They were newsies, not soldiers.

Before Specs, there was Russell Woodspeck, the cleanest, most honest boy in school. But a cat and a building fire later, his whole life is flipped around. The next thing he knows, he's at a Lodging House in Manhattan with nothing but the fond memory of his unlikely best friend - The street mouse that he abandoned. (Smalls' & Specs' POV. OC involved in a subplot. WiP, R&R!)

It's Disney Marathon Night for the newsies of Manhattan. What could possibly go wrong? (Canon-era Newsies in modern day because screw plot holes. Silly little non-linear one-shot.)