By The Book (Billy/Dom PG-13)

Title: By The Book
Author: Debbie (dreaminaway)
Website: Splinterific
Pairing: Billy/Dom
Rating: PG-13
Summary: "Not everything worthwhile can be found in book, you know."
Disclaimer: Didn't happen. It's fiction. After you read this, ask Billy how to look that up.
Note: Written for the Two Lines fic challenge. Thanks to o4fuxache, learn_me, andrealyn, and hjartad for the encouragement, advice, and betas.



you say i treat you like a book on a shelf / i don't take you out that often
bright eyes,"you will. you? will. you? will. you? will."



001 Knowledge

Once a week, as a child in primary school, Billy and his classmates would have lessons in the library, where they would sit amongst the massive shelves of books and learn about the Dewey Decimal System. Billy loved these lessons; it fascinated him to know that he could classify every subject there was in the whole entire world if he wanted to. There were numbers assigned for every topic Billy could think of, and sometimes he would make a game of it. He would think of some of his favorite things (comic books), or things he knew nothing about (girls) and try to figure out where they fit in. He'd spend hours discovering that comics were 741 (Drawing) and girls were 611(Human anatomy- but he only looked a little, because that was sort of gross).

Billy’s mum and dad encouraged him to become involved with music and drama, and he took to them famously. He was thrilled with being able to bring the pages of the books to life. From his lessons in the library, he knew that music was 780 and drama was 812, and the ease that they fit into his scheme of organizing the world pleased him.

Gran came to stay with him and Margaret after he lost his dad and then his mum. She was a strict sort of grandmother, who insisted Billy keep up with his academics. He found his text books weren't much different than the books he'd read for fun, only maybe with slightly bigger words. The pages were filled with loads of information on every subject deemed proper for a school-aged boy to know, and Billy studied his lessons by organizing it all into his system. He grew older and secondary school proved more challenging each year, so Billy’s love affair with books continued.

Bookbinding seemed to be the next logical step when it came time for him to study a trade. He worked in a printers’ house for six years, assembling books from pieces of every size and origin until Billy was sure he had put together an entire Dewey system all on his own.

Books had been the center of Billy's entire universe for as long as he could remember.

Then he met Dominic.


*****************


388 Ground Transportation

It was 5:12am, on the second day of a two week shoot at the foot of a remote mountain, which required a two hour van ride -in costume- each morning. Billy's head rested against the rough fabric of the van's rear-most seat. His eyes were closed, but he was acutely aware of the man sitting beside him.

Dominic was in rare form. Silent, non-hyperactive form, that is, which was rare for Dominic. He was hardly ever motionless, it seemed, because he was twitchy even in sleep. His nose wrinkled and he suddenly shifted, snuggling into Billy's side, mumbling "Warm" (ah, so much for "silent" Billy thought). Billy let him rest there for the remainder of the ride, pretending to be asleep.

The next morning went much the same, with Billy being awakened from a light slumber by Dominic's nose burrowing into Pippin's scarf at the side of his neck. "Soft," he murmured this time, and Billy felt warm, moist breath on his cheek.

Each morning for the entirety of the shoot was a variation on this routine (sometimes Dominic said "Comfy" or "Perfect" instead, and he may have said something that sounded like "Billy" one time). Occasionally an arm would creep around Billy's middle and slip under Pippin's coat, but Billy was sure that was only to curb the chill of the early New Zealand winter mornings.



*******************


782 Vocal Music

"Did you ever knooooow, that you're my heeeeeeero?"

Billy couldn't help letting a snort of laughter escape at the spectacle Dom was creating. It was their one night off a week that preceded a whole entire next day off, which inevitably meant the they would end up at a pub. This night was no different that the others, except that Billy had let Dom choose the pub this time, and there he was, nearly pissed off his arse singing off-key Bette Milder songs, with Billy not too far behind.

Billy grinned. What a perfect night.

"And I can fly hiiiiiigher than an eeeeeagle," Dominic belted into the microphone, gesturing melodramatically, flinging his arm out towards the audience and then placing his hand over his heart with a tossing of his head. "Cause you are the wiiiind beneath myyyyyy wings!"

The chorus repeated and Dom finished the song with a flourish, on his knees with an arm stretched towards the ceiling. The pub was filled with cheers and laughter. A few loud whistles could be heard when Dom jumped to his feet and dramatically bowed.

He stumbled from the stage with a grin on his face, and collapsed into the booth across from Billy. He swiped Billy's beer, took a large swig, and bobbed his head to the sounds of the next performer butchering "I Love Rock And Roll".

"You're up soon, Bill," Dominic reminded him. "Are you sure you don't want to back out, now that you've seen my fantastic performance? I mean, I was damn sexy." Dom sat back, quite obviously pleased with himself. "And my vocals? Amazing, those. Had this whole place in tears."

