Disclaimer: I love Newsies! But alas, they are not my own.
Author's Note: Yay, quicker update than usual. I've gone through a rather depressing life change recently which has caused me to curl up in front of my computer and do nothing but write. It's how I block out reality. So anyhow, this isn't the most exciting of chapters, but I promise I am getting to the big showdown between Spot and Spike, I just want it to be well written, and I refuse to post it until I am completely satisfied, so it might be a while - I can only allude Spike for so long, eventually he will catch up with our favorite Brooklyn king. In the meantime, all I can say is - enjoy the cuteness! And hopefully my depression will last long enough to get a few more chapters up quickly. Pleasereview!
While the day had begun in sunshine, as Spot walked Racetrack home clouds began to fill the sky. The light gray kind which precede the snow. The clouds rolled in and the wind picked up. The two boys walked hand in hand, completely disregarding the dirty looks they were getting from passerby. They were young and in love – nothing could touch them.
A few miles still from Manhattan, Spot shivered involuntarily. Race laughed, it was adorable in a innocent-type way. "Ya cold, Spot?" he asked.
Spot chuckled too, able to laugh at himself easily in Race's company. "A little," he confessed, "But we's almost dere."
Race shook his head and shrugged off his own thick green jacket. He draped it over Spot's shoulders, and Spot gladly stuck his arms through. "Shoulda let ya freeze," Race said after a few moments, "Woulda soived ya right, not wearin' a coat in dis wheathah."
"You'd nevah let me freeze, Race, ya too nice," Spot chuckled.
"An' I love ya too much," Race said, kissing Spot's cheek lightly. Spot grinned ear to ear. He would never tire of hearing that.
For the rest of the trip they switched the coat back and forth between them. Spot remembered the last time he'd taken this trip, and wondered at how much more enjoyable it was this time around.
When they were still just a few yards and a bend in the road away from the Lodging House, the sky opened up, and tiny wisps of snow began falling from the heavens. Spot started to run but Race bid him stop.
"What?" Spot demanded, turning around with a mighty sigh. "It's snowin' Race, let's get da hell inside or we're gonna freeze."
But Race was standing there, in the middle of the street, face turned up to the sky. Snow flakes were falling all around him, and he had a look of awe on his face. "It's da foist snow, stupid," he said romantically, "Da foist snow's always magic. Didncha folks evah tell ya dat?"
Spot shook his head sadly, "Me folks died befoah dey could tell me much a' anythin'."
Race nodded empathetically and reached out his hand for Spot to join him. Spot took it gladly, and the two stood holding each other there, while fat snow flakes fell down around them. "Well," Race said, as if beginning a story. "Me muddah always used tah let me an' me buthahs stay home from school on da foist snow. Said it was da most magic day a' da whole year. We'd have snowball fights, an' make snowmen an' snow angels…."
Spot chuckled tah himself, "Ya look like a snow angel now," he said to Race, who was accumulating snow on his shoulders and head. Race smiled. They lingered a moment longer, and shared a passionate kiss, before finishing their journey.
Mush was the one to greet them. He opened the door to the now cold, blowing storm. "Well look who it is!" he exclaimed. "Jack! Jack, guess who it is. It's Race, he's decided tah come back."
Race laughed, "Ya gonna let us in, Mush? Or are we gonna stand out here an' freeze solid?"
Mush laughed heartily and opened the door wide enough for them to squeeze through, clapping them both on the back as they entered. Jack was running down the stairs in a minute. "Well, geez Race, we was worried about ya. An' now wid da storm an' all. I was gonna send somebody out tah look fah ya."
Race smiled at Jack's concern. The two hugged briefly, and Race looked on as Spot and Jack spit-shook. "An' tah what do we owe dis pleashah?" he asked about Brooklyn.
Spot smiled sheepishly, "Jus' thought it was about time I paid me Manhattan brothahs a visit." He and Race exchanged a glance.
Jack noticed the look but didn't say anything. He recognized the look as the knowing smile he and David used to give each other, thinking no one else could see it. But then again, the thought of Spot and Race was impossible …
"Well c'mon upstairs, we's just sittin' around," Jack explained. "The storm's gonna keep most people in tahday I think, so most a' us ain't gonna bothah with sellin'."
Race nodded as they entered the bedroom. A few of his friends were sitting cross-legged on the floor playing cards. They greeted Race with a smile and a wave. Race responded accordingly. He, Jack, and Spot found their own little corner of the room and sat back. "So what were ya doin' all night, huh Race? Dat ya didn't feel like comin' home?"
Race grinned. "Screwin' da King a' Brooklyn …" he said casually, pulling out his own deck of cards and shuffling nonchalantly.
"Oh," Jack said, nodding. "Wait … what?"
Race laughed out loud. "Screwin' da King a' Brooklyn, I said."
Jack gaped at the two of them. Spot was silent the whole time, but the smile never left his face.
"Ya know," Jack said, "I wondahed about you two downstairs, both ya lookin' so happy. But I thought dere was no way in hell. Huh …" he mused.
"No way in hell?" Spot demanded, speaking up for the first time. "Dat ain't no tah congratulate us Cowboy!"
Jack smiled, "Sorry Spot, ya right. I'm happy fah da two a' ya."
Race and Spot joined hands discreetly.
Jack continued, "Maybe now da two a you will lay off teasin' me an' Dave, huh?"
Spot shook his head, "Not on ya life," he laughed. "We may be tagethah now, but we ain't nevah gonna act like you an' Davey. Dat's gross."
Jack blushed slightly, "C'mon," he protested. "We can't be near as bad as all a you'se guys make us out tah be."
Race and Spot put on a brief skit which was meant to portray Jack and David when they were together. Said skit included such words as "Jacky-poo", "Davey-kins", "kissy-kissy", and "lovey-dovey baby".
Jack found a pillow to throw at his friends. "Fine fine!" he yelled, "I give up. So ya plannin' on tellin' da othahs?"
Race shrugged. "I'm shoah dey'll figure it out."
Jack shook his head. "Dat ain't no way tah go about it," he said. "C'mon, let me tell 'em."
Race looked at Spot, who shrugged. The Manhattan boys were some of his closest friends. Why shouldn't they get to know how happy he was? So Race told Jack "Fine," and Jack ran over to the group playing cards, leaning down to whisper to them.
Race and Spot looked at each other, as nervous as the situation would allow. They were holding hands, but other than that, nothing else was different about their appearance.
Neither heard what Jack said exactly, but in a few seconds all the boys were looking their way and smiling. And in a few more seconds they were all rushing over, making obscene noises and throwing things at the new couple …
The afternoon was an easy one. Jack opened a few bottles of beer which they passed between them for the occasion. They played cards and gossiped and told stories. As much as Race had been worried about getting to sell this afternoon, he realized it would be impossible to get away from his friends now. And Jack was right, what with the storm and all, he wouldn't sell enough to make it worth his while anyhow. So he sat back and enjoyed the afternoon among friends and loved ones.
At one point, a little before dinner, the snow calmed, and David and Sarah showed up in fluffy snowsuits, mittens, scarves, and hats. Jack's whole face lit up when he saw Dave there. "Ya look like an' Eskimo," he said fondly at the door, taking David's hands and pulling him in to kiss the boy's frost-bitten nose.
Sarah revealed that Mrs. Jacobs had sent them all a large box of freshly baked cookies to keep them warm on this, the first snow of the year.
Race couldn't imagine the last time he'd been so happy. Here he was, surrounded by friends, playing cards, drinking beer and eating deliciously warm cookies, holding the hand of the person he loved most in the world, while the very first snow was forming a blanket of white to coat the city in peace and purity.
