Hello again! I made another musical AU but this time with Newsies and Clace! I don't know if I'm gonna finish it so let me know if I should in the comments or on my tumblr Queenofshadow12! Thanks and enjoy!
The city was bright as day even though the sun hadn't risen. The bright lights of the city illuminated the area. There was so much movement in the street and noise that it made it hard to sleep if you were outside like most news boys happened to be. Though some had families to go home to, most lived on the streets. Just like the two boys lying on the street. The brunette of the two boys removed the paper he used as a blanket and grabbed the lone crutch that was next to him. The boy struggled to stand and put most of his weight onto the crutch. The other boy who was sleeping woke up to the noise of his best friend struggling to stand and instantly shot up to help him.
"Jace, i'm fine! I'm just getting up early to bet the other boys to the paps" The brunette said to the blonde boy named Jace. Jace just sighed and helped his friend lean against the wall. He then left his friend for a moment and grabbed the boys glasses and handed them to him. The brunette placed the broken, beaten up glasses on his face and gave a small smile.
"Simon, wake me up we you try to do these things. I don't want you to fall and hurt yourself." Jace said as he folded up Simon's and his own paper blankets and placed two large stones on each so they didn't blow away in the wind when they were gone. Simon wobbled around the alleyway to readjust to his crutch like he did every morning.
Jace stared into space like he did every morning while simon walked around. His thoughts wandered to the city his resided in. Also to his thoughts wandered to the places he wished to go. Idris. The place where Jace's dreams would come true. Most people came to new york to accomplish their dreams but the place Jace would kill to go to was alicante. It was a small place in Europe surrounded by big classy countries but Idris was small and classy but in a different way. The way jace liked. Fancy but not showy and loud. That's what he hated about new york. Jace was loud but went unnoticed in the big city of new york. But in Idris, more specially alicante, Jace could be loud enough for the whole country and could truly shine like the star he believed he was.
Simon limped over to Jace and waved his free hand in Jace's face and jace jumped like he had been shocked by a taser. Jace breathed slightly heavier than usual. This was part of the morning routine. Jace would drift away from from there sad reality into a fantasy of beautiful hills as simon hobbled around on his crutch and got ready to start he stressful day of selling newspapers. Simon just shook his head and limped away from Jace and put on his hat. While he was down grabbing his hat he grabbed Jace's as well and then went back to jace. He placed his own hat on his head and then put jace's hat on his head on top of his own. Jace quietly laughed and grabbed his hat back and plopped it on his head.
"I can take a wild guess on what you're thinking about." Simon said joining Jace with a quiet laugh of his own. Jace moved away from the wall and ruffled Simon's hair.
"Its like you can read my mind Simon" jace said sarcastically. "Idris is my dream Simon. We're are gonna get there together and trust me, it will do you good. After a few hours there you'll be able to drop the crutch and ride in style." Jace said his laugh laughed along with him and smiled brightly. He always loved Jaces jokes about him being able to drop the crutch once they arrived at Alicante. Jace always said that the clean air of Idris would fix his leg in an instant and his lip would be gone for good. Jace had started to include Simon in his Idris fantasies and talking about traveling together. They would take a large ship across the sea and go to Alicante. They would get a house right outside the city and live their lives together with the rest of the peaceful and sleepy city. Everyone would know their name and they would know everyone's as well.
"Feature me. Riding in style!" Simon said in between his laughter. SImon put his hand up against the wall. Jace crossed his arms and grabbed their messenger bags from the corner of their alley. Jace threw Simon's to him and Simon caught it with the tip of his fingers. Simon's sudden surge forward to catch the bag almost knock the glasses off his face because they were so frail just like there wearer.
"We should get going Si." Jace said, looking to the sky. The Sun was just beginning to rise and the streets were somehow getting even busier. The paper sales were starting in about an hour and they would always converse with their fellow newsboys. They would gather the daily gossip and buy their papers and spread throughout Manhattan selling paps to all the people who could read in the city. The amount of people who could read was growing because education was becoming more available than before. But that didn't mean everyone could get an education. None of the newsboys went to school. They spent all day on the streets making money for their families or to put bread or water on the leftover papers to be eaten later. These boys had no time for it and even if they did have time, school still wasn't free and money was far to valuable because money bought food and food was a necessity.
Simon and Jace made there way through the busy streets of New york. Simon walked slowly and tried his hardest to avoid people do he wouldn't be pushed over and fall to the floor. That happened once and it was not good at all. Simon wasn't too hard to pick up Simon was very fragile. The one time he fell, his limp got visible worse for a few months, so Jace and Simon would rather take there time then slow Simon down and cause his anymore pain than his limp may already cause him.
The square where the newsies gathered every morning was as crowded as it was every morning. Which thankfully not that crowded for simon's sake. The headlines had yet to be announced, and the boys waited for the seller to get to the booth. The seller, Axel, was more or less a jerk. The boys knew he was only doing his job, but he didn't have to be so mean and stingy.
