Hey hey hey! It's the day!

For those who don't know, I have a long-standing headcanon that Jack and Blink share a birthday, seeing as they're based on the same person historically.

This will become more important in another story...

Review Responses:

QueenAnnabeth18: Yep, that was definitely a Jack-targeted rant (and I realize it wasn't super clear, but part of that was Smalls too). Heck yeah! We're big fans of gaining confidence and supporters! Davey better scram... Thank you! Glad you enjoyed!

Jonna Hufflepuff: JUST FIVE! (Time to freak out) Honestly I wanna be there too... Yep, no way Jack's coming. THREE CHEERS FOR DAVEY! (And yeah, he's having a slight heat stroke from panic + excitement, it's fine.) Thanks for forgiving Race! (If by chance you're still iffy on him, just stick around another couple chapters...) THANK YOU SO MUCH! How do I do it? Well, much of the emotions are based on my own. Personal experience with anxiety makes it easier to portray. No secrets really. :)

Okay okay, this is another one of those chapters where it doesn't really revolve around the character whose perspective it is... I'm sorry, but OAFA chapter was getting too long.

Here we go.

Chapter 76- Blink

Wednesday, September 22, 1999, 5:50 a.m.

Blink had been given one job after he'd called it quits on running flyers around the city: keeping unwanted parents from finding their children in the crowd of newsies. He was ashamed to admit he had failed miserably.

To his credit, he had successfully shooed away a Mr. Wah, a Ms. Cortes, and a Mr. and Mrs. Davenport before the present moment. The Jacobs parents had slipped through the cracks, unfortunately. It wasn't completely Blink's fault, since the brown-skinned woman speaking to him now had very much played a part in distracting him. But he did feel awful having to watch Davey publicly argue with his mom and dad. Hopefully, the Mouth would forgive him later.

"I'm not comin' down!" Davey told his father, staying firmly atop the chair.

"Young man, you're already grounded. Do ya wanna extend that sentence?"

"Ground me 'til I'm twenty, see if I care!"

"Ev'ry second you stay up there is a second added ta you ruinin' yer future!"

"So I'll ruin it! Big deal!"

Mrs. Jacobs came forward; she must have nudged her husband, because he fell back a few steps. "David, please. Enough is enough. Get down."

"Nope, ma, I don't think I will."

"We can talk this through."

"I don't wanna talk."

"Give it up, Dave," Mr. Jacobs encouraged. "We're goin' home."

"Good! Both a' you, get outta here!"

The woman Blink was standing with tapped him on the shoulder, diverting his attention. "Excuse me, but can't I just-"

"I sent Mushy ta find him," he assured. "Might take a few minutes, but it'll be easier than sending you into that mess. We'll get 'im ova' here ta talk wit you in no time."

"Whaddaya want me ta be, Dad? Unemployed like you?" shouted Davey, running a hand through his already haphazard hairstyle. Though Blink couldn't make out the details of his face, the rollercoaster of pitch in his tone was enough to make him appear crazed.

"This ain't you, David. Eva' since ya started at this school ya been in trouble. These kids, they've brainwashed you!"

"All they's done is make it so I don't take no one's crap no more, is that so bad?" His accent was coming through so thick, Blink began wondering if Mr. Jacobs' theory of brainwashing wasn't so far-fetched.

"I dunno what they did ta take away the son I know, but I'd like 'im back if ya wouldn't mind!"

Mrs. Jacobs said her next piece then, speaking more calmly than her husband. "David, I know there's been a lot of change lately. It's been hard on us all. I know your father and I have our differences, but we're here if you need to talk about anything. Both of us. Now will you please get off the chair so we can have a word in private?"

"There's nothin' ta talk about, Mom. This's got nothin' ta do wit you an' Dad, and I got nothin' ta tell ya 'cept leave me an' my fellas alone!"

At that moment, Les piped up above the others, "Davey, they're right for once. You ain't actin' like yourself."

