Could This Be Something More? Part 2

It’s been a few months now since Roman and Neo had arrived at the city of Mantle, they’ve settled in quite nicely at the place they’re staying at. Roman’s been working at the front desk and would go on errands whenever asked to, though he wasn’t making much money from this they were allowed to stay due to him working for them. However Neo also wanted to work but due to her being unable to speak they just had her helping out with cleaning rooms or dishes since she didn’t need to speak for those things, and should a customer ask her for anything she would just write it down for them though some customers got annoyed with this while others were more understanding. Roman didn’t really like the fact that people were being rude to Neo but he wasn’t going to prevent her from doing something she wanted to do, the other staff did try their best to watch over her whenever Roman wasn’t around but they couldn’t follow her around everywhere when they also had things to do. However one of the other male staff taught Neo how to whistle so if she ever needs helps she just whistles for someone since she can’t call out for help, she has yet to need to whistle for anyone but knowing that she is able to made Roman feel more comfortable not being around her 24/7. Neo was also quite happy as she liked that she was able to do things rather than like before where she stayed inside all day while Roman figured out how to make money so they could eat, she felt useless back then and more like a burden than anything else.

“Neo, I have to go and get some fresh fruit for later today, will you be alright while I’m gone? It may be couple hours depending on who I have to talk with.” Neo gave him a reassuring nod with a smile on her face, she would just be cleaning rooms today so nothing that exciting was going to happen. “Alright then, make sure to let Letty know what rooms you’re cleaning today okay? That way they can check on you every now and then.” Roman said as he patted her on the head before leaving with his cane in hand, although he’s never had to use it, his cane is weapon which is the main reason he keeps it on him whenever he goes anywhere just as a precaution. Although this city didn’t have much crime going on there was still a chance for someone in need of money or just down right greedy to try and take advantage of him, he couldn’t afford to have that happen so taking protection was always a good idea. He strolled down the streets whistling to himself and giving slight nods to ersby’s who acknowledged him, he wasn’t well known or anything like that but people have seen him around so they simply were just being polite. He continued to walk several blocks before finally making it to a small market area which fruit stands along with other things being sold as well, he walked through the maze of people trying to find the right stall when he spotted it not that far away. He made his way over and gave a polite bow to the person running the stand, he’s met with them many times and tries to be respectful due to the fact he doesn’t want to get into any trouble with anyone.

“Hello again my friend, back for more of my wonderful fruit I see.” The man spoke with a slight accent but it was hard to tell what exactly the accent was, Roman had thought about asking several times but didn’t want to come off as rude. “Yes, Honey asked for some strawberries, blackberries, and some mango I believe. Did I miss anything?” Roman asked as he wasn’t sure if Honey had asked for more and didn’t tell him about it as that has happened in the past before. “Not at all, that’s everything on the list she gave me. That’ll be 25 lien for the lot of it, I’ll put them all in a separate bag for you so they don’t get mixed together.” The man said while Roman grabbed the money that was necessary. “Thank you Warren, I appreciate it.” “Anytime, tell Honey I said hi and that she should stop by sometime.” He said while handing Roman the bags and talking the money from him, a soft chuckle escaped his lips as he shook his head. “I’ll be sure to let her know, until next time.” With that he bowed his hat and went on his way back to the inn, happy to escape the large crowded area as he wasn’t overly fond of people constantly touching him just because there wasn’t any space. He let a sigh escape his lips as he made his way back to the inn, he decided to stop at a coffee shop and grab a small caramel latte before heading back. Even though he knew they were safe here he still wasn’t able to sleep very well, having Neo next to him made him feel more comfortable but he still had dreams of Grimm attacking them and losing her before he too gets taken.

