A/N: Right, here's yet another chapter - I can't believe I've actually been able to update this story so quickly! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, I love hearing what you guys have to say :) Also, this story has over 1000 views, which is just...wow...thank you all so much!

And just a quick heads up, but there's only around 6 more chapters of this story left, including an epilogue, and then I'm planning to start another fic - which I hope you might all consider reading once it is posted :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

"We don't know. Sebastian's missing."

"What do you mean by missing?" Nick asked, his eyes wide in shock.

"As in, his entire family and household are here, and he isn't," Wes explained, "We've asked around, but none of them have seen him since the fire started."

"I seriously hope he hasn't gone and done anything foolish," Hunter said, starting to pace worriedly.

"I'm sure he'll turn up soon," Wes said.

And as if on cue, there was a sudden uproar outside, and one voice could be heard clearly over all of the others.

"Will you get off me? I'm fine!"

"Sebastian…" Hunter half-whispered, his mouth dropping open, as the boy in question came hurrying through the door.

He appeared relatively unharmed, apart from the cut on his forehead, but his clothes were in tatters and he appeared to have lost both shoes. There was soot from the smoke smeared all over him, and the bottom of his clothes looked a little singed.

"Did you miss me?" he asked, grinning widely. He opened his arms out, as though gesturing for a hug, but not actually exactly expecting one.

He definitely didn't expect Hunter to practically run into him and kiss him. Sebastian's eyes went wide and his arms flailed a little, until he registered what was happening and decided to wrap them around Hunter's waist.

"Finally," Wes said to Nick and Jeff, who both nodded.

"I was going to say the same thing," Nick agreed, "Jeff and I have been waiting for them to get together for ages." Wes grinned, and looked sideways at the other two boys, but they didn't appear to notice; Wes was pretty sure that everyone else had been waiting for Niff to happen for even longer.

Eventually, Hunter and Sebastian broke apart. Sebastian opened his mouth to speak, but Hunter reached out and slapped him.

"What?" Sebastian cried in annoyance, "You can't kiss me and then slap me!"

"That's for scaring me to death back there!" Hunter said fervently, "Don't you ever do that to me again!"

Sebastian looked mildly terrified.

"I didn't exactly do it on purpose," he said, "I went to find you at the barracks because I was worried about you!"

Hunter's frown disappeared, and an almost shy smile crept onto his face.

"You did?" he asked, "Why would you do that?"

"Because I love you, you idiot!" Sebastian cried, grabbing Hunter and kissing him again.

At that point, David walked into the room, casting a curious look at Hunter and Sebastian, and then turning to Wes.

"What's up with them?" he asked, motioning towards the two boys behind them.

"They finally got their act together," Wes explained, "A bit like Niff over here."

David grinned, as both Nick and Jeff looked up at Wes in confusion.

"How did you know?" Nick asked, and Wes smiled knowingly.

"You forget that I know everything," the older boy said, "And anyway, it was obvious; you got embarrassed when I asked if something had been going on in here." Both Nick and Jeff blushed.

"Sorry, did you say Niff has happened?" Sebastian asked, suddenly breaking away from Hunter for long enough to speak.

"Yes," Wes said, looking at the two youngest boys very proudly, "I did say that."

Nick grinned up at Jeff, and put an arm around his waist so that he could pull him closer.

"This is wonderful," Sebastian said, actually looking rather close to crying. He sniffed loudly. "My little Nicky's all grown up."

Wes rolled his eyes.

"Sebastian, are you crying?" he asked.

"What?" Sebastian cried, "No, of course not, I've just…I've got something in my eye."

Wes raised an eyebrow.

"Little things called tears, maybe?" he asked.

"Leave me alone," Sebastian said, wiping away a few stray tears, "It's so happy, okay."

Wes turned and looked at Nick and Jeff. He watched as Nick had to stand on his tiptoes to whisper something into Jeff's ear, and then as Jeff leaned down and pressed a kiss to Nick's forehead.

"They are kind of sweet," he admitted.

"See," Sebastian said, actually almost sobbing now.

Hunter reached over and handed him a small piece of cloth.

"What's this for?" Sebastian asked, holding up the cloth in confusion.

"It's so you can wipe away your tears," Hunter said matter-of-factly. Sebastian nodded slowly, and began to delicately dry his eyes.

Once he'd finished, he turned back to Hunter.

"Why did you have this with you?" he asked.

"In case you cried," Hunter said, as Sebastian frowned.

"But you couldn't have known that Niff would get together at this precise moment, could you?"

"No, but I've been carrying it around ever since I met them."

"Oh."

There was a pause.

