Chapter Text
The air was thick with tension as Jack took stage, the eye of every Newsie in New York on him.
Davey was mixed in with crowd, his eyes searching Jack’s face for any hint of answer, as he took Les’ hand and squeezed it slightly. Les squeezed it back, a silent prayer between the two, anxious for the outcome.
Jack’s eyes scanned the crowd, eventually landing on Davey. His face, serious as stone, was unreadable, but as the two locked eyes, Jack’s expression softened a touch, before resuming his view to the crowd.
“Newsies of New York,” Jack began, slowly, evenly, his hands grasping the rails in front of him. He paused again, and burst into a smile. “We won!”
The world around Davey exploded. Shouts were surrounding him, and someone - a newsie from Brooklyn, by the color of his shirt - grabbed Davey into a hug and all but squeezed the life out of him.
The excitement settled down as Jack cleared his throat, preparing to speak again.
“And now, I would like to introduce you to my own personal pal, Governor Theodore Roosevelt!”
Thunderous applause came as Governor Roosevelt came into view. Davey knew he should have been listening, he should’ve been hanging on to every word the governor was saying, but he couldn’t help his eyes drifting to Jack, watching the boy as he excitedly shifted, a wide smile on his face.
He looked so happy, Davey thought. Happier than he had ever seen Jack before.
And then they brought out Crutchie. Jack’s face lit up even more, and he eventually ran down the stairs, engulfing Crutchie in a hug. The two were still, Davey watching as Jack held Crutchie’s head, his shoulders slumping down in relief.
Jack eventually let go, exhaling loudly as he looked at Crutchie. “You is never gonna do something stupid like that again, right?”
Crutchie laughed. “Not if I can help it.”
Jack rolled his eyes, and wrapped an arm around Crutchie, quickly squeezing him. Then his eye caught Davey’s, and he strode over, a small smile back on his face.
“We won.” Was all that Jack said, was all that Jack needed to say, as Davey nodded.
”We won,” he parroted back, the two holding eye contact before Davey cleared his throat and looked away. “Finally, I mean, I’ve been advocating for them to buy the papes back since I got here.”
Jack laughed, shoulders shaking as Davey smiled, eyes crinkling in amusement. He opened his mouth to say something else, before the voice of Pulitzer cut him off.
Davey could feel his face morph into skepticism as the man talked, taking in the information. How ironic that Joseph Pulitzer, the high-and-mighty man who refused to let himself be seen near newsies, was now personally offering Jack a job, a job to work directly under him.
Still, he thought. Jack should take the job. It was an amazing opportunity, the kind of job Jack deserved. Davey racked his brain for ways to convince Jack to accept the offer, before a newer, better thought pushed to the front of his mind.
“Hey, Jackie,” Davey nudged Jack with his elbow, drawing the boy’s attention to him. “Now that the strike is over, will you finally let my folks serve you dinner?”
Les, who overheard the conversation while running around, skidded to a stop, eyes wide. “Oh yeah! Can you, Jack? Can you, can you?”
Jack smiled at Les, pulling him into a side embrace and ruffling the boy’s hair. “As long as you is sure your parents won’t mind.” He said, looking up at Davey for confirmation.
“They won’t mind, honest.” Davey said earnestly, as Les took Jack’s hand and started jumping excitedly.
“You have to, Jack! Ma’s been dying to meet you!”
Jack’s brow furrowed. “Your ma knows who-“
”We should get going, Les.” Davey loudly interrupted, grabbing the boy’s hand. “Jackie, you coming, or not?”
Jack looked between Les and Davey, holding a breath as he thought about the offer. Then he smiled and shrugged. “I mean, it’s about time, ain’t it?”