Ooh yay another iconic line as a title! :)
You all know what this one means! :)
Also featuring a very heartfelt Jack & Race moment that I didn't intend on writing but am glad I did.
Enjoy! :)
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"So where's Spot?" Race asks immediately when Jack, David, and Boots come back from Brooklyn. He tries to play it off like he's only interested in Spot for strike reasons, but there's desperation in his voice that goes beyond casual interest.
"He's not coming," Jack responds, hating being the bearer of bad news. "Said he didn't know if we had what it takes to win."
Everyone around them is disappointed. They got their hopes up so high. Too high, it appears.
Race reacts the most. He shuffles his feet, his tongue flicks out-in, he lights a cigar. His expression is a combination of annoyed and oh, come on. And the palpable sign of trying to put on a brave face.
Jack puts a hand on Race's shoulder. "Sorry, buddy."
"'S fine," Race mutters. He straightens out his slouched posture. "Don't know what we were expecting from 'im."
Jack's expression softens. "Race-"
Race shakes his head. "Don't wanna talk about it."
David watches Jack as he and Race have a moment.
"I think you guys are better together than a part," Jack tries telling Race.
"Why do you care so much 'bout it?"
"Funny, Spot asked the same thing," Jack says with a smile, that contagious smile that gets other people smiling.
Clearly, it doesn't work on Race when he's in a bad mood. "And what did you tell him?"
"I said that I want you both to be happy, and that I care about both of you," Jack says. "Although I may care more about you and how happy you are."
That gets Race to smile up at Jack. "Really?"
"Really. I know we ain't related by blood, but we're brothers nonetheless."
That gets Race to smile. "Yeah, we are." And then a smirk tugs at his lip. "He was your partner at one point, though."
"Ah, come on, man," Jack shoves Race's shoulder playfully. "That was awhile ago. It's over. I'm over him, he's over me. Truly."
Race's expression darkens. "You think he'll get over me too?"
"Oh, Race." Jack puts his arm around Race. "I don't think he ever would. He'd miss you too bad."
Race continues saying nothing, not believing it.
"And guess what?" Jack continues. "I know you two can recover from your most recent fight. You guys have had disagreements in the past, yeah? And yet you guys come back. Wanna know how I know you guys will turn out just fine? Because you two just work. Trust me, it won't be too long, now, I guarantee, when you two are going to be back together again."
Hope flickers in Race's eyes. "You think so?"
"I know so," Jack grins.
Jack's just so ... caring.
It's a side of Jack that David will never get tired of seeing, will never get enough of.
That's when David realizes he's probably been staring for too long, and that he is the only one watching them, so he looks away, trying to find some other point of focus.
But he overhears something that brings his attention right back to where it just was.
"Don't make the mistake I did," he hears Jack advise Race. "I made the mistake of thinking one little misunderstanding, one conflict, would ruin everything, and that it meant the end of it all."
He's talking about us.
That realization hits David like a train. They did end on a misunderstanding. Because neither knew how to take the first step to try and fix it before it grew out of hand.
And once it did grow out of hand, they never saw each other again.
Until now, at least.
"So don't go and do that, you hear?" Jack tells Race. "Work together. I know you two will be able to work it out. Things'll get better, I promise."
Race hugs Jack. "Thanks, Jack."
Jack wraps his arms around Race. "Of course."
Maybe you'll have better luck with Spot than I did.
And maybe you and Spot will become what Davey and I never could.
Not that Jack can ever say that out loud.
They break apart.
And now is time to address a more pressing matter.
"So ... Jack?" Blink asks, Mush's arm around his waist. "What do we do now that we know that we won't have Spot?"
Jack sighs. "I don't know."
"Hey Jack, maybe we ease off a bit," Skittery suggests. "Forget about it for a few days."
That gets a couple of nods.
"You all really think that's a good idea?" Jack asks hoping that's not the case.
"Without Spot ... there's not enough of us, Jack," Mush reasons ruefully. It is true.
There are more voices of agreement.
