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fellowshippers2004-02-14 01:54 pm
sparktastic.livejournal.com) wrote in fellowshippers2004-02-14 01:54 pm
Valentine's challenge fic!
Title: Love, Me
Author: sparktastic
Pairing: Dominic/someone, with hints of Orlijah
Feedback: yes, thanks!
Warning: seriously schmooptastic; those with sensitive teeth should take care, diabetics should take extra insulin
Author's notes: This is for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cherry007 for the LOTR love letter challenge. Fic written based on her letter which appears at the beginning of the fic. Hope you like, girl! Thanks for the beta help from crazybutsound and rose_emily.
Summary: Dom gets a letter.
Dear Dom,
I know that writing a letter is a cowardly thing to do, and I certainly am no coward but I couldn’t scrape up the courage to ask you on my own. So I sat down and started composing and this is all I could come up with.
Meet me outside the bookstore on 14th street at 7.45, February 14th. I’m sure you’ll know me when you see me.
Love,
Me.
Dom turns the letter over in his hands but nothing else is written on the thick square. Despite himself and despite the funk he’s in, Dominic smiles, then laughs. “Elijah, you wanker,” he mutters, grin in place as he reaches for the phone. He dials the number from memory, but after three rings, the voicemail picks up.
“Hey! Thanks for calling. I’m…hey…stop it. Orli. Don’t do that. Fuck. Ohhhh. Fuck! I’mbusyI’llcallyoubackbye!”
Then a woman’s voice tells Dom to record his message. He presses end on his phone and flings it on the couch with a frustrated sigh. It’s not that he’s not happy for his friends. He is.
“I am glad you’re happy, doodle,” he whispers at the phone. It’s just that it’s only been a month.
Almost a month and a half—
Shut. Up.
A month since he was stupid enough to push too far. Ask for too much. A month (almost a month and a half) since it escalated into the biggest row he’s ever had. Now, it’s ruined. He’s ruined the best thing in his life and in the face of that apocalypse, Elijah’s (and Orli’s) happiness is like salt in the wound.
He’s trying to cheer you up, you stupid sod.
Reminding Dom of their Hobbit in-joke, as old as New Zealand, was obviously an effort to that end; even before Fellowship had come out, Elijah had lovesick fangirls. They’d all laughed themselves sick when an anonymous letter appeared one day in Elijah’s trailer. It had then become their standard invitation for Fellowship excursions; only the time and place would change.
It has, however, been more than a year since Dominic’s seen one.
Elijah’s obviously trying very hard to lift his spirits, but it’s all a bit difficult to take, especially two days away from what would have been their anniversary, and three days away from Valentine’s Day.
Dominic tries to appreciate Elijah’s effort. He calls him again later, and catches him out somewhere, maybe in a music shop because the noise in the background is almost overwhelming. He tries to offer his apologies, but Elijah won’t hear it.
“Awww, Dommie, you’ve gotta come. Orli’s got shooting for some commercial, and I’ll be all alone. We’ll go, get a pint, it’ll be good. Meet me, c’mon…”
Dominic closes his eyes and sighs, knowing the sound will be lost over the connection. The problem is that he’s never been able to resist the puppy dog voice, it’s nearly as effective as the eyes.
“Okay, Elwood, I’ll be there.”
“Fucking A! Awesome! I can’t wait!” Elijah’s joy overrides the cacophony in the background and Dominic cannot help but smile in response.
“Thanks, Lij. You’re a great mate.”
They say their goodbyes, and the smile lasts a little longer than the time it takes to cover the distance between his ear and the phone cradle.
***
Dominic spends Friday in with the phone disconnected, all the videos of his ex on the TV, and a bottle in his hand; he gets completely trolleyed. When he finally gets up in the early afternoon on Saturday, he’s thankful that he can’t remember whether or not he cried. He washes his face in case there’s any evidence of tears.
By about seven o’clock, he is almost starting to look forward to meeting Elijah. They haven’t seen each other since Christmas, and it will be good to see his mate. Besides, everything in the house reminds him of his lost love and he can’t imagine putting the pictures away, or the knick knacks they bought together, or the cushion with the stain that neither had the heart to clean off, so he is glad he’s not going to be sitting at home alone on Valentine’s Day.
He picks up the card and rereads the instructions. It is only then that the importance of the location strikes him. Elijah wants Dominic to meet him at the bookstore, the one where it all finally came together, six years ago yesterday. He wants Dominic to go to the bookstore, on Valentine’s Day, the day after what would have been their anniversary.
