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fellowshippers2005-05-27 10:45 am
ex-salwood.livejournal.com) wrote in fellowshippers2005-05-27 10:45 am
The Wedding 8/9
Title: The Wedding 8/9
Author: Salogel42
Pairing: dom/lij
Rating: NC 17
Warning: Swearing, sex and angst.
Summary: Dom and Lij spend their second week in Florence.
Archive: All chapters of The Wedding can be found here
Author’s note: This is the sequel to World Trip. There are characters from World Trip in this story and also flashbacks to certains events. World Trip can be found here
Disclaimer: Absolutely not true!
The Wedding
Chapter 8 – Florence
First Day
Elijah slid into the rear of the taxi next to Dominic. “I wish all flights were that short,” he said. “We barely had time to put our seatbelts on before landing again.”
Dominic nodded as he watched the driver finish stowing their luggage in the trunk.
“Can’t say I’m looking forward to the long flight home at the end of the week though, Lij.”
“No… nor me.”
“Still… a few relaxing days here… it’ll be nice.” Dominic rubbed his hand over Elijah’s thigh. “It is going to be relaxing, isn’t it, Lij?”
Elijah just smiled.
*
The hotel was one of the largest they had ever stayed in, which was quite unusual for Elijah who had always preferred smaller places if possible, with a more intimate feel. But it had been the only place available at such short notice. The end of November was not tourist season but it was still extremely busy. Dominic wondered just where everyone did stay at the height of the season, and how they all managed to fit into this small city.
Elijah finished hanging his clothes in the large wardrobe, while Dominic studied the hotel information booklet, looking for an English translation, which seemed lost amongst the multitude of what seemed like hundreds of other languages.
“Popular place…” Dominic observed as he finally found what he was looking for.
Elijah walked over to the window to look at the view. The short journey from the airport to the city had been an eye-opener. Florence was smaller than Rome, but it was jam-packed with places to see, and things to do.
He looked over at Dominic, his wonderful Dominic, who would quite happily remain in this hotel room all week and not go anywhere, as long as he remained with him. So Elijah had decided to try and divide their time a little more evenly, between sight seeing, and relaxing. Which, of course meant that he was going to have to be extremely selective in choosing the places he wanted to see.
“Here it is!” Dominic looked up at Elijah and grinned.
“What?” Elijah walked over to him.
“Michelangelo’s David. That statue. It’s in the…” Dominic read the name slowly… “Galleria dell’ Accademia, wherever that is. We are going to see it, aren’t we, Lij?”
Elijah nodded, his eyes smiling. “Yeah, we’re going to see the statue, Dom.”
*
Dominic stood with his hands in his pockets studying a large scenic painting on the lobby wall while Elijah booked the tours for the coming week. The receptionist spoke excellent English, and with her help and advice it wasn’t long before everything was arranged.
“Great….” Elijah joined Dominic. He looked at his watch. It was now late afternoon. “Shall we just go for a walk?” he asked. “We’re near the river.”
“Are there any stores near here, Lij?” Dominic asked. “They’ve got a terrace pool here, and I quite fancy a dip later - but we didn’t bring swimming shorts.”
Elijah looked at Dominic in silence for a long moment before replying. Then he said quietly. “I’ll ask.”
Dominic saw the receptionist nod and point a directional finger, and when Elijah rejoined him, he took his hand and they both stepped outside onto the cobbled pavements of the medieval city.
For late November Florence was relatively mild, but the temperature always dropped dramatically when dusk fell. There was a light drizzle in the air, and with the aid of Elijah’s map they began making their way firstly to a small shopping area so that Dominic could make his purchases, and from there they made their way to the River Arno, and a small bridge, one of many that crossed it, called the Ponte Vespucci.
As they both stood on the bank deciding whether or not to cross the bridge, along with the heavy traffic, which seem to consist mainly of vespa scooters, the rain began to fall. They decided to backtrack to a quiet café, and took a table by the window. They spent a relaxing hour drinking coffee and watching the rain droplets run down the windowpane. By the time they decided to return to the hotel, daylight was fading fast.
*
Elijah stared blankly at the swimming shorts.
“Yep, the pool is still open, Lij,” Dominic confirmed as he hung up the internal telephone.
“But it’s raining.” Elijah protested meekly.
“Nothing like swimming in the rain. Warm pool, cold rain… fantastic combination… and very relaxing… just the thing before dinner.” Dominic disappeared into the bathroom to collect a couple of bath towels.
“Lij…?” Dominic stopped when he saw Elijah sitting on the bed twisting the swimming shorts in his hands. “Are you alright? What’s up?”
“I haven’t been in the water, Dom. Not since… well…not since last year.”
Dominic frowned. “Last year? Oh come on, Lij. It’s a fucking swimming pool, not the sea.”
Dominic immediately knew he had said the wrong thing as he watched Elijah’s face crumple.
“Oh shit, Lij. I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” He walked around the bed and sat next to Elijah. “I didn’t mean that. You know I didn’t fucking mean that.”
Elijah looked at him, his eyes said it all.
“Oh, Lij, baby, it’s alright…” Dominic put a comforting arm around Elijah’s shoulder. “You know it’s perfectly safe. There is nothing to worry about… nothing can get you in a swimming pool.”
“I’m not fucking stupid, Dom.” Elijah shrugged Dominic’s arm off and stood up. “I know the difference between a fucking swimming pool and the sea, so don’t treat me like I’m a fucking idiot.”
Dominic frowned; it was unusual to hear Elijah speaking to him this way.
“I know there are no fucking stingers in Italian swimming pools…” Elijah continued. “Jesus Christ, what a fucking ridiculous thing to say!” He looked angrily at Dominic.
“Hey… I’m sorry, Lij.” Dominic raised his arms in defeat and stood up. “It was a bad idea. I’ll never mention it again. Sorry for even bringing it up.” He quickly gathered up the towels and returned them to the bathroom, and while in there he took a long look at himself in the mirror.
Elijah appeared in the doorway.
“I just don’t want people seeing it, Dom.” His voice was quiet. “I don’t want people staring, and wondering what the fuck happened to me.”
“Oh, Lijah…” Dominic took Elijah’s hands. “I wasn’t thinking straight, baby. You know how perfect you are to me.”
“You’re used to it Dom… I’m used to it. But the scarring is so fucking severe. I just don’t want to draw attention to myself.”
“I understand, baby… you know I do. Don’t worry…”
“You can go if you want.”
“No… not without you. We’ll think of something else to do before dinner.”
“Oh yes?” Elijah couldn’t help beginning to smile. “Like what, exactly?”
“Well… I don’t know. Hmmmm… How about this for starters…?” Dominic took Elijah into his arms and kissed him gently on the mouth before moving his lips to just beneath his ear where he began sucking hard on warm skin. He felt Elijah’s body sag against his own, as he continued sucking, slowly letting his mouth travel downwards to the area where neck meets collarbone. Sucking on this spot usually turned Elijah into jelly, and this evening was no exception.
They made it to dinner with ten minutes to spare.
Second Day
Rain. November was one of the wettest months in Florence, and Dominic and Elijah were dressed accordingly.
“If it doesn’t stop, we’ll come back early…” Elijah said as he pulled his beanie down tightly over his head. “And maybe try out the pool.”
Dominic wasn’t sure he had heard properly. “The pool? But, Lij… last night…you said…”
“Dom…” Elijah interrupted. He looked at Dominic with eyes even more enormous than ever due to the hat framing his face. “I thought about it long and hard last night while you were sleeping. I even spent some time looking at myself in the mirror, and do you know what I think? This is me. And you love me… and that’s what is important. At the end of the day it’s what you and I think that matters, not anyone else. I’ve come a long way this past year… I am not going to take a step backwards. I’m not!”
Dominic grinned. My brave, Elijah, he thought. My wonderful, fucking brave Elijah.
“So are we ready to go?” Elijah held out his hand to Dominic as he opened the bedroom door.
“God, I love you so much, baby.” Dominic kissed Elijah on the mouth, and they both made their way outside into a rather damp Florentine morning.
Because of the rain, they took a taxi, which secretly pleased Dominic. He had thought they had undertaken far too much walking in Rome… too much for Elijah, anyway, not that Elijah would ever admit to it. The journey was slow and arduous due to the congested traffic, not much unlike Rome in that respect, but they eventually arrived at Elijah’s first port of call - Palazzo Pitti.
“If the rain stops, there are some fantastic gardens here…” Elijah said as he dug the tickets out of his rucksack. And the view from up there is supposed to be awesome.” He pointed to a hill in the distance, but it was shrouded in mist.
Dominic seriously doubted they would be going up any hill, but the palace before them looked very inviting, and it was warm and dry. They joined a small group of visitors at the entrance and waited for the guide to arrive and their tour to begin.
How the other half lived… Dominic thought as they followed the guide from room to room in the huge and imposing building. What the guide had to say, with his thick Italian accent, went completely over his head, but he was impressed nonetheless.
“Imagine living here, Lij,” Dominic whispered in Elijah’s ear. “In these royal apartments. Maybe I would have been your humble servant.” Dominic did a mock bow, and Elijah couldn’t help smiling.
“Ah… but you would have had to sleep in the servants’ quarters, Dom, and that would never do.” Elijah put on his poshest voice as he and Dominic followed the guide into the next room.
“Yeah, but we would have found a way. I bet you some of these paintings have secret doorways behind them…and I would have come to you in the dead of night, Lij. Found you lying waiting for me in your ornate bed… exactly like this one. And you would have been naked but surrounded by silks… and I would have taken you… right there… on that bed…. Right there.”
Both Dominic and Elijah came to halt as they stared at the four-poster bed, draped with rich golden silks and burgundy linens. It looked lost in the large room.
“There…” Dominic pointed to one of the fresco paintings. “There is the secret way in.”
Elijah looked at Dominic, and then back at the bed.
“That bed, Lijah…” Dominic winked at Elijah as he took his warm hand in his. Then they turned to follow the guide as the tour continued.
It was a long tour, but then it was a large building, and by the time it concluded the rain was still pouring down, so they had no option but to abandon the Boboli Gardens, which surrounded the Palace. Instead they headed for the river and a very famous bridge that crossed it.
The Ponte Vecchio, or Old Bridge. And old it was. The oldest bridge in Florence, having been built in 1345, and the only bridge to survive bombing during the Second World War. It was now a tourist trap, with its jewellery shops and cafes, but back in its day the bridge had housed workshops of many kinds, from tanners to blacksmiths.
The rain meant the bridge was quiet. And if this is quiet, I would like to see busy! Dominic thought as they walked amongst the throngs of people. Elijah kept disappearing through doorways and once or twice Dominic actually lost sight of him.
Eventually they found a nice warm café, and sat down.
“Hope this rain isn’t around all week.” Dominic sighed as he picked up the menu.
Elijah just shrugged. “It doesn’t matter… most of the stuff we want to see is indoors.”
“True. So, when do we get to see you, then?” Dominic grinned.
