Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

We only learn as much as we are able to believe.

Dominic shivered at Neil's admission. Bizarrely arousing. “Perhaps... I should try that sometime. At least the likelihood of killing you by accident is very low with me,” he said, grinning. He could tell exactly how close someone was to death. “Only if you had a death wish,” Dominic muttered regarding the books, offering his cheek for the kiss. “I would burn them all, except some of them don't burn.” Or rot. Or have anything happen to them at all. Perhaps no necromancer had ever made anyone immortal, but they sure were good at making indestructible books.

“I have a thing about tables. Nothing like putting someone over a table...” He smirked. “I used to do it to Paul.” Over that self-same kitchen table at which they had the reading done. “Leave him there while I cooked dinner.” A pause, while Dominic considered what he had just said. Hmm. “On that note, I should make you dinner sometime.”
 
"I definitely, definitely don't have a death wish," Neil said, resting his head on Dominic's chest. "I have about the farthest thing from a death wish a man can have." He snorted quietly, closing his eyes. "Tables, huh?" he asked, curling his lips into a smile. "Tables... that's pretty hot. Leaving him there while you cook dinner. I'd be into that." Hell, he'd be into most things, if his Dom asked him to do it.

"As long as you don't expect me to make dinner, too. The extent of my expertise basically consists of putting something from a can into a pan and heating it up. So if you like canned spaghetti or macaroni or soup to your tasting, sure. Otherwise you might want to just let me take you out when it's my turn." He grinned sleepily.
 
"Cooking is a lot like magic. Get it wrong, and it kills you. Or at least gives you indigestion..." He winced at the mention of cans. Oh dear. "My tutor thought it was character building or something to get a cookbook and make his students prepare every dish in it. He was of the firm belief that until I could follow a recipe, I wasn't allowed to touch any spellbooks." Dominic snorted, remembering his teenage self raging at soufflés. Since the ingredients were already pretty much dead, and were made more dead by ovens, cookery was definitely an area that his magic was about as much use as a thong in the Arctic.

"His day-job was as a restaurant critic. It took a while," Dominic admitted, running his fingers in Neil's short hair and massaging the scalp. "But it did make me very good with knives, and I do make a mean chocolate cake. Sometimes it's nice to do something where I can't have an easy ride due to my powers, you know?" It was a rather bizarre apprenticeship, even as such things went, but it had taught him that his magic was not the only thing he was any good at. That had been the most important lesson, not that Dominic had really appreciated that.
 
"Yes, that sounds like it would probably just about kill me," Neil admitted. Trying to work his way through a whole cookbook when the grader was a restaurant critic, ugh. "Bet that took you a while, yeah. Would probably take me years." He made a face. His expression relaxed when Dominic started playing with his hair and scalp - that felt good. Neil shifted closer, practically wrapping himself around the other male, his head heavy on Dominic's chest.

"Feels good," he said. "Keep doing that." He paused. "Please," he added, lest it be taken as an order - he didn't want Dominic to stop out of some notion that the sub shouldn't be ordering the dom around. "And yes, I imagine it must have been nice to have something to challenge you." Neil kissed at Dominic's chest. He was quite comfortable being close to other men in bed, comfortable with intimacy. Yet he didn't like relationships. Messy things, with feelings and jealousy. Every good fuck he'd ever had had been ruined by a relationship - fighting and resentment.
 
"Hey, at least if this whole police gig doesn't work out, I can run away to Argentina and open a restaurant. And then, I bet he'd turn up to write me a shitty review..." Necromancers were probably the most tribal of all users, able to name all the locals, and turning up at any new one's doorstep to check who they were. Those who were legitimate were intensely wary of strangers who might compromise their reputations. Expecting that he would be found even if he went to the other side of the world was only natural for Dominic.

It was rather nice being someone's pillow. He continued to stroke Neil's hair idly, relaxed and relatively content. "So," Dominic said, after a while, having let the conversation lapse into silence. "How many friends with benefits have you got?" Dominic was somehow uncomfortable with saying 'fuck buddy' - he really was rather old fashioned when it came to relationships. On the other hand, he was curious about Neil's life.
 
