A/N: @ben-cook-can-cook helped me come up with the plot of this so please follow her she's great
masterlist
When Race woke up in the morning, he thought of three things. One, how many papes he could sell in the first three hours, two, fake headlines to fool innocent people, and how he’s gonna eat that night. He looked around and saw Elmer still sleeping across from him and he saw Specs getting dressed. He groggily stood up and slowly started to dress for the day, putting his cigar in his mouth.
Walking out, he saw the other newsies waiting for papes.
“How’d you sleep?” He heard Romeo ask Specs.
“Great, except for Race snoring again.” Specs replied, glaring at him.
“Hey, I do not snore.” Race snapped, and was about to say something else except he saw the Delancey brothers and his playful tone dropped. Normally, he’d join the other newsies in the insults to the brothers, but he saw a very pretty girl walking next to Oscar. She was like nothing Race had ever seen before. She sat on one of the barrels as newsies started to take their papes from Weasel, as Race liked to call him. The girl looked over to Race and smiled slightly at him, before being lightly tapped by Oscar. Was she a Delancey? His theory was quickly proved wrong as Oscar smiled at her and kissed her. This was somehow worse. Who could possibly love Oscar? He was gross and had no redeeming quality.
“Race? You gonna get your papes?” Mush asked, pushing him lightly. He was quickly snapped out of his trance and put his coins on the counter
You saw the boy with a cigar in his mouth as soon as you stepped out. He was handsome, to say the least, and your boyfriend, Oscar, noticed. He tapped you lightly and kissed you. Normally, it’d seem like a romantic gesture of showing love, but in this case, it was the opposite. Oscar didn’t care about showing you love, you were just his property. You weren’t with Oscar for attraction, you were with him to survive. Three years ago both of your parents died from the same illness. You were lucky to not have the same illness, but you learned you had to defend for yourself now. So, you started selling your body, until Oscar Delancey. He found you near death one night, starving and offered you shelter. He seemed like your hero, and you repaid him by dating him, it was the least you could do. Sure, sometimes he yelled at you and did some things to you that you didn’t necessarily like, but he saved you, and that’s what was important. Without Oscar, you would be dead.
“Hey, I need to uh, step away for a second.” You said to Oscar, and he nodded, giving you permission. You walked to where that boy was and saw him getting money from someone else. You reached in your pocket and found a dime, ready to walk over to the boy, but he found you first.
“Why hello, beautiful.” He said, smirking at you. You blushed slightly.
“One paper, please.” You said. He looked skinny, as if hadn’t eaten in days. You immediately felt bad. “Actually, can I get two?”
“Two papes for one girl?” He asked, but handed you the two papers.
“Here you go.” You said, handing him the dime, causing his smirk to fall into a face of confusion.
“It’s only two cents, you don’t have to-“ You cut him off.
“It’s no big deal. You need it more than me.” You said. Race was completely in shock. “I’m Y/N.”
“Race, Racetrack Higgins.” He said, and you smiled at him once more before leaving. A few minutes ago, he saw you sucking faces with Oscar Delancey, and here you were, giving him enough money to last a week. Maybe you weren’t so bad.
“Where’s the dime, Y/N?” Oscar asked as the two of you arrived home.
“I lost it. It must’ve fallen out of my pocket when I walked to the store.” You lied to Oscar, and it caused him to put a hand over his face.
“You’re so stupid.” He said, taking his hand off of his face and putting onto your face, holding your chin.
“I’m sorry.” You said, looking down, but Oscar raised your chin, causing you to meet his gaze. You were afraid he was gonna do something, but surprisingly, he put his hand down.
“Don’t let it happen again, you hear me?” He whispered to you, which was somehow scarier than what you thought. You nodded slightly.
“Yes, Oscar, I promise.” You said, and he kissed you, as if he was forgiving you.
The next morning, you were able to sneak away from Oscar again and find Race. He was on the same corner, yelling out outrageous headlines. You walked over to him and smiled once he saw you.
“Hello again.” Race said, smiling at you.
“Hi Race, I’m here for another paper.” You said, smiling as he handed you one. You were ready to give him the dime, but he stopped you.
“I can’t let you give me another dime, you already gave me so much.” He said, pushing your hand away.
“I want to, honestly.” You said, handing him the dime again. “I have enough.”
“Enjoy your day, Miss Y/N.” He said, kissing your hand slightly, making you smile.
That night, Race was laying on his bunk with a smile on his face. He was able to meet a very pretty girl, and he was finally able not to go to bed hungry. He was ready to fall asleep until he heard a knock on the door.
