A/N: Fair warning, this is just fluff. Pure, unadulterated fluff. It's also very rambly. Enjoy.

Epilogue
Three Years Later

Ambrosia's unofficial five-year anniversary party, Roman thinks, has been a good one.

They'd had the big public celebration yesterday, and now, Friday night, is the one for the employees - past and present - and a handful of close friends, along with some of Roman's family.

It's not only the five-year anniversary they're celebrating: Ambrosia's about to open a second location across town (over near the community college campus that the Rhodes family had raised a staggering amount of money to help completely renovate, funnily enough), with Corey heading over to manage it, and a bright go-getter named Sami staying behind to run the counter here at the original one.

Dean goes by Dean most days, but tonight, Coffee Wizard is making his triumphant return.

And, man, he is in his element here, running around the party in his 5-year anniversary tee shirt and that silly pointed wizard's hat Roman got him for Christmas their first year together. Roman'd had it custom-printed with the actual stick figure drawing and words off of the original Coffee Wizard cup (Damn right I'm a coffee wizard); Dean had lit up brighter than the Christmas tree when he'd seen it, of course.

The hat's looking a little frayed at the edges these days, but Dean absolutely refuses to give it up.

Roman loves him like crazy for that.

Loves him like crazy period.

The last three years have been a rollercoaster, but Roman wouldn't trade it for anything.

He's got a little box in his pocket he's waiting to bring out tonight to prove it.

About five minutes ago, he'd snagged Coffee Wizard and dragged him outside to get some air, the two of them leaning against the side of the building and looking up into a quiet, overcast night. Not talking much, but that's really not the point. It's just nice to take a breather.

Roman's phone buzzes in his pocket, the signal from Antonio that everything's set up inside.

It's probably going overboard, but something about Coffee Wizard makes Roman want to do wild, crazy things from time to time. He's just that damn infectious.

Inside, all the lights are on and everyone has clustered together behind the counter.

The tables, which had been pushed to the edges of the sitting area to create a kind of makeshift little dancing area, have been rearranged into an S-shape.

They're covered in coffee cups - the old Ambrosia ones (white with just the Ambrosia anarchy logo in black), and the new ones (white with a faint barbed wire print underneath and the same logo).

Coffee Wizard draws to a startled stop at Roman's side. "What's all this?"

Roman points to the table nearest them, the beginning of the S. "Go have a look."

"Wh-?" Coffee Wizard shoots Roman a suspicious look, but eventually shuffles over to the table and and picks up the first cup. "'Always Fine.'" There's a beat of silence, and then he twists around, frowning in confusion. "What is this?"

"First time you gave me a cup that something other than my name on it," Roman tells him.

Recognition brightens Coffee Wizard's eyes. "Oh yeah! Shit. I forgot about that. You kept that? Wait…" Turning again, he reaches for the second cup. "'Big Dog.'"

Roman slips his hands into his pockets. "That was the first time you ever called me that. I wasn't sure why you did."

"You always walked into my shop like you were the big dog on campus," Coffee Wizard says. His voice sounds a little rough. "Still do."

"Because I am." Roman smiles and moves up to join Coffee Wizard at the tables. "Come on. Keep looking."

"These…?" Coffee Wizard's shaking his head, a kind of poleaxed look on his face. "You kept all these?"

"Just a few of them," Roman shrugs. Like it's nothing. "Come on."

He tugs Coffee Wizard's hand, and leads him on what's essentially a stroll down memory lane - in coffee cups.

In and among them all, there's the first Coffee Wizard cup.

There's the cup where he'd finally learned Coffee Wizard's name.

(To this day, that's Roman's favorite story to tell people.)

There's the cup from the morning after their first date - and their first time.

(Roman had learned quickly to not pull his cup out of the carrier if other people were around. Dean's got a wicked streak a mile wide, and to this day gets a kick out of writing some of the most filthy, outrageous stuff he possibly can on Roman's cups. Bayley read one once and nearly turned purple from the embarrassment.)

There's the one from their first WrestleMania together early the next year, a badly-drawn wrestling ring and the stubs from the tickets he'd left sitting under the cup.

The one with the first I love you on it, which he'd handed Roman the morning after he'd finally said it aloud.

(Dean has never been that good about saying it, but more mornings than not, Roman's found it scrawled somewhere on the side of a cup. It's plenty.)

The one from the time Dean decided they should move in together: a picture of a house, and Move in with me? Or me with you? Don't care. Like waking up w/you. And the cup Roman had calmly handed Dean across the counter later that day: Let's find a place together.

(To this day, he remembers the way Dean's smile unfolded, a little at a time, until he looked like he'd had a winning lottery ticket in his hands.)

The ones that have the notes about the houses they'd looked at before they finally decided on one.

The one with CONGRATS BIG DOG! YOU'RE A REAL BOSS NOW! from the day Roman and Antonio hired Bayley on full-time.

(They'd ended up hiring two other full-time employees after that, and have been talking about adding someone else, as busy as things have gotten.)

The one with the badly-drawn slot machine and Vegas? on it.

(They still don't talk about what happened at Excalibur or in Caesar's Palace during that vacation.)