Elijah laughed. “You mean the statue?”
Dominic nodded enthusiastically.
“You’re dead keen to see that aren’t you, Dom?”
“Well it looks like you. It looks like you posed for the fucking thing.”
Elijah couldn’t help giggling. “Well, if that were the case, then I would be your five hundred year old lover.”
“Yeah… weird! Well, I can tell you this, Lij - you’ve aged well!”
Elijah snorted. Then their attention turned to food and drink as the waitress arrived to take their order.
*
Elijah folded his clothes carefully in the changing room.
“There are a couple of people in the pool, Lij.” Dominic looked over his shoulder at Elijah after peeking through the doorway.
“It’s ok, Dom.” Elijah stood tall. “It doesn’t matter.”
Dominic returned to Elijah’s side, and watched him tie his hair back. “You are always beautiful to me, my Lijah,” he said as he cupped the side of Elijah’s face. “Always beautiful.”
Elijah lowered his eyes, and then closed them as he felt Dominic’s mouth press gently over his. Their arms went around each other, and they held each other, and continued kissing, until they heard the door creak open.
In stepped an elderly gentleman, who spoke to them in Italian, before his words dried up.
Elijah knew it would happen. The look of shock on the old man’s face spoke volumes.
“Come on, baby…” Dominic took Elijah’s hand. “Let’s go for a swim.”
The rain had stopped for a while, and as far as the eye could see the red rooftops of Florence sparkled and shone in the broken moonlight.
“Wow…” Elijah was quite lost for words, and didn’t immediately follow Dominic into the warm water of the well-lit swimming pool. “That is fucking awesome.”
“Hey!” Dominic flicked some water up at Elijah. “Are you coming in?”
Elijah looked at Dominic in the water, and then over at the only other person in the pool, who was staring intently at him.
“Yeah, coming.” Elijah removed his glasses and placed them on top of his bath towel, and in completely ‘blind as a bat mode’, he slipped into the warm inviting water and joined Dominic.
Fourth Day
Dominic rose early. Today was his day – David Day! “Come on, Lij! Let’s get there before the queues.”
Elijah rolled over, and pulled the bedcovers over his head. “Nah… let’s stay in today…” he murmured, knowing full well that Dominic would freak at that comment.
“No fucking way, Elijah Wood! You had me sitting on top of that hill yesterday nearly all day taking pics of Florence in the fucking drizzle and the cold!” He yanked the sheets completely off Elijah, revealing his naked body. Elijah immediately turned over and grinned at him.
“And looking at me like that won’t get you off lightly. In fact looking at me like that won’t get either of us anywhere today.”
“Looking like what?” Elijah feigned innocence.
“Like that you fucking awesome incredibly fucking gorgeous human being.”
“Who, me? I’ve no idea what you are talking about…” Elijah smiled wickedly as he lifted his thickening cock, and offered it to Dominic. “Want this?” he asked.
Dominic groaned as he crawled onto the bed, immediately forgetting any idea of setting off early.
*
“You know, we’ve not seen as much of Florence, as we did of Rome.” Elijah thought he would mention this to Dominic as they shuffled along in the queue to see one of the most famous statues in the world.
“Yeah, I know. But it’s been nice.” Dominic held Elijah’s hand, and squeezed it gently. “Would rather see more of you any day Lij, than any old artefact, but you already know that.”
Elijah nodded as the queue in front of them gradually moved forwards. “Umm…I was thinking, Dom… I would like to extend our honeymoon.”
“Extend? How do you mean, Lij?”
“Well, we’re due to fly home in three days… and I was thinking… Well, I was thinking it would be nice to go to Venice - for your birthday.”
“For my birthday?” Dominic repeated. “That’s over a week away yet, Lij.”
“Well if we fly from here to Venice, and spend a week there, it would take in your birthday.”
“Hmmm…” Dominic said as they slowly shuffled on further.
“It would be so special, Dom. I was still in hospital this time last year, remember? Your birthday sort of passed us by without a second thought.”
“Well, we did have other things to think about, didn’t we, Lij. Like getting you back to LA.”
“You deserve a birthday to remember, Dom… really. I think we should do this. Mal can look after the shop for another week, and I’m sure Pete won’t mind. I’ll call him this evening when we get back, and I can ask Luisa on reception to organise flights to Venice and a hotel. What do you say?”
“A birthday to remember, you say? A birthday with you in Venice? Any birthday with you is special, Lij, you know that.”
Elijah nodded and smiled.
“But yeah… a birthday in Venice. Sounds incredibly romantic.” Dominic raised Elijah’s hand to his mouth and kissed it. “Incredibly romantic, indeed… Let’s do it.”
“Great!” Elijah beamed. “Leave it with me, I’ll take care of everything.”
The line that was long when they joined it gradually petered out, and finally Dominic and Elijah were confronted by the statue that Dominic had been dying to see since their honeymoon had begun.
“Whoa…!” Dominic looked up at the impressive figure of Michelangelo’s David. It stood over twenty three feet high on its pedestal, and the lighting that fell upon it highlighted its every curve.
Elijah’s gaze followed Dominic’s. He knew the statue was big, he’d seen pictures of it, and read about it in his guide book… but this wasn’t big… this was nowhere near big… this was… Elijah tried to think of a word… colossal?
“That’s fucking huge!”
Elijah grinned at Dominic’s interpretation of the statue’s size.
“Sure is,” Elijah agreed.
The area where the statue was sited allowed visitors a free and unencumbered view of it from all angles, so taking Elijah’s hand again, Dominic tugged him along so that he could see the monument in all its glory.
“Still think it looks like me?” Elijah found Dominic’s insistence that he resembled the statue quite amusing. “I don’t think it looks like me.”
“It’s the fucking double of you…” Dominic whispered as he looked at the amazing work of a man who had created this masterpiece over five hundred years ago. “Well, I have to admit you’re a lot bigger down below...”
Elijah chuckled.
“But, just look at it! Fuck me, Lij. It’s even got your physique too, after all your physio this year. Christ, this is so fucking spooky.”
“Will you get out of here!” Elijah took a step backwards to look up at the awesome figure; its grandeur was enhanced even further by its turned head and intense gaze.
“I mean, since you’ve grown your hair, and toned up… I mean… shit. You definitely posed for this in a past life.”
“Now you’re definitely starting to freak me out, Dom.”
“But look at it, Lij.” Doming dragged Elijah even further backwards. “Just look at it… my God, it is you.”
“But he’s got curly hair…”
Dominic tore his gaze away from the statue and looked at Elijah, his bespectacled lover, who had never been able to see his own physical beauty.
“Can I prove it to you, baby?” Dominic suddenly asked. “Back at the hotel tonight? Let me turn you into this statue….”
“What?” Elijah wanted to laugh, but Dominic looked so serious.
“Baby? Please?” Dominic let his fingers run down the side of Elijah’s face. “Will you let me do it?”
“Well, if you really want to?” Elijah didn’t have a clue what this was going to entail, but it was obviously something Dominic wanted to do.
“You’re not going to paint me, or anything, are you?” Elijah asked a little worriedly.
Dominic smiled. “No, baby… but I will need to go shopping.”
Elijah nodded… “Yeah, I figured you might.”
Dominic grinned and placed a quick kiss on the side of Elijah’s face, before turning his attention back to the breath-taking statue before them.
*
Elijah looked in the mirror as he removed over a week’s worth of stubble from his face. He had put his foot down with regards to Dominic’s request that he remove all body hair apart from his genital area.
“I’m not going to suffering itchy hair re-growth for the rest of our honeymoon, Dom. No fucking way.”
Dominic gave in… “Ok…” he said sheepishly. “Just your face, then?”
So a quick shower and de-fuzz it was. Elijah wrapped the bath towel tightly around his waist and towel dried his hair as he re-joined Dominic in their bedroom.
Dominic had several postcards of ‘David’ spread on the bed. He was studying them carefully when Elijah walked into the room.
“Grab a drink, Lij.” Dominic indicated a glass of red wine already poured.
“Am I going to need it?” Elijah smiled at Dominic as he sat on the bed beside him.
“Well, you won’t like what’s next!”
Elijah raised his eyebrows. “Go on then… what are you going to do to me?”
Dominic grinned and opened a carrier bag.
“It’s a curling iron thing!” Elijah looked at the implement in Dominic’s hand with something akin to horror.
“Well, David’s hair is curly… just like you said in the gallery.” Dominic pointed to one of the postcards to emphasise his point.
“You’re going to curl my fucking hair?”
Dominic nodded enthusiastically.
Elijah just stared at him, his mouth agape.
“You’ll look great, Lij!” Dominic quickly got off the bed and plugged in the iron to start warming it up. “You’ll need to dry your hair first though.”
“Yeah…right.” Elijah responded in a totally resigned way. “You know, Dom. I really don’t do curly hair.”
“You had curly hair as a hobbit.” Dominic reminded him.
“But that was a wig!”
“No difference!”
“It’s a big difference.”
“Elijah Wood scared of a curling iron. Who ever would have thought?”
“Not scared… I just don’t want to look stupid!”
“Hey…” Dominic sat down on the bed again. “You will never look stupid…”
“But curly hair…”
“Don’t worry, baby…you are going to look just beautiful…”
“I’m going to wash it, right after.”
“No you’re not.”
“Yes, I am...”
“No, you’re not…”
Dominic clamped his mouth over Elijah’s before he could protest anymore.
*
“There…” Dominic turned off the curling iron and placed it on the table to cool down.
“I bet I look like the biggest twat on the planet.” Elijah looked up at Dominic.
“Actually it quite suits you, Lij.” Dominic ran his fingers through Elijah’s hair separating the locks, and loosening the curls. “If I hadn’t made it as an actor, I think hairdressing would have been my calling.”
“God, you speak a load of crap sometimes, Dom.”
“Yeah… I know.” Dominic chuckled. “Go on… go take a look.”
“Do I have to?” Elijah stood up and reluctantly made his way to the bathroom.
“And put in your lenses.” Dominic called after him. “David never wore glasses.”
Elijah sighed as he pushed open the bathroom door. However, when he looked into the mirror what he saw was nowhere near as bad as he had envisaged. He didn’t have a head full of curls… thank fuck… just soft waves.
Elijah turned his head from side to side. He had to admit it actually looked pretty good, and once his contact lenses were in, and he had blinked them into place, the reflection that stared back at him was beginning to look uncanningly like the fucking statue David.
“Christ!” Elijah looked long and hard at himself. Now he could see the fucking resemblance.
“Ok…” Elijah re-emerged into the bedroom. “You have me convinced. What do you want me to do now?”
Dominic smiled softly at Elijah. “Come here.”
Elijah reached out and took Dominic’s hand as he led him to the far corner of the room.
“Hold this.” Dominic gave Elijah some fabric. “This is your sling.”
“Ummm …. ok…” Elijah looked at the imitation leather in his hand, and then back at Dominic.
“Now I have to position you.” Dominic said.
