FIC: Thicker Than Water (1/1)
title: Thicker Than Water
pairing: Dom/Billy
rating: NC-17
words: 5300+
warning: Mentions of blood.
SPOILER WARNING: [highlight between asterisks to reveal] *Vampires*
summary: Dom comes home to Manchester on holiday, only to find out that Billy's gone missing.
author's note: THANK YOU TO silentdescant for her wonderful beta-ing, and wonder_walldbc for the constant cheering on. ♥ my brainspouses.
author's note 2: This is slight AU, and there's no Baby Jack in this 'verse. Fic is convenient that way. :)
Everything Dominic could hear was liquid. The rain slowly sprinkled down as the recent storm passed. His shoes made a wet slapping sound in the puddles on the sidewalk. He could even hear the water rushing through the sewer when he walked by a grate in the pavement. And loudest of all was the rush of blood in his ears and Ali’s tears over his mobile as he tried to make sense of what he’d just heard.
Billy was missing. Fucking Billy was fucking MISSING.
Dom had just gotten into Manchester that afternoon and spent the evening with his parents. It was deep into the night when he started the walk to the small house he kept for such visits, and he hoped that when Matt had stocked the kitchen he had left him something decent to eat in the morning. But as Dom left his parents, something had pulled at him, something that told him things weren’t as they should be and made him try to ring Billy. When Dom called Billy’s mobile, the voicemail wouldn’t let him leave a message. Which meant it was full. Since Dom knew that Billy was almost a Nazi about his voicemail messages, he knew something was definitely wrong and immediately called Billy’s home line.
When Ali answered, her words came out in a rush, as if she’d been holding her breath and only now felt safe enough to breathe again. “Dom, thank God, is he with you? Have you heard from him?”
“What?” Dom asked in confusion, not even sure he had heard her right.
“Billy! Is he there!?” She said, utterly exasperated.
Dom blinked. “Uh, I was just gonna ask you that.”
With that, Ali started to cry.
“Ali. ALI. Love, what’s goin’ on??” He asked, getting even more worried now.
She sniffled as she started to speak. “He’s gone, and I don’t know why, it’s not like him to just be off with no word, and he’s not at the hospital, and I thought he might be with you, oh God, Dom, what if he’s dead!” Breathless again, she fell back into tears.
Dominic was struck dumb, standing there gaping on the sidewalk. “WHAT??”
It took longer this time for her to stop crying, but when she did, Dom was able to coax the full story out of her. Three nights ago, Billy had stayed late at Beecake’s usual recording space. Ali was used to this and just went to bed without him. When the next day came with no sign of Billy, she began to get worried. She phoned the other band members only to be told that no one had seen him after the recording session; in fact, Billy had been the last to leave.
She left about a million messages on Billy’s mobile until it was full. Calls to the police and the hospitals yielded nothing, though thankfully they had agreed to keep her inquiries quiet from the press. The last thing Billy needed was a media circus when he might just be passed out in the back of a pub somewhere. But what if he wasn’t?
All his clothes and possessions were still at home, so Dom really doubted Billy had left her, especially like that, but there was no way for her to contact him or get him to contact her. So Ali resigned herself to waiting and hoping that Billy would call, and that he would be safe.
By the time she finished speaking, Dominic’s mind was reeling. How the fuck could Billy be gone?! Billy was the stable one, loyal and dependable; he couldn’t just disappear into thin air. Dom sputtered into the phone, “There -- There has to be a rational explanation for this, there just has to be.” He took a deep breath and hoped he sounded reassuring. “He hasn’t left you, love, that’s not Billy and you know that. He’s probably… uh… passed out in a pub like you said. Or maybe he just got a knock on the head, and he’ll wake up in the hospital tomorrow and call you and it’ll be fine. It’ll all be fine, it will be. He - He loves you.” He prayed silently that she wouldn’t notice the hitch in his voice. After so much time, the jealousy he’d felt towards her had turned to real affection. Billy loved her and in the end, Dom could see why.
More sniffling from Ali’s end of the line, then her voice, sounding calmer yet still despairing. “Thank you. If you hear from him or see him or anything, call me. Any time of day… I’ll be home.”
“Of course, you’ll be first to know. And please call me if you hear something, or even if you just need to talk. Now, I think you should just get some sleep - try to take care of yourself. For Billy.”
Ali sighed, “Yeah, maybe you’re right. I’ll try to sleep a little. You take care, too.”
“G’night,” Dom said softly.
He stood there on the sidewalk for a moment, just staring at his phone. Some part of his mind told him to call the others: Elijah, Orli, Astin, Viggo, all of them, ask if they’d heard anything. But his heart knew that if Billy was going to contact anyone, it would have been him. Billy would never go to anyone before he went to Dom. He suddenly felt very tired and just wanted to get to his house. His phone slid back into his pocket and he started to walk again. He would call them tomorrow, go through the shock and fear with all of them. Right now he just wanted to pass out and pretend he had never talked to Ali.
Dom turned his head with a start and looked behind him, scanning the dark and dripping street. He was sure he had heard footsteps following him closely, but nothing was there. His eyes darted from alleys to doorways; all were empty. The street was silent. A second more, then Dom walked on. He chalked it up to an echo of his own steps caused by the wet sidewalk and his own over-stressed mind, and sunk back into his thoughts.
‘Billy. Billy.’ Dom’s feet seemed to move in time with the name. Where the hell could he have gone? It was fucking inconceivable, really. This wasn’t like Viggo, who would fuck off for weeks and come back with some story about a Brazilian dancer or an Italian art festival; or Elijah, whose voicemail was full every month because he kept saving messages for ‘sentimental reasons’ and was therefore completely unreachable until he got over it. If it was almost anyone else from Rings or fuck, even Lost, Dom would just roll his eyes and wait it out.
But this wasn’t anyone, this was Billy. Silly and sometimes unpredictable, yes, but dependable, courteous, logical; not reckless or insensitive. He would never have done this to Ali, not in a million years.
So, what are the alternatives, then?
God, don’t think about that. Don’t picture Billy unconscious in some hospital bed. Don’t see him lying in a ditch, blood spattered over him, limbs at odd angles - Fuck, no, just STOP.
Now he fully understood how broken down Ali had been on the phone. He was well on his way there himself.
