Disclaimer: See Chapter 20

CheekyClaudine: I hope not angry. =]

LegacyChick: It would be. I think it's more the meaning of letting it happen that way, then the actual act of doing it. Poor Seth, no sympathy at all. XD

Sparkles Blue: Haha. Best visual EVER! Yeah, see Seth, Dean's trying hard just for you! Yes! I wasn't my best attempt but I'm glad you liked it! Gotta be in tune to your lover, ya know? Believe me, if I had a penis, Dean woulda got the D too. XD I'm really glad you think so love! =]

PassionWriter101: Right!? Yeah, take it slow and realize Dean's not going anywhere. Yeah, me too! XD Don't be sad love. I've got a surprise for everyone at the end. And I'm really glad you've liked it so much! I can't help but smile =]

Forgiven

Dean's eyes fluttered open, his arms heavy. He looked over, finding Seth's lovely face resting on his chest. He smiled softly, running his fingers through the messy dual colored locks. He let the night before run through his head. He'd almost lost all control when he'd seen Phil kissing Seth. He blew out a sigh, turning from his back to his side, wrapping his arm around Seth's shoulders. He pressed a kiss to Seth's forehead, closing his eyes.

He had what he wanted right there in bed with him. His eyes ran down the curve of Seth's shoulder, his fingers running down the vertical tattoo on Seth's spine. He was grateful that Seth had pulled back at the last minute. He sighed, pulling Seth even closer. He hadn't been ready but he'd convinced himself that if that was what it took to make Seth believe him, he'd go that far and further. "I love you," he murmured, the curve of a smile pressing against his chest.

"I love you too," Seth mumbled, pulling back just enough to look up at his lover. "You usually think that hard the morning after?" He was only teasing Dean. "I mean I know you've probably had better…"

Dean rolled his eyes, planting a mind numbing kiss on Seth's lips. "I wouldn't say better, maybe a little less nerve wracking, but it was good," he answered, Seth's soft brown eyes searching his face. "You sure you can handle how it ended?"

Seth nodded, reaching up and stroking Dean's fresh stubble. His smile faded, a fear rising in him. "Can you?" he asked gently, confused blue eyes resting on him. "I mean, you may never be okay with me… well ya know and I won't force you to do me."

Dean felt his chest warm, his once fading smile back in place. "I'll be okay," he whispered, feeling completely at ease with the smile on Seth's lips. "I should tell you something. I was going to last night but we fell asleep."

Seth looked up, a little panicky. "What's that?" he asked nervously, swallowing hard around the lump that had jumped in his throat. What could it be that Dean was going to say? Would he break it off? Would he say they'd never do more?

"That night, when I was with Kaitlyn," he started, the dark look on Seth's face intensifying. "Just listen. That night, I wasn't thinking about her when we were in her room. Everything she did, I could only wonder how it would feel if it was you. And at the end, I was calling out for you. I was just using her to feel better and in the end, all I wanted was you." He looked down into adverted brown eyes. "It was a one night stand. I don't know why I'm telling you this, I guess I just wanted you to know."

Seth nodded, heart pounding. Secretly, he was relieved. He'd worried continuously that she would be able to give Dean something he couldn't. His mind's eyes showed him Dean at the bar with his arms around both Kaitlyn and Renee. He sighed, pushing the thought away. He trusted what Dean had said.

"What's on your mind?" Dean asked, knowing Seth wouldn't tell him unless he coaxed it out of him. His finger curled under Seth's chin, tipping it up so he'd look up at him. "Seth?"

"I was just thinking about how happy you looked at the bar with them. It's stupid. I know you're attracted to women, of course you're going to flirt," he muttered, those blue eyes only smiling at him.

"Oh that," Dean chuckled, pulling Seth in for a squeeze. "I ran into Kaitlyn on the way out of the hotel. She asked me to walk with her and Renee to the bar to celebrate. She wanted to ask if I'd talked to you. Renee was just trying to make one of the stage hands jealous because he stood her up and asked us to help. In return, I asked them to look for you in the bar. I didn't think you'd want me to see you, so it was the only way I could find you."

Seth felt relief run over him. He still didn't like that Dean had had his hands on them or the way Renee had whispered in his ear. "She acted like she wanted you for real," he mumbled, almost ashamed of how jealous he was acting, almost.

"When she whispered in my ear?" Dean clarified, the slow nod confirming. "She was only telling me she'd found you in the crowd."

