Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies. I'm just not that cool I guess.
Author's Notes: So it was raining tonight, and I couldn't help but write a good newsies fic to go along with the weather. Hope you like it.
I never liked the rain until I walked through it with you,
Every thunder cloud that came was one more I might not get through.
On the darkest day there's always light, and now I see it too.
But I never liked the rain until I walked through it with you.
I hear it falling in the night and filling up my mind,
All the heaven's rivers come to light, and I see it all unwind.
I hear it talking through the trees and on the window pane,
And when I hear it, I just can't believe I never liked the rain...
Like the rain, I have fallen for you, and I know just why you
Like the rain, always calling for you, I'm falling for you now,
Just like the rain.
-"Like the Rain" by Clint Black
It had been raining hard all night. David knew it had been raining that long because "all night" is precisely how long he'd been sitting up listening to the pitter-patter on his rooftop. He wished Jack were there … Jack liked storms; Jack thought they were exciting. David just thought they were wet and cold. He pulled the covers up under his nose, and snuggled deeper into his pillows.
Suddenly a violent rapping nudged David from his musings. Swinging his legs over the side of his bed, he stared out the window in disbelief. "Jack!" he hissed.
And indeed, it was Jack who stood at his window, soaked through, his breath rising in unsteady mists. David lifted the heavy window and Jack was there, smiling wide, with little droplets of rain running down his face. "Davey," he breathed. The two stared at each other for a long moment, until an enormous gust of wind blew through so fiercely that Jack nearly lost his balance. Instead of falling, however, he turned and faced the wind, letting it wash over him: eyes closed, head tilted back, arms outstretched.
David marveled at his friends antics. "Jack," he interrupted Jack's reverie, "what do you think you're doing out there? You'll catch your death of cold if you don't come inside."
Jack ignored every word.
"Jack!" David insisted, slightly annoyed at being ignored. "I mean it; I don't want you getting sick!"
Jack lowered his arms and turned once again to face David, his eyes opening suddenly in an intense flash of blue that David had not been ready for.
"Well Dave, ain't ya gonna come out heah wid me?" Jack asked in David's moment of speechlessness.
David shook his head. "Are you crazy? I'll get soaked."
Jack pouted, "Aw, c'mon Davey…" David hated it when Jack pouted his lips that way. When Jack batted his eyelashes and his lips became pronounced as they were now, David could not keep himself from staring. Couldn't help himself from wanting to reach out and brush those full lips with his fingertips. Inwardly he scolded himself, and forced himself to divert his eyes. "Davey …" Jack continued his whining, grinning now because he knew by the look on David's face that he had won.
"Fine fine," David mumbled. "Just let me go and get some proper shoes, and a jacket on, and then leave a note in case …"
"Dave!" Jack interrupted, and gave him a look.
"What?" David knew he was just avoiding the entire situation. He was avoiding the feelings he knew he'd have upon seeing Jack's shirt shellacked to his broad shoulders; Jack's messy hair in his beautiful blue eyes; Jack's wet lips, parted slightly as he breathed through his mouth, as he always did. David sighed, shut the window, and walked out the back door to face the inevitable.
Jack was already standing waiting for him, smiling like a kid in a candy store. "Ain't it wundahfull Dave? Da' rain, an' da' wind – and no one ain't nevah out on 'dese nights – we's got da' whole woild tah ourselves!"
David grinned despite himself. The fact that Jack was smiling was negating the cold droplets sliding their way down the back of his neck, and the cold wind that was slowly chilling him to the bone. Jack grabbed his hand, and the two boys fled to Central Park, where the lawns were being overturned into muddy messes, and not a single person was residing, reading a newspaper or flying a kite.
David let go of Jack's hand reluctantly when the arrived, and the rain began coming down in sheets. It created a fog almost, obscuring David's vision, and making him complain that he hadn't even grabbed a proper coat ...
"Stop yah whinin' Dave," Jack laughed, "jus' enjoy dis weathah."
David frowned slightly. The only thing he was enjoying in the least bit was Jack's presence, and Jack was clearly interested in other things. David stomped over to a not-as-sopping-wet patch of grass and plopped down in the mud. Many would call this a temper tantrum. David preferred to think of it as a moody sort of timeout he took to give himself some time to think.
Jack frowned for the first time all night. "Dave …" he whined, "what's goin' on? Why'd ya leave?"
David rolled his eyes. He was fed up. It was freezing cold – Jack knew he hated the rain. Didn't he have a clue? How could he be so oblivious? "You're so stupid sometimes Jack!" he yelled in desperation, and stood up to leave.
Jack's entire figure slumped. He'd never been hit quite so hard by words before: it hurt. Bad. "Davey wait … what did I do?"
David stopped mid-stride at the sound of pain in Jack's voice. He clenched his teeth, and looked up towards the heavens. Why, why did this have to hurt so bad? David spun around. Alright, this was it, he was finally going to tell Jack the truth …
But when he laid eyes on Jack's face, instead of a love confession, what came out was a yell of frustration. "Ahhh! Jack, just – just let me leave, okay?"
"Dave … I don't undahstand …"
David's hands formed fists, but he had nothing to hit. "Don't you get it, Jack? I care about you! I really really care about you. You make me feel safe, and I live for those days we spend together. You make me see the world in a way I've never dared to before – and what do I do for you? Nothing. I'm just your Walking Mouth. And I'll never be anything more to you, will I? I'll never be –"
But before David could say exactly what he'd never be, a gust of wind stronger than any of the others that night shook the trees and the rain stung at both boys' skin ... And Jack's lips stopped David's words - forced them right back down his throat.
David was so shocked by the kiss that it took him several moments to close his eyes and reciprocate. The wind blew around them then, instead of at them, sweeping them up in their shared moment of wild emotion.
An onlooker, had there been any around on that cold and deserted night, would have remarked at the likeness of the boys to two angels, all wrapped up in each other, with wind and rain and leaves and all of nature swirling up and around them, positively glowing.
Jack pulled back from David slightly, "Dat's not true, Dave," Jack whispered. "You'll always, always, be my everythin'."