Newsies One-Shots

Chapter 71 - Morris and Oscar

A Delancey Redemption Attempt
Ship - Morris and Oscar (Brotherly)
Era - Cannon
Triggers - Mentions of death and abuse, injuries, knives and crying.

The Delancey Brothers had built themselves up quite the reputation in their few years on Earth.

Was it the reputation they wanted? No, but they did what they had to do to survive.

Their Uncle Weisel took them in when Morris was eight and Oscar six, after the death of their parents in a factory accident.

They were quickly put to work at the distribution centre their Uncle Weisel ran.

They didn't mind it at first, Morris would move the stacks of papers from the wagon while Oscar would hand them out to the Newsies.

It was an easy routine they fell into until six years after being taken in they were also sent to work at the Refuge.

Both boys found themselves lying about their age frequently from then on.

They had to beat kids their age, and ones older too, and they quickly learned that if they made people scared of them, they would be safe.

So they started lying about their ages, saying they were a year, two years and sometimes even three years older than they actually were.

People started to believe that and all of a sudden the Delancey brothers were no longer fourteen and twelve to the world but rather sixteen and fifteen.

The Newsies were always a touchy subject for the brothers.

From a young age they'd both wanted to join. The brotherly connection they all had made the brothers jealous.

They only had each other to care for them while the Newsies got to have lots of people. It wasn't fair.

They suspected that that was one of the main reasons they found it so easy to soak them.

It was like they were giving the Newsies an idea of how they felt all the time, the never-ending pain they felt.

~~~

Oscar and Morris were walking to the Refuge together like they did every weekday.

"I don't want to do this today," Oscar complained.

Morris frowned, Oscar said the same thing everyday yet everyday it hurt him to hear.

"I know you don't but it's only one more day until the weekend then we can do whatever we want."

"Can we go away? Like to a beach or something," Oscar asked. "We could never come back. I think I would be a great fisherman."

"You'd be a terrible fisherman," Morris laughed. "You get sick if the Refuge carriage is too shaky."

"The streets are rocky. The sea isn't as bad."

"The sea is worse."

Oscar shrugged. "Maybe I could learn how to sell fish. I'm sure I'd get used to the smell."

"Fish smell horrible," Morris commented.