A/N: *Coughs* I wasn't supposed to take a whole month to update but post exam slump and saltyness was a bitch. Sorry! Anyway, it's prom night so get your nice clothes on! This chapter is a little short, but hopefully I'll update midweek with the next chapter. Hope you enjoy! As always, reviews are wonderful and if you wanna chat, i'm on tumblr psychrollins. (Also not sure how proms actually work because I missed mine, so... Yeah.)
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"You know when they said that we should all get ready together, I didn't think they meant that we would have to sit here for an hour waiting for them to even finish their make up." Daniel grumbles, checking his watch for the umpteenth time already. Roman lets out a laugh and can do so without any pain because he took four Tylenol about an hour ago, although if he'd known that he'd be sitting in Nikki and Brie's dressing room for so long he would have waited a while.
He and Daniel have been sitting on bean bags for the good part of an hour, waiting as Nikki and Brie sit at their dressing tables in robes while applying their make up and doing their hair. He and Daniel have been dressed since they got here and the girls still haven't and Daniel is starting to get bored.
"We can hear you." Brie sings at her boyfriend, not taking her eyes off the mirror. She's doing some fancy, precise shit with her eyes and Roman can't help but be impressed and a little intrigued by it.
"Good!" Daniel says dramatically, "Why do you need all this make up anyway? You're beautiful without it."
"Because I like to wear it, it's fun and it makes me feel good. Now shut up and don't make me ruin my eyeliner because I will kill you." Daniel raises his hands in mock defense and shuts up. Roman grins and watches as Nikki weaves intricate braids into the top of her head, make up already applied flawlessly. She's been quiet the whole evening, concentrating on getting ready while Brie and Daniel bickered the whole time.
Once she's done with her hair, braids secured with some weird smelling spray, Nikki steps into the walk in closet and without bothering to close the door slips out of her robe. Underneath she's wearing nothing but pretty, sheer black lace underwear and for a moment Roman wishes that his dick would twitch in interest. Nikki is by far the most beautiful girl he's ever saw and he knows that pretty much every guy and a handful of girls would kill to be sitting where he is now. But all Roman can seem to think about it how Dean is at home with Seth getting ready themselves, and how Dean would look just standing in his underwear while putting on his smart suit.
Roman is pulled out of his thoughts by Nikki's sweet voice.
"Ro, will you come and zip me up, please?" He pushes himself up, one arm braced around his ribs for support and steps over the plush carpet to the walk in closet where Nikki is standing.
Finding Nikki sexually attractive would make everything a little easier. He already adores her, knows she would make the most wonderful girlfriend to anybody, but he can't force himself into something, especially involving someone he cares about as much as he does Nikki.
Roman tugs on the zipper while Nikki holds her hair out of his way.
"You look beautiful, Nik."
She turns around and smiles, "Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself." She straightens his tie a little and then gives his arm an affectionate squeeze before stepping away and going to a shelf which holds an impressive array of shoes. She pulls out some simple navy blue heels and slips them on, inspecting herself in the mirror opposite. At that, Brie steps in, and Roman takes that as his cue to rejoin Daniel on the bean bags.
"I swear by the time they're done, prom will be over and all of this will have been for nothing."
Roman laughs and eases himself down, "Just appreciate the effort buddy, it'll get you much further, I promise."
X
When they arrive, Roman is quietly impressed by how the prom committee have decorated their school hall. It doesn't look anything like it had the day previous, an array of maroon and white colours strewn everywhere, from balloons to banners and streamers. The pride of their colours is overwhelming.
Most people are already here, music blaring as a few people have already made their way to the dance flop while others mingle and talk and get pictures taken.
Roman spots Dean immediately, standing in the corner with Seth nursing a drink. They're wearing matching suits, mostly, with inverted colour schemes. While Seth wears a black suit with a maroon shirt and white tie, Dean has on a black suit with a white shirt and a maroon tie. It's sickening sweet.
As soon as Seth spots them, he beckons them over and Roman and Nikki follow Brie and Daniel reluctantly.
"Well don't you all scrub up nicely?" He says cheerfully as Brie and Nikki hug him.
Roman can't take his eyes off Dean. He looks so handsome and cute, hair tamed slightly so that his curls aren't flying everywhere, pretty tie and fitted suit. He looks so good Roman just wants him to kiss him, right here and right now. Let Dean take him by the lapels of his jacket and have him ravage his mouth, the way he did in the bathroom the second time they kissed.
Roman suddenly realises he's zoned out when there's an arm being slung around his shoulder and he jumps a little, looking up at Calvin who is now plastered to his side and grinning down at him.
"You don't clean up too bad Roman, navy looks good on you," Calvin squeezes his shoulder and then turns to Nikki, taking her hand and giving her knuckles a single kiss. "And you, pretty lady, look stunning. There's no way that you two aren't getting prom king and queen. No way."
Nikki swoons slightly and Roman can't help but laugh at how well Calvin sweet talks her.
After talking to Calvin for a little bit he disappears to rejoin his friends Roman and the others get themselves drinks. Randy turns up on his own, looking slightly sour and barely says a word to any of them, just takes a drink and stands with them while he scowls.
A lot of Roman's night is taken up with taken pictures. First he has some professional ones taken with Nikki and the rest of the group, then he has practically his whole year come up to him for personal pictures. Even though he's not their captain anymore, everyone still treats him like he is, and Calvin is more than happy to encourage them.
