Authors: Mika Fox
"Now?"
Jemma says, while Killian just stays put, expression as flat and bored-looking
as always, not giving away anything of what just happened.
"Yeah,
I got a shift at the store," Dominic says truthfully, and Jemma nods.
"Okay,"
she says, while Killian folds his arms over his chest, following Dominic's
movements as he closes his bag and hitches it up on his shoulder.
"Well,"
Dominic says, heading for the door but coming to stand in front of Jemma first.
He doesn't look at Killian. "Bye, then."
Jemma
frowns, her casual expression morphing into something a little more confused,
almost intrigued.
"You
got a little something there," she says, gesturing at the left side of her
jaw, and Dominic moves his hand up to touch his own face. He pulls away his
fingers with a light gray smudge he realizes must be a trace left by Killian's
coal-dusted touch, and he rubs it off on his jeans self-consciously.
"Thanks,"
he says nonchalantly, even though he's pretty sure he didn't get all of it off
his face. "See you around."
He
deliberately doesn't look back at Killian as he leaves the building.
Chapter 4
Bobcat
Dominic
shouldn’t be thinking about Killian like this, he really shouldn’t. He
shouldn’t arrive earlier than usual at the art building the next day, hoping to
see him there, and he definitely shouldn’t feel disappointed when the place is empty.
Well, apart from Marcel, who only slips in there for about a second to grab a
sketchpad he left behind; he and Dominic greet each other with a friendly
smile, Marcel going a bit further and adding in a fist bump and a kind of lazy
high five, but that’s about it. Dominic sticks around anyway, telling himself
that it’s simply so he can get some stuff done without being disturbed.
It’s
a ridiculous excuse of course, but hey, whatever works.
He
may spend a little longer than necessary in the printing room, but when he
finally hears the sound of someone entering the building, he knows it's worth
it. He lingers for a few seconds, before gathering up his stuff and heading out
into the main room.
His
hope is rewarded; Killian is there, and it really shouldn’t make him feel as
pleased as it does. He’s not alone though, Jemma with him, and Dominic deflates
just a little bit. He likes Jemma, he really does―he was just kind of
hoping that he and Killian might be alone, so he could attack him again and
shove his tongue down his throat. Or you know, whatever.
"Dominic,"
Jemma says with a smile as she spots him, enunciating every syllable of his
name in an almost teasing way. Dominic swears he catches her glance at Killian
pointedly, to which she gets only a bored look in return. "Wasn't
expecting to see you here."
Dominic
frowns.
"That's
odd," he says. "Seeing as how I've been spending most of my
afternoons and nights here, lately."
Jemma
waves him off, and Dominic huffs a small laugh at the gesture.
"Whatever,"
Jemma says dismissively. "Me and Killian here were just about to head out
for some coffee with the gang. Wanna come?"
"The
gang?" Dominic says in amused, slight disbelief.
"Yes,
the gang," Jemma says, straight-faced. "We're a gang now, get with
the program. You in or not?"
Dominic
glances at Killian, he can't help it. The artist eyes him up and down quickly,
before turning away and feigning indifference as he deliberately picks up a
small box of coal sticks which Dominic assumes is the reason he's here in the
first place, seeing as how he seems to have no intention of sticking around for
longer.
Dominic
also allows himself a moment of appreciation for the way the pushed-up sleeves
of Killian's thin, dark green cardigan show off his strong forearms. He turns
back to Jemma.
"Yeah,
sure," he says. "Why not?"
Jemma
smiles.
"Great,"
she says. "We're meeting up with Annie and Shanti, in a minute."
Dominic
nods and trails after her as she heads back toward the exit, stepping out onto
the paved path and into the warm, afternoon sun. Killian walks right beside
her, giving Dominic a rather decent vantage point as he walks behind. He'd be
lying if he said he hadn't checked out that amazing ass in those jeans before,
but now that he knows Killian is actually into him, it has reached a new, more
achievable kind of level, and he allows himself to really take it in this time.
He trails his eyes over Killian's back, watches as he moves one hand up to rub
against the back of his head, smoothing over the buzzed hair―the soft
feel of which Dominic now knows well.