Dom stopped suddenly. Again a noise from behind. This time he whirled around completely to face the unknown stalker. “OI! Ya bastid!” he yelled, feeling his voice deepen, his accent thicken so that he sounded like any common street punk. “I don’t know what you’re fuckin’ lookin’ for, mate, but you won’t find it here. So fuck off b’fore ya get somethin’ ya don’t want, yeah?” He glared menacingly into the dark, again scanning any place someone could have been hiding.
Silence. Not a cough, not a shuffle of feet, not even a breath.
“Bleedin’ tosser,” Dom muttered to himself, turning and continuing his walk. He was usually intolerant of paparazzi or stalker fans as it was, but tonight was just not the night to piss him off. He hunched his shoulders and lowered his head, reverting to the defensive body language that he’d learned long ago while walking these same streets, warding off any further trouble.
It took considerable effort, but Dom struggled to push his worried thoughts out of his mind. For tonight, they would do neither him nor Billy any amount of good. Better to just go home and collapse in bed, whether or not he actually slept, and try to trust that Billy would turn up unharmed and okay.
Dominic finally reached the small house and gave one last look around the empty street. He was still a bit shaken from the footsteps he'd heard, though he didn't want to admit it to himself. There was nothing to be seen by the soft glow of the streetlights, so he turned back to the house and trudged up the front steps, aimlessly searching his pockets for the keys.
"Hello, Dom."
In all his life, Dom had never moved so fast. He spun around so quickly that he made himself slightly dizzy, already starting to raise his fists if he needed to defend himself. Then he stopped. And stared.
Billy stood there, not 5 feet in front of him. His smile was calm and definitely amused. There was not a mark on him, not even a hair out of place. He looked serene and well, though the dim light made him look quite pale. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and he rocked back on his heels a little as Dom continued to gape. "You look like you've seen a ghost, Dommeh," he said. His smile twitched into a smirk.
For a second more, Dom was motionless. Then in one lightning-fast motion he crashed into Billy and clung to him as if he were trying to absorb him through osmosis. Billy wasn't fazed for a moment, catching Dom in his arms and holding him almost as tightly. Dom's mind was a fog consisting of Billy's name and the words alive, okay, safe, and thank you, though one sentence did flash through for a brief second: Cold, he's so cold, how long has he been outside??.
“God, Billy, what the fuck?!" Dom grinned and sniffled, only then realizing that he was on the verge of tears. He chuckled in spite of himself. "You fucking bastard! I called your house and Ali told me you've been missing, I thought you were dead or something." He pulled back a little to look at Billy's face, not letting go of the hug just yet. In fact, he had to restrain himself from pulling Billy in tighter and kissing him in relief and joy.
Billy's smile widened. "Well, I'm here, aren't I? So obviously, I'm not dead." Again, the twitching smirk. "Although I'm probably quite lucky you didn't break my ribs when you tried to squeeze the air out of me just now." But he didn't move from the embrace, either. His arms moved down Dom's back, and Dom's heart did a flip in his chest.
Suddenly there was a loud crack of thunder, a bright flash of lightning, and the rain clouds opened up once again. "Fuck," Dom swore, "C'mon, let's get inside." He turned back to the door and quickly unlocked it, pulling Billy along behind him as he ducked into the house.
It took a little while for Dominic to get the house comfortable, but once the heat got going it was nice enough. He called out to Billy as he hung up their coats in the closet, "You're absolutely freezing, you want some tea? I might even have some whiskey or something in here, depends what Matt left behind."
"No, thank you, I'm fine," Billy yelled back.
Dom paused, surprised. "You're saying no to a hot toddy, Bills?"
"Shocking as my refusal is, it's not going to bring about the end of the world. That's not the taste I'm looking for tonight," Billy replied, sitting down in the front room.
"Never thought I'd see you turn down free whiskey, is all." Dom winked at Billy as he sat down in the armchair across from him. He tried his best to hide his concern; the last time Billy had been that cold was in NZ, when they were all wet and freezing and sick. "You sure you're feeling okay?"
"I'm fine. Better than fine. I feel brilliant." Billy leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. "A little cold isn't going to bother me."
Dom stared at the man across from him and couldn't hold back any longer. "All right, now really, what the fuck is going on here? You disappear for DAYS, leaving Ali a frightened mess, mind you, and now you sneak up on me in the middle of a thunderstorm, cold as death, and you don't want tea and you say you feel fucking brilliant?!? Have you gone mad??" He stared at Billy in utter disbelief.
For the first time since appearing out of no where, Billy stopped smiling. He sighed and closed his eyes for a second. When he reopened them, he began to speak. "It's not going to be easy to explain, but I'll do my best because you deserve to know the truth. I've been thinking of leaving Ali. For a while now." He held up his hand to stop Dom's interruption and continued. "Nothing happened, Dom, there was no argument or fight or secrets or affairs or anything. Which was... kinda the point, I suppose. It was comfortable, and easy, and nice, and it was just wrong. I love her, that's never going to change, but... it didn't feel right. If I'm honest with myself, I guess it never really did. But I loved her, and it was... god, I nearly hate myself for saying it, but it was convenient. So I made it work." He looked back up at Dom, who was gaping openly. Billy waited, knowing Dom needed to say something.
"Billy... I... How didn't I know?" Dom snapped his mouth shut. "Well, that was selfish of me to ask."
Chuckling, Billy nodded. "Aye, it was. But it was honest and you had to." The look on Billy's face was odd to Dom, as if he was seeing Dom for the first time. Then he shook his head slightly and continued. "You didn't know because I didn't want you to." His eyes locked onto Dominic's and held his gaze. "Because it was all because of you."
It was the weirdest thing Dom had ever felt; the blood drained from his face, yet at the same time his skin went warm and prickly all over, as if he were blushing. Emotions were bubbling up to the surface of his heart, emotions like hope, fear, even anger. He forced them down as best he could. "Me?!? What are you saying, what do I have to do with-- with you and Ali?"
Billy's eyes traveled over Dom's face, and he smiled softly again. "Everything, Dom. Absolutely everything. I don't know how you didn't see it, now, looking back. I was an absolute idiot, and you still didn't see it. Did your fear blind you that much? Did mine?"
"Wha-- I..." Dom felt like he was suffocating, and he didn't know why. He wasn't sure of anything, his mind was reeling from stem to stern. "What the bloody hell are you talking about?? You have gone mad, haven't you? You're not making sense." But he was. Deep down inside, Dom knew what Billy was saying.
"Yes, I am, and yes... you know what I'm saying. That's why I came here tonight, after... after everything."
