- Chapter 140 - "I'll Get Back to You, I Promise." -
Warnings: the Refuge, isolation, starvation, beatings, blood, injuries, worry, crying, breaking, Snyder the Spider
Canon Era
Third Person POV

As always, thank you to iwantaferret_ for their help lol. Enjoy!

A boy in a pitch-black and empty concrete room rocked back and forth. His hands were wrapped around his legs, pulling them against his chest.

Bugs crawled on the floor around him. His clothes were torn and his hair was a mess from his hand constantly running through it. Blood stained his hands and the roots of his hair and his clothes.

And he kept repeating one phrase.

"I'll make it back to you, I promise."

Elsewhere

A boy laid on his bunk in an almost-empty bunk room, staring at the bland ceiling. There was a bland look on his face, and dry tears covered his cheeks.

Occasionally, Newsies came in and out of the room he was in, while one stayed on the bunk across from him and looked up every so often to make sure he was okay.

And he, too, kept repeating a phrase, over and over in his head.

"I promise I will find you."

Back in the Refuge

The door opened with a loud creaking.

A creaking that rang painfully through the boy's ears. He stopped what he was doing and just stared at the floor.

The man in the doorway smirked. "Still going?"

The boy swallowed hard. He slowly lifted his eyes up and stared at the man with a glare full of what one could only describe as hatred.

Not hatred, but detest.

The man stepped into the room, his footstep echoing through. "You've been in here for ten days now, Higgins," he informed him. "Have you learned your lesson?"

Race refused to respond. He kept his lips closed and sealed shut.

"Oh, come on." Snyder smirked. "You do want to leave and go back to the other boys, don't you?" he questioned, almost as if he knew.

Of course he knew.

Race thrived in social situations with his brothers.

Snyder had seen him in those places.

"Just admit it and you can go back." Snyder held a key, dangling it by the door. "You can leave isolation, have food."

Race hated food, especially Refuge food. He didn't want that.

But it had been ten days since he had spoken to anyone, even Snyder. Ten days in silence, deafening silence alone with his thoughts.

Not even his father had kept him in the closet by his bedroom for that long.

Race swallowed hard. "I-" he hated himself for even considering it. He wanted to go back. He didn't want to stay in here with the bugs and the blood, but something in him couldn't. He couldn't let Snyder win. He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath, "-I hate you, you spider," he spat.

Snyder raised an eyebrow at him, clearly enjoying the challenge. "Okay. I guess you want ten more days." He shrugged, clearly smug, and dropped the key into his pocket. "Your loss."

Race panicked. He tried to quickly get up and grab the key, but Snyder shoved him back.

"Uh uh uh," Snyder tsked, shaking his head. "You made your choice. You'll stay in here until you learn your lesson, Higgins," he told him. "And I'll get one of the Delanceys to bring you cuffs." He nodded to himself and left the room.

Race quickly tried to crawl to the door, but it slammed in his face before he could get out. He gritted his teeth and curled into a ball.

He just wanted his boyfriend.

At the Lodge

Everyone was talking.

Loud.

It was painfully loud.

And bright.

And the food on his plate was making his nauseous.

JoJo stood up quickly, causing his head to shout. He cringed, but shook it off.

Multiple people looked over at him.

"Jo?" Specs frowned.

"I'm- I'm going- I'm- I'm going upstairs," JoJo managed to get out. However, he took a step and his legs shook like he was going to fall.

"JoJo, wait!" Tommy boy rushed to his side to help him. "You haven't eaten anything." He frowned, taking his arm.

JoJo swallowed. "I know." He usually would. He was usually good about eating because he had to eat when he could or else he would starve, but it was like he couldn't.

Guilt over Race being in the Refuge and the feeling of missing his boyfriend and fear consumed him.

He didn't feel like he could eat, but he didn't know how to get that out.

Tommy boy looked behind JoJo, at Jack, Henry, and Specs. He turned back to JoJo. "Race is gonna be okay," he whispered to him.

JoJo inhaled sharply. He slowly tried to breathe out. "I heard Jack's conversation with Sparks and Spot," he mumbled.

Jack's eyes widened.

Specs looked over at him, clearly a bit panicked. "I thought he was asleep," he whispered to him.

"He was," Jack assured him, "and we were outside."

JoJo turned around to face them, looking pale and worried. "My bunk is near the window, and it was open," he admitted. "I woke up and heard you guys. I know you're worried about him because he had been in isolation for seven days last you heard from Scraps and Shadows."

Jack frowned. "JoJo-"

Tears filled JoJo's eyes, but he kept going. "You and Sparks were talking about what happened last time he went to the Refuge and what happened," he whispered. "You're not sure he'll come out of this okay." He subconsciously squeezed Tommy boy's hand, hard.

Tommy boy swallowed, looking at Jack. He didn't know any of this.

Jack shook his head. "JoJo, you missed what Spot said though." He stepped towards him and took his hands from Tommy boy. "Jo, Race has someone to make it out for this time. Sure, he had us last time, but he has you now. He has a light in his life and memories and a reason to survive and get out," he told him, squeezing his hands.

A tear slid down JoJo's cheek. "But are you sure that's enough, Jack?" he whispered, trembling.

"I'm sure." Jack nodded and squeezed his hands again. "Race is stronger than he knows. Race can do it, and we'll be helping as much as we can until he is out and home safely with us," he assured him. "Spot has already been trying more than usual to work with Pack and Midtown to sneak food into the Refuge. We'll help him."

