Blind (Domlijah) PG-13 (3/?)
Title: Blind - 3/?
Author: moit
Pairing: Domlijah
Fandom: Lord of the Rings RPF
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Warnings: Slash, violence
Summary: After a horrific accident, Elijah is blinded. Dom is left to pick up the pieces of their broken life.
Word Count: 1784
Author's note: Extra speshul thanks to my ever-patient beta, honeyandvinegar. I'm still not totally certain this is where I want it to be, but it's been written for about 2 weeks, so it's time to post.
Previous Chapters here
Elijah had been gradually acclimating himself to the use of a walking stick to navigate the semi-familiar planes of the house. He’d also asked his mother to procure for him a dark pair of sunglasses. The bandages still covered his eyes, but he wanted to wear the sunglasses, both for when the bandages came off, but also because he was so used to wearing glasses that it gave him a sense of security. If nobody could see the bandages, he felt less self-conscious, even around his family.
However, it seemed like Dom was taking Elijah’s blindness harder than Elijah was. He was always too quick to help Elijah up from the table or tell him if something was in his path. But the “assistance” was grating on Elijah’s nerves.
“Babe, watch out, the couch is just to your left.”
“I know, Dominic. I’ve lived in this house a lot longer than you have. I’m not going to trip over the couch.” He tapped the tip of his walking stick against the wooden floor in front of the couch in an angry tattoo.
Dom held up his hands in defense. “I’m just trying to help.”
Elijah rounded on the sound of his voice. “I’m really fucking sick of you just conveniently ‘trying to help,’ when all you’re doing is getting in my way. I’m this close to just moving to the guest house alone!” Elijah turned on his heel and tapped his way out of the room as quickly and as steadily as he could.
Dom remained on the couch in shocked silence.
Life certainly hadn’t been easy. Nights were the worst. They’d lay side by side in silence, the curtain of night choking them like a thick blanket. If Elijah had a good day, he’d let Dom spoon him, but if it was a bad day, Dom might spend the night on the couch.
Elijah pulled open the sliding glass door that led to the patio and slammed it shut behind him. From the visible half of Elijah’s face, Hannah and Debbie could tell he was angry.
“Elijah? Is everything okay?” Debbie asked gently.
“Perfectly fine,” Elijah snapped back.
Several tense moments later, Dom stepped out onto the patio with his carryall in hand. He gave everyone a quick glance and started off down the path.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Hannah called.
Dom turned to her without stopping, his face blank. “I’m gonna sleep in the guesthouse for a bit.” He didn’t offer any explanation, and nobody asked.
“He better fucking stay there because he sure as hell doesn’t want to be around me now,” Elijah growled as the sound of Dom’s footsteps faded away.
“Elijah, what happened?” Hannah asked.
Elijah sighed and sank deeper into his chair. Even the feeling of the warm Los Angeles sunshine on his face did nothing to curb his anger.
“We’re just not getting along right now. Dom expects me to either get over what happened to me or to rely on him like I’m some invalid. I snapped at him a bit ago and now he’s mad.” Elijah shrugged. “Honestly, I could give a fuck.” He patted his pockets and frowned. “Mom, where’d you put my cigarettes?”
“Elijah, I really wish you wouldn’t do that,” Debbie sighed.
“Yeah, and I really wish I wasn’t blind. Han?” he held his hand out expectantly.
Hannah lit a cigarette for her brother and set the butt between his fingers.
Elijah raised the cigarette to his lips and took a deep drag. “If losing my eyesight didn’t kill me, then smoking cloves sure as hell won’t. But if my life is in such a precarious position, maybe I should stop smoking. And give up coffee, too. Hell, why don’t I just turn vegetarian while I’m at it?”
“Are you gonna go talk to Dom?” Hannah asked, changing the subject.
Elijah shook his head and took another drag. “Fuck no. If he wants to play Miss Pissy Pants, let him. I have enough shit to deal with right now.”