Seth looked up, a smile meeting him. "I'm sorry," he finally muttered, burying his burning face in Dean's chest, embarrassed. "I sound stupid now for everything." He felt it too. After all the pushing he'd done to get Dean's attention and affection, he'd been the one to run away when things had gotten serious. "I'm sorry for jerking you around so much. I was just scared."

Dean hushed Seth, pulling free from the long arms. He smirked, grabbing Seth's wrists and pinning him down on the bed, his legs straddling the other man's. He pushed into Seth, their lower halves starting to stir. "You weren't the only one," he breathed, his body heating up. "After finding out about you and Roman, I was afraid I wasn't going to be enough. People get tired of waiting and I was running away when I got uncomfortable."

Seth smiled, cheeks reddening as he grew harder from Dean's teasing. "Rome was nothing to worry about," he whimpered, hands tightening around Dean's as they slid into his. "It's too early to be teasing me this bad."

Dean smirked, leaning in and kissing Seth softly. "He got to touch you, to taste you," Dean murmured against Seth's lips, a deep hate filling him. "He got to fuck you for over a year. I could've lost you to him."

Seth started to chuckle, turning his head to the side when he let out a full blow laugh. "You're cute," he laughed out, looking up into the darkening blue eyes. "Since we're both putting it all out there, Roman wasn't anything to me. We were just sex buddies. Actually, you're the reason it even started."

Dean's eyes widened, shocked and confused at the statement. "What?" he asked, freeing Seth's hands and sitting up, groaning as the base of his cock brushed against Seth's. "Me? What the hell are you talking about?" He suddenly thought about what Cody had said about him not knowing a lot of things that he should.

Seth took a deep breath, his hands moving to cradle the back of his head. "One night after you ditched us at the bar for some chick I told Roman how I felt about you and I was so trashed that I pretty much attacked him. It was really awkward the next day and I pretty much begged him not to say anything. I didn't want you to know about any of it. Right after we were told we were going to move up to the main roster, you were bragging about this new girl you were seeing and I got jealous and asked Roman to do it again," he explained, pausing at the look of irritation on Dean's face.

"We made the agreement to just use each other. He was my replacement for you. Whenever you went off with women or would tease or ignore me, intentional or not I went to him. If he was having a rough time, he'd come to me. That's as far as it ever went. I don't think we've even slept in the same bed besides the first time," he went on, wiggling under Dean, making them both groan.

"He knew that I was thinking of you, and he indulged it. I only know of a few times where I didn't have my eyes closed pretending it was you. Normally, he encouraged my fantasies." He eased up, sliding into a seated position, his hands on Dean's hips. He pressed his forehead against Dean's chest, planting a small kiss there. "It really was just sex. When everything happened, I went to Roman because I didn't know what else to do. I was sure you were going to reject me completely after that. It wasn't supposed to go that far."

Dean sighed, wrapping his arms around Seth. He pressed a kiss to the top of the silky hair, shaking his head. "We're a bunch of fucking losers," he mumbled, chuckling and smiling at the small chuckle that left Seth's lips. "I guess I should apologize to him then."

Seth pulled back, looking up curiously. "You two haven't talked?" he asked, feeling worse. "This is not how I wanted this to go."

"I was still mad. Anytime I saw him, all I could think about was his hands all over you. I just wanted to rearrange his face," he admitted, looking towards the wall. "I should probably tell him thank you too. He's the one who made me realize how possessive of you I was already. It scares me." He moved to the side, breaking contact between them. "I've never wanted so much before from someone. I don't want to end up pushing you away because of it."

Seth smiled sweetly, leaning against Dean, his head resting on the hunched shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," he murmured, reaching up and turning Dean's face to his. "Look at me, your marks are all over me. I couldn't go anywhere if I wanted."

Dean chuckled, rolling his eyes. He pulled Seth to him, that long body resting between his legs, Seth's head pressed against his chest as they laid back on the bed. "Did you mean it?" he asked, thinking of those passionate words.

"Which part?"

Dean thought, wondering if he really wanted to delve that deep in himself. "Nothing," he breathed, closing his eyes, Seth's eyes already on him, a hand underneath the scruffy beard.

"Liar."

Dean's eyes shot open, a stern look on his features. He was met with a smile. He let his features soften, looking away again. "What you said, when you were… when your fingers were…." He stopped, unable to bring himself to say it. He hated that his cheeks were already warming up from embarrassment.

