Chapter Text
The camera zoomed in on a couple snogging heavily atop a red and white checkered picnic blanket, the black-haired man practically on top of the slightly larger blond.
"Oi, queers! Look what I got!" a voice called from behind the camera's vantage. The kissing men instantly scrambled apart, both glaring daggers at the man behind the camera, only to then notice the actual camera's presence.
"Tom! Why the fuck are you filming us?!" the raven-haired man demanded, jumping out of the blond's embrace to charge the cameraman.
"Now you've done it, talk about a peeping Tom!" the blond-haired man laughed, as he too got to his feet to run after the other man in order to rescue the cameraman.
"Save me, Dom!" The camera work began to go blurry and jump around as the cameraman tried to escape from his pursuer, but still attempted to continue with his filming.
"What do you think I'm doing?!" the blond called back to the cameraman and managed to grab hold of the slight, raven-haired man.
"Hey, whose side are you on?!" he cried as the two crashed to the ground and the camera work could once more stabilise, danger out of the way.
"You lot are ridiculous," a fourth voice called and the camera swerved to focus on another young man, his height significantly greater than the currently tackling duo on the bottom left of the footage.
"Please, Chris, your jealousy's showing!" the raven-haired man called, as the camera swivelled back then to focus on the two on the ground, before their tackling quickly turned back to their previous activity of sucking one another's faces off.
"Ew, of that? I think not!" the tall man's voice could be heard off camera, followed by the sound of fake gagging. "Can't think of anything worse than snogging another man, let alone Dom!"
In reply, as the camera continued to zoom in on the increasingly publically indecent couple, the blond could be seen shooting the other man the finger, while he continued to kiss the life out of his boyfriend.
"Yuck, I've seen enough! And sheesh, Tom, since when were you into voyeurism? When you said you wanted a career in photography, I didn't realise you meant in the gay porn industry!" the tall man called laughing his head off, as the camera quickly abandoned its filming of the couple – who'd seemingly shut out the rest of the world as they rolled on the grass lost in one another – instead dropping its view to that of the ground and the cameraman's faded old Converse.
"Chris! For fuck's sake! You're not funny! I just wanted to record the two of them, so that I could show them just how insufferable it is to always be around them!" the cameraman's voice could be heard defending himself, while the other man just laughed, before there was a bit of rustling and the screen went dead.
»•«
It all started again when Dominic had gone on his daily run through the park. Having gotten off from work early, he'd decided a late afternoon jog would do some change from his usual weekly evening one. One had to stay fit and in shape after all.
Dom was tired of spending his nights alone, he'd been single long enough and had had more than enough time to get over his last serious relationship, so if he was planning on getting back in the game, he needed to really look the part too.
It was while he was jogging past the kiddies' playground that someone caught his eye though. Many years had passed, but he'd recognise that familiar profile anywhere, endless hours having gazed at it proving their use.
Slowing down to a walk, Dom pulled out his earphones and cautiously walked over to the park bench before the jungle gyms. A whole bunch of children were laughing and playing, their parents and babysitters either sitting back on similar such benches, or playing along and encouraging their kids down slides or pushing them in the swings.
"Matthew, is that you?" Dom asked, afraid he may be making a right tit out of himself in front of some stranger, but when the man on the nearby bench jumped and looked his way, his hunch was confirmed.
After all these years, he'd run into none other than Matthew fucking Bellamy, in the large park opposite his swanky apartment, near the centre of town, of all places.
The other man's instantly recognisable eyes – Dom had never been able to forget that breathtaking shade of blue – widened suddenly, before sparkling with recognition as Dom came closer.
"Dominic?" he asked, even the sound of his voice struck such a cord with Dom, that when the other man got up to shake his hand hello he felt a flood of memories rush him. "God, it's been years!" The feeling of being reunited with those long fingers wrapped around his hand, however brief the contact, made his gut twist and heart ache.
Neon bright lights, their bodies grinding to the beat of the music, sweat and narcotics in the air. Spontaneous trips where they'd just get in a car and drive wherever the road took them; as long as they were together, that was all that had mattered. Long days spent lying under the covers and sharing all their deepest wishes, thoughts and darkest secrets. Longer nights spent exploring one another in only the most intimate of ways, both open to anything new and yet to be experienced.
Waking up to the sight and feel of brightly coloured hair – his little Energizer bunny having tried them all – beneath his chin and his small body cradled in his arms. Countless shenanigans and crazy experiences bringing them closer, stealing his everything which he had gladly given. That wickedly high-pitched laughter, warm smile and insane schemes and mad theories, which would fill any silence. His crazy meerkat, his manic friend, his attentive lover and his chosen companion.
