Fierce Frequencies (6/?)
Title: Fierce Frequencies (6/?)
Author: millionstar
Pairing: Belldom, AU
Rating: PG, for this chapter.
Warnings: Language.
Summary: America. The 1970s. QBUT Radio is a station with some familiar looking staff members.
Feedback: Is appreciated, if you're so inclined. Either way, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Muse, no profit is being made and this never happened.
Beta/Support: dolce_piccante & frisky_biscuit. So much love! <3
One | Two | Three | Four | Five
The roller derby was loud, crowded, and, Dominic noted with a wrinkled nose as he looked around the arena, populated primarily by women. Before he could make a comment on the situation he and Matthew found themselves in on their first date, the brunet beat him to it.
"Can I make a confession, Diamond Dom?"
"Sure!"
"I'm not really the roller derby type," Matthew admitted as the crowd cheered around them.
"Neither am I. I was so nervous when I asked you out I simply suggested the first thing that came to mind. Why that thing was the roller derby, I have no idea!"
"Then why are we here?" Matthew yelled.
"I dunno," the DJ shouted back, even though they were sitting next to each other. "Wanna bail, get something to eat and then go to the planetarium?"
"Planetarium?! Really?" At the mere mention of the word Matthew's face lit up; he didn't even notice as a busty redhead was driven into the floor in front of them by her equally busty competitor. "Oh, can we?!" The look in his eyes was so sweet and happy that Dominic wanted to pull him close and hug him hard and kiss him all over his face for at least a good three hours.
"Of course we can! Let's ditch this thing." And ditch it they did, Dominic still grinning to himself that Matthew had called him Diamond Dom.
..............
It took them longer than it should have to decide where to eat, each of them insisting to the other "Whatever you'd like, really!", which led to them wandering around downtown, finally ending up at Gunther's Pub.
Maddy had given them a happy wave as they slid into one of the booths in the corner, and as soon as they'd been seated Gunther himself greeted them and presented them with menus. Dominic introduced Matthew as his new colleague at QBUT, but he was pretty certain that Gunther realized that they might be here on less official terms. The DJ got a clue in the sly wink Gunther had shot in his direction as soon as he'd taken their orders.
"So," Matthew asked as he tucked into his BLT, "am I doing a good job hiding the fact that I'm a nervous wreck?"
"Depends," Dominic replied, submerging three slices of lemon into his glass of iced tea, "am I?"
"You? Nervous? I can't imagine that you ever get nervous about or afraid of anything."
"You'd be surprised," the DJ answered, taking a bite of his double cheeseburger then quickly wiping his mouth with his napkin. The last thing he needed was to have crumbs on his face on his first date with Matthew.
"Such as?"
"Let's see. I'm afraid of heights, bad fashion choices, and country music. What about you? What are you afraid of, Matthew?"
"Being alone."
He'd said the words casually but Dominic's eyes had been locked with Matthew's so the blond didn't miss the flash of sadness that burst forth, then disappeared as quickly as it had manifested. Dominic understood this fear himself, and he envied Matthew's ability to voice it; Dominic himself tended to keep everything inside. Perhaps they could learn something from each other.
"Me too," Dominic admitted.
"And birds."
"What?"
"Birds. I hate them. Fucking terrifying things. Little devils with wings sent from Satan himself to terrorize mankind."
"Are you serious?"
"Completely."
"Is there an amusing story behind this? Did a parakeet attack you when you were in the bathtub when you were little or something?"
"I was not in the bathtub, thank you very much, but you're close. I was fresh out of the shower, changing clothes in my room when dad's parrot flew in and nailed me right in the backside. I nearly fucking had a heart attack. And I wasn't that little, I was fifteen."
When Dominic threw his head back and cackled madly, the brunet folded his hands neatly on their table and waited for Dominic's giggles to subside. But he only made matters worse when he added: "It's not funny! My ass was pristine until that day, I tell you - I needed two stitches, and I still have a scar! Stupid Tweety McGee."
"Tweety McGee?" Dominic cried out, breaking out into fresh giggles. "That was its name?"
"Yep. Please don't tell me you have a pet bird at your place. I couldn't deal if you did." The implication of what he'd said hung between them, as thick as Matthew's peanut butter milkshake, and the blond hoped fervently that he would indeed get to bring Matthew to his apartment very soon. The DJ smiled.
"No birds, just me, I'm afraid, and a pet rock that Tom gave me as a gag gift."
