Davey could feel his heart pounding as he ambled towards the lodging house.
Les skipped happily alongside him, unaware of the inner term-oil that currently tossed about within his brother's mind.

Not only did Davey have to deal with the fellas seeing his fake pride flag, painted over by none other than his sister, but also had to deal with Jack.

Or...not?

When Davey finally made his way up to the bunking area of the lodging house, where he usually met up with Jack, not sure where else to go even if jack decided to not communicate with him today, he was met with a dark and seemingly empty room.

"Where'd they go?" Les frowned, tugging on Davey's sleeve.

"I-I don't know," Davey's mouth went dry. Were they ignoring Davey in solitude for Jack? Was that what was happening? Of course it was. Jack was their leader and of course he would have let them know that Davey was bothering him. Why did he say all those awful things? Had they been awful?
When Davey looked back on it, perhaps he was the victim, and Jack was just being over dramatic and-

You ostracized him.
You led him on.

The second realization seemed to kick Davey in the gut when he allowed himself to recall last night's events.
Jack had implied it- had implied that Davey led him on and-
Did that mean Jack...?
No.
Davey set his jaw. He'd been in the right.
He'd been in the right.
He meant normal in a practical sense, by definition.
Average.
That he could live an average life free of judgement and shame and- shame?
That implied that he liking boys- not that he did- well, obviously he did- but that that fact somehow was supposed to make him feel shameful.
Did he feel shameful? Should he? He-

"Surprise!" The entirety of the newsies leapt out from behind and under bunk beds as well as chests- and Race just dropped from the ceiling.

Davey stared with wide eyes before furrowing his brow in confusion, "F-For?"

"It's your birthday! Or did you forget?" Specs leapt up from where he'd been hiding under a bunk with something in his hands.

A lumpy chocolate cake on a flimsy plate approached Davey, "We would sing ya a song but none of us can remember the words." Race rubbed his back from where he'd landed on the floor.

"Yeah, not all of us have birthdays every year." Mush chuckled, "I know I don't."

"Actually-" Davey chuckled before he was interrupted.

"Hey, Birthday-Boy, you're eighteen, isn't you?" Jack leaned against a bedpost adjacent to Davey who stiffened up at his voice and felt his throat grow tight, "How's about you show us them snazzy pride flag of yours?"

Davey saw something in Jack's eyes that he'd never seen before, and it was something close to menace- but not as strong...bitterness- no...hurt.
Betrayal. All of the above?
Jack wasn't one to call people out for personal things, which is why it caught Davey off guard in this instant as he reached for his collar, pulling it down to reveal a black and white flag as he kept eye contact with Jack for a second after before looking away as he felt dizzy.

"Snazzy," Specs hummed.

"Good for you." Race gave an awkward smile.

Most of the people in the room shared an awkward tension before Crutchie cleared his throat from across the room, "Um, fellas! How's about you dig into the cake I made?"

Davey looked at the lumpy cake before him and gave a small smile, "You know, we already had cake this morning, so how about you all share it without me?"

"But we-" Les began before Davey covered his mouth with a hand. He felt dizzier by the second and every time he shot a glance at Jack, who's eyes hadn't moved from Davey's chest, he felt sicker.

"Aw, alright, but we's'll save a piece for you." Crutchie called.

"Sounds good!" Davey remarked quickly, "I'll- I'll be right back!" He quickly made his way towards the back of the lodge and ran up the steps to the roof, slamming the door shut behind him and staggering to his knees to cough. His body shook with coughs and sputters before a few drops of...blood? Fell from Davey's lips- except it wasn't blood. It had the consistency and sense of blood but came out in a quite literal rainbow of colors.

"Th-The hell is this?" Davey whispered before going into another coughing fit, this time with more "blood" dripping from his mouth before he could sit up again.
He sat against the nearest wall, panting, for a few minutes before he heard the door to the roof freak open and he quickly wiped his mouth with his sleeve, using his shoe to smear the blood on the ground away.

He was almost surprised when he saw Jack, approaching him slowly with a blank look before leaning against the wall beside him, standing with his back to the lodge as he looked out across New York, Davey sitting with his back to the city in contrast.

"Glad you're happy with what you got. Yous is happy, right?" Jack murmured.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Davey murmured.

"Was just afraid you weren't going to be normal is all." Jack muttered bitterly.

"Here we go." Davey grumbled.

"Here we go what?" Jack's eyes narrowed.

"You're going to get all emotional about one thing I accidentally said!" Davey scoffed, throwing his hands up.

"Well, did you mean it?" Jack's voice was level.

Davey paused and considered this, "That liking boys isn't normal?"

Jack nodded.

Davey chewed on the inside of his cheek and then sighed, getting up and facing the city, leaning against the wall as well, "It's," he used his hand to motion around, "It's not statistically average."

"But it's wrong, isn't it?" Jack snorted.

"That's not what I said-"

"Dave," Jack turned to the brunette with a confused look, Davey meeting it with a nervous one, "I can't wrap my head around you."

"Wh-Why's that?" Davey murmured.

"Because, you-" Jack rubbed his forehead, "You have so many words in your head and you never pick the right ones."

Davey's eyes widened and he scoffed, "Really?"

"What?" Jack narrowed his eyes as Davey turned to face him.

"Jack, you- you say that as if you've never done anything wrong." Davey furrowed his brow.

"You never led a guy on." Jack gritted his teeth.

"And you haven't?" Davey spat out.

Jack's eyebrows lifted, "You-"

"I'm not just talking romantic, Jack- I'm talking about trust. Now I know you came back later but do you ever think it didn't hurt when you left us for Pulitzer? Left me? In the middle of the rally- you made me look like a fool!"

