Vernon- Forced Proximity

Vernon- Forced Proximity

Vernxnsfool this post is definitely not for you. <3 

Hello fellow Carats! This post is purely mind vomit so enjoy. Also I am open to suggestions for what happens next cause I have no ideas. Stay healthy and snazzy! :)

You were lucky you had a year’s worth of subway trips attached to the metro card you carefully tucked back into your wallet. You would hate it if you had to walk to every single open call audition you attended and the subway just makes your life easier, even if it is teeming with germs, sketchy characters, and most definitely no space to feel fully comfortable. Traveling from Washington Heights to the center of the city was a mildly long trip and you were always sure to have your pepper spray and taser close at hand in case anyone tried to fuck with you. Besides that, you always wore a glare on your face that you hoped would keep people away in the first place. 

The subway was quite full this morning with early morning business people with their coffee, plenty of tourists, the occasional musician that hopped on to play a song or two- it was New York City and nothing really surprised you anymore. When you first moved here after college, it was a bit of a culture shock but you’ve gotten used to it and even grew to love it. 

The subway came to a stop, not yours quite yet. You watched as some people got off and a new set of people got on, crowding up the subway cart even more. You held onto the metal pole in the subway as the voice overhead instructed, shifting in your Doc Martens- a signature choice for any audition you attended- as the subway lightly jolted you around. You were practically shoulder to shoulder with the people next to you, sharing the pole in front of you with many other hands, which agitated your claustrophobia a bit and kept you on high alert to the people around you. 

The subway passed through a particularly rocky part underground and everyone shifted with it, careful not to lose their balance. A lady in business attire standing to your left, having a loud and somewhat obnoxious conversation with an earpiece, lightly bumped into you but she didn’t seem to notice. You rolled your eyes at her and shifted your feet slightly away from her towards the figure standing next to you. Almost immediately, you felt them step on your foot and pull away after a half-assed apology, which annoyed you even more. What is it with everyone getting in your personal space today? You heard a phone ring to your right and the person answered. 

“Yes I’m on my way…. “ The deep voice sounded agitated, as if he was running late, or maybe he hated standing so closely to other people as much as you did. “Well tell him that it's not my fault he forgot his… Do you want me to get there even later than-” 

Out of nowhere, the subway violently lurched forward coming to a stop and you held on tightly to the pole catching yourself. The person to your right was not nearly as lucky. Having not been holding onto the pole at all, he put his hands out to catch himself, though it was not his hands that caught his fall, but your chest. Once he noticed where his hands were, he quickly removed them, as if he had just touched something sweltering, and his face went a bright red. 

It was only then that you noticed the young man standing in front of you. He was about your age, maybe a little older, with short brown wavy hair that was pristinely swooped out of his face and effortlessly flawless skin. How he had only just now come to your attention was so beyond you and you had to stop yourself from staring too long. 

“I am so sorry,” he said slowly, looking at you with sincerity in his large brown eyes. You both stood there, staring at each other like a pair of idiots, waiting for the other to make the next move. You felt your cheeks get hot as well, not just because of the accidental interaction but because you felt an aggravating yet obvious attraction to this man. 

“The subway stopped,” you said simply, your attention suddenly drawn away to the other obvious situation at hand. “Shit! The subway stopped!” 

You weren’t running late but you always showed up to your auditions early enough to warm up. Who knows how long the subway was going to be stopped and if you would even make it to your audition at all. The New York City subways aren’t the most reliable in the world. Commotion and anxiety started growing amongst the subway passengers stuck in the cart with you and everyone started looking around and talking amongst each other worriedly. 

“Are you okay?” you heard the voice ask. You looked him in his eyes again, your heart picking up pace for some ungodly reason. “I swear it was an accident.” 

“You know there’s a reason you’re supposed to hold onto the poles,” you said, colder than you intended. You didn’t mean to be rude to him but it sort of just flew out. “They announce it like a million times before the subway takes off.” 

“Yeah… I know,” he said, sheepishly, breaking away from your gaze and placing a hand above yours on the pole. 

