Extra! Extra! Newsies One-shots (ENGLISH Ver.)

RUNNING THROUGH MANHATTAN (Finch)

- What a beauty of a headline, huh, Slippers? – Finch is radiant.

- Sure was! Who'da though? A terrorist bombing... – I join him in a little walk, I still got 3 papes to sell.

Finch walks with me carelessly. We're making up this habit of strolling together in the evening, back to the Distribution Center, to trade our losses. I guess there's something kinda going on between us.

- And on a famous News too! What if it fell on Pulitzer? Imagine that! – He laughs.

- Bite your tongue, man! If that happens we won't have no papes to sell! – We walk by the vendors.

- So what! We'd be Sun News newsies... Even Pulitzers daughter got a job there, why wouldn't we?

I shake my head and chuckle. I better sell these at once.

- Extra! Extra! Terrorist bomb explodes on Los Angeles Times! 21 deaths, read here! – I shout, waving my papes by Finch's side.

The sun is nearly gone, and there's plenty of workers here. We have to squeeze through them, and soon two man with soot all over them show up to buy papes.

- There ya go, thanks! – I get a nickel from each and they leave – Did ya sell everything already, Finch?

- Yeah, I only got 25 today, I feel like going to Bottle Alley to play

- Can I go with you? There's a pape left, but I sold 29, so... – I smile proudly, showing Finch my last pape.

The crowd is huge, and at this very moment a fat man walks between us, pushing us, and I drop the paper.

- Moron! – Finch shouts, while I bend down to get my papes and shove then in the bag. As soon as I do so, I hear another scream.

- Thief!

Finch and I stare at the man who screamed, with his spiky moustache and pointing his finger at us. It's Snider! We're screwd! He must think I took an apple and hid it in my bag!

Finch grabs my hand and we sprint through the crowd, hearing Snider blow his whistle and curse, running right after us.

- Just what I needed! – I shout to Finch while we flee – Having to run without doing anything wrong!

- We'll lose him, come on! – Finch's fingers squeeze mine, and we run as fast as we can between everyone, soon getting to a long and dark alley. Before we can go through it, we see Snider still after us, holding his club ready to soak us.

- I didn't steal anything, stupid old man! – I couldn't help shouting.

- Shut up and come on! – Finch pulls me by the arm back to another street, a little less crowded, where we can run faster.

- If you're running, then you did! – The fat man rants behind us. I've never seen an oldy run this much!

I stick out my tongue to him while we run through an empty alley, but it's hard to loose this moron.

- Stop fooling round, Slippers, he's gon get us! – Finch pushes me with his shoulder, but doesn't drop my hand – Come, we'll get to Brooklin!

- Brooklin?? That's far! – I complain.

- Ya rather spend the month at the Refuge? Come now, run!

We run side by side, every now and then spotting another Newsie, but they hide, disappearing without a trace. The noise of our steps fills every alley we go through, and we try to escape to places where there's enough people to hold Snider back, but not too much that'd stop us too.

- Come back here, you brats! – Snider keeps screaming after us.

- If we'is lucky, Spot will hide us – Finch says as we run.

- Spot?? Ya want to take Snider to Spot's doorstep??? – My eyes widen, that's gonna be trouble! Spot's gonna kill us!

- Ya have a better Idea? I'd rather get soaked by Brooklin than by the cops and Snider at the Refuge!

I don't really like the Idea, but I run after Finch still, specially cause he keeps holding my hand. It's been some time I wanted to walk hand in hand with him, I just didn't think we'd do it in such a situation...

We run towards Brooklin, but furtunetely we don't even get there. Near the bridge we go through another set of sellers, and finally loose Snider, the Spider, hiding in na alley till dust settles. We're croutching, close together, breathing heavily and waiting. It wasn't that bad. Finch still holds my hand.

When he did drop it, he stood up and looked around. Then he called me up, we fooled the old man!

- Safe and sound for tonight! – He sighs in relief.

- Guess he's gonna hunt us at Newsboys Lodging House, right?

- Yeah, maybe he's headed there... We'll take some time, we can go back later... Still wanna go to Bottle Alley?

- Course I do!

I walk towards him, and get surprised when he reaches his hand out, wanting me to take it. Finch doesn't glare at me, I can see he blushed a bit, and he waits till I finally grab his fingers.

We walk hand in hand, I couldn't help smiling the whole way. This time, we walk quietly, catching our breath, always looking sideways to avoid any more trouble.

At Bottle Alley, Finch offers to teach me how to use the slingshot.

- Here, now hold it like that... yeah, now pull it back, and...

I release the band and the peble goes flying, breaking an old empty bottle we found and laid on a box.

- Ha! Take that, Snider! – I laugh, smiling at Finch.

- You is not bad at this, ya know? – he says.

- Not bad? I'm pretty good!

- Then check this out! – Finch gets up, puts on 5 bottles, cans and other "targets" side by side, then takes some steps back, and fires at them, hitting them all.

My eyes widen and I even clap, I'm impressed. He does a little bow, chuckling.

- Alright, you is really good at this...

- Well... – He says, sitting by my side again – If ya come again... I can teach you

- Okay! But next time, no running from Snider as a warm up, please! – I laugh, kinda embarrassed.

- Sure thing! – He says, looking at my hand resting on the box we're sitting on – but... just to be sure you won't get lost... I'll hold ya hand

He says as he holds my fingers delicately.

We observe the water at Upper Bay for some time, quietly. After some time, we decide to go back to Lodging House. And we hold hands on the way there.

- Ya know, if I was Romeo, I'd say a bad pick-up line now... – He says.

- Really?

- Yeah... I'd say "Ya know Slippers, you didn't steal an apple today, like Snider said... but ya did steal my heart"

We chuckle, walking carelessly through NewYorks's now empty streets, but with our hearts filled with hope.