!WARNING!: Trigger warning for previous abusive relationship/brief mentions of attempted rape. This is blatant, gratuitous hurt/comfort. Enjoy!
When you woke up, you didn't want to move. The bed was soft as a cloud, the blankets and pillows comfortable enough to keep your eyes closed. Am I in heaven? you wondered dreamily, snuggling back into the thick comforter. Something stirred beside you and your eyes flew open, panic like a bucket of ice water on your good mood and making you flounder in the blankets.
"Easy! Easy. Its only me." Roman soothed, his hands raised. "I just wanted to know if you'd like some breakfast."
"Oh...oh my god..." you wheezed, flopping back onto the pillows.
The man grimaced apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Then, "How do you feel today?"
Truth be told you had forgotten about the angry bruises on your body until right this second. When your boyfriend (ex-boyfriend you reminded yourself) had lashed out last night you could hardly believe it.
Neither could Roman, if his confused expression was any indicator when you showed up timidly on the threshold of his apartment.
...The Previous Night...
"I'm so sorry, I know it's late." you mumbled, wiping at your nose.
"It's hardly ten. What's wrong? Are you alright?" his voice had a tinge of worry to it. He moved to put a hand on your shoulder and you recoiled violently. "Hey, easy..."
The tears came. You had done your fair share of crying in your car on the ride over and you'd hoped that you were done with it, but here you were. When you shoved your hood back to rub futilely at your eyes, Roman made a sound of shock.
"What happened to your face?" he asked, his motions slower when he approached you this time.
You shook your head wordlessly, curling into yourself as his hands barely touched your shoulders. Roman's voice cracked slightly when he spoke next. "Come inside, okay? Sit down. I won't touch you if you don't want me to. Just tell me what happened."
You allowed yourself to be wrapped in a battered afghan once inside the apartment. The story came out of you slowly, encouraged by the large, tattooed man pressing a steaming mug of tea and several Advil into your hands before settling himself onto the loveseat across from you.
The relationship had always been a little odd, your boyfriend always a little on the jealous side; overprotective and quick to anger. This wasn't the first time he'd hit you, but he'd never beaten you to this extent. You winced as you explained, knowing that you sounded like a sucker. "I expected him to change. I wanted it to get better. I guess this is kind of my fault for giving him so many chances."
"None of this is your fault." Roman said quietly, resting his forearms on his thighs and lacing his fingers together. The look he gave you was sad, but firm. "Never think that. You're worth a shit ton more than that. You never deserve to be hit."
You sighed, staring down into the half-empty mug. "I just feel really dumb right now, you know? I feel like a silly little kid. I'm twenty-seven for fucks sake. I should know better than to stay with someone after the first time we fight and they hit me. Never mind the fifth or sixth or fuck if I know."
Roman cocked his head to the side. "What happened tonight that set him off?"
"He doesn't like that I come over here once a month to play poker with you, Ambrose and Rollins," your eyes welled up as your boyfriend's angry voice came back unbidden. "He's never liked it but. I guess it was just something about tonight. He was already yelling when I got home from work so clearly he had it on his mind. It didn't take too long for him to start hitting me, and normally he gets tired out kind of quick so I just take it but he kept going and going-he started ripping off my clothes and I...struggled." You swallowed thickly. "I ran. I couldn't stay. I just got away from him, grabbed my phone and keys and fucking ran. I was so scared."
"I don't fucking blame you." Roman's mouth had tightened to an angry line, the man starting to messily shamble his hair together into the confines of an elastic band. "I...uh...I mean. Dean and I, and Seth, you know our poker crew. We've actually all been kind of worried about you. You showed up with a black eye a few months ago..." he trailed off.
You flushed, shame heating your face. "Yeah. As you can tell, I didn't walk into a door." you mumbled.
"Hey, it's alright. You were in a rough situation, and you were still trying to salvage it. That takes guts. I'm just glad you got out of it in essentially one piece." he said earnestly. "The boys are gonna be happy to know."
"I just don't know what to do. My lease isn't up for another eight months, but its kind of obvious I can't go back there. I'm in shock right now, my brain is going a million miles a minute and not doing anything worthwhile." Your laugh was a little hysterical. "I'm bruised all over and I'm pretty sure I was about to be raped. What the hell is wrong with people? What the hell is wrong with me?"
Roman knelt in front of you, close enough to make you stiffen. His expression was gentle as he carefully pried the mug from your clenched fingers and then dropped his hands to his sides. "Listen to me, okay baby girl? If you need a place to stay, any of the three of us will take you in without a doubt. You can figure shit out as far as your lease goes tomorrow or the next day. You will be safe here tonight. I won't let anything happen to you."