"Yeah, I nearly didn't recognise you," Dom replied, lingering hurt and sadness resurfacing too, though he smiled, genuinely pleased to see the other man again despite the past.
Unexplained absences, before they led to truly being left abandoned and alone. Blood proving to indeed be thicker than water. Rejected and expelled, left to watch as all that he'd offered up and devoted was simply thrown aside. Watching as he'd packed up all his things, half-outgrown peroxided hair not even gelled for a change, reflecting the dilapidated and crushed feeling in his own heart as he watched everything fall apart. Months spent in an empty and broken state of mind, his being and purpose lost, uninspired and locked away. Years spent rebuilding and trying to forget….
And now, here, his one-time crazy, hyper pixie stood before him once more, several years older, yet that spark he had always felt was still undeniable.
"But I'm glad you did, Lord knows I'd probably not have recognised you," he laughed, sending Dom's stomach into knots at the sound of the admittedly missed noise. "Wow, though, you look good. The years have definitely been kind," he added taking in the way Dom had let his blond hair grow out and was in even better shape than when they'd previously known one another, his lean legs on display in his jogging shorts and his skin now bronzed perfectly by the sun.
The comment made Dominic's skin heat, even after all this time, and he couldn't help taking in Matthew properly too. His hair was no longer some or other crazy colour, but rather its obviously natural toffee-brown – a colour Dom had actually never seen it before, having met him when he'd had pitch-black hair – and it also wasn't as long as it had always been, but was still just as messy. Matthew had also put a bit more meat on his bones. He was by no means fat – Dom unable not to notice his still skinny arms and wrists – but he no longer looked like he'd be blown over by a gust of wind.
"Uh, thanks, you don't look too bad yourself," he replied, a smile lighting up his face and drawing in the brunet's attention. "Though it's strange to see you in normal old clothes that even vaguely match, let alone without some or other mad colour in your hair." Dom's smile only grew when he was rewarded with another bubbly laugh.
"Oi, I've always dressed alright!" Matthew laughed, dramatically giving his current outfit, of a simple pair of grey trousers and graphic tee, a once over. "And yeah, been through the hair dye stage already and grown out of it," he winked, ruffling his tufts of brown hair and nearly knocking off his pair of blue sunglasses in the process.
It was then Dominic's turn to laugh at just how little had changed about his one-time lover and friend, his familiar awkward hand movements and gestures, along with his jerky speech, warming the part in Dom's heart which he'd thought he'd managed to discard years ago.
"So, what've you been up to the past decade or so, and how come you're hanging around the playground like a peado?" Dom joked, laughing at Matthew's mock offended face, until a little girl dressed in bright colours came charging at them.
"Daddy! Elliott keeps eating the sand!" she reported in horror, running at Matthew, who crouched down so that he could be eyelevel with her as she rushed into his arms.
'Daddy'?!
Dom's heart and stomach suddenly dropped as he properly took in the little girl, despite having dirty-blonde hair, her eyes were unmistakable. Their shinning blue an exact replica of Matthew's own bright azure orbs.
"Clearly not a peado then..."
Matthew was suddenly then reminded of Dominic's presence and stood up straight again, though the little girl grabbed onto his hand and hid behind him a bit too, gazing up at Dom suspiciously.
"Uh, well yeah, um, this, Dom," Matthew began, guiding the little girl in front of him and putting his hands over her shoulders protectively. "Is my daughter, Samantha. Sammy, say hello to Dom, he's one of Daddy's old... friends."
'Friends'.
Dominic's feelings took a slight hit at that, Matthew clearly deciding it was better if she didn't know everything, which Dom knew wasn't necessarily out of spite, but it still hurt a bit.
The little thing was definitely small and with her wild hair and mischievously shinning eyes, she couldn't have looked anything more like her father. Cautiously, though, she stepped closer and with narrowed eyes assessed Dom critically, while Matthew looked distractedly behind them towards the children playing about.
"Hey there!" Dom grinned, crouching down now himself and extended a hand to her. "It's awfully nice to meet you, Miss Samantha," he said in an overly old fashioned manor, which made the little girl grin and she extended her own hand, a high little giggle echoing around when he gave it a peck and stood up again, bringing Matthew’s attention right back.
"Hello!"
Matthew beamed over at Dom in wonder, but he simply shrugged. "My sister has a few kids, I've had more than enough practice babysitting them."
