monaboyd | Mistake Number Three

Title: Mistake Number Three - 6/19
Author:

dylan_dufresne
Pairing: BB/DM
Rating: R
Summary: When Dom awakens, he finds himself in a strange new world, filled with complications that he never imagined.
Feedback: Would be greatly appreciated as it’s my drug of choice. Much ♥ to all who have commented along the way. It means a lot to me.
Disclaimer: Not at all true in reality.
A/N: Warning of angst. Beta'd by

frojane. Thanks so much sweetie. I have no words.
Previous Parts: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Chapter 6

It’s the tantalizing aroma of food ticking his nose that rouses Dom from his peaceful sleep. Billy was right, the bed is very comfortable. Much better than the sagging excuse for a mattress that Dom has in his flat. The room is dark, as the sun has set while he was asleep, but there is some light coming from down the hall, as well as music, playing softly. After climbing out from under the blanket, Dom moves to put on his well worn trainers, but they’re no longer at the end of the bed. Billy must have moved them for some reason.

Rubbing at his eyes to clear his vision, Dom walks barefoot down the hall towards the sound, pausing when he hears a distinctly Scottish voice softly singing along with the music. Something about a tree and lilac wine. The soothing lilt steals Dom’s breath, and heat pools, low in his belly. It’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever heard, and would love nothing more than to wrap himself up in it like a blanket and stay there. Leaning against the wall, Dom lets his eyes fall closed for a few moments as he listens.

Pulled out of his daydream when a pang of hunger tugs at his belly and his stomach growls loudly, Dom continues toward the sound. He squints at the brightness when he pauses in the doorway of the warmly lit kitchen, not wanting to interrupt Billy as he moves about the room in his sock feet, still singing and humming along with the music. In a world all his own, Billy sways gently to the rhythm, head tilted to one side, as though mulling something over.

“Hey,” Dom says softly.

Looking over his shoulder from his position in front of the cooker, Billy smiles.

“Hey, you’re awake. Dinner’s almost ready.”

“You didn’t have to-”

“Dom, relax,” Billy interrupts, returning his attention to the pot that he’s been stirring with a wooden spoon. “It’s not any more work to cook for two than it is for one.”

“I should really-”

“Help me set the table?” Billy requests mildly, pointing to a cupboard next to the fridge. “I need to flip the garlic toast. I hope you like spaghetti.”

Dom surprises himself when he walks further into the room and replies, “Yeah, I do.”

“Good. Plates are on the first shelf, cutlery is in the third drawer from the right.”

Watching Billy out of the corner of his eye, Dom lays out plates, utensils and glasses of water on the small table, saying nothing as he works. It’s strange how natural it feels, the seemingly effortless domesticity, preparing to have dinner with Billy as if it’s something they do every single day. It makes Dom uneasy how comfortable Billy seems to be with the situation.

Dom knows he’s already too attached to Billy, and every moment they spend together will only make it more difficult for him to go home to his tiny flat. Alone. He’s already dreading the time he’s going to have to spend working to make up the money that was stolen. Truth be told, he should be out there right now, but he just can’t bring himself to leave yet. Soon. After dinner.

Giving Dom a smile, Billy hands him a small bowl of spaghetti sauce and a plate with garlic toast, nodding for him to sit down at the table. Picking up a second bowl, filled with noodles, Billy grabs a shaker of parmesan cheese and sits down across from Dom.

Conversation is light and relaxed, and it’s only when their plates are nearly empty that Billy leans back, gazing at Dom for a long, quiet moment.

“What?” Dom asks after swallowing the mouthful of pasta he’s been chewing and self-consciously wiping his mouth.

“I need to talk to you about something.”

Setting his napkin down on the edge of his plate, Dom silently wills his belly to stop churning. In his experience, nothing good ever comes from a conversation that starts this way. Never.

“What?” he says tentatively.

“How did you sleep?” Billy asks. “Were you comfortable?”

“It was good,” Dom replies honestly. “I feel better. Thank you.”

“Okay. I’m just going to come out and say it,” Billy says, straightening up in his chair. “I want you to move in here, be my flat mate.”

“What?”

“Dom, your rent is due when? End of business tomorrow and you don’t have enough to pay it,” Billy continues. “Even with what I gave you this morning.”

