hannah_chapter1: (Invasion)
[personal profile] hannah_chapter1
Title: Same As It Ever Was Part I
Author: hannah_chapter
Pairing: Belldom
Rating: 18/NC-17
Summary: AU. Something is wrong in Matt Bellamy's life. In all his lives. He appears to move between worlds, but how? Which world is the real one? Is he just insane? And where does Dom Howard fit into all of this? Title taken from "Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads.
Disclaimer: I don't own Muse and this never happened.


And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself - Well...How did I get here?


Talking Heads - "Once in a Lifetime"


Matt opens his eyes, not sure where he is at first. He's been having those dreams again. Each one is different but, in some ways, they are all the same. The man in his dreams - who is he? Matt never sees his face but it's always the same man, he knows it, he can feel it. But what does it all mean? Matt rubs the sleep from his eyes and gets out of bed. Maybe he should go see someone about this, a psychiatrist or something.

He puts on his clothes and goes downstairs. Mandy is standing by the sink, finishing her coffee.

"You're up early. I didn't think you'd be up before nine, I would have made you something."

"It's fine, I'll do it myself. You off?"

"In a couple of minutes."

She puts her cup in the sink and grabs her handbag. She kisses his cheek on the way out.

"See you later."

He hears the front door open, then Mandy swearing and the click of her heels as she comes back to the kitchen.

"Something wrong?"

"Howard's parked his car across our drive again. Will you go talk to him, Matt? I can't deal with him, not this early in the morning."

Matt sighs. 8.30 in the morning and the day is already ruined. He should have stayed in bed, not that it would have helped. Mandy would have come up and dragged him out of it. He goes outside and bangs on his neighbour's door. It flies open and Matt comes face to face with a very irate Dom Howard. Dom sneers when he sees Matt.

"Bellamy. What the fuck do you want?"

"I want you to move your car,"

"Do what, now?"

"Are you deaf? Move your fucking car! Mandy needs to go to work."

"She has to go and make the money, since you're too lazy. Don't you think it's a bit much, expecting your girlfriend to support you while you spend all day sitting on your arse?"

"I told you before, I have a job. I teach piano and I work from home. Not that it's any business of yours."

"Oh yeah, that's right. Matthew Bellamy, the great musician, thinks he's better than the rest of us."

"Just move the car, will you?"

Matt turns back to his own house. Still looking over his shoulder at Dom, he walks right into his own bin. The bin falls over and Matt goes down on one knee. Dom starts clapping and

....Matt

.....can

....feel

himself blushing as Dom claps and cheers. He looks down at the piano for a second, pulling himself together.

"Stop it, I wasn't that good."

"Good? You were amazing! You should be in a fancy concert hall with an orchestra. Playing in a dump like this will be a waste of your talent."

"Does that mean I got the job?"

"It's not much of a job, but yeah, if you want it. Tell you what: there's a spare room upstairs, so you can have free bed and board, you help out behind the bar when we're busy, I'll pay extra for that and you keep any tips you get. Sound fair?"

"More that fair." Matt looks around. "Is all this yours?"

"Nah, I just run it. I drifted into town a few years ago, got hired by the owner, now I'm the manager. The big boss man stays at home and counts the money, I'm free to do things my way. Everyone's happy."

Matt looks up at him and Dom falls silent as blue eyes meet grey ones. The tension between them has been building all night, ever since Matt walked in, ordered a beer and asked about a job and Dom agreed to give him an audition after closing time. Now, as they look into each other's eyes, it finally boils over. Matt stands, kicks the piano stool to one side and then they're in each other's arms, mouths fused together, hands sliding under shirts. Matt cries out when Dom's lips leave his and begin to move down his throat. It's hard to form a coherent sentence when the other man is touching him like this, but he does his best.

"I think .... we should .... bedroom..."

Dom stops kissing him. "I have a better idea."

He grabs Matt's hand and leads him over to the pool table. Matt giggles.

"Are you serious?"

"I know it's weird, but I've always wanted to do it on a pool table."

