Un-stereotypical love ~Roman & Archie~

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Once Roman made his way into the hallway with the clothes, Archie was leaning against the doorway, staring at the ground until he heard the other talk. The young author lifted his gaze and opened his mouth to say something when he noticed the other male's visible blush. Archie's eyes widened and he all of a sudden became well aware of what he looked like...dressed in nothing but a towel, like Roman had earlier. He quickly grabbed the clothes and felt his own cheeks heat up in a deep blush before shutting the door, heart hammering in his chest. "Ugh, just my luck...reacting like that for no reason." he muttered, embarrassed, as he ran a hand through his disheveled brown hair. After a few minutes, Archie was dressed in the black tank top and white sweat pants, finding that the clothes had fit him rather well.

The young author made his way out of the bathroom and went into the dining room to sit where his food was. He cleared his throat a bit and pushed his glasses further on his nose before picking up his fork. Archie wasn't much for small talk, so he kept his mouth closed as he cut into his omelette and began to eat in silence. But, he began to grow frustrated at himself as he occasionally glanced at the other male unknowingly until he realized it. "Crap...I need to stop. It was just a little incident, so it shouldn't be bothering me so much!" he thought, stabbing his food with his fork before eating another bite.

@Ay-Ex
 
A grin formed on Roman's face as he peered at the food. Archie must be a good cook, the omelette looked and smelt divine. Roman sat down and hungrily ripped into the egg, eating quickly. He felt bad for starting without Archie, but the man did say he could start without him. Plus, he hadn't eaten for a long time. As Archie came and joined, Roman smiled. It was odd seeing the man in his clothing, they certainly didn't suit him entirely. But they made his arms look great...

"So.." Roman hated the silence. It made everything awkward. "I have a night shift, so I'll be gone from 10PM onwards. So, if you're not asleep by then, do whatever." Roman shrugged. He looked around the apartment he lived in, hoping Archie didn't mind the clothes scattered around, books and CD cases in piles on each work surface. He spotted a pile of DVD's and blushed, he'd have to hide them away. Archie would probably find amusement in the fact nearly all of the fireman's movies were romantic comedies, from here he could spot the Notebook and the Lakehouse. Jeez... Roman sighed, shovelling the last of the egg into his mouth. He stood up with the plate, dumping it into the sink. He'd clean up later. For now, Roman wanted to work out. He could spot his weight-rack from here, or he could go for a jog. Although, he had just been in hospital... "What're your plans today?" Roman asked, walking back to his chair, mentally debating what his plans were.​
 
As Roman spoke, Archie lifted his gaze to the other and listened, furrowing his brow a bit. Had it been night time when the fire started? It must have. The author shook his head and finished his egg before following Roman's lead, placing his dish in the sink. He thought back to the question and took in a deep breath, scanning the room. He knew what he was trying to find: a computer. Archie's grey eyes continued to search until he found one. A small gleam of excitement lit his eyes and a jolt ran through his body as he made his way to the computer.

"Well, I guess I'll start writing. I just need to see if this works..." he muttered, just loud enough for the other male to possibly hear. The author pressed the power button, and listened as the electronic started to buzz to life. He scoffed a bit and looked at the screen, nodding. "There we go..." he said softly, excitement bubbling inside of him. Then, Archie turned in the chair toward Roman and raised his eyebrows. "What about you? What are you gonna do?" he asked, pushing the bridge of his glasses further onto his nose. He couldn't help but find his gaze slowly lowering to the fireman's arms. He was a pretty fit guy, and it really worked on him, from what Archie thought. Then, realizing what he was thinking, the young author closed his eyes and pushed the thought away before turning his eyes back to the other man's face, waiting for his reply.

@Ay-Ex
 
"Ah yeah. The laptop is just on the desk." Roman smiled, eyeing his gym equipment. He didn't use his computer that often, he had his phone. However, if Archie did go snooping into his browser history, Roman would have a lot to answer for... But Archie wasn't like that. He thought. Roman assumed the guy would just open up word and type whatever came into his head. "Hm? Oh well, night shift so... I'll just get a workout in then watch a movie, or somethin'." Roman looked over to the rack. It was in the same room as the TV and computer, taking up a lot of space. There was a treadmill, a stack of weights and a yoga mat.

