Fic: RunAway - LVII. Dominic
Series info, summary, warnings, and disclaimer
Previous chapters
Chapter Title: Dominic
Chapter Summary: Billy listens
“I really need to see him. Please, just let me back there! Tell Dom I’m here, then. Tell Nick, I mean. I have to see him,” Billy pleaded earnestly.
The man looked at Billy, obviously not understanding a word. “Hol Nick, damit er es übersetzen kann,” he said to a young stagehand, who ran off, nodding.
“Yes, Nick, get Nick to come here, then, please,” Billy said quickly, jumping on the only thing he’d understood: Nick.
The man returned a few minutes later, dragging Dom by the arm behind him. Dom was shaking his head and saying something that Billy couldn’t understand but the younger man only rolled his eyes and pushed Dom forward to talk to Billy. Dom finally stopped struggling and stood still, not meeting Billy’s eyes.
Billy stepped forward and punched Dom in the face.
“Bloody fuck, Bill!” Dom cried, doubling over, his hands over his cheek. The cluster of people around him gasped and all started talking at once, but Dom waved them away from him.
“You bastard, Dominic, you fucking bastard!” Billy shouted, lunging for Dom again. “How could you do this to me? How could you do this?!”
Dom tried to push Billy off, but Billy caught his wrists and held them firmly. He felt hands on his arms, pulling him up, but Billy didn’t let go of Dom, who still wasn’t looking at him. Two taller men finally broke Billy’s grasp and pulled them apart, but Billy was having none of it. He twisted and tugged, trying to get back to his former lover and friend.
Dom stayed hunched over on the floor. He said something that made the bystanders back away from him.
“You fuck. What the hell is wrong with you? How could you do this to me?” Billy screamed. Dom flinched visibly at Billy’s words but told the men to let him go.
Billy immediately darted forward and grabbed Dom by the collar, pulling him to his feet and slamming him against the wall.
Dom said nothing, but his eyes welled with tears. His hands closed around Billy’s wrists, but Dom made no effort to push Billy away. Billy’s grip on his shirt loosened and Dom sagged against the wall. Billy was breathing hard, but some of the anger had gone from his eyes. He held Dom up and pulled him into a tight, full-body embrace.
“I’m sorry, Billy, I’m so sorry, please, I didn’t know what to do. I’m sorry, Bill.” Dom muttered into Billy’s shoulder. Billy pulled away and glared at him again.
“I can’t believe you. You fucking broke my heart! Dominic-"
“Shut up, shut up, Bill, just shut up for a minute,” Dom hissed, gripping Billy’s arms with unexpected strength. “Come with me.”
“Where?”
“My flat.”
“Fucking hell.”
“Billy. Now.” Dom pulled Billy down the hall, away from the gaping crowd, and out a back door. “Don’t start in on me right now, Bill, please. Just wait for a minute.”
Dom led him through alleys and down a couple of streets and finally to his building. Billy looked up at the decrepit place, his distaste obvious, but he followed Dom up the stairs. Once they were inside with the door closed and locked, Dom turned to Billy and nodded. “Okay. Have at it.”
Billy tried to summon up the anger he felt not ten minutes ago, but the dingy, sorry excuse for a flat combined with Dom’s pained expression deflated him.
“If I weren’t so bloody happy you’re alive, I’d fucking kill you, Dominic. And I’m not fucking joking.”
“I know.”
“I didn’t want to believe, you know? I didn’t want it to be true. I don’t know that I ever accepted it, but seeing you now… It’s hard. I thought you were dead, Dominic. Do you know what that did to me? To everyone?”
Dom bit his lip and fiddled with his shirtsleeves.
“Do you know what it did to me, Billy?”
His gaze fell to the floor again as he pushed one sleeve up to his elbow and held up his bare wrist to Billy. There were scars on his wrists, and needle track marks on the inside of his arms. It was only then that Billy noticed how thin Dom was and how miserable he seemed. There were shadows under his eyes, and beneath the stage makeup, Billy could see that Dom’s skin was pale.
“Did you… I didn’t want to believe you tried to kill yourself, Dom…”
Dom hesitated. “I only really tried once. But it didn’t work, obviously,” he added with a weak smile.
“Dom… C’mere.” Billy grasped Dom’s outstretched arm and pulled him close, then kissed Dom’s short, brown hair gently.
“I didn’t want you to find me,” Dom whispered.
“I followed Viggo.”
“I expect you’ll want to kill him now too?”
“I may let him live, but just because without him, I wouldn’t have found you.”
Dom pushed out of Billy’s embrace. “Billy… Why are you even here?”
“I… I wanted… I hoped… I couldn’t just let you go.”
“I left so you could be happy, Bill.”
“You’re an idiot. I’ve always told you that.” Billy felt the anger from before start to build up again. “Why the fuck did you think I would be happy if you fucking killed yourself?”
