A/N: here it is! My Skittery fanfic. He's another one of my favorites because even though he acts glum and dumb, you can see he's a total sweetheart. I do not own Newsies unfortunately, I don't own the chapter's name, it's a song from My Fair Lady and it sums up what Chava, the character I own, wants. So enjoy and review!
Chapter 1: Wouldn't it be Loverly?
Chava Hathaway wakes up happier than she has been in a long time. She is waking up in Manhattan rather than in her home for the past 15 years, Austria.
As she gets up, her mother comes barging in telling her to bathe.
Chava complies not wanting to get yelled at, she hates screaming.
Once out, her mother begins lacing up her corset.
Chava personally hates corsets but she doesn't hate the courage to say that to her mother. She is a shy girl, quiet and timid who can speak to only a handful of people easily.
Her mother dresses her in a white beaded dress with a blue sash. Her long wavy rich dark brown hair is put into a half bun. After pouting a little bit of white powder on her pale face with rosy cheeks, Chava is made up like a high society person.
"That's all I could do." Chava's mother whispers to herself yet Chava hears it. She already feels bad about herself, many because of her eyes, one green and one blue. Her mother did everything in her power to fix that but it's permanent.
Because her mother tried so hard to fix he eyes, Chava has felt like her mother doesn't truly love her.
When she exits her room, she sees her father at the table waiting for her instead of being at work. He is always working. Chava doesn't blame him for leaving her with her horrid mother.
"Father!" Chava says with a smile growing on her face. He is one of the few people whom Chava can speak easily to. She hugs him and they eat breakfast together. Only them two speak while Chava's mother sits quietly.
Time like this Chava wishes for something simpler. A life without lavish housing and dresses. A life with freedom and adventure. A life in which she has the courage to say all the things she has on her mind. A life where her parents are together because they love each other, not because they were matched together.
After a servant takes Chava's plate away, which Chava would gladly do herself, she says, "Father, may I go explore the city? I can't take it anymore locked in this stuffy apartment. I feel claustrophobic."
"Of course, Chavaleh. Just be careful." Her father says using her special nickname meaning "Little Bird" and he kisses her forehead.
"Don't be silly, Father." Chava says going to her room.
She picks up her pouch that hangs from her wrist and she puts a little money in it.
She then picks up a letter from her brother.
Her brother left the family six years ago when he was twenty one and Chava was nine. Since she was and still is smart, so she was able to keep in touch with him. She loves learning and wants to become a teacher someday. But she doesn't have the courage to do so, to go against her mother.
He left to follow his dreams of becoming a painter, something their parents did not like.
Their father regrets what he did but their mother does not.
Chava misses and loves him all the same.
In the note, there is an address where he currently works. He has moved to England first, then from there he moved to Manhattan about a year ago. He paints people for a dime while working with two other people, one who plays the flute and one who arm wrestles people. The person would pay a nickel if they lost but if they won, it was free and they may gloat to their peers, but he has been undefeated. The flutist will play and if passing byers enjoyed it, they would give some money.
Chava puts her belongings in her pouch before heading out.
"Good bye." Chava says and her after waves at her while her mother merely shouts, "Shoulders back."
Chava does so but feels as if her mother only speaks to her to nag her.
She wants to keep up with the events of New York so she tries to find a newspaper stand.
Instead, she finds a boy yelling in a park. He has newspapers in one hand and a walking stick in the other.
She believes she has seen him before. Then she remembers the time she found the newspaper in the trash and read it quickly before her mother found out.
She had enough time to read about the newsboy's strike, the news about that strike had made it all the way to Austria. She remembers the picture of the boys.
It had to be the worst of timings for a picture to be taken but she thought he was attractive. It had to be a year ago when she saw that but Chava has a great memory.
She walks up behind him and he is still attractive and even more so in person. He has dark brown hair and if her memory serves well, brown eyes. He's tall wearing a white button up shirt, gray pants, a gray cap, and a gray vest all caked with dirt. The shades of gray were different and mismatched.
She taps his shoulder and the boy turns knocking her over in the process.
"Sorry 'bout that, Miss." The boy immediately apologizes. Chava looks up at the boy's hard smirking face but then she sees his eyes. They're brooding soft eyes that deceive him by showing he is more than he is leading on. His eyes are doing everything they can to avoid her stare.
She picks herself up and says, "It's no problem at all. One paper please."
Skittery nods and reaches for a paper while Chava reaches in her pouch for the first coin she touches; it's a dime.
As she hands the small coin to Skittery, their hands touch.
Chava gets a swirling sensation in her chest as her dainty smooth clean hands feel his large calloused inky hands.