“So why did you choose to ignore it? My chest isn’t a stable part of this subway cart, believe it or not.” You were coming off harsh, maybe too harsh to someone who claimed it was an accident. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t choose to ignore it… I- I shouldn’t have… I’ve just had a rough day so far. Um… Call it a lesson learned?” he stuttered, half smiling. He honestly seemed sorry about it but you couldn’t fully trust a complete stranger. Something about him did seem familiar though, like you’d seen him at an audition or perhaps on a billboard in Times Square. 

“Sure,” you responded. You decided to pull out your phone to text your friend you were planning on meeting at the audition that you might be stuck in a subway for a little while. You removed your hand from the pole and reached into your bag but only felt your music binder and an accumulation of dance shoes. You felt around a little more and found it while the subway simultaneously lurched forward back in motion again. Helplessly, you fell towards the young man who caught you in his arms with ease. You looked up at him, feeling embarrassed and hypocritical while he, on the other hand, was trying to hide a bit of laughter. 

“Sweet Jesus, I am so sorry,” you said to him, regaining your balance and latching your hand back onto the subway pole. 

“Call it payback?” he suggested. “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” 

“I’m Vernon, by the way.”

Recital Day- Mingyu

It was a bright and early Sunday morning but one that you had been looking forward to for a little while now. Recital days were always exciting, and you’ve enjoyed them ever since growing up dancing in the studio, but now that you were an adult working for your own dance studio you got to experience them in a completely different way. It was your studio’s first recital since opening last fall and you couldn’t wait for your students to get up on the stage to perform and show everyone the progress they’ve made. You loved every single one of your students, regardless of their age and dance experience, and you loved teaching them and watching them grow. 

You got some help setting up the stage from the other dance teachers you worked with and soon enough, your students and their families started to arrive. You greeted each family with a smile, engaging in short conversations with the parents, thanking them for coming, and asking your dancers if they were ready to perform as well. You loved interacting with the kids, whether they were nervous and hiding behind their parents, or couldn’t wait to get up on the stage. Once the theater was mostly full, you scanned the audience to make sure all your students were there, but noticed a certain family missing. 

How could you have forgotten about your youngest dancer, little Amelia, and her ridiculously attractive father, Mingyu? Both of them had perfect attendance in your toddler class on Mondays and of course you had developed a little crush on Mingyu. Caregivers are instructed to join their children in this specific class for a special bonding time with their child, and you couldn’t help but notice how easily fatherhood came to Mingyu. He paid special attention to his daughter and loved her dearly, always encouraging her in class and doing all the dance moves right by her side. He was probably more engaged in your class than some of the toddlers. It was always just the two of them in your class since the time you knew them, never another parental figure. You were never one to ask about something like that, but you couldn’t help being a little nosy about their family situation. 

You decided to wait just a few more minutes for the two of them to get there; Mingyu and Amelia had never been late to your classes and you knew how excited he was for the past couple months about the recital. He would come in every week and go on talking about how he and Amelia practiced for the recital every day at home. 

I swear she knows the dance! He had told you after you practiced in class a few weeks ago. She jumps and twirls all around the house every day. She’s the biggest ball of energy, but you know how toddlers get.

Of course! Being in different settings like a dance studio can make people a little shy sometimes. You told them both. But it’s okay to be shy, right Amelia? The almost three-year-old took a step behind her father, burying her face in his pant leg. It’s okay Amelia! You’re doing a great job in my class, you know that right?

After a few minutes go by, you finally see the two of them burst through the door. Mingyu, jogging towards me and holding Amelia, practically trips over his own feet as he tries to put Amelia’s ballet slippers on. 

“I’m so sorry we’re late!” Mingyu exclaimed, still struggling with Amelia’s shoes. “I put the tights on backwards and then someone didn’t want to get her tutu on and I couldn’t find her ballet shoes or my keys and then of course we got stuck in traffic and-” 

“Hey, it’s okay,” you told him, subconsciously bringing your hand up to rub his shoulder. “You made it here and that’s all that matters. We’re just about to start-” 

“Oh god, were you waiting for us?” he groaned. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to hold up the whole recital!” 

“You didn’t hold it up at all!” One of the other dance teachers called the toddler class to the stage as Mingyu continued to fail at getting Amelia’s shoes on. “Here let me help with that.” You took the ballet slippers from Mingyu, which you couldn’t help but notice they practically looked microscopic in one of his hands. Then you kneeled down in front of him and slid both shoes easily on Amelia. 

