This is another cross post from Ao3. This is different from my other romances that I've written and has a underlying trigger warning of domestic abuse. This one gets to be pretty dark. If that turns you off you might not wanna read this story, read at your own risk. ;o As far as the story flow goes, it's gonna seem fast pace at the beginning but it's gonna slow down soon after.

I also do not own any of the characters here, nor does the character interactions reflect my views on the wrestlers themselves. With that said...

Enjoy! :D

Unstable Part 1

Seth Rollins was his best friend.

Every thought about the younger male boiled down to that simple statement. Roman would do anything for the brunet. If Seth had asked him to rip the sky down, then he'd find a way to do it. That was just how devoted he was to The Architect, and he knew that Seth had shared the same feeling.

When they fought they'd make up for it later admitting who was right and who was wrong. When they got too drunk the other was always made sure one they were sober enough to take care of him. When they were down, the other was always there to be the willing ear. Roman and Seth were practically inseparable. Even if they were in separate programs on screen, they still somehow managed to immerse one another into their storylines. Being the flexible high flyer that Seth was, he was able to help Roman through some difficult spots to later use live events, and eventually on screen. With Roman's strength it helped the smaller male to keep on his toes by being able to be tossed around and maintain his cat-like agility.

As long as Seth was smiling, Roman was too.

Eventually they had brought Dean back into the fold and the trio were ecstatic that their brotherhood was back together. It felt as if nothing changed between the three of them and their chemistry was better than ever. That was why it felt right when they decided to get the band back together. They're goal was the run the yard together and remind everyone who the futures of the business truly were. It gave them and the fans a feel good moment and a memory to cherish forever. The smile on Seth's face had grown even wider, he was so proud to be by his brothers' sides.

Of course nothing lasts forever…

Later on that year Roman would be hit with the same bug that hit poor Bo Dallas and their lovely ring announcer Jojo. Being at home alone practically killed The Big Dog as he knew that he wasn't there to be by brothers' side. The oldest of the trio dreaded that the only time he'd be able to see Dean or Seth's smiling face was through video chat. Roman already hated sitting still, on top of that he was all alone and relied on Dean to keep Seth safe and happy. Although the middle brother was more than happy to do so, he still felt a pang of guilt because he felt that to be his job. He was the oldest, he was the one meant to take care of them. Luckily Roman hadn't been out long and they were able to carry on their storyline with The New Day at Survivor Series as planned.

Why had The Shield been stricken with such bad luck? That was the question Roman asked himself again and again as Dean was taken away in an ambulance in the middle of a RAW taping. It hurt to know that Dean had already been holding back on letting everyone know about the nagging injury in his right arm. On top of that, the Lunatic Fringe covered it up by wearing that long black sleeve and elbow pad, when he hadn't been know to wear protective gear in the first place. Roman knew Dean was trying to push through it all, but without the proper amount of rest, he had broken. His middle brother's iron man streak was over, and it just so ended in the same match Seth was in.

Gone was Seth's smile. The first night they had learned of Dean's injury he remembered seeing his youngest brother huddled in a corner in the locker room softly sobbing and blaming himself for what happened. "I couldn't protect him Ro," said Seth in between sobs. The words had torn through Roman like a hot knife through butter. That night Seth had cried himself to sleep in the ride back to the hotel. The oldest took care of Seth, as he was devoted to. He had carried The Architect's sleeping form up to the hotel room, and then took care of their bags.

But that was only the beginning…

Roman watched helplessly as his youngest brother began to dwindle. Seth was like a candle ready to burn out but desperately holding on to the last sliver of flames it had. Dean didn't blame him for what happened. They all knew it was just the dangers of their business...so why was he so harsh on himself? Seth knew what the people were saying about him, and how they thought of him to be an unsafe worker, but it wasn't like The Architect to give into that kind of propaganda. The words dwelled on Roman every night of the week he held Seth close as the younger male had cried himself to sleep.

The oldest was watching his best friend crash and burn. He knew Seth wasn't sleeping well, and it showed in his matches at the live events. Roman knew his younger brother's moves well enough to know when he was doing them sloppy. Luckily...they weren't sloppy enough for the roaring fans to notice. They cheered Seth at the top of their lungs and still left happy. The only one who wasn't leaving happy was the man himself. On the last night of the tour, Seth was told he wouldn't be competing for the rough shape he had looked to be in. If The Architect couldn't take care of himself, how could he take care of his co-worker in the ring? For art and immersion to work, both men (and women) had to work in sync through the entire match. To management, Seth looked like he seen the seventh circle of hell and back, and to Roman...they were right.

