Ikaros - Chapter I
Title: Ikaros - Chapter I
Author: deepseabed
Pairing: Belldom
Rating: Story: PG-13 - NC-17 / This chapter: PG-13
Warnings: Angst. Sort of fantasy.
Summary: Something strange happens to Matt.
Disclaimer: It's all fantasy. It happens only in my dreams.
Beta: Chantal. Thank you so much. :)
Feedback: Anything will be loved. ♥
I haven't posted anything for five months, and I'm so glad to be here again. I don't think this story will be very long, but I wanted to divide it into some chapters, for some reason. (I've never done that before! So, it's both scary and exciting.) This is different from what I generally write, I think. But I really hope you enjoy. :)
And I also thank ebonystar for having a look and suggesting tags. :)
Chapter I
Dominic remembers exactly when it started. He doesn't think he can ever forget, because it was when their lives had just reached a climax. There was nothing stopping them hitting those heights again, if it hadn't started, if nothing had happened to them. To him.
He's not willing to say it was a nightmare, but it was definitely a dream. No more, no less. Like the ones children have, when they're delirious with fever. Otherwise, how could he explain it? He knows that part of him still wishes all of this were just a dream from which he would wake. He wants to wake up. He needs somebody to awaken him.
Early summer. The deafening roar of the audience. The overwhelming deluge of bliss. The large sea of smiling faces. Smiles. His smile. That cheeky smile.
How could he forget?
He was there. Actually there. On stage. With him, besides another lifetime friend. His lover, who had smiled nervously whilst stroking Dominic's arm just a few minutes ago, was now holding his guitar up to the sky, proudly.
Divine.
Gazing at his lithe form, Dominic couldn't think of any other words. He appeared as if he'd truly been born for that moment.
He felt his heart swelling, probably with something only able to be described as love, with the increasing beat of music. If Matthew had been born to play music, Dominic must have been born to meet him. Love him. Protect him.
In that moment, Dominic swore inwardly to never let him go.
* * *
When he opened his eyes slowly, tiredly, his five senses were too muddled to understand where he was. Yet, he didn't forget to pat the empty space beside him, without really thinking. And by the time he realised he was in his bedroom, that it had only been three hours since they'd closed their eyes after their private, indecent celebration - about four in the morning - he realised that Matthew wasn't sharing the bed with him.
"Matt?" The bright morning sunlight poured in through the gap between curtains, making dust glitter magically, making him squint his eyes.
There was a tiny noise from the floor. A groan. And then, Dominic suddenly knew what had awoken him at this early hour. He sat up as quickly as he could in his hazy state, looking about the room.
And, there he was.
Matthew, curled up like a stray kitten, on the floor right beside the king-sized bed. He looked as if he wanted to assimilate into the carpet.
Dominic got out of the bed, quietly, his body as heavy as lead. Every part of him ached and he felt useless. Perhaps the resulting fatigue of two huge gigs in a row had caused this. Perhaps, a large quantity of alcohol and lack of sleep had caused this. He didn't discount either, but at the same time, he couldn't dismiss the feeling of something heavy beginning to form inside his stomach.
"Matt. You okay?"
He was shivering. It was still cold in the mornings, even in June. Especially if you were sleeping on a hard floor, wearing only a thin t-shirt and a pair of boxers. Dominic found the skin damp and cold as he crouched down and touched Matthew's arm lightly, the barest touch making the man flinch. His eyes were tightly shut, moans escaping his parted lips. His messy black hair was wet in a cold sweat, and stuck to his forehead. Dominic could see gold and silver glitter still clinging to the strands from the night before.
This sort of sight wasn't new to him. Matthew had done this many a time when he'd suffered terrible headaches. When they'd been younger and reckless. However, Dominic didn't remember exactly the last time he'd been like this. It must have been four years or so.
He stood up quickly, and scooped a blanket from the bed. He wrapped it around the small trembling figure and pressed his lips gently to Matthew's damp temple, ignoring a weak protest from him. "I'll be right back." With whispered words, he headed for the kitchen.
It was nearly half past eight when Matthew had finally fallen asleep, properly on the bed after taking some aspirin. He'd even said in a hoarse voice that he was going to die, which had made Dominic chuckle uncontrollably. Matthew had needed a lot of comforting, his lover stroking his hair, massaging his stiff muscles, and breathing reassuring words. Dominic let out a deep sigh, looking down at the pale face. Painfully, his brows were still knitted, slender fingers clutching at the pillow, but his breathing more relaxed. He seemed to have a fever. Dominic didn't know whether it was from physical and mental exhaustion or an actual cold. Maybe he'd have to go out alone today. Their families had gathered in London to see the gigs, and they were supposed to meet them for lunch. He sighed again, and stared down at the troubled face for a while, wondering if he should stay and sleep here with Matthew. But he decided against it, and padded to the living room to grab a couple of hours' sleep on the sofa. He didn't want to run the risk of disturbing Matthew's sleep.
As expected, he ended up going to the family gathering by himself, although he'd managed to persuade Matthew to phone his own mother before leaving home. Their closest friends knew they were a couple, but they hadn't confessed to their families yet, not having been able to find the right moment. So, Dominic couldn't exactly tell Matthew's mother just how bad he appeared.
Waiting for the perfect time.
It had been like a lame excuse between them for ages, and both of them knew that they needed to discuss the issue soon. When he became well-, Dominic decided in his heart, as he drove to the luxurious hotel where their families, their bassist and his family were staying. Even though he knew Matthew wasn't entirely sure about revealing their secret to their families, he believed that they had to do it, for themselves.
The meeting should have been lovely; it felt good to see family members. But he couldn't honestly say he really enjoyed himself. It was a little awkward to listen to them praising the band so highly all the time. And, there was another reason to feel guilty as well.
He'd planned to duck out of the meeting as early as possible, using tiredness from the gigs as an excuse, but his and Matthew's mothers didn't seem to want to let him go so soon. Part of him suspected that they might know of the romantic relationship between them. Especially when they said their farewells, and Matthew's mum asked him to give his son a big hug for her. He wanted to shout in frustration, though all he could do in the moment was to keep smiling and wish it to be over as soon as possible. And when he finally arrived home, it was already seven in the evening. It had been nearly six hours since he'd left Matthew alone.
"Matt?"
All the lights in the flat were off. He'd hoped Matthew had got up at some point and eaten something, but there was no evidence of such. Turning on the light in the hall, he cursed himself for not bringing any food home.
"I'm sorry, I was going to come back earlier. But you know how mums are-"
And then, as he switched on the dim light in the bedroom, he saw an empty bed.