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Crutchie had heard his fair share about the Refuge, from both the boys and Jack alike. Never once had he heard something good about it; everyone always having been terrified of being brought or taken back to the place that felt like prison. He managed to stay out of the Refuge for longer than anyone ever thought he would and he could only thank Jack for that. He knew that he would have been long gone if he had never met his best friend, his leg too painful and useless for him to ever live on his own again.
He wasn’t suited for this place. The more able-bodied kids almost got along just fine, but Crutchie was nowhere near where they were. He couldn’t walk or run or even stand. His crutch was considered a weapon in this place, too; the one item that could help him do what these adults needed him to. If the bruises and scrapes weren’t enough of an indication that he wasn’t doing well, the pains in his chest were all the more telling. He knew he must have cracked a few of his ribs from the rough kicks Snyder had given him when he was taken away...
Then again, he had no right to complain about any of this. Jack had been here more times than he could count and the exact same could be said about the other boys he knew. He was lucky that this was his first time. He… was lucky to have a best friend like Jack who constantly tried to protect a useless crip like him. The boy deserved to go on with his dreams after all of this. Jack needed a fresh start - a clean slate. How could he have that when he had a burden like Charlie weighing him down?
He was interrupted by soft knocking upon the window, the blond turning toward it to spot the man of the hour, Jack Kelly. Mumbling a small apology to his bedmate, he made a move to crawl over the stranger, his leg cramping up by the time he was halfway over. Crutchie, both luckily and un luckily, got shoved somewhat harshly toward the window by the boy in his bed, mumbling a small thank you before his hand wrapped around one of the bars along the window, greeting with his usual, yet almost forced, smile, “Heya, Jackie, how’s you doin’?”
“Heya, Crutchie,” the other greeted back, “Been betta. How’s about you?”
Charlie’s eyes flickered back into the room, “I ain’t doin’ too bad in ‘ere. No worries,” he sat up a few inches more, careful as to not touch the sleeping boy beside him, “How’s that strike goin’? Youse get Brooklyn yet…?”
Jack looked past the blond into the room for a moment, “That’s good, then.” He nodded a few times, thinking over the question, “Next time we’s get in a scrape, they’s said they’d be there.”
“That’s good! Youse gots all of New York with ‘em helpin’ ya,” he offered another smile, not speaking for a few moments before his facial expression dropped slightly, finally realizing the situation. “Youse gonna get caught if you stay ‘ere, Jack. You should goes.”
The other frowned, shaking his head quickly, “I ain’t goin’ nowhere, Crutchie. Youse don’t gotta worry ‘bout me neither.”
He readjusted his hold on the bar, face only growing more concerned, “I’ve gotta worry. Youse know what Snyder would do if he gotcha again? I don’t knows if you’d be able to escape again…”
Jack sighed, backing up the conversation, “We don’t got all of New York.”
His eyebrows knitted together lightly, “Whatcha mean, Jack…? Everyone was waitin’ on Brooklyn to join us.”
The brunet glanced away, pausing a moment before replying, “We don’t got you.”
“You don’t needs me…” Charlie said almost too softly, shaking his head, “I wouldn’t’a been able to help you guys. A crip’s not whatcha needs for a strike, yeah? I ain’t no brains or brawn. It’s safer for me in dis place.”
“You got more brains than I do,” Jack started, leaning closer to the window’s bars, “And you’d be plenty’a help.”
“What would I be able to do, Jackie? Youse wouldn’t let me fight or nothin’ if it came down to it, and you gots Davey as your brains…”
“I don’t wants nothin’ to happen to you,” the other responded, “Here ain’t no betta than out there. We… I need you.”
“I need youse more than youse need me,” the blond whispered lowly, hand slipping down the metal pole.
Jack moved his hand to rest next to the other’s against the metal, his own voice quiet as he asked, “How’s about we call it even?”
He huffed out a soft, unbelieving laugh, shaking his head once more, “What the hell do youse needs me for?”
“Aw Crutchie,” Jack sighed, “What the hell don’t I needs you for?”
“Goin’ down the stairs?” he offered jokingly, leaning his forehead against the bar, “Youse got lots of other friends and a good career, if ya’ could even call our job that. You don’t needs me for that. If you gots in a fight, you… you wouldn’t need me to help you,” the blond sighed, looking back up again, “If… If I left you outs on the streets and never came back, you wouldn’t die, whereas I…”
“None’a that matters. Least, not to me,” Jack answered, pressing his own forehead against the bar to match.
“Should matta. I make youse life a lot harder for just caring ‘bout me too.”
The brunet gave a slight smile, “Couldn’t stop even if I tried to.”
Charlie nudged the other’s shoulder lightly with his other hand, “Youse could try, you’re just too stubborn to.”
“Maybe,” Jack shrugged, “But I don’t wanna anyway.”
“I don’t see whys ya’ wouldn’t,” he said, resting his unoccupied hand on his bad leg, rubbing it lightly, “Could’a gone all the way to youse dream city if ya’ weren’t spendin’ so much time worrying about me. You’d haves the money.”
“Money ain’t got nothin’ on you.”
“It could give ya’ a betta life, that’s for sure.”
Jack sighed, “Least it ain’t so bad here with you.”
“We won’t be spendin’ much time together ‘cause I’m locked up now, Jackie,” Crutchie reminded, hand briefly twitching over toward the other’s hand before he dismissed the action. “If you ever gets the chance to go to Santa Fe, you gotta take it, alright? Youse be great there.”
A head shake, “I ain’t goin’ without you. Youse gettin’ out of here.”
“I dunno how I would. I can’t escape like ya, and if they’re lettin’ kids go, it’ll be the ones who can probably survive on their own. I ain’t ever leavin’.”
“I ain’t just gonna leave you here,” the brunet argued, leaning back from the bars.
“There ain’t much for you to do to stop this, Jack,” Charlie stated as if it were obvious, glancing past the taller to make sure nobody was coming, “Youse gotta leave me here, ‘kay? You can’t get caught right now, you gotta look after the guys durin’ the strike, remember?”
Jack frowned, shifting a little closer, “And after that?”
“We’ll… talk,” he stated slowly, head turning once he started to hear loud shouting coming from an area in the building with a small sigh, “I don’t want cha’ gettin’ caught for me, y’know?”
The escapee placed his hand on top of the blond’s, “I’ll be comin’ back for ya, Charlie.”
“I ain’t gonna come with ya’ if you put yourself at risk of gettin’ caught,” Crutchie warned lightly, flipping his hand around to give the other’s hand a small squeeze.
Jack tightened his grip for a moment, “You’d really says no if I showed up here? After all of this?”
“If it stops youse from getting all risky on me, yes.”
The brunet tilted his head to the side, “What if I wanna be the knight ‘n shinin’ armor?”
“You already are, stupid,” the shorter replied softly, no bite whatsoever in his words nor the supposed nickname, nudging Jack once again, “Youse already saved me more than enough times.”
Jack smiled, “I’d do it anytime.” He slowly pulled his hand back, expression flattening, “I oughta get outta here…”
The blond nodded quickly, head looking back at the door once he started to hear loud footsteps approaching, “Don’t gets caught, ‘kay? And don’t be risky.”
“Risky? Me? Never.”
As soon as the taller boy took off running, Charlie felt a small sigh escape from his lungs. He knew that no matter what he said, Jack would still come back and try to break him out of this place. And he knew that he wouldn’t be able to say no to it. All he could hope for was that the brunet wouldn’t be too risky.
Though, Jack Kelley was never known as a boy who played it safe, huh?