Jack's Sunshine

A/N) Well this took forever to write. Sorry it is so cheesy, but I was in a cheesy/angsty mood. This was technically written as the broadway characters because the relationship between Jack and Crutchie is pretty nonexistent in the movie and I love broadway a lot. Anyway, I'm not specifying this as slash or not because people are going to come up with their own opinions anyway, so you can read it as friendship or slash. Also, big big BIG apology to all my Time to go readers, I kinda lost my will to write that story and got stuck in a major plot hole. If any of you have suggestions or guesses on something that should happen, they are greatly appreciated because they make it SO much easier to write. Thank you all for bearing with me, and as always please vote if you liked it and comment with your opinions!

- Brokenrook

__________________________

It was barely a week after the strike when Jack started to notice things weren't quite right.

They were minuet things, things that no one could pick out if you didn't really know Crutchie. But Jack could see them plain as day.

There was less colour in his normally pink face.

His limp was more pronounced, and with every step he seemed to be trying to hide a stab of pain.

He was quieter, not joking or jeering with the other Newsboys as much.

It was like something was sucking the life force right out of Jack's best friend.

Then the coughing started.

It seemed that with each cough Crutchie's entire body shook like a leaf in a dust devil. And within a week the cough blossomed into something worse, something so horrible that Crutchie was too weak to leave the lodging house.

None of the Newsies could pool enough money to even think about taking Crutchie to a doctor, so they had no options. All they could do was pray.

Except for Jack. All he could do was sit and stare at his friend who was fading away in front of his eyes.

His sun, the centre of his solar system was dying and he couldn't do a damn thing.

On the third night of his bed rest, Crutchie shook Jack awake from where he sat vigil on a rickety chair next to the cot Crutchie was confined to.

"Jack." He wheezed.

"Crutchie?" Jack was instantly awake. "Do you need some water? What can I do? Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine. I want to go up to the roof." He managed.

"What! No!" Jack said loudly and Crutchie shushed him.

"You'll catch your death out there." Jack continued, quieter.

Crutchie rolled his eyes. "Like...that's not.....what I'm doing......in here."

Jack's heart felt like it had been stabbed with a knitting needle.

"You aren't dying Crutchie."

"Then let's go to the-" He was cut off by a round of furious coughing. "Roof. I need to...see it...one more time."

"I can't let you do that."

"Funny. Cause I wasn't asking your....permission. Thought you might want to....tag along."

Crutchie coughed again and feebly tried to push himself out of bed.

Jack sighed, but rushed over anyway and picked Crutchie up in a bridal carry.

"I was fine." Crutchie huffed, but snuggled in a little closer to Jack, who was like a furnace.

Up on the rooftop, Jack set Crutchie down and the sidled up beside him, close enough to lie his head on Crutchie's shoulder.