You closed your eyes, letting his sincere tone quiet your frantic brain. "Can...can I stay here tonight? I don't want to drag the other guys into this now. It's so late." you said hesitantly.
Roman nodded, getting back to his feet. "Lemme swap the sheets on my bed, then you can tuck in. I'll pull out the couch and sleep in here. Closer to the door," he added, noticing your mouth opening in protest, "in case that shithead tries something."
"Thank you so much. Christ Roman, I'm so sorry about all this."
"Don't apologize for someone else being a piece of shit, alright? You'll get it squared away. You've always got a plan B."
…
Plan B was feeling more and more like a terrible idea as you stood on the steps of your own apartment. Ex-boyfriend's car wasn't there; you knew he had to work today. Roman had told you to wait on this until he or one of the other guys could accompany you, but you felt bad enough sleeping in his bed, never mind making one of them come along just because you were scared.
"Sheesh. What would Ambrose say if he were here?" you mused out loud in an attempt to calm yourself, unlocking the door and slipping inside.
"Doll you got rocks in your brain for coming over here without any of us. What if something happens to you?"
You winced. Now you just felt guilty. You walked through the disaster that was the living room, heading to your shared bedroom. Okay, a few pairs of socks, a few pairs of underwear. I need clothes. Can't borrow more of Roman's, that's rude.
You fiddled with the hem of the shirt you had 'borrowed' this morning. You'd found it folded on the bedside table and it had smelled okay, so you figured Roman probably left it there for you. Your stomach began to roll nervously as you started shoving clothes into your backpack. The last time I was here-
You stopped yourself with a firm shake of your head. I'm already inside. Bad time to lose my nerve. I'm just taking some of my things and leaving again. No big deal. If I'm careful he won't even know I was here.
You stuffed your pack full to bursting with clothes and essentials like your phone charger, music player and toiletries. It settled onto your back with an air of finality. On your way out you took a picture of your landlord's contact information on the fridge, hell-bent on getting in touch with him about your lease. You felt uncommonly brave as you locked the door behind you, despite not having dealt with anything hostile in the apartment.
You were ambling to your car when someone hollering your name made you look up. Down the sidewalk a ways was your ex-boyfriend, breaking into a run.
Oh. you thought stupidly, fumbling with your keys as you unlocked your car. You scrambled inside, slamming and locking the door behind you. "Shit." you grimaced, revving the engine and pulling out of your parking spot as carefully as you could with your heart slamming in your throat.
He slapped his hand against the right rear window before you managed to escape, the noise making you flinch and scream. Your fingers clenched into the steering wheel and you blinked back tears as you wove gingerly through the late-morning traffic. I'm okay. Everything is okay. I'm fine. Nothing bad happened. you tried to tell yourself, throat tightening threateningly. Your phone began to ring and you yelped at the sudden sound, scrambling to answer.
"Where are you? Rome said you'd be at his place. Are you alright?" the tired, slightly-panicked voice of Rollins came over the line. Your guilt increased tenfold as you realized there was no good reason at all for you to have gone over there by yourself. Seth would have come with you; shit, Roman probably asked him to.
"I went to get some clothes." you replied quietly. "I'm on my way back. I'm okay, Seth."
"Christ sweetheart, you gave me a fucking scare." he sighed. "You know as well as I do that Reigns and Ambrose would have my nuts on a platter if anything happened to you. That and I have a personal preference for you being safe and whole."
"Seth he uh...my ex saw me. He ran after me. I don't know if he'll follow me at all but-"
"Let him. I'll curbstomp his ass."
Sometimes you had to be reminded that your friends had endured their fair share of conflict and come out the other side of it in (mostly) one piece.
"I'll keep a lookout for you, sweetheart. I worked the overnight, but I'll stay awake with you til' Dean gets here. Come on home."
…
Dean came strutting through the door at noon, remarkably subdued. Clearly Roman or Seth had spoken with him, because he didn't hug or touch you at all. You were incredibly grateful for that fact. Running into your ex earlier had put you even more on edge; every creak of the old stairs out in the hallway made your heart slam painfully in your chest. Once Dean arrived Seth crashed on the loveseat, asleep almost instantly. You envied him, wishing you could just sleep off the panic.
Ambrose finally got you to stop pacing around two. "Doll, you're gonna' make me motion sick. You want to watch a movie or something? I got my laptop with me."
"That's fine." you mumbled distractedly, checking your phone for the thousandth time. Why hasn't he tried to contact me yet? I don't like this at all.
"You waiting for his sorry ass to threaten you with texts?" Ambrose was remarkably perceptive for someone with a few screws loose.
You nodded, biting your lip. Dean patted the couch next to him. "C'mere darlin'. Lemme' explain something to you." You settled down onto the couch and Dean threw that ragged afghan over your knees. Seth continued to snore on the loveseat, dead to the world.
