared to be pushed, fell violently onto his back, hitting his head on the pavement. Before he could get up, Oscar dug his heel into his chest and forced him back down.

He leaned over him, "Come on Jaaaack, you can tell us if yer a dirty homosexual. We's won't tell."

Jack struggled against his foot and attempted to push him off.

"I ain't gonna. An' if I were, I don't  appreciate yer callin' us dirty."

Oscar let Jack scramble up to stand, then kicked him in the stomach, winding him and making him double over in a vulnerable position where they could sock him right in the jaw.

"We's ain't stupid," Morris growled, "You're a disgusting f****t, we've seen the way you and that Davey kid look at each other."

Jack coughed up bright red blood onto the grimy pavement.

"Burn in hell." He snarled.

They leaned forward, "Oh, we won't be the only ones, Queer."

Before another breath could be taken, they started kicking him down, punching him in the jaw, bruising his ribs, cutting his head until it bled on the ground, spitting on his face.

Then, they left him in the cold, bleeding and bruised, hardly able to sit up, slurs echoing through his head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Where's Jack?" Les whined, looking around at the Newsies Square. Davey's smile flattered but he straightened up to pat his brother reassuringly on his head.

"He'll be here."

A minute passed, then five, then fifteen.

Crutchie hobbled over to them.

"You's seen Jack this mornin'?"

Davey's brow furrowed and shook his head. "No. Didn't he come back last night?"

It was Crutchies turn to shake his head.

Davey looked around anxiously, "He wouldn't have gone to Brooklyn or Queens or somethin'?"

Crutchie looked around as if he would sense him. "Nah, he woulda told one a us," he frowned. "Or you's guys," he added.

Worry started to tease at the edge off Davey's mind. Jack was strong. He would be fine.

If he's strong he would've made it back by now, Daveys brain argued.

  Okay, now his mind was full of fear of every single bad thing that could happen to a Newsies around these parts- especially in the middle of the night when Jack had left.

Racer- who had previous joined the conversation- laid a reassuring hand on David's shoulder, "Aye..... Aye Dave what ya worrying about? It's gonna be-"

