Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Stomp tap, stomp tap, stomp tap,

The sound of Crutchie making his way down the street echoed in his ears. Little made its way into his mind as he fought to get home. He wasn't even thinking about anything, except for how much he wanted a nap. Sure, crunching numbers wasn't nearly as physically taxing as selling papers (not to mention far more lucrative) but the mental taxation, even for a numbers wiz like Crutchie, took a toll, and he found that by the end of his shift his eyelids were heavy and his brain was fuzzy. This was part of his regular, albeit new, routine, so he was a little taken aback when his routine was interrupted by the sounds of an argument as he walked by the same old Italian restaurant.
“Come on doll, lemmie keep ya company.” A slurred, possibly drunk voice caught Crutchie’s attention.
“I don't want company thank you.” A sweet and slightly nasal voice answered the drunkard.
“Come on girlie ya can't sit here in a restaurant by yourself and expect ta not get talked to.”
“Please leave me alone!” The girl responded.
Crutchie turned to look at the scene. He couldn't see the girl, but what he did see, just through the door of the restaurant, was the back of an imposing man, his thick arms on either side of the girl, effectively blocking her from Crutchie’s view, and pinning the girl in her booth.
“Isn't anyone gonna do somethin’?” He looked around only to see unphased passersby, or unaware diners, that's when he caught sight of himself in the window of the restaurant. He looked at himself, he wasn't the urchin he used to be, he looked like a real gentleman in his new clothes. He could do something.
“I can do somethin’.” He said to himself before giving his waistcoat a little tug and grasping his crutch. He quickly stomp-tapped his way into the restaurant and then seamlessly slid into the booth across from the unfolding scene.
“Sorry I'm late darling, I got held up at work.” He said in his best uptown accent.
The large man turned to look at Crutchie who did his best to look stern. The man scrubbed his hands over his red face.
“Hey guy,I-I didn't know she was watin’ on no one but I swear if I knew she was spoken for I wouldn't've been so forward n’all.”
“You shouldn't have been that forward in the first place.” Crutchie over-enunciated his words and sent the man a menacing stare. The drunkard stumbled away, leaving Crutchie alone with his damsel.
“Sorry ta intrude, I c’n go now if ya want.” Crutchie began to get up but was stopped.
“No please sit. I gotta buy dinner for my hero.” The girl looked at Crutchie and for the first time he got a clear view of her face. Her impish features were punctuated by sweet freckles that danced across the bridge of her nose and her sun-kissed face was surrounded by the most beautiful curling black hair, most of which was pulled into a complicated style at the back of her head. But the most distracting thing about her were her eyes. They were as wide as saucers, big and sparkling brown, surrounded by thick dark lashes.
“Woah.”
“What?” The girl replied.
“Oh nothin, nothin sorry.” He shook his head slightly and then made to get up again.
“Please stay.” The girl pleaded again. “What if he comes back?” She said. Damn. She got him with that one. He sat back down.
“Okay. I’ll stay but I ain't gonna let you buy me dinner.” He replied as nicely as he could. To that she responded simply with a smirk and a raise of the eyebrow.
“My name’s Rosalinda.” The girl said, a slight twangy accent evident in her speech, and held out her hand to Crutchie.
“Well hello there Rosie.” Crutchie gave her delicate hand a little squeeze. She smiled at the new nickname and an irresistible blush bloomed in her cheeks as she retracted her hand.
“...and what’s your name?” She asked as she tucked a curl behind her ear and fluttered those dark lashes.
“Friends call me Crutchie.” He offered, but was taken aback by the resulting frown that curved her plump lips. “What?” He frowned as well.
“Do they call you that on a count of your...well...circumstance?” She said gingerly as she gestured vaguely to Crutchie’s crutch.
“Uh, yeah... they do.” Crutchie shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, beg pardon if it in’t my place...but dun’t that seem just a little unfair?” She blinked at him with her brows furrowed.
“I don't mind it, it's nice when they say it.” He nodded reassuringly. “But…” he trailed off.
“Charlie. My name is Charlie.” He said holding out his hand anew as if introducing himself again. Rosie smiled and then shook his hand.
“It's very nice to meet you Charlie.” She smiled, her twangy accent apparent again.
“Say, Rosie?” Crutchie inquired.
“Yeah...Charlie?” She giggled slightly as she said his name, his real name, and it made Crutchie blush himself.
“Where’re ya from? Ya sure ain't from New York.” He chuckled and she blushed now too.
“Well, just a little town in New Mexico called Santa Fe.” She smiled and fluttered her lashes again.
“Nahuh!” To say that Crutchie was completely flabbergasted was an understatement.
“What?” She inquired, her big brown eyes prodding him to tell her more.
“Ah nothin’ just me an’ my buddy used ta dream of runnin’ away to Santa Fe when times was tough.” Crutchie explained.
“I miss it dearly.” Rosie replied as she dreamily looked out the window.
“What's it like?” Crutchie put his elbows on the table and leaned in, ready for whatever she would tell him.
