Title: Fire and Ice: Melted
Author: Uluviel (uluviel@fourhobbits.net)
Pairing: Dominic/Elijah ; implied Elijah/Sean A.
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: RPS
Spoilers: None
Archive: Four Hobbits, Beyond the Fellowship.

Summary: Elijah must get over a broken heart. Dominic offers his help.

Disclaimer: Never happened. I don't own Elijah, Sean, Dominic and Billy. Wish I did, but no.

Story notes: Sequel to "Ice" and "Fire".
The action in this story takes place during four distinct periods in 2001:
--Hannibal premiere: February
--Cannes: May
--Billy's play, 'The Ballad of Crazy Paola': October
--USA Thankgiving: November

* * *

It was the ringing of his phone that woke Dominic up. He frowned. The sun rays peeking through his bedroom curtains were still a fiery sunrise shade. He reached over to the end table and grabbed the noisy phone. "Hello?" he mumbled, still half asleep.

"Sorry I woke you up." It was Elijah, and he'd immediately noticed the sleep heavy in Dominic's voice.

"S'ok..." Dominic sat up in bed and passed a hand through his hair, pushing the bangs that feel in his eyes away to the top of his head.

"I wasn't sure of the time difference..."

"It's, huh," Dominic looked at his alarm-clock. "a little past seven now. It's fine, Elijah. What's going on?"

"I saw him again tonight."

Sean. Elijah hadn't seen him since they'd wrapped up The Lord of the Rings. They'd talked on the phone two times, and both times Elijah had called Dominic afterwards, in tears.

"Are you all right, Lij?"

"The premiere tonight... I didn't know he would be there. It was fine at first, we were talking, all was cool, like it was before we--" he interrupted himself, and Dominic could hear him swallowing tears as he flashed back to that night in New Zealand. "But then he pulled me into a bear hug, lifted me off the ground. I-- It all rushed back. It was like a stab in the heart. I thought I'd moved on." He choked out the last sentence in tears.

"Shh, shh, Lijah." Dominic said soothingly. "Listen, it was fine for a while, wasn't it? That's still improvement."

"Yeah," he sniffled.

"You're not a light switch that can be flipped from on to off in a second. Give it time."

"It hurts so much, Dom."

"I know," he whispered. "But even a broken heart is a wound that can be healed."

"That's hard to believe right now."

"Do you-- Would it helped if I flew to LA?"

"No... Dom, don't. You've done so much already. You don't need to come here."

"Who's there with you right now?"

"No one..."

"I'm coming. Elijah, you need someone." His phone tucked between ear and shoulder, Dominic got up and pulled his suitcase from under the bed. Since he'd come back from New Zealand, he'd lived out of his suitcase more than anything. He had an apartment in Manchester, but he was rarely home for more than a week at the time.

"No. I need to get out of here, I need..."

"Come to Manchester, then." Dominic said, pushing his suitcase back under his bed. "You've never been here. Now would be a good time to visit."

"Yes... You're right."

"Try to get some rest now, Lijah."

"I don't think I could sleep. I'll be there as soon as I can get a flight out."

"All right. I'll let you call for a reservation. Call me back if you need anything."

"Thanks, Dom." Elijah said softly before hanging up. Dominic sighed and curled back under the covers.

* * *

"Stupid shoelaces with their bloody knots and why the fuck can't they make shoes with Velcro for grown men and Billy, help me!"

Billy stuck his head out of the bathroom door, his toothbrush hanging from his mouth. "Mhhmm-mhh." He held up a finger, telling Dominic to wait for a minute.

A couple more swears from Dominic, then Billy took the shoes from him and easily undid the knots in the laces. "So what's going on?" Billy asked. "You can usually tie your own shoes. And who the hell puts on their shoes before their shirt?"

"Nervous. And, can't find shirt."

"Right." Billy nodded. He reached under the bed and fished out Dominic's shirt. "I'd wear something over that."

"I have a jacket, but who cares if my shirt's a bit wrinkled? There are only hundreds of journalists here today." He said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"I know. Wow, Cannes. This is kind of a big thing." Billy said. "Though I can't wait to see the excerpts from the movie."

"Neither can I." Dominic said, finally succeeding in tying his shoes. "But tomorrow will be hell. Lij's told me about those press junkets. Apparently they can drive you pretty much insane."

"Sean's told me the same thing." Billy said. He sat on the bed and looked at Dominic. "Say, did you talk to Sean recently?"

"Fuck no." He said harshly.

"Please tell me you're not still holding him responsible for what happened?"

"You're obviously not the one who's had to deal with a broken-hearted Elijah."

"You say it like it's an horrible task." Billy said. "You know I would do it, but he comes running to you every time. And it's not like you exactly push him away when he does."

"I don't mind taking care of Elijah. He's doing a lot better, actually."

"Well, if Elijah's doing better, you'll talk to Sean, then." Billy stated.

"No, I won't." Dominic said. "He fucking broke Elijah's heart."

"Listen to me." Billy said sternly. "You will talk it out with Sean even if I have to lock you in a room with him. He and Elijah are patching things up, and eventually things'll go back to normal. And when they do I want all of us to be able to stand in a room together, got it? You'll get over whatever it is that's bothering you."

"But Sean's--"

"You know very well that Sean isn't the heartless bastard you're making him out to be. So you'll let him explain to you his side of the story. You've only heard Elijah's and you're so fucking biased it's sickening. Sean used to be your friend. Yes, he messed up, but so did Elijah. He's not the innocent victim you make him to be. We all have to make an effort here."

"I can't believe you're taking his side."

"I'm taking nobody's side." Billy said. "When you pick sides and start shooting at each other, it's the ones in the middle that are going to get riddled with bullets. If you love your friends, you'll talk to Sean. If you want to destroy the fellowship, stick with your stubbornness and you'll do just so." With that, he grabbed his hairbrush and went back into the bathroom.

Furious, Dominic picked up his shirt, which Billy had left on his bed. As he put it on, he saw his reflection in the mirror. The small black spot on his shoulder caught his eyes -- the tattoo. He ran his fingers over it.

He remembered Elijah and him laughing at Sean and Billy the day after they'd gotten tattooed, when they were cursing like sailors because they'd chosen to get theirs on their ankles, and getting the feet glued on was a torture.

Or how Elijah had been utterly fascinated by Dominic's tattoo when he got it -- he'd been the first of them to go under the needle.

"Was it really that bad?" Elijah'd asked, fingers hovering over -- but carefully avoiding touching -- the abused skin.

Yes, it had been painful. "It was worth it." Dominic had said with a large smile he just didn't seem able to wipe off.

"Now we'll always be the fellowship." He'd squeezed Dominic's hand.

"Always," he'd said, and squeezed back.

It had been pact, binding in blood and ink. "Fuck." Dominic whispered. He finished putting his shirt on and shouted "Be back in a few!" to Billy through the bathroom door.

"Sean's in room 206!" Billy shouted back, and Dominic didn't know whether he should laugh or tell Billy to go fuck himself.

It was Christine that answered the door when he knocked. It had completely slipped his mind that she would be in Cannes as well, obviously in Sean's room. He wondered who Elijah was sharing his room with. Maybe New Line had rented him a room for himself. He was Frodo freakin' Baggins, after all, and could have his own room, while Merry and Pippin had to share, and Merry had to try and sleep despite Pippin's loud snores.

"Hi, is Sean around?"

