Authors: Mika Fox
"Can't
you just refuse?" Dominic ends up blurting out, and Killian and Rebecca
look at him curiously.
"Well,
gee," Rebecca says. "I never thought of that. It's not like my
parents would throw a bitch fit, or anything, if I did. It's not like I'd
probably lose my spot at any of the companies I've got my heart set on, if my
family's support vanished. Because believe me, I wouldn't put it past them to
mess it all up, out of spite."
Her
voice is irritated and sharp, and Dominic gives her a bored look.
"Fine,"
he says flatly. "No need to be mean about it."
"Look,"
Rebecca says, leaning against the counter as her eyes bore into him. They're
blue, and very pretty. "I don't expect you to understand, but this is how
it works in our world. There is no 'just refusing', because it's not about
family, it's about business. And if there's one thing people with money don't
like, it's bad business. Trust me, I don't like it, but as the oldest of four
sisters, I've kind of got a lot of expectations to live up to."
Dominic
doesn't point out how that sounds kind of like a Jane Austen novel―he's
sure it has occurred to Rebecca before.
"But
they can't honestly think we're gonna do it," Killian cuts in, directing
his question at Rebecca with a genuinely confused edge to his tone. Rebecca
shrugs lightly.
"I'm
pretty sure they're not planning on giving us a choice," she says.
"But I'm not doing it, no way. I've got someone I want to marry, and no
offense, but it's not you."
Killian
scoffs.
"Well,
now I'm heartbroken," he says, but Rebecca just gives him a glare that
looks borderline fond.
"Bottom
line," she says. "You can't keep avoiding them. Talk to them, at
least try. If not for you, than do it for me. I know there's still a shred of a
heart in there, somewhere."
She
sounds almost pleading, and Dominic can see Killian's expression soften.
"I
can't make any promises," he says. "I'm pretty sure I'm the last
person they'd listen to."
Rebecca
sighs, sounding much too tired for someone so young.
"Well,
then at least keep your eyes open," she says. "They've been coming
down on me pretty hard lately, they probably think I can talk you over, or
something."
"Like
that's gonna happen."
The
room is silent for a few moments, Dominic standing there in stunned confusion,
with a bottle and a glass still beside him. He can't believe this is happening.
Rebecca
checks her watch, a delicate thing with a white strap that fits so perfectly
against her equally delicate wrist.
"I
have to go," she says, looking back up at Killian. As Dominic watches the
two of them, he can't help but think of how utterly contrasting they look, both
in style, height and color-scheme. They even carry themselves differently, like
they're from separate worlds.
Although,
the counter between them and Dominic reminds him that he's the one who's in a
separate world, apparently.
Rebecca
heads for the door, and Killian follows. Dominic stays put while he lets her
out into the hallway outside the apartment.
"Just
giving you a heads-up," Rebecca says. "They'll be coming for
you."
It
sounds dramatic, but the pointed look she gives Killian makes it feel
appropriate. He nods, and closes the door as Rebecca makes her way toward the
elevator down the hall.
The
silence that suddenly fills the apartment is worse than before, thick and heavy,
and Dominic takes a deep breath. He feels confused, even
hurt
, but most of all, he feels angry, for some reason. He feels
lied to, and it bothers him so much more than it should.
Killian
tentatively makes his way over to him.
"You
okay?" he asks for the third time in ten minutes, and Dominic shakes his
head, not looking at him.
"No,"
he says tightly. "Not really."
Killian
shifts where he stands.
"Look,"
he says. "It's not a big deal, it's―"
Dominic
breaks.
"Seriously?"
he exclaims. "A fucking fiancée?"
"She's
not my fiancée," Killian says, his voice getting louder with irritation as
he immediately catches on to the shift in mood. "Jesus fucking Christ, how
many times do I have to say that?"
"I
don't know, Killian," Dominic says, throwing his hands up angrily, all
composure gone now that Rebecca is. "Maybe it would have been less of a
shock if you had mentioned it earlier!"
He
can't help the sarcasm that seeps into his voice; the whole situation is just
so bizarre that he doesn't know how to deal with it.
"There
was nothing to tell," Killian retorts, and Dominic pulls back, unable to
control the outraged look of confusion on his face.
"Nothing
to tell?" he says, his tone mirroring his expression as he makes his way
out from behind the kitchen isle to stand in front of Killian. "Right.
'Cause I mean, it's not like telling me about your psycho family who wants to
marry you off is relevant to our relationship, or anything."
He
can practically see Killian wince at the word
relationship,
but he doesn't care, and for once, Killian doesn't
mention it.
"Oh
yeah?" he says instead, angrily. "And how was I supposed to bring
that up? Like you said, psycho family who wants to marry me off―you hear
how fucking ridiculous it sounds, right? Like that wouldn't have sent you running."
The
choice of words takes Dominic by surprise, and Killian seems to realize the
same thing a moment later. He immediately looks away, groaning tiredly and
dragging a hand down over his face, covering up his flustered expression with
almost exaggerated annoyance and frustration, more than anything.
Dominic
waits, and after a few moments of tense silence, Killian looks up, letting out
a heavy sigh.
"Fuck
this," he mutters, looking anywhere but at Dominic. He shakes his head.
"Fuck."
He
turns around, grabbing a tank top from the couch and pulling it on before
heading for the door, and Dominic feels a tiny spark of panic as he puts on his
shoes.
"Where
are you going?" he practically yells for no reason, throwing his hands up,
and Killian turns around as he reaches for front door.
"I
need a fucking beer," he yells back. "And I'm all out, so I'm gonna
go buy some. That alright with you?"
The
whole yelling-thing strikes Dominic as slightly ridiculous, all of a sudden,
but he's too angry to be distracted by it. Instead, he just shrugs petulantly,
and Killian leaves the apartment, slamming the door shut behind him.
