A Newsies Fanfiction Collection

A Family Reunion

Jack stared up at the ominous presence of Sing Sing prison, a wave of nervous crashing over the boy. Just looking at the jail and knowing what awaited inside made the poor boy want to puke right then and there. All the coloring seemed to fade from his face as he exchanged glances with his best friend Davey who stood beside him for moral support.

“Everything’s going to be okay, Jack.” His friend murmured softly in a reassuring tone, slowly taking the other man’s hand into his.

As their hands met one another and intertwined, Jack gave Davey’s hand a small squeeze in order to thank him without any words. He had never been one for overly sentimental moments, so he usually kept silent whenever moments like these would occur.

“We better head inside before we miss vistin’ hours.” Jack mumbled underneath his breath, slowly freely his hand in a reluctant manner as he approached the large iron doors to the prison.

There seemed to be guards everywhere he turned, all of them watching him with a skeptical look—as if they were suspicious that the boy was up to no good.  This feeling that he was constantly being watched made the boy become even more paranoid about his visit at this point. The very reason that he was at the prison was the idea of being reunited with his father. After his mother had passed and his father was locked away, the boy was left on the streets to fend for himself. But, today he had the opportunity to come face to face with the man that he hadn’t seen in several years.

He began to wonder what his father would think of him and how he would react when he walked into the visitors’ area.

The two boys sat patiently in the waiting area as the guards circled around them, making sure that everything was in order. Jack nervously looked around the room and examined the other families who had flocked to the prison today. It was almost heartbreaking to see so many wives and children in that tiny little room, waiting to be reunited with their loved one who was locked up behind bars. This was one of the many reasons he was glad that he had never became attached to his father, otherwise his visit would have been harder than it already was.

Suddenly, the boy’s attention was captured as the main door opened and prisons began to file out one by one. It was in that moment his gaze met that of a familiar man’s. The resemblance between the two was almost uncanny in itself and made Davey’s jaw drop slightly. How could there possibly be two of them? As if one good looking Kelly wasn’t enough.

“Hiya pop,” Jack greeted the man, slowly standing up and offering his hand out to the man.

Instead of taking the boy’s hand and shaking it, his father wrapped his arms around the boy and pulled him into a warm embrace. “You haven’t seen me in years. This is no time for handshakes, kiddo.”

Jack slowly pulled away from the hug and sat down on the rickety chair that had been sat up for them, “Nice seeing you. How have you been?”

“I’ve been better considerin’. Hey, could I possibly ask you for a favor?”

Jack tilted his head to the side slightly in confusion as his dad asked if he could do him a favor. After all these years that the man hadn’t done shit for him, he wanted a favor?

“I suppose so.”

“I was wonderin’ if you could possibly attend a family reunion tomorrow at the old rec center on 17th street. They’ve been plannin’ it for years and obviously I ain’t attending so it’d be nice to have my son go.”

This all seemed so convenient, and for a moment Jack wanted to stand up and just walk out on his father. After being on his own for so long, why would he want to reconnect with his lousy family?

“Of course Jack would love to go to a family reunion.”

Before Jack could even open his mouth to protest, Davey had already stated his answer for him. His eyes narrowed as he shot the boy a glare that could have stopped any heart.

“Great! I’ll find a way to repay you some day, kid.”

“You better,” Jack mumbled underneath his breath as he began to fiddle with the buttons on his shirt.

Davey was able to hear his boyfriend’s retort and moved his hand to his thigh, squeezing it tightly.

“OW! – Well, I’ll be seein’ you dad. I hate to cut the visit short but I have to go mentally prepare myself for this reunion.”

[A day later at the rec center]

“What if they don’t like me?” Jack wondered aloud as he quickly ran his comb through his hair once more.

“I’m sure they’ll love you, you have this aura that makes everyone like you.” Davey explained as he placed a small kiss upon the worried boy’s cheek.

For a moment Jack’s cheeks changed a light tint of pink as the heat rushed to them. “I hope you’re right.”

The two boys stopped in front of the doors to the rec center, Jack moving forward to grasp the handle and hold the door open for Davey. As they entered, the sound of buzzing conversation echoed against their eardrums. It was so amazing to see that so many of his family members had gathered here today. Although they hadn’t seen one another in years they were all reconnecting and bonding over common similarities in their lives.

“Aye! What’s gucci, my bros?”

                There was an annoying voice that came from behind the two boys and they slowly turned to meet a muscular tall boy who looked completely out of place.

                “Gucci? Bros? I take it you ain’t around from here.” Jack scoffed, looking at the boy in a disapproving manner. “Your accent, you’re from Jersey?”

                “Hell yeah, that’s where da’ best people in the world live.” The man flashed triumphant grin.

                “Clearly this is your first time in New York because if so, you’d realize that the best people live here.” Davey piped up, slowly looking down at the floor after he had finished speaking.

                “Aye you little puny shit, I didn’t ask you to speak last time I checked. If you wanna tell me this place is better than Jersey Shore then you gotta GTL first.”

                Davey blinked in surprise at the boy’s illiteracy—it was even more dreadful than any of the Newsies. “Pardon me? GTL? Is that code word for anything?”

                “It means gym, tan, laundry—moron.”

                “Hey, why don’t you back off and stop callin’ my friend here names.” Jack interjected, stepping in front of Davey.

                “Why? What are you gonna do? Make me?” The man stepped forward, puffing out his chest slightly.

                “Yes, I am.” There was a surge of adrenaline that kicked in through Jack’s system as he grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and raised his fist, slugging the man right in his nose. Almost instantly the blood began to trickle down the man’s face as he turned away, throwing his hand over his nose as a shield.

                “That’s how we do it in Manhattan.” Jack spat as he quickly wrapped his arm around Davey in a protective manner.

                “Oh hey, look there’s my aunt who is also the New Jersey Medium. Let’s go talk to her instead of this guy.”

                The tan man slowly wiped away the blood from his nose and furrowed his eyebrows. “Wait… I just remembered that I don’t have any family members with the last name Kelly. Shit, I’m in the wrong fanfiction.” Vinny gave his shoulders a shrug and slowly retreated out of the rec center.

                And so, the Kelly family lived happily ever after without Vinny.