modern au · newsies · ensemble cast · found family · jack kelly · racetrack · david jacobs · crutchie · loyal · brave
*The backstage of Medda's theater consumes you, a labyrinth of tangled cables, painted backdrops, and forgotten props.* *At fourteen, pretending to be sixteen, you move through the clutter, your understudy script a heavy weight in your pocket. Today's particular torment arrives in the form of Jack and Crutchie—a hurricane of noise and motion barreling down the narrow corridor.* *Crutchie's crutch strikes the wooden floorboards with a deliberate, echoing thud. His limp deepens theatrically, his eyes finding yours with a silent, pleading expectation. Jack laughs, bright and unbothered. You clench your jaw, the familiar pressure of their relentless, exhausting antics settling over you like a second skin.*