FIC: "Temporary Monogamy" (Part Nineteen) (Orlando Bloom/Sean Bean, Karl Urban/Sean Bean)
Title: "Temporary Monogamy" (19/27)
Author: Brenda (azewewish)
Pairing: Orlando Bloom/Sean Bean (Karl Urban/Sean Bean)
Click here for full disclaimers & notes.
Prologue | Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten | Part Eleven | Part Twelve | Part Thirteen | Part Fourteen | Part Fifteen | Part Sixteen | Part Seventeen | Part Eighteen | Part Nineteen | Part Twenty | Part Twenty-One | Part Twenty-Two | Part Twenty-Three | Part Twenty-Four | Part Twenty-Five | Part Twenty-Six | Part Twenty-Seven (and Epilogue) |
Life without Sean around was odd, sort of bizarre, in the sense that things weren't terribly different - the shoot was still going strong, the hours were unbelievable, everyone still hung out as much as possible, and Orlando was still spending his small amount of free time with Jerry - but everything seemed a little flatter. A little more dull. Orlando would tell a joke and expect to hear Sean's rough laughter. He hadn't played chess in more than two weeks because it just wasn't the same seeing someone else sitting across from him. Breakfast with just him and Karl didn't have the same sense of fun when Sean wasn't there for them to gang up on. He tried to talk with Viggo, but without Sean there to interpret, the conversations weren't nearly as fun.
Of course, the peculiar sort of corollary to Sean's absence was that Karl was constantly about, even more so than normal. In fact, they were spending so much time together that Billy'd asked them the other night if they'd both dumped Sean and were now with each other. Karl'd just replied that Billy was jealous because he wanted to be Karl's rebound fuck. Billy'd just said that he was still hoping for that hot Edoras threesome.
Orlando rather thought that Harry would have something to say about that, but didn't mention it as Harry had been sitting next to him at the time. Hanging about with Karl so much also meant that Harry was around more than usual. Which was grand, as he adored them both, but it still wasn't the same.
Nothing was the same.
He wondered if this was what it would feel like when filming finally ended and they all went their separate ways. When Sean went back to his girls and his globe-trotting career, when Viggo went back to his wandering-hippie ways, when Elijah and Astin went back to America, and Orlando and Dom and Billy all went back to England. Would they all truly stay in touch? Would the closeness lessen over the months and years when they weren't constantly in each others' pockets?
Change was inevitable. Orlando knew this. Relished it. He couldn't wait to work on new films, try on new characters, apply all that he'd learned here to his craft with other directors and other writers and other actors, couldn't wait to travel and explore and keep adding to his knowledge of the world and himself. But, somehow, the thought of leaving all of this behind...
He wasn't ready for it to end. He didn't want to say goodbye. He always wanted Sean right down the road so he could pop in for a spot of tea. He always wanted Karl in his kitchen, whipping up new dishes and making him laugh. He always wanted Dom and Billy bickering about everything under the sun, and Harry's garden nearby for doing a bit of thinking.
He wanted to begin every morning with him and Sean at breakfast, doing nothing more than sharing toast and the paper.
He hoped this meant he'd try harder to keep those connections. That they'd all find some way of keeping in touch, no matter what. He couldn't imagine his life without these mad, beautiful men in it, challenging him to be a better man with their humor and warmth and example.
***
Tonight, Orlando and Karl were in the rattling death trap that Karl called a car on their way to try to catch some rugby match or another, when Karl's cell started to ring. He flipped it open, veering wildly to avoid a pothole. Orlando just closed his eyes and started praying. Karl had to be possibly the worst driver Orlando had ever known, and this including his Uncle Archie who thought that looking at the road instead of the person in the car with him was somehow optional.
Karl, at least, paid attention to the road. He just did it while driving at speeds that were more suited to jet planes than beat to hell cars with more dents than paint and tires so bald that they made Vin Diesel look hirsute.