It’s too much.
The phone is in his hand and he’s already dialing Elijah’s mobile.
“No fucking way, Elwood. No. Fucking. Way.”
But the phone rings the magic three times and Dominic is subjected to a Bloom molestation again. He flings the phone and its casing pops apart from the impact, sending the battery skittering off under the couch.
He pours himself half a shot, all that is left from yesterday’s binge, and indulges in a tiny sulk. It will be a brief indulgence, he realizes, because Elijah will show up at the appointed time, and he’ll be alone. Elijah is heartbreaking when he cries and he knows it, Dom doesn’t need to see that. Besides, he needs to vent his spleen and Elijah has just set himself up as the perfect target.
For the first time in two days, Dominic gets dressed and leaves the house.
***
Elijah is inside the shop when he arrives. Dominic can just see the telltale Elijah-in-disguise red bucket hat. “Fucking wanker,” he mumbles, pushing in to the store. He walks towards his friend but Elijah has continued moving and has gone further in. Dominic grits his teeth and follows. He’s stopped short, however, by a completely unexpected sight, and he feels rather like a balloon is deflating down his throat.
Billy.
Standing, looking at the back of some anonymous new bestseller, frowning a little,
Billy is looking older, more tired and thinner than the last time Dominic saw him. It’s still the most welcome sight ever. He has to swallow several times till the pressure in his chest eases somewhat, but he doesn’t blink.
It’s been forty-four days since he’s seen Billy, and he doesn’t want to miss a second of this.
When Dom can’t take it anymore, when the idea of the distance between them is unbearable for a second longer, he walks over to the same shelf and picks up a book. He pretends to be looking at it but he pitches his voice low and speaks instead.
“Did you know that people used to have to cut apart pages themselves? Books used to come almost sealed, a really clever and wonderful bloke told me that once.”
Billy jumps at his words and Dominic is grateful that he still seems to care, but he doesn’t look at Dominic as he whispers hoarsely, “Ye can’t do that Dommie. It’s not that easy.” Dominic closes his eyes and aches at the first words he’s heard since “Fine, then, go,” on New Year’s Day. Still, this is the moment he’s been praying for since he woke up on his brother’s couch on the second day of the year, and realized he’d just fucked up most royally, so he seizes this opportunity and speaks quickly, while staring through the cover of the book in his hand.
“Do you remember, Billy love, when I forgave you for a moment of sheer stupidity that you said had absolutely no reflection on me or how you felt about me? Well, love, I need you to forgive me now, for being a gormless mardarse and a first class fucking idiot.”
He risks a glance over at his erstwhile lover: Billy has gone completely rigid and white. Dominic swallows a wave of shame for having taken away Billy’s smile, his laughter.
“Please, Bills. I’m so fucking sorry. I should never have… It was the most fucking stupid thing I’ve ever done, and being without you has been absolute shite. Being with you, and having you in my life is more important than who knows about us, more important than work, or potfuls of money, and I’ll do anything to have you back. Fuck. Anything at all.”
Dom’s shaking now and has to put the book down or drop it. He glances over again and Billy is crying; he doesn’t shake or move and his face is blank except for the tear tracks on his cheek and the glistening drops in his beard.
It’s too much.
Dominic grabs Billy and turns him until he can look straight into Billy’s eyes. The green eyes are magnified and beautiful, with tears that haven’t yet escaped.
“Please, love, tell me all our pages haven’t been cut yet.”
Dom’s begging now but doesn’t care; this is the most critical moment of his life, it’s worth whatever cost. When Billy finally smiles, it’s the most fantastic sight ever.
“Well, Dommie, I don’t think I can say that. I think they have.”
The shock is immediate. It’s as if Dom’s been turned inside out, gutted, and he thinks he’s probably going to die right here in the bookshop because he absolutely cannot breathe. His hands drop and he closes his eyes.
“Dominic. Open yer eyes and look at me, ye daft cunt.”
When he does, Billy is smiling still and his eyes are clear, though his cheeks are still wet.
“I forgive you. I love you. And I think we need a new book now, aye?”
Then, Billy kisses him, right in the middle of the bookstore and even though he still can’t breathe, Dominic feels alive for the first time in forty-four days. They move apart eventually, but only far enough to stand with their foreheads touching. It’s perfect, but Dominic has to know.
“Did Elijah get you with the ‘Love, Me’ letter too?”
Billy chuckles. “Aye, the wee numptie did.”
“Too bad Lij never met his secret admirer, we could have written to thank her. Should we thank him instead?”
