Of Realizations and Irregular Sleep Patterns
Title: Of Realizations and Irregular Sleep Patterns
Pairing: Billy Boyd/Dominic Monaghan
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Never happened.
During the third month of shooting, Dom found himself unable to sleep without something in his arms. It didn't matter what it was - a pillow, the edge of a comforter; he'd even used a pair of rolled-up jeans once - so long as he had something to wrap his arms about. After thinking about it for a while, he decided that it was because he was homesick. He had gone through a period just like it when he was younger and he and his parents would move so often; he thought he'd outgrown it, but he supposed not. The only problem was, he wasn't particularly homesick. Sure, he missed it at times, but it wasn't particularly overpowering. There was something else, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
He shrugged it off, though, deciding that it had to be homesickness. After all, what else could it be?
Around this time, Dom also became acutely aware of Billy's presence. Dom had thought in the three months he and Billy had been friends, he had noticed everything there was to notice, but apparently he had been wrong. He had never noticed before how Billy's eyes sparkled when he laughed, or just how green they really were. Or how, when Billy was concentrating particularly hard on something - be it a script revision or his mug of beer - one hand would creep up into his hair and mess it about, leaving it dishevelled in a lovely way. Or how...well, he could go on. It was as if a whole new Billy had suddenly appeared.
But Dom shrugged that off, too, putting it down to the fact that, logically, one can't notice everything all at once. Nothing more than that.
It wasn't until a night of drunkenness with Billy that Dom realized what the real cause - both of his noticing things and of his inability to sleep - was.
***
The day of shooting had been excruciating, and the Hobbits were exceedingly grateful to be able to sit down and have their feet removed. After a few moments' silence, Elijah and Sean began a conversation about something that had happened on set earlier that day, and Dom turned to Billy.
"We've got the day off tomorrow, you know. D'you want to come over and get piss-drunk? I could certainly use it."
Billy laughed, and Dom made a mental note of how full his lips were, especially when he smiled. "You just want to get me drunk and take advantage of me," he said in a teasing tone.
"What?" Dom asked, a little too shrilly, tearing his eyes away from the pale, perfect skin of Billy's neck - another thing to add to his list, he thought.
"I was kidding, Dommie," Billy replied, taking in the crimson color of his companion's cheeks. "Your place or mine?"
"Uh...mine, mine. Don't want to drink that shit you call beer," Dom said, laughing nervously. Billy's comment had rattled him, though he wasn't sure why.
Billy nodded. "Okay. Sounds good."
Dom mimicked Billy's nod and said, faintly, "Yeah. Good."
***
" - and Peter found Lij completely curled around Orli, half-naked and sleeping like a baby!" Billy said, tears of laughter threatening to spill over.
Dom snorted. Then, losing his balance, he fell off of his chair, which caused Billy to spit out his mouthful of beer and burst into a fresh gale of laughter.
He looked around. The remnants of their night - a case of beer and two margarita glasses, thrice filled and emptied, were scattered about the table above him, and he shook his head. It was no wonder he'd fallen. He was surprised he'd stayed steady so long. Looking at Billy indignantly, he muttered, "You could help me up, y'know."
Billy stifled another chuckle and extended his hand. As Dom grasped it, pulling himself up, he noticed how slim Billy's fingers were, and how well his hand fit into his own. 'One more', he thought.
Dom shook his head again, trying to clear it. There was something familiar about all this; something familiar about the way his chest tightened whenever Billy would look at him with an indescribable look in his brilliant green eyes...but at the moment he was too drunk and too tired to bother figuring it out.
And then Billy rose and rubbed his eyes - like a child, hands balled into fists, palms out (and this, Dom realized, was yet one more thing that had never come to his attention) - and Dom knew, suddenly and without a doubt, exactly what was so familiar. Exactly what made his chest tighten and his senses reel ever-so-slightly and his mouth go dry whenever he looked at Billy.
He was head over heels in love with him.
'Christ,' he thought. 'You're getting thick in your old age, man.'
Billy yawned, snapping him back to some semblance of reality. "I think I'm going to go, Dommie-boy. I'm shattered."
Dom wracked his brain for an excuse to keep Billy there, and blurted out, "You've had quite a bit to drink, and it's late. Why don't you just stay here? No sense..." he trailed off as Billy rubbed his eyes in the same manner again.