Latching on to the closest thing to a change of subject he could find, Dom blurted out, "After what, exactly. Where have you been?"
There was a pause, and then Billy nodded. "All right. After the recording session I went to a pub. One I didn't know, hadn't heard of. I was feeling... I was feeling the weight of it all, my choice to leave Ali. As I got more and more pissed, I started to reconsider. I'd almost worked myself up to thinking about bloody proposing to her. And then... There was this bloke. We got to talking. He..." That small smirking twitch again. That twitch that was very unlike Billy. "He changed my mind. Made me see things in ways I'd never seen before. When I asked him why he chose to... talk to me, he said I reminded him of himself, before someone had talked to him. And that it seemed like I needed it." Billy chuckled again. "He was so very right."
Dominic was not chuckling. "So you went off on a bender with some bloke you just met who changed your life, that's what you're telling me." He suddenly felt very very ill.
Billy's voice was soft and gentle. "Nothing happened, Dommeh. Me and this guy. Nothing happened, not like what you're thinking." It looked like he was going to reach across and take Dom's hand, but he dropped his hand back to his side as if he had thought better of it. "You know you were the only one."
His eyes snapping shut, Dom clenched his jaw. "We weren't... We said we wouldn't talk about it." He rose from his chair, not knowing where he was going to go, just wanting to get away. "That was centuries ago, you have Ali and she's scared out of her wits, now just forget this load of bollocks and go to her--"
"I love you."
Dom fell back into his chair. "Billy, don't... if you're-- please."
Billy looked at him plainly, his eyes revealing only the truth of his words. "I love you, Dominic. I always have. I know that I always will. That's what I ran to Ali to get away from in the first place, that's why I tried so hard, that's why I wanted to leave her, that's why I disappeared into that pub, and that's why I'm back and sitting in your house and not hers. I love you, and I know you love me. I fucked it up in the past, over and over, but I need you now and I won't stand being without you anymore."
There was silence for a moment. All Dom had ever wanted was coming true, but something wasn't right, it was all too easy. "Why now? After all this time, after Ali, and Evie, why... why now?"
"Because I'm going away."
There it was. Disbelief was written all over Dom's pained face. "What, you drop this all on me and now you're fucking off again?! I don't believe this!"
"No, not disappearing on another bender or anything like that. I'm going to talk to Ali first, sort things out. She'll be all right. But I'm going away for a long time. And I want you to come with me."
Dom didn't think he'd spent this much time speechless in his life. "... Where?"
Another smile from Billy. "Anywhere. Everywhere. Whatever you want. You're free now, I know you are. No commitments written in stone, no projects you're dying to do. Hell, you've been unhappy with your career for a while now, haven't you?"
Dom nodded, but said nothing.
"Yeah. You don't talk about it, you keep it hidden, but I know. They don't really see you... what you have, what you are. What's standing right in front of them. They just want you to be the sidekick, the clown, the English bastard..." Billy mused. "But I see you, Dom. I see you so clearly now. And I want you with me, for a very long time."
His heart was pulling at him so hard that it hurt, but Dom wouldn't give in just yet no matter how much he wanted to leap from his chair and say 'Yes, Billy, I'll go anywhere with you, I love you.' Something else was going on here. As easy as it would be to tell himself Billy was talking about running off together for a long vacation or something, Dom could feel in his bones that something very deep and serious was happening. And it all hinged on him. He leaned forward in his chair. "And I have to decide now, don't I?"
"Yes. No sleeping on it, no phone calls for advice... If you come with me, we leave tonight." Billy's entire body language spoke of quiet confidence, but his eyes were pleading. "I promise, I will tell you absolutely everything. Answer all of your questions. If you come with me."
With a heavy sigh, Dom stood, his voice rising as he spoke. "OK, look. I do love you, and I guess you always knew that. But I can't just toss everything away like this for empty promises and pretty words. You're obviously a mess from this whole thing with Ali, and you're just looking for a way out, so you picked me." He swallowed hard. His words were hollow and meaningless to his own ears, Billy was very clearly not a mess, but he couldn't accept that Billy was honestly choosing him over everything and everyone else. It was too good to be true, far too good, and he had to send Billy away before he realized he was making a mistake. "Go home, Billy. Go home to her. Stop doing this to me."
Billy's eyes seemed to be literally on fire as he stood, so fast that Dom thought his own eyes were playing tricks on him, and stepped towards the other man. "Goddammit, you really are an idiot sometimes, aren't you, Dominic?" And then he was on him, lips forced against Dom's as if not kissing him meant dying.
The blazing heat in the kiss rocked Dom backwards, and he almost fell over the chair behind him, but Billy's arms caught and held him tightly. The strength in Billy's embrace was shocking, but Dom was far too preoccupied to notice for more than a fleeting instant. He grabbed at Billy's collar with both hands, the fabric stretching almost to the point of tearing, and he poured all those years of secrecy and despair into this one moment of passion. He didn't even feel the whimpering in his throat until he heard it with his own ears.
Rucking up Dom's shirt, Billy ran his hands down Dom's back, nails dragging across the skin. Dom arched hard into Billy in response and broke the kiss for a heaving breath. "Jesus fucking Christ, please."
Billy grinned and murmured against Dom's lips, "You believe me now, yeah?" He flicked his tongue into Dom's mouth as if savoring the taste.
Still panting, Dom whined again. "Mmm, yeah... yeah." His head was reeling again, but in such a delicious way this time. He couldn't think anymore, all he knew was that he wanted Billy, no, he needed him, now.
"Need you, too, Dommeh... Needed you for so long," Billy breathed and rested his forehead against Dom's, pressing their hips together firmly and swaying.
Dom's hands started moving of their own accord, desperately pulling on the buttons on Billy's shirt. "Then have me. Take me."
Billy reached up with one hand and held Dom's wrists, his grip unshakable. "You're coming with me, then." It was not a question this time.
Another sigh. "Yes. Yes, anywhere. If you really want me, I'm yours. I've always been yours, Billy. Just... don't leave me again." Dom's eyes darted to the side, hating to show weakness like that even though he needed to say it.
"Never again. Never." Billy let go of Dom's hands and kissed him hard again, squeezing him closer with his other arm.
Dom wasn't sure if it was the intensity of this moment, the heat of the kiss, or the wicked way Billy was nibbling on his bottom lip, but his legs started to give beneath him. Before they could buckle completely, both of Billy's arms were back around him and gently lowering him to the floor. Billy knelt over him, clearly amused. "Mmmm, you're gonna do yourself a mischief, love. Maybe we better get you upstairs. To the bedroom," Billy added, with emphasis.