"You're
from around here, right?" Jemma says, looking over her shoulder. Dominic
snaps out of his creepy observation and meets her eye, before hurrying up his
steps a little so that he falls in beside her, putting her between himself and
Killian.
"Yeah,"
he says. "Born and raised."
"Well,
I'm not," Jemma says. "I mean, I've been going to school here for the
past year, but I feel like I don't really know more than two or three decent
coffee shops. Any inside tips?"
Dominic
barely has to think about it.
"Actually,"
he says. "You been to Bobcat?"
Jemma
wrinkles her nose.
"That
hipster place?" she asks, and Dominic inclines his head in partial
admission.
"Yes,
and no," he says. "It's really not as hipster as it looks, trust me.
It's actually pretty good, a friend of mine works there."
Jemma
raises her eyebrows at him dubiously, while Dominic notices Killian in the
background, unwrapping a lollipop and putting it in his mouth. It's a blue one,
and Dominic swears he wraps his lips around it just a little bit slower than
usual.
That bastard.
"Alright,"
Jemma says with some trepidation, apparently oblivious to Dominic's casual
salivating. "I'm trusting you on this. Bobcat it is."
They
find Shanti waiting by the fountain near the campus entrance, sitting on the
edge and gazing at the water. A few minutes later, Annie shows up, half-running
the last part of the way.
"Sorry,"
she says when she reaches them, a little out of breath. She tucks a long strand
of hair behind her ear, adjusting the sheer, pink scarf that’s loosely wrapped
around her neck. "I had a thing."
Shanti
checks her watch.
"Only
five minutes late," she says. "Must be a record."
Annie
nudges her.
"I
said I had a thing," she says, but there is no real anger or annoyance in
her voice.
"Uh-huh,"
Shanti says with a smile, getting up from where she sits and draping her hobo
bag over her shoulder. "This
thing
have a name?"
Annie
gets a small, sneaky smile.
"Who
needs names?" she says lightly, with a shrug. "He's good with his
hands, that's all I need to know."
A
small ripple of laughter runs through the group, and Annie hooks her arm
through Dominic's as they all get going, Killian, Shanti and Jemma leading the
way. Annie and Dominic fall behind a little bit, and it takes a few seconds of
distracted staring at Killian's rear on Dominic's part, before he can feel that
he himself is being watched. He turns to Annie, whose perfectly shaped eyebrows
are pointedly raised.
"What?"
Dominic says, and Annie glances at their friends, as though making sure the
coast is clear.
"Did
I miss something?" she asks, looking back at Dominic, who glances over at
the others as well; he's not worried that Killian will hear, he just doesn't
want the guy to think Dominic is making a big deal out of what happened between
them.
"How
the hell can you make that assumption?" Dominic says to Annie, honestly
impressed by her observational skills, but she just nudges him impatiently.
"Did
I?"
"Maybe,"
Dominic says, and despite the utter lack of teasing or innuendo in his voice,
Annie looks intrigued.
"Well,
what does that mean?" she says. "Did you make a move?"
"You
could say that," Dominic replies. "I may have accidentally cornered
him, yesterday."
"And?"
Annie prompts, drawing out the word.
"And
kissing ensued."
Annie
makes a tiny, high-pitched squeal, enough to make Dominic flinch, but the
others don't seem to have noticed.
"I
knew it," she says with a grin. "It's happening."
"Relax,"
Dominic says tiredly. "It was just a kiss."
An amazing kiss,
he thinks to
himself, but still. He feels as though clothes might have started coming off a
minute or so later, had Jemma not interrupted.
"Yeah,
you say that now," Annie says dismissively. "But just wait.
Yesterday, a kiss, tomorrow, fucking like animals against a wall."
Dominic
raises his eyebrows at her, head tilted, in a pointed
oh well now?-
kind of expression.
"Is
that your usual routine, then?" he asks, amused, and Annie shrugs.
"Has
worked for me, so far," she says. She doesn't sound defensive, but Dominic
can tell that it's most likely because she has taught herself not to be; he can
imagine that she has met her share of prejudice for her sexual habits.
"How
about we dial back, a bit?" Dominic suggests, and Annie gives him a
pointed, slightly doubtful look.
