Necessary Roughness (2/3)

[million_star]

Title: Necessary Roughness (2/3)
Author: millionstar
Pairing: Belldom, AU
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language, & spontaneously perky cartwheels.
Summary: Taken from this prompt at mkmeme: Dom's just been picked to replace his uni's star quarterback after an injury, so the pressure to succeed has become all the more daunting. Going to the gym to work off steam, he runs into Matthew (doing what at the gym, idk, it's up to you), and sparks fly. Dom is later pleasantly surprised and/or repulsed to find that Matthew's actually the captain of the uni's cheerleading squad, and kinda a stud in his own way.
Feedback: Is always appreciated, but please, either way just enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Muse, no profit is being made and this is fiction.
Beta/Support: As always, the flawless and wonderful dolce_piccante & waltzingstar! <3

One



Dominic winced visibly at the admonishment as the owner of the voice that had doled it out stared at him, open-mouthed on the other side of the booth in a crowded bar off campus.

"So, you're telling me you had fantastic sex with a gorgeous male specimen and you're actually embarrassed that he happens to be a cheerleader? Am I understanding this correctly?"

"You make me sound like a prick when you say it like that, Andie," he mumbled.

"Oh," Andie flipped her hair and laughed loudly, "trust me, Dom, I've yet to begin to call you a prick. I'm just getting started."

Andie Simmons was Dominic's closest friend. The two of them had bonded during their freshman year (she had lost her favorite scarf and Dominic had stayed behind in the library one night until he helped her locate it) and had been pretty much inseparable ever since. Dominic, truth be told, loved her like a sister.

He sighed. "I know, I know, I handled it badly, but," he glanced around the bar, "I was just thrown off guard, you know? It doesn't matter now, though. He'll probably never want to speak to me again."

"What are you so afraid of?" Andie asked suddenly, reaching for another mozzarella stick. "I'm still failing to see how this is a problem. If he's a good guy he'll give you another shot, right? Do you like him enough to want another shot?"

"That's just it, we didn't really... talk that night." Dominic flushed as his friend's eyes widened in understanding. "There was no, well, no time-"

"Ohhh, so it was that kind of sex. The kind where you're so taken with each other that speech seems pointless and like something that only interrupts the amazing orgasms?"

"Yes. God yes."

Andie cackled and reached for her iPhone, tapping on the screen.

"What are you doing?" Dominic asked, taking a huge bite of his BLT.

"Ordering your Congrats-On-The-Sex Cake. Bet I can find one shaped like a dick if I search hard enough."

The quarterback choked on his sandwich, smiling into his napkin. Andie watched him eat, a smirk playing on her lips. Dominic raised his eyebrow at her. "What?"

"You really like him, don't you?"

"I don't know. I know that I treated him like shit. I know that I want to make it up to him. I know that I desperately want to kiss him again. I know that I've dreamed about him every night this week."

"What's his name?"

"Matthew."

"I like that," she grinned. "Well, you look positively dreamy right now talking about him. Next thing I know you'll be writing his name in your notebooks inside little hearts and shit."

Dominic took another bite of his sandwich and rolled his eyes, hoping that Andie wouldn't be able to see him flushing.

He also made a mental note to burn the inside of his American History notebook.

* * * * *

That Saturday's game was against a division rival and was one that had lasting ramifications for the team. Dominic was more focused than he was last week, he knew that much, but he still found himself glancing over at the sidelines for a glimpse of Matthew.

He'd not seen him since last weekend after the game, when he'd made a colossal ass of himself. That didn't mean he hadn't kept his eyes peeled on campus all week hoping to run into him, though. Luck just hadn't been on the blond's side, it seemed.

But he was in luck on the field today, having led the team to a fourteen point lead at the beginning of the second half. He was studying the playbook while the defense was on the field when a sudden cry rang out nearby, followed by screams amongst the crowd. Dominic looked up, in the direction of the ruckus, and saw that whatever it was, it was centered around the cheerleading team. A couple of his fellow players had rushed to see what had happened and he found himself following them out of curiosity.

What he hadn't expected to find, though, was Matthew, screaming in pain on the ground.

"It's my fault, I lost my grip on his foot," another of the male cheerleaders exclaimed, his head in his hands.

"Is he okay?" Dominic asked, pushing through the crowd of frantic females. He tore his helmet off and knelt next to Matthew, who was grimacing in pain and fighting back tears. It seemed as though he didn't even notice Dominic at first, a situation compounded when the cheer coaching staff practically shoved Dominic out of the way to assess Matthew's injury.

It didn't take long for the EMT's to come out onto the field and it took even less time for the words "broken leg" to come out of the crowd in hushed voices. Dominic had never seen a more somber group of cheerleaders in his life.

"Broken? Oh, no," he whispered. He was eager to make his way through the crowd again but resisted the urge and forced himself to wait patiently until Matthew was finally loaded onto a stretcher and slowly wheeled past him. He made eye contact and gave Matthew a weak wave and a smile, that being the only support he could offer until at least after the end of the game.

Matthew made eye contact but turned away after a beat and it tore at Dominic's heart for reasons he couldn't quite understand. Helmet still in hand he took off after the stretcher, crowding in next to one of the EMT's and stopping the procession. Matthew stared at him, confused, or at least he was until Dominic leaned in and kissed the brunet softly on the lips before running back to his team.