"No, he's in Elijah's room I believe."

"Oh." That's not something he wanted to hear. He forced a smile. "Thanks, Christine."

He left the room with half a mind to punch Sean's lights out when he saw him, but had managed to calm himself down by the time he reached Elijah's room, which was right next to his own. He took a few calming deep breaths before knocking on the door. He hoped he wasn't interrupting anything. If he was, there would be blood shed.

Elijah opened the door. "Dom!" he squealed when he saw who stood on the other side. He engulfed Dominic into a hug. "I've missed you."

Dominic smiled and hugged him back. "It's only been two weeks."

"I didn't think I'd see you until the movie showing later, but I'm glad you're here."

"Actually, I was looking for Sean," Dominic said. "Is he here?"

Elijah lowered his gaze in disappointed. "Yeah, he's here. Sean!" he called out.

"I'm sorry," Dominic whispered, squeezing him tightly before stepping back from the embrace. "I'll come back later. I really need to talk to him."

Sean appeared in the doorway. "What's up, Lij? Oh, it's you," he said to Dominic.

"Can I talk to you? It's important."

"Uh. Sure." Sean couldn't even hide his surprise.

Dominic nodded towards the hallway. "Alone."

Sean looked at Elijah. "I'm fine." Elijah said. "Just go."

Dominic and Sean stepped out on the room. "What the hell?!" Dominic shouted as soon as Elijah had closed the door behind them.

"What? And lower your voice."

"Follow me." Dominic said, and he guided Sean to the floor's lounge, which was, at three thirty in the afternoon, empty. "What the fuck were you doing in there?" Dominic asked, all thoughts of reconciliation gone from his mind.

"Wow," Sean pinched the bridge of his nose and sat down. "You have got to get over those jealousy fits."

"Excuse me?"

"He can take care of himself. He doesn't need a watch dog."

"No, I'll just let you rip his heart out again. Good idea."

"I'm trying to fix things. That won't happen if we avoid each other."

"It hurts him to be with you."

"Do you think it doesn't hurt me? Dominic, do you really think I'm just having fun here?"

"You broke his heart. You fucking broke his heart and you knew you were doing so."

"You're talking like I meant to break his heart. You know I love Elijah. I would never do that."

"Then how could you do this to him? Do you have so little self-control that you couldn't help yourself? I mean, it was just so perfect, right? The shoot was coming to an end, and your wife was away--"

"Do not bring Christine into this."

"Right." Dominic spit out with venom. "Because it doesn't concern her that you sleep around."

"How dare you--" Sean stood up and faced Dominic.

"I used to think so highly of you. Perfect all around -- perfect actor, perfect husband, perfect father. You're so fucked up. Nothing but a shiny facade."

"You know what? I don't have to stand here and let you throw insults at me." Sean stepped away from Dominic. "I'm going to leave before this gets ugly."

"You can't face the truth. You don't want anyone to tell you that you messed up. You can't stand it."

"It's not the truth you're putting in my face, Dominic. I don't regret what I did."

Dominic slammed him against the wall. "You don't regret it? What kind of monster are you?"

"Get your dirty paws off me, you fucker. I'm stronger than you and you know it."

"I'd like to see you try something." He pushed Sean harder against the wall.

"This is driving you crazy, isn't it?" Sean said. "That he fell for me and not you?"

"Shut up!" Dominic yelled.

"You're jealous."

"It's not jealousy. I'm taking care of a friend." Dominic hissed through clenched teeth. "How can you be fine with what you did to him?"

"First of all," he shoved Dominic into one of the plush sofas. "don't you ever touch me again. Second of all, stop saying I did it 'to him'. It was something we did together."

"But you knew you'd leave him afterwards. Yet you did it anyway."

"He knew I would leave him afterwards, too. We were both aware that it was a one-night thing."

"I find that hard to believe, seeing how depressed Elijah's been since."

"How do you think I've been? Prancing about happily because I nailed Elijah? This has been hard on me too. I was dealing with a broken heart over Elijah, and I had a marriage to fix -- do you think that Christine just let it wash over her when I told her?"

"You told her?" Dominic asked, his voice suddenly a lot softer.

"Yes, I did. She deserved to know." Sean said. "And we decided that our marriage was worth saving, so we're trying to patch things up. You probably don't give a damn about it, though."

"And what does she think of the fact that you don't feel the least bit guilty about it?"

"I never said I didn't feel guilty. I said I didn't regret it. Yes, I hate how I felt about it afterwards, but if I could go back in time, I would do it again."

"You're not making any sense."

"That's because you don't get it." Sean said. "Imagine yourself in my situation. What would you do if you had the chance to be with someone you loved more than anything for one night? Would you take that one night, and face the consequences, or say no and wonder for the rest of your life how it could've been?"

"I wouldn't make the same choice, Sean. I'd say no."

"Maybe you would. Or maybe you just haven't faced that situation and can't relate."

"I doubt it. The two of you hurt a lot of people, including yourselves..."

"... and you? I know this hurt you badly too. You've wanted to be with him for so long, and I just swooped in--"

"You're wrong."

"No, I'm not." Sean said. "Elijah never realized why we found condoms and lube in the bag you left at his house, but I did."

"You're jumping to conclusions," Dominic said, but Sean could see in his eyes that he was scared. Scared of being exposed, scared of having his protective walls knocked down.

"Am I? If you had the chance to spend a night with Elijah, just one, would you do it? If he offered? Be honest with me. I'm not so sure you'd say no."

Dominic bit his bottom lip and stared at the floor, but didn't answer.

"Dom... I would've hurt him just as much if I'd said no." Sean said. "At least this way, we both enjoyed ourselves for a few hours. But the heartache afterwards... it would've been the same whether or not we'd slept together."

"I know," Dominic said softly.

"I'm sorry I did this to you, though. I knew how you felt for him and spent the night with him anyway. I never apologized for it."

"Don't. I can't claim him." Dominic said. "He wanted you. He never wanted me."

"Maybe he will, eventually. Give him time to get back on his feet." He put a hand on Dominic's shoulder. "He has an incredible amount of trust in you. I wouldn't be surprised if something more came out of it."

Dominic scoffed. "He's been in love with you forever."

"Not even for a year, Dom. And that love's fading away." He sat next to Dominic. "He's lucky to have someone like you by his side through all this, comforting him. He's fond of you. He knows you love him."

"He does?" Dominic asked, slightly panicked.

"I don't think he knows that you're in love with him, no. But he knows you care about him. You'll eventually have to tell him how you feel, but I'd wait a while or else you might become some kind of rebound. Give him some time." He squeezed Dominic's shoulder. "Things are falling back into place."

"They are, aren't they?" Dominic sighed. "And I don't even feel like I want to kick your arse anymore."

Sean smiled. "Well, that's significant progress."

"I'm sorry, Sean."

"So am I... Come here." He pulled Dominic into a hug. Dominic returned the hug, so happy to have his friend back.

Pacing in his room, Elijah worried about his friends. Dominic and Sean had been gone for a long time, and Dominic had seem quite pissed when he'd dragged Sean away. After much nail-biting, he got up and went in search for them. He was about to knock at Billy and Dominic's door when he heard voices in the lounge.

He couldn't make out what they were saying until he was almost there, but he heard some apologies and smiled. They'd made up. He peeked at them from behind the corner or the hallway. When he saw them embrace, a disagreeable feeling of jealousy rose from the pit of his stomach, and it made him want to cry. He thought he'd finally gotten over Sean. He wasn't supposed to be jealous.

