Work Text:
***
A flower quivering in a world that's past
It was exposed by the cold wind
My love hasn't moved since that day
I want to see you, so on the nights when I can't
The more I think of you
***
“Seth, if you fiddle with that dial one more time I swear I am gonna stab you with a knitting needle.”
Seth’s hand froze halfway towards the dashboard before pulling back at the admonishment, a sheepish smile on his face to counteract Dean’s glare.
“It is hotter than satan’s anus in here,” Dean said reproachfully, unzipping the top of his fleece and cracking the window open a sliver. He breathed a little easier when a whoosh of cold air brought the temperature down to something a bit more comfortable.
“Roman is from Hawaii. I don’t think he is used to this kind of weather. I just don’t want him to catch a cold the minute he gets here,” Seth said tetchily, pointing at the thick snowflakes decorating the windscreen. After a surprisingly mild winter, Iowa had decided to lull all of them into a false sense of security before dumping inches of snow nonstop for two days.
Dean had something a bit more cutting perched on the tip of his tongue but he could see that his best friend was already anxious enough as it was and his Samaon paramore wasn’t even here yet.
“More chance of him catching heatstroke at this point,” Dean grumbled, but it was soft as jabs go. He kept on grumbling as he combed through the mess of wool on his lap, only stopping to stick his tongue out as he picked up the thin silver needles.
Seth gave an exhale of relief as he discreetly adjusted the knob again but only by a fraction. Dean had picked up knitting as a way to cut back on his smoking, especially during the winter when the cold air hurt his lungs. It also had the unexpected, but welcomed, side effect of helping to channel his latent nervous energy.
“Knit one, purl two,” Dean muttered under his breath. Seth had to bite back his grin, the grit in Dean’s voice made him sound like a cigar smoking grandmother.
Dean would have the last laugh though. While he was surprisingly deft with his hands, he had no real grasp of fashion and simply picked whatever colours he liked, which inevitably clashed.
Like now, he was working on something in lime green and hot pink, something that Seth had a sneaking suspicion he would be wearing in a couple of weeks.
But he would worry about that later, his anticipation bubbling over when he spotted a familiar frame lumber out of the arrival hall’s sliding doors. It had been months since he had seen him in person, but there was no mistaking those broad shoulders and wavy dark hair, even if he did resemble the Michelin Man at this point.
“Roman, over here!” Seth hopped out of the car and waved like a madman to get the other man’s attention. Dean wanted to roll his eyes but somehow also found Seth’s enthusiasm cute as he put away his knitting and got out to open the boot.
“Seth!” Roman responded with a wave of his own, his voice muffled by the beige wool scarf he had wrapped around his head, which meant that only his eyes were visible. But the sunny smile evident in those dark brown irises made Seth feel like he was back in Hawaii again, like if he focused hard enough he could hear the ocean again.
Seth wordlessly gave Roman a hug, squeezing a little harder than was probably necessary because a part of him still couldn’t believe this was real. How it had been seven months since they had met while Seth had been on holiday. Seven long months of subsisting on FaceTime and video calls.
So it still seemed a little surreal to Seth that Roman was actually here, solid beneath his hands and allowing him to bury his face into the puffiness of his jacket.
“It’s good to see you again baby,” Roman said, that rumble in his voice so close to Seth’s ears that it made his skin tingle. “Missed you gorgeous.”
“Yeah me too big man, so fucking much,” Seth said, pushing his face even deeper into the fabric so that he barely felt the blistering cold anymore.
Their moment though was interrupted by a gravelly cough and a creak of a boot opening. Seth flushed a little when he realised that other people were watching their reunion, not just Dean.
“These your bags?” Dean asked, a guarded smirk on his face that Seth didn’t recognise.
“Yeah,” Roman responded, sounding a tad embarrassed but he didn’t loosen the arm he kept around Seth’s waist. And Seth’s flush deepened when it dawned on him how pleased he was that Roman didn’t.
“Roman, this is my best friend and business partner Dean Ambrose. Deano, this is Roman Reigns.”
“Whas’ up?” Dean said archly, giving Roman’s extended hand a firm shake. “Nice to put a face to a voice, although I don’t know if you remember speaking to me that one time.”
“I do, but Seth talks about you all the time,” Roman said warmly, and he felt the iciness in Dean’s appraising gaze thaw a little. Years of dealing with customers had given Roman Teflon skin, but even he squirmed a bit at the intensity in those blue eyes that seemed to clock and judge every movement he made.
Thankfully it wasn’t a very long drive back to Seth and Dean’s place slash office, Roman giving a whistle as they pulled up to a sprawling two-story brick house. It sat adjacent to a golf course that was completely blanketed in snow.
“You guys actually own this place?” Roman asked, shaking the snow from his hair and instinctively gravitating closer to the roaring fire they currently had going.
“Yeah, bought it at the bottom of the market, cheaper than renting both office space and an apartment. Some of the game execs that come to visit certainly like the golf course,” Seth said wryly, which Dean punctuated with a derisive snort.
“Oh before anything, this is for you Mr Ambrose, as thanks for letting me invade your place for a bit,” Roman said politely, handing over the paper bag that he had been carrying.
“Dean is fine,” the blonde said shortly, but his eyes widened when he saw what was in the bag. Roman had brought him not one, but three large boxes of the chocolate covered macadamia nuts that he had an unhealthy fondness for.
However, Dean seemed to catch himself before placing the bag to the side. “We are supposed to go for dinner in an hour with Cesaro and his girl, we shouldn’t be late,” Dean said gruffly, giving Roman a nod that served as thanks for the present, but the Samoan had a feeling that he was still not completely in the clear yet.
“Yeah okay, will set Roman up in my room first or do you want the full tour?” Seth asked, hoping that his voice sounded casual.
Roman skin warmed when he met Seth’s gaze and saw the slight desperation lurking in the corners of his wide brown eyes. It made his chest tighten in the most delicious of ways.
“I would like to freshen up first,” Roman said smoothly, although he swore he could feel those blue eyes once again boring into the back of his head.
“Like I said Seth, don’t be late,” Dean said pointedly, showing absolutely no shame as he tore into a box of the chocolates and sat down on the couch to search for the remote.
