AN: I think it's safe to say that I will never again have a shortage of oneshot ideas thanks to the wonderful Horcrux_Hunter394, as they also requested this one (and a lot of others that I cannot wait to get to). I'm not used to writing Specs so I'm not sure how this actually worked out but it was fun to work on! I strayed a little bit from the original request because inspiration took over, but I think it still works, so I hope you all enjoy!
Katherine was standing in the middle of Newsies Square when the police showed up and all hell broke loose. The next thing she knew, her photographer had disappeared, probably for the sake of the camera. She didn't mind that, but she knew she couldn't run away now, but she didn't know what she could do.
She looked around and caught glimpses of horrible things happening to the boys all around them. Jack was tangling with a policeman, Romeo was getting pummeled by a Delancey, and David Jacobs was desperately trying to keep his younger brother, Les, out of the middle of the fight. The newsboys were all vastly outnumbered, and she couldn't imagine this ending well.
She felt the need to do something, but she felt entirely useless. She'd never thrown a punch before in her life, so any attempt to do so now would be pathetic. If she tried to defend one of the younger boys, she'd probably get hurt herself - none of these men seemed like the type to mind their manners around women, after all.
Before she could make a decision about what to do, someone else made it for her - that someone else being Jack Kelly. The young leader seemed to be running around defending any of his boys that seemed to be in immediate danger, and apparently his protection now extended to her.
"Hey, Plumber, get down!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the action and behind the circulation desk, which had been abandoned by both Mr. Wiesel and the Delancey's. "Stay here until it's safe and then clear outta here, yeah? It ain't gonna do any of us any good if you get hurt."
Before she could protest, he had dashed off again, running back into the fight with no hesitation. Katherine shook her head as she watched him go. She had yet to figure him out, but it was clear to her that he cared deeply for other people, and knowing that she was one of the people he cared about, even a little bit, made her feel special in a way she never had before.
Watching the fight from behind the circulation desk wasn't much better than watching from its midst, however. She was still watching boys falling left and right, and she couldn't do anything about it. It was painful to watch, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from it until her attention was diverted as someone else stumbled behind desk, nearly running into her as they did so.
Katherine clutched a fist to her chest, momentarily startled, but she relaxed slightly when she noticed that it was one of the boys. "Are - are you okay?"
He stared at her, as if only just noticing she was there after she spoke. "Katherine?"
She nodded. "You're... Specs, right?" She still had trouble telling the boys apart, and it was even harder since this one didn't have his signature glasses on, but she thought she was right.
"Yeah. Uh, my glasses are in my pocket, didn't want 'em getting smashed in the fight." He was smart, Katherine took note. "I just can't do it anymore."
He was gasping for breath, and as Katherine scanned his face, she could see that he was gritting his teeth. "Are you okay?"
"Fine." He responded, though the pain was coming through on his face now. "Just... something happened? I think it's my ankle but it hurts to walk. Can't do the other fellas much good like that. I'd still be out there if I could."
She could tell that he was doing his best to emphasize that he wasn't scared of the fight, and she nodded reassuringly, placing one of her hands gently on his. "I understand. Can I look at your ankle?"
He stared at her inquisitively before another wave of pain caused him to grimace, and he nodded, slowly rolling up the pant leg on his right foot, and rolling down his sock. Katherine crouched even closer to the ground in order to get a better look at it, and did her best to look it over, running her fingers gently over it and watching the boy's face to see what areas were more painful. She wished she was better at this, that she had more expertise, but she did the best she could.
"It doesn't feel broken." She told him after a minute. "I'm certainly not a doctor, but I don't think it's anything too major, maybe a sprain. You should still get it checked out by a professional, though."
He scoffed at that. "Yeah, if we ever get paid again."
She felt like kicking herself - these boys probably couldn't afford a doctor even on their regular salary. She hadn't even thought about it.
"You know what, I'll pay for it."
Specs straightened up, looking at her with wide eyes. "You don't have to -"
She held up her hand. "I'll pay for it, for you and for the rest of the boys." She gestured to the brawl going on behind them. "This isn't going to end will, and I'm not going to let you all walk around with major injuries. You shouldn't be worrying about that."
He allowed himself a small smile. "Thanks, Katherine."
She smiled back. "Of course. And, you and the rest of the boys are going to come out on top of this. I'll make sure of it."
"With the article you're gonna write, I'm sure this strike'll be over before we know it. I'm willing to bet you're a damn good reporter."
That turned her smile into a grin. This boy didn't even know her, but he had confidence in her abilities. Of course, that also scared the hell out of her, but it gave her just a little bit of self-confidence. She was going to make sure these boys won, one way or another, because they didn't deserve anything less.
