million_star | Son Of A Preacher Man (21/?)

Title: Son Of A Preacher Man (21/?)
Author:

millionstar
Pairing: Belldom, AU
Rating: This part, PG
Warnings: Language, Sudden Southern Drawls, Tight Blue Jeans. Also, fluff, copious amounts of fluffy fluff in this chapter.
Summary: AU Belldom, set in the Deep American South. Enough said, y'all.
Feedback: Is welcome & appreciated, if you're so inclined.
Disclaimer: I don't own Muse, no $$ being made, and this is fiction. Title taken lovingly from the song of the same name.
Author's note: As always, eternal thanks to

dolce_piccante &

myz_bee &

captivemuse for their beta skills, eternal brilliance and constant encouragement. They're got-damned essential to this fic & wonderful chicks. Make no mistake.

One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve | Thirteen | Fourteen | Fifteen | Sixteen | Seventeen | Eighteen | Nineteen | Twenty

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Matthew 5:7

Gabriel closed his eyes against the Sunday morning light. His private office, just off the sanctuary of the tiny church he now led, was small yet filled with bright sunlight. Funny how he hadn't been the least bit nervous on his first day preaching here but today he was so nervous that his stomach was churning.

He'd left Kevin and Dominic alone in the second pew and had retreated to his desk to go over his sermon for the day. There was no doubt in his mind that the whole town by now knew about Dominic and the events of last week. Gabriel had decided that today's sermon had to be perfect, in summary as well as in execution. It was hard for him to try and convince himself that what had happened in their old hometown wouldn't happen here, but he was making that effort nonetheless. His faith had certainly been shaken but it was still intact.

Dominic had insisted that he would deal with this situation on his own, that he was a grown man and could handle things in his own way. Gabriel was still a little upset that Dominic chose not to seek to press charges against whomever had done this to him. It was true that Dominic hadn't seen his attacker, but his father still wished that he'd at least filed a police report. Still, though, the choice wasn't his, and Gabriel was determined to simply be supportive of Dominic any way he could.

The only question that remained was this one: would there be any long-lasting repurcussions from all this trouble? It only took one look out into the small set of pews for him to get an inkling of an answer.

There were only two other people in the church - Kevin and Dominic. Gabriel sighed and tried to hide his disappointment as he closed his office door.

"Looks like it's just us, Daddy," Kevin said sadly, "where is everybody?" Dominic elbowed his brother, shooting him a quick glare before plastering a big smile on his face.

"Don't you worry, Daddy," he said, "yo-"

The sound of the door opening made Dominic stop and turn around. The three Howard men looked curiously at the back of the church and smiled as they saw who was coming down the aisle.

"Sorry I'm late, boys!" Pearl Gibson boomed, shuffling along as quickly as her legs (and cane) would allow her to. "Breakfast ran late, they're right behind me!"

Gabriel smiled. Pearl had fast become one of his favorite parishoners in the short time he'd been at this church. He'd actually spent a couple hours just talking with her long after the church had emptied out on Sunday afternoon. That was how he'd learned that she only left her house to come to worship. She always came to church alone, though, and Gabriel was quite curious to see who had come with her.

Dominic's mouth opened and his heart jumped into his throat when he saw who else was coming in. It was obvious now who had given Pearl a ride to church. Jacob and Annie, for the first time in eleven years, walked between the pews of Sapphire Falls Church. Jacob Bellamy walked up to Gabriel and extended his hand.

"Y'all got room for three more, Reverend Howard?"

"Absolutely," Gabriel whispered, nodding his head as he and Matthew's daddy shook hands.

Annie nodded at Gabriel and sat down in the second row, behind Pearl, Jacob joining her. But it was the young man behind them who held Dominic's eye. His mind flashed to the day they'd talked about faith.

"It's not that I ain't a believer, necessarily."

"Then what is it?"

Matthew shifted in Dominic's arms. "Y'gotta understand, Dom, the preacher we had before yer daddy wasn't... well... things were different. Unpleasant."

"Oh," Dominic had whispered, understanding washing over him.

"He preached hate and vile things, Dom. I can't even remember the last time I set foot in that church. It wasn't a place of worship in those days, it was somethin'..." he cleared his throat, "nah, I ain't gonna speak ill of 'em, that makes me as bad as them. Point is, yer daddy's here now and maybe, finally, this town can have a church it can be proud of. Lord knows I'd love to be part of it."

Matthew smiled shyly at him and sat down next to Annie. Dominic pouted and patted the space next to him on his pew. The brunet shook his head and blushed, pointing to his mother, as if to say he was fine sitting with her.

That was unacceptable to the blond, however. Dominic whimpered audibly, nodding his head, beckoning for Matthew to join him.

"Oh, for goodness' sake, Matthew, go sit with him already!" Pearl said, waving her hand in what sounded like annoyance, but was actually amusement, at the situation.

