Chapter Text
“Prisoner 619, it’s time to go.”
Dominik feels almost like he’s in a daze as he follows the officer down the familiar off-white hallways. It still feels unreal that this is happening. After 3 long years in this place, he’s finally getting out.
When his parole hearing came up about a month ago, his hopes weren’t very high. Not because there were any glaring reasons he shouldn’t get paroled. Dominik is actually considered one of the more productive and well-behaved prisoners, if you can believe it. No, it wasn’t the worry over his prison record that made him believe he wouldn’t be getting out, it was the fact that up until this point, nothing has normally gone his way in life. So, when it came back that the parole board had approved the request, he had been in a state of shock. That shock had carried over the last few weeks. Honestly, he had been waiting for the other shoe to drop, for something to not go through with his paperwork, for something to change with the conditions of his release. But nothing happened, and now here he is.
As he stands in the office of the prison, Dom feels like he’s doing something foreign by signing his name to all the release papers. You don’t think about that, about how barely having to sign your name for three years can make it feel so strange once you finally do. The discharge officer walks him over to an empty room and hands over a box, telling him to take however long he needs to change. This is a strange feeling now too, changing while completely alone, in a room that has a door that locks.
Dom pulls open the box and takes out the clothes he was wearing when he was originally brought in. Who knew they actually kept this stuff? They don’t exactly fit right anymore, the t-shirt is too tight in the chest and arms and he has to force the jeans on like he’s some hipster wearing skinny jeans. There weren’t too many ways to pass the time in prison, working out was one of the only ones Dom found interest in, at least he has one positive thing to show from the last 3 years.
The officer gives him a folder with a ton of information about his parole, letting him know when and where to meet with his parole officer in the coming days. “If you don’t keep up with the conditions of your release, you’ll end up right back here.” The officer gives a stern warning before leading Dom towards the exit.
They go through multiple doors and checkpoints before it’s finally the last one. The officer pushes the final door open and gives him a firm pat on the shoulder, “Enjoy your freedom, Mysterio.”
It might be sad, but Dominik thinks the view of the prison parking lot may be the most beautiful view he’s ever seen. No wall, no fences, no guards to watch his every move, just an expanse of blacktop and freedom. He’s so caught up in taking in this new feeling that he almost misses the man leaning against the shiny red truck waiting for him.
Dominik slowly approaches the vehicle, unsure exactly how to interact with the man now that there aren’t multiple guards watching them.
“It’s good to see you outside of this place, son.” Rey holds his arms out to Dom, the emotion clear on his face. He decides to appease his dad and give him a quick hug, trying to ignore how weird it feels to have this kind of physical contact with anyone, especially him.
“It’s good to see you too, dad.” Those aren’t words he thought he would ever say, but the last three years have changed a lot for the younger Mysterio. He grew up a lot in prison, he had to let a lot of old grudges go if he wanted to survive his time locked up. It was made easier by the fact that despite their estrangement, his parents were his only consistent visitors over the last few years. His so-called “family” had left him high and dry, but he doesn’t want to think about that right now.
His dad ushers him into the truck, making a quip about him obviously needing new clothes. Dom can tell that Rey is trying to break the tension, so he appreciates it. “Your mom is so excited,” Rey laughs as he starts down the highway. “I think she’s cleaned and organized your room 30 different times over the past 2 weeks. She’s got a huge meal laid out at home with all your favorite stuff. She even made this huge banner, but do me a favor and act surprised because I’m pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to tell you about that.” He’s rambling but Dominik doesn’t mind. It’s easier to listen to someone else talk these days, he’s gotten very used to having to keep his mouth shut so that’s now what comes natural to him now. He does decide to interrupt his father for just one second though, needing to get something off his chest.
“I appreciate you and mom letting me come back home for a while. And for the job. I know I haven’t been the best son…” Dominik trails off, knowing he might have just made the understatement of the century. “I won’t make you guys regret trusting me. And I promise as soon as I can get on my feet, I’ll get my own place.” In order to get parole you had to have somewhere to live or else you would go to a halfway house, his parents had insisted that he come back and live with them until he could build up a savings for his own place. He felt a bit like a little kid, going back home to live with mommy and daddy, but it’s not like he had many options.
