#katherine pulitzer appreciation

[more-sonorous]

the power of rugelach (sun, moon, stars)-- jatherid

i cannot get enough of these children. so here is more. copious amounts of Kath love incoming, because she deserves it!

tw for mentions of the covid pandemic + asshole parents making bad decisions.

....

It was a well known fact of life that Katherine Pulitzer hated her father. She hated almost every member in her entire immediate family, actually, which was saying something since she had six siblings. Each of them was more assholish than the last (except for her eldest sister Lucy. Lucy was alright). The other five siblings were horrible, just like her ice-cold mother and her overbearing, horrible father and his neverending ‘dickery’, as Jack so eloquently put it.

This week’s ‘dickery’ involved him summoning all of his children to his townhouse in the city for one last family meeting before the lockdown 'really kicked in'. In the middle of a pandemic. Katherine, not really wanting to leave the safety and comfort of Jack’s apartment and her lovely roommates, put up a hell of a fight. First of all, pandemic. Second of all, lockdown. Third of all, a lot of her older siblings had kids, so they shouldn’t have been exposing themselves anyways– but stubborn Joseph Pulitzer merely brushed her worries off. Kath wondered if he lost a bit of common sense with every dollar he earned, and resolutely refused to attend. When he threatened to stop paying off her remaining debt from university, she found herself gruffly climbing into her vehicle and driving to meet with her ridiculous, stupid family.

It was not a pleasant evening. In fact, it was far from pleasant. She had to endure passive aggressive comments about Jack, her career, Jack again, her choice of clothing, her relationship with Jack– everything from the way she styled her bangs to the sneakers she wore. When was she going to get married? When was she going to get a real job, or a ‘serious’ boyfriend? And her father. She wanted to punch the man across the face as the hours chugged on. If she heard one more word about how ‘concerned’ he was for her future, she was sure she’d explode.

Kath had never been more grateful to slam the door of her car behind her and floor it back to their safe, cozy studio apartment. She stormed up the stairs in a cloud of fury, sure that there was metaphorical smoke pouring from her ears.

After a visit with her family, she never failed to feel like nothing more than the red-headed failure of a middle child. 

Realistically, she knew she wasn’t a failure. She was an established journalist in a happy relationship, making her own money and living her life how she wanted. She was happy. That was what mattered, after all– she’d been chasing her own happiness and building life her way since she moved out for freshman year of college. What she had was what she’d wanted since childhood. She’d never felt more free.

Their comments still managed to get under her skin, infuriatingly enough. She hated her family. She hated that they didn’t even know her enough to see how happy she was. Or maybe they did see, and they still didn't accept it. That somehow made the knife twist even deeper.

Kath practically kicked down the door to the apartment and slung her shoes off as aggressively as possible, wanting to take out her bone-deep fury on every inanimate object in her immediate vicinity. She wanted to write furious prose about her parents and scream into the water of a scalding hot bath. She wanted to throw something or kick something or rip something– but then she saw Davey, and all of that sort of waned away.

He was curled up against the plush arm of the couch with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, dark curls ruffled and extra fluffy post-nap. The Office played on the TV and he watched with hooded green eyes, a pillow hugged to his chest, long legs folded beneath him. He turned to see her and smiled, whole face lighting up, and she felt her rage sap away as his eyes brightened.

“Kathy.” Davey dropped everything he’d been doing and climbed off of the couch, making his way to her in long strides. He was so happy to see her, and for some reason, that made her so happy that she could scarcely breathe. “How was your luncheon?”

“Miserable.” She muttered, surprised at the thickness of emotion tightening her voice.

Davey frowned a long-suffering frown. Having grown up alongside her, he was used to the Pulitzer clan bullshit. That explained the concern in his wide, green eyes, and the hesitant way he kept twitching his hands towards her like he wanted to comfort her but was stopping herself. Her pent up frustration urged her to grab him by the shoulders and scream that she wanted his touch just as much as he wanted to touch her. She barely refrained, and chose to hang on to the gentle sound of his voice instead as he continued speaking. “I figured as much. Jack said he was going to try to be back as soon as possible, but he’s moving all of his stuff out of the art studio across town so he might be a little bit longer– in the meantime, I made you rugelach, since I know you don’t like the desserts your father’s cook makes. We can go eat, if you want.”

Only then did she register the warm, comforting smell of flaky puff pastry and freshly made raspberry jam. It smelled like distant childhood memories. The cramped kitchen in the Jacobs house after every birthday– like breaking in her first apartment, Davey’s cheeks and t-shirt splotched with flour– like two AM after her Bat Mitzvah, when she and Davey had curled up in a pillow fort, giggling and devouring pastries until the sun came up. He’d been worrying about her. Of course he’d been worrying about her, because he was just so good and kind and sweet, and Katherine wanted him so deeply and ridiculously that it hurt. 

What she wouldn’t give to have both him and Jack at once. 

She realized that she didn’t give him a response a moment too late, because his lips ticked down into a subtle frown. “Kathy… are you okay?”

And then she was crying. The floodgates broke embarrassingly fast, and the sob that ripped through her was loud and ugly. Within seconds, Davey had her wrapped up in his freckled arms, and she sunk into his comforting warmth with careless abandon. He was tall and warm and familiar and Jack was right, his clothes were really soft– and he smelled good, too, like old books and vanilla shampoo and lavender fabric softener. With one hand cradling the back of her head and the other arm tucked firmly around her waist, Katherine felt safe to sob her eyes out. She did just that as Davey tucked his nose into her hair and held her steady through the storm.

“I hate them.” She sobbed incoherently, feeling stupid and childish all the while. “And th-they hate me too, and I– I hate that they hate me, Davey, I fucking despise it!”

“Nobody hates you.” Davey soothed in that soft voice of his, words warm and sweet against the top of her head. “It's impossible to hate you.”

She hiccuped around another sob and squeezed tight fistfuls of his shirt into her hands. “They do. I know they do. I don’t– I don’t care what they think of me, and I’m not gonna change for them, but I just wish they’d understand me, Davey–”

Her blubbering was nearly incoherent and she knew it, but he didn’t judge her or freeze up or anything. Instead, he ran a gentle hand through her hair and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head, letting the wave of fresh tears ebb. She cried hard, loud tears of frustration. Hugging Davey was a lot better than hitting inanimate objects, but it didn’t make her ridiculous excuse for a family hurt any less. He understood, and he let her cry until she was hiccuping. Then he gently wrapped both his arms around her and spoke very softly. “Couch?”

Kath could only manage a nod and felt herself melt from head to toe as he lifted her up in deceptively strong arms. She swung her legs around him– if he was going to be as tall as a tree, she could cling like a koala– and the only reaction she received was a soft noise of surprise before he snapped back into comfort mode and carried her to the couch. When Davey sat, Katherine didn’t dare move and buried her face in his shoulder, instead. He hugged her tightly, shielding her with her arms, and she wanted to hide there forever.

It didn’t take long for her to calm down, and when the rage stopped clouding her vision, it left an overwhelming sadness behind. 

“I’m always wondering–” She cut herself off with a hiccupy little breath but quickly tried to reign her voice in. Kath hated crying. Feeling weak. “I’m always wondering what my life would be like if I’d grown up with parents that actually supported me.”

“Who knows?” Davey’s voice was barely a whisper as he tugged the elastic from the end of her braid and ran his fingers through her hair, gently untangling the strands. “It sucks that we can’t control what we’re born into. We just have to make the most of it, and you do a really good job of that, Kathy.”

Another hiccup shook her and she curled her fingers into the fabric of his shirt. “Doesn’t make me hate it any less.”

“You have every right to hate it. Your siblings are pretentious jerks, your mom has more botox than she does love in her shriveled up heart, and your borderline evil dad has a huge stick up his ass.” Davey stated, so matter-of-factly that Katherine couldn't help but let out a sharp bark of laughter. “But somehow they raised my closest friend, and she turned out to be kind and loyal and passionate and all of the best things you could want in a person. So… I’m just grateful you’re here and you’re you.”

The pure adoration swelling in her chest brought stinging tears to her eyes, and within moments they were slipping down her cheeks. “Davey…”

“Oh, no.” He breathed, going rigid and raising his hands to his hair. “I am so, so sorry. I didn't– I didn’t want to make you cry again, I just– I probably shouldn’t have said that about your parents–”

“You’re the best.” Kath managed to choke out through her tears, and she embraced him again so he couldn’t see the infatuation in her eyes. Davey hugged her back, with a bit of careful hesitance, but he relaxed into the touch soon enough, sinking into the couch cushions behind him. She almost felt bad for crying on him– first Jack, less than a week ago, and now her– but there was just something about Davey’s steadiness that made the wild parts of Kath (and surely Jack, too) feel safe.

Keys jingled in the door and Kath didn’t move a muscle as she listened to Jack’s familiar footfalls. He made his way into the kitchen first, probably setting down boxes based on the roll and rattle of paint brushes and acrylic bottles, but soon his parade of sock-footed steps landed in the living room. Within moments he was at her side, a warm hand on her back. 

“Jesus, love, what’s wrong?”

“Kath’s family are assholes.” Davey answered, and she managed a meek nod of agreement.

Jack chuckled, soft and low. “Don’t I know it. C’mere, darling.” Gentle, calloused fingers tilted her chin up and she looked into the sweetest brown eyes she knew. Kath thanked the powers above for providing her with these precious boys as Jack carefully pulled the sticky strands of hair from her cheeks and wiped her tears away. “You deserve better, mi rayo del sol.”

For the second time that day, she positively melted. If she hadn’t been seated on top of Davey her knees surely would’ve gone weak. Kath let herself smile dopily as Jack kissed her cheeks and the tip of her nose. “Hug?”

“Obviously.” She croaked, feeling exhausted and emotionally drained. 

Jack tugged her up against her chest and she practically collapsed against her amazing boyfriend. It seemed that the universe wasn’t keen on giving her a single moment of relaxation, because Davey went and stood up and Katherine felt her head whipping around towards him before she could stop herself. He had an awkward, almost pained expression on his pretty face and every socially trained part of her told her to just let him leave. Jack was her boyfriend, after all, and comforting her should’ve been his job alone. Still, deep in her chest, she knew she’d feel better with both of them and she wasn’t going to dance around that anymore.

“Where are you going?”

“My… uh… my room.” He froze awkwardly, like a deer in headlights. Jack’s chest shook with a silent chuckle and he hid his face in her hair. “I figured you’d want Jack–”

Sometimes, Davey required bluntness. Kath, teary-eyed and exhausted, delivered exactly that as she reached a hand out and motioned him over. “I do want Jack. And you. So get over here.”

