FIC (extract) "Bathtub"

[lobelia321]

Because natasha1805 was kind enough to post a taster from her mega-epic, I felt compelled to do likewise. Also, because it's difficult to keep it in for so long, *g*.

So here's a taster of my Karl/Dominic epic. It sort of stands on its own. There is only one bit that may puzzle you but I'm afraid you will just have to wait until the posting of the finished series for the explanation, *g*.

Extract from Karl/Dominic epic:

Extract from Karl/Dominic epic: Bathtub
Author: Lobelia; lobelia321@aol.com
Pairing: Karl Urban/Dominic Monaghan
Series: Sequel to the "Arthropods" Series (as yet unnamed).
Part: This will probably be part 5 or 6 of the series. The prelude to this series was posted on my LJ. It is called Wheels of Light. Working title of this part: "Bathtub".
Spoilers: None
A/N: Unbeta'ed, WIP -- so any comments at all will be most welcome!
(This will probably be changed in slight but crucial ways for the final version.)

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The bathroom in Dominic's house is quite narrow. When you enter the bathroom, the door bangs against the side of the bathtub. The tub stretches along the right-hand wall until it meets the toilet. Facing the toilet is the wash basin and, above the wash basin, the mirrored bathroom cabinet. Squashed along the left-hand wall, between door and basin, are a laundry basket and a washer-drier. On top lies a confused pile of shirts and socks. Men's shirts, men's socks. At the far end is a small window. But it's not visible from the door because the door of the cabinet has swung open. The mirror is frosted with steam, steam rising up from the bathtub. The mirror glows with a soft light, light rising up from the candle poised on the toilet cistern.

A steady stream of smoke drifts up from the candle flame and blackens the ceiling. A plaster flake wavers in the heat. There are splashing noises coming from the bathtub. Some body is splashing in the water. Two bodies are splashing in the water. Their forms are blurrily reflected in the mirror.

They are Dominic and Karl.

Dominic is sitting with his back against the hot-and-cold mixer tap. His bottom negotiates the plug on its metal chain. Karl is sitting opposite him, his back towards the toilet. Their knees stick up over the surface like shining islands. The water ripples in gold flame waves.

The lower ends of Karl's hair are wet. Droplets curl over Dominic's neck. Nobody says anything. They look at each other over the tops of their knees. They push the floating cap of the shampoo bottle back and forth between them. The colour of their eyes is lost in the flickering play of light-shadow. Something hums and bangs against the window.

Smoke twists upwards. Waves shiver in short fetches. Karl fetches the shampoo bottle. Dominic fetches a breath.

Karl screws the top back on the bottle. Dock, goes the bottle on the bathroom floor. There is a rug there but it is crumpled up and pushed to one side. The plastic bottle lands on the tiles. Karl tucks his cold hand back inside the bath. He blows on the water. His breath meets the steam. He blows again and tiny ripples, riplets, dance their way across to Dominic. Dominic blows back, and the wavelengths criss-cross in a polarised pattern. The wavelets meet in the middle. They meet with a tiny, tiny smack, a smacklet, tiny like the briefest of kisses.

Karl closes his eyes. He puts his hand on his dick. Barely discernible through the murk of the candle and the murk of soapy slicks, are two dicks. Karl's hard one on his side of the tub, and Dominic's hard one on the other side of the tub. Dominic and Karl are not touching each other, only their knees bump, but they're hard nonetheless. They're fetching breaths, and they're hard. Karl curls his hand around his dick. Dominic looks at Karl's hand. He moves his own hand underwater, like a submarine. The movement makes a soft bump on top of the water as it slices along its underwater arc, slices and slices, and comes to rest on Dominic's dick.

All the bottles aligned on the edge of the bathtub -- the deodorant and the shaving cream and the other shampoo, the one that's not on the floor, -- all shudder in anticipation. The soap sighs in its sticky puddle.

Ripples prance as the two hands start moving. Water swishes and swirls. Dominic's knees begin to shake. Karl closes his eyes. He pinches his lips together, then he opens his eyes again. His pupils seek out Dominic but they don't seem to be fully focused. Dominic sinks deeper into the bath. The metal chain rasps against his back and clinks against the tap. Dominic says, "Oh."

"Is this..." says Karl in a seaweed voice.

"Yes," whispers Dominic. "Yes."

The ripples smack against each other again. They meet in tiny, tiny collisions; they send up tiny, tiny fountains of spray. The candle flutters. The cabinet door creaks. Dim shapes move within its glassy depths.

Karl gulps for breath.

"Wait," whispers Dominic, voice low, voice thick, "wait a bit."

