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As Reed got dressed for the Championship parade, he felt himself buzzing with excitement. The excitement wasn’t just for the parade, but also about the fact that he got to spend the day with Cooper. Not just any day, but Valentine’s Day. And Reed was determined to make it extra special.
Ever since their win at the Super Bowl the past weekend, Cooper and Reed had been on Cloud 9 with each other. The second the confetti popped, the two best friends found each other on the field and pretty much tackled each other on the field. They had really done it. They won the Super Bowl. And they did it together. They accomplished something so amazing together.
The rest of the night, they were pretty much inseparable. They partied with the rest of the team until the early hours, dancing right by each other’s side. As the morning slowly began to creep up, they made their way back to the hotel where Reed had a surprise waiting for Cooper.
Cooper sat down on the couch in Reed’s hotel room, bouncing a little with anticipation. He asked excitedly, “So what’s the surprise?”
“Close your eyes,” Reed told him, “I just need one minute.”
The cornerback did as he was told, but his leg was bouncing impatiently. Reed chuckled a little at that as he pulled a small birthday cake out of the hotel fridge. With all the excitement of the game, Reed wanted to make sure that Cooper still got something special for his birthday. The safety made sure to quickly put the candles in the cake and light them. He didn’t want to make Cooper wait too long.
Once Reed was standing in front of the birthday boy, he told him, “Aright, you can open your eyes now.”
Cooper opened his eyes and his face started beaming when he saw the cake and Reed began singing softly, “Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Cooper, Happy Birthday to you.”
Still holding the cake, Reed sat down next to Cooper on the couch, who still looked completely amazed. The cornerback asked, “You did all this for me?”
“I did,” Reed answered before joking, “Now make a wish before the cake catches on fire.”
Cooper chuckled a little before closing his eyes and blowing out the candles. Reed put the cake on the coffee table as Cooper said, “Thank you, Reed. This is really nice.”
“Of course, we have a lot to celebrate,” the safety said, “So what did you wish for.”
“I can’t tell you that. Then it won’t come true,” Cooper told him with a teasing smirk.
“That’s a good point,” Reed responded, “But could you at least give me a hint?”
Something shifted between the two of them when Reed asked that. Cooper looked at Reed very intently, and lovingly, searching his face for some type of answer. Reed’s heart picked up speed and his stomach fluttered with the way Cooper was looking at him. Reed had caught feelings for Cooper a while ago, but didn’t make any moves. He didn’t want to run the risk of running their friendship if Cooper didn’t feel the same way. But with the way Cooper was looking at him now, it seemed like his feelings were more reciprocated than he thought.
After a moment, Cooper closed the gap between them by gently kissing Reed. And Reed happily reciprocated.
Ever since that night, the two defensive players had been attached at the hip, and Reed had never been happier. Neither had officially asked the other to be their boyfriend yet, but that was more than okay. They both knew that was just around the corner. And Reed had the perfect plan on how to do so.
Luckily for them, the parade had landed on Valentine’s Day, and Cooper had invited Reed over to his place beforehand so they could spend some time together and go to the parade together. It was the perfect opportunity to ask Cooper to make it official.
Once he was dressed for the parade, Reed picked up the bouquet of red roses he had gotten for Cooper. Inside the bouquet, there was an envelope with the card Reed wrote : Cooper, will you make this the best Valentine’s Day ever and be my boyfriend ?
Reed had never been this much of a sap in previous relationships. Cooper just brought out the secret romantic in him.
It was a quick, five minute walk from Reed’s apartment to Cooper’s, and the safety was practically bouncing down the street with joy. Today was going to be a great day. He could feel it.
Once he arrived, Reed knocked on the apartment door. He heard Cooper’s voice on the other side yell, “It’s unlocked! You can come in!”
The safety took a deep breath, hyping himself up, before opening the door, ready to sweep Cooper off his feet.
But when he actually opened the door, he stopped in his tracks. The sight in front of him literally took his breath away. There were rose petals scattered on the floor, leading to where Cooper was standing in the middle of his living room, with a bright smile on his face, holding a sign that had giant, handwritten letters, spelling out: Reed, will you be my Valentine?
When he saw that, Reed genuinely thought he could cry. Happy tears, of course. No one had ever done anything so sweet for him before. And the fact that Cooper was the one to do it for him made it even better. Reed signed happily, “Cooper…”
“Wait! Before you answer!” Cooper exclaimed, cutting Reed off.
The cornerback then flipped the sign so the safety could read what was one the other side: And also be my boyfriend?
“I ran out of room on the front,” Cooper explained slightly sheepishly.
Reed finally snapped out of his frozen shock, running over to Cooper and scooping him up in a passionate kiss. Cooper dropped the sign to the side as he returned the kiss. He thought that his heart could honestly burst from happiness at this moment. It was a dream come true. He felt like the entire season had led up to this moment.
When they finally broke apart to catch their breaths, they were both sporting megawatt smiles. Cooper then asked, “So is that a yes?”
“Of course it’s a yes, goober,” Reed answered, “I’d love to be your boyfriend. And your Valentine.”
The cornerback literally leaped into Reed’s arms when he heard the safety’s answer, wrapping his legs around Reed’s waist. Luckily, Reed was able to catch him with ease, squeezing him in a loving hug. Cooper began peppering Reed’s face with kisses, making the older man giggle.
Cooper pulled away just enough to say, “I love you so much, Reed”.
When Cooper said this, Reed’s heart melted. They had said that to each other before, but this was the first time it had meant something deeper. He pressed a sweet kiss to Cooper’s lips before responding, “I love you too, Cooper."
He gently put the younger man back on his feet, realizing that he was still holding the bouquet of roses. He held them up and said, “And these are for you”.
“Aww, Reed,” Cooper said, gratefully accepting the flowers.
He grabbed the note out of the middle and opened the envelope. As Cooper read the note, Reed scratched the back of his neck as a blush spread across his cheeks, “You kind of already beat me to the punch with that one.”
But Cooper’s eyes still sparkled as he read the note and he gave Reed a happy kiss before answering, “Of course I’ll be your boyfriend.”
Cooper wrapped his arms around Reed’s neck as he hugged Reed tight. Reed pressed a kiss to his boyfriend’s forehead before hugging him back. He would’ve stayed in that moment forever if he could. Everything was perfect.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, boyfriend,” Cooper whispered.
Reed smiled as he responded, “Happy Valentine’s Day, boyfriend.”