"Mmm?" Neil shifted sleepily, curling an arm around Dominic's waist and pulled him closer, using him like a big teddy bear. "Right now? One," he said. "I only usually have one at a time, honestly. If they're happy to see me a few times a week, anyway." He yawned. "Not such a young man any more, can't string around a load of men and let 'em all fuck me. Probably wouldn't be able to get it up enough." He snickered, relaxed and happy. He'd been fucked, Dominic was stroking his hair and all was well with Neil's life, if you didn't count the unsolved murder investigation.

"I suppose it's kinda weird. Being a serial monogamist with men I don't actually have relationships with, but, I dunno. It works for me."
 
"Yep, you sure are weird," Dominic agreed mildly. He was feeling that what Neil was describing surely counted as a relationship... But he was not interested in arguing about it. Agreeing to disagree. This was certainly a vast improvement on their initial argumentativeness... Oh god. The cliché. If anyone found out that they ended up fucking on the first day, they were never going to live it down...

"You just going to fall asleep there?" Dominic asked, shifting a little to get into a slightly move comfortable position, briefly removing his hand to adjust the pillows before returning it to massage the back of Neil's neck. He didn't mind either way.
 
"Yeah, well, you can talk, with your birds who feel you come or whatever," Neil said back, yawning. He was quite happy to fall asleep there, but being asked made him pause. "Yes, if that's okay," he said, shifting to get comfortable. He tipped his head forward to let Dominic at the back of his neck properly, letting out a low groan. "If my head is too heavy I can take it off you, but I gotta admit, I kinda like it here. 'specially as you keep messing with my hair and my neck." He smiled sleepily up at Dominic.
 
"Nah, don't move." He had been more wondering if he was too bony... Lying back with Neil against him was... Nice. Comfortable. Normal. Surprisingly underrated words, but Dominic was able to appreciate them, being one whose life consisted of far too many improbable events.

"Hmm. I keep expecting you to start purring or something," Dominic said, grinning at how Neil was enjoying this. "You're rather sweet really, aren't you?" he teased. "How will I ever be able to take you seriously at work now?"
 
"Good, because I don't wanna," Neil admitted, shifting happily and closing his eyes. He snorted quietly when Dominic called him sweet. "Just because 'm all submissive and sweet in bed don't mean I can't kick your ass at work," he said, cracking one eye open and looking up at Dominic. "Under their watchful eye you can't do any of your creepy necromancer stuff to me and I'm bigger 'n' stronger than you are. So if you want me to stay sweet, I advise you shut the fuck up and let me get some sleep." Neil grinned and kissed Dominic's chest before closing his eyes again and getting comfortable. "Lemme go sleep, Dom."
 
"Fine, fine." There was some amusement to be had from the fact that Neil probably could lift him up and carry him over a shoulder should Neil really want to. Or throw him out of bed. He continued to stroke and massage gently, almost by reflex, right until he dozed off too.

Sometime during the night the birds did their 'passing between the planes' trick to join him and nestle down in Dominic's loose hair, without him noticing at all. Poor Neil. He was probably going to be woken up by their morning chatter.
 
Used to sleeping next to someone, Neil slept pretty well. It was funny - the guys at works probably thought he was a strictly loner type, but he appreciated sleeping next to someone. the intimacy of it and the warmth. He wasn't used to sleeping with birds, and he was a little disconcerted to wake up to find one in Dominic's hair. Neil blinked awake, staying where he was for a long moment, just taking in the fact that he was still curled up around Dominic.

Eventually, he sat up and yawned, stretching slowly. He'd forgotten to set the alarm, but a quick glance at the clock told him that he had an hour before he had to get to work, and that was just fine. He got up to go take a shower, make breakfast and put some coffee on.
 