Dominic never saw Matthew's eyes widen in shock and also didn't see Matthew hold two fingers against his lips to hold the blond's kiss in place. It turned out that Dominic's kiss was a very effective pain medication; it was all Matthew could feel at the moment. A cough brought the injured cheerleader out of his reverie. He looked up and saw the paramedics and his teammates grinning slyly at him.

"You good to go now, Romeo?" one of the EMTs said with a wink.

Matthew merely nodded as he passed out.

The game was a success in the end, but Dominic wanted nothing more than to get out of the locker room and into the showers so he could find Matthew and make sure he was going to be okay. Finally he was on his way, taking a cab to the hospital downtown. He called Andie en route.

"Matthew broke his leg at the game. I think he did, at least. Also, I kissed him," Dominic blurted out the instant she answered. "In front of everyone, right there at mid-field, Andie."

"Woah, wait, do what now?!"

"I kissed him!"

"Aww. That's so fucking sweet, like puppies wrapped in cotton candy pissing glitter! Please tell me someone took pictures?!"

"I gotta go, cab just pulled up at the hospital."

"Let me know how he is," Andie replied, "please! And give him my best."

He made his way into the hospital and found the emergency ward. An older nurse stood at the desk and didn't even look up as he approached. "Can I help you, sir?"

"My friend was just brought in-"

"Are you family, sir?"

"No. I just said, he's a friend, and-"

"We can't let just anybody into the ward. Take a seat and I will see if I can get you some information on your friend's condition. Thank you." She spoke as though she were a robot instead of a human, then turned and walked away.

"But I didn't even tell you his name!" Dominic shouted, incredulous at her attitude.

Desperate, he walked up to Matthew's coach who was filling out paperwork at the desk and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

Coach Lovell looked at him questioningly. "Yes?"

"How is Matthew?"

"He's got a broken leg, unfortnately, but he will make a full recovery. Are you and him close?"

Dominic shook his head sadly. "No. I'm... I'm just concerned for him."

She cocked her head at him and bit her lip. "Just concerned, eh? You could have fooled me."

"Come again?"

"The way you planted that kiss on him as they were taking him off the field had me thinking you two were boyfriends."

"We're not, yet," Dominic blurted out, "but we might be. Maybe? Soon? Oh, god I don't know, I'm making this worse, I just wanted to know if I can see him. Please?"

She nodded. "I think he could use a friend right now. Come with me." She led him through the double doors leading into the emergency ward, Dominic smirking victoriously at the nurse who had refused to let him pass earlier.

"He's in Room Four," Coach Lovell said, pointing him in the right direction. He thanked her and pulled back the curtain to Matthew's room when she called out from down the corridor.

"Hey."

Dominic turned around to find her looking at him with a fond smile. "Good luck." He smiled in kind with a nod, and ducked into Matthew's makeshift room. The brunet's eyes widened at first but then his face fell at the sight of Dominic.

"Why are you here?" he asked quietly. "I'd like to be alone."

"I'm here because I care. And because I owe you an apology." Matthew's head whipped up at that proclamation, his eyes tired yet curious. "May I sit down?" Dominic asked.

"Whatever."

"Can I get you anything, though? You hungry, thirsty? Name it and I'll-"

"No."

The blond nodded. "Okay." He fell silent, even though he'd practiced what he was planning to say at least a dozen times in his mind on the trip to the hospital. Now that he was here he was just so pleased to be in Matthew's presence again that his mind was drawing a series of blanks. Even though he was injured and in a lot of pain, nothing could mask the fact that he remained one of the most handsome men Dominic had ever set eyes on.

He was worried that perhaps, Matthew wouldn't want to forgive him at all.

Matthew stared at his hands, which were folded on his lap in his hospital bed primly, before looking up and stealing a glance at Dominic. "Look, if you have something to say you should probably do it quickly. They've pumped me with some absolutely amazing drugs and I don't know how much longer I'll be lucid."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for how I acted last week after the game. I just... there's no excuse for it, for any of it."

Matthew said nothing.

"I've been thinking about you all week," Dominic continued. "About that night in the showers, about how amazing you were."

"You can find anyone for a fuck, though."

"But I want to get to know the man inside you. What you like to eat for a midnight snack, what kind of movies you like, if you're a cuddler or not, things like that. If you want me to leave you alone, I will, but I would love it if we could try again, without me acting like a total asshole this time."

"I'd like that," Matthew said carefully. "But you need to know that I don't... I won't hide who I am, not for anybody. Not even for you."

"I know," Dominic replied, moving to sit on the edge of Matthew's bed, "it's time I stopped doing that myself. Perhaps you can help me with that?" He reached for Matthew's hand, linking their fingers together. His heart was pounding, and it pounded even more so as he leaned down to place a soft kiss to Matthew's lips.

Matthew had closed his eyes when Dominic kissed him and now that the blond had pulled back, he opened them slowly, gifting Dominic with a rush of blue like none he'd ever seen before.

"Please," Dominic whispered, "give me another chance."

Still, Matthew didn't reply. He stared at Dominic as though he were searching something important out, an answer that he could only find in the blond's eyes.

"Please."

Matthew looked away, swallowing, and Dominic noticed the blush staining his cheeks as he nodded. "Okay."

"Come back with me to my place. Let me help you till you get back on your feet again."

Matthew laughed, and the sound made Dominic's heart soar. "You're just saying that because you want my ass in your bed."

"How dare you!" the blond replied in mock-anger. "Actually, yes, that, and well, for another reason: I have cake."

"Cake?"

"Cake."

Matthew eyed him suspiciously. "I like... cake. What kind?"

"It was a gift from a friend, trust me, you have to see it to believe it."