#roman;

[photo-by-thomas]

The Pantheon

Rome 2019

[adonischaos]

@stayliquid​

roman was hoping tonight would be different. since he’d come home, things hadn’t been the same and he couldn’t blame her for the way she treated him but it was hard to ignore how different their dynamic was. as much as she felt like she missed him, he missed her. even having their baby girl hadn’t been enough to mend the damage and so he hoped at least a night alone together without interruption would force them to face their feelings. feelings that were still strong as ever as he briefly glared at a guy from another table who wouldn’t quit looking at emily until he took the hint. as if that wasn’t enough, once they arrived at their hotel for the night, he noticed the bellman being beyond friendly with emily. “actually, i can take those up for my wife just fine. thanks.” he told the uniformed man who was googly-eyed for emily, roman’s eyes burning a hole through the other. even after all this time being married with two kids, he worried she would end things if things didn’t turn around quickly for them.

[tenseoyong]

The best present.

So for anyone that doesn't know, one of my uncles is the only reason I'm here today. When I was a child, my mother was dating a pedophile that had plans to pack me up and take me away (and my mother knew, but will do anything to keep a man, she was more than willing to trade me for him) and do god knows what with me. My uncle was the one that befriended the man, and found out his plans, and slashed the car's tires the night before so we couldn't leave, and I could go back with my grandparents.

He saved my life.

And he's always had a terrible life. He was besten by his father as a child, still bullied and beaten as an adult (my grandpa was natorious for throwing surprise punches, then pretending my uncle was the one that attacked him) and there was one thing he was never allowed to have; a pet.

Ever since he was a kid, my uncle has tried time and time again, to have a cat. My grandpa, his father, always killed them. Even when my uncle had a woman and a child, and lived on his own, he couldn't keep one. He had a kitten when he was with his girlfriend, and he loved that cat so much. But she had tied a string around its collar, and it slipped over the banisters and hung itself.

Well, now he lives alone with my grandma, and my grandpas dead. And we just found another cat that was dropped off on my street.

So today, I brought it to my grandmas house, and gave my uncle the cat. It was just the sweetest thing, the cats following him around and meowing, they're already bonded, and happy as can be.

My uncle finally got his kitty.

[adonischaos]

@stayliquid​

roman usually announced when he was home but given he didn’t know when emily or kyle were sleeping or not, he’d opted out. making his way into their bedroom, he pushed the door open to find his wife out of bed. “are you kidding me? i leave for thirty minutes--get in bed, babe! you can’t be dusting things, that stuff will get in your lungs!” he gestured to it, spotting her seemingly cleaning the bedroom while kyle cooed from his feet. “and YOU, you’re just crawling about, letting your mom do whatever she wants?” he crouched down and questioned him as if he’d left the little man in charge.

[adonischaos]

@stayliquid​

roman was just about ready to just hail a cab home. he was fed up with everyone treating him like garbage because he’d taken on the assignment. while he knew it was because they were concerned about him the whole time, he was trying to revert back to normal. it’d been weeks since he’d last seen emily and the last time he had, it’d been a sour exchange. he flung his duffle bag over his shoulder as he walked into the house. it was pretty late so he didn’t anticipate many of them being up but he was mostly interested in seeing emily and their baby boy. “hey you,” he smiled when he laid eyes on her, arms parting open to wrap them around her. ‘well, well, well, look who finally shows up.’ kori mused as she made her entrance into the kitchen.

[adonischaos]

@stayliquid​

"shhh, it’s just me, baby.” roman whispered after peppering kisses to the side of her face, his body leaning over hers on the side of the bed with a hand pressed to the mattress. he’d let himself in inconspicuously with the key under the mat and as much as he wanted to cradle his son, he needed to wake her first. the last time he’d seen her she was thinking she might be pregnant and it was all he could think about since. though he’d showered to smell as close to himself as possible for her, it was difficult to get the smoke off and he worried such an unfamiliar scent could startle her, hence waking her with his lips.

[adonischaos]

@stayliquid​

roman had been in a state of internal panic from the moment emily had started wincing in pain. when he found out she had passed out and didn’t seem to have any intention of waking up after the first hour, he worried even more so. the doctor kept saying her vitals were stable but her body needed time to recover. needless to say, he could give two shits about the scientific lingo. he needed her. not just because kyle was hard to deal with as it on his own but because he needed to know she was okay. visits to the NICU where they had their baby girl weren’t the same without her. even if she looked so fragile in the incubator, at least she was okay. luckily the hospital daycare was able to look after kyle while he stayed by emily’s bedside--not wanting him to see his mom like this. after shifting a final time in his chair, he folded his arms and leaned them against the edge of the bed, burying his face in them. it hard to get any sleep worrying about when she would wake up.