Soulmates || A Newsies Alternate Universe

Chapter 24 - Specs

Third Person POV

Specs had had a good home life. He lived with his parents for a while, and now he lives with his boyfriend/soulmate, Romeo.

One thing about Specs and Romeo that makes them a unique pair, is that Romeo hates waking up early, and is more of a night-owl, whereas Specs is a morning person and not at all a night-owl.

Specs constantly has to drag Romeo to bed and play with his hair till he falls asleep, and drag him to get out of bed in the morning.

Other nights, usually when they don't have school the next day, Romeo convinces Specs to stay up with him, and they sleep in in the morning, usually awoken by their friends when this happens.

Today was no different for the two boys.

"Romeo," Specs groans, cuddling under the blankets. "Come over here and come cuddle with me." Specs reaches his hand out from under the blankets, and makes a motion for Romeo to come to him.

Romeo shakes his head.
"I'm not tired Specsie" He responds, using the nickname he gave Specs.

Specs sits up, and glares at Romeo.
"You're never tired" Specs replies, his voice muffled by the blanket that's on his mouth. He had pulled the blanket up to his mouth and nose since he was cold.

"You know me. I'm a night-owl" Romeo reminds Specs, who groans, and lays down again, pulling the blanket close to him and snuggling up.

Specs had had a long day today. He had had a rough day at school, and Oscar and Morris were no help.

All Specs wanted was Romeo to cuddle with him. His school day wasn't the only bad thing that had happened today.

Flashback

Romeo and Specs had been walking back to their apartment from school, when two girls walked up to them.

"Hey cutie!" The taller, blonde one had greeted Romeo. They had interrupted Specs, but they didn't seem to care.

"Um, hi?" Romeo responded, looking confused. He used to like to flirt with girls, especially cute ones, but since he had gotten together with Specs, the only person he liked flirting with was Specs.

"You're cute. Want to go out sometime?" The blonde girl asked, as she ran her hands through Romeo's hair.

Romeo pushed her hand away.
"No, thank you though. I'm dating someone."

Specs looked away from the girl and Romeo, feeling a bit jealous and angry. The other girl, a brunette, noticed.

"You feeling left out? I'm single and I think you're cute" The brunette told Specs, who stuck his tongue out in disgust.

"We aren't single" Specs had informed the two girls, who had rolled their eyes.

"She doesn't have to know" The blonde girl had responded to Romeo, as she moved closer to him.

"Listen ladies, we aren't single, or interested" Romeo had told the two girls, who pouted.

"Are you sure?" The brunette girl asked, still eyeing Specs.

"We're dating" Specs and Romeo informed them at the same time. The two girls stepped back, disgusted.

"Ew. Never mind" The blonde girl responded, walking away.

"Your loss" The brunette girl had told them, before following the blonde girl, and walking down the street, leaving an annoyed Romeo, and a panicky Specs.

End of flashback

Specs felt a few hot tears roll down his cheeks. Why did people have to be so rude? And annoying? Couldn't he and Romeo be happy?

He felt like he was worthlesss, and not enough for Romeo. Eventually, he thinks, Romeo will figure out he's not enough and will leave him, like Oscar and Morris have said.

The constant bullying from Oscar and Morris, and their friends, was getting to be too much for Specs. Every Newsie got bullied by them, but Specs had a harder time dealing with stuff like that.

Specs didn't know how the others dealt with it. He knew Jack and Spot didn't care. Davey ignored them. Albert either fought back, pranked them, or ignored them, and so on.

Specs pulled the covers over his head, his hand over his mouth, in an attempt to be silent so he wouldn't worry Romeo with his crying.

Romeo was sitting on the couch, just laying there, bored out of his mind, like usual when Specs went to bed and didn't succeed in dragging Romeo there with him.

Their apartment was set up so that the couch was right in front of the bed, and the kitchen was to the right, with a table to the left.

Romeo looked up when he heard sniffling coming from the bed. Specs.

He quickly gets up, and sits on the ground next to where the bump in the bed that is Specs under the covers is.

He lightly rubs Specs' back, as Specs peaks out his head from under the covers. Romeo could see the tears, and Specs eyes were red, puffy, and glossy.

"Hey Specsie. What's troubling you?" Romeo asks Specs, who wipes his face.

"Troubling me? Nothing" Specs responds, trying to play it off. Romeo could hear the pain and hurt in his voice.

Specs could never hide his feelings from Romeo, same with Romeo hiding his from Specs, it never worked. Romeo throws him a look, not believing him.

"Don't try to play it off Specs. I love you, and you know you can't hide anything from me." Romeo reminds him, and Specs sighs.
"How about I sit with you while you tell me?"

Specs nods, getting up. Romeo sits with him, Specs' head in Romeo's lap, as Romeo plays with his hair, trying to calm him down.

"I'm just having a hard time. I wish Oscar and Morris would disappear into an abyss. I wish that thing with those two random girls didn't happen" Specs explains, as Romeo wipes the tears off of his face. That's what this is about. Romeo realizes, looking solemnly at his boyfriend.

"What did they say to you now?" Romeo asks, clenching his fists.

"You're worthless, Romeo's gonna realize that you aren't good enough and leave you, and so on" Specs answers, doing a poor impression of the brothers. It was so bad, it was almost insulting to them.

Romeo takes a deep breath in and exhales, trying to calm himself down, before responding.
"Don't listen to them, they are wrong and aren't worth it."

"I know Rome, just hard sometimes. Sometimes it just gets too much" Specs responds. Romeo nods.

Then, Romeo's phone rings from the couch. He gets up, and goes to pick it up, Specs watching from the bed.

"Hello?" He asks. Someone talks to Romeo for a minute, and Specs watches his face drop into a look of shock, concern, and anger.

Romeo starts crying, and Specs starts to get worried. After a minute, he hangs up.

"Who was that? What's wrong?" Specs asks, as Romeo grabs a coat.

"Race is in the hospital. He got shot by his father."

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