Newsies One Shots

The Kind of Cold - Elmer/Romeo

Prompt - Winter Holidays
Au - None
Triggers - None

•••

Holidays aren't really a big deal for the newsies. It's just another time of year, where the days are cut in half and the cold has everything in its grip, refusing to let up its icy hold. It was the kind of cold that bit the back of your throat and made your breath swirl in a mist in front of your face, the kind of cold that caused your skin to pebble in a vain attempt to ward away the chill, the fine hairs on your arms standing to attention like soldiers.

The sun disappeared behind the skyline at five o'clock now, plunging the city into a darkness that made black ice a danger. People walked stiffly, backs rigid, taking minuscule steps to avoid slipping. Elmer had already fallen his fair share of times, skidding between carriages and ever-present crowds, and he had the bumps and scrapes to prove it. Selling was a major pain; people were in a hurry to get home, to get to work, to just get inside and had gotten extraordinarily good and avoiding him or brushing him off with less than friendly looks and even less friendly words.

Elmer didn't mind this too much, he told himself. He just worked harder, selling as much as he could when it was light, doing his best to look as small and pathetic as possible. He managed to come away with a good few coins. Not as good as summer, but enough. He kept glancing in shop windows he passed, ignoring his ragged reflection in favour of the items they held. He couldn't afford any of them of course, but he still looked.

While holidays might not have meant much to him or the others, the meaning behind it lost in the frost and hardship of winter, they did have...a tradition, you could call it. Elmer couldn't for the life of him remember who started it, or how long it had been going on. They didn't have enough money to really buy a gift for one other newsie, let alone the good two dozen or so of them there were, but they someone managed to orchestrate a not-so-secret Santa of sorts; everyone got something, some little token or trinket, for someone else. Jack was always the one who made sure no one was left out, and the exited chaos it caused was honestly scary.

It was nothing extravagant either; they didn't have much they could give to each other. It was mainly little trinkets they found, bought or more often than not stole, handmade objects clumsily put together that barely held up. If Elmer's memory served him, Race had, for whatever reason, given JoJo a pair of busted glasses once. Which was odd for a number of reasons, mainly being where he had gotten them. That was part of the fun though. Elmer wanted to get something for Romeo this time, but he had no idea what.

Elmer smiled a little at the memories of previous years, hugging  himself. He tucked his hands into his armpits, sacrificing balance for warmth. The cold still stung, needle sharp points that stabbed his exposed skin. His cheeks, nose and the tips of his ears were bright red, he realised, glancing in another window. He sniffed and shivered, slipping again. His arms windmilled comically and he squawked quietly, laughing at himself.

Once he was back on his feet, he looking around, watching the still-lingering crowds. That was something he like to do, people watch. He liked wondering about people, about who were, were they were going. Maybe it was because he didn't meet new people, well, ever. Elmer sidestepped, stepping back off the pavement to avoid a passing man.

"Sorry mista'" He was ignored, as usual.

Elmer squared his shoulders, shaking his head a little. He didn't care, he told himself. He shouldn't care. It didn't matter. He tucked his hands back into his armpits and watched his breath curl in front of his face, cast in an artificial yellow glow. He was still thinking about what to get Romeo. He had a few coins but not enough to buy anything and besides, his mind went blank when he actually thought about what to get. Which was helpful. He wanted to be special for...no particular reason.