Billy sleeps and dreams of the red carpet. He thinks it's Cannes because the four hobbits are there with PJ, swaying back and forth with linked arms and singing a jaunty hobbit drinking song. "There's a mug of beer inside this Took. Hooray!" he says suddenly, throwing up his arms. A wall of strobes goes off once, then twice. When the neon green splotches on his vision finally dissolve, he sees Dominic smirking at him from the other side of Pete.
"Billy," he says and reaches for his sleeve. For some reason, Billy understands perfectly.
:::
He doesn't remember how they find the secluded corner behind the catering trucks or how they get there, but this is a dream and certain messy transitions in real life can be fudged for the sake of fantasy. The late afternoon sun is starting to disappear beyond the water and the waiters are running around doing double duty, trying to make sure the hobbit extras have enough ale and the tables are stocked with enough lamb. His hands tug at Dom's tie and Billy realizes his never seen it before. Must be new, he thinks absently to himself as his fingers slide across the metallic blue silk.
When Dom kisses him, the inside of Dom's mouth is cool and he kisses with such ferocity that when he pulls away, Billy's lips pulse heat from the swelling. Dom kisses until Billy has difficultly breathing and has to push Dominic away with both hands. A dull pain is gathering behind Billy's eyes and he wonders to himself whether or not this is normal.
"Billy," his friend says again-differently this time, more private and cautious-touching lightly the small patch of skin revealed at the collar of Billy's shirt. It occurs to him that he prefers Dom like this-not open and cheeky and smiling, but closed and serious with determination rising in his voice. When he's like this, Dom says Billy's name in a way no one can manage-like a secret crouched in the shadows, waiting to be whispered.
Dom drops to his knees in front of him, the jacket to his blue gray suit open and his shiny dress shoes tucked awkwardly beneath him. Billy leans his head back against the side of a truck and can suddenly hear Elijah way off in the distance calling both of their names over the buzz of the party. Dom is fumbling with the buckle of Billy's new belt, but at the sound of Elijah's voice, Billy tries to swat his hands away.
"Dom, it's Lij, he's looking..."
"The little shit can wait," Dom growls, scrambling to his feet. He pushes against Billy--a soft rumble in his throat--and Billy can feel Dom's heat through the front of his nicely pressed slacks. "You don't want to have to wait, do you?" Dom pushes again, harder this time, and the friction causes Billy's eyes to roll back into his aching head. His eyelids flutter and his cheeks flush suddenly, causing Dom to laugh. "You don't want to wait. Eh, Billy?" He thrusts again, threatening to push Billy through the side of the truck with his hips and moving to pin Billy's wrists above his head with eager hands. It hurts, but in a way that sends tiny shivers to the nape of Billy's neck and the tops of his thighs. When Dominic leans in to whisper in his ear, Billy can feel the metal clasp of Dom's watch brush up against the tender skin of his wrist where his pulse is. "Do you, Luv?" Dominic asks.
Billy doesn't want to open his mouth to answer, so he shakes his head furiously instead. For some reason, he can feel tears collecting in his eyes and he forces himself not to blink. He looks up instead, and is comforted to see the sky is slowly turning pink and red above them. There are birds calling out to each other in the far trees.
"Billy," Dom murmurs as he kisses him one last time on the corner of his mouth before dropping to his knees again. Billy can feel Dom's breath move across the front of his trousers, followed by his hands. "Oh, Billy," he says, now mumbling into bare skin. "Don't tell Lij." The sensation of Dom's cool pink tongue and swollen glowing lips on him is so spectacular, that Billy doesn't give a shit about Lij and mutters a promise as his breath hisses through his teeth.
Billy swears he can feel Dom's smile as he begins to coax the sighs out of him, one after the other. Dom does it carefully with the tips of his teeth and the back of his throat, extracting each gasp like a splinter from a wound. Billy balls his hands into fists at his sides, clenching so fiercely that the seams of his fingers hurt. His eyes begin to itch at the corners, but still he forces them open and upward towards the blushing sky. Leave the crying for afterwards, he tells himself.
Overhead, the small black silhouette of a bird flutters past and suddenly, Billy wants nothing more than to wake up.