"Kinky."

Dom pushes Matt onto the table and moves between his legs. "You complaining?"

Matt moans as their erections grind together. "Wouldn't dream of it."

They kiss again. And again. Dom pulls away and unbuttons his jeans. Matt follows suit, kicking off his shoes and pulling off his jeans and underwear. Dom, jeans and boxers around his ankles, moves between Matt's legs again. He's got a tube in his hand now.

"Where did that come from?"

"My pocket."

"You always carry lube around with you?"

"No, I got this out of the bathroom cabinet about an hour ago."

"How did you know you'd actually need it?"

"I didn't, I just hoped I would. It's always good to be prepared, don't you think?"

"Definitely."

Dom offers the tube to Matt. "Get yourself ready. I want to watch. I want to see those long fingers sliding inside you."

Matt is happy to oblige, taking the lube and smearing it over his fingers. He puts on a show, spreading his legs and moaning as he prepares himself. Dom likes what he sees, if the way he's stroking himself and licking his lips is any indication. Finally, Matt can take no more. He pulls his fingers out and lies back on the table.

"Please." Voice soaked with desire. "I need you inside me."

Dom graps the lube from the table where Matt dropped it and slicks up his cock. Matt bites his lip as Dom enters him and begins to move.. It's been so long and the other man feels so good inside him. But it's not perfect - not yet. In all the excitement, neither man thought to remove his shirt and that's what Matt wants: he wants to feel skin on skin. He pulls at the bottom of Dom's shirt until he gets the idea. Dom stills inside Matt as he pulls his shirt off in one fluid motion and Matt sits up to do the same. Lying back down on the pool table, Matt puts one hand on Dom's stomach, feeling the muscles there tighten and relax as the other man moves again. He strokes his cock with the other. Matt's back rubs against the felt of the pool table as Dom fucks him, the sensation unlike anything he's felt before. Dom thrusts faster, faster still - then  he cries out, nails digging into Matt's hips as he comes. Matt's almost there, he knows it - but then it all goes wrong. Matt screams as a monstrous bolt of pain rips through his head. The sound scares the shit out of Dom and he

....looks

....down

....at

his patient.

"How are we today, Matthew?"

"Tied to a bed, Doctor, same as yesterday."

Doctor Howard pushes his glasses up on his nose. "Yes, I am sorry about that."

"Then let me out."

"You know I can't."

"Of course you can. Just undo the little buckle here and - "

"It's not that simple Matthew, you know that. You're a danger to yourself and a danger to others. I can't take the risk."

"Oh, come on. I'm as sane as the next man. They put me in here. Are they paying you to keep me locked up?"

"Here we go again. What will it be today? More conspiracy theories? Or are you going to tell me about these other worlds, the other versions of you that your mind jumps into? Not very original, is it? Sounds a bit Quantum Leap to me."

"Don't you laugh at me."

"I'm not laughing at you, Matthew, of that you can be sure."

"Yes you are. But I'm telling the truth. I know it - and so do you."

"Truth? You want truth? Alright. The truth is, you're a very sick man. You've done terrible things, Matthew. Really terrible things. You need to forget about these other worlds and accept this one thing. That's the first step on the road to recovery."

"You are so full of shit, Doctor."

"Well, on that point we'll just have to agree to disagree. But I won't give up on you, Matthew. I know you can be well again, if you're really want it. But, for the time being, the restraints stay on. It's for the best, don't you think?"

The doctor walks away. He's almost at the door when Matt calls his name.

"Dom!"

Dom stops. How does the patient know that? How does he know his first name and that he prefers to be called Dom? Could he be telling the - no! Impossible. One of the orderlies must have told him, simple as that. Dom starts

....to

....say

....something

but Matt can't hear him over the roar of the guns. Things have gone to shit and they're the only two still alive. Dom grabs his arm and points. Matt gets the message. All the other escape routes are blocked. There's only one way to go and they run down the narrow street. They are seen, of course, and they hear shouts as the man chasing them get closer. Dom wheels around and fires blindly. They hear a scream as they pick up the pace.

