'The L Word'
For: Imagineer1392
Pairing: Roman Reigns/Summer Rae
Year: 2014
Summary: Roman Reigns enlists his girlfriend to help him buy Christmas presents for his friends. It's a little more difficult than anticipated.

There is no denying that this Christmas shopping trip has been left to the last minute. How is it his fault that his schedule leaves him with no time to sleep, let alone shop? He wants to do it right this year – at least more right than the airport gift shop presents he bought the year before. Maybe he had forgotten to buy gifts for his best friends. Not that he will ever admit to that.

"Do this many people really leave their Christmas shopping to the last minute?" Roman asks, his eyes flickering rapidly over all the people in the mall.

"They probably leave their brains three towns behind like you do."

"Why you gotta be so mean for, baby girl?" Roman's question comes as he puts his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders, pulling her into a loose headlock. She laughs at him and pulls away, making sure that her hair hasn't been too messed up.

"I love shopping as much as the next girl, Ro, but that's when it's for clothes that I get to wear not walking in and out of shops looking for things to get your friends."

"Summer, you're supposed to be helping me."

"You spent more than 18 months in a car with the two of them and you're really telling me you don't know what to get them for Christmas? What hope do I have of choosing something half decent?"

"I brought you along to help me," he grumbles, wiping his hand over his face. He loves her, he does, but when she gets stubborn it's more than a little frustrating.

"Here I was thinking you just liked my company but as it turns out you want me to be your brain for the day."

Since the beginning of November she has been telling him that time is sparse, that there isn't enough time in their schedule to leave things to that last minute. He, evidently, has not listened to her reminders. If he had, they would not be standing in a crowded mall five days before Christmas.

Summer tells him that Dean is easy to buy for – something stupidly funny or grotesquely sexual will make him happy – though she struggles to think of any ideas at all for Seth. She gives him a couple of options – musical or geeky – but beyond that she is stumped. Roman is too. Neither of them has any clue what albums they can buy him that he doesn't already own and it's almost guaranteed that he bought the Blu-ray of every geeky movie the day they came out.

"A game?" Roman asks, already exhausted. They haven't even walked into any shops yet. It's just the thought process that is making him tired.

"Yeah," Summer nods enthusiastically. "Does he have a PS4? Xbox One? Or neither?"

"I have no fucking clue."

They groan simultaneously and opt to get lunch before they go about buying things – Roman maintains that he thinks better on a full stomach.

When they're sitting down in the food court eating food they are no doubt going to regret come their next workout, Roman finds himself staring at Summer with a small smile. He knows that she was never going to say no to him when he asked for help. She always jokes that it's because he rarely admits to needing help and it's nice to know that he has weaknesses. In those moments, he reminds her that every Superman has his kryptonite.

They bicker like an old married couple and no one is too shy to point it out. Neither of them is embarrassed by it, neither of them particularly cares that it's the only thing a few people ever see them do, because they're having fun and not taking themselves too seriously.

"There's a group of girls staring at us," she tells him, casually looking over at the four girls standing across the other side of the food court. She noticed them as soon as they sat down but it has taken 10 minutes for her to realise that they are what is being stared at.

He looks up, too, and smirks, "They looking at me?"

"They're underage, so calm down," Summer jokes, watching his face scrunch up. "And I think they're pointing at me, actually."

He raises an eyebrow at her and sits back in his chair, crossing his arms confidently over his chest. He issues her a challenge, "10 bucks."

"10 dollars it is," she agrees with a confident smile. Rarely is she wrong about these things, Roman's just far too proud to admit defeat. They're much the same in that regard.

They are almost done with their meal when the girls move closer, awkwardly trying to decide what to say or who should speak first. Roman breaks the silence and gestures for the girls to step closer before asking them their names.

It takes no time at all for them to reveal why they came over at all.

"We watch Total Divas together every week," one announces and Summer's smile grows bigger.

"You're our favourite."

"We don't know why none of the other Divas like you."

"But they're probably just jealous."

"You can't let the haters get you down," the blonde tells them, watching the four girls nod. All of them look like they've just been given the best and most original piece of advice of their lives.

Under the table Summer nudges Roman's leg with her foot and he looks at her, trying to hide his annoyance at having lost their bet. This isn't the first time that they have made this bet nor is it the first time he has been wrong.

"Looks like you owe me 10 dollars," she says under her breath as the girls walk away after a brief conversation. Roman doesn't even try to be discrete as he pulls his wallet from his pocket, fishes out the money and pushes it into the hand she has resting casually on the table. "Thank you."

When they get back to shopping they realise that they are no better off. The distraction provided by the teenagers meant that little conversation about presents was actually had. Summer sighs in exasperation and Roman laughs, resting his arm over her shoulders.

"You're lucky I love you," she says so casually that Roman almost misses it. He's opened his mouth to retort sarcastically when it finally registers in his head. I love you. That's what she said. He looks down at her, trying to see if she's even realised it herself but she looks as calm as ever.

"Summer?"

"Yeah?" she asks, angling her head upwards so that she can see him properly. "You don't have to look so worried. If worse comes to worse, you get Seth a magazine subscription or pay for his CrossFit membership."

"That's actually a good idea," Roman says, unsure of why he hadn't already thought of either, before he pulls her into his side. "Do you know what you said?"

"Get him a magazine subscription?" she asks with a confused frown. She knows that it cannot be what he's referring, too, because he looks far too serious. "I love you?"

The question comes out of her mouth just as casually as it did when she first said it and Roman is just as thrown. It takes a few seconds for him to nod and Summer giggles lightly.

"What's funny?"

"You being such a tough man that you can't even say it back," she says playfully as she pokes him in the side. "It's okay if you don't. I just wanted you know that I do."

He stares down at her, completely oblivious to the fact that he's stopped them in one of the most heavily trafficked areas of the mall. Summer starts to laugh again, noticing the look on his face: a unique combination of admiration and disbelief.

"Before you up and have a heart attack on me," she says, her laugh dying down. "Seriously, you don't have to say it. You're honestly scaring me a little."

She's barely finished speaking before he has cupped her cheeks and pulled her lips up to his, kissing her slowly but roughly. Her hands clutch at the front his shirt to keep herself balanced but she's acutely aware that it looks like she's about to rip it off him right then and there.

"I love you."

The statement is definitive, the end to the conversation and Summer can't say that she hates it. She always liked him when he was taking charge.