“You oughta do what she says, Dave, she rules the roost. I don’t make the rules.” Jack murmured into her shoulder, looking up at Davey with irresistible brown doe eyes. Kath knew, from experience, that he was impossible to say no to when he looked like that. She was absolutely correct as she watched Davey’s resolve disappear into a little groan. He rubbed his eyes from beneath his glasses.

“Okay. Let me get the rugelach while they’re still warm.”

“The rug-ah-luh-huh?” Jack muttered, sitting back against the arm of the couch and tugging Kath to sit between his legs. She laughed and traced her thumb over the scar on his chin, taking just a moment to admire his adorable expression of confusion. How her parents could disapprove of this wonderful boy, she’d never know. 

“My favorite pastry.” Kath explained, with a genuine smile. “Davey makes his grandma’s recipe and he tops them with this raspberry jam– they’re seriously life changing, Jack. Just wait.”

"Anything Dave cooks is life-changing." He assured, before leaning in to press a kiss to her cheeks. His hand, warm as ever, cupped her face as he continued his trail down her jaw. "You look beautiful right now."

She scoffed, sharp and degrading. "I look like a mess."

"Nuh-uh. You can't see yourself, 'n you can't see what I'm seein'-- and what I'm seein' is a picture I oughta paint and hang on my wall forever." Jack's voice was soft and low and dripping with honesty that made her face feel hot and her stomach clench happily. He grinned a riddiculous, dopey grin. "Yeah, that's right. I see that little smile-"

"You're ridiculous." Kath pushed his cheek into her shoulder to stifle his ridiculous giggles.

Jack Kelly was an unstoppable little beast, though, and he popped his head right back up and trained that megawatt natural smile at her. She'd learned the distance by now-- his forced smile hid his pretty dimples, but if he was really happy, they came right out. He was smiling at her like she was the sun itself. "Ridiculously honest, maybe. 'Cause all I'm seein' is just plain gorgeous. Tell me, did it hurt when--"

"No!" She whined as she tried to quell her own laughter, slapping a hand over his mouth to stop the ridiculous pickup lines.

Maybe she should've expected the cheeky bastard to lick her palm, but she figured they were too mature for that. She was wrong and recoiled with a shriek, gazing at her spit-slick palm. "Jack! Germs! You don't know where my hand's been!"

"I just saw it touchin' Dave, 'n he's pretty clean. So."

Kath barked out a shocked laugh and gently shoved his shoulder, which only made him tug her closer. "You are the worst, did you know that?"

"But you love me." Jack cooed in a sing-song sort of way, all gentle touches as he cupped her cheeks in those rough hands of his. She loved his hands. Couldn't get enough of them.

She felt herself soften for the unfairly beautiful boy, and tilted her head to kiss the inside of his palm. "Unfortunately I do."

Davey returned, carefully holding a plate of fragrant pastries. Kath felt her mouth watering at the comforting smell, and wondered just how he knew exactly what she needed. He was more perceptive than people assumed– just another bullet point of the list of things Kath loved about David Jacobs. And another thing on the subsequent list for Jack was the fact that he loved Davey, too, based on the way he was looking at him with a ridiculously dopey, lovesick grin. “You gonna come and sit, now, Dave?”

“Sure. Um…” David awkwardly rocked back onto his heels, arms straight down by his sides. His hands would be buried in his pockets, if he had any. “How… um… how do you want me?”

“Less rigid.” She teased, before taking gentle hold of his plaid sweatpants and pulling him closer. He went willingly, if not a bit stiffly, and molded himself to her just how she wanted. Kath leaned her back up against Davey’s chest and let Jack take the reins, gently taking Davey’s ankle in hand and placing it on the couch next to him so that both Jack and Kath were sitting within the vee of his legs. Davey hesitantly strung his freckled arms around her and she breathed a sigh of relief as she relaxed into the tangle of Jack and Davey, a giddy sort of thrill shooting through her as Dave gently dropped his chin onto her head. “Rugelach time, now.”

“Whatever you wish, princess.” Jack threw a wink at her and grabbed the plate, settling it in the midst of their cuddle pile, balanced on Kath’s lap. He plucked one of the pastries and held it up with a smile that dimpled his cheeks and brightened the room. “Open wide.”

The rugelach were even better than the last time David made them, sweet and nutty and just a bit tart from the jam. Kath felt her eyes roll back and she tilted her head into the firmness of Davey's chest with a groan. "Davey. Ohmygod."

"Good?" He shook with a giggle, and smiled a private little smile.

"Perfect, I think. Jack, you hafta try." She snatched one of the pastries and held it out for Jack to bite.

He grinned cheekily at her before leaning in and taking a careful bite, purposefully brushing his lips against her fingers. The playfulness dissolved as his eyes grew wide, and he quickly bit off the rest of the rugelach and stared at Davey like he was the most wonderful thing in the world (he sort of was). "Dave. What the hell did you put in this?"

"Walnuts. Raisins. Love?"

"You heard it here, folks. Walnuts, raisins, and love. Key to Jack Kelly's heart." Jack grinned and plucked another rugelach off of the plate. Kath didn't ignore Davey's pleased, victorious little expression-- but that smile dropped into hesitance as Jack offered the treat to him. "Your turn."

Davey swallowed hard and Kath fought valiantly to suppress a giggle at the pink spreading from his cheekbones to his ears. "I-- um-- germs."

"C'mon..." Puppy eyes. Kath felt bad for Davey. It was impossible to stay strong when Jack used those big, brown eyes to his advantage.

Her spirits lifted with every giggle they shared as Jack fed Davey the sweet, Davey’s messy bite of surprise sending puff pastry flakes tumbling down onto Kath’s shoulder. The three of them fed each other in a ridiculous fit of giggles, featuring Kath awkwardly reaching back to try and find Davey’s mouth, and Davey exasperatedly leaning forward to swipe jam off of Jack’s cheek, and Jack constantly brushing powdered sugar onto Kath’s nose just to kiss it off again. Jack even tried his silly little lip brush trick on poor Davey, which definitely sent his brain into reboot mode. Kath couldn't hide her laughter at that, and she only cackled harder when her defeated best friend hid his face in her shoulder and tightened his arms around her. Soon sunset was bathing the apartment and Kath’s ridiculous family was pushed into a far corner of her mind.

What she had in that moment was far better than anything her parents could’ve offered her as a child. Jack and Davey were family, and she was at home in their arms– just a little bit sweaty with her face sticky from tears and her hair a tangled, finger-combed mess. That, she decided, was how she wanted to spend the rest of her life. No picture perfect cul-de-sac marriage. Just them.

....

can you believe that these goobers aren't in an established relationship yet? guess i oughta write a getting together blurb for them...

but pining is so fun i just wanna write awkward lovestruck stumbling

[troyssix]

OOOOOH I GET IT

spot is the king of brooklyn.

but KATHERINE. KATHERINE, I TELL YOU, is the king of NEW YORK. not nyc. new york as in the whole state. (maybe the city?? i dunno)

(i still love spot tho <3)

(oh and denton!!)

[i-didnt-do-1t]

Katherine visiting the delanceys in an attempt to write a follow up article on the strike.

Oscar wasn’t expecting to open the door to Katherine Pulitzer. Kelly’s girl, as far as he was aware, Joe’s daughter.

She looked up at him from the notebook she was holding, something scribbled down on the top of the page Oscar couldn’t make out from upside down, and smiled slightly. It wasn’t friendly, it was sharp at the edges paired with the set of her jaw and her straight lined shoulders and Oscar had heard she was stubborn; knew that it was her that grabbed his shoulder as he and Morris escorted Jack out of old man Pulitzer’s office. She had that same look in her eyes now as she did when he roughly shrugged her off, determined, self-assured; Oscar wanted it gone.

He folded his arms and leant against the doorframe as he looked down at her.

“Miss Pulitzer.”

“I go by Plumber, when I’m working professionally.”

“Yeah? Well I ain’t lookin’ whatever services you’re here to provide. Man a’ god, n’ all that.”

Her smile dropped faster than he was expecting, as he worked to keep the smirk off his own face at the way her gaze flicked to the ground, before her jaw hardened and she looked back up at him again, almost a glare. Almost.

“I don’t appreciate whatever you’re implying.” Oscar scoffed, but she barrelled on anyway. “I just wanted to ask you a few questions.”

“Don’t know nothin’ about the ballet I’m afraid; but my brother-“

“Mr Delancey.”

“What? M’ I botherin’ you?” He stood up at little straighter, stance mockingly defensive. “Cause it’s you who showed up to my door-“

“Because I’m following a story.”

He paused at her interruption, then grinned. “Playin’ reporter again?”

“I’m not playing. As I recall my last article almost lost your uncle his job.”

“You sure you wanna start bringin’ that up? Ain’t just him that almost lost his job.”

She shrugged, “If you didn’t want to be commented on in the paper maybe you shouldn’t have beat on defenceless children.”

“Defenceless? I dunno Pulitzer, the cr*p got a good few hits in with his crutch”

Her shoulders tensed further, glare becoming more acute as she stared at him. He took note of how her hand tightened around her pen, and grinned.

It was almost too easy.

[bbyclnrbnsn]

Cool things from my second time at UKsies (matinee 28.06.2023)

(had a much better seat this time, so these are mostly just things i didn't get to properly appreciate last time)

Act 1

the amount of ad-libbing! Missed so much of it when I was sitting further back

all the chase scenes going right past me!!

a Bowery beauty giving Les a feather

CRUTCHIE TRYING TO SELL ME A PAPE

Race trying to steal the seltzer from Jacobi

The amount of people who put bags on their head to avoid getting chosen to go to Brooklyn

The weight of the moment between Jack and Race at the start of Seize the Day

Snyder materialising next to me??

Jack being SO tactile, especially with the Jacobs brothers

Act 2

The Brooklyn costumes!!

Sprace before Once And For All - hudled together and whispering and I SWEAR Spot did a little Debbie Ryan hair moment

Spot and Davey besties arc?? Literally love all their interactions

Sprace being noticably more pissed off at JAck than anyone else

Just everything about Hannah. Absolutely hilarious.