“Thank you,” he said, sincerely, catching your eyes in a stare that was a little longer than it should have been.

“Of course,” you told him. “Now let’s get up there! We’ve got a recital to do!” 

He and Amelia joined the rest of the parents and dancers on the stage while you walked to the center of the stage to make a welcome announcement to the audience. After you were done, you took your place on the side of the stage so the dancers and parents could follow and copy your movements. Once the music started it was a bit chaotic, but what else would you expect with the toddler class? Some of the toddlers tried to do the movements while others did their own thing or ran around on the stage while their parents tried to get them back where they should be. Mingyu and Amelia stood to your left, Mingyu trying to let his daughter have the spotlight, squatting down and encouraging her to follow my movement, and Amelia just standing there staring out at the audience. 

“C’mon Amelia!” You heard him whisper. “We practiced this together, remember?”

She turned around, now staring at him and he stood up. 

“Remember? Point your toes,” he said on the beats of the music, tapping his foot to the front. “And point your toes. And tippy toes! Turn around Amelia!” 

He turned around on his tippy toes with his arms above his head while Amelia started giggling. You couldn’t help but giggle a little as well. Watching Mingyu twirl around on the stage while his daughter just watched him was nothing less than adorable. In fact, you could have sworn that most people in the audience were watching him instead of their own kids. 

The group dance was soon over and now it was time for each dancer to take center stage for their solo moment. They went up one by one with their parents, attempting a leap or twirl. Finally it was Amelia’s turn. 

“Last but not least, it’s your time to shine Amelia!” you whispered to her. 

“C’mon Amelia! Show Ms. y/n what we’ve been practicing!” Mingyu encouraged her. Amelia giggled at him again, but didn’t move. He sighed. “You’re lucky you’re so cute.” 

Then he picked her up in his arms and carried her to center stage, completing their solo together with a twirl, Amelia laughing all the while. The crowd erupted in applause after all the solos were complete and Mingyu and Amelia went back to their spot. 

“Great job you too!” you complimented them. 

“Thanks,” Mingyu replied with a grin. 

You smiled back and held his gaze for a little longer than you’d expected, awkwardly laughing and breaking it. 

After the recital, you found yourself in the lobby of the theater, taking pictures with all your students, telling them how amazing their dancing was, and talking to the families. You noticed Mingyu standing back a bit with Amelia in his arms, waiting for the best time to approach you. When all the other families were gone, they finally did. 

“Great recital today, Ms. y/n!” Mingyu greeted you. 

“Please, call me y/n! And you both did a wonderful job! I love how dedicated you are with Amelia. Not all parents are like you, you know,” you tell him. 

“Thank you, I really appreciate that!” Mingyu replied. “I used to dance when I was younger but I always wished I started earlier. I wanted to give Amelia that opportunity, though I’m not quite sure if it’s her calling or not.”

“I’m sure it is! Just give her time to get used to it. She’s only two years old after all!” you reminded him. 

“Right… I just want what’s best for her, you know? I try to be there 110% for her always. Being two parents in one is… well it’s hard, but I try my best.” 

“You’re doing an amazing job with her, trust me, it shows.” 

“Thanks,” he chuckles. 

You notice the other teachers start packing up all the recital decorations. 

“Well, I should probably help out-” 

“Wait Ms. y/n? Or just y/n… sorry….” 

“Yes?” 

“Well I was wondering, I know you’re super busy with the studio and I’m sure your schedule outside of that is crazy too… but maybe if you’re free some morning I could take you to coffee? Or brunch if you don’t like coffee? Or we don’t have to! I know this probably oversteps like every boundary- god what am I doing?-”

“Wait really? I was going to ask you but I thought it would be weird! I would love to get coffee with you sometime! And Amelia if you’d like,” you replied excitedly. 

“Well I was thinking Amelia could have a little playdate with her babysitter and just you and me could go? I would like to get to know you a little better and I would love all my attention to be focused on you.” 

“That sounds good too!” 

“Okay! How does Friday sound? At 10?” 

“That should work for me!” 

“Perfect! I’ll see you then?” Mingyu exclaimed, excitement in his eyes. 

“Yeah,” you giggle. 

“Okay! Um… I’ll see you!” he concluded awkwardly.