He pushed those thoughts away and hurried back to the inn, eager to see Neo again and make sure nothing happened to her, he had grown a lot more protective of her despite him knowing that she was safe there. Perhaps it was just because he’s seen a lot of bad people hanging around town, or maybe it was because he was starting to have feelings for her… but that was something he wasn’t willing to it to himself. After all if it turned out to be one sided it could ruin their whole relationship and he didn’t want that to happen, so he kept his mouth shut about it and blamed his overprotectiveness due to the strange and dangerous people he’s seen around town. He made his way inside and to the kitchens to deliver the fruits he had gotten for Honey, whom just so happened to be waiting in the kitchen for him and the fruit. “There ya are, I was wondering when you would be getting back. I made lunch for you and Neo, why don’t you guys enjoy it in your room today? We’re kinda crowded today from people ing through.” Roman put the fruit down on the counter and gave a slight nod in response, he definitely didn’t want to be in another crowded area and it gives Neo a break from dealing with people as well. “Sounds good to me, I’m assuming it’s already up there with Neo since you plan things ahead of time.” Honey only gave him a nod in response and shooed him upstairs, which caused him to think there was either some sort of surprise or Neo had a rough interaction with a customer. Though he was definitely hoping for the former it was more likely the latter which he wasn’t very happy about, he just hoped Neo was okay.

Upon opening the door he was greeted with a very giddy Neo which instantly put his worries at ease, when he looked around he noticed a small cake was there along with their food and was slightly surprised as he wasn’t aware it was anyone’s birthday. Neo quickly pulled him into the room giving him very little time to close the door behind him, she picked up a piece of paper that read ‘Happy Anniversary’ on it and he suddenly understood. Today makes it officially one year since the two of them had been together, it honestly hadn’t even crossed his mind as things have been rather busy for them. He hadn’t fully realized how much time had ed since they arrived in Mantle after the Grimm attack at the previous town they had been staying in, it still felt like all that happened just yesterday when they were running for their lives and trying to survive out in the wilderness hoping that they wouldn’t be noticed by Grimm. A smile appeared on his face as he walked over to Neo and hugged her tightly, holding her close to him as she hugged him back still rather giddy from her little surprise for him. “Did you have this all planned out by yourself? Well I guess Honey helped you out with making the cake since you’re still learning how to cook.” Roman said as he pulled away from their hug and glanced over at the cake, it looked like just a regular cake with vanilla frosting and sprinkles on top. Though Roman figured there was probably something inside the cake since Honey can never make just a plain cake, there was probably chocolate or strawberry filling somewhere in the cake. Neo nodded in response to what he said and grabbed a pen and paper, jolting something down really quick for him to read before handing it to him.

‘Originally I was just going to try for a plain cake but Honey insisted on there being some sort of filling, so we made a chocolate cake with strawberry filling and vanilla icing. Though for the food we just made some sandwiches so that’s pretty plain.’ Roman smiled once more and patted her gentle on the head, he wasn’t really expecting her to do anything like this so it was a rather warm welcome for him. “Well it looks amazing, let’s eat shall we?” With that they ate their meal mostly in silence with Neo occasionally writing questions like how he likes his food and if the cake taste good, which he of course thought all of it tasted great as there hasn’t been anything she’s cooked that has tasted bad. Well the first time she made a grilled cheese she did burn it a little bit but it wasn’t bad, a little over done but dipping it in soup helped with that. He chuckled to himself as he ed that moment which caused Neo to give him a questionable look which he just waved off as he set his food down for a moment, he didn’t want Neo to think he was laughing at her cooking so he thought it best to explain why he laughed a bit. “I was just thinking about the first time you made a grilled cheese sandwich, not that it was bad but it was slightly over cooked. I don’t know, just came to mind as I was thinking about how much you’ve improved your cooking. I’m proud of you.” Roman said with a sincere look on his face. Neo blushed as she looked away, a little embarrassed about that day but also really happy that Roman was proud of her. It wasn’t something she expected him to say, nor has anyone ever really said that to her before now.

Roman however caught on to her blush and simply just smiled as he found it rather cute, he shook his head to himself to brush that thought aside as he ruffled Neo’s hair. “Hey I mean that in a good way, if you don’t make any mistakes you’ll never truly learn anything.” Neo turned and smiled at him still blushing slightly, she knew he means well and would never do anything to offend her in any way. At least not on purpose as he has done it before and she ended up ignoring him for the rest of the day, she did rather enjoy watching him follow her around trying to get her to talk to him again but she had actually forgiven him about halfway through and was just teasing him by the end of it. They’ve spent so much time together getting closer and bonding more, Neo started developing a small crush on him and the others had definitely noticed as they have been giving her tips without her really asking. Not that she really mind the fact that they were trying to help but at the same time some of their tips wasn’t exactly she was confident with doing, plus she felt like being mute made things a lot harder to communicate, especially feelings. It’s something she’s always had a problem with in the past and didn’t want to mess things up now because of it, for the time being at least she was fine with how things were. Neo wrote something down before handing it over to Roman for him to read which he gladly accepted. ‘I feel like you might be teasing me a bit but thank you for the compliment, it means a lot coming from you. I’m really happy that you like the cake and the sandwiches, even if they were a little plain.’