"Nnngh. No." Dom's refusal made Billy's eyebrows quirk upwards. Dom clarified. "Don't think I can make it upstairs. Need you here, now, not gonna wait anymore." His hands resumed their work on the buttons of Billy's shirt, pushing it open and away from Billy's shoulders. "Get your kit off and fuck me, Billy." He grinned cheekily.
"Oh fuck, don't have to ask me twice," Billy groaned and threw off his shirt. He pulled Dom's t-shirt over his head and then made short work of his own jeans before Dom was even halfway out of his. Once undressed, they were on each other like animals: fierce growls and nips of teeth punctuating their kisses, fingers digging in like claws in pale skin, more like wrestling than sex. They moved against each other savagely, desperate for contact with every inch of skin they could reach. Billy's hand moved between them and grabbed hold of Dom's cock, every squeeze and twist an echo of times past but alive with some new fervor.
Stroke after stroke brought Dominic's back arching off the rug whimpering for more. "I swear to God, Billy, if you don't fuck me soon, I'm going to fucking strangle you."
Holding back a chuckle, Billy leaned back and grabbed for his jeans, pulling a packet of lube loose from the pocket and tearing it open. He drizzled some on his fingers and slid them down Dom's cock, palmed his balls, then started to slide them slowly and carefully into his arse. Dom pushed down firmly on Billy's fingers, not wanting to take the time, and whined again. "Is good, get on with it, fucking please."
The rest of the lube went onto Billy's cock in lightning-fast time, and then Billy was right there, pushing in, and Dom's legs locked around his waist as if holding Billy prisoner. It was Billy's turn to whimper now. "Fucking hell, you feel so good when I'm inside you. Could fuck you forever." His hand returned to Dom's cock, moving in concert with the thrusts of his hips as he started to establish a rhythm.
Incapable of a coherent reply, Dom just pulled Billy down to him, damn near raping his mouth with his tongue. Every movement they made screamed of need as their bodies pounded against the floor. Billy's hips moved with an inhuman ferocity, and Dom's nails were sinking into his back.
As Dom neared his climax, Billy broke their kiss and stared at him, eyes feral in their wildness. "Do you trust me?" he panted.
Breathless as he was, Dom could only manage a nod.
"Do you love me?"
A harsh and dry swallow deep in his throat, and Dom croaked, "Always."
Billy grinned. "I love you, Dominic. And you're mine." Still moving hard and deep inside Dom, he pulled him up into his arms and buried his face in Dom's neck, biting hard. The sweat was pouring off of Dom as he pressed himself full against Billy, the feel of Billy's teeth pushing him faster into his orgasm, and he came hard, at that moment a realization crossing his mind. His eyes snapped open.
His teeth... oh my god, his teeth, what the fuck!
Weak as he was, Dom could barely move to breathe, only now seeing that what he thought was sweat was actually blood, his blood, and Billy was still clamped onto his neck like a vise as he came inside Dom. Why doesn't it hurt? Why does it feel so fucking good, God, don't let him stop if it's going to feel like this.
Billy chuckled, the vibrations thrumming through Dom's veins, and then Dom heard his voice in his head. 'I wouldn't hurt you for the world, love.'
Dom gasped. Red tinges invaded the edges of his vision, everything was going dark, dark and red as scarlet. Red as blood. For a moment, it all went black.
Then Billy was holding him up, pressing something to his lips. "Open, drink, Dom, please." A slight sense of urgency in his voice. Dom still couldn't open his eyes, but his mouth fell open and suddenly something was being poured down his throat. He swallowed to keep from choking on it and then clamped his mouth down hard. He'd never tasted anything so powerful, so rich, and he drank as if he were dying of thirst. More, please, need it, want it, more. His hands found life, grabbing hold of whatever it was, holding it in a death grip, until it was wrenched away. His eyes flew open and he screamed, thinking that he would die now, and from miles away he heard... he heard everything.
Everything Dominic could hear was liquid. Billy's guttural curses under his breath, the downpour of rain outside, and the blood... My god, the blood. He could hear it in Billy, he could hear it pooling in the wound on his neck, and he heard his own pulse as strong as a kettle drum in his own ears. He floundered on the floor, wholly new intoxicating sensations flooding his body, and then Billy was there, Billy was pulling him close, cradling him in his arms. 'Shhh... you're okay. You're safe, and nothing can ever hurt you again, nothing can ever take you away from me.'
Dom nuzzled into Billy's neck, suddenly aware of the veins beneath his lips. "Billy?" He winced at the sound of his voice, it was loud and shaky.
Soothing Dom's hair back, Billy whispered, "It's okay. You'll get used to it. It's just... new to you right now."
"What is? What is this, what did you do to me?" He wasn't angry, he felt too fantastic to be angry, but he was confused and a little scared.
Billy smiled down at him. 'You know what I did.'
"You... But... It's not possible!" Dom pushed away from Billy, wavering slightly but sitting up on his own. He ran his tongue over his teeth and found just what he thought he would. Fangs.
"Don't worry, they go away when you want them to. You just need some time to learn to control it." Billy was absentmindedly rubbing his wrist as he talked, and Dom realized that's what he'd been drinking from.
Dom's thoughts were a tornado, throwing out revelations bit by bit, his synapses making connections faster than ever before. "You were following me. That's what I kept hearing on my way here. And you... that's why you were gone... the bloke you met he... he turned you into a... a..."
"Vampire." Billy was amused again. "You can say it. You'll feel better when you do."
"Vampire." And Dom smiled. "Holy shit."
Billy chuckled. "Not much holy about it, I think, but yeah, pretty much what I said, too." Billy's quiet laughter rang like bells to Dom's ears, intensifying the beauty he was drinking in all around him.
Dom suddenly slammed against Billy and kissed him ferociously, his new fangs snagging on Billy's lip in the process. Dom thought it tasted like heaven. Billy pulled back, steadying Dom who hadn't even realized he was about to fall. "Careful, lad. You're exhausted, you need to rest." He glanced out the window, at the moon. "We both need to. It's nearing daylight." He stood, and gently pulled Dom up with him.
Head still spinning, Dominic leaned against Billy for support and stared into his eyes. "This is for real, isn't it?"
In answer, Billy kissed him softly and tenderly. 'We have all eternity for you to see just how real it is.'
