- Chapter 144 - Valentine's Day and Romeo's Birthday with Spromeo -
Warnings: mentions of bad parents, misgendering, but it's mostly pretty nice
Modern AU
Third Person POV

A/N, the idea of Romeo's birthday being on Valentine's Day came from the amazing iwantaferret_ , so go check them out lol. They're my inspiration for this one-shot.

Ring, ring, ring.

They reached over and turned off their ringer.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

They groaned, turning over and putting their pillow over their head.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

They felt the bed dip next to them. "You going to answer that?"

"No," they grumbled, hiding under their blanket. "Not until tomorrow... or maybe never."

Specs hummed. He grabbed Romeo's phone and put it on silent, then put the phone down on the bedside table. "They just want you to know you're loved, you know," he reminded him, gently rubbing his back. "You go full-out for everyone else's birthdays; they want you to feel the same amount of love that they feel."

Romeo grumbled. "I hate my birthday and I hate Valentine's Day," he responded, knowing Specs already knew this piece of information. "I don't need anyone reminding me. It's bad enough the hospital sends me a video from my mom because it's the only date she remembers."

Specs frowned. "I know, Romey."

"She could at least try and remember that I'm not a girl." Romeo pulled the covers back over his head.

Specs's frown deepened. He laid down next to Romeo, lifting up the covers and putting his head under them with him. He smiled at him. "Hi."

Romeo looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "You're a crazy person."

Specs chuckled. "I'm a crazy person of whom you love," he responded.

Romeo hummed, playing with the strings of Specs's hoodie. "Sure."

Specs raised an eyebrow at him. "Sure?"

Romeo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you know I do." He sighed, taking his hand. "I hate celebrating my birthday and Valentine's Day."

Despite the fact that he got his name from being born on Valentine's Day and how much of a flirt he was, Romeo despised Valentine's Day. However, he liked his name because it gave him a sense of belonging and identity after dealing with his mom and struggling with not knowing who he was for years. It gave him control.

"I know... so why don't we just celebrate you and not your birthday?" Specs responded.

Romeo sat up in the bed, watching him as he got up. "Isn't that the same thing?" he questioned, rubbing his eyes.

"Nope!" Specs went over to the closet and started looking through it. "Is it a pants day or a skirt day?"

Romeo raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you have planned?" he asked.

Specs looked back at him. "Answer me and I may answer you," he stated.

Romeo rolled his eyes, knowing full well that Specs was not going to answer him. He never did when he had something planned for Romeo. "Pants day," he mumbled. "I don't feel comfortable with skirts today."

"And that is totally fine." Specs pulled out one of Romeo's favorite outfits. He pursed his lips when he realized the outfit was red and would most likely remind him of Valentine's Day, so he quickly put it back.

Romeo watched him. "You've had something planned the whole time, huh?" he asked knowingly.

Specs smiled to himself as he pulled out one of Romeo's other favorite outfits. "Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't." He walked back over to the bed and placed the outfit down on it. "You'll never know." He winked at him.

"Who?"

"Who what, amour?"

Romeo glared at him. "Don't you use my tactics against me," he told him. "Who helped you plan it?"

Specs grinned to himself. "Charlie texted me first, then Jack, then Race," he informed him. "All separately, just to remind me that today is your least favorite day of the year. However..." he paused for a moment, "Crutchie was the one who actually helped me plan it."

"Of course he was." Romeo rolled his eyes, not even trying to fight the smile that made its way onto his face.

"Get dressed, my love." Specs leaned down and pressed a kiss to Romeo's forehead. "I get to spoil you today."

Romeo blushed a bit, but smiled as he watched Specs walk out of the room. He looked over at the outfit.

The outfit was blue and white. There was a pretty corset — one of Romeo's favorites — and some comfortable, but fancy pants that Romeo usually wore to any fancy event because most other fancy clothes felt uncomfortable. He also had blue and white socks, his blue converse, and white gloves that Romeo liked to wear.

Romeo smiled. "He knows me too well," he mumbled.

