Disclaimer: I don't own anyone.
Rated: M
Warning(s): Slash, Kidnapping, Threats, Non-Con, Murder, etc.

Seth blinked, drowsily opening his eyes. The last vestiges of sleep clung to his body like a vice and, absently, he wondered when he had fallen asleep. But there wasn't much time to think of such trivial matters. Within seconds of waking-up, he was violently assaulted with the memories of a conversation that had occurred mere hours before. Dean had left them, abandoned them like they meant nothing. Suddenly, everything that Dean had ever said to him, every declaration of love and acceptance, had to be questioned. The tears, angry and hot, returned with a vengeance.

It was only after several moments of wallowing in his own angst that he realized he wasn't alone. Roman was seated in the chair beside the bed, his dark eyes glazed over with pain. He wasn't acknowledging Seth, didn't even seem to realize that the smaller sub was in the room, but instead, was staring out the window. After several moments, Seth looked out the window as well. The world outside was dank and gray, with large, heavy raindrops splattering listlessly against the window. Huge gusts of wind whipped the trees to and fro, and the occasional flash of lightening lit up the sky with brilliant colors.

"I didn't mean to snap at you like that." Roman said in a detached voice. He continued with a solemn, "I checked in with the doctor before coming in. He said that you can leave as soon as you wake up. I already filed the paperwork."

Seth nodded. Clutching the blanket in his good hand, he offered a meek, "I'm sorry." Roman's eyes flickered over to him, noticing the tears shimmering in the dark chocolate orbs. "If I… If I did something… I'm sorry."

"Don't cry." The tone was a tad harsher than necessary, causing Seth to flinch. Roman frowned, realizing that he needed to calm down. "The doctor will be upset if you get all worked up before you leave."

"I-I'm sorry." The two-toned man couldn't help himself, though. "I d-don't w-w-want to u-upset you."

With a sigh, Roman reached out, carefully pulling his boy into his chest. The tears immediately started to fall, hurriedly absorbing in Roman's shirt. Somewhat awkwardly patting the boy on the back, he said, "You're not upsetting me. I'm just s-sorry you have to go through this."

"Why did he leave?" Seth asked, almost cutting off Roman's sentence. "Doesn't he love us anymore?"

Gently raking his fingers through Seth's knotted hair, Roman offered a soft, "I think his problem was that he loved us a little too much."

"T-This is my fault." Seth stuttered. He was twisting Roman's shirt tightly in his fingers.

"No, it's not." Roman pulled him in a little tighter, sounding almost angry at the declaration. "None of this is your fault, you understand me? None of it."

Seth was listening, but Roman was fairly certain that his words were not sinking in. Silently, he cursed Dean and his impulsiveness. Did he even think about what would happen to Seth; how he would deal with knowing that Dean had just walked out on them? And how could he be so sure that, one day, he wouldn't just stumble upon the truth? The words might never come from Roman's lips, but what if they came from a fellow superstar, a newscaster, or even a fan? Would Seth be able to handle the truth? Judging by the way he was clutching onto Roman for dear life, he didn't think so.

Roman released him, slowly climbing to his feet. Seth's arm snapped out, his hand wrapping around Roman's wrist. "Please, don't leave me! I'm sorry about your shirt! I won't… I won't cry anymore!"

Roman raised an eyebrow, "I'm not going anywhere, Seth. I'm just going to the foot of the bed to get you the change of clothes that I brought you. Unless, of course, you want to head out to the car with your ass hanging out." Roman said, referencing the backless hospital gown Seth was wearing.

A dark blush stained Seth's cheeks, and he averted his eyes, looking down at the messy blankets instead. "I'm sorry…"

Roman sighed, "Please, stop apologizing. You have nothing to apologize for."

As it turned out, Roman had packed him a suitcase. While Seth found this a little odd, he didn't comment on it. Picking up the suitcase and setting it down on the bed, he unzipped it and removed a pair of jeans, a loose black t-shirt, and a pair of boxer shorts. Closing the suitcase, he set the clothes on top of it. He then helped Seth out of the bed and onto his feet, slowly and carefully undressing him. Making sure that he was standing in-front of him, so that Seth would have no way to confuse who he was, he slipped the gown off of his shoulders and handed over the clothing.

"You okay to dress yourself? I don't want you to jar your shoulder." Roman said. He sounded deeply concerned, which was somewhat uncharacteristic of him.

"I think that I'm okay." Seth sniffled. His movements were slow and calculated, and Roman wasn't sure if he was actually telling him the truth. He looked like he was in pain, but he wouldn't say anything.

Roman frowned, leaning against the far wall. For the first time, he was incredibly thankful for private hospital rooms. "Seth, if you're in pain, you don't have to hide it. I'm here and I'm willing to help you. You don't have to suffer alone anymore."

"I don't… I don't…" he had trouble zipping and buttoning the jeans, so Roman stepped forward to assist him. "I don't want to rely on anyone else. If I do… they'll leave me… just like Dean."