Seth almost felt like he was floating as he led Roman up the stairs to his room, his feet barely touching the floor as he helped to carry the smaller of the older man’s two bags. He was almost in a daze as he pointed Roman in the direction of his closet so he could store his suitcases.
The younger man’s throat became dry as Roman stood with his back to him, discarding his extra layers like he was unwrapping a present just for Seth, until he was just in his jeans and a chunky black cable knit sweater.
His heart beating fast, Seth closed the gap between them so that he could hug Roman from behind, pressing his cheek against his back and rubbing his rapidly hardening cock against the other man’s ass.
Even through the cold, Seth swore that Roman still smelt like pure sunshine and the sea to him.
“Too long,” Seth whined, practically humping Roman like a dog in heat at this point. “Feel like I am about to go crazy.”
“Me too baby,” Roman said, his voice husky with lust as he spun around and engulfed Seth in a hug so that the younger man was as physically close as he could possibly be.
“Damn, you smell amazing Seth, I had forgotten,” Roman muttered, pressing kisses to Seth’s cheekbones, his hair, until he finally got to his lips. Seth moaned as Roman’s tongue licked the roof of his mouth, his hands wandering aimlessly over their clothes, plucking helplessly at buttons and zips, unsure what to do first.
Luckily Roman was a bit more decisive, undoing Seth’s fly before hastily unzipping his own. He managed to yank down Seth’s waistband with one hand, freeing his cock to rub against Roman’s own bulge.
Seth could practically taste the frenzy in Roman’s kisses, digging his fingers into the other man’s shoulders to hold himself upright as Roman got his own cock out, letting it fall with a heavy slap against Seth’s lower belly.
Seth whimpered and tried to chase the kiss when Roman pulled back, only to have his eyes widen when the older man put his hand over his mouth.
“Lick it for me baby.” Roman gave this order in a hushed tone, smiling when Seth eagerly nodded his head. He slicked Roman’s entire palm with his saliva, while lower down he was frantically trying to get more friction against the older man’s dick.
“That’s it, good boy.”
Seth’s eyes fluttered closed as he felt Roman take both their cocks in his massive hand. But he forced himself to look, groaning deep in his chest at the obvious contrast.
Despite seeing it on screen almost every other night, Seth had almost forgotten what a monster Roman’s cock was in the flesh, the size even more noticeable next to his own slim dick.
“Move sweetheart,” Roman encouraged, but there was no mistaking the urgency in his voice, knowing that they were on a clock. Seth swallowed hard and bucked his hips, his cock getting even harder as he watched it disappear into the curl of the other man’s fist, the head glistening whenever it emerged.
The both of them barely spoke after that, choosing instead to exchange groans and gasps as Roman roughly jerked the both of them off with expert strokes, wordlessly encouraging Seth to fuck into his grip faster and faster with only pre-cum and spit adding some slick.
Seth came with a broken moan barely a few minutes later, his dick twitching in Roman’s hand, kissing him even harder when he felt the other man’s seed adding to the warm and slippery mess.
“Fuck,” Roman said, in between ragged breaths. “I needed that.”
Seth chuckled at Roman’s blunt admission even though his knees were shaking.
“Me too big man,” Seth said, nuzzling Roman’s bearded jaw and breathing deep. It came to him at that moment that it wasn’t even the orgasm that had Seth so content.
Seth had never imagined that what had started as a holiday fling, a bit of fun to take his mind off work and his nonexistent love life, would turn out to be one of the best relationships he’d ever been in, even if it was long-distance.
Still the cynic in him, the one that had been trained to always wait for the other shoe to drop, had wondered whether his attraction to Roman would still be as potent when not bathed in sunsets and daubed with sand. Whether he would still want him as much when he was standing in the middle of Seth’s bedroom, surrounded by the instruments of his day-to-day life and eclectic posters.
But now, with Roman in his arms and his weight resting against his broad frame, all of that white noise seemed to vanish, drowned out by the one singular thought that he was just glad that he was here.
“Seth, do you think we should…”
“Oh yeah, we should go before Dean starts banging on the door,” Seth said, reluctantly pulling back. He was at least feeling more clear-headed now that Roman had helped to take the edge off.
There would be no time to shower, but a generous handful of wet wipes seemed to do the trick, with the both of them at least changing their tops. Seth had to hide his smile behind his hand as Roman changed into yet another thick sweater, forest green this time, and grabbed his scarf with determination like he was going on an expedition to the North Pole.
“Hey Seth, about Dean…” Seth raised a quizzical eyebrow when Roman started to say something, only to hesitantly trail off. “Do you think that maybe he doesn’t like me? I mean don’t get me wrong, he seems really cool,” Roman added quickly, not wanting to step on any toes barely hours into his trip.
Seth gave a quick exhale and carelessly waved away Roman’s objections. “Nah, that is just Dean being Dean. He is always looking out for me, taking care of me and he isn’t shy about showing it, that's all.”
“I see,” Roman said thoughtfully, but Seth could see he wasn’t entirely convinced.
“Don’t worry about it Ro. Give it a couple of days, he will be offering to make you one of his infamous Doritos and Cool Whip sandwiches before long.” Seth laughed when he saw Roman grimace and visibly go pale.
“Come on, let’s go to dinner. You will really like Cesaro, but be warned he tells the worst dad jokes,” Seth said with a visible shudder.
“I am looking forward to it,” Roman said. “And, dinner tonight is on me okay? No objections, it’s for letting me stay here,” he added firmly, causing Seth’s protest to die on his lips.
“Are you trying to impress my friends Mr Reigns?” Seth said playfully, echoing the first conversation they’d had in his hotel room over half a year ago.
“Yes,” Roman said simply, and again Seth felt himself flush with pleasure. His smile got even wider when Roman extended a forearm towards him like some kind of old time gentlemen, a gesture that should have been cheesy but that Seth somehow found charming.
Or maybe Seth was just smitten.
“Shall we?”
***
While there were bad dad jokes like Seth had warned, somehow they became more palatable thanks to the bottles of wine that kept magically appearing on their table.
Despite his earlier reservations, Roman seemed to slot himself into Seth’s friends group pretty easily. While Cesaro’s naturally jovial nature helped, Dean also visibly relaxed as the dinner went on, which made Seth breathe a lot easier.
