Opening Eyes

[Demeter]

L tapped his fingers against the white linen tablecloth. It had been three months since his first encounter with Dominic and he'd recently convinced the man to meet him at a resturant instead of the bar they normally frequent. Now he just had to see if Dominic would actually show up.

He'd been surprised when Dominic had all but told him he was interested in figuring out where this strange relationship would go. If he'd had his wits about him three months ago, he'd had gotten out of his car before Dominic had a chance to get into his apartment. As it was, he'd sat in the car for about five minutes while trying to process what had just happen. Of course at that first bar get together, he'd teased the poor boy mercilessly about it and, during their walk that night, had held Dominic's hand. He wasn't about to let that hand go, or the man, when he'd been given permission to let this relationship take its course.

Every week they'd meet in the bar and every week they would go through a routine. Drinks, bar food and then a walk through the neighboring park. During their weekly get togethers, maybe they sat a little to close to be strictly friendly. Maybe they leaned a little close to each other when talking to be strictly friends. Maybe the walked a little to close to each other when touring the park. And now L had finally talked Dominic into meet him a actual resturant.

It's not he'd chosen a resturant famed for romantic encounters. In fact, he wanted to reach across the aisle and shake the small child having a temper tantrum about not having enough fries on his plate. He couldn't put any sort of moves on Dominic in a family resturant, now could he? He'd probably get all sorts of nasty looks from family minded sorts of people.

L glanced towards the door, grinning when he saw Dominic walking through the front entrance. He stood and waved, sitting once again when Dominic bypassed the hostess and approached the table. Once Dominic was seated across from him, L smiled but hid his grin behind a water glass. "I was wondering if you would show up? Get caught up at the Inn?"

[Maira]

His night had been utter hell. Guests at his uncle's inn, where Dominic worked, had been rude and pissy and demanding. He oh so loved getting calls 5 minutes before the end of his shift that required him moving a rollaway bed up two flights of rickety stairs because the 6 year old decided not to share the bed with mommy and daddy. And instead of making the kid sleep on the floor or the loveseat in the room, the parents had demanded that a rollaway be brought up at once or they would leave and find somewhere else more accomodating. Not wanting to loose his uncle any business, or subject the poor overnight girl to having to lug the bulky thing, Dominic had dragged the rollaway bed up to the guests' room. When he got there with the bed, the child was alseep in his parents' bed and they didn't need the rollaway after all. Needless to say, when they slammed the door in Dominic's face without even giving him a "thanks for your trouble" he nearly opened their door and told them to leave. He may not be the owner of the Inn but his uncle had given him the authority to do pretty much anything he wanted since one day the Inn would be his.

So, after hauling the rollaway back downstairs, briefing the girl doing the overnight shift, and running home for a quick shower, Dominic was nearly an hour late for dinner with L. He would have called L's cell phone as he was driving to the restaurant but he had left it at home in his jeans on the bathroom floor... When he walked in and spotted L waving at him from a table in the back, Dominic smiled wearily and hurried over.

When he lowered himself down into the chair across from L, Dominic gave a soft sigh of relief for finally getting away from work and not rushing. He was exhausted and he supposed it showed on his face when L asked if he'd gotten caught at the Inn. Recounting his rollaway bed story for the older vampire, Dominic then added on his battle with the stupid hot tub and how it had ripped a hole in his jeans trying to get it to cooperate. When he was done, he caught himself smiling at the other man and instead of letting the smile slip, he reinforced it by saying, "You have no idea how glad I am to see you."

[Demeter]

L grinned at Dominic. He'd visited the Inn a time or two and seen Dominic at work, grumbling about the guests. "You know you love the guests, despite your urge to maim them on a regular basis. Now, can we please order before I kill the kid in the next booth," he said loud enough for others to hear.

When the kid's mother gave a horrified gasp and quickly shushed her child. L gave the woman a smile and waved the waitress over. After ordering, L leaned back in his chair, tilting it back onto the rear legs, and eyed Dominic. "So, Puppy, how was the rest of your day? I know that you didn't spend all day at the Inn."

L knew that today had been the signing of the divorce papers between Dominic and his former life. "And will you be able to handle the next few days? I could stay over, keep you company while your sort through stuff, if you wanted. You know that I wouldn't mind spending the night, even if it is just your couch and a scratchy blanket."

