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“Yeah, apparently,” Roman said, getting out some residual chuckles. “Don’t break his heart, alright? He just came out like twenty-four hours ago. Us older gays already know most men are trash, but he’s probably blinded by all the glitter and rainbows and dicks. Make sure you prove that you’re one of the good ones, because I know for a fact that he is.”
Tor nodded, his smile appearing to be a now permanent fixture on his face. “Those first few days of coming out, hooking up with another guy, there’s nothing else to describe that feeling, huh? The liberation and the hope and the freedom to be yourself.”
“Damn, you’re making me want to come out all over again.” Roman looked out at the mile-long bridge that connected Key West to the rest of the keys. It was packed with cars escaping their city life and searching for a little slice of paradise close to home. “Obviously, it’s not all glitters and rainbows and dicks, though.”
“No, it’s not. But I’m going to make sure that’s all Phantom gets. Especially the dick part.” Tor nudged Roman with a shoulder, although he couldn’t tell if it was a friendly nudge or just Tor trying not to tip over with the motion of the boat. “I’m really glad you brought me on, Roman. Seriously. Thank you.”
Roman smiled back, feeling as if a large chunk of ice had been broken between them. He’d never been that against the idea of Tor joining them, but clearly there had been some unhandled baggage stirring inside of him. After today’s outburst, Roman felt like all that would soon be behind them. He wasn’t the type to fester on old emotions. Roman thought it served everyone better when focus was set on the future as opposed to the past.
“You’ve helped us immensely. I should be the one thanking you. Wyatt made a good choice in reaching out to you.”
“It probably wasn’t easy for him, either.”
“No, I don’t think any of it has been easy for him.” Roman’s gaze shifted, floating toward Wyatt. He sat with his legs crossed underneath him, a pair of neon pink and blue swim trunks making his skin appear tan. He joked about something with Bang Bang, pointing at Phantom’s T-shirt, a sleeveless shirt with Goku from Dragon Ball Z printed on the front. “I’m really fucking proud of him, though.”
“You should be. He’s come a long way from the quiet kid I used to know. Everyone would also steamroll right over him, and he’d get back up with a smile each and every time. Happy to just make other people happy but never worried about his own happiness. I think you changed all that for him.”
A twist of guilt tugged at Roman’s gut. Tor described exactly what Roman had done to Wyatt all those years ago. He pushed right over him, pushed right past Wyatt’s fears of hacking into Yale’s grading system, and he ended up getting Wyatt kicked out because of that. It was a weight Roman didn’t think he’d ever get rid of, invisible shackles that locked onto his ankles and wrists and were attached to a hundred-ton boulder. He’d work damn fucking hard to make up for all the pain he’d caused Wyatt, that part he was sure of.
“You two make a really good couple,” Tor said.
Roman took that and pocketed it. As if on some invisible cue, Wyatt looked up and smiled at Roman, waving. The boat wasn’t very large, but they still wouldn’t have the easiest time hearing each other over the sound of the engine and waves. Wyatt got up and came over to them, sitting between Roman and Theo, a hand settling on Roman’s knee.
“And what are you two bonding about over here? Can’t be anything good.”
Roman chuckled, breathing in Wyatt’s sweet scent, which overpowered the scent of the sea that surrounded them.
“Bonding about you, actually,” Roman quipped. “We were talking about how we were both pretty proud of you. You’ve come a long way, Salt.”
Wyatt’s cheeks immediately colored with a rosy pink blush. He’d always been bad at taking compliments, but Roman wasn’t going to let this one go. “Seriously, I know I’ve said it already, but I’ll say it again and again and again: you’re a fucking rock star, and I’m so proud I can say that you’re mine.” Roman leaned in for a heart-stopping kiss.
“Thanks,” Wyatt said, blushing even more after the kiss. He scratched his head, smiling, clearly unsure of where to take this compliment train.
“Oh, one more thing,” Tor said. “Can we change it to the Rainbow’s Eight now?”
Roman chuckled, nodding his head. “Yeah, I think we can.” He was about to make an official announcement about it when he felt a buzz in his pocket. He reached for his phone, taking it out and unlocking it, expecting some banal message about a politician’s fundraising attempts or a scheduled charge on one of his credit cards.