Elijah nodded as he waited for Dominic to pick up a postcard for referral purposes.
“Towel away.” Dominic pulled the towel away from Elijah’s body, and Elijah took in a sharp breath.
Dominic stood and looked Elijah over for a moment. “You, ok, baby?” he asked. “You feel comfortable with all this?”
“I’m ok, Dom. It’s not like I haven’t stood in front of you naked before. It’s just kinda weird that you want me to look like someone else.”
Dominic smiled as he looked at the postcard. “It’s not that you look like the statue, Lijah. It’s that the statue looks like you.”
Elijah couldn’t help chuckling as he relaxed a little. “I guess that makes sense in there somewhere.”
“Anyway.” Dominic slipped behind Elijah and took hold his arms. He glanced at the postcard before positioning Elijah’s arms in exactly the same way as the statue. Then he kissed him softly on the nape of his neck before stepping in front of him again.
“I don’t have any ammunition…” Elijah said as he held the ‘sling’ over his shoulder. “Was the statue holding a stone or something?”
“I don’t know; I presume so. You’ll just have to pretend.”
Elijah curled the fingers of his right hand just a little.
“Now you have to take your weight on this leg, Lij.” Dominic ran his hand down the length of Elijah’s right thigh. “Sort of like you are getting ready…”
“Getting ready to fight?” Elijah looked Dominic directly in the eye. “Or getting ready to fuck?”
Dominic swallowed hard before continuing his mission. “Ok, baby. Just turn your head that way as if you are looking at your enemy.”
“…looking at my enemy…” Elijah whispered.
“Now I’m just going to turn the main light off and switch on the two lamps each side of you, ok?”
Elijah nodded.
“And I am going to take a picture… so that you can see the resemblance.”
Elijah nodded again, and then was plunged into semi-darkness, before Dominic re-illuminated him.
Dominic stood in front of Elijah with postcard in hand. “Unbelievable…” he muttered as he looked from the image to Elijah and then back at the image again. “Fucking truly unbelievable.”
Elijah didn’t move, he remained stock-still. The flash went off as Dominic took his picture, and then he took another one without flash. He viewed the images on the back of his camera, and compared them to the postcard of the statue.
“Actually, do you know what, Lij? I was wrong.” Dominic looked at Elijah, who finally moved his head to look at him. “That statue is incredible, yes, and the resemblance it has to you is just otherworldly. But when I look at you, standing there in front of me, I just see pure beauty, which compares to nothing… Nothing on this earth even comes close to you, baby. Not even this, the most famous statue in the world.”
Elijah blinked as he lowered his arm. He knew he was flawed, he knew he was far from perfect, and nowhere near as beautiful as Dominic would lead him to believe, but Dominic always had a way of saying just the right things. Things that he never had to thing about either, because as always, they came straight from his heart.
“Can I see?” Elijah asked.
“Of course.” Dominic turned the camera to Elijah as he came by his side. The resemblance was spooky to say the least.
“Not quite the same…” Elijah pointed to his scarred leg and arm on the camera.
“No…Lijah. You are the more beautiful… because that statue is nothing but cold marble, but you are here, warm and living… and…mine… All mine.”
“All yours…?” Elijah couldn’t help smiling.
“Yeah. Totally mine… all of you… Remember?… For better for worse…?” Dominic placed his camera and postcard on the table, and then turned back to Elijah. God, he could drown in those fucking big blue eyes…
“For better, for worse…” he repeated again as he pushed Elijah gently backwards towards the bed. “In sickness and in health…” he kissed Elijah on the neck and began murmuring…. “Hmmm … for richer for poorer…”
“And… Till death do us part…” Elijah cupped Dominic’s chin, lifting his head. Then he kissed him hard, and at the same time twisted him around, so that Dominic fell onto the bed underneath him.
Dominic looked up at Elijah’s face only inches away from his own. “Ok… I surrender…” he smiled as he raised his hands in mock defeat before pushing Elijah’s tumbling locks away from his face. “I am at your complete and utter mercy, my dear Elijah. Do with me, what you will.”
Elijah grinned at Dominic. “Seems I didn’t need a sling, after all, did I, Dom?”
“Nope… never. Just one look from you, and I’m all yours. You’ve slain your goliath… now fucking take me.”
Elijah laughed. “With pleasure,” he said as he bent down and kissed Dominic again.
Fifth Day
Elijah joined Dominic in the foyer. “Luisa is on duty tonight, Dom. I know it’s cutting things fine, but I’m sure she’ll help with flights to Venice and somewhere to stay. We’ve got the ok from Pete, and Mal is more than glad to take care of the shop for another week. Christ, even if we have to stay here in Florence for two or three more days, it won’t be a problem, will it? We’ll get to Venice, for your birthday… I promise you.”
“It’s not that, Lij. We have to change the flights home. Airports can get a bit funny if you leave it too late cancelling or altering times. It’s not the getting to Venice that I’m worried about, it’s the getting back to New Zealand.”
“I’m sure Luisa will sort it. Her English is excellent and our Italian is non-existent. I don’t think we really have much choice, do we?”
Dominic shook his head. “So, this could very well be our last full day in Florence, then.”
“Yep.” Elijah nodded as he glanced out the window at the rain.
“Better make it a full one then.”
“Oh, it will be!” Elijah patted his rucksack, and zipped up his jacket.
“Tell me it’s sunny in Venice, Lij?”
Elijah looked at Dominic in a ‘you must be kidding sort of way’.
“One day of sun… is that too much to ask for?” Dominic pulled on his hat. “I’m beginning to feel like a damp squib.”
“Well come frizzle over here… I’ve booked a taxi to the Duomo.”
“Thank fuck for that!” Dominic grinned as he joined Elijah at the hotel entrance. They both looked up at the grey sky.
“Apparently Florence is beautiful in the sunshine.” Elijah spoke more to himself than to Dominic. “I somehow don’t think we are going to get to see it ourselves.”
“Come on, Lij.” Dominic took Elijah’s hand as they left the dryness of the hotel and scampered across the busy cobbled street to the waiting taxi.
*
The Duomo, or Cathedral of Florence. Most cities have their famous landmarks. Big Ben, in London, The Eiffel Tower in Paris, The Colosseum in Rome, The Statue of Liberty in New York. For Florence, it was the Duomo. The huge building dominated the city with its enormous dome. Any visitor to the city could not fail to miss it; glimpses could always be caught of the red bricked dome from any one of the narrow cobbled streets surrounding the building. It was like a magnet… slowly drawing you in, towards it. And this day… perhaps their last day, Elijah had dedicated to exploring this amazing structure, and even Dominic was impressed by the sheer size of it as they came upon it and stood outside the main entrance.
“You know, it fucking amazes me how they did it… built things like this… without machinery.”
“It is pretty awesome.” Elijah looked up at the incredibly ornate walls. “These buildings are a work of art in themselves. Sometimes it’s like these European cities are nothing but living museums.”
Dominic nodded in agreement as he looked upwards, the rain falling on his face. The red dome glistened in the wet.
“Are we planning to go up there? I’m sure I can make out people standing up there. They must be as mad as us, out in the fucking rain.”
Elijah nodded. “But maybe it’s their last day, too, Dom.”
Dominic looked at Elijah. “Sorry, Lij. I’m just feeling a little damp, and a bit on the cold side. Are we going in?”
“Well our tour is not for another hour.”
“Well let’s go get a coffee and something to eat. We missed breakfast.”
“Sure…” Elijah hoisted his rucksack over his shoulder more securely, and followed Dominic to the nearest café.
Once they had ordered Dominic looked at Elijah who had his nose in his guidebook. He knew that Elijah had eased off with the sight seeing to please him, and he really did appreciate Elijah making that quite significant sacrifice.
He thought that they had both benefited from the less hectic pace… they had spent more time talking, and less time walking, and more time doing nothing but lying curled up with each other, which was something that would always be on the top of his list of things to do.
They were so different in many respects, almost opposites in some areas. But it was a difference that was perfectly matched. Dominic knew he was just happy being with Elijah. They didn’t necessarily have to go anywhere or do anything; the fact that they were together was all that mattered to him.
Elijah on the other hand was always a doer, a seeker of knowledge… he was like a sponge always wanting to absorb new things, and Dominic was more than happy to tag along soaking in the essence that was his Elijah.
The Elijah sitting opposite him now, trying to pronounce Italian names, was a completely different Elijah to the one he knew this time last year. He had never ever experienced such a roller coaster ride in his life as he did back then. If anyone had told him he would live through such an ordeal and come through it as the happiest man on the planet, he would never have believed them.
But happy he was. No… more than happy. Can you be more than happy? He felt at peace with himself, and with the world around him, which was unusual for him. The man he loved more than life itself was as fit and as healthy as he possibly could be, and they had married each other after what had been an intense and at times terrifying year.
It couldn’t get any better than this, could it? Dominic reached out and took Elijah’s hand. Elijah looked at him over his book and smiled.
Nope, it really couldn’t get any better than this.
*
Dominic finished preparing the bed for Elijah’s massage. That’s if Elijah remained awake long enough to take it. He was in the bath now, having a long soak. The day had well and truly exhausted him.
Elijah had said it was going to be a jam-packed day, and it had been, and it had been too much, but Dominic had gone along with it, and now regretted not stepping in.
Elijah had to do, didn’t he? He had to climb to the top of the fucking dome. All 463 steps. It was a killer of a climb for someone who was in excellent condition, which of course Elijah was not. But would Elijah give up? Would he ever consider stopping and turning back when the going became too tough? Of course not. And now Elijah was paying for it.
Dominic had hoped and fucking prayed that the slight wheeze he heard from Elijah’s chest was just from the sheer exertion of the climb. Christ, even his own chest felt bloody tight, and his breathing heavy by the time they had reached the top.
No fucking view had been worth this.
“I’m ok, Dom…” Elijah had said as he gripped the railings at the top. He looked deathly pale.
“Shit, Lijah.” Dominic had his arm around Elijah’s waist; he was practically holding him up. “This was a stupid thing to do. Bloody stupid.”
Elijah shook his head, as he wiped sweat from his brow. “No,” he said. “Just look at this view…” Elijah looked at the sweeping vista in front of him. “This is so fucking amazing.”
But Dominic didn’t look at any view. Fuck the view. Elijah had overdone it, and he bloody well knew it… and the only way down was the same. Four hundred and sixty three steps.
And on the return journey Elijah had felt every single one of them. He was limping so fucking badly by the time they reached the bottom that Dominic didn’t know what to do.
“I’ll be ok.” Elijah sat down on one of the many chairs on the ground floor.
“Christ, Lij.” Dominic crouched down in front of him and held his hand. It felt clammy. “No fucking more, Lijah. I mean it.”
“Look… I’m ok. I’ll just rest, then we’ll go get something to eat before we continue on to the Baptistry.”
“No… we’re going back to the hotel.”
“I said I’ll be ok.” Elijah’s voice was firm.