“I’ll see you then! Bye Amelia! Bye Mingyu!” 

You watched the overly ecstatic and adorable man carry his daughter out of the theater and once he thought you were out of sight, he spun her around in the air with joy with the biggest smiles on both of their faces. It was, indeed, a great recital.

Author's Note:

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! This is the most wholesome thing I've ever written based on something I actually witnessed at a dance recital. A dad was doing the dance with his toddler and while the toddler was just standing there watching his and it was adorable. I immediately thought that this is something Mingyu would do. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and hopefully I'll have more time in the future to write! :)

Something to Believe In: Prologue Part One

Pairing: n/a, this section will just be a backstory for newsie!reader.

Prompt: Newsies inspired Seventeen fic

Warnings: Implications of child labor and unsafe/unfair working conditions. All is safe during the time of the fic though.

Release Date: August 30, 2024

Summary:

It’s 1899 after the infamous Newsboys’ Strike in which Newsies of New York City successfully negotiated fair prices of newspapers. Tensions have finally ceased between the higher ups of the newspaper company, The New York World, and the lower employees, the Newsies, who work for them selling newspapers all across the city. You’re the leader of a smaller newspaper printing company based in Gramercy selling newspapers for the Gramercy Gazette. You love your job there but since the big strike, smaller newspaper companies are combining with bigger ones like The New York World, and you fear you might have to change neighborhoods soon. Still, you continue to lead your group of newsies and do the best to protect them out on the streets of New York City.

Prologue Part One: Another Day Carryin' the Banner

You woke up on your cot to the sound of distant church bells chiming. Being a light sleeper, you always woke up to the first church bells of the day. The sun had barely started to show its bright rays for the day but a bluish hue lit up the room. As your eyes adjusted, you could see everyone else sleeping in the close quarters you all shared. Next to you were three of your closest friends, all cuddled up in a singular bed meant to fit only one of them. No matter how uncomfortable it got, they refused to sleep anywhere else, loving the comfort that closeness offered them. A little further away, sleeping atop some blankets set atop the hard wooden floor, were some of the newer folks who joined us right after the big strike in hopes of a place with better working conditions than the factories from which they came. Against the wall, you spotted the youngest of your group, snoring loudly. She was cute as a button, only 6 years old, but was a natural at sellin’ papes. Whether they’d been there as long as you, or had just started yesterday, you considered all of them your family. You considered all Newsies to be your family but these ones was special. You’d never had anyone else to call family for as long as you could remember so you considered the Newsies yours. You didn’t care who they were or where they came from. You were just there to sell papes and be there for them. Help ‘em out whenever they need it. And stand up for them if necessary. 

You sat up on your cot, dangling your feet off so they touched the floor, and stretched your arms up to the ceiling. Another day of work and everyone was counting on you to wake them up. 

“Alright Newsies, let’s go! Another day, another dollar! Winks! Peggy! Laces! I know you three bums want an extra 5 minutes of sleep but not today!” you called out to all your Newsies. “Gramercy is gonna be awake soon so we better get a move on!” 

You always made sure to keep your neck of the woods on a tight schedule. That way you could always be on time to pick up your papes as soon as they were released from the Gramercy Gazette, or the GG as you called it, and you could beat the other boroughs to the streets to make your coin. As long as you kept to a schedule and made sure that the GG was making plenty of money to stay in business, you could ensure you are being the best leader of the Gramercy Newsies that you could possibly be. You’d worked your way up in the ranks since you started with the GG and you’d finally made it to the top… the top of the Newsie ranks, that is. But you were happy with that… for now.

Everyone started getting up and going about their morning routines, some bathing in tin wash basins, others shaving their faces, others braiding their hair up and out of their faces. You made your way out to the fire escape where you’d hung your clothes to dry the day before and grabbed a pair of trousers and a shirt. You put them on and then laced up your boots and put on your cap, backwards like you always wore it. After a little while longer, everyone else was ready to go too, and you led them all downstairs to the printing facilities to buy the day’s papes. 

