Skittery looked at Y/N, he felt a pain tug at his heart as he saw her expression.

Jack was her brother and not only did he betray the Newsies but he had betrayed his sister. At the next chance he could he was going to give Jack a piece of his mind.

✄

Skittery and Y/N were - once again - sat in her bunk. However this time they were surrounded by the younger boys of the team as Y/N read them Pinocchio. It was a weird book but the boys enjoyed it; always asking of her to read it to them at any free minute she had.

She was sat with her hair up in a bun and one of Skittery's bigger shirts along with some tights, the sight made Skittery smile. Her eyesight wasn't the worst. Nonetheless, she wore silver, small, rounded glasses when reading to the boys who were lying on their stomachs or dozing off on the bunks around them.

Everyone, up until they got the Lodging house and began playing games, wore deep frowns on their faces. Jack betrayed them for a little money. Okay maybe not little but it was just money.

Was the family-like bond they had had not enough? Was his sister not enough for him? He did say that having her here was like babysitting and it only weighed him down. Y/N remembered something her grandmother would always describe her own brother as due to family issues: "kula u nogi". The idiom had stuck with her even though she had poor pronunciation of it.
Was this what Jack thought of her?

But at this point no one seemed to care anymore as they listened to Y/N reading. She had practically forgotten what occurred earlier.

As an hour passed and it neared midnight, Y/N felt Skittery place his head on her shoulder and light snores came from his mouth. She smiled lightly and looked up from the rundown book at the younger boys. All of them already asleep. She nudged Skittery slightly and received a groan of protest from him. Smiling, she shook her head and chuckled with a grin to herself.

She unwrapped herself from his hands and climbed out of the bunk as a cat would. Y/N opened the window that led out onto the fire escape and climbed through. Her socks weren't much protection from the cold metal but she didn't mind that much. She pulled herself over the edge of the roof and planted her feet onto the roof's ground.

She walked onto the opposite edge and sat down, the lights of the city illuminating the sky. The moon was big and yellow, but nothing of what Jack and Michael would tell her was in Santa Fe.

Santa Fe.

Michael's dream. Jack's dream. Y/N's dream.

She didn't know.

She made a family of the Newsies. She grew up with them, she raised Tumbler with Skittery. She practically raised Kaz too and gifted him the Kazoo which he played so often he got a name after it. She fell in love. She fell in love with Skittery and she wanted to stay with him. She wanted to continue falling in love with the boy.

She made friends. Heck, they felt more like brother's than her actual brother at this point. She remembered the countless amounts of times when Kid Blink would walk in on her changing and he would scream bloody murder. Or Mush talking about his dates and looking like he was on cloud nine. Or Racetrack's face being red as he complained about the races at Sheepshead, and how they were definitely rigged.

She didn't want to go to Santa Fe.

She wanted to stay in New York with the Newsies of Lower Manhattan. She wanted to stay with her family.

✄

The sun was inching its way across the sky: nearing noon. The Newsies still refused to sell papes so they walked around the city, like every other citizen looking for a penny to spare.

Y/N had managed to find Sarah, on her way to work with Les. They managed to get some small talk before Y/N left to meet up with Skittery for breakfast at Tibby's.

As Y/N crossed the street, she heard the voice of Oscar Delancey, "'Cuse me, sweetface." She turned around to see Oscar and Morris walking up to Sarah. One behind and one up front.

Y/N subconsciously rolled up her sleeves as she trudged towards them. The two boys began pushing Sarah and Les into an alley. As Y/N walked through she heard Sarah, "You stupid ape." And punch Morris across the face, unfortunately she didn't hurt him too much.

"Hey, shit brain." Y/N called over to Oscar. He looked at her and grinned. Oh how she hated his face. And him. His whole being. She hated it. She brought her fist back to push it forward and aim for his face, but Oscar ducked and punched her in the stomach. She groaned as she stumbled but continued to fight.

Wet footsteps echoed and Y/N and Les noticed David walking into the alley. Oh no. Sarah slowly took notice of her twin.
Sarah cried at David, "Run Davey!"
But he didn't listen and instead tackled Oscar as he was about to punch Y/N. Morris had Sarah so Y/N ripped her out of his grip and kneed him in the stomach. Morris straightened out even though he was in pain and took out a pair of brass knuckles. Y/N's eyes widened as she ushered Les over to Sarah.

Y/N grabbed Morris' arm, trying to stop him from punching David even though he was getting soaked by Oscar. With his other hand he punched her across the face. Blood began seeping out of her nose and a large pain made her senses blurred.

She heard someone running into the alley but continued trying to defend herself and David.
All of a sudden a fist hit Morris, and the same shadow shoved Morris into a crate. Y/N looked up, not being sure what to say.

Jack, the silhouette, grabbed Oscar off of David, "Remember Crutchy?" And then he head butted the goon. The Kelly boy walked over to Sarah as Y/N tried to help David up. Jack walked back over to the two as Oscar and Morris got up. "You'd better run, Cowboy. We're gonna tell uncle Weas. You'll be back in the Refuge before suppertime!"
Y/N took a step forward, ready to punch them again but felt a hand go around her arm. She turned around to see her brother.

She glared at Jack. Another echo sounded through the alley. Sarah, David and Les looked at Y/N with wide eyes. She had slapped her brother.

The tension could've easily been cut with a knife. "I deserved that." Jack mumbled as he rubbed his cheek.
"No. No you didn't." She spat at him. "You deserve so much more."

