million_star | Fierce Frequencies (3/?)

Title: Fierce Frequencies (3/?)
Author:

millionstar
Pairing: Belldom, AU
Rating: PG, for this chapter.
Warnings: Language, this chapter.
Summary: America. The 1970's. QBUT Radio is a station with some familiar looking staff members.
Feedback: Is appreciated, if you're so inclined. Either way, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Muse, no profit is being made and this never happened.
Author's Note: Thanks to the amazing

dolce_piccante for looking over this while on a MUCH needed vacation, the flawless

captivemuse for her support and feedback, and the wonderful

myz_bee for planting the main idea in this chapter in my wee brain to begin with. Thanks, Admiral. <3 you all!

Thank you,

rowanfaire, for critical radio-minded assistance. You're the best, girl! <3

I know it's been a while since the last update and for that I apologize. If anyone out there remembers this, I hope you enjoy! :)

The weeks passed, and life went on at QBUT. Which was to say, Tom and his ever-present afro were still rocking out in the evenings on The Brick Hithouse, Dominic was still as smooth as honey with the Disco Den, and Matthew still was making a name for himself in the overnight slot. Their combined efforts along with the other station employees lead to the station's ratings exceeding management's expectations.

While he was happy with the direction the station was headed in, Christopher still wondered if there were another way to tap into the local market to gain even more listeners. He reclined in his chair on that Friday afternoon, rolling back a few inches from his desk so he could spin in it slowly. It squeaked, however, on his second rotation, much to his surprise. He'd bet anything Dominic had been in here again and borrowed his chair for late night chair races down the main hallway with one of the night staff.

Safely behind his closed office door, he smiled to himself. Dominic could be a pain at times, sure, and he did tend to have a flair for the flamboyant, but he was damned good at his job, and had come to be one of Christopher's trusted friends in the months he'd been at QBUT. His hours behind the microphone were the station's most listened to, according to the latest data, followed closely by Tom's hard rock show, . Dominic's Disco Den was so popular that Christopher had even considered putting the DJ's face on a billboard for even more promotion.

But it was the newest member's numbers that were the most surprising. Matthew's "The Other Side" was faring quite well - which fascinated Christopher to no end. It wasn't that he doubted Matthew necessarily, it was more that he was impressed that the talk show host had managed to not only keep Lady Leigh's listeners, but that he'd actually added to them. People who were once seeking love advice were now indulging in discussions on the supernatural, who'd have ever guessed that? The world could be a very funny place.

He was still lost in his thoughts when Morgan strolled into his office, a shiny green apple in his hand. With a nod to his boss, he launched himself into the plush chair in front of Christopher's desk and put his feet up. "What's up, you said you wanted to see me? Mind if I eat?" Before waiting for a reply he took a noisy bite from the fruit, chewing happily as Christopher rolled his eyes.

"Go for it, just don't talk with your mouth full like when you came to the house for dinner last week, yeah? Kells is still talking about that." He winced at the memory of Morgan discussing his new vacuum cleaner with Kelly and himself; by the end of the meal there was more chicken casserole on the front of Morgan's shirt than there was in his stomach. "Anyway, what if we attempt to put on some sort of, oh, I don't know, some sort of promotion, like a contest?'

"Hmm," Morgan replied, "that could be a good idea! What've you got in mind? But, are we really hurting for listeners that badly? I thought the latest set of data proved otherwise?"

"No, we're not hurting, but it can't hurt to build more on what we have going here, y'know? What did QROK do last winter that was so popular?"

"Uh, that was a frozen t-shirt contest I think."

Christopher raised one eyebrow. "Riiiiiiight," he exhaled. "Those were some stiff-"

"Steady, boss," the newsman warned, grinning between bites of apple. "Are you thinking of doing something that outlandish?"

"Well, not quite that... extreme, no. But I would like to do something that people would remember for a long time to come. Something that doesn't involve tight t-shirts, snow, and hard nipp-" Christopher sighed. "Fuck, now I'm distracted."

"What about we auction off a dinner date with one of the personalities?" Morgan suggested, taking another bite of his snack. "I'd assume Dominic, since he's got the biggest audience? Maybe sponsor some sort of disco dance party?"

"I like that! Or," Christopher replied with a twinkle in his eye, "what if we got all of the personalities involved? Dominic, Tom, Matthew... you."

Morgan dropped his apple. "Do what now?"

The two of them turned their heads toward the door when they heard a cheerful boisterous, "What's up, my girl!?" followed by a bout of girlish giggling provided by Christopher's secretary Abby. The station manager smiled to himself and counted to five, Dominic letting himself in, as was his habit, without knocking. Today he was dressed in all white, with the top four buttons of his shirt left undone and his slinky white bell bottoms swishing as he strutted into the room. He sat down on the edge of Christopher's desk and gave them both a peace sign. "S'up?"

"You still can't knock on a door, man? What if I were walking around in here naked or something?" Christopher grumbled, Dominic rolling his eyes.

"Well, first I would congratulate you on your newfound love for the natural wonders of the male body, boss," Dominic replied smoothly, "and second, well, I'd be calling Kelly to ask her if you've went completely insane. What are you two getting down to?"

The two of them filled Dominic in and over the course of the next hour they worked on hammering out the details. The dance party would be open to the public for a small admission charge; however, it would require calling in to the station to win an opportunity to take part in the auction part of the night. The next question became, which charity would they donate the proceeds to?

"The library?" Dominic suggested.

"Have you ever even been in a library?" Morgan teased, a shocked, but playful, expression on his face.

"Be cool, assface! I returned a book just this morning, thank you very much!"

"Let me guess, The Hardy Boys?"

Dominic merely smirked. "No, Steinbeck. I'd re-read The Grapes Of Wrath, mister smartypants."

