Affirmation Chapter Eighteen
Title: Affirmation (Chapter Eighteen)
Author: Vanessa
Pairing: OB/VM
Rating: NC-17
Summary: When a tragic situation leaves Orlando broken and isolated will Viggo’s love and belief in him be strong enough to bring him back?
Feedback: Always appreciated
Warnings: Violence, Angst, and Character Death (Original Characters only).
Disclaimer: This is not true. I don’t know them, and I'm not making any claims about them in real life. It never happened.
Archive: Please don't.
Betas: The wonderful tamsu2002 & foxrafer
Author’s Notes: This is set in December 2003. There's a lot of angst in this, but there will eventually be a happy ending, I promise. We're getting close to done... only two more chapters.
~*~
Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine, Chapter Ten, Chapter Eleven, Chapter Twelve, Chapter Thirteen, Chapter Fourteen, Chapter Fifteen, Chapter Sixteen, Chapter Seventeen
Banner by araestel.
Viggo moved without thinking, ignoring the cameras and reporters and even his friends as he rushed to get to Orlando. Nothing mattered now except being there when Orlando needed him... however Orlando needed him. He crouched at Orlando's side, his hand hovering just above Orlando's arm. "Orli?" he asked softly, hoping he could get the young man's attention away from the throng of reporters and cameras that now must look absolutely terrifying.
Orlando stayed completely still for a moment and then, as the reporter who had asked the fateful question said something else, turned and flung himself into Viggo's arms. "He wasn't supposed to ask that," he whispered into Viggo's shoulder, "Peter promised." His lithe form was shaking in Viggo's arms. "Just Return of the King. That's all I have to talk about. Just Return of the King."
"I know. Peter's mad." Viggo nudged Orlando with his chin, tried to get him to look at the portly director and the way his arms were flailing as he lectured the people who'd set up the conference and were now keeping him from the reporter. Orlando didn't respond, however. Viggo nudged him again and kissed his temple. "Let's go."
"Where?" Orlando lifted his head and looked at Viggo with his lower lip caught between his teeth and his brow furrowed in confusion. "How?"
"We're going to walk right through those doors and I don't think anyone will try to stop us."
Orlando nodded, but he was trembling harder and his grip on Viggo tightened. "Okay," he managed in a choked voice before burying his face in Viggo's shoulder again.
Viggo had to do most of the work to get them standing, though once they were on their feet Orlando removed his arms from Viggo's neck and settled for clutching at Viggo's hand. They left quickly, with Viggo guiding them around the one assistant who stood in their way, ignoring the bulbs that flashed in their wake.
The door that clicked shut behind them brought instant relief from the noise, clamor, and oppressive atmosphere of the press conference, but Viggo kept moving. If they stopped now, he didn't think he'd get Orlando to move again for some time and they needed to be someplace safe, someplace more private. Peter and the others could find them later. Viggo wasn't stopping until they got to his room.
~*~
"Are you all right?"
That was a stupid question. Orlando couldn't stop shaking, couldn't make his fingers unclench from around Viggo's hand. The door to Viggo's room was closed and locked, but it seemed a flimsy barrier, even with all the floors between them and the reporters.
"I'll, um..." he tried to smile a little, tried to say that he would be, but the words wouldn't come. He moved his mouth but his throat closed up and the words deserted him.
"It was a stupid question, I know." Viggo rested his forehead against Orlando's and wrapped his free arm around Orlando's shoulder. "You're trembling."
"I can't help it. That was a little, um..."
"Overwhelming?"
"Yeah. I wasn't... I wasn't prepared for him to ask that, you know?" He pulled back to look into Viggo's eyes. "I can't talk about that. Not with them." He hadn't talked much about it with anyone, just a little with Viggo and a little with his therapist. It mostly remained a half-remembered haze Orlando had no desire to explore further.
"You don't have to."
"He thought-"
"You don't have to. He wasn't supposed to ask that. None of them were."
