A/N: Howdy all! I must say, I've never seen so many people disgusted with ambreigns sex before. I am so amused. Anyway, this is a slight filler chapter because I'll tell you now... there's not long to go. DUN DUN DUN. can you predict how this is going to end?
reach me at my tumblr: psychrollins
also a side note, i know a lot of you are on the fence about roman being smaller than dean, but just bare with me. roman's had a lot to deal with emotionally and that takes a toll on people physically, just bare with me i promise.
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For the next few weeks, Roman's life takes a change. This thing with Dean, just like the last time, seems to melt his problems away. He quickly falls into a new routine, coming home from work to Dean waiting outside of his apartment and they have dinner together before Dean fucks his brains out. They go to bed together, and then Dean leaves early in the morning to go to work.
It's as domestic as Roman feels he's ever been and it puts an extra pep in his step and a bigger smile on his face.
It was hard, though, telling Karl and Luke that their fooling around had to stop. Karl took it well, slapping him on the back and telling him that he's happy he's finally gotten what he's been wanting for so long, but Luke kind of grumbled and didn't speak to him for the rest of the day until AJ dragged him into the office and said something to him.
It really is different now. Roman hasn't seen Seth since they came back, and it's easily been a month now. Dean doesn't talk about him really, only here and there when he says that he's doing his head in about something or other. Roman does feel slightly bad about what's going on, but whenever Roman mentions it Dean always tells him that it will all be over soon and Roman's too addicted to Dean to say much else.
And if Roman's current situation didn't make him happy, the visitor he gets at work makes him ecstatic. He's nearly finished, just has to change a tire on an old truck when there's a deep wolf whistle from the entrance of the garage.
"Damn boy, that's a pretty view." Roman knows that voice, will always know that voice. He lifts his head, nearly smacking it on the wheel arch, and turns to see Calvin and Nikki grinning near the shutters. Roman's heart leaps, he hasn't seen Calvin for a couple of months because it's in the middle of football season and Calvin is a rising star for the Detroit Lions.
"Cal!" Roman shouts excitedly, jumping to his feet and running over to Calvin and jumping into his arms. Calvin wraps his arms around him, swinging him a little bit like he's a five year old child in his parents arms.
"Hey Rome, I've missed you." He says into his shoulder, strong arms holding him tight.
"I missed you too Cal, how's the leg?" Roman had practically cried at the TV when he watched Calvin's last game and someone took him down and injured his leg.
"It's doing well, babe. Rehabbing couple of times a day so I should be back on the field in the next couple of weeks."
Roman grins, "Good, the lions are doing shit without you." He says, before turning to Nikki who's watching them both with a smile.
"Hey you, how was Italy?"
"It was beautiful, Rome. Despite everything I had to do there, I kind of really enjoyed it."
Roman grins at his best friends, they've done so well for themselves. Calvin's in the NFL and Nikki's one of the best prosecution lawyers in the country, all at twenty five. It kind of makes Roman feel pride and jealousy at the same time. Pride that he has two of the most talented people ever in his life, but jealous that he never had a taste of that life himself.
Every couple of months or so, depending on whether Calvin has the time, he comes home and stays at Roman's place for the weekend or a couple of days. So when Roman goes back to his shift, Calvin takes Nikki home (they'd obviously arranged to meet at the airport and come back together) and then goes to the grocery store to get something to cook for dinner for when Roman comes home.
When he gets home, it's to a particular scene that Roman has never wanted to see. Dean and Calvin arguing. Dean had obviously been early, waiting at the bottom of the stairs when Calvin got here and after Calvin found out about everything Dean did to Roman, he's never been his biggest fan.
"Oh so that's it then, you're just going to walk back into his life as though you didn't break his very spirit back when we were kids?" Calvin spits, he and Dean are both up in each other's faces and Roman doesn't hesitate to put himself between them.
"Alright you two that's enough, just stop it." Roman says putting his hands on Calvin's chest and putting some space between him and Dean.
"And like you're any different? Just coming back and using him for a bed and then going back to your lavish lifestyle!" Dean spits back and it instantly makes Calvin lunge for him.
"Cal stop it! Go and shower God damn it, I'll handle this okay?" Calvin sighs before retreating to the bathroom mumbling profanities underneath his breath. Roman watches him go and makes sure he's out of the room before he turns back to Dean.
"Look I'm sorry I didn't know he was going to be back today otherwise I would have told you that I'd be busy tonight." Roman says softly as Dean pulls him into him.
