Newsies One-Shots

Chapter 59 - Kid Blink and Mush

How Louis Baletti Became Kid Blink
Ship - Lid Blink and Mush (friends)
Era - Cannon
Triggers - Blood, mentions of knives and insecurities around physical appearance.

Louis ran into the Lodging House, a hand over his eye.

His hat was off his head and trying to stop the blood running down his face.

"Can someone help me?" he called once he got inside the front door. "I think I messed up."

Jack came down the stairs, Louis guessed he had been up in the bunk room. "What happened?"

"I had a run in with some guys. They tried to take my money but I didn't let them and they had a blade," Louis explained quickly.

"Did they use it?"

Louis nodded, taking the hat away from his eye.

Jack's eyes widened as he noticed how much blood there was on his eye.

"I'm getting Bolt."

Louis watched as Jack rushed away. He figured the other Newsies were still out selling, Jack and Bolt, along with a few older Newsies, usually finished selling the earliest.

"Louis?" Bolt said once he was down the stairs. "Jack said you're bleeding. Can I see?"

Louis moved his hand away from his eye and smiled awkwardly.

Bolt whistled. "That's a beauty. How'd you get it?"

"Some bigger boys tried to take my money and I wouldn't let them. They tried to scare me with a blade but I wasn't scared." Louis puffed his chest out as he spoke. "They got my money but I fought them. They only got the one cut on me."

"Good job kid," Split smiled, ruffling Louis' hair. "We'll have to get a look at that cut though."

"Do we have to? That sounds like it'll hurt," Louis complained.

"Maybe it will. We'll just have to see." Bolt shrugged. He let out a low whistle at the injury. "I think it's a job for the nuns."

Louis groaned, the nuns were nice and all but people only went to the nuns when it was a bad injury and his wasn't that bad.

"Go get one of the spare hats," Bolt instructed him. "I'll get a bandage for your eye and then we'll leave."

Louis nodded and did as he was told. They had a few spare hats for when a Newsies' hat went missing or got bloody during a soaking or blew away in the wind.

Bolt reappeared a moment later with Specs and Mush trailing after him.

Louis knew why Specs was there. He was being taught by some of the older Newsies on how to fix the boys up after a soaking.

He was happy to see Mush. He hadn't realised it but he was really happy to see his best friend.

"Specs, you put a bandage over his eye and Mush, you can talk with him to distract him."

Mush and Louis were sat down on one of the sofas while Bolt crouched down in front.

"Remember what you were taught?" Bolt quietly said to Specs. He received a nod from the young boy. "Good. I'll help you but only if it's needed."

Specs put a bandage over Louis' bleeding eye, quietly apologising when Louis winced at the pressure on his eye.

Mush held onto Louis, hugging his best friend tightly.

"You're going to be okay," Mush reassured his best friend. "I'm right here for you."

"Thank you," Louis mumbled, resting his head on Mush's shoulder once Specs was done bandaging up his eye.

"Come one boys," Bolt instructed them. "Let's get Louis to the nuns."

~~~

The nuns were unable to save Louis' eye.

They stopped the bleeding and sewed up the cuts from where the knife cut his eyebrow.

It was scary at first, not being able to see out of one of his eyes but Mush helped him get used to it.

Mush helped him with a lot of things.

Louis was disgusted by his eye but Mush proved to him that he wasn't ugly, or horrific, or any synonym Louis could think of.

Mush even spent some of his savings to buy Louis an eyepatch.

It was then that marked the change in Louis' life.

Because from that day he was no longer Louis Baletti, he became Kid Blink that day and he couldn't have been more happy.

~~~
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