Rosie wove tale after tale of Santa Fe, answering all of Crutchie’s questions as they came, not minding his excited interruptions. She answered questions like, are there really clay buildings, does everyone have a horse and a lasso, are the mountains really taller than the buildings in manhattan, and are there really tumbleweeds, the answers to which were yes, no, yes, and sometimes, respectively. Rosie was absolutely radiant and starry eyed as she talked about her hometown and Crutchie wondered why she would leave if it was as amazing as she made it sound.
“So what brought ya to New York?” Crutchie asked the seemingly innocent question and then immediately regretted it when Rosie’s smile fell and she seemed to shut herself off, crossing her pink silk clad arms.
“What’d I say? I'm sorry ya don't hafta answer that it was just me bein’ nosy.” He shook his head rapidly from side to side as if refusing his own question.
“No,” She cut him off in his rambling “I can tell you why, I think…” her smile returned then, ever so slightly.
“I don't know why...I just met you, but I think I can trust you.” She cocked her head slightly, as if examining him more closely. A blush crept into Crutchie’s face as she looked at him.
“My daddy thought that people’d be kinder to me here. More acceptin’.” There was a beat of silence before she continued. “People’n Santa Fe don't really like my kind.”
At this Crutchie was completely puzzled. Her kind? What kind was that? She sensed his confusion and then began to explain.
“My daddy, he's from here, and my mama...well, her daddy was from Taos...and he was a Pueblo Indian, and her mama, well she was from somewhere else. I'm all mixed up. That's why.” Rosie looked self consciously to her hands neatly folded on the table in front of her with a frown. The air was silent for a moment before Crutchie reacted.
“That's the neatest thing I ever heard!” Crutchie exclaimed, truly fascinated.
“I ain't never met no Indian before! Who’da thunk I could meet one without ever leavin’ manhattan!” At this she smirked slightly and rose one eyebrow, trying to figure out if his exuberance was genuine or if he was simply trying to make her feel better. She was so distracted by his rambling that she hardly noticed as he reached across the table and placed his hand on hers rather as if he'd been doing it for years. She gasped and startled slightly at the contact and Crutchie looked as if he had been burned as he retracted his hand quickly.
“Oh no I'm sorry Rosie I just got carried away-” but before he could finish his sentence she snached his hand back from him and held it tight.
“I like you holding my hand Charlie...I like you.” She stressed the last word and Crutchie was blushing again.
“It's funny really...there’re people I've known for years who I haven't connected with the way I've connected with you...in just the past couple hours. It's workin’ on my curfew though, would you wanna meet up tomorrow?” She smiled at him fondly.
“Yes.” He said all too quickly and Rosie let out the most musical laugh that Crutchie had ever heard. Rosie placed a handful of bills on the table to pay for their dinner and before Crutchie could say anything the waiter had come by, scooped up the bills, and thanked Rosie.
“I had to thank you somehow!” She defended her actions.
“Nah you really didn’t but thats okay. I’ll just pay next time!” Crutchie grinned at the blush that formed in Rosie’s cheeks again as they stood and left the restaurant. She was very much indeed living up to her nickname. The soft pink silk of her dress glimmered in the dim light of the evening and her lips, red as a rose, complimented her bright pink sun-kissed cheeks. She was Rosie, in every sense of the word.
“You don’t have to walk me home…” She trailed off, realizing this might be a sensitive topic after she had already begun to say it.
“Of course I do! I’d never expect a lady to walk herself home alone! At night! In the Dark!” He added the last two exclamations on after the fact, trying to further his argument. He really was not offended that she didn’t want him to walk, he was offended by the fact that she thought he’d actually let her walk home alone.
“I’m walkin’ you home and that is that.” He nodded seriously to her, affirming his statement.
“Alright! I’m not gonna argue with you!” Rosie tossed her hands up in the air, indicating what she said.
------------------
They had spent most of the walk planning where and when they would meet up the next day and had made fully solidified plans by the time they had arrived at Rosie’s house. Her apartment building was in the same neighborhood as Katherine’s, nice but not fancy. It was then that Crutchie realized that he hadn’t gotten to hold her hand on the walk. His heart sank and he knew he wouldn’t have forgotten something so important if he hadn’t been so preoccupied with walking at an okay pace. It didn’t seem to bother Rosie, however, because when they stopped in front of her apartment building she took his hand in hers and held it for just a moment.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” She blushed again and before Crutchie could really process what was happening Rosie had thrown an arm around his shoulders and hugged him tightly. He returned the hug and found himself wishing that this moment never had to end.
“Goodnight Charlie” she whispered in his ear before leaving a sweet, all too brief kiss on his cheek and walking to the door of her building.
“Goodnight Rosie.”