But there the one from late last year, when a small squabble over Dean not wanting to go out with Roman's cousins one night blew up into a fight that ended with Roman walking out, fuming at what a selfish, thoughtless prick Dean really was, deep down. Roman had stayed gone for three miserable weeks, refusing to even answer his phone. Dean had eventually left a cup for Roman at the front desk that said, I was an asshole & I'm so sorry. I miss you. What can I do? I just want you to come home.

(Roman's never been much a crier, but the words 'come home' had bulldozed into him hard enough that he had that day. It had hit him how stupid the first had been in the first place, and he'd stumbled down to the shop to pull Dean into a hug, not even caring there were half a dozen impatient waiting in line.)

There's the pair from the very next day: Dean's emphatic I fucking love you Big Dog, alongside Roman's own relieved and exhausted, Love you too Coffee Wizard. You jackass.

There aren't quite as many cups from this past year.

Dean's been so busy getting things ready for the second location to open up that he hasn't been pouring as much coffee.

But there are a few: there's the one with a stick-figure in a skirt and a lei with the ridiculous caption, Can't wait to go get lei'd from right before they headed off to Hawaii for a couple weeks.

The one Roman had left when he'd been feeling a little neglected, I miss your beans.

(He'd woken up the next morning to find his hand on Dean's nutsack, and the stupidest grin on Dean's face.)

And there's the one from when Roman and Antonio's firm celebrated its four-year anniversary earlier this year: Proud of you, Big Dog. Congrats.

And lastly, there's the one Roman added tonight, and it's as they approach that one, at the very end of the S, his nerves really start to kick in. "This last one is from you from me," he explains. "For tonight, so. Go ahead and read it."

He steps back so he's out of Coffee Wizard's line of sight, and slips his hand into his pocket.

"Congratulations, Coffee Wizard," Coffee Wizard reads aloud. His silly, stupid hat is slipping to one side. "Proud of you. Always. Forever."

Roman drops to a knee and holds up the box just as Coffee Wizard looks around. "Whaddya say, Coffee Wizard? Forever?"

Coffee Wizard's mouth falls open, and Roman watches the dots finally connect themselves. "Wait a minute. You did all this to...? Propose?"

"Uh-huh," Roman says, smiling.

The happiness he's expecting to break through Coffee Wizard's constipated look doesn't come. Instead, Coffee Wizard presses his lips together, scowls. "You asshole."

Of all the reactions he might have had, that's the one Roman's just not expecting. He blinks, lost. "What?"

"You beat me to the punch, ya jerk." Coffee Wizard pulls a small velvet-covered box out of his own pocket, heaves an absolutely ridiculous melodramatic sigh. "I totally had a speech and everything. Which is going to sound really lame thanks to your stupid romantic coffee cup shrine here. Always gotta outdo me. Why am I marrying you, again?"

The corners of his mouth twitch at the end of his tirade.

And - oh.

Oh.

That's a yes.

That's a yes, and Roman breathes a sigh of relief, his own mouth relaxing into an easy smile. Behind the counter, there's a light smattering of clapping and murmurs. "Maybe it's because you like me," he finally says.

"You're okay," Coffee Wizard huffs at the ceiling. His cheeks are definitely red. "Sometimes."

"Then maybe it's because even when we fight you know I got your back."

"Maybe."

"Could be because I'm hot."

"Well, I mean, you are kinda hot. Kind of." Coffee Wizard shrugs. "It might be 'cuz I feel sorry for you, so I'm gonna take one for the team and marry you. A pity wedding. I feel sorry for me."

Roman bursts out laughing at that, the reminder of a day in his office now three years ago.

It had been a good day.

"Or," Coffee Wizard says, his expression finally softening as much as it ever does, "it could just be 'cuz you're my favorite thing that's happened over the last few years. You know? That could be it. I'm just sayin."

"Your most favorite?" Roman asks, smiling slyly. "I get in over Ambrosia?"

"I mean…" Coffee Wizard makes a show of looking around, both at all their friends and at the back room. "It's close, but 's you I go home to, so I guess - yeah. Yeah, you do. That, and, uh, Ambrosia doesn't have hands or anything like you do, so it can't, y'know, work my-"

Roman leaps to his feet and claps a hand over his idiot fiance's mouth before the word equipment can make it out. "Hey! What did I say about that kind of talk in public?" He doesn't take his hand away; instead he gives everyone an apologetic look. "Sorry. Y'all know my fiance has no filter."

Fiance. Holy shit.

Coffee Wizard's eyes sparkle with wicked good humor and something a lot warmer.

He's probably a little drunk.

But it's all good.

From the front of the room, Corey calls out dryly, "Yeah, we've met him. Congrats, guys. 'Bout time. And congrats, Dean, on five years here."

And just before their friends and family move in to echo those sentiments, Roman pulls his hand away from Coffee Wizard's mouth, and dips in to kiss him.

"Love you, Coffee Wizard," he murmurs, after he breaks away.

Coffee Wizard rests his cheek on Roman's shoulder. "Love you too, Big Dog."

It's all right.

A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who's read, reviewed, and encouraged me with this one. Y'all are amazing. See you next story.