Seth only smirked, scooting up Dean's chest and pressing a kiss to the soft lips. "Yeah, I meant it. Should I show you?" he asked, kissing Dean again.

"How do you plan on doing that?"

Seth smirked, straddling Dean's hips. "Well, that's for me to know." He circled his hips into Dean's, their still half hard cocks sliding against each other. "And for you to find out." He smirked, Dean pulling him in for a heated kiss. "I love you," he murmured against Dean's lips, his heart pounding harder than it had the night before when he'd said it.

Dean only smirked, kissing Seth over and over. "I love you too."

Roman groaned, Cody only pushing him to run longer on the treadmill. "Cody, I'm tired," he nearly whined, eyelids drooping as he stumbled over his feet for what seemed like the hundredth time. "I did most of the work last night, cut me a break."

Cody's cheeks lit up, his eyes moving down to his own jogging feet. "Five more minutes and I'll do the work tonight," he bargained, knowing Roman was thinking about it.

"Fine."

Cody smirked, looking over to his boyfriend, chuckling at how he continued to jog on the machine, his rock hard body only making him want to give up on their work out and take him right back to the hotel room. He stumbled over his own feet, quickly correcting and continuing his run.

"That's what you get for staring," Roman teased, laughing softly. He finished his run and stopped the machine, legs tired. He told himself it was the last time he allowed Cody to dictate their pace. That little body may be the tightest he'd been in, but the way Cody would get him right on the brink of climax just to back off and start over was just complete and utter torture. He waited another minute or so for Cody to wind down his own run so that they could finish up with some weights before returning to their room to shower.

"Hey Rome!"

Roman and Cody turned, Seth and Dean entering the hotel's gym, Seth waving at them. Roman smirked, looking down at the clasped hands between his friends. He was happy for the two, especially since him and Cody had heard close to half of the argument through the wall. "About fucking time," he breathed, sure that Dean and Seth couldn't hear him as they walked over, their hands breaking apart.

"I just wanted to see Cody," Seth said, reaching out and taking Cody's arm, leading him off to the other side of the large gym. He smiled, looking back at the two. "Sorry to steal you away like this, but Dean won't talk to Roman while we're around."

Cody nodded, shaking his head at the man leading him. "So things are better?" he asked once they'd stopped, Seth watching intently at the two.

Seth smiled softly, nodding. "Yeah. It's a lot better," he replied, looking down into the bright blue eyes. "So, you and Rome, how is it?"

Cody's cheeks instantly flushed. "It's awesome," he answered, his fingers fiddling in front of him. "I didn't know dating could be so fun. I didn't get to do this kind of thing with Ted, so I'm still learning."

Seth's smile widened. "I'm glad. He's learning too, but he should be okay this time, he's got someone pretty well devoted exclusively to him. I don't think he'll admit it out loud, but I'm sure he loves that."

Cody nodded again, wondering if that kind of affection would turn into a deeper, more meaningful love between them. He let his eyes run over Roman's body, his arms and calves shiny with sweat. His heart thumped in his chest. He told himself not to rush, let things work out and even if it never turned into love, he still had the opportunity to enjoy the experience.

Dean watched Seth pull Cody away, sure that he was going to do something to get back at the smaller man that night. He'd only said he needed to talk to Roman, not that he wanted to do it right away. He sighed, shaking his head. His head turned, the chuckle escaping from between Roman's lips capturing his attention.

"He's happy again," Roman breathed, grey eyes meeting blue ones. "I'm glad."

Dean grunted, biting the inside of his cheek before looking down at their sneaker clad feet. "I wanted to apologize," he mumbled, scuffing his the toe of his shoe along the carpeted floor.

"For what?" Roman asked, a bit confused. "I'm pretty sure, everything you did was justified, even punching me in the face," He looked down at Dean, the dark expression softening. "Ready to go back to how we were before this happened?"

Dean nodded, an uncertain smile covering his lips. "He told me about what you and him were," he murmured, crossing his arms over his chest. "It wasn't fair for you to be my replacement. When you said it, I could just see you two together and it just set me off. I didn't want to listen."

Roman nodded, knowing exactly what Dean was saying. "Well, it's nothing to worry about now," he said, resting a hand on Dean's shoulder. "What matters is that you're happy with him and he's happy with you. The rest seems to fall into place as you go."

