Newsies one-shots

The need to protect

"Jack?" Race's voice came from behind the door. Jack was laying on his bed, a private Spotify playlist called 'Let's cry' had been playing in the background the entire evening. He hadn't really been listening to the songs only now noticing that 'war zone' by Neena Rose was playing.
"Yeah?" He called out to his brother. The blond took this as an invite and opened the door, only to walk in once it was fully open and he could see Jack. Without talking he laid down next to Jack, making the older boy move even though they both easily fitted on the queen sized mattress. 
"I feel like shit, you know." Was how Race started. Jack wasn't even surprised at this point. The boy often came in to complain, expecting Jack to comfort him so he could move on.
"And why's that?" Jack questioned, he didn't look at the boy, just kept on staring at the mosquito that was sitting on his ceiling. 
"Just like, I've been so stressed lately and I don't know what I should do. Like I can't even get out of bed in the morning." Race explained. You and me both. Jack thought. 
"The stress from having all the tests?" Jack asked again, knowing that would probably be one of the many things stressing the boy out. 
"Yeah that, but also that I don't think I'm going to pass this year." 
"You'll be fine. And we'll help you either way." Jack told the boy, knowing that Race usually got around a B+ without even looking at the test. But the boy needed to confidence and he needed to know that his brothers were there to help him along the way. 
"But what if I don't make it?" Race questioned, now looking at Jack. The older boy didn't look at him though.
"Than we love you just the same." Jack told the boy with a sigh. Race gave a bright smile, which Jack could see from the corner of his eyes, but his own face didn't leave it's neutral expression. The blond boy took the opportunity to push himself against Jack's side and rest his head on Jack's shoulder. The older boy wrapped his arm around his brother on instinct. So when Race fell asleep there, Jack was pinned to his place. 

When the door opened again that night, Jack wasn't surprised to see the youngest of his brothers stand in the opening with tears on his face. Jack put his finger to his lip before patting the mattress on his free side. It would be a little tight, but they've been in this bed with more than that. Elmer stalked over, careful to not make too much noise. The kid was only eight years old, but he always looked so much younger when he was crying. 
"What's wrong?" Jack whispered while pulling the now laying boy closer to him so he was in a similar position as Race. 
"What's wrong with me? Am I ugly or fat?" That got Jack's attention. With Race he had known that it would probably be nothing much to worry about, but the youngest was always unpredictable.
"Why would you say that, bubba?" Jack looked at the boy who had his face pressed in his shoulder, nearly painfully. 
"People look at me weird. A boy told me that my drawings look bad." It came out muffled by Jack's shoulder. With the shoulder that was wrapped around his little brother, Jack lifted the boy's chin so he could look into the boy's eyes.
"You, Elmer, are the most beautiful and talented little gremlin I have ever seen in my life." Jack whispered to the boy, who gave a teary smile.
"Really?" The boy's bright brown eyes looked full of hope. 
"Really." Jack confirmed with a sad smile, but Elmer didn't seem to notice the sadness behind it. He only snuggled closer to his brother just like Race had and was asleep within minutes.

Jack knew what people were thinking, since they looked at him the same way they looked at his brothers, who often didn't notice at all, because Jack was always fast enough to send a warning glare to those people. They looked at them like they were wrong, children who shouldn't walk the earth. And sometimes Jack did agree. He should've been dead like his parents when they had crashed that night so many years ago when he was still a baby, but yet-. he was the first to get adopted by Medda and Denton, the one who had to go through all the shit, just so he could make the kids who came after him feel better. That had been his only job in this house. Make the others feel better, put himself on the last place. That's why he always hid the scars, old and new. He could not let his boys know that he was weak. The boys needed him to be strong. They needed him to be the big brother who'd protect them, who'd help them with anything.