“Lijah… look at you. You’re completely exhausted… and you’re hurting.”
“It’ll pass… Dom. This may be our last chance to see everything.”
Dominic could see he wasn’t getting anywhere. He sat down next to Elijah, still holding his hand. “Well I’m telling you this, Lijah. You’re not doing anything like this again… not in Venice. Not fucking ever.”
Elijah looked at Dominic and saw his face, which was creased with concern for him, and he nodded.
Dominic put his arm around him and hugged him tightly.
*
The phone rang dragging Dominic back to the present. He answered it. It was Luisa from reception asking to speak to Elijah.
“He’s in the bath right now… is it about our flights tomorrow?”
Elijah had insisted on sorting the rest of their honeymoon details out the minute they returned to the hotel, even though he was almost dead on his feet. Dominic had left him to it while he went to their room to draw him a nice hot bath.
“We can’t honour his request Mr Monaghan. He needs to use the name on his passport.”
“Request?” Dominic asked, confused.
“He wanted to use his new married name, Elijah Monaghan. I checked with the airline, but it has to be the name on his passport.”
“Elijah Monaghan?” Dominic repeated, totally bewildered. “He wanted to use my surname?”
“Yes, sir. He needs to return to the desk to fill out a new form.”
Elijah fucking Monaghan?
“Will you tell him, please?”
Dominic could barely answer. He mumbled a yes, and then hung up the telephone.
“Elijah Monaghan?” he repeated the name to himself. “Elijah fucking Monaghan?”
Elijah slowly emerged from the bathroom in a waft of steam. “That’s better,” he said. “But you are right, I guess I’m going to have to take it easy for the next few days.”
He halted when he saw the look on Dominic’s face. “Dom, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“What’s with the fucking surname, Lij?” Dominic strode over to Elijah. “You tried booking a flight under a false name? My fucking name. What the fuck is the matter with you?”
“Dom, it’s ok. Calm down.”
“No it’s not ok, Elijah. We may have got married, but you are not a fucking Monaghan. Do you get it?”
That comment tore into Elijah’s heart, and with eyes brimming he replied. “You asked me to marry you, Dom. And I love you. I love you so fucking much that I want your name. What is so wrong with that?”
Dominic just stood there - a defiant look on his face.
“But if it’s too much for you Dom, then let it be.” Elijah wiped his eyes, determined not to cry. “I’ll remain Elijah Wood… married… but not in name.”
“Oh, Jesus Christ, Elijah, now what is that supposed to fucking mean? I married you because I love you and want to be with you. The name thing is not important. Can’t you bloody well see that?”
“No, Dom… it’s you that can’t see it.”
Dominic could see a definite slump in Elijah’s stature as he watched him pull on his jeans and sweatshirt.
“Look, Lij…let’s not have a fight over this, ok baby? Come on, lie down over here.”
Elijah ignored Dominic’s request. “I’ll have to go and see Luisa.” His voice was quiet. “I signed the form as Elijah Monaghan.”
“Oh, Lijah…”
Elijah slipped on his trainers, and without a backward glance he left the room.
“Shit!” Dominic sat down heavily on the bed.
*
An hour had passed. Dominic looked at his watch and frowned. It shouldn’t have taken Elijah this long to sort out the paperwork. He was obviously avoiding him. He was probably sitting in the bar mulling things over with a glass of beer. Dominic went to find him.
He wasn’t in the bar. Dominic checked the restaurant and small café. He wasn’t there either. He went into the library and he checked all the lounges. Nothing. Elijah was nowhere to be found.
“Ok… don’t panic.” Dominic spoke to himself as he approached the reception desk in the foyer.
Luisa looked up at him and smiled.
“Has Elijah been to see you?” he asked.
“Over an hour ago, Mr Monaghan.”
“It’s just that I can’t seem to find him.”
“He left the hotel.”
“He left?” Dominic felt his heart lurch as he glanced at the doorway. It was dark outside and pouring with rain. “What do you mean, he left?”
Luisa looked at Dominic, unable to answer his question.
He fucking left? Dominic pushed open the hotel door and stepped outside. He immediately felt cold as the rain hit his warm skin.
Dominic wasted no time. He ran back to their room to get his jacket and was out on the wet Florentine streets within five minutes. But he didn’t have a fucking clue which way to go, so he just walked
And as he walked he began cursing himself for not really seeing the reason why Elijah wanted to do this name change thing. After all, wasn’t it the greatest act of love that anyone could make - taking the name of the one they loved?
"You’re such a fucking wanker, Monaghan," he spoke out loud to himself. "How you can live with yourself at times fucking beats the hell out of me."
He continued walking, looking for Elijah. Elijah, who had left the hotel upset and exhausted, and without a coat or any money, or his mobile phone. And in this fucking God-awful fuck off weather! He was going to find him lying in the gutter somewhere, he just fucking knew it!
“God, you are the biggest cunt on this fucking planet!” Dominic cursed himself again. “Jesus fucking Christ!” He kicked out at a litterbin as he passed it. The noise it made echoed through the cold night air.
He checked every café and bistro that he came across, but there was no sign of Elijah. Panic began to take hold of him, along with the first tendrils of fear.
Where was he?
His search came to nothing, and with a mounting feeling of doom Dominic returned to the hotel. He ran up the stairs to their room, praying that Elijah would be in there sitting in the warmth, waiting for him. But the room was dark and empty, and he began to feel more than scared - he was fucking terrified.
He switched on one of the small lamps, removed his wet jacket and threw it over a chair. He was going to have to call the police. Elijah was missing. It was dark and cold outside and Elijah was nowhere to be found. And the police would think that he was fucking nuts reporting a grown man who had been missing for only two hours.
Shit!
Dominic felt fall over him a sense of helplessness that he hadn’t felt for a long time. He sat down on one of the chairs and leant forward, resting his head in his hands.
"Where are you, baby?" he whispered out loud. "Where are you? I love you so much, Lijah, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not understanding you. I’m a pig-headed shit stirrer, and I don’t deserve you… I don’t…. I’ll never deserve you."
Dominic felt the minutes turn into what seemed like hours then he heard the door open. He was on his feet in an instant, and Elijah had barely limped in through the doorway before Dominic had him in his arms pressing warm kisses all over his cold wet face. The relief he felt seeing and holding Elijah again went beyond words. He took Elijah’s hands, which felt like ice in his own, and pulled him into the middle of the room.
"I’m so sorry, baby, I’m so sorry." Dominic ran his hands through Elijah’s rain soaked hair, and pulled the wet sweatshirt off over his head. Jesus, Elijah felt so fucking cold. Where had he been all this time?
“I’m such a fool, baby." Dominic pulled Elijah to him again and wrapped his arms tightly around his body. "Please, baby, don’t ever walk away like that again." His voice broke into a sob. "Promise me, Lijah? Promise me?"
Elijah clung tightly to Dominic. "I won’t," he whispered. "And I’m sorry. I love you so much, Dommie." And then he felt Dominic’s mouth envelop his cold lips, and he surrendered himself to Dominic’s warm and intense embrace, and the anguish of the past few hours evaporated into nothing as the most important person in the world welcomed him back without hesitation and without question.
Elijah let Dominic finish undressing him, as his own hands were too cold to work properly, and when they were totally naked they both crawled underneath the bed covers. Dominic wrapped his body around Elijah’s in an attempt to give him as much body heat as he possibly could, and slowly Elijah stopped shivering and began returning Dominic’s caresses and kisses. They said nothing… letting actions speak louder than words.
Once fully warm, Dominic kicked off the covers and began inching his way down Elijah’s body, headfirst, kissing and licking as he went. He pulled Elijah onto his side as his tongue sought out every groove and crevice, and he relished the sensation as he felt Elijah’s tongue begin mirroring his own.
Elijah captured Dominic first, enveloping his cock with his lips, drawing him deeply inside his mouth, and curling his tongue along the entire rigid length. Dominic felt a shudder pass through his body as he pushed his hips into Elijah’s face almost drowning in the overwhelming sensations of Elijah’s mouth working so sensually upon him.
Dominic looked at Elijah’s cock, hard and thick before his eyes. He held it in his hand and, ran his tongue slowly along it, pulling a silent whimper from Elijah. Then he swallowed it, savouring the hot velvet smoothness filling his mouth.
The pace was deliberately slow and was steeped in luxuriousness. Two mouths, wet and soft, working on one another’s cocks. Lapping, and sucking and tasting, the two men revelled in the sensations they were giving each other.
The room was silent, save for the soft murmuring sounds coming from flesh filled mouths, until eventually Elijah felt Dominic’s body begin to tense as his cock swelled a little more against the roof of his mouth. He pulled back slightly, still allowing his tongue to sweep across the swollen head, preparing to receive the hot fluid.
Elijah felt Dominic jerk and groan, and as Dominic climaxed his lips pressed even more firmly on Elijah’s cock. Hot liquid flooded into Elijah’s mouth and slid down his throat. He swallowed it, licking, and sucking, wanting to savour every drop, wanting to milk Dominic until there was nothing left inside him. And as he did so he felt his own orgasm beginning to build. Dominic continued with his unrelenting friction, knowing that Elijah often took longer to come than he did.
Elijah pulled Dominic’s spent cock from his mouth, and groaned in anticipation of what was to come. He looked down the length of his body and watched Dominic’s face. His eyes were closed, his mouth clamped around solid flesh, and his lips slid up and down so expertly and perfectly, tugging and drawing every nerve ending that Elijah had into near oblivion.
As he felt the tightness form in his groin, and everything coiled inwards and downwards, Elijah rested his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. He held his breath as he finally came with a shuddering intensity. He helplessly bucked into Dominic’s mouth as waves of pleasure washed over him and through him, wringing him completely empty and leaving him totally spent.
Dominic let his tongue glide a few more times over Elijah’s cock. He always loved feeling it harden that little bit more before Elijah reached orgasm. He kissed it and caressed it gently with his tongue for a while longer, until he felt Elijah’s body begin to relax.
Then he pulled his mouth free, planted one final kiss on the softening head, before turning round and scooting up the bed into Elijah’s arms.
"I love you, baby." Dominic kissed Elijah gently on the mouth, his voice sounded loud in the quiet room. "I love you so much and I never meant to hurt you."
Elijah turned his head and pressed his lips onto Dominic’s forehead. "It’s ok, Dommie. Don’t worry."
Dominic moved his body a little so that he could look into Elijah’s eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes, which held his gaze unblinkingly as he continued to speak.
“We’ll talk when we get back home, ok, baby? About the name thing, I mean. I promise, Lij, I promise we will. Just don’t ever leave me again. Just don’t walk off like that, not again. Not ever."
Elijah lowered his head to kiss Dominic’s mouth. "I won’t. I love you Dommie."