"I'm gonna go look for 'em," Davey snapped, turning sharply away before giving Les the money and waving a quick goodbye for now. After a nod from Crutchie, Racetrack went with him.

~~~~~~~~~~~

They had been following the route back to Davey's apartment for a while now, checking each dark alley, each shop window, each side street, just for a small glimpse of where Jack was.

Davey had started panicking when they had gone almost half an hour without a clue, taking off his hat to run his clammy fingers through his dark hair.

"I really dunno," Race sighed, kicking a stick on the road into the alleyway next to them, "he could be anywhere by now, Davey, I-"

There was a groan from the alleyway. Race and David froze.

"What was that....?" Davey half-heartily whispered as Race was already approaching the dark clump .

"Err.....Dave, you better come 'ere quick..."

Davey ran. Then, just as fast, he froze..

Davey found it hard to believe that Jack Kelly- one of the strongest leaders Dave knew, the hard muscled boy with an equally quick witted come back always ready, the boy who never flinched in the way of danger- was the same boy who curled and flinched as Dave put a trembling hand to his shoulder.

"Jack?" He didn't respond as Davey crouched beside him, next to Race, "Hey Jackie?"

"...Dave?"

The voice that whispered was hoarse and cold, nothing like the Jack Dave knew. His head lolled towards where Davey's voice came from. His fingers were crusted with old blood, his face was covered in darkening bruises and an angled nose was red and dried, but through the pain he was still able to reach towards his Dave.

"Hey Jack, it's gonna be okay, it'll be okay, just wait," Dave leaned down to wrap his finger around Jacks, whispering soft assurances. As soon as he had finished he whipped his head up to Race and hissed instructions.

"Racetrack we're getting Jack back to my house."

Race looked between them and opened his mouth to say something.

"Now."

Race, suddenly extremely scared of David, jumped up to push Jack up to sitting.

"Slowly!"

Race flinched.

Jack moaned in pain as he was forced up. Davey reached forward to caress gently at one of Jacks bigger bruises on his face, and held his head when Jack nuzzled into his soft, warm hand.

"It'll be okay..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After helping (well, more precisely, dragging) Jack back to Davey's apartment Race went back to Newsies Square to tell the others what happened. He could only gesture a quick goodbye through the fussing of David's mother.

"Is this the Jack Kelly you've been talking so much about? I can help- if you need. I....I can...Help clean the wounds- oh I'll go make something hot! How 'bout I-"

"I can do it, Ma," Davey interrupted his mother, smiling softly afterward. Jack was currently asleep on Davey's bed, words and movements too hard on his body at the moment. David's mother insisted on helping.

"I can handle it, Ma, I swear. I... actually, when I think about it, can you get me a cloth and some water?"

"Of course!"

That would occupy her for a bit.

Letting out a breath, Davey moved over to where Jack was laid, sleeping peacefully, and sat at his feet.

Dave's mother came in to give her son the rag and water, then, after Davey asked her to close the door on her way out, left hesitantly.

Then they were alone.

The resting boy grunted softly in his dream. Dampening the cloth, Davey pressed it against Jacks forehead.

It went on like that for quite some time, and even though it was lonely, Dave enjoyed watching Jack's chest gently rise and fall with each of his quiet breaths, no pain or stress currently weighing it down.

When it came to unbuttoning Jacks vest to reveal his bare chest to clean the wounds underneath, Davey did it hesitantly and slowly.

Jack would understand, wouldn't he? Yeah...yeah.

~

A sudden coldness and sticky pain was what woke him. Jack stirred slightly, peeling open his heavy eyelids to squint at the hazy silhouette of a beautiful boy.

He looked to the side and Jack made out the curve of a nose through the shining light which shone behind the boy he stared at.

An angel?

Jack blinked the sand out of his eyes and grunted gingerly, moving his arms under him to lift himself up.

Davey turned. "Oh! Hey Jackie, how ya feeling?" He whispered, the edges of his lips curling in both happiness and worry.

"Aye, er," he winced as he moved his ribs, "could be better, i think."

Davey didn't like seeing Jack in pain, so he made a practiced move to help him sit up and positioned the pillow so he could rest on it.

Jack looked down at his open shirt, took one glance at a blushed Davey, and said nothing about it.

"So..." Davey whispered, "What happened? Who did it, 'cuz I'll go soak 'em right now if I have to, I'll knock some bloody sense inter 'em, you don't mess with Jack Kelly and get away with it-"

"Nah, nah, Davey don't do that it's fine." Davey huffed out a breath. Jack smirked as he watched him wrestle his thoughts and eventually- and angrily might I add- brought the cloth back up to a wound on Jacks cheek that had already been cleaned.

The silence stretched out for longer than what was comfortable.

"It was the Delancey's..." Jack muttered after awhile.

Davey gritted his teeth.

"They's were just pickin' on me, that's all." Jack could tell Dave didn't bye it. He didn't meet his eye, but the pause in his cleaning told a tale.

"What did they say?" David hissed, finally bringing back his hand and looking Jack in his beautifully dark eyes. Jack looked away.

"Theys....nothin'.....it was nothin' Dave..."

"It was not nothing, Jack, don't lie to me, I found you lying in an alley, hardly bloody conscious!"

Jack blinked. He hadn't heard Davey this angry since the strike.

"I....Fine.....T.....Theys were callin' me slurs. Sayin' I should die for being.....for liking boys like I do...." Jack looked away again.

David froze. Then he started to move, eyes cold as he pushed off the bed. But Jack caught his arm- trying to hide his flinch at the sudden movement.

