- Chapter 56 - Knobs, Boots, and Ike Have to go Home -
Warnings: Slight sadness and slight injuries
Third Person POV
Knobs was half asleep on Dice's back as they walked to the distribution center.
Ike, Boots, Smokes, and Race were chatting excitedly as Hotshot and Red were watching them with soft smiles.
Spot and Ace walk over to them.
Spot smacks Hotshot, Red, and Ace in the stomach with with pimp-cane, semi-lightly.
"Ow!" Ace yelps.
Spot goes to smack Dice, but one glare from the Brooklyn Newsie and he stopped.
Spot looks at Race, Smokes, Boots, Ike, and Knobs. "You're making my Newsies soft." He grumbles.
"They were already soft." Ike scoffs.
Spot glares at him.
Hotshot rolls his eyes. "We're not soft." He crosses his arms.
"You just walked into a wall twice." Spot and Ike respond in unison, both of them deadpanning at him.
"That wasn't not nor-"
Spot cuts him off, "because you were staring at Ike." He reminds him.
Hotshot blushes.
Ike smirks, his arms crossed.
"I think it's cute." Race pipes up, looking ahead as he walks.
Spot immediately goes to defend himself. "I didn't say it wasn't cute." He starts.
Ace and Hotshot share a knowing smirk.
Boots and Smokes were smirking and their arms were crossed as they stared at Spot and Race.
Race looks at Spot. "You said they were making them soft." He responds like it was obvious.
"See? I didn't say it wasn't c-"
"But you smacked them and seemed annoyed, therefor we can only assume that you didn't think it was cute."
"You thought wrong." Spot grumbles, his arms crossed.
"It's called an inference." Knobs mutters tiredly, lifting his hand up, before he let it drop back down on Dice's lap lifelessly, his eyes still closed.
(A/N, look at me using words I learned in my English honors class :)
Dice smiles. "Go back to sleep, lovey." They whisper.
Knobs didn't have to be told twice.
Race shrugs, looking away from Spot. "Personally, I think that when someone lets down their guard for someone else because they're in love, it's really cute." He tells him.
Spot looks away from Race, his cheeks heating up for no reason.
Dice smirks at Spot.
Spot flips him off.
"Is there anyone who'd do that for y-" Ace starts to ask Race.
Spot smacks him in the stomach with the pimp-cane, his glare strong.
Ace yelps, covering his mouth and stomach. He glares at Spot.
Spot glares back twice as strong. 'Don't you dare.' He mouths to him.
Ace rolls his eyes. 'Okay, okay.' He pretends to put his hands up like he was surrendering, though he was still hunched over in pain.
Race looks at Ace warily. "You okay?" He asks.
"Yep." Ace chokes out, turning and starting to walk away.
Smokes had an unimpressed look on his face as he followed Ace away.
"Someone's feeling violent today." Red mutters, watching Ace and Smokes go.
Spot rolls his eyes. "If you all weren't whipped idiots, I wouldn't have this problem." He responds, before throng and walking away.
Ike and Boots look over at Race.
Race shrugs. "It's usual Brooklyn life." He states.
Hotshot laughs. "Welcome to Brooklyn," he holds up his hands like a banner. "Talk about your leaders love life in front of his crush and you'll get smacked in the stomach with his pimp-cane." He states.
The other Newsies laugh.
"Spot has a love life?" Knobs mutters sleepily.
Dice laughed before they could stop themself.
"Knobs pulled a Kenny." Boots whispers to Ike.
Ike laughs. "They both do that when they're tired." He states. "It's hilarious."
Boots giggles.
Race looks around. "Spot's crush is here?" He asks.
Hotshot and Ike facepalm.
Boots sighs softly.
Red chuckles weakly.
Dice shakes his head. "Forget it, Race." He tells him.
Race shrugs. "I was just wondering."
"Freaking oblivious child." Red mutters as he walks Race walk off.
Hotshot shakes his head, his arms crossed. "And cowardly leader when it comes to this." He adds.
Red nods.
In the Brooklyn Distribution Center
Race stood in front of Knobs, who was now awake, Boots, and Ike.
Rat looks at him. He then looks behind Race, before he looks back at Race. "More Manhattan Newsies?" He asks.
Race nods.
Rat opens his mouth to speak.
"Make a comment about them and I'll smack you." Race tells him, cracking his knuckles and puffing out his chest slightly.
To everyone else, he looked ridiculous, but it did work to stop Rat.
Spot chuckles. He learned that from us. He thinks to himself.
While giving Race a weird look, Rat quickly grabs his fifty papers and gives them to him.
Race smiles sarcastically at Rat, before walking off.
Race heard Grayson and Carter's snickers, but he ignored them, a soft smile on his face as he shook his head.
"How many papers?" Rat asks Ike, Boots, and Knobs.
Ike opens his mouth to speak, but he caught Race's eye and stopped himself. "Fifty." He answers after a minute.
Race sighs softly. It wouldn't have been worth it for Ike to comment on Rat's name or tease him like Weasel and Race knew that. That's why he was relieved he didn't.
"For each of us." Boots adds.
Ike nods.
Knobs was clinging to Ike's hand behind his back.
Rat nods, taking their money.
Grayson and Carter hand each of them their papers, despite Knobs almost clinging to Ike's arm because he was scared of Rat.
"He reminds me of someone I knew." Knobs whispers as they walk away.
Boots pats the heap of curls on top of Knobs' head. "We got you." He assures him.
Ike squeezes Knobs' hand.
They walk over to Race and sit down with him.
"Thank you for not commenting." Race whispers in Ike's ear. "It wouldn't have been worth it cause I don't want to deal with him today." He tells him quietly.
Ike nods. "I got you, brother." He grabs Race's hand and squeezes it lightly, looking him in the eyes and smiling.
Race smiles.
A few minutes later
Race frowns.
"This is where we split." Knobs whispers, a frown on his face as well.
The four boys stay silent.
"Tell Jackie and Albert and Lucky and Crutch and everyone that I love them?" Race requests, his voice soft.
Boots nods. "Course."
Ike rubs Race's arm, looking into his eyes. "Get some sleep for us." He tells him.
Race nods. "I'll try." He responds.
Ike smiles, pulling him into a hug.
Boots and Knobs join the hug.
Race smiles.
1098 Words