Another day carryin’ the banner. With the big election coming up, you expected the papes to be full of political news stories- a topic that was thankfully more appealing than the trolley strike from a few weeks back. You quickly scanned the front of the paper and confirmed that it was some news story about a local politician trying to make his way up in the ranks and instructed everyone else to buy extra papes for the day, knowing they’d sell them easily. You’d begged one of the other newsies to teach you to read and write when you were younger- skills that most newsies did not possess- thinking that it might help you in the future. Evidently, that was a smart move. Now as their leader, you could advise the other newsies on how many papes they should buy, depending on the story on the front page. Even after the strike, knowing the GG would buy the papes back that weren’t sold, it was more of a convenience thing than anything, especially for those who were younger. 

You stepped up to the newspaper distribution window first and were faced with Mr. Dimer, a kind, older gentleman who sold you your newspapers every day.

“Right on time, y/n,” he grinned. “I can always count on you for that.” 

“I’d never be late for you, Mr. Dimer,” you smirked. 

“And you can always count on me to make sure you all start your day on a full stomach,” he said, pulling out a basket of apples from behind the counter and setting them in front of you. “Pass these out, kid.” 

“Mr. Dimer, you really didn’t have to…” you say, though you knew the old man would always buy you and the other newsies whatever you needed. 

“Take them, I insist!” he told you with a smile. 

“Thank you,” you said, nodding your head and taking the basket. You instructed the other newsies to start handing them out while you fished in your pocket for some coins. You set a few on the counter, “I’ll take five stacks please.” 

He took the coins and gave you five bundles of newspapers but you noticed a sad look in his eyes. Your eyebrows furrowed. 

“What’s the matter, eh?” you asked him quietly, leaning in so that the others couldn’t hear you. 

“I’m not supposed to say anything, but you know I love you kids. I just can’t keep anything from you,” he told you. 

“What’s the problem? Whatever it is, we can fix it. It’ll be fine,” I assured us both. 

“I’m sure you heard about it by now, kid, but since the strike, tons of newspaper companies are getting taken over by The New York World and-”

“What are you saying? Gramercy’s getting taken over by them too? We’ll still be okay though, right?”

“I’m afraid this would mean the end of the Gramercy Gazette,” he told you solemnly. 

“What…?” was all that came out. Your mind became overloaded with concern. “What does that mean for us?” 

“Well, on the bright side, you kids will have it easy. You just need to get a job in a different borough. Say, I know a couple a guys in Brooklyn! We could help set ya up there in no time,” Mr. Dimer suggested. 

“I don’t wanna go to Brooklyn, I wanna stay here,” you told him, sternly. 

“You can stay here but you’ll be out of work with the GG. Your best bet is to get on the good side of the leader of a different borough and try to get everyone to transfer with you,” he sighed. “I’m so sorry, kid. I know how much this job means to you.”  

You sighed, thinking of how hard you had all worked for the GG. Surely this couldn’t be the fault of you and your newsies. You and the others worked so hard and you were certain you did well at your job. This had to be a problem with the higher ups. 

“How long do we have left here? How long until Gramercy is shut down?” you asked.

Mr. Dimer, look away from you, not wanting to meet your gaze, “You have until the end of this week.” 

Author's Note:

If you made it this far, I want to thank you!! I'm going to be completely honest, this part will probably be the most boring of all of them but I needed to set the story up somehow for my own sanity lol. I gotta get my ducks in a row when I'm writing ya know? Anyway, I will hopefully update soon so I hope you stick around or maybe you would rather come back in a little while after the fic is complete. It's all the same to me. Thanks again and I'll talk to you in the next one! :)

Something to Believe In: Prologue Part Two

Pairing: n/a, this section will just be a backstory for newsie!reader.

Prompt: Newsies inspired Seventeen fic

Warnings: Violence and bullying.

Release Date: September 19, 2024

Summary:

You find yourself out of work and are looking to secure a new job working as a newsie for the largest newspaper printing company in the city: The New York World. Daunting as that might be, you head to Newsies Square early to beat the other newsies to the stand to buy papes and hopefully impress them. However, luck is not on your side and your day ends up quite differently than you planned...

Prologue Part Two: Welcome to Newsies Square

You tread across the cobblestone path as you clung to a small bag thrown over your shoulder. In it, a collection of your personal belongings that you decided to take with you. The rest, you’d given to the other newsies who seemed to need it more than you. An old slingshot that you enjoyed when you were younger but no longer found use of, you’d given to your youngest, hoping she’d enjoy it just as much as you had. A couple of articles of clothing that no longer fit you, you’d given to some of the others who were a bit smaller than you, and they’d repurposed their old clothes to those who were smaller than them too. It was something you’d always instructed everyone to do, to make the best use of your resources, but it was especially important now that you wouldn’t have each other to rely on anymore. 

