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Jorgelino Josephino De la Guerra also known as Jo Jo wasn’t scared of a lot of things; when you grew up on the streets like he did before joining the Harlem Orphanage at 10, you had to face your fears every second of the day.
He used to fear the dark and spiders until he had to choose between a few nights in a shady, lonely abandoned warehouse full of the awful arachnids or a hideout in the dangerous streets of New York, the choice had been surprisingly easy.
Grown-ups were also one of his fears, Jo Jo knew first hand he couldn’t trust them, his aunt and uncle had been the perfect example after the death of his parents: they used him and then threw him out with nothing but some clothes and a broken heart.
Starving and freezing to death during winter, ending in the Refuge, being lonely, … Those were his primary fears being a child, before the Nuns welcomed him in Harlem.
At 17, Jo Jo wasn’t afraid of spiders, darkness or terrible grown-ups anymore. He had a new family, a new house and could easily escape any men trying to bring him to the Refuge. Something new replaced his childish fears, something -someone- he knew he wouldn’t handle losing.
His new fear -singular now- had messy brown hair, wide dark eyes full of mischievousness, a cheeky smile, was always sarcastic but had a generous heart … and it was named Henry.
A boy who was left to die by his mother when her husband died, a newsie who didn’t end up in an Orphanage at 10 and had to learn how to live alone, to not starve or freeze to death during winter.
Sarcasm became his only weapon. He wasn’t like Race, always ready to start a fight or like Jack, a dreamer with strength. Jo Jo knew Henry hated to fight, hated to confront people and would rather protect the younger newsies like Romeo or Les than protect himself.
Falling for Henry had been so natural that he didn’t question it… even if he knew people didn’t think it was natural for two boys to be in love.
“No one needs to know.” Henry would whisper to him in their bunk in the lodgings house, his breathe hot against Jo jo’s neck. “It is our little secret.”
This little secret was Jorgelino Josephino De la Guerra's biggest fear and he was certain it was Henry’s too. In a second, a tiny mistake, a wrong move in the wrong place and they could lose everything they managed to get in their awful lives. Boyhood memories of fear of spiders or the dark were nothing compared to losing the boy you loved the most in the entire world.
Jo Jo would whisper back and hold the younger boy closer to him, not knowing if it would be their last time together. “Our little secret.”