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Roman has been doing stupid things since the first day Peter met him. From being too cocky with cops to just being way to impulsive and not thinking about consequences. Peter used to just close his eyes for a moment and silently curse himself before following Roman into whatever bull shit the tall blonde got himself into. however, since the night they dug up Lisa Willoughby and spilled each other's guts out to one another about death and their families, peters had a different reaction to Roman's god awful poor impulse control and lack of thinking ahead.
the first time it happened was when Peter and Roman were sitting in Roman's parlor, Peter sitting on the pool table and Roman a few feet away and a cop came in, asking why the godfreys gardeners shovel was found at the grave. Roman caught Peter mutter something, "Te iubesc, trebuie să-mi amintesc asta" before Peter stood up and stood a little ways behind Peter as he spoke to the cop.
Peter said it again a week later when Roman told him he found the other part of her body.
Roman never asked what it meant, they didn't have time. it was usually right before shit went down, but the way Peter said it, voice filled with amusement..Roman knew the other boy wasn't speaking negatively about him and whatever Peter was saying, Roman liked it.
one morning, about 3 am, Roman carefully climbed off the sofa he was sleeping on in destinys living room, careful to not wake up Peter who was in the chair at his side, as Peter was not lovely to be around if he was woken up, Roman had learned that lesson the hard way...multiple times. Roman wandered into the kitchen just to get some blood from the thermos he had in there before returning back to the living room to sleep again but hit his foot on the coffee table and everything on it shook, the clanking of their beers and Roman's keys hitting each other. he froze and even though the living room was dimly lit he could still tell if Peter had woken.
"what the hell?" Peter groaned, ninety nine percent asleep.
"sorry. go back to sleep." Roman replied as he sat on the couch.
"Te iubesc, trebuie să-mi amintesc asta" Peter whispered and Roman cocked his head.
"hey, what does that mean by the way? what you just said." Roman let out looking over at the brown haired boy who's eyes were still closed, he just shrugged. "it's like the Romanian equivalent of 'be glad I love you.' but it's direct translation is more along the lines of, 'I love you, I need to remember that.'" Peter replied. Roman looked at him for a moment. "Huh." He said and Peter just let out a breath before falling back asleep.
when Roman apologized for waking Peter in the morning, Peter shrugged, having no memory of it what's so ever, the fact that he probably never fully woke up was most likely the culprit for that so Peter had just said a simple, "I don't remember it, so it's cool." and then they moved on.
however, the next time Peter says it, Roman doesn't stay quiet. they're sitting in Roman's room, discussing what they saw in the white tower when they snuck in only an hour prior. "yeah, I swore an alarm was going to go off or some bull shit when I knocked that tray of instruments over."
they had to sneak into the tower in the middle of the night to see what Dr.Pryce is really keeping down there, because if they go during the day, Roman's learned Dr.Pryce has ways to cover his tracks. but as they step into the lab, and Roman had knocked over a tray of tools because he was too busy paying attention to Peter to look at.
upon recollecting this memory, Peter says that infamous line that Roman loves the sound of, "Te iubesc, trebuie să-mi amintesc asta" Peter chuckled.
"do you mean that?" Roman asked him.
"what?" Peter cocked his head and Roman leaned forward so his elbows were on his knees, shifting to get comfortable in the chair, his head on one of his palms, Peter right in front of him on the edge of Roman's bed.
"what you said, 'I love you, I need to remember that.' that is what it means, right?" Roman inquired. Peters eyes left Roman's as Peter begun to speak he put his hand behind his neck, a nervous habit. "yeah, yeah. but it's just a saying, ya know? like-"
"be glad I love you?" Roman asked before continuing, "yeah, I know. but do you mean it?" Roman asked casually, as if asking the weather.
Peter shifted and let out a breath before replying.
"seriously? I...Roman, I...I guess I...yeah. yeah I do. so?" Peter scoffed, playing it off but only making it a bigger deal then it should've been.
their eyes meet and the eye contact last a moment before Peter blinks a few times and sends his glance else where, only adding more of an implication behind peters hesitancy to answer the question. Peter broke the silence with, "do you have a cigarette?" the question seemed empty as if it was just there to fill up the space between them, it was there instead of something else they were meant to be speaking of, so Roman just ignored it. "Really?" Roman inquired, Peter looking back at him.
"yeah, I want to smoke-"
"no, I mean do you really mean that you-" Roman started but Peter come him off as Roman did him, "I know what you meant. do you have a cigarette?" Peter asked.
Roman rolls his eyes and leans back in his chair, fishing a lighter and a pack from his inner jacket pocket before handing one to Peter, as the cigarette found its way between peters lips, Roman leaned up to light it.
several more moments of them looking at each other pass, Roman's big green eyes full of wonder as they looked at Peter. finally, Peter looked away to blow out a puff of smoke away from them.
"What?" Peter inquires as he looks back and Roman's still looking at him.
"Damn you." Roman replied, earning a taken aback expression from Peter. "once again...what?" Peter asked and Roman ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "it would've been fine if you hadn't been so defensive about it. I ask you if you love me, you go 'sure I guess' not...turn into a stuttering mess. it would've been fine if we didn't have to go and make it gay." Roman told him, Peter took the cigarette form his mouth and let out another puff of smoke.
"I don't..I don't know what you're talking about." Peter murmured, he sounded more confident in his head.
"there is no heterosexual explanation for why you said it the way you said it, your intimacy issues aside. I'm being honest." Roman pointed out, letting it just roll off his tongue, again as if talking about something as simple as the weather and not Peter being totally in love with him.
Peter went quiet again as he smoked. Roman watched Peter, he wondered if he was wrong. it wasn't just the way he said it. the way he said it explained the lingering looks between each other and the unnecessary protectiveness, the want for one another and the co-dependency. the way Peter was so hesitant was just icing on the cake that Roman wondered if the cake was going to be sweet, or go wrong and be bitter.
"Peter." Roman finally proclaimed, the werewolfs eyes flashed over to Roman, and Roman sat forward to take the cigarette from Peter and took a drag himself before speaking once more.
"tell me you didn't mean it that way, tell me that's not why you were so worried to answer the question. tell me I'm wrong and I'll drop it. I'll know I'm just having one of those days where I'm just being an egotistical ass who needs constant reminder that someone is in love with me." Roman told him, adding the last part to make Peter at least almost smile...to make him relax, and that's exactly what it did.
"just fucking kiss me you idiot." Peter let out and Roman did, he stopped to take another drag of the cigarette before putting it out in a drink on the bedside table.
he faltered as he climbed back over to get on top of Peter and kiss him again, "Te iubesc, trebuie să-mi amintesc asta" Peter whispered as he grinned about Roman's clumsiness due to his need to get into peters pants, and Roman grinned as he pulled his shirt off and leaned down to do the same to Peter. "I love you too." Roman muttered between the next kiss.