The boy, Skittery, touches her warm hands with his cold ones and his breath gets caught in his throat.
"Oh, dear are you choking?" Chava asks frightened, their hands still touching.
"No, no, I'm fine." Skittery says blushing red from embarrassment and he takes in a deep breath.
He looks into her eyes, finally, and he notices the fact she has one green eye and one blue eye; truly unique and lovable.
"Hey! Looks like youse gots yer-self a goil, huh?" A voice calls out that causes Skittery to drop Chava's hands.
Up come five boys.
"She's not me goil."
"I'm not his girl."
They say in unison.
"Well, then let me introduce myself, I'm Mush." One says kissing Chava's hand. Chava smiles politely but nervously at him. Sure she thinks he's attractive but his brashness is something Chava has never experienced. Men usually don't like her because of her eyes, one green and one blue. They scare them.
"Mush, youse is scarin' her!" The one with the red bandana and cowboy hat says.
"I'm Jack Kelly or Cowboy, whichevah youse prefers."
"I'm David and this is my little brother Les." Another one says.
"Call me Swordsman, it's my newsie name." Les says waving his wooden sword and Chava lightly chuckles and says, "Will do."
"I'm Racetrack or Race, whichevah youse prefers an' I sees youse have already met Skittery." Race says slinging an arm over his friends shoulders.
"Sort of." Chava says smiling politely at him.
"Well, youse can also call him Glum an' Dumb, that's what I usually call him." Race says and Skittery rolls his eyes and shrugs Race's arm off before walking away with his papers and walking stick.
"Don't mind him, he's-Skittery. He ain't friendly ta new people." Jack explains.
Skittery walks to another selling spot he knows no one is at. He begins selling but his mind is plagued with thoughts of that girl he met not long ago.
Her wavy hair done up so nice, her rosy cheeks illuminating her pale face. Her frail hands and her sweet smile.
He stops himself, he believes he doesn't deserve her, not after all the bad he's done.
And sure he loves all the newsies, but he doesn't think he deserves a family as great as this one after what happened to his original blood family. He lives a life of regret, and he only wishes he knew this girl more; she has a warming sensation to her.
"It's quite alright, you'd be surprised at some of the people I've encountered." Chava says.
"So, what's your name?" David asks.
"Chava." She answers.
"Purdy name, for a purdy goil." Mush says but Jack just rolls his eyes and nudges him away.
"I also apologizes for this fella. Let's jus' say we calls him Mush for a reason." Jack says and Chava giggles before repressing it due to the look on Mush's face. A look of sheer embarrassment.
Les looks up at the girl and he notices her eyes, one green and one blue.
"What's wrong with your eyes?" He asks and now Chava looks down in embarrassment.
David quietly scolds his brother.
"I'm sorry about that." David says putting on a nervous smile.
"It's okay. But the answer is, I don't know. I was born like this and there's nothing I can do about it." Chava answers never looking up.
Race leads her head up by her chin and says, "Don't worry, I likes it. It's tuff lookin'"
The other boys agree causing Chava to smile.
"It's been a pleasure meeting you all, but I must leave, unfortunately." Chava says.
"Don't leave." David says.
"I promised to met someone today, I don't want to break that promise. But I shall see you tomorrow, no?"
The others nod.
"I bid thee adieu." Chava says shaking all their hands but Mush kisses her hand again. When their hands touch, she doesn't get the feeling she got with Skittery.
Chava hurries out to the market. She gets lost only once.
She manages to find the cart.
She finds her brother sitting down on the curb cleaning one of his paint brushes.
"Dimitri! Dimitri!" Chava shouts running to him. Tears of joy begin running down her cheeks.
"Chava!" He calls once he sees her, tears begin running down his cheeks as well. He has the same dark wavy hair like Chava's hair but he has a tanner complexion. He also has two blue eyes.
She runs into his open arms.
"Oh, I'm so glad to finally see ya again. 'Ow long 'as it been?" He asks releasing her wiping away her tears; a favor she returns.
"Too long, and I can see you picked up a cockney accent while in England." Chava answers. Her brother is the one of the only people she can speak to freely without the fear of rejection.
"An' these are me friends. 'Arvey and 'Oratio." Dimitri introduces.
Harvey is short, stock and quite built. He has a dark complexion with dark brown hair with matching eyes. He has stubble across his chin and is more of the stubborn joker. He met with Dimitri after he moved to Manhattan about a year ago. He speaks with a New York accent. He arm wrestles.
