Roman climbed the fence of the closed for the night zoo and landed on the other side in brown and black fur.
The German Shepard whined, couldn't see what he was hunting for, listened carefully and jogged along the path, seeking the correct enclosed environment.
He whined again, sniffed and scaled another, much taller barrier.
The waterless moat was the main challenge and he toughed it out. Electric wire, if it had been there, wouldn't keep him apart.
The large dog thumped his tail, whimpered and pleaded, dropped in a play bow towards the hyena pack.
Some ignored him, others showed their disapproval with teeth flashing, the lead mother eyed him warily, she had good reason to be upset with this stranger, herding breed wearing a multi toothed pendant on a long cord.
The smallest and chubbiest of her litter bounced and whooped, playing joyfully with the newcomer.
Roman smiled a canine sign of happiness, big toothy smile, half panting, letting the little hyena play-growl while yanking and tugging at his ears, his fluffy tail, even his muzzle.
He gave the baby a huge slobber coated lick, wagged his tail rapidly.
The mother sniffed him around the face, gave a tired grunt, stepped aside.
For tonight he'd been welcomed, a canine sleepover, warned not to overstay the welcome.
Roman slept peacefully, after turning in exactly three circles before curling in a fur ball, tail draped over his nose, small hyena bundled into his fur.
Leo had arrived successfully home.
The nasty exhausting hangover sensation on his entire person, gummy crusty eyelids, drool dried on his chin, foul breath thick and sticky tasting on his tongue.
He rested, pleased, in the zoo before the shocked security guard had beamed the flashlight on him in the before dawn hours.
Roman had unwillingly left this new version of Leo, reincarnated in a way.
Now he was back in his human body, awake when he should've been sleeping in the lonely bed.
'I'm going to stay with him! No matter what you say!'
Blurry eyed, he glanced at the door, moved towards the arguing.
'You don't know what he really needs! He has to have alone time!'
The blast of a plane flying over the hotel hid the argument noise.
After, in the shaking silence, the door barely opened, a mouse scurry creak, and two arms on either side of his torso held him snugly.
He smiled through the empty misery.
His brothers, his men, there for him during this terrible suffering.
Stumbled to the suite's mini kitchen, plopped into the lone chair, motioned for coffee.
'Damn, Romes, you're quite revealing.' Seth stared enough to forgot his coffee pouring, sloshed it onto the counter, caught the mistake, grunted, cursed, flipped off his laughing boyfriend, reached for the paper towels.
'You've both seen me in less.' Roman was in no mood for explaining the white boxer-briefs he'd slept in, instead of usually nude, and he wasn't ever taking off Leo's necklace, he'd eat arsenic first.
'I think it's a good look, being comfortable. ' Dean shot Seth a warning look, then beamed. 'Keep it.'
'yeah, keep it.' Seth agreed. 'It IS cool but you're...unm...'
Roman looked down in his lap. He was partly poking out to the side. 'Oh yeah, I thought I felt cold. Thanks.'
He tucked it all back in place, slugged down coffee in a breath.
'What's on the agenda, partners in crime?'
'You two, do anything.' Roman dropped the mug, let it shatter. 'I'm going back to bed.'
'Getting in a long nap?'
'Maybe. Maybe I won't ever sleep again. I hope not.'
Several things he knew were certain in his agony he called life now, one was he appreciated how incredibly bad-ass his hair looked ( though this occasionally caused night time confusion when Dean mistook him for Seth and drunk dry-humped Roman in his sleep) , how it was dangerous for any wrestler not in their 'gang' to flirt with Seth unless they wanted Dean's blade at their throat and last of all, Roman did not trust or like Adam Rose.
Scents and aura presence of bacon, coffee and a punk attitude enraged him, vein on his forehead swelling.
Roman transferred his angry scowl stare from Rose to the Graves.
'You made me lose my boyfriend, my main reason to live!'
'Which I did on purpose.' Corey replied smug and sneering.
'Yeah, no fucking shit, you did. proud of yourself and gloating, you piece of shit.'
'I HAD to! Your Leo was popular, he was cheered, had fans. No WAY I'd let him get to the main roster before me. Now he's nothing but jobber mid carder. He'll be fired in a year or less and I'LL make it big.'
'You are a worthless, jealous bitch.'
'And I did what I did to destroy you. Those bitches you run with, at least THEY worked to get to the top, YOU, you however only get things because of your family name not because you deserve them!'
'Scream in my face all you want, I don't care what you think of me.' Roman snapped, fists in Corey's face. 'You took from me the most innocent, kindest and caring man I've ever shared my life with and one day I'll come hunting for your useless crippled boyfriend.'
Corey's tan faded into ashy grey. 'Don't you dare touch Bronson!'
'So run along home, sheep, push your cripple in his wheelchair and pray to what you worship he doesn't hear the wolves howl before you do.'
Corey cursed angrily but his bravery had decreased, his fear showing at the surface.
Roman placed his full eyesight focus on Adam Rose.
Waited for the only friends he had left in the world to have their match later that night.
Several teeth and claws in a pendant, on a cord, strung above a slow heart beat, beneath the dark colored cloth of his shirt.
Token of affection.
