celebrations go on
Notes:thanks a lot for reading
if you want to dare leave a comment, I swear I won't bite, lol, only 'these' Matt and Dom do.
Returning to the living room, Dom has a welcome surprise, because Ava-Jo has approached the mousse and has tugged the dress to her mother to fill a bowl.
Trying to keep as much indifference as possible, Dom approaches the little girl.
"How is it? Do you like it?" He asks her.
"Uncle Dom, it's delicious! And then it's so beautiful, it looks like a pink cloud!" smiles Ava-Jo happily, bringing another spoonful to her mouth.
Dom is almost moved, above all because with that gesture, she got the ball rolling a little and now other guests are also serving the mousse on their plates.
"Tell no one, Princess, but you are my favorite!" He pats her cheek affectionately.
Time passes and by now even the courses of the second course have been widely enjoyed.
"Guys, now let's start with the games!" Dom Anderson summons everyone to, preparing everything with Glen.
It goes without saying that the children are all already asleep, some lying on the sofas, some on the armchairs, some in the guest room.
Besides, it's now past eleven. Alfie is the only one smart enough to force himself to keep his eyes open and observes with curious eyes the activities of the grown-ups, in which he knows he cannot take part.
The players split into pairs and, since they are the only singles present, it is hardly suspicious that Matt and Dom end up paired up.
What amazes most is the extreme skill of both in being able to catch the largest number of dried fruit floating above the flaming liqueur.
In fact, they win without difficulty.
"But this is cheating, you two aren't so sensitive to heat or cold anymore!" Tom accuses them, taking them aside.
"And what does this have to do with it? We may have become a little more resistant, but that doesn't mean we don't feel the heat or the cold, that liqueur singed my hand!" Dominic justifies himself.
"I don't take this talk from someone who's been hit by a bullet like it's nothing!" Replies the photographer.
Taking advantage of the confusion, Matt approaches Dom.
"I got it. Just before midnight comes, we can say that we take our coats up to our room to arrange them better!" Matthew proposes to him, as if it were the most brilliant of ideas.
"Oh please, what a pathetic excuse!" Dom mocks him. "We aren't bloody teenagers!"
Matthew looks at him with an inquisitive gaze.
"Why? Were you using this excuse to seclude yourself with some girl?"
"Bells, this is not the time to act jealous!" Dom makes him reason.
"You know what? I had to take you one more time to Rotterdam. Save for nosy reporters, we would have been calm there, enjoying the right amount of privacy." Mutters the brunet.
It's less than twenty minutes until midnight now.
"Get over it, Matteh, this year went like this!" sighs Dom, before everyone returns to their guests.
When there are three minutes to go, they all get a bottle of sparkling wine which they start unwrapping.
The classic countdown starts after just one minute, with all the bottles ready to uncork, but something unexpected happens right at the collective cry of 'Happy New Year!'.
The TV is turned off, as well as the dishwasher, the telephone, the Hi-Fi system, the DVD recorder and above all all the lights.
"But the electricity has gone out!" Indistinct voices mutter.
Dominic, who like Matt sees very well, reaches his eternal companion with a few sure strides.
"Quick, before anyone finds the candles we used for the hoop game or takes out a lighter." The blond encourages him, whispering in his ear.
Matthew understands very well what he is alluding to and saying 'Happy New Year, my love' with only his lips, he kisses him quickly, then his mouth moves to his beloved's neck, sinking his canines into him with as much delicacy as possible and a few moments later it is Dom who repeats the same gesture on his boyfriend, before both make the marks on each other disappear.
"Happy new year, my love!" Dom repeats in a whisper so faint only Matt can hear.
Only a few more seconds pass before the first lighters unleash their flames, thus illuminating the place where the candles are stored and lighting them.
"Don't kid yourself/ And don't fool yourself/ This love is too good to last/ And I'm too old to dream yeaahhhhh.. uuuhh" intones Matthew a capella, inspired by the atmosphere that has been created.
A decidedly romantic atmosphere that leads all couples to exchange effusions.
Matt and Dom don't care that they can't do it, they've already had what they wanted most.
While, thanks to the candles, everyone is intent on looking for each other to exchange greetings, the light suddenly returns, to everyone's great happiness.
"It was just a lucky coincidence." Comments Matthew, on the sidelines with Dom.
The drummer grins mischievously.
"Maybe it wasn't exactly a coincidence…" he insinuates.
"What do you mean?" Matt looks at him suspiciously.
"That maybe someone could have instructed one of the guests to turn off the main switch and turn it back on a few minutes later .. " Dom pretends innocence.
"Oh yes? And, let's see, is it a certain someone with the most beautiful eyes in the world, whether they are in their natural or hypnotic state?" The brunet smiles at him.
"Maybe..." Winks the blond coquettishly.
"And who did you pick for your shady plans, if it's fair to know?" Investigates the singer.
Just then, the door opens and a slightly dazed Glen enters.
"Honey, but.. where were you?" His wife goes towards him, worried.