"Ooh, ace. Does the pet rock have a name?"
"Rocky."
Matthew beamed. "Perfect."
..............
The planetarium was deserted, save for a lone teenage couple a few rows in front of them. Dominic was pleased, just the very thought of being in a (mostly) dark place, close to Matthew was something that made him giddy. They took their seats in the center of the auditorium, Matthew shrugging out of his jacket. Dominic wasn't used to seeing him in anything other than a suit, so to see him out in a t-shirt and tight jeans was, to the blond, like Christmas morning and his birthday rolled into one brilliant moment. Matthew looked up and caught Dominic staring at him, the DJ flashing his perfect teeth at the talk show host.
"Sorry."
"Don't be," the brunet whispered, biting back a smile as they both sat down.
They both leaned back and listened to the beginning of the program. Well, Matthew was listening to the program, but Dominic was focusing on the fact that Matthew's bare arm was brushing against his own and he cursed himself for wearing long sleeves and denying himself skin on skin contact. Synthetic stars flashed against the ceiling as the narration continued.
"I could do a better job of this, you know."
"Yeah?
"I know it. He's not making it exciting, and astronomy is simply fascinating at heart, really."
Dominic turned his head to Matthew. "Which one is your favorite? Which constellation, I mean?"
The brunet smiled softly, his eyes still on the ceiling, enthralled with what they were seeing. "Oh, don't get me started! I'd hate to bore you."
"Bore me? Never."
"Well, then, look," he ordered, pointing to the representation of the northern sky. Dominic turned slightly in his seat, his eyes still on his date, with absolutely no desire to take them away anytime soon. "Can you see her, Dominic?"
"Her?"
"Cassiopeia. Here, come closer." Dominic obeyed him and leaned in until their cheeks were practically touching and they were sharing the same line of sight. "The one in a 'W' shape, there? Just opposite of the Big Dipper?"
"Oh, I see it! But why is she a she? I mean, who is she named after?"
"Queen Cassiopeia was, in Greek Mythology, an incredibly vain yet beautiful woman who..."
Dominic turned to Matthew and listened as he continued speaking, but he was admittedly a little distracted. The blond didn't know what he admired more, the fact that Matthew was so knowledgeable about the topic at hand or the fact that when the brunet spoke, he was simply adorable. He talked in a positively animated fashion, his voice lilting in all the right places, like a proper storyteller. His blue eyes twinkled brightly, Dominic thrown for a loop that he could even see that particular phenomenon given the low lighting in the hall.
It was a stupidly romantic moment, at least for the DJ; he reckoned it was magical. But just then Matthew's arm brushed against his own again and he came floating back to earth to find the talk show host peering at him.
"Oh God. I bored you so much you zoned out. Shit."
"No, no!" Dominic laughed. "I'm loving this. Go on, tell me, why is she your favorite?"
Matthew chuckled. "He'd kill me if he knew I told you."
"What? Who?"
"My father is an astronomy professor, he instilled in my brother and I a love for all things celestial. I can't tell you how many nights we'd spend crowded in front of a telescope, mom and dad pointing out various stars to us."
"Well, I can imagine, because you certainly know your stuff. Does Cass share your interest in all this?"
Matthew laughed. "He does, and it's a good thing, because he was named after Cassiopeia, actually."
"Far out, you're kidding me!"
"I kid you not."
"What about you, why don't you have a celestial-ish, or whatever," Dominic laughed, "name?"
"Mom wouldn't allow it. She gave dad permission to name one of us whatever he wished, and she would do the same. I'm kind of glad for that fact, because Cass had a rough time of it walking across the stage at our high school graduation to 'Cassiopeia Astrid Bellamy'," Matthew replied with a wink that makes the blond melt in his bellbottoms. "I got off pretty easy." His eyebrows raise in interest suddenly and he peers at Dominic. "What about you? Which is your favorite?"
"Are you serious?' Dominic asked, wrinkling his nose.
"Of course!"
"Matthew, don't take this the wrong way, but the only thing I know about the stars is that they're pretty."
"Yes," Matthew whispered, "you are."
Dominic blushed. Hard.
"Well, there's clearly only one thing to be done," Matthew continued, his voice normalizing, "I'll have to take you stargazing sometime, to see the real thing, not manufactured stars. As beautiful as these are, you can't mask the fact that they're simply an illusion." He wrinkled his nose distastefully, then in a completely unexpected move, rested his head on Dominic's shoulder. After a beat, he said quietly, "Is this okay? Pretty dark in here, yeah? Don't think anyone can see."