Averting his eyes, Dom shifts, grimacing at the pain the movement causes. “I’ll be fine.”

“You can’t go back out there,” Billy insists. “Your back needs time to heal.”

“I said, I’ll be fine,” Dom repeats.

“Dom, I like to think that in the last couple of months we’ve become friends.” Billy says, eyes focused intently on Dom’s face. “Am I alone in that?”

“No,” Dom admits, staring at his plate.

“So as your friend, I’m offering you a chance to change things.”

“What do you mean?”

“You told me you dropped out of school during your A levels. This is just my opinion, but I think you should go back and finish,” Billy continues. “People do it all the time. There are courses at colleges that can help you.”

“And just how am I supposed to pay for that?” Dom fires back coldly, lashing out in an attempt to cover how exposed and vulnerable he feels. Naked, but not in a physical way. That, he’s used to. This is different. Emotionally.

“You get a job.”

“You don’t think I tried it that way?” Dom asks, shaking his head in disbelief. “When I moved here, I took every job I could find, but couldn’t make enough to pay the rent, let alone go back to school. That’s why I-”

“I know, Dom,” Billy says quietly as Dom breaks off and looks away again. “I’m offering you a job here, in the book shop.”

“What?”

“I’m looking for someone who would want to work part time, and I thought of you. I know you like to read, so I thought you might like it. Added bonus, you could borrow books and bring them up here if you wanted.”

“You want me to work for you?” Dom asks in disbelief.

“Aye. We could figure out a schedule, depending on what you need,” Billy tells him. “It’s what Mark and I do. He’s in his third year of a degree in Education. Working at the shop gives him a little bit of spending money.”

“Part time won’t be enough to pay rent and-”

“Look Dom, here’s the deal. I don’t need the money. I wouldn’t be renting the room anyways,” Billy continues, cutting off Dom’s protest. “You’d be responsible for half of the electric bill, half the grocery shopping and your share in the cleaning and kitchen duties. If you don’t cook, you can learn. If you want, I can teach you a few things. You’ll be expected to work your hours, just like Mark, and you’ll earn a fair wage. What you do with that money is your business.”

Resigned, Dom sighs heavily. “Billy, you can’t hire me.”

“Why not?” Billy asks in confusion.

“Because everyone in this neighborhood knows what I am. What I do,” Dom replies incredulously, surprised that Billy doesn’t understand. “What are you going to tell people? You know how it’s going to look. It already looks bad, you bringing me upstairs, in the middle of the day.”

“I have a friend who needs my help,” Billy says firmly. “I don’t care what people think.”

“Billy-”

“There is one condition,” Billy adds, leaning forward, elbows on the table. “Concerning you and me.”

Ducking his head, Dom once again focuses on his plate. “If I moved in, it would be no charge. Whenever you wanted to-”

“No.”

The word is such a shock to Dom that his mouth hangs open as he stares.

“What?”

“You’ll have your own space. The spare room with the loo next to it. I will not enter your room without your permission, and I will never be in your bed.”

“But-”

“And you will not be welcome in my bed,” Billy states firmly. “Ever.”

“I won’t take charity,” Dom says tightly, standing up quickly, causing the chair to fall back onto the floor. Despite his best effort, he can’t quite suppress his flinching at the pain radiating across his back. His muscles feel tight, stretched taut like piano wire. “I’ve been making it on my own for almost four years.”

Moving with speed that surprises Billy, Dom crosses the room over to the entrance, searching in vain for his trainers.

“It’s not charity,” Billy says, quickly following Dom. “I want someone downstairs who I can trust. You need a safe place to start over. We’re friends. We can help each other.”

“What’s the catch?” Dom asks, eyes narrowing suspiciously. “There’s always a catch.”

“I have two rules,” Billy replies. “No drugs and no sex. If I find out you’ve been doing either behind my back, you’re gone. That’s it.”

In full attack mode to protect himself, Dom shakes his head, refusing to believe it. “There has to be something that you want,” he insists. “Everybody wants something.”

“Listen to me, Dom. I understand you want to thank me, but sex shouldn’t be what comes to mind when you think of expressing your gratitude,” Billy fires back, grabbing a fistful of Dom’s long sleeved shirt at his bicep so he can’t escape. “I won’t let you thank me on your back or on your knees.”

