Chapter 7 - Pancakes
Dom's sleeping pattern was becoming really warped. When he opened his eyes and peered blearily at the digital clock on his dresser, it read 1:32 P.M. He turned over, realizing that he hadn't undressed when he fell asleep. He hated that. His clothes always got sticky and sweaty and made his throat feel clogged. Swiftly yanking off his shirt, he groggily shuffled to the bathroom for a highly-needed shower.
Letting the steaming water pour over his face, Dom's mind rejected the most recent events. Instead, he fixated on every bead of water that streamed across his heated skin, washing away the foam soap. He reached out to every inch of his body, feeling the drops relax his muscles. He flexed, tightening each muscle, and then released. It loosened the knots that twisted in his arms, legs, back, shoulders….
***
Letty's fingertips, tracing along the contours of his body with the gentle touch of the breeze. Her lips, soft and warm, on his shoulders, neck, lips. Pulling him closer, closer, holding him tightly to her body. His hands slide from her thighs to her back, slipping under the fabric of her shirt. Following an invisible path down her neck, his lips brush across her jaw, her collar bone, feeling her skin shiver. Her heart pounds through her chest, against his. Her breath speeds up.
"Dom…."
***
Opening his eyes, Dom instantly shut off the water. Too close, too close. No more of that.
Once his hygienic rituals had been observed, Dom quietly made his way to Mia's room. He peeked in stealthily, barely opening the door. She lay under her covers, the blankets rising and falling steadily with her chest, her face smooth and peaceful. An amused, parental smile crept across his lips as he watched her mumble in her sleep.
"No more gummy bears…." She sighed and shifted a little.
Before he could wake her up with his laughter, Dom shut the door and stepped downstairs.
Soon, the pungent scent of bacon wafted through the house. Dom flipped a pancake over in a second frying pan as Mia appeared in the stairwell. She sniffed appreciatively.
"Smells good, Dom," she smiled at him.
"There's pancakes," he jerked the spatula toward the gradually growing pile. "I put cinnamon in them, just the way you like them."
"Dom, who died?" Mia half-joked, pinching a pancake and dropping it onto a new paper plate. "The hospital didn't call?" Her voice cracked. "Brian's still okay, right?"
"Yeah, he's fine," Dom assured her. "No one called. You've just had a crap time. I figured Dad's pancakes would cheer you up a bit."
A small smile brightened Mia's face in a soft, luminous way. Angel wings could have sprouted from her shoulders and nothing would change in that room.
"You know, Dom," she began, hovering beside him. "You're getting more and more like him every day."
Caught off guard, Dom turned back to the pans. Mia floated to the table and sat down, drizzling syrup over the three pancakes on her plate. Dom slid a couple pieces of bacon onto her plate and ripped a fresh pancake apart with his teeth. The hot bread burned his throat but he chewed slowly, thoughtfully. Cinnamon and vanilla caressed his tongue sweetly, sending him back. When his Dad was still alive, when Mia was just a little girl, when Dom himself was only a teenager. When his Dad was still making pancakes. God. Dom missed that.
*A/N: Yo! Sorry about the absence of me! I've just been really busy (flag tryouts and cheerleading tryouts... which I made! =D Varsity football cheerleading squad and... well... there's only general flag, so... lol) and totally doubting my writing skills. ^^p but, um... yeah. Back to the story. This chapter is really short, just to emphasize Dom and Mia's relationship, because I like writing about theirs more. ^^p As always, R&R! Sorry about my inconsistancy!
