Bad Day, Part Two

Who: Domino and Brian
Where: The house
When: Mid-morning

Domino was on the couch trying to ignore Torziel. He'd spent the time that Brian had been away cleaning the house, which it had needed after the weekend they'd had. He figured the front door would need new paint, or replacing all together, but he was able to clean off the windows, do the dishes. He even found himself vacuuming after a time to keep busy. Torziel didn't seem to like that part. Now, he was on the couch trying not to nap.

Brian took a little while getting home. He'd just driven around a little, trying to sort out his thoughts about Mya and her new boyfriend and his boyfriend. He didn't come home until he was sure he could get through telling Domino about it without crying like an idiot. He limped through the door, shutting and locking it behind him, and called, "Domino?"

Dom perked up from the couch, having only slightly not nodded off. "Hey sexy." He said as he swung his legs off the couch and stood up. "How's the other sexy? She have a good time on her trip?"

At least someone thought him worth having. Brian limped in and settled beside him on the couch with a little groan. "She sure did," he answered. "Got herself a boyfriend." And hey, it didn't even come out sounding bitter! Giving Domino that kind of signal would be... a bad idea, he thought.

Domino sat back down and pulled Brian into a kiss. "Good for her." He wasn't an idiot, he knew that Brian and Mya had an unspoken thing, if she'd found someone then maybe the torch would finally die down- not that Domino minded torches.

"Yeah, good for her." Brian had to smile. At least he had Domino, right? And that wasn't exactly a second-place prize, either. Sex with Mya probably couldn't beat out sex with Domino, at the very least, even if there wouldn't be as many stigmas to it. He kissed him back warmly, bringing both hands to the werecat's furry-but-not face.

And then the phone rang.

Domino didn't wanna let go of the kiss, but the ringing phone was probably something Brian needed to get- might be Hunt, or about Hunt. He pulled back and frowned. "For you." It was always for him, anyone who knew Domino was staying here would call his cell.

"Fucking phone," Brian grumbled, but he did turn away from Domino and-- after deciding that getting up and hobbling to the kitchen would take too long-- the phone appeared in his hand. He settled back into the couch cushions and Domino, both, and answered it, "Hello?"

The voice on the other line was Tom's, his older brother's, and it sounded frantic and a lot more high-pitched than usual. "Tom-- Tom, slow down. What about Mother? You-- what? Tom, you're not making sense. What, exactly, is wrong?"

Domino furrowed his brow and put an arm around Brian. He held him as he talked and showing him that he was there- especially considering the call didn't sound too happy, and it had just started.

Settling closer to Domino more on instinct than real, conscious acknowledgment of the support, Brian slowly started to frown, himself, as his brother finally started speaking in a more normal tone. With Domino's hearing, it would have been hard not to listen in.

"She's sick, Brian," he was saying, still quickly, still painfully. "It's something complicated, I don't remember the word off the top of my head, but it's like a bunch of tiny strokes over and over... she'd going to die, Brian. There's no cure."

"Wait, and they only j-just found out about this?" Brian demanded.

"She only started complaining of symptoms last week, Brian," Tom answered impatiently. "And you were kind of busy, if I recall."

"I-- yes, I was. Sorry. What-- h-how is she doing?"

"All right for now, but it's only going to get worse," Tom said mournfully. "She's taking it all right, you know how she is, everything's either something to tizzy over or something to accept and move on from. Brian, you should be here."

Brian swallowed a little. Yes, he should. But.... "Let me talk to some people, okay?"

Domino reached around Brian's front and took a hold of his hand, squeezing it tightly as Brian spoke to his brother. He could hear everything and felt his heart fall for his lover. After everything that had happened, he'd only gotten barely a day before things had gotten bad again.

"Just don't take to long," Tom finished tiredly. "I really need your help, out here."

"Yeah... yeah, I know." Brian shut his eyes and squeezed Domino's hand, back. "I'll call you back tonight."

"Okay, Brian... okay. I'll talk to you then." And without further comment, Tom hung up, leaving Brian holding the silent receiver and not at all sure what to say, do, or even think.

Domino pulled Brian close and held him. He didn't speak, knowing that nothing he could say at that moment would help and it probably wouldn't even have been heard. Domino was also pretty clueless to what to do in this sort of situation. Mya would know.

And Mya was really the last person Brian wanted to see and deal with right now, though he knew he had to call her and tell her. Or go over and tell her. That had to come first, before he told anyone else. But god, did he not want to.... He turned into Domino and buried his face in the other man's shoulder, dropping the phone onto the couch beside him. "It's not fucking fair," he mumbled into Domino's shirt. First his dad, then Mya, now his mother... and what next? Domino, too? Could the kid last as long as he'd likely be gone? He could read between his brother's lines: Tom had a wife, two very active kids, and a job that had him on-call at all hours. He didn't need moral support: he needed someone to look after their mother.

Domino held him tight. "I know." He whispered, what else could he say? He rested his cheek on the top of Brian's head and closed his eyes as they sat there. "I know."

There really wasn't anything else to say, and Brian just shut his eyes tighter and clung to Domino the way he wouldn't let himself cling to Mya. He'd go deal with all like the grown man he was... but he'd deal with it in a few minutes. For a few minutes, he just needed to be held, before he had to give it all up. Because he couldn't think of any other outcome to this... he had to give it up.

When he finally pulled away, at least taking a little pride in the fact that while his eyes burned, he didn't cry, he gave Domino a sheepish, sad little grin. "I just got home and now I gotta go out again... gotta talk to Mya about this in person, I think."

Domino looked at him and nodded. "Of course." He reached up and ran a hand through his hair. "I'll be here when you get back. Anything I can do for you?" Something that might make things easier when he had to leave, or something to just keep busy?

Brian leaned his head into that hand. Fuck, he was going to miss this. A lot. But he had to let it go... just maybe not yet. Maybe not until tonight, or even tomorrow if he waited until tomorrow to get his flight. Maybe Mya would know what to do. "I don't know... just-- I don't know. I'll know when I get back, maybe." He shut his eyes again, just for a moment, then leaned over to kiss Domino once. "I shouldn't be long, hopefully."

Domino returned the kiss and let Brian go. "I'll be here." He said with a small smile.

" ... I know," Brian answered after a breath of just looking at him. Then, tired or not, not wanting to deal with any of this or not, he made himself get up and head out the door again. At the very least, he needed to give Mya more than a message on her answering machine this time....