"Doll, he knows he's lost his grip on you. You left, that's kinda' a good indicator of his hold slipping. Dumb as it was, you drove the point home today with that stunt you pulled." Dean mused.
"I wasn't trying to be brave or anything. I just felt bad dragging one of you guys over there too. I should be able to handle my own shit." you protested.
Dean held up a hand. "I understand why you did it. Doesn't mean we ain't gonna' worry. Of course, you going over there alone may have been a good thing. He might think he didn't scare you at all. Which in turn would scare him into leaving you alone." He grimaced, rubbing the side of his head. "Lotta' thinking going on up here. I'll give myself a bleed. Look, the point is we have you covered no matter what, whenever you need us, alright? You aren't bugging us or annoying us or whatever you're gonna' tell yourself so you can have your precious pride." Dean's smile, as always, was lazy and slow, spreading from one dimple to the other with a sense of purpose. "What are friends for, if not this shit?"
You snuffled, pulling your knees up to your chest. Dean 'tsk'ed, his smile slipping a few notches. "The guys said you don't wanna' be touched, but I ain't so good at this hands-off comforting shit." he said gruffly. "I'm sorry you had to go through that bastard laying fists on you like that, darlin'. It ain't fucking right. And if he tries anything, you know one or all of us will be ready for his sorry ass."
"Thanks, Dean." you managed to get out.
"Anytime, doll. Now dry that face of yours. We got fucking movies to watch."
…
Roman came home around nine. You were laying down, head on Ambrose's leg and your eyes closed.
Ambrose absently jittered his other leg and Seth mumbled in his sleep. Roman bumped Dean's shoulder. "Hey man. How is she?" he asked quietly.
"Tired, as you can see." Dean's voice was equally soft. "She's been like a live wire all day man. Jumping at everything. I told her we would be ready and waiting if that motherfucker shows, but I imagine she's had a shit time of it."
Roman sighed. "I'd better get her to bed."
"Are you gonna ask her to be your...uh." There was a flurry of motion over your head and you resisted the urge to crack an eye open. "Y'know." Dean said awkwardly.
"Fuck's sake Ambrose. She's been through the wringer, that's the last thing she fucking needs right now." Roman sounded annoyed. "She doesn't even want me to touch her. It's a bad idea. Have a sense of timing, dude."
Your cheeks were on fire. You definitely weren't supposed to hear any of that. Feigning a noisy yawn, you stretched and sat up slowly. "Hey Roman..." your voice was still husky. At least that part you didn't have to fake. "Welcome home."
Something flared in Roman's eyes and you wondered if you had said the wrong thing. Ambrose coughed behind you and Roman shook his head, a sad smile replacing...whatever that look had been. "Hey. How do you feel?"
"I'm okay. Thank you. You guys...shit. You've been so kind to me." You wrung your hands beneath the afghan. "I'm sorry I'm all fucked up."
Dean rolled his eyes. "Jesus Christ darlin', you could apologize your way out of a parking ticket. I told you before. We're here, whether you need us or not."
Seth jerked awake, eyes wild and flying over Roman and Dean to land on you. He relaxed, exhaling heavily as he pulled himself upright. "Christ. How long did I sleep for?" he slurred, squinting down at the screen of his phone. "Fuck. I'm due back at ten. You guys got this?"
Roman nodded, waving the bleary man off. "We'll take over Seth. Drive safe."
Seth struggled into his coat, shooting you a smile. "I leave you in capable hands, sweetheart."
…
You went into work the next morning. After a discussion with your boss, it was decided that you would stay off the register and away from the front counter. The day saw you quietly taking inventory in the back, occasionally putting another tray of scones into one of the ovens. You bundled up misshapen bagels and breads, sorting them evenly into bags for everyone to take home.
Your boss had a coworker, Bray, walk you out to your car at the end of your shift. Bray was huge, boisterous, and well-known for being a bit...out there. You always put a little extra into the bags of oddball product that went home with him though, knowing that he had a whole brood to feed and this wasn't his only job.
You were grateful for his presence when you saw someone leaning against your vehicle. You shrank back behind the apron-clad Bray, the large man bristling while your ex-boyfriend pushed off your car and slowly walked towards the two of you.
"Oh good. Another deceiver come to taste my fists." Bray rumbled. "I assure you, tiny man, they are as delicious as they are true."
"Shut your fucking mouth, you overgrown hick." your ex snapped. "Hun, when are you going to come home so we can talk about this like civilized adults?" he said to you, tone abruptly going syrup-sweet.
You were paling rapidly, breath coming in pants as your brain flooded with the memory of him standing over you laughing, tearing at your clothes...
