Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I had an itchin' to write some het fluff, so here it is. And I don't own Newsies. (You'd think that they would at least be generous on Valentine's Day…)

Alana took one look at the steaming mug of hot chocolate and scowled. Spot stared at her for a second, then pushed the mug closer to her.

"Drink it."

Alana furrowed her brow and wrapped her fingers around the handle of the mug. She slowly brought the edge of the cup to her lips and tipped it to the tiniest degree toward her mouth. She quickly set it down and frowned.

"It's too hot," she complained.

"Blow on it."

Alana sucked on her front teeth for a second then stared at the mug. "Nnnkay." She leaned over the edge of the table and, softer than the softest zephyr not cool enough to send the smallest chill down one's spine, blew it. Alana sat back down and glared at the mug, which was still steaming.

Spot snatched the mug and took a big gulp out of it. He set the cup down and smirked. "You're such a girl. It's cold."

Alana shrugged absentmindedly and crossed her legs. She looked at the mug again and put both hands on it. She took a deep breath and brought the cup to her lips, drinking its contents. Alana put the cup back down on the table.

"There. I drank it."

"Good," Spot replied. "How's it taste?"

"It needs more sugar," she said, pushing a lock of dyed-brown hair out of her eye. Alana sighed. "I think I burnt my tongue," she complained. Alana stuck out her tongue and stared at it, going cross-eyed in the process.

Alana giggled to herself, uncrossed her eyes and looked up at Spot, who was simply smiling.

"How come you never laugh at my jokes?" she asked, hiding the hurt by putting a smirk on her face.

Spot shrugged. "I don't know. Do you want me to?"

Alana bit the insides of her mouth. "No," she said after a moment. "Not if you don't think they're funny."

"Okay."

An awkward silence ensued. Spot rapped his fingers across the plastic table and Alana finished off the mug of hot chocolate.

"Spot," she said after a second. Spot looked up at her. "I… I love you," she whispered.

Spot chuckled in reply. Alana wrapped her hands around the mug and looked into her lap. "Oh. I love-"

"No you don't," Alana cut in quietly, excusing herself from the table and walking into the kitchen.

"La, wait," Spot called. He jumped out of his chair and jogged twelve steps to the apartment's kitchen. He looked at Alana, who was staring out of the door that led to the community patio. Alana turned back to him, staring wordlessly.

Spot stepped closer to her. "Alana, I was gonna… The… The hot chocolate. I was gonna bring you in here and… And… It was supposed to be a surprise, La, so pretend like you never saw anything."

Alana walked towards Spot and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I love you so damn much," she murmured. Spot reached for the empty mug on the kitchen table and walked backwards into the living room, with Alana still holding onto him tightly. Spot put the cup on the plastic living room table and tapped Alana on the shoulder. Alana looked up at him.

"Can you help me with dishes, La? You know me… I'm not domestic." Alana grabbed the cup off of the table and walked into the kitchen with Spot. "Okay, now you pretend like you haven't seen this before."

Alana put the cup back on the table, like she did a minute before. She turned toward the kitchen table and looked at the bouquet of roses that lay there. She looked down at the floor at the trail of rose petals that led to the patio.

"My goodness, Spot," she said, astonished. She touched the bouquet and looked back at Spot, who was smiling.

"A trail of petals. By golly, I wonder what it leads to," Spot said, a smirk plastered on his face. Alana reached for his hand and Spot willingly gave it to her. "C'mon." Spot led her out the apartment and onto the deck, where a blanket was laid in the center.

Sitting in the middle of the blanket was a picnic basket and another bouquet of roses. Alana turned towards Spot. "I love you so much," she repeated.

Spot leaned on the wooden rail that held the porch seats in. A playful smile danced across his face. "I love you, too."