JoJo burst into tears and collapsed into his arms. "Thank you," he whispered.

Jack nodded, a frown on his face. "He'll be okay, I promise."

In the Refuge

The door slammed open, causing multiple Newsies to shoot up. A few of them covered the kids, ready to defend them from anything.

Until Scraps saw who it was.

Race was shoved into the room. He stumbled a bit, before his knees gave out and he slammed into the floor.

"Remember what happens when you cause trouble, Higgins." With that, Snyder smirked and slammed the door shut, locking it behind him.

"Race!" Scraps shot forward. "Tips, grab the injury blanket! Bills, grab the cloths! And Bryon, for gosh sake, stop brooding for one moment and help me carry him to the bunk!" he instructed them.

Tips and Bills quickly nodded and grabbed the items they had been told to.

Bryon rolled his eyes, but pushed off of the wall and went over to Race.

"No, no, I'm fine." Race tried to push Scraps away and get up on his own.

However, Scraps was not having it (like the mother he was). He shoved Race's hands down. "Don't you give me that stubborn crap, Racetrack Higgins," he snapped. "I know all you leaders have to be stubborn and "tough", but it's clear you need help and I will have multiple boys hold you down if I have to."

"Eek, Scraps." Race cringed as he was brought over to a bunk. He forced himself to sit up. "I don't remember you being this... intense with your mothering," he mumbled.

Scraps rolled his eyes fondly. "What did he do to you, Racetrack?" he mumbled, taking the cloths from Bills and nodding to him as a thanks. "You were in isolation for twenty days. Ten more and you would've reached Jack's record."

Race cringed. He leaned his head back, clearly in pain. "I refused to give in," he whispered. He swallowed when he thought about those twenty days. "I went for as long as I could... I kept thinking of Jo... I hope he's okay and not too worried."

Scraps frowned. He fell silent as he started cleaning Race's injuries.

At the Lodge

"Jo?"

JoJo forced himself to sit up. He turned to look at them. "Are they here?"

Specs cringed, giving him his answer. "Are you sure you want to join the meeting?" he asked.

"It's my boyfriend; I want to know how he is," JoJo responded, grabbing something from under his pillow and getting up.

Specs sighed. "Alright." He lead JoJo outside.

The group looked up when they heard people walking towards them.

Davey frowned.

Sparks's eyebrows furrowed. "Jo?"

JoJo swallowed when he saw Sparks and Sparrow. "Hey, guys... I missed you two." He tries to offer them a small smile.

Match turned to face JoJo. "I'm so sorry about Race, but... I thank him," he said, shaking JoJo's hand.

JoJo's eyebrows furrowed. He looked over at Jack.

Jack sighed softly. "Jo, we found out why Race was in isolation," he informed him. "He stopped Snyder from hurting one of Richmond's littles, who was caught on the same day he was."

JoJo stayed silent for a moment. He smiled slightly, tears stinging his eyes. "That sounds like him." He gritted his teeth. "How long until he's out?" he asked.

Jack frowned. "We don't know."

JoJo turned back to Specs and hugged him. "I just want him to be okay," he whispered, desperately clinging to him.

"I know you do." Specs hugged him close.

At the Refuge

Race sat by the window, frowning as he listened to Shadows.

"And I think Specs took him upstairs to rest," Shadows finished, emotionless as ever. "Want me to tell him you're out of isolation?"

Race nodded. "Please. And tell him I love him. Ti amo." He rested his head against the bars on the window, looking at Shadows.

Shadows nodded. "I will." He started leaving, but paused. He looked back at Race. "I know he loves you too."

Race smiled sadly. "I know he does." He sighed and kept playing with the cloth around the bar. "Thanks, Shadows."

Shadows nodded and left.

Scraps sat beside Race. "You two have the kind of love I want," he commented, looking out over New York City.

Race smiles wistfully. "Yeah." He looked at him. "I didn't know you knew how to settle down."

Scraps raised an eyebrow at him. "I've been in the Refuge since I was two, Race," he reminded him. "I've practically settled down and turned this into my home."

Race chuckled a bit. "You were Snyder's first kid; it doesn't count," he responded, lightly teasing. "You've been forced to stay here. He doesn't even hurt you anymore."

"Yeah, cause he found me personally," Scraps muttered, rolling his eyes. "I have no memories of being out there." He looked at Race. "Yeah, but he sure is annoyed I help the Newsies and that he can't force me to hurt you all like he wants."

Race shrugged. He looked back outside. "I could see you as a drifter, if you ever got out," he stated.

Scraps nodded. "Sounds nice." He rested his chin on his knee.

Race nodded, agreeing. He looked at the moon. "I will get out to you, I promise," he mumbled, hoping that, somehow, JoJo would get his message.

Somewhere else

JoJo played with Race's paper bag as he sat on the fire escape. He sighed.

He had a plan.

He was going to make enough money to buy food, medicine, and everything needed to help heal someone, and he was going to get Race out.

He just needed to sell lots of papers and hopefully, he could pay to get Race out of the Refuge early.

JoJo looked at the moon in the sky. He sighed nervously, but nodded to himself. He was determined to do this and get Race out. "I will get you out, I promise," he whispered, hoping, somehow, his message could get to the blond-haired boy.

2178 Words
I hope you all enjoyed this. I totally changed my plan for the plot line of this one-shot from something super different to this (then the ending changed because the first one made no sense and just added a lot of stupid stuff. I can do that type of ending with books and make it work, but not one-shots). Despite all do that, I liked how it turned out (even if it's sad lol).