"...Yeah, yeah, I know," Karl was saying into the phone, clearly amused about something. "No, I'm not plotting anything, I haven't even seen Viggo today." He rolled his eyes at Orlando, one hand on the phone and the other hand on the wheel, steering along a twisting road that had a drop that looked like something from a 40s noir film. There wasn't enough meditation on the planet. "No, I'm with Orlando, actually. We're headed to see the Hurricanes."
Karl put the phone out. "It's Sean. He wants to talk to you himself. I think he thinks I'm lying."
Sean? Orlando immediately perked up. He let go of his death grip on the panic handle and reached for the phone. "I wonder why he'd think that, with your rep," he told Karl. At least he'd be talking to a friend when he died. "Hey, Bean, how's the mother country?"
"Freezing me fucking balls off." Sean's voice was warm, welcome, sounded so close that Orlando could almost pretend he was in the car with them. "Is that one with you really staying out of trouble?"
Orlando cast a sideways glance at Karl. Who was humming along to the radio, pedal to the metal, looking as happy as a clam. "As far as I know. Aside from his driving."
"You're letting him drive?"
"It wasn't my idea," Orlando protested. "You know I can't drive or I'd've never let him behind the wheel."
Karl raised an eyebrow. "I am sitting right here, you know."
"Hush, I'm trying to talk about you," Orlando said, then turned his attention back to the phone and Sean. "Anyway, I'm keeping an eye out, like you asked. But it hasn't been easy. He hits on me all the time," Orlando said, ignoring Karl, who was making kissy faces at him. At least they were at a stop. "I think he's wanting a threesome with me and Jerry, the filthy pervert."
"That does sound like something he'd do," Sean laughed, the sound richly amused and familiar. "Aye, well, you are a pretty one, so I don't see that I'd blame him."
Pretty? Orlando harrumphed and just refrained from sticking his tongue out (mostly because he knew Sean wouldn't see it). "Pretty is for women and jewelry."
"You look pretty in eyeliner," Karl said.
"Hush, you, I do not."
"What'd he say?" Sean wanted to know.
"Karl says I look pretty in eyeliner," Orlando repeated. The things he wound up talking about with the two of them...
"I have to agree. It's those soulful, dark eyes of yours."
"Now I sound like a basset hound," Orlando complained.
"Woof woof," Sean replied, still laughing.
Orlando could only laugh back. "Wanker. All I'm saying is you need to get your ass back here before Karl debauches me or something equally horrifying."
"I'll be back to defend your virtue before you know it," Sean said, and Orlando tossed the phone back onto Karl's lap with a chortle. He really did miss the crazy bastard.
"Yeah, I know...no, I promise, not a word, just keep your promise...alright, see you soon." Karl flipped the phone shut with a snap, still smiling. "Said he might be an extra week getting things sorted."
"Bugger," Orlando replied, and slouched in his seat. "Poker games've been shite without him to bet off of."
"Jerry's an alright enough player."
What'd Jerrry have to do with anything? Orlando thought. "Well, yeah, not slagging on Jerry, of course, but he's not Sean now, is he?" he replied, confused.
Karl full-on beamed at him like he'd solved world hunger. "Precisely."
"Precisely what?" Orlando asked, even more confused. What the hell was Karl on about? "I hardly think anyone would confuse the two."
"True, as far as that goes. Although, speaking of Jerry, how are things in that department?" Karl asked, finally (and blessedly) pulling into the car park at the stadium. Made it in one piece, even, thank fuck. Already, Orlando could hear the roar of the crowd.
"They're good," Orlando shrugged. He couldn't get out of the car fast enough. Vaguely, he wondered if he could just walk back to his place or cab it or something and if that would mortally offend Karl if he did. "Anal's still a little uncomfortable for me, so I've been the one on top mostly, but I think I'm getting there."
Karl threw an arm around Orlando's shoulders as they headed towards the stadium. "It does take some getting used to. He's going slow, yeah, doing all the right prep?"
By now, Orlando didn't even question why it was that he didn't even blink at Karl's graphic interest in his sex life, or why he was so comfortable talking about the mechanics of it (and he was never forgiving Harry for ruining that word for him forever) with him. "Yeah, no complaints there, it's just...I'd never realized exactly how, y'know, intimate it is. I mean, having someone inside you."
