The Truth Is

"Whatcha reading?" Elijah asks, leaning over Dom’s shoulder and peering into his lap at the paper he’s holding up with both hands.

"The paper," Dom replies, his voice mimicking Elijah’s sing-song one.

"Anything good?" Elijah goes around the side of the chair and plops down on the sofa across from him.

"Not particularly." He turns the page.

"I love this," Elijah says suddenly, after a moment of companionable silence.

"You love what?" Dom questions, setting the paper down so he can look at Elijah.

"This," Elijah gestures between them. "Just sitting with you on a Sunday morning doing nothing except drinking coffee and reading the paper."

Dom laughs. "Well, you’re not actually reading the paper." He pauses. "But I love this, too."

Elijah beams back at him, picking up Dom’s mug of coffee and sipping on it, smiling the entire time.

Comfortable, easy, simple; the three words that describe their relationship, and Elijah wouldn’t want it any other way.

no matter what they tell us
no matter what they do
no matter what they teach us
what we believe is true
no matter what they call us
however they attack
no matter where they take us
we'll find our own way back

"I haven’t had this much fun in about twenty years," Dom says, grinning over his drink at Elijah.

"I know," Elijah replies, smiling hugely back at him. He holds his brightly colored glass up to Dom’s and clinks them together. "Cheers."

"Cheers," Dom responds, but doesn’t move to take a drink; he watches Elijah as he drinks and then sets his glass down. "Lij?"

The sun is going down, setting in the distance; pretty soon it’ll disappear into the shining water and the sky will go dark as the stars begin to come out. It’ll be beautiful and perfect, but Dom can’t wait to say what he wants to say. He can’t wait for the extra special moment, because if he did, the moment may pass without him realizing, and then the words will go unspoken until next time around.

Elijah looks up from where he’d been digging in the sand beside him. "Yeah?"

Dom takes a deep breath, a shaky one, almost as if he’s worried about what kind of a response he’s going to get. "You know I love you, right?"

It didn’t come out the way he wanted it to, but it didn’t matter. Elijah didn’t care how articulate he was, or how he phrased things.

All that matters is the words, and not in what order they come out. All that matters it the feeling put into them, and not the way you say them.

"I know that," Elijah grins, lacing his fingers with Dom’s. "I love you, too."

Dom nods, happy and relieved at the same time. He sits back in his seat, his hand in Elijah’s, and watches as the sun sets.

i can't deny what i believe
i can't be what i'm not
i know our love's forever
i know no matter what

Elijah watches as Dom sits down on the couch and faces Sharon Osborne, smiling cheekily and waving to the crowd; in spite of himself, he finds himself grinning so much that it hurts.

"Now, let’s get down to the dirty bits. Are you dating anyone?" Sharon asks, grinning mischievously.

Elijah doesn’t know if he’s breathing, doesn’t know if he’s listening, doesn’t know if he’s watching. He can’t pay attention. He doesn’t want to hear the standard answer they decided to give. He doesn’t want to feel the familiar feeling of let-down and sadness wash over him when Dom says he’s single.

Yes, that’s how they’d agreed to handle the press. But it still hurt, even when he knew it shouldn’t bother him. A tiny part of his heart felt crushed each time he heard it.

He turns his attention back to the screen, willing himself to pay attention.

Dom’s smiling face is no longer smiling; he’s looking serious. "Yes, I am. And they’re very special to me."

Elijah feels his heart stop, and his stomach constricts. "What did he just say?" He says to the empty apartment in a whisper.

Sharon doesn’t press the matter on the screen; she smiles at Dom, and he smiles back. His tone of voice suggests the line of questioning should be over. He’s said what he wanted to say.

And he just hopes that Elijah’s watching.

if only tears were laughter
if only night was day
if only prayers were answered
then we would hear god say
no matter what they tell you
no matter what they do
no matter what they teach you
what you believe is true

"Lij?" Dom calls, pulling his keys from the lock and looking into the empty apartment. He’s surprised Elijah isn’t there waiting for him in the hallway. He’s surprised Elijah hasn’t made some big gesture like a romantic dinner. A quick look in the dining room doesn’t reveal lit candles and perfectly sculpted food on special china.