By the end, Seth felt almost giddy as he and Roman stumbled through his bedroom door sometime close to midnight. But it had nothing to do with the wine and all to do with the way that Roman was touching him, with clear intent, making anticipation bubble up in his chest.
“Can’t wait,” Seth mumbled, practically tearing off Roman’s clothes, cursing intermittently because he was wrapped up in so many damn layers.
“Don’t want to,” Roman responded, undoing Seth’s jeans with expert fingers and sending it, together with his underwear, down to the floor. He lightly dragged his nails along Seth’s torso as he made him lift his arms so that he could take off his fitted shirt.
“Fuck your hands are amazing,” Seth almost slurred. He lay his palms flat against the smooth curve of Roman’s back before moving lower under his jeans to cup his magnificent ass, feeling the flesh barely yield as he squeezed.
“Well, I will be happy to remind you. I brought a bottle of my special massage oil that you liked so much the last time,” Roman said, a lusty grin spreading across his face at the memory as he managed to get Seth naked just before they both fell on his bed. One kick to his jeans and Roman was naked as well, moaning deep into the other man’s mouth when Seth willingly spread his legs to welcome him.
“Maybe later, no teasing Ro, don’t think I can take it,” Seth said, accompanying his order with a nip of the teeth to Roman’s collarbone. But his body was more needy, more honest, his hips lifting up so that their cocks were rubbing together.
Roman had a better grip on his control than Seth, but even he was getting dangerously close to his limit, the earlier handjob just whetting his appetite.
It wasn’t just Seth being enticing and writhing beneath him, letting out desperate little mewls each time Roman touched his cock. It was the fact that all of Roman’s senses were being overwhelmed by just being in Seth’s room. The clean smell of his hair that permeated his navy sheets, the spicy scent tucked into his clavicles that came from his cedarwood cupboards.
It was too much and yet at the same time not enough.
Roman nuzzled his way down Seth’s furry chest, latching on to one tight brown nipple, while he pinched the other into a hard peak. He traced the sculpted grooves of his stomach with broad strokes of his tongue tasting the salty-sweetness of Seth’s skin.
But it wasn’t what Seth wanted and he pulled Roman up for a kiss, while simultaneously reaching for his cock, giving it a twist near the tip which made the older man shudder.
“What did I say about teasing Mr Reigns?” Seth snapped, but there was no bite to it given that he was also grinding his dick against Roman’s stomach.
Roman simply laughed, letting Seth roll away so that he could reach for the bottle of lube that was already on the nightstand. He kept kissing Seth’s chest as he felt him fumble, but raised his head when he felt the younger man go still.
“Do you…erm, need this?” Seth asked almost meekly, keeping his eyes downcast as he motioned to the strip of condoms that was next to the KY. They had both gone for tests during their time apart but Seth didn’t want to presume anything.
“You kidding?” Seth squeezed his eyes shut only to have Roman gently tip his chin up and brushing their lips together. When he opened them, Roman’s soft teasing expression made his toes curl.
“I am good baby, I’ve been waiting to feel you, all of you. I want to fill you up, fill you up so full that you can’t keep it in,” Roman said smokily. He emphasised his words with a rather obscene lick of the lips and Seth had to bite back a whimper that he tried to hide by hastily clearing his throat.
“You talk to customers with that mouth?” Seth responded, ignoring how shaky his voice sounded, or how urgent his hand was on Roman’s cock.
“Good point, no more talking.”
Seth’s back arched as Roman fingered him open, just simply pouring most of the lube straight down the crack of the younger man’s ass, not even bothering to slick up his fingers. Seth forced himself to relax as one finger became two, not even clamping down when Roman was three fingers deep.
“So soft for me baby, have you been using that dildo you keep showing me on cam?” Roman asked, his tone gentle but wicked as he added even more lube, his dick throbbing because Seth felt like plush silk against his fingertips.
“Every day Roman, can’t wait, fuck me,” Seth pleaded, wrapping his legs around Roman’s waist, locking his ankles so that the other man’s cock was dragging along his crease. Roman groaned when he felt the glans catch on Seth’s needy hole.
“Gonna get my cock in you baby, it’s been too long.” Roman drew a shaky breath as he hastily poured more lube over his aching prick, resting the head against Seth’s rim and pushing in slowly.
They both shared a gasp as Seth easily opened up around the widest part of Roman’s dick, the younger man closing his eyes at that usual twinge of pain that quickly disappeared and was replaced by a feeling of fullness.
“That’s it, that is so…oh!” Seth writhed when Roman gave a shallow thrust, opening him up even more. Soon he was panting into Roman’s shoulder as the other man became bolder with his thrusts, bending Seth almost double as he jackhammered down.
At first Seth tried to muffle his moans, but he soon gave up, letting his sounds of pleasure bounce off the wall when Roman managed to hit his prostate. He wrapped his arms around Roman’s shoulders to try and get him even deeper, sneaking one hand down to touch his own cock.
“So tight Seth, God your ass is so tight, it’s amazing baby, tighten up around my dick, fuck!” Roman wasn’t tamping down his volume either, digging his fists into the bedding so he could pound Seth even harder.
It was Roman’s touch that felt both familiar and new was what finally drove Seth over the edge, that potent scent memory of ozone and argan oil. His body jerked once, twice, and he was coming over his own fist even as Roman continued to fuck his brains out.
Seth clamping down was all the stimulus that Roman needed for his own orgasm. He felt his world spiral down and all his muscles tense before that coil inside his belly snapped and he was filling Seth with his spunk.
“I feel you baby, I can feel you coming inside me, it feels so good,” Seth cried out, feeling every twitch of Roman’s cock and his seed warming him from the inside. It made his strokes even smoother and Roman gave one last deep thrust before he went still, breathing heavily into his lover’s ear.
In his daze, Seth found himself becoming fixated on the sweat beading Roman’s brow, tracing the path of one down his temple with his lips. It was when he was running his hands down the strong slope of Roman’s back, absently tracing his tattoo, that it came to Seth how much he liked seeing the other man tangled in his sheets.
“You steamed up my windows Ro,” Seth murmured, affectionately rubbing their noses together and giving Roman’s top lip a light lick.