[Maira]

Dominic appreciated the understanding that L gave him after ranting about his job. He was about to say as much when the other said idly threatened to kill the screaming child in the next booth. Dominic had to resist the urge to laugh and instead contented himself with covering his smirk with his hand. As a rule he loved children and tended to block out the screaming, he had more issues with adults than children. Adults always seemed to think they knew how to run the Inn better than he did despite the fact that he'd been helping his uncle wth it since he was old enough to remember.

After ordering, Dominic too sat back in his chair, just looking at the man across the table from him. He was just pondering how on earth he'd wound up having what could essentially be considered a date with a man, when L brought up the one topic he didn't want to talk about. In an instant, Dominic's half smile, half smirk dissappeared and he stiffened in his chair.

Grabbing his glass of ice water and taking a sip, Dominic quickly tried to think of a way to avoid talking about his divorce being finalized. When he came up with nothing he just took another sip and set the cup down before answering quietly and with a bit of hope in his tone, "If you come stay, I wouldn't make you sleep on the couch L." Just then, their appetizers arrived and Dominic's face lit up again. Fried mozzerella sticks were his favorite!

[Demeter]

L couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up from his chest at the sight of Dominic happily munching on fried and breaded cheese. He'd just gone through about four different moods in less then five minutes. L noticed the shift in posture and mood at the mention of Dominic's divorce. He'd met the man at the very beginning, sticking by him ever since and getting him drunk on a regular basis.

L smirked at Dominic's attempt to divert his attention and allowed it. He leaned forward, bracing his elbows against the table. L snagged up a mozzerella stick and nibbled on the end. "Not sleep on the couch? Where would I sleep then? Floor? Guest room?" L leaned further across the table to dip the unnibbled end of his cheese stick into the dish of marinara sauce on Dominic's place.

L grinned at Dominic as he swirled the appetizer around the sauce. "Would you let me sleep in your bed, Dominic? Curled around you with you keeping me warm? Or would you erect a barricade of pillows to keep me on the left side of the bed?" L lifted the cheesy snack and bit off the end, still staring at Dominic. If Dominic wanted to distract him from asking questions he wasn't comfortable answering, L was going to tease him.

[Maira]

Thoroughly enjoying his cheese sticks, Dominic tried to ignore L's teasing. He knew he had brought it on himself though, had done so intentionally to tell the truth, and he wasn't about to get defensive or panicky. Instead he ate a couple more cheese sticks before finally answering.

When he did finally answer, Dominic tore his eyes from his plate and turned them on the older vampire. The normally pale lavender shade of his eyes had darkened with emotion when he answered straight out, "I don't want to be alone L and for some odd reason you've decided you don't want me to be alone either. I don't know why you seem to want me the way you do but I'm done fighting it. If you come over and stay, you can stay with me in the same bed. No pillows, no barricade. I will however be wearing pajamas of some sort and so will you. For now that is all I can offer you because at the moment I really have nothing more to give."

His rambling was stopped by the perfectly timed arrival of their dinners. Dominic was having a cobb salad, not his favorite but after the stressful day he'd had it was the only thing on the menu that wouldn't make his stomach explode in fiery agony. Poking at one of the crutons, Dominic waited for L's reply and just hoped he hadn't opened Pandora's box with his offer to let L sleep in his bed. Knowing L though, he likely had...

[Demeter]

L didn't answer until his plate of spiced chicken and pasta was placed in front of him. He even waited until the waitress had wondered away to check on her other tables. "You shouldn't be alone at a time like this. After dinner, I'll go back to my place, back a bag with a few nights with of clothing and then come on over. I'm not leaving you alone for the rest of the week. I'll even cook dinner, earn my keep as it were."

L twirled his fork into his pasta and then looked up at Dominic. "So, by pajamas, do you mean a full set, that includes top and bottom, or can I just wear the bottoms." L suddenly eyed Dominic and pointed his fork at him. "Your heating system does work, right? Cause otherwise I'm gonna be snuggled right up against you. Damn northwest with its damn indesisive weather." He muttered the last part before stuffing the forkful of pasta into his mouth.
--------
L stared at Dominic's front door and swallowed. He had a running chant in his head of "Behave and don't take advantage of." With anyone else, he would be so willing to take advantage of their vunerable state but not Dominic. There was just something about the lavender eyed vampire that made L want to behave.

L knocked on the door and, when it was opened by Dominic, hauled in his overnight and garments bag. "Okay, I said one bag but I forgot that I get to work in the morning and the musuem requires all employees to wear suits when working the floor and I get to led the tours of art history students tomorrow. L tossed the garment bag onto the couch, toed off his shoes and turned to Dominic. "So, do we get to stay up late, watch movies and giggle over the cute actors?"

