Acquired Tastes

Epilogue

Legs tired from their day of walking, body and mind exhausted, Neil found himself sinking onto the back steps of a little baptist church, eyes absentmindedly following Roman's legs as he jogged up the half-flight of stairs and tried the door. It groaned as if it hadn't been used in years, but came creakily open, and Roman flashed Neil a huge grin before disappearing inside. Neil pushed himself back to his feet and climbed the stairs as quickly as his legs would let him.

He pulled the door closed behind him, eyes scanning the darkened auditorium, the only light coming from a small bulb at the front of the small stage. Roman was already sitting on top of the pulpit, facing the auditorium, legs swinging slightly as he pulled his backpack off his back and took out his water bottle. He gave Neil a lopsided grin before taking several large sips, eyes following Neil across the front of the room and over to in front of him. Neil rested his arms against the top of the pulpit, looking up at Roman. "How are you not dead?"

"I mean, I am, but Martin, we're done," Roman said emphatically, tapping Neil's side with his foot. "Aren't you psyched?"

Neil couldn't help smiling back at him. "Okay, yeah, that's pretty cool." He pulled his backpack off and unzipped it, finding what was left of their food, handing most of it to Roman. Roman took it absentmindedly, moving his backpack off the pulpit beside him and dropping it onto the floor below him.

"Come up."

Neil lifted himself onto the pulpit, the muscles in his legs tingling as they finally relaxed after a day of walking. Roman opened a granola bar and held it up for a cheers, tapping it against the one Neil was holding, then leaned in, giving Neil the quickest little kiss, leaning back before Neil even had time to process it. Roman took a bite, eyes drifting away, like the kiss had happened with little to no thought, like it was becoming a habit, and Neil found himself unable to move on from the moment even as Roman went back to eating and zoning out, eyes on the back of the auditorium. There was something so comforting to Neil about what had just happened, the sincerity it had revealed, and after a day that had been so taxing on his emotions, Neil felt almost dizzy with relief. It was over. He'd survived. And, even though he no longer had to be, Roman was still there.

Roman felt his gaze and looked over at him. "You okay?"

Neil nodded, taking a bite of his food. "Yeah."

Roman didn't look away, just studied him thoughtfully. "Does this look anything like the one you went to?"

Neil hesitated, eyes running over the auditorium, the ratty purple carpet and bulletin boards with pictures of missionary families. "Yeah, kind of," he said finally. "It smells the same."

Roman nodded slowly, leaning back against his arms. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay." Neil paused. "It's...it's kind of a relief, being here on my own terms."

Roman gave him an understanding little smile, sliding himself to the floor and leaning over to shove his granola bar wrapper into his backpack. He straightened up, giving Neil a mischievous little smirk, stepping between his legs and stretching up on his tiptoes to kiss him. "If you want to do any more distancing yourself from god, just let me know."

Neil felt his face melt into a smile. He ran his hands through Roman's hair, gazing down at him, not sure what to say to that but unable to stop smiling. Roman pulled his face down enough to kiss the tip of his nose, then turned and walked over to the piano in the corner, pushing his sleeves up to his elbows. He flipped through the spiral-bound hymnal on the little stand, smirking at one of the titles. "O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. He grinned up at Neil as Neil sat down beside him, then lifted the cover, sliding it off the keys. Neil watched Roman play a few stray notes, then lean back, pulling his legs up to cross them in front of him on the narrow bench. "Play me a song?"

Neil just gazed back at him for several long moments, too tired to stop himself from getting distracted by the moment and the color of Roman's eyes. Roman grinned back at him, waiting for Neil to break eye contact first, and when he didn't, Roman pushed his shoulder, "Come on, show me your skills."

Neil rolled his eyes at him, then turned back to the keys and started to play, muscle memory kicking in as he played a hymn that had been one of his favorites to play when he was a kid. Somewhere in the middle of the second line, he glanced over, finding Roman just staring back at him, mouth slightly open in unadulterated shock. Neil felt his face break into a smile; before he could say anything, Roman was taking Neil's face in his hands and kissing him forcefully, pushing him off the short bench and onto his back on the floor in his enthusiasm. "Goddamn, Martin," he whispered, breathlessly, lips against Neil's. "That's so hot."

They found some worn blankets in a closet downstairs; the basement included several small Sunday school rooms, a kitchen, and a large room set up for eating. The small nursery was the warmest, with several heating vents and an old but soft carpet, so they stretched out their blanket there, crawling beneath another. Neil was messing with his backpack, trying to figure out how to position it to make the most comfortable pillow, when Roman reached over, arm sliding behind Neil's shoulder. "Come here."

Admittedly, that was more comfortable, half draped across Roman. Roman shifted around for a moment, trying to get comfortable, then grew still, lifting his hand to Neil's face and running his thumb back and forth over Neil's cheekbone. The only sounds were the faint rumble of the heating system and the tree branch against the window, moving slightly in the breeze. Despite everything, Neil found himself relaxing, muscles slowly loosening as he melted against Roman.

"Martin," Roman whispered, long after Neil had assumed he was asleep. "You awake?"

"Yeah," Neil whispered back, not moving. "What's up?"

"You think there's any strawberries in these woods?"

Neil's face melted into a smile, and he wrapped his arm more tightly around Roman's waist. "Why? You trying to score points with god by letting me have more?"

"What would I need points with god for?" Roman asked, the smile audible in his voice. "I already have you."