Guys, I'm so sorry for being so late with the update and coming back with a chapter this short. I hoped to have it finished on Friday already but as life goes, things happend and every time I wanted to write, someone or something got in between...

However, here it is. Hope it's okay and you'll enjoy it.

I also hope you all had fun watching Wrestlemania and that we had reason to be happy because our boys have been victorious!

PS: Please don't mind typos and stuff, doing the corrections tomorrow since it's late and I'm screen-blind... -_-

Hands, roaming his body... needy touches on heated skin, caressing, mapping...

A stuttering moan flew past his lips as he pressed against a hard yet soft body, his tongue wandering over the slightly sweat-slicked skin of an exposed neck... feeling the stubbles of a one-day beard, tasting the faint saltiness of sweat and a sweetness that was uniquely... Dean...

He was hopelessly addicted to Dean, so lost that his whole world narrowed on him...

He felt muscles flex under his touch as his hand smoothed down to a lean waist, grabbing Dean's hip in a possessive hold as he buried himself again and again in the body that was writhing under him and the high pitched, needy whimper Dean graced him with washed down his spine like tingling electricity...

Roman was running down the street, his pace speeding up while he shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind from that all too distracting memory of something that had not even happened and maybe wouldn't happen for a long time. No if at all here, because after last night he nourished a tiny hope that he would be allowed to be this close to Dean, to be with him like that someday. Admittedly that spark of hope was fragile because the fact that his feelings for Dean did not seem unrequited didn't necessarily mean that there would be a happy ending.

Narrowing his eyes, he stared down to the ground without really seeing, his system working on autopilot while he continued to do step after step, getting even quicker in what wasn't just a simple run but more an escape from his own inability to get a grip on himself. He fucking couldn't think straight...

Blunt nails scraping over his back and lips sealed over his, stealing his breath. Legs locked around his waist to pull him in as Dean arched against him, met his thrusts.

There was only a thin ring of blue in those beautiful eyes left as their gazes met again, the dilated pupils creating a burning and deep blackness that drew him in mercilessly...

"Shit..." Roman hissed.

His heart was running, too, thumping hard enough to steal the last bit of the breath he had left as he kept running much too fast. Well, maybe if he blacked out right now, his head would use the break and finally stop spinning like it did the whole fucking morning already, ever since he'd woken up with Dean in his arms, spooning him. Luckily Dean had been fast asleep or at least Roman hoped so. Why? Because he'd sported a raging hard-on that had been poking into Dean's butt. Not what he wanted Dean to wake up to... The worst thing was this dream he'd had last night, the one that kept invading his mind over and over again and all too vividly, too, wiping him clear of any ability to concentrate on anything else but...

"Fuck...!" he growled, catching himself in the last moment before taking a trip to the ground as he stumbled over his own feet.

... but Dean writhing under him while moaning his name...

And here it happened again. He didn't even really remember what had happened at school today, except for the raised eyebrow of his coach though who had sent him home before someone would get hurt just because he was lacking in concentration. Seth had been waiting for him, had suggested to go our for a run together so he could get his head clear. Clear, yeah. Clearly not successful.

It had been nice though, waking up being all curled around Dean like this, one of his legs thrown over Dean's, having his arms wrapped around the leaner frame, his cheek being nestled to a bad case of blond bed hair. A steady heartbeat under his palm... the slow rising and falling of Dean's chest, his soft breathing. And those hands which had been holding on to his arms. After realizing what was happening there in his southern regions, Roman had inched the evidence away from that nice backside, not letting go of Dean though and for a few more minutes the world had been perfect as they lay there.

He'd wrenched himself away from this little happy place before his alarm could go off and wake Dean and after careful untangling of limbs Roman had watched his sleeping friend for another full minute, before breathing a kiss to his temple and leaving the room to get ready for school. The reaction of his mother as she saw him walking out of Dean's room had told him that she had an idea what was going on. It had been written in that all too knowing smile on her face. However... thinking of real-Dean in his arms and of dream-Dean moaning his name threatened to bestow him another problem between his legs soon if he wouldn't manage to keep his thoughts from going ways they weren't supposed to go.

Rome...

He screwed his eyes shut, panting, trying hard to catch his breath but instead of making him feel better, the air he drew in only pushed the dizziness that surged up in him suddenly.

Rome.

The second his knees hit the ground made him understand that he'd stopped running and was now kneeling in front of Seth's house. Right, they had come to Seth's place after school and went out for a run. But when had he even come back here? And where was Seth?

