Summary:

When you yearn for a love you think impossible, maybe you should just wish to have friends who can play Cupid!

This fic partecipates to the 'Lethargy' Challenge of @Non solo Sherlock - FB multifandom events group

Notes:

Setting: from april 1999
Pairing: try to guess..
Disclaimer: I don't know/own Muse and people around them, nothing of this ever happened and i don't write for money... otherwise I'd be extra poor XD

I: Proper Circumstances

The concert at the Astoria in London ends in a blaze of applause and festive cheers.
Once again, Muse managed to warm up their audience properly.
Maybe it's not the vast audience of a stadium packed to the last available seat, as Matthew James Bellamy has dreamed of since he picked up his first guitar, but at least it's their public, their concert, they must not share the spotlight and the stage with any other band or artist.
And it will be even better when their first album comes out in a few months.

And while Matt, as well as the other two members of the band, thanks that colorful crowd of hundreds of people who cheer them on, he can't help but glance at Dominic, intent on waving his hand and showing off a dazzling smile, before throwing his drumsticks.

- He is so beautiful when he laughs, but also when he is concentrated while playing, but also when he is serious or absorbed in his thoughts, even when he is angry, or sad, or melancholic. Bloody Hell, Dominic is always handsome!-

Fortunately, this is not the content of the short thank you speech that the young frontman gives to the audience.

Dominic is smiling, yes, but it's not something directed just at the fans, as much as he loves them, the handsome blond is mostly smiling at himself.

- I survived another concert, without betraying myself, maintaining all my self-control, even when Matthew walked in my direction, looked at me for a long time, while doing things with the guitar that made the temperature hotter than Hell itself.. And then when he sat on my drums, that tongue he kept sticking out... aaargh, but why does he have to provoke me like this? For him it's a game like any other, except that he targeted me instead of Chris, but he's killing me and he doesn't even know it!- he mulls over, while after a brief speech at the microphone he leaves with the other bandmates.

In their mutual yearning, the two do not know that their next thought is exactly the same.

- I can't go on like this... I have to talk to someone!-

That is the last concert before a break of almost a month... What better occasion?

Of course, the fact that they have been living together for a few months in the same apartment in London would not help them find the right amount of privacy, unless one of them strives
And find a solution.
And perhaps one of the two already has an idea.

----------------------------------------------------------------

"Where are you going, so early, Bells?" Dom intercepts him before he goes out the door.

"Is it not clear?" the brunet turns towards him.

Indeed, those sand-colored cargo pants, a multi-pocket vest of the same color and a bucket hat are already a rather eloquent answer.

As if that wasn't enough, a fishing rod lies on the floor next to a small duffle bag that also contains a pair of galoshes.

"Looking to improve your fishing skills?" the blond chuckles.

"Yeah, I asked Tom to help me out and he said this might inspire him for a video later."

"Huh, what a great idea!" Dom enthuses. "It almost makes me want to come with you..."

- No, Dommeh, please, you can't ruin my perfect plan like this!- Matthew fears the worst, but he certainly doesn't show it, demonstrating a calm that would be the envy of a Tibetan monk.

"I think it's a wonderful idea. Come on, go and change, I'll wait for you."

"I said 'Almost.' There's no way I'm going to give up my jog along Hyde Park..." explains Dominic, who on his part is developing another plan.

-I have a free house. I'll have it for a good part of the day. I can finally confess to someone!-

"Such a pity." Matthew acts like a consummate actor, heading towards the door.

As soon as he closes it, Dominic grabs the phone, but then thinks better of it.

- One moment. It's only seven in the morning, if I wake him up now I'll have a good reason to run!-

----------------------------------------------

"You are always late!" Tom grumbles as soon as Matt shows up at his door.

Tom is dressed more or less the same way, but with even more comfortable dungarees, as he leads the way, because he is still an excellent host anyway.

"Don't make a fuss over five minutes!" the frontman snorts.

"To be honest, I'm making a fuss over twenty seven bloody minutes!" Tom points out with the precision of a manager.

"Relax, we won't go fishing anyway!" Matt shrugs, taking a seat in the kitchen, as if it was his home.

"But why not? I really wanted to go fishing, it's a perfect day too!" Tom sulks.

"That's true, but nope... I just had to make Dom believe it."

"And why not tell me too that we weren't going fishing?"

"Because I wanted maximum realism!" Matt reiterates. "By the way, in case Dom or Chris were to ask, you and I went fishing today!"