"Oh, Danielle settled down?" Matthew asked, genuinely interested, remembering the wild party girl Dom had had for a sister.
"Yeah, she and Mark actually tied the knot, not long after... um, after we..."
"Oh. Oh, yeah, I remember Mark. Nice guy," Matthew said awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.
Mark and Danielle had gotten together round about when Dom and Matthew had, but out of the two couples, Dominic had always thought that he and Matthew had stood the better chance of making it through. Instead, now here he was, once again alone and single, while Dani and Mark had happily gotten hitched and popped out a few kids and Matthew too had seemingly found someone else and started a family of his own.
At this thought, the blond's eyes were drawn to the platinum band around Matthew's ring finger. Noticing his stare, the other man self-consciously slid his left hand into his trouser pocket.
Blissfully oblivious to the whole awkward exchange between the two adults, Sammy choose this moment to tug on her father's sleeve and remind him of the little issue at hand, of her brother still eating dirt.
"Oh, shit," Matthew cursed, having completely forgotten and then mentally slapped his forehead as Sam gasped at the word. "Sorry, Sammy, Daddy didn't mean to say that, it was a bad word and you must never use it," he tried to reason with her and she nodded her head, already bored and just impatient to bust her baby brother.
Dom couldn't help but smile sadly at the exchange, amused by Matthew as a father; the possibility never even having occurred to him. At least not in this way.
"Uh, sorry, Dom, I best check this out then. Please don't go just yet, I'd love to catch up some time. I must just go and rescue Elliot from himself; his latest fixation being dirt," Matt called over his shoulder as Sammy, her hand tightly holding his, led him off to the scene of the crime.
So Dom sat down on the bench and waited, his treacherous eyes trailing after the retreating curve of Matthew's arse in his loosely-fitting trousers. He knew he was a taken man, but he couldn't help it, even after all this time it was still such a natural response. He'd always been an arse man, and Matthew definitely had had one of the best, judging through the poor fitting trousers though Dom couldn't exactly tell if the case still remained. It probably did though, he figured with a scowl.
Fuck, he thought as he sat there. He couldn't actually believe what had just happened; after all this time he'd run into Matthew again, and at first it had seemed like perhaps the unthinkable was happening and that something good might actually be happening in his life. But then, of course, Matthew would have had to have gotten married in the meantime and now even had a small brood of his own. So much for that.
It hurt, he knew that lots of time had passed and that he should have moved on and forgotten about Matthew long ago. Several long years had gone by and he'd dated and loved others since, but in the back of his mind and deep in his heart, he knew that the scars and marks Matthew had left had never gone away.
He'd always thought that Matthew Bellamy was his soul mate, as ridiculously cheesy as that sounded, and that he'd been the one that had gotten away. Some part of him, however irrational and small it had been, had still always thought they would meet again, so when he'd seen Matthew... He'd just never expected things to be so final, so... irreversible. He'd never have Matthew again and it damn well hurt like a bitch of note.
So why was Dom sitting around like a patient lap dog, gazing on as he could see Matthew a few paces away, sitting in the sandpit and talking to a very small child, while Sammy desperately tried to gain some attention too, by attempting to scale his back. What could he possibly hope to get out of this? To have Matthew as a friend once more, but as a friend only, the fact that he'd been pushed away and rejected forever shoved in his face? That Matthew had moved on and had gone on to do fine and well without him?
No. He was being ridiculous, what did he care if Matthew was married and had a hundred odd kids? His own life wasn't any less either in comparison, he looked good, he lived comfortably, so what if he was currently single and spent his time out of the house either at work or working out? Good for him in fact, it showed he was a productive member of society. That he was independent in fact.
For whatever reason, though, Dom found himself rising to his feet anyway as Matthew was now being attacked by his offspring and actually calling out for his assistance.
"Dom!" his voice wheezed, that signature, manically high-pitched laugh that Dominic had truthfully missed sounding out while he dramatically rolled around and let Sammy tickle his sides and the toddler pull on his hair. "Save me!"
The two kids thought the whole game was a blast and laughed along loudly, showing their father no mercy as he frantically kicked about. Dom also knew that it wasn't all just acting either, Matthew had always been a ticklish sort, but the blond had to quickly shake his thoughts, most of his experiences with that particular trait of the brunet's, not quite appropriate to conjure up in a children's playground.
"Dom! Get these little pests off me!" Matthew cried out, wriggling and jiggling around in the sandpit.