"No sense what?" Billy prodded after a moment.
"Um. No sense. In crashing your car," Dom stammered. "Don't drink and drive, and all that."
"I haven't had that much to drink," Billy said lightly. Dom's face fell, and he continued, "But I think I'll take you up on that offer anyway. S'long as I can use your shower. I'm feeling a bit grimy."
Dom nodded slowly. "Sure, sure. Towels are under the counter."
"Thanks, mate," said Billy as he walked towards the bathroom, shedding his shirt on the way.
Dom stared after him, watching the muscles play across his back.
Oh, he was in trouble.
***
Dom took off his shirt and trousers, placing them on the chair next to his bed before climbing under the covers. Then, realizing - with a slight pang - that Billy probably wouldn't want to share the bed with him, he jumped up and put a spare pillow and blanket on the couch. Climbing back into bed, he listened to the sound of water tinkling softly in the shower and tried to forget the fact that there was a very naked Billy in there.
He sighed. It figured, he mused, that he would fall for the one person whose friendship mattered the most to him - figured that he'd fall for the one person he could never tell.
His thoughts were interrupted when the bathroom door opened and Billy strode out, clad only in his boxers, water still dripping from his tousled hair. Dom, trying not to stare, decided he'd definitely never noticed how fucking wonderful Billy looked when wet.
"I set up the couch for you," he whispered. He wanted to add, 'unless you'd rather sleep here,' but he decided against it.
"Ah. Thanks. 'Night, Dommie," said Billy, crawling under the blanket. In the faint light he looked paler than ever, and though Dom knew it was ridiculous, he couldn't help thinking that Billy looked slightly Elvish, all pale and ethereal.
He sighed again. What he wanted to say was 'I love you, Billy'. Or "Please kiss me, Billy'. But all that came out was "'Night, Billy."
A few moments passed before Dom spoke again.
"Billy?"
"Mmm?"
"Have you...ah...had trouble sleeping lately?" Dom had no idea why he was asking.
Billy lifted his head. "Not really. Why?"
Shifting uncomfortably, Dom replied, "Oh. It's just. I haven't been able to sleep for a while now," his voiced dropped to a whisper and grew huskier, as if he were fighting back tears, "without holding something." And then, barely audible, "or someone."
He hadn't meant for it to sound like a come-on. He hadn't even realized what he said until it had already escaped his mouth. Nor had he expected to get any sort of result, anything more than a verbal response, from Billy.
So when he felt the bed dip slightly, to accommodate Billy's weight beside him, he was surprised, to say the least.
Snuggling close to the other man, facing him, head tucked under Dom's chin (and Dom had certainly never noticed how well Billy's head fit there, or how nice Billy's hair tickling his neck felt), Billy murmured, "There we go. Is that better?"
And then Dom did cry, out of gratitude and out of love and everything else reeling through his drunken mind. Having Billy this close to him didn't seem real, and now he didn't want to sleep, for fear that it would all be gone when he awoke.
Billy leaned back and looked at him for a moment before asking softly, "What is it, Dommie?"
Dom said nothing, just pulled him closer, but Billy wasn't about to give up so easily. He pulled back again. "Dom. Look at me."
Dom opened his eyes slowly and immediately wished he hadn't, because that look, the one that made his head spin, was back in Billy's eyes, and he had no idea what to do about it.
And then it didn't matter, because Billy was getting closer and Dom could feel his breath on his face and then, suddenly, their lips met, and Dom's tears were forgotten and he knew for a fact that this was something he'd never noticed before. And then all thought was pushed from his mind as the kiss deepened and Billy's hands began to roam lightly up and down Dom's back, causing Dom to whimper slightly.
They broke apart finally, panting slightly, and Dom looked at Billy with wonder.
"How'd you know?"
"Know what?"
"That I wanted you to do that."
"Didn't. I had wanted to all evening, and the opportunity finally presented itself." Billy smiled softly. "The fact that you wanted it too is just an added bonus."
Dom grinned. That was his Billy, always putting things in proper proportion.
He leaned his head down again and they kissed, slow and languid, tongues sliding past each other in an intricate dance as hands roamed over bodies, exploring, and Dom knew that he'd have no trouble sleeping that night.
