"What are we gonna do?"
Jack sighed as he walked back and forth in front of his boys, crossing his arms.
"We can't just leave him there", Race adds, staring at Jack. He had an arm wrapped around Albert, who was barely listening. He kept glancing at JoJo, who was practically glued to Mike's side. "I mean, it's Elmer."
"Can't we just go get him?" Romeo crossed his arms. "I mean, he's on our turf-"
"Yeah, and the cop on our turf has managed to kidnap Jack, a few Bronx newsies, two Queens newsies, and a Brooklynite", Blink adds, staring at Romeo with an accusing look. "If you like those odds, we should commit you to a padded room."
Specs glared at the angry boy, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend. "Watch it."
Jack stopped his pacing. He rubbed the space between his eyes tiredly, closing his eyes tightly. He had stayed up all night with Albert, trying to get the story straight, get him to stop crying, and get him to eat something. It was a rough night, to say the least.
Race stood up, sniffling and placing his hands in his back pockets. "I'm headin' to Brooklyn", he declares, patting Albert's head. "I gotta...tell Spot-"
"Yeah", Jack nodded, smiling at him briefly. "Go."
Race practically ran out of the theater, leaving everyone to wonder. "So-"
"We can't go chargin' in there, boys", Jack sighs, running a hand through his hair. The boys erupted into disapproval. "Listen!"
They all got quiet. "These cops...they's fucked up, okay? If we all go in there, we's all in the can."
"I don't care", Albert spoke up, saying something for the first time since this meeting. "I want him back. Today."
Jack sighed tiredly. "Al-"
"To. Day." Albert walks away from the group, JoJo following him quickly. The boys watch as they walk away, a tense silence in the room until the theater doors open.
"Hey, guys", Davey greets, a grin on his face. He was holding three boxes. "So, I-I scrapped up some allowance money, and I figured you guys might be hungry, so I bought some doughnuts-"
Jack ran over to his boyfriend and kissed him roughly, grabbing him by his waist and pulling him close. Davey let out a sound of surprise before melting in the taller boys arms.
When they pulled away, Davey felt his face to be similar to a fire. "Well, hello, nurse."
Jack hugged him, leaving Davey to look around in confusion. "Did I...miss something?"
Blink sighed, crossing his arms. "We 'ought to catch you up."
———
"So", Davey starts, his hand on a glass of water, "you guys are basically in a "turf war" with a police officer, which can lead to a large scale war with other Burroughs?"
Blink processed what he said. "Basically?"
"I know this is hard to understand", Jack sighed, looking up at Davey, who was sitting in his lap. He was feeling a bit clingier than usual, and something told him to not let Davey go. "But that's what's been goin' on. And I probably got a meetin' tonight-"
"Can I go?" Blink and Jack looked at Davey in surprise. "I just...I'm kind of curious."
"You don't wanna-"
"You sure?" Jack turned to Davey with furrowed brows, ignoring Blink's look of shock. "It can get pretty", he paused searching his brain for the right word, "serious."
"Yep", Davey nodded, staring at him with excitement. "I'll be fine. Besides, I'm kinda apart of this now."
Jack smiled at him, patting his back. Blink shook his head with a smile.
"Alright", he shrugged, clasping his hands together. "Let's slpit."
——————
"So, you're Jack's new boy?" Hotshot looked Davey up and down, swaying the toothpick in his mouth with his tongue. "Huh. I guess you're cuter than he said."
"Back off, Hotshot", Jack warned, walking past the annoying teen. "Wouldn't want your leader to see you couldn't handle one measly punch, right?"
Hotshot muttered as Jack, Davey, and Blink walked past them. Davey held onto Jack's hand tightly, looking around as they walked off the bridge. "Where's Race?"
"He-"
"Is right here", the blonde interrupts, his cigar shining through his smile. He turned to Jack. "I already told Spot everythin'. He's called up the other leaders."
"Wait, there's other leaders?" Race looked at Davey like he was dumb, noticing the embarrassment that showed up on his face.
"Um, yeah."
"Kelly", a booming and intimidating voice says, running towards them. Davey's eyes widened, but he was happy to see a familiar face. "I see you brought 'The Mouth.'"
Jack chuckled, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend. "Everyone else here?"
"Yeah", Spot sniffled, grabbing Race's hand. "Come on."
Jack walked ahead, talking with Spot. Race walked beside Davey as Blink stayed back.
Race knew how Davey felt. When they first started meeting up with Newsies from other Burroughs, when Race first got his job as a paperboy, he nearly passed out from the anxiety he felt. Jack was walking with him across the Bridge, but he'd just met the guy a few years back. It was nerve-wracking.