Roman gave management a reassurance and went home with Seth that week to keep an eye on him and made sure he got some rest. On the first night in Seth's home, he had slept through the entire night after crying himself to sleep once more, but thankfully it was the last night he had sobed. The next morning the oldest had been up first to order breakfast for the two of them, so they could relax. Once Seth was up he had spent almost the entire day play video games and showing the get well texts he was getting from their co-workers.

There was one in particular that stood out to him however that stuck a small jealousy chord in the raven haired man. "I hope you are resting well, once you get back I'd like to take you out to coffee sometime." Roman snorted at the smiley face that was at the end of the text. He wondered when Seth had started speaking to Jason Jordan anyway. Other than their love for football, he wasn't sure if the two of them had anything else in common. But in reality, why did he care? Seth was his best friend but he was still his own man. The Architect could hang out with whomever he wants, and Roman shouldn't have a say. Perhaps he was just jealous that Seth would rather hang out with someone other than him was all.

That had to be it, Roman Reigns wasn't the jealous type…

"Should I?" asked Seth leaning back on the plush gray colored couch while taking a huge gulp of water from the plastic bottle that had been sitting on the coffee table. Roman tore his eyes away from the TV to gaze into the beautiful chocolate colored orbs of his best friend. They held genuine curiosity, like he was actually considering take Jason up on his offer. When ever Seth was unsure he'd always turn to Roman for advice.

Roman remembered Seth's last relationship was with Dean. The two had an sweet attraction to one another and decided give it a shot thanks to the oldest's advice. However it didn't work out for them in the end as the two still saw one another as brothers rather than partners. Dean and Seth decided they wanted to keep what they had as it wasn't broken to begin with. Since then he saw that The Architect hadn't really shown interest in anyone and focused more on his career. So it really did peak Roman's interest when he saw that Seth was considering Jason's offer.

He started with a short huff followed by a shrug. "Do what you want, I'm not your keeper." said Roman sarcastically. Although his words sounded harsh, he knows that Seth would quickly pick up on his jab.

"Ya think so?" asked the younger just trying to double take on what the Samoan said.

Roman collected Seth in his arms for a loose but loving hug allowing the brunet to rest his head on his shoulder, "As long as you're happy, uce." The two of them just sat there in one another's warmth, not only shielding one another from Iowa's unforgiving winter but as two close friends who cared for each other's happiness.

The following Monday the older brother stifled a laughter as Seth sat on his bed with his leg bouncing up and down in anticipation. Both men knew that it had been a while since the brunet went on a date, and now Seth had been acting like a teeanger constantly looking at his phone every minute to keep himself occupied. As the younger man was preoccupied with his phone, for what felt like the twentieth time in the last 5 minutes, there was a loud knock at the door startling and causing him to jump a little. The raven haired man held back another laugh seeing the nervous look on Seth's face as he went to answer the door. Much to younger's dismay and older's amusement, it was just the room service delivering Roman's lunch, since Seth's coffee outing became a full on lunch date.

Once Roman had taken the food and gave the delivery man a hefty tip, he gave his attentions back to Seth who was giving him the biggest death glare possible. If looks could kill the oldest would have been assassinated and then some with the look he was receiving. It had only caused him to release all the laughter he had been holding back for the last hour or so. He had only calmed when another knock was heard and this time Seth went to go answer rolling his eyes as he past his older brother on the way. Roman only snickered some more. He loved teasing Seth. Before disappearing because his date arrived he watched as the younger brother looked back at him one last time to stick his tongue out like a small child.

Little did Roman know, that letting his best friend walk away with Jason would be the biggest mistake of his life…

Seth had arrived at the arena an hour before the show, and being the nosy older brother that he was immediately after spotting his best friend showered him in questions about his date. The grin that the younger held was large and the way he talked it was obvious he was on cloud nine. Roman once more felt his heart crumple just a little bit as the brunet talked about where they went, and how Jason was making him laugh. His best friend was smiling all over again, and that was good enough for him. Roman just observed him realizing that maybe Jason could be the one to add fuel to that flickering flame to the candle that was Seth.