Dom’s face crumpled and he slid to the floor and buried his head in his arms. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he sobbed, repeating it over and over again.
“Dommeh,” Billy whispered. He knelt down next to Dom and reached out his hand to touch him. Billy’s breath caught in his throat as he pulled Dom into his arms. “I… I thought I’d never… never touch you again, Dom. Never see you again,” he choked out.
Dom managed to get his arms around Billy and he held on tightly, probably leaving bruises on the nape of Billy’s neck and around his arms. Billy let go of his anger and gave in to the tears and the two men sat together on the floor, not talking, for several long minutes.
“Tell me what happened,” Billy said suddenly.
Dom pulled out of Billy’s embrace with wide, wet eyes. They stared at each other.
“Tea. We need tea,” Dom mumbled and pushed himself up off the floor.
Billy wandered around the room in Dom’s absence, taking in the miserable surroundings. On the coffee table, he found a book-Dom’s journal-lying open and he picked it up. On the cover were pictures of himself, Dom, Elijah, and everyone.
“Did Viggo do this?” Billy called.
Dom hurried out from behind the wall. “Don’t-"
Billy put the journal back down. “I won’t read it, Dom. I want you to tell me what happened.”
Dom didn’t answer. He went back into the tiny kitchenette for two steaming mugs of tea and joined Billy at the coffee table.
“Um,” he said. “Sit?”
Billy nodded and sank down on the couch, taking one of the mugs out of Dom’s hands. Dom slid the journal out of the way and sat cross-legged on the table, mirroring how he and Viggo had sat and talked only a week ago.
“I don’t… I don’t even know where to start,” Dom said with a sad sort of smile. He set down his mug and fiddled with the ends of his shirtsleeves again; Billy recognized it as a nervous habit. Probably originating from the scars he covered up. “From the beginning, right?”
Billy nodded. With a deep breath, Dom launched into his story. He hesitated at some parts and got emotional at others, but Billy had no doubt that Dom was telling him the complete story. When he finished, Dom wiped his eyes on his sleeves and stared down at his knees.
Billy felt a strong urge to touch Dom again, as if to make sure he was real, but he couldn’t seem to move from his spot on the couch. In fact, he hadn’t moved at all whilst Dom told his tale, and he was sure that his untouched tea was cold by now.
Dom had explained every action, even the ones that he, admittedly, didn’t understand. Billy took a breath, and then another. He didn’t want his voice to waver when he finally spoke.
Next: Billy
Previous chapters
Chapter Title: Dominic
Chapter Summary: Billy listens
“I really need to see him. Please, just let me back there! Tell Dom I’m here, then. Tell Nick, I mean. I have to see him,” Billy pleaded earnestly.
The man looked at Billy, obviously not understanding a word. “Hol Nick, damit er es übersetzen kann,” he said to a young stagehand, who ran off, nodding.
“Yes, Nick, get Nick to come here, then, please,” Billy said quickly, jumping on the only thing he’d understood: Nick.
The man returned a few minutes later, dragging Dom by the arm behind him. Dom was shaking his head and saying something that Billy couldn’t understand but the younger man only rolled his eyes and pushed Dom forward to talk to Billy. Dom finally stopped struggling and stood still, not meeting Billy’s eyes.
Billy stepped forward and punched Dom in the face.
“Bloody fuck, Bill!” Dom cried, doubling over, his hands over his cheek. The cluster of people around him gasped and all started talking at once, but Dom waved them away from him.
“You bastard, Dominic, you fucking bastard!” Billy shouted, lunging for Dom again. “How could you do this to me? How could you do this?!”
Dom tried to push Billy off, but Billy caught his wrists and held them firmly. He felt hands on his arms, pulling him up, but Billy didn’t let go of Dom, who still wasn’t looking at him. Two taller men finally broke Billy’s grasp and pulled them apart, but Billy was having none of it. He twisted and tugged, trying to get back to his former lover and friend.
Dom stayed hunched over on the floor. He said something that made the bystanders back away from him.
“You fuck. What the hell is wrong with you? How could you do this to me?” Billy screamed. Dom flinched visibly at Billy’s words but told the men to let him go.
Billy immediately darted forward and grabbed Dom by the collar, pulling him to his feet and slamming him against the wall.
Dom said nothing, but his eyes welled with tears. His hands closed around Billy’s wrists, but Dom made no effort to push Billy away. Billy’s grip on his shirt loosened and Dom sagged against the wall. Billy was breathing hard, but some of the anger had gone from his eyes. He held Dom up and pulled him into a tight, full-body embrace.
“I’m sorry, Billy, I’m so sorry, please, I didn’t know what to do. I’m sorry, Bill.” Dom muttered into Billy’s shoulder. Billy pulled away and glared at him again.
