jabbathehutt: (looking to the past)
Ezra Bridger ([personal profile] jabbathehutt) wrote2021-05-17 08:40 am

Mist under the East River

No one even noticed what happened to the kids on Delancey. Or never talked about it, which amounted to the same thing.

The papers covered the accident that took the life of three construction workers on the Manhattan side of what will eventually become the second East River Bridge. They said digging hit an underground cave they didn't know was there, and the families were compensated widely.

No one talked about the handful of street kids who had taken to using the site as shelter at night. Who had, due to dares and a morbid curiosity, snuck into the site to find - not an underground cave but a secret basement. And this is because no one survived to talk about it afterwards.

Except Ezra Bridger. Who never does talk about it.

In fact, most people have probably forgotten he was even friends with those kids.

Now he sells papes and lives by his wits on the Lower East Side, tries to avoid making any more friends, and keeps himself to himself.

Well, as much as that's possible among the ragged army of New York City newsboys.

brooklynishere: (Default)

[personal profile] brooklynishere 2021-06-02 02:49 pm (UTC)(link)

Spot blinks at him in surprise, and the words 'don't you know?' threatened to spill from his lips before he stops himself - as ubiquitous as his father's name was, particularly amongst newsies, he realises most of them wouldn't actually recognise him on sight, none of them would have really met him before, or any of the paper moguls.

"He's... uh... he's William Randolph Hearst." He assumes Ezra, like himself and most of the other Manhattan boys he's familiar with, sells more often for the World than the Journal, but he figures he'll probably still recognise the name.

brooklynishere: (Default)

[personal profile] brooklynishere 2021-06-02 03:41 pm (UTC)(link)

Ah, yes, there it is. He thought Ezra must have already gone through this revelation, but he realises now he was an idiot for assuming it, so he waits patiently for it to sink in.

"Yea..." he says slowly "I guess you've probably never seen him before..."

He shrugs, a little awkwardly - it is what it is.

brooklynishere: (Default)

[personal profile] brooklynishere 2021-06-02 07:42 pm (UTC)(link)

"He owns things elsewhere, sometimes he has to go and see to them," he explains. He's been on at least two trips since the encounter with Ezra, which is more frequent than usual, but Spot assumes there's something going on that his father hasn't told him, which happens often enough he isn't suspicious.

"He's a busy man in general," he admits.

brooklynishere: (Default)

[personal profile] brooklynishere 2021-06-02 09:32 pm (UTC)(link)

Spot tenses slightly, for just a moment before he forces himself to relax, and then he nods.

"In a lot of ways, yes it is." He agrees "much better."

Not least because it meant he could spend more time with the newsies.

brooklynishere: (Default)

[personal profile] brooklynishere 2021-06-03 08:22 am (UTC)(link)

Spot falls silent as well, wondering if Ezra will say anything - he was the one who suggested this meeting, so he wonders if it was for a purpose, or if it was just so they could talk without worrying about either of their secrets. When Ezra isn't forthcoming, he searches for something to say himself.

"I guess you probably don't have to worry as much about your secret getting out, unless it's not as easy to hide as it seems?"

brooklynishere: (Default)

[personal profile] brooklynishere 2021-06-03 09:02 am (UTC)(link)

Spot snorts slightly.

"Yea, but that someone might be kind of grateful you did." he points out, giving Ezra a light nudge with his shoulder. He is grateful, still, because everything had been about to come tumbling down for him before Ezra showed up.

brooklynishere: (Default)

[personal profile] brooklynishere 2021-06-03 09:31 am (UTC)(link)

Spot nods, but he doesn't agree - regardless of Ezra's motivations, Spot owes him big time, and he will find a way to repay him for what he's done.

"Yea," he nods easily "Guess it must get kind of lonely, not being able to say anything."

He's not projecting, you are.

brooklynishere: (Default)

[personal profile] brooklynishere 2021-06-03 10:59 am (UTC)(link)

"Yea, I know the one." Spot nods evenly. He doesn't get where this is going, but he can tell that whatever Ezra's about to say, it's clearly taking him some effort, which means it's important, so he waits patiently for him to explain.

brooklynishere: (Default)

[personal profile] brooklynishere 2021-06-03 11:25 am (UTC)(link)

"Wasn't just construction workers," he says without thinking - they didn't know for sure that the kids who'd disappeared had died, but everybody suspected.

It's not until the words are out of his mouth that something clicks, and he looks up at Ezra in surprise.

"...What happened?"

brooklynishere: (Default)

[personal profile] brooklynishere 2021-06-03 02:25 pm (UTC)(link)

It sounds unlike anything Spot could even imagine, but after what he's seen Ezra do, with the seriousness in his tone, he doesn't want any time not believing him.

"And you don't know how you survived and.. they didn't?" he asks quietly - he already knows the answer is yes, he assumes Ezra would have said if there was any kind of indication why he'd been spared.

"Is that when it started?"

brooklynishere: (Default)

[personal profile] brooklynishere 2021-06-04 09:46 am (UTC)(link)
"That must have been a lot to deal with." Spot says after a moment, he's not sure what else to say, but he can't even imagine what that must have been like - to lose his friends in mysterious circumstances and then to suddenly be able to do things nobody else could do? It's a wonder Ezra didn't lose his mind completely.

brooklynishere: (Default)

[personal profile] brooklynishere 2021-06-04 12:32 pm (UTC)(link)

"Yea... kind of a relief, when somebody knows your secrets..."

He doesn't think Ezra will miss he's talking about both of them. As dangerous as it is to have someone who knows, it's something of a relief, too, knowing that there's at least one person he doesn't have to pretend around.

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