Newsies Imagines

Coming Home (Race)

"How well do you know Y/N Kelly?"

The question is simple, the answer less so. Race has lived a life on the streets of Manhattan and has gotten used to fielding questions and coming up with answers on the go, yet somehow this throws him for a loop. How does he respond to this? There's no good way to describe the relationship he has with Y/N, the timid circles they've run around each other.

But Crutchie is still waiting for an answer. Poor, expectant, oddly hopeful Crutchie. Stalling for time, Race reaches for a question in return. "As well as anyone, I guess. Why do you ask?" Crutchie sighs, glancing around the lodging house like he's expecting someone to be desperately listening in. "She just got back from the Refuge last night. Things aren't exactly going well."

Instantly, every sense in Race's body is thrown into high alert. The Refuge is a horrible, horrible place. Race would know, he's spent some time there himself. If the rats and starvation don't get you, the beatings from the guards will. It's one of the worst experiences a newsie can ever have. No matter how much spirit you have out on the streets, the second you pass over that threshold, it's all gone. All of it.

The thought of Y/N Kelly in the Refuge is not something Race wants to consider, not even for a second. "She was in the refuge? I thought she lived somewhere else." Crutchie shakes his head. "She's Jack's sister, remember? If she had a place, he'd probably be there too. Jack's been worried about something like this for months." Race's stomach drops. "Wait, what do you mean, months? Y/N left the lodging house a year ago. Everyone said something about how she was looking for better work somewhere else."

The memory of that conversation still twists like a knife in Race's heart. She had never even said goodbye, never bothered to visit. It had torn at him time and time again, wearing him down even when Race swore a girl would never get the best of his heart like that. He supposed he didn't have a choice with her, he rarely did. There was something about her that made all hopes of friendship impossible. When she'd left without a word, Race couldn't help but take it personally.

Yet, looking at Crutchie now, Race is starting to have some doubts about Y/N's past disappearance. He takes a step closer to the boy, feeling his temper rise with every word. "But she didn't go, did she? She's been in the Refuge all this time. For a year." Crutchie doesn't exactly agree with this, but he can't seem to bring himself to say a word. Race runs a hand through his hair, trying and failing to come up with some way to make this better.

Crutchie winces. "We was looking for her, honest. We didn't know for sure that she was in the Refuge." Race glances back at him. "But you guessed, didn't you? What, was she not worth the effort of breaking her out?" Crutchie stands up straighter, and Race realizes he's gone too far. Crutchie may joke around with everyone else and have a heart of pure, unfiltered gold, but he's got a spine of diamond. It's wrong of him to assume Crutchie would ever let a newsie or a Kelly stay in the Refuge if he could do something about it.

"There was no way Jack could get involved. You know that, Race. Snyder's tightened restrictions around that place ever since Jack escaped. We tried to visit her a lot, and every single time we were practically chased off with pitchforks. We couldn't do anything but stay away and hope they wouldn't take their anger about us visiting out on her and extend her sentence."

Race sighs, trying and failing to force himself to calm down. "You said she got here last night, right? So she's out?" Crutchie's face falls rapidly. "Technically, yes." Race frowns. "What do you mean, technically? Either she's here or she's not." Crutchie glances around the room one last time, and Race realizes that he's looking for Jack. Whatever he's about to say, whatever is going on with Y/N, Jack either doesn't know or doesn't want other newsies to know. This can't be good.