After teasing the younger man for a few minutes, L excused himself into the bathroom to change for the night. He wanted out of his suit. The first thing to go was the tie, he tossed that over his shoulder while scowling at the red and cream strips. Next was the shirt. L spent a few moments running his fingers over the scar that still lined his neck. Normally, it would have healed cleanly on any other vampire but he'd been young, underfed, and the trauma to his neck had been horrid. After pulling a sweatshirt from the local university, complete with paint splater or two, over his head, L shucked off his pants and pulled on a pair of soft plaid-designed flannel pants.

After gathering up his clothing, L exited the bathroom and shuffled over to Dominic in his barefeet. He knew that he looked utterly sloppy but he had also spent 14 hours on the job today and he wanted nothing more then to sink into Dominic's couch. This was also the first time that he had allowed himself to be so dressed down in front of Dominic. "So, Puppy, do we just go to bed or do we get to stay up and watch TV"

[Maira]

When L didn't jump up and do a happy dance in the middle of the restaurant, Dominic couldn't help but mentally applaud the other man. He knew just how much restraint he must be showing given his feelings toward Dominic. The rest of dinner passed quietly with only idle chit-chat much to Dominic's relief. Plans made for L to go home and pack and drive himself over to Dominic's, the two said goodbye for a while with a quick hug, only slight clinging on Dominic's part of which he was very proud. Considering the mood that had descended over him as dinner came to a close, all he wanted to do was cling and now was most certainly not the time.

*****

When he arrived home, Dominic ran around the house tidying up a bit. He wasn't a slob by any means but he was a little more comfortable with clutter than most other people tended to be. Not having an office, all his papers concerning his end of the runnings of the Inn were scattered on his dining room table and that would make eating L's homecooked meals a bit awkward if they had to eat around papers. Gathering them all up he shoved them in a folder which he put in his filing cabinet tucked in a corner of the dining room.

Once he was done tidying, Dominic looked around his small home and shrugged. It would have to do. Satisfied with his work, Dominic poured himself a drink, changed into flannel pj bottoms and a tshirt and then made his way over to the couch. Just as he flopped down onto the couch there was a knock at the door. Giving a soft sigh, he hauled himself up off the couch and went to answer it. He knew it would be L, nobody else came over this late at night, but when he saw that the man was holding two bags not one he raised an eyebrow curiously. The answer was given before he even had to ask and Dominic muttered, "Ahhh, work," and left it at that.

After L dropped his stuff in the livingroom and went to change out of his suit, Dominic gathered up the bags and took them to his bedroom. If the man was going to be sleeping in the same bed with him, his clothes might as well be in the same room as well. Just after putting the clothes in a spare drawer and hanging the garment bag on the back of his door, Dominic heard L come out of the bathroom and went to meet him.

The sight of L in anything other than a suit was a bit of a shock to Dominic's system. Pajama's even did L justice. He really liked the relaxed look it gave the other man and suddenly he wasn't so intimidating. To answer L's question about the TV watching or going straight to bed Dominic gently shoved the other man toward the couch and pointed at the remote. "I'm still a bit too wound up to go to bed yet," he said as he reached for his drink to take a swallow. Then, realizing his manners were seriously lacking he asked with a blush, "Would you like a drink? I don't have much variety as I seem to have gotten hooked on the stuff you're constantly pouring down my throat." With this, his blush darkend a bit but he also smirked.

[Demeter]

L grinned up at Dominic after flopped down on a corner of the couch. He glanced to the glass Dominic held and shook his head. "Nothing for me tonight. I would like to remain completely sober tonight. Otherwise, who knows what will happen." L picked up the remote, studyied for a moment and then pressed the power button. After the TV was tuned to the local news, L motioned for Dominic to sit next to him.

"So, what is your favorite food? And what sort of cooking supplies do you have?" L watched as Dominic sat a few feet away from him and then leaned forward. He bodily turned Dominic around so that he was perched sideways on the couch. Once he had Dominic facing away from him, L raised his hands and placed them on Dominic's shoulders. "Now, I just want you to relax. I'm not going to do anything to you."

L took his time while massaging Dominic's shoulders. "Really tense, Puppy. Tomorrow, I'm going to make you ravioli in red saunce. Homemade red saunce. I get off from the museum after four so that should give me enough time to make it. What shift do you work tomorrow?"