You ensured everyone found a new job before the GG was shut down, whether that was as a newsie working for a different company, in a factory, as a shoe shiner, or something else of that nature. You needed to make sure your people were safe and taken care of. So much so that you’d barely thought about yourself. You’d saved up enough money to survive a couple of weeks on your own but you didn’t want to spend those weeks by yourself on the streets. You needed to find work fast which is why you found yourself in this particular part of town, staring up at The New York World Building. 

It was the tallest of a couple of structures that were responsible for writing and printing the most popular selling newspaper in the whole city. If you had your choice, you’d love to take a shot at writing for them, but you know they’d never let you with your lack of experience. You’d never written like that for anything. You’d only ever written short stories in a journal you kept, occasionally reading them to the younger newsies as bedtime stories. Though you lacked experience, your stories had gotten good reviews, even from a couple of the older ones who swore they were only listening because it was impossible to turn off their ears. 

The place you stood in now was entirely different from Gramercy. You were only used to your small group, your tight knit family who hardly left your side. Gramercy was quiet, full of trees and nature; your little peaceful oasis away from the rest of the city. Now you were surrounded by skyscrapers and you felt an unmatched energy all around. You could picture these streets during the day, flooded with newsies, as they would be within the hour, you were sure. However, you’d gotten there early, before anyone else in fact. You knew with there being so many newsies living around these parts that it was the only way you could make your coin for the day. 

You managed to find the window where the papes for The World were sold and were greeted with a middle aged man who flashed you a smile. He smoked a cigar as he counted a couple stacks of coins before him. 

“Tough morning, kid?” he asked, looking you over. 

“Not particularly…” you asked, furrowing your eyebrows and fishing in your pocket for your coins. “I’ll take five stacks of papes.” 

“We don’t got five stacks,” he told you, taking a puff on his cigar. 

“How long until you get the papes for the day?” you asked, not wanting to be caught up here for the whole morning. Surely The World was just finishing up their printing for the morning and the papes would be released any moment. No one could afford being late in this business. If the papes weren’t released to the newsies at first light, then the newsies wouldn’t be able to sell them to anyone on their way to work, and The World wouldn’t make any money. And one thing was for sure, you were never late. 

“You’re about an hour too late,” he told you. 

You stared at him in disbelief. You had gotten up extra early that morning so you could be certain you would get to the news stand before everyone else. You knew you needed to buy my papes and beat them to the streets so you could make your keep today and prove to the Manhattan newsies that you would make a good addition to the team. Now that plan was ruined but there was still plenty of the day left to make decent coin. 

“I’ll take whatever you have left,” you told the man. He promptly slammed one stack of papes on the counter and you sighed. Then you paid him and left the news stand. 

You made your way out of Newsie Square and took to the streets of the city, taking a quick look at the headline at the top of the news. It was another political story, which luckily everyone wanted to read about. You quickly thought of a much more interesting headline than the one that was written and began shouting “Political Brawl in Queens!” to try to catch the attention of anyone passing by. You managed to catch the attention of a couple individuals, selling them papes and moving on down the street. 

As you continued shouting, you were approached by two younger gentlemen, both dressed in matching bowler hats. 

“You look lost, kid,” one of them said to you with a snide smirk on his face. 

You looked up at them. You were not in the mood to play games with men like this. “Do you boys wanna buy papes or can I be on my way?” 

“Don’t you newsies usually travel together? Ya know, to keep each other out of trouble?” the other man said, crossing his arms. 

“And to protect the weaklings…” the first man frowned, mocking a pout. “Just in case something like this happens!” 

Suddenly, he slapped the stack of newspapers you were carrying out of your hands and onto the ground. And of course with your luck, they landed scattered across a mud puddle. The two men laughed and you glared at them. 

“What are you going to do? Cry about it?” the second one cackled. 

You needed to escape these schmucks as soon as possible and you knew what you needed to do. While the one man was cackling you stamped as hard as you could on his foot. He screamed in agony and awkwardly hopped away on one foot. As the other man approached you, you spit directly in his face as a diversion and started running in the opposite direction. 