"Okay, Mamaw, okay!" the brunet whispered, his face glowing crimson as he crossed the aisle. sliding into the space next to Dominic. The blond's face lit up as Matthew came closer and he couldn't wipe the smile from his face as he nudged the brunet with his shoulder.

"Stop it," Mattthew mumbled, smiling at his hands, which were clasped primly in his lap. He snuck a quick glance at Dominic's happy face and relented, nudging the blond back gingerly, taking care to remember his still-injured ribs. In response, Dominic scooted even closer, until their outer thighs were touching. It took all of Dominic's willpower to not reach for Matthew's hand.

"Thank you for comin'," he mouthed, sincerely.

"My pleasure," Matthew answered

Gabriel, for his part, was stunned into silence. Tears were threatening to flow from his eyes as he continued to scan his tiny congregation. Six people wasn't a very sizeable crowd to minister to. But, to Gabriel, it felt more special than if there had been a hundred people seated before him. And just like that, he was inspired and felt the need to jump into action. He took his place behind the pulpit and glanced down at his notes.

"You know, I had a sermon all prepared for today. I was gonna talk about... you know, it doesn't matter." He shook his head with a wry laugh. Scanning the crowd, his gaze scanned the left side of the seats, where he could see Kevin in the front pew, and Dominic and Matthew in the second, sitting next to each other. His son's face was still bruised but Gabriel didn't miss the small glances Dominic kept shooting Matthew; in those moments the bruising around his eye was all but covered up by the sheer amount of happiness on his face.

When his eyes met Jacob and Annie Bellamy's he was greeted with a nod from Jacob and a smile fron Annie. It was Pearl, however, who spurred him into action.

"Well, come on now, Reverend Howard, spit it out!

Gabriel smiled, tearing his page of notes in half. "I think today, the topic will be grace."

Ninety minutes later the service had concluded. Kevin and Gabriel had headed back home, and Jacob and Annie had seen that Pearl got home safely. Matthew had stayed behind with Dominic at his mother's urging after Annie heard Dominic suggest the two of them go for a walk since it was such a gorgeous day. They'd stood and watched the small parking lot empty out until only Dominic's truck remained

They continued walking behind the church, which was located at the corner of Rabbit Hop Road and Cloudburst Lane. The sun was warm on their faces and they walked, at least for a moment, feeling as though they hadn't a care in the world; so much so, that Matthew actually reached out for Dominc's hand. The brunet beamed when Dominic took it and squeezed it tightly.

It was an incredibly liberating action.

"I've missed ya."

"Missed y'more."

Matthew shook his head. "Not possible."

"Yuh-huh!' Dominic replied, eyebrows raised.

"Nuh-uh!"

The sound of a loud motor cut into the calm of the afternoon as a truck turned the corner and approached the area they were strolling through. There was a time, not long ago, when the two of them would have released hands and jumped away from each other as if one of them were aflame. Not this time, though; they kept their hands joined and glanced at the anonymous truck as it drove by.

"That felt... good," Matthew commented.

"Glad ya think so," he laced his fingers through Matthew's once more, "because I ain't never gonna let ya go. Never. And if anyone in this town don't like it, they can kiss my American ass."

"No they can't," the brunet replied, horrified, "they better keep their damn hands off yer ass. It belongs t'me now. Oh! I wanted t'ask ya somethin'."

"Lay it on me!"

"The county fair is next week. It's pretty much the only exciting thing that ever happens 'round here," Matthew replied. "Um, ya wanna go one night? Check it out? I mean, I reckon it's mainly for youngins, but-"

"Will there be a ferris wheel?"

"Um, yeah. There is every year I think."

Dominic went on, wide-eyed. "And cotton candy?"

"Yes, and cotton candy. And candy apples, and funnel cakes, and-"

"Oh, good sweet lord," the blond groaned, "there goes my figure!"

Matthew doubled over in laughter, Dominic crossing his arms petulantly. "What? This body," he swept his arms up and down his slender frame, "is a temple, blue eyes, and it must be treated as such!"

"I saw ya eat three Twix bars that one time, Dom. There's two in a pack, so actually, y'ate six Twix bars."

Dominic's mouth dropped open to comment but he quickly shut it, giggling. After a beat, he relented. "Fair enough. Ya still gonna love me when I weigh six hundred pounds?" As soon as he'd said it he flushed a deep shade of purple. He hadn't realized he'd used the word love until it had already escaped his mouth. With a thundering heart, Dominic wracked his brain, trying to think of what to say next that could possibly move the conversation along.

Matthew kept walking, looking straight ahead. He'd certainly caught the usage of the four letter word beginning with the letter "L". Dominic never saw the way the brunet's lips turned slightly upward in a smile as he processed what the ranger had just said. He wasn't sure precisely how he should handle it but he did know that he didn't want to do anything to make Dominic feel uncomfortable. Part of him wanted to take Dominic home, curl up with him on his bed and tell him precisely how he felt about him.

"As long as y'stick around even after I've lost all my hair," he replied smoothly. "You've seen what Daddy looks like, that'll be me someday. Think y'can deal with that?"