"Davey....David, don't. Yer won't do no good, ya just get yourself beat up too."

"Well if that's what it takes-"

"Davey. P....Please just stay 'ere."

Dave sat back down, somewhat sad and reluctant, and they sat in silence for a time.

"You's don't deserve to die, Jack. Don't let them get to you."

Looking up slowly, Jack smiled- the kind of smile he would normally hide, or the one he wore while blushing. Then, he reached towards Dave's hand.

"Thanks, Dave, ya really are a....pal."

Davey focused his gaze intently on the floorboards, lips frowned, opened, closed, blew out a laboured breath. Previously furrowed brows deepened further.

Chuckling hurt, but Jack thought it was worth it. Reaching up to rest his hand on Dave's jaw, he sat up slightly further. He turned the boys face toward him.

They looked at each other tenderly, taking in each feature and strand of hair they were both so in love with.

Then, Davey leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the top of Jacks forehead, smiling against his skin.

He pulled back and Jack instantly grabbed his waist and pulled him in for a long needed hug.

[hyperfixationswithkate]

connect - part three | davey jacobs

reader x davey jacobs

[modern newsies au]

summary: ‘If this is love, then it’s always worth the debt.’

Davey POV

“Davey, they most definitely implied that they want to see you again,” Jack says. “Maybe they were just being nice and wanted to let me down easy,” Davey anxiously said back. “‘Tell them I love them and can’t wait to see them’ is literally the verbatim text you wrote to the group chat. They’re in love with ya Dave'' Jack retorted. Davey paces around the room trying to shake the word love from his mind, how could anybody like that love him? “Invite her to my birthday thing next week ” Jack says offhandedly already focused on something else. “What? No” Davey says surprised, “I’m not gonna ruin your birthday with me being awkward”

Turning around, Jack says “No, actually. All the boys can see them again and with everybody here, you aren’t forced to talk to each other” Davey nods, his way of agreeing. “Just call them in the morning and ask, the worst they can do is say no” Jack says walking into his bedroom for the evening. Davey anxiously walks to his room, almost threatening to write down what he should say in the call.

The moon fading away overhead sparks a new day, a day of dreaded phone calls and a day of hopeful promises. Davey waits until he can’t wait anymore and dials your number in his phone. He still has it memorized. It hasn’t changed in over ten years and it’s muscle memory at this point, his finger barely even thinking about the numbers.

His thumb hovers over the call button for a little too long and with bouncing knees, he sets the phone ringing. His mind races for the few rings before they pick up. “Hello” they say cheerfully. “Hi, um, I was wondering if you wanted to come to Jack’s birthday thing next week. It’s not like a full party or anything, just some of the boys coming over so I think maybe you’d want to come so you could see everybody again and if not that’s totally cool, no worries. It’s not a big deal, I-” Davey rambles barely taking a breath. Interrupting Davey, they said “I’d love to, just text me your address and the details and I’ll definitely be there.” “Wow, okay, thanks, yeah I’ll totally text you and everything. Bye see you then” He says. “Bye, have a good week” they respond and then the receiver clicks.

Reader POV

‘Damn, college definitely didn’t curve his anxiety’ you think.

A long nerve filled week passes. Between tests and thoughts of Davey, there is barely time for anything else. ‘Seeing your main friend group from high school is somewhat frightening on it’s own, like what if they're different, what if they don’t like me anymore’ you think, ‘woah slow down. Even if the boys don’t like you anymore, Davey will probably, well I at least think he will, talk to me’

Finally the time has come. Hoping you’re not over or under dressed, you get in your car and drive to the apartment. The drive felt like the uphill climb on a roller coaster, unsure if this is going to be the best ride of your life or if you’re gonna be terrified for what feels like endless minutes. Anxious thoughts float in your head. Your face feels like it’s on fire. The car radio plays with no music hitting your ear.

Everything comes crashing to a halt as you slow down in front of their apartment. The gps chimes and the lighting in front of the building brighten. You glance at the nearby windows. Lights flicker on and off. Curtains are moved. People pass by. You take a deep breath and force yourself out of your car.

As you approach the apartment door, you can hear people talking and music playing. The door has a ‘happy birthday jack’ banner on it with paper stars taped around it. The light above the door flickers slightly. Feet stomp from the staircase above. With a deep breath, you knock on the door.

Almost immediately, the door flies open almost catching on the rug inside. “How ya doing, doll?” Jack says loudly while pulling you into a hug. His shirt is worn and soft against your face. It smells of coffee, the scent filling your nose. The sounds of people talking inside hits your ears. “Hi Jack” you say quietly. Pulling away from the hug Jack says “Come on and join the party”. Closing the door behind you, he slings an arm around your shoulder like he saw you only yesterday not two and a half years ago.

He looks good after two years. Less awkward. Finally filling out his broad shoulders. His eyes still had the happiness that they used to hold even if it’s now a little faded. Jack felt like a covering in the rain storm even after years of not seeing him.

The apartment buzzed with energy as Jack walked you in. The living room and kitchen had all the old boys from high school, including Davey’s little brother, and a red headed woman. Everyone seemed so happy and at peace in the room. Your hammering heart slows to a somewhat normal pace.