"It does take a certain amount of trust."
"How long did it take you to get comfortable with it?"
Karl pursed his lips in thought. "Awhile," he admitted. "I enjoyed it, don't get me wrong, but I don't think I was truly comfortable with it until I met Russell."
"Who's Russell?" Orlando wanted to know.
Karl put his hand to his heart, let out a lusty, heartfelt sigh. "Russell was the very first man I was ever in love with," he replied. "Sex with him was on an entirely different level than any of the experimenting I'd done before."
"Well, it's different when you're in love, now, isn't it?" Orlando said, smiling at Karl. He rather liked the idea of a young and idealistic Karl in love, even though it was hard to picture Karl acting all moony-eyed over anyone that wasn't Harry. Not that Karl acted moony-eyed over Harry, either, but, well, it was just hard to picture.
"It always is," Karl said, and dropped a quick kiss to Orlando's hair. "Now, c'mon, before we miss the first period."
***
"I give up, I'm done," Orlando declared, and threw down his cards in disgust. "Bleed me dry, stick a fork in me, all that rot."
"It's just a cheese grater," Dave pointed out. His pile of booty could have rivaled that of Midas.
"It's not just a cheese grater, it's a Cheesy Man Cheese Grater and I won it off Sean last month."
"Well, if you'd wanted to keep it, you should have taken it off the table," Billy said, showing a remarkable lack of sympathy for Orlando's poor, cheese grater-less plight.
"Don't worry," Karl said, patting Orlando on the back, "Harry'll be here soon, I'm sure he can help you win it back."
"Why is it that Harry gets to help Orlando cheat again, and I can't cheat?" Dom asked, looking around the table expectantly.
"Because the only person that would help you is Billy and he's too busy trying to beat the pants off you," Dave replied. Billy smiled, and saluted Dom with his bottle of beer.
"Ah, right, good point," Dom said, and sighed dramatically. "One would think all of those sexual favors would be good for something, though."
"You should know better than to think that sexual favors would get you anywhere," Karl grinned, and tossed two cards on the table.
Orlando snagged his pint from the table and leaned back, watching everyone with a small smile. Normally, by this point in the night, i.e. after Orlando'd lost everything he'd come with to bet, he and Sean would be out on Billy's porch, sharing a bottle or a smoke, tallying up their losses for the night. It really wasn't the same without him here, even though he was having a great time.
He wondered what Sean was doing right now - he tried calculating the time difference, but couldn't. Even after almost a year, the dateline still tripped him up. Would Sean be out with his girls, spoiling them rotten with frivolous gifts and ice cream or a cup of chocolate and tucking them in at night with bedtime stories told in that deep, gruff voice? Would he be reuniting with his friends and having a pint at his normal pub, getting caught up on the local gossip? Was he taking meetings with his agents, already planning his next movie, his next stop after the cameras stopped rolling in New Zealand? Or was Sean chafing at the bit to get back to the insanity, to resume his life here? Did he miss waking up in Karl's bed or duets with Orlando or deciphering the crazy rambling speeches that Viggo always made when he was stoned?
Funny. A year ago, Orlando couldn't imagine that he and The Sean Bean would have had anything in common to talk about for five minutes, and now he couldn't imagine a week going by when he wouldn't pick up the phone just to hear Sean's voice.
A kick to his foot roused him out of his thoughts. "Oi, you anteing in or what?" Dom asked, around a mouthful of crisps.
"Yeah, of course," Orlando replied, shaking his head to clear it. Far too much time in his own head these days. Maybe he'd head to Jerry's after, see if he felt like some company. "Got to win my cheese grater back, don't I?"
"Think it'll work?" Dom asked, with a twinkle in his eyes.
"It would take a miracle," Billy deadpanned. Karl laughed so hard he snorted beer. Dave just shook his head at all of them like he was trying to figure out who to fleece next. Orlando thought maybe he'd call Sean on the way to Jerry's and catch him up. Even if it was in the middle of the night for Sean, he knew Sean would appreciate the gesture.
