Hello, sorry for late!
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Disclaimer: the title is taken from 'Butterflies & Hurricanes' lyrics, by Muse.
Summary: Matthew doesn't decide to tell the truth and Dominic jumps to the worst conclusion ever.
Chapter IX: Your hard times are ahead.
Dominic twists and turns on the carpet, wrapped inside the warmness of the covers.
"Wait a minute. Covers?" he silently wonders, popping his eyes open.
He turns to the other side, without finding Matthew there.
He snorts, disappointed, and then he analyses the covers better; they are the ones that were on his bed.
The blond start hypothesising something, and when he hears some noises coming from the bedroom his theories find confirmation.
He goes upstairs, catching Matthew as he's making the bed.
"See? I've kept my promise, after all. I found the drawer of sheets and I thought we needed new covers to start our new life together," Matthew explains as he fluffs the pillows.
Dom beams and walks closer to his mate.
"Sounds good," he murmurs, wrapping his arms around Matt's neck. "So yesterday wasn't a dream, it happened for real."
"Of course it did, and it was something amazingly beautiful," Matt whispers, resting his forehead against Dom's before kissing him good and proper.
As soon as he notices something, Dominic breaks the kiss, parting from him.
"Hey! How can it be? Your hickey, I mean, my hickey… I mean, the hickey I left on your neck has already faded away," he comments and then he rolls Matt's shirt up, needing to check something else out.
"And the scratches are gone!" he says, in a mix of surprise and … disappointment.
Matt must think fast.
"Well, my dear, don't be so astonished. After all, you didn't try hard enough, besides, I happen to have very quick and efficient platelets!" Matt justifies, shrugging, and then he looks better at his best friend.
"See? The hickey I left on your neck has gone," he states, a little upset.
He liked seeing that. A lot.
"Yeah, but after three days!" Dom makes the brunet notice, and then he stares at him with puppy eyes. "Would you like to leave another one on my neck?"
Matt gulps as his mind loses itself in tons of thoughts.
"I'd like, my Dominic, I'd like that more than everything else in the world, I'd like to give you so much more than a simple hickey, but I can't. Not now, at least, there are things to explain, secrets to find out, truths to accept, although it won't be easy at all, it takes time," the vampire thinks.
"Matt? Are you still here?" Dom asks his best friend, seeing him so absorbed.
"Huh? Yeah, it's just that I'm starving, c'mon, Dom, let's go have breakfast!" the singer changes topic, shrewdly.
Once they are in the kitchen, opening the fridge to take the necessary stuff, Dom notices something.
"Gee! We didn't even open the champagne yesterday!" he comments.
"That's better. Let's save it so maybe we'll celebrate something even more important," Matthew asserts as he fries two eggs.
"Huh? Do you mean something important like, I don't know, winning a Grammy?" Dominic hazards with dreamy eyes, as he fries some bacon.
"Yeah, sort of," Matt snorts.
"A stupid Grammy couldn't ever give you eternal life, youth and happiness… I could," he reckons as he flips the eggs in the saucepan.
(Days go by)
Days go by and the more Dominic and Matthew make sweet or rough love, the more Matthew gets accustomed to it, managing to refrain and control his demon's instincts, with a concentration that could make a hermit or a fakir envious.
The most difficult part is feeding, the feeding he really needs.
Matthew seems to be very creative about that, since he keeps finding excuses and/or situations to get to remain alone for a while.
Sometimes he goes out, taking a walk when outside it's raining cats and dogs and Dom doesn't feel like following his mate at all, of course.
When Dom goes out with Matt, the pianist keeps saying that he needs to go to bathroom, even three to four times per night.
In those cases, Matthew can't look for some fans, his favourite treats, but he must be content with whoever he manages to find on his way.
One night, Matt has even pretended to convince Dom to do something extremely childish, but cute, such as playing Hide and Seek, making Dom believe that he was so good at hiding that it took Matt almost forty minutes to find him.
Actually, Matt has easily found his partner, immediately after feeding, resorting to his senses, since he can feel Dom's presence, Dom's breaths, Dom's heartbeats… everything about him.
This is their fifth night together, they're having a dinner in a restaurant and Matthew has to pretend once again that he needs the bathroom.