“Specs, get the door.” Race said. Specs groaned as he stood up, putting his glasses on and walking to the door. Specs expected to see a small boy, looking for shelter, but what he definitely did not expect to see was a girl with a bruise on her face and a bag in her hand looking for Race.
“It’s for you.” Specs said to Race, and Race was confused until he saw you.
Can you do a really fluffy race x reader? Just something really sweet
Raindrops {{racetrack higgins x reader}}
a/n: I love rainy days and it’s raining where I am now so here ya go :)
word count: 215
unedited
The pitter patter of raindrops against the window was the only sound you could hear in the dim, cozy room. Aside from the raindrops and the sound of his even breathing, it was completely quiet, and you were both completely calm. He had you wrapped up in his bare arms, your head lying on his warm, exposed chest, and both of you were snuggled up in big heavy blankets. Race loved days like these. Rain was always a blessing to him- it gave him an excuse to skip out on shenanigans with his boys for a day of being tangled up under blankets with you. He smiled as he looked down at you resting on his chest, your hair splayed out in all directions. Unsure if you were asleep or awake, he ran his fingers through your hair gently. You wished he’d never stop, and when he did, you turned to him to see his eyes filled with a seriousness that didn’t often come upon him.
“I could lay here with you forever,” he nearly whispered. You could almost feel his breath on your cheeks, and you leaned in to close the gap. With his lips pressed against yours, the only other thing you could register was the sound of raindrops falling against the window.
A/N: couldn’t think of a summary oops. Anyway, enjoy this next part! Part four is already written, so when this hits 45 (maybe 50?) notes, I’ll upload the next part :)
You were always an optimistic person. Every time something bad happened, you tried your best to turn it around. You let no one see you cry, or you tried. When your father got sick, you put on a smile and convinced yourself everything was going to be okay. When your mom got sick, you did the same thing. And then they both dropped dead within the next month. You cried harder than you ever had. You were twelve at the time. But, after weeks and realizing you had no money, you had to make some. So you picked yourself up, told yourself your parents would’ve wanted this, and learned how to make money by appealing to the male gaze.
And now here you were, five years later, making money, but this time hiding everything that made you a girl. Every morning you’d shove your hair into a cap and wear baggier clothing to hide your breasts. You’d never think that your life would end up this way.
“Y/N? What are you doing?” Race asked as you took off your vest in front of him.
“I need you.” You said, climbing on top of the boy. He was shocked to say the least, but held onto your hips. You connected your lips to his and started to remove your shirt.
“Y/N, are you-“
“I’m sure. Now just please, take off all of your clothes.” You said and smirked at him, making him go weak.
Race shot up in his bed out of breath. Did he just, did he just have a dream about you? Did he seriously just wish to have you rip all of your clothes off in front of him? He shook away the thoughts and saw the sun rising. He never really saw the sunrise, mostly because he loved sleeping in. But he could barely think properly and decided to go outside to watch it. What he didn’t expect though, was for you to be sitting on the steps watching the sun too. You had on a night gown, something you had before coming to the lodge. And you also had your hair down, a sight Race didn’t see that often. You looked, breathtaking, to say the least.
“Mind if I joined you?” Race asked, startling you slightly. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle ya.”
“Oh no, I was just admiring.” You said, smiling at him. “You know, when I was younger, I’d wake up super early to watch the sunrise with my mom. We’d sit and just look, it was our way of bonding.”
“Why’d you stop?” He asked.
“After my mom died, it hurt every time I’d look at it, it’d bring back memories.” You said.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to-“
“Oh no, it’s not your fault.” You said, the two of you staring at each other. “So why are you up so early?”
“Just couldn’t fall back asleep.” Race half-lied. It was true, but he wasn’t telling you everything, and probably for the best.
“That happens to me too.” You said. “Do you ever get the feeling you’re lucky?”
“What do you mean?” He asked, looking at you.
“I mean, I escaped death. Both of my parents got sick, and I was completely fine. I was able to escape from my past life and come here,” You said, pausing to look at him “and to find you.”
If Race was gonna make any move, it had to be now. He gently put a hand on your chin and the two of you started to lean in, lips so close to touching when the two of you were startled by an unknown voice.
“There you are Race- oh my god.” Jojo said, stopping dead in his tracks. His smile dropped as he saw what was going on. Jojo might’ve been young, but anyone could see what was going to happen between you and Race. “Um, I’m sorry, I’ll jus’ uh, leave you two.”
“Wait, wait.” Race started chasing after Jojo while you hid your face in your hands. How stupid could you be? You cannot let yourself get too close with any of the Newsies, especially Race. It was the only good thing going in your life, and the path you were going was the exact way to mess it up.
“Race oh my god, what the fuck was that?” Jojo asked, causing Race’s cheeks to go the slightest shade of pink.
