In Between 'Hattan and Brooklyn || A Sprace Story

Chapter 30 - "Have I Met the Boy? Yes, I Have! I Fell for Him, You Idiot!"

- Chapter 30 - A Leader Bro-Talk -
Warnings: Mentions of abuse, injuries
A/N, I was playing a 'Which Outsider Would be Your Best Friend?' Quiz (in which I somehow got Darry) and it asked this and I was so excited lol
Third Person POV

The Newsies were having a party to celebrate winning the strike, mainly since they didn't have to sell the next day.

Roosevelt convinced Pulitzer to give them the next day off, so they had all sold that day and would get the next day off.

After watching Race talk happily with his friends, brothers, and fellow Manhattan Newsies, with the occasional Brooklyn Newsies or Newsie from another borough, Spot decided to go find Jack.

There were a few things he needed to talk to him about.

Spot walks to the middle bunk room, upstairs in the Manhattan Newsie Lodging House.

Name unofficially changed by a few of the boys in the Lodge when Sniper had joined them (before she went to the Bronx with Smalls).

They had even gotten Jack to paint it on the sign, with Mr. Kloppman's permission.

Spot looks around, his eyebrows furrowing when he didn't find Jack.

Where could he b-

Spot noticed the window was open.

Spot nods to himself. He's probably outside. I mean, it's Jack Kelly I'm looking for.

Spot stops in his tracks. Great, he rolls his eyes. I have a brotherly relationship with Jack.

He was joking with himself, of course.

Spot didn't mind Jack. They had helped each other through a lot.

Neither would say they were as close to each other as they were with their Newsies/siblings, but they were still very close.

Spot climbs up to the rooftop, managing to not spill or drop his soda.

He noticed Jack at the edge of the rooftop.

Spot sits down next to Jack. "So..." he starts slowly.

Jack looks over at him, his drink in his hand. He raises an eyebrow.

Spot sighs quietly. "Your Second..." he starts softly, staring ahead of himself.

Jack's eyebrows furrow. "What about him?" He asks, staring ahead like Spot was doing.

Spot was silent for a moment, his mind buzzing, before he finally spoke up again. "He's hard on himself." He starts slowly. "He reminds me of you when he's a leader." He explains.

Jack sips his drink slowly, before placing it back down on the ground next to where he sat, still holding it. "I'm not as bad as I used to be." He mutters.

"No." Spot looks over at him. "No, you aren't." He agrees. "But you have your moments."

Jack shrugs. "I think every leader does." He responds.

Spot nods.

The two boys were silent for a few moments, before Jack spoke up. "Race... he's- uh... I don't know fully how his mind works, and I never will, but I know enough about him to say this; he's definitely hard on himself." He says. "When Race is injured and panicked, he doesn't think rationally, for the most part. Sure, he cares for others, but he grew up getting punished for crying over his injuries, so he thinks he deserves it." Jack explains.