“Hey everybody, it’s the birthday man with a special surprise” Jack says loudly addressing the room gesturing to you. Everyone lightly cheers before slowly returning to their conversations as Davey and the red headed woman approaches you. “Oh, by the way that’s Katherine, my girlfriend” Jack says to you quietly. “Hi, nice to meet you,” Katherine says as she reaches you, “They wouldn’t shut up about you.” “Don’t put us on blast Kath” Jack says, stepping over to put his arm around her waist. “Good to see you again,” Davey says quietly. Jack tries to subtly move away to talk to Katherine but in classic Jack fashion, fails. Ignoring Jack’s awkward shuffling, you say “Yeah, surprised you wanted to see me after that bore of a wedding.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” he says quietly laughing, “Well it was but seeing you again balanced it out.” Shy eye contact is broken by Race almost running to hug you. As loud as ever, he says “God, it’s been forever. How has my dear child survived without me?” Laughing behind him, Spot says “I think their quality of life has probably improved without you in it, dear Race.” Letting go of you to fake faint into Spot’s arms, Race says “How could you say that to your beloved?” “Is the show over yet?” Davey says laughing at the two of them. “Never but the intermission includes asking how y/n is. So how are you?” Race says. “I’m doing alright, Racetrack. Better now that I’m seeing you” you say. “Well my last two years can be summarized by coming out to my parents, dating the love of my life, and hating first floor dorm rooms. Anything to add?” Race says all in one breath and then looks at Spot. “No, that about sums it up.” Spot replies.

After an evening of talking, eat cake, and retelling stories, you end up sitting on the couch with Davey. “That cake was really great, I haven’t had a homemade cake since I was a kid.” You say. “Thanks, I made it. Jack buttered me up for weeks so I would make it.” He responds. “No way” “Yes way” The evening weighs on you as you laugh. Almost everyone has headed out for the evening while you and Davey talked. After saying goodbye to Katherine, Jack says, “Alright you two, I’m gonna head to bed. I got work tomorrow.” Leaving you and Davey alone on the couch.

Turning to face you, he says “Hey, do you want to watch a movie?” “Yeah, I don’t have to go anywhere tomorrow.” You say, “You guys probably have Harry Potter on DVD.” “You know we do” Davey says laughing softly, shuffling through a plastic box of DVD cases. “It’s not like I can’t recite the whole movie but I’ll totally watch Sorcerer's Stone again” You say.

As the movie plays, you and Davey slowly start to lean into each other. It feels like high school again. Being in a dark room, completely unsupervised against bad decisions. Glancing at the superhero art above the TV, you can feel Davey look at you. Slowly turning to him, you lock eyes. The TV plays softly in the background. The faded light hitting his face just right.

Davey POV

Thoughts racing through his head as he tries to process how he got to this point. A million miles a minute, he thinks ‘What if they don’t want to kiss me and I’m being weird? What if they do and they’re waiting for me? How long have they felt this way? Did I miss my chance in high school? What if”

Boom, fireworks. Lips touching his, a hand on his arm, brain short circuiting. Everything melts away. Kissing people seems overrated until it’s the right person. Everything clicks into place. Time slows as they pull away. Fear clouds his vision as he thinks somethings wrong.

“A-are you okay?” he stammers out. “Yeah” they reply, somewhat breathless, “just processing a little bit.” “yeah” he replies quickly, leaning back into his seat. The movie plays while they both sit silently, heads both empty of thoughts.

The credits roll and the clock chimes 2am. “Should I go?” they say, “I don’t want this evening to end in regrets and half filled promises. I’d rather leave before the ache can set in.” “Stay” he says softly, reaching for their hand.

Time melts and the last thought before he falls asleep is ‘If this is love, then it’s always worth the debt.’

[thetomorrowshow]

unless you take your army back ch. 5

First  -  Previous  -  Next  -  Read on AO3!

yo once again giving you guys a chapter how’s everyone doing? My posting dates will never again be on tuesday lol expect wednesdays or fridays when possible <3

anyways other business if you see an A/N in here somewhere (it’ll be between brackets) lmk and I’ll edit it out

Enjoy :)

cw: food, eating disorders, discussion of injuries

~

Jack didn’t leave to sell papes the next morning, instead bringing a cup of coffee and some porridge to Crutchie, then settling in beside him with a real fancy sketchbook and a charcoal pencil.

The coffee wasn’t that great, but Crutchie drank it all, hoping the energy would distract him from the uncomfortable tightness of his fresh bandages. Only one of the cuts that had split open was one that had needed stitches (Katherine had snipped the thread and pulled it out three days ago), but they would all probably scar. At least he already liked to wear long shirts and pants.

The porridge was fine, but rich. After about four bites, Crutchie rested the bowl on the windowsill. Just weeks ago, he would’ve been able to scarf down twice that amount in a matter of minutes, but now he could barely handle eating enough to feed a baby. He was sure he’d get better faster if he’d just eat more, but he just--couldn’t.

This wasn’t even the first time Crutchie had seen kids have trouble eating. At least half the newsies who did a stint in the Refuge came back uneasy around food, too accustomed to there being too little to go around. A lot of food was a trick, just the right amount was too much to stomach, and the little bit that they felt they needed wasn’t enough to keep them going.