Saying that, he has the time to go out through the bathroom window, find at least three people wandering around, hypnotise them, isolate them, feed, fix things and come back from the bathroom, satisfied.
He sits at the table, as Dom already ordered the desserts for them both: strawberries with ice-cream for himself and a banana split for Matt.
"Mmm… strawberries and banana. Hey, Mr. Sexy-Memories, are you trying to remind me of something we did a few nights ago?" the brunet asks the blond, rhetorically, as they eat.
"Maybe. What I know for sure is that I want to do that again," Dom smirks.
"Of course we'll do. Besides, you know what? The ice-cream is giving me some ideas," Matthew sneers, mischievously.
"Let's go home!" Dom orders, making Matt laugh.
"Let's finish our desserts first. Besides, I want a coffee too."
"Right." the drummer nods.
(After a while)
As they go back home, around 11:30 p.m., taking a walk since the restaurant is not very far from Dom's house, a little girl who looks nothing more than ten years old walks over them.
"Hey. I know you! You're the people who always play on TV or on the radio and Mommy loves your music!" she says, pointing to a woman not far from there, with her back turned as she is busy talking into her mobile.
Matt and Dom assume the woman to be the little girl's mother.
"Yep, little lady, it's us," Dom smiles sweetly at her.
He's always been keen on kids.
Matt smiles at her the same way, nodding.
"You're the one who is super-super-super-good at playing guitar and singing!" the little girl says.
Matthew beams.
"And you're the one who is super-super-super good playing the sdrum!" she goes on.
"Drums," the blond corrects her, giggling as the little girl shrugs, turning to him again. "Mommy says she's in love with you, but only when Daddy can't hear her," she reveals, making both of her listeners laugh.
Out of the blue, something catches the little girl's whole attention.
"Cool!" she exclaims, pointing at Matt's pendant.
Matt smiles.
"Do you like it?"
The little girl nods.
"Can you give it to me?"
Matt jolts.
"Nope."
"Why?"
"It's mine."
"But you have tons of necklaces, you can give it to me," she states.
"No, I can't!"
Dom chuckles, getting closer to Matt.
"It looks like you found someone who is even more stubborn than you," he whispers in his mate's hear.
"I'm sorry, little lady, I can't give you this necklace, I'm very fond of it," the brunet asserts.
"Why?"
"Because I am!"
"But… I can give you something if you give me your necklace."
"What?" Matthew finds himself asking that absurd question.
"I can give you this," she replies, stretching her arm out, making Matt notice something he hadn't seen yet: a very showy bracelet.
"See? It changes colour if I press this button. Plus, there are coloured aliens on it that shine," she explains, showing him her glittery bracelet as it changes from red to pink to green to blue.
Matt stares at it, fascinated.
"Gee, Matt, think about it, the pendant makes you immune to sunlight, that stupid bracelet does not! Yeah, yeah, but that bracelet is anything but stupid! Okay, okay, no bloody exchange!" the vampire decides, after duelling with his conscience.
Dom keeps observing the whole scene, pretty amused.
"Although your bracelet is very cool, I can't accept your offer," Matt explains, walking closer to the little girl and kneeling down, to face her better.
"Let's do things this way, little lovely thing," he murmurs, drawing out a plectrum from his pocket.
"What if I give you this, so then you can ask Mommy to buy you a guitar and play with it, becoming as good as me or maybe even better. What do you think?" he suggests.
The little girl shakes her head negatively, annoyed.
"No way, I want this. C'mon, gimme it!" she says, stretching her arm out in order to touch the pendant.
Matthew foresees her intentions and must resort to all his self-control not to growl at her.
He grips her wrist firmly, maybe even way too firmly and stares scarily serious at her.
"Listen, Missy. Didn't Mommy teach you that it's not very nice to touch other people's stuff?" he says, very calmly, but very coldly, too.
The little girl looks at him with teary eyes, but Matthew is impassable.
"Don't you dare to do such a thing again. And now go away!" he concludes, letting her free.
"You're evil!" the little girl cries, rushing towards her mother, as Matt drags Dom away with him.
"Mommy, Mommy!" she calls out, and the woman stops talking into the mobile, finally turning to her crying daughter.
"Oh, my! Honey, what happened? Did you hurt yourself?" she asks her, in concern.
