Warning: Mentions of stabbing
Third Person POV
Harlem, New York

Rock walks into the room that Haste, Spade, Bullet, and Blade were in.

Bullet looks up at him. "Did you do it?" He asks.

Rock nods.

Blade felt a ping of uncertainty and pity inside himself.

He wasn't sure if what they were doing was right, but he wanted his brother back. That was the only reason he continued.

Hearing the Manhattan and Brooklyn Newsies' responses and how they were defending Anthony and how comfortable he was with them started to make Blade rethink everything.

Bullet had convinced him that it was their fault that Anthony didn't trust that. That was they were doing was right.

But it wasn't even just Bullet who told him this was okay.

Blade shook it off as Bullet started explaining the plan that Blade was sure either Rock or Spade created.

I just want my brother back. For the three of us to be together.

Little did he know, some others were questioning it, too.

Brooklyn, New York
With Race

It's been two weeks since the meeting.

There had been a few attacks, mainly on Brooklyn, but nothing too bad.

Yet.

That's what worried Race.

The Queens Newsies were unpredictable.

At the moment, Race was hanging around Brooklyn for a little bit.

He had gotten a bit better, but no one, especially not Jack or Spot, let him go anywhere alone.

Race was just watching the boys swimming.

He and Spot hadn't gotten together, but everyone could tell that they had crushes on each other.

Spot was very overprotective of Race, maybe (big maybe) more than Jack, Albert, or the other Manhattan boys.

"So, Race," Smokes starts. "Spot give you his key?" He gestures to the key around Race's neck with a smirk.

Race blushes. "Yeah-" he says. "uh- not sure why though." He states, looking at the necklace as he fidgeted with it.

"The same reason you tried to go save him, why you come here, and why you two always blush around each other." Smokes lists, leaning against the crate he stood next to as he looked like this was obvious and he did it often.

"Because we're friends, cause you guys are my friends, cause we do?" Race answers, sounding uncertain.

Smoke throws him a look.

Race blushes. "Okay, I might have a very tiny, little, itsy bitsy crush... on him?" He admits, his voice quiet.

"He admits it!" Literally every Brooklyn Newsie who was listening exclaims. This included DD, Smokes, Ace, Hotshot, Red, and a few others.

Race jumps at the noise, his eyes wide.

"Come on, Race!" Smokes exclaims, pulling Race so he was standing up. "You gotta go tell him!" He was grinning. "I promise he likes you back!" He tells him as he starts dragging him to Spot's perch.

Race tries to pull out of his grip, but he couldn't. "Calm down, Smokes!" He exclaims. "It's a small crush and he definitely doesn't like me back." Race tells him.

Smokes rolls his eyes. "Only one way to find out." He responds, using a sort of sing song voice. He stops pulling Race when they were in front of Spot's perch.

Smokes tips his hat to Race, before running off to go hide with the other boys.

Mentally cursing Smokes, Race turns to face the perch.

He found Spot smirking down at him, causing his cheeks to redden.

"Hey, Racer." Spot greets. "Need something?" He asks, jumping down from his perch.

Race jumps slightly, causing Spot to chuckle.

That caused his cheeks to redden, causing Spot to smirk again.

You know, he's usually smirking-

Race swallows the big lump in his throat as he plays with the key necklace, trying to build up courage. "So- Smokes- I- probably- Ilikeyou." He stammers.

Spot looks confused. "Can you repeat that?" He asks him.

Race mentally groans.

Spot smirks to himself. He had heard Race, but he liked seeing Race blushing a lot and he wanted to make sure Race was actually serious.

"Smokes said- got me to agree- I'm crushing on you? Are you crushing on me?" Race rambles, his cheeks slowly reddening with every word.

Spot chuckles.

Spot cups Race's face with his hands and leans forward.

Race holds his breath, turning really red, really fast.

Oh my god- is he going to? Could Smokes be right?

Spot closes the gap between their lips, kissing Race, as a bit of blush dusts his cheeks.