It didn't take long for Romeo to change. This was an outfit he wore a lot, so he knew the easiest ways to get it on and off, and how he liked to wear it.

Romeo looked at himself in the mirror for a moment, smiling and playing with the locket he had one.

It was a locket Specs had gotten him when they first started dating, and Romeo almost never took it off. Unless it was to shower, but that was so that it didn't get ruined.

Romeo heard Specs knock on the door and he turned around. "I'm done!"

Specs opened the door.

Romeo's heart stopped for a moment. Specs had changed into a nice outfit as well. His was also blue and white, matching Romeo's.

"You look beautiful," Specs said, looking Romeo over.

Romeo smiled. He walked over to him. "You too, but..." he ruffled Specs's hair, "I like your hair better messy." He giggled.

Specs chuckled, rolling his eyes. "I shouldn't have even tried to make it neat; I knew you'd do that."

Romeo giggled again. "What can I say? You're really hot when your hair is messy," he responded, playing with his hair.

Specs smiled. "Well, before we go out there, I have something for you." He turned around and grabbed a flower crown, which he had placed on the dresser in their room when he came in.

Romeo bit back a grin. "You know me too well." He looked at the crown. "Did Elmer make this?"

Specs chuckled, placing the flower crown on his head. "And you know my tactics too well," he responded. "Yes, Elmer did make it."

Romeo smiled victoriously. "Knew it."

Specs chuckled again. He grabbed Romeo's hand and pulled him out to the kitchen, which he had set up with white flower petals, a few of Romeo's favorite candles, and lunch for them because lunch was Romeo's favorite meal of the day, mainly because he could eat anything without anyone judging him. "Ta-dah." He did jazz hands.

Romeo's jaw dropped a bit. "Specs... you didn't have to do this," he mumbled.

Specs smiled. "No, but I wanted to." He took Romeo's hand and squeezed it. "After lunch, I have matching hoodies for you and I, the musical ones that I convinced you not to get recently because I had already gotten them," he informed him.

Romeo's jaw dropped. "That's why you told me not to get them?! You flirt!" He laughed.

Specs chuckled. "I learned from the best." He winked at him and continued, "I rented DVDs of your favorite movies so we could feel nostalgic and like we're kids again, which we'll watch after lunch, and I bought more nail polish because I know you were running out of it, and I'll let you paint my nails," he told him.

Romeo's eyes widened, and he grinned. "But you never let me paint your nails."

"No, it's not that I don't let you," Specs responded. "It's that my boss wrote me up for it last time, but he'll be out of work for the whole next week and I heard he's retiring soon, so you can paint my nails," he explained.

Romeo's eyebrows furrowed. "That's rude."

Specs shrugged. "Yeah, but his supervisor likes me more than him, so even if he doesn't retire, I'm likely to get a position higher than his soon," he informed him.

Romeo smiled. "Good."

Specs chuckled. "Anyway, enough talking about this," he took his hand and pulled him over to the table, "come sit and eat. I already took pictures of the set up for you and we'll take more pictures later so you can put them in the photo album."

Romeo grinned. "You know me so well, bookworm."

"I'd hope I do, love." Specs chuckled. "Otherwise I've failed as your boyfriend of four years."

Romeo rolled his eyes fondly, sitting down. "You haven't failed," he responded, watching him. "You could never fail."

"Not true." Specs sat down across from Romeo at the table. "I failed Geometry in 9th grade," he informed him.

Romeo rolled his eyes again. "Geometry sucked, and you were always more of an English brain anyway," he stated, grabbing some food.

Specs chuckled. "True."

After they ate

"So... can I wear hoodies and paint your nails now?" Romeo asked with a grin, his hands under his chin as he batted his eyelashes.

Specs chuckled. "I have one thing before that."

Romeo's eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

Specs got up and walked over to him. He reached into his pocket.

Romeo stared at him. "Spencer, do not tell me you're-" he started in disbelief.

"Hush." Specs chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "Let me speak. I know what you're thinking." He pulled out a little box. "Romeo, I know you hate your birthday and I know you hate Valentine's Day, but as far as I'm aware, you don't hate me," he started.