Karl closes his eyes. The ripples on his side slow down. Karl breathes, in, out; the water around his chin moves with his breaths. His chin is hit by Dominic's ripples, hurrying over from the other side. Hurrying over quite fast, kissing Karl on the chin, caressing Karl around the neck. And underwater, too, there are ripples. Underwater motions, underwater commotions. Waves that roll along the bathtub's floor and come up short against Karl's balls.

"Okay," pants Dominic.

Karl opens his eyes. The walls weep with moisture. The shiny pond on the washer-drier's fascia mirrors a concave bathtub and two distorted heads. There are splashes; water surges over the rim and shoots to the floor. Dominic's head shudders. His eyelashes twitch. The skin just beneath his eyes twitches. He leans forward. He looks at Karl. Karl twitches, too. Karl opens his mouth but no sound comes out. His nostrils flare. His eyebrows contract.

They surge into the water together.

Milky streaks swim through the bath. Steam rises. Dominic reaches out his hand and touches the floating globules. He rubs his face with his wet other hand. Karl sinks deeper, deeper, his head slides down the slanted tub wall until it's submerged up to the nose. Little bubbles of breath form under his nostrils. A big bubble froths to the surface. That's a speech bubble. Karl is talking underwater.

"Bblllbbl," says Karl.

"What?" says Dominic.

Karl splutters and juts his chin out of the water. "I wonder if that was safe sex," he says.

"That wasn't sex," says Dominic. "That was allowed."

There's a surge of water and air. Karl gets up. The flame flickers madly. Drops fly. Tiny movements become gushes and swells. Waterfalls drip down the enamel. Plop, goes the soap, and Karl pats the tub floor to retrieve it. He drops it over the side where it slithers to a halt against the laundry basket. Karl sits down. Karl settles in between Dominic's knees, facing the toilet and the candle and the cabinet mirror.

"Mmm," he says.

Karl stretches against Dominic like a cat. He slides down against Dominic's chest, wetly. Dominic shifts, bumps his head against the tap, shifts again. He puts his hand on Karl's soft underwater dick. "That's allowed," he whispers into Karl's ear and grins.

Karl stiffens his knees and stretches his legs. He props his feet on the rim of the tub. He wiggles his toes. Dominic feels around in the bath. He shoves his hands under Karl's bottom. "Mmm," says Karl. Dominic's hands go searching under Karl's balls. Karl closes his eyes.

"Got it," says Dominic.

It's the flat plastic scalp brush. Dominic shakes the droplets off it --"Oi," says Karl and wipes his cheeks -- and proceeds to brush Karl. He brushes Karl's hair just above the ears. There's a lot of hair. Karl has thick hair and, at present, quite long hair. Dominic strokes the brush through Karl's thick hair. Karl holds still. When there's a snag, Dominic patiently jiggles the brush until it is disentangled. He brushes the sides of Karl's hair and the back of Karl's hair and the top of Karl's hair. He makes a parting in Karl's hair, using fingers and brush. He brushes Karl's beard. Karl laughs.

Dominic bites Karl's shoulder. He scratches the brush down Karl's chest and belly, and brushes Karl's underwater pubes. He moves the brush round and back round the other way. Clockwise, counter-clockwise.

"Now you're all groomed," he says to Karl. "Look."

He points at the mirror. The steam has evaporated. Two people are reflected murkily in the depthy glass. Karl leans his head back against Dominic.

"I'm going to groom you next," Karl murmurs. He puts his hand on the brush, on Dominic's hand holding the brush. He breathes bubbles into the water. He puts his lips against the bubbles and says, "Bbllbbl."

"What?" says Dominic.

"Can I..." says Karl.

"Yes," says Dominic.

Karl twists his chin up and around. Dominic shifts sideways. Karl kisses Dominic's cheek, and again, and the corner of Dominic's mouth, and again, and Dominic's lips. And again.

And again.

"Move up a bit," says Dominic.

"Okay," says Karl and moves.

There is a bit of a commotion again, a bit of a turbulence. Karl leans forward, clasping the brush. Dominic moves his hands to Karl's shoulders, to Karl's back. Dominic draws long swirling moko-patterns on Karl's back. Then he draws something more staccato, more purposeful.

"Hang on," says Karl. "Again."

Repetition. A straight downstroke, then a right-angled hook, then a chevronned stick.

"D-L-K," spells Karl. "What's DLK?"

Dominic wipes his hand across Karl's back and starts again. The tip of his finger writes spiky majuscules all along Karl's back.

"K," spells Karl. "A-R-L."

Dominic wipes and starts anew.

"I-S," spells Karl. "A." "S-W-E-E-T." "M-A-N."

"What does that say?" asks Dominic.

"Is a sweet man," says Karl and smiles. "Dominic is a sweet man."

"That's not what I wrote," says Dominic.

"That's what I'm reading," says Karl.

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End of this part.

23 Sept. 02