However, as soon as you turned around you ran face first into someone’s chest. The force knocked you back onto the ground and you landed right in the mud, with the two men not far behind you now. 

“Are you alright?” 

Whoever you had just bumped full force into extended a hand in your direction. When you looked up, you saw a young man, dark eyebrows furrowed with concern. He wore a white tank top that clung tightly to his skin, leaving his arms out on full display. His tan trousers hugged his thighs and were held up by a pair of suspenders. And atop his dark hair sat a tan newsie cap. A couple of other young men stood behind him, their outfits similar to his. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you replied, taking his hand and allowing you to pull him up with ease. 

“Good,” he said, then he stepped to the side to face the two men who had been bothering you. “Well if it isn’t the Delancey Brothers. I knew I smelled an unpleasant aroma. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you boys to leave my newsies alone.” 

“Well your newsie was sellin’ us a fake headline,” one of the men said, glaring at you. 

The newsie looked at you. “Is that true?” 

“‘Course not. I only glorify the headline, like every other newsie. I don’t make up entirely new stories,” you told him. 

“Ya heard it here boys. Us newsies only speak the truth! Now why don’t you go and find a real job instead of botherin’ us folks? Must be hard for you now that everyone knows you got fired from The World,” the newsie said with a smirk. 

One of the men suddenly pushed the newsie back a few steps but he held his ground. He was much bigger than both of the men. 

The newsie chuckled, “C’mon Oscar, is that really the best you’ve got?” 

The man, Oscar, came at the newsie again, but this time he was prepared. He sidestepped and Oscar flew forward, losing his balance. On his way toward you, you managed to trip him and he fell onto the ground, face first into the mud. 

The other man swung at the newsie but he caught his hand, skillfully twisting his arm behind his back and locking him in place. 

“If I ever find you messing with my newsies again, there will be no place in this entire city where you’ll be able to show your face again and not end up with it unrecognizably smashed into the pavement. Have I made myself clear?” the newsie growled at them. 

After confirming that they understood, he let both of them go, watching as they did, making sure they didn’t come back. You finally got a chance to clearly observe all of the newsies before you. These were the newsies from the center of the Manhattan borough. They were tough, there’s no doubt about that, but not nearly as tough as the Brooklyn newsies. It’s safe to say that everyone felt a little uneasy when it came to the Brooklyn newsies. But you knew these Manhattan newsies were no joke either. These were the ones who were responsible for the start of the strike about a month ago now. These were the ones who took charge and created their own union, demanding fair working conditions from the chief editor and publisher of The World: Joseph Pulitzer. It’s thanks to these newsies in particular that all of us have those fair working conditions now and it’s thanks to them that we’re not just looked over as if we were scum. All newsies owe it to them, which is why you felt a bit anxious standing there as they all perceived you. 

“I was doing just fine on my own-” you began turning to face the newsie who was seemingly the leader of their group. 

“Fine, I’ll watch the Delancey Brothers ruin your pretty mug next time,” he spat. 

“You didn’t let me finish,” you said to him, deciding to disregard the fact that he just called you ‘pretty.’ “I was doing just fine on my own but I’m glad you were there to help me stop them. And don’t let that get to your head.” 

“Too late,” you heard one of the other newsies call out, though you weren’t sure which one. 

“They call me Coups… Leader of the Manhattan borough.” 

“I’m y/n, leader of- Well I used to be the leader of the Gramercy Newsies. We just got shut down a few days ago which is how I found myself here,” you explained. 

“So now you wanna work for The World?”

“Listen, I loved working for a company like the Gramercy Gazette but I can’t take that chance anymore with all these smaller companies getting shut down,” you told him. 

“Can I ask you somethin’?”

“Shoot.” 

“Why be a newsie?” Coups asked. “There’s plenty of other jobs in the city. Prob’ly better payin’ ones too. Why spend your time sellin’ papes?” 

You’d never thought about it before. You just did the job because that’s all you’d ever done. Of course you’d grown to love what you do… but why? 

