Newsies One Shots

Him - Morris/Crutchie (Part 2)

Prompt - Still none
Au - Soulmates
Triggers - Mild swearing, implied abuse/homophobia

It's funny how the person I wrote the first part of this for as a request is now my really good friend. Hi Lisa :) This is for you and only you so you'd better like it /j

•••

A few weeks into this soulmate crap and Morris was still scared shitless, but less of the actual prospect now. No, now he was more scared of anyone finding out. Which, as one can imagine, is a very difficult task. He kept his hand in his pocket a lot and had taken to hitting it against walls and the like to encourage bruises to form over the ugly black mark and blamed them on the newsies. It didn't work exceptionally well but it kept people off his back.

Except Oscar, who was becoming steadily more suspicious. Morris wanted nothing more than to tell him, to show him his hand and let him be happy for him. But he couldn't. He couldn't share what a lot of people considered to be the best thing that would happen to a person. He couldn't share it and this knowledge chipped away at him, reducing him to half of what he had been. Morris spent a lot of time 'alone', pretending he was working or some other lame excuse, but more often than not he was somewhere with Crutchie. Just talking with him.

It was awkward at first, incredibly so. Morris had tried to avoid him for the first few days, but had failed utterly. Fate or coincidence or whatever dam thing it was kept forcing their paths to cross and it seemed pointless to try and skirt around it. After a little while, the ice thawed. Not a lot, but enough so that the usual razor edge of Morris' voice faded and he started to relax a little around him. Crutchie was...different from the company Morris was used to; no matter what Morris said, no matter what he had done in the past, Crutchie was always kind, always happy to see him. It hurt. It hurt a lot more than it should have.

Morris was still sure that this was bullshit, that Crutchie shouldn't have to deal with him as a soulmate but Crutchie seemed to disagree, no matter how many times Morris voiced this opinion. The familiar  thoughts ran through his head again as he walked, filling his mind with dark clouds that he had gotten used to over the years. The weather was steadily getting colder and there was an edge to the air that Morris struggled to ward off. It was late, the sun already well past the horizon and shadows were throwing dark shapes across the pavement. Very few streetlamps were working and the few that were flickered weakly, buzzing a little like half-hearted flies. Morris sighed, pulling his hat low and dodging a carriage that was making its slow way down the centre of the road, mindless of passing people. He cursed a little, letting out a breath and looking around.

His gaze landed on Crutchie, still out selling a few papers and he stopped, sighing again. Of course. The damn world was at it again - Morris had actually wanted to be alone tonight.  His thoughts had been swirling much at his social battery was at an all time zero. He hung back, considered leaving, and then decided against it. He was far to close to the Newsboys Lodgings than he liked and would probably get the shit beaten out of him if he was seen, but he was here now so he might as well say hello.

Not that he wanted to of course.

He sighed in an almost irritated way and slipped his hands back into his pockets, as much to keep off the chill as anything else. He took a few steps, almost tripping over a discarded paper as he did. Morris swore and put out a hand for balance, scowling a little. He continued walking, standing by Crutchie, who's face lit up when he saw him. Morris wished he wouldn't do that. It made him feel...bad. He didn't know why. Because he was so cold and an asshole maybe. It made him feel like he was doing something right when he really wasnt.

"Hey Morris," Crutchie said, shoving the last of his papers away and pocketing a few coins. "How's you?"

Scared? Angry? Tired? Morris debated telling the truth for a split second before shrugging.