“It was nothing, I swear, we were just-“
“You were just making out with Y/N!” He exclaimed, causing Elmer and Henry to look over and smirk.
“So you and Y/N? Never would’ve thought.” Henry said, slinging an arm around his shoulder.
“I always thought Y/N had a thing for me.” Elmer said, causing Race to smack him on the chest.
“We didn’t even kiss! We were close- if someone hadn’t interrupted us.” Race said, shooting a glare at Jojo. The boys continued to banter until they saw you walk in. The room went completely silent.
“Race, could I, could I talk to you for a second?” You quietly asked, and Race slowly followed you outside.
“Y/N-“
“Please don’t tell anyone, anything.” You cut him off.
“Oh, um okay.” He said.
“I don’t need anyone else knowing.” You said.
“Yeah, yeah. We better get ready.” He said, starting to walk away from you.
“Race, it’s not you it’s-“
“No, Y/N, it’s fine.” He said, and with that, he walked back into the lodge.
As you were lining up to papers, Race ignored you the whole way. You didn’t mean to hurt him, you just didn’t need to be known as that girl who’d go around kissing everyone she got close to. You already made that mistake once, you couldn’t do it again.
“Uh, yeah, yeah, come inside.” Race said, taking your bag and leading you to a room full of beds.
“Thanks, I’m sorry to barge in here, I just didn’t know where else to go.” You said, tears still streaming down your face.
“No! I mean, uh, it’s no problem, really. We have plenty of space.” Race lied. There was absolutely no space, and some of the newsies had to share beds. Whether that was by choice or necessity is yet to be known, however. Race looked down slightly and saw some of your skirt stained with blood. “Um, what happened, what happened, to your leg?”
“What-oh my-I didn’t mean, it’s just nothing.” You said, putting a hand over the wound.
“Can I take a look? It’s just so, so I can fix it.” He said, his cheeks starting to turn red. Having to fix your wound meant that you’d practically have to strip naked.
“Um, I guess.” You said, and Race went into the other room to get the first aid kit and when he came back, his breath hitched. You were in your underwear, but what was more shocking was all the bruises along your legs.
“Um, I’m sorry for, for staring.” He said, looking down and starting to unwrap the gauze.
“No, it’s, it’s okay.” You said. The both of you refused to look each other in the eye. You were embarrassed that you were practically naked in front of a cute boy, and Race was embarrassed that he saw you, a very pretty girl naked in a setting he never thought he’d be in.
“Here, just, you can take this bed.” He said after he was done wrapping your leg.
“Isn’t this yours?” You asked. “I wouldn’t want to take your bed.”
“No, no, it’s okay, I gotta, gotta talk to someone first.” Race said, motioning for you to lay down. “You need sleep. It’s late.”
“You brought a girl here?” Jack asked, putting a hand over his face. “You know the rules, Race.”
“Jack, you don’t understand, she came here, and was bruised and it would be rude to turn her away, Y/N-”
“Wait, wait. Y/N, the girl you like that’s dating Oscar Delancey? Didn’t it cross your mind that maybe she’s working with him? You-”
“She’s not!”
“How do you know?”
“Because, because, when she came here, I saw bruises all over her body, and she’s different.” He said, his voice lowering at the end.
“Fine, fine. She can stay.” Jack said. “We might have an extra bed somewhere.”
That morning, you woke up to three boys looking up at you. You screamed slightly, sitting up and trying to cover your body with the blanket.
“Who are you?” A boy asked. He had red hair, and was the only one completely dressed.
“I’m Y/N.” You said, putting out your hand to shake.
“Albert.” He said, shaking your hand.
“And I’m Romeo, beautiful.” Another boy said, kissing your hand, but he was quickly cut off by the last boy shoving him slightly.
“I’m Elmer.” The last boy said, and you smiled awkwardly.
“Hey boys! Leave Y/N alone.” Race said, causing the boys to leave the room. “Sorry about that.”
“Oh, it’s fine. They seem, nice.” You said.
“Well, I had an idea, because you’re gonna need some money.” He said.
“Race, I don’t know if this will work.” You said as a boy named Mush wiped some dirt across your face.
“Trust me, it will.” He replied, tossing you some of his old clothes. “These’ll probably fit you.”
“And you can have my old hat.” Elmer said, finishing braiding your hair.
“Thank you so much, you guys.” You said as Elmer helped you put the cap over your head.
“It’s no problem, Y/N.” The boys said before leaving you to get dressed. After the awkward meeting, Race briefly explained your story, and the boys were immediately willing to help you make a new living.
“I don’t know if I can do this, Race.” You said as the both of you were waiting in line to get newspapers.