Neil was followed by one of the birds - very alert now that it was past dawn, and probably wanting breakfast as well. All the ready food in Neil's kitchen was baffling to both the lovebirds, since it wasn't particularly edible to them. The chirps were a little annoyed.

The other decided nibbling Dominic's ear was the best way to wake him up. They had been kind enough not to interfere, and not to start singing at the crack of dawn, but Dominic was now taking too long to get up. He was awake enough when he tried grabbing the annoying feathery thing. Huh, Neil was up already? He rediscovered his underwear and went in search of Neil with a bird on his head.
 
By the time the bird woke Dominic, Neil was showered and dressed, though his hair was still damp. He poured them both some coffee and himself a bowl of cereal. "There's cereal and toast. And eggs, if you want them. Also poptarts. One of the birds has been chirping at me kind of angrily for a while now, I think they're hungry," Neil said, heading for the table and digging into his breakfast. "Wasn't sure what to feed them, or if I even had anything suitable, so I thought I'd leave it up to you."

Neil took a sip of his coffee. "Did you sleep okay?"
 
"Hm. Fruit? Fresh vegetables? Except avocado, of course, its poisonous." Poptarts. He had always thought that those were only for little hyperactive little kids. "Just nothing sugary or animal-based." He resisted looking though Neil's fridge and cupboards - it wasn't generally considered to be the best of manners.

"My leg's a bit numb. I think you were sleeping on it. Not too bad though. Always sleep a bit weirdly in other people's beds..." He added, going for the coffee. Even as he talked, his the one on his head was trying to rearrange his hair. "D'you know what happened to my hair tie?"
 
"No idea," Neil said, taking another sip of his coffee and getting up to look in his fridge. He pulled out a banana and most of his vegetable box, cutting up a fair bit and putting it in a dish, along with a bowl of water. He set both on the table and sat back down, sipping at his coffee again. "That do?" he asked. "Feel free to raid my cupboards and fridge if not, can't really say I've had to take care of birds much before. Think I brought home a baby pigeon once and fed it worms and things, but it died." He dug into his cereal and looked over at Dominic.

"Used to bring all sorts of strays home, it drove my mother nuts. You'll sleep better when you get used to it. Or I can stay at yours." He paused. "If that's okay."
 
"They're just used to eating little bits throughout the day." How many times had he found anything left outside nibbled on? The lovebird on his head seemed momentarily confused between wanting to eat and wanting to continue playing with Dominic's hair, but fluttered off nevertheless. "It's easy enough. I tend to leave out things for them to have when they like." The annoyed one was probably more annoyed that Neil had no idea what she had wanted, rather than the lack of food.

"You can, so long as you never bring me baby pidgeons..." He said, grinning, and moving over to make himself some toast. His hair, of course, was a complete mess, but he made no move to sort it. "I have enough feathers on my furniture."
 
"I'll try and remember to leave some things out when they're around," Neil said, stretching out his long legs under the table. He couldn't help but grin at the state of Dominic's hair - the other looked so fucking adorable like that. Neil was already settling in like he expected this to be a long-term arrangement, and maybe he did. Maybe he wanted it to be, even with the birds and the fact that Dominic was a necromancer.

"I'll try not to bring back any stray cats, too. In case they try and eat your birds. Or your birds try and kill the cat." He snorted and finished his cereal, drinking his milk before sitting back in his chair and watching Dominic. He liked the other here, sitting in his kitchen in the morning.
 
"So this won't be a one time thing, then?" Dominic said, sounding rather pleased over that. Apparently his performance had compensated for his less desirable characteristics, even if it was not his best. He felt embarassingly rusty at this whole thing.

"Oh, they love playing with cats." If the cat wasn't stupid, it worked out that those two flying snacks were not, in fact, a meal. Eventually. "I'm sure nothing would end up dead, though."

He sat back down, eating the toast, but also stealing pieces of the half-nibbled banana. One of the two fluffed up all her feathers in indignation, so Dominic stole another piece of what she was eating. "Lovebirds are dominant and aggressive. Gotta show who's boss sometimes," he explained to Neil, jokingly, even as a bird grabbed the edge of his piece of toast, trying to steal that.
 