"But at this point... why don't we actually go fishing?"

"Because... the truth is, I have to talk to you about something important... in private."

"Exactly, you and me on a boat in the middle of nowhere... isn't that private enough?" Tom pleads his case, checking that he has everything he needs before closing his fishing bag.

"Well, on second thought..." Matt reflects, stroking his chin. "Okay, you convinced me, I'm just not going on an empty stomach. You go and load our equipment in the car, I'll take care of the breakfast."

"Bloody Hell, Bells! What have you done? My kitchen has become the set of 'One Hundred and One Dalmatians'!" Tom yells when he comes back.

"Um... I forgot to put water in the coffee maker!" Matt scratches his head, trying to stir his friend to pity for him with his contrite look.

"But... I've been gone for five minutes!"

"Just enough time to try to make a coffee... although at this point it would be better to choose a vitamin-rich orange juice and something to eat that we'll grab along the way."

"The hell with fishing! You will spend all day restoring my kitchen to its original splendor!"

"I already called a cleaning company that is coming here. I'll pay for it of course!"

"Indeed, I feel safer leaving my house in the hands of complete strangers rather than you!" Tom rolls his eyes.

----------------------------------------------

"Are you waiting to catch the fourth fish too or are you going to tell me what it is?" Tom encourages him, after they have been fishing for almost an hour and with some success.

The videomaker's advice proved invaluable.

"Huh, yes, you're right, I just don't know where to start..." Matt mutters, a little in difficulty.

"They say it's the best way from the start." Tom replies, in a solemn tone.

"Okay, I'll start by saying that I'm asking for a friend..." the frontman points out.

Tom eyes him skeptically.

"What's up? Can't I have friends other than you, Dom and Chris?" Matt gets defensive.

"Of course you may have other friends, tell me everything."

"Well, he's the head of a... a construction company." Matthew decides at the last minute, preferring to modify the reality of the contents a little. "But he realized that he had feelings for his business partner, with whom he founded this company; he's just too afraid to expose himself. What if the other person takes it badly and leaves the company? If the two of them no longer built houses together they would no longer be as solid as before; indeed, without his partner, my friend would certainly give up the company forever..."

A few seconds of awkward silence pass, before Tom asks him a trick question.

"And, tell me, Matt, did this friend of yours ever take inspiration from his partner to... build a building?"

"Yes, one is in the first alb... albeit not so big residence, only the partner doesn't know it... and then there could be many others, I know for sure that my friend is already working on a new one..." manages to satisfy that strange curiosity from his friend Matt, albeit a little confused.

"You were right to tell me about it, Matt," Tom says, before they both cast the fishing rod as far as possible. "I believe that this friend of yours should not only never say anything to his partner, but he should also let go of this stupid crush of his that will lead to nothing good."

Matt can't believe what he's just been told.

"Is this really your advice?"

"Sure, it's the advice for this phony building contractor who never existed," Tom checks him out. "Instead, to my friend Matt who has a pretty powerful crush on my friend Dom, I say that these things happen, it's up to you to decide how to handle them, weigh the pros and cons, understand when and if you'll ever be ready to tell him ; but I will always be there for you, whatever the consequences are." she smiles reassuringly at him.

Matthew nearly loses his grip on the fishing rod.

"How did you know it was me?"

"An inspired building?! And you even answered me!"

"Okay, how did you know it was Dom?"

"I want to hope that you are not aiming at Chris who is very engaged, with a child on the way... and I equally want to hope that I'm not the object of your filthiest desires... it's not me, right?" He asks, carefully stepping back from him.

"Of course not, not Chris, not you! The only role I make you play is that of advisor!"

"Good for you... because I'm very straight!" The videomaker is keen to point out.

"So you think Dom is gay!" the pianist rejoices.

"Bells, don't put in my mouth things that I didn't say!" Tom scolds. "Then let me know how things go when you tell him."

"Wait a moment. Who said I want to tell him? And then I need the pwoper circumstances." the frontman gets agitated.

"So living in the same two-room apartment for weeks and weeks isn't a proper circumstance?" Tom looks at him perplexed.

"You are kidding, right? If anything it's torture!" The other despairs.

"Bells, if the manual with your instructions exists somewhere, I would like to have it someday!"

"All I need is to find the 'maximum secrecy' button in yours!"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Pwomise me you won't tell Dom!"