"S-s-stay away from me!" you yelled, balling your hands into fists and mustering what strength you had, willing your knees to stop shaking. "Leave me alone!"
Your ex took a step back, seeming surprised. Bray snorted. "Scatter, wolf. And keep away from my flock next time, lest ye perish when my sheep grow fangs." he grunted, pressing his advantage to shoulder the smaller man out of the way so you could reach your car safely.
"Don't touch me, you filthy freak!" your ex-boyfriend yelled angrily. "Hun, wait-!"
You slammed your door shut, his voice reduced to a quiet buzz. You breathed deeply for a moment, watching in morbid amusement while Bray toyed with the other man. You knew Bray wouldn't do anything too bad to him, he couldn't afford to lose this job. But as you left the parking lot, you couldn't help but watch in the rearview while your ex ran to his car and Bray stormed after him.
A weird sound like a mixture of a laugh and a sob came out of you. You had been so scared. And yeah, you'd hidden behind Bray. But...you'd still told your ex off. With your body shuddering and heart pounding, you told him off. You grinned, wiping your eyes as you eased into the perpetual traffic.
…
Roman was flustered upon hearing that your ex showed up to your workplace. He kept dragging his fingers through his hair while you talked, and you found the courage to finally take one of his hands in your own. "Hey." you murmured.
Weirdly, he flinched at the touch before squeezing your hand and then quickly dropping it. "I know you're scared of me. It's okay." Roman said, his voice quiet.
"Oh I'm scared. I'm scared as fuck!" you insisted, making him fight back a laugh. "But I'm not scared of you. How could I be scared of you?"
"Well I mean, when you showed up on my doorstep..." he trailed off, averting his eyes to stare at the floor with great interest.
"Oh god Roman, no no." you swallowed hard. "I just. I couldn't handle the thought of anyone touching me. I didn't want to get hurt again." the laugh that came from you was mirthless. "You guys have had to deal with having your asses handed to you time and time again; you've learned your own tricks and techniques to keep yourselves going. This was my first really legitimate asskicking. I'm not surprised that I reacted defensively."
"It's weird, thinking about it that way." Roman rubbed his fingers together distractedly, "I always assume that everyone else has had the same experiences with fistfights that I...that we have. I barely remember any of my first fights, probably too many hits to the head. Seth might remember. Dean sure as fuck won't. If you think I've taken a lot of head blows, imagine how many times he's been split open." He went quiet for several seconds. "I remember being flinchy. I couldn't stop shaking the first few times. It got easier."
"I know it'll get easier for me too. I'm so glad that you're here to talk with me about this." you said earnestly, resting a hand on his tattooed arm. He didn't flinch this time. "You've been so patient with me. Thank you, Roman."
"Hey, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't help you out, huh? I mean you even brought me home a whole bag of bagels and shit. What's not to like?" Roman jibed, making you laugh for real this time.
…
You wondered how you had missed it this whole time, even if you were dating someone else. Roman clearly had some form of affection for you that was not platonic. And worse, the other two guys knew about it! You fretted while you washed the dishes in the sink.
How do I go about this? Do I even want to? Granted, you were at heart a social creature. You didn't do well alone. I don't want to scare him off though. If you were being honest with yourself, it wasn't like you'd never thought about it. The guys had played a few rounds of strip poker before, more for comedic effect than anything else and not actually involving you. You remembered with a sudden hot flush the way Roman had winked at you before getting to his feet and slowly pulling off his shirt to the cheers and wolf-whistles of the other two men, as well as your own laughter...
...and then the way he'd panicked when he realized he got his shirt caught up around his elbows and he couldn't actually pull it off the rest of the way. Dean and Seth (once they were done laughing) helped their friend yank it over his head, Roman's face gone an attractive strawberry-tan. He'd grinned ruefully, rubbing the back of his neck and joking that Rollins must have swapped out one of his favorite shirts with a smaller size.
You fought a giggle at the memory, rinsing the plate you'd washed. Dashing and suave, not so much. Funny and sweet, of course. Protective? Do I even want someone protective anymore? A chill ran down your spine. I mean there is a definite difference between 'protective' and 'possessive'. I hope I understand that a little better now. I feel like I do?
You shook your head. "It doesn't do me any good, wallowing like this." you said aloud.
"What's up, sweetheart?" Seth called from the living room. It was poker night and he had arrived a little early, so he was helping you tidy the place up. Not that it was very messy, what with you having claimed the living room as your own. Roman had protested but you could see that he wasn't sleeping well, so you'd surrendered his bed and took up residence on the pull-out couch. You were relatively quiet, not to mention clean. Reigns joked that it was like living with a ghost.