"Go for it," said Roman firmly cutting off his younger brother's rant. Seth just looked up at him with curious brown eyes trying to read his expression. He chuckled patting the brunet on the shoulder. "Boy heard me...go get him. You deserve to be happy Seth, and it sounds like you two hit it off well." The brunet only responded with a small giggle.

It hadn't even been a week and already the word spread like mad between both the men and women's locker rooms of both brands to find out that Seth and Jason had begun dating. It also didn't help that his sometimes hopeless younger brother didn't even bother to try and hide it. Roman watched from afar as Seth gave into all of Jason's sweet nothings and small touches. The former half of American Alpha certainly was handy, and The Architect just let it all happen.

Everything happened too fast for Roman's liking. The on going word reached the writers and saw it as a perfect opportunity to try the same planned storyline with Seth only with Jason in Dean's place. The thought scared him. He knew that even though his friend was smiling, Seth still probably wasn't the most emotionally stable, and here was their management practically shoving the two of them together. There were so many things wrong with the scenario but knew he couldn't do a damn thing about it. He cared about Seth, but he had to think of his own career too. He could only watch from afar and hope that Jason could protect Seth or at least his younger brother could at least protect himself.

In their show on Sunday, Jason and Seth tagged together to test out their chemistry and showed no lumps in their flowing style. It was mesmerizing to Roman to see two athletes who haven't worked much together to flow so smoothly. To how great they got started to see how well they worked together in the ring, Roman really started to believe that Jason Jordan may just be the one for Seth. After returning behind the curtain he congratulated the two of them for a great match and gave the two of them their space. Roman's heart sank as he watched the two of them give one another a lengthy hug followed by Seth throwing his arms over Jason's shoulders for a short but loving kiss.

The Samoan walked away with a slight smile and half a scowl. What was wrong with him? Seth was happy, he should be happy for him. His mind threw every bad scenario at him which only frustrated him more. Once away from the public eye he punched the closest wall to him which solved nothing but causing him pain and broken skin on his knuckles. He decided to forgo a shower and decided he'd do it back when he was in his hotel room. He needed distance from the place as soon as possible.

The next RAW just as planned the two had won the tag titles, and celebrated by going out on yet another date. Roman got to hear all about it the next morning in a series of text messages. They had only been going out for a week, and already Seth was rooming with his new boyfriend. The older man scrubbed his face with his palms still thinking about how uncomfortable he was with how fast his little brother rushed into the relationship. The other half of his mind had to remind him that Seth was a fully capable adult who could make his own decisions. The Samoan knew that if he intervened it would certainly damage his friendship. He trusted Seth. He trusted the man enough to know that it was okay to come to him if something was wrong. It didn't stop Seth in the past so why would he stop now?

From there on it was silence from Seth's end throughout the week. The only real messages he got from Seth were just the text telling him good morning and to have a good day. He was thankful his younger brother hadn't completely cut off communication. The raven haired man just saw it as his best friend enjoying his new relationship and title reign.

Without Dean or even his cousins Roman felt lonely. He hadn't realized just how empty he felt without Seth. He was supposed to be happy that his best friend was, but now what he was gonna do? A thought came to mind and he instantly dismissed it. He loved Seth like a younger brother, but didn't love him in the sicking way he and Jason looked at one another. "Why me?" he thought. It was just his luck that as these thoughts floated around his head, the same man whom he couldn't get off his mind was asking him to hang out tomorrow after the show. Instantly Roman agreed.

He knew he was in for an emotion ride, he just hoped he wouldn't drag Seth down with him...

When Seth walked into the arena with aviator sunglasses on a day where sunset was very early, all eyes especially Roman's were drawn to him. It was then he noticed something was extremely off with Seth. Normally his best friend would approach him and give him a quick hug even if he was in a hurry. But this time the brunet cracked a small smile and wave at him from a distance. Roman smiled and waved back only to see that Jason had stepped in front of him blocking his view of Seth. The dark skinned man's unusual behavior didn't go unnoticed by The Big Dog either.

Roman saw Jason look over his shoulder to shoot him a glare before tugging on Seth's arm. What looked the most off to him was that the brunet looks like he was trying to wrench his arm out of the other man's grip. He got up off the production box he was sitting on with the want to give the little punk a piece of his mind when his attentions were suddenly caught by a producer's assistant. He dismissed the kid for a moment to see if Seth was still there but they were gone. Roman missed his chance. Returning his attentions back to the intern, he noticed the kid was quaking a little. The Samoan often prided himself on being able to keep his emotions in check, but when his anger flared it showed deeply.