"No, Dom, help us!" Sammy countered, and Dominic suddenly found himself swimming in a sea of blue as both sets of eyes gazed up at him pleadingly, Elliot content to just continue with tugging his dad's hair and ears.
There'd never really been much choice of course and soon the calls of "Traitor!" could be heard loudly in the playground, as Dom sided with the kids and took his turn to attack Matthew's sides, much to both children's delight. The sound of Matthew's laugh too addictive not to, also – if he was completely honest – the opportunity to touch the other man again was also too much to resist. He felt appalled with himself, but he couldn't help it.
He didn't care if it was just to be acquaintances or friends again; he'd missed Matthew Bellamy too much and, as bad as he knew it was for himself, couldn't bear to lose him again. So what if he knew it could never be anymore?
Surely this would be enough. Something was better than nothing after all, right?
===
That evening, when Dom went out to drinks with his two life-long best friends, Tom and Chris, he told them all about the strange, out of the blue reunion with his ex.
"Shit, and you were okay? It must have been hard to see him... not to mention the fact about him being married and having sproglets now," Chris sympathised, rejoining his mates, a pint of beer for them each balancing in his hands.
"Well... yeah, it definitely wasn't easy. To say it was all rather a bit of a shock is an understatement," Dominic admitted, accepting his pint gratefully. "I never pictured him settling down with a woman, let alone as a father too!"
"The lines did tend to blur a bit when it came to which gender he preferred, but you're right... Although, then I did always think the two of you would end up together," Chris agreed before taking a good chug of beer.
"Still, I wonder who she is, he never really mentioned her, we also then even arranged to meet up next week for a drink and a catch up, perhaps he'll tell me about her then?" Dom said with a shrug, the other two looking at him with wide eyes.
"You arranged to meet up again?" Tom asked, surprised by the revelation, but also wanting to steer the conversation away from the mystery woman.
"Yeah, I don't know... we just instantly gelled, you know? It was almost like old times. Like nothing had happened."
"Except for the fact that he broke your heart and left without looking back and that there were two kids hanging around you both today," Chris muttered, the comment helping to bring up exactly what Dom was trying to ignore.
"Well, yeah, we're also not as young either. Plus his kids were sweet, I think I've even made quite the impression on little Sammy. Elliot's only a little over a year old though, he'll be happy with anyone," Dom couldn't help add.
"Oh, Dom," his friends sighed, smiling at him sadly, knowing the look on his face too well.
"What?"
"The man's married, mate. Married with kids, that's like if Tom started to try put the moves on me," Chris tried to reason, making Dom pout and Tom shudder in disgust as he muttered "As if" to himself.
"Yeah, I know. Sheesh, it's not like it's a date anyway. Just drinks with a long-lost friend–"
"That you used to fuck," Tom was quick to add, making Dom glare at him.
"–nothing more. It was nice to see him today and it'll be nice to see him again. I don't care if it's not a romantic relationship with the man anymore, but I still wouldn't mind having him as a friend again," Dom continued, shooting Tom a warning look. "I missed him."
"Dom," Chris sighed, looking over at his mate sympathetically.
"Anyway, like we've established, the bloke's got a missus, so nothing can happen. As long as you're alright with that?" Tom asked sceptically. "'Cause I know you, Dom, you get attached real quick and Matthew was always your weak spot."
"Yes, Tom, I'm not a complete idiot. I can be around the man without trying to jump his bones!" Dom defended himself, offended by his friend's insinuation.
"Relax, Dom, we're just trying to watch out for you. It's been years, but I still remember how broken you were after the whole disaster and the way he hurt you," Chris reminded him, before downing the rest of his beer.
"Yeah, mate. We only want what's best for you, and anyway Leah doesn't seem the sort to fuck with. Sure she's a lovely girl and all, but every rose has its thorn, no doubt the lovelier, the sharper what lies beneath is; through lack of use," Tom said, forgetting himself briefly and leaving the other two to stare at him questioningly.
"Leah? Who's that, is that his wife's name?" Dominic asked, overly curious and shocked by his friend's slipup. "How do you know anything about who he's with?!"
Shit, busted.
"Um, well, she's a model turned photographer, so we occasionally run into one another, what with working in the same circles... And I may have been reintroduced to Matt, but as her 'darling husband'," Tom swallowed, not at all enjoying the accusing looks he was being sent.
"Shit, Tom. Why didn't you ever tell us?" Chris asked, confused as to why Tom – who usually blabbered about everything – would keep something like that from them.