“Plain or fancy doesn’t matter, so long as it’s something you made it’s worth trying. Also I don’t know what makes you think I would tease you, that’s definitely not in my nature.” Roman said with a little grin on his face as he took another bite of the cake, he really did enjoy it but he also definitely was teasing her just a tiny bit. Before Neo could write up any reply though there came a knock at the door which Roman got up to answer, as he opened the door Letty was standing there with a slight anxious look on her face. “Hey Letty, is everything alright?” Roman asked as he crossed his arms over his chest, he wasn’t sure what type of news they were about to get. “Another town a few miles south of us just got attacked, they’re asking for people to help those who managed to make it here as the Hunters don’t have enough people to help everyone. Honey asked for the two of us to go help while her and Neo get some rooms set up just in case.” A grim look appeared on his face at the news as that could only mean it was just a matter of time before the Grimm attacked here. “Alright, give me a moment and I’ll meet you downstairs. Make sure to grab some blankets and any first aid kits we have to help.” Letty nodded and left swiftly as she went to go grab anything they would need, Roman turned to Neo and saw the look of worry on her face. “It’ll be okay Neo, just help Honey with whatever she needs. I’ll be back soon okay?” Neo nodded and gave his a quick hug before they both headed downstairs and splitting up at the bottom, Roman met Letty at the front door and helped her carry things as they left to head over to the front gates.

It definitely wasn’t going to be a happy anniversary like they had planned, but in this kind of world anything could happen at any given moment they just had to be ready for it. Once they reached the front gate they were directed to head over to the left side and help give out water and food to people, their blankets and first aid kits were taken to the other side which was set up with tents as a makeshift hospital. They spent about 3 hours just walking around and handing people water or food while also looking at any injuries to see how badly they needed medical attention, those with smaller injuries stayed on the left side to wait while the ones with more severe injuries were sent to the right side to get checked out. During all of this Roman couldn’t help but think back to what he and Neo went through, along with the family they ended up traveling with until they arrived at this very city. A lot of these people were scared and unsure about the very people who were helping them, not that Roman could blame them as he’s been in the same situation before. He did his best to reassure them that they were safe but you can only do so much, finally they were told to head home after about 5 hours if them helping as other people came in to fill in for them. Once they got back Roman went straight to his room where he found Neo waiting patiently for him, and without saying anything he pulled her close to him as he hugged her tightly. Though no words were said between the two they had a silent understanding in that moment, they spent the rest of the night inside of their room in silence as they just held enough other.

They had been through so much together that sometimes they can just tell what the other needs, and in this case Neo could tell Roman had a rough day but didn’t want to talk about it and just wanted someone there. Neo left the room by herself to get dinner for them and made sure with Honey that was okay for them to have it in their room again, which Honey was very much okay with as Letty was also doing the same thing. Their night continued in silence as they ate their dinner which just consisted of toasted garlic bread paired with spaghetti, it wasn’t very much but it was enough and that’s all they really needed. Eventually after dinner Neo broke their silence so to speak, she wrote something down and handed it to Roman though it definitely wasn’t what he was expecting when he read it. ‘Are you okay? We don’t have to talk about what happened today but we could talk about something else to help clear your mind a bit. Like tomorrow I’m gonna be trying to make muffins for the first time, well it’s cornbread but we’re making them into muffins. Oh and apparently adding honey to them adds more flavor and makes it taste better so we’re gonna put some honey in as well. Letty also wants me to go dress shopping with her, not sure if I want to but she doesn’t have very many people to go with so I’ll probably go anyway just to make her happy.’ It continued on like that for a bit and a small smile appeared on Roman’s face as he read all of it, he could tell how much Neo was just trying to cheer him up even if she couldn’t do so with actual words. He turned to her and said three simple yet powerful words that he hadn’t been sure about saying before, but now he was more sure than he’s ever been before. “I love you Neo.”