Dominic
groans loudly at the ceiling, torn between the urge to punch something and the
urge to kiss Killian so hard it hurts, neither of which he can do right now. So
he settles for just standing there, lacing his fingers together behind his head
and taking a deep, calming breath and letting it out in a huff.
How
the hell did this happen? How did he go from blissfully making out with a hot guy
in the kitchen, to standing here, fuming and confused about the fact that said
guy is apparently supposed to be
engaged,
all in under an hour?
Not only
that, but Killian is
involuntarily
supposed to be engaged, which is just surreal, and Dominic tries to process it
for a second.
Killian
didn't tell him about this. And why would he, really? He has made it clear,
over and over, that what he and Dominic have is no more than a
friends-with-benefits kind of relationship, and that has no other kind of
obligations tied to it. It doesn't matter that they suddenly admitted to
actually liking each other, that shouldn't make a difference.
Still,
though. Dominic can't help but feel hurt and confused and angry, perhaps
because their relationship has, in practice, evolved past that stage by now.
Now, they're― Well, Dominic doesn't know what they are, exactly. But it's
more than just friends with benefits, that much is certain, so much more than
that. He actually does like Killian, and he likes him a lot, something which he
now knows is mutual. So why wouldn't Killian tell him about this? How can he be
so flippant about it?
Dominic
sighs heavily, letting his arms fall to his sides as he stares at the closed
front door. The apartment feels big and empty in Killian's absence, but he
knows he'll be back soon. If nothing else, there is no way he would leave
Dominic alone in his own home like this, at least not for too long.
Dominic
settles for putting away the whiskey, figuring that perhaps Killian used a
beer-run as an excuse to get away, more than anything, since there's clearly no
shortage of alcohol. He moves on to the eggs then, as well as the juice, puts
it all back in the fridge after deciding that he doesn't really have much of an
appetite anymore, anyway. The smell of freshly brewed coffee fills the air, but
Dominic only glances over at the coffee maker, not really up for that either,
and proceeds to ignore it.
By
the time Killian does return, Dominic is sitting on top of the kitchen isle,
dangling with his legs over the edge and trying to bite through a lollipop he
stole from Killian's stash. He has calmed down considerably, realizing that the
both of them probably overreacted earlier, and Killian eyes him warily as he
enters the apartment and closes the door behind him. He's carrying a six-pack
of beer in his hand, and he looks away from Dominic as he makes his way over to
the kitchen to put the beer on the counter.
Dominic
waits, doesn't turn around to watch him, and after a little while, he sees
Killian holding out a beer to him in the periphery of his vision. He glances at
it, shakes his head, prompting Killian to take it back and put the six pack in
the fridge, after picking out a can for himself. It's another few seconds
before Killian makes his way around the kitchen isle, coming to stand beside
Dominic and lean against the edge, facing the open space of the apartment. He
opens his beer and takes a sip. They don't look at each other, and neither of
them speaks for a pretty long time.
It's
Killian who breaks first.
"Sorry,"
he nearly mumbles, and Dominic nods.
"Me
too," he says, the words muffled around the lollipop in his mouth. More
silence, but this time easier than before, and Dominic just savors it, relieved
at the complete lack of tension between them now. Well, negative tension, at
least.
He
holds the lollipop stick between his fingers, trying to bite through the hard
candy with his teeth, only chipping off little bits of it, and he hears Killian
make a small, disapproving sound. He turns to him; the artist is looking at
him, beer in hand.
"What?"
Dominic says around the candy, and Killian just watches him for a moment.
"You
can't just bite through it," he says. "You gotta savor it, wear it
down. Otherwise, what's the point?"
Dominic
doesn't reply, just narrows his eyes a little as he takes the lollipop out of
his mouth. He keeps his gaze locked on Killian's, tasting the candy with the
tip of his tongue, before slowly wrapping his lips around it and giving it a
whirl, then pulling it away again with an undignified, wet sound. The way the
look in those eyes changes is just lovely, and he feels a nice, familiar heat
in his gut.
"Like
that?" he asks casually, Killian still watching his mouth. He licks his
lips, enjoying the way it makes the artist swallow dryly, and he fights the
urge to smile.
"Kind
of," Killian says, his voice taking on a lower tone that tells Dominic
he's very quickly catching on. "Just..."
He
puts the beer aside, and reaches out to pluck the lollipop from Dominic's
fingers. The brief touch of skin-on-skin is electrifying, and Dominic just
watches, mesmerized, as Killian brings the lollipop to his own mouth. You'd
think that Dominic would have had enough of watching that by now, but he
hasn't, not by a long shot. His gaze lingers on those lips, Killian's tongue
slowly wetting them as he wraps them around the lollipop in a way that is just
sinful. It's such an obvious, teasing display, and Dominic isn't about to
pretend that it isn't working.
He
lunges forward and captures Killian's mouth with his own at the moment the
candy is removed, pushing his tongue inside and tasting that sweet, familiar
flavor that he has come to love. Killian lets out a soft moan, moving closer
against Dominic's body as he is pulled forward by a firm grip on his hips.
"We're
not done talking about this," Dominic says as he pulls away, already
breathless. "Okay?"
"Fine,"
Killian murmurs in reply, putting the lollipop down on the counter.
"Later."
"I'm
serious." Dominic closes his eyes as Killian's lips cover his, momentarily
distracted by the way Killian slides his free hand up underneath his shirt. He
pulls back by a fraction. "I will not be swayed by your pelvic
sorcery."
Killian
chuckles softly.
"I
don't know," he says, moving down to kiss Dominic's throat, slowly.
"Pretty sure it's already working its magic."