“You’re our son, Dom. We wouldn’t let you go anywhere else but home. And all the stuff from the past, that’s behind us now.” Rey sounds so confident when he says that.
Dominik hopes that he’s right, that the past is truly behind him now. If it isn’t, it’ll only bring trouble, and that’s the last thing he needs.
……
The past few days since his release from prison have felt a bit surreal. His mom had thankfully decided to not throw a big party for his return, keeping the meal to welcome him home to just their immediate family. It did surprise him that Aalyah had come home from college to welcome him back. Her monthly letters to him keeping him updated on everything he was missing while incarcerated were one of the few things that made him laugh in prison. Angie had cried and hugged him maybe a million times already. The affection made him a little uncomfortable but he wasn’t gonna be an asshole and tell him.
All of the food she made was maybe a bit ridiculous for the amount of people, but it was all so good that he couldn’t complain. There was even a cake, the only thing he knew his mother didn’t make. It was maybe the best cake he had ever had in his life.
He had gotten settled in his former childhood bedroom. It was clear that they had tried to adult it up a bit for him, putting in a larger bed and getting rid of some of his old posters. But it still makes him feel like a kid when he goes to sleep every night. That is when he can sleep. His body isn’t really used to being able to fully relax at night so he usually can only sleep for a couple of hours at a time.
Angie insists on taking him shopping on his first full day of freedom. It makes him physically ill for his parents to spend money on him but he doesn’t have another choice at the moment. His old clothes don’t fit, and even if they did, it’s not like he can risk going back to his old apartment to get them. They probably wouldn’t even be there anyway. Everything that was his was probably thrown out when they all decided they were done with him.
They buy enough clothes to get by and two pairs of shoes, one for work and one not. He also has to buy a brand new phone, considering his old phone was nowhere to be found. He tells his mom that his entire first paycheck will go to paying them back, but she just waves him off.
Later that day, he meets his parole officer for the first time. Officer Pearce is on the taller side, bald, always sweaty, and seemingly stressed about something all the time. Dominik gets the run-down from him that he was expecting. He had to have monthly drug tests, he can’t be in possession of a weapon, he has to keep an absolutely clean record, etc.
“If you are anywhere near any sort of trouble,” he warns, “and the officer finds out you’re on parole, you will be the one taken in. Even if you didn’t do anything, it won’t matter. Am I clear?” Dominik appreciates the warning but he still has to fight the urge to roll his eyes at the man’s intensity. Instead, he just nods and gives him a “yes sir.”
The next day is spent with his dad figuring out what his work responsibilities are going to look like. It’s funny, something he spent so much time and energy running away from is exactly where he’s ended up. Mysterio & Son Construction has continued to grow and expand since he’s been away. There’s an actual office now, nothing too much, just a small brick building on one of the good sides of town with a few offices. One is for his dad, who spends more time in client meetings now than he does on the worksites, one for his mom who deals with all the accounting and the payroll, one for Zelina who he assumes is some sort of office manager/assistant combo, and one for their project planner, Andrade. Dominik thinks Zelina and Andrade are a little bit familiar to him but nothing that really sticks. Even before he got locked up it had been years since he had much to do with the family or the business.
It is a bit weird walking by Andrade’s office, knowing that is the role his dad originally wanted for him, but it’s not like he can change anything now.
“I’m gonna give you the old truck.” The first word out of Rey’s mouth when they get settled in the office surprises Dom. His dad must be able to tell that he’s about to protest because he’s quick to raise his hand to silence Dominik. “Listen, you need a way to get around. Me or your mom can’t drive you around all the time and you can only walk so far. It’s just sitting there right now, and you’ll need it for work anyway.” He feels more guilt and shame eat away at him over the fact that he’s fully reliant on his parent’s generosity right now but he knows his dad is right so he agrees.