You'd requested a release from your lease. It had gone through about three weeks ago, and you were (not very enthusiastically) hunting for a new apartment. You'd heard nothing from your ex since the day he showed up at your workplace, and you hoped that you and Bray had done a good enough job of scaring him off. The idea of having your own apartment was still terrifying though. There were nights when you had a hard time sleeping or woke up in a cold sweat from nightmares.
One particularly bad night had you shaking when you woke up, throat sore from screaming. Roman was kneeling beside the couch to wake you, his large form in the dark making you shrink back with a sob.
"Easy! Easy baby girl. It's just me. Just Roman. I won't let anything happen to you, okay? You're safe here." he soothed, brushing some tears off your cheek with his thumb. He opened his arms and after a moment's hesitation you accepted the offer of a hug, snuffling quietly. "You're safe with me, baby girl. If he ever wants to hurt you again, he'll have to go through me." You vaguely remembered settling into bed, and Roman pressing a kiss to your forehead as you drifted back to sleep. You might have imagined that part though...
You hid your face, ignoring the soap suds on your hands. How am I this embarrassing? you wondered. How do I even exist like this?!
"Sweetheart do you need...uh?" Seth came to a halt beside you, his cheeks puffing momentarily with the effort of stifling his laughter. "The um. Dishes giving you trouble?"
"No! No no, I'm just distracted is all." you said, hastily wiping your face off with the towel hung over your shoulder. You immediately regretted your choice of words when Seth's eyes lit up.
"Oh? What might you be distracted by, hm?" he asked, sauntering around you to start putting the dishes back in the cabinets. You shrugged, trying to play it off. He nudged your shoulder, wiggling his eyebrows. "Come onnnnn, you can tell me! I promise I can keep a secret! Is it Roman-tic related?" Seth grinned down at you, eyebrows still in full-wiggle mode.
"Christ Rollins, you'll give yourself whiplash with those things!" you giggled as the front door opened. "Calm down-!"
"Who's ready for poker night?!" Dean hollered, sidestepping through the door with a six-pack of beer in either hand. "Because I am!"
"Ambrose! Nice of you to get here. Now. If only the guy who actually owns the apartment would make an appearance!" Rollins laughed, taking the six-packs and depositing them in the fridge.
…
Two hours later none of you were laughing. The three of you sat in relative silence at the table, Dean's nervous fingers tapping the only sound.
"Can...can you try calling him again?" you asked hesitantly. Without raising his head from its resting spot on the table, Seth pressed the brightly lit 'call' on his phone's touchscreen.
"Hey there, you've reached Roman's phone. Uh. Leave a message-"
Seth sighed heavily and hit the 'end' button. "Where the hell could he be?" he griped, rubbing his eyes and sitting up.
Dean looked to you worriedly. "Nothing from the ex, right darlin'?"
You hadn't even thought about that. You almost dropped your phone in your haste to check it. "Nothing." While you were slightly relieved, the idea wormed its way a little deeper.
What if something had happened? What if your ex had gone after Roman? What if he knew the way Roman felt about you? Your lower lip quivered.
"Hey hey, don't worry! I'm sure he's fine, he probably just had to work late or something. I guess his phone is dead." Seth reasoned, elbowing Dean.
"Yeah, he's fine! What the heck could happen to Rome?" the dirty blond agreed, rubbing his arm.
You just stared into your lap, the tears welling up faster as your brain whirled through scenarios. Each one more sinister than the last. "Guys I...I think I like Roman more than I should." you admitted quietly. "A lot more. He's...he's been so kind to me a-and if something happened to him b-b-because of m-me I-!" you hiccuped, the words too choked by sobs to get out.
"Doll I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that...I mean, I'm pretty sure Roman would whip that guy's ass anyhow. Don't cry darlin', c'mon." Dean rambled frantically, but the damage was done. He wrapped you in a hug, comforting you the only way he knew how.
Seth started pacing, yanking at his hair. "What the fuck could have happened. Where the fuck are you, Roman?!" he growled.
There was a tap at the door and Dean jerked in surprise, releasing you. Keys jangled outside, a muffled swear. Seth wrenched the door open and there on the doorstep, keys in hand and vaguely surprised expression on his tired face, was Roman.
He's okay.
"Where HAVE you been?! Explain yourself, Roman fucking Reigns!" Seth's voice whipped up and cracked with indignation.
Roman raised an eyebrow, taking in the furious looks of his two friends. "I had to work later. Covering for Ziggler again. I thought my text got through before my phone died. I'm assuming it didn't...?" He trailed off when you drew attention to yourself by sniffling.
"You had our sweetheart over here all worked up; she thought something had happened to you!" Rollins yelled, making you flinch. "Shit, we all did! Fuck's sake Rome, you scared us!"