So Crutchie knew that what he was going through with his food aversion was normal--expected, even. The frustrating problem was that Crutchie knew how to fix it. He had seen the others go through this, had watched Jack and Race and Specs help others, had even guided Tommy Boy through recovery himself just a few months ago. He knew the signs, he knew how to work through it, and yet he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t snap himself out of it.

Just the thought of food made him queasy, scared, uncertain of what was to come. When the guards brought food, it meant the respite was over. It meant scraps shoved down his throat as quickly as possible, followed by a day of grueling, pointless work with no breaks. He didn’t have the time to finish this bowl of porridge. More than a few bites and he was going to be tardy, the guards were going to beat him and he would fall and he wouldn't be able to get back up, not again not again not again--

“Crutchie, you gonna finish that?”

Crutchie looked up from his lap to see Jack, concern creasing his brow. He shrugged, not sure if he could even pretend to smile. “I didn’t see you eat, wanted to save some for you.” He didn’t need anyone’s help. He knew how to handle this.

Jack frowned. “Nah, I ate on the way up, nicked a bun. Is there some . . . other . . . reason?”

Stupid Jack Kelly and his ‘subtle’ prodding. Crutchie stretched his arms out a bit, affecting a casual look. A bandage rubbed against a raw patch of his chest, but instead of burning, it . . . itched.

That meant he was starting to get better, right? Or was it infected or something? Whatever it meant, it was a good excuse.

“Not really, just been itchin’ all mornin’, so I ain't all that hungry,” he explained, scratching his stomach for emphasis. “Bit bothering, y’know?”

He was sure he didn’t quite have Jack convinced, but it was enough for him to drop the matter. After all, Jack was under the impression that Crutchie had eaten a whole apple the morning before, and he’d been fairly good at emptying bowls of soup all week (not necessarily into his mouth, but Jack didn’t need to know that).

After a moment’s hesitation, Jack smiled. “Hey, itchy, huh?” He lightly punched Crutchie’s knee, which also didn’t hurt like he expected. “That’s good, means stuff is startin’ ta close up and heal.”

Crutchie nodded, feeling something in his chest try to jump excitedly. Even after falling so badly last night, he was getting better. That meant that maybe soon, he could be right back out there, hawking headlines and getting enough pity from his regulars and strangers to make twice the amount he usually did.

Thinking of it-- “Jack, why ain’t you out sellin’?”

Jack looked away--ashamed? Guilty? What? Had he gotten in trouble with the bulls again already? Jack muttered something, then buried his face in his new sketchbook, the tips of his ears burning red.

“That ain’t gonna cut it,” Crutchie said incredulously. “Who d’ya think I am, Race? I ain’t distracted that easy.”

Jack huffed, but didn’t drop his sketchbook. In a barely audible voice, he said very quickly “I soaked the Delanceys yesterday and the fellas think I oughtta stay away from ‘em and maybe take a day off ta give ‘em time ta forget about it.”

Okay, but attacking the Delanceys was something Jack did on a weekly basis. The Delanceys weren’t bright enough to carry a grudge overnight, and they were in a constant state of goading Jack, so what was different about this time?

Then Crutchie remembered their argument last night, what Jack and Davey had told him about how Oscar and Morris had been talking.

“Have they, uh,” Crutchie started, quiet, “been talking about . . . uh, ‘bout me . . . all week?”

Jack stiffened from behind his sketchbook, but nodded jerkily. “Tha’s what Specs said, anyhow.”

“Right.” Crutchie swallowed, looking away out the window. Buttons was out there, looped around a fire escape, calling something through cupped hands. The Delanceys were somewhere out there too, and could be talking about him that very moment, maybe even making plans to come after him. There was no way he could stop them, no way anyone could stop them. After all, Jack couldn’t be here all the time, and Kloppman was old, wiry but feeble compared to Oscar and Morris. They could take the man down in no time, then be up here and Crutchie would have nowhere to go and no way to escape.

Crutchie was suddenly very glad that Jack was here.

There were a few moments of silence, during which Crutchie continued to watch Buttons. His grin was visible even from this distance, growing wider any time he managed to sell a paper or two. Buttons had been having trouble selling lately--he was a little timid, too shy when it counts--so it was nice to see him having some success.

The lady talking to him now seemed nice, by the way Buttons was nodding and had fully disentangled himself from the fire escape to converse with her. The lady turned slightly, her face visible under her sun hat, and--hey! That was one of Crutchie’s regulars! She bought a paper on her way to visit her mother-in-law every other day, and always passed Crutchie’s selling spot on purpose. It was nice to see her again, almost . . . sentimental. Crutchie never thought he would feel almost misty-eyed over some lady whom he briefly interacted with a handful of times a week, but here he was. More than miss her, he missed being out there, he supposed.

“Hey, Crutch?”

Crutchie startled out of his thoughts. The woman was no longer there, Buttons once again attaching himself to the fire escape. Jack was watching him, a carefully disguised look of something on his face. Crutchie raised his eyebrows.

“Uh, so, I missed a union thing, what with last night,” Jack said. “So I’m gonna hafta do it today sometime. That cool with you?”

“What sorta thing?” Crutchie asked suspiciously. If it involved reporters and pictures and all that, Crutchie was not going to allow it to happen in here.

Not that you could stop it, a nasty voice in the back of his mind whispered, causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand up. Jack could do anything to you right now. He was pretty angry last night, after all. You know what anger leads to.