“I can’t believe you. You fucking broke my heart! Dominic-"
“Shut up, shut up, Bill, just shut up for a minute,” Dom hissed, gripping Billy’s arms with unexpected strength. “Come with me.”
“Where?”
“My flat.”
“Fucking hell.”
“Billy. Now.” Dom pulled Billy down the hall, away from the gaping crowd, and out a back door. “Don’t start in on me right now, Bill, please. Just wait for a minute.”
Dom led him through alleys and down a couple of streets and finally to his building. Billy looked up at the decrepit place, his distaste obvious, but he followed Dom up the stairs. Once they were inside with the door closed and locked, Dom turned to Billy and nodded. “Okay. Have at it.”
Billy tried to summon up the anger he felt not ten minutes ago, but the dingy, sorry excuse for a flat combined with Dom’s pained expression deflated him.
“If I weren’t so bloody happy you’re alive, I’d fucking kill you, Dominic. And I’m not fucking joking.”
“I know.”
“I didn’t want to believe, you know? I didn’t want it to be true. I don’t know that I ever accepted it, but seeing you now… It’s hard. I thought you were dead, Dominic. Do you know what that did to me? To everyone?”
Dom bit his lip and fiddled with his shirtsleeves.
“Do you know what it did to me, Billy?”
His gaze fell to the floor again as he pushed one sleeve up to his elbow and held up his bare wrist to Billy. There were scars on his wrists, and needle track marks on the inside of his arms. It was only then that Billy noticed how thin Dom was and how miserable he seemed. There were shadows under his eyes, and beneath the stage makeup, Billy could see that Dom’s skin was pale.
“Did you… I didn’t want to believe you tried to kill yourself, Dom…”
Dom hesitated. “I only really tried once. But it didn’t work, obviously,” he added with a weak smile.
“Dom… C’mere.” Billy grasped Dom’s outstretched arm and pulled him close, then kissed Dom’s short, brown hair gently.
“I didn’t want you to find me,” Dom whispered.
“I followed Viggo.”
“I expect you’ll want to kill him now too?”
“I may let him live, but just because without him, I wouldn’t have found you.”
Dom pushed out of Billy’s embrace. “Billy… Why are you even here?”
“I… I wanted… I hoped… I couldn’t just let you go.”
“I left so you could be happy, Bill.”
“You’re an idiot. I’ve always told you that.” Billy felt the anger from before start to build up again. “Why the fuck did you think I would be happy if you fucking killed yourself?”
Dom’s face crumpled and he slid to the floor and buried his head in his arms. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he sobbed, repeating it over and over again.
“Dommeh,” Billy whispered. He knelt down next to Dom and reached out his hand to touch him. Billy’s breath caught in his throat as he pulled Dom into his arms. “I… I thought I’d never… never touch you again, Dom. Never see you again,” he choked out.
Dom managed to get his arms around Billy and he held on tightly, probably leaving bruises on the nape of Billy’s neck and around his arms. Billy let go of his anger and gave in to the tears and the two men sat together on the floor, not talking, for several long minutes.
“Tell me what happened,” Billy said suddenly.
Dom pulled out of Billy’s embrace with wide, wet eyes. They stared at each other.
“Tea. We need tea,” Dom mumbled and pushed himself up off the floor.
Billy wandered around the room in Dom’s absence, taking in the miserable surroundings. On the coffee table, he found a book-Dom’s journal-lying open and he picked it up. On the cover were pictures of himself, Dom, Elijah, and everyone.
“Did Viggo do this?” Billy called.
Dom hurried out from behind the wall. “Don’t-"
Billy put the journal back down. “I won’t read it, Dom. I want you to tell me what happened.”
Dom didn’t answer. He went back into the tiny kitchenette for two steaming mugs of tea and joined Billy at the coffee table.
“Um,” he said. “Sit?”
Billy nodded and sank down on the couch, taking one of the mugs out of Dom’s hands. Dom slid the journal out of the way and sat cross-legged on the table, mirroring how he and Viggo had sat and talked only a week ago.
“I don’t… I don’t even know where to start,” Dom said with a sad sort of smile. He set down his mug and fiddled with the ends of his shirtsleeves again; Billy recognized it as a nervous habit. Probably originating from the scars he covered up. “From the beginning, right?”
Billy nodded. With a deep breath, Dom launched into his story. He hesitated at some parts and got emotional at others, but Billy had no doubt that Dom was telling him the complete story. When he finished, Dom wiped his eyes on his sleeves and stared down at his knees.
Billy felt a strong urge to touch Dom again, as if to make sure he was real, but he couldn’t seem to move from his spot on the couch. In fact, he hadn’t moved at all whilst Dom told his tale, and he was sure that his untouched tea was cold by now.
Dom had explained every action, even the ones that he, admittedly, didn’t understand. Billy took a breath, and then another. He didn’t want his voice to waver when he finally spoke.
Next: Billy