(To Be Continued)
Author: Brenda (azewewish)
Pairing: Orlando Bloom/Sean Bean (Karl Urban/Sean Bean)
Click here for full disclaimers & notes.
Prologue | Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten | Part Eleven | Part Twelve | Part Thirteen | Part Fourteen | Part Fifteen | Part Sixteen | Part Seventeen | Part Eighteen | Part Nineteen | Part Twenty | Part Twenty-One | Part Twenty-Two | Part Twenty-Three | Part Twenty-Four | Part Twenty-Five | Part Twenty-Six | Part Twenty-Seven (and Epilogue) |
Life without Sean around was odd, sort of bizarre, in the sense that things weren't terribly different - the shoot was still going strong, the hours were unbelievable, everyone still hung out as much as possible, and Orlando was still spending his small amount of free time with Jerry - but everything seemed a little flatter. A little more dull. Orlando would tell a joke and expect to hear Sean's rough laughter. He hadn't played chess in more than two weeks because it just wasn't the same seeing someone else sitting across from him. Breakfast with just him and Karl didn't have the same sense of fun when Sean wasn't there for them to gang up on. He tried to talk with Viggo, but without Sean there to interpret, the conversations weren't nearly as fun.
Of course, the peculiar sort of corollary to Sean's absence was that Karl was constantly about, even more so than normal. In fact, they were spending so much time together that Billy'd asked them the other night if they'd both dumped Sean and were now with each other. Karl'd just replied that Billy was jealous because he wanted to be Karl's rebound fuck. Billy'd just said that he was still hoping for that hot Edoras threesome.
Orlando rather thought that Harry would have something to say about that, but didn't mention it as Harry had been sitting next to him at the time. Hanging about with Karl so much also meant that Harry was around more than usual. Which was grand, as he adored them both, but it still wasn't the same.
Nothing was the same.
He wondered if this was what it would feel like when filming finally ended and they all went their separate ways. When Sean went back to his girls and his globe-trotting career, when Viggo went back to his wandering-hippie ways, when Elijah and Astin went back to America, and Orlando and Dom and Billy all went back to England. Would they all truly stay in touch? Would the closeness lessen over the months and years when they weren't constantly in each others' pockets?
Change was inevitable. Orlando knew this. Relished it. He couldn't wait to work on new films, try on new characters, apply all that he'd learned here to his craft with other directors and other writers and other actors, couldn't wait to travel and explore and keep adding to his knowledge of the world and himself. But, somehow, the thought of leaving all of this behind...
He wasn't ready for it to end. He didn't want to say goodbye. He always wanted Sean right down the road so he could pop in for a spot of tea. He always wanted Karl in his kitchen, whipping up new dishes and making him laugh. He always wanted Dom and Billy bickering about everything under the sun, and Harry's garden nearby for doing a bit of thinking.
He wanted to begin every morning with him and Sean at breakfast, doing nothing more than sharing toast and the paper.
He hoped this meant he'd try harder to keep those connections. That they'd all find some way of keeping in touch, no matter what. He couldn't imagine his life without these mad, beautiful men in it, challenging him to be a better man with their humor and warmth and example.
***
Tonight, Orlando and Karl were in the rattling death trap that Karl called a car on their way to try to catch some rugby match or another, when Karl's cell started to ring. He flipped it open, veering wildly to avoid a pothole. Orlando just closed his eyes and started praying. Karl had to be possibly the worst driver Orlando had ever known, and this including his Uncle Archie who thought that looking at the road instead of the person in the car with him was somehow optional.
Karl, at least, paid attention to the road. He just did it while driving at speeds that were more suited to jet planes than beat to hell cars with more dents than paint and tires so bald that they made Vin Diesel look hirsute.
"...Yeah, yeah, I know," Karl was saying into the phone, clearly amused about something. "No, I'm not plotting anything, I haven't even seen Viggo today." He rolled his eyes at Orlando, one hand on the phone and the other hand on the wheel, steering along a twisting road that had a drop that looked like something from a 40s noir film. There wasn't enough meditation on the planet. "No, I'm with Orlando, actually. We're headed to see the Hurricanes."
