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For several days, Mush had passed by the store window, glancing down at the items shining back at him. A luxury he might not ever afford, Mush paid them little mind beyond a simple admiration.
After all, what was jewelry to a newsboy like him? He needed to survive, not impress. He knew his friends cared for him and through thick and thin, they’d all be there for each other.
Then, there was Blink.
Mush wasn’t sure how it all happened, but shy boys turned to friends and from there, the nights became secret whispers amongst the rows of beds. Even with the first kiss, Mush couldn’t say who had leaned in first. With Blink’s eager grin and Mush’s heart thrumming in his chest, they must have moved with each other into the embrace.
Blushing, Mush pulled himself from the memory as he was jostled through the busy market. He had papers to sell. He’d always have time with Blink later.
Yelling the headline amongst the crowd, Mush held a paper up in the air, making a few quick sales before his presence wore off. Glancing down the street, a proposition presented itself and Mush followed his gut.
“Paper, miss?” He asked a woman in a white dress, feathers covering her hat.
Her face was gentle, one Mush imagined his mother would’ve had and when she gave him a small smile, his heart ached.
“Let me see what change I have,” the woman spoke softly as the man on her arm grunted.
Mush bit on his lip as she digged through her coin purse, ignoring how the man stared him down.
“Well,” she sighed, pulling out a coin. “You need it more than I do.”
“Moira,” the man scolded and she turned to him with what Mush assumed was a terrifying glare. The man closed his mouth immediately as the woman handed Mush the coin.
Heavy in his hand, Mush collected himself at just how much he was holding and shook his head. “Miss, thank you, but I couldn’t.”
“Please.” She closed Mush’s fingers around the coin and placed a hand on top of the stack of papers tucked in Mush’s arm.
Jumping into action, Mush helped her take the paper and he gave her a smile. “Thank you, miss.”
“You take care of yourself now, you hear?” She held the paper close to herself, returning Mush’s expression.
Having had enough, the man tugged her away and Mush was left on the street, his heart light and the coin tight in his grip. Almost skipping away, selling was the last thing on Mush’s mind. He could buy food, some shoelaces, the world was his.
Staring into each window he walked by, Mush came upon a familiar sight and he paused, jostling the coins in his pocket. Everything was lovely, but not what he needed. Not until he saw the new items for sale, the price low enough for him to have some change left over. He couldn’t believe his luck, not caring if they were as fake as could be.
When the gold bands were wrapped up, the clerk giving him a wary stare as Mush left, the boy ran through the streets of Manhattan, determined to find Blink. Luckily, Blink was as predictable as ever and Mush found him skirting along the border where their streets met the Bowery’s.
“Blink!” Mush called out, waving to the boy.
Blink jogged over to Mush, his face bright and brows furrowed. “I thought you were selling with Jack today.”
“I was but...” Mush held tight onto the package in his pocket. “Can we go somewhere?”
A flash of worry passed on Blink’s face and he nodded, leading Mush to a secluded alleyway.
“Something wrong?” He asked, his hand reaching out to Mush.
“No, no,” Mush laughed, his nervousness bubbling up.
He stumbled over his words, unsure of where to go next and he set his papers on a nearby crate, digging the package from his pocket. Blink watched his every move as Mush’s shaky fingers undid the wrapping, the box proving much more difficult to open than Mush had imagined.
“We’re going to be together always, right?” Mush asked quietly, his efforts halting for a moment.
“Well, sure,” Blink nodded, his hand squeezing Mush’s arm.
His confidence coming back, Mush took out the two rings, holding one out to Blink. “One for you. One for me.”
Blink hesitated and Mush assumed the worst until Blink took the ring, then grabbing Mush’s hand. Holding his breath, Mush watched as Blink slid the ring onto his finger, the band fitting almost perfectly. With a satisfied nod, Blink met Mush’s eyes, his face expectant and shy.
With a grin, Mush grabbed the other ring, mimicking what Blink had done. Letting out a sigh of relief when the ring fit, Mush stumbled back when Blink shot forward to kiss him.
“Always,” Blink breathed when the embrace ended.
Leaning back in for a small peck, Mush nodded, his hands lacing with Blink’s. For just a little while, the world faded away. There were no papers to sell, no hungry stomachs to worry about, all Mush could see was Blink.
“Wait, how did you buy these?”
Mush giggled, his forehead coming to rest on Blink’s. “It’s a long story, but I’ll tell you about it during supper. We still got papes to sell.”
“Damn, you’re right,” Blink sighed, his hand giving Mush’s a final squeeze before the two stepped apart and headed back out onto the streets.
Following alongside Blink, Mush couldn’t help admire the bands on their fingers and the worries on his shoulders disappeared as he and Blink continued on their day, the bands shining in the light as if showing to the world that what they had was theirs forever.