"You sound like you have some experience," Dean muttered, looking up into the wayward face. He paused, wondering if he'd said the wrong thing when those grey eyes darkened. "I didn't mean to bring up bad shit."

Roman shook his head. "It's not that. I know it's only been a few days but things with Cody, they feel a hundred times better than they did with her. I just enjoy being with him. Just watching tv together feels good," he explained, licking his lower lip. "Sounds like something out of a bad chick flick huh?"

Dean chuckled, knowing exactly what Roman was saying. "Maybe a little," he teased, looking over. He shared a smile with Roman, knowing that their friendship was on track to mending, no more words needed. "You might want to save Cody though."

Roman looked over, shaking his head as Seth put more weight on a leg machine, the two talking between themselves. "Dammit Seth, don't overwork him, he's gonna be too tired to make his promise," he groaned, leading Dean over to the two.

Dean couldn't help but laugh, the sight of Roman and Cody refreshing. He knew they would make it in the long run.

The next few weeks seemed to pass faster than any of them realized. Dean and Seth were asleep in the backseat of the rental truck, Seth's head resting on Dean's shoulder, his arms wrapped around Dean's, almost as if he was laying claim to him even in his sleep.

Roman looked back in the rear view, chuckling. It was still rare to see the two being openly affectionate, sure that Dean was still adjusting. He reached over across the center console and took Cody's hand in his. He earned a confused smile, those blue eyes pulling away from the road ahead of them. He gave a gentle squeeze, smiling at his lover. His heart warmed when those lips turned up into a comforting smile. He pulled Cody's hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of it.

Cody's smile grew as he pulled Roman's hand back to his lips, his other hand cradling the bigger hand as he pressed kiss after kiss to each knuckle. He looked up, those grey eyes mesmerizing. "Almost there?" he asked softly, setting Roman's hand in his lap, his hands still stuck to Roman's.

Roman nodded, looking away from the road for only a moment. "Yeah, almost there. It's getting late, you getting tired?" he asked, his thumb stroking over Cody's.

Cody nodded, trying to stifle a yawn. "Just a little." His eyes returned to the windshield, the darkness of night starting to quickly surround them. "More stiff than anything," he admitted, adjusting in his seat to relieve a little tension in his back and shoulders. "I can't believe you let Seth talk us into us driving the entire way there."

Roman snorted, looking over at Cody as he caught his exit off of the interstate. "If I remember right, it was you who said it would be fun. I just went along with it because you wanted to do it."

Cody shook his head playfully, looking at Roman with an ugly face. "Details, details," he laughed, scooting just a little closer to Roman in his seat, wishing he could be closer.

"The console flips up," Roman said, breaking their joined hands to flip the thick console between them back to showing they were riding on a bench seat. "C'mere." He was rewarded with Cody unbuckling his seatbelt and scooting right next to him, his lover's head resting on his shoulder, Cody's hand resting on his thigh. This was what love felt like, he thought, his heart starting to pound. His arm snaked around Cody's shoulders, pulling him just a little closer so he could press a soft kiss to his temple. He mentally shook his head, telling himself not to put a label on it and just enjoy it.

Seth rubbed his eyes when he felt the truck stop. He looked up, Dean's cheek pressed against the top of his head. He gave a soft smile, taking in the sight of Dean's hair shining bright in the light of the surrounding streetlamps that seemed to drown out the natural star and moonlight. His heart pounded, normally Dean would wake up before him in the morning so sights of his sleeping boyfriend were rare. It was even more rare to see that peaceful, angelic look on his face. "Hey, we're here," he whispered, maneuvering around to kiss Dean softly on the cheek, wishing he could kiss him on the mouth. He nuzzled into Dean's neck, Roman and Cody parting from each other so they could get out of the truck.

"We'll go get our room keys, don't start anything here," Cody teased, turning around to look at the other two. "Roman and I haven't even got a chance to make out."

Seth let out an amused chuckled, waving the two off, completely refusing to pull his face away from Dean's neck. He heard the two chuckle before the two front doors of the dual cab truck closed, leaving him and Dean alone. "Babe," he whispered, one hand sliding up Dean's jaw, the smoothness of Dean's face making him smile. He pressed a firm kiss to the side of Dean's neck, opening his mouth and sucking a little bit of flesh into his mouth.

