SKIN LIKE STONE [2]

5

Roman was so bored of the cold bricks and lack of blood.
Damon was so tired of trying to help him, though he wouldn't stop until he succeeded.
Today was that day Damon hoped.
Damon's heart was heavy because he knew exactly what was going to happen to Roman, how he would react.
"Today's the day baby brother."
Damon smiled stiffly.
"So you say."
Roman rolled his eyes.
"Go on then brother, I'm sick of waiting."

"Damon stop!"
Roman yelled at the top of his lungs as fire started to consume the building.
"Roman! Roman!"
Enzo's voice hit his ears over all the chaos in the building.
"Enzo! Lorenzo!"
Roman cried trying to break out of Damon's hold.
"It's no use."
Damon glared as Roman broke out of his arms racing to the cage.
Roman tried to pry apart the bars, ignoring the burning vervain as he screamed out.
"Roman."
Enzo breathed out worriedly.
"Please, please."
Roman seemed to be begging the bars to bend as hot tears poured from his eyes.
"Roman, lets go."
Damon pulled his brother roughly by his arms.
"No! No please! Enzo!"
Roman cried.
"Roman, Roman please! Please love come back, please!"
Roman had never felt more pain than that.

"Stop."
Roman gritted out.
"You left him behind."
Roman didn't respond.
"You killed him. He died. He died thinking you abandoned him."
"Stop!"
"You have to live with that."
Roman squeezed his eyes shut taking a shaky breath.
"Do you think it'd be harder to die or harder to be the one who survived?"
That question.
Those words seemed to snap something inside of Roman.
Tears poured down his face as he choked on his own breath.
"It's so much worse to be alive. It's so much
worse-"
Roman's sobs shook his body as Damon felt guilt press down on his chest.
"I wish I'd have died with him in that fire if I would've known what it would feel like to lose him."
Roman cried his chest heaving.
Things were quiet as his memories seemed to resurface.
"I killed all those people!"
Roman cried harder finding it hard to breath as he threw his head back into the stone wall.
"I got Jenna killed, oh my god!"
Damon rushed over to his brother grabbing him by the shoulders.
"That was not you."
Damon hissed at him.
"That was Klaus. 
"No it was me. I'm the one who killed them."
Roman cried.
"Elena! Elena's dead, it's my fault. I'm so sorry Damon."
Roman cried impossibly harder, Damon knew it would happen and yet he still felt terrible about it.
"Elena is fine. Elena is upstairs. She is okay."
Damon rushed out trying to calm his hysterical brother.
"What did I do?"
Roman cried spit and tears all over his face.
"It wasn't your fault."
Damon whispered tiredly to his brother.
"It was Damon, it was! I'm the one who watched Klaus kill everyone, it was me who killed all of those innocent people. Why would I do that?"
Roman's icy blue eyes met his eldest brother's and Damon could see the pain behind them.
"I don't know baby brother."
Damon whispered tears of his own in his eyes.
"I don't know."
Roman sighed tears still falling as he lifted his wrists, silently asking Damon to take off the chains.
Damon complied and Roman went up the stairs slowly.
Roman saw the back of the girls head and it made more tears fall.
"Roman."
Stefan's voice cracked at the sight of his brother.
All eyes were on the youngest twin, and his met with Elena's.
"I'm so sorry 'Lena."
He sniffled.
Elena ignored his apology rushing over and hugging him.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to."
Roman's cry shook the both of them, and Alaric watched with a heavy heart.
"It wasn't your fault."
Unlike when Damon said it, this time the words seemed to lift a weight off of the Salvatore's chest.
Roman pulled back and looked down at Elena, the doppelgänger wiped his tears away softly.
"I forgive you."
She whispered making more tears fall from Roman's eyes.
Roman moved on wrapping his twin in a hug.
"Thank you brother."
Roman mumbled out shakily.
Stefan just squeezed him tighter in reply.
Roman stepped back taking a deep breath.
"Hey loser, wipe off your face."
A weak laugh fell past Roman's lips as Bonnie threw a towel at him.
He did as told wiping his face until it was slightly red.
As soon as he tossed the cloth to the ground
Bonnie jumped in his arms squeezing him tightly.
"I missed you."
"I missed you too Bon."
Roman whispered into her hair.
Roman slowly let go of the brunette and turned to the teacher he so desperately adored.
"Can we?"
Alaric nodded outside and Roman followed him eagerly.
The two stood outside the boarding house neither really knowing what to say.
"I'm so sorry I-"
Alaric rolled his eyes taking one stride toward Roman and kissing him softly.
"I've heard all your apologies. I want you to hear mine."
Roman took a deep breath watching Ric intently.
"I know you will always protect your brothers and I'm sorry I thought any differently. I'm sorry for going behind your back and I am so sorry Roman for not trusting you."
Roman had no words.
So he just wrapped the man in a hug.
Which Alaric eagerly returned.
"I forgive you."
Roman whispered.
"Stay."
Alaric whispered back.
Although it wouldn't make sense to the Salvatore brothers listening inside, it meant a lot to Roman.

Alaric had asked him to stay, this time he would.