"That you did, Dom. Even so, I think I'd still like to give it a try. Though your song'll be tough to top, I'll admit." Billy hid his amusement behind a solemn face.

"Thank you, Ms. Jett! And up next we have Billy Boyd. Are you out there Billy?" the host shaded his eyes and squinted into the crowd.

"That's my cue. Wish me luck!" Billy flashed a smile at Dom, and made his way to the stage. He took the microphone from the stand and let the introduction music fill his ears. Billy searched for Dominic somewhere in the middle of the first verse and found him staring back, his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide.

"I'm on your side. When times get rough and friends just can't be found," he sang. "Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down."

Through the remainder of the song, Billy found he couldn't look away, unexpectedly eager to see Dominic's reaction. It ranged from staring, to staring more, and finally to taking another large draught from Billy's mug as the last notes faded away.

Billy was reminded of the others in the pub when the loud sounds of applause and cheers filled his ears. He smiled, nodded once in thanks, and made his way back to Dominic. At the table, Dominic studied him critically, and Billy averted his eyes, nervously tearing at the bar napkin when Dom didn't say anything for several minutes.

"You're amazing," Dominic whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"S'nothing special," Billy blushed, confused by his own reaction. He'd never been self-conscious of his singing before.

"Nothing special?" Dom protested. "That was fucking brilliant, Billy."

"Really?" Billy ventured a hopeful glance at Dom, "It was?"

"Really. It was," Dom confirmed. "In fact, I believe this calls for another round of beer, on me!" He stood, taking a few steps then pausing to turn back to the table. "Wait 'til everyone hears we've got a musician in our movie. Peter'll have you singing the cave troll to sleep in the film, just you watch."

A moment later, Billy could hear Dom shouting as he crossed the pub.

"Make way, coming through! I'm buying a drink for the bloke who sang the pants off you lot!"

Billy grinned. What a perfect night.


************


793 Indoor Games & Amusements

Nudge.

Billy couldn't have missed Dominic's rather disruptive sprawl onto the trailer couch beside him if he'd wanted to. Which he did. Want to. Nor couldn’t he help missing the elbow attached to said sprawler jutting sharply into his ribcage a moment later.

Billy's eyes remained lowered to his tattered copy of Fellowship, willing his face to give no indication whatsoever that he was aware of Dominic's presence, a skill Billy had mastered rather quickly after meeting him. For his own sanity, of course.

Poke.

Equally as annoying, but (thankfully) not as physically painful, Dominic's finger had crept into Billy's field of vision and jabbed into his chest.

Poke. PokeNudge.

Pokepokenudgepokepokepoke-

"DOM!" The book fluttered into Billy's lap, exasperation laced throughout his tone.

"Yah, Bill?" Simple as that, as if his arms had been conspiratorially annoying the fuck out of Billy without him even being aware.

"You... just-." Billy sighed. The term 'quiet time' had completely flown out the window the moment he'd met Dominic Monaghan. So arguing? Pointless. Distraction? Possibility. "What're you bothering me for anyways? You've just sat in a tree with me for seven sodding hours. I hear Elijah's had a haircut. Mohawk like Orli. Looks bloody ridiculous."

"Because you're my Bil- he did?" Dominic's eyes lit with interest, but he quickly shook his head, "Hold on, Lij is filming on South Island this week." He studied Billy, "You tryin' to get shot of me, Boyd?"

“Damn, I thought I was being subtle.” Dominic apparently missed the sarcasm in Billy’s voice; in fact, Billy wasn’t entirely sure Dom heard him all together.

“Come on!” Dom stood, tugging Billy’s hand in both of his. Billy stubbornly remained on the sofa. “I’ve invented a fantastic new game called ‘Cup’. Orli is crap at it though and I need someone else or it I can’t play anymore. S‘against the rules to play alone.”

“Can’t you change the rules then? You invented the ruddy game, Dom,” Billy reminded him.

“Yes, I can. And I’ve just changed them.” Billy sighed gratefully, taking his hand back and returning his attention to his book. “New rules state anyone going by the name of William Boyd must play ‘Cup’ with his best mate or said Mr. Boyd owes the inventor of the game a nice big wet smacking kiss.”

The book dropped, forgotten, into Billy’s lap once more.

The notion of refusing to play, just to see what Dominic would do (not because he briefly wondered what it might be like to kiss Dominic. Ridiculous.) flitted through Billy’s mind. He pretended to think about it, amused by the widening of Dominic’s eyes and the broadening of his grin.

“So, are there any other rules I need to know about that involve sexual favors for the inventor of this game?” he asked. “Just so I’m prepared, and all.”