“I’ve already thanked him: Orli’s on his way here.”
Author: sparktastic
Pairing: Dominic/someone, with hints of Orlijah
Feedback: yes, thanks!
Warning: seriously schmooptastic; those with sensitive teeth should take care, diabetics should take extra insulin
Author's notes: This is for
cherry007 for the LOTR love letter challenge. Fic written based on her letter which appears at the beginning of the fic. Hope you like, girl! Thanks for the beta help from crazybutsound and rose_emily. Summary: Dom gets a letter.
Dear Dom,
I know that writing a letter is a cowardly thing to do, and I certainly am no coward but I couldn’t scrape up the courage to ask you on my own. So I sat down and started composing and this is all I could come up with.
Meet me outside the bookstore on 14th street at 7.45, February 14th. I’m sure you’ll know me when you see me.
Love,
Me.
Dom turns the letter over in his hands but nothing else is written on the thick square. Despite himself and despite the funk he’s in, Dominic smiles, then laughs. “Elijah, you wanker,” he mutters, grin in place as he reaches for the phone. He dials the number from memory, but after three rings, the voicemail picks up.
“Hey! Thanks for calling. I’m…hey…stop it. Orli. Don’t do that. Fuck. Ohhhh. Fuck! I’mbusyI’llcallyoubackbye!”
Then a woman’s voice tells Dom to record his message. He presses end on his phone and flings it on the couch with a frustrated sigh. It’s not that he’s not happy for his friends. He is.
“I am glad you’re happy, doodle,” he whispers at the phone. It’s just that it’s only been a month.
Almost a month and a half—
Shut. Up.
A month since he was stupid enough to push too far. Ask for too much. A month (almost a month and a half) since it escalated into the biggest row he’s ever had. Now, it’s ruined. He’s ruined the best thing in his life and in the face of that apocalypse, Elijah’s (and Orli’s) happiness is like salt in the wound.
He’s trying to cheer you up, you stupid sod.
Reminding Dom of their Hobbit in-joke, as old as New Zealand, was obviously an effort to that end; even before Fellowship had come out, Elijah had lovesick fangirls. They’d all laughed themselves sick when an anonymous letter appeared one day in Elijah’s trailer. It had then become their standard invitation for Fellowship excursions; only the time and place would change.
It has, however, been more than a year since Dominic’s seen one.
Elijah’s obviously trying very hard to lift his spirits, but it’s all a bit difficult to take, especially two days away from what would have been their anniversary, and three days away from Valentine’s Day.
Dominic tries to appreciate Elijah’s effort. He calls him again later, and catches him out somewhere, maybe in a music shop because the noise in the background is almost overwhelming. He tries to offer his apologies, but Elijah won’t hear it.
“Awww, Dommie, you’ve gotta come. Orli’s got shooting for some commercial, and I’ll be all alone. We’ll go, get a pint, it’ll be good. Meet me, c’mon…”
Dominic closes his eyes and sighs, knowing the sound will be lost over the connection. The problem is that he’s never been able to resist the puppy dog voice, it’s nearly as effective as the eyes.
“Okay, Elwood, I’ll be there.”
“Fucking A! Awesome! I can’t wait!” Elijah’s joy overrides the cacophony in the background and Dominic cannot help but smile in response.
“Thanks, Lij. You’re a great mate.”
They say their goodbyes, and the smile lasts a little longer than the time it takes to cover the distance between his ear and the phone cradle.
***
Dominic spends Friday in with the phone disconnected, all the videos of his ex on the TV, and a bottle in his hand; he gets completely trolleyed. When he finally gets up in the early afternoon on Saturday, he’s thankful that he can’t remember whether or not he cried. He washes his face in case there’s any evidence of tears.
By about seven o’clock, he is almost starting to look forward to meeting Elijah. They haven’t seen each other since Christmas, and it will be good to see his mate. Besides, everything in the house reminds him of his lost love and he can’t imagine putting the pictures away, or the knick knacks they bought together, or the cushion with the stain that neither had the heart to clean off, so he is glad he’s not going to be sitting at home alone on Valentine’s Day.
He picks up the card and rereads the instructions. It is only then that the importance of the location strikes him. Elijah wants Dominic to meet him at the bookstore, the one where it all finally came together, six years ago yesterday. He wants Dominic to go to the bookstore, on Valentine’s Day, the day after what would have been their anniversary.
It’s too much.
The phone is in his hand and he’s already dialing Elijah’s mobile.