Romeo breathed out a laugh. "Of course not, you weirdo," he responded, a bit breathless and shocked. "You're too cute when you're wearing your glasses for me to hate."

Specs smiled, blushing a bit. "I've been your boyfriend for four years now and your friend for eight, and honestly, my life has never been better than it is right now," he told him, staring into Romeo's beautiful brown eyes that he loved so much. "Every movie night, every date, every fashion show, every question from my boss about if I'm wearing makeup and trying to play that off because it makes both of us happy when you do my makeup, every trip to the flower shop that you run with JoJo and Elmer to visit you, and even the ones where I have to be sure to be sneaky and make sure you're either out or on lunch break when it go in so you don't know that I got you flowers make my world."

Romeo choked out a laugh. "It is really impressive how you manage that," he responded, already feeling his eyes well up with tears.

Specs breathed out a laugh too, his nerves slowly leaving him. He knew he shouldn't have been nervous; Romeo loved him and he loved Romeo. "It's less impressive when you realize that you tend to send me your schedule for the week and text me when you're on break," he responded.

Romeo laughed. "True."

"I want that to continue," Specs told him. "I want to grow old with you and be ugly and wrinkly and have all of the grandkids in our group go to their parents and tell them that we're old and crazy and sickly in love," he continued. "I want you in my life, forever, and I don't want you to think of your birthday and think of all of the terrible memorizes and why you hate Valentine's Day. I want you to be able to look back and have something that we celebrate every year on this day; something that makes up for all of the years spent hating it. So, Romeo, will you marry me?"

Romeo burst into tears, throwing his arms around Specs. "Yes! Please! I love you so much, you sappy bookworm!" He cuddled close to him, not wanting to ever let go.

"I love you too, my Romeo," Specs whispered, feeling tears of joy sting his eyes. He held him close.

Eventually, after he let Romeo release all of the happy and sad emotions he'd held in all day, Romeo sat down and Specs put the ring on his finger.

"Wow," Romeo whispered, looking down at the ring. "It's so pretty." He looked back at Specs. "How do you know me so well?"

Specs smiled. "I picked up a thing or two," he responded. "You tend to talk a lot." He chuckled.

Romeo smiled a bit. "I do, don't I?" He stared at it for another moment. "I'm totally dense too, aren't I?"

Specs chuckled. "Yep. 100%."

Romeo nodded, realizing that Specs had had this planned for a while. "When we were talking about JoJo and Mike's engagement, you weren't interested in JoJo's ring, you were interested in what kind of ring I'd like." He pursed his lips, looking over at Specs.

Specs felt his smile widen. "Yep."

Romeo smiled. He wrapped his arms around him and hugged him close again. "You're too good to me," he mumbled against his shoulder.

"We're good for each other," Specs responded softly, pulling Romeo into his lap and wrapping his arms around him.

Romeo smiled, content to just stay there forever.

After a few minutes, Specs broke the comfortable silence that had fallen between them. "Do you want to take pictures and send them to your siblings and the others?" he asked quietly, playing with Romeo's hair.

"I will later tonight," Romeo responded softly. He sat up in Specs's lap, "but I do think a fresh coat of nail polish will go great with the ring and your skin tone," he stated, grinning up at his fiancé.

Specs chuckled. "Then why don't we go paint our nails?" he suggested.

Romeo basically jumped up and grabbed Specs's hand. "Great! I have the perfect color for you! I've been wanting to try this color on you for weeks!" he exclaimed.

Specs chuckled and let Romeo pull him along. He sat down on the counter when Romeo told him to.

"Wait here, I'm just going to grab my supplies," Romeo told him.

Specs nodded and waited there for two minutes before Romeo returned. He smiled when he saw him setting his stuff up. "Man, I love you more than anything in this world," he said.

Romeo smiled, looking up at him and standing on his tippy-toes to kiss him. "I love you too."

2466 Words
I don't know how good this was considering I'm sick and my brain is dead, but I hope you all enjoyed. Happy (late) Valentine's Day! I hope you all had an amazing day yesterday (and I hope you all have another amazing day today)