"Rome!" Seth's voice, urging. A hand settled on his shoulder as Seth kneeled down beside him, seeking his gaze. "The fuck, dude! I've been calling you for the last five minutes. What the hell has gotten into you? Running like a madman..." Tiny rivulets of sweat were running down Seth's flushed face. His lips were parted as he tried to catch his breath, too, and the two-toned hair was a curly mess. The brown eyes were wide in question and Seth was looking too damn cute like this and...

... oh fucking shit... wrong way this was heading here...

A fuzzy something washed through him as his heart tripped over itself as it kept pounding and did a leap in his chest. Instead of saying a word, partly because he had no idea what to say and partly because he didn't have enough breath to waste it on speaking, he just braced his hands on the ground, hung his head and fixed his eyes on the lawn he was kneeling on and... breathing... breathing... fighting the dizziness down.

"Reigns, speak to me, will ya?!"

"Can't..." he brought over his lips, the single word more tumbling out of his mouth than acutally being spoken.

The hand on his shoulder brushed up to his neck, fingers gently curling around it as Seth sighed: "You gonna pass out on me now?" Again, maybe passing out wouldn't be that bad of an idea to take a step back from the mess of feelings and emotions. "What's going on with you today?" he heard his friend ask and contrary to himself, Seth seemed to gain control over his breathing again. He shook his head no instead of answering. "Okay, I guess we need to talk a little once you've stop dying here, mister."

It took Roman another five minutes to calm his heart and breathing enough to be able to get back on his feet without actually ending up on the ground again. Five minutes in which his head thankfully focused on other things than Dean. Seth remained at his side, worriedly muttering things like him being an idiot for running much too fast on a day that was much too warm for stunts like that. Eventually he stood again, a concerned Seth at his side who had an arm slung around his waist, most likely to steady him what actually wasn't a bad idea since he was swaying dangerously on their way in.

Not much later Roman was standing under the warm shower while Seth dug through the bathroom closet, retrieving towels, before shrugging his trainings clothes off and joining him. The shower was big enough for two persons and they had practice already in dancing around each other in here after having been out for a run together often enough.

All the while he was reporting to Seth what had happened the night before. Everything. The admitting feelings yet not, Dean's doubts about himself. That almost kiss thingy. Their sharing a bed again. And while he spoke, those moments replayed in his head for the umpteenth time ever since he'd left the house to go to school. God, how he wanted to be back at those moments...

Falling silent after his report ended, Roman stuck his head under the running water to wash the shampoo out, not noticing the baffled expression that Seth shot him.

"Woah, wait," Seth replied slowly after a moment. "So you're telling me that you guys practically admitted your feelings to each other but then again not and that he kissed you and you like, pulled back and said it's time to sleep? What are you, an idiot?"

The words were spoken with open disbelief clinging to them, the question if he was an idiot not only being spoken but also sticking to Seth's voice like a fly to a flytrap.

Wiping his hands down his face as he emerged from the falling water again, Roman shrugged his shoulders, muttering: "He's not ready yet."

Just like I am not ready yet...

He looked at Seth and now he did see the the disbelief and the confusion on the pretty face.

"Not ready?" Seth parroted, his brows rising to his hairline. "He fucking kissed you!"

"He did not! I mean... not really. Our lips were barely touching. If he was sure about this, then he would have put a lip lock on me, that I'm sure about. I think we both agree that Dean isn't the subtle type of guy in things he's sure about."

The brows sunk back down as Seth pursed his lips, nodding lightly at the statement.

"Well... you got a point there. Still you're an idiot, dude," Seth huffed, now shaking his head while a frown appeared on his face. "Yesterday when he came back from the shop, I actually waited for him to piss on your leg to mark his territory. You can call yourself lucky that he left it by sleeping all over you."

"And biting you away," Roman snorted, grabbing the shower gel to soap himself up.

Pointing at him with the shampoo bottle, the smaller man pointed out: "See what I mean? I think it's safe to say that he considers you being his possession. You should tell him openly what you feel, then he can decide whether he feels ready to take that step or not."

"No."

The single word left his mouth sharper than he had intended it to be.

But this was Seth and one sharp word didn't stop this man from saying what he was thinking and so the reply was: "You're an idiot and a coward. Tell. Him."

"Seth... today is his third day out of that hell hole," he sighed. "Everything is still new to him and he's brooding the whole day. He's doubting himself and I think it still hasn't sunk in that he'sll be living with us or that he acually has a life now. I don't think additional pressure due to a relationship with all it brings along would be of help now. He just started to open up to me. Hell, not long ago he shied away from touches and now he's sleeping in the same bed as I do and lets me hold him. That's so much more than I ever thought he would tolerate. Dean needs time to sort everything out and heal and when he's ready to take that one step, then god knows I'm gonna be there, waiting for him but until then I'm gonna do anything to help him and make him feel safe and good and loved without putting pressure on him.