Roman's thicker fingers gently caressed Seth's soft skin, and Seth's eyes slid closed as he tentatively leaned into the touch. It was so hard for him to feel Roman's hands on him and not associate it with Ryback, but it was made easier by hearing, "I'm not planning on going anywhere, Seth."

Seth sniffled again. "Dean said the same thing, too."

"Yes, well, I'm not Dean, am I?" Roman countered. "I'm not going to go anywhere, and I'm certainly not going to leave you." Pressing his lips to Seth's temple, he drew back, helping Seth into his shirt.

"It hurts…" Seth confessed meekly, not wanting to seem weak in Roman's eyes.

"I know it does." Roman told him. "I know. You're not the only one he left behind, remember?"

At that, Seth fell silent. As selfish as it might have seemed, he had forgotten that he was not the only one left behind. Even if he wasn't a submissive, Roman certainly had extensive emotional ties in their relationship, and he was bound to both of them so tight, it could be considered irreversible. Before Seth had entered the picture, Dean had been Roman's submissive. Seth's existence had dramatically altered every aspect of their relationship… and they loved it that way. But there was an undeniable amount of pain that accompanied the loss of a submissive, even if they weren't your submissive any longer.

Seth could see the grief that was swimming in Roman's swollen, red-rimmed chocolate eyes. While he didn't necessarily wear his heart on his sleeve, the eyes were the gateway to the soul, and they bore every tumultuous emotion currently raging within him. As he helped the submissive to dress, his movements seemed painfully mechanical. It was like he was going through all the motions of life, without actually living it. And that worried Seth. It worried him enough to temporarily override the feeling of abandonment and neglect. However, those feelings never stayed down for long. They always came back.

Sitting Seth back down onto the bed, Roman knelt down and helped him put on his shoes and socks. He continued softly, "We're in this together, okay? And I'm not going anywhere. I promise you that."

Reaching out toward the bedside table, he pulled out the card that had been left with him by Vince McMahon and presented it to Roman. "Even through therapy?"

"If that's what you want." The bigger man immediately responded. "Right now, with everything that has happened, your health and wellbeing is my number one priority. And if you feel like therapy will help your mental health, then that's what we'll do."

Now, it was time for Seth to make a confession. "Back before the whole mess with the trial, I… I heard you and Dean talking about f-forcing me into therapy." He wiped at his eyes with his good hand. "I-I'll admit… it kinda felt like a betrayal back then."

"But it's different now?" Roman offered, tying off Seth's tennis shoes.

The two-toned man nodded, before choking out, "I feel like a little kid, having you tie my shoes for me."

"We all need someone to take care of us every once in a while." Roman responded.

Holding out his hand, Seth took it and slid off of the bed. Seth watched meekly as Roman took the suitcase off of the bed, grabbed the last of Seth's stuff, and led him out of the hospital. It seemed strange, leaving without Dean. What was worse was acknowledging the fact that he'd never be going anywhere with Dean again. Once out in the parking lot, Roman led him over to the rental car and helped him into the passenger seat. Tossing the suitcase into the trunk, he climbed behind the wheel and pulled out of the parking lot. At that time, their destination was unknown to Seth. And somehow, he knew not to ask.

Seth awoke an hour and a half later, when they arrived at the Philadelphia Airport. Roman gently tapped his shoulder (mostly because the shoulder nearest to him was the one that had been recently dislocated, and the last thing that he wanted to do was further injure his boy) to wake him. It was obvious that they'd made a pit-stop at McDonald's – though Seth couldn't actually remember it, and had a feeling that he'd been unconscious during it – as Roman was nursing a large Coca-Cola. Now that he was awake, Roman helped him out of the car, tossing the container in a nearby trashcan.

They dropped their luggage off and went to the correct line to wait to board their flight. At this point, they were also forced to present their passports. This was also when Seth discovered where they were going. Rio. They were headed out of the country. Seth silently wondered if Vince had anything to do with this – after their little chit-chat at the hospital, Seth wouldn't be surprised. Vince had seemed genuinely concerned about Seth's welfare, which was both surprising and moderately concerning. But still… spending three months in Rio felt like a little much. And what about the whole mess with Ryback?

"Doesn't this kinda seem like we're running?" Seth asked softly. "I mean, shouldn't we stay here and tell the truth – that I'm the one who killed Ryback, not Dean?"

Roman didn't seem too concerned with that fact, and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I'm fairly confident in the statement that there isn't going to be a trial."

That seemed to confuse the two-toned man. "Why wouldn't there be a trial if there was a murder? There's clearly an investigation on the matter. And the officer heading the investigation is one relentless son of a bitch."

Roman shook his head, "Trust me, something tells me that they won't be able to charge Dean with anything."

Seth was about to respond, when their flight was called. Roman took his hand, leading him onto the plane. They quickly claimed their first-class seats (courtesy of Vince McMahon) and made themselves comfortable. Finally, Seth offered a weak, "Roman?"

"What is it, kid?" Roman asked, clearly wanting this conversation to be over.

Seth smiled softly, before whimpering, "I love you."

Roman froze momentarily, before reaching out and lovingly ruffling Seth's hair. "Love you too, kid. Love you too."