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monaboyd Jul. 17th, 2006 05:59 pm)
starlingthefool.livejournal.com posting in monaboyd Jul. 17th, 2006 05:59 pm)Title: Pros and Cons, 1/?
Author: Starling
Pairing: Monaboyd
Rating: PG
Summary: AU. Billy and Dom are lovers, on the edge of poverty, and trying to come to a decision on how to get enough money to live.
Disclaimer: This really, really, REALLY, never happened. I mean, come on.
Notes: I actually wrote this years ago, and promptly forgot about it after finishing this chapter. I got reinterested in the story after reading Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran, which everyone should read because it's that amazing.
EDIT: Oops. Sorry for the lack of the cut!
Warning: Unbeta'd. Anyone interested? Please?
"So do you think we should do it?"
Dom sipped thoughtfully at his tea. "I don't know," he said, setting the cheap mug back on the table. "Give me a list of pros and cons."
"Oh forfuck'ssake Dom!" The words exploded out of Billy before he could stop them.
"I'm serious!"
"This is fucking ridiculous. Why do I have to convince you?" Billy tried to keep the frustration out of his voice through sheer will, watching as his lover calmly looked at him from across the table.
Dom delicately began to cut into his huevos rancheros. "It's not a matter of convincing me; listing the pros and cons and the consequences of an action will help us make an informed decision. This is for both of us."
Billy couldn't help smiling. "My ass it is."
"Okay, it's also 'cos you look so cute when you're thinking hard."
Billy threw a piece of biscuit at Dominic, who ducked. "Idiot."
But they were grinning at each other. And Billy was rubbing Dom's thigh under the table, his thumb rubbing smooth circles on the worn denim-clad muscles.
Eventually Dom ducked his head, and smiling, took another bite of the salsa-drenched eggs. "Start with the pros. No, start with the cons."
Billy stopped rubbing his lover's leg, instead massaging his temples. "I can't believe you're actually making me do this."
"Quit whinging and just do it, okay? Soonest begun, soonest done, as Mum would say."
Billy took a sip of the diner's horrible coffee, thinking. "Fine, first con, the obvious one; it's dangerous.
Immediately, "So is breathing."
"This has a slightly higher risk to our health than breathing. It's not like we're renting in London at the height of the industrial revolution, or, or L.A in the late 80's, is it?
"Nah. No dangerous smog to be had, no lung conditions."
"I didn't think so. Even though we'd probably make more money if we did it in London."
"We'd do fine here, and there's less perverts."
Billy smiled. "But the perverts are what we want."
Dominic continued eating, shoveling eggs into his mouth, chewing as he spoke. "I meant perverts in the more dangerous sense, rather than the traditional. After all, in the traditional definition of perversion, we'd top out."
Billy couldn't resist. "I'd top out. Last I recall, you prefer being on the bottom."
"Oh, Christ. Worst pun, EVER," Dom said, dropping his fork and putting his head in his hands.
"You set yourself up for it, Dom." Billy took another sip of his scalding coffee, a smile playing at the corner of his bow-shaped lips.
"Quit fucking around, would you?" His toothy grin belied the mostly serious tone of his voice.
"That's the first time you've ever asked me not to fuck-"
"You're stalling again. And you're trying to distract me."
Setting the cup down, Billy returned the grin, raising an eyebrow. "Is it working?"
"No. Not in the least."
"Have to try harder then," he murmured.
He leaned across the table and kissed Dom softly on the mouth, tongue brushing against Dom's barely open lips, the metal stud piercing the flesh cold against Billy's lips. Dom allowed him to do this, then pushed him away.
"Oy, Quit that. And keep going with the list.
"Me? Tease."
Dom glared at him and motioned him to go on, picking his fork up again. Billy sighed, rubbing at his thin ginger hair. "Okay, I'm gonna stick with the danger thing."
"You already said that."
"But there's more to it than just maybe getting picked up by some guy who likes it rougher than we do. There's STDs, and AIDS, and stuff-"
"All solved by the use of condoms," Dom stated with a wave of a hand.
Billy decided to press the issue. "Unless the guy refuses to do it with one."
"Then we tell him to fuck off and find someone else."
