Illegal Romance || A Spromeo Story

Chapter 29

Romeo woke up the next morning to a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and some quite loud snores going right into his ear.

He turned over to tell Specs to stop snoring so loudly when he realised it wasn't Specs he had been asleep on.

He turned around the best he could and tapped Jack on the shoulder.

Jack stirred before starting to drift back asleep again when Romeo started poking him in the cheek.

"Jack, wake up," he groaned, now having resorted to opening Jack's eyes for him.

"Romeo, if you don't stop I'll push you onto the ground," Jack threatened. "And don't you dare think I won't."

Romeo pretended to think on it for a while before he sighed and dropped his hands. "You drive a hard bargain."

Jack rolled his eyes and laughed. "Do you know what that means?" he asked with a large amount of curiosity.

"Specs says it in times like that," Romeo explained.

Jack laughed and rubbed Romeo's head. "Never change, promise me that." Romeo nodded. "You're too precious for this world, I wish I could just keep you like you were when you were a little kid. You grew up too fast."

"I'm sorry," Romeo whispered.

Jack brushed some loose strand of hair out of Romeo's face.

"Don't apologise, I should apologise. I let you grow up far too fast and as much as I love who you are today, sometimes I still wish you were the little kid who's only worry was if the newest Newsie would become your best friend." Jack looked at Romeo to see tears in his eyes. "Don't cry. I'm sorry, please don't cry."

Romeo shook his head as a sob came over him. He pulled Jack into a tight hug and buried his head in the crook of Jack's neck.

Jack started rubbing circles on Romeo's back in an attempt to calm him down.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to grow up. I don't want you to grow up Jack, you can't ever leave. I need you," Romeo sobbed.

Jack felt his heart break at the thought that Romeo could feel like this and he didn't even have a clue.

"I promise you that I'll never leave you. Even for Santa Fe," Jack promised the small boy.

Romeo had stopped sobbing at that point and there was only the occasional sniffle coming from him.

They stayed like that for a while, Romeo curled up with Jack comforting him and convincing him, and largely himself, that nothing was going to change.

It was wishful thinking and both the boys knew this, nothing in life could stay as it always was.

Things changed and that was the way life worked, the Newsies of all people understood this especially.

But still, it was nice to imagine a world where they didn't have to worry about anything and just got to live.

A world where they could still be teenagers and get to act like it.

They knew that hope was a dangerous thing but still every one of them cling onto it with a firm grasp in some way.

Romeo hoped that things would stay the same, that Jack wouldn't leave and that Specs would come back.

Jack hoped for the sake of Romeo's sanity that they find Specs, preferably in one piece, soon.

Specs hoped that as he trailed around New York after his father he might see one of his brothers.

He wasn't sure if at that point he wanted to leave him, sure he'd had some moments but overall he had been a good parent in Specs mind, but he just wanted to see his brothers.

They knew the world would never work in their favours but in the safety of their brothers they could at least hope.

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