Throughout It All

Prologue ~ Here's To Us

Kid Blink smiles as he looks at them together.

And really, Race giving him a fork to eat his pie with shouldn't feel like much, but to Blink, it is. During the Irving Rally they had argued over who really should have won the bouquet of flowers, or the floral horseshoe, and then there was when he was accused for scabbing, (which is a mess of its own), and they really haven't had time to make up since. They had been close up until that point. Blink hopes that they can become friends again.

"Race and Spot are so cute together," Mush murmurs in Kid Blink's ear. "Sixteen, and already like that."

Blink doesn't have to ask what Mush means by "like that." They're holding hands, cracking jokes, laughing. They look truly happy together.

"Yeah, well, we were like that when we were their age too," Blink says. They look at each other, and he smiles. "And there's still no one I love more than you."

If it were just them, Mush would have kissed Blink right now. But instead, he presses their foreheads together, making their noses brush. It's the closest they can get to public affection with what seems like nearly a million prying eyes.

"I wonder how Jack and Davey are doing," Mush comments as they turn back to their respective pumpkin pies.

"Me too," Kid Blink agrees before he takes a bite of his pie, glancing around the room, trying to find Jack and David.

There, on the near opposite end of the table. They look happy together. Jack is staring at David, looks absolutely smitten. Kid Blink grins and focuses on his pie.

"I can't wait for when it's all over and it can just be us," Jack murmurs in David's ear. "I can't show you how much I love you when everyone else is here."

"Well, the faster you eat your pie, the faster you'll eat the turkey, the faster we can get out of here and the next 200 newsies can come in and we can go anywhere, so you may wanna stop yakkin' about how much you wanna kiss me and eat your pie."

"I never said-!"

"Shh." David puts a finger to Jack's lips and looks him right in the eye. "You were thinking it."

At this point, Jack is half convinced that David can read minds.

Meanwhile, Race and Spot are planning out their day at Sheepshead tomorrow.

"Where would I be without you?" Race asks randomly, grinning.

"Probably literally livin' at Sheepshead."

"Hey." Race shoves Spot's shoulder gently. "I was asking a rhetorical question."

Spot laughs. Race laughs with him.

All over the table, newsies are talking, having fun.

Skittery is giving Tumbler more of his pie, claiming that he can't eat all of it, and loving the way that Tumbler's eyes light up when he gives him more pie. 

Crutchy and Boots are talking about their ideal selling spots.

Itey, Dutchy, and Jack Sullivan are teaching each other words in their native languages, grinning when someone gets it right, laughing when someone gets it absolutely wrong.

Bumlets is trying on Specs' glasses, laughing at how weird the world looks.

Morris Cohen and Henry Butler are talking with Dave Simmons, as if nothing happened went down between them during the strike. 

"Watch this!" Jack whispers to David, and before David can stop him, Jack is standing up, smile wide, glass raised high above his head. "I got a lil' toast for all of us too, everyone!"