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Domina awoke from another restless slumber. Despite it having already been a while since the final battle against his father - Innocent Zero - he still frequently had nightmares about the pain of death. It was hard to shake off, even if he was alive now.
He glanced at the clock and decided to start getting ready for the day. It wasn't as if he'd be able to get back to sleep anyways. He didn't have to be careful or quiet because he didn't have a roommate.
Even at Walkis, where everyone claimed to be the strongest, people were scared of him.
Even more so after Innocent Zero almost destroyed the world. Most people hated all those related to Innocent Zero for a while after that - many still do. Domina himself was the object of many people's hate and scorn. He was the only one of his family that wasn't imprisoned after all
(If you didn't consider Cell War)
Over the past few months he's had more people talk to him than the rest of his life. Well- most of them only spoke to him to insult him, but his point still stood.
It hurt in a way.
Domina brushed his hair absentmindedly. He felt like he was forgetting something. As if today was some sort of significant day or something of the sort. He shrugged it off. If he's forgotten it then it must not be that important.
Maybe he'd ask someone later.
When he was done getting ready, he just sat there for a while. He found himself doing this often. Sitting there, staring out the window at the setting moon. Not really thinking or doing anything. Not having the motivation to do anything.
He used to push himself to ‘improve’ for his father. He would devote time to train and study, ignoring his friends - if he could've called them that at that point. Even now they were still in a somewhat awkward phase.
This was mainly due to Domina's own social incompetence, but also due to them often not knowing how to act around him now. He sometimes still snapped and attacked them, but that was pretty normal in Walkis.
But that didn't mean he didn't feel uncomfortable when they looked scared or pitiful.
They should fear him. He didn't need pity.
…
He was tired of thinking that way.
He supposed that what he really wanted was connection. Affection. But he was scared to let people in. He was scared to feel the betrayal of realising you're not needed anymore.
It hurt.
《 ~ • ♡ • ~ 》
Domina eventually decided to go for a walk.
He'd rarely go for walks, fearing that he would encounter someone that he didn't want to. Like one of his haters. However he'd read somewhere that it was good for calming oneself and clearing one's head.
He strolled down the long, empty hallways of Walkis, basking in the remaining moonlight, being greeted by the morning sun. It felt calming to have no-one around, but lonely to be so alone.
Contradictory, isn't it?
“Domina? You're up early.” He heard a voice from behind him. He turned to see Charles Contini, the mom friend - literally.
The guy is more obsessed with his mom than Domina was with his dad. That's saying a lot.
“Good morning Charles.” Domina greeted him politely. “I was just going on a walk to get some fresh air.”
“I see. May I join you?” Charles asked. Domina simply nodded in response.
So Charles joined Domina's walk. They ambled about until they reached the Walkis's rooftop gardens. It was a place with a spectacular view, unobstructed by anything but clouds.
One was able to see both the rise of the sun and the setting of the moon from the rooftop during the morning. The sunset and moonrise in the evening.
Nothing less than what is to be expected of one of the best magic academies.
“Hey Charles?” Domina began as he looked out to the horizon. “I feel like today was an important day or something. Did I forget any important events?”
Maybe he forgot someone's birthday.
Domina didn't quite understand the significance of a birthday, it was simply the day you were brought into existence. The day that most people left their mother's womb.
(He and his siblings were the exception)
He knew it couldn't be Charles's birthday due to having celebrated it 2 days ago. It also couldn't have been Lévis's. His birthday was on an odd date. The 29th of February.
Maybe it was someone else's…? Or maybe it was just a silly feeling he had. It could also be a completely unrelated event.
“...you don't remember?” Charles asked, looking mildly incredulous. Domina racked his mind a little more before shaking his head, feeling slightly guilty.
“Did I forget someone's birthday?” He asked quietly. Charles didn't reply for a while.
“You'll figure it out.” The older boy eventually said, before leaving Domina on the roof.
So he did forget someone's birthday…
But who?
《 ~ • ♡ • ~ 》
Domina didn't have anything to do today. It was a weekend and he didn't have any extra classes. He also didn't feel like studying, his brain felt like it was filled with fuzz.