"Elijah?" Dom yells, going into the kitchen and searching briefly. He looks everywhere, short of glancing under the table. He knows Elijah wouldn’t hide from him.

Or would he? Perhaps what he’d said earlier had backfired, and instead of Elijah being joyous and happy…perhaps he was upset and angry.

"ELIJAH!"

Elijah comes out of the bathroom, toweling his hair dry; a dark blue towel and looped around his waist, and it’s all he’s got on, besides a large smile on his pale lips.

"Hey," Elijah says, his smiling widening. "You’re home."

"Did you see the show?" Dom asks, setting his jacket down in a chair nearby. He’s not sure why he’s asked that out-right, but he can’t seem to stop himself.

Elijah inclines his head in a slight nod. "I did, yeah." He drops the towel into the laundry basket outside the bathroom door and puts his hands on his hips.

"What’d you think?" Dom’s voice sounds apprehensive, and that’s odd to hear, because Elijah isn’t used to Dom being nervous, or worried.

"It was interesting," Elijah replies slowly, turning around and heading for the bedroom to grab some clothes. "I thought we could go get some sushi," he calls over his shoulder, ducking into the bedroom.

"Elijah," Dom’s voice is stern and Elijah pokes his head back out. "That’s all you’re gonna say?"

Elijah comes back out of the bedroom, pulling on some jeans under his towel. "What do you want me to say?"

"Oh, I don’t know. Something."
Elijah smirks. "I assumed you’d already know how I felt about it."

"Well, I thought I did," Dom replies, fingering the fringe of a pillow on the sofa.

"I’m glad you said something."

Dom looks up, his face looking more cheerful than before.

"But---"

Dom’s face falls, and he drops onto the sofa in a huff.

"---Next time you do an interview, they’re gonna ask who you’re dating. What will you say then?" Elijah zips his jeans up and throws the towel over his shoulder.

"I’ll tell them the truth."

"That you’re dating me?" Elijah asks, laughing a little.

"Yeah," Dom answers seriously, his voice sounding sad.

and i will keep you safe and strong
and sheltered from the storm
no matter where it's barren
our dream is being born
no matter who they follow
no matter where they lead
no matter how they judge us
i'll be everyone you need

"Well?" Elijah asks, his face expectant as he opens the door.

"Well, what?" Dom replies, not looking at him as he goes into the apartment.

"What did you say in the interview?"

Dom hangs his jacket on a hook and trots into the kitchen to find something to eat. "I’m starved. Should we order a pizza and watch a film?"

Elijah shuts the fridge and turns Dom around to face him. "Did they ask you what I figured they’d ask you?"

"Yes," Dom answers honestly.

"And?"

"It’s been four weeks. I wasn’t sure if you’d still want me to respond with what we agreed on."

"You mean, after that ten hour discussion in which we decided to come out of the proverbial closet, you thought I’d change my mind? In four weeks? That’s not likely."

"I wasn’t sure," Dom shrugs, sighing as he runs a hand through his hair.

"What did you say, then." Elijah plops into a kitchen chair, facing away from Dom.

"I told them the truth."

Elijah turns around, his eyes serious, yet sad. "And what is the truth?"

no matter if the sun don't shine
or if the skies are blue
no matter what the end is
my life began with you

"The truth is, Lij," Dom swallows, slowly closing his eyes and then opening them with a smile on his lips. "The truth is…I’m in love you."

Elijah smiles the widest smile he’s ever smiled before in his life; it’s so wide, in fact, that his face hurts after only a few moments. Elijah stands up and closes the distance between them in two strides.

Dom stands there, watching him; he’s not sure if he should say anything else, or just wait for Elijah to speak. His heart is beating like a drum at a tribal ritual, and he’s not sure he can take the silence that is falling over them.

"Say something," Dom urges, nudging Elijah with his knee.

A moment passes. Elijah’s eyes are glistening with tears. "Well, I love you, too."

As they embrace, the world fades to exist; the sounds of traffic on the street are drowned out, the sound of people chattering in the next apartment are muffled, even their breathing is muted.

It was just them, and that’s all that mattered.

i can't deny what i believe
i can't be what i'm not
i know this love's forever
that's all that matters now
no matter what
that's all that matters to me

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