The sounds behind them begin to fade and they're safe - for now. Taking refuge in a bombed out building, they spend the night in each others' arms, talking. They're too keyed up to sleep but can't quite summon the energy to do anything else. The sun finally rises. Dom stretches and gets up. Leaving his gun on the floor by Matt,  he goes to the window - well, the hole where the window used to be - and looks out.

"I think we're clear, Matt. We were lucky."

"Yes we were. But, then again, we always are."

"What are you getting at?"

"Don't you think it's strange, the way all our operations go to shit?"

"How is that lucky?"

"Well, like I said, every operation fails, we always lose men, someone always gets hurt. But I never do. You never do."

"Is there a point to all this?"

"Oh, there's a point alright. No plan is perfect, I'll give you that much, some are bound to fail. But when they all fail, something starts to smell bad, especially when two people always walk away without a scratch. One of them must be a traitor. I know it's not me - it has to be you."

"You can't be serious."

"Can't I?"

Dom backs away as Matt picks up his gun. "Matt, please, you don't want to do this."

"No, I don't. But I'm going to, just as soon as you confess."

"But I didn't do it!"

"Wrong answer." Matt shoots the floor by Dom's feet and the other man jumps back. "Tell me the truth and I'll make it quick. Lie and I'll blow your fingers and toes off first."

"Okay, okay, it was me! But I never betrayed you! Everything I did, it was all for you, it was the only way to keep you alive. But I had to give them something. Don't you think I would have saved the others if I could?"

Matt takes aim, planning to put the bullet right between his lover's eyes.

"Don't do this. Please. I love you."

"I love you too. This hurts me, more than you know. But I have to do this. A lot of men have died because of you, Dom. Good men, good friends. You have to answer for that."

Matt's finger tightens on the trigger but, before he can fire, the world explodes and he

....falls

....on

....his


side, right beside his bin.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Bellamy?"

"Wrong?"

"Fucking hell, did your brain leak out when you fell? You've been kneeling like that for at least five minutes. And it's not the first time you've shut down like this."

Matt stares at him, he has no idea what's going on. But, for some reason, he's thinking about his dreams again. Was he just dreaming. Dreaming awake? Dom throws up his hands in disgust and goes back to move his car.

"You're losing it, Bellamy. You need to get help."

As Matt picks up the bin, he thinks the other man might actually be right about something for once.

Date: 2011-02-17 06:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] elfyne.livejournal.com
Whoa. Words kinda fail me right now, this is a fantastic idea for a fic. :o Such an awesome start, I can't wait to see where this is going!

Damn, how can every single fic of yours be so brilliant?

Date: 2011-02-18 12:38 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Thank you! It's going to go quite a few places actually, might even explore other worlds in the next chapter.
Every fic? *blushes* thank you, what a lovely thing to say. Can I just say how much I love "In Dreams" - I'm always so happy to see an update of that, it's the story I drop everything to read.

Date: 2011-02-17 06:52 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dolce-piccante.livejournal.com
jesus that was a mind trip! it was like belldom inception lol but wow. some of the scenes were so shocking (was matt getting electroshock therapy?) but the way you wrote him tumbling further into these hallucinations (dreams?) was great. intriguing! :)

Date: 2011-02-18 12:47 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Thanks. Electroshock therapy? Maybe, later parts might explain that (don't want to give away too much too soon!).

Date: 2011-02-17 07:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] staticoma.livejournal.com
HEADFUCK. This is amazing, I love how quickly things change and yet it still kind of makes sense, but at the same time it's completely frantic, almost like we're Matt and we're having it happen to us, as well. Now I can't help but wonder which one is real, or if they're all real, or if none of them are.

You're brilliant. <3

Date: 2011-02-18 12:52 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Headfuck? thank you, that's just what I'm going for. As to which one is real, I want to keep that vague for a bit, explain it slowly.