Roman turned to walk over to it, lifting up his shirt just to check his wounds. Nothing that would stop him from working out. It was his chest he was a little worried about. Maybe he'd stick to strength rather than cardio. He sat down on the mat and began his stretches. There was a little pain in his chest, but Roman felt like he could easily ignore that. He spent about 10 minutes fully stretching out before picking up rather large weights. Before he did, Roman plugged some earphones into his phone and then into his ears, to avoid the silence. He began lifting the weights, watching his posture in the mirror adjacent to him. His eyes did occasionally wander over to the writer, wondering about what he was typing up.​
 
Archie nodded and watched Roman stretch for a few minutes before shaking his head and turning to the laptop. There, he scanned for Microsoft Word and found it, opening a blank white page. The author sighed in satisfaction, feeling extremely peaceful and...at home. He took in a deep breath and stretched his arms over his head before slouching forward a bit and letting his imagination free. Archie's fingers ran across the keys at the speed he usually did, barely even glancing down at the keyboard as he read what he typed. A few times, the brunette found himself turning to glance at Roman, who had started working out.

He paused his writing and looked over what he had done so far. Giving a small 'huff' and a slight nod of his head, Archie began to like what he was writing: A forbidden love between a prince and his servant. Looking over the first three paragraphs, the young author felt the sides of his mouth turn up into a calm smile, lost in his thoughts as the unwritten story began playing out in his head. Then, realizing what he was doing, Archie cleared his throat slightly and dropped the smile, glancing over at the other male to see what workout he was doing at the moment. Once again, the author had to pry his eyes from the other's arms before turning his head back to face the computer. He typed furiously as a slight blush made it's way onto his cheeks.

@Ay-Ex
 
Half an Hour into the workout, Roman had to drop the weights and take his earphones out. The weights were heavy and it caused him to get sweaty. He leaned over for the water and took in big sips, his chest burning slightly. He hissed as he listened to the silence. Well, excluding the tapping of the keyboard. Roman had almost forgot about Archie. He quietly walked over to the kitchen to get more water as his eyes curiously wandered over to Archie.

What was he writing? Roman wanted to know what sorts of documents were saving onto his laptop. As he walked back to his mat, Roman took a detour over to stand behind Archie. He peered over to the screen, beginning to read the words. "Whatcha writing? Can I read or am I invading privacy?" Roman decided to take a couple of steps back; Nobody wanted a hunk of sweaty man leaning over them as they tried to work. Roman took more gulps of water in as he looked over to the time. It was so weird having a guest. Nice though.​
 
Archie was only slightly aware when Roman got up and left the room, his full attention being consumed by the ever-growing story appearing in front of him. He had been writing non-stop for the past half-hour, and the story had grown steadily larger. The young author paused and took a breath, stretching his arms over his head as he red over the last two lines he wrote. Then, rubbing his eyes, he went back to writing. After a few minutes, he vaguely heard the sound of footsteps, and simply shrugged it off. Then, feeling a presence lean over his shoulder, Archie's eyes widened and he turned his head to look at Roman, a look of pure shock written on his face.

Quickly, the young author lifted his hands and covered the screen, eyes wide as he looked at Roman. Unknowingly, a blush overtook his features and he was quickly notified of how close the other was to him. "H-Hey!" he stuttered, listening to the other's apology. Then, realizing that he was acting completely out of character, Archie cleared his throat and moved his hands away. "I'm writing a story, nothing big." he finally said, pushing the bridge of his glasses further on his nose, turning his face back to the computer screen. Lifting his fingers to the keyboard again, he continued writing, trying to keep his mind from going back to Roman, who was standing right behind him.