“The bandages come off tomorrow, did I tell you that?” Debbie asked mildly.
“Okay,” Elijah replied, shrugging one shoulder.
“You’re nervous,” Hannah said.
“Well, it’s not like I’ll see what I look like, so it doesn’t really matter to me.” Elijah finished his cigarette and snuffed it out on the ashtray in his lap. He handed the ashtray to Hannah and stood up. “I’m gonna go lay down. The vicodin is starting to kick in.” He walked back into the silent house, leaving his family behind.
*
Hannah knocked quickly before opening the door. “Dom?” she called out softly. The guesthouse wasn’t very big, but she didn’t want to surprise Dom, either.
“In here!” Dom called.
Hannah walked through the living room into the kitchen. She found Dom doing a crossword puzzle at the kitchen table. He put the pen down and gave her a half-smile.
“Good morning, Miss Wood. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Hannah sat down in a chair opposite Dom. “You didn’t need to run all the way down here, you know. Elijah isn’t going to beat you or anything.”
“I just wanted some time alone,” Dom said, looking back down at the crossword.
“By pushing him away?”
“I did not push. I’m the one down here, not him.”
“Okay, fine, self-exile then. Either way, it’s not healthy for your relationship and it’s not going to fix anything.”
“Funny, that. I didn’t know you had a degree in psychology.”
“Dom, you’re being an asshole.”
“Yeah? And you’re being a nosy bitch. We’re even.”
“Well, I’m not leaving,” Hannah said, obstinately crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in the chair.
“I don’t care. Just be quiet so I can work this puzzle. Number two down, ‘Item held by an actor.’ Hmm.”
Hannah glared at him. “It’s called a prop, or have you forgotten?”
Dom made a noncommittal noise and penciled the answer in.
Hannah watched him pencil four more answers in before she broke. “Maybe you should just go back to Manchester.” She watched him steadily for his reaction.
Dom set his pencil and puzzle down and looked up at her, his eyebrows knitted in thought. “Yeah? Maybe I should. I’m sure Elijah would appreciate a change of scenery, anyway.”
“No, not him. Just you. I don’t think you belong here, anymore, Dominic.”
Dom stared at her for a long minute, then he blinked his gaze down to his lap. “You mean, that, don’t you?” His voice was soft, and when he looked back up, Hannah could see the tears in his eyes.
“Oh, Dom!” She hadn’t meant to make him cry, just probe him a bit to find out what was going on in that bleached-blond head of his. Hannah stood up and wrapped her arms around Dom. His hands went around her waist, and he allowed himself to cry against her body.
Hannah rested her cheek against the top of Dom’s head, rubbing his back gently as he released the frustration and anger and guilt he’d been harboring since Elijah’s accident. As his sobs gradually subsided, he pulled away from the wet fabric of Hannah’s shirt and looked up at her. She wiped at his tears with her thumbs.
“Feel better?” she asked.
Dom nodded. He reached up and swept a lock of hair that had escaped its clip off Hannah’s forehead. “You look so much like your brother,” he said softly. Then before he could stop himself, Dom tilted his chin up and kissed her.
The kiss was over as soon as it began, Hannah pulling away and smacking Dom firmly across the cheek. “Dominic!”
Wincing, Dom put a hand to his cheek. “I deserved that.”
“Damn right you did!” Hannah stared at him in disbelief. “Dom, what the hell has gotten in to you?”
Dom shook his head. “My mind’s all over the map-I wish I could give you a better reason than Elijah, because that’s not fair to anyone. But I can’t get my mind in the right place because I can’t fix him. It’s rotten, but I don’t have a solution.”
“Well, my mom made a suggestion about Elijah, and I think maybe it would help you, too.”
“Yeah?”
“I think you and Elijah separately, or maybe as a couple, or maybe both . . . I think you guys should see a psychiatrist. Maybe it will help you deal with what happened.”