Pulitzer being SUCH a cartoon villain

Les being so tiny and so cute and so sassy

Katherine in King Of New York - just so thrilled to be there

Roosevelt's laugh and little skip after the backseat line

[emmedoesntdomath]

for your consideration:

what if davey and katherine were friends before livesies events? like i feel like they would get along well, maybe they went to school together when they were younger, sort of grew apart, and then became friends again via the stike?

and what if when jack and kath got together it made davey really jealous bc like ‘thats my friend and thats my crush’ blah blah blah

and when they break up he’s secretly v happy even before he and jack get together?

like he’s still friends w/ her and all but it makes him even more bitter

CONSIDERING AND APPRECIATING 

okay, so, we know me, I have no chill which means I’m going to amend/expand your statement just a tad for historical accuracy purposes (shocking, I know). 

instead of going to school together, I think esther jacobs, who is canonically a seamstress, could have been the pulitzers’ personal tailor for a time. it would have been pretty early in their childhood, probably, and while she was working, a tiny katherine would sneak off to play with a young sarah jacobs and her little brother, david, who weren’t technically supposed to be there, but the kitchen staff adored them, so they could be found quietly reading and munching on old bread. they were friends in the way that most children are friends; not in a way that encourages lasting relationships, but momentary fun and laughter that will fade as the years pass. 

when esther jacobs was let go after two, three years, david and sarah jacobs never came back to the pulitzers, and never heard from the little girl with the swinging brown curls, tied up with a pretty bow. 

but then david became davey, and davey was best friends with jack, and suddenly- poof! enter katherine plumber pulitzer, stage left. 

davey is, of course, thrilled to see her. fortunately, so is jack. he starts talking to katherine, becoming friends, and davey’s nothing but pleased. but talking turned flirting with katherine, making her smile, making her laugh, and davey can’t seem to make himself pleased about it anymore. his friend is back, and his heart is waltzing out the door at the same tempo. 

they begin dating, and davey’s trying, he is, he swears he is, but he hates it. he hates jack, he hates katherine, he hates himself for feeling this way. there is something wrong with him, he knows it, but he doesn’t know how to fix it. he wishes she had never come back, he wishes he still had his best friend, he wishes that everything would just. stop. 

they break up, and davey’s heart leaps  

he hates himself for that, too. 

everything goes back to normal, but not really, and it’s better. jack’s eyes go from angry to happy again, and katherine seems to be perfectly content with sarah. davey feels like he exhales for the first time in decades. 

they kiss. he and jack. it’s everything. 

and davey’s little world comes full circle, in a way. katherine. sarah. jack. he’s happy, so happy. 

and yet…a tiny voice in the back of his mind hums insistently, reminding him that he was second, second to katherine.

the circle closes, keeps spinning, and david jacobs is along for the ride. his heart is full, there is a grin on his face, and the voice in his mind whispers again and again. still. it’s enough. 

he wishes it is. 

[leading-manhattan]

Now that they had a plan in place all they had to do was set it in motion. The only problem was that they knew they wouldn't stand a chance without Brooklyn at their backs. Unfortunately, that meant that Jack needed to talk to Spot and they haven't seen each other since the disaster back at the rally which has left resentment festering between them.

Luckily for Jack his boys refuse to let him travel to Brooklyn alone knowing that the tensions were so high. All he has to do is convince Spot that he wasn't a rotten scab. That couldn't be too hard, right? Who was he kidding, he was a dead man walking.

Sequel to Rotten Deal.

Chapter One | Chapter Two

They had a plan. It was a very finicky, unstable plan that could fall apart at any second but they've gotten this far on luck and bullshit so why stop now. Thing was, they needed Brooklyn. The last thing Jack wanted was to have to rely on the other Newsies of New York but they couldn't have a successful call to action without Spot Conlon on their side. No newsie outside of Lower Manhattan would even think to show up if Brooklyn wasn't backing them up, especially not with Jack leading them, and while Jack thought it was ridiculous that they wouldn't fight for their own damn interests he could understand their fear. If anyone could understand fearing the consequences of standing up the Pulitzer it was Jack.

He's had a few more days to heal up after his conversation with his boys. Race and Davey were kind enough to go about setting everything in motion with Katherine while Jack was encouraged— meaning forced— to rest up on the rooftop the last two days. He couldn't lie and say he didn't appreciate the time to recuperate. He got restless confined to the rooftop for so long but it felt damn good not having to stumble around Manhattan praying his legs wouldn't give out before he got back to the lodging house. He expected it to be a painfully lonely healing period but it turns out that no one had any plans to go back to selling papers while they put together the next part of the strike. The few days of selling they got in landed them enough spare change to keep themselves fed sparingly for a few days and Kloppman was still more than willing to let them stay as long as they slid a few quarters his way when they could. That means that Jack had more than enough company while he was healing up. Jack's pretty sure the lodge had a whole rotation sorted out to make sure he always had someone up there with him. He sat through Mike and Ike's antics, Racetrack's attempts to get him to play just a few rounds of cards, Specs' less-than-legal games with Finch's pilfered slingshot, and Albert's enthusiastic retelling of a new game the littles put together. It was a lot to go from being shunned so harshly to constantly having someone talking his ear off but Jack swears he couldn't stop smiling the whole time.

Now Jack was up on steady feet and they had their plan all sorted out. The only thing keeping them from following through was Brooklyn. The last piece of the puzzle, it seems, was going to be the hardest one to fit into place. "He ain't gonna be happy to see me," Jack grumbles, shrugging on his shirt with only slight difficulty. He still couldn't raise his arm up all the way without his shoulder complaining at him but he's gotten a lot more motion back since he's been benched.

"It's got to be you, Jackie," Davey reminds him sympathetically. Spot wouldn't hear out anyone else. Hell, Jack isn't sure Spot will hear him out but he's hoping that the Brooklyn leader will at least give him a chance to explain before he soaks Jack back to Manhattan.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Jack huffs, tugging on his waistcoat. He wasn't looking forward to this, he knows that no matter how well it goes it's going to be a rocky start and a tentative finish at best. He'll be lucky if he can even make it to the Brooklyn lodging without getting accosted by some of Spot's boys first. "Guess 'm just tired of getting' the shit kicked outta me."

"We're not gonna let anything happen to you." Davey protests with a load of misplaced confidence. His eyes are bright with the determination that Jack's come to love and his chin is tilted up defiantly. For such a lanky kid he looks like he's ready to take on the world.

Jack laughs, and though the sound is tainted with bitterness he can't help but look back at Dave fondly while he finished up the buttons on his vest, "There ain't enough newsies in Manhattan to take on those Brooklyn boys, Dave, but it's a nice sentiment." Brooklyn was big and the boys were even bigger. Everyone knew that you don't mess with Brooklyn and that's exactly why they need them.

"They can't just beat you up!" Dave throws his hands up in the air, exasperated, and Jack tries to stifle his laughter. Davey was still getting used to the way things worked out on the streets of New York and it would never stop being funny how riled he could get at the nuances of life as a newsie.

"Theys could soak me just for walkin' into their territory if they really wanted." Jack sing-songs just to see Dave's scowl. Davey does not disappoint, a harsh frown creasing his features while he glares back unhappily. Jack lets the laugh free, a bright smile firmly in place while he closes the short distance between them and grabs Dave gently by the biceps, "It's alright, Davey, honest. We ain't lawless, we's just a bit rougher than you's used to." There was an understanding between boroughs that kept people in line. Things could get dangerous but the designated leaders were responsible for their boys and Jack trusted the kids out here on the streets to watch each other. Even if Jack got jumped the second he stepped into Brooklyn he knows for certain that Spot would make sure whoever did it without his permission would face the consequences. Newsies kept each other honest and safe because no one else in this world would. Spot may be pissed with Jack but that doesn't mean Spot wants him dead. Potentially a bit roughed up but not dead. Davey doesn't have anything to worry about.

Davey reaches up and cups Jack's face tenderly in his hands, scanning him over for any trace of dishonesty or omissive embellishments. "I just don't want you to get hurt again." He admits, eyes flicking down to Jack's chest. This time around he's actually seen the extensive bruises beneath the thin layers. Dave had done his best to help clean up the worst of the wounds but in the end a majority of the work had been left to Racer's experienced hands. Davey was used to taking care of scrapped knees and paper cuts not cracked ribs and weeping welts.

"Can't avoid it forever," Jack throws back with a grin. His tone is light but the words settle heavily on Davey's shoulders. Jack's life wasn't one defined by safety or security and he wouldn't lie and tell Dave that he'd never get beat on again. This is certainly one of the worst beatings he's taken in his life but it was far from the first. His own father had been keen on corporal punishment. He didn't want Davey to go hoping for something that just wouldn't happen. Jack could lie to sell a pape but he wouldn't lie to Davey. "Don't go lookin' so sad. Just 'cause I go down doesn't mean I won't be gettin' back up. I'll be alright." Jack nuzzles playfully into Davey's palm, beaming with success when it draws a light chuckle out of him.

Still Davey's eyes are shrouded with apprehension and he swipes a thumb tenderly along Jack's cheek. There are words so obviously sitting on the tip of his tongue but he opts not to share and Jack can't help but wonder what could be going on in that head of his. Dave draws in a long breath through his nose and visibly steels himself, shoulders rolling back and head tilting up as that determination that Jack's come to know and adore cascades over him. "I'll take your word for it." Dave draws his hands back and Jack lets him go so they can part. Dave looks him over one last time, making sure that Jack really is as okay as he says, "Just be careful, okay?" There are words left unspoken again but this time Jack can hear them clear as day. For me, goes unsaid, left to be understood between them, and Jack grins back.

"I'm always careful," He swears cheekily, basking in the pure adoration that rolls off Davey as he rolls his eyes.

"You're insufferable." Davey hums, stepping forward again and straightening out Jack's waistcoat. It's unnecessary but Dave's been especially tactile since he found out what went down before the rally. Part of it is just assuring Jack that he's there through actions rather than words, proving that he's not going anywhere with gentle touches that Jack can't refute if he tried. The other part is Dave reassuring himself, feeling the warmth of Jack's body beneath his fingers and the rumble of his voice when he speaks. Jack thinks that Dave might need him to be okay more than he does.

Jack hums, closing the short gap between them and pressing his chest to Davey's. He tilts his head up and smirks, watching with no small amount of pleasure as Davey's eyes widen and his breath catches in his throat. "I can show you how insufferable I can be," He practically purrs just to see red blossom along Davey's face. It's intoxicating to watch as scarlet springs to his cheeks and blooms across his temples.

Jack can practically see the gears whirring in Dave's head and it's just so endearing how innocent Davey can be that Jack's composure cracks and he laughs, burying his face into Dave's chest to muffle his mirth. He can feel Dave tense beneath him, "Jack!" Davey hisses and Jack doesn't even need to look to see the indignant expression twisting up Dave's red face. He tries his best to quiet down but even as Dave lightly smacks him upside the head he can't help the last few giggles that slip out.

He notices too late the telltale clang of someone climbing up the ladder. "Alright, boys, take any longer and we ain't gonna make it to Brooklyn by noon, so—" Racetrack's voice spills out over the rooftop and Jack's laughter immediately kicks back up. He pushes away from Dave to see Race peeking over the edge of the roof, sharp eyes flicking back and forth between him and Davey, "Well, I's glad yous are gettin' along but this seems like the wrong time to—"

"We aren't doing anything." Davey interrupts sharply and when Jack looks back at him he can see that the red has spread down Dave's neck and over to the tips of his ears. He wasn't aware Dave could blush like that. He can't help but wonder what other parts of him changed colors.