"I really don't think I have the right to do it, that's up to you, rather promise me that you will find the courage... if the proper circumstances ever arise."

"Let's be quiet now, Tom, we've been talking for too long, so we'll scare the fish," Matthew suddenly changes the subject.

Tom looks at him with a knowing smile.

- There is someone scared here, my dear Bells, and it's certainly not the fish!-

"Matt, one last question, then I promise we'll leave the fish alone."

"Shoot," the frontman surrenders.

"Earlier with your not too intricate code to decipher you said you wrote a song to Dom, may I know which one?"

"Unintended," reveals the other, without unnecessary mincing words. "Plus another one that we already do live, sometimes, but it's still in a very embryonic state..."

"Don't tell me it's the one about joy and peace of mind..."

Matt swallows thickly.

"Yes... why?"

"My friend, it's not like you just have feelings for Dom... you really got it bad for him, to the point of no return!" The photographer smiles.

--------------------------------------------------


Dom judges nine o'clock to be a less risky time and decides to make that phone call.

"Hi Dom, tell me," Chris greets him energetically, answering on the fourth ring.

- Ok, well, I didn't kick him out of bed. - Dom takes courage.

"Hi Chris, how would you like to come over to my place?"

Silence on the other side.

"Chris, are you still there?" Dominic tries again.

"It's for 'Fillip', right?" Chris moans.

"What?"

"My bass isn't punchy enough before the last chorus starts, I need to improve it..."

"Ehmm yes, I didn't know how to tell you, but that's exactly the reason. If you come to my place we can work on it."

"Don't say anything else, I'll be with you in half an hour."

No sooner said than done.

And when Dom opens the door he also notices that Chris has brought his bass with him.


"I still don't understand why we didn't meet directly at the rehearsal room." Chris mutters, entering. "Where's Matt? I bet he's already waiting for us at the rehearsal room."

"Matt isn't here and we're not going to any rehearsal rooms!" Dominic confronts him with reality.

Chris just watches him in confusion.

"We're not playing anything today and trust me, I know I'm answering for Matt too, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that riff of yours, it's perfect like that!" Dom cheers him up. "I called you for another reason. "

"And why didn't you tell me right away?" Chris snorts, placing his bass on the couch.

"Because if I had just told you that I wanted to talk to you, I'm afraid you wouldn't have accepted..."

"Why? Because I was at my girlfriend's house, my girlfriend who is a few months pregnant with my very first child?" The bassist replies sarcastically.

"Well exactly, it's only the first few months, it's not like Kelly is in danger of giving birth any minute..." the drummer justifies himself.

"I'm here now, we might as well talk.."

"Right, but first, would you like us to have breakfast?" Dom offers hospitably, leading the way... not that there's much of a path for him to make, given the size of the house.

"I would have already had it, but I never say no to breakfast..." Chris chuckles, but the sentence dies in his throat. "Dom, what the hell happened here? There's a disaster in the kitchen. What have you cooked?"

"Milk and cereals..." mutters the person asked sadly.

"But it's not even something you have to cook!" the other points out to him, astonished.

"Well yes, this is because I realized that I was too nervous to cook: after having charred bacon and pancakes and having sprinkled half the kitchen with scrambled eggs, I realized that it was better to fall back on something less demanding..." he explains to him, while they eat that frugal breakfast.

"So, are you going to talk?" The youngest one puts him under pressure.

Dominic swallows the last spoonful of crunchy rings and gathers courage.

"I'm asking for a friend," is his premise. "He also plays in a band, like us."

"And they are famous?" Chris urges, helping himself to more cereal.

"That's not the point... and in any case not much, not yet... a bit like us."

"And what does your friend play?" The other becomes curious.

"That's not even the point, Chris!" Dominic is starting to get nervous. "And by the way... the drums."

"Just like you!" Chris comments. "One moment. Do I happen to know him?"

This time Dom's grim look is enough to give him the answer.

"I guess that's not the point..." he mutters in his head, turning the cereals over.

"Exact. Returning to this friend of mine... he was always convinced that he liked girls and instead something, or rather, someone, made him change his mind and it so happens that this someone is a member of his own band..." Dom masks his confession, tilting the bowl to drink what's left of it.

"And what does the other member play?" Chris asks, regaining the courage to face his gaze.

"The keyboard." looking for an answer/compromise Dominic. "Now that you have all this information, what would you do if you were my friend? Would you try to come forward or..."