Crutchie swallowed drily. He didn’t need to think about that.

“Oh, just a guy I gotta meet with,” Jack said, far too casually. He made a show of scratching his head. “He might bring another couple o’ fellas with him, so I’s just . . . lettin’ you know.”

Okay, so this wasn’t something he could stop. Great. That calmed him down so much. Crutchie gripped the blanket over him tightly, trying to not show that his hands had begun to tremble. He was fine, he didn’t need Jack getting all worried over nothing. It was just some . . . unknown guy. With bodyguards. Coming into the room to have a discussion with Jack.

“Hey. Hey.”

Crutchie pulled himself from his spiral to see Jack laying his hands over his. “It’s okay,” Jack said seriously. “I can chat with ‘em in another room, or outside. You don’t oughtta have guys in here that you ain’t know.”

Crutchie released his grip, more to assuage Jack than his nerves. He nodded, not sure what he was even expected to say. What if a fight broke out? And Jack was all alone, against three or four guys? He couldn’t let Jack be alone.

“Nah, it’s fine,” Crutchie said hoarsely. Wow, he needed something to drink. He hadn’t noticed his throat drying up. “I uh, I can be your second?”

The words were barely out of his mouth before he regretted them. Of course Jack didn’t want him as his second! He was just some stupid, useless, injured cripple, and Jackhad to still be mad at him for last night. He’d want Davey there, probably--Davey was one of the union heads too, right? And Davey was so good at talking things through and being all smart. All Crutchie could do was make people laugh or feel bad for him--great for selling papes and living on the street, terrible for union business.

“Would ya?” Jack asked. He almost looked a little bit relieved, which took Crutchie aback. “You know how I can get. It’s--it’s nice, havin’ somebody backin’ me up. ‘Specially you, Crutch, you’s real good at talkin’ to folks.”

The air left Crutchie’s lungs. Was he? He was pretty good at selling to just about anyone. Jack used to joke that he would be able to sell a pape to Pulitzer himself for a dollar, without the man even realizing it was his own paper or too high a price. Jack would say that to just about anyone who would listen, actually.

How had Crutchie forgotten that?

“Who’s these folks, then?” Crutchie asked, shifting a bit so that his head was almost level with Jack’s. He liked to think that he was pretty accustomed to the broken ribs at this point--they hurt, but he could now sit up without even breathing heavy. After the week he’d had, Crutchie counted that as a win.

Jack’s carefully casual air was back, clear in the stiff lines of his body and the forced half-grin on his lips. “Just some guys who got a say in newsie union stuff, y’know? From one o’ the other turfs.”

That made sense, actually. The Manhattan newsies weren’t the only ones in the union, after all. In fact, if what Elmer had excitedly told him was true, Davey had shook hands with Spot Conlon and led him straight to Pulitzer’s office, after Conlon had spoken at Davey’s rally--

Oh.

Oh no.

“You’s bringin’ Spot Conlon to the place we sleep?!”

“It was--”

“No no no, lemme get this straight,” Crutchie said, incredulous. “Spot Conlon, leader of the Brooklyn borough, is comin’ here. To Manhattan’s lodging house. Now I know that Brooklyn joined the strike, but there is no way we’s become friends with Brooklyn in the two weeks I ain’t been around, and ya don’t show allies where ya sleep.”

“They already knows where we sleep, there’s a huge sign on the buildin’!” Jack shot back. He dropped his work and gestured widely. “Manhattan newsboys lodgin’ house, in big ol’ letters, smack on the front! Was it s’posed ta be a secret? Or do ya think they just can’t read?”

“It’s the principle of the matter,” Crutchie replied stubbornly. “Ya don’t invite them into your home, you hold ‘em at arm’s length for when they in’vitably scab!”

“Well, that ain’t no way ta treat your allies,” a voice said from the doorway.

Crutchie and Jack both looked up to see the man himself, an unimpressed Spot Conlon, with two lackeys--and also Racetrack. Race waved casually.

“Hey Jack, hey Crutch!” Race said. “Spot’s here ta meet with ya.”

Jack strode across the room, spat and shook with Spot, anxiously adjusting his hat with his other hand. “Nice ta see ya, Conlon,” he said, the geniality in his voice a stark contrast from his heated arguing moments before. Crutchie snorted. Jack shot him a glare.

“So, what’s sayin’ we get straight ta business, Kelly?” Spot suggested, walking further into the room without invitation. Race tipped his hat at them all, then stuck his cigar in his mouth and took off. “This here’s Hotshot, and the other’s Sharpshooter,” Spot threw out, gesturing at the two guys with him. They each nodded in turn.

“Right,” Jack said, “This is Crutchie, he’s my second.”

Spot turned a piercing gaze on Crutchie. Crutchie felt his face heat up as Spot’s sharp eyes took in the patchwork of yellow-brown bruises on his face and throat, the scabbed-over gash on his temple, the splint wrapping his left arm. Finally, he turned away to face Jack.

“You met with Joe of late?” Spot asked. Jack nodded.

“Saw ‘im yesterday. No complaints from his side--he’s sayin’ they’s already noticed circulation goin’ up. You’s been meetin’ with the Journal and the Sun, yeah?”

Spot gave an affirmative nod. “We got ‘em where we want ‘em,” he said with a chuckle. Crutchie waited for him to elaborate. He did not.

Jack seemed sort of disconcerted--Crutchie wondered if Spot could tell. This was all happening so suddenly. Moments ago, Crutchie hadn’t even known anyone was coming. Now there were three Brooklyn newsies standing over his bed, and he couldn’t do anything to defend himself or make them leave. Brooklyn was always angry, always jeering, doing nothing to strengthen the tentative peace they had come to a few months ago.  Really, Crutchie had good reason to be wary. Brooklyn newsies had more than once kicked his crutch out from under him.