"Yeah," the blond whispered, still smiling, "I do."

"How're the ribs feelin'?"

"Better, for the most part."

Matthew swallowed. "Good, good. So, um... yer feelin' better."

"Yep."

"Good."

Dominic scratched the back of his neck. "Um, so y'wanna go on-"

"Yes!" Matthew replied at the speed of light.

"'Y'didn't even wait t'see what I was gonna ask ya!"

"Does it involve you, me, a swimmin' hole, and a very cramped tent?"

The blond grinned. "Yes, yes it does."

"When?"

"As soon as possible." The blond grabbed Matthew's hand and they increased the pace of their steps until they were standing at the huge old oak tree behind the church. Matthew leaned against it, pulling the blond close until their chests were touching and Dominic's hands were full of dark brown hair. When their lips met it was sweet and memorable as the first time they'd kissed; Matthew wrapped his arms around Dominic's neck and held on as tightly as he could.

"Next weekend?" the brunet said softly between pecks, "fair Friday night, campin' Saturday night?"

"Two nights in a row." Dominic melted, his thumb sweeping a stray tendril of hair away from the brunet's eye before leaning in to kiss his temple. "Yer gonna be so damn tired come next Sunday mornin', Matty."

"Why? Y'gonna wear me out?" Matthew replied, mimicking Dominic's actions and kissing the blond's cheekbone. He could feel Dominic grin against his skin; could feel the breath he exhaled as he chuckled before answering Matthew's question.

"Here's hopin'." He could feel Matthew tense ever so slightly and he paused, his brow furrowing. "What's wrong?"

"Nothin', silly," Matthew nodded, pulling Dominic into a tight hug. "I can't wait." He placed a loud kiss to the now giggling blond's ear as he tried to swallow his worries. He didn't dare say anything to spoil the mood; all he needed to do was relax and go with the flow here. After all, how could he look Dominic in the eye and tell him he was worried about his own lack of sexual experience? Neither of them had said it aloud but both of them knew that this was going to be so much more than an ordinary camping trip.

It had the potential to change everything between them, and that was a prospect which made Matthew incredibly happy and insanely jittery at the same time. He marveled, not for the first time, at just how Dominic seemed to take everything in stride, and he was willing to bet that the blond wasn't stressing the way that he was over the idea of them spending a night together. It was a good kind of stress, though, one that Matthew wouldn't trade for anything.

"I just..." he began softly, his face heating rapidly.

"What, blue eyes?"

"It's nothing, really, I'm just a little... I don't know."

"Hey," Dominic soothed, rubbing the brunet's shoulder, "talk t'me."

"What if I don't please ya? I'm not exactly... I'm not... I mean, I'm... fuck," he shook his head in wonder, "I'm makin' a right ass outta myself." Matthew took a deep breath and blurted out what he was getting at. "Y'know, me bein' a virgin."

The blond blinked in confusion. "What about it? And why would y'think that y'wouldn't please me? Besides, I'm a virgin too, if ya wanna get technical."

"Oh, I wanna get technical, that's the whole point! I just thought you'd-"

"No," Dominic answered quietly, clearing his throat, "not me. I ain't never been all the way before."

"Oh," Matthew replied, "I reckoned ya had..." The brunet trailed off, embarrassed.

"Reckoned that I'd what?" Dominic teased, leaning closer.

"Y'know," Matthew mumbled, his face a deep shade of scarlet.

"What? Y'reckoned that I'd already experienced the joys of sexual intercourse? That I'd plowed my share of manfields? That I'd played hide the dumplin' before?"

"Don't make fun o'me," Matthew mumbled, mortified. "Wait, 'hide the dumplin'? Are you serious?" Dominic nodded, the two of them giggling, the mood morphing from awkward to comfortable in record time. The brunet pecked Dominic's ear again, wincing when the blond shook in an even more pronounced case of the giggles.

"Don't kiss m'ear," Dominic whispered, swatting Matthew's face away lovingly while pulling him closer, "it tickles." Reverently, the blond placed a peck to Matthew's cheek before pressing his own cheek to it. Matthew had shaved that morning, but Dominic hadn't and the feel of his stubble-covered chin against his own made the brunet shiver. Dual sighs floated into the air around them as they melted into each other, simply relishing the moment. Being this close to Dominic, Matthew forgot himself and reached for the blond's side. A hiss of breath later, he attempted to remove his hand, wide-eyed, but Dominic lifted his face and stopped him.

"M'sorry."

Dominic shook his head. "Don't be, not ever. And don't fret over anything, 'specially not over pleasin' me. Y'please me every second of every minute of every damn day." He pulled his dress shirt out of his trousers and reached for Matthew's hand, placing it gingerly against his injury, directly against his warm, tender skin. "Just hold me. Don't ever let go, Matty."

Closing his eyes, the ranger pressed his lips to Matthew's twice as the brunet whispered a reply.

"I won't."