@Ay-Ex
 
"Huh, sweet." Roman sipped at his water. Was Archie just embarrassed or was he writing something steamy? Roman smirked to himself, he did say he wrote Romance. "Aw C'mon, it is my laptop. I'd love to see what you're writing." Roman found the blush he created on the mans face rather cute. Was that because he got too close or was it because he was hiding something? Roman hoped it wasn't because he got too close because Roman honestly had no idea about personal space, since he had none.

So, he leaned in again and peaked over the writers shoulder, "Share a little with me? Please?" Roman pouted as he used one hand to tilt the screen back a little so he could see. When he read closer, he could see clearly it was about two men. "Wait." Roman furrowed his eyebrows. It wasn't often you saw Gay Romance in books...​
 
Archie was helpless against the other male when he leaned over his shoulder in order to read once again. "S-Stop!" he protested again, but as too late when he heard Roman say 'wait'. The young author's cheeks flamed into a dark crimson and he pressed a hand against the side of his face, feeling like he wanted to crawl into a ball in hide. Then, he wiped the embarrassment and shock from his face, and felt anger bubble inside him instead. Suddenly, Archie stood up and faced the other male, narrowing his eyes into a glare. With a click, he saved his progress and hit the power button on the computer.

"It's none of your business what I write about, okay? So what if it's about two dudes?! It shouldn't matter if it's gay or not, alright?! No matter who it is, a person's sexuality shouldn't be scorned or looked down on!" Archie shouted, his voice rising louder and louder. He didn't know why he was so angry and upset, but he automatically assumed that Roman was a Homophobic person. Feeling his anger rise, the young author lifted a hand and swung it toward the other's face in attempt to slap him, tears beginning to brim his eyes. The emotions Archie felt swirling inside him were ones that he had stored for so long...and now was the time they decided to break loose.

@Ay-Ex
 
A smile was forming on Romans face before Archie's outburst. Did that mean Archie was cool with gays? It didn't even occur to him that Archie might be gay himself. Roman was only thinking about maybe telling Archie about his own sexuality. Before he could mention anything, Archie was all up in his face yelling. Roman cowered. His shoulders hunched a little and the smile was wiped off his face. It looked odd for the man to cower so, but he hated to be shouted at. When he caught sight of Archie's hand powering down to hit his face, Roman caught the mans wrist before it touched his face. Now he felt insulted, how could he of all people be homophobic?

"What the hell man? Who said I gave a shit? I'm not a homophobe. In fact, I'm the total opposite!" Roman shouted back, still holding Archie's wrist. He took a big breath and calmed down. So much for waiting to tell him. Roman dropped the mans wrist and looked away. Archie probably knew now Roman was gay, at least. He mumbled an apology before sliding off into his room. Roman closed the door behind him and sighed. Nice, argue with your new roommate. Roman felt bad.​
 
Archie's eyes widened when he saw Roman cowering. For some reason, he felt guilty. But, as his hand got closer to the other's face, he felt as the male gripped it, stopping the slap mid-way. Archie wasn't ready for it to happen, so he gasped and immediately tried ripping his hand away, only to stop when he saw the look on Roman's face. He looked...insulted. 'Crap...' he thought silently, his eyes widening when he heard the other's outburst. He had assumed wrong...was Roman gay? Archie was speechless as he watched the male leave and head into his room. Immediately, the young author felt terrible...for once. He had no idea. Archie's mouth opened and closed silently as he searched for words to stop the fireman. But, he was too late as he watched the other slip into his room.

Suddenly, Archie found himself doing something he never thought he'd do. He walked to the computer and numbly powered it back on, opening a blank page in Word. Slowly, he sighed and typed. Out loud, he whispered to himself what he was typing...a habit he had gained from being alone. "Roman...I'm really sorry for what I said. It wasn't right for me to accuse you of such terrible things. I didn't mean harm; I was only upset. Things happened in the past and I shouldn't have been quick to assume. I hope you can somehow find it to forgive a stubborn, hot-headed, short-tempered jerk of an author. Sincerely, Archie." the brunette ended the letter and kept the page open. On a scrap of paper, he quickly wrote down the words "Check the laptop", and slipped the paper under Roman's door. Quietly, Archie then made his way into his room and sat on his bed, holding his head in his hands. 'Wow...just great, Archie...just great." he thought to himself.