“What exactly do you want me to be doing for now? I’ll be at the worksites right?” That’s where he wants to be. He feels more comfortable being somewhere where he’s expected to shut up, put his head down, and work.
“We’re about halfway through a new subdivision housing project on the west end of the city. While we’re still working on that it may be the easiest to stick you in a floater position, doing whatever we need the day of. And it’ll work out since you already know a little about everything. When we start the next project we can put you in a more steady role.” Rey pauses then and looks at Dominik with concern. “Only if that’s what you want. If you want to look for something outside the company, that is totally fine with me.”
It almost makes Dom laugh, the way his dad is trying to overcompensate right now and not repeat the past. But Dominik isn’t the same resentful and angry kid he was back then. “This works for me, dad. It’s not like there’s a bunch of people lining up to hire a convicted felon. If there’s something else I want to do, I promise I’ll let you know.”
His dad searches his face, like he’s looking for a lie. It’s not like Dom can blame him, lying was like second nature to him a few years ago. He must like what he sees because he shoots him a proud smile and sticks out his hand for Dom to shake.
“Well son, I would like to officially welcome you to Mysterio & Son Construction.” Dominik never thought that would be a sentence that he would enjoy hearing, but that’s just the way things change.
…….
The next couple of weeks pass quickly. Work is good for Dominik, he’s found in the last 3 years that keeping his hands busy is the best way to keep his mind quiet. Being a floater is proving to be pretty helpful in this endeavor. One day he’s pouring concrete, another he’s setting a foundation, and the next he’s laying floors. Doing something different each day is challenging enough that he doesn’t get bored.
Dominik works as much as he can, always offering himself for overtime when it’s available. He really doesn’t have anything to do other than work, and he hates to sit at home and bother his parents so he takes advantage of every opportunity he can get. The guys on the worksite are all fine. They show him what he’s supposed to be doing and answer any questions he has. That’s mostly the extent of it. Dom doesn’t go out of his way to make conversation or get to know any of them. Making friends isn’t exactly one of his priorities currently. Plus the last time he made friends, it didn’t exactly turn out well.
He’s worrying his mom some though, which he feels bad for but isn’t sure what do to about it. It was late one night after he had volunteered to work some overtime. He was trying to be quiet when he came in the door, thinking his parents may be asleep. However, they were awake. And when he neared the living room he could hear their conversation.
“I’m just worried, Rey. He’s so quiet and all he does is work all the time, and maybe go to the gym every now and then. He doesn’t go out and he hasn't made any friends.” His mother was speaking in fast Spanish, the way she always does when she’s upset.
“You really want our son who’s on probation to be going out on the town at night?” Dominik flinched when he heard his mom’s hand sharply connect with his dad’s chest. Poor guy.
“That’s not what I mean and you know it! I just want him to have a full life. He’s still so young and he seems like his only goals are to work and survive. I don’t want that for our son. Maybe he needs to talk to someone, like a therapist.” Sometimes he hates how easily his mother can read him. Those have been his only two goals, anything else just isn’t worth it right now. But he has absolutely no desire to talk to a therapist anytime soon.
“Angie, we don’t know what all he went through in prison. And we sure as hell know things weren’t exactly great for him even before prison. The kid needs more time to adjust. He’s doing well at work, I’ve only heard good things from my supervisors down there. He helps take care of the house, he goes to the grocery store with you on Sundays. Let’s just be grateful for the good, and more will come with it. He’ll make friends, maybe even find a girl, who knows? We just have to be patient with him.” Rey gently soothed his wife while Dominik tried not to be seen going up the stairs, far away from this conversation.
He understood where her concerns were coming from. It’s not like he’s been trying to live it up since he’s been home. But the fact is, he’s not sure he knows how to do that anymore. Having fun, connecting with people, all of those things are foreign to him now. And he’s honestly not even sure if he trusts himself to try. So he plans to just keep going through the motions and focusing on keeping himself out of trouble. That’s the best thing for him and his family.
…….