“You’ll be fine. Just put down the dime, grab the papes, and go.” He explained. Suddenly, it was your turn next and your breath got caught in your throat.
“Well? You got money or not?” Oscar Delancey asked with a snarl to his tone. You timidly put down the dime and watched Morris count out the papers. When he made eye contact with you, you gasped silently and put your head down, only looking up when you heard the slam of the papers. You grabbed them and practically ran away from that counter.
“You’ll be selling with Elmer today, you can probably help him sell more papes.” Race joked, which caused Elmer to slap him in the chest. You smiled and nodded at him as Elmer started to lead you to a somewhat busy area.
“Just make up a crazy headline, it could be anything. It’s like a game, whoever can make up the craziest headline wins.” Elmer explained, and you smiled that you understood.
“Crazy murderer on the loose!” You yelled out, and one man handed you a nickel hurriedly before rushing away. You smiled widely on it, and was met with Elmer’s shocked face.
“This is your first time selling?” He asked, and you nodded. “You are amazing.”
“Well, thanks, I guess.” Maybe selling papers wasn’t so bad.
That evening, when everyone was out of the streets and in their homes, you decided to get some dinner. You remembered this morning when you saw a kid, his name Jojo, looking incredibly skinny and like he hadn’t ate in a while. You had made a decent amount of money, and were able to sell more than half of your papers. It was luck that the first guy gave you a nickel, because no one else was that generous. One guy even threw a penny at you just to get a pape, but at least you were getting paid. You stopped at a store that seemed close to closing, looking to buy some food.
“We’re not interested in your newspaper crap.” The owner immediately said the moment you walked in the door.
“I’m just looking to get a few things.” You said timidly, causing the owner to take some pity on you.
“Make it quick, we close in five minutes.” He said, and you thanked him quickly before grabbing two loaves of bread. After paying quickly, you noticed how dark it was outside and started running back to the lodge.
“Where were you?” Race asked, worried. “It’s already dark.”
“I wanted to thank you, for everything you’ve done for me. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you.” You replied, pulling out the loaves of bread.
“How were you able to afford this?” He asked.
“I guess I’m really good at selling papes.” You said, smiling. “I got these for the boys who can’t eat tonight. Including you.”
“I can’t-”
“Please, I can’t repay you, but this is a start.” You said, and he gave you a watery smile. For the first time, Race felt head-over-heels, and he had barely met you.
How could you be so stupid? You made sure to be careful every single time and it was still happening. How in the world were you going to tell Race you were pregnant?
“Are you sure?” Davey whispered to you as the two of you walked into school. Davey was your best friend in the whole world, and you told him everything.
“Yes! My period’s a week late, and last time we- well, you know, I think we forgot-”
“You forgot to wear a condom?” Davey exclaimed loudly, causing a few heads to turn to face you two.
“Would you keep your fucking voice down? Yeah, okay we forgot protection, but I was still on the pill, so I figured it was okay.” You said.
“I can’t believe you.” Davey said.
“I just need you not to tell- Oh hey Race!” You spoke louder to your boyfriend, who kissed you sweetly.
“Ugh, you guys are disgusting.” Davey said, which only made Race kiss you longer.
“Hey, Dave, doesn’t Jack need your help somewhere?” You asked, smirking at him.
“Fuck you.” He said, and started walking away.
“Okay, so tonight I was thinking we should rent a movie, I know you like that one movie you like, and we could just chill tonight.” Race said, and you smiled, forgetting the conversation you had less than a minute ago. Being with Race made you so happy, and you knew how much this was going to break him.
“Yeah, that sounds great.”
That day after school, you were waiting impatiently by your car for Race. While you were in class, all you could think about was ways to tell Race. ‘Hey, you want a baby? Well, now you have one! Surprise!’ That was one way, but you didn’t think it was exactly the right way.
“Hey, you okay?” Race asked, kissing you quickly on the cheek.
“Yeah, just, just thinking.” You said, climbing in the car. Your car was messy, but not to the point where you couldn’t see the floor. There was a hoodie for days you forgot a jacket, a bag of snacks for obvious reasons, and something you hoped Race wouldn’t notice. A pregnancy test box. You bought it two nights ago, and you were so anxious you threw the box and ran into your house. It was mostly under the seat, but you could almost see it.
“Well, I hope you’re ready for tonight.” Race said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” You asked.
“I realize how weird that sounded, I meant I have a surprise for you.” He said, and you smiled lightly.
“I also have a surprise for you, tonight.” You said. You had to tell him tonight, or it would eat at you until you did.
“Wow, babe, we’re so in sync, we both had surprises for each other. We’re an amazing couple.” He said as you pulled into your driveway.