"What,"
she says, "you don't want to bang him?"
"No,
I do," Dominic says simply. "I'm just trying to... maybe slow down
with that whole thing."
"But
why?" Annie frowns, as though she honestly can't understand the logic.
Dominic shrugs.
"Because
it's no fun, in the long run," he says. "I mean, you hook up, it's
awesome, but then it always ends in boredom and-or disappointment. I'd just
like to...
savor
it, for once."
"Savor
it?"
"Yes,"
Dominic says, a little awkwardly now. "You know, make it last, delayed
gratification― Come on, you're a girl, you're supposed to get this."
He
adds it with some exasperation, but Annie just raises her hands in a disarming
gesture, even the one currently looped through Dominic's arm.
"Hey,
don't generalize, man," she says. "I swear I was born with the libido
of a fourteen-year-old boy, I
ain't
got time for
savoring."
Dominic
rolls his eyes with a smile, as he glances over at Killian.
"Well,
same," he admits. "But sometimes, I wanna make an exception."
"I
get that, I suppose," Annie says. "I mean, apple pie is fine, but
every once in a while, you come across a nice chocolate cake, and you just want
to make every bite last."
She
says it dreamily, and Dominic frowns at her. She's gazing at Killian, and he
lets out a small sigh.
"Don't
you dare
cockblock
me," he says, and Annie turns
to him, looking positively outraged.
"I
would never!" she says. "He's all yours, and you're the one he's
into, anyway. Dibs, remember? Doesn't mean I can't appreciate a hot piece of
ass."
Dominic
makes a face of agreement.
"His
ass is pretty hot," he says. "Firm, too."
Annie
punches him in the arm.
"Yeah,
I'll bet," she mutters. "You'd better get on it, for both our
sakes."
As
they head away from campus, Dominic doesn't really need to tell anyone where or
what Bobcat is. Despite never having been there before, Jemma seems to know its
location, and Annie recognizes it when they arrive.
"Oh,
I love this place," she says. "They've got the best
chai
lattes."
Dominic
doesn't doubt it, although he usually goes for coffee, himself.
Inside,
the ceiling is low and the lighting dim, nicely contrasting the brilliant sun
outside, and cluttered together with tables and chairs are couches that appear
to have been found in flea markets. The wooden floor is dark and partly covered
with mismatched rugs, a counter at the far end of the room blending in nicely
with the walnut-colored bookcases and walls, and the low volume of the music
filling the room just adds to the mellow, relaxed atmosphere. The place is
near-packed, people already occupying most seats, but Dominic and his friend
are heading for the patio out back, wanting to savor the warm, pleasant weather
outside.
Dominic
scans the room on the way, for the familiar face he knows should be here, and
he quickly spots him, a waiter taking orders over by one of the many tables.
When he meets Dominic's eye, his face lights up with a smile of recognition,
Dominic gives him a small wave. He gestures out at the patio, and the waiter
nods, while Dominic and his friends head outside.
There
aren't as many people out here, and they pick a long table and sit down, the
furniture bearing much the same, worn impression as the couches within the
coffee shop. It's only a matter of moments before the waiter makes his way
outside to greet the group.
"Hi,"
he says, catching Dominic's eye and giving him a friendly, pleasantly surprised
nod, before turning back to the others. He pulls a pen and a small notepad out
of the pocket of his black waist apron. "Welcome."
The
waiter is as tall as Dominic, tan and freckly, a little gangly-looking, and
with sandy brown hair that Dominic knows he has made a bit of an effort to tame
in deference of his work shift, as well as some light stubble covering his chin.
The uniform is rather laid-back, only consisting of the apron really, with the
coffee shop's name and logo plastered over its front. The rest of the guy's
attire is just jeans and a t-shirt, but it's still a bit more put-together than
Dominic is used to seeing from him.
"Guys,"
Dominic says, gesturing at their waiter and catching the attention of the
group. "This is Isaac. Childhood friend and hetero life mate."
Isaac
gives him a tired look, shaking his head, while the group murmurs small greetings
and gives him equally small waves. There's a look of fond annoyance in Isaac's
hazel eyes that tells Dominic he would be flipping him off if he weren’t
currently working.