Newsies x Reader !!!REQUESTS ARE OPEN!!!

Racetrack Higgins - The Refuge

The Refuge isn't an easy place to be in. Everyone who has ever been in there knows it. That place changes you, and not for the better.

Sometimes you can get back to yourself after release...sometimes you can't.

It took me close to a year to get back to myself after 6 months in the refuge.

That place can take the brightest, happiest of people and make them dull and sad.

Which is exactly what it did to Racetrack Higgins, my best friend and the love of my life, not that he knows that.

He was in there for eight months.

Eight whole months.

I tried to get him out of there, I really, really tried, as did Jack and Albert and all the other guys, but none of us succeeded.

And now he's finally out, back with us.

The days leading up to his release, all of us Newsies were working our behinds off to get everything as ready as possible. Food, blankets, clothes, anything we could to have a welcome place ready for him.

I was pacing near (but not near enough so that Snyder would see me) the Refuge, waiting for Race to emerge.

The door opens and I see a familiar face, although severely more bruised and bloody than last time I saw it, limp through.

His left leg seems to be giving him some problems, hence the limping.

The boy starts to limp away, in the direction of the Lodging House, so I quickly yet quietly approach him.

"Racer?" I call gently to him.

He turns to look at me, and when his eyes land on me, he smiles faintly.

"Y/n, baby, I'se so glad to see you," He says, hugging me tight, or as tight as he can with how malnourished he seems.

"I'se glad to see you too, Racer," I tell him, wrapping my arms loosely around him, being careful not to hurt any possible wounds or bruises he may have.

He pulls away from me and only then do I really take in his appearance.

He has dark circles under his eyes and his curly blond hair is dull and dirty. Hes thin, thinner than usual, and he has brusies and gashes all along his arms.

"Come on, lets get back to the Lodge," I say, and he wraps his arm around my shoulder to steady his walking.

We walk the few miles to the Lodge, and once we get there I help him to the couch where he lies down with his head in my lap.

One by one, the guys slowly make their way down to see him, and I swear I saw some of them shed a tear or two.

He eventually sat up and talked to some of the guys, but it wasn't him. It was him, but not him. Not the sweet, firecracker of a boy that I love, but a quiet, sadder version of him. Don't get me wrong, I still love him more than anything or anyone in this world, but this...it's not him, not the boy I could stay with for hours on end saying nothing and simultaneously everything in that silence, not the boy who could make me laugh even on my worst days, not the boy whose smile could light up all of Manhattan. Not that boy.

After a while, we all become tired so I help him to his bed. I'm about to leave to head to my own bed, but he calls out to me, causing me to hesitate.

I turn to look at him and he says "Can you...can you stay with me for the night? Please?"

I'm only a little bit surprised by this, as it wouldn't be the first time we've slept in the same bed together.

"Yeah, of course I can Racer," I tell him, making my way back over to his bed.

I take off my shoes and hat and lay in the space he made next to him. He gently lays his arm around my waist, cuddling into me.

We fall asleep together, but I'm woken up in the middle of the night by a soft whimpering from the boy next to me.

I gently wake him up, trying to not startle him more.

He wakes with a gasp and I quickly try to calm him.

"Wh-where am I?!" He says, his eyes darting around the dark room.

"You're at the Lodge, Racer, I'se right here with ya, just me, Y/n, or baby as you like to call me,"

"Oh..." He says, his breathing starting to slow back down,

Eventually hes calmed back down fully and he says "Thank ya, baby," before kissing my cheek softly and burying his head in the crook of my neck.

I smile to myself, about how genuinely in love I am with this boy.

One....year.....later......

Just over a year later, Race is finally almost fully back to the boy he was before the refuge.

His smiles can light up Manhattan once again, he cracks jokes, and him and I are closer than ever.

In fact, I'm waiting for him right now at Medda's theater, as he said he has something to tell me.

I wander around for a few minutes before seeing him walk in, flowers in hand.

His eyes land on me and he rushes over, engulfing me in a bone crushing hug.

"These are for you," he says, handing me the flowers.

I look at them, and see a bright yellow sunflower surrounded by daisies.

"Oh, Racer, these are beautiful...you shouldn't have..." I trail off, staring at the beautiful flowers.

"Beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl," He says with a smirk.

I feel my face flush, but I don't have time to respond before he continues talking.

"So umm...I'm not great at this, but I'se gotta tell yous...I'se in love with ya," He says, wincing like he's bracing for an impact that will never come.

"You are?" I ask him

"Yeah...after all the past months you spent helping me feel better after the Refuge? How could I not?"

"I love you too, Racer," I tell him, throwing my arms around his shoulders.

His arms come to rest loosely around my waist, and he pulls his head back a little to look at me.

"Can I kiss ya?" He asks.

"Please do," I respond.

The kiss is long and passionate, and it feels like there's fireworks going off all around us.

Even if sometimes he still has nightmares, and he can't deal with too much noise for too long, I know that no matter what, I will be there for him.