Slasha, Baby 2007

Crossing The Line

---

1. In which there is the beginning of something

"What's Orli doing?" Astin was all fatherly concern.

"Barfing." Elijah giggled. "He's in the bathroom throwing up. He drank even less than I did."

"Waste of good beer," Billy said.

"Bloody lightweights, the pair of you." Dom didn't miss a beat, and managed to behead Billy's character while Billy was distracted at the thought of all the not-exactly-cheap lager that was currently going down his toilet. "Victory is mine!"

"Only because I wasn't concentrating." Billy looked down at where his and Dom's feet were surrounded by a halo of empties as Orlando stumbled into the living room looking somewhat pale.

"Shall I take the children home?" Sean said.

"Please do," Billy said. He didn't fancy cleaning the bathroom any more than he'd already have to.

"Okay!" Sean levered himself out of his armchair. "You two, with me. Let's leave Billy in peace before you totally trash his house."

"How come Dom's allowed to stay?" Elijah whined.

"Because I'm not drunk, and still capable of erudite conversation," Dom pointed out. Sean was already herding Orlando and Elijah to the door.

"Suppose we'd better see them off," Billy said with a sigh.

"To make sure they leave, you mean?" Dom grinned.

"Good point."

They watched Elijah weave his way over the front lawn and along the street to Sean's car, followed by Orlando stepping gingerly along, helped by Sean.

"Hope they don't decorate your car," Billy said.

"If they do, they're cleaning it!" Sean grinned.

"See you tomorrow!" Dom yelled after them.

Billy closed the door. Dom took hold of Billy's wrist and looked at Billy's watch.

"You know, I think I'm going to head off too, it's late."

Billy felt a sinking feeling of disappointment. "Okay then."

The disappointment was short-lived, as Dom pulled Billy into a farewell hug, and then kissed him on the cheek, but didn't stop hugging him. There was another kiss, this time on the mouth, tentative, hopeful, and Billy thought I'm going to snog Dom, a second before Dom's lips found his again and didn't move away this time.

Unfortunately, just as they were getting going, Billy burst out laughing, which ruined the mood somewhat.

"What?" Dom said, looking slightly hurt.

"Sorry," Billy said, still choking back laughter. "It's just that... you know, it's like when you've fancied someone for ages and you're pretty sure they fancy you, but neither of you says anything, then you get to that stage of wondering whether to snog them and finally you do but it's all sort of 'should I?', and... I dunno. Sorry."

Dom was looking at Billy as if he'd gone mad.

"I think we'll just take that from the top again, shall we?" Billy asked. Before Dom could answer, Billy kissed him again. This time without laughing. It was most satisfactory.

2. In which things develop, but not as much as Dom would like

"Don't you love this glamorous life we're living?" Dom asked, as they trudged back to where their trailers were parked. They'd got up at the crack of dawn, as usual, spent hours in make-up, got ready, got on set, only for some technical hitch to mean that everything had to stop for a couple of hours.

"Mine or yours?" Billy asked.

"Yours."

The inside of Billy's trailer was at least warm, unlike the outdoors. "Tea?"

"No thanks. Think I might have a kip, actually." Without asking, Dom wandered into the bedroom. Not that Billy minded, really. In fact, he followed Dom in, and they lay side by side staring at their hairy feet.

"Good passion killers, these feet," Dom said.

"We're not having sex."

"No, I know we're not. You've made that quite clear."

Billy rolled his eyes. It was too early in the day to have this argument again. He liked snogging Dom. He liked it a lot. He just didn't know if he actually wanted to shag him. It's not as if he's never shagged a bloke before; no, that wasn't the problem. Just never one of his mates.

OK, one of his mates. But that had ended very badly, very messily, and someone who'd been the most important person in his life had ceased to be a part of his life at all. Billy wasn't about to risk that with Dom.

Turning to Dom, ready to give him a conciliatory snog, Billy discovered his friend had fallen asleep. Problem solved, at least for today.

3. In which things almost get somewhere

Tonight was the night, Dom had decided. They had a whole weekend off ahead of them; tomorrow was party night, but tonight, he'd planned a big seduction scene. Billy couldn't fail to go for it. Wine, candles, Thai food that Dom would have cooked if he had the time, but he'd got a decent local takeaway and that would have to do. Everything was set. Billy arrived only marginally late, bearing a video he was returning to Dom.

They kissed hello. "Smells amazing," Billy said.

"I'll give your compliments to the chef," Dom grinned, following Billy into the kitchen. "Wine?"

"No beer?"

"Not tonight."

"Okay, wine it is then."

Dom struggled to open the bottle, but the cork broke and he eventually had to have two goes with the corkscrew, much to Billy's amusement.

"I'm failing at being suave here, aren't I?" Dom said.

"That's okay, I don't come here for suave," Billy said. At last the wine was poured and they wandered into the living room. The candles were lit and Dom put on some music.

"Very nice," Billy said, looking around. Dom's heart did a little flip. "Who are you planning to seduce?"

Oh, god. This was all a big joke to Billy. Dom didn't know what to say. "Well."

There was silence for a moment.