"Well, if you ain't too busy bein' sweethearts we should get goin' then." Race grins. It's cute, Jack muses, how flustered Dave is. Davey'd been worried about what the boys would think, the world wasn't fond of people like them, but he was forced to quickly realize that the newsies didn't care who you loved they only cared about pestering you about it. Jack and Dave haven't heard the end of it the last few days, hooting and hollering following them whenever Davey came around so long as there weren't any strangers around to overhear.

"Yeah, yeah, we's comin'. Get outta here," Jack waves Racer away. He figures he can at least let Dave compose himself in peace after all the grief he's just given him. Race offers a dramatic two-fingered salute before scampering back inside. They really should get going. The bastards let Jack sleep in— again— and it was already well into the day at this point. It'd be ideal if they could make it to Brooklyn while it was still morning. If they're lucky they'll be able to avoid most of the newsies but the more time they waste the more likely it'd be they'd arrive to a packed lodging. Jack wasn't particularly fond of walking into a building full of Brooklyn boys who want his head.

It seems that Davey's uncertainty has returned with a vengeance too. His face was cooling down rapidly now that the teasing has come to an end and Jack yearns for its return when he sees barely concealed fear flood in to take its place. He hates how hard Davey's taking Jack's time in the cellar. The other boys still care, of course they do, but someone dragging themselves home beat to shit isn't exactly uncommon. They'd cause a fuss, anger and a burning call for retribution in their veins, but it wouldn't haunt them the way it's haunting Davey. Davey's never seen someone hurt like this and it's scared him in a way Jack doesn't think Dave's ever been scared before. Dave looks at him now with such terror locked deep in his eyes. His face does nothing to give him away but there's not a damn thing Dave could hide from Jack with eyes like that. His hands twitch with the desire to reach out again and Jack wouldn't be surprised if Davey wanted nothing more than to wrap Jack up in his arms and make sure nothing could hurt him. It's a sweet thought even if they both know that Jack would hate to be coddled like that. The things coming after him weren't the kind of things Davey could protect him from anyhow. "You ready?" Jack presses.

Dave nods once, curt, eyes glinting with steel, "Yeah." he breathes.

"Then let's get a move on. We're losin' daylight." Jack playfully knocks their shoulders together and takes the first of many steps towards Brooklyn. He makes his way across the roof and swings down gracefully onto the ladder, shooting Dave a wink as he expertly climbs down with a distinct lack of supervision. The last thing he sees before disappearing down the side of the building is Dave scoffing a soft laugh and rolling his eyes. Good, Jack got him to loosen up a little bit.

Jack doesn't wait for Dave before crawling in through the open window. He knows the other boy is right on his heels and even as he slips into the boarding room he can hear Davey's steps descending the rungs just outside. There aren't many boys still lingering around, most of them were out on the streets causing a ruckus even if they weren't hawking, but he catches a glimpse of Skittery out in the hall and a handful of boys are scattered around the room waiting for them. Sniper is leaning against one of the bunks chatting with Albert about something or other and Race is tugging at his shirt to make sure he looks alright before they head out. Jack hums, "Yous all comin'?" He asks, eyeing the boys warily.

Sniper looks over, his conversation easily falling away, "You think we's lettin' just the three of you go over to Brooklyn? When there's blood in the water?" He says it like Jack's stupid for even asking and Jack has half a mind to box his ears for it.

"Ah, shut it, will you?" Jack moves further into the room just in time for Dave to duck in through the window. For a moment Dave struggles to meet anyone's eyes, his cheeks tinting slightly as he remembers just what Race thought he was walking in on moments ago. Clearly Albert notices too and eagerly takes the opportunity for what it is.

"Heard you two were havin' a lil' fun up there," Al waggles his eyebrows suggestively. Even as Jack reaches out to smack him upside the head he can't help but enjoy how Dave sputters.

"Racetrack Higgins!" Davey glares at the offending newsie and Jack thinks that it'll be over for Racer when Dave inevitably learns his real name. That's a new kind of scolding Race hasn't built an immunity to. Jack has already been full named plenty of times.

Race raises his hands in surrender, grinning around the cigar tucked between his teeth, "Hey, I didn't say a word. Maybe it's just the glow yous givin' off—" Race scrambles out of the way of the pillow Dave chucks at him. Davey's face is once again colored a deep, enticing scarlet and Jack only crosses his arms and sits back to watch the show. "Yeah, that one!" Racetrack cheers only to take the next pillow right to the face. His cigar topples to the floor along with the successful projectile but it does nothing to whip the shit-eating grin off of Racer's face.

"You're all terrible." Dave hisses, fists clenched tightly at his sides. He's the perfect picture of mortification and Jack feels bad enough that he decides it's time to step in.

"Alright, leave 'im alone." Jack raises his voice enough to cut off whatever smart remark Albert opened his mouth to say, shooting the younger boy a pointed look to make sure he kept his thoughts to himself. Albert snickers but quiets without complaint. "It ain't like the rest of yous got a sweetheart to get with anyway." He smirks, eyes shining, and he's immediately met with the expected cries of protest. A hand knocks his shoulder in retaliation and Jack's overwhelmed with fondness at how gentle Sniper's touch is. Careful with him but unwilling to exclude him from the integral roughhousing that's raised them all.

"Get off it, Kelly," Sniper huffs bitterly, given away by the smile still bright on his face.

"Oh, he's gettin' off alright!" Race chimes in eagerly.

"We really should get goin' anyway." Albert adjusts his cap, pulling it on backward while he shoots Dave a very unconvincing apologetic look. Dave just sighs, looking up at the ceiling like he's asking the heavens for strength, and Jack watches his whole body deflate with the exhale. The boys thankfully take that as their cue and make for the door. Race throws an arm around Albert's shoulders and they don't even bother to hide their snickers as they make their way out into the hall together.

Jack rolls his eyes and turns to gather Dave's ammunition from the floor. He sends a sideways glance Davey's direction as he crosses the room and he can't help but frown when he sees that Dave hasn't moved from his slumped position. Jack scoops up the first pillow and chucks it over at Davey. It smacks Dave in the chest and he instinctively reaches up to grab it before it can fall back to the ground. Jack's brows furrow at the guarded look in Davey's bright eyes and in turn Dave averts his gaze.

Jack hums, allowing Dave a few more moments to gather himself while Jack collects the other pillow. "You know they don't mean nothin' by it." Jack states nonchalantly, uselessly fluffing the flattened pillow to add to his casual air. He's not even sure if he's clocked it right but he's taking a shot in the dark here with the idea that maybe it'll get Dave talking regardless. Dave offers a noncommittal grunt in lieu of an answer and Jack sees that he's hit the nail on the head. Jack's frown deepens and he tosses his pillow carelessly onto the nearest bunk. He throws the casual attitude to the wind and quickly shortens the space between them, "Hey, theys just givin' you some shit, alright? I'll get 'em to lay off you if you want, yeah?" He bends over to put himself in Dave's line of sight. He scans Davey's face and internally squirms at the genuine distress he glimpses before Dave's face settles into a practiced mask. Jack never realized how terrible it felt to be on the other end of that.

Jack hates the feeling of helplessness that stirs up in his chest watching Dave clutch a stupid pillow to his chest while he stomps down whatever's bothering him. Jack had assumed that Dave wouldn't mind the boys' teasing but even just two days into such a new relationship Jack can admit that they've been a little heavy-handed with the banter and Dave's never really reciprocated and God how didn't Jack notice? "Let's get going, we're wasting time," Dave dismisses sternly, forcefully prying his fingers away from where they curled into the pillow in his arms. He steps back from Jack and turns away, settling the pillow down with stiff movements riddled with discomfort.

"Davey," Jack murmurs sadly, once again moving forward to step slowly into Dave's space. He didn't want to let Davey pull away now, especially after discovering such a personal issue that's flown right over his head for days, and he's relieved when Dave doesn't step back again. "Talk to me. You gotta know by now that I love the sound of your voice." He grins, dancing skillfully around Dave to get a good view of his face. Dave rolls his eyes and breathes a soft laugh that plants a swell of pride deep in Jack's chest. The joy is short-lived and Dave's guarded expression quickly returns.

"It really doesn't matter, Jack," Dave insists, awkwardly fluffing the pillow that's already outlived its days in a blatant attempt to keep his eyes off on something else. "You said it yourself, they don't mean anything by it."

"But it bothers you." Jack huffs, crossing his arms and watching as Dave practically makes the whole bed instead of continuing the conversation.

Davey realizes quickly that Jack isn't going to drop it and slumps in defeat, eyes closing as he reaches up with one hand to remove his cap and uses the other to comb his fingers through his hair. "It shouldn't though. I don't know why it bothers me so much, I know that if any of them had a real problem with us they'd do more than poke fun but…" Dave trails off, biting his lip, and Jack forgets sometimes how anxious Davey is. The strike may have filled him with a newfound confidence but he was still a man made of worry. It isn't normal for people to be so accepting of relationships like theirs and it occurs to Jack now with frightening clarity just how uncomfortable this all must be for Dave. A bunch of boys constantly ragging on them, even with as friendly as it is, has to be terrifying.

A knock on the door frame drags Jack's attention away from Davey but he's not blind to how Dave immediately coils back up with tension like he's expecting something terrible and not just Racetrack peeking back in, "Are yous comin' or—"

"Out." Jack commands curtly and Race flees without even batting an eye. He's thankful for how much trust his boys have in him even if he often finds their blind faith in him misplaced. He tries his best to do right by them and in turn they don't question him. Even Racetrack knows when he's expected to listen and Jack is especially grateful for that as he watches Dave visibly relax again. "I'll tell 'em off. I can't promise theys won't make comments here and there but I guess we, ah, didn't realize how new this could be for you." He admits, reaching up to sheepishly rub the back of his neck. He knew what the world thought of guys like them, boys kissing boys, but growing up in the lodging house he's forgotten how terrifying it can be for other people to know. Usually when someone found you out you'd be beaten black and blue if not killed outright but things were a bit different in Manhattan. Not all the boroughs were as kind but here, with Jack and his boys, they were already considered the lowest of the low and they didn't really see a point in making a big deal out of a single thing on the long list that made them outcasts and criminals.

"I haven't even told Les," Davey confesses quietly, tone broken and so, so scared. He looks up at Jack and Jack hates the hopelessness he sees there. "I don't even know how I'd tell him but what if he hates me, Jackie? He's heard what people have to say about sodomites and our mom isn't exactly quiet about what she thinks about people like us. I don't know what I'd do if—" Dave makes a choked sound, a quiet whine slipping from his lips as tears rush to his eyes.