Chapter Text

“What on earth is you wearin’?” Crutchie looked at Rosie’s strange outfit. The top looked like any other dress, but the bottom featured huge puffy pants instead of a skirt. Rosie popped an eyebrow and gave Crutchie a look that almost made him faint.

“They’re cycling bloomers. Ladies wear them when they ride a bicycle.” She explained with her hands on her slender hips.

“But you ain’t ridin’ a bicycle…” Crutchie pointed out. Rosie drummed her fingers against the plaid fabric and lace trim in a message that said ‘yes I am aware of that’ and she pulled three pieces of twine out of her pocket.

“It’s part of my master plan. Now follow me.” Crutchie hobbled after Rosie on the soft green grass of the secluded park they were in. She sat down on the grass and Crutchie followed suit. She scrambled over to his right side and placed his crutch behind her.

“Rosie, what is you doin’...”

“Hush Charlie it’s a surprise!” She squeaked back, as if she could hardly contain her excitement. She then began tying the twine around both her left leg and his right, at the ankle, above the knee, and around the arches of their feet. He had some idea what she was up to now, but he wasn’t quite sure so he just let her do whatever it is she was doing. “Ready?” She looked at him with a twinkle in her eye and clamped her arm under his shoulders before literally lifting herself and Crutchie off the ground simultaneously. Those puffy sleeves must have been hiding some serious muscles.

“Woah, what?” Crutchie nearly shouted as Rosie tested out her system by moving both of their feet up and down.