"I know, I just..." but he couldn't finish, because he didn't know how to end that sentence. It wasn't possible for all his fears and insecurities to go away, but he really had wanted to be at the press conference... he really did want to go to the premiere. He wanted to be with his friends and talk about the movies that he loved working on and even interact with his fans a little. Orlando wanted to get back to his life; he just wanted to do it without being constantly reminded of how badly his last project had ended.
"You just what?" Viggo asked softly as he led the way to the couch and gently tugged Orlando down next to him.
"I just wish I could focus on why we're here and not all this other stuff. It's... distracting, you know?"
Viggo chuckled and the tension drained out of Orlando's body with each shake of Viggo's shoulders. "I would have chosen a different word, but distracting is one way of putting it."
Orlando gave Viggo a mock-glare and leaned back a little, the death-like grip he'd maintained since rising downstairs loosening a little. "And what word would you have chosen?"
"Upsetting, perhaps, or maybe troubling. Truthfully, I'd rather not describe it at all." Calloused fingers brushed gently along Orlando's jaw. "I wish this round of premieres was as easy as it was last year or the year before."
"Me too."
Viggo pulled Orlando in close again. "We'll get through it though, all right? I think the worst bit is over."
"Really?"
"Peter was livid when we left. I doubt anyone will try that again."
Orlando cuddled close and sighed contentedly. "Good. Well, not that Pete was mad but, you know, that he made his point and yeah. I mean, I don't want anyone to be upset, but..."
"I know."
"What do you think happened after we left?" Orlando popped his head up, unable to sit still any longer.
"They'll tell us, I'm sure."
"When?"
"Soon." Viggo shook his head, but he was smiling and he stopped Orlando's anxious fidgeting with a kiss that drove all thought of what might have occurred out of Orlando's mind.
~*~
The knock on the suite door came later than Viggo had expected and his stomach was fluttering as he approached to open it. He feared that the reason for the lengthy delay could only be bad news. A look through the peephole revealed all of their friends crowded around the door, which didn't make him feel any better. They pushed their way into the room, greeting him with hugs and smiling at Orlando, as soon as he gave them the opportunity.
"Your phones are off."
It was a statement, not a question, but Viggo nodded at Peter nevertheless as he returned to the couch and Orlando's side. "We didn't want to be interrupted last night. We forgot to turn them on again this morning." He scanned the room, trying to remember where they'd left their phone after ending their calls the previous evening.
"Good," Sean Astin said, unplugging the room's phone. "You don't want to be reachable right now."
"We don't?"
"Are they upset?" Orlando's leg muscles tensed under Viggo's hand and Viggo was certain he would have sprung from the couch if there had been anywhere to flee.
Ian sat on the far end of the couch and patted Orlando's other knee. "No one is upset, lad."
"Except the wanker who started this whole mess."
"Yes, Dominic, except him. I believe we were disregarding his opinion, however."
"Right."
Orlando's eyes were wide as he watched the exchange, and he leaned in to Viggo. "What happened then? Why don't we want to be reachable?"
There was a moment of silence and then Elijah fell back on the bed and pulled a pillow to his face to muffle his laughter. "Do you remember how you left the room?"
Viggo thought back, but he'd been so focused on Orlando that he didn't remember much beyond making sure they got out before the press made escape impossible. He shook his head. "No." Next to him, Orlando was shaking his head as well.
"You can watch it on the telly tonight - or now, probably. Some of those feeds were live and they're sure to replay your exit." Peter shook his head. "They're not talking about my movie anymore."
"Then what-"
"The two of you." Peter pulled a chair over and sat in front of the couch.
"I hope you weren't planning on keeping your relationship a secret much longer."
Orlando's brow furrowed as he looked over at Sean Bean. "Why does that...? Oh." His eyes widened comically. "Oh!"