“It’s worth a try,” Dom shrugged. “We’re not getting anywhere like this. But I don’t think Elijah will go for it.”
“I think he might,” Hannah said, sitting back down. “Maybe he’d feel more confident if you were there with him. Maybe . . . maybe he’d want to move back down here with you.”
Dom let out a humourless laugh. “I don’t think anything is going to make him move back down here with me.”
“Okay, well, let’s just see how therapy works out first.”
*
“No.”
“Elijah-”
“No.”
“You haven’t even-”
“I said ‘no.’”
Debbie sighed. “Why?”
“I don’t need therapy. End of story.”
“Well, if everything is fine, I’ll help you move down to the guesthouse with Dom tomorrow after your doctor’s appointment.”
“Wait, mom, no. I’m-I’m not moving down there. What are you talking about?”
“Well, you said you don’t need therapy, so that would lead me to believe that you’re well enough to live with your boyfriend. You shouldn’t be up here with me.”
“Mom,” Elijah groaned and put his head down on the table. “You’re not going to let up until I agree, are you?”
“One session, Elijah, that’s all I’m asking. And you can take Dom with you, if you want.”
“Fine,” Elijah sighed. “One session. If I totally hate the shrink, I’m not going back. And if Dom can’t go with me, I’m not going. I won’t go alone.”
“Anything you want. Just promise me you’ll go.”
Elijah nodded.
Seeing her son like this was breaking Debbie’s heart, and it wasn’t just that he’d lost his sight. They’d been through tough times before, but it had never affected Elijah so deeply on an emotional level before. “Do you want to talk about it, baby?”
“Not really,” Elijah replied shaking his head.
“Are you mad at Dom for moving back down to the guesthouse?”
“No. . . . Truthfully, I’m relieved. I don’t feel like I have to be ‘on’ all the time if he’s not around.”
“You feel like you have to keep up a front for Dom?”
Elijah shrugged again. “Kinda.”
When he didn’t continue, Debbie didn’t push. Hopefully he’d get it out in front of the psychiatrist sooner rather than later.
Author: moit
Pairing: Domlijah
Fandom: Lord of the Rings RPF
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Warnings: Slash, violence
Summary: After a horrific accident, Elijah is blinded. Dom is left to pick up the pieces of their broken life.
Word Count: 1784
Author's note: Extra speshul thanks to my ever-patient beta, honeyandvinegar. I'm still not totally certain this is where I want it to be, but it's been written for about 2 weeks, so it's time to post.
Previous Chapters here
Elijah had been gradually acclimating himself to the use of a walking stick to navigate the semi-familiar planes of the house. He’d also asked his mother to procure for him a dark pair of sunglasses. The bandages still covered his eyes, but he wanted to wear the sunglasses, both for when the bandages came off, but also because he was so used to wearing glasses that it gave him a sense of security. If nobody could see the bandages, he felt less self-conscious, even around his family.
However, it seemed like Dom was taking Elijah’s blindness harder than Elijah was. He was always too quick to help Elijah up from the table or tell him if something was in his path. But the “assistance” was grating on Elijah’s nerves.
“Babe, watch out, the couch is just to your left.”
“I know, Dominic. I’ve lived in this house a lot longer than you have. I’m not going to trip over the couch.” He tapped the tip of his walking stick against the wooden floor in front of the couch in an angry tattoo.
Dom held up his hands in defense. “I’m just trying to help.”
Elijah rounded on the sound of his voice. “I’m really fucking sick of you just conveniently ‘trying to help,’ when all you’re doing is getting in my way. I’m this close to just moving to the guest house alone!” Elijah turned on his heel and tapped his way out of the room as quickly and as steadily as he could.
Dom remained on the couch in shocked silence.
Life certainly hadn’t been easy. Nights were the worst. They’d lay side by side in silence, the curtain of night choking them like a thick blanket. If Elijah had a good day, he’d let Dom spoon him, but if it was a bad day, Dom might spend the night on the couch.
