The Switch in History || A Newsies Strike AU

Chapter 20 - "It's Rude to Point... And it's Also Rude to Kidnap People!"

Chapter 20 - Pro-Tip: When You Want Someone to Trust You, Don't Kidnap Them.
Warnings: Kidnapping, slight trust issues and anxiety
A/N, look, songs are hard to choose, alright? I've never done this before lol. So yes, I did choose 'Believe' from Finding Neverland for this one. (That is also a really good musical that Sunny is allowed to listen to. I saw it when I was her age.)
Third Person POV

Charades sat on the ground, in the basement of the Manhattan Lodging House.

Their hands were tied in front of them and he was glaring at the Newsies in front of them.

...but not all of them.

One of them- a blue-eyed, brown-haired, freckled Newsie in a green button down- looked panicked and they were being hugged by another in a white striped shirt and an eyepatch.

Another Newsie sat next to them, also looking slightly freaked out.

So in reality, Charades was really only glaring at the Race one, the one in a blue button down and a black vest, the one in a white and gray button down, and the one in a purple button down, who all stood in front of him.

"You're shorter than I thought you'd be." The one in the white and gray (Quills) commented, staring down at Charades.

Charades glared at them.

Quills hid behind Flames.

"Quills..." Flames massaged the temples of their forehead, slightly exasperated. "You're the same height as them." They reminded them.

Quills peaked out from behind Flames, looking back at Charades. "They have a scary glare." He commented, pointing to Charades.

"It's rude to point." Charades commented, tugging against the ropes once. "And it's also rude to kidnap people!" They exclaimed, looking like it was obvious.

Ducky shrugged, her arms crossed. "You wouldn't have gone with us otherwise, never mind believed us." They stated.

Charades looked back at his hands. "You'd be surprised at what I believe now." They muttered.

"Alright," Flames started. "What's your real name?" They asked.

Charades' eyes widened as their head shot up to stare at Flames. "What?"

Paint patted Charades on the head. "Hi, what." They greeted.

Charades kicked Paint in the foot.

Paint yelped, falling backwards and onto the floor. They quickly scooted away when they saw how close they were to Charades.

Charades seemed to smirk slightly.

Flames rolled their eyes at their best friend.
"Seriously," they started again. "I'm Flames. I merged with Jack." They informed Charades.

Charades' eyes went wider. "You're like me?!" They exclaimed.

Flames smiled slightly, nodding.

Charades still looked slightly skeptical. "Why would I trust you?" They asked. "You literally just kidnapped me." He pointed out.

Flames sighed deeply. "I get that it wasn't our best move, but we knew you wouldn't trust us." They explained. "We kinda needed a way for you to stay and listen to us." They told them.

Charades shot them a look. "I wonder why I don't trust you." They mutter sarcastically.

"Look, kid," Paint started, their arms crossed.

Charades glared at them. "I'm not a kid."

Paint rolled their eyes.

Flames sighed deeply again. "Please, what's your name?" They asked.

Charades was silent for a moment, thinking. "Charades." Said Newsie answered softly. "They/He."

Flames smiled. "They/Them."

Charades looked over at Paint. "Who's that?" They asked.

"Paint. They merged with Race." Flames answered.

"I figured that out." Charades rolled their eyes.

Flames put their hands up in a surrendering motion, holding back an eye roll.

"Pronouns, Higgins?" Charades asked Paint.

"They/It." Paint answered.

Charades nodded.

"I'm Ducky," Ducky started. "Merged with Buttons and They/She.

Charades nodded again.

"I'm Quills, merged with Mush. He/They/Ze/Bug."

Charades saw Paint subtly high-five Quills, causing him to smile slightly.

"That's Skitts," Flames pointed to the Newsie in the back that had a pink shirt on. "Merged with Skittery. They/Them."

Charades nodded.

Skitts still seemed slightly freaked out, mainly because they had just kidnapped Spot Conlon.

Technically.

"You're Tumbler's brother, right?" Charades asked Skitts. "Or merged with him at least?" He asked.

Skitts nodded slightly, their eyes still slightly wide. How do you know that?

"That's Berry." Flames pointed to the one next to Skitts, who was hugging the green flannel Newsie.

Berry smiled slightly, waving, though she still kept her distance.

"She's merged with Kid Blink and She/Her." Flames continued. "And lastly, Stage. She/Her and merged with Elm-" they started.

"Very sunshiny." Paint not-so-subtly whispered to Charades. "And has horrible hearing." It smirked to themself.

Charades nodded, looking over at the panicked Newsie.

Stage hadn't heard Paint's comment.

"Alright." Charades looked from the ropes around their wrist to Flames. "Will you untie me now?" They asked.

Flames nodded quickly, bending down and untying the ropes.

When they were off, Charades stood up and grabbed their pimp-cane, slipping it into the belt loop of their pants. Then, they grabbed their hat and put it on.

They noticed everyone looking at them.

Charades looked between them all. "Alright." They sighed deeply. "I'm not that mean once you get to know me." They informed them.

Multiple of the Newsies there nodded.

Others didn't move, staying the exact same.

Charades just shrugged.

"I guess we should get you caught up, huh?" Flames asked.

Charades nodded.

"How long have you been here?" Ducky asked Charades.

Charades shrugged. "I don't know. One, two weeks?" They answered.

Paint looked at Flames. "Let's say longer than Ducky, but not longer than you and I." They stated.

Flames nodded. "And no one's been here longer than Stage." They added.

Charades eyes looked back at the girl. "She been here the longest?" They asked.

Flames and Paint nodded.

"How long?"

Paint bit their lip, taking a moment to think before they spoke. "A month?" They answered, sounding uncertain.

Charades' eyes widened. That's a long time.

Almost as if they knew what Charades was thinking, Ducky nodded. "We all thought that." She stated.

Charades nodded. "Are your Newsies as crazy as you are?" They asked.

"Our Newsies are very similar to us, yes." Paint nodded.

"Oh great." Charades muttered sarcastically.

1028 Words
I hope you liked these three chapters.