[Maira]

When Lysander said he didn't want a drink, Dominic just nodded his head and took a seat on the couch as he'd been motioned to do by L. When asked what his favorite foods were and what cooking supplies he had, Dominic was going to answer until L bodily turned him so he was facing away from him. When L's hand started massaging his shoulders Dominic made himself relax and enjoy the feeling. His day had been hell and he deserved a back rub if nothing else, no matter who it came from.

After L informed him that he would be making him home made ravioli and red sauce for dinner the next night and asked Dominic what shift he worked the next day he finally answered the other questions to. "Ravioli sounds great as I love any pasta, just so long as the sauce doesn't have green peppers in it, they make me sick. My kitchen isn't anything to write home about but its functional for the very minimal cooking I do. And as for my shift tomorrow, I have the overnight. But that doesn't mean I won't be working all day too, just not at the desk. Tomorrow I get to putter with the gardens and get a better look at that damn hot-tub."

Realizing just how much he was talking made it clear to even Dominic that he was relaxing. It was something he seemed to do alot around L. Despite how nervous he was having L stay the night, Dominic was glad that the other man was with him. Was glad that he man even cared enough to be there for him. Taking a deep breath he leaned into L and gave a soft sigh.

[Demeter]

As Dominic talked, L rubbed his thumbs in circles on Dominic's back, loosening the stiff muscles. When Dominic mentioned his very minimal cooking skills, L glanced towards the kitchen. "I'll asses your cookware before going to bed but I have a feeling I'll be stopping at the storage unit I rent. Kris won't allow me to use my stuff in her kitchen. Something or other about making her look sad and pathetic."

L leaned back, letting his lower back rest in the corner of the couch and armrest, and dragged Dominic back with him and let one arm draped one arm over his around and over his waist. While he didn't want to scare the man off, L still wanted him to feel loved on a day like this. "I don't have to work the day after tomorrow so I'll come spent the overnight shift with you. It's still the middle of the week so the main building should still be relatively empty, right?" L idly flicked his eyes over towards the tv, grumbling under his breathe when the news switched to sports.

L flicked though the channels until he found a rerun of an age old sitcom. He glanced down at Dominic, looking at the seemingly drowsy man and pulled a blanket down from the back of the couch, making sure to cover every inch of Dominic, toes included. Once that was done, L reached over to the coffee table and into the jumble of wallet, keys and phone that he'd dropped there. He picked up the phone and set the alarm on the phone, just incase.

[Maira]

Being pulled in close to L nearly made Dominic jump up off the couch. Considering he had leaned back into the older man first, it really wasn't a logical reaction though so he stayed put. He had to admit, the strong arms around him were very comforting and he really just wanted to relax into them even if it was against his better judgement.

When L started flipping channels and then pulled the quilt off the back of the couch and covered him, he couldn't help but give in to the fatigue that was quickly claiming him. Unable to resist the sleepiness and the comfort, and a whole lot less unwilling than he would admit to, Dominic wiggled down into the couch and into L to get comfortable.

In a sleepy voice he said, "Thank you again for coming." Then he realized what L had asked him and he answered, "Yes, when I left today there were no reservations for the main building tomorrow night. Only the outlying cabins and the lighthouse cabin are reserved." Then with a glower and a grumble he added, "Of course there is always the chance of walk-ins."

[Demeter]

His neck was stiffer then a piece of steel reinforced wood. L rubbed the back of his neck while his free hand fumbled for his cell phone, which was making the most god awful noise. Once he managed to shut the thing off, L looked around his surroundings. Dominic's living room. Dominic's couch. Dominic's blanket. Dominic.

"Fell asleep in the living room, did we?" he asked the the sleeping blonde. The man didn't answer but L did notice that they were both still fully clothed. L slowly slid out from beneath Dominic and, kneeling on the floor, watched the man resettle himself. He braced his elbows on the couch cushions and leaned his weight forward, pressing a soft kiss against Dominic's forehead. "I think I'll let you sleep a little longer."

After turning off the TV, L made for the bathroom and for a shower. After his shower, saddeningly short due to Dominic's tiny water heater, L dressed in his suit for the day, tamed his hair into a low tail and showered. After finishing his morning routine, L wandered into Dominic's kitchen. He took a glance around, "Yep, I will need to stop by the storage shed. For my coffee pot, at the very least," he said while starring at the sad little appleince sitting on the counter.