Karl put the phone out. "It's Sean. He wants to talk to you himself. I think he thinks I'm lying."
Sean? Orlando immediately perked up. He let go of his death grip on the panic handle and reached for the phone. "I wonder why he'd think that, with your rep," he told Karl. At least he'd be talking to a friend when he died. "Hey, Bean, how's the mother country?"
"Freezing me fucking balls off." Sean's voice was warm, welcome, sounded so close that Orlando could almost pretend he was in the car with them. "Is that one with you really staying out of trouble?"
Orlando cast a sideways glance at Karl. Who was humming along to the radio, pedal to the metal, looking as happy as a clam. "As far as I know. Aside from his driving."
"You're letting him drive?"
"It wasn't my idea," Orlando protested. "You know I can't drive or I'd've never let him behind the wheel."
Karl raised an eyebrow. "I am sitting right here, you know."
"Hush, I'm trying to talk about you," Orlando said, then turned his attention back to the phone and Sean. "Anyway, I'm keeping an eye out, like you asked. But it hasn't been easy. He hits on me all the time," Orlando said, ignoring Karl, who was making kissy faces at him. At least they were at a stop. "I think he's wanting a threesome with me and Jerry, the filthy pervert."
"That does sound like something he'd do," Sean laughed, the sound richly amused and familiar. "Aye, well, you are a pretty one, so I don't see that I'd blame him."
Pretty? Orlando harrumphed and just refrained from sticking his tongue out (mostly because he knew Sean wouldn't see it). "Pretty is for women and jewelry."
"You look pretty in eyeliner," Karl said.
"Hush, you, I do not."
"What'd he say?" Sean wanted to know.
"Karl says I look pretty in eyeliner," Orlando repeated. The things he wound up talking about with the two of them...
"I have to agree. It's those soulful, dark eyes of yours."
"Now I sound like a basset hound," Orlando complained.
"Woof woof," Sean replied, still laughing.
Orlando could only laugh back. "Wanker. All I'm saying is you need to get your ass back here before Karl debauches me or something equally horrifying."
"I'll be back to defend your virtue before you know it," Sean said, and Orlando tossed the phone back onto Karl's lap with a chortle. He really did miss the crazy bastard.
"Yeah, I know...no, I promise, not a word, just keep your promise...alright, see you soon." Karl flipped the phone shut with a snap, still smiling. "Said he might be an extra week getting things sorted."
"Bugger," Orlando replied, and slouched in his seat. "Poker games've been shite without him to bet off of."
"Jerry's an alright enough player."
What'd Jerrry have to do with anything? Orlando thought. "Well, yeah, not slagging on Jerry, of course, but he's not Sean now, is he?" he replied, confused.
Karl full-on beamed at him like he'd solved world hunger. "Precisely."
"Precisely what?" Orlando asked, even more confused. What the hell was Karl on about? "I hardly think anyone would confuse the two."
"True, as far as that goes. Although, speaking of Jerry, how are things in that department?" Karl asked, finally (and blessedly) pulling into the car park at the stadium. Made it in one piece, even, thank fuck. Already, Orlando could hear the roar of the crowd.
"They're good," Orlando shrugged. He couldn't get out of the car fast enough. Vaguely, he wondered if he could just walk back to his place or cab it or something and if that would mortally offend Karl if he did. "Anal's still a little uncomfortable for me, so I've been the one on top mostly, but I think I'm getting there."
Karl threw an arm around Orlando's shoulders as they headed towards the stadium. "It does take some getting used to. He's going slow, yeah, doing all the right prep?"
By now, Orlando didn't even question why it was that he didn't even blink at Karl's graphic interest in his sex life, or why he was so comfortable talking about the mechanics of it (and he was never forgiving Harry for ruining that word for him forever) with him. "Yeah, no complaints there, it's just...I'd never realized exactly how, y'know, intimate it is. I mean, having someone inside you."