Dean pouts and sighs, fingers fiddling with the strings of Roman's hoodie. "How long will he be here for?"
"A couple of days at most, I'll let you know when he's gone ok?" Roman says, and Dean seems to relent at that pulling him in by the tassels and kissing him hard.
"Just so you know, I'm not happy about him stealing you from me, I only just got you back." Dean murmurs against his mouth, and Roman drinks those words down like they're liquid gold. Warmth flutters through him and a smile breaks through his face.
"I'll make sure he lets me know he's coming next time okay?"
Dean nods and kisses him one more time before telling him he'll call later and leaving the apartment. It leaves Roman alone in the kitchen with the sound of Calvin showering faintly from the bathroom. He sighs as he slips his shoes and hoodie off, going over to the discarded bag of shopping that Calvin had obviously put on the counter when he and Dean came in.
He starts going through it, pulling out everything Calvin has bought. It's mostly ingredients for dinner - fajitas, Calvin's favourite - but also some fresh juice and fruit that Calvin always insists on buying for him. He takes two Tylenol with the fresh orange, knows he's going to need it because he's going to get an earful from Calvin about Dean.
Calvin had been more than angry when he'd found out about Dean. They'd been drunker and higher than all holy hell and it had just seemed to slip out, all the pent up anger and sadness of never getting an explanation or an apology from Dean poured out onto Calvin's shoulder. Roman's sure that if Calvin had been sober enough to stand up and walk more than three steps he'd have beaten the shit out of Dean. And when he was sober enough, Roman begged him not too.
"Please, please, please tell me that you're not going there again?" Roman jumps a little at Calvin's voice, too caught in his own head to realise that Calvin was out of the shower and standing behind him. Strong arms crowd him against the kitchen work top and Roman turns so that he's looking up at Calvin.
"It's different this time," Roman says but Calvin rolls his eyes dropping his head and sighing.
"Different huh? How different? Is he still with Seth?"
"Yeah but -"
"Yeah but nothing, Ro. It's no different. He's going to string you along and then dump you again and you're going to be heartbroken all over again. I don't even think you're strong enough to cope with that again. And what about Karl and Luke huh?"
"I broke it off, they understand." Roman says and even though he knows it was the right thing to do, it makes Calvin's face fall. There's a long moment before Calvin pushes away from the counter and away from Roman.
"Anyone but me, huh?" He sighs, padding over to the living room and sitting down on the couch. Roman makes a noise, there's no one on this earth - other than Nikki - that he hates upsetting more than Calvin.
He's been his best friend since those extra training sessions to get into Georgia Tech, since he had his back that final summer before he left, and he never ever hinted at wanting anything more. He always thought Calvin was straight, until he ended up fucking him last year.
The thing with Calvin is, Roman can't bare to lose him. Not when he means so much to him, and with Calvin's career, he knows that kind of pressure that would put on a relationship. He can count the number of openly gay footballers on one hand, and what they go through is something he would never want to put Calvin through.
He pads over to the couch and plops down on it beside Calvin, throwing his legs over his and nuzzing under his arm until Calvin relents and secures it around him.
"Are you mad at me?" Roman asks softly, looking up at Calvin.
Calvin sighs, "No. I'm just worried about you Ro. You've come so far since what happened, you've got your life together and I'm just so scared that he's going to ruin all of it for you."
"It's different this time Cal, he's changed. I can tell. He's my brother, I know him better than anyone else. And I am happy, these past few weeks, they've been good. The pieces are finally starting to fit back together."
Calvin sighs again, but he leans down to press a kiss against his forehead. "Just, please be careful, okay?"
Roman nods and smiles up at him, laying his head against his chest. He's missed Calvin, missed their nights together and the comfort of his best friend. He doesn't get to see him often, or Nikki, they're both so busy with their real lives but Roman cherishes the time he does get to spend with them.
After a while of sitting and watching shitty evening television, Roman starts on dinner. Calvin always tells him he loves nothing more than coming home to Roman's food and it always makes him smile, at least he's good at something.
When it's time for bed, Calvin asks if Roman has a spare couple of pillows and a duvet.
"What for?"
"Can't sleep in your bed now you're in a serious relationship, can I?" He says with a raised eyebrow and Roman scrunches his face up.
"Get your ass in the bedroom, Cal."
Calvin doesn't put up much of a fight, follows Roman to the bedroom and strips down to his boxers like he always does when he stays over.
"Dean won't like this, you know."
"What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Now shut up and go to sleep."
"Okay okay, night Ro."
"Night Cal."
