The Kings of New York

Chapter 1: Matchin' Laces

Dreamless-Mermaid

AN: Hi guys! I've been dwelling on this idea for some time and I'm finally putting it into action. It's not the most original title but it works. Not sure if I'll be able to keep up with it but I will definitely do my best. Anyway, this whole story will revolve around the song King of New York and what each boy wishes for. Obviously this is set after the strike. New characters will be introduced and a few will be familiar to those of you that have read my stories before. Hope you enjoy it. Reviews will make me oh so happy :D

A pair of new shoes with matchin' laces…

Mush was on a roll. It was only two o'clock in the afternoon and he was halfway through his share of papers. He and Blink finally found a good selling spot after days of searching for a new one. Their previous place in the park had been taken over by a rowdy group of ten year olds. The two older boys, being a bit cocky and arrogant about it, figured they could get the kids to leave with a few shoves here, some insults there. So they were surprised when the younger newsies fought back. One of them even popped Blink real nice in his good eye, as if he couldn't see well enough already.

They staked out the avenues that had the most traffic flow but found that too many of their friends had already claimed them. They wandered past office buildings, restaurants, even playing with the idea of a different area of the park. In the end it was Blink's girl Bella that gave them the tip to sell near the wealthier neighborhoods. She said there were plenty of businessmen that complained they had to be all the way downtown just to buy a paper. This morning the two boys woke up extra early to get ready before the others so they could make it to the distribution center to buy their papers first. They wanted to be sure to catch potential customers on their way into the big city to start their day. As it turns out, Bella's advice was dead on. Before noon both boys were out of papers and were now roaming the neighborhood with the afternoon edition. It might have helped that Blink had a black eye and an eye patch.

Mush suddenly lurched forward, the remainder of his newspapers flying out of his hands.

"Whoa!" Blink exclaimed, catching his friend's arm before he hit the pavement. "You okay?"

"What tha-" Mush grumbled. He glanced down to see the laces on his right shoe were somehow much longer then the left ones. "Yeah I'm fine. What tha hell happened ta me shoes?" The laces were what tripped him up. Mush bent down into a squat to check out the shoes. The toes were extremely scuffed, the soles were about to come off, and the laces were frayed from use. He sighed and began gathering up the scattered papers, Blink bending to help. "I need new shoes."

"I bet one of those guttah rat kids made it worse too." Blink said. He remembered seeing one of them stomp hard on Mush's foot.

"Yeah," Mush sighed again. He straightened up once he collected all of the papers, nodding his thanks and smiling at Blink. "But hey, if it weren't for them we nevah woulda run into Bella and she nevah woulda told us about this place."

Blink laughed. "That's true. Ain't she a peach?"

"Tha peachiest."

They continued their leisure walk down the street, enjoying their time in the sun. Mush had known for a long time that he was in desperate need of a new pair of shoes but today just seemed to take the cake. He tried laughing it away but deep down he was worried. It was a miracle he even owned this pair. He knew he should put away some money every chance he got but the need to eat and maintain a roof over his head were his top priorities. Buying shoes were a luxury he couldn't, and would never, afford.

They just passed one of the largest houses on the block when Mush did a double take. A girl was standing on the stoop holding a large parcel in her hands. The door opened and an older woman smiled widely, took the parcel and in exchange handed the girl an envelope. They made small talk, the young girl laughed and his heart sped up at the familiarity of it. Finally, the door closed and she turned to walk down the lawn, stuffing the envelope into a small brown sack.

"Ain't that Laces?" Blink said.

Mush smiled widely. "Yeah. Hey, Laces!"

The girl looked up at the call of her name. She smiled when she saw the boys on the street. "Oh hi, Mush! Hi, Blink!" She waved, starting to jog toward them. Mush couldn't contain his wide smile as she neared them and his stomach was turning over and over. Her long, curly black hair flowed behind her and when she finally came to a stop beside them, the green in her eyes sparkled as bright as the sun. At least, this was the way Mush always saw her in his mind.

"Whatcha doin' on this side of town?" Blink inquired.

"Mrs. Rockefeller is a client of ours." Laces pointed to the mansion behind her.

"Ah, so business is boomin'?" Mush said.

"Oh gosh like you wouldn't believe!" Laces gushed. "In the past month we've had five more clients on our books. Five wealthy clients, I should say."

"I bet that's keepin' your father busy." Mush said.

Laces nodded. "I hardly see him anymore except when I go back and forth to the apartment for more packages."

"Don't he evah take a break?" Blink said.

"Oh yes, twice a week, but even then I know he's still thinking about those damn shoes." She laughed.