He hated himself for being so weak. He turned around and ahead back for his room, but surprise stopped him abruptly. He'd just realized that he wasn't was jealous of Dominic, but of Sean.

* * *

There was a nagging feeling in Billy's chest as he walked off stage. During the entire matinee he'd had the impression he was being watched. Not in the way he usually would be while doing a play. No, it was similar to the tingle he got when someone stared at his neck for too long. He felt someone bore into him, explore him and watch his soul and core instead of the character he was portraying.

The feeling was so oppressing that during intermission he'd stood by the scene and peeked from behind the closed curtain, just to see a familiar figure in the crowd, something to explain his discomfort. He'd seen nothing, however, and by the end of the play, he was relieved to get offstage but worried about what he'd perceived.

"Are you all right, Billy?" asked his co-star. "You look distressed."

"Yeah, I'm-- I don't know. Must be tired."

"If you say so. Good job today, anyway."

"Thanks, Kathryn." Billy said. "You too."

There was a knock on the door of their dressing room and Kathryn opened it. A local crew member told her someone was there to see Billy, and before Billy could go to the door, he was engulfed in a big hug that smelled like... New Zealand?

"Elijah!" Billy said as he wrapped his arms around him. "God, I knew there was someone I knew in the crowd."

"I loved the play," Elijah said, "and I'm so happy to see you."

Billy let go of him, but Elijah was still holding on tightly, almost squeezing the air out of him. "I'm glad to see you too, Elijah, but could you...?"

"Oh. Sorry," Elijah said, and he smiled as he let Billy go. "Awesome play, man. Really. You too," he nodded at Billy's co-star.

"Thank you," she said. "I'm Kathryn. Nice to meet you. You're a Hobbit, right?"

Elijah grinned. "Yeah, I am."

"He's our lead Hobbit," Billy said, attempting to ruffle Elijah's hair but failing miserably due to the industrial quantity of gel in it. "Well, I'm done here, so you wanna go out and get a beer, Lij?"

"That'd be nice." So they said goodbye to Kathryn and left the theater. They found a little pub close by, walked in and each ordered a mug of beer. There were long talks filled with laughs and nostalgia about their time in New Zealand.

Much later that afternoon, as they exited the pub and walked back to the theater where Billy was due that evening for another performance, Elijah told Billy, "There was something I wanted to talk to you about. It's kind of important."

"Oh? I'm all ears." There was a small park across the street from Billy's theater, so Billy guided Elijah there and they discussed as they walked.

"You know what happened between me and Sean, right?"

"Hmm, I don't think I have all the details, but I know what happened, yes."

"Well, we slept together. Once. When we wrapped up the movie."

"I know."

"You knew!? How?"

"Dom was really mad at both of you that day. He needed to blow off steam, I guess. He told me everything."

"Oh." Elijah simply said. He knew Dom had been pissed off, but he had never known to which extent. Except for the horrible heartache that nearly killed him, Dominic's reaction had been one of the worst consequences of his night with Sean.

For so long during filming, Dominic had tried to make him forget about Sean. He was always there when times got too tough, taking Elijah's mind off Sean. Elijah had felt so weak to have given in that night when he saw the look of disappointment in Dominic's eyes.

"Sean and I, we were... Really in love." Elijah continued. "But it's over now. I mean, it was probably the most difficult thing I've ever had to do, to get over him. But I've done it."

Billy slipped an arm around Elijah shoulders and squeezed in comfort. "I'm proud of you for it. Patching together a broken heart is never easy."

"I spend a lot of time with Sean these days. We see each other a lot."

"Are you... You're not falling back in love with him, are you?"

"No, that's not it. We're done, it's over. Things aren't running smoothly yet, but we're getting there."

"Then what's the problem?"

"It's... It's Dom."

"I thought you and Dom got along great."

"We do. At least we did." They came across a wooden bench and Elijah saw down on it. He didn't look at Billy, his head hung in shame. "I've been avoiding him lately," he admitted. "I've been screening my phone calls and I never return his. Last time he left a message, he threatened to come to Los Angeles if I didn't give any sign of life. I was so terrified he'd do it, I came here."

"Ok," Billy sighed as he sat down next to Elijah. "We got the 'how'. I think I've figured out the 'why'."

"Billy, it's freaking me out. I can't let it happen again. I can't fall in love with a friend again."

"Would that be so bad? The situation's different with Dom."

"How?"

"Well, he's single for one."

"That, I give you. But the rest's all the same." He sniffled and wiped his eyes, and for the first time Billy noticed he was crying. There was barely a hint of it in his voice, and Billy wondered how long Elijah had been crying. "I just wish I could have, just once, a friend whose bones I didn't want to jump."

Billy smirked. "So... Is it that I'm not your friend or do you have the hots for me, too?"

He got a smile out of Elijah. "You know what I mean. That kind of friend..." He put his hand on Billy's, "Not that you're not my friend, too. You know you are. One of the best. But it's different with Dom. We have this connection... Everything's so easy with him. I can just tell him everything, even things I've never told anyone before... or I least I could. Now I don't know what to think. It was the same with Sean. We were so close, then I fell in love with him," he sighed. "I just want to have a real friendship for once, you know. Something deep and profound. Something lasting that I wouldn't ruin with love."

"Huh," Billy said thoughtfully.

"What is it?"

"Have you ever thought you might be confusing cause and consequence here?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, maybe you didn't fall in love with them because you are so close to them. Maybe you are close to them because you're in love with them. Or used to be, in Sean's case."

"No," Elijah shook his head. "That's impossible. Dom and I have been that close since we left New Zealand, maybe even before."

"There's a thin line between friendship and love, Elijah. Or more like a blurry zone, in which you have been stuck for a while. Now it appears you've passed through it to the love side."

"So what? You think I've been in love with Dom subconsciously?"

"That's one way of putting it, yeah."

"But I can't do anything about it. Acting on my feelings for Dom would be trying to turn a great friendship into something more."

"Which could be amazing."

"Or disastrous. What if he doesn't feel the same way? We'd always be uncomfortable together, and it would ruin our friendship."

"In my opinion, avoiding him is no better way to preserve that friendship." Billy said. "But, explain something to me. With Sean, you weren't afraid of ruining your friendship. And I know what that friendship meant -- means -- to you. Yet... you kissed him first."

"How do you know that?" Elijah gasped.

Billy shrugged. "People talk."

"That's it, I'm never confiding in Dom again! Is there anything he hasn't told you?"

"Actually, Sean told me."

"Oh." Elijah bit his lower lip.

"So why going for it with Sean and not Dom? Seems to me like you had a hell more at risk with Sean."

"Sean... I saw it, you know? Saw it in his eyes. I knew it would work. I mean, I knew he felt the same way. Not necessarily that it would work out, because it didn't, but--"

Billy interrupted Elijah's babble. "Are you positive Dom's absolutely not interested in you?"

"No, he's not."

"Are you sure?"

The long silence following Billy's question told more than the answer he finally got. "I can read Dom easily, Billy. I know him enough for that."

"But?" Billy probed deeper.

"I'm scared," Elijah admitted. "I could figure Dom out if I wanted to."

"So why don't you?" Billy said. "You'd know for sure."

"I don't think I can handle another heartbreak right now. If I find out he doesn't love me back, I don't think I'd be able to face him, and I need Dom in my life, one way or another."