“Are you ready?” She panted excitedly. Crutchie gave a weak nod before she stepped forward with their inside feet. “Okay now the outside foot.” Crutchie nodded and they both stepped forward with their outside feet. “Inside, outside, inside, outside.” Rosie chanted as they fell into a walking pattern. Then faster, they sped into a slow jog across the grass. Crutchie couldn’t believe the even speeds he was running at. It was almost as if his leg was actually working, even though it was Rosie who was doing all the heavy lifting. Rosie let him know they were picking up speed and then they were running. Crutchie was running and boy did it feel good. He had totally forgotten the feeling. The wind, the rush, the blur of scenery going by, he let out a joyful laugh and Rosie laughed too, Charlie was happy and her plan was working! But the moment ended quickly, their pattern got off track and their movements de-synchronized. Before they knew it they were tripping and tumbling into the grass. Crutchie came down hard on his back and Rosie crashed flat on top of him, managing to brace her hands on either side of his head, looking down at him squinting against the sun. Crutchie looked up at Rosie. He thought that she couldn’t look more beautiful every time he saw her, but he was wrong. Right now, looking up at her as the sun filtered through her raven's -wing locks, her cheeks flushed from running, she was the most beautiful girl in the world. Before Crutchie knew what was happening Rosie had leaned down and kissed him hard, letting her weight fall on him and dragging her hands from the grass, over his shoulders, and then grabbing his jacket lapels firmly. Crutchie had happily accepted his fate when Rosie suddenly broke the kiss in a near panic.

“I’m so sorry that was very un-ladylike…” She began to say before Crutchie leaned up and closed the gap between them, connecting their lips once again. She smiled into the kiss and wrapped her arms around Crutchie as he did the same, reveling in the feeling of her slender frame in his arms. Even after the kiss ended, they stayed there on the grass, just enjoying each others embrace.

Watch me stand, watch me run…

Crutchie remembered everything he said he would do in Santa Fe and he realized that all of those things, he had done with Rosie. Rosie had helped him stand and run, literally and figuratively, so many times. “Rosie, you's my Santa Fe.” He said to her, breaking their companionable silence. Rosie smiled and placed her hand on his cheek. She knew what that meant to him, and what it meant to her.

It meant that she was his home, and he was hers.

Chapter Text

Damn it was cold out.

That’s all Crutchie could think about, well that and the more immediate and anxious matter. He had to get to Rosie.

Tonight.

Right now.

Everything that was happening, everything he just saw, he couldn't take it anymore. Seeing Race at Spot’s bedside, seeing the way he loved him with every fiber of his being but could do nothing about it, it broke Crutchie’s heart. He couldn’t believe that they lived in a world where love wasn't allowed. Who cares if it’s between two men? That’s still love.

Seeing that, seeing two people who could never truly be together, well, that expedited his plans.

Now is the time to seize the day

The words Davey had spoken all those years ago rang through his head as he shoved his free hand in his pocket and gripped the little velvet box had been there for weeks. He’d been planning on proposing on Valentine’s Day, but he had to do it now.

He finally got to her house and carefully hobbled up the icy steps. With a ring of the bell, the door was answered by none other than Rosie herself.

“Charlie? You must be freezing! Come in from out there!” She practically threw down the book she had been holding in order to grab the front of his jacket and tug him into the warm house. “What’re you doin’ here? Is everythin’ alright with Spot?” She dusted the snow off of his shoulders and hat as she fired questions at him.

“He’s fine.” He said simply. “Somethin’ gotta be wrong for me to wanna to see my gal?” Crutchie tried to play off his nerves.

“At eleven o’ clock at night in the middle of a blizzard?” She rose an eyebrow. “Generally yes.” She chuckled slightly. He felt like he had just been caught red handed and he looked from side to side trying to figure out what to say next. “Well come and warm yourself up at least.” She gently took his crutch from him and propped it against the wall, then placed her arm around his back. He put his arm over her shoulders and then she coaxed him toward the fireplace in the sitting room and plopped him down on a settee right next to it.

 The room was warm and cheery, the curtains drawn open, showing a view of the crystallized wonderland outside, much nicer to look at than to be caught in. The fire crackled comfortingly and bright reds and yellows bounced off of Rosie, sitting there looking at Crutchie with concern. Her hair was tied back in pink satin ribbons, reminding Crutchie of the night they met, and everything that had happened since.