“Morning Dom.” The worksite supervisor, Santos, greets Dominik as he checks in like he’s been doing every morning for the last month. Every day Santos will give him his assignment for the day. Santos is cool, Dom respects him, maybe even likes him.
“What’s on the agenda today? Concrete?” They had been pouring concrete for the homes on the east side of the subdivision this week so Dominik assumed that he would be working there.
Santos shook his head, “No, listen man, our runner is out sick today. Do you care to just fill in for him? I hate to ask you but we’re desperate.”
The runner, aka the errand boy of the worksite. It never fails on a worksite that things break, or supplies run low, or the supervisors need coffee. It’s the runner’s job to go to the warehouse, the store, etc. to get whatever is needed. It’s usually some high school or college kid who doesn’t know how to do anything else. Dom knows Santos would probably prefer to have him working somewhere else but unfortunately runners are necessary.
“No problem man, whatever you guys need.” Dominik easily agrees, knowing he’s not in a position to refuse even if he wanted to.
One thing about being a runner is that the day goes by fast. He makes who knows how many trips to the warehouse for supplies, and goes from one end of the expansive worksite to the other, taking things back and forth. Before he knows it, the day is halfway over.
Santos grabs his attention when he pulls back into the portable construction office “parking lot” (spread out gravel). He asks Dom if he can run some permit papers up to Andrade to look over and sign. The WiFi isn’t working at the site and the papers need to be signed today. He easily agrees and loads up the truck to head over to the main office.
When he arrives, the normally chill office space is not so chill. He drops the papers off with Andrade who seems flustered about the deadlines and by whatever is happening deeper in the office, he asks Dom to hang out while he looks over them. Dominik then follows the noises to the conference room to find both his parents and Zelina looking exceedingly frustrated by the presentation TV.
Zelina is cursing as she tries to fit her hand behind the TV to pull at the HDMI cord. “What’s up jailbird?” She greets when she notices him in the doorway. It hadn’t taken long for Zelina to become comfortable with him, he’s honestly not sure how he feels about her lack of a filter. It is somewhat refreshing that there is someone who doesn’t tiptoe around the whole prison thing.
“What’s up with you guys? Why are you guys freaking out?” Seeing them all this flustered is a rare occurrence.
It’s his dad that answers him, leaning against the wooden conference table and letting out a loud sigh. “We have a big prospective client coming in and not only did my files get corrupted on my computer, but the TV to present the plans to them won’t work.”
A ringing sounds through the room. Zelina groans, “And now it’s time for me to go pick up the pastries for the meeting, but I have to work on this damn TV.”
Dominik looks around at the group, his mom furiously typing at his dad’s laptop, Zelina looking like she’s going to punch the TV, and his dad rubbing at his temples. He figures he can at least try to be helpful.
“If you tell me where to go, I can go pick the stuff up. I have to wait for Andrade to look over some permits anyway, and plus I’m a runner today so let me run over there.” He sees his mom grin up at him out of the corner of his eye and Zelina lets out a dramatic groan.
“You know, for a felon with a mustache, you’re not so bad. Thank you.” He rolls his eyes at the unnecessary commentary but accepts the thanks. She tells him that everything has already been paid for and gives him the address of the bakery.
When he loads up in the truck and puts the address into his phone he sees that it’s only a couple of minutes away. Makes sense that Zelina would order from a place close by. The bakery is on a street filled with other little shops and vendors. Luckily it’s past the busy time for places like this so he’s able to park on the street right in front of the place he’s looking for.
When he walks in, the first thing that hits him is the smell. He obviously knows most bakeries smell good, but this one nearly knocks him off his feet. His mom is a great cook but not much of a baker so this is maybe the first time in years that he’s smelled fresh bread. His stomach is immediately growling, reminding him that he didn’t have any lunch.
The place is colorful without being too much. There’s an eclectic mix of different tables and chairs and even a couch spread out across the place. One wall is entirely exposed brick while the other is covered in some sort of mural. He likes it, it feels homey. Much different from the cell walls he stared at for three years.