“Well it is certainly a perfect way to start my holiday Mr Rollins,” Roman said, his grin so pure that Seth could taste it. They could deal with clean up in a minute, but for now Seth just wanted to feel the steady thump of Roman’s heartbeat against his own chest and the curve of his smile pressed into his shoulder.
***
“Jesus, the two of you were really loud last night.”
Seth blinked as Dean plopped himself down in between where he and Roman had been snuggling on the couch. He gave his friend a glare that slid off him like water off a duck’s back, judging from the blank stare as Dean gave him as he munched on a bag of potato chips.
“I swear, I could hear you both from right down the…”
“Dean! Can we not talk about this now,” Seth said almost in sotto voce as Roman shot him a rueful smile and a slight shrug of the shoulders. He inched back to give Dean space, but he never let go of Seth’s hand.
“So what are you both doing today then?” Dean asked, abruptly changing the subject as he was prone to doing, noisily screwing up the top of the half-finished bag.
“Gonna show Roman downtown and then maybe stop by at Marek’s coffee place,” Seth said, trying to not shiver as Roman kept running his thumb over the underside of his wrist.
“Sounds good, haven’t seen him since we held our launch party there, will be good to catch up,” Dean said, inviting himself to their outing as casually as he was brushing crumbs from his jeans. When Seth narrowed his eyes at him, Dean simply fluttered his lashes back.
It wasn’t Seth that had a problem with Dean coming along, it just seemed out of character. Yes, while they did spend a lot of time together, Dean did like to keep to himself on occasion, only too happy to let Seth and Cesaro do the schmoozing while he spent nights honing scripts and concepts in his room.
“You okay with this?” Seth asked Roman quietly when Dean left to get his coat.
“Of course, the more the merrier,” Roman said, and it eased Seth’s heart when he saw that the other man was being completely sincere.
In fact, Roman’s patience seemed almost bottomless given that in the week that followed, Dean seemed to be everywhere, pretty much underfoot. It felt to Seth like he was taking two people sightseeing instead of just one.
But Seth couldn’t find it in him to be mad. How could he be when spending time with two of his current favourite people? Even if Dean kept slipping a “noise complaint” jab in every once so often.
To be frank, the bigger issue for Seth was that stubborn part of him that always anticipated disaster, rearing its head more than he would have liked. It was inevitable, whenever he looked forward to something it would simultaneously be accompanied by the fear that something would fuck it up.
Sometimes Seth hated it when he was right.
Which is why five days into his trip, Roman found Seth pacing in the kitchen with the phone pressed to his year, gesturing agitatedly.
“Deadline is in two months Hunter, this isn’t some copy and paste job that can be done in two weeks. Focus groups shouldn’t be run so late and…”
Roman hung back as Seth almost wore a hole into the floor, aggressively writing notes into the iPad he was holding with his free hand. He had never really seen Seth in full work mode before and was amazed at the difference it made. He looked much older, with a near ruthless glint in his eyes that Roman didn’t recognise, lips pressed together in a thin line.
“I need to crunch the numbers and get back to you,” Seth said, curtly hanging up the phone. Roman swore Seth might have thrown it if he hadn’t looked up at that moment and saw Roman standing there.
“Sorry, work,” Seth muttered, dropping the phone onto the kitchen island.
“I got that, what happened?” Roman asked, making sure to keep his voice even, this version of Seth entirely new to him.
“The guy managing our biggest client thought it would be a-okay to ask for a character redesign at this stage. When everything is pretty much in the box. He said that the focus groups had some suggestions. Test groups that he should have run months ago, but his stupid boss loves changing his mind last minute and…”
It was a dam bursting, all of Seth’s stress coming out in a never ending stream of complaints that he had been clearly holding back for a while. The rant seemed impossible to stop leaving Seth almost breathless as his sentences ran into each other.
“Seth, honey, take a breath okay?” Roman said, worriedly putting his hand on Seth’s chest, trying to calm him down through touch.
“Don’t ask me to calm down Roman I hate that,” Seth snapped, which made Roman take a step back like the other man had physically pushed him. “You have no idea the kind of stress I am under, you haven’t a clue what it is like to run a business like mine.”
Seth regretted his words the minute they came out of his mouth, of taking his frustration out on Roman who in no way deserved it. But that was him, when pushed into a corner he always resorted to being cutting rather than being diplomatic.
“That’s it, he isn’t going to want to stay.” Seth couldn’t stop that traitorous thought from crossing his mind, irrational as it was. This again was his anxiety at play, always expecting the worst, holding on to it tight in the ball of his fist.
But to his surprise, mixed in with a little bit of relief, Roman didn’t seem to flinch at his outburst. If anything, he seemed to plant his feet even firmer onto the ground, his earlier expression of confusing smoothing out into something that looked closer to acceptance and understanding.
“You are right Seth, I don’t know about your business, the pressure you face, but I do know about running a business. Been doing it since I was 21,” Roman said, his tone calm but not condescending. “Maybe I can help in some other way. Who knows, maybe an outside perspective might help. But I do know that you are more than capable of handling this.”
In just a few words, Roman managed to loosen the knot of tension that had been binding Seth’s stomach, which made the younger man fall into his open arms.
“Sorry,” Seth said, his words muffled in Roman’s shirt. “Didn’t mean to take it out on you and spoil your holiday.”
“You spoiled nothing Seth,” Roman said reassured affectionately, lovingly stroking the back of his head. “We will talk more about this later when you’ve settled this, but don’t worry about it.”
Seth closed his eyes and hugged Roman tighter. “Okay.”
“What happened?”
Both men jumped when Dean emerged from a dark corner of the kitchen, arms crossed over his chest. Roman wasn’t sure how long he had been listening in given that his face was an impassive mask, but judging from the shadow in his eyes, it must have been a while.
“Hunter asked for a complete redesign of the female character. Said that the groups wanted something a little sexier, a little more fantasy, which is like what the hell?” Seth said, his earlier irritation back but a little more controlled this time.
“What the fuck? Hunter is usually better than this, it sounds like it comes from Vince, the dirty old bastard,” Dean said, almost spitting the words out. “Next thing you know they will ask us to add in jiggle physics.”