"Oh, so is your ego the only thing you're worried about?" Jack gripped the edge of the wall tightly, "The fact that other people didn't care what you had to say if I wasn't-"

"That you didn't care what I had to say!" Davey could feel tears prickle are the corner of his eyes, "You want to talk about being led on? Fine. I trusted you, Jack, I trusted you and-"

"Don't you think I want to be normal!?" Jack shouted.

This silenced Davey who took a step back.

"Great." Jack muttered, rubbing a hand over his face, "Great, now I-"

"Jack-"

"Ever wonder why I stay a Newsie? Huh? It's because I know I can never have it better- ain't nobody going to let me live myself a normal life- and for what? Something I was born with? Inevitably unchangeable? Knowing the chances of me finding happiness in this god forsaken world is so low that I-"

"I was wrong, Jack." Davey whispered.

Jack looked like Davey had just punched someone. He'd never heard him admit when he was wrong.

"I was stupid and I was scared- and you were being smart and I couldn't handle that." Davey breathed out, "N-Not you being smart but- but the things you were saying and meant because of it..." Davey looked at his feet, "I've been so prepared for my life for so long and I...I wasn't prepared for you...so- so when you start making these suggestions that maybe my life is something other than what I planned...I was scared- god I-" He carded a hand through his hair, knocking his cap off behind him, "I was so scared of uncertainty because it's always been there but never that prominent and-" A few tears slipped down Davey's face, "I treated you like shit and I shouldn't have...you didn't deserve that and- I just was so unsure of how to do things and what to say that I said some really stupid things because I can't be smart with my feelings like you are..."

Jack had a look of horror and surprise on his face but shook it off quickly to respond to Davey, "You think I'm smart with feelings? Davey, I haven't been accepting any of your reasoning just because I was angry. I- we both flubbed up and-"

"I know-"

"And you're tears are-"

"I know." Davey sighed, wiping away the water from his eyes.

"No, Dave, look-" Jack murmured.

Davey frowned in confusion before looking down at his hand. There was a streak of rainbow and horror flooded him. He shakily touched a hand to his face and looked at it, seeing more rainbow, "N-No-"

"Dave-" Jack murmured.

"No- n-no- this isn't- this isn't supposed to be what happens-" Davey's voice shook, "It's supposed to be fine and- and-"

"And normal?" Jack swallowed nervously.

"Not normal!" Davey snapped, "Its supposed to be good! My life is supposed to be good and now it can't be!" He was full on sobbing now, back shaking as multi-colored tears dropped down from his face and his voice shook.

"Dave.." Jack's voice broke as he gently put a hand on the other's shoulder.

Davey crumpled into the hand with sobs, "I-I don't want a- a bad life- but I don't- I don't want- want an- an- a-"

"If you say normal, that's okay, Dave, I know it's not what you mean-"

"I want to- I wa- I want-" Davey fell to his knees, "I sound like a child." He sobbed into his knees.

"Dave, I don't know what's going on," Jack whispered, crouching down before the other, "But, we'll work through it- what do you want?"

Davey's head snapped with, smeared with colors, "I-I want you. A-And I-" He couldn't finish his sentence before he let his head fall back into his knees with more sobs.

Jack flinched, "Wh-What?"

Davey sniffled and rubbed his face quickly when he lifted it an inch. He took in a shaky breath before letting out another sob, "I-I'm in love with you, Jack- a-and I don't know what to-to do."

Jack felt his heart spin and shatter at the same time, "But- your- your flag- it-"

Davey unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt and began to rub at the black and white flag until it faded into colors, revealing a gay pride flag. This sent Davey into hysterical crying as his voice grew thick with watery sobs.

"Oh, Dave.." Jack's voice was filled with pity and sorrow, "Why didn't you...you could have told me..."

"H-How? After giving you so much shit about it yesterday, how?" Davey cried.

"Because I know how hard it is- and I know- Dave, I've known you long enough that your intentions aren't to hurt anyone." Jack moved over to sit beside Davey, allowing the boy to lean in gingerly against him and rest his head on his shoulder, "You don't need to...to be anyone else to have a good life."

"Y-You didn't seem too sure of that for yourself a few minutes ago." Davey fretted.

"That's because I wasn't remembering that I have you, I was so busy fighting with you, I forgot that...you're what makes my day. I guess without that, life didn't seem as good."

"You don't care that I...that we fought?" Davey sniffed.

"Of course I care, but I don't hate you, if that's what you mean. Dave, I've loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you."

"You- have?" Davey whispered.

"How could I not?"

"I get way too worked up about things." Davey chuckled quietly, "Point right now."

"Well, it's your passion. Which comes in handy too."

"I'm never going to not regret how I treated you yesterday." Davey whispered.

"Never is a long time.." Jack gently kissed Davey's temple, "You don't have to forgive yourself now, but do that eventually."

Davey was quiet for a moment before sighing quietly, "O-Okay..."

"I've already forgiven you, Davey." Jack hummed.

"You don't hold grudges then." Davey chuckled.

"We threatened an entire news company, Dave, I think I do."

"Well...I'm glad you forgive me then- because I wouldn't forgive me so easy."

"Oh, no, yeah, you'll definitely have to work for it too." Jack grinned.

"How's that?" Davey looked up at Jack.

"For one, today we go Seventy-Thirty- and I gets to kiss ya' on the job."

"J-Jack, I'm not- I'm not out to anyone-"

"Who's said anyone needs to see it?" Jack's eyes softened, "And if yous don't want that, then just eat the cake that Crutchie made and we're fair."

"I'll take the kisses." Davey sighed, relaxing into Jack, "But tomorrow...I just want to stay here for today."

"I'd like that too, Dave..."

"Have a normal day...have a good day." Davey whispered as he closed his eyes, pressing his cheek gently to Jack's shoulder.