"Oh, Davey," Jack coos sympathetically, reaching out and dragging Dave into a secure embrace. He rubs a hand up and down between Davey's shoulders soothingly while Dave hunches over to bury his face into Jack's shoulder. "Les would never hate you. That kid fuckin' adores you, Dave, it'd take more than you kissin' a guy to change that. Think you'd make a real activist outta 'im if he found out your ma's been raggin' on you this whole time." Jack doesn't have to imagine the resentment and grief that came from your own family ridiculing you for things out of your control. He doesn't remember too much of his folks after all this time, whether it's just been too long or he's repressed the worst of it, but he knows that he was out on the streets long before his old man finally kicked the bucket.

Dave chuckles wetly into his shoulder and Jack offers a reassuring squeeze in response. He knows how hard this kind of thing is, a handful of boys in the lodging have had to fight with themselves for years to come to terms with themselves, and Jack knows that no matter what he says he can't really make that journey any easier. He can promise that Davey isn't alone, though. He can swear that while it won't be easy there are dozens of boys that would stand with Dave through anything, no matter who he liked or what happened if his family ever found out. Davey had support, through and through, and no one under this roof thought he was disgusting or vile or wrong just because he loved differently than the average Joe.

Before he gets to say any of that Davey pries himself away from Jack and hastily wipes his eyes. His face is dry but his eyes are rimmed red and Jack winces sympathetically. "We really do need to get doing." Dave swallows and straightens out his waistcoat, brushing imaginary dirt from his sleeves in a physical attempt to pull himself together. Jack can take the hint and he hesitantly goes along with the topic change.

"I suppose you's right," Jack mutters, giving Dave one last once over just in case. Dave just raises an unimpressed eyebrow and ushers Jack towards the door. Jack allows himself to be herded out, raising his hands in surrender as they finally make their way out of the room and off down the stairs to meet up with the others in the lobby.

"Took yous long enough," Albert teases brightly, a suggestive smirk on his face.

"Cut it out," Jack snaps, shooting Albert a glare that promises retribution if he were to ignore the warning. Albert raises his eyebrows, shocked but not afraid, and nods back. All three of his boys stare as him curiously but they thankfully don't mention the uncharacteristic shutdown. Jack's never been one to care much about teasing, if anything he was as guilty as Race when it came to tossing around jabs and jokes, but maybe that's why they were so quick to accept the sudden shift. Clearly if he was shutting it down so sternly there had to be a reason and they were smart enough to know that it probably had something to do with Davey. Jack makes a mental note to talk to them all about it later, really explain that any banter around his blossoming relationship was to be directed at Jack and Jack alone. For now, though, they had more important places to be. "Alright, let's get a move on. If we's lucky we can still get there before them Brooklyn boys start gettin' home." Even as they head out onto the streets and make for the Brooklyn bridge Jack can't help the apprehension clawing at his insides. Race slings his arm back around Albert's shoulders and even though Jack doesn't catch what he says he can tell it's something stupid by the way he sweeps an arm out in front of them. Sniper walks beside the other two, watching Racetrack's antics with mischievous eyes. Jack looks down when something brushes and his hand and sees Davey's finger grazing his own, not holding but close enough to touch. Jack's glad he's not making this trip alone. Lucky, yeah right, Jack's never been lucky.

[fluffydavey]

❛ you feel like home to me. ❜

soft and sweet sentence starters || prompts

It's a few weeks after Pulitzer lowered the price of the papes, when he's sat in Jack's new corner of The World, their new political cartoonist who's been shoved in a corner away from the journalists and the editors. "The important people," Jack had said with a roll of his eyes, despite the fact everyone could see how proud Jack was of his own workplace. He's even got his own office, which isn't something any of them could have dreamed about.

If anyone could achieve something so great, of course it would be Jack.

The World has gotten a lot louder since Jack's begun working for them, since most of the Newsies come keep him company at different points of the day while he's still working. Today it's Davey's turn, having had a half-day at school with homework to complete so he can return to collect Les in time to bring home to his parents.

Jack is moving his cramped wrist, staring down at the drawing below him. Davey doesn't even need to be sat close to him know it's perfect, the other boy has always been his own worst critic. "I don't even know what this means," Jack states, staring at the drawing in front of him.

"Everyone's eating them up," Davey says without looking up from his poetry book. "Circulation has gone up since you started your cartoons."

"It's not because of me," he says defiantly, and this makes Davey look up at him finally, his work can wait for a moment or two.

"Oh so it's just a major coincidence then?" he asks, playfully. He gets up, making his way to take a peek at Jack's drawing. He places an arm on Jack's chair, and leans over him to have a look. He won't admit it to anyone - especially not Jack or Katherine - but he's needed to ask his father about Jack's drawing a few times since it's gone over his head. But he can appreciate art, and he knows a good drawing when he sees one. "You've definitely got Roosevelt's nose."

"After everything he did for us, it feels mean drawing him like this," Jack admits, which Davey understands. He still thinks it's insane that the governor of New York knows who he is, so he can't actually imagine how Jack feels about the role he's been given.

"Do you regret taking up the job offer?" he asks, watching as Jack starts tapping his pencil against the table. He's wondered for a while - he's gone from the leader of the newsies to joining Davey in having to leave so shortly after their win. Davey had been dreaming of returning to school, but now he's back, he wants nothing more than to be out in the streets of New York selling with Jack. He counts the hours down until the weekends, when it's just the two of them, Les and the sunny New York streets.

"Sometimes," Jack admits. "It feels like I've been thrown into this new world that I don't fit in, and I don't want to fit in. These rich folk are no fun Davey."

Davey laughs at that, getting lost in the intricate drawings in front of him. There's something nagging at him though, and he doesn't think he can hold onto it any longer. "And what about Santa Fe? I honestly thought you'd have gone already by now. Made a new home for yourself."

Jack stills, and Davey thinks he may have pushed too far. So he's thought about Jack going to Santa Fe a few times - it isn't like he hasn't had any reason not to. For as long as he's known Jack, he's known the boy has craved for something more. Something better than they've all gotten out of life so far. And if that's Santa Fe...he's happy for Jack.

Really.

"I realised I don't need Santa Fe to make a home for myself," Jack says slowly, which surprises Davey. He looks away from the drawing, and watches Jack instead, who's playing with a pen in his hand, his knee bouncing beneath the table.

"Oh?" he asks, some sort of relief blossoming in his heart, as the idea of Jack staying in the city makes Davey feel a sort of way that he's not actually sure how to describe. It's dangerous and thrilling, and he's acutely aware he's known this boy for a few weeks, but he thinks he would be lost without Jack at this point now.

Jack turns in his chair, lifting his head to face Davey. Davey takes in the soft features in Jack's eyes, the smile that Davey's come to realise is only reserved for him. "Why would I need to go anywhere else when you feel like home to me."

Before he can even stop to register what Jack's just said to him, Jack's standing up and pressing his lips against his own. Kissing Jack is like giving him the key to everything that he’s ever wanted, that he never even thought he could dream of. He thinks he'll never come back from tasting Jack, his heart will forever be with the boy who’s holding onto the lapels of his school uniform.

It’s soft. Much softer than Davey had ever imagined their first kiss would be. Jack’s lips are soft and warm against his, and the smell of him is so much stronger for being so close. Jack’s hand inches up to his neck, holding Davey close to him.

When they finally break for air, they stare at each other for what seems like hours. Davey can't help the nervous laugh that falls from his lips, and Jack follows suit. "Plus, why would I want to go there? I hear there's sandstorms."

Davey doesn't hesitate to knock Jack's cap off of his head, before leaning down to kiss him again. He doesn't think he'll ever tire of the sensation.

[ao3feed-newsies]

Newsies: Beyond the Headline

by, Stargazing_Froakie by Stargazing_Froakie This is a fan-rewrite of "Disney's Newsies" combining both the Broadway musical and the original 1992 movie. This is written as a screenplay and as such will feature amateur notes on camera location/movement as well as character direction notes. To streamline character arcs; motivations; and in-canon timelines, some elements will either be dropped or rewritten. Such as:   Katherine is no longer Jack's love interest. She is much older than all of the boys and is strictly professional. Bryan Denton is still featured but won't replace Katherine as the main reporter; he instead is Katherine's competition and debatable love interest (open to interpretation but not confirmed nor ruled out). Crutchie is still a leading part, but he does not share Jack's fantasy for Santa Fe. He is the damsel in distress. Sarah Jacobs and the Jacobs family are back. Sarah once again as Jack's love interest. With her return also comes the revival of the cut Broadway song "Then I See You Again" as Sarah and Jack's love song. Kid Blink returns and is joined by the original character Annie, based on the real newswoman Annie Kelly. While her role is simply a supporting role, it is a moderately sized one. Words: 1345, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Series: Part 1 of Newsies Reimagined Fandoms: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken, Newsies (1992), Disney - Fandom Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M, Gen Characters: Jack Kelly (Newsies), Davey Jacobs (Newsies), Katherine Plumber Pulitzer, Crutchie (Newsies), Joseph Pulitzer, Racetrack Higgins, Les Jacobs, Bryan Denton, Sarah Jacobs (Newsies), Medda Larkson | Medda Larkin, Spot Conlon, Kid Blink, Mush Meyers, Albert DaSilva (Newsies), Boots (Newsies), Specs (Newsies), Finch (Newsies), Romeo (Newsies), Elmer (Newsies), Skittery (Newsies), Snipeshooter (Newsies), Tommy Boy (Newsies), Pigtails (Newsies Jr.), Wiesel (Newsies), Morris Delancey, Oscar Delancey, Don Carlos Seitz, Bunsen (Newsies), Hannah (Newsies), Jonathan (Newsies), Esther Jacobs (Newsies), Mayer Jacobs (Newsies), Bill Hearst, Snyder (Newsies), Ten Pin (Newsies) Relationships: Sarah Jacobs/Jack Kelly (Newsies), alluded to: Katherine Plumber/Bryan Denton, Les Jacobs/Pigtails (Sally), Two Hetero Lovers making out in the street Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, Based on Newsies!: the Musical, Based on Newsies (1992), Jewish Jacobs Family (Newsies), Jack Kelly is a Good Friend (Newsies), Musicals, Disney, Katherine Plumber Pulitzer is a Good Friend, Journalist Katherine Plumber Pulitzer, Katherine Plumber Pulitzer Appreciation, Racetrack Higgins Needs a Hug, Jewish David Jacobs, Anxious David Jacobs, David Jacobs Needs A Hug, Protective David Jacobs, Badass Sarah Jacobs (Newsies), Sarah Jacobs Appreciation (Newsies), Jewish Sarah Jacobs (Newsies), Mild Language read : https://ift.tt/MefEZLR - August 02, 2024 at 05:37PM

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

Carrying the Banner Chapter 12: Once and For All- Davey Jacobs x Lucy Larkin

Word Count: 0.7k

Lucy walked into her room with a plate full of food for Davey. She set it on the nightstand then sat beside him, running a hand through his hair. 

