"We come bearing snacks!~"

Jensen's announcement was met with grateful cheers around the room. The large bag housing a plethora of Spanish foods was passed off to Dorian, giving the twins an opportunity to be scooped up into a tight hug. They pressed kisses on either of Jensen's cheeks in greeting. Then, they reached to do the same to Roman.

"Oh, wow- I like your pretty flowers!" Ivy told him, blue eyes shining with joy.

"Thank you, Vee. They were a surprise gift from Jay."

Wynter pointed in the direction of the kitchen. "You gotta put them in water, or they might get crinkly."

"If you girls would like, you can find a pretty vase for them. Just make sure to have someone help you."

"Okay!"

Wynter and Ivy were set back down. They took hold of opposite ends of Roman's bouquet, being careful to not bend any stems. Together, the girls walked over to Denise, who was in the process of drying her hands near the sink. She reached into a side cupboard to help the twins look for an appropriate container.

Jensen peeled Roman's coat off for him to hang it on the rack by the stairs. A firm hand on his lower back guided him into the dining room where everyone else was already situated. Both men traded a double cheek kiss with Juniper and a tight hug with Mikayla.

"Hi, boys- oh, you got a haircut!" Mikayla gently moved Jensen's face from side to side to get a better look. "I like it."

"Thank you, Kay. It was just a trim, though. Nothing too crazy. Gotta make sure I stay nice and fluffy."

Smiling, Jensen leaned over the table to help Dorian unpack their dinner. One by one, styrofoam boxes were opened and spread out. Doing so revealed a large helping of empanadas, chorizo, garlic shrimp, calamari, and mussels. The complementary flan, churros, and a small lidded plastic container of whole strawberries with whipped cream were set aside for later. But not before Jensen swiped a churro and offered it to Roman.

Settling down in his pulled out chair, the opposite end of the sweet dessert was popped into Roman's mouth. He watched, impressed, as Jensen filled Roman's plate with every food item, putting extra of what he favored while keeping the portion at the preferred size. Spicy salsas were sprinkled over selections of seafood for an extra, delightful kick.

Once he was done, Jensen filled his own plate and sat down. Their hands met beneath the coverage of the long tablecloth dangling over their legs. They shared a single, meaningful squeeze to hold them over until later. Then, with hesitation, they moved back into their own spaces.

Roman ignored a pang of disappointment.

Denise and the twins brought over several types of drink options. Everyone sat down in their specific seats to begin eating together.

Conversations flew across the table like normal. Dorian shared his  glee in regard to an upcoming week-long break from college. Denise talked about an upcoming parade she and her band students were going to take part in in celebration of spring's arrival. Mikayla gave a brief account about  a cute snake she took care of during her shift at the veterinary clinic earlier that day. The twins recounted their excitement about a field trip they were going to take in a few days to a historical museum with Juniper.

That last conversation made way for a series of fond memories pertaining to previous school outings.

"I remember a little bit about that autumn field trip we took to that pumpkin patch," Dorian reminisced, offering a delighted sigh toward his old teacher. "There was a really wide pathway we walked under while lugging our pumpkins around. The super tall trees on either side of us were full of red leaves, and there were so many, you could only see little slivers of the sky between branches. It was really pretty."

Juniper nodded in agreement. "I still have that landscape painting you made me when we got back to school that day."

"I'm sure I could make you one a lot more accurate and realistic now."

"I'll never say 'no' to a piece of art from you, Dori. Just know I'll still love the original just as much." A look of fondness morphed into one of amusement, pointing to a different memory coming to mind. "I remember when I chaperoned Jay's first class trip to the zoo after he stopped being homeschooled. He was a little shy at first. But he made fast friends with a really sweet boy-"

"Pher," Jensen whispered to Roman.

"-and they were inseparable the entire day. There was a point where we went to see a few otters at the marine exhibit. Jensen was allowed to give the animal some food. It was so cute."

"And the little monster thought it would be cool to thank me by catapulting water over the edge of its enclosure. I was lucky it was warm out."

Roman chuckled. He could picture the scene in his head because a photograph of said moment was kept on Juniper's refrigerator at home. Jensen - in his white and blue striped shirt, dark green shorts, and skater shoes - was caught drenched in cold water with his jaw dropped in surprise. In the background, Christopher clutched his stomach as he laughed at Jensen.

Roman found it funny how that image summed up the dynamic of their friendship in a single, thirteen year old snapshot.

"There was another field trip I took to a farm," Jensen added, propping his cheek onto his hand. "We were helping the farmer make bread, and it was my job to bring him flour. I tripped. And got flour everywhere. We all had a good laugh about it, but, man, was I embarrassed."

Roman snorted, cupping a hand over his mouth to keep from spitting out his juice.

Jensen threw his hands up in surrender. "Hey, I was really clumsy as a kid."

"Oh, I believe it."

"Yeah, yeah." He waved dismissively, a shy smile turning brighter. "What about you? I'm sure you've got some juicy stories about little Roman in the old days."

Roman gave himself a chance to really think about it. Sure, he didn't have many fond memories with Rachel. He did, however, manage to make some nice ones with his old friends back in the day. Thinking about them still came with difficulty. He could, however, admit a lot of their antics were interesting enough stories to share.

"I don't know if it'll be as funny as yours."

Jensen's face softened at the comment. A single, urging nod was given. "Humor me."

Roman looked between his companion's eyes, seeing nothing except sincerity within them.

He tried to ignore the way the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

"...Okay. But if you ever bring this up in the future, consider our friendship over."

"Me?" Jensen splayed a hand over his chest. "Why, I would never."