-end-
pairing: Dom/Billy
rating: NC-17
words: 5300+
warning: Mentions of blood.
SPOILER WARNING: [highlight between asterisks to reveal] *Vampires*
summary: Dom comes home to Manchester on holiday, only to find out that Billy's gone missing.
author's note: THANK YOU TO silentdescant for her wonderful beta-ing, and wonder_walldbc for the constant cheering on. ♥ my brainspouses.
author's note 2: This is slight AU, and there's no Baby Jack in this 'verse. Fic is convenient that way. :)
Everything Dominic could hear was liquid. The rain slowly sprinkled down as the recent storm passed. His shoes made a wet slapping sound in the puddles on the sidewalk. He could even hear the water rushing through the sewer when he walked by a grate in the pavement. And loudest of all was the rush of blood in his ears and Ali’s tears over his mobile as he tried to make sense of what he’d just heard.
Billy was missing. Fucking Billy was fucking MISSING.
Dom had just gotten into Manchester that afternoon and spent the evening with his parents. It was deep into the night when he started the walk to the small house he kept for such visits, and he hoped that when Matt had stocked the kitchen he had left him something decent to eat in the morning. But as Dom left his parents, something had pulled at him, something that told him things weren’t as they should be and made him try to ring Billy. When Dom called Billy’s mobile, the voicemail wouldn’t let him leave a message. Which meant it was full. Since Dom knew that Billy was almost a Nazi about his voicemail messages, he knew something was definitely wrong and immediately called Billy’s home line.
When Ali answered, her words came out in a rush, as if she’d been holding her breath and only now felt safe enough to breathe again. “Dom, thank God, is he with you? Have you heard from him?”
“What?” Dom asked in confusion, not even sure he had heard her right.
“Billy! Is he there!?” She said, utterly exasperated.
Dom blinked. “Uh, I was just gonna ask you that.”
With that, Ali started to cry.
“Ali. ALI. Love, what’s goin’ on??” He asked, getting even more worried now.
She sniffled as she started to speak. “He’s gone, and I don’t know why, it’s not like him to just be off with no word, and he’s not at the hospital, and I thought he might be with you, oh God, Dom, what if he’s dead!” Breathless again, she fell back into tears.
Dominic was struck dumb, standing there gaping on the sidewalk. “WHAT??”
It took longer this time for her to stop crying, but when she did, Dom was able to coax the full story out of her. Three nights ago, Billy had stayed late at Beecake’s usual recording space. Ali was used to this and just went to bed without him. When the next day came with no sign of Billy, she began to get worried. She phoned the other band members only to be told that no one had seen him after the recording session; in fact, Billy had been the last to leave.
She left about a million messages on Billy’s mobile until it was full. Calls to the police and the hospitals yielded nothing, though thankfully they had agreed to keep her inquiries quiet from the press. The last thing Billy needed was a media circus when he might just be passed out in the back of a pub somewhere. But what if he wasn’t?
All his clothes and possessions were still at home, so Dom really doubted Billy had left her, especially like that, but there was no way for her to contact him or get him to contact her. So Ali resigned herself to waiting and hoping that Billy would call, and that he would be safe.
By the time she finished speaking, Dominic’s mind was reeling. How the fuck could Billy be gone?! Billy was the stable one, loyal and dependable; he couldn’t just disappear into thin air. Dom sputtered into the phone, “There -- There has to be a rational explanation for this, there just has to be.” He took a deep breath and hoped he sounded reassuring. “He hasn’t left you, love, that’s not Billy and you know that. He’s probably… uh… passed out in a pub like you said. Or maybe he just got a knock on the head, and he’ll wake up in the hospital tomorrow and call you and it’ll be fine. It’ll all be fine, it will be. He - He loves you.” He prayed silently that she wouldn’t notice the hitch in his voice. After so much time, the jealousy he’d felt towards her had turned to real affection. Billy loved her and in the end, Dom could see why.
More sniffling from Ali’s end of the line, then her voice, sounding calmer yet still despairing. “Thank you. If you hear from him or see him or anything, call me. Any time of day… I’ll be home.”
“Of course, you’ll be first to know. And please call me if you hear something, or even if you just need to talk. Now, I think you should just get some sleep - try to take care of yourself. For Billy.”
Ali sighed, “Yeah, maybe you’re right. I’ll try to sleep a little. You take care, too.”
“G’night,” Dom said softly.
He stood there on the sidewalk for a moment, just staring at his phone. Some part of his mind told him to call the others: Elijah, Orli, Astin, Viggo, all of them, ask if they’d heard anything. But his heart knew that if Billy was going to contact anyone, it would have been him. Billy would never go to anyone before he went to Dom. He suddenly felt very tired and just wanted to get to his house. His phone slid back into his pocket and he started to walk again. He would call them tomorrow, go through the shock and fear with all of them. Right now he just wanted to pass out and pretend he had never talked to Ali.
Dom turned his head with a start and looked behind him, scanning the dark and dripping street. He was sure he had heard footsteps following him closely, but nothing was there. His eyes darted from alleys to doorways; all were empty. The street was silent. A second more, then Dom walked on. He chalked it up to an echo of his own steps caused by the wet sidewalk and his own over-stressed mind, and sunk back into his thoughts.
‘Billy. Billy.’ Dom’s feet seemed to move in time with the name. Where the hell could he have gone? It was fucking inconceivable, really. This wasn’t like Viggo, who would fuck off for weeks and come back with some story about a Brazilian dancer or an Italian art festival; or Elijah, whose voicemail was full every month because he kept saving messages for ‘sentimental reasons’ and was therefore completely unreachable until he got over it. If it was almost anyone else from Rings or fuck, even Lost, Dom would just roll his eyes and wait it out.
But this wasn’t anyone, this was Billy. Silly and sometimes unpredictable, yes, but dependable, courteous, logical; not reckless or insensitive. He would never have done this to Ali, not in a million years.
So, what are the alternatives, then?
God, don’t think about that. Don’t picture Billy unconscious in some hospital bed. Don’t see him lying in a ditch, blood spattered over him, limbs at odd angles - Fuck, no, just STOP.
Now he fully understood how broken down Ali had been on the phone. He was well on his way there himself.