“Yeah, never mind we are months from when we are supposed to be going gold and that our budget is maxed out as it is. It is just a fucking bad idea,” Seth said, running a hand through his hair.
“Is Hunter the only one who decides this? Or are there other people who can have the final say?” Roman asked, taking a seat on the barstool.
“There is his wife Stephanie, but she is a lot like her dad, that’s the Vince that Dean mentioned,” Seth said, waving his hand in Dean’s direction. But he paused and his expression turned contemplative as something came to him. “Saying that, she has been on a big getting girls into gaming kick recently, so maybe she has it in her to fight back.”
“You know, I found that when customers are unreasonable, it is all mostly bluster. It goes away when faced with facts and it makes them more open to some half-measures,” Roman said.
Dean snapped his fingers. “I think your Samoan boyfriend may be on to something. Seth, you are the best talker I know, set up a meeting with both Hunter and Stephanie, and convince them that this is a stupid ass, backwards idea. But you know…in a nicer way,” he added almost begrudgingly, which made Seth smile. “I am sure Cesaro has some stats that can show them how this kind of thing turns newer gamers off.”
“Yeah okay,” Seth said, the wheels in his head turning as he made more notes. “But maybe to pacify them I can ask Bianca to design an optional set of costumes as a DLC after the game is released. It’s win-win, if they are right they get extra revenue, but if we are, we can bring it up the next time they decide to pull out marketing ideas from the 1980s.”
“That’s the spirit!” Dean exclaimed, slapping Seth soundly on the shoulder. “So set up the meeting and maybe give baldy a call to ask if he can eke out something budget wise so that Bianca can get to work,”
“Right, I can get this all sorted. Sorry Ro, I know we were supposed to go to dinner, but..”
Roman waved off Seth’s apologies. “You settle this first, no point having you anxious all evening. You can make it up to me later.”
Dean snorted, which he tried to hide unsuccessfully mind you, which made Seth shoot him a sharp look. But he felt a pang of something cold when Dean’s expression turned thoughtful.
“Why don’t we leave you to do that, and Roman and I can go shoot some pool,” Dean said, turning to face Roman, which he answered with a slow nod. “And we can pick up some burgers after.”
“With extra cheese?” Seth said, a hopeful smile on his face. Dean rolled his eyes, but Roman could see that Seth would get what he asked for. Clearly he wasn’t the only one who was defenceless against those damn Bambi eyes.
Although Dean was silent all the way to the sports bar, Roman was glad that it was at least a comfortable silence. He himself was a man of few words and recognised that Dean was as well, verbose when he needed to be but preferring to let his actions speak for him.
The bar was decently full, but Dean still managed to easily find an empty pool table at the back. The two beers that appeared on the tall table next to them as if by magic told Roman that he was probably a regular.
“Do you mind if I rack?” Dean asked, gathering the balls from the pockets. Roman nodded that it was okay as he reached for the pool cues, picking through the rack until he found one that felt comfortable in his hands.
He let Dean break first and ended up having to play spots. Roman hadn’t played in a while and was glad to find that he wasn’t that rusty, managing to keep up with Dean each time his turn came out.
But Roman knew that the game wasn’t the point of this outing, his senses on high alert as he waited for Dean to say something, which he did halfway through the game.
“Thanks for helping Seth out earlier,” Dean said almost absently, acting as if he were more interested in getting the striped ten ball into the pocket. “He isn’t the easiest to deal with when it comes to last minute changes. He likes to plan that one.”
“Small matter,” Roman said with obvious sincerity. “I mean, I know you just want the best for him.”
Dean snorted, but from the way he missed his shot, Roman could tell that he had hit some kind of mark. That suddenly it wasn’t just the scenario in the kitchen earlier that they were talking about.
It had dawned on Roman a few days back. It wasn’t that Dean didn’t like him, or that he was worried that Roman might take away his best friend. It was something else much deeper.
“What I don’t want is having to deal with my buddy’s broken heart six months down the line because you didn’t want to put the work in,” Dean said, his voice hard, an unflinching look in his eyes.
“Long-distance romances rarely every work out, and the fact that you both met while he was all high and stupid on holiday banging hormones makes me suspicious, you do get that right?”
“I get that,” Roman said quietly, but he didn’t try to dispute Dean’s point of view. He also knew that Dean wasn’t trying to dissuade him in any way, rather he wanted Roman to know what he was in for.
“And I can’t predict the future Dean, but I can tell you that I will put in the work in, I will promise you that. In fact, it may even be a commitment.”
When Dean looked up with a slightly shocked expression on his face, Roman felt an echo of it deep in his chest. This had been the first time he had ever really put his feelings for Seth into words, because he had been so wary of actually verbalising it.
It wasn’t as if he were unsure of what he was feeling either, he had been thinking about it for months now, ever since he had first started planning this trip. Rather his biggest concern was that he would get ahead of himself and scare Seth off.
But now that it was out there, Roman felt more sure of his feelings and he knew that Dean could see it clearly on his face.
“You’d better mean that, otherwise I don’t care how big you are,” Dean threatened, drawing himself up so that he could remind Roman that they were almost the same height.
“I never say anything I don’t mean,” Roman said firmly, but his eyes softened at Dean’s scrappy protectiveness for his best friend. “You really do love him don’t you,” he added, stating it like it was an indisputable fact.
After holding Roman’s gaze for a couple seconds more, Dean shrugged and turned away, reaching for the pool chalk so that he could take another shot.
“Yes, but not in a way a lot of people understand. I love him because he is the only one who gets me, who understands how I think. We started this business when I was at my lowest, and he gave me purpose again, a home. I think it goes beyond just love at this point.”
Roman nodded as Dean pocketed two balls in quick succession, his focus clearly back now that he had gotten what he wanted to say off his chest.
“I get that, I really do. Love isn’t something you can just explain or put in a box. I can’t tell you why I fell for Seth the minute he opened the door.”
Roman paused as he searched for the words and Dean let him. Eventually he shrugged, his lips lifting a little in the corners. “Everything just made sense, you know?”
Dean stayed silent as he let Roman take his shots, head bent over and those scraggly blonde bangs obscuring his face. Roman felt anxiety curl in the pit of his stomach like a snake, but he had a feeling that when it came to Dean, total honesty worked better than any pretty excuses.