"Well, I'm hoping not," Neil said, getting up to discard his plate in the sink. He would load it into the dishwasher later, but right now he couldn't be bothered. He returned to the table, sneaking up behind Dominic and interrupting his breakfast with a kiss, turning the other man's head toward him so he could plant one on him. It wasn't chaste, either. Neil took his time, exploring Dominic's mouth before tugging on the other man's lower lip and pulling back. He looked at Dominic and grinned. "Almost a shame we have to be at work in half an hour, or I'd ask you to take me back to the bedroom and fuck me again," he said, biting at Dominic's ear.

He sat back at the table and sipped at his coffee like he wasn't a cock tease, grinning over at the other male. "Definitely looking forward to a repeat performance."
 
Dominic grinned back after the kiss, also tempted by the idea of going back to bed - that is, until he heard the half an hour part. "Shit!" He hadn't showered, he didn't have clothes for work, and he was still holding a mostly eaten piece of toast. He shoved that into his mouth, disappeared lightning-fast in the bedroom, picked up his clothes and went for the bathroom. The birds fluttered in just before the door closed.

Only ten minutes later, he emerged again, with wet hair and wet birds, but dressed. He had no doubt stolen some towels and borrowed a toothbrush. Sitting on his shoulder, the birds preened each other, their feathers too damp to fly at the moment. He had nothing to tie his hair up with. "Argh. Yes. I am looking forward to it too," Dominic said, as if there had not had this particular break in the conversation.
 
Neil just looked amused when Dominic rushed off into the bedroom. He headed for the front door, unlocking it and grabbing the paper from the doorstep before heading back to the kitchen. As Dominic rushed around getting dressed and showered, Neil read his paper and drank his coffee.

He got up when Dominic arrived, all wet and adorable. Neil put his shoes on and folded up his paper, shoving it under his arm. "Right," he said. "You ready to go?" He raised his eyebrows at Dominic. The fact they were arriving at work together would be a little weird, but fuck it. It wasn't like he gave a shit what anyone else thought anyway.
 
"Why do you look all normal while I look like I've not been to bed all night?" Dominic asked, downing the dregs of the coffee he had abandoned and then breathing in very slowly, as if he might have skipped doing it while he was rushing. He took a bird and a kitchen towel and tried to pat her drier. Moments later, she looked highly disgruntled and her feathers all out of place. At least that would give her something to do.

"If anyone asks, my car broke down." Though Dominic also looked a little overdressed for work, but never mind that one. Most people's opinion of Dominic was low anyway: just the position of his desk said it all. Downstairs, without windows, with no one else nearby.

"Alright, we can go."
 
"Because I usually look like I haven't slept a wink," Neil said. It was true - he had trouble sleeping when he wasn't actually sleeping with someone, and he spent the majority of his nights alone, though he had a guy he saw a few times a week. Still, that wasn't enough, and meant a bad night for most of his week. He waited for Dominic to dry one of the birds and dumped his coffee mug into the sink.

"We could be late and stop by your house, if you're concerned," Neil said. "That way you get to pick up your car. Or we can just head straight in. 'm not too bothered, to be honest. Always lived by that people can think what they think and I don't give a shit." Chances were, people wouldn't even notice, too caught up in their own lives.
 
"I'm not that concerned. Going home would make it my 19th consecutive day of not being on time, and I'm trying to break the habit. And hey, nothing wrong with looking like I have a life." He was pretty sure most of his co-workers didn't think he ever went out anywhere.

"You haven't met the girls in the archives, have you? Gossip mongers." Maybe Neil didn't notice, but everything was discussed and every action dissected. It was many people's only work-time entertainment.

Out of the door, he added, "Well, your neighbourhood is way nicer than mine. Though I do live next door to a dealer, so it's really not much of a challenge..."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom