Disclaimer: I don't own anyone.
Rated: M
Warning(s): Slash, Murder, etc.

The Next Morning

Seth awoke with a start to find himself alone in bed – a rare occurrence that hadn't happened in… he couldn't even remember. Frantically, he felt around, anxious to disprove the reality that Roman was gone. However, the world was not that kind. The sheets beside him were icy cold, and the blankets, pressed neatly, were virtually wrinkleless. In other words, Roman was gone, and had been for some time. Seth felt his heart constrict in his chest as his stomach do flip-flops as he realized that he was completely and utterly alone. Dean was gone and Roman, who had promised never to leave him, had vanished as well. Tears started to well in his eyes, but he took no notice of them. He had never felt more empty… more hurt… more betrayed.

The door to the en-suite bathroom opened, but Seth took no notice. He was so distracted by his own maelstrom of confusing, painful emotions that he did not see Roman emerge from the bathroom, thick plumes of fresh-smelling steam trailing close behind him. There was a fluffy white towel draped precariously around his waist (courtesy of the hotel, no doubt), and large, murky water droplets were slowly making their way down his muscular chest. Turning off the bathroom light and shutting the door behind him, he slowly started to make his way over to the bed. That was when Seth first noticed him. Throwing all sense of decorum out the window, he latched onto Roman for dear life, almost falling off the bed in the process.

Roman let out a breathless grunt as he was suddenly struck with the full weight of Seth's body. "Well, then…" He tried to take a step back and loosen the boy's grip, but Seth wouldn't budge. Finally, he relented, "I wasn't expecting you to be awake."

"I thought that you had left me." Seth mumbled into Roman's taut stomach. Much to his dismay, he was crying again.

Roman, understanding immediately, ruffled the boy's already tousled locks. "I just went to take a shower, kid. Nothing to get all worked up over, alright?" Seth was on the brink of hyperventilation. "I promised you that I wasn't going anywhere. I meant it."

Seth sniffled and, tilting his head back slightly, met Roman's dark brown eyes. "B-But do you really want to stay with me?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, kid?" Roman asked, alarmed. "Of course I want to stay with you!"

"But… but why?" Seth pressed. "There's nothing particularly special about me. I'm damaged goods, at best. I have serious abandonment issues. I don't know if we'll ever be able to… make love again. And," he paused, "I know I'm not Dean."

Roman raised an eyebrow. The kid had lost him somewhere in the middle of his emphatic speech. "Well, of course you're not Dean. You're Seth. And that's fine." Roman assured him. "Why would you want to be somebody else?"

"Because I know how much you love Dean." Seth said shamefully. He hated how much he resembled a petulant child.

The bigger man cocked his head to the side. "And you think that I don't love you?"

"I never said that!" Seth vehemently denied. However, the hurt that shone in his eyes was proof enough that that was the truth.

Roman sighed, before saying, "Look, kid. I don't know whether you realize this or not, but you haven't gotten by all these years on your looks. Yeah, you're fucking gorgeous, but that's not what Dean and I saw in you. That's not what I still see in you."

Seth felt the tears coming on for an entirely different reason this time. "Why, then?"

"I see your heart. Yeah, it's broken and bleeding… but everyone's is, to some extent. I like that, beneath your rough and tough exterior, your just a giant marshmallow. And I like that I'm one of the few people that actually knows that."

No matter how strange of a comparison it might have been (Seth honestly never would have thought to compare himself to a marshmallow, but hey, whatever works), the raw truth, compassion, and love with which it was delivered warmed Seth's heart more than words could ever express. He latched onto Roman for a completely different reason this time, and Roman awkwardly patted his back, while using his other hand to hold up his towel. After all, there was no reason to ruin a perfectly romantic, sappy moment with the emergence of something that would make them both uncomfortable. Finally, Seth drew back after several moments, slowly wiping the remaining tears from the corners of his eyes.

"Thank you." And then, his smirk turned evil. He playfully swatted Roman on the shoulder, and brought out the dreaded nickname, "You big teddy bear you."

"Tell anyone about this encounter and I will vehemently deny it." Roman assured him, his eyes twinkling with promise.

Seth's smirk never faded as he nodded, "Oh, I know that you will."

"You feeling better now?" Roman asked, becoming extremely serious once again. It was clear that he was still very worried for his boy. "You had me really worried back there."

