Disclaimer: Don't own Newsies or the characters affiliated with it. Wish I did but I don't. The only character I own is Pyro.
"Bite me, Conlon." The fiery red head spat as she turned around and stormed off in the opposite direction.
That was one phrase that Pyro O'Shea had used practically every day over the years. It was the one phrase that would irritate Spot Conlon. When they were kids, it would irritate him because he did not really understand it. Neither did she and he knew it. As they got older, it would infuriate him for other reasons especially once puberty set it. Now, he was seventeen and she was sixteen. To two teenagers, that phrase could be taken to a whole new level. Their friendly spats would turn to arguments and fights that were spawned from tension.
"You're gonna pay for that later!" Spot called out to her. He noticed her hand fly up with its middle finger sticking up and shook his head.
They were too much alike and at the same time, they were very different. Over the years, they had learned just what it took to push the other over the edge of anger and sanity. Usually, Pyro would push Spot purposely because she just enjoyed seeming him get angry over nothing. Spot would push Pyro accidentally because he was not afraid to tell her what he thought of her. Sometimes, he loved being in her presence especially when she would give him advice about being a leader from a girl's perspective. The rest of the time, he wanted to hit her and hard.
They had met in the Refuge when she was only eight and he was nine. Pyro was put in there for setting things on fire and pick pocketing. Spot was in there for fighting. From the first moment, the tiny red head laid eyes on the soon to be leader of the Brooklyn newsies, she could tell that he was going to be trouble. Spot, however managed to behave himself long enough to get let out of the Refuge in just a few months. Pyro was not so lucky. She was unable to control her boredom and curiosity. She always wondered what things would look like if she had set them on fire. That's why Snyder had to move his office.
Pyro had decided to take a match to the warden's office when she was ten. She just got sick of him treating the kids like they were nothing but mere money makers for his own personal use. By the time she had been set free at the age of twelve, Spot Conlon had already made a name for himself as a newsie. He was only thirteen but he had taken the rule of Brooklyn's newsboys.
Spot had run into Pyro on the streets of Brooklyn in 1895. She had been watching him for weeks without him even noticing. Finally, one hot July afternoon, her fingers were itching for something to take. Eying the slingshot in his back pocket, she knew it would be fun to set on fire. As he passed the hiding girl in the alley, she snatched the slingshot. Being the ruthless leader that he was, Spot was quick on his feet. The second he felt the hand reach to his back pocket, he turned around and grabbed her wrist. Looking down at the girl in front of him, he noticed that she looked familiar. Shoulder length red hair, framed her face. Dark brown eyes sparkled with mischief. It was his favorite vocal sparring partner from the Refuge. "Heard you were a leader now. Had to see it for myself." The dirty girl in front of him grinned.
From that day forward, Pyro lived with the Brooklyn newsboys. She was even given her own room. The only other person that had his own room was Spot. Their rooms were right next to each other. They never really had any room problems until Spot start bringing random girls home at night. The last thing a girl needed to hear while she was trying to sleep was the sighs and moans of a one night stand. Deep down inside, it had bothered Pyro for other reasons but she hadn't realized it at the time.
Spot was not sure of the exact day that he started to realize that Pyro was no longer that skinny, little girl he had met so many years before. She had stopped growing at about five feet tall but she had filled out in all the right places. Unbeknownst to himself, Spot wanted Pyro.
Even if Pyro had known that she was attracted to Spot, she probably would never have admitted it anyway. Those blue eyes alone were enough to draw any girl in. But, Pyro was an independent girl and she did not enjoy taking orders from a guy that shared the name with numerous spotted puppies in the world. Then, one night, Pyro made a big mistake.
It was late one June night and Spot had one of his random girls over. Lying awake in her bed, Pyro played with the silver lighter she had stolen from some rich guy. Before she knew it, the curtains were on fire and things got worse from there. The entire room ignited in flames and she jumped out of bed. Running out of the room with what she could salvage, she woke up Mr. Beckett, the man in charge of the lodging house. After the fire department had finished putting out the fire, the room was ruined.
Standing in front of the lodging house, Mr. Beckett thanked the firemen and then went on to give Pyro the lecture of a lifetime. She had accidentally screwed up her and Spot's living arrangements that night. Mr. Beckett had told them that Pyro was to move into Spot's room and they had to share and then went inside.
Spot gave Pyro an icy glare. "Nice going. You just ruined my life."
Pyro stared right back at him. "Bite me, Conlon." Then, she went inside to start moving into his room.
Neither had known it at the time but, Pyro's big mistake was about to make them realize just how they felt about each other in the depths of their souls.