After making a pot, L wandered out to the living room and sat down on the edge of the coffee table. "Hey, sleepy head, time to get up." L waved the coffe cup under Dominic's nose. He watched the sleeping man, reaching a hand out to brush one of the loose locks of hair away. "I don't know what you've done to me. Normally, I'd have given up by now but you are stuck with me. I don't think I could leave you, even if I wanted to try it."

L sat back and gave the coffee another wave. "Come on now, wake up before I become a complete sap."

[Maira]

Strange noises drifted into Dominic's dreams but they made no sense so they were ignored. He never even felt the other man ease out from under him and gently resettle him on the couch. He was in so deep a sleep that he didn't even feel the kiss on his forehead that L gave him.

Only when coffee was waved under his nose did Dominic begin to stir from his sleep. And when he did finally wake up his eyes cracked open and he couldn't help but smile. At least that hadn't been a dream. L really had stayed with him. He smiled warmly at the other man, and he shuffled around on the couch until he was in a sitting position. Once he was upright, Dominic took the cup of coffee from L and mumbled, "Thank you, you didn't have to though."

After the first bracing sips of the hot liquid, it actually occurred to Dominic that he was sitting on the couch. Looking around confused, he asked, "Did we both sleep out here or did you take pity on yourself and go sleep in the bedroom?" Dominic wasn't sure what he hoped the answer was... After all, if he hoped that L had spent the night on the couch with him wouldn't that mean it was about time he admitted to himself, if not the other man, that he was at the least infatuated with him? But if he hoped that L had slept in the other room, was he really that unattached and torturing the poor guy? Too many thoughts so early in the morning... Dominic drank more coffee.

[Demeter]

L grinned at Dominic and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, we kinda fell asleep on the couch. Neither of us made to the bed." L reached down and picked up a second mug of coffee. "I have to go to work, yell at a few interns, but you get to sleep for a little while longer. I guess that is the good thing about living next door to work, more sleep."

L stood, pulling Dominic up off the couch and, before theman could react, placed a quick kiss on his cheek. While Dominic was still stunned, L grabbed up his keys and wallet before running for the door. "Remember Dominic, I'm cooking you dinner tonight so be back here at 6."
----
"You seem to be in high spirits."

L looked down at the petite brunet standing next to him. He justed grinned.

"Has that man you've been chasing finally given into your charms?"

"He sorta gave in. We had a sleep over last night and, Cissa, I will have you know that I behaved like a perfect gentleman. I only kissed him twice. No lip-to-lip contact and he was asleep for the first."

Cissa loked up at L and smirked. "And?"

"i'm cooking him dinner tonight. Now, I'm going to go find that one intern, the one who was mishandling the Japanese pottery, and yell at him. You get to finish arranging the feathers"

"Yes, L, thats my job. Arranging the feathers" she said as she watched him walk away, on the hunt for that one idiot intern. "I think he has fallen," she said to the peacock feathers in her hand.
-----
L coughed as inhaled a cloud of dust. It had been months since he'd been in his storage unit and the dust had built up. "Note to self: come out here more often." he said while looking for the box of his cooking supplies. He finally found the right boxes and, after stowing them in the back of his car, locked the storage unit and headed off for the open air market in the downtown area. That was where all the fresh ingredients were located.

[Maira]

Standing in his living room, staring at the now closed door, Dominic was completely dumbfounded. L had kissed his cheek and run out the door. What the hell was happening to him? He hadn't even flinched or felt repulsion at the other man's action. Truth of it was, he actually felt a little warm and fuzzy from it....

Not wanting to think too hard on L's run-by-kissing, Dominic shrugged off the blanket that was still wrapped around his shoulders and he wandered over to the bedroom to get dressed for a long day of weed pulling. The gardens for the Inn were getting atrocious and somebody had to baby them. He may not have had Ayda's magical green thumb but his thumbs were green enough to keep the grounds looking well maintained.

*****

When he finally got home from work, Dominic's coveralls were covered in dirt and grass stains, he had dirt under his fingernails and a small dirt smudge on his forehead just above his left eye. Stomping up the stairs to get the mud off his boots, Dominic couldn't help but mutter. His day with the flower beds had been going splendidly until his uncle had walked by and asked what he was staring at. Apparently he'd had a weed in one hand, a very serious look on his face, and he was staring off into space...