"And if he gets violent then?" The thought of someone trying to hurt Dom gnawed at him. He'd been taking care of Dom for the last year, since they'd moved in together, trying to make ends meet in an expensive town that had little patience or sympathy for anyone on the poverty line. An image suddenly played behind his eyes, Dom in a hospital bed, bandages covering his face, tubes sticking into his smooth, bare skin.
"Then we fucking run, don't we? Look, all this is stuff that we face any night of the week picking up guys. That doesn't stop us, does it?" Dom said, reminding Billy that whatever protective notions Billy had over his lover, Dom had taken care of himself long before Billy had ever been in the picture.
Taking another sip from the chipped white mug of coffee, Billy said, "I thought I was supposed to be convincing you that we should start hustling, not the other way around."
Pushing his empty plate away, Dom said, "You know me, I like to argue for the sake of argument."
"Of course I know that, you drive me batshit crazy at least twice a day doing that."
Taking a sip of tea and ignoring Billy's comment, Dom continued. "Anyway, I don't think there's as much danger in it as everyone thinks, as long as we don't act like complete idiots. Never go with anyone that we get a nasty feeling about, always use protection, and just in case, carry some mace for the occasional asshole that doesn't get that no means fuck off and never approach me again."
"I know. We both know this. Why the are you making tell you this shit?
A seemingly careless shrug of one skinny shoulder, and Dom said, "I'm just laying all the cards on the table."
There was a long pause, Dom jiggling one foot underneath the cracked linoleum table, Billy pushing his coffee mug, swirling the dregs of the coffee, both of them waiting for the other to speak. Finally Billy opened his mouth, and spoke the inevitable words.
"It might screw things up. Between us, I mean."
Dom raised an eyebrow, his cup of weak, milky tea raised halfway to his lips.
"Don't give me that fucking look, you know what I'm talking about, Dom."
Dom sighed and puts down his tea.
"We've never gotten jealous before. Not since we figured out what we both wanted." Billy could see a reflection of his own thoughts on Dom's face, the memory of a long, hard conversation they'd had months ago about their relationship, the decision eventually to have an "open" relationship.
"But...this is different."
"Only a bit. We'd be getting paid."
"Still." The word hung between them in the crowded diner, neither of them meeting the others' eyes.
"Yeah." Dom picked up his fork, put it down. Billy sipped his coffee.
"Look," Dom said, and Billy did, meeting the other man's gray-blue eyes. "I love you. A bit of whoring won't change that."
Even though he knew it was the wrong thing to do, Billy couldn't help but laugh.
Dom looked at him for a moment, his hurt clear in the stony glare of his eyes and the set of his jaw. "Fine, fuck off then," he said, getting up.
Billy grabbed him around the wrist and pulled him back, sitting him down next to him, and hugging him close.
"Oh, sit down, Dommie. I'm not laughing at you, just what you said. The second bit of it."
Dom thought back and cracked a smile.
Billy continued, "And I love you too." He kissed him, soundly.
"A bit of whoring..." he said under his breath when the kiss ended.
Dom bit at his lip and smacked at him, both of them laughing.
Blocking another smack aimed at his head, Billy said "How can I not love you? You've just got such a way with words."
Dom hit at him again and they tussled a bit.
"I'm surprised you're not writing for Reader's Digest or something, with such eloquence like that flowing off your tongue," Billy said, catching both of Dom's hands for a moment.
"Eloquence flowing off my tongue? Who's the poet now?" Dom said, leaning in.
"I do like your tongue. It's damn near inspiring."
They kissed deeply for a while, their surroundings forgotten, lost in the gently play of teeth and lips and tongue. Dominic broke it by poking Billy in the ribs, tickling him. They continued to tussle, poking, tickling, and one memorable bite on Dom's shoulder, until the waitress came by again, crankily offering them more coffee along with a death glare daring them to keep acting up in her cafe. They shook their heads politely, trying not to smirk. When she left, Dom slid back into his own side of the booth. Billy rolled his eyes, and held Dom's hand under the table, squeezing the long fingers between his own.
Author: Starling
Pairing: Monaboyd
Rating: PG
Summary: AU. Billy and Dom are lovers, on the edge of poverty, and trying to come to a decision on how to get enough money to live.
Disclaimer: This really, really, REALLY, never happened. I mean, come on.
Notes: I actually wrote this years ago, and promptly forgot about it after finishing this chapter. I got reinterested in the story after reading Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran, which everyone should read because it's that amazing.