“Funny, I seem to recall you liked fucking me,” Dom retorts coldly, lashing out, his eyes flat and distant. “Or maybe I was imagining all the times you paid me to get down on my knees and suck you off.”

Ignoring Dom’s vulgar words, Billy grabs Dom’s other sleeve, forcing their eyes to meet.

“Do you think you can make me angry?” Billy demands quietly, pulling Dom closer. “Somehow make me hate you so I’ll throw you out? Well, you’ll need to try a lot harder than that.”

“What do you want?” Dom spits out, struggling ineffectually in Billy’s grasp and wincing at the pain his movements cause.

“I don’t want anything, Dom. I think you can do a lot more with your life than standing on a corner and renting your body out to whoever will pay,” Billy says firmly, yet gently. “You’re better than that.”

“I never asked for your help.”

“Tell me you like standing out there, in the cold and rain, waiting for someone to tell you how little your body is worth?” Billy asks, pressing on. “How much is your soul worth, Dom? I’d like to know. You’re selling it, one piece at a time.”

Jaw clenching, Dom looks away, refusing to meet Billy’s intense green eyes.

“Tell me you like getting on your knees for strangers, or better yet, convince me that you like not knowing if the next person who gives you money for sex is going to cut your skin to ribbons instead.”

“I told you, I’ll be fine,” Dom manages to say between gritted teeth.

“You have to get off the street, Dom, because maybe next time the bastard won’t stop until you are dead,” Billy adds, the harshness of his words making Dom flinch. “You’re my friend, Dom. I don’t want to show up at your door some night and find your body, or have you go missing, never to be seen again.”

Glancing up, Dom looks away quickly, trying to hide the excess moisture in his eyes. There’s nothing Billy has said so far that he hasn’t thought of as well. Dom knew the risks when he started, but has tried to put it out of his mind as much as possible.

“You deserve better, Dom. Much better.”

Searching his mind for a response, Dom opens and closes his mouth several times, but the words won’t materialize. He doesn't know what to say. This is the very last thing he expected to come out of Billy’s mouth. There’s nothing he can say.

“Do you really want to show me that you appreciate this?” Billy asks softly. “Say yes. Move in here. Make yourself strong and realize that you have worth beyond what someone will pay. So that you’ll never have to sell your body ever again.”

With a harsh sob rising in his throat as intense emotions overwhelm him, Dom spins on his heel, tearing free of Billy’s hold as he pushes past the pain, practically throwing himself at the front door. Right now all he can think of is escape. Getting as far away from Billy as he can. He has to go now, before he bursts into tears. Hands trembling violently, Dom fights desperately with the lock, fear robbing him of his focus, and suddenly he’s back in his flat, at the mercy of his attacker. He’s trapped.

“I know you’re starving,” Billy says, wrapping a hand around Dom’s slender wrist to quiet him. “I see, Dom. You’re getting thinner by the day. You can’t even afford to eat.”

“Don’t,” Dom begs hoarsely, his knees threatening to buckle. “Just let me go.”

The truth that Billy’s seen it, all along, hits Dom hard, and he attempts to renew his frantic attempts to escape. To his horror, his fingers refuse to obey him, shaking so hard that he’s sure Billy can see that as well. Feel it. Somehow Billy has torn down all of Dom’s walls, and he may as well be stripped naked, outside, in the middle of winter, he feels so exposed.

“Do you hate yourself that much?” Billy asks in a quiet voice, pressing closer, until his breath is warming Dom’s neck. “Why are you choosing to go back out there, when you’re being offered another way?”

“Stop,” Dom says in a low whisper, heart pounding madly against the wall of his chest.

“Do you think you’ll be lucky twice and survive the next time you’re attacked?” Billy asks sadly. “Or do you really want to die?”

A ragged sob rips from Dom’s chest as his body suddenly collapses, and he falls towards the door for a fraction of a second, until something stops him. Billy’s arms are around his chest and then they are sinking to the floor, Dom’s bandaged back cradled against Billy’s body. The gentle pressure hurts immensely, only making Dom cry harder as he sags limply in Billy’s strong arms, hot tears flowing freely down his cheeks.