Dominic beamed. “Oh, loads! But you’ll pick them up in due time, my friend.” He tugged Billy’s hand once more, and Billy allowed himself to be pulled, though he was pretty sure he didn’t want to know what he was getting himself into.


**********


634 Orchards, Fruits, Forestry

The crunch of the apple echoed obscenely loud through the deserted soundstage, and Billy turned his head to grin at the cruncher of the fruit. Dominic (his Merry) shrugged and grinned back at him, flashing teeth with mashed-up apple bits between them.

"That's disgusting, Dom," Billy laughed, and took a bite of his own apple, keeping sure to chew close-mouthed. It was times like these that he almost felt like a true hobbit; curly hair and bare feet, munching an apple, and laughing in a tree with his best friend in the whole entire world.

Only he was reminded by the fancy equipment scattered around them and the rather uncomfortable way the harness poked into his arse, that they were on lunch break from filming and the two of them had elected to stay perched in Treebeard as usual while the crew ventured out in search of food.

They chewed in companionable silence for a while longer, and that was just fine with Billy. The days in Treebeard had grown to be some of his favorites thus far in filming, because it was just he and Dom against the world. During breaks when the crew left the three of them (Billy, Dom, and Treebeard) alone, those were the times that Billy learned the most about his friend, and likewise shared the most about himself. Through private jokes and shared stories they'd grown so in tune with one another that even during silent moments like this, Billy was aware of Dominic in a way he'd never been with anyone else.

"Tell me something, Bill," Dominic's words interrupted Billy’s thoughts, his eyes gleaming with genuine interest. "Tell me something about you that you've never told anyone else before, ever."

Randomly jumping into conversation was not unusual for Dominic, but Billy was slightly caught off-guard by the nature of the question.

"You already know everything there is to know about me, you git," Billy said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I can't know everything." Dominic rolled his eyes. "There's loads about me that you don't know yet."

"Loads, eh? Hmm." Billy pretended to consider, a glimmer of mischief in his eye that he knew that Dom would catch. "Some best friend you are, hiding secrets from me. I don't think I'll tell you anything, then." He nodded firmly and returned to his apple.

"Billy Boyd!" Dominic pouted, like a child denied a sweet. "I wouldn't say its loads you don't know exactly, just a few key pieces of information I'm saving for the opportune moment."

"Like now?" Billy asked. "I'll only tell something if you tell something. An 'I'll show you mine if you show me yours' kind of thing."

"Kinky!" Dominic grinned. "Deal, mate! You first, and then me. But try to keep it PG-13, this movie is not suitable for young children."

"Sod off," Billy laughed. He thought about what Dom might not know about him already. Embarrassment wasn't a factor anymore. He'd done more to embarrass himself in front of Dom than he'd care to think about, heaven knew. Billy searched the categories in his mind and- there, that was it. He had it.

"This is going to make me sound like a complete nutter, but..." Billy disclaimed, pausing to contemplate how to make Dominic understand. "I see the world... in a sort of 'system' you could say. Since I was a lad. I learned it in library lessons at school, and I just took in on and applied it to my life."

"What kind of system?" Dominic's forehead crinkled with curiosity, and he leaned toward Billy as much as his safety harness would allow.

"The one the library has for organizing books," Billy explained. "It was made by an American bloke called Melvil Dewey. The Dewey Decimal System. Do you recall that from primary school?"

"A bit. I think," Dominic's crinkles deepened as he tried to remember.

"S'really quite a brilliant thing, and anything you encounter in the whole world can be placed into the number scheme he's devised."

"Really? Like how?" Dominic was full of questions.

"Like you lot, for example. Take Elijah, all wide-eyed and eager when we arrived; he'd be placed into number 370, which is Education."He paused to see if Dominic was following. “And Astin, he’s easy. He's 160, that's Logic, and number 649, Child Rearing." Billy smiled. "Which carries over from Ali to the over-grown children on this film that he's taken to minding, whether we like it or not. Do you see what I mean?"

Dominic was silent, as he absorbed what Billy had told him. He slowly nodded.

"What about me?" Dom asked softly.

Billy examined his hands for a moment, not meeting Dominic's eyes when he said, "You're the only one I haven't quite gotten figured out just yet." Ever, he added silently. "So... don't tell anyone alright? Not even the boys. Especially the boys."

Dominic nodded in agreement.

"They won't understand like you do, and we know that's only because you're as much of a nutter as I am."

"I resemble that statement!" Dominic objected cheekily in a rather overdone American accent.

"Alright, ya tosser. Your turn to share." Billy rolled his eyes good-naturedly and shifted in his perch, curious to hear what Dominic would think up to tell him.