"Yeah," Dominic whispered. Trembling and blissfully happy, the DJ couldn't be blamed for what happened next. How could he be, when he was in such close proximity to the man he'd been thinking about nonstop for the last few months? How could he be, when the man in question smelled as good as he did and loved peanut butter milkshakes? Taking a deep breath, the blond rested his cheek against Matthew's head. Silken hair tickled his nose and he had to grip the armrests of his seat to keep from pressing a kiss to it.
Instead he asked, "Are illusions such a bad thing, though?"
Matthew covered Dominic's hand with his own, burrowing his head deeper against his shoulder.
"No, but I prefer something I can touch."
When Matthew squeezed his hand gently, Dominic blinked away a stray tear born of bliss and had to admit that he had a point.
The evening went quicker than Dominic had hoped, unfortunately, and before he knew where the night had gone to, it was nearly midnight and they were sitting in Dominic's car outside Matthew's apartment building.
"I'd better go," Matthew said, turning to the blond, "I need to be up early tomorrow, I have a lot of research to do before tomorrow night's broadcast."
"Okay," Dominic nodded, his eyes scanning the moonlight that was currently cast upon Matthew's cheekbones. Matthew looked away, then Dominic looked away, then their eyes met again nervously. Neither of them knew what to do next, even though Dominic wouldn't have objected to a goodnight kiss, even if it were a quick one.
"Oh, fuck it," Matthew mumbled. He leaned in and pulled the DJ into a hug, his lips pressing softly against the blond's cheek. Matthew made to pull away just as quickly but Dominic held him in place, desperate for the contact to last just a little bit longer. It had been too long since the blond had experienced any kind of contact with another man, and since this was Matthew, and not just any other man, he was overcome with emotion and feeling. Eventually he realized he had to let the brunet go, though, so Dominic shivered and turned his head awkwardly as he gifted Matthew's cheek with a kiss of his own. Finally they released each other and spoke their farewells, Matthew getting out of the car.
Just as Dominic had cranked his engine, Matthew leaned down and poked his head through the window. "Dominic?"
"Yeah?"
"I hope you had as much fun as I did tonight."
"Oh, Matthew," he said happily, "this was the best five hundred dollars I've ever spent."
Author: millionstar
Pairing: Belldom, AU
Rating: PG, for this chapter.
Warnings: Language.
Summary: America. The 1970s. QBUT Radio is a station with some familiar looking staff members.
Feedback: Is appreciated, if you're so inclined. Either way, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Muse, no profit is being made and this never happened.
Beta/Support: dolce_piccante & frisky_biscuit. So much love! <3
One | Two | Three | Four | Five
The roller derby was loud, crowded, and, Dominic noted with a wrinkled nose as he looked around the arena, populated primarily by women. Before he could make a comment on the situation he and Matthew found themselves in on their first date, the brunet beat him to it.
"Can I make a confession, Diamond Dom?"
"Sure!"
"I'm not really the roller derby type," Matthew admitted as the crowd cheered around them.
"Neither am I. I was so nervous when I asked you out I simply suggested the first thing that came to mind. Why that thing was the roller derby, I have no idea!"
"Then why are we here?" Matthew yelled.
"I dunno," the DJ shouted back, even though they were sitting next to each other. "Wanna bail, get something to eat and then go to the planetarium?"
"Planetarium?! Really?" At the mere mention of the word Matthew's face lit up; he didn't even notice as a busty redhead was driven into the floor in front of them by her equally busty competitor. "Oh, can we?!" The look in his eyes was so sweet and happy that Dominic wanted to pull him close and hug him hard and kiss him all over his face for at least a good three hours.
"Of course we can! Let's ditch this thing." And ditch it they did, Dominic still grinning to himself that Matthew had called him Diamond Dom.
..............
It took them longer than it should have to decide where to eat, each of them insisting to the other "Whatever you'd like, really!", which led to them wandering around downtown, finally ending up at Gunther's Pub.
Maddy had given them a happy wave as they slid into one of the booths in the corner, and as soon as they'd been seated Gunther himself greeted them and presented them with menus. Dominic introduced Matthew as his new colleague at QBUT, but he was pretty certain that Gunther realized that they might be here on less official terms. The DJ got a clue in the sly wink Gunther had shot in his direction as soon as he'd taken their orders.
"So," Matthew asked as he tucked into his BLT, "am I doing a good job hiding the fact that I'm a nervous wreck?"