Pairing: Billy Boyd/Dominic Monaghan
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Never happened.
During the third month of shooting, Dom found himself unable to sleep without something in his arms. It didn't matter what it was - a pillow, the edge of a comforter; he'd even used a pair of rolled-up jeans once - so long as he had something to wrap his arms about. After thinking about it for a while, he decided that it was because he was homesick. He had gone through a period just like it when he was younger and he and his parents would move so often; he thought he'd outgrown it, but he supposed not. The only problem was, he wasn't particularly homesick. Sure, he missed it at times, but it wasn't particularly overpowering. There was something else, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
He shrugged it off, though, deciding that it had to be homesickness. After all, what else could it be?
Around this time, Dom also became acutely aware of Billy's presence. Dom had thought in the three months he and Billy had been friends, he had noticed everything there was to notice, but apparently he had been wrong. He had never noticed before how Billy's eyes sparkled when he laughed, or just how green they really were. Or how, when Billy was concentrating particularly hard on something - be it a script revision or his mug of beer - one hand would creep up into his hair and mess it about, leaving it dishevelled in a lovely way. Or how...well, he could go on. It was as if a whole new Billy had suddenly appeared.
But Dom shrugged that off, too, putting it down to the fact that, logically, one can't notice everything all at once. Nothing more than that.
It wasn't until a night of drunkenness with Billy that Dom realized what the real cause - both of his noticing things and of his inability to sleep - was.
***
The day of shooting had been excruciating, and the Hobbits were exceedingly grateful to be able to sit down and have their feet removed. After a few moments' silence, Elijah and Sean began a conversation about something that had happened on set earlier that day, and Dom turned to Billy.
"We've got the day off tomorrow, you know. D'you want to come over and get piss-drunk? I could certainly use it."
Billy laughed, and Dom made a mental note of how full his lips were, especially when he smiled. "You just want to get me drunk and take advantage of me," he said in a teasing tone.
"What?" Dom asked, a little too shrilly, tearing his eyes away from the pale, perfect skin of Billy's neck - another thing to add to his list, he thought.
"I was kidding, Dommie," Billy replied, taking in the crimson color of his companion's cheeks. "Your place or mine?"
"Uh...mine, mine. Don't want to drink that shit you call beer," Dom said, laughing nervously. Billy's comment had rattled him, though he wasn't sure why.
Billy nodded. "Okay. Sounds good."
Dom mimicked Billy's nod and said, faintly, "Yeah. Good."
***
" - and Peter found Lij completely curled around Orli, half-naked and sleeping like a baby!" Billy said, tears of laughter threatening to spill over.
Dom snorted. Then, losing his balance, he fell off of his chair, which caused Billy to spit out his mouthful of beer and burst into a fresh gale of laughter.
He looked around. The remnants of their night - a case of beer and two margarita glasses, thrice filled and emptied, were scattered about the table above him, and he shook his head. It was no wonder he'd fallen. He was surprised he'd stayed steady so long. Looking at Billy indignantly, he muttered, "You could help me up, y'know."
Billy stifled another chuckle and extended his hand. As Dom grasped it, pulling himself up, he noticed how slim Billy's fingers were, and how well his hand fit into his own. 'One more', he thought.
Dom shook his head again, trying to clear it. There was something familiar about all this; something familiar about the way his chest tightened whenever Billy would look at him with an indescribable look in his brilliant green eyes...but at the moment he was too drunk and too tired to bother figuring it out.
And then Billy rose and rubbed his eyes - like a child, hands balled into fists, palms out (and this, Dom realized, was yet one more thing that had never come to his attention) - and Dom knew, suddenly and without a doubt, exactly what was so familiar. Exactly what made his chest tighten and his senses reel ever-so-slightly and his mouth go dry whenever he looked at Billy.
He was head over heels in love with him.
'Christ,' he thought. 'You're getting thick in your old age, man.'
Billy yawned, snapping him back to some semblance of reality. "I think I'm going to go, Dommie-boy. I'm shattered."
Dom wracked his brain for an excuse to keep Billy there, and blurted out, "You've had quite a bit to drink, and it's late. Why don't you just stay here? No sense..." he trailed off as Billy rubbed his eyes in the same manner again.
