Three
"I want you back on the road, Dean."
Dean threw his head back and laughed. "Oh yeah?" His smile disappeared. "What makes you think I'm going anywhere with you? I told you that I was done with that kind of life."
"You didn't seem like it just now,' Antonio smiled. "And you know that it's true."
"I told you no once. I've chosen to settle down with Roman so please fuck off."
"Roman didn't seem to mind when I told him about it."
Dean frowned and took a step closer. "You better not be lying, Cesaro."
Antonio grinned. "Not lying. You can ask him yourself. He's right over there talking to his… boyfriend?"
The auburn haired man followed his gaze and found Roman talking to Jason, Jimmy and another guy by the buffet spread. He turned his attention back to his ex label's second in charge. "Fuck you, Cesaro."
"Well, you used to, remember?"
"You son of a b-"
"Look, Dean. I think you would make a great solo artist. Your boyfriend seemed okay with it. He must have been after asking me to come and watch you perform when I stopped by his coffeehouse. Think, Dean. I think you'd be the best rock solo artiste. I really do."
"Roman asked you to come here?"
"Well, yes."
How could he? Dean thought. He knew why Dean wanted to stop travelling on the road. He knew why Dean gave it all up. Sure he ached for it but nothing that couldn't be eased by his new club… right?
"Ummm Dean, is it?" an elderly woman wearing a sunhat and pearls dressed in a tight yellow dress asked, stopping by in between the two men. "I'm Mrs White and I'm the head of the neighborhood committee and I'd like to ask if you would be able to perform another song?"
Dean was about to decline but Antonio intercepted. "He'd be happy to."
"Thank you."
When Mrs White was out of earshot, Dean frowned. "How dare you-"
"Come on, Dean," Antonio tried to pacify him. "One more song wouldn't have hurt you."
"Yes, it would have. I wanted to go and relax on my porch."
"Well you can do that after the song."
As they were talking, Mrs White announced that Dean was going to sing another song. His eyes met Roman's and he frowned at his boyfriend before he stepped back into the gazebo and sat on the high stool.
He started to strum the riff of The Messenger of INXS, his eyes not leaving his boyfriend then. He leaned closer to the microphone and started to sing:
Look around
Give your eyes a new adventure
What you see
Is a mix of past and future
Your moment
Is coming now
Hold on, hold on
How you gonna be when tell the story
Everything we took
Was it from each other
Hold on, come on
It's too late to get around it
Say goodbye to how we found it
This is what we least expected
Don't you put the blame on the messenger
It's too late to get around it
Say goodbye to how we found it
This is what we least expected
Don't you put the blame on the messenger
Hold on, hold on
I've seen the flames
That lick at survival
Check your dreams
Into the justice hotel
Your moment, is coming
Hold on, hold on
How you gonna be when tell the story
Everything we took
Was it from each other
Hold on, hold on
It's too late to get around it
Say goodbye to how we found it
This is what we least expected
Don't you put the blame on the messenger
It's too late to get around it
Say goodbye to how we found it
This is what we least expected
Don't you put the blame on the messenger
Hold on, hold on
How you gonna be when tell the story
Everything we took
Was it from each other
It's too late to get around it
Say goodbye to how we found it
This is what we least expected
Don't you put the blame on the messenger
Oh yeah, come on
He thanked the audience and jumped off the stool, placing Dixie back in her case. He loved her so much, his precious Flying V.
"Dean?"
When he stood up to face Roman, he crossed his arms. "You better have a good explanation, Roman Reigns."
"I know how hard it is for you. You know missing being on the road and performing. Honestly, I just thought-"
"You thought that you could get rid of me while you live your life here. I see how it is. If you want me out of your life so bad, Roman, all you had to do was ask me to go and I will."
His grey eyes widened. "What? Dean, it isn't like that."
"Whatever. I'm going off." Dean then strolled away. Clearly sacrifices didn't work in this day and age. It was better to just be a selfish twat like his ex, Cesaro. Look how far it got him.
When he made the corner, he heard his name being called. "Dean Jonathan Ambrose," Roman's voice growled. He turned slowly to find him glaring. "What is it, Roman?" Dean said. "I just want to go home and relax."
Dean continued walking. It wasn't long before Roman was by his side. The moment the door closed behind them, Roman started going off at him. "How could you just leave me standing there, Dean? How could you?"
"Oh. I'm sorry. Was I supposed to get your permission? Or your boyfriend's?"