“Goodmorning, sunshine,” she greeted with a smile. Davey groaned softly, not wanting to wake up even if he knew he should. He turned his head away with a quiet huff. 

“Morning already?” He grumbled.

“Morning already,” she repeated amusedly. “It’s a big day. Jack and Kathrine came by this morning.” That was definitely enough to wake the boy up. That definitely wakes him up. He propped himself on his elbows and looked at her in surprise. 

“They did? What for?” He asked confusedly. 

“They’ve got a plan. A good one too,” she answered, sliding the plate onto his lap. Davey immediately perked up, happy to know that Jack was back on their side again. 

“What is it?” 

“I’m almost tempted to not tell you” she joked but handed him a paper that Kathrine gave her for Davey. “They want to print this tonight in Pulitzer's basement and spread it around town.” The boy looked the paper over as a smile began to form on his face. 

“Looks like Jack actually has a brain in his big head,” he joked before looking at her. “But more likely this was Katherine’s idea.” Lucy offered him a smile as she took the paper back. 

“Yes, yes, now eat your food.”

“So bossy,” he huffed jokingly, though he did as she said. Lucy rolled her eyes playfully.  

“Your brother is better at listening than you are,” she joked. 

“Maybe you should date him then,” he retorted teasingly. 

“Oh didn’t you hear? Les already has a date,” she said with raised eyebrows. 

“Really now?” He asked, eyebrows also raised and an amused smile playing at his lips. 

“He told me this morning while he was eating. He’s very proud of himself,” she explained.

“Who is it?” He inquired with a small smile, earning a giggle from the girl. 

“He said her name was ‘Sally’ and that she was a plum.”

“Oh he’s so gonna hear it from me later,” he snickered as he finished eating. Les had teased him relentlessly when he and Lucy started going steady, so he was more than eager to repay the favor. 

“You two are so silly,” Lucy muttered amusedly. 

“You’d know what I go through if you had siblings,” he retorted. “You’re one of the lucky ones.” 

“I always wanted siblings,” she admitted with a small laugh. “But then I realized I would have to learn to share.” 

“It’s pretty bad” he huffed jokingly as he stood, looking down at his/Jack’s clothes. “Think my clothes are dry yet?”

“My mother hung them up on the rack that she hangs the costumes on,” she nodded. The boy merely nodded and pressed a kiss to her cheek as he passed her to go grab his clothes. While she waited the girl made her bed and tidied up her room. Once he returned fully dressed she faced him with a smile. 

“There you are, I almost forgot what you really looked like,” she teased.

“I was scared I was gonna develop a thick accent and artistic abilities,” he joked back, straightening out his vest. The girl giggled as she took a step forward to fix his collar for him. 

“I think the world would end.” 

“Really? I thought it’d make me more dashing,” he chuckled before gently taking her hand, kissing the back of it once she’s done. Lucy couldn’t stop herself from blushing as she shook her head. 

“No, I love the dork I fell for,” she responded simply. He smiled softly down at her.

“I love you too,” he muttered. Rather than answer the girl leaned up and pressed a sweet kiss to his lips, one that he gladly returned. Once they pulled away Lucy sighed in content while Davey looked down at her with a fond look. 

“I love you,” he repeated softly. 

And it was true. No one had ever made him feel this way before, made him feel safe and happy. Words couldn’t express just how much he cared for and appreciated her. He’d be happy to think of some that could, however. For now, though, he was content in just being with her.

[dnaamericaapp]

An Honor Roll For Teachers: Meet The Org. Celebrating Educators Year-Round

“Don’t wait … Tell them now how much they changed your life while they’re still there. it can make for such a beautiful cycle.” Karen Sonneborn

Sonneborn and her partner Katherine Boone wanted to create an easy, fun and meaningful way to provide positive feedback to teachers. From charter school teachers on the east coast to district school teachers on the west coast and everywhere in between, Honored.org has celebrated 70 teachers recognizing each monthly honoree with a $5,000 award and $1,000 to donate to another teacher of their choice.

The organization also partners with photographers and a collection of Pulitzer Prize-winning writers and bestselling authors, who profile the honorees in hopes of widely sharing their inspiring stories.

“During teacher appreciation week you can bring a gift card or something, but there wasn’t an easy way to really express,” said Sonneborn … “that gratitude we as parents have for our wonderful, life changing teachers.”

The profiles reveal and recognize the ways educators go above and beyond just teaching students curriculum.

All nominees are added to the site’s “Honor Roll” — and each month since 2017 the organization has picked one to be profiled and the subject of a photoshoot. -(source: the 74)

DNA America

“it’s what we know, not what you want us to believe.”

#dna #dnaamerica #news #politics

[more-sonorous]

sun, moon, stars part 1— jatherid blurb

I adore this ship and I decided to write the hypothetical beginning of a fic loosely based on a post I saw by @blurglesmurfklaine about these three being roomies during the 2020 quarantine

Please lmk if you’d consider reading more! Also TW for mentions of the Covid pandemic!

…

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s not as bad as it seems.” 

Katherine Pulitzer watched as her best friend, David Jacobs, anxiously traced his thumb over the grooves in the table beneath them. He always had a lot of nervous energy, but this was another level.

Those round, green eyes of his were flitting about behind the lenses of his thick-framed glasses, flicking between his laptop and her. She frowned and reached across the table to gently pat his hand. 

“Maybe you’re right, David.” She said, doing her best to reassure him with a calm smile. “You might enjoy some time back at home…”

“Trapped in my parents’ house for an undisclosed amount of time without Sarah? Yeah.” He let out a dry laugh and buried his face in his hands.

She glanced over the familiar pattern of freckles on the backs of his pale hands as her mind raced to try and come up with a solution. 

Katherine and David grew up side-by-side in a small town in upstate New York. They went to the same synagogue and attended the same schools, and had been virtually inseparable since first grade. They’d even gone to the same college and purposefully lived in the same dormitories each year, because they couldn’t be roommates due to their genders. Post-college they were just as close. Kath knew David like the back of her own hand, and knew his family very well by extension. The Jacobs’s were incredibly nice. Esther and Mayer were loving parents that cared deeply for their children, Sarah, David, and Les, which often led to David feeling burdened when he visited. 

Unlike his younger brother and elder sister, David was an introvert with narcolepsy. That led to his parents smothering him when he stayed with them, something that he didn’t necessarily appreciate in large dosages. Now that an imminent quarantine in New York City had been announced, Katherine could tell he wasn’t excited to drive one-and-a-half hours upstate and out of the city just to sequester himself away with two fretting parents and a teenage younger brother. 

“Where’s Sarah staying? I still don’t think I get why you two can’t hole up in your apartment together.” She took a brief sip of her latte and closed the keyboard of her iPad, fully immersing herself in the conversation.

David shrugged as he glanced out the window adjacent to him. The streets looked deceptively normal, despite the warning the city’d just received. “She’s going to stay with her fianceé and her family. They have a vacation house in Massachusetts.”

“Right…” Katherine winced sympathetically as she tried to read him for his opinion. He had a telltale furrow in his brow that showed how disappointed he was. “I forgot Sarah’s been gold digging.”

“Yeah. Sometimes I wish I could live alone.” He lamented, glancing up at her with a sad little smile tugging on the corners of his lips. “Narcolepsy and autism aren’t a good combination.” 

Katherine rolled her eyes fondly, reaching across their little cafe table to fix his glasses. “You make it work, though.”

“Barely.” He shrugged, and as he glanced down at the string he was spinning between his fingers, probably picked off of his sweatshirt. She saw just how bothered David was about all of this. There was a rigid hunch to his shoulders and his normally smiling face had been twisted into an unhappy resting frown. “Like— I love my parents and I like visiting home, but I moved out for a reason, you know? They make me feel like I’m incapable of functioning without constant supervision, which just isn’t true.” 

“Of course.” She nodded, sympathy tugging at her heartstrings.

David was brilliant. He was one of the smartest people she knew. They’d been neck-to-neck for valedictorian in school and he’d ended up stealing the spot with his straight A’s, 4.0 GPA and 34 on the ACT. Hell, he was working through a master’s degree in Juridical Science, and still managed to tack on both a history minor and a literature minor during undergrad. She’d gladly tell anyone she knew that he was a genius. Kath didn’t know exactly why David couldn’t live alone, but she knew that narcolepsy made it dangerous. He couldn’t drive because of his condition and she knew that sometimes he needed help waking up and sleeping. She also knew that because of his autism, he tended to lose himself in reading or school projects, because she’d had to remind him herself to eat or take breaks multiple times throughout their friendship. 

He didn’t deserve to feel babied. The thought of David holed up in his house and miserable while she spent her quarantine happy with her boyfriend made her feel uncomfortable. 

Yes, Kath moved in with her boyfriend of three months, Jack Kelly, and despite what her parents said, she regretted nothing so far. Jack had a nice studio apartment in Upper Manhattan and she’d rather die than spend quarantine in the Pulitzer mansion with her asshole father and suburbanite mother. Not to mention at least one of her six other siblings would be home, and Katherine didn’t get along well with most of them.

She was sort of the black sheep in her family. A bisexual, unmarried journalist in her late twenties, moving in with her Hispanic boyfriend after only knowing him for a few months? Her family was constantly having conniption fits over her life, and she was too happy to care. 

Jack brought so much joy to her life. She didn’t care that her parents hated the fact he was a full-time artist. She ignored the snide remarks her father made about his ethnicity and illegal immigrants. Her mother liked to gossip about his ‘street style’ because he had one of his ears pierced and he liked to wear ripped jeans. They warned her about a potential ‘seedy past’ just because he had scars on his arms and face— just two little ones splitting his eyebrow and left jaw. They were wrong about Jack, though. He was sweet and funny and passionate and talented, and Katherine liked that in men.

So she’d moved in three weeks ago, and things were going swimmingly. Part of her wanted David to be that happy, and part of her didn’t even know if she could handle being away from him indefinitely.

“There’s got to be something we can do.” She stated firmly, watching him miserably pick at his untouched croissant. “Someone you can stay with…”

“I’m not burdening anyone but my family with my health issues.” He responded just as stubbornly. 