When Seth got upset he reminded you of an angry parent, very 'I'm-not-mad-I'm-disappointed'. It worked on Roman though, the taller man bowing his head. "I'm so sorry guys, I wasn't thinking. I kinda' forgot about that, y'know? I mean its been a few weeks since anything dumb happened. I thought we were good." he said earnestly, yanking off his coat and dropping it on a chair. "Baby girl I'm sorry I-"
"I was so scared!" your voice exploded out of you, making Dean take a step forward in worry.
"Gently doll, it ain't his fault he's a little soft in the brain." he joked weakly.
Roman shook his head at him, reaching for you. His large hand closed carefully around your wrist and he gently tugged you into an embrace. "I'm alright, baby girl. I know how it is when your mind just goes to the worst thing, but I think the worst is over." he murmured against your hair, "I'm okay. It's kind of nice to know you'd at least be a little upset if something were to happen to me though." he tried to make a joke, making you narrow your eyes instead.
"You fucking ass," you hissed, "I'm a lot more than 'a little upset' right now."
"Take it easy Roman, she's kinda' been through a lot tonight." Dean raised his hands. "How about we all play a few rounds, drink a few beers? We have been waiting on your ass, Reigns."
…
"I didn't mean to freak you out."
You rolled your eyes. "I know, Reigns. Eyes to your cards." you grumbled, clutching yours closer to your chest. He had taken it upon himself to rest his head against your thigh, not even really paying attention to the game anymore.
Roman looked up at you with a sad, slightly-tipsy smile. "I fucked up big time, eh? I kinda' felt like we had been making progress for a little while."
You attempted to ignore him, trying to focus on your cards. He continued on over you ignoring him. "I liked having you sleep in my bed. I mean yeah, the couch bed sucks, but it was worth it to know you were comfortable. I like having you here. I don't...I don't really want you to get an apartment." His stage whisper was god awful, both Rollins and Ambrose looking up in disgust.
"Pitiful! You'd think a guy like that would know how to work with the ladies!" Dean needled, laughing at the way Roman's eyes narrowed. "Of course, our doll ain't one for the pretty words of seduction. No, she's a lady of substance."
"Christ Ambrose." you snickered.
Roman stood up abruptly, stretching with a loud yawn. You couldn't help the way your eyes found the strip of bare skin between his work pants and worn t-shirt.
Across from you, Seth whistled slowly. "Maybe not..." he trailed off with a wink, making you blush.
"Guys I'm beat. I'm just gonna' head to bed. Sorry." Reigns slurred, already starting to fumble out of his shirt as he headed off down the hall to his room.
Once the three of you heard the door close, Dean leaped to his feet and slapped the cards out of your hand. "Oh no! Looks like I win! Well it's been fun and all, but I uh. Gotta' head home. Stuff to do!" he said in a rush, jerking his chin towards Seth and practically running out the door. Rollins hopped up, hastily struggling into his jacket and mumbling his own excuse for leaving.
He threw a "good luck!" over his shoulder as he closed the door behind him, leaving you sitting on the couch with your mouth slightly open, cards scattered on the floor. You lurched upright, not at all surprised when you found both of their beers hardly touched.
You little shits.
But now. You were alone in an apartment with Roman. A tipsy Roman. And you yourself, somewhat tipsy. Somewhat braver than you would be otherwise...
A grin spread across your face. You could barely keep from giggling aloud as you scooped up all the cards and poured the open beers down the drain. You tiptoed down the hall, almost losing your nerve at the sight that met you when you opened his door.
He was sprawled out on top of his blankets, squinting up at his phone screen. His shirt had indeed been discarded along the way to the bed, the light from the hallway proudly displaying the complex inked patterns on his right arm and shoulder. You cleared your throat and Roman looked up, still squinting.
"What's up?" he asked, seeming somewhat flabbergasted when you flopped into bed beside him. "Uh."
"You scared the shit out of me today, Roman." You held up a hand when he went to say something. "Wait, please. Just. Let me talk. You didn't mean to. And I'm sorry I reacted the way I did. I don't know what I would do if something actually happened to you." You twiddled your fingers in your lap as Roman propped himself up on one elbow. "You're really important to me, Roman. You've been so patient and careful."
"Well yeah, we care about you, baby girl."
You shook your head. "I mean you, not everyone. You, Roman."
His smile was sad again as he laid on his side and looked up at you. "Watch it, baby girl. You can't just come into my bed and lay compliments on me like that. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you..." he paused, swallowing hard when you slid one hand beneath his ribs and the other over him, pulling him close in a tight hug. "...I'd say you uh, might be coming on to me. Or something." he finished weakly.
"Or something." you echoed, an almost stupid sense of power coming over you as you felt his skin jump under your touch. I can do this. He's just as nervous as I am! "Would you be upset if I was?"