"Fuck." This was the last thing they needed, and Viggo had caused it, even after being so careful during the first part of the conference. "I'm sorry. I should have..." but he wasn't sure what he should have done, so he trailed off shaking his head.
"Don't be," Orlando said, leaning in closer and squeezing Viggo's hand. "It's a, um..."
"...distraction," Billy finished, squeezing onto the couch between Orlando and Ian. "If they ask you about anything other than Return of the King, Orli, it'll be about that, not what you've been doing since your last movie."
This wasn't how Viggo had hoped to avoid the subject, but there was nothing they could do now but run with it. "He has a point," he conceded, kissing Orlando's temple. Orlando nodded. Viggo turned his attention back to Peter. "We'll stay in the room until the premiere. Maybe the press will find something else to focus on."
The dubious expressions on his friends' faces echoed his own real thoughts on the matter.
~*~
"Orlando!"
"Orlando!"
"Orlando!" Flashbulbs burst in his eyes as cameras snapped and microphones were thrust forward.
"Mr. Bloom, may we have a minute?"
"Over here, Orlando!"
"Orli! Oh my god, can I have your autograph please?" Orlando barely resisted the urge to cover his ears and run as a jumping and trembling teenager thrust an autograph book and a marker into his hand. His level of panic continued to rise as she started rambling about how much she loved him in the first two Lord of the Rings movies and how she was such a huge fan and that she was going to see everything he ever made. He thrust the signed book back into her hands and walked away just as she was asking when his next movie would be released.
He didn't answer the question.
"Orlando!"
"Orlando!"
"Mr. Bloom, can you elaborate on your relationship with Mr. Mortensen?"
Orlando, how long have you and Viggo been together?"
He shook his head and tried to pretend he didn't hear those questions.
"Orlando!"
Orlando spun around, bouncing from person to person, stopping briefly whenever he was caught, but trying with every step to get to the building where he was certain there would be some relief from the press of bodies and incessant chanting of people calling his name and wanting just a moment of his time. If he gave a moment to all of them, he'd still be here by the time the movie premiered in Asia, but he couldn't figure out how to get away every time his arm was grabbed and his name was called.
His vision began to blur as his heart rate increased and the sounds of the crowd grew louder and louder and blended together until all he could hear was a roar of noise that threatened to overwhelm him. His breath came in short, painful gasps as he looked around, scanning the blur of colors and movement, desperately looking for a way out. He was going to lose control if he stayed where he was, and he couldn't do that, not now, not here. This was too big, too important, and Orlando wouldn't do that to Peter, not if he could help it.
A hand touched the small of Orlando's back and he jumped and spun, almost whacking Dominic in the mouth. "Don't do that!" he gasped as he focused on the familiar, friendly face. "You scared me."
Dominic's eyebrows crept up, but he didn't voice his opinion on what had really scared Orlando. Instead, he slung his arm around Orlando's shoulder, planted a sloppy kiss on Orlando's cheek, and whispered, "Are you doing all right, mate?"
Orlando returned the hug and the kiss, hoping that the crowd and the cameras didn't catch the way his hand trembled or how tightly he held Dominic's shoulder. "I need to get inside," he mumbled into Dominic's neck while hugging him tightly. "There are too many people out here."
"All right." Dominic pulled back from the hug, grabbed Orlando's hand, and started running down the carpet, pulling Orlando behind him. They didn't get far, but the few seconds they ran were freeing and exhilarating. Orlando's smile and laughter were genuine as they crashed into Ian and Hugo, who caught them both with steady hands and raised eyebrows.
"Going somewhere?"
Orlando flung his arms around Ian's neck. "Inside," he whispered under the guise of another kiss that was captured on hundreds of cameras. If he could just go from friend to friend, he might make it inside without completely losing control.
"I don't think that's an option quite yet. Play around a little longer and ignore them." Ian passed Orlando off to Hugo and walked over to a reporter who was calling his name.