Elijah pulled open the sliding glass door that led to the patio and slammed it shut behind him. From the visible half of Elijah’s face, Hannah and Debbie could tell he was angry.
“Elijah? Is everything okay?” Debbie asked gently.
“Perfectly fine,” Elijah snapped back.
Several tense moments later, Dom stepped out onto the patio with his carryall in hand. He gave everyone a quick glance and started off down the path.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Hannah called.
Dom turned to her without stopping, his face blank. “I’m gonna sleep in the guesthouse for a bit.” He didn’t offer any explanation, and nobody asked.
“He better fucking stay there because he sure as hell doesn’t want to be around me now,” Elijah growled as the sound of Dom’s footsteps faded away.
“Elijah, what happened?” Hannah asked.
Elijah sighed and sank deeper into his chair. Even the feeling of the warm Los Angeles sunshine on his face did nothing to curb his anger.
“We’re just not getting along right now. Dom expects me to either get over what happened to me or to rely on him like I’m some invalid. I snapped at him a bit ago and now he’s mad.” Elijah shrugged. “Honestly, I could give a fuck.” He patted his pockets and frowned. “Mom, where’d you put my cigarettes?”
“Elijah, I really wish you wouldn’t do that,” Debbie sighed.
“Yeah, and I really wish I wasn’t blind. Han?” he held his hand out expectantly.
Hannah lit a cigarette for her brother and set the butt between his fingers.
Elijah raised the cigarette to his lips and took a deep drag. “If losing my eyesight didn’t kill me, then smoking cloves sure as hell won’t. But if my life is in such a precarious position, maybe I should stop smoking. And give up coffee, too. Hell, why don’t I just turn vegetarian while I’m at it?”
“Are you gonna go talk to Dom?” Hannah asked, changing the subject.
Elijah shook his head and took another drag. “Fuck no. If he wants to play Miss Pissy Pants, let him. I have enough shit to deal with right now.”
“The bandages come off tomorrow, did I tell you that?” Debbie asked mildly.
“Okay,” Elijah replied, shrugging one shoulder.
“You’re nervous,” Hannah said.
“Well, it’s not like I’ll see what I look like, so it doesn’t really matter to me.” Elijah finished his cigarette and snuffed it out on the ashtray in his lap. He handed the ashtray to Hannah and stood up. “I’m gonna go lay down. The vicodin is starting to kick in.” He walked back into the silent house, leaving his family behind.
*
Hannah knocked quickly before opening the door. “Dom?” she called out softly. The guesthouse wasn’t very big, but she didn’t want to surprise Dom, either.
“In here!” Dom called.
Hannah walked through the living room into the kitchen. She found Dom doing a crossword puzzle at the kitchen table. He put the pen down and gave her a half-smile.
“Good morning, Miss Wood. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Hannah sat down in a chair opposite Dom. “You didn’t need to run all the way down here, you know. Elijah isn’t going to beat you or anything.”
“I just wanted some time alone,” Dom said, looking back down at the crossword.
“By pushing him away?”
“I did not push. I’m the one down here, not him.”
“Okay, fine, self-exile then. Either way, it’s not healthy for your relationship and it’s not going to fix anything.”
“Funny, that. I didn’t know you had a degree in psychology.”
“Dom, you’re being an asshole.”
“Yeah? And you’re being a nosy bitch. We’re even.”
“Well, I’m not leaving,” Hannah said, obstinately crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in the chair.
“I don’t care. Just be quiet so I can work this puzzle. Number two down, ‘Item held by an actor.’ Hmm.”
Hannah glared at him. “It’s called a prop, or have you forgotten?”
Dom made a noncommittal noise and penciled the answer in.
Hannah watched him pencil four more answers in before she broke. “Maybe you should just go back to Manchester.” She watched him steadily for his reaction.
Dom set his pencil and puzzle down and looked up at her, his eyebrows knitted in thought. “Yeah? Maybe I should. I’m sure Elijah would appreciate a change of scenery, anyway.”