Date: 2011-02-17 07:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] glorious-rumor.livejournal.com
WE HAVE TO GO DEEPER!

(I felt obligated to say that, sorry.)

This is really cool. It's such a unique idea for a story. And I have to agree with [livejournal.com profile] staticoma up there - the way that you've formatted this makes it feel like we're really experiencing the same back-and-forth as Matt.

Excellent start. You are absolutely amazing!

Date: 2011-02-18 01:04 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Thanks. It's good to hear the back and forth is working. If this was a film or a show, I could do all kinds of camera tricks to get the point across, but here I just had to try and keep it simple and hope it worked.

Date: 2011-02-17 07:38 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] head-o-rainbows.livejournal.com
Bows at your feet. You are brillant! Oh my God! I loved every minute of it!
You pulled us in and I'm gonna go nuts if I don't get more!

Date: 2011-02-18 01:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Thanks so much! Oh don't worry, you'll get more.

Date: 2011-02-17 07:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] muse-manticore.livejournal.com
WOW! this is amazing and brilliant!

Pool table eh? hehehe


MORE!!!

Date: 2011-02-18 01:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Thanks. Yes, pool table. I actually posted that as a prompt on mkmeme (I know it's supposed to be anonymous, but what the hell) and it hasn't been filled yet, as far as I know, so I thought I'd just do it myself.

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Date: 2011-02-17 07:54 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] herverylowness.livejournal.com
Woah! Love this! And i love that song just so you know, it's amazing!

Date: 2011-02-18 01:13 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Thank you, I know, it's such a great song.

Date: 2011-02-17 08:03 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] syntonicmemory.livejournal.com
This is amazing! Such an ambitious premise for a series fic. My personal favorite was the second to last scene - so much tension!

I'm incredibly excited to see where you'll be taking this!

Date: 2011-02-18 01:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Thanks so much. Each chapter will have to be put together carefully so it all fits together and actually makes sense, so the updates might be slow - but they will come.

Date: 2011-02-17 08:04 pm (UTC)
ext_1190902: (Default)
From: [identity profile] easilyglorious.livejournal.com
Brilliant start, so intriguing and fast-paced. The jumps from one world to another were so fluid though, despite the complexity!!

I can't wait to see where this is going next!

WELL DONE!
<333333333

Date: 2011-02-18 01:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
*hugs* Thank you. I just hope the whole thing will keep making sense as I go along.

Date: 2011-02-17 08:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] altogingenting.livejournal.com
Oh my fucking god! I'm in love with this!

You are amazing, everything you write is incredible!

I love the way the worlds changes, Matt's confusion and just everything about this fic! It's perfect! I'm really really really looking forwards to more!

Date: 2011-02-18 01:20 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Thanks so much. It's good to have people following it even when it's confusing.

Date: 2011-02-17 08:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] muserlegend.livejournal.com
woahwoahwoah
That was... fucking weird, but wow, thats asstounding. each scenario was stunning, and so strange, but so clever how this all fits together, looking forward to finding out more, amazing :)

Date: 2011-02-18 01:27 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Thanks so much, that's so good to hear because it took a lot of sitting around and thinking before I could actually sit down to start this.

Date: 2011-02-17 09:48 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chibichi15.livejournal.com
O.O

Wow......that was intense! I can't believe I actually followed all that; it was REALLY good! <3

Date: 2011-02-18 01:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Thank you. And thanks for taking a chance on it!

Date: 2011-02-17 10:14 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kaylbunny.livejournal.com
Oooh, brain-twisty. Love this idea.

Date: 2011-02-18 01:32 pm (UTC)

Date: 2011-02-17 10:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] stefanyeah.livejournal.com
Wow. You know those clever things that you wished you could have come up with yourself?

Yeah… Pretty much that.

Date: 2011-02-18 01:33 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Woah, really? Thanks so much!

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Date: 2011-02-17 10:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] contradddiction.livejournal.com
Absolutely incredible.
This is such an interesting idea and you've pulled it off so amazingly well!
I can't wait for more!
I want more right now!