"Hugo!" Orlando shouted, getting into the act though he was torn between wanting to run after Ian and demand an explanation and wanting to run inside and hide. He just had to pretend that the only people around him were the people he loved and trusted and that the crowds and cameras weren't there. If he could do that, he would be okay.
The flashes and clicks and called out questions were getting to be too much, even with Hugo's arms wrapped around his waist and Elijah dashing up and pecking his cheek. Orlando shifted his grip from Hugo to Elijah and then to Billy, who had joined the group, but he wasn't getting any closer to the building.
When Sean walked away from the building towards him, Orlando nearly lost it, and he hurled himself at the other man. "Beanie!" He caught Sean in a full body hug, flinging both arms and legs around Sean's torso, hugging him as though they hadn't seen each other in years, not minutes.
"Easy there." Sean laughed as he staggered backwards, trying to regain his footing. It was slow, awkward movement, but it was in the right direction; if Orlando had to tackle every one of his mates to move along the carpet, he'd do so.
"Keep moving." Orlando let his legs slide down to the ground to support his weight, but his arms stayed firmly around Sean's neck. The flashes were more frequent and the screams louder, but if he could just pretend, just keep moving, just...
"Lad?" Sean interrupted his thoughts and Orlando looked up to see worried eyes in a grinning face.
"I need to get inside, Sean." Orlando's own smile was faltering even as he waved and blew a kiss at a group of teenage girls who were squealing loudly just on the other side of the rope barrier. He needed to get away from the catcalls, screams, and probing questions being yelled across the carpet for the whole world to hear.
"Let's go, then."
Suddenly Orlando's legs were swept from under him and he clung tightly to Sean's shoulders, his eyes wide with shock. He squirmed some, testing the security of Sean's grip, and loudly made the protest he knew would be expected. "Put me down!"
"Soon." Sean gave the expected reply then took a few more steps and deposited Orlando just a few feet from Viggo, who was talking to Peter.
Orlando hurled himself forward, hitting Viggo with enough force to knock the air from his lungs. "Viggo!" He could no longer hide the desperation in his voice or the trembling in his limbs as he clung tightly. He needed to be inside, away from the fans, the press, and the scrutiny right that minute.
"Easy," Viggo whispered as he stroked Orlando's back and hair. "I have you."
The camera flashes were suddenly blinding and the screams grew louder and louder until Orlando couldn’t hear the words Viggo was whispering into his ear. The way Viggo was holding him, touching him, and kissing him felt good, but the press wanted to capture every second of it and they wanted more.
"Inside. Please." Orlando managed as Viggo pulled back and rested their foreheads together.
Without a word, Viggo laced his fingers with Orlando's and walked through the crowd, ignoring the screams and the shouts of encouragement and disdain. He brushed past reporters with a shake of his head.
Orlando walked next to him, his steps hesitant and stumbling, feeling clumsy and awkward compared to Viggo's confident stride, but he was willing to take the unfavorable comparison if it got him away from the catcalls, flashbulbs, and press of people.
They pushed through the doors into the cool, darkened interior of the building and continued to an out of the way corner partially hidden by a costume display. Orlando sagged in relief and wrapped his arms tightly around Viggo again. "Thank you," he whispered as he clung tightly, uncertain that his legs would hold him up.
Viggo's arms were warm and comforting as they slid around Orlando's waist to hold him up. "Are you all right?"
"They kept asking about you and us and..." Orlando shuddered at the memory of some of the things the reporters had implied - and that some had outright said - when they'd managed to pull him aside. "One asked if they hadn't heard from me since... since..." he still couldn't say the name of his last movie, "since... the movie... because you-"
Viggo stopped him with a finger to his lips. "Shh. You don't have to tell me. They asked me the same things."
Orlando buried his face in Viggo's shoulder and tried to stop trembling.
He was still shaking when Viggo kissed his cheek, grabbed his hand, and pulled him out into the lobby just as the first surge of reporters came through the doors.
