Author's Note: This was written for a request from a lovely Tumblr user named Sydney (downattheroundhouse). I hope I did all right!
Disclaimer: Pulitzer may own the World, but he doesn't own the newsies... And sadly, neither do I.
Bumlets easily had one of the best smiles that Dutchy knew. It had the unique ability to turn a bad day into a good one and a good day into a great one.
Dutchy could remember one day in particular that had been even worse than usual. He'd woken up with a bad cough and gone outside to find that it was pouring rain. Throughout the course of the day, he almost got accused of stealing food, got splashed with water from a huge puddle by a passing carriage, and bent his glasses. And to top it all off, he couldn't sell more than ten or fifteen papers.
By that evening, he was still sick, soaking wet, and close to tears. He'd come back early to find the lodging house empty except for Bumlets (who usually finished selling first, to no one's surprise). Bumlets had looked over, seen Dutchy, and merely smiled. Instantly Dutchy felt better about his awful day. Then Bumlets came over and let Dutchy spill out all his woes and consoled him, which also helped. But really, it was that one smile that told Dutchy everything would be fixed tomorrow.
Eventually, Dutchy got used to seeing Bumlets' smile every day when he came back from selling. It was one of the highlights of his day, no matter what happened. He also started to notice that Bumlets smiling made the other newsies happy, too. It easily lit up the whole room.
But once he came back to the lodging house to find that Bumlets wasn't even there yet. "Anyone know where Bumlets is?" he asked the newsies who were lounging around. Most of them shrugged or were too busy to acknowledge the question.
"He might still be selling," Skittery finally suggested.
"That's not like him," Dutchy said with a frown. "I'm gonna go look for him."
"It's getting dark," Skittery called as Dutchy ran out again, but Dutchy ignored him. After all, the fact that it was getting dark was exactly why he was worried.
Dutchy exited the lodging house and went out on the streets. He searched high and low for Bumlets, but didn't see his friend anywhere. Just when he was getting ready to give up, he heard faint crying coming from an alleyway. He peered in cautiously to find Bumlets sitting on the ground, his head buried in his hands.
Dutchy hesitated for a second, slightly shaken by seeing the normally cheerful newsie in this state. "Bumlets?" he said softly.
Bumlets peered out at Dutchy. Recognizing the blond boy, he quickly tried to dry his cheeks.
"Hey, Dutch," he said in a shaky voice.
Dutchy walked over to Bumlets and sat down beside him. Deciding it was worth a try, he gave Bumlets a tentative smile.
Bumlets didn't smile back.
Dutchy's face immediately fell. When even Bumlets couldn't smile, there was really something bad happening.
"What's wrong?" Dutchy asked gently.
"It's my aunt," Bumlets replied after a moment. "She was my last family member who was still in New York, but she was sick for a long time and she was real poor, otherwise I might've lived with her. I was still bringin' her money and tryin' to take care of her, though, but it wasn't enough. I found out today that she died."
"Oh, Bumlets," Dutchy said. No one deserved to have something like that happen to them. "I – I'm so sorry."
Bumlets shrugged. "It was goin' to happen sooner or later. I guess there was some part of me that hoped it would be later."
"Why didn't you tell me about all of this? Or anyone?" Dutchy said. He couldn't believe that Bumlets had kept this a secret for so long.
"I dunno. It just always seemed like everyone else was havin' problems and it felt like they were more important than mine," Bumlets said.
"What do you mean?" Dutchy said, shocked. "Just because you're always helpin' other people and makin' them feel better doesn't mean that nobody can help you. And this – this is big. You got every right to be sad."
Bumlets nodded. "Thanks," he said.
"From now on, anytime you need someone to talk to, you come to me, all right?" Dutchy said seriously.
"Okay," Bumlets agreed.
"Is there anything I can do for you right now?" Dutchy asked.
"Can you just stay here with me?" Bumlets requested. "I ain't ready to go back to the lodging house yet."
"'Course I can," Dutchy said. "I'll stay here all night, if that's what you want."
Bumlets nodded again and actually gave Dutchy half a smile. It was more than Dutchy was expecting; Bumlets' attitude would never stop amazing him.
They sat in the alleyway for another couple of hours. They didn't speak, though occasionally fresh tears did begin to fall from Bumlets' eyes. When they did, Dutchy simply put a hand on his friend's arm to let him know that he was still there.
Eventually Bumlets decided that he was ready to return to the lodging house for the night. Dutchy helped him to his feet, and they walked back in silence. When they got back, the newsies who were still awake gathered around to find out what was going on, but a look from Dutchy told them to give Bumlets some space. They quickly retreated to their bunks.
"I'm going to go to bed," Dutchy said quietly to Bumlets. "But remember: you need anythin', you come straight to me."
"I will," Bumlets promised. "Thanks, Dutchy."
With Dutchy's assistance, Bumlets dealt with his aunt's death over the next several weeks. He soon told the other newsies what had happened, and they willingly helped him as well. Understandably, it took him a long time, but after a while the initial emotions began to fade. Finally, he was able to smile again – a real smile, not a fake or incomplete one.
And from then on, Bumlets was never alone in his problems ever again.