Chapter Twenty Nine
Dean clenched his fists as he stared at Bray. Shadows loomed over him and he turned around to find Braun Strowman and Luke Harper standing behind him, their faces both stoic. This was not good.
"Nice day out for a stroll, isn't it, Dean?" Bray continued. "Where's your soulmate?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Dean replied snidely.
Suddenly he felt something hard pressed against against his back, making him fall to his knees. Braun had kicked him in his back before grabbing him by his hair. "He asked you a question!" the muscled man growled.
Bray laughed as he took calculated, slow steps towards Dean. "Oh, Dean. Still being a rebellious teenager," he chuckled as he squatted down in front. "Don't you know by now that we will destroy the Anoa'i family and anyone in our way? That includes your sweetheart."
Dean's blood froze.
No.
They couldn't touch Roman. Dean would fight the lot of them if he had to.
"Unless you join us, Dean," the patriarch of this deluded family cooed. "We could use men like you."
Dean spat in his face. "Never!"
"Well then, you leave us no choice." Bray nodded at Braun. "Finish him!"
The auburn haired young man elbowed Braun in the ribs the moment he was pulled to stand up on his feet. That didn't sit too well with the musclehead who carried Dean, who was trying to scurry, over his head.
Swinging about wildly, Dean reached down and poked him in the eye, landing on his feet. Luke tried to knee him but the blue eyed man was fast, giving him a roundhouse kick to the back of his head.
Roman… Dean had to reach him, had to warn-
A double axe handle from Braun made sure he was on his knees again. How much did the man weigh, Dean couldn't help but wonder.
Heavy boots were rammed into his face and kidney area, his chest being stomped on repeatedly causing the teenager to cough.
Pain shot through several parts of his body. He counted three pairs of feet punishing him, wrecking him.
I'm sorry, Roman, he thought as Bray's laughter echoed behind. Haven't I told you? I love you…
A familiar voice was laughing. Dean felt a shiver down his spine as the mark Roman left on him was being destroyed by a sharp blade…
"Yo! Uce! You have to check out this song, man."
Roman tried to tune out his cousins - both of them - in the car as they were halfway home. He felt bad leaving Dean behind like that. If his father hadn't insisted it was important, he would have stayed. "I'm not in the mood, Jimmy."
"Oh come on. Don't be like that. You can always see Dean tomorrow."
"Look, it's bad enough I have to-"
Suddenly, his mark burned.
Dean.
Something was happening to him. It had to be. Roman could feel it. "Turn the car around," he instructed sternly.
"What?" Jimmy was puzzled.
"I said turn the car around. Dean's in trouble."
"How do you know?"
"Don't ask me questions and just do it, Jimmy!"
"Alright, alright!"
Roman was pretty sure his cousin broke traffic rules at the maniacal way he was driving, trying to swerve his way in between cars on the road. When they got to the parking lot, he sprinted for the West Wing, remembering his boyfriend informing him of returning library books.
His heart sank to his knees when he found Dean sprawled on the floor near the staircase landing, bleeding profusely.
"Dean!" Roman yelled, not recognising his own voice as he dropped to his knees. He cradled his boyfriend in his arms; Dean was not moving. The grey eyed Samoan held onto him tight, calling out his name as he patted his cheek.
He noticed the bleeding near Dean's neck. His mark was gone, the skin cruelly being sliced off. Taking out his handkerchief, he applied pressure to the wound area.
This couldn't be happening. He could not lose Dean. They were supposed to grow old together in a house, living their dreams.
"Ro… Ro…"
Roman looked down as he heard his name escaped Dean's lips. "Dean!" he cried.
"Ro…"
"I'm calling my father. I'm sure Uncle Afa can fix this."
"Lo-lo-love yo-you, Ro-roman…"
"Don't, damn it! Don't you dare say goodbye to me," he sobbed. "You… you can't leave me, Dean. I need you!"
"Find someone, Roman." He could tell Dean was struggling to stay awake.
"No!"
"Yo-you ha-have t-to…ma-ma-mark...his him
..."
"No, Dean. Soulmate or not, I'll always choose you. I'll go wherever you go."
There were sound of footsteps running up the stairs behind him. "Uce!"
Jey was on his knees beside Roman. He started to look at the extend of Dean's grave injuries.
"Please tell me you can help me, Jey," Roman pleaded. Jey was known to have healing abilities as opposed to Roman's strength and Jimmy's agility.
His cousin placed his hand on the punctured wound first, concentrating on the area while Jimmy was frantically asking Uncle Afa for his current location.
Roman found Dean looking at him through half lidded eyes, as if he were trying to commit him to memory. "We are so leaving this town after this," Roman said softly to his boyfriend. "Find a crummy apartment and fix things inside it together. Well, you can fix it; I'll just bring you water."
Dean was trying to smile but Roman knew that the pain was too much for him. He wishes he could absorb it for him.
"Uce," Jey instructed. "Can you hold him up a bit higher? Keep talking to him."
The young Samoan warrior did as his cousin instructed. Roman saw light from beneath Jey's palm hovering over Dean's neck puncture.
"Maybe instead of Sandalwood," he murmured in his ear, stroking his face. "We can go to Vegas. But first we'll go to Quebec so that you can train there."
He shouldn't be surprised that the wound was healed nicely. Dean's eyes were closed now, his breathing even.
