Newsies one-shots

Always have your back || Race and Jack (canon era)

So sorry for not posting anything lately... I was busy with school and writing my Umbrella Academy fanfic (nothing wrong with a little self-advertisement XD).

It's basically about Race going to Jack after the rally (in stead of Katherine). And for the change of things: this is all Race's POV. So no 3th person POV in this chapter, but don't get used to it XD.

~ F

Jack had done the stupidest thing I have ever seen. Speaking out against the strike being one of them. Nearly slapping Les in the face being one of the other things. He had run off quickly after than, which I understand. I almost had to hold Spot back, but he had managed to not attack our 'leader'. I followed Jack after that, tailing him up to the roof, although I stayed at the bottom of the ladder for a while. I listed as he was yelling at himself mostly and what sounded like crying of some sorts.

I sighed before grabbing the ladder and climbing up. Jack was sitting in a corner with his pencil and some paper. His hand was moving fast as he was sketching whatever was on his mind. He looked so small and broken as he sat there with his shoulders down and eyes focused on the paper. He didn't seem to notice me as I made my way over to him.
"Jack?" I tried to get his attention, but he didn't react. His mind was in another place. "Hey, Jack?" I tried again. Experiences have learned me to not yell at him when he's like this, last time someone did, being Romeo when he wanted to get Jack's attention, he got hit in the face after which Jack had run of to an alley next to the place he and his parents used to live.

I crouched down in front of the older boy and gently took the paper from him. He stayed dead silent, siting like a statue in the corner. The drawing pictured something I knew just as well as the other boys, it was the refuge. But it wasn't like the normal drawings Jack made during these episodes, no, there were people standing near the bed that were too detailed to be just random boys. One looked like Davey, another like Les and another like- It looked like me. A lump formed in my throat. I still have nightmares of that place and I know Jack and the others have too. Images flashed into my vision for a few seconds before I stood up. I rolled it up quickly and put it with all of the others drawings.
"Jack?" I tried again as I put one hand on his knee.
"You should go." He said out of the blue.
"What are you talking about? I'm not going." I looked at him with wide eyes as he stood up.
"Leave me alone, Race!" He nearly yelled.
"Okay, so we're doing this." I sighed while going with my hand through my blond curls.
"We are doing nothing." Jack said before shoving me in the direction of the exit.
"Why did you do it? It was a shitty thing to do, you know it. After all the trouble we went through with the strike, you decide to stab us in the back. That's not fair!"
"Why would you even care?" He questioned back with a scoff. I would've fallen for his arrogant act if it wasn't for the pain that was in his eyes.
"We are your family, Jack! You don't get to betray us! You are the one that should be there, be our leader, be out big brother. Instead you're off making useless deals with Pulitzer."
"You wouldn't even hope to understand." Jack rolled his eyes and looked into the skyline of the city.
"Then help me understand." I pleaded. I put my hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off.
"Just- just leave me alone." He commented with almost no emotion. It was as if he was asking me to leave, while at the same time asking me to stay.
"Explain to me why- Why did you do it? Why were you so selfish? We have the r-" I whispered. A tear was streaming down the side of my face.
"I did it to SAVE you!" Jack raised his voice, making me take a few steps back. Jack began pacing back and forth the penthouse.
"Jack, we are old enough to fight for ourselves! You don't need to protect us from what ever Pulitzer threatened with."
"You don't get it, do you?" Jack scoffed as he stopped in his tracks.
"No, please, explain it to me." I answered dryly.
"He was threatening me, using all of you." He neary yelled. I felt bad for him. Was it that bad that he had tried to save us?
"That's what you-"
"Yeah. And look at me now. The whole union think I'm a traitor. The boys probably hate me." He let out a low laugh. "But no, I'm being selfish for saving your asses." I looked down at my feet in shame.
"Jack, I didn'-" I tried but was cut of ones more.
"Of course you didn't know, because how could you. You all just assumed that I did it for my own well being. And here I though you knew me well enough to know that I'd give my life for you, when you didn't even notice that I was caught by Snyder the night before the rally, and never came back to the lodging." Tears started running down his cheeks as well as mine. Had we really never noticed his absence? Were we really that bad of a family?
"I'm sorry, Jack. I'm so- so sorry." I apologized. Jack looked a little more relaxed and that comforted me. He sometimes had to yell at someone for him to become his normal self.
"No, I'm sorry. You were right. I should at least have told you guys. We could've come up with some plan an-" This time it was me that cut him off.
"Jack, what did Pulitzer threaten you with?" I had to hear it myself. He couldn't just never say that to me and shove it off as no big deal.
"Nothing to worry about." Jack tried to avoid it, but it didn't work. I needed to know what Pulitzer wanted to do if Jack hadn't spoken out against the rally.
"Jack, what did he say?" I urged. He whispered something I couldn't quite understand. "What?"
"Refuge." He repeated a little louder. He looked at me with worry filled eyes. I took a few steps back until I hit the metal fence that was surrounding us.
"No, no, no, no. I can't go back there." I started to panic.

My hands reached up my face as I sank down to the ground. I could see the man that locked me up in my memories. Snyder closed the door as I sat on the ground, blood covering my whole body and cockroaches crawling all over me. I tried to scratch them off of me, but it wouldn't work. The soft crying of little boys, who ended up in here without doing anything against the law, rang through my head. Other hands covered mine. I tried to pull mine away, but the other hands were stronger.
"Racer. It's alright. You're save." A voice in the distance sounded. I started shivering as a sudden warmth came against my side. I was lifted into the air by invisible hands and brought into some sort of embrace. All sounds retreated into soft background noises as a steady beat began to fill my ears. It was a heartbeat. I closed my eyes and began to focus on the steady drum. All of the other sounds seemed to leave my head.
"That's right. I got you." Jack's voice sounded above the drum. I opened my eyes and looked around. I was sitting in Jack's lap, my head leaning against his chest and my hands restricted in one of his, so I couldn't scratch my face. I slowly examined my fingers, noticing the blood that was under the nails.
"I'm sorry." I apologized with an embarrassed smile. I came up here to get Jack to explain his betrayal to me and comfort him after, instead I was the one needing comforting. I shouldn't have reacted like this anyway. It's been six years and I-.
"It's okay." Jack broke my stream of thoughts. "It's normal to have panic attacks from that place." I looked down at my feet before rolling out, and I mean litteraly rolling, of Jack's lap, falling back on the ground with a soft groan. Jack smiled a little at my clumsiness and I smiled back a little. It was good to have Jack back.
"Thanks." I mumbled as I sat back up next to Jack.
"So what's the plan?" Jack asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.
"Katherine came up with something called 'the children's crusade'. Something about bringing all of the working kids in New York assembling in front of The World." I explained to him. "We were going to make a flyer and spreading it across the city. We only have one problem: there's no where to print it."
"Do you think it will work?" Jack questioned me.
"Yes, I think it might just be the one thing that gives us the victory." I admitted.
"Then I trust my number two." He winked. "And it so happens that I know somewhere to print them." He poked me in the side with a playful smile before standing up. I looked up at him with confusion written all over my face. He reached out his hand and I took it, so he could pull me up.
"I'll tell you once we've talked with the others." He said a little bit nervously.
"You know I always have your back, right?"
"Same counts for you." He said with a small smile before disappearing down the ladder.

I don't know how frequent I can publish, but I'm not finished with these one-shots. ;)

And just so you know: I still have a few requests that need to be written, but I wanted to get this one out first.

~ F