Dominic reached down and pulled the bed covers over their bodies, and then he wrapped his arms around Elijah’s torso and nestled his head into his shoulder. A single tear escaped the corner of his eye. It was a little while before he fell asleep, so relieved he was to have Elijah in his arms once again.
tbc
Here is the statue David
Author: Salogel42
Pairing: dom/lij
Rating: NC 17
Warning: Swearing, sex and angst.
Summary: Dom and Lij spend their second week in Florence.
Archive: All chapters of The Wedding can be found here
Author’s note: This is the sequel to World Trip. There are characters from World Trip in this story and also flashbacks to certains events. World Trip can be found here
Disclaimer: Absolutely not true!
The Wedding
Chapter 8 – Florence
First Day
Elijah slid into the rear of the taxi next to Dominic. “I wish all flights were that short,” he said. “We barely had time to put our seatbelts on before landing again.”
Dominic nodded as he watched the driver finish stowing their luggage in the trunk.
“Can’t say I’m looking forward to the long flight home at the end of the week though, Lij.”
“No… nor me.”
“Still… a few relaxing days here… it’ll be nice.” Dominic rubbed his hand over Elijah’s thigh. “It is going to be relaxing, isn’t it, Lij?”
Elijah just smiled.
*
The hotel was one of the largest they had ever stayed in, which was quite unusual for Elijah who had always preferred smaller places if possible, with a more intimate feel. But it had been the only place available at such short notice. The end of November was not tourist season but it was still extremely busy. Dominic wondered just where everyone did stay at the height of the season, and how they all managed to fit into this small city.
Elijah finished hanging his clothes in the large wardrobe, while Dominic studied the hotel information booklet, looking for an English translation, which seemed lost amongst the multitude of what seemed like hundreds of other languages.
“Popular place…” Dominic observed as he finally found what he was looking for.
Elijah walked over to the window to look at the view. The short journey from the airport to the city had been an eye-opener. Florence was smaller than Rome, but it was jam-packed with places to see, and things to do.
He looked over at Dominic, his wonderful Dominic, who would quite happily remain in this hotel room all week and not go anywhere, as long as he remained with him. So Elijah had decided to try and divide their time a little more evenly, between sight seeing, and relaxing. Which, of course meant that he was going to have to be extremely selective in choosing the places he wanted to see.
“Here it is!” Dominic looked up at Elijah and grinned.
“What?” Elijah walked over to him.
“Michelangelo’s David. That statue. It’s in the…” Dominic read the name slowly… “Galleria dell’ Accademia, wherever that is. We are going to see it, aren’t we, Lij?”
Elijah nodded, his eyes smiling. “Yeah, we’re going to see the statue, Dom.”
*
Dominic stood with his hands in his pockets studying a large scenic painting on the lobby wall while Elijah booked the tours for the coming week. The receptionist spoke excellent English, and with her help and advice it wasn’t long before everything was arranged.
“Great….” Elijah joined Dominic. He looked at his watch. It was now late afternoon. “Shall we just go for a walk?” he asked. “We’re near the river.”
“Are there any stores near here, Lij?” Dominic asked. “They’ve got a terrace pool here, and I quite fancy a dip later - but we didn’t bring swimming shorts.”
Elijah looked at Dominic in silence for a long moment before replying. Then he said quietly. “I’ll ask.”
Dominic saw the receptionist nod and point a directional finger, and when Elijah rejoined him, he took his hand and they both stepped outside onto the cobbled pavements of the medieval city.
For late November Florence was relatively mild, but the temperature always dropped dramatically when dusk fell. There was a light drizzle in the air, and with the aid of Elijah’s map they began making their way firstly to a small shopping area so that Dominic could make his purchases, and from there they made their way to the River Arno, and a small bridge, one of many that crossed it, called the Ponte Vespucci.
As they both stood on the bank deciding whether or not to cross the bridge, along with the heavy traffic, which seem to consist mainly of vespa scooters, the rain began to fall. They decided to backtrack to a quiet café, and took a table by the window. They spent a relaxing hour drinking coffee and watching the rain droplets run down the windowpane. By the time they decided to return to the hotel, daylight was fading fast.
*
Elijah stared blankly at the swimming shorts.
“Yep, the pool is still open, Lij,” Dominic confirmed as he hung up the internal telephone.
“But it’s raining.” Elijah protested meekly.
“Nothing like swimming in the rain. Warm pool, cold rain… fantastic combination… and very relaxing… just the thing before dinner.” Dominic disappeared into the bathroom to collect a couple of bath towels.
“Lij…?” Dominic stopped when he saw Elijah sitting on the bed twisting the swimming shorts in his hands. “Are you alright? What’s up?”
“I haven’t been in the water, Dom. Not since… well…not since last year.”
Dominic frowned. “Last year? Oh come on, Lij. It’s a fucking swimming pool, not the sea.”
Dominic immediately knew he had said the wrong thing as he watched Elijah’s face crumple.
“Oh shit, Lij. I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” He walked around the bed and sat next to Elijah. “I didn’t mean that. You know I didn’t fucking mean that.”
Elijah looked at him, his eyes said it all.
“Oh, Lij, baby, it’s alright…” Dominic put a comforting arm around Elijah’s shoulder. “You know it’s perfectly safe. There is nothing to worry about… nothing can get you in a swimming pool.”
“I’m not fucking stupid, Dom.” Elijah shrugged Dominic’s arm off and stood up. “I know the difference between a fucking swimming pool and the sea, so don’t treat me like I’m a fucking idiot.”
Dominic frowned; it was unusual to hear Elijah speaking to him this way.
“I know there are no fucking stingers in Italian swimming pools…” Elijah continued. “Jesus Christ, what a fucking ridiculous thing to say!” He looked angrily at Dominic.
“Hey… I’m sorry, Lij.” Dominic raised his arms in defeat and stood up. “It was a bad idea. I’ll never mention it again. Sorry for even bringing it up.” He quickly gathered up the towels and returned them to the bathroom, and while in there he took a long look at himself in the mirror.
Elijah appeared in the doorway.
“I just don’t want people seeing it, Dom.” His voice was quiet. “I don’t want people staring, and wondering what the fuck happened to me.”
“Oh, Lijah…” Dominic took Elijah’s hands. “I wasn’t thinking straight, baby. You know how perfect you are to me.”
“You’re used to it Dom… I’m used to it. But the scarring is so fucking severe. I just don’t want to draw attention to myself.”
“I understand, baby… you know I do. Don’t worry…”
“You can go if you want.”
“No… not without you. We’ll think of something else to do before dinner.”
“Oh yes?” Elijah couldn’t help beginning to smile. “Like what, exactly?”
“Well… I don’t know. Hmmmm… How about this for starters…?” Dominic took Elijah into his arms and kissed him gently on the mouth before moving his lips to just beneath his ear where he began sucking hard on warm skin. He felt Elijah’s body sag against his own, as he continued sucking, slowly letting his mouth travel downwards to the area where neck meets collarbone. Sucking on this spot usually turned Elijah into jelly, and this evening was no exception.
They made it to dinner with ten minutes to spare.
Second Day
Rain. November was one of the wettest months in Florence, and Dominic and Elijah were dressed accordingly.
“If it doesn’t stop, we’ll come back early…” Elijah said as he pulled his beanie down tightly over his head. “And maybe try out the pool.”
Dominic wasn’t sure he had heard properly. “The pool? But, Lij… last night…you said…”
“Dom…” Elijah interrupted. He looked at Dominic with eyes even more enormous than ever due to the hat framing his face. “I thought about it long and hard last night while you were sleeping. I even spent some time looking at myself in the mirror, and do you know what I think? This is me. And you love me… and that’s what is important. At the end of the day it’s what you and I think that matters, not anyone else. I’ve come a long way this past year… I am not going to take a step backwards. I’m not!”
Dominic grinned. My brave, Elijah, he thought. My wonderful, fucking brave Elijah.
“So are we ready to go?” Elijah held out his hand to Dominic as he opened the bedroom door.
“God, I love you so much, baby.” Dominic kissed Elijah on the mouth, and they both made their way outside into a rather damp Florentine morning.
Because of the rain, they took a taxi, which secretly pleased Dominic. He had thought they had undertaken far too much walking in Rome… too much for Elijah, anyway, not that Elijah would ever admit to it. The journey was slow and arduous due to the congested traffic, not much unlike Rome in that respect, but they eventually arrived at Elijah’s first port of call - Palazzo Pitti.
“If the rain stops, there are some fantastic gardens here…” Elijah said as he dug the tickets out of his rucksack. And the view from up there is supposed to be awesome.” He pointed to a hill in the distance, but it was shrouded in mist.
Dominic seriously doubted they would be going up any hill, but the palace before them looked very inviting, and it was warm and dry. They joined a small group of visitors at the entrance and waited for the guide to arrive and their tour to begin.
How the other half lived… Dominic thought as they followed the guide from room to room in the huge and imposing building. What the guide had to say, with his thick Italian accent, went completely over his head, but he was impressed nonetheless.
“Imagine living here, Lij,” Dominic whispered in Elijah’s ear. “In these royal apartments. Maybe I would have been your humble servant.” Dominic did a mock bow, and Elijah couldn’t help smiling.
“Ah… but you would have had to sleep in the servants’ quarters, Dom, and that would never do.” Elijah put on his poshest voice as he and Dominic followed the guide into the next room.
“Yeah, but we would have found a way. I bet you some of these paintings have secret doorways behind them…and I would have come to you in the dead of night, Lij. Found you lying waiting for me in your ornate bed… exactly like this one. And you would have been naked but surrounded by silks… and I would have taken you… right there… on that bed…. Right there.”
Both Dominic and Elijah came to halt as they stared at the four-poster bed, draped with rich golden silks and burgundy linens. It looked lost in the large room.
“There…” Dominic pointed to one of the fresco paintings. “There is the secret way in.”
Elijah looked at Dominic, and then back at the bed.
“That bed, Lijah…” Dominic winked at Elijah as he took his warm hand in his. Then they turned to follow the guide as the tour continued.
It was a long tour, but then it was a large building, and by the time it concluded the rain was still pouring down, so they had no option but to abandon the Boboli Gardens, which surrounded the Palace. Instead they headed for the river and a very famous bridge that crossed it.
The Ponte Vecchio, or Old Bridge. And old it was. The oldest bridge in Florence, having been built in 1345, and the only bridge to survive bombing during the Second World War. It was now a tourist trap, with its jewellery shops and cafes, but back in its day the bridge had housed workshops of many kinds, from tanners to blacksmiths.
The rain meant the bridge was quiet. And if this is quiet, I would like to see busy! Dominic thought as they walked amongst the throngs of people. Elijah kept disappearing through doorways and once or twice Dominic actually lost sight of him.
Eventually they found a nice warm café, and sat down.
“Hope this rain isn’t around all week.” Dominic sighed as he picked up the menu.
Elijah just shrugged. “It doesn’t matter… most of the stuff we want to see is indoors.”
“True. So, when do we get to see you, then?” Dominic grinned.
Elijah laughed. “You mean the statue?”
Dominic nodded enthusiastically.