Staring down at his brother with what had to be a scathing glare, Davey took a second's pause before he said in a cool tone, "I'm acting like a newsie leader. Tha's all I'm doin'. Maybe that wasn't always my role, but I'm gonna grow into it. Somebody has to."

"Are you tryin' ta lead or just fill Jack's place?"

"Shut yer mouth!"

Les did, slipping back into concealment between his two parents.

Meanwhile, on the outside of the crowd, Sarah and Tommy Boy ran up to Blink's side, both looking drained from another journey across the city. Noticing the kerfuffle immediately, Sarah cursed. "How did my parents get here?" She turned on Blink. "I thought you were s'posed ta be keeping an eye on that."

"I thought you was s'posed ta have a date last night," he retorted.

"Hey now," Tommy Boy warned as Sarah's mouth opened to reply. "Ain't we got enough people fightin' 'round here?"

Though that was fact, Blink objected. "Ya got stood up, man."

This gave Sarah room to finally get out her snarky comment. "I'm sorry I spend time seein' more than my boyfriend's face."

That did it. He came toward her, fists clenched. "You just put yerself on thin fucking ice, Jacobs."

"Not so brave without Mushy nearby ta keep you warm, are you?"

"Sarah! Tom!" Les had emerged from within the mob. "I was wonderin' where youse were!"

With a glance of admonishment towards both Blink and Sarah, Tommy Boy pulled the kid into a side hug. "We gotcha, Shortstop."

"Davey's about ta start World War Three over there."

"Ya don't say..." Again, with the upset looks toward the other two.

Blink looked sheepishly at Sarah. "Hey… I'm sorry."

She stopped him. "My fault. I'm exhausted. Don't listen to a word that comes outta my mouth right now."

"Same here." He offered his hand. "Call it a truce?"

"Indubitably." Sarah shook hands quickly before turning towards the ongoing battle of the Jacobses. "Now I gotta deal with that."

"I'll stay 'ere with Les, if that's alright," said Tommy Boy. The kid had already taken a seat cross-legged on the ground, and showed no signs of getting up.

"'Course. This ain't your family."

She jogged off, the woman Blink had forgotten about quickly taking her place. "Are you sure it wouldn't be easier for me to-"

"Ma'am, he's comin', I promise," Blink said. "You only have to wait a few more minutes."

The lady rolled her eyes, but said nothing more.

In the midst of the crowd, Sarah had forced herself through, the flyer in her hand a bright white beacon above the heads around her. This, she thrust upon her mother. "Read, you'll understand."

The woman must have started doing so, as she didn't say anything. Her husband, on the other hand, had a bone to pick with his daughter. "David called 'imself the leader. Was that Johnny fella not good enough?"

"Jack," corrected Sarah. "And it's none a' your business."

"You an' yer mother are always talkin' 'bout how I don't show up, so here." Ripping the paper from his wife's hand with a loud rustle, Mr. Jacobs shouted, "I've shown up an' made it my business!"

"Oh great! You've arrived to control Davey's life again, how amazing!"

"Both of you, quiet!" said Mrs. Jacobs sharply, effectively silencing the spat. She took the copy of The Banner back from Mr. Jacobs. "David, I must say, what you've done here, it's-"

"Complete tomfoolerly," stated her husband.

"-incredible." Mrs. Jacobs finished, tone now so pointed it could've stabbed someone. "Leading all these students on your own, it's incredible. You've always been so mellow, I never imagined you'd be capable of doing a thing like this. I'm seeing a whole new side of you, and I am prouder than I can describe."

Sounding stunned, Davey told her, "Thanks."

"But it has to stop."

Sarah protested, "He can't stop until we've won!"

"You've as good as done so. I'm sure the rest of your friends can finish up here."

"Mom, this isn't over until I say it is," explained Davey. "I'm the union leader. You and Dad need to eitha' support that or leave."

"Really," the woman next to Blink was back to needing attention. "I'm sure I could find him if you just let me-"

"Ma'am," Blink tried his best to convey sympathy as he pushed her back by the shoulder. "I promise you, we're gettin' him here."