"Hunter, how would you have possibly known that I would cry?"

Hunter rolled his eyes.

"Oh, please, Seb," he said, "You cry at everything."

"I do not!"

"You do!"

"No!"

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes."

"No!"

"No."

"Yes!"

"Got you that time," Hunter grinned, as Sebastian pouted.

"Sorry, and we're still supposed to believe that Nick and Jeff are the old married couple, here?" Wes said aside to David.

"Hunter and Seb are acting more like little children," David replied with a shrug.

Wes considered this statement.

"It's a shame we can't keep a record of this moment," he mused, "It would be wonderful to show at their wedding."

David laughed.

"I'm pretty sure we can remind them of it from time to time," he said, "Anyway, we're going to embarrass them so much more at their wedding."

"Why wait for their wedding?" Wes smirked.

"Sorry, what was that about a wedding?" Sebastian asked, suddenly joining in with the conversation.

"Oh, nothing," Wes dismissed it, "I was just saying how I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed with the sudden affection in this room; if I'm honest, I'm feeling rather nauseous."

"Well, you're going to have to get used to it," Sebastian said, half his sentence disappearing as he kissed Hunter again.

Wes sank down onto one of the couches, and groaned as he caught sight of Nick and Jeff being overly cute again. He shut his eyes and tried to think of something completely different instead.

"If you're feeling that left out, we can always cuddle," David suggested, sitting on the couch beside his best friend. Wes opened one eye sceptically and gave David a highly unimpressed look.

"I said I was feeling ill, not desperate, David," he said shortly. David pouted and looked rather offended.

"I was only trying to be nice," he said indignantly.

"David, if I'd said yes, would you have really wanted to cuddle?"

"No, not particularly."

As soon as they received the news that the fire had finally been extinguished, the Emperor announced to Nick's father that he would perform the ceremony for freeing Jeff. Nick's father received the news with a fake smile plastered on his face, before turning to his wife when they were finally alone.

"I swear that boy still hasn't done enough work to pay off the amount I paid for him," he said, as Nick's mother nodded.

"If I'm honest, I've never seen him do any work at all," she replied, narrowing her eyes at the thought, "He's always doing something with our son or his friends, but I've never really seen him do anything useful."

"Maybe I could try and convince the Emperor to change his mind," Nick's father mused, "I could tell him that I wanted my money's worth first, before I made a proper decision; the Emperor would understand that completely."

"It's no use," his wife snapped, "All of the other senators and advisers are waiting for the ceremony to take place right now. I even heard Sebastian's father saying that the slave boy had proven to be very loyal."

Nick's father practically growled.

"If I lose out on this financially," he said, "I will be making Nicholas personally reimburse me."

Nick's mother shrugged.

"I don't care how you do it," she said, "But we're not going to be cheated out of anything. Tell Nicholas that it's for his own good and his own future."

Nick's father looked highly sceptical.

"Since when has that boy ever cared about his future?" he asked, "He's never been very enthusiastic whenever the subject is discussed, and I doubt he has a clue about anything financial."

"One would think that we hadn't tried with him," Nick's mother sighed, "And yet all he wants to do is still run around with his friends, and spend days locked up in his room with his slave boy."

"It's pathetic," Nick's father practically spat out, "If he knew what was good for him, he would have been attending political meetings with me by now."

"We should have forced him to a long time ago," Nick's mother said.

Nick's father nodded in agreement, and went to continue to speak, but their conversation was interrupted by a slave approaching them and informing them that the Emperor was ready to begin the ceremony. Nick's parents cast annoyed looks at each other, and then proceeded to follow the slave.

"Nicky, I don't know what to do," Jeff said worriedly, "What if I make a huge fool of myself?"

"Jeffy, you don't actually have to do that much," Nick reassured him, "Just take the cap and move when you're needed to. I'm the one who'll be speaking, and hopefully not completely messing up the words."

"I know," Jeff said, sinking into Nick's chest as the brunette boy wrapped his arms around him, "I just want this to be over quickly so that we can move on."

"So that you can be free," Nick said, smiling at the thought and kissing Jeff's forehead.

"Yes, so that I can be with you," Jeff answered happily, curling into Nick's chest even more.

"Nick, Jeff, we've got to get out there," Wes stuck his head into the room and motioned for them to follow him, "There's a nice little crowd gathered out here, so be prepared."

Jeff paled.

"You'll do fine, Jeffy," Nick promised, reaching up and pressing a soft kiss to Jeff's lips. "Now, come on. We don't want to disappoint anyone, do we?"