Roman ducks away when he can, overwhelmed with attention and slightly sore, and heads towards the bathrooms. He's walking the deserted corridor when someone slams into him, grabbing hold of him forcefully and pushing him against the wall. Roman feels the familiar sensation of the air being slammed out of his lungs, his ribs burning fiercely as he tries to focus his eyes on the person in front of him.
Randy.
"Why can't you just stay down?" He spits and Roman tries to fight back, tries to push him off. But Randy has one hand around his neck and the other at his side, squeezing Roman's injured ribs and he just can't feel anything but fiery pain coursing through him.
"You weren't supposed to be here, it was supposed to be me." Roman feels the hand around his neck increase the pressure and his vision gets more blurry. His head swims, what the hell is going on here? Is Randy trying to kill him?
"You're just like a cockroach Reigns. Get anywhere and everywhere and won't die. But that's okay, at least you can't be prom king if you're in hospital." As the hand on his neck tightens again Roman tries to get his arms free from being pinned against Randy's body, but Randy feels like a lump of lead on top of him, all muscle and hardness and strength.
A high pitched, nasally squeak comes from the end of the hallway. "Randy!"
Whipping his head around Randy curses before letting go and taking off in the operate direction. Roman drops to the floor gracelessly, breathing in gulps of air and clutching at his ribs. It's all too familiar.
"Jesus Christ Rome, what the hell was that?" Seth's worried face crowds his vision, warm hands settle against his own on his side. "I'll go and get some help."
"No!" Roman wheezes, managing to catch Seth's wrist before he disappears. "You can't tell anyone."
Seth looks at him aghast, "Roman you can barely breathe!"
"I'll be fine in a minute, just get me some water and some ice. Please. Don't tell anyone." Seth considers him for a moment before muttering a,
"Fine, I'll be right back."
Roman doesn't watch Seth scurrying away, instead looks down the corridor which Randy took off down and tries to wrap his head around what just happened.
You weren't supposed to be here. It was supposed to be me. What the hell does that mean? He hasn't spoken to Randy at all since that game day, and he hadn't sold him out for what he did. He wasn't captain anymore, is that what this was about? Because he'd chosen Calvin as captain and not him? But that was weeks ago, another game had been played since then, why now?
At least you can't be prom king if you're in hospital. Did it mean that much to him, to be prom king? And why was everyone so sure that Roman was going to be prom king?
"Here, this is the best I could do." Seth returns, pressing a maroon paper napkin filled with ice to Roman's side. He passes him a cup of water too, and Roman downs half of it before setting it down and fishing the Tylenol he's got stashed in his pocket out. Seth eyes him carefully before speaking.
"Are you gonna' tell me what that was about?"
Roman swallows his tablets before taking the ice pack from Seth and holding it on himself.
"The guy tackled me at the game because Randy paid him to." Shock clouds Seth's face as he tries to gather the right words to say.
"But why?"
Roman shifts, readjusts the the icepack and is slightly thankful that the pain has started to dissipate.
"Jealousy, I suppose."
"Who knows?"
"Just Calvin. It's why Randy had that busted up face the week after the game."
"That's why he wouldn't tell anyone who did it?"
Roman nods. "And why I haven't told anyone what happened either. If I did, Randy would tell everyone that Calvin roughed him up, and that could jeopardise his chances of getting into Georgia Tech."
"Always thinking about other people, huh?"
Roman gives Seth a faint smile as he pushes himself from the ground. Seth's hands immediately latch onto his arms and help him up, warm and steady.
"You alright?" He asks as Roman pulls the icepack away from his side as the napkin has started to get wet from the melting ice cubes and is seeping through to his shirt.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." Which is only half a lie, his ribs are still burning but that's nothing new, really. "Better get back to the others, or they'll be wondering where we are."
Roman sucks in a deep breath and follows Seth back into the main hall, favouring his side a little and dumping the ice and the water cup in a bin on the way in.
They join the rest of the group and Roman tries to ignore how Dean looks from him to Seth curiously, and how Seth's eyes flick around the room but always fall back on Roman.
Randy is nowhere to be found and it's a good job, because he does win prom king, and Nikki wins prom queen. Roman has to grin and smile while his friends slap him on the back and pull him into hugs but in reality he wants to cry out in pain and tell them to just be gentle. He lets Dean wear the crown - because it doesn't actually fit his head, it's way too small - while they're all walking back to Nikki and Brie's. They had insisted that everyone stay at theirs to celebrate.
Halfway there Nikki asks John to give her a piggyback because her feet are hurting and confused, John asks,
"Why can't Roman give you one, he's your King!"
Nikki rolls her eyes and crosses her arms across her chest. "Kings don't give queens piggybacks, that's the peasants job." Despite his grumbling and everyone laughing, he squats down and let's Nikki climb on.
"You know," John says, hooking his arms around the back of Nikki's legs - and Roman doesn't even know how she's wrapped herself around John with the dress she has on - "I hope the power doesn't start going to your head, Bella."
"Sh peasant, just keep walking. Oh and it's Queen Nikki to you."
Roman pretends to scratch his side and laughs. Seth looks at him and raises a concerned eyebrow. Roman gives him a brief nod and Seth smiles back at him warmly.
He tries not to think about what might have happened if Seth hadn't walked in on him and Randy. He pushes those thoughts away, because it's not the first time he's had to contemplate what might have happened if Seth didn't have impeccable timing. At least this time it was a welcome intrusion.