You were leaning into Race as the movie was going on, and his arm was warped around you, rubbing small circles in your side. You kept thinking about how to tell him, he did so much for you and you had no clue what to do.
“Oh, I almost forgot the surprise.” Race said, moving away from you. He pulled a little box out of his pocket, and when he opened it, you saw it was a small necklace with an ‘R’ on it. You gasped slightly and took it from him.
“Race, it’s so beautiful. I don’t know-”
“I know you said you needed something, so I thought-” You cut Race off by kissing him. “Hey, what’s wrong?” You didn’t even realize you were crying until race wiped away some of your tears.
“Once I tell you my surprise, I don’t think you’ll want to talk to me.” You said, and he lifted your chin gently.
“You can tell me anything.”
“So, remember two weeks ago, when we, well had sex?” You asked and he nodded. “We didn’t use protection, and I’m pregnant.”
“What?” He asked, not expecting that.
“Surprise!” You weakly said, wiping another tear away.
“You’re pregnant? No, no, no, this isn’t right.” He said, standing up.
“Wait, Race, please-”
“I, I have to go-”“Please, don’t leave me!” You exclaimed, but it was too late. You heard the door slam and you knew it was over.
The next week you had gone back to school, after not attending. You didn’t want to, but figured it wasn’t doing any good to stay home. You looked down at your stomach as you walked into school. You didn’t think it was noticeable, but you were terrified someone else might, so you put your books slightly over your stomach to cover it.
“Hey Y/N.” Davey cautiously said to you. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Yeah, thanks.” You replied, unfazed by seeing your best friend. You had become completely apathetic to everything.
“I know what happened, and-”
“Don’t you dare tell me to try and talk to him.” You interrupted. “Don’t even say his name.”
“I’m sorry, but-”
“I have to go.” You said, walking away from him. You reached slightly into your hoodie and held on to the necklace that was recently given to you. At least you had the necklace.
After school you were walking out of school and almost got to your car when you saw someone walking in front of you. You’d notice that dirty blond hair anywhere.
“Race!” You exclaimed, and he turned around slightly, but then kept walking. “Talk to me.” Nothing was working. He just kept walking and you could only think of one other thing that would grab his attention.
“Anthony!” You yelled, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. He walked over to you quickly, and you’s be scared if you didn’t know him, but you did, and you knew he’d never hurt you.
“What do you want?”
“Really? What do I want? Maybe I want the father of my child to fucking talk to me! I’m scared as fuck Race! And just, please, don’t leave me behind.” You said, your voice softening at the end. Race relaxed a little bit and gently put a hand on your shoulder.
“I’m sorry.” He said.
“That’s so great, now we’re all fine.” You said, sarcastically.
“I’m scared, because my father wasn’t the best, and I don’t want our child to grow up the way I did.” He admitted. You knew all about Race’s father.
“Race, you aren’t your father, baby, you are nothing like him.” You said, putting a hand on his face, and he broke down. He started sobbing and you wrapped your arms around him.
“I’m sorry I left you.” He said, and you kissed him on the cheek.
Could I get some modern era race x reader please? P.s. I really love your writing
Study Buddy {{racetrack higgins x reader}}
a/n: writing a fic about doing algebra homework while completely ignoring my algebra homework? it’s more likely than you think
and thank you! I guess I don’t ever say it but I really love writing for you guys, it’s such a fun hobby so it’s great to hear that it’s appreciated :)
word count: 1070
warnings: kissing bet
modern au
unedited
You set your pencil down with a frustrated sigh and rubbed your temples. It was only ten minutes into algebra, and you were already tired of being there. Math had never been your strong suit, and this year, algebra was really pushing your limits. You took a deep breath and looked back down at the notes on your desk. Why couldn’t you be like the other kids in your class who understood the work as soon as it was taught? You rolled your eyes as the teacher moved on to the next chapter, leaving you behind to figure out the math alone. The bell rang fifty minutes later, and you’d never been more relieved, moving like a shot right out of the room. You were worried about how you were going to understand the homework for that night, considering the fact you couldn’t even finish last night’s assignment without calling your neighbor, Race, for help. You and Race always helped each other in your weakest subjects. You’d been revising his essays since the sixth grade and he checked your math homework nearly every night. He never gave you any grief about being a terrible math student, and you were thankful there was at least one person in the world who was as patient as he was when it came to teaching you. Race was always there to assure you that everything would be fine, and remembering that gave you comfort as you walked to your next class.
By the time he opened the front door that afternoon, you were already about to give up on the work in front of you. You were curled up on the couch, practically buried in your notes from past lessons you pulled out in hopes to find some kind of sense to what you were trying to learn. A wave of anxiety rushed over you at the thought of being unprepared for the next test- you weren’t sure you’d ever be ready to pass a test over this stuff.
