Curate, connect, and discover
ok so. jack was denied physical touch for all of his life, and the newsies aren't really big on it. jack sought out physical touch through playful slaps and shadow boxing, and flopping his arm over someone's shoulder as inconspicuously as possible.
Davey sees straight through it ... and he lets jack do his thing. lets jack shadow box him and rub his shoulders and offer to give him back massages and beat him up out of love ... because he knows jack needs that kind of validation ... (meanwhile jacks thinking he's the most inconspicuous guy ever)
so when jack starts gravitating towards davey, davey takes that as a success . jack feels safe around him ... and davey knows, especially regarding jacks past, that this is a feat. to be this close with jack, who only ever let his walls all the way down around crutchie ...
and when jack confesses thag he has feelings for davey, Davey can't help but celebrate on the inside. sure, he's had feelings for jack for ages too, but davey takes the greatest joy in the fact that he is one of jacks few safe people ....