Newsies Oneshots 2.0

Reality-Javey, Medda

This is a rewrite because I can't find the original post? I maybe accidentally deleted it haha

Anyway, enjoy!

Warning: hospitals, mentions of Snyder, and mentions of nightmares

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Jack sniffled as he wiped the underside of his nose, eyes wide awake and dry from the tears that splayed down his face. He couldn't sleep.

It was a mere six in the morning, the sun had barely risen on the horizon and Jack was awake, basking in its beauty. He knew Davey would be pissed at him for not getting as much rest as he needed, but he couldn't miss the sun. It was like an instinct.

Jack turned his head away from the window, watching as the door of his room opened. "What are you doing up?"

He smiled softly at the sight of his boyfriend, placing his hands out for a hug. "Rough night."

"Why?" Davey wrapped his arms around Jack, brows furrowed with worry. "You okay?"

"I'm fine", Jack assured, taking the bag Davey carried and groaning as he sat it down. "I just had trouble sleeping."

"Well, you know you need-"

"As much rest as I can get—I know, David", Jack joked, snickering when Davey glared at him.

Jack never called Davey by his legal name. It was something he'd never done, even when he was angry with him or just annoyed. Instead, he used it to annoy the taller, and it worked. It worked really well. "You should work on those anger issues."

"And you should work on controlling your mouth", Davey shot back and Jack scoffed.

"Says Mr. Walking Mouth himself."

"Yeah, okay, Francis."

Jack pushed Davey in the shoulder, a small smile on his face as he heard his boyfriend laugh. It was such a joyous sound, one Jack would love to hear forever. It almost made him forget.

It almost made him forget everything.

A silence rose among them, the only sound being the beep from Jack's heart monitor. That helped reality set in quickly, and Jack gained an icky feeling in his stomach.

He still remembered everything. Every look, ever word, ever touch—his arms burned at the thought of him. He was completely alone, out of his own control, under Snyder, like a spider about meet its doom with a shoe. He was helpless. But it was a different kind.

It wasn't the helpless of seeing Davey smile at him, knowing that he would do and forgive him for anything. Knowing that with one look from Davey, Jack would obey immediately and listen to his every word carefully.

And it wasn't like talking to his mom, knowing that he was so overcome with gratitude and love for her that he would defend her to the moon and back. Medda could commit murder—which she never would—and Jack would be on her side, even if he knew the truth.

But he didn't like this helpless. This was the helpless where Snyder had complete control of him, the kind where all of Jack's courage fled out of him like water going down the drain. He physically couldn't do anything as he sat in front of the worst person in the world, his body shaking with fear after every step he took.

"Jack, honey?" Jack gasped at the sound of his mother's voice, sighing in relief. "I brought you a few drinks."

Jack chuckled and placed his head in Davey's shoulder, a lazy grin on his lips. "Thanks, Mama. How was work?"

"More boring than watching paint dry", Medda sighed, and the two teens laughed. "How are you two?"

"I'm doing pretty well", Davey answered, and Jack nodded into his shoulder. "Just a bit of stress, but that's not new."

"I'm okay", Jack assured, grabbing onto Davey's hand. "Just a little worried because Davey's been stressing himself out over me."

The taller rolled his eyes as Medda laughed, and Jack felt everything fading away to wrap this moment in a clear picture. Everything unwanted was being edited out, and Jack thought the photo looked pretty good. "I have not."

"Davey's actually been helping me out with a few things", Medda filled in, and Jack's brows rose in surprise. "You can't know what it is. It's a surprise."

Jack freaking loved surprises. "I can't wait to leave this place."

"We can't wait for you to leave either", Davey says as he kissed Jack's forehead, humming softly. "I have a date planned for us, so prepare to be spoiled."

He hated that, though. "Dave, seriously, don't spoil me."

"It's too late. Everything's in order."

"You sound like you just murdered someone."

Davey chuckled and placed a kiss to Jack's forehead, rubbing the space he'd kissed. Medda only grinned.

"Well, Jack," she sighed. "The doctors say that you can go home in a few days. Unless there's something wrong?"

He couldn't tell them about his worries, or his nightmares, or the achingly fearful feeling in his chest as his heart pounds and his eyes burn with tears just at the mere thought of that man. He wouldn't.

He just wanted to go home. "That sounds good, Mama. I'm all good."

Medda believed him—or wanted to, he couldn't tell. She walked over to him and ran a hand through his hair, staring my at him like any mother would stare at their child; with her life in her hands. "I love you, kid."

Jack gave a flashed smile, leaving his admiration to his eyes. "I love you too, Medda."

And after hearing those words recently, and hearing someone say it with emotion rather than certainty, he believed it.

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This was 929 words. Whew.

These keeps getting more and more sporadic haha

Anyways, how did you like this? I have more stories I wish to write but with homework and school, plans and writing stories, writing oneshots has been pushed out of my schedule. I hate that that's what it's come to.

I hope you liked this. Thanks for reading!!