"Damn it, Dean! He's not interested in me and I'm not interested in him either. I'm always going to be interested in you, you blockhead. Get it through your thick skull!"
Roman was angry?
Roman was angry.
Roman was angry.
And Dean was turned on by it. He was always turned on by an angry Roman. "Well?" his boyfriend demanded. "Aren't you going to say anything?"
Dean immediately jumped on him, causing him to fall on the sofa. "Fuck, you're angry," he said in between frantic kisses. "I love it when you're angry!" Roman's words were swallowed in an all consuming kiss and before Dean knew it, he was being flipped over and just like that, he was at the bottom.
"You like me angry, do you?" Roman asked huskily.
"Fuck yes," Dean moaned when Roman rubbed his clothed crotch. His boyfriend was about to kiss him when the door was knocked. "Fuck!" the auburn haired man cursed.
"Let me just answer it first," Roman replied. "After that, your ass is mine. I'm going to punish you for what you did in the park."
Dean licked his lips. "Really?" He was thrilled.
"Oh yeah."
His boyfriend opened the door when he found Jason standing there with Jimmy. "Sorry if we came at a bad time," he apologised to Roman before looking at Dean. "Dean, the committee loves your performance. We were wondering if you would like to perform regularly for any events we organised."
"I'm not sure, man…" Dean replied. "This isn't really my scene." There. He said it. Why did he feel awkward? To Dean, it was like being the nerdy kid amongst the popular kids. "That's why I play heavy metal. It's for the freaks like me."
The ones who didn't fit in.
He may not be able to fit in with them but clearly Jason and Jimmy were Roman's new friends and Roman had always shown Corey and Seth hospitality and kindness so Dean had to do the same. "But you guys are welcome to my club if you want to watch me perform."
What the hell did he just say? Perform in his own club?
"That'd be great," Jimmy said, excited. "We can't wait to see it."
"Then it's settled. You guys are invited for opening night."
Roman had the proudest look on his face.
Jason was beaming like Jimmy. "Gosh. Thanks, Dean. Sure. We'll be there."
After the two of them left, Dean closed the door and turned around to a frowning Roman. "What?" he asked.
His boyfriend hauled him in his arms and tossed him on the couch. Before Dean could comprehend what was going on, Roman took him across his lap and smacked him on his butt. Hard.
"Aaah!"
"Don't you dare do that again, Dean Ambrose," he warned.
Dean pretended to play dumb. "Do what?"
"Leaving me stranded."
"Oh please. I'll leave you-"
Another smack on his butt. This time it was harder.
Still he was stubborn. "Nope. I have every intention-"
"Shut up, Dean." Roman pushed him on the sofa and started to strip him.
The fact that his boyfriend was taking charge was just… hot. Dean was turned on to a feverish high. "Sorry?" he offered.
"It's too late for apologies," Roman murmured before he discarded the last stitch of clothing Dean had on.
"Shouldn't you take your clothes off too?"
"Don't tell me what to do," Roman replied in dangerous voice. "You've lost that right."
"What?" He gulped. "Forever?"
"Just for today."
"But-"
"No talking."
"But how am I supposed to communicate to let you know if I like what-"
A kiss to his belly button. "That's the thing. You don't. You're just supposed to lie on your back and take it."
Fuck. This wasn't supposed to be turning him on but it was. Guess I am a masochist, he thought.
"You're already hard, baby boy?" Roman taunted. "It doesn't take much to turn you on, does it?"
Only when it comes to you, he thought as kisses were peppered on his chest. Roman was touching him everywhere except the part he wanted him to stroke most. He squirmed. "Stop moving," the Samoan man instructed.
Still Dean moved, rubbing himself against Roman's clothed member to get some friction.
His boyfriend's weight crushed over him. "There. Now you can't move."
"Roman," he gasped.
His boyfriend pinched him on his left butt cheek."What did I say about talking?"
"But I need you."
"Do you?"
"Yes."
Suddenly Roman tugged his hair. "Promise you won't leave again."
"What?"
Roman grinded against him then. "Promise me, Dean."
He could hear the anxiety in his boyfriend's voice masked by his sexual demand. "I promise."
Satisfied, Roman kissed him tenderly. That was it? No more punishment? As he wrapped his arms around his big softy of a boyfriend, Dean realised it didn't matter.
"Dean, it's your turn to set the table."
He gave Roman a look when he opened the fridge and took a can of diet Coke. Roman was making Grilled Chicken Salad later that night.