@Ay-Ex
 
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As Roman got into his room, the fireman flopped onto his bed, putting his head into his pillow. It hadn't even been 24 hours with his new roommate and they were already arguing. Archie wasn't like this in high school, he was quiet and nerdy. Not snappy and defensive. Plus, writing about two men? It was odd. It was selfish, but Roman was far too caught up on his own coming-out, so much so he hadn't even considered what Archie's sexuality was.

He heard some shuffling, so Roman sat up, looking down to see a scrap of paper slide under the door. Roman sucked in his lip as he slowly walked over, leaning down to pick up the paper. Check the laptop? Roman tilted his head in confusion before slowly making his way back into the main room. He craned his neck as he searched for Archie, hoping he hadn't left. Roman then walked over to the laptop and scanned the open document. His eyes skimmed the document before a small smile formed on his face. That was kinda cute...

Roman decided to check if Archie was in his room. He walked over to the door and knocked, "Archie..?" He asked before opening the door slowly. He poked his head around the door, "We do live under the same roof, you could of just said..." He said with a nervous chuckle. Roman acted like he was stepping on eggshells, speaking slowly, walking hesitantly into Archie's room and he even avoided eye contact. "It's okay. I don't blame you for being defensive..."
 
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Even at the sound of his name, Archie kept his head low. The way he had behaved, in someone else's home, was beyond forgivable. The young male listened to Roman as the other entered, slowly lifting his head. Slowly, the brunette moved a bit on his bed, revealing some space if the other male cared to sit. "Said what? That I'm..." Archie trailed off and ran a slender hand through his hair, his face scrunching in slight frustration before it softened into one of a child's.

"That I'm gay?" he finished, feeling his face heat up in slight embarrassment. Archie averted his eyes, as he noticed that even the other male avoided eye contact. Even as he sat there, the male felt hopeless and defenseless. After all, he had just let his biggest secret out. At the most, the brunette felt like crying. But he couldn't. Not in front of Roman.

Archie pushed his thoughts from his head and closed his eyes, listening as the fireman walked further into his room, ever so slowly. The young author then heard what the other said and sighed, opening his eyes once more. "Yeah, you say you don't blame me, but I had no right to act like that. I shouldn't have raised my voice in your home. I stepped out of line." he said simply, his nonchalant facial expression returning. Gently, Archie pulled his glasses off and started to clean them with the bottom of his shirt. Then, he paused and looked back up at Roman, his gray eyes still just as wide as if he had his glasses on. He opened his mouth to say something before closing it again and looking back down at his glasses.

@Ay-Ex
 
Roman stayed quiet as Archie spoke. He went to say something to explain what he meant but Archie told Roman his sexuality. Roman's eyes widened for a second, and he looked away in confusion. He thought they were just talking about Archie's writing, not his sexuality. Well, he wasn't the only one. Roman felt some sort of relief. At least Archie wasn't gonna be homophobic now. Archie didn't, look gay. Roman rubbed his forearm, he knew you couldn't judge a book by its cover but he didn't consider Archie as a homosexual. Well, until now.

When Archie finished, Roman took a couple of steps forward. "Well, It's okay..." Roman felt awkward. It was a weird feeling, but Roman felt like he may as well let Archie know aswell. Archie seemed possibly a little ashamed? Roman understood, but he definitely wasn't as bashful about it as he used to be. He went to sit down next to Archie on the bed, resting his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward.