"Depends," Dominic replied, submerging three slices of lemon into his glass of iced tea, "am I?"
"You? Nervous? I can't imagine that you ever get nervous about or afraid of anything."
"You'd be surprised," the DJ answered, taking a bite of his double cheeseburger then quickly wiping his mouth with his napkin. The last thing he needed was to have crumbs on his face on his first date with Matthew.
"Such as?"
"Let's see. I'm afraid of heights, bad fashion choices, and country music. What about you? What are you afraid of, Matthew?"
"Being alone."
He'd said the words casually but Dominic's eyes had been locked with Matthew's so the blond didn't miss the flash of sadness that burst forth, then disappeared as quickly as it had manifested. Dominic understood this fear himself, and he envied Matthew's ability to voice it; Dominic himself tended to keep everything inside. Perhaps they could learn something from each other.
"Me too," Dominic admitted.
"And birds."
"What?"
"Birds. I hate them. Fucking terrifying things. Little devils with wings sent from Satan himself to terrorize mankind."
"Are you serious?"
"Completely."
"Is there an amusing story behind this? Did a parakeet attack you when you were in the bathtub when you were little or something?"
"I was not in the bathtub, thank you very much, but you're close. I was fresh out of the shower, changing clothes in my room when dad's parrot flew in and nailed me right in the backside. I nearly fucking had a heart attack. And I wasn't that little, I was fifteen."
When Dominic threw his head back and cackled madly, the brunet folded his hands neatly on their table and waited for Dominic's giggles to subside. But he only made matters worse when he added: "It's not funny! My ass was pristine until that day, I tell you - I needed two stitches, and I still have a scar! Stupid Tweety McGee."
"Tweety McGee?" Dominic cried out, breaking out into fresh giggles. "That was its name?"
"Yep. Please don't tell me you have a pet bird at your place. I couldn't deal if you did." The implication of what he'd said hung between them, as thick as Matthew's peanut butter milkshake, and the blond hoped fervently that he would indeed get to bring Matthew to his apartment very soon. The DJ smiled.
"No birds, just me, I'm afraid, and a pet rock that Tom gave me as a gag gift."
"Ooh, ace. Does the pet rock have a name?"
"Rocky."
Matthew beamed. "Perfect."
..............
The planetarium was deserted, save for a lone teenage couple a few rows in front of them. Dominic was pleased, just the very thought of being in a (mostly) dark place, close to Matthew was something that made him giddy. They took their seats in the center of the auditorium, Matthew shrugging out of his jacket. Dominic wasn't used to seeing him in anything other than a suit, so to see him out in a t-shirt and tight jeans was, to the blond, like Christmas morning and his birthday rolled into one brilliant moment. Matthew looked up and caught Dominic staring at him, the DJ flashing his perfect teeth at the talk show host.
"Sorry."
"Don't be," the brunet whispered, biting back a smile as they both sat down.
They both leaned back and listened to the beginning of the program. Well, Matthew was listening to the program, but Dominic was focusing on the fact that Matthew's bare arm was brushing against his own and he cursed himself for wearing long sleeves and denying himself skin on skin contact. Synthetic stars flashed against the ceiling as the narration continued.
"I could do a better job of this, you know."
"Yeah?
"I know it. He's not making it exciting, and astronomy is simply fascinating at heart, really."
Dominic turned his head to Matthew. "Which one is your favorite? Which constellation, I mean?"
The brunet smiled softly, his eyes still on the ceiling, enthralled with what they were seeing. "Oh, don't get me started! I'd hate to bore you."
"Bore me? Never."
"Well, then, look," he ordered, pointing to the representation of the northern sky. Dominic turned slightly in his seat, his eyes still on his date, with absolutely no desire to take them away anytime soon. "Can you see her, Dominic?"
"Her?"
"Cassiopeia. Here, come closer." Dominic obeyed him and leaned in until their cheeks were practically touching and they were sharing the same line of sight. "The one in a 'W' shape, there? Just opposite of the Big Dipper?"
"Oh, I see it! But why is she a she? I mean, who is she named after?"
"Queen Cassiopeia was, in Greek Mythology, an incredibly vain yet beautiful woman who..."
Dominic turned to Matthew and listened as he continued speaking, but he was admittedly a little distracted. The blond didn't know what he admired more, the fact that Matthew was so knowledgeable about the topic at hand or the fact that when the brunet spoke, he was simply adorable. He talked in a positively animated fashion, his voice lilting in all the right places, like a proper storyteller. His blue eyes twinkled brightly, Dominic thrown for a loop that he could even see that particular phenomenon given the low lighting in the hall.
