- Chapter 21 - A Kind that Catches a Higgin's Eye -
Warnings: Mentions of abuse
Canon Era
Third Person POV

Oscar sits down, counting his money.

A voice behind him startles him. "Uh- Oscar?"

The voice was familiar, and Oscar couldn't figure out why.

Oscar turns around, coming face-to-face with Race.

His eyes widen. "Racer?" He whispers.

"Why are you in Brooklyn? Dressed like a Newsie?" Race questions, looking him up and down. "Weasel's gone crazy at your disappearance and we've all wondered where you went."

Oscar would've smirked, but he had honestly forgotten about Weasel.

"Uh-" Oscar freezes for a moment. "I'm a Brooklyn Newsie now. Spot forced Morris and I to leave that abusive household."

Race flinches a bit at the mention of an abusive household.

"I understand." He whispers, rubbing his arm. "It's not safe there."

Oscar nods.

They stay silent for a few minutes, before Oscar decided to speak up again.

"Do you- uh- wanna sit?" Oscar asks, patting the seat next to him.

Oscar mentally smacked himself for being so awkward around his crush.

Well, his subconscious thoughts start. Not everyone can be as smooth as Spot around his crush.

Oscar rolls his eyes.

Race looks back in the direction of Manhattan, before nodding.

He sits down next to Oscar, on crates, looking over the water.

"So," Race starts. "You have a good relationship with Spot?" He asks.

Oscar shrugs. "He's kinda like my second brother. I've known him for a while. Plus, I'm pretty sure he has a crush on my actual brother."

Oscar wiggles his eyebrows.

Race laughs, causing Oscar to laugh a bit.

"I can relate to that." Race responds. "I swear all of my brothers are in relationships with each other. The cutest is easily Blink and Mush, with Jack and Davey, and Albert and Finch close seconds."

Oscar nods. "My favorite Brooklyn relationship is probably Skittery and Waves or Ace and Smokes."

"Wow, not your brother?" Race laughs a bit.

Oscar shrugs. "They're cute, but they kinda need to give me space sometimes."

Race nods. "I can get that."

"Just because I'm the youngest, or one of them," Oscar starts.

"Doesn't mean I need protecting." Race and Oscar finish in unison.

Race and Oscar smile at each other.

"Thank God, I'm not the only one who feels this way." Race states, smiling.

Oscar smiles. "Yeah."

"Hey- uh- Oscar?" Race starts, biting his lip.

Oscar hums, not turning to look at him and instead keeping his focus on the water and the ships in the water.

"You haven't beat us up in a while." Race whispers, sounding like he was questioning it, even though it was a statement.

Oscar sighs. He hated that he saw this coming.

"Yeah..." Oscar trails off. "I never wanted to hurt any of you, especially you, Race, but Snyder and Weasel- they got their nicknames from you for a reason. They'd beat us if we didn't do it, and even if they were just mad. It wasn't that I was protecting myself-" Oscar stops. "But you know what it's like to be protecting your brother, even if they're older."

Race frowns. "I'm so sorry. I should've never fought back and I only made it worse and-"

"Race, it's okay." Oscar tells him, cutting him off. "You were just trying to protect yourself and your siblings."

"I know what you were going through..." Race finishes.

Oscar stares at him, wide-eyed. "You- you- you were?" He stammers.

Race nods, staring at the ground. "Abused." He whispers, finishing Oscar's statement.

Oscar frowns. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I'm over it now." Oscar could tell that Race was lying straight through his teeth. (A/N, does this make sense at all?)

"Don't lie." Oscar states. "You're not fine. I know this. It hurts, you can admit that."

Race nods. "It hurts." He whispers.

It honestly felt a little good to admit that, and Oscar knew what he was going through.

Race understood that Jack and the other boys were trying to understand what he went through, but other than Crutchie, they just didn't, no matter how hard they tried.

"Let's change the subject." Oscar suggests, wanting to get off the subject so Race wasn't sad.

Race nods.

They stay silent for a minute, neither knowing what to say.

"You said that you didn't want to hurt any of the Newsies, especially me." Race starts.

Oscar mentally curses himself for making his crush very obvious.

"What's so different from me than my brothers?" Race questions.

Oscar could've sworn there was a dusting of blush on Race's pale face.

"I mean," Oscar whispers. "None of them are as beautiful as you are."

Oscar looks over at Race, seeing him bright red.

It worked, Oscar's eyebrows furrow. They weren't lying? He likes me?

"Racer," Oscar starts. "Be completely honest with me. Do you have a crush on me?"

Race turns bright red.

He tugs on the strap of his paper bag that was around his shoulder. "Yeah." He whispers.

Oscar turns bright red, but got a little boot of confidence from that answer. "So you wouldn't mind if I kissed you?" He asks.

Race turns even redder, but nods. "I guess it'd be kinda nice."

Oscar smiles, cupping Race's face.

He stops for a second. Does Race really want this?

"Are you going to do it?" Race questions. "Cause I can do it for you." He states.

Oscar chuckles, blushing a bit. That was bold. Never would've thought that could come out of his mouth.

He pulls Race into a kiss.

Race fell into a daze that he wasn't sure he ever wanted to be pulled out of.

They stay like that for a few minutes, before pulling away.

Oscar chuckles when he looks up at Race. "For someone who just said that, you sure are red." He comments.

Race rolls his eyes. "Shut your mouth, Delancey."

Oscar walks towards him, looking down slightly at him. "And what if I don't want to?" He questions.

He watched Race turn red from how close they were.

Oscar chuckles. "You're cute."

"I will high-kick you." Race threatens, glaring at him. His face was still bright red.

Oscar chuckles, turning to walk away. "How about you kiss me instead?"

Race's mouth gapes open, his face heating up again.

Oscar chuckles, walking away.

Stupid, adorable, younger Delancey brother.

Time skip

Oscar and Race both laid on their beds, one in Manhattan, one in Brooklyn.

(Manhattan - Brooklyn - Oscar and Race both)

"What's with you?" Spot questions.

"You've been all red since you came home from selling." Jack states. "What happened to you?"

Oscar and Race sigh.

"I met someone," Race starts, turning redder.

"And they're very cute." Oscar finishes, blush dusting his cheeks.

Jack chuckles. "And who is this boy?"

Oscar shoots up in his bunk. "And how do you know it's a boy?!" He exclaims.

Spot chuckles. "I have my ways."

"So, who is it?" Jack questions.

Race blushes. "Oscar Delancey."

"Racetrack Higgins." Oscar mumbles an answer.

Jack smiles.

Spot smiles.

1212 Words
I have now made it a thing for Race's 'threats' to be "I will high-kick you" in my books lol.
(I'm working on the Morris x Elmer request, but I have no ideas for it lol)