"Dom would never hurt you. You know that."

"Not intentionally. But he can't force himself to love me just so he doesn't hurt me. You can't control love."

"Exactly, and you can't control it no more than he can." Billy said. "If Dom knew..."

"Dom can't know. And I don't want to find out how he feels about me."

"Denial won't help you, Elijah. You could know how Dom feels about you. Why don't you want to?"

"It would hurt too much. I can't handle another rejection. Not so soon."

"Elijah, you can't be sure it'll be another rejection."

"Stop it!" Elijah shouted as stood up. "Stop saying it might not be. You can't," he wiped tears away, "can't keep giving me hopes. That's not what I wanted... you were supposed to help me... I have to get over him. You're not helping, Billy. You're not helping..." Elijah sobbed into Billy's shoulder as the latter stood up and pulled him into a hug.

"Lijah," Billy whispered as he rubbed Elijah's back. "I can't help you get over him. I won't, because it would hurt Dom. There's a reason I insisted that he might love you back, Elijah. It's because I know that he does."

Elijah stepped back from Billy's embrace to look at him. "Is this true?"

Billy smiled. "He would kill me if he knew I told you, but it is. It's true." He wiped tears from Elijah's face. "Hey, I wouldn't be as cruel as lying about this."

"Dom... Wow." Elijah whispered.

"If you drove down to Manchester, you could be there in 3 hours." Billy said. "Go."

A large smile spread across Elijah's face. He kissed Billy's cheek, "Thanks, mate. I'll call you later." Then he took off and ran towards the theater's parking lot, where his rental car was, and he left for Manchester.

* * *

It was already past eight when Dominic got back to his place. He'd spent the day with his agents, trying to set things right. They hadn't gotten him anything interesting since Lord of the Rings and he was getting annoyed. Things are degenerated and in the end, he'd left them. He was now agent-less. He hadn't eaten since breakfast and was famished. His latest call to Elijah had, again, ended up in his voice mail. To top it all, it was now pouring rain.

"Rain, for a change." He muttered to himself as he parked his car in the building's parking lot. "Isn't the sky bloody dry by now?"

He didn't have an umbrella, and he hadn't been out of the car for ten seconds that he was soaked to the bone. He swore. He felt the biggest headache settling in the back of his brain.

He wished he lived in one of those apartment buildings where the stairs are inside. Now, he had three flights of stairs to climb and he knew they'd be dangerously slippery. He nearly lost his footing in surprise when he reached his own porch. A small figure was sitting on his doorstep, soaking wet and hugging himself for warmth. "Elijah," he said softly.

Elijah looked up. "Dom," he said. "Hey."

"What are you doing here?" Dominic asked. "I kept calling... Where were you?"

"I was--" Elijah began.

"How long have you been here? You must be frozen. Let's get you inside. I'll lend you some warm clothes. Are you hungry? How about some soup?"

"I'm--"

Dominic tried to unlock his door as he spoke. "Why didn't you call me? I have my phone. I would've come here immediately."

"Dom," Elijah grabbed Dominic's arm and turned him around so that they faced each other. Elijah took a moment to look at Dominic's face. "God... I'm so stupid."

"Yes, you are. You should've waited in your car, not out on the porch. You'll catch your death out here."

"Dom..." Elijah said softly. He put his hands on Dom's cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

Dominic frowned, confused. "I should've known," Elijah continued. "I should've seen it earlier. But I didn't want to see. I'm sorry. So sorry..." he whispered as he pressed his mouth to Dominic's.

Dominic's eyebrows shot up in surprise and he backed away from Elijah. There was a prick in Elijah's heart, and he damned Billy and his he loves you too's, until he saw a smile widening on Dominic's lips. Elijah mirrored the smile.

Dominic slipped an arm around Elijah's waist and pulled him back close to him. He slowly pressed their lips together again, and they kissed softly, tasting each other and rain.

"Let's get in," Dominic said as he pressed his forehead to Elijah's. "You must be soaked." He led him inside. "I need to change too. I'll give you some warm clothes."

They changed and Elijah hung their wet clothes in the bathroom so they could dry, while Dominic warmed some left-over soup in the microwave.

After they'd eaten, they sat in front of the television, and Elijah scooted close to Dominic. He leaned his head on Dominic's shoulder and yawned. "Tired?" Dominic asked before kissing the corner of his mouth.

"Yeah. I drove down all the way from Scotland."

"You saw Billy?" Dominic's arm went around Elijah's shoulders, and Elijah settled in Dominic's embrace.

"I went to see his play, actually, but we had a bit of a chat. It made me..." He smiled. "Realize things."

"Billy told you, didn't he?" Dominic said.

"Don't be mad at him. I was asking how to get over you. He figured I shouldn't."

"Bright Billy." Dominic said. Elijah chuckled and lifted his head to kiss Dominic. The soft mouth opened easily at the touch of his lips.

They weren't in a position to kiss easily, however. Elijah's neck quickly began to hurt and he shifted to sit sideways on the couch, his knees pressed against Dominic's thigh.

Elijah yawned into the kiss and pulled back. "Sorry," he said sheepishly.

Dominic laughed. "It's ok." He moved up the arm that was around Elijah's shoulders and ran his hand through Elijah's hair. It was still slightly wet from the rain. Locking his fingers firmly into the hair, Dominic pulled Elijah's face back to his, and resumed their kiss.

He extended his other arm to settle a hand on Elijah's waist, which was, in his opinion, way too far. He tugged at Elijah's shirt, and pulled him closer, until Elijah straddled him.

Positioned the way they were, Dominic had a direct access to Elijah's neck, and he decided that though his lips were sweet, his pale neck definitely begged to be tasted. He broke their kiss and attached his lips the soft skin of Elijah's neck. Elijah's breathing became louder, and ragged, and he grabbed the back of the couch to steady himself as Dominic pushed their bodies closer with a hand on the small of Elijah's back.

Dominic heard Elijah yawn again, and pulled back to look at him. "Am I boring you?" he said, with a smile.

"No, no." Elijah immediately said. "Just a little tired, I guess." He kissed Dominic again, but pushed him away mid-kiss, turned his head and yawned again.

"This has never happened to me before," Elijah said. "I'm sorry."

"I think you need some rest." Dominic said, kissing his cheek. "You can sleep in my bed tonight. I'll take the couch."

Elijah let out a disappointed, "Oh." He ran the tip of his index finger along Dominic's neck. "Wouldn't you like us to... share the bed?" His tone was suggestive, and Dominic had to take a deep breath to restrain himself from throwing Elijah down on the couch and ravish him.

"Not yet." Dominic said. "I mean, not tonight. You're tired, Lij. You'd fall asleep on top of me. Or under me, whichever..."

Elijah smiled at the sight of Dominic blushing. "Wouldn't that be a memorable first time together?"

"I have faith we can do better," Dominic said.

Elijah kissed him again, softly, before hugging him. "Come on, tuck me in." He said, getting up and grabbing Dominic's hand, leading him to the bedroom.

As Elijah was pulling back the covers on the bed, Dominic said, "You know, you look really good in my clothes."

"They're a little baggy on me, but I like them. They're comfortable," It was Elijah's turn to blush. "They smell like you."

Dominic smiled. He wrapped his arms around Elijah's waist and kissed him on the cheek. "Dom?" Elijah said softly, "Stay. Don't sleep on the couch tonight."