Race kisses back, turning bright red.

They pull away when they hear cheering.

Race digs his head into Spot's chest/shirt. "You know, you can never get away from them." He mutters.

Spot could tell by Race's ears that he was blushing a lot. He laughs. "Very true." He nods. "We should've expected this."

"I love you, Spot." Race whispers.

Spot smiles, running his hand through Race's hair.

"I love you too, Racer." Spot tells him softly.

Race bites his lip as he smiles.

"Ha! 'I tried to save him cause we're friends' huh, Racer?!" Smokes exclaims, jumping up and down.

The majority of the Newsies there to laugh, Spot included.

"I was lying." Race whispers, still hiding his face in Spot's shirt.

Spot chuckles.

"Well," Smokes starts with a smirk as he walks towards him. "You're a horrible liar." He tells Race.

Race rolls his eyes, forcing himself to pull away from Spot.

Spot pouts a bit. He left me...

Smokes grins, pulling Race into a bone-crushing hug.

Race yelps.

"I'm so happy for you, Racer!" Smokes whispers excitedly. "But seriously, you two were killing us all!" He groans dramatically as he pulls away from the hug.

Race shoots him a don't-you-dare look.

Smokes smirks in 'oh, I dare'.

Ace walks around as he fans his face with his hand, a helpless look on his face. "Oh my Gosh, he's just so cute, but I could never tell him." He imitates Spot. "I mean, he's perfect, look at him, his beautiful blue eyes-" he continues his poor impression of Spot until he was cut off.

Many of the other Newsies were laughing.

"Shut up, ya bums." Spot grumbles.

Smokes was now pretending to be Race as Ace continued.

Race was bright red by now, Hotshot's arm sling over his shoulder as he smirk.

Spot sighs, grabbing Smokes and throwing him in the water.

The boys all laugh.

Smokes comes up, spitting water out of his mouth. "Not cool." He glares at Spot.

"Nah, I think the water is very cool." Spot responds with a smug smirk. "You tell me." Smokes rolls his eyes.

Smokes hoists himself out of the water. "Point gotten." He grumbles.

Spot chuckles as a few Newsies around them laugh.

"I'll grab you new clothes, Smokes!" Ace reclaims, running off to the Lodge.

"I swear to God, Ace, if you grab your clothes!" Smokes starts, looking annoyed.

Ace winks at Smokes, before entering the Lodge.

Hotshot smirks at Smokes. "You know you love it." He tells him.

Smokes climbs out of the water, rolling his eyes, but not denying it.

A few minutes later

After the boys all calmed down, Smokes changed into some of Ace's clothes (even though he told Ace not to bring him Ace's clothes, and Ace still did) and Race joined a game of Poker with a few of the boys.

He was playing with Ace, Smokes, Spot, Red, Waves, and Cloth.

A few of them forgot that they had vowed not to play with him ever again and then remembered when he won the first three games.

During the fourth game of Poker, Bush came over to Race and asked to speak to him privately.

Race was slightly confused as he walked over to a corner with Bush. "Yeah, Bush?" Race asks.

He was slightly worried because he looked sad.

Bush looks at Race. I was walking back to Brooklyn- since today I- I had my- my day off from spying and stuff, when Specs came up to me. He looked like he had been- been crying." He starts.

Race freezes, growing concerned.

"He- he told me that he needed to tell you something," Bush starts again. "and I said I could for him." He informs Race. "Jack, he- he was... was..." Bush's breathing sped up again.

Race hugs him, trying to calm him down.

He felt panic rise in him as the little started sobbing. "Deep breaths Bush, breathe with me." Race whispers, rubbing his back lightly. "Can you explain happened? What did Specs tell you?" He asks softly.

Tears stream down Bush's face as he struggled to make coherent words. "Jack- Jack was- he- he was stabbed Race!" He sobs out.

Shock and panic flooded through Race's bones. Jack was stabbed?

1460 Words