A young girl, maybe barely out of high school, stands behind the counter, she’s moving things around the display case. Dom sees that her name tag says ‘Roxanne.”’
“Excuse me,” he tries to speak softly so that he doesn’t startle the girl out of her concentration. It doesn’t work and she jumps slightly when she notices him. “Sorry, I’m here to pick up an order.”
The dark haired girl laughs a little at her own jumpiness and then sends him the classic customer service smile. “Sure thing. What’s the name?” He tells her and then she yells through the open doorway towards the back, “Boss, the Mysterio order is ready for pick up.”
A cheery voice comes from somewhere in the back, “Give me one second and I’ll bring it up there!”
While he waits he looks at all the items in the display case, muffins, donuts, little fancy pastries. There’s a menu overhead that has everything written out in loopy letters. Maybe he should pick up something while he’s here. “Is it too late to grab something?”
Roxanne nonchalantly shakes her head, “No we don’t close until 3. What do you want?”
Dominik looks back up at the case to ponder his choices when someone bursts out of the back of the store. She’s holding two large pastry boxes practically in front of her face and speaking a mile a minute. He can’t even see her behind the boxes and she assumes she can’t see him based on her words.
“Hey Zelina, I’m sorry I’m a little late in getting this ready. My oven was acting weird so I had to redo that last batch, but everything is good to go.” The woman finally sets the boxes down on the counter and once he’s able to see her his breath catches in his throat. He hopes his mouth hasn’t dropped open in shock because that would be embarrassing. But if it has it would be for a good reason, this might be the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen.
She’s got this long blonde hair that’s tied in a braid, however a few pieces have fallen out and are flying around her face. Her blue eyes are maybe the bluest he’s ever seen, and they’re practically sparkling. There’s a streak of flour across her cheek, but it only serves to make her even cuter. It’s almost like she’s a cartoon character or something, a ray of sunshine reflecting off of her as she grins up at him.
“Well you’re certainly not Zelina.” She tilts her head at him in confusion and it’s maybe the cutest fucking thing he’s ever seen in his life. He keeps staring at her for a long moment before he realizes she’s waiting for him to say something.
He clears his throat, afraid for a second he won’t be able to speak. Oh god, you go a few years without speaking to a woman you’re attracted to and all sense just goes right out the window. “No, definitely not Zelina. Thank goodness or else I couldn’t reach the pedals in my truck.” It’s such a lame joke and he wants to slap himself for his attempt at humor. However, she must have liked it because a burst of boisterous laughter comes rolling out of her. She throws her head back when she laughs, and he can’t take his eyes off of her.
“I like you, tall man who is definitely not Zelina. What’s your name?” Dominik’s brain must be short circuiting because he flounders for a second before sticking out his hand towards her. Is shaking her hand stupid? He honestly doesn’t know, but she extends her hand out as well so maybe it wasn’t too horrible of an idea. She’s got small hands, his practically dwarfs hers, but they’re warm and soft.
“Dominik,” he’s finally able to think of his own name, “it’s nice to meet you.” Some sort of recognition flashes behind her eyes and she looks him up and down.
“Huh,” she blurts out while still staring at him. “You are not what I pictured. Definitely taller than Rey, that’s for sure.” Dom hesitates then, unsure how she knows he’s Rey’s son. “Sorry, sometimes there’s no filter up here.” The blonde gestures up to her head. “Rey and Angie are regulars here and they’ve talked about you a bit. I, uh, I made the cake for your welcome home party.” She seems a bit flustered in her rambling. “Also sorry that I haven’t introduced myself, I’m Liv.”
Liv, the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen, already knows he’s a felon. Great. Dom feels a weird sinking feeling in his chest. Oh well, it’s not like he was actually going to try anything with her. He can appreciate that she is like looking at sunshine come to life, but he’s way too fucked up to actually go for that. And now that he knows that she knows about him, that door is most likely firmly shut.