Jack's eyes saddened but the girl didn't care as she stood beside David as he spoke: "What? You couldn't stay away?"
"Well, I guess I can't be something I ain't." Jack replied.
"A scab?" David questioned.
"No. Smart."

✄

Y/N bid Sarah, David and Les farewell, but still refused to talk to Jack. The group of four headed over to Denton's as Y/N made her way to Tibby's. She wiped the dry blood off of her nose and lips with her sleeve before going inside. Skittery was already sat in the far corner with food set on the table.

She walked over to him and as he noticed her he smiled. They hugged and greeted and began eating their breakfast. Y/N told Skittery what happened and he was very angry. Y/N could practically see the steam coming out of his ears.

He mentioned how he was gonna kill the Delancey's but Y/N put her hand on top of his clenched fist. Making him relax slightly as he sighed through his nose.

✄

It was beginning to get dark. And Les had dragged Y/N over to the distribution centre. She was told that the group planned to make their own pamphlet and hand it out to the working kids of New York and demand justice for themselves.

As she walked down the old stairs of the basement, Jack uncovered a printing press. "Alright! A Platen press. Looks like old man Pulitzer never threw anything away." Denton said looking at the table.
"Is it going to work?" Y/N asked quietly, the four looked over at her nodding.
"It better. We have a deadline." Denton smiled, beginning to show the kids what to do.

"This is the story you wanted to write, well tonight is the night that you can." Denton took out a bunch of metal letters and started ordering them on a slab that Y/N passed to him.
"Just get this done and by dawn't early light you can finish the fight you began." Jack sung as he put paper into the machine.

"This time we're in it to stay." David turned a wheel.
"Think about seizing the day." Sarah hummed as she helped Jack.

"Think of that train as she rolls into old Santa Fe. Tell her I'm on my way."

"See old man Pulitzer snug in his bed, He don't care if we're dead or alive." Y/N sang as she stamped ink onto the slab.

"Three satin pillows are under his head, while we're begging for bread to survive." Denton rolled the paper across the slab and David picked it up to reveal the pamphlet.

"Joe, if you're still counting sheep, wake up and read 'em and weep." Jack would place the clean papers down and Sarah would step on the peddle as Y/N took the printed sheets out.

"You've got your thugs with their sticks and their slugs, Yeah, but we got a promise to keep." Les left to inform the boys at the Lodging house to come and collect the papers.

Finally, they would be informing all of New York about their strike. The whole world!

"Once and for all Something tells me the tide will be turning. Once and for all there's a fire inside me that wont stop burning." Mush, Blink, Racetrack and all the boys greeted Jack with smiles as they collected the packs.

Skittery leaned down through the window and pecked Y/N on the lips as she handed him his pack, earning a protective-big-brother-glare from Jack. "Now that the choices are clear. Now that tomorrow is here! Watch how the mighty will fall for once and for all!"

Skittery pulled Y/N through the window and they walked towards the rest of the boys, waiting to give the papers out.
"It's awfully nice of Mr. Pulitzer to let us use his press." Denton said from behind them.
"Yeah, I just hope we get to thank him for it someday." Y/N agreed.

They climbed onto a wagon and spread across the city. Boots had climbed onto the roof of a building and threw the papers out, making it look like it was snowing.
Racetrack came up to a boy tending to a horse, handing him a paper after confirming that he could read.
"Carry the banner!" Was heard all over the place as more papers fell from the sky.

Y/N dragged Skittery along with a few boys over to a girls working house. As the door opened the boys took their hats off and Y/N passed out the papers.
"This is for kids shining shoes on the streets, with no shoes on their feet everyday. This is for guys sweating blood in the shops, while their bosses and cops look away. This is to even the score. We ain't just newsies no more. This ain't just kids with some pie in the sky, this is do it or die this is war!"

Skittery pushed Y/N back onto the wagon and they were pulled off into another end of the city. "Once and for all, We'll be there to defend one another. Once and for all, every kid is a friend, every friend a brother."

They began heading towards Newsies square.

"Five thousand fists in the sky, five thousand reasons to try. We're going over the wall. Better to die than to crawl. Either we stand or we fall. For once, once and for all!"

✄

Skittery had his arms around Y/N's waist as she leaned against him. They were by the Horace Greeley statue waiting for anyone to show up.
Jack looked at the pair and walked up to them, "So you two huh?"
Y/N raised her eyebrows in annoyance at him as Skittery shifted uncomfortably. Jack smiled and looked directly at Skittery, "Just take good care of her."
Skittery nodded and looked down at the girl, "Wouldn't dream of hurting her."

Y/N smiled at this and leaned further back into him.
"So, when's the others coming, kid?" Mush spoke up walking over to Jack.
"They ain't coming. Ain't gonna be nobody but us." Jack sighed in disappointment. Y/N chewed on the inside of her cheek as the boys told Jack to have some hope.

"When the circulation bell starts ringing, will we hear it?" Les sang coming up to the front.
"Nah." Racetrack held onto the boy's shoulder.

Y/N took Skittery by the hand and walked forward saying, "What if the Delancey's come out swinging, will we hear it?"
"No!"
"That a boy!" Racetrack ruffled up Les's hair as everyone smiled. Skittery lightly squeezed Y/N's hand in reassurance.

Voices began echoing through the streets, "When you've got a million voices singing who can hear a lousy whistle blow? And the World will know!"

••••

Edited: 15 January 2021
Words: 2315