But that was the first time he met Spot.
"Don't be nervous", he advised, offering a Davey a soft smile. "It'll feel normal after a few minutes. Don't worry."
Davey nodded, smiling briefly. He wasn't worried, he was scared. Spot Conlon was pretty intimidating on his own, but what was he like around other leaders?
And this is why I stay home.
The doors open to some kind of orphanage—a lodging house—the boys walking to a room with tables pushed together, chairs surrounding it and filled with three people. Davey swallowed.
"Ah, look who decided to join us", Carly comments, and no one missed the annoyed look on Jack's face. "Jack and his band of trolls."
Jack rolled his eyes, wrapping an arm around Davey. The shorter furrowed his brows in offense, wanting to know why this guy was so rude.
Carly gave his attention to Davey, and Jack glared at him. "Hey, sweetheart. What's your name?"
"Dav-"
"None of your concern", Jack interrupted, pulling Davey over to his friends. "Hey, Dave. This is Roller and Smalls."
The girls shook his hands, welcoming smiles on their faces. Smalls stayed with Davey and Roller walked away with Jack to a corner of a room.
"Hey", she starts, glancing at the others in the room. She turned back to Jack. "You okay?"
Jack glanced at her and rolled his eyes, however thankful that she came to check on him.
Jack and Roller actually got along very well. They'd known each other since they were kids, they're parents having been best friends, or siblings (a weird thing parents do when they claim a good friend as family since they've known each other for a while). The two acted like they hated each other and got on the other's nerves- mostly Roller going past Jack's last nerve- but they were always there for each other when they could be.
"I'm going to punch that little snake between his beady little eyes", Jack growled, staring at his will to kill shamelessly. "Bird dog motherf-"
"Don't flip your lid", Roller chuckles, patting the taller's shoulder. "You still got half a meetin' to run, buddy."
"Yeah", Jack agrees, shrugging her hand off. He begins to walk away. "Let's see if I get through it."
"Alright", Spot shouts, grabbing everyone's attention. "Jack called this meetin' to discuss somethin'. If you got somethin' to say, say it. If you don't, shut up."
Jack sighed. "One of my boys went missin'. Elmer Kasprzak."
Race licks his lips. "Guys, we need a plan. Elmer's strong but...like most people he can only take so much. And we all heard what happened to Jack."
Leaders, seconds, and thirds offered their opinions, but nothing seemed good enough. They were simply ideas, nothing they could put into action, either too simple, or not simple enough. Either there was no guarantee they were getting Elmer out, or a huge guarantee they were all getting put in. Jack sighed, looking at his fellow leaders.
Davey bit his lip. "Somethings bugging me", he muttered, getting the concern of Jack.
"What's up?"
"I just- we don't know anything about this cop", he reiterates, looking at everyone around him. They were all staring back at him, paying attention to every word. He swallowed nervously. "I-I just mean-"
"No, Mouth's right", Spot agrees, pointing a finger at him. "Jack, you ain't tell us nothin'."
"Well", Jack sighed, sitting up in his chair. "The cop's a loon. Had this whole attitude 'cause I accidentally bumped into him. Don't like kids much."
"His name?"
"Uh, Snyder", Jack remembered, nodding. Davey's eyes widened.
"It's what?"
"Snyder."
Davey sighed heavily, laughing at himself quietly. Jack furrowed his brows. "What?"
"Katherine's dad just so happens to be friends with him", Davey reveals, not missing the shock on Jack's face. "Pals, even."
"Then what are we waitin' for?" Smalls looks around a triumphant smile on her face. "We know who to look for so-"
"So that makes this even more dangerous", Davey explains. "We can't go straight up to Mr. Pulitzer. He'd have this entire operation shut down. He's got old money."
Spot sighed, picking at the lifting wood in his table. "So, the cop works for The Man. What now?"
"We could ask that Pulitzer guy", Graves puts in, looking at everyone for disagreement. "Maybe if we ask-"
"Kid, you know we don't get much of anywhere by askin' nicely." Carly turns to Davey, a spark in his eye. "But I like your idea."
If Jack could kill with one look, Carly would've died already. "Thanks."
"So, what?"
"I'll ask Katherine", Davey answers. "She's my friend. Maybe she'll listen."
Jack smiled at him, kissing his cheek. "Cool."
Davey blushed heavily and looked down, trying to ignore the giggles and snickers that he heard.
"Alright", Spot sighs, sniffling. "Onto better things."