Altered Cadences
Title: Altered Cadences
Author: millionstar
Pairing: Belldom
Rating: PG
Warnings: None, unless you classify fluff as a warning.
Summary: Taken from this prompt at mkmeme: I just want a fluffy, romantic, non-AU fic that involves a scene where Dom confesses to Matt how much he loves his singing voice....
Feedback: Always appreciated, but please, just enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Matt or Dom, no profit is being made and this is fiction.
Beta/Support: As always, the flawless dolce_piccante <3
Author's Note: Thank you to the OP for a wonderful prompt.
"What is it?" Matthew says softly, shifting his position on the couch so that his legs are across Dominic's lap. "You okay after what happened earlier?" Dominic reaches for one of Matthew's sock-covered feet and proceeds to massage it it, the singer's eyes rolling back in his head at the sensation.
"Can I talk to you?"
Matthew's eyes open at the tone his partner is using; it's more serious and earnest than Matthew has heard Dominic use in some time. Oddly enough, it worries Matthew a little, as his stomach suddenly fills with butterflies and his mouth goes dry. "Sure. Is something wrong?"
"No, silly. Not at all."
Matthew relaxes, nodding.
"I don't think I've ever told you what your voice does to me. Your singing voice."
"Oh? Um, thanks," Matthew whispers, his cheeks flushing slightly.
"No, I mean it. I've always loved it, Matt, and after what you did tonight, I'm pretty certain I'll love it until my dying day," Dominic beams.
"Goddamn it, where is security?" Dominic hisses, pushing through the throng of people backstage.
"They find her mum yet?" Christopher asks, his face full of worry as he and Dominic meet in the middle of the crowd.
"I don't think so. Where is she?"
"She's still with Matt, in the dressing room. Wait, I see a policeman, let me see if I can catch him." Christopher runs off, leaving Dominic surrounded by Muse staff busy dismantling the stage and taking care of other post gig responsibilities.
The three of them had seen a lot of things backstage over the years, but never before had they seen what they encountered a few moments earlier. The little girl couldn't have been more than six years old; her name was Charlee. She had pressed herself against the wall in the corridor as people passed her by, her eyes wide with terrified tears. Dominic had spotted her and instantly knelt down next to her, Matthew and Christopher following suit. She explained that her mother works at the stadium and couldn't find a babysitter for the night so was forced to bring her daughter to work the gig with her.
"Is your daddy here?" Dominic had asked, smoothing her hair back from her face.
Charlee shook her head. "Don't have a daddy. Is why I had to come to work with mommy."
Dominic's heart broke; he glanced at his band mates as Matthew reached for her hand.
"Hey," she sniffled, "you're all sweaty. And Matt Belalamy."
Matthew smiled. "Yeah, I guess I am. Where's your mum now sweetheart?"
"I don't know! She told me to stay in one of the lounges but I got bored and wanted to go for a walk and now I can't find my way back and I'm in trouble and what if I never find mommy again?"
"We'll find her, don't you worry, love, okay?" Christopher smiled. "Dom and I will get on it, can you stay here with Sweaty, I mean Matthew?"
Matthew rolled his eyes with a chuckle, Charlee nodding as she took Matthew's hand.
After a harrowing forty-five minutes, the frantic and worried mother in question was tracked down and it was with a blistering smile that Dominic pulled open the door to the dressing room. What greeted his eyes when he did caused him to freeze, his mouth falling open in shock.
Matthew didn't even notice that the door had opened, apparently. He was sitting on a small sofa, rocking Charlee in his arms. The little one was holding onto him tightly, tears on her cheeks, but her eyes closed in uneasy slumber.
There was more.
Matthew was singing to her, softly, but with the unmistakable intensity that only his voice possessed.
'You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy
When skies are gray
You'll never know dear
How much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away'
Dominic was stunned.
Matthew looked up suddenly, a bashful smile on his face upon realizing that Dominic was watching. "She was crying so hard. I didn't know what else to do," he admitted.
"I didn't do anything, though."
"You did, Matt, and it made me fall in love with you all over again."
Matthew stares at Dominic for a moment then sits up, climbing into the drummers' lap and wrapping his arms around Dominic's neck. Dominic smiles, his thumbs caressing Matthew's cheekbones. "You're always surprising me, Matthew Belalamy."
A chuckle burst forth, Matthew giving in to it as he stared into Dominic's eyes. "You've heard my singing voice for all these years, though. What was so different about tonight?"