"Lij--"

"No. We'll just sleep. I think you're right, anyway. If we did anything, I'd fall asleep in the middle of it."

"It's not even ten o'clock yet, Elijah. I'm not tired." He removed his arms from around Elijah's waist, and Elijah slid under the bed sheets. "I'll come to bed later. But get some rest now, and tomorrow I promise we'll wake up together."

"You're so sweet, Dom." Elijah said.

Dominic sat on the edge of the bed. "Too much?" He asked, running a hand over Elijah's hair.

"You care so much for me. Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve it."

"Why not?"

"I didn't return it for so long. And you kept giving and giving and I just... kept taking."

"Hey, don't say that." Dominic said. "It didn't bother me. It still doesn't." He took one of Elijah's hand in his, laced their fingers together. "I love you," he said, and bend to give Elijah a short and gentle kiss. "And that's all that matters."

Something wonderful quickly settled in Elijah's bones and at the pit of his stomach, a sensation of warmth and comfort that enveloped his body and mind. He was loved so, so deeply by Dominic. And he loved Dominic so much he wanted to shout it from the rooftops.

Yet it's not a declaration of love that came out of his mouths when Dominic pulled away from him, but a whispered, "Thank you."

Dominic smiled and got up. He turned off the lights as he left the room to let Elijah sleep. He sat in front of the muted TV and called Billy on his cellphone.

He wasn't sure if Billy would be off stage at this hour, but he gave it a try. Someone answered. "Hello?"

"You and your big mouth." Dominic said.

"Uh-oh. Please don't kill me."

"It turned out for the best, so I'll spare you." Dominic said. He knew Billy could hear the smile in his voice.

"Really? For the best? I'm so happy for you two, Dom. Is he around? Put me on speaker-phone."

"He's in bed. He was dead tired."

"Did you wear him out, Dommie?" Billy teased.

"Still hating that nickname, thank you." Dominic said. "And to answer your question, yeah, I wish..."

"Wait, you guys are together, right?"

"Yeah, I think so. But we haven't had sex, if that's what you want to know. Not that it's any of your business, Bill." Dominic smiled. "But I thought he was too tired to do anything and sent him to bed."

"Aren't you a nice little gentleman?" Billy laughed. "I swear, you two will be a sickening couple."

"Gee, thanks."

"No, not sickening as in 'disgusting'. I meant sickeningly sweet."

"Oh, thanks. I guess." Dominic said.

"So, what'll happen now?"

"I guess he'll stay here a while. Then... I don't know. I'll probably move to California."

"That's quite a decision to take, Dom. A big commitment. Are you sure?"

"It's to early to really know... But you know I've been talking about moving to America since we've wrapped up the movie, I've just never had the guts to actually do it."

"Now you have a reason."

"I do," Dominic agreed.

"But it's never easy to let go of everything and move away. Remember when you left for New Zealand..."

"I know, it was hard then. But I never felt like I completely settled back, you know? I've lost my roots here, in a way. I don't think it'll be that difficult to move again."

"It would be selfish to mention that you're leaving me alone, right?"

"I'm sorry. All the hobbits will be in America but you."

"Even Orli's living there now."

"You never considered leaving Scotland?"

"Not for a minute. I love it here." Billy said. "But I'll still miss you when you're over the ocean."

"We'll see each other, don't worry. Airlines and phones companies will love us."

Billy chuckled. "Right. Well, if you and Lij live together, we'll save on phone bills."

"We're not gonna live together." Dominic said, surprised. "We haven't discussed anything about that. I'll move to California, but not with him."

"Why not?"

"It's way too soon. I'm not even sure how he feels about me."

"He loves you, Dom."

"Yeah. But to which extent? For all I know, this could just be a passing infatuation... or a way to get over Sean." He bit his lip.

"Oh please. He's crazy about you, and you know it. The thing with Sean shook him a lot, though. He's closed off. But you can crack that shell."

"It's just... I'll always have that nagging thought in my mind, you know? We'll always have Sean's shadow hanging over our heads."

"You're nuts." Billy said firmly. "Whatever happened between the two of them is over now. It never really existed. It was just there, for a while, causing more pain that anything. They had pain and longing; with you, he'll get love. They had one night, but you, Dom, you'll go the distance. What Elijah wanted, Sean wasn't able to give it to him. But you can. And Elijah knows that. He knows it's different."

"I'm scared of hurting him, too. I saw happened with Sean. I mean, I know Sean didn't want to hurt him, and it killed him to see Elijah suffer like that, and he was suffering as well, but..."

"Don't let it bother you, Dom. That part of history's over, turn the page. They have both moved on, you need to, too."

"Elijah'll never move past it entirely."

"Maybe not. A scar's a scar, and you can feel it even if it's not painful anymore. But you can learn to live with it. Instead of being bitter about what happened before, why not be happy about what's happening now? You can't change the past; embrace the present." Billy sighed. "Make him happy, Dom. That's all you can do. And it'll work."

"Thanks Billy," Dominic said. "You've helped a lot today."

"Anything I can do to help."

"God... Billy, this all seems so surreal. My whole day was a mess, then I get home and he's just there, sitting on my porch. Next thing I know... I've got a boyfriend, I guess." A chill ran through his body as he recalled the last hours. "We never really discussed anything. We were kissing... like it was no big deal, you know? Like we'd been doing it forever. Like that's what we were meant to do and it that was a natural step for us. And, oh," he sighed happily, "it was so amazing."

"Saccharine, mate. Saccharine."

Dominic smiled. "Shut up, I'm in love."

Billy laughed. "Listen, I've got to go. You caught me as I was getting off stage. I'm still in costume and everything. I'll call you, both of you, back tomorrow, all right?"

"Sure. Thanks for everything, Billy. You little matchmaker, you."

"Ah, I try."

"Night mate."

"Good night." They hung up, and Dominic rested his head on the back of the couch, throwing an arm over his eyes. Repeatedly, he inhaled deeply and exhaled completely. He was so overwhelmed that his head was spinning.

He finally managed the strength to get up and walk to his bedroom. He hesitated before opening the door, slowly as not to wake Elijah, but it seemed to Dominic that the slower he tried to open the door, the louder the hinges got. He stood in the doorway for a moment, looking at the sleeping form in his bed. He smiled and joined him.

Elijah felt the bed move as Dominic laid down next to him. He moaned quietly as he woke up. "Lij?" Dominic whispered.

"Hmmm." Elijah turned around and scooted closer to Dominic, throwing an arm around his waist, and Dominic wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"How was Billy?" Elijah asked in a sleepy voice.

"How did you know I called him?"

"Guessed..."

"He'll call back tomorrow, when you join the world of the living."

Elijah bumped Dominic's shin with his foot, a pathetic attempt at a playful kick that was dulled by Elijah's sleepy state.

"Dommie..." Elijah mumbled against Dominic's chest, and for once Dominic found that the nickname didn't bother him much, but was rather endearing coming from Elijah. "I love you, Dom..."

Dominic knew Elijah had fallen asleep on those words, but nonetheless he kissed the top of Elijah's head and whispered, "Love you too," and fell asleep.

He woke up to the sun shining in his eyes. He'd forgotten to shut the blinds the night before. Elijah was still curled up against him. His face, buried in Dominic's chest, was well-hidden from the sun.

