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Roman feels like a failure. He's let everyone down and now has no idea what he's supposed to do. He couldn't protect Dean. He hasn't been able to help Seth manage Jason. On top of all of that, he's now managed to let Miz take the title due to a cowardly act.
"Leave me alone, Rollins," Roman snarls. He's got a headache. His ego is bruised and he's sore. All he wants is to go back to the hotel, take a hot shower and curl up with Dean and maybe Seth.
Instead, he has to mingle with VIPs and pretend he wants to be there.
"Hey, my night has been almost as shitty as yours," Seth says, resting his hand on Roman's shoulder. "We're still waiting to find out if I accidentally took out Jason so he can't compete." He exhales, staring up at the ceiling. "Do you really want to stay?"
"Thought we had to?" Roman asks, pulling a bottle of Ibuprofen out of his gym bag and dry swallowing two tablets.
"I can call in a favor or two?" Seth says, shrugging. "You don't get to be a corporate scrooge without accruing a favor or five."
Roman nods, pretending as though he knows what Seth is talking about. Besides, if he can get them out of mingling, Roman has no need to understand.
He watches Seth disappear down the hall. He leans against the concrete wall, massaging his temples.
It's supposed to be a happy night, full of joy and celebration. Roman's feeling none of it. He's too humiliated.
Seth walks back, grinning. He nods for Roman to grab his bags and follow. Once they're close to the exit and out of eyeshot, he kisses Roman's cheek.
"You owe me," Seth teases.
---
"I swear when I get use of my arm back, The Miz will pay," Dean mutters, rushing up to them as soon as Roman's in the doorway. "Or I can just beat him with my brace and make it look like an accident." He sees Seth behind Roman's shoulder. "Oh. Good job on taking JJ out!"
"It was an accident!" Seth exclaims, tossing his arms up. "Why does everyone think I did that on purpose?" He crosses his arms over his chest and shoots Dean a sullen look.
Roman closes his eyes, trying to tune out Seth and Dean. He's in no mood to listen to his boys bicker. Normally, he doesn't care but not tonight.
"Enough, Boys. I have a headache and no patience. Can we please have a peaceful night? Y'all can kill each tomorrow if you still want to." Roman gives Dean a quick kiss, throws his bag down and stalks off to the shower.
Once in the bathroom, he turns the water on as hot as he can stand and strips. As the hot water pours over him, he rests his head on the tiled wall and closes his eyes. The hot water pounds over sore muscle. As he lathers up with the vanilla lavender soap that Dean swears is calming, he lets the floral scent take him away. Away from being a failure. Away from being unable to protect his family. Just away to a more peaceful time that made sense.
As soon as the water turns cold, Roman starts to shiver violently. He quickly shuts the water off, holding back a yowl of protest as he’s pelted with icy water. He steps out to towel off.
He dresses in grey sweatpants and a long sleeved white shirt. It’s more than he usually wears to sleep in but he’s already feeling exposed. The extra clothing only seems to make it easier to hide.
“Ro, you know he stomped Miz?” Dean calls as soon as he’s back out in the main room. He and Seth sprawl out on the king-sized bed, watching an old John Wayne movie. They’re propped up on pillows with a giant bowl of soy chips between them.
“I heard rumors,” Roman replies, faking a smirk. “Glad to hear it.” He finds himself genuinely smiling, grateful for the cozy scene. They clearly took his request to heart. “What deity did I please to get the two of you?”
He knows their arrangement is unconventional but it works for him. He’s got the best partners a guy could have. There’s usually someone to cuddle. There’s always someone when it gets rough. If it gets really bad, the three of them can weather the storm together. They’re a family and Roman wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Feel like joining us?” Seth asks, patting the empty space next to him. As much as he complains, Roman can tell that he doesn’t really mind being the one in the middle. “I don’t even like Westerns and find this interesting.”
There are a million other things that Roman would rather be doing. Dean loves old movies. Roman usually has to be bribed to sit still. Seth just goes with the flow. Then again, if it keeps the peace, Roman can tolerate it. Besides, he’s exhausted.
In the grand scheme of things, he knows he’ll be asleep within minutes.
——
To say he’s restless would be putting it lightly. Roman’s tried sleeping. It’s not working. It’s a lot of tossing and turning and staring up at the ceiling, avoiding accidentally waking someone. Restless nights are one of the only downfalls to sharing a bed with two other people.
In his heart of hearts, he knows nothing could have prevented The Miz from being a coward and exposing that turnbuckle. Once that asshole had his mind set on something, there’s no stopping him. It didn’t really help him feel better but at least, he knew it wasn’t him.
Roman manages to quietly disengage himself from his partners. He reaches over, tucks Seth in and slips out of bed.
Ignoring the bitter cold, he steps onto the terrace of their suite. He rests against the guardrail, staring out at the lights of Brooklyn. No matter how many times he’s been here, he’s always amazed by just how bright it is.
He’s not used to feeling so uncertain about his future. A month ago, they had been on top of the world, stable in their careers, stable in their relationship. Now, everything’s up in the air.
“Don’t think so hard. You’ve already woken me. Last thing you want is to wake Deano,” Seth says, draping a blanket over Roman’s shoulders. “It’s 3 in the morning.” He gently squeezes Roman’s shoulder.
“Couldn’t sleep. Too worried about things I can’t control,” Roman admits, sighing softly. “I don’t want us to end.”
“Ro, why do you think that would happen?” Seth asks, steering him towards a lounge chair. He sits and then manages to sit Roman between his legs. “Have you two lost your minds?”
“Why do you ask?” Roman mumbles, turning to stare behind him.
“Last week, I have Dean asking me if I’ve gone evil. Now, I have you afraid that the three of us are going to end.” Seth laughs awkwardly. “I’m not evil. We’re not breaking up.” He rests his chin on Roman’s shoulder, so they’re cheek to cheek.
Roman sighs, leaning in as he feels Seth’s lips graze his neck. He has to give his partners credit. On the rare occasions he’s down, they always manage to pick him up.
“Just a lot going on,” Roman admits. “It’s just rough- always having to be the pack leader. The strong one.” He leans back, Seth tightening his grip on him. “I don’t get it.”
“Ever consider sharing the burden?” Seth asks, laying a trail of kisses down Roman’s neck. “You don’t always have to be the big dog.” He tilts Roman back and kisses him. “Just think about it.”
“I can do that- the thinking. Might be rough though,” Roman murmurs between kisses. “I will give you credit. You do know how to make me feel better.”
Roman’s still not feeling great but he’s slightly more confidant that it will all work out. He’s also more convinced that Seth’s not turning evil.
Roman doesn’t believe in kissing evil people.
-fin-