“Don’t even. You’re not a burden. What about—“ The idea struck her like some sort of cartoonish eureka moment. She felt her own grin and wondered why she hadn’t had the thought to do this before. “What about me and Jack? Jack’s brother Tony’s moving in with his boyfriend for quarantine so his room’ll be open…”

David’s cheeks began to splotch pink beneath his freckles. “I— I haven’t even met Jack.”

“Oh, that doesn’t matter. He’ll like you. He has to like you. You’re my best friend, and you’re part of the Katherine Pulitzer Package.”

A sheepish grin took over his face and he dropped eye contact again, that pinkish color tinging the tip of his nose and his endearingly wide ears. “Kath…”

“It’s true. And the thought of you spending all of this quarantine an hour and a half away from me during a pandemic is making me nervous.” She crossed her arms, starting to like the idea more with every word she said. “Listen, David, I’ll run it by Jack and you could probably move in right after! You’re already packed, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, but—“

“Then you can take the spare room and we’ll split rent three ways. It’ll be better for all of us. David, this is going to be so fun! Think of all the shows we’ll be able to binge!” She was practically near the point of squealing as she took his hands in her own. Visions of younger Kath and Davey filled her mind, composed of all of the times they’d sworn to live together or start up businesses or run libraries side by side. This was going to be fun. She’d get to spend time with her two favorite people.

Unconvinced, David’s frown deepened. “Kathy, I… I don’t know. Does he— does Jack know I’m autistic? And my narcolepsy, I don’t… I don’t wanna make him uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable?” Katherine scoffed, offended by the thought. “If he’s uncomfortable then that’s a huge red flag. You and I can just pack our stuff and move into your place. But Jack won’t be weird, I promise. He’s incredibly sweet. And David— you don’t make people uncomfortable.”

“I sleep all of the time and I have incredibly strange habits—“

“Everybody has weird habits.” She insisted, dead-set on the idea. “And sleeping all the time is better than leaving out dirty dishes or never closing the toilet seat, or something. Plus, you’re incredibly tidy which’ll fit right in with Jack and I. He cooks, I do laundry, and you can help us clean up.”

“I don’t want you to have to do my laundry…”

“Specifics~” In a sing-song voice, she tried to subdue his overthinking. 

He tilted his head with a slight smile, obviously confused by her. They were at the point where he didn’t have to voice his troubles reading her emotions. She found the expression adorable, anyways. “You really are determined to see this through, aren’t you?” 

“Yep.” She grinned wildly, “You know how I get when I’m determined.”

“I know.” David conceded, and Kath noticed that he already looked just a bit brighter as he carefully brushed one of his chocolate-brown curls off of his brow. “I guess I… I’ll tell my parents if your boyfriend says yes. Will you— you’re not gonna— I won’t be interrupting anything, will I?” 

Kath was confused for just a split second, until she noticed the pinkish color of his cheeks. She couldn’t suppress her own soft giggle. “Oh, no, David. You won’t be.”

“Okay… if you say so.” He shook his head at her as his attention returned to his laptop. She could see the reflection of a Quizlet in his lenses.

Now she was practically itching to leap out of her chair in the tiny café. The news outlet she worked for had already transferred them to online work, since they only went into the offices three days a week. She was going to go home to Jack and have an easy, quick conversation, and then David wouldn’t have to be miserable. Plus, she’d finally get to live with her best friend.

“You almost done studying, hon?” Kath asked, carefully bumping their ankles together. She polished off her drink, vibrating with the happy energy of a plan coming together. 

He glanced up through long, dark lashes, wearing a little smile at the nickname. “Almost. You rushing me, Kathy?”

“No. I want this future lawyer to pass his test tomorrow.” Despite her practiced tone, she could tell he was seeing right through her. She acquiesced. “But I’m also excited to get home and talk to Jack. I’ll call you right after he says yes.”

“You can’t be sure.” He murmured, and she watched a flashcard flip. 

Katherine was going to quell his nerves, because she was actually 100% positive. “We’ll see about that.” 

David only chuckled softly and returned to his studying. Katherine had long abandoned her half-finished article in favor of conversation with him, so now she just watched his elegant fingers fly across the keys at breakneck speeds. This was going to be good.

…

Katherine was rarely ever wrong, and she hadn’t been wrong about Jack. When she inquired about David, he gave her an easygoing smile and agreed to the living arrangement without much further questioning. Maybe it had been her obvious excitement, or the spiel she’d given in David’s favor before asking the question, but he seemed perfectly alright with a total stranger moving into his spare room. 

She was tossing a throw blanket over the couch when Jack exited the bedroom wearing a tank top and an unbuttoned flannel, the sleeves rolled up to display muscular forearms. He looked so goddamn pretty that it took her brain a moment to reset before she could continue her couch dressing. It wasn’t wise to get Katherine started on his excellent choice in jeans, either. She could go on for days about the way he cuffed his acid-washed pants.

Jack sent her one of his bright smiles as he crossed the room to wrap his arms around her, dropping his chin onto her shoulder since they were nearly the same height. “Is your friend gonna be here soon?”

“Yes.” She placed a soft kiss on his cheek and twisted within his arms, slinging her own around his shoulders. “David’s incredibly kind and smart, but he can be sort of awkward at first. It’s not because he doesn’t like you. And remember, he’s got narcolepsy so—“

“I remember.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, his touch slow and sure. It still stole her breath, even after three months. “I even looked up some of that narcolepsy stuff, just to make sure I was ready.”

Kath’s heart squeezed at this man’s sweetness, and she felt herself smiling dopily as she cupped his cheek in one hand. “You’re incredible. Have I told you that?”

“Maybe. But I don’t mind hearin’ it again.” Jack grinned the type of smile that made Kath want to kiss him senseless. “But uh— does he do any of that sleep attack stuff? Where their muscles stop working.”

“What, cataplexy?”

He nodded, looking like a mixture between uneasy and determined. 

“David doesn’t have it as bad as some people but sometimes you might see his eyelids start to droop against his will. He gets upset about it. Normally he doesn’t have severe attacks but… he was really stressed senior year of high school and he did go limp a couple of times. I’m not saying that’ll happen, because it’s been a while, but if it does and I’m not here for some reason, just sit with him and let him ride it out. Make sure he’s breathing.” 

He gave a firm nod, a lot less nervous than she expected. Then Kath remembered his youngest brother Charlie, who had a birth defect in one leg that required him to use crutches or a wheelchair on high pain days. Jack was used to taking care of the people he loved. The thought of him doing research for David, whom he didn’t even know, made her feel ridiculously giddy. 

“Gotcha.” Jack pressed a kiss to her forehead and trailed a line of similar, sweeter little kisses down to her lips.

When his hands slipped down to press against her lower back, she knew exactly what he was getting at and laughed as she carefully pushed a hand against his firm chest. “Down, boy. He’ll be here within the hour.” 

Jack’s only protest was a childlike whine, which caused her to push him away by the forehead. Both laughed as Jack made his way into the kitchen to start on dinner. She busied herself with tidying the living room, slight nerves building within her as she hoped and prayed that David and Jack would get along. 

Eventually the intercom buzzed and Kath practically sprinted across the room to call David up. She was rife with anticipation, exactly how she felt before submitting a big article. Jack could obviously tell and chuckled softly as he kissed her forehead on the way to the living room.

Moments later came a knock on the door, and Kath excitedly opened it to reveal David in all of his nervous glory.

He wore an overstuffed backpack and a duffle bag was slung over the crook of one elbow. He was clutching two cardboard boxes to his chest, both reading ‘books’ in his neat scrawl. 

“David!” Kath exclaimed, immediately taking the boxes from him. “Did Saz drive you?”

“She’s bringing up the rest of my stuff.” David confirmed, and Kath almost offered to go down and help until she remembered the multiple powerlifting championships his older brother Sarah won in highschool. She figured Sarah would be alright.  

“Come on in, then.” Katherine smiled at him from over the heavy boxes, full of David’s extensive collection of books. His prized possessions.

They wandered into the space, David’s eyes glancing over the kitchen and their little entrance area, complete with a welcome mat and a rack for their coats and bags. Kath had never lived with a significant other, and she was finding the domesticity of it all very lovely. But she wasn’t worried about his reaction to the place itself. 

The big moment came when David stepped into the living room, Kath trailing behind. Jack quickly stood and she watched as both boys took each other in.

Inwardly, she was proud of David for making an excellent first impression. He wore a nice pair of khakis and an olive green sweater that made his eyes look almost vibrant in their green hue. His curls were tamed and he didn’t look too much like a deer in headlights, though she could already see him struggling to maintain eye contact with a smiling Jack, who gravitated towards him and offered a hand. “I’m Jack. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“I hope that’s a good thing. I’m David… it’s nice to meet you.” He took Jack’s hand, which only reminded Kath how tall he was.

Jack was a bit on the shorter side at 5”9, but David towered above just about everyone at a clean 6”2. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet ya’ too, Davey.” 

“Oh, it’s— um—“

They shook hands and David didn’t even wipe his palm off on his thigh as he normally did, staring at Jack with wide, green eyes. It had to be the nickname that had spooked him, Kath knew, and felt her anxiety peak. Last time someone had attempted to give him a nickname he’d nearly shut down, but instead his eyes just roamed over Jack’s easy expression.

He cleared his throat. “Right. So… uh… my room?”

“Right this way, sir.” Jack, goofball that he was, pretended to tip an invisible cap. A little smile split across David’s face as he followed Jack further into their space, to the spare bedroom Tony had recently vacated. The tension seemed to disappear immediately as Jack took David’s duffel from him and led the way.

That went surprisingly well. Kath wasn’t sure she’d ever seen David take to someone so easily. Except for herself, of course. But they were six years old and she’d asked him to play pirates with her since he was crying, so she wasn’t sure if that counted. Usually it took him about a month to get past prolonged, stony silences and awkward refusal of eye contact, but here he was smiling and relaxing his tense posture already. 

Snapping out of her stupor, Kath joined the boys in the bedroom, and set David’s boxes on his desk. She finally pulled him into a hug. He responded gratefully, pressing his cheek into her auburn hair. She felt the tension seep out of him like it always did when they hugged. “Thank you so much for this, Kathy.” 

“You don’t have to thank me. I think we’re too codependent to survive a quarantine apart.” 

David laughed softly and stepped back, tucking his hands into his pockets as he examined the room. He was drawn towards the window, which is sort of what Kath expected from him. His childhood bedroom had a bay window and a reading nook. They’d spend countless hours curled up there. “This place is really lovely.” 

“Thanks.” Jack leaned against the closet, eyes lingering on David. Kath could understand— sometimes it was difficult to look away. He was incredibly pretty. “My Ma’s friend used to own it and she pulled some strings to get it for me and my brother Racer.”