Dominic slowly woke Elijah up by rubbing his back and whispering his name softly in his ear. "Mmm-uh," he heard mutter, and he felt Elijah's nose pressed harder against his chest as Elijah moved closer.

"Hey, sleepyhead," Dominic whispered, his face nearly buried into Elijah's hair. "Get up."

Elijah's head tilted up, and they found themselves face to face. Elijah grinned and kissed him. "Hmm," he said as they separated. "How about brushing our teeth?"

Dominic laughed and got up. He went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth while Elijah fished his own toothbrush from his bag. Dominic was done when Elijah entered the bathroom, and he was able to press minty fresh kisses on the back of Elijah's neck as the latter brushed his teeth.

"Dom," Elijah said as he rinsed his toothbrush, "mind if I take a shower?"

"No problem. I need one myself." He said. "Hey, let me shower first. And afterwards, while you wash, I'll make you breakfast. How's that?"

"Sounds very nice." Elijah said, and he kissed Dominic softly on the lips before exiting the room. Dominic sighed happily after him. Not even fifteen minutes into the day, and it was already one of the best of his life.

He washed quickly. The faster he was out of the shower, the faster Elijah would get in, and the faster he would be out. He couldn't keep his mind from wandering in thoughts and memories, however. The water running on his face reminded him all too well of his and Elijah's first kiss the previous night, in the pouring rain.

Then he thought about all the following kisses, and the make out session on the couch, with Elijah straddling him. He hadn't missed Elijah's erection pressing against his stomach. He knew very well that they would've had sex right then and there if Elijah hadn't been so tired. He wondered how long it would take before they actually did anything, and realized that it was likely it would be in the next few hours.

He gulped. The thought was making him nervous, yet expectant. He's been waiting for this moment since forever, it seemed. He'd often fantasised about it, but it was different now. It would happen.

His fantasies came back, mixing with memories of Elijah's kisses and caresses, and soon he was stroking himself with a soapy hand. He leaned against the shower wall, closed his eyes, and let pleasure slowly overtake him.

He didn't hear Elijah come in the bathroom, and jumped up when he opened the shower door. "Dom, I was thinking--"

"Ahh!"

"Sorry. I'm--" He noticed that Dominic was a terribly red shade, even for someone who was standing under hot running water. Then he let his eyes wander downwards. "Oh. I'm bothering you..." He grinned evilly.

"Geez, Lij," Dominic said as he shut off the water. He grabbed his towel from the side of the shower, and held it in front of his crotch. "Next time, knock."

Elijah stepped in the shower with Dominic. "You know, I could help with that."

"I don't think that's--"

"Oh, hush." Elijah caught Dominic against the shower wall with a hand on each side of his head. "If you can swear you weren't thinking about me, anything we did yesterday, or anything we might do today, I'll leave."

Dominic was silent. "That's what I thought," Elijah said, and he dove in, kissing Dominic passionately. Dominic's hands settled on his waist, pulling him closer, and his towel fell at the bottom of the shower.

Elijah pulled away from Dominic and picked up it. "Be. Right. Back." he said, punctuating each word with a kiss on Dominic's nose. He stepped out of the shower. He hung Dominic's wet towel and flung two dry ones over the sides of the shower. He quickly took off his sweatpants and t-shirt.

Dominic had a huge grin plastered on his face when Elijah got back in the shower. "What?"

"You're just too much," Dominic said, extending an arm behind Elijah to close the shower door.

The water was turned back on, and Dominic pushed Elijah under the spray. Elijah tilted his head back, letting the water wet his hair completely. Then he shook the water out of his hair and with a mischievous smile on his face, moved closer to Dominic.

"You're plotting," Dominic said, and Elijah nodded. He pressed Dominic against the wall and dipped his head in the crook of his neck, his lips making tiny suction sounds against the wet skin.

He placed his hand on Dominic's stomach, caressing softly, inching downwards. "Lij," Dominic let out breathily. Elijah could hear the arousal in his voice. He let his hand stray south, slowly closed his fingers around Dominic's erection, and began long strokes.

Several gaps escaped Dominic as he tried to hold on to Elijah's shoulders to keep his balance. Elijah smiled in Dominic's neck. He flicked his tongue across the wet skin. "Dommie," he said, "Help me out?" With his other hand, he took one of Dominic's hand and guided it next to his own on Dominic's cock.

The sensation of two different hands on his cock elicited all sort of sounds from Dominic. Soft moans, subtle whines, low groans -- Elijah thought they were the most fantastic sounds in the world. He pressed his mouth against Dominic's and they kissed lazily, tongues meeting and water pouring down between their lips.

Dominic increased the pace of their intertwined fingers. The long, slow strokes became fast, urgent. He moaned against Elijah's lips. His orgasm was nothing earth-shattering, but he rode it to Heaven: it came from Elijah.

The running water quickly washed both their hands. Elijah rested his forehead against Dominic's. "I've waited so long for this," Dominic said. "You have no idea."

"Tell me." Elijah said.

"Later." Dominic kissed him. "Let's go back to bed. I want you to fuck me."

"What? Now?" Elijah asked, having not expected things to go so far so fast.

"Why not? Come on." He took Elijah's hand and pulled him out of the shower. They dried themselves quickly and dropped the wet towels on the floor. They left a trail of water from the bathroom to the bedroom.

"We'll make your bed wet." Elijah said as they flopped down on it.

"It'll dry." Dominic said, rolling on top of him and kissing his neck. "It's just water."

Elijah spread his legs so that Dominic fell in between. He raised himself on his elbows to look at Elijah, lying under him. "Hmm, you're pretty." He rubbed his nose against Elijah's, making him laugh. Dominic laughed quietly along with him, before leaning down and kissing him.

Mouths opened against one another, tongues dancing, they kissed senselessly, and in the midst of it, Elijah rolled Dominic over. "Lay on your stomach," he said against Dominic's lips.

Dominic complied. Elijah nudged his legs apart and knelt between them. He spread Dominic's butt cheeks and ran a finger up and down the cleft. Dominic shuddered.

"Now, you'll have to be patient with me because I've only done this once." Elijah said.

"Fuck someone? Really?"

Elijah chuckled. "No. This." He bent over and licked the puckered hole.

Dominic jumped up at the feel of the wet tongue against him. "Woah," Elijah held his hips steadily. "You're not helping if you fly off the bed." Dominic could hear the smile in his voice, and feel his breath against his buttocks.

"Well fuck, I wasn't expecting this." He said, his breath coming out in short pants.

"I know you weren't. That's the fun of it." Elijah said, taking another lick. Dominic groaned and grabbed handfuls of bed sheet.

Elijah slowly pushed the tip of his index finger past the tight ring, loosening it. He removed his finger, replacing it with his tongue. He pushed in, slowly, withdrew, pushed in again. He had to hold Dominic's hips steady; he was writhing on the bed.

Elijah's tongue couldn't go deep, so every once in a while he pushed a finger inside Dominic, lubricated with saliva. However, he knew that if he wanted to do more without causing Dominic any discomfort, he'd need more than saliva. He sat back on his heels. "Dom? You got any lube? And condoms while we're at it?"

"First drawer," Dominic said, nodding towards his end table.

Elijah climbed up the bed and sat by Dominic's shoulder. He opened the drawer and dug through it. "Ah, within easy reach, very practi--"

Dominic sat up abruptly, interrupting Elijah. "Nevermind, I'll get them."