“Oh no,” he joked, but you were already spent and couldn’t laugh at his carefree attitude. He set his bag down at the end of the couch and moved the scattered papers to take a seat next to you. “Alright, what’s wrong?”
“I’m so confused I don’t even know what I don’t know,” you threw your notes down in frustration, another wave of nervousness washing over you as you realized Race would probably have the hardest time teaching you today. How could he answer your questions if you didn’t even know what to ask?
“Hey,” he said gently, “it’s alright, don’t get upset. You’ll be fine.”
“No, I won’t,” you panicked, “How can you help me if I don’t even know what I need help with?”
He tried to suppress a small smile. “(Y/N), I don’t mean to ring my own bell, but I’m a really good tutor. Here, let me see what you’re working on.”
You rolled your eyes at his self righteous comment, but quickly handed over your notes. He glanced over them for just a second before nodding to himself, remembering the material.
“I know this, it’s inverse functions. I’m pretty good at these,” he said, handing the notes back.
“Well, that makes one of us,” you scoffed and crossed your arms. You tried to hold back your attitude, well aware that you shouldn’t take your frustration out on Race. But he just smiled, understanding your temper.
“Hey, have I ever led you wrong?” he reminded you, slowly inching closer and tucking a loose lock of hair back into your messy bun. “You’ll get it, I promise. But right now, I’d say you need a break from this for just a minute. Clear your mind.”
You sighed and nodded, glancing at the clock to see you’d been sitting there, swamped in papers, for nearly an hour. Race helped you gather your papers together and set them aside. He grabbed the remote from the coffee table, turning on your favorite Netflix show, and you leaned against him, finally letting yourself relax. He carefully pulled the band out of your hair and gently ran his fingers through it, knowing it was the best way to calm you down. You both sat there for a while a little out of breath- you from trying to get over your panic, him from the rush of getting to hold you. When you were finally alright, you brought the notes back out with a new determination.
“Alright, I’m gonna re-teach you this whole thing,” Race informed you, “but if you take the test over this and get a B on it, you’ve gotta kiss me.”
“What?” you laughed, but your heart skipped a beat. There was a playful, but genuine look in his deep blue eyes. You and Race had known each other forever, and sure, you both started flirting when you’d gotten older, but you’d always thought it was just in good fun. You never thought he really meant anything… but you weren’t complaining.
“Okay, deal.” you smirked, suddenly hopeful at the idea. You tried to ignore your excitement as you thought it’d be a win-win situation.
Sure enough, one week later, the test hung on the refrigerator with a large “80” circled in red at the very top. You didn’t mention it when Race came in that afternoon, but he caught it as soon as he opened the fridge door for snacks.
“Well, well, well,” he closed the refrigerator door, grabbed the test, and strolled over to where you stood on the opposite side of the kitchen. “Look what we have here.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” you teased, crossing your arms and looking away.
“I’d say it’s fate, winning your kiss by one point,” he smiled, gently unfolding your arms.
“More like two hours of studying!” You playfully hit his chest. He grabbed your arms and wrapped them around him.
“Hey,” he smirked, “I knew you could do it.”
“Well, I couldn’t have done it without you,” you smiled and leaned in. Your lips pressed against his for just a second, and you both pulled away, slightly shocked at what you’d done. He didn’t know if you would actually go through with the deal and was a little surprised. Something in both of you began to stir, and yeah, you hated algebra, but you couldn’t help but be grateful for it as he pulled you back in for more.
Can you do a race x an energetic reader in canon era?
And Then
a/n: okay so I kinda took this in a different direction than what I intended to at first. I led the “energetic” part to be more as the reader being too bored with the same old life she’d been living, I hope that’s okay :)
word count: 1320
warnings:
canon era
unedited/ lightly edited/ fully edited
The spring rain had just ended, and it was as if you could smell it floating up from the concrete and through your open bedroom window. You had been cooped up in your house in the finer streets of Manhattan all day- it had been raining much too hard to go outside, which you weren’t happy about. You were one of those girls who had to have her fresh air, couldn’t be trapped inside reading and talking about high society while sipping on tea with your mother’s first class friends. No, that wasn’t you at all. You were practically itching to go out for a stroll, and figured that since the rain had slowed to a quiet pitter-patter, your mother wouldn’t give you so much grief about ruining one of your many beautiful dresses. You dressed and slowly creeped down the staircase, hoping she wouldn’t hear the clacking of your (much hated) heels. Thankfully, she was too caught up in gossiping with her ridiculously dressed-up friends (they were just having tea, for god sakes) to notice you slip out of the door and down the avenue.