Seth gazed at him in silence and there was warm affection in his eyes and a faint sadness in his features.

"What?"

"Dean is one lucky devil. He's really to be envied," Seth said so quietly that it almost drowned in the sound of the still running shower.

And Roman's heart did a flip. Why, he had no idea. It wasn't the kind of tumbling it did when it came to Dean but... still... it was there. Clearing his throat, Roman tore his gaze away, stepped out from under the water and grabbed the shower gel.

"When I woke up I was spooning him and, you know, I was sporting a boner and..." He sighed, feeling a certain heat rise to his cheeks. "What if I, dunno... I had that dream... uhm... What if I humped him like a horny dog and he noticed something?" Another sigh. And a low chuckle coming from Seth. "Yeah, funny, you little shit."

"Oh my god yes, it is," Seth snorted, shaking his head lightly while shampooing his hair. "And you being bashful quite a sight, Reigns."

Ignoring Roman's scowl, Seth stepped under the water and began to rinse his hair and Roman's scowl... faded... as he watched he brown eyes close as the water hit Seth's face, those lips parting slightly as he tilted his head back a little... muscles flexing under slightly tanned, wet skin that was looking pleasingly smooth... and the small white crests of shampoo which slid down the lean frame drew Roman's attention as they wandered over the nicely shaped body. One of it slowed down on its trail downwards as it reached Seth's firm and round backside, travelling over it in a teasing curve...

Shit... Roman thought as his heart did that leap again... and the heat from his cheeks dropped southwards.

"You know, either he hasn't noticed it..." Seth added while Roman willed his body not to do that to him now. "... or he liked it or else he wouldn't have spent the night in you arms with your hardon digging into a very private... area..."

Seth trailed off and the last words were spoken slowly, carefully almost. Roman felt his heart speed up as embarrassment and even a slight panic rushed through him. He didn't want to open his eyes because he knew why Seth had fallen silent...

This can't be happening...

... but he had to, couldn't stand here like this forever with his eyes screwed shut and... and with his dick standing at attention...

"Rome...?"

Barely more than a whisper but heavy with confusion. It was there again, that something that made the air between them hum in a way it shouldn't.

"I'm sorry..." Roman forced out, wanting to back away from Seth to bring more than just than arm's length of distance between them but his retreat was stopped by the wall of the shower. Turning around and away from Seth to hide the evidence of his emotional overload and this goddamn volatile attraction between them, he braced his forarms against the wall and rested his forehead against them, breathing, willing his body to stop this shit. "I'm sorry, Seth..." he repeated, clenching his hands to fists because his body just wouldn't obey.

He should have left now, getting away from this situation but he couldn't because he couldn't look at Seth now who was standing between him and the door of the shower and...

"It's okay," Seth said after a moment, sounding still somewhat confused but also reassuringly.

"No, it's not okay," Roman replied, his own voice unfamiliar shaky and light to his own ears. "It's fucking far from being okay. Fuck..."

The abrupt silence as the shower was turned off made him flinch slightly, the sudden absence of the buzzing sound making the situation louder, even more real than it felt already. There was only the high-pitched little splashes of waterdrops hitting the surface of the wet shower tub and his own restrained breathing and the quietness made him achingly aware of how close they were standing. He could almost feel him...

"Things like that happen. You're just emotionally overstrained, Rome."

Closer... was Seth... closer? An odd feeling crawled up his spine, taking residence at the base of his skull like a weird tingling. And then... the light touch of fingers on his back.

"Seth..." he breathed, a warning and a plea at the same time because right there were those fingers touched him, his skin began to prick.

Don't...

"Look at me," Seth demanded softly, brushing his fingers up to Roman's shoulder, leaving goosebumps in their wake before closing around it in a firm hold around it.

Drawing in a shuddering breath, Roman did not move, kept his eyes screwed shut and his arms braced against the wall while his mind told him to shake the hand off and his body whispered to put a hand on the one on his shoulder instead to keep it there. Another touch... as Seth settled his other hand on Roman's side... and his heart began to drum against his chest hard enough to make breathing difficult.

"Seth, don't..." he whispered and yes, Seth was closer.

He could feel the heat that radiated off of the other man's body. When had he moved?

"How long do you think you can go on like this?" Seth asked, the hand on Roman's shoulder gently urging him to turn around. "You're holding back all the time and..."