Jace and simon watched everyone in the fire escapes chatting. One of the boys had a cigar in his mouth and another boy was clearly wet and had a towel around his waist. The boy with the cigar's name was Raphael. He was not the nicest boy in the group but was manageable, unlike some of the other boys. The boy with the towel was jordan. He was one of the kinder souls of the group but he could be jerk sometimes.
Jordan proceed to shake his head to get the water out of his hair. Some of the water hit raphael's face and he gave him the finger. Jordan pushed raphael back a little bit and took the cigar right out of raphael's mouth and then but it in his mouth. This only made raphael more pissed off.
"Hey that's my cigar!" Raphael yelled purposefully into Jordan's ear. Jordan took a step back and laughed. It was quite amusing watching the sition unfold from down below. As long as things didn't get violent. Violence did not happen very often but when it did it was bad. Someone nearly got pushed off the fire escape near the top. A fall from the top of the fire escape was no doubt fatal. The boys weren't sure of the height but it had not be at least 150 feet above the ground.
"Go steal another!" jordan yelled in response. Raphael sneered and waited a minute to come up with a witty response.
"Hey, look! Its bathtime at the zoo" Raphael said with a laugh, clearly proud of himself. Instead of being embarrassed, Jordan took this comment in stride.
"I thought that i'd surprise my mom!" Jordan responded, while puffing his chest out. Raphael rolled his eyes, clearly not happy with the response he was given. Raphael was gonna win this argument gosh darnit! He scowled and tried to come out with the perfect come back to the comeback when it hit him.
"If you can find her!" Raphael said laughing even harder than before. Jordan looked personally offended. It was news boy code to never insult someone's mother and or family. Not all the boys were lucky enough to have a family including Raphael himself. Jordan was one of the lucky boys who had a mother to take care of.
"Who asked you?!" All the boys responded. Raphael was taken aback. He should've expected tis from the boys but loud shouts always spooked him a bit.
The boys made their way down the fire escape and gathered around Jace and Simon who were were sitting of the floor of the alley. Jace took Simon's hand and lead him over too the steps of the now empty fire escape. This would make it easier for simon to get up when the headline would announced.
"Hey Jace! I think i'm gonna change my spot. Any ideas where to go?" Mark asked him. Mark came from one of the biggest families in the news boy group. They were a family of seven. Four boys and Three girls. Mark and the other blackthorn boys had many mouths to feed so everyone tried to help them out. The boys were a family and family helps each other.
"Well. Maybe try moving west from your location! There has been a lot of barbers and bankers moving down there. And most of them know how to read which should increase your sales." Jace said with a smile. Jace liked to think of himself of the big brother of the group. He would say 'dad' of the group but the age difference between jace and most of the boys wasn't that big, so big brother was more fitting. Most of the boys always asked him question about almost everything. Whether it was personal or relating to work or selling newspapers, jace was the guy the boys went to. And by association the boys asked Simon as well.
"Thats a great idea! Thanks!" Mark answered. He walked and grabbed his bag that had been lying on the ground.
The boys than gathered around each other and tried to get a good look at the clock that was in the square and decided to make their way over to wear the headline would be announced like they did every morning since they were kids.
The boys traveled and once they arrived they realized they had a few minutes to spare and continued to talk amongst themselves.
"Hey Si! What the limp saying about the weather?" Said Julian Blackthorn, one of the younger brothers of Mark. This was a joke that was said at least once a week. Simon's attitude towards his limp was thankfully optimistic, so the boys knew it was okay to joke about it.
"Um… partly cloudy, clear by evening" Simon said with a laugh. Everyone else joined in on the laughter.
"They should bottle this guy! And the limp sells fifty paps a week!" Jordan joked. He closed the distance between Him and Simon and hit his back playfully. Not enough to make his fall but enough to make have to take a step forward. Simon shook his head as he continued to laugh.
"I don't need the limp to sell papers! I have personally. All the ladies are drawn like moths to light" Simon said and the rest of the boys laughed even harder than before and Simon joined them once more.
"I swear the people of New York are heartless. The only kids they buy sympathy papers from are if you're blind" Jordan accused.
"Or mute!" Said Kit Herondale
"Or dead!" Raphael shouted! All of the boys were smiling and enjoying themselves when a very pretty girl was bright red hair began to walk by. Her eyes were like emeralds and she had the cutest button nose. Her lips were the color of roses and her dress was beautiful. At least that was what was running through Jace's head as she walked by. Jace decided to make a move. He ran forward and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Hello Ma'am can I interest you in the latest paper." Jace said like a pro. The girl rolled her eyes as the man that was leading her stepped forward and pushed Jace back. Clary pushed the man back and choice to say something.
"I already know the headline. 'Cocky poor blonde gets nothing for his lowly attempts to seduce a girl'" The redhead responded with a smirk on her face. She than began to swagger away, leaving Jace in a state of shock. The rest of the boys looked as shocked as Jace.
Jace had already decided this was the girl for him.