It was a stupidly romantic moment, at least for the DJ; he reckoned it was magical. But just then Matthew's arm brushed against his own again and he came floating back to earth to find the talk show host peering at him.
"Oh God. I bored you so much you zoned out. Shit."
"No, no!" Dominic laughed. "I'm loving this. Go on, tell me, why is she your favorite?"
Matthew chuckled. "He'd kill me if he knew I told you."
"What? Who?"
"My father is an astronomy professor, he instilled in my brother and I a love for all things celestial. I can't tell you how many nights we'd spend crowded in front of a telescope, mom and dad pointing out various stars to us."
"Well, I can imagine, because you certainly know your stuff. Does Cass share your interest in all this?"
Matthew laughed. "He does, and it's a good thing, because he was named after Cassiopeia, actually."
"Far out, you're kidding me!"
"I kid you not."
"What about you, why don't you have a celestial-ish, or whatever," Dominic laughed, "name?"
"Mom wouldn't allow it. She gave dad permission to name one of us whatever he wished, and she would do the same. I'm kind of glad for that fact, because Cass had a rough time of it walking across the stage at our high school graduation to 'Cassiopeia Astrid Bellamy'," Matthew replied with a wink that makes the blond melt in his bellbottoms. "I got off pretty easy." His eyebrows raise in interest suddenly and he peers at Dominic. "What about you? Which is your favorite?"
"Are you serious?' Dominic asked, wrinkling his nose.
"Of course!"
"Matthew, don't take this the wrong way, but the only thing I know about the stars is that they're pretty."
"Yes," Matthew whispered, "you are."
Dominic blushed. Hard.
"Well, there's clearly only one thing to be done," Matthew continued, his voice normalizing, "I'll have to take you stargazing sometime, to see the real thing, not manufactured stars. As beautiful as these are, you can't mask the fact that they're simply an illusion." He wrinkled his nose distastefully, then in a completely unexpected move, rested his head on Dominic's shoulder. After a beat, he said quietly, "Is this okay? Pretty dark in here, yeah? Don't think anyone can see."
"Yeah," Dominic whispered. Trembling and blissfully happy, the DJ couldn't be blamed for what happened next. How could he be, when he was in such close proximity to the man he'd been thinking about nonstop for the last few months? How could he be, when the man in question smelled as good as he did and loved peanut butter milkshakes? Taking a deep breath, the blond rested his cheek against Matthew's head. Silken hair tickled his nose and he had to grip the armrests of his seat to keep from pressing a kiss to it.
Instead he asked, "Are illusions such a bad thing, though?"
Matthew covered Dominic's hand with his own, burrowing his head deeper against his shoulder.
"No, but I prefer something I can touch."
When Matthew squeezed his hand gently, Dominic blinked away a stray tear born of bliss and had to admit that he had a point.
The evening went quicker than Dominic had hoped, unfortunately, and before he knew where the night had gone to, it was nearly midnight and they were sitting in Dominic's car outside Matthew's apartment building.
"I'd better go," Matthew said, turning to the blond, "I need to be up early tomorrow, I have a lot of research to do before tomorrow night's broadcast."
"Okay," Dominic nodded, his eyes scanning the moonlight that was currently cast upon Matthew's cheekbones. Matthew looked away, then Dominic looked away, then their eyes met again nervously. Neither of them knew what to do next, even though Dominic wouldn't have objected to a goodnight kiss, even if it were a quick one.
"Oh, fuck it," Matthew mumbled. He leaned in and pulled the DJ into a hug, his lips pressing softly against the blond's cheek. Matthew made to pull away just as quickly but Dominic held him in place, desperate for the contact to last just a little bit longer. It had been too long since the blond had experienced any kind of contact with another man, and since this was Matthew, and not just any other man, he was overcome with emotion and feeling. Eventually he realized he had to let the brunet go, though, so Dominic shivered and turned his head awkwardly as he gifted Matthew's cheek with a kiss of his own. Finally they released each other and spoke their farewells, Matthew getting out of the car.
Just as Dominic had cranked his engine, Matthew leaned down and poked his head through the window. "Dominic?"
"Yeah?"
"I hope you had as much fun as I did tonight."
"Oh, Matthew," he said happily, "this was the best five hundred dollars I've ever spent."