"It's ok, I've got them-- Oh." He went completely still, except for the huge grin slowly appearing on his face.

"Fuck," Dominic said, letting himself fall back down on the bed, his hands covering his face.

"What's this, Dommie?" Elijah said teasingly as he took a dildo out of the drawer.

"Private stuff," Dominic said, trying to swap it from Elijah's hand, but Elijah held it out of reach and laughed.

"As your sexual partner, I am allowed to know about such... devices." He looked at it thoughtfully. "It's not very big," he commented.

Dominic sat up. "Well, it's bigger than you are," he said, looking at Elijah's lap.

"No it's not."

"It's longer."

"But thinner."

"Well, I've had it for a while. When I bought it, I didn't want to get some huge monster I wouldn't be able to use. I just wanted..." he didn't finish his sentence.

"Wanted what?"

"It's not important. Put it away."

"No, tell me. You wanted some boy-on-boy action and couldn't get any?"

"It's not that. You know I've dated guys, Lij."

"Maybe you didn't date guys back when you bought this. I don't know, that's why I'm asking."

Dominic sighed. He wasn't going to get out of it. "No, I was dating guys back then, just not seriously. I never fell in love with a man. It was always one night stands, or little one-week things. And I didn't want them to fuck me. To do this, I need to be with someone I know and trust and love."

"But you asked me right away."

"I did."

"Oh." Elijah said softly. He squeezed Dominic's hand. "I love you," he whispered, his voice getting caught in his throat. "But wait... does this mean that you've never been fucked?"

"Technically? Not by a guy."

"By... this?" Elijah held up the dildo. Dominic nodded slowly.

"Wow," Elijah said. "So, you're a virgin."

Dominic burst out laughing. "Not quite."

"But you've never had anal sex with a live, breathing man?"

"No." Dominic said, his eyes shining with mirth.

"Virgin or not, I'm still your first." Elijah said proudly. "And I will boldly go where no other man has gone before."

"Elijah..." Dominic warned.

"Unexplored territories! Uncharted depths!" He found himself pinned to the mattress.

"Little brat." Dominic said in Elijah's ear as he held him down.

Elijah poked Dominic in the ribs with the dildo. "Get off me."

"Gimme it." Dominic grabbed the dildo and tried to pry it off Elijah's hands.

"But I wanna play with the toy," Elijah said with a playful pout.

"Oh no you don't."

"Come on," Elijah kissed Dominic's cheek. "Let me use it on you."

"Are you sure you want that?" Dominic asked, gently taking the dildo from Elijah. "Wouldn't you rather our first time to be... well, us?"

"Just to try it, just for a little while." Elijah said. "I've never used those. If you want, you can use it on me."

"It's a pain to clean afterwards..." Dominic said.

"I'll clean it."

"Yeah, right." Dominic chuckled.

Elijah pouted at him. "I will!"

"Oh, it could be fun." Dominic finally said, throwing himself on his stomach. He slipped a pillow under his hips to elevate them. "Go nuts. Literally." He handed the dildo back to Elijah.

Elijah kissed behind his ear. "Thanks. You're the best. You'll love this, I promise."

"Nothing new here, Lijah." Dominic said with a smile.

"It'll be different with somebody else's hand moving it."

"Perhaps. Perhaps." He gave Elijah the lubricant. "Here, lube that thing up. It can be lethal otherwise."

Elijah applied a good amount of lubricant on the dildo, and even more on Dominic. He pushed a slick finger completely inside Dominic, spreading the lube as much as he could. "You know," Dominic said, "I still want you to fuck me."

"Oh, don't worry. I will." Elijah said. "I'm just extending the fun." He withdrew his finger from Dominic.

"This is so not how I pictured this." Dominic said as Elijah pressed the dildo against his opening.

"You don't say." Elijah pushed the dildo forwards, and it entered Dominic. He groaned softly in pleasure, and Elijah caressed his back gently as he moved the dildo deeper into Dominic. "How did you imagine it would be?"

"I didn't think it would ever happen at all, to be honest."

Elijah withdrew the dildo and slowly slid it back in. "Liking this?" He asked when Dominic moaned loudly. "Told you it would be different."

"My God." He let out, pushing his hips back to meet Elijah's hand.

"But still, you must've had fantasies, what if's."

"Of course." Dominic's breath was coming out in short pants.

"What were they like?" Elijah asked. "Red satin sheets, rose petals and candles?"

"Something like that."

"Satin sheets are slippery, rose petals are a mess pick up afterwards, and candles can be knocked down." Elijah smiled and kept a steady rhythm with the dildo.

"Oh, just keep destroying my fantasies, why don't you?" Dominic said jokingly. He moaned loudly into the pillow when Elijah hit his prostate.

"What was that? Sweet spot?"

"Yes," Dominic said between moans. Elijah pushed the dildo back in with the same angle. "Oh, yes."

"You know, red satin sheets and all that stuff's good for movies. They're just cliches. What's the point in re-enacting a fantasy from the general subconscious, when we can make up something new and unique?"

"This is not--" moan. "unique. You need to get out more, baby."

"I'll have you know I'm quite versed in the sex department, thank you."

"Yeah-uh. Less talking, more acting."

"I'll show you what I can do." Elijah said. He leaned over Dominic to whisper in his ear. "I'll make love to you until you can't breathe."

"Is that a threat?"

"Oh, shut up, you." Elijah sat back on his heels and withdrew the dildo. He received a complaining moan. "This is what you get for being cheeky."

"How cruel."

Elijah laid down next to him, and Dominic turned on his side to face him. Elijah wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him in a kiss. "I just think it's my turn now." He said as they separated. "The toy's had its fun."

Dominic took a condom in the end table and handed it to Elijah. "Can you open it?" Elijah asked. "My fingers are all lube-y."

Dominic let out a chuckle as he opened the small package. He unrolled the condom over Elijah's erection and rolled back on his belly.

"Can we do it another way?" Elijah asked. "Not from behind..."

"Why not?" Dominic said.

"This may sound stupid, but..." Elijah blushed. "I want to see your face and be able to kiss you."

Dominic sat up. "Not stupid at all." He leaned over and kissed Elijah, who was still laying on his back next to him. He then climbed over him and straddled his hips. "What about this position?"

"Perfect." Elijah's hands grasped Dominic's wrists. "God, this is just so perfect, Dom." He pulled on Dominic's wrists, lowering his face so they could kiss. "Dom..." he whispered against his lips. Dominic kissed him softly, pressing their lips together a few times, before moving his mouth to Elijah's cheeks, then his neck.

Dominic extended an arm and grabbed the tube of lubricant from where Elijah had left it, lost in the bed sheets. He reapplied some on himself and made sure there was a generous amount on the condom, then he wiped his hands on the bed sheets.

"Looks like your toy isn't the only thing we'll need to clean," Elijah commented.

"It's all right," Dominic said. "There'll probably be more than lube in those sheets when we're done."

Elijah laughed and wiped his own hands on the sheets before putting them on Dominic's hips. He helped Dominic keep his balance while he reached behind him, took Elijah's cock in his hand and angled to towards his opening. Elijah lowered him slowly onto him.

Dominic pushed against Elijah, taking him in. His eyes fluttered shut, his lips parted slightly to let out little gasps of pleasure. Elijah was pulsating deep inside him. So different from the dildo, so warm and alive in him.