Seth remembered how desperate and alone he had felt in those moments where he had thought Roman had abandoned him, and realized that that fear could be a two-way street. "Yes. Thank you… for everything."

"I'll tell you as many times as you need to hear it, kid." Roman assured him. "You just have to promise not to hold it in, okay?"

Seth's eyes widened and his smile slowly fell. He stared into Roman's eyes and realized that the bigger Samoan was telling the absolute truth. Feeling his heart swell with joy, he nodded enthusiastically. "Yes… I will."

"Good." Roman ruffled Seth's hair again, before turning his back on Seth. "Now, hurry up and get dressed. We have to leave -,"

Seth cut Roman off by bounding off of the bed and wrapping his arms around the bigger man's neck, pressing his lips against Roman's in an overly-excited, anxious kiss. Roman, startled, stumbled backward, one arm hurriedly wrapping around Seth's middle in an attempt to stabilize them both. Seth's kiss was sloppy and heated and totally out-of-character, considering the conversation that they had just had. But just as soon as it had begun, it was over. Seth pulled back, offering Roman a sheepish smile. Roman, who had been completely caught off-guard by it all, simply watched as Seth slunk back over to the bed and, unzipping his suitcase, pulled out a change of clothes.

"Thank you." Seth flashed him a small smile, his cheeks flushed from his sudden (and pleasurable) attack on Reigns. And, with that being said, he disappeared into the bathroom to get changed.

Roman stared after him, before wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. Taking a deep breath, he allowed his eyes to slip closed. "Holy shit." Seth was always full of surprises.

After breakfast that morning, Seth had wanted to take a walk. Not wanting Seth to walk alone (secretly still afraid that something like what had happened with Ryback back in PA would happen here, even after the monster's death), Roman had accompanied him. They made their way through the city, not caring about those that they passed. No words were shared between them. They didn't need them. In place of words, there was a deeply rooted understanding between them… a connection. The two of them had been together for so long, it was almost as if they understood what the other was thinking effortlessly. And for a while, it seemed as if Dean's absence was of no consequence. But his absence loomed over them unfailingly.

Suddenly, Seth turned to Roman. He extended his hand, and Roman took it somewhat reluctantly. He'd never been one for public displays of affection. "Roman… I have a confession to make."

"Oh boy, this should be good." Roman teased gently. But then, sobering up, he continued, "What is it?"

Seth looked down at the ground sheepishly as they continued walking. "Back in Pennsylvania… I heard you and Dean talking about wanting to send me to counseling." He sucked in a deep breath. "I didn't say anything because… I felt betrayed."

Roman remembered that conversation well, and squeezed Seth's hand comfortingly. "We only wanted what was best for you."

"Oh, I know that." Seth hurriedly corrected. "That wasn't it. That wasn't it at all." Trying to gather his jumbled thoughts, he remedied his earlier statement with, "I felt betrayed… because you had to talk about it behind my back. You couldn't tell me."

"We never meant for it to seem like that." Roman informed him. "We were just discussing things. It was just an idea… something that we were bouncing around. We didn't want to tell you before we were sure that it was what was best."

"Why couldn't you ask me what was best for me?" Seth asked.

"Because, in agreeing to become our submissive, you agreed to let us take care of you. We were doing just that." He said.

They continued to walk in silence for several moments. Seth was beginning to realize what Dean had found so troubling about being a submissive. It could, at times, be a very oppressive position, and Dean wasn't one to handle that sort of situation well. Seth had never questioned it before… until now. Did he really want to be fussed over, have all of his decisions made for him, to hand over complete control of himself to an outsider? Even if he loved that person, could he really sacrifice himself so fully? After everything that he had been through, he wasn't sure that he could handle being in the position of a submissive any longer. Maybe Dean's mysterious disappearance was their cue to take their new relationship… in a different angle?

"I'm not totally against the idea of going to counseling." Seth told him, still staring down at the ground. Suddenly, he stopped. Offering Roman a weak smile, he proposed, "Maybe… Maybe we could go together?"

Roman wasn't entirely keen on the idea of going to counseling and spilling his guts to a person he didn't even know… but it was clear that it was important to Seth, and so it was important to Roman too. "…Okay."

"Thank you!" And the radiant smile that came onto Seth's face made it all worth it.