Spot and Jack were talking about something, but Crutchie couldn’t really pay attention to them. The one called Sharpshooter was staring him down, in a way that said both I’m-trying-to-intimidate-you and I-don’t-need-to-intimidate-you-weakling. Hotshot was doing the exact same thing to Jack, but Jack seemed unbothered. Crutchie was pretty sure he wasn’t pulling that off near as well. He hadn’t been stared at like that--like he was a piece of dirt that stubbornly remained as you scrubbed at a window--since he’d been . . . there. The Refuge.

Crutchie turned his gaze to the window. Buttons was out of sight, the fire escape likely blazing hot in the sun. There weren’t very many people visible whatsoever--it was stifling out, which was probably why Brooklyn was already here. Selling would have to be done in a very particular fashion today--morning, at the coolest, when everyone was headed for work, then around the lunch hours, then the last few in the evening. Crutchie felt bad for the likely sunburned newsies, frantically trying to sell all their papes in those short windows of time, clothes sticking to them with sweat and the hot air weighing them down.

“Hey, Crutch?”

Crutchie looked back to the conversation. Jack was watching him expectantly, as was Spot. Crutchie tried to not look clueless--he had really been zoning out, hadn’t he? How much time had passed? Why was everyone looking at him?

“D’you mind answerin’ any questions Spot has? I’m gettin’ us all some water.”

Crutchie nodded. It couldn’t be that hard, right? He had totally lost track of the conversation, but he knew a fair bit about what had happened and what was going to happen with the union, mostly from Jack rambling in the afternoons when the silence became too much for one of them.

“So,” Spot said brusquely as soon as the door closed behind Jack. “All that from the strike?”

Crutchie blinked. All what? He needed a bit more context. He should’ve been listening. He opened his mouth to ask, then saw Spot vaguely waving at his body. Oh.

“Nah,” Crutchie mumbled, uncomfortable under the scrutiny. “Some of it, yeah. Mostly the Refuge, though.”

Spot sucked a breath in through his teeth, and Hotshot turned away. “Looks like you was lucky to make it out alive.”

“Oh, yeah,” Crutchie said bitterly. He almost laughed. “By the end there I was ’lucinatin’ so bad I thought I’d been buried already. Probably I was hours from bein’ gone forever.”

Silence. He’d made it awkward, hadn’t he? Crutchie tried to come up with some useful purpose for Spot Conlon to know this, like maybe he’d get pity or sympathy or something and the Brooklyn newsies would leave him alone, but it honestly sounded worse than Conlon straight up hating him. Crutchie was tired of being pitied. He was tired of being a charity case.

“How long?” That was Sharpshooter, his voice pitched a lot higher than Crutchie expected. It didn’t quite match his height and dark eyes.“Was you there, I means.”

“A week, I think. It’s sorta blurry.”

Spot whistled. “Snyder musta had it out for ya. All that in just a week? I’s had boys in there for months come out lookin’ better.”

Again, Crutchie almost laughed. “Everybody has it out for the crip,” he said bluntly, his eyes on his hands as he twisted the blanket between his fingers. “Throw in my personal connection ta Jack Kelly union leader, and a week is a long time ta be lastin’.”

Crutchie looked up. Spot was giving him a strange look--it wasn't pity, like Crutchie expected. It wasn’t disgust. It wasn’t even shock that he was still alive. It was--he didn’t know. And then it was gone.

“Crutchie, right?” Spot asked, glancing out a window aloofly. Crutchie nodded. “You’s a good kid. If you ever finds you in some sorta trouble . . . you’s welcome in Brooklyn.”

What?

He understood that they were allies, but allies did not mean that anyone from either turf was allowed to just go wandering over. The only person who had ever been allowed to was Race, who sold in Brooklyn--why, Crutchie didn’t know. Crutchie didn’t think anyone knew. There were plenty of good spots in Manhattan--why did Race trek all the way to a hostile turf just to sell papes? The point was, this wasn’t something that just happened. Ever. Brooklyn and Manhattan had been on bad terms for as long as Crutchie had been a newsie, and before that as far as anyone could remember.

Crutchie didn’t have much more time to think about it, though, as Jack reentered the room, balancing three glasses of water carelessly enough that it made Crutchie tense up, as if ready to catch one when it dropped. One he handed to Spot, one to Crutchie, and the last to Hotshot. Sharpshooter rolled his eyes and swiped it, half-draining the glass before handing it back.

“Crutchie clear anything up?” Jack asked. Spot continued to stare at Crutchie, a slight crease between his brows.

“Yeah, a few things,” Spot answered absently. “A few.”

The discussions continued for another ten minutes or so, Jack eventually convincing Spot that they were not currently trying to lower the price even further (“I’ve already got Bill down ta fifty-two per hundred, why should I stop?”), and got him to agree to work closely with Davey when Jack wasn’t available. That seemed to be all they could resolve for the time being without attacking each other, which was probably the most that had ever been done by a Manhattan newsie and a Brooklyn newsie working together. When Spot went to leave, though, he turned to Crutchie.

“Ol’ Jack ever oversteps, ya know where ta find us,” he said with a firm nod. “Any guy from Brooklyn will bring ya to me, jus’ say the word.” With that, he was gone, Sharpshooter and Hotshot marching after him.

Jack froze, halfway to gathering the two glasses from where they’d been set on the floor, his mouth agape. “Wh--” he tried. Crutchie could have laughed. He didn’t. But he could’ve. “Did Spot Conlon jus’--” he whipped around to stare at Crutchie. “What’d you talk about?” he demanded. “How’d ya get Spot Conlon ta make you an honorary Brooklyn boy?”