Dom stopped suddenly. Again a noise from behind. This time he whirled around completely to face the unknown stalker. “OI! Ya bastid!” he yelled, feeling his voice deepen, his accent thicken so that he sounded like any common street punk. “I don’t know what you’re fuckin’ lookin’ for, mate, but you won’t find it here. So fuck off b’fore ya get somethin’ ya don’t want, yeah?” He glared menacingly into the dark, again scanning any place someone could have been hiding.
Silence. Not a cough, not a shuffle of feet, not even a breath.
“Bleedin’ tosser,” Dom muttered to himself, turning and continuing his walk. He was usually intolerant of paparazzi or stalker fans as it was, but tonight was just not the night to piss him off. He hunched his shoulders and lowered his head, reverting to the defensive body language that he’d learned long ago while walking these same streets, warding off any further trouble.
It took considerable effort, but Dom struggled to push his worried thoughts out of his mind. For tonight, they would do neither him nor Billy any amount of good. Better to just go home and collapse in bed, whether or not he actually slept, and try to trust that Billy would turn up unharmed and okay.
Dominic finally reached the small house and gave one last look around the empty street. He was still a bit shaken from the footsteps he'd heard, though he didn't want to admit it to himself. There was nothing to be seen by the soft glow of the streetlights, so he turned back to the house and trudged up the front steps, aimlessly searching his pockets for the keys.
"Hello, Dom."
In all his life, Dom had never moved so fast. He spun around so quickly that he made himself slightly dizzy, already starting to raise his fists if he needed to defend himself. Then he stopped. And stared.
Billy stood there, not 5 feet in front of him. His smile was calm and definitely amused. There was not a mark on him, not even a hair out of place. He looked serene and well, though the dim light made him look quite pale. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and he rocked back on his heels a little as Dom continued to gape. "You look like you've seen a ghost, Dommeh," he said. His smile twitched into a smirk.
For a second more, Dom was motionless. Then in one lightning-fast motion he crashed into Billy and clung to him as if he were trying to absorb him through osmosis. Billy wasn't fazed for a moment, catching Dom in his arms and holding him almost as tightly. Dom's mind was a fog consisting of Billy's name and the words alive, okay, safe, and thank you, though one sentence did flash through for a brief second: Cold, he's so cold, how long has he been outside??.
“God, Billy, what the fuck?!" Dom grinned and sniffled, only then realizing that he was on the verge of tears. He chuckled in spite of himself. "You fucking bastard! I called your house and Ali told me you've been missing, I thought you were dead or something." He pulled back a little to look at Billy's face, not letting go of the hug just yet. In fact, he had to restrain himself from pulling Billy in tighter and kissing him in relief and joy.
Billy's smile widened. "Well, I'm here, aren't I? So obviously, I'm not dead." Again, the twitching smirk. "Although I'm probably quite lucky you didn't break my ribs when you tried to squeeze the air out of me just now." But he didn't move from the embrace, either. His arms moved down Dom's back, and Dom's heart did a flip in his chest.
Suddenly there was a loud crack of thunder, a bright flash of lightning, and the rain clouds opened up once again. "Fuck," Dom swore, "C'mon, let's get inside." He turned back to the door and quickly unlocked it, pulling Billy along behind him as he ducked into the house.
It took a little while for Dominic to get the house comfortable, but once the heat got going it was nice enough. He called out to Billy as he hung up their coats in the closet, "You're absolutely freezing, you want some tea? I might even have some whiskey or something in here, depends what Matt left behind."
"No, thank you, I'm fine," Billy yelled back.
Dom paused, surprised. "You're saying no to a hot toddy, Bills?"
"Shocking as my refusal is, it's not going to bring about the end of the world. That's not the taste I'm looking for tonight," Billy replied, sitting down in the front room.
"Never thought I'd see you turn down free whiskey, is all." Dom winked at Billy as he sat down in the armchair across from him. He tried his best to hide his concern; the last time Billy had been that cold was in NZ, when they were all wet and freezing and sick. "You sure you're feeling okay?"
"I'm fine. Better than fine. I feel brilliant." Billy leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. "A little cold isn't going to bother me."
Dom stared at the man across from him and couldn't hold back any longer. "All right, now really, what the fuck is going on here? You disappear for DAYS, leaving Ali a frightened mess, mind you, and now you sneak up on me in the middle of a thunderstorm, cold as death, and you don't want tea and you say you feel fucking brilliant?!? Have you gone mad??" He stared at Billy in utter disbelief.
For the first time since appearing out of no where, Billy stopped smiling. He sighed and closed his eyes for a second. When he reopened them, he began to speak. "It's not going to be easy to explain, but I'll do my best because you deserve to know the truth. I've been thinking of leaving Ali. For a while now." He held up his hand to stop Dom's interruption and continued. "Nothing happened, Dom, there was no argument or fight or secrets or affairs or anything. Which was... kinda the point, I suppose. It was comfortable, and easy, and nice, and it was just wrong. I love her, that's never going to change, but... it didn't feel right. If I'm honest with myself, I guess it never really did. But I loved her, and it was... god, I nearly hate myself for saying it, but it was convenient. So I made it work." He looked back up at Dom, who was gaping openly. Billy waited, knowing Dom needed to say something.
"Billy... I... How didn't I know?" Dom snapped his mouth shut. "Well, that was selfish of me to ask."
Chuckling, Billy nodded. "Aye, it was. But it was honest and you had to." The look on Billy's face was odd to Dom, as if he was seeing Dom for the first time. Then he shook his head slightly and continued. "You didn't know because I didn't want you to." His eyes locked onto Dominic's and held his gaze. "Because it was all because of you."
It was the weirdest thing Dom had ever felt; the blood drained from his face, yet at the same time his skin went warm and prickly all over, as if he were blushing. Emotions were bubbling up to the surface of his heart, emotions like hope, fear, even anger. He forced them down as best he could. "Me?!? What are you saying, what do I have to do with-- with you and Ali?"
Billy's eyes traveled over Dom's face, and he smiled softly again. "Everything, Dom. Absolutely everything. I don't know how you didn't see it, now, looking back. I was an absolute idiot, and you still didn't see it. Did your fear blind you that much? Did mine?"
"Wha-- I..." Dom felt like he was suffocating, and he didn't know why. He wasn't sure of anything, his mind was reeling from stem to stern. "What the bloody hell are you talking about?? You have gone mad, haven't you? You're not making sense." But he was. Deep down inside, Dom knew what Billy was saying.
"Yes, I am, and yes... you know what I'm saying. That's why I came here tonight, after... after everything."
