Title: Valetine's Day Special
Author: Stage
Rating: PG
Pairing: Specs/Dutchy
Status: Part 1/2, completed work.
Feedback: Um, sure?
Archive: Fanfiction.net and hopefully STN
Summary: Its the 13th of Feburary. Specs finds a rose in his bedsheets and Dutchy's acting...strange. Specs hates Valentine's Day, but can his "Secret admirer" prove him otherwise? *VALENTINE'S DAY SPECIAL!!*
Disclaimer: Own newsies?  Yeah!  Right!
Warnings: o.O I've been writing slash for about a year and I still have no feckin' clue what most of those terms mean...but there is slash. Obviously.
Notes: ::shrugs:: I don't really like V Day myself. Specs' complaints are mostly what I rant about and the "love doesn't exist" would be from one of my friends.

Chapter One: "Red Rose"


Specs headed back towards the Lodging House. It was late and it was cold. He grimaced, remembering the reason why he hated winter. Snow. Snow that turned to slush. Slush that turned to water, then froze overnight to ice. Ice that didn't help his tendency towards clumsiness one bit.

Today had been slow selling.  Specs hated standing out in this kind of weather, shouting the headlines while his fingers and toes froze.  Feet getting soaked from trekking through slushy streets.

Not too many people were out, anyway.  It was February 13th…nearing the 14th-the worst day of the year in Specs's opinion.  He didn't seen why there was an entire dedicated to a force that didn't even exist.  Specs's lips twisted up into a wiry smile…he knew very well that this was-of course-Mush's favorite day.  Chocolate and girls…what else could he have asked for?

Specs frowned.  There was another reason why he didn't like this day.  It was a slap in the face.  A harsh jerk back to reality of what he didn't and, likely, never would.  Specs found it as an excuse for those "in love" to flaunt what they had.  He thought briefly of taking refugee underneath the covers tomorrow…but, he had papes to sell.

Reaching the old building, Specs trudged inside.  He wiped his feet on the front mat, not in the mood to hear Kloppman go on about tracking snow all over the wooden floors.  Specs, not looking up from his grumpy hunch, tromped up the stairs. 

The other newsies cleared out of his path.  Specs was usually quiet and good-tempered naturally…but when he was mad, he was furious.  Only a select few chose to brave his temper when he adapted the sort of sullen mood.  Those four were the four that had known him from the moment he stepped through the Lodging House doorway.

"Looks like ol' Specsie's in one of dose moods again." Race murmured out the corner of his mouth as Specs entered the room.  He, Bumblits, Dutchy, Blink, Mush, Skittery, and Itey were all sitting in one circle player poker.  "Who's toirn is it dis time?"

"Dutchy's." Blink replied, not looking up from his cards.  He pulled two cards out of his hand and set them face down on the floor.  "Gimme two."

Race complied.

"I do it every time." Dutchy muttered, glaring at Blink over the tops of his cards.

"Youse good at it." Blink said absently.  Dutchy's face went pink.

"What's dat suppose ta mean, Kid?"

"Nuttin'." Blink shrugged.  He looked up at the blonde and smirked.  "Dutch, youse don't need ta take it so seriously."

"Bumlets, you go."

"Nah, I'd like ta live t'rough da night, t'ank you." Bumlets answered.  "Skit can go."

"Da name says it all, t'anks." Skittery shifted into a slightly more comfortable position.  "'Sides, Specs gets all unnatural when he's in dat mood."

"If youse don't mind," Specs said, coming out of the bathroom.  "I'd like ta toirn in."

"We don't mind." Itey answered.  "I fold."

"In othah woirds, get out!" Specs roared, pointing at the door.  The group jumped.  Race scooped up their stuff while the others scrambled up and exited quickly.  Specs turned and-muttering something-walked across the room to his bunk.

He pulled back the sheet-wondering when he had made the bed-and his eyebrows shot up his forehead.  On the sheet lay a single red rose. (AN: Whoaaa…cliché city!  Moving on…) Specs picked up the delicate flower and looked at it, puzzled.

"Hey, Specs…I's just going ta--Where'd dat come from?" Dutchy switched gears quickly, his original sentence completely forgotten and doing an about-face.  He crossed the room to where Specs was standing with the flower in his hands.  "New goil?"

"Naw, was jist heah when I pulled back da sheets." Specs replied, confused.  "I don't know who sent it or where it came from…"

"Looks like youse gots yerself a secret admirer, Specsie-boy.  Ya do know what day's comin' up, dontcha?" Specs looked at Dutchy, at a complete loss.  Dutchy sighed and rolled his eyes.  "St. Valentine's Day, ya idiot!"

