this is garbage

~Spongebob's POV~

"I'MREADYI'MREADYI'MREADYI'MREADYI'MREADYI-"

I got knocked down by a dinosaur 

"Bitch who th- oh sorry" he mumbled while helping me up

I stuck out my hand "I'm Spongebob"

"I'm Barney"

Then Squidward passed up "And I'm sad."

A/N: We need to talk

Davey has known the Newsies for a day and in that day he's heard a million horror stories about Spot Conlon. It's like every time something happens, there's a story about this leader from Brooklyn who's terrifying and he did this that and another thing to somebody for that or he'd do this if he knew we did that or he'll do this if we show up.

and he kind of thinks it's hazing? or at least some kind of joke they're playing on the new kid? because there's no way somebody can be that scary. and then everyone is all excited about the strike and excited to run off to different boroughs and neighborhoods to recruit. but nobody wants Brooklyn.

and that's the first time Davey thinks that maybe they're serious about this Spot Conlon guy because nobody is willing to go to Brooklyn because they're scared of him. and then Jack decides for him that they're going across the bridge and he has to get up early and walk for a long time and he's sure, he's positive that these stories of the great and terrifying Spot Conlon, the King of Brooklyn, the scariest, toughest man around must be exaggerated.

but Brooklyn has a weird vibe. they pass some newsies who stare at them silently and look like they might pounce until they recognize Jack. and Davey starts to think that maybe there's something to these rumors about Spot Conlon because these Brooklyn newsies are big and tough and every one of them seems to have bruised knuckles and crooked noses and scars and black eyes and split lips that marked them as fighters, and surely anybody who can control them must be the big, tough, terrifying figure this mythical Spot Conlon is supposed to be.

and then they finally find him.

he's down by the pier, harassing the newly disembarked sailors and the men who unload the ships into buy papers. he sees them before they see him, but they know he's here because Jack managed to get one of the other Brooklyn newsies to tell him where Spot Conlon was for the morning.

so Davey and Jack get to the pier, and Davey is expecting to see some hulking figure. biceps the size of his head. six feet tall. broken nose and black eyes and bloody lips and a sneer to scare the fear of god into anyone.

and instead, a kid drops down from the dock and lands in front of them. he's maybe five foot two, and that's being generous. he's got dark hair with a streak of white running through it, he looks like he's maybe fourteen or fifteen at the absolute most, possibly much younger. he's got a black eye, all right, and a crooked nose, but his clothes are clean and he's got a slingshot hanging from a belt loop and pink suspenders. his bag is only half full of papers and even that much weight looks like it should be pulling him down because he's so short and skinny.

he must be Spot Conlon. Jack reacts like he's Spot Conlon.

but Davey cannot possibly believe this tiny boy is the one everyone is so scared of. he looks like a strong breeze would knock him into the river and float him out to sea.

and then Spot Conlon opens his mouth and talks, and Davey suddenly gets it. Spot Conlon looks into Davey's eyes and seems to read his soul. he starts talking and it's with complete and utter confidence. he has this presence that just screams not to underestimate him, not to think his size shows his power, not to think his height means he won't win a fight, not to think his age means he doesn't know what he's talking about. he talks and Davey is absolutely positive that Spot Conlon has earned his reputation.

but at the same time, it's obvious what Spot Conlon means.

he says he won't join the strike until he's positive that Manhattan won't flake, that Brooklyn won't be left to fight on its own, and Davey knows he means he needs to be sure his newsies won't be starving for nothing. he insults Jack and Jack laughs and Davey recognizes the respect between them and he sees the spark of respect in Spot's eyes when Jack explains their plan but he sticks to what he said. Brooklyn will join when Manhattan proves itself, and that's that. and Davey can tell Jack kind of expected that answer but is still disappointed, and Jack and Davey make the long walk back to Manhattan.

and Davey is trying to reconcile this tiny kid he just met with the million stories he's heard, and he's sure there's some truth to them. obviously, there has to be, because Brooklyn is tough and Spot Conlon is in charge and he had to have fought his way to the top somehow, right? but he's also sure it's been exaggerated somehow because it has to be.

at least, until the rally. when Jack comes and speaks and betrays them, and for the first time, Davey isn't just intimidated, he's afraid. Spot Conlon's eyes flash and he shoves, Jack, hard, and Davey is absolutely one hundred percent certain that if Spot Conlon wanted to, he could win that fight easily. but instead, Jack runs out and Spot Conlon crosses his arms and looks at Davey expectantly and Davey knows that if he doesn't step up and take control, Brooklyn is leaving, because Manhattan is falling apart.

but somehow Davey manages to get control. he manages to convince them to stick with him, and when he nervously looks back at the group of Brooklyn newsies, he sees the same half-hidden spark of respect Spot Conlon had given to Jack on the pier in Brooklyn, and Davey knows Spot Conlon has decided to stick with them.

Davey is just as scared of him as the rest of Manhattan, now, but he also understands. when Jack rejoins the cause, it's Davey and Jack and Spot who burst through Pulitzer's door, and Spot Conlon smiles for the first time in front of Davey and it's terrifying, ten times worse than any glare, when he almost-whispers an almost-threat to Pulitzer and gestures out the window to his boys, and Davey really understands what's so terrifying about him.

it isn't his size, he's tiny. or his strength, it isn't really that obvious at a glance. it's his aura. the way he commands attention, the way he stands like he's the biggest person in the room even though he isn't and you can't help but believe it because he does, the way he talks and it's obvious he means it and he's right. he's terrifying because he's a leader, and a good one.