Therefore, he decided that he could do a little snooping to try to figure out who's birthday it was…
Or so he thought.
But he couldn't find anyone. It was as if they had all disappeared! Well, all those who were nice to him that was. All the haters were still around.
Domina tried to avoid them.
He wondered where everyone went. Maybe they were preparing for the mystery person's birthday or something? Then why didn't they invite him to help? Was he too violent for this kind of work? Then why wasn't Lévis, Galuf and Malcolm around either?
Were they purposefully excluding him from something?
No. They wouldn't… right?
Domina took deep breaths. He wasn't going to spiral into the whirlpool of negative thoughts. His therapist talked about this with him - not that he wanted to, but he still did it regardless.
What was he told to do again?
Breath in for 4. Hold for 8. Out for 7. Repeat…
Breath in for 4. Hold for 8. Out for 7. Repeat…
Breath in for 4. Hold for 8. Out for 7. Repeat…
Breath in for 4. Hold for 8. Out for 7. Repeat…
After a while he felt better. That damned therapist actually was helpful. He only went because Wahlberg Baigan had told him to and because his father said that he didn't need to. He was in his rebellious phase though so he went out of spite.
He only went once a month though. He refused to go every week like Wahlberg wanted him to. Again, he was in his rebellious phase.
“Domina, what are you doing just standing there?” He whirled around to see Lévis. Then he spluttered a little because his hair got into his mouth. The blond chuckled.
“Lév… I was uh-” Domina was at a loss for words. He didn't quite know how to explain what he was doing. The other boy simply laughed a little more, causing Domina to flush in embarrassment.
“Anyways, you looked bored. Want to uhm- hang out?” Lévis offered. Domina was surprised. Even after balancing the precarious rift between him and his friends, he rarely hung out with them.
This was new.
Domina liked this new.
“Sure.” He replied. “I'll meet you at the front of the school in half an hour if that's alright? I want to change into something more casual.”
Lévis nodded. “Sounds good to me.”
《 ~ • ♡ • ~ 》
Domina rummaged through his closet. He didn't know what to wear! He barely left the school, especially if he didn't have to. And when he did he wore inconspicuous clothing, so as not to get noticed.
Why was he trying so hard…?
He shook his head and put on a random shirt then threw on a jacket over it and pulled on some track pants. He braided his hair in hopes of looking less recognisable. He grabbed a mask to hide his mark ( his most identifiable trait ) before going to the front of the school.
“Sorry if I kept you waiting!” Domina stumbled his way down the front steps of Walkis before affixing at the gate, where Lévis was waiting.
“You didn't.” Lévis wasn't smiling, but he rarely genuinely did. Domina knew that the blond wasn't upset though. He'd learnt to read the small changes in the body language of each of his friends.
“Come on. There's a cafe that I stumbled across a while back that I think you'd like.”
《 ~ • ♡ • ~ 》
After flying away from the school and towards the town nearby, they landed next to an alleyway that led away from the bustling main street. It looked suspicious to the normal person but Domina wasn't a normal person.
His definition of suspicious was way out of pocket. Like people would normally consider following someone into a dark alleyway suspicious, but Domina finds that kind of sweet. Alleyways tended to be dark and quiet places, commonly devoid of people. Calming.
But if someone offering pudding ever came up to him he'd run away faster than Mash running from any form of mental work.
He wondered what Mash was doing.
“Domina, come on. The cafe is just down here.” Lévis gestured around a corner, letting Domina go first.
Domina turned the corner and saw a quaint little cafe, standing out in contrast to its murky surroundings with its warm and weathered colours. It looked like it had been there a while.
He followed Lévis inside and took a while to appreciate the interior. It wasn't very large, but it felt cosy, almost like what a home should feel like.
Lived in, loved.
He wondered how the other boy came across this place. He wasn't the kind to explore and most definitely wouldn't enter a cosy place like this willingly.
“In case you were wondering- Kenny recommended this place to me after dragging me here once.” Lévis muttered bashfully. Domina blinked in surprise. He must have accidentally said it out loud or something.