"Oh."

"Ya'know…" Dutchy mused after a long pause.  "Whoevah it is, dey must be prettah crazy 'bout you."

"Why's dat?" Specs asked.  Dutchy smacked him.  "Ow!"

"Geez, Specs!  No wondahs you nevah had a serious goil!  You don't know nothin' 'bout romance!" Dutchy threw up his hands in aggravation.  "Red's a symbol of love, ya bum.  Very serious love, mind youse."

"Youse crazy, Dutchy…love don't exist." Specs replied, shoving the rose into Dutchy's hands.  "Get rid of dat t'ing, would ya?" He muttered, sitting down on his bunk.  There was a crinkle and he stood back up.  Specs unfolded the note he had sat on.  His lips parted as he read over the words.

"What's it say?"

"'Love does exist…you'll see'."

"A admirah wit ESP.  Ain't dat somethin' else?" Dutchy grinned.  Specs threw the note at him.  Dutchy snickered.  "Careful, Specs…wouldn't want yer valentine ta find out youse was usin' deir love notes for weapons, would ya?"

"Dat ain't funny, Dutchy." Specs replied, glaring.  Dutchy doubled over in laughter.  "Stop laughin'.  It ain't funny.  All right, dats it!"

Specs attacked Dutchy.  Dutchy squawked at the ambush and fought against Specs.  He soon succumbed to giggles as Specs started to tickle him. 

"Stop dat!" Dutchy gasped between giggles, trying to push Specs away.  "Dis ain't fair!"

"I t'ought you said you weren't ticklish anymores."

"So I lied.  And I t'ink you did too!" Dutchy counterattacked.  He soon won the fight.  Dutchy sat on top on Specs, a triumphant grin across his face.  "I win."

"Get off, ya crazy loon." Specs said, shoving Dutchy.  Dutchy pushed his wrists back to the floor.

"Uh, uh.  Say 'uncle' foirst."

"Uncle what?"

"I don't know."

"Just get off me."

"Not 'till you say it."

"Dutchy!"

"I ain't movin'."

"Yer a pain.  I just want ta go ta bed."

"I's have a pokah game ta finish up, myself but I ain't complaining."

"That's 'cause you t'ink dis is a riot."

"Whadd'ya know? I do!  You must have ESP, too." Dutchy paused.  "Hey!  Maybe youse know dat admirah!  Dey'd have ta, ta written what dey did in dat note."

"Youse got a point dere."

"So…youse could start narrowin' down da choices."

"I suppose…"

The came a long silence as both started to think.  Specs's mind started to wander off for a few minutes…he was jerked back, however, when Dutchy shifted his position.  He suppressed a blush.

"Dutchy?"

"Yeah?"

"Whys we discussin' dis like dis?"

"I don't recall you havin' said 'uncle' yet."

"Shaddup and get off me."

"Say 'uncle'."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No!"

Dutchy bent his head so that he could glare down at Specs. "Yes."

Color flamed in Specs's cheeks.  Dutchy smiled inwardly at the obvious embarrassment of the curly-haired newsie.  Specs shifted nervously and his eyes darted around behind his round lenses…looking for an escape.

"'S mattah, Specs?" Dutchy asked, playing innocent.  Yeah, right.  "Ya embarrassed or somethin'?"

"Uh…"

"Penny for your t'oughts."

"Uncle.  Now get off me."

"Naw, I want ta know what youse is t'inkin' foirst."

"Dutchy…" Specs began in a pained voice.  He could feel his face growing even more and more scarlet with every passing moment.  Specs wished he could just sink into the wooden flooring and never come out again.

"Foine.  I'll guess." Dutchy smirked.  He bit his lip and pretended to look deep in thought…though he knew exactly what Specs was thinking.

Dis is goin' bettah dan I t'ought it would.

I wish he'd just get off me…

"Hmm…let's see.  Could it be…dis?" Dutchy slowly started to bend down and…

Bam, bam!

"Dutch, ya comin' back anytime soon?" Itey yelled through the closed door.  Dutchy thought about it for a moment.

"Yeah.  Be d'ere in a bit." He answered.  Dutchy sighed and got up.  He walked to the door, pulled it open, and paused for a moment.  Dutchy looked back at Specs--who had sat up--with a smirk.

"See ya 'round, Specs." He winked and then was gone.  Leaving a very confused Specs to sit, dumbfounded, on the wood paneling of the bunkroom floor.

***
continue to second part Something There