"Jesus, no. Just. Worried about tomorrow morning." Roman tried to come off as nonchalant, like his body wasn't giving him away with every shaky breath.
You smiled at him, brushing some of his hair back over his shoulder. "I'm not. Why would I be? I'll still be here, in this ridiculously comfortable bed. I'd like to hope you'll still be here as well."
Roman's eyes darkened at your words and he pushed you to lay on your back. He hovered over you, his face lighting up with a real smile through the curtain of his messy hair when you didn't flinch or cringe. "Baby girl, it's been fucking torment." he murmured. "Having you here, knowing that you're just a room away from me. At least I could keep you safe here, even if...even if I couldn't touch you. It was enough for my brain, you know?" He shook his head. "I remember when you came to play cards with us that time, your eye all fucked up. I should have known. I should have done something then."
"No one could have done anything. I had to leave on my own." you said gently, cupping his face in your hands.
Roman nodded in understanding. "I know. But you can't blame a guy for his hindsight. And wanting to bust that shithead's skull open." His voice dropped to a low snarl. "Wondering if he hurt you ate at me. I used to lay awake, brain running overtime to give me these ridiculous scenarios of what was happening to you. Y'know, two in the morning thoughts." He pressed his forehead to yours. "Then you came to me. Me. When you were hurt. And I wanted to help. Even if I was too big or scary to help, I wanted to so badly. The fact that you let me help..."
His tipsy ramble ground to a halt and you watched in muted fascination as his throat worked against tears. You had no idea that he cared this much. You had no idea that Roman had known how large his frame was, and how scary that would be to you. To the point that he was flattered that you'd 'let' him help in the first place. "You're the only one I would ever come to. Regardless of how big you are, regardless of how scared I am. You make me feel safe." you murmured.
A sob made his chest heave. "Shit baby girl, come on. I'm already half in the bottle, you don't have to say stuff like that." Roman protested, sitting back on his knees and wiping the tears off his face.
You laughed, leaning up with him and wrapping your arms around his neck. "What else could I say?"
Roman shook his head, cupping your face carefully. "You wanna' sleep? We can talk more in the morning, maybe?" his tone was hopeful. You nodded, unable to keep from smiling when he tugged the blanket over the two of you. Roman kicked his work pants off, lazily flinging them across the room. Then he snuggled up against your back, effectively spooning you. "Goodnight, baby girl."
…
A gentle kiss woke you the next morning, and you groaned. "Five more minutes. Don't make me go to school."
Roman laughed, continuing to press kisses down your neck to your collarbone. You stretched, arching into him with a content sigh. You smiled when you felt him already hard against your thigh, Roman gasping as you slid a hand down his torso to his boxers. You stopped there for a minute, mapping out the defined lines of his hips and loving the way his skin shuddered beneath your fingers.
"God..." Roman's hair was a curtain around your faces, the large man looking down at you with an almost reverent expression. He pulled back, settling onto his haunches and starting to tie his hair back. You smoothed a hand over the front of his boxers and Roman bit his lip, rumbling low in his throat and closing his eyes.
"I like your hair loose." you whispered, sliding his boxers down as far as you could.
"Oh?" his voice was breathy as he immediately stopped tying his hair up. "Why's that?"
"I like how it moves. How it looks," you shrugged, "it suits you."
"'Suits me', huh?" Roman yanked the hair elastic out and flung it to somewhere in the room, his hands landing heavily on either side of you. "Alright, baby girl. I suppose I'll humor you." His smirk was entirely different from his smile, his hair falling over his shoulders and making him look positively fantastic.
You smiled back up at him, taking his cock in your hand. He sucked in a breath through his teeth at the contact, hands latching onto your sides and hauling you up onto your knees with him. "Baby girl you are wearing way too many clothes." Roman pointed out, tugging at your shirt teasingly.
"Mmm, you're right I guess. But I'm a little busy." you replied, fisting your hand around his cock and watching in slight surprise as he began to automatically thrust into your hand. Roman groaned, shaking his head and tightening his grip on your ribs.
"I'm too f-fucking wound up. I-if you don't..." his warning died as you released him, biting down hard on his lower lip when you took your shirt off.
"If I don't what?" you asked, sliding your pajama pants down to follow your shirt to the side of the bed. "If I don't...?" You shuffled nice and close on your knees before pressing your naked body against his, resting your head on his chest. Roman pulled in a shaky breath as he wrapped his arms around you, holding you for a minute. His cock pressed insistently into your belly, and you tapped the head of it with your index finger.
"Baby girl, I'm going to fuck the daylights out of you," Roman said calmly, "with or without you teasing me."
His quiet declaration made your breath catch in your throat and you looked up wide-eyed. "Yeah?"