“You’re dead keen to see that aren’t you, Dom?”
“Well it looks like you. It looks like you posed for the fucking thing.”
Elijah couldn’t help giggling. “Well, if that were the case, then I would be your five hundred year old lover.”
“Yeah… weird! Well, I can tell you this, Lij - you’ve aged well!”
Elijah snorted. Then their attention turned to food and drink as the waitress arrived to take their order.
*
Elijah folded his clothes carefully in the changing room.
“There are a couple of people in the pool, Lij.” Dominic looked over his shoulder at Elijah after peeking through the doorway.
“It’s ok, Dom.” Elijah stood tall. “It doesn’t matter.”
Dominic returned to Elijah’s side, and watched him tie his hair back. “You are always beautiful to me, my Lijah,” he said as he cupped the side of Elijah’s face. “Always beautiful.”
Elijah lowered his eyes, and then closed them as he felt Dominic’s mouth press gently over his. Their arms went around each other, and they held each other, and continued kissing, until they heard the door creak open.
In stepped an elderly gentleman, who spoke to them in Italian, before his words dried up.
Elijah knew it would happen. The look of shock on the old man’s face spoke volumes.
“Come on, baby…” Dominic took Elijah’s hand. “Let’s go for a swim.”
The rain had stopped for a while, and as far as the eye could see the red rooftops of Florence sparkled and shone in the broken moonlight.
“Wow…” Elijah was quite lost for words, and didn’t immediately follow Dominic into the warm water of the well-lit swimming pool. “That is fucking awesome.”
“Hey!” Dominic flicked some water up at Elijah. “Are you coming in?”
Elijah looked at Dominic in the water, and then over at the only other person in the pool, who was staring intently at him.
“Yeah, coming.” Elijah removed his glasses and placed them on top of his bath towel, and in completely ‘blind as a bat mode’, he slipped into the warm inviting water and joined Dominic.
Fourth Day
Dominic rose early. Today was his day – David Day! “Come on, Lij! Let’s get there before the queues.”
Elijah rolled over, and pulled the bedcovers over his head. “Nah… let’s stay in today…” he murmured, knowing full well that Dominic would freak at that comment.
“No fucking way, Elijah Wood! You had me sitting on top of that hill yesterday nearly all day taking pics of Florence in the fucking drizzle and the cold!” He yanked the sheets completely off Elijah, revealing his naked body. Elijah immediately turned over and grinned at him.
“And looking at me like that won’t get you off lightly. In fact looking at me like that won’t get either of us anywhere today.”
“Looking like what?” Elijah feigned innocence.
“Like that you fucking awesome incredibly fucking gorgeous human being.”
“Who, me? I’ve no idea what you are talking about…” Elijah smiled wickedly as he lifted his thickening cock, and offered it to Dominic. “Want this?” he asked.
Dominic groaned as he crawled onto the bed, immediately forgetting any idea of setting off early.
*
“You know, we’ve not seen as much of Florence, as we did of Rome.” Elijah thought he would mention this to Dominic as they shuffled along in the queue to see one of the most famous statues in the world.
“Yeah, I know. But it’s been nice.” Dominic held Elijah’s hand, and squeezed it gently. “Would rather see more of you any day Lij, than any old artefact, but you already know that.”
Elijah nodded as the queue in front of them gradually moved forwards. “Umm…I was thinking, Dom… I would like to extend our honeymoon.”
“Extend? How do you mean, Lij?”
“Well, we’re due to fly home in three days… and I was thinking… Well, I was thinking it would be nice to go to Venice - for your birthday.”
“For my birthday?” Dominic repeated. “That’s over a week away yet, Lij.”
“Well if we fly from here to Venice, and spend a week there, it would take in your birthday.”
“Hmmm…” Dominic said as they slowly shuffled on further.
“It would be so special, Dom. I was still in hospital this time last year, remember? Your birthday sort of passed us by without a second thought.”
“Well, we did have other things to think about, didn’t we, Lij. Like getting you back to LA.”
“You deserve a birthday to remember, Dom… really. I think we should do this. Mal can look after the shop for another week, and I’m sure Pete won’t mind. I’ll call him this evening when we get back, and I can ask Luisa on reception to organise flights to Venice and a hotel. What do you say?”
“A birthday to remember, you say? A birthday with you in Venice? Any birthday with you is special, Lij, you know that.”
Elijah nodded and smiled.
“But yeah… a birthday in Venice. Sounds incredibly romantic.” Dominic raised Elijah’s hand to his mouth and kissed it. “Incredibly romantic, indeed… Let’s do it.”
“Great!” Elijah beamed. “Leave it with me, I’ll take care of everything.”
The line that was long when they joined it gradually petered out, and finally Dominic and Elijah were confronted by the statue that Dominic had been dying to see since their honeymoon had begun.
“Whoa…!” Dominic looked up at the impressive figure of Michelangelo’s David. It stood over twenty three feet high on its pedestal, and the lighting that fell upon it highlighted its every curve.
Elijah’s gaze followed Dominic’s. He knew the statue was big, he’d seen pictures of it, and read about it in his guide book… but this wasn’t big… this was nowhere near big… this was… Elijah tried to think of a word… colossal?
“That’s fucking huge!”
Elijah grinned at Dominic’s interpretation of the statue’s size.
“Sure is,” Elijah agreed.
The area where the statue was sited allowed visitors a free and unencumbered view of it from all angles, so taking Elijah’s hand again, Dominic tugged him along so that he could see the monument in all its glory.
“Still think it looks like me?” Elijah found Dominic’s insistence that he resembled the statue quite amusing. “I don’t think it looks like me.”
“It’s the fucking double of you…” Dominic whispered as he looked at the amazing work of a man who had created this masterpiece over five hundred years ago. “Well, I have to admit you’re a lot bigger down below...”
Elijah chuckled.
“But, just look at it! Fuck me, Lij. It’s even got your physique too, after all your physio this year. Christ, this is so fucking spooky.”
“Will you get out of here!” Elijah took a step backwards to look up at the awesome figure; its grandeur was enhanced even further by its turned head and intense gaze.
“I mean, since you’ve grown your hair, and toned up… I mean… shit. You definitely posed for this in a past life.”
“Now you’re definitely starting to freak me out, Dom.”
“But look at it, Lij.” Doming dragged Elijah even further backwards. “Just look at it… my God, it is you.”
“But he’s got curly hair…”
Dominic tore his gaze away from the statue and looked at Elijah, his bespectacled lover, who had never been able to see his own physical beauty.
“Can I prove it to you, baby?” Dominic suddenly asked. “Back at the hotel tonight? Let me turn you into this statue….”
“What?” Elijah wanted to laugh, but Dominic looked so serious.
“Baby? Please?” Dominic let his fingers run down the side of Elijah’s face. “Will you let me do it?”
“Well, if you really want to?” Elijah didn’t have a clue what this was going to entail, but it was obviously something Dominic wanted to do.
“You’re not going to paint me, or anything, are you?” Elijah asked a little worriedly.
Dominic smiled. “No, baby… but I will need to go shopping.”
Elijah nodded… “Yeah, I figured you might.”
Dominic grinned and placed a quick kiss on the side of Elijah’s face, before turning his attention back to the breath-taking statue before them.
*
Elijah looked in the mirror as he removed over a week’s worth of stubble from his face. He had put his foot down with regards to Dominic’s request that he remove all body hair apart from his genital area.
“I’m not going to suffering itchy hair re-growth for the rest of our honeymoon, Dom. No fucking way.”
Dominic gave in… “Ok…” he said sheepishly. “Just your face, then?”
So a quick shower and de-fuzz it was. Elijah wrapped the bath towel tightly around his waist and towel dried his hair as he re-joined Dominic in their bedroom.
Dominic had several postcards of ‘David’ spread on the bed. He was studying them carefully when Elijah walked into the room.
“Grab a drink, Lij.” Dominic indicated a glass of red wine already poured.
“Am I going to need it?” Elijah smiled at Dominic as he sat on the bed beside him.
“Well, you won’t like what’s next!”
Elijah raised his eyebrows. “Go on then… what are you going to do to me?”
Dominic grinned and opened a carrier bag.
“It’s a curling iron thing!” Elijah looked at the implement in Dominic’s hand with something akin to horror.
“Well, David’s hair is curly… just like you said in the gallery.” Dominic pointed to one of the postcards to emphasise his point.
“You’re going to curl my fucking hair?”
Dominic nodded enthusiastically.
Elijah just stared at him, his mouth agape.
“You’ll look great, Lij!” Dominic quickly got off the bed and plugged in the iron to start warming it up. “You’ll need to dry your hair first though.”
“Yeah…right.” Elijah responded in a totally resigned way. “You know, Dom. I really don’t do curly hair.”
“You had curly hair as a hobbit.” Dominic reminded him.
“But that was a wig!”
“No difference!”
“It’s a big difference.”
“Elijah Wood scared of a curling iron. Who ever would have thought?”
“Not scared… I just don’t want to look stupid!”
“Hey…” Dominic sat down on the bed again. “You will never look stupid…”
“But curly hair…”
“Don’t worry, baby…you are going to look just beautiful…”
“I’m going to wash it, right after.”
“No you’re not.”
“Yes, I am...”
“No, you’re not…”
Dominic clamped his mouth over Elijah’s before he could protest anymore.
*
“There…” Dominic turned off the curling iron and placed it on the table to cool down.
“I bet I look like the biggest twat on the planet.” Elijah looked up at Dominic.
“Actually it quite suits you, Lij.” Dominic ran his fingers through Elijah’s hair separating the locks, and loosening the curls. “If I hadn’t made it as an actor, I think hairdressing would have been my calling.”
“God, you speak a load of crap sometimes, Dom.”
“Yeah… I know.” Dominic chuckled. “Go on… go take a look.”
“Do I have to?” Elijah stood up and reluctantly made his way to the bathroom.
“And put in your lenses.” Dominic called after him. “David never wore glasses.”
Elijah sighed as he pushed open the bathroom door. However, when he looked into the mirror what he saw was nowhere near as bad as he had envisaged. He didn’t have a head full of curls… thank fuck… just soft waves.
Elijah turned his head from side to side. He had to admit it actually looked pretty good, and once his contact lenses were in, and he had blinked them into place, the reflection that stared back at him was beginning to look uncanningly like the fucking statue David.
“Christ!” Elijah looked long and hard at himself. Now he could see the fucking resemblance.
“Ok…” Elijah re-emerged into the bedroom. “You have me convinced. What do you want me to do now?”
Dominic smiled softly at Elijah. “Come here.”
Elijah reached out and took Dominic’s hand as he led him to the far corner of the room.
“Hold this.” Dominic gave Elijah some fabric. “This is your sling.”
“Ummm …. ok…” Elijah looked at the imitation leather in his hand, and then back at Dominic.
“Now I have to position you.” Dominic said.
Elijah nodded as he waited for Dominic to pick up a postcard for referral purposes.