“No, not him. Just you. I don’t think you belong here, anymore, Dominic.”
Dom stared at her for a long minute, then he blinked his gaze down to his lap. “You mean, that, don’t you?” His voice was soft, and when he looked back up, Hannah could see the tears in his eyes.
“Oh, Dom!” She hadn’t meant to make him cry, just probe him a bit to find out what was going on in that bleached-blond head of his. Hannah stood up and wrapped her arms around Dom. His hands went around her waist, and he allowed himself to cry against her body.
Hannah rested her cheek against the top of Dom’s head, rubbing his back gently as he released the frustration and anger and guilt he’d been harboring since Elijah’s accident. As his sobs gradually subsided, he pulled away from the wet fabric of Hannah’s shirt and looked up at her. She wiped at his tears with her thumbs.
“Feel better?” she asked.
Dom nodded. He reached up and swept a lock of hair that had escaped its clip off Hannah’s forehead. “You look so much like your brother,” he said softly. Then before he could stop himself, Dom tilted his chin up and kissed her.
The kiss was over as soon as it began, Hannah pulling away and smacking Dom firmly across the cheek. “Dominic!”
Wincing, Dom put a hand to his cheek. “I deserved that.”
“Damn right you did!” Hannah stared at him in disbelief. “Dom, what the hell has gotten in to you?”
Dom shook his head. “My mind’s all over the map-I wish I could give you a better reason than Elijah, because that’s not fair to anyone. But I can’t get my mind in the right place because I can’t fix him. It’s rotten, but I don’t have a solution.”
“Well, my mom made a suggestion about Elijah, and I think maybe it would help you, too.”
“Yeah?”
“I think you and Elijah separately, or maybe as a couple, or maybe both . . . I think you guys should see a psychiatrist. Maybe it will help you deal with what happened.”
“It’s worth a try,” Dom shrugged. “We’re not getting anywhere like this. But I don’t think Elijah will go for it.”
“I think he might,” Hannah said, sitting back down. “Maybe he’d feel more confident if you were there with him. Maybe . . . maybe he’d want to move back down here with you.”
Dom let out a humourless laugh. “I don’t think anything is going to make him move back down here with me.”
“Okay, well, let’s just see how therapy works out first.”
*
“No.”
“Elijah-”
“No.”
“You haven’t even-”
“I said ‘no.’”
Debbie sighed. “Why?”
“I don’t need therapy. End of story.”
“Well, if everything is fine, I’ll help you move down to the guesthouse with Dom tomorrow after your doctor’s appointment.”
“Wait, mom, no. I’m-I’m not moving down there. What are you talking about?”
“Well, you said you don’t need therapy, so that would lead me to believe that you’re well enough to live with your boyfriend. You shouldn’t be up here with me.”
“Mom,” Elijah groaned and put his head down on the table. “You’re not going to let up until I agree, are you?”
“One session, Elijah, that’s all I’m asking. And you can take Dom with you, if you want.”
“Fine,” Elijah sighed. “One session. If I totally hate the shrink, I’m not going back. And if Dom can’t go with me, I’m not going. I won’t go alone.”
“Anything you want. Just promise me you’ll go.”
Elijah nodded.
Seeing her son like this was breaking Debbie’s heart, and it wasn’t just that he’d lost his sight. They’d been through tough times before, but it had never affected Elijah so deeply on an emotional level before. “Do you want to talk about it, baby?”
“Not really,” Elijah replied shaking his head.
“Are you mad at Dom for moving back down to the guesthouse?”
“No. . . . Truthfully, I’m relieved. I don’t feel like I have to be ‘on’ all the time if he’s not around.”
“You feel like you have to keep up a front for Dom?”
Elijah shrugged again. “Kinda.”
When he didn’t continue, Debbie didn’t push. Hopefully he’d get it out in front of the psychiatrist sooner rather than later.