When she was younger, there’d been multiple years in which she was convinced she’d marry David one day. He was handsome and smart and really witty and sarcastic once you got to know him— but that dream had sort of fallen through when David never showed any interest in dating. His life revolved around his grades, his intense hyperfixation keeping him from any sort of romance. He’d never dated, to Katherine’s knowledge, and as they got closer to thirty, she wondered if he might be asexual or something.

He was a compelling person. She was glad to call him her best friend. “Have you called your parents yet, David?”

“Yeah. I think they’re disappointed, but, uh…” He grinned sheepishly. “I’m not.”

“Good.” Kath smiled and started to carefully unpack the boxes. 

They heard the intercom buzz again, and Jack politely excused himself to go help Sarah in. David slid up to stand side by side with Kath as they carefully removed his books from the boxes. He broke the comfortable silence, voice tight with nerves. “I… I’m really not interrupting anything, right?”

“No.” She answered as emphatically as possible, leaving no room for doubt. “You’re not interrupting, and you’re not a burden, so don’t even think it. I’m glad to have you here, David.”

“Okay.” He exhaled, and some more of that rigid tension seemed to slip from his slim shoulders. “Just checking.”

“I know.” She gave his arm a gentle squeeze. “What do you think of Jack?”

Green eyes grew wide and he glanced comically between Kath and the bedroom door. “Kath, he could come back any second!”

“Just tell me now!” She couldn’t stop her own giggle at the sight of David’s tiny smile, resting an eager hand on his arm. 

He tilted his head and leaned in, still glancing at the door. David’s volume dropped to an intimate sort of whisper, a tone that sounded nice in his soft voice. “He… he seems really charismatic. And handsome.”

“Isn’t he?” Kath gushed, excited to have David’s approval so quickly. “I think you two will really get along well.” 

Moments later, Jack re-entered the room with Sarah in tow. As promised, she had the bulk of David’s things and carried them with ease, impressive biceps flexed as she set the bags and boxes on the floor. Sarah, embarrassingly enough, had been Katherine’s bisexual awakening. Two years older and positively gorgeous, she’d crushed on David’s big sister for the first two years of highschool.

Privately, Kath couldn’t think of anyone that wouldn’t find Sarah stunning. She was tall and built and she had the prettiest dark hair. It was funny- David was like a string bean compared to her as he hugged her tightly. They were close. Sarah might’ve been the only person closer to David than Kath herself.

They exchanged greetings as everyone helped David unpack, setting up the room and slowly making it his own.  

Jack took a liking to Sarah as well, but to Kath’s utter delight, he really seemed to click with David. David laughed at Jack’s ridiculous little jokes and seemed to enjoy his passionate ranting about art. He even let Jack call him Davey for the entirety of the night, which both Sarah and Kath were floored about.  

On the other hand, Jack seemed to like David’s dry humor and found his awkwardness just as endearing as Kath did. He listened to David talk about his rigorous law courses with rapt interest, and Kath decided then and there that they’d be fast friends.

She knew change was hard for David, and that was evident in the way he clung to Sarah once his room was set up. She rocked him back and forth in the hug and gently ruffled his hair as they said their goodbyes. 

Soon Sarah was gone, and Kath could see actual tears in David’s eyes as she left. The only logical thing to do was tug him into a hug, which he melted into. “You’re both gonna be okay, David.”

“I know.” He sniffled, fists gently curling into the material of Kath’s shirt. “I’ve just— I’ve never not lived with Saz.”

“It’s a big change.” Kath agreed, and gently ran her fingers through his curls. 

Jack was wearing a familiar look of sympathy as he stepped closer, gently placing a hand on David’s back. His love language was physical affection above anything else, and thankfully David didn’t flinch away as Jack spoke. “How’d you feel about a movie tonight, Davey?”

Davey hiccuped, “Sounds good.” 

Carefully, Jack patted him on the back and slipped out into the living room. Once they were in private, David’s chest started to shake with little sobs and Kath hugged him even tighter. She’d expected this, but it didn’t make seeing her best friend cry any easier. 

“Shh, David. I’ve got you.” She assured, continuing to card her fingers through his hair. The poor thing was bent at an awkward angle, glasses smushed against his cheek. “This is gonna be fun, right? Longest sleepover ever.”

He laughed wetly and nodded,  pushing his hands beneath his glasses to dry his eyes. “Okay. I think it’s out of my system.”

“Even if it’s not, I’m always right here.” She gave his arm a gentle squeeze, remembering the countless times he’d held her while she cried over her frustrating parents. Tears weren’t a foreign thing between the two. “Change into something comfortable and I’ll put on Dead Poets Society.”

“Thanks, Kathy.” He whispered, fingers gently trailing down to wrap around her wrist.

Stupidly, her heart skipped a beat. Sometimes he looked at her like she was the most precious thing in the world, and the sheer sincerity in his green eyes made her feel some type of way.

The strangest thing was that Jack made her feel the exact same. She tried to push that down and gave him another reassuring squeeze before exiting the room.

David with tear-streaked cheeks was an unfairly pretty sight. 

The smell of popcorn filled the living area as Kath reclined on the couch, pulling up the movie of choice just in time for Jack to join her with a bowl full of popcorn. He glanced at the bedroom door David had since shut, concern lining his features. “Is he okay?” 

“He will be.” She leaned into Jack’s side, balancing the popcorn on her lap. When he still looked uneasy, she laughed softly and nudged his knee. “I promise. It’s tough for him to regulate his emotions when he’s tired, and I’m sure he’s had a long day. Plus, he and Sarah are super close so he might have sister withdrawals.” 

“Okay. That was just sort of heartbreaking.” Jack muttered like the human teddy bear he was, one arm tightening around Katherine. 

“You’re too nice for your own good, did you know that?” She teased, running her fingertips down his cheek. “David will be fine. I promise.” 

Jack smiled and nudged their noses together. “I’ve never seen this movie.” 

“It’s his favorite.” She explained simply, smoothing down the collar of Jack’s flannel. “Don’t let him hear you say that.”

They shared a little laugh as David emerged from his bedroom, looking a little more put together despite his puffy eyes. He wore a Columbia t-shirt and a pair of soft gray sweatpants that Kath knew he adored. He curled up on the opposite end of the couch, about a foot away, and Kath felt like it wouldn’t be proper to call him over and close the gap. Instead she balanced the popcorn on the cushion between them, wishing he would just sit next to her like he normally did.

His little smile at the sight of the title on the screen was enough. “Have you seen this, Jack?”

Jack and Kath exchanged a look before Jack grinned at David, wide and blinding. “Nope.” 

David’s jaw dropped, and when laughter filled the room, Katherine was sure everything would be alright.

Like most movie nights with her best friend went, he was curled up asleep by the end of the film, using the armrest of the couch as a pillow with his knees drawn up to his chest. She didn’t know how someone so tall could make themselves so tiny in sleep. They liked to joke that he’d never seen the end of a movie before. Jack was crying incoherently behind her as the credits rolled and she decided that this spontaneous quarantine was going to be a bit less terrifying with these boys around.

[antisocialgaycat]

sarah and katherine deserve better

i dont even know if sarah said any lines in the whole movie outside of helping les get away from the delancey brothers and that is not ok

she seems to spend most her time just staring at jack lovingly which is not how most people act the first time you meet someone yk

there was so much room for even slight character development but no

hell shes hardly even portrayed as a person, shes almost just some random girl

smh

katherine is a better character tho

she does have a personality outside of jack and shes actually really fucking cool

the twist about her being pulitzers daughter adds a whole layer to her character (if u didnt know that alr im sorry) which is good in making a realistic character

and yes its important to the plot

however, to me it kinda feels a little forced

and that shock moment happens right before other shit happens so it doesnt give enough time for us to fully appreciate that this queen actively worked against her father because hes a shitbag

like

she did so much to help the strike against her father who is her parent

but we dont get time to realise that

also her relationship with jack seems so forced and fast

and it adds almost nothing to the plot

does it even add anything???

like they meet one day and the next theyre making out

also she should have given him a black eye instead of kissing him

that really took away from her whole vibe

like goodbye slayful girlboss and hello boring in a relationship with main character

she does take back a bit of the slay with the getting the keys and whatnot

but her and sarah were done real dirty

they deserve better

and if the jacobs family was in livesies and sarah and katherine met that would literally be so good and would have made livesies 10000000x better

but yeah thats just my opinion

and dont take it the wrong way like i love newsies so much

this is just how they could have made it a little better

livesies or 92sies?? :P

DONT MAKE ME CHOOSE BETWEEN MY BABIES

but its livesies

the song lyrics are better (in my opinion) and the cast recording is so good

also ben cook as race is my favourite thing

i think watch what happens is also part of the reason why i love it

and medda in livesies is so awesome omg

also the dances in livesies ohmygod thats the best

and brooklyns here is awesome

i do think 92sies is good tho, i just think livesies is better

apart from in 92sies when jack says that it aint lying, its just improving the truth a little. thats my favourite line from all of newsies

but in both the one thing i dont like is how sarah and katherine seem to only be there for the sake of jacks romantic life and making sure that jack and davey dont get shipped (which failed)

theyre such good characters apart from that

so yuh

livesies for the win

[dontyouknowemma-itsyou]

Newsies’ women appreciation post

[two-entire-bits]

Miss Katherine Plumber-Pulitzer

Reblogs are very appreciated!

[thefactsofthematter]

Hey! I'm sorry you're not having a great day but at least the conservatives didn't win, right? (P.S. may i please ask for some soft jack x katherine for the soul thx ily) -kitty

u kno what?? ur damn right (and bro i LOVE jatherine hell yeah)

- you would think that kath, raised in luxury, would be the diva of the relationship... NOPE she’s incredibly level-headed and somehow ended up falling in love with a boy who pretends to faint at the slightest inconvenience

- kath is bi and very rarely attracted to boys,, so when she fell for jack it was like WOAH slow down wtf?? a friendly hot boy with 3 brain cells, who is bisexual as well so He Gets It,, he can probably barely count to 10 but his smile makes up for it,, this is dangerous territory

- jack is weirdly good at doing hair? and he’s kinda interested in makeup, because it’s sort of like painting, so he likes to help kath get all done up sometimes— which she’s super grateful for because she HATES having to do her hair and makeup when she has somewhere to go, so she’s happy to just sit and let jack do his thing (jack is also totally fascinated by nail art but kath doesn’t really wear nail polish that much,, so jack just does that on himself instead)

- on the contrary, jack couldn’t put together a coherent outfit if his life depended on it and kath has to dress him whenever they’re going somewhere nice. he loves thrift shopping and has a soft spot for horrifically ugly clothes— he always picks a piece or two for kath and she appreciates the gesture,, but she never wears any of it