“Towel away.” Dominic pulled the towel away from Elijah’s body, and Elijah took in a sharp breath.
Dominic stood and looked Elijah over for a moment. “You, ok, baby?” he asked. “You feel comfortable with all this?”
“I’m ok, Dom. It’s not like I haven’t stood in front of you naked before. It’s just kinda weird that you want me to look like someone else.”
Dominic smiled as he looked at the postcard. “It’s not that you look like the statue, Lijah. It’s that the statue looks like you.”
Elijah couldn’t help chuckling as he relaxed a little. “I guess that makes sense in there somewhere.”
“Anyway.” Dominic slipped behind Elijah and took hold his arms. He glanced at the postcard before positioning Elijah’s arms in exactly the same way as the statue. Then he kissed him softly on the nape of his neck before stepping in front of him again.
“I don’t have any ammunition…” Elijah said as he held the ‘sling’ over his shoulder. “Was the statue holding a stone or something?”
“I don’t know; I presume so. You’ll just have to pretend.”
Elijah curled the fingers of his right hand just a little.
“Now you have to take your weight on this leg, Lij.” Dominic ran his hand down the length of Elijah’s right thigh. “Sort of like you are getting ready…”
“Getting ready to fight?” Elijah looked Dominic directly in the eye. “Or getting ready to fuck?”
Dominic swallowed hard before continuing his mission. “Ok, baby. Just turn your head that way as if you are looking at your enemy.”
“…looking at my enemy…” Elijah whispered.
“Now I’m just going to turn the main light off and switch on the two lamps each side of you, ok?”
Elijah nodded.
“And I am going to take a picture… so that you can see the resemblance.”
Elijah nodded again, and then was plunged into semi-darkness, before Dominic re-illuminated him.
Dominic stood in front of Elijah with postcard in hand. “Unbelievable…” he muttered as he looked from the image to Elijah and then back at the image again. “Fucking truly unbelievable.”
Elijah didn’t move, he remained stock-still. The flash went off as Dominic took his picture, and then he took another one without flash. He viewed the images on the back of his camera, and compared them to the postcard of the statue.
“Actually, do you know what, Lij? I was wrong.” Dominic looked at Elijah, who finally moved his head to look at him. “That statue is incredible, yes, and the resemblance it has to you is just otherworldly. But when I look at you, standing there in front of me, I just see pure beauty, which compares to nothing… Nothing on this earth even comes close to you, baby. Not even this, the most famous statue in the world.”
Elijah blinked as he lowered his arm. He knew he was flawed, he knew he was far from perfect, and nowhere near as beautiful as Dominic would lead him to believe, but Dominic always had a way of saying just the right things. Things that he never had to thing about either, because as always, they came straight from his heart.
“Can I see?” Elijah asked.
“Of course.” Dominic turned the camera to Elijah as he came by his side. The resemblance was spooky to say the least.
“Not quite the same…” Elijah pointed to his scarred leg and arm on the camera.
“No…Lijah. You are the more beautiful… because that statue is nothing but cold marble, but you are here, warm and living… and…mine… All mine.”
“All yours…?” Elijah couldn’t help smiling.
“Yeah. Totally mine… all of you… Remember?… For better for worse…?” Dominic placed his camera and postcard on the table, and then turned back to Elijah. God, he could drown in those fucking big blue eyes…
“For better, for worse…” he repeated again as he pushed Elijah gently backwards towards the bed. “In sickness and in health…” he kissed Elijah on the neck and began murmuring…. “Hmmm … for richer for poorer…”
“And… Till death do us part…” Elijah cupped Dominic’s chin, lifting his head. Then he kissed him hard, and at the same time twisted him around, so that Dominic fell onto the bed underneath him.
Dominic looked up at Elijah’s face only inches away from his own. “Ok… I surrender…” he smiled as he raised his hands in mock defeat before pushing Elijah’s tumbling locks away from his face. “I am at your complete and utter mercy, my dear Elijah. Do with me, what you will.”
Elijah grinned at Dominic. “Seems I didn’t need a sling, after all, did I, Dom?”
“Nope… never. Just one look from you, and I’m all yours. You’ve slain your goliath… now fucking take me.”
Elijah laughed. “With pleasure,” he said as he bent down and kissed Dominic again.
Fifth Day
Elijah joined Dominic in the foyer. “Luisa is on duty tonight, Dom. I know it’s cutting things fine, but I’m sure she’ll help with flights to Venice and somewhere to stay. We’ve got the ok from Pete, and Mal is more than glad to take care of the shop for another week. Christ, even if we have to stay here in Florence for two or three more days, it won’t be a problem, will it? We’ll get to Venice, for your birthday… I promise you.”
“It’s not that, Lij. We have to change the flights home. Airports can get a bit funny if you leave it too late cancelling or altering times. It’s not the getting to Venice that I’m worried about, it’s the getting back to New Zealand.”
“I’m sure Luisa will sort it. Her English is excellent and our Italian is non-existent. I don’t think we really have much choice, do we?”
Dominic shook his head. “So, this could very well be our last full day in Florence, then.”
“Yep.” Elijah nodded as he glanced out the window at the rain.
“Better make it a full one then.”
“Oh, it will be!” Elijah patted his rucksack, and zipped up his jacket.
“Tell me it’s sunny in Venice, Lij?”
Elijah looked at Dominic in a ‘you must be kidding sort of way’.
“One day of sun… is that too much to ask for?” Dominic pulled on his hat. “I’m beginning to feel like a damp squib.”
“Well come frizzle over here… I’ve booked a taxi to the Duomo.”
“Thank fuck for that!” Dominic grinned as he joined Elijah at the hotel entrance. They both looked up at the grey sky.
“Apparently Florence is beautiful in the sunshine.” Elijah spoke more to himself than to Dominic. “I somehow don’t think we are going to get to see it ourselves.”
“Come on, Lij.” Dominic took Elijah’s hand as they left the dryness of the hotel and scampered across the busy cobbled street to the waiting taxi.
*
The Duomo, or Cathedral of Florence. Most cities have their famous landmarks. Big Ben, in London, The Eiffel Tower in Paris, The Colosseum in Rome, The Statue of Liberty in New York. For Florence, it was the Duomo. The huge building dominated the city with its enormous dome. Any visitor to the city could not fail to miss it; glimpses could always be caught of the red bricked dome from any one of the narrow cobbled streets surrounding the building. It was like a magnet… slowly drawing you in, towards it. And this day… perhaps their last day, Elijah had dedicated to exploring this amazing structure, and even Dominic was impressed by the sheer size of it as they came upon it and stood outside the main entrance.
“You know, it fucking amazes me how they did it… built things like this… without machinery.”
“It is pretty awesome.” Elijah looked up at the incredibly ornate walls. “These buildings are a work of art in themselves. Sometimes it’s like these European cities are nothing but living museums.”
Dominic nodded in agreement as he looked upwards, the rain falling on his face. The red dome glistened in the wet.
“Are we planning to go up there? I’m sure I can make out people standing up there. They must be as mad as us, out in the fucking rain.”
Elijah nodded. “But maybe it’s their last day, too, Dom.”
Dominic looked at Elijah. “Sorry, Lij. I’m just feeling a little damp, and a bit on the cold side. Are we going in?”
“Well our tour is not for another hour.”
“Well let’s go get a coffee and something to eat. We missed breakfast.”
“Sure…” Elijah hoisted his rucksack over his shoulder more securely, and followed Dominic to the nearest café.
Once they had ordered Dominic looked at Elijah who had his nose in his guidebook. He knew that Elijah had eased off with the sight seeing to please him, and he really did appreciate Elijah making that quite significant sacrifice.
He thought that they had both benefited from the less hectic pace… they had spent more time talking, and less time walking, and more time doing nothing but lying curled up with each other, which was something that would always be on the top of his list of things to do.
They were so different in many respects, almost opposites in some areas. But it was a difference that was perfectly matched. Dominic knew he was just happy being with Elijah. They didn’t necessarily have to go anywhere or do anything; the fact that they were together was all that mattered to him.
Elijah on the other hand was always a doer, a seeker of knowledge… he was like a sponge always wanting to absorb new things, and Dominic was more than happy to tag along soaking in the essence that was his Elijah.
The Elijah sitting opposite him now, trying to pronounce Italian names, was a completely different Elijah to the one he knew this time last year. He had never ever experienced such a roller coaster ride in his life as he did back then. If anyone had told him he would live through such an ordeal and come through it as the happiest man on the planet, he would never have believed them.
But happy he was. No… more than happy. Can you be more than happy? He felt at peace with himself, and with the world around him, which was unusual for him. The man he loved more than life itself was as fit and as healthy as he possibly could be, and they had married each other after what had been an intense and at times terrifying year.
It couldn’t get any better than this, could it? Dominic reached out and took Elijah’s hand. Elijah looked at him over his book and smiled.
Nope, it really couldn’t get any better than this.
*
Dominic finished preparing the bed for Elijah’s massage. That’s if Elijah remained awake long enough to take it. He was in the bath now, having a long soak. The day had well and truly exhausted him.
Elijah had said it was going to be a jam-packed day, and it had been, and it had been too much, but Dominic had gone along with it, and now regretted not stepping in.
Elijah had to do, didn’t he? He had to climb to the top of the fucking dome. All 463 steps. It was a killer of a climb for someone who was in excellent condition, which of course Elijah was not. But would Elijah give up? Would he ever consider stopping and turning back when the going became too tough? Of course not. And now Elijah was paying for it.
Dominic had hoped and fucking prayed that the slight wheeze he heard from Elijah’s chest was just from the sheer exertion of the climb. Christ, even his own chest felt bloody tight, and his breathing heavy by the time they had reached the top.
No fucking view had been worth this.
“I’m ok, Dom…” Elijah had said as he gripped the railings at the top. He looked deathly pale.
“Shit, Lijah.” Dominic had his arm around Elijah’s waist; he was practically holding him up. “This was a stupid thing to do. Bloody stupid.”
Elijah shook his head, as he wiped sweat from his brow. “No,” he said. “Just look at this view…” Elijah looked at the sweeping vista in front of him. “This is so fucking amazing.”
But Dominic didn’t look at any view. Fuck the view. Elijah had overdone it, and he bloody well knew it… and the only way down was the same. Four hundred and sixty three steps.
And on the return journey Elijah had felt every single one of them. He was limping so fucking badly by the time they reached the bottom that Dominic didn’t know what to do.
“I’ll be ok.” Elijah sat down on one of the many chairs on the ground floor.
“Christ, Lij.” Dominic crouched down in front of him and held his hand. It felt clammy. “No fucking more, Lijah. I mean it.”
“Look… I’m ok. I’ll just rest, then we’ll go get something to eat before we continue on to the Baptistry.”
“No… we’re going back to the hotel.”
“I said I’ll be ok.” Elijah’s voice was firm.
“Lijah… look at you. You’re completely exhausted… and you’re hurting.”