"No sense what?" Billy prodded after a moment.
"Um. No sense. In crashing your car," Dom stammered. "Don't drink and drive, and all that."
"I haven't had that much to drink," Billy said lightly. Dom's face fell, and he continued, "But I think I'll take you up on that offer anyway. S'long as I can use your shower. I'm feeling a bit grimy."
Dom nodded slowly. "Sure, sure. Towels are under the counter."
"Thanks, mate," said Billy as he walked towards the bathroom, shedding his shirt on the way.
Dom stared after him, watching the muscles play across his back.
Oh, he was in trouble.
***
Dom took off his shirt and trousers, placing them on the chair next to his bed before climbing under the covers. Then, realizing - with a slight pang - that Billy probably wouldn't want to share the bed with him, he jumped up and put a spare pillow and blanket on the couch. Climbing back into bed, he listened to the sound of water tinkling softly in the shower and tried to forget the fact that there was a very naked Billy in there.
He sighed. It figured, he mused, that he would fall for the one person whose friendship mattered the most to him - figured that he'd fall for the one person he could never tell.
His thoughts were interrupted when the bathroom door opened and Billy strode out, clad only in his boxers, water still dripping from his tousled hair. Dom, trying not to stare, decided he'd definitely never noticed how fucking wonderful Billy looked when wet.
"I set up the couch for you," he whispered. He wanted to add, 'unless you'd rather sleep here,' but he decided against it.
"Ah. Thanks. 'Night, Dommie," said Billy, crawling under the blanket. In the faint light he looked paler than ever, and though Dom knew it was ridiculous, he couldn't help thinking that Billy looked slightly Elvish, all pale and ethereal.
He sighed again. What he wanted to say was 'I love you, Billy'. Or "Please kiss me, Billy'. But all that came out was "'Night, Billy."
A few moments passed before Dom spoke again.
"Billy?"
"Mmm?"
"Have you...ah...had trouble sleeping lately?" Dom had no idea why he was asking.
Billy lifted his head. "Not really. Why?"
Shifting uncomfortably, Dom replied, "Oh. It's just. I haven't been able to sleep for a while now," his voiced dropped to a whisper and grew huskier, as if he were fighting back tears, "without holding something." And then, barely audible, "or someone."
He hadn't meant for it to sound like a come-on. He hadn't even realized what he said until it had already escaped his mouth. Nor had he expected to get any sort of result, anything more than a verbal response, from Billy.
So when he felt the bed dip slightly, to accommodate Billy's weight beside him, he was surprised, to say the least.
Snuggling close to the other man, facing him, head tucked under Dom's chin (and Dom had certainly never noticed how well Billy's head fit there, or how nice Billy's hair tickling his neck felt), Billy murmured, "There we go. Is that better?"
And then Dom did cry, out of gratitude and out of love and everything else reeling through his drunken mind. Having Billy this close to him didn't seem real, and now he didn't want to sleep, for fear that it would all be gone when he awoke.
Billy leaned back and looked at him for a moment before asking softly, "What is it, Dommie?"
Dom said nothing, just pulled him closer, but Billy wasn't about to give up so easily. He pulled back again. "Dom. Look at me."
Dom opened his eyes slowly and immediately wished he hadn't, because that look, the one that made his head spin, was back in Billy's eyes, and he had no idea what to do about it.
And then it didn't matter, because Billy was getting closer and Dom could feel his breath on his face and then, suddenly, their lips met, and Dom's tears were forgotten and he knew for a fact that this was something he'd never noticed before. And then all thought was pushed from his mind as the kiss deepened and Billy's hands began to roam lightly up and down Dom's back, causing Dom to whimper slightly.
They broke apart finally, panting slightly, and Dom looked at Billy with wonder.
"How'd you know?"
"Know what?"
"That I wanted you to do that."
"Didn't. I had wanted to all evening, and the opportunity finally presented itself." Billy smiled softly. "The fact that you wanted it too is just an added bonus."
Dom grinned. That was his Billy, always putting things in proper proportion.
He leaned his head down again and they kissed, slow and languid, tongues sliding past each other in an intricate dance as hands roamed over bodies, exploring, and Dom knew that he'd have no trouble sleeping that night.