"Just circumstance, I reckon. I've watched you use your singing voice to speak your mind through song. I've watched you use it to bring thousands of fans to their knees, hell it's brought me to my knees before. But I'd never, until earlier, heard you use it like you did tonight. It was just you, raw, no music, just you hoping to bring comfort to a scared little girl. Not Matthew from Muse. Just Matthew. It's like I was hearing a new version of your voice, if that makes sense?"
"Anybody would have done that for Charlee, though." Matthew tries to look away but Dominic's hands hold his face firm.
Dominic kisses his cheek. "You never could take a compliment without blushing," he said fondly, smiling with each kiss he places to Matthew's face.
"I don't know what to say," Matthew whispers. "But I love you so much."
"That's not to say that I'm not just as taken with you when you're singing Muse songs, mind you," Dominic clarified, "but it's like I somehow... I don't know. It's extremely rare for me to hear you singing outside of that setting, you know? Even over the years whenever you've sung Happy Birthday to me it's always been with a group of people!"
Matthew frowns, making to open his mouth until Dominic smiles as he puts one finger up to Matthew's lips. "No, It's okay, I'm not angry, don't get me wrong! It's just an example to show you why tonight was so special to me. I'll never forget it." Their lips meet softly, twice. "I love you too, Matt."
Later that night they lay in bed, tangled up in nothing but each other and pristine white sheets. Dominic is curled on his side, Matthew spooning him, his face in Dominic's neck. Matthew blinks, his eyelashes tickling Dominic's bare skin, but Dominic doesn't mind so much, because Matthew's hand is caressing his bare hip gently and the drummer wonders if he can possibly be happier than he is right now. He can feel Matthew take a deep breath as he settles behind him, his bare chest warming Dominic's back as it does every night.
It's just as Dominic's drifting off to sleep that he hears it, in a soft, yet strong voice, preceded by a tiny cough.
"Happy birthday to you,
happy birthday to you..."
Dominic's eyes fly open; he reaches for Matthew's hand, linking their fingers together as his heart begins to pound. Matthew's cadence is slower than is traditional for this particular song, but Dominic doesn't mind one bit.
"...happy birthday,
my Dominic..."
He smiles into the night, so hard that he feels that his cheeks will most likely show it still come morning.
"...happy birthday to you."
Matthew exhales shakily, pressing a kiss to Dominic's neck. In response, Dominic kisses the inside of Matthew's wrist and decides that yes, it was possible to be happier than he was just a few moments earlier.
Author: millionstar
Pairing: Belldom
Rating: PG
Warnings: None, unless you classify fluff as a warning.
Summary: Taken from this prompt at mkmeme: I just want a fluffy, romantic, non-AU fic that involves a scene where Dom confesses to Matt how much he loves his singing voice....
Feedback: Always appreciated, but please, just enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Matt or Dom, no profit is being made and this is fiction.
Beta/Support: As always, the flawless dolce_piccante <3
Author's Note: Thank you to the OP for a wonderful prompt.
"What is it?" Matthew says softly, shifting his position on the couch so that his legs are across Dominic's lap. "You okay after what happened earlier?" Dominic reaches for one of Matthew's sock-covered feet and proceeds to massage it it, the singer's eyes rolling back in his head at the sensation.
"Can I talk to you?"
Matthew's eyes open at the tone his partner is using; it's more serious and earnest than Matthew has heard Dominic use in some time. Oddly enough, it worries Matthew a little, as his stomach suddenly fills with butterflies and his mouth goes dry. "Sure. Is something wrong?"
"No, silly. Not at all."
Matthew relaxes, nodding.
"I don't think I've ever told you what your voice does to me. Your singing voice."
"Oh? Um, thanks," Matthew whispers, his cheeks flushing slightly.
"No, I mean it. I've always loved it, Matt, and after what you did tonight, I'm pretty certain I'll love it until my dying day," Dominic beams.
"Goddamn it, where is security?" Dominic hisses, pushing through the throng of people backstage.
"They find her mum yet?" Christopher asks, his face full of worry as he and Dominic meet in the middle of the crowd.
"I don't think so. Where is she?"
"She's still with Matt, in the dressing room. Wait, I see a policeman, let me see if I can catch him." Christopher runs off, leaving Dominic surrounded by Muse staff busy dismantling the stage and taking care of other post gig responsibilities.
The three of them had seen a lot of things backstage over the years, but never before had they seen what they encountered a few moments earlier. The little girl couldn't have been more than six years old; her name was Charlee. She had pressed herself against the wall in the corridor as people passed her by, her eyes wide with terrified tears. Dominic had spotted her and instantly knelt down next to her, Matthew and Christopher following suit. She explained that her mother works at the stadium and couldn't find a babysitter for the night so was forced to bring her daughter to work the gig with her.