Jack can't believe this.
"Hey listen!" He shouts so everyone can hear. "Spot was right! Is this just a game to you all?"
No one answers.
So, it looks like they're giving up.
"Hey, Crutchy," Jack murmurs.
"Hiya, Jack."
No one is doing much of anything right now.
David doesn't believe this. This can not be the energetic people who were running through the streets yesterday without a care in the world. This can not be the group of people who shouted The World will know! as a battle cry. They can't give up this easily.
All they need is a little motivation.
And David is going to give it to them.
He wanders through the crowd of newsies. "Open the gates and seize the day..." He murmurs. He continues getting louder. "Don't be afraid and don't delay. Nothing can break us, no one can make us, give our rights away." He stops walking, right in front of everyone. "Arise and seize the day!"
That gets them all in action. Now is his turn to inspire them.
"Now is the time to seize the day!"
"Now is the time to seize the day!" the newsies repeat excitedly.
"Send out the call and join the fray!"
"Send out the call and join the fray!"
"Wrongs will be righted, if we're united, let us seize the day!"
Jack watches in amazement. David has something going.
And he continues going strong.
"Friends of the friendless, seize the day!" David calls out.
"Friends of the friendless, seize the day!" he gets in response.
"Raise up the torch and light the way!"
"Raise up the torch and light the way!"
"Proud and defiant," they all say together, "We'll slay the giant! Let us seize the day!"
"Neighbor to neighbor ... father to son ... one for all, and all for one!"
Race pulls out a harmonica and starts playing. Where did he get it? When did he get it? No one knows. But wow can he play.
They all gather around closer, enthusiastic. They have the call and response down by now.
"Open the gates and seize the day!"
"Open the gates and seize the day!"
"Don't be afraid and don't delay!"
"Don't be afraid and don't delay!"
"Nothing can break us, no one can make us, give our rights away!"
"Neighbor to neighbor ... father to son ... one for all, and all for one!"
They all end right then and there.
David didn't get the memo.
"Yeah!" He pumps his fist in the air enthusiastically, springing up a little.
He's the only one who moved after the last sentence ended. Now everyone's staring at him.
He looks away, face red for sure, embarrassed.
Jack loves it.
When David faces them again, Jack offers him a small smile.
David gives a small smile back.
Jack can't stop thinking about how cute David is. Especially when he's enthusiastic about something like this.
In the distance, the circulation bell rings.
"Anybody hear that?" Jack shouts.
"NO!"
"So what're we gonna do?"
"SOAK 'EM!"
"Wait, what?" David sputters.
"Only if necessary," Jack amends, but only David hears it, as all the other newsies rush to the center, jumping and shouting.
In all the ways David was expecting to spend this summer, this was never a possibility he considered.
They get to the center, and go through the line, and don't buy any papes. It gives each of them satisfaction.
Except ... a couple people still do take papers.
Scabbers.
They aren't getting away that easy.
All the newsies crowd around, preventing those with papers from leaving. Luckily, it's not that many.
"Don't hurt anyone," David warns. That gets a negative response from the newsies.
"Don't hurt anyone who doesn't need to get hurt," Jack amends for the newsies. They receive that better.
David glares at Jack.
Jack holds his hands up defensively. He shrugs in a There wasn't anything else I could do; gotta keep 'em happy somehow sort of manner.
He's unbelievable.
Most people who took papers have dropped them on the ground. They know better than to risk the wrath of a bunch of angry newsies.
Except for one who tries to shove through the crowd, papers still in hand.
That's when all chaos breaks out.
This isn't necessarily a fight-fight. It's more ... running and shouting and tearing up as many newspapers as possible. And trying cause as much ruckus as they can.
They are definitely succeeding at that.
They see Weasel and the Delanceys cowering from inside the building. Jack doesn't waste a perfect opportunity to mock them.
A wagon comes in, bringing in bundles of papers.
Together, the newsies tip the wagon over.
Everyone cheers.
Newspapers are flying everywhere.