It did mess with his concentration though, which meant that Dean easily won the game, potting the black ball with a flourish. Roman praised Dean for the good game and stretched out his hand only to pull back when the blonde looked to the side.
“Just don’t let him get his way too often kay?” Dean said quietly. But Roman heard acceptance underlining his words as clearly like the blare of a foghorn even over the din of the bar, and felt his earlier anxiety melt away to relief.
“Best two out of three?” Roman said, tapping the side of the table.
“Sure, loser buys dinner,” Dean responded with a genuine smile, and Roman smiled back at how much it changed his entire face.
“You’re on.”
***
“What…the hell…is that?”
Seth stood with his mouth agape as Roman came down to the kitchen, dressed for their evening out. But what most certainly didn’t go with his brand new Burberry coat was a lemon yellow bobble hat with crooked red lines and topped with a straggly looking pompom at the end.
“Dean gave it to me this afternoon,” Roman said with a toothy grin.
“Ro, you know you don’t have to wear it right?” Seth said delicately, although deep down inside he was feeling some trepidation as to what Roman’s answer might be.
“What are you talking about Seth, I love it!” Roman said, insistently pulling it down even further. It was then that Seth saw that Dean had made the brim extra thick so that it would protect the tips of Roman’s ears, where he had earlier complained that he had felt the cold the most.
And didn’t that just make Seth’s heart feel so full.
“Looks good on you big man,” Dean said, shooting Roman finger guns as he casually sauntered into the kitchen and let something drop to the floor with a thud.
“You going somewhere Deano?” Seth said, nudging the other man’s duffel bag with his foot.
“Yeah, gonna head over to Austin’s. You know he is head tester this time and I want to see how the dialogue flows. Most likely gonna stay on because God knows the man has opinions on everything,” Dean said with a roll of his eyes as Seth let out a nasally snort.
“He also said Big E is around with his boyfriend, as is Priest with that snarling little Brit he’s weirdly in love with. So might as well make a boys night of it,” Dean said, stuffing two party-size bags of Cool Ranch Doritos in his bag. He did this while completely oblivious to the envious death daggers being sent his way by Seth and Roman, both of them secretly cursing Dean’s blistering metabolism.
“Have a good time then,” Seth said, slipping a hand around Roman’s waist. He noticed however this time that when Dean looked at them, the earlier tightness that had been present in the corners of his eyes now absent.
“Yeah, will be back in the morning. You have fun as well you two,” Dean said, stuffing the last box of macadamia chocolate into his bag as well.
He was almost out the door when he stopped mid-step and slowly turned, a sly look on his face that automatically gave Seth a chill up his spine.
“Remember Sethie, it’s almost impossible to get spunk out of faux fur.”
“Dean!”
Seth sputtered and Roman’s shoulders shook from barely repressed laughter as Dean guffawed. He tossed them a by-the-way wave over his shoulder as he practically skipped out the door.
“I leave you both alone for one evening and you’ve become best buddies now huh?” Seth said, his tone only mildly resentful. But that feeling quickly disappeared when Roman dropped a kiss on his cheek.
“Finally, I have you all to myself,” Roman said softly, the words pressing lovingly into Seth’s skin. Seth relented and gave Roman’s hat another tug so that it slipped even lower down on his brow.
“Let’s go to dinner then.”
One of the good things about a small town like Davenport was that nowhere was really far from anywhere, and the two of them were back before the clock had even hit half-past ten.
But instead of heading to the bedroom, they ended up on the couch with the fireplace quietly crackling in the background. Seth was practically straddling Roman as they shared lazy, languorous kisses and fluttery light touches. In their rediscovery of each other, Seth found that he had a particular fondness for sucking on Roman’s tongue as it brushed against the roof of his mouth.
“It’s getting a little warm,” Roman murmured, sliding his hand underneath the hem of Seth’s shirt and tracing the delicate notches of his spine, from the scar at the base of his neck all the way down to his tailbone.
“Then just take your clothes off big boy,” Seth answered with an impudent smirk. He took off his deep purple sweater in one smooth motion, the light from the fireplace catching the gold flecks in his eyes. Roman loved to kiss the brattiness out of him, shifting Seth’s weight so that he could feel his half-hard cock press against the fly of his jeans.
Seth let out a soft gasp as Roman reared up, holding him by the small of his back so that he could lay him down with him on top. Seth ran a hand through Roman’s thick hair, his knuckles brushing against his jaw.
Soon Seth managed to get all of Roman’s buttons undone, parting his shirt so that he could get to his chest. He gave a contented sigh as he palmed Roman’s tattooed pectoral, because he had always found it so damn sexy. How Roman’s ink always looked like armour, a visual representation of his strength.
“Don’t you want to move to the bedroom?” Roman said huskily when Seth started to unbuckle his belt. His eyes darkened when Seth bit his lip and shook his head.
“Wanna do it here Roman,” Seth whined, the sound petering out when Roman soothed the imprints and kissed the corner of his mouth. “Don’t want to waste time.” Seth rolled his hips and let out a laugh when his action managed to inadvertently pitch the both of them off the couch and onto the floor.
“You okay?” Seth asked with a concerned smile, but his breath was caught in his throat at the sight of Roman sprawled on their floor, his tanned skin a sharp contrast against their faux sheepskin Ikea rug.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Roman said amused, but the lines on his face eased at the look on Seth’s face. A look that was half disbelief and half awe, how he almost didn’t want to blink because he was scared he would miss a moment.
Seth did close his eyes however when Roman reached a hand up to cup his cheek, turning his head slightly to kiss his palm. Roman lovingly ran his fingers through Seth’s treasure trail until the base of his cock, currently straining against his zipper.
“Hey baby,” Roman said softly.
“Hey,” Seth answered back, leaning forward to rub his nose against Roman’s beard, liking how the hair prickled his skin. He squeezed his knees against the other man’s flanks, and inwardly smiled when he felt Roman’s cock jump.
Standing up, Seth quickly shimmied out of his jeans and dropped back down so that he could do the same for Roman. His mouth watering, Seth bent his head so that he could lap Roman’s prick, making his tongue broad and flat so that he could lick up every drop of pre-cum.
