Time Truly Divides || Newsies Time Travel AU

Chapter 12

School was something that Jack neither liked nor disliked. It just was. Of course there were parts he grew to like, lunchtime with friends and art class being a few, and things he disliked, English class with the teacher who yelled at him for struggling to read aloud, and detention. But finding out that there was a reason he was struggling with things that everyone else seemed to find easy was like the days when the nuns would have fresh, not stale bread for the Newsies to eat before selling.

A good as a miracle thing.

Of course Davey had to be the first person he told the news to, besides Race and Crutchie but Jack wanted them to know first. Davey was the first non-person-he-lives-with to find out.

"Davey, we got the results from the doctor appointment..." Jack explained excitedly when he met Davey in their first shared class of the day, second period social studies. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

Jack shook his head and cupped Davey's cheeks. "What's going on?"

Davey looked Jack in the eyes and breathed unsteadily, like he was moments away from crying his heart out.

"Remember how I said I had a rough time in my old school with those kids who bullied me?" Jack nodded and Davey swallowed before continuing. "They got expelled for beating a kid up so bad he nearly died and now they've moved to our school."

"Dave, if they even look at you you tell me and I'll set them right. Are you in any classes with them?"

"I don't know, Jackie," Davey explained. "I don't know and I'm scared that I do. I can't go through that again."

"Come here," Jack whispered, pulling Davey into his embrace. "I promise that I am here for you no matter what and if you need help avoiding them or need to talk to the principal to get them moved to a different class I will be there right beside you. I swear."

Davey looked up at Jack and sniffled. "Thank you, Jack, for not telling me to just get over it."

"Who's told you that? I'll beat them up and tell them to get over that."

Davey laughed. It wasn't his normal laugh, the one that never failed to made Jack smile. No, it was airy and could have been mistaken for a sob but the noise made Jack's stomach flip.

"No one's told me that. I guess I'm just always scared that someone will."

"Well I never will and if someone does let me know so I can beat them up."

"You really want to beat someone up, don't you?" Davey joked.

"What can I say? I'm a man of many talents."

"You are certainly a man of something."

Jack cracked a smiled and led Davey into the classroom, sitting down at the desk they shared.

"You were going to tell me something earlier," Davey realised as he was pulling out his pens and pencils. "What was it?"

"Oh, we got the results from the doctor's appointment I had to go to and turns out I've got dyslexia."

"That's great, Jack. Are you getting something to help you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like a laptop or something like that," Davey explained. "So you can type instead of write."

"I'm not sure. Probably not."

Davey nodded and pulled a pen out of his bag. The teacher walked in a moment later and started class.

Around halfway through the class Davey leaned over to Jack and whispered, "I just realised that I don't have your number."

"My number?"

"Your phone number. So I can text you."

"Oh, I don't have a phone," Jack mumbled.

"Alright. Cool. I didn't know if you did so I thought I'd just ask," Davey explained quickly.

"Okay. Does Crutchie or Race have a phone?"

"They both have a phone. I have their numbers so I can text them if I need to talk to you."

Jack nodded. "Are we still studying together after school?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm still down for it."

"Cool. Miss Medda wants me home by six tonight."

"That's fine," Davey smiled. "We don't have an awful lot left to do until we're finished everything and then you'll just need to go back over the notes."

"Alright. Thats sounds good."

~~~

Jack played with the strap of his bag as he stood in the Jacobs' apartment. Davey was being hug-attacked by a mini-Davey and Jack did not know what to do in that social situation.

"Who's that?" Mini-Davey asked, pointing at Jack.

"Les, it's rude to point," Davey scolded before sighing. "He's my friend Jack."

"Oh. Jack." Les wiggled his eyebrows at Davey.

"Shut up, Lesley. Jack and I need to study so can you stay out of our bedroom while we're in there?"

"My name isn't Lesley," Les shouted, hitting Davey in the leg. "It's Leshem and you know that, David."

"I know, I know. No hitting, okay?"

"Fine, David. But you have to do my chores tonight or else I'll go into our room," Les threatened.

Davey rolled his eyes at the boy. "Stay out of the room or else I'll tell Ima you hit me."

"You're such a baby but, whatever, I'll leave you alone."

Davey looked back up at Jack and smiled awkwardly. "Come on, let's go to my room."

Jack nodded stiffly and let Davey lead him to the room on the left side of the apartment. They studied for a while, mostly just doing some final topics they needed to cover.

"We're done," Davey announced as he closed his textbook half an hour later. "Is there any specific part you want to revise?"

"Can we do the World Wars again? I just can't keep the dates in my head."

"Yeah. Of course. Where do you want to start?"

Jack shrugged and flicked through some of the notes Davey had made for him. He'd even redid them on coloured paper when they found out it made reading easier for Jack.

"Maybe the submarines."

"Do you mean the naval attacks? And that sort of stuff."

"Yes," Jack said "Maybe. I dunno."

"Okay. We can do that," Davey promised, flicking through his own, significantly thicker, notes. When he arrived to the right page, Davey started to explain everything to Jack.

Jack couldn't but help just watch Davey's lips as he spoke. They looked so perfect and pink and so soft and Jack's lips were touching Davey's and he was kissing Davey and Davey was kissing him back.

~~~
1095 words

I just saw Newsies London and there will be so many things about it in the morning. I am exhausted now and am just going to go to sleep for now.