#ticklish!jackkelly

[laughterisorange]

Commission from @zerozeromilktea , thank you for your patience!! I’m sorry for the wait, but here is that fic you wanted with Crutchie getting some well deserved t-words!!!

Enjoy!!

Fic size: Tangerine

Description: Jack is feeling uninspired, and Crutchie is here to help… maybe at his own downfall.

INSPIRED

Jack stared angrily at the stark white canvas in front of him. How hard was it to start a new art piece?! Apparently very hard. He sighed hotly, his head falling onto his pulled in knees.

He had come to Medda’s hoping to get something done. She needed a new background, and he was happy to keep working for her. And yet he’d been here for almost the whole morning with nothing to show for it. The evening paper was gonna be coming out soon!

Ever since taking the new job Pulitzer had offered, Jack had been more swamped for time. He spent less of his time selling papes, more time drawing for them. And he wasn’t complaining, oh no!! He was enjoying his new job, despite interacting much more with Katherine’s father (HER FAWTHER). But to go from his job drawing for the paper, to painting at Medda’s…it was a lot. And after staring at the blank canvas for several hours, so much that he could almost see the grains of it, he was beginning to wonder if the extra art was sucking him dry.

Jack lifted his head, clambering back on his knees with a wet brush poised to paint. This had never happened before. Usually, he was bursting with creativity! But since he no longer dreamt of Santa Fe, drawing it again just… didn’t hold the same feelings it used to. But without that to draw… he couldn’t even bring himself to start. He groaned in frustration.

“Jack? You in here?”

Jack sighed, his hand still raised and his now dripping brush unused. “Yeah, Crutch, I’m in here.”

Crutchie came around the corner grinning. “You ready to go for lunch?”

Jack looked at him, and then back at his blank canvas. Crutchie followed his gaze, and his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Haven’t you been here all morning?”

Jack sighed. “Yes, Crutchie, I have - and I don’t know what’s wrong!” He gestured at the canvas. “I just - I can’t seem to -“

“Picture anything?”

Yeah.”

“Jackie. It doesn’t have to be a work of art -“

“Medda is counting on me, and I’m drawing a complete blank! Pun intended! I want it to be good - “

“And that’s the problem.” Crutchie looked at him fondly, before delicately sitting beside him. He picked up the discarded brush. He dipped it into one of the paint cans, a deep blue coating it. “Jack, you ya self have told me that sometimes you just gotta start. Even if you don’t like it, or you’s scared-“

“I’s not scared - !”

Crutchie fixed him with a pointed look, pushing the brush into his hands. “- but you gotta start it. That’s the only way you’re getting out of this funk.”

“Crutchie, you don’t understand - I can’t just start right now, with no plan or inspiration -“

“And that’s where I come in.”

Crutchie gave no further warning before skittering his hands along Jacks side. Jack flailed with a choked gasp, paint flying from the brush to the clean white canvas. A small blue blob now dripped across the white.

“Crutchie!”

Crutchie grinned mischievously, continuing his assault of Jack’s sides. Jack yelped, moving forward where his brush squished against the canvas again. “S-s-stop Crutchie plehehease! Y-your gonna mess, AH! Mess me uhuhup!”

“I ain’t messing up something that’s not there!” Crutchie sing-songed.

Cheeky kid!

Jack suddenly regained some strength, grabbing Crutchie and pulling him into his lap. Mischievous smile now gone, Crutchie sputtered as Jack attacked his stomach.

“Jahahahack nohoho!”

“JaHAHACK yes!” Jack mocked, reaching to squeeze at Crutchie’s knees ruthlessly. “This is whatcha get for being cheeky, and this,” he scrabbled under Crutchie’s arms, “is for gettin paint on my canvas!”

“AHAHAHAH NO No GAH Y-YOU WoULDn’t STaHAHart!!”

“But now it’s ruined,” Jack said in mock seriousness, frowning as he moved to trace at Crutchie’s neck. “Where on earth am I gonna find a new canvas???”

Crutchie scrunched up adorably. “Ahahaha I don’t knohohohow! Pleheheease Jahahahck!”

Jacked hummed smirking down at Crutchie, who was much too busy laughing to notice the look of endearment on his brother’s face.

Jack felt a pang of sadness. After the time Crutchie has had since the refuge… well, Jack thinks, he deserves to let loose and laugh a little. It’s been clear to him, and the other news boys, that Crutchie is anything but fine, but he isn’t about to force him to talk about it. Crutchie will come to Jack when he wants to. But… reminding his brother he’s there for him? Jack can do that.

He’s pulled from his thoughts by something running along his own neck.

“GAH!” He grabs Crutchie’s hand, which is clutching one of his paintbrushes - a clean one, thank goodness. Although…

Jack grins. “Shouldn’t a’ done that Crutch.”

Crutchie gulps trying to scoot away, “no no wait Jack I’m sorry I’m sOHhahaHAHAHARRYYY!”

Bright giggles are pulled from Crutchie’s lips as Jack holds onto him with one arm, and begins swirling the brush against Crutchie’s neck and ears.

“I think I’s found a clean canvas Crutchie, and ya know what? I’m feelin’ inspired again…” Jack dips the brush down to Crutchies stomach, where his shirt has ridden up from all his squirming. He begins swirling it around on Crutchie’s stomach, Crutchie wiggling more as his laughter increases.

“NoHoHOHOHO NAhAhahaAT ThEreAhahah eahahaheaee!”

“Not where? Not here?” Jack punctuates his words with pokes from the brush. “My otha’ canvas’s don’t move nearly this much, but I’m sure I cans still make a pretty paintin’! And I know just where the sun should go!”

With that, Jack launches his final attack with the brush, swirling it around Crutchie’s belly button, before dipping it in and wiggling. The reaction is immediate.

“AIEHhheheHAHAHA nAhaHAHAHAH STAHAHA- AHAHAH PLEAHEHEHE”

Jack laughs along with him, and finally slows the brush down to a stop, putting it to the side before scooping Crutchie into his arms. “You okay, giggles?”

“Yehehehes, your s-such a mehehenie.”

Jack poked him once. “Don’t make me go for round two.”

Crutchie jerked away grinning, “okahahay okay, jeez.” Crutchie looked around, suddenly sheepish. “We uh, made kinda a mess didn’t we?”

That was an understatement. There were paint cans knocked over, and part of the actual canvas was now covered in the dark blue. But…

Jack looked at the blue for a moment, before his eyes lit up. He stood up, moving a few of the cans over and sat next to the canvas, mumbling ideas as he began to paint.

Crutchie grinned, standing and brushing himself off. He waited a moment, before chuckling to himself. “I’ll bring ya back a sandwich.”

Jack hummed in agreement, but made no move to turn around. He was an artist at work again, after all.

***

Days later, the two stood, discarded sandwich wrappers of the day behind them. Crutchie turned to Jack with a smile.

“Told ya - ya just needed to start,” he said cheekily.

“Shuddap,” Jack said, blushing a bit at the memory of days prior. He then wrapped an arm around Crutchie pulling him close.

“It really does look like the penthouse,” Crutchie said.

Jack turned to the canvas, the only white now the stars that dotted a navy sky, along with a blackened fire escape and the top of the brick building he called home. And on the roof, the silhouette of two boys sitting side by side.

“Yeah,” he said, “it really does.”

#newsies #newsies tickling #ticklish!jackkelly #ticklish!crutchie #newsies musical