He felt the hand on his side slip ever so slightly forward while the hand on his shoulder slipped down, settling on his other side as Seth stepped closer... closer... and something in him... snapped. Roman moved before he really knew what he was doing, turning around and moving in on the smaller man, pushing him back until Seth's back connected with the wall on the other side of the shower. With a hiss Roman grabbed a handful of Seth's hair as he trapped him between himself and the wall, planting his other hand on his friend's waist while molding their bodies together. An arm circled his neck... a hand was placed on his hip...

He stilled, staring down at big brown eyes...

Something knocked at the backdoor of his mind and he blinked once as he realized something hard poking into his hip. It took him a second to understand that Seth was as hard as he was. Tentatively he rolled his hips, creating a slight friction that caused his insides to tingle and those kissable lips which were so close to his own to part and he could watch Seth's eyes become black, drawing him in... His heart was still pounding in his chest. And Seth's was, too. He could feel it... could feel its faint echoe where their chests touched. Quick and shallow puffs of air were fleeting over his face hile his own breath caught in his throat as the hand on his hip pulled him closer.

You could have him... His body hummed with the realization. He could have Seth, right here and right now...

But he is not the one you want... his heart whispered with every beat.

Tightening his own grip on his friend's hair, he said just above a whisper: "I can't..."

With that he let go of him and drew back, stepping out of the shower. Blindly reaching out for the next towel, he wrapped the piece of fabric around his waist and walked out of the bathroom and to Seth's room where he's left his clothes.

His head was spinning. This should never have happened. He loved Dean and he wanted him...

"Fuck," his hissed while throwing his clothes on, silently cursing himself for being so weak and losing control over himself like some hormon-driven pubescent.

He had to get out of here and back home. He needed to get to Dean.

Dean...

He had to tell him... had to apologize for what had happened...

Closing his eyes tightly for a second he breathed deeply, trying to calm down enough to make sure he would make the way home on one piece and without an accident because his brain had dropped several levels too deep.

"I'm sorry."

Seth's voice stopped him dead in his tracks just as he was stuffing his trainings clothes into his bag, leaving him standing half-bowed over the bag, his bunched shirt in hand. After a moment he put the damp shirt to the other clothes, zipped the bag and threw it over his shoulder as he straightened up. Roman turned to face his friend, finding guilt written all over the pretty face, just like the one he felt tugging at his insides now. Because he had almost used Seth. And because of betraying Dean in a way by almost giving in to this.

"I'm sorry, too, you know? But this shouldn't have happened," he muttered, scrubbing his hands down his face which dropped to his sides like heavy weights just a blink later. "You're my li'l bro, Seth..." He sighed as he closed his eyes, tilting his head back momentarily before meeting Seth's gaze again. Brown eyes, full of sorrow... "Look, we need to stop this."

"I know," Seth mumbled, wrapping his arms around himself while averting his gaze. "Are you angry?"

Seth was looking small as he stood there and far from being the tough and straightforward guy Roman had come to know.

"No," he reassured him as he walked closer slowly. "No, I'm not angry. Just... something like this is never going to happen again. I love you, Seth, as my best friend and my little brother but I love Dean. I want to be with him and I can't risk losing him."

Not losing a thought about it, he pulled Seth into a hug, holding his except for a towel naked friend tightly pressed his his chest and that humming something between them... it wasn't there anymore. Right now it was gone and he hoped it would stay away forever.

"Okay, I gotta go now," he murmured as they stepped apart a moment later.

He hadn't even reached the door of Seth's bedroom as his name was being called. Looking back over his shoulder, he frowned in question.

"Just tell him that you love him, Rome. I think he needs to know it and it'll make you feel better once you don't have to hide anymore."

Seth's voice wore a wistful note and Roman didn't want to think about why it was there. His only answer was a nod before he left, making his way to his car.

A while later he stepped into his house and dimmed sounds told him that his mother was busy in the kitchen, just as the fact that he wasn't already calling for him told him that she hadn't noticed him coming in. Good. The last thing he needed now was to be arrested by his mother to do things, like she tended to do. His feet carried him upstairs and to Dean's room. The door was standing a crack open and he could see him lying in bed, curled up on his side and with his eyes closed. The shallow rising and falling of his chest told Roman that the other man was asleep.

He needed to go in there and tell him. But... he couldn't... How could he go in there now and wake Dean, disturb the sleep he needed to recover only to tell him what had happened?

... coward...

Because that was the truth, right? That he was a coward, being scared of what would happen if he spilled the facts?

... miserable corward...

Stepping back from the door, he turned to go to his own room. Only that his feet never moved, kept him glued to the spot. He turned back, his eyes automatically finding back to Dean. Not telling him wasn't an option but he didn't necessarily need to wake him now, could just sit a whie with him and wait until Dean woke up on his own.

Yeah, just for a while...

