Soak 'em (Newsies X Reader) | #WATTYS2019

Keep quiet

Spot Conlon.
Spot. Conlon.
Of all people, of course it was him! Of course! Why me, oh why me.

I got out of there as fast as I could, running back down the streets of Manhattan. The cool night air was sucked in and out of my lungs. My wet hair turning cold and slightly crunchy. I rounded the corner and to the back door of the News boy lodging house. I took a deep breath and opened the door slowly. A small sliver of light came in the door. The light from the doorway illuminated mush's sleeping face. I smiled softly at him before shutting the door behind me. I slowly walked through the bunk beds of sleeping boys. I approached jacks bunk and closed my eyes.
'Please be asleep, please be asleep.' I said to myself in my head. I opened my eyes and saw my brother in his bed. Relief washed over me before I turned and walked up another set of stairs.

I reached my room and opened the door. I realized that I did not make my bed this morning, so the covers made it look like I was sleeping. "Thank goodness."

"Where ya been, Slick?"
My head snapped to the right and a small figure stepped into the candlelight. A puff of smoke was blown into the air. I sighed in relief. "Racetrack."

He nodded. "Aye, that's me name. Now, answer my question." He took another puff of his cigar and blew the smoke out. He practically chewed on those things all day. I sighed and walked over to my bed. I covered my face with my pillow and screamed. Racetrack laughed. "That bad?"

"Racer, I's in a predicament." I admitted to him. Racetrack and I have always been the closes out of all of the newsies. He always covered for me on my nights of sneaking in and never told any of my secrets. He was like a second brother to me. We shared a lot as we've grown up together selling papers. He was the first one to find out I was a girl and always defended me when people questioned it. Jack was convinced that we had a secret relationship with each other, which is when he put the ban on dating me for all the newsies in Manhattan. Racetrack just laughed when jack confronted him about it. Race told jack there was nothing to worry about. He wasn't interested in me in that way.

Racetrack laughed and sat next to me. "I's surprised you knows that word." I rolled me eyes.
"So, you know my thinkin' spot?" I asked.
"Yeah?" He replied, laying back on my bed and blowing smoke from his mouth.
"Well," I started, very hesitant, "I met a fella there." Race half laughed. "Yeah? What's the poor saps name?"

I took a deep breath in.
"Spot Conlon."

Radio silence. Racetrack sits up in the bed looking me dead in the eyes. He takes his cigar out of his mouth and holds it in his hand.
"Tell me you's kiddin'" Racetrack insisted. I said nothing.
"Y/n!" He whisper shouted.
"How was I 'posed (supposed) ta know who it was! Jack neva lets me go nowhere, 'specially Brooklyn."

Race grabbed my shoulders. "There's a reason for that y/n! He don't want Spot gettin' hold of ya!" Racetrack let go of my shoulders and threw his hands into the air and began pacing. He clicked his tongue as he did. "How did he sees ya?" Race asked.

"Wit his eyes," I replied sassily, thinking it was a trick question.
"No! Did he sees ya as y/n, or as Slick?" He asked again. Now the question made sense.
I thought for a moment. "Well, he saw me when I was swimmin' so's as y/n."

Racetrack smirked. "Lucky bastard."
"Focus Race!" I snapped. He put his hands up in surrender. "A'right a'right. So he saws ya as y/n. For one, you gots to find a new thinkin' spot. Try Goin' to Queens 'stead." I nodded.
"Queens don't sound so bad."

Race snapped his fingers. "Good girl." I rolled my eyes and snarled slightly at the comment.
"For two, no goin' ta Brooklyn on yer own, Eva." I scoffed. "Jack won't neva' let me anyways. Not if he knows 'bout tonight."

Race shook his head. "Ah, jack don't know. Thinks You was sleepin' 'cause your covers was ruffled. Now, rule number three. If you eva gotta go ta Brooklyn, under any circumstances and such, yous gonna wear your cap, and spit shake, and call ya-self Slick. You got it?"
I nod. "Shouldn't be to hard."

Race nodded and leaned against my doorway. "You didn't give him ya real name did ya?" He asked. I shook my head. "I ran before he got the chance to ask."

Race smiled, his cigar returning to his mouth. "Good girl. Remember everything I said." He pointed to his head, then to me, and backed out of the doorway. "Race wait!" I called after him. He returned to the doorway, leaning against it. "How was your race at the track?" a small, half annoyed smile spread on his lips. "Rememba that hot tip I told you 'bout? Nobody told the horse."

•••

I woke up to pounding on my door. I groaned. "Im up Im up!" I shouted at the door, throwing the covers off of me. I looked out the window. The sun was barely coming up. I opened the drawer next to my bed. I strip my clothes down and throw on some tan trousers and tuck a new tanktop into them. I threw my button down on over the top of it but didn't button it yet. I tucked my hat under my arm. I ran down the stairs and jumped over the last step.
"Mornin' fellas." I said to the boys as I walked over and grabbed my toothbrush and started to brush my teeth. Jack walks up next to me and does the same. "How'd ya sleep, kid?" He asked.
"Like a baby." Jack smiled and ruffled my hair. I spit out my toothpaste and put my brush away. I turn around to be face to face with a muscular chest. I looked up and met the eyes of Mush. He smiled at me.

"Good-mornin' y/n." He charmed. I looked up and down at him very quickly. He was shirtless, and man I wasn't complaining, but I could feel eyes staring into my head.
"Mornin' Mush," I replied trying to walk past him. He stepped in front of me, blocking my path. "That's all I get?" Mush complained. I let out a soft giggle. "That's all yous eva gonna get. Now put a shirt on." I replied, playfully punching him in the shoulder. Mush looked around the room very quickly, licking and then biting his lower lip. Mush leaned down close to my ear and whispered, "I know you really don't want me to."

I couldn't help but smile. This boy always seemed to get into my soft side. I smiled and pushed him away gently before walking away. "I'll get ya one day!" He called after me. Embarrassed, I started walking faster. I could hear the boys holler and joke with him about trying to get with me.

In all honesty, I don't mind. Mush and I, we've got some history. He was probably my first crush when he came here. He is always been very flirty with me, but not to where Jack knows about it. He has always been a friend, but more than a friend, but not a boyfriend. We had a very complicated relationship. Once we almost got caught up on the roof together by Jack, but Race covered for us. He was almost my first kiss when I was ten. The keyword being almost. He slipped on the railing of the stairs and fell down them. I always bring it up to embarrass him but he always tells me that "falling" for me, is nowhere near embarrassing. What Mush and I have is nowhere near being "friends" but Jack would have our heads if we gave him any ideas as to think otherwise.

I look back over my shoulder at Mush. He is adjusting the hat on top of his head and gives me a subtle wink. A cheeky smirk slides along my face at the boy before I turn back to look in a mirror. I've got to make myself look as boy-ish as possible before hitting the bustling streets of New York.