Dominic had immediately dropped the weed, glared at his uncle, and gone off to tackle the hot-tub problem. Once again, some dingy guests had bumped the temperature dial while getting in the night before and it had turned all the way down and was freezing cold. Telling the new guests that it would take eight or more hours to heat back up did not go over well at all.

He was more than relieved to be coming home and he planned on eating whatever L had cooked, taking a nice long hot shower to get all the dirt off, and then taking a nap before going back to the Inn for his overnight shift at the front desk. His uncle worked him into the ground but Dominic didn't mind. The Inn had been his first job and would likely be his last as he would one day inherit the place, and he loved it to boot. He couldn't ever picture himself working anywhere else even if the hours did really suck.

Still muttering about the damn guests messing up the hot-tub and then blaming him, Dominic opened the door to his home and shut it quietly behind him. He could smell pasta-y coming from the kitchen and it perked his appetite. Toeing off his muddy boots, Dominic turned to head into the kitchen and was greeted by the sight of L standing in the kitchen doorway staring at him.

[Demeter]

(this post was co-written between myself and Maira. Enjoy)

Lysander looked away from his pot of bubbling red sauce when he heard the front door slam. When he heard the muttering, he grinned and turned back to the stove. It sounded like Dominic’d had a trying day at work. Lysander gave his sauce a quick stir and flicked the burner down to low. He rolled his shirt sleeves down while walking over and leaning against the kitchen’s door frame. “Rough day?” he asked the man toeing his muddy boots off.

Dominic looked up, surprised to see Lysander standing in the doorway. “You could say that. More complaints and that damned hot tub was turned off again. Not to mention the new waitress spilling a tray of drinks on a guest. All I want is a shower, something to eat, and then a nap before I have to go back.”

“I’ve got the food part taken care of but I leave the shower and nap up to you. Now, come here. I want to know how the sauce tastes.”

Dominic followed Lysander into the kitchen but stopped to stare at the boxes tucked into a corner of his apartment. “Lysander, what is all of this? I know that you said you’d be bringing some stuff over but isn’t this a little much?”

“You don’t own a single measuring spoon, Dominic, and your frying pan sticks to the food. You’re a nice man, Dominic, but your kitchenware sucks. Now, taste this. Tell me if there is to much basil.”

Dominic turned towards the stove and blinked. Lysander was standing a few feet away from him, cupping a hand beneath a red stained spoon. Dominic opened his mouth to say something but Lysander took the opportunity to slid the spoon into his mouth. Dominic swallowed the sauce while staring at Lysander. “It’s good but was that really necessary?” he asked while backing away from Lysander.

For every one step backwards that he took Lysander moved forward two spaces. “Yes,” he said as he maneuvered Dominic towards the wall. “That had to be done. I needed to know how the sauce tasted and I can’t tell the difference anymore. So, how was it?”

Dominic looked over his shoulder when his back touched the wall. He managed to swallow a nervous laugh when he saw Lysander’s arms cage his shoulders. “It was good, Lysander. A very nice red sauce. Now, can I ask what you are doing?”

Lysander leaned forward until his nose was inches away from Dominic’s. “Distracting you, I suppose. Thank you for the comment about my sauce. Now, what should I do with you since I’ve got you pinned here?”

“You should led me go. You need to stir your sauce, don’t you? Won’t it burn?”

“I’ve got it set on low. It’s not gonna burn if I’m distracted for a minute or two. Besides, I don’t want to let you go. I like having you here, like this.”

Dominic looked up, into Lysander’s eyes, and swallowed. The older vampire was looking directly at him. When Lysander’s head tilted downwards and Dominic felt the soft scrape of teeth against his lower lip, he jumped. Lysander backed his head away but kept Dominic pinned to the wall. “What are you doing?” the trapped man asked.

“Distracting you. Tasting you.”

Dominic squeaked and tried to duck away but Lysander was faster. He caught Dominic’s chin in one hand and forced his head up. “Lysander, I don’t know about this. I’ve never…”

“I’m not going to hurt you, little one. You know that I would never hurt you but I can only take so much without taking something back. You tease me, Dominic, and I’m no saint.”

Dominic whimpered and leaned into the thumb rubbing circles into his cheek. This time, when Lysander’s head dipped down and he felt the scrape of teeth, Dominic didn’t jump. He stood still with wide eyes and staring up at Lysander. When the other drew his bottom lip into his mouth and nibbled, Dominic whined.