Matt has already found the answer he was looking for and just looks at his friend amused.
"Dom, you're an evil genius!"
Everyone raises flutes filled with bubbles to greet the new year.
"Come on, Dom, now you can say your favorite word!" Chris teases him.
"Cheers!" The happy percussionist satisfies him.
Everyone returns to the table to honor the last course, while Jaclyn, helped by Tom, divides the pudding into more or less equal slices, serving it.
Digging with a spoon, Dom Anderson finds the coveted silver coin.
"Well, well, my dear people, it seems that Muse will make me rich again this year!" Thier friend chuckles.
Even Dominic digging his slice finds something.
"But... it's a ring!" He exclaims surprised.
Of course, it is certainly not a valuable ring, but it still makes a scene.
"Well, yeah, we put that on as a joke," reveals Tom, chuckling. "But look, apparently the next groom-to-be will be you!"
"And who knows? If I find the right person..." the handsome drummer comments ironically, casting a glance as fleeting as it is eloquent at Matt.
"Wine! I need more wine!" The frontman gasps, filling his glass.
Another hour passes and the two hosts take the opportunity to do something important.
"Guys, we're going up for a moment to call some of our friends." explains Matt, going upstairs with Dom.
And that's no excuse. They really have to make that phone call and wherever in the world those two are, for one night they don't have to worry about it being too late.
"NAPPY YEW HEEEAR!" Yells a very bright Rachel slurringly, answering on the first ring.
"She meant 'Happy New Year', Matt, same as I wish you and Dom!" Clarifies a much more lucid Michael, assuming the lead.
"Happy New Year to you, I see you're having a crazy time, especially Rachel!" Chuckles Matt.
"Where are you this time?" Dom gets curious.
"In Paris, under the Eiffel Tower, I couldn't think of anything more romantic!" Michael replies, pulling Rachel close to him.
It is something that the two Englishmen cannot see, but easily imagine.
Dom just looks at Matt expectantly.
"Yes, that's fine, next year we'll go there!" the brunet rolls his eyes, before informing his Sire, aka the only one able to understand, of the latest events.
"I'm really happy that everything worked out. If I were you, I'd settle the last few issues, if you have any loose ends. Happy New Year again!" Michael dismisses them.
"Actually…we promised to tell Morgan…" comments Matthew.
"And we have Morgan right here, downstairs..." continues Dominic.
The two are about to get out of bed when Dom yanks him.
"I was thinking…it could be a much longer phone call than that…I don't know, it could be another quarter of an hour…that we could spend in my super soundproof coffin, huh?" offers him suggestive.
"You don't know how much that idea appeals to me, baby. And think that if we had to calm the hot spirits, it would be enough to jump inside my coffin, it is still ice-packed!" He informs him. "But duty calls, you know better than I that we are not allowed to be apart for so long." Matt makes Dom give up.
They go downstairs and find Morgan, managing to push him aside into a corner.
"Please, Morgan, you don't have to be scared." says Dom.
"Yes, okay, you've already told me at least two hundred times ... but what do you have to tell me?" asks Morgan, a bit tipsy.
After all, it's two o'clock now and he's filled up.
"You see, sometimes legends and literary fantasies can also hide some deeper truth, shocking, but not so horrible, if you think about it..." begins Matt.
At the end of the revelation, complete with a rapid demonstration of supernatural features, Morgan merely pats each cheek.
"How cute!" he cackles, returning to the others as if nothing had happened.
Matt and Dom, a little incredulous, approach Tom, Kelly and Chris.
"You know, we tried to tell Morgan about our secret too... but I don't think he took us very seriously!" mutters Dom.
"After what he drank, I think so!" chuckles Tom.
Gradually the number of those present decreases, until around four o'clock, Matt and Dom find themselves again with the house empty and no desire to fix it.
"We'll think about it tomorrow, now I just want to enjoy our bed!" Establishes Dom.
"As long as you don't want to sleep right away, I more than agree!" Winks Matt.
"What do you think?" Dom raises an eyebrow suggestively.
The next evening, everyone seems to have recovered from the previous day's excesses.
And when their home phone rings, it's a decidedly more sober Morgan who greets them.
"Guys, I don't know if I fell asleep on your sofa last night or what, but I had a very strange dream, too bizarre, you will never believe me." He begins to tell. "You two wanted to talk to me, you made weird speeches and then at the end you revealed to me…"
"That we have become two vampires?" Matthew purposely anticipates it.
"Yes exactly!" giggles Morgan, and then frowns. "But how?"
"Maybe it wasn't a dream at all, don't you think?" Dominic reminds him.
Suddenly the line goes dead, but both Matt and Dom don't seem surprised.
"Okay, let's give him time to process this." the brunet shrugs.
TBC
Notes:As for the courses and traditions of the English New Year, I thank Google who educated me a lot on the subject ^^
C'mon, bear this story a little longer, there's just a very very very long chapter I had to divide in many parts… and then the epilogue will come.