"Don't give me that look," Roman replied. "I believe you said you looked forward to doing these kind of things."
"I was drunk when I said that."
"No, you weren't."
He pouted and place the can down on the counter and took out two plates from the cabinet. "You know, I don't understand why I have to do this."
"That's what us normal people do."
"Fuck. If this is what normal is, I'm hopping on a bus and driving myself to Detroit Rock City."
There was a moment of silence before he realised what he just said. Shut up, Dean, he chastised himself. You're doing this for Roman. You're doing this for-
"Dean, what did you tell Antonio?" his boyfriend asked as he tossed the salad.
"I told him that I was done with the road traveling."
"So you don't miss it?"
He opened the drawer and took out two forks and dinner knives. "Nope."
"You don't have to hide from me, Dean. It's okay if you do. You've been doing this for a long time until you met me. Sometimes, I wonder if it had been better if… if we hadn't met-"
"Don't, Roman!" Dean said. "Don't you dare finish that sentence. Yes, I do miss the road but I know I'll miss you more and that's far worse."
His phone rang interrupting what Roman was about to reply. Dean smiled. "What's up, Core?"
"Dean? You won't believe what the printing company did for the flyers." His best friend sounded annoyed.
"What?"
"They made a mistake on the date of opening of the club; apparently it's tomorrow."
His blue eyes widened. "What?"
"Yeah! What the fuck?"
Dean sighed. "Okay, calm down. We have everything in place more or less. The AV has been settled. The licenses. As for the food, I guess we can cater first."
"Right. But what about the drinks? We were supposed to interview some bartenders."
He thought hard. Who did he know could make drinks? "Can Seth fill in first? He used to bartender for a couple of months at the Rainbow club."
"Let me ask him." Dean waited for Corey to ask Seth in the background. He heard an enthusiastic agreement. "It's okay, Core," he replied. "I heard him. So we're good."
"But what about the music, Dean?"
"I guess I'll sing. You can play the guitar."
He heard Corey laugh. "Once a musician, always a musician."
"As for drums, I'll have to ask around."
"No, it's okay. You leave that to me. I'll see you early tomorrow."
"Sure," Dean agreed.
When he hung up the call, Roman was looking at him quizzically. "Problems?"
"Close enough. Asylum is being opened tomorrow. The printers made a mistake on the date. You may as well let Jason know about the change and if Jimmy and him can make it."
He went to the dining table and put the plates and utensils there. Okay. They'd be fine. He knew what type of snacks they needed to serve. He'd have to call the catering company later.
Dinner was a quiet affair for both and Dean was worried, his thoughts drifting to his conversation with Roman earlier. His boyfriend seemed to be in deep thought as he ate. "Roman?" he said.
"Yeah?"
"I want you to know, that no matter what, if I had to give it up a second time for you, I would." Before Roman could say anything, he quickly added, "I know it's hard for me now but sooner or later, I will settle down and then I'll look back on these moments and smile knowing that I made it because I had you by my side."
Roman was teary eyed then. "Dean…"
"I mean it, Roman. I may behave like a spoilt child and throw tantrums about but I am aware that you're trying hard for the both of us and I appreciate it. I really do." He gave the Samoan a quick peck. "You deserve far better than me, Roman. But I know that I can't do it without you. So bear with me. It won't last long."
"I wasn't going to give you up," Roman explained. "I saw how much you were struggling and I was prepared to just let you go back on the road. It didn't mean we'd be apart in the emotional sense just that you could live your life the way you wanted to."
"I am living my life. Maybe not the way I want to but a huge part of my life is you and I want you to be happy. Besides, I have Corey and Seth here. I think the club will help me get back into the swing of things."
Roman seemed to be in a better mood then and as they were leaning over to kiss, the doorbell rang. "Fuck," Dean cursed. "What is it with the universe interrupting us?"
His boyfriend chuckled.
"I'm going to ignore it and so are you," Dean said.
"You know what? I think I'll take a page out of your book," Roman agreed before they kissed. "This is nice."
Dean made a face. "Nice? Dean Ambrose doesn't do nice. He does bad."
"Just shut up and kiss me."
The knocking persisted and Dean groaned. "Fuck it."
"Baby boy, I think it's better you answer it."
He sighed and left his seat, grumbling as he headed to the door. Why was this person so damn persistent? His jaw dropped when he saw who it was at the door.
A/N Thank you for the favorites/follows/reviews. I appreciate it. More than you will ever know :-)