Latching on to the closest thing to a change of subject he could find, Dom blurted out, "After what, exactly. Where have you been?"
There was a pause, and then Billy nodded. "All right. After the recording session I went to a pub. One I didn't know, hadn't heard of. I was feeling... I was feeling the weight of it all, my choice to leave Ali. As I got more and more pissed, I started to reconsider. I'd almost worked myself up to thinking about bloody proposing to her. And then... There was this bloke. We got to talking. He..." That small smirking twitch again. That twitch that was very unlike Billy. "He changed my mind. Made me see things in ways I'd never seen before. When I asked him why he chose to... talk to me, he said I reminded him of himself, before someone had talked to him. And that it seemed like I needed it." Billy chuckled again. "He was so very right."
Dominic was not chuckling. "So you went off on a bender with some bloke you just met who changed your life, that's what you're telling me." He suddenly felt very very ill.
Billy's voice was soft and gentle. "Nothing happened, Dommeh. Me and this guy. Nothing happened, not like what you're thinking." It looked like he was going to reach across and take Dom's hand, but he dropped his hand back to his side as if he had thought better of it. "You know you were the only one."
His eyes snapping shut, Dom clenched his jaw. "We weren't... We said we wouldn't talk about it." He rose from his chair, not knowing where he was going to go, just wanting to get away. "That was centuries ago, you have Ali and she's scared out of her wits, now just forget this load of bollocks and go to her--"
"I love you."
Dom fell back into his chair. "Billy, don't... if you're-- please."
Billy looked at him plainly, his eyes revealing only the truth of his words. "I love you, Dominic. I always have. I know that I always will. That's what I ran to Ali to get away from in the first place, that's why I tried so hard, that's why I wanted to leave her, that's why I disappeared into that pub, and that's why I'm back and sitting in your house and not hers. I love you, and I know you love me. I fucked it up in the past, over and over, but I need you now and I won't stand being without you anymore."
There was silence for a moment. All Dom had ever wanted was coming true, but something wasn't right, it was all too easy. "Why now? After all this time, after Ali, and Evie, why... why now?"
"Because I'm going away."
There it was. Disbelief was written all over Dom's pained face. "What, you drop this all on me and now you're fucking off again?! I don't believe this!"
"No, not disappearing on another bender or anything like that. I'm going to talk to Ali first, sort things out. She'll be all right. But I'm going away for a long time. And I want you to come with me."
Dom didn't think he'd spent this much time speechless in his life. "... Where?"
Another smile from Billy. "Anywhere. Everywhere. Whatever you want. You're free now, I know you are. No commitments written in stone, no projects you're dying to do. Hell, you've been unhappy with your career for a while now, haven't you?"
Dom nodded, but said nothing.
"Yeah. You don't talk about it, you keep it hidden, but I know. They don't really see you... what you have, what you are. What's standing right in front of them. They just want you to be the sidekick, the clown, the English bastard..." Billy mused. "But I see you, Dom. I see you so clearly now. And I want you with me, for a very long time."
His heart was pulling at him so hard that it hurt, but Dom wouldn't give in just yet no matter how much he wanted to leap from his chair and say 'Yes, Billy, I'll go anywhere with you, I love you.' Something else was going on here. As easy as it would be to tell himself Billy was talking about running off together for a long vacation or something, Dom could feel in his bones that something very deep and serious was happening. And it all hinged on him. He leaned forward in his chair. "And I have to decide now, don't I?"
"Yes. No sleeping on it, no phone calls for advice... If you come with me, we leave tonight." Billy's entire body language spoke of quiet confidence, but his eyes were pleading. "I promise, I will tell you absolutely everything. Answer all of your questions. If you come with me."
With a heavy sigh, Dom stood, his voice rising as he spoke. "OK, look. I do love you, and I guess you always knew that. But I can't just toss everything away like this for empty promises and pretty words. You're obviously a mess from this whole thing with Ali, and you're just looking for a way out, so you picked me." He swallowed hard. His words were hollow and meaningless to his own ears, Billy was very clearly not a mess, but he couldn't accept that Billy was honestly choosing him over everything and everyone else. It was too good to be true, far too good, and he had to send Billy away before he realized he was making a mistake. "Go home, Billy. Go home to her. Stop doing this to me."
Billy's eyes seemed to be literally on fire as he stood, so fast that Dom thought his own eyes were playing tricks on him, and stepped towards the other man. "Goddammit, you really are an idiot sometimes, aren't you, Dominic?" And then he was on him, lips forced against Dom's as if not kissing him meant dying.
The blazing heat in the kiss rocked Dom backwards, and he almost fell over the chair behind him, but Billy's arms caught and held him tightly. The strength in Billy's embrace was shocking, but Dom was far too preoccupied to notice for more than a fleeting instant. He grabbed at Billy's collar with both hands, the fabric stretching almost to the point of tearing, and he poured all those years of secrecy and despair into this one moment of passion. He didn't even feel the whimpering in his throat until he heard it with his own ears.
Rucking up Dom's shirt, Billy ran his hands down Dom's back, nails dragging across the skin. Dom arched hard into Billy in response and broke the kiss for a heaving breath. "Jesus fucking Christ, please."
Billy grinned and murmured against Dom's lips, "You believe me now, yeah?" He flicked his tongue into Dom's mouth as if savoring the taste.
Still panting, Dom whined again. "Mmm, yeah... yeah." His head was reeling again, but in such a delicious way this time. He couldn't think anymore, all he knew was that he wanted Billy, no, he needed him, now.
"Need you, too, Dommeh... Needed you for so long," Billy breathed and rested his forehead against Dom's, pressing their hips together firmly and swaying.
Dom's hands started moving of their own accord, desperately pulling on the buttons on Billy's shirt. "Then have me. Take me."
Billy reached up with one hand and held Dom's wrists, his grip unshakable. "You're coming with me, then." It was not a question this time.
Another sigh. "Yes. Yes, anywhere. If you really want me, I'm yours. I've always been yours, Billy. Just... don't leave me again." Dom's eyes darted to the side, hating to show weakness like that even though he needed to say it.
"Never again. Never." Billy let go of Dom's hands and kissed him hard again, squeezing him closer with his other arm.
Dom wasn't sure if it was the intensity of this moment, the heat of the kiss, or the wicked way Billy was nibbling on his bottom lip, but his legs started to give beneath him. Before they could buckle completely, both of Billy's arms were back around him and gently lowering him to the floor. Billy knelt over him, clearly amused. "Mmmm, you're gonna do yourself a mischief, love. Maybe we better get you upstairs. To the bedroom," Billy added, with emphasis.
