Author's Note: Alrighty guys, here is my first chaptered rolleigns story! The first chapter takes place after this past weeks Smackdown, and I'm hoping to have the next chapter out for tomorrow, since it's meant to take place tomorrow during Raw. The story is roughly 10 chapters, but that might change. And it might be part of a series, I don't know yet. Essentially, it's about Roman and Seth colliding during their storylines. Enjoy. Not beta-edited, by the way.
"I'm being incredibly stupid," He mutters to himself while walking through the hallways backstage. He vaguely notices the other wrestlers hanging around looking at him weirdly, but he doesn't pay attention to it, continuing to mumble under his breath.
"I have no right to even be wondering," He groans, stopping at the end of the hall and banging his head on the wall opposite him. And that's true, really. He has no right to want to go find the person he wants to look for and question him about what's going on. Fingers clenching around his title belt, Seth Rollins lets out a breath before turning around and looking at the people surrounding him.
He knows he can't ask anyone that could tell The Authority what he wanted – who he was looking for, which means he had to ask someone – someone that didn't like The Authority. Which, to be honest, was a lot of people, but with the way he was paused in the hallway, he knew it would be tougher than he thought.
Letting out another breath, Seth turns his head to the side, arching an eyebrow when he notices Jimmy – or was it Jey? – walking towards him. Asking an Uso would definitely be the best way to go about it, he thinks to himself, chewing on his lower lip as he narrows his eyes in thought. But it could also backfire on him, he knows. No matter which Uso it was, they wouldn't tell him anything.
He was Seth Rollins. He betrayed their cousin, in one of the worst ways possible, and he knew that whichever Uso it was could easily lie to him or scoff at him. But Seth also knew he really had to try, because he knew that the worry that was coursing through his body would not ease unless he knew.
Letting out one last exasperated breath, Seth stepped away from the wall and towards the Uso until he was close enough to notice that it was Jimmy in front of him, and that Jimmy had no choice but to notice him in return. Seth watches as Jimmy looks him up and down with an arched eyebrow and Seth can't help but catalog his own self, either.
His normally well-combed hair is a mess, he knows. He's been worrying his fingers through it since he learned that Roman had been kicked out of the building, tugging at it when he was particularly frustrated. Even after his match with Ambrose, he had come back here in search of the man, and damn it, he knew he shouldn't even be worried but –
"Whaddya want, Uce?" Jimmy questions after a few minutes and Seth worries on his lower lip before opening and closing his mouth a few times.
"Where's Ro—Reigns," He questions, cringing at himself for nearly slipping and saying Roman instead. He has to appear like the version of himself that most people dislike. He can't be like himself, he thinks. He has to be The Authority's Golden Boy, which means not caring. Which he thinks, is impossible, especially when it comes to Roman and what's been going on recently. He watches as Jimmy arches his eyebrow even higher at his question and he can't help but shake his leg, worry coursing through him again. He's so close to just begging to know, and he has to stop himself when he finds his mouth opening to do just that.
"Why d'you care, Rollins?" Jimmy eventually questions and that? That's the thing, Seth thinks to himself. He knows he shouldn't care about Roman. Knows he shouldn't even be looking for Roman. He betrayed Roman, in one of the worst ways possible. Except, he remembers, when the Shield first started out, Seth made a promise to a beautiful little princess that he never planned on breaking, even now. Looking up at Jimmy, Seth shakes his head a little bit.
"I made a promise, Jimmy, to a little princess. And I don't plan on breaking it." He mutters while looking away for a minute before narrowing his eyes when he looks back at the Uso. He can see the surprise flicker through Jimmy's face, and he can't help but wonder just how much Jimmy (and Jey, by proxy) knew about the relationship Roman and Seth shared with one another. Did Jimmy know that the two of them would often spend their nights together, talking about the future, as a family? Seth doesn't know. And Seth shouldn't care. But he could never get Roman out of his head, even after he joined The Authority.
"Jimmy—" He begins before clamping down his mouth and pursing his lips as Jimmy's eyes widen and he gulps.
"Shit, uce," Jimmy responds with a shake of his head before he lets out a breath and runs his fingers through his hair. Jimmy's quiet for a few minutes before he shakes his head once more and looks away briefly.
"He managed to sneak back in during your match. Last I checked, he's hiding out in Dean's locker room." Jimmy states before managing to walk past Seth before pausing. "Don't hurt 'im again, man." Jimmy responds before walking away completely and leaving Seth looking down in shame.
He hated hurting Roman, he remembers. It was the one thing that made him think long and hard about joining Hunter and Stephanie, made him think about whether or not betraying The Shield would be worth it. Fun fact? It sort of wasn't. He missed Roman, he knew. Missed spending his days and nights with the man, missed having conversations with him. Missed everything about him, really.
Letting out one last breath, Seth headed towards Ambrose's locker room, chewing on his lower lip as he gets closer to the room. He doesn't know where Ambrose is but knows that if he's with Roman, there's no way in hell that Seth will be talking to Roman tonight.