"He's asleep," his cousin assured him. That was Jey's gift, probably the most useful one in the whole family.
Jimmy informed them he was going to the car park to pick up Uncle Afa to do the rest.
"T-thanks, Jey," Roman said.
Jey smiled. "Hey, we're family. Unlike the rest of 'em, I like Dean. I know he never told you this before but he saved me once back in freshman year."
"What?"
"Yeah. I was cornered by two guys from the football team - Ryback and Swagger - and he was standing behind, with a plate of cookies that he later told me he stole from Home Economics. He took the tray and hit Swagger in the head before whooping Ryback's butt. It was awesome. He got suspended for that though."
Roman did remember Dean getting suspended during that period; it was three weeks into the start of the year. His boyfriend had remained tight lipped when he was asked the reason for his suspension.
"Uce, you have to mark him again." Jey stood up and tapped his shoulder. "I'll give you some privacy."
He thanked Jey once again before his cousin went to the washroom. Roman caressed Dean's cheek, staring at his face. Oh Bray, he thought. You just made a dangerous enemy. He would make sure that Korn reject would suffer in his hands for trying to take away what was his.
Pressing a kiss against Dean's closed eyes and lips, his lips hovered over the same spot where he had previously marked. He bit down on the skin for a bit before sucking on it.
Mine.
He found himself in someone's arm, face near the crook of the person's neck. The scent of cinnamon flooded his nostrils and he knew it was Roman.
As he closed his eyes again, flashes of being beaten up to a pulp by three men before he felt something sharp against his neck, slicing through his skin… Dean gasped and sat up.
It was Afu; Afu had the knife.
"Baby boy?" Roman was up almost immediately. "You okay?"
"I… I survived," he said aloud.
His lips were claimed briefly by his boyfriend. "Yeah, you did. I'm so glad we found you in time. Do you remember what happened?"
Dean thought hard before he related to Roman the physical torture he had suffered in the hands of the Wyatt family and Afu… how he was outnumbered.
Each time he related of the blows, he couldn't help but think how his boyfriend was right about fighting them.
Roman was shaking in anger by the time he had finished. "I'm going to kill Afu."
"No, babe!" Dean protested. "I don't want you going to jail!"
"How dare he!"
"Ro-"
"No, Dean! You were in a bloody mess… you were close to dying. I'm not sure if you remember but you were asking me to move on with my life. I almost lost you and for that, I'm not sparing him. He'll suffer in my hands for what he did to you."
Roman then pulled him down again on the bed, snuggling up against him. Dean had seen Roman being a giant care bear for most of his life but to see him in such a manner was new. Anger and Roman Reigns seemed to be an intriguing combination.
"I love you," Dean said. "I love you so much, Roman Joseph Reigns."
His boyfriend smiled widely. "I love you just as much, Dean Jonathan Ambrose." Then his face turned serious. "That's why Afu will pay. Him and his newfound buddies from the swamp. They hurt what was mine. I'll show them how it feels and that's a promise."
They went down to the living room together where most of the Anoa'i family were seated. There was tension in the room; he could feel it.
Dean also noticed Roman scanning the room, his jaws clenched tight.
When his eyes fell upon Afu, he strode up to him, swinging his fist into the other warrior's face.
Afu stumbled backwards, crashing through the glass coffee table.
Several of the women screamed.
"Roman!" Sika admonished while other members sans Jey looked on in horror. Uncle Rodney tried to hold him back but Roman pushed him aside, making him stagger.
Dean could see that the filial son, loving boyfriend was gone. In his place was a powerful warrior who would not - could not - be stopped.
Afu gritted his teeth, charging for Roman who caught him halfway, spearing him in his chest so hard that he bounced on the ground.
Dean could not believe that this was his gentle Samoan. This side of Roman was was like a volcano in human form.
Roman towered over Afu, kicking him over with his foot before he stomped on the traitor's throat.
Afu was coughing, trying to catch his breath. Dean did not want blood on Roman's hands. He ran to his boyfriend, dragging him away. "No, Roman! Don't!"
"He almost killed you," Roman snapped. "Give me a good reason why I should spare him!"
Dean took a deep breath. "If you destroy him, we're never going to spend the rest of lives together. I don't want to see you go to jail. And I don't want to be with any other so please… for us."
He could see Roman's face slowly softening. His boyfriend turned to face his family. "Afu is working with the Wyatts," he revealed. "He sliced the mark off of Dean's skin in school earlier."
Sika was furious as he yanked Afu up, spewing angry words in Samoan to the young warrior before he struck him hard.
As Afu lay on the ground again, Dean watched one by one of the family members spit on him.
"We owe you a huge apology, Dean," Sika admitted. "All of us."
He felt Roman's hand on the small of his back. "I hope you understand that I love Roman. I would never want to hurt him."
"Jey was relating to us the state you were in," Uncle Rodney added. "We hope you can forgive us."
"Of course." He didn't care either way. Roman believed in him. That was all that mattered.
Jimmy was tying Afu up with a nylon rope as Jey cuffed him. Would the ropes be able to hold him down?
"Now what?" Nia wondered aloud.
"Now we find the Wyatts," Roman boomed. "After all, we have their newest member."
A/N Revenge underway… thank you for your favorites, follows and kind words :-) Dean was merely teasing Roman about Austin in the previous chapter lol