You rolled your eyes to yourself, thinking of the ridiculousness that was your high and strict lifestyle. You were so over it, tired of the “sit still and pretty” discipline your mother had desperately tried to instill in you your whole life. That backfired on her, you thought with a laugh. Because here you were, running off to see the one boy in the world who made you feel free.
You met him one afternoon while trying to avoid another silly tea party lesson with your mother’s old nurse, Gwendolyn, and he was staking out new spots to sell at. You’d just turned the corner near your house, and panicked when you saw Nurse Gwendolyn walking towards your direction. Instinctively, you hid in an alley and prayed she wouldn’t find you, dreading the thought of getting dragged back home for another hour long session about folding your napkin properly.
“Woah, heya doll, how ya-”
Without hesitation, you quickly covered his mouth with your hand, causing his intensely blue eyes to widen at you in shock. You placed a finger in front of your lips and let him go, hoping he wouldn’t give you any trouble. He nodded, and thankfully Nurse Gwendolyn passed right by, humming some obnoxious tune to herself. When you were both sure she was gone, you breathed a sigh of relief, and he slipped a cigar in between his lips.
“What was that all about?” He crossed his arms after lighting the cigar. “She’s my nurse. I was supposed to have a lesson with her this evening, but I couldn’t stand the thought of sitting through an hour of her stupid, useless etiquette training,” you replied, surprised at yourself with your harsh words. Your mother would have had a fit if she’d heard you.
“Ah, I see,” the boy nodded, though he really didn’t understand your misery. “Well, stick with me, doll, an’ I’ll teach ya everything you really need ta know.” And you did. You began to see Race more often, as he decided on your street as his new selling spot. When he wasn’t working and you were bored out of your mind, he’d whisk you away to roam the streets of Manhattan, playing tricks on people and discovering new corners of the city you’d lived in for your whole life but were never permitted to see. He showed you what it was like to really enjoy the life you were living and that there was more to it than mingling with others in high society.
Once you got a taste of it, you couldn’t get enough. So you waited in your usual meeting spot, the corner of the last two streets in your neighborhood, smelling the rain, which was stronger on the street than it was from your bedroom. You knew it might take a while for him to show; he was probably still at the Newsboy’s Lodge due to the weather. But once he showed, the clouds began to rumble, and you could tell it was going to rain again.
“Race, maybe we should be on our way back home,” you said hesitantly, “it looks like-”
“Oh no, princess,” he shook his head, using his favorite nickname on you, “I was thinkin’ ya could teach me somethin’ today.”
“Oh? Like what?”
He laughed and tucked the cigar in his shirt pocket, the sweet smoke still burning and floating in the air around you. “I was thinkin’ you could teach me how ta dance.”
“Are you serious?” you laughed, trying not to lose yourself in his bright, excited eyes.
“Yeah, teach me ta dance like those Rockefellers do with their ladies,” he snickered. “Please?”
“Oh, alright!” you teasingly sighed as if it’d be a trouble, but were secretly eager to have his hands rest on your waist. But just then, you felt the small drops of water sprinkle onto your skin. You were about to insist on heading back home, but Race caught the look in your eyes and objected before you could say a word.
“But Race!” you protested, but he wasn’t having it.
“Come on, (Y/N)! Live a little!”
You were going to object, but you realized he was right. Would it really be the end of the world if your mother was angry about a stupid wet dress?
“Alright, first, you have to bow,” you laughed, his excitement for your participation making the moment well worth its sacrifice.
“Like this?” he smiled after a ridiculous attempt.
“No, silly, like a gentleman!” you laughed, showing him the proper way. He repeated it perfectly with a huge smile still on his face.
“And then I’ll curtsy,”
“Wow, you really are a princess, (Y/N)” he said. You weren’t sure if you were imagining it or not, but you could’ve sworn he sounded breathless.
“Oh, hush!” you rolled your eyes. “Then, you’ll take my hand.”
He reached out to you and you placed your hand in his. To your surprise, he brought your hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss there. You were too in awe to wonder where he’d picked that up, and the rain began to come down heavier. You nearly pulled away, but were too lost in his beautiful blue eyes to move.
“Next?” he smiled, his usually loud and confident voice suddenly soft and curious.
“Next” you tried to remember- this boy was suddenly throwing your concentration- “next you’ll pull me in close, and rest your other hand just above my waist.”
“Like this?” he asked, one hand holding yours, the other on your back. You were beginning to think- was he nervous?
“Not quite,” you giggled, pushing his hand further down and across to sit right on your hip, “there.”
It was hard to tell because the rain was beginning to pour, but you thought you saw his cheeks fade into a light shade of red. He leaned in closer, just barely enough for your bodies to remain separated.