Laces and her father ran a shoe repair business out of their one room apartment on the upper East side. He would take the orders, repair them, and Laces would travel around the city to deliver them to their respectful owners. Once the client was satisfied with the work, they would pay her by putting the money in an envelope, which she in turn stuffed into her sack. Sometimes Laces delivered as many as six pairs a day, hence why she carried the bag. Other times she brought back one pair, then when she got home, turn around and go right back out because her father finished a second pair. Most of their clients had been with them since the start of the business and were very loyal to them. So if Laces delivered their shoes, they might end up sending her home with a torn shirt or a badly stained dress or other items the client themselves did not have time to mend. Laces loved her job but it wasn't always easy. The first time Mush met her was, incidentally, her very first day two years ago. She had to deliver a very nice pair of heels to an upper class lady in time for a party she was attending that evening. She cried to Mush that she had been wandering the streets for hours and nobody would stop to help or give her directions. She babbled how late it was getting and she was sure she would displease her father and end up loosing the client. Mush took pity on her and together they figured out where she needed to go. He explained what he did for a living, how he knew the city like the back of his hand. After they finally found the address thirty minutes later, she came back elated. The client was happy, she had gotten paid, and she'd gained a new friend. Since then Mush bequeathed her the nickname Laces and it stuck like glue.

The two of them saw each other frequently on the streets, him selling and her delivering. She became fast friends with the other boys too. Mr. Kloppman even became a client.

Mush didn't know when he'd fallen in love with her. It could have been any number of times they were together. It could have been that time they got caught in the rain and had to run under an awning and they laughed at each other's wet hair and clothes. Or the time at her sixteenth birthday party in Central Park when she arrived in a brand new dress that matched her eyes. Or maybe it had been the countless occasions he gazed at her as she lifted her face toward the sun, eyes closed, breathing in deeply on a warm spring or summer day.

But of course she didn't know this, probably would never know this.

"So what's on the agenda today fellas?" Laces said, slipping herself between them and hanging her arms on their shoulders. "I'm free the rest of the day. What's say we grab some food? My treat."

Just the mere touch of her set his nerves on end. "I nevah turn down free food." Mush said.

Blink shrugged. "I guess we had a pretty good haul today huh, Mush? We can spare an afternoon." They began walking out of the neighborhood and toward their city.

"Did you boys have a good day?"

"The best! Bella told us we should start sellin' 'round here 'cause of all them rich men goin' off ta work." Mush said enthusiastically. He patted his pocket which jangled noisily.

Laces pursed her lips. "Okay, if you two are so rich, why are you makin' me buy lunch?"

"We ain't makin' you do nothin'." Blink said indignantly.

"Yeah, you offered." Mush grabbed her hip lightly where he knew she was ticklish. She laughed loudly once and jerked away which made her crash into Blink. Mush smiled.

"Stop that! You know I hate it!" She giggled. "Onward to Tibby's!"

"Onward to Tibby's!" Blink and Mush repeated. Laces grabbed Mush's hand and pulled him hard in the direction of the restaurant. He laughed, looked back at his best friend, who answered with a smirk.

They were halfway there now. Along the way they ran into Jack, David, and Racetrack and she demanded they come along, even if they weren't hungry. Laces had stopped pulling Mush but she never took back her hand. Every boy looked pointedly at their joined hands, then silently raised an eyebrow at Mush who could not respond because even he didn't know what was going on. Laces had never done this before and it was very much confusing him.

The group passed by a large department store window. The display was full of the latest fashions, toys, and small furniture pieces. One thing in particular caught Mush's eye and it was a beautiful pair of leather shoes. He stopped walking to gaze at them admiringly. Laces noticed the sudden pull and looked back to see Mush in front of the window. She walked back to him and followed his stare. They were black, a fine shape, and small black laces were tied into neat bows.

"Wow, those are nice." Laces said appreciatively.

"They sure are." Mush responded wistfully.

"My father could never make shoes as nice looking at those but I know he could mend them to be pretty close."

"I wish I could afford them." He leaned his forehead on the glass.

"Why? What's wrong with yours?"

He merely pointed down. She squinted to see the imperfections: the longer laces on the right one, the scuff marks, all of the things that made Mush hate them.

"Oh, I see."

"The color of tha laces even match." Mush whined. He was right, because comparing them to his own he had black laces on brown shoes.

"Well, you made a good bit of money today. So can't you just save up for them?" She voiced exactly what he'd been contemplating earlier.

"Yeah but I have this primal need to eat and sleep and it costs money to be at tha boardin' house and to buy me any scrap of food I can get. I ain't got a nice home, like you." Mush said a little bitterly.