He didn’t know what to feel. There was his growing attraction to Lysnader but that competed with his denial of being interested in another man. Lysander pulled back and looked down at him.

“Just once, Dominic, forget that we are both men. Forget about everything outside these walls and give into what you want. You don’t run screaming from me, you tease me. Just this once, forget about everything else,” Lysander said before dropping his head down once more and pressing his lips against Dominic’s.

Dominic felt his eyes slide shut. Those lips were warm and dry. They were chapped instead of smooth, like Saiyuri’s. Those lips just rested against his. They didn’t move. They didn’t demand anything. Lysander was waiting for him to give in. Dominic opened his eyes and inhaled through his nose. Lysander was staring at him with rich, chocolaty brown eyes that were filled with some unmentionable emotion. Dominic squeezed his eyes shut, gave in and pressed back against those lips.

And then he died. Somebody must have flipped a switch because Lysander moved his lips across his, nipping at the tender skin. Lysander’s hands were no longer planted against the wall but one had curled around his lower back to grip his hip. The other had wound its way up his back and buried itself in his hair.

Dominic nipped back at Lysander, growling when the hand in his hair tightened and pull his head back, exposing his throat to Lysander. Dominic gasped at the quick slide of lips across his skin, groaning at the careless scrape of teeth along sensitive flesh. Lysander’s mouth came back to his then, thoroughly claiming it as his own. And Dominic let him. His own hands were gripping Lysander’s hips, holding him close. He could feel the length of Lysander’s body pressed against his, and he could feel that the older man was just as affected by this as him. This body was so different from the soft form of Saiyuri but just as wonderful.

Lysander pulled away then, drawing that lower lip along with him, sawing it between his teeth. He let it go and looked down at Dominic. “Go and take that shower,” he said after moving away from Dominic. “Dinner should be done by the time you’re finished.”

Dominic scurried away, without looking at Lysander, and shut himself into the bathroom. He leaned back against the door, staring at the ceiling. He hadn’t meant to do that, Dominic thought as he slid down the length of the door to sit on the floor.

Through the while ordeal in the kitchen Dominic had done as Lysander asked and had forgotten about everything else. Now that he was on the floor of his very small bathroom, slumped against the door, he could no longer forget about everything. He had just thoroughly enjoyed a fairly steamy make-out session with another man. And, no matter how many arguing points popped into his head, Dominic honestly couldn’t be happier.

Giving a pathetic sigh, Dominic grabbed hold of the sink and hauled himself up. “Damn crazy vampire,” he muttered as she shucked his clothing off and turned the shower on. Whether he was referring to himself or Lysander though, Dominic wasn’t sure. When he finally climbed into the shower, Dominic gave a hiss at the temperature. He hated cold showers but it had been a very very long time since he had been with anybody and that little incident had woken up certain aspects of himself that Dominic didn’t want to deal with at the moment.

In the kitchen Lysander braced his arms against the stove and cursed himself. “You damn fool. Why did you have to go and do that? Probably scared him off for good now,” he muttered.

When he heard the shower turn on, Lysander switched on the burner beneath the pan of water and waited for Dominic to return.

Once he was clean and dry and dressed, Dominic made his way back out to the kitchen. As he walked through the living room, Dominic noticed that Lysander’s bags were by the front door. Shaking his head in wonder, Dominic took the last few steps into the kitcen and nearly laughed. Lysander was staring blindly into space as he absently stirred the sauce. Even as Dominic walked into the kitchen and walked up behind Lysander, the other man continued to stare off into space.

Before he could chance his mind, Dominic leaned in, wrapped his arms around Lysander’s waist and squeezed. When L dropped the spoon into the sauce and turned around Dominic smirked then kissed his cheek. At Lysander’s sharp intake of breath, Dominic pulled back and smiled at him before walking over to sit at the table. When he sat down and looked back at Lysander, who now looked completely dumbfounded, the only thing going through Dominic’s mind was that he was no saint either.

After regaining his composure, Lysander fished his spoon out of his red sauce. He turned, leaning one hip against the stove’s oven door and looked at Dominic sitting at the table. The man was clean, relaxed and he looked smug. L tossed his stained spoon into the sink.

Without looking at Dominic, Lysander crossed the smack kitchen and dug around in his boxes until he found a fresh, wooden spoon. After dropping the spoon into the sauce, handle resting against the edge of the pan, he turned to Dominic. “You do realize that there is no going back now, right? We’ll still go slow but you can’t go back now.”

“What makes you think that?” Dominic asked?

