WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Cable#7 by Gerry Duggan, Phil Noto, & VC's Joe Sabino, on sale now.
Young Cable has had his share of trials to overcome in the current X-Men universe as the foolish child who is trying to take on the world. Thanks to the wonder of time travel, he was previously known in the mutant world as an old, seasoned soldier with a giant metal arm. This Nathan Summers is a teenager who is still trying to figure himself out while living in the shadow of his future self. All of this complicates how he interacts with people on Krakoa, particularly those who have interacted with his future self in the past.
The time displacement has allowed a relationship to bloom between Cable and his father Cyclops, as well as with his sister Rachel Summers, who is from a different timeline altogether. It is a fresh start for the family. Yet there are other characters who have a different kind of connection with Cable that make his younger state seem very strange, as was the case when he awkwardly asked Domino for help on his latest mission to fight Stryfe, an enemy she fought alongside Cable's older self. However, even without the added age gap, the relationship between Domino and Cable has never been simple.
Domino made her full debut in 1992's X-Force #8 as a mercenary with questionable morals and the power of luck. The issue -- by Rob Liefeld, Mike Mignola, Bob Wiacek, Fabian Nicieza, Chris Eliopoulos, and Steve Buccellato -- was a flashback of Cable's days on a team called Six Pack. Domino was one of the member's of his for-hire squad of mutants. At the time they were co-workers and friends.
Although the Domino character previously appeared in The New Mutants and the first ten X-Force comics, it was revealed in X-Force #11 that an impostor had been living her life while she was held prisoner. While Copycat, a mutant with shapeshifting abilities, pretended to be Domino she flirted with Cable and created a new level to their relationship. In one panel something more intimate was implied when the two shared a hot tub.
Copycat betrayed Cable but his feelings for Domino clouded his judgment. He believed that she had been forced into it by the shadowy underworld boss, Tolliver. Yet everything was pushed to the limit when X-Force stumbled across the real Domino secured to a wall. Copycat revealed herself and was "killed" by Deadpool.
When Domino was freed, Cable made a suggestive comment about doing "something fun together." Not missing a beat, Domino said that they could go "find Tolliver and blow his face off." At that point Cable knew he was dealing with the real Domino and not an impostor.
As the two fight against bad guys together, they retain a flirty exchange. Domino joked that Cable still knew how to "show a girl a good time" while they clung to the bottom of a helicopter. Cable quipped that he would be showing off the "fireworks" soon enough. However, once Domino was freed the fallout was felt by the entire team. Domino was unsure of how to act around the Cable and the team after they had been accustomed to Copycat's version of her. Cable still had romantic feelings for her but Domino wasn't convinced they were really for her or Copycat pretending to be her.
Cable and Domino were able to eventually reconcile, often working together and resuming something of a romance at one point. However, Domino's history was with an older and wiser version of Cable. The younger Cable acknowledged the past/future relationship between Domino and who he refers to as "the other guy" and asked if it would be too weird. Domino admitted that it would be weird but artfully summed up their history with the line: "When has that ever stopped us?"