"No, absolutely no!" Chris chills him, one step away from banging his fists on the table to impose his authority. "Your friend has no right to upset the balance of his keyboard player, he probably must have a girlfriend, a well-defined sexual identity... telling him something like that would only end up creating discomfort and ruining the friendship that has been created between the two for something that your friend may never even have."

Dominic reflects a lot on those words that weigh like rocks for him, before venturing to ask him a question that is as stupid as it is necessary.

"But if it were the singer... or the guitarist... or the main writer of the lyrics, would anything change?"

This time it's Chris who responds with a look that leaves no room for any other interpretation.

"Okay, Chris, I wasn't completely honest with you. There is no friend of mine, actually that friend of mine it's me, but now that I've confided in you I understand that there's not a single possibility that I and..."

"Wait a minute, what do you mean it's you?" His friend interrupts him. "Are you telling me you and Matt aren't already together?"

Dominic almost falls off his chair.

"Whaaat?! But how did that come to your mind?"

"I don't know... the way you talk to each other, the way you hug each other, how you're always glued to each other, the way you look at each other, the way you sometimes finish each other's sentences... should I go on?"

"But noooo... we've been friends for a long time, I mean, we've been friends for a long time with you and Tom too, but we've known each other for a while before and we've bonded more... but I don't think he's interested in me in that sentimental way."

"You never know it if you never ask him!"

"But shouldn't I have kept everything inside until the end of my days?" Dom muses.

"That was for that supposed friend of yours who I didn't even know who he was, but if it's about you two... it's different! You should step forward..."

"I don't know, I have to think about it, I don't want to rush things..."

- Yep, in fact you've known each other for about *seven years*...- Chris considers to himself, about to leave.

"Chris, please asnwer to me: it really doesn't bother you that... well, you know, I don't just like girls?"

"No, as long as you have no interest in me!" Chris makes him laugh, before picking up his bass and leaving.

--------------------------------------------------

The next day Chris and Tom, the only two football fans, are at the latter's house to watch the match.

"So, what have you been up to these days?" Chris asks jovially, while the players are still being prepared in the locker room.

"I went fishing with Matt yesterday... which brings us to what we're having for dinner."

"But how about fishing? I also love fishing, you could have invited me too!" Chris sulks.

"Oh, don't worry about that, soon all four of us will go fishing and I'll make video after video, I already have some ideas, and then it's something I had to promise Matt..." the videomaker informs him.

"Oh well, I couldn't have come anyway, I was busy with some... non-existent rehearsals, at Dom's request."

"Huh?" Tom looks at him confused.

"Don't ask any questions, let's say it was an excuse to talk to me about a rather delicate matter."

"Really? Matt also invited me to fish for the same reason and mine also risked being a non-existent fishing."

Suddenly the game takes a back seat for Chris, which is saying something.

"Wait a minute. What did Matt want to talk to you about?"

"Sorry, it's top secret, I swore not to tell."

"Even what Dom told me is very confidential."

The two examine each other as the most skilled poker players would.

- You can't know anything more relevant than what I know!- they think in unison, only they cannot realize it.

"Well,after all I promised Matt that I wouldn't say anything to the person concerned..." Tom comments casually.

"And now that you make me think about it, Dom didn't make me promise anything..."

The two friends look at each other again, this time with complicity.

"Shall we say it together on the countdown of 3?" Chris offers and Tom nods impatiently.

"3... 2... 1..." Tom counts down.

"Matt likes Dom!"

"Dom likes Matt!"

The fact that they said it together did not prevent one from hearing the other.

The two burst out laughing.

"I don't believe it... but what are they waiting for to tell each other then?" Chis scratches his head.

"You know, Chris, those two idiots in love could use a little push. Let's say that maybe we should create the proper circumstances." Tom strokes his chin, with a very specific plan already taking shape in his brilliant mind.

"What are you going to do, Tom?"

TBC

Notes:

Hellooo,
yep, i'm back with the unpteenth new story.
This belongs to a challenge called 'The Lethargy challenge' , it means that the second and last part won't appear before next March, but since almost no one likes my stuff (kudos and comments don't lie) I guess no one will mind ^^'

prompts used for this chapter:

'You're always late!' by Eleanore Burns

' "What have you done? My kitchen has become the set of 'One Hundred and One Dalmatians'!"

"Um... I forgot to put water in the coffee maker!"

and

' "There's a disaster in the kitchen. What have you cooked?"
"Milk and cereals..." '

by Elena Altamura