“So nice, dreamt of you sucking my cock Seth. Yes, that…there…” Roman moaned when Seth sucked hard on the tip. Roman’s breathing got heavier as he watched Seth fellate him, the younger man looking up at him from beneath sooty lashes. He watched and twitched when Seth hollowed his cheeks, bobbing his head up and down, his shoulders lifting off the rug when Seth twisted his tongue just right.
“Fuck your mouth, love your mouth,” Roman praised, flattered, which made Seth just want to please him even more. Seth breathed through his nose so that he could take Roman as far down as he could, wrapping his hand around the base, the only part he couldn’t fit in.
Roman keened when Seth swallowed, which made the other man dig his nails into the meat of the older man’s thigh. Seth felt his lungs burn a split-second before he pulled back, taking deep breaths so that he wouldn’t feel so dizzy. But he never let go of Roman’s dick, giving it another twist.
“Oh Seth, baby yes!”
Seth let Roman’s voice wash over him like a warm wave, revelling in it as he rubbed his leaking cock against one hairy calf, almost like he was riding it. He let out a near squeak when Roman started to play with his nipples, squirming even more when he felt the buds stiffen.
“Come up here Seth,” Roman said, giving Seth’s nipple a particularly hard tweak. Seth obediently moved up, planting kisses along the way, like markers on a map. Roman’s hernia scar next to his belly button, the inside of his wrist, the underside of his pectoral, the dip of his breastbone. He branded these spots with his lips to remind himself to revisit them.
Seth was a hairsbreadth away from Roman’s lips when he felt his strong hands cup his ass. He jumped and let out a yelp of surprise when Roman gave him a sharp slap. Seth made an indignant noise that only seemed to encourage Roman even more.
“A little higher Seth, I want you up on my chest,” Roman said, pulling Seth up even more until the younger man felt his cock touch the other man’s lips. Seth trembled when Roman rubbed the tip all over that wide mouth, anointing his lips with Seth’s pre-cum.
“Oh Roman, yes Roman, more,” Seth moaned when Roman swallowed him whole. His dick was so neat, so slim, that it was easy for the other man to take him down his throat. When Roman started to hum, Seth had to lean forward to anchor himself on the couch so that his full weight wouldn’t be on Roman’s sternum.
Seth felt himself start to slip into bliss, his hands scrabbling under the cushions. But his eyes flew open when he felt something hard and round under his fingers. His curiosity overrode the pleasure spiking his veins for the moment as he drew the bottle out.
Roman felt the vibrations from Seth’s chuckle, which made him pull back from his cock. He blinked when Seth waved a bottle of Platinum in front of his face, a knowing look in his eyes.
“You keep lube in your couch?” Roman said with a raised eyebrow.
“No, I have a feeling that a certain fries-addicted fairy left this here for us. Hence that crack,” Seth said wryly. Roman let out a little bark of a laugh as he plucked it from Seth’s hands.
“Remind me to thank him later.”
“Thank him?” Seth said miffed.
“So I don’t have to wait to do this.” Seth gasped when Roman penetrated him dry with one fingertip. “I don’t have to wait to open your pretty little hole on my dick. To see you stretched out around me baby, you want that don’t you?”
“Yes,” Seth panted, planting one hand on Roman’s chest while the other reached for his cock.
“Yes what Seth?” Roman echoed, a hard edge to his voice.
“Yes, I want your dick Roman, I want it inside, I want it so much,” Seth said piteously, clamping down on the digit. “That toy is not enough baby, I want you.”
Roman felt his heart tighten at the slight break in Seth’s voice and the way he was pushing himself back so that he could get more of his finger inside him. As much as he loved teasing Seth, making him squirm and shiver, Roman would never deny him anything, especially when he begged so earnestly.
“Will give you all you want baby boy. Everything you want,” Roman said hoarsely, his cock growing even harder in Seth’s grip.
One tap to the knee and Seth lifted himself off Roman’s lap so that he was alongside him. But instead of facing him, Seth shot Roman a little smirk that was good as a wink as he got on his hands and knees, elongating his back like a cat before pillowing his head on his arms.
“Damn, you really are so pretty like this,” Roman said, the wonder in his voice making Seth shuffle his legs apart even further. He moaned softly when he imagined what it was that Roman was seeing, that seductive pink flutter, the dark shadow down the crease.
“Kiss me Roman, kiss me on…oh!” Seth stuffed his fist into his mouth when Roman planted a wet kiss on his hole, running his tongue over the tight furl. He could practically feel the curve of Roman’s smile as he licked a wet path down to his taint.
“Nobody’s around Seth, no holding back. Let me hear you, let me hear how much you like what I am doing to you,” Roman said, the barest hint of steel underpinning his order. He drank in Seth’s mewled gasp when he palmed both cheeks of his pert ass so that he could spread them even wider.
It was like flipping a switch. Seth didn’t even bother to hold back his clearly desperate groans, the way he was humping the air as he searched for friction for his dick. Roman loved all of it, savoured it as he tongue fucked Seth’s asshole, almost overwhelmed at the scent of musk and woodsmoke filling his nose.
“No more, please Roman, please please,” Seth pleaded, his throat salty and raw because he felt so empty.
“Hold on Seth, just a bit longer sweetheart,” Roman said reassuringly, making sure that Seth was lubed and stretched enough to take his cock, adding even more although his ass crack was glistening.
Roman didn’t know if Seth realised it or not, that he clearly had a kink for making all things wet. In fact, the wetter the better, but Roman wasn’t going to be the one to deprive him of it.
Seth let out a long unbroken moan when Roman finally did slide his cock inside him, fingers bruising the younger man’s hips when his ass was flush against Roman’s pelvis. But Seth felt an unsatisfying ache fill his belly when Roman just stayed still, his cock throbbing inside Seth’s plush channel.
“Move Roman, fucking God damn move,” Seth almost snarled over his shoulder. He even tried to entice Roman further by moving back so that his body swallowed the other man’s dick to the root.
“Impatient slut aren’t you Mr Rollins,” Roman said, giving Seth another fond slap on the bum. But he wasn’t immune to the feeling of delicious tightness as Seth’s ass gripped his cock, the pleasure spiralling and wrapping around his nerve endings when he looked down at where they were joined.