"Same." He smirked a little, finding it funny to say. He looked over at Archie, "I'm gay too. May as well share if we're doing this." Roman chuckled, trying to cheer Archie up. The man seemed so, soft. Yet, his personality was sharp enough to stab Roman's soft personality. But, he thought maybe he could at least attempt to cheer up the man.​
 
As Roman said it was okay, Archie stopped cleaning his glasses, his eyes widening. Slowly, he looked back up at the other male as he sat down on the bed...admitting his own sexuality as well. Archie was at a loss for words, so he tightened his jaw, feeling tears burn behind his eyes. It had been a while since he had a good cry. The young author slowly put his glasses back on and swallowed before nodding. Then, the fireman made a joke.

If it had been any other situation, Archie would have ignored the joke and rolled his eyes. However, in his vulnerable state, a slow gentle smile graced his features and he let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah, I guess you're right. To be honest, it feels great to finally admit my sexuality out loud after such a long time." the brunette sighed, feeling his shoulders relax as the tears began to brim his eyes. Once more, he looked at Roman and smiled again, laughing this time, before shaking his head.

After a few seconds, Archie's smile returned to it's normal nonchalant way and he lifted his arm to rub his neck. "So, um...I was a little curious. Now that we kind of, you know, know more about each other...you don't have any guys who'll get mad about me staying here, do you?" the young male asked, his face warming as he asked such an embarrassing question. But, he had to know. He didn't want to be beat up while he was trying to sleep because of some butt-hurt boyfriend. Trying to hide his growing blush, the author turned his face and looked at the ceiling, still rubbing his neck.

@King
 
Tears were obvious in Archie's eyes, Roman didn't want to point it out. Mainly because if he started crying, Roman would instantly join in. He smiled with a sigh, nodding as Archie spoke. He was sort of amazed by the odd turn of events. Just the other night Roman had tugged Archie out of a fire and now they were spilling big secrets.

As Archie changed the subject slightly, Roman furrowed his brows in confusion for a second before realising what Archie was asking. "I wish." Roman smiled. Bit he did wish. He was the biggest romantic in the country, and he didn't even have a boyfriend. Of course, he didn't tell anyone about his soft heart. Roman would die for a boyfriend to play love songs to and to cuddle with, but he wasn't even close to that.

"Don't you worry, I haven't really seen any men in a while." He shrugged before standing up, not wanting to go into depth about his saddening love life. He placed his hands into his pockets and smiled, nodding a little.​
 
Archie furrowed his brow as he listened to Roman. He hadn't seen any men for a while? The author sat there, slightly stunned, at the thoughts going through his head. As much as he hated thinking about it, Archie couldn't help but think of the great things Roman had. 'I don't understand...he's fit, nice, calm-headed...sweet. How could nobody want to be with him?' the young male thought to himself before he realized what he was thinking about. A dark blush traveled across his face in embarrassment as he attempted to clear his mind.

As Archie glanced up at Roman, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy. He seemed like a great person, but there was no way he was going to say that out loud. That was way too embarrassing. Instead, the author cleared his throat and stood up as well, gently rubbing his neck as he avoided eyes contact. He then glanced back up at the fireman and sighed, locking his eyes with the other.

"I don't really see why you don't. I mean, I imagined you'd have guys crawling all over you." Archie attempted to make the other male feel better, but ended up feeling like it was a very low-tossed type of compliment. The man ran his hand slowly through his own hair before looking once more at Roman. "Don't worry, okay? I'm sure you'll find him somewhere...who knows, he might be closer than you think." For once, Archie spoke warmly and gently towards Roman, his eyes softening from their icy gaze. His voice wasn't curt of annoyed, but instead, filled with slight kindness. With a soft smile that he had no trouble making, Archie grabbed a nearby blanket and began to walk out of the room.

@King
 
F I V E W E E K S L A T E R
6:40 PM

Roman strutted out of the shower in sweatpants and an unbuttoned shirt. It was around the point where he didn't really mind Archie seeing him underdressed. In fact, he kinda fished for compliments now. Archie slowly became more and more the man to impress. Everything Roman did was in a slight bit for Archie. The young author was a friend now but Roman foolishly had got doe eyed over the man. Being the Romantic he was, Roman had often dreamt about sweeping Archie of his feet and carrying him into the sunset..

