December 15th, 1900
____
"Why don't you ask ya goil, Crutchie?" Race taunted, causing the other newsboys to hoot.
Crutchie rolled his eyes, annoyed by the old joke.
"I'es told yous already, Race. She ain't my goil, and I ain't gonna ask her for cards." He replied with a sigh.
"Sure, she ain't. Just go get the damn cards, or I will!" Another newsboy shouted, earning said newsboy a punch on the shoulder.
Crutchie groaned as he turned to the stairs. He was to ask (Y/N) for a deck of cards so they could have a poker game, since none of the newsboys actually owned any.
Stepping on the stairs, one by one, he planned what he would say. (Y/N) was one of those people that could get irritated very easily if you said something dumb. At it annoyed Crutchie, but at least his speaking skills had certainly improved since he met her.
Once in front of her room, he knocked twice gently.
"Come in." She said from behind the door.
When Crutchie looked in, she was laying on her bed, dog at her feet, with her nose buried in a thick book.
"Jeez, (Y/N) how're you reading all that?" Crutchie asked, amazed that she could even read.
(Y/N) lifted her head up from the book, an eyebrow raised at Crutchie. For some reason.. she was still wearing that hat.
"What do you mean, how? Shakespeare is my favorite author, I have to read his complete works." She replied, a smile pulling at her lips.
Crutchie hobbled over, sitting next to (Y/N) on the bed, letting his crutch lean against the wall.
"I means, its so.. long! How da hell are yous gonna finish that?" He exclaimed, peeping to look at the pages. He could make out a few words on it, but he wasn't exactly, er, literate in the sense that he could read a page himself.
(Y/N) shrugged. "I've reread it so many times, honestly, it doesn't seem that long anymore. Right now I'm on 'Much Ado About Nothing.'"
"Whats it about?" Crutchie inquired.
"Well, it depends how you interpret it." She began, flipping the page. "Beatrice and Benedict are absolutely the all-time most memorable Shakespearean romance. They are the basis of most modern romance plots. Their imitators are legion, and deservedly so. They're such complex characters, too."
Crutchie smiled a dopey grin.
"I don't understand a thing yous just said." He said, rather enthusiastically.
(Y/N) groaned and rolled her eyes, looking back to the book.
"Let me just read you a page, you'll get it." She said, Crutchie leaning on her to see the book.
"BENEDICT, Why, i' faith, methinks she's too low for a high praise, too brown for a fair praise, and too little for a great praise; only this commendation I can afford her, that were she other than she is, she were unhandy, and being no other but as she is, I do not like her. CLAUDIO, Thou think-est I am in sport: I pray thee tell me truly how thou Much Ado about Nothing Shakespeare 11 likest her. BENEDICT, Would you buy her, that you en-quire after her? CLAUDIO. Can the world buy such a jewel? BENEDICT, Yea, and a case to put it into. But speak you this with a sad brow, or do you play the flouting Jack, to tell us Cupid is a good hare-finder, and Vulcan a rare carpenter? Come, in what key shall a man take you, to go in the song?"
"Sounds romantic." He whistled.
"Shush, I'm not done yet!" (Y/N) scolded in a playful manner, then went back to reading out loud.
But Crutchie wasn't paying attention. His gaze was on her face, her expression as her words floated off. Her one eye not covered by her hat, which sparkled like a million flickering candles, never to extinguish. Her lips, curled in a smile, soft looking. Her jawline, the way it curved just right.
Yes, it was no doubt (Y/N) was pretty. He had known that off the bat. But.. now the way she was pretty seemed more appealing to him. He never wanted to rip his eyes away from her.
He stopped his staring upon hearing a snicker from behind the door, which was still left creaked open.
"Er, (Y/N), I think I gotta go. ies was gonna play cards with the other guys.." He said, heaving himself off the bed, grabbing his crutch.
"Do you need cards?" (Y/N) asked, closing her book.
Crutchie grinned and nodded. Hopefully the other newsboys wouldn't taunt him for spending so long up here, he could just say it took a while for her to find her cards.
Handing him the card deck from under her pillow, (Y/N) asked Crutchie a question.
"Did you like the book? I can read more to you later, if you like."
Crutchie nodded as he took the cards from her. "I'd like that."
Even if he hadn't been paying attention, it must have been interesting.
"Well, see you (Y/N)!" He said as he exited the room, giving her a small wave.
____
Once he entered the hallway, he was swarmed with newsboys. Most of them were hooting, hollering, wolf whistling, or yelling about Crutchie's 'goil' and how he loved to stare at her.
Crutchie sighed, trying to laugh the newsboys off and attempting to distract them with the cards.
They yelled, saying he wanted her, wanted her love, and other remarks of the sort.
"Yous love her!"
"Aye, Crutchie, ya stare much?"
"Not your goil? Yous sure about that, Crutchie?"
Crutchie wasn't sure, but he was starting to feel something stirring inside for (Y/N)..
That wasn't important though, to little Les. Nothing was, at the moment.
So, Les took his chance.
He slipped away from Davey, and out of the lodging center. If he was lucky, he could still make it to his date!
Muggars weren't uncommon in New York city. Usually, they targeted the rich or the elderly. It was uncommon for them to go after children, especially raggedy, poor looking children. Of course, though, you cant tell muggars what to do, and they'll do what they want.
Les didn't know this, though.
A/N
I'm so fucking dead
goodnight
also dont expect an update until at least wednesday or tuesday ashshsgag
YOU ARE READING
A lone newsie
Fanfiction//A Crutchie x reader// There was always one newsie who stood out from the rest - for she was a girl. She went by the name of (Y/N). To her, she wasn't anything special. Though she fascinated a certain newsboy with a crutch. (Cover by twofoxes.tumbl...
