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It did not take long for Roman to notice a change in Seth’s demeanor. At first, he wondered if it had to do with losing his title to Drew McIntyre. That seemed a bit too arrogant, even for Seth. Roman kept pondering.
One night as he drifted off to sleep, a thought struck him. He remembered Triple H asking the two of them and Cody to stay behind during main event planning. It was then that the suggestion was made: use the Shield entrance as a distraction. Roman loved the idea, as did Cody. Seth on the other hand… accepted it, sure, but Roman remembered the distinct heaviness in his friend’s eyes. He meant to ask about it but never got the chance.
No, wait… there was something else. Roman remembered Seth pulling Hunter aside to ask him a question.
“I know he’s not in the company anymore, but do you think we could get Jon down for the evening?”
“If he weren’t in Japan that night, I’d say yes. Sorry, Seth.” Oh.
Roman suddenly couldn’t sleep. He got out his phone and started flipping through it. Pictures and videos from what felt like a lifetime ago flashed by.
He found a still from the night Jon returned after nine months of injury. Seth had a mile-wide grin on his face that Roman hadn’t seen in a long time. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen it since…
The night the Shield fell apart after Roman’s cancer announcement. That was a couple of days after Jon first told them he was thinking of letting his contract run out. Seth had never been quite the same since.
Roman shook his head. All that evidence, and yet he’d never seen it. Of course, Seth would be bothered by the man he’d been crushing on for so long leaving. It certainly explained the Twitter meltdown.
The next day, he went into planning mode. Roman called a restaurant the Shield used to frequent and asked if he could pre-pay for a meal. Once they said yes, he texted Seth the following:
Hey, I know Wrestlemania was kind of crazy this year. Do you want to get together for some dinner one evening? We could even get a private room so fans wouldn’t be staring.
That sounds awesome, Roman. Just let me know when and where.
Roman then texted Jon and asked if the next time he came to town, he wanted to get dinner. It turned out AEW had a Florida show coming up, and the promise of free food wasn’t half-bad either.
Now he just needed to book a table and wait for the fireworks.
As per usual, Seth arrived fifteen minutes early. The very nice waitress led him to a back room and he sat down, ready for a night of seafood and shooting the breeze. It seemed much better than drowning his sorrows privately at home.
He sighed. Being grumpy during a pleasant dinner with Roman would not do. Seth shrugged his shoulders and attempted to fix a smile on his face.
“What the…” His head shot up at the sound. Seth found himself face to face with Jon, who looked just as startled as he was. The waitress, not seeming to notice, headed off to fetch water and bread rolls. She shut the door and Jon exhaled. “Hi, Seth.”
“Jon! I didn’t realize Roman also invited you.”
“Same. I guess it’s a reunion.” Jon sat down at the other end of the table, not noticing that Seth was beginning to sweat. “Do you know where he is?”
“Probably running late.” Seth didn’t believe that, however, as the puzzle pieces finally came together in his head.
After returning with their water and bread, the waitress asked if the men were ready to order. Jon picked a pasta dish and Seth chose the salmon as his legs shook underneath the table. Once the door closed again, he heard the ginger clear his throat.
“I’m gonna text Roman, see where he is.” Jon pulled his phone out with a sigh. “Now, where the hell’s his number?”
“Jon, stop.” Seth pinched his thumb and stared at the floor. He saw Jon look up out of the corner of his eye.
“What?”
“I don’t think Roman’s coming.” Now Jon looked confused.
“Why wouldn’t he? At the very least, he owes us dinner.”
“I know.” Seth could hear his heart pounding in his ears. He looked off to the side and shook his head. “Good one, Roman.”
“Seth, what is going on here?”
“Roman wants us to have a conversation that should have happened a long time ago.”
Jon set his phone down as Seth finally looked up. The two men stared at each other, scared brown on confused blue. After a moment, Seth held up a hand.
“Can I say what I have to say without getting interrupted?” Jon nodded. “I don't know how much you heard about this, but I was kind of pissed when you left. Completely understandable move considering how you were treated, but it still hurt. I thought I would adapt, but I didn’t.
“Then I saw you begin to take off. The first night of AEW’s existence, you blew the house down. Even during rehab, you kept going. That’s something I’ve always admired about you.” Jon nodded in appreciation but did not speak, sensing more words on Seth’s lips. “Every day, I’ve missed you more and more. But I didn't want to say anything because there’s no way in hell you’d want to kiss me.”
The waitress came by with their food before Jon could respond. He and Seth nodded politely, pointedly ignoring each other as their plates appeared in front of them. Once she left and closed the door behind her, an uncomfortable silence fell over the room.
Seth waited to get yelled at, maybe a dish thrown if he was unlucky. None of that happened. Instead, Jon stood up and slowly crossed the room.
He pointedly stopped with his hips in Seth’s eyeline. Not quite believing it, Seth slowly raised his head. He was greeted by one hell of a flirty smirk on Jon’s face.
“Hi, Seth.”
“Hi, Jon.” Heat rising in his cheeks, Seth slowly got up from his chair. Jon continued to smirk.
“You gonna kiss me, or do I have to do it myself?”
“Are you serious?” Jon rolled his eyes but before he could pounce, Seth finally snapped. A small cry escaped him and he sped forward, pressing his lips onto the ginger’s.
Jon planned on continuing to be flirty, maybe getting his tongue involved, but he slowed down upon realizing how emotional Seth was. His friend wasn’t crying, not yet anyway, but his grip was tight and his kiss was deliberate. After a moment, Jon closed his eyes and simply pushed back.
A slow smile appeared on Seth’s face as he realized he wasn't being pranked. Jon Moxley, the man he’d wanted to kiss for so long, was kissing him back. And he was a good kisser on top of that.
The door opened as they broke apart. Seth’s eyes widened and Jon slowly turned his head. He expected it to be the waitress.
Roman stood there, holding flowers in one hand and his wallet in the other. A knowing, proud smile lined his face.
“How are you crazy kids doing?” Seth let go of Jon and charged Roman in a hug. He buried his head into his friend’s chest.
“Thank you.”
“Of course.”