"God, this is a seduction, isn't it?" Billy said.

"Guilty," Dom mumbled, grinning ruefully.

"Bloody hell." Billy strode back into the kitchen and Dom followed, wondering what was coming next. Because it clearly wasn't a seduction.

"Billy..." he began, hoping to pre-empt whatever it was that Billy was going to say.

Billy put down his glass and turned, his expression dark. "This a fucking insult, Dom. Did you think you could woo me into bed with hearts and flowers? Is that all you want from me?"

"No!" Dom was beginning to panic. This was unprecedented.

"Your wine and candles routine might work on some middle-class girl from the suburbs, Dom, but that's not me. Sometimes I think you've got no idea who I am."

"What?"

"Oh for god's sake!" Billy let out an exasperated sigh. "Forget it." He reached for his jacket on the back of a chair. "I can't do this. I'll see you tomorrow."

The door slammed, leaving Dom standing in shell-shocked silence. The oven timer beeped, and he realised the take-away was in there warming. Not that he was in the slightest bit hungry. He switched the oven off and grabbed a tea-towel to pull the foil containers out. While withdrawing the second one he caught his wrist on the side of the oven, let out a yell of pain, dropped the container and whipped his arm back, catching the half-full wine bottle and knocking it to the floor with a crash.

"Fuck! Fuck you Billy!"

Dom fell into a chair, surveying the wreckage and wondering if anything could be salvaged.

4. In which Dom is depressed but the world doesn't end as he fears

Since the fight of the night before, Dom hadn't spoken to Billy for the whole day, possibly for the first time since he arrived in New Zealand. He'd finally plucked up the courage to phone in the afternoon, but Billy's mobile was off and his landline just rang and rang. Dom was scared. A shag really wasn't worth all this hassle. Losing Billy's friendship wasn't worth it. If only he could explain that to Billy. But Billy didn't seem to want to know. Instead, Dom had to go to a karaoke night for someone's birthday that had seemed like a good idea when it was suggested the previous week, after a few drinks. Now it sounded like hell on toast.

Everyone was there. Billy was there. There was a big enough group, and the pub was crowded enough that no-one noticed the lack of communication between Dom and Billy. In fact, everyone seemed to be having the time of their lives, including Billy.

"What's up?" Elijah nudged him hard and slid a beer in front of him.

"Nothing."

"Whatever. You look like your dog just died or something."

Dom shrugged. Elijah tried again.

"D'you want something to eat? I was thinking of ordering some fries."

"No thanks."

Elijah eventuallly got tired of Dom's lack of communication, and was replaced by Viggo, who simply sat and said nothing in a really understanding way, for which Dom was grateful. People went up to sing, the whole room seemed to be filled with shiny happy people, and Dom hated them all.

Then the DJ announced Billy's name and Dom watched him make his way through the crowd.

"This song," Billy said into the microphone, "Is dedicated to someone who I've not behaved towards quite as well as I should."

There was a small commotion in the corner. People nudged Dom and there were a couple of wolf-whistles. No-one else in the pub took any notice.

The opening strains of Bryan Adams' Everything I do, I do it for you started up.

"Oh god," Dom said, and his face fell into his folded arms.

The thing was, if anyone could pull off that song, Billy could. And with a supporting air band by Sean, Elijah and Orlando, he pulled it off with style. Sean drummed frantically, Orli played sax and during the instrumental break, Elijah stood on a chair and played wild and crazy air guitar.

And Billy belted out the song as if his life depended on it.

Dom whimpered softly into his sleeve, and was aware of hot breath making his hair move.

"I think he means it, in a stupid cheesy way," Viggo's voice rasped in Dom's ear.

And so Dom lifted his head off the table and tuned into the words.

"You know it's true. Everything I do, I do it for you," Billy sang, drawing the song to a close. His eyes were fixed on Dom

"Well thank you, that's one lucky lady I reckon!" the DJ said, as there was rapturous applause from the Fellowship's corner of the pub.

Billy hopped down off the stage and Dom watched him thread his way back through the crowd until he was standing beside Dom.

"I..." Dom began, but was drowned out by more cheering and applause and the opening strains of 'Born to be wild'.

"Outside?" Billy said.

"Yeah."

They pushed their way to the door and out into the street. The pub was on a corner, and around the side they found they were alone.

"I..." Dom began again, but again he was cut short. This time by Billy's mouth, kissing him hard. Dom found he was being backed up against the wall and Billy was pressing against him, hot, a little bit sweaty, but extremely welcome.

"I've been a total arse, I'm sorry," Billy said finally when they came up for air. "Especially last night, after you went to all that trouble. I realised today I might have blown it completely."

"No, you were right, I put too much pressure on you, I..."

"Oh shut up and let me take you home."

"Right now?"

"I'm finding I'm extremely aroused and I'd like to see what you can do about that."

Dom beamed. "In that case, I'm your man. Where's the car?"

Concept created by Megolas in 2002
Fabulous artwork ©2002 by Hope
Moderated since 2004 by MSilverstar, with yueni and/or feelforfaith
Site revised ©2006 by yueni and 2007 by MSilverstar

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