Horatio has strawberry blonde hair with hazel eyes. He is very tan but not as much as Harvey. He is tall and lean with a clean-shaven face. He is the more serious smart person of the group. He has been with Dimitri since he moved to England about five years ago and he speaks with a cockney accent. He plays the flute.
Point is, they are almost complete opposites.
"So, Chava is it? It's a pleasure. Dimitri 'as told us so much 'bout you." Horatio greets shaking her hand which she shakes back.
"That he has, that he has." Harvey agrees shaking Chava's hand as well.
"So youse don't look like youse lives in the slums of the streets." Harvey says noticing her clean and primped appearance.
"I told ya I 'ad a 'igh society life before. And that it was 'orrible." Dimitri says with a smile.
"She don't think that way." Harvey says not wanting to associate with the "hoity toity" type.
"I do, I wish to live a simpler life. That's all I really want." Chava says being able to speak up without her shyness controlling her life. She reasons that it is because her benevolent brother is beside her giving her a confidence booster. That, and they didn't mention her eyes or even look at her funny.
Unbeknownst to her, her brother threatened them that if they even looked at her funny, he would make them regret it.
"That would be the day. I likes the way youse thinks, kid." Harvey says finally smiling at her.
"Yea, I know I would like to take it easy." Horatio says with a sigh.
"What about you, Dimitri? What do you want?" Chava asks her brother.
"I would like to see the louvre. Go to Paris and become a famous painter." He answers.
"How about you, Harvey?"
"What 'bout youse, Chava?" He asks.
"I told you-"
"Yea, but elaborate."
"I asked you first."
"I aske' youse second."
"First comes before second and I asked you first." Chava says and Dimitri laughs and so does Horatio.
"Chava, even we didn't argue this much." Dimitri says causing Chava to chuckle nervously.
"Well, since we'se went t'rough all that, I'se answah.
Love me friend. To have it all. Now, youse's toin."
"Well, all your ideas are great. To live in a far away place doing what I would love to do. To take it easy every now and then. To find someone to love." The boy, Skittery flashes in her mind but she pushes it away because she barely knows him.
"An' what is it, that you wanna do?" Horatio asks.
"To be a teacher." Chava answers with a smile.
"Outta all the jobs, youse wants ta be a teachah?" Harvey asks with a laugh.
"I love to learn." Chava answers.
"I think one of the biggest reasons I left me family was so I didn't hafta loirn." Harvey says.
"That explains so much." Horatio whispers to Chava who tries to suppress her laughter.
"Oy! I hoid that." Harvey says while fake fighting Horatio.
"'Ey, this is bad for business. Scarin' the customers away. Ya know this ya nits." Dimitri says laughing while separating the two.
"But, Chava, that would be great." Horatio says.
"Wouldn't it be loverly?" Dimitri asks and they all inwardly sigh.
Some people came up asking for a painting and an arm wrestling match.
So Horatio began playing his flute hoping to get some change from the people.
Chava sits down on a nearby empty wine barrel from the adjacent sellers, waiting for them to be done as she reads her paper.
Skittery finally finishes selling long after he usually does.
He couldn't shake that girl no matter how hard he tried. He walks down the street towards Tibby's when he spots her sitting on an empty wine barrel reading the paper he sold to her.
He smilies because if a girl ever buys a paper from him they never read it. Their boyfriend or father does but this girl actually reads it. She is something else.
Skittery wipes his smile of his face and continues sulking on.
During the next hour or so, Chava gets to know Harvey and Horatio and realizes she will have friends for life. But she also knows it is getting dark and she should start home.
"I must be going now. It's getting dark and I must be going. I bid thee adieu." Chava says before shaking the hands of Harvey and Horatio and giving a hug to her brother.
She walks on but stops when she spots a bookseller place called Solomona & Hart's Books.
She pops in hoping to get a good book and she sees one on the Renaissance.
She quickly goes to rent it and the cashier says, "I don't gets a lot of youn' beautiful women in here. I don't really get women in here. So, youse likes ta read?"
Chava merely nods.
"Keep it that way. It's a good thing if youse can thinks for yer-self." The man says and Chava smiles and nods before paying for it and going on her way.
She hurries along the busy streets of Manhattan and not much long after, she realizes she is lost.
She keeps trying to find her way but every turn is the wrong one.
She is too shy to asks for directions until another hour and half later when she has given up hope of finding her way, she summons up whatever courage she has and wants to ask for help.
The only problem is she waited too long and the once busy streets of Manhattan are near empty but the people that are around are rushing from point A to point B.
Only Chava doesn't know about The Lords and the dangers they can create after nightfall.
She continues looking around getting more scared every moment and she stops breathing when a voice asks, "What're youse doin' out so late?"