"I'd certainly like to know what's taking so long."

"Wouldn't we all."

Doing a search for Mush in the vicinity, Blink made out the shape of Mr. Jacobs storming across the lawn, heading straight for him- with surprising speed for a man with one leg in a cast. Les shot his arms in the air, waving frantically in an effort to shoo his father off. "Everything's fine, Dad!"

"You!" The man barked, pointing at Blink, not even acknowledging his youngest son. "Are you Jack Kelly?"

Do I look like Jack to you? He wanted to say, knowing there was a picture of the cowboy in the paper. "Who now?"

"J-A-C-K, K-E-L-L-E-Y," Mr. Jacobs spelled incorrectly. "Da kid who got my sons messed up in this crap."

"Nah, I ain't him."

"An' you?" he asked Tommy Boy, "I s'pose you ain't him neitha'?"

Les answered that one. "This is Thomas, Dad. You met him last night?"

An unmistakable disdain filled the air as the man stared at Blink's friend. "You brought one a' my kids home with a goddamn bruise on 'is face, an' claimed ya didn't know what da otha' two were out doin'."

Tommy Boy made an apprehensive "Mhm" sound.

"Don't s'pose ya know where Mr. Kelly is?"

"Jack Kelly?" He shook his head. "He's gone. Made like an' egg and beat it. Lots a' people encouraged him to. Or so I've heard. Ain't no way I'd actually know, obviously. I dunno things."

When Tommy Boy finished rambling, Mr. Jacobs sighed, snapping his fingers at Les. "C'mon. Let's get you an' yer mother away from these delinquents."

"But I wanna stay ta finish the strike with my friends," said his son, entirely lacking confidence.

"You don't got a choice."

Les didn't pout, simply got to his feet and stood by his father's side.

Out of nowhere, Blink's vision disappeared entirely as a pair of hands blocked his eyes. "Guess who!"

"Mushy..." Blink lowered the hands with only a tinge of genuine annoyance. "That game ain't cute."

"Is ta me."

Pulling Mush's wrists down past his collarbone, Blink got his boyfriend's face to rest on his shoulder, the better to kiss his cheek in that position. He couldn't help but notice Mr. Jacobs staring at them when he pulled away, but thankfully the man never got the chance to state his opinion on the couple; Les dragged him off to collect Mrs. Jacobs.

"Alright, I'm here," came Henry's voice as he walked up to the gathering, Jojo close behind. "What'd you guys-" he cut off abruptly, gaze drawn to the woman. "Ma?"

She turned to him, beaming, arms open wide. "Hey, mijo."

"Ma!" Crossing the last stretch of grass between them, Henry ran, proceeding to hug her with the fervor of a little kid who'd just found his favorite missing teddy bear.

"I know I'm not s'posed to be seeing you right now," Mrs. Butler said, smoothing her son's hair. "But I saw you in the paper the other day, and then one of your flyers was outside my building, I had to come."

"I don' care why you're here," Henry told her, only breaking the hug a little. "I'm jus' glad you are."

She held him tighter. "I'm glad to be here too, baby."

It was impossible for Blink not to grin as he watched the pair. Mush's arms were still around him, solid as ever. As far as his life went, everything felt perfect. That wasn't quite true, but it was easy to pretend.

The Jacobs parents finally departed, taking their friction with them. Blink would apologize to the Mouth later. With any luck, Davey would wholeheartedly forgive him after hearing about the Henry situation.

If all else failed, one good thing had come out of the strike, and Blink was fortunate enough to have brought it about.

Yeah, that Henry and his mother scene was a last minute addition. We needed some wholesomeness, and it's a good contrast to all the Jacobs chaos.

Speaking of, for more on Davey and Mayer's relationship, keep an eye out... I have a one-shot written, and it still needs some work, but I plan to publish it soon now that this chapter is public.

Please review with any thoughts you had on the chapter, and if you've got any questions, I'll take those too!

Thanks for reading!