“I suppose… I suppose it’s ‘cause I like stories. I like to know what’s going on in the world and I like reading about it. I think there’s a lot to learn from reading the news, and reading in general. Everyone deserves to know what’s going on in the world and everyone should stay updated when it comes to the news. Not saying the news is completely factual, but staying updated on the news unifies the world a little by little each day. It brings us together. And I like to be one of the many people helping to get that news out there.” 

Coups looked you up and down, then looked around as the other Manhattan newsies. 

“I like that answer, y/n. It will be good to have someone like you on the team who cares about this job as much as the rest of us do,” Coups smiled at you. “Now why don’t you stick with us for the rest of the day. I’m sure you could use a couple people on your side right about now.” 

He raised his hand to his mouth, spit in it, and offered a handshake. 

“Friends?” 

You hesitated but after he assured you that “it’s just business,” you did the same, spitting in your hand and shaking his. 

Author's Note:

Okay part 2 is finally done and thank you for reading it! I think this part of the story was a lot more interesting than part 1 and it's only going to get more interesting from here. Finally some of the boys have been introduced AND Scoups got in a little fight for you hehe. Can you tell I'm blushing through the screen? Of course I had to include the Delancey Brothers and if you're a Newsies fan you'll get it! I should be getting out part 3 a lot faster than I got out part 2; my life has been a little crazy over these past few weeks. Hopefully you'll stick around to see where this story goes! Thanks again and I'll see ya in the next one! :)

A NEWSIES INSPIRED SEVENTEEN FIC?!?! My hyper fixation from when I was 12-16 meets my current true love!! I have thought about something like this for so long, I even have a note in my phone from a couple years ago with who in svt I’d cast as what characters. I can’t wait to read it!

Yes haha! I totally feel you, it’s a mash up of my favorite things too!! And I also casted svt as newsies in a note in my phone lmaoooo. Theatre people turned Carats are crazy. I’m so glad you’re as excited for it as I am! I am starting a new job next week but I will upload the next part as soon as I can :))))

Something to Believe In- Masterlist

Pairing: newsie!svt x newsie!reader

Genre: Historical romace taking place in the early 1900s.

Warnings: Strong language, implications of child labor and unfair/unsafe working conditions, violence, and bullying. (I will update when I write more lol.)

Release Date:

Started: August 30, 2024

Finished: Still in progress

Summary:

It’s 1899 after the infamous Newsboys’ Strike in which Newsies of New York City successfully negotiated fair prices of newspapers. Tensions have finally ceased between the higher ups of the newspaper company, The New York World, and the lower employees, the Newsies, who work for them selling newspapers all across the city. You’re the leader of a smaller newspaper printing company based in Gramercy selling newspapers for the Gramercy Gazette. You love your job there but since the big strike, smaller newspaper companies are combining with bigger ones like The New York World, and you fear you might have to change neighborhoods soon. Still, you continue to lead your group of newsies and do the best to protect them out on the streets of New York City.

Author's Note:

This fic was a random idea that myself and one of my friends developed recently and I decided to take the reigns and try it out. As an avid theatre person and carat, I thought the combination of Seventeen as newsies would make for an interesting story. Like imagine Seventeen wearing newsie clothes and dancing in the streets. I would pay good money to see that. But instead of begging Pledis for something that's never going to happen, you can just pop open Tumblr and read my fic for free lmao. I have never done anything like this but I love writing and I love Seventeen of course so I will try to update the parts as soon as I can. I am going to start off with a couple of parts that get the story going and then it will split off into parts that ship the reader and the individual members. Also disclaimer: this is historically accurate as I can make it but I'm no history expert. It's just supposed to be for fun. I also apologize if there are mistakes or writing errors. Anyway, I hope you enjoy as much as I've enjoyed writing it!

Links:

Prologue:

Prologue Part One: Another Day Carryin' the Banner

Prologue Part Two: Welcome to Newsies Square

Chapters:

Seungcheol (Nothing here yet!)

Jeonghan (Nothing here yet!)

Joshua (Nothing here yet!)

Junhui (Nothing here yet!)

Soonyoung (Nothing here yet!)

Wonwoo (Nothing here yet!)

Jihoon (Nothing here yet!)

Minghao (Nothing here yet!)

Mingyu (Nothing here yet!)

Dokyeom (Nothing here yet!)

Seungkwan (Nothing here yet!)

Hansol (Nothing here yet!)

Chan (Nothing here yet!)