“No fucking way, Elwood. No. Fucking. Way.”
But the phone rings the magic three times and Dominic is subjected to a Bloom molestation again. He flings the phone and its casing pops apart from the impact, sending the battery skittering off under the couch.
He pours himself half a shot, all that is left from yesterday’s binge, and indulges in a tiny sulk. It will be a brief indulgence, he realizes, because Elijah will show up at the appointed time, and he’ll be alone. Elijah is heartbreaking when he cries and he knows it, Dom doesn’t need to see that. Besides, he needs to vent his spleen and Elijah has just set himself up as the perfect target.
For the first time in two days, Dominic gets dressed and leaves the house.
***
Elijah is inside the shop when he arrives. Dominic can just see the telltale Elijah-in-disguise red bucket hat. “Fucking wanker,” he mumbles, pushing in to the store. He walks towards his friend but Elijah has continued moving and has gone further in. Dominic grits his teeth and follows. He’s stopped short, however, by a completely unexpected sight, and he feels rather like a balloon is deflating down his throat.
Billy.
Standing, looking at the back of some anonymous new bestseller, frowning a little,
Billy is looking older, more tired and thinner than the last time Dominic saw him. It’s still the most welcome sight ever. He has to swallow several times till the pressure in his chest eases somewhat, but he doesn’t blink.
It’s been forty-four days since he’s seen Billy, and he doesn’t want to miss a second of this.
When Dom can’t take it anymore, when the idea of the distance between them is unbearable for a second longer, he walks over to the same shelf and picks up a book. He pretends to be looking at it but he pitches his voice low and speaks instead.
“Did you know that people used to have to cut apart pages themselves? Books used to come almost sealed, a really clever and wonderful bloke told me that once.”
Billy jumps at his words and Dominic is grateful that he still seems to care, but he doesn’t look at Dominic as he whispers hoarsely, “Ye can’t do that Dommie. It’s not that easy.” Dominic closes his eyes and aches at the first words he’s heard since “Fine, then, go,” on New Year’s Day. Still, this is the moment he’s been praying for since he woke up on his brother’s couch on the second day of the year, and realized he’d just fucked up most royally, so he seizes this opportunity and speaks quickly, while staring through the cover of the book in his hand.
“Do you remember, Billy love, when I forgave you for a moment of sheer stupidity that you said had absolutely no reflection on me or how you felt about me? Well, love, I need you to forgive me now, for being a gormless mardarse and a first class fucking idiot.”
He risks a glance over at his erstwhile lover: Billy has gone completely rigid and white. Dominic swallows a wave of shame for having taken away Billy’s smile, his laughter.
“Please, Bills. I’m so fucking sorry. I should never have… It was the most fucking stupid thing I’ve ever done, and being without you has been absolute shite. Being with you, and having you in my life is more important than who knows about us, more important than work, or potfuls of money, and I’ll do anything to have you back. Fuck. Anything at all.”
Dom’s shaking now and has to put the book down or drop it. He glances over again and Billy is crying; he doesn’t shake or move and his face is blank except for the tear tracks on his cheek and the glistening drops in his beard.
It’s too much.
Dominic grabs Billy and turns him until he can look straight into Billy’s eyes. The green eyes are magnified and beautiful, with tears that haven’t yet escaped.
“Please, love, tell me all our pages haven’t been cut yet.”
Dom’s begging now but doesn’t care; this is the most critical moment of his life, it’s worth whatever cost. When Billy finally smiles, it’s the most fantastic sight ever.
“Well, Dommie, I don’t think I can say that. I think they have.”
The shock is immediate. It’s as if Dom’s been turned inside out, gutted, and he thinks he’s probably going to die right here in the bookshop because he absolutely cannot breathe. His hands drop and he closes his eyes.
“Dominic. Open yer eyes and look at me, ye daft cunt.”
When he does, Billy is smiling still and his eyes are clear, though his cheeks are still wet.
“I forgive you. I love you. And I think we need a new book now, aye?”
Then, Billy kisses him, right in the middle of the bookstore and even though he still can’t breathe, Dominic feels alive for the first time in forty-four days. They move apart eventually, but only far enough to stand with their foreheads touching. It’s perfect, but Dominic has to know.
“Did Elijah get you with the ‘Love, Me’ letter too?”
Billy chuckles. “Aye, the wee numptie did.”
“Too bad Lij never met his secret admirer, we could have written to thank her. Should we thank him instead?”
“I’ve already thanked him: Orli’s on his way here.”