Roman pressed your back to the mattress in one fell move, sliding his hands quickly down your body to raise your hips into the air. You squeaked, head reeling from how fast he had moved. Then you moaned loudly at the tongue that was gently teasing your clit. "Roman-!"
He had a firm grip on your hips, your knees over his shoulders like they belonged there. He released you briefly to shove his hair back out of the way, flashing you a stomach-twisting smile. "This okay?"
"Yes yes yes please-" your begging was cut off as he laughed and returned his mouth to your cunt, lazily licking you in long, slow strokes with the flat of his tongue. You threw your head back, barely believing that this was happening to you.
You weren't exactly difficult to get off in the first place, and you'd been waiting for this a little longer than you cared to admit to anyone. Except maybe one person, and he was busy doing everything in his power to end your wait. Just that thought made your belly fill with heat. "Please please please." your voice rang out desperately, your whole body tense and waiting for one last little push.
Roman had you almost entirely off the bed at this point, supporting your weight with one arm and his shoulders. He reached up with his other hand to gently rub at your clit while still continuing with the long, careful licks of his tongue and you fell apart, shaking in his grip and whimpering as you came.
"Fucking hell." you gasped helplessly, arching as best as you could when he groaned and pressed his lips to your thigh.
"God, baby girl. All this, for me?" Roman seemed just as bewildered as you, his reaction more endearing than mood-breaking. You nodded furiously. "How did I get so fucking lucky?"
"I don't know but you'd better not let it go to waste." you mumbled, thoroughly enjoying yourself. You felt him grin against you before he pulled away again and let you back down onto the bed.
"I'm kinda'...I mean like I said, I'm kinda' wound." Roman apologized, his smile smug just the same.
You couldn't help but smile back, your eyes half-lidded. "I don't even care. I was promised a 'daylights out of me' fuck, you didn't specify a time limit."
"True. And that vagueness will probably save my ass." he mused, stretching full-length over you to reach the drawer of his nightstand. You gave his arm an appreciative stroke, making him look down at you.
"Thank you." you said quietly.
Roman's eyes softened and he put his hand over yours, keeping it pressed against his tattooed shoulder for a minute. "This is my armor. I use it to protect the ones I care about." His voice was gentle. "As long as you want me to, I will protect you. I don't want you to ever be scared again." He pressed a kiss to your forehead, and carried on his mission in the nightstand drawer.
You swallowed hard, propping yourself up on your elbows to watch him roll on a condom. You loved the way he closed his eyes and tilted his head back as he did it, his motions lazy and sure. "I might have wanted to tell you that for a while." Roman paused, leaning down and kissing you hungrily on the mouth. "Feels good to finally say it." he continued breathlessly, slowly sheathing himself in your cunt.
Your eyes closed and you dug your fingers into his shoulders with a whimper. Roman instantly stopped. "Too much?" he gasped, his hands fisted in the blankets on either side of your head. "Say the word and I'll get the fuck off of you, okay?" His voice had a ragged sound to it that made you shiver.
"I'm good, I'm fine. Normal reaction, sorry-" you managed to get out before he started moving. Jesus Christ, he hadn't been lying when he promised he would fuck the daylights out of you. Every motion was like a calculated attack on your arousal, and when his mouth pressed against your ear you couldn't help keening out in delight.
"Baby girl, baby girl. You have no clue what you do to me." Roman growled, snapping his hips up into you. "You make me a lion, you make me fucking ravenous, you make me so damn scared." His facial hair rubbed against your cheek as he spoke quicker. "You can bring me to my knees with one fucking look. Your smile makes me the happiest bastard alive. The fucking things you fucking do to me."
"Roman-!" you moaned, making him tense up and shudder.
"My name sounds damn fucking good, coming from your mouth." The heated, dirty words pouring out of him did things to you that you hadn't anticipated. You didn't normally cum again so soon, but Roman was hardly playing fair. "I'm yours, I'm all fucking yours baby girl. And I'm gonna' cum. So p-please-" Roman's voice hitched, and the way he helplessly buried his face in your neck and cried out tipped you over the edge with him.
"Jesus." he shuddered, just staring down at you while the aftershocks rolled over the two of you. His arms trembled with the effort of holding himself up. "You look amazing like this."
"Trust me, its a mutual look." you replied, smiling sleepily up at him. "Be lazy with me this morning?"
"God, I thought you'd never ask." Roman laughed, collapsing back into bed beside you after he got up to get rid of the condom.
Rain pattered against the window as you snuggled into his chest, luxuriating in the feeling of safety. Warmth and comfort seemed to radiate from him as he wrapped his arms around you, yanking a light blanket up over the two of you as an afterthought.
You couldn't have asked for a more perfect morning.
AN: I hope you enjoyed, and thanks again for reading!