"Fucking hell," He snarls to himself when he finds himself in front of the door to Ambrose's room, standing there, completely still. He knows he should just walk in, but –
"I am not scared," He whispers to himself, shaking his head as he widens his eyes and bounces in his spot. "I'm not," He mutters while putting his hand on the doorknob and letting out a deep breath.
"I have this," He mutters before turning the knob and throwing open the door before leaning against the doorjam and crossing his legs, trying to appear nonchalant. He watches as Roman looks up and frowns at him before looking away. Watches as the confusion goes through Roman's face while he plays with his fingers, and Seth knows that this means Roman's worried about his kid.
The silence is awkward and Seth finds himself shifting slightly, clearly uncomfortable while Roman watches him. After a few minutes, Roman scoffs and shakes his head while Seth's shoulder's slump slightly.
"What d'ya want, Rollins?" Roman eventually asks and Seth cringes at the cold tone. Even when the two were talking in the ring together, Roman never had that cold tone, and Seth can't help but hate it, even though he knows he deserves it.
He knows Roman is watching him and he shifts once before looking around the room for Ambrose.
"Dean's not here," Roman scoffs and Seth exhales before entering the room and closing the door, locking it subconsciously from when they were together. With a breath, he steps closer to Roman, running his fingers through his hair and tugging as he jiggles his leg a little, noticing Roman frown.
"What the hell are you so nervous about?" Roman questions as Seth pauses and sits on the bench across from Roman and slumps his body. His fingers clench as he snorts, thinking about how well Roman knows him before shaking his head.
"I made a promise," Seth begins after a few minutes of silence, leg still shaking in the spot as Roman frowns.
"You made a lot of promises, Rollins," Roman snarls quietly as Seth flinches away and looks down. He deserves that, he knows but it still hurts Seth to hear Roman so angry with him. Exhaling, Seth slumps some more before running his fingers through his hair and looking at Roman briefly.
"I made a promise, to a little girl, that I don't intend on breaking, even if I did –" Seth stops here when he notices Roman looking at him curiously. He should keep going, he thinks. He shouldn't stop now, not when he was getting out what he wanted to say.
"And I know that after June, I don't have a right to even ask you –"
"You're right, you don't." Roman interrupts with a glare as Seth clamps his mouth shut and looks away, shaking his leg again even though he doesn't remember stopping the first time.
"Why d'you even care, man?" Roman asks after minutes of awkward silence, looking at him with wide eyes. Seth could never stand that look, he thinks briefly before looking away and biting on his lip. He called it Roman's puppy-eyed look, usually gave Rome whatever he wanted when said look was aimed at him.
"I don't!" He snaps before sighing in exasperation at himself and at the arched eyebrow Roman produces, clearly knowing he's lying through his teeth.
"Don' do that. Don't fuckin' lie to me, Seth. How 'bout you tell me why you actually care, huh?" Roman whispers, furious as Seth stands up and begins pacing.
"I don't know!" He shouts after a few minutes, tugging on his hair and falling to the ground, annoyed with himself as Roman kneels in front of him.
"This isn't even your battle to begin with," Roman points out as Seth nods his head, knowing how true that is.
"I made her a promise, Roman. An' I never planned on breaking it, even after everythin' that went down." Seth states with a shrug, tilting his head against the wall and looking up at the older man. He can tell that Roman is taking everything in and finds himself opening his mouth in surprise when he sits down in front of Seth and stares at him for a few minutes.
Shifting uncomfortably, Seth begins to play with his uniform, just for the sake of doing something until Roman puts his hand on top of Seth's, effectively making him freeze. Briefly looking up at the older man, he's surprised to see Roman looking at him, and he looks down before snarling in exasperation and standing up.
It's been a year, he thinks, tugging at his hair as he kicks the wall in front of him. It's been a long year of trying so hard to ignore Roman, ignore what they used to have, to act like The Authority's Golden Boy. So caught up in his thoughts, Seth barely realizes that Roman is right next to him, watching him intently as he struggles with what to say.
So caught up in his thoughts, Seth doesn't realize it when Roman stands in front of him and stops him from continuing his frustrated pacing.
If there was one thing Seth could admit, in this moment, with Roman standing in front of him, it was that Roman looked good. Better than when they were a faction, he thinks, licking his lips before looking away and then back at Roman. His hair is a little bit longer than Seth remembers, but still just as thick from the looks of it. He kind of wants to run his fingers through it, but he knows that that would lead to something – something – and he can't handle that right now.
His muscles are bulging, and the unzipped vest adds to it, Seth thinks before groaning and stepping away for his own sanity, not missing the small smirk that appeared on Roman's face. Seth could just punch the older man – wants to punch the older man, and then kiss him senseless like the good ol' days before, for once, turning him around and -
"You gon'make me ask you again, Rollins?" Roman questions while interrupting Seth's train of thought, causing Seth to blush as he realizes where it was heading anyways. Exhaling, Seth falls to the floor and drops his head before putting his gloved hands into his hair and tugging once more.
"I made a promise to your daughter, Roman. I ain' gonna break it. I wanna know what's being done to keep her safe from Wyatt," Seth quietly responds, not noticing the hard look that has replaced the small frown on Roman's face before he's being hauled up by Roman's hands.