"Well, I figured Dom had moved on from that... episode, and didn't need to be reminded of it, let alone the fact that Matt had started a family with some woman..." Tom replied, awkwardly rotating the still full glass in front of him. "When I met him again we both also played stupid, I didn't want to cause a scene and he just kept his distance."
"She would be an ex model, fuck," Dom groaned, dropping his head to the table.
"Well, it's not like she was some major supermodel, she just did some photo shoots and stuff, which is also how she discovered she far preferred taking the pictures instead..." Tom said, trying to make Dom feel a bit better, before finally taking a sip of his pint, if only to do something with himself.
"Well, anyway, at the end of the day what does any of it matter?" Chris said, glad to see Dom lift his head again. "It's not like anything's gonna change; Dom'll see Matthew again for drinks, become or not become friends again, and they'll continue to live their own separate private lives, so who cares who the man's married to anyway? Maybe this is just what Dom needs: a bit of closure."
Of course Dominic nodded and agreed, before the conversation thankfully changed back to something else and he was left alone with his thoughts about Matthew and all that had changed the past several years since their messy break-up.
Friends, acquaintances, or even if they then never even saw one another again, he couldn't help but go to bed that night with a small smile. Closure. Perhaps Chris was right, that's why Dom had run into Matthew in the park. It was life's way of showing him he could finally move on properly and let everything go.
»•«
The camera moved in on tufts of black hair peaking out from under a white duvet, just the top of the sleeping man's face was visible, eyelids shut and dark eyelashes casting long shadows along the just visible tops of sharp cheekbones.
A hand could then be seen coming from somewhere behind the camera as it grabbed hold of the top of the duvet and flipped it open, startling the sleeping man to consciousness.
"Morning, sleepyhead, you've been out for ages," the man off camera's voice soothed, as his hand came up to brush black strands of hair out of the way of two bright-blue eyes, which were blinking open sleepily, a frown creasing above them due to the unexpected wakeup.
"Dom?" a groggy voice croaked from him in reply. "Why the fuck are you filming me sleeping?"
"More like waking," came the other man's reply, before the camera wobbled a bit and the sight of blond hair took over, the unmistakable sound of the two kissing quickly following, before the head of blond hair drew back again and the camera stabilised once more on the raven-haired man in bed, a light blush now gracing his fair cheekbones. "Tom gave me this old thing as a moving out gift, so I figured I may as well use it."
"What, on creepily filming me while I try and recover from last night?" the young man asked, a single dark eyebrow raised, making the blond laugh.
"Hush, Matt, the whole reason why I'm filming all this, is so that when we're grey and old we can look back and smile at the old times; now we can't even show this to the grandkids after that little dose of implication on your part!"
"Naww, is that your way of saying you want to grow old with me? Plus I didn't know you wanted to even have kids one day, let alone grandkids," the dark-haired man giggled and sat up a bit giving the camera a better view of his skinny, bare midriff as he reached out and grabbed the cameraman.
"Maaaaybe," came a giggle from him as the camera's image blurred while the two men shifted, forgetting briefly about it. "Besides, I've always liked kids; wouldn't be the worst thing, you know?"
"Hmm, I don't know, I mean, let's get serious here, can you even begin to imagine me as someone's father? I certainly can't!" The camera then eventually focused its picture again, to reveal that the other man was now lying down next to the madly giggling raven-haired man on the bed, both lying back and holding the camera above their faces.
"True, you'd certainly make an interesting dad," he agreed, his shorter, blond hair just as messily sticking up in odd directions.
"Well, I still can't see why I can't talk about the fucking amazing marathon shag we had last night!" the skinnier man cheekily added, abandoning his hold on the camera to instead roll on top of the blond, the footage briefly fuzzing as the other man tried to keep the camera steady, although his face was no longer visible. "Surely we'd want them to know the truth then? When people are in love, they have sex. And lots of it. Quite simple really," the dark-haired man added, before leaning in more, the sounds of them kissing again filling the silence, the camera having dropped a bit due to the distraction. It's view now that of his pale back covering most of the blond beneath him, the duvet having ridden low enough to reveal two small dimples at the base of his spine, a tanned hand covering the rest of the pale skin which the duvet failed to.
"So, is that then your way of telling me you love me?" the blond eventually managed to ask, after the kissing had subsided, the raven-haired man now content to just curl up at his side, pitch head of hair resting on his chest, allowing him better control of the camera again.
"Maaaaaybe," was the only response before the blond dropped the camera, leaving it to stare blankly at the kicking white duvet before it was completely knocked off the bed, the sounds of wet kissing and moaning all that registered from the pair above, before it all cut to black.