Nick and Jeff stood in front of the Emperor, who was holding a thin rod in his hands. The rest of the crowd stood behind them; most of them were senators, but others were just ordinary citizens who were curious enough to want to watch. Nick caught sight of his parents standing just to his left, looking mightily displeased, but still attempting to hide it behind fake smiles. Jeff stood to his right, in front of the Emperor, and Nick could practically feel the nervousness radiating from the blonde boy; he just wanted to hold him close and tell him that everything would be fine.

The Emperor nodded once to signal that the ceremony could begin. Nick took a deep breath, and prepared himself to speak.

"I desire that this man be free, according to the customs of the Romans," he said.

There was a pause as they all waited for the Emperor's approval. At first, Nick's father considered that this might be a chance for the decision for freedom to be revoked, but his hopes were crushed when the Emperor gave a definitive nod and placed the rod on Jeff's head.

"I say that this man is free, after the manner of the Romans," the Emperor declared, and then he lifted the rod and motioned for Nick to step forward. Nick placed the cap of freedom on Jeff's head, and then he turned him around in a circle and allowed him to walk away.

There were a few loud cheers, mostly from Sebastian, and then the crowd began to disperse.

Nick caught up with Jeff just outside the suite of rooms that they'd been allocated for their stay in the palace, and the blonde boy turned around to give him a grateful smile.

"Thank you for calming me down back there," he said, "I think I would have passed out otherwise."

"It was no problem," Nick grinned, "I'd do anything for you. And now you're free, Jeff! You're your own person legally now as well, which means no more having to pretend."

"It's a little overwhelming," Jeff replied, as Nick opened the door to their room, and quickly ushered him inside.

"You're going to be fine," Nick said, "You don't exactly have to act much different at all, you just don't have to worry about my parents demanding that you take orders anymore."

Jeff smiled happily, as Nick closed the door, and then slid the bolt across it to lock it.

"Do you really need to lock it?" Jeff asked, raising an eyebrow as Nick crossed the room towards him.

"Yes," he replied, "It's so that no one can just walk in on us."

Jeff blushed, as Nick leaned in and kissed him passionately on the lips. Nick wound his arms around Jeff's waist, and pulled him in closer to him, while Jeff put his arms around Nick's neck and tangled his fingers in the other boy's hair.

"I love you," Nick whispered against Jeff's lips, as they separated for a moment.

"I love you too," Jeff whispered in return, quickly reattaching himself to Nick's mouth.

Outside the door, Wes had gathered with David, Sebastian and Hunter so that they could discuss some important news. While Hunter and Sebastian were rather occupied with themselves, Wes tried the door to Nick and Jeff's room, only to find that it was locked.

"Nick? Jeff?" Wes called, knocking on the door, "Can we come in, please?"

"Ignore them," Nick whispered to Jeff, as he practically pushed the blonde boy down onto the nearest bed, "They'll go away in a minute."

Jeff grinned, and fell on to the bed, managing to make a rather large thudding noise as he did so.

Outside, Wes was startled to hear a loud crash from inside the room, and no response from either Nick or Jeff. He turned to David with a worried look on his face, but David just shrugged in return. The loud noise managed to attract both Hunter and Sebastian's attention, and both boys came over to see what was going on.

"Why won't they open the door?" Hunter asked.

"I don't know," Wes said, "It's locked, and I can't get any sort of reply."

"Here let me try," Sebastian stepped forward, and putting his head against the door. "Nick! Jeff! If you don't open this door right now, I will get Hunter to break it down, do you understand?"

"I am going to kill them," Nick muttered, as he had to detach himself from where he'd been quite happily marking the skin below Jeff's collarbone.

"For once, I'm not even going to try and stop you," Jeff murmured in response, already missing the feeling of Nick being so close to him. "Are you sure we can't just continue this and ignore them?"

"Sadly, I don't think the door is actually that strong," Nick said, climbing off of the bed, "And knowing Wes, he's probably assuming that we're in trouble or something, especially with the noise you managed to make with that bed."

Jeff looked a little sheepish.

"Yeah, sorry about that," he said.

Nick waved his apology away.

"Didn't bother me," he grinned, walking over to the door. He slid the bolt back and opened it slowly, allowing his friends to all enter, before he shut the door, and made sure that it was bolted again.

"Finally!" David cried, "We thought something had happened to you and Jeff!"

Sebastian smirked, as he took in the fact that Nick's hair was a mess, and Jeff was perched on the bed, attempting to rearrange his tunic.

"I think something did happen," he said, "These two are becoming a lot less innocent."

Nick blushed, and Jeff descended into another one of the coughing fits that he always succumbed to when he became embarrassed.

