10. Dominic

I wasn’t sure if I was relieved that Cielo was quiet for the remainder of the workday or not. On one hand, it gave me the chance to absorb everything that had happened and to decide how I felt about it. Yet, Cielo’s silence was heavy, no longer spreading out to fill the empty spaces I had never known existed in my life before. It wasn’t quite awkward, but I could feel the emotions bubbling away beneath the surface of his calm face.

He had been both quiet and utterly obedient from the moment I had coaxed him out of the house to resume working. The intent had been for the two of us to resume our day as if nothing had happened. I couldn’t shake the feeling of nagging guilt that I should have said something else to Cielo in order to alleviate the tension. I imagined he was embarrassed by what had happened, and fearful of how I would react.

The thing was, as more time passed, I discovered I wasn’t all that bothered by what he had done. It was the idea of Steven passing tales around that bothered me the most. Deep down, I knew his tale would spread and cast only the slightest shadow of doubt on my current reputation as a heterosexual playboy. Only certain people would look weirdly at me afterward, but it wouldn’t be enough to change anything.

Even that sliver of doubt was too much for me, however. It was the one thing which kept me from reaching out and assuring Cielo that everything was okay. I relied on my reputation, both in my personal life, and my professional one. If people were to start looking at me and talking about me in any way close to how Steven had been talking about Edward and Cielo, then I would be utterly ruined.

“You can call it a day, Cielo. Sun’s on its way down,” I told him.

He said nothing, nodding as he gathered up the ladder and prepared to take it back to the tool shed he’d finished painting earlier. An ache rose in my chest as I watched the crestfallen man gather up the rest of his supplies to go in for the night. I’d have to sit him down and talk to him, maybe get him to understand.

When it came down to it, I didn’t begrudge Cielo his reaction. Sure, it had been a surprise, and I was betting it had come as a surprise to him as well. He had heard everything, and considering his comment, I bet a good part of the motivation had been to stand up for me.

I smiled as I remembered my father being called to the school when I had been dragged into the office for fighting. A group of boys had been harassing a little girl, even going so far as to take her lunch from her. When I confronted them, it had come down to a brawl. Rather than being angry, my father had asked the teacher if it was true and why it was a problem if his boy was doing the right thing. I could still remember the teacher’s frustrated expression as she tried to explain why I had done something wrong.

My father never backed down from his position supporting me. He might have accepted the school’s decision to keep me out for a few days, but there was no further punishment. In fact, it had been the day I had been treated to my first beer, compliments of my father. There had been no words or explanation as to why I was being given it, but I had understood. Despite hating the taste at first, I thought that first beer tasted of victory and acceptance.

It was the same principle with Cielo, and I wouldn’t hold it against him. I wished he hadn’t felt the urge to defend my honor, but I was touched by his gesture all the same. The talk I’d have with him, over dinner and a beer or two, would hopefully make him feel better. It wasn’t his fault the people in town would gossip, he’d only been doing the right thing in his mind, and I wouldn’t punish him for that.

The clatter of the ladder came sharp and jarring, pulling me from my thoughts. Apparently distracted with his own thoughts, Cielo had forgotten to unextend the ladder as he lugged it across the orchard. I sighed at his clumsy shuffle, hurrying after him to remind him. He was a surprisingly good worker, but when he got lost in his own head, he could make silly mistakes that made things harder on him.

As I neared him, I realized that the upper portion of the metal ladder was dangerously close to the powerlines running to the tool shed. Without thinking, I broke into a full run down the row of trees. My shout of warning brought Cielo’s head up with a jerk. His motion made him stumble over the uneven ground and fall forward with the ladder, toward the lines.

With a last burst of speed, I leapt forward, grabbing hold of him and bringing us both to the ground. The air whooshed out of my lungs as my back struck the ground, still clinging tight to Cielo. Above him, brilliant sparks flashed through the air as the ladder ripped the power lines free from their housing.

“Oh god,” he whispered as he watched the light show in horror.

My heart thudded as I realized I’d only just barely spared Cielo a horrible death. The lines were pumped full of enough power to have fried him before I could have retrieved something to safely disengage him from the ladder.

When the air returned to my lungs, I snapped my gaze to him. “What the hell is wrong with you? I told you to always put the ladder down, you could have been killed!”

Of all the reactions I was expecting, Cielo bursting into sudden tears was the least of them. He turned away from me, cupping his face in his hands as he huddled in the dirt. Shocked, I let go of him, giving him some space.

“Shit, Cielo, I’m sorry,” I began hurriedly.

He shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. I’m ruining everything.”

“What? No, you’re not.”

“I couldn’t make a tent without screwing it up and setting it on fire. I scared off the fertilizer guy, who’s probably going to go run his mouth about the big fairy you’ve got hanging out with you. I wasn’t paying attention and I just killed the power to the house and now you’re going to freeze. God, Dominic. I can’t do anything right, not even draw, why else would my friends need to help me? I always need help, because I’m useless.”

I had heard quite enough, and I took hold of him and rolled him over. His resistance to having his hands pulled away from his face was mild, and he whimpered when I caught his eyes.

“You listen to me, okay? First of all, don’t go calling yourself names and don’t be calling yourself useless either. Everyone makes mistakes, and that’s all that tent was. Steven needed a lesson in manners, and you gave it to him right good. Accidents happen and I’m just glad you’re safe, that’s the only reason I yelled at you. I shouldn’t have yelled and I’m sorry, but it would have killed me if something happened to you like that. Your friends might be a pack of assholes who don’t see who you are, but you’re a good man Cielo, a hard worker, and you have a gift for making people happy. You are not useless, you hear me?”

His hiccuping cries petered off as  my words pierced their way through his sudden surge of sorrow and regret. Once I was done, his crying had ceased, replaced with a wide-eyed stare. In the fading light of the sunset, I could see the warm brown of his eyes, catching the orange burning light of the sun like embers. Best of all, I could see the effect of my words shaping Cielo’s expression into one of hope and joy.

“You really mean all that, don’t you?” he said.

“Of course I mean it. I know I can be grumpy, but I love having you around and it’s going to be a lot lonelier here without you when the time comes. Don’t worry about the power, we’ve got the fireplace. I’ll give Aldo a call and he can come out and do his electrician thing in the morning,” I assured him.

He smiled a little. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

He grinned. “Yeah.”

I patted him on the shoulder, a curl of longing being pushed aside as I made to stand up. “Then let’s get inside. It gets dark fast.”

Before I could stand completely, Cielo’s grip tightened on my arm. I froze, looking down at him curiously but finding it hard to make out his expression in the dying light. When he gave a yank, I fell forward on top of him. Wide-eyed, I could finally see his expression, intense and burning with passion. I knew what he wanted, and he knew I wanted it as well.

Before I could second-guess myself, I let myself fall forward into Cielo’s embrace.

★*ﾟ*☆*ﾟ*★*ﾟ*☆*ﾟ*★

A/N: whoop there it is! you already know what's coming next ;)