Carrying the Banner || Newsies One-shots

Try

Jack like Crutchie. Like, really  liked him. His smile, his laugh, everything. Especially his voice. Crutchie played piano, and sang. Really well. So well that Jack had managed to fall in love with him in the span of two days.

"It's been two weeks, Jack," David complained as Jack spent yet another lunch gushing about Crutchie's eyes. "Just talk to him already."

"No- but- he-" Jack stammered, gesturing wildly towards Crutchie. "I can't jus' talk to him!!"

"Don't you two have art together?" Katherine asked casually, taking a bite of her sandwich. "You can talk to him then."

Jack protested, but finally gave in. When the bell for class finally rang, he headed to the art classroom, sitting on a stool and sketching on an easel while he waited for class to start. After attendance, he pulled out his very own box of paints and started painting, let his hand guide him. He wasn't really paying attention to the easel, until a soft voice whispered, "Is that me?"

He jumped, startled, and looked at the painting, realizing it was a portrait of Crutchie. Which meant...

Jack swiveled his head and smiled sheepishly at the sandy haired boy. "Sorry, musta been thinkin' of ya." He shrugged and watched Crutchie's expression go from curious to the tiniest bit flustered. "Why don'tcha come sit with me?"

He was half expecting the boy to say no, and was pleasantly surprised when Crutchie dragged his own stool and easel over, perching on the edge of the seat. "That's a really good painting," the boy said in that same sof voice. "You're amazing. Uh, at art, I mean..."

"Nah, don' worry kid, I know whatcha mean." Jack stretched a bit and looked at Crutchie's empty canvas. "No inspiration?"

"More like no skill," Crutchie said, a touch of scorn sharpening his words, and surprising Jack.

"Well, hey, you're sittin' with me, the greatest artist in Manhattan," Jack replied, a cocky grin playing at his features. "All ya gotta do is ask."

Crutchie laughed quietly at Jack's admittedly charming personality, and then said in a dramatic voice, "Oh, great master of art, would thou be so kind as to lend me some of your amazing talent?"

Jack, playing along, pretended to think. "Hm, on one condition."

Light brown eyes narrowed in confusion. "And what would that be?"

"You become my friend," Jack said. "I mean, only if you want. You don't have to, I'll help you either way, but I just thought that maybe-"

That laugh that Jack loved so much filled his ears and nearly made him swoon. "Of course I'll be your friend! You always look so lonely, even though you have a lot of other friends."

Now it was Jack's turn to narrow his eyes in confusion. "You- you watch me?"

The other boy ducked his head and chuckled. "Yeah...I do...but in my defense, you're really nice to look at."

This left Jack speechless, for just a brief moment, and Crutchie resisted a smirk.

"You're good," was all Jack said, and Crutchie laughed.

---

It had been two weeks, and Jack and Crutchie had grown practically inseparable. On occasion, Katherine or Race would visit Jack in his apartment, and find him and Crutchie cuddling on the couch (Jack insisted it was platonic), or covered in paint, an already messy drop cloth laid out on the floor.

Jack was feeling elated and empty at the same time. He'd gotten what he wanted, hadn't he? He was talking to Crutchie, and Crutchie actually enjoyed talking with him. But he was scared that if he told Crutchie how he really felt, or even that he was bisexual, the boy would leave. And Jack couldn't risk that. So, he smiled when Crutchie pointed out girls to him and joked about who had a crush on him, and who Jack had a crush on. He couldn't let Crutchie know.