“That cake was the best thing I had eaten in years, Liv, so thank you.” Dom decides to at least be honest, he swears he still dreams about that cake. Liv’s grin is wide and her eyes glow up at him and she claps her hands together. He can’t help but smile back at her, the energy she puts off is infectious.
“That makes me so happy to hear.” She continues to smile at him for a moment before he sees her blink and shake her head. Liv then slides the boxes closer to him on the counter. “Here is your order, I’m sure you’re in a hurry. I didn’t mean to talk your ear off.”
“Actually,” a voice rings out before he can say anything. It’s Roxanne, he feels bad but he honestly forgot she was standing there. “He was just getting ready to order something to take with him.” The young girl is standing with her hip against the counter, looking back and forth between him and Liv with a strange look on her face.
Liv herself looks delighted at Roxanne’s words. “Oh you were? That’s perfect! What would you like?” She stares at him eagerly and once again he’s sucked into her presence. He has this urge to reach out and brush the flower off of her cheek but is well aware that would be really creepy, so he fights that urge.
Dom had barely gotten to look at his choices earlier so he does probably the most cliche thing ever. “What would you recommend?” Instead of looking annoyed at his non answer, a focused look comes over Liv’s face. She looks down at the case and then back at him and then down again.
“Your mom told me when I made your cake that you like things fairly simple. So how about just a classic cinnamon roll?” He doesn’t know the last time he ate a cinnamon roll, maybe as a teenager at the mall. But she looks so excited about her suggestion that he immediately agrees.
She pulls one out of the case and takes it to warm it up, ignoring his calls that she doesn’t have to do that. “It’s much better warm, trust me!” When it’s done, she puts it in its own small box and places it on top of the order. “Here you go, one cinnamon roll!”
He can’t help but grin at her enthusiasm, he thinks his earlier sunshine analogy may have been spot on. When he pulls out his wallet she refuses to take his money. Does she think he can’t pay because he just got out of prison? Fuck, she think he’s a poor charity case.
“First treat is always on the house, company policy.” He gives her a suspicious look and she holds up her hands in an innocent manner. “I swear, I’m the owner and I make the rules. I guarantee you’ll love it so much you come back and give us a ton of your money.” Liv’s smile turns a little shy at that. Is this her saying she wants him to come back? “We’re open really early and we have coffee too, so you can always come in before work.”
Well damn, maybe she does want him to come back. This feels a little bit like dangerous territory to Dominik so he quickly pulls out a few dollars and stuffs them in the tip jar. It’s the least he can do if she won’t let him pay. He picks up all his boxes and looks over at Liv, who has no right to look like that while wearing a fucking apron.
“If this cinnamon roll is anything like that cake, I’m sure you’ll see me again. Thank you again, Liv.” He hopes he didn’t sound too desperate, the whole no female interaction for 3 years has really hit him harder than he thought.
“It’s my pleasure, Dominik. See you soon.” The last part is said confidently, which makes him let out a small laugh. He gives her one last wave and then heads out to his truck.
The last several minutes have overwhelmed him. He hasn’t been that flustered and nervous maybe ever. Dominik feels a little bit like a teenager again, dumbstruck by a pretty girl. He looks over at the boxes in the passenger seat, the same loopy writing that’s on the menu covering the boxes. “Livin’ Sweet,” the bakery’s name gets a chuckle out of him. It’s fitting, plus he always enjoys a good pun. The cab of the truck is filling up with the smell of the freshly warmed cinnamon roll. Dom can’t resist breaking open the box while he pulls back out onto the street. When he bites into the sticky treat he’s very glad that he’s alone because he damn near moans. It’s maybe even better than the cake.
He could find time in his mornings to stop in there right? The place isn’t too far from the house and if he can get something like this every morning, it has to be worth it. He’s not an idiot, he knows he has no chance with Liv. The chances of her wanting to date a felon who has to live with his parents are probably in the negatives. Plus she’s way too good for him and all the shit he has going on. But, stopping in to get breakfast and catch a small glimpse of the sunshine girl, there’s no harm in that. At least he hopes not.