It's a mess.
But dang, is it fun.
And it's getting their message out.
Unfortunately, the fun comes to an end when the police show up.
Everyone knows to leave as soon as possible.
Crutchy, however, is still tearing up newspapers, unaware of the danger.
"CRUTCHY!" everyone shouts. "SCRAM!" they want to go back and help him, but there's no way for them to get in and not get caught. It won't help Crutchy if the person trying to help him can't.
And so the Delanceys carry Crutchy off.
Jack clenches his fists. They were so close to making it out of there with everyone.
David stops as Jack just keeps standing there. He puts a hand on Jack's arm. "Jack?"
Jack shakes his head to clear it, and continues moving with David and the rest of the newsies.
"You and I? We're getting Crutchy out of the Refuge," Jack says in a decisive tone once they've slowed down. "Tonight."
"You sure that's where he'll be?"
Jack nods vigorously. "Oh yeah."
"Okay then. We can do this."
Neither of them has anything else to add.
"Have fun on your little date!" Race tells them from behind.
They whirl around, to find him with the biggest smug grin.
David's face heats up. Jack coughs. They both look away.
"It's not a date, it's a rescue mission," David clarifies.
"Not a date," Jack agrees.
Race looks at Jack, then at David, eyeing them both. "Okay. If you say so."
He walks past them, making a show of it, then turns right back around. "You know, David, Jack's been gazing lovingly at you for the past twenty four-ish hours, right?"
"I-" David stammers.
Jack shoots Race a warning glance.
"Please, anyone can see it," Race says, knowing full well he should have stopped by now. "And Jack, you know David keeps staring at you too, right?"
"I-" David stammers again, still at a loss for words.
Race smirks and turns back around and keeps walking, cigar in his mouth, fully satisfied by all the fumbling awkwardness he created.
The thing about Racetrack Higgins is that he's a jack of all trades. And one thing that he prides himself in is being observant. He sees the way that Jack and David look at each other. If he hadn't had these kinds of feelings before, the ones he sees in Jack and David, he wouldn't have been able to put his finger on it. Luckily he can: they're in love. Whether they want to admit it or not.
The thing about Jack Kelly is that he never told anyone about David. He didn't feel the need to. He wanted to. He was about to, but then everything went wrong. And so he never did.
So it wasn't just on one side. Both Jack and David hid their relationship from everyone. Whether that's going to have consequences now that they're interacting again ... they'll just have to wait and see.
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That ending was ominous and nothing like I planned it to be but it actually moves the plot along quite fine so I think I'm just gonna keep it.
The ironic thing about both 92sies and Livesies is that Crutchy/Crutchie was actually one of the few newsies not to get arrested in 1899, but in both 92sies and Livesies they make a big show over him getting taken away.
Jack of all trades is a phrase that dates back to the 14th century.
Also, jack of all trades, master of none is actually not the full phrase. It's a jack of all trades is a master of none but oftentimes better than a master of one.
I'm reading an article about phrases that everyone misquotes because some conformists cut the phrases down so the phrases completely changed meaning, I can send anyone the link to the article if wanted it's very interesting.
Okay, if this was based in the 21st century, I'm pretty sure this would have happened:
"It's not a date, it's a rescue mission."
"Yeah, not a date."
"Still sounds kinda fruity to me."
I love Race too much to give him a small part in this story, okay?
Dang this is getting long.
I love David's little "YEAH!" at the end of Seize the Day. It always makes me smile. Not to mention that would totally be me in that situation haha.
I also love Race and the harmonica in Seize the Day.
I now know that the harmonica as we know it today dates back to 19th century Germany.
(Edit: I love the part after Race's harmonica solo when they shoot Mush and Blink into the air, I always giggle and say "flying Blush" when I see it haha)
Alright, I need to wrap this up now.
Besides. Jack and David have a rescue mission.
Please, no homophobia, profanities, hate etc in the comment section.
Best,
~Your Beloved Author (who learned so many random facts from research from just today haha)