Chapter Nineteen
Author: Vanessa
Pairing: OB/VM
Rating: NC-17
Summary: When a tragic situation leaves Orlando broken and isolated will Viggo’s love and belief in him be strong enough to bring him back?
Feedback: Always appreciated
Warnings: Violence, Angst, and Character Death (Original Characters only).
Disclaimer: This is not true. I don’t know them, and I'm not making any claims about them in real life. It never happened.
Archive: Please don't.
Betas: The wonderful tamsu2002 & foxrafer
Author’s Notes: This is set in December 2003. There's a lot of angst in this, but there will eventually be a happy ending, I promise. We're getting close to done... only two more chapters.
~*~
Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine, Chapter Ten, Chapter Eleven, Chapter Twelve, Chapter Thirteen, Chapter Fourteen, Chapter Fifteen, Chapter Sixteen, Chapter Seventeen
Banner by araestel.
Viggo moved without thinking, ignoring the cameras and reporters and even his friends as he rushed to get to Orlando. Nothing mattered now except being there when Orlando needed him... however Orlando needed him. He crouched at Orlando's side, his hand hovering just above Orlando's arm. "Orli?" he asked softly, hoping he could get the young man's attention away from the throng of reporters and cameras that now must look absolutely terrifying.
Orlando stayed completely still for a moment and then, as the reporter who had asked the fateful question said something else, turned and flung himself into Viggo's arms. "He wasn't supposed to ask that," he whispered into Viggo's shoulder, "Peter promised." His lithe form was shaking in Viggo's arms. "Just Return of the King. That's all I have to talk about. Just Return of the King."
"I know. Peter's mad." Viggo nudged Orlando with his chin, tried to get him to look at the portly director and the way his arms were flailing as he lectured the people who'd set up the conference and were now keeping him from the reporter. Orlando didn't respond, however. Viggo nudged him again and kissed his temple. "Let's go."
"Where?" Orlando lifted his head and looked at Viggo with his lower lip caught between his teeth and his brow furrowed in confusion. "How?"
"We're going to walk right through those doors and I don't think anyone will try to stop us."
Orlando nodded, but he was trembling harder and his grip on Viggo tightened. "Okay," he managed in a choked voice before burying his face in Viggo's shoulder again.
Viggo had to do most of the work to get them standing, though once they were on their feet Orlando removed his arms from Viggo's neck and settled for clutching at Viggo's hand. They left quickly, with Viggo guiding them around the one assistant who stood in their way, ignoring the bulbs that flashed in their wake.
The door that clicked shut behind them brought instant relief from the noise, clamor, and oppressive atmosphere of the press conference, but Viggo kept moving. If they stopped now, he didn't think he'd get Orlando to move again for some time and they needed to be someplace safe, someplace more private. Peter and the others could find them later. Viggo wasn't stopping until they got to his room.
~*~
"Are you all right?"
That was a stupid question. Orlando couldn't stop shaking, couldn't make his fingers unclench from around Viggo's hand. The door to Viggo's room was closed and locked, but it seemed a flimsy barrier, even with all the floors between them and the reporters.
"I'll, um..." he tried to smile a little, tried to say that he would be, but the words wouldn't come. He moved his mouth but his throat closed up and the words deserted him.
"It was a stupid question, I know." Viggo rested his forehead against Orlando's and wrapped his free arm around Orlando's shoulder. "You're trembling."
"I can't help it. That was a little, um..."
"Overwhelming?"
"Yeah. I wasn't... I wasn't prepared for him to ask that, you know?" He pulled back to look into Viggo's eyes. "I can't talk about that. Not with them." He hadn't talked much about it with anyone, just a little with Viggo and a little with his therapist. It mostly remained a half-remembered haze Orlando had no desire to explore further.
"You don't have to."
"He thought-"
"You don't have to. He wasn't supposed to ask that. None of them were."