"Nope. I met the band you like, but they weren't very nice to me," her daughter tells her.
"Amanda, how many times did I tell you not to tell lies?" the woman warns her.
"But it's not a lie, it was the brunet and the blond and the brunet scolded me, he's evil!" she insists.
"You probably met two guys who looked like them a little bit and you got confused. Anyway, the guy who scolded you was right, you shouldn't ever walk away on your own! Now, let's go home!" the woman scolds her daughter, taking her away, ignoring her protests.
"Gee, Matt, are you nuts? It was only a little girl, for God's sake!" Dom snaps, as they head towards home.
"So what? I can't stand spoiled kids. Chris' kids would never act that way," Matthew justifies with a shrug.
"I know, but, after all, she just wanted to…"
"Well, Dom, what would you have done if she had wanted you to give her the cuff-links of your Dior shirt?" Matt makes things difficult for Dom.
"Huh! Right, Matt, I guess you did the right thing!" Dominic changes his mind.
"However, guess what, baby?" Matt says.
"What?"
"I want a bracelet like that!" the brunet states, making the blond laugh.
Too bad that Matthew is damn serious about that.
After a few blocks, they reach Dom's house.
They get in and Dom leaves for a while. Matt stands in the living room, as he ponders that maybe that could be the proper moment to tell his lover the truth.
"Dominic, I guess there's something you should know," he states, but then he sees the drummer walking towards him as he hold a pot of ice-cream and a spoon.
"Do you really want to talk tonight, honey? You know, someone told me that ice-cream gave him certain interesting ideas…" the blond hints, very mischievously.
"Okay, I guess I can tell him tomorrow," Matt establishes, ready to enjoy a very good time with his kinky best friend, who is as kinky as Matt.
(The day after)
The day after, they wake up at 11:00 a.m. .
Although they came back at midnight, they stayed up until late, very late, having lots of fun, so they needed some rest.
Matt wakes up first, taking advantage of that to contemplate his sleeping lover.
"'Dominic, guess what? I'm a vampire.' No, this is way too direct. 'Who has two pointy, elongated canines, flashing eyes, and adores drinking blood? Me!' Err... no, I can do better than that," Matt ponders, until he sees Dominic stirring, and then he pops his eyes open, smiling when they meet Matt's.
"Morning, love," the blond murmurs.
"I think that I like 'love' even more than 'honey'," Matthew beams.
"So can you call me that, too? I want to know how it feels," Dom asks.
"Of course, love," Matthew smiles at him, pecking his lips.
"Mm… it feels so damn good!" the drummer grins, straddling Matt in order to place kisses all over his face.
"Dominic, I…" Matt starts, but Dom cuts him off.
"Do you want to know what I'm thinking, Matthew? That when something is so utterly perfect you don't want anything to spoil it!" Dom states, holding Matt tight.
"No way, I can't tell him now," Matt changes his mind.
"So, were you about to say something?" Dominic wonders.
"Yeah, let's go have breakfast, I'm starving," Matt says, pushing Dom away gently and getting up.
"Gee, Bells, you're impossible! You're always starving!" Dom laughs.
"Yeah, especially at night," escapes from the vampire's lips.
"Huh?"
"Nothing. So, Starbucks, baby?" the singer suggests.
The drummer grins, nodding excitedly.
"I'm always up for it. Just let me have a quick shower and then we can go," Dom says.
"Do you mind if we take that shower together?" Matt asks, sensually.
"Of course I do, since it wouldn't be a quick shower anymore!" Dom chuckles, kissing the tip of Matt's nose. "Be right back."
While Dom is in the shower, the telephone rings.
He can't hear it so, at the fifth ring, Matthew decides to pick the call up for him.
"Hallo?"
"Matt?" a female voice exclaims.
Matt frowns.
"You are…?"
"It's me, Emma!"
"Oh, hi, Emma, how are you? Well, let me just clear a point, it's not that I knocked your brother out and took possession of his house, it's just that he's busy right now," the frontman points out.
"Don't worry, I didn't think anything like that," Emma giggles. "Actually, I'm very glad that you are there," she adds.
"Really? Why?" he frowns again.