“Hi there! Can I help ya?” A woman called from the counter, she was a single liner but her hair looked really fluffy. Domina kind of wanted to pet it. He squinted to read her name card.
‘Shellie’
That was a nice name he supposed. Better than his own. The person smiled kindly at them as Lévis led Domina to the counter to look at the menu.
His eyes practically lit up when he saw that the menu was filled with all sorts of apple related foods. He heard his friend chuckle but was too fixated on trying to pick something to eat.
“You can pick more than one.” Lévis assured him, as if reading his mind. Domina glowed as he turned back to the menu. He supposed it was fine to pick what he wanted if Lévis said he could.
“... that's all.” Domina finished listing off the food that he wanted, and took out his coin pouch to pay but Lévis beat him to it. “Are you sure? I can pay you back.” The other boy shook his head.
“Nah it's fine. It's my treat.”
Shellie smiled at them. “Alright kiddos, I'll have yer food in a few. You can go find a place to sit first, I'll deliver yer food later.” Domina just realised that Shellie had an odd accent. He wondered where she was from but knew it'd likely be considered insensitive to ask. ( And he was shy )
“Corben! Ya heard the kids!” Shellie yelled to the kitchen, earning a grumble in response. Then she went to the back to probably wake this ‘Corben’.
Domina looked around, trying to decide where was the best place to sit. He eventually decided on a table beside a window which was tucked into a snug corner.
Beams of sunlight streamed through the window, not too overwhelming despite being midday due to the buildings nearby casting a shadow over the cafe. However the lighting set a nice atmosphere and Domina felt at ease.
“Enjoying yourself?” Lévis eventually asked. That was odd. Lévis never asked such ‘kind’ questions. He shrugged it off as an odd event that was probably never going to occur again. He nodded to answer the other's question.
“Lévis, you said that Kenny recommended this cafe to you?” Domina said the first thing on his mind in an attempt to keep the conversation going.
“Yea. Kenny said that he was exploring the other day with Galuf, then they stumbled across this place.” Lévis gestured around.
“They were probably looking for drugs or something.” Domina joked. The other boy scoffed in what appeared to be agreement.
“You know what Kenny said to me when he and Galuf were telling me about this cafe?” Lévis rolled his eyes as Domina listened attentively. “He said ‘The food here is very apple-tising.’ Always making bad jokes. He could have tried to come up with something better at least…”
Domina giggled. He found the joke funny, even if Lévis didn't. He thinks this is the happiest he's felt in a while.
“Yer food is ready kiddos!” Their conversation was interrupted by Shellie walking out of the kitchen with trays of food. ( Mainly Domina's ). She placed each of their orders on the table. She then set down a teacup in front of each of them and poured them a cup.
“If y'all need anythin’ just ring the bell at the counter yea? I'll be out back.” Then she left.
Domina's jaw dropped slightly at the sight of the food. Everything had apples as some part of it. He loved apples. The food was also presented very well, making it look very appetising ( just as Kenny had said it was ).
He bit into one of the (complementary) candied apples, feeling super happy as the sugar melted on his tongue. The apple itself was soft and sweet, easy to eat and absolutely delightful.
Safe to say Domina enjoyed himself.
《 ~ • ♡ • ~ 》
After that, they strolled around town for a bit. Domina picked up a lot of small trinkets from store vendors. Something that amused him was the frequency that he saw merch related to Mash. That's what happens when you save the world he supposed. Everyone loves you.
Everyone will always hate those who were once on the villains side. No matter how much they've changed.
They ran into Malcolm at one point, he was at a bakery collecting a …cake?
That reminded Domina, he still didn't know who's birthday it was. Maybe he could ask Lèvis after the other boy was done talking to Malcolm.
Long story short, he got bored waiting and wandered off into a toy store. It was huge, storing an innumerable number of toys - both magical and non. He was entranced by the moving gadgets and fluffy plushies.
He wandered over to the soft toys, squishing them and petting them. He wanted to get one. Maybe he could buy one for this mysterious birthday person while he was at it.
A ‘buy one get one free’ deal soon caught his eye. On the shelf that was labelled this, there were a lot of roundish toys, the kinds that you could probably fit your head into their mouths.