“And then?” he nearly whispered, his lips so achingly close to touching yours that you could feel his breath, those intense blue eyes locked on yours.
“Then… you…” you began to trail off, so caught up in him that nothing else existed- not the rain, not the dress, not the fancy streets- just… him.
And then, slowly, as if asking for permission, he closed the gap between your lips with his own, choosing to dance with you in the best way he could ever want- with those lips. Raindrops were gliding down your faces, the thunder rolled, and you could smell the sweet scent of cigar smoke and peppermint around you. The hand that wasn’t on your waist rested on your cheek, barely pulling you closer to him. And in that moment, nothing else mattered. Nothing else in the world could have possibly mattered.
Hi! Could I request a Race x reader canon era fic please?
Hunger {{racetrack higgins x reader}}
a/n: I took some extreme creative liberty with this ask so I apologize that it’s not what I usually write! also, the reader is never named in this ask but it is still an x reader fic.
word count: 820
warnings: angstyyyyy. mentions of death/dying
canon era
unedited/ lightly edited/ fully edited
It was a feeling he was unfortunately all too familiar with. It crept up on him, sneaking in quietly and almost unnoticed during his morning walk. It tapped on his conscience more demandingly as he watched the restaurants fill during lunch hour. And he’d ignored it, knowing he was incapable of satisfying the feeling. But on his way back to the Lodge for the evening, it hit him unforgivingly, and he would’ve fallen had it not been for the streetlight he grabbed on the way down. He was quickly overcome with nausea, but there was simply nothing in his stomach to expel. The world around him spun like a little newsie’s top, and he began to notice how tired his muscles were just from standing there. Although hunger had always been a constant in his life, he couldn’t recall a single time where he’d suddenly felt so close to dying. In a city full of people what seemed like only a few minutes ago, there was now no one to come to his rescue.
He was able to crawl his way to lean against the wall of an empty alley. It was dark, and the night was beginning to cool off. This, he thought, this wouldn’t be such a bad place to die. It would be just fine. The winter had been rough this year- not a single week went by without at least four terrible snow days, and even if the snow wasn’t falling as hard, no one wanted to face the below freezing temperatures to buy a newspaper. Yes, it had been a terrible winter, and every boy was struggling more than ever to support himself, much less each other. Everyone hated bitter winters- they caused countless arguments and pushed the boys farther apart from each other. Even Race and Jack hadn’t spoken in two days, and Race was beginning to question how much good he was really doing for those boys. The season had caused him to question if they really needed him or not. He could just leave. That’s what they needed- less of each other to worry about. Race decided then, he didn’t mind helping them out in that sense. Not when he was already this far gone.
He closed his eyes, low moans involuntarily escaping from his lips. It was alright. It was fine. This was how it was supposed to be. Kids like him never turned out to be anything in the long run, anyway. He knew that- he always knew that. No matter how much hell he’d given the Delanceys, no matter how many jokes he’d cracked. He’d be stupid to think it wouldn’t come down to this. He did hope, though, that one of those Delanceys would just find him and knock him out of his misery…
When he heard her footsteps approaching, he was sure it was the brothers themselves. But something was different about Morris’s voice. It was soothing, shushing his cries and telling him something about everything being alright. Those couldn’t have been Oscar’s hands wiping his tears and pushing pieces of bread past his lips. He opened his eyes to find a pair looking straight into his own, narrowed by concern. He heard her voice, swimming around somewhere in his mind, “everything’s going to be alright.”
“No,” he whimpered, remembering his resignation for the good of the boys. An extra penny in everyone’s pocket goes a long way over time. “Stop.”
Her eyes widened, taken aback by his resistance, but ignored it and continued to force the food into him. He shook his head as hard as he could- which was barely at all- and lifted his arm to stop her.
“No,” he cried again, “let me go, just let me…”
Tears began to pool in her eyes, a new mission rooting itself in her heart. She would not let him win. She took the glass of water she’d taken from the deli and made him drink, plugging his nose and covering his mouth to force him to swallow. Her heart broke after getting the entire glass of water in him. He just cried, sobbing that “the boys didn’t need him”, over and over again.
“I need you,” she whispered. She didn’t know the boy, and he didn’t know her. But she was smart enough to try convincing him that someone in the world cared about him. He bought it, of course, because he wanted to believe it. He needed to believe it. “I need you to try to eat, try to get better, alright?”
He nodded, flooded with some kind of feeling that wasn’t love, but felt pretty close. The tears slowed, and soon the sickness had somewhat subsided and he was just exhausted. So she let him rest his head on her shoulder as she distracted him with a story about her godmother’s theatre, and all of the amazing wonders it was home to.
