Yeah, okay. So he was jealous of Dom’s relationship with Elijah. But who wouldn’t be?

Lots of people, said the only part of his brain which thought properly.

He couldn’t help it; they were always laughing together, always chatting, always joking. He was always excluded when it was just the three of them.

Sure, he joined in on occasion, but they had so much more in common that it was normal for them to go off on tangents he couldn’t go off on.

The rumors got to be too much. He’d be laying in bed, around 9pm, and he’d think back to the days’ events and how people were always going on about Dom and Elijah. Dom and Elijah.

Dom and Elijah.

On Dom’s part it was either a clever ploy to detour the general public from the truth of Dom and Billy’s romance, or it was just his way to flirt with anything that walked by.

And he did flirt. But that was not what bothered Billy the most.

No, it was more the Dom/Lijah angle that bugged the hell out of him.

He tried to breach the subject to Dom one night, but it didn’t go off the way he planned. Things never went off the way he planned.

“You jealous, Bill?” Dom asked in that throaty voice he had; it normally sent chills down Billy’s spine, but tonight it was different. Tonight, he detached his body from his brain; he had to think straight for this conversation to take place properly.

“No.” A hallow laugh. “Of course I’m not.”

Dom’s eyebrow rose in that ‘yeah, right’ type of way; Billy scowled, but didn’t speak.

“It sounds like you’re jealous.”

“I’m not bloody jealous.”

“What is it then?” Dom traced his finger down Billy’s chest, making his breath catch in his throat.

“I’m tired of the Dom and Elijah rumors. That’s all.” Billy pushed him away; Dom looked both hurt and stricken, but recovered quickly.

“You want me to set them straight?” He laughed slightly, like he was in on a private joke that Billy didn’t understand. “We always said we’d let them think whatever they wanted. Don’t confirm or deny.” He paused, looking into Billy’s green eyes seriously. “Your words. Not mine.”

“I’m doing an interview today,” Dom stated, looping a tie around his neck as he surveyed himself in the mirror.

Billy turned over in bed, half sighing, half grunting; he was barely awake. It must have been a hard night, because Dom was rarely awake before Bright Eyed Billy emerged from under the duvet. Billy swatted at the covers, attempting to surface from the deep sea of blankets.

“You what?” His voice was thick, and he coughed.

“Water on the bedside table,” Dom directed without looking at him. “I’ve an interview in an hour.”

“Yeah?” Billy slugged down half the glass of water, thankful that Dom knew him better than himself. He never remembered to fill a glass of water for himself at night, but Dom always did. He supposed it was one of the things that he loved about Dom.

“Yeah.” He pulled the tie through its loop. “Do you want me to mention you?”

Billy wiped his eyes, trying to get the sleep out of them so he could think properly; one of his other senses was telling him that a fresh pot of coffee was brewing in the kitchen. “Why would you want me to mention you?” He cleared his eyes and saw that Dom was abandoning his tie and walking towards the bed.

He leaned across the bed. “Last night you said you were jealous of the Dom/Lijah rumors.”

“Oh.” Now he remembered. “Yeah.”

“So?”

Billy shook his head and threw back the covers, before setting his feet on the cold floor. “You can mention me if you’d like.”

“But do you want me to?”

They looked at each other a minute. “No.” He stood up, stretched. “Not if it doesn’t come up.”

A silent agreement; what had been said last night would be pushed aside for another time. A time when they were both ready to discuss it in depth.

“Where were you last night?” Billy asked, yawning and stretching his arms above his head as he entered the kitchen; Dom, looking worse for wear, was pouring himself a cup of coffee. He had an early call, so he had set the alarm, which had also awoken Billy from his deep slumber.

“Drinks.”

Billy swallowed, watching as Dom’s joints twitched as he moved; he looked like he’d been tossed over a waterfall in a barrel. “With who?”

Dom turned around. “Elijah.”

“Oh.” Billy poured some steaming liquid into his own mug, and watched as Dom sat gingerly in a seat at the kitchen table.

After a sip sent caffeine raging through his veins, Billy found the strength to say what he’d wanted to say for days, weeks, maybe even months. “I’m here, you know.”

Dom looked up, a confused expression on his tired features. “What do you mean?”

“Just that. I’m here.”

He shook his head. “I’m not following.” He checked his watch. “Which is not unusual at this ungodly hour.”

“I would have gone with you. I’ll always go with you. You just seem to forget that I’m here.”

“I don’t forget, Billy.” He stood up, crossed to the counter where Billy stood, shoulders squared. “It was late when we got off set. I figured you’d be in bed.”

Billy shot him a doubtful look. “I wouldn’t have minded you waking me. I’m always up for drinking. You know that.”

Dom nodded slowly. “I’m sorry.” He waved a hand around, in search of words. “I don’t mean to…exclude you. I just…I guess I’m not sure what to do with you.”

“It shouldn’t be like that,” Billy let out a fake laugh. “It shouldn’t have to be.”

A sigh. “I know.”

“Are you in love with him?”

Dom dropped his mug into the sink; it shattered, but luckily the shards of glass mostly stayed away from them when they flew out. “Jesus.” He went for a dishtowel, and began to pick up the ceramic bits. “In love with WHO?”

“Elijah.” Billy took a deep breath. He had to know. He couldn’t go on in this relationship any longer if Dom wasn’t in it 100%; he had a feeling he didn’t want to know the answer.

“No. I’m not in love with Elijah.” Dom shook his head. “What the hell is wrong with us?”

Billy shrugged. “We don’t work.”

Dom tossed the dishtowel into the trash. “No shit.”

He swallowed, blinked and then closed his eyes; when he opened them, he saw Dom walking towards the living room. “What are we gonna do?”

“I don’t know, Billy.” He grabbed a jacket from the coat closet. “I don’t know.”

“I think we should go back to being friends.” He closed his eyes again, willing his heart to stop beating so fast. He didn’t want this, he’d never wanted this, but he saw no alternative on the horizon.

Dom shrugged into his jacket, and watched Billy unblinkingly with a look of sadness on his face. A horn beeped outside, announcing the arrival of Dom’s ride to the set.

“Your ride’s here,” Billy gestured towards the window. “You’re going to be late.”

He sighed. “Billy---” Billy waited patiently for the remainder of the sentence; he felt like his heart was going to explode, and he didn’t really care if it did. “I do love you.”
“I know.”

The horn beeped again. “I’ve gotta go.”

“I know.”

“Speak later?” He pulled the door open.

Billy took a deep breath, trying to stop any emotion from showing on his face. “Okay.”