Domina picked up a shark toy. Its teeth reminded him of Lévis's. He smiled a little. He'd get this for himself and for this mysterious birthday person…
He looked at a narwhal plush. Maybe this would remind the birthday person of him. Yea, this would be a good choice.
“Domina, where were you?” Lévis asked when Domina walked back towards the bakery. The other boy looked slightly upset.
“...sorry. I got distracted by the toy store.” Domina said apologetically. He probably made Lévis worry by disappearing like that. The blond in question sighed.
“Did you get anything?”
Domina held up a paper bag in response, inside were the toys he purchased. He took out the shark to show to Lévis.
“It has teeth like you.” He gestured to the shark's mouth. Lévis scoffed. He giggled at the blond's reaction.
It was fun hanging out with him.
《 ~ • ♡ • ~ 》
After finishing up a bit more shopping and buying some more snacks from store vendors, they were flying back to Walkis. Domina yawned. He was getting tired, today had been an eventful day. At this point he was barely paying attention to where he was going and following Lévis.
When he did look up and observe his surroundings, they were somewhere unfamiliar. It didn't look like the way back to Walkis.
“Lévis, where are we going?” Domina asked while holding back another yawn. The other boy looked back at him.
“It's a surprise.” He replied. They flew a bit more in silence. It wasn't one of those awkward silences. It was one of those comfortable ones. The gentle ones.
And it also wasn't entirely silent, there was the sound of birds chirping, a river flowing in the distance, the wind blowing past their faces. Lévis broke the silence.
“Domina, it's alright for you to take off your mask now, we're not going to go anywhere public.” The blonde slowed down his broom enough to fly beside Domina and took off his face mask, accidentally causing Domina's braid to come undone.
“...are you sure?” He hesitantly inquired. Lévis nodded.
“We're almost there, come on.” And with that they picked up speed. Domina laughed a little when they flew into a cloud, and water condensed on his face.
When they found their way out of the cloud, Domina noticed that they were at Easton Academy. He wondered why. He then remembered that it was someone's birthday today. And he still didn't know who.
“Lévis, who's birthday is it today?” Domina asked, hoping that Lévis wouldn't dodge the question like Charles earlier that day.
“...are you stupid?” The other boy eventually said as they were landing. Domina tilted his head. Was it someone important? It couldn't be Mash's, his was at the end of the year. And Wahlberg's was in the middle of the year.
“Oh my god, you actually don't remember.” Lévis said in shock as he led Domina through the halls of Easton.
“I'm sorry…” Domina looked down. They stopped in front of a door and Lévis pushed Domina's chin up so that he wasn't staring at the floor.
“Don't be, dummy. It's your birthday today.”
Oh.
Oh .
Domina's jaw dropped slightly when he realised. Lévis opened the door and the rest of his friends were there, along with Mash and his friends, even Lovie was there despite not being fully recovered from his illness. ( Lance also brought along Anna, Rayne Ames looked like he'd been dragged there by Finn )
“SURPRISE!!”
Domima stood there in shock. There were people willing to go through the trouble of preparing a party for someone like him ? Why was he struggling to breathe…?
“Hey, are you okay?”
He blinked away his slightly blurry vision and saw Mash there, holding out a hand in concern. “W-what?”
“You're crying.”
He was?
Domina raised a hand to his face and felt the tears streaming down his face. He frantically rubbed his tears away.
“I- I'm just really happy. I didn't think t- that anyone would care.” He sobbed. Mash hugged him - surprisingly gently - and pet his head. ( He's touch starved )
Others eventually joined to make one giant group hug. It was warm.
He supposed that birthdays could be special.
《 ~ • ♡ • ~ 》
“Did you know that I actually bought two toys instead of one because I thought I should give the birthday person a present?” Domina told Lévis after the party, and he took out the narwhal plush.
“...You are so stupid.”
“I named them! The narwhal will be Wally and the shark will be Levie!” Domina beamed. Lévis's eye twitched. “Levie is short for Leviathan.” He finished, trying not to laugh at Lévis's reaction.
“Dummy."