"I know, I just..." but he couldn't finish, because he didn't know how to end that sentence. It wasn't possible for all his fears and insecurities to go away, but he really had wanted to be at the press conference... he really did want to go to the premiere. He wanted to be with his friends and talk about the movies that he loved working on and even interact with his fans a little. Orlando wanted to get back to his life; he just wanted to do it without being constantly reminded of how badly his last project had ended.
"You just what?" Viggo asked softly as he led the way to the couch and gently tugged Orlando down next to him.
"I just wish I could focus on why we're here and not all this other stuff. It's... distracting, you know?"
Viggo chuckled and the tension drained out of Orlando's body with each shake of Viggo's shoulders. "I would have chosen a different word, but distracting is one way of putting it."
Orlando gave Viggo a mock-glare and leaned back a little, the death-like grip he'd maintained since rising downstairs loosening a little. "And what word would you have chosen?"
"Upsetting, perhaps, or maybe troubling. Truthfully, I'd rather not describe it at all." Calloused fingers brushed gently along Orlando's jaw. "I wish this round of premieres was as easy as it was last year or the year before."
"Me too."
Viggo pulled Orlando in close again. "We'll get through it though, all right? I think the worst bit is over."
"Really?"
"Peter was livid when we left. I doubt anyone will try that again."
Orlando cuddled close and sighed contentedly. "Good. Well, not that Pete was mad but, you know, that he made his point and yeah. I mean, I don't want anyone to be upset, but..."
"I know."
"What do you think happened after we left?" Orlando popped his head up, unable to sit still any longer.
"They'll tell us, I'm sure."
"When?"
"Soon." Viggo shook his head, but he was smiling and he stopped Orlando's anxious fidgeting with a kiss that drove all thought of what might have occurred out of Orlando's mind.
~*~
The knock on the suite door came later than Viggo had expected and his stomach was fluttering as he approached to open it. He feared that the reason for the lengthy delay could only be bad news. A look through the peephole revealed all of their friends crowded around the door, which didn't make him feel any better. They pushed their way into the room, greeting him with hugs and smiling at Orlando, as soon as he gave them the opportunity.
"Your phones are off."
It was a statement, not a question, but Viggo nodded at Peter nevertheless as he returned to the couch and Orlando's side. "We didn't want to be interrupted last night. We forgot to turn them on again this morning." He scanned the room, trying to remember where they'd left their phone after ending their calls the previous evening.
"Good," Sean Astin said, unplugging the room's phone. "You don't want to be reachable right now."
"We don't?"
"Are they upset?" Orlando's leg muscles tensed under Viggo's hand and Viggo was certain he would have sprung from the couch if there had been anywhere to flee.
Ian sat on the far end of the couch and patted Orlando's other knee. "No one is upset, lad."
"Except the wanker who started this whole mess."
"Yes, Dominic, except him. I believe we were disregarding his opinion, however."
"Right."
Orlando's eyes were wide as he watched the exchange, and he leaned in to Viggo. "What happened then? Why don't we want to be reachable?"
There was a moment of silence and then Elijah fell back on the bed and pulled a pillow to his face to muffle his laughter. "Do you remember how you left the room?"
Viggo thought back, but he'd been so focused on Orlando that he didn't remember much beyond making sure they got out before the press made escape impossible. He shook his head. "No." Next to him, Orlando was shaking his head as well.
"You can watch it on the telly tonight - or now, probably. Some of those feeds were live and they're sure to replay your exit." Peter shook his head. "They're not talking about my movie anymore."
"Then what-"
"The two of you." Peter pulled a chair over and sat in front of the couch.
"I hope you weren't planning on keeping your relationship a secret much longer."
Orlando's brow furrowed as he looked over at Sean Bean. "Why does that...? Oh." His eyes widened comically. "Oh!"
"Fuck." This was the last thing they needed, and Viggo had caused it, even after being so careful during the first part of the conference. "I'm sorry. I should have..." but he wasn't sure what he should have done, so he trailed off shaking his head.