Carefully pushing the further door open, he slipped into the room and sneaked up to the bed where he sat down on the floor. Dean didn't stir, not even as he reached out and laid his hand on Dean's which was sticking out from under the blanket and that obviously for a while already since the skin was cool despite the summerly warmth the day brought along. Oddly enough the touch calmed Roman a little, although that calmness would be gone the very second Dean opened his eye and he had to tell him about his slip.

Dean's features where smooth, relaxed in his sleep. The bruises were slowly beginning to fade and the swelling lessened already, as were the cuts in his lips. Lips he wished he could just kiss right now.

A smile spread on his own as he thought back to the night before. There was a chance for them being together... And his heart jumped. It jumped happily and it sang at that thought, didn't do that kind of leap he'd felt with Seth. Excitement and anticipation, maybe that came closest to what he'd felt with Seth. Like knowing you'll put your hands on something pretty when you shouldn't.

It wasn't that kind of jumping born out of being with the one who owned it.

Holding Dean had felt so perfect. So right. So fucking right that not holding him almost hurt, made Roman's arms feel achingly emtpy and maybe... just maybe he just should have kissed Dean last night. Yeah, Dean still needed time... but would that one kiss have hurt?

No... but maybe it would have made the longing for more overwhelming. Getting a taste and then stepping back and wait and hope? Torture... more than waiting was already anyway.

Once more his eyes roamed the peaceful face, taking in the light twitch around Dean's mouth, listening to his breathing. A beautiful image and one he wanted to see every day till his very last day on this earth.

"Dean?" he asked just above a whisper, gently brushing his thumb over the back of Dean's hand.

No reaction.

Faint sorrow was dyeing his smile as he whispered: "I love you."

What had happened between Seth and him back in the shower was worse than a kiss, wasn't it? Standing pressed up against each other naked while being aroused like this, close to kissing again and maybe even taking it a step further was... it was far from being okay. The fact that he and Dean weren't together didn't change anything here because last night he'd pracitcally admitted to Dean that he had feelings for him and today he almost had sex with his best friend.

"I'm sorry..."

He didn't want to even think about how Dean would react. Seeing them almost kiss had been bad enough, then hearing that they had kisses already once and now that... This wasn't just one or two steps back and this time it would be more work to fix it. But maybe would help that he wasn't keeping it a secret, that he was being honest here and that he had stopped it before... well... before the touching had become more.

A movement made him flinch lightly. Dean sighed, opening his eyes... blue met grey... and Roman's chest clenched painfully as the sleepy happiness in them to see him dimmed, morphing to slight uneasiness as Dean sat up, looking at him in question. Averting his eyes he stood up and walked over to the window, gazing down to the spot where they had been sitting in the rain yesterday. A rustling told him that Dean had gotten up, too, and quiet steps that he was approaching him.

"Ro?"

Quiet. Hesitant. Yeah, Dean knew that something wasn't okay...

"Dean, I..." he began, his heart speeding up, leaving his voice shaking lightly as ve continued. "Seth and I, we've... we..."

It wouldn't work. The words were refusing to come over his lips as he willed himself not to gaze away from those eyes he had come to love so dearly. The uneasiness in them was joined by an expression of being hurt. It shouldn't be there. Those eyes were supposed to sparkle in happiness, not to darken in sorrow. And then in less than a heartbeat a veil cast over Dean's eyes, guarding them heavily.

I love you.

He could taste the words lying on his tongue, rich and sweet and wanting to be spoken aloud but just as he wanted to just say them he couldn't... The guarded baby blues made them die in his throat because saying them now would lessen their value, would make them seem like a feeble attempt of distraction... would make them a poor apology... Averting his gaze, he swallowed the truth down again and for a long moment they remained unmoving in the middle of a heavy and choking silence that settled over them.

Eventually Roman forced himself to meet Dean's eyes again, scared what he might find there. Their gazes locked... and the bright disappointment was glinting in the otherwise still heavily guarded blue eyes oh so briefly hit him like a punch.

"Did you fuck him?"

The question cut like a knife but worse was Dean's voice that was as guarded as his eyes and the lack of emotion sent a chill down Roman's spine. Yelling, hauling things at him... anything would have been better than this...

"No, I stopped it before more could happen," he whispered, not knowing what else to say. "I'm sorry...

Hesitantly he took a step forward but stopped as Dean flinched, backing away... and Roman watched as Dean turned around and left the room without a glance back...

- tbc -

Well, Rome, this is were running around with sexual frustration and being emotionally overstrained gets you... *tsk*

Eh, I admit not as good as the last chapter...

But I hope it's still worth some feedback-candy? *puppy eyes*