Neal's Insidious Plot
It had been Neal's idea. How the Meathead found out, Dom had no idea. But perhaps he'd hit a stroke of brilliance, for this was a splendid idea. The paper in front of him was filled with his poured out heart. It was such a relief to let go of this secret he'd been carrying for the better part of four years; it left him nearly breathless.
It was a letter—though not one he'd ever, ever actually send. This letter was for his eyes alone. If she ever read it—if anyone ever read it…Well, he didn't even want to think about it.
But the relief! It felt so good to get all this off his chest, if not in the air. The candles had burnt low by the time he finally set his pen down, two pages filled with his handwriting. He starred at the words for a moment, not even reading it, just taking in the full meaning of everything he had written. Carefully, he folded the pages and put them in his desk. Then took out a new piece of paper. This one, he would send to her, as it was Midwinter tomorrow.
Dear Kel,
Happy Midwinter! Hope you enjoy your gift.
Your friend,
Dom
He starred at it with a frown. It paled in comparison to the first letter, but what could he do? He put his note in an envelope, wrote "Kel" on the outside, and set it with her gift. The rest of his gifts he'd given to a servant to deliver in the morning. This one he wanted to deliver in person, if only for an excuse to see Kel. Wow, he was pathetic. But he didn't care. With a yawn, he crawled into bed. And promptly fell asleep.
-
Silently, Neal opened the door and slipped inside, listening carefully for any signs that Dom might stir, and crossed the room to Dom's desk. Where was it? He had no doubt his cousin had taken his advice—he was so desperate he'd try anything—but where was the result? He opened the top desk drawer, then grinned broadly.
Then he picked up the note on top of Kel's gift, took it out and scanned it quickly as well. Grinning wickedly, he turned it over and wrote his own note on the back.
Hey Dom,
I know how tired you must be, staying up so late and all. So don't you worry. I'll deliver Kel's gift to her for you. You're welcome!
Sir Meathead
Then he placed a…certain other piece of paper…inside the envelope, picked up the gift, and slipped outside again. Next stop: Kel's rooms.
-
Dom woke up slowly the next morning. He had been up late and was still tired. He rubbed his eyes. Climbing out of bed, he made his way towards his desk, then frowned. Where was Kel's gift? He looked around the desk, in case it had fallen off, and finally his eyes landed on the paper. He read Neal's scribbled note.
"Why would—" he froze. Slowly, hand shaking, he turned over the paper, reading his own handwriting on the back addressed to Kel, wishing her a happy Midwinter. "Oh. No! No he didn't!" He tore open his desk, searching frantically for the letter. "Oh he better not have!" he slammed the drawer shut, "He did!" and tore out the door.
-
He sprinted down the halls to Kel's room and burst through the door. He skidded to a stop just inside the room.
"Has Neal been here?" he demanded straight away.
Kel looked taken aback. "No, I haven't seen him since dinner last night." Dom breathed again. Kel's face brightened though. "Thank you so much for the gift, though, I love it!" He paled again.
"S—so you got it, then."
"Mmhm." She picked up a dagger off of her desk—his gift—fingering its hilt, which had an engraved picture of a griffin wrapped around it. "It's beautiful." The dagger. She was talking about the dagger. Had she not read the letter then? "Oh, and about this note…" she picked a piece of paper off her desk.
Dom turned bright red. "I'm so sorry Kel! You weren't supposed to read that but Neal swapped the notes and didn't tell me and I just—"
"Woa Dom! Breathe, breathe!" His eyes were frantic. Kel handed him the paper, and he took it, hands shaking slightly. "It's just a little mix-up, nothing to get all worked up over."
"Mix-up?" he repeated, confused. He looked at the paper in his hands.
1) Give reports to Raoul
2) Kill Neal for being—Neal.
3) Try—
He stopped reading. "My to do list." He muttered, as his heart slowed again. He was going to kill Neal for scarring him so badly! "That was so not funny," he muttered to himself. "He made me think he took the love lett—" He froze, horrified. He did not just say that out loud. Mithros tell him he did not just say that out loud!
"L—what?" Kel stuttered. Her eyes had widened. Dom cast his mind around rapidly, searching for an excuse—ANY excuse!
"Um, I—well, err. Y-you see…um—"
"Let me guess," Kel began. He couldn't read her face. Why could he never read her face? It was so unbelievably frustrating! "You wrote a love letter to one of your pretty court ladies and thought Neal switched it with my note as a joke?"
"Um…yes," Dom said, his heart was beating more rapidly than it ever had before. We'll go with that…he thought.
Kel laughed, though Dom wasn't entirely sure it met her eyes. "Relax, Dom. What, did you think I'd think it was actually for me? I know better than that."
Dom blinked, panic driven out by curiosity at Kel's voice. "What do you mean by that?" he asked.
"Nothing," she said casually. "Just that I'm a lady knight. It's not like anyone would ever send me a letter like that." She laughed again. And this time Dom was quite certain that the smile didn't reach her eyes. He'd hurt her, somehow.
"No, Kel…" he stammered. "I didn't mean it like that, I swear."
"Dom, it's fine," she insisted. "Really. It's not exactly news to me."
"Kel—"
"Honestly, Dom, I don't mind. But I would like to get dressed for the day, so if you'd excuse me?"
"Um…yes, sure." It wasn't until he had left and Kel had gently closed the door after him that he realized she was already dressed for the day.
-
The door burst open. "You idiot!" Neal shouted. "I gave you the perfect opportunity to tell her and you blew it!"
Dom stood calmly and held out his hand. "Letter," he demanded.
"You two are both idiots!" Neal went on, beginning to pace. "Too shy to admit you like each other! You seriously need to get over that and just tell each other."
"Letter!" Dom demanded, a little more fiercely. With a sigh and scowl, Neal dug the letter out of his pocket and handed it over. "Now get out!"
Obediently Neal stormed out of the room. "I hope you know you're throwing away true love," he said as he left.
Dom collapsed into his chair again, feeling way more confused than he ever had before. He starred at the letter in his hands, thinking. A few minutes later he picked up his pen again.
-
Someone knocked on her door. Putting her reports aside, Kel crossed her room and opened the door, but no one was there. She stuck her head outside just in time to see a dark-haired someone vanish around the corner.
An envelope addressed to her was at her feet, so she picked it up and brought it inside. There were two words scribbled hastily under her name.
I lied.
Kel pulled out the letter inside and read it. By the time she finished, she could barely breathe. She starred at the name signed at the bottom for a long time, then noticed the post script.
All my heart,
Dom
P.S. Don't ever think a lady knight can't be loved.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are loved, of course. Thanks for reading!