"It does take a certain amount of trust."
"How long did it take you to get comfortable with it?"
Karl pursed his lips in thought. "Awhile," he admitted. "I enjoyed it, don't get me wrong, but I don't think I was truly comfortable with it until I met Russell."
"Who's Russell?" Orlando wanted to know.
Karl put his hand to his heart, let out a lusty, heartfelt sigh. "Russell was the very first man I was ever in love with," he replied. "Sex with him was on an entirely different level than any of the experimenting I'd done before."
"Well, it's different when you're in love, now, isn't it?" Orlando said, smiling at Karl. He rather liked the idea of a young and idealistic Karl in love, even though it was hard to picture Karl acting all moony-eyed over anyone that wasn't Harry. Not that Karl acted moony-eyed over Harry, either, but, well, it was just hard to picture.
"It always is," Karl said, and dropped a quick kiss to Orlando's hair. "Now, c'mon, before we miss the first period."
***
"I give up, I'm done," Orlando declared, and threw down his cards in disgust. "Bleed me dry, stick a fork in me, all that rot."
"It's just a cheese grater," Dave pointed out. His pile of booty could have rivaled that of Midas.
"It's not just a cheese grater, it's a Cheesy Man Cheese Grater and I won it off Sean last month."
"Well, if you'd wanted to keep it, you should have taken it off the table," Billy said, showing a remarkable lack of sympathy for Orlando's poor, cheese grater-less plight.
"Don't worry," Karl said, patting Orlando on the back, "Harry'll be here soon, I'm sure he can help you win it back."
"Why is it that Harry gets to help Orlando cheat again, and I can't cheat?" Dom asked, looking around the table expectantly.
"Because the only person that would help you is Billy and he's too busy trying to beat the pants off you," Dave replied. Billy smiled, and saluted Dom with his bottle of beer.
"Ah, right, good point," Dom said, and sighed dramatically. "One would think all of those sexual favors would be good for something, though."
"You should know better than to think that sexual favors would get you anywhere," Karl grinned, and tossed two cards on the table.
Orlando snagged his pint from the table and leaned back, watching everyone with a small smile. Normally, by this point in the night, i.e. after Orlando'd lost everything he'd come with to bet, he and Sean would be out on Billy's porch, sharing a bottle or a smoke, tallying up their losses for the night. It really wasn't the same without him here, even though he was having a great time.
He wondered what Sean was doing right now - he tried calculating the time difference, but couldn't. Even after almost a year, the dateline still tripped him up. Would Sean be out with his girls, spoiling them rotten with frivolous gifts and ice cream or a cup of chocolate and tucking them in at night with bedtime stories told in that deep, gruff voice? Would he be reuniting with his friends and having a pint at his normal pub, getting caught up on the local gossip? Was he taking meetings with his agents, already planning his next movie, his next stop after the cameras stopped rolling in New Zealand? Or was Sean chafing at the bit to get back to the insanity, to resume his life here? Did he miss waking up in Karl's bed or duets with Orlando or deciphering the crazy rambling speeches that Viggo always made when he was stoned?
Funny. A year ago, Orlando couldn't imagine that he and The Sean Bean would have had anything in common to talk about for five minutes, and now he couldn't imagine a week going by when he wouldn't pick up the phone just to hear Sean's voice.
A kick to his foot roused him out of his thoughts. "Oi, you anteing in or what?" Dom asked, around a mouthful of crisps.
"Yeah, of course," Orlando replied, shaking his head to clear it. Far too much time in his own head these days. Maybe he'd head to Jerry's after, see if he felt like some company. "Got to win my cheese grater back, don't I?"
"Think it'll work?" Dom asked, with a twinkle in his eyes.
"It would take a miracle," Billy deadpanned. Karl laughed so hard he snorted beer. Dave just shook his head at all of them like he was trying to figure out who to fleece next. Orlando thought maybe he'd call Sean on the way to Jerry's and catch him up. Even if it was in the middle of the night for Sean, he knew Sean would appreciate the gesture.
(To Be Continued)