"Oh gee I'm so sorry to be born to such a privileged life. It's really great sleeping in a room that has the bathroom and kitchen in the bedroom," she shot back sarcastically, "Not to mention the pile of shoes that I trip over every single day. Other than that it's grand."

"Trade ya."

"Gladly."

They pointedly avoided looking at each other. He knew what her living situation was like but at least she didn't have to pay everyday to live there. On the other hand he was very grateful of the privacy he could snag in the morning if he was quick enough.

She sighed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap. Sometimes I get so fed up with the apartment that I wish I could live with you."

"With me?" Mush said.

"Well, I mean, you and of course everyone else," she said nervously. "Not just you. Not specifically you. Not you and I together…"

"You're ramblin', Laces." Mush smiled.

"I know, which is why I'm shutting my mouth now," she grinned sheepishly. "Anyway, I think we've been left behind. Are you still hungry?"

"Absolutely. Lead tha way." Mush's insides were twisting as he offered his hand to her. She blushed lightly and took it and started to pull them away again. Mush couldn't believe his luck. In one day he'd found the perfect selling spot, made quite a decent amount of money, and noticed a significant change in Laces toward him. Life was getting better, with or without new shoes.

A few days passed and since then Mush discovered that he'd been seeing more and more of Laces than ever. She was there in the morning, in the evening, with Bella and Blink, at the house hanging around the others. Kloppman kept her pretty busy running errands as his eyesight wasn't the greatest anymore. Joey, Racetrack's girlfriend, Laces, and Bella liked to have their own girls night when the boys were in the foyer playing poker. Every once in a while Mush would catch Laces staring at him, then quickly look away. It happened so often that Skittery quietly told Mush to ask her out already and to stop boring everyone with their flirting.

On a particularly sunny morning, Mush clambered down the stairs to wait for Blink so they could hit up their spot. Laces was in the entrance hall with Kloppman, trading items for her payment. Her face lit up when she saw him.

"Good morning!"

"You too! What brings you by so early? Missed me already?" Mush teased. That earned him a big pink blush. Kloppman chuckled, shook his head, and walked away, letting the kids be.

"I actually have a lot of errands today. Saturdays are usually pretty busy," she chewed on her bottom lip, a habit that Mush picked up on early in their friendship. "Also, I came here first hoping to catch you before you left."

"Yeah? Why's that?" He stepped closer to her, so close he could smell the clean scent of her soap coming from her hair, her body. He didn't know why but he felt compelled to be braver than usual. Maybe because they were alone, a rare occurrence nowadays.

Her breath hitched. "Because I-I have something to give you later."

He pouted. "Why not now?"

She laughed. "I'm already late, plus the anticipation will kill you."

"You know my weak points, darn you." He shook a mocking fist at her.

"I promise it'll be worth it." She smiled dazzlingly. "Meet me at three o'clock in front of that window we were looking at last week."

"At that department store?" She nodded. "Hm. This has fishy written all ovah it."

"Just trust me."

"I always do."

They stared at each other for a second more before saying her goodbye and turning to leave. Before she opened the door, he reached out and grabbed her hand. "Wait." Wait? For what? He felt the pulse in her wrist jump at his touch. He rubbed a thumb there ever so lightly, not taking his eyes off of her. "I…I think…"

"Yes?"

"I…Nevahmind. I'll see ya, yeah?" He reluctantly released her wrist.

"Yeah. Three o'clock, don't forget." She smiled slightly.

"I won't." With that, she left. What just happened? What had he been about to say?

"You were almost there!" He heard Blink's shout and groan from behind him. Mush whipped around. Blink was coming down the stairs.

"How long have you been up there?"

"Long enough to tell you that you almost had it!"

"I know! I think…" Mush said, clutching his forehead. "I ain't sure what I was doin', really. I wanna tell her but I'm so scared of losin' her."

"You ain't gonna lose her, if anythin' she'll respond tenfold," Blink patted his friend on the shoulder. "Look, I learned pretty quick wit Bella. In situations like these, don't think, just do."

"You're right, I know you're right. I'm just a chicken, that's all." Mush heaved a big sigh. Why couldn't he just come out and tell her how he felt? They were both adults, perfectly capable of handling it. It's possible that there was a piece in him, a piece so small he didn't recognize it until now, that he was terrified she didn't feel the same way. No matter how many times his friends told him that she reciprocated, he could never really be sure of himself.

So he and Blink started their day. Everything was fine until one man accused Mush of short changing him, so Mush had to give him back three extra pennies. Another man yelled at both boys for giving him the wrong paper with the wrong date and the wrong articles. The boys argued with him until there was no reasoning with the old man, so they both scampered off to another part of the neighborhood. Blink declared the man senile. One of Mush's last customer's for the afternoon edition actually came back from that morning and haughtily proclaimed he was done with the paper and he wanted a refund.