At that moment, a door opened across the soundstage and voices could be heard discussing camera angles and lighting.

"Well lookit that. Lunch must be over," Dominic gestured to the crew members filing back onto the set. "Looks like there's no time for me to tell my secret. Which is a bloody shame, cause I know you'd have enjoyed it. Guess we'll never know, huh?"

Dominic took the last bite from his apple, once more flashing teeth and mushed bits of fruit at Billy.



***************


116 Change

"Just a moment, I'm coming!" Billy called from his bedroom, placing a marker in his book and rising to answer the persistent knocking at his front door. The knocking took on a sort of rhythm as Billy neared, a musical beat that cued Billy in to who might be on the other side. One of the hobbits, he guessed. Or the elf.

Billy jumped back in surprise as the door swung open before his hand could touch the knob. Dominic burst inside, apparently too impatient for social norms.

"I've figured it out, Billy!" Dominic nodded eagerly, He stepped past Billy into the flat and beginning to pace the room excitedly.

Billy tried to think if he'd missed something along the way, or if he ought to know what 'it' was and why figuring 'it' out was apparently a great breakthrough, but as far as he could come up with Dom was just like this sometimes. Half the time Billy could read Dominic's mind, and the other half... well, he'd learned from experience that it was best to just go along with him, and sense was bound to come about eventually.

"Have you then?" Billy replied, hoping his question might fish some more details.

"I have!" Dominic paused, beaming at Billy. "It was really quite obvious once I knew where to look."

A smile quirked on Billy's lips. Well. Sometimes that worked, anyways.

"Dominic, as usual I haven't a bloody clue what you're talking about. What have you figured out and what has it got to do with me?'

"See! There you go again!" Dominic rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "That's what the problem's been all along, only I've just now figured it out." He finished this statement with a satisfied smirk, as if that ought to have made everything perfectly clear for Billy.

"Figured out what, Dominic?" Billy was beginning to think he was talking to himself.

"Figured out why you've been so dense, and no matter what I do, you just don't see."

"See what?" Billy was completely, utterly lost. "What're you on about, Dom?"

"I looked. I looked it up, and it's not IN there, Billy."

"What's not in where? Dominic, you aren't making any sense."

Wordlessly, Dom extended his arm, and it was only then that Billy noticed the book in his hand. Billy took the book and examined it. It was a thick volume with a black hardback cover, the title World Book Encyclopedia; Da to Di along its spine.

Billy raised questioning eyes to Dominic, whose own eyes had suddenly grown serious. When he spoke, his voice was soft.

"You see the world in pieces, Billy. Organized into neat little categories that fit your system. You see pieces of me. Many pieces of me." He chuckled softly. "More pieces of me than I think anyone else in the world could ever hope to see. But only pieces, and the biggest fucking piece, the one that's glaringly obvious to everyone we know but you is the one that you can't see at all."

Dom removed the book from Billy's motionless hands, and placed it on the end table beside them. He took a step towards Billy, and rested their foreheads together. Billy could only stand there, Dominic's words swirling in his ears trying to organize themselves so Billy could understand.

"So I've looked it up, see, and it seems this Dewey Decimal bloke doesn't have a category for fancying the pants off your best mate."

"You..." Billy whispered. He leaned back to study Dominic's face, "...I ... what?"

"Not everything worthwhile can be found in a book, you know," Dominic smiled, clearly amused by the look of complete concentration in Billy's eyes as he tried to sort it through. "Stop thinking, Billy. There's nothing more to figure out here, because I've done it for you, see."

Billy searched Dominic's shining blue-grey eyes for something solid, logical, orderly; something that he could classify and understand. But what he found was emotion he didn't know how to read.

Dominic wrapped his arms around Billy's waist, drawing them even closer. "We're in love, you and me, and this Dewey bloke obviously doesn't know anything about anything, or he wouldn't have left that out."

Dominic leaned forward and brushed his lips gently across Billy's. It was brief and chaste, but it filled Billy with so many wonderful things, and all at once it fell into place. Billy finally saw that disorder, in this case, made perfect and completely wonderful sense.

"We're in love," Billy whispered, wondering at the taste of the words, so new and unexpectedly true that they made no sense and perfect sense at the very same time.

"Now you've got it," Dominic grinned cheekily. "Now what does this Dewey fellow say about snogging? That's got to be in there somewhere. 'Mating Rituals' or summat? 'Sexual Practices of Oblivious Scotsmen'?"

Billy giggled and pressed his mouth to Dominic's, letting order and analysis and logic fly out the window for the very first time in his life. Because Billy was realizing that with Dominic around, he might need to leave his classification system in 930 (Ancient History), in favor of 536 (Heat) and 541 (Physical chemistry).