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

The walk back to the hotel was made in absolute silence. It was a pleasant change to simply be able to enjoy one another's company, without having to worry about stifling their feelings for one another in front of cameras or an audience. Now, it was simply the two of them. Seth was beginning to realize that maybe this was what he had craved from the very beginning, a silent confirmation of love in the form of a hand to hold and a person to walk by his side. And for the first time, the entire situation with Ryback and the hateful letters was tucked far away into the dark, deep recesses of his mind. Right then, all that mattered was him and Roman.

It was Seth's idea to spend some time in the hotel gym - free access to the gym was included in their room package, after all, and Seth wanted to take full advantage of everything their impromptu vacation had to offer. Roman, simply glad that the awkward conversation regarding counseling was over, was more than happy to take him wherever he wanted to go. Upon arriving, Roman presented their room key (which was, for all intents and purposes, an All-Access Pass to everything the hotel had to offer) to the man at the door, who let them inside. Both men were immediately stunned speechless by what they saw.

Rows upon rows of exercise machines stretched on as far as the eye could see, some occupied, most not. A Juice Bar stood like an island in the center of it all, and inside the little hut was a television displaying the afternoon news. To the right was a large window that took up most of the wall, with mats covering a significant portion of the floor. Over there, a young man was leading a yoga class through their final poses. A few feet away were the rowing and spinning machines, and next to those, the treadmills. Finally, a large assortment of weights and machines were located on the other side of the Juice Bar, ready and waiting to be used.

Seth immediately started over for the treadmill (it was a little hard to work with weights with a broken wrist, after all), while Roman targeted the Juice Bar. He handed four euros over to the man, before asking, "Can I have two water bottles, please?"

"Sim." The man nodded enthusiastically, pocketing the money and handing over two water bottles. "Obrigado, senhor."

Roman flashed the man a hesitant smile, resolving to brush up on his Portuguese once they returned to the hotel. Taking a seat on one of the nearby stools, he cracked his water bottle and took a sip. The cool drink was incredibly refreshing, especially after spending so much time in the scorching heat. The bartender must've been having a rather slow day, because he tapped into his own merchandise, sipping slowly on a banana-colada smoothie. Up above both their heads, the news switched off and changed over to a commercial. It was entirely in Portuguese, and Roman didn't understand a word of it.

"Você não é daqui, não é, senhor?" Roman must've looked pitifully confused, because the bartender let out a hearty chuckle. "That answers my question." Once he had calmed down, he tried again, "You're not from around here, are you, sir?"

Understanding dawned on Roman's face, and he shook his head. "No - we're just here on vacation, that's all."

"Ah." He took another sip of his smoothie, before motioning to Seth. Roman's gaze followed, landing on the sweating, two-toned figure furiously working to recondition his body on the treadmill. "He's your..." he trailed, not wanting to make any insinuations.

"Partner. He's my partner." 'Boyfriend' sounded much too cliché, and 'lover' much too personal. 'Partner' was ideal when talking with a stranger.

"You picked a fine-looking one, if you don't mind my saying." Roman didn't, so long as he kept his hands to himself. "Is he always so dedicated to physical fitness?"

Roman turned back to the bartender, shrugging. "Not usually. He's been having a hard time lately. That's why we came on this vacation." Roman didn't know why he was being so talkative... but, for some reason, this man seemed okay. "I needed to get him away..."

Their conversation was interrupted by the returning news program. "Já foi confirmado que a morte de WWE Superstar Dean Ambrose foi um suicídio. O corpo, que foi descoberto há dois dias em uma arena vazia, está previsto para ser liberado para a família amanhã de manhã."

Roman's head snapped up at Dean's name. The screen was showing a picture of Dean in normal clothes, with a cocky smile on his face. Underneath, in glaring white font, were the numbers 1985-2013. Quickly, Roman looked over at Seth, who seemed to be totally engrossed in his workout. Closer inspection showed that he had his earbuds in and was totally zoned out to the world around him. Turning back to the television, he found that the story was continuing, much to his chagrin. A picture of Ryback flashed, and Roman could only assume that they were referencing Dean's 'involvement' in Ryback's murder.

The bartender shook his head sadly. "What a shame. Only the good die young, you know."

But Roman wasn't listening. Frantically, he reached over the counter and grabbed the remote, quickly changing the channel. "Soap operas are much more entertaining then some silly newscast, right?" Roman laughed stiffly, quickly abandoning the remote.

"What's your problem, senhor?" All friendliness had left the bartender's face, which was now angry and frustrated.

"Nothing." Roman said. It was clear that now would be a good time to take their leave. "Thanks for the water."

He took his leave before the bartender would take that as his cue to start a fight. He really wasn't looking for any trouble in this country - he was simply looking to put some distance between themselves and the scandal at hand. Quickly, he all-but-pulled Seth off of the treadmill and out the door. Seth, who looked rightfully indignant, was shooting a stream of questions at Roman the entire time - but just like the bartender's earlier comment, Roman managed to ignore all of them. The scandal had followed them all the way to Rio, and Seth had almost discovered the truth. Nowhere was safe.

A/N: Another chapter down. Just a friendly reminder to check out my newest story, Monsters Amongst Us. After four attempts to upload it, it finally worked. Be sure to drop a review and let me know what you think of it.