"Oh God, is the day ovah yet?" Blink whined as they dragged themselves back into town.

"At least you sold all your papes. I still got one left. One lousy, measly little-" This time Mush tripped and fell down hard on his knees. He heard Blink shouting, asking if he was okay, what happened. A fire began burning inside Mush. Why had everything suddenly gone wrong in one day? Why did it have to happen today of all days? "These shoes."

"What?" Blink said.

"These god dammed, good for nothin' shoes is what made me fall!" Mush shouted angrily. He moved himself into a sitting position and began to furiously unlace his shoes. One after the other he pulled the strings from the small holes and threw them into the alley behind them. "No laces? So be it! I'm done. I can't do nothin' right today! I can't seem to keep me money, me only pair of shoes are useless, and I can't tell tha girl I'm in love wit that I'm in love wit her!" He fumed, standing up quickly.

"Mush, it'll be okay. Don't ya have somewhere ya need to be?" Blink said calmly. Mush suddenly went from seething to neutral in five seconds as he remembered that yes, he had to meet Laces.

"What time is it?"

"Five ta three accordin' to me watch-"

Without saying a word, Mush started running. He pushed himself as hard and as fast as he could toward the department store. Maybe if he could make it in time, he would muster up the courage to finally say to Laces what he'd been wanting to say for almost two years. Finally spotting the familiar window display on the corner he put on a last burst of speed, weaving through the crowd, seeing her standing nervously and holding a package.

"Hi!" Mush said when he stopped in front of her. He breathed in and out heavily.

"Hi," she looked at him quizzically. "Did you run all the way here?"

"Yeah…I thought…I was gonna…be late." He panted and leaned down to put his hands on his thighs.

"You know it's only two-thirty, right?" Laces said amusingly.

Mush's head snapped up. "What?"

"One of our clients lives right around the corner from here and I got done early so I thought I'd wait a little while for you."

"That bastard!"

"What?"

Mush laughed between breaths. "Nevahmind. I'm here now, so what didja wanna give me?"

Laces smiled. "Well, I was thinking about you and your shoe situation. It seems this is coming at the perfect time because I notice the laces are gone."

Mush grinned. "Yeah, it's been a…long day."

"Anyway, sometimes Father has a few spares around the apartment that people have sent back to us for unknown reasons. They're in perfectly good condition but they're just unwanted. Usually we donate them but I begged and pleaded to let me take a pair. And well…" she held out the box before her, "these are for you."

At first Mush didn't know what to say. It didn't connect right away in his brain. "Wait…you…what?"

"I told my father what you were wanting and he said to of course please take them and give them a good home. I'm positive I have the right size, Blink gave me your measurements."

"You're givin' me shoes? Just like that? For free?"

She nodded. "I know they're not like those," she motioned with her head to the ones in the window, "but they're a lot better than the ones you're currently wearing."

Mush chuckled. "That's for sure." He gratefully took the box and opened it up. Inside was the most beautiful pair of brown shoes he'd ever seen. No scuff marks, no holes at the heel, the soles were in tact, and to make them perfect, they came complete with- "Matchin' laces." He whispered.

"I made sure. Brown on brown. Same length and everything."

This was the best thing he could ever, would ever, get. "But…why? Why go through such trouble just for me?"

She waved her hand as if swatting a fly. "It was no trouble."

"Okay, but I still wanna know why."

"Because…," here she paused, "because I want to see you happy. That's all I ever want. I just want you to be…happy. Because I-"

Mush took a step toward her. "You what?" They were so close that he could easily pull her to him and kiss her.

She looked up into his big brown eyes and whispered, "Because I love you." The box clambered the the ground between their feet and without another moment of hesitation, he took her in his arms, placed his hands firmly on her back, and kissed her. He kissed her with so much passion and love he thought he would burn in it. She kissed back, arms slipping around his neck, urging them deeper into their kiss. At last it had come, what he'd been wanting for years.

They reluctantly broke apart. "I have always loved you," he whispered. "I wasn't sure about you at first."

"Neither was I. I think I've been in love with you since the first day we met."

He smiled. He finally had the girl and he finally got his new shoes with matching laces. They continued their kiss, letting people pass by and stare but he didn't care.

Right now, he was the king of New York.

AN: Yay! Chapter one complete! I'm actually really pleased with how this turned out. Let me know if you liked it too by leaving me a lovely (or bad, whatevs, I won't hate) review! Thanks so much!