Dean groaned, lips parting as his body shifted. "Seth," he murmured, those lips pulling free from him just to suckle another bit of skin. He moved again, eyes starting to open. "We stopped?" He yawned, rubbing his eyes with his fist, groaning when he felt teeth sink into him.

Seth smiled, always enjoying the sound of his name on Dean's voice. He enjoyed it more when it was Dean's sleepy voice, the deep and gravelly sound only making his body shiver with want. "Yeah, we made it to the hotel for tonight," he answered, pulling free from Dean. "Cody and Rome went to get room keys."

Dean nodded, stretching his arms behind him. "No kiss?" he asked teasingly, Seth pulling back so they could get out of the truck. He smirked, Seth's surprised brown eyes resting back on him. "I always get a kiss when I wake up."

Seth took the opportunity and pressed a kiss to Dean's lips, heart fluttering. "I didn't think you'd want one while we were still out," he rationalized when he pulled back.

"No one's around. I think our reputations are pretty safe." He chuckled, taking Seth's hand in his, tugging him back. "Not gonna ask what I was dreaming about?"

Seth smirked, shaking his head. It was unusual for Dean to be in such a good mood waking up and even stranger that he was this talkative. "Has to be something good for you to be like this," he murmured, Dean's cheek resting against the back of his neck, soft kisses lining the collar of his t-shirt. "Something really good."

"Mm," Dean teased, snaking his arms around the smaller frame, his hands already diving underneath Seth's shirt to rest on the warm skin of his belly.

"Hey! I said nothing in the truck!" Cody yelped, opening the front passenger door and popping his head in. "They have rooms for that anyway."

"Anyone ever tell you that you're an annoying little shit?" Dean asked, his less than amused blue eyes meeting Cody's playful ones. "You're ruining it here kid."

Cody only smiled brighter. "Every chance you get. And I'm older than you," he answered, diving to the floorboard to grab a small bag of junk food he'd been hiding under his feet while they'd driven. "Here's your card. See you bright and early!"

Seth only chuckled, watching as Cody handed Dean the card, both bickering just a little bit more between themselves before Cody backed out of the truck, shutting the door. He noticed Roman was slowly walking up from the front double doors. He shot his best friend a look, telling him that Cody had interrupted them again and he was going to get them back the next day.

Roman only smiled, walking past the truck cab and to the bed. He opened the bed cover's hatch and pulled out his and Cody's travel bag, shutting it and walking around to the driver's side door. He opened it and looked at the two. "Room 245. We're next door in 247," he said gently. "Don't worry, he won't wake you guys up."

Seth wrinkled his nose, sticking his tongue out. "I don't want to hear about you guys going at it," he grumbled, the soft look on Roman's face making him smile again. "We'll be up in a few."

Roman nodded, tossing the keys on the seat and shutting the door. He followed after his lover, sure that there was something that kept Cody so full of energy that he wasn't sharing. He snuck a look back at the dark truck, smiling and shaking his head as he caught up to where Cody was standing. He wrapped his arm around Cody's shoulders, leaning down and kissing the side of his head. "C'mon. I think a shower sounds pretty good," he mentioned, the devious smirk forming on Cody's lips only making him smile wider.

"Now, about that dream?" Seth asked, poking his lower lip out when Dean started moving around to get out. "Oh, c'mon don't let Cody ruin it!" He fell backwards onto the seat, his dark eyes looking up to where Dean was standing on the outside of the truck. He pouted at Dean, those blue eyes already making his skin warm.

"Well, since he fucking ruined it, I guess I'll just have to show you," he said bitterly, a small smile betraying his look of faux anger. He tossed his head towards the hotel, the small blush running over Seth's cheeks making him want to hurry them up to their room. "Unless you don't want to know."

Seth's eyes widened, scrambling out of the seat and out of the truck, grabbing the keys before grabbing his own things and hurrying after Dean inside. "Don't tease like that!" he called, running to catch up.

(A/N): Well, this was kind of a fun chapter to write. Things have finally settled between the four and you can tell Cody fits in just fine with the Shield. Even him and Dean have a pretty playful relationship. XD Oh, and Cody is actually older than Dean, by a little less than 6 months XD. I had to do some research for that! Anyway, let me know what you guys think? We still have some hurdles ahead to cover before the end, so I'm thinking maybe two chapters left. It's been a pretty fun ride dears! Onwards and Upwards! Title is Forgiven by Skillet.

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