- Chapter 96 - Alleyways and Anxiety (Spralbert Switch Soulmates Pt.2) -
Warnings: Abuse, injuries, blood, burns, crying, anxiety, mentions of death
A/N, Albert looking at his Soulmates' bodies on switch days be like ^
Modern AU
Third Person POV

Spot woke up in an alleyway.

That concerned him.

He looks down at his arms, his eyebrows furrowing. Since when did I look so pale and have so many frec- he stops.

Spot grins. Two Soulmates.

Spot's happiness didn't last long though when he remembered the alleyway.

Is he poor? Does he not have a home?

He looks down at his arm.

Albert DaSilva
Age: 16
Birthday: March 12th

Spot's eyebrows furrow. DaSilva? Why does that name sound familiar.

He heard people shouting Albert's name, the voices sounding familiar.

Spot's eyes widen. Oh my God, is this one of Kelly's boys? He pulls his hair down, his eyes widening more when he saw the color. The redhead!

What's he/his body doing out here?

The shouting got louder, indicating the voices were coming closer to him.

"Albert?!"

"Albie! Where are you?"

"Albert! Where'd you go?"

"I'm in here!" Spot shouts back, forcing himself to stand up.

He felt a little weak and he didn't know why.

A few boys ran into the alleyway.

"Oh my God." JoJo breathes, looking relieved. "You're okay."

Spot looks up at him. "Why wouldn't I be?" He asks, slightly confused.

"Your Soulmate just ran out of nowhere." Finch informs him, looking worried.

Something dawned on Spot.

If I'm right, Antonio was the one in Albert's body yesterday.

That means the three of us are Soulmates and tomorrow, I'll be back in my own body, but today Antonio is in my body.

Spot inhales sharply. Oh God. He looks up at them. "Will you tell me what happened while we walk back?" He asks.

Specs nods. "Yeah, Jack and Crutchie are worried." He informs him.

Course, Spot smiles to himself.

If there's any way Jack and I are similar, it's that we care about our Newsies.

Elsewhere

Albert also woke up in an alleyway.

His eyebrows furrow in confusion as he looks at his arm.

Antonio Higgins
Age: 15
Birthday: December 16th

Why is he in an alleyway? Albert looks around himself.

His second Soulmate was small, really small, and fragile.

And covered in bruises?

Albert's eyebrows furrow. He looks at the bag that was next to him, taking the paper that was folded and on top of it and unfolding it.

He reads the paper.

Don't go home. I'll find you.
- Spot

Albert's eyebrows furrow. If Spot was in his body yesterday, he probably knows why Antonio is covered in bruises and why he's in an alley.

But why doesn't he want him to go home?

And that means the three of us are Soulmates. If Spot was in Antonio's body yesterday and I was in Spot's, it means Antonio was in my body.

Albert shakes it off.

He looks around the alleyway.

Do I stay here? In a place I don't know?

Or do I try to find the Brooklyn house or the Manhattan house?

Albert bites his lip.

He didn't know what to do, especially because he didn't know all of the details.

What he did know was that he was getting increasingly worried with each passing second.

In another place

Antonio woke up in a bed.

A stable bed.

One that wasn't broken and just the mattress.

Antonio shoots up in the bunk.

No, no, no!

I can't have more than one Soulmate!

I can't even have one!

Antonio looks around the room, his breathing speeding up.

I don't know where I am.

I don't know how to act like this person.

He looks at his arm.

Sean 'Spot' Conlon
Age: 17
Birthday: August 19th

What do I do?

My father's gonna kill me.

Race grabs his hair, tugging at it.

It felt greasy and it was straight, unlike his usual (pretty soft) curls.

That sent Race into more of a panic.

Do I run again?

Just hide and switch and get home?

Race heard footsteps coming towards him.

No, no-

In Manhattan, New York City

"The window was open and they were gone." Specs finishes as they walk into the Manhattan home.

Spot frowns. He had a panic attack...

"Jack!" Finch exclaims. "We found him!" He informs him.

There was lots of running feet and many people appeared in front of them.

Spot was deep in thought.

He's gonna try to run.

I need to find Albert, who I think is in Queens, and at least get Race's body to Brooklyn or Manhattan so that's where he wakes up.

"Al," Crutchie starts, waving a hand in his face to get his attention.

Spot smiles slightly. "Actually, I'm not Albert." He chuckles.

The Manhattan Newsies looked confused.

"I'm Spot. Spot Conlon." Spot smirks slightly. "Albert's second Soulmate of two." He informs them.

"Spot?" Jack asks, looking confused. "You're Albert's Soulmate?" He questions.

Spot nods. "One of two." He answers.

Jack nods.

"That means you were in the other Soulmate's body yesterday." Knobs pipes up, stepping forward.

Confused, Spot looks over at him. "How do you know that?" He asks.

"It makes sense." Knobs responds. "You couldn't have been in Albert's body yesterday, which means the other one would've had to have been." He explains. "Albert would've been in yours then. It's just common sense." Knobs tells him.

Spot nods. "Let me tell you what I know." He states.

Jack nods.

"His name is Antonio, I believe he's from Queens," Spot starts.