"Don't be," Orlando said, leaning in closer and squeezing Viggo's hand. "It's a, um..."
"...distraction," Billy finished, squeezing onto the couch between Orlando and Ian. "If they ask you about anything other than Return of the King, Orli, it'll be about that, not what you've been doing since your last movie."
This wasn't how Viggo had hoped to avoid the subject, but there was nothing they could do now but run with it. "He has a point," he conceded, kissing Orlando's temple. Orlando nodded. Viggo turned his attention back to Peter. "We'll stay in the room until the premiere. Maybe the press will find something else to focus on."
The dubious expressions on his friends' faces echoed his own real thoughts on the matter.
~*~
"Orlando!"
"Orlando!"
"Orlando!" Flashbulbs burst in his eyes as cameras snapped and microphones were thrust forward.
"Mr. Bloom, may we have a minute?"
"Over here, Orlando!"
"Orli! Oh my god, can I have your autograph please?" Orlando barely resisted the urge to cover his ears and run as a jumping and trembling teenager thrust an autograph book and a marker into his hand. His level of panic continued to rise as she started rambling about how much she loved him in the first two Lord of the Rings movies and how she was such a huge fan and that she was going to see everything he ever made. He thrust the signed book back into her hands and walked away just as she was asking when his next movie would be released.
He didn't answer the question.
"Orlando!"
"Orlando!"
"Mr. Bloom, can you elaborate on your relationship with Mr. Mortensen?"
Orlando, how long have you and Viggo been together?"
He shook his head and tried to pretend he didn't hear those questions.
"Orlando!"
Orlando spun around, bouncing from person to person, stopping briefly whenever he was caught, but trying with every step to get to the building where he was certain there would be some relief from the press of bodies and incessant chanting of people calling his name and wanting just a moment of his time. If he gave a moment to all of them, he'd still be here by the time the movie premiered in Asia, but he couldn't figure out how to get away every time his arm was grabbed and his name was called.
His vision began to blur as his heart rate increased and the sounds of the crowd grew louder and louder and blended together until all he could hear was a roar of noise that threatened to overwhelm him. His breath came in short, painful gasps as he looked around, scanning the blur of colors and movement, desperately looking for a way out. He was going to lose control if he stayed where he was, and he couldn't do that, not now, not here. This was too big, too important, and Orlando wouldn't do that to Peter, not if he could help it.
A hand touched the small of Orlando's back and he jumped and spun, almost whacking Dominic in the mouth. "Don't do that!" he gasped as he focused on the familiar, friendly face. "You scared me."
Dominic's eyebrows crept up, but he didn't voice his opinion on what had really scared Orlando. Instead, he slung his arm around Orlando's shoulder, planted a sloppy kiss on Orlando's cheek, and whispered, "Are you doing all right, mate?"
Orlando returned the hug and the kiss, hoping that the crowd and the cameras didn't catch the way his hand trembled or how tightly he held Dominic's shoulder. "I need to get inside," he mumbled into Dominic's neck while hugging him tightly. "There are too many people out here."
"All right." Dominic pulled back from the hug, grabbed Orlando's hand, and started running down the carpet, pulling Orlando behind him. They didn't get far, but the few seconds they ran were freeing and exhilarating. Orlando's smile and laughter were genuine as they crashed into Ian and Hugo, who caught them both with steady hands and raised eyebrows.
"Going somewhere?"
Orlando flung his arms around Ian's neck. "Inside," he whispered under the guise of another kiss that was captured on hundreds of cameras. If he could just go from friend to friend, he might make it inside without completely losing control.
"I don't think that's an option quite yet. Play around a little longer and ignore them." Ian passed Orlando off to Hugo and walked over to a reporter who was calling his name.