"I'll tell you when I see you… maybe. By the way, tell Dominic that I'm coming to visit him today; I'll be there for lunch, okay? I don't need his answer, since mine is not a question, it's a pure statement. See you later, guys," she hangs up.
"Doooooooom!" Matt yells.
"What? Dom pops out from the bathroom, wearing nothing but a black towel around his waist.
"Emma is coming here, for lunch. She has just called to inform you," Matt reveals, as he devours his partner… with his eyes.
"Great! I can't wait to see her again. Okay, let me get dressed so we can leave," Dom says, but Matt tugs at the towel around his waist.
"Why all this hurry?" the vampire purrs.
"Excuse me; you were starving, weren't you?" Dom makes him notice.
"Correct. I'm still starving, but it's another kind of appetite now. You know, suddenly I feel the urgency to have a shower and I guess you didn't have a proper one, get back in there… with me." Matthew smirks and Dom surrenders.
(After a while)
"Emma!" Dom exclaims, rushing to the door as soon as she rings the bell and hugging her tight.
"Well, we need to be apart more often if this is the way you welcome me back," she smiles, hugging her brother back.
"Hey, Dom, if Matt is here it means that…" she hints, looking at the blond hopefully.
"Yeah, that morning, it was him at the door. I'm going to tell you everything, but later!" the drummer grins madly.
"I'm so happy for you, Nikky!" she whispers, hugging him again.
"I am, too. Come on, Matt is in the living room waiting for us," Dom informs her, as he leads her.
"Hey, Emma!" Matthew cheers, waving his hand and smiling at her.
"So, Matt, did you come here to spend some time with your beloved best friend?" she teases him.
Matt jolts.
"What? Nope, it's just that I didn't know where to spend my winter holidays, so I took advantage of it to keep Dom company; he invited me."
Dom nods and smiles, hugging Matt tight, rubbing his cheek against the singer's as he stares at his sister.
"Aww, wasn't he lovely?" he murmurs.
Matt jolts again, parting from Dom and pretending to be disgusted.
"Dammit, Dom, what the hell is wrong with you? I don't know, Emma, sometimes your brother is scarily sissy!" Matthew makes fun of him, with nonchalance.
Emma and Dominic exchange an understanding look.
"Well, Emma, I don't know why my Mattie acts so shyly when it's a matter of being tender in front of someone," Dom shrugs.
If possible, Matt becomes even paler.
"Dom, are you nuts? Quit it, bloody quit it!" he whispers in his mate's ear in a commanding tone.
"Okay, let's eat, I guess that's better," Dom says as they all take their seats at the table.
They spend half of lunch in this way: Emma teasing and hinting, Dom acting extra-confidentially with Matt, on purpose, and Matt denying the undeniable.
When Dom brings the second serving dish to the table, he winks at Emma.
"Hey, Big Sis, I guess we can tell him now."
"Tell me what?" Matt frowns as he cuts his fillet.
"She knows," Dominic explains to his partner.
"Yeah, I know and I approve one hundred per cent!" Emma smiles at the guitarist as she puts some salad on her plate. "You have no idea how many times I've been Dom's shoulder to cry on whenever he thought that you didn't feel the same way about him," she adds.
"Oh," is all Matt manages to say. "Really?" he whispers to Dom and the drummer nods.
"So now, my dear lovey-dovey, would you mind telling me how it finally happened?" she asks them.
(After a while)
After lunch, as Dominic cleans the kitchen up, Emma takes Matt to the side.
"Matthew, we have to talk. Let's go outside," she suggests and, a little doubtful, Matt obliges.
"I guess I've never seen Dominic so happy, you know," she starts and Matthew beams.
"I've never been so happy as well," he states.
"That's why I don't want anything bad to happen," she goes on, changing tone and expression, now colder.
"So, Matthew, I find you nice, pleasant and everything, but if you dare to make my little bother suffer, I swear that I'm going to put a stake into your heart!" she threatens him.
Matthew stares at the woman terrified.
"Oh, c'mon, Matt. It's something people say, I don't mean it literally. Let's say that I gave you the speech." Emma clarifies, smiling at him again.
"Yeah, I know, but…. why just the stake? I mean, you could kill me in one thousand other ways, poison me, slit my throat, strangle me, suffocate me, stab me, set me on fire… why the stake?" Matt says, very agitated.