In Queens, New York City

Albert decided to stay in the alleyway.

The note clearly said that Spot was going to find him (whenever) and Albert had no clue where he was.

Which was fun.

(Not.)

Albert had looked through the bag and found a few pictures, barely two pairs of clothes, and a few other things.

There was a locket around his Soulmate's neck.

It was silver and had a picture of a small boy with what looked like his mom.

They had the same eyes. You could tell, even in a black and white picture.

Albert didn't know exactly how his Soulmate looked, but he thought he was cute already.

Albert had also tried to use random pieces of fabric to bandage his Soulmate's cuts and burns.

The bruises he'd need other stuff to treat, but he could at least try to stop the cuts on his Soulmate from getting infected.

If they weren't already infected.

Albert just wanted to be back in his body, treat his Soulmate's injuries, and hold him forever.

But something in him told him that it wouldn't be that easy.

In Brooklyn, New York City

Antonio presses all of his weight against the door to keep it closed.

Even if it was locked, he didn't want to take chances.

Tears stream down his face as he sobs, trying to quiet himself.

"Spot!" Ace shouts, sounding panicked. "Or- whoever you are! His Soulmate!" He exclaims. "Please-" he starts.

"No!" Antonio screams, pushing at the still closed door. "Don't say that!" He whimpers, covering his mouth as if to quiet his sobs.

Ace falls silent. Why doesn't he want me to say that? He turns to face Red. "Go call Jack Kelly." He tells him quietly.

Red nods, quickly leaving the hallway and heading downstairs.

Ace turns back to the bathroom door. "Please open this door." He pleads quietly with him.

Antonio shakes his head. "I can't." He sobs breathlessly.

With Spot

Spot felt panic set over him.

"You need to get here quickly." Red finishes.

"I need to find Albert." Spot mutters, looking like he's deep in thought. "It'll take us up three hours to get to Brooklyn, I woke up around 12pm, and it took us a bit to get here. It's around 5pm, there's a high chance we could switch while we're trying to figure this out." He tells them.

"Do you know where Albert is?" Specs asks Spot. "You could take someone and go find him and meet us in Brooklyn as quickly as you can?" He suggests.

Spot nods. "You guys go to Brooklyn, try to calm Antonio down, and I'll get Albert and get there as quickly as I can." He tells them.

They nod.

Spot quickly grabs Albert's phone and leaves the building.

Albert was in an alleyway in Queens and Spot had barely any time to find him.

That made his job so much harder.

I gotta find him and fast.

With Albert

Albert was playing with stones when he heard someone shouting his name.

He perked up slightly, before remembering that he wasn't in his body.

As the voice got closer to him, Albert seemed to recognize it.

He definitely recognized it when he appeared at the entrance of the alleyway. "Me?"

Who's in my body-

Spot. "Spot?"

Spot sighs in relief, running over to him. "I found you!" He exclaims.

Albert stands up quickly.

Spot grabs his face. "You're beautiful." He breathes out.

Albert blushes. "You too." He responds slowly. "But this isn't me."

"I know," Spot starts pulling him out of the alleyway. "Antonio's in my body. We need to go, now." He tells him.

Albert stops. "Wait, what's wrong?" He asks, growing concerned. "Why didn't you want him going home?" He questions.

Spot turns around, meeting his eyes.

Albert noted that it was weird for him to be staring into his own eyes.

"Antonio's abused by his father, I finally got him out yesterday in his body." Spot informs Albert. "He doesn't know, but he's panicked and keeps trying to escape, which is why I woke up in an alleyway this morning." He explains.

Albert's eyes widen.

"Come on, we have to go help him." Spot tells Albert, starting to pull him along again.

Albert nods quickly.

With Antonio

"Antonio," Jack starts.

"How do you know my name?!" Antonio exclaims, his eyes wide in fear.

Jack frowns. "I know your Soulmates." He answers.

Antonio seemed to panic more at that statement, Jack saw it in the way his/Spot's eyes widened and his breathing became more labored.

"Listen to me, bud," Jack starts. "I know you've been through a lot, I know this is scary and you were just tossed into your Soulmate's bodies when you clearly weren't ready for it." He says. "We can help you. We've been through... probably worse than you can imagine." He tells him.

"You have no idea what I've been through." Antonio whispers, his hand on his chest.

"No, I have an idea." Jack responds. "Spot lived in your body for a day." He reminds him.

Antonio's eyes widened in panic. "Is he okay?!" He asks quickly. "He has to be! I couldn't bare to see one of my Soulmates hurt because of me." Antonio looks down at himself. "He must be alive if I'm still here." He whispers.

Jack smiles slightly, you do care. "He's okay, not sure about your body, but we're gonna help heal it." He tells Antonio.

Antonio looks up at him. "No, no." He shakes his head quickly. "I can't stay here, my dad will literally kill me." He says, more to himself.

Jack was about to respond when Albert and Spot ran into the room, Spot still in Albert's body and Albert still in Antonio's body.

Antonio's eyes widen.

"Antonio-" Spot starts softly, stepping towards him.

Antonio felt tingles and sparks shoot up his body and suddenly, he was back in his own body, facing Albert and Spot, who were also now in their own bodies.

1932 Words