EDIT: Oops. Sorry for the lack of the cut!
Warning: Unbeta'd. Anyone interested? Please?
"So do you think we should do it?"
Dom sipped thoughtfully at his tea. "I don't know," he said, setting the cheap mug back on the table. "Give me a list of pros and cons."
"Oh forfuck'ssake Dom!" The words exploded out of Billy before he could stop them.
"I'm serious!"
"This is fucking ridiculous. Why do I have to convince you?" Billy tried to keep the frustration out of his voice through sheer will, watching as his lover calmly looked at him from across the table.
Dom delicately began to cut into his huevos rancheros. "It's not a matter of convincing me; listing the pros and cons and the consequences of an action will help us make an informed decision. This is for both of us."
Billy couldn't help smiling. "My ass it is."
"Okay, it's also 'cos you look so cute when you're thinking hard."
Billy threw a piece of biscuit at Dominic, who ducked. "Idiot."
But they were grinning at each other. And Billy was rubbing Dom's thigh under the table, his thumb rubbing smooth circles on the worn denim-clad muscles.
Eventually Dom ducked his head, and smiling, took another bite of the salsa-drenched eggs. "Start with the pros. No, start with the cons."
Billy stopped rubbing his lover's leg, instead massaging his temples. "I can't believe you're actually making me do this."
"Quit whinging and just do it, okay? Soonest begun, soonest done, as Mum would say."
Billy took a sip of the diner's horrible coffee, thinking. "Fine, first con, the obvious one; it's dangerous.
Immediately, "So is breathing."
"This has a slightly higher risk to our health than breathing. It's not like we're renting in London at the height of the industrial revolution, or, or L.A in the late 80's, is it?
"Nah. No dangerous smog to be had, no lung conditions."
"I didn't think so. Even though we'd probably make more money if we did it in London."
"We'd do fine here, and there's less perverts."
Billy smiled. "But the perverts are what we want."
Dominic continued eating, shoveling eggs into his mouth, chewing as he spoke. "I meant perverts in the more dangerous sense, rather than the traditional. After all, in the traditional definition of perversion, we'd top out."
Billy couldn't resist. "I'd top out. Last I recall, you prefer being on the bottom."
"Oh, Christ. Worst pun, EVER," Dom said, dropping his fork and putting his head in his hands.
"You set yourself up for it, Dom." Billy took another sip of his scalding coffee, a smile playing at the corner of his bow-shaped lips.
"Quit fucking around, would you?" His toothy grin belied the mostly serious tone of his voice.
"That's the first time you've ever asked me not to fuck-"
"You're stalling again. And you're trying to distract me."
Setting the cup down, Billy returned the grin, raising an eyebrow. "Is it working?"
"No. Not in the least."
"Have to try harder then," he murmured.
He leaned across the table and kissed Dom softly on the mouth, tongue brushing against Dom's barely open lips, the metal stud piercing the flesh cold against Billy's lips. Dom allowed him to do this, then pushed him away.
"Oy, Quit that. And keep going with the list.
"Me? Tease."
Dom glared at him and motioned him to go on, picking his fork up again. Billy sighed, rubbing at his thin ginger hair. "Okay, I'm gonna stick with the danger thing."
"You already said that."
"But there's more to it than just maybe getting picked up by some guy who likes it rougher than we do. There's STDs, and AIDS, and stuff-"
"All solved by the use of condoms," Dom stated with a wave of a hand.
Billy decided to press the issue. "Unless the guy refuses to do it with one."
"Then we tell him to fuck off and find someone else."
"And if he gets violent then?" The thought of someone trying to hurt Dom gnawed at him. He'd been taking care of Dom for the last year, since they'd moved in together, trying to make ends meet in an expensive town that had little patience or sympathy for anyone on the poverty line. An image suddenly played behind his eyes, Dom in a hospital bed, bandages covering his face, tubes sticking into his smooth, bare skin.
"Then we fucking run, don't we? Look, all this is stuff that we face any night of the week picking up guys. That doesn't stop us, does it?" Dom said, reminding Billy that whatever protective notions Billy had over his lover, Dom had taken care of himself long before Billy had ever been in the picture.
Taking another sip from the chipped white mug of coffee, Billy said, "I thought I was supposed to be convincing you that we should start hustling, not the other way around."