"Want to cook or take out?" Roman stared at Archie, slowly doing up his buttons hoping to catch his eye. After the time they admitted sexualitys, they hadn't spoken about anything to do with sex or relationships. Roman kinda wished he could just knock the glasses off his face and kiss him deeply... "I don't mind!" He blurted out, finding himself getting caught up in his thoughts again. Archie probably didn't feel the same. Roman tried looking for something but Archie's face was so cold he could barely tell what the man was thinking.

Once he had finished up the buttons on the baggy shirt, Roman sighed and walked over to the kitchen, checking the fridge for something.​
 
Archie laid sprawled out on the couch in the living room, propping himself up with his elbow as he lazily flipped through channels on the T.V. Ever since the..."talk" he had with Roman, Archie couldn't help but think of the other male more and more. And it didn't help that Roman was doing small things in front of the young author, even if it wasn't deliberate. He continued to find himself wanting Roman to hold him close and whisper sweet things into his ear, much like the hot romances he liked to write about.

As Archie finally turned the T.V off, letting his thoughts dissipate for the moment, he turned to see Roman walking from the bathroom, his shirt wide open. Even though they had stayed in the same area together for a while, Archie still wasn't used to seeing the amazing body that belonged to the fireman. Slowly, Archie brought a hand up to his mouth as his face warmed to a darker crimson. He had barely caught the other male's question, as he was watching him button his shirt slowly. Hesitantly, Archie lifted his gaze to Roman's and blinked, trying to remember what he had asked. "Oh, I can cook if you want." he spoke simply, brushing off his "swooned" look and replacing it with his, of course, usual nonchalant gaze. Then, as Archie gegan to stand up, he heard Roman blurt out 'I don't mind', causing the young author to pause mid-standing. His eyebrow raised before he regained his full height and grinned a bit.

"You don't mind what? I'm a little curious about you were thinking just now." the author jested, his grin widening as he watched Roman walk into the kitchen. But, as he reached up his hand to scratch his chin, he realized how stubbly it was. Immediately, Archie's face scrunched in displeasure as he walked into the bathroom. "I'll be out in a second...I just need to shave real quick." he voiced to Roman as he brought the blade over his chin and neck, watching as the stubble disappeared altogether. With a satisfied sigh, Archie dried his face and slapped on some after-shave before walking back out of the bathroom. Once he saw Roman again, he decided to mess with him a bit more. "Sooo...what should I cook? Any suggestions? And while I'm at it, maybe you could tell me what you were thinking about?" he asked, slowly walking behind the taller male, occasionally brushing the male's arm with his fingertips as he went to grab something near him. The whole time, Archie kept an innocent look just to see how Roman would react, even going as far as standing so close to the other that their hips could have touched. Of course, this was Archie's way of messing with Roman, but secretly, he wanted to know how the other would feel about being so close to him...

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@King
 
Roman kinda stared blank faced at the author as he realized whatever he just said didn't exactly make much sense. "I just meant I don't care what you're cooking - if you're cooking." Roman sighed, making it worse. "Okay." He smiled at Archie, who quickly disappeared into the bathroom. Roman waited for the door to shut before freaking out. Couldn't he just be a super smooth guy who could pick up men like a gay James Bond instead of being a giant blundering fool? Roman slapped his cheeks quickly in annoyance.

When Archie appeared again, Roman was leaning against the wall. "Whatever, I don't mind." Roman shrugged, standing up. When asked, Roman went red. 'I was thinking about asking you to be with me and us kissing and...' Yeah, Roman just shrugged, ignoring his thoughts. "Nothing really." The closer Archie got to Roman, the hotter he felt. It was like Archie knew what he was doing. He wanted to change the tone and the topic.. "Anyway - Go cook!" Roman turned around with a chuckle, using his big arms t wrap around Archie from behind. Even though Archie wasn't a short man, Roman had no issue picking him up just off the floor. He laughed as he carried Archie clumsily to the kitchen, putting him down in front of the oven. "Do you want help?" Roman grinned.​
 
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