Chapter 15 – Red paint
A week later Roman woke up to a weird feeling at his toes. He opened his eyes and stared down his body. Right. He fell asleep on the couch, his head on Dean's lap, his feet dangling over the arm rest. Well Dean was gone, his head rested on a pillow. How thoughtful.
But there was this tingle at his toes. His eyes found a mob of curly dark blonde hair sticking up just over the armrest.
"Dean what are you doing?"
Dean looked up over the armrest just his eyes and hair were visible. "I paint your toe nails."
Roman was certainly not fully awake yet because his next question was dumb. "Why would you do that?"
"Because Nikki left a bottle in the bathroom and I always wanted to try it."
There was this tingle again and only now Roman fully caught up with everything and pulled his feet away staring at the bright red mess. Eight of ten nails were already painted.
"What did you do?"
"I was almost done Ro. Look, I was extra careful to not paint over the nails and I think I did a halfway decent job considering I did this the first time."
Roman stared. Dean had done a poor job to be honest. He had painted way over every nail. His little toe on the left foot was almost completely covered in red paint. Roman caught Dean grinning a hopeful glint in his eyes. He wanted to be praised but Roman was someone who only gave praise for things well done. He considered it lying telling someone they did great when they didn't. Well, okay, Damien had been an exception but he had been desperate back then. Now he wasn't.
"Well, you suck to be honest." Roman exclaimed and started to rub at the paint but to his horror it was already dry.
"It says dry in 45 seconds." Dean beamed at the fruitless attempt to get the paint off.
Roman stalked into the bathroom and tried to get the paint off with water and soap.
"It is not coming off. Dean how does one get this stuff off?"
Dean who had followed Roman shrugged.
"How am I supposed to know? Look I like it, let me finish and then let's make out. Maybe I can even bring myself to suck your toes."
Dean wiggled his eyebrows.
"No toe sucking." Roman pointed his index finger at Dean and walked out of the bathroom and grabbed his phone. Dean shrugged.
"When you call the pizza place tell them to not put chervil on the pizza again. It has nothing to do on a pizza."
Dean was completely oblivious to Romans mood about the toes and walked back into the living room where he sprawled back on the couch. Roman could be really ungrateful sometimes. And that after he had spent well over 20 minutes on his knees. Some men would appreciate it if their lovers spend 20 minutes on their knees.
After a couple of minutes Roman came back and crawled behind Dean and pulled him close to his chest.
"Don't do this again. I may like to be clean and proper but I don't need painted toe nails."
Dean played with Romans hands that were across his torso.
"I like them. Maybe I could paint each one in a different color next time." Dean stared at Romans naked feet.
"Dean honestly. You are a great cook, an amazing boyfriend and a unique human being but I fear you are no artist. You can't paint for shit."
Dean sighed and dropped his head to Romans chest. He heard the heartbeat and turned his head a little so his ear lay right over the restless muscle.
"I tried."
Roman kissed the top of his head.
"I know. And we learned our lesson that you are no artist and I hate painted toes."
Dean studied Romans right hand with interest.
"What about the finger nails?"
Instead of answering Dean Roman pulled at his ear until the short haired guy protested.
"Guess that means no." Dean concluded and rubbed his ear.
"It means no." Roman agreed.
He hugged Dean tighter to his chest. He loved this guy so much even if he was sometimes obnoxious and wild. But he was more fun on a lazy Sunday afternoon than Tony had ever been.
After a while there was a knock on the front door and Roman got up to open it. Dean followed already anticipating the pizza. To his surprise there wasn't the scrawny pizza boy Adrian with the sticky-out ears out front but two beautiful brunettes.
"Oh my gosh!" breathed Brie aa she looked at Romans bare feet.
"He really did it." Nikki exclaimed laughing.
"You naughty boy." she walked up to Dean pressing a smack on his lips. "You are not the pizza boy. Where is my pizza?" Dean just asked, Nikki in his arms.
"I never said I would order pizza. I asked them for something to get the polish off."
"And we came to your rescue." Brie placed a bottle into Romans hands.
"Just put it on a cotton ball and wipe the polish off." she explained.
Nikki jumped on Deans back. "To the couch please." she told him and he obliged.
Roman picked up Brie bridal style and dropped her next to her sister while Dean and he framed the twins now.
"Pizza?" Dean asked again hopeful.
"We could make pizza ourselves." Brie said and looked at Roman.
"You know a recipe I am sure."
Now Dean's eyes were fixed on Roman while he put his head on Nikki's shoulder. Nikki stroked his head with her hand.
"I do but I need some yeast for it."
"We can get it." Dean offered and grabbed Nikki's hand to pull her up.
"Okay but get some of the instant yeast it takes less time. And bring something to put on the pizza. Whatever the twins want." Roman instructed his eager sous chef
"Sure." he walked to the front door, Nikki in tow but she stopped him at the door.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" she pointed to his bare feet.
"Damn." Dean laughed and put on some socks and shoes and two minutes later the odd couple left the apartment. Nikki was dressed in a nice blouse, some tight jeans and high heels. Her hair and make up were en point. Dean looked like he just had crawled out of bed but their differences didn't keep them from walking down the street in a tight embrace.
"I like you Dean. Did I ever tell you that?"
"No but I like you too busty twin. You are like a little sister to me."
"I know, right? We touch all the time and people think we are a couple when we really just are friends. It's not weird to be close to you even though you are a guy. But you are safe since you are gay."
"I am bi." Dean corrected.
"Are not. You have just eyes for Roman pal. No matter what beautiful lady eyes you you ignore them all. But when Roman just looks your way your eyes become dreamy."
"So maybe I am falling for him...hard." Dean admitted.
"You do. But don't worry I won't tell."
"Good because we are not there yet to tell each other that."
"But you are there to paint his toe nails."
Dean snickered. "Yes. I knew it would drive him mad."
"You can paint mine if you want."
Dean looked down at Nikkis feet. "No offense but I would never touch your feet. I have no foot fetish. With Roman...its different."
"I have nice toes!" Nikki protested and while they entered the supermarket they discussed Nikki and her toes.
Meanwhile at home Roman had offered Brie a glass of wine and they were preparing everything.
"You and Dean are cute together. Do you know that the guy is head over heels in love with you?"
Roman put the flour down.
"We are not there yet to voice such things but I suppose he has it bad for me." Roman grinned cockily.
"Not half as bad as you got it for him."
Roman got serious.
"True. I never felt with anyone like I do with him. He touches something inside me Brie. No matter how crazy he drives me..." he pointed to his toes.
"I can't be mad at him for long because there is no mean bone in him. Well not when it comes to me. He can be a scary asshole if he wants to be. But he is the most loyal guy I ever met. I feel safe around him. Safe to be myself."
"You are in love with him." Brie concluded.
Roman sighed and nodded. Yes, he was head over heels in love with his crazy lunatic.
Soon enough Nikki and Dean returned laughing like little kids.
"We decided to do a cooking duel." Nikki announced and grabbed Dean's arm.
"Me and Dean against you two."
Roman smiled. "You are on."
While Dean and Nikki seemed to create mostly chaos, Brie and Roman worked step by step. Dean and Nikki ended up covered in flour while Roman and Brie remained clean.
But Roman was not one bit of surprised, that Dean's pizza was to die for. He might seem chaotic, but that guy could cook. And what was the saying? The way to the heart is through the stomach? Well. Dean certainly had found the way into his heart. Now he only needed to tell him, in a language he was actually able to understand this time…
A/N: So the guys confessed their love for each other…just not to each other but to the twins. Damn. They should finally say it, right? Because their feelings are transparent to everyone else…