His hands settled on Elijah's ribs for balance. Elijah's hands on his hips guided him, raised him and lowered him gently. Each of Elijah's moans sent chill down Dominic's spine. He opened his eyes and immediately caught Elijah's gaze focused on him, intensely blue. He leaned down to capture his lips, and gasped into the kiss when Elijah pushed into him again at a different angle.

"Elijah... Elijah..." he whispered against his lips. The grip of Elijah's fingers on his hips tightened, his moans, little puffs of air against Dominic's lips, became louder. His hips began to move faster, his thrusts into Dominic becoming harder, deeper. Then he fell into abyss. Eyes squeezed shut, he shouted Dominic's name, and Dominic whispered little loving nonsense oddities in his ear as Elijah came.

When Elijah opened his eyes after he'd climaxed, Dominic had his breath knocked out of him. Elijah was so amazingly beautiful. Lips slightly parted and panting, a light blush on his cheeks, eyes shining. Elijah kissed him softly. "I'm sorry... so soon."

Dominic ran a hand through his hair. "It's ok, baby." He let a softening Elijah withdraw from his body.

"You still need to..." Elijah said, so softly Dominic had to strain to hear him. Elijah removed the condom and threw it in the trash can by the bedside. "Lay down," he said, gently pushing Dominic on his back.

He settled between Dominic thighs and swiftly took him into his mouth. Dominic's hands gripped his shoulders eagerly. Elijah sucked and stroked him to the best of his abilities, making Dominic squirm under him. He found the dildo in the bed sheets, and slid it into Dominic just as he was about to reach his orgasm. He quickly found the prostate, pressed against it, and Dominic came.

Elijah climbed back up the bed and snuggled close to Dominic. "That was nice," he said. Dominic smiled and wrapped his arms around him. "I think I'll enjoy sex with you." Elijah laid his head on Dominic's chest and traced invisible figures on his tummy with his index finger.

Dominic kissed the top of his head. "Hungry?" he asked. "I can make breakfast."

"In a minute..." Elijah said. "Can we stay here for a while?"

"Sure... but you know, we've got nothing to do all day long. We can spend the entire day in bed, if you want."

"Can we have sex again?" Elijah asked, looking up at Dominic with a mischievous grin on his face.

Dominic grinned back at him. "I'm counting on it."

"Let's stock up on energy, then." Elijah sat up and stretched.

"I'll make breakfast." Dominic said as he got up and grabbed some clothes lying on the floor. "You can change the bed and clean the dildo."

"Yuck," Elijah said, taking the slick dildo by the tip of his fingers. "Do I have to?"

Dominic frowned. "Lij..."

"Kidding, kidding." Elijah kissed him quickly. "I know I promised. Besides..." he eyed Dominic evilly, "I plan to use it again later."

"God," Dominic said, exiting the room, "You're unstoppable when you get a new toy." He heard Elijah laugh behind him.

Dominic had breakfast was almost ready when Elijah sneaked up behind him and pressed a kiss on the back of his neck. "My favorite cook."

"I'm nearly done."

"And your bedroom and toys are clean, clean, clean." Elijah said, sitting at the kitchen table and lighting up a cigarette.

"Nah-Uh." Dominic took the cigarette from Elijah. "My house, my rules."

"What?" Elijah croaked out. "You're not going to make me--"

"Outside."

"But, Dom, we've just... you wouldn't..."

"You don't get special treatment on that." He gave Elijah a short peck on the lips. "No smoke in my house. Ever."

"But--"

"Outside."

Elijah batted his eyelashes. "Not even your boyfriend?"

"Aww," Dominic said. "No."

"You don't understand addiction." Elijah mumbled as he walked out on the porch, but he couldn't help but laugh when Dominic stuck his tongue at him through the kitchen window.

* * *

Elijah felt full. He'd eaten too much food, as he always did on Thanksgiving. He took a drag of his cigarette. It was odd how the smoke felt warm inside him when it was so cold outside. He exhaled slowly, leaning against the railing of Sean's patio.

"Aren't you cold?"

Elijah turned around and saw Sean standing in the doorway. "Nah, I'm fine. Got used to smoking outside since Dom moved in."

"Really?" Sean smirked. "It's your apartment, and you have to go out to smoke."

"Dom hates the smell. I'm just doing this for him." He flicked his cigarette and ash fell in the grass. "Besides, he cooks. So that's my way of saying thanks for not letting me eat take out everyday."

"Is Dom still trying to get you to quit?"

"No, he hasn't done that since we left New Zealand. He gave up, I think." Elijah shrugged. "We all have to die of something. I chose lung cancer. But Dom didn't, so I won't blow smoke in his face."

"Then what does Dom want to die of?"

Elijah turned around and looked at Dominic through the glass-door. He was kneeling on the floor, playing with Alexandra. A loving smiled lit up his face. "Dom wants to live forever."

Sean chuckled and followed Elijah's line of sight. "He's good with kids, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he's great. Look at Alex. She loves him."

"She loves you too. You have a gift with kids." Sean said. "Ever thought about it? Having kids, I mean."

Elijah shrugged. "Possibly." He took another lungful of smoke. "Eventually."

"Listen, there was something I needed to tell you..." Sean began fidgeting, twisting his wedding ring on his finger.

"Oh?"

"Don't worry -- good news. It's uh, Alex, she'll... she'll have a sibling."

"Oh my God!" Elijah squealed and jumped in Sean's arms, hugging him tightly. "That's fantastic. Congratulations! Boy or girl?"

"Now? It's a healthy one-and-a-half-month old embryo."

Elijah laughed. "Right." He hugged Sean again. "God, I'm so happy for you. So that means... you and Christine are doing great, aren't you?"

"We are. What happened in New Zealand might have been a good thing for Christine and me. It made us realize that our marriage wasn't as perfect as we thought it was. It allowed us to clear up many, many things, and fix broken parts."

"I was so scared that she would hate me forever."

"She never hated you, but I think she was uneasy around you until she found out about you and Dom. Now it's like she's confident that it's all over and won't happen again. She knows hell will freeze over before Dom lets you out of his sight."

"He's not that bad, Sean." Elijah smiled. "Besides, I'm not sure who it is that won't let the other one out of his sight. We're apart for a day and I flip out. It's probably very unhealthy, being that co-dependent." He put his cigarette out in the ashtray Sean kept around for smoking guests.

"Could be." Sean nodded. "I can see how much you love each other though. Anything that makes you this happy can't be unhealthy."

"Hmm. Perhaps you're right. Anyway, I'm glad Christine doesn't hate me."

"Not at all. In fact, we-- well, we were thinking that, if you want to, you could be the new baby's godfather."

"Oh Sean." Elijah whispered. He hugged Sean again. "Of course I want to. I'm so honored. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He kissed Elijah's cheek. "I love you."

"Ahem." They both turned to see Dominic standing in the doorway, an amused half-grin on his face and an eyebrow raised. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

"Sblom!" Elijah jumped in Dominic's arms and giggled when got a small kiss on the nose from his boyfriend. "Sean and Christine are having another baby."

"That's fantastic!" Dominic exclaimed. "Congrats, Sean." Sean beamed.

"And they want me to be godfather!"

"Wow." He gave Elijah a quick peck on the mouth. "What a lucky kid that's going to be."

Elijah laughed and moved closer to Dominic. Sean put a hand on Elijah's shoulder before smiling at the two of them and going back into the house, leaving the couple kissing softly outside.

. . .. . .

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