Worried, disgruntled, and now straight up annoyed after talking circles in the production truck, the Samoan had just enough time to get dressed in time to get out and get his promo done to open the show. Just what kind of a hectic day was he in for? He hoped seeing his best friend after the show would make it all better.

On his way back to the locker room, Roman could have sworn he heard shouting followed by what sounded like someone slapping another person. With his mind racing the raven haired man turned his slow walk into a brisk pace only to come across the private locker room requested by Jordan himself. Roman sighed deeply, hoping it wasn't what he thought. He lifted his hand to knock on the door a few times before waiting for someone to answer. He hadn't seen either man in the halls so he assumed they were both there.

Just when Roman was about to knock again someone called through on the other side. "Who is it?" The Samoan rolled his eyes when he heard it was Jason answering.

He took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing. It seemed that the darker skinned man had no intention to answering the door which again lit sirens up in Roman's mind. "I just wanted to know if everything is okay, and to see if I could talk to Seth maybe."

"Everything is fine he's just getting ready for his match. Thanks for your concern though." The raven haired man couldn't help but give a loud huff especially to how insincere Jason was sounding. Why wasn't Seth speaking? He knew that the brunet hated it when people spoke for him. Something was severely wrong, and the Samoan was gonna get to the bottom of it.

"Just tell Seth, I look forward to hanging out with him tonight," finished Roman before sighing and walking off. The Samoan had already figured out that Jason didn't have the nerve to talk to him. It only said that Seth's new boyfriend was a total coward. He shook in anger before walking off, but he couldn't help but wonder: Why would his younger brother let it happen? What if it was all in Roman's head because of the jealousy he had.

Not only had Roman been waiting at the late night coffee shop, he was horrified to see the reason why his best friend had come in the arena wearing sunglasses. Seth sat down in the booth across from him with a sigh. He took time to observe the state the younger man was in. His normally tanned skin was looking a little pale, as he had dark circles under his eyes, and particularly his left eye also sporting a nasty looking black eye. The way Seth slumped it was obvious he was exhausted, and no doubt the live show left him drained even more.

The Samoan tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for an explanation as to why he looked the way he did and why he was late as well. But his best friend just sat there breathing in and out, like he was trying to get his body to relax. Seth's body was trembling as goosebumps formed on his arms as he shivered. He looked no different than he had two weeks ago when Roman had escorted him home to Iowa. The silence rung heavy around them and the tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife.

"What happened?" he asked giving attention to the younger man's black eye. Roman tried not to lace his voice with anger. If what was happened to Seth was true, he had no reason to be angry at brunet. But he needed Seth to tell him here, or he'd have to catch Jason in the act. Roman flinched seeing the nasty bruise around his wrist as well. Like someone had held it tightly and he had struggled. If seeing the state the younger man didn't confirm his suspicions then he had to be the most oblivious man on the planet.

He watched as Seth shivered again and his face contort with fear. The Architect reached up and graced the bruise over with his fingertips like he was reliving the horrifying memory of how he got it. Roman couldn't help but reach over and lightly brushed his fingertips over Seth's other hand that remained on the table. There was something about the gesture that sent an electric spark through him. Looking back up he noticed Seth was smiling again. But it wasn't genuine, it was fake...it was something to keep the Samoan from worrying.

"We were practicing some spots before we came to the arena. I accidentally leaned too far into a hit, and he got me right in the eye." It was a lie. He could see it in Seth's eyes, he was averting his gaze as the lie came through his teeth. But if Seth was willing to forwardly lie to him it was all the proof Roman needed, to want to try and save his best friend from the clutches of a very sinister man.

Roman opened his mouth to ask another question when both their attentions were caught by the sounds of Seth's phone receiving a text. He once more observed as the younger man looked reluctant to answer the text, and looked even more distraught after a long sigh. "I gotta get going, Ro. Looks like Jason wants to hit the road early tomorrow."

Seth hesitantly slid out of the booth, with Roman quickly getting up after him. He reached out to cup the younger man's who just stood there in silence. The older tilted his head a little catching a glimpse what looked like to be another bruise on Seth's collarbone, hidden by his shirt. The younger looked like he wanted to lean into the touch and pulled his face away instead. "I'll be fine." he said with that fake smile. "Good night Roman."

And with that he just let Seth walk away, leaving him seething...

Let me know what you think, this one is a bit darker than I usually write.

~CrisisExceed