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Crutchie had known Jack for almost seven years now, and he couldn’t remember a single time he’d seen him this tense.
He knew, of course, how much Jack hated being worried over, but after ten minutes waiting at the lodging house gate and watching his friend’s fidgeting hands to move from his jacket to his hat to simply sort of twitching in the air, Crutchie figured Jack couldn’t blame him for giving him such a blatantly pointed stare.
If he ever noticed, that was.
“Jackie,” Crutchie said finally.
“Nothing,” Jack quickly replied.
“I didn’t ask anything.”
Jack looked over at him in brief confusion. “Ah. Right.”
Crutchie raised his brows incredulously. He pushed off of the brick wall, limping over to his friend and grabbing both of his shoulders. He shook them sharply. “Jack. What the fuck is goin’ on with you?”
Jack looked at him as affronted as if he’d been smacked. “Crutch!”
“You’ve said ten times worse. Are you okay? You look like you think you’ll be jumped. Which, if you do, I’d like a little warning so I can skedaddle.”
The attempt to make his friend laugh only partially succeeded; Jack released more of a nervous huff than anything. “No, no. I just…”
Crutchie turned and followed Jack’s gaze down the deserted road, then turned back. “Are ya waiting for Davey?” he tried.
The vibrant shade of red Jack turned was answer enough.
Crutchie stifled a small laugh, at which Jack became clearly offended. “He’s taking longer than usual is all!”
“Why don’t you meet him at school, then? You usually do.”
Crutchie had to admit that the Jacobs boys returning to school had been a bittersweet shift for them all. He’d taken quite a liking to this polished schoolboy who’d given so much to help them all. Despite his young appearance, Crutchie was only two years the junior of their leader, and thus one of the older newsies, which meant a lot of their care fell to him. He was glad to have someone else who seemed eager and able to take on parts of that job--and someone else he trusted to watch out for their shared impulsive friend. Not to mention little Les and his boundless confidence. In the two weeks since Mr. Jacobs had healed enough to return to work, the brothers had visited as much as their schedule allowed, but it wasn’t the same.
He’d worried about that change hitting Jack harder than it would the rest of them, but in those weeks, Jack had bent his own schedule in every way he could to be with the Jacobses, so much so that Crutchie wondered how much of a change it had even been for him. He was glad, though, that Jack had found someone who brought out the bright, eager side of him that the city tried so hard to quash.
Which was why he had been concerned enough to wait downstairs with Jack when he hadn’t rushed off as usual, and he was now able to marvel at this even newer side of their friend that David Jacobs had unlocked.
“He told me he’d meet me here,” Jack huffed.
“Whatcha so nervous for, then?” Crutchie asked, returning to his spot against the wall. He stretched out his leg, feeling a stab of pain. The closer winter came, the worse that would be getting; he’d need to move back inside at night soon.
Jack shifted uncomfortably, stuffing his hat into his pocket along with his hands. “I asked him to talk tonight,” he muttered.
The explanation hit Crutchie sharply between the eyes. The details he hadn’t noticed before came suddenly into view: Jack’s neatly rolled up sleeves, his meticulously tidied hair only slightly marred by his hat. He knew Jack better than anyone; he couldn’t believe he hadn’t picked up on it sooner.
Crutchie grinned. “Takin’ him out somewhere, or just findin’ a nice alley?”
He counted it as a win that a shocked laugh busted out of Jack at that comment. He swatted Crutchie’s hat off his head. “Charles Morris!”
“Don’tcha call me that,” Crutchie laughed, catching his hat against his chest and replacing it on his head. “It’s a fair question! Fancy boy like that, you better take him somewhere pretty a’ least.”
Jack scoffed, crossing his arms far too tightly to pass as casual. “I was gonna offer Medda’s,” he murmured.
Crutchie patted his friend’s shoulder approvingly. “There’s ya go.” Secretly, he celebrated his own intuition.
Jack had never been very private about his tastes. Guys and gals alike, ever since he learned to flirt. Between his home with the newsies and his friends in the theater, it had never been much of a problem. Just like none of their friends cared about where their families came from or what was really under one another’s pants. It was the worst kind of waste of time, getting hung up on that sort of thing.
For a moment, Crutchie felt a little clench of anxiety in his stomach. They’d only known Davey for a handful of months. Had anyone talked to him about that sort of thing? Were they sure he was safe? How did they know for sure he wouldn’t be like Racer’s parents, or the Delanceys? It was the kind of flurry of thoughts that made him want to put a huge protective wall between his friends and the rest of the world.