"Is your daddy here?" Dominic had asked, smoothing her hair back from her face.
Charlee shook her head. "Don't have a daddy. Is why I had to come to work with mommy."
Dominic's heart broke; he glanced at his band mates as Matthew reached for her hand.
"Hey," she sniffled, "you're all sweaty. And Matt Belalamy."
Matthew smiled. "Yeah, I guess I am. Where's your mum now sweetheart?"
"I don't know! She told me to stay in one of the lounges but I got bored and wanted to go for a walk and now I can't find my way back and I'm in trouble and what if I never find mommy again?"
"We'll find her, don't you worry, love, okay?" Christopher smiled. "Dom and I will get on it, can you stay here with Sweaty, I mean Matthew?"
Matthew rolled his eyes with a chuckle, Charlee nodding as she took Matthew's hand.
After a harrowing forty-five minutes, the frantic and worried mother in question was tracked down and it was with a blistering smile that Dominic pulled open the door to the dressing room. What greeted his eyes when he did caused him to freeze, his mouth falling open in shock.
Matthew didn't even notice that the door had opened, apparently. He was sitting on a small sofa, rocking Charlee in his arms. The little one was holding onto him tightly, tears on her cheeks, but her eyes closed in uneasy slumber.
There was more.
Matthew was singing to her, softly, but with the unmistakable intensity that only his voice possessed.
'You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy
When skies are gray
You'll never know dear
How much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away'
Dominic was stunned.
Matthew looked up suddenly, a bashful smile on his face upon realizing that Dominic was watching. "She was crying so hard. I didn't know what else to do," he admitted.
"I didn't do anything, though."
"You did, Matt, and it made me fall in love with you all over again."
Matthew stares at Dominic for a moment then sits up, climbing into the drummers' lap and wrapping his arms around Dominic's neck. Dominic smiles, his thumbs caressing Matthew's cheekbones. "You're always surprising me, Matthew Belalamy."
A chuckle burst forth, Matthew giving in to it as he stared into Dominic's eyes. "You've heard my singing voice for all these years, though. What was so different about tonight?"
"Just circumstance, I reckon. I've watched you use your singing voice to speak your mind through song. I've watched you use it to bring thousands of fans to their knees, hell it's brought me to my knees before. But I'd never, until earlier, heard you use it like you did tonight. It was just you, raw, no music, just you hoping to bring comfort to a scared little girl. Not Matthew from Muse. Just Matthew. It's like I was hearing a new version of your voice, if that makes sense?"
"Anybody would have done that for Charlee, though." Matthew tries to look away but Dominic's hands hold his face firm.
Dominic kisses his cheek. "You never could take a compliment without blushing," he said fondly, smiling with each kiss he places to Matthew's face.
"I don't know what to say," Matthew whispers. "But I love you so much."
"That's not to say that I'm not just as taken with you when you're singing Muse songs, mind you," Dominic clarified, "but it's like I somehow... I don't know. It's extremely rare for me to hear you singing outside of that setting, you know? Even over the years whenever you've sung Happy Birthday to me it's always been with a group of people!"
Matthew frowns, making to open his mouth until Dominic smiles as he puts one finger up to Matthew's lips. "No, It's okay, I'm not angry, don't get me wrong! It's just an example to show you why tonight was so special to me. I'll never forget it." Their lips meet softly, twice. "I love you too, Matt."
Later that night they lay in bed, tangled up in nothing but each other and pristine white sheets. Dominic is curled on his side, Matthew spooning him, his face in Dominic's neck. Matthew blinks, his eyelashes tickling Dominic's bare skin, but Dominic doesn't mind so much, because Matthew's hand is caressing his bare hip gently and the drummer wonders if he can possibly be happier than he is right now. He can feel Matthew take a deep breath as he settles behind him, his bare chest warming Dominic's back as it does every night.
It's just as Dominic's drifting off to sleep that he hears it, in a soft, yet strong voice, preceded by a tiny cough.
"Happy birthday to you,
happy birthday to you..."
Dominic's eyes fly open; he reaches for Matthew's hand, linking their fingers together as his heart begins to pound. Matthew's cadence is slower than is traditional for this particular song, but Dominic doesn't mind one bit.
"...happy birthday,
my Dominic..."
He smiles into the night, so hard that he feels that his cheeks will most likely show it still come morning.
"...happy birthday to you."
Matthew exhales shakily, pressing a kiss to Dominic's neck. In response, Dominic kisses the inside of Matthew's wrist and decides that yes, it was possible to be happier than he was just a few moments earlier.