Roman raised a single eyebrow in disbelief. He looked Jensen up and down, skeptical.

"C'mon. Pinky promise."

"Really?"

"Pinky. Promise."

With a dramatic roll of the eyes, Roman intertwined their pinkies together. Once they separated, Jensen kept their gazes locked to show Roman he had his full attention.

"It...wasn't a school trip. Just something I went out to do with my friends at the time. I think I was fourteen or fifteen. We went to a science museum together once. I was nerding out because I love museums, and science ones are always really cool." The corners of Roman's lips slowly curled upward the further into the story he got. "So we're there. We're all having a good time. We ended up going to the planetarium which doubled as a 4D experience to make it more immersive. The program was about Earth and a lot of really pretty places where wildlife was thriving. We reached a segment about marine animals. When we got to the whales, the one on screen blew water out of its head spout thingy. For some reason, the entire row of seats I was in malfunctioned. And the little spurt of water we were supposed to get hit with turned out to not be so little."

Roman brought his hands in front of him and pretended to splash himself in the face. His actions, along with the story, caused everyone to start laughing.

"While it didn't ruin my clothes, my hair was dripping for the rest of our trip. The staff working the event were super apologetic, but I just thought it was funny. I ended up getting a plush whale from the gift store to commemorate The Great Splash."

Laughter around the table increased in volume as people used their imaginations to picture the scene Roman explained.

Jensen, on the other hand, silently watched. His expression and smile softened ever so slightly. His gaze dipped below eye level. Rather than solely indicating a desire for a kiss, it appeared he also appreciated having an unobstructed view of Roman's wide, uneven grin. A certain fond, dreamy look on Jensen's face gained life in time with Roman's nose scrunching up from accidental seagull-like squeals.

Wynter made a comment about how Roman would make a nice sea animal. Her cute, innocent statement was followed by Dorian pulling out his phone to draw a silly cartoon whale with Roman's face on it.

The artwork was met with hyperactive cackles. Roman found himself cradling his midsection with how hard his stomach was clenching. He wiped the corner of his eye to keep tears from falling down his reddened face. Both cheeks started to ache from how big his grin was.

Jensen continued to simply watch.

*

"Goodnight, Kay."

"Goodnight, sweetheart. See you in the morning."

Roman flicked off the hallway light after exiting the bathroom. The light scuffle of his house shoes muffled the sound of chirping crickets outside. His hands sought refuge in the center pocket of a fleece blanket-hoodie. A quick peek over the shoulder revealed how the twins had already fallen asleep, so he made sure to close his bedroom door as quietly as possible.

The television was off. The only adequate source of illumination came from the balcony door where the faint glow of streetlights came from.

Jensen was sitting against the headboard, closer to the wall. A familiar stained glass ceramic cup was filled with a steamy helping of freshly brewed green tea. The mattress was patted in a silent request for snuggles.

Roman climbed into bed, pulling the covers over his lap. He sat close enough for their sides to be pressed together. An arm draped around Roman's shoulders. He accepted the tea and rested his head in the crook of Jensen's neck. Roman melted into the embrace with a relieved sigh.

Short coughs escaped him and were met with gentle grazes along his scalp.

"Thanks for the tea."

"Course. I know you like it more when I make it."

Roman hummed in agreement. "I had fun today. Going out. Sharing stories."

"It was the first time you ever talked about your old friends in a positive way. And so openly," Jensen noted.

"It's still hard. Looking back at the good times we actually did have- and thinking back to how we ended up. How they chose to have us end up." Roman shrugged. "I know we can't control when certain things end. But it's why it's been hard for me to move on. To let myself get as close to other people the way I want. Or, in some cases, at all. They didn't treat me the way I deserved. I just can't ignore the fact that, for a while, they did treat me better than anyone else. And I latched onto them so tightly, I excused their mistreatment out of fear of losing them. Out of fear of being alone in the end."

"Yeah. I get it." Jensen glanced at Roman with a patient look on his face. "And because I know what you mean, I hope you believe me when I tell you how much of a disservice it is to do that to yourself. Yes, you got into relationships that didn't work out. But you shouldn't give those people the power of preventing you from making newer, better connections. There's nothing to gain from staying guarded, keeping up your defenses, and forcing yourself into a constant state of isolation. Not when doing so makes you lonely. The people who really want to be there for you will be. You just have to find the strength to give them that chance."

Roman wanted to. The fun adventures he had with his new friends, the amazing memories forged with each family dinner - Roman was constantly given reasons showing him why it was okay to move on; why it was safe for him to reach out despite being wronged by so many people in the past.

He just...

He was still afraid of being hurt again. He was still terrified of the prospect of losing the ones he cared about, and it somehow being his fault.

"I want to trust you, Jay," Roman told him, echoing the thoughts he had the night they shared their very first kiss. "I wish the things I went through didn't scar me so badly. I wish there was some sort of off switch I could push to stop things from making me feel so conflicted."

And just like that night, Jensen didn't push for more than was comfortable.

"Keep taking your own pace. You've had people telling you what to do your entire life, Ro. I think you should finally do what you've always wanted by taking a chance for yourself. Whatever that might mean to you. My arms are open. So, leap into them. And I'll hold your hand as we fall together." Jensen smoothed his fingers over Roman's cheek. "Whenever you're ready."

"How long are you planning on waiting for me? Legitimately?"

"As long as you need me to." Jensen answered, certain. "You're worth that to me."

Roman further relaxed into Jensen's side, taking hold of his shirt and gripping it tightly.

"I believe you."