Every day he spent with her was completely glorious and after seeing all of the terrible things that other people dealt with, he couldn’t help but feel like it would catch up with them. Like their good luck would run out.

“Daddy would you mind givin’ us the room for a bit?” Rosie asked her father who had been reading a book in a large armchair across from the settee.

“No problem darling, good to see you Charles.” The tall man gave Crutchie a nod before sliding out of the room.

“Now, what is goin’ on? You’re givin’ me a bit of a fright.” Her eyelashes nearly brushed against her eyebrows with how wide her eyes were. Her sweet pink lips pursed with concern.

“You know I love you right?” He locked eyes with her.

“I love you too. Now why are you bein’ so darn mysterious?” She shook her head. No matter how many scenarios he had played out in his head, no matter how many times he had rehearsed this, he could not figure out what would be the best way, and in that moment all of his words just...left him. There was little else he could do after that. Her hands were gripping his shoulders firmly and she was staring at him hard. As if she would find the answer in his eyes if she looked hard enough. So, figuring that actions spoke louder than words, he pulled the little velvet box from his coat pocket and held it out to her on the palm of his hand.

“What is that?” Rosie relaxed slightly but didn’t yet allow herself to smile, as if she didn’t want to get her hopes up. Crutchie smiled as the tension in the room began to melt away.

“I had a plan ya know. I was gonna do this at Valentines Day dinner, it was gonna be real fancy, a real event, but I just can’t stop thinkin’ that I gotta do it now. Seeing’ everything that poor Racer is goin’ through, seein’ someone not be able to do exactly what I’s about to do, it makes ya realize that...you got a privilege...ya know?” He placed his hand, still ice cold, on Rosie’s ever-blushed cheek, she leaned into it, not minding the cold one bit and placed her hand over his in an attempt to warm it. “I just saw someone almost lose their life, and he still might.” Crutchie shook his head and then withdrew his hand from Rosie’s. He placed it on top of the box. “Life is so short, and so easily taken away, Rosie...marry me.” Crutchie opened the box to reveal the most beautiful turquoise ring that Rosie had ever seen. She immediately started nodding her head. Tears were sneaking down her cheeks and for once, she was the one who was rendered speechless. He took the ring out of the box and placed it on Rosie’s ring finger.

“Yes, yes of course I’ll marry you!” She laughed through her tears and kissed him soundly. She chuckled against his lips. “You big goof.” He laughed as well at that. “My rescuer.” She whispered, reminiscent of the night they met, as they pressed their foreheads together.

“Champagne!” Rosie’s father practically sang as he came back into the room with a tray full of champagne flutes and a smile that took up the majority of his face.

“Daddy, you knew?” Rosie smiled brightly.

“Not that he was going to do it tonight, no. I believe Valentines is what we discussed, but I’m always prepared!” He declared with a flourish as he set down the tray. “Let’s see?” He rubbed his hands together and leaned forward. Rosie laughed and then with the grace of a ballet dancer, held out her left hand for her father to see. He smiled and then looked over at Crutchie. “Excellent work my boy.” He gave Crutchie a wink. Rosie looked at the ring again. It really was splendid. A thin silver band with turquoise and two little diamonds on either side of the larger blue stone in the center. Just enough tradition, just enough sparkle. If there was one thing that Crutchie knew about Rosie it was that she really did love sparkly things. Almost as much as she loved her culture and traditions, which is why he chose turquoise as the center stone and silver as the metal, even though he was partial to white-gold. Turquoise and silver meant something to her, so they meant something to him.

“Charlie, you’re my fiancée.” Rosie looked at Crutchie dreamily as she picked up a champagne flute.

“You’s gonna be my wife” Crutchie replied, as he picked up a flute of his own.

“Welcome to the family m’boy.” Rosie’s father smiled and rose his glass.

“To family.” Rosie said as she lifted her glass.

“To seizing the day.” Crutchie replied as he clinked his glass against the others.