"Meep," He mutters with wide eyes as he looks at a very pissed of Roman Reigns. If he could, Seth would slump, but since Roman is holding him up by pressing his forearm into Seth's throat –
"Rome—" Seth coughs just as Roman tightens his hold and snarls.
"Why do you care, Seth? You betrayed us, you hurt me, you shouldn't care!" Roman snarls while stepping in closer to keep his hold on Seth but loosening it all the same.
"You think I don't know that, Roman? You think I didn't battle with myself while looking for you tonight? That I wanted you to be kicked out?" Seth snarls back while flailing a little for feeling indignant. Panting, Seth looks away with a frown before looking back and narrowing his eyes briefly.
"Wasn't askin' about what you wanted," Roman whispers in response as Seth slumps in confusion and looks at Roman, knowing the confusion is showing on his face. Roman always did say he was an open book with him, but then again – Roman was always an open book with Seth, too.
"I—" Seth hesitates with a frown, looking away once more. Somewhere, he knows what Roman is asking him. Why was he so nervous to come see Roman? That – that was a good question. One that Seth knew the answer to but didn't want to answer.
"Why are you so nervous, Seth?" Roman asks while stepping incredibly closer to Seth, so that they're mostly touching. Gulping, Seth looks at Roman's lips before looking away and closing his eyes, shaking his head briefly.
"Is it because you decided to actually be you for the first time in a year, instead of being the authority's little golden boy? Is it because you decided to come find me, after everything? Why are you so damn nervous tonight?" Roman questions quietly while nosing Seth's neck, making the man groan and wrap his hands around Roman's neck and letting out a whimper.
"Or maybe it's because you know how bad things could turn out for you if someone found out you were even looking for me in the first place," Roman responds with a shrug, stepping away and letting Seth fall to the ground in a heap.
"Who am I to know shit about you anymore, right?" Roman finishes, turning away and taking off his vest, leaving Seth with the sight of his back, causing the man to let out another whimper. He knows that Roman is right, that Roman can't trust Seth after everything, but –
"I'm still who I used to be Roman." Seth whispers with a shrug before standing up and swiping away imaginary dirt on his pants. "I'm still the man that made a promise to a little girl and plans on keeping it. I'm still the man that –"
"WHAT ABOUT THE PROMISE YOU MADE ME, SETH?!" Roman interrupts with a shout, turning around in pure fury as Seth takes a step back, blinking in surprise. He's always called Roman a volcano, but seeing it happening right now? Shit. And it doesn't take long for Seth to remember the promise that Roman is talking about, a promise made after their first night together; a promise that Seth continuously thinks about, even now, more than a year later.
"What I want to know more than anything Seth is why? Why would you do that to me when we had everything between us?" Roman asks dejectedly and Seth cringes. He's been, admittedly, waiting for this question for a long time. He always figured though, that when Roman asked him, it wouldn't be when Roman was so emotionally vulnerable, and Seth can't help but cringe, because he's known what his answer would be for just as long.
Cringing one last time, Seth looks up into Roman's eyes and holds his gaze for a moment. "We didn't have anything, Rome." Seth begins while knowing that he can't look away. If he looks away, Roman will know that he's lying. Roman will know that Roman meant everything to him and Roman cannot know this.
"You were just a means to an end." Seth grits out with a smirk while his heart pounds as Roman's face changes. Trying his hardest to not let his own face change, Seth arches an eyebrow and chuckles.
"What, you thought you were?" He scoffs with a shake of his head before stepping forward and closing in on Roman. "Everything that happened with us was a lie, Roman. Why do you think it was so easy to betray you?" Seth states while looking at Roman's lips briefly before flinching internally when he sees Roman arch an eyebrow.
"Now. Are you gonna answer me or?" Seth snarls, fists clenching as Roman rises to his full height, trying to intimidate him. But surely Roman realizes that he couldn't- Realization dawns on Seth as he narrows his eyes and steps back with a stumble.
"I won't tell you. Not when you won't tell me the truth, Seth." Snarling, Seth turns around and heads towards the door, trying to unlock it and briefly wondering why he locked it in the first fucking place. Stilling when he feels Roman come up from behind him, Seth lets out a whimper and tilts his head back, eyes closed when he feels Roman's breath on his neck.
"When you apologize, truly apologize, and can tell me the truth? Then I will tell you what I'm doing to protect my princess. Until then? You can keep being the authority's little golden boy," Roman whispers before placing a small kiss in the juncture where Seth's neck meets his shoulder before unlocking the door and stepping backwards.
Seth wastes no time in opening it and walking out. It isn't until he's back in his own locker room, panting, that he falls to the floor and lets out a quiet, frustrated scream, jumping when he hears the clearing of a throat from in front of him.
"You okay there, Rollins?" Kane asks with an arched brow and Seth nods, doing some breathing exercises before nodding once more.
"Never better." He mutters while standing up from the ground to close the door to his room, spotting Roman with a smirk as he does so.