Fluff, fluff, and more fluff. I've decided this story is going to flip back and forth 3rd person POVs between Katherine and Jack. So... yeah.
I don't own Newsies or Jack Kelly or Katherine Plumber/Pulitzer. The only things that belong to me are my ideas, my computer, and my Newsies merchandise. Enjoy! :)
Katherine woke to light streaming in her window, filtering through the glass. She opened her eyes and glanced over at her clock. It was half past eight. She knew that the boys would be out and about selling papers. If it had been a week ago, she would've been at work, typing away about the strike. Katherine wasn't quite sure what to do with herself now that she had no job. It was funny. She had been raised to be a society girl, content to spend her days visiting other society girls at their fancy homes and preparing for parties. Now she couldn't imagine doing any of that and found it strange that she didn't have a job to worry about that morning.
Stumbling out of bed, Katherine went to the window, eager to get a glimpse of the bustling New York City morning. It was then that she saw the person slumped on her fire escape and almost ran to get a fire poker.
It was Jack.
She smothered her scream with her hand and stared at him wide-eyed for a few moments, trying to absorb the fact that he was sleeping outside of her bedroom window on her fire escape. Katherine couldn't quite decide if it was creepy or romantic, but he looked so peaceful while sleeping that she didn't contemplate it for too long. It was strange to see him like this, completely unguarded and without the usual cocky smirk.
Carefully and quietly, Katherine grabbed her dressing gown from its hook, wrapping it tightly around her nightgown, and padded into the small kitchen. She didn't have much food, and she didn't know how to cook any of it—another useful skill she wished her mother could've taught her, rather than how to flutter a fan—but Katherine tried to make it work. She slathered a slice of bread from the bakery down the street with butter and grabbed an apple. Then, carefully, trying to talk herself out of it the entire time but refusing to stop moving, she returned to her bedroom, unlatched the window, and eased it open.
The air outside had a little bite to it, as autumn was setting in, and she shivered a bit in her thin dressing gown. Before she could go back inside and put on some real clothing, not only because she was cold but also because it had just truly hit her that she was in her dressing gown in front of Jack Kelly, Jack began to stir. His eyelids fluttered and he murmured something incomprehensible. The gesture was so childlike—and unlike him—that her heart melted a bit.
"Jack?" she whispered, setting the plate with the bread and apple down on the fire escape. She knelt down next to him, letting her fingers trail over the fine lines of his face before she could think too much about it. He mumbled something again and released a happy sigh as her thumb ran lightly over his bottom lip and then along his jaw.
Katherine jumped and gave a little squeak when Jack's hand shot up and grasped her wrist. They stayed like that for a few moments, Jack's eyes still closed and Katherine's wide, until Jack slid his hand up to hers and intertwined their fingers. Her breath caught as he brought their joined hands to his lips and kissed each of her fingertips. Katherine decided that she liked Jack when he was half asleep, possibly more than when he was wide awake.
"Hullo, Ace," he said, his voice low and husky with sleep. She suddenly found it rather difficult to swallow.
"Jack, what on earth are you doing on my fire escape?" It was rather embarrassing how breathy her voice sounded as he opened one lazy eye and began to play with her fingers.
"Not sure, really. I woke early and went for a walk, and before I could think I was here. You've got a nice fire escape, y'know." He opened the other eye and squinted up at her in the bright light. "What time is it?"
"Quarter till nine now, I think. You know, it's kind of creepy that you're just out here on my fire escape—"
"Quarter till—!" Jack leapt up, his sleepy demeanor forgotten in just a few seconds as her words registered. "I didn't get any papes and the boys'll be worried—"
"Jack, relax!" Katherine cried, laughing a little as she grabbed his forearm and used it to pull herself up from the fire escape. "It's okay. I'm sure the boys are fine. And you can miss a day of carrying the banner, can't you?" she said teasingly, bumping his shoulder with hers. "I mean, God knows you deserve it after the strike."
Jack stared at her in silence for a few seconds and she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "Let's do somethin'."
"Um… Define something…" she said with a nervous laugh.
Jack chuckled and captured a stray strand of her hair with his fingers, twisting it around absently until he seemed to realize what he was doing and released it, a little red creeping into his cheeks. "Dunno, Ace, let's just go for a walk in the park or somethin'."
Katherine crossed her arms over her chest and examined him for a few minutes. "You want to go for a walk in the park?"
"Well, yeah… Somethin' wrong with that?" Jack looked down at his feet and shuffled them a little.
"No, it just doesn't seem very Jack Kelly-like."
He looked up and grinned at her, the flash of teeth causing her heart to stutter. "Well, you an' me, Ace? We don't know each other too well yet. Y'know, not as well as we could know each other. For all you know, I could be a completely different person than the guy you seen so far."
Katherine felt a tug at her lips as she fought the urge to grin right back at him. "You're suggesting we get to know each other better?"
"Well, I figure I like the parts of you that I seen so far, and I'm hopin' I'll like the rest, too." Jack tilted his head at her and then looked away, looking uncharacteristically shy. "You did say you'd follow me anywhere…"
Katherine felt her cheeks go a bit red but fought to remain composed. "I did say that, didn't I?"
He nodded.
Katherine hesitated a few unnecessary moments and then said, "All right, Jack Kelly. I'm going to go get dressed, and you're going to get down from my fire escape and come to my door like a proper gentleman. Ask me to go for a walk then and we'll see how your little plan works out for you."
"I thought you liked my unconventional personality." Jack's eyes were bright with excitement. She picked up the forgotten plate from the fire escape, one side of her mouth tipping up in a mischievous smile, and handed him the apple.
"That's a big word, Jack Kelly. And maybe I do like your decidedly non-gentlemanly ways, but I doubt my neighbors do."
Jack's laugh echoed behind her as Katherine climbed back into her bedroom, shut the window (though didn't lock it this time), and closed the curtains.
I mentioned this was fluff, right? Will it have a real plot...? Who knows...
Again, reviews and feedback are much appreciated! :)