I'll be hanging out for the next update. :D

Date: 2011-02-18 01:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Thank you. I try not to make promises with updates because I'm so all over the place with my stories, but I'll have it up ... soon.

Date: 2011-02-17 10:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tigmouse.livejournal.com
OMG!! Fascinating! And horney too !! FTW :-)

Date: 2011-02-18 01:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Haha, thank you! Horny is good!

Date: 2011-02-18 12:30 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] millionstar.livejournal.com
Fuck me sideways.

I ADORE this song (and Talking Heads) so I was stoked to see this. And the way you've executed this is nothing short of BRILLIANT. Ugh, it flows so well, from one scene to the next... and I can't wait to see where this goes!

*claps, cheers, stamps feet*

Date: 2011-02-18 01:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Thanks so much. I know, it's such a brilliant song. Nothing else sounds like it, even today. I was on a bus about a month ago and it popped up on shuffle and it just got me thinking, I make a story out of this.

Date: 2011-02-18 03:03 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] starlight-myth.livejournal.com
I have no idea what to say to this. You've rendered me speechless with this. But, OH MY FUCKING GOD!

This is just brilliance! How do you come up with such awesome plots? When I read the first shift in scene, I admit I was confused but then I kept reading and it made so much. Well, the plot is still suspense. It was like reading Inception or something like that.

And when it came back to him falling next to bin I was 'Oh shit!'

This is just awesome! Gah! Please update soon!

Date: 2011-02-18 01:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
*hugs* Thanks so much. This is an idea I've been kicking around for about a month. I spent all last week trying to write new chapters of other stories and getting really pissed off when they just wouldn't come together. So I decided to try this instead and it came together quite well.

Date: 2011-02-18 11:39 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ashamedbliss.livejournal.com
fuuuuuuuuuck this is like Time Traveller's Wife but much more awesome and slightly less confusing :DD

SERIOUSLY IS THERE ANY LIMIT TO YOUR CREATIVITY? I seriously squealed out loud when I first saw that you posted this :D

I seriously CANNOT WAIT FOR MORE!

*hugs tight*

Date: 2011-02-18 01:53 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
*hugs back* Thank you. I've heard of Time Traveller's wife, but I've never seen it or read the book. But I've always been a fan of things that mess with your head, so I thought I'd try one of my own.

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Date: 2011-02-18 08:55 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] engel-sehnsucht.livejournal.com
Oh wow - such a fricking amazing idea for a fic! :D I love this so much already, it's intriguing!

Btw... friends? :3

Date: 2011-02-19 01:33 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Thanks so much, so glad you like it!

Friends? Absolutely!

Date: 2011-02-19 11:23 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fishofpwoper.livejournal.com
I love this. I absolutely love this idea. I love the way you've written it, and everything about it just makes so much... non-sense! *flail flail*
This is really, really, REALLY good. <3 <3 <3

Date: 2011-02-19 01:48 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Thank you! I want it to make sense, but in a very confusing way...

Date: 2011-02-19 01:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] soleiloublie.livejournal.com
LOVED this. Can't wait for the next one!

Date: 2011-02-19 05:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Thanks, I'll try to have it up soon

Date: 2011-02-20 08:12 pm (UTC)
mjartrod: (Default)
From: [personal profile] mjartrod
wow! what a start!
this has amazing potential - it's been a long time since a new story at MS has left me so excited.

now update please and dont leave us hanging lol!

Date: 2011-02-20 10:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Well thank you, that's quite a compliment. Don't worry, I will update.

Date: 2015-09-02 08:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tamarelmensdorp.livejournal.com

"Title taken from "Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads." you might not believe it, but I heard that sing in my head when I read the title. *0*.


OMG this is fantastic! OOOOOOOOO. How, what ... I don't even know anymore. Awestruck.

Date: 2015-10-11 12:23 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hannah-chapter.livejournal.com
Thank you - the song was the inspiration for the story, I used to get inspired by songs a lot

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