Emma shrugs.
"I don't know, it seemed the most painful way to do it," she justifies. "Let's go back inside," she adds.
"What do all the Howards have against vampires?" Matt wonders silently and puzzled, as he follows her.
(After a while)
"Well, I think I have to go," Emma states, at around 5:00 p.m. "I need to catch the bus."
"Did you come here on the bus?" Dom asks and she nods.
"No way, I'll give you a ride. Let's go. Matt, I'll be right back," the blond says to the brunet on his way out.
"You know, I needed some time to talk with you alone," Dom confesses as they get inside his car.
"Do you mean some spicy particulars about your life together? Please, spare me the details, I'm your sister, after all!" she says as he drives towards the highway.
"Not exactly. Well, let's just take you home. I've got to concentrate on driving. We'll talk once we're there," Dom decides.
Forty minutes after, Dom parks his car at Emma's house.
"Emma, I'm afraid that Matthew is betraying me," he states.
"What? Are you joking?" his sister laughs, but then she notices how serious her brother is.
"Since he's come here, Matt keeps trying to be left alone and he even finds ridiculous excuses for that, such as playing Hide and Seek with me or constantly needing to go to the bathroom. It's obvious that he's hiding something from me, and what do you mostly typically hide? A secret lover!" Dom explains. "Yeah, I'm sure that every time he's alone, Matt calls his lover!"
"Oh, please, Dom, don't be ridiculous. You don't have any proof," Emma dissuades him.
"You're wrong, I do. You know, when I was setting his things in my room, I was holding one of his jackets and something fell from the pocket: it was a sheet of paper with a phone number and a name on,: Michael," the blond informs her.
"Oh. Well, I'm sure there's a plausible explanation for that," Emma insists.
"There's more, Matthew always wears a necklace with a pendant that he's bloody fond of. Well, I'm sure that that pendant is a gift from that Michael!" the percussionist adds, jealous.
"Now stop your paranoia and listen to me. I guess I'll repent for this question, but… have you and Matt been making love ?" she asks him.
"Of course; we do very, very often, even too much, maybe. By the way, last time was before you arrived!" Dom giggles, proudly.
"Eww, Dom! Sister here!" she snaps.
"Sorry," Dom mutters, guilty.
"However, see? This is a very positive thing. Whoever has another lover never makes love with his official partner very willingly and it seems that's not Matt's case, right?" she makes him notice.
"Not at all, he would take me every time, everywhere, every way, every-"
"Dom!" she warns him, embarrassed.
"Sorry, damn me and my naughty mouth!" he apologises again.
"The most important thing is that, whenever Matthew talks about you, his eyes shine. They tended to do that even before, but now that you're together, it's much more evident. So please, Dom, don't see drama when there's none. Matthew loves you. Matthew cares about you."
"I know, but maybe something changed and now he's losing interest," the blond grumbles.
"What? Oh, please! I remember what you told me before and, trust me, when someone crosses half world to say he belongs to you, he won't lose interest very easily," Emma comforts her brother. "So, cheer up, Dominic. I'm sure that you have nothing to fear," she states.
"However, if you're so damn curious to see what he does whenever you're not with him, well… just follow him, so you'll see that everything is more than okay between you," the woman advises him.
"Thank you, Emma, you're the best sister in the whole Universe!" he hugs her.
"I know," she grins, hugging him.
(After a while)
After dinner, Matthew has certain needs and he must do something about it.
"You know, Dommie, after all I ate today, I guess that I really need to take a long, long walk, it will help me feel better," he says, pretending to have a stomach upset. "Would you like to join me?" he adds.
"No, honey, I couldn't move a muscle. I guess that the best way to digest all this stuff is to laze in front of the TV. You can go," Dom states.
As he leaves, Matt gets lost in his thoughts.
"No matter what, when I come back I'm going to tell him, for definite. I can't go on like this," he decides.
Dom observes Matthew from the window, as he recalls Emma's words.
"'Just follow him, so you'll see that everything is more than okay between you'."
He grabs his coat, leaving the house as well.
"That's what I'm going to do!"
TBC
Bad cliffhanger, I know *laughs evilly*
What will happen? You'll find in next chapter.
Hope you like it so far ^^