Crutchie shrugged. He wasn’t quite sure what had passed between them himself, and he also wasn’t sure that he wanted to know. It wasn’t like he’d done anything. Spot barely knew who he was. The first time they met had been today.

“W-well, if you isn’t gonna eat that, hand it to me.”

The change in subject took Crutchie by surprise, but he passed the partly-eaten bowl of porridge to Jack, who gave him one last suspicious glance before leaving the room.

Crutchie hated being alone these days--the only things worth doing were sleeping and practicing walking. The second one was off the table after yesterday, and he was sick of sleeping, but when there was nobody around there was nothing to do but think. Nothing to do but fall deeper and deeper into a dark chasm that yawned open in his mind. Nothing to do but slowly become more and more paranoid. . . .

He wished he had asked Jack for some more water before he left. Not that Jack wasn’t coming back or anything, it just would’ve been nice to not force him to make another trip.

When Jack returned some ten minutes later, though, he was not alone. Holding his hand was Katherine, laughing at something Jack had said before they entered the room. Crutchie shrunk away. He didn’t want to see Katherine--she would try to pay for a doctor to come see him or insist on checking each of his wounds or something equally mortifying.

“Look who turned up!” Jack said brightly, and Crutchie tried not to frown too obviously.

“Hi, Katherine,” he said politely. “How’re you?”

“Oh, Crutchie, you look so much better!” Katherine exclaimed. Crutchie examined her face carefully. Mostly the truth, but something in her eyes told him that she was still worried about him. “Look at you, sitting up and everything!” a pause. “Have you, um, been eating well?”

There it was. Crutchie hadn’t seen himself in the mirror in a while--every time someone carried him to the washroom, he’d resolutely avoided it. He knew that his face was still multicolored from the various stages of healing his bruises were in, but he hadn’t even thought that he might look malnourished. Elmer’s bracelet was pretty loose on his wrist, now that he was thinking about it. His unwrapped elbow practically jutted out of his skin.

Great. He’d spent a week in the Refuge and had come out looking like the most pitiful creature ever. He was so weak--it had been such a short amount of time! And now he’d been in bed for just as long, when he should’ve been recovered by now!

“Been workin’ on it,” Crutchie managed, trying not to let his thoughts show too obviously. “Hard ta get back up ta where it’s s’posed ta be, y’know?”

“Yeah, he’s been eating less,” Jack added. “It happens, but he’s been tryin’ ta eat most everything I bring him.”

Crutchie resolutely did not blush or look away. There was no reason for Katherine to believe anything to the contrary. Still, she and Jack watched him carefully for a few moments, then exchanged a look. Was he supposed to say something?

“Jack said there was quite the scare last night,” continued Katherine. “Are you feeling okay after your fall?”

Crutchie nodded. He wasn’t lying, actually. He did feel better than he had all week, even if all of his injuries felt raw from falling. Nothing was hazy anymore, nor particularly sharp. It felt almost normal, if the pain could be ignored. He was getting better.

“Why’re you here, Kath?”

Katherine’s smile strained. “Can’t a girl check up on her best friend?”

Crutchie leveled a stare of his own at her. This was the first he’d heard of being best friends. She had to have some sort of ulterior motive--a doctor or a medicine or something stupid like that. He hated to think it, but couldn’t she just leave him alone?

“Okay, I came--of my own volition, by the way--to ask you if you’d be willing to be seen by my family doctor--”

“Nope, thanks,” Crutchie said loudly, glaring hard enough to bore a hole in Katherine’s head. “As you can see, I’s healin’ up just fine.”

“It wouldn’t cost anything, my father--”

“I won’t be botherin’ your father, if it’s all the same ta you,” Crutchie retorted. “Nor no one. I’m gonna be out there sellin’ again soon, an’ if I decides I need a doctor, I’ll save up the cost myself and see ‘im when I feel like it.”

Katherine and Jack exchanged another look, one that told Crutchie they thought he was being stubborn. And so what if he was? Stubbornness had kept him alive countless times. His particular brand of stubborn had been considered both adorable and inspiring in the past. Maybe he was being annoying, but so what? Was it why they wouldn’t listen to him? Did acting annoying really mean he was stripped of his worth to them, his autonomy?

After a long staring contest with Jack, Katherine huffed and rolled her eyes. “Boys,” she muttered, turning away from both of them. Jack sighed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. The lines of Katherine’s shoulders were sharp and tight, radiating tension that was echoed in Jack’s nervous stance.

Crutchie picked at the blanket. Why did every conversation seem to turn into a fight lately? He just wanted people to respect his choices. Heck, maybe he would take Spot up on that offer. It sounded nice to be around people who had no history with him, a fresh slate, a new standard to set. He would get to prove he was strong to them, instead of being cooped up because they were too afraid of how broken he was.

“Well,” Katherine said, straightening her shoulders and facing them again, “take off your shirt, then.”

Crutchie choked. So did Jack. “Uh, what?” Jack sputtered.

“Buy me dinner first,” Crutchie managed.

Katherine rolled her eyes. “You want to be back out there, don’t you?” she asked Crutchie. He nodded, a little scared of where this was going. “I need to make sure you’re healing well enough, if you won’t see a doctor. Then I’ll tell you when you can continue to sell newspapers. And Jack? Get us something to drink.”