"Hugo!" Orlando shouted, getting into the act though he was torn between wanting to run after Ian and demand an explanation and wanting to run inside and hide. He just had to pretend that the only people around him were the people he loved and trusted and that the crowds and cameras weren't there. If he could do that, he would be okay.
The flashes and clicks and called out questions were getting to be too much, even with Hugo's arms wrapped around his waist and Elijah dashing up and pecking his cheek. Orlando shifted his grip from Hugo to Elijah and then to Billy, who had joined the group, but he wasn't getting any closer to the building.
When Sean walked away from the building towards him, Orlando nearly lost it, and he hurled himself at the other man. "Beanie!" He caught Sean in a full body hug, flinging both arms and legs around Sean's torso, hugging him as though they hadn't seen each other in years, not minutes.
"Easy there." Sean laughed as he staggered backwards, trying to regain his footing. It was slow, awkward movement, but it was in the right direction; if Orlando had to tackle every one of his mates to move along the carpet, he'd do so.
"Keep moving." Orlando let his legs slide down to the ground to support his weight, but his arms stayed firmly around Sean's neck. The flashes were more frequent and the screams louder, but if he could just pretend, just keep moving, just...
"Lad?" Sean interrupted his thoughts and Orlando looked up to see worried eyes in a grinning face.
"I need to get inside, Sean." Orlando's own smile was faltering even as he waved and blew a kiss at a group of teenage girls who were squealing loudly just on the other side of the rope barrier. He needed to get away from the catcalls, screams, and probing questions being yelled across the carpet for the whole world to hear.
"Let's go, then."
Suddenly Orlando's legs were swept from under him and he clung tightly to Sean's shoulders, his eyes wide with shock. He squirmed some, testing the security of Sean's grip, and loudly made the protest he knew would be expected. "Put me down!"
"Soon." Sean gave the expected reply then took a few more steps and deposited Orlando just a few feet from Viggo, who was talking to Peter.
Orlando hurled himself forward, hitting Viggo with enough force to knock the air from his lungs. "Viggo!" He could no longer hide the desperation in his voice or the trembling in his limbs as he clung tightly. He needed to be inside, away from the fans, the press, and the scrutiny right that minute.
"Easy," Viggo whispered as he stroked Orlando's back and hair. "I have you."
The camera flashes were suddenly blinding and the screams grew louder and louder until Orlando couldn’t hear the words Viggo was whispering into his ear. The way Viggo was holding him, touching him, and kissing him felt good, but the press wanted to capture every second of it and they wanted more.
"Inside. Please." Orlando managed as Viggo pulled back and rested their foreheads together.
Without a word, Viggo laced his fingers with Orlando's and walked through the crowd, ignoring the screams and the shouts of encouragement and disdain. He brushed past reporters with a shake of his head.
Orlando walked next to him, his steps hesitant and stumbling, feeling clumsy and awkward compared to Viggo's confident stride, but he was willing to take the unfavorable comparison if it got him away from the catcalls, flashbulbs, and press of people.
They pushed through the doors into the cool, darkened interior of the building and continued to an out of the way corner partially hidden by a costume display. Orlando sagged in relief and wrapped his arms tightly around Viggo again. "Thank you," he whispered as he clung tightly, uncertain that his legs would hold him up.
Viggo's arms were warm and comforting as they slid around Orlando's waist to hold him up. "Are you all right?"
"They kept asking about you and us and..." Orlando shuddered at the memory of some of the things the reporters had implied - and that some had outright said - when they'd managed to pull him aside. "One asked if they hadn't heard from me since... since..." he still couldn't say the name of his last movie, "since... the movie... because you-"
Viggo stopped him with a finger to his lips. "Shh. You don't have to tell me. They asked me the same things."
Orlando buried his face in Viggo's shoulder and tried to stop trembling.
He was still shaking when Viggo kissed his cheek, grabbed his hand, and pulled him out into the lobby just as the first surge of reporters came through the doors.
Chapter Nineteen