“It’ll pass… Dom. This may be our last chance to see everything.”
Dominic could see he wasn’t getting anywhere. He sat down next to Elijah, still holding his hand. “Well I’m telling you this, Lijah. You’re not doing anything like this again… not in Venice. Not fucking ever.”
Elijah looked at Dominic and saw his face, which was creased with concern for him, and he nodded.
Dominic put his arm around him and hugged him tightly.
*
The phone rang dragging Dominic back to the present. He answered it. It was Luisa from reception asking to speak to Elijah.
“He’s in the bath right now… is it about our flights tomorrow?”
Elijah had insisted on sorting the rest of their honeymoon details out the minute they returned to the hotel, even though he was almost dead on his feet. Dominic had left him to it while he went to their room to draw him a nice hot bath.
“We can’t honour his request Mr Monaghan. He needs to use the name on his passport.”
“Request?” Dominic asked, confused.
“He wanted to use his new married name, Elijah Monaghan. I checked with the airline, but it has to be the name on his passport.”
“Elijah Monaghan?” Dominic repeated, totally bewildered. “He wanted to use my surname?”
“Yes, sir. He needs to return to the desk to fill out a new form.”
Elijah fucking Monaghan?
“Will you tell him, please?”
Dominic could barely answer. He mumbled a yes, and then hung up the telephone.
“Elijah Monaghan?” he repeated the name to himself. “Elijah fucking Monaghan?”
Elijah slowly emerged from the bathroom in a waft of steam. “That’s better,” he said. “But you are right, I guess I’m going to have to take it easy for the next few days.”
He halted when he saw the look on Dominic’s face. “Dom, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“What’s with the fucking surname, Lij?” Dominic strode over to Elijah. “You tried booking a flight under a false name? My fucking name. What the fuck is the matter with you?”
“Dom, it’s ok. Calm down.”
“No it’s not ok, Elijah. We may have got married, but you are not a fucking Monaghan. Do you get it?”
That comment tore into Elijah’s heart, and with eyes brimming he replied. “You asked me to marry you, Dom. And I love you. I love you so fucking much that I want your name. What is so wrong with that?”
Dominic just stood there - a defiant look on his face.
“But if it’s too much for you Dom, then let it be.” Elijah wiped his eyes, determined not to cry. “I’ll remain Elijah Wood… married… but not in name.”
“Oh, Jesus Christ, Elijah, now what is that supposed to fucking mean? I married you because I love you and want to be with you. The name thing is not important. Can’t you bloody well see that?”
“No, Dom… it’s you that can’t see it.”
Dominic could see a definite slump in Elijah’s stature as he watched him pull on his jeans and sweatshirt.
“Look, Lij…let’s not have a fight over this, ok baby? Come on, lie down over here.”
Elijah ignored Dominic’s request. “I’ll have to go and see Luisa.” His voice was quiet. “I signed the form as Elijah Monaghan.”
“Oh, Lijah…”
Elijah slipped on his trainers, and without a backward glance he left the room.
“Shit!” Dominic sat down heavily on the bed.
*
An hour had passed. Dominic looked at his watch and frowned. It shouldn’t have taken Elijah this long to sort out the paperwork. He was obviously avoiding him. He was probably sitting in the bar mulling things over with a glass of beer. Dominic went to find him.
He wasn’t in the bar. Dominic checked the restaurant and small café. He wasn’t there either. He went into the library and he checked all the lounges. Nothing. Elijah was nowhere to be found.
“Ok… don’t panic.” Dominic spoke to himself as he approached the reception desk in the foyer.
Luisa looked up at him and smiled.
“Has Elijah been to see you?” he asked.
“Over an hour ago, Mr Monaghan.”
“It’s just that I can’t seem to find him.”
“He left the hotel.”
“He left?” Dominic felt his heart lurch as he glanced at the doorway. It was dark outside and pouring with rain. “What do you mean, he left?”
Luisa looked at Dominic, unable to answer his question.
He fucking left? Dominic pushed open the hotel door and stepped outside. He immediately felt cold as the rain hit his warm skin.
Dominic wasted no time. He ran back to their room to get his jacket and was out on the wet Florentine streets within five minutes. But he didn’t have a fucking clue which way to go, so he just walked
And as he walked he began cursing himself for not really seeing the reason why Elijah wanted to do this name change thing. After all, wasn’t it the greatest act of love that anyone could make - taking the name of the one they loved?
"You’re such a fucking wanker, Monaghan," he spoke out loud to himself. "How you can live with yourself at times fucking beats the hell out of me."
He continued walking, looking for Elijah. Elijah, who had left the hotel upset and exhausted, and without a coat or any money, or his mobile phone. And in this fucking God-awful fuck off weather! He was going to find him lying in the gutter somewhere, he just fucking knew it!
“God, you are the biggest cunt on this fucking planet!” Dominic cursed himself again. “Jesus fucking Christ!” He kicked out at a litterbin as he passed it. The noise it made echoed through the cold night air.
He checked every café and bistro that he came across, but there was no sign of Elijah. Panic began to take hold of him, along with the first tendrils of fear.
Where was he?
His search came to nothing, and with a mounting feeling of doom Dominic returned to the hotel. He ran up the stairs to their room, praying that Elijah would be in there sitting in the warmth, waiting for him. But the room was dark and empty, and he began to feel more than scared - he was fucking terrified.
He switched on one of the small lamps, removed his wet jacket and threw it over a chair. He was going to have to call the police. Elijah was missing. It was dark and cold outside and Elijah was nowhere to be found. And the police would think that he was fucking nuts reporting a grown man who had been missing for only two hours.
Shit!
Dominic felt fall over him a sense of helplessness that he hadn’t felt for a long time. He sat down on one of the chairs and leant forward, resting his head in his hands.
"Where are you, baby?" he whispered out loud. "Where are you? I love you so much, Lijah, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not understanding you. I’m a pig-headed shit stirrer, and I don’t deserve you… I don’t…. I’ll never deserve you."
Dominic felt the minutes turn into what seemed like hours then he heard the door open. He was on his feet in an instant, and Elijah had barely limped in through the doorway before Dominic had him in his arms pressing warm kisses all over his cold wet face. The relief he felt seeing and holding Elijah again went beyond words. He took Elijah’s hands, which felt like ice in his own, and pulled him into the middle of the room.
"I’m so sorry, baby, I’m so sorry." Dominic ran his hands through Elijah’s rain soaked hair, and pulled the wet sweatshirt off over his head. Jesus, Elijah felt so fucking cold. Where had he been all this time?
“I’m such a fool, baby." Dominic pulled Elijah to him again and wrapped his arms tightly around his body. "Please, baby, don’t ever walk away like that again." His voice broke into a sob. "Promise me, Lijah? Promise me?"
Elijah clung tightly to Dominic. "I won’t," he whispered. "And I’m sorry. I love you so much, Dommie." And then he felt Dominic’s mouth envelop his cold lips, and he surrendered himself to Dominic’s warm and intense embrace, and the anguish of the past few hours evaporated into nothing as the most important person in the world welcomed him back without hesitation and without question.
Elijah let Dominic finish undressing him, as his own hands were too cold to work properly, and when they were totally naked they both crawled underneath the bed covers. Dominic wrapped his body around Elijah’s in an attempt to give him as much body heat as he possibly could, and slowly Elijah stopped shivering and began returning Dominic’s caresses and kisses. They said nothing… letting actions speak louder than words.
Once fully warm, Dominic kicked off the covers and began inching his way down Elijah’s body, headfirst, kissing and licking as he went. He pulled Elijah onto his side as his tongue sought out every groove and crevice, and he relished the sensation as he felt Elijah’s tongue begin mirroring his own.
Elijah captured Dominic first, enveloping his cock with his lips, drawing him deeply inside his mouth, and curling his tongue along the entire rigid length. Dominic felt a shudder pass through his body as he pushed his hips into Elijah’s face almost drowning in the overwhelming sensations of Elijah’s mouth working so sensually upon him.
Dominic looked at Elijah’s cock, hard and thick before his eyes. He held it in his hand and, ran his tongue slowly along it, pulling a silent whimper from Elijah. Then he swallowed it, savouring the hot velvet smoothness filling his mouth.
The pace was deliberately slow and was steeped in luxuriousness. Two mouths, wet and soft, working on one another’s cocks. Lapping, and sucking and tasting, the two men revelled in the sensations they were giving each other.
The room was silent, save for the soft murmuring sounds coming from flesh filled mouths, until eventually Elijah felt Dominic’s body begin to tense as his cock swelled a little more against the roof of his mouth. He pulled back slightly, still allowing his tongue to sweep across the swollen head, preparing to receive the hot fluid.
Elijah felt Dominic jerk and groan, and as Dominic climaxed his lips pressed even more firmly on Elijah’s cock. Hot liquid flooded into Elijah’s mouth and slid down his throat. He swallowed it, licking, and sucking, wanting to savour every drop, wanting to milk Dominic until there was nothing left inside him. And as he did so he felt his own orgasm beginning to build. Dominic continued with his unrelenting friction, knowing that Elijah often took longer to come than he did.
Elijah pulled Dominic’s spent cock from his mouth, and groaned in anticipation of what was to come. He looked down the length of his body and watched Dominic’s face. His eyes were closed, his mouth clamped around solid flesh, and his lips slid up and down so expertly and perfectly, tugging and drawing every nerve ending that Elijah had into near oblivion.
As he felt the tightness form in his groin, and everything coiled inwards and downwards, Elijah rested his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. He held his breath as he finally came with a shuddering intensity. He helplessly bucked into Dominic’s mouth as waves of pleasure washed over him and through him, wringing him completely empty and leaving him totally spent.
Dominic let his tongue glide a few more times over Elijah’s cock. He always loved feeling it harden that little bit more before Elijah reached orgasm. He kissed it and caressed it gently with his tongue for a while longer, until he felt Elijah’s body begin to relax.
Then he pulled his mouth free, planted one final kiss on the softening head, before turning round and scooting up the bed into Elijah’s arms.
"I love you, baby." Dominic kissed Elijah gently on the mouth, his voice sounded loud in the quiet room. "I love you so much and I never meant to hurt you."
Elijah turned his head and pressed his lips onto Dominic’s forehead. "It’s ok, Dommie. Don’t worry."
Dominic moved his body a little so that he could look into Elijah’s eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes, which held his gaze unblinkingly as he continued to speak.
“We’ll talk when we get back home, ok, baby? About the name thing, I mean. I promise, Lij, I promise we will. Just don’t ever leave me again. Just don’t walk off like that, not again. Not ever."
Elijah lowered his head to kiss Dominic’s mouth. "I won’t. I love you Dommie."
Dominic reached down and pulled the bed covers over their bodies, and then he wrapped his arms around Elijah’s torso and nestled his head into his shoulder. A single tear escaped the corner of his eye. It was a little while before he fell asleep, so relieved he was to have Elijah in his arms once again.
tbc
Here is the statue David