A sharp intake of breath was the only warning Seth got before he found himself with a face full of carpet. Obscenities fell from his lips as Roman started fucking him at a brutal pace, ploughing him with an intensity that made it hard for Seth draw a breath before another thrust made his knees collapse.
>
But just when he thought he was going to get the orgasm fucked out of him sooner rather than later, Roman slowed the pace down, way down. It was almost as if those first few strokes was him exorcising the lustful demon out of him.
“I love how you feel around my dick Seth. Ever since the first time I fucked you, ever since I felt you stretched tight around me. Fuck, you are such a good lay sweetheart.”
Roman’s praise flowed like honey over Seth’s skin, bathing him in a sticky sweetness that made him tremble with every thrust. In this position, Roman’s dick could easily reach his prostate, and each brush of it made even more pre-cum drip from Seth’s cock.
He was so sensitive by now and so close to climax that every brush of his cheek against the fur made jolts of static electricity spark from his fingertips. His cock was so wet by now, staining the carpet as he rubbed himself even harder against it, wishing that Roman would get the hint and jerk him off.
Which was why Seth let out a pathetic sound of protest when Roman withdrew completely, leaving him feeling bereft.
“Roman! No baby, please get back inside me,” Seth said, his eyes wide and glassy. He was practically shaking when Roman cupped his cheek so that he could rub a thumb over a damp eyelash.
“Not like this Seth, I want to see your face when you come,” Roman said softly. Guiding Seth’s limbs, Roman arranged it so that he was on his back with Seth straddling him. The younger man didn’t waste any time before lining Roman’s cock up with his back entrance and sliding down.
“That’s it Seth, ride me honey. Can’t wait to come inside you, so deep inside you. Just a little more, that’s it,” Roman said cajolingly, although his movements were getting increasingly erratic. His hand on Seth’s cock sped up, wanting him to get to his end after almost an entire evening of foreplay, knowing that Seth tightening up would be the last bit of stimulation he needed.
“Don’t leave Roman, keep fucking me, just keep fucking me,” Seth begged, bucking and twisting, his cock completely covered by Roman’s large hand and his thumb digging into the slit.
In the end, it wasn’t Roman’s touch or his cock slamming against his prostate that made Seth snap. No, it was when Seth looked down and he saw Roman watching him rapturously.
God he loved him, he actually fucking loved him.
Seth came with Roman’s name on his lips, slamming his hips down one last time, his spend streaking Roman’s torso up to his tattooed pectoral. Roman wasn’t far behind, coming with a deep grunt, shooting his seed as deep as he could inside Seth’s pliant body.
Roman barely felt Seth’s weight, more intent on catching him when he collapsed on his chest like someone had cut his strings. He could feel the spots where their skin was sticking together and all it made him want to do was to pull Seth even closer.
Eventually, Roman managed to roll over enough to reach for the worn grey throw draped across the arm of the couch. He arranged it over the both of them, propping himself up on his elbow so that he could look down on Seth laying completely supine, one arm thrown over his eyes.
“I hate it when Dean is right,” Seth said churlishly, and Roman could hear the pout in his voice.
“He is a good guy,” Roman responded, gently lifting Seth’s hand so that he could kiss his forehead, tasting saline and his skin.
Seth’s throat tightened at the sight of Roman reclining like some kind of marble sculpture, head leaning against the heel of his hand with his hair cascading to the floor in a silky waterfall of curls, leg tucked up and the light sheen of sweat making his skin gleam bronze in the firelight.
“Do you have any idea how hot you are Mr Reigns?” Seth said, only partly in jest, burying his honest feelings together with his face into Roman’s chest.
“Believe me, back on Lanai I am only average Mr Rollins,” Roman said with self-deprecating laugh, brushing Seth’s hair back and tucking it behind his ear.
“Maybe I should go back there then,” Seth answered without thinking, which made him almost immediately want to bite his tongue. He kept looking down when he heard Roman’s breathing stutter and wished that he could take it back.
“Would love if you did,” Roman said softly. Seth didn’t know what to do so he just burrowed his face deeper, inhaling the collective smell of them from the hollow in Roman’s breastbone.
When Roman gently placed his fingers below his jaw at the thickest part of Seth’s beard, the younger man almost stubbornly didn’t want to look up. To break the wonderful spell that he had been under ever since that day at the airport. Because surely it was still too early to be discussing practicalities, changes that would affect the both of them.
“Seth, sweetheart…”
Seth sighed, he couldn’t win really, not when Roman’s voice dropped to that comforting rumble. It was the same voice he used when they made love the last night of Seth’s holiday, when he reassured him in the hot tub as they watched other people have sex.
“Look, I don’t know about you but I want to talk about what we are going to do moving forward. I don’t want to put any pressure on you baby, but I can’t spend months without seeing you. I think I might actually lose my mind.”
“I don’t think I can either,” Seth said in a whisper. A part of him was still unsure about all of this, that earlier worry that this could all go disastrously wrong coming back to haunt him.
However, when he looked up Roman’s face and saw the sheer relief there, it struck him like a thunderbolt that he hadn’t been the only one who had been hiding his concern. It made him realise something that he had been resolutely ignoring these past few weeks, because it seemed too good to be true.
The fact that Roman fit into his life, almost perfectly.
“So we can talk about it then?” Roman asked tentatively.
“Yeah we can,” Seth said, his smile small but hopeful. But he chewed his bottom lip when a thought dawned on him.
“I won’t leave Dean, non-negotiable,” Seth said immediately, the conviction in his tone ironclad. “We have always been there for each other, and he will always be part of my life.”
“Agreed. Like I said, I really like him Seth, I can see why the two of you are so close. Any future we have, will include him,” Roman said, his tone mirroring Seth’s. It made that earlier smile return to Seth’s face, but it was much broader this time.
“Tomorrow then,” Seth said, yawning and turning over so that Roman could spoon him, rubbing his arms when he felt a chill start to set in. Roman saw this and simply hugged him closer, linking their fingers together as he dropped a soft kiss to the turn of his shoulder.
Roman played with their fingers, still wide awake even as Seth drifted off. Maybe it was premature, maybe he was seriously jumping the gun here. But he couldn’t help the sudden thought invading his mind about how beautiful a ring might look there.
One day.
***
The End
***