Gently turning Dom to alleviate the stress on his back and taking his full weight, Billy threads his fingers through Dom’s tousled blonde hair. His other hand is at Dom’s narrow waist, tenderly holding the distraught man to his chest.

“It’s okay,” he murmurs, rocking back and forth in a soothing rhythm. “You’re safe. It’s okay, Dom.”

“I thought he was going to kill me,” Dom chokes out between body shuddering breaths. “I knew something was wrong, but I-”

“Shhh. I know,” Billy replies gently, cheek pressed against Dom’s hair. “You were desperate.”

It’s long minutes later when Dom’s broken sobs slow and finally stop, Billy rocking him the whole time and stroking his hair as he murmurs comforting words. Shirt wet from Dom’s torrent of tears, Billy finally allows Dom to pull away from him, but not too far. Cupping Dom’s face in his hands, Billy brushes away the dampness under Dom’s soulful blue-grey eyes with his thumbs.

“So, will you stay?” he asks.

Slowly, Dom nods. “Yeah.”

“Good.”

Helping Dom to his feet, Billy starts to guide Dom over to the couch when Dom suddenly freezes.

“What?”

“What I said to you,” Dom says in a low voice, eyes downcast. “I didn’t mean-”

“I know,” Billy interrupts gently. “You told me. Everybody wants something.”

“Except you, apparently,” Dom adds, eyes filling with fresh tears. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s forgotten.”

Body screaming, Dom sinks down to the couch, eyes fluttering closed for a moment, his breath tight.

“Pain?” Billy asks gently, resting a hand lightly on Dom’s shoulder.

Dom nods stiffly. “Yeah.”

“I’ll get you something. Be right back.”

By the time Billy returns with a bottle of Paracetamol and a glass of water, Dom is digging into the front pocket of his faded blue jeans. A moment later he places Billy’s mobile on the coffee table.

“Forgot to give that back to you earlier.”

“That reminds me, I meant to ask you how you locked your flat when I’ve got your keys,” Billy says, handing Dom the glass of water.

“I turned the lock on the door knob,” Dom tells him before swallowing the pills Billy taps into his palm. “It’ll be fine. Besides, I brought everything of value with me.”

“Your stuff is still there, isn’t it?” Billy asks, concerned. “Rent isn’t due yet. The landlord didn’t throw you out, did he?”

“Actually, only the clothes are mine. Everything else was there when I moved in,” Dom explains quietly. “Girl who lived there before me left all of it behind. She said she didn’t need it anymore.”

“Is there anything there that you want to keep?”

“Not really much to take,” Dom says. “Except your sheets and blankets.”

“Okay.” Seeing the heavy slump in Dom’s shoulders, Billy frowns in thought. “Tired?”

“Fucking exhausted.”

“I’m sorry,” Billy says gently. “I was pretty hard on you.”

“It’s okay,” Dom replies. “You were trying to help.”

“How about we call it a night and talk in the morning?” Billy suggests.

“Yeah. That sounds good.”

After ensuring that Dom is tucked into bed, Billy quietly pulls the door closed and walks to the end of the hall, entering his own room. Dialing a familiar number on his mobile, he presses it to his ear as he reaches into his closet to pull out a suitcase.

“Hey, it’s Billy,” he says when someone answers the other end of the line.

He smiles weakly at something the person says. “I know. I’m sorry, but I have another favor to ask.”

There is a short pause as he listens and shifts from one foot to the other.

“Can you see someone tomorrow?” he asks. “I need someone I can trust to help me.” Exhaling heavily, Billy nods. “We’ll be there. Thank you.”

* * * * *

Looking around the tiny flat one last time, Billy ensures that he hasn’t left anything behind. The small pile of clothing that makes up Dom’s entire wardrobe is now in the suitcase at his feet, as well as his few personal belongings, and the linen that Billy had brought. Dropping the keys on the kitchen counter, Billy picks up the small suitcase, walks over to the front door and turns out the lights. He smiles when the door closes behind him with a satisfying click. Dom will never have to see that place ever again.

His new life starts tomorrow.

* * * * *

Chapter 7

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Date: 2005-10-23 07:27 pm (UTC)

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