This Ain't Just Newsies No More ~ Sprace & Javid

37 | Tend To You | David

These next two chapters are gonna be really soft. And probably between 500-1000 words. Closer to 1000. This one is Jack and David. Quality Javid!! Anyway. Enjoy! :)

"Jack, I can walk."

"Nonsense."

"Surely you aren't planning on carrying me the whole way?"

"I can and I will."

"Spot's not carrying Race back."

"Spot's taking Race to Brooklyn. Much farther."

"That's it? You're just letting Race go that easily?"

"He can look after himself."

"I thought the whole point of you carrying me is that you deemed me as the damsel in distress who needs to be cared for."

"Race has Spot to look after him. He's in good hands."

"You think Spot is the right one to entrust with a person in desperate need of care?"

"He's only stone-cold and scary when it don't come to Race."

"True, true."

David's stomach rumbles.

"That's it. You're gettin' food immediately," Jack decides. "Don't worry, Dave. It ain't that much longer till ya see your folks again."

"No." David flinches suddenly.

Jack stops walking. "Sorry?"

David hesitates. He thinks for a second. "I don't know. I'm not entirely ready to go home yet."

"Well...then where do you want to go?"

David looks Jack in the eye. "Can I stay with you in the lodging house tonight?"

Jack smiles. "Yeah. Of course."

He sets David and the ground and sits next to him. "You'll still need a couple of things first." He turns to Les. "Hey Les. Why don't you run home and grab your bruddah some fresh clothes and food? We'll be at the newsies lodge."

Les nods and runs off.

"Gotta love that kid," Jack says.

David nods. He thinks about when he first woke up.

David opened his eyes. "Time to take you home," Jack whispered as he picks him up.

Then David saw Les. "Les!"

"David!"

He got out of Jack's arms and made his way as quickly as he could to his brother and pulled him close. Les hugged him back really hard. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Les."

"Never do anything like that again."

"I won't, I promise."

"Yep. I missed him a lot."

"I wish I came sooner, Davey," Jack says morosely. "That was awful just for me, knowin' you weren't in a good place physically. I wish I knew something was wrong the moment I didn't see you that when you said you would be there."

"I tried getting there. But...other people had other plans."

"I wish it wasn't like that."

"It's over now. That's what matters." Then David averts his eyes.