“Because you haven’t kicked me out. You’re sitting there, after hugging and kissing me, and not kicking me out. I’m not going anywhere.”

Dominic grinned. “That’s good to know. Now, When’s dinner?”

Lysander smirked and turned back to the stove. “I’m just about to dish it all up, “ Lysander said while turning off burners and gathering plates. He dished the pasta up, along with a green salad, some French bread and a glass of white wine. He placed one plate in front of Dominic and sat down across from him. “Eat up.”

Halfway through the dinner, Lysander reached out and gripped Dominic’s hand in his own.

[Maira]

Dinner was wonderful. Dominic was actually pleassantly surprised that L could cook better than his mother (and that was saying something!). Not only was dinner good but the company was great. They talked quietly about their respective days at work and when L took his hand, Dominic just smiled and squeezed gently and kept right on eating and talking.

Lysander was right, they couldn't go back and Dominic didn't really want to. As they neared the end of their meal, Dominic told the older vampire softly, "You have been so patient with me, and I still have a long way to go before I'm 100% okay with everything, and i just wanted to let you know that I do want this. Whatever 'this' may be, I want it." As he finished his meal and waited for L to say something, Dominic couldn't help but yawn. His body knew it was time for his pre-work nap and the thought of conciously taking Lysander to bed with him to cuddle for a few hours made Dominic blush just a bit.

[Demeter]

L forked his last piece of pasta into his mouth and smiled at Dominic. "I'm glad to know that you want to be part of this relationship and it isn't completely one sided." When Dominic yawned, L stood and cleared the table. While he filled the sink with soapy water, as he refused to wash his cookware in a dishwaster, L looked over his shoulder at Dominic. "Why don't you go take that nap of yours. I'm just going to finish these up and then I will take a shower becuase I honestly smell, and then I will be in to join you." He smiled at the younger man and shooed him out of the kitchen

L finished his dishes and dryed them. Carefully stacking them back in their boxes. After that, he grabbed up his bags and went into the bathroom. He'd spent hours in the musuem's basement, hunting for some artifact that the history half of the place had misplaced, and that had caused him to sweat and then there was spending a few hours over a hot stove. He really wanted a shower.

He stripped out of his clothing, stepped into the shower and washed for the second time that day. Afterwards, dressed in the clothing he'd worn the night before, he walked into Dominic's bedroom and smiled at the sleeping man. He climbed under the covers and snuggled up behind him, attracted as always to the heat of Dominic's body. "Hey, still awake? What time did you set your alarm for?" he asked while dropping an arm across Dominic's waist and resting his chin on Dominic's shoulder.

[Maira]

Being practically ordered out of the kitchen to take his nap, Dominic couldn't help but laugh as he went. He quickly climbed into some pajamas and crawled into his bed. It was only a double size bed, but he knew that the close proximity the size would force on him and L wouldn't be a problem for L at all. All the other times he'd woken up in L's bed, after nights of drinking with L, he had found the man curled tightly around him. Something about his extra body heat.... Saiyuri had liked it too...

Not wanting to think about his now officially ex wife, Dominic whimpered and pulled the blankets up over his head. Why did she have to pop into his mind now? Now of all times! He was trying to think pleasant thoughts about the man in his shower but no, images of Saiyuri kept popping into his head. All sleepy and smiling as she cuddled up to him for warmth. She was a cat and he was a vampire who's element power was fire, in her words they were a "match made in heaven". Until her family had scared him off and she'd left him for another man....

By the time L finally made his way into the bedroom, Dominic was pretty far into his pitty party. When L asked if he were still awake, Dominic considered just ignoring him and pretending to be asleep. Unfortunately he couldn't, the other vampire had brought up something he'd completely forgotten to do - set his alarm. Without saying a word, Dominic crawled back out of bed and walked across the room to his alarm clock and flipped the switch for the second alarm since it was always set to the right time for his night shift.

Crawling into his bed for the second time that night, Dominic curled up in a little ball as far away from L as he could and had to fight the urge to turn towards the man and beg him to hold him. He had just admitted he wanted to try a relationship with the other man, the last thing he wanted to do was make L think that he was still stuck on Saiyuri... He was, but that was beside the point. She was the mother of his daughter and he would always have a soft spot in his heart for her. Just at that moment though, he wanted any and all thoughts and feelings of her gone from him so he could just be happy with L. Dominic didn't know it but his body was shaking with the effort of not breaking down...