Newsies Oneshots 2.0

Jack the Penguin-Jackpot

So, I'm on a rare pair streak, and I wanted to write this bc I have a head headcanon that Jack's love language is gift giving. So I'm doing my favorite rare pair, Jackpot.

Enjoy!

—————————————————————

Jack could be considered a collector. He had bags and boxes of trinkets he could find, cool rocks he found out in a walk, almost anything. He had bottle caps, buttons, pennies, dollars, and of course, rocks. But he'd run out of space.

During the summer, as he and Spot were on a walk, he saw a rock hiding between the concrete, like a sitting duck. He hummed briefly when he saw it, releasing his hand from Spot's grip and dropping onto the pavement, picking up the rock. He smile slightly at it.

It was a somewhat special rock, mostly clear but Jack couldn't look through it. It was the type of rocks Jack would love when he was a kid, and still loves them today. It was small, barely the size of his fingernail, but it was perfect. "I found a rock."

Spot raised his brows as Jack stood up, his palm outstretched as he grinned, proud of himself for finding this beauty. "That's a cool looking rock."

Spot didn't necessarily understand his boyfriend's natural instinct to find something and keep it, just to have it. He was more on the mechanical side, taking things apart and putting them back together, and he did it everywhere. At some points, Jack would help with fixing up a car or keeping him company while he changed the oil, watching him and asking questions. And just as fixing things wasn't Jack's thing, collecting things isn't Spot's.

A car to Spot is a shiny penny to Jack.

"I want to give it to you", Jack offered, a large smile on his face. Spot raised a brow, glancing between Jack's face and the rock in his hands. "It's a gift."

Spot chuckled, taking the rock out of the taller's hands and examining it, seeing the shiny and clear exterior. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah", Jack shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "It's, like—okay, I don't know what kind of rock it is, but it's really pretty and I don't have any space left in my collection, so..."

Spot stared at the cute boy fondly, shaking his head. "So, you want me to keep this for you?"

"No, no, no", Jack denied, eyes wide in a panic. "It's, it's a gift from me to you because I love you and I appreciate you a lot."

"I know, Jacks", Spot chuckled, kissing Jack on his cheek softly. He grabbed his hand and wrapped his fingers around the other's. He pressed a soft kiss to the back of his hand, a happy smile on his face. "God, you're adorable."

"Okay, I am not adorable."

"Sure."

That was the first time Jack ever gave something so minute to Spot. During the Fall, as Spot and Jack were dressed to the nines in warm clothing as they grocery shopped for hot chocolate, Jack gasped, crouching near the ground quickly, startling his boyfriend. "What is it?"

"I found a button", Jack answered, nearly gasping when he found another item. "And a rock!"

"How the hell did you find a rock in the grocery store?" Spot watched as Jack stood up, groaning a bit from unused bones and muscles. "Where did that come from?"

"I don't know, but it's pretty", Jack chuckled, looking the new rock over. It swirled with oranges and purples and blacks, like a beautifully horrible painting, the types Jack would make when bored or uninspired. It was amazing to look at, and reminded him of the sunsets that fall over the Brooklyn Bridge. "I like it."