That revelation shut Morgan up pretty quickly.

"You know, when I was at Maude's Diner last week, I heard that the animal shelter on Pine street is in danger of closing down," Christopher mumbled. "That's where I got Foxy. I'd hate to see it go under."

"That could work! I still love that you named your cat after Pam Grier," Dominic grinned, blowing a large pink bubble with his chewing gum. He winced when it popped in his face, giggling softly after a beat.

"That's a great idea!" the newsman agreed. "But, what about the auction itself?"

"That's pretty simple, actually. At the top of the hour the DJ can announce the song of the hour, or something," Christopher answered, his fingers fluttering in front of him. "When you hear that song, just be caller number 10 and the auction passes are yours. Maybe two per session, over the course of a week or so? There's time to sort that out, though. I do think that we'll put most of the focus on the disco angle since Dominic's slot is the most popular right now. "

"Ahhh, I can see it now! Diamond Dominic's Disco Dance Party. I fucking love it. So, you're saying," Dominic grinned, crossing his legs, "that you want to auction this fabulous body of mine," he swept his hands down his slim frame, "off to some lucky listener for a night? Kinky! But, is it legal?"

"It's just for dinner, Dominic, we're not whoring you out," Morgan interrupted, Christopher laughing at just how up for this Dominic was already. He cleared his throat and spoke again.

"I'm working on that, I mean, I'm in touch with some restaraunts around town, it's good promotion for them too after all." He cocked his head to the side. "What if a woman bids on you? You gonna be okay with that?"

The DJ shrugged. "Oh, of course! It's all good, chief. For the station, yeah? And for the kittens and puppies at the animal shelter. I could never deny their little fluffy faces anything. Ever!"

He's got a heart of gold, Christopher thought to himself. When he spoke it was in a cheerful tone. "Sounds cool, I'll jot some details out and have Abby type it up and release it to everyone!"

The evening progressed from then on and before Dominic knew it the clock on the wall was letting him know it was twenty minutes till midnight, which meant one thing. He glanced out the small window in the booth and smiled as Matthew waved animatedly, with an endearingly geeky grin on his face.

Even though he tried mightily to fight it, Dominic melted a little at the sight.

Matthew was still as sweet and unassuming as he had been the first day Dominic had met him; very approachable, yet still in possession of an air of mystery. They had developed a sort of nightly ritual; Matthew would sit outside the booth and listen to Dominic finshing up the last twenty minutes or so of his show and while Matthew prepared for his session, Dominic would keep him company. He was eager to gain Matthew's friendship at least. If something else were to come of it, that would be an added bonus; the happiest of accidents, perhaps.

Matthew held up a piece of pale green paper, and pointed to it, letting Dominic know he was there, but was reading the press release that Abby had passed out earlier. Dominic gave him a thumbs-up and spun his last record of the night, The Trammps' "Love Epidemic". He chuckled to himself as he watched Matthew bob along awkwardly to the track as he read his copy of the announcement.

"So what do you think of this whole auction business?" Dominic asked as they stood outside the booth a few minutes later while the overnight newsman read the headlines. He smoothed his hair under Matthew's scrutiny, the talk show host grinning. Dominic pursed his lips and rocked back and forth in his white platform shoes. He couldn't help himself, he was that happy just to get to speak with Matthew for a few moments. Dominic wondered if Matthew enjoyed their talks as much as he did.

"I think it's a fabulous idea! I can't think of a more deserving charity, and it's going to be fantastic press for the station. I can't wait to tell Cass all about it!" Even though the mysterious Cass had been referenced again, Dominic's heart began to race as he realized that, unless he was very much mistaken, Matthew was staring at his exposed chest with a gleam in his eyes. Could it be that Matthew was checking him out?

"Nice D," he said finally, Dominic suddenly understanding what Matthew was staring at. The thick chain around his neck today was holding a golden letter D, which was nestled snugly against the hair on the DJ's chest.

"Oh, thanks!" He swallowed when Matthew's hand gestured towards it again, his fingers stopping just short of touching the warm skin that itched for that very thing.

"It's so... gorgeous," Matthew commented softly, his eyes sweeping down Dominic's body for a beat, then travelling back up to his face. The blond squirmed; was Matthew checking him out? Before Dominic could even react to the hungry look in the brunet's eyes, Matthew's demeanor changed suddenly and he snatched his hand away. His expression morphed from one of hunger into one that was all about business. Matthew laughed brightly, rubbing his hands together. "Well, time for me to get in the booth and get ready to talk about spectral studies! You heading home?"

Dominic was still flustered but finally managed to squeak out an answer. "Yeah, yeah!"

"Then I'll see you tomorrow night! Sleep well, Dom."

"Matthew," Dominic called out before the door closed, "what about Cass? I just - I was thinking, I wonder if she'll mind you being auctioned off, that's all, haha!" Matthew blinked, clearly taken aback at the question; Dominic backpedaled, wanting to fall through the floor in embarrassment. He'd just made a fool of himself asking Matthew a question that wasn't even any of his concern in the first place.

"Cass is my twin brother, he helped me move out here when I got this job. Stayed for a couple weeks actually!" The brunet laughed, sweeping one of his hands over his face. He'd mussed his hair in the process and the DJ ached to reach out and fix it for him; partly because he wanted to feel it beneath his fingertips and partly because it was just bugging him. "I miss seeing him now that I've moved away from home. What can I say, I'm close with my family and I still miss Philadelphia like mad. And," he added, "I've never dated a woman in my life. My last significant other was named Alexander."

Dominic gaped. "Oh?"

Matthew nodded, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. "Goodnight again, Dominic."

Dominic's mouth was frozen into an "O" shape, and stayed that way as he floated out of the building that night, and only one thought ran through his mind as he climbed into his bed that night.

There are TWO of them.

Far out!