"Alright, Seb," Wes said, "Enough of the teasing, what Nick and Jeff get up to behind closed doors is up to them."

"That's why the door was closed," Nick muttered in annoyance. Wes didn't appear to hear him, but Sebastian started laughing again.

"So," Wes began, making himself comfortable on one of the chairs in the room, "I've got some good news to share with you." He paused, as the rest of the group settled themselves on various pieces of furniture; Nick and Jeff were sitting on one of the beds, while Hunter was sat on a nearby clothes chest with Sebastian on his lap, and David took to leaning on the wall. "During the fire, and all of the chaos, my father managed to escape from his prison cell. However, he has had to go into hiding immediately, as once his absence is noticed, the Emperor will want him found. He's decided to go into hiding within the Subura, and David and I will be joining him as soon as we leave the palace today."

"The Subura?" Nick asked, wide-eyed, "Why would you want to live there?"

"I know it's not the most desirable place to be," Wes replied, "But it's one of the places that the soldiers won't go looking for us, and the overcrowding will make it harder for them to single anybody out."

"But what about Warbler meetings?" Hunter asked, "Where will we hold them now?"

"They'll be at wherever we end up living," Wes explained, "I'll give you the exact address when I know it. But you must be careful when going there; make sure that people do not see what you're doing."

There were murmurs of agreement around the room.

"I suppose that we'd better announce our new living arrangements as well," Nick said finally, "This isn't just temporary accommodation in the palace, we'll be staying here until the Emperor has completed his new Domus Aurea, and then we'll be moving into there."

Wes nodded.

"It'll be harder to get messages to you, then," he said, "Seb, where are you staying currently?"

Sebastian thought for a moment.

"Not much has been said yet," he said eventually, "But I imagine that we'll also be living here. I can probably get away easier than Nick or Jeff can, so I can take any messages from you."

"Alright," Wes said, "We'll have to decide on a meeting place."

"What about the Temple of Serapis?" Nick suggested, "It's on the Quirinal Hill, so a far enough distance away from here, but not so far away from the Subura."

Slowly, Wes nodded.

"That sounds like a good plan," he said, "Sebastian, I will meet you there tomorrow morning to give you the first details of the next meeting."

Sebastian agreed, and then Wes and David got up to leave.

"We'd better be heading off," Wes said, "We'll hopefully see you all soon, and remember about the secrecy."

"How could we forget?" Nick grinned, "Now, Hunter and Sebastian, would you please leave as well? Jeff and I want to finish what we started earlier."

Jeff squeaked at Nick's sudden bluntness, and hid his face in his hands.

"Alright, we're leaving," Sebastian said, grabbing Hunter's hand and pulling him out of the room, "We wouldn't want to see anything anyway." He threw a wink at Jeff, who was now blushing a deep red colour.

"Stop making him feel uncomfortable, Seb," Nick scolded, as he went to close the door on his two friends.

Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"Says the boy who just announced to us that you wanted to finish what you'd started earlier."

Nick blushed, and slammed the door in Sebastian's face. He laughed slightly when he heard Sebastian's indignant cry of surprise as he was left in the corridor.

"Did you have to say that?" Jeff asked, still looking very embarrassed, "Couldn't you have just made up a reason for wanting them to leave?"

"Nah," Nick shook his head, as he went to stand in front of where Jeff was still sitting on the bed, "They wouldn't have left fast enough otherwise."

He leant down and put his mouth very close to Jeff's ear.

"And then I wouldn't have been able to do this," he whispered.

A/N: Yay! Huntbastian! And yay for no horrible cliffhanger this time around :) Also, thank you to Eraman for some of the text in this passage :)

Historical Points:

1. The act of freeing a Roman slave was known as 'manumission', and there were different methods that could be used in the freeing ceremony. In this story, Jeff is freed 'Per vindictam', I have used the most basic versions of the words that were said during this ceremony, because there were likely to be other legal aspects. Other methods included 'Per testamentum' - which was when the master left a slave freedom in his will - or 'Per censum' - which is when the slave had permission to enter his own name onto the censor's roll.

2. The Subura was a district in Roman that was mostly for the poorer citizens, and consisted of large blocks of flats with shops underneath. It was situated between the Esquiline Hill and the Viminal Hill. The Subura was notorious for being a highly undesirable area, with many unsavoury types of people living there.

3. The Temple of Serapis was an actual temple that was built on the Quirinal Hill - one of the hills of Rome, at the northern-most point of the city - and was dedicated to the Graeco-Egyptian god Serapis, who was supposed to be another version of the Egyptian god Osiris.

Thank you for reading, and please leave a review to tell me what you thought :) Or ask a question about the story or the history behind it :)