But the moment they could hear the Jacobs brothers approaching and see them turn the corner up ahead, the relieved smile that spread across Jack’s face was enough to make those worries vanish. This was Davey. The boy who led them through a strike, three days after meeting them, who passed by the lodging house in the mornings to check up on the boys.
And most importantly, he was the boy who made his best friend’s eyes fill with pure joy and love just by appearing at the end of the street.
Davey and Les jogged the last few yards to meet them, and Crutchie straightened up at their arrival. “Hiya, guys!” he said, feeling a grin pulling at his face.
“Hey, Crutchie, Jackie! Sorry we’re a little later than usual, we ran into Sarah on the way home, and she wanted to know how Les’ test went--”
“Oh yeah, how did it go?” Jack asked, turning to the younger boy. The cowboy's entire demeanor had changed in a few moments, from antsy and worried to clearly at ease.
“I did great! I got full marks! And I didn’t even study!”
Davey’s expression changed so quickly from a relaxed smile to pure alarm that Crutchie and Jack both burst out laughing. “You what?”
Les gave him a guilty look. “But I got full marks!”
Jack leaned down and took Les’ shoulder so he looked him right in the eyes. “That, kid,” he said sagely, “is a detail you wanna keep quiet for a little while longer.”
Les nodded very seriously.
Davey swatted the back of Jack’s head with an indignant sound. “Stop leading my brother astray!”
“But it’s funnn!” Jack whined.
“Get ahold of yourself, Kelly,” the schoolboy chuckled, shoving his shoulder affectionately. Crutchie was weighing whether it would be more awkward to continue witnessing or to distinctly avert his gaze from the soft smile they were sharing when Davey said, “Shall we go inside?”
Jack looked a little nervous again for a second, and Crutchie bumped his arm with his free fist, hoping to give him a small signal of confidence. “Actually, I was hoping I could nab you for a bit, Dave. Is that alright?”
Davey looked at him curiously. “Yeah, sure. We’re not in much of a rush tonight…” He looked at Les, a little doubt entering his gaze, which Crutchie took as his cue.
“We’ll head on up. Join us whenever,” he offered.
Davey smiled and nodded his thanks, and Jack shot him a very serious look of gratitude. Crutchie gave him a discreet thumbs up. Get your man.
As they turned to walk inside and their friends departed behind them, Crutchie feeling a mix of nerves and warmth in his chest for his friend, Les asked abruptly, “I’m not that corruptible, am I?”
Crutchie laughed in surprise. “I wouldn’t worry about it, kid. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders.”
Les nodded seriously. “And Jack’s looking out for me, anyway,” he agreed.
Crutchie grinned. “He sure is.”
Just before the doors shut behind them, he heard Jack laugh happily from the street. And Dave, he thought, pleased, does a damned good job lookin’ out for him.
. . .
Out of habit, Crutchie had retreated to the penthouse for the night, but while his leg ached and his body was tired enough for him to turn in early, his thoughts kept him wide awake. He stared up at the dimming sky as worries swirled in his head.
Finally, when he was just about ready to go back down into the house to look for his friend or anyone who’d seen him, he heard the creaking of the ladder and sat up quickly.
Jack peaked up over the edge of the roof.
“The Jacobses gone home?” Crutchie asked immediately.
“Just now, yeah,” Jack confirmed.
“And how’d it go then?” he demanded.
Jack’s cheeks darkened a bit as he grinned broadly, joining him on the roof. Crutchie wooped and socked him lightly in the arm. “That’s great, Jackie!”
“Yeah, it is, ain’t it?” Jack looked sort of dazed, his face flustered and his eyes smiley. Crutchie couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen his friend so happy.
Feeling emotion swell inside him, Crutchie reached out and patted Jack’s shoulder, giving him the sincerest look he could. “I’m really happy for you, Jack,” he said, pushing emphasis into each word.
Jack’s smile softened, before Crutchie continued, “Yer finally gonna get laid.”
“Jesus, Charlie!” Jack laughed sharply, his eyes widening. Crutchie cackled at his shocked look. Jack poked him in the shoulder. “You’re the worst!”
Crutchie kicked in his direction with his good leg. “You love me, really.”
Jack sighed as he lowered his back to the roof beside him, quick as ever to get to sleep. A smile still danced across his face, his eyes alight as he stared up into the sky, his arms folded behind his head. He looked, for all his worth, like a dreamer and an artist. He looked so utterly like himself, like the him that Crutchie had met seven years ago, all big talk and confident grins.
Jack looked up at him, smiling brightly. “Obviously.”