"Nnngh. No." Dom's refusal made Billy's eyebrows quirk upwards. Dom clarified. "Don't think I can make it upstairs. Need you here, now, not gonna wait anymore." His hands resumed their work on the buttons of Billy's shirt, pushing it open and away from Billy's shoulders. "Get your kit off and fuck me, Billy." He grinned cheekily.
"Oh fuck, don't have to ask me twice," Billy groaned and threw off his shirt. He pulled Dom's t-shirt over his head and then made short work of his own jeans before Dom was even halfway out of his. Once undressed, they were on each other like animals: fierce growls and nips of teeth punctuating their kisses, fingers digging in like claws in pale skin, more like wrestling than sex. They moved against each other savagely, desperate for contact with every inch of skin they could reach. Billy's hand moved between them and grabbed hold of Dom's cock, every squeeze and twist an echo of times past but alive with some new fervor.
Stroke after stroke brought Dominic's back arching off the rug whimpering for more. "I swear to God, Billy, if you don't fuck me soon, I'm going to fucking strangle you."
Holding back a chuckle, Billy leaned back and grabbed for his jeans, pulling a packet of lube loose from the pocket and tearing it open. He drizzled some on his fingers and slid them down Dom's cock, palmed his balls, then started to slide them slowly and carefully into his arse. Dom pushed down firmly on Billy's fingers, not wanting to take the time, and whined again. "Is good, get on with it, fucking please."
The rest of the lube went onto Billy's cock in lightning-fast time, and then Billy was right there, pushing in, and Dom's legs locked around his waist as if holding Billy prisoner. It was Billy's turn to whimper now. "Fucking hell, you feel so good when I'm inside you. Could fuck you forever." His hand returned to Dom's cock, moving in concert with the thrusts of his hips as he started to establish a rhythm.
Incapable of a coherent reply, Dom just pulled Billy down to him, damn near raping his mouth with his tongue. Every movement they made screamed of need as their bodies pounded against the floor. Billy's hips moved with an inhuman ferocity, and Dom's nails were sinking into his back.
As Dom neared his climax, Billy broke their kiss and stared at him, eyes feral in their wildness. "Do you trust me?" he panted.
Breathless as he was, Dom could only manage a nod.
"Do you love me?"
A harsh and dry swallow deep in his throat, and Dom croaked, "Always."
Billy grinned. "I love you, Dominic. And you're mine." Still moving hard and deep inside Dom, he pulled him up into his arms and buried his face in Dom's neck, biting hard. The sweat was pouring off of Dom as he pressed himself full against Billy, the feel of Billy's teeth pushing him faster into his orgasm, and he came hard, at that moment a realization crossing his mind. His eyes snapped open.
His teeth... oh my god, his teeth, what the fuck!
Weak as he was, Dom could barely move to breathe, only now seeing that what he thought was sweat was actually blood, his blood, and Billy was still clamped onto his neck like a vise as he came inside Dom. Why doesn't it hurt? Why does it feel so fucking good, God, don't let him stop if it's going to feel like this.
Billy chuckled, the vibrations thrumming through Dom's veins, and then Dom heard his voice in his head. 'I wouldn't hurt you for the world, love.'
Dom gasped. Red tinges invaded the edges of his vision, everything was going dark, dark and red as scarlet. Red as blood. For a moment, it all went black.
Then Billy was holding him up, pressing something to his lips. "Open, drink, Dom, please." A slight sense of urgency in his voice. Dom still couldn't open his eyes, but his mouth fell open and suddenly something was being poured down his throat. He swallowed to keep from choking on it and then clamped his mouth down hard. He'd never tasted anything so powerful, so rich, and he drank as if he were dying of thirst. More, please, need it, want it, more. His hands found life, grabbing hold of whatever it was, holding it in a death grip, until it was wrenched away. His eyes flew open and he screamed, thinking that he would die now, and from miles away he heard... he heard everything.
Everything Dominic could hear was liquid. Billy's guttural curses under his breath, the downpour of rain outside, and the blood... My god, the blood. He could hear it in Billy, he could hear it pooling in the wound on his neck, and he heard his own pulse as strong as a kettle drum in his own ears. He floundered on the floor, wholly new intoxicating sensations flooding his body, and then Billy was there, Billy was pulling him close, cradling him in his arms. 'Shhh... you're okay. You're safe, and nothing can ever hurt you again, nothing can ever take you away from me.'
Dom nuzzled into Billy's neck, suddenly aware of the veins beneath his lips. "Billy?" He winced at the sound of his voice, it was loud and shaky.
Soothing Dom's hair back, Billy whispered, "It's okay. You'll get used to it. It's just... new to you right now."
"What is? What is this, what did you do to me?" He wasn't angry, he felt too fantastic to be angry, but he was confused and a little scared.
Billy smiled down at him. 'You know what I did.'
"You... But... It's not possible!" Dom pushed away from Billy, wavering slightly but sitting up on his own. He ran his tongue over his teeth and found just what he thought he would. Fangs.
"Don't worry, they go away when you want them to. You just need some time to learn to control it." Billy was absentmindedly rubbing his wrist as he talked, and Dom realized that's what he'd been drinking from.
Dom's thoughts were a tornado, throwing out revelations bit by bit, his synapses making connections faster than ever before. "You were following me. That's what I kept hearing on my way here. And you... that's why you were gone... the bloke you met he... he turned you into a... a..."
"Vampire." Billy was amused again. "You can say it. You'll feel better when you do."
"Vampire." And Dom smiled. "Holy shit."
Billy chuckled. "Not much holy about it, I think, but yeah, pretty much what I said, too." Billy's quiet laughter rang like bells to Dom's ears, intensifying the beauty he was drinking in all around him.
Dom suddenly slammed against Billy and kissed him ferociously, his new fangs snagging on Billy's lip in the process. Dom thought it tasted like heaven. Billy pulled back, steadying Dom who hadn't even realized he was about to fall. "Careful, lad. You're exhausted, you need to rest." He glanced out the window, at the moon. "We both need to. It's nearing daylight." He stood, and gently pulled Dom up with him.
Head still spinning, Dominic leaned against Billy for support and stared into his eyes. "This is for real, isn't it?"
In answer, Billy kissed him softly and tenderly. 'We have all eternity for you to see just how real it is.'
-end-