Pushing his empty plate away, Dom said, "You know me, I like to argue for the sake of argument."
"Of course I know that, you drive me batshit crazy at least twice a day doing that."
Taking a sip of tea and ignoring Billy's comment, Dom continued. "Anyway, I don't think there's as much danger in it as everyone thinks, as long as we don't act like complete idiots. Never go with anyone that we get a nasty feeling about, always use protection, and just in case, carry some mace for the occasional asshole that doesn't get that no means fuck off and never approach me again."
"I know. We both know this. Why the are you making tell you this shit?
A seemingly careless shrug of one skinny shoulder, and Dom said, "I'm just laying all the cards on the table."
There was a long pause, Dom jiggling one foot underneath the cracked linoleum table, Billy pushing his coffee mug, swirling the dregs of the coffee, both of them waiting for the other to speak. Finally Billy opened his mouth, and spoke the inevitable words.
"It might screw things up. Between us, I mean."
Dom raised an eyebrow, his cup of weak, milky tea raised halfway to his lips.
"Don't give me that fucking look, you know what I'm talking about, Dom."
Dom sighed and puts down his tea.
"We've never gotten jealous before. Not since we figured out what we both wanted." Billy could see a reflection of his own thoughts on Dom's face, the memory of a long, hard conversation they'd had months ago about their relationship, the decision eventually to have an "open" relationship.
"But...this is different."
"Only a bit. We'd be getting paid."
"Still." The word hung between them in the crowded diner, neither of them meeting the others' eyes.
"Yeah." Dom picked up his fork, put it down. Billy sipped his coffee.
"Look," Dom said, and Billy did, meeting the other man's gray-blue eyes. "I love you. A bit of whoring won't change that."
Even though he knew it was the wrong thing to do, Billy couldn't help but laugh.
Dom looked at him for a moment, his hurt clear in the stony glare of his eyes and the set of his jaw. "Fine, fuck off then," he said, getting up.
Billy grabbed him around the wrist and pulled him back, sitting him down next to him, and hugging him close.
"Oh, sit down, Dommie. I'm not laughing at you, just what you said. The second bit of it."
Dom thought back and cracked a smile.
Billy continued, "And I love you too." He kissed him, soundly.
"A bit of whoring..." he said under his breath when the kiss ended.
Dom bit at his lip and smacked at him, both of them laughing.
Blocking another smack aimed at his head, Billy said "How can I not love you? You've just got such a way with words."
Dom hit at him again and they tussled a bit.
"I'm surprised you're not writing for Reader's Digest or something, with such eloquence like that flowing off your tongue," Billy said, catching both of Dom's hands for a moment.
"Eloquence flowing off my tongue? Who's the poet now?" Dom said, leaning in.
"I do like your tongue. It's damn near inspiring."
They kissed deeply for a while, their surroundings forgotten, lost in the gently play of teeth and lips and tongue. Dominic broke it by poking Billy in the ribs, tickling him. They continued to tussle, poking, tickling, and one memorable bite on Dom's shoulder, until the waitress came by again, crankily offering them more coffee along with a death glare daring them to keep acting up in her cafe. They shook their heads politely, trying not to smirk. When she left, Dom slid back into his own side of the booth. Billy rolled his eyes, and held Dom's hand under the table, squeezing the long fingers between his own.
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(I owe you another thank you: On a side note, oddly, reading this has somehow broken through the horrid writer's block I've been saddled with for the last week on my current fic. I've no idea how it happened, but apparently you're my new muse. *grins* So, ta! : ) )
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Best compliment ever. Thanks! I love your fic.
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Commas are the work of the devil, I have decided.
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I couldn't agree more. *grins* Yeah, another reader is always quite helpful- I think that's what I'm in need of, as well, even more than a straight-out beta. That, and a good swift kick in the arse to get my brain functioning again. ; )
Just let me know if and when you need some help, and I'll be there. : )
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Thanks for the kind offer, I can use all the help I can get. : )
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Sorry about that- I shall leave you in peace now, promise. : )
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This is a fantastic beginning, and I'm already in love with your characters ("I love you. A bit